The Reader Dec. 11-17, 2014

NOW HIRING

Coreslab Structures -manufacturer of architectural and prestressed concrete building and bridge products. FULL-TIME Opportunities: General Laborers, Equipment Operators, Mechanics, Carpenters and other skilled positions available. We offer competitive wages, health benefits, paid time off, 401K, profit sharing and advancement opportunities.

APPLY IN PERSON AT:

Coreslab Structures 802 Allied Road Bellevue, NE 68123

(North of Plattsmouth off Hwy 75)

ENTERPRISE ENGINEER (First Data Technologies, Inc. Omaha, NE): In a fast moving, evolving Technology envrmt that supports IT bus. solutions for external clients in fincl industry, adapt & implmt cutting edge data storage concepts. Reqts: Master’s deg or foreign equiv in Comp Sci, MIS, Engg (any), or rel + 2 yrs exp in job off’d or rel. Must have at least 2 yrs exp w/: supporting IT bus. solutions for external clients in the fncl industry; installing storage hardware on heterogeneous envrmt of extensive Enterprise Storage distributed or open systems; EMC VMAX; Celerra; Clarion; Centera; IBM (XIV FSAtT); HP (XP24k, EVA) storage & vendor specific mgmt tools; ECC tool; Symmetrix Remote Data Facility & Recovery Point Appli-

ance (RPA); SMC; Performance Manager; Storage Scope; Symmerge; Symcli & NetApp (Onaro) SANscreen; SANscreen; ECC; Connectrix Manager; timefinder technology; & disaster recovery.

Apply at www.firstdatajobs.com.

Go to “Search Openings” & enter Req. No. 41366BR. NOW HIRING The Quik Spot, Center Mall (42nd & Center). Full-time, Must be 21. Apply In Person.

BEAUTICONTROL Consultant. Contact Rhonda Pedersen at rhonped@cox.net.

Go to OmahaJobs.com for info.

OMAHA STEAKS Now Hiring Multiple Positions.

Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Contact paul.stenbo@centurylink.com DEC. 11 - 17, 2014

MARRIOTT GLOBAL SALES & CUSTOMER CARE Customer Care Sales Specialist. Contact (402)390-1685. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

RETIREMENT PLAN CONSULTANTS Financial Services Sales Manager. Contact Kiera Volker at kierav@wealthfirm.info. Go to OmahaJobs.com for info.

AURSTAFF Now Hiring Multiple Positions.

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NOW HIRING Internet Help Desk/Apply Online www.centurylink.com/jobs Keyword Search 17052BR 2

INFOGROUP Now Hiring Multiple Positions.

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| THE READER |

www.penfed.org

To view a listing of our current opening, please visit us online at www.penfed.org/careers. You may email your resume to us at jobs@omaha.penfed.org or you may fax your resume to 402 951-2661 We will have representatives on hand at the upcoming Job Fair.

We look forward to meeting with you!

OMAHA JOB FAIR

CUSTOMER SERVICE

EEO/AAP Employer-Minorities/Women/Disabled/Veterans

We’re looking for talented and experienced individuals who are able to provide a satisfying customer experience through helpfulness and professionalism. If you’re experienced in helping customers find the right solutions, apply today!

Customer Service Rep Job#103432 Customer Care Associate Job#103587 Overpayment Recovery Specialist Job#102942

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Consider a truck driving career.

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NOW HIRING

Insurance Service Representatives & Customer Care Sales Consultants

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Visit us at 2121 North 117th Avenue, Suite 100, Omaha, NE 68164 to speak with a recruiter.

Answer the call to a new career!

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We Are Looking For Experienced, Motivated Sales & Telemarketing Professionals!

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WIS International is NOW HIRING for the following positions: INVENTORY ASSOCIATES: No experience necessary -­ Paid Training -­ Must be available to work early AM and/or late PM.

We are expanding! Join the 5th fastest growing restaurant chain in the U.S. Team Members enjoy working in an environment of low turnover, high staff engagement, and competitive hourly wages.

Apply online at hcihospitality.com or drop your resume by any Freddy’s:

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INVENTORY ASSOCIATE/DRIVER: Must be over 25 -­ Clean MVR (motor vehicle record) -­ 5 year driving history -­ Premium pay while driving company vehicle.

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Join Our Team: Be the Best You KB Are you a dependable person?

Are you looking for a part time, consistent evening job that can help you make more money?

KB Building Services is a commercial janitorial company that provides nightly cleaning to offices and healthcare clinics and we would love to have you on our team.

Please contact Danielle Powell at 402.330.8243 about open cleaning positions and/or complete an application online at www.kbbldservices.com - click on Apply Online www.kbbldservices.com

| THE READER |

402.330.8243

DEC. 11 - 17, 2014

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heartlandhealing N E W A G E H E A LT H A N D W E L L N E S S B Y M I C H A E L B R AU N S T E I N

High Cholesterol?

Think It Through

V

VISIONS FROM FIVE MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE • DECEMBER 11, 2014 • The future will be without sleep.

Instead, the psychological and physiological benefits will be provided by pills, and humans will have an extra eight hours per day, or roughly an additional third of their life of wakefulness. Nighttime will be just as

busy as daytime, mostly filled with leisure activities, and humans will be no more productive with more hours than they are now -- however, on the whole, with more time to have fun, they will be happier and generally healthier.

ince Gironda’s point of view wasn’t mainstream when he told me about eggs in 1985.

In that era, eggs were vilified as a nutritional no-no. Vince preached differently, that eating eggs had nothing to do with serum cholesterol. That was in direct contradiction to what doctors were touting at the time. With heavy influence from the drug industry, the medical establishment had published serum cholesterol thresholds, declaring that high cholesterol caused heart disease and that Americans should start taking statin drugs, the new kids on the block, to lower cholesterol.

Vince said nearly everything about that was wrong and turns out he was right.

In a nutshell, the numbers set as “high” cholesterol levels were arbitrary. There is still no solid science proving that high cholesterol causes heart disease. Diet has little, if any, influence on cholesterol levels. Statin drugs have deadly serious side effects. Cholesterol is crucial to optimal health and plays a role in virtually every cell in our body. Statins interfere with and stop cholesterol production, a vital bodily function. Lowering cholesterol with statin drugs has virtually no beneficial effect on whether you get heart disease or not.

Cholesterol is good. Gironda was a one-time Mr. Olympia known as The Iron Guru. At his Studio City, Calif. gym, opened in 1948, Vince trained everyone from Arnold to Ferrigno to David Lee Roth, from Oscar winners to James Bonds sent to him by the studio to be whipped into shape. Vince forgot more about health and nutrition than most modern-day experts will ever know. I was his student and took his comments about cholesterol as word. That didn’t keep me from doing a little research myself so I went to the UCLA medical library. Remember, this was way before the University of Google. We actually had to read journals and books and peer reviewed articles to get to good research.

I started by figuring out why cholesterol exists in the body at all, what the body uses it for. Cholesterol is produced in the liver and for a reason. Cholesterol is used in any number of vital functions. It’s a primary building block for new cells. When we suffer injury, cholesterol production is ramped up to replace damaged cells and even to promote healing with new immune system cells. We don’t get high cholesterol because we eat it. We get it because the liver is being tricked into making too much. Screwing up the liver to

stop production is the worst thing to do. Why not find out why the liver is pumping it out in the first place?

Vince was right. Cholesterol isn’t like alcohol. With alcohol, you drink a few beers and you can measure it in your blood. Cholesterol doesn’t work that way. Eat a few eggs and your cholesterol level doesn’t shoot up.

At the library, I read what the research told me about cholesterol production and started thinking about what stimulates the liver to dump cholesterol into the body in the first place.

Forget lowering cholesterol. Lower stress. Putting it in a paleo-type perspective, an example might be when the body is attacked or injured, it would trigger the liver to produce cholesterol to repair a wound or fight an illness. An injury or infection is a stress that requires cholesterol and for good reason. The problem for modern man is that we don’t have to run from saber-toothed tigers. But we do produce stress for ourselves in other ways and the body doesn’t know the difference. While it may be appropriate for the body to produce cholesterol to repair damage when clawed by a tiger, it’s not necessary for the liver to pump out cholesterol to meet the stress of sitting at a red light when we’re late for an important meeting or dealing with an unruly classroom full of kids. Psycho-stress doesn’t need cholesterol to repair cells. The liver doesn’t know that but reacts to stress like evolution has trained it to and dumps cholesterol into the body.

Check the research for yourself. Latest info shows: little or no evidence at all that lowered cholesterol readings result in lowering heart disease; women in particular show absolutely no benefit from statin drugs; statins have been found to have deadly side effects; statins interfere with a basic, important function of the body.

High cholesterol is not a disease. Research shows it’s not even related to a disease. But when an industry manages to establish shaky science connecting the two, there are billions of dollars to be made selling a drug that halts the natural production of cholesterol.

Run/Pass Option So, even if cholesterol levels were related to heart disease (iffy), should we take drugs to lower them? Research is strong that meditation — real meditation — can result in lower serum cholesterol levels. And meditation can lower other significant factors related to heart disease, such as wacky hormone levels, hypertension, inflammation and much more. I’d pass on the statins. Turns out you can think it through.

Be well. ,

HEARTLAND HEALING is a metaphysically based polemic describing alternatives to conventional

methods of healing the body, mind and planet. It is provided as information and entertainment, certainly not medical advice. Important to remember and pass on to others: for a weekly dose of Heartland Healing, visit HeartlandHealing.com.

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DEC. 11 - 17, 2014

| THE READER |

heartland healing

Beyond Advertising, an Unexpected Journey There And Back Again My lunch today brought me full circle in media’s journey to find a sustainable business model to supplement advertising. We arguably are one of the few that see a clear path forward.

For our first 15 years, almost our entire revenue stream was built on advertising, selling business’ space to broadcast their marketing messages to our readership.

According to independent market studies, our audience exceeds 80,000 people, comparable to a top radio station and making us the third largest newspaper in the state. These are consumers across a wide range of ages and income that share two things that make them influencers — a deep interest in community and a very active lifestyle. They turn to us to find the stories not being covered elsewhere and to plan their weekends.

