By Gary Curreri

Jacob Pybus has the city of Pompano Beach’s Start Smart T-Ball program figured out. The 4-year-old swings and hits the ball off the tee and runs up the first base line. Instead of stopping at the base and running to second, he continues his jaunt to the fence bordering the field and then returns for another swing.

“He likes hitting and running the best,” said his mother, Rachael Pybus, who also helped the youth with his batting stance. She likes what the program offers. “I like that it is mainly an introduction to the sports and they get a feel for it and they can decide the ones they like the most.”

Jacob Pybus was one of 20 youngsters who came out on a Wednesday night at the Four Fields Athletic Complex at Pompano Community Park to not only connect with the Tballs, but to connect with other friends between the ages of 3 and 5.

“This is our second year in their programs,” Rachael Pybus said. “He likes T-Ball and soccer best. We have done all of their programs. I definitely like the social aspect and that there is no pressure and they can just come out here, have fun and learn about the sport.”

The Pompano Start Smart T-Ball program, which recently concluded its six-week run, attracted 80 children from 3- to 5-years-old on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 5:45-6:45 p.m. It is one of four such sport offerings by the city. The city also has flag football, basketball and soccer.

“We want to get the parents involved in teaching them the basics and, at 3 years old, it is kind of hard,” said Bobbi Palat, a recreation leader with the city of Pompano Beach Parks and Recreation Dept. She has been with the city for the past 15 years and is a Pompano Beach native. “We want the kids to have fun.”

Families came from as far away as Lighthouse Point, Deerfield Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and the surrounding communities, including Pompano Beach. Participants recieve a ball, bat, glove and T-shirt for their participation in T-Ball. In soccer, they get a soccer ball and shin guards; in basketball, they get a basketball and, in football, they get a football, flags and a kicking tee.

Cost for six-week program is $25 for residents, $50 non-residents. For more information, call 954-786- 4119.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Before Midnight & Monsters University Before Midnight is a film 18 years in the making.

In 1994, actors Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy and director Richard Linklater collaborated on an art house movie titled Before Sunrise. Filmed on the streets of Vienna, this plotless movie featured Jessie (Hawke) and Celine (Delpy) talking about the meaning of life.

Nine years later, Hawke, Delpy and Linklater reunited in Before Sunset. Shot in real time, this 80-minute motion picture reveal Jessie and Celine in their 30s. This time, they roam the streets of Paris and talk about regrets. Both movies ask the question — will Celine and Jessie get together?

Before Midnight presents the morning after. Now in their 40s, Jessie suffers from a father’s guilt, while Celine feels like she has betrayed her career aspirations by becoming a mother. The couple has spent the summer in a writer’s retreat on a Greek Archiplelago. When the host family agrees to babysit the children, Jessie and Celine are given one night of intimacy.

For the first two thirds of the movie, Before Midnight seems to be repeating the formula of the first two movies. However, things change for the worse when the two arrive in their claustrophobic hotel room. What were once cute volleys and flirtations, now become ugly and abusive.

To Hawke, Delpy and Linklater’s credit, Before Midnight is a truthful movie. The three dig into their own personal barnacles and let them scrape each other. The fight in the hotel room is not comfortable to watch, but it does feel like a logical extension from that one night in Vienna 18 years ago.

Twelve years ago, Shrek battled Monsters Inc., in what became a symbolic battle between DreamWorks and Disney/Pixar studios, respectively. Shrek won the first ever Oscar for best animated feature, but Monsters Inc. won more awards and the box office gross. After four movies, Shrek retired into his swamp, but the characters from Monsters Inc. never lost public affection.

Monsters University is the prequel and puts the focus upon the one-eyed midget Cyclops Mike (voiced by Billy Crystal). While buddies in Monsters Inc., we discover that Mike and Sullivan (John Goodman) were undergraduate rivals. In their petty rivalry, Mike and Sully run afoul Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren), the hardnosed administrator who is part dragon.

This is a fun motion picture with an upbeat musical score. However, it lacks the heart of the first motion picture, which induced some tears. In fact, the short subject that precedes it, The Blue Umbrella, contains more heart than either Before Midnight or Monsters University.

Edward Snowden, a former CIA employee and government contractor, is at the center of a political firestorm that has much of America talking about loyalty.

The story line is that Snowden allegedly leaked classified information concerning our National Security Agency’s authorized gathering of the electronic communications of millions of Americans.

Some people say Snowden, who fled the country, is a traitor for giving away secrets that threaten national security. Others believe he is a patriot whistleblower for revealing the extent of Big Brother’s overreach to gather the private communications of U.S. Citizens.

