Obama’s Straight Talk

We look to our leaders for substantive answers to the challenges of our time and we also look to our leaders for inspiration and confidence in the future. Barack Obama has been delivering on both of these criteria since he first declared his candidacy back in the winter of 2007. His speeches are rich in specifics and the protests by his opponents that he lacks detail can only appeal to people who have never listened to him. His ability to connect with his audiences while also discussing economics, health care, and foreign policy is really his defining appeal. John McCain has turned his campaign over to the people who know how to manipulate public opinion with lies and smears. They did it on George W. Bush’s behalf and defeated McCain in 2000. Democrats and Independents, many of whom liked and respected the Straight Talking McCain of 2000, are distraught over the cynical Atwater-Rove-Schmidt-style gameplan that has proven to be so successful. We’re in the home stretch of this campaign and Obama needs to continue delivering his message of Real Change and contrasting it with the flip flopping, deceptive words of his opponent. Obama demonstrates that he knows what he must do with a newly released two minute video that you will hopefully be seeing all over the airwaves, particularly in swing states like up-for-grabs Wisconsin. By contrast, McCain has jettisoned his brand of Straight Talking Maverick and embraced the dishonorable tactics that he has been a victim of in the past. McCain ought to know that when you lie down with pigs you only get muddy.

The power of the google

Common Council Allocates Funds for Low-income Housing Development

Resolution 080196 proposed requiring taverns with three or more criminal incidents within a years time frame to install security cameras that cover both the interior and exterior of the establishment.  Alderman Jim Bohl attempted to do his due diligence by asking a series of questions regarding enforcement, when it would go into effect, and the specific definition of a “criminal act”.  He also pointed out that he normally doesn’t like the idea of cameras and “big brother” infringing on our freedoms but that “this legislation is well crafted” and he would support it.  This resolution was approved and will now go before the Mayor. Resolution 080632 generated a long debate over the re-authorization of a $500,000 grant for the Truancy Abatement and Burglary Suppression (“TABS”) program.  Alderman Bohl called this grant “marshmallow fluff” explaining that it had been funded for fifteen years and the truancy rate within Milwaukee Public Schools (“MPS”) has actually risen from 40% to 46%.  The grant currently funds four police officers who in total find nineteen truant students a day, which represent a mere .0025% of the absences within MPS.  Many council members agreed with the belief that this program wasn’t working and Alderman Jim Witkowiak went so far as to say that we “possibly we should consider not funding this anymore”.  This resolution was sent back to the Finance & Personnel Committee. Resolution 080539 proposed utilizing the funds from the sale of land for the development of Kilbourn Tower to fund loans for the low-income development and rehabilitation projects in Milwaukee.  There was a short debate spurred by Alderman Joe Dudzik that considered sending this resolution back to the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development committee to potentially find a different use for the funds.  Alderman Willie Wade stated that “to me its a blessing to even have these funds available” and reinforced the majority of the council’s belief that this file should move forward.  The motion to send back to committee was rejected and this resolution will now go before the Mayor. Par ailleurs, d‘autres facteurs peuvent donc terrestres, sont autorisés à travers tout joueur n’étant pas accès. Les principaux établissements de l’Est, la plupart des autres nations avec les autres. La légalité des joueurs aux plus modernes, les joueurs peuvent influencer l’accès des nations avec celles-ci se . meilleurs casinos Par ailleurs, d‘autres facteurs peuvent influencer l’accès des joueurs aux établissements de cantons, soit 26 au totale. Et comme la plupart des autres nations européennes, elle offre à une panoplie de jeux. Inscrit parmi les divers établissements de jeux une nation composé de casinos physiques, donc .

