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A quote by

“I somewhere along the way became fascinated with exploring characters who are willing to put themselves into violent situations, whether it's football, hockey, boxing, being a cop, being a soldier. There's not a lot of people who are willing to put themselves into those situations.”

Director Peter Berg, has the movie, Battleship based on a board game, in theaters now.

N e w s l e t t e r

Battleship Could Have Sunk, But Good Plot Twists Keep It AfloatBy Art Byrd

Battleship is one of my all-time favorite board games. I love that you have no idea where the opponent’s battleships are on the grid and you have to keep calling out numbers until you hit a battleship. Now we have a movie based somewhat on the board game.

I was wondering how they would translate the object of the game to the big screen. Overall, Battleship is a good action film, but it has all the clichés: corny dialogue, the bad boy and the beautiful girl who fall in love, and a predictable plot-ending.

The bad boy/genius is Alex Hopper, played by Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights, John Carter). He’s aimless in life and does stupid things like breaking to a closed convenience store to get the beautiful girl he just met a chicken burrito. Yet this guy will become a naval genius.

The beautiful woman is Sam Shane, played by Brooklyn Decker (Just Go With It). It just so happens that she’s the daughter of Admiral Shane, played by Liam Neeson (Taken). Not only is he the leader of the entire fleet, Shane already doesn't like Hopper and feels he’s a screw-up.

The storyline goes like this: a NASA project beams out a signal to the universe to make contact with friendly aliens. Some aliens get the message and decide to come to Earth, but not in a friendly way.

Battleship is directed by Peter Berg (The Kingdom), who is a by-the-seat-of-his-pants director. His choice of singer Rihanna as a weapons specialist takes product placement to a new level.

A Byrd’s Eye View

ABOUT FILMS, TV, ARTS AND EVENTS IN THE VALLEY

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The aliens and their spaceships are stationed in big cities all over the world. We’ve never seen that before in “destroy Earth movies” (wink, wink)! One big ship lands in the ocean near Hawaii. Of course, Hopper’s Navy ship and the fleet are in that vicinity. The fleet is involved in naval games which include countries like Japan. The big Alien ship starts to attack the naval ships, which fire back. The aliens take out some of the naval ships, then put up a force field where other ships can't get through.

There is a scene where the aliens and the naval ship can’t see each other within the force field. The naval ship figures out a way to fire on the spaceship by bouncing sound waves off buoys in the water. They call out coordinates like in the popular board game. An interesting plot twist.

In the movie, there are lots of sub-plots going on. Sam, who is a physical therapist, is trying to help a reluctant veteran soldier, Mick (Gregory D. Gadson), who's lost both of his legs. During a hike up a mountain, Sam and Mick come upon a satellite base. Scientist Cal Zapata, played by Hamish Linklater (The Big C), works at the satellite base where the aliens want to transmit a signal to call for more aliens. I was thinking -- why do they need to call for more aliens, they’re already kicking Earth’s butt! The mission becomes to stop the aliens from using the satellites to phone home like their friend ET.

The special effects were huge yet amazing. The aliens were okay. What saves Battleship from sinking was that there were some cool plot twists. Yet, it was predictable that the hero Hopper would find the weakness within the unstoppable alien force.

Battleship wraps up into a nice cinematic bow in a ceremony where the dead are honored and heroes are given medals. I would like to see one movie where the aliens who come to destroy Earth actually do it. But that won’t happen in Hollywood; the aliens will come here and cause mass destruction, and our cinematic hero will find a way just in time to kick their intergalactic butts.

Battleship is a big-budget action movie that offers a plot we’ve seen in a least 10 other movies.It may be worth a big screen look because of the special effects, but the rest of the movie may be a DVD wait. Be forewarned, there’s a chance that after the movie you may have the urge to sink someone’s battleship!

Volunteers Needed for 14th Annual Summer Festival of the Arts

The Summer Festival of the Arts takes place July 7 and 8 at Youngstown State University.

Volunteers are needed for artist registration, information booths, in the children's hands-on art tent, for technical assistance at performance sites and at the Festival of Nations international area.

Each volunteer receives a Festival t-shirt, cold water and reserved free parking.

Interested individuals or teachers advising service organizations may obtain an application by calling 330-941-2307, emailing lafactor@ysu.edu, or logging on to www.ysu.edu/sfa for a downloadable form.

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Shellabella’s Shines in Columbiana By Monnie RyanTo read the full version of this review, visit http://mahoningvalleyeats.blogspot.com

Quick: When was the last time you found a cozy cafe-type restaurant that has a full bar? Would you believe we found one in downtown Columbiana? My husband Jack and I "discovered" Shellabella’s on Main courtesy of an offer by MyValleyDining.com, which offers gift certificates for various products and services at a roughly 50% discount. But even though a $25 gift certificate cost me something like $10, I still worried. Would the food be worth the trip?

The answer is, you bet! As soon as we tried the food, we knew we’d be back. Add in that full bar, and the deal was sealed.

The menu surprised us a bit; not only is it fairly extensive, it features quite a few things that are unique, at least to us. For openers, we considered deep fried Asiago olives with bistro sauce ($6.29), breaded fried pickles with dill sauce ($6.29) and a "Yummy Roll" ($6.99). The latter, described as a deep-fried egg roll wrapper with cream cheese and a southwest cheesy chicken mixture covered with garlic ranch sauce, was just too tempting to pass up.

Dinner entrees are all over the map, from steaks to chicken and fish to Italian dishes - most in the $10.99 to $15.99 range. Our visit was at lunchtime, though, so we just weren’t that hungry.

First, we perused the daily lunch specials, and while the decision was tough, I opted for a hot spinach, garlic and chicken croissant with gourmet cheese, chopped chicken, garlic mushrooms, feta, mozzarella and fresh spinach on a grilled croissant roll ($8.79). I chose fries instead of cole slaw, although for a buck more I could have upgraded to other sides like sweet potato fries.

Jack's pick - Jim's portabella and chicken melt with balsamic dressing at $8.49) - was from the regular lunch menu. For his side, he went with the Vidalia onion viniagrette slaw.

At the outset, we learned that the Yummy Roll couldn't have a better name, except perhaps "out of this world" roll. It's crispy on the outside and ooey-gooey on the inside, sort of reminiscent of crab rangoon except with chicken flavor. Fabulous!

Both our sandwiches were unusually good, a tribute, I suppose, to the slightly outside-the-box ingredients in many of the dishes here as well. Our sandwiches were so good, in fact, that we departed from our tradition of taking half of our sandwiches home for later and stuffed down both halves even on top of that Yummy Roll.

Admittedly, we ran into a couple of minor glitches early on, including being "forced" to switch to a different beer because the Yuengling tap wasn't working properly. On the plus side, though, the short beers are served in exceptionally frosty mugs – and that will get my attention every time.

If you go: Shellabella's On Main, 108 S. Main St., Columbiana, Ohio; 330-482-1700.

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WHAT÷S HAPPENING AROUND THE VALLEY: JUNE 8TH — 16TH

Friday, June 8th Guitarist and Singer Jim Scott in ConcertPresented by the First Unitarian Universalist Church, 1105 Elm St., on the at 6:30 p.m. Jim Scott is a former member of the Paul Winter Consort. For tickets or more information, call 330-746-3067.  

Saturday, June 9th & Sunday, June 10th Summer Market by Artists of the Rust Belt Local art, music, brew and food at the B&O Station, 530 Mahoning Ave, Youngstown. The market gets underway at 12 noon both days. Admission is $1. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the SMARTS (Student Motivated By The Arts) program at Youngstown State University.

Sunday, June 10th Youngstown Area Community Band Concert Free event presented at Firestone Park, 347 East Park Ave., Columbiana, at 2 p.m. The band will perform patriotic music, musical music, sailing songs and soul music. For more information, call 330-482-3822.  

