The Rake Magazine

Month: February 2008

  • Ad Man

    Not long ago, Colle+McVoy, the second-oldest ad agency in Minnesota, was thought to be a stodgy place; mostly it created ads for agricultural products, a decidedly un-sexy category. But last fall, observers got to scratching their heads when the agency won top honors at “The Show,” an annual awards ceremony from the Advertising Federation of Minnesota, for its work for the Erbert & Gerbert’s chain of sub shops. Colle+McVoy also walked away with the most awards, sixty-nine in all. As it turns out, a coup took place a couple years earlier, when Mike Fetrow, formerly an award-winning art director at Fallon, Minnesota’s most famous agency, signed on as Colle+McVoy’s executive creative director. Now the agency has won a host of hip clients (including August Schell Brewing Company, Aveda, and Wolfgang Puck Catering and 20.21), and recently relocated from a Bloomington office park to a fashionable address in Minneapolis’s warehouse district. We recently sat down to shoot the breeze with Fetrow, a forty-two-year-old father of two, about the tumultuous industry in which he works.


    The Super Bowl is coming up on February 3. Are the ads still a big deal?

    I don’t think so. Going back ten, fifteen years, they were the thing. From a client standpoint, it was the place to be. And from a creative standpoint, it was a career-maker; you were on the big stage. Now advertising has changed and clients have changed their vision of how to use advertising. It’s hard to justify the one-time appearance on a Super Bowl spot when you can use other media and have a consistent presence.

    So it’s not a bad sign that no Minneapolis agency has a Super Bowl ad this year?

    I think it’s reflective not only of the state of advertising but also of some of the transitions Minneapolis is going through.

    Is it safe to say Minneapolis is still an advertising town?

    I think so. The city is and always has been a really artistic place. But I think the sands are shifting, and it’s natural that cities and agencies should go through that … the advertising agencies we’re going to be hearing about will have different names.

    What kinds of advertising or marketing strategies actually work in today’s media-saturated environment?

    We’ve had success with ideas that exist in a lot of different media at the same time. We create an idea that is a print ad and a poster and sometimes an event and a website. So if we create an event where people get a poster or a T-shirt, the event might happen just one day but the T-shirt will be around for months. It continues to be active, versus a one-time ad in the Star Tribune.

    With Erbert & Gerbert’s, for example, we cut up a coupon for a free sub into four different ads in the newspaper. One quarter of a coupon really didn’t make any sense. But four or five pages later, you’d see another quarter of the coupon, and another. If you were curious enough and cut them all out and taped them together, you’d find a coupon for a free sub. It’s something that people can interact with.

    Who has time for that? Personally, I find it irritating that advertisers should want me to do all that work.

    If ads make the assumption that people care, you’re right, people are offended. They know the brand is trying to get them to do something, and it’s sort of insulting. You have to make sure that if it’s going to take time, it’s something people want to find. It’s something people want to pass to their friends.

    What ads out there right now do you find remarkable?

    There was a viral thing for a show about a serial killer [Showtime’s Dexter]. You [go to a website and] type in the name of a friend and a little fact, and the friend ends up getting [an email about] a news report that says “Serial Killer At Large, He Always Leaves Clues To His Next Victim.” It’s absolutely brilliant. As the person getting the email, you’re totally convinced you’re the next one to die. It’s so entertaining and so engaging you can’t help but participate.

    OK, we’ve all heard about “viral” this and “viral” that. Can you define “viral” in this context?

    “Viral” has become an easy-seller catchphrase, because in truth you can’t make something viral; it either becomes viral or not. But the definition is something that kind of catches on with consumers and gets passed around and starts to spread out.

    Do you have to do anything in your work that’s really awful—things in total opposition to your tastes and values, just because they work for the client?

    Not anymore. There is that in advertising; sometimes you’re selling a product that you know is not as good as you’re trying to get people to believe. But we find a way to love our clients’ products—people around here wear Red Wing shoes. And we just started working with a hip-hop record label, a local, small one called Rhymesayers. That was just a passion we have. So sometimes we try to follow our passions and let success come as a second. But when it’s the client who comes to us first, we try to find a passion within them.

    To what do you credit Colle+McVoy’s recent achievements?

    Well, few agencies value personality as much as talent. I didn’t really come in to change the work we were doing; I came in to change the personality of the agency.

    What was its personality before you arrived?

