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Concert update: Preservation Hall, Ronny Cox, Guti and more

The latest incarnation of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, whose members range in age from 39 to 80, will perform its "Creole Christmas" concert Dec. 22 at UTEP's Magoffin Auditorium.

The band, named for the famous New Orleans jazz club founded in 1961, has used a variety of New Orleans-style jazz players since its inception as a touring group in 1963. The current eight-member lineup includes music director and tuba player Ben Jaffe, the son of Preservation Hall founders Allan and Sandra Jaffe.

There's been no announcement locally for the show, but it's posted on the band's website and Pollstar. A link to the University Ticket Center website didn't include any details.

In other concert news:

• Most people know Ronny Cox as an actor, especially from his roles in the films "Deliverance" (he was the city guy who played guitar on "Dueling Banjos") and "Beverly Hills Cop" and TV's "St. Elsewhere" and "The Agency."

They may not know that he was born in Cloudcroft, raised in Portales, graduated from Eastern New Mexico University and has been a working musician all his life.

Local folkies can check him out when Cox performs at 7 p.m. Sept. 2 at The Percolator.

Tickets are $20, on sale at the coffee house or facebook.com/thepercolator.

He also will perform at ENMU in Portales on Aug. 30.

• SMG Events is bringing Argentinian-born singer, pianist and house music maker Guti to Nova Luna at 9 p.m. Aug. 24.

Jesse Rose will open the show.

Tickets are $11, plus service charges, at the Happy House, Headstand and eventbrite.com.

• Three bands of the hard and heavy persuasion have been added to the busy schedule at M's Lips Lounge. 

Corpus Christi experimental rockers Design the Skyline play there at 6 p.m. Aug. 19. Tickets are 10 bucks.

They'll be followed by Las Vegas' This Romantic Tragedy and three other bands at 6 p.m. Aug. 21 ($10) and Florida deathcore group King Conquer (with Bermuda, Devastated and Ten Second Life) at 6 p.m. Aug. 30 ($10).

You can get those tickets at Ticketbully.

 

Concert update: Sonny Melendrez, Border Legends, Moderatto, Nancy Whang and more

The fourth annual Border Legends will still have its '60s and '70s local rock bent, including a host familiar to many fans of local radio from that time, but it also will have some fresh blood.

The Oct. 13 concert, which honors many bands and individuals from the city's rock 'n' roll past, will be hosted by Sonny Melendrez.

It will showcase vintage acts, such as Rod Crosby and the Intruders, Bobby and the Premiers and the Henchmen, and a few who followed in their footsteps, including singer-guitarist Mario Otero and twentysomething sibling trio the Iveys.

Also performing: Truth, singer-guitarist Glenn Leffler, Mike Ciccarelli and the Chains.

Melendrez, of course, is the two time Billboard Radio Personality of the Year, motivational speaker, voice-over artist and San Antonio personality who DJ'd here in the '60s and '70s.

Doors will open at 4 p.m., with the music starting at 5 p.m. at the El Maida Shrine Temple, 6331 Alabama.

Tickets are $15 at the temple, which is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. Go to borderlegends.net for more info.

In other show news:

• Mexican glam rock parodists-turned-legit act Moderatto play a club show at 8 p.m. Aug. 2 at Don Quintin, the Juarez nightclub that moved across the border to the former train depot at the corner of Campbell and the I-10 East entrance ramp.

Tickets are $25 on sale at the club and Ticketbully.

• Singer Nancy Whang, best known for her work with LCD Soundsystem and The Juan McLean, headlines the next LNSC Supernite at 9 p.m. July 27 at the Lowbrow Palace.

Tickets are $10 at the door and Ticketbully.

Other Supernite shows include DJs Ewan Pearson on Aug. 10 ($8); and Justin Martin on Aug. 18 ($10).

• There was no announcement, of course, but the Sept. 28 Coliseum stop of the Dejando Huellas tour, with Joan Sebastian and Pepe Aguilar, has been canceled.

Refunds, presumably, are available at the point of purchase.

• Local singer-songwriter Ellen M. Wilson will have a release party for her new album at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 23 at Ardovino's Desert Crossing.

She'll have quite the supporting cast, including pianist Ruben Gutierrez, drummer Ricky Malichi, guitarist Armin Harrison and bassist David Harrison.

"We have some wonderful surprises planned for the event," says Wilson, who is on the music faculty at UTEP.

She'll play songs from the album, funded in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts. 

Wilson also will perform at Ardovino's on July 28 and the Charles Motel and Hot Springs Spa in Truth or Consequences on Aug. 11.

 

 

 

 

Show update: Princesses rule in next Disney on Ice show

The folks at Disney on Ice will bring one of their newest shows, "Dare to Dream," to the Coliseum for nine performances in October.

"Disney on Ice: Dare to Dream" brings together that really long-haired Rapunzel from "Tangled," Princess Tiana from "The Princess and the Frog," one of their biggest stars, Cinderella, and their male love interests in what producers are hyping as "magical, musical journey that all begins with a fateful kiss."

It's the first time the ice show, which debuted in 2011, will come to the Sun City. Feld Entertainment's Disney on Ice usually routes a show through town every fall.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3-5 and noon, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6-7.

Tickets are $15, $21, $26, $35 and $45, on sale at 10 a.m. Aug. 18 at the box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

Presales start at 10 a.m. Aug. 7 and run through 11:59 p.m. Aug. 17.

Concert update: Kaskade after party at Plum

As if playing to a full house tonight at Buchanan's isn't enough, American DJ, producer and dance music artist Kaskade will follow that by performing at the after party at Plum City Lounge.

The El Buch's show, part of his breakout "Freaks of Nature" tour, has been sold out for nearly three weeks.

Act fast and you can catch him at the Plum in the Union Plaza district.

Tickets are $30, plus service charges, on sale for about four more hours at eventbrite.com.

The Buchanan's show starts at 9; doors for the after-party open at 10 p.m.

 

Concert update (Bobby Fuller edition): Who, Atmosphere, Pennywise, PCFF and more

Today is the 46th anniversary of the mysterious death of Bobby Fuller, the El Paso rocker who had a huge hit with "I Fought the Law" and died too young.

Today's post is in honor of his memory and what might have been had his life not been cut too short.

The Who, the explosive British band that formed in 1964, two years before Fuller's death, announced plans today for a 36-cty American tour.

It doesn't include an El Paso stop, unfortunately, but that's no surprise. I don't think the band ever played here.

One of the nice things about living near Detroit for so many years is that I got to see the post-Keith Moon Who on every tour from 1983 to 2008, when I moved back home to El Paso, and I flew back to the Motor City to see their last tour in 2009.

The Who, or the Half Who as I call them, will embark on their tour Nov. 1 in Sunrise, FL. The first leg will cover 20 cities through Dec. 9, mostly in the South, East and Midwest.

A second, 16-show run starts Jan. 28 in Los Angeles and ends Feb. 26 in Providence, R.I., including a Feb. 6 stop at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale near Phoenix.

There are no Texas dates.

The band will perform their 1973 album "Quadrophenia" in its entirety, something they did with great results on tours in 1996 and '97. In fact, most of the Who shows I'd seen prior to that were disappointing, in part because their main creative force, Pete Townshend, seemed disconnected, as if he wasn't enjoying himself.

That changed on those "Quadrophenia" tours. He seemed energized by the chance to bring the album to life again, something they struggled with in the early '70s.

Those "Quadrophenia" tours, with footage from the film version, helped flesh out the story of the uncertain teen who had pieces of the personalities of singer Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle, drummer Moon and guitarist Townshend.

For this tour, Townshend and Daltrey, the only surviving members, are promising some of their "anthems," as Townshend put it in today's announcement, and some surprises, which he said Daltrey will choose.

This version of the touring band will be pretty much the one they've used for the last several years, including drummer Zak Starkey, Ringo Starr's son and a Moon disciple, bassist Pino Pallodino, Townshend's brother Simon Townshend on guitar and vocals, plus newer additions Chris Stainton (of Grease Band fame) on keyboards,  Loren Gold on keys and vocals and musical director Frank Simes on keys and vocals.

Tickets go on sale July 20.

To coincide with the tour announcement, the band has arranged to show a new documentary, "Quadrophenia: Can You See the Real Me?" at 8 p.m. July 24 at theaters across the country, including Cinemark's Tinseltown, Cielo Vista and West theaters in El Paso.

