"So please be kind if I'm a mess," Rufus Wainwright sings at the end of "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk," one of his most popular songs and the one that closed his main set during Saturday night's sold-out show (the second of two) at the 9:30 Club.

And he was a bit of a mess, particularly during the first half of the concert -- missing high notes here, going offkey there, pounding inarticulately at the piano keys. But like a precocious child who knows he can get out of trouble with a smile, Wainwright worked his charm with bawdy banter, Hugh Grant-like expressions and his strongest musical assets: his warm, resonant midrange and his expressive, clever chamber-pop songwriting. They were shown off to best effect on "Matinee Idol," "Danny Boy," "California," "The Art Teacher" and "Gay Messiah," the final song of the encore.

Half-sister Lucy Wainwright Roche opened the show and joined Wainwright for a few numbers -- most hauntingly during the encore, on Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." You could practically see the DNA strands combining and recombining to form these musical creatures, drawn from father Loudon Wainwright III, Rufus' mother Kate McGarrigle (of the McGarrigle Sisters) and Lucy's mother Suzzy Roche (of the Roches).

Posted by Anne Tallent at 1:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Steve Rouse, for more than 20 years the morning-radio voice for thousands of Baltimore-area listeners, has refused a pay cut at WLIF-FM (101.9) and is off the air.

He said he turned down a contract offer from CBS radio, which operates WLIF and four other Baltimore stations, that included a "pretty major" pay cut. Rouse said he and station management were in negotiations as late as this week but were unable to reach an agreement.

"This was my decision," Rouse stressed.

Rouse announced his departure at the end of his show Thursday but said he was half-expecting a last-minute reprieve. "I was actually almost expecting a call yesterday afternoon, saying, 'Steve, let's talk about this.' But it never came."

Program Director Greg Carpenter announced Rouse's departure in a short e-mail sent to staff this afternoon. "We are losing a great guy," the memo said.

Dave Labrozzi, vice president of programming for CBS in Baltimore, sounded like a man not ready to totally sever ties, noting that Rouse remains under contract through 2007. "He has until the end of this year to decide what he wants to do," Labrozzi said.

Rouse came to Baltimore in 1985 as a DJ at WERQ-FM (92.3). For more than 15 years, he was a fixture at WQSR-FM (102.7), where his Rouse & Company morning show was entrenched for much of the time as the top-rated program in that time slot. He left WQSR in 2005, when it stopped using DJs. He spent about a year doing fill-in work at WBAL-AM (1090) before resurfacing as the voice of WLIF's morning programming in September 2006.

For the third quarter of 2007, radio ratings from the Arbitron agency showed WLIF's morning programming ranked fifth among Baltimore stations in listeners 12 and older, with an average of 148,200 every quarter-hour. The region's top-rated morning program, on WPOC-FM (93.1), averaged 246,400 listeners.

Rouse said he planned to continue with his Saturday evening television show on WMAR, Channel 2, and doing voiceover work. As for radio, "I'm talking with a couple other stations," he said.

Posted by Chris Kaltenbach at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (124)
                    

Actors from The Wire and representatives from a handul of local unions staked out the southwest corner of Pratt and Light streets this morning, looking to drum up support for the continuing Writers Guild of America strike.

Between 30 and 40 picketers, representing at least half-a-dozen local unions, waved signs and handed out leaflets. Pedestrian traffic was light, but an average of maybe one driver every minute or so blew their horns as a show of support for the writers, who have been on strike since Nov. 5. A city fire engine sounded its siren as it drove by.

Rafael Alavrez, a former Sun reporter who's currently a striking TV writer, decided to put his Christmas vacation to good use by organizing the informational picket in in his hometown.

"I knew there was a large film and TV community here," says Alvarez, whose early credits included work on the Baltimore-based Homicide: Life on the Street television series.

Among those holding picket signs was local actor, writer and craftsperson Jeffrey Pratt Gordon, who played dock worker "Johnny Fifty" Spamanto during the second season of The Wire. He defended the unions' demand for residuals from Internet downloads, which is the core issue in the writers strike.

"We're not getting those residuals, but we are the ones creating the product," he said. "Our contracts have not kept up with the times."

Caption: Rafael Alvarez, a writer for the NBC's Life and formerly with The Wire, makes a sign for Benay Berger, an actor with The Wire. (Christopher T. Assaf / Sun Photographer)

Posted by Chris Kaltenbach at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Tim Lloyd wishes WJZ's Marty Bass took the third commandment a little more seriously.

