Last year, all eyes were on Prince William and Kate Middleton as millions of viewers tuned in to watch the royal couple tie the knot in a ceremony fit for, well, a king. This year, it’s all about Her Majesty the Queen, as she prepares to mark her 60-year reign with a four-day celebration.

Front and center at the festivities will be CNN’s Piers Morgan, who is set to anchor the network’s coverage of Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee.

Morgan, 47, talked to PARADE about why Americans are so fascinated with the royal family, what he’s come to love most about the United States, and the pressures that come with hosting a nightly talk show.

On his coverage of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
“It’s a great honor for me because I’m a loyal British subject. I was born in England, and I’ve had the Queen in my life for 47 years. She’s quite a remarkable woman. She’s probably the most famous woman on the planet. It’s an extraordinary achievement to get to 60 years, and I hope to reflect that in CNN’s coverage. No one in America will have ever seen anything quite like this. It’s going to be amazing.”

On America’s fascination with the royal family.
“I think it’s because you don’t have a royal family. You have the first family, but the president can only rule for eight years. However beloved they are, after eight years, that’s your lot! We’ve had this extraordinary family for centuries. What I’ve been struck by since I’ve been on CNN, is that Americans are very fond of the royal family and particularly of the Queen, and that’s why I’m excited about doing this. I helped cover the royal wedding of William and Kate last year, and I remember even Anderson Cooper, who has been in every war zone in the world, said it was pretty amazing. The thing that Brits do better than anybody in the world is pomp and pageantry. It’s going to be an extraordinary four days in the history of modern Britain.”

Celebrities Offer Advice to a Future Queen

On the future of the monarchy.
“Charles is a very misunderstood guy, and I think he’ll make a great king. Despite what Americans may think, Charles will definitely be the next king unless he dies before the Queen. They absolutely believe in natural succession. And then I think William will be king in 30 years and be a remarkable king. I think they’re all extraordinary given the amount of pressure and attention on them. William and Kate are probably the biggest stars in the world now. They get more magazine covers in America than Brad and Angelina, and I think that’s a testament to the star power of the royals. Everybody thought it may have ended when Diana died, but I always believed William and Harry would continue to shine a great light on the royal family.”

On his friendship with the late Princess Diana.
“I remember having an extraordinary lunch with Diana and Prince William when he was just 13 years old. It was just the three of us. Paul Burrell, who is the famous royal butler, served lunch at the Kensington Palace, and I had two hours of Diana and William. It was a unique experience. After that, Diana used to ring me up about stories and we would have a laugh and talk about her crazy life.”

Princess Diana vs. Kate Middleton: From Signature Styles to Favorite Vacation Spots

On what he loves most about living in America.
“You can come to America from anywhere in the world and be accepted. In America, people judge you at face value. There’s a really great work ethic here. Americans believe in working hard, looking after your family, and trying to look after other people. And if you’re successful, you celebrate that. There’s a lot of cynicism about success in Britain. We come from a country where our humor is based off building people up and knocking people down and being sarcastic and cynical. Americans tend to be very positive people, very caring people, people that you can rely on. It’s a place where if you work hard and make the best of your abilities, you can be really successful and people will respect you for that. It’s what made America.”

On his reality TV show beginnings as a judge on America’s Got Talent and the first-ever winner of Celebrity Apprentice.
“I saw Howard Stern in my old seat on America’s Got Talent, which was quite funny to watch. I thought he was good. The show is a great snapshot of American culture and the sort of show the whole family can sit down and watch. I have a lot of affection for America’s Got Talent and Celebrity Apprentice. I wouldn’t be doing the CNN job without Donald Trump, who chose me as the winner. I thoroughly enjoyed that show, even though it was a month of pure hell to make! I’m proud to call Donald a friend of mine now. He’s been incredibly supportive ever since I won that show and I think that’s a testament to his loyalty.”

On his most memorable interviews on Piers Morgan Tonight.
“One of the more extraordinary interviews I’ve done recently was with the Dalai Lama. He’s somebody who has a completely different lifestyle compared to all of us. He doesn’t use computers or cell phones, he doesn’t watch television or movies, he doesn’t even listen to music. He lives in this extraordinary world. I found him an inspiring and uplifting character. He’s 75, he looks extremely fit, and he seems very happy. A lot of celebrities I meet don’t realize just how lucky they are and how all the material things that come with celebrity status are really meaningless unless you have love in your life and happiness.”

On the pressure that comes with the gig.
“You just have to accept that it never stops. It’s a very relentless pace. You have to go with the flow. It’s like being in a choppy ocean. The waves keep coming, so you might as well learn to ride them as skillfully as you can.”

On how he spends his spare time.
“I just hang out with my three sons and my little baby daughter. It’s just the simple things — to get away from all the craziness and madness of a nightly show on CNN! There’s no soccer at the moment, so I can’t watch my beloved Arsenal, but I’ll catch some cricket. Cricket is always completely mystifying to Americans, but its something I have a great passion for.”

This weekend,, the UK’s Queen Elizabeth II marks her Diamond Jubilee year with a series of parties and pageants. CNN’s Piers Morgan and Brooke Baldwin will be there on June 3rd and June 5th to follow the festivities. Join them at the following times:

June 3: 1030 (ET), 1430 (GMT), 1530 (CET),
June 4: 1730 (ET), 2130 (GMT), 2230 (CET),
June 5: 0900 (ET), 1300 (GMT), 1400 (CET).

Matt Moore
Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA: Green Lantern, one of DC Comics’ oldest and most enduring heroes, is serving as a beacon for the publisher again, this time as a proud, mighty and openly gay hero.

This image provided by DC Entertainment shows a page from the second issue of the company's "Earth 2" comic book series featuring Alan Scott, the alter ego of its Green Lantern character, who is revealed to be gay. The reveal is the latest example of how comics publishers big and small are making their characters just as diverse as the people who read their books. The issue will be available on June 6, 2012 (AP Photo/DC Entertainment)

The change is revealed in the pages of the second issue of “Earth 2″ out next week, and comes on the heels of what has been an expansive year for gay and lesbian characters in the pages of comic books from Archie to Marvel and others.

But purists and fans note: This Green Lantern is not the emerald galactic space cop Hal Jordan who was, and is, part of the Justice League and has had a history rich in triumph and tragedy.

Instead, he’s a parallel earth Green Lantern. James Robinson, who writes the new series, said Alan Scott is the retooled version of the classic Lantern whose first appearance came in the pages of “All-American Comics” No. 16 in July 1940.

And his being gay is not part of some wider story line meant to be exploited or undone down the road, either.

“This was my idea,” Robinson explained this week, noting that before DC relaunched all its titles last summer, Alan Scott had a son who was gay.

