"The Albino Burmese Python is quirkier than Mariah Carey"

"The albino Burmese Python is a quirky, needy and rare reptile. It's
pickier than Mariah Carey" -Sinn Bohdi, the snake butler


EVER WONDER WHAT IT'S LIKE TO GO FROM CITY TO CITY WITH THE WORLD'S LARGEST TOURING ALBINO BURMESE PYTHON?

Jim Rose didn't when he agreed to purchase the mammoth deadly snake, MAURICE LE GRAND, from Belgium. It arrived in the United States yesterday. When its special crate was opened, Jim's wife gasped in sheer horror: "I knew it was big, but until you see it you can't even come close to fathoming what a complete monster it is".

MAURICE LE GRAND was purchased for $63,000, the highest price ever paid for a snake. Nearly twenty-four hours after its new home in the U.S. was set up, the Roses have adjusted somewhat. Jim says "It's actually pretty cool. We spent three months studying this species and the particulars of the nature of these rare albinos. We have also hired a snake butler who cares for it 24/7. Within two weeks I should be able to get into the encampment with it and begin bonding with the python. This has been my dream since I was a little boy. I can't wait to take it from city to city, showing people all over the United States that snakes deserve respect and dignity. In our Jim Rose Circus vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts tour, MAURICE LE GRAND will have an entire moving habitat constructed for the journey.

The Burmese Python (Python molurus bivittatus), is the largest subspecies of the Indian Python and one of the 6 largest snakes in the world, on average growing up to 5.5 metres (18 ft) and weighing up to 71 kilograms (160 lb). They are native to rainforest areas of Southeast Asia, are nocturnal, semi-aquatic, and while young are often found near water and in trees; they are excellent swimmers, staying submerged for as much as half an hour. The Burmese Python continues to grow throughout life, and their great length is due to the presence of a large number of vertebrae. When adult girth is reached, the snakes tend to be ground hunters. An unsuitable choice for inexperienced snake handlers, Burmese Pythons are carnivorous, and are known to have attacked animals as large as alligators.

See MAURICE LE GRAND along with Jim Rose vs Jake "The Snake" Roberts in the following cities:

July 3 - Longview, WA - Cadillac Island Casino
July 5 - Kennewick, WA - Island Casino
July 7 - Portland - Wonder Ballroom
July 8 - Seattle - Showbox
July 9 - Spokane - Knitting Factory
July 11 - Boise - Knitting Factory
July 12 - Salt Lake City - Club Vegas
July 14 - Reno - New Oasis
July 16 - San Francisco - DNA
July 18 - Santa Ana - Galaxy
July 19 - San Diego - Canes
July 20 - Los Angeles - Troubadour
July 23 - Dallas - The Loft
July 24 - Shreveport - The Riverside Warehouse
July 25 - Austin - The Parish
July 27 - New Orleans - One Eyed Jack's
July 29 - Little Rock - Juanita's
July 31 - Memphis - New Daisy
August 1 - Murfreesboro - Club 527
more dates being added through September...

DOCURAMA FILMS ANNOUNCES THE DVD RELEASE - GARRISON KEILLOR:THE MAN ON THE RADIO IN THE RED SHOES - DIRECTED BY AWARD WINNING DIRECTOR PETER ROSEN

“Captures the charm of A Prairie Home Companion
and its creator” – Variety
GARRISON KEILLOR:
THE MAN ON THE RADIO
IN THE RED SHOES

America’s foremost humorist and commentator, Garrison Keillor takes his skits and monologues across the country in America’s most popular radio show, A Prairie Home Companion. The acclaimed feature film GARRISON KEILLOR: THE MAN ON THE RADIO IN THE RED SHOES trails this yarn-smith and his crew of actors and musicians as they spin stories and song into American gold. Following a nationwide premiere on Thirteen’s American Masters on PBS on July 1, Docurama Films brings this candid look at the private man in the public spotlight to DVD—along with over an hour of exclusive bonus material—on July 7, 2009.

Filmed over the course of more than a year, this intimate portrait captures Keillor on- and off-stage as he mingles fact and fiction to create America’s collective hometown, Lake Wobegon, on his radio program. The result is a fascinating inside look at the enigmatic raconteur and how the imaginary world he created became a real place in America. Author of more than 20 books as well as a syndicated weekly column, Keillor is credited with reviving the lost art of live radio entertainment in America; his weekly radio show, celebrating its 35th anniversary this July, has more than 4 million listeners and is broadcast on 590 stations. Robert Altman’s 2006 film starring Meryl Streep, A Prairie Home Companion, brought Keillor and his characters to the big screen.

“His writing is never from an elevated space, so he connects with his audience,” said Peabody, DGA and Emmy® Award-winning filmmaker Peter Rosen (Eighth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition: Here to Make Music and Who Gets to Call It Art?). “But the production value of his show is highly elevated, and the novelty for viewers of this film will be to see how the magic happens.”