Then the internet came along and in 2008 advertising budgets all but disappeared temporarily in the recession. It wasn’t a dark, unseen evil threatening Middle Earth, but it felt like the end of the world for a brief moment. While businesses didn’t want to talk about advertising, they still worried about their rankings in Google searches.

So we started studying up and built a great list of things any business can do for free to boost its online presence and relevance in Google search results. When we called clients to share these ideas, we nearly always got the appointment. They were just happy there was a real, live person to help them understand this new frontier and we were happy to get back in the door when other media advertising salespeople couldn’t.

When we went back six months or a year later, in almost every instance none of the free, best practices we had shared were being followed. Managers were just too busy running their business to get into the details of their online presence.

And that’s how we started selling digital services, beginning with local search engine optimization and online monitoring.

That led to building websites and optimizing social media sites for our clients, which eventually leads to what I believe is our sweet spot — content marketing. We have over 100 freelance writers, two dozen photographers and a dozen videographers with whom we are honored to work. We all love to tell stories. If there’s one thing that’s defined the parent com-

pany of The Reader, it’s an expertise in niche media — from Omaha Racer programs and Today’s Omaha Woman quarterly with the Women’s Fund to Neighborhood News with Hy-Vee and OmahaJobs. com, we know how to use content to build and engage an audience.

So when Google shared its research on the Zero Moment of Truth in 2011, it wasn’t hard for us to see that in order to maximize advertising, your company better have its digital presence optimized.

Customers no longer call or visit a business they find through advertising, they most often first search for them online.

So while advertising had bounced back some and we were clearly the only viable newsweekly in the market, we still focused on providing the best digital services. It’s what the businesses we know and love need the most.

Today, with over 50 local digital service clients, we have the tools and understand the steps necessary to build and implement a long-term digital marketing plan – from local SEO, online monitoring and a foundational online presence, to content marketing, including blog posts , social media management, promotions and video.

The challenge and limitation of digital services in an era when consumers choose their information sources is that while it helps customers find you, engages your current customers and leverages word of mouth, it’s not as helpful building mass audience top of mind awareness for customers that don’t know your brand.

My lunch today brought this home. As hundreds of content marketers gathered for a webinar on how online content is lost in the 2.3 million new blog entries posted daily, the clearest and biggest answer was partnering with media. They need street presence, more discovery from the customers that don’t have.

To this day we move as many papers as we always have, with a consistent pick-up rate in the low 90 percent. We’re confident that as technology evolves and we understand our audience better, advertising will keep a place in the marketing mix. Next year, we will only offer 12 times to reach a very special audience in print and we’re limiting the advertising opportunities online. We look forward to the opportunity to partner that advertising with your digital presence.

— John Heaston, Publisher/Editor

| THE READER |

DEC. 11 - 17, 2014

5

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B Y TA M S E N BU T L E R

’m a big fan of the tastes of the holidays. Pumpkin, chocolate, mint, gingerbread…I’ll take them all!

So when holiday flavors are added to cocktails, I pretty much lose my mind.

Instead of advising you to go to every bar and restaurant out there and drink up a storm, I did some research to narrow down the choices to give you a better idea of where you can find the best holiday drinks.

So here’s a roundup of some of the holiday drinks you don’t want to miss this season followed by some tips from surviving the next day after indulging.

Brix at Midtown Crossing offers an adult version of a s’mores hot chocolate. This makes me very happy indeed.

Benson Brewery has a limited quantity available for their Christmas Chocolate Cherry Stout that was just released and I’m guessing it won’t last long.

Stories Coffeehouse tells me that their Winter Wonderland cocktail is their most popular holiday drink. It features Cinnabon-flavored vodka & gingerbread.

Farnam House Brewing Company just released their Winter Bock beer, which is a traditional German style beer that’s a dark, sweet malt that’s full-bodied.

Grey Plume doesn’t necessarily have a specific holiday drink right now, but they’re instead presenting a seasonal drink of the day based on what’s seasonal and available. So you won’t know what they’re serving until you go in that day and ask, but you can be sure that it’s going to be something that goes with this season. I don’t suppose anyone is surprised that this green restaurant would go this route, right?

That’s not to say that these drinks are all that’s out there, and believe me when I say that there are many more from which to choose. But at least you have some

direction as to where you can go if you want to get your hands on some adult hot cocoa, or some seasonal beer, or whatever else appeals to you when it comes to holiday favors.

Drink too much?

David Zulberg, author of The 5 Skinny Habits: How Ancient Wisdom Can Help You Lose Weight and Change Your Life Forever told me that drinking alcohol can actually have health benefits if you do it right. But he also told me that the holidays are a time when some people drink too much, so I asked him for some tips on how to feel better the next morning after some holiday beverage indulgences.

Here’s what he advised: 1. Greasy breakfasts don’t help. In fact, he said a lighter breakfast –preferably eggs and toast – will help keep your stomach from getting too irritated.

He also said that if you feel too gross to eat eggs and toast, try to eat some melon.

2. Drink a bunch of water. You might also try drinking some green tea.

3. Try to get a little bit of exercise in, but nothing too strenuous.

4. Sleep as much as you can.He also told me that the idea of drinking alcohol in the morning to get rid of a hangover doesn’t work. He cautions that drinking to feel better after drinking might just lead to even more drinking, and that’s just a bad idea. It’s one thing to enjoy some holiday cocktails, but it’s another to wake up and reach for a beer every morning.

Speaking of bad ideas, don’t go drinking up a bunch of holiday cheer and then get behind the wheel and try to drive home. That’s not just a bad idea; it’s a very bad idea. ,

crumbs

whether you’re pinning it to a tree or leaving it for your server. www.facebook.com/elvallartalavista/ ■ LOCAL BREWS FOR LESS The Crescent Moon Alehouse discounts their Nebraska brews every Wednesday.

Whether you want it on tap, in a can, or in a bottle, you can enjoy Lucky Bucket, Zipline, Borgata and more for less than they usually cost when you indulge on Wednesdays. beercornerusa.com/crescentmoon/ ■ 1,000,000 STRONG Speaking of local beers, Nebraska Brewing Company recently celebrated the impressive milestone of releasing their 1,000,000th can of beer. The owner signed the can himself and says that the person who winds up buying the signed beer gets to bring it to Nebraska Brewing Company and trade it in for a Reserve Series Bottle. http:nebraskabrewingco.com/ — Tamsen Butler

■ COOKIES, CAROLS & COCOA Omaha Culinary Tours offers some pretty impressive tours throughout the year, but the Cookies, Carols & Cocoa tour is just about as “holiday” as you can get without wearing a Santa costume. Ride the bus, look at lights, and sample a bunch of pastries and cocoa from local vendors. Tickets are $35 but act quickly as these tours sell out fast. www.omahaculinarytours.com ■ THE TIPPING TREE If you visit El Vallarta Restaurant in La Vista this holiday season you might notice a small Christmas tree decorated with cash. They’re calling this the “tipping tree” and ask customers to add a dollar or two when they visit. On Christmas Eve, the staff will have a drawing to see who wins all the cash. It’s certainly an interesting idea, but no matter where you eat, don’t forget to tip generously throughout the holiday season

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DEC. 11 - 17, 2014

| THE READER |

dish

Crumbs is about indulging in food and celebrating its many forms. Send information about area food and drink businesses to crumbs@thereader.com.

Tequila Corner

I

You probably think I’m going to urge you to buy some La Mesa gift cards for your holiday gift-giving needs, right? While it’s true that these make great gifts — and, let’s face it, they fit quite splendidly in stockings — I have a different gift idea I want to explore with you. In fact, if you’re having a difficult time deciding what you want to buy for your loved ones, coworkers, or random people you meet while riding in elevators, I do believe I can solve your dilemma.

Let me tell you about the special Herradura Double Barrel Tequila bottles available at La Mesa right now. There is more than one reason why these make the perfect gift.

First, this isn’t any run-of-the-mill tequila that we’re talking about here. This is Herradurra Reposado that was aged for one year plus one month. It’s a smooth, flavorful tequila that was specifically made for La Mesa. La Mesa Regional Manager Jose Salazar tells me that some of the La Mesa folks actually traveled down to Mexico to taste different varieties and decide on the perfect blend.

“We went to Mexico to choose the flavor profile,” he says. “It’s a very unique profile.”

These bottles have some sentimental value for Jose and everyone else at La Mesa. “They made these for our twentieth anniversary,” he says. “There were 240 bottles made, and each one has a number assigned to it.” This means that once these bottles are gone, they’re gone. “They’re really well done and unique,” adds Jose.

If you’re not sold on the idea of these being the perfect gift yet, hold on to your hat because I’m about the close the deal on this one.

These bottles can be engraved with whatever message you want, upping the ante in making these spectacular gifts for just about

any occasion, whether the holidays, a birthday, or whatever else you want to celebrate with excellent tequila.

Jose has some ideas of what you might want to engrave on the bottle. He suggests the classic “Merry Christmas,” or a cheerful “Happy 2015!” My personal favorite that he suggested is, “From your always-loving husband.”

Heck yeah, I want my always-loving husband to give me smooth tequila!

“There are limited words for the engraving, but you can get creative,” says Jose. “If you’re wondering what to get for your husband this year that’s not a tie, or if you need a thank-you present for someone, this is a really unique gift.”

So while you can’t engrave a novel on the side of the bottle, you can put some personal sentiments on there that will make it even more special. My suggestion for an engraving on one of these bottles?

“Thanks for all the great advice about tequila, Tamsen!” Yes, I think that will work quite nicely.

Bottles are only available until the supply runs out – remember, they only made a limited number of them, so don’t wait on this one. Get your bottle of Double Barrel Herradura at any of the five La Mesa locations. This is the kind of fail-safe gift that just about any recipient (of legal drinking age) will love and remember for many holidays to come.

