April 30, 2009     |   Volume 1 Issue 9         

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A3’s Lewis And Mitchell Open A New Baseball Comedy

By Rob Taylor

The thing is a about the All An Act Theatre is that they are best known for their comedies, especially their British comedies. The slapstick comedy they do is reminiscent of the old black and white comedies of the 1930’s. Now, they do perform dramas, like 12 Angry Men, and they are good at it but their forte is comedy.

A3 just opened a comedy called Rounding Third. The story is about a little league coach named Dan, played by Larry Lewis, and his new assistant Michael, played by David W. Mitchell and the interaction between them and their players.

Dan, to say the least is an asshole! He has a point that his team is allowed “physical mistakes” but “mental mistakes” are strongly…very strongly…verbally dealt with. The thing is…in his mind there are no physical mistakes so he is constantly abusing the kids on the team. His “win by any means” attitude gets a lot stronger when his son, the team’s star pitcher, quits the team to dance in Brigadoon. Basically, my previous statement is wrong, to say that Dan is an asshole is too mild for this character.

Michael, on the other hand, doesn’t know anything about baseball. He even has trouble putting the equipment in the bag at the end of a game. There is one batting helmet that just doesn’t want to get put away. Michael is into sports. He is a former curling player who has the philosophy that winning is not important. The main thing about playing the game of baseball is to just go out, do your best and have fun. He repeatedly says that he is using the team to spend some time with his stepson and bond with him.

During the play, although Dan doesn’t want to admit it, their lives become intertwined and they become friends. As Rounding Third continues you learn more and more about Dan and Michael’s secrets and you find out how they became who they are. Believe me…there are more secrets in these two hours than there are in a whole season of Days Of Our Lives.

Yes, Rounding Third is a comedy and you will be laughing a lot during the show…but it is also the most realistic, life-like thing I have ever seen in Erie theatre and that includes all of the theatre groups in town. Not one of them have done anything to come anywhere near this. I know that it is a play…I am not stupid enough to forget that…but the emotions that Lewis and Mitchell have on stage come right down into the audience and it is REALLY hard to remember that these two are friends in real-life.

There is one scene, I am not going to tell you about the scene, but I swear to God that Lewis was actually trying to strangle Mitchell. To tell the truth, at that moment, I had a pure hatred for, not Lewis, but the character he was playing. The emotions are that strong between the characters.

Rounding Third has got to be the best show in town this month. I can promise you that you will leave A3 satisfied and it doesn’t matter if you went in to laugh your ass off or you wanted a drama…you will not be disappointed either way. So, people ask me if I can recommend a show. If I was going to recommend one show to see…it would be Rounding Third at A3. You can’t beat the entertainment you are going to get for your money.

For more information check out www.allanact.net.

ERI Jams recently announced that the Great Lakes Film Association (GLFA) was working with Papa George’s Country Bar and Grill on a June 5th Bike Night and Harley Davidson give-a-way. At the time the GLFA believed that it was a worth while event.

However, due to contractual problems with Papa George’s, the desire of Papa George’s management to change the musicians hired for the event as well as a number of the activities planned for the event which are deemed inappropriate for an event sponsored by a charitable arts organization to be involved in GLFA Executive Director Steven M. Opsanic has withdrawn the organization’s support for the event and has ordered that all event publicity connected with the GLFA be discontinued, this includes the sale of raffle tickets for the Harley raffle.

Opsanic said that the bands hired for the Bike Night: Sudden Impulse, Shag Nazty and The Bryan Burton Band will be performing at another venue on the same scheduled night and times. The new venue will be announced shortly in ERI Jams.

On behalf of the management of Great Lakes Film Association and ERI Jams Online Magazine we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Thank you.
 

Great Lakes Film Association

Edinboro Restaurant Offers The Ultimate Hotdog

By Rob Taylor

First off, I am going to tell you…I am a big guy, 335 pounds, 6'3' tall and I love to eat at buffets. My normal dinner there is four plates of food piled high. I am even a member of The International Federation of Competitive Eaters. So, when someone hears about an eating competition I hear about it.

Last week I got an e-mail about something at a place called the Campus Dog, 109 Erie St. in Edinboro where the challenge is to eat a two-foot-long hotdog in an hour. Ok, I thought…that sounds really easy so I went down and checked it out.

It has rules:

1) The hotdog costs $10.00

2) You have one hour to finish the hotdog

3) You have to eat the entire thing

4) You have to be able to keep it down

5) NO going to the restroom during the challenge.

Okay, still not too bad!

Then comes the rub!

The hotdog has ketchup and mustard, bacon, a half pound of burger, sautéed onions and peppers, a half pound of cheese, Greek sauce and a ton of fries. All together the hotdog weighs anywhere from 5.5 to 6 pounds, according to Campus Dog manager, Rhonda Rosenthal.

Rosenthal said that so far 28 people have tried to beat the challenge. “They are largely college students,” she said. But we have had people from as far as Dallas, Texas come in and give it a try. She added that the oldest man taking the challenge was 57 years old. He didn't make it!

“About 50% of the people couldn't even eat half of the hotdog,” she said. “Five of the people who tried have had to rush to the restroom and one got so sick they didn't even make it to the restroom.” She told of a man who came in to take the challenge and said, “I only have to eat one.” He asked that so often he got annoying, according to Rosenthal. He didn't finish more than half before he had to quit

She said that out of the 28 people who have tried the challenge only two have actually eaten the whole thing and survived and they did it in less than 40 minutes!

Now, I guess you might want to know what you get if you do beat the challenge?

1) A refund of the $10.00

2) A tee shirt which reads, “I bit the Boro dog and it bit back!”

