Local film company Rambunxious Skuter is looking for a few good aliens this weekend— or at least people who want to play aliens.
The company, who just released action/ comedy  film Hoodoo Voodoo, is starting work on  a new film “The Overture,” by filming a battle scene between  ‘the infected ’ — alien zombies who want to eradicate  ‘the human scourge,’ so lots of aliens are needed.

They started working on the new film just as ’Hoodoo Voodoo’ started screening at the university.

 “We’d like to have as many as possible. 100 ideally, but that probably won’t happen.” said Kurmey, sitting in his office , painting futuristic assault rifles for the  shoot, which will take place Friday through Sunday.

 “The Overture is a prequel to a feature film we plan on shooting next year,” said writer/ director Aaron Kurmey adding they hope to have the 15-20 minute long short film ready for the University of Lethbridge  film festival at the end of March, though they plan on having it completed by the end of January.

Arts education is an integral part of a child’s education in Europe, but when Martha Laarman moved here from Holland, she noticed a considerable lack of it and started the McGill Blvd.  Music and Arts School.

“Our goal is to  provide music and arts education at affordable prices,” said Laarman, who, since forming the school in 2007, has seen enrollment grow from nine students to just over 100.

“We have students from ages 4-94, well not just 94, but it isn’t just kids,” she continued adding while the school  is located  at 260 McGill Blvd, in the basement of the Maranatha Church,  students don’t have to be affiliated with the church to be part of the program.

“In Europe, where I’m from, this is normal.  All of the students go to music lessons after normal school hours. But when I moved here,  I found that wasn’t the case, ” continued Laarman, the school’s  piano teacher, adding  the non-profit school also offers a variety of different arts related classes in the same location from eight different teachers, so parents with more than one child don’t have to run all over the city  getting them to lessons in different locations.
“There is nothing negative about  music and art,” she said.

Students, who also include adults , can take half hour music lessons or more involved two hour lessons in fine arts and drama. Music students all take part in the Royal Conservatory program.
The school  does try to produce a play each year — this year it will be Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol,’ which takes place, Dec. 10.

 Drama teacher  Juanita DeVos has been teaching  drama for 12 years and worked with Salamander Theatre For Young Audiences in Ottawa before coming to Lethbridge and joining the  McGill school. But for now she is busily helping put together the production of ‘A Christmas Carol.’
“I like the idea of surprising children with their own creativity,” DeVos said adding creativity is important in many aspects of modern life.

“Look at the sciences, you can’t make new chemicals without being creative and mathematics is very creative as well. To create a building, you need to be creative. There are many  other facets of scholastic life that benefit from creativity,” she said adding she is letted her cast of six students aged 10-14, including two of her own children, run wild with their creative ideas for this production, from costuming, creating masks and staging.
“In Dickens’ time, the arts was seen as being for the rich and the poor people suffered because of it. With cuts to arts programs today, this  is why  this story is so relevant today,” she said adding proceeds from this dinner theatre production will be going to support McGill School.

I have to rave about stand -up comedian Ron James’ disjointed but hilarious Sunday show, which wound up his current tour at the Yates Theatre, Dec. 5.

 He started off slowly with a long bit about aging and the impact it has on the body,a dviisng the young members of the yaouduence, that this was a look into their futures.

He joked about  local tourist attractions like Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump and writing on Stone Provincial park where he was planning on visiting Monday. Then he made some movie references and cracked some other jokes which he didn’t think were working as he didn’t think people were laughing enough. Though I wanted more closure on some of his more enrapturing stories. So I was a little frustrated when he seemed to stop mid set to embark on another train of thought, then returned to the original train. He boarded so many different  trains of thought, that I fell off about two or three stops back, but then that is  part of the Canadian comedy icon’s charm.

 He hit his stride with a routine about the frustrations of trying to get his iPhone fixed and dealing wth tech services people. Then he randomly dropped in a  line about a Brazilian shave, then got back on the train about technology. He slightly adjusted his familiar routine about  dealing with computer repairs for this  routines. He touched on a bit of politics, both Canadian and American, but didn’t stay there for long.

 He wound up by revisiting some of his more familiar routines about growing up on Cape Breton with his Newfoundland dad,  and meeting his first American kids, then another hilarious bit about  golf courses being built in bear country.
He wound up a brilliant show by thanking everyone for coming out on a Sunday and the local media for welcoming him.