Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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Monster in Chief Lady Gaga appoints herself supreme freak TV by DEAN ROBBINS Three things are certain in this life: death, taxes, and the fact that Lady Gaga will put on a good show. It’s hard to be bored during Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden (Saturday, 9 p.m., HBO), with its delirious beats, crazily shaped costumes, sexy dancing and glittering sets. And yet, I can’t deny feeling uncomfortable in certain parts. Lady Gaga explicitly presents herself as a “queen,” and she hands down orders to us, her “little monsters.” “Now dance!” she demands, and the audience obediently complies. Just when you think the master-slave conceit is all in good fun, you get the sense that Ms. Gaga is taking herself a bit too seriously as our supreme leader. She keeps telling self-aggran- dizing stories about her former life as a misunderstood genius, scorned by the music business before taking her rightful place as an acknowledged genius. And while I like her freak-positive message, I’m put off by her slightly fascistic suggestion that we freaks find salvation by bowing down to her. I don’t know about you, but I’m uneasy thinking of myself as anybody else’s “little monster.” Okay, it’s time for me to stop analyzing and starting dancing. I don’t want overlord Gaga to get mad at me. Nature Sunday, 8 pm (PBS) “Bears of the Last Frontier” is a breathtaking documentary that gets up close and personal with Alaskan bears in their natural habitat. That said, anyone who has seen Grizzly Man cannot watch this program without screaming things like “Are you nuts?” and “Get the hell out of there!” at host Chris Morgan. Morgan follows in the footsteps of Grizzly Man’s Timothy Treadwell, who was eaten by these same Alaskan bears while filming them in a similar situation. Like Treadwell, Morgan gives the bears cute names and minimizes their threat even as they begin circling him. “Our goal is to peel back the layers of myth and misunderstanding on this complex creature,” he tells the camera. Meanwhile, the bears’ goal is to peel back the layers of his skull and eat the delicious stuff inside. I didn’t have the nerve to watch the end of the pro- gram, so you’ll have to let me know who ended up peeling back whom. Gigolos Thursday, 11 pm (Showtime) Showtime takes advantage of its premium-cable status to produce a reality series you’d never see without a monthly subscription. Gigolos follows a group of hunky male escorts who work together in Las Vegas. These studs make as much as $5,000 for a weekend, and they’re definitely worth it. How do I know that? Because Gigolos goes right into the hotel rooms to show what happens after the money changes hands. But don’t get the impression that this is simply hardcore pornography. Like a good reality series, it gets to know the subjects, and some of them are surprisingly thoughtful about their profession. “Just like a child, you are fully engaged in the moment, not judging it, not being self- conscious around it, and not really even being aware of yourself in it,” says a gigolo named Jimmy. You could tune in for such insightful meditations — or, I suppose, for the hot, bare-naked sex. Your choice. Special Olympics Fundraiser Supports Local Athletes by STEPHANIE CRIDER On April 13, Methodist University hosted the Cumberland County Special Olympics. Not only was it a great day for the athletes, it was a heartwarming day for their families and the specta- tors, too. “We had close to 200 athletes, maybe a little more. It was a lot of fun. We even had the E.E. Smith High School band come out and join us for the opening ceremony,” said Brad Melvin, assistant recreational center supervisor for Fayetteville/Cumberland County Parks and Rec. He added that the contestants had a lot of fun because they not only got a chance to come out and compete, but everybody went home with something. Each athlete receives a medal or a ribbon. “My favorite thing as the volunteer coordinator is that I get a chance to work with the volunteers. The way the volunteers interact with the contestants is great,” said Melvin. “It gives the kids something to look forward to, and I think it means even more to the volunteers than it does the kids. The kids put a smile on everyone’s face, the way they work so hard and compete,” he continued. Events like this are important to the athletes and the community alike. Not only does it give the community a chance to cheer the olympians on and to watch them succeed, it rewards the hard work and training that the athletes have put into their event. On May 7, Gifts Galore and S.O. Much More Shopping Expo is set to take place at the Dorothy Gilmore Therapeutic Recreation Center. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and admission is free. Started 2009 to raise funds in support of Cumberland County’s Special 20 UCW MAY 4-10, 2011 Olympics, the mission of Gifts Galore is “to provide all citizens with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to become useful, productive citizens who are re- spected in our area.” The shopping spree is held twice a year, the first Saturday in May and the first Saturday in December. Home-based businesses and artisans show up and sell a variety of great products and the money received from the vendor booth rent- als all goes right back into the Special Olympics. They’ve got everything from hand bags and home decor items to skin care and scrapbooking products. The money raised will be used to support the Special Olympics program to put on and attend different events throughout the county and to travel to state- level events. The state-level games will be held on June 3-5 in the Raleigh/Cary area, and Cumberland County will be well represented. “We have, including our coaches and athletes, about 100 people or so,” said Melvin. With more than 300 athletes across Cumberland County the Special Olympics has a lot of work to do every year. The fact that the organization op- erates solely on donations, can make it tough to meet their goals sometimes, that is why events like this are so important to the programs. Donations are accepted year round. For more info or to make a donation, call the Cumberland County Special Olympics at 433-1000. STEPHANIE CRIDER, Staff Writer COMMENTS? Stephanie@upand- comingweekly.com WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM