arts and culture : Buzz

Auditions for a Hollywood movie with Tom Hanks as its star will be held in Minneapolis on Nov. 5, according to Minnesota Public Radio.

Hanks will portray Capt. Richard Phillips, “who was taken hostage by Somali pirates who hijacked his ship in 2009,” the MPR story states.

Sony Pictures, which is doing the casting, is looking for black actors, "preferably born in Africa ... Especially seeking SOMALIS," the story reads.

It’s what brings the company to the diverse Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, which has the highest population of Somali-Americans in the country, according to the story.

The auditions will happen at the Brian Coyle Center, a community gathering place.

The story quotes casting consultant Debbie DeLisi: “We just looked at where there's huge Somali populations," who adds, "It may be our only stop, depending on the turnout."

U.S. Representative Keith Ellison was recently named by the Utne Reader as one of 25 visionaries from around the world who "don't just concoct great ideas but also act on them."

"These people also have delivered hope and renewed faith and tangible improvements to the lives of millions, the Utne reads.

The magazine describes Ellison as someone who is "A make-no-apologies progressive surrounded by a party of 'moderates.'" and adds that "the nation's first Muslim congressman believes true justice begins with tolerance--cultural, racial, and religious."  

In its Impulsive Traveler column, the Washington Post recently highlighted several top tourist sites in Minneapolis, including Mill City Museum and the Midtown Global Market.
 
The newspaper's columnist, Alexandra Pecci, noted that while visiting her sister-in-law in Minnesota, she attempted to see the city a little differently than the last time she'd visited (a trip filled with the Mall of America and downtown Minneapolis' Mary Tyler Moore statue).
 
In marveling at Mill City, the Global Market, and Mill Ruins Park, Pecci described the historical significance of the buildings she was visiting. "It was Minneapolis as I'd never see it before," she wrote, "which was exactly what I'd hoped to find."

The American Planning Association (APA) put St. Paul's Rice Park in downtown St. Paul on its 2011 list of 10 Great Public Spaces across the country. 

Through the APA’s Great Places in America program, sites such as the historic park are recognized for “exceptional character and highlight the role planners play in creating communities of lasting value,” according to a press release about the award.   

The park, which is characterized by decorative lamps, statuary, benches, and a central fountain, “serves as much as a pathway and shortcut as it does a lunch stop, festival grounds, and outdoor sanctuary,” the release says.
 
The 1849-vintage park is also surrounded by a number of historic buildings, museums, and music halls that developed over the course of more than a century.  

A recent survey of major metropolitan areas found that Minneapolis and St. Paul are the best in the nation when it comes to senior living. The cities were rated based on nine categories that are key to seniors' quality of life: healthcare, transportation, housing, social opportunities, crime, environment, economy, health and longevity, and spiritual life.
 
Ranked by Bankers Life and Casualty Company Center for a Secure Retirement, the other cities in the top five were Boston, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Denver. At the bottom of the list of 25 cities were Washington D.C., Austin, and Chicago.
 
In awarding the Twin Cities the top spot, the organization noted: "Seniors gravitate to Minneapolis-St. Paul for Minnesota's progressive medical insurance program and for proximity to the Rochester, MN-based Mayo Clinic; factors that contribute to the region's high scores for life expectancy and healthcare." 

OpenTable, which takes online reservations to various eateries all over the country, gives props to four Twin Cities restaurants in its recent list of the "Top 50 Restaurants Most Fit for Foodies," the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports.

The list came together following OpenTable's “foodie” survey, which garnered more than 10 million reviews, the article states.  

The standout restaurants in Minneapolis and St. Paul include Haute Dish, Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market, Piccolo and Saffron Restaurant & Lounge.  

The piece quotes Caroline Potter, OpenTable’s Chief Dining Officer, saying, "These restaurants have been singled out for being able to satisfy the folks for whom dining is practically sport--those avid, passionate eaters, often armed with cameras, who take careful notes and relish every bite.”

In a recent review of Insiders’ Guide to Twin Cities by local author Jay Gabler, the librarian/blogger known as ricklibrarian talks about spending hours with the book before coming to the Twin Cities.

In previous visits to the area, “I only had a limited amount of time to see the sites and saw just enough to know I wanted to see more. So I enjoyed the well-organized and frequently updated Insiders’ Guide,” he states in the post.  

The book helped him to compile a list of must-see sites, including Minnehaha Falls, Open Book, the state capitol, Como Zoo, local art museums, and more.

He sums up by saying, “There is enough in the Twin Cities for several trips. Perhaps I should read Gabler's chapter on relocating to the great Midwestern metropolitan area. I'd love to go to Twins games regularly no matter where they are in the standings and have my picture taken on Kirby Puckett Lane. I hope the weather is fair.”

A local food writer gets a shout-out in a Boston.com piece as a possible successor to the outgoing restaurant critic at the New York Times.

The Times’ food critic, Sam Shifton, is shifting into a new role at the newspaper, it explains.

“Still in the outsider vein,” Devra First writes, "Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, who writes for the Minnesota Monthly," is “a wicked writer, a New York native, well respected.”

In a position that’s long been male-dominated, it may be time for a new perspective. “Grumdahl's sensibility appeals to the younger readers the Times is looking to attract,” says First.

