The Virginian-Pilot

urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:1234 HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com http://www.pilotonline.com The Virginian-Pilot 2009-07-02T20:01:46-04:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:487810 This season in the MEAC 2008-11-13T00:24:43-05:00 2008-11-13T00:21:45-05:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

Ready for tipoff The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's unofficial award for best overall job of scheduling goes to Hampton University. The Pirates put together a nice blend of challenging but winnable games, including several on their home court: - vs. George Mason, Nov. 20 - vs. Georgia State, Dec. 3 - vs. Delaware, Dec. 10 - at Virginia, Dec. 23 - at VCU, Dec. 27 - in Great Alaska Shootout,Nov. 26-29 What third-year coach Kevin Nickelberry says: "A big reason this job was attractive to me was the commitment from higher up to try to be a mid-major power, along the likes of VCU, ODU and GMU. It's why I left Clemson for this job. Our philosophy is to do things that help our RPI and to avoid the guarantee games if we can. That way, if we do make the NCAA field, we aren't stuck in the play-in game." By the numbers 3 Consecutive NCAA tournament play-in games in which the MEAC tournament champion has played. 87 Coppin State senior Tywain McKee's free-throw shooting percentage, tops last season in the MEAC and 21st nationally. 55 League-leading steals total last season by Norfolk State's Michael Deloach, who is a junior. 32.5 MEAC's overall 3-point percentage, which ranked last among Division I conferences last season. Over the last five seasons, the MEAC ranked next-to-last in Division I at 33.1 percent. Only the Southwest Athletic Conference, at 31.9 percent, had a lower shooting rate during that span. 1 New head coach in the MEAC: Frankie Allen (UMES). Head coach at Virginia Tech from 1987 to 1991, Allen was most recently an assistant at Maryland-Baltimore County. He has experience in the MEAC, having coached at Howard from 2000 to 2005. 7 Number of road games Delaware State will play in a one-month period against major conference squads in a brutal pay-for-play schedule: Nov. 20 - Ohio State; Nov. 22 - Kentucky; Nov. 25 - West Virginia; Dec. 1 - Connecticut; Dec. 12 - Maryland; Dec. 14 - Rutgers; Dec. 20 - Notre Dame. Did you know? Howard University will open its season with a home game against... Oregon State? Craig Robinson, brother-in-law of Barack Obama, took the head coaching job at Oregon State last spring, after coaching at Brown for two seasons. His Beavers visit Howard on Friday - the only game Oregon State will play east of the Mississippi. And it falls only 10 days removed from Obama's landmark victory. It's part of a home-and-home series in which Howard returns the favor on Dec. 20. So who wants to bet Michelle Robinson Obama might drop by to watch her brother's team in action? How about the president-elect, too? More did you know? A request to talk to Robinson about the scheduling of the Howard game and the prospects of having family/White House dignitaries in attendance was denied. While the request was made through the Oregon State athletic department, the denial was handed down by the Obama for America Oregon campaign headquarters. Super sophomores Three underclassmen who could emerge and do plenty of damage this season: Thomas Coleman, North Carolina A&T The 6-foot-9 Coleman set a school single-game record with nine blocks against Coppin State last season. He finished the year with 57 and also averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds. Trevor Welcher, Delaware State The 5-10 Welcher led the league in assists-to-turnover ratio (1.84) last season and was seventh in the league in assists at 3.07 a game. He also shot 52.6 percent from the field, almost unheard of for a point guard. Brandon Monroe, Norfolk State Listed as a junior by his school, the 6-foot-7 Monroe has sophomore eligibility and can regain a year if he keeps progressing academically. And if he keeps progressing on the court, look out: He averaged 5 points and 5.9 rebounds for NSU last season while shooting 59 percent from the field. Norfolk, VA Anonymous This season in the MEAC The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:487810 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:487966 This season for the CAA women 2008-11-13T23:12:17-05:00 2008-11-13T23:07:11-05:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

5 impact newcomers JoNiquia Guilford, 5-10, fr., G, Old Dominion A preseason knee injury was hardly the start to her career she wanted, but given time, the dynamic scorer from Wilson High will add more athleticism to an already athletic Lady Monarch perimeter. Sarah Williams, 6-0 jr., G, James Madison She transferred from Richmond after being part of the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team in 2005-06. Katrina Wheeler, 6-3, jr., C, Towson Wheeler is a huge addition, having started 51 of 53 games at Georgetown, where she averaged 8.1 points and 8.1 rebounds her sophomore year. Asia Jenkins, 5-9, fr., G, Hofstra The New Jersey native will be eligible in the second semester after transferring from Cincinnati. She was a first-team All-New Jersey selection her senior year in high school. Dana Olsen, 6-1, jr., F, Georgia State Olsen was No. 2 in the nation in scoring with 24.2 points per game in earning first-team All-America honors at Labette (Kan.) Community College. The rest of her line isn't shabby either: 57 percent shooting, 7.1 rebounds and 84 percent accuracy from the foul line. 5 storylines to follow 1 If the Lady Monarchs are to win an 18th straight CAA tournament title, they'll have to win three games in Harrisonburg. The last time they won a game there was in 2005. 2 Last season, Virginia Commonwealth went to the WNIT and finished 26-8, even with center Quanitra Hollingsworth missing the final 11 games with a torn Achilles'. Will the Rams be even better with the Great Bridge High graduate returning for her senior year? 3 After three straight years of recording 20 or more wins and advancing to postseason play, Delaware slumped to 7-24. Can coach Tina Martin regroup with a roster that includes four freshmen and four sophomores? 