This Entertainment Mag Won’t Turn Your Hands Black
A new local arts and culture magazine has debuted, but you won’t find it on any newsstands. It’s all-electronic, on the World Wide Web via the Internet. Bravo! Bravo! made its on-line debut last week.
Editor Darryl Caldwell said the magazine has four “pages” of information, including arts listings, book reviews and movie reviews (“we’re heavy on the film side”).
“The reason I did this was to give people a focal point to see what kinds of artistic things we have here, so they’re not always looking to Seattle and Portland,” said Caldwell.
Browsing the magazine is free. Caldwell says the magazine is supported by advertisers and sponsors. You can click on the sponsor’s names to see their ads.
Caldwell was the events coordinator for Auntie’s Bookstore for three years, so he knows the culture scene in Spokane. He also edits his own on-line martial arts magazine.
Caldwell can keep track of who has dropped in on the magazine, so he knows that at least 180 people have called up the magazine from places as far away as Germany, Sweden, Japan and New Zealand. Ironically, few Spokane users have discovered it.
Maybe we can help with that problem. Those people with World Wide Web access can call up the magazine at this address: http:/ /www.eznet.com/bravo/bravo.html. The magazine is posted every Thursday evening.
Newsprint prices
Meanwhile, those of us still mired in ancient technology (newsprint) have been dealing with crippling increases in newsprint prices. Prices nationwide have gone up 35 percent.
Which, you may recall, is why this column is no longer in the Entertainment & Travel magazine. That magazine was canceled last month to save newsprint.
Over at Spokane’s alternative weekly, The Inlander, publisher Ted McGregor Jr. is dealing with the newsprint problem, too. He said his newsprint costs have gone up 6 percent, an increase he can absorb so far.
“We’re not cutting back the amount of copies we print, but we’re trying to keep the paper as tight as possible,” said McGregor.
He said he expects more price hikes to come.
Ironically, these newsprint price hikes are partly the result of increased newspaper success, ancient technology or not. Advertising revenues rose 4.2 percent nationally last year.
New weather anchor
KXLY-4 has hired Elizabeth Gardner, formerly of WECT-TV in Wilmington, N.C., as its new weekend weather anchor.
She replaces Daryl Romeyn, who will become a full-time specialty reporter with his “Romeyn’s Domain” and “Northwest Backroads” features.
Gardner is working on her meteorology degree from Mississippi State. She will start April 1.
What about the Sonics?
Several alarmed readers have called in to point out that the Seattle SuperSonics, not just the Seattle Mariners, will be carried next season by KIRO-TV in Seattle, which we don’t get on Cox Cable.
Cox Cable general manager Alan Collins points out, however, that both teams will have some games on Prime Sports Northwest, which Cox plans on carrying.
“I’m sure there are customers out there who would like to see every Sonics and Mariners game,” said Collins. “I just don’t know if it would be feasible.”
Academy alternatives
Fans of the Oscars will have plenty of specials to check out in the next week or so.
First, “Mystery Science Theater 3000” on Comedy Central will have its first-ever Oscar special on Wednesday at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Crow and Tom Servo will make their Oscar choices based solely on the clips and interviews from each movie’s electronic press kit. This should be a hoot.
Over on the Discovery Channel, critic Leonard Maltin will host “A Night of Movie Magic,” which looks at the special effects in the Oscarnominated movies. It airs March 26 at 9 p.m. and midnight.
Then, on March 27, the night of the Oscar telecast itself, iconoclastic filmmaker Michael Moore (“Roger and Me”) will host the Spirit Awards for independent filmmakers on the Bravo channel. The idea is that you can switch to Bravo during the Oscar’s commercial breaks and see some cutting-edge filmmakers being honored. The program is timed exactly to Oscar’s commercials.
Local Oscar party
Even more fun would be the Spokane Interplayers Oscar Night Celebration on March 27 from 6-9:30 p.m. at the theater.
Watch the telecast on a big-screen TV, vote for the winners and win prizes. Food and a cash bar will be available. Dress is “Hollywood,” which means practically anything from tuxes to sneakers.
Tickets are $25. Call 455-PLAY.
The smart money
Looks like the smart money is on a “Forrest Gump” sweep. Entertainment Data Inc., which handicaps the Oscars every year, has announced its computerized picks. Here they are:
Picture: “Forrest Gump.”
Director: Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump”).
Actor: Tom Hanks (“Forrest Gump”).
Actress: Miranda Richardson (“Tom and Viv”).
Supporting actor: Paul Scofield (“Quiz Show”).
Supporting actress: Dianne Wiest (“Bullets Over Broadway”).
More Alexie
Fresh from his appearance in Seattle magazine, former Spokane resident Sherman Alexie was the cover-story subject in Pacific Magazine, the Seattle Times’ Sunday supplement on March 12.
This is a well-done profile by Donn Fry, which explains many of the forces that helped shape Alexie as a poet and author. Here’s a typically candid Alexie quote about his Gonzaga days:
“Those frat boys getting drunk, they still know they have a future. They’re worrying about which job they’re going to have; I was worrying about living. I was just a kid from the reservation and from an alcoholic family. I had a whole tribe waiting for me to fail or not to fail - and some were doing both.”
‘Helter Shelter’ Here’s a radio charity drive that is a little different:
KKZX-FM, 98.9, is sponsoring “Helter Shelter,” a food drive for pets. The station is collecting pet food and supplies to help feed and care for the nameless pets at SpokAnimal C.A.R.E. and at the Spokane Humane Society.
Call KKZX-FM at 448-9900 for information about drop-off points.