music - INsite Magazine

Transcription

FEBRUARY 2012
www. insiteatlanta .com
VOL. 20, NO. 7 FREE
90
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THE B-52’S
Under The Lights
Holiday Theatrical Performances
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Thru Dec. 24 Alliance Stage
Box Office 404.733.5000
REAL HUMAN BODIES
www.alliancetheatre.org
SANTALAND DIARIES
Ongoing thru Jan. 2
Horizon Theatre Company
Box Office 404.584.7450
www.HorizonTheatre.com
BodiesAtlanta.com
Scrooge is back in the Alliance's annual holiday gift to Atlanta! Now in its 21st year, A
CHRISTMAS CAROL has become a holiday
season tradition for generations of families
throughout the Southeast. It is set in a
Victorian warehouse where a stone-hearted
Ebenezer Scrooge learns the meaning of compassion as he travels the road to redemption
for his lonely, miserly life. A Christmas Carol
is an adaption from the 1840s tale into a musical featuring favorite holiday carols and
hymns. Soaring holiday music and jaw-dropping special effects accompany this beloved
classic tale of the power of the holidays to
awaken the soul. It’s an event certain to dazzle your eyes, warm your heart and carry you
throughout the New Year.
Deck the halls with peals of laughter as
Horizon Theatre Company brings back its
popular annual holiday production of THE
SANTALAND DIARIES. The satirical, sarcastic and merry misanthrope, played by
Harold M. Leaver, recounts the tale of his
stint as a Macy's Department Store elf.
Besieged by bratty kids with overzealous parents and donning in a humiliating costume,
he finds that his cynical self and his elfin alter
ego, "Crumpet," are not exactly compatible.
The play is adapted from David Sedaris' bestselling book Holidays on Ice. This special
holiday tale is a modern classic made famous
when it originally aired on National Public
Radio.
©2011 Feld Entertainment
A CHRISTMAS MEMORY A CHRISTMAS STORY
December 12-23 Balzer Theatre
Box Office 678.528.1500
www.theatricaloutfit.org
December 7-26 Oglethorpe
Box Office 678.264.0020
www.gashakespeare.org
SAVE 20% on Tickets!
Tom Key performs on stage for his one-man
show adaptation of Truman Capote's cher- The 25th Anniversary Season closes with the
ished story,
A CHRISTMAS MEMORY. Tom perennial favorite, A CHRISTMAS STORY.
SAVE 20% off face price of ticket, excluding fees. Offer excludes Circus Celebrity , Front Row,
Ralphie Parker wants just one thing for
Key had performed
VIP and Club seats. No double discounts.
Christmas, An Official Red Ryder Carbinethis story as a holiday
Action 200-Shot Range Model BB Rifle with a
tradition for years
Offer courtesy of
Compass in the Stock. But can Ralphie suramong family and
friends. Mr. Key’s
vive the last several days before Christmas
Wed.
Thu.
Fri.
Sat.
Sun.
Mon.
stage adaption was
and
overcome
the seemingly
insurmountable
FEB. 15
FEB. 16
FEB. 17
FEB. 18
FEB. 19
FEB. 20
the first work to be
10:30
AM* owning
11:00 AM the
11:00
AM
11:00 Red
AM
obstacles to
his
precious
3:00 PM
3:00 PM
3:00 PM
performed
at
7:30 PMRyder
7:30 PM
7:30 PM"This
7:00 production
PM
7:00 PM wraps up
BB gun?
*No Pre-show activities.
Theatrical Outfit's
our highly successful 25th Anniversary
newly-renovated
Season and I can't think of better way to bring
Fri.
Sat.
Sun.
downtown home, The Balzer Theater at it toThu.
a close.FEB.A24Christmas
Story
captures the
FEB. 23
FEB. 25
FEB. 26
Herren's in 2004.
10:30
AM*
11:00
AM
11:00
AM
magic of the holiday3:00
season
and
offers a new
PM
3:00 PM
The performance will consist of two acts-the holiday
7:30 PM tradition
7:30 PM for
7:00 all
PM of7:00
PM
Atlanta!",
says
*No Pre-show activities.
first act of holiday music by The Georgia Artistic
Director Richard Garner.
Potlickers will complement the second act's
The “Search for Ralphie" was a series of cityThere reading
are 3 ways
your savings:
theatrical
by Key.to
Anredeem
Alabama native
wide openArena
call auditions
conducted in
1. Bring
ad the
in person
to the appropriate
Box Office
himself,
Key this
narrates
semi-autobiographSeptember,
with
semi-finals
and finals in
at 1-800-745-3000
and mention code GASSOUTH
2. tale
Call of seven-year-old Alabama
ical
boy,
October.
The
judges
saw
over
150 auditions
Buddy,
andon
histo
unique
friendship with his eld3. Log
Ticketmaster.com/gassouth
and enter code GASSOUTH
erly eccentric cousin, like "a lost pair of kites throughout the open calls and callbacks. "We
hurrying towards heaven." A Christmas are thrilled to bring this family classic to life
Ringling.com
Memory is a fun holiday fare for the
entire on our stage," said Producing Artistic
Director Richard Garner.
family.
SM
FEB.
15 – 20
185547
FEB.
23 – 26
MAKING POVERTY GLAMOROUS
BUY • SELL • TRADE
TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT TICKETMASTER.COM, AT ALL
TICKETMASTER OUTLETS INCLUDING: PUBLIX, AND SIMON LENOX
SQUARE. TO CHARGE TICKETS BY PHONE, CALL (800) 745-3000.
PG 2 • February 2012 • insiteatlanta.com
WE’VE MOVED! SANDY SPRINGS
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nowDR.
280 HAMMOND
on PSYCHOSISTERSSHOPS.COM
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(ACROSS FROM LOWE’S)
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CONTENTS • FEBRUARY 2012 • VOLUME 20.7
agave restaurant
an eclectic southwestern eatery
& tequila bar . est. 2000
Reservations at 404 588 0006
or online at :
www.agaverestaurant.com
Atlanta’s
Entertainment Monthly
242 Boulevard S.E. Atlanta . 30312
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Keifer Sutherland
Lisa Kudrow
Bernadette Peters
Adam Baldwin
B-52’s Cindy Wilson
Jane’s Addiction
They Might Be Giants
Elephant 6 Collective
Jordan Romero
Larry & His Flask
The Wild
Landau Murphy
FEATURES
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Georgia Aquarium
Budget Dining
Oscar Predictions
Valentine’s Day
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NBA MVP Picks
COLUMNS
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Around Town
On Tap
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Under The Lights
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Stephen Miller
[email protected]
Managing Editor
Bret Love
[email protected]
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[email protected]
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DeMarco Williams
[email protected]
Local Events Editor
Marci Miller
[email protected]
Music Editor
John Moore
[email protected]
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Contributing Writers / Interns:
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© Copyright 2012, Be Bop Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Check out our Jane’s Addiction
interview on page 22!
FEBRUARY 2012
www. insiteatlan ta .com
R E M E M BE R
TH E
VOL. 20, NO. 7 FREE
90
s
90S MIX TAPE
WE TAKE YOU BACK WITH NEW
INTERVIEWS FROM
JANE’S ADDICTION
ELEPHANT 6 COLLEC
TIVE
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
THE B-52’S
BEST PIZZA!
&
Multiple Atlanta Locations: www.JohnnysPizza.com
insiteatlanta.com • February 2012 • PG 3
Around Town
The Atlanta History Center
will continue to present “Ain’t
Nothing Like the Real Thing:
How the Apollo Theater Shaped
American Entertainment” through March 4. The
exhibit examines the rich history and cultural
significance of the legendary Harlem theater,
tracing the story from its origins as a segregated
burlesque hall to its starring role at the epicenter
of African American entertainment and
American popular culture. Please call 404-8144000 or visit online atlantahistorycenter.com.
ALL
FEB
The Ferst Center for the Arts
presents Sophie Milman on Feb.
4 at 8pm. The jazz vocalist is a
sophisticated and torchy singer
with a bent toward American jazz and pop
standards. Tickets are available at 404-894-9600
and www.ferstcenter.org.
FEB
04
The High Museum of Art will
present “Bill Traylor: Drawings
from the Collections of the
High Museum of Art and the
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts” from
Feb. 4-March 13. This exhibition will feature
some of the best examples of Traylor’s work,
rarely seen outside of the southeastern United
States, with more than 60 works drawn from
both collections. Please visit high.org for more
information.
FEB
04
The High Museum of Art
welcomes a golf-themed exhibit
on Feb. 5. “The Art of Golf” will
explore the royal and ancient game
as depicted by landscape and portrait artists,
photographers and Pop artists through the ages.
Comprising approximately 90 works from artists
as diverse as Rembrandt, Charles Lees, Norman
Rockwell and Andy Warhol, “The Art of Golf”
will examine the game’s origins. Go online to
high.org for details.
FEB
05
Theatre/Film/Performance
New plays by the four finalists of
the Alliance/Kendeda National
Graduate Playwriting Competition
will be presented in a series of free,
staged readings Feb. 6-7 at the Alliance Theatre.
The Festival of New Plays invites audiences to
experience the work of emerging playwrights and
celebrate the rich diversity of the contemporary
American experience. RSVP for free tickets by
calling 404-733-5000 or go online.
FEB
06
The Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
will hold a Valentine Tango Night
on Feb. 10 at 8pm. Learn about the
rhythm and movement of authentic
Argentine Tango. Dancers of all skill levels are
welcome and no partner is necessary. After the
introductory lesson, you will be ready to try out
your new moves with an open tango dance party
beginning at 9:15 pm. Tickets are sold at the
door. For more information, call 404-872-5338
or visit www.callanwolde.org.
FEB
10
The Atlanta Symphony Orchesta
will hold its “Cinderella” concert
on Feb. 12 at 1:30pm and 3:30pm at
the Atlanta Symphony Hall in the
Woodruff Arts Center. Tickets range between
$15-$20. Go online to atlantasymphony.org or
call 404-733-5000 for details.
FEB
12
Copeland’s will present a Mardi
Gras celebration on Feb. 21 with a
live jazz band from 6-9pm. There
will be beads, masks, party favors
and everything one needs to hold a proper Mardi
Gras party. For more information, go online to
copelandsatlanta.com.
FEB
21
Zoo Atlanta will offer visitors a
view of the Outback with “Stroller
Cubs: Australia” on Feb. 22-25.
From marsupials to kookaburras,
the creatures of the Land Down Under are
FEB
22
CardiovasCular
disease researCh
Emory University, Department of
Psychiatry is currently conducting
a research study on Cardiovascular
Disease and Depression. Dr. J. Douglas
Bremner, Psychiatrist, is investigating
the brain mechanisms through which
depression increases the risk of death
in patients with cardiovascular disease.
If you would to participate in this study,
you must have a current diagnosis of
cardiovascular disease either with or
without depression. If you think you
may have signs of depression, but have
never been assessed, we can provide an
assessment for you.
To learn more about this
study, call Emory’s Clinical
Neuroscience Research Unit at
404-712-2059 or
[email protected].
Procedures involve health and mental
health assessments, MRI, PET and
SPECT scans conducted at Emory
University. Volunteers will receive
compensation for their time.
Museums/Exhibits/Arts
Music/Comedy/Sports
some of Earth’s most fascinating animals. Bring
your child to learn more about the wildlife of
Australia during a special program tailor-made
for infants to 2-year olds. Book a program today
on zooatlanta.org.
One of the NBA’s elite team’s
comes to Philips Arena on Feb. 23.
The Orlando Magic and superstar
Dwight Howard visit the Atlanta
Hawks for a key Eastern Conference game.
Tipoff is set for 7:30. Get tickets online at
atlantahawks.com.
FEB
23
Other Stuff
Tickets are now available for the
20th Annual MAX Awards at
the Georgia Aquarium on Feb. 24
from 7:30-9:30am. Tickets are $75
each and tables for 10 may be purchased for
$750. All proceeds benefit the Outstanding
Minority Marketing Student Scholarship Fund.
Reservations may be made by visiting www.
maxawards.com or by calling 404-413-7690.
FEB
24
The annual Steamhouse Oysterfest
returns to Midtown on Feb. 25-26.
The event is one of the funniest and
most friendly to your stomach of
the festival season. Call 404-233-7980 for tickets
or go online to steamhouselounge.com.
FEB
25
Andrew Dice Clay’s attempt to
return to stardom apparently didn’t
stop with an “Entourage” cameo.
The outrageous and mostly retired
comedian is back on tour and trying to get back
on his feet. The man who once sold out stadiums
and arenas is now working blue collar venues.
He’ll be in Atlanta on Feb 27 for a pair of shows
at the Punchline. Shows are at 7pm and 9pm.
Tickets are only $35. Clay is one of the country’s
most unique comedians, so this is a show not to
be missed. Grab your sunglasses, leather jacket
and smokes and head to the Punchline.
FEB
27
Join Decatur Active Living on
March 3 from 10am-1pm for the
annual Touch-a-Truck Event.
The City of Decatur and DeKalb
County dump trucks, fire trucks, tractors, police
cars and motorcycles and many other types
of vehicles will be on display. Touch-a-Truck
takes place in the Callaway Building Parking lot
located at 120 West Trinity Place, Decatur. Be
sure to visit www.beactivedecatur.com for up to
date information on all Active Living programs
throughout the year.
MAR
03
DO Are
YOUyouNaEED
HELP
?
Veteran
returning
from the war and experiencing
some of these symptoms?
If you are a woman with a history of childhood
sexual abuse, you may suffer from a number of
symptoms. If these symptoms are left untreated,
it can impair your ability to deal with everyday
events, work or even function in healthy
relationships.
Nightmares, trouble sleeping · easily agitated or startled · low
people
who have
experienced
a traumatic
energy,Many
changes
in appetite
· memory
problems,
difficulty focusing ·
event likeavoiding
you have,
may
suffer
from
one
places, activities or peopleor all
of these symptoms. You may have nightmares,
trouble sleeping, memory problems, trouble
Individuals
who have experienced a traumatic event suffer from these symptoms,
focusing, avoid social situations, or become
which are
signs ofagitated
posttraumatic
stress disorder or PTSD. If the symptoms are left
easily
or startled.
untreated, it can impair the ability to work, socialize and function in a healthy
Emory University is looking for participants for a
relationship.
research study on the effects of an FDA approved
medication
for the symptoms
of PTSD,
memory
Emory University
is investigating
the effects of early
intervention
in preventing
and
learning
in
women
between
the
ages
of
25 is a doublechronic PTSD using an FDA approved medication (paroxetine). This
and 55 who have experienced childhood sexual
blind study
sponsored by the VA. If you are a Veteran, recently back from the war
abuse. You do not need a diagnosis of PTSD
and havetoany
of these symptoms, please call to obtain more information and to see
participate.
if you qualify for the study.
Compensation will be provided for participation.
Study screening, health/trauma questionnaires, memory tests, lab tests, medication and
MRI/PET scans
will beare
conducted
at Emory University
and Emorymore
Briarcliff campus.
If you
interested
in learning
about this research opportunity
Compensation
will 404-712-9536
be provided for participation.
please call
or
Please call email
Stacy Laddclecour@
at 404-712-2014
or
email
[email protected]
emory.edu.
Advancing
Possibilities
ADVANCING
THE PThe
OSSIBILITIES
LOCAL
LOCAL EVENTS
On Tap this Month
EMAIL EVENTS TO [email protected]
February 8-29: Various Locations
JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
It’s time again for the Jewish Film Festival, featuring the very
best in modern Jewish cinema. The Opening Night’s feature
film “My Best Enemy” will screen at the Fox Theatre for
the opening night gala. The rest of the films will screen all
over Atlanta at locations like Atlantic Station, Lefont Sandy
Springs Theater, Georgia Theatre Company at Merchants
Walk, the Tara and North Point Market 8. For tickets, go
to ajff.org.
February 10-26: Philips Arena/Gwinnett Arena
RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY
There are view joys better than the circus. There are the
animals, the high flying acts, the incredible performances.
It’s certainly something the entire family can enjoy Don’t
miss the original circus as it returns to Atlanta. Ringling
Bros. and Barnum & Bailey stops by Philips Arena and
Gwinnett Arena for one of the world’s greatest shows. For
a complete listing of tickets, times and a schedule at both
arenas, go online to ringling.com.
February 11: Atlantic Station
WINTER BEER FESTIVAL
The third annual Winter Beer Carnival will pour up plenty
to taste and experience. The last two events have sold out
in advance so this year’s event is being expanded to offer
even more beers and activities. Atlantic Station will be
transformed into a carnival themed celebration. Sample
more than 100 types of beers including traditional favorites,
premium craft beers and an assortment of the best winter
brews. Visit winterbeercarnival.com for details.
February 12: Philips Arena
ATLANTA HAWK VS. MIAMI HEAT
Of the games that dot the Hawks home schedule, here is one
of the sure games not to be missed. The Miami Heat are the
league’s greatest collection of superstars with Lebron James
and Dwayne Wade in the backcourt. They also offer one of
the NBA’s greatest challenges. Will Joe Johnson & Co. be
able to slow down one of basketball’s very best teams? Head
down to Philips Arena to find out. Tickets are available at
atlantahawks.com.
February 18: LanierWorld at Sunset Cove
POLAR PLUNGE
What’s more fun than diving in ice cold water for a good
cause? Not much. The Polar Plunge returns on Feb. 18 to
the chilly waters of LanierWorld at Sunset Cove. This is
the third annual Polar Plunge to support Special Olympics
Georgia. Prizes will be awarded for the best costume,
highest fundraiser and highest fundraising team. All you
have to do is register and encourage your friends to donate.
Visit specialolympicsga.org for more information.
February 25: Georgia Dome
MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS
Who doesn’t like high-flying stunts and near death
experiences? We certainly do. The Monster Energy AMA
Supercross brings just that sort of action to the Georgia
Dome on Feb. 25. If you’re looking for the very best in
motorcross entertainment and racing, this is not an event to
be missed. The supercross starts at 7pm. Tickets are as low
as $10 or $52 for club access. Go online to supercrossonline.
com for complete details.
EVENTS HAPPENING FOR SMALL CHANGE IN ATLANTA
Know of a low cost event of happening? [email protected]
THE
SIPS UNIVERSOUL
IN THE
CITY CIRCUS
CALLAWAY
GARDENS
PHOENIX
FLIES
February
9CELEBRATION
- 26,
range
from
$15 - $35
August,
Check
forLANDMARKS”
Deals
Through
Feb.
28, Tickets
FREE Website
“CITYWIDE
OF
LIVING
www.universoulcircus.com
Various
Downtown
Restaurants
Callaway
Gardens
March 5-20, Free
www.atlantadowntown.com
17800
Hwy 27 Around the City
VariousUS
Landmarks
The
UniverSoul
Circus continues its surge to
Pine
Mountain,
phoenixflies.orgGeorgia
the
of the live promotion
entertainmentencourages
ranks with
Thistop summer
callawaygardens.com
its
funky A
rendition
of a traditional
patrons
to experience
Downtown
Theinteractive
Phoenix
Flies:
Celebration
ofAtlanta
Living
circus.
hasthe
audiences
on
ice! UniverSoul
Throughout
heated
months
of
Admission
Callaway
Gardens
is
Landmarks
wastocreated
incaptivated
2003
by
The
Atlanta
from
around
the
world
with
its
unique
brand
July
and
August,
featured
restaurants
in
the
complimentary
through
the
end
of
this
Preservation Center as a way to celebrate the
that
blends
circus
arts,
theater
andoffering
music.
Downtown
Dining
District
willrescue
be
month
(Price
isofnormally
$15
for
adults,
25th anniversary
the
dramatic
of the
Founded
in
Atlanta
over
17
years
ago,
the
refreshing
signature
cocktails,
hip
happy
$6.50
per
child)
providing
guests
with
Fox Theatre, an event that changed Atlanta’s
audience
will
watch
in
amazement
as
stilt
hours
and
deals
that
you
won’t
want
to
miss.
the
opportunity
to
enjoy
time
with
their
preservation outlook forever. This year, the list
walkers
make
their
way
tight
rope,
Participating
restaurants
Atlanta
family
reconnecting
in Theatre,
nature.
includesand
freefriends
guided
toursacross
of include
TheaFox
horse
riders
perform
death-defying
stunts,
Grill,
Azio
Downtown,
BLT
Steak,
Max
Free
admission
includes
the
Virginia
Piedmont Park, Historic Oakland Cemetery,
and
contortionists
bend
into
incredible
and
Lager’s,
No
Mas!
Cantina
and
The
Sundial
Hand
Callaway
Discovery
Center,
Day
Civil War Atlanta Walking Tour, Tullie Smith
beautiful
shapes.
The
talented
performers
Restaurant.
Visit
the
website
for
a
complete
Butterfly
Center,
Sibley
Horticultural
Farm House, Margaret Mitchell House, the
come
from
allPark
corners
the
globe,
this
list
deals.
Center,
Mr.
Cason’s
Vegetable
Garden,
newofBeltline
and of
much
more.making
circus oneBrothers
of the most
entertaining,
eclectic
Callaway
Azalea
Bowl, Overlook
and colorful
events inBicycle
live entertainment.
Garden,
Trail, Pioneer
AMERICANDiscovery
CRAFT COUNCIL
SHOW
IN ATLANTA
Log Cabin, Ida Cason Callaway Memorial
March 10-13, Regular admission: $13
CHEERSPORT
NATIONAL
Chapel,
nature 2012
trails and
daily programs.
Children under 12: free
CHEERLEADING & DANCE
Cobb Galleria Center
CHAMPIONSHIP
THE
UNIVERSOUL
CIRCUS
Two Galleria
Parkway, Atlanta
February
17-19,
$20range
for 1-day
pass
Feb.
10
27,
Tickets
craftcouncil.org/Atlanta from $15 - $35
Kids
Under
5
are
Free
Turner Field Green Lot
Georgia
World
Congress
Center
521
Capitol
Avenue,
Atlanta
This
3-day event
is the
largest juried fine craft
www.cheersport.net
universoulcircus.com
Show in the southeast. The show has been
By Marci Miller
OAKHURST
WINE CRAWL
2011
SOUTHEASTERN
HUNGER
WALK/RUN
5KFLOWER SHOW
Saturday,
February
25,
4-7pm
Feb.
- 27,
Adults
$18
($15
in advance)
March
13,
Noon-4pm,
$25
for
runners
8th 25
ANNUAL
GERMAN
BIERFEST
$25 inforadvance,
of event
Youth/Student
$7,$30
Kidsday
5 are Free
Free
walkers
Saturday,
August
27,
2 under
– 7pm
Oakhurst
Cobb
Galleria
Centre
Parking
isBusiness
free
$30
Online,
$35
At District
the Door
www.oakhurstga.org
Two
Galleria
Parkway,
Turner
Field
Green
LotAtlanta
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sehort.org
755 Hank Aaron Drive, Atlanta
www.germanbierfest.com
Participants in this year’s event will get to
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Presented
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This summer
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exploring
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Oakhurst
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this
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Join
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of German beer in a family-friendly
neighborhood.
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preservation
this
annual
event
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establishments
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Community
Food
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local
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kids,
music
sell
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quickly.
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be
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to
through
education
and
artistic
expression.
nonprofits.
Participants
can
register
as
a
team
and fun, the German Bierfest is not only
purchase
on
February
4th
at
Oakhurst
Market
Show
activities
include
speakers,
juried
or
individually
online
or
register
the
day
of
the only authentic German Bierfest in
and
Kavarna
Cafe.
Cash
only,
no
checks
or
competition,
kids’
activities,
Landscape
&
the
event.
There
will
be
activities
for
all
ages
Atlanta, but the only family-friendly beer
credit
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Callaway
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the
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atownday.com
(Price
is
normally
$15
for
adults,
per
Participants in this year’s event $6.50
will get
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providing
guests
with
the
opportunity
to
sample
wines
from
around
theconcert,
world
A-TOWN
DAY
is a health
festival,
PIGS
& PEACHES
BBQcare
FESTIVAL
to
time
with
family
friends
while
alloftheir
the
businesses
in
the
andenjoy
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major
Awareness
celebrating
August
26
& 27,day
Friday
5pm
- 11pmand
reconnecting
nature.
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admission
Oakhurst
neighborhood.
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be 20
all things10am
Atlanta.
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–in10pm,
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includes
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Virginia Center,
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participating
establishments
and
the
event
the Diabetes
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Atlanta
and
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Ben
Robertson
Community
Kennesaw
Discovery
Center,
Day
Butterfly
Center,
expects
sell out quickly.
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Azalea
from
bar
to bar.
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be purchased
friendly
events.
The
event
features
Bowl,
Overlook
Garden,
Bicycle
from
Steinbeck’s
Ale Discovery
House,
Backyard
BBQ, Anything
Butt andUjoint,
Peach
Trail,
Pioneer
Log
Cabin,
Ida
Cason
Callaway
and
Karvana
Coffee
Shop,
all
located
in
Dessert
Contest,
as
well
as
a
Kansas
City
INMAN
PARK
RESTAURANT
WEEK
Memorial
Chapel,
nature trails
and daily
Oakhurst
village.
Barbeque
Society
sanctioned
Professional
March 28-April 3, $15
programs.
Contest,
is recognized
$25 & $35which
for three-course
meal as a Georgia
State
Championship
Barbeque
Cookoff.
IHOP
NATIONAL
PANCAKE
DAY
CELEBRATION
inmanparkrestaurantweek.com
IHOP
NATIONAL
PANCAKE
DAYPancakes
Over $14,000
cash
and
prizes
will be
Tuesday,
March 1,in7 am-10
pm, Free
CELEBRATION
awarded
to
contest
winners.
Besides
food
International
House
of
Pancakes
Savor
historic
Inman
Park with three-course
Tuesday,
February
28,
7am-10pm
for
sale,
and
free
music
from
a
number
of
Locations
throughout
Metro
Atlanta
dinners
from 11 local restaurants. Proceeds
Free
Pancakes
local
and
national
acts,
festival
goers
will
IHOPPancakeday.com
will
benefit
Project Open
Hand, which helps
Locations
throughout
Metro
be
treated
to a large
Kid Atlanta
Zone
(withchronic
many
people
prevent
or
better
manage
www.IHOPPancakeday.com
attractions
FREE
to
families),
unique
vendor
On
this
day,
customers
will
receive
one
disease through comprehensive nutrition care.
booths
and
sponsor
exhibits.
The
Silver
free
short
stack
(three)
of
IHOP’s
famous
$1
raffle
tickets
will be soldwill
andreceive
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towards
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day,pancakes.
customers
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aerial
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buttermilk
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they
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winner
of
the
raffle
win
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stack
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famous
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andbeer
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patrons
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hostedtoconsider
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they
ask isAugust
that
patrons
consider
festival
on
27.
Crowds
support
local
children’s
hospitals
through
at
Park’sa Edge
Restaurant
for local
thirtychildren’s
of their
making
donation
support
will
be Each
treated
to toNetwork
aPark
wonderful
display
of
Children’s
Miracle
or other
local
friends.
Inman
restaurant
will
bring
hospitals
through
Children’s
Miracle
Network
aerobatics
and
patriotic
performances
in
charities.
Since
beginning
its
National
tastes
from
their
restaurants
forbeginning
the winner.
or
other
local
charities.
its
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sky.
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beSince
ainhuge,
fireworks
Pancake
Day
celebration
2006,
IHOP
The
winner
will
be
announced
at
the
end
of
National
Pancake
Day
celebration
in
2006,
grand
finale.more
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than
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restaurant
week.
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the
website
IHOP hascharities
raised more
than $5.35 million
support
in the communities
in
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of participating
to supportlistcharities
in the restaurants.
communities in
the
marketplace
for
regional fine
Bringpremiere
it on…this
electrifying
cheerleading
and
The
UniverSoul
Circus
craft
lovers
and
collectors,
and
offers
guests
dance competition
features
teams
competing
continues
itsworksurge
the
chance
toAmerica.
meet
and
purchase
from
from
across
This
year, of
it expects
to
YELLOW
JACKET
to
the
top
the live
esteemed
artists
from
around
the
country.
To
grow
larger
than
ever
with
over
900
teams
entertainment
ranks
FAN
DAY
reach
first-time collectors
and established
craft
participating,
from
ages
three
through
with
its
interactive
funky
Saturday,
August
6,
3pm
–
6pm,
Free
collectors
alike,
the
newest
show
category
for
college.
Cheersport
founded
by all-star
rendition
of aUnder
traditional
Bobby
Dodd
Stadium
atwas
Grant
Field
participating
artists
is
Handmade
$100.
coaches
who loved circus.
competitive
cheerleading
UniverSoul
has
www.ramblinwreck.com
Artists
who sell
workthe
for under
$100
will
and dance.
Check
website
for
thehave
full
captivated
audiences
their
boothsschedule.
specially marked for patrons
competition
around
the world
Festivities
at from
3ap.m.
on Callaway
Plaza
interested inbegin
starting
collection.
with its unique
brand
with music, prizes, inflatables
and games
for
MARDI
GRAS
MUSIC
&blends
FOOD
FESTIVAL
that
circus
arts,
the
kids.
From
4-6
p.m.
the
gates
will
open
ATLANTA
MOTOR
SPEEDWAY
FREEand
OPEN music.
HOUSE
Saturday,
February
3:00pm-2:00am
theater
and
fans
can
enter18,
the
stadium
to meet the
March
12,
11am-3pm,
Free
$20
inYellow
advance,
$30
at the door
Founded
in Atlanta over
2011
Jackets.
Atlanta
MotorMidtown
SpeedwayFootball players will be
Park
Tavern,
17 position
years ago,
the at
audience
seated
with
their
groups
various
1500
Tara Place, Hampton
www.l5pmardigras.com
willthewatch
infield.
amazement
as Paul
stilt
points
on
playing
Head
coach
atlantamotorspeedway.com
walkerswill
make
way across
a tight
Johnson
sign their
autographs
from 4-5
p.m.
This
all
party
live music
rope,
horse
riders
perform
death-defying
and
will
benight
available
forfeatures
photographs
from
Visit
the
track’s
Open
House
for
free.
Activities
(including
five
bands),
great
New
Orleans
stunts,
and
contortionists
bend
into
5-6
p.m.
Please
limit
autographs
to
ONE
include hurricanes
championship
legends
racingeating
on the
food,
drinks,
crawfish
&
incredible
and beautiful
shapes.
item
per
player
or
coach.
This
will
be
the
quarter-mile
“Thunder
Ring.
”, lots
free ofdrawings
costume
contest,
prizes
and
beads!
first
toyour
getown
thecar
2011
football
for bigopportunity
prizes,
drive
on the
track
Purchase
tickets
online
to
save
$10.
poster
as
well
as
schedule
cards,
ticket
CHEERSPORT
2011
with the purchase
of NATIONAL
Labor Day NASCAR
information
andselect
other
items
throughout
the
CHEERLEADING
& DANCE
tickets, fans can
their
seats
for the Labor
afternoon.
Most
campus
parking
lots
will
Day Race Weekend, tour the Speedway’s race
CHAMPIONSHIP
be
available.
it operates.
FESTIVAL
PEACHTREE
LATINO
control
Feb.
18 –tower
20 and suites, take photos with which
which it operates.
Limit one
short stack per
Sunday,
August
28,
11am
–
the Atlanta
$30
for 2-dayMotor
pass Speedway pace car and a customer, dine-in only. 7:30pm, Free
SIMON
GAMEPLAY
NASCAR
Sprint
Series winner’s trophy, Piedmont Park
$20
for 1-day
passCup TOUR
Saturday,
August
20
@
10am,
Free
www.festivalpeachtreelatino.com
discounts
gift shop and
much more.
Kids
Under at5 AMS
are Free
DiscoverWorld
Mills Mall,
Lawrenceville
Georgia
Congress
Center
www.simon.com
285 Andrew Young International Blvd., Atlanta
cheersport.net
The Simon GamePlay tour will connect fans
of all ages
to the hottest
video cheerleading
games before
Bring
it on…this
electrifying
they
are
launched
and
available
in stores.
and dance competition features
teams
The
recently
launched
Nintendo
3DS
competing from across America. This
gaming
system
will
take
center
stage
with
year, it expects to grow larger than ever
a “Nintendo
Lounge,
” with couches,
with
over 9003DS
teams
participating,
from
snacks
and
games.
Nintendo
also offer
ages three through college. will
Cheersport
“Street
Pass,”bytournament-style
play loved
using
was
founded
all-star coaches who
Nintendo
3DS
devices.
GamePlay
will
competitive cheerleading and dance.
feature
10
gaming
pods,
including
2
mature
Check the website for the full competition
zones, with products from instrusty leaders
schedule.
like SEGA, Capcom, 2K and Atari.
Festival Peachtree Latino has been the
largest family & multicultural event in the
southeast since 2000. They have featured
hundreds of exhibitions, family activities,
sporting events, parades, arts & crafts, ethnic
foods and outdoor musical performances
featuring renowned international musicians
on two stages. The best part about it is that
the event is absolutely FREE!! This year,
Festival Peachtree Latino has more to offer,
with new attractions and a larger schedule
of musical performances.
UPDATED
EVENTSWEEKLY.
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LOCAL
BATHING WITH BELUGAS AT THE GEORGIA AQUARIUM
BY BRET LOVE; PHOTOS PROVIDED
COURTESY OF GEORGIA AQUARIUM
B
ABY BELUGA IN THE DEEP BLUE
sea/ Swim so wild and you swim so
free/ Heaven above and the sea below/
And a little white whale on the go/ Baby
Beluga, Baby Beluga/ Is the water warm?/ Is
your mama home with you, so happy…”
The first time I heard “Baby Beluga,”
it was being sung by my daughter’s
kindergarten class. If my heart were ice, it
would’ve melted like an igloo in Africa on
the spot. But, for me, the song will forever
be associated with the Georgia
Aquarium(http://www.georgiaaquarium.
org), and the first time I took her there
when she was six: The minute we saw their
massive Beluga Whale exhibit (one of just
6 in the world) we started singing the song
together and giggling, delighted to see such
majestic creatures up close.
A few months ago I heard that they’d
launched a new Beluga & Friends Interactive
Program, so I immediately contacted them
to set up a visit. And so it was that, a few
weeks before Christmas, Mary and I found
ourselves strapping on wetsuits and taken
on a behind-the-scenes tour of the world’s
largest aquarium, with 8 million gallons of
marine and fresh water tanks.
We learned a lot about the parts of
the facility that most visitors never see,
including their conservation efforts on
behalf of dolphins in Florida, whale
sharks in Mexico, and penguins in South
Africa. We got to see their veterinary
services areas, as well as the massive
hydraulic lifts they use to get larger animals
in and out of the exhibits. We even got to
check out the commissary, to see how they
carefully inspect every single fish their
animals are given, ensuring sushi-quality
servings for everyone from theplayful
otters to the dolphins and sharks. We were then led to a classroom, where
we learned a bit more about the Beluga,
which is also known as the sea canary due
to its distinctive high-pitched squeaks,
squeals and whistles. With an average length
of 12-13 feet and a range that stretches
throughout the Arctic from Alaska and
Canada to Greenland and Russia, belugas
are considered a “near-threatened” species
by the International Union for Conservation
of Nature, with a global population of
around 100,000. However, the subpopulation
ofAlaska’s Cook Inlet is considered critically
endangered and is protected under the U.S.
Endangered Species Act.
By this point we were beyond eager to
get into the water, so after going over a
few basic instructions we were led onto a
waist-high platform in the holding tank,
where the water is kept around a brisk 55º.
The Aquarium ensures a 4:1 guest-trainer
ratio, giving you an opportunity feel like a
trainer for the day. On the day we visited,
their female beluga was being kept in a
separate tank, as she was pregnant as a result
of their captive breeding program.
Once we got situated along the wall, the
trainer blew her whistle to call over our
first fine-flippered friend, Qinu. Qinu is a
young male calf, and therefore had the light
grey color of a dolphin rather than the pure
white for which adult belugas were named
(beluga is a derivation of the Russian word
for “white”). We each introduced ourselves
to Qinu with the traditional whale greeting,
i.e. throwing a tasty fish into his eagerly
opened mouth. If he had been a puppy, I’m
fairly certain his tail would’ve been wagging
like crazy. In return, he allowed us to rub
his melon, the bulbous lump of fatty tissue
in the center of his forehead.
After that we met the star of the
show, Beethoven, a massive male with
a serious playful streak. We learned the
different commands trainers use to get
the whales to perform tricks ranging
from making blowhole fart noises to spitting
water in the faces of his unsuspecting
victi… er, guests. He also allowed us to
feel his squishy smooth skin, stroking
him extensively and carefully feeling the
finger-like skeletal structure in his fluke.
In addition to the aforementioned gifts of
fresh fish as a reward, Beethoven seemed
to love having his tongue patted for some
strange reason, which proved an oddly
endearing trait.
Before we knew it, our time with the
belugas was over and we bid them farewell,
throwing in several pool toys used to enrich
their experience. But our disappointment
was interrupted by more oohs and aahs
as the trainers led us to the adjacent tank,
where a crew of cute spotted harbor
seals came slipping and sliding out to meet
us like a cadre of Cirque du Soleil clowns.
I’m sure the trainer conveyed tons of great
facts about these cuddly creatures in the
process, but I was too infatuated with an
adorable gal named Rose (what can I say,
they reminded me of the beloved Galapagos
Sea Lions!) to absorb it. In the end, we learned that you don’t
have to venture very far from home in order
to have an amazing animal encounter. We
learned a lot about beluga whales during our
Beluga & Friends experience, and getting
to know the sweetly playful personalities
of Qinu and Beethoven made us want to
fight even harder to protect them and other
whales from the dangers they face. The
two-hour program (which runs twice a day)
may be a bit pricey at $225 a person, but it
produced memories we will cherish for the
rest of our lives. TV
A NEW BREED OF HERO
With His Latest TV Show, Touch, Kiefer Sutherland Finds New Life After 24
BY ALEX S. MORRISON
W
HEN WE LAST SAW KIEFER
Sutherland, he was still kicking ass
and taking names as Jack Bauer,
America’s angst-filled answer to James Bond.
Now, with the 24 movie set to start shooting
in a few months, Southerland has returned
to television (and the Fox network) in a very
different role.
In Touch, he stars as Martin Bohn, a widower
whose mentally challenged 11-year-old son has
the ability to see the hidden patterns that connect
every life-form on the planet. Bohn finds a way to
communicate with his mute son (played by David
Mazouz) using numbers rather than words.
Created and written by Tim Kring of Heroes
fame, the show allows Sutherland to play a kinder,
gentler sort of role than fans are accustomed
to. He recently spoke with writers at the TCA
convention, discussing why he felt compelled to
return to TV so soon and what attracted him to
the character.
How did you come to be doing another
TV show?
I was doing a play on Broadway, That
Championship Season, and I got a call from a
friend of mine who I’ve worked with forever. She
said, “I have a script for a pilot that I think you
should read.” I said, “I’m not really ready to do
that yet. I think I’m going to finish up the play and
do this film with Mira Nair.” I really wanted to set
some time apart from this amazing experience
that I had with 24 and try some different things.
She said, “Trust me, you have to read it.” I was
on about page 35 and I went, “Shit, I’m in real
trouble here,” because it was just so beautifully
written, and it presented itself as an opportunity.
Why would you call it trouble?
I’d made 200 episodes of 24, and it was
impossible not to figure out how to navigate what
I was going to do next without thinking about
that. I had to re-read it, to make sure that all of
the emotional components that I was reacting
to so strongly were affecting me on a personal
level, as opposed to trying to manage a career.
It was unbelievably appealing because it was so
different, and then I just emotionally responded
to the piece in such a strong way that, by the end
of it, this was certainly something I wanted to do.
What could you most relate to about
this character?
The real driving force for my character is to
simply communicate with his son. He wants to
have as normal a relationship as he possibly can,
which I think every parent can relate to. The
one parallel that I can actually bring from the
two characters is that Jack Bauer was asked to
save the day, and there were always going to be
casualties. It was never going to be a perfect win.
Martin Bohm, my character in Touch, is never
going to have the perfect, idyllic relationship with
his son. That complexity is something that I am
drawn to as an actor. The reason why I could not
turn this down was because it spoke to me on a
really profound level. Tim [Kring] said one of the
nicest things I’ve heard in a long time. We were
just talking about getting older and he said, “At
some point you start to realize you have to be
responsible for what you’re going to say.” If there
was anything I wanted to be a part of saying, it
was this beautiful idea of inter-connectivity and
this responsibility we have to each other as a
people, as a race, and to this planet.
How different an experience is this for you,
doing a character who’s showing his emotions?
Well, they are both fantastic opportunities. The
opportunity that I had on 24, to have to repress
all of this stuff and carry that with me, informed
the character beautifully. To have the antithesis
of that, where he can openly have an emotional
reaction to what is happening, is another fantastic
opportunity. The one thing I learned from doing
24 was that those characters developed over a
long period of time. If we are lucky enough to be
able to do this show for a few years, this character
will grow. Where, in 24, the repression was
something that got heavier and heavier, this will
hopefully become more and more open.
How is this character’s strength different from
Jack Bauer?
He’s got an unbelievable perseverance. I think
that any person, especially a single parent, who is
dealing with a child with special needs is going to
require that. The people that I have known, that
have been in that situation, have an unbelievable
strength.
Are you noticing more connections in your
daily life?
I think I’ve been relatively astute about that,
which is one of the reasons the show affected me
the way it did. Instead of saying, “Oh, that was
lucky,” I think about it and realize that maybe it
wasn’t that lucky. Almost every great thing that’s
ever happened to me in my life, I will find out 10
years later that someone made a phone call to
someone else and was really great on my behalf.
I’d rather not wait 10 years to find that out. I think
about it in a different way now.
Now that you’re doing this series, what is the
status of the 24 movie?
Hopefully we will be shooting at the end of
April or beginning of May.
And the plan for the movie is still two hours,
and not in real time?
It’s two hours, representing 24 hours. The movie
is not in real time. It’s a two-hour representation
of a 24-hour day.
Do you see the movie as a conclusion to the
series?
The script that we’ve got right now– which I’m
very, very excited about– is a direct continuation.
It’s within six months from the end of the last
episode. We’ll see where it goes from there.
Under The Lights
BILLY’S THE BEST.
“
New Theatrical Performances
RED
IT’S GOT HEART, PASSION AND THE BEST ELTON JOHN SCORE EVER.”
NEW YORK POST
THE WIZARD OF OZ
Thru March 11 Theatrical Outfit February 25 - March 11
Box Office (678) 528.1500
Alliance Theatre
www.theatricaloutfit.org
Box Office (404) 733.5000
Tom Key stars as Mark Rothko and Jimi
Kocina as his young assistant in the 2010
Tony Award winner for Best Play, RED.
Obsessive, vain, arrogant and brilliant,
modernist painter Mark Rothko turned the
art world on its head with his revolutionary
studies in color, shape, and texture. In this
raw and provocative portrait of the master
abstract expressionist and his young assistant, ambition and vulnerability go hand in
hand as Rothko tries to create his crowning
achievement that could also become his
undoing. David DeVries directs.
RUTH & THE GREEN BOOK
February 7-26 Puppetry Arts
Box Office (404) 873.3391
www.puppet.org
Introduce your
children to the
kind of magic
only found in
the Land of Oz.
While remaining
true to the story
and
familiar
characters, the
Alliance's version of THE WIZARD OF OZ will uniquely incorporate an "American Folk Art"
design concept. It is a natural fit, since, for
example, the Tin Man is composed of tin
found-object items making him essentially
a work of folk art. This 70-minute production features iconic songs like "Somewhere
Over the Rainbow" and "Follow the Yellow
Brick Road". Wizard reminds us that no
matter what you're searching for, you don't
have to look further than your own backyard.
© 2008 Billy Broadway, LLC
www.alliancetheatre.com
BILLY ELLIOT
March 13 - 18 Fox Theatre
Ticketmaster (800) 982.2787
www.broadwayinatlanta.com
ON SALE NOW! • MARCH 13-18 • THE FOX THEATRE
BroadwayInAtlanta.com •800.982.2787
Ticketmaster.com •BillyElliotTour.com
®
®
Groups 15+, call 404.881.2000
RUTH AND THE GREEN BOOK follows
the journey of an African-American family
from Chicago to Alabama in the 1950s. It
tells the story of Ruth and her family as they
travel through the Jim Crow-era South.
After being turned away from a gas station
and a hotel, eight-year-old Ruth and her
parents discover "The Green Book," a travel guide for black motorists. With this
guide, Ruth's family, like many others, find
safe routes to welcoming places and people.
This fresh perspective on the struggle for
equality offers a new way to celebrate Black
History Month and learn about a relatively
unknown chapter in civil rights history.
Ruth is based on an award-winning children's story by author and Atlanta resident
Calvin Alexander Ramsey. Story has been
adapted for the puppet stage by Jon Ludwig.
10BEST MUSICAL
2009 TONY AWARDS
Based on the international smash-hit film
and featuring music by Elton John, BILLY
ELLIOT THE MUSICAL is the joyous celebration of one boy's journey to make his
dreams come true. Set in a small town, the
story follows Billy as he stumbles out of the
boxing ring and into a ballet class, discovering a surprising talent that inspires his family and his whole community and changes
his life forever. The production has has
earned critical acclaim on Broadway
including 10 Tony Awards. Book and lyrics
are by Lee Hall, choreography by Peter
Darling and direction by Stephen Daldry.
BILLY ELLIOT is most appropriate for
children 8 years of age or older. It contains
strong language and some scenes of confrontation between policemen and miners.
PRESENTS [BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!]
Avenue
NU
W
GRO
PS
The Musical
Playing through
MARCH 11!
FO
R
Artists scheduled to appear subject to change
Fox TheaTre
Tickets: 800-745-3000, TicketMaster.com, Fox Box Office
saTurday
march
STEVE LITMAN PRESENTS
404.584.7450 • horizontheatre.com
Sponsored by Fender Musical Instruments
10
Atlanta Dining on a Budget
Great places in town to get a good meal without breaking the bank
Chin Chin
Eats
Brookhaven 3887 Peachtree Rd. 404.816.2229
Multiple locations www.chinchinatlanta.com
600 Ponce de Leon 404.888.9149
www.eatsonponce.net
they only use organic or locally grown products.
Classic sandwiches are just $4.49, Specialties are
$5.49 and Signature sandwiches go for just $5.99.
Mirko
2945 N. Druid Hills Rd. (678) 704.2700
www.mirkopasta.com
An Atlanta landmark, Eats keeps their menu
simple, their prices low and their dishes always
made with the freshest ingredients. Their Pasta
Plates allow you to choose from a variety of pastas
which aren’t priced accept for the cheese filled
spinach tortellini which is $1. The sauces range
in price from $5.50 and $6.50 and include: marinara, olive and garlic, pesto, Alfredo, creamy
marinara, turkey meat sauce and chicken chili.
All pasta plates come with garlic bread and you
can add on extras from meatballs to chicken
breast which is just $2 more.
Not in the mood for pasta? They offer meat and
vegetable plate dinners too. The meat offerings
include their prized jerk chicken, lemon pepper
chicken and turkey meatloaf. Some of the vegetables include: couscous, broccoli, green beans, and
collards. Vegetable plates are priced at $4.575 for
three or $5.75 for four. A meat and two sides run
$7.25 and $7.75 for three sides. Eats is open
seven days a week from 11am until 10pm.
Johnny’s NY Style Pizza
1810 Cheshire Bridge Rd. 404.874.8304
Multiple Locations at JohnnysPizza.com
Johnny’s Pizza has come to be synonymous with
great pizza and subs in Atlanta. They specialize
in NY Style pizza, which is thin in the middle and
thick around the edges. Try the Johnny’s Italian
Special with sausage, mushrooms, onions, pep-
peroni and green peppers; large pizza is $19.40.
All their menu items are also reasonably priced.
They have two Calzones on the menu for $5.20
and the Stombolli is $8. They have 11 subs on the
menu for just $5.60. The Cheshire Bridge location featured has lunch specials from $6 to $7.40
and offers $5 pitchers of PBR . Johnny’s restaurants offer dine-in, take-out and delivery.
Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs
80 Powers Ferry Rd. 770.321.1177 Marietta
5697 Buford Hwy. 770.455.8570 Buford Hwy.
www.baldinos.us
Chin Chin is consistently voted Atlanta’s Best
Chinese restaurant. Their menu offers standard
favorites and many exotic dishes in Chinese cuisine at affordable prices. The Brookhaven location
featured currently is offering an amazing lunch
special for just $4.99. You get an entree along
with Egg Roll, Soup and Fried Rice. They have
over 20 chicken dishes for just $10.25 and over a
dozen beef and pork dishes for $10.95 or less.
Soups start at $2.50.
Erbert and Gerbert’s
2752 E. Ponce De Leon Ave. 404.370.6009
www.erbertandgerberts.com
At Mirko pasta is their pashion. All pastas and
sauces are made from scratch each day. They
offer a nice selection of salads at the full $6 size or
half $3.50 sizes. Antipasti, Appetizers and Soups
can be had for $4 to $8. This includes their Steamed
mussels and Calamari dishes. Mirko offers a
dozen different pasta varieties and twice as many
sauces. Any combination of which can be had for
under $10. There is a great Daily Lunch Special
which includes drink for just $6.99. For that same
price you may also get a half Panini with soup and
Mirko’s famous homemade potato chips.
Escorpion
Since 1975, Baldinos has been repeatedly recognized for serving the best sub sandwich in the
South. Their true New Jersey style subs are as
fresh as any sandwich anywhere. The rolls are
baked in-store everyday - all day; each sub is sliced
fresh as ordered; hot subs are grilled, not nuked or
pressed, and only the freshest produce garnishes
every sub as ordered. Salads, soups and delicious
baked goodies compliment a true value menu.
Check out Baldinos $3.49 Daily Special - a different sub every day that will keep you coming back.
Bring home a Family Sub and take the night off no cooking, no cleaning and no big expense.
800 Peachtree St. (678) 666.5198
www.urestaurants.com
Escorpion is an authentic Mexican tequilla bar
and cantina with a rough and tumble outlaw vibe
inspired from the cult classic From Dusk Till
Dawn. Located in Midtown on the corner of 5th
Erbert & Gerbert's is a sandwich shop dedicated
to serving better, more flavorful sandwiches than
anyone else. Originally founded in Wisconsin,
their Atlanta store is the only one in the south
featuring regional flavors. Erbert & Gerbert's
bakes their own bread and carries Gluten-Free
products. Everything is prepared fresh in the
store, no pre-sliced or pre-wrapped anything and
PANCHO’S
Catering
Now
Available
Mexican Restaurant & Cantina
THANKS ATLANTA!
BEST MEXICAN
RESTAURANT
MONSTER MARGARITAS
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Monster
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SATURDAY & SUNDAY SPORTS SPECIALS
PINT OF DOMESTIC WITH 1800 SHOT JUST $5!
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2641 BUFORD HIGHWAY | ATLANTA, GA 30324
404-325-2898 | PANCHOMEXICAN.COM
Hours • M-Th 11am-10pm • Fri 11am-11pm Sat 12pm-11pm • Sun 1pm-10pm
and Peachtree, Escorpion boasts fine cuisine at
affordable prices. Appetizers range from $4 - $8
while their Ceviches selections of Tuna, Tilapia,
Octopus, Scallop and Shrimp are priced at $9 or
less. Escorpion also has great salads, quesadillas
and an assortment of tortas (pressed sandwiches).
Their inspired tacos come in a wide variety that
includes Jumbo Shrimp, Hanger Steak and Braised
Beef Tongue. Full entrees are also available.
Agave Restaurant
242 Boulevard SE 404.588.0006
Consistently voted the Best Southwestern
Restaurant in Atlanta, Agave uses only the freshest
ingredients to create chef inspired dishes with a
authentic southwestern flare. They offer Two for
One Appetizers at the bar from 5pm - 7pm seven
days a week. Other popular low priced menu
items include: Agave's Famous Cayenne Fried
Chicken $15.00, Slow Cooked Angus Beef Short
Ribs $16.50, & Stuffed Mountain Trout Tomatillo
$17.50. They boast the largest tequila selection in
the city as well as over 100 wines from around the
world. Enjoy their award winning Margaritas and
be sure to sign up for Agave's VIP Email List which
features huge monthly discounts on dinner and
details on all of Agave's special events.
Pancho’s Mexican Restaurant
2641 Buford Hwy. 404.325.28989
www.panchomexican.com
and winner of several awards including Best Greek
Cuisine. So don’t let the name fool you, there is
much more here than great pizza. Some of the
favorite recipes on their Greek dishes go back over
50 years! Athens Pizza offers daily specials for
lunch and dinner. They have an extensive catering
menu while the restaurant can also accomodate
parties large and small with their private room.
#1 Chinese Restaurant in Atlanta
Mediterranean Grill
N. Decatur Plaza 404.320.0101
Midtown 404.917.1100
East Cobb 678.996.0045
www.mediterraneangrill.com
VIEW ART OF CHINESE COOKING
THROUGH OPEN KITCHEN LUNCH
Recently voted again “Best Mediterranean” by
multiple publications, Mediterranean Grill is the
place in Atlanta for authentic Mediterranean food.
For more than a decade their loyal customers have
continued to flock to this family/chef-owned and
operated restaurant. Here you will find regional
dishes like gyros, falafel and kabob sandwiches.
They have a great Business Lunch Special offering
Shish kabob, Kufta kabab & Gyro slices w/rice
pilaf, salad, pita and drink ($6.90). Mediterranean
Grill has tasty sandwiches including: Gyro, Kufta
Kabob, Chicken Kabob, Falafel and a Grilled
Vegetable sandwich. All sandwiches are just $5.20
and entrees start at $8.00.
Bhojanic
1363 Clairmont Rd, Decatur
404.633.9233 www.bhojanic.com
SPECIAL
$4.99
(Brookhaven Location)
ORIGINAL AWARD WINNING CHEF
1998-2011 Best Chinese by Creative Loafing | "Mouthwatering Chin Chin spices things up." – AJC
Best Chinese – Atlanta Jewish Times | 2 1/2 Stars – Knife & Fork
3887 PEACHTREE RD • 404-816-2229 1100 Hammond Drive • 770-913-0266
Sandy Springs
BUCKHEAD/BROOKHAVEN
617 Johnson Ferry Rd • 678-560-5550
East Cobb
1715 Howell Mill Rd • 404-609-5618
Atlanta
699 Ponce de Leon • 404-881-1511
Midtown
270 Rucker Rd. • 770-569-9883
Alpharetta
DELIVERY (LIMITED AREA; MIN $10)
CARRY OUT • CATERING • FULL BAR SERVICE
WWW.CHINCHINATLANTA.COM
Panchos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina is hugely
popular for both lunch and dinner. Their Lunch
Specials start at just $4.99. There are also a variety
of combination dinners offered for just $9.95.
Other favorites on Pancho’s dinner menu include
the Quesadilla Dinner: choice of grilled steak,
chicken, or spinach in a flour tortilla with cheese
sauce and served w/ rice & refried beans ($11.50).
The Steak Burrito Dinner: Flour tortilla stuffed w/
grilled steak and topped w/ pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream ($11.95). Pancho’s has also
added a new line-up of shrimp dishes to their
menu. Come in on Saturday and Sunday for a shot
of 1800 Silver and pint of domestic for $5. Wow!
Bhojanic is a family owned traditional homestyle
Indian restaurant. The menu is predominantly
North Indian with some fusion additions. Find
innovative cocktails, craft beer and a thoughtful
wine selection. Two doors down is Bhojan Market
with carries your favorite bhojanic food items to
go as well gifts from around the world. Bhojanic
offers full service catering for weddings and corporate events as well as DIY catering for smaller
gatherings. Tiffins (Stackable food container) are
sold at the market and they provide hot food for
the family without the work. Bhojanic offers live
music every Wednesday night at 9 p.m. You never
know who will show up to sit in!
Grant Park 563 Memorial Dr. 404.688.4238
Emory 1556 N. Decatur Rd. 404.378.8188
Morningside 1424 N. Highland Ave.
404.888.0777 www.doccheys.com
3131 Cobb Pkwy 770.612.3311
1142 Barrett Pkwy 770.919.9612
www.copelandsatlanta.com
Doc Chey’s Noodle House
Doc Chey's is the original pan-Asian noodle
house in Atlanta. Enjoy an affordable menu of
freshly wok'd stirfries, heaping noodle bowls and
handmade dim sum, all at a price that won't put a
dent in your piggy bank. Founded on the principal
of serving a "Beer & a Bowl for 10 Bucks", Doc
Chey's generous noodle bowls are an excellent
value and likely to send you home with lunch for
tomorrow. Pick up one of their free Karma Cards
to get a free birthday entrée & other freebees
throughout the year. Doc Chey's was voted Best
Noodle Bowl by INsite readers for 7 years in a row
and Best Carryout for 3 years.
Athens Pizza House
1341 Clairmont Rd. Decatur
404.636.1100 www.AthensPizzaAtlanta.com
Since 1977, the Papadopoulos family has been
serving up great Greek and Italian cuisine to the
Emory / Decatur area. Athens Pizza is Zagat rated
Healthy Vegetarian Items Always Available
Best
Inexpensive
Restaurant
Copeland’s
Copeland’s offers an Express Lunch with 8 Menu
Items for $7.99 Monday thru Friday from 11 am to
4 pm. Visit either of their two metro location on
Wednesdays and receive any of the Prime Steaks
on their menu for just $19.99. Pair it with any bottle of your favorite wine at half price. Every Friday
from 6pm until 9pm enjoy $5 Martinis & $6 appetizers while listening to live music! Don’t miss
Copeland’s New Orleans Jazzy Brunch Buffet featuring live jazz from 10am - 3pm. The buffet is
among the grandest in Atlanta and is only $19.99
per person.
The Flying Biscuit
1655 McLendon Ave 404.687.8888
1001 Piedmont Ave. 404.874.8887
Catering Hotline 404.849.2283
www.flyingbiscuit.com
The Flying Biscuit serves
great breakfast, lunch and
dinner 7 days a week. One
of Atlanta's home grown
gems, they are best known
for their mouth watering
biscuits and original affordable menu items. The
Midtown and Candler Park
locations are offering a new
dinner menu. The Steak &
continues on page 11
eatsonponce.net • now accepting Visa & Mastercard
FEBRUARY SPECIALS
www.baldinos.us
MONDAY – Baldinos Extra Special (#7)
TUESDAY – Like it Hot? Grilled & Toasted The HOT Italian
WEDNESDAY – Ham it Up - (#5) Boiled Ham & Cheese w/ soup or side
THURSDAY – “Check Out Our New Chicken Breast” – Try our #21
FRIDAY – Meatless Combo - Tuna (#10) or Veg Stir Fry (#27) w/ side
SATURDAY – Steak Out- A-Steak Sub Your Choice (#11,13, or 19)
SUNDAY – American Special - (#14) w/ choice of soup or side
Marietta 80 Powers Ferry Rd
770-321-1177 (closed Sundays)
$3.49
All Day!
Doraville 5697 Buford Hwy.
770-455-8570
VOTED BEST SUBS IN ATLANTA
TV
WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
Lisa Kudrow Talks about the Second Season of the Hit TV Show
BY JENNI WILLIAMS
I
T’S OFTEN ASKED WITH A
bit of an attitude, and if you know
Lisa Kudrow at all, then you can
probably hear her say it with just that—
except followed by a slight guffaw or
giggle tagged onto the end. In reality,
her play on the popular catch phrase has
roots that run a little deeper. Returning
to the air on February 3rd, Who Do You
Think You Are dives into another round
of 12 celebrity family trees including
Martin Sheen, Blair Underwood, Reba
McIntyre, Rashida Jones and more.
Digging up the good, the bad and the
unexpected, Kudrow hosts an inspiring
series of heartfelt journeys through the
heritage of men and women we, as a
country, love and admire.
Insite got the chance to sit down with
Kudrow again to see what her new season
is all about…from the issues underneath
the journey, to coping with bad news and
how this process is helping our society
grow as a whole.
What do you think are some of the
biggest improvements in the series over
the three years that it’s been on? What’s
different now?
Well, the first improvement came after
the first season when we didn’t have the
music video montage. That, to me, was
a great improvement, because then we
could have more time to actually tell a
story and maybe get into more history.
I know in Helen Hunt’s episode, I think
that helped tremendously and really
just helps you get invested in the people
that we’re looking at because we can see
what was going on at the time and how
it motivated what they did. You feel like
you kind of understand them.
The season starts off with Martin
Sheen in Spain. Can you give us a little
information on what he finds out there?
Sure. The first segment in Spain, he’s
finding out more than he ever knew
about his uncle, his father’s brother,
who was the only one of the Estevez
siblings in Spain who didn’t leave the
country. And he was actually stuck there,
he got caught up in Franco’s coup and
actually tried to put it down. He was
imprisoned many times for that. And
it’s also something that Martin really
related to because, you know, he’s an
activist, he’s been in jail, he’s been jailed
a couple times for that and he could
absolutely relate to and be proud of
families who sacrificed for their beliefs in
social justice.
You’ve run into celebrities coming across
bad news on the show—how do you
approach that situation?
Most people go into it understanding
that there’s not a formal conversation.
.
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I HOPE WHAT THEY
TAKE AWAY FROM THE
SHOW IS THAT, YOU
KNOW, THAT WE’RE
PRETTY STRONG
AS HUMAN BEINGS.
THOSE OF US THAT
ARE HERE, IT’S LIKE
ALMOST A MIRACLE
THAT WE ARE HERE.
AND THE ONLY
REASON WE’RE HERE
IS BECAUSE WE COME
FROM STRONG STOCK.
Most of them feel like they just want
information—whatever it is. And they
already understand that if somewhere in
their ancestry there were some unsavory
people or they did bad things then, you
know, that’s not who they are. And you
can just focus on how the family turned
itself around.
And how do you handle when you don’t
find answers at all, right away? Good or
bad? What do you tell people that get
frustrated with the never ending search?
You know, there doesn’t have to ever be
an end. That’s what makes it such a great
hobby. I think there’s always research you
can do on different branches, different
cousins and so on. And then also it’s not
just names and dates. When you start
looking at where they were living, what
was happening there at that time, you
start looking at historical documents,
and then you can maybe draw some
conclusions or guesses about what was
motivating some of their choices in life.
More and more people are doing DNA
research and research on their medical
history in terms of their family trees.
Are we going to see any of that on Season
3?
No. It hasn’t come up as something
that we’ll be looking into. For Blair
Underwood’s episode, there have been
a lot of improvements in what you can
find out, so he submitted a DNA sample
that would track his Y chromosome.
The Underwood’s line. And there are a
lot of samples that have been gathered
in Africa so that they could hone in
on the closest matches and give them
a better indication of where they’re
from, something more precise. And it’s
pretty precise.
We’ve seen a bigger focus this season on
immigrant ancestry. Why is genealogy
important to the immigrant experience?
It’s important because so much gets
lost, you know? And in a lot of cultures,
maybe it’s just a human thing that there
aren’t a lot of stories passed down if there
was tragedy and a lot of difficulty and
in order to keep moving forward and
coping, you’d rather not dwell on those
periods of hardship and victimhood.
Otherwise it’s hard to press on.
So are most people generally interested
in the culture that they came from or
is it one or two individuals that they’re
actually wanting to look into and then
they find out all the other information?
It’s a mixture. You know, everyone
has something different that they
want to know about. Sometimes it’s a
specific story that got handed down and
they want to know if that’s true. And
sometimes it’s very general because
they don’t know anything. So it’s just
very different.
Anything exciting you can tease us with
for the upcoming season?
I think I know the most about Rob
Lowe. That’s going to start shooting
very soon, if it hasn’t already. That’s an
unbelievable story. And Marisa Tomei,
you know, she’s looking at a - her grandher great grandfather- the story was
that he was killed by a jealous lover and
that he was a philanderer, so that’s just
how they always saw him. And she goes
and investigates and finds out that it’s
a different story and people didn’t have
to be even a little ashamed. I can’t talk
about them more than that because none
of them have shot. They don’t know
what’s coming.
So it’s going to be all a surprise.
Yes, yes. It’s always a surprise until
they, you know, actually shoot it.
We were wondering what you hope
viewers take away from watching
the show.
I hope what they take away from
the show is that, you know, that we’re
pretty strong as human beings. Those
of us that are here, it’s like almost a
miracle that we are here. And the only
reason we’re here is because we come
from strong stock. You know, so I
think that should give us all a feeling
of inspiration and strength that we can
draw from that. Because it’s not easy to
survive this planet.
continued from page 9
Shrimp Special is a Flat-Iron Steak is served with
Shrimp and garlic butter on a bed of brown rice w/
green beans, salad & fluffy flying biscuit for $16.99.
Enjoy weekend Sweet Specials on a variety of pancakes including chocolate chip, blueberry and
more. The Flying Biscuit Café offers an organic
friendly menu and bakery. And don't forget, Kids
Eat Free Monday thru Thursday from 4-7pm.
Landmark Diner
3652 Roswell Rd. 404.816.9090
Multiple locations at LandmarkDiner.com
Atlanta’s favorite diner offers great meals at
affordable prices at all hours of the day. For breakfast they offer a variety of omelettes for $9.99. Try
the Florentine with spinach and feta or the Greek
with gyro meat, feta and tomato. You can also get
French Toast and Golden Pancakes for just $5.99.
For lunch try one of their many sandwiches ranging from $5.49 to $9.49. You will find everything
from Sliced Turkey, to Egg Salad to the BLT. You
can also find several large burgers served “all the
way” for under $10. For dinner they offer all types
of options at affordable prices. Try seafood dishes:
Blackened Florida Grouper and Jumbo Shrimp
Scampi; Italian dishes: Veal Parmigiana and Baked
Lasagna; Greek dishes: Spanakopita and Rack of
Lamb. Landmark is currently offering a great dinner special: Two Dinners, Two Appetizers and Two
Desserts for just $19!
Osteria 832 Pasta & Pizza
832 N. Highland Ave. 404.897.1414
www.osteria832.com
Osteria serves delicious rustic Italian fare
at humble prices in the
heart of the charming
Virginia Highland
neighborhood of
Atlanta. The menu features thin-crust artisan
pizzas, made-fromscratch pasta sauces,
with plenty of options
under 10 bucks. Osteria is open for dinner 7
nights a week, and the weekend brunch is becoming increasingly popular with diners who are craving savory brunch favorites without the expensive
price tag. Try the freshly-baked French Toast with
nutella, bananas and genuine Vermont maple
syrup. Grab a Karma Card to get in on special
deals throughout the year, also valid at Doc Chey's
Noodle House. Win gift cards at trivia every
Monday night at 8pm.
Fritti
309 N. Highland Ave. 404.880.9559
www.frittirestaurant.com
Located in the heart
of Inman Park, Fritti is
nationally recognized
for their pizza and state
of the art brick oven.
For lunch, Fritti offers a
variety of Anti-pasta
dishes for $10 or less
including offerings of
Portobello mushrooms,
fresh calamari, and
Sicilian risotto and
Bruschetta. For Dinner,
many of the lunch items are offered along with
other dishes. One Anti-pasta to try is the Bresaola
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radish and lemon); $10. They also offer a great
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Rucola (Smoked prosciutto, smoked mozzarella,
cherry tomatoes and arugula) $14.
Mezza
2751 Lavista Rd. Decatur 404.633.8833
www.mezzabistro.com
Mezza is similar
to tapas where all
menu items are
served in small portions allowing diners to sample and
share. There are a
wide assortment of
vegeterian dishes
for $6.50 each, soups and salads are $5.99, nonvegetarian mezza is $6.99 and baked mezza is
$5.99. Mezza is Zagat rated and one of Atlanta
Magazine's "Top 100 Restaurants". A variety of
more than 60 menu items ranging from the traditional dishes such as hummus, falafel, tabbouleh,
kebabs and legs of lamb are available.
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FILM
2012 ACADEMY AWARD PREDICTIONS:
‘ARTIST’ry Will Prevail!
BY STEVE WARREN
N
OT UNEXPECTEDLY, THE
nominations for the 84th Academy
Awards pay tribute to America (FU,
Golden Globes!) and movie history. Topping the
list are a French salute to American silent films
(filmed in L.A.) and an American tribute to the
industry’s origins in France (filmed in France and
England).
As the young Turks of the ‘70s become the
old guard of today, arguably too much love is
shown to Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg,
while Woody Allen is honored for his biggest
boxoffice hit. The generation behind them is well
represented by pals George Clooney and Brad Pitt
being nominated in multiple categories.
BEST PICTURE
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
“The Help”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“Moneyball”
“The Tree of Life”
“War Horse”
WILL WIN: The Artist
SHOULD WIN: Anything but Extremely Loud
& Incredibly Close
For me this was the year without a best picture.
There was a lot of respectable work but nothing
to stand up and cheer for. I alphabetized my Ten
Best list, although when I had to vote for one I
went with The Descendants, which would barely
have made the list in a better year. Other than
reading tea leaves the awards from the various
guilds are the best predictors of Oscar success.
The Artist has won more awards than anything
else this season, including the Producers Guild,
and will probably repeat at the Oscars. With
11 nominations, Hugo could win one or two
in technical categories but is generally looking
like this year’s True Grit, which last year went
0-for-10. The nominees aren’t popular favorites.
The Help is the only one of the nine that has
made over $100 million at the domestic (no pun
intended) boxoffice, where nine of the top ten
were sequels. That doesn’t bode well for the
telecast’s ratings.
BEST DIRECTOR
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”
WILL/SHOULD WIN: Michel Hazanavicius
DARK HORSE: Alexander Payne
Payne did his usual fine work but Hazanavicius
did something unusual, rolling the dice and
winning big. After being crowned by the
Directors Guild he’s probably already making
title cards to go with a mimed Oscar acceptance
speech. Malick had his usual polarizing effect
and the Academy is showing respect to Allen and
Scorsese with their nominations. No need to go
overboard. Deserving David Fincher (The Girl
with the Dragon Tattoo) and Nicolas Winding
Refn (Drive) didn’t make the cut.
BEST ACTOR
Demián Bichir, “A Better Life”
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Gary Oldman, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”
WILL WIN: Jean Dujardin
SHOULD WIN: Brad Pitt
DARK HORSES: Brad Clooney and
George Pitt
Besides being good friends, Pitt and Clooney
have both managed to overcome the curse of
good looks to earn respect as actors, producers
and, in Clooney’s case, writer and director.
Both gave career-best performances this year
and voters could just flip a coin to choose, or
give it to Pitt because Clooney already has
an Oscar, albeit for supporting, and has been
nominated in five categories in six years. But the
Screen Actors Guild win on top of the (usually
meaningless) Golden Globe has made Dujardin
the definite frontrunner.
BEST ACTRESS
Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Rooney Mara, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn”
WILL WIN: Viola Davis
SHOULD WIN: Meryl Streep
The Academy should have started
engraving her Oscar the day it was
announced that Streep would play
Margaret Thatcher. It’s been 29 years
and 13 nominations since the last win for
the greatest actress of her generation, always
with the justification that she’ll be back next
year with something just as good. But Davis,
who was certainly wonderful in The Help,
has gained momentum in recent weeks,
especially with the SAG award, and the fact
that everything but Streep was lousy about
The Iron Lady hasn’t helped. Also the
Weinsteins, besides being focused
on The Artist, have to divide their
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considerable clout between Streep and Williams
in this category. The Academy showed its proAmerican bias in nominating Rooney Mara for
carbon-copying Swedish Noomi Rapace, over
Scottish Tilda Swinton, who is brilliant in We
Need to Talk about Kevin.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week with Marilyn”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Max von Sydow, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly
Close”
WILL/SHOULD WIN: Christopher Plummer
DARK HORSE: Max von Sydow
The best actors born in 1929 are going head-tohead in the Battle of the Overdue Geezers, with
Plummer’s second nomination and von Sydow’s
first. The latter, who should have had a lifetime
achievement award decades ago, is the best thing
about the movie he’s in but his role is smaller and
less complex than that of Plummer, who has won
all the awards that matter this season. Besides,
giving it to a Canadian will show the Academy
isn’t really xenophobic. In the secondary battle
of comics turning serious, as much as I loved
Drive I was glad to see Jonah Hill nominated over
Albert Brooks.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Bérénice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”
WILL/SHOULD WIN: Octavia Spencer
Barring a total sweep by The Artist, Spencer
will continue her personal award sweep. She
was awesome, standing out in the ensemble
cast of The Help. McTeer and McCarthy totally
stole their movies from the leads but Spencer
managed to excel while remaining a team
player.
BEST DOCUMENTARY
FEATURE
“Hell and Back Again”
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth
Liberation Front”
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”
“Pina”
“Undefeated”
WILL WIN: Pina
SHOULD WIN: Doesn’t matter – it wasn’t
nominated
If you’ve been following the Award
Season news you’ve seen certain titles
pop up repeatedly in the documentary
category: Project Nim, Senna, Buck, Pina, Bill
Cunningham: New York, We Were Here and
two by Werner Herzog, The Cave of Forgotten
Dreams and Into the Abyss. As only one of these
overlaps with the Academy’s weak list, Wim
Wenders’ Pina is the predictable winner in this
unpredictable category. It could be hurt by being
a tribute to a late choreographer, not about an
issue – returning veterans, ecology, justice or
inner city underdogs; but if the voters can’t pick
one issue the non-issue film could win. The
Academy has already changed the nominating
rules for next year – only films reviewed by the
NY or LA Times will be eligible – so the nominees
may be more familiar then.
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“A Cat in Paris”
“Chico & Rita”
“Kung Fu Panda 2”
“Puss in Boots”
“Rango”
WILL/SHOULD WIN: Rango
Rango, a hilarious spoof of spaghetti westerns
with Johnny Depp voicing the reptilian hero, won
just about every award in this category until the
Golden Globes and Producers Guild, where it lost
to The Adventures of Tintin. Since the Academy
didn’t nominate that one – apparently they don’t
know what to make of motion capture; Rise of the
Planet of the Apes is nominated for Best Visual
Effects, not for Andy Serkis’ performance – and
Pixar isn’t in the running for Cars 2, Rango will
blow in like a tumbleweed and blow out with
an Oscar.
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FILM
FILM
TRUMP
Movie Reviews
CARD
ALBERT NOBBS (R)

