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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Julia Sweeney To Take A Turn As Keillor Guest

Spokane’s Julia Sweeney will be the special guest star of “A Prairie Home Companion” next Saturday.

Host Garrison Keillor has invited her on his second annual Joke Show to perform an excerpt from her one-woman Broadway show, “And God Said, Ha!” This excerpt is about the time her parents, Bob and Jeri Sweeney of Spokane, came to visit her in New York and took her to a production of “Nunsense.”

Take it from me, it’s priceless.

Tune in to KPBX-FM (91.1) from 3 to 5 p.m. next Saturday. The show will be repeated Sunday, April 27, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Check ‘Cats’ dates

We have new dates for that touring production of “Cats,” which is coming to the Spokane Opera House.

It will be here Aug. 29-31, which happens to be Labor Day weekend. (Ignore those mid-September dates I printed last weekend).

Call G&B Select-a-Seat (800-325-SEAT) for ticket information.

Molly Shen moves on

Molly Shen, who has done a quality job as the co-anchor of KHQ-6’s morning show for the past 3-1/2 years, has been hired by KOMO-TV in Seattle.

She’ll be a reporter and back-up anchor for that station, which is Seattle’s ABC affiliate. She began at KHQ five years ago as the Moses Lake reporter. Her last day at KHQ will be Friday.

Congratulations on a nice step up.

‘The Postman’ rings

There’s still time to apply for a job as an extra on the Kevin Costner movie “The Postman,” which will film for a few weeks beginning around May 15 in the Metaline Falls area.

Location casting director Sally Jackson will be signing up extras today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the ball field on the north side of Metaline. She was out there on Saturday, too.

Bring a small snapshot of yourself.

By the way, here are a few more tidbits of “Postman” news: Olivia Williams, an actress who starred in a British TV production of “Emma,” has been cast as the female lead.

Larenz Tate (“Dead Presidents,” “Menace II Society”) co-stars.

The movie has already been filming in Tuscon and in a mountainous area east of Portland, Ore.

The movie is scheduled for a Christmas release this year.

Our Euro-country star

Now here’s something that took me by surprise: Spokane’s Don Emerson is presently at No. 25 on the European country music charts with his song “Rocky Start.” His record is sandwiched between stars Leann Rimes and BR5-49 on the charts.

First of all, I didn’t know Europe even had a country music chart, but I should have guessed, knowing how country-crazy people are in places like Ireland, Belgium and Germany.

Second, I didn’t know Emerson, a longtime Spokane performer, had recorded a country album. It’s called “Through Life,” and it has been released on Malta Records, a local label, in collaboration with Comstock Records in Arizona.

By the way, I am told that success in Europe is often a predicter of success on the U.S. country charts. We’ll let you know if the song breaks big on this side of the pond.

30 years for KSPS-7

KSPS-7, Spokane’s public television station, turns 30 on April 24, so I thought it might be a good time to check in with KSPS general manager Claude Kistler for a state-of-the-station update.

As it turns out, public broadcasting is doing quite well in the Inland Northwest. Viewership has stayed stable despite the explosion of competing stations on cable over the last decade or so.

In addition:

More than 36,000 households are members of the Friends of Seven, and the number keeps climbing.

Funding still looks good, despite a reduction in federal funding. The station expects to counter the loss with more memberships and more corporate support.

British Columbia and Alberta continue to account for half of the station’s membership and viewership.

The station is firmly ensconced in its new $4 million building in south Spokane, which nearly tripled the size of the old facility.

The station began broadcasting 24 hours a day for the first time this year.

As for the future, the big challenges are keeping funding levels steady and getting ready for the expensive advent of high-definition digital technology in the next six years or so.

Overall, KSPS is thriving on its 30th birthday.

Playwright Fest finalists

Five one-act plays have been selected to be produced in the Spokane Civic Theatre’s Playwrights Forum Festival ‘97, scheduled for June 20-29.

The winners, selected from 30 entries, are: “Deliver Us Not! (Or, Birth Where Is Thy Sting?)” by Lee Howard and Greg Gamble of Federal Way, Wash.; “One Family,” by Barbara Bailey of Spokane; “Dinner at Seven,” by Jon McBride of Missoula; and “Berkeley” and “Bitterroot,” both by Zan Agzigian and Victor A. Charlo of Spokane.

Phish at the Gorge?

This one hasn’t been announced officially by The Gorge, but an Elektra Records list of summer Phish concerts includes Aug. 2 and 3 dates at The Gorge.

Sounds like a solid lead, but there’s no such thing as a sure thing until the tickets actually go on sale, which should be May 30.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo