Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

Setting the Record Straight

I, Mark F. Homayoonnejad-Walker also known as Mark Nejad am writing this as a matter of public record. I hereby resign as member of the executive board of Darkroom Productions. Here are the facts:

In the fall of 1994 I was asked to leave the Solano College Theater, Actor?s Training Program, by the head of the program George Maguire. The previous summer I gave a well received performance in a student production of Assassins at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, under his direction, but when I returned to his Actor Training Program, he decided to turn on me. I decided to take film and video classes from Solano Community College instead of acting. In the summer of 1993, I attended the California State Summer School for the Arts in Valencia California. One of my teachers at CSSSA suggested that if I wanted to work with film inexpensively, I should obtain used super 8 equipment from thrift stores, and garage sales. During my time at Solano College in the Film and Video department, I acquired many super 8 cameras, projectors, and editing devices for very inexpensive prices. Most were acquired locally at the Vallejo Value Center. I focused primarily on super 8 film production at Solano. I set up a basic editing studio in my photographic darkroom in my home. Because my films were dark comedies, and I was using a darkroom as an editing studio, I decided to use the name, which I invented called Darkroom Productions.

I did not make these films alone. My associate was my best friend, and son of a man who has been like a second father to me. Frederick Beeman, who is the son of the most prominent criminal defense attorney William L. Beeman, Sr. Co Produced, Directed, and Edited these early Darkroom works.

The co-founders of Darkroom Productions are not Jon Tracy and John Epperson. They are Mark F. Homayoonnejad Moghaddam-Walker, and Frederick Poesdel Beeman. Far too long in the press Tracy and Epperson have been taking credit for starting the company. Epperson even took old movies made before Darkroom, on VHS and 8mm video (not super 8 film) as well as a 16mm movie he merely acted in which had nothing to do with darkroom, reedited them on his computer, and changed the credits to say Darkroom Productions. He showed these old movies at Darkroom Productions film festivals in a sneaky attempt to make it look like he was a founder.

Sometime in 2000 I recall, Jon Tracy, Fred Beeman, Jennifer Crosson, David Haynes, and others came to me and wanted to start a theater/film company using the name Darkroom Productions. It sounded like a good idea. I suggested that we have a mission statement, be for profit, and challenge SCT. I had created Darkroom Productions the film company to get away from and challenge the ATP program, and I wanted the theater company to do the same. These ideas were shot down, and so I lost interest in the new company. After about 3 years, my friend Fred Beeman asked me to play the role of Norman in Suburbia, by Eric Begosian. I began to have some interest in the company, as it seemed I was making some new friends. I played in several small roles, and practically had to beg to be on the executive board. I was told that there could not be a 6th member of the executive board, by Jennifer Crosson, who previously shot down my ideas of a for profit company, and having a mission statement, as well as most of my other ideas, many of which came into play later as (someone else?s idea) so I waited for someone to drop. Then I asked to come in. When I was finally made an executive board member, John Crostwaithe who started the Rats in the Alley, and who has always been respectful to me, was also elected to the executive board. The election of Crostwaithe was highly supported by everyone, myself, and Jennifer Crosson, even though it meant having 6 members on the executive board! Of course no one said anything about the 6 member ?rule? at this time.

I am not saying that Jon Tracy, and John Epperson did not work extremely hard and help keep Darkroom going, but there have been many problems. They have and are often on the payroll of SCT. Many of the actors that come to Darkroom Productions are from ATP. Some I call friends, but many are very rude due to the fact that I got ejected from the Actor Training Program and have always been critical of it, and the Monopoly SCT has taken over in the Solano County theater community, including Darkroom Productions. They care not that I actually received an associate degree from Solano College. Of course I am sure that George Maguire would not send his students to learn and perform at Darkroom Productions events if I had been given any position of real authority. Although I resided on the executive board I was never given a real title.

