Erin McCracken: September 2009 Archives

Filmmaker Shane Free premiered his feature length ghost hunting documentary "Investigating the Afterlife" at the Bare Bones Film festival in April 2009. It was released on DVD Tuesday and is available at Amazon.com and Ghostchannel.TV. In the film, Free, who was raised in York, vists haunted spots, including Gettysburg's Cashtown Inn and Ohio's Prospect Place mansion.

The cast of the hit A&E show "Paranormal State" will be at Halloween Park, 100 Hykes Mill Road in Strinestown, from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Friday. Mike Ryan of Halloween Park said visitors can meet the cast and should expect a few surprises. At 7 p.m. Saturday, "Paranormal State" founder Ryan Buell speaks at Penn State Harrisburg in the Student Center, 777 W. Harrisburg Pike in Middletown. Buell founded the Paranormal Research Society at Penn State's main campus in 2001. His team recordings, video documentation, psychics, demonologists and psychologists and to crack bizarre cases across the country. (Photo: The basement of the Cashtown Inn, which some say is haunted by Civil War soldiers; YDR File)

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

FlipSide's giving away three pairs of tickets to "War of the Worlds" and "The Lost World" show at Penn State York's Pullo Family Performing Arts Center, 1031 Edgecomb Ave. in Spring Garden Township. The show is 7 p.m. Oct. 25. General admission is $18. VIP tickets are $28.

L.A. Theatre Works, America's premiere radio theatre company, presents two science fiction works. The company recreates Orson Welles' infamous "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast, originally performed in 1938. They also bring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Amazon jungle adventure "The Lost World" to the stage.

Breakups are hard, but they sometimes lead to amazing opportunities.

After a relationship ends, most people re-evaluate their lives and might make some changes. Some might switch their hair color or daily routine. Others might decide to move to a different state or explore new career opportunities. (Still others like Kate Gosselin get their own reality show. You go girl.) This process can be a form of therapy, so share your post-breakup makeover story with us.

E-mail emccracken@ydr.com. Feel free to exclude the name of the bum that broke your heart. But do include your name, age, municipality where you live, a contact number how and how fabulous you feel now. (Photo: YDR File)

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Five weekend highlights. (Thank goodness for selective memory.)
Headed to my first open mic night at Victor's Italian Restaurant to listen to local music. (It won't be my last.)

Ate my first Chipotle burrito in York Friday. (It might be my last since the cross-town commute took so long.)

Saw "The Informant!" (Yawn. The previews were as misleading as the exclamation point.)

Caught the new series "Bored to Death." (I love Jason Schwartzman...and his hair. Too bad I don't get HBO.)

It's still too painful to talk about the sports wreckage I witnessed Saturday night. Distract me by sharing what you did last weekend.

It's #musicmonday. Here's some York music news:

Sunday, Little Ivory Blues Band won the Blues Society of Central Pennsylvania annual blues competition and will compete at the 2010 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn. Jan. 20 to 23. Last year the Little Ivory Blues Band played the festival's Youth Showcase.This year, the band will enter The Blues Foundation's competition with musicians from around the world. (Check out my video before their 2009 trip to Memphis above.)

Mark DeRose opens opening for Edwin McCain 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Pullo Center. Tickets are $28. Check out a video for McCain's song "I'll Be" here.

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Five must-do ideas to help you make the most of the weekend.
Dive into flavor at the Wild Tuna Bar & Grill in West Manchester Township. Cheap eater Wade Malcolm recommends the salmon.

Find out what workin' on the railroad was like at local heritage days.

Head to Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center at 5:30 p.m. Saturday to see a portion of Ken Burns' new documentary "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."

Bring classic back with old-fashioned hats and drinks.

Experience Penn State football fan mania above. Watch the Nittany Lions take on Iowa at 8 p.m. Saturday on ABC. Check in Monday for the Weekend Roundup. Ciao for now.

I've neglected new bands recently for releases from Whitney Houston and Jay-Z. Sorry alts.

But Throw Me The Statue's song "Ancestors," helped me fall back into indie/pop. The rest of the Seattle band's sophomore CD "Creaturesque" (released Aug. 4) sounds just as good. (Think Interpol meets Modest Mouse.)

Read what Pitchfork thinks. Watch their sweet safari video for "Hi-Fi Goon" to the left. (Note: FlipSide does not endorse throwing statues, especially heavy/valuable ones. But we do endorse reading the newspaper over breakfast.)