Regardless how you feel about Snowden, the controversy illustrates the importance and the challenge we sometimes face in deciding loyalty.

Loyalty decisions are more a matter of conscience than law, more a matter of internal debate than national debate, more a matter of private personal integrity than national political scandal.

If the question is “Should I be loyal to God, to my country, to my spouse, to my employer, to my friends,” the answer should be easy. “Yes!” If the question is “Should I be loyal to a gang, to an immoral creed to which I foolishly agreed, or to self interest at the expense of community good,” then the answer is easy once again — “No.”

This will sound too wishywashy to fit comfortably even in my world view, but questions of loyalty are often not so easy to answer unless they are rooted and grounded in faith and even then we may be left wondering …

Loyalty has always been a magnetic field made up of many magnets. We have many allegiances. Our beliefs and our sentiments are not always on the same page. God knows how fickle we can be and how often we make mistakes.

Is it controversial to say “We are a nation and a people of divided loyalties?” I think not.

Is it right to say “We require God’s help deciding our loyalties?” I think so.

After King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, after he made mistake after mistake trying to conceal what he had done, David was confronted by Nathan the prophet.

And David prayed, “Have mercy on me God because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. Create in me a clean heart. Renew a loyal spirit within me.” (Psalm 51)

David’s predicament must surely have seemed a national political scandal, but it was ultimately a matter of private personal integrity, albeit in his case, one with dramatic and long-lasting public implications.

David was a great leader who proved himself human.

The Apostle Paul may have been thinking about David when, centuries later, Paul counseled young Timothy. “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love and peace. Enjoythecompanionshipofthose who call on the Lord with clean hearts.” (2 Timothy)

If you happen to be among the masses thinking about loyalty these days, then answer the question as it pertains not to Edward Snowden but to you. “To what or to whom will you be loyal?”

Most of us do not work for the CIA or the NSA. We do not have access to national security secrets, but we do make loyalty decisions every day and, in so doing, we are well-advised to remember the words of Jesus. “No one can serve two masters.”

(Luke 16)

Make God your moral compass. Pray for a clean heart and a loyal spirit…

Join us Saturday @ Six or Sunday morning at 8:30 or 11 a.m.

Reverend Andrews is Minister at Community Presbyterian Church of Deerfield Beach (Steeple on the Beach) located five blocks south of Hillsboro on AIA. See more @ www.communitych.org or on Facebook.

By Gary Curreri

Melvin Randall admits he was “caught a little off guard” when he was told he was no longer going to be the Blanche Ely’s boys’ basketball coach after leading the team to back-to-back Class 7A state titles.

Randall said he was informed on June 7 that his 13 years at the school that yielded three state titles was over. Randall, who has been a math teacher at the Pompano Beach school for the past 26 years, has compiled a 456-136 record and five state titles between Deerfield Beach and Blanche Ely high schools.

“This has been going on for the last two years and it basically boils down to something personal,” said Randall, who was informed in a 10:30 a.m. meeting with Blanche Ely assistant principal Malcolm Spence (Blanche Ely administrator over sports) and assistant principal Antonio Womack. “There was no explanation, no nothing. I was kind of shocked. I am not bitter. There have been many placed in my position who have said ‘forget it’ and have just walked away. I am not going to walk away.”

“I am still teaching (math) there, but with the coaching it’s pending,” Randall continued. “I may go into the private sector. You have to have a better excuse than we are moving in a different direction. Which direction is that? Are you going down? I am not being cocky, but that is the only direction I can think of. We only lost five games the past two years.”

Randall finished the 2012- 13 season at Ely by winning his second consecutive Class 7A state championship and earning its second consecutive national ranking.

Randall, 50, of Ft. Lauderdale, has expressed his frustration with the school’s administration by not being allowed to keep two of his long-time assistant coaches (Morris Grooms and Reginald McNair, both former players of his,) from the 2011-12 season and also is upset at how he was treated by Ely principal Karlton Johnson after leading the team to a state championship in 2012 when he had to apply for his position twice.

“Whatever the situation was, it didn’t warrant dismissal,” said Randall, the only coach in Broward to lead two different teams to national rankings – Deerfield Beach in 1999 and Blanche Ely the past two seasons. “It could have warranted suspensions maybe, instead of the harshest thing (firing).”

I am very proud of what I have done at Ely as the boys head basketball coach,” Randall said. “And really doing it the hard way and being successful and running into a situation that I have been in a few years and being successful.”

“My job is to educate 9th grade students and above and also, when I am in the gym, I am trying to do the same thing through that crazy sport of basketball,” Randall said. “It is not just bouncing a basketball and getting Ws and Ls. It is about mentoring these kids and giving them lifelong skills.”

Randall said he didn’t want his name to be tarnished as he moved past the situation.

“I am going to be heard because they are not going to tarnish my name,” Randall said. “I don’t want people to say maybe he did something drastic because he won two state titles, and he must have done something (wrong). And to be put in a spot to coach at the next level, and that is what athletic directors would be thinking as well. It is going to be pretty interesting.”

Efforts to reach school officials were unsuccessful.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

At the recent Fatality Fest convention, actress Debbie Rochon and I discussed the cinematography of The Blair Witch Project. On the big screen, Debbie found the film nauseating, but enjoyed the narrative on the television screen.

Perhaps the opposite will be true when Man of Steel leaves the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery IMAX Theater. On the smaller screen, the spectacle will be diminished because of the plot holes and weak character development.

The film opens on the doomed planet Krypton. Despite his best efforts, scientist Jor-El (Russell Crowe) is unable to prevent the end of the world, so he sends his only begotten son, Kal-El, to the cornfields of Kansas on the planet Earth. The boy is raised by John (Kevin Costner) and Martha (Diane Lane) Kent and adopts the name Clark Kent (Henry Cavill). A stranger in a strange land, Clark is raised with moral values and he learns to fight for truth, justice and the American way.

Surviving the destruction of Krypton is General Zod (Michael Shannon) and his army of mercenaries. Zod has a grudge against Jor-El and his family. When he learns that the son of his arch enemy is living on Earth, Zod destroys the planet in pursuit of revenge.

Man of Steel is not a linear story. The film is full of flashbacks that are not in chronological order. The slower episodes featuring Clark and his step parents are the most emotionally poignant. We see a special needs student who is bullied. We all know that Clark Kent could easily demolish his tormentors, but John Kent teaches his son restraint and discipline. These values present Man of Steel’s finest moments.

The film sags with an over-reliance on special effects and attention-deficit-disorder editing. Moments of cliffhanging thrills are lost. The fight scenes lack fluid motion and visual sense. With a $116 million record-breaking gross, Man of Steel is THE motion picture of the moment.

The reviews and word of mouth about this Superman reboot have been split between either love or hate. Younger audiences are proclaiming Man of Steel the best Superman ever, while the older crowd misses the innocence and heart of the movies and television series.

It might seem way too early for me to be writing about the High Holy Days, but this year they are going to come much sooner than you might expect. In fact, the Eve of the Jewish New Year falls on Sept. 4.

Well, that’s still a few months away, so why am I focusing on it now? It started the other day when I had the delight of going out to a local dining establishment with some good friends of mine and the waitress asked me how I would like my tuna prepared.

But in the midst of asking me the question, she got a little tongue-tied and she wound up asking me, “How would you like your tuna pre-prayered.” I laughed it off at the time, but, the very next day, I had to make a business call and, after finding out that they had what I wanted to purchase, they asked me if I would like the item sent C.O.D. or if I would like to “pre-pray.”

Now, I might be a little slow even though I tend to look for signs from up above, but give me the same thing twice in one day and I start to pay attention.

And that got me focused on the upcoming Yomim Noraim, the High Holy Days, because we at Temple Beth Israel of Deerfield Beach (and pretty much every other Temple you can think of) have already started not only preparing for the Holy Days, we have also started pre-praying for them.

This is a most appropriate thing to do. You can probably figure out many of the things that a Temple has to do to prepare for these Days of Awe, but you might be wondering what an individual should be doing to prepare?

Let’s look at the word “prepare” for a moment. If you look in the Thesaurus, you will find some very interesting synonyms for the word. For instance — “To get or to make ready,” “to lay the groundwork,” “to anticipate,” “to make provisions for—” these are all things we need to do in preparation.

But the synonym that really hit me was the one that says, “To get one’s house in order.”

To me, that summed up the Holy Days in just six short words: “To get one’s house in order.”

Don’t wait until the New Year begins. Prepare and be Pre-Prayered!

In Judaism, prayer is a time of self-reflection. It is a time to stop looking at what others are doing wrong and take a good hard look at your own life and how you live it. Take time to reflect on your behaviors. How do you treat your family … your neighbors? Do you feed the hungry and clothe the naked? Have you taken the time to forgive others and to ask forgiveness of them? After all, in the midst of the Days of Awe, each of us will be asking for G-d to forgive us and help give us the strength to change … to turn our lives around.

Now is the time to prepare. Now is the time to pre-pray. Now is the time to reflect and to put the changes we know we should make into effect. Don’t wait until Rosh Hashana. Show G-d that you are serious about change in the coming year. Do it now and may G-d bless all of us with a year of joy and peace.

Shalom my friends,

Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is the Spiritual Leader of Temple Beth Israel of Deerfield Beach. High Holy Days tickets are now on sale in the Temple office off of Hillsboro and Military. Regular Shabbat services are open to everyone on Saturday mornings from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Of all the summer blockbusters out there, Now You See Me is the most underrated movie this summer. The film features an interesting story, characters with dual motivations and veteran actors like Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine teaching a clinic on how to give subtle, understated performances.

Let’s remove the film’s major flaw quickly … this film about the illusion of magic has too many cinematic special effects. Enhanced by some attention deficit disorder editing, Now You See Me defeats the film’s core assertion about the importance of magic in our lives. Had some of the magic tricks been pulled off in a single frame camera shot, Now You See Me would have become the sleeper hit of the summer.

In the opening sequence, we are introduced to four different characters who become known as “The Four Horsemen.” Atlas (Jessie Eisenberg) is a mouthpiece barker, McKinney (Woody Harrelson) is a “mentalist” who shakes down marriage infidelities, Henley (Isla Fisher) performs death-defying Houdini stunts and Wilder (Dave Franco) seems to have an affinity for death. The four are recruited by a person in a hoodie, who represents the “Eye of Horus” from Egyptian Mythology.

While performing in France, the Four Horsemen steal a fortune from a secure bank. In hot pursuit is Detective Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo), who tracks the Four Horsemen to New Orleans and New York in a desperate attempt to arrest them.

Now You See Me is a great title for this movie. While the over abundance of special effects mar this movie, it is the character development that one comes to appreciate in this fine mystery.

Speaking of mystery, Murder on the Beach bookstore in Delray Beach is hosting Mystery Writers University at the Delray Beach Marriott. This one-day seminar features academic and awardwinning authors teaching classes, as well as doing a book signing. For more information, visit www.mys terywriters.org.

Author/ actress Harley Jane Kozak is flying in to teach a seminar on “Character.” Hopefully, the producers of Now You See Me will consider Harley’s lesson plans in designing a sequel.

It is upon us whether we like it or not. That’s right, summer is here! Summer brings so many thoughts and ideas it can actually be overwhelming if we are not careful.

To me, summer is laid back, easy going, children home from school and vacation time all rolled into one fun time.

It is always good to rest and relax. We must learn how to rest our minds as well as our bodies. Vacation is a wonderful thing, and I am looking forward to our summer vacation this year. I really have learned to enjoy my time off and just have a good time.

Your whole life is not supposed to be one big party, but I have always believed in’ work hard and play hard.’ I have found that it does wonders for you physically, mentally and emotionally. So, with all the signs pointing to summer and relaxation, I did something that may seem a little crazy.

I made a decision for my life that I want to share with you. Like so many others today, I have decided to go back to school. I received my B.A. in Pastoral Ministry from South Florida Bible College & Theological Seminary, which is right here in Deerfield Beach. I am going to pursue a Master of Divinity degree. So I called my old school and began the process of reenrolling in college.

I believe that we all need to have the attitude that there is always something to learn. After that, I began to think, am I the teacher or the student? I teach and preach to people every week in church and I love it. However, if I could learn more, I could improve myself and also be better equipped to do what I love – help people. Knowledge is good and we all need to makesure we are continually learning with every opportunity we get, but it’s the wisdom that we need to go along with the knowledge. We can know the information, but God wants to help us with the application and give us His wisdom.

Titus 2:12

12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God. NLT

James 1:5

5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. NLT

With God’s wisdom and understanding, it becomes easier for us to do what He wants in our lives. I did not say it was easy to always do the right thing and make the right decisions, but, with God, it sure is easier.

So does that make me the teacher or the student? I believe I need to be both teacher and student. We should always be learning to improve ourselves and our knowledge, but we should always be teaching and helping others.

Be a constant student always learning and growing, but make sure you are passing your knowledge and wisdom to others as well.

Tony Guadagnino is a pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church.

By Gary Curreri

No track. No problem! Highlands Christian Academy seniors Ryan Davis and Kyle Audet picked up where they left off last year as they advanced to the state track meet and came away with stellar performances.

Davis successfully defended his state title in the Class 1A 300-meter hurdles as he clocked a 38.04 time and won by two seconds. Audet was fifth in the event as he ran a 40.88.

Davis was fourth in the 110- meter hurdles with a 14.76 time, while Audet was close behind at 15.43 and took seventh.

Sixth-year Highlands Christian track coach Marc Veynovich said he was not surprised by their performances despite not having a track at the school.

“Watching Ryan when he first started running and how he took to the hurdles, and in pretty much every event you put him in, I wasn’t super surprised,” Veynovich said of Smith, who signed a track scholarship with Liberty. “I definitely expected a repeat from him this year even though he was suffering from a groin injury.

“Ryan had very little practice time, yet he still had the athletic ability to put it all out there and still get down to low 38s,” Veynovich added. “He would have been in the 37s this year if he had any challenge. I really feel for him.”

Veynovich called Audet a “beast.” Audet has been accepted to the University of Florida and said he would try and walk on for track and maybe kick for the football team.

“Kyle is good at whatever he does,” Veynovich said. “He is an excellent football player, an excellent soccer player and what he brought to track was complete athleticism and the ability to do whatever I asked of him. He was also an 11-6 pole vaulter in addition to the hurdles.”

Audet, 18, of Deerfield Beach, has been at Highlands for 14 years. This is his fifth year running track at the school.

“The whole point of not having a track is when you are running on the grass you don’t get correct times that you would usually get on a track,” said Audet, who finished 11th in the state in hurdles as a sophomore and eighth last year as a junior. “You can’t practice your splits in hurdles as well as you could do on a track.

“I mean, it would help a lot to have a track,” Audet said with a laugh. “I just like to consider us the grass hurdle brothers because we have been doing it on grass the whole time.”

Audet said it was a lot of fun attending Highlands where he played football, soccer and track.

“I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” said Audet, who also plays beach volleyball. “I love the fact that I went to a small school so I’d be able to play all of these sports. It conditioned my body into the perfect athlete.”

Davis, 18, also of Deerfield Beach, has been a Knight since he was in kindergarten. “It is kind of cool to see the people I have grown up with like Kyle,” Davis said. “Just through the years seeing how much I’ve changed and how much the school has changed. I am really proud of what I have been able to do.”

Davis will have a banner up on the gym wall again. Other than former Athletic Director and head boys basketball coach Reg Cook, who won more than 500 games at the school, Davis is the lone individual who is recognized with a banner.

“I was the first individual state champion for Highlands as far as any sport goes so they put that up last year,” Davis said. “I thought that was very nice of them. It feels really good. I feel that God has pushed me in this direction every step of the way. Throughout my life, he has been guiding me the right way and staying here and running track here.”

“It really set in after the race that it was my last race in high school,” Davis said. “It feels great to win states my senior year and the last two years. It was an amazing gift from God.”

Cook, who is an assistant athletic director at the school, said Veynovich has done a wonderful job building the program and guiding it to its first-ever district title this year. He said there were approximately 20 varsity girls, 20 varsity boys and 20 middle school (boys and girls) athletes in the program.

“A lot of credit goes to coach Veynovich and his leadership,” Cook said. “Track, a lot of times, was on the back burner. Now it is a prestigious part of our school. It shows pride in the track program and that is just great.”

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Since the inception of Flicks almost 14 summers ago, the Observer has covered local film festivals and conventions. With school wrapping up this week, there is an opportunity to howl at the moon at Fatality Fest, the first horror movie convention in South Florida since 2005.

Starting Friday night and continuing until Sunday in West Palm Beach, Fatality Fest, will feature Grim Reaper Reptiles, face painting and a silent auction to benefit Scares that Care, an IRS approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides money, toys and other items to help sick children. There will be opportunities to meet established movie actors from modern and classic horror movies of the last 30 years.

With her motivational and acting seminars, guest Dee Wallace has become a staple on the convention circuit, with credits in The Lords of Salem, Halloween and The Howling. Recently released on DVD, Wallace can also be seen in Hansel & Gretel as Lilith, the wicked witch. Ironically, Wallace is best known for her maternal roles in Cujo and E.T. the Extra- Terrestrial.

Had things worked out differently, Wallace would have played Oliver Robins’ mother. Instead Oliver Robins, another fest guest, played the son of Jobeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson in Poltergeist. Released one month before E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, both films were produced by Steven Spielberg.

Now in his 30s, Robins is currently an independent film producer himself. A graduate of Southern California film program, Robins wrote You’ve Got a Friend, a Hallmark Channel Original Movie.

Another class act, Ernie Hudson, known for Ghost busters and Modern Family, returns to South Florida after seven years.

Camille Keaton, the granddaughter of silent screen legend Buster Keaton, will be signing autographs for her best known movie I Spit on Your Grave.

Last, but not least, our resident Scream Queen, Linnea Quigley, will be in attendance, along with her Corpses are Forever co-star, Debbie Rochon.

These are just a few of the long list of guests who will be in attendance. Given the local enthusiasm of the promoters and volunteers, this inaugural Fatality Fest in South Florida should be something special.

For information, visit www.fatalityfest.com/