To the subgenre of movies with actresses
playing women masquerading as men – Barbra
Streisand in Yentl, Julie Andrews in Victor/
Victoria, Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare
in Love, etc. – add Glenn Close in Albert
Nobbs. It’s a role Close played on stage 30 years
ago and has been trying to bring to the screen
for almost as long. Set in Ireland in the 1890s,
the story may appeal to Downton Abbey fans,
dealing as it does with the wealthy guests and
humble staff of a Dublin hotel. Albert (Close)
began dressing in male attire as an orphaned
teenager because there were no jobs for
girls.
By
B. Either
Lovethe work situation never improved
or she got used to being a man at the cost of
one
any kinds of
sex of
life,AmericA’s
because she’smost
still doing it
successful
high profile
after some
30 yearsand
(forcing
Close businessto play 20
years younger
than her
real age).
When
she
men, Donald
trump
was well
known
meets
Hubert
(Janetproducer
McTeer),mark
a fellow
crosslong
before
survivor
Burnett
dresser,him
Albert
getsina the
glimpse
of how life
tapped
to star
Apprentice.
Butcould
be: married
to a that
woman
and running
there’s
no denying
the reality
show “his”
own business.
Albert
tries to make
it work by
turned
trump from
a cartoonish
curiosity
dating a young maid (Mia Wasikowska), whose
into
a bona(Aaron
fide phenomenon,
withthe
hissituation
signaboyfriend
Johnson) thinks
ture
catchphrase–
“You’re to
fired!”–
inextricamight
finance his passage
America.
Despite
bly
the pop
thisentering
being Close’s
petculture
project,lexicon.
she’s not only too
Although
initially
flounold
but alsothe
tooApprentice
slight for the
role. One
scene
dered
bit inincapable
the ratings,
and trump
showsa she’s
of theBurnett
heavy lifting
the job
would require.
the other
hand, is
stumbled
upon a McTeer,
winningon
formula
by recruitmore
believable,
both as a woman
a man.
ing
secondand third-tier
actors, and
athletes,
–Steve
Warren
models and musicians for a celebrity
edition
superhero development is fun, even though
you’ve seen most of it in trailers already. It all
kinda feels like scenes from Spider-Man. But
as their powers grow stronger, and Andrew
gets spookier, things feel more X-Men: The
Last Stand. Not a compliment. When snazzy
visual effects lose their cool factor because
of drab dialogue and ditzy decision-making,
not even a catastrophic battle in downtown
Seattle can save the day. Indirectly, Chronicle
asks the viewer, “What would you do if you
had superpowers?” The mildly pleasing fantasy
provides three answers. Not a one of them we’d
want to see in a sequel.
–DeMarco Williams
The Donald Waxes Rhapsodic
On The Celebrity Apprentice,
“You’re Fired!” & Fixing NBC
A
of the show. now in its third incarnation,
CHARLOTTE
RAMPLING:tosses
THE LOOK
(N/R)
the
celebrity Apprentice
disparate

