Talk about great timing for a particular film to hit Enzian’s screen as a Cult Classic. Last night’s sold-out screening of JAWS, the final film in our accidental Spielberg tribute month that’s also included BACK TO THE FUTURE (which he Executive Produced and “protege” Robert Zemeckis directed) as a Popcorn Flick and JURASSIC PARK as a late night MovieJoint presentation, obviously got the community excited as we had to turn away quite a few patrons. The combination of the film being set over July 4th and a chance to see it again in a theater (or for the first time—how awesome would that be?) in a beautiful scope 35mm print rather than on TV, proved too hard to resist.
Normally when we have this much demand and pre-sales for one of our Cult Classics selections we hold it over for an encore late night screening over the weekend. Believe me—we asked. But in this case Universal needed the print picked up the very next day to ship out to Colorado for a screening at Red Rocks (talk about awesome!) early next week. So despite the pleas and e-mails, we were unable to accomodate another showing.
So the moral of the story is this: Enzian only holds 220 - 230 or so. Admission to the Cult Classics series is only $5, and more often than not, the films sell out. So if you discover a title on a flyer in the lobby or on our website that you’re interested in, don’t hesitate. Advance tickets are the way to go, and you’ll be able to rest easy knowing you’re getting in no matter what. MONTY PYTHON’S LIFE OF BRIAN (7/14), Sam Peckinpah’s THE WILD BUNCH (7/28), Tim Burton’s ED WOOD (8/11), and Dennis Hopper’s EASY RIDER (8/25, new print!) are on deck. And as far as September onward goes, keep an eye on the website for a Cult Classics poll so you can help us pick some movies.
Wow! Talk about a deal to shake things up. I still can’t get a handle on whether or not the Magic trading for Orlando native and 8-time All Star, ex-Toronto Raptor, ex-New Jersey Net Vince Carter is a good thing or bad. And apparently I’m not alone, since an Orlando Sentinel poll showed that 49% liked the Carter/Ryan Anderson for Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, and Tony Battie deal, while 50% did not.
I was resigned to losing Alston and Battie for financial reasons, since I figured the Magic needed to dump their salaries to be able to sign Hedo Turkoglu when he opted out of the last year of his current contract. But when Hedo’s agent rejected their first offer (apparently far below the $10 mil per for 5 years that Hedo was looking for), I think the Magic couldn’t let him just walk and get nothing in return (a la Shaq so many years ago). So when they had a chance to acquire a former All-Star and hometown boy (especially one that can create his own shot at the end of games), they jumped at it. And though he’s a couple of years older than Hedo, Carter’s stats (granted, on a far less balanced team) were better with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.
No one’s happy about letting go of Courtney Lee, who had a terrific rookie season, especially on the defensive side. And would I rather have Hedo and Courtney on the team than Vince Carter? I’d say YES, but waiting or negotiating for that possibility may have blown up in the Magic’s faces. It’s a shame Orlando is already breaking up a team that made it all the way to the NBA Finals and lost at least a couple of games to inexperience, not necessarily lack of talent. But GM Otis Smith has rolled the dice and gambled that Carter’s offensive talents and versatility (though not as unique as Hedo’s) will blend with his other 3 All-Stars and produce a championship. Now let’s see what he can do about the Power Forward spot and the bench. Antonio McDyess (sp?) for a start sounds pretty good to me.
In the wake of Ed McMahon’s death a couple of days ago, I received this awesome e-mail from Enzian friend/FFF selection committee member/soon-to-be ex-Orlando bon vivant Aaron Jarvis (aka Artie Mondello):
The passing of Ed McMahon shot a chill through me this morning – just this weekend, while boxing up my cocktail books, I came upon this little gem that I’d totally forgotten about:
Regrettably, not one of the more essential books in my collection, but not without some nifty ‘toons…
Only Aaron would have a wing of his book collection for “cocktail books,” and only Aaron would actually still own a copy of this particular gem. As far as McMahon goes, it’s hard to think of Johnny Carson and the glory days of The Tonight Show without him, and I still remember the amount of pleasure he provided for my grandpa in the Bronx as host of Star Search (schlocky as it was, a competition reality show way ahead of its time). The man’s legacy will certainly be as the ultimate second banana/wing-man/sidekick—Andy Richter and others should say a prayer for this guy every day. R.I.P. Ed. Hi-O!
It just keeps getting more fun at Enzian this summer! Well, the music won’t exactly be flowing in the theater auditorium this Wednesday at 7:30, but you’ll still be able to eat, drink, and be merry outside in the courtyard at the lovely Eden Bar. This exciting new program has been dubbed “Sessions at Eden Bar,” and every other Wednesday evening we’ll be showcasing some of the community’s best new musicians in an intimate, acoustic setting. In a couple of days on June 24 it will be “Industry Night” featuring some of the wonderful musical talent on the Enzian staff, including Ben Wright, Sam Lafferty, and Mike Foreman. Admission is free, so be sure to come by and listen to some fine live music while enjoying our Happy Hour specials and tasty offerings. Guests with table reservations get 50% off a bottle of wine, and Mojitos, Caipirinhas, Cuba Libres, and Arnold Palmers are only $4. Sounds like the perfect time and place to “stay thirsty my friends.”
Fans of Los Straightjackets and other instrumental rockers should stop for a moment today and pay homage to a wonderful musician they’ve probably never heard of—Bob Bogle. Bogle, whose lead-guitar work with ‘60s surf-rock pioneers The Ventures influenced countless bands to come, has died at the age of 75. Details from his obit read as follows:
Bogle died from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Vancouver, WA, according to his longtime bandmate, Don Wilson.
Wilson and Bogle founded the group in 1958 after both learned to play guitar while they worked as construction workers in their native Tacoma, WA. “We had a lot of time on our hands after work, so we’d get together and play,” Wilson told CNN. “A year and a half later, we had a number two hit called ‘Walk Don’t Run.’” The group originally discovered the song on a Chet Atkins record and applied their own rapidly developing formula to the song, featuring a stripped-down, high-energy approach that became typical for the band in the years to come.
Hits followed in rapid succession after the band’s initial breakthrough with “Walk Don’t Run,” including “Perfidia,” “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue” and “Walk Don’t Run ‘64,” all of which found their way onto the Top 40. After enduring a commercial slump in the mid-‘60s, the group rebounded with the theme for the hit TV show “Hawaii Five-O” in 1968, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard singles chart.
Aside from success as a singles band, the group pumped out a seemingly endless series of hit LPs, with 38 of the band’s studio sets entering The Billboard 200 chart, albums that spanned a wide variety of genres, from Christmas songs to country and western. In 1972, the group scored its final entry on The Billboard 200 with its version of the music from the movie “Shaft.”
According to The Ventures’ bio, the group sold more than 110 million albums worldwide, ranking the band as the best-selling instrumental group of all time. The Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.
These guys kept cranking it out, and one of the favorite items in my music collection is actually a cassette cut-out of a double Ventures “Best of” that is simply amazing—talk about twang guitar nirvana! I had the privilege of seeing them once at the Lonestar in NYC in the mid-80s, and I remember it fondly as an incredibly rockin’ good time. The Ventures may not have had any vocals, but their twin guitars sang like angels for decade after decade. That the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame finally recognized their contribution to the music world last year was a long time coming, and a nice thing to happen before Bogle’s passing. Rest in Peace, Bob.
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