It's a combination that probably seemed irresistible for this season of the California State University Summer Arts program in Fresno: The words of of Fresno native son William Saroyan, in this centennial year celebrating his birth, and the acting talents of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, one of the country's most respected thespian groups.

Whoever thought of it had a pretty nifty idea.

Five fine actors, most with Steppenwolf ties, took center stage Saturday night to a packed house at the John Wright Theatre at Fresno State. The quintet -- Alexandra Billings, Evelyn Case, David Razowsky, Rick Snyder and Alan Wilder -- sat on high stools, their only "props" tall music easels to hold their scripts. Behind them was a large screen and, soon into the performance, it became clear a sixth "actor" would be participating -- Saroyan himself through his voice and black-and-white photographs of the writer projected on the screen. The only other connective element in this show was music from the era when Saroyan was at his most robust, the 1930s and 1940s (plus the obvious inclusion of the Rosemary Clooney's 1951 hit, co-written by Saroyan, "Come On-a My House.")

This kind of presentation breaks down words to their core. There is no eye-popping set, no dramatic lighting or special effects, no magnificent costumes to bolster the actors' performances. This was all about the actors' ability to bring Saroyan's ideas to life.

More than that, it was an opportunity to introduce Saroyan to those who have not read his stories or seen his plays or other works. You left the evening with a greater appreciation for his humor and insight, especially in intimate matters of everyday lives.

July 4th, the big American holiday. Lots of traditional fireworks glittering around the city in the evening, setting off colorful sparkles and booms and shrill whistles. On such an evening as this, why would anyone be indoors?

Just ask those who caught the Friday concert of gospel music performed by James Hall and choir as part of the California State University Summer Arts program in Fresno.

Why go? Two words: Vocal fireworks.

Gospel music, of course, has the power to reach into the depths of a soul and wring strength from struggle or rev ecstasy from glory. Its rhythms and harmonies, especially through a choir, remind us of the potency of unity. Gospel may be an expressive, spiritual search for God and goodness and answers to life's low moments, but -- musically -- it's also an art form of its own.

The concert, staged in the Fresno State Music Building's Concert Hall, was facilitated by CSUF professor Thomas Whit Ellis. Organizers said it was a "first of its kind" for the Summer Arts program, one that took two years to pull together. It was well worth the effort.

Yes, Idol lovers, winner David Cook is as nice and modestly grateful and earnest as he seems on television.

Cook and the rest of the "American Idol" Top 10 are in Fresno today for just the third concert on their long, jam-packed summer tour. Just hours before the 7 p.m. show, five of them meet with the local media at the Save Mart Center: Cook, Brooke White, Jason Castro, Syesha Mercado and Ramiele Malubay.

All five are friendly and talkative, trying to explain this chaotic Idol bubble they live in as they do one-on-one interviews with different media members. As you might expect, White is the effervescent presence here: Big smile. Engaging and charming. She leans in, looks you directly in the eye and chats as if you two have been chums for years.

And Cook, of course, is this season's king who wears the crown (though, today, it's a porkpie hat). With these kind of media events, you never know which of the 10 will be made available. But my Fresno group is lucky: We each get a few minutes with the rocker dude.

All five regularly use the words "fun" and "exciting" to describe the tour and the concerts. They readily admit they're not getting much sleep ... but who can sleep when there are about 50 more shows to do and so many people who adore you right now?

If you're going to tonight's concert, tell me what you thought and send me a review.

In the meantime, here's some insight from these five Idol performers before they took the stage Thursday:

Harmon, who died Thursday at age 83, made Bozo a large part of my childhood. Most afternoons after elementary school, I watched "Bozo's Big Top." The clown held court in a circus-like set filled with squealing kids. He carried a baton-like microphone, dragging the cord behind him. The children played games. He introduced cartoons. It was standard stuff for hosted cartoon shows of the '60s and '70s, but I loved it.

I didn't know then that the guy in the suit wasn't Harmon. But I probably did believe there was only one man who did the job. And I was so wrong. A savvy Harmon -- who did wear the suit many times, but more importantly bought the character's rights in the 1950s -- had long turned Bozo into a franchise. The clown I saw on TV was likely portrayed by Frank Avruch, who did a syndicated show out of Boston that Harmon produced.

But I thought there was nothing to do here.

I started this too late to get feedback from my fellow 'Hivers, but I'm going to play the game of what they should be doing this weekend to celebrate the birth of our country.

HEATHER should get thee to a Woodward Parkery to check out some Shakespeare in the Park. I hope her only exposure to the Bard isn't the craziness I showed her during the Rogue.

MIKE: Speaking of theater, this dude needs to check out 2nd Space Theatre's production of "Rough Crossing." So he can tell me how it is. Plus, it might be an appropriate metaphor for his move into his new house this weekend.

It is an interesting concept. If a person writes for a newspaper, they know how many papers are sold. But there is little way to tell if the person who read the newspaper ever stopped on that reporter’s story.

The Internet answers that question in the minds of many. The more people who read the blog, as measured by hits and comments, the better. But, can the number of blog hits be artificially manufactured?

Here's what caught my eyes and ears this week:

• Rush Limbaugh fans can keep calling their idol for eight more years.
• Peter Cook is learning the hard way what it's like when a nasty celeb divorce airs in public.
• The Sun in the UK is reporting that twins were born ... to a 70-year-old woman. That's right. 70!
• Anyone who enjoys magazines should note the passing of editor extraordinaire Clay Felker.
• USA Today has an update on the much-anticipated film "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." However, it somehow missed the "Trainspotting" reference from this story in The Telegraph in the U.K. Hmm, not sure what to make of this. I just hope it doesn't involve Severus Snape.

Happy July 4th everyone!

As the California State University Summer Arts program continues at Fresno State, we envision this Beehive post as a place for news, recommendations, reader reviews, gripes, background information -- anything related to the program. You can leave a comment here or send an email.

THURSDAY July 3

The rest of the country might be going into semi-hibernation mode for the long Independence Day weekend, but Summer Arts is cranking it up. If you have house guests coming to stay with you in Fresno over the Fourth, consider taking them to an event -- it's a great alternative to the same old fireworks. Here's what's on tap:

• On Thursday, adventures in poetry continue with an "Invitational Slam" featuring working-guy standup poet Jack McCarthy (7 p.m., Fresno Art Museum).
• Singer, director and composer James Hall takes the stage Friday with a gospel music concert. He's most known for the "killer vibratos and twister harmonies found in the best of today's gospel music." (7 p.m., Fresno State Concert Hall).
• The Steppenwolf Theatre Company on Saturday presents "An Evening of Saroyan." Fresh off a Tony-Award win for "August: Osage County," Steppenwolf is hotter than Chicago pavement in the summertime. (7 p.m., John Wright Theatre, Fresno State).
• And on Sunday, digital photography fans won't want to miss digital imaging expert and Photoshop guru Tim Grey in a lecture (7 p.m., Fresno Art Museum).

Before the Tom Cruise:

After the Tom Cruise:

The batteries in my camera being depleted, I asked my always-kind blogging cohort Ms. Heather McLane to use her video camera, a request to which she obliged. It wasn't until a few weeks later, when I realized I soon needed to post the footage, that I learned a horrible truth: H-Mac deleted my video!

While I place all the blame firmly on Ms. McLearnWhenToDelete, I feel that I owe some Beehive love to Thursday's ArcHop event. So instead of a video, here are a couple of fliers and a post that Famellos-Schmidt wrote on Mindhub this week.

Thirty-five years is a heck of a long time, but that's how long ago Good Company Players first graced Fresno with its presence. The first show was "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum" staged at the old Hilton Hotel. Last Saturday, cast members from that first show got together for a 35th reunion at Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater. Pictured from left: Fred Bologna, Dan Pessano, Karan Johnson (box office), Jan Pessano, Peggy Ailanjian, JoAnn Allen, Melinda Keller, Roger Keller, Ann T. Sullivan, Robert Nielsen, Ed Burke, Dennis Frost. At rear are Roger Christiansen (box office) and Steve Allen (JoAnn's son, who was born during the run of "Forum").

On the jump: "[title of show]" on Broadway, patriotic Shakespeare and more.

Imagine Dr. Phil opening the show with the announcement, “Today’s guests have what I like to call old-fashioned problems. My first guest is that crimson-skinned star of ‘Hellboy II,’ It is Hellboy himself. Joining him is the trickster of Gotham City. The man with the fashion sense of Prince. Put you hands together for The Joker.”

“Got a light,” growls Hellboy.

I had no idea that Jason Castro had his share of "Dreadheads" around here until I wrote a story about him and fellow "American Idol" finalist Brooke White. Some folks out there just love this guy.

To help AI fans wait out the hours until the Top 10 finalists perform Thursday at the Save Mart Center, I'm sharing some AI news:

• Auditions soon will be underway for Season 8, including a July 17 stop in San Francisco.
• We know Ruben Studdard just got married, but did you know this about Season 5's Paris Bennett?
• Want to know how the AI female finalists are doing right before tour time? Check out Richard Rushfield's story in The Los Angeles Times.
• Beatboxer and Season 6 runner-up Blake Lewis is out of luck.
• Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks, with no hit records, takes a stab at Broadway.

It's a big day for Earlimart -- the band, not the city.

For the unaware: The indie duo is headed by Fresno-bred Aaron Espinoza, who used to play music and tend bar at The Fulton before he was even old enough to drink. But that was like 10 years ago.

Today marks the release of Earlimart's new album, "Hymn and Her," the first on its own Majordomo Records. To whet your appetite, Earlimart's publicity team hit off The Beehive with the album's first cut, "Song For," which we're giving up to you guys as a free download.

If you want to read more about what Espinoza is up to these days, I suggest this recent piece from L.A. Weekly that talks about his work at The Ship recording studio, his label deal and even name-checks Fresno and Rademacher.

DOWNLOAD: Earlimart - Song For (mp3)

My story on new art exhibits for July was already in The Bee this morning, when Donald Munro gave me another show that you can catch on Thursday, ArtHop night for downtown Fresno and the Tower District.

A rep for Corridor 2122, at 2122 Mono St., gave Donald some info on an eight-member show called "Liberty." The details say that it examines the idea and reality of liberty in today's society: "Some of the work explores Liberty from the personal level and some from the political, but all the work tries to ask questions about an idea that is fundamental to our society and is most often taken for granted."

Sounds like an intriguing show and right in time for the Fourth of July. The gallery also is open noon-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

ArtHop receptions typically run 5-8 p.m. ... and don't forget that the third Thursday of each month is ArtHop for venues in Clovis and other areas of Fresno.