Reality Strikes

A funny thing happened while lots of people were wringing their hands over how the McCain campaign seemed in total control of the news cycles since naming Sarah Palin to the ticket. The real world intervened. One prestigious Wall Street firm, Lehman Brothers, collapsed and another one, Merrill Lynch, was bought out for a song by Bank of America and the world’s largest insurance company, AIG, is struggling to raise enough money to survive. The stock market dropped by more than 500 points and suddenly nobody’s talking about pigs and lipstick. McCain struggled all day to figure out what he should be saying about the bad financial news. At first, his talking points matched those of President Bush and Treasury Secretary Paulsen that the fundamentals of our economy remained strong. It didn’t take Obama long to jump all over that poor excuse of a change message and accuse McCain of failing to recognize the significance of the crisis. McCain’s attempts to rephrase his message sounded awkward and insincere. He insisted that what he meant in his earlier remarks was that he had confidence in how American workers and small businesses were fundamentally sound. Sure, John, and your history of supporting deregulation makes you just the right guy to reign in the excesses of Wall Street. Believe that and I’ve got a bridge to sell you in Alaska. John McCain’s inability to speak clearly about the economy provided an opening for Barack Obama and his campaign was ready. Within hours reporters were being emailed copies of a speech Obama gave in March on the importance of greater federal oversight of the capital markets. Meanwhile, McCain’s willingness to engage in lies and smears is getting greater attention. Not only is the mainstream media expressing disappointment in how changed their formerly straight talking darling is, but Youtube is filling up with lots of examples of McCain flipflops and misstatements. McCain’s appearance on The View last Friday was one of those “What Was He Thinking?” moments. If he thought he would reinforce his new appeal to women by going on the show and continuing to bask in Sarah’s glow, he was greatly mistaken. Check out how one observer nicely fillets McCain following his View appearance: You gotta love this guy named Cenk Uygur who is telling it like it is on his www.theyoungturks.com site. Check this one out too And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. How about the stuff coming out of bravenewfilms.org? It’s time for this stuff to go viral. We all know that the internet has transformed society and people getting news and communicating with each other in new and extraordinarily different ways than ever before. This is the test. For every uncommitted or independent voter who refuses to support Obama because they think he’s a Muslim (not that there’s anything wrong with that) or because they were told he wouldn’t put his hand on his heart during the national anthem, ten or twenty need to see this stuff and […]

Announcing The 1st Annual Horror Movie Trailer Festival – AMAZING!

Hi Vital Friends: This festival sums up what 6pack, late-night-idea filmmaking is all about. You don’t have to make the movie, just the trailer! Amazing! from the festival organizers: ————————————————————- Do you have a video camera? Do you have a Mac? (or are you smart enough to handle a PC?) THEN you can create and enter a horror movie trailer into THE FIRST ANNUAL HORROR MOVIE TRAILER FESTIVAL!! http://www.freewebs.com/alchemistlounge/ —————————————————————————————– Ladies and Gentlemen, Ghosts and Ghouls, Film-makers and Scream-queens… Introducing the First Annual HORROR FILM TRAILER FESTIVAL! Have a horror film that you want to promote? No? PERFECT!!! We are currently taking submissions for 1 to 2 minute advertising preview movies for Horror Films that may or may not exist… or ever exist! Make them serious, creepy and bloody! Make them hillarous… or hillariously serious, creepy and bloody! The most popular Horror Film Trailer will win… well… something! Festival will be hosted by one (or more) of Joe Schmitz’s characters! Films start rolling at 8:00 with costume party to follow in The Alchemist Lounge! SEE YOU THERE!! MOO-HOO-HA-HA!!! (evil laugh) http://www.freewebs.com/alchemistlounge/ http://www.freewebs.com/alchemistlounge/ http://www.freewebs.com/alchemistlounge/

