I’ve long loved the TV show “Mad Men.” It’s one of my favorite shows of all time, and, I’m not alone in ranking it among the top TV shows ever made. It also features some of the most memorable, interesting, and charismatic characters created over the past couple of decades on the tube. Don Draper. Joan Hollaway. Roger Sterling. Peggy Olson. And, of course, the Queen of Perversions herself, Ms. Ida Blankenship. I have a number of friends who are also fans of the show, and we’ve long debated who the most intriguing characters are, and chatted about our favorites,... Read More

Quad-Cities born-and-raised filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods are returning to the area to screen their new film, “65,” starring Adam Driver! The pair sent the following email today: “Our latest film “65” starring Adam Driver will be released worldwide this week! The film takes place 65 million years ago in the age of dinosaurs, and we’d love for you to see it on the biggest screen possible. We’ll be coming back to Iowa to host a few in-person events in the next few days and hope to see you there. Full details below.” Davenport Introduction by Filmmakers Beck... Read More

The Putnam Museum and Science Center is thrilled to host the Smithsonian traveling exhibition Narwhals: Revealing an Arctic Legend. From their depiction in the 1500s as angry sea monsters to their status as icons of pop culture today, the narwhal, with its unique spiral tusk, has inspired legend in Inuit and European society and fascinated people across cultures for centuries. This mysterious animal and its changing ecosystem are highlighted in this Smithsonian traveling exhibition. Developed by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and its Arctic Studies Center and organized... Read More

Quad-Cities born-and-raised filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods are returning to the area to screen their new film, “65,” starring Adam Driver! The pair sent the following email today: “Our latest film “65” starring Adam Driver will be released worldwide this week! The film takes place 65 million years ago in the age of dinosaurs, and we’d love for you to see it on the biggest screen possible. We’ll be coming back to Iowa to host a few in-person events in the next few days and hope to see you there. Full details below.” Davenport Introduction by Filmmakers Beck... Read More

WQPT, Quad Cities PBS is bringing back the “Ready to Learn Early Childhood” Conference. The event is offered in partnership with Star Net regions I and III, Western Illinois University, with support from the Grad Center – providing current and relevant information on a variety of topics related to early childhood education, including Equity and Access and is scheduled for Saturday, April 29. The “Ready to Learn Early Childhood” conference was last offered in 2018. WQPT’s director of educational outreach, Melissa Gravert – a former teacher – wanted to relaunch the conference to provide... Read More

Local actor B.D. Gougeon has created a funny new parody video about Groundhog Day that you’ve got to crawl out of your hole and check out, whether you see your shadow or not! You can find the mix of Lady Gaga and Punxsatawney Phil right here: Check out B.D.’s handle on all the socials (FB, Insta, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube): @bdgougeon or his website: www.bengougeon.com #Punxsutawney #PunxsutawneyPhil #groundhog #groundhogday #ladygaga #gaga #paparazzi #weirdal #weirdalyankovic #parody #comedy #alroker #todayshow #peta.  Read More

WQPT, Quad Cities PBS is holding their third on-air/online  “The Auction is at Your House.”  The event will air on WQPT January 26 from 8 to 10 pm, while bidding starts on-line January 17. Items can be viewed before the on-air portion of the auction by visiting wqpt.org/auction. Bidders need to sign up before they can begin bidding. Click on an item and a link will pop up. It’s very easy – people bid using their phone placing bids in real time. Some of the highlighted items include artwork by Spike O’Dell, an autographed football from Chicago Bears defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad,... Read More

A feature-length documentary, which included an interview with Western Illinois University Film Professor Richard Ness, was recently awarded a Mid-America Emmy. “Jean Seberg: Actress • Activist • Icon” was produced by Garry McGee, of McMarr, Ltd., who is one of Ness’ former students, as well as Kelly and Tammy Rundle, previous Emmy winners from Fourth Wall Films. The Mid-America Emmy was awarded in the Historical Documentary category. Ness was interviewed as part of the film, and also served as the film historian on the project. At age 17, Seberg, an Iowa native, was chosen... Read More

In September 2022, The Black Box Theatre performed “My Brother’s Gift,” as a part of the Out of Darkness: Holocaust Messages for Today initiative. The play is based on the remarkable true story of Heinz Geiringer, neighbor and friend of Anne Frank. The production will air on WQPT on November 17 at 8:00 pm and will be followed by a short documentary on the Anne Frank Exhibit in Danville, Iowa. Heinz, a trained musician at only 15, was forced to live in hiding and silence in Nazi occupied Amsterdam. He turned to painting and poetry to express his everyday terror, but also his hope for the future.... Read More

28 Days Haunted, featuring local ghost hunter Aaron Thompson and his team, who were formerly featured on QuadCities.com, is in the top five among all Netflix shows this week! The show’s creator posted the following on social media: 73.4 million Netflix subscribers in the U.S. 17 million in the UK. 223 million globally. Not counting shared passwords. And our new show #28DaysHaunted has charted in the Top 10 in the US & UK, and Top 20 globally. That seems like a lot of eyeballs. Fingers crossed for continued success but this is a nice start.    Read More