Woog’s Web World

Eric Burns spent the bulk of his career as an Emmy-winning media critic, and a non-fiction writer on subjects like the social history of alcohol, the 1st years of American journalism and television’s impact on America in the 1950s.

Eric Burns

Now Eric’s turned his attention to plays. His 1st effort — “Mid-Strut” — involves a charming, prosperous man in his mid-50s who is given less than a year to live.  He wants to reconnect with a majorette he lusted after more than 3 decades earlier — though he’s not sure “lust” is still the operative word.

After readings in New York  (Richard Thomas was the lead) and the prestigious Eudora Welty New Play Series, it opened recently at the Pittsburgh Playhouse.

All 14 performances were sellouts.

Gordon Spencer praised: “Playwright Burns has given us memorable portraits of real people dealing with the vagaries of real life…and death.”

Burns, he says, is “old enough, wise enough and skilled enough to know about the complexities of human behavior and to convey them in intelligent, natural dialogue, sometimes peppered with wry humor.”

No wonder Eric Burns is strutting proudly.

Achorn’s will soon decamp Main Street, for Playhouse Square. It’s been a downtown fixture for 85 years.

Liquor Locker is leaving too, for Compo Shopping Center.

Soon, the only independently owned businesses on Main Street will be Oscar’s, Westport Pizzeria and Francois DuPont. A deli, pizza place and jewelers.

In the early 1960s you could find all this on that one little street:

Shilepsky’s Clothing
Country Gal Rico Beauty Salon
Klein’s Department Store
Townley Restaurant
Tracy’s Menswear
Hartman’s Hardware
Oakes Automotive Service
Barnum Travel
Melody House Music
Dress Box
Westlake Restaurant
Swerdling’s Bakery
Welch’s Hardware
Westport Food Center
Greenberg’s Department Store
Economy Liquors
Ben Franklin Store
Pickwick Gift Shop
Isabel Eland Shop
Dorain’s Drugs
Town & Country Shoes
Charles Food Shop
Linen Closet
Bill’s Smoke Shop
Westport Hardware
Country Bazaar
Gristede Brothers Grocers

Later came stores like Selective Eye and the African Room, and a dance club.

There was a gas station too, right where Vineyard Vines sits now.

Ah, progress.

Main Street, from the 1962 Staples yearbook.

In 10th grade at Staples, Mike Waxx — well, teachers called him by his real name, Mike Bowen — formed his own company.  Illroots promotes artists and provides graphic design for mixtapes. It’s a huge success, and Mike has used it as a springboard for other ventures.

With Mike Carson, he has created videos for Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music troupe (and others), released a clothing line (“IllAmerica”), and produced hit videos like Big Sean’s “Dance (A$$).”

Recently, Interview Magazine interviewed the 2 Mikes.

One question was about how Waxx started his 1st website. He answered:

My parents were really into different music—they had The Fugees’ albums and stuff like that, so they were a really good influence. Watching MTV and seeing Dr. Dre and Eminem’s video for “Forgot About Dre,” I felt like [making videos] was exactly what I wanted to be doing. That was my introduction.

But he was interested in videos long before that. For example:

All through middle school, I was really into videos. I wrote a movie script in sixth grade—it was pretty shitty, but it was a full, long script. I was really into it for a while, but I had some really bad video teachers in high school that didn’t encourage creativity, so I decided to go into design more. When I met up with Mike was when I got back into the video stuff. I knew video was the future of the Internet in terms of blog content—there aren’t really a lot of other sites creating their own original video content.

As for one of the biggest names he works with:

It’s funny—we linked up with Big Sean as college students. I remember one weekend in September of 2010, Sean had a show in Ohio, and we decided we would just go and try to connect with him, because this was before we knew him. So we got on the Megabus, went to the show, ended up meeting Sean and he was into what we were doing. Like two weeks later, his manager at the time reached out and said they wanted to do a music video for a song on Sean’s mixtape with Chiddy Bang. We had to throw this video together really quick, and we ended up shooting it on our friends’ rooftop, which was really spontaneous, but we ended up making it work. Now the video has like 10 million views, and that was just something we did in college.

And directing Nicki Minaj:

It was amazing. It was one of the greatest moments of my life! To see her in real life, walking into a room—I remember her in her old mixtape days when she was freestyling on The Come Up DVD, and now she’s up there with Madonna and Britney Spears and Lady Gaga. She really knew what she was doing—she’s a pro. She walked in there ready to put in work and do what she had to do. It worked out really well.

To read the entire Interview interview — including working with Spike Jonze, and where IllRoots is going — click here.

Mike Waxx (left) and Mike Carson. (Photo/Interview Magazine)

Former Westporter Patricia Driscoll recently wrote a mystery novel.

Shedding Light on Murder — set on Cape Cod — was released by Gale Cengage/Five Star a couple of weeks ago.

A friend of Patricia’s ordered a copy through Amazon. On Friday she settled down for a good read — and found herself in Pasadena.

The dust cover and hardcover bindings were Patricia’s book — but the pages contained a novel by another author.

There are several mysteries within this mystery novel. Did one other reader receive a different cover, with Patricia’s novel inside?

Have thousands of copies of Shedding Light on Murder turned into another book?

And where is former Westporter Rod Serling now that we really need him?

In 8th grade, Coleytown Middle School student Nick Vega’s aunt got sick. He helped the best way he knew how: playing piano at her nursing home.

The experience was so rewarding that when he got to Staples, he looked for ways to use his musical talent to help. He’s a busy 10th grader now — playing pit orchestra in “West Side Story,” as well as playing baseball and running track — so he asked his baseball teammate Ryder Chasin to help. Ryder also plays bass guitar and piano, sings, and is a member of the award-winning Staples Players drama troupe.

The idea was to form a group that entertains for any worthy organization that wants them. Nick rounded up musicians; Ryder got some Players — and Wreckers in Tune was born.

There are now more than 80 Stapleites. They’ve played at Mediplex (for elderly residents) and Toquet Hall (for the not-so-elderly).

Nick Vega and Ryder Chasin.

They play jazz, classical violin, and everything in between. They sing, and perform original material. Nick puts together a program, so everyone knows who’s who, and who’s doing what. There are 10 to 15 performers per show, depending on availability. Most shows are on Thursday nights.

After performances, they introduce themselves to the audience. “It’s a way to connect Staples with other generations,” Nick says.

They’re not in it for the money (though organizations can charge admission, to raise funds for themselves). “It’s just so rewarding to see people smiling,” Ryder says.

Interested in hiring Wreckers in Tune? Click on their website — www.wreckersintune.com — or contact Nick directly: n.vega333@gmail.com

Once upon a time, Sundance was special. It was where insiders went to find new, edgy, cool films. You’d walk the streets, bump into randoms, then hang out together in little bars and cafes.

Once upon a time, Facebook was small. You had to go Harvard (first), then an Ivy; even after it opened up a bit, you still had to be in college to join.

In 2012, both Sundance and Facebook have gone corporate.

And Emma Shannon was there to cover it all.

Emma Shannon

The 2002 Staples graduate was the on-camera reporter for “Chase Sapphire.” The premium reward card rented a house on Main Street, outfitted various rooms and floors with decor from famous films, then set up a Facebook product page to document it all.

Included were “video postcards” of people enjoying  “Chase Sapphire on Main,” an interviews with random celebrities and random common folk. Emma conducted all the interviews, in a perky, pleasant way.

If a big bank is going to bankroll Sundance — or at least horn in on the fun — it’s nice they’ve picked a pretty face like Emma to present to the world.

There’s so much going on at the Westport Public Library, it’s easy to miss — or gloss over — worthwhile events.

But this one seems even more worthy than most.

Bernard Kalb speaks next Monday (February 6, 7:30 p.m.).

Bernard Kalb

The noted journalist, author and former Assistant Secretary of State will describe accompanying President Nixon on that historic 1972 trip.  Kalb — an international correspondent for more than 3 decades with CBS, NBC and the New York Times — was part of a select group of journalists on the week-long trip.

He was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and spokesman for the State Department in 1984. He quit 2 years later to protest what he called a campaign of misinformation about Libyan leader Colonel Muammar al-Kaddafi by the Reagan administration.

Kalb and his brother, journalist Marvin Kalb, traveled extensively with Henry Kissinger on diplomatic missions. They wrote a biography together about him, and also co-authored The Last Ambassador, a novel about the collapse of Saigon in 1975.

During this century, China could become the most powerful nation on earth. On Monday, you can hear all about it from a man who was there — last century — when the country began to rejoin the rest of the world.

You may not be able to get your taxes down to Mitt Romney territory.

But — thanks to the Westport Human Services Department — seniors and low-to-moderate income households may lower their tax burden down to a reasonable number.

At the very least, they won’t have the stress of doing their taxes all by themselves.

While Mitt Romney has a host of accountants and attorneys helping him, Westporters can take advantage of the annual no-cost, full-service AARP/IRS Volunteer Tax Assistance program.

Tax preparation and electronic filing of state and federal taxes are offered at 2 locations, beginning next Wednesday (February 1). The program ends April 16.

Wednesday appointments are available at the Senior Center (9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.); call 203-341-5099.  Monday appointments are available at Town Hall (2:30 to 6:30 p.m.); call 203-341-1050.

Last year, thanks to the Human Services/AARP partnership, almost 300 returns were prepared and filed (almost all electronically). Over $200,000 in refunds we returned to local residents.

More information may be obtained by calling the Westport Human Services Department at 203-341-1050.