Jolly Pumpkin Noel De Calabaza is just one of the beers that will be available at XFest.

If you’re a reader of this blog who likes good beer, then there’s a good chance that you’re already primed and psyched for the Winter Beer Festival on November 14th and 15th. But right before that event kicks into full effect, it looks like Philly Beer Fests; the people behind Philadelphia’s annual Beer Week (the 2010 one is slated for June 4th-15th), have your next Winter Beer Fest all covered.

XFest promises to be a A civilized sampling of the world’s best Winter Warmers & Christmas beers. And it’s going to happen at the the Penn Museum on 33rd and Spruce, which should add onto the sophisticated feel. The festival wouldn’t be complete without a fine assortment of holiday ales; and it has you covered with the likes of Abita Christmas, Jenlain Biere de Noel, Mahr’s Christmas Bock, and Jolly Pumpkin Noel De Calabaza. It’s also has a full fledged sampling of the finest Winter beers; like Wild Goose Snow Goose, Sam Adams Winter Lager, Barbãr Winter Brassin, and Flying Fish Grand Cru Winter Reserve. But not only that, it also plans to warm you up with the likes of Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout and Sierra Nevada Bigfoot.

Tickets for this special tasting event only cost $45 ($55 at the door, and $15 for designated drivers). Food will also be available a la carte throughout the evening. Christmas beer represents the widest range of beer styles of the year. You’ll enjoy spiced ales, malty winter warmers, hoppy ales and s-t-r-o-n-g Belgian styles. This year we’re featuring beer from Germany, the U.K., Belgium, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark and of course the U.S. A. To learn more about XFest you can check out the Philly Beer Fests website. you can also email them at info@phillybeerfests.com, or follow them on Twitter.

The future of 941 Theater is in Jeopardy. But you can help!

Awhile back Culturemob covered how 941 Theater was a strong supporter of cinema, arts, and music in the community. And since that blog it was recognized for it’s dedication and won a Citypaper Choice Award. But unfortunately the theater was forced to shut down by L&I, and is now in a dire situation. From their website:

“As you may know, the 941 Theater was recently forced to shut down, and may stay closed unless we get your help! We’ve worked hard to support the art, film and music communities in Philadelphia by creating a safe and accessible venue everyone can enjoy. But we cannot continue without your support. We need to raise money to re-open the 941 Theater!”

The theater hasn’t given up hope, and as working as hard as they had to open to place in the beginning. They have also pulled their resources together to form the Philadelphia Friends of the Projected Arts, a group that is dedicated that making sure that Philadelphia has places that support independent cinema.

From their main Website -

The PFPA is registered as a non-profit in the state of Pennsylvania, and it is run by professionals in the film and media industries. By making Projected Arts more accessible to Philadelphia, they are enriching the culture of Philadelphia and helping filmmakers make money off their work.

Due to the nonstop trend of media consolidation, it is more important than ever for independent filmmakers to have an outlet for their creations. 25 years ago, there were 50 companies controlling the media in America. Today, there are only six. Media consolidation has made it that much more difficult to get first run independent films out to the viewing public, and this is not okay. While we have access to many so-called “mainstream indies” in Philadelphia, there isn’t a theater that screens the rest of the first-run independent films that come out each week.

While the Internet is the ultimate tool for the unknown to become known, mass exposure on the internet doesn’t automatically help small filmmakers make a profit off of their art. Having their work accessible online can help filmmakers, but in order to make a living and continue to create films, they must be able to monetize their efforts. The PFPA aims to help filmmakers find venues where their work will be displayed and they will share in the revenue generated.

While it takes a few clicks of your mouse to see a movie in the comfort of your own home, you aren’t viewing the film in the way the filmmaker intended it to be seen, and therefore are missing out on the key details you can only see in a theater. PFPA is involved in fundraising in order to provide the city with the entertainment it is lacking and, in collaboration with 941 Theater, a venue that gives the viewer the total movie experience: the picture projected on a screen, excellent sound, and surrounded by strangers.

