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 | Women in Film & Video/New England Announces WIFV/NE SCREENWRITING AWARDS Women in Film & Video/New England (WIFV/NE) will host an awards event to celebrate the winners of the Sixth Annual Screenwriting Competition, co-sponsored by the Lesley University Writing for Stage & Screen MFA Program, on Thursday, July 31st at University Hall Theatre in Cambridge. The event will feature a short lecture by local screenwriter Drew Yanno, presentation of the awards, and an opportunity to network with screenwriters, filmmakers, and film enthusiasts. This year's Grand Prize Winner is Jessica DiGiacinto for her screenplay ME AND CHRISTIAN. A prominent Los Angeles literary agent will read her script for possible representation, and DiGiacinto will receive a $200 cash award. She will also receive professional script coverage by Inktip.com valued at $250. In second place is LONELY HUNTER by Sarah Schulman, and in third place is WONDER DRUG by Caitlin McCarthy. Each of the three finalists will receive a Final Draft software package, and a 6-month online script placement service by Inktip.com Jessica DiGiacinto graduated this May from Tisch's (NYU) Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program, where she wrote the book and lyrics for her thesis musical THE SNOW QUEEN based on the Hans Christian Anderson original. ALICE'S ADVENTURES UNDERGROUND, her adaptation of Lewis Carol's Alice in Wonderland, is playing this month at Andy's Summer Playhouse, an innovative children's theater in Wilton, NH. Drew Yanno, who will give a short lecture at the event, has been writing for film since 1993 and has been a member of the Writers Guild of America since 1995. He teaches screenwriting in the Film Studies Department at Boston College. His book, The Third Act: Writing a Great Ending to Your Screenplay (Continuum 2006), is available in bookstores and on Amazon. Drew also works as a script consultant and has served as an advisor on a number of films. Kate Boutilier, screenwriter of THE RUGRATS and THE WILD THORNBERRYS movies, selected the two finalists and the grand prizewinner. She wrote, "I was impressed by all three of the finalists, each was compelling for different reasons, all were well-written and original. ME AND CHRISTIAN was a very simple premise done in a very natural, original way. My congratulations to the author for a nice character study which felt fresh and contemporary, surprisingly moving in the end and very hopeful." The WIFV/NE Screenwriting Competition aims to promote the work of women screenwriters and support the creation of worthy film roles for women. Entries must be authored or co-authored by a woman and/or feature a woman or women in prominent roles. This year's Screenwriting competition is co-sponsored by Lesley University's MFA in Creative Writing program. Described as one of "the more distinguished low-residency programs" by MFA Handbook, Lesley University's MFA in Creative Writing program is excited to announce a new concentration-Writing for Stage and Screen-focusing on playwriting and screenwriting. The event is free, open to the public, and will begin at 7:00 p.m. For directions to the theatre go to www.lesley.edu. Program funding is made possible by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Commission and lead sponsor Lesley University. To RSVP and for more information, email info@womeninfilmvideo.org or go to www.wifvne.org. Women in Film & Video/New England 119 Braintree St. Suite 512 Allston, MA 02134 (617) 987-0259 |
 | Enjoy live music and contribute to a good cause all summer long. Every Friday night starting June 13th through August 22, Friendly Shopping Center and Second Harvest Food Bank will be presenting Friendly Friday Melodies. The concerts will be held at the Friendly Center crosswalks and will begin at 6pm and last until 8:30. During the month of June admission is simply a canned good which will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, after June admission is free, but donations are still encourage. Help end hunger in our region, and have fun at the same time! Musical Guest: Soul Central featuring Jay-Bird |
| Maria Mitchell, the first professional female astronomer in the United States, was born on this day in 1818. Mitchell was raised in a Quaker community, which was one of the few groups that felt women should have equal educational opportunities as men. She had the notable discovery that sunspots are “whirling vertical cavities” and not, as thought at the time, clouds. |
 | Life is not a having and a getting, but a being and a becoming.” Myrna Loy would have been 103 today. She used her fame in the 1930s-40s to champion the rights of black actors and to give them dignity onscreen, rather than the stereotypes they often played at the time. |
 | Martha Stewart’s birthday is today. Bake a cake entirely out of the flour you hand-milled from your personal wheat crop and decorate it with homemade buttercream frosting and fruit from your organic orchard to celebrate. |