—Tamsen Butler

| THE READER |

DEC. 11 - 17, 2014

7

M

y, how time flies. It seems only yesterday Omaha’s own Gabrielle Monique Union first caught our attention on the big screen with her scene-stealing turn as the diva rival to Kirsten Dunst in the wickedly funny high school cheerleader comedy Bring It On. Hard to believe that was 15 years ago.

Now 42 and firmly established as a Black Hollywood star, red carpet fashion plate and natural beauty spokesperson, Union’s at a career apex few native Nebraskans ever reach in the business. In 2014 alone she starred in her own hit BET series, “Being Mary Jane,” co-starred in the successful film Think Like a Man Too and produced a Lifetime movie. Oh, and on a personal note she married longtime boyfriend, NBA star baller Dwyane Wade in an American royals-style wedding.

A definite presence at her hubby’s Miami Heat games, she caused a buzz when she jokingly interrupted a recent live post-game interview Fox Sports did with him. He’d returned from the injury list to score 27.

“It was OK,” she deadpanned about his performance to the bemused sideline reporter and to viewers, while styling a black fedora over her long black locks to match her basic black dress. “I mean, a hamstring pull, wow, to come back with 27 points. We’re going to talk about the free throws (he was 5 for 9) later. But he did good for an old geezer.”

Wade appeared to take the upstaging and teasing in stride.

She’s lately been propping her new film, the acclaimed Top Five from Chris Rock. which has opened to strong box-office.

“I shot that movie last summer in New York right after we did Think Like a Man Too,” she says.

Originally titled Finally Famous, its story centers on Rock’s character Andre Allen, a standup comicturned actor who, ala Joel McCrea’s idealistic director in the Preston Sturges classic Sullivan’s Travels comes unhinged after going all serious. With Allen’s pretentious new film a dud, he feels dislocated from his true identity. The recovering addict feels pressure, too, from a reality TV crew covering him and his celeb fiance Erica, played by Union, as their planned televised wedding draws near. Then there’s his instant relationship with a reporter, Chelsea (Rosario Dawson), with whom he finds in the space of a few hours more truth than the surreal media circus his life’s become.

“It’s really the story of the upside and the downside of fame and chasing fame,” says Union, who sports blonde hair, big glasses and gaudy bling in the role.

“The story follows a day in the life of Chris’ character and it just happens to be when he’s got to kind of look at some hard truths and decide how does he really want to live and why that is and he kind of gets lost in himself.

“It sounds really deep and at times I think it very much is but it’s also really, really funny.”

Tracy Morgan and Cedric the Entertainer co-star and Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler and Whoopie Goldberg make cameos.

Despite going way back Union and Rock never worked together before the project.

“I mean, Black Hollywood is pretty small, so we all kind of run into each other and know each other and definitely Chris and I do. With him being such a

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DEC. 11 - 17, 2014

huge Knicks fan I’ve run into him many times over the years (at Heat games). We have a lot of mutual friends as well,” says Union, who among basketball wives is the queen bee now that Eva Longoria and San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker have split.

Seeing Rock at work on the set gave Union a new appreciation for him.

“Chris was not only acting but he wrote it and directed it as well, so watching him put all those hats on was amazing and very inspiring.

But honestly I felt bad for the man because it’s like he never got off work. But he handled it all very, very well.”

She says the spirit of Rock’s free-wheeling, anythinggoes standup act infuses the film, which has received glowing reviews since its September Toronto International Film Festival premiere.

“I think people are going to be surprised. It’s a different kind of role for him, even though it might seem playing a standup comedian would be easy for him.

But I really watched him blossom as an actor and as a director as well on the set.”

She feels he brought out in her emotional notes and layers she hadn’t accessed before on screen.

“Sometimes when the leader’s been where you’ve been as an actor they know the right things to ask, they

| THE READER |

cover story

know how to finesse a situation, they know how to get the best out of you as an actor because they’ve been an actor. That’s really what Chris was able to bring to me that was unique from other directors. He had a different perspective of each scene I found very, very helpful. He also challenged me in a way other directors haven’t.”

Just as Rock didn’t need to research the capricious nature of fame, neither did Union. They both live it.

The heat of celebrity for her is more intense than ever now that she and Wade are married. Just last summer, while the couple honeymooned, nude pictures of her and other female celebs were hacked and posted online. Where she’s taken a diplomatic stance about intrusions of privacy, she’s gone on the offensive this time. She penned a Cosmopolitan essay equating the pandering and profiteering of private nude images to sex crimes and called out feminist groups for not protesting their release. “The silence has been deafening,” she recently told Meredith Vieira, adding that celebs like her are subject to “victim-shaming,” something she can’t abide having survived rape as a college student.

Much like the characters she plays, Union can be bold in speaking her mind. Mary Jane Paul is very close to her in that way. In season one the trials and

tribulations of her title character – a successful single black female struggling to balance work demands and romance issues – became the stuff of countless Tweets, chats, blog posts and Facebook shares. After a 5 million viewership pilot debut and consistently strong ratings over its 12-episode run, BET recently renewed the series. Season two premieres February 3.

“I couldn’t ask for a better reception to be honest,” Union says. “We knew we did great work but it doesn’t always translate and to have the audience respond so well and to basically blow up social media every week was awesome.”

Mary Jane’s the latest in a long line of strong, smart, confident characters played by Union, who is a women’s rights advocate.

University of Nebraska at Omaha dean and professor of communication Gail F. Baker says, “Gabrielle Union occupies a unique position among African-American women in media – one she has carved out for herself.

She has ‘quietly’ established an exceptional career across myriad platforms – movies, television, advertising – while playing a smart and independent woman.

Union brings a special blend of savvy and sophistication to each role. She’s a trailblazer on many fronts.”

Those qualities are precisely the ones Union says her mother, Theresa Glass Union, instilled in her and her two sisters.

“Having three highly successful daughters is a testament to the job she did,” she says.

Union enjoys how Mary Jane’s story speaks to her own life and the lives of many women she knows. Just like her character, Union knows what it’s like dealing with family pressures and expectations, the ticking biological clock, the dating scene, romantic commitment and standing firm to do the work and to follow the path you want, not what others want. Making the show relevant means a lot to her.

“I’m proud of it,” she says. “It’s the most I’ve ever worked in my life being the star of the show and having lots of other responsibilities but I love it, and I love doing it. I love the writing, I love the direction, I love how it looks stylistically. I’m really pleased.

“For us being their (BET’s) first original dramatic series we’re all sort of learning together and it’s been a great partnership. It’s not my way or the highway, it’s very much a collaborative effort and BET’s been pretty patient in launching this as their first dramatic series.

So I think we’ve all kind of handled it well.”

She’s glad to portray a character and front a series that transcend black women stereotypes, which she feels have limited opportunities for female artists of color on screen and behind the camera She acknowledges “we’ve seen improvements,” noting the breakout success of Shonda Rhimes, producer-creator-writer of mega-hits Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and Scandal. But, she says, “it goes in waves,” adding, “Like right now we’ve got a lot of women heading up their own shows” – herself, Kerry Washington, Viola Davis, Jada Pinkett Smith, Taraji Henson – “so it’s improving, but if any of these shows fail then next year we’ll kind of be back at the drawing board.”

Mary Jane marks a major step for Union. For starters, its powerhouse creators Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil (The Game) developed it for her. Now that she and that husband-wife producing team have a popucontinued on page 10y

Preserving historical traditions of Latino music in Omaha, Nebraska

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DEC. 11 - 17, 2014

9

person I know her to be.” y continued from page 8 lar series together they’re likely to collaborate again.

Union had no children with her ex, former NFL Next, the show gives Union her first successful starring player Chris Howard. Union’s hinted she and Wade platform on TV after the misfire of her previous (ABC) plan having a child together. series Night Stalker, in which she co-starred with StuBesides being a wife and mom, she’s branched out art Townsend, and her recurring roles in the equally into producing. Her first project as an executive proshort-lived Life and Flash Forward. ducer is the upcoming Lifetime movie With This Ring.

Then there’s the fact Union clearly carries this series. Jill Scott, Eve and Regina Hall play three single friends Its success rides almost entirely on her performance who vow to get hitched after attending the wedding of and on the writing. a mutual friend. The movie’s adapted from the book “It’s tough to turn out 12 episodes of exciting, en- The Vow, which Union optioned five years ago and gaging material and we absolutely have done that. It’s sold to Sony Pictures Television for Lifetime. been looking good and I’m pleased with the writing After a long wait to get it made, she found the profor sure.” ducing role fulfilling.

The key to any episodic series enduring is developing different, deeper shades of its main characters. Union’s satisfied she’s getting to plumb the depths of one complex sister in Mary Jane, whose tough as nails exterior covers a fragile interior.

“The writers have been absolutely brilliant at pushing her buttons. They give me a lot of different places to go with the character. She’s definitely not JohnnyOne-Note, which I’m excited about.”

Now that Union’s proven she can hold an audience week after week network and studio execs may be more willing to have her head-up a future series or movie.

That’s important because until Mary Jane it’d been a while since she got top billing.

She’s at an age, too, when actresses get passed over for younger women, though her youthful, glam looks – she’s fronted several beauty brands – are an asset.