3) Your pic on the wall of winners. Your pic gets put up anyway but would you really want to be in with the losers.

4) Bragging rights

5) The jealousy of all of your friends

Rosenthal said that, because of the size of the buns, people interested in trying the challenge have to notify the Campus Dog in advance. You can do that by calling 814-272-4001.

So, those of you who want to see if you have the balls to eat this much….give them a call and set it up. If you make it drop me an e-mail and let me know.

Death Note: L Film Series Climax To Be Shown At Tinseltown

by T.R. Septaric

On April 29 and 30 Tinseltown Cinema 17, in association with Viz Pictures and NCM Fathom, will present, by popular demand, Death Note L, Change The World.

Death Note: L, Change The World is the third live action event based on the Death Note Manga franchise. The follow up to Death Note and Death Note II, Death Note: L, Change The World will feature Fathom's first ever subtitled event.

The event (in Japanese with English subtitles) will feature exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and interviews of Kenichi Matsuyama (L), Alessandro Juliani (L's English voice actor), and Hideo Nakata (the director).

Inspired by the best-selling Manga Death Note, Death Note: L, Change The World reveals how the legendary detective "L" spends the final 23 days of his life.

Directed by master J-horror filmmaker Hideo Nakata, Kenichi Matsuyama once again stars as L.
L has finally solved the "Kira" case in which countless criminals had died under mysterious circumstances, but sacrificed his own life in order to stop Kira, leaving himself with only 23 days left to live.

For his final case L goes up against a bio-terrorist group trying to wipe out humanity with a deadly mutated virus ten times more fatal than Ebola. As L tries to formulate an antidote with a scientist, he must also save the lives of two children who have no one else to turn to. Will L be able to save the world before it's too late? This is your chance to witness the last 23 days of L.

According to www.wikipedia.com as of March 5th, 2009 Japanese attendance for Death Note L, Change The World had topped 2.2 million people with a box office of 250,000,000 Yen (about 2.5 million US Dollars)

On April 29tth Death Note: L, Change The World is subtitled with the original Japanese dialogue in tact. The April 30th show is overdubbed into English.

If you have seen the previous Death Note films this two day event will be the only change to see the conclusion of the series.

For more information or to order tickets check out www.fathomevents.com or call Tinseltown's box office at 814-866-3444

Oh Where, Oh Where Was The Hamburger Born?

125 Year Old Feud Finally Ends

By Rob Taylor

This doesn’t have anything to do with the Erie area but it is a cute little piece of trivia about the history of an American tradition that had to finally, after 124 years, be decided by a public trial and a vote.

I am from the city of Akron, Ohio…about 125 miles from here and every summer they hold a weekend long festival to celebrate the invention of the hamburger by Akron natives Frank and Charles Menches in 1885. The problem is Seymour, WI, New Haven, CT and Athens TX also claim to be the birthplace of the hamburger.

On August 12, 2008, during Akron’s National Hamburger Festival a mock trial called The hamburger Hearings” was held to find out who actually invented the hamburger and end decades of arguing and feuding. It is said that the citizens of the four communities were actually afraid to bring up the subject in discussion.

On that date representatives of the four cities gathered before retired Summit County Judge James Murphy and four jurists for what had come to be known and the “Burger Commission.” Following the testimony the jury could not reach a decision so the judge ordered a two week period where votes could be cast on www.hamburgerfestival.com.

When the results of the voting were made public it was revealed that the vote decided that, with 39.6% of the vote, Seymour, WI was officially named as the birthplace of the hamburger. Akron came in second with 30.1%, New Haven, CT came in third with 26.7% and, bring up the rear Athens, TX with 3.7%. According to records a total of 6948 votes were cast during the two weeks.

Seymour, WI representative Bill Collar said that he wanted to thank all those who voted for Seymour and added that “justice was served” by the decision. Representatives of the other three cities said that they congratulate Seymour, WI for their victory and said that a rematch would not be called for…at least not right away.

So, on a summer day in 2008, one of the longest running feuds the United States ever faced ended without a shot being fired, at a festival in a NE Ohio city where everyone gathered just to party and eat a lot of hamburgers.

More Poetry In Erie

by Amontillado Kerouac-Gazookus

This week, Friday, May 1, poetry happens, in Erie, at Poetry Scene, Erie Book Store, East Thirteenth, between French and Holland. Open Mic Night. Anybody can read and there’s no Feature. No sign-up either. Just stand up. Sometimes an unintended theme emerges, it’s unpredictable.

6:30. If he’s there, Chuck Joy opens, often with a poem, usually new, but one time he came back from the poetry stacks and read “Like Whiskey” from Rattapallax.

Donnie will probably pipe up soon and before you know it he’s deconstructing one or two of his strong pieces. Julie could rise, applauding, and present another untitled poem. A new reader might follow. Where’s the camera?

Matt is usually late. Monica sits in the back, fomenting wickedness. Seriously, I think she’s stirring a pot. That Kat, Blair, often marches to the front and races through five of hers, tires screeching around every curve.

Marjorie likes to stand in an old barn, yet solid, all black rafters and whitewash. Zach has recreated the entire Bayfront neighborhood. Carolyn Ann Shirmbeck Campbell might be in the house.

Cee Williams spits big hits. Greg Brown stands under a wide-brimmed hat. Kurt Sahlmann might not make it. He’s been doing more music gigs. Geoff Peterson probably still be recovering from last week.

When these people talk, everybody listens. The static-to-noise ratio is almost zero. Between readers, Kathleen might appear, trim and grinning. Ask her anything about a book.

8:00 and it’s over. Pull your leather jacket or cardigan sweater back over your tee-shirt and walk out into the half-light of May in North America, better for it.

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