Mayfield man on "America's Got Talent"

Two reactions to this video.

1. Congratulations to Kevin Skinner, 35, of Mayfield. You made your hometown proud, and could definitely win it all. Keep up the singing, and I for one will be rooting for you.

2. When will national networks learn that ridiculing Southern people really sticks in our craws? I'll save most of my venom for a column, but I'm about ready to fillet the three twit hosts, and NBC's "America's Got Talent" producers for thinking entertainment means laughing at anything rural, agricultural and Southern.

Just one quick note: aside from hamming it up each week on this show, I'm sure the judges (Sharon Osbourne, David Hasselhoff and second rate Simon Cowell on the end, a.k.a. Piers Morgan) are semi-respectful people. So I'm going to assume their laughs, head shakes and arrogant, baiting questions about chicken catching aimed at Skinner in this video was an attempt to ham it up for the network.

Maybe they thought, "We'll play up the 'we don't respect this guy' attitude so we can later be in awe of his singing ability, and make the viewers at home feel like Kevin really stuck it to us good tonight."

Well I say cram it. Had Skinner spoke in a British accent, would Osbourne have laughed at him the moment he opened his mouth?

Would Hasselhoff had smirked at Skinner's job had it been some bottom feeder, mindless office gig?

Would any of the judges have taken Skinner more seriously had the Mayfield man spoke in a Northern accent?

And don't get me started with their little country instrumental as Skinner walked on stage.

I don't want any of this to take away from what Skinner is accomplishing. But the show hosts and producers shouldn't have taken so much away from Skinner from the start.

"Away We Go" at MAC

Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski play in "Away We Go" coming to the Maiden Alley Cinema July 17. Photo credit: Associate Press



The Maiden Alley Cinema lands another first-run film this month by showing "Away We Go."

For two weeks beginning July 17, the film with John Krasinski ("The Office") and Maya Rudolph ("Saturday Night Live") is set to play at the local independent theater.

Released June 5, the movie opened in select cities, and garnered fans for its quirky, funny-but-serious attitude.

Personally, I'd just enjoy seeing Jim from "The Office" (Krasinksi) and an SNL funny woman work in different roles than we'd expect to seem them play.

The plot has the two as an expectant couple in their early 30s travel the U.S. in search of a place to put down roots, and raise their family. Misadventures with relatives, and old friends, lead to a quirky tale about finding yourself, and beginning a family.

If I had to guess I'd equate it to "Juno" + "Parenthood."

Check out the trailer.



For that matter, check out the trailer of "Parenthood." Who doesn't love this movie?



I'm equally as pumped about "Moon," starring Sam Rockwell, coming to MAC in August. Landee Bryant, MAC director, said more details on show dates are to come for this one.

Again, trailer for your viewing pleasure.



Good bye and good movie watching.

Freaky

Above is one of the first film publicity images released by Disney from "Alice in Wonderland" showing Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter from the film set to come out March 5, 2010.

Depp's "Public Enemies" comes out this week, and shows that the man can only do so many "normal" roles (playing a moderately-sane human...in realistic settings...in minimal makeup) before unleashing a creepy, bizarre role (Depp in "Edward Scissorhands," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Sweeney Todd").

Both sides of Depp are entertaining, and profitable for movie studios, but it's pictures like these that remind me of his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Bat-dung crazy dude tendencies.

Questioning “Weeds” actor Jack Stehlin

The Showtime series “Weeds” begins its fifth season tonight.
Jack Stehlin, who plays Drug Enforcement Agency officer with a secret “Captain Roy Till,” is going to TiVo it.
“I’ll probably watch it later on,” Stehlin said by phone from Los Angeles.
“I’ll TiVo it and come back to watch it. For us, openings go by almost unnoticed since we’re busy making the rest of the shows.”
The show’s fans will likely be glued to the television to find out who killed Till’s partner, among other crime-related plot twists left from last season.
Stehlin agreed to a question and answer session beforehand covering everything from his background in theater, his circus performer heritage and how “Weeds” balances the dark and criminal with funny.
(Never seen “Weeds?” Tisk, tisk. Learn more here.

Q: How does “Weeds” balance being dark and twisted as well as funny?
A: “Well I think that what happens, well, it’s irony. It’s the enjoyment of surprise. Things have a side to them that are secret. We’re all not just one thing. So for a lot of people who watch the show, they see themselves. We all have different sides to us, though we put out a side to the world.”
“We have these other things happening and they feel set free by the show. It allows themselves to tap into a part of themselves, and everybody’s got a little bit of a dark side.”

Q: So what happens to your character in season five? What’s in store for Roy Till?
A: “There’s the development from last season. The question of who murdered his partner. (Answering that) will happen.”
“The show is ratcheting up the intensity. The stakes are getting higher and higher. There are unborn babies involved, murders by the dozens. The show has really moved forward in intensity and you’ll see that play out this season.”

