By Rachel Galvin

Inside the front entrance of Saiko-i Sushi Lounge & Hibachi, you will find a larger-than-life gold Buddha statue covered with money. It seems people enjoy leaving some extra cash and making a wish in hopes of gaining some luck in return. That practice has proven lucky for another local group — Boca Helping Hands, a 501(c)(3) that gives back to those in need by providing food, helping those in crisis and even offering job training programs. Over the last year, Saiko-i owners husband and wife Tina Wang and Jason Zheng have already collected $2200, which they gave over to the organization in the form of a check to Boca Helping Hands Development Manager Karen Swedenborg and their Development Specialist Anna Campitelli Rubenstein.

Swedenborg said, “We thank Tina Wang and Chef Jason Zheng for their kindness … These funds will be used to help to feed our clients through our food programs.”

The restaurant, located at the Shoppes at Village Pointe, at 5970 SW 18 St., in Boca Raton, took over what used to be Gatsby’s. They have a huge 7000 sq. ft. space with an outdoor patio. Within the restaurant, there is a very large hibachi area, great for special events, and a more intimate area for regular dining. They have big booths with curtains for privacy, as well as tables and a full bar. Enjoy raw and cooked sushi, appetizers, entrees from the kitchen, noodles, stir fry, bento boxes for lunch and more. Ask about their specials. [Try the Bang Bang Shrimp for a sweet and not that spicy appetizer. Also, try out the very unique Matcha Green Tea Tiramisu. Ask about their specials].
Wang said she spends time in this location, while her husband stays at their other restaurant in Royal Palm Place called Yakitori Sake House. They will be opening another restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale called Koi soon.

For more information on the restaurant, call 561-393-5888 or visit www.saikoiboca.com.

FYI: They have a Halloween Party, called Saiko-i-ween, on Oct. 30 from 6 to 9 p.m. There will be a costume contest with prize money, extended happy hours, yummy food, sweet treats, candy and cocktails. There will even be a DJ.

By Rachel Galvin

Victor George Vodka (VG) is popping up everywhere it seems since its official launch back in September. The ultra-premium vodka, which took the silver medal at the San Francisco Wine and Spirits Competition this year, will be the official vodka of the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival,  30th Annual Swing for the Kids Golf Tournament at Lago Mar Country Club, Exotics on Las Olas, and will be featured at the Ft Lauderdale Intl. Boat Show and elsewhere. The locally-sourced vodka is gluten-free and uses all-natural ingredients. The filtration and oxidation process they utilize helps to purify and remove harsh congeners and free radicals to make a spirit that is headache and hangover free.

What is more interesting than the vodka is the man behind the brand – Victor George Harvey. His life has undergone a series of twists and turns, but he is back with a commitment to build South Florida’s largest locally owned liquor brand. This go-getter was a college athlete, a rapper (with the name Tai Pan) with a record called “The Rise, The Fall, The Rise,” and his own record label. He got involved in real estate and opened up his first vodka company, called V. Georgio Vodka in 2008.  His new vodka, VG Vodka, is already getting a lot of buzz and growing rapidly.

Currently, his vodka is being bottled out of South Carolina, and he is building and opening a distillery on historic Sistrunk Boulevard in Ft. Lauderdale, which will house a tasting room, offices, cigar bar and restaurant. 

In addition, he and his two children, both business majors in college, have their own VG clothing line, including boxers, hats and T-shirts, with more merchandise coming soon. A book and movie about his life are in the works. He is certainly one to watch, and look for VG Vodka coming to an event, restaurant, bar or store near you.

For more information, visit www.victorgeorgevodka.com.

By Gary Curreri

Both the Deerfield Beach and Blanche Ely football teams are on a roll.

The Bucks (5-2) have won five straight games after starting the season 0-2, while the Tigers are 6-1 after winning their fourth consecutive game. Blanche Ely’s only loss this season was a 42-0 setback to Deerfield Beach in the third game of the season. Since then, they have reeled off four wins in a row, including a 48-7 win over Olympic Heights.