4 Two years ago, the CAA placed three teams in the NCAA tournament. It was the first time any team from the league received an at-large bid since 1996. Last year, ODU was the only team to make it, and no one other than the Lady Monarchs is in the preseason top 25 or even receiving votes. Is the CAA mediocre again? 5 Elena Della Donne, the nation's top recruit, is playing volleyball at Delaware after saying she was burned out on basketball and reneging on her commitment to UConn. What if she peeks in at a Delaware basketball practice and gets the itch to play again? They said it "At Wilmington." Seahawks coach Ann Hancock when asked if she'd like to see Della Donne playing in the CAA. "She had so many great experiences. She called me one day and said, 'Coach, I just met Usher.' " JMU coach Kenny Brooks on Tamera Young's initial season in the WNBA "Tyne Daly." ODU coach Wendy Larry's response when asked who would play her in a movie "Julia Roberts." Blue Hens coach Tina Martin's response to the same question. By the numbers 70 Blocked shots by ODU's Tiffany Green last year. 51 Consecutive victories by ODU in the CAA tournament. 26 Consecutive victories ODU has on its home court, tied for most in the nation with Hartford. 19 Points averaged by preseason Player of the Year Gabriela Marginean of Drexel last season. 5 Starters returning for Georgia State. 1 New coach in the CAA: Former Radford coach Jeri Porter replaced Debbie Taneyhill at George Mason. 5 who moved on T.J. Jordan The conference's all-time 3-point ace from ODU is playing ball in Slovenia. Britne Rodgers The Princess Anne High graduate left Hofstra last month for unspecified personal reasons. A conference All-Rookie team forward last year, Rodgers was the Pride's third-leading scorer and one of the team's top rebounders. Nikki Moats A Tennessee transfer, Moats was expected to play a huge role for JMU, but personal issues derailed her basketball career, and coach Kenny Brooks said she will not play for the Dukes. Kia Butts The Kellam High graduate who was an assistant coach at William and Mary is the school's new assistant dean of admissions. Kyle DeHaven She started at William and Mary and transferred to Delaware before finishing up second all-time in the CAA in steals. DeHaven now plays in Germany. Vicki L. Friedman, (757) 477-6874, VickiL120@cox.net Norfolk, VA Anonymous This season for the CAA women The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:487966 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:488120 This season for the CAA men in college basketball 2008-11-15T00:58:56-05:00 2008-11-15T00:50:57-05:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

fhe favorite VCU is coming off back-to-back regular-season CAA titles and features reigning CAA Player of the Year Eric Maynor. PG Maynor and F Larry Sanders, who blocked a league-high 95 shots as a freshman, anchor a team with 10 underclassmen. the top contenders Northeastern welcomes back all five starters from a squad that finished 14-17 last season. Old Dominion is one of the league's youngest teams, but the Monarchs return F Gerald Lee and a host of players who saw significant playing time as freshmen. the darkhorse George Mason, the defending conference tournament champ, has three starters back from a 23-win team. on the rise Georgia State, a ninth-place finisher or worse in its first three years in the CAA, could be ready to move up on the strength of five Division I transfers. on the decline UNC Wilmington lost four starters to graduation, including first-team All-CAA pick T.J. Carter (15.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg). The others - Daniel Fountain, Vladimir Kuljanin and Todd Hendley - averaged 12.5 ppg or more. he said it... "It's just a great, great league, and I think it's going to make for great theater. You don't know where the top begins and where the bottom ends. It's all scrambled up, and I think it's going to be a very exciting year." - Delaware coach Monte Ross 3 to watch VCU's Eric Maynor, a 6-3 point guard, mulled turning pro after last season, but he decided to return for his senior season. Maynor's a clutch player who led the conference in assists (5.5 apg) and was second in scoring (17.9 ppg) as a junior. Old Dominion's Gerald Lee, a 6-10 junior, established himself as one of the conference's dominant post players last season, averaging 12.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Northeastern's Matt Janning was third in the CAA in scoring last season, averaging 16.1 points a game. The 6-4 junior is one of the league's top 3-point shooters. trey, trey chic The NCAA moved back the 3-point line for this season, so players will launch treys from 20 feet, 9 inches - a foot longer than previously. Reaction to the move by a couple of CAA coaches: Towson's Pat Kennedy "For the guys who are marginal shooters to begin with, they'll go in that category 'Don't shoot it.' " VCU's Anthony Grant "Guys that can really shoot the basketball, I don't think that they're going to be affected by it." On the schedule Some of the more intriguing non-conference match-ups: James Madison plays Nov. 16 against Davidson in the NIT Tip-Off in Oklahoma. The Dukes face NCAA darling Davidson and sharpshooter Stephen Curry. UNC Wilmington is at Wake Forest on Nov. 17. The Seahawks visit a team picked to finish third in the ACC. Georgia State's schedule features games against two ACC teams in a five-day stretch: at home vs. Florida State on Dec. 13 and at Georgia Tech on Dec. 17. * VCU plays Oklahoma - and former coach Jeff Capel - in Oklahoma City on Dec. 20. transfer of power Eleven players are eligible to play this season in the CAA after transferring in from major Division I programs. Georgia State's roster has five transfers, followed by Towson with three, and Delaware, UNC Wilmington and William and Mary with one each. Georgia (State) on my mind The Panthers' transfers include forwards Trey Hampton and Xavier Hansbro, who left the University of Mississippi; guard Joe Dukes, who exited Wake Forest; and guard Dante Curry, who left South Florida. Hansbro and Hampton played for Ole Miss under Rod Barnes, who is in his second season as Georgia State's coach. by the numbers 4 CAA teams (VCU, Old Dominion, Hofstra and George Mason) rank among the nation's top 56 winningest programs over the past four seasons. VCU's .703 winning percentage is 25th. 11 Seasons Jim Larranaga has coached at George Mason, making him the CAA's elder statesman. 