Steve Scorfina, antique 'picker,' was once the lead guitarist for legendary rock band REO Speedwagon, and later, the iconic ‘70s St. Louis band, Pavlov’s Dog.

WEBSTER UNIVERSITY’s Chess Team, ranked No. 1 in the nation, will be competing as the top seed in the Final Four of Collegiate Chess this weekend. The team, coached by renowned chess grandmaster SUSAN POLGAR, will do battle against students from University of Maryland-Baltimore County, University of Texas-Dallas and University of Illinois. The six grandmasters who make up the Webster team include: WESLEY SO (also ranked No. 1 in the Philippines), RAY ROBSON (also ranked No. 8 in the U.S.), FIDEL JIMENEZ (also ranked No. 3 in Cuba), GEORG MEIER (also ranked No. 4 in Germany), MANUEL HOYOS (also ranked No. 1 in Mexico and is the reigning U.S. Open Champion), and ANATOLY BYHKOVSKY (also ranked No. 21 in Israel). Bring home a winner, Webster!

CITY ACADEMY received a $1 million gift from the Crawford Taylor Foundation for endowment. The gift supports the school’s efforts to offer an expanded Early Childhood Program. With the help of this grant, plans to expand to a total of 175 students by 2014 are in place. Pictured: D’Niya Ammons, Chantell Johnson and Chontell Johnson of City Academy's new Early Childhood Program.

We now have the names for the upcoming Maryville University St. Louis Speakers Series. The 2013-2014 season at Powell Hall begins Oct. 8 with former Greek Prime Minister GEORGE PAPANDREOU. The rest of the lineup includes: A Walk in the Woods author BILL BRYSON, Former U.S. Defense Secretary ROBERT GATES, Apple co-founder STEVE WOZNIAK, historian/author DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN and journalist DAN RATHER, whose March 25, 2014, appearance will be sponsored by LN. For subscription information, visit stlouisspeakersseries.org.

We applaud this year’s GRAND CENTER INC. Visionary Awards honorees, who are being recognized for their commitment to the arts in St. Louis. They are: CAROL VOSS (Major Contributor to the Arts), ANDREA PURNELL (Emerging Artist), LYNN RUBRIGHT (Outstanding Arts Educator), LYDIA RUFFIN (Successful Working Artist), AGNES WILCOX (Outstanding Arts Professional) and JOANNE KOHN (Lifetime Achievement). The awards ceremony will be held Monday, May 13, from 5:45 to 8:30 p.m. at The Sheldon. Tickets, which include admission, pre-event cocktails and a dessert reception, will go on sale April 5. Visit grandcenter.org for more information.

As a University of Missouri student, Amy Lorenz-Moser witnessed a devastating domestic violence episode where a man came in and “clobbered” a woman who worked at the school cafeteria. From that moment, Lorenz-Moser knew she wanted to become a personal injury lawyer. “I thought that it was an area where I could make a difference.”

Washington University has awarded filmmaker KEN BURNS with its 2012 International Humanities Medal. Burns was presented with the award for having a significant impact on American society with his contribution to the arts.

If you’re waiting for the Skyfall line at the box office to die down, here’s what's hot on DVD

Story: Ken Haller, a pediatrician by day and versatile performer at night, has packaged an abundance of nostalgia with a bit of American history and even sociology into 90 minutes of entertainment titled The TV Show! In addition to themes from various TV series, Haller dips as well into original musicals made for TV in the medium’s ‘golden age,’ and even offers up an amusing medley of melodies for TV commercials written by one Barry Manilow “before he was Barry Manilow.”

Although St. Louis lost the high-end Brunschwig & Fils fabric showroom in downtown Clayton last year, the company continues to create fabulous fabrics. In fact, the new Les Alizes collection may be one of its most beautiful to date. Named for the easterly trade winds of the tropics that propelled merchant sailing ships across the world’s oceans, Les Alizes captures Brunschwig’s bold and colorful French style. The collection includes a documentary French hand-printed fabric based on an Indian palampore, which complements an exotic ikat pattern and a Turkish Ottoman Empire design, all culled from the extensive Brunschwig & Fils archives. Each of the 15 patterns has been re-imagined and rendered in richly colored palettes that reflect a modern interpretation of the treasures inspired by world travel.

When I watch ballet, I think about the elegance and grace of the dancers. They seem to almost fly through the air with the precision of an arrow striking its target.