stars
such as rocker Bret michaels, wrestler
Goldberg,
legendputs
Darrylthe
strawberry,
Charlotte baseball
Rampling
sex in
former
governor
ronand
Blagojevich
and sharon
“sexagenarian.
” She
Helen Mirren
seem to
have beentogether
competing
who of
could
do more
osbourne
fortoa see
variety
teamnude scenes
in middle
age and beyond.
building
exercises
and challenges
designed The
to
Look
is business
not a traditional
test
their
mettle. biography, but a
collection
of ”Rampling’s
ramblingsreal
on nine
“the Donald,
as the crazy-coiffed
topics:magnate
Exposure,
Age,
Beauty,
Resonance,
estate
if often
known,
recently
held
Taboo, Desire, Demons, Death and Love. Each
court
with
reporters
to
discuss
the
show’s
segment features clips from one of the nearly
current
season.
100 films
she’s appeared in, from Georgy Girl
(1966) through Heading South (2005); and
Can
you
us a littlea bit
while
shetell
soliloquizes
lot, about
all but the
oneselecsegment
tion
alsoprocess?
have her in conversation with someone
(hence
subtitle, Abecause
Self Portrait
it’s verythe
interesting,
so manythrough
Others). want
Her partners
include
celebrities
to be on the
shownovelist
after thePaul
Auster,ofpoet
Fredericktwo
Seidel,
photographer
success
the previous
seasons.
We
Peter Lindbergh
and Rampling’s
son,
director
wanted
some athletes,
some actors,
some
Barnaby
Southcombe,
who
was
preparing
models and some wrestlers, so i would say to
direct her in a film at the time. Sometimes their
probably
seven people
spot we and
identitiessixareorrevealed
in theper
discussions
were
turningnot,
down.
the hardest
thing decision
is that
sometimes
a terribly
annoying
we
really
have
some
good
people
that
want
on the part of director Angelina Maccarone,
towho
go ondoesn’t
very badly.
i guess maybe
alwaysButidentify
the filmwe’ll
clips
save
them
for the next
because
looks
either.
Rampling
givesshow,
both too
muchitand
too
littlethat’s
information
herself but occasionally
like
going toabout
happen.
strikes a nerve. I loved her definition of love
as “shared
aloneness.
” to
If be
you’re
still asking
How
is this season
going
different
than
“Charlotte
Who?”
this
film
isn’t
for
you, and
past seasons?
even
fansyou
may
geta more
of like
her than
Well,her
when
have
success
we’vethey
wanted.
had, you don’t like to do too many–Steve
changes.
Warren
What we do have is a different tone. the cast
has
been very (PG-13)
interesting: they’ve been very
CHRONICLE
tough and very nasty, but there’s also a lot of

fun and humor with respect to what happens,
Andrew
(Dane
DeHaan)
a loner.
Hisone.
mother
which
i don’t
think
we hadis in
the last
is
deathly
ill.
His
father
is
an
abusive
drunk.
With Joan [rivers] and with Piers [morgan],In
first 10people
minutes,
in hating
fact, Andrew’s
itthe
wasmovie’s
really nasty
really
each
assaulted three times by three different people.
other.
these
people
hate
each
other,
but
Life sucks for the kid. But he does have it’s
Matt
also
funny.
i think
be the
biggest
(Alex
Russell),
histhat
coolmight
cousin.
Matt
invites
differentiation
in terms
the three
casts. has
Andrew to a party,
withof one
caveat—cuz
to leave the creepy video camera at home. He
Can
you Anyways,
usually tell
the bat
is
doesn’t.
theright
two ofoffthem,
andwho
another
pal, Steve
going
to do (Michael
well and B.
whoJordan),
isn’t? stumble upon
this
holealways
in thethewoods
the quesrave. Like
that’s
most behind
interesting
any to18-year-old
without
care,
theyofgomyself
in and
tion
me because
i’d likea to
think
to see.
Just know
that
asfind…well,
being okayyou’ll
with have
people.
But often
i’ll say,
“it”
changes
them
to
mini
Magnetos,
capable
“this one is going to be a star,” and then he
of doing some unbelievable stuff with mere
turns
out toWatching
be a dud.the
Youteens
neverchronicle
really know.
thought.
their
You feel like you’ve known these celebrities
through
reading(R)
about them for so many
CONTRABAND
years,
but
a
lot
of
times somebody that you

don’t think of so highly turns out to be a star.
MarkjustWahlberg
doesn’t
make with
the old
You
don’t know
whatexactly
will happen
“one
last
job
before
going
straight”
plot
seem
pressure and the heat of battle.
new again in Contraband, but he makes it
work well enough. This remake of the 2008
What
does thriller
a celebrity
have to do to reallywas
Icelandic
Reykjavik-Rotterdam
set
themselves
thatKormákur,
they’re
directed
by thatapart
film’sand
star,show
Baltasar
in
it to
win it?
who
moved
the locations to Panama City-New
i can tell Chris
you from
seasons
and 2 and(Ben
Orleans.
(Wahlberg)
and1 Sebastian
Foster)
onceApprentice,
“the Lennonpeople
and McCartney
from
thewere
regular
really
of smugglers.
” Now
Chris
wife (Kate
want
to win. every
once
in a has
whilea you’ll
Beckinsale),
two
and a screw-up
brotherhave
a quitter,
butkids
it doesn’t
happen often.
in-law,
Andy
(Caleb
Landry
Jones),
who
i think the reason they do it is the levelhasofbad
luck on a run
him charity.
$700,000Unlike
in debt to
intensity
theythat
feelleaves
for their
crazy Briggs
(Giovanni
Ribisi, overacting).
To
the
Apprentice,
wherebeing
somebody
keepregular
his whole
family from
killed (and
works
forheme
for athe
pretty
good salary
a
because
misses
excitement),
Chrisforagrees
year,
with
thisrun
onetothe
money
goesdebt.
to charto one
more
settle
Andy’s
There
ity.
we raised
of dollars.
are Last
the year
obvious
bad millions
guys and
expected
everybody
has plus,
a charity
that they love;
some
complications
as expected,
unexpected
badfoundations
guys and complications.
There are also
are
they’ve set up themselves
more in
split-second
thanso
youi think
can shake
years
advance ofescapes
the show.
theya
manifest
at,
amid
the
action,
violence
and
family
really fight more intense because it’s a charvalues.
There’s
nothing
ity
they’re
fighting
for. original here but if you
enjoyed it before you should enjoy it again.
–Steve Warren
What are your favorite challenges to watch
the celebrities tackle?
DECLARATION
OF WAR (N/R)
Well, we do have a lot of different challeng
es, whether we go back to the selling of the
Every parent’s
nightmare
becomes
everybasic
film
lemonade
or doing
something
else very
lover’s
dream
in
Declaration
of
War,
a
semiwithout having to deal with Proctor & Gamautobiographical
by Valérie
Donzelli and
ble
or Kodak, etc.film
sometimes
[sponsor-based
Jérémie
Elkaïm
about
their
young
son’sthey’re
battle
challenges] are sort of interesting, but
with cancer. It was France’s submission for this
expensive
for but
us to
do. the
ratings suggest
year’s Oscars
didn’t
get nominated.
Roméo
that
the fans’
favorite
of the(Donzelli)
show by and
Benaïm
(Elkaïm)
meetspart
Juliette
far
is the
boardroom,
and the(cue
boardroom
after
a whirlwind
courtship
the montage)
has
gotten
longer over
the years because
of
Adam
is born.
A pediatrician
helps them
that.
stillbut
haveafter
plenty
time
adjustthetochallenges
parenthood,
18 ofmonths
Adam
exhibits
worrisome
andwe
turns
and
we’re
focused
on bothsymptoms
aspects, but
out to
have
a brain
tumor, the
which
proves to
have
been
trying
to lengthen
boardroom
be malignant.
(Spoiler
I don’t usually
because
of strong
vieweralert!)
requests.
reveal an ending but I don’t think anyone would
want tolike
seea Declaration
War if they
You’re
prosecutingofattorney
in thedidn’t
know it would end on a hopeful note. What’s
boardroom.
Do you
metereight-year-old
your approach
to
truly wonderful
is that
Adam
different
personalities?
is played in the epilogue by Donzelli and
Yes, i think
with different
Elkaïm’s
own you
son,deal
Gabriel.
Director people
Donzelli
differently.
deal withand
Goldberg
differently to
uses music,i comedy
other distractions
than
dealfilm
withfrom
Governor
i
keepi the
being Blagojevich.
unbearably intense
and melodramatic.
A sceneand
in Joan
whichrivers
Roméo
dealt
with Dennis rodman
and Juliettethan
verbalize
is oddly
differently
some their
of theworst
otherfears
conteshilarious,
one
of
many
pleasant
surprises
that
tants. You have to have that ability.
catch you off guard, no matter how much you
thinkdo
youyou
know
War going
How
feelabout
goingDeclaration
back in theofboardin. It’s hardly more of a “cancer movie” than
room
after isa alittle
hiatus?
Moneyball
“baseball
movie.”
i just get a great kick out of it. i–Steve
reallyWarren
like
it a lot. they want to renew it for another
two
or threeLOUD
seasons,
and we’reCLOSE
thinking
EXTREMELY
& INCREDIBLY
(PG-13)
about
that.
i
like
having
a
little
bit
of a break

between shows, where it goes on once a year.
No event is so tragic it can’t be made worse by
hack
writers
exploiting
it in retrospect.
EL&IC
Do
you
ever feel
bad about
firing someone,
does that with 9/11, using it as the catalyst
or
just part of the
job? that’s too rooted
foris ait manipulative
drama
bad…anything
no, not but
always.
someini always
reality feel
to seem
absurd
when
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THE GREY
prepubescent son Oskar (Thomas Horn) to run gore. The screenplay isn’t up to the film’s other
around New York City’s five boroughs talking elements but serves as the frame in which to
to strangers? Even if it’s a ploy to help the hang a suspenseful drama.
lad overcome his shyness, it’s so fraught with
–Steve Warren
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–Steve
Warren
dren. everybody’s been asking about ivanka
champion. But he understood that he made
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to very
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the
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ture
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plane with laborers who are going to Anchorage a triathlon than a performance, but it makes
you know,
he’s new
When
[producer]
mark Burnett
and i agreed
an action
star.to the role. i think he’s
for R&R,
and it crashes.
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or need more shows like the Apprentice. not
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a reality standpoint, but
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be
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watch. nBc is going to really do well. i know
film
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and director
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VIDIOTS
UPCOMING DVD RELEASES
AND REVIEWS
BY B. LOVE & JOHN B. MOORE
BOARDWALK EMPIRE:
THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON
All that hand-wringing about filling The
Sopranos void is over. Created
by Terrence Winter (a former
writer/producer on The
Sopranos) and starring Steve
Bushemi (a Sopranos alum),
the show is set in Atlantic
City shortly after Prohibition
outlaws alcohol throughout the
country. Buscemi plays Enoch
“Nucky” Thompson, Atlantic
City’s treasurer/bootlegger/
criminal mastermind. In one
of his best roles, Buscemi plays
Nucky as an extremely likeable
kingpin/womanizer who’s far more nuanced
than Tony Soprano. As if this pedigree weren’t
enough, Martin Scorsese executive produces
and directed the first episode.
THE COMIC STRIP PRESENTS:
THE COMPLETE COLLECTION
Unless you’re a devout BBC addict, chances
are you’ve never even heard of this expansive
anthology of British humor filmed between 1982
and 2000. But fans of Britcoms such The Young
Ones and Absolutely Fabulous will want to take
note, as the set features comedy legends such
as Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Rik Mayall,
Nigel Planer and Robbie Coltrane. Though not
quite “complete”– their 2005 and 2011 specials
are missing– the set includes 9 DVDs spanning
18 years from some of the UK’s best. Extras
include a retrospective, documentary specials
and more.
the U.K. but now lives in a London fog in an
apartment she shares with her late husband,
Denis (Jim Broadbent). From here there are
flashbacks to highlights of Thatcher’s personal
life and career, following a checklist rather
than any sort of dramatic arc. At the time of
their marriage in 1951, shortly after losing her
first run for Parliament, Margaret is played by
Alexandra Roach, a perfect match for Streep,
while Harry Lloyd (Denis) looks more likely to
age into Gary Oldman than Broadbent. Elected
to Parliament in 1959, she goes through a
makeover intended to remind Academy voters
of The King’s Speech, serves as prime minister
from 1979 to 1990, and so on. The film tries
so hard to be objective about one of the most
controversial figures of the 20th century that it
has upset people at both ends of the political
spectrum. ***
–Steve Warren
JOYFUL NOISE (PG-13)

This musical film follows a small-town church
choir that wants to win a national gospel
competition. When the director dies, the choir is
given a choice: continue performing the same old
way, or try a more contemporary kind of gospel.
Queen Latifah plays Vi Rose, the assistant director
who’s passed over for the directorship. She’s a
single mom raising two kids– son Walter, who
suffers from Asperger Syndrome, and daughter
Olivia, a beautiful, talented teen ready to escape
from her protective mom. GG Sparrow (Dolly
Parton) is the director’s widow, who pushes to
update the choir’s repertoire. Lastly comes Randy,
GG’s grandson, an incredible talent and relentless
suitor of the rebellious Olivia. The story is simple,
but the relationships between the characters make
the movie, particularly the one between Vi Rose
and Olivia. The soundtrack is rousing, if a bit
cheesy, and occasionally touching. Though not a
“church film”– there is some choice language– it
conveys multiple messages and a moral. Part Glee,
part drama, part sitcom, the film does a better job
of storytelling than I had expected.
–Justin Patterson
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD 50TH ANNIVERSARY
EDITION COLLECTOR’S SERIES
The 1962 film version of Harper Lee’s classic
novel has withstood the test of time as one of
Hollywood’s finest literary adaptations. Now
Universal is releasing it on Blu-Ray in honor of its
50th anniversary, adding a book and digital copy
to sweeten the deal. Gregory Peck’s performance
as Atticus Finch remains as definitive as ever,
Robert Duvall shines as Boo Radley, and Elmer
Bernstein’s score in unforgettable. If you’ve never
seen them before, the extras are
revelatory, including interviews with
producer Alan J. Pakula as well as
the now grown-up kids who played
Scout and Jim.
PORTLANDIA: SEASON ONE
Two things become clear within
the first few minutes of this indie
hip sketch show: Fred Armisen is far
more funny than his gig on Saturday
Night Live allows him to be and
Carrie Brownstein, his partner on
Portlandia (better known as singer/
guitarist for Sleater-Kinne), is even funnier.
From sketches about nitpicky diners requiring
the pedigree of the local-raised chicken they are
about to eat to a laugh-out-loud skit featuring
Aimee Mann reduced to being a maid for fans of
hers, there is not a single bad episode in the entire
first season.
Swamp People: Season Two- The second season
of this History Channel reality show follows the
lives of several Cajun families who hunt gators in
the Louisiana swamps, and pretty much prove
just how wussy the rest of us are. One scene in
particular, where a son has his mom remove
bullet shrapnel from under his eye and arm using
nothing more than a sewing needle, is enough
to make you shut up about how “stressed out”
you are about your own job. The show does
a commendable job of showing the lifestyles
of these folks on the bayou without any hint
of exploitation.
MAN ON A LEDGE (PG-13)

It’s one thing to release a blockbuster film in the
middle of Oscar season, but it’s a complete blow to
the genre to deliver a mediocre copycat storyline.
Judging this one by its movie poster, you’re
immediately interested in its star-studded cast
of Elizabeth Banks, Sam Worthington, Ed Harris
and Ed Burns. But when you pay close attention
to the trailer, you’ll understand why people are
calling it, “Phone Booth on a Ledge.” You’re beaten
over the head with predictable lines, forced humor
and such a severe clash of good-cop-bad-cop/
guilty-or-innocent morality that you end up not
really caring if he jumps or not. And would the
people of NYC really cheer for someone to end
his life? I’ll never say a bad word about Banks or
Burns, but I can’t help but wonder what they’re
doing in this script. There is a solid twist to the
storyline, and, without offering too much of a
spoiler, I can say it wasn’t 100% predictable. For
the last 30 minutes, I was genuinely interested,
with a thudding heartbeat and edge-of-my-seat
suspense. Unfortunately, the movie had gone on
for an hour at that point, so I can’t be sure how
much of that anxiety was just anticipation for it to
end...
–Jenni Williams
ONE FOR THE MONEY (PG-13)

Why is Katherine Heigl a movie star? An adequate
actress who was fine on Grey’s Anatomy, she hasn’t
made a decent movie since her breakthrough
in Knocked Up. One for the Money, a genderreversed virtual remake of last year’s The Bounty
Hunter, is as generic as its title. It’s based on
the first of Janet Evanovich’s 18-and-counting
Stephanie Plum novels. Stephanie is an older (but
hardly more mature) Nancy Drew who lives in
Trenton among people with exaggerated Jersey
Shore accents (Heigl’s comes and goes). Divorced
and unemployed, Stephanie takes a job as a
bounty hunter/skip tracer/recovery agent for
her bail bondsman cousin. Her first target is Joe
Morelli (Jason O’Mara), a cop who was arrested
for killing a drug dealer while off duty and jumped
bail to prove his innocence. That’s ridiculous on
so many levels, but just an excuse for a lot of killing
and sexual tension. Although she once hit him
with a car and broke his leg, Stephanie is seeking
further revenge because Joe took her virginity in
high school and never called again. There’s also
potential romance with bounty hunter Ranger
(Daniel Sunjata), who trains Stephanie for the job,
but that goes nowhere. One For The Money was
done as a TV movie a decade ago. This version
wouldn’t even pass muster in that medium.
–Steve Warren
RED TAILS (PG-13)