 | Today is the 52nd birthday of Meg Whitman, former President and CEO of eBay. Since resigning from eBay in March 2008, she is considering a run for Governor of California in 2010. |
 | Dame Miriam Rothschild, a leading entomologist and zoologist, was born on this day in 1908. Scientifically, she was a foremost expert on fleas and was the first person to figure out the biology of how fleas jump. Socially, she campaigned for the legalization of homosexuality in the U.K. in the 1960s and was a vegetarian—she refused to wear any form of leather or fur. |
 | Lucille Ball’s birthday is today…she clashed with CBS execs after they tried not to let her have a pregnancy storyline in her show. They finally caved, but still wouldn’t allow her to say “pregnant.” Throughout the episode, they had to refer to her as “expecting” instead. |
| Grandma Moses was born 148 years ago today. She started painting in her 70s after arthritis made it difficult for her to continue her art of embroidery. She went on to become one of America’s most popular folk artists and lived to the age of 101. |
 | Enjoy live music and contribute to a good cause all summer long. Every Friday night starting June 13th through August 22, Friendly Shopping Center and Second Harvest Food Bank will be presenting Friendly Friday Melodies. The concerts will be held at the Friendly Center crosswalks and will begin at 6pm and last until 8:30. During the month of June admission is simply a canned good which will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, after June admission is free, but donations are still encourage. Help end hunger in our region, and have fun at the same time! Musical Guest: 2Can |
 | You've
seen it featured on ABC's "Nightline" TV, NPR's "All Things
Considered," Parents and Redbook magazines, USA Today and newspapers,
magazines and social networking sites across the nation. It's a
parent-created concept that has rapidly become latest craze in family
entertainment - Baby Loves Disco. Now
raising a ruckus in more than 25 cities nationwide, Baby Loves Disco is
also an international phenomenon, with hopping parties in the U.K., Tel
Aviv, Stockholm, Warsaw, and Tokyo and plans to open in Hong Kong soon.
Our newest U.S. cities are North Jersey (launching in September), Fort
Lauderdale, Honolulu and Dallas! Today, this entirely parent-run network of local moms and dads present Baby Loves Disco in dozens of cities. Local businesses and service providers add to the value of a Baby Loves Disco event, providing activities and free goodies for the attending families. At each event, A-list DJs and MCs help bring everyone together to dance and have relaxed fun. At
Baby Loves Disco, the fun spills out from all corners of the club:
bubble machines, egg shakers, play scarves, a chill-out area (with
tents, books and puzzles), diaper changing stations, a full spread of
healthy snacks (provided by local businesses) and dancing - LOTS of
dancing. Venue: Rich's, 2401 San Jacinto Street, Houston 77002-(713) 759-9606 www.richshouston.com Host Mom: Cheryl Miller DJ: Cory Faykus Ages: 6 months to 7 years Fun stuff:
A full spread of healthy snacks and juice boxes, stroller parking, a
changing station and chill-out area with books and kid-friendly
activities, hula hoops, rhythm instruments, swirly scarves, giveaways
and services for parents and kids. Tickets: $12 tickets per walking human. Buy tickets online at www.babylovesdisco.com, or at the door. Advance purchase recommended, as we often sell out. Dates: Saturdays, August 9, September 27, November 1 Time: 2-5 pm For more info and to learn all about baby loves disco check out: |
| Janie Porter Barrett was born on this day in 1865. She founded the Virginia Industrial School for Colored Girls, a rehabilitation center for troubled girls which was centered on self-reliance and self-discipline. It became a model for other similar schools and was extremely successful—the majority of students found jobs and had families after leaving the facility. It became integrated in 1965 and still exists today under the name of the Barrett Learning Center. |
 | Mary Gove Nichols was born 198 years ago, today. She traveled the country speaking about women’s health and anatomy, but was scorned by many of her time for her belief in “free love” instead of marriage, which Nichols considered to be the “annihilation of women.” She believed that health, freedom and sexual liberation were all linked was an outspoken advocate for all three. |
 | WHAT: Restaurants in the Greater Houston area are teaming up to help end hunger in Houston during Houston Restaurant Week 2008, established in 2003. www.HoustonRestaurantWeek.com. Dining Dollars Make a Difference: Houston Restaurant Week, established in 2003, showcases and promotes Houston’s incredible array of fine restaurants to the fine dining crowd, while raising money for Houston’s End Hunger Network. WHEN: The citywide event is scheduled for the week of Monday, August 11 – Sunday, 17, 2008. FORMAT: Diners will be able to enjoy a specially created gourmet meal for only $35 per person (not including beverages, tax or gratuity) at restaurants where the per person average usually exceeds $35. Participating restaurants will then donate $5 from each special meal sold directly to Houston’s End Hunger Network. These dinner specials are only available during Houston Restaurant Week. This is a great opportunity for diners to try out new restaurants or re-visit old favorites while helping to end hunger in Houston. The event is promoted as “Reservations Required” for the special HRW $35 dinner and availability is limited. When making reservations, patrons are asked to make sure to let the restaurant know that they want the "Houston Restaurant Week Special Dinner." This will ensure that $5 from the cost of their meal will be donated to Houston’s End Hunger Network. Restaurants may seat walk-ins at their discretion. Diners are encouraged to visit www.HoustonRestaurantWeek.com for more information including HRW special menus from each restaurant and reservation information. |
 | Today would have been the 91st birthday of Gladys Bentley, a Harlem Renaissance blues singer. Openly lesbian during her early career (she dressed in tuxedos and top hats with a drag queen chorus line singing back-up and flirted with female patrons), during the McCarthy era, she put on dresses, married a man and claimed that taking female hormones had “cured” her, in order to avoid being put on trial. |
 | Galleria Chamber of Commerce of Houston hosts a reception to announce “Di Moda in Italia: Houston Celebrates Italy,” a series of events promoting Italian fashion and food to Houston business leaders and the fashion-elite, which will culminate at the ultimate Houston Italian Fashion Extravaganza on October 10. The reception will introduce the Italian host committee, international committee, representatives from local Italian stores such as Valobra, Bvlgari, Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, A/X Armani Exchange, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom. This initiative presents the real “Made in Italy,” a taste of the Italian way of living highlighting a number of luxury brands in a special context to the Houston market. Kick-Off Announcement Hotel Granduca, 1080 Uptown Park Blvd. |
| Left-hander’s Day is today. Approximately 7-10% of the population is left-handed, and left-handed females are rarer than males. Joan of Arc, Queen Victoria, Eudora Welty, Greta Garbo and Ruth Bader Ginsberg are some of these unique, southpawed females. |
 | Letitia Elizabeth Landon (often known as L.E.L.), a poet, was born on this day in 1802. While her poetry has not withstood the test of time, she was respected by her contemporaries for paving the way for other female writers. Christina G. Rossetti and Elizabeth Barrett Browning were just a few of her literary admirers who wrote tributes to her. |
 | Enjoy live music and contribute to a good cause all summer long. Every Friday night starting June 13th through August 22, Friendly Shopping Center and Second Harvest Food Bank will be presenting Friendly Friday Melodies. The concerts will be held at the Friendly Center crosswalks and will begin at 6pm and last until 8:30. During the month of June admission is simply a canned good which will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, after June admission is free, but donations are still encourage. Help end hunger in our region, and have fun at the same time! Musical Guest: Lisa Dames and The Hall Monitors |
| Julia Child, former assistant in the OSS’s Secret Intelligence division and celebrity chef and author, would have been 96 today. Her legendary persona and accessible recipes made her a pop culture icon. |
 | Open Door Mission, a faith-based recovery and rehabilitation shelter, will participate in Hunters’ Harvest’s Annual Clean Out Your Freezer Day Saturday, August 16, 2008, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pete’s Fine Meats at 5509 Richmond Ave. and at Bass Pro Shops in Pearland and at Katy Mills Mall, according to Open Door Mission Executive Director Rick Hill. Those donating at any of the three locations can enter a drawing for a free basic processing from Pete’s Fine Meats. Men from the Open Door Mission will join other volunteers to collect donations of frozen, wrapped and processed wild game, including venison, hog, dove, quail, pheasant, exotics, ducks, geese and fish. End Hunger Network will distribute the collected food to non-profit organizations including the Open Door Mission, who will receive approximately one-third of the wild game. The rest of the donations will be split between Victory Home and Youth-Reach Houston. “We’re very grateful for Clean Out Your Freezer Day. We’ve always enjoyed collaborating with Hunter’s Harvest in the past. The donations will be a pleasant meal change for the men in the program, as well for our Executive Chef Charles Rucker. His wild game stew is a favorite among the residents. Donations such as these help ensure Chef Rucker continues to provide 500 well-rounded, nutritious meals each day,” said Hill. Tax receipts will be provided to those donating fish and game to Hunters’ Harvest. For more information, contact Cathy Lawdanski at cathy@huntersharvest.org, Wade at (713) 542-1864 or visit www.huntersharvest.org. |
| This is the time during the year that every Bering & James and only Bering & James stable artists are all in one big Grand Pooobah of an Opening…. Right in the heat of the Summer! Why is it called CINCO. Each member of the Bering & James stable of artists is asked to produce five(5)…. Smile….. New pieces of art to be displayed in the August Fete…. It is our second largest show of the year next to the yearly Holiday Art Box. 25 artists multiplied by 5 pieces of art creates 125 pieces of art on the Bering & James walls at the August 16th Summer heat Bash. This allows B&J to position every artist for fantastic 4th quarter Holiday season sales! Artist include: Diana Atchetee, Blakely Bering, Stanley Bermudez, Sophia Buddenhagen, Ali Cavanaugh, Andrew Scott DeJesse, Emilie Duval, J. Antonio Farfan, Carole Holt, Austin James, John Jenkins, Lucas Juarez, Marcus Miller, Ellen Orseck, Peggy Port, Kevin Richert, Heather Sanchez, Elisabeth Smith, Isabel Souchon, Dana Sparks, Lin Swanner, James Stephen Zoller… and our wonderfully developing Fine Art Photography Stable: Bevin Bering, Shelley Calton, Catherine Cameron, Marie Docher, Scott Griesbach, Oyvind Hjelmen and Angilee Wilkerson. Contact Austin James with questions or for additional print resolution images. All Bering & James artists are currently producing their Little Big Artist Heart’s hither and yonder in the studio and will be in the Gallery for the Exhibition on August 16th |
| Madonna turns 50 today. From “Like a Virgin” to “4 Minutes,” she manages to push the envelope on the issue of sexuality and proves to be an enormous influence to society (Kabbalah, anyone?) while putting out an endless stream of shake-your-booty tunes. |
 | “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” Mae West, stage and screen actress, who pushed the social limits on female sexuality, was born on this day in 1893. |
 | Coco Chanel, the revolutionary designer who liberated women from centuries of corsets with simple, menswear inspired fashions, was born 125 years ago today. “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” |
 | Salud! Winery, Houston’s first and only winery serving more than 30 different wines fermented and bottled on premise, is teaming up with Skirt Houston to celebrate Pink Door’s first birthday and the launch of Salud! Pink, a wine that will be sold to benefit Pink Door! To facilitate the women that Pink Door supports, we will be accepting skirts and other lightly worn business attire for women such as suits, skirts and blouses. WHEN: Thursday, August 21, 2008, 6 PM – 9 PM WHERE: 3939 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX, 77006 ABOUT: Salud! Pink wine is a multi-series release with varied label artwork inspired by the lively nature of summer. The ambition of the wine release is to honor the brave women who persevere through cancer and seek a new life once they are in remission, looking to Pink Door to help them find a new career path after years in treatment. Salud! will be accepting pre-orders via phone at 713-522-8282. Salud! Winery will donate 20% from the sale of each bottle of Salud! Pink to Pink Door. About Salud! Winery Salud! Winery is a family owned and operated winery located at 3939 Montrose Boulevard in Houston. It is within minutes of the Galleria, downtown Houston and easily accessible from Highway 59, I-45 and the 610 Loop. Winery hours are 11 am – 9 pm Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 11 am – 11 pm Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 1 – 9pm Sundays. The wine can be purchased online at shop.saludwinery.com 24 hours a day. For more information, please visit www.saludwinery.com. About Pink Door Non-Profit Pink Door Nonprofit Organization’s (Pink Door’s) mission is to provide all single, divorced and widowed women cancer survivors a new career path after cancer and a whole new life! Pink Door strives to take the financial burden away from women who are in remission from cancer by providing exclusive recruiting events, job opportunities, educational classes, and the “Women in Pink” Scholarship Fund all through the support of donations. Cortney A. Cole, President and Founder of Pink Door, founded Pink Door after her divorced mother died of cancer in August 2005. For more information, please visit www.pinkdoornonprofit.org. |
