Guest Commentary | The Super Bowl halftime show was a hare too much for Glenn Mollette

Bugs Bunny, Blue Bunny, Big Bunny... The Super Bowl halftime show didn't work for Glenn.

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by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

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Glenn Mollette

The Super Bowl is now in the history books and already forgotten by most Americans. I don’t know if there was more talk about the Seahawks and the Patriots or the Super Bowl halftime show.

I admit that I had never heard of Bad Bunny until he was announced a few months back as this year’s halftime entertainment. Later, I heard him talk at the Grammy awards but I couldn’t understand anything he said. Actually, I don’t understand Spanish or any other languages. I often go to Mexican restaurants but don’t understand what the waiters and cooks are saying to each other. I hope they are saying how glad they are to see me or something nice like that.

Whenever I am in an Asian restaurant and the workers are talking I don’t understand them either. I’ve been to a few foreign countries and I never understand what they are saying. It really is helpful when people in France or Germany are able to communicate in English. Seems like the people in cities like Berlin or Paris speak better English than the people further away from the cities.

I guess I am growing more and more disadvantaged. I work with a number of people from Myanmar. They are extremely nice but most of them struggle with English. They have been in America for years and seem to be managing. They are managing better here than I would in Myanmar.

Years ago, I spent a couple of weeks in South Africa. That country has twelve official languages. English is their predominant language. Thus, it was easier for us to navigate in the country. Yet, I don’t know how a country functions with so many official languages.

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I thought it was Bugs Bunny and then I thought it was Blue Bunny and then Big Bunny.

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I’ve heard people say they loved the Superbowl show and some say they hated the show. I’ve heard others say they watched alternate shows. Then there a handful of people like me who wishes they would cancel the halftime show or just have the marching band from the local university entertain us. That won’t happen because the Super Bowl is about Super money. Big money. Advertising spots went from $8 to $10 million each with total advertising revenue for NBC estimated at $700 million.

Still, I didn’t understand a word Bad Bunny had to say. By the way it’s taken me forever to get his name straight. I thought it was Bugs Bunny and then I thought it was Blue Bunny and then Big Bunny. I apologize for being slow to understand that his name is Bad Bunny. He doesn’t act bad. He looks like a nice fellow. He is from Puerto Rico and he seems to carry a tune well. Yet, I don’t know what he is saying. Although I wasn’t raised Hispanic, I love Hispanic people. At this stage of my life, I just don’t have time to learn another language. Maybe I will have to.

I hope that next year’s Superbowl halftime show will be in English. Oh yea, I couldn’t understand Lady Gaga. Until she sang, I thought there was something wrong with my television. I have read Bad Bunny is fluent in English. This is America. Most Americans only speak English.

I guess it must have worked for the National Football League. However, it didn’t work for me.

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About the author ~

Glen Mollett is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states.

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East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra to perform annual winter concert on Sunday

The East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra will present its winter concert Sunday evening at Smith Memorial Hall on the University of Illinois campus. The free performance features major works from the professional orchestral repertoire, including Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

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Members of the East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra performed at Smith Recital Hall in Urbana during their 2022 Winter Concert. The orchestra will perform again this Sunday.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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URBANA - Forget watered-down arrangements. When the East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra takes the stage tomorrow evening, a dedicated group of high school musicians will be tackling the same complex pieces performed by professional symphonies.

Showcasing the Champaign-Urbana's top classical-trained youth musical talent, the East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra will present its winter concert Sunday evening on the University of Illinois campus, offering the community an opportunity to hear a full symphonic program performed by local high school musicians. Sunday’s concert offers audiences a chance to hear young musicians tackle major works of the orchestral canon while showcasing the depth of musical training available to students across the region.

Music Director Kevin Kelly said the music selected for the concert reflects the orchestra’s commitment to performing authentic orchestral literature rather than simplified arrangements. Students musicians have been preparing vigorously for the performance since mid-September.