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

FlipSide reporters Erin McCracken and Wade Malcolm get in line at free burrito day at Chipotle's new Springettsbury Township store. Hear what the manager and customers had to say and find out what else is going on in York this weekend. Bon appetit!

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Pop music fans: Prepare to have your minds blown. Kanye West and Lady Gaga announced dates for their "Fame Kills" tour. I have to start planning my concert outfit now. Get psyched with this look back at Gaga's creepy/cool performance at the MTV VMAS. (Just in case you didn't get to see it live like Kanye.)

Kiss, LL Cool J and the Red Hot Chili Peppers could be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Class of 2010. There are 12 acts in contention for the nomination including Genesis, Jimmy Cliff, The Hollies, Donna Summer, ABBA and the Stooges. We'll find out the five nominees in December. The induction is March 15. Who do you want to be selected?

The Rock Hall is celebrating its 25th Anniversary with two nights of music at Madison Square Garden. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Stevie Wonder, Simon & Garfunkel and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Friends perform Oct. 29. U2, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton and Metallica perform Oct. 30. (Photo: AP)

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Five weekend highlights. (Thank goodness for selective memory.)
Finally watched "Inglourious Basterds." Some gore didn't distract me from the smart, stylish film -- quite possibly Quentin Tarantino's best.

Saw Irish rockers Garrahan's Ghost at the First Cap. They covered the Decembrists and had the whole bar screaming traditional tunes.

Visited Central Market to pick up a pumpkin, coffee and another city parking horror story. (It's fun when people make spaces in no-parking zones.)

I was thankful that "Mad Men" was on in the middle of Sunday's Emmy telecast. (Too many Kanye jokes and nerdy glasses. Ugh.)

Spent most of the week and weekend listening to Kid Cudi's debut: "Man on the Moon: The End of Day." (It's practically the "Soundtrack 2 My Life.")

Enjoy warm, fuzzy animal fun from the York Fair. York Daily Record photographer Kate Penn caught some video of Royal Hanneford Circus's amazing cat antics. Meow.

Five link to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Summer wraps up with local festivals and star-studded York Fair shows: "American Idol" alum David Cook and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham perform at the York Fair this weekend. (Get a recap of Thursday's Alice Cooper show here.)

Meet Maximus Garcia -- A 7-year-old circus performer who rides a motorcycle around a steel globe during the Hanneford Circus at the York Fair.

Get FREE Chipotle burritos when the new location open Sept. 25. (You might want to reserve your place in line today.)

Head to the New Freedom Fest Saturday and hear world-class guitarist Muriel Anderson perform. Enjoy the weekend and check back for the weekend roundup Monday. Ciao for now. (YDR Photo: Amy, Harley and Pete Kuhn before Alice Cooper's York Fair gig.)

Inyork.com/ydr ace reporter Jeff Frantz rips the lid off the mucus mystery at the York Fairgrounds to protect visitors from H1N1. This video, unlike the flu, is sure to go viral.

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

• Dan Brown sold a quick million copies of his new book "The Lost Symbol." (Who does he think he is? Stephenie Meyer?)
• Speaking of best-sellers, Jay-Z's latest album "The Blueprint III" reached No. 1 meaning Hova passed Elvis for most top albums. (Is he The King now?)
• Oprah is going to interview "Mad Men" cast members Monday. (Will Don Draper charm his way into her heart to sell some ads in her magazine?)
• Attention Dead heads: Dark Star Orchestra performs Nov. 8 at the Strand-Capitol. Tickets go on sale today.
• The primetime Emmys air Sunday. Make your predictions now. (Hint: Go with "Mad Men" and "30 Rock.")

Millersville University will hold a Walk A Mile in Her Shoes event Oct. 7 Men, and children are invited to walk one mile through the campus to protest rape, sexual assault and gender violence.

All participants are encouraged, but not required to wear women's high-heeled shoes. Walkers are asked to bring their own heels, but a limited number will be available at the event.

Registration beings at 5 p.m. outside the Student Memorial Center, 1 S. George St. in Millersville, and the walk begins at 6 p.m. Participants are asked to get a minimum of $10 in sponsorships. A portion of the proceeds from sponsored walkers will benefit Domestic Violence Services of Lancaster County.