941 Theater is currently working on organizing a fundraiser at the Starlight Ballroom, that is tentatively slated for Saturday, November 21st from noon – 6pm. If you have any further questions or would like to be involved in some way, please contact us at: BOOKING@941theater.com. They also have a Paypal Account where you can make donations towards saving the theater.

The 2010 Sasquatch Music Festival at the Gorge 5/29/10 - 5/31/10

It’s never too early to start thinking about the annual Sasquatch Music Festival held over Memorial Day weekend at The Gorge Amphitheatre. Right?

If you agree, head over to Ticketmaster starting at 10 am, Saturday, November 7th to pick up a three day pass for $170. The offer is good until December 31st.

The Sasquatch Music Festival will be held from Saturday, May 29 to Monday, May 31st, 2010. The full lineup will be announced in February.

Follow Sasquatch on Twitter to get all the news and announcements. Including this one.

The Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival at The American Museum of Natural History is the longest-running documentary film festival in the United States. This year’s almost three dozen films includes on opening night movie, Cooking History, which is without question one of the weirder documentaries ever made. Its motto: “6 wars, 10 recipes, 60, 361,024 dead” Its official description:
“What keeps the armies of the world going? Tanks, submarines, airplanes, bullets, bombs? Actually, bread. Bread and blinis and sausage and coq au vin, even “monkey meat” rations. As one cook puts it, without food, the army would be in a shambles. Taking a tour of 20th century battlefields, Peter Kerekes revisits its mess halls and field kitchens, asking the cooks to recreate the meals they served at the front.”

The closing night documentary three days later is Hair India, which is about how Hindu believers who are poor make a ritual sacrifice of their only possession – not money or jewels (as the Hindu rich do), but…their hair. The filmmakers, we are told “follow the course of this hair as it is sheared in an ancient, sacred ritual, sold at auction to the highest bidder, and ends up strutting down the red carpets on top of the world’s most famous heads.”

Films in-between are set in Austria, Bosnia, Czech Republic, China, Croatia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, The Netherlands, and United States. A theme of six of the films is Love Against The Odds -- and focuses on people who have one disability or another.
My favorite title — The Wondrous World of Laundry

Here’s the day-by-day schedule

There are more than a dozen films at the Third Annual Other Israel Film Festival, among them a satire called “Arab Labor”; a documentary, “City of Borders,” about a gay bar in Jerusalem; a portrait of an Arab-Israeli journalist felt caught in the middle (“The Arabs think he’s a collaborator. The Jews think he’s a drunk”) entitled “Forever Scared.” The “other Israel,” in other words, are Israeli Arabs.

The festival “is not about the conflict -- it is not about taking sides -- this festival is about people,” writes the festival’s founder Carol Zabar (yes, of the Zabar’s food family)

Here is a list of the films in the festival. For times and locations, and to purchase tickets, click here.

Arab Labor
Israel, 2008, 75 minutes
Director:
Roni Ninio
More episodes from the successful groundbreaking satire, following Amjad, a 35-year-old Arab journalist, married to Bushara (a social worker) and father to Maya. Torn between his desire to become the darling of the In-crowd on one hand, and represent the suffering of Arabs at any given forum, he is mocked and criticized by his family and close community. Amjad’s only ally is his friend Meir (an Israeli Jew) -- a photographer who works with him at the newspaper, a sworn bachelor who falls In love with Amal, Bushara’s feminist Arab friend.
trailer

Badal
Israel, 2005, 56 minutes
Director:
Ibtisam Mara’na
‘A Badal deal marriage’ is the common practice of a Muslim tradition where a brother and sister from one family marry a sister and brother from another family -- interlocking the two couples forever. Divorce on the part of one couple will immediately lead to the divorce of the other part of the deal. The film follows a family during the process of putting such a deal together. It portrays the lives of Palestinian women living within Israel, their difficulties and struggle to be a part of their traditional society vs. the quest to maintain their full rights as women, and citizens of a democratic state.

City of Borders
USA, 2009, 67 minutes
Director:
Yun Suh
In the heart of Jerusalem stands an unusual symbol of unity that defies generations of segregation, violence and prejudice: a gay bar called Shushan. This award-winning documentary goes inside this underground sanctuary where people of opposing nationalities, religions and sexual orientations create an island of peace in a land divided by war. Through a coclorful cast of characters from all walks of life, the film explores the effort to find and share a sense of community in spite of differences of religion and nationality.

ID Blues
Israel, 2008, 100 minutes
Director:
Chaim Yavin
Two new episodes from the five-part travel-log by legendary news person Chaim Yavin, examining different sectors of Arabs living in Israel, presenting matters of life, history, and culture in Arab society in Israel.

Jaffa
Israel/France/Germany, 2009, 100 minutes
Director:
Keren Yedaya
In this Cannes Film Festival favorite, Director Keren Yedaya (Or) brings forth the dramatic story of Mali, who lives with her family in Jaffa, and works with her brother and father at the family owned car repair shop. Mali falls in love with Tauffik, a mechanic in the garage. Despite underlying racism and jealousy that surrounds them, their love affair grows. When Mali finds out she is pregnant, the couple decides to run away and get married abroad. On the morning of the flight, a tragic event reshapes this couple’s future.

Laila’s Birthday
Netherlands/Palestine/Tunisia, 2008, 72 minutes
Director:
Rashid Masharawi
A comically existential fable about a day in the life of a former-judge-turned-taxi driver, on the day of his daughter Laila’s seventh birthday. His only goal is to be home early with a present and a cake, but life takes him through many twists and turns before he gets home. His customers include a young Romeo who hires the taxi to have a place “alone” with his lover; a housewife who’ll stop anywhere there’s a free-food giveaway, armed Palestinian militia members, and an ex-convict who leaves his cell phone in the cab.

Sayed Kashua -- Forever Scared
Israel, 2009, 56 minutes
Director:
Dorit Zimbalist
Despite being one of Israel’s leading columnists, novelists and screenwriter, Sayed Kashua feels he doesn’t belong. The Jews don’t like him because he’s an Arab. The Arabs don’t like him because he’s successful. The Arabs think he’s a collaborator. The Jews think he’s a drunk. He’s always the “other” and he’s always scared. This intimate portrait follows Kashua over seven years through the upheavals and events that change his life, wandering from place to place, from nation to nation, belonging neither here nor there.

SAZ -- The Palestinian Rapper for Change
Israel, 2005, 51 minutes
Director:
Gil Karni
An intimate documentary following budding Palestinian-Israeli hip-hop star from Ramlah, Sameh Zakout, a.k.a. Saz. The film follows his transformation from a young unknown rap singer into an international success, as well as his youthful quest for identity transformed into the voice of a struggling nation. The film also focuses on his relationship with his grandfather, an Israeli-Arab communist. Their conversations reveal their differing ideologies: “I don’t see my Palestine being built by blood,” says Saz. “It should be built by negotiations, not bombings. My bullets are my rhymes. My M-16 is my microphone.”

Shorts
60 minutes
A Journey into the next generation of films by and about Arab citizens or Israel.
-Heavy Silence
Director:
Maysaloun Hamoud
Visions and pieces of memory are unveiled through a small crack in Alla’s prison cell. Through these excerpts of memory and fantasy Alla faces the futility of family honor and discovers the fate of the woman he loves.
-Two (Shnaim)
Director:
Shimon Richik
In the midst of the war in Gaza, a mixed Arab and Israeli couple debate the question of military service.
-Bus Station -- Ir-Amim
Director:
Lily Sheffy
Two women, Arab and Jew meet at a bus stop in Jerusalem after a trip to the market. When their bags of tomatoes get confused they begin to understand the similarities and differences of their worlds.
-Tel Aviv -- Jaffa
Director:
Boaz Rosenberg
A look into one of the unifiers of Israeli Jewish and Arab society – Hummus. This short documentary part of the Tel Aviv-100 docu-challenge project follows one of Yafo’s oldest and proudest establishments.
-Oranges
Director:
Maha Assal
A sweet story of friendship and neighbors. A man is angered by his neighbor picking oranges off his tree and decides to seek revenge.

Telling Strings
Switzerland, 2007, 60 minutes
Director:
Anne-Marie Haller
A rare look into the profound workings of the Jubran family, a Palestinian family of musicians from al-Rameh village in the northern Galilee. The Father, Elias, a musician and instructor has been building traditional string instruments such as ouds and bouzouqs in his al-Rameh workshop since 1965. The film connects the history of two generations and questions cultural identity between protest, resignation and hope.

The Invisible
Israel, 2009, 70 minutes
Director:
Gil Karni
A 12-year-long diary of the Bedouin village “Arab al-Na’im” in the Galillee and their struggle for their rights. The people of Arab al-Na’im have inhabited their land for the past 200 years, serve in the Israeli army, yet live in tin huts, without electricity or running water, and in constant struggle with the Israeli administration to be v

Voices from El Sayed
Israel, 2008, 75 minutes
Director:
Oded Adomi Leshem
In the picturesque Israeli Negev desert, the Bedouin village of El-Sayed has the largest percentage of deaf people in the world. Through the generations, a unique sign language has evolved making it the most popular language in this rare society, which accepts deafness as natural as life itself. The village’s tranquility is interrupted by Salim’s decision to change his deaf son’s fate and make him a hearing person using the Cochlear Implant Operation.

Zahara
Israel, 2009, 60 minutes
Director:
Mohammad Bakri
With touching personal style and breathtaking cinematography, Director Mohammad Bakri tells the story of his 78 year old aunt Zahara, from the times of pre-state Palestine to present, leading the family with love and wisdom through the many trials of life.

If you love great wine and foods, the Denver International Wine Festival (DIWF) is a must-attend event.  This year marks the 5th annual DIWF, which has become known as one of the premier wine and food pairing events.  It showcases wineries from all over the world, beautiful fine art, and master chef’s from right here in Colorado.

The event is taking place on November 12th and 13th, and Mayor John Hickenlooper has dedicated the entire week as “Denver Wine Week”.

Thursday, November 12th – Tickets: $100/person

From 6:00 – 9:00 PM, the “Taste of Elegance Chef’s Wine and Food Competition” takes place at the Mile High Station.  This is widely regarded as Denver’s premier wine and food pairing competition.

The event includes award winning wines that have been selected through a blind taste test from a panel of expert judges. Expert chef’s then compete in an “Iron Chef” style competition, creating delicious dishes to pair with the selected wines.  In addition, a live and silent auction will take place prior to the award ceremony.

Friday, November 13th

From 9:00 AM – 4 PM, the “Colorado VIP Winery Day Tour & Chef’s Demo” takes place.  This event departs from the Warwick Denver Hotel, and includes 3 Front Range Wineries, RT Trans, Gourmet Lunch and Chefs Demo (50 limit) $125.00 per person.  The ticket includes the following:

• Roundtrip transportation in a luxury motor coach with expert tour guide
• VIP tours and wine tasting at three prestigious winery estates
• Complimentary snacks and water served onboard the motor coach
• Exclusive Wine Country International® Wine 101- a virtual crash course on the basics of wine
• Area history and points of interest covered by expert tour guide
• Wine cellar tour with winemaking overview
• Rare & exclusive barrel tasting with award winning winemaker
• Walking Vineyard Tour & viticultural discussion
• Gourmet restaurant lunch with a selection of three delicious entrees.
• Chef’s cooking demonstration
• Bon Voyage! Artisan Cheese Course served at the last winery prior to departure
• Special-purchasing opportunities available at winery gift shops

From 2:00 – 9:00 PM, there will be a tasting of delicious international wines and foods at the Mile High Station.  Tickets are $75 for general admission, and includes over 450 imported and domestic wines by over 100 wineries from numerous areas around the globe. Wine Country International magazine’s editors have personally selected premium wines based on quality, region and varietal. The “Grand Tasting” will include foods created by gourmet producers and Colorado restaurants.

The festival will also include selected spirits,artisan crafted beers, exhibits by luxury travel destinations, fine art and wine paraphernalia. This one-day event will also feature the Award-Winning Wines from the Denver International Wine Competition and a silent auction. A variety of optional Educational Seminars will also be offered throughout the day.

