Flicks Galore: The 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival opened with a bang at the Oriental Theatre, with a packed house viewing 1971. The gritty documentary featured courageous activists exposing illegal FBI surveillance activities at the height of the Vietnam era. Post movie, Milwaukee Film Artistic and Executive Director Jonathan Jackson introduced surprise panelists, including the film’s central figures, John and Bonnie Raines, who received a hero’s welcome, along with director Johanna Hamilton, Washington Post reporter Betty Metzger and Marquette University historian Athan George Theoharis.
The throng convened next at Kenilworth Square East for multi-floors of fun, frivolity and film chat. Circulating were UW-Milwaukee’s Dick Blau; Milwaukee Film board member Barry Poltermann; filmmaker Mark Borchardt; Mark Lawson with his daughter, Anna Lawson, and Andre Hyland, executive producer of Funnel; and L.A.’s Eric Gerber, who used Milwaukee talent for his dark drama, Pester.
Photographer Jessica Kaminski was kept busy overseeing four other photographers, but still had a few minutes to hang with BF Ryan Manske. Circulating were reviewer Duane Dudek and writer Kathy Flanigan; art czarina Maggie Kuhn Jacobus and Victory Garden Initiative’s Gretchen Mead; Pat Moore and Peg Karpfinger of Centro Café; Erin Richards and her boyfriend, Mike Roach; and BelaBela founder Bela Roongta.
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Strummim’ Along: Canada’s award-winning The Strumbellas recently performed at an 88Nine Radio Milwaukee on-air Friday Lunchtime Session. This spring, the group had captured the prestigious Roots & Traditional Album of the Year at the 2014 JUNO Awards. Tom Cunningham and Mary Ritchie, proud parents of band fiddler Izzy Ritchie, brought a throng of friends and neighbors to cheer. Among them were Shorewood pals Mo Carollo and Barb Schulte, plus Paul Tilleman and Sally Duffy, and Cunningham’s fellow lawyers Richard Cayo and John Nelson. Summerfest’s Bob Babisch, checking out the band for a potential gig, gave a thumbs-up.
Later that week, the station celebrated the one-year anniversary of their new digs with a Fall Ball. After rooftop schmoozing over Thief Wine and nibbles, the 200-some crowd descended to the main floor studio for a fun-filled “Karaoke for a Cause.” Hosted by Dori Zori, Milwaukee personalities belted out their favorite tunes in the station fundraiser.
Among the budding musical luminaries were Michael DeMichele, Griselda Aldrete, Michael Drescher, Josh Adams, Mike McCormick, Jim Schleif and Danae Davis, the latter channeling Aretha Franklin along with her PEARLS for Teen Girls coworkers Jona Moore, Jocelyn Mason-Saffold, and Tawanna Jackson. The grand finale featured the on-air DJs doing a mean version of Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage.” Providing jumpin’ jive-style syncopation were Don Moore, John Calarco, Kevin Topel, Kiran Vee and Jordan Kroeger.
Woof, Meow: The first Fromm Family Foods’ Petfest was a doggone success on the lakefront festival grounds. Nearly 8,000 proud pet fanciers showed off their 3,000 four-legged friends, enjoying the more than 25 vendors, doggie (and cat) costumes and a pet-owner lookalike contest. Company owner Tom Nieman and his wife, Kathy, their sons Bryan, with his wife, Heather, and Dan with Ingrid Jacobs were organizing sponsors.
Marketing Director/Event Coordinator Lauren Grimm was aided by Scott McCowan, Matt Grimm and nearly 40 other Fromm employees. Half Twisted-Half Knot’s Peter John Lindsay created amazing balloon sculptures while Suzy Sparkles painted kids’ faces. Mark Kelnhofer brought his five rescue beagles; Mary Toler was accompanied by Laska, a rottweiler terrier; and Jennifer Splinter led Sable, a keeshond. Among the pawful of felines was Dexter, a 19-pound Russian Blue Mix therapy cat who has 715 Facebook friends, there with owners Wendy and Marc Panaro.
Celtic Pop: Milwaukee Irish Arts’ panelists John Gleeson, Eamonn O’Neill and James Gallagher discoursed eloquently on Gaelic drama prior to Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s Midwest premiere of The Good Father. Galway resident Christian O’Reilly’s gripping play starred husband-and-wife team Laura Gray and Jonathan Wainwright. Among the packed audience at the Skylight’s Studio Theatre were actors Karen Estrada and Lindsey Gagliano and MCT subscribers Cindy Molloy, Andy and Paula Holman, Roe Wiersgalla and Marilyn Auer.
Happy B-Day: Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Commerce happily celebrated its two-year birthday with a soiree in the new Potawatomi Hotel and Casino’s Serenity Room. Executive Director Jason Rae hosted, and hotel manager Hassan Abdel-Moneim addressed the guests. Among the attending politicos were state representatives JoCasta Zamarripa and Mandela Barnes, state Sen. Lena Taylor and Shorewood Village Trustee Thad Nation.
Partiers included Ed Seaberg of Rockwell Automation; BMO Harris Bank’s Raquel Filmanowicz; Molly McDonald with PNC; Foley & Lardner’s Morgan Tilleman; Joaquin Altoro of Town Bank; Phillip Bailey with The Bon Ton Stores; Terri Coughlin, interim executive director at Cream City Foundation; Leonard Sobczak; Louis Weisberg; soccer maven Sue Black; and Renee Lindner, Burleigh Street CDC project manager.
Scribes Cavort: The Newsroom Pub overflowed with the city’s jovial journalists, toasting reporter Meg Kissinger’s induction as a Milwaukee Press Club Knight of the Golden Quill and business executive Steve Marcus honored as a Knight of Bohemia. At the venerable club’s annual meeting, new Press Club President Mark Kass presided.
If you have any tips for Boris and Doris, contact them at borisanddorisott@aol.com. Their next column will appear in the Oct. 16 issue of the Shepherd.