12 All 12 CAA members are slated to participate in the ESPNU Bracketbusters Feb. 20-21. 1,110 Approximate miles Northeastern will travel to play at Georgia State on Jan. 7, the conference's longest road trip. The Huskies play at non-conference foe South Florida (1,356 miles) on Nov. 29. coach on the hot seat Drexel's Bruiser Flint is coming off a 12-20 finish, his worst record in 12 seasons as a college head coach and the Dragons' lowest win total since 1991. super sophs Four players who are coming off big freshman seasons: Old Dominion's Ben Finney started 17 games, and an improved jump shot could make him more dangerous. Hofstra's Charles Jenkins scored in double figures 27 times and averaged 15 ppg. UNC Wilmington's Chad Tomko started all 33 games at point guard and averaged 8.6 ppg. VCU's Larry Sanders led the Rams in rebounding (5.1 per game) and was an All-CAA defensive selction. don't I know you? Two players from South Hampton Roads who are expected to have an impact around the CAA: George Mason F Darryl Monroe, a 6-7 senior from Virginia Beach, returns after missing last season with a foot injury. Monroe started 19 games two seasons ago. William and Mary G Kendrix Brown, a 6-3 freshman, averaged 17.5 ppg and was second-team all-state as a senior at Norview High in Norfolk. Tribe-ulations William and Mary had its winningest season in a decade last season, finishing 17-16 and reaching its first CAA tournament championship game. Three starters, including PG David Schneider (10.9 ppg), return. "The best change is that our guys approach the season with a lot of confidence," coach Tony Shaver said. NKOTB Forget the reunion tour of Jordan, Jonathan, Joey, Danny and Donnie. The CAA's only New Kid on the Block is baby-faced coach Matt Brady, who replaces Dean Keener. Brady coached four seasons at Marist, guiding the Red Foxes to a 73-50 record and their first MAAC regular-season title. Jami Frankenberry, (757) 446-2295, jami.frankenberry@pilotonline.com Norfolk, VA Anonymous This season for the CAA men in college basketball The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:488120 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:514937 Revolutionary war battle flags soon to wave goodbye 2009-07-02T23:11:46-04:00 2009-07-03T00:00:00-04:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

Three battle flags fluttered above the troops amid the confusion, smoke and musket fire in a South Carolina field on May 29, 1780.

Three battle flags fluttered above the troops amid the confusion, smoke and musket fire in a South Carolina field on May 29, 1780. Col. Abraham Buford and his 3rd Virginia Detachment were heading back north after trying to reinforce Charleston, under siege by Lord Cornwallis. The British had taken the city before they had arrived. In one of the more controversial battles of the Revolutionary War, the Seventeenth Light Dragoons, led by Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton, caught up with the patriots near the North Carolina line. Since December 2007, the three flags, along with a Connecticut cavalry flag, have been on view in the "Captured Colors: Four Battleflags of the American Revolution" exhibit at Colonial Williamsburg's DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum. In a little more than two weeks, these historic treasures will be returned to the owner. They may never again be on public view. Those flags were spirited away to Britain as trophies. They adorned the walls of Tarleton descendants' homes for 225 years before returning to American soil. During a Flag Day bidding battle at Sotheby's in New York City in 2006, they sold to an anonymous bidder for nearly $17.4 million. All four are made of silk and are in good condition. They're among about only 25 flags to survive the fight for independence. "Here you are able to see four," said Trish Balderson, manager of museum education at Colonial Williamsburg. "They are important for learning how the American flag developed to what we know today. These flags, several of them actually, include components of that American flag pattern." Of the Virginia flags, the main battle flag is thought to be the earliest surviving documented American flag bearing 13 stars. It has a painted emblem of a beaver chewing a palmetto tree and the motto "Perseverando." The two smaller flags, one blue and one gold, display the word "Regiment." The Connecticut flag is believed to be the earliest surviving American flag with a field of 13 red and white stripes. It was captured by Tarleton after an attack in 1779 on the Continental Army's 2nd Light Dragoons at Pound Ridge, N.Y. The Virginia flags are the only intact set of Continental Army battle flags surviving the Revolutionary War. Accounts vary about the Battle of the Waxhaws, also referred to as "Buford's Massacre." One version says Buford ordered the flag of truce raised. As the British came forward, Tarleton's horse was shot from under him, which enraged his men and resulted in a furious assault. Another version says the Americans were tricked by Tarleton. When the flags of truce were passing and the Colonials were laying down their arms, Tarleton ordered an attack. The battle left more than 100 Americans and five British dead. Those who gathered at a church to help care for the estimated 150 wounded patriots included a president-to-be, 13-year-old Andrew Jackson. Balderson, who gives tours of the museum's exhibits, said the flags have been a good attraction. She said they help teach about the history of our flag, two separate battles, souvenirs of war and the