Dark Star Orchestra - Mississippi Uptown

Dark Star Orchestra performs at 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center, 50 N. George St. in York. Tickets go on sale at 11 a.m. Friday and cost $32.
The gourp performs music of the Grateful Dead and periodically collaborated with Grateful Dead alumni Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Donna Jean Godchaux-Mackay. Watch a live video above and get live downloads here.

The FlipSide ladies hang out by the York Fairgrounds to give you the scoop about what's going on at the fair and in the rest of the county this weekend.

Bobby Parker and the Blues Night Band boarded their flight a BWI at 6 a.m. Sept. 5. They were bound for Cuba -- to play the jazz festival at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. After the trip, harmonica player and West Manchester Township native Dane Paul Russell checked back in en route to a show in Washington, D.C., this week. Read more on the jump.

Five link to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

The trailer for Michael Jackson's movie about his tour debuted at the MTV VMAs Sunday. It looks amazing, but it's sad that the singer died before he revealed the show to the world. The film hits theaters Oct. 28. Watch Janet Jackson's VMA tribute performance.

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

According to the Associated Press, Patrick Swayze died Monday after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.

Swayze broke out in 1987's "Dirty Dancing." In 1990, he starred with Demi Moore in "Ghost." Even after his 2008 dignosis, Swayze kept working. He starred in "The Beast," an A&E drama series, and was working on a memoir with his wife. Watch the video above for some nostalgia. Swayze certainly gave us the time of our lives.

I practically lived at the York Fair this weekend, but I got to see some awesome stuff.
Friday: My Favorite Highway, Eric Hutchinson and Kelly Clarkson show at the York Fair.

Saturday: Vocal Trash and the X-treme Homecoming party with Charm City Devils, Halestorm, Drowning Pool and Trapt at the York Fair. (Check out sweet backstage footage here and to the right.)

Sunday: U.S. Open tennis, dinner at Cobblestones and the VMAs. (Taylor Swift is fine, but what's wrong with Kanye? Is he drowning his sorrows in booze?)

From Menges Mills to the Accomac Inn, York County has a long history of hauntings.

If you've seen something strange in your neighborhood, don't call the Ghostbusters, call the York Daily Record/Sunday News and share your scary story for our "Remember" oral history series.

Call 771-2007. Say and spell your name and provide your age, municipality in which you live and a contact number. Then, leave your story. Deadline is Oct. 5.

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Check out the leaked latest "New Moon" trailer. Man, this movie looks emo. (Confirmed by the fact that Death Cab for Cutie is has a tune on the soundtrack. Hear it Sunday on the MTV VMAs.)

It's a dreary day, but at least it's Friday. There's plenty to do since the York Fair is in town along with concerts and carnival rides.

In the mood for American, Caribbean and Italian-inspired soulfood? Hit up Soulmate's Corner Cafe, 29 S. Beaver St. in York.

Fill your glass and ears with something nice at the Fifth Annual Gettysburg Wine and Music Festival.

Are you tuning into the MTV VMAs Sunday? Follow along with FlipSide's live Twitter feed. Check in Monday for the Weekend Roundup. Ciao for now. (Photo: YDR file)

Happy York Fair day! Click here for all things Fair. Let's hope the rest of the week isn't a washout. Get updates tonight about the Kelly Clarkson show on the FlipSide twitter page.

Which shows are going to be must-watch? Which are going to be must-skip?
Get a cheat sheet on when fall shows start. Check out a photo slideshow and get the dirt on the most-buzzed about new series.

Between the "Melrose Place" remake, show about post-menapausal promiscuity and another "Twilight" rip-off (see the trailer to the left), Flipside isn't that excited about this season. What will you watch?

See what ghouls and ghosts show up for scare tryouts at Haunted Mill Scream Park in Heidelberg Township. Think you can spook locals this season? Call 225-4811.

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

There are 52 days left until Halloween. Get scared this season at theme parks. Local bands can enter the 2009 Battle of the Bands competition at Field of Screams if you dare. Submit a demo online at www.fieldofscreams.com. or by mail at Attn: Battle of the Bands, 3493 Marietta Ave., Lancaster, 17601.

Five finalists will be selected by Sept. 13 to perform at the Sept. 19 event. The first--place winner receives free recording time, the chance to play at the Chameleon Club and trophy. (Photo: Field of Screams)

Country Music Association Award nominees were announced Wednesday. According to the Associated Press, Brad Paisley leads nominees with six nods and Taylor Swift snagged nominations for entertainer of the year and female vocalist of the year.