    It was a confident, professionally strong agency—but it was just quiet. For the first few hires I purposefully chose people who were really passionate and loud. Ramon Nuñez [a broadcast producer] was one of the first and he’s really big-chested, loud, listens to Cher.

    How important is the physical environment at an ad agency?

    It’s huge. Advertising is sort of messy; anything creative should be. So our new space is open. You can’t hide. And I don’t think people want to hide, because it’s more fun.

    How do you feel about the cubicles?

    It was funny coming to this new space; everyone had offices out in Bloomington and was really worried about cubes. We went so far as to not say the word “cube”; we said “personal workspace.” And in truth, they’re cubes. They’re fine. Nobody complained.

    Do you think ad agencies ever over-romanticize their creative cultures? Can there be too much foosball?

    I guess there’s a point where it could go too far. But as much as we are a business, we’re on the play-fringe of business. People expect us to bring that excitement. For a lot of clients, this is their exciting appointment of the week; they get to come in and it’s kind of crazy.

    The ad industry is famous for how many ways it awards itself. What’s the purpose of so many little trophies?

    The main one nowadays is to attract talent. I don’t know whether we’re in the same sort of environment that Fallon grew up in. Fallon was able to use awards to really show clients they were doing breakthrough work. It was a new message at the time. But now there’s so many award shows, and clients have gotten hip to it. It doesn’t have the same sort of punch.

    What would you be doing for a living if you weren’t doing this?

    I feel like I’m the luckiest person alive. I stumbled into advertising and I don’t think I would’ve been good at anything else.

    I understand you love graffiti art.

    Yeah, that’s a huge passion. I do some things in my basement on plywood boards and stuff.

    Were you a tagger as a kid?

    Unfortunately, I found graffiti when I was a little too old. And I think I’d embarrass my kids if I got caught.

  • 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days

    Ever since Bruno Dumont was bequeathed the honors of the Cannes festival jury (including two grand prize awards for this and this film), I have been doubtful of just how significant the honor is. That is not to say that Dumont didn’t deserve the awards (he did) but that they had almost no effect whatsoever on the mass shitting that all his movies, save his debut, have wrongfully received. Somehow, I don’t think 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days will have that problem. It was the surprise winner of the Palme D’or for 2007 and it’s easy to understand why – Its eloquently affecting power is too moving to ignore and too tenacious to be misunderstood. The film is already getting its due both critically and commercially, in fact it will soon open in the area via Landmark theatres. I suggest you see it, but be warned – it’s not the kind of date movie that will result in a pleasant romp later in the evening. Then again, that disclaimer should be self evident under consideration that the film is being referred to as “that Romanian abortion movie.”

    The film documents a day in the life of two college roommates. Gabita is the underprepared pregnant one and Otilia is her friend who, it turns out, is willing to do almost anything to help her. The girls prepare for the illegal abortion like they would an exam – with a sort of dignified verve. They overcome some small setbacks only to be faced with some much bigger ones. The overcome those, then a short diversion and then the procedure and the clean up. Finally they are left to face the reality of what they just did. This is where we leave the characters and their struggle in the film’s beautiful final moment. In strictly real time we experience these events and the transformations that they cause, and this is where the power of the story rises above any particular cinematic aesthetic.

    The style is not necessarily anything new. Michael Haneke, the Dardenne brothers, Bella Tarr, Lars Von Trier, Bruno Dumont, and many more have successfully stripped realism to its rudimentary core when approaching modern subjects. What this film contributes to that towering (and intimidating) canon measures in at least two traits. First, it’s a story about abortion. Not a message, but a topic that is contextualized within the milieu of post-Ceausescu Romania. Of course framing the story in an oppressive political state also carries strong political implications. But Mungiu downplays them and renders significance in the way that they are not ever specifically mentioned, only alluded to. It is consistent with the realist tradition that the context is explored only in the implications of the films primary characters. The second quality is revealed in the moments of black irony that will somehow make you laugh in the midst of such real pain and difficulty (particularly if you’re Romanian, I’m told). Notice the dizzying dinner table conversation that logically progresses from raising children and family values to the idea of waiting 9 months for a soldier to come home. The camera is focused intently on Otilia and the audience experiences the implications of the painfully clinical abortion scene that just occurred right with her. At one point the phone quietly rings in the background. She hears it, and we hear it – has something gone wrong at the hotel or is it nothing? Is someone going to answer it? The scene is simultaneously excruciating and mischievous. And, it’s devastating, as is almost every scene in the film. (For definitive evidence of black irony pay attention to the meal that Gabita eats in the final scene after expunging her child)