Box Office Mojo says the budget for this historic
tale was just south of $60 million, making it the
costliest film with a mostly black cast since, umm,
we can remember. But before we go some diatribe
about the lack of African American-starred action
pictures, let’s focus on this one spotlighting the
courageous, largely overlooked efforts of the
Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. From the
onset, you see what co-producer George Lucas
and director Anthony Hemingway’s intentions
are—show “Easy” (Nate Parker), “Joker” (Elijah
Kelley), “Junior” (Tristan Wilds) and the other
fighters as heroes fighting Nazis in 1944 Italy,
not soldiers warring against racism. Sure, there
are obvious injustices from the government,
scuffles amongst white American officers and
even one powerful N-word instance, but this
movie’s mission isn’t to make social statements.
The film’s not particularly concerned about a
moving dialogue either. Phrasing is cookie cutter.
Soldiers come off too cool for the turbulent times.
Thankfully, when the pilots take to the air, battles
are fluid, sharp scenes Call of Duty wishes it
had. We just wish we could say that more about
instances on the ground. Overall, we’re just not
sure Red Tails gives Hollywood enough of a battle
plan for making good African American-fueled
action movies in the future.
–DeMarco Williams
A SEPARATION (PG-13)

Easily my favorite foreign film of the past year,
A Separation is a masterpiece of familial drama
from Iranian auteur Asghar Farhadi. At the outset,
Simin is filing for divorce from her husband,
Nader, because he refuses to leave Iran with her
and their teenage daughter, Termeh. But the story
is really about the turmoil of Nader and Termeh’s
lives in her absence, which centers around taking
care of his Alzheimer-afflicted father. When Simin
goes back to live with her parents, Nader hires a
family acquaintance to help care for the elderly
man while he’s at work. But from that point on
things spiral out of control, as the father’s health
takes a turn for the worse, the caretaker mistreats
him due to a secret she’s been hiding, and her
husband proves to be an out-of-control ticking
time bomb. Farhadi wisely lets the dynamic story
unfold naturally and the actors never overplay
their roles, lending the film an oddly appealing
voyeuristic quality. It’s like watching a tragic train
wreck unfold in slow motion, where the only
question isn’t whether or not it will crash, but how
much devastating damage will ultimately be done.
It’s too bad the film is in subtitles Farsi, because
it deserves a much broader audience than it will
inevitably attract.
–B. Love
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (R)

John le Carre wrote some of the best spy novels of
the 20th century, but it’s time to come in from the
Cold War. TTSS became an acclaimed miniseries
in 1979, starring Sir Alec Guinness. Gary Oldman
channels him in this bigscreen version, and while it
may get Oldman his first Oscar nomination, it’s no
match for his work in Sid and Nancy or a number
of other films. Unlike Mission: Impossible, which
has kept up with the times and combines crowdpleasing action with serviceable plots, TTSS is
stubbornly cerebral yet tells its story confusingly
– four characters who turn out to be important
are given no distinguishing characteristics and
flashes of flashbacks are more disorienting than
enlightening. As le Carre’s frequent protagonist
George Smiley, Oldman is forced into retirement
from MI6 with his boss (John Hurt) when a 1973
mission in Hungary goes awry, but is secretly
brought back (Ghost Protocol?) a year later to try
to determine the identity of a mole in the upper
echelon. Though impeccably filmed and acted,
this story of British Intelligence is a challenge
for those of ordinary American intelligence, and
Smiley’s game of whack-a-mole isn’t worth the
effort it takes to follow it.
–Steve Warren
THE WOMAN IN BLACK (PG-13)

A lot of people have been eagerly awaiting this
film, wanting to see Daniel Radcliffe in his first
post-Potter role. He plays Arthur Kipps, an
attorney struggling to keep his position and take
care of his son in the wake of his wife’s death. He’s
sent to Eel Marsh House, a faded manor on the
English coast, to sort through the papers of a
woman whose family is deceased and whose
will cannot be located. The townspeople look
at him with suspicion and fear, but he doesn’t
know why. When he finds himself stuck at the
house overnight, he begins to fear for the town,
his son and his life. This film is an old-fashioned
“things that go bump in the night” kind of horror
film, telling a disturbing story in an unsettling
location and using tried-and-true tricks to play
the audience like a violin. Radcliffe does quite well
with what he’s given: The part was not written with
a lot of depth, but he does a great job of conveying
the desperation and protectiveness that define the
character. Though sometimes predictable, this is a
very entertaining film for those who want to raise
their heart rates.
–Justin Patterson
YOUNG ADULT (R)

Charlize Theron is so much better than Diablo
Cody’s screenplay deserves, I kept thinking
as I watched how terrible Young Adult would
have been if they’d cast, say, Jennifer Aniston
or Katherine Heigl in it. Theron plays Mavis, a
ghost writer of young adult novels who’s on an
emotional par with her readers. She returns to her
Minnesota hometown with the goal of reclaiming
her old boyfriend, Buddy (Patrick Wilson), even
though he has a wife (Elizabeth Reaser) and new
baby. For some reason Matt (Patton Oswalt), who
was invisible to Mavis in high school, becomes
her best friend and confidant. He remains
crippled from an attack 20 years before by some
guys who thought he was gay (he wasn’t), so
Mavis remembers him as “The Hate Crime Guy.”
Most actresses would try to make you feel some
sympathy for Mavis but Theron is happy to let you
agree with the person who calls her a “psychotic
prom queen bitch.” She’s clearly delusional for
thinking she can walk back into Buddy’s life and
walk out with him, but you believe her, even if you
don’t want her to succeed. The character she most
resembles is Billy Bob Thornton’s Bad Santa, but
this movie isn’t as good.
–Steve Warren
YOUNG GOETHE IN LOVE (N/R)