Let’s start with the good news: This is a 78-minute, beautifully shot family-friendly documentary. The bad news: This is a 78-minute family-friendly documentary.

This documentary on school bullying came into the spotlight several months ago as producers fought with the MPAA to change the R rating to PG-13. The cynic in me suspects the push was initiated by bullies of the industry, Bob and Harvey Weinstein, to increase box-office revenue. The pure-of-heart in me thinks the intention was to make the movie accessible to the very victims and bullies the film portrays.

For many broadcasters and other journalists of my generation, Tom Brokaw represented what we aspired to be: He was level-headed and cool, but had the intensity and intellect to go one-on-one with the world’s top news-makers.

On May 17, 10 exemplary St. Louis-area women will be honored at the annual Women of Achievement Luncheon at The Ritz-Carlton. With the help of LN fashion editor Katie Yeadon and photographer Wesley Law, the honorees grace our fashion pages in chic, spring-inspired luncheon wear.

I don’t know what it is. Maybe I’m old or cranky. It used to be that if I were sitting in a Judd Apatow-produced comedy, I was laughing—and laughing hard. Those were the Talladega Nights and Anchorman years. Since then, though, it has just been a stream of movies filled with sophomoric toilet humor and tired drug references. Was that chubby kid smoking the joint in Superbad or Pineapple Express or Funny People? Oh wait, it was all three. Now we have Wanderlust. It has an interesting premise, a strong cast and a reputable director. It also has a script so painfully bad, the mind reels at how this movie even got made.

STORY: Benjamin and Henry have been in a playground brawl, which results in the loss of at least one—and possibly two—of Henry’s teeth, as well as considerable swelling on the 11-yearold’s face. Henry’s parents, Veronica and Michael, invite Benjamin’s mom and dad, Alan and Annette, to their Brooklyn home to discuss the matter as civilized adults. After all, a simple apology by Benjamin should end the matter, right?

Kudos to Ladue H.S. junior JAMES LOOMIS III, who was recently selected as a 2011-2012 Discus Award Winner. The recognition honors ‘allaround’ high school students in 10 key attributes, including academics, arts, athletics, community service, work and other categories. James says he became interested in politics and community service at a very young age. In the fifth grade, he successfully petitioned the Ladue City Council to implement a recycling program, after being inspired by the documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. James is now in the running for a Discus Award scholarship.

Spend quality time with your pooch while helping out a worthy cause during the fifth annual CELEBRATE SPOT walk to benefit the Young Women’s Breast Cancer Program at Siteman Cancer Center. Pets can get their own unique collar, relax in the Kennelwood Pet Resort ‘lounge’ and enjoy doggie yoga, while their owners indulge in a free breakfast, lunch and a post-‘paw’ty following the walk. The event takes place Sunday, Oct. 9, in the Upper Muny Parking Lot in Forest Park. For more information, visit celebrate-spot.org.

Sneak peek, times two…Filmmakers KEN BURNS and LYNN NOVICK will be in town Sept. 19 to offer a preview of their latest documentary, Prohibition, at the new Peabody Opera House—a rare opportunity to see the venue prior to its gala opening on Oct. 1. Burns and Novick will lead the screening and discussion of the film, which documents the rise and fall of the Constitution’s 18th Amendment prohibiting the sale and manufacture of alcohol. We’re told St. Louis, with its rich brewing history, has a prominent role in the film. For tickets, call 800- 745-3000 or visit ticketmaster. com. The six-hour documentary will premiere on Nine PBS Oct. 2 to 4.

In theaters now…Zookeeper, starring lovable everyman KEVIN JAMES, makes its nationwide debut today, but St. Louisans got a sneak peak last week. The actor attended the movie’s red-carpet premiere at the Saint Louis Zoo, and shared the spotlight with some local celebs and a few of the animals from the Children’s Zoo. The Saint Louis Zoo is the only zoo in the country to host the film’s premiere.

    And the Tony goes to…St. Louis native NORBERT LEO BUTZ, whose performance as the FBI agent in Catch Me If You Can won him the award for Best Lead Actor Performance in a Musical. Butz is a Bishop DuBourg H.S. and Webster University theater alum. In 2005, Butz was the recipient of the Best Actor in a Musical Tony for his role in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. He is married to actress MICHELLE FEDERER, his former costar in Wicked. 

Play:        “The Mineola Twins”