Express Staff

Features Express Staff The series kicks off Feb. 4 with Hollywood veteran Vince Gilligan. He will appear onstage with NWS founder Doug Stanton to discuss his writing for AMC’s hit series “Breaking Bad.” Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Hollywood Reporter and Paste magazine all named the show #1 on their lists of 2011 Best TV Shows, with Stephen King naming the program #1 on his list of 2011 Pop Culture Favorites, hailing it as “an American classic.”

Features Express Staff Lunch with Michael Moore tends to be a communal experience; every few minutes a bedazzled fan approaches his table to ask for his autograph or to offer cheers for his new film, “Sicko,” and for telling it like it is during the course of his legendary career.
Moore is riding high these days, buoyed by the success of “Sicko” and the fabulous reception the Traverse City Film Festival has had. The festival is now going into its third year. “We now have over 3,000 members of the Friends of the Traverse City Film Festival and that’s way beyond what we ever thought we’d have,” he says over a light lunch of tomato soup at L’Amical in downtown Traverse City.
Our lunch is the result of a phone call the Express got on a recent Thursday morning with the news that Moore was available within two hours for an interview. Staffers Robert Downes, Rick Coates, George Foster and Katie Huston scrambled to throw some questions together for the Oscar-winning director and resident of Torch Lake. Here’s what we came up with:

Region Watch Express Staff More than just autumn aromas will fill the Grand Traverse Pie Company this
Thanksgiving weekend. Visitors will find jazz filling the air as
selections from the region’s newest CD, “Your Peace Counts” are played.
The benefit CD with a pie-friendly theme will be on sale at the GT Pie
Company through the holidays.

Region Watch Express Staff Green Party of Michigan is crowing over the certification of their petition to restore Michigan’s 99-year ban on hunting the mourning dove -- a bird recognized by the state legislature as the Michigan Bird of Peace.
The law that ended that ban has been suspended, and there will be no more shooting of doves in the state until after a statewide vote on the measure in November 2006, according to a release from the Greens.
The Committee to Restore the Dove Shooting Ban filed over 275,000 petition signatures in March -- almost twice as many as were needed to qualify the referendum for the ballot. Dove hunters, who had influenced elected officials to get the ban ended, did not challenge the petition.

Region Watch Express Staff A Northern Michigan tradition goes on the slide this Saturday, March 19, when Shanty Creek hosts its 18th annual Cardboard Classic in conjunction with 106 KHQ Radio.
Utilizing only cardboard, glue, tape and paint for their sleds, contestants will race the slopes at Schuss Mountain.
The weekend will also feature nine hours of nonstop music at Ivan‘s Restaurant at Schuss Village both Friday and Saturday.
Prizes for the Cardboard Classic will be awarded in Adult and Junior divisions for single sleds or team entries. Judging for the design awards will begin at 11:30 a.m. when racers line up at the foot of the course. The race begins at noon on the lower portion of The Face. Registration for the event is free and takes place from 9am -11am in Ivan‘s Restaurant at Schuss Village. Racers must wear helmets.

BRIEFS:

Death to all Spyware: Legislation making it a crime to install software that tracks Internet users’ activity without their consent was overwhelmingly passed by the State Senate last week.
If signed into law, Senate Bills 53, 54 and 151, sponsored by State Sen. Cameron Brown, would protect consumers from unwelcome spyware installation, which can monitor online activity without the user’s knowledge or consent.

Region Watch Express Staff Conference Call
New ideas for restoring the earth and alternative energy are the focus of two conferences in Traverse City this week:
The Alternative Energy Technology Conference takes place Thursday, Oct. 14 at the Great Lakes Campus of NMC. A forum on renewable energy is open to the public in the morning. The conference will discuss green building and energy efficiency for your home, and alternative energy entrepreneurship among other topics. For info, call 1-800-748-0566, ext. 1700.
The popular Third Annual Great Lakes Bioneers Conference has its most ambitious program yet at NMC, presenting visionary ideas for using nature to heal nature. The conference includes a live telecast from sessions of the national Bioneers Conference in San Rafael, California, as well as many local programs and speakers.

Region Watch Express Staff The Youngest Candidate
At a time when many young adults can‘t get it together to vote, Jason Glover, 21, is doing the unexpected: running for a post on the Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) Board of Trustees.
An NMC graduate last spring with an associate‘s degree in visual communications, Glover has been a political activist for several years. He‘s helped organized local “Buy Nothing Day” protests over the past few Thanksgivings, was involved in a Green Party “TV Turnoff Week” fundraiser, and has been active in Rock the Vote concerts to register young voters. He‘s also the editor and publisher of Third Eye, a youth-oriented monthly which has published its fourth issue.

Region Watch Express Staff Rep. Camp probes flood
of uninvited visitors
U.S. Rep. Dave Camp (R-Midland) says he was outraged to learn recently that more than 4,000 illegal aliens cross into the United States unlawfully in a single day -- most of whom arrive via the Mexican border.
Camp, who serves as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Border and Infrastructure Security, was stunned by a Time Magazine article entitled “Who Left the Door Open.“ The article notes that in addition to many Mexican citizens fleeing their country for opportunities in the U.S., there have also been border crossers from from Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Russia, China, Egypt, Iran and Iraq.
“There is some evidence that the crossings are not just people from Mexico,“ Camp noted in a phone interview. “There are people from some countries who are finding that the Mexican border is the back door to the United States.“

Features Express Staff Grayling is spinning its wheels with its first Michigan Bike Festival this weekend, Sept. 10-12, with a blend of bands, bicycles and bonfires.
“It’s been in the works for a year now and we’re hoping this will be a major event that will draw people from across the state for years to come,” says Dick Fultz, who owns the Cross Country Ski Shop and Bicycle Shop in town.

Region Watch Express Staff Friends indeed
Friends and family of Chris Timm are rallying to his side with a series of benefits to support the Traverse City musician and chef who suffered a paralyzing injury during a canoe trip on August 8.
Chris, 28, was paddling with about 50 friends on the Manistee River when he decided to cool off with a quick swim. But the river was shallower than it looked and he suffered a crushed vertebra when his head struck an underwater obstruction.

Region Watch Express Staff Ain’t it cool news:
Traverse City found out that it pays to be cool last week when the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) presented a $100,000 grant to the city as part of the state’s Cool Cities program.
The program, designed to “foster the development of vibrant, attractive cities and urban centers,” is part of Governor Granholm’s economic development strategy for Michigan.

Music Express Staff You don’t have to look far to find a musician in Northern Michigan: chances are he or she is sitting next to you at the coffee counter or at some lunchtime rendezvous. All of that musical energy demands expression, with both local and outside talent showcasing their best work at numerous festivals held throughout the summer.
Following is a rundown on some (but certainly not all) of the music festivals of note this summer.

Features Express Staff There are so many events in Northern Michigan in the summer, you almost need a checklist to remind you of them all. Come to think if it, that’s a good idea, so let the following be your guide to some of the action ‘round the region this season.

Features Express Staff Memorial Day is the kick-off for the summer film season, and after what was a rather tepid, drizzly spring on the silver screen, we’re more than ready to be enterained. Following are highlights of the wanna-be summer blockbusters as well as lesser-known contenders for your attention.

Features Express Staff Chances are you were too busy watching the war in Iraq on TV this spring to make it out to the flicks. But with the war winding down and a serious groove developing in your couch, perhaps you‘ll be more inclined to check out summer‘s lineup of escapist fantasies from Hollywood.