At the last meeting I attended, I learned that Jon Epperson attempted to direct and produce a production of Escape from Happiness without paying the royalties. I learned that other shows were produced in the past without paying the royalties. It was stated that the writer of Escape from Happiness allowed the royalties to be paid after the fact. But I am sure our little company will be watched. I am sure that the leadership of the company will attempt to produce further shows without paying the rights, and will face troubles now that it is known what happened.

I know that once what I have written gets out, I will face much criticism, and defamation of character due to telling the truth, but I swear to God my maker, that everything I have written is the absolute truth.

Sincerely,

Mark F. Homayoonnejad Moghaddam-Walker

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Artists in the News

Wisdom and Anthony B at the Mystic Theater this Friday.

Up and down California playing keys with Wisdom…

wisdomcreations.com
www.myspace.com/wisdomcreationsband

You can hear some of Wisdom’s positive, high-energy hip-hop cuts off the new record featuring Ras Attitude, Warrior King and Seasunz at the myspace page.

It’s been a blast touring from San Diego to Redway along with Wisdom, at each stop opening up for Anthony B and his band. Much props to the hyped-up, packed houses in Santa Cruz and at the Mateel Community Center in Redway! Those folks show so much love for the hip-hop and reggae music. If you didn’t catch us at Slim’s, there’s a Petaluma show Friday 10/27 (Mystic Theater), then Sacramento on Saturday 10/28 (Harlow’s).

We’ll be back in SF for evening of Hip Hop, Reggae and Latin music with Ozomatli & Wisdom at The Fillmore on Friday, December 1st.

Check in to http://mattberkeley.com or
myspace.com/mattberkeley
for more info other upcoming shows with Joe Bagale, Disappear
Incompletely and Wisdom.

Peace…

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Artist Dave Beronio featured in new exhibit at Vallejo Museum.

On Saturday, November 4, the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum will open a new exhibit featuring artwork by one of the community?s most popular artists. ?Dave Beronio: Behind the Scenes? features nearly fifty drawings by one of Vallejo?s preeminent artists, whose career has spanned nearly seventy years.

Dave Beronio is not only an extraordinary artist, but also a legend in the Vallejo newspaper world. Beronio started his career at the Vallejo Evening Chronicle in 1937 before moving to the Vallejo Times-Herald and, later, the Vallejo Independent Press. As a sports writer and editor he covered numerous local sporting events, as well as professional matches around the world. His Times-Herald column ?Behind the Scenes in Sports? featured profiles ? both literary and artistic ? of athletes from every corner of the sports world. Many of the sports figures that Beronio wrote about also became his personal friends. The numerous personally autographed sketches in the new exhibit attest to his close relationships with these athletes.

Most of the sketches in ?Dave Beronio: Behind the Scenes? come from Mr. Beronio?s personal collection, but several other local residents have loaned Beronio sketches from their own collections to round out the exhibit. Among the well known sports figures featured in the exhibit are Joe Dimaggio, Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Connie Mack, and Arnold Palmer. Several local residents are also featured in Beronio?s works ? not all of them sports stars.

An opening reception for ?Dave Beronio: Behind the Scenes? will be held on Saturday, November 4th from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. You can learn more about the personal stories behind the sketches on Saturday, November 11th at 1 p.m. That afternoon Mr. Berronio will give a gallery talk focusing on a few of the works in the exhibit and sharing his ?behind the scenes? stories about his life-long involvement in the sports world. The program is free and open to the public as part of the Museum?s monthly Free Family Day.

?Dave Beronio: Behind the Scenes? runs through December 2. The Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum is located at 734 Marin Street, Vallejo. For more information call the Museum at (707) 643-0077.

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Sacred Run Benefit Concert CD Release Party- Saturday, November 11, 2006 9 pm At the legendary Sweetwater, 153 Throckmorton Ave., Mill Valley 415-388-2820 Please join us Saturday, November 11th, 9:00 p.m at Sweetwater in Mill Valley for an intimate evening celebrating the CD release of the Sacred Run 2006 Benefit Concert recorded earlier this year. Appearing at the Sweetwater: Dennis Banks, Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Pete Sears, Pak Poe, Nearly Beloved, Marissa Mendenhall, Tomoko and special guests. $20 suggested door donation. Advanced tickets available at www.sweetwatersaloon.com and www.ticketweb.com Must be 21 and over with ID. Proceeds benefit Sacred Run 2007. The 2006 Sacred Run kick-off benefit concert was recorded February 10, 2006 at Studio Z in San Francisco. Hosted by Dennis Banks and Peter Coyote. Performers include Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Pete Sears, Martha Redbone, Robby Romero, David Amram, San Francisco Taiko Dojo, Pak Poe, Tomoko, and more.