Lovers of European period romances should enjoy
this mash-up of Austen, Rostand, Wedekind and
of course Johann Goethe. It’s hard to reconcile
the sensitive writer with the buffoonish 23-yearold (Alexander Fehling) we’re introduced to as he
totally blows his oral exam for a doctorate. His
backup plan to sell an original play fares no better
and his stern father, telling him the free ride is
over, arranges an internship for Johann as a law
clerk in a provincial town. There we discover
that people “met cute” even in 1772, as Lotte Buff
(Miriam Stein) bumps into Johann at a fair. As
the oldest child of a large, poor family (her home
life resembles Fiona Gallagher’s in Shameless,
but with more kids), Lotte’s expected to marry
well to save their house. Her father introduces
her to her arranged fiancé (Moritz Bleibtreu) just
as she’s falling in love with Johann, their “spring
awakening” taking place in the summer. Like
Cyrano, Johann puts words in the mouth of his
rival to woo Lotte. He also befriends co-worker
Wilhelm Jerusalem (Volker Bruch), who also falls
in love; but what seems like a silly, second-banana
romance ends more tragically. Since Goethe is a
born writer, he’s able to weave all the heartbreak
into a novel, “The Sorrows of Young Werther”;
and the rest is history. Director Philipp Stölzl
fails to maintain a consistent tone but the film is
probably as true to the details of Goethe’s life as
his semi-autobiographical novel was. ***
–Steve Warren
MUSIC
BERNADETTE PETERS IS A STAR
BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH
A
N INTERNATIONALLYacclaimed veteran of Broadway, film,
television and recordings, renaissance
woman Bernadette Peters has recently added
author and songwriter to her considerable list
of talents. Famous for perfectly crafted period
pieces and characters, the timeless Peters is a pop
culture mainstay. Her enduring collaborations
with directors (Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Otto
Preminger), actors (Clint Eastwood, Mia Farrow,
Mickey Rooney) and comics (Steve Martin,
Andy Kaufman, Carol Burnett) have sealed her
stardom. She has appeared on some of TV’s finest programs (All In The Family, Maude, Carol
Burnett, SNL and many variety shows) and is
the premiere interpreter of Steven Sondheim’s
delicate, multi-layered characters and songs.
The dedicated human and animal rights activist
has just finished a successful run in a revival in
Sondheim‘s Follies. Even though the production
deals with the problems of aging, she physically
seems to defy the calendar. Stunningly gorgeous
at 63, her incandescent beauty, wild mane of hair,
luscious lips and porcelain skin are reminiscent
of past screen idols, yet she remains very much
a part of today’s show business -- and she has
countless awards, honors and nominations to
prove it. She has a star on Hollywood’s legendary
Walk Of Fame and there’s even a Christmas ornament in her likeness for sale on Broadway.
Like the title of her most recent film -- for
Bernadette Peters, everything is indeed Coming
Up Roses. On a recent afternoon, she laughed
frequently as she spoke in her unmistakable,
delightfully honest, New York-tinged accent. The
gregarious entertainer talked at length from her
home in New York with Lee Valentine Smith, as
she planned a concert tour that brings her to Atlanta on Feb 18 for ASO’s Gala at Symphony Hall.
It’s a whole different mindset being on tour than
appearing in a long run of a successful play.
Yes! Well, you’re playing a role so you’re totally
immersed in playing that one character. When I
do my own show, there’s no ‘fourth wall,’ it’s wonderful. As you said, it’s a whole different mindset.
I get to choose what I sing and it’s me up there.
As I do each number, I might fall into a character,
but it’s just really the audience and myself in a big
auditorium, having a lovely time.
How do you pick the songs for your show? You
have so much to choose from.
Well, I’ll do one or two maybe from Follies. I
do songs I’ve sung in shows. I do songs that I
didn’t sing in the shows, but I was in the show.
I do a lot of Sondheim, But I also do Rodgers
and Hammerstein. So I’ll do “Some Enchanted
Evening,” which is a beautiful song. And then I’ll
do, you know, Peggy Lee’s “Fever,” and I’ll sing it
on the piano.
You go so far back with Steven Sondheim, it’s
like a Burt Bacharach / Dionne Warwick kind
of thing with you two now, right?
It’s so funny you mentioned him; Burt Bacharach just came to the show! He’s all excited
because he’s just written a new show. He’s in his
eighties, too and he looks great. It’s so exciting
to still be creative and writing something new.
But I love Steve and I have been very fortunate to
have been in so many of his productions. Original
productions and revivals of terrific shows that
should be seen again. He writes in such a beautiful way, and he tells quite a story, always. So I
never get tired of singing his songs. They just
open up in my head and I love telling the audience the thoughts.
What’s your working relationship like with him
at this point? By now, can you say, “I’m going to
change this, I’ll do this my way…”
BP: He’s open to things. You could do it and he’ll
listen to it and if he likes it, he’ll agree with you.
If he has a different point of view, you’ll know.
It’s amazing to hear the writer talk about why he
wrote something. You listen. It’s like asking William Shakespeare, “What did you mean by that?”
IT’S SO IMPORTANT
TO HAVE A PLACE
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
TO BE ABLE TO
EXPLORE THEIR
CREATIVITY. I THINK
IT’S A REALLY
IMPORTANT THING
FOR THEM TO BE
ABLE TO FIND WHO
THEY ARE AND IF
THEY WANT TO
DO THIS, IF THEY
HAVE THIS LOVE.
IT’S VERY, VERY
SPECIAL.
The Symphony Gala you’re playing here in Atlanta benefits their education and community
programs.
Oh, it’s so important to have a place for young
people to be able to explore their creativity. I
think it’s a really important thing for them to be
able to find who they are and if they want to do
this, if they have this love. It’s very, very special.
I’m interested in children, animals, the arts,
anything that can help young people - or anyone
who needs help.
Animal rights is especially
dear to you.
It’s a voice for the voiceless. I think that animals,
especially dogs and cats,
are called companion animals for a reason. It’s time
we realize they’re only here
for us and realize they are
all about love.
Now you’re in the 14th
year of your Broadway
Barks event. Can you tell
us a bit about it?
It’s the first time in New
York, all the rescue agencies were brought together.
It takes place in Shubert
Alley in the summertime.
Between shows, on a
Saturday afternoon. The
Broadway celebrities come from their shows
and meet their animals, take them on stage and
talk about them. We have a very good adoption
turnout. Fourteen years ago, I was in “Annie Get
Your Gun” and we had raised the most money
for Broadway Cares and we thought, “Well, now
what can we do? How about animals?” And I
said, “My friend Mary Tyler Moore loves animals,
too.” So we started this together. Broadway Cares
/ Equity Fights AIDS produce it for us.
Your first book, Broadway Barks, was written to
benefit the cause.
All the money goes to helping shelter animals.
My editor said to me, “We need a song for the
back of the book.” I said, “Who’s gonna write it?”
I’m not a songwriter. I’d never written a song
in my life. So I’m on a plane thinking, “I need a
lullaby, what could it be?” And this song comes to
me, music and lyrics at the same time! It’s a sweet
lullaby that, I might do at the end of the show, if
provoked. I wrote the first book about my dog
Kramer. And the second [“Stella Is A Star”] is
about my other dog Stella. Then I wrote another
song for it! But those are the only two songs I’ve
ever written.
So do you have to write ten more books to get
enough material for an album? You’re great
with interpretations, but I’d love to hear a full
album of your own songs.
Ahaha, I’m not thinking that far ahead! I don’t
think of myself, ever, as a songwriter.
A lot of people are crazy about the new silent
movie “The Artist,” but you’re in my favorite
silent movie.
Ah, that’s right, that’s right! I’d forgotten I was
in the movie called “Silent Movie!” You’re right!
And it’s so funny, you know, at the end, Marcel
Marceau had the only line! I love “The Artist,”
though. I think it’s a terrific movie. It was done so
well. With the black and white and really paying
PHOTO BY
TIMOTHY WHITE
homage to the silent
movies.
What was it like
working with Mel
Brooks for “Silent
Movie”? He also
loves the history of
cinema and often
tributes the various
genres.
It was so much fun. He’s a riot because when he
got angry, he wouldn’t stay angry long because
he’d start laughing at himself for being angry.
He’s terrific. And with Dom DeLuise and Marty
Feldman. Such a great cast!
How does Mel Brooks’ method of filmmaking
differ from, say, Woody Allen? Two very different artists.
Woody encourages you to adlib. He’s just, you
know, “I wrote those lines but they’re not great
lines, say what you want to say.” And you get
something very real on the screen.
Didn’t you work with [notoriously imposing
film and stage director] Otto Preminger early in
your career?
I did! When I was nine years old, my first play.
He scared me half to death.
I bet. What did he do?
He just was Otto Preminger! Well, I replaced
somebody and when I came in, he was giving
this little boy before me, in rehearsal, a very hard
time. So that’s why he scared me half to death.
When I came to do my little scene, he was very
sweet to me but then he said ok, go out and come
in and do it again. They sent me out and I got so
scared I started to cry!
When I think of you, I immediately think of
those great variety shows you were on in the
seventies: Carol Burnett, Sonny and Cher. There
aren’t shows like that around anymore.
No, I guess the closest now is “Glee.” But it’s
still not what you’d call a variety show. Now I
did a new show called “Smash.” It starts February 4th. It’s a musical show. It’s like a “Glee” for
adults, putting together a musical about Marilyn
Monroe and what goes on. There is an original
score for the show that they write during the
process. Then there are already established songs
the characters sing. I play Megan Hilty’s mother,
and she plays Marilyn. It’s very interesting, but
I think that’s the closest we’ve gotten to those
variety shows.
In a way, social media is the new variety show.
I guess so but I don’t do Facebook, I don’t do
Twitter. I don’t quite understand Twitter. I mean,
are you supposed to be saying, “I just walked by
Barney’s window, it was really cool” or “I just saw
so and so having coffee”? Why?! The only time I
thought I had a good one for Twitter, was when I
was walking by the Museum of Natural History
which is near me up here. A man was walking
an African land turtle. I would have said “Hey,
come on over to 77th Street to see an African
land turtle grazing on the lawn!” They’re huge,
you know. And to see a turtle in the middle of
New York City, that’s something! That would be a
worthwhile Tweet.
What’s next, after this tour? It takes up two or
three months, right?
Yes, and its so funny, my agent goes “Let’s look
for…,” I said, “No, let me rest.” Even though I’m
not really resting on tour, it’s enjoyable. I don’t really want to put my mind on getting back to eight
shows a week yet. It’s big, it’s wonderful, but its
all encompassing. It’s nice to just do shows now,
then maybe be a bit social, enjoy life, go to the
movies. Things like regular people do. It’ll be nice
to be able to do that for a while.
You know what, if you get a Twitter account,
you can tell people about all the normal things
you’re doing.
Haha, really, I think I’m too private for that. But
if I had something I thought was worthwhile for
people to run over to look at, like that turtle…
SHOW INFO:
ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
GALA WITH BERNADETTE PETERS
• Woodruff Arts Center, Symphony Hall
• Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.
• Tickets start at $35.
For information: Call Woodruff Arts Center
Box Office at 404-733-5000
(Proceeds from the 2011 Symphony Gala benefit
the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and its Education and Community Engagement Programs,
which include the Atlanta Symphony Youth
Orchestra and Talent Development Program.)
CONCERT C LENDER
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 3
529 Today the Moon, Tomorrow The Sun
BLIND WILLIE’S Francine Reed
EARL Theophilus London
EDDIE’S ATTIC Darden Smith
FAT MATT’S Beverly Watkins
MASQUERADE Rickolus
PEACHTREE TAVERN Michelle Malone
SMITH’S Back In Black
STAR BAR Hollyfest IV
VARIETY Ani DiFranco
VINYL Sheryl Boyd
WILD BILL’S Moby Dick
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4
529 Weird Wives
BLIND WILLIE’S Nick Moss
EARL Big Freedia
EDDIE’S ATTIC Mike Doughty
FAT MATT’S Todd Prusin
MASQUERADE On My Honor
PEACHTREE TAVERN Bear Left
SMITH’S David Ball
STAR BAR Attention System
VINYL Lullwater
WILD BILL’S Yelawolf
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 5
EARL Christ, Lord
EDDIE’S ATTIC Seryn
FAT MATT’S Tony Bryant
MASQUERADE 12th Planet
VINYL School of Rock
MONDAY FEBRUARY 6
529 Bukkake Boys
BLIND WILLIE’S Barrelhouse Bob Page
EARL Catch 23
EDDIE’S ATTIC Open Mic
FAT MATT’S Dry White Toast
MASQUERADE Wayne Static
PEACHTREE TAVERN Tim Tyler
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 7
529 Dirty Hotel Sunshine
BLIND WILLIE’S Boo Hoo Ramblers
FAT MATT’S Crosstown Allstars
SMITH’S Johnny Sketch & The Dirty Notes
VINYL Augustana
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 8
529 Old King Cole Younger
BLIND WILLIE’S Scott Glazer’s Mojo Dojo
EARL Bleached
EDDIE’S ATTIC ATL Collective
FAT MATT’S Frankie’s Blues Mission
MASQUERADE A Lot Like Birds
SMITH’S Atlanta Funk Society
STAR BAR Hot Rod Walt Trio
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 9
529 YU Dillion
BLIND WILLIE’S Sandra Hall
EARL The Jealous Sound
EDDIE’S ATTIC Sweet AlizAbeth
FAT MATT’S Chickenshack
THE LOFT Jordan Knight
MASQUERADE Machine Head
PEACHTREE TAVERN Wade Bowen
SMITH’S Ben Deignan
STAR BAR Astounding Science Fiction
TABERNACLE Steve Aoki & Datsik
VINYL Colour Revolt
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 10
529 Natural Child
BLIND WILLIE’S Eddie Shaw
CENTER STAGE The Polyphonic Spree
EARL Soulphonics & Ruby Velle
EDDIE’S ATTIC Matthew Kahler & Eliot Bronson
FAT MATT’S John Sosebee
THE LOFT Fountains of Wayne
MASQUERADE Allstar Weekend
PEACHTREE TAVERN Funk You
SMITH’S Samantha Crain
STAR BAR Stokeswood
VARIETY They Might Be Giants
VINYL The Explorers Club, Sealions
WILD BILL’S Tyler Reeve
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 11
529 Cusses, Cloudeater
BLIND WILLIE’S Houserocker Johnson
CENTER STAGE Passion & Poetry 2012
EARL The Whiskey Gentry
EDDIE’S ATTIC The Freddy Jones Band
FAT MATT’S The Blue Monkeys
MASQUERADE The Silver Comet
STAR BAR Street Violence
TABERNACLE Yonder Mountain String Band
VINYL Graham Knox
WILD BILL’S Back In Black
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 12
BLIND WILLIE’S Fundraiser for Carlos
EARL Front Porch Session Players
EDDIE’S ATTIC Sandra McCracken
MASQUERADE Atlanta Battle of the Bands
SMITH’S Mingo Fishtrap
TABERNACLE Willie Nelson
MONDAY FEBRUARY 13
529 Valentine’s Day Goth Danse Party
BLIND WILLIE’S Bill Sheffield
MASQUERADE Kopecky Family Band
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 14
529 Royal Baths
BLIND WILLIE’S Tanglewood Tonic
CENTER STAGE Comedian K-Dubb
EARL Adam Arcuragi
EDDIE’S ATTIC Drew & Ellie Holcomb
MASQUERADE That’s Outrageous
VARIETY Javier Colon
529 Scott Kelly
BLIND WILLIE’S The John Sosebee Band
EARL This Will Destroy You
THE LOFT Emilie Autumn
PEACHTREE TAVERN Stevie Monce
STAR BAR Pine Hill Haints
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 16
529 Hunger III
BLIND WILLIE’S Heather Luttrell
EARL The Togas
THE LOFT Idle Warship
MASQUERADE Mona
SMITH’S Migrant Worker
STAR BAR Mood Rings
VINYL The Stand & Deliver Records
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17
529 Isness
EARL Cloud Nothings
EDDIE’S ATTIC JoyScout
FAT MATT’S Burning Time
THE LOFT We Are Crux
MASQUERADE Back In Black
PEACHTREE TAVERN Florida Georgia Line
SMITH’S Mishka
STAR BAR Smithsonian
VARIETY James McMurtry
VINYL Plain Jane Automobile
TABERNACLE presents Yonder Mountain String Band (Feb. 11)
529 Akil
BLIND WILLIE’S Sandra Hall
EARL Van Dyke Parks
EDDIE’S ATTIC David Wilcox
FAT MATT’S Kerry Hill
MASQUERADE Soylent Red
PEACHTREE TAVERN The New Sneakers
SMITH’S Blue Dogs
STAR BAR I Want Whiskey
TABERNACLE O.A.R.
VINYL The Quaildogs
WILD BILL’S Almost Kings
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 19
529 Man Forever
BLIND WILLIE’S Atlanta Blues Society
EDDIE’S ATTIC David Wilcox
MASQUERADE Attack Attack!
SMITH’S Kinky Friendman
VINYL Local Talent Showcase
MONDAY FEBRUARY 20
BLIND WILLIE’S Midnight Revival
CENTER STAGE Estelle
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 21
529 Soft Opening
BLIND WILLIE’S The Holidays
EDDIE’S ATTIC Rose Cousins
MASQUERADE Tyga
529 R. Ring
BLIND WILLIE’S The Electromatics
CENTER STAGE Tesla
EARL Mike Cooley
EDDIE’S ATTIC Malcolm Holcombe
MASQUERADE Cassadee Pope
PEACHTREE TAVERN Miss Used
SMITH’S Atlanta Funk Society
VARIETY Yellow Dubmarine
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23
529 Young Antiques
BLIND WILLIE’S Beverly Watkins
CENTER STAGE Cody Simpson
EARL Mike Cooley
MASQUERADE Badfish
PEACHTREE TAVERN Simplified
SMITH’S The New Orleans Bingo Show
STAR BAR Dog Bite
VARIETY Portlandia The Tour
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24
529 Methuzulah
EDDIE’S ATTIC Sugar & The Hi Lows
FAT MATT’S J.T. Speed
THE LOFT Birth of the Originals Tour
MASQUERADE Vancouver
PEACHTREE TAVERN Devon Allman’s Honeytribe
SMITH’S Please Please Rock Me
STAR BAR Big Sandy & His Fly Rite Boys
VARIETY Steep Canyon Rangers
VINYL Bronze Radio Return
WILD BILL’S Ronnie Dunn
529 Bass Drum of Death
BLIND WILLIE’S Chick Willis
CENTER STAGE Dwele
EARL Cute Boots
EDDIE’S ATTIC Michelle Malone
FAT MATT’S Big C & The Ringers
THE LOFT Andy Grammer
MASQUERADE Saul Williams
PEACHTREE TAVERN Greedy White Citizens
SMITH’S Uncle Green
TABERNACLE NEEDTOBREATHE
WILD BILL’S Fat Blues Day
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26
BLIND WILLIE’S Leukemia Society Chili Cook-Off
EDDIE’S ATTIC Francine Reed
MASQUERADE Cody Canada
SMITH’S William Fitzsimmons
MONDAY FEBRUARY 27
529 Stallone
BLIND WILLIE’S Atlanta Boogie
EARL The Lemonheads
MASQUERADE Agent Orange
SMITH’S Red Wanting Blue
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 28
BLIND WILLIE’S Electro Duo
EARL Better Than Something
EDDIE’S ATTIC Darkland Country Tuesdays
MASQUERADE Deicide
529 The Left Field
BLIND WILLIE’S Burnt Bacon
EARL Shearwater
EDDIE’S ATTIC Heather Luttrell
STAR BAR 5 From The Heart
TABERNACLE NEEDTOBREATHE
THURSDAY MARCH 1
BLIND WILLIE’S Sweet Betty
CENTER STAGE David Allan Coe
EARL Dexter Romweber Duo
MASQUERADE DRI
TV
THE LAST ACTION HERO
3rd ANNUAL
POLAR
PLUNGE
LANIERWORLD – SUNSET COVE
ON PLUNGE DAY:
From Full Metal Jacket and Firefly to Chuck,
Adam Baldwain Hits Hard For The Money
BY JUSTIN PATTERSON
A
DAM BALDWIN PLAYS HARD-HITting Major John Casey in the hit television series Chuck, which just had its series finale on January 27th. With a career spanning
three decades, he has worked with iconic directors
Robert Redford and Stanley Kubrick. He is best
known for his performances in cult favorites
Angel, The X-Files and Firefly. In anticipation of
Chuck’s series finale, we were privileged to be able
to speak with Mr. Baldwin regarding the show, his
other projects, and the intrinsic value of growling.
What can we look forward to in the Chuck
series inale? There’s some resolution with Casey’s relationships, which I found very heartwarming and
dangerous at the same time. That’s the thing about
Casey. The biggest challenge for the writers was to
keep him dangerous while at the same time being
lovable. I think they walked that fine line. I kept
asking, “How do I play this guy down the line yet
still maintaining within the realm of this romantic
comedy?” It was nice to get the personal aspects
of his life really highlighted in the last couple
of seasons. What do you take away from this series? A five-year run on any show these days is a
true blessing. To have been able to go through it
with people who are nice
and creative and funny
and hardworking and just
lovable. I feel blessed and
honored to have been a
part of it.
You’ve played some iconic
roles. Do fans ask you
more about Chuck or
Firefly?
It depends on if I’m
holding my sniper rifle
or not. It’s a mixture of
both. I think that they’re
stand-alones and, you
know, Firefly is what it is.
It didn’t last nearly as long,
so there’s a great testament
to… I can say this because
this is a chuckle… I mean, clearly (Chris) Fedak
is a superior writer to Joss Whedon (note: Chuck
writer Fedak is laughing in the background as he
says this).
Do you have plans for anything coming up? We’re working on that. When you’re on a show
for five years and then it ends, you got to find
another job so we’re in the process of looking and
finding. It’s the beginning of pilot season. Hopefully we’ll land one of those. If not, there’s other
things but it’s right now in the period we like to
call being at liberty... There are a lot of possibilities,
but nothing in stone yet. Or I’ll never work again.
What does it take to play a character who is so
tough, but can make you laugh just by growling? I learned a while ago to play the positive and
with a grunt you can get away with a lot of different nuances. And again, the objective is to be - to
win, then you can win no matter what you’re
saying. It’s funny to see it written on the page to
Casey growls or grunts or it’s just inserted in there.
I like it when you actually write it down to make
it director proof like “he growls with animosity”
or “grunts.”
How was it on set, knowing that the series was
coming to a close?
There were a lot of tears, a lot of emotion. I didn’t
cry, but I watched a lot of the younger people cry,
being the cold-hearted bastard that I am. It was
uplifting and bittersweet and yet it was a sense of
accomplishment because we had persevered and
been lucky enough and had the good graces of the
network and the sponsors to keep us going. The
sense on the set day in and day out was just that:
We made it five years when we didn’t even think
we were going to make it past the first season. So
while there were a lot of tears, they were tears of
accomplishment and of a job well done.
11 a.m. Registration &
Activities Open
1 p.m. ALL Plungers
must be registered
1 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Costume
Contest on Beach
1:30 p.m. Plunge
Program, Safety Briefing,
& Awards
2 p.m. PLUNGE TME!
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 18TH
Prizes Awarded – Best Costume, Highest Fundraiser,
Highest Fundraising Team, and more!
Visit www.SpecialOlympicsGA.org for more information!
When Major Casey became a much more emotional family guy, do you think that hurt him as
an agent? I think there’s only so far you can go with a
cold-hearted killer. How do you keep a guy like
that interesting within the confines of a comedy?
The character could have easily been killed off
at any moment if he stayed in that realm I think.
All characters are expendable in a show except
for Chuck in a show called Chuck so... I’m glad
that they were able to find other ways for me to
express myself.
What will you miss most when the show wraps? Being waved through at the guard gate. No, what
we’re going to miss are the faces and the names
of the crew and the unsung heroes, I think. You
know, the cast members they
get some of the glory while
being on TV, but we have
relationships with the crew
who don’t get on camera.
They’re really loving, wonderful people. That’s what
we’re going to miss the most
I think is that family.
Is Casey a character that
you’re going to miss? I think it’s fair to say that
while I will miss Casey,
he was a fully developed
character that got five whole
seasons and 91 episodes to
arc through. I go back to the
sense of accomplishment
with him. I would say that
while I will miss it, I won’t miss it as much as other
characters that have been short circuited.
Why do you think the fans have been so loyal to
the show? My manager said to me at the very beginning,
when we were worried about being picked up,
“The show’s called Chuck: If they fall in love with
the guy who’s playing Chuck, you’ll continue. If
they don’t, you won’t.” And they did. So that’s one
of the main reasons why-- because Zach Levi
is such a great guy. He was able to capture that
audience and make them fall in love with him hard
enough to stick around.
How have you grown as an actor in your time
with the show? I’ve streamlined the ability to be cranky and
funny at the same time. I have a short-hand that
can get me there more quickly. My patience has
also increased which I’m constantly striving for.
It’s just that the patience that I have had has been
able to manifest itself in the confines of what this
was which was a marathon. I always think of series
television as a marathon. This was a five-year
marathon whereas my experience previous to
this has been less than one season or only one full
season. I was able to accomplish that as well, so
what can I say?
Fri, Feb 3
Sat, Feb 4
Thu, Feb 9
HANNAH THOMAS
Bear Left
Birthday Bash
w/ The Suex Effect
WADEBOWEN
Fri, Feb 10
Fri, Feb 17
w/ MICHELLE MALONE
FUNK YOU
w/ Rooftop Society
+ Sumilan
(Texas Country)
Jared Wade (Early Show 9pm)
Thu, Feb 23
FLORIDA
GEORGIA LINE w/Simplified
Graham’s Number
+ THE CADILLAC BLACK
• MONDAYS INDUSTRY NIGHT W/ TIM TYLER (PIANO ROCK)
• TUESDAYS LADIES NIGHT (NO COVER)
• WELFARE WEDNESDAYS - LIVE MUSIC DRAFT SPECIALS
BEST COUNTRY CLUB
3179 PEACHTREE RD. 404-842-1700 • WWW.PEACHTREETAVERN.COM
Valentine’s Day
Celebrations!
Ballet
ATTRACTION Atlanta
The Princess and the Goblin
High Museum of Art
1280 Peachtree Street
(404) 733-5000 www.high.org
Tuesday, Feb. 14 6:00pm - 10:00pm
people of all ages access to sights and knowledge normally reserved only for medical professionals. Dialog in the Dark offer exhibitions in total darkness. Blind guides lead visiCobb Energy Performing Arts Centre tors through a completely dark environment
2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway
where one learns to interact by relying on
(770) 916-2800
other senses. Dialog in the Dark is a platform
for communication and a close exchange, prowww.atlantaballet.com
voking a change in perspectives.
February 10 - 19 Tickets start at $20
Medieval Times
Tickets are $25 per person, $40 per couple.
Member cost: $10 person, $20 couple
Grand Hyatt Buckhead
5900 Sugarloaf Parkway,
Lawrenceville 1-888-WE-JOUST
www.medievaltimes.com
February 10 - 14 $99 per couple
Enjoy Valentine's Day at the High with an artfully romantic night at the Museum! Visit
Picasso to Warhol: Fourteen Modern Masters,
sip champagne, sample tasty treats, enjoy
romantic music, swing dancing, romantic
sketches, couples photos booth and more.
This season, its history in the making as
Atlanta Ballet embarks on one of the most
monumental collaborations of its 82-year history - a world premiere story ballet by choreographer Twyla Tharp. Experience Tharp's
original full-evening ballet co-produced by
Atlanta Ballet and Canada's Royal Winnipeg
Ballet. A story of a courageous young girl who
confronts the trials of coming-of-age, this
family-friendly ballet will involve students
from the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance
Education.
Atlanta Botanical Garden Avenue Q
1345 Piedmont Ave. (404) 876-5859
www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org
Saturday, Feb. 11 7:00pm - 11:00pm
Saturday, February 11, 7:00pm - 11:00pm
Horizon Theatre Company
1083 Austin Avenue (404) 584.7450
www.horizontheatre.com
Tuesday, February 14 at 8PM
Find love in the castle this Valentine's Day as
Medieval Times offers a special couples package that no gothic romantic will be able to
resist. Package includes 2 admissions to dinner and live tournament, souvenir champagne
flutes filled with champagne, tickets to castle
dungeon, cheering flags, photo, feather rose
and Valentine's scroll.
GETAWAY
W Atlanta Hotels
W Atlanta - Midtown
188 14th Street (404) 892-6000
www.watlantamidtown.com/vday
Valid for stays February 10 - 19
$30 per person (Members $25)
Celebrate Valentine’s in the Garden with an
elegant evening of cocktails, dancing, scrumptious desserts and live entertainment at the
most romantic spot in Atlanta. Dance to the
big band and take a romantic stroll through
the tropical conservatories. Sample heartmelting treats and sip refreshments from cash
bars. Activities include an exciting casino
party, photo booth, parfum making and more.
End the night on a sweet note with a complimentary long-stem rose. Valentine's in the
Garden is also the only nighttime opportunity
to experience Orchid Daze: Hanging Gardens,
featuring thousands of hanging orchids cascading with lush, fragrant beauty.
Smart, hilarious, risqué and full of heart,
Avenue Q is Broadway's smash-hit Tonyaward winner for Best Musical, Best Score and
Best Book. The neighbors are nice on Avenue
Q, the only address you can afford when you're
fresh out of college, out of a job, or just trying
to find your way in life. For Valentine’s Day
they are offering their “I Ruv You VIP Package”
for $100. The package includes: 2 reserved
seats, 2 drink vouchers and Special Valentine’s
day treats. General admission tickets start at
$30.
The Woodfire Grill
www.bodiesatlanta.com
www.dialogtickets.com
BODIES the Exhibition
in the Dark
Georgia Shakespeare’s DIALOG
Premier Exhibition Center
Atlantic Station 265 18th Street
FOOLS FOR LOVE
(404) 496-4274
1782 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta
www.gashakespeare.org
W
Atlanta
Midtown is putting
a new spin on
Valentine's
Day
with the Romance,
Remixed Package.
Th is
exclusive
experience includes
an upgrade to a
spectacular room,
Valentine's
Day
dinner at Spice
Market ($75 credit); choice of two
sexy underthings
from Drew & Lewis and/or Hanky Panky and
complimentary valet parking. Priced from
$279/night, this package is sure to make your
Valentine's Day a sizzling success.
W Atlanta - Buckhead
3377 Peachtree Road (678) 500-3100
www.watlantabuckhead.com/valentines
Friday - Sunday stays, February 3 - 26
and on Tuesday, February 14
This Valentine’s Day come explore, experience
and celebrate the wonder of the human form
and take in an intimate and informative view
into the human body. Bodies the Exhibition
features actual human specimens and allows
www.callawaygardens.com
(800) 225-5292
Valentine Package Feb. 11
You and your sweetheart can stroll through
beautiful Gardens during the day, then dine
and dance the night away before retiring to
our cozy accommodations. Calloway’s romantic Valentine's package includes: a box of
chocolates, Dinner at the Callaway Discovery
Center, Dancing to the sounds of The Auburn
Knights Orchestra, a jazz and swing big band
orchestra and the Valentine's Dinner and
Dance Breakfast. Call for pricing.
RESTAURANT
Agave
242 Boulevard SE (404) 588-0006
Th is romantic
eatery nestled in
Cabbagetown is
the perfect place
to celebrate with
that special someone. To celebrate
Valentine's Day
this year, Agave has added to their award winning southwestern cuisine some playful menu
items meant to be shared. Call for details;
reservations recommended.
Sotto Sotto
313 N. Highland Ave. (404)523-6678
www.sottosottorestaurant.com
Th is award winning restaurant creates