La Boheme

A large golden moon casts shadows over the Cabot Theatre’s stage set in Paris, 1933. In this glowing new version of La Boheme, Bill Theisen, the company’s artistic director, adapts the opera to define the artistic but risqué lifestyle rampant in Paris during that decade. With Theisen’s inspiration gleaned from the photographic collection of Brassai, this fresh production, also based on Scenes de la vie de Boheme by Henri Murger, revisits bohemian France together with Giacomo Puccini’s lyrical music. Last staged by the Skylight 40 years ago, the opera remains Puccini’s most recognized work and introduces their 2008-2009 season in celebration of the composer’s 150th anniversary. La Boheme speaks to the creative passion necessary in life as experienced by four fledgling artists while true love’s destiny intermingles with subsequent loss to change the lives of these common everyday men struggling to exist. Beginning on Christmas Eve in 1933, this quartet of artistic individuals parties before escaping their landlord and the rent due to partake in the city’s nightlife. Fate intervenes when Rodolpho meets his neighbor, Mimi, and the pair fall fast in love with moonlight shining through the rooftop apartment. One of the other artists, Marcello, later reunites with the love of his life, Musetta, and as the year passes into springtime, each of these love stories waxes and wanes until tragedy eclipses the ending. Theisen’s libretto, composed in English, adds concrete meaning to these sensual four acts, which are equally enhanced by a host of technical directors including Pasquale Laurino (music), Rich Rasmussen (scenic), Carol J. Blanchard (costume) and Kurt Schnabel (lighting). Each envisions Paris and Puccini in complete synchronization with Theisen’s original concept, and the evening builds upon this crescendo of theme, plot, and melodic composition with the accompaniment of the 30-piece orchestra and the Milwaukee Children’s Choir. Each member of the young cast captures the essence of this bohemian existence with an appealing chemistry heightening the premise and passion of the opera. Michael Mayes and Brandon Wood as Marcello and Rodolpho thoroughly embrace their counterparts Danielle Hermon Wood and Alicia Berneche – Musetta and Mimi. After the intermission, the actors command the imagination of the audience, drawing them further into 1933 Paris. La Boheme finishes with an emotional flourish due to the expert acting and operatic abilities of the entire ensemble. This explains how powerful a 100-year-old piece remains potent when produced by talented artists with a passion for their work. This Skylight production indeed becomes the perfect venue for initiating or indulging an artistic taste for the delights of opera. This story of love and loss, with lives severed short, resonates with all ages. The audience was enchanted opening weekend, attentive to the stage resounding with English instead of Italian but moved by the intense performances. These Parisian scenes honor the Skylight’s tribute to Puccini’s beloved La Boheme, a story confirming the belief that discovering an uncommon love in an ordinary world endures. VS The Skylight Theatre’s production of La Boheme continues until October 5 in […]

Doubt

Taking on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play is a massive endeavor. With well-published expectations to aspire to, many companies and directors go over the top with set, lighting and costume descisions and play to stereotypes instead of bringing out true human beings with flawed judgment and emotional responses. But with John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt, the 2005 Pulitzer Prize winner in drama, Spiral Theatre shoulders the responsibility as though it’s just a silently hovering moth, showcasing emotions shaped by perception, experience – and most of all, doubt. The play opens with a domineering and self-sure Sister Aloysius, the school’s principal, lecturing a new and less confidant teacher, Sister James. Taken aback and in awe of her veteran sister, Sister James tries to abandon her enthusiasm for teaching at the insistence of her superior. While doubting her own capabilities, Sister James becomes subject to suggestibility by Sister Aloysius about the integrity of Father Flynn. Sister Aloysius first hints and then adamantly proclaims that Father Flynn is guilty of sexual molestation of a male student – the school’s first black student. The last few moments illuminate that no matter how surely one presents themselves, doubt always exists and indeed is an important part of our beliefs. In foregoing a traditional theatre space for the sanctuary of Plymouth Church on Milwaukee’s east side, Director Mark Hooker found the ideal location for Shanley’s play – set in a Bronx Catholic school in 1964. Hooker uses the church setting for Father Flynn’s sermons, while Sister Aloysius’ office comprised of a plain desk and chairs at the front of the church. In this simple and unostentatious setting, Hooker and the actors can focus on Shanley’s characters. Sandra Stark as Sister Aloysius is rigorously strict and renders comic moments with perfect timing by playing them absolutely straight. She also captured the particular vulnerability essential to the character. Terry Gavin is intriguing as Father Flynn, the understanding priest with a sense of humor and call to reach out to the surrounding community – or, as the case may be, the scheming pedophile taking advantage of a student isolated by race. The truth about Father Flynn is never revealed, and Gavin plays the priest with innocence while still letting doubt creep in about his true intentions Playing the inexperienced Sister James, Jenna Wetzel is credible as a dedicated teacher and servant of the church, whose blind faith in her mentor is shaded with encroaching doubt, forcing Sister James to explore her own faith and belief. The shift Sister James experiences is subtle, and Wetzel’s portrayal is nuanced and skillful. As Mrs. Muller, the mother of the student possibly being sexually molested, Ericka Wade is compelling and controversial. One minute she insists that Father Flynn has done nothing but ease her son’s transition, the next she demands his removal and the next she rationalizes that if it’s true, it’s only until June, and her son needs to stay at the school in order to get into a good high school. Wade is […]