“The music we play is taken from the professional orchestral literature—not generally arranged specifically for young people,” he said. “So it’s always a special challenge. The students have been working hard since mid-September.”

The concert is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18, at Smith Memorial Hall in Urbana. Admission is free.

The evening’s program features a range of well-known orchestral works drawn from the professional repertoire. Selections include Otto Nicolai’s Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor, Maurice Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte, Amilcare Ponchielli’s Dance of the Hours from La Gioconda, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

The orchestra is made up of 57 high school students from across East Central Illinois. Participants come from Champaign, Urbana, Mahomet, Monticello, Fisher, Danville and several other nearby communities.

Kelly, who is in his 33rd season guiding the youth orchestra, said one of the most rewarding aspects of the program is working with a group that changes each year as students graduate and new musicians join.

“I believe this is my 33rd season with the youth orchestra. I love teaching great orchestral music to eager, talented, motivated young musicians,” Kelly said. “I enjoy the eagerness with which they absorb and dedicate themselves to this music, and also their lively interactions with each other. It’s essentially a new group each year, as students graduate from high school and new ones join the orchestra.”

Nearly all members of the orchestra take private lessons with professional musicians throughout the region. The ensemble rehearses every Sunday afternoon during the school year, and students pay tuition to participate. The East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra operates as a program of The Conservatory of Central Illinois in Champaign.

Kelly added: “I think their performance will well deserve your attendance, if you have the time and inclination.”

Free youth orchestra concert this Sunday in Urbana

Members of the East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra performed at Smith Recital Hall in Urbana during their 2022 Winter Concert. The orchestra will perform again this Sunday.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

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URBANA - The East Central Illinois Youth Orchestra will perform its annual Winter Concert this Sunday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. at Smith Music Hall on the University of Illinois campus.

Orchestra members are the top classical student instrumentalists in the area. The musicians, who hail from Champaign, Urbana, Mahomet, Monticello, and Danville, go through a rigorous audition process for their chairs.

Sunday's program features the overture to Giuseppe Verdi's opera Nabucco, a medley from the musical Les Misérables, Norwegian Dances by Edvard Grieg, Andante Festivo by Jean Sibelius, and the first movement of Antonín Dvořák's Eighth Symphony.

The CUYO focuses on providing young musicians in the Champaign-Urbana area with opportunities to perform in an orchestral setting. It serves middle school and high school students, offering them a chance to enhance their musical skills, work with experienced conductors, and perform a diverse repertoire of classical and contemporary works.

"This is challenging music for the students, and they’ve worked hard since mid-September to bring it to performance level," Kevin Kelly, music director for the youth orchestra, said. "You will be impressed and entertained!"

Admission to the event is free and begins promptly at 7 p.m. Smith Music Hall is located on the University of Illinois campus at 805 S. Mathews Ave.

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Illinois Theatre Association to honor 2024 Award of Excellence recipients

CHICAGO - The Illinois Theatre Association will recognize eight theatre professionals and educators as the recipients of the 2024 Award of Excellence. The awards will be presented at a brunch during the association's annual meeting on August 3, 2024, at the Copley Theatre in Aurora.

The keynote speaker is actor Gene Weygandt. He has appeared in a host of films, television shows, and on Broadway. His acting credits on screen include The Birdcage, Babe, and Mea Culpa. He has appeared in televised episodes of Home Improvement, Cybil, Murphy Brown, Chicago Fire, Empire, and Chicago Med.

The Chicago-based actor also had roles in Broadway productions, including BIG: The Musical, Wicked, and Come From Away.

This year's 2024 Awards of Excellence include:

Creative Drama/Theatre for Young Audiences:
The Children's Theatre of Elgin and Fox Valley Theatre Company Accepting the Award is Veronica Comings, President

Secondary School Theatre:
J.R. Willard-Rose (Homewood- Flossmoor HS)

College/University Theatre:
Kevin Long (Harper College, Chicago Shakespeare Theater)

Community Theatre:
Joseph Ennenbach (Stage 212, Morris Theater Guild, Streator Engle Lane, and Princeton's Festival 56)

Professional Theatre:
James Calitri (Artistic Director, Festival 56)

2024 Awards of Honor, ITA Non-Member:
John Collins (Executive Director, Goodman Theatre)

2024 Awards of Honor, ITA Member:
Richard Arnold, Jr. (Production Coordinator, College of DuPage)

Anne Thurman Mentorship Award:
Patricia Haynes, 1950-2024
Mother McAuley HS, founder of 99th Street Summer Theatre
Accepting the Award is Erin Fitzpatrick

For more information and registration to this year's event go to https://illinoistheatre.org/event-4897079.

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Jam packed weekend planned for Urbana's Folk & Roots Festival

URBANA - The 15th annual CU Folk & Roots Festival kicks off tomorrow at 5 pm at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.

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Louie Pappas plays a saxophone solo during the second set of the Hot Club Urbana's show during the band's rendition of Christmas is Coming in December of 2021. Listen to the entire live performance recorded by Sean Kutzko for Chambana Jazz here. The group will perform at Cloud Mountain Kombucha on Saturday from noon to 2 pm.

Photo: PhotoNews Media Archives

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Featuring more than 50 performances at various venues throughout Urbana, this year's festival artists include Adeem the Artist, Dom Flemons, Eddie Barbash + KASA and Friends, Son Monarcas, Tee Dee Young, Anika Emily, Allie Jean, Arco & Aire, Bandoneon Massacre, Big Daddy Pride & the East Side Five, Bill Kirby, Black Eyed Lillies, Brian Krumm and His Barfly Friends, Cajun Strangers, Camellia Moon, Cole Bridges, Congress of Starlings, Derrick Streibig, Fox Crossing, The Gospel of Qui, Hannah Rose and the Sweet Nothings, Hooten Hallers, Hot Club of Urbana, Jaik Willis, Jean Rene Balekita, John Coppess, Kate Campbell, Keith Hall and The Creepin' Grass, Los Texano'z, Meadowhawk, Merry Travelers Duo, Mr. Dave, The Paw Paws, Sixth Street Brass Band, Spencer and Rains, Tumbleweeds, Tyler Lance Walker Gill, and The Young and the Fretless.

The event schedule is online at CU Folk & Roots master schedule and will be updated live with additional performances, venue changes, and last-minute events.

All-access festival tickets are $50, with single-day and single-venue tickets available at The Cohen Building at 136 W. Main Street in downtown Urbana.

The festival will also host dances, instructional sessions, jam sessions, and song circles. A family-oriented event, there are other activities such as storytelling, instrument-making, and other children's programs during the three day event.

For more information visit the Folk & Roots website at https://folkandroots.org/

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The Rolling Stones are still Rocking!

by Jim Runyan
Columnist

Full disclosure, I am a Rolling Stones fan and have been since the summer of 1978 when the album “Some Girls” came out. Now, some 45 years later, The Rolling Stones have a new album being released. On October 20th, Hackney Diamonds will be the 26th Rolling Stones album released in the United States, and it has been 18 years since they last released an album of original music (they snuck in an album of blues covers in 2016 called Blue and Lonesome).

In true Rolling Stones fashion, they announced the album with a worldwide event hosted by Jimmy Fallon. The event was streamed live around the world and could be seen locally at 8:30am on Wednesday, September 6th. You can watch a replay of the announcement at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSzJhzfDtS4.

The interview and event with Jimmy Fallon are fun to watch. The Rolling Stones consist of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood (80, 79, and 76 years old, respectively). Their longtime band mate, Charlie Watts, passed away in 2021 and Hackney Diamonds is their first album without him, although his work will be heard on several tracks.

