(Preview) Prior to the arrival of THE MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, I spoke with CODY SLAUGHTER, who plays ELVIS PRESLEY in the National Tour.  Mr. Slaughter provides some wonderful insight about the show, his role and the reactions and impressions he has had thus far (see interview below.)  
The national tour of MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET, the Tony Award winning new musical inspired by the true story of four rock 'n' roll icons will make its Buffalo Premiere November 8 - 13 at Shea's Performing Arts Center as part of the M & T Bank Broadway Series. 
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Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra presents the following concerts and events for the month of November:
 
Wednesday, November 2, 2011 - 7 PM
BPOvations Concert Preview Lecture: Russian Nationalism
Amherst Audubon Library
Paul Ferington, conductor
The lives and music of two great Russian patriots who brought heightened respect for Russian symphonic music to the concert halls of the world. Concerts Previewed: Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky (Nov. 19-20), Tchaikovsky and Strauss (Feb. 11-12), and Prokofiev's Fifth (Mar. 9-10) 
 
Thursday,

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Staff Review by Patricia Covley:
Back when I was watching "The Osbournes" on television, I never thought - Hey, that Ozzy is so smart, they should give him a weekly column to dispense advice about life!  This book is based upon Ozzie's advice columns in the Sunday Times and Rolling Stone.  The book begins with a warning that Ozzy is not a qualified health professional.  He should, by most accounts, be dead because of his years of abusing drugs and alcohol.  Now that he is clean

Second Chance Sheltering Network, Inc. is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit animal rescue group serving the Western New York area.  Their goal is to help place homeless animals while simultaneously helping interested individuals find a new furry companion.  Every Sunday, we run a homeless pet spotlight to help these animals find a good home with a loving family. Please consider adopting an animal... 
Marcey and Milton are very sweet and loving siblings who started their life journey as unwanted kittens from a stray mother.  Their mother had the litter

Buffalo Bisons' owner, businessman and sports author Bob Rich Jr., will be part of a lively evening with three other esteemed baseball storytellers discussing "America's Pastime and the Fall Classic" presented by the George Bush Presidential Library, Friday, Oct. 28TH.

The evening begins at 6 p.m. and lasts until 8 p.m. in the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center located in the library at 1000 George Bush Drive West, in College Station.

Rich, who is known for his humor and wit, joins Leland "Milo" Hamilton the voice of the Houston Astros; Baseball Hall of Fame recipient Curt

The Baird Foundation has generously awarded the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra a dollar-for-dollar challenge grant up to $100,000 based upon all new and increased gifts to the 2011-2012 annual fund campaign. All pledges must be paid by the end of the orchestra's fiscal year on August 31, 2012 to qualify. 

"The BPO is an extraordinary community asset that provides a significant impact to the quality of life in Western New York. The Baird Foundation Challenge is premised upon our reaching out to those that believe the BPO does exactly that," said Arthur Cryer, Trustee of the Baird

Interview with Caleb Spaulding regarding his music video (Safety Sin) filmed in Downtown Buffalo:
BRO: How long have you been playing guitar and singing?
Caleb Spaulding: I've been playing guitar/singing/writing for about 7 or 8 years. I turned 20 last July.
Name three musicians that you draw inspiration from.
I draw a lot of inspiration from Paul Simon, Chris Bathgate and Josh Ritter.
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VIVIEN, The Triumph and Madness of Vivien Leigh, by Rick Foster | Directed by Darleen Pickering Hummert for New Phoenix Theatre and Red Thread Theatre
A "one man show" (or a "one woman show", as the case may be), can present a theatre with major opportunities and major challenges.  On the plus side, such "one-handers" allow theatres both large and small to produce a  play with minimal payroll and, often, minimal production costs. Thus a company with a four or five show season gets a bit of a breather between larger productions.
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Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Staff Review by Patricia Covley:
At age 45, Jim Axelrod, correspondent for CBS News, was in the midst of a midlife crisis.  Due to a shakeup at CBS News, he was now uncertain about his capabilities in his job.  He'd been passed over for plumb assignments at the network.  Years of being on the road for his work had taken its toll on his family life.  He was thirty pounds overweight and drinking too much.  Something needed to change.
Just as Axelrod was feeling