Lloyd, a self-described "everyday person" living in Kennedyville on Maryland's Eastern Shore, was upset when Bass, co-anchor of WJZ's Morning Edition, uttered the Lord's name in vain Tuesday morning. Bass, who was making a point that people needed to be more supportive of the Ravens, even when the team is not performing well, apparently got a little excited. As Lloyd remembers it, Bass said, "Jesus Christ, I can't believe people aren't buying more of these Ravens T-shirts."

"I can't believe more people aren't blown away by it," Lloyd said early Wednesday afternoon, still steaming over Bass' choice of phrase. "I'm over here on the Eastern Shore. Maybe I live in the bubble, but I'm laying in bed trying to get my act together for the day. I can't believe he said that. I'm not going to let him get away with that. It's just not right."

In short order, Lloyd had filed a complaint with the FCC. "Marty Bass used the name of Jesus Christ in a profane manner," the complaint reads. "Live on the air, no attempt to block of any kind. I am highly offended in this lack of respect for my religious beliefs." He called the office of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, as well as the Catholic Review, to complain further.

Monsignor Robert J. Jaskot, chancellor of the archdoicese, agreed that Bass -- who just celebrated his 30th anniversary with WJZ -- could have chosen his words more carefully. "It's something we need to call people to task for," he agreed. "It's not a major issue. ...The goal is really not to castigate anyone, except to say, 'Let's be more attentive to the words we use.' Words very much have power and meaning. How do we use them to reflect who we are as children of God?"

Bass, in a statement read by a WJZ spokesman, insists that no disrespect was intended. "I was trying to make a positive statement about the Ravens and the Orioles," he said, "stating that, win or lose, it is still a great experience to attend a big league game in Baltimore. If I used language that offended anybody, I sincerely apologize. That was not my intent."

Read Bass' statement, Lloyd sounded ready to move on. "It's a healthy reminder for Mr. Bass to be conscious of his audience's religious affiliations," Lloyd said. "I hope it never happens again. I look forward to continuing to watch his show."

-- Chris Kaltenbach and Sam Sessa

Posted by Chris Kaltenbach at 5:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
                    

It started last season with the Metropolitan Opera, which started beaming live performances in high-def and great digital sound via satellite to movie theaters across the country. The concept proved so popular, selling out in most locations, that more venues were quickly added. Soon, folks in Canada and Europe were brought into the (moving) picture, bring the total of the Met's theatrical outlets to about 600. 

This season, opera fans found out they could also head off to their local cinemas to catch performances (live on tape) from La Scala and other great Italian houses. And now comes word that the San Francisco Opera will broadcast its own series of performances at the movies -- 200 theaters have signed up so far -- starting in March. These will be live-in-tape broadcasts, shown using what the San Francisco company's management boasts is a more advanced digital technology than the one the Met uses. (In the opera world, in case you haven't noticed, things can get a little competitive.)

The San Francisco productions scheduled for cinematic presentations include Appomattox, the Philip Glass opera premiered by the company in October. Other works on the list: Puccini's Madama Butterfly and La Rondine, Saint-Saens' Samson et Dalila, Mozart's Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute. Exact dates, times and locations have not yet been announced.

Posted by Tim Smith at 3:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

From Sun writer Joe Burris:

A week after the Discovery Channel show Mythbusters featured the story of a steam gun made popular during the Baltimore Riot of 1861, stories about the gun are still emerging.

One of them has come from former Baltimore Country resident Joe Clark of Fort Pierce, Fla., 80, who said he was one of the men who built a replica of the steam gun for centennial celebration of the Civil War more than three decades ago.

That replica currently sits behind the Elk Ridge Landing sign in Elkridge.

"Somewhere in 1961 or '62, Mark Handwerk and I built the mock up that was used in the parade and displayed at that time," wrote Clark. "The work was done at Glenelg Dehydrators, a farming operation located in the rear property of what is now Glenelg Country School."

Clark said he and Handwerk built the replica from sheet metal on a wooden frame and a collection of junk parts they found on the farm.

"After the Civil War Centennial was over … the steam gun wound up in Elkridge."

Speaking on the telepone from his grandchild's home in Ellicott City, Clark said he enjoyed the Mythbusters show, where a protype model of the gun was made and fired.

"I thought it was interesting that they made it work at all.," Clark said. "The device we made was just out of sheet metal. It was just like it was out of a movie set."

Read Joe's story previewing the steam gun episode of Mythbusters here.

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 7:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Variety (http://www.variety.com/VR1117977892.html) reports that a scheduling conflict has pushed Ed Norton out of Universal Pictures' political thriller "State of Play," and Ben Affleck may be replacing him.

The film originally was to enter production in Los Angeles in November and arrive in Washington in mid-January, with super-hot stars Brad Pitt, Norton and Rachel McAdams in tow. Pitt left the film in late November and was replaced by Russell Crowe.

Posted by Anne Tallent at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Following the lead of Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien, who Monday announced the return of their late-night talkshows, Jimmy Kimmel today said he would be back on ABC with new episodes of his program Jan. 2. All of the late-night talk shows have been in reruns since the Nov. 5 start of the writers strike.

"Though it makes me sick to do so without my writers, there are more than 100 people whose financial well-being depends on the show," Kimmel said in a statement. "It is time to go back to work. I support my colleagues and friends in the WGA [Writers Guild of America] completely and hope this ends both fairly and soon."

Posted by Anne Tallent at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

The Bach Project, an ambitious attempt by Baltimore filmmaker Michael Lawrence to get to the heart of Bach through musicians who are drawn to his work, is moving along. Lawrence has already filmed interviews and performance segments with several artists, and more are on the schedule (a separate music-only DVD is planned to supplement a documentary-style disc). And earlier this month at the starry Entertainment Gathering 2007 at the Getty Center in Los Angeles -- which drew the likes of comedian Jonathan Winters, pianist Leon Fleisher, authors Amy Tan and Marvin Minsky and film director Jesse Dylan -- Lawrence made a successful pitch for funding to complete the project.

A sample of the Bach film was screened on the first day of the L.A. conference. "It was very well received," Lawrence says in an email, "and when the house lights came up, people were still applauding. After the screening, I gave a brief talk and mentioned the funding needs of the project. I closed my presentation with the story of Carl Sagan asking Dr. Lewis Thomas what we should include in the Voyager 1 mission - the first probe to search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Thomas suggested to Sagan, ‘I think we should send all of Bach -- but of course we would be bragging.’ I ended the presentation by commenting that Voyager 1 has now left our solar system and is streaking through the Milky Way with Bach as our calling card.

"A number of people came up to me after the screening offering to contribute to the project including John Abele, the founder and chairman of Boston Scientific. When I returned to Baltimore, I received an email from John saying that he will donate a significant amount to the project in an out right grant and also put up an even larger amount in matching funds. A check from the Argosy Foundation, his family foundation, will be sent to the Bach Project's non-profit sponsor The Handel Choir of Baltimore."

To get an advance look at the Bach Project, go to http://www.mlfilms.com/productions/bach_project. There are clips of Baltimore-based guitarist Manuel Barrueco, cellist Matt Haimovitz and others. Next week, Lawrence will film a segment with pianist Simone Dinnerstein, whose recent recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations caused quite a stir.

Posted by Tim Smith at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Posted by Chris Kaltenbach at 7:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

From Chris Kaltenbach ...

WIYY-FM DJ Steve Ash, better known as Stash, remains in stable condition at Johns Hopkins Hospital Bayview Medical Center’s intensive care unit, after a fall at his Bel Air home on Tuesday.

The veteran broadcaster, who has been handling the afternoon drive-time slot at the station, suffered a fractured skull, which resulted in bleeding on the brain, said Dave Hill, program director at WIYY, also known as 98-Rock.

"This involves a very lengthy type of situation, to find out what kind of condition he is in," said Hill, noting that various part-timers will fill in for Ash until he is ready to return. "This is a very serious time for all of us," he said. "We have our fingers crossed."

Photo Courtesy of WIYY, 98 Rock

Posted by Tim Swift at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
                    

The conservative Catholic League and its head, William Donahue, may be apoplectic about The Golden Compass and wish that people would avoid seeing it, but the more-mainstream Catholic News Service isn't siding with his boycott.

In a very positive review, CNS critics Harry Forbes and John Mulderig called the film "lavish, well-acted and fast-paced," and later labelled it "intelligent and well-crafted entertainment."

As for Donohue's concern about the book's atheist agenda, and whether some of that may find its way into the movie (despite the filmmakers' insistence that little did) or be spread by kids who love the movie so much that they run out and get the book, Forbes and Mulderig did not seem unduly concerned.

"Will seeing this film inspire teens to read the books, which many have found problematic?" the reviewers asked. "Rather than banning the movie or books, parents might instead take the opportunity to talk through any thorny philosophical issues with their teens."

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which routinely rates films based on whether Catholics should see them, gave The Golden Compass an A-II rating, meaning its acceptable for adults and adolescents. Doesn't sound like they found anything too subversive in it, either. 

Posted by Chris Kaltenbach at 8:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
                    

Since screening the first seven hours of Season 5 of HBO's The Wire and writing about it in the Sun, (http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bal-to.wire06dec06,0,5238388.story), I have been besieged with questions as to which of the classroom characters from last year are back in recurring roles.