 | Enjoy live music and contribute to a good cause all summer long. Every Friday night starting June 13th through August 22, Friendly Shopping Center and Second Harvest Food Bank will be presenting Friendly Friday Melodies. The concerts will be held at the Friendly Center crosswalks and will begin at 6pm and last until 8:30. During the month of June admission is simply a canned good which will be donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, after June admission is free, but donations are still encourage. Help end hunger in our region, and have fun at the same time! Musical Guest: Burt Massengale’s Big Band, under the direction of Keith Lydick |
 | PIYOLET (PI-Pilates, YO-Yoga, LET-Ballet), an innovative fitness practice created by Attorney Roslyn Bazzelle after fourteen years of professional dance training, and a passion for health and well-being is showcasing Saturday, August 23rd at The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa, Houston's 5-star luxury destination. PIYOLET is a fusion of pilates, yoga, and ballet, which strengthens muscles, increases flexibility, improves balance, and tones the core, among other benefits. "I started doing PIYOLET after seeing the toned arms of its founder. That's the truth. I'm 28 and like every woman in America, want to be stronger, more toned, and more graceful as I age. The exercises and stretches in PIYOLET combine everything I love about pilates, yoga, and ballet without the candles, weird chanting, or mandatory pink tights and Pointe shoes. After the workout I feel taller, more focused, and ready for the day," says Marcia Larson of NYC. Season seven winners of the Emmy award winning CBS reality show The Amazing Race, Uchenna & Joyce Agu will be guest speakers, teaching insights and the powers of using the mind in achieving day-to-day goals. Attendees of the expo will also enjoy guest speakers from My Fit Foods, Philadelphia body cleansing expert Jennifer Dent, a private PIYOLET workshop with Roslyn Bazzelle, lunch, and shopping with nutritional, bath, body, fashion, and lifestyle vendors. The event will take place from 9am-3pm with shopping taking place throughout the day. For more information about PIYOLET or to purchase expo tickets visit www.piyolet.com. |
| Aurora Picture Show and The Menil Collection join forces to present a FREE screening in the Menil Park at 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 23rd, 2008, in association with the Menil Collection's exhibition Imaginary Spaces: Selections from The Menil Collection. The free screening, entitled "Space in Early Twentieth-Century Cinema," will consist of early 20th-century film shorts that experiment with the abstract depiction of space in cinema. Peter Mowris, University of Texas Research Fellow-in- Residence at The Menil Collection will host the screening which includes Fernand Leger's Ballet Mecanique, Rene Clair's Entr'acte, Hans Richter's Ghosts Before Breakfast and Viking Eggeling's Symphonie Diagonale. The Menil's exhibition, Imaginary Spaces: Selections from The Menil Collection, opens August 22, 2008 and runs through March 1, 2009. For more information about the exhibit, visit www.menil.org or call 713-525-9400. TICKET INFORMATION Admission to the Menil Park screening is free and open to the public. The Menil Park is located at the intersection of Mulberry and Sul Ross, directly adjacent to the Menil Collection at 1515 Sul Ross. While there will be chairs available under cover, film patrons may also bring blankets to sit on. Water and popcorn will be provided. About Aurora Picture Show Founded in 1998, the Aurora Picture Show is the only facility of its kind in the Southwest. Art in America has called it "one of the most interesting and unusual new spaces in Houston." Housed in a 1924 converted church building in the Heights this 100 seat theater is part of the micro-cinema movement that began in the mid-1990's. Aurora supports non-commercial indepenent and artist-made film, video and new media artists through fifty programs a year. Aurora's human scale promotes a meaningful and community-oriented exchange between artists and audiences. Aurora Picture Show is funded by its stellar membership, Houston Endowment, Inc, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Brown Foundation, Texas Commission on the Arts, The City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, the Nightingale Code Foundation, the Oshman Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts. Aurora Picture Show is a proud member of Fresh Arts Coalition www.fresharts.org |
 | Today is Women’s Equality Day or Susan B. Anthony Day—it’s the 88th anniversary of the passing of the 19th amendment to the Constitution, allowing women the right to vote. |
| Today is also the 73rd birthday of Geraldine Ferraro, the first and only (so far) female Vice Presidential candidate for a major political party. In 1984 Walter Mondale selected her as his running mate in the campaign against Ronald Reagan. She went on to serve as a U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Commission of Human Rights under President Clinton’s administration, and also worked on Hillary Clinton’s campaign. |
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