It doesn’t hurt being part of a power black couple who by making it official in August consolidated their mad pop culture currency. During her series hiatus Union and Wade said their I-dos at a lush outdoor ceremony in Miami that saw John Legend perform. A much-seen GABRIELLE UNION photo released by the couple, who began seriously dating in 2009, pictured them with his two sons from his first marriage, Zaire and “I mean, to finally get things off the ground is Zion, and a nephew, Dahveon, he’s been raising. They very satisfying. Being able to be in a position where looked every bit a family. you can put talented people to work is incredibly Wade authored the 2012 book, A Father First: How satisfying. It’s just a different struggle as a producer My Life Became Bigger Than Basketball. He supports than it is as an actor. It’s a different conversation. numerous programs for kids and families. Union I’m still learning, I’m a novice, so I’m trying to say wrote the foreword to Hill Harper’s 2008 book Let- less and learn more.” ters to a Young Sister: Define Your Destiny. With both Union anticipates developing more projects, peracutely conscious of their role model status, their haps ones to star in. She’s only prepared to wear so party days may not be completely behind them but many hats behind the camera though. when not working these two are domestics focused “I absolutely don’t want to direct. I want to produce on family. though for sure. I’m definitely going to be up for opAfter taking a time-out in their relationship a year portunities that challenge me and inspire me and ago or so, the couple worked it out and things culmi- tickle my fancy. So maybe a year from now after we’re nated in the wedding Gabrielle’s mother describes as (Mary Jane) syndicated I can think about trying my “wonderful, beautiful and poignant – full of both lov- hand at something else.” ing personalities,” adding, “I was happy that Gabrielle Besides being well-liked in the industry, Union’s was happy.” Long before the marriage, Theresa saw well-connected. In addition to her association with the her daughter’s maternal instincts kick-in:, “Gabrielle Akils, she’s aligned herself with another major indushas embraced the role of the adult female in Dwyane’s try player, Tyler Perry, two of whose franchise films, household to his two sons and to his nephew.” Now Daddy’s Little Girls and Good Deeds, she’s appeared in. that Nicki, as her family calls her, is married, Theresa Her best friend in the business is actress Sanaa Lathan, says, “I feel she has taken to parenting as the capable then there are all the ensemble pieces she’s been in

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| THE READER |

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with Morris Chestnut, Regina Hall, Taraji Henson and Kevin Hart from the Think Like a Man movies.

Union says it’s a bonus “anytime you can work with your friends and we’ve been friends, the vast majority of the cast, like for well over a decade. We just have a lot of fun. To get paid to do what we want and to hang together, well, it’s like stealing from the studio.”

In 2012 she stretched herself to serve as a celebrity advocate for the multi-platform PBS documentary series Half the Sky that examined the oppression of girls and women in developing nations.

The title came from the best selling book by New York Times journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sherly WuDunn.

Union spent two weeks with Kristof and executive producer and director Maro Chermayeff for a segment set in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. The actress got close with two girls there, Duyen and Nhi, both of whom contend with barriers to try and further their education.

“Their stories are amazing and their overcoming adversity kind of puts everything in perspective,” says Union.

The actress got especially close to Nhi, whose father forced her to sell lottery tickets, a time consuming job that interfered with her education.

Union came away inspired by “the perseverance of these young girls, who move hell and high water to get an education. If that means paying for it themselves, they pay for it themselves, if that means living away from their families they do that.”

She’s discovered that her segment made an impression on people and she leaves no doubt the impact it made on her.

“When people come up to you you never know what part of your work kind of resonates with them or that they connect with. But I’m always pleasantly surprised

when people ask me about Half the Sky. They’re usually interested in if I know whatever became of any of the subjects. Since I left Vietnam Dwyane and I have sponsored Nhi’s education. I know you’re not supposed to get personally involved with the subjects but we couldn’t help ourselves. There was no way I could leave Nhi there with her dad, so Dwyane and I pay for her schooling.

“She’s a bright girl and she’s doing well, she’s thriving. We’re happy about that.”

Union’s passion for children extends to the new siblings she gained a few years ago when her mother adopted three children a relative could not care for herself. Keira (8), Miyonna (6) and Amari (4) are being raised by Union’s mother, who recently moved with the kids from Omaha to Arizona, where one of Gabrielle’s sisters lives and where more Union family members have since moved. Gabrielle’s enjoying the new family dynamic.

“It’s like we’re starting over and I’ve kind of come back to be in big sister mode again, trying to get another set of young people and mold them and try to provide as much as we can. It’s kind of like we’re going back in time and we get to do it over and fix some of the mistakes we made in the past. My mom very much believes we are our brother’s keeper and you’re only as strong as your weakest link, and she refuses to let our family down. Where other people might say that’s the next man’s responsibility my mom feels like our family is our responsibility and you try to do your best for your family.”

Union admits she enjoys spoiling her little sisters and brother.

“The gifts arrive and then my mom kind of filters them out, not as they arrive but sort of as good behavior happens, so they’re not fully getting all of my spoiling.

They’re great kids, I really love them.”

About her daughter’s generosity, Theresa says, “She does a lot for us as a family. She has managed to make the birthdays for each child special. My daughter gave me the Kentucky Derby one year as a birthday present. That is the most marvelous party in the world.”

Now that her mother’s no longer living in Omaha, it’s an open question when Gabrielle might next make it back for the biennial Native Omaha Days or the annual Bryant-Fisher family reunion and its Dozens of Cousins. Union’s ridden in the Omaha Days parade.

Union and Wade showing up, as they’ve done, would cause a stir. She says no matter how famous they get though it doesn’t change how they roll.

“Not to us, maybe for other people who aren’t expecting to see us at a restaurant or something. I’m lucky that my family’s really down to earth. They know that when we come to Omaha we don’t want to be treated any differently than any of the other cousins. I think it’s more how other people perceive us. But for us it’s just nice to get out and see family and catch up. We’re definitely not trying to make spectacles of ourselves by any stretch.” , Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.wordpress.com.

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2734 S 123rd Ct. Omaha, NE 68144 Tel: 402.932.2910 | Fax: 402.884.2079 www.mminsassoc.com | THE READER |

DEC. 11 - 17, 2014

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ocal blues musician Hector Anchondo is captivated by the culture of South Omaha; the vibrant colors, smells of traditional Mexican food and authentic music that resonates from the frequent festivals often held in the community.

Although he was born in Omaha, he spent most of his formative yeas in Salem, Missouri, or as he describes it, “the middle of nowhere.” He has since returned to Omaha.

“My mother, Kathy, is Irish and my father, Hector, is Mexican,” Anchondo explains. “We moved to Salem, Missouri when I was three or four years old. That’s where I spent my childhood. We didn’t have cable TV and definitely didn’t have central air. We had an old wood stove in the middle of the house and I remember all of us huddling around it with our hands stuck out to get warm, while the fire was built back up. I’ll never forget that, to me that feeling is family and love.”

In many ways, Anchondo’s life has always mimicked a classic blues song, however his career in music started with the Latin-infused reggae band, Anchondo. After establishing quite a local following, the members of Anchondo eventually disbanded and he began to pursue his love of blues music.

“I’ve been living the blues since I was born with too many stories to tell, even during the years I performed with Anchondo,” he says. “We’ve seen a lot of hard times; sleeping on floors and in parking lots, some nights we even slept on the parking lots, not knowing how we were going to pay for gas to get to the next

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show. We got mugged in Chicago, almost got our trailer stolen, we had two vans catch fire, found ourselves in the middle of a full-on bar brawl, got a gun pulled on me and survived. The definition of the blues to me, regardless if you’re playing it or not, is experiencing the hard times, always looking for the silver lining, learning as much as you can, and coming out a more resilient person in the end.”

Overall, 2014 had a lot of silver linings. Anchondo was able to play The House of Blues in Chicago, BB’s Jazz, Blues, and Soup in Saint Louis; two premier blues clubs in two of the biggest blues cities in the world. His band also won “Best Blues Band of the Year” for 2013 at the Omaha Entertainment Awards and are nominated again this year. They also won the Nebraska Blues Challenge, which was hosted by the Blues Society of Omaha.

It was a huge victory for the group.

“Winning the blues challenge means a lot of fantastic opportunities, like getting to participate in the 2015 International Blues Challenge,” he says. “Around 29 countries compete in this event. There will be many networking opportunities down there and I can’t wait to shake as many hands as I possibly can.”

Anchondo’s recent fundraising campaign has given him the most satisfaction. With the donations of friends, family and fans, he is inching closer and closer to releasing his new album, Young Guns. In fact, the official CD release party is scheduled for Dec. 21 at Slowdown. In the meantime, he’s been the resident musician at the Omaha Lounge every Tuesday for the

| THE READER |

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past three months. While his audience is exponentially growing, he’s anxious to reach more types of music. After all, the blues is a universal language.

“I haven’t noticed a big interest from the Latino community,” he says. “I wish. It’s coming around. I always keep that side of me in mind and try to be a good representative for that part of the community, as they are very important to me. I’ve played shows in South Omaha and everyone seems to enjoy it, but I think the reason they don’t come out as often is because most of them don’t venture to the clubs I normally play in.

Latinos are a very proud community and I’d like to believe they approve of what I’m trying to do and how I’m trying to represent them. I try to represent everyone in the Omaha area to the best of my abilities always, as I always strive to make my home proud.”

If things keep going the way they’re going, Anchondo should have no problem getting his music to the rest of the world, although he knows there’s a long road ahead, but it’s nothing he’s not prepared to handle.

“There’s lots more practice to be had,” he says. “One day it would be great to be as tight as the James Brown Band, but that’s going to take a lot more years and thousands more hours of work. The guys in my band, Carl Brown and Khayman Winfield, share my vision in advancing as far as we can—not just technically, but on a showmanship and spiritual level, too. I want every show to be an experience that people will not only highly enjoy, but also feel the music in their souls they will never forget.” ,

n Last week, The Rose Theater opened the new musical A Christmas Story, adapted from the classic film of the same name. The Rose says the funfilled musical adaptation of the classic Yuletide film offers a stocking full of good, old-fashioned laughs sure to please the entire family.

The show invites audiences to join 9-year-old Ralphie Parker on his quest for the Holy Grail of Christmas gifts – a Red Ryder air rifle. The show is based off the popular 1983 movie adapted from the writings of radio humorist Jean Shepherd and includes all the favorite moments of its source: Flick getting his tongue stuck to a flagpole, Dad receiving his major award, a disastrous visit to Santa, and of course, Ralphie’s Christmas present of pink bunny pajamas.

The show’s director, Artistic Director Matt Gutschick, said, “A Christmas Story offers a hilarious account of one child’s quest to make sure the most perfect of gifts ends up under his tree. In the process, he learns some universal truths that will stick with him for a lifetime.”

Gutschick said that this particular version of Jean Shepard’s story is deeper and richer than one might imagine because we actually get to see the Narrator (played by Dave Wingert) react to the moments happening before him on stage.

The script, adapted by playwright Joseph Robinette, remains faithful to its source, while adding several inventive twists. The stage adaptation adds a collection of charming musical numbers featuring tapping gangsters, Western hoedowners, and a bevy of dancing leg lamps, all set to music composed by the Tony Award-nominated team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The music will be performed by the Omaha Big Band under the direction of Rose Musical Director Jerry Brabec.

The Rose said one key message of the show is that no matter what comes under the Christmas tree for Ralphie, his parents, even with all their imperfections, love him – and that is the greatest gift he could ever receive.

Gutschick said, “This show reminds us that we can choose to love unconditionally regardless of how imperfect we have been in sharing love in the past.”

The Rose Theater’s production of A Christmas Story: The Musical runs through Dec. 28. For more information, call the Rose Theater box fffice at 402345-4849 or visit www.rosetheater.org.

— William Grennan Cold Cream looks at theater in the metro area. Email information to coldcream@thereader.com

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Upload your events online at thereader.com/events Questions: listings@thereader.com ONGOINGCULTURE Katie Frisch - All Day | Free Fred Simon Gallery The Highgrove Florilegium - All Day | Included with Garden Admission Lauritzen Gardens Plants from the garden of Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.

The exhibit is published in a two volume fine art facsimile of original watercolors by many of the leading botanical artists from around the world. A selection of forty pieces from the publication will be on display through December 31.

Cut, Formed, Folded, Pressed: Paper - All Day | Museum of Nebraska Art Through Jan. 18.

At its simplest, paper is an ordinary, everyday item that is a part of most of our lives. Yet when it is found in the hands of an artist and is purposefully manipulated in some fashion, it can become a complex, three-dimensional artwork.

12 Below - All Day | Free Artists Cooperative Gallery Runs through Dec. 28. The only theme for this show is the dimension of the works 12x12x12’ which offers affordable gift giving sizes for holiday shopping. Watercolor, acrylic and oil paintings; bronze, wood and glass sculptures; photos, jewelry and ornaments will be on exhibit.

Small Art Show - Opening Reception - 2:00 pm | Free Howlin Hounds Coffee Local Artists are showcasing only their small pieces in this show.

Reminding us again that great things come in little packages - even in the art world. Featuring 17 local artists, live music and of course Hot Coffee. The show will run through Jan. 7.

Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!) - 7:30 pm | $25-$30 The Blue Barn Theatre They’re Back! Theresa Sindelar, Ben Beck, and Bill Grennan reprise their hilarious characters in this fast, fond, and furious look at the holiday traditions we all remember, and a few we’d like to forget! From Tiny Tim to the Grinch, from Frosty to It’s a Wonderful Life, nothing is spared in this rollicking tour de farce!

Radio City Christmas Spectacular - 7:30 pm | $35 Orpheum Theater-Omaha Don’t miss the Omaha debut of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring the Rockettes. They dazzle in the newly enhanced production of this cherished family show, more spectacular than ever before.

A Christmas Story - The Rose Performing Arts Center Holiday Musical Join Ralphie Parker on his quest for the Holy Grail of Christmas gifts a Red Ryder air rifle. This musical adaptation of the beloved movie brings all the classic laughs of Flick getting his tongue stock to a flagpole, Dad receiving his special award, a disastrous visit to Santa, and many more to life onstage. Bring your family together this winter to experience the universal triumphs of childhood as seen through the eyes of a very special 9-year-old.

Holiday Lights Spectacular - 7:00 pm | Turner Park at Midtown Crossing Through Jan. 1 Midtown A sight and sound experience, the likes of which Omaha has never seen before and this event promises an enthusiastic, choreographed blend of light and seasonal music projected onto the Turner Park side of Midtown Crossing’s condominium buildings.

Steampunk Christmas - 7:30 pm | $30 Apollon Leather corsets and top hats. Wooden robots and spring-loaded garter belts. Zephyrs and rocket packs. Nothing says Christmas like magical Victorian-era machinery and twisted debauchery.

In our ongoing effort to produce something other than A Christmas Carol during the holidays, our artists are embracing Steampunk’s alternate history to imagine what Christmas would look like in a steam-powered world full of anachronistic technologies and retro-futuristic inventions.

A Christmas Carol - 7:30 pm | $18-$40 See Website Omaha Community Playhouse It just isn’t Christmas without A Christmas Carol. Experience Omaha’s favorite holiday tradition as Ebenezer Scrooge takes us on a life-changing journey filled with beautiful costumes, exquisite music, perfectly crafted sets and special effects second to none. Perfect for the whole family.

Amahl and the Night Visitors - 1:30 pm | University of Nebraska-Lincoln The tradition continues. A young crippled boy and his poor mother

find their lives changed forever after a visit from three kings. Bring the entire family to this timeless holiday favorite, produced by UNL Opera.

Yesterday and Today - 7:30 pm | $32-$38 Omaha Community Playhouse An Interactive Beatles Experience Featuring Billy McGuigan 2007 By Rave On Productions. This all-request Beatles tribute show will have you dancing in the aisles and singing along to every song. Share your stories and relive your memories with your favorite Beatles songs. No two shows are the same.

Pete Lee - Omaha Funny Bone Lee’’s comedy is candy coated with a dash of mean. Pete mixes cutting punchlines with an underdog perspective to absolutely roast himself on stage. He made his television debut on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend. He will be at the comedy club until Dec. 14.

THURSDAY DEC 11

Just Friends Band - 5:30 pm | Sullivan’s Live Jazz Pianist Mark Misfeldt - 7:30 pm | Free The Omaha Lounge Australian Blues Artist Michael Charles 6:00 pm | Free The 21st Saloon Celebrating a 30 year anniversary in 2014 of his personal recording career boasting a diverse discography of 30 releases, but his musical pilgrimage started over five decades ago, in his birth place Australia.

Smooth Jazz Thursdays at the Ozone with Chad Stoner - 6:00 pm | Free Ozone Lounge UNL Symphony Orchestra - 7:30 pm | $3-$5 Kimball Recital Hall David Neely, violin, Karen Becker, cello, and Ann Chang, piano join with the UNLSO in Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, on an all-Beethoven program featuring the composer’s Wellington’s Victory and his Symphony No. 7 in A major.

Reggae Night - 8:00 pm | Free The Hive Lounge Creighton Women’s Volleyball - 8:00 pm | $5$15 D.J. Sokol Arena Big Smo - 8:00 pm | $20 The Bourbon Theatre What began as two friends Smo and Orig the DJ experimenting with samples, beats and lyrics in a makeshift home studio has turned into four independent CDs and hundreds of tour stops before over-the-top crowds from mud parks in Florida to night clubs in Vegas.

Omaha Guitar Trio - 8:00 pm | $5 The Slowdown Omaha Founded at UNO, OGT spreads music through diverse education and intimate performance settings, playing a vast arrangement of Classical, World, and Pop. Playing every variety of the best musical styles for four yearsand counting, OGT composes their own songs while also interpreting music from beloved artists.

Live Bandaoke with Sh*thook - 9:00 pm | Free Duffy’s Tavern Lincoln Shimon Moore of Sick Puppies - 9:00 pm | $15-$20 The Waiting Room Lounge Shimon Moore was the front man for Sick Puppies till the end of 2014. After 3 internationally acclaimed albums and over 1250 shows around the world he is brought his acoustic experience to The Asylum in Portland Maine on Dec 6th. The ‘Screaming at Demons’ tour will be the first full length intimate acoustic set Shimon has ever done. It will include all your favorite Sick Puppies songs, new material and a couple of surprises.

FRIDAY DEC 12

The Council Bluffs Wrestling Classic - 8:00 am | $12 Mid-America Center Tijuana Gigolos - 5:00 pm | Zoo Bar Blue October - 7:30 pm | $35 Sokol Auditorium With lush, atmospheric songs such as Bleed Out, Angels In Everything and Fear, and the edgy rocker Put It In, the Texas four-piece comes back strong with a revitalized energy and a positive outlook.

The Wade Millner Duo - 5:30 | Sullivan’s Friday and Saturday Dec. 13.

Live Jazz Pianist Kevin Lloyd - 7:30 pm | Free The Omaha Lounge UNL Jazz Orchestra and UNL Big Band 7:30 pm | $3-$5 Kimball Recital Hall The premiere performance of the Glenn Korff School of Music’s new 21st Century Jazz/Classical ‘Crossover’ ensemble The UNL Jazz Orchestra ‘2.0’.

Musical Theatre Review - 7:30 pm | Free Westbrook Recital Hall If you love musical theatre, this is an evening not to be missed. Nine scenes from both classic and more contemporary musicals will be performed in a 50-minute, free performance by UNL’s award-winning musical theatre students.

UNO Hockey - 7:30 pm | $17-$25 CenturyLink Center Omaha Rat Pack Christmas - 8:00 pm | The Hive Lounge Emphatic - 8:00 pm | $10-$12 The Waiting Room Lounge The textbook definition of perseverance is to remain steadfast and stay the course despite being faced with extreme obstacles. But if you look up the term in a musical dictionary, it may just have a picture of Omaha based hard rockers Emphatic beside it.

Ugly Sweater Christmas Party with DJ Francis Rhoe - 9:00 pm | The Down Under Rough Cut - 9:00 pm Free Arena Bar & Grill Live Music - 9:00 pm | Free Horseshoe Council Bluffs Casino 3D In Your Face - 9:00 pm | $5 The 21st Saloon.

The band that proudly flys the flag of Rock N Roll excess takes the stage for another night of hard hitting action powered by pure 80’s nostalgia.

402 - 9:00 pm | Free Ozone Lounge Josh Heinrichs - 9:00 pm | $10-$12 The Bourbon Theatre Heinrichs is the former lead singer and songwriter of the band Jah Roots and owner of GanJah Records since 2001. Josh left Jah Roots in 2009 to pursue a solo career and work on blossoming his label.

