…The Signal’s newest intern: Abby, age 10 months

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• Writer, reporter, and filmmaker Josh Slates is fresh off the plane from the Cannes Film Festival, and he joins us to share some stories from his annual pilgrimage and to review some of the features that made waves at this year’s international gathering of movie-makers.
• We’ll pay a visit to Phil Davis and Scott Kecken, two of the driving forces behind the CAmm Cage, an exciting new resource for local filmmakers at The Creative Alliance.
• And the public radio series Radio Lab has its WYPR debut today. We’ll get a sneak peek at what we’re in store for, when we meet Jad Abumrad, the mastermind behind this award-winning public radio series that explores the intersection of science and culture.

These are the films that Josh Slates reviews on this Friday’s episode of The Signal:

• My Blueberry Nights
• Sicko
• Paranoid Park
• Control
• Blind Mountain
• Import/Export
• Boarding Gate
• The Flight of the Red Balloon
• 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
• No Country For Old Men
• Transmorphers
• Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane

This weekend Spotlighters Theatre presents The Nerd, a comedy by Larry Shue and directed by Randy Dalmas. The Nerd tells the story of Willum, a 34 year old whose boring life is suddenly turned upside down by a mysterious visit from a man he never met, but who saved his life in Vietnam. Showtimes are Friday (5.25) and Saturday (5.26) at 8pm and Sunday (05.27) at 2pm, and you can find out more at www.spotlighters.org.

It’s said that a weed is “a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.” Well, on Saturday (05.26) you can check out some plants whose virtues have indeed been discovered at the 20th annual Baltimore Herb Festival in Leakin Park. Celebrate all things herbal as vendors offer plants, books, craft items and herbal concoctions for sale, bluegrass music, and information from leading botanical experts and guest speakers. There’s even a miniature train ride for the kids. The festival runs from 10am to 4pm, and you can find out more at www.baltimoreherbfestival.com.

On Saturday evening (05.26) the Creative Alliance and the Madagascar Exchange present Kilema, The Soul of Madagascar, for an evening of traditional music played on handmade Malagasy instruments from the island -nation off the southeast coast of Africa. The show starts at 8pm, and more information is available at www.creativealliance.org.

And on Sunday (05.27), the 22nd annual SoWeBo Arts & Music Festival takes over the neighborhood surrounding the historic Hollins Market. As always, the festival features its eclectic mix of arts & crafts, fine art vendors, live music on two stages, food, puppets, an art parade, and participatory art for all ages. The festival goes from noon to 8pm, rain or shine, and you can find out more by visiting www.soweboarts.org.