Tickets are $12.50, $11.50 for students and seniors and $10.50 for children at the theaters or online at cinemark.com or fathomevents.com.

In other music news:

• Innovative hip-hop act Atmosphere returns, this time for its first show at Tricky Falls. I Self Devine and Carnage will open the Sept. 25 show. Doors are at 7, music starts at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $20, on sale July 20 at All City, All That Music & Video, Happy House, the Headstand, holdmyticket.com and zanytickets.com.

Also, tickets for that Pennywise show on Oct. 16 at Tricky are $21 in advance, $25 day of show.

They're on sale at All That Music & Video, Bowie Feathers, Maria's Closet and holdmyticket.com.

Street Dogs will open.

• The guys at SMG Events, who will stage the second Sun City Music Festival over Labor Day weekend at Ascarate Park, are busy doing club shows. In addition to Tuesday's Kaskade show at Buchanan's Event Center, the EDM promoters will host a Neon Foam Party with Sydney Blu and Steve Duda at 9 p.m. July 28 at the club.

Tickets are $11, plus service charges, at Happy House, the Headstand and groovetickets.com.

SMG also is bringing Dayglow's latest paint party tour, the Electronic Never Dies tour, back for another colorful stop on Sept. 13 at Buchanan's. Ticket info has not been announced yet.

• Fallen Tree Productions, who brought the silent disco to this year's Neon Desert Music Festival and El Paso Downtown Street Festival, are at it again.

They'll have Johnny Kage and Ace provide the dance beats to headphone wearing booty shakers at 10 p.m. July 20 at the Plum City Lounge in the Union Plaza entertainment district.

• The El Paso Museum of Art will show four movies featuring costume designs by the legendary Edith Head in conjunction with the Plaza Classic Film Festival exhibit there, "Designing Woman: Edith Head at Paramount."

The free movies will start with "Roman Holiday" on July 21, followed by "A Place in the Sun" on July 28, "A New Kind of Love" on Aug. 18 and "Cinderfella" on Aug. 25. All screenings will be at 2 p.m. in the EPMA's auditorium.

They are in addition to some readers theater versions of "Sabrina Fair" (the first act will be read at 7 p.m. July 19, the second at 7 p.m. July 26) and "This Property is Condemned" (2 p.m. Aug. 5).

The Head exhibit, which features costumes and Head ephemera from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Paramount archives, and "Reel Glamour," which features costume jewelry from the archives, will be up through Sept. 11.

• Speaking of PCFF, Mary Badham, who played Scout in "To Kill a Mockingbird," will be on hand to talk about the movie when it's shown at 7 p.m. Aug. 9 at the Plaza Theatre.

Tickets are $8.

She joins a high-profile list of special guests at this year's Aug. 2-12 festival, including Al Pacino, who'll perform his "One Night Only" one-man show on Aug. 4, plus Tippi Hedren (who'll introduce "The Birds" on Aug. 10 and "Marnie" on Aug. 11) and Eva Marie Saint (who'll discuss "North by Northwest" on Aug. 2 and "On the Waterfront" on Aug. 3).

Tickets for all of those events are on sale at the Plaza Theatre box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

• El Paso experimental power rock trio Antigone will tout their second album, "Jouissance," with a release party Aug. 4 at the House of Rock Live on Viscount. 

There's no cover.

Thieves of Always and March of Chronos will open.

 

Theater review: Strong voices, set elevate weak material of 'Metropolis'

 Here's C.B. Goldsmith's review of UTEP Dinner Theatre's final show of its 29th season, a musical version of "Metropolis," which continues with performances Wednesday through July 22.

By C.B. Goldsmith

Few films are as powerful and iconic as "Metropolis," the 1927 silent classic by Fritz Lang.  It matched visual power with its philosophical take on a world where the oppressors literally live and lord over the workers they oppress.

To make it into a musical is problematic from the start. There is just too much gravitas to overcome. “Metropolis” tells of a future society where the elite live above ground in skyscrapers; while the workers toil underground manning the machines that power the lives of the rich. The themes of workers exploited by the Industrial Revolution and driven to revolt profoundly reflect the early 1900s perfectly.