authentic Italian food with complex flavors
that are sure to enhance your Valentine's experience. Sotto Sotto offers a romantically lit
intimate dining room perfect for the special
evening. Their celebrated menu is accompanied by an inspiring all-Italian wine list. Make
reservations early as seating is limited.
Mezza Lebanese Bistro
2751 Lavista Rd. (404) 633-8833
www.mezzabistro.com
Mezza is a traditional way of dining in which all
menu items are
served in small
portions allowing
couples to share
from a large variety of dishes. This Zagat rated restaurant
serves a variety of over 60 menu items along
with a wide assortment of wines and unique
desserts. Call for special Valentine menu and
to make reservations.
Copeland’s
Monday, February 13, 2012, 7:00pm
$150 per person ($90 tax deductible)
Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and
so is Georgia Shakespeare's 4th Annual
FOOLS FOR LOVE Wine Dinner. Grab your
Valentine and join Woodfire Grill's Executive
Chef (and "Top Chef" finalist), Kevin Gillespie
for one of their most popular annual events.
Chef Kevin will pair premium, hand-picked
wines with four sumptuous courses. While
you dine, Georgia Shakespeare's Associate
Artists will romance you with jazz standards
and love songs.
Callaway
Gardens
Pine Mountain, Georgia
W Atlanta - Buckhead invites guests to heat
things up with the SPARK Package. The
SPARK package includes a Wonderful Room,
chilled bottle of Moët & Chandon Rosé champagne, rose petal turndown service, complimentary in-room movie, complimentary valet
parking and 4 PM late checkout. Priced from
$269/night, this package is sure to rekindle
your romance.
3131 Cobb Pkwy (770) 612-3311
1142 Barrett Pkwy (770) 919-9612
www.copelandsatlanta.com
Copeland’s offers
Va l e n t i n e ’s
served up cajun
style. The home
of the New
Orleans
Jazz
Brunch Buffet
also
offers
romantic dinners. Bring your sweetheart to
Copeland's and you can take all the credit!
Road Warriors
This Month’s Hottest Shows
BY SACHA DZUBA
2/03 – ANI DIFRANCO
Variety Playhouse
The feminist icon, singer- songwriter, is well
known for her autobiographical and political lyrics.
She’s a strong woman who isn’t afraid to broadcast
her social-political views ranging from poverty and
war to gender/sexuality issues. This musical artist is
creative and imaginative; she’s been classified as both
folk as and alternative rock and has collaborated
with a wide range of artists. Her recently released
album is ¿Which Side Are You On? which seems to
be music for the revolution. Ripe with political fire
and protesting misdistribution of wealth and power,
it also includes themes and stories taken from her
own personal life. Ani always connects directly with
her audiences, no matter how large the venue. With
her messages more relevant than ever, let Ani charge
you with self-empowerment, global perspective, and
give you the motivation for change.
2/08 – TOOL
The Arena Gwinnett Center
The behemoth cult-like following that Tool has
garnered over the years awakens from slumber to
embrace the return of Tool on tour! Tool is Maynard James Keenan’s primary, and perhaps best
loved, musical outlet. Tool blend art and metal,
challenging musical texture and rhythmns with
darkly crushing guitars and bass and mind expanding visuals. Considered a “thinking man’s metal
band”, their heavy progressive metal has had comarisons to Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, influenced
heavily by King Crimson. Known audience’s attentions more on performance visuals, rather than the
individual performers, this should prove to be a
spectacle not to be missed.
2/09 – CELTIC WOMAN
The Fox Theatre
If you love beautiful voices and celtic music, you
will be spoiled by this event at the Fox. Described
as “Riverdance for the voice”, Celtic Woman brings
together consumate vocalists with unerring harmonies. The ensemble is supported by a spectacular irish fiddler, along with a set of highly talented
backing musicians. Celtic Woman features a blended mix of traditional celtic music and reworked
modern songs that now reflect a celtic lilt. Their latest offering studio album is Believe, again a mixture
of classic and modern music with irish overtones.
This will be an enchanting and alluring evening inspired and influenced by the emerald isle, enjoyable
for the whole family.
2/10 – THE POLYPHONIC SPREE
Center Stage
Two dozen members take to the stage in flowing, snow white robes, this is the experience of The
Polyphonic Spree live. Tim DeLaughter, of Tripping Daisy, founded TPS after the death of a bandmate. The other surviving members pulled together with the addition of almost 20 more members
to create The Polyphonic Spree. Bringing together
sounds of the Beach Boys, Wings, and the Flaming Lips, with a litt bit of Godspell-like attitude; The
Polyphonic Spree have a gospel meets symphonic
pop music flavor. The group boasts a mulititude of
intruments and a ten member choir. Their music
has been featured in film, tv, and commecials. Their
latest single “What Would You Do?” is an uplifting
pop-anthem to pose the hypothetical and always to
answer with positivity. Let The Polyphonic Spree
lift you higher and higher with their musical collage
of voice and sound!
2/10 & 2/11 – THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
Variety Playhouse
There’s no point in being grown up if you can’t
be childish sometimes. Whether you’re a child or
a grown up (OR a childish grown up), who doesn’t
like TMBG?! You probably know They Might Be
Giants even if you think that you don’t. An experimental alternative music group with hits such as
“Istanbul (not Constantinople)” and “Birdhouse in
your Soul”, also has numerous musical appearances
on television shows and film, from Malcom in the
Middle to Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. TMBG has
firmly seated themselves within the subconscious
of music and pop culture lovers. They’re quirky,
they’re fun, and they’re cool enough to have albums
for kids as well as for “adults”. Their latest album is
Join Us, released just last year. Come check out the
two Johns and their musical friends for two different performances, 2/10 with Jonathan Coulton, the
original geek troubadour and 2/11 when TMBG
plays their album Lincoln in its entirety!
2/15 – EMILIE AUTUMN
The Loft
This violinist, singer-songwriter, poet, musical
prodigy’s tastes are widely varied; her double album
Laced/Unlaced consists of both classical performances and original music that’s far more electric.
This tour is building anticipation for the release of
her latest studio album, Fight Like A Girl. She’s performed with Courtney Love, Dethklok and Otep.
Coining the term “Victoriandustrial,” Autumn
blends her love of classical violin with metal, industrial and goth elements, including dark, sardonic
lyrics. All of this is incorporated into lavish stage
performances, with Victorian overtones, glam burlesque and Vaudevillian flair. Think Dresden Dolls
spiced with Metal, Alice Cooper, and Bach.
2/27 – THE LEMONHEADS: IT’S A SHAME ABOUT RAY
The Earl
The Lemonheads surfed the radio waves of the
90’s, breaking into success with their album It’s a
Shame About Ray and a cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s Mrs. Robinson. After a few other albums
of hits and duds, and some drug issues, the Lem-
WE GOT NEXT
THE
BOMBPOPS
onheads receded from the forefront of the music
scene. The exciting reason for attending this particular show has nothing to do with either of these.
Fans take note, The Lemonheads will be performing their album It’s a Shame About Ray in its entirety, from start to finish! It’s a perfect way to relive
some jingly jangly grunge classics from the 90’s and
remember a time when the music scene wasn’t inured in pop stars and hip hop. You’re likely to hear
some other Lemonheads hits like “Into Your Arms”
and “If I Could Talk I’d Tell You”. Relive your youth
and if you don’t know them, discover them for the
first time. Come on, feel the Lemonheads.
2/29 & 3/03 – CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO
The Melting Point (Athens) (2/29)
The Five Spot (3/03)
California Guitar Trio’s brilliant mix of musical expertise and sly humor has understandably
earned them a widely enthusiastic and loyal audience. Fusing elements of classical, rock, blues, jazz,
world music, and progressive styles has kept them
in good stead for 20 years. Their latest effort, Maswerworks is a collection of beautifully arranged
pieces by a variety of classical composers. Talented
and clever virtuosic performers, these guys are fantastic to see live, don’t miss it.
3/01 – RADIOHEAD
Philips Arena
Radiohead could so easily have been a one hit
wonder. Their first single to gain any acclaim was
“Creep”, heard on the radio in the 90’s. From that
small start, the band evolved to become innovative
musical artists. Their sound changed, grew, expanded and solidified with albums The Bends, the
fantastic OK Computer, Kid A, Amnesiac, Hail to
the Thief, and In Rainbows. The release of a Radiohead album became an event. Their latest musical
offering, The King of Limbs, once again redifines
their sound as it is heavily influenced by DJ’s, looping, and sampling. Radiohead is constantly listening to and absorbing music and ideas of other artist,
and then reflecting and refracting those ideas and
sounds, bending and shaping it to fit into their current musical image. Do not miss this performance.
Artists on the verge
of making it big
Latest Project:
Like I Care (Red Scare)
For Fans of:
The Ramones, The Runaways, The Donnas, Green Day
Why You Should Care: Because their sound is female-fronted pop-punk that calls to mind
BY JOHN B. MOORE
S
AN DIEGO’S BOMBPOPS HAS
opened for everyone from Bad Religion to
Mike Dirnt’s side project The Frustrators.
Their fall calendar includes shows with Anti-Flag
and NOFX, and a few dates with Dead to Me and
Broadway Calls. Not bad for a band that hasn’t
even put out a full length yet.
The pop-punk band, influenced by everyone
from The Ramones to Lawrence Arms, are putting out their EP Like I Care on Chicago’s Red
Scare then taking off for most of October and
November. But before packing the van, Jen Razavi
(guitar/vocals) spoke recently about the band, the
EP and getting a pep talk from Jay Bentley.
How did the band first get together?
The band formed in late 2007 with Poli (Van
Dam, guitar/vocals) and I writing songs. We
everyone from The Ramones to Joan Jett... and that’s just with an EP!
had played together in a band where we did not
write the songs, and we felt that we really needed
to start our own band. We wrote for months
before pursuing a drummer and bassist. Poli was
a sophomore in high school at the time and we
really wanted to get a full band together to play
her high school battle of the bands. I called up my
long time friend Dylan (Wade) to play drums and
he has been in the band ever since. We ended up
winning 2nd place in the battle of the bands, so
we decided to play more shows. After a few bass
player changes we finally found Neil (Wayne) in
March of this year and he’s the best bass player
we’ve ever had.
What can you tell me about the new EP?
Stole the TV really showcases how we have
matured as a band. It’s still the same sound we’ve
always had, but we have grown a lot too. In a nutshell, the songs are about
growing up, relationships
gone wrong and the eagerness to break free from the
every day routine.
We recorded with Jeff
Forrest at Doubltime
Studios in San Diego. He
has worked with a lot of
San Diego bands including
Blink 182 and Buck 0 Nine.
The EP will be released via
Red Scare on October 4th.
Have you thought about putting out a
full length?
We will definitely be putting out a full length
sometime in the near future. Not exactly sure
when or how, but we are really looking forward
to it!
You guys have opened for some amazing bands.
Every gotten some advice from anyone in
these bands?
When we opened for The Frustrators, Mike
Dirnt had a lot of really kind things to say and
some great advice. He told us that you can be a
great live band, and you can have fun on tour,
but what it really comes down to is the songs you
write. He said when you leave this world you want
to leave it with songs that people will remember.
Another moment that sticks out to us was the
second time we opened for Bad Religion. About
five minutes before we went on, Jay Bentley gave
us a pep talk. I don’t remember word for word
what he said, but he told us we would go far and
that he liked our band. That’s not really advice
but it was one hell of a pep talk! We’ll never
forget that.
Ever get intimidated playing before someone
like Bad Religion?
Bad Religion was the first band I ever saw live
and my mom took me. I mean I was in diapers when Bad Religion put out Suffer and No
Control, and Poli wasn’t even born yet. So it is
intimating to get up there and open for punk rock
legends, but at the same time it really feels like it is
something we are meant to do.
Any tour plans coming up?
We have a huge US tour coming up in October and into November. We have two dates
with NOFX and Anti Flag so we’re pretty
stoked. Most of the tour is with our friends
Hands Like Bricks and we’ve got some other
rad shows with Dead to Me, Sundowner,
Banner Pilot, The Flatliners, Broadway Calls
and Continental.
As the father of two little girls, what can I do to
make sure they play in a punk band when they
get older?
I would say buy them a guitar and a drum set.
There are some pretty awesome sister bands out
there. And definitely introduce them to punk
bands now! It’s never too soon. Both Poli’s parents
and mine have been really supportive of us playing music and pursuing the band. You will usually
find both of our dads at our San Diego shows.
They love it.
What else is next for the band?
Writing that full length we talked about and
more touring. We’ve also got some pretty awesome shows in January we’re excited about.
We would really like to go to Europe sometime
soon too.
Rest of the Class
MUSIC
MUSIC
Album Reviews
Reviews by B. Love, John B. Moore and Lee Valentine Smith
R.E.M. – Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth,
Part Garbage: 1982-2011 (Warner Bros)
The end of the band as we know it
BL: I cannot recall
the exact moment
when I first heard
R.E.M.’s garageinfluenced janglepop sound, but
I remember the
impact of songs
like “Radio Free
Europe”
and
“Talk About The
Passion” as if it were yesterday. With lines like
“Not everyone can carry the weight of the world,”
the enigmatic Michael Stipe poked holes in my
surly teen armor, reminding me that I was not
alone in my alienation and yearning.
In many ways R.E.M. represented a turning
point in the entire musical landscape. It
could be argued that the Athens quartet was
the lightning rod for the alternative rock
movement, transforming what was essentially an
underground scene into a massive mainstream
musical phenomenon, moving from the garage
(see: 1983’s Murmur) to arenas (see: 1988’s
Green) in five short years. In the process, they
also established Georgia – Athens in particular –
as having a rock scene worthy of reckoning with.
Having announced their retirement a few
months before, the release of Part Lies, Part
Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage: 1982-2011 came
as a surprise to no one: After all, what corporate
entertainment behemoth wouldn’t want to make
a bit of bank off their cash cow before it’s put out
to pasture? The shocker is that R.E.M.’s latest
greatest hits collection compiles (for the first
time ever) the beloved classics of their early years
on IRS Records, the chart-topping hits of their
major label heyday, lesser-known songs from
their post-Bill Berry era and three new tunes, all
on a 2-CD set.
My favorite R.E.M. albums are from the mid‘80s, so the omissions from that era here seem
glaring. Classic tracks like “Pretty Persuasion,”
“Feeling Gravity’s Pull,” “Can’t Get There From
Here,” “Swan Swan H” and “Superman” failed
to make the cut, yet we get 13 tunes from the
trio years? By including the same number of
songs from these disparate periods in the band’s
career, the collection seems to suggest that they
remained equally artistically relevant during
the Up/Reveal/Around the Sun era. If anything,
listening to this set in its entirety suggests that,
after a decade-long lull, the surprisingly lively
Collapse Into Now allowed the band to go out
on a high note.
As a result, the ambitious Part Lies, Part
Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage is not quite the
definitive R.E.M. collection it aspires to be. But,
in reminding us that Athens’ favorite sons were
one of the most consistent, groundbreaking
bands ever to assemble a 30-year career, it
succeeds.
SMASHING PUMPKINS – Gish & Siamese Dream
[Deluxe Editions] (EMI)
Two classics from Chicago alt-rockers get the deluxe
treatment
JM:
Nineties
alt rock heroes
S m a s h i n g
Pumpkins
managed to come
apparently out
of nowhere, toss
out two amazing
records, create
one of the biggest
assholes in rock
(and that is not a small feat), turn in a couple
of weaker, though successful follow up records
and implode (though still limp along creating
lesser albums with fewer and fewer original
members) all in the span of a decade.
The Dean’s List
THE HABIT – Lincoln Has Won (Reel to Reel)
Brooklynites do Americana quite well
JM: Funny that
you have to go to
Brooklyn to find
one of the best
Americana bands
playing today.
New York band
The Habit brings
to mind everyone
from
Gram
Parsons and the
Jayhawks to Whiskeytown and Cowboy Junkies
on their fantastic debut album, Lincoln Has
Won. The group, which uses several singers,
excels at dirty rock (“Ballad Of,” “Don’t Grow
Old Young Man”), beautiful indie rock (“Not
Brooklyn”) and dusty Americana (“Blood on
the Saddle”).
Though the band is wholly original, you can’t
help but spot the myriad influences that The
Habit draws on from time to time. Along with
those already mentioned, you can also hear
traces of the Pogues and the Carter Family, as
well as any number of great storytellers ranging
from Townes Van Zandt to Bob Dylan. Lincoln
Has Won feels timeless in its themes, leaving
many of the topics open to debate. And to think
this all came out of Hipsterville, USA. GRADE:
B
EMI has just released remastered editions
of Gish and Siamese Dreams– the first and
by far the greatest efforts from the Chicago
band– and it’s definitely worth springing for
the deluxe editions that include two CDs and
a DVD per release. The extra CDs include
various demos while the DVDs include two
fantastic concerts at The Metro in Chicago
(recorded in 1990 and 1993).
Though lumped in with Nirvana,
Soundgarden and Pearl Jam as a grunge
band when they first surfaced, the genre was
a bit misleading. The Pumpkins didn’t have
the strong metal influence that those other
bands had, but drew from a more diverse list
of groups that included The Cure, Queen,
T Rex and David Bowie. Though Smashing
Pumpkins went on to phenomenal success
with their third record, the 28-song opus
Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness, these
first two efforts are less polished and more
satisfyingly original. Songs like Gish’s opener
“I Am” and the “Window Paine” are among
their finest moments as a band, and Siamese
O’BROTHER – Garden Window (Triple Crown)
Dream is a great follow up.
Though Smashing Pumpkins had already Establishing Atlanta’s place on the prog-metal map
started showing cracks by their third album;
BL:
Atlanta
were desperate by their fourth effort and
has never been
became frontman Billy Corgan’s pathetic
considered what
ego stroke with every release since, these reyou’d
call
a
releases are a nice reminder of how important
hotbed of heavy
the band once was.
metal talent, but
O’Brother joins
THE LEMONHEADS – Hotel Sessions
storied
groups
(Hall Of Records)
such as Sevendust
Low budget, honest and enthralling
and
Mastodon
among the rare
LVS:
Evan
Dando and his exceptions. Produced by Andy Hull and Robert
current
batch McDowell of Manchester Orchestra, the
of Lemonheads quartet’s full-length debut album is decidedly
are touring to artful and remarkably ambitious.
Some critics have made easy comparisons
celebrate the 20th
anniversary of to metal icons like Tool, Queens of the
his best record, Stone Age and Deftones, but their dynamic,
It’s A Shame almost orchestral opuses also include nods to
About Ray. It’s influences such as Sigur Ros, Godspeed You
fitting, then, that Black Emperor and Explosions In The Sky in
the current Lemonheads album is also a bit terms of grandeur and expansive conceptual
of nostalgia. Of course, a deluxe version of scope. There are times when you may find
Ray would have been the ideal tour tie-in, but yourself wishing the band reigned in their
Rhino released the definitive version a couple sprawling compositional approach (5 of the 11
of years ago. Complete with bonus tracks tracks run five minutes or more), but overall
and demos, it’s the best document of that O’Brother shows enough originality and
enjoyable, often-lauded pop masterpiece– promise to leave prog-metal fans eager to see
a great snapshot of the band at its absolute what they’ll come up with next. GRADE: B+
creative peak.
The next best thing, then, would be COFFEE PROJECT – Concrete Boots EP
what follows chronologically. Following a (Paper + Plastick)
successful 1992 tour to promote the Japanese Multi-instrumentalist punks make more noise as a duo
release of Ray, Dando recorded a very rough than many full bands
demo of the band’s planned follow-up in a
JM: Thanks to
hotel room in Australia. Intended solely for
the quirky duo
the ears of their Australian agent at the time,
Coffee
Project,
Dando’s casual solo acoustic takes on the
I finally realized
batch of songs (most eventually expanded
what the genre of
and reworked for the full band on 1993’s
acoustic folk punk
Come On Feel The Lemonheads) are now
was missing: A
available for anyone to hear.
trombone. Need
Hampered by a low-budget recording
proof? Check out
process - in fact, Dando’s liner notes boast
the latest from the
that the total expense was $53 - only
Gainesville,
FL
hardcore fans are likely to be interested
in the modest package. But as it stands, band, which is comprised of singer/guitarist
the tape hiss, background noises and soft- Jake Crown and trombonist/backup vocalist
spoken introductions on most of the tracks Buddy Schaub. It just wouldn’t sound the same
make this the perfect low-fi companion piece without that instrument.
The five-song EP Concrete Boots is a solid
to the big-budget Ray redo. It’s a shame this
wasn’t cleaned up a bit more and issued on follow-up to last year’s full-length. It starts out
a bigger label, because with the stripped- slow with “Shenandoah Valley,” but quickly
down performances and hushed late-night builds steam with four of their best songs
immediacy, The Hotel Sessions is the most yet, especially the unexpectedly upbeat “Exit
honest and enthralling release in Dando’s Stage Left” (oddly enough, a break up song)
and a stellar cover of Malvina Reynolds’ “Little
entire recording career.
Houses.” Band geeks, rejoice! Apparently
trombones aren’t just for ska bands and polkas
any more. GRADE: B
ATLAS SOUND – Parallax (4AD)
Deerhunter frontman’s “side-project” comes into its
own
BL: As frontman
for
Atlanta
indie-rock band
Deerhunter and
the mad musical
scientist behind
Atlas
Sound,
Bradford Cox has
long since proven
himself one of the
city’s most prolific
artists. But as he matures and becomes less
well known for his various eccentricities (see:
wearing Victorian frocks and acting like a
Stooges-era Iggy Pop onstage), it has become
easier to focus on the gorgeously haunting
experimentalism and genuine emotional
depth behind his music.
Parallax picks up where 2009’s Logos
left off, veering from sample-laden folk and
psychedelic ‘60s rock to indie-pop or even
bossa nova seemingly on a whim. But this
time around Cox’s sound seems more focused
and accessible, wrapping listeners in a wispy
hallucinogenic haze that often recalls classic
4AD bands such as the Cocteau Twins. In
short, it’s his most accomplished album to
date.
Leading off with the “The Shakes,” whose
droning guitar feedback evolves into a hypnotic
folk-rock mantra, the album unfolds like a
wispy fever dream of desire, longing, aching
melancholy and passion. The style still varies
from song to song, but the ethereal album
is arguably Cox’s most cohesive, coherent
creative effort to date, flowing seamlessly
from the piano-driven frivolity of “Te Amo”
(which reminds me of a collaboration between
Bjork and Sigur Ros with its soaring melody
and playful instrumentation) to the almost
Beck-ian title track. The unifying element is
a distinctive production aesthetic that’s heavy
on echoing vocals, ambient electronic sounds
and trippy effects.
Like Deerhunter’s excellent Halcyon
Digest, Parallax proves that Bradford Cox has
become one of indie-rock’s most mesmerizing
auteurs. More importantly, it suggests that
Atlas Sound has grown into much more than
a mere side-project, and may in fact be the
vehicle through which he unveils his purest
artistic self. GRADE: A
NEIL DIAMOND – The Very Best
(Columbia/Legacy)
The Jewish Elvis remains relevant, 40 years on
JM: By some
fluke,
Neil
Diamond – the
once cheese-tastic
singer that pretty
much defined the
70’s, sequenced
shirt and all –
has managed to
not only remain
relevant
more
than four decades after his first record, but
has gotten everyone from housewives to
hipsters to look beyond the sideburns and
Vegas-ready stage show and see him for what
he really is: a damn great songwriter.
As The Very Best of Neil Diamond (the
2011 version, not to be confused by the 1997
and 2002 versions that go by the same name)
proves, the Jewish Elvis had plenty of arenaready sing-alongs to back up the swagger.
“Forever in Blue Jeans,” “Cherry, Cherry” and
“Sweet Caroline,” (his best out of a career of
bests) still hold up remarkable well and can
get the drunk and sober alike bonding in singalongs every single time (it’s been proven by
teams of scientists and backed up by years of
research. Look it up).
There have been a slew of Diamond greatest
hits packages over the years, but the 23 track
Very Best Of is the most up to date, including
the solid “Hell Yeah” off his 1995 record
produced by Rick Rubin. Somewhere Gordon
Lightfoot is trying to figure out exactly where
he went wrong. GRADE: A
MUSIC
TIN ROOF, CELEBRATION!
Cindy Wilson is in with the Wild Crowd
B -52’s
T
EVERY TIME WE
PLAY, I FEEL THAT
RICKY IS THERE,
BUT THAT SHOW,
BEING IN ATHENS,
CERTAINLY ADDED
TO IT. THERE
WAS DEFINITE
ANNIVERSARY MAGIC
IN THE AIR. KIND OF
OTHERWORLDLY. IT
WAS COMFORTING
AND WONDERFUL
AND MEANT SO
MUCH TO LOOK UP
AND SEE THAT.
HE FIRST B-52’S SHOW
was on Valentines Day of 1977
at a raucous little house party
in a modest neighborhood in downtown
Athens. Fast forward three and a half
decades and now the party band that put
Athens, Georgia on the map is still at work,
touring the country to support a new live
album. On Thursday, February 9, the band
returns to the venerable Classic Center for
a triumphant 35th annual concert.
“With the Wild Crowd,” is the band’s new
live CD, recorded and filmed last year at
the Classic Center. Soon the video footage
will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray and
broadcast on select PBS stations during
early Spring pledge-breaks. It captures
singers Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson and
Cindy Wilson, guitarist Keith Strickland
and their veteran touring band in a long
evening of hits, rarities and songs from
their most recent studio album, the
delightful 2008 release, Funplex.
The band has soldiered on, enduring the
death of founding guitarist and songwriter
Ricky Wilson in 1985, while challenging
musical climates and trends to remain a
distinctly unique voice and flagship of the
entire Athens music scene. Echoing the
B’s “Song For A Future Generation,” from
1983’s Whammy LP, singer Cindy Wilson’s
daughter and son are also in a band and,
in a completely separate performance, also
playing in Athens on Friday, February 10,
the day after the B’s breeze into town. But
don’t expect any cameos; the B’s will be
buzzing off to another gig as the talented
young group hits the stage at quaint Max.
Busy metro Atlanta resident Cindy
Wilson chatted with Lee Valentine Smith as
she prepared to leave for the leg of the tour
that brings her and the rest of the band
back to the Classic City. They discussed
the live album, the live show -- and the
mystery of that darn rusted “tin roof ” in
Love Shack.
With The Wild Crowd is the first time the
real raw energy of the live show has been
captured on an official B’s release.
It’s really nice to have it. I think it’s a
good document of this stage of the band.
I’ve always loved the “tin roof, rusted”
part in “Love Shack,” and apparently so
does everyone else.
People really enjoy “Love Shack.” It’s
almost like America and apple pie now!
That “tin roof ” part is like the ending
of a song but also a rebirth. It gives the
audience a chance to be a part of it when
they sing along and give it right back
to me.
That moment of the show is often the
peak of the excitement of the entire
performance. What does that line mean
to you?
You know, we just came up with that
when we were jamming, finding ideas for
the song. But now, people read all these
things into it. People think it means all
kinds of things, some people think its
means I’m pregnant! I don’t know. Now it
doesn’t even matter, really. It’s just part of
it, like some child poetry or something.
You usually include some of the same
songs you did at the very first show
in Athens.
You’re lucky if you get that. At least
“Rock Lobster,” we’ve done at nearly every
show and that was in the first show we
did. I count my blessings. We got to do a
new album, in 2008, Funplex, so it’s not
all oldies. So that refreshes it too, playing
newer songs and going back for some we
haven‘t played in a while. Like “Wig,” on
the CD, that was the first time we’d really
played it live! Ever.
So what’s the follow-up show hold
in store?
Well, it’s the 35th anniversary, as close
to it as we could get, and we’re going to be
playing some different songs. The haveto songs, of course, like “Roam,” but also
we’re adding “Too Much To Think About”
and “Eyes Wide Open” from Funplex, and
“Lava” – and a couple more that haven’t
been heard for a while. It’ll be a special
show and people can just come out and
celebrate with us.
A very touching moment is the shot of the
“Ricky Is Here” banner in the crowd.
Every time we play, I feel that Ricky is
there, but that show, being in Athens,
certainly added to it. There was definite
anniversary magic in the air. Kind of
otherworldly. It was comforting and
wonderful and meant so much to look up
and see that.
I heard PBS is planning to broadcast the
entire concert from last year. Is that right?
Yes, PBS is gonna play the DVD part of
it at different times in different markets
soon, coming up in the next month or two.
We’re gonna be there, going to the stations
and doing interviews and giving away CDs
and DVDs and gifts to the people who
donate to PBS! It’s so exciting. We have so
many generations of fans and they thought
The show was the 34th anniversary
performance, so what was the original
plan -- just to cover the whole catalog or
just to enjoy the occasion?
You try to go into each show to have as
much fun as you can, but obviously with
this one, there was a lot going on, with the
filming and recording. I kinda tuned that
out and just started thinking about all the
wonderful people in the audience. It really
made me so happy. I just had this joy come
