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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 6, 2015)
ENTERTAINMENT Saturday, June 6, 2015 BRIEFLY Wine event celebrates Merlot WALLA WALLA — Join more than 60 Walla Walla Valley winemakers, three internationally known guest winemakers, and wine critics and experts in exploring one of the world’s most beloved red wine grape varieties – Merlot. Included in the event is special tastings of rare vintage wines, one-of-a-kind winemaker dinners and receptions with some of the Walla Walla Valley’s most acclaimed winemakers and much more. Celebrate Walla Walla Valley Wine: The World of Merlot is June 18-20 at various venues in Walla Walla. The Thursday night Vintage Pour s $75 per person, Friday morning’s kick-off event is free, the Friday afternoon winemaker panel and tastings is $55, the Friday wine tasting and dinner is $90. In addition, tickets are still available for several of the Saturday night winemaker dinners for $125. For more information, including a full schedule, or to purchase tickets, visit www.celebratewallawalla. squarespace.com. For questions or to buy tickets by phone, call 509-526-3117. Heppner sets park music program HEPPNER — Heppner’s Summer Music in the Park series welcomes the return of Bram Brata, a steel drum band from the Tri-Cities. The free performance is Sunday, June 14 from 5-7 p.m. at the Heppner City Park, 444 N. Main St. In case of inclement weather, the concert will be held in the Heppner Elementary School gym, 235 E. Stansbury St. People are encouraged to bring a chair or blanket and enjoy the music. The Shared Ministry of Hope Lutheran Church and All Saints Episcopal Church are hosting a fundraiser during the event to raise money for a mission trip to Haiti. Pulled pork sandwiches will be available for purchase. Upcoming concerts include Sunday, July 19 with the Tailgate Trio and Sunday, Aug. 16 features Frazer Wambeke. Akon: Singing has given him a platform to promote Africa UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist Akon says being a successful entertainer has given him a platform to pursue his dream of helping Africa grow and prosper. The performer, songwriter and producer was born in the U.S. of Senegalese parents and reared in both countries. He started an initiative called “Akon Lighting Africa” two years ago with a goal of bringing electricity to a million homes by the end of 2014. He told a U.N. news conference Wednesday on promoting clean energy that the initiative not only achieved that but has spread to 14 African countries. Akon, born Aliaune Thiam, said the biggest obstacle to Africa’s growth is the need for infrastructure and energy. That’s why he launched “Akon Lighting Africa” with two partners and a credit line of $1 billion, he said. It now employs over 5,000 mainly young people who install and maintain solar equipment. “To be able to facilitate the needs of millions of people in Africa has always been a dream of mine,” Akon said. “Our main goal and initiative is to become the key tool to help Africa’s growth, utilizing the youth of Africa to be the main catapults of making that happen.” With more than a dozen Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including “Smack That,” ‘’I Wanna Love You” and “Locked Up,” Akon said he realized that as an entertainer he has a big audience and is in a SRVLWLRQWRLQÀXHQFHWKHP “I think ultimately ... where God allows you to speak to a billion people you always ask yourself, when you get a chance of that nature, what will you say? What is your purpose?,” Akon said. “I felt that entertainment was always the key that would open the door to bigger and better things in my life and I can be able to pass on with a legacy, and my name can ring towards development of a full (African) continent.” East Oregonian Page 3C Weekly music offers free concerts in the park By TAMMY MALGESINI East Oregonian Regional crowd favorites and familiar local musicians are featured in Music in the Parks, a free outdoor music festival that alternates weekly between Boardman and Irrigon marina parks. The 10-event series kicks off Monday, June 15 at 7 p.m. on the banks of the Columbia River. 