Observer photos by Shane Bufano

Saturday’s Spirit Day game against Essex High School was a nail-biter, with the Hornets narrowly defeating the Redhawks 33-26.

Reading, Writing & Deceit

By Michael S. Goldberger

Special to the Observer

“The Words,” directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, is a story inside a story, and then for good measure, enveloped in yet another story…all of them pretty much wrapped up in the same conundrum: What price glory? But that’s just scratching the surface of this multi-layered contemplation, full of swell ideas but a bit too unwieldy in its presentation.

First meet Rory Jansen, portrayed by Bradley Cooper, only a few years out of college and distressed that he still hasn’t written The Great American Novel. Nope…the literati have made no comparisons of his work to Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” or Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”… not yet. Well, at least he has a supportive wife.

Too bad he can’t say the same for his dad, a successful manufacturer of widgets who wishes his dreamy offspring would do that thing most offensively disparaging to aspiring young authors. In other words, “get a real job.” Pressure mounts. Gosh, it’s not Rory’s fault that, after graduation, he just couldn’t seem to find his way to the Novel Factory.

It gets worse. Self doubt, the ogre that changes the author’s mantra from “I’m great” to “maybe I’m just a mediocre hack” rears its ugly head. The ego agonizes. The idea of just being part of the audience instead of the grand influence is anathema. So, as is usually the case in such parables, Rory must decide what to do when a shortcut presents itself.

If you’re a writer, morally it’s far more egregious than a baseball great taking steroids, or a decorated combat veteran accepting credit for a fallen comrade’s bravery. Think of it as a found package with that most detestable, unthinkable and shameful word stenciled on it: Plagiarism. Devil-sent, there’s no mistake about it if you open it and use it. None!

You are a fraud, a phony, a mountebank….everything that, as a writer, you’ve tacitly taken an oath to revile. You’re no better than the next guy, probably worse. Not only common and unremarkable, you’re a hypocrite. Oh, mother of mercy, the shame of it all. That is, if you get caught. Hey, don’t be so rash. Haven’t others gotten away with it?

Imperiously above it all, posing these multifarious questions of ethics is Dennis Quaid‘s Clay Hammond, the famous author of the allegory in question, reading selections of his tale to a rapt body of fans. And, just to add another stratum of inquiry into the whys and wherefores of literary ambition and success, enters the alluring Daniella (Olivia Wilde)

A Columbia grad student who inveigles her way back stage and soon wins the scribe’s eyes and ears, her intentions aren’t quite clear, maybe not even to herself. But whatever they are, a dusting of the room surely would find traces of power, lust, skepticism and fear. She wants to see where he writes. The, uh, interrogation moves to his apartment.

Ahem. With this bit of sexual tension tossed on, what was slightly convoluted now gets a mite bulky. And maybe too difficult to understand for some audiences if you consider a recent poll showing that nearly two out of three voters in Ohio and North Carolina aren’t sure who was more responsible for killing Bin Laden, the President or Mitt Romney.

In any case, this is more philosophical and thought provoking than it is artistically adept. But truth is, I’d be hard put to suggest how the directors might have made their cogitation on the vagaries of literary pursuit more accessible, and I know it was Mr. Obama who had the aforementioned terrorist leader eliminated. It is in the movie’s nature to ramble.

Additionally, while Bradley Cooper’s troubled protagonist is just barely credible enough for the story’s purposes, his performance is emblematic of some rather average acting performances. The exception is Jeremy Irons’s contribution as The Old Man. After a slow start, his compelling character proves central to all the quandaries being mulled.

Also helping save “The Words’s” most modest fortunes is the burning mystery at the heart of it all. At the promise of deep divulgences, the more patient of us have invested some emotion in the players. Sludge gumming the works or not, we want to know how this all came to be and how it might be resolved. We figure there has to be more to this.

Hence, the bemused audience that let me share their space wasn’t in a terrible hurry to leave once the closing credits rolled…speculating, as did I, that there might be a postscript before reel’s end. But, despite being inherently intriguing and winning my vote for the year’s best middling effort thus far, “The Words” is nothing to write home about.

…

“The Words,” rated PG-13, is a CBS Films release directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal and stars Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana and Jeremy Irons. Running time: 97 minutes 

Vandalism

• Police received a report from a woman on Sept. 11 that while shopping at Goodwill, someone “wrote ‘ass’ on her (vehicle) door with a marker,” according to police reports. An officer investigated and was able to “wipe off the writing with his finger,” according to the report.
• An Essex Road resident reported to police on Sept. 11 that someone had “sliced” some political signs on his lawn overnight, according to police reports. He was advised to call police if “anything else suspicious” happened.

Theft

• Holly L. Cota, 35, of Williston was cited on a charge of retail theft on Sept. 10 after stealing $372 worth of merchandise from Wal-Mart, according to police reports. She was cited to appear in court.
• A Casey Lane resident reported to police on Sept. 15 that $150 was stolen from her vehicle, according to police reports. A Hillcrest Lane resident also reported a theft from his vehicle the same day, the report notes. Both cases are under investigation.

Assault

Norman J. Blay, 69, of Williston was cited on a charge of aggravated assault after trying to hit a resident in the parking lot of his housing development with his car on Sept. 11, according to a police affidavit. Blay admitted to police that he was angry with the resident but that “veering” his vehicle toward her was “a joke,” according to the affidavit. He was cited to appear in court.

Driving under the influence

William A. Menke, 22, of Essex Junction was cited on a charge of driving under the influence-refusal on Sept. 12, according to police reports. No other information was released.

Adoption raffle

Police received a report on Sept. 13 that a woman was going door to door in a local neighborhood selling raffle tickets to raise money “so she could adopt a child,” according to police reports. The woman was told she needs a peddler’s permit in order to sell door to door, the report notes.

Bat in a box

Police were called to a Chaloux Lane residence regarding a bat “trapped” in a resident’s bathroom on Sept. 14, according to police reports. Police captured the bat in a box and “removed it outside,” the report notes.

Multiple charges

Kahal M. Gharouni, 28, of Milton was cited on charges of driving under the influence, second offense-refusal and leaving the scene of an accident on Sept. 15, according to police reports. He was taken to Chittenden County Correctional Center.

Driving with suspended license

• BethAnn Brown, 32, of Colchester was cited on a charge of driving with a suspended license on Sept. 3, according to police reports. She was cited to appear in court.
• Stephen Strella, 22, of Burlington was cited on a charge of driving with a suspended license on Sept. 8, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court.
• Holly Martelle, 42, of Essex Junction was cited on a charge of driving with a suspended license on Sept. 14, according to police reports. She was cited to appear in court.
• Jeffrey C. Patnaude, 54, of Winooski was cited on a charge of driving with a suspended license on Sept. 12, according to police reports. He was cited to appear in court.

 By Kim Dannies

Now that our summer groove has ground to a halt, it’s time to pull out a few tricks to keep the gang moving forward with the school routine. It’s called “breakfast for dinner,” a loving and revered tradition among desperate moms. Baked Blueberry French Toast is just the right amount of wrong on a busy school night. It’s a fun treat for kids to make and eat, and it will morph a feeble C- dinner effort to the honor roll. Just make sure to serve a big mint-studded fresh fruit salad alongside to keep you out of the principal’s office.

Baked Blueberry French Toast

Spray a 9×12-inch baking dish with vegetable spray. Line the pan with six supermarket sesame steak rolls. Mix together 6 eggs with 1/2 cup of milk. Add small pinches of cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Pour over the rolls and set 15 minutes or even overnight. Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 425-degree oven for 15 minutes, then add Crumble Topping and bake for 15 minutes more. Serve with Blueberry Maple Syrup; serves 4.

Crumble Topping: combine 1/2 cup cold butter bits, 3/4 cup of flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of crushed walnuts.

Blueberry Maple Syrup: in a glass container combine 1 cup of Vermont maple syrup with 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries. Cover with plastic wrap. Zap in microwave for 2 minutes.

Pump the nutrition: A nice alternative is to add pizza fillings such as cheese, sausage, and spinach to the inside of the rolls and proceed with egg mixture, leaving out the spices and crumble topping, for a calzone-style baked toast. To serve, top with warm marinara sauce.

Fresh Fruit Salad

Your family will eat more fruit if it is cut up. Kids love toothpicks, so stud your salad with picks and let them have at it. Start with a ripe cantaloupe melon. Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Slice into wedges, then slide a knife along the base of each wedge to release it from the rind. Chop into chunks. Add to a serving bowl along with store-prepped pineapple, green grapes, and raspberries. Top with freshly chopped mint.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France.  She lives in Williston with her husband, Jeff; they have three twenty-something daughters who come and go. For archived Everyday Gourmet columns go to kimdannies.com.

Cross Country

Saturday: Divided Squads at U-32 Invitational (East Montpelier), 10 a.m.

Also at Manchester, N.H. Invitational, time tba

Tuesday: at Burlington High, 4 p.m.

Field Hockey

Saturday: at Middlebury Union High, 10 a.m.

Tuesday: BURLINGTON HIGH, 4 p.m.

Football

Saturday: at St. Johnsbury Academy, 1 p.m.

Boys Soccer

Friday: at Mount Mansfield Union, 4:30 p.m.

Monday: at Harwood Union (Duxbury), 4:30 p.m.

Girls Soccer

Saturday: at Mount Mansfield Union High, 10 a.m.

Tuesday: COLCHESTER HIGH, 4:30 p.m.