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The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 71

Publication:
The Courier-Newsi
Location:
Bridgewater, New Jersey
Issue Date:
Page:
71
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

The Sunday Courier-News TMNMENT INSIDE ENTEi I Will WW Pi i Tim Burton qualifies as 'wizard of weird' Director of 'Nightmare Before Christmas' breaks new groundH-3 IN THE NEWS Local illustrator wins book award Robert J. Blake, well known illustrator and author from Morris Coun-, ty, won a major 'V Bridgewater man produces major new rock album as a fund-raiser for AIDS i children's picture FTTH 1 book award, ine children of Nebraska chose "Riptide," illustrated by Blake and written by Frances Ward Weller, for the 1993 Golden Sower Award. The award is snnn- "I'm just a straight white guy. It wasn 't like I had a lover or a friend who died of AIDS. But do you have to have something like that to get involved?" Paul Heck, album producer Blake sored by the Ne braska Library Association and its purpose is to introduce children to different types of literature and encourage them to read independently.

Blake's current books include "The Perfect Spot" and "Rainflowers." 3 By ANDY SEILER Courier-News Staff Writer Paul Heck has never considered himself an activist. Or even been particularly sure of himself. "My family always asks me, 'What are you going to do and I say, 'I don't said Heck, a Bridgewater native and, currently, an aspiring actor in New York City. "Maybe I'm just not that aware of what I'm able to do sometimes," he said. That could be an understatement.

At the age of 26, and with no experience in the music business, he has somehow managed to sweet-talk 20 of the hottest bands in rock 'n' roll to pool their talents for one blockbuster project. The project is "No Alternative," a major label, double-length album to benefit AIDS treatment and care facilities around the world. "No Alternative," which is being co-produced by the Red Hot Organization, will be released by Arista Records on Nov. 9. Soundgarden, Soul Asylum, the Beastie Boys, an uncred-ited Nirvana, and 17 other artists and bands contributed songs.

An MTV special and individual music videos (the first by former Princeton resident Matthew Sweet) will fol THIS WEEK N.J. Symphony offers children's concerts The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra will offer three thematic programs as part of its second season of Panorama Concerts for Families. The concerts are designed for children ages 7-12 to become familiar with concert music and provide entertainment for the whole family. "Spooky Sounds" will open the series today at 1:30 p.m. at the State Theatre in New Brunswick.

Subscriptions are available at $20 and $30 by PkM low in mid- to late November. "It's much bigger than I thought it would be," said Heck, "and I didn't ever notice it because it was right in front of my nose. Now Im kind of freaked out by it." If the project hadn been right in happened more or less overnight. "I'm just a straight white guy," he said. "It wasn't like I had a lover or a friend who died of AIDS.

But do you have to have something like that to get involved?" Heck, who has sold antiques, delivered Mexican food and worked at a law firm and an art gallery, at one point found himself laboring for a New York City architect who was involved in a benefit for the Children's Hope Foundation, which fights pediatric AIDS. "Anything with kids kind of gets to me," said Heck, and so he volunteered. Heck suddenly realized that he and many others his age would never have paid the $50 it took to attend the benefit. For one thing, he didn't have the $50. But there were other reasons.

"I'm a very nonpolitical person," he said. "I've never actually voted in an election in my life. Maybe as a result of that, I woke up one day or maybe one night and realized that I should become more involved. "People need more opportunities," he added. "I thought of the music thing, which is something that I'm totally into.

So I said, 'Why not put out an Heck formed the AIDS Music Project by teaming up with his friends Jessica Kowal, a graduate student at the Columbia University School of Journalism, and Chris Mundy, a senior writer at Rolling Stone both of whom he had befriended while they were students at Brown University. The team simply showed up at late night gigs and "babbled" about their dream during the bands' breaks. The Red Hot Organization, which had already produced two successful albums and TV specials that fought See ALBUM on Page H-3 front of Heck's nose, it probably wouldn't have happened, said Barbara Manning, who appears with her band, the San Francisco Seals, on the collection. "This guy, Paul Heck, is really a wonder," Manning said. "He just ap proached me out of the blue after he saw me one night and just kept it up.

Courier-News file photos With a lot of determination, Bridgewater native Paul Heck, top, has produced 'No a major He was very persistent in a very nice way." lahoi HmiMo-ionnth aihum tn henpfit AIDS work To he re eased bv Arista Records on Nov. S. tne. album includes sonas bv Soundaarden, bottom left, and an uncredited Nirvana, bottom right. Heck compared his persistence to his days as an Ail-American and All-State lacrosse player at Bridgewater High School East.

These bands are giving you 'No Alternative' "When it came to lacrosse, I really focused everything on that," he said. "It turned out well, I guess. And music has, as well this thing, this Barbara Manning and the San Francisco Seals: "Joed Out" The Verlaines: "Heavy 33" Uncle Tupelo: "Effigy" Beastie Boys: "It's the New Style" The Breeders: "Iris" Sonic Youth: "Burning Spear" Jonathan Richman: "Hot Nights" Patti Smith: "Memorial Tribute" American Music Club: "All Your Jeans Were Too Tight" Goo Goo Dolls: "Bitch" Pavement: "Unseen Power of the Picket Fence" Smashing Pumpkins: "Glynis" Bob Mould: "Can't Fight It" Sarah McLachlan: "Hold On" Soundgarden: "Show Me" Straitjacket Fits: "Brittle" "No Alternative" (Arista Records), an AIDS benefit double-length album, goes on sale Nov. 9. The list price is low: $11.99 for CD and $7.99 for cassette.

