Spokane, local landmarks look good in trailers for upcoming films

IF YOU WANT to see the ways in which Hollywood can make Spokane look good, check out the trailer for the movie “Mozart and the Whale” on the Web.

You’ll see swooping helicopter shots of Riverfront Park. You’ll see the “escalator waterfall” at the Spokane Transit Authority Plaza. You’ll see numerous shots of downtown streets. You’ll see Josh Hartnett standing on a bridge over the Spokane River. You’ll see Radha Mitchell in her underwear (yes, even that may reflect well on Spokane).

“Mozart and the Whale” is the love story about two people with Asperger’s Syndrome, shot in Spokane this spring. It is slated for a Dec. 12 release.

While you’re at it, check out the trailer for “Shadow of Fear,” shot in Spokane last summer. This trailer for the James Spader thriller includes numerous shots of the Davenport Hotel’s restaurants and ballrooms, as well as gloomy nighttime shots on the dark roads around Indian Canyon.

To see these, go to the North by Northwest Productions Web site at www.nxnw.net, and then click on “entertainment” and “feature films.” Then click on the thumbnails of the movies at the bottom of the page to download the trailers.

Riders in the Sky

Saddle up, all of you cowgirls and cowboys.

The western-tinged Riders in the Sky will be coming to The Met on July 10 for one of their family-friendly shows combining cowboy songs and saddle-pal comedy.

Ranger Doug, Woody Paul, Too Slim and Joey the CowPolka King have been dishing up the Americana since 1977 (or should that be 1877?).

The show will be at The Met, yet it will also serve to benefit another Spokane landmark right down the street. $1 of every ticket will go to the Fox Theater Project.

Tickets are $27 and $17 for adults and $10 for children under 12, available through TicketsWest outlets (325-SEAT, 800-325-SEAT, www.ticketswest.com).

Life is a Cabaret Conference

Spokane’s own cabaret diva, Abbey Crawford, is heading out to Yale University at the end of July to participate in The Cabaret Conference, an internationally known gathering of cabaret artists.

Crawford is one of only 36 students chosen through audition (taped audition, in her case) from around the world.

“It’s a great opportunity for me,” said Crawford.

“Some of the people teaching are absolute legends in the cabaret world.”

Those names include Tovah Feldshuh, Julie Wilson and Amanda McBroom.

Crawford has received a donation to cover the cost of the conference, but she needs to raise money for travel.

The best way to do that is, of course, to have a cabaret.

So a fund-raiser show is scheduled July 9 and 10 at the Spokane Civic Theatre’s Studio Theatre.

Call Crawford at 218-9732 for tickets and other info.