The novel “Crossbones,” from Somali author Nuruddin Farah, who lives part of the year in Minneapolis, is featured in a recent issue of the New York Times Sunday Book Review.

“Some in the media may paint Somali pirates as womanizers with lavish tastes and an eye for Nairobi real estate, but Nuruddin Farah exposes the shallowness of such depictions in his 11th novel,” the review states.

One of the book’s central characters is a New York-based war correspondent who is part Somali and part Malaysian. With the help of his father-in-law, he embarks on an international journey to track down his teenage nephew who has left Minnesota to join the militant Islamic group al-Shabab.

Warfare and poverty in Somalia’s capital city of Mogadishu are also part of the story, which reviewer Hirsh Sawhney describes as “politically courageous and often gripping.”

Sawhney writes that the Farah “takes great pains to illuminate the roots of Somalia’s turmoil in a nuanced manner.”

All in all, the book is a “sophisticated introduction to present-day Somalia, and to the circle of poverty and violence that continues to blight the country,” Sawhney concludes.

Maybe it's da wind chill, doncha know? For whatever reason, Minnesota has a rich history in comedy, as noted in a recent story in the Miami Herald.

The newspaper noted, as evidence, our election of former professional comedian Al Franken to the U.S. senate, as well as the popularity of A Prairie Home Companion, the public radio show that mixes Midwest humor with Americana-type music.

Another comedy mainstay is the Brave New Workshop, a theater troupe founded by Dudley Riggs, credited by many with the invention of improv and sketch comedy.

Why are the Twin Cities so lively when it comes to humor? They don't quite know in Miami, but one theory posited in the story is that with severe winters and mosquito-filled summers, our laughter somehow balances out the forces of nature. 

Travel + Leisure magazine's international editor Mark Orwoll wrote about Minneapolis's fun summertime activities in a recent blog posting.

"Am I really the last person to "discover" Minneapolis?" he starts out by saying.

The city's bike-friendliness struck him. "With 84 miles of off-street bike trails and 46 miles of dedicated bike lanes on city streets, Minneapolis makes it easy to venture out on a velocipede," he says.   

Also, kayaking above the falls offers a chance to spot all kinds of wildlife within view of the city's dramatic skyline while waterfront Segway trips are  another way to go.

"You'll hear a little city history and meet lots of locals on the way, but mostly you'll just have fun going up hills, inching along footbridges, and racing along a parkway at speeds up to 12 mph (faster than it sounds!)."

He also enjoyed "Nordeast," and cites its high-end condos, a brick-lined Main Street, outdoor cafes, and unique spots such as Nye's Polonaise Room (which, as local's know, is actually just inside Southeast Minneapolis) and Kramarczuk's.

The Fox is Black, a national art and design blog, recently featured the Minneapolis-based Studio on Fire.

In the writeup, blogger Bobby Solomon says that the local studio is producing some of the strongest letterpress work that he's found in a long time.

He's such a fan that he'd like to get some business cards done in a style like that of Studio on Fire. "I've toyed with the idea of getting some letterpress business cards, a simple white card with a big black fox embossed into it; it would be great, and this makes me want to do it even more," he says.

He adds that the studio's portfolio "is filled with a wide variety of projects--[their] Godspeed bike print is pretty rad, especially the fact they used the pattern of the bike seat itself."

A couple of local beer companies made it onto the recent list of "Best Beers in America," according to a story in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

The results come from the American Homebrewers Association, which polled the readers of its journal, Zymurgy. Readers came up with a list of their 20 favorite beers.

Minneapolis-based Summit Brewing Co., placed 48th for Summit EPA. In terms of best beer portfolios, it ranked 25th, with nine of its beers named by readers, according to the story.

Another local company, Surly Brewing Co., did well with its Furious ale, while it also ranked high in the category of best breweries.

At the top of the list was Santa Rosa, Calif.-based Russian River Brewing Co.'s Pliny the Elder, while the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Del., led for its brewery and portfolio.

Phyllis Goldin, a columnist for the River Falls Journal, was so impressed with the Twin Cities' recent Northern Spark arts festival, that she says in a recent piece that she'd like to see a similar event happen closer to home.

Northern Spark (see the feature about it in this week's issue) was "a marvelous example of possibilities that emerge when a dedicated group of people collaborate to maximize local creativity," she reflects.

Like the Twin Cities, River Falls and Hudson are arts- and river-oriented communities, suggesting that, "a remarkable happening here is worth considering." 

The western Wisconsin area has the talent and resources to duplicate the 24-hour-long show: "Since it occurred just across the border and included some of our western Wisconsin artists and musicians, it surely demonstrated that what we need is here," she says.

Touching on some of the artistic expressions that caught her eye, she says that "I only hope the festival will continue in years to come" in the Twin Cities.

A June 7 Gather.com story marks the 53rd birthday of Prince, the iconic Minneapolis rocker.

"It's a safe bet he can look down from his royal throne and enjoy the fact that he's as popular today as he was two decades ago," the story states.   

Gather.com cites the artist's recent run of 21 sold-out shows in Los Angeles, "sending fans and critics into a frenzy with his stellar performances of songs from his ever-growing catalog," it states. 

Describing Prince as an icon and "ultimate showman," the post makes the case that he rivals younger performers, especially with his impressive guitar skills.