7KH¿UVWFRQFHUWKHOGDW%RDUGPDQ0DULQD3DUN features Bram Brata, a talented and dedicated group of high school students who pound out a variety of upbeat classical and ethnic melodies on various sizes of recycled steel drums. The June 22 performance at Irrigon Marina Park features Brady Goss, a Wallowa High School graduate who is a wizard on the piano. Goss tickles the ivories with incredible speed, ¿QHVVHDQGGH[WHULW\ZKLOHEHOWLQJRXWIDPLOLDU tunes. “We are thrilled this amazing musician can return for a performance in Irrigon Marina Park,” said Tami Sherer of the Music in the Parks committee. Additional dates and performers during the season include the 70-member Walla Walla Valley band, which includes a special Honor Our Veterans night on June 29; and Bent on Blues, which also includes music to honor veterans July 6. On July 13, an “early bird” show highlights education birds from Blue Mountain Wildlife at 5:30 p.m. and the music of Brass Fire lights things up at 7 p.m. The July 20 event features Nuketown, a Tri-Cities band that plays a little bit of county, a little rock ‘n roll and blues, including audience requests. The Irish/Celtic toe-tappin’ Staff photo by Tammy Malgesini Brady Goss, a crowd favorite throughout the region, will perform during the June 22 Music in the Parks at Irrigon Marina Park. The free concert series begins June 15 and alter- nates weekly between Boardman and Irrigon marina parks. tunes of Skweez the Weezle are scheduled July 27. Aug. 3 brings The Trio, who perform easy listening music with some jazz and retro pop. Morrow and Umatilla county talent are on tap Aug. 10 as Eric Jepsen and John Wambeke WDNHWKHVWDJHWRVKDUHVL]]OLQJ¿GGOHDQGEDQMR music. Closing out the season on Aug. 17 are The Outsiders, who perform country classics and rhythm and blues. People are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets and a picnic and enjoy the free concerts in the park. For more information, call 541-481- 9457 or 541 922-1560. WHAT TO DO Festivals Wallowa Valley Festival of the Arts •June 5-7 •Joseph Community Center, 102 E. First St. www.wallowavalleyarts.org Friday night reception (7-10 p.m.) is $20 per person. Free activities Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., which includes artist demonstrations, live music. Saturday night 6:30 p.m. Quick Draw event, which includes an auction of items created, costs $5. Sacajawea Bluegrass Festival co •June 12-14 •Sacajawea State Park, Pas- www.mctama.org $30/weekend pass, dry camping/$13 night, daily tickets are $12-$25. Features music, workshops, Dutch oven cooking, jam sessions and more. Bourbon & Bacon Fest •Saturday, June 13; 7:30-11 p.m. •OMSI, 1945 S.E. Water Ave., Portland www.portland.bourbonand- baconfest.com $13. The 21-and-over event features some of the best bour- ERQ DQG IRRG WKH 3DFL¿F 1RUWK- west has to offer. You’ll get sips of bourbon from distilleries large and small and tastes of bacon from tried-and-true to ways you’d never expect. Hogs & Dogs Family Festival •Thursday, June 18; 4-10 p.m. •Bombing Range Complex, West Richland, WA Free admission. Features stunt rider Craig Latimer, All Stars Classic Car Show (register your vehicle for $10), food and bever- ages available for purchase. For more info, call 509-967-0521. Art & Museums First Saturday Spin-In •Saturday, June 6, noon-4 p.m. •Pendleton Center for the $UWV10DLQ6W Fiber-obsessed folks can drop in and bring a project to work on. Coffee, tea and work space provided. Naamí Nisháycht, Our Liv- ing Culture Village •Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Sept. 5 •Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, near Wildhorse Resort & Casino. www.tamastslikt.org $10/adults, $9/senior citi- zens, $6/youths, free/5 and un- der or $25/family of four. June 6: Survival Skills: Fire Making, OHDUQVHYHUDOZD\VWRVWDUWD¿UH by experimenting with a burning JODVV ÀLQW DQG VWHHO -XQH Survival Skills: Tule reed. Visitors will make a small tule mat, or tule boat to take home. Aaron Robert Miller •Tuesday-Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturdays, noon-4 p.m. •Pendleton Center for the $UWV10DLQ6W www.pendletonarts.org Free. Portland musician and long-time instructor and camp counselor at the Pendleton Center for the Arts’ Rock and Roll Camp, will display his print- making exhibit. Runs from June 4 through July 31. In addition, the paintings of Rosco “Carri- co” Crooke are featured in the Lorenzen Board Room Gallery through June 26. Hiroko Cannon exhibit •Monday-Fridays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. •Saturdays 10 a.m.