Monday Mourners - 9:00 pm | $7 Reverb Lounge An alt-country band from Des Moines. If you like country, they sound like rock. If you like rock, they sound like country. Midwestern Twang & Roll.

“Interrogated” - 10:00 pm | Free Backline Improv Theatre The Arena - 11:00 pm | Backline Improv Theatre

SATURDAY DEC 13

The Council Bluffs Wrestling Classic - 8:00 am | $12 Mid-America Center Creighton Men’s Basketball - 1:00 pm | $15$50 CenturyLink Center Omaha University of Nebraska Women’s Basketball - 2:00 pm | Free University of Nebraska-Lincoln History of Little Italy - 7:00 pm | $20 Bancroft Street Market Told by Storyteller Louie Marcuzzo, Singer Carmelita de la Guardia, Artist Jeremy Caniglia and Caterer Sylvia De Luca.

Of Hope & Love - 7:00 pm | $5 First Presbyterian Church, Bellevue Celebrate the spirit of the season with the Bellevue Choral Society at second annual holiday performance. Glad tidings and cheer abound as youth choir, Bella Voce opens the performance with their unique sound and energy. Then featured group, Ars Nova takes the stage to proclaim the joys of the season.

Paint, Drink & Be Merry with Vino Van Gogh - 7:00 pm | $38 Heartland Tasting Room Reader users save $12 when registering online at www.VinoGogh.com. Use code ‘Holiday12’ Live Jazz and Blues Guitarist George Walker - 7:30 pm | Free The Omaha Lounge UNL Honors ChamberFest Concert - 7:30 pm | Free Kimball Recital Hall The Honors ChamberFest Concert will feature the most advanced student ensembles from UNL’s Chamber Music Program. The ensembles were selected by faculty from over 20 ensembles to represent the excellent work that is going on in the program.

University of Nebraska Men’s Basketball 8:00 pm | Free University of Nebraska-Lincoln Blu Simon - 8:00 pm | The Hive Lounge UNO Hockey - 8:07 pm | $17-$25 CenturyLink Center Omaha The Fools - 9:00 pm | Free Arena Bar & Grill Live Music - 9:00 pm | Free Horseshoe Council Bluffs Casino Saturday Night Dance Party - 9:00 pm | The Hive Lounge Small Guy Promotions Presents: Just Music - 9:00 pm | Free The Side Door Lounge Bringing different genres of music together in one place. At the end of the day it’s all Just Music! We want to bring people together who wouldn’t normally be in the same venue for a show because

you can love more than one kind of music. This event is like a playlist on your Ipod, but live.

Coincide - 9:00 pm | $7 The Waiting Room Lounge Coincide is a hard rock band from Omaha. The band has been on the local scene since its formation in early 2008. Coincide have released 2 EP’s and 1 studio album. The band has been writing new music and is to release a new EP early 2015.

Josh Heinrichs - 9:00 pm | $10 The Slowdown Omaha John Klemmensen and The Party - 9:00 pm | $7 Reverb Lounge Klemmensen is a big guy with a blue guitar, a golden voice and a broken heart who can capture more yearning with a single line than most bands can with an entire album. Mainly because you believe him; because it’s (probably) all true and he doesn’t care who knows.

The Willards Band - 9:30 pm | $5 O’Leaver’s Pub Honky Tonk, Rockabilly, Country, Blues, Folk, Americana, Rock, Texas Swing.

SUNDAY DEC 14

The Council Bluffs Wrestling Classic - 8:00 am | $12 Mid-America Center The Ugly Sweater Run - 11:00 am | $40 CenturyLink Center Omaha A closed course full of hot chocolate aide stations, snow blowers and the biggest Santa inflatable around will await you. This run benefits Save The Children, a child advocacy nonprofit that gives children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm in the US and around the world.

Healing Tender Hearts - 11:30 am | Free Stinson Park, Aksarben Village Zumba fitness.

Creighton Women’s Volleyball - 2:00 pm | $5$15 D.J. Sokol Arena UNL Symphonic Band - 3:00 pm | $3-$5 Kimball Recital Hall Conducted by Tony Falcone and Graduate Teaching Assistant James Dreiling for their second concert that will feature wind band music by British composers spanning 105 years.

Jazz to the World 5 - 4:00 pm | $12-$15 First Cen tral Congregational United Church of Christ Take in the sights and sounds of the holiday season at the Omaha MasterSingers annual holiday concert.

Pieta Brown - 5:00 pm | $20-$25 The Waiting Room Lounge The level of emotional engagement that Brown routinely brings to her work is evident throughout Paradise Outlaw. The self-produced 14-song set fully embodies the qualities that have already established the iconoclastic singer-songwriter as a fiercely individual musical force.

The Andrew Brookings Duo - 5:30 pm | Sullivan’s Salsa Sundays - 7:00 pm | $5 House of Loom Live Jazz and Blues Pianist Ray Williams 7:30 pm | Free The Omaha Lounge Gavin Degraw with Andy Grammer and American Authors - 7:30 pm | $29-85 UNL Honors ChamberFest Concert - 7:30 pm | Free Kimball Recital Hall Luigi, Inc. - 9:00 pm | Free Mr. Toad’s Pub Omaha

MONDAY DEC 15

Live Blues and Jazz Saxaphone with Ed Archibald - 7:30 pm | Free The Omaha Lounge Music Quiz - 8:00 pm | Waiting Room Open Mic - 9:00 pm | Free Barley Street Tavern Monday Night Comedy - 9:00 pm | Free Duffy’s Tavern Lincoln

TUESDAY DEC 16

Pub Quiz - 9:00 pm | Free The Slowdown Omaha Live Blues Guitarist and Vocalist Hector Anchondo - 7:30 pm | Free The Omaha Lounge Cornhusker Marching Band Highlights Concert - 7:30 pm | $10-$20 Lied Center For Performing Arts Lincoln It’s showtime as the Cornhusker Marching Band Highlights Concert returns. Come experience the sights and sounds of the Pride of all Nebraska as they perform halftime shows from the 2014 season and more.

Karaoke - 10:00 pm | The Down Under

WEDNESDAY DEC 17

Live Jazz Pianist Ben Tweedt - 7:30 am | Free The Omaha Lounge Ray’s Piano Party - 7:00 pm | Free Mr. Toad’s Pub Omaha Paint, Drink & Be Merry with Vino Van Gogh - 7:00 pm | $37 Borgata Brewery & Distillery Emmet Otter and Charlie Brown - 8:00 pm | Waiting Room Annual holiday movie night showing Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas and Charlie Brown Christmas. Stop in for a movie, hot chili and homemade snacks.

Comedy Open Mic - 10:00 pm | Free Barley Street Tavern

listings

| THE READER |

DEC. 11 - 17, 2014

13

BY B.J. HUCHTEMANN

Giving & Celebrating

T

he Toy Drive for Pine Ridge is in the home stretch. By the time you read this, the toys will be on their way to the Pine Ridge Reservation to bring some joy and holiday hope to the children there. In recent years, the Toy Drive has been able to expand to offer emergency heating assistance and other support. While toy donations have been generous, this year’s donations are less than half of previous years in terms of funds that can help with emergency heating and propane. Larry “Lash” Dunn and the Toy Drive receive calls throughout the winter when elders and families are in an emergency situation and running out of propane. The help the Toy Drive is able to provide can truly mean life or death for individuals in need. Please see toydriveforpineridge. com for more information. Donations can be made on the website any time. The website will also be updated later this month with photos of the children receiving their toys, so you can see your gift give a child a smile and a happier holiday. Friday, Dec. 12, at Barley Street Tavern, Vago and Brad Hoshaw host an evening of music with donations going to benefit the Toy Drive and the heating fund.

Roadhouse & Toy Drive Dean Dobmeier’s and Gary Grobeck’s Sunday Roadhouse concert at

hoodoo

The Waiting Room Sunday, Dec. 14, 5 p.m. will also benefit the Toy Drive for Pine Ridge’s emergency heating fund. Singer-songwriter Pieta Brown, daughter of Greg Brown, performs along with The Pines, a Minneapolis-based folk-Americana act.

Doors open at 4 p.m. For more about the artists see sundayroadhouse.com.

21st Saloon Wednesday, Dec. 10, The 21st Saloon hosts powerhouse supergroup Royal Southern Brotherhood featuring Cyril Neville, Devon Allman and young guitarist Bart Walker. Kris Lager Trio opens, 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, Australian blues-rock guitarist Michael Charles plays 6-9 p.m. Charles is celebrating a 30-year career with a new CD anthology. See michaelcharles.us.

Hot Notes Little Joe McCarthy releases a new disc, Find Another Fool, Sunday, Dec. 14, 4-7 p.m. at Barrett’s, 4330 Leavenworth St. The Zoo Bar rocks with Brave Combo on Thursday, Dec. 11, 6-9 p.m. followed by folk-blues guitarist Matt Anderson.

Anderson is a three-time Maple Blues Award winner.

See stubbyfingers.ca. Earl & Them, a band featuring Earl Cate and Jason Davis, is up at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar Friday, Dec. 12, 9 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 13, 6 p.m. The Bel Airs play the Zoo Wednesday, Dec. 17, 6-9 p.m., and then plug in at The 21st Saloon Thursday, Dec. 18, 6-9 p.m. ,

HOODOO is a weekly column focusing on blues, roots, Americana and occasional other music styles with an emphasis on live music performances. Hoodoo columnist B.J. Huchtemann is a Reader senior contributing writer and veteran music journalist who has covered the local music scene for nearly 20 years. Follow her blog at hoodoorootsblues.blogspot.com.

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DEC. 11 - 17, 2014

| THE READER |

hoodoo

overtheedge LIFESTYLE COLUMN BY TIM MCMAHAN

If I Could Turn Back Time: Over the Edge’s Greatest Hits, Vol. 1

I

n that this is among the last entries of this weekly column, I figure it’s a good time to look back and reminisce — not just on the past year, but on Over the Edge’s nearly three years of columns. So without further ado, here’s a recap and update of the some of the most controversial of its more than 130 installments.

