On a lazy Memorial Day weekend, tidbits from my blog and a few plugs for upcoming events:
Catholic gilt: One thing you've gotta love about Roman Catholics is the seriousness with which they dish out ritual. All that pomp and ceremony, the majesty of Vatican City, that gorgeous art and those golden treasures -- it's a visual and dramatic feast.Movie directors especially love the Catholic theme. Can you imagine if Ron Howard had been forced to set his "Angels & Demons" at the national headquarters of the Assemblies of God, say, or in the world's biggest Presbyterian church?Just think of Tom Hanks running from one bland Sunday School classroom to another doused in fluorescent lights, trotting past third-grade bulletin-board depictions of burning bushes, bumping into storage racks filled with folding metal chairs, dodging sheet cake and mayonnaise-based salads at the weekly potluck, pausing every now and then in musty, linoleum-lined hallways adorned with fliers begging people to join the choir. Rather than solemnly attired clerics exuding a hushed and somber Vatican presence, Hanks would encounter clergy in ill-fitting Dockers and dress shirts from the 20th Century.Instead of the Illuminati, the shadowy evil group in the narrative would have to be the 7 p.m. Wednesday Weight Watchers bunch. Still, as much as I thrill to some good, old-fashioned Catholic-ritual storyboarding, I reached my limit about half an hour into the silly "Angels & Demons." Even all those gorgeous shots of the blood-red-robed cardinals, set against the murky Vatican backdrops like exotic game birds, got tiring after a while. Yes, Catholic iconography often adds a powerful punch to a movie -- from the crisp, retro repression of a "Doubt" to the head- spinning fright of an "Exorcist" -- but in "Angels" it just sort of floods over you until you're gasping for air.Gleeful for "Glee": A friend sent me a text message during the final five minutes of Fox TV's sneak peek last week at "Glee," an upcoming series about high school show choirs scheduled to debut this fall: "It's like they tailored a show just for you. Could only be a better match if they were in band."My friend was right. I warmed to "Glee" right away, and not just because I use Tivo to record "Family Guy" so I can watch the production numbers more than one time. Cute, charming and amusingly adept at replicating what the requisite Iron Lady cheerleading-squad adviser on the show calls the "high school caste system," the first episode sparkled with silly promise.It's great to see Matthew Morrison, who plays the idealistic glee-club adviser, make an endearing transition from Broadway to TV. (He played the original Link in "Hairspray" and Fabricio in "The Light in the Piazza." And it was fun to watch Clovis East High School grad Chris Colfer, a former member of the Good Company Players Junior Company, do his thing. I'm sure his character will get more screen time and a better story arc in upcoming episodes. My prediction: Enrollment in show choirs across the country will explode.Now, if we can only get a good TV series set among the steamy intrigue and heart-pounding drama of high-school marching band.Patriotic music: Speaking of bands, the always spirited Fresno Community Concert Band is set to play two concerts today at the Tower Theatre: one at 3 p.m. and the other at 7 p.m.The program includes American composer Morton Gould's "Fanfare for Freedom," John Williams' "Summon the Heroes" and music from the movie "The Patriot." Vocalist Debi Ruud (whom I'm constantly plugging as one of Fresno's best voices) will be on hand to sing "The White Cliffs of Dover." If you want to get in the holiday spirit, this is the way to do it. Tickets are $10, $5 children. Details: (559) 225-0225 or (559) 440-9429, fresno communityband.org.Also: Get your boots polished in preparation for the Fresno Art Museum's next round of exhibitions, opening Friday, which boast a Western theme, including Fresno native Maynard Dixon's paintings of the Old West. And: What's the hottest ticket in town? To see "New Wrinkles," of course, the annual senior show at Fresno City College featuring performers 55 years and older. The show opens 7:30 p.m. Friday and runs through June 14. It can be brutal to get a ticket at the last minute, so plan ahead. Seriously, I'm talking about roving bands of fired-up older persons roaming the streets looking for extra tickets, so keep yours safe. Tickets are $15. Details: (559) 442-8221.