Highlights
No one celebrity is so closely tied to Baltimore as filmmaker John Waters. Dubbed the "Pope of Trash" by William Burroughs, Waters has brought his eccentric and anti-establishment vision of his hometown to the screen starting with his high school film "Hag in a Black Leather Jacket." Cult, X-rated classics such as "Pink Flamingos" and "Female Trouble" followed, but it was "Hairspray" that brought Waters mainstream attention. "Hairspray" explores 1960s racial segregation through the eyes of a chubby teen-age girl who wants to star on a local dance show. Tracy Turnblad, played by Ricki Lake in the original 1988 film, gets the show -- and the guy -- and champions racial issues with the help of...
No one celebrity is so closely tied to Baltimore as filmmaker John Waters. Dubbed the "Pope of Trash" by William Burroughs, Waters has brought his eccentric and anti-establishment vision of his hometown to the screen starting with his high school film "Hag in a Black Leather Jacket." Cult, X-rated classics such as "Pink Flamingos" and "Female Trouble" followed, but it was "Hairspray" that brought Waters mainstream attention. "Hairspray" explores 1960s racial segregation through the eyes of a chubby teen-age girl who wants to star on a local dance show. Tracy Turnblad, played by Ricki Lake in the original 1988 film, gets the show -- and the guy -- and champions racial issues with the help of her over-protective mother, Edna, played in drag by Waters' friend and frequent star Divine. In 2002, the film was made into a hit Broadway musical starring Harvey Fierstein as Edna, and in 2007, the musical was adapted into another film starring John Travolta, Nikki Blonsky and Zac Efron. Waters' 1990 movie musical "Cry-Baby" may follow in "Hairspray's" footsteps. The musical adaptation opened in California in November 2007 before heading to Broadway in spring 2008. Set in the 1950s, the film starred Johnny Depp as a juvenile delinquent who falls for a good girl ("square"). In addition to being a filmmaker, Waters is a photographer who exhibits at galleries nationwide.
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Divine statue and more head to the windows of Bergdorf Goodman
New York is home to the Statue of Liberty, Coney Island, the Empire State Building. And, for the next month at least, the city will adopt a massively fluffy Baltimore-bred pink poodle named Fifi and a 10-foot-tall statue of Divine.
Some 50 pieces from...Tags: Sotheby's Holdings Incorporated, Coney Island, Empire State Building, Museum of Modern Art, Statue of Liberty
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New venue for Mobtown Modern
Arts sceneMobtown Modern, the most way-out-there music organization in Baltimore, has announced another boldly unconventional lineup for the 2009-2010 season, along with a new venue. The concert series will still be presented by the Contemporary Museum, where...Tags: Francis Bacon, Dance, Lucian Freud, Alice Walker, Music Theater
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Baltimore filmmaker shines light on those living on the edge
Steve Yeager appears caught off-guard when asked if he set out to earn a reputation as a filmmaker focusing on Baltimore's marginalized. The thought, it seems, has never really occurred to him.
And yet, it's an obvious question. His first narrative film,...Tags: Towson University, Cinema Industry, Academy Awards, Dining and Drinking, Charles Theatre
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What they say about the Senator Theatre
"It's a whole family thing. Tom was a nice guy to work for, he never hassled you or anything. We were just a big family, and we just looked out for each other as best we could. It was a pleasure to work there, and I am going to miss it. I hope whoever...Tags: Senator Theatre
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Vozzella column a farce
It is reassuring to know that despite the cutbacks in coverage, The Sun can still have journalists such as Laura Vozzella working on years-old matrimonal items involving local semi-notables ("Call me nosy - Laura Lippman did, on TV," May 17). The Sun's...Tags: David Simon, Society, Calendars, Days, and Months, Ceremonies
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License to Tweet at the Liquor Board
Steve Fogleman's Twitter bio identifies him as "Baltimorean, Ravens Fan, Democrat, Attorney, Chairman of the Liquor Board." He left out Early Adopter. When he challenged Baltimore State's Attorney Patricia Jessamy in the Democratic primary three years...Tags: Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., Primaries, Government, YouTube, Downtown (Baltimore, Maryland)
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Kathryn Bigelow's explosive look at bomb experts
From her breakthrough with Near Dark, a contemporary vampire movie featuring undead who roam the West in a van, Kathryn Bigelow has broken new ground for female movie directors. Simply following her instincts for atmosphere and suspense, she's become a...Tags: Academy Awards, Patrick Swayze, Festive Event, Barry Levinson, Walter Hill
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Maryland Film Festival puts movies-to-be on the screen
Matthew Porterfield, whose Hamilton was one of the breakout hits of the 2006 Maryland Film Festival, hasn't finished his next film yet - in fact, all he has is some test and audition footage. But he's bringing what he has to this weekend's 11th annual...Tags: Cinema Industry, Francois Truffaut, Festive Event, Charles Theatre, Classic Rock
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Chuck Palahniuk writes novels with punch
Author Chuck Palahniuk is sitting on a red and gold camelback sofa in the parlor room of the Antrim 1844 Country Inn, picking loose fringe from the sofa and piling it neatly on the tea tray in front of him. Pachelbel's Canon in D Major is on the stereo....Tags: Brad Pitt, Dining and Drinking, Cults and Sects, Human Body, Symptoms
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NAACP follows up on accusation
The Anne Arundel County branch of the NAACP is asking the state prosecutor to investigate a complaint that an elected official made "unwarranted, unauthorized advances" toward a woman in a county building. "A complaint has been filed against an elected...Tags: Civil Rights, Government, Festive Event, Local Elections, Barry Levinson
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Senator Theatre screening music films this weekend
Some of the best music of the rock 'n' roll era will be featured at the Senator Theatre this weekend, as owner Tom Kiefaber continues to mark the coming end of his family's 70-year run as owners and operators of the North Baltimore landmark. Jonathan...Tags: Senator Theatre, The Beatles (band), Jonathan Demme, Francois Girard, Janis Joplin
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Bobcat Goldthwait to open Maryland Film Festival
Director Bobcat Goldthwait will host the opening-night shorts program of the 11th annual Maryland Film Festival and will even bring along one of his short films. Goldthwait Home Movies, spotlighting a fictional 40th-anniversary reunion of the cast of the...Tags: Cinema Industry, Maryland Film Festival, Film Festivals, Festive Event, Barry Levinson
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