After two bad years, honeybee population thrives

This summer, consumers swarming to farm stands and supermarkets may find the local produce extra succulent, thanks to a resurgence in the honeybee pollination.

Beekeepers in New Jersey say it’s part of positive trend in other areas around the country.

“One-third of the food you and I eat is directly affected by honeybee pollination,” said Tim Schuler, New Jersey’s chief bee expert. Honeybee pollination adds more than $15 billion in value to about 130 crops including berries, fruits, vegetables and of course, flowers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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“Sometimes in Life” is the story of an unusual and unlikely friendship between two people whose lives are stuck in a rut. Jill is a young fashion designer who suspects that her lesbian girlfriend is cheating on her while Rob mourns the loss of his father.

The film stars Sara Stepnicka, Eric Morrison, Gunhild Giil and Jon E. Livernois. Wayne David-Parker, Angela Roberts, Emily Rose, Ethan Helmann-Scherrer, Carol Pierangelino and Sharon Emigh complete the cast.

“Sometimes in Life” explores love, life and the value of friendship while examining the dynamics of gay/lesbian and straight relationships in a new way. In the film, Director/Producer Anthony Vallone and Producer/Leading Lady Sara Stepnicka present the lesbian relationship between the women with the dynamic of a straight couple while simultaneously presenting the dynamic of the straight couple (Eric and his straight, platonic roommate) in a gay direction.

In order to prepare for the lesbian aspects of the film, Stepnicka and Vallone met a number of lesbians throughout metro Detroit and spent many nights at The Rainbow Room, a popular lesbian bar. They also worked with a woman from Affirmations, a local resource center for the gay, lesbian and transgender community, who gave them a list of films and books to watch and read (One of them being “Lesbians and Their Dogs”) during the script development phase. For the straight relationship, they relied on personal experience.

Producers Vallone, Stepnicka and Mohan Nemakayala also shot part of the film on location at Just-For-Us, a popular gay/lesbian bookstore and cafe (Ferndale). Other locations include the now-defunct Pure Detroit Design Lab (Detroit), the fishing pier at the Newburgh Pointe Recreation Area at Hines Park (Livonia), Whole Foods (West Bloomfield), Garden City Café (Garden City), Dawson Photo Studio (Inkster) and The Rainbow Room (Detroit).

“Sometimes in Life” also features music from two-time Grammy winner Ozomatli, Modest Mouse, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Presley and Anilore. In addition, listen for made-in-Detroit artists Amp Fiddler, Jamie McCarthy, Cetan Clawson, Bedford Drive, The Bloids and Mindizade.

Showcasing made-in-Detroit talent was an important part of the production. In addition to including homegrown bands, the film features the art of Serge Gay Jr., who studied at The College of Creative Studies in Detroit and is now living in San Francisco, and fashions from local designers Stacey Mitchell and Kelly Kolodziejski.

Originally, ValloNicka Films signed a deal with CreateSpace as part of the 1,000 HD DVD Indies Project to present “Sometimes in Life” to the Sundance Channel for possible broadcast on their network. Although the deal had to be canceled after the announcement earlier this year that HD films would no longer be a standard, industry format, ValloNicka Films is currently discussing the film with other distributors.

“Sometimes in Life” is the second feature from ValloNicka Films. Their first movie, “The Mongol King”, joined Robert Rodriguez’s groundbreaking film “El Mariachi” as one of the five lowest-budget films ever to score a distribution deal.

“Sometimes in Life” premieres at The Scarab Club, located at 217 Farnsworth in Detroit (Behind the Detroit Institute of Arts) as part of the Detroit Windsor International Film Festival on Friday, June 27.

The film is not rated, but includes strong language, adult themes and a brief flash of comedic nudity in a funny scene.

Tickets to the premiere are $15 and include a pre-party director’s reception and networking hour beginning at 7 pm, an art exhibit from JBHMareydt, complimentary beer and wine, and complimentary appetizers from Union Street. “Sometimes in Life” begins at 9 pm. 21+ are welcome.

For more information, and to see the trailer, visit http://www.sometimesinlifethemovie.com or http://www.myspace.com/sometimesinlifethemovie. For tickets and more information about the Detroit Windsor International Film Festival, visit http://www.dwiff.org.

This year’s Michigan Pride Festival will mark the 20th anniversary of Michigan Pride on June 27-29. The festival will include a weekend packed with events.

The festival kicks off Friday with a comedy show at The Cadillac Club, 1115 S. Washington Ave.

Saturday the Michigan Pride March begins at noon on Grand Avenue next to Riverfront Park. Admission to the park is $5. A commitment ceremony for more than 40 couples follows immediately after the rally. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will include food vendors, a kids area, a dance and a beer tent.

Sunday families are invited to come to the festival for a family picnic where pets are allowed. There are also contests for the pets, including a celebrity look-alike contest. There is a $5 entry fee for pets.

Larry Bell, president of Bell’s Brewery Inc. in Kalamazoo, takes you inside the hop cooler, the new energy-efficient warehouse, the new keg line and more. There’s a lot going down at Bell’s, including a cellar addition that will push their production to around 280,000 barrels a year.

Also check out – Larry Bell’s 50th birthday toast

Ahptic Film and Digital and local developer, Pat Gillespie, recently announced plans for City Center Studios, a $9 million studio development in Downtown Lansing intended to answer to needs of truly big-budget, Hollywood filmmakers.

The two are partnering on a 71,000 square foot production facility that will include two, 24,000 square foot stages; production space; and screening facilities for feature films, sitcoms and other major productions.

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A $75 dinner that was supposed to celebrate the culinary history of southern Michigan has instead shaken up a hornet’s nest of controversy because its organizers used a name for the event that some people in the area find fairly offensive.

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Families who keep close to home for summer vacation rather than traveling around the world or cross country could be repaid for their choice — in the form of another, free vacation.

House Speaker Pro Tempore Michael Sak unveiled Monday a tourism-incentive plan called Made in Michigan Make it Michigan.

Sak invites Michigan families to tell him about their summer vacation in Michigan and enter a drawing to receive a free trip in Michigan. After Labor Day, Sak will draw at random a Michigan family to receive the vacation.

In addition, a West Michigan family will win a Grand Rapids-area vacation.

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Algae grown from sewage could be used to produce biofuels. That’s the word from a company seeking a $7 million state grant to help prove it.

Representatives of Bloomfield Hills-based Sequest are considering Holland’s wastewater and coal plant as a site for their project.

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