Q: Is it true you’re descended from a family of circus performers? Trapeze artists and jugglers?
A: “My mother was a juggler. My great grandfather was a prize fighter. The bare-knuckled, take on all comers type in the carnival. They had 10 children of which my mother was one. My grandmother would balance a 15-foot straight ladder on her feet while on her back, and her sister would go to the top of the ladder and do a contortionist act.”

Q: Do you feel like this family heritage trickled down to you, a life-long performer?
A: “I don’t think there’s any question about it. I can relate to the energy that I expect they had. I knew all my uncles, and we used to have pickup performances in our back yard during the 4th of July. It’s a real special energy in my family and I’d like to think that’s part of my work.”

Q: Speaking of family, you have a wife and children with you in L.A. Do your kids recognize that you’re a TV personality?
A: “In a way. They’re 9, 7and 5, and they’re very smart and sophisticated. They’re just used to it. They don’t think of it as anything special. They enjoy when people recognize me, but they are not at all carried away with it.”





Q: Several popular current shows center on seemingly-average people with dark secrets or secretive criminal habits. Such as “Dexter” and “Breaking Bad” along with “Weeds.” Why are people enjoying this trend?
A: “It’s really about this thing of the dark side. And the dark side (of people) has always been popular. People connect to it, and it relates to that secret world that a lot of people have. In TV and in movies, it’s more open now, and people are free to go ahead and let it happen.”

Q: Where are you going to watch the season-opener tonight?
A: “I’ll probably watch it later on. I’ll TiVo it and come back to watch it. For us, openings go by almost unnoticed since we’re busy making the rest of the shows. Besides, it will play all week. We also had a special viewing event at lunch time a couple of weeks ago, so we’ve already seen it.”

“Weeds” airs at 9 tonight on Showtime.

— Adam Shull

Slap Chop

Tony Foo Yong, Paducah-based DJ with the Cosmic Vibe Alliance, hooked me up with this video on Facebook. Hilarious.

As Yong pointed out, it took an incredible amount of time to put this together. I dare you to try and see a Slap Chop commercial and not think of this remix.

And wait for the lady at the end...she puts it over the top.

Down with Lower Town Fest

Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band hits Paducah in May.


Big, ginormous, gargantuan props to the Lower Town Art & Music Festival for its live music lineup.

The reason I'm psyched: Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band.

As well as having the coolest band name ever, the seven-piece funk group is from Boone, N.C., home to my alma mater, Appalachian State University.

You couldn't go a semester and not hear about them or their shows on campus.

They play at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 23 on the main stage.

Check out the full two-day band schedule:

Saturday, May 23
10 a.m. main stage (MS): DJ Urban Kobbb, Paducah-based spinner
Noon main stage: Amy LaVere, singer-songwriter (Americana) who's recorded in Memphis, Tenn.
1 p.m. stage two (s2): Salt of the Earth, four-piece Americana, or roots, band.
2 p.m. MS: Squeeze-bot, jazz and blues done by drums, tuba, banjo and accordion.
3 p.m s2: Solid Rock'it Boosters, local hillbilly boogie.
4 p.m. MS: Sojourn, out of Louisville.
6 p.m. MS: Bawn in the Mash, local rock
8 p.m. MS: Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band

Sunday, May 24
11 a.m. MS: On the One, jazz collection
Noon s2: Adam & the H Bombs, local rock and soul
1 p.m. MS: Squeeze-bot
2 p.m. s2: Nathan Blake Lynn, folk singer from Bawn in the Mash
3 p.m. MS: Lew Jetton and 61 South, rock blues

Get the 411 on all things Lower Town Art & Music Fest here.

And I might suggest going ahead and tweaking your groove thing, you'll need to shake it a lot May 23.

One Night Only

Brian Steffen|photo

John Romang, back left, threw a romping, interactive, accessible art show last year in Paducah that let attendees buy affordable, original art while becoming a part of it.

Guests added brush strokes to a large paint wall in between trips to the keg or to the dance floor led by a live DJ.

The show sold out in hours.

This year the art teacher by day teams with Josh Comley, a like-spirited Paducahan who places fun and relevancy high on the artistic priority list.

They will host the "One Night Only" art show April 18. See more details below.

I interviewed them last night and the whole shebang sounds like it will build on last year's show where Romang combined two great things: partying and revealing art's proximity to us all.

Check out the interview in next week's Current.

Want to go?
What: "One Night Only," art show with free drinks, food, music and affordable art
When: 6-10 p.m. Saturday, April 18
Where: Serenitea, 121 N 5th St. (in the second-floor ballroom)
Cost: free