The Circle of 300 — May 24, 2012 — The premise behind my most obtuse of theories: There’s only 300 people in this whole big wide city of ours who really pay attention to what’s going on in the indie music scene. Just like there are only 300 people who really follow local art, and 300 who follow local theater and 300 who follow independent film, and 300 local foodies, and so on. Just 300. Everyone else is completely oblivious or just a casual observer. Well, two years later — despite the evergrowing “connectivity” of social media — I stand by that number, and will add that it’s harder than ever for bands, artists, actors and chefs to get noticed by that circle of 300. The Internet continues to make the world smaller.

Dinner (review) for schmucks — June 6, 2012 — This column about Yelp helped get me banned from a couple of Benson restaurants. One of my Yelp reviews even has become fodder for a Block 16 parody video. Though Yelp restaurant reviews seem to have lost their relevance to many of us, the fact is people visiting our fair city depend on them because, well, where else are out-of-towners going to find restaurant reviews? The core problem with Yelp: It’s a world where first impressions — good or bad — last forever. Casual Yelp reviewers rarely return to update their reviews, and in some cases (such as mine), aren’t allowed to.

A Fashionable War — June 21, 2012 — The essay about then-Omaha musician Laura Burhenn of The Mynabirds’ “New Revolutionists” photo website — designed to show “what true revolutionary American women look like” — got a lot of heat and accolades from those who agreed or disagreed with my questioning whether it was philanthropy or marketing. It easily was the most controversial column published over the course of Over the Edge.

I won’t go further other than to say Burhenn, who hasn’t talked to me since venting after the column was published, has a new Mynabirds record coming out sometime in the near future, and I look forward to hearing it.

Un-Embraceable Me — Nov. 15, 2012 — In a millennial world where people hug hello and hug

goodbye — both women and guys — I’m still among that group that’s on the outside looking in, and I don’t mind. A handshake will do just fine, thank you.

Gun Laws Will Never Change — Jan. 17, 2013 — Written days after the Newtown, Connecticut, massacre, where 20 children and six adults were shot by a wacko at Sandy Hill Elementary School, the column said that even in the face of that tragedy, once the smoke cleared, nothing would change regarding gun laws. “They’ll never ban guns in this country, no matter how much people want them to or how afraid gun owners are that they will.” Readers wrote in to tell me I was cynical and naive, that surely this time things would change. But two years later, nothing has. People have forgotten the families of Newtown, while we wait for the next massacre to occur.

River’s Edge Is a Game Changer — May 30, 2013 — Boy, did I miss this one. Everyone had high hopes that Tom Hanafan River’s Edge Park, located on the Iowa side of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, could become a new concert destination to rival anything in the area, including Stir Concert Cove. But other than a couple small attempts at oldies concerts, the park has been delegated to dog walkers and Frisbee throwers. Oh well.

You Can’t Always Get What You Want (But You Can Get What You Need) — June 13, 2013 — Written after it was announced that Bucky’s gas stations had purchased the Louis’ Market property in Benson. People took to social media to scream in outrage, saying the last thing Benson needed was another gas station, especially in a “food desert.”

I said a gas station beats the current state of the property. Well, a year and a half later, the buildings that housed Louis’ Market and Louis’ Bar continue to rot right before our eyes, and no one seems to know what’s going to happen with that property, though local politicians say the bulldozers could arrive any minute. Don’t hold your breath.

Take It from a Non-Fan: Pelini Deserves a Break — Sept. 19, 2013 — Then Husker Football Coach Bo Pelini was about to suffer through another non-championship season when Deadspin made matters worse for ol’ Bo by publishing comments made (presumably) in private two years earlier following a victory over Ohio State; comments directed to “fair weather fans,” such as they can “kiss my ass on the way out the f***ing door” and “We’ll see what they can do when I’m f***ing gone.” Needless to say, Bo’s future was in doubt. I said if Nebraska fired Pelini, it would mean another 10 years of a headless body of a football program, blindly flopping about the gridiron, searching for direction.

Well, they didn’t fire him back then, but…

Stay tuned for Pt. 2. ,

OVER THE EDGE is a weekly column by Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on culture, society, music, the media and the arts. Email Tim at tim.mcmahan@gmail.com. And be sure to check out his blog at Lazy-i.com

DAVID ALLAN COE DECEMBER 12

AARON LEWIS FEBRUARY 13

AN EVENING WITH BIG HEAD TODD AND THE MONSTERS MARCH 1 Tickets available at whiskeyroadhouse.com, Ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000

I-29 South, Exit 1B | horseshoe.com Must be 21 years or older to attend shows or to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-BETS-OFF (Iowa) or 1-800-522-4700 (National). ©2014, Caesars License Company, LLC.

over the edge

172655_4.9x7.47_4c_Ad_V1.indd 1

| THE READER |

DEC. 11 - 17, 2014 11/12/14

15

4:14 PM

newsoftheweird

T H E WO R L D G O N E F R E A K Y B Y C H U C K S H E P H E R D W I T H I L LU S T R AT I O N S B Y T O M B R I S C O E

Too Much Information

K

ansas lawyer Dennis Hawver was disbarred in November for his comically bad (24 separate deficiencies) defense of doublemurder suspect Phillip Cheatham in 2005 (which led to a new trial for Cheatham).

Hawver had admitted to the jury that his client was a “shooter of people” (a previous manslaughter conviction) who, as an “experience(d)” criminal would never have left that third victim alive with multiple gunshot wounds. A confident Hawver had virtually invited the jury to execute “whoever” the killer was.

(At a September hearing to keep his license, he dressed as Thomas Jefferson, banging the lectern and shouting, as reverse psychology, “I am incompetent!” -- leading the blog Lowering the Bar to muse that by then, the argument was wholly unnecessary.) Cheatham told the Topeka Capital-Journal that Hawver is “a good dude (but) just in over his head.”

Names in the News Arrested in October for burglary of a Kohl’s department store in Alhambra, California: Ms. Josephine Crook, 49. Passed away on Oct. 15 in Marietta, Georgia: Ms. Ida Gbye, 81. Arrested in October and charged with stabbing two men in Regina, Saskatchewan: Ms. Danielle Knife, 24. Charged in Mississauga, Ontario, in October with sexually assaulting three male patients: psychologist Dr. Vincent Hung Lo. Arrested in November in Gainesville, Florida, on sexual assault charges but then exonerated three days later when accuser Jeremy Foster was caught lying: Mr. Phuc Kieu, 58.

The Continuing Crisis The Creative Class: To spark interest in the new leisure center opening in spring 2015 in Selby in North Yorkshire, England, the management company WLCT sponsored a contest to name the center, with the prize a year’s free membership. On Nov. 5,

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DEC. 11 - 17, 2014

| THE READER |

weird news

General Manager Paul Hirst announced that Steve Wadsworth was the winner, proclaiming, “Well done to Steve on winning the competition.” The winning entry: “Selby Leisure Centre.”

-- A German woman who identifies herself only as “Anna Konda” described to Vice Media in October her Female Fight Club in Berlin, now three years old, for women to test themselves in all-out wrestling matches. While some are fetish-motivated dominants, others display no particular sexuality -- like Anna herself, who, she admits, simply likes to “crush” men’s and women’s skulls between her massive thighs. Anna says she is a product of East Germany’s cliched development of tough, muscular female athletes.

Questionable Judgments Those Frightening Alabama Schools: (1) In October, a mother charged that officials at E.R. Dickson School in Mobile, Alabama, first detained her daughter, 5, for pointing a crayon at another student as if it were a gun, and then pressured the girl to sign a paper promising not to kill anyone or commit suicide. “What is suicide, Mommy?” the girl asked when her parents arrived. (2) In a 2010 incident at Sparkman Middle School near Huntsville, Alabama, an administrator coaxed a special-needs girl, 14, into a boys’ bathroom to “bait” a 16-year-old boy who had previous sexual misconduct issues into committing a prosecutable offense -- and then failed to protect the girl. (The girl’s family sued and won a summary judgment, but the school board appealed, and in September 2014 the U.S. Justice Department formally endorsed the family’s lawsuit.)

-- The West Briton newspaper reported in October that a darts team composed of blind men was ready for its inaugural match at an inn in Grampound, England, sponsored by the St. Austell Bay Rotary Club.

The inn’s landlord acknowledged that the game-room door would be closed “just in case” a dart strays off course. (The blind darters would be aided by string attached to the bull’s eye that they could feel for guidance.)

COPYRIGHT 2014 CHUCK SHEPHERD. Visit Chuck Shepherd daily at NewsoftheWeird. blogspot.com or NewsoftheWeird.com. Send Weird News to WeirdNewsTips@yahoo.com or P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, FL 33679. Illustrations by Tom Briscoe (smallworldcomics.com).

Police Report Twice in September, police in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, reported that women had complained of a motorist who would stop female strangers on the street to tell them jokes about blond women.

The jokes were not sexual, but still made the women “uncomfortable.” A high school girl told her mother of a similar episode.

Based on a license plate number, police visited the man at home, and he agreed to stop.

Unclear on the Concept In some developing countries, a sex “strike” organized by women is often the only hopeful tactic for convincing husbands and lovers to take grievances seriously. However, in November, Mr. Nderitu Njoka, head of a Global Men Empowerment Network in Nairobi, Kenya, announced that his organization would commence a “sex boycott” for five days, denying men’s “services” to their wives -- to protest “tyrannical” female domination. According to Njoka, hundreds of Kenyan men are physically assaulted by females every year (including at least 100 whose wives vengefully castrate them). (Referring to a notorious U.S. incident, Njoka offered support to the singer Jay Z after he was punched by his sister-in-law Solange Knowles.)

-- First, Do Harm: In November, according to the deputy police commissioner in Calcutta, India, a group of student doctors at Nilratan Sarkar Medical College cornered, beat, maimed and eventually killed a man they suspected of rummaging through their belongings and stealing their mobile phones. The incident followed a series of phone and laptop thefts, and some of the enraged medical students slashed the man’s genitals before leaving him to die.