Its message resonates today, but mounting it as a musical is daunting at best. The book and lyrics by Joe Brooks and Dusty Hughes and Brooks' music rarely live up to Lang’s seminal work, playing up the romantic elements, notably a love story between a female worker and her boss' son. It lacks great songs and the music is mostly snoozy '80s synth-pop.

Because the music and words often fall short, the musical is one tough choice for an amateur production. The UTEP Dinner Theater production, which continues through July 22, succeeds in spite of the play’s limitations.

There's  much to recommend, particularly the singing, which is magnificent. The best of singers is Troy Taylor as Freeman, the leader of the above-ground Elitists, who enslave the workers and command the machines. Taylor’s voice soared and rumbled on every song, though his acting was slightly less impressive.

Frank Montes de Oca III also has a wonderful voice. His songs “The Sun,” which opened Act II, “Listen to Me” were standouts. He was joined on the latter song by Taelon Stonecipher, who gave a fine performance as Freeman’s disillusioned son Steven. Stonecipher’s acting was terrific. Vocally, he started a bit slowly, but he soon matched Taylor and Montes de Oca for impacting raw power.

Such is the nature of strong talent that it can overcome an average musical’s songs, which brings me to this Greg Taylor-directed production's saving grace, Josey Mitchell. She plays Maria, the leader of the workers. Mitchell lifts this material toward the clouds. Not only was her voice magnificent, but the pathos and humanity of her acting was heartbreakingly beautiful. Her Maria is both the enemy of the machine and the love interest of both Freeman and his son. 

To control the workers, the evil Freeman has her captured and her face is electronically transplanted by a mad scientist to the first of an army of robots intended to replace the mortal workers. This character, Futura, is diametrically different from the Madonna-like Maria, but Mitchell gives her a vivacity and  reach that are astounding. 

Her Futura costume and dance number were far and away the best examples of clothing design and choreography in the show. Scenic and lighting designer Michael L. Spence's sets soared and are by themselves almost reason enough to see this show. Each time a new set was revealed, the audience gasped and applauded. His lighting design was sublime and the stagecraft of the crew seemed flawless.

The music was well played perfectly by the band, led by Patricia Ann Provencio. But at times, unfortunately, their fine playing was amplified so loudly that it overwhelmed the more subtle of the voices and chorus. This was palpable in several songs when voices connected at the end, just as the band’s volume was fading. 

"Metropolis’" one great song is “It’s Only Love/Bring on the Night,” a haunting duet that showcased the powerful voices of Mitchell and Stonecipher and hinted at what the writers could have made out of this musical.

Producer and director Taylor, who directed UDT's two previous productions of the musical, deserves credit for shaping and pulling so much from the weak material. It has its problems, including some weak acting, costumes and choreography. This is one case where its talented, workmanlike cast wins out.

Taste is subjective and perhaps I love the film of “Metropolis” too much to give the musical “Metropolis” more latitude. I do believe audiences should be vastly entertained by the sum of these many fine parts.

 "Metropolis" concludes with performances at 7 p.m. July 18-21 and 2:30 p.m. July 22 (no meal served for final performance) at the UTEP Dinner Theatre, 207 Union West. Tickets are $14-$40. Information: 747-6060, academics.utep.edu/udt.

 

 

Theater review: EPCC's 'Spring Awakening' a powerful take on teen sexuality

Times theater reviewer C.B. Goldsmith checked out the EPCC Performers Studio production of "Spring Awakening," the Tony Award-winning musical that deals frankly with several uninformed teenagers coming to terms with sex. The third of its three productions this summer, it opened in June and returns to the EPCC Transmountain Forum Theatre July 26-29. Here's his review: 

By C.B. Goldsmith

Art, like life, is not easy. It grabs us, tosses us and can transform the way we view our world. 

“Spring Awakening” is just such art. 

The eight-time Tony Award-winning musical as presented by the El Paso Community College Performers Studio’s is powerfully provocative and moving theater.

Based upon Frank Wedekind's controversial 1892 sexuality play “Spring Awakening,” this important work is not easily described. First and foremost, it is a rock musical, though it's more like a rock opera. You will hear and feel music no less powerful than the Who’s “Tommy” and Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.”

 This is due to the monumental music of pop singer-songwriter Duncan Sheik and the lyrics and book by poet Steven Sater. They have done the implausible, creating a truly great musical built upon themes including teenage polysexuality, premarital sex, child abuse, abortion and suicide. 

Just how they spin this straw into musical theater gold is impressive in EPCC's fine production, which debuted last month and returns July 26-29 at the EPCC Transmountain Forum Theatre. It's the third and last installment of the summer rep season, and while none of the productions is open to children 7 and under, this one may not be suitable to children 13 and under.

It's not easy material, and it's hardly the stuff of which popular musicals are made. Set in Germany in the late 19th century, where a group of teenaged students try to deal with their sexual urges and curiosities without the knowledge and tenderness they need. There are fatal results.

The alchemist in charge of shepherding all this is Keith Townsend, EPCC's gifted speech and drama teacher, who runs the summer program. Not only has he designed an inspired, flexible set, but he directs with an able, exacting eye, leaving no detail left unattended. He's sensitive to the material without sensationalizing its sometimes uncomfortable elements.

Casting Sebastian Orozco in the lead role of Melchior, the most sexually informed of this group of kids, Townsend sets the play on broad and talented shoulders. Orozco has a powerful, beautiful voice. His acting was  commanding, and subtly touching when required. He drove this production with his great voice and effortless physicality; no more so than in the rock anthem “Totally F******.” 

As fine as Orozco is, he's just one in a strong ensemble cast. There were wonderful performances by Doris Velez and Juan Apodaca. She was her usual mesmerizing and irrepressible self as the heartbreaking Wendla. She and the charismatic Apodaca play doomed characters, but they are the soul of this show. Together or alone they break and rebreak your heart with sympathetic acting and lovely, plaintive singing. When Apodaca tears into the song “The B**** of Living,” his pain is palpable.

The other star of this show is the chorus. Called simply the Girls and the Boys, they raised the roof with their powerful, gifted voices. The show’s many great songs are driven by Orozco, Velez and Apodaca, but were made transcendent by the singings and dancing of the chorus behind them.

Jamie Salazar's Martha not only illuminated the shamed victimization of an abused child, but her voice was dynamic as she joined Camille Acosta and the Girls in the achingly beautiful song “The Dark I Know Well.” Acosta’s portrayal of Ilsa was one performance I will not soon forget from this show. Her acting was spot-on and her rich, mighty voice pounded hearts. She was astonishing.

Joel Anguiano turned in a flawless performance as the evil teacher Knochenbruch, which Ashleigh Davis' work as Melchior's mother, Frau Gabor, was on-target.

Musical director Cody Ritchey drove the powerful band which provided musical muscle to the action. Just as with EPCC’s fine spring show, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," integrating the band onstage made added power to the production. The band members were not only talented rockers, they played with subtlety, too.

Irma Acosta's choreography is both show-stopping and minutely moving. Her Boys were athletic yet natural; her Girls charismatically powerful.

Acosta and Townsend take the inherent sexuality that was the equivalent of an NC-17 rating on Broadway and softened it for the local audience, delivering it a manner that was somewhat chaste, but sensual and provocative.

 Performances will be at 8 p.m. July 26-28 and 2:30 p.m. July 29 in the EPCC Transmountain Forum Theatre. Tickets are $15, $10 for military and non-EPCC students, $7 for seniors and EPCC students and staff. Information: 831-5056. 

 

 

Concert update: Fixed Idea, Cigarettes After Sex, Neon Paint, Snake Charmer and more

Two of the bands that will be performing at this year's Plaza Classic Film Festival are about to go on tour.

Ska punk band Fixed Idea, celebratings its 20th anniversary this year, will kick off a tour at 9 p.m. July 17 at the House of Rock on Viscount.

The band is heading west, including a performance at the 40-band Los Angeles Skacore Invasion festival on July 28.

The band, which released a live CD last month, will perform at the PCFF on Aug. 3 in the Arts Festival Plaza, followed by a free showing of "Shine a Light," the Martin Scorsese concert doc that catches the Rolling Stones, another band celebrating an anniversary in concert, at 9 p.m. The Stones turn 50 on July 12.