leaders of the day. A nearby exhibit includes portraits of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. She remembers specifically the tours she has given to high school teachers and their intense interest in the flags. "They really think that their students will understand and feel a connection to these flags. So they've really soaked up everything they could learn about them." The exhibit includes story labels, graphic images, photographs and period weapons including muskets, a sword and a calvary pistol. Balderson hopes these national treasures will be shared with the public again. "I'd like to think the owner has come to the museum and seen how much people have enjoyed them and will factor that into their decision to display them in the future." Roy Bahls, (757) 446-2351, roy.bahls@pilotonline.com Norfolk, VA Anonymous Revolutionary war battle flags soon to wave goodbye The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:514937 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:514936 Fourth of July weekend events 2009-07-02T23:10:16-04:00 2009-07-02T18:34:24-04:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

Time to celebrate! Plenty of parties and pyrotechnics will be popping up for Independence Day. Hampton Roads offers an array of ways to celebrate the nation's birthday. A quiet cookout or neighborhood get-together might sound good - or maybe a big community bash with music, games and fireworks. Here's a list of some of the region's festivities to help you decide. Also, don't forget to check with your local libraries and recreation centers for other patriotic events. All numbers are 757 area code unless otherwise noted. - Roy Bahls ____ Hampton Roads Grand Opening of Town Point Park, Harborfest & 4th of July Great American Picnic, music (headliners include Collective Soul 8:30 tonight, Lee Greenwood 8 p.m. Saturday and Joe Nichols 6:15 p.m. Sunday), food, fireworks (10 tonight, 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday ), children's activities, and more noon to 11 p.m. today and Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday at Town Point Park, Waterside Drive, Norfolk. 441-2345, www.festevents.org Stars & Stripes Explosion, music, fireworks and more Saturday at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. Fireworks at 9:30 p.m. at 20th Street. Music: Revolution: The Beatles Tribute (7 and 10 p.m. 17th Street park), The English Channel (7 and 10 p.m. 24th Street park), Symphonicity and Virginia Beach Chorale (8 p.m. 20th Street stage on the beach) and The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience (8:30 and 10 p.m. at 31st Street park). 491-7866, www.beachstreetusa.com Independence Day, "A Salute to the States" featuring the Williamsburg Militia, Colonial Williamsburg's Fifes and Drums and cannon salutes at 10 a.m. Saturday, "Reading of the Declaration of Independence" at 12:30 p.m., fireworks at 9:15 p.m. and more in Colonial Williamsburg. (800) HISTORY, www.history.org July Fourth Celebration, music (Bull City Syndicate), children's activities, festival food, fireworks (9:30 p.m.) and more from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday at Mount Trashmore Park, 310 Edwin Drive, Virginia Beach. 385-2990. Salute to the Union, featuring a 50-gun salute at 11:55 a.m. Saturday at Continental Park, Fort Monroe. 788-3207. The Shore Thing Concert and Independence Day Celebration, 6:30 p.m. Saturday with music by FAB, dancing, festival food, fireworks (9:30 p.m.). Ocean View Beach Park, 111 W. Ocean View Ave., Norfolk. 441-2345. Fourth of July Celebration, featuring a parade, games, entertainment, food and more from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Lakeside Park, 1441 Bainbridge Blvd., Chesapeake. Music by 10 Spot at noon. 382-6411. Fourth at the Fort, fireworks at 9:30 p.m., music, food and more 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday at Walker Army Airfield, Fort Monroe. Music by The Average White Band, Tidewater Drive and Gator Allmond and the Spice of Life Band. 788-3151. Liberty Celebration, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday featuring Revolutionary War re-enactors, artillery drills and more at Yorktown Victory Center, Water Street and Colonial Parkway, Yorktown. (888) 593-4682, www.historyisfun.org Post-Baseball Game Fireworks, Norfolk Tides vs. Gwinnett Braves at 7:15 tonight at Harbor Park, 150 Park Ave., Norfolk. 622-2222. Under the Stars Concert and Fireworks, 7:30 tonight (music by the U.S. Fleet Forces Band) and fireworks (at dark) at Chesapeake City Park, 900 Greenbrier Pkwy. 382-6411. Yorktown Fourth of July Celebration, 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday featuring music (The Fifes and Drums of York Town, The U.S. Air Force Heritage of America Band and more), arts and crafts, children's activities, fireworks (9:15 p.m.) and more. Historic Yorktown. 890-3500, www.yorkcounty.gov/fourth Fourth of July Stars in the Sky, music featuring the Jimmy Jones Band, children's activities, food, fireworks (9:30 p.m.) and more. 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday at Victory Landing Park, 23rd Street at the James River, Newport News. 926-1400. July Fourth Celebration, opening ceremonies at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, bicycle and float parade at 11:30 a.m., rides and games from noon to 3 p.m., raft race at 3 p.m., music (Nate Sparks and Pamunkey River Ramblers) from 6:30 p.m. and fireworks at 9 p.m. Ebenezer United Methodist Church, 1589 Steeple Drive, Suffolk. 238-2359. YMCA Independence Day 5K/1 Mile Run/Walk, 5K Run/Walk at 7:30 a.m., Mile Run at 8:45 a.m. and Tot Trot at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Mount Trashmore Family YMCA, 4441 South Blvd., Virginia Beach. 456-9622, www.ymcaindependencedayrun.org Fourth of July Town Picnic, music, food, children's activities, fireworks (9:30 p.m.) and more 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Robinson Park, Duke Street, Windsor. 