Archive: Arts & Entertainment

Smart Talk - CEFL

: By Jim Evans; Entertainment; | Oct 14, 2011 |

SMART TALK

by Dr. Saber S. Poder

CEFL: Our psychologist, Dr. Viva Palaver, has raised objections to our name ever since she came on staff. "Institute for the Linguistically Impaired," she points out, causes emotional stress in our patients and even keeps potential patients away. Who wants to be labeled linguistically impaired? No one likes to be known as impaired.

Dr. Palaver has finally convinced a majority of the Board of Directors to show a more positive, inviting face to the linguistically impaired world. As Chairman of the Board for the current term, I am honored to announce that henceforth, we are officially the Center for English as a First Language (CEFL).

We already have new stationery, and as you read this, our signs are being changed.

As the CEFL, we nicely complement, and wish to compliment, the wonderful work ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers do nationwide. While they equip immigrants with the English skills necessary to go to work and pay taxes, we expect to recruit many new patients who grew up speaking something like English but need to sound properly educated, so they can get ahead of the immigrants.

English as a First Language also sounds something like English First, which may attract the English Only folks, the proponents of making English our one and only official language. Ironically, many of these people have a poor grasp of their own language's subtleties and badly need the services of the CEFL.

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Howard, Zwat and Friends

: By Gregory Wasenko; Entertainment; | Oct 14, 2011 |

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Rudetsky Comes To The Hangar

: By -Staff; Entertainment; | Oct 14, 2011 |

Sirius Satellite's Broadway station host Seth Rudetsky, comes to the Hangar Theatre for one night with his acclaimed one man show Rhapsody in Seth, voted “one of the year’s best” by HX Magazine and Backstage. The New York Times called Rhapsody in Seth "Freshly Funny and charming” and “snappily directed” – by the Hangar’s own Peter Flynn.

For the uninitiated, Seth Rudetsky is a brilliantly funny authority on all things show business. Rhapsody in Seth explores his not-to be-believed childhood on Long Island and how musical theatre saved his life! Called "A smart and insightful script that's as funny as it is poignant...A star who is compelling, endearing and inherently hilarious" by Theatermania.com, Seth was also nominated for a GLAAD Award for his virtuosic performance.

'Neat' in the Kitchen

: By Lindsay Hahnes; Entertainment; | Oct 14, 2011 |

The Kitchen Theatre Company’s 21st Season continues with a powerful, funny, and moving coming-of-age story, Charlayne Woodard’s Neat. This one-woman powerhouse of a play previews on October 19, 20, and 21. Opening Night is Saturday, October 22 and performances run for three weeks, closing on Sunday, November 6, 2011.

Neat by Charlayne Woodard is masterful storytelling richly drawn from the playwright's own life. The play focuses on the teenage years of an African-American girl whose family moves from the South to the North in the turbulent 1960's. Part of the family is Aunt Neat, who was inadvertently poisoned as a baby resulting in brain damage and a life-long disability. Initially, young Charlayne adores her Aunt Neat, who seems like another child, but their relationship is tested as Charlayne becomes an adolescent. The story of the bond between these two is set against the struggles of typical teenage angst made tougher by outside prejudice and misunderstanding.

Smart Talk - Coupon

: By Jim Evans; Entertainment; | Oct 7, 2011 |

SMART TALK

by Dr. Ced Riley

COUPON: At the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired, we’ve noticed that the incidence of mispronunciation of “coupon” has stayed about the same. About the same percentage, often the same people, can’t pronounce “cupola,” either.

We hope to fix that. How? Good old association, one of the best mnemonic devices going.

When you use a coopon, you feel as if you’re winning, victorious over the marketing system in a small way. Victorious in a big way, say over a government, is a coup d’etat, which most high school graduates know is pronounced “coo-day-TAH,” because the French love lots of silent letters, to confuse foreigners. Both “coupon” and “coup d’etat” start with coo. There. Was that so hard?

As to “cupola,” think of a cupola (KYOO-po-la) with a Cupid (KYOO-pid) weather vane on top.

Now you sound more as if you spoke English as a first language. Congratulations.