-2 p.m. •Pendleton Art + Frame, 36 S.W. Court Ave. Free. Exhibit features original paintings. Showing and sale also includes her collection of greet- ing cards. Continues through July 3. Heritage Station Museum •Tuesday-Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. •108 S.W. Frazer Ave., Pend- leton www.heritagestationmuse- um.org $5/adults, $2/student, $4/se- niors, $10/family. “Our Old Quilts: Patterns of Love & Memory” •Wednesday-Saturdays; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. •Dayton Historic Depot, 222 E. Commercial St., Dayton, WA www.daytonhistoricdepot. org Admission by donation. Quilts are a glimpse into the past, providing a scrapbook of rela- tionships and events. Continues through Oct. 1. Music Pendleton Men’s Chorus Spring Concert •Saturday, June 13, 7 p.m. •BMCC Bob Clapp Theatre, 1: &DUGHQ $YH 3HQG- leton $10/tickets. Features special composition by Hermiston High School chorale director Josh Rist, as well as multiple soloists. The program includes folk songs form the United States, Canada, England, Ireland and Scotland, as well as several sacred selec- tions. Bram Brata •Sunday, June 14, 5-7 p.m. $OODJHV1RFRYHU +HSSQHU &LW\ 3DUN 1 Main St. Pulled pork sandwiches available for purchase. People are encouraged to bring a blan- ket or lawn chair. Bram Brata •Monday, June 15, 7 p.m. All DJHV1RFRYHU •Boardman Marina Park Part of the Music in the Parks series, which alternates weekly between Boardman and Irrigon marina parks. Bring a blanket or chairs and a picnic and enjoy the music with the Columbia River as a backdrop. Jaime Wyatt •Wednesday, June 17, 7 p.m. $OODJHV1RFRYHU *UHDW3DFL¿F:LQH&RIIHH Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton Blue Tattoo •Wednesday, June 17; 10 p.m. 0LGZD\ 7DYHUQ 1 First St., Hermiston Carrie Cunningham •Friday, June 19; Saturday, -XQHSPDP1RFRYHU •Wildhorse Sports Bar at Wildhorse Resort & Casino, off Highway 331, Mission. Pajama Party •Saturday, June 20, 7 p.m. •Sub Zero Restaurant & Lounge, 100 W. Highway 730, Irrigon Music, dancing, dress to im- press and join the stuffy mad- ness. For information, call 541- 922-4374. Brady Goss Brady Goss •Saturday, June 6, 9 p.m.-1 DP1RFRYHU •Wildhorse Sports Bar at Wildhorse Resort & Casino, off Highway 331, Mission. Blackberry Bushes •Monday, June 8, 7 p.m. All DJHV1RFRYHU *UHDW3DFL¿F:LQH&RIIHH Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton Highway 9 •Friday, June 12; Saturday, -XQHSPDP1RFRYHU •Wildhorse Sports Bar at Wildhorse Resort & Casino, off Highway 331, Mission. •Monday, June 22, 7 p.m. All DJHV1RFRYHU •Irrigon Marina Park Part of the Music in the Parks series, which alternates weekly between Boardman and Irrigon marina parks. Bring a blanket or chairs and a picnic and enjoy the music with the Columbia River as a backdrop. Shanks Pony •Friday, June 26; Saturday, -XQHSPDP1RFRYHU •Wildhorse Sports Bar at Wildhorse Resort & Casino, off Highway 331, Mission. Walla Walla Valley Band •Monday, June 29, 7 p.m. All DJHV1RFRYHU •Boardman Marina Park Includes a special salute to Honor Our Veterans. Part of the Music in the Parks series, which alternates weekly between Boardman and Irrigon marina parks. Bring a blanket or chairs and a picnic and enjoy the mu- sic with the Columbia River as a backdrop. Night life p.m. show is “Secret Lives of the Stars” and 8 p.m., “Supervolca- noes.” “The Music Man” •June 25-28, July 2-5; 7:30 p.m. •The Reach, 1943 Columbia Park Trail, Richland, WA www.midcolumbiamusical- theatre.org $25/adults, $15/students via www.mcmt.tix.com. The classic Broadway musical is presented on an outdoor stage. Ye Merrie Greenwood Renaissance Faire Riverside Happy Hour •Daily; 5-7 p.m. •Riverside Sports Bar, 1501 Sixth St., Umatilla Thursday Night Comedy •Thursdays, 8 p.m. •Wildhorse Sports Bar, Wild- horse Resort & Casino, off High- way 331, Mission. Digital Karaoke •Thursdays and Saturdays, 8 p.m. •The Pheasant, 149 E. Main St., Hermiston Mac’s Trivia Night 7KXUVGD\VSP1RFRYHU •Mac’s Bar & Grill, 1400 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendleton 21 and older. Teams of 2-8 compete in trivia contest with oth- er teams. Live host and prizes. Wine tasting •Fridays, 4-8 p.m. •Sno Road Winery, 111 W. Main St., Echo. Open Mic •First/third Friday each month, 8 p.m.