Interview with clothing designer Steven Bales regarding promotion of 'Pandamonium' fashion show, which is to take place at the Buffalo Museum of Science on December 9, from 7:30-10:30pm: 
BRO: What inspires you when it comes to fashion?
Steven: I am inspired by the different types of cultures in the world and different types of lifestyles here in the U.S.A. that have merged together in places like NYC, Chicago and Florida. You see diversity in all the

Fashion Maniac: Keeping tabs on Buffalo's fashion industry, including models, catwalks, retailers, designers, stylists, visual merchandisers and jewelers. 
The Fashion That Was: The Sixties and How it influenced the Fashion World by Phillip Johnson:
While

THE TURN OF THE SCREW by Jeffery Hatcher, Directed by Derek Campbell for ICTC (review based upon a preview performance):
Tis' the season -  for horror!  And in homage to this time of unholy spirits and hauntings, The Irish Classical Theatre Company has delivered a deliciously dark and moody production of THE TURN OF THE SCREW, playwright Jeffery Hatcher's taught take on Henry James' classic ghost story. 
This is the tale of a wealthy Man, who has become the guardian of his young niece and nephew. While the Man

A Buffalo-born campaign that uses music and chocolate to promote social justice is returning to Buffalo this Friday, October 21st. The Chocolate Revolution Tour #2, shares the message that "Fair Trade" Chocolate is a more humane way to celebrate candy-themed holidays.
The local project began in February 2010 as partnership between the NYC music

By Max Crinnin:
This is a call to all boat shoed hipsters lost AT SEA! Voyage to Sugar City tonight (Thursday) for a show that promises to be a great one. AT SEA will headline, with good company in Alex Berkley and Bernice Marie as opening acts. Doors open at 6:30pm and tunes will commence at 7:00pm. Only $5!
Sugar City. Sugar City 19 Wadsworth Street Buffalo, NY 14201
All three acts can be sampled on their

"A very poor family down the block, and the oldest boy, had his bike stolen.
"So I put it on facebook, and within 2 hours, I had 15 responses; Within half in half an hour, he was riding up and down the street on a newly aquired bike."
Then, the man who put out that original call (who asked that his name be left out of the story) thought. "This is what facebook is for." A few clicks later, and The Kindess Project was born.
No politics, no self-promotion, no pretense.

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Staff Review by Patricia Covley:
People have long been fascinated with the Amish, wondering what it would be like to grow up in an isolated world where there are no smart phones, no CNN and (God forbid) no Facebook or Twitter.  In the complicated and always connected world of today, it's tempting to idealize the life of the Amish.  Ira Wagler offers us an inside look at what it was like to grow up Amish and struggle with feelings of not fitting in.  
Rebelling

Second Chance Sheltering Network, Inc. is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit animal rescue group serving the Western New York area.  Their goal is to help place homeless animals while simultaneously helping interested individuals find a new furry companion.  Every Sunday, we run a homeless pet spotlight to help these animals find a good home with a loving family. Please consider adopting an animal... 
OK, so I am a little "pudgy" and am not real happy with other cats being in my space, who isn't?  This is the "tude" that is emitted from this grey and white

Developed and performed by the Brazen Faced VarletsDirected by Lara HarberbergerReviewed by Jeff Wilber
(DISCLAIMER - The reviewer here, me, is married to one of the cast members, Theresa DiMuro-Wilber.  But since most other reviewers in town don't review this scrappy little company of actors, The Brazen Faced Varlets, I've taken upon myself to write about their latest production.  I

OLIVER!  the much loved 1960 musical featuring Charles Dicken's smudgy orphan coping with life in the wicked underworld of Victorian England has been reworked into a presentation by an unlikely acting troupe touring Depression Era America of 1930's. 
The conceit is that of a railroad traveling acting company which pitches its circus style tent on the outskirts of some Dustbowl prairie town to put on their version of Dicken's classic story of economic exploitation and (dare we say?) class warfare. You are the audience sitting in the bleachers, carnival barkers

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library Staff Review by Patricia Covley:
It's a rare occurrence, a perfect game.  In the long history of Major League Baseball only twenty men have pitched perfect games, faced twenty-seven batters and gotten them all out.  All the stars have to be aligned perfectly.  It means no hits, no walks and no men reach base on an error.  On June 2, 2010, Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga seemed destined to make his magical mark in the annals of baseball history.  He had retired twenty-six Cleveland Indian