The band seems relaxed, happy, and glad to be producing new material. They explain in the interview that “Hackney Diamonds” is slang for something like “smash and grab,” like when a windshield (or “wind screen” as Mick calls it), is broken and the bits of glass on the street are called “Hackney Diamonds.” Hackney is a district in London and the announcement came from the Hackney Empire Theater in East London. After all, as Keith puts it, “It’s a London band.”

Following the event came the debut of the first single and video from the album. “Angry” is a straightforward rocker with a classic Stones guitar hook, vocals about a confused lover whose partner, for unknown reasons, is angry with him, and of course, a bluesy, ripping guitar solo which is often a hallmark of Rolling Stones rockers.

As expected, the video for the song is done with high production value and is very clever. A woman (Sydney Sweeney) is frolicking on the back of a cherry-red Mercedes Benz convertible rolling down Sunset Boulevard while passing billboards that have come to life with Rolling Stones scenes and performances.

The classic theme of the billboards reveals a bit of history in that Rock & Roll billboards were once an iconic staple on the Sunset Strip in the late 1960s with the first one advertising The Doors’ first album. The older videos are synchronized to seem as if they are playing the current song and the whole thing comes together seamlessly and should appeal to tried-and-true fans and newcomers alike.

Overall, having a new Stones song, and a new Stones video, and a new Stones album just seems right. If nothing else, it is worth celebrating a band that has been in existence for 61 years (1962-present) and has seen a thing or two on their times around the block. Keep an eye on this space for a full review after the October 20th release of Hackney Diamonds.

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Jim Runyan is an avid tennis player, BBQ enthusiast and dart player. He enjoys craft beers and writing fiction and is the author of Ravage the Moon and Other Short Stories available on Amazon.

Dolittle play comes to Station Theatre this week

URBANA - The Absentee, a play by Julia Doolittle, starts its opening run on Thursday at the Station Theatre. The play will run for ten days through June 25. Directed by Christiana Molldrem Harkulich, The Absentee is about a beacon operator who finds herself alone in deep space with only her ship’s A.I. for companionship and is later contacted by a political canvasser requesting that she vote in absentia for the 2088 election.

The Operator, played by Kat Cordes, who can't share her full name due to the Space Force code, she takes the job on the outer rim of space as a form of self-exile to avoid problems she left behind back on Earth. The cast also includes Kimmy Schofield as The Beacon, Courtney Malcolm as Lt. Zal, and Trent Sherman plays Glen, the canvasser hoping to secure the Operator's vote.

A rising star as a playwright, Julia Doolittle is also a screenwriter. In 2018 her play, "Tell Them I'm Still Young," was featured at the American Theater Group. She was a finalist for the 2017 Heideman Award at the Human Festival, and a semi-finalist for the O'Neill Summer Conference. Her work was featured at the South Coast Repertory, the Sam French Off-Off Broadway Festival, and the Victory Gardens Theatre.

The Station Theatre production staff includes Clayton Young as Assistant Director; Stage Manager Lyn Sampley and assistant Max Deremiah; Scenic Designer Henry Collins; Lighting Designer Jesse Folks; Costume Designer Susan Curtis; Logan Dirr running sound; Daryl McGee handling props; and graphic design created by Law Welle. The play is produced by Nicole Frydman & Melissa Goldman.

Tickets can be purchased online at here. The opening night and reception starts at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

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Spanish dancers introduce Sevillanas to Urbana

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

URBANA - Flor Quiroz and members of the La Fuerza Flamenca perform at Lincoln Square Mall on Saturday during this year's Boneyard Arts Festival. Earlier, she and dancers from the University of Illiniois student dance troupe taught Sevillanas to workshop participants at the mall. Quiroz, a sophomore at the UofI, has studied the cultural dance form for just under a year. Influenced by Flamenco, Sevillanas is a style of dance from the Sevilla region in Spain.

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Sentinel Summary | What you missed this week

PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

URBANA - Tajal Patel puts her soul into her rendition of a Flamenco ballad while performing with Brian Stark's Flamenco-Jazz Collective at Lincoln Square Mall on Saturday. The band gave a one-hour show during the Boneyard Festival and accompanied the University of Illinois La Fuerza Flamenca dance group, which performed two numbers and provided a free workshop.