The line-up: Matthew Sweet: "Superdeformed" Buffalo Tom: "For All to See" Soul Asylum: "Sexual Healing" Urge Overkill: "Take a Walk" project." Getting political Heck has loved quirky rock bands his whole life. But his involvement in fighting AIDS started last year and calling (201) 624-8203 or (800) ALLEGRO, Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Yiddish 'Pirates' perform operetta The Gilbert and Sullivan Light Opera Company of Long Island, a Yid- "dish" theater group, will perform "The Pirates of Penzance" at the East Brunswick Jewish Center, 511 Ryders Lane, East Brunswick, today 2 p.m. The operetta will be performed in English; however, Yiddish songs and expressions will be added.

For ticket information, (908) 257-7070. i West Point Glee Club at Cranford campus The U.S. Military Academy at West Point Cadet Glee Club will perform today at the College's Roy W. Smith Theater, Campus Center, Cranford Campus as part of Union County College's commemoration of the 60th anniversary of its founding. "Among the melodies featured will be "Those Were the Days," "I Dream of Jeannie," "America, the Beautiful" 'and "Army Blue." Details: (908) 709-7039.

Cobb plays Lizst in Bernardsville Pianist John Cobb will play "Har-' monies Poetiques et Religieuses," a 'rarely-performed set of pieces by Franz Lizst, at the Music at St. Bernard's concert series today at 4 p.m. Cobb is a protege of Claudio Arrau 'and an international performer and recording artist. Cobb has also taught master classes and lectured at universities and cultural centers around the country for over 20 years. "Details: (908) 766-3093.

Folk art show at Raritan Center TELEVISION 'Halloween Tree' creates ghostly art form By HARRIET WINSLOW The Washington Post The Country Folk Art Show and Sale, the leading folk art show in the "So finally here it is, almost 30 years later, and I'm very happy that I've waited as I've worked the last year with the Hanna-Barbera people," said Bradbury. A dark tale In the animated film, four children begin their 'round-the-world tour of the supernatural after their ringleader, Pip, leaves an ominous note tacked to his door explaining that he would be late to celebrate the spooky festivities. Pip's note said something about appendicitis. Believing it all a joke, the kids tear for the hospital, decked out in traditional Halloween garb of a witch, mummy, wolf-like monster and skeleton, taking a nearly impenetrable short cut through the woods. While chasing the spirit of their illusive friend Pip, they stumble upon Moundshroud's creaky mansion and its enormous tree laden with jack-o-lantern souls.

Leonard Nimoy, who is associated with science fiction from playing Mr. Spock in "Star Trek," supplies the craggy voice of the sinister Moundshroud. Nimoy was recruited for the job by Kirschner, although Bradbury and Nimoy are long-time friends. Bradbury related a brief bit of shared history. "(Nimoy) told everyone that I was responsible for his becoming an actor," he said.

"At a dinner once he told how he read my story 'The Foghorn' out loud and said, 'I've got to do Bradbury said he'd like to do a new animation project every year. "It can be beautiful and it can be profitable," he insisted. nation, will take place on Friday, Saturday, and next Sunday at the Raritan Center Exposition Hall in Edison. On Friday, the show will be held from 5-9 p.m. with admission at $6.

Saturday and Sunday, the show "Animation is one of the great art forms," believes acclaimed science-fiction author Ray Bradbury. So it is that his 21-year-old book, "The Halloween Tree," will air in animated form today on WWOR-TV and Saturday on TBS. It is a spine-tingling tale of children who experience a time-traveling Halloween: a journey to Mexico on the Day of the Dead, to England on All Hallow's Eve, to the inside of an Egyptian pyramid and to the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, all the while escorted by one mysterious Mr. Moundshroud. How it started The idea to make an animated film of "The Halloween Tree" was not a new one for Bradbury.

"No, it happened about 30 years ago," he said. "I was having lunch with (animator) Chuck Jones. We got on so well. The day after Halloween, we were talking about the fact that the kids who came to the door didn't know the meaning of it." Jones, creator of Bugs Bunny, told how he had tested some of the children at his doorstep. "When they said 'Trick or Chuck said 'Trick' to these kids, and they were dumbfounded," Bradbury said.

(Traditionally, a "trick" may be played if a "treat" is refused.) "He asked them why they were dressed that way, and they said they didn't know. So I said, 'Why didn't we do a history of Jones liked the idea, he said. "I brought him a painting I had done in 1960 of a Halloween tree," Bradbury said. The picture included historic references from around the world, some of which appear in the animated special. "So MGM hired me to write a screenplay, but then the studios stopped doing animation," he said.

"Over the years, little small studios will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m with admission at $5. Everything is for sale all three days and everyone is welcome all three days. Crossroads benefit for Newark theater The Crossroads Theatre Compa ny's Professional Committee will sponsor "Crossroads Connections," an evening of networking, live jazz File photo and prizes to benefit the theater at Reubens, 21 Court Street, Newark on Friday from 5-9 p.m. The event will include entertainment by the Cal Vetrane Blues Band, featuring Chuck Leonard Nimoy supplies the voice of Mr.

Moundshroud in the animated tale, 'Halloween Tree' being broadcast this week. optioned for it, but nothing happened." David Kirschner, chief of the massive Hanna- Three decades later, animation is back in Barbera animation house, called Bradbury vogue with the enormous success of feature about his story. Kirschner also arranged for films such as Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" Turner Program Services to distribute the and "Aladdin" and Fox's "The Simpsons." So film in syndication. what you can do An animated special of Ray Bradbury's "The Halloween Tree," can be seen at the following times: noon today, WWOR-TV (Channel 9); 2 p.m. Saturday, channel 57 (Philadelphia); and 4:35 p.m.

Saturday, TBS. Lambert. A free buffet and cash bar will be featured. Donation is Details: (908) 249-5581. Compiled by Melissa Church.

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Pages Available:
1,999,994
Years Available:
1884-2024