Also, Cigarettes After Sex, bassist Greg Gonzalez's collective, will release a new EP on Aug. 31 at the Lowbrow Palace.

They'll precede that with a string of local dates, including July 20 and 25 at the Lowbrow and July 22 at the Hoppy Monk, before heading out to shows in Austin, Fort Worth, Arlington, San Diego, LA and Santa Monica in late July and early August.

CAS will headline the PCFF's free concert series on Aug. 10, before a free 9 p.m. showing of "Elvis on Tour."

In other concert news:

• The Party Boyz, LoveRance, Beat King, Rob E, Trend and LRAC perform at Hot 103's Summer Jam 2K12 on July 13 at Wet-N-Wild Waterworld.

Call 726.5808 for more info.

• The water park also will host a Neon Paint Party at 8 p.m. July 14. Hooknsling headlines, with performances by Omar Garnica, Aphpunk and Dottkom. 

Tickets are $15 in advance at holdmyticket.com, $20 at the gate.

• Mother-daughter bellydance duo Snake Charmer and the Belly Dancer will stage their "The Arabesque 2012" show at 7 p.m. July 14 at the Scottish Rite Temple Theatre.

It will feature performances by Spain's Silvia Salamanca, Rose Harden and Surreyva Hada of Dangerous Beauties and others.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door, on sale at Bedazzled in Sunland Park My Place Store in Las Cruces and the box office the night of the sho.

Salamanca, Harden and Hada also will conduct workshops on July 14 and 15.

Call 691.1938 for more info.

 

 

PCFF Update: Pacino, movie tix on sale July 13; 'E.T.,' 'Manos' restoration added

Tickets for the fifth annual Plaza Classic Film Festival events, including an appearance by Al Pacino, will go on sale at 10 a.m. July 13.

Pacino, as you may have heard, will give his one-man show, "Al Pacino: One Night Only," at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 4 at the Plaza Theatre.

He'll talk about his career in film and theater, show clips from many of his films (which include "Scarface" and the "Godfather" trilogy) and a few unreleased rarities.

His appearance is also the kickoff of an effort to retire the $13 million the festival's producer, the El Paso Community Foundation, owes on the $24 million it borrowed to help restore the 1930 movie palace in 2006.

It's also the start of an effort to raise an addtional $10 million to start an endowment fund to help pay for repairs and improvements at the historic Downtown theater.

Tickets for Pacino's appearance are $65 and $125, on sale at 10 a.m. July 13 at the box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

A limited number of $1,000 "golden tickets," which include admission to a reception for Pacino after his performance, will be available only from the El Paso Community Foundation by calling 533.4020.

Two of his films will be shown during the 11-day festival, which kicks off Aug. 2. "Dog Day Afternoon" will be screened at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 3, and "Looking for Richard," the "Richard III" documentary he directed, at 1 p.m. Aug. 4.

Both will be in the Philanthropy Theatre. Tickets are $4 for each.

Meanwhile, the festival is expected to screen about 80 films, four of which will feature appearances by actresses who starred in them. Tippi Hedren will speak before screenings of her two films with Alfred Hitchcock, "The Birds" (7 p.m. Aug. 10, $8) and "Marnie" (3 p.m. Aug. 11, $6), both in the Plaza.

Eva Marie Saint will be on hand to talk about her work on Hitchcock's "North by Northwest" at 7 p.m. Aug. 2 in the Plaza, the festival's unofficial kickoff and sponsor appreciation, with a limited number of public tickets at $20. 

Saint also will talk about her work with Marlon Brando and others on "On the Waterfront," showing at 7 p.m. Aug. 3 ($8) in the big house.

About 80 films in all will be shown, which will mark the centennials of Paramount Pictures and Universal Studios while celebrating foreign, art, cult, crime, horror, war, documentaries, locally made and music movies.

That includes the premiere of Ben Solovey's digitally restored print of the El Paso-made 1966 horror film "Manos: The Hands of Fate," considered one of the worst movies ever made.

It will be shown at 10 p.m. Aug. 4, after Pacino's appearance, and will include a conversation with cast member Jackey Neyman-Jones, who's flying in from Portland, Ore. Tickets are $6.

