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RUMSON: ACTOR HELPS MAKE A BOOK ‘SCENE’

SiobhanFallonHoganSiobhan Fallon Hogan makes a Saturday morning appearance at Oceanic Library, keyed to a new children’s book collaboration with fellow Rumson resident Lori Oakes.

suzy-the-sceneLast we caught up with her in the pixelated pages of redbankgreen, the busy screen actor and Rumson resident Siobhan Fallon Hogan brought us up to date on a pair of exciting new projects — the M. Night Shyamalan-produced sci-fi TV series Wayward Pines (the third season of which begins filming in spring 2017), and her second self-penned solo stage show, a multi-character tour de farce entitled Acting Out.

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RUMSON: ADULT BOOKS PROMPT R-FH DEBATE

siobhan fallon hogan 101315With emergency lights on because of a power outage, parent Siobhan Fallon Hogan urged parental choice in the books read by teens. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

[UPDATE: See a statement from playwright Ariel Dorfman about this controversy appended to the bottom of this article.]

HOT-TOPIC_03It was a dimly lit and slightly damp night as about 150 members of the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School community politely debated a stormy issue Tuesday: the place of two works of fiction in the curriculum.

Taking turns at a non-working microphone in an auditorium lit by emergency lights because of a power outage, a number of parents challenged the inclusion of two books on reading lists for juniors and seniors because of their adult themes and coarse language.

Led by former Saturday Night Live cast member Siobhan Fallon Hogan, the objectors insisted they were not out to ban or censor the books, but instead to call for a policy that would allow parents to choose substitute reading material they consider “age appropriate” for their children.

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RED BANK: MESSIN’ WITH THE KIDS

BluesBrothersPointingI Got Everything I Need, Almost: the glory days of Aykroyd and Belushi live again at the Basie on Thursday night, courtesy of the Blues Brothers Revue and its officially sanctioned stage show.

“Have you ever heard of a wish sandwich? A wish sandwich is the kind of a sandwich where you have two slices of bread and you — heeheehee — wish you had some meat…”

It’s been 35 years since a couple of enthusiastic amateurs named Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi donned black suits, white shirts, hats and shades — and joined up with a band of legendary pros (including Steve Cropper and Donald “Duck” Dunn of Booker T and the MGs) for a little hi-concept side project they branded The Blues Brothers.

Releasing a surprisingly good (and even more surprisingly top-selling) album called Briefcase Full of Blues, the Saturday Night Live co-stars proved themselves ready for rock-radio prime time via canny covers of hits (Sam and Dave’s “Soul Man”) and highlighted obscurities (The Chips’ “Rubber Biscuit”) — a platform that launched them into the Blues Brothers movie, a big budget blockbuster of music and mayhem that also served as the duo’s demolition-derby escape vehicle from the relatively low-paid fame of late-night TV.

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RUMSON: LEVITTOWN ON A TABLE TOP

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Debbie Bagnell and this year’s output of gingerbread cookie houses. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)

PIEHOLE logoThis time every year, Rumson’s Debbie Bagnell becomes “the gingerbread house lady,” and her dining room table is transformed into a miniature Levittown of scrumptious little abodes.

How popular are her cookies at Holy Cross, the school her kids attend? So popular that former Saturday Night Live actress and borough resident Sioban Hogan performs a sketch that parodies the trials and tribulations of going through a year without access to Bagnell’s creations.

Follow the link to the story, only on PieHole, redbankgreen‘s totally awesome food page. And be sure to check out PieHole’s Facebook page or follow its Twitter feed @RedBankPieHole for up-to-the-minute postings.