Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins all in one room? No, this isn’t the stuff of legend but the gathering that was known in rock n’ roll lore as The Million Dollar Quartet.  It is, also, the name of the musical at the Fisher Theatre that was based on that one magical night.

Played by Billy Woodward, Derek Feeling, Martin Kaye and Billy Woodward, respectively, each actor brought an excellent vivacity to their characters.  As a hardcore Elvis, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis fan, I was waiting to see how these actors would do, considering that I’ve suffered through horrible portrayals like Dennis Quaid (Jerry Lee Lewis) in the biopic, Great Balls of Fire.  I almost swore that I was in Memphis’ Sun Studio back on December 4, 1956.

The chemistry between each of the four was incredible.  Ferris did an excellent job as Carl Perkins working to get another hit, after Elvis was recognized for recording his “Blue Suede Shoes.”  Woodward brought a bit of smoldering, yet understated star power as Elvis.  Feeling sounded like the real deal as The Man In Black otherwise known as Johnny Cash.  When he sang Cash hits like “Folsom Prison Blues” and “I Walk The Line,” his vocals sounded like they came from deep within Earth. Lastly, Woodward brought out some great guitar showmanship, while playing sideman on some of Elvis’ songs, even fingerpicking almost like Scotty Moore did on the original recordings.

I definitely don’t want to forget mentioning Christopher Ryan Grant as Studio head Sam Phillips and Kelly Lamont as Elvis’ girlfriend, Dyanne in their great supporting roles. Grant really captured the struggle of Phillips dealing with the success of his first generation of stars and wondering what to do with his piano playing prodigy from Ferriday, LA: Jerry Lee Lewis.

There is still al little bit of time to catch the remaining shows.  I don’t want to give away the show stopping conclusion.  Let’s just say that it involves Carl Perkins and an upright bass.  You’ll have to see it to believe it.  Coming from a guy that’s seen AC/DC using a cannon, I can honestly say that this topped them.  Check out Million Dollar Quartet and you can be a fly on the wall for this first and greatest rock n’ roll jam session.

Author: José A. Rodríguez

The trilogy finds a group of fanatics using science on The Sudarium to try to bring about the Second Coming of Christ.  A woman, Hannah, looking for meaning found, herself, recruited as a surrogate.  Who did she give birth to? This is a question that is discussed and provides much food for thought.  Her son, Mano, years after his birth, finds, himself, drawn in with people trying to impose meaning onto him.  Amidst all of this, the outside world tries to make sense out of the events.

Written by Leonard Foglia, a theatre/opera director and librettist, along with David Richards, theater critic for publications including The Washington Post, The Washington Star and The New York Times. This trilogy that was very hard to put down.  I took these books on a recent road trip and the moments, when I had to put the books down, were agony.

Heavy on religious allusions, it helps to have some sort of background so that the little details are understood.  I have 12 years of Catholic schooling under my belt, which was tremendously helpful.  However, even people without a religious background, would still be able to enjoy this just as much as any other thriller.

I would give the trilogy 4 out of 5 stars.  The books were very well written and engaging.  Each part of the trilogy flowed into the next and formed a coherent tapestry.  It was easy to be drawn into the characters—to root for the heroes, while hoping for the villians’ destruction.  A little slow to develop, these books are a powerhouse.

To get more information on the trilogy, visit the books’ site at The Sudarium Trilogy or buy them at Barnes & Noble or Amazon.   

For this track, Romeo Santos partners up with Usher to create a new crossover hit.

Listen  to “Calentura” from the latest album with collaborations from Tego Calderon & Zully Murillo.

According to Juan Carlos, these issues are not addressed, as they should be in order to have a positive effect in the lives of the people that are involved. The goal of the collection is to create awareness.

Juan Carlos Perez is an immigrant from Guadalajara, Mexico currently residing in Michigan. He developed a passion for capturing beauty and essence from his mother & role-model.

The Quiet Things that No One Ever Knows will be on exhibit in The Atrium at the Southwest Detroit Business Association from November 4, 2011-February 24, 2012.

For more information, you can contact the Southwest Detroit Business Association at 313-842-0986 or email at info@southwestdetroit.com.
A collection of work by Photographer Juan Carlos Perez

Date: Friday November 4, 2011 – Friday February 24, 2012
Time: 6:00pm-5:00pm
Location: 7752 West Vernor

También se mostró un breve video en el que Rina Lazo y Arturo García Bustos cuentan sus vivencias en México. En una de las escenas de esta cinta, la pintora, grabadora y muralista Rina Lazo indicó que tuvo la suerte de participar en uno de los murales que ella

considera tal vez como uno de los más importantes del maestro Rivera (los Murales del Palacio Nacional en la ciudad de México). Realzó que para ella fue un gran aprendizaje.

“Cuando me dijo que podía pintar los bordados de los trajes, que podía pintar los follajes, eso fue para mi la máxima alegría que pude haber tenido, porque él no dejaba pintar a los ayudantes”, expresó Lazo al referirse a su maestro Diego Rivera con quien aprendió la técnica del fresco al colaborar simbólicamente en los Murales del Palacio Nacional.

Igualmente, la pintora Rina Lazo compartió con la audiencia que en una ocasión Diego Rivera le comentó que él consideraba como su segundo trabajo sobresaliente los murales de Detroit.

En su turno, el artista y alumno de Frida Kahlo, Arturo García Bustos informó que él y su esposa se consideran como producto de los movimiento laboral de artistas, maestros y estudiantes del pueblo mexicano ocurrido a finales de los sesenta.

“Frida Kahlo era una maestra joven llena de sabiduría, era además alegre, no mostraba sus dolores aunque graves, no los demostraba, esos los pintaba”, contestó el pintor, grabador y muralista García Bustos a una persona del público.

La conferencia finalizó con el anuncio de que Rina Lazo y Arturo García Bustos trajeron un boceto del muro del sur perteneciente a los murales de Detroit de Diego Rivera. Hasta entonces, los colaboradores del DIA sólo tenían conocimiento de este boceto en una fotografía perteneciente a la colección Rivera y como reproducción en un libro sobre Diego Rivera. Además, Lazo y García aportaron una obra de su creación para el Detroit Institute of Arts.

Por lo tanto, considero que este recorrido con los pintores y muralistas Rina Lazo y Arturo García Busto a penas comienza, porque espero que la gente pueda ver en exposición el boceto del muro del sur de los murales de Rivera, así como la obra artística obsequiada por Lazo y García.

Escritora: Georgina García

October, known as “the purple month” in Lima, attracts throngs of the faithful each year to Peru’s capital.  Set amid the excitement of this emblematic and always-eventful month, Octubre, winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, follows Clemente (Bruno Odar), a small-time money-lender living in Lima, who one day discovers a baby left on his doorstep.  To care for the child—the product, it turns out, of one of his frequent liaisons with prostitutes—Clemente engages Sofia (Gabriela Velásquez), a neighbor, and soon a new, unexpected family is formed.

Co-directed by brothers Daniel and Diego Vega, Octubre plunges us into an emotionally rich, thematically compelling, yet wholly unfamiliar world, creating and sustaining a visionary portrait of the back alleys and tumble-down houses that are Clemente’s territory (flavored with a hint of Jarmusch and Kaurismaki), while introducing us to a fascinating assortment of complex, unforgettable characters. In Spanish with English subtitles. (83 min.)

Friday, October 28 at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 29 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 30 at 2:00 p.m.
Friday, November 4 at 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 5 at 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 6 at 4:30 p.m.

Friday, October 28 6pm-9pm

4114 W. Vernor (Southwest Detroit)
313.842.0400
313.598.0175

One of Detroit’s Mexicantown traditions returns for this year, where the public can pay respect to the dead and to Latino culture.

The Mexicantown Fiesta Center has ofrendas, six altar exhibits, lectures, an Outdoor “Panteon” (Cemetery), arts and Crafts.  Community individuals are welcome to set up altars for their dearly departed

Public Hours:

• Thursday and Friday, Oct. 27 & 28 from 4-8 PM
  Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 29 & 30 from 12-5 PM
  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 31-Nov. 2 from 10 AM-8 PM

Admission $2 adult $1 child, though group rates are available.

Image: Renée Rodríguez