SF State alumna and her team go for Olympic gold

SF State alumna Kim Probst (top, far left and above, right) is the captain of the U.S. Synchronized Swim Team and while the sport has been the butt of many a joke (and at least one SNL sketch), this ESPN article points out that she and her teammates compete in ”one mother of a sport.”

And if that weren’t impressive enough, the team’s coach, Tammy McGregor is also an alumna. She won Olympic gold in 1996 when she was a member of the U.S. Synchro Team.

Check back in August to see when you can watch the team in action!

Happy Birthday, Miss Potter!

In honor of Beatrix Potter’s birthday today, why not rent the the latest biopic on the woman who led us into Mr. McGregor’s garden with the rebel Peter Rabbit? “Miss Potter,” produced by SF State alumna Corey Sienega and now available on DVD, has been described by San Francisco Chronicle critic Mike LaSalle as ”a very beautiful thing. To talk about what makes it good would be easy. To talk about what makes it enchanting is a little more difficult, like trying to bottle magic and then describe it to someone over the phone. The actors and filmmakers create a world that’s so inviting that it really is hard to leave. “

To watch a trailer, click here.

Sienega’s other film credits include “Frailty” and “Secondhand Lions.”

SF State Alumnus Delroy Lindo Returns to the Berkeley Rep, Former Mayor Attends Newsom’s Wedding…

Alumnus Delroy Lindo is back at the Berkeley Rep this fall with the play that earned him a Tony Award nomination—Joe Turner’s Come and Gone by August Wilson—only this time he’s not on stage, he’s directing. For more information/tickets, visit The Berkeley Rep online.

Meanwhile, one of the teens in the new doc “American Teen” is described in this NPR movie review as “an independent-minded rebel who seems to have her head screwed on straight.” If you click on “Listen Now,” you’ll hear about one smart decision the young woman has made: applying to SF State because “they have an amazing film program.” 

When the sun is out in SF, there is no better place to relax with friends post-hiking, biking or surfing in or around Ocean Beach than the outdoor area at Park Chalet, owned by Gar and Lara Truppelli. Friends of the human and four-legged kind, that is. The brewery and restaurant is one of the few dog-friendly spots in the area. 

And in local celeb news, get the inside scoop on Mayor Newsom’s nuptials from alumnus Willie Brown Jr., one of the mayor’s guests. Read his latest SF Chronicle column focused on the event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to John Gumas, SF State Alumni Sticker Has Cameo in “Hancock”

Congratulations to alumnus John Gumas, SF State’s 2008 Alumni Advocate of the Year. Chosen by the California State University Alumni Council, the award was presented to Gumas for his “outstanding level of service and commitment to the university.” Read more about him and his award-winning company, Gumas Advertising, in the latest issue of SF State Magazine.

Did you know alumna Anne Rice, the bestselling author of The Vampire Chronicles, was christened Howard? Rice told The Guardian, “My mother was a bit of a Bohemian. She had the idea that naming a woman Howard was going to give that woman an unusual advantage in the world.”

Alumna Janet Weiss, once the drummer for the now defunct Seattle punk band Sleater-Kinney, is playing with Stephen Malkmus’ band The Jicks these days among others. As she told The Gothamist, ”There’s no one band that encompasses all of your abilities. That’s why I always like to be in a few bands.” Weiss and I share a mutual friend who got to know her in the residence halls at SF State before she learned to play the drums and began playing with The Furies (or the Go-Betweens, Eddie Vedder…). He tells me, “She was one of those creative types of people who you just knew was going to be successful in the arts.” We also got to talking about her skill as a photographer (Weiss studied photography at SF State). I checked out a few of her photo collages on some mix tapes made in her Gator days and agreed with my friend–they are works of art.

Have you spied an SF State-related item on stage or screen? I’m told a car with an SF State Alumni sticker makes an appearance in “Hancock.” Rented “In Her Shoes” the other night and noticed Professor of Philosophy Jacob Needleman’s book, “The American Soul” resting on the brainy sister’s nightstand. Send me your sightings: abee@sfsu.edu

SF State Talent Behind the San Francisco Mime Troupe

In the mood for some socially relevant theatre as well as some laughs? The San Francisco Mime Troupe’s newest musical political comedy is coming to a Bay Area venue near you. Written by alumnus Michael Gene Sullivan and starring his wife, alumna Velina Brown, “Red State” asks the question, “Can one little town hold an entire nation’s election hostage? Find out this weekend at Cedar Rose Park in Berkeley. For other venues, visit: www.sfmt.org

 

Brown and Sullivan are veteran members of the the Tony Award-winning troupe. Since meeting at SF State, Brown has appeared in several films, and Sullivan’s stage adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984, directed by Tim Robbins, just finished it’s fourth U.S. tour. For more on these talented alums’ creative projects, visit www.velandme.com

To Hellboy and Back Again

“Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” starring alumnus Jeffrey Tambor, was the number one U.S. box office hit this past weekend, taking in about $35.9 million worth of tickets.

The long anticipated sequel, written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, is receiving positive reviews.

Even more exciting, rumors are flying that an Arrested Development movie is also in the works.

  

Other alumni whose talents can be found behind the latest feature films:

 

Christopher Scarabosio was a sound designer and re-recording mixer for “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” while Shawn Murphy was scoring mixer for the film.

 

Horton couldn’t hear a who without Murphy, who was also scoring mixer for the animated film based on the popular Dr. Seuss tale, “Meet Dave,” “Hancock” and “Stop-Loss,” to name just a few of his latest projects.

 

Christopher Boyes was sound designer and sound re-recording mixer for “Iron Man.“

SF State Mourns the Loss of Professor Jules Tygiel

Professor of History Jules Tygiel, who passed away at 59 on July 1, is remembered in the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.