Item World: Local news and views 3/30

A widescreen that reaches to Kuwait

The locally produced war drama "Memorial Day" features 39 soldiers from the Minnesota National Guard's Red Bull Division. When the film premieres Saturday morning in a private screening for Guard family members at the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis, it will be simulcast to five Kuwait army bases, where 23 of the soldier-extras are currently deployed. The film, starring Jonathan Bennett, James Cromwell and his son John, follows a military family, with a modern-day soldier encountering friendships, losses and moral dilemmas that parallel his grandfather's WWII experiences. The general public can view "Memorial Day" at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival (7 p.m. April 21, St. Anthony Main), or buy it May 29 on DVD, Blu-ray or digital download. -COLIN COVERT

King fishy

At Tuesday's opening of "The Million Dollar Quartet" at the State Theatre, W.S. "Fluke" Holland, who drummed at the session on which the musical is based, got up onstage for an encore of "Matchbox." Holland, who played with Johnny Cash for nearly 40 years, recalled how he and some friends pranked Elvis Presley. Presley arrived at a gig in a shiny new Cadillac, and made light of Cash. To get back at him, Cash's players bought fish and put them in Presley's hubcaps. Wherever the King went for the next few days, the stench of fish followed him. Said Holland: "I can honestly say that we're the only people in the world who ever made Elvis smell bad." -ROHAN PRESTON

Just another Brick

With no lines outside the Brick, no waiting at the bar (or restrooms) and sightlines good enough to see every flying pig on the video screen, Pink Floyd fans who turned out to see the PBS-buoyed tribute band Brit Floyd on Wednesday were wondering what all those Jane's Addiction fans were whining about last week. The second show at Minneapolis' hotly hyped and hot-headedly received new rock club went off without a hitch. Of course, it probably helped that there were less than half as many people as were at the nearly disastrous sold-out Jane's concert. Now if the Brick can just convince half the ticketholders for next weekend's sold-out show by No. 1 hitmakers Fun. to stay home, it really could be fun. -CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

Owatonna rave

Coco's post-script

Whenever there's a play based on a real-life story, inquiring minds want to know the rest of the story. So after the History Theatre's final performance of "Coco's Diary" on Sunday, Coco's real-life daughter, Vicki Ford, answered questions from the full house. Since the play was based on the 1927 diary of 12-year-old Coco Irvine -- who lived in the Summit Avenue house that later became the Governor's Mansion -- Ford was asked to provide an update. The short of it: Coco married her older sister's boyfriend on whom she had a crush at 12. Family members later established the Ordway Center and Dodge Nature Center. -JON BREAM

Mad for Minnesota

For years, Vincent Kartheiser has been telling his hometown paper just how much he adores the Twin Cities. Now, he's singing the same praises to the New York Times. In an interview that ran Sunday, the "Mad Men" star listed 89.3 FM the Current as his favorite radio station. "It's a public-radio channel that pretty much plays the best music you ever heard, back-to-back, all day long," he said while also giving a shout out to Garrison Keillor. If that wasn't enough, Kartheiser introduced the Times to the Jucy Lucy, although the Paper of Record spelled it "Juicy Lucy." Kartheiser singled out Matt's Bar and the 5-8 Club. -NEAL JUSTIN

Love from Livability

Little blues book

Having spent her musical salad days in the Twin Cities, award-winning blues powerhouse Janiva Magness always attracts old friends and family whenever she returns. Saturday at the Dakota, she gave shout outs to a niece celebrating a birthday and "good girlfriends who know where the bodies are buried." Apparently, there are a lot of them. "We sold out tonight, which is exciting," Magness told the crowd. "I was afraid it was because 752 old boyfriends showed up. I walked around earlier and didn't see any of them." -JON BREAM

From TPT to the UN