Official uVu Blog

Overtown Rhythm and Arts Festival

Some sights and sounds from the 2nd Annual Overtown Rhythm and Arts Festival, June 23, 2012.

The Presidents Club

"Michael Duffy and Nancy Gibbs have taken us inside one of the most powerful and unusual families in American life – the brotherhood of former presidents of the United States.  Political junkies, historians, psychologists and main street citizens will find the tales of friendship, envy, conspiracy, competition and common cause irresistible."
-Tom Brokaw, bestselling author of The Greatest Generation

 The Forum Club of the Palm Beaches closed its season by taking you inside the  world's most exclusive fraternity.  TIME magazine editors Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy, authors of The New York Times bestseller The Presidents Club, talked about the secret society of presidents and what binds the Bushes and Obama in a bipartisan way – overriding both politics and party.


Nancy Gibbs is the deputy managing editor of TIME magazine and coauthor with Michael Duffy of The New York Times bestseller The Preacher and the Presidents:  Billy Graham in the White House.  Named by the Chicago Tribune as one of the 10 best magazine writers in the country, she is the author of more than 150 TIME cover stories.

Michael Duffy is a TIME executive editor and directs the coverage of presidents, politics and national affairs for the magazine.  He joined TIME in 1985 as a Pentagon correspondent and ever since has covered Congress, the White House, national politics and national security.  He has appeared regularly on PBS’s “Washington Week” for the past 15 years.

 

 

Forum Club Presidents Club Pt.1 Forum Club Presidents Club Pt.2 Forum Club Presidents Club Pt.3

The Edge of Our Bodies

Adam Rapp's "The Edge of Our Bodies" is the final play of the season for the Mosaic Theatre in Plantation.  The play was a tremendous hit at this year's Humana Festival andpresents the story of Bernadette, sixteen, on the train from her New England private school to New York City to give her boyfriend some big news. Achingly articulate about all she can't know or control, this play captures a young woman at the threshold of vulnerability and experience.

Bernadette is played by Lexi Langs, herself not much older than the character, which makes th shocking moments all the more shocking.  The play is clearly as challenging for the young performer as it is for the audience, but it is a rie we all convincingly take together. And as with most of the Mosaic productions, it shouldn't be missed. 

We had a chance to sit with Lexi and talk about her role and the why this one woman show was a part she knew she wanted to play.

 

The Art of Edward Gorey

The Norton Museum of Art opens it s summer exhibition schedule on the evening of June 7, 2012 with Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey. Gorey is among the rare breed of artist whose work is as much beloved by children as it is by adults.

The exhibition includes more than 150 drawings that Gorey, who died in 2000 at 75, created for many of his books, including The Gashlycrumb Tinies, The Unstrung Harp, The Gilded Bat, among others. An illuminating array of sketchbooks, illustrated envelopes, book-cover ideas, and theatrical costume designs are also included in the exhibition. The exhibition, which is organized by the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust and Brandywine River Museum, Chadds Ford, PA, runs through Sept. 2, 2012. Mention the name of the late artist and illustrator and adjectives such as ghoulish, gothic, and well, gory, often come to mind. But that’s not even half the story says noted art historian, curator, and author Karen Wilkin who was also a friend of the artist, and has worked diligently to set the Gorey story straight. She is the author, or co-author of three books about the artist, including Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey (2009), which also serves as the catalog for the exhibition.

 

Freeman by Leonard Pitts, Jr.

Freeman, a new novel from writer Leonard Pitts Jr. jolts you back to the chaos of post-Civil War America. At a time when families of slaves were freed — but not necessarily together.

We had a chance to speak with Mr. Pitts prior to a reading at Books and Books in Coral Gables.

 

Social Sculpture

The newest piece of public art in Broward County is the "I Love You" sculpture, unveiled this morning at the new Young At Art Museum in Davie.

On hand representing the partners in this project were Mary Becht from the Broward Cultural Division, County Commissioner Sue Gunzburger, Elizabeth Pryor, Broward County Library Division and Mindy Shrago from Young at Art.

Calypso Rose

Calypso Rose born McCartha Linda Sandy-Lewis, April 27, 1940 in Bethel, Tobago is a calypsonian. She began writing songs at the age of 15,turned professional in 1964 and has written over 800 songs and recorded over 20 albums.

 

 

 

Rose's father was a leader with the Spiritual Shouter Baptists. Her family was very traditional and opposed her singing in Carnival Tents.She composed her first Calypso in 1955 after seeing a man steal the spectacles off of a lady’s face in the Croisée, San Juan. In the song, she advises Tobagonians to stay at home, because Trinidad was no place for them. Originally she used Crusoe Kid as her stage name, the name Calypso Rose was given to her by the Spoiler, and tent members Piggy and Spike.

Travelling outside of Trinidad and Tobago for the first time in 1963, Rose covered the islands from Grenada to St. Thomas. She won the Calypso King contest and the Roadmarch in St. Thomas with her first recording, Cooperation. In 1966 she wrote the song Fire in Me Wire, the first calypso ever sung two years running at the Trinidad carnival, in 1966 and 1967

Rose was the first female to win the Trinidad Road March competition, in 1977 with her song Gimme More Tempo and in 1978 she took the title again with Come Leh We Jam. In the same year she won the Calypso King competition, the first time it had ever been awarded to a female. The competition's title was changed to Calypso Monarch in her honour.

Rose was in concert in Paris au petit Bain on May 26th, 2012.

Broward Center's Teen Ambassadors

The current year's Teen Ambassadors from the Broward Center for The PerformingArts discuss the productions they had a chance to see this year and what they think were the best experiences during the seaon.

For information on becoming a Teen Ambassadornext year visit here