For more information on this delicious event, visit www.DenverWineFest.com

]]> http://culturemob.com/blog/denver-international-wine-festival/feed 0 http://culturemob.com/blog/2009-denver-parade-of-lights http://culturemob.com/blog/2009-denver-parade-of-lights#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:51:23 +0000 Lance Myers http://culturemob.com/blog/?p=7825

Every year, countless parades march through the streets of downtown Denver, each with its own certain pomp and circumstance.  However, there is no other downtown holiday celebration that matches the masses of people who take to the streets in order to see the hundreds of thousands of lights marching through the city during the Annual Denver Parade of Lights.

The parade lineup consist of dazzling floats, massive festive balloons, horse drawn carriages, street performers, and of course local area high school marching bands playing the holiday hits.  Make sure you stay until the very end, so as not to miss Santa Clause’s annual Denver cameo.

This year, the celebration takes place on Friday, December 4th at 8:00 PM, and Saturday, December 5th at 6:00 PM.  It takes place in downtown Denver, beginning at Civic Center Park and the beautifully-lit City and County Building on 14th Ave and Bannock.  An estimated 350,000 people are expected each year, so get to the route early and secure your spot.

Spectator viewing is free along the entire 2-mile parade route, with the exception of the grandstand seating in front of the City and County Building.  For those who cannot make it downtown, the parade will be broadcast live on channel 9 as well.

For more information on the parade route, how to purchase grandstand tickets, or directions to the parade, visit www.paradeoflights.com.

“Slumdog Millionaire,” “The Namesake,” and a host of other blockbuster India-oriented films had their premieres at a New York festival with a forbidding name — the Mahindra Ido-American Arts Council Film Festival or MIAAC. Starting on Wednesday, November 11th, New Yorkers will have a chance at the ninth annual Indian film festival , MIAAC 2009, to meet the director Mira Nair and watch many of her films, including the now-classic Salaam Bombay, and to see future international hits and meet current international stars, including the ageless beauty, Sharmila Tagore

There is a special tribute to Prakash Mehra, the legendary Bollywood filmmaker who died earlier this year, a multimedia presentation on “Queer Bollywood”, and a look at films on the volatile Kashmir region. There are also film industry panels, with titles like “Success Stories and Changing Formulas: Producing and Marketing in the International Market.” There is even a “cell phone cinema” competition.

But there are mostly dozens of films.This includes five Bengali features and a full length documentary. Opening night at the Paris Theater is a gala and screening of “Today’s Special” described as a food comedy set in New York City, in which a chef at a hot Manhattan restaurant is forced to take over his family’s failing restaurant in Jackson Heights. It stars Aasif Mandvi, best-known in the United States as a correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Closing night at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center is The Endless Wait (Antaheen), which brings Bollywood legends Aparna Sen and Sharmila Tagore (both director Satyajit Ray discoveries) on screen together for the first time, about a pair of virtual (online) lovers.

In-between, the so-called Festival Centerpiece, is a screening at the Museum of Arts and Design of Tahaan, a fable about an eight-year-old boy who goes on a journey through some spectacular terrain in the Kashmir valley to bring back his pet donkey.

For the complete schedule click here

Below is a promo video:

Every year the New York Comedy Festival features some of the biggest names in comedy in clubs (like Caroline’s) and concert halls (like Carnegie Hall) all over the city, and this year is no different. (here’s the schedule) But this year also features Bruce Springsteen and every living United States president, past and present, and while these are big names, they aren’t usually considered the biggest names in comedy (although of course critics have dismissed each one of the presidents at one time or another as a joke).
So why bring them up?
The festival, which runs from November 4 to November 8, includes Stand-Up For Heroes, a fundraiser on Wednesday, November 4th at Town Hall that this year honors Bob Woodruff, the ABC newsman who sustained a traumatic brain injury in an attack while covering the war in Iraq, then after his recovery, went on to work on behalf of our nation’s brave fighting forces. The host will be another anchorman, Brian Williams, and a fake anchorman, Stephen Colbert, as well as a musical performance by Bruce Springsteen. Every living president is on the organizing committee (they don’t plan on actually being there).

