When the going gets tough, the tough get... creative. Local theaters, like pretty much everything else, are feeling the pinch. So, to help weather the storm local houses are tweaking their productions a bit and getting a little innovative.

Excerpt:

Corporate sponsorship is down, and season subscriptions are getting harder to sell. For Detroit's professional theater community, that means innovation, extra effort and even creative scheduling are required to keep audiences coming to live shows.

"It seems like now, more than ever, artists are working their butts off to bring audiences something truly amazing," says Joe Plambeck, whose tiny Ringwald Theatre in Ferndale opened in 2007. The Ringwald's third season got off to an early start this weekend with a scaled-down version of the demanding '90s Broadway hit Rent.

Northville's Tipping Point Theatre, which is doing only comedies this season, is getting a jump on fall, too, with A Sleeping Country. The play opened Thursday -- more than two weeks before Labor Day -- partly to attract actors like Sarab Kamoo and Aaron T. Moore before they made commitments to other theater companies.

Read the entire article here.

In 1984, still a number of years from the end of the Cold War, the film Red Dawn hit theaters with the story of a group of kids fighting against the invading forces of the Soviets and Cubans. It starred a young Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, Jennifer Grey, Lea Thompson, and C. Thomas Howell. Well, it's coming back... and it's in Pontiac. Except this time it's not the Cubans teaming up with the Soviets. It's the Chinese, and there's no Swayze.

Excerpt:

A southeastern Michigan community will be doing its best Spokane, Wash., impression next month.

That's when crews will be in Pontiac to shoot scenes for the upcoming remake of the classic 1980s film "Red Dawn." The city is about 20 miles north-northwest of Detroit.

Downtown Development Authority director Sandy McDonald tells The Oakland Press filmmakers will be in Pontiac for two weeks at the end of September and a few days in October.

Read the entire article here.

It's "Baby steps," as Dr. Leo Marvin's book from the movie What About Bob? calls it, when it comes to wind power. There's a lot of talk about it in these days of alternative, renewable, and sustainable energy... but is it going to be the answer? The Christian Science Monitor reports that it will be an answer, but not the answer for the Midwest.

Excerpt:

For those hoping renewable-energy technologies will save the economy of the Midwest, there's a long way to go. Only 7 percent of US energy consumption last year came from renewables, and a June report by the Pew Charitable Trusts said the renewable-energy industry accounted for just 89,000 jobs in 2007.

But President Obama has urged a national goal of 25 percent renewable energy by 2025, a standard that the Union of Concerned Scientists estimates would yield 297,000 new jobs (44,500 in manufacturing).

Moreover, 26 states require utilities to draw part of their energy supply from renewables, and the economic stimulus legislation Congress passed in February included $21 billion in tax credits for renewable energy and $30 billion for clean-energy programs. Measures to curb carbon emissions, now in Congress, would no doubt be a boon for the renewables industry.

Read the entire article here.

Ah, the eating habits of a college freshman. It's something to be studied and thought about and pondered. 'Cause the question still remains: How many Ramen noodles can one human eat? Well, if you're one of the Ramen junkies, Ann Arbor sous chef Max Sussman, and his brother Eli, have put together a book for easy, fast, gourmet cooking for the Ramen noshing freshmen called Freshman in the Kitchen: From Clueless Cook to Creative Chef.

Excerpt:

Ramen noodles, frozen pizza, chips: The trifecta of college cuisine dominates the menu of those short on time, money and culinary skills.

But it doesn't have to be that way, says Max Sussman, sous chef at Eve, the Ann Arbor, Mich., restaurant that has been packed since Eve Aronoff's recent selection as an Iron Chef contestant. While buying blueberries and squash blossoms at the nearby Kerrytown Farmers' Market, Max shared advice for the young and hungry.

Max and his brother Eli learned to cook in a home that valued good food and lacked a microwave. They worked cooking jobs at summer camps and in college.

After college, Max went into high-end cuisine while Eli took his laid-back diner chops to Los Angeles to work with celebrity chef Ludo Lefebvre. Sensing widespread craving for a book for budget foodies, Max says, "We put our different approaches together for good food that you can make easily." The result: Freshman in the Kitchen: From Clueless Cook to Creative Chef, a spiral-bound book combining techniques and recipes.

Read the entire article here.

There is no denying that Michigan's cities have a hard time competing with Chicago, New York, and Washington D.C. when it comes to a number of things - including jobs. It's obvious that the state needs to do more when it comes to retaining talent, yet, with the U.S. in a recession, could that be something that could work in Michigan's favor in keeping its graduates?

Excerpt:

Ironically, the recession might actually be a solution, albeit only in the short-term. It has helped countries and states to retain skilled workers. University graduates, finding a lack of lucrative opportunities in places like Chicago and New York, are now looking for jobs within Michigan. Similarly, international students graduating from American institutions might consider returning home, where foreign qualification will lend a considerable edge over local graduates.

Read the entire article here.

Two local grads are turning the drunken escapades and the texts that they produce into Internet -- and comedic -- gold. In fact, so much of their time has gone to their website texts from last night (viewer discretion is advised), that they are foregoing law school at the moment.

Their parents might not be too happy about that but, damn, is that web site funny -- as long as you're over 18, or accompanied by a parent.

Excerpt:

Ben Bator, 23, of Royal Oak and Lauren Leto, 22, of Grosse Pointe Woods often found their friends' messages so funny that they started a Web site where people could share texts with the world.

The site is a runaway hit that's launched a book deal, T-shirt sales and mobile-phone applications.

It's so successful that it has interrupted law school plans for Bator and Leto, who now sift through 10,000 to 15,000 messages a day, deciding which ones to post. Contributors are identified by area code.

Read the entire article here.

There's nothing slow about Eve Aronoff's newest endeavor. The Ann Arbor chef and owner of Eve is one of 17 contestants on the fast-paced Top Chef cooking show. The longer she sticks around the better for her, her Kerrytown restaurant, and the further cachet of Ann Arbor.

Excerpt:

A Michigan culinary star will be in the national spotlight on Top Chef, the foodie equivalent of American Idol.

Eve Aronoff, the 40-year-old chef-owner of Eve restaurant in Ann Arbor's Kerrytown District, is one of 17 contestants in the latest edition of Bravo's hit cooking competition, which returns for a sixth season Wednesday.

A cookbook author who's studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Aronoff is known for her vibrant flavors. She's described on her restaurant's Web site as a supporter of the slow food movement, which embraces the virtues of locally grown seasonal fare and cooking from scratch.

But there's nothing slow about the fast and furious pace of Top Chef. The addictively watchable series pits aspiring chefs against each other in high-pressure challenges that test their basic skills and sheer inventiveness.

Read the entire article here.

Rutabaga is a root, sort of like a turnip. And you're right, BLECH! So, instead of eating it, let's turn it into fuel. Researchers are Michigan State are looking into doing just that. The idea is that they could modify it to churn out even more oil in its seeds than it does now. But, what's even better, is that you won't have to fight the kids to get them to eat it anymore... 'cause you'll be using it to fill up.

Excerpt:

Researchers at Michigan State University are working to turn the rutabaga into an oil-producing powerhouse that could make the turnip-like vegetable a better source of biofuel than other food crops.

The idea is that the rutabaga, which stores oil in its seeds like some other biofuel crops, could be genetically modified to churn out more oil and store it throughout the plant.

"If we could make it in the green tissues, like the leaves, stems or even underground tissues like storage roots, then we think we can make a lot more," professor Christoph Benning said.

The rutabaga hasn't had much presence on U.S. dinner tables, an advantage in using it for biofuel. The use of corn, soybeans and other food crops for fuel instead of food has raised the specter of shortages, and some blame the biofuel boom for pushing up food prices. Benning's research is one of many efforts nationally to get biofuel from sources other than major food crops.

Read the entire article here.

No offense, but stringing together the words Southeast Michigan Council of Governments doesn't exude an enormous amount of excitement. And, for that matter, neither does raw data... unless you're a super nerd. So SEMCOG did something about it. They combined their facts with a new video that has been called hypnotic. Crain's says it's "Ravi Shankar meets Tron." Whatever it is, it's a pretty good way for SEMCOG to give you the facts -- layered over techno music.

Excerpt:

The 7.5-minute video is something like a PowerPoint presentation of eye-popping statistics in blue and orange with vaguely Eastern-techno background music. Almost hypnotic in a pedantic sort of way, but I’m pretty sure that's not what they were going for. Think light Ravi Shankar meets Tron meets the U.S. Department of Transportation. A bit surreal, a bit wonkish, but worth a look.

"The video provides the necessary background upon which the region's long-range transportation plan is based. Direction2035, the region's next long-range plan, represents the vision for a transportation system that is accessible, safe, and reliable and contributes to a higher quality of life for residents and visitors, and prosperity for businesses," SEMCOG says.

Read the entire article here.

Mayer Hawthorne could be the cleanest and newest looking record sandwiched between Issac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield at your local record shop. It sounds old, scratchy, and raw, like it's still 1972. The thing is, Mayer Hawthorne is actually a "29-year-old white kid from Ann Arbor."

Excerpt:

Los Angeles-via-Ann Arbor singer/DJ/producer/multi-instrumentalist Mayer Hawthorne basically does everything on A Strange Arrangement, his debut full-length for Stones Throw. He has a sort of throwback Detroit soul sound and cites Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, Barry White, Leroy Hutson, Smoke Robinson, etc., as influences. It's smooth stuff that ought to be enjoyed by a wide demographic. Maybe the Strange in the album title comes from the fact that the somewhat nerdy Hawthorne isn't your usual soul crooner? As the copy at Stones Throw puts it:

Few expect such heartfelt sentiment to come from a 29-year-old white kid from Ann Arbor, but he has caught the ear of his family at Stones Throw, as well as BBC Radio 1 host Gilles Peterson and producer/DJ Mark Ronson.

Read the entire post, watch the video, and download an mp3 here. (A link doesn't get much better than that, really.)

Entrepreneurs start businesses. Businesses grow and stimulate the economy. A stimulated economy helps pull Michigan out of a financial dark cloud. The problem, of course, is that first part... Michigan needs entrepreneurs, both retention and attraction. Michigan Policy Network posts a blog breaking down a few points on how to get those entrepreneurs.

Excerpt:

Michigan is in need of an entrepreneurial makeover. Young innovators are ready to implement their business concepts yet continually face obstacles known to both the seasoned and rookie business leader. Children today are raised in an entrepreneurial environment-two-thirds of entrepreneurship comprises of men and women between the age of 34-64. Subsequently, their children are raised on the notion of creative thinking and business optimism. In less educated words: The apple does not fall far from the tree. The focus then must be shifted from solely providing support for big business to encouraging young innovators to "take the leap" and start a business of their own.

Credit must be given to America's younger generations (under the age of 30). The burden of ensuring a fruitful economy will soon shift from the diligent business leaders of today to the innovators and entrepreneurs of tomorrow. Such responsibility is being taken seriously-programs and organizations have surfaced encouraging the unity of college entrepreneurs in order to share ideas and concepts to fuel innovations that will, ideally, create thousands of new jobs and millions of dollars in revenue for their respective region.

Read the entire post here.

Most people hate traffic. Except during one weekend in August when people love it. They love it so much they stand around and look at it, they take pictures of it, heck, they even fly into town for it. Of course this is the Woodward Dream Cruise. The good news is that despite all the traffic, it's a nice little economic boost for Michigan and a way to celebrate our past as automotive giants.

Excerpt:

While some spectators watched the festivities from the air-conditioned comfort of their minivans and S.U.V.’s, many more braved the heat and sat in lawn chairs along the avenue. I worked my way through the crowd from 14 Mile Road to 13 Mile Road and spoke to a number of people. To my surprise, three of the first four couples I approached were from out of town.