    It’s textbook realism, yes, but it’s also the moment where Mungiu reveals his cards and stakes claim as the commanding director that he is. His scenes frame the incidental narratives that drift in and out of people’s lives in such a way that he bestows the utmost effect on the viewer using tiny hints of activity drawn from our collective prosaic activities. It’s this subtle yet potent statement in the midst of a brutally real and painfully accurate story that speaks to Mungiu’s power as a great director. And it indicates his truly grand sense of irony, suggested so intuitively onto the screen. 4 Months also proclaims the vitality of the emergent Romanian New Wave (now that’s a catchphrase to watch out for!) better than anything else associated with the “movement” so far. But if you need further proof of its actual vitality, check out the Walker’s February 8th screening of the late Cristian Nemescu’s exceptional final film California Dreamin’ (Endless).

  • Crispin Glover — What Is It?

    I should have known better, having so many questions about a film
    with an elusive question for a title — and cult actor Crispin Glover as
    writer, director, and supporting character. I know, I know. But Glover describes What Is It?, a film
    featuring a number of actors with Down’s Syndrome, as "the adventures of a young man whose principal
    interests are snails, salt, a pipe and how to get home," all while
    being tormented by his "hubristic, racist inner psyche." You say you’re
    not dying to know more about his creative process? I say you’re a liar.

    While making his controversial debut feature (which first screened
    in 2005), Glover had the sensual, surreal work of auteurs like Werner
    Herzog     and Stanley Kubrick specifically in mind, though that
    doesn’t fully explain a theatrical trailer that features him in a fur
    coat and flowing wig among naked women in animal masks — and, of course,
    all those snails, one of which is voiced by Fairuza Balk. So, really,
    what is it? Thankfully, Glover flew in to elaborate: starting tonight
    at 7 p.m., and running all weekend, the as-yet-unreleased What Is It? makes its Minnesota premier with a special live performance and a Q&A session with the man himself.

    In the meantime, I got to volley a few of my burning inquiries off
    the actually very affable Glover. He answered none of them, at least
    not directly, because he wants you to decide for yourself—again, how
    could you not want to?

    Q: WHY DID YOU ULTIMATELY DECIDE TO MAKE THIS FILM?

    CG: I was approached by first-time writers to act in a film they had
    written. I told them I would be interested in being in it if I could
    direct it and do some re-writing, and that if I directed it I would
    like to have a large majority of the characters be played by actors
    with Down’s Syndrome. David Lynch agreed to executive produce the film,
    and I went to one of the larger corporate entities to see if I could
    get funding but they told me they were concerned about having a
    majority of the characters be played by actors with Down’s Syndrome. I
    decided to make the script into a short film in order to promote that
    this was a viable concept, but when I edited it together, it came in at
    85 minutes. I realized that, with some more work, I could make it into
    a feature film.

    And yes, most of the actors do have Down’s Syndrome, but it’s not
    about Down’s Syndrome. It’s a psychological reaction to the corporate
    restraints that have happened within the film industry in the last 20
    to 30 years. Anything that can make the audience member uncomfortable
    will not be corporately financed or distributed. The audience member
    sits back in their chair, looks up at the screen, and asks ‘Is this
    right what I’m watching? Is it wrong? Should the director have done
    this? Why am I here? What is it?’ That’s the name of the film-What Is It?
    is my psychological reaction to that situation. The only way that
    education can happen in film is for something considered taboo to be
    referenced. Unfortunately, there are groups of people that [make
    statements] like ‘Well, we wouldn’t want to say that…’ Nothing at all
    is being asked. Anything that’s a reference to a reference to a taboo
    subject is excised instead of being necessarily talked about, and I do
    think that’s very damaging.

    Q: WILL IT EVER BE RELEASED ON DVD, OR WILL YOU JUST CONTINUE TO TOUR WITH IT?

