By Susan Granger

Back in 1979, Ridley Scott stunned moviegoers with “Alien.” Now the visual storyteller returns to outer space with “The Martian,” a super-suspenseful saga of an astronaut accidentally stranded on Mars.

When a colossal dust storm forces the Ares 3 crew to abort their Mars surface exploration, Commander Lewis (Jessica Chastain) orders a hasty evacuation, believing their crewmate, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) has been killed by flying debris.

But he’s alive, as satellite photography soon reveals. So it’s up to NASA director Sanders (Jeff Daniels) and his cohorts at Pasadena’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to figure out how to help Watney stay alive in the habitation module and rescue him before his food supply runs out.

Fortunately, Watney is a resourceful botanist and courageous problem-solver. After removing the shrapnel lodged in his torso, he’s faced with basic survival tasks and the necessity of perseverance while facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

The Connecticut Office of the Arts in partnership with Connecticut Humanities announced the 11th annual Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation.

Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn about poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. In the 2014‐2015 school year, more than 6,700 students participated in Poetry Out Loud statewide, an announcement said.

Connecticut high schools can participate in classroom and school-wide poetry contests during the 2015-16 academic year, with the winners advancing to a state competition on March 15, 2016. The Connecticut State Champion will advance to the National Finals, which will take place May 2-4, 2016, in Washington, D.C. 

The deadline for Connecticut high schools to register for Poetry Out Loud is Oct. 9. Teachers should visit http://cthumanities.org/c4b/pol/ to register or contact Lisa Marcinkowski June at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 860-685-7594 for more information.

Final touches were made today to the Westport Historical Society “Talk of the Town” exhibit of covers of The New Yorker with Westport scenes and accompanying current photos of the same scene by Westport photographer Michael Goss (c). The exhibit, which opens with 6 to 8 p.m. reception Friday, celebrates the publication of “The New Yorker in Westport” by Eve Potts and Andrew Bentley (l). The book, with 50 New Yorker covers of Westport, was inspired by last year’s WHS exhibit showcasing many of the 767 covers produced by 17 New Yorker artists living in and around Westport from 1925 to 1989. The exhibit runs until Oct. 26. At right is Sue Gold, WHS executive director. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Helen Klisser During for WestportNow.com

Westporter Andrew Wilk, executive producer of “Live at Lincoln Center” on PBS, the longest running arts program on television, was guest today at the Y’s Women’s first meeting of the season at the Westport Library. He told anecdotes from his (four) Emmy Award-winning career, which included stints as chief creative officer at Sony BMG Music Entertainment and executive vice president, programming, production and news at the National Geographic Channel. “I love living in Westport otherwise I would not put up with all my commuting into New York,” he said. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

The Westport Arts Center kicked off its new performing season today at the Pequot Library in Southport with renowned pianist Spencer Myer. He performed Schumann’s “Fantasy in C Major,” Mozart, Ravel and several immortal music compositions by the American master William Bolcorn. The concert was a uniue opportunity to see the young panist perform in person after winning first prize in Westport’s Heida Hermann’s Competition in 2002, Myer went on to win prizes in the William Kapell, Cleveland Busoni, and Montreal International competitions. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

Many Westporters tonight attended a special fundraising event, “An Evening with Adam Pascal,” at the Melissa and Doug Theatre in the Music Theatre of Connecticut, 509 Westport Ave., Norwalk. Pascal, a former New Yorker who now resides in Los Angeles, sang creative renditions of songs he performed as a member of the cast in Broadway shows including “Rent,” “Aida,” “Memphis,” “Cabaret,” and “Chicago.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Mica DeSantis for WestportNow.com

Among attendees tonight at a special fundraising event, “An Evening with Adam Pascal” at the Melissa and Doug Theatre in the Music Theatre of Connecticut, 509 Westport Ave., Norwalk were (l-r)  Michael Ross, managing director, Westport Country Playhouse. Janet Plotkin, arts patron, Mary Ellen Marpe and her husband, Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

By Susan Granger

I’m terrified riding the chairlift at Vermont’s Stratton Mountain, so climbing the world’s highest mountain in the Himalayas was never on my bucket list. And I suspect that watching “Everest,” a terrifying, ultimately tragic trek should discourage others.

Riffing off Jon Krakauer’s “Into Thin Air,” screenwriters William Nicholson (“Unbroken”) and Simon Beaufoy (“127 Hours”), director Baltasar Kromakur (‘2 Guns”) and cinematographers Salvatore Totino (“The Da Vinci Code”) and Kent Harvey (“Lone Survivor”) focus on the nerve-wracking conditions that led to the death of eight climbers on May 10, 1996.

Cautious, compassionate Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) runs a mountaineering outfit called Adventure Consultants, along with his logistics coordinator (Emily Watson) and fellow guide (Sam Worthington).  Back home in New Zealand, Rob’s wife (Keira Knightley) is pregnant with their first child.

Hall’s clients include Krakauer (Michael Kelly), writing a travel article; Texas pathologist Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin), who paid $65,000 for the trip and communicates with his wife (Robin Wright); Seattle mailman Doug Hansen (John Kawkes), tackling the summit for a second time to inspire schoolchildren; and Yasuko Namba (Naoko Mori), a Japanese woman who has ascended six of Earth’s seven major peaks.

More scenes from tonight’s Westport Country Playhouse annual gala honoring Kelli O’Hara and board member John Samuelson.  Helen Klisser During for WestportNow.com