Annual Feast Day Concert Free event presented at St. Columba Cathedral, 154 West Wood St., Youngstown, at 6 p.m., traditional Celtic music with Cead Mile Failte, under the direction of Paul Kirk.  For more information, call 330-744-5233. 

Tuesday, June 12th Train Wreck in ConcertFree modern Country Music concert presented at the Austintown Township Park , 6000 Kirk Rd., at 7 p.m. For more information, call 330-793-0718.

Wednesday, June 13th

Summerfest Spectacular Concert Featuring Sarah TurnerFree event presented by Mill Creek MetroParks at 7 p.m. at the Judge Morley Pavilion. Sarah Turner is a Boardman High school graduate and Nashville recording artist who will be performing Country Music. For more information, call 330-702-3000.

Thursday, June 14th Music in the Park Concert Featuring Guys Without Ties Free event presented by Boardman Township Park, 375 Boardman-Poland Rd, at 7 p.m. at the Maag Outdoor Arts Theatre. Guys Without Ties will perform a variety of music from Motown to Rock. For more information, call 330-729-0629.

Saturday, June 16th Youngstown Heritage Simply Slavic FestivalThe Festival will feature ethnic food, dance lessons, ethnic marketplace, baking contests, country exhibits, folk dancers, and a beer garden. Noon to midnight in downtown Youngstown.

The French MarketAn indoor/outdoor market that starts at 9 a.m. at the Canfield Fairgrounds, offering a unique variety of vendors, a farmers market and collectibles. There will be a Mocha House Cafe and many food vendors. Free Admission and close parking.

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ON STAGE

The Oakland Center for the Arts: Last Summer at Bluefish CoveRunning June 8 through June 23. Evening performances are at 8 p.m. Last Summer at Bluefish Cove tells the story of Lil Zalinski, who is spending the summer alone in a cottage on a New England Beach that has been a lesbian haven for 30 years. Also at the cove are her dearest friends, and into their company walks Eva, an insecure, sheltered woman who has walked out on her marriage of 12 years and rented a cottage there by mistake. The Oakland is located at 220 West Boardman St., downtown Youngstown. For tickets or more information, call 330-746-0404.

New Castle Playhouse: Neil Simon's Broadway BoundRunning through June 17. Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Broadway Bound is the conclusion of Neil Simon's semi-autobiographical, Brighton Beach Trilogy and tells of Eugene and his brother, Stanley, trying to break into the world of professional comedy writing while coping with the breakup of their family. For tickets or more information, call 724-654-3437. The theater is located at 202 East Long Ave.

The Victorian Players: The Lion in WinterRunning weekends from June 8 through June 24.  Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m.; matinees are at 2 p.m. The Lion In Winter takes place during Christmas of 1183 at the chateau of King Henry II, and revolves around the gamesmanship between Henry, his wife Eleanor, their sons and a couple of guests at the chateau. For tickets or more information, call 330-746-5455. The Victorian Players theater is located at 702 Mahoning Ave, near downtown Youngstown. Additional parking across the street at the former Flynn’s Tire.

The Youngstown Playhouse: Lend Me A TenorRunning weekends from Friday, June 15 through Sunday, June 24. Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Lend Me A Tenor tells of the biggest night in the history of the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, when the star of the show shows up late and drunk, and the general manager pressures his assistant into passing himself off as the famous tenor. For tickets or more information, call 330-788-8739. The Youngstown Playhouse is located at 600 Playhouse Lane, Youngstown.

The Rust Belt Theater: Growing PainsThe Rust Belt Theater Company's Studio For Young Actors presents the original musical running through Saturday, June 9 at 8 p.m. each night at the Calvin Center, 755 Mahoning Ave., just outside of downtown Youngstown. Growing Pains was written entirely by The Rust Belt Theater Company's students and will feature music, poetry, dramatic monologues, comedy and dance. For tickets or more information, call 330-507-2358. 

Salem Community Theatre: An Accident Waiting To HappenThe musical cabaret features Nathan Robert Pecchia and Carly Magnuson on Friday, June 15 and Saturday, June 16 at 7:30 p.m. each night. The theater is located at 490 East State St., Salem. For tickets or more information, call 330-332-9688.

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Brick Campaign Upcoming for Rayen Stadium

The campaign to build a new Rayen High School stadium soon moves to a new phase, providing alumni and friends the chance to be a donor/partner in the stadium renovation project by purchasing a brick to be placed at the entrance way to the stadium.

The bricks come in two options: 4 x 8 in. rectangles with three lines of text for $150, and 8 x 8 in. squares with three lines of text for $300.

All brick orders placed before July 31 will be in place for the grand opening of the stadium in August.

The goal is to raise $3 million to support the stadium renovation project.

For more information, visit www.rayenstadium.org.

The Ursuline Center Car Trunk & Treasure Sale Registration Is Underway

The popular annual event brings customers to the “garage sale away from home” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 14. For $25 ($30 after June 30), sellers receive two parking spaces in which to sell their goods. Spaces are first come first served in the order the registrations are received. Your check is your reservation.

Inside The Ursuline Center, the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown will be selling a vast selection of décor, holiday decorations and more. There will be a special antique sale with some valuable items for serious collectors. Cash only. There will also be a book sale, and Ursuline Center volunteer chefs, “The Leftovers,” will be selling finger foods.

Download a Registration Form here. For more information, call Eileen Novotny, Ursuline Sisters’ Associate, at 330-533-3831 or email Eileen. All proceeds earned by sale will benefit the many ministries of the Ursuline Sisters at the center.

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PRIVACY POLICYSome of you on A Byrd’s Eye View newsletter mailing list came to us from other e-mails sent to us regarding stories about Arts events in the area.

We thought you would be interested in reading about additional Arts-related information of interest in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys, and added you. However, if you no longer wish to receive the newsletter, simply send a blank e-mail to artbyrdagain@yahoo.com with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

The e-mail addresses we have are NEVER shared in any way with anyone, nor are they sold. All copies of the newsletter are sent as blind carbon copies, so that no one receiving the newsletter knows the addresses of anyone else receiving it.

If you have received this free newsletter as a forward and would like to subscribe, please send a blank e-mail with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line to artbyrdagain@yahoo.com.

Excerpts from A Byrd’s Eye View can be read in The Review,Newspaper, available throughout the Valley and online athttp://www.thereviewnewspapers.com/

Art Byrd Jr. has won awards as a filmmaker and journalist. After working many years as a videographer and director for WFMJ TV News, he retired from broadcasting to share his experience and insight with students as an instructor at Youngstown State University. Art has written and produced numerous Indie films, which have been shown at prestigious film festivals. In addition to teaching and writing/producing A Byrd’s Eye View newsletter, Art also does freelance media work. He is based in Youngstown, Ohio.

Michele Ristich Gatts began her full-time career in journalism with WKBN TV News, where she worked closely with radio news as well. After a decade in broadcasting, she branched into print, working five years for The Business Journal in various reporting and editorial capacities. Michele was fortunate to be recognized with a few prestigious journalism awards along the way, and has done a little teaching for YSU. She currently works as a freelance writer, editor and media consultant, and is based in Youngstown, Ohio. Contact her at michelegatts@yahoo.com.

Monnie Ryan retired in 2003 after 14 years as managing editor of The Business Journal in Youngstown, where she continues to contribute to the print and online editions. Articles she has written have appeared in more than 20 national publications and at several travel-related Web sites, and she has won numerous awards for photography. Contact her at mryan62692@aol.com.

Another Way To Get A Byrd’s Eye ViewExcerpts of our newsletter are now online in the form of a blog. You can view shortened versions of reviews and find documents from past newsletters. You can also give us feedback on the site. Be sure to bookmark us at http://www.artbyrd.blogspot.com