242-4288. Fireworks, 9:15 tonight and Saturday at Busch Gardens, 1 Busch Gardens Blvd., Williamsburg. (800) 343-7946. Cradock's Patriotic Salute and Children's Bike Parade, bike parade at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Afton Parkway and George Washington Highway in historic Cradock, Portsmouth. Flag ceremony at 10 a.m. at the Cradock gazebo followed by July Fourth birthday cake. 515-3739. July Fourth Laser Fireworks, planetarium program at 7 and 8 p.m. Saturday at the Virginia Living Museum 524 J. Clyde Morris Blvd., Newport News. 595-1900. ____ NORTH CAROLINA Independence Day Celebration, fireworks (dusk), music (Boomerangs at 5:30 p.m. and Stephen Cochran at 7:30 p.m.), food and more at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Whalehead Club, Currituck Heritage Park, Corolla, N.C. (252) 453-9612. Manteo Fourth of July Celebration, music, children's activities, food, fireworks at dark and more. 2 p.m. Saturday along the waterfront in Manteo, N.C. Music by Feather & Folly, Old Enough to Know Better and others. (252) 473-2133. Fabulous Fourth on the River, music, fireworks (9 p.m.), children's activities and more from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Waterfront Park, Elizabeth City, N.C. Music by UpHill Band and the Army's TRADOC Band. (252) 335-5330. Fireworks, at dark Saturday. Also, music and food at 5 p.m. at Avon Fishing Pier, Avon, N.C. (252) 995-5480. Fireworks, at dark Saturday. Avalon Fishing Pier, Kill Devil Hills, N.C. (252) 449-5300. Find more in the HamptonRoads.com Events database Norfolk, VA Anonymous Fourth of July weekend events The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:514936 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:514952 Mal's classic movie fest offers seldom seen treats 2009-07-02T21:11:18-04:00 2009-07-03T00:00:01-04:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

The guessing is over. The fifth annual festival of classic films at the Naro Expanded Cinema will open Monday with "From Here to Eternity" starring Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed - all nominated for Oscars. In past years, the summer festival of seven films on seven Monday nights has been greeted by big crowds and served as a showcase for movies that are not likely ever again to be shown in a theatrical setting. Yet again, I am hosting the event with pre-screening introductions and post-screening personal remembrances of the stars and filmmakers. And, yes, I remember plenty. Burt Lancaster explained to me his embarrassing troubles in filming love scenes with Ava Gardner. I was there for Laurence Olivier's one and only visit to Norfolk. I'll tell you about the long-time resident of Norfolk who was set designer for "The Magnificent Seven." There's much more. This year's festival does not have a tight theme, as previous ones did. You might call it the Every-Genre Festival. One drama - "From Here to Eternity." One Western - "The Magnificent Seven." One musical - "Silk Stockings." One thriller - "Bunny Lake is Missing." And three comedies that, collectively, might make up a minifestival all their own - films that found laughter in what was formerly called the Cold War. If there is a dominant figure in this year's festival, it is Billy Wilder, who co-wrote "Ninotchka" as Greta Garbo's first comedy, co-wrote "A Foreign Affair" for Marlene Die-trich and wrote and directed "One, Two, Three" starring James Cagney as a Southerner in Berlin. All three movies concern East vs. West, with most of the laughs coming at the expense of Russia. In choosing the films, I went for some little gems rather than familiar warhorses. The most traditional classic is Monday's opener, "From Here to Eternity," based on James Jones' controversial and racy novel that many thought could never be made into a movie. Set in Hawaii in and around Schofield Barracks just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, it was directed by Fred Zinnemann. Released in 1953, it tied "Gone With the Wind" for the most Oscars won by a single film at that time - eight. All five actors were nominated, with Sinatra and Reed winning. I met and interviewed four members of the cast (Lancaster, Kerr, Reed and Ernest Borg-nine) and will discuss this after the film. (And you can bet there are plenty of stories about the Gardner-Sinatra marriage and the fact that Gardner did much to get her husband the part in this movie. This was Sinatra before he became chairman of any board. Gardner was nominated the same year, for "Mogambo," making them a rare husband-and-wife team to be nominated. She did not attend the ceremonies, commenting, "I couldn't be elected dog catcher in that town." The screening is at 7:15 p.m. Monday, June 6, at the Naro, 1507 Colley Ave., in the Ghent section of Norfolk. The rest of the lineup is: "Ninotchka," July 13. The inimitable Greta Garbo stars with Melvyn Douglas in this comedy about a Russian woman who comes to Paris and learns that capitalism is more fun than communism. This is one of the most popular comedies of all time and got Oscar nominations both for Garbo and for best picture in the banner year, 1939, that is now celebrating its 70th anniversary as the greatest year in film history. "The Magnificent Seven," July 20. This 1960 Western stars Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen and five other professional gunfighters who turn heroic to protect Mexican peasants from bandits led by Eli Wallach. Elmer Bernstein's musical score is among the most famous in movie history. The event will serve as a tribute to the film's art director, the late Edward Fitzgerald, a longtime Norfolk resident. "Silk Stockings," July 27. The musical version of "Ninotchka" has Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse taking over the roles played by Douglas and Garbo. The music in this 1957 film is by Cole Porter and features some of his greatest tunes, including "All of Me" and "Stereophonic Sound." "A Foreign Affair," Aug. 3. Marlene Dietrich is featured in this 1948 comedy about a stuffy U.S. congresswoman who goes to Berlin after World War II to stop U.S. soldiers from partying with German girls. Dietrich is one of those girls, and she sings the sultry "Illusions," among