ENTHEAD

TV PICKS: ‘Desperate Housewives’ ends 8-year run

The week is stuffed with season finales, so many that we couldn’t squeeze them all in. But we weren’t about to ignore the swan song of a milestone show, “Desperate Housewives,” which is ending its eight-year run tonight.

By Chuck Barney , May 13, 2012

THE LIST: 'Winds of Spring' ... READ dogs ... Martina McBride

May 19 at the Empire: The Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orcestra will present “The Winds of Spring,” its final concert of the season, at 7:30 p.m. May 19 at Empire Arts Center, Grand Forks. Program: Haydn: Trumpet concerto with principal trumpet Mark Nelson; Russell Platt: Concerto for Bassoon and Strings with New York concert artist Peter Kolkay; Harold Meltzer: Full Faith and Credit, Concerto for Bassoons and Strings, with Peter Kolkay and Michael Wittgraf; Mozart: Symphony No. 35 in D, Haffner. Tickets: Students, $10; adults, $15; available in advance at GGFSO.org. Info: GGFSO.org.

By Herald Staff Report , May 10, 2012

‘United Stats of America’: From toilet seats to snakes

Gotta love a television show that includes an expert who says, “It’s actually safer to eat a sandwich off the toilet seat than your desk.” The show is “The United Stats of America,” and in it the Sklar brothers, Jason and Randy, are on a mission to kill the common perception that statistics are boring

By Neil Genzlinger , May 09, 2012

THE LIST: Tom Christensen ... 'Laramie Project' ... 'Called to Love'

Tom Christensen of Grand Forks: Grand Forks’ own Tom Christensen will make an appearance tonight on “Don’t Trust the B in Apt 23,” an ABC sitcom starring Krysten Ritter, Dreama Walker and James Van Der Beek. “Look for me as the ‘Pear Vendor’ in the farmers’ market scene,” Christensen said. Christensen, who grew up in Grand Forks and graduated from Red River High School and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, is an actor and lives in Los Angeles. Info: www.tom-christensen.com.

By Herald Staff Report , May 09, 2012

PBS examines Carson’s uneasy relationship with fame

He had everybody in stitches for 30 years, but offstage Johnny Carson was not the life of the party. Who he was and how he got that way will be revealed May 14 when PBS’ “American Masters” airs the documentary, “Johnny Carson: King of Late Night.”

By Luaine Lee , May 09, 2012

John C. Reilly and musical friends, including Grand Forks native Tom Brosseau, to perform at Empire in June

John C. Reilly may be known best as an actor in movies such as “We Need to Talk about Kevin” opposite Tilda Swenson and “Step Brothers,” co-starring Will Ferrell. But fans will remember, too, his singing role in “Chicago,” for which he was nominated for an Oscar. Now Reilly, as the musician John C. Reilly & Friends, is coming to Grand Forks to perform with Becky Stark and Grand Forks’ own Tom Brosseau. The show will be June 16 at the Empire Arts Center, and tickets will go on sale May 11, available through www.Tickets300.com. Prices are $22 in advance and $25 the day of the show.

May 05, 2012

THE LIST: 'Lasting Impressions' ... Wide Awake ... Bluegrass jams

Tonight at Third Street Gallery: An opening reception for “Lasting Impressions,” a mother/son exhibit of prints, intaglio, relief and photography by Jeanne Griffin O’Neil and Alan Skamser-O’Neil, will be from 7 to 9 tonight at Third Street Gallery, 310 Kittson Ave., Grand Forks.

By Herald Staff Report , May 03, 2012

THE LIST: 'Transamerica' ... 'Night Shadow' ... 'Solomon'

Friday and Saturday in East Grand Forks: Riverside Christian School will present its second annual dinner theater, the musical play “Solomon,” at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the school gym, 610 Second Ave. N.E., East Grand Forks. Cast: Nick Boe, Hannah Capouch, Tessa Chandler, Olivia Charette, Brooke Chine, Noah Chine, Alexandria Corsar, Mikaila Corum, Grace Dahlen, Ella Dostal, Maiecia Dukes, Olivia Dukes, Riley Folson, Jonah Hale, Caitlin Hennessy, Michael Hjeldness, Alex Hoeger, Seth Hurda, Chris Johnsen, Tim Johnson, Jacob Klug, Kaleb Koho, Amy Landsdown, LaRae LeTexier, Luanna Liang, Emily Reynolds, Faith Ritchie, Brayden Rygg, Karly Rygg, Joe Schindler, Mary Waldeck, Miranda Weiss, Brian Williamson. Musical director: Krisha Fuller. Tickets: Available now; $25; call (218) 773-1770 Monday through Friday.

By Herald Staff Report , May 02, 2012

Jessica Simpson gives birth to baby girl

The Jessica Simpson baby watch is finally over. Simpson gave birth to a daughter named Maxwell Drew Johnson in Los Angeles on Tuesday, said publicist Lauren Auslander. Maxwell weighed 9 lbs. 13 ounces.

By Associated Press , May 01, 2012

TV PICKS: 1936 Olympic star Jesse Owens Tuesday on PBS

“Jesse Owens: American Experience” is a fascinating new documentary about the legendary track and field athlete who thwarted Adolph Hitler’s goal of using the 1936 Berlin Olympics to showcase the superiority of Aryan athletes.

By Chuck Barney , April 29, 2012

Author Jesmyn Ward has lived all over but keeps returning to DeLisle, Miss

Jesmyn Ward was struggling. Despite two master’s degrees and five years of work experience, her job situation was difficult: She commuted an hour each way to a low-paying college teaching job. In her writing career, things were even worse. She sent out stories and got back rejection letters. Her agent tried and failed, and tried again, to sell her book. On Nov. 16, 2011, the not-quite nursing student’s “Salvage the Bones,” a novel about a poor African-American family whose rural Mississippi home stands in the path of Hurricane Katrina, won the National Book Award for fiction. Because of the award’s prominence, her publisher Bloomsbury ordered an additional 50,000 copies the very next day, tripling its print run.

By Carolyn Kellogg , April 29, 2012

Bob Dylan awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

Northland native Bob Dylan has been named a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. The White House on Thursday announced 13 recipients of the honor, including the famed musician who was born in Duluth and raised in Hibbing, Minn. Other recipients, who will receive the awards later this spring, include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former astronaut and senator John Glenn, author Toni Morrison, former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens and former Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt.

By Forum Communications , April 28, 2012

THE LIST: Dizzy Reed ... Springfest ... Wide Awake

Sunday at Big D’s: Dizzy Reed, a keyboardist for Guns N’ Roses since 1990. will perform Sunday night with his band at Big D’s Bar and Grill, 2015 Library Circle, in Grand Forks. Reed and his band will perform Guns N’ Roses hits, his original songs and classic rock favorites, a news release said. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and a local band, Wise Guys, will be the opening act. The main performance will begin at 10 p.m. Tickets: $12 in advance, available at Big D’s, or call (701) 757-3825; $15 at the door. Hall of Fame: As part of Guns N’ Roses, Reed was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14.

By Herald Staff Report , April 28, 2012

THE LIST: 'Child Prodigies' ... 'The Final Story' ... 'Almost, Maine'

Tonight at Fire Hall: Greater Grand Forks Community Theatre will have auditions at 7 tonight at Fire Hall Theatre, Grand Forks, for “Ruthless!,” a musical that will be on stage June 14-30 at the Fire Hall. The show will be directed by Jared Kinney with musical direction by David Henrickson.

By Herald Staff Report , April 25, 2012

TV picks: 'Birdsong’ ... ‘Veep’ ... 'The L.A. Complex’

The ubiquitous Ryan Seacrest is our host for “Fox’s 25th Anniversary Special,” a rousing two-hour celebration of the greatest hits produced by a network that launched in 1987 with a feisty, maverick attitude and brought big changes to prime time.

By Chuck Barney , April 22, 2012