“The discipline has definitely improved, and we have a great senior class,” said Blanche Ely coach Clifford Wimberly after the Tigers finished 1-9 last year. “We’re taking one game at a time and finding the little things to help us improve.”

When they defeated Stranahan 26-24 two weeks ago, it marked their first win over a team with a winning record in 13 games, dating back to a 13-7 overtime win over Dillard in the Soul Bowl on Nov. 5, 2016. 

Tigers’ senior running back Shomari Lawrence scored on a 28-yd. run midway through the fourth quarter in the Stranahan game for the difference. He wound up with 20 carries for 94 yds.

Coming off a 64-0 manhandling of Spanish River, Deerfield Beach will face a still test this weekend when they face the nation’s 12^th ranked team at St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Bucks will be led by senior quarterback Michael Pratt and senior running back Jaylan Knighton, in addition to a stellar receiving corps.

Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association results

The Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association held an individual play (Low Gross and Low Net in Classes) on the Pines Course on Oct. 9.

Gary Gill won the Low Gross for Class A with a 75. Winning the Low Net competition was Chuck Brown, who carded a 64, while Bill O’Brien shot a 75 to take second.   

The Class B Low Gross winner was Lance Naiman, who shot an 86 and won a tiebreaker. Jack Permenter and Charles Schaefer each shot 67s, but Permenter won in a tiebreaker to take Low Net in the Class B competition.                                                                                                   

In the Class C competition, Oscar Aleman won the Low Gross with an 88, while Jerry DeSapio won the Low Net with a 68 and Jim Blake was second with a 71.   

Bob Mascatello won the Class D Low Gross honors with a 92. Al DiBenedetto won the Low Net in the Class D with a 65, while Dennis Rooy was second with a 68.

The closest to the pin winner on hole (No. 7) was Charles Schaefer, whose tee shot came to rest 8ft., 10in. from the hole. He stepped up and made the putt.

Pompano Beach Women’s Golf Association results

The Pompano Beach Women’s Golf Association recently held a Cat Fight in Classes tournament on Oct. 15. The winner of the A/B Class was Janet Stuart with a +1, while Lynn Goodman won the tiebreaker over Deborah Brown. They both carded a -3 in the competition. Lori Tarmey won the C/D Class with an Even score, while Dianne Levanti at -3 was second.

By Rachel Galvin

When grunge came on the scene in the 1990s, the soul-searching rough-around-the-edges musicians were such a departure from the glossed-up, big-haired entertainers that hit the charts in the Me decade that preceded it. One of the biggest names in the flood of newcomers in the ‘90s was Nirvana and the band’s angst-filled frontman Kurt Cobain.

Sub Pop Records owner Bruce Pavitt got to know the tortured artist and gave his insights into him, the band and the evolution of the music industry in a special event held Sept. 21 at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. The packed audience of about 200 people watched as he showed many of the photos that were taken during a European tour in 1989, pictures that are in his new book called Experiencing Nirvana.

After Sub Pop Records popped on the scene in the late ‘80s, their name and logo became ubiquitous. But few knew the struggles going on behind the scene as Pavitt and his partner Jonathan Poneman spent their time on the phone promoting their artists and sending out materials, working to keep the phone line from being disconnected. They managed heavy hitters in the indie world like Soundgarden and Mudhoney but it seemed that Nirvana might be their golden ticket. They continue to “represent the spirit of independent creativity” to this day.

Cobain, according to Pavitt, was a humble, quiet, sensitive soul. He was an animal lover. He owned gerbils and rabbits. He also had a sense of humor. His simple dreams included having a single played on the local radio station and “maybe opening up a petting zoo.”

He never had an inkling of the fame he would attain. His ripped up jeans, thrown-on vintage thrift store T-shirts and plaid flannel would become part of the look of an age, and people would be devastated when he was gone, a life lost too soon.

