GARRITY'S GONE • Mike Garrity is leaving St. Louis to go to work for the ABC affiliate in New Hampshire, WMUR-TV, where he says he will have the opportunity to cover next year's primary election and the 2012 presidential race. Garrity, who has been with KSDK-TV (Channel 5) since 2007, said he expects his last day here to be Sept. 11. He is scheduled to start work in New Hampshire on Sept. 20.
Garrity says his main reason for leaving is to be closer to his family. Two brothers, his parents and grandparents all live fairly close. Garrity's parents are Stephen, a captain in the Coast Guard, and Barbara. His brothers are Matt and Patrick.
OPEN GATEWAY • Dominic Molon, curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, is ankling that post to take over as chief curator of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. Molon, a Chicago native who is highly regarded in the art world, will begin his job here on Sept. 27. He has been with the Museum of Contemporary Art since 1994. As chief curator at the Contemporary here, he will oversee the exhibition and publication programs in conjunction with the museum's director.
Since last August, Molon has served as acting head of the curatorial department at the MCA, replacing Elizabeth A.T. Smith, who resigned. Michael Darling of the Seattle Art Museum became chief curator of the Chicago Contemporary in July. Paul Ha, director of the St. Louis museum, said, "I am thrilled to have Dominic joining our team at the Contemporary. ... He is a highly respected and admired leader in the museum community, and he brings tremendous experience and skills. ..."
BURKE'S BACK • For those who may have wondered what former St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke was thinking when he was here, tune in at 7 p.m. Wednesday to EWTN (Eternal World Television Network). Burke, who is prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, which has been called the Vatican's Supreme Court, will appear on "EWTN Live" with host the Rev. Mitch Pacwa. The network, which is known as the "Global Catholic Network," said Burke's appearance is an "exclusive." Before being appointed to the Apostolic Signatura on June 27, 2008, Burke was the archbishop in St. Louis. He was placed here in late 2003 after having served as the bishop of La Crosse, Wis., since 1995. In a news release about Burke's appearance, the network calls him "an outspoken champion for the culture of life," and added that the show is 'sure to be a newsmaker."
STAR POWER • After a concert at Scott Air Force Base on Wednesday, Atlantic Recording artist Ryan Star and his wife, Hallie, met up with St. Louis publicist Craig Kaminer and his wife, Debbie.
The couples had dinner at Pho Grand on South Grand Boulevard, which Star says is one of his "favorite restaurants in the country" when he's on tour. Ryan's hit "Breathe" is No. 16 on VH1 Top 20 this week and continues to earn Star the honor of being one of the year's most promising new artists. Kaminer and Star met through a friend, Atlantic Records executive Ken Lane, who is married to Debbie Kaminer's college roommate. Last time he was in town, Star surprised employees at Kaminer's marketing firm, Twist, when he stopped by their office and performed three songs live for the staff.
VOTE ONLINE • Three St. Louis men who started out to make a documentary about helping people in extreme poverty in Africa — and to ultimately learn about faith versus skepticism in the process — are trying to drum up support to get the film accepted into the Pepsi Refresh Competition.
The idea for the documentary, "Give a Damn?," came about nearly four years ago when director Dan Parris, a Christian, persuaded his friend, Rob Lehr, an atheist, to travel with him to make a documentary about poverty. They added their friend, David Peterka, to the crew and left St. Louis slightly more than a year ago.
After about a month of traveling, the crew was flying outside of Kibera, Africa, when they were in a plane crash in which the pilot and the plane's mechanic were killed. Parris was rescued from the burning plane by Lehr and the two then spent months recovering from their physical and psychological injuries.
The group says the film's trailer has been released just in time to promote the film's acceptance into the Pepsi Refresh Competition — in which they could win $50,000 — and that they could finish the documentary in time to submit it for Sundance 2011.
