… as I was going through image folders tonight, I came across quite a few photos that I had totally forgotten about ,,, and they were nice so at the top of this letter is one I especially like. There was an afternoon storm at the airport, and it was completely overcast … the clouds were pervasive, but a small hole opened up and the sun poured through giving us a rainbow and spotlighting the rocks to the east of the airport. Magic does happen here and frequently! I was enjoying a cup of coffee on the deck this evening…
Author: Tommy
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Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the encore return of “State of the Unity” Sept. 1-3 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. Filmmakers and subjects of the film, Nathaniel Paul Hoff and Jillian Speece, will be in Sedona for the screenings and will host Q&A discussions after each show. Their band, The Bergamot, will be in Sedona to perform live at the Sedona VortiFest Music Festival. “State of the Unity” premiered at the 2022 Sedona Film Festival to rave audience reviews. The film won the Marion Herrman Excellence in Filmmaking Award and went on…
Sedona News – There are a few folks in this world who possess so much talent that a single career or pursuit cannot come close to containing all of it. One such person is Ted Grussing, who – in addition to being an acclaimed photographer – has been a successful businessman, lawyer, public speaker, author, pilot, military serviceman (US Air Force), gemstone cutter, jewelry designer, and inventor. And for good measure, he also builds the high end, state-of-the-art personal computers that power his diverse endeavors. The Sedona Renegades Artist Group is proud to welcome Ted as their featured guest artist…
Verde Valley News – In a collaborative effort between Manzanita Outreach, Verde Valley School, The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Foundation for Community & Health Advancement (The Foundation), and the Rotary Club of Sedona Village, hearty and healthy snack food is being provided to schools and youth programs across the Verde Valley. On August 24th, the 130+ students of Verde Valley School gathered in their gymnasium to pack 1,500 boxes of snacks for schools and youth programs in the Verde Valley. Food was purchased through the financial support of The Foundation, with additional event volunteers provided by the leaders…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “Jules” showing Sept. 1-7 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon and Mary D. Fisher Theatres. “Jules” stars Ben Kingsley, Jane Curtin and Harriet Sansom Harris. A man finds meaning late in life when an alien crash lands in his backyard and they develop an unexpected friendship. “Jules” follows Milton (Kingsley) who lives a quiet life of routine in a small western Pennsylvania town, but finds his day upended when a UFO and its extra-terrestrial passenger crash land in his backyard. Before long, Milton develops a…
By Tommy Acosta As a news reporter in the Bronx for many years, one thing I learned to do well is read people’s faces. I could usually tell who was lying, telling the truth or trying to hide something from me. I must say that the Trump mug shot is one of the most intriguing photos I have ever seen. Divide the image of his face in half and if you look at his face on the left side, you’ll see a man who believes he was betrayed; a man who almost, cannot fathom what people have done to him…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “The Good Mother” showing Sept. 1-7 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre. “The Good Mother” stars two-time Academy Award-winner Hilary Swank, Olivia Cooke and Jack Reynor. “The Good Mother” follows journalist Marissa Bennings (Swank) who — after the murder of her estranged son — forms an unlikely alliance with his pregnant girlfriend Paige (Cooke) to track down those responsible for his death. Together they confront a world of corruption and drugs in the underbelly of a small city in upstate New York. As…
By Amaya Gayle Gregory ‘When others are not other’ … I read those words a few moments ago and they felt like a gong sounding within. They put words to the dilemma at the heart of one of life’s big quandaries, the difficulty of putting love into action. In separation, others are other. Others love or withhold love, judge or applaud, meet our expectations or dash them on the razor-edged ramparts of life. Others are the competition for scarce resources, even if we seemingly have enough, even when we don’t see them as competition, even when we see ourselves through…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the Northern Arizona premiere of “Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose” showing Sept. 1-6 at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre. Based on a true story, “Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose” stars Simon Pegg, Minnie Driver and Christopher Lloyd. In 1935, Hungarian-American para-psychologist Dr. Nandor Fodor began his investigation of a strange occurrence on the Isle of Man. An average British family, the Irvings, claimed to have been contacted by a mysterious entity at their farm: A talking mongoose, named Gef (pronounced “Jeff”). As he investigates the claim, Dr.…
Sedona, AZ — On September 23-24, 2023 the Sedona Winefest will be returning for its 14th annual celebration at the Sedona Posse Grounds Park (525 Posse Ground Rd., Sedona, Arizona 86336), with a Kick Off Party at Sound Bites Grill on Friday, September 22nd. Sponsored by the Arizona Office of Tourism and the Verde Valley Wine Consortium, the two-day, nationally recognized wine festival will feature 24 award-winning Arizona wineries, food trucks serving local cuisine, a variety of artisan vendors, live music featuring DJ Pablonious Funk and Moon Tsunami on Saturday, The Naughty Bits on Sunday, and – for the first-time…
By Tommy Acosta– Sedona, AZ –Let’s kick off this review of the debate by acknowledging that a Republican victory this coming presidential election stands about the same chance of happening as a snowflake has of surviving a week in hell. Even God as their candidate would lose if the Republicans continue their suicidal pogrom against abortions. That being said, let’s get on with my review. No doubt about it. The winner of Wednesday’s Republican debate was newcomer Vivek Ramaswamy. He was sharp. Tough. Interesting. Engaging. Humorous. Confident and animated. He was cool under pressure, slipped or shook off most of…
… a few people have asked which of my photos I hang on my walls at home and the second photo in last night’s missive was one of them and the photo above of an Osprey lifting off from a branch in Lake Pleasant is another one … it is 48″ x 24″ and is in a permanent frame on a dining room wall which allows me to swap it out for other photos when I feel like a change. All total I usually have a dozen or so photographs on my wall in addition to the paintings that are…
Sedona News – The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present “Julie & Julia” on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. at the Alice Gill-Sheldon Theatre. “Julie & Julia” is the final film in a month-long tribute to Meryl Streep with a special “Meryl-thon” series in August featuring a different Meryl Streep film each week. “Julie & Julia” features an all-star ensemble cast including Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci and Chris Messina. Meryl Streep was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for this film, and she won the Golden Globe…
Sedona News – The city of Sedona still seeks applicants for two seats on the Planning and Zoning Commission as two current member terms approach expiration. This voluntary body, established by city council, consists of seven citizens appointed to play a critical role in the city’s planning process. The commission serves as the city council’s advisor on land use, growth, and development issues. Commission duties include making recommendations to the city council on Community Plan updates, Land Development Code amendments, property zone changes and subdivision applications. In addition, the commission makes the final decision on conditional use permits and development…
Prescott News – Each year, attendees of the Prescott Area Artist Studio Tour report that one of the most intriguing aspects is the opportunity to observe artists as they actively demonstrate their craft. This experience allows attendees to learn about the materials, techniques and processes used in creating a work of art, while forging a personal connection with the artists. More than 60 juried artists participating in the Tour will appear across 45 private studios, with over 35 additional artists appearing at five Art Centers. These Art Centers – the Mountain Artists Guild, Suze’s Prescott Center for the Arts, ‘Tis…