Cinemagic’s new Hooksett cineplex will be the largest theater James Pinard has managed. His last job was managing Cinemagic’s Merrimack 12. I worked for Pinard 10 years ago at Canad Cinema at the Nashua Mall. The theater has since been demolished. Under the watchful eye of Zyacorp marketing director Bob Collins, I spoke with Pinard about his newest assignment.

Brett Mallard and Michele Henderson were supposed to be starring together in Sweeney Todd this weekend. But a Broadway revival went on tour, so Nashua-based StageCoach Productions no longer had access to the rights.

In the movie Ratatouille, Remy is an animated Parisian rat with big culinary dreams.Unfortunately for him, he lives in a society that shuns rodents in the kitchen.

Now a household word because of all the movie hype, ratatouille is also a tasty French vegetable stew.

It’s hard sometimes to understand why people like what they do, though not always. But one thing you can’t do is make someone like something no matter how much you want them to.

Ah, lasers.

How dim would our lives be without them? They read our music and movie collections on CD and DVD. They etch personalized messages on tchatchkes. They zap tumors, wrinkles and imperfect corneas. They artfully accompany Pink Floyd shows. They even measure the exact distance between Earth and the Moon, which if you’re an astronomy geek or werewolf, is really important.

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