Keillor mixes storytelling and humor to give us a lighthearted but deeply felt reflection of ourselves. While he’s been compared to such legends as Mark Twain and Will Rogers, Garrison Keillor is unique. In this unusual biography, we begin to see how and why.
- over -

OVER AN HOUR OF EXCLUSIVE BONUS MATERIAL INCLUDES:
· Outtakes
· Garrison Keillor Talks to Students
· Interview with Robert Altman and Garrison Keillor
· Filmmaker Biography
To view the trailer: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/garrison-keillor/the-man-on-the-radio-in-the-red-shoes/1159/

MEG

Steve Alten
Variance Publishing


Review by Craig Harvey

We're all afraid of the dark. It's ingrained in our very being. Even after millions of years of evolution we still fear the unknown lurking in the blackness. In Steve Alten's world, the dark lies in the bone crushing depths of the black abyss miles below the ocean's surface where monstrous creatures long thought extinct still thrive. For Jonas Taylor and his family the stakes have been raised as they face not only these abominations, but the sixty foot megalodon Angel and her vicious new offspring still kept caged and bloodthirsty. For fans of the MEG series "Hell's Aquarium" brings us back once again to the world of Carcharodon Megalodon; the apex predator of all time. Or so we thought. Yes Dorothy, there are worse things lurking in the ocean besides prehistoric sharks. In the second book of the series "The Trench" giant Kronosaurs were discovered in the Mariana Trench, where Jonas Taylor had first glimpsed Angel's mother years before. That was just icing on the cake, because this time, the true monsters of the deep make their appearance and believe me, it's worse than anyone could have imagined.

The story begins with Angel and her two offspring still in captivity at the Tanaka Institute and Jonas seemingly having things under lock and key. But as fate would have it, this doesn't last long. Death and tragedy seem to surround Angel and her brood like a curse. Things begin to look up however, when a wealthy Dubai prince seeks to purchase the pups to be displayed in the largest aquarium in the world being built in his homeland. He even wants Jonas's son David to supervise the transition and care of the sharks in Dubai for the summer. However, the prince has another, far more dangerous objective for David; one that will test the entire Taylor family to their breaking points and beyond. A hidden and untouched world of prehistoric nightmares await beneath the Phillippine Sea Plate dubbed Panthalassa. For over 220 million years it has remained untouched and undiscovered by man, until now. The mission: to dive below into this pristine and deadly new world and lure some of these creatures up to be captured for the aquarium, and he wants David to lead the way.

I have to say of the Meg series this is my favorite. I have loved them all but "Hell's Aquarium" brings back the intensity I felt when Jonas first encountered the giant shark and faced his demons in the first book. But the greatest thing of the series is Alten's gift of making his fiction believable, his characters living, breathing, entities and not just words on paper. His best asset is the ability to blend a fantasy of what could possibly exist, yet stay firmly grounded in reality. He does his homework consulting the right people to get the science plausible without sacrificing what matters most; a great story. He crafts novels that will captivate you from the moment you start reading. Alten does that and more with "Hell's Aquarium." I guarantee fans of the series won't sleep a wink until they finish the last page of the best Meg novel yet.

GET THE LED OUT

THE AMERICAN LED ZEPPELIN
SATURDAY, JUNE 20TH 8:00 PM
TIMES UNION CENTER ● MORAN THEATER
ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY!!

JACKSONVILLE, FL – From the bombastic and epic, to the folky and mystical, Get The Led Out have captured the essence of the recorded music of Led Zeppelin and brought it to the big concert stage. The Philadelphia-based group consists of six accomplished musicians intent on delivering Led Zeppelin's studio recordings with all the bells and whistles. Utilizing the multi-instrumentalists at their disposal, Get The Led Out re-create the songs in all their depth and glory with the studio overdubs that Zeppelin themselves never performed live.

Get the Led Out: The American Led Zeppelin is coming to the Times Union Center’s Moran Theater on Saturday, June 20th at 8PM for one performance only.

Dubbed by the media as "The American Led Zeppelin," Get The Led Out present a two hour + set each night that spans the mythic career of the legendary British supergroup. With a strong focus on the early years, they also touch on the deeper cuts that were seldom, if ever heard in concert.

The group is achieving strong box office scores in the Mid-Atlantic. Not uncommon are return-visits and sell-outs at a number of the region's most prominent venues and PACs including House of Blues (Atlantic City), Pennsylvania’s Sovereign Center and Keswick Theatre, and Oswego New York's "Harborfest" (two years in a row) as well as countless other theaters and national concert venues.

Get The Led Out's approach to their performance of this hallowed catalog is not unlike a classical performance. "Led Zeppelin are sort of the classical composers of the rock era," says lead vocalist Paul Sinclair. "I believe 100 years from now they will be looked at as the Bach or Beethoven of our time. As cliché as it sounds, their music is timeless."

A Get The Led Out concert sort of mimics the "light and shade" that is the embodiment of "The Mighty Zep." Whether it's the passion and fury with which they deliver the blues-soaked, groove-driven rock anthems, or the delicate nature of their intimate, sit-down acoustic set (complete with special guest female vocalist for "The Battle of Evermore"), it's their attention to detail and nuance that makes a Get The Led Out performance a truly awe-inspiring event!

Paul Sinclair - Lead Vocals, Harmonica

Paul Hammond - Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Mandolin, Theremin Jimmy Marchiano - Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Vocals Paul Piccari - Bass Guitar, Vocals Andrew Lipke - Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals, Percussion Adam Ferraioli - Drums, Percussion

"An homage, beautifully performed with genuine respect for the oh-so familiar material... It sells tickets!" - Steve Krempasky - Whitaker Center

"More than just an exceptional recreation of Led Zeppelin, one of the best tribute bands on the planet!" - Bruce Ranes - Sellersville Theatre

"Great music! Great guys!" - Kacy Jenkins - Ram’s Head Live


GET THE LED OUT: THE AMERICAN LED ZEPPELIN will be performed at the TIMES UNION CENTER’S MORAN THEATER June 20, 2009 for one performance only. Tickets range in price from $30.50 to $80.50. Discounts are available for groups of 10+, or 20+ by calling (904) 632-3228.

To order by phone with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover call the FCCJ Artist Series Box Office at (904) 632-3373 (toll-free outside of Jacksonville 1-888-860-BWAY.)

Tickets are also available online with Instant Seat Selection by visiting the
FCCJ Artist Series’ website, www.artistseries.fccj.org.