Clinton Stark

Clinton shoots videos for Stark Insider. San Francisco Bay Area arts, Ingmar Bergman and French New Wave, and chasing the perfect home espresso shot 25 seconds at a time (and failing). Peloton: ClintTheMint. Camera: Video Gear

Theater review: ‘Dead Man Walking’ premieres at City Lights Theater in San Jose

Last night, the eagerly awaited stage production of Dead Man Walking premiered at City Lights Theater in downtown San Jose. It was an evening of compelling drama, pulling at our heart strings as we contemplated capital punishment, forgiveness and atonement. Tim Robbin's script is, of course, a classic, turned...

Sunday Espresso: Theater tweets, San Jose Mercury News is bankrupt, Theater twits

You know the drill. Espresso, one for you, one for me. Rambling conversation to follow. Relaxed and informal. Disagree at will. Facts may or may not be a concern, but opinions most certainly will. BTW - who on earth smokes an electronic cigarette? And... please, don't kick me in the balls....

Theater review: ‘Bermuda Avenue Triangle’ the funniest ménage à trois you’ll ever see

Lucile Ball, your new play has arrived. It's called Bermuda Avenue Triangle, and just opened at the Hillbarn Theatre in Foster City. Oh, I must warn you. Times have changed. A lot. I hope you don't mind a bit of choice language. This is Las Vegas after all. And,...

Theater review: Berkeley Rep’s ‘Coming Home’ is touching, sobering and wonderful

You might think AIDS and South Africa aren't exactly a romantic combination for an enjoyable night on the town. But in Coming Home playwright Athol Fugard tells us a heartbreaking story with such patience, earnest and utter charm that we can't help but walk out of the theater inspired,...

Theater review: ‘Phèdre’ classy and unflinching, Seana McKenna shines

No one can ever accuse Carey Perloff, ACT artistic director, from shying away from a challenge, even if it means staging a tricky, complex French play written in the 17th century. In 2008, she was invited to Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival to workshop a new translation of the classic...

Inside The Fillmore, walking with legends at historic San Francisco venue

When you set foot inside The Fillmore, musical history, the brotherhood of legends, gives you a bear hug. You can't help but feel warm and fuzzy, and I'm not talking about the magical air quality index. When I entered the famous landmark recently for a Cake concert to benefit...

Wine marketing: It’s not a cult winery, it’s “small artisanal” … just like Ferrari?

Welcome to wine marketing, the most mysterious black box of them all. Recently I wrote about Harlan Estate and their minimalist, high quality parchment paper approach to traditional mailings. This week I received another mailing, this time from another boutique winery, Blankiet Estate based in Yountville. For reasons I can't...

On Location: ‘Phèdre’ opening night at A.C.T. San Francisco

https://vimeo.com/8883124 Last night the classic French tragedy, Phèdre, opened at the American Conservatory Theater. The streets of San Francisco were slick from the rain that occasionally pelted down. Considering the material at hand, it was the perfect backdrop for the evening. Carey Perloff, the ACT artistic director and also director...
SlideScreen for Android

Android app of the day: SlideScreen shows promise, provides BlackBerry-inspired dashboard

Dubbed the intelligent home screen, SlideScreen gives Android users an alternative to the stock configuration. Thanks to Google's open design, it's one more reason Android fans have much to celebrate when it comes to choice. SlideScreen is the latest in a series of "home replacements" available on the Android Market...

Why the Apple Tablet (iPad?) will be Newton dud 2.0

Apple is set to announce a Tablet PC next week in San Francisco. I'm among the last to tell you that much. But I might be about the only guy in a room of geek cheerleaders that would suggest this thing won't soar—at least not to iPhone or iPod...