other songs. ("Would you like to buy my illusions? Slightly used.") After the screening, we'll tell you all we know about Dietrich, which is plenty. One of her best friends, Mitzi Gaynor, told me most of these stories. "Bunny Lake Is Missing," Aug. 10. This is a 1965 mystery about a small child who has disappeared. Laurence Olivier stars with Carol Lynley, Keir Dullea and Noel Coward, directed by Otto Preminger. It is a thriller but does not emphasize violence - just the threat of harm. "One, Two, Three," Aug. 17. The festival will close with the presentation of awards voted on by the audience for the four best actors. The feature will be this all-out-funny 1961 comedy starring James Cagney as a Coca-Cola manager who faces trouble in Germany when his boss' daughter (a Southern girl named Scarlett) falls in love with a Russian hippie. Norfolk, VA Anonymous Mal's classic movie fest offers seldom seen treats The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:514952 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:514927 'Public Enemies' has thought, lacks emotion 2009-07-02T19:25:07-04:00 2009-07-03T00:00:00-04:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

Cast: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Channing Tatum, Lili Taylor, Leelee Sobieski, Stephen Dorff, Stephen Graham Director: Michael Mann Screenplay: Michael Mann, Ann Biderman, Ronan Bennett Music: Elliot Goldenthal MPAA rating: R (violence) Mal’s rating: 2½ stars --------- As someone has already said, it was the movies that killed John Dillinger. As it turns out, in more ways than one. In reality, he was fatally shot leaving the Biograph Theater in Chicago, where he saw Clark Gable and Myrna Loy in "Manhattan Melodrama," a better gangster movie than the present overly "arty" treatise on his life. This movie kills Dillinger with pretension. "Public Enemies," directed by Michael Mann, arrives, strangely, on a Fourth of July weekend as a vehicle for the always-interesting and often-mesmerizing Johnny Depp. We use the word "strangely" because the movie is a bizarre kind of art film that specializes in stylized shoot-outs, rather than traditional action, and endless close-ups that ask us to wonder what the bad guy is thinking. Thinking? In a summer movie? After sitting through "Transformers" twice (five hours of my life) in the past week, the mere ratta-tat-tat of a Tommy gun is, if anything, refreshing. We go in with high hopes. Can this be the role that brings Depp a long-overdue Academy Award? (Alas, no.) Can this re-create the desperation of the Great Depression, which we fear might be repeated today? (No, because we learn little or nothing about the times that produced the celebrity bank robber.) Centering superficially on Dillinger's apparent obsession to rob banks, it tells us nothing of the starvation, lack of employment, and hatred of crooked institutions such as banks. With just a few close-ups of country folk, Arthur Penn in "Bonnie and Clyde" showed us why common people not only sympathized with the criminals but set them up as heroic urban legends. Mann gives us, instead, close-ups of Johnny Depp - pondering. Depp plays the gangster cocky and cool - and distant. He robs banks as if he were performing a ballet - jumping over counters and treating his hostages as if they were his guests. Where's the heat? The action scenes seem like something out of a high school play - toy guns and no real menace, even if Mann does resort to slow-motion bullets that splatter blood in the famous style of Sam Peckinpah. The shootout at Little Bohemia Lodge, where Dillinger and his gang hide out in Wisconsin, is a highlight, but photographed in digital video it's all dark and very difficult to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Part of the insomnia-curing quietness is due to a misfire in the use of music. Ballads of the era, particularly the repetitive "Bye, Bye Blackbird," are performed as funeral dirges - suggesting that no one in the '30s had any fun. Elliot Goldenthal's original score is little more than a background hum. The new film is based on Bryan Burrough's book "Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34," but it is about only Dillinger, making one wonder if another script exists somewhere - one written, perhaps, before Johnny Depp agreed to play Dillinger. His performance is intelligent, but perhaps he was too obsessed with capturing the "real" Dillinger (a brooding psychopath) to give us a real show. Marion Cotillard, Oscar winner for "La Vie En Rose," plays Billie Frechette, pictured as the great love of Dillinger's life. Cotillard's main effort, one guesses, is to say her lines in English. This version has Billie hauled away by the FBI while Dillinger was near her on the street and unrecognized by the apparently dim G-men. There also is a scene in which Dillinger walks into FBI headquarters and talks with agents, unrecognized. As with everything, it's played in such a quiet, bland way that it has no spark. There's a lot of sleepwalking present - as if robbing banks were pretty routine. Christian Bale is stoic as the Midwestern G-man in charge who's determined to capture the culprit. Bale, as in "Terminator: Salvation," his Batman movies and even his most memorable role, "American Psycho" (2000), is a specialist in underplaying. Fine, but we need a wake-up call somewhere along the way. Most of the rest of the cast goes unrecognized and, to some extent, unheard. (There's lots of mumbling.) Channing Tatum is Pretty Boy Floyd. He has a death scene and nothing else. Giovanni Ribisi is bad guy Alvin Karpis (toned down here from his usual overacting). Stephen Graham is Baby Face Nelson. They are no more than names dropped. Billy Crudup, a University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill grad and a reliable actor, is good as the young J. Edgar Hoover who, like Dillinger, has learned the value of publicity. Hoover wants to use Dillinger as a reason to establish a national police force. Crudup makes him authoritative in an ominous way. This film is worth a look for Depp fans and art film fans, and because it's not a noisy summer piece of bombast. At almost 2-1/2 hours, however, it is way too long. Depp contributes a thoughtful performance but seems stymied by the uneven style of the movie. In an attempt to make a "thinking person's" gangster movie, Mann has neglected what should be the most important ingredient - emotion. Mal Vincent, (757) 446-2347, mal.vincent@pilotonline.com Norfolk, VA Anonymous 'Public Enemies' has thought, lacks emotion The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:514927 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:514949 Smitten squirrel still keeps his cool thru third 'Ice Age' 2009-07-03T00:45:40-04:00 2009-07-03T00:00:00-04:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

There is Donald Duck. Chip and Dale. Bambi. And now, there is Scrat and his beloved acorn. A new star is not so much born in "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" as he is established. Scrat, complete with his bulging, often bloodshot and frantic eyes, and his ever-twitching nose may not look like Brad Pitt, but he's a star. In a burgeoning world of animated movies, Scrat is my nomination for best supporting actor of the genre. Indeed, he is rivaled in modern animation only by WALL-E, but WALL-E is a leading man (or rather a leading robot scrap heap) who is more poignant and heart-wrenching. His film is a bona fide classic that will be playing long after everyone reading this is dead. On the other hand, Scrat is a more knock-about hilarious character. A close cousin to Wile E. Coyote, he's pummeled, trampled and generally defeated in his effort to keep his acorn. If you've ever seen Jackie Gleason's character "The Poor Soul," that's Scrat. There is definitely a sad side to him. Looking much like a squirrel (is that what he is?) he had me from that first moment in "Ice Age" (2002) when the ice began to crack and he snapped to full, desperate attention to save not only himself but the oversized acorn that is his by right. As the ice cracks more, he gets more desperate. He almost always loses, but he never gives up. He's going to hold on to his acorn no matter what. Some of us are like that. In the third "Ice Age" edition, Scrat gets a girl-squirrel friend. She twitches her bushy tail persistently and sometimes contorts it into a heart figurine. She bats her long eyelashes. She has Scrat befuddled. Back in "Bambi," the forest critters called it "twitterpated" and it happened mostly in spring. Her name is Scratte and she's clearly trouble. The audience cries out to warn Scrat not to let Scratte have the acorn, but he is smitten. He learns. In the opening sequence of "Return of the Dinosaurs," she gets the acorn and leaves him to take one of those cartoon splat-falls. She flutters her eyelashes as she waves him goodbye. Now, isn't that just like a female prehistoric squirrel. Scrat is the best thing about the new movie, but he isn't the only good thing. This toon franchise is on to something in that it seems to realize what some other studios have forgotten: the best reason for animation is to show us animal beings that couldn't be portrayed in any other way. (Human beings are always stiff in animated movies, even with all the new technological wonders. And, besides, if you're going to feature humans, why not let humans play them). All the familiar prehistoric beings are back for this sequel, each with a new plot. The most endearing is Sid, a lonely sloth, who finds three dinosaur eggs and hatches them on his own. The unbearably cute babies, one of whom is named Yoko, think he is their mother and try to act like sloths, but Big Mama, the real dinosaur mother, comes to claim them. (She doesn't look sweet). This is what brings the gang into the land of the dinosaurs. Eventually, Sid has to give up his babies to allow them to grow up with their own kind. A heartwrenching moment, and those kind of moments have been rare in animation movies lately. Wisecracks (often vulgar) have taken over, often in a misplaced effort to be cool rather than cuddly. (No wonder they say we're living in a cynical age. Kiddies are raised mostly on cynicism at the movies). Manny and Ellie, woolly mammoths (looking like elephants with tusks) are becoming parents. Perhaps too much is made of this - right down to a lengthy childbirth (mammoth birth?) scene. If you take your children, be prepared with a good bluff to avoid a talk about the birds and the bees and the mammoths. Diego, the sabre-toothed tiger, panics when he fails to outrun a gazelle and figures that he is getting soft running with this crowd. Eventually there's a lesson of loyalty here, to go along with the lesson about loneliness. Don't worry. The children are not likely to notice that they're getting a lesson. Scrat probably wouldn't be able to carry a movie on his own. After all he's too close to the most dreaded form of human - the mime. But Scrat clearly deserves his own series of short subjects. It would be a throwback to an era when we regularly got a cartoon before the feature movie. Now we get commercials. One would imagine he works cheap. Just give him the acorn. Mal Vincent, (757) 446-2347, mal.vincent@pilotonline.com. Norfolk, VA Anonymous Smitten squirrel still keeps his cool thru third 'Ice Age' The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:514949 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:514944 Thursday's traffic tells an ominous tale 2009-07-02T19:58:42-04:00 2009-07-03T00:00:00-04:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