Philadelphia Phiz Fest 2009 is coming November 12th

Phiz Fest is a unique public Champagne AND Sparkling Wine tasting event and the first of its kind in the Philadelphia region on Thursday November 12th at the Grand Ballroom in the Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue – 6:00 to 8:30 PM. Our goal is to highlight and promote the versatility of [authentic French] Champagnes & Sparkling Wines and their ability to be paired with any style cuisine – graciously donated in 2008 by some of the area’s finest restaurants such as – Caribou Cafe, Zinc, The Capital Grille-and many more! (click this link Food & Wine to see the entire list of restaurants, Champagnes & Sparkling Wines during the next few months)

It will prove that Champagne & Sparkling Wines can be consumed at any time – not just as an aperitif or dessert beverage or on New Year’s Eve or other special occasions. Come enjoy these vivacious beverages and discover their versatility!

The timing of this event is perfect for you to test your new Champagne & Sparkling Wine pairing skills learned at Phiz Fest. Go ahead, serve them with Chicken, Seafood, Beef, Lamb, Duck or Tofu! Be bold! Be brave!

Phiz Fest provides an economical way to sample dozens of Champagnes and Sparkling Wine brands, from around the globe, for a fraction of the cost you would pay to purchase individual bottles!

Here is a rundown of some of the styles that will be featured -

Champagne Method

All sparkling wines are naturally carbonated by trapping the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced during fermentation. The Champagne region’s traditional method is undoubtedly the finest way to make wine sparkle, and is imitated worldwide.
1. Barely ripe grapes are made into a light, acidic white base wine.
2. Sugar and yeast are added, and the wine is bottled and sealed.
3. A second fermentation takes place in each bottle, under pressure.
4. The wines age for a minimum of 18 months on their lees (yeast sediment) to add toasty flavor. Longer aging increases intensity.
5. A complex process, called ‘riddling’, removes the lees from each individual bottle, in order to clarify the wine.
6. Each bottle is sweetened slightly just prior to being corked.
7. Champagnes are sold in the same bottle in which the second fermentation took place.

Champagne growers use the same grapes as their neighbors in Burgundy for their finest wines, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Pinot Meunier, a cousin of Pinot Noir, is also planted because of its cold-hardiness. Champagnes are blends based on red skinned grapes, unless they are made from 100% Chardonnay. Chardonnay-only champagnes are premium wines, often labeled Blanc de Blancs, meaning white wine from white grapes.
Great producers often exceed the legal minimum, holding such wines on their lees for up to fifteen years. The final result combines the refreshment of lemonade with the richness of Irish cream.

Spanish Cava

Catalonia, in Spain’s mountainous Northeast, is home to one of the world’s largest sparkling wine industries. While the “Champagne Method” is used for all Cava, shorter aging and less regulation result in far lower prices. Usually less than half the cost of Champagne, Cava represents outstanding value for the dollar. Native Spanish grapes like Macabeo and Xarel-lo dominate Cava blends, adding an earthy dimension to their citrusy flavors. Two giant Cava firms, Codorniu and Freixenet, dominate the industry. Almost all Cava exported to the U.S. is made by these two wineries, or one of their subsidiaries.
Pairings: Cava matches well with a wide range of foods, from bruschetta to Christmas turkey. It is equally gratifying as a holiday cocktail or toast.

Italian Prosecco

Prosecco is not made in the traditional French manner, but its crisp pear-like flavor and suggestion of sweetness make it a home run for bargain hunters. Long the house sparkler in Italian restaurants, this light bodied bubbly delivers considerable bang for the buck in a category otherwise dominated by luxury items. Prosecco tastes more like fresh fruit and less like toasty yeast than Champagne method wines, so even non-wine drinkers enjoy it. As a result, this Northern Italian sparkler from the Veneto region is the ultimate crowd pleaser.
Pairings: Prosecco’s up-front appeal and slight sweetness make it a natural before the serious food arrives. Pour it as a brunch tipple or a party pick-me-up.

To learn more about Phiz Fest 2009 and it’s offerings check out their Website.