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NEWS&VIEWS by Jacqueline Bennett

Posts from the “Entertainment” Category

Behind-the-Scenes of “I’m Your Puppet!” Creative Collaboration – Silk City Chorus Barbershop Harmony & UConn Puppet Arts

Posted on January 20, 2015

Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   A first ever creative collaboration between two extraordinary and highly regarded groups, the Silk City Chorus barbershoppers and the University of Connecticut Puppet Arts Program, titled “I’m Your Puppet!”, is set to take center stage Saturday night, January 24, in Manchester, Connecticut.                               “This is the first time something like this has been tried by the Barbershop Harmony Society, an international organization. The Silk City Chorus (an 80-man chapter) has been working on the collaboration with Bart Roccoberton, director of the UConn Puppet Arts Program, and students from UConn for a year,” Neal Kellogg, director of marketing and communication for the Silk City Chorus, said during a behind-the-scenes interview…

Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry Reflects Unique Educational Opportunity – Kicks Off 2014 Summer Performances

Posted on June 28, 2014

Story & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com Fascinating, fun and festive – the Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry in Storrs, Connecticut reflects a unique educational opportunity. The University of Connecticut is one of a very few universities in the country to offer a degree in puppet arts. In addition to a bachelor’s of fine arts in the field, UConn offers master’s degrees, MA or MFA. According to the university website, it all began in 1964 with the arrival of Professor Frank Ballard to the theatre department and the ensuing immense popularity of puppetry classes he taught there. Soon a “full length puppet performance” was staged on campus at the Harriet S. Jorgenson Theatre. Today graduates of the program are said to “perform and…

Emmy Winner in the Family – Producer David Doyle Honored

Posted on June 24, 2014

Article by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com Producer David Doyle and a team of talented collaborators were honored on June 20 with two Emmys for Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin. The awards for Outstanding Travel Program and Outstanding Directing in a Lifestyle/Culinary/ Travel Program were presented at the 41st Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in Los Angeles, California. Doyle, my niece Jillian’s husband, served as an executive producer for the program. “We are so deeply into what we do, like most people who care about their work we don’t take time to pat ourselves on the back,” Doyle said by phone June 23 from California, “This is an important thing. In our industry, this is a milestone.…

Move Over George Clooney – Derek Hough Is In the House

Posted on May 21, 2014

Commentary by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb  If all women aren’t just a little bit in love with Derek Hough, they should be. Depth, substance, character, talent – and oh yes – good looks. The 29-year-old Hough’s star has been rising ever since he burst onto the scene with ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” dance competition. Mesmerizing describes the dancing talent he displayed on the show and as time went on it became apparent his skills as a choreographer were consistently unmatched. In 2013 he won a Primetime Emmy for choreography and is an overall five-time winner of  the DWTS mirrorball trophy. “You have redefined choreography for your generation, ” a guest judge on DWTS recently told Hough. No matter who he has been paired with,…

Courageous Paralympian Wows “Dancing With The Stars” Audience

Posted on March 19, 2014

Commentary by:Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Stories about triumph of the human spirit never cease to amaze me. A performance by double amputee Amy Purdy on Monday night’s 2014 season premiere of “Dancing with the Stars” wowed the audience, and was courageous. Without prior knowledge that Purdy was dancing on two prosthetic legs, one would not have had a clue from the way she moved and swayed with dancing pro partner Derek Hough during a routine that earned the team a standing ovation and is sure to inspire others with disabilities. Purdy’s willingness to put herself front and center and dance on television in front of millions of viewers was an astounding act of personal strength. It comes on the heels of her winning a bronze…

New Christmas Tree for Downtown Manchester Replaces ‘Charlie Brown’ Spruce

Posted on December 6, 2013

Write-up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb  The Christmas season was welcomed into downtown Manchester, Connecticut December 5 with the lighting of a new tree donated by Jeff and Dianne Hedrick. A twenty foot Balsam fir, it replaces a once 37 foot Norwegian spruce that had to be removed after Hurricane Sandy hacked several feet off of it last year. However, left without time to find a different tree for the 2012 holiday season the Downtown Manchester Special Services District decided to decorate the sparse tree and it was dubbed a ‘Charlie Brown Tree’ borrowing from the famed Peanuts series. The ‘Charlie Brown Tree’ drew more than the usual attention to the annual event. Arrival of the new tree just over a month ago…

Popularity of Firefighters’ Peach Festival Continues in New Location

Posted on August 24, 2013

Write-Up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb In its 64th year, the popularity of the Manchester, Connecticut 8th Utilities District Fire Department Peach Festival continued Friday night, August 23, as festival-goers turned out to enjoy their annual peach shortcake treat in a new location. Traditionally held across from the old firehouse on the corner of Main and Hilliard streets, this year the event was moved up the hill to the new firehouse which serves as the district’s headquarters.  It can be risky business to tamper with tradition and a successful tradition at that, but the move was said to be prompted by a desire to encourage the community to view the headquarters as the volunteer firefighter district prepares to celebrate its 125th anniversary in…

“Undercover” Continues Manchester Bicentennial Band Shell 2013 Summer Concerts

Posted on August 3, 2013

Write-Up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb “Undercover” continued the Summer 2013 36th season of concerts at the Manchester Bicentennial Band Shell August 2 with two fun, hour long sets of oldies and Motown. The open air venue is located in front of an expansive lawn on the campus of Manchester Community College, in Manchester, Connecticut. Sponsored by Shady Glen Dairy Stores, the Friday night concert kicked off with “Give Me That Old Time Rock & Rock” followed by “Let’s Twist Again” which the lead guitarist noted still tops the Billboard as an all-time favorite. The first set included numbers such as “Wake Up Little Susie”, “Brown Eyed Girl” and country artist Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places”. “How Sweet It Is” and “Under…

Lt. Gov Wyman Joins Fourth of July Boom Box Parade in Windham, Connecticut

Posted on July 4, 2013

Story & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman joined the 28th annual Boom Box Parade in Windham (Willimantic), Connecticut earlier today. The parade started promptly at 11 a.m. at Jillson Square then made its way along Main Street about a mile and a half to Memorial Park. Wearing her signature high heels -this pair in bright red – and with U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal at her side, Wyman smiled and waved to the crowds that lined both sides of the street. The Boom Box Parade story is well-known and told on the WILI website. In 1986 no marching bands could be found for Windham’s Memorial Day Parade. Five weeks later the idea for a Boom Box Parade was put forth. The…

Impromtu Encounter With Silk City Chorus Leads to Beautiful Serenade

Posted on June 11, 2013

Write-Up & Photo by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com An impromtu encounter with the award-winning Silk City Chorus which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, resulted in a beautiful serenade sung just as one would expect – in perfect harmony….   “Let me call you sweetheart, I’m in love with you, Let me hear you whisper that you love me too, Keep the love light glowing in your eyes so true, Let me call you sweetheart, I’m in love with you.” One of New England’s premier groups of its genre, members of the Manchester, Connecticut-based, 80-man chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society gathered Sunday, June 9 for an annual barbeque at Nevers Park in South Windsor. “We’ll probably do some quarteting,” said member Dan Fontaine. The group was…