Assorted ramblings from the world of entertainment:
Thanks to everyone who turned out last week for the ''It All Started Here'' lecture at Packard Music Hall with Warren native Austin Pendleton.
I'm much more comfortable these days being an audience member than being on stage, but it was great fun playing James Lipton opposite Pendleton as he talked about his career and its roots here. It shouldn't be a surprise that a man who's spent most of his life on stage is a very entertaining storyteller.
Pendleton couldn't have been more gracious with those in attendance. He even postponed the start of rehearsals for his next gig in order to honor the commitment he made months ago to speak here.
Pendleton now is back in New York, where he will be directing Anton Chekov's ''Ivanov'' with a cast that includes Ethan Hawke (''Training Day,'' ''Dead Poets Society'') and Joely Richardson (''Nip/Tuck'') . Performances begin Oct. 17 at Classic Stage Company, where Pendleton previously directed Chekov's ''Uncle Vanya'' and ''Three Sisters.''
Single tickets go on sale today for those who want to make a road trip.
Also part of the program last week was Warren filmmaker Jim Fogarty. Pendleton filmed a scene in New York awhile back for ''East Side Irish,'' a film Fogarty is trying to make, and the two talked about the project as part of the program.
Just as Pendleton doesn't pigeonhole himself in one category (working regularly as an actor, writer and director), it turns out Fogarty is more than a filmmaker/commercial director with his Two Ticks and the Dog Productions. Fogarty wrote and sings lead vocals on an Ohio State Buckeyes anthem called ''Hard in Ohio'' (as in ''They hit hard in Ohio ...'').
The guitar-driven rocker starts off with the John F. Kennedy High School cheerleaders leading an ''O-H-I-O'' chant, and its verses chronicle the Woody Hayes era, Jim Tressel falling on his sword for his players' indiscretions and the start of the Urban Meyer era.
''Hard in Ohio'' was recorded and produced by Daniel D'Alio, and it's available on iTunes, Amazon and other MP3 sites under the band name YEAH, which stands for Your Escape Artist Heroes.
Quaker Steak & Lube, which has 50 locations in the U.S. and Canada but got its start in Sharon, Pa., picked up a few awards earlier this month at the National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, the birthplace of the wing craze.
Quaker Steak was named 2012 Festival Favorite at the event among the 25 competitors. It also finished first in two of the sauce categories: Best Creative Sweet for its Dusted Mango Habanero and Best Traditional X-Hot for its Triple Atomic.
The 37th Cleveland International Film Festival doesn't start until April 3, 2013, but organizers have several ''Film (and other Arts) Feasts'' planned to raise awareness - and cash - leading up to the event.
The programs include road stories and laughs with professional comedians Carey Callahan, Michael Cheselka and Newton Falls native Mike Polk Jr. on Nov. 1; an evening with jewelry designer Dana Schneider, an Ohio native who created the Mockingjay pin for ''The Hunger Games,'' on Nov. 30; and a lesson in noodle bowl making with acclaimed Cleveland Chef Jonathan Sawyer on Dec. 8.
Go to www.clevelandfilm.org for a complete list of feasts, prices, etc.
Andy Gray is the entertainment writer for the Tribune Chronicle. Write to him at grayareas@
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