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Bruce Bratton OUR FIRST SANTA CRUZ STAR. If you go to the website for Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd's newest film, High Crimes, at www.highcrimesmovie.com, you see our very own Adam Scott appearing in his very first big Hollywood role. Adam was born at Dominican Hospital, went to Gault and Branciforte Junior High, and then graduated from Harbor High where Cathy Warner got him into acting and encouraged him all the way. His mom, Anne Scott Chambers, who still teaches at Harbor, and his dad, Dougald Scott, who recently retired from Cabrilho, are understandably proud. Mom also says Adam has numerous Sicilian relatives locally, including a Quartararo or two. Adam'll be in two episodes of HBO's great show Six Feet Under soon. He was in Star Trek: The First Contact, Hellraiser IV, NYPD Blue and ER, and he went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. The way I see it, Adam is our very first born-here movie star to be in a major studio nationwide release with huge stars. No, Zasu Pitts wasn't born here; one click on www.imdb.com and you'll see she was born in Parsons, Kan. in 1898. Rory Calhoun was born in L.A. in 1922. High Crimes opens April 3 in L.A., which is Adam's birthday. It opens April 5 here. Looks like we'll have to get ready to do another sidewalk wet-concrete-signing together. Congratulations, Adam!! THE HOMELESS SUMMIT. There's a statewide summit to be held in Sacramento on April 22. Gov. Davis wants to make homelessness a major issue and is creating a new program to create permanent housing for thousands of homeless by 2010, according to last Friday's Chronicle. Davis' study estimates there's 1.1 million homeless in California. What's interesting is that there's going to be a homeless summit here in Santa Cruz May 3 and 4. Isla Vista's Camp Home Sweet Homeless, Portland's Dignity Village, Seattle's Tent City and other homeless groups, including our own Camp Paradise, are all sending representatives. Let's hope that some of these representatives plus folks from our city and county government first go to that Sacramento Summit, then come back and listen and report to everybody at the Santa Cruz Summit. Much good can come from these meetings, and the homeless problem isn't going away. Let us reason together--why not? GOODBYE, PETER EBERLE. Pete Eberle, the executive director of the Downtown Association, gave his notice at last week's meeting. According to Colleen Crosby, of the Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Co., the search for a replacement begins now. Peter took the DTA in a new and stronger political direction than it had gone before. He was almost accepted as another member of the Downtown Commission due to his constant presence. Colleen was voted the new president of the DTA and said she's glad to see so many new and talented members on the board. DARK PLEASURES. E.T. just doesn't hold up as any film classic. It's way overdone in every sense of the word. It is fun to see little 6-year-old Drew Barrymore, but don't go just for that. Wesley Snipes' new film Blade II substitutes blood and lots of guts for a plot. The effects aren't worth it, there is no acting in it, just don't go and don't rent it either. Festival in Cannes was on some cable station about three months ago and it wasn't any better there. It's Henry Jaglom's idea of telling us that making films is a business and not a nice business. Problem is that Jaglom doesn't know how to make a film so it doesn't help. THE EARL JACKSON JR. FILM SERIES. The titles of the free film series that Earl Jackson shows each quarter up at UCSC are as odd, rare and thought-provoking as the films. The Monday night 7pm series is titled "Yen Economies," and consists of rare Japanese films from many decades. On Wednesday nights it's "Variations Without a Theme," with films by a very wide range of directors. All films will be in Social Sciences Room 110. His winter series had films by Fritz Lang (The Indian Tomb) Dario Argento, E. Elias Merhige, Bruce Connor, Raoul Walsh, Kenneth Anger, Abel Ferrara, Joseph Cornell, Parazhanov, Pasolini, Varda, Godard, Resnais, Ottinger, Becker and two by Tarkovsky that I'm still trying to deal with. Go to www.anotherscene.com to get a listing of the spring session, which begins tonight with Love Letter (1995), by Iwai Shunji, never before shown in the U.S. What are equally interesting are the discussions after the film; so plan on staying. I'll save you a seat. BORDERS PATROL. The anonymous "Radtimes" sent a long email notice about Walter Kuralt's (Charles' brother) ongoing battle against the Borders chain and also against Barnes & Noble's unfair practices. You can get the entire story from Pat Holt, former book editor at the Chronicle, by sending a note to [email protected] or visiting www.lawmall.com. Kuralt gives a very long list of the advantages chains are given, such as freight allowances, discounted retail prices, special deals, special services, allowing huge returns with no penalties, special publication of titles exclusively for chains and dozens more. Kuralt's site goes on to list ways local bookstores can band together to stop this unfair competition. The chains are growing and erasing independents almost daily, and Kuralt sees ways these chain store book dealers' unfair deals can and already have spread to other types of chain stores. Reach Bruce at [email protected] or 457.5814, ext. 400. [ Santa Cruz | Metroactive Central | Archives ]