The answer: Duquan "Dukie" Weems (Jermaine Crawford) and Michael Lee (Tristan Wilds). Michael has used some of his earnings form his work on the corner to rescue his younger brother, Bug (Keenon Brice), from their drug-addicted mother and set up a household of his own with Dukie serving as a self-described nanny for Bug. The dynamic of this trio makes for some keen insights into traditional notions of family and gender.

Episode 3, "Not for Attribution," includes an out-of-state car trip that reminds viewers of the childhood lost by teens like Michael when they are forced to grow up fast selling drugs in the city.

Dukie is one of the most engaging and mutli-faceted teen characters on television, and Crawford once again brings him to life in such a tender and touching way that you can't help but share his anger and pain. This is a character worth caring about in Season 5, which begins Jan. 6 on HBO.  

Randy Wagstaff (Maestro Harrell) does show up briefly in one of the latter episodes -- still in a bad group home. No sign of Namond Brice (Julito McCullum), but remember: This is only based on the first seven episodes.

Posted by David Zurawik at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

A homegrown CD of Baltimore-based classical guitarist and Peabody Insitute faculty member Manuel Barrueco is among the Grammy nominees for Best Instrumental Soloist (without orchestra). Solo Piazzolla is devoted to the music of Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla, best known for his imaginative use of the tango. This is, remarkably, the first recording by the Tonar label, which was founded last summer by Barrueco's manager, publicist and significant other Asgerdur Sigurdardottir. She and Barrueco produced the CD, which was mastered at Peabody. Grabbing a Grammy nomination right off the bat certainly fulfills Tonar's mission of preserving and promoting Barrueco's artistry. The awards are on Feb. 10.

Posted by Tim Smith at 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Striking members of the Writers Guild of America are launching a strike paper Tuesday — a sure sign that they are digging for a long haul in their battle with the major entertainment conglomerates for a share of revenues in new media.

The four-page tabloid will be published Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and is intended to "boost morale on the picket lines," according to the publication’s city editor, Rafael Alvarez (pictured).

The name might be still familiar to some readers in these parts, where Alvarez worked for 20 years at the Baltimore Sun in variety of reporting positions. Alvarez is now a producer/writer on the NBC cop drama, Life, which was just picked up for the full season — assuming the TV season ever resumes.

Despite the editing title, Alvarez will be doing lots of reporting, he says — responsible for stories from the picket lines and half a dozen Hollywood studios.

"I started off as a kid on the Sun city desk chasing cops and obits, and now here I am 30 years later, with a reporter’s notebook in my pocket interviewing picketing screenwriters who wrote cool stuff like Live and Let Die, The Big Valley, and Ironsides," says Alvarez. "I haven’t done daily reporting since I left the Sun in 2001, but you never forget it. It’s fun again."

Alvarez says he learned how to be a city editor "by hiding from" his editors "through most of the 1980s."  (He's kidding.)

The paper will be called The Daily Verity.

"It’s a play on Daily Variety, but, yes, it’s verity as in truth — truth, justice and the American way of life."

(Photo courtesy of Alvarez)

Posted by David Zurawik at 5:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

I've said it before, and I'll say it again -- memorable music-making doesn't just come from the most-publicized performers or just in the biggest, most obvious places around here. Folks who nearly filled the Gordon Center in Owings Mills Saturday night heard a performance of Bach's incomparable B minor Mass by the Concert Artists of Baltimore that, in terms of expressive force, could hold its own against some mighty competition, local and beyond.

You can deduct points here and there for, say, a couple of vocal soloists who didn't have quite enough technical or tonal solidity. Or for some inconsistencies in the choral sound (especially at the opening of the Credo) and maybe an instrumental passage or two. But by any standard, what conductor Edward Polochick achieved here was remarkable. Tempos were beautifully judged, with plenty of dancing momentum balanced by wonderfully spacious reflection. Phrases were alive with nuance and expressive richness. Textures were clear, even amid contrapuntal complexities. The life force in this eloquent, ecumenical music emerged from the first measures and never flagged. 

Among the notable solo efforts: soprano Christine Kavanagh and mezzo Beth Stewart, blending sweetly in the Christe eleison section; flutist Kristin Winter-Jones, weaving beautiful threads of tonal gold through the Domine Deus portion of the Gloria (soprano Faith Okkema and tenor Heyk Chae did lovely work here, too); the supple horn playing of Mark Hughes later in the Gloria; and, in several passages, cellist Gita Ladd. The orchestra seemed tighter and more dynamic than ever, with especially shining work from the trumpet section.

Bach's Mass, which can be viewed as the culmination of his musical and spiritual development, presents a huge challenge. Polochick and his Concert Artists met that challenge handsomely in an absorbing, often touching performance.

Posted by Tim Smith at 4:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)