There was a glimpse of what lied beneath the artist during that European tour. On one stage in particular, Pavitt mentioned that Cobain “had a nervous breakdown,” jumping up on the PA system and smashing a guitar (which he was known to do). He was distraught. When Pavitt spent time with him trying to understand, Cobain said that when he looked into the audience, all he saw were the kids who bullied him in high school.

Pavitt talked about how the ‘90s really became very “inclusive.” Instead of people feeling like they were watching an exhibition, they could look at the ‘90s artists and what they were wearing and say, “I have a flannel shirt” (for example), put it on and feel a part of the group. In the ‘80s, everything “felt very excessive,” he said. The clothes, hair and style all were too expensive for the average person.

The feeling of being part of the group that the ‘90s brought was also captured in energetic photos by photographer Charles Peterson, photos used by Sub Pop.

Sub Pop has always been about capitalizing on the independent spirit, the regional market, knowing there is something intrinsic about a sense of tribal identity. Before grunge hit, people couldn’t find Seattle on a map, he said. But, after, a lot of people moved there and the area got international attention as people strove to understand the “Seattle sound.” BBC writer John Peel wrote a great article mentioning Sub Pop in 1989 that helped to get them on the map as well.

Asked where the next regional movement in music is, Pavitt responded, “Los Angeles” and mentioned Billie Eilish, who recently made an appearance on SNL and elsewhere, and graces the current cover of Elle and can be seen elsewhere. She has been around for awhile, but her star certainly seems to have grown brighter lately. Perhaps her rise to fame is because she stands out from the crowd and rebels much in the way Cobain did, although his seemed less purposeful. One noteworthy example is that Cobain refused to be on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine unless he could wear a T-shirt that said “Corporate magazines still suck.” (Magazine cover in picture above, top left).

Whatever he did, Cobain went from obscurity to one of the biggest stars around in a short period of time. By 1992, he had sold four million copies of his record.

Pavitt added, “Every once in a while, things come together and an artist breaks through. I live for those moments.”

Nirvana would be spirited away by Geffen Records and left Sub Pop behind, but Cobain’s talent and memory made a huge impression on the record label and on Pavitt.

He said, “People would come up to me and tell me where they were when they heard ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit,’” which was on the next album Nirvana did after leaving Sub Pop, telling stories of the impression the music made on people.

Pavitt commented on the evolution of music.

“People don’t buy music. They rent music. It is amazing record stores even exist [mentioning he stopped by Sweat Records in Miami]. Streaming is here to stay,” he said. “[This generation is] not going to read an article. They will read a headline. When I was younger, I read the article, drove to the city, got the record, read the liner notes and thought about it.”

His “manic relationship with music” started at a young age. When he was 9 years old, he worked hard to make money to buy a record player. He never thought he would make money doing this, but said if you are working with people you want to spend time with and doing what you love, then it is not work; it is play.

“There is always going to be art in society, always creative stuff. The trick is getting exposure to creative people,” he said.

There is a movie in the works about his own creative journey and that of Sub Pop, which just celebrated its 30^th anniversary on Aug. 11, 2018. For more information on what Sub Pop is up to now, visit www.subpop.com.

By Rachel Galvin
The Deerfield Beach Chamber of Commerce’s “You Had Me at Aloha” Happy Hour event held at the Hampton Inn on Sept. 26 was a fun occasion, a way to let off some steam after a day of work. People hung out by the pool and listened to the musical stylings of D. Marion & Company, featuring Ms. Carolyn Dudley. They ate some tropical treats and had some chilly cocktails. They had a chance to talk to their fellow chamber members.
The Chamber always has events coming up, including their Community Heroes Awards on Nov. 8 at 11:30 a.m. at the Wyndham Resort. Look for more on that soon. For more information, visit www.deerfieldchamber.com.

