Latest news with #Arkin
Boston Globe
09-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
A ‘wonderful and strange' tribute to David Lynch
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Drag performer Celia Smokinbutts as "Twin Peaks" villain Killer Bob. Sasha Pedro Advertisement Meanwhile, beginning on the 16th, the Somerville Theatre will host special screenings of several Lynch films, including 'Mulholland Drive' (2001), a double feature of 'Blue Velvet' (1986) and 'Wild at Heart' (1990), a newly rediscovered 70mm print of 'Dune' (1984), and a new documentary about one of the most beloved 'Twin Peaks' characters, the Log Lady. The co-producers of the Lynch tribute, Arkin and Bridget Duggan, who craft events under the name the Identical Cousins, created their first Lynch event several years ago at the former ONCE Ballroom in Somerville. Duggan, who worked at the nightclub, always thought its kitschy second-floor lounge had ''Twin Peaks' vibes,' she explained. Advertisement A mutual friend introduced her to Arkin, who was a big fan of the series. They have since co-produced more than a dozen events, including a tribute honoring the late Pee Wee Herman in 2023. After several Lynch-themed happenings, the collaborators have perfected the art of delving into the curious mind of the director. It helps, they say, that the hardcore fans who typically attend their events are already well-versed in Lynchiana. 'He was particularly open-ended in his imagery,' said Arkin on a group video call. 'Everything has such dream logic. People understand the vibe — what feels 'Lynchian.' 'It's such a good time for fan culture in general, but Lynch is so reinterpretable in particular.' On the 19th, fans will be invited to enjoy a slice of damn fine pie — Agent Cooper's favorite — courtesy of Feast and the Fable catering. Another installation will feature a montage of Lynch's iconic night driving scenes, as seen in the rear-view mirror of a prop car. Proceeds from the sales of signature cocktails will be sent to a mutual aid fund for victims of the recent LA fires. (Lynch was forced to evacuate his home in the Hollywood Hills, a little over a week before his death.) In addition to Julee Cruise Director, the live music portion of the evening will include Annie Hart of Au Revoir Simone, an all-female synth-pop trio that was featured in two episodes of 'Twin Peaks: The Return,' the 2017 sequel to the original series. The band members first met Lynch almost 20 years ago at a bookstore event in New York City, and they remained collaborators until his death. Advertisement 'He kept inviting us all over the world to do events with him,' said Hart, on the phone from Brooklyn. 'We went over to his house a lot. He was constantly encouraging us. Something about the connection between the three of us, he could tell we were on the same wavelength.' Even before they met Lynch, Hart said, her band was often told they sounded 'cinematic.' 'We would get into this trance, this meditative state, when we were creating music,' she said. 'It was our most favorite feeling in the world — that psychic energy between us, when we were clicking. He definitely lived on that wavelength, too.' Hart learned about Lynch's death while she was out on a date with her husband. Her bandmate Heather D'Angelo called, 'crying and crying,' she said. 'He was a really beautiful mentor to us.' To put together their most ambitious Lynch tribute to date, Duggan and Arkin have enlisted the help of at least 30 'of our closest friends.' 'We're maximalist,' Duggan said. 'We like to go big.' Lynch's infatuation with the collective subconscious makes his work ripe for the crazy quilt of the Identical Cousins' events, Duggan said. 'There's something about the way he's not telling you how to feel,' she said. 'He's not hammering you over the head with what you're supposed to get out of the experience. 'There's a mystery to it. And it's open to interpretation.' WONDERFUL & STRANGE: A TRIBUTE TO DAVID LYNCH Presented by Identical Cousins. $33.65. 7:30 p.m. (doors 6:30), Saturday, April 19, at Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square.
Chicago Tribune
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Fourth seat on Oak Park and River Forest School Board still in play after Tuesday election
The liberal status quo appeared to have scored a big victory in the Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 School Board race after Tuesday's election, although whether it was a clean sweep won't be known for a few weeks. Incumbents Audrey Williams-Lee and Fred Arkin along with Community Finance Committee member Kathleen Odell, who ran as a coalition, appeared to have won easily over challengers Nate Mellman and Josh Gertz. But the official tally for write-in candidate David Schaafsma, who was also part of the coalition against Mellman and Gertz, won't be known until after April 15. While Arkin, Williams-Lee and Odell are winning according to preliminary results, the fourth seat up this election looks like it will come down to Schaafsma or Gertz who is slightly ahead of his slate mate Mellman. 'I think the community showed its values,' said Arkin from the Avenue Ale House where and his running mates were celebrating with other progressive activists who make up the group Activate Oak Park. Odell, a first time candidate who is an economics professor and associate provost at Dominican University, led the field Tuesday night with 8,382 votes with all 39 precincts reporting. Williams-Lee, who was appointed to the School Board in 2023 and is the only Black member of the School Board, received 8,028 votes to apparently win her first full term. Arkin, who was appeared to be elected to his third term on the School Board, received 7,677 votes. Gertz and Mellman ran together as a slate. They trailed far behind, with 4,843 and 4,696 votes respectively. They didn't support the detracking of the freshman curriculum, known as Honors for All, had said that OPRF was not a very safe school, and were more skeptical about the benefits of restorative justice as a discipline measure. Schaafsma's write-in votes won't be counted until later but the large gap between Arkin and Gertz means he has a chance although a number of voters Tuesday said they did not write in Schaafsma name despite voting for his coalition partners. Arkin said that voters were receptive to his group's message. 'They liked what they heard from us and, you know, we kept the high road, they liked the direction of the current board and current administration,' Arkin said. Arkin said that he was hopeful that Schaafsma received enough write-in votes to claim the fourth seat up in Tuesday's election. 'I would not count David Schaafsma out yet,' Arkin said. Odell said she was honored by the support for her candidacy. 'I think the voters made a strong statement tonight about the values they want to see upheld by their community leaders,' she said. Mellman was philosophical about his defeat despite putting a lot of effort and money into his and Gertz's campaign. 'It is what it is,' Mellman said. 'It's an election.'