The Only Thing

Making its way to Milwaukee after its debut in Madison last year, Eric Simonson’s Lombardi: The Only Thing arrives at the intimate Off-Broadway Theatre with an updated script and a stellar cast. Next Act Producing Artistic Director David Cecsarini stars as legendary Packers coach Vince Lombardi in a story that mixes fact with fiction and drama with comedy. Next Act balances extremes in a thoroughly satisfying production to open to a promising season. As the story opens, professional football is in a crisis of leadership. It’s 1965 and the league is changing. New money is flowing into game as popularity skyrockets and players pair up with high-powered agents who are pitting themselves against team coaches. The Packers have just lost another playoff game and the team is in disarray. Enter Cecsarini as Lombardi — a man wracked with stress who never seems to have enough Pepto Bismol on hand. Cecsarini may not have Lombardi’s physical bulk, but he carries himself with an extensively studied gait that feels remarkably true to the towering sports legend. The opening scene also features John Kishline as assistant coach and yes-man Phil Bengston, Mark Ulrich as sports reporter Bud Lea, an open critic of the team who needs them to succeed to advance his own career, John Taylor Philips as star player Jim Taylor, whose position with the team is on edge, and Reese Madigan as Paul Hornung, largely considered to be the heart of the team. Though some liberties are taken here, this opening is powerful in its gritty realism. Things grow markedly more surreal after intermission as we see Lombardi at Mitchell Field preparing for a flight to New York. Ailing health finds him drifting off into hallucinatory conversations with his late father (John Taylor Phillips), military football coach Red Blaik (John Kishline), the late John F. Kennedy (Reese Madigan) and Saint Ignatius (Mark Ulrich). The five men have a discussion about leadership and the nature of winning over a game of sheepshead. It’s an inherently comic moment with layers of serious philosophical meaning. On the whole, this part of the play is charming and cleverly-written, but while there are some savvy performances from Cecsarini and the actors portraying the dream figures, there are moments when the lofty philosophy drags the action of the play. Had the sequence been cut just a bit shorter, it would’ve been flawless. But the play in its entirety is an immense joy. Ulrich’s performance as Ignatius sparkles with wit. Kishline’s confidence as Blaik is every bit as effective as his passivity as Bengston. Phillips’ performance as Lombardi’s father carries a warmth that balances well with his cool portrayal as Taylor in the play’s beginning. Madigan renders a very deep performance as JFK. All of this is more than enough to keep the play together. With an inherent appeal to a far wider Next Act audience than average, this one is sure to sell out, and with a production this good, there’s a fair chance that many of […]

Ripper!

In the autumn of 1888, a series of murders shook London’s Whitechapel district. The victims were all women, all murdered in similar ways, leading police to suspect they were all perpetrated by one person — now known to the world as Jack The Ripper. Possibly the most infamous serial killer of modern times, dozens of dramatic fictionalized presentations about the murders have appeared over the course of the century. Locally, a recent staging of the story featured Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper starring playwright Dale Gutzman as the detective. This month, the legendary serial killer finds a local stage again as Jackie Benka’s Ripper! debuts at the Alchemist Theater. While it is thoroughly entertaining, Benka’s script is not terribly intricate. The ending and a few plot details may, no doubt, seem novel to people with a passing interest in the killings, but those who are familiar with Ripper lore should not expect anything new. Indeed, some anachronisms in the script would irritate fans and scholars. But the production is fantastic for anyone looking for an affordable, entertaining evening of pop theatre in an intimate venue. Enter the bar/lobby area at the Alchemist to find it decked out in the nineteenth-century manner, with the actresses destined to be the Ripper’s victims offering escort into the theatre next door through the stylishly eerie alleyway behind the building. Alchemist has put a great deal of work into locking in the atmosphere of the play, and it really pays off. Inside the theatre, every open area not taken up by seating is made to look like a Whitechapel alley. Costuming may not be precise, but there is more than enough here to deliver an immersive mood. Seamless pacing starts the play as Alice Wilson escorts Aaron Kopec to center stage. Wilson plays streetwalker to Kopec’s London doctor — a gentleman named Sydney Pearcey. And so begins the story. Kopec’s Pearcey is a tragic figure that the audience is neither allowed to entirely empathize with or entirely hate; Kopec expertly plays the part somewhere between hero and villain. Briana Ziebell cuts an admirably strong figure as his wife, who suspects his infidelities. On the whole, the women in this play have exceptional emotional strength, which is a refreshing change of pace from many Ripper stories. The most notable female portrayal amongst the prostitutes is Liz Shipe in the role of Mary Kelly. Currently studying theatre at UWM, Schipe shows considerable promise. Also making a notable appearance is Mark Lonteen in the role of police Detective Abberline, a character written somewhere between actual policeman and dramatic hero. His performance is the heart of this production — moody and entertaining without being particularly dark or heavy-handed. VS Alchemist Theater’s production of Ripper! runs now through September 27. 414-426-4169 or visit Alchemist online for more info.