Hampton Roads didn't suffer a hit from a hurricane Wednesday night. Nobody attacked the naval bases or the port. We merely had some wind and rain, and a few thousand people lost power. On Thursday, there was no evacuation order. It was just the usual Fourth of July traffic, tourists heading toward our beaches and residents leaving town for the holiday. But Wednesday's rain - a heavy but hardly unusual summer thunderstorm - contributed to water standing in the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, which had to be closed. Both the James River Bridge and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel were shut down Wednesday night. On Thursday, the highways of Hampton Roads backed up as far as 20 miles. Crashes clogged Interstates 64, 264 and 664 for hours. People spent half the morning simply getting to work. Folks heading out of town for the holiday gave up and drove back home again. Some lucky people managed to get to local streets to navigate around the highways. But even those roads were clogged beyond the usual rush hour. And all this was caused by a simple summer thundershower. If even one more thing had gone wrong, it's clear that no one would've been able to go anywhere on Thursday. What's not clear is how long we would've been waiting to get out. Among the few bright patches from our latest transportation collapse: A fair number of commuters weren't working Thursday, so rush-hour traffic wasn't as heavy as usual. The HRBT problem was westbound, so tourists coming to Virginia Beach or the Outer Banks didn't get the worst of the traffic. And police didn't need to worry about speeders. Still, the confluence of a broken water pump at the HRBT, downed power cables on the James River Bridge and the start of a major holiday weekend produced enough angst - and burned enough fuel - to give us a hint of what things would be like if a major hurricane were bearing down on us. We'd be stuck. Our roads - even if everything goes right - are inadequate paths to the west and out of a hurricane's way. Around here, something always seems to go wrong in heavy weather. We know this. Hurricane Isabel was a minimal Category 1 storm when it hit here in 2003. The Midtown Tunnel flooded, and repairs kept it closed for a month. The Virginia Department of Transportation spent $70 million cleaning up after the storm. Now, with the state unwilling to raise money for even basic maintenance of roads, where would that kind of money come from? Tunnel operators at the time of Isabel acknowledged that the floodgates hadn't been tested in at least two years and that routine maintenance on the HRBT's floodgates hadn't been done. Years later, not only is Richmond still incapable of building the highways we so desperately need in Hampton Roads, it's not even able to fix the potholes or maintain the transportation system we do have. Once again, on Thursday, the weather showed us what that failure to fund the state's crumbling transportation system means for our ability to get out of harm's way: It means we can't. Norfolk, VA Anonymous Thursday's traffic tells an ominous tale The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:514944 Change 0 Usable urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:514945 Coast Guard's 5th District welcomes new commander 2009-07-02T20:01:46-04:00 2009-07-02T19:59:12-04:00 Copyright The Virginian-Pilot

The Coast Guard's 5th District welcomed a new commander Monday and said farewell to Rear Adm. Fred M. Rosa Jr., who is retiring after 34 years of service.

The Coast Guard's 5th District welcomed a new commander Monday and said farewell to Rear Adm. Fred M. Rosa Jr., who is retiring after 34 years of service. Rear Adm. Wayne Justice relieved Rosa in a ceremony at Integrated Support Command in Portsmouth. Justice most recently served as assistant commandant for capability at Coast Guard headquarters in Washington, where he set requirements for and tested new ships and planes as part of the service's modernization effort. Rosa was awarded the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal for his work, which included serving on the staff of the National Security Council and as deputy director of intelligence and criminal investigation at Coast Guard headquarters. The 5 th District stretches from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. ____ Navy shipyard welcomes 103rd commander The nation's oldest continuously operating shipyard hosted a change-of-command ceremony Sunday, welcoming its 103rd commander. Capt. William C. Kiestler relieved Capt. Richard D. Berkey, who has been selected to rear admiral, in a ceremony at Norfolk Naval Shipyard's Trophy Park in Portsmouth. Berkey is heading to the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, where he will be maintenance officer. Kiestler has served as the shipyard's executive officer since December 2006. He enlisted in the Navy in 1981 and trained as a nuclear electrician, then went on to graduate from the Naval Academy and become an engineering duty officer. ____ Purple Heart tales being collected The stories of Purple Heart recipients are being collected for the Purple Heart Hall of Honor. The recollections are preserved and shared through a series of exhibits. For more information or to share a story, contact the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor, New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site, P.O. Box 207 (374 Temple Hill Road), Vails Gates, NY 12584-0207; call (877) 284-6667; or go to www.thepurpleheart.com. ____ Free baked goods offered to families The Armed Services YMCA is giving free bread and other baked goods to military families with ID. Two normal-size grocery bags can be filled. After everyone has filled two bags, participants may have more based on their family's needs. Pickup starts at 10 a.m. on these days: Wednesday Army National Guard, 1069 S. Birdneck Road, Virginia Beach. July 15 Fort Story, Youth Services, Building 457, Virginia Beach. July 22 Willoughby Bay Community Center, 8181 O'Conner Crescent, Norfolk. July 29 Norfolk Crossing Community Center, CA-307 Diven Lane, Norfolk. For information, call (757) 363-1884. ____ Events College aid seminar 11:30 a.m. July 15, Oceana Naval Air Station, Navy College, Building 531, Virginia Beach. (757) 363-3944. 5K and 1 mile run/walk Benefits Operation Homefront Hampton Roads, 6 p.m. July 25, Fort Story, Virginia Beach. (757) 272-6122; www.operationhomefront.net/hamptonroads. Military briefs run every Friday. Send submissions to military@pilotonline.com. Norfolk, VA Anonymous Coast Guard's 5th District welcomes new commander The Virginian-Pilot urn:publicid:pilotonline.com:514945 Change 0 Usable