By Rachel Galvin

Last month, the Today Show’s Al Roker’s hip replacement surgery hit the news. But the process is fairly common. In fact, approximately 400,000 people each year undergo hip replacement surgery, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Whether it is due to arthritis, a sports injury or anything else, having something wrong with your hip can really slow you down. But there are several solutions to help you get back to striding with success. Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Jacob Landes, D.O., from Broward Health, explains that surgery does not need to be the first step.

“We don’t need to jump straight to surgery. We can start with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory,” he said.

Another option is utilizing Corticosteroid injections.

The issue with both of those solutions when treating arthritis is that the pain could come back leading to more injections in three or four months. It gets rid of the inflammation and lowers the pain but is not a cure. But the process can be repeated.

They can also do a Viscosupplemention treatment, which involves injecting hyaluronic acid into the joint, which creates a type of padding, occupying space, “basically acting as a fluid-like shock absorber,” he said. That can lead to a longer amount of relief. Usually, this is done in a series, like once a week for three to five weeks, though is more commonly performed for knee arthritis. He added that insurance companies usually like to see that patients try steroids or other processes first before undergoing surgery.

For those in whom surgery is indicated, he said there are different types of hip replacement surgery available. One of the most popular is “anterior.” Broward Health North’s Joint Replacement Center was the first in South Florida to begin performing hip replacement surgery using the anterior approach with the assistance of the Hana® table. The anterior approach allows the surgeon to reach the hip joint from the front as opposed to the lateral (side) or posterior (back) of the hip, which is required with more traditional replacement surgery.

Having this surgery does not have to require significant downtime. In fact, usually patients are walking the same day. They suggest the patient stay overnight for observation, especially if they are older or have other health issues.

They try to prepare people ahead of the surgery for the best result, getting them more active because, said Landes, “stronger legs recover more easily.” They also review the patient’s medical records to ensure they are ready for the procedure.

They minimize pain after surgery by doing an injection during surgery that numbs the pain and slowly releases over 48 hours. They can also prescribe something like an anti-inflammatory if needed. The procedure is much simpler than it used to be as far as after care. The doctor will review everything a patient needs to know, but it is pretty straight forward and people can get back to their daily life right away.

Broward Health North’s Accredited Joint Replacement Program has been awarded Advanced Disease Specific Certification for both hip and knee – one of only two in the state, and the Blue Distinction of Excellence by Blue Cross & Blue Shield. The program has a dedicated Orthopedic unit with dedicated, specially trained nurses and staff in Joint care, including private rooms for all Joint Replacement patients.

Broward Health North is located at 201 E Sample Rd. in Pompano Beach. To find out more about their award-winning Joint Replacement Program, visit www.BrowardHealth.org/orthopedics.

By Gary Curreri

The Crockett Foundation Pompano kicked off its fall 2019 First Tee program recently at the Pompano Beach Golf Course.

The nine week program, which has been in partnership with The First Tee of Broward County for three years, focuses on the nine core values that are connected with the game of golf and carries over to home life. Those values are courage, determination, teamwork, persistence, integrity, citizenship, justice, commitment, and excellence. 

The coaches for the program are TJ Ziol and Darrell Welker, and they are helped by volunteers Alan Freedman, Valerie Bertuccelli and Ashton Mahfood.

The Crockett Foundation, a Broward County-based non-profit organization, has positively impacted the lives of thousands of children since its inception in 2002. Its after-school programs focus on math, reading, health and technology for middle-school students.

“The Crockett Foundation has helped more than 1,000 students in our local community graduate from high school with better grades and a more positive outlook on life,” said Jack Bloomfield, Director of Operations for the First Tee of Broward.  

The First Tee is an international youth development organization introducing the game of golf and its inherent values to kids and teens. Through after-school and in-school programs, it helps shape the lives of young people from all walks of life by reinforcing values like integrity, respect, and perseverance through the game of golf.

Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association results

The Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association held several events recently. Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association held a One Best Ball of Threesome and Two Best Balls on Holes No. 1 and No. 18 on Oct. 2 at the Pines Course.