-midnight •The Packard Tavern, 118 S.E. Court Ave., Pendleton www.facebook.com/groups/ pendletonopenmic Karaoke •Fridays 8 p.m. (9 p.m. if game on) •Riverside Sports Bar, 1501 Sixth St., Umatilla DJ and dancing •Fridays, 8 p.m. •The Pheasant, 149 E. Main St., Hermiston Theater, stage & film Bechtel National Planetari- um shows •Saturday, June 6; 2 p.m. & 3 p.m. •Friday, June 12; 7 p.m. & 8 p.m. •Columbia Basin College, 1WK$YH3DVFR www.columbiabasin.edu/ planet $6/adults, $3/children 6-12, $5/seniors. The Saturday 2 p.m. show is “Kaluoka’hina: the Enchanted Reef,” and 3 p.m., “The Tree of Life,” the Friday 7 •June 27-28; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. •Howard Amon Park, Rich- land, WA www.yemerriegreenwood- faire.org $10-13/adults, $8-11/chil- dren, seniors or two-day family pass for $45. Features magic and puppets, music and danc- ing, Shakespeare plays, jousting DQGVZRUG¿JKWLQJIRRGDUWVDQG crafts. Hot tickets •Umatilla County Fair con- certs: Dustin Lynch (Aug. 11), John Michael Montgomery (Aug. /DWLQR1LJKW$XJ+LQ- der (Aug. 14) and Warrant (Aug. 15). Reserved seats ($12) via 541-567-6121 or 515 W. Orchard Ave., Hermiston www.umatilla- county.net/fair •Pendleton Round-Up Con- cert features Scotty McCreery and Jackson Michelson. Sept. 12, Happy Canyon Arena, Pend- leton. Tickets go on sale May 7 ($40 to $130). 541-276-2553, 800-457-6336 or www.pendle- tonroundup.com/events/2015/ concert. •Watershed Festival. July 31-Aug. 2, Gorge Amphitheater, George, Wash. Reserved seats ($493 and up for 3-day pass) via www.ticketmonster.com. •Creation Festival. July 30- Aug. 1, Benton County Fair- grounds, Kennewick. Reserved seats ($45-$150, plus camping packages) via www.creationfest. com. •Gentlemen of the Road Stopover featuring Mumford & Sons, Foo Fighters, Flaming Lips and other national, regional and local bands. Aug. 13-15, Walla Walla. Reserved seats ($199) via www.mumfordandsons.com. •Foo Fighters. Saturday, Sept. 12, Gorge Amphitheater, George, Wash. Reserved seats ($45-$75) via www.livenation. com. ——— Want to get your event listed in our calendar? Send information to tmalgesini@eas- toregonian.com, or c/o Tammy Malgesini, 333 E. Main Street, Hermiston, OR, 97838. MOVIE REVIEW McCarthy, Feig set their sights on 007 in ‘Spy’ By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer Ridiculous questions about the funniness and bankability of women have clouded exactly what’s going on here: Nobody is a better comedic actor right now than Melissa McCarthy. She’s a combustible ball of comic fury rolled up in Chaplinesque sweetness, equally capable of profanity-laced verbal virtuosity as perfectly timed pratfalls. In her latest, the espionage comedy “Spy,” McCarthy dons a host of identities, a closet full of wigs and — in order to stay undercover but really just to switch things up — essentially changes her entire performance midway through. It’s a globe-trotting tour of McCarthy’s talent, throughout which she’s practically always kicking butt. Who was that double- O-what’s-his-face, anyway? “Spy” is the third collaboration between McCarthy and director 3DXO)HLJZKR¿UVWFDPHWRJHWKHU on “Bridesmaids,” and followed “Spy” ۻۻۻۼ R, 122 minutes Larry Horricks/Twentieth Century Fox via AP This photo provided by Twentieth Century Fox shows, Melissa Mc- Carthy, second right, infiltrating an arms dealing ring led by Rose Byrne, left, in a scene from the film “Spy.” that up with the very solid buddy comedy “The Heat,” with Sandra Bullock. They’re soon to embark on a female-led update of “Ghostbusters,” too, which is ¿WWLQJEHFDXVHWKHLUSDUWQHUVKLSLV beginning to resemble that of Bill Murray and Ivan Reitman. Everything they’ve done, starting with the sensation of “Bridesmaids,” has been VXUURXQGHGZLWKERWKMXVWL¿HG praise and tiresome overemphasis on the female-ness of their enterprise. “Spy,” too, is in many ways a great inversion of the Bond world, casting men like Jude Law as the eye candy on the side while the center of the movie is played out between women: McCarthy and Rose Byrne’s snobbish, high-couture villain. McCarthy plays Susan Cooper, a contentedly desk-bound CIA operative accustomed to aiding IDUPRUHHOHJDQWDQGVXDYH¿HOG agents like the tuxedo-clad Bradley Fine (Law). While Fine pursues supervillains at a Bulgaria casino, she’s whispering in his earpiece, monitoring above from a drone. When well-to-do arms dealer Rayna Boyanov (Byrne) outs all RIWKH&,$¶V¿HOGDJHQWV&RRSHU volunteers to go undercover. “Spy” is the biggest budget for Feig and the action sequences are unexpectedly robust — perhaps too much. While entirely enjoyable, it ought to be a tad funnier; the set pieces clunk it up at times. It’s almost as if Feig is actually gunning for Bond territory. But with McCarthy in tow, why not?