    CG: The normal business model for art films is to release them in
    several of the largest cities and use that element as advertising until
    it comes out several months later on DVD and makes more money. I do my
    live dramatic narration of eight different books I’ve made over the
    years, I have a slideshow will the illustrations behind me and then I
    show the film and have a Q&A period and book signing afterwards. What Is It?
    is [discomforting], but what’s important is to get over a concern with
    taboo elements so other genuine thought processes can be explored. I
    consider these films educational, because unusualness can be some of
    the most educational material around. People [won’t] be attacking me
    for exploring uncomfortable areas—[I want to] get into a thoughtful
    experience and have true communication.

    Q: WHAT IS THE REASON BEHIND THE YOUNG MAN’S JOURNEY? WHERE IS
    "HOME" FOR HIM?

    CG: Well, the film won Best Narrative Film at the 2005 Ann Arbor
    Film Festival, which I always take to heart when I hear people call it
    non-narrative. I would argue strongly that it is because it
    shows the archetypal journey a hero must go on. They start in a normal
    world but it’s disrupted in some way, so they must enter a special
    world, go into a series of meeting friends and enemies, trials and
    tribulations…then there is the eventual come-up, and some kind of moral
    has been brought back into the original world that has been either
    righted or not righted. To me, this was a very straightforward way to
    have a film dealing with the particular issues I was trying to
    illustrate. There can be different nuances, but it’s better to let the
    viewer interpret things on their own. It’s not me trying to be
    obtuse-it violates a goal of mine if I start dictating to people what
    they should be thinking, seeing or understanding.

    Q: WHAT IS THIS HUBRISTIC, RACIST INNER PSYCHE THAT AFFLICTS THE OUR HERO?

    CG: Again, I think there are things that are good to see within the
    context of the film. I believe very much in filmmakers and other
    artists being really quiet. On some level, I believe in not saying
    anything about the film. When I step in front of an audience after a
    screening, I notice a certain amount of unease. I could say that’s
    good, but because of the context the film is released in, people often
    feel there’s randomness to it. This was not done in a random or
    haphazard fashion. I’m very committed to letting people know that it’s
    a reaction to corporate restraints in cinema of the last 20 to 30
    years, so it then becomes about how they choose to interpret those
    nuances.

    Q: WHAT ABOUT ALL THE SNAILS?
    WHAT ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO SYMBOLIZE?

    CG: The strongest reaction I get from any audience is always about the snails. It’s unusual if I show the film and don’t
    get questions about the snails. Some of the imagery does deal with
    taboo specifics, but I’ve made it a rule not to dwell on them. The
    truth of it is that that’s not the reason I made this film. The snails
    do symbolize something very specific to me, but I’m very careful to not
    say…people say many different things to me about what they
    think it means and they’re always very interesting. Sometimes they’re
    related to mine and sometimes it’s something quite different. I’m glad
    the movie works in that way-that was a goal of mine. I am dedicated to
    not violating that element, but I will say that the snails play a very
    important role in the visceral emotionalism that exists in the movie.

  • Super Tuesday

    Beware Minnesotans, as you
    look hungrily toward the weekend of various and sundry
    dips    , lowest common denominator
    too hot for TV sales pitches    ,
    and an incidental football game. For this weekend marks the opening
    of the Black Gates of Democracy, unleashing the unwashed hordes of political
    punditry upon our fair state.

    Now that political heavyweights
    such as Iowa, Rhode Island and South Carolina have made their voices
    heard, clearly announcing that no, they just can’t see a man who lacquers his hair and happens to be named after a German
    side dish as presidential material, it is Minnesota’s turn to make
    our voices heard on the national scene.

    Make no mistake, our time in
    the primary limelight will be intense as presidential candidates arrive in town with media entourage in tow and a
    lemony-fresh whiff o’ change in the air that gamely attempts to cover
    the sharp bracing tang of broken campaign promises carried on the wind.
    The compliments will come fast and furious, detailing our importance
    to the electoral process, how beautiful our state is, how hardy we are
    to survive in this frozen wasteland, our obvious work ethic. We’ll be dazzled by the flashbulbs
    and wit of made-for-TV political
    pundits     displaying
    their assets, intellectual and otherwise. We’ll be coddled and aroused into
    heart-pounding complacency by pillow talk topics like health care reform,
    economic stimulus, and sex education (at least on the Republican side). We’ll be convinced that our vote,
    our choice will be what makes or breaks our chosen candidates.

    But don’t be fooled. Sadly,
    even Super Tuesday and Minnesota’s small part in this orgy of punditry
    and promises isn’t going to bring this year’s primary season to
    a close. Given the amount of money flowing and the polarization of the
    electorate, this one will go to the wire.