The winning team was composed of Neil Lang, Dennis Sejda and Pete Strychowskyj, who shot a 60. The team of Dave Dowling, Jim Muschany and Tom Pawelczyk finished second with a 63 and won on a match of cards.

Finishing in third was the team of Chuck Brown, Lance Naiman and Willie Smith, who also shot a 63, while the team of Bill Delaney, Al Holcomb and Kevin Narus was fourth with a 64 and also won on a match of cards. Winning the closest to the pin contest was Charles Schaeffer.

The Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association held a Two Best Balls of a Threesome event on Sept. 25 on the Palms Course.

Al DiBenedetto, Jim Greeley and Tom Pawelczyk shot a 122 to take top honors, while Dave Dowling, Gary Gill and Joe Patchen shot a 125 to finish second. Taking third was the team of Jorge Duarte, Lance Naiman and Willie Smith with a 128.

Dennis Sejda won the Closest to the Pin on Hole No. 11.

The Pompano Beach Men’s Golf Association held a One Best Ball of a Threesome and Two Best Balls in the Middle, No. 9 and 10 event on Sept. 18 on the Palms Course.

Taking top honors was Jim Blake, Tom Breur and Gary Ruderman, who carded a 63, while Dave Dowling, Jim Muschany and Dennis Sejda shot a 64 to finish second. Gary Gill, Joe Patchen and Willie Smith shot a 65 and won on a match of cards to finish third.

The winner of the closest to the pin competition on hole No. 7 was Gary Gill.

By Diane Emeott

New owners of Markee, Keith Ridenour and Derek Assaf, recently back from building a new facility in Tennessee, acquired Markee Music from Mark Begelman in May.

Guitarist, songwriter and producer Keith and bass player and engineer Derek Assaf have been involved at Markee since its construction in 2010.

Ridenour got interested in playing guitar when he and his drummer brother Randy were kids watching a band rehearse in their living room.

“We would watch them rehearse, absorbing every fiber of the music and wanting to emulate them — and gravitated to playing. One year for Christmas, we got used drums and a used guitar! Our dad used to run dances at the old Chamber Building for the Deerfield Beach Jaycees. He used to run them at the Deerfield fishing pier as well.”

Ridenour’s father Ray also wrote poetry — inspiring Keith’s later songwriting ability.

Keith and Randy went to Deerfield Beach High School and played all the dances, including Homecoming, Sadie Hawkins … and all over Broward County, Miami-Dade County and West Palm Beach.

“We were in a band called Black Watch,” said Keith. “I was able to record my first record as a teenager, at age 17, at Mike Pinera’s studio in Miami.”

(Other bands Ridenour has played with include Harvest, a Southern Rock band; Uproar, a Pop Rock band; Razor Red, a Pop Metal all original band, and, most recently, Black Water River, a Doobie Brother’s Tribute Band.)

In 1993, Keith and a silent partner built Ridenour Studio in Oakland Park “where everyone from Ricky Martin and Aerosmith to Johnny Depp, Foreigner and Steve Winwood would play.”

Keith sold that Ridenour Studio in 2003 to move to Nashville where, for the next eight years, he continued songwriting and producing.

As CD sales became less prevalent in 2009 and 2010 (with songs available online), Keith decided to come back to South Florida to open Markee studio with former President and CEO of Office Depot Mark Begelman – who started Mars Music in Ft. Lauderdale in 1996 and later sold it.

At the end of 2017, Keith and Derek went back to Nashville. In 2018, they built ‘A Ridenour Studio’ in Murfreesboro, TN, a suburb two miles from Nashville. It caters to music students from nearby Middle Tennessee State University (MDSU), as well as the prestigious local talent pool of legendary Nashville, also known as “Music City.”

In May 2019, Keith and Derek returned to Deerfield to buy Markee from Begelman.

