TV series The American Bible Challenge will bring its auditions to Cleveland on Sept. 14.
The auditions will be in the Doubletree by Hilton Cleveland Downtown-Lakeside on Lakeside Avenue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The GSN show, hosted by Jeff Foxworthy with Kirk Franklin as musical co-host, calls itself “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for potential contestants to celebrate their faith, have fun with friends, share their Bible expertise and potentially make an extraordinary difference to their favorite charity by winning money on its behalf.”
It is looking for teams of three with “competitive spirits, great personal testimonies and, of course, an outstanding knowledge of the Bible.”
The auditions are part of a national search for players in the show’s third season, due to air in 2014. And you do not need to go to an audition to apply. You can also go to www.gsntv.com/casting for a form and instructions. You can also call 323-860-6744 or email Biblechallenge2014@gmail.com for further instructions on how to apply.
You do not need to pre-register for the Cleveland audition, However, a rep for the show recommended checking the website or calling to be better prepared for the audition. (For example, the online form asks what you want to name your team and why your chosen charity is important to you.)
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Technical Problems. DirecTV subscribers who watch public-television station WNEO/WEAO (Channels 45/49) have been having problems getting the channel because of connection issues between the satellite-program service and the station.
Western Reserve Public Media, which runs the stations, has a statement on its website explaining the situation this way:
“Sometime in late 2012, DirecTV began receiving our HD channel off the air from their facility in downtown Cleveland. Their receiver antenna is on top of a two-story building, and there are taller downtown buildings in the path of our signal from Copley that are contributing to interference problems.
“We are broadcasting at 100 percent of our FCC-allowed maximum power and we are having no problems with our signal,” the statement adds. “Our engineers have been in contact with DirecTV management and engineers to try to resolve the reception issues. DirecTV is not willing to make any special accommodations to receive our signal, so an alternate method of delivery to its facility at our expense is being investigated. Please know that we will continue to work with DirecTV to try to resolve this issue. We hope to have an uninterrupted broadcast of our channel on DirecTV in the Cleveland market in the very near future.”
But that hope may be fleeting. For one thing, as the note indicates, DirecTV does not see a reason to change its approach — not least because it also offers public-TV outlet WVIZ (Channel 25) in its package of local stations. That means viewers looking for PBS programs have another way to get them than via Western Reserve.
Second, there’s a cost issue here. A Western Reserve representative said the station would have to pay a minimum of $10,000 to make adjustments for DirecTV — and possibly much more. And, while the station gets calls regularly from frustrated DirecTV viewers, it’s not clear how many viewers watch it via the satellite service. So is the investment worth it? So don’t expect resolution of this soon.
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Stones Tribute Set. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will honor the Rolling Stones during its 18th annual Music Masters series of programs in October. (Formerly known as the American Music Masters — which would eliminate the Stones — the name has changed just to Music Masters “to reflect the historical evolution and expansion of the rock and roll story.”)
The series begins on Oct. 21, and will include interviews, panels, films and educational programs throughout Oct. 26.
The Stones will not be attending because of “the band’s extremely busy schedule,” a rock hall rep said. “They are fully aware of the honor and appreciate it a great deal.
Among the activities are a keynote lecture at Case Western Reserve University and, on Oct. 26, a conference in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the Stones’ impact on popular music. (Short version: A lot.)
A tribute concert will also be at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 26 at PlayhouseSquare’s State Theatre in Cleveland. Featured performers will be announced later, but the house band of players who have worked with the Stones is amazing by itself: musical director Steve Jordan with Ian McLagan, Lisa Fischer, Bernard Fowler, Bobby Keys, Trevor Lawrence, Steve Madaio, Ivan Neville, Waddy Wachtel and Willie Weeks.
Tickets for the concert are $30-$80 and go on sale to rock hall members on Sept. 16 at 10 a.m. via online sale only at www.playhousesquare.org.
Tickets to the public go on sale Sept. 18 at 11 a.m. via www.playhousesquare.org, 216-241-6000 and the PlayhouseSquare ticket office. A limited number of VIP packages are also available beginning at $250 by contacting the hall’s development office at 216-515-1201 or development@rockhall.org.
For more information and updates, see www.rockhall.com.
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Have You Read This Far? Then you have a chance at tickets to the Quentin Tarantino festival at the Akron Civic on Sept. 14. I am giving away two pairs of tickets to the fest, which includes Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and From Dusk Till Dawn. Just email me (rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com — and don’t forget the “the”) with your name, address, phone number and the name of the actor who has won two acting Oscars in Tarantino movies.
Two winners will be chosen at random from the entries. The deadline for entering is 11 p.m. Sunday.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and Ohio.com including in the HeldenFiles Online blog, www.ohio,com/blogs/heldenfiles. He is also on Facebook and Twitter. You can contact him at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.