Helen and Jim Senos reside in Mechanicsburg, Pa., and flew in for the cruise. Helen comes from a car-loving Detroit family, so she grew up breathing carbon monoxide. Her father, Tony Markus, was a Cadillac lover and bought a new one every year from 1957 to 1977.

Stories of Dream Cruises past reached Larry and Judy Shaffer in their St. Louis home, so they made the trip to Motown to see how many of those tales were true. Twice as nice as they thought, they said.

The Groves of Washington State got my long-distance award. They said they own seven classics, but left them all at home.

Read the entire article here.

OK, so you probably heard about it on every local news station. And you probably heard about it in the local paper. And you probably heard about it from the milkman... well, maybe not the milkman. But anyway, it's a big deal and a big step towards Michigan getting a foothold in something. Of course, we're talking about the $1.36 billion the Obama administration plans on sinking into Michigan's future.

Excerpt:

Michigan was established Wednesday as the epicenter of an Obama administration push to build systems that will power the cleaner autos of the future, with the state winning most of a $2.4-billion federal grant program.

The $1.36 billion heading to Michigan is to create up to 6,800 jobs in the next 18 months and up to 40,000 through 2020, and puts the state in position to compete with Asian manufacturers who have a stranglehold on making batteries for hybrids and electric cars.

For an economy suffering a multiyear slide, the grants are a key victory. Announced by President Barack Obama in Indiana and Vice President Joe Biden in Detroit, they are designed to establish a U.S. manufacturing base for electric vehicle batteries and motors.

"We're building a new platform for the American economy that will allow us to grow like we did in the '40s, '50s and '60s," Biden said.

Read the entire article here.

The good news is that laid-off workers are taking advantage of the No Worker Left Behind initiative. As of the end of June, over 81,000 Michiganders had enrolled in the program. The bad news is that it's so popular that the waiting list is about 8,000 people long.

Excerpt:

Two years after Michigan launched its No Worker Left Behind initiative, one thing's for certain: Laid-off workers can't get enough of the popular job-training program.

State economic development officials are likely to exceed their goal of training 100,000 residents in three years. At the end of June, 81,217 Michiganders had enrolled in the program, and nearly 8,000 were on a waiting list to attend either orientation sessions or their first classes.

The response has been so high that workforce officials expect the state to continue offering No Worker Left Behind beyond mid-2010, when the program is supposed to end.

"It's incredibly helpful," said Kate Romano, who is taking courses at Macomb Community College to get her associate's degree in nursing.

Read the entire article here.

The Michigan Great Lakes Wind Council has recommended a change in state law that would allow the placement of wind turbines six miles off the coast of Lake Michigan. It's the first step, of course, but if the pieces fall into place Michigan could be the first state to harness the great wind of the Great Lakes.

Excerpt:

The study is based on the premise that the Great Lakes have enormous wind energy and economic potential, especially Michigan's portion.

Approximately 40 percent of the Great Lakes fall under Michigan's jurisdiction. A Michigan State University report released in September 2008 revealed the state could generate 321,936 MW of electricity from the winds blowing off those waters, assuming no restrictions are put in place. That's roughly one-third of all the electricity now generated nationwide.

If a shoreline distance of six miles is maintained and an installation depth of up to 60 meters is permitted, that potential capacity drops to 36,337 MW. Up to a depth of 30 meters at that distance, the figure drops further, to 9,481 MW.

But even the lower numbers would represent a substantial increase in Michigan's power generating capacity. The state currently has 12,331 MW of continuous capacity annually.

Read the entire article here.

The Woodward Dream Cruise many things for many people. For car restorers it means a time to shine, for some it's a time for nostalgia, and yet for others, who live near Woodward, it's a time of car congestion and having your own street blocked off for parking. Regardless, what happens during the cruise is what made Detroit, well, Detroit. That's changing now-a-days... but, as the New York Times says, it's still the beating heart of the American automobile biz.

Excerpt:

Today, you won’t see much real racing on Woodward, and the Detroit Three are fighting their battles in other arenas. You will see some machinery that is obviously built more for go than show, and quiet negotiations are sometimes conducted at the side of the road. But if races take place, they’re probably held in some obscure and distant place.

For most Detroiters, Woodward is more about entertainment than competition. And perhaps more about the past and the future than the moment. Today, Woodward is the cruise, the party, the celebration and the affirmation. It’s a place where car folk can go to dream about the way things were and hope for better days. It’s the beating heart of the American automobile business.

Read the entire article here.

The Michigan film incentives have taken film productions all over the state, a good number of those having been filmed on or around the University of Michigan's campus. Still, the university hasn't given its name for use in any productions... until now, with the film Trivial Pursuits.

Excerpt:

Despite the growing popularity of filming on campus, the University has chosen not to lend its name to any film productions -- until now.

"Trivial Pursuits" -- the most recent movie being produced on campus -- is an independent film that captures the life of trivia fanatic Paul Tarson, an Ann Arbor native and University student played by actor Christopher Gorham. Gorham is known for his portrayal of Henry Grubstuck on ABC's "Ugly Betty."

Director Christopher Farah, an Ann Arbor native and University alum, credits his knowledge of and love for Ann Arbor as inspiration for the basis of the film. He said the story was not based on real life events, but that his experience living in Ann Arbor helped shape the movie.

Read the entire article here.

If Michigan moved toward energy efficient programs like wind power, biomass, solar, and various other renewable energy forms, the state could save about $3 billion in electricity costs over the next 20 years. Not only is that cash that the state needs, but these programs are exactly what the environment is looking for.

Excerpt:

A new report from the New York-based Natural Resources Defense Council contends that Michigan’s power needs can be solved by aggressively moving to wind power, biomass, solar and other renewable energy sources along with implementing energy efficiency programs.

The Michigan Public Service Commission is scheduled to make recommendations later this month to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality on the need for power and availability of a cleaner alternative to coal.

"The state has the enviable opportunity to rebuild its economy with cutting edge energy technologies which will create jobs and clean the air," said Rebecca Stanfield, an NRDC senior energy advocate.

Read the entire article here.

Brain drain is a problem on all fronts. And the stats, unfortunately, aren't also so rosy when looking at Michigan grads that left Michigan. Yet, in this commentary in the Detroit News, a solution is given by looking at the drain as a business equation with a business solution.

Excerpt:

According to a report by MichiganFuture.org, nearly 50 percent of recent Michigan graduates left our state within a year of graduation. If that departure rate applies to every public university in Michigan, then taxpayers are literally spending $1 billion per year to build the work forces of other states. No state can recover when it is exporting its tax dollars and college graduates.

Our state economy cannot afford this, our state budget cannot afford this, and our families should not have to endure this. The brain drain has to stop. To do so, Michigan must compete for our children.

This competition for Michigan's best and brightest starts with changes in our business tax structure. And we must compete to keep our world-class graduates, trained with our tax dollars, right here in Michigan. That's why offering college graduates who choose to remain in Michigan a three-year tax exemption should be a part of any plan to turn around Michigan's economy.

Read the entire article here.

If you're filming a movie -- which is a common occurrence these days in Michigan -- and you need a replica of a fake gun or need a car blown up, look no further than Redford's Reel Action FX. Hollywood is here, it's in Redford, and it still needs to blow stuff up.

Excerpt:

A Redford studio is providing the bang for the state's new movie firms.

Reel Action FX, a special effects company, has leased space in the township and is providing pyrotechnic services to the fledgling film industry in Michigan.

"Anybody who wants to film guns, or have a car blown up, comes to us," said Patrick Potochick, a 1979 graduate of Livonia Churchill High School who parlayed a background in fire arms and police work into an exploding business.

Using realistic replicas, his company contracts out automatic pistols, machine guns, rocket propelled grenades, humvees and other armament that excite audiences and boost box office draw. Specifically, the company provides film companies with the hardware, expertise and training to make action scenes exciting -- and believable.

Read the entire article here.