Offerings

As a one-stop venue for all things musical, Markee offers:

Music Lessons – In its three soundproof music lesson studios, Markee provides professional lessons on guitar, bass, piano, drums, vocals, technology and songwriting by highly skilled musicians who all have a wealth of band experience.

Rehearsal Studios – Known as ‘the finest rehearsal space in South Florida,’ Markee offers six, fully-equipped, 342 sq. ft. soundproof rehearsal studios.

Recording Studio – The state-of-the art recording studio is fully equipped with Pro Tools HD and Logic 10. From Focusrite to Genelec, Markee has what it takes to record any genre of music, from Hip Hop to Gospel to Rock ‘n Roll.

Markee Performance Room: The recording studio adjoins a beautiful 875 sq. ft, fully-equipped performance room with a six-piece DW drum kit and 24-channel soundboard, perfect for full band-based recording sessions, recitals and other performances.

What’s new

Keith and Derek are in the process of upgrading all the gear and equipment at Markee, ‘A Ridenour Studio,’ in Deerfield. This includesall new drum kits in the Rehearsal and Recording studios; guitar and bass amp[lifiers]; all new vocal monitors; all new mics; cabling and a new console in the recording studio.

A new venture for Markee is offering Backline Rentals, which literally means all of the back line of musical equipment that typically appears onstage when a band plays. For example, guitar amp(s), bass amp, drums, keyboard, microphones, percussion.

Whether you need a guitar amp, bass amp, drum kit, percussion or instruments, Markee has it to rent. Keith said he and Derek were recently in talks with Pompano Beach Amphitheater about Backline Rental, as well as all other surrounding cities.

Special deals

Lesson Special – Buy three lessons, get one free ($30 per half hour, $55 per hour).

Recording Special – A Markee customer exclusive: Recording package: five hours. Get four hours of recording time plus one hour of set-up time to record up to three songs.

What Markee recommends:

Set up and mic-ing begins one hour prior to playing

You arrive 15 minutes prior to playing (for personal set-up)

Sound check 20 minutes

Recording tracks: 1 hour 10 minutes

Markee engineer mixing: 2 ½ hours

Walk out with a CD!

Regular Price: $375. Markee Customer: $262, which equals a 30 percent savings!

*If you need or desire more time, Markee will discount the regular rate of $69 per hour down to $60.

For more information, call Markee at 954-794-0033 or visit www.markeemusic.com.

By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach senior quarterback Michael Pratt threw for a season-best 331 yds. and four touchdowns as the host Bucks toppled Boca Raton 49-6 in the District 12-8A opener for both teams on Friday night. 

Pratt, a Tulane University commit who transferred from Boca Raton High School to Deerfield in August, made his fourth straight start and guided the Bucks to a fourth straight victory.

He has seen his touchdown totals in each game go up by one. He threw for one score in his first, then two, then three and four against his former school. He has 10 TDs on the season.

“We just have to get better every single week,” said Pratt, whose team has a bye this week before facing Spanish River. “My timing with the receivers, connection and chemistry is starting to build up. Our offensive line…I am starting to learn them and they are starting to learn me.”

Deerfield Beach (4-2, 1-0 in the district) took the opening kickoff and marched 80 yds. in three plays, capped by a 40-yd. scoring run by FSU commit Jaylan Knighton. He carried all three times in the drive for 80 yds. Knighton finished the game with seven rushes for 100 yds. and one score.

Boca Raton (2-3, 0-1) cut the lead to 7-6 on a 20-yd. scoring toss from Andrew Caverty to Ashton Gillotte with 4:02 left in the first half. The extra point attempt by Thomas Lofiago was blocked and later also had a 37-yd. field goal attempt blocked.

The score snapped a three-game shutout streak by the Bucks in their last three wins – as they defeated Blanche Ely, 46-0, Zachary (LA), 53-0 and Oak Ridge (Orlando), 42-0 – and outscored the opposition 141-0 during the span.