Darius Rucker -- the former Hootie and the Blowfish singer whose -- was nominated for male vocalist of the year, along with veterans like Paisley, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban. He was also nominated for new artist of the year.

The 43rd CMA Awards are scheduled for Nov. 11 on ABC, with Carrie Underwood and Paisley as hosts. Click here for a list of nominees. (Photo: Darius Rucker, and Lee Ann Womack, right, are shown on the set of ABC's "Good Morning America," Wednesday where they announced CMA nominees; AP)

Win one of three pairs of tickets to see Recycled Percussion or "Avenue Q" at Penn State York's Pullo Family Performing Arts Center, 1031 Edgecomb Ave. in Spring Garden Township. Recycled Percussion made it to the finals on "America's Got Talent." They hit Pullo stage at 7 p.m. Oct. 9. VIP tickets cost $36. Admission is $15 and $21."Avenue Q" won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2004. See it at 7:30 Oct. 15 at the Pullo Center. Tickets are $57.50.

Swoon-worthy and (sadly) engaged star of "The Office" John Krasinski makes his directorial debut with "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men."

The movie, which is based on David Foster Wallace's book, was screened at Sundance. Julianne Nicholson plays recently dumped anthropology student Sara, who hopes to find out what when wrong with her relationship by interviewing some strange dudes. (Even though they're not "hideous," Will Arnett, Will Forte, Timothy Hutton, Ben Gibbard, Dominic Cooper and Krasinski also star.) Part rom-com, doc. and drama, the film's due out Sept. 25.

Five links to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Looking forward to Labor Day? (Who isn't?) Let FlipSide fill you in about how to make the most of the three-day weekend.

See York Little Theatre spoof famous musicals with the show "Forbidden Broadway." Take your tastebuds to the limit at the Hanover Chili Cookoff. Find out what your favorite ice cream flavor says about you. (Does my love of vanilla make me a plain Jane?) Explore York's sports and entertainment history at the York County Heritage Trust. Fill up on food and fellowship at Farm Charm Café in in North Codorus Township.

Whatever you do, we hope you have a great time. Ciao for now. (Photo: 2007 Hanover Chili Cookoff; YDR File)

On Aug. 14, about 100 dancers started an impromptu party in York's Continental Square to welcome the Governor's Awards for the Arts to the City.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts announced Aug. 19 that the award ceremony, originally scheduled for Oct. 1, was postponed until spring 2010 because of the state budget impasse. Cultural Alliance of York County President Joanne Riley said that plans are still in progress for the arts awards. Watch the YouTube video of the dance above.

Five link to start your day off right: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Harrisburg's Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts celebrates its 10th anniversary Wednesday. During the celebration, which runs through Sept. 30, the following special events and offers will be available:

Start your day right with five links: Part of a complete, balanced breakfast.

Kelly Clarkson bailed on her performance at the Minnesota State Fair last weekend due to "vocal issues." Instead of leaving fans high and dry, opening act Eric Hutchinson bravely stepped up to the plate and took the stage anyway. (Watch a video clip of his performance to the left.)

During his full-length show, he invited kids in the cheap seats to the front of the stage. Love his enthusiasm. We kind of wish the opening acts would be allowed to perform all the time, like when there were sudden cancellations during last year's York Fair. We hope Hutchinson will do this if Clarkson should happen to pull a diva at the York Fair this year. (Clarkson and Hutchinson perform at 8 p.m. Sept. 11; tickets are $44 and $38.) FlipSide's interviewing Hutchinson Thursday. What should we ask?

OK. I liked the link list yesterday, so It's happening now, and I gave it a little name, too.

In Hollywood it seems that one bad idea usually breeds eleventy billion more. "The Vampire Diaries" and "True Blood" totally piggybacked off "Twilight's" success.

And now "New Moon" is spawning werewolf mania. Case in point: MTV is developing a "Teen Wolf" series. (Groan.)

The original movie was bad enough. (Sorry, MJF, but you should have only made one movie in 1985.) Couldn't MTV, like, play music videos instead or something? (See a wolf dunk, breakdance and shotgun a beer in the retro trailer. Guess Jacob, aka Taylor Lautner, has his work cut out for him.)

I can't decide what I want to blog about this morning. (Lots 'o news.) So, I'm going to try something new: A link list.