The Gusto Blog

Screenwriter, producer, director, author, comedian and actor (best known as "Silent Bob") Kevin Smith will head to the University at Buffalo's Center for the Arts (North Campus, Amherst) for a talk and Q&A session at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7.

Tickets are $39.50 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Sept. 26 through the Center for the Arts box office, online at www.tickets.com or charge by phone at (888) 223-6000.

For more information, call 645-ARTS (2787) or visit www.ubcfa.org.

 When Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s one-man show "Lackawanna Blues" debuted at the Public Theatre in New York City in 2001, his place among Western New York’s most beloved artistic sons was secured. Because of Hudson, whose play eventually became a popular HBO film, another piece of the story of this region -- deeply honest about its protagonist and the city in which he was born -- had made it out into the world.

Santiago-Hudson, who grew up in Lackawanna and went on to Tony and Obie-winning appearances on Broadway and beyond, has a wealth of experiences to share. He’ll talk about his career at 7 p.m. today (May 7) in the WNED Studios (140 Lower Terrace) as part of a fundraiser for the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo’s Cultures of Giving Legacy Initiative.

Santiago-Hudson will introduce clips from his productive acting and writing career and talk about the lessons he’s learned along the way. The Legacy Initiative, according to a release, is building an endowment "to support and create positive change in the lives of youth living in low-income communities of color via access to people, places and experiences." Tickets are $100 for the event, or $200 for the event and a 6 p.m. reception. More information is at www.thecgli.org or 852-2857.

-- Colin Dabkowski

MTV's series "The Real World," currently casting for new roommates for Season 28, will hold an open casting call from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 14 in Bayou, 79 W. Chippewa St.

Show executives are looking for people with strong personalities who are unafraid to speak their minds. Applicants must be 21 years or older by March 1, 2013 and appear to be between the ages of 20 and 24 and should bring a recent picture of themselves (which will not be returned) and photo ID.

For more information, visit www.bunim-murray.com/rwcasting.

Last night, "Fresh Air" host Terry Gross, who got her start at WBFO, appeared on "The Colbert Report" to talk about her interviewing approach and her career in radio. Take a look:

Jeff Miers and I are back from vacation and will be ready and willing to chat on camera today at 1 p.m. Right off the top of my head, I can think of a lot of subjects that beckon: our best of 2011 lists, the current brawl between Time Warner Cable and the MSG network and what it means to Sabres viewers, all manner of things.

We'll be happy to hear what you have to say about all of it 1 p.m.

So join us if you want to.

--Jeff Simon

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News Arts Editor Jeff Simon and Pop Music Critic Jeff Miers answered your questions about books, movies, television, music and more directly into the camera. Please allow extra time for the large video file to load.

News Arts Editor Jeff Simon and Pop Music Critic Jeff Miers answered your questions directly into the camera. Questions about books, movies, television, music and more were submitted in the chat console below the video player.

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Plenty of Western New Yorkers got worked up when Buffalo-booster Alec Baldwin appeared in a series of television ads for Wegmans. But I'm just as excited about this development:

Brian Mysliwy, whose virtuoso performance in the Irish Classical Theatre Company's production of "La Bete" will linger in theatergoers' minds for years to come, has been featured (along with a guest appearance from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery) in some quirky ads for Mighty Taco, the beloved local dispensary of "Mexicanesque" fare. Here they are:

--Colin Dabkowski

News Arts Editor Jeff Simon and Pop Music Critic Jeff Miers answered your questions about books, movies, television, music and more.

NOTE: The entire 30-minute video must download before playback begins. Thank you for your patience.