Deerfield Beach broke the game open in the second quarter when Pratt hit Maryland commit Deajaun McDougle for an 83-yd. catch and run for a 14-6 advantage and then 21-6 on a 64-yd. interception return by Phillip O’Brien. Deerfield Beach made it 28-6 on a 20-yd. scoring toss from Pratt to University of Miami commit Xavier Restrepo.

Pratt connected with Deajaun McDougle two more times in the third quarter from 51 yds. and 60 yds. for a 42-6 lead. It was his 10^th scoring touchdown pass in four games. McDougle had 226 yds. receiving on five catches and three TDs.

Back-up quarterback Marquise Pierre hit Jamarion McDougle on a 45-yd. TD score in the fourth for a 49-6 Bucks lead. It marked just the fifth time in Deerfield Beach history where they have scored 40 or more points in four straight games.

Pratt missed the first two games of the season, losses to Carol City, 24-12, and St. John’s (Washington, D.C.), 52-20, with a groin injury. Pratt threw for 1,208 yds. and 12 TDs at Boca Raton last season. He also ran for 447 yds. and three scores for the Bobcats.

Deerfield Beach coach Jevon Glenn said Pratt handled the week going against his former teammates well.

“He has a steadiness about him and is a little ahead of his time,” Glenn said. “To be quite honest, if he plays the first two games, we would be undefeated and top-10 in the country right now.”

Last season, Deerfield Beach fell in the state semifinals of the Class 8A tournament as they lost 49-21 to the eventual state champion, Miami Columbus, and finished 12-2. Deerfield lost in the regional quarterfinal the season before and lost in the state semifinals in 2016 to the eventual state champion, Southridge, 26-7 in 2016.

“it’s been a great opportunity to learn a few new things,” Pratt added. “I have to make better reads and work on timing.”

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

On June 22, 1969, Mom, Dad and I were out on our Johnson & Johnson wooden boat on Cold Spring Harbor.  My parents swam ashore and I stayed on the boat with a transistor radio. Between songs (likely Big Band), the news man announced that “Judy Garland died.” I got so excited that I pulled the boat ashore, much to my Dad’s dismay — since the tide was going out.

Being six years old, I had seen The Wizard of Oz at least twice, including once by myself on the color TV set. (The Wicked Witch of the West so scared me that I could not watch the film alone in the den the first time). Beyond portraying Dorothy Gale, Mom introduced me to Judy Garland the star of variety shows that featured singing, dancing and comedy.

Starring Renee Zellweger in the title role, the new movie Judy features the entertainer’s swan song. Living off her fame, but performing at low budget night clubs with her children Lorna and Joe, Judy finishes a show, only to learn she does not have a bed to sleep in.  After arguing with her fourth ex-husband Sid Luft (Rufus Sewell) about custody of the children, Judy gets a job offer to perform in London’s “Talk of the Town.”

The money is good, but years of prescribed substance abuse have taken their toll on this vulnerable 46-year-old mother of three.  Having earned a reputation as being unreliable, Judy Garland’s swan song performance is an emotional roller coaster ride featuring insomnia, heartbreak and the divine grace of performance.

Renee Zellweger owns Judy. Besides performing her own singing, there are moments when the ghost of Judy Garland has returned to the big screen. Likely to be Oscar nominated, Zellweger’s performance is consistent. Her final close-up is a rare audience connection that bookends the beginning of the movie.

Based on the play End of the Rainbow, this new film explains the dark side of show business. The opening shot features young Judy Garland (Darci Shaw) being told by Louie B. Mayer (Richard Cordery) that she is a plain, next-door girl that is separated by her beautiful singing voice.  This scene echoes the Book of Genesis chapter in which Eve is seduced by the serpent.

Tears were shed, but the laughs are truthful, Judy is an entertaining tragedy with many life lessons. Parents who know that their children want to “run away to the circus,” should take them to see Judy as a family movie some afternoon. The discussion afterward will be genuine.