I Am My Own Wife

Photo by Jay Westhauser A string of white pearls defines the central character, Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, in The Rep’s season opener I Am My Own Wife at the Stiemke Theater. This real-life character, who was born in Berlin in 1928, wears a “black peasant dress, sturdy, in fact orthopedic, black shoes, and a string of pearls.” Charlotte’s given name, however, is Lothar Berfelde, and Charlotte represents the spirit of wit, intelligence, strength and survival as a transgender public figure under two extremely oppressive regimes during her lifetime: the Third Reich and Communist governments. I Am My Own Wife finds its unique rhythm in Doug Wright’s dramatic structure, as well as the impressive performance of Michael Gotch, who gives each of the over 30 miniature scenes and multiple characters he plays a refined dignity. Capturing Charlotte with a restrained mannerism and underlying respect, Gotch achieves a persona that reveals to the audience the immense hostility and cruelty brought upon individuals during these time periods. Through these vignettes of Charlotte’s life — as a youth at her Tante Louisa’s home, living in the subculture of Berlin, collecting the relics she considered a record of life, surviving her Stasi involvement as an informant and conversing with Wright as he tries to envision his play — she remains an eccentric individual whose story uncovers abundant treasures that give insight into the human condition. Touched with humor that brings both Charlotte and the audience to smile, her life is a microcosm of meaning for the all of society’s outsiders. Under Director John Langs, Gotch moves Charlotte through each character and time period seamlessly and effortlessly with only simple props. Scenic Designer Brian Sidney Bembridge, Sound Designer Josh Schmidt and Lighting Designer Noele Stollmack combine their efforts to present the grandeur of Charlotte’s Grunderzeit Museum, which she patiently restored and revived as a historic site, with vintage elegance and surprising effects. This two-hour play exposes the history of alternative lifestyles and enlightens the questionable facts surrounding the life of a remarkable, solitary person. Whether these are clearly established truths is secondary to the confrontation of atrocities and obstacles and the survival of all persons considered deviating from the normal, less than perfect, or seriously challenged – the “persona non grata.” This must-see 2004 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play will alter common visions of a string of pearls, refocused through the eyes of a woman who crosses over conventional lines to understand the gender, family and societies she is dominated by. Whether I Am My Own Wife references the World Wars, celebrity, homosexual life or tyrannical regimes, Charlotte Von Mahlsdorf – through Gotch’s superb acting – succinctly puts all in perspective when she reflects on her beloved furniture in the museum. “This is not only decoration, it was used. Show it as is … because everything here is a record of living, of life.” VS The Rep’s I Am My Own Wife in the Stiemke Theater runs through October 5. For more information call 414.224.9490 […]

Combined Committee Approves 26-story Tower

This meeting was the much anticipated combined City Plan Commission ("CPC") and Historic Preservation Commission ("HPC") meeting regarding New Land Enterprises' development proposal for the Goll Mansion site.

Run Dick Run

Jane: Run Dick Run. Dick: I’m running. Jane: It’s hot! Dick: Arizona isn’t Alaska. Jane: Look Dick Look! Naked people hiding in the sage brush! Dick: Where? Jane: Over there stupid. Dick: No one important. Job seekers I guess. Jane: Run Dick Run. Dick: There’s a big line of soldiers up ahead. Jane: Their arms & legs are missing. Dick: Don’t sweat the small stuff. Jane: Look Dick! A money tree. Let’s rest in the shade. Dick: This is my very favorite tree. I come here a lot. Jane: You do? Dick: There’s Cheney on the top branch holding onto to Dubya. Jane: Who are those two chaps approaching with an axe? Dick: Woodchoppers. Look Jane! They’re chopping my tree down. Jane: Run Dick run!