over me and it was amazing. Whenever I
want to go to a happy place, one of those
places will be that moment, that show.
After all these years, and so many
performances, you still seem to enjoy
every minute of the show.
I do! I love doing it. This positive, feel
good sort of thing. It’s really still fun. All the
energy and all the stuff that was going down
went into the performance. I love being up
there and being part of what the band does
for people, what it helps people unleash. It’s
like a portal to somewhere else.
we’d be a good band to be on.
Are you a big fan of PBS?
I am! Keith Strickland just told me that
Ricky actually taught himself to play the
guitar with a show on [Athens PBS outlet
WGTV] channel 8. Ricky was like 12 or
so and he learned from a show on how
to play folk guitar! And when my kids
were younger, they watched a lot of the
children’s shows on there. It’s sort of always
been around, and the great things for
adults. It’s always on at the house.
Speaking of your kids, your daughter
India who’s 15 now and son Nolan, 12 are
in a band called Already Taken.
They are and I’m so proud! They’ve got a
lot of places they can go, as far as learning.
Singing with each other and learning how
to communicate within a band situation.
It’s not easy, I know!
What is your role with the band?
I’ve been hands off. If they want to ask
me questions, they can, but this is their
thing and I’m standing back and watching.
And they’re getting shows because of their
music, that’s very important. I can relate
to every stage they’re going through. I
don’t know what will happen with their
music but I love that they are learning and
having fun and communicating. To me,
with my history, its mandatory to have fun,
and they’re doing it themselves. Creating
something out of nothing, and that’s
exactly what we did back.. oh, you know, 35
years ago!
SHOW INFO:
THE B-52’S
AT THE CLASSIC CENTER,
300 N Thomas Street, Athens.
Thursday, February 9 at 7:30 pm.
$38.50 - $149.00
For information, call: 706.208.0900 or
1.800.918.6393
PHOTO COURTESY EAGLE ROCK RECORDS
ALREADY TAKEN
Max, 243 W. Washington Street, Athens.
Friday February 10. 8 pm.
No cover.
For information, call: (706) 254-3392
MUSIC
THE GREAT ESCAPE
Ja ne’s A
ddic t io n
Perry Farrell On 20 Years of Lollapalooza, the Jane’s Addiction
Reunion, & How He Hopes To Make Their New Tour the Greatest Show On Earth
BY BRET LOVE
C
ONFESSION TIME AGAIN:
If you’re expecting me to write
about Jane’s Addiction with any
sort of objectivity, you might as well
turn the page now. Nothing’s Shocking
was released when I was 19, and seeing
them open for Love & Rockets at the
Fabulous Fox on my 20th birthday blew
my mind and simultaneously opened it
to a whole new art-metal world in which
head-banging wasn’t just for Beavis &
Butt-Heads. By the time Perry Farrell
and company unveiled Lollapalooza in
1991, I was completely sold, and I’ve
never missed a Jane’s Addiction show in
Atlanta since.
This wasn’t the first time I’ve
interviewed Perry: I actually got to hang
out with him at the Masquerade back in
the Porno For Pyros era, and have spoken
with him via telephone a few times in the
interim. But it was the first time I felt
seasoned enough as a journalist to really
delve into the artist’s mind and get the
sort of in-depth interview my 20-yearold self would’ve killed someone to get.
Over 25 years into the band’s bumpy
career, Jane’s Addiction’s new album,
The Great Escape Artist, finds them
sounding reinvigorated and revitalized.
It’s got the muscular sound fans have
come to expect from godfathers of the
Alternative Nation– Stephen Perkins’
throbbing tribal drums, Dave Navarro’s
scorching guitar leads and Perry’s
passionate banshee wail (with Chris
Chaney now seemingly full-time as Eric
Avery’s replacement on bass)– but it
seems surprisingly modern and vibrant
for band whose average age is close
to 50. If Perry is to be believed, their
forthcoming tour will be an even grander
celebration of art-rock theatricality than
any tour they’ve mounted before.
It had been a full decade since our
last conversation. It was great to talk to
him again…
Last year was the 20th Anniversary of
Lollapalooza. What was your feeling on
seeing the institution you created reach
that historic landmark?
I can’t believe it became so important
to the musical community. Young
musicians coming up now don’t have
the same chance we did. When we were
coming up, every musician was vying to
get a record deal, and once they got that
deal the record companies supported
them. Today, I wonder how you find your
way upstream as a young musician. So
I’m really proud that Lollapalooza has
become one f those places for young
musicians to hit. At the same time, I feel
like the idea of a festival has to change,
to provide a different experience. It’s
been 20 years since we started this
and it’s gotten bigger and better, but
something is telling me that I need to do
something different. It doesn’t have to be
destroyed, but there has to be something
new to add to the experience.
The music business has gone through
so much upheaval since the early days
of Jane’s Addiction. How have you had
to adjust as an artist to stay ahead of
the curve?
You assess what you’re doing and what
everybody else is doing, then you ask
yourself, is the experience growing stale?
That’s the first half of the question; the
second half is, what do you do about
it? That’s your focus. You’re always
trying to be ahead of the curve because
being within the curve means your
momentum is slowing, and you might
find that you’re behind the curve. Most
people do. In this case, Jane’s Addiction
has another tour and another record. So
what do we do? We contemporize our
sound without losing our personality.
That’s what we’ve done [with the album],
so now we have to think about our live
show. I thought, rather than go out and
play at the festivals– which we’ve done
for 20 years– let’s become intimate with
our audience and immerse ourselves
in new surroundings. In this case, the
new surrounding is the old theatres of
America. Immediately, that’s going to
change the experience, especially for
young people. We want to borrow from
1920s Surrealists, add a Warhol ‘60s pop
twist, and then bring Jane’s Addiction in.
So many other big bands of the ‘80s and
‘90s have come and gone. What keeps
Jane’s Addiction together?
We were successful in sound. When
I say successful, I think the audience
attaches themselves somehow. We
seemed to capture the sound of that era,
at least in the underground. Working
with these guys, we’re a team that’s been
together for a long time. The difference
between a sports team and us is that a
sports team peaks– they can no longer
compete by the time they’re 33 or 34–
where a musician gets smarter and
potentially better with age. The unique
thing about working with music is that
every year there’s an evolution in sound
production. We didn’t have certain
synthesizers or software back in 1991,
but we have all these sounds to work
with now that we’ve never had before.
Can you talk a little bit about what
makes Dave and Stephen special as
collaborators?
As far as pure musicianship, I don’t
know if I’ve ever worked with better
people. Dave Navarro is a master guitar
player: I can’t say I have ever played with
a better guitarist, and I’ve played with
a lot. To have Dave by my side writing
music is a very special blessing. Steve
is a one-of-a-kind drummer. He can be
frustrating at times, because he does
a lot of searching in coming up with
his parts. There’s always personality in
what he plays, and that personality is
part of the reason why you’d listen to a
Jane’s song.
There was a long period of dormancy
for the band in terms of new music,
but The Great Escape Artist got great
reviews for its revitalized sound. What
was behind that injection of energy and
enthusiasm? At its root, it’s the desire to be creative.
THE UNIQUE THING ABOUT WORKING WITH MUSIC IS THAT
EVERY YEAR THERE’S AN EVOLUTION IN SOUND PRODUCTION.
WE DIDN’T HAVE CERTAIN SYNTHESIZERS OR SOFTWARE BACK
IN 1991, BUT WE HAVE ALL THESE SOUNDS TO WORK WITH
NOW THAT WE’VE NEVER HAD BEFORE.
I’m sure you’ve sat in your house a few
days too long and thought, “I just got to
get out of here!” It’s the same way with
us. We’ve written great music [in the
past] and still plan on playing it, but the
thought of going out and playing [the
old stuff ] doesn’t turn me on like the
idea of creating a new show. To have a
new show, you have to have new music.
That’s how the whole process started.
This reunion is great, and it’s really great
that we’re all getting along, but I’ve got
a long life yet to lead. This project is
coming out really good in terms of new
ideas: Not only the music itself, but the
way that it was composed, arranged
and recorded was unique and fresh for
us, using new software mixed in with
us and your classic Marshall amps. We
experimented with lots of software
packages and drum machines mixed in
with Steve’s live playing.
How will that impact your approach in
concert? Will that be different as well?
There are a lot of ideas that are coming
about and budding as a result of that–
things that we’ve never done before.
Most people have never experienced the
immersive theatre aspect of the tour.
Even our touring plan is unique: Rather
than go out and do 6-8 weeks, we’re
going to do one-month bursts and then
think about where we want to go next,
gradually building the show and making
it bigger. These things are a new way of
thinking for a “rock band,” but I never
considered us a rock band as much as an
art band.
You guys are great in the studio, but
you’ve always seemed to really ignite
in concert. What is it about performing
live that gets your juices flowing?
Maybe it’s just the chance to show
off… It sounds somewhat simple, but
I’m just trying to think of an honest
answer. When we’re in the studio and I’m
singing, I have my eyes closed and I’m in
some other place. But when I’m in front
of a live crowd I feel like I’m friends with
everybody, and I’m encouraging them to
go that place that was in my head when
I was singing it for the first time on the
record. I feel like the people who have
heard Jane’s Addiction’s songs have been
similar places themselves, and they like
it there. It’s the place where the great
escape happens. That’s the world I want
to inhabit for the most part, especially
when entertaining people. I want them to
go to that place. It might be a dark place,
but if you embrace the darkness it can be
an exciting place.
MUSIC
DYNAMIC DUO (PLUS THREE)
TMB G
They Might Be Giants return with two new albums
T
HEY MIGHT BE GIANTS,
the prolific and quirky Brooklynbased brainchild of multiinstrumentalists John Linnell and John
Flansburgh, have almost thirty years
worth of downright odd, insanely catchy,
irritatingly melodic, highly literate and
often quite humorous songs. So many,
in fact, they aren’t even sure of the exact
amount at this point.
On the current tour that stops in town
on February 10 and 11, the two brainy
popsters will dig deep into their catalog
to perform their second album, 1988’s
Lincoln in its entirety, new songs from
their fifteenth official album, Join Us
as well as tracks from a recent rarities
collection called Album Raises New And
Troubling Questions. Lee Valentine
Smith asked a few old and reassuring
questions while John Linnell was relaxing
in a hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
This tour is touted as a 30th
anniversary performance, but is
it really?
I don’t know where to start counting.
John and I actually did have a band in
1982. But it wasn’t called They Might
Be Giants. We performed some of the
songs that wound up on the first album
but we hadn’t quite figured out how to
present it. We did a show in Central
Park in ‘82 and it was a rally for the
Sandinista party, which had just gotten
into Nicaragua at that point. We were
the only English language thing on the
bill. We called ourselves “El Groupo De
Rock Y Roll.”
Then there was that mysterious
“23” show.
That was probably our first show as
They Might Be Giants. It was the 23rd
day of the month, we were quite possibly
23 years old, we played 23 songs in the
set, and they took two dollars at the
door, from the 23 people who showed
up, and each of us were paid 23 dollars!
We’ve told that story a few times over
the years and there have been some
embellishments; we added some stuff to
make it more insane, but most of that
is true.
There’ll be more than 23 people at
the Variety Playhouse show. Is it your
favorite place to play in town?
Well, it’s where we play most
frequently, for quite a while now.
Not to slight any of the other places
we’re played in Atlanta (Cotton Club,
Centennial Park, etc.) . But it’s in a
wonderful neighborhood, and there’s
a very groovy scene there. We wrote a
song about the Variety Playhouse, you
know. It’s on a DVD, which we put out,
probably in 2005, called Venue Songs.
We wrote songs for every venue we
played in and recorded them the same
evening we were there.
I’d forgotten about that release. You
have so many albums, EPs, collections,
DVDs, and downloads, some of them
sort of fall behind the record cabinet.
Well, they do for us, too. We don’t
I THINK IN SPITE OF WHATEVER WE DO, WE ALWAYS END UP SOUNDING LIKE OURSELVES. SO REALLY,
THE GREAT CHALLENGE IS TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT BLOWS YOUR MIND AND SEEMS NEW.
PHOTO BY SHERVIN LAINEZ
always remember how to play everything
we‘ve released, so sometimes we have
to go back, do some wood-shedding and
listen to the recordings.
Was that the case with the upcoming set
of songs from Lincoln?
Lincoln is a perfect example. We were
faced with having to learn all these songs
that, most of which, the guys in the band
had never played - and some which John
and I had never actually learned. Or we
knew them so long ago, we couldn’t rely
on the memory of it. But it’s been fun to
learn material without having to write
it again. It’s fun to go back and sort of
rediscover that album. It really was a
long time ago. I don’t think we’d ever
write songs like that now, and it sounds
to me like its from us from twenty years
ago. Or a quarter of a century ago. We’ve
matured, or something like that.
That album was a sort of herald for the
coming ‘90s; you were still indie, still a
duo. It was pre-band, pre-major label
deal, you were on 120 Minutes often but
the vibe of college rock was so different
then and you guys were still definitely
experimental outsiders.
We were a little older than the ‘indie
rockers,’ even at that time. We’re old
enough to know the roots of popular
music. I was four when I first heard the
Beatles on the radio in New York, so
that defined, to me, the original formula.
Then the ‘70s came along and that was
kind of the blossoming of this thing
called underground rock, or the roots
of what evolved into alternative rock. It
was the idea of something determinedly
not mainstream, making a point of being
non-mainstream. To me, the eighties
was the true corporate rock period. In
the ‘70s, people said things had gone
corporate, but we were surprised at how
corporate it was going to get! By the
‘80s, Jefferson Starship and stuff like that
was dominating the chart! The stuff we
felt more akin to was still sort of in the
background.
When college rock became branded
by the labels as “alternative” was
the worst.
Right, and so it wasn’t till the ‘90s that
the notion of alternative truly became
mainstream. With Nirvana and stuff,
it became, “Oh this is the stuff that
kids actually listen to,” so it wasn’t very
alternative anymore. There was a glaring
contradiction going on. For us, the ‘90s
were a bit of a fallow time. As the ‘90s
started, we had a big record [1990’s
Flood], then as the years went on, it was
sort of unclear where we were supposed
to be.
TMBG was in flux.
It was a transitional time, yes. We
had to get used to playing with a band
instead of just me and John and a tape
recorder, as it had been for ten years
before. It was a weird time. We left
Elektra, and we weren’t sure where we
should go. I think it took a few years for
us to really figure out it. It took till the
end of the ‘90s to figure out all these
other ways we could do what we were
already doing. We started doing music
for television, for movies and finally
began, I think, to be taken seriously.
We weren’t trying to present ourselves
as alternative, we just solidified who
we were.
NO! [the children’s album from 2002]
was a huge turning point.
An unexpected one. We thought we
were just doing a goofy side project. It
was purely for fun and I think because
we took it as inconsequential, it was
so successful.
You’re obviously very prolific writers, so
at this point, it would seem as if you’ve
exhausted every possible topic. How do
you find new ideas?
I think every songwriter complains
about that. You don’t know where
to start or where its going until you
have the idea. So you have a lot of
demoralizing messing around in
the process, then you come up with
something. It’s a mysterious process,
but eventually you do come up with
something that you like. Having written a
bunch of songs, you don’t want to lower
your standard, so I’d say it gets harder as
you have more and more songs. You’re
competing with yourself and you really
don’t want to repeat yourself.
And it has to be in a way that will still
sound like yourself.
I think in spite of whatever we do, we
always end up sounding like ourselves.
So really, the great challenge is to come
up with something that blows your mind
and seems new.
At this point, 29 or 30 years on, has the
core duo dynamic changed? And I don’t
mean dynamic duo, but I’m suddenly
picturing you and John in tights and
capes - and I‘m disturbed.
Get that thought out of your head.
Really, do you think the working
relationship -- writing as well as
recording -- has changed over the
three decades?
Since we’ve been working together for
such a long time, we’re always interested
in coming up with new ways of doing
it. Mostly, we each write individually.
The overwhelming number of songs,
one of us wrote and then played it to the
other one, That’s usually how it works.
And nowdays you can collaborate long
distance. He has a place in the Catskills
where he works and I’ve got a studio
in Brooklyn.
In the process, is there ever a line that
one of you can cross and the other just
goes, “No, absolutely not”?
Oh yeah, all the time. We know
how to be diplomatic about it. Each
of us can tell when the other thinks,
“this one isn’t cutting it, or “this one
needs help.”
SHOW INFO:
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
with special guest Jonathan Coulton,
Friday, February 10 & Saturday,
February 11, 8:30pm,
$22.50 advance / $25 day of show or
$40 for a 2 day pass
No one under the age of 14 will be
admitted!
Saturday night’s show is a
special performance of the entire
LINCOLN album.
MUSIC
THE ORAL HISTORY OF ELEPHANT 6
Bill Doss, Will Cullen Hart & Robert Schneider On
Athens’ Influential Artistic Collective
BY BRET LOVE
T
RYING TO MEASURE THE
breadth, scope and influence of
the Elephant 6 collective is like
trying to hold onto a handful of water:
It’s slippery and amorphous at best. Their
Wikipedia page lists more than 50 different
acts associated with E6, from the core
groups (The Apples In Stereo, Neutral Milk
Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control) and
famous signings to the Elephant 6 Recording
Company label (Beulah, Elf Power, Of
Montreal) to myriad side-projects, affiliated
acts and friends of friends.
But what eventually emerged as one of the
most significant musical movements of the
‘90s initially began with four bored kids in
the small college town of Ruston, Louisiana
(home of Louisiana Tech University).
Fueled by the local art scene and musical
influences ranging from punk and noise to
‘60s Brit-pop and experimental psychedelia,
childhood friends Bill Doss, Will Cullen
Hart, Jeff Mangum and Robert Schneider
worked together in various incarnations
(though never as a conventional band)
before Schneider relocated to Denver for
college and the others followed Hart to
Athens, GA.
An anomaly on the modern music
scene, Elephant 6 was always more about
collaboration and a shared personal ideology
than it was about personal recognition.
Members of the various bands intermingled
freely, with Schneider and Doss working
together in the Apples In Stereo; Doss,
Hart and Mangum all original members of
Olivia Tremor Control; Schneider providing
production and instrumentation for
Mangum’s Neutral Milk Hotel; and various
friends from other Elephant 6 bands playing
supporting roles on each other’s projects.
BILL DOSS
But as a collective, they established a unique
sound (perhaps best exemplified by NMH’s
classic In The Aeroplane Over The Sea)
that became as much an adjective as it
was a record label. For a while, “Elephant
6” and “arty indie-rock” were virtually
interchangeable.
Now, 20 years after
the iconic indie-rock
institution was
founded, Elephant
6 is suddenly all
over the place
again. Tireless E6
banner-wavers Of
Montreal released a
limited edition boxed
set in October, with a new
LP due in 2012. Olivia
Tremor Control recently
reissued their first two
albums, and plan to
release a new one (their
first in over a decade)
in 2012. Mangum, who
has been called “the J.D.
Salinger of indie-rock” due
to his hermitic seclusion
since retiring after In The
Aeroplane Over The Sea’s
success, has resurfaced with
a self-released Neutral Milk
Hotel boxed set. He’s also
the curator for March’s All
Tomorrow’s Parties Festival, in which
he will perform alongside the Apples In
Stereo, Olivia Tremor Control and other E6
bands such as The Music Tapes and A Hack
& A Hacksaw.
In light of this rare historic event (which
will find all the original founders playing
together as part of the “Elephant 6 Holiday
ROBERT
SCHNEIDER
Surprise”), we were able to speak with
Doss, Hart and Schneider to get the history,
evolution and influence of the Elephant 6
collective in their own words.
Will Cullen Hart: I first met Jeff when I
was in grade school. Robert and
Jeff went to the same school
until 6th grade, and we
played football together
in 7 grade.
Bill Doss: (Laughs)
I can’t imagine you
playing football! I
love that story of how
you and Jeff decided
to form a band. You were
on the football field and
everybody got tackled, and
y’all are just lying there
while everyone went down
to the other end of the field...
Will: We looked at each other
and just started talking about
heavy metal music. He asked
me to come over to his house
after school. Neither of us was
very good, but we just enjoyed
making noise.
Bill: I love the whole idea of
you two looking at each other,
tackled and sweaty on the ground.
“Screw this, let’s start a band!” (Laughs) I
met Robert when we were teenagers: I think
he was 15 and I was 17. I was putting an ad
up in a guitar store for musicians and the
guy that owned the place said, “Hey, there’s
this kid I think you’d get along with.” He gave
me Robert’s phone number and I called him.
He said he wasn’t really into guitars so much,
but that he was into keyboards and had been
listening to a lot fo Rush. I ended up going
to Robert’s house after school and using a 4
track. Through him, I met Will and Jeff.
Robert Schneider: As unusual teenagers,
we really felt the strain of the small town
environment in Ruston, Louisiana. Just a
few hours down Interstate 20 was Athens,
where there was all this amazing music being
made. When we were in high school, we
unofficially made a pact that, one day, we’d
all move to Athens. It’s so weird and at the
same time incredibly cool that we were able
to interact in the history of the Athens scene
that inspired us and had given us confidence
as young artists.
PHOTO
Bill: I went to a different high school
thanBY
TIMOTHY
WHITE
they all did, and nobody at my school was
into music like I was. They wanted to go
hunting or fishing, or play basketball. When
I met these guys, it was like, “Oh my god,
these guys want to talk about music and play
music all the time!”
Will: It was exciting for us, too. He played
with Robert in some cover bands, like
Fat Planet…
Bill: Which you named! To this day, if I
need a good title for something, I’ll call
Will. He was the one who coined the name
Elephant 6.
Will: I just made it up because it sounded
cool, and then Robert added “Recording
Company,” which was great. It made us
sound legit.
Robert: We lived in a college town, where
WILL CULLEN
HART
the art department was strong and was
a magnet throughout the state for all the
weirdoes. They were usually musicians,
especially punk and experimental, so there
was this idea of being “conceptual.” We were
always trying to be artists, not book a show
at a mall.
we were coming in and we were like, “Wait,
this is too much!” We were always touring
and in the studio– that stuff is fun– but then
there was also meeting with record labels.
Robert: It really grew big when the members
of the first wave of Elephant 6 bands all
turned into real live performing bands
instead of just being 4-track projects. The
collective became a band of bands. I suppose
I’ll take the blame for letting everybody in,
but in many cases I knew that it was a band
that Will had been recording with.
Bill: I ended up playing with Jeff and Will,
and played in various projects with Robert.
But we didn’t ever really play in a project
all together.
Will: Jeff and I couldn’t play worth shit. We
would drink a lot and were just everywhere.
Robert was more into musicianship. Robert’s
always been my mentor, and still is.
Bill: I enjoyed the difference in those two
things. When I played with Jeff and Will,
it was more about feeling and making a lot
noise and chaos. But when I’d play with
Robert, he was kind of a prodigy. Robert has
always been ten steps ahead of all of us… or
a hundred steps. He’s unbelievable.
Robert: We’d record together in different
combinations, usually in pairs. Jeff and
I would record, but it was usually me
recording his songs for him. Bill and I were
musical partners and imagined having a
band together in the more traditional way.
Will and Jeff had a band that went through
various names, but they were loosely formed
bands. We were coming out of the punk/
noise scene and we knew that you could be
incredibly loose about your organizational
structure, like Apple Records. We were
pleased to emulate the most sloppy and
haphazard of our heroes. It seemed natural
to us, because we were making these
bedroom recordings on 4-tracks. It’s a very
personal form of music.
Will: I eventually went with a girl to live in
the Virgin Islands, but it fell apart. We had
just enough money to move back to Florida.
She called a friend who lived in Athens and
she came to pick us up. We thought Athens
was a cool, small town with a great music
scene, so we stayed.
Bill: Jeff and I would come every once in
a while to visit Will. As soon as we were
able, we moved out. Jeff and Will started
Cranberry Lifecycles, which was a recording
project that turned into Synthetic Flying
Machine. That’s when I came out and
started playing with them, and Synthetic
Flying Machine then turned into the Olivia
Tremor Control.
Bill: This for me, was the moment when I
realized Elephant 6 got big… It happened
so gradually, then when it did happen, it
seemed like it happened immediately. It got
a little crazy. That’s one of the reasons Olivia
Tremor Control decided to take a break. I
think Jeff needed to take a step back [from
Neutral Milk Hotel], too, but his step back
turned into ten years.
Bill: I remember hearing the record for
the first time and thinking, “I can’t believe
somebody I know did this!” It’s funny,
because I hadn’t heard anything he’d been
working on. He played it really close to
his chest.
Robert: When we started [the Elephant
6 record label] we were trying to create a
7-inch and cassette label– sort of a mail
order enterprise– because we were trying to
bypass any sort of professionalism and music
industry BS.
Bill: The bands on the label were people
we met and felt some kinship with. Robert
was in Denver by then, so Elephant 6 was
growing out of there and also out of Athens.
It was like there was the Elephant 6 East
and West. We were doing our own things,
but still tied in together. We’d get mixes
from Robert all the time with new Apples
In Stereo stuff. After checking the morning
mail, we’d sit and listen to them and get
inspired. We’d pull out the 4-track and be
like, “These songs are so good: We’ve got to
do something better!”
Will: It was like, “I’ll show him!” Then we
would send him our stuff.
Will: The business got in the way of the
feeling we got from just playing together.
Bill: He would hear that, and then send
us more stuff back. It was almost like
Sgt. Pepper and Pet Sounds, the way
Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson were
influencing each other, but also challenging
each other.
Bill: Will and I had a bit of a falling out over
stupid shit and didn’t speak for a few years,
which really sucked. I felt like I needed to
do some other stuff and play with some
other people and figure out who I was as an
individual instead of being part of this band.
After a few years, it was time to get back
together.
Robert: When it comes down to it, it was me
and Will who you had to ask for permission
to join Elephant 6. The bands were all loosely
structured bands where we absorbed our
immediate social circle. Everybody in every
band was also a songwriter, producer, and
genius in their own right. Our immediate
social scene was brought into our musical
scene as backup musicians, but often they
were people we respected, and were better
or more credible than us at the time. You’re
boosting your friends because you admire
them, and they’re playing in your band
because they admire you.
Bill: People started using Elephant 6 as an
adjective, which was cool but a little scary,
too. I remember some record contracts that
Bill: I can’t believe it’s been 20 years
since Elephant 6 started! You hear
interviews where people say, “It seems
like just yesterday I was playing in Buffalo
Springfield,” but it really does. Once 20 years
have gotten behind you, you look back at all
the stuff you’ve done. It’s a good feeling, but
it’s just weird.
Will: [Olivia Tremor Control] has a ton of
new stuff we’ve been working on, but we
don’t have any finished songs.
Bill: We’re hoping to have a new record
out in 2012. One thing I like about the way
we make records is that there’s such a huge
back catalogue of stuff we’ve been working
on, especially Will. He is so prolific, with
boxes and boxes of cassettes and CDs, and
hundreds of songs.
Will: Jeff had a song called Olivia Tremor
Control, so he gave it to us…
Will: Whenever any of the four of us
get together, we always make something
up. It’s like, “Come on over and let’s
record something!”
Bill: …and Will named Neutral Milk Hotel,
so they named each other’s bands!
Bill: Jeff will come down to visit, and the
first thing we do is go into the studio and
play around. I’m still playing with the Apples
In Stereo. Honestly, my goal [for the next
OTC album] is to get Robert involved once
we get enough songs to start mixing, just to
have his ears and his brain there listening. It
seems like, if he signs off on it and we sign
off on it, then it feels like it’s done.
Will: We were cool with Jeff leaving OTC to
form Neutral Milk Hotel, because he had his
own thing.
Bill: Everybody has to take his own path. It’s
funny, because we all lived together at the
time in Athens. I would walk by Jeff’s room
and hear the songs coming out of the noise.
Finally, he sat us down and was like, “I love
playing with you guys, