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”