    So make no mistake — it’s
    prom night for Minnesota, people. The glitz and glamour are fleeting.
    And while the quarterback asked us to the dance, we all know he just
    wants in to our sensibly warm, yet still quite sexy, panties. But despite
    that, we suck in our winter padding, bare our collective cleavage and
    make it known that for a flash of the pearly whites, our virtue up for
    grabs. But similar to the prom night experiences of adolescent women
    throughout the land, these first few precious
    sweaty fumbling moments
    quickly fade in the cold light of Super Tuesday, giving way to a cold hollow
    feeling as the candidates move on to other states with bigger racks
    or tighter asses. Or that slut, California, who puts out for any Austrian
    with nice biceps.

    Then the guilt settles in,
    because how could we be so stupid? Oh my god! We’re such whores! How
    could we have given it up for a few simple talking points, a flashy green pantsuit, and some vague promises to make our
    dreams come true? And after a few desperate phone
    calls    , we’ll
    settle in for the rest of the long Minnesota winter with an appletini
    and DVDs of The Wire, our innocence lost, but secure in the knowledge
    that they’ll be back for more next fall.

  • The Changing Tides of Calhoun

    So, as I’m sure lots of you’ve heard, another makeover to Calhoun Square is
    in the works. The press release came across our desk just yesterday, along with
    the artist rendering above. Frankly, I can’t pretend like I care much
    about it today …

    But here’s something I do find interesting: A few months back, while reading about the anniversary of Southdale’s opening (it’s the nation’s oldest mall, which
    you probs already knew), I was reminded that the place was built by a total commie, Victor
    Gruen, who so loathed the social isolation of suburbs, such as Edina, that he
    sought to fix ‘em a proper town square. Of course, the reality is that these
    shopping centers are too cold (as in: beige) and too manufactured to ever
    achieve the organic, hand-made feel of a public meeting spot, such as our downtowns. Turns out, sunshine and fresh air are more important
    ingredients than first imagined.

    Which is precisely why I live in Uptown. Of course, the neighborhood
    has plenty of haters, but it’s still the most walkable in all the T.C.
    I’ve got three grocery stores within a quarter mile (which is, perchance, the "walkability"
    threshold). I’ve got the lakes. I’ve got some of the best clothing boutiques
    (Ivy and Local Motion) within three blocks, an upstanding new shoe shop (Luna Soles) around
    the corner. We’ve got decent restaurants. One of them happens to be Chang Mai
    Thai    , and that joint is on the biggest eyesore of a street (Girard) I’ve ever seen. So, I’m happy to see Girard will get a boost, in any case. I’m also happy to see an attempt will be made to make the mall better "integrated
    to the Hennepin Avenue
    streetscape." But still, I’m skeptical. The best neighborhoods aren’t
    created by real-estate developers; they’re made by people. As I see it, it’s an
    ugly, vicious circle we’re now operating in: the homogenizing influence of corporate
    culture has infiltrated our homiest, most historic neighborhoods while, some time later, they started making facsimiles of the best ‘hoods (only with plenty
    of parking). Bah!

  • In a Word, Slutty

    A word regarding this month’s fashion feature and the related
    discussion: Jason DeRusha did not, in fact, call his wife slutty. He was simply
    being witty about the fact that 1) he is, in fact, male and 2) he therefore prefers that his
    beautiful wife wear form-flattering clothes. And yes, friends, in the minds of
    men, I’m afraid "attractive" has often been conflated with "slutty."

     

    So, is this one of those quotes that should’ve fallen to the
    cutting-room floor? Perhaps. But, in my mind, it was just too specific/amusing to pass
    over. And you know what? If it was my boyfriend who had gone shopping for me, I
    can almost guarantee that, knowing him and the way he talks, he would’ve used a
    different, even more incriminating word as he picked out one of those uninspired,
    almost ass-baring sundresses to which he’s partial: "whorish." Of course, in reality, I’m not really a whore. In fact, I’m pretty much a prude.

  • Think You Know Sushi?

    Test your sushi knowledge with this fun sushi quiz:

     

    1) Which specialty sushi roll was invented in America?:

    a) the spider roll

    b)
    the rainbow roll

    c)
    the California roll

     

    2) What gives most sushi-bar salmon that bright orange
    color?

    a)
    their diet of krill and plankton

    b) their genes

    c) food coloring

     

    3) What gives most sushi-bar tuna that bright red color?

    a) hemoglobin

    b) mercury

    c) carbon monoxide

     

    4) Which religious organization makes millions from sales of fish
    to the sushi market?

    a)
    The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons)

    b) Jehovah’s Witnesses

    c) The Unification Church (the Moonies)

     

    5) Which popular sushi fish is banned in Japan?

    a) fugu (blowfish)

    b) koi (goldfish)

    c) matsu (super white tuna)

     

    6) That little wedge of green putty on your sushi boat is
    most likely:

    a)
    real wasabi – "Wasabia japonica"

    b)
    fake wasabi

    c) Play-Doh

     

    Answers:

    1. All of the above. Those high-fat specialty rolls are an
    American invention.

    2.c Most sushi bar salmon is farm-raised on a diet of fish
    meal. Two chemicals, astaxanthin and canthaxanthin are commonly added to their
    diet to give them the orange color of wild-caught salmon. The European Union
    recently set limits on the use of canthaxanthin, because it can damage eyesight
    in high doses/

    3. Raw tuna, whether fresh or previously frozen, quickly
    turns brown. If your tekka maki is bright red, the odds are pretty good that it
    has been treated with carbon monoxide. The ever-vigilant Food and Drug
    Administration permits the practice, but, according to the New York Times,
    carbon monoxide treatment is banned in Canada, Japan and the European Union
    because it can be used to conceal spoilage.

    4. c According to a detailed investigative report in the
    Chicago Tribune, most of America’s estimated 9,000 sushi restaurants get their
    raw fish from a company called True World, which is a subsidiary of Unification
    Church International, a company with close ties to the church.

    5. c. Matsu, often sold as "white tuna" or "super white
    tuna" isn’t actually tuna at all – it’s escolar, also known as snake mackerel
    or walu. Its fat contains waxy esters
    that can cause gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea and oily orange
    leakage. Because of these side effects, it has been banned in Japan since 1977.

    6. b. Odds are, it’s fake wasabi, a cheap blend of
    horseradish, mustard and food coloring. Real wasabi, wasabia japonica,
    which has a more subtle flavor, is hard to grow and very expensive – up to $100
    a pound.

  • Super Crap

    Here’s what some people don’t understand: you can be a food freak without being a food snob. If ever there was a testament to that, it would be the feast of SuperBowl Sunday.

    The issue isn’t the guacamole, it’s the cachet of the guacamole. Hot-wing away, my friend, but consider the sauce. You won’t find fois and foam at my house on Sunday, but you will find seasoned onion strings and home-made potato chips. But that’s just because I’m bored by the game so I focus on the food, shocker.

    Here’s a hit-list, if you’re so inclined:

    Bon Appetit did shout from on-high: French fries are the IT-snack. Make sure you have a kick-ass hood system or open a lot of windows if you plan to fry. If not, you could always go for the oven-roasted verstion.

    Legend has it that Hot-Wings were invented in Buffalo, NY at the Anchor Bar. To me, it’s all about the sauce: you could slather up a hunk of wood and I’d happily chow down if the sauce were hot and tight enough. My recipe is a lot like this one, but I use Cholula and add Sriracha. It’s all about your personal hotness.

    As for guacamole, I’m a minimalist. Coarsely mash a bunch of avocado, add chopped onions, add chopped cilantro, sprinkle with dried chilies, add a squeeze of lime juice and salt and pepper at will. No tomatoes, no fresh jalapenos (they take away from the sweet, creaminess and you lose the avocado).

    Seriously, home-made chips are so easy, and then you can control the flavoring. You’ll actually taste more than just salt! Malt vinegar is a favorite, toss them with the hot sauce when they come out of the oven, throw some blue cheese on top when they’re almost done. And then dip, dip or dip.

    One of the easiest and biggest crowd pleasers is almost criminally simple. Wrap a block of havarti in puff pastry, entirely enclosing it like a giant ravioli. Throw it in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until it becomes golden brown and puffy. Take it out and drizzle it with Ames Farm honey. Cut in and prepare for an oozing mess of yumminess.

    Onion strings are uber-addictive. I season the flour with a lot of garlic powder and dried tarragon or just Zatar seasoning.

  • Discover What It Is and Take It from There

    FILM & PERFORMANCE

    Crispin Glover Presents:
    WHAT IS IT?

