If there is anything you've learned from reading this column it is that I'm not above making a fool of myself.
And, turns out, I'm not above begging either.
This particular grovel-fest comes in the form of a plea for posts. Modesto Famous needs you. The community-driven Web site needs your words. It needs your photos. It needs your events. It needs your opinions.
I believe Modesto has a thriving entertainment scene. The problem too often is that people don't know what's happening in their own backyard. Whenever people ask me, "Hey, what's going on in Modesto?" I always direct them first to the Scene section (hello, job security).
But, then, I tell them to check out Modesto Famous (www.modestofamous.com). Save for site editor Ruben Porras (a.k.a. Motown Mojo), all the content on the site is posted, written and produced by you, the public.
For the site to grow and thrive, it needs your input. This means logging on and giving your reviews of shows, restaurants and events. It means posting your photographs of nightlife, family and friends. It means adding your events, your shows, your backyard barbecues (of course, only if you want the whole town to show up).
What makes Modesto Famous hum is your contributions. Essentially, the site is only as great as you make it. What that means is the more the merrier.
This isn't just a site for indie hipsters. Nor is the sole domain of the hip-hop crew. Nor is it for the wine and cheese set alone. It should be a place for everyone.
Like a community bulletin board and town square all rolled up in one, you can find out what's happening and what your fellow community members think about what's happening all on the site.
And now that we have a page in Scene dedicated to Modesto Famous, it has created an even bigger opportunity to get your voice heard. Each week Porras and I select an item posted on the site to highlight in the paper. We call them our Famous Picks and it can be a concert, an art exhibit, an event review, whatever.
We also pull a Famous Person off the online archive. So now, true to the site's name, you really can get your 15-minutes (or however long it takes people to read your profile) of fame.
The McClatchy Company purchased Modesto Famous last December, so clearly The Bee has a vested interest in its success. But we are not here to censor or direct the site. Instead we want to help quietly shepherd Modesto Famous to the next level.
Registering is simple and painless. You just need to provide an e-mail address and then create your own username and password. After that you can get busy posting.
So, seriously, what are you waiting for? All you musicians, actors, painters, sculptors, writers, photographers, thinkers, dreamers and all the rest, here is your shot.
Come on, let's get Famous.
Elsewhere around the Scene:
If you didn't catch "Recycled Life," the Academy Award-nominated documentary short from Modestan Mike Glad, when it played this year at the State Theatre, you are in luck.
You can see it when it premieres at 7 p.m. Aug. 16 on Cinemax. The 38-minute documentary depicts the lives of the families who forage and live in the Guatemala City garbage dump. The film was narrated by actor Edward James Olmos and directed and by Leslie Iwerks.
In February, Glad and Iwerks walked the red carpet and attended the Oscars telecast. The duo eventually lost out to the film "The Blood of Yingzhou District." But HBO Documentary Films purchased the movie and will screen it on its sister channel Cinemax through September.
For more information visit www.hbo.com/docs and click on the "Recycled Life" link. ...
Get your drawl on for the Southern Rock Explosion on Sunday at the Fat Cat Music House & Lounge.
Let your inner rebel run free as Southern California's Sam Morrison Band plays along with Modesto group DAM, Sacramento's Fire & Wheel and Tracy's Paul Tolle. Proceeds from the event will go toward the B.A.D. Ride (Bikers Against Diabetes, a partnership with the American Diabetes Association).
Show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5. Call 524-1400. ...
And finally, get live and local at the first-ever Moon Trent Presents show Tuesday at the Fat Cat.
Playing the indie-alternative showcase will be Addaline, The Evening News, deluxe, Shaylin Nichole & Paul F. Line and Moon Trent. Music starts at 8 p.m. Cover is $5. Call 524-1400.
Bee entertainment writer Marijke Rowland can be reached at mrowland@modbee.com or 578-2284. Read her blog SceneIt at thehive.modbee.com/sceneit.
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