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Learning the right moves, Flamenco workshop at Boneyard Festival draws local dancers

Alyssa Teijeiro-Ficht leads a Flamenco dance workshop at Lincoln Square Mall on Saturday during the Boneyard Arts Festival.

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Learning the right moves, Flamenco workshop at Boneyard Festival draws local dancers

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

URBANA - Alyssa Teijeiro-Ficht leads a Flamenco dance workshop at Lincoln Square Mall on Saturday during the Boneyard Arts Festival. Teijeiro-Ficht, a senior in Education at the University of Illinois and the dance director, with members of the La Fuerza Flamenca, taught Sevillanas to participants, who later performed the introductory dance steps with Brian Stark's Flamenco-Jazz Collective. Influenced by Flamenco, Sevillanas is a style of dance from the Sevilla region in Spain.

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Illinois theater convention September 24

CHICAGO -- The Illinois Theatre Association will hold its 2022 ITA Annual Membership Meeting & Award Celebration at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel & Conference Center in Downers Grove on September 24. In addition to presenting annual excellence awards to Illinois thespians, the all-day event will include the induction of the 2022-2024 Board of Directors, workshops sponsored by the ITA, a special presentation on intimacy direction, and its Red Carpet Gala Award Luncheon.

The keynote address will presented by Michael Novak, Artistic Director of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Novak has danced in 57 roles in 50 Taylor dances, and created gigs for five of the Taylor Company Commission choreographers.

This year's award winners include Teatro Vista, a Chicago-based theater group created in 1990, Dr. David Allan Kuester director of the IVCC Theatre, Judy Ruzevich Klingner, and Marjorie Hillocks.

Hillocks won the award for Creative Drama/Theatre for Young Audiences and Klingner is the recipient of the Anne Thurman Mentorship Award.

Festival 56, a Princeton Theatre Group, that won this year's Award of Honor, along with Streator High School and the Vermillion Players, a community theater group, will also be honored with awards the gala.

Workshop sessions include "OUCH! Hits, Kicks, and Other Combat Tricks" by Kyle Cassady from the Society of American Fight Directors, "Creating the Best Audition Package for You" with Paul Stancato & Felicia Finley from the Timber Lake Playhouse, and "Collaborative 10 Minute Play Writing: Hearing Every Voice" presented by Friar Dominic Garramone from Saint Bede Academy.

For more information and registration to this year's event go to https://illinoistheatre.org/event-4897079.

Urbana Park District summer theater auditions April 22-23

URBANA -- Tryouts for the Urbana Park District's summer theater program will be April 22-23. This year's musical production of Newsies, will be performed at Parkland College for four days starting on July 21.

Performers between the ages of 6 and 20 are welcome to sign up for auditions. Youth actors with dance and tumbling experience are strongly encouraged to audition for a role. Auditions for soloists and members of the ensemble will be separate.

Soloists will need to bring a song to sing. An accompanist will be available for those who bring sheet music. Children will perform their numbers and dance in small groups for one hour during the audition for their role.

Rehearsals are scheduled Monday through Thursday from 6:30 to 9:30 pm at the Phillips Recreation Center in Urbana. An additional session will be held on Fridays after the first several weeks of practice.

For more information on next week's auditions or to sign up online, follow this link.

Marching Spartans play in Labor Day parade

Above, a member of the SJO Marching Band heads south on Broadway Avenue just south of Lincoln Square Mall earlier today. On the left, a member of the horn section chants with fellow band members on their march through the streets of Urbana. In addition to the Spartans, the parade, also known affectionately as the 'Candy Parade', featured floats by area unions, community organizations, politicians, as well as other high school marching bands. See more photos of the marching band from their halftime show at last Friday's home football game against St. Thomas More here: SJO vs STM football photo gallery.

(Photos: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)