This Friday, May 20, the local chapter of national healthcare nonprofit Planned Parenthood will honor three Santa Cruz leaders for being the 2011 “Voices for Change.” The honorees include City Councilwoman Hilary Bryant, Congressman Sam Farr, and Good Times publisher Ron Slack. “We choose community leaders who have demonstrated a strong commitment to protecting reproductive rights, women’s health and privacy,” explains Jessica Perry, development coordinator for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte (PPMM), the regional chapter of Planned Parenthood that includes locations in Santa Cruz County. “Each year we look to honor an elected official, [and] an active community member or volunteer.” The event will be a fundraiser for PPMM, and will take place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at a private residence on West Cliff Drive. Learn more about the event at ppactionca.org/santacruz.

How did James Durbin rock Santa Cruz on Saturday? With a vengeance.
The 48-hour emotional whirlwind that plunged us all into despair when the American Idol voting results were announced Thursday night spun Cruzans into soaring delirium Saturday when James got his homecoming after all—the first contestant in Idol history to be granted a weekend home, even though he finished out of the Final Three. Some 30,000 of us thronged to the Boardwalk bandstand on Saturday to see him perform live (the biggest crowd in the 104-year history of the Boardwalk), all of us eager to be part of the first show of the rest of his life.

James' elimination is not about any lack of talent. Rather, it's about a talent too big, gutsy, and exuberant to be contained within the very narrow confines of the American Idol pop-rock playbook. Sure, I'm prejudiced, but don't take my word for it. Look who's left standing: Southern teenage country crooners Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina, who have played it safe in their song choices every week. (Both of whom also effectively played the God card this week to mobilize their vast Bible Belt fan base. Maybe James should have found a cross to kiss.) The only risk-taker left in the game is smoky-voiced Haley Reinhart. I like her, but unlike James, she's never managed to establish a consistent personality onstage. She's finished in the bottom so often, and is so routinely dissed by the judges, this week, the voters must have decided to come to her defense.

Note: American Idol episode video with Lady Gaga segment below.
You know the producers of American Idol are on to something when they choose to open and close the show with James Durbin. It's the number one rule of showbiz: first, smack 'em upside the head and get their attention, then leave 'em wanting more. James delivered on both counts.

Although it was advertised as Leiber & Stoller night (the veteran songwriting duo who penned countless rockabilly, R&B, and Motown hits in the '50s and early '60s), last night's show was divided into two segments, giving each of the four remaining contestants two big numbers. The Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller catalogue was used in the second half of the show, but in the first half, the competitors had to pick a song that they found "inspirational."

It’s been almost a decade since Robert Norse sued the Santa Cruz City Council for violating his First Amendment rights (if you don’t remember what for, at a 2002 city council meeting, he gave a “mock Nazi salute” to the council and was expelled for causing a disruption and arrested), and yet the matter has yet to be resolved. Last December, a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel unanimously ruled that the case should be revisited by a judge, but the case never went to trial. Now, unless the city’s lawyers can reach a settlement with the local homeless advocate and professional pot-stirrer by next month, the city council plans to take their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Norse wrote in an email to local media that the city’s decision to go for a Supreme Court appeal is “More money being spent to defend more arbitrary power.” Just as it has been for nine years now, this is a case that just keeps coming.  

The producers were cagey about it, of course, desperately trying to drum up some drama through the interminable course of fluff and foolery that is the Thursday night Idol show. After the weekly Ford commercial video, a guest performance by Lady Antebellum, and an Idol contestant omelet cook-off presided over by Chef Gordon Ramsay (Lauren Alaina won; Jacob Lusk came in second), host Ryan Seacrest started calling names. James, he segregated on one side of the stage, and Lauren on the other. It was an anxious moment, since neither of them had ever finished in the bottom before.

James was up first with the rocker, "Closer to the Edge" from the modern emo rock band 30 Seconds to Mars, combining strong vocals with an easy onstage presence, working the stage and the audience. "You're ready for stadiums," declared judge Jennifer Lopez, adding, "(The competition) is yours to take!" "He wants it!" echoed Randy Jackson.

In a May 2 statement, Rep. Sam Farr (D-17th District) said the following about the news of Osama bin Laden’s death at the hands of the United States: “Our efforts to fight against the threats of al-Qaeda have made a significant gain with the death of Osama bin Laden. I hope that this news can bring some comfort to the families that were effected by the devastating 9/11 attacks. Though we have reason to celebrate, our efforts to protect our nation against terrorist threats are not over. Both home and abroad, we must look beyond the sword to truly increase our national security, and look to uplift the communities that are breeding terrorist activities around the world. I want to salute the dedicated work and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, and recognize the leadership of President Obama and his national security team for a job well done.”

Well, it turns out the voting public still respected James Durbin in the morning, after his haunting, yet driving rendition of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" the night before. Out of the six remaining contestants on American Idol at the beginning of last night's elimination round, only James and Haley Reinhart got an immediate pass to come back and sing again as soon as they were called up to hear the results.
That left Jacob Lusk, Lauren Alaina, Casey Abrams, and Scotty McCreery cooling their heels in limbo during the relentless parade of filler and fluff (guest performers, backstage interviews, a trip to the British Consulate in L. A. to celebrate the royal wedding, the inevitable weekly Ford commercial) with which Idol producers pad the Thursday night show like so much video Hamburger Helper to extend five minutes of actual content into an hour of prime time. With so few contestants left, they've given up the idea of the "bottom three" low scorers. Now they just choose random contestants to twist slowly in the wind for dramatic effect until Ryan Seacrest announces which one is going home.

In the face of the rising individual cost of a UC education, Class Council 2011, made up of 21 seniors, is asking students in their graduating class for donations the council will give to the Class of 2012 to be distributed in scholarships, a task which council members admit can be a challenge.

"It can be intimidating to ask people, especially with the attitude going around the campus because of tuition hikes and the budget," said council member Sandra Drago in an article UCSC's website, news.ucsc.edu, "Sometimes at first I get a negative vibe. That changes quickly when they hear this is something that students are doing for other students."