    What is it? Debuting for the first time in
    Minnesota and unavailable on DVD, What Is It? is Crispin Glover‘s 2005
    directorial debut (lately he played Grendel in Beowulf). The movie is described
    by its director as "being the adventures of a young man whose principal
    interests are snails, salt, a pipe, and how to get home as tormented by an
    hubristic racist inner psyche." Starring Michael Blevis, a young man with Down
    Syndrome, and Mr. Glover as a deus ex machina in a fur trenchcoat and flowing
    locks, the film also features a fellow in blackface, a bevy of naked women in
    elephant masks, and snails aplenty. What is it? Armed with slideshow and
    commentary, Glover will be on hand to explain. No one under eighteen will be
    admitted. —Peter Schilling

    Friday through Sunday at 7 p.m., Oak Street Cinema, 309 Oak St. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-331-3134.

    FILM
    Nanking

    The tagline says it all: "Even
    in the darkest of times there is light." Nanking tells the story
    of the rape of Nanking, a black smudge in the history of China. In 1937, the invading Japanese army murdered over 200,000 and raped
    tens of thousands of Chinese. This event was not, as its tagline
    suggests, completely devoid of light. A small group of Western
    expatriates responded to the terror and heroically saved the lives of
    250,000 Chinese. This is the story of an event that is surprisingly
    little-known in the Western world and deserves to be told. Be
    a part of the unfolding of this bittersweet tale. —Kate Leibfried

    Opens Friday, 2:00, 4:15, 7:05, 9:30 p.m., Lagoon Cinema, 1320 Lagoon Ave., Minneapolis; 612-825-6006; $8.25 ($5.75 seniors and children).

    MUSIC
    Still Weeping for the Willow

    To
    be honest, it has been a while since I’ve heard anyone speak her name,
    but that certainly wasn’t the case about 10 years ago. Back then, I
    remember hearing Ann Reed
    at every turn. I believe I heard her play along the river more than
    once — Riverplace or St. Anthony Main. If I remember correctly, she had
    one of the best versions of "Willow Weep for Me" I’ve ever heard, actually. The woman can sing; I’ll tell you that. I’d say a "rich
    alto, smooth guitar playing, great songs, and sly wit" is an accurate
    characterization. And the woman hasn’t stopped. I may not have been
    hearing her name much, but she’s gone on to produce 15 albums and
    countless concerts. Don’t miss this one.

    Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Hopkins Center for the Arts, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins; 651-209-6799; $12-$24.

    THEATER BENEFIT
    All in a Day’s Work

    Support your local
    theater and have a good laugh at their expense. Watch as over 40 local
    artists come together to write, stage, and perform six plays in only 24
    hours. That’s right, folks: just one day to put together an entire
    show. Talk about putting yourself out on a limb! (As if simply getting
    up on stage weren’t enough.) The 7th Annual 24-Hour Play Project &
    Benefit Gala, hosted by FringeFest superstar Allegra Lingo, benefits Theater Unbound
    and all who go: in addition to the six plays, you’ll enjoy
    complimentary hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and silent and live auctions
    with fabulous gifts.

    Saturday at 8 p.m., Neighborhood House, Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center, 179 Robie St. E., St. Paul; 612-721-1186; $35, couples $50.


    THEATER & PERFORMANCE
    Look and Ye Shall Find

    Let’s face it; it is
    no longer the 1950s in Pleasantville. We no longer live in the
    land of pearl-wearing housewives who rub their husbands’ feet as
    they sit by the fire, smoking a pipe, and listening to baseball on the
    radio. And a family no longer has to be made up of a mom, a dad,
    and a brood of kids. Looking for Normal
    is a smartly-styled play that examines the question, "What is the
    definition of a family?" It explores the increasingly vast world of
    nontraditional families through the poignant tale of Irma and her
    husband Roy, who finally admits that he feels that he was born into the
    wrong body and sees himself as a woman. Roy’s "coming out" has an
    extreme impact on Irma, his wife of 25 years, and on their extended
    family and friends. Join ARTisphere Theatre and Torch Theater for a humorous play that delivers a serious message about identity and
    the meaning of family. This is the
    last weekend of the show, so catch it before it’s gone! —Kate Leibfried

    Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m., The Minneapolis Theater Garage, 711 West Franklin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-729-1071; $15-$18.