Perspective Despite a 70-year-old U.S. Supreme Court decision to the contrary, six states still have laws exempting parents from homicide charges when they deny a child

life-saving medical care because they trust no remedy except prayer. Even among those states, all of the deaths since 1994 under those circumstances have occurred in Idaho, where (according to a November report by Vocativ.com) no prosecutor seems willing to put a trust-in-God parent before a jury. Children in Idaho have died when simple medical treatments were available (e.g., insulin and fluids for Type I diabetes). Neighboring Oregon, by contrast, now vigorously prosecutes parents who let their children die, including a 13-year-old girl’s parents convicted in November in Albany, Oregon.

Least Competent Criminals Police in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, announced in November that they had intercepted a shipment of 30 pounds of marijuana that had been loosely packaged and shipped from California by U.S. Mail, and an investigation was underway with arrests expected. Police Chief Darrell Rowe told WTKR-TV that the scent of the packages was so vivid that, even though he had summoned the department’s K-9 unit, “the dog kind of looked at us (as if to say), ‘Do you really need me for this?’”

Recurring Themes (1) Most recent drunk driver to hit a pedestrian with the victim’s body then lodging in the windshield -- and the driver’s traveling on, seemingly oblivious: Marcos Ortega, 33, in Ocean Township, New Jersey, in November (whose 66-yearold victim did not survive). (2) Most recent report of birds in the wild consuming fermenting berries -- and then comically crashing into trees and making goofy-looking landings: Bohemian waxwings in Canada’s Yukon, in November (where the Environment Yukon organization set up an “avian drunk tank”). ,

Upcoming Events Women’s Basketball Thursday, Dec. 11th, 8:05 PM vs.

Sunday, Dec. 14th, 2:05 PM vs.

“A TOUR DE FORCE” - The Hollywood Reporter

Men’s Basketball Saturday, Dec. 13th, 1:15 PM

“A TRIUMPH ON EVERY LEVEL” - Variety

vs.

For more information call or visit: CALL OR CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR MOVIE TIMES AND PRICES

weird news

| THE READER |

DEC. 11 - 17, 2014

17

cuttingroom

T H E TA L E O F P R I N C E S S K A G U YA B R U S H E S G R E AT N E S S

A

ctual human beings made The Tale of Princess Kaguya, and you can tell. A water-colored rebuke of the robots who computer-generate most modern animation, every luscious scene is hand-crafted and flippin’ gorgeous. Sadly, the story is painted with obvious and familiar strokes, riffing on cliched fairy tale themes about independence and empowerment that fail the visual artistry. The result is a pleasing, if bloated and simplistic, experience destined to be overpraised because of its lauded creative team.

Writer/director Isao Takahata adapts a Japanese folktale called “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.” While unsurprisingly out cutting bamboo, the Bamboo Cutter discovers a surprise inside of one stalk: a tiny fairy creature that turns into a baby. Just go with it. The Bamboo Cutter and his wife are childless, so they figure, “Hey, free baby!” They name her Princess because of course they do.

When the Bamboo Cutter discovers a vast amount of wealth, he pays to have his adopted bamboo-daughter made into royalty. Renamed Princess

Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theater 14th & Mike Fahey Street (formerly Webster Street) More info & showtimes 402.933.0259 · filmstreams.org Facebook | Twitter | Instagram: @filmstreams

18

DEC. 11 - 17, 2014

Kaguya, the newly minted royal member balks when confronted with a set of suitors. Luckily, she’s kinda clever; when they praise her beauty by comparing her to mythical objects, she agrees to marry the one who can actually produce the mythical object to which they referred. Turns out, it’s not easy to get the jewel a dragon wears around his neck. From there, the film shifts into an allegedly philosophical rumination on joy and independence that is really more in line with the moral at the end of a non-special episode of “Full House.”

If it hasn’t been reiterated enough, let’s do so again: Kaguya is spectacular to look at. Scenes where Princess Kaguya runs, trailing colorful and detailed clothes behind her, are so kinetic and gorgeous, it almost doesn’t matter where she’s running to. Almost… The problem is Princess Kaguya herself is kind of a dud. Aside from her clever move with the men pursuing her, the only other definitive characteristic she displays is a love of plants and bugs, which is understandable having been birthed inside a bamboo stalk.

B Y RYA N S Y R E K

The praise heaped upon the film is understandable, but only if mainstream American fare is used as the barometer. Other than the unique artistic approach, this inarguably counts as one of Studio Ghibli’s lesser works, failing to embody the imaginative legacy of Hayao Miyazaki. When the film does spill into the purely fantastic, it soars…quite literally. But much of the running time is spent on characters reacting with wide-eyed “huh” expressions to explicitly non-shocking content.

Look, traditional folklore tales weren’t exactly known for nuance and depth of intellect. They were quick, concise morality suggestions easily consumed but only briefly considered. In that sense, The Tale of Princess Kaguya does its ancestor proud, as it is pleasant but slight, beautiful but fleeting. That it outpaces puerile American tripe doesn’t mean it should be hailed as more than it is. It’s full of happy little watercolor clouds and trees but little lasting significance. , GRADE = B-

n Chris Pratt has become whatever culturally gendered, cloying term you’d like to use in place of “America’s sweetheart.” He’s beloved for his work on “Parks and Rec” and flipped millions an adorable middle finger in Guardians of the Galaxy. So, obviously, his next movie is likely a remake of a remake of a bloody film full of brutal killers. Antoine Fuqua is directing a remake of The Magnificent Seven, which is itself a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 7 Samurai, which is awesome. Pratt would join Denzel Washington in the remake remake. I’m just guessing here, but when told about Pratt joining, Washington probably said, “Alright. Okay. Okay.” n I don’t wish the documentary Dear Zachary on people lightly. Perhaps one of the most singular upsetting and deeply affective movies out there, I can literally say that the last thing I ever expected was to type the following sentence. They are making a Dear Zachary TV show. I don’t want to spoil the movie for any emotionally masochists out there who haven’t found their holy grail with this film, but let’s just say this adaptation is bananapants crazy. n Because comic books love to do team ups, here’s a dual dose of superhero news: Benedict Cumberbatch has signed up to play the lead in Doctor Strange while Ryan Reynolds has returned to the title role in Deadpool. As a grown man who recently dressed as Doctor Strange, I’m excited for one of my favorite actors to nail this role. As a grown man who watched RIPD, I’m excited to not watch Deadpool. n They held a big event broadcast worldwide to reveal the title of the new James Bond movie. That’s what we have become as a people: revealing the name of a movie is a watershed moment so anticipated several people I know got up at 3 a.m. to hear the announcement from England. I don’t get out of bed at 3 a.m. because of anything other than burning houses or bladder capacity. At any rate, the new movie is called Spectre and will feature Christoph Waltz as Blofeld. Sorry, as “Oberhauser,” which is totally not Blofeld in disguise but is so totally Blofeld in disguise. Let’s hope that character’s titular reveal doesn’t also come at 3 a.m.

—Ryan Syrek Cutting Room provides breaking local and national movie news … complete with added sarcasm. Send any relevant information to film@thereader.com.

Check out Ryan on Movieha!, a weekly half-hour movie podcast (movieha. libsyn.com/rss), catch him on the radio on CD 105.9 (cd1059.com) on Fridays at around 7:30 a.m. and on KVNO 90.7 (KVNO.org) at 8:30 a.m. on Fridays and follow him on Twitter (twitter.com/thereaderfilm).

First-Run Films

Films from Warhol’s Factory

Forever Young

The Theory of Everything

Sunday, December 14

Miracle on 34th Street 1947

First-Run (PG-13)

Dir. James Marsh.

Through Thursday, January 8

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya First-Run Dir. Isao Takahata.

Starts Friday, December 12

CITIZENFOUR First-Run (R)

Dir. Laura Poitras.

Through Thursday, December 18

| THE READER |

film

Lonesome Cowboys 1968 (4: pm) Wednesday, December 17

Tarzan and Jane Regained . . . Sort of 1963 (7 pm) Two-for-one double features presented with with Joslyn Art Museum to coincide with their exhibition In Living Color: Andy Warhol and Contemporary Printmaking.

Film Streams celebrates Andy Warhol’s productive and tumultuous history with film!

Dir. George Seaton.

December 13, 14 & 18

A timeless holiday classic. With Holly the Elf in person before the December 13 1:30 p.m. showtime!

Coming Soon The Babadook First-Run Happy Valley First-Run Inherent Vice First-Run (R) National Gallery First-Run Mr. Turner First-Run

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Please contact Clay Seaman, clays@thereader.com or 402-341-7323 x108 if you are interested.

! w o h s e h t y o j n E

When we tell you,

...we mean it!

“Unlike some other theaters, we don’t believe in gimmicks to get you here. Instead, we focus on the motion picture experience. My family and I love movies, and we hope your event here is enjoyable.”

Omaha

402.341.4000

Bill Barstow, Owner 2110 S. 67th Street 402-502-1914

FREE CODE: Omaha Reader

www.AksarbenCinema.com

For other local numbers call:

1-888-MegaMates

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| THE READER |

DEC. 11 - 17, 2014

19

9406VGAHLFReaderIceRinkSLOHAd7.5x10_fnl.pdf

FROM TWO-TIME ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE MARSHALL CURRY

®

A

“

GRIPPING

NON-FICTION THRILLER.” -THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

“POTENT...

AN EYE-OPENING TALE.” -THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

“GRADE A-

OUTSTANDING...

AN ESSENTIAL AND FASCINATING CRITIQUE OF OUR ‘ LOOK-AT-ME’ CULTURE.” -ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

NOMINEE BEST DOCUMENTARY

GOTHAM INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS

NOMINEE

BEST FEATURE INT’L DOCUMENTARY ASSOCIATION AWARDS

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT

STARTS TODAY

AMC OAKVIEW PLAZA 24 3555 SOUTH 140TH PLAZA 1-888-AMC 4FUN • OMAHA

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12/5/14

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