Route 66 Idol February 14, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Music.add a comment
A Kansas Route 66 Idol singing contest will be held as a fundraiser for the Galena (Kan.) Educational Foundation’s college scholarship fund, according to the Pittsburg (Kan.) Morning Sun.
The event will be at 7 p.m. March 28 at the James C. Christman Performing Arts Center in Galena.Prizes include a studio recording session and a promotional package.
Contestants from the four-state region can audition by mailing in a tape by March 7. For more information, call the Galena School District Board of Education Office at 620-783-4499, Ext. 1100.
There’s no word on whether Kansas Route 66 Idol will have an brusque judge like Simon.
A look at Bozo’s rides February 14, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Museums, Vehicles.add a comment
The Detroit News has published a story, with photos, about James “Bozo” Cordova’s Route 66 Auto Museum in Santa Rosa, N.M.
Many of the 30 vintage vehicles have been restored by Bozo’s Garage across the road. And, unlike many museums, these aren’t just for show. If you have the cash, you can drive one and drive it home. You can view a few of the vehicles for sale here.
Among the cars mentioned are a customized 1939 Plymouth, a tricked-out 1974 Gremlin, a 1950 DeSoto taxicab, a 1931 Auburn sedan and a Mercedes-Benz Gazelle.
Cordova, a longtime fan of the Mother Road, also has been the subject of several Route 66 documentaries.
Lands bill vote delayed February 14, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Preservation.add a comment
The U.S. House of Representatives has delayed a vote on the Omnibus Lands Bill, which contains a measure to reauthorize the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program for another 10 years.
According to the Idaho Statesman, the vote was delayed because of a hangup by the National Rifle Association about gun restrictions on public lands. Supporters of the bill are working with the NRA to find a solution. They don’t want to have to change the bill and send back for reconciliation to the Senate, where Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) has threatened to filibuster it.
Also, it was reported earlier in the week that a House vote on the lands bill was also delayed because of work this week on the massive economic stimulus bill, which was passed by Congress late Friday.
The Statesman said that if the problems are worked out, the House probably will vote on the lands bill next week, after the Presidents Day holiday.
The well-regarded Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program provides cost-share grants to historic property owners and other assistance.
And now, a word from our sponsor February 14, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Television.add a comment
Electronic doo-wop February 13, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.add a comment
I’ll let the performer explain what’s going on here:
I think this is a hilarious patch on the Roland 700SX. It is called “Jazz Scat” on the Roland 700SX stage piano. There are four velocity layers: “doo, bop, dit, and dow” which play on each note according to how hard you hit the keys. The patch has a happy vibe, so I thought it went well with Route 66.
It’s also a patch that could wear out its welcome really quick. But this video shows how much mileage a good musician can get out of it.
Director lined up for film version of “The Leisure Seeker” February 13, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Books, Movies.add a comment
That didn’t take long.
Less than a month after Michael Zadoorian‘s Route 66 road-trip book, “The Leisure Seeker,” was published, the Hollywood Reporter says that Jens Jonsson has been enlisted to write and direct the film version for Sharp Independent.
The film is expected to follow in the footsteps of a number of recent hits about the rigors and redemption of aging, including “The Bucket List” and “Gran Torino.”
Jonsson is a mainstay on the global fest scene. The Swede took the world dramatic jury prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival for his coming-of-age dramedy “The King of Ping Pong” and won a Silver Bear in Berlin in 2002 for his short “Brother of Mine.”
The script for “Seeker” is being hammered out, and Sharp hopes to shoot by summer. A large part of the story takes place in Detroit, where the couple is from, and producers aim to shoot in Michigan, capitalizing on the state’s tax rebate and efforts to create a production hub.
That’s an amazingly quick turnaround, if it happens as expected. Zadoorian’s book was optioned for film nine months before its publication.
But that’s the thing about an indie film — it doesn’t have to go through as much corporate bureaucracy to get it going. And Sharp hiring an up-and-coming director instead of a Hollywood hotshot will make it cheaper, too.
As an aside, it wouldn’t surprise me if Sharp also shoots a big chunk of the film in New Mexico, which offers a lot of incentives to movie producers.
I think the story is compelling, and if the script follows the book closely, the film has a really good chance of being a sleeper hit.
My review of “The Leisure Seeker” is here. My interview with Zadoorian is here.
Route 66 in stained glass February 13, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Art.add a comment
In a Flagstaff Live! feature about Aristocraft Studios owner Gary Dunn, we learn that one of his collaborative stained-glass art pieces features a bit of the Mother Road:
Dunn says he still does fine art work every once in a while for galleries when asked to. His most recent was a collaborative glass piece for the “It’s Elemental” show at the Coconino Center for the Arts.
Titled “This Mountain Town,” the large glass structure is the result of six artists’ cooperative efforts. The objective was to create something that represented the town of Flagstaff. To accomplish this goal the artists incorporated the San Francisco Peaks, a sun resembling a Kachina’s face, aspen trees, a Route 66 sign and historic photographs. Some of the other artists include well-known locals Judi Hartman and Cathi Borthwick.
A photo of the work can be seen with the Flagstaff Live! article.