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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 1995)
I Photo courtesy of Black Top Records Terrance Simien (above) is one of many performers who will be at this year’s July Jamm, July 28-30, in Downtown Lincoln. By Ann Stack Staff Reporter Downtown Lincoln will be the site for another weekend festival, thi s time of the artistic nature. July Jamm ’95 is back and in its fourth season. The three-day summer arts festival features fine arts, theme food and music. July Jamm is sponsored by the Lin coln Journal-Star and produced by the Updowntowners and will begin July 28 at 11 a.m. It will be held at an L shaped site at 12th and N streets. Communications Chair Suzi Shugert said that the festival just keeps getting bigger and better. Most of the events are returning from previous Jamms, only on a larger scale. The fine arts display, featuring paintings, jewelry, ceramics and sculp tures, will be located in tents along N Street. Prices on the crafts will range from just a few dollars to as much as a few hundred dollars. There are 24 featured artists this year from all around the Midwest, including seven artists from Lincoln, ^ The Kid5?j$aff8#Ts back fof'fhe second year with a mini-grant pro vided by the Lincoln Arts Council. The Kidz Jamm runs from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday and features such activities as the Pancake Man, a Kiddie Tractor Pull, a sand castle bui Iding contest and Paint the Town, a popular event which gives kids an opportunity to paint how they view downtown Lincoln’s buildings, Shugert said. Spotlighted performers for children’s entertainment includes Heart of the Motherland Dancers, au thor Nancy Duncan and the Sunshine Generation Choir. Calypso, jazz, blue grass, big band, reggae and even comedy are just some of the sounds that will be coming from the main stage over the weekend. Headlining acts on Friday are the blues-based Charlie Musselwhite and zydeco R&B artist Terrance Simien. Also performing all day Friday are groups such as Cool Riddum, The Carpetbaggers, Not All There and comedian Juli Burney. Bluesman Luther Allison headlines Saturday’s main stage, with all-day world music provided by groups such as McCool’s Comer, an Irish folk band, and the polka/ethnic rock group Brave Combo. Headliners take the stage at 9:30 p.m. The music continues Sunday with more blues by The Toasted Ponies and The Mighty Jailbreakers. Head * lining calypso act Caribe will take the stage at 2:30 p.m. Maintaining the “world” theme, 22 food vendors will be stationed through out the festival site. Providing suste nance for the duration of July Jamm are businesses such as It’s the Pits, Papa John’s, Falk’s Classic Home made Ice Cream, Maize ‘n Stuff, The Cajun Booth, Taj Mahal Cuisine of India, Milimishi Inc. and a wine booth. Shugert said that each vendor’s entry was taste-tested by a screening jury before they were allowed to make an exhibit. Artists also had to submit their work before a screening commit tee in order to participate in July Jamm. Shugert added that there was going to be someone on site creating ice sculptures. New this year to July Jamm is a Culinary Showcase, which features Lincoln chefs at their best. - “The Culinary Showcase is one of are most exciting new events,” Shugert said. “Area chefs will take half-hour intervals to demonstrate their talents.” Afterwards, Shugert said, the chefs will hand out their recipes. Admission to the July Jamm is free until 7 p.m., when a $3 cover charge will be administered. The festival is expected to draw more than 30,000 fans, Shugert said. ‘Basketball Diaries ’film, of staying in game of life Film: “The Basketball Diaries” Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Ernie Hudson Director: Scott Kalvert Rated: R Grade: B Five Words: “Hoop Dreams” meets “Naked Lunch*’. Chad Johnson Staff Reporter ~ Leonardo DiCaprio impressed the public with his performance in “What ’ s Eating Gilbert Grape?” He continues to pad his resume with another great performance in “The Basketball Dia ries,” in which he plays poet Jim Carroll. Apparently Jim Carroll survived a series of increasingly harrowing chal lenges to become a Kerouac-like beat poet. He faced the challenges of stay ing on a winning inner-city basketball team, then a rigid Catholic School, and finally addiction to heroin to be come a voice of the lost souls and highly admired after his clean-up stay at Ryker’s Island. Unfortunately for DiCaprio, his supporting cast does not quite mea sure up. Mark Wahlberg (aka “Marky Mark”) tries to lend a hand in a sup porting role as the athletic team leader and all-around bad boy, but is better suited to being an athletic supporter. Bruno Kirby — what can you say about Bruno Kirby except for the fact that he is probably the best guy to play a weasel this side of James Spader. One supporting player that does deserve recognition is the omnipres ent Ernie Hudson. His portrayal as Reggie, Jim’s playground, one-on-one opponent in games where they do not keep score and who tries to clean him up by making him go cold turkey, is an excellent performance. Director Scott Kalvert guides the film respectably. He draws good per formances from his main talent and has enough fun with the photography to draw the viewer into the world of the Junkie. His pacing on the cutting of the film is quick and light as Jim starts out, then slows down and be comes dark and somber as Jim de scends into the world of junk, addicts and shooting galleries. The big “pop” of the film is that it lets the viewer make a decision whether Jim Carroll is to be respected for his work as a poet because he survived addiction, or his work should be con demned for its indirect glorification of the drug scene. Penance or redemption? See the film, make the call. Photo courtesy of New Line Cinema Leonardo DiCaprio stars as aspiring writer Jim Carroll in “The Basketball Diaries”