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Howard, Zwat and Friends

: By Gregory Wasenko; Entertainment; | Oct 7, 2011 |

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Library To Feature Three Exhibits

: By Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty; Entertainment; | Oct 7, 2011 |

The Tompkins County Public Library will showcase three unique exhibits during downtown Ithaca’s First Friday Gallery Night, Friday, October 7 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM.

Featured exhibits are:

Seriously Series--- Almost all artists are inspired to create a series at some point during their careers. The artists carefully selected by curator Rebecca Godin, use abstraction, design, photography, sculpture, portraiture, place, time, and obsessions to showcase the inspiration for their individual series.

Hastings Show Opens at FOUND

: By Debra Moree; Entertainment; | Oct 7, 2011 |

The Gallery @ FOUND will host a new show by Bill Hastings entitled HARBINGERS. The show opens Wednesday, October 19th. An artist’s reception will take place on Thursday, October 20th from 5-7pm. HARBINGERS will hang in the Gallery until Sunday, November 20th.

Hastings' show contains a variety of works and features sculptures which reflect the moment when change is apparent.

Smart Talk - Enormity

: By Jim Evans; Entertainment; | Sep 30, 2011 |

SMART TALK

by Dr. Verbos Metikulos

ENORMITY: Here at the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired, we've actually had staff meetings in Stunk Hall on words like this. The enormity of the 9/11 attack is obvious, but the meaning of that word isn't. It means horribleness, evil, depravity, heinousness. A good word to know.

It does not mean great size, even though many have made this mistake for at least 200 years. Yes, it can be used for that, but we have lots of fine words that actually mean great size. Using enormity to mean hugeness is like chipping paint with the good silver. It works, but words are fine tools, and a craftsman is known by the quality of his tools.

A less known word but misleading in the same way is noisome. A beach covered with dead fish is a noisome place. It means stinky, not noisy.

And crapulous, well. You might think this would make a great way to insult your least favorite politician. It might be, if he or she were a drunk. If you overindulge in alcohol, you're apt to be crapulous the next day. You might feel like crap, but "crapulous" describes a very particular kind of crappiness.

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Howard, Zwat and Friends

: By Gregory Wasenko; Entertainment; | Sep 30, 2011 |

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Music & Muses - Warren Haynes – Tales of Ordinary Madness

: By Guy Krogh; Entertainment; | Sep 30, 2011 |

In what is likely the second to last of the reviews of past releases that went largely unnoticed by the general public, but which were masterpieces of distinction (I’m moving on to new releases soon), this month’s treat is the 1993 studio solo album by Warren Haynes – Tales of Ordinary Madness – his very first solo offering.

Many know Warren Haynes – he is actually quite famous. He has won Grammy’s, is in the Grammy Hall of Fame, and was ranked as one of the top 25 guitar players of all time by Rolling Stone. There is a “Warren Haynes Day” (December 18) in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, the site of the famed Christmas Jam sessions that raise money for Habitat for Humanity.

Cabaret Performance at the Hangar

: By -Staff; Entertainment; | Sep 30, 2011 |

The Hangar Theatre kicks off its second annual Fall CabarETC series with a Cabaret performance featuring Broadway’s Andréa Burns. Andréa Burns: A Deeper Shade of Red will perform for one night only on Saturday, October 1 at 8:00pm at the Hangar Theatre. Audiences are promised an entertaining, musical evening that explores Andréa’s Jewish-Latina heritage with humor, wit, and a great mix of female pop artist hits & Broadway standards.

Smart Talk - Trooper

: By Jim Evans; Entertainment; | Sep 23, 2011 |

SMART TALK

by Dr. Dot Pilcrow

TROOPER: After Smith Middle School, students here in Underbelly, Texas, go to Wesson High. Here, they take English courtesy of my dear friend, Shirley Markem Lowe. She’s wonderful. We seldom get her ex-students as patients at the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired.

In recent years, she tells me she’s had to pounce on an increasing use of trooper when the student report on, say, Annie Get Your Gun describes the star with “She’s a real trooper.”

Of course, the unfortunate student, who will suffer, you may be sure, should have used trouper. A trouper is part of the troupe, a company of actors or dancers, and the show must go on, you know.

A trooper is a military officer, especially one of those dashing officers in a cavalry unit. And those handsome state policemen are called troopers, too.

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