Among the major titles booked for the popularly 7 p.m. time slot is the recently announced 30th anniversary edition of "E.T. — The Extra-Terrestrial," which will be shown with film pioneer George Melies' "A Trip to the Moon," at 7 p.m. Aug. 8 in the Plaza ($8).

Other confirmed "tentpole" titles are the world premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's restored Biblical epic "Samson and Delilah" (3 p.m. Aug. 12, $6), Gene Kelly in "An American in Paris" (7 p.m. Aug. 11, $8), Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (7 p.m. Aug. 6, $8), Steve McQueen  in the WWII actioner "The Great Escape" (7 p.m. Aug. 7, $8), Gregory Peck's sterling turn in "To Kill a Mockingbird" (7 p.m. Aug. 9, $8) and festival closer "The Sting," with Paul Newman and Robert Redford as con men (7 p.m. Aug. 12, $8).

The festival, which drew 37,000 people last year, will offer a variety of other films, including the 1954 Japanese film "Godzilla," Jean-Luc Godard's "Belle Du Jour," the Marx Brothers' "Duck Soup," the Coen Brothers' "The Big Lebowski," "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and several Carole Lombard films, including "My Man Godfrey" and "Love Before Breakfast."

Local films will be shown at the Philanthropy and El Paso Museum of Art auditorium, though titles haven't been announced yet. Jeff Berg of the Mesilla Valley Film Society will introduce two programs of local interest, one culled from local contributions to the annual Texas Film Round-Up, the other highlighting films shot in West Texas.

Local film historian and collector Jay Duncan will introduce seven short films by pioneer filmmaker George Melies, the subject of Martin Scorsese's recent "Hugo," including "A Trip to the Moon."

Music movies and comedies return Friday and Saturday nights to the Arts Festival Plaza and Thursdays to the top floor of the Mills Plaza Parking ramp.

Scorsese's 2006 Rolling Stones concert film "Shine a Light" (Aug. 3), the fourth annual showing of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (Aug. 4), "Elvis on Tour" (Aug. 10) and the 1966 surf classic "The Endless Summer" (Aug. 11) will be shown at 9 p.m. on the inflatable screen in the AFP. They're free.

I was asked to book local bands to play in front of those movies, so this year's first El Paso Times Presents series will feature ska punks Fixed Idea, celebrating their 20th anniversary, on Aug. 3, sibling trio the Iveys on Aug. 4, rock collective Cigarettes After Sex on Aug. 10 and Johnny Costello's new duo, Glass Tables, on Aug. 11. They'll go on at 7 p.m.

"Tommy" (Aug. 2) and "Monty Python's the Meaning of Life" (Aug. 9) will show at 9 p.m. atop the Mills Plaza. I booked the Late Nite Social Club DJ collective to provide the musical backdrop before and after the movies. Admission is $5 and beer and alcohol will be served up there this year.

There's a lot more, of course. Go to plazaclassic.com for a schedule and rundown of the films.

Tickets for all but the free movies will be for sale at the Plaza Theatre box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

Remember, service charges apply.

 

Tickets for J.R. Martinez appearance on sale at International Art Museum

Tickets are on sale for next month's International Museum of Art gala featuring actor, dancer and motivational speaker J.R. Martinez.

Martinez, who won ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" last year, will speak at the dinner at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 17 at the Camino Real hotel.

Tickets are $100, including dinner, on sale at the museum at 1211 Montana or by phone, 543.6747.

Proceeds will go toward the replacement of the deteriorating air-conditioning system in the historic building, formerly the Turnley mansion and first home of the El Paso Museum of Art.

Martinez is the effervescent Iraq war veteran who charmed "Dancing With the Stars" audiences on a weekly basis, winning its Mirror Ball trophy in 2011.

The 29-year-old Louisiana native was an Army infantryman when the Humvee he was driving in Iraq hit an improvised explosive device. He suffered burns to 40 percent of his body, and his face was disfigured.

Martinez spent 34 months at the Brooke Army Medical Center burn center in San Antonio. He's had 33 surgeries, including skin grafts.

He became a motivational speaker by accident after a nurse at the San Antonio hospital asked him to offer some encouragement to a fellow burn patient.

In 2008, he landed a role on the ABC daytime soap opera "All My Children." 

Martinez's newest project is daughter Lauryn Anabelle,  born May 2.