But given “Earth 2″ features retooled and rebooted characters, Scott is not old enough to have a grown son.

“By making him younger, that son was not going to exist anymore,” Robinson said.

“He doesn’t come out. He’s gay when we see him in issue two,” which is due out Wednesday. “He’s fearless and he’s honest to the point where he realized he was gay and he said ‘I’m gay.’”

It’s another example of gay and lesbian characters taking more prominent roles in the medium.

In May, Marvel Entertainment said super speedster Northstar will marry his longtime boyfriend in the pages of “Astonishing X-Men.” DC comics has other gay characters, too, including Kate Kane, the current Batwoman, The Question, and married characters Apollo and the Midnighter.

And in the pages of Archie Comics, Kevin Keller is one of the gang at Riverdale High School and gay, too.

DC has been a leader in incorporating gay characters into its comics — they had one of the first male gay kisses back in 1988.

Since then, numerous comic book heroes and villains have been written as gay, lesbian or transgender — from Batwoman to Hulkling and Wiccan in the pages of “Young Avengers.”

Green Lantern would be the highest-profile openly gay hero — even the parallel earth version.

“It was just meant to be — Alan Scott being a gay member of the team, the Justice Society, that I’ll be forming in the pages of ‘Earth 2,’” Robinson said. “He’s just meant to be part of this big tapestry of characters.”

Some groups have protested the inclusion of gay characters, but Robinson isn’t discouraged, noting that being gay is just one aspect to Scott.

“This guy, he’s a media mogul, a hero, a dynamic type-A personality and he’s gay,” Robinson said. “He’s a complex character.”

Crafted Artisan Meadery, a new meadery in rural Portage County in northeast Ohio, opens to the public Saturday. The business will have a tasting room and bottles for sale. The hours will be limited at first: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays.

"Everything turned out great," owner Kent Waldeck said. "It turned out better than we could have hoped for in terms of quality and taste."

So what is mead? "It’s wine fermented from honey instead of grapes," he said. "That’s the shortest and most condensed form."

But he also noted that there’s plenty of creativity involved. He pointed to his Blue Honey Melomel, which is made with farm-raised Great Lakes blueberries, as an example.

Maya Angelou has taken on many roles over the years. She’s been a singer, dancer, actress, composer, and Hollywood’s first female black director (Down in Delta), but she’s most famous for her work as a writer and poet.

Her latest project hits close to home — literally. The Maya Angelou Center for Women’s Health and Wellness, which opens June 28 in her adopted hometown of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, will provide a range of services including mental health, prenatal care, HIV and STD testing, emergency care, bone and joint treatment and heart disease and diabetes care.

Angelou talked to PARADE about the center, her commitment to women’s health, and more.

Why did you decide to take up the issue of women’s health?
“I’m a woman! I have enough basic intelligence to know that I am wise to be on my own side. I am an advocate for myself, and an advocate for women. The center worked very hard on trying to focus on all aspects of women’s health and wellness. Once they had satisfied that framework, they decided to name the facility after me, and I’m pleased and flattered and delighted.”

What message would you like to instill in young girls when it comes to their health?
“Encouragement. Sometimes you have to unteach because modern society either obliquely or overtly tells women and girls that you’re not really all that. So women have to be detoxed from that kind of poison and informed how important they really are and that they need to protect themselves and give voice to their own thoughts.”

Take PARADE’s Women’s Health Quiz

You recently turned 84 and you haven’t slowed down a bit! What’s your secret?
“I’m very blessed. I’m grateful. I continue to have an attitude of gratitude. The first thing I do in the morning when I awaken is say, ‘Thank you, Lord!’ I’m grateful to be alive, and I’m going to try to tell the truth as well as I know and tell it as eloquently as I can so that people can hear it.”

Get Maya Angelou’s London Grill Recipe!

The health center will open in your town of Winston-Salem, N.C. What do you love about life there?
“It’s startling beautiful. It’s a beautiful town at the foot of the Great Smokey Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains. I moved here from Northern California and I thought I would really miss the beauty of Northern California, and I don’t at all! The people are also nice and very kind.”

What do you like to do in your spare time?
“I cook and I read. I have fabulous gardens, so I like to sit out in my gardens. I cook for friends and have cocktails for friends. I watch Law & Order and listen to country music.”

Top 10 Surprising Country Artists

Who are some of your favorite country singers?
“I’ve been seriously affected by the breakup of Brooks & Dunn. They broke up after 20 years and I’ve been seriously offended by that! I like some young singers, too. I like Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland — she can sing — and so can Carrie Underwood. And I love Blake Shelton. I’m also very smitten by a couple of real cowboys, Montgomery Gentry. I went to hear them and they gave me a guitar.”

How do you feel about the world today?
I thank God that I’ve lived long enough to see what I have seen, and I pray that people will continue to do better. We are doing better, it may not seem so, but there was a time when people were lynched in the middle of the street and it was not against the law. We are doing better, but we have so much more to do.”

Oprah Winfrey sent you a special Mother’s Day message this year. What’s it like to know that you are an inspiration to so many?
“It’s a blessing. I’m grateful to be of use. I will not be misused or abused, but I will be of use to anybody.”

By Malcolm X Abram
Beacon Journal popular music writer

It’s nearly summer, though given our gloriously mild winter and lovely spring, many folks may not notice the transition until rising humidity turns them into a walking sweat box.

Nevertheless, Northeast Ohioans love to get outside when they can, and city officials, parks representatives and local promoters love to give folks good reasons to do so. There will, of course, be the standard (read: expensive) fare at outdoor venues such as Blossom Music Center and Nautica, but there are also plenty of no or at least low-cost alternatives for families and any folks in the area looking to enjoy live music on a budget.

In 2012, Lock 3 Live Park is celebrating 10 seasons of free and low-cost concerts, and this year's lineup continues the tradition of weekly cover bands with local and (nonfree) national acts sprinkled in to keep things exciting. (Mike Cardew/Akron Beacon Journal)

Lock 3 Park is celebrating 10 seasons of free and low-cost concerts, and this year’s lineup continues the tradition of weekly cover bands with local and (nonfree) national acts sprinkled in to keep things exciting.

Lock 3 Live’s summer season began last week and continues Friday night with Bad Medicine, the Bon Jovi Tribute Show with longtime local favorites the Twistoffs opening. On June 16, local pop music singer/songwriter Ryan Humbert will headline a Benefit for the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank (please bring canned goods and nonperishables) that will also double as the CD release party for his upcoming third full-length solo album, Sometimes the Game Plays You, along with Yankee Bravo and former Unit 5 singer/songwriter Tracey Thomas.

Later in the month, a 10 spot will get fans a chance to see and hear country singer/songwriter/daughter of two legends and 10-time Grammy nominee (one-time winner) Rosanne Cash, who will perform on June 23 along with openers Caliber.

June wraps up with classic R&B fans asking “What Time is It?!” when Morris Day & the Time do the Walk into the Lock 3 Live Stage on June 30 — also a reasonable $10 ticket.

Next door in Cuyahoga Falls, the annual Rockin’ on the River concert series continues with a plethora of cover, tribute and local bands providing the soundtrack to your summer Friday evenings. Next up on Friday will be wildly popular Chattanooga-based Dave Matthews Tribute Band, along with Cleveland ’80s cover band Breakfast Club. Other notable shows include ZOSO, the country’s No. 1 Led Zeppelin tribute band, along with Cleveland rock trio Mouth Wired Shut on June 22.

On June 29, 91.3 the Summit (WAPS, 91.3-FM) brings in popular Columbus roots-rock band Red Wanting Blue along with Public Radio, a Band Named Ashes and “cinematic pop” band the Modern Electric. Local metal master and former Judas Priest/Yngwie Malmsteen/Iced Earth singer Tim “Ripper” Owens fronts an all-star band Aug. 17, and the season wraps up Aug. 31 with Satisfaction: The International Rolling Stone Show, one of the few Stones tribute bands officially sanctioned by the Glimmer Twins.

Downtown at the Akron Art Museum, the Downtown@Dusk Thursday concert series begins June 21 with R&B/pop cover band the Wanda Hunt Band. Cleveland’s classic jump blues octet Blue Lunch performs July 5, Robin Stone will do her soulful singer/songwriter thing July 19 and local favorites and one of the longest running bands making original music (38 years and counting) 15-60-75 aka the Numbers Band will perform Aug. 2.

Click here for a list of free concerts in the area throughout the summer.

Beacon Journal correspondent Fred Cay contributed to this report.

Malcolm X Abram can be reached at 330-996-3758 or by email at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com. He is also on Facebook and Twitter.

Read Soundcheck, the blog by Malcolm X Abram.

By Malcolm X Abram
Beacon Journal pop music writer

I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day holiday and didn’t show up to work Tuesday grumpy … or hung over.

It’s not officially summer on the calendar, but as far as your outdoor live music venues are concerned, the summer season is a go!

Blossom Music Center kicked off its summer pop music season with rap star Drake on Monday night and the Cuyahoga Falls venue’s schedule for June is pretty action packed.

(Beacon Journal file photo)

If you’ve been paying attention at all (though, honestly, why would you?) you may have noticed that the Blossom schedule tends to roll out pretty much the same way every year, with three or four big country superstars, a few classic rockers often packaged together to maximize the acquisition of their shared fan base’s money, a surprise act or two, often an act that hasn’t toured in a while or at least hasn’t been to Ohio, and an act on the rise that has recently graduated to sheds and arenas, and at least one jam band.

The 2012 season has many of the same faces who were here last year (and the year before that and the year before that, etc.). While Drake opened the season, the country music flood begins Friday night with Dave Haywood, Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley, aka Lady Antebellum, the Grammy-, CMA-, ACM-, CMT-, Teen Choice-, AMA-, ACA- and BMA-winning trio whose first recorded appearance was on Ohio boy Jim Brickman’s Never Alone in 2007.

Among the usual Blossom visitors are the Dave Matthews Band performing Sunday. The band took a few summers off (mmmm … good times), but it is back on its mellow, jam-pop grind, providing the live soundtrack to potential post-show hookups, countless Facebook-status updates, random Tweets, surreptitious pot smoking and some really bad dancing.

I’ve seen/heard the band four or five times at Blossom, and after the boredom sets in and I start walking around, it seems half the people on the lawn aren’t really paying attention unless one of their favorite songs is being played.

A DMB show is more like a big outdoor frat party that happens to have a really famous band playing. Meanwhile, under the roof, the hard-core fans are getting their groove on with many grown men doing their chicken dances and yelling out random stuff such as “I FRICKIN’ LOVE DAVE MATTHEWS, DOOD!!!”

Whatever gets you through the night, man.

Anyway, three days later on Wednesday, Radiohead returns to Blossom. touring behind its 2011 album King of Limbs, followed a week later on June 13 by this year’s biggest wild card, the legendary Beach Boys, who are celebrating 50 years of classic, innovative music, lawsuits, nervous breakdowns, drugs, bitterness and a set list filled with songs we all know.

If you saw the Beach Boys on the Grammy Awards with Maroon 5, the band sounded pretty good, and removing Adam Levine from the equation could only make it better.

One-hit wonder (so far) and proud Beach Boy fans Foster the People — led by Cleveland-bred Mark Foster — is opening the show.

Country singer, songwriter and ace geetar picker Brad Paisley, who seems to always be on tour, will bring his fleet fingers and catchy tunes to Blossom on June 15, with the Band Perry and 10th season American Idol winner Scotty McCreery.

Just as the DMB went on its two-year summer vacation, Phish coincidentally reactivated itself and took the venue’s jam-band spot. Apparently, Phish has joined the slate of Blossom’s Usual Suspects and will return June 24.

The band doesn’t have a new record — its 11th studio album Joy was released in 2009 — but that doesn’t matter to the Phish Heads who just want to do the “Meatstick” dance while bragging about who has seen the most shows.

A few days later on June 29, Rascal Flatts will bring its pleasant country pop to the stage, along with openers Little Big Town, Eden’s Edge and the Eli Young Band. I’ve seen these guys at Blossom, and while their music is a bit too middle of the road for me (more drinkin’ songs, please!), they are a good band.

The month will wrap up June 30 with our first classic-rock package featuring Styx, REO Speedwagon and Ted Nugent.

I’ve never seen the Nuge live, but I caught a 2011 show recently on HDNet and the dude can still play the guitar. Also, don’t be surprised if he mentions something about America.

Doo-wop downtown

OK, all you (really) old-school fans, it’s time to step into the Wayback Machine and revel in the classic sounds of early rock ’n’ roll and R&B. On Saturday, the Akron Civic Theatre will welcome A Doo-Wop Celebration V. This year’s edition will feature Charlie Thomas’ Drifters, who gave us Save the Last Dance for Me, Under the Boardwalk and more, along with Gene Chandler, better known as the “Duke of Earl.”

The harmonies continue with Jay Siegel’s Tokens of The Lion Sleeps Tonight fame, She Cried singer Jay Traynor formerly of Jay and the Americans, and the Vogues, whose big hit was 5 O’clock World.

‘American Eyedull’

YAY, IT’S OVER!!!!

