Chtertainment TOM BOPPART photo A black bear finds a tasty treat while roaming about a Vancouver neighbourhood. Cities: wildlife haven Langara instructor publishes 5th book, about animals adapting to urban environments By HAYLEY DOCTOR icholas Read, a journalism in- structor at Langara College, has recently published his lat- est children’s book about ani- mals in urban areas. With a self-proclaimed visceral love of animals, Read has written five chil- dren’s books about nature and wildlife, including two about the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia. With his latest publicaiton, Read is filling a need for literature about urban wildlife. “T wrote a column on urban wildlife in [a newspaper] ... and I discovered there was no book in North America about it,” said Read. City Critters looks at animals that live in the city and have had to adapt to urbanization. From deer to mice and even alligators, Read describes how the animals live and interact with hu- mans. The 134-page book highlights urban animals divided into categories, includ- ing mammals, birds, reptiles and in- sects. Read’s new book features vivid and detailed photography from a variety of sources, including three photos from Langara College geography instructor Colin Mills. The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals sup- plied some of the photos published, af- ter holding a photography contest 66 What I want to do is write books about ani- mals seeking shots of animals living in the city. City Critters also looks at how hu- NICHOLAS READ Journalism instructor mans can help animals that share the streets with us. Every penny of profit from the book’s sales goes to animal charities. Read doesn’t necessarily write his books solely for a child audience. In City Critters the book is aimed at a middle-school-aged readership, but the information is detailed enough that even adults can find the book useful, said Read. “What I want to do is write books about animals,” said Read. Cherry blossom abundances The 7th annual festival showcasing spring-in- bloom kicks off this week- end throughout the city By JACQUIE RICHARDSON Vancouver’s Cherry Blossom Fes- tival beginning April 5. There are over 40,000 cherry blossom trees to see this Easter weekend at venues around the city. “T really do believe these festivals bring communities and cultures to- gether,” says Shiamak Davar, choreog- rapher of the Cherry Blossom Umbrel- la Dance. The festival helps Vanouverites snap out of the winter dulldrums with over 15 events beginning today and continu- ing until April 28th. Today’s feature event embraces Van- couver’s rainy city reputation with the Cherry Blossom Umbrella Dance. Inspired by a popular Bollywood film, the dance embodies the feeling of falling in love. If after watching the umbrella dance you want to try some dancing for your- self, join the flash mob downtown Van- couver on April 14. The dance is cho- reographed with bright pink umbrellas with moves that are simple and fun. Those who want to take part will need Cines: the beauty of spring with to register in advance, and can sign up on the festival website. The Cherry Jam, a free lunchtime concert running from 1la.m. to 2p.m. outside Burrard Skytrain station will also go underway today. On April 7 and 8 there is Sakura Days Japan Fair from 10a.m. to 5p.m. at VanDusen Botanical Garden, where traditional Japanese ceremonies and cultural performances will take place . Tea and sake will be served. En Plein Air painting classes will also be featured in the gardens throughout April. En Plein Air is french for “in open air” or painting outdoors, a style of painting particularly popular in the late 1800s but no less appealing today Classes run from 11a.m. to 2p.m. For optimum cherry blossom view- ing the festival provides a map which outlines the best vantage points throughout Vancouver. The map pin- points locations around the city from which you can view or photograph the pretty petals. Whether this time of year is a time of religious reflection for you, or simply a time to celebrate the spring, the Van- couver Cherry Blossom Festival is a great way be a part of all the beauty of the season. As the american songwriter Kather- ine Lee Bates says of the spring, “it is the hour to rend thy chains; the blos- som time of souls.” JACQUIE RICHARDSON photo Cherry blossom trees along Ash St. across from Tisdall park near Langara A cult classic makes a comeback for silver screen Top: Jonah Hill, and Chan- ning Tatum in Columbia Pic- ture’s 21 Jump Street. Left: Tatum and Hill in 21 Jump Street. SCOTT GARFIELD photo 21 Jump Street, the 80s tv show ~which catapulted Johnny Depp’s career- is reimagined in movie form BY CLAYTON PATERSON Street, a feature length adaptation of the original TV show, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum star as a pair of un- dercover cops charged with investigat- ing a drug ring at a local high school. Spanning over five seasons between 1987-1991, the original 21 Jump Street series is not only credited with jump- starting the career of a young Johnny Depp, but also with establishing Van- couver as a hotspot for the film indus- try. “My knowledge of Vancouver [at the time] was limited to what I knew about Bob and Doug McKenzie,” said Peter DeLuise, who played Officer Doug Pen- hall in the original series, in an inter- I: the action-comedy movie 21 Jump view with the Vancouver Sun. Depp, Deluise and Richard Greico have all been offered cameo appear- ances in the movie, reprising their orig- inal characters from the show. “T was sort of invited into [the cam- eo] indirectly,” said Depp in an inter- view with MTV. “Somebody mentioned it in an inter- view and Ihadn’t heard anything about it [until later].” Michael Bacall, who co-wrote the story with Hill, said that Sony ap- proached Hill about making the movie with a comedic twist. Bacall also said that he and Hill had wanted to co-write a “buddy cop” mov- ie for years, so when the chance came about to work on a 21 Jump Street re- boot they jumped at the chance. They- made their intentions for the film clear right away. “We didn’t want to make an exercise in nostalgia,” said Bacall in an inter- view with Complex magazine. “We didn’t want to be making fun of [the original].” “We wanted this story to be one that can stand on its own,” said Hill. Hill and Bacall wanted to adapt the concept of the original TV show into a comedy, but also wanted to create strong characters that the audience could connect with. “Tt’s all well and good to have great action scenes and a bunch of funny dick jokes, but if at the end [the fans] don’t care about the characters, it’s a lost cause,” said Bacall. Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were also concerned with the idea of remaking a classic TV series into a movie. “We didn’t want it to be like a spoof and we didn’t want to just be serious,” said Miller. “We weren’t going to com- pete that way.” The film has met mostly positive re- views from critics, currently holding an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and is being called a “smart and affection- ate satire of ‘80s nostalgia and teen movie tropes.” 21 Jump Street is in theatres now.