The Sacred Run is an annual event organized by Dennis Banks and the Nowa Cumig Institute focusing on evolving issues and concerns of Native Americans. Dennis has organized these spiritual runs since 1978, and has traveled across the world reinforcing Native American tradition in the face of an ever-changing modern society. The 2006 Sacred Run from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. was a success. This 4,500 mile, 71 day walk and run event traveled through Native Nations, down to New Orleans to witness first hand the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, through the Smokey Mountains visiting with tribal people who refused to go to Oklahoma during the Trail of Tears era, then to Washington D.C., to deliver a firm message of All Life is Sacred. Preparations have begun for Sacred Run 2007. For Interviews with Dennis Banks, please call: 415-595-1238 For Sacred Run information please visit: www.sacredrun.org For CD and concert information please visit: www.redhotpromotions.com

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Pritchard, comics, auction Highlight Cal Police Athletic League benefit at Santa Clara Hilton

Benicia, CA October 17, 2006

Past ?Comic of the Year? Rocky LaPorte joins three others in ?Stand-Up for the Kids,? Thursday, December 7, at the Hilton Hotel in Santa Clara.

All proceeds from the comedy show and silent auction go to the California Police Athletic League, which serves 300,000 young people in the state every year.

LaPorte, a Brookyn, N.Y. native, was named ?Club Comic of the Year? in 2004 by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau. LaPorte, recently seen in Tim Allen?s ?The Shaggy Dog,? has also been featured in his own hour show on Comedy Central.

Other performers include Dave Burleigh, a San Jose resident and past finalist in the San Francisco International Comedy Competition, and D.C. Ervin, an up-and-coming comic praised after a recent showcase by Robin Williams. The event is hosted by Marin County resident Michael Pritchard, one of the nation?s most sought-after speakers and a winner of the 1980 San Francisco Comedy Competition.

The California Police Activities League is a 501(c)(3) California non-profit organization that was incorporated in 1971. California PAL is comprised of over 100 individual PAL chapters located throughout the State of California.

California PAL chapters implement a variety of activities at the local level to engage their youth in positive, wholesome and character building activities in well-supervised and safe settings.

Tickets for the December 7th auction and comedy benefit are $45 and available online at www.RedDragonflyProductions.com or by calling Cal-PAL at 510.544.4300.

The California Police Activities League Presents ?Stand-Up For The Kids? An Auction And Comedy Show Benefit Hosted By Michael Pritchard Featuring Rocky LaPorte Dave Burleigh D.C. Ervin Thursday, December 7, 2006 at 6 pm The Hilton Hotel 4949 Great American Parkway Santa Clara, CA General Admission: $45 Buy Online: www.RedDragonflyProductions.com Or Call 510.544.4300 or visit www.CalPal.org

Rhonda Lucile Hicks
Red Dragonfly Productions
www.RedDragonflyProductions.com

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The Bat Segundo Show #72-74: Nora Ephron, Joe Eszterhas & Sidney Thompson

The latest three installments of The Bat Segundo Show, a literary podcast featuring interviews with today’s contemporary writers, are now up. We talk with two filmmakers (Nora Ephron and Joe Eszterhas) and, in collaboration with Pinky’s Paperhaus, we present the first of three podcasts for the Autumn 2006 quarter of the Litblog Co-Op. Be sure to check out the LBC site for further information about author Sidney Thompson.

Mr. Segundo was chased away by Pinky and now considers her a Bolshevik because he believes she is now in collusion with the Litblog Co-Op. But Mr. Segundo still believes that cinema might just be the medium to cure his loneliness. Should Sharon Stone’s films provide him with a deeper understanding of the universe, we will, of course, report any developments.

The main Segundo site can be found here:

http://www.edrants.com/segundo

Here are the details for the next three shows.

Show #72
Author: Nora Ephron
Condition of Mr. Segundo: Terse, but combative towards golden boys.
Subjects Discussed: The side effects of eating cake, book tour provisos, Marie Antoinette, superthin models, anatomical parts as literary inspiration, ageism, hair dye, Botox, responding to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, declarative sentences, David Markson, the relationship between exposing truth and drawing an audience, New Journalism, the newspaper environment in the 1970s, Tom Wolfe, Joan Didion, exclamation points, Jonathan Yardley?s reconsideration of Crazy Salad, the real Ephron vs. the written Ephron, the orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally?, dessert spoons, on not sleeping with JFK, Ephron as blogger, and using popular songs in movies.
Show #73
Author: Joe Eszterhas
Condition of Mr. Segundo: Groping for borrowed salacious content.
Subjects Discussed: Ambrose Bierce, the screenwriter as god, exclamation points, Robert McKee, the ?twisted little man? inside Eszterhas, cynics in Hollywood, William Goldman, the reasons for writing Basic Instinct, Jagged Edge, on pinpointing commercial hits, bringing wives to studio meetings, greed, stealing props from films, the ethics of Hollywood business, fighting studio executives, crotch shots, Paul Verhoeven, blaming Bush for everything, responding to Joe Queenan?s review, bedding stars, Charlie Simpson?s Apocaylpse, Bill Clinton, studio movies vs. independent movies, Children of Glory, and writing novels.
Show #74
Guests: Jeff Bryant and Sidney Thompson
Condition of Mr. Segundo: Locked away by a Pittsburgh podcaster.
Subjects Discussed: Faulkner vs. R.E.M., Southern fiction, how music influences fiction, observing unusual behavior, Thompson?s musical background, family as a starting point, taboos, the happy medium between shock value and playing it safe, stereotypes, believability, escaping into fiction, misfits and loners, connecting with despicable characters, morality in fiction, racial assumptions at the Atlantic Monthly, presenting racial conflict in fiction, and thoughts on the Southern fiction/blue-state fiction divide.
(Show #74 is a co-production of the LBC, Pinky?s Paperhaus, and The Bat Segundo Show.)
To subscribe to the show with a podcatcher program (for later transfer to your iPod), copy and paste the following URL into your program:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/segundo

To listen or to subscribe to the podcasts through Odeo, you can go here:

http://odeo.com/channel/7650/view

Please note: You do not have to have an iPod to listen the show! If you go to the main Segundo site, you can save the MP3 to your lovely machine by clicking on the bat picture or, if you’re the kind of person who would rather swing a bat rather than click on one, we do have a user-friendly interface with many options.

Thanks again for listening,

The Bat Segundo Crew

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Thirteen Artists and Live Music
at the Main ARTery Gallery?s
“$300 or Less”Holiday Art Show
453 West J Street
Benicia, California 94510
December 2nd-February 2nd
Opening Reception December 2nd from 3-5 p.m.
Live music and entertainment by “Vermillion Lies” at 5 p.m.
Thirteen California Artists will come together for this fun and affordable art show. Photography, ceramics, mono-prints, encaustic painting, handmade jewelry, blown glass and mixed media artwork will be represented in this delightful living room gallery. Enjoy holiday libations, fun art and a crackling fire in the fireplace. Enjoy browsing with the opportunity to purchase holiday gifts for the loved ones on your shopping list. Then at 5 p.m. it?s outside to the garden to be entertained by the musical talents of “Vermillion Lies”. Using everything from an old typewriter to the lids of discarded pots and pans, these two sisters will have you begging for an eggbeater from their “magic suitcase” so that you can join the whimsical fun!
For additional information contact
lorri-marie
707.745.2768
lorri-marie@sbcglobal.ne