Seriously, is anyone shocked that Philip Philips won? A cute white dude (the fifth in a row) who was repeatedly called “edgy” and “indie” by Randy Jackson?

There was no way that old-school gospel/soul shouter Joshua Ledet was going to win because, as one of my A.I. watching/Elise Testone-loving colleagues said, “all that screaming … it’s just not relevant.”

Did anyone notice how not upset Ledet seemed when he was eliminated?

I thought Jessica Sanchez had a slim chance because she was a tiny teenager with a big voice with whom the younger voters could have connected.

But it’s apparently hard to beat a cute, reasonably talented boy, and across the last few weeks of the show, it appeared to me and my fellow A.I. video babbler Rich Heldenfels that the show’s producers gave in to the power of the Cute (safe) Boy, feeding him Bob Seger’s We Got Tonight to force him to sing a romantic melody and following that up with his (now new) single Home, which fits his young Southern Dave Matthews vibe.

On the flip side, it seemed A.I. officials quietly submarined Sanchez, saddling her with yet another Whitney Houston song and a bland, forgettable, 1990s-sounding-Celine Dion-reject pop ballad, Change Nothing, as her potential single.

Of course, once they stop being American Idol cast members and start being “artists,” the outcome of the show doesn’t really matter, and certainly all three, plus country gal Skyler Laine, the annoying Elise Testone and the bland Hollie Cavanagh will get a chance to remind you of their existence in the fall, when their records start trickling out to a viewership that has already moved on to the next show.

DETAILS

The following concerts are part of Blossom Music Center’s 2012 pop music schedule. Blossom is at 1145 W. Steels Corners Road, Cuyahoga Falls. Information: 800-745-3000, www.livenation.com, www.ticketmaster.com.

• Lady Antebellum: Own the Night 2012 World Tour with Darius Rucker and Thompson Square

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Tickets: $38.50-$73

• Dave Matthews Band

When: 7 p.m. Sunday

Tickets: $59.35-$95.90

• Radiohead

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday

Tickets: $46.50-$90.20

• Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Tour

When: 7:30 p.m. June 13

Tickets: $40-$117.80

• Brad Paisley with Band Perry and Scotty McCreery

When: 4:30 p.m. June 15

Tickets: $39-$78.75

• Phish

When: 7 p.m. June 24

Tickets: $57.85-$74.40

• Styx, REO Speedwagon and Ted Nugent

When: 7 p.m. June 30

Tickets: $26-$149.50

Malcolm X Abram can be reached at 330-996-3758 or by email at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com. He’s also on Facebook (malcolm abram) and Twitter (@malcolmxabram) ’cuz he’s a hip and happenin’ guy.

Read Soundcheck, the blog by Malcolm X Abram.

By Roger Moore
McClatchy-Tribune News Service

The Grimm fairy tale returns to its gray and gory origins in Snow White and the Huntsman, the second Snow White remake of 2012.

Unlike the gorgeous but dizzy Mirror Mirror, Huntsman is more sword and sorcery, a film of battles and sword fights, murder and revenge. But for all the excitement of this visually striking action fantasy set in a land of mud and maggots, it’s the familiar story elements that work the best. Things don’t take on a workable tone until those devilish dwarfs show up, an hour into the proceedings.

Kristen Stewart as Snow White in "Snow White and the Huntsman."

And thank heaven for the Huntsman, a character typically given short shrift in films of this tale. When Chris “Thor” Hemsworth swaggers (and staggers, for he is drunk) onto the screen, this sometimes ponderous movie gets a much-needed taste of levity.

Charlize Theron takes her shot at going over the top as Ravenna, the sorceress who marries the widowed king and kills him. The new queen fears his daughter, Snow White — “the face of true beauty in this kingdom” — will be her “undoing.”

This script (by Evan Daugherty, Hossein Amini and John Lee Hancock) focuses on Ravenna’s motivations. This is an evil queen with a serious grudge against men — who “use” and “ruin” women and cast them aside. Ravenna plans to beat this system, thanks to her ability to suck the youth and beauty out of others, and thanks to that “mirror mirror on the wall.”

Snow White grows up to be Kristen “Twilight” Stewart, all dark hair and fair skin and suggestive lips. No wonder the older woman is afraid. The Huntsman is first hired to track the fleeing princess, but changes sides in a heartbeat.

And in the middle of their flight from the evil queen’s equally evil brother, Finn (Sam Spruell), Snow White and the Huntsman stumble into a gang of dwarfs.

Of all the effects on display here — the liquid metal magic mirror, the queen’s aging and vampire-like ability to regain her youth, the haunted forests and enchanting fairies — the dwarves are the most impressive. First-time director Rupert Sanders uses forced perspective and prosthetics and a few other tricks to cast an impressive array of character actors in these roles, and not just the best dwarf actors available.

Thus we get the wicked twinkle of Ian McShane, the sour-faced annoyance of Toby Jones, the testy befuddlement of Eddie Marsan and the hilarious cluelessness of Nick Frost, all convincingly transformed into little people. They’re just as cute as the characters inevitably are. But they seem more unruly and more dangerous than the septet in Mirror Mirror.

In the battle of the dueling queens, Oscar winner Theron comes up short against the regally evil Julia Roberts of Mirror Mirror. Theron, at a loss in playing this embittered and cunning character’s power, tosses epic tantrums and turns into a shrieking harpy at every turn. She seems off for much of the film.

The lovely Stewart makes an unlikely action heroine, better in the romantic clinches than in a fight.

A good actress on most days, she tames some of her Twilight trademarks (playing with her hair, panting to show passion), just not that much. But does anybody else think that a mirror that proclaims her “fairest” over Charlize Theron needs glasses?

It’s too long, and the many new characters and settings make Snow White and the Huntsman lose track of its main thread for stretches. On the whole, it’s a more engrossing, more lively re-imagining of the classic tale than Mirror Mirror. But it’s not going to make anybody forget the Disney version.

By Dorothy Shinn
Beacon Journal art and architecture critic

Cuyahoga Arts & Culture invites organizations presenting arts and cultural programs in Cuyahoga County to attend workshops about its 2013 Project Support grant program on Tuesday or June 7 or 13. The first step in the application process is due June 28.

Organizations can learn more about the group and meet its staff, who will review eligibility requirements and the application process. The same information will be presented at each workshop:

• 3 p.m. Tuesday, Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library, Lee Road Branch, 2345 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights.

• 9 a.m. June 7, Baldwin-Wallace College, Center for Innovation and Growth, 340 Front St., Berea.

• 3 p.m. June 13, Cleveland Public Library, Carnegie West Branch (Ohio City), 1900 Fulton Road, Cleveland.

Register at www.cacgrants.org. For questions, contact Stacey Hoffman at 216-515-8303, ext. 101, or shoffman@cacgrants.org.

Cleveland museum news

• The Cleveland Museum of Art announced the appointment of Sonya Rhie Quintanilla as the George P. Bickford curator of Indian and Southeast Asian art. Quintanilla will oversee the installation of the collections in the museum’s building expansion in 2013.

“I am extremely excited that Sonya is joining our curatorial staff. She has the benefit of building upon the legacy established by former curator Stan Czuma, who helped to make Cleveland one of the greatest collections of Indian and Southeast Asia art in the country,” said C. Griffith Mann, the Cleveland museum’s deputy director and chief curator.

The museum’s holdings from India, the Himalayas and Southeast Asia cover artistic activity on the Indian subcontinent from the Neolithic period until the 19th century.

Quintanilla is currently curator of Asian art for the San Diego Museum of Art, where she curated numerous permanent collection installations and rotations.

• The museum also announced its pilot project in digital publishing, British Portrait Miniatures From the Cleveland Museum of Art. The searchable online catalog showcases a substantial portion of the museum’s collection of around 170 portrait miniatures.

The first stage includes 54 British portrait miniatures from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, with publication of the remaining works ongoing. The catalog presents research, explores the collection holistically and incorporates comparative images of works from other collections. The miniatures can be viewed at actual size, from the front and the back, and in detail.

The catalog was written by Dr. Cory Korkow, a Paintings and Drawings Society curatorial fellow whose initial research was funded by grants from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

To see the catalog, go to www.clevelandart.org/art/?departments/portrait_?miniatures.aspx.

SATURDAY

Mainstreet Masterpieces — The Masterpieces on Main Art & Wine Festival will be from noon to 10 p.m. in downtown Kent. Admission is free; for $10, participants can purchase a glass and three tickets for tastings at the winery tents. Local bands will play at noon, 2, 4, 6, and 8 p.m. www.mainstreetkent.org, www.facebook.com/mainstreetkent.

WORTH NOTING

Americanitis? —San Francisco artist Alison Pebworth caps off the Cleveland Convention and Visitors Bureau exhibit at Spaces Gallery, 2220 Superior Viaduct, Cleveland, with a stop on her cross-country exhibit tour, Beautiful Possibility, through June 24. She will appear at the Loren Naji Studio, 2138 W. 25th St. from noon to 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays in June, where the show will be on view; and at the West Side Market 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 22 and 23. Pebworth is interviewing people on their thoughts about “Americanitis,” a 19th-century nervous condition resulting from rapid modernization. 216-621-2314.

Autumn in New York — Louis Zona, director of the Butler Institute of American Art, will lead a tour to New York City Oct. 10-14. The group will visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Frick Museum of Art, the 9/11 Memorial, OK Harris Works of Art, the Louis K. Meisel Gallery and the studio of realist master Audrey Flack. A highlight will be a visit to the Brooklyn Bridge Park to experience the restored Idora Park carousel. For reservations and itinerary, call 330-744-5035.

Dorothy Shinn writes about art and architecture for the Akron Beacon Journal. Send information to her at the Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640 or dtgshinn@att.net.

By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer

Since 2006, Craig Johnson has turned out a stream of mystery novels about Walt Longmire, a Wyoming sheriff trying to recover from the death of his wife. A&E premieres a series based on the books, Longmire, at 10 p.m. Sunday and the central character is engaging enough to keep me watching past the premiere.

Robert Taylor in Longmire.

In the pilot, written by Hunt Baldwin and John Coveny (both veterans of The Closer), Longmire — played by Australian actor Robert Taylor — is someone comfortable with the emptiness and silence of his surroundings, refusing for example to spoil the latter by getting a cellphone. But he has soaked up quiet and alcohol for too long. He is just beginning to emerge from his grief, which has been so deep that he has barely functioned at his job. And this has not gone unnoticed by his staff, which includes the new deputy Vic Moretti (Katee Sackhoff of Battlestar Galactica) and the veteran Branch Connally (Bailey Chase of Saving Grace), who thinks he can be a lot better sheriff than Longmire.

But Walt’s skills are about to be tested by the discovery of a dead man, shot in a curious way. And the shooting leads Longmire into situations that include some illegal local recreation and an old dispute between Longmire and the local American Indian reservation. (Johnson, by the way, once told Publishers Weekly that “all the Indians I know laugh when people refer to them as Native Americans.”) Even though one of Longmire’s closest friends is an Indian named Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips), he is still entangled in old issues of race.

The mystery leads down various paths, some right, some wrong, before reaching a resolution that still was not as entertaining as Longmire himself. He’s rugged but not without compassion or flaws. Taylor is especially good in a scene where Longmire must break the news about the dead man to the man’s wife, and thinks too much about his loss. There are also good dramatic flourishes, such as Longmire’s fixation with litter, and the way that Longmire’s dealing with Connally goes from passive to very aggressive. The series has plenty of room to grow; I left the pilot wanting to know more about all the characters, but especially about Longmire.

Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/heldenfiles. He is also on Facebook and Twitter. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.

Cleveland Orchestra — 8 tonight and Saturday, Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. Featuring Robert Porco, conductor; Christine Brewer, soprano; Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano; Dimitri Pirras, tenor; Raymond Aceto, bass; and Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. Program: Verdi, Requiem Mass. $44-$150. 216-231-1111, 800-686-1141 or www.clevelandorchestra.com.

COMEDY

Funny Stop Comedy Club — Bobby Jay, 8 tonight, 8:30 and 10:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday; Tim Kidd, 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 1757 State Road, Cuyahoga Falls. $5 and up. Students with college ID get in free Tuesday. Tim Kidd, June 7-9. Mike Green, June 13-16. 330-923-4700.

Hilarities 4th Street Theatre — Josh Blue, 8 tonight, 7:30 and 10:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. Sunday; Greg Morton, 8 p.m. Wednesday, 2035 E. Fourth St., Cleveland. Greg Morton, June 7-10. Sebastian Maniscalco, June 13-17. $8 and up. All shows 21 or older. www.pickwickandfrolic.com or 216-241-7425 for reservations.

Improv — Joel Lindley, 7:30 tonight; Bruce Bruce, 7:30 and 10:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday, Sugar Warehouse, 1148 Main Ave., Cleveland Flats. $8 and up. Brad Williams, June 7-10. Donnell Williams, June 14-17. Reservations: 216-696-4677.

Today

Ice cream hike — The Akron Metro Parks Hiking Club will meet at 7 p.m. at the Eastgate Plaza on Canton Road for a five-mile hike on sidewalks and in parks in Akron’s Ellet neighborhood. There will be an ice cream stop, too. 330-687-8139.

Friday

Meet Cheeks — You can meet costumed Cheeks the Chipmunk, the mascot of Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, at 6 p.m. at Cascade Valley Metro Park. Meet at the Sackett Overlook off Sackett Avenue in Akron. The appearance will be canceled if it rains. 330-865-8065.

Art reception — Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, is hosting a reception to mark the opening of an art exhibit on recycling from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Seiberling Nature Realm, 1828 Smith Road, Akron. 330-865-8065.

Waterfalls hike — The National Park Service is conducting a hike to Brandywine Falls in the Cuyahoga Valley park to mark National Trails Weekend. Meet at 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. at the falls off Brandywine Road in Sagamore Hills Township. The hikes will be repeated at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. There will also be a 2.2-mile hike to Ritchie Ledges at 7 p.m. Meet at the Ledges Shelter off Truxell Road in Boston Township.

Dinner in the valley — The Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park is holding a Dinner in the Valley with an Indian meal prepared by Chef Larkin Rogers. It will be served at 6 p.m. at the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center off Oak Hill Road in Boston Township. Call 330-657-2796, ext. 121, for pricing and reservations.

Drum circle — Rebekah Benner will lead the Terra Amma Drum Circle from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron, 3300 Morewood Road, Fairlawn. 330-780-7476.

Planetarium show — The Wilderness Center at 9877 Alabama Ave. SW in Sugar Creek Township is presenting a planetarium show and star watch, weather permitting. Meet at 8 p.m. Free. 877-359-5235.

Saturday

Heron hikes — Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, is conducting a hike to the heronry on West Bath Road to celebrate the arrival of heron chicks. Meet at 10 a.m. at the Botzum Trailhead off Riverview Road and hike to the heronry. Spotting scopes will be set up until noon. The program will be repeated from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Pedal, campfire — Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, is holding a 10-mile bike ride for families, followed by a campfire. Meet at 8 p.m. at the Clinton Trailhead, 2749 North St., Clinton. Helmets and lights are required. Bring a chair and campfire food. 330-865-8065.

Family camping — Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, is presenting an introduction to family camping at 2 p.m. at the Seiberling Nature Realm, 1828 Smith Road. Families can sign up for a weekend camp-out on June 8-10 in a local park. Families must attend the program to be eligible. 330-865-8065.

Trail workshop — The Cuyahoga Valley National Park is hosting a trail workshop at 8:30 a.m. Meet at the Ledges Shelter off Truxell Road in Boston Township. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., volunteers will clean up the Ledges, Pine Grove, Forest Point and Haskell Run trails. Bring a small pack with lunch. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. To reserve a spot, call 330-657-2299 or email volunteer@forcvnp.org.

Valley hikes — The National Park Service is leading a 7½-mile hike on the Buckeye Trail from Jaite to Station Road. Wear sturdy shoes and bring snacks and water. Carpooling is required. It will run from 8 a.m. to noon. Meet at the Station Road Bridge Trailhead off Riverview Road in Brecksville. Other National Trail hikes: on the Lake and Cross Country trails from 2 to 4 p.m. Meet at the Kendall Lake Shelter off Truxell Road in Boston Township; a guided hike for youngsters 4 to 11 years old from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Kendall Lake Shelter off Truxell Road in Boston Township.

Bird walk — The National Park Service is holding a bird walk about wrens from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Meet at the Ledges Shelter off Truxell Road in Boston Township.

Cuyahoga critters — Artwork on “Cuyahoga Critters” by the Crooked River Gang, a group of local artists, will be featured in an exhibit at the M.D. Garage in the Cuyahoga Valley park. Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1556 Boston Mills Road, Boston Township. The show continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Hanging at Hunt — The National Park Service is conducting family activities from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Hunt Farm Visitor Information Center off Bolanz Road in Cuyahoga Falls. Patrick and Nikki Custy will present Irish music from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Mustill hike — The Cascade Locks Park Association is holding a history hike at 11 a.m. Meet at the Mustill Store off West North Street near downtown Akron. 330-374-5625.

Valley hike — The Akron Metro Parks Hiking Club will meet at 9 a.m. at the Boston Store Visitor Center in the Cuyahoga Valley park. It will be a six-mile hike to Brandywine Falls. The center is off Boston Mills Road in Boston Township. 330-687-8139.

Fishing derby — The Berkley Fishing Team is holding the Pep Tamargo Memorial Kids Fishing Derby for youngsters 15 and under from 8 to 11 a.m. at Sippo Lake Park in Perry Township. Advance reservations are required. You can make reservations at the Sippo Lake marina. 330-409-8096.

Family fishing — The Medina County Park District is presenting a family fishing program at 6 p.m. at the Wolf Creek Environmental Center, 6100 Ridge Road (state Route 94), Sharon Township. For ages 6 to adult. A few rods and reels will be available. Advance registration is required. 330-722-9364.

Trail Day hikes — The Stark County Park District is staging three hikes to mark National Trails Day: at 10 a.m. on the new section of the Hoover Park Trail behind Hoover High School near 10th Street in North Canton; at 11:15 a.m. on the Hoover Trail and at noon on the new Middle Branch Trail in Plain Township. Meet at Schneider Park. 330-409-8096.

Healthy hike — The Medina County Park District is holding a healthy hike at 10 a.m. at River Styx Park off River Styx Road in Guilford Township. For ages 12 to adult. 330-722-4558.

Healthy hike II — The Medina County Park District is conducting another healthy hike at 8 a.m. in the Cuyahoga Valley park. Meet at Blue Hen Falls off Boston Mills Road in Boston Township. 330-722-9364.

Fishing derby — Quail Hollow State Park near Hartville is holding a fishing derby for youngsters 4 to 15. It will run from 9 a.m. to noon at the Shady Lane Pond. The park is at 13480 Congress Lake Road NE, Lake Township. Some rods and reels will be available. Prizes. All children must be accompanied by adults. 330-877-6652 or www.quailhollowpark.org.

Cemetery walk — You can join in a one-mile walk through the Massillon Cemetery with local historian Margy Vogt at 2 p.m. The cemetery is at 1827 S. Erie St. The fee is $5. 330-832-8469 or vogt@sssnet.com.

Moonlight hike — The Portage Trail Walkers hiking club will meet at 8 p.m. at Stow’s Silver Spring Parks for a moonlight hike A potluck dinner will be served at 7 p.m. The park is off Stow Road. Meet at the picnic pavilion. 330-678-6896.

Map, compass — The University of Mount Union’s John T. Huston-Dr. John D. Brumbaugh Nature Center is hosting a program on orienteering from 2 to 4 p.m. The center is on Dan Street off state Route 183 six miles south of Alliance in Washington Township. 330-823-7487.

Nature book club — The Wilderness Center at 9877 Alabama Ave. SW in Sugar Creek Township is presenting a book club discussion on Unbowed: A Memoir by Kenya’s Wangari Maathai. Meet at 2 p.m. 877-359-5235.

Kids fishing — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is opening its ponds for youth fishing involving youngsters 15 and under. Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Also open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday at 8912 Portage Lakes Drive, Coventry Township. Youth anglers must be accompanied by adults, and adults are not allowed to fish in the youth area. 330-644-2293.

NASA tour — Cleveland’s NASA Glenn Research Center is offering public tours of its supersonic wind tunnel at 10 and 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. Advance registration is suggested. Open to U.S. citizens with photo identification. The center is at 21000 Brookpark Road. For information, go to www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/events/tours.html.

Sunday

Valley hikes — The National Park Service is celebrating National Trails Weekend with hikes in the Cuyahoga Valley. You can join a 4½-mile hike from 9 to 11 a.m. from the Boston Store Visitor Center in Boston Township to Brandywine Falls and an evening wetlands walk from 8 to 10 p.m. from the Ira Trailhead off Riverview Road in Cuyahoga Falls.

Meadow walk — Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, is conducting a meadow walk at 9 a.m. at Liberty Park. Meet in the Twinsburg Ledges Area, 9999 Liberty Road, Twinsburg. 330-865-8065.

Nature walk — Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, is staging a nature walk at 1 p.m. Meet at the Clinton Trailhead off West North Street in Clinton. 330-865-8065.

Snake hike — The Medina County Park District is staging a snake hike at 3 p.m. at the Wolf Creek Environmental Center, 6100 Ridge Road (state Route 94), Sharon Township. For ages 7 to adult. 330-722-9364.

Portage Lakes hike — The Akron Metro Parks Hiking Club will meet at 2:30 p.m. at Portage Lakes State Park, 5031 Manchester Road (state Route 93), New Franklin. Meet at the Big Oaks parking lot for a five-mile hike. 330-687-8139.

Folk jam — The University of Mount Union’s John T. Huston-Dr. John D. Brumbaugh Nature Center is hosting a folk jam at 2 p.m. The center is on Dan Street off state Route 183 six miles south of Alliance in Washington Township. 330-823-7487.

Monday

Full-moon hike — The National Park Service is conducting a full-moon hike from 9 to 11 p.m. in the Cuyahoga Valley. It will be a 2¾-mile hike on the Tree Farm Trail. Meet at Horseshoe Pond off Major Road west of Riverview Road in Boston Township.

Full-moon hike II — The Wilderness Center at 9877 Alabama Ave. SW in Sugar Creek Township is presenting a hike to celebrate the Moon of Horses full moon. Meet at 8:30 p.m. Free. 877-359-5235.

Magnolia mill tour — The Stark County Park District is holding a tour of the historic Magnolia Flouring Mills at noon. 330-409-8096.

Hinckley paddle — Cleveland Metroparks is offering paddles in its 34-foot Voyager canoe at 6, 7:30 and 9 p.m. under a full moon on Hinckley Lake in the Hinckley Reservation. Meet at the Hinckley Lake boathouse off West Drive in Hinckley Township in Medina County. Admission is $5. Advance reservations are encouraged. Call 216-206-1000 for reservations and more information.

Tuesday

Park concert — The Metro Parks Ensemble will present a free outdoor concert at 6:30 p.m. at Munroe Falls Metro Park, 521 S. River Road, Munroe Falls. Free lake swimming. Friends of Metro Parks will serve dessert from Acme Fresh Market while supplies last. If it rains, the concert will be postponed to June 12. Call 330-865-8060 after 4 p.m. for a weather update.

Bog walk — Metro Parks, Serving Summit County, is conducting a hike to look for grassland birds at 7 p.m. at Springfield Bog Metro Park, 1400 Portage Line Road, Springfield Township. 330-865-8065.

Firestone hike — The Akron Metro Parks Hiking Club will meet at 4 p.m. at Firestone Metro Park for a four-mile hike. Meet at the Tuscarawas Meadows Area off Harrington Road in South Akron. 330-687-8139.

Trail cleanup — Volunteers are needed from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Salt Run Trail in the Cuyahoga Valley park. Meet at the Pine Hollow Trailhead off Quick Road in Boston Township. Wear sturdy boots and bring a small pack with lunch, water and work gloves. Call 330-725-6097 for more information.

Stroller hike — The Medina County Park District is sponsoring a stroller hike at 10:30 a.m. at River Styx Park off River Styx Road in Guilford Township. 330-722-9364.

Full-moon hike — The Stark County Park District is staging a full-moon hike at 8:30 p.m. at Walborn Reservoir, 11324 Price St. NE, Marlboro Township. 330-409-8096.

Wednesday

Evening hike — The National Park Service is staging an evening hike of four miles on the Towpath and Hale Farm Connector trails from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Meet at the Hunt Farm Visitor Information Center off Bolanz Road in Cuyahoga Falls.

Trail cleanup — Volunteers are needed from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Lake and Cross Country trails in the Cuyahoga Valley park. Meet at the Kendall Lake Shelter parking lot off Truxell Road in Boston Township. Wear sturdy boots and bring a small pack with lunch, water and work gloves. Call 330-688-1767 for more information.

Mustill Store hike — The Akron Metro Parks Hiking Club will meet at 9:30 a.m. at the Mustill Store off West North Street near downtown Akron for a five-mile hike. 330-687-8139.

Eagle viewing — Eagle spotter Jim Kavelaris will direct eagle watching from 5 to 7 p.m. at Walborn Reservoir. Meet at 13600 Marlboro Ave. NE in Marlboro Township. Sponsored by the Stark County Park District. 330-409-8096.

Nature walk — The Medina County Park District is conducting a nature walk at 10 a.m. Meet at the Chippewa Inlet Trail off Chippewa Road in Lafayette Township. For ages 7 to adult. 330-722-9364.

Acoustic Wednesday — The Medina County Park District is sponsoring Acoustic Wednesday with folksy music from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Susan Hambley Nature Center, 4173 Parschen Blvd., Brunswick. 330-722-9364.

Nature walk — The Wilderness Center at 9877 Alabama Ave. SW in Sugar Creek Township is hosting a nature walk at 10 a.m. 877-359-5235.

Environmental Investigators — The Wilderness Center at 9877 Alabama Ave. SW in Sugar Creek Township is presenting an Environmental Investigators program on insects for children and accompanying adults at 1 p.m. 877-359-5235.

Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@ thebeaconjournal.com.

ZOO EVENTS

African Safari Wildlife Park — 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, 267 Lightner Road, Port Clinton. $21.95; ages 3-6, $12.95; 2 or younger, free. 800-521-2660. See and feed animals in a drive-through area. www.africansafariwildlifepark.com.

Akron Zoo — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, 500 Edgewood Ave. Journey to the Reef exhibit features aquariums of animals that live on or near the reef, live coral and a stingray touch pool. Admission: $10; $8:50, seniors; and $7, ages 2-14. 330-375-2550 or www.akronzoo.org.

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, 3900 Wildlife Way. Professor Wylde’s Live Animal Show performances at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. $12.25; $8.25, children 2-11. www.clemetzoo.com.

Rolling Ridge Ranch Animal Park — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 3961 Weaver Ridge Road, between Berlin and Walnut Creek. Feed animals from a guided horse-drawn wagon, $15.95, children and seniors $10.95; or from your car, $9, $7 seniors and $6 children 3-12. 330-893-3777 or www.visitrollingridge.com.

A CHANCE TO DANCE

Contemporary line dancing — 1-2 p.m. today, Springfield Township Boyd Esler Senior/Community Center, 2491 Canfield Road. $4. 330-733-2556.

Polka dance — 2-5 p.m. today, Polish Legion of American Veterans Post 32, 283 Dayton St., Akron. Free. 330-253-0542.

Ballroom dance lessons — Thursday sessions today through June 28, Quirk Cultural Center, 1201 Grant Ave., Cuyahoga Falls. Classes are 6:30-7:15 p.m. beginner ballroom; 7:15-8 p.m. intermediate ballroom; 8-8:45 p.m. intermediate Argentine tango. $10 per person/per class ($16 for two classes in the same night) or $16 per couple/per class. 330-971-8225 or 330-971-8425.

Western Whirlers Square Dance Club square and line dance lessons — 7-9 tonight, Ritchie Center, 109 West Ave., Tallmadge. Gene and Frankie Hammond will instruct. $5 for adults or $3 for youth. For information, call P.J. and Bonnie Houck at 330-688-5075 or Lois and Bob Blair at 330-688-0878.

Akron2Cleveland New Ballroom Dancers — 7-9 p.m. Friday, Goodyear YMCA, 110 Goodyear Blvd., Akron. 330-573-9453 or 330-631-5299.

First Friday Ballroom Dance — 7:30 p.m. Friday, Carovillese Lodge Ballroom, 570 E. Cuyahoga Falls Ave., Akron. Music by Gene Fiocca Band. $8. 330-929-6767.

Dance Fever Open Dance — 8:15-10:30 p.m. Friday, Quirk Cultural Center, 1201 Grant Ave., Cuyahoga Falls. Free dance lesson from 7:30-8:15 p.m. Dance is $10 per person, $7 college students and seniors. 330-971-8225 or 330-971-8425.

Dance with Kent Le Mar — 9 a.m. Saturdays, Theatre Dance Centre, 4800 Massillon Road, Green. For ages 30 or older. $10 per class. 330-899-9655.

Ballroom dancing — 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Sherwood Dance Club, 960 Jacoby Road, Copley Township. $7. 330-864-4484.

Singles dance — 8 p.m. Sunday, Guy’s Party Center, 500 E. Waterloo Road, Akron. Disc jockey plays Top 40 music for dancing. $7. 330-724-6373.

Beginners line dance class — 10-11 a.m. Monday, Tallmadge Community Center, 80 Community Road. $5 per class. 330-673-0848.

Top 20 line dances — 6-7 p.m. beginner lessons, 7-9 p.m. intermediate lessons, Mondays, Manchester Administrative Building, Room 24, 6075 Manchester Road, New Franklin. $5 per class. 330-644-4144 or 330-697-1440.

Adult ballet classes intermediate — Four-week session, 9-10:15 a.m. Tuesdays, Quirk Cultural Center, 1201 Grant Ave., Cuyahoga Falls. Registration fee: $8 resident/$12 other. Class fee is $20. 330-971-8225.

Senior line dance classes — 10-11 a.m. Tuesdays, Trinity United Church of Christ, 915 N. Main St., Akron; 5:45-6:45 p.m. Tuesdays, Village at Anna Dean, 33 Third St. SE, Barberton and 10-11 a.m. Wednesdays, Lawton Community Center, 1225 Lawton St., Akron.. Presented by Universal Nursing Services. Free.

Poetry in Motion of Akron — Hand-dance (beginners-intermediate), 7:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays; salsa (beginners-intermediate), 8:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Both classes at 210 E. North St., Akron. For information, go to http://www.pimakoh.com.

Country line dance lessons — 10-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, intermediate class, Tallmadge Community Center, 80 Community Road. $5. 330-673-0848.

Sounds of Yesterday — 2-5 p.m. Wednesday, Fraternal Order of Police, 2610 Ley Drive, Akron. Ballroom music. 330-724-7414 or 330-753-6679.

Ballroom dancing — 6:30-9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Polish Legion of American Veterans Post 32, 383 Dayton St., Akron. Music by Delci Tones. $5. 330-253-0542.

West Coast swing — 7-10 p.m. Wednesday, Paolo’s, 1 W. Exchange St., Akron. Lessons 6-7 p.m. 330- 252-1995.

THEATER

Actors’ Summit — (Greystone Hall, 103 S. High St., Akron; 330-374-7568) Final performances of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, 8 tonight-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. $30 Saturday; $28 tonight, Friday and Sunday; $25 seniors tonight, Sunday.

Beck Center for the Arts — (Studio Theater, 17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood; 216-521-2540) Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson continues through July 1. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 7 p.m. Sundays. $28; $25 for seniors; $17 for students.

Cleveland Metropolitan School District 13th Annual All-City Musical — (PlayhouseSquare Ohio Theatre, 1515 Euclid Ave., Cleveland; 216-241-6000) Footloose, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday. $15.

Coach House Theatre — (732 W. Exchange St., Akron; 330-434-7741) Final performances of Move Over, Mrs. Markham, 8 tonight-Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday. $18; $12 students.

Great Lakes Theater Festival — (PlayhouseSquare’s Hanna Theatre, 2067 E. 14th St., Cleveland; 216-241-6000) Sondheim on Sondheim continues through July 8, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 4 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays. $10-$60.

Main Course Murder — (Meyers Lake Ballroom, 3218 Parkway St. NW, Canton Township; 330-455-5900) The Contraltos: Miami Shore mystery dinner theater, 6:30 p.m. Saturday. $29.95.

Voices of Canton — (Lions Lincoln Theater, 156 Lincoln Way E., Massillon; 330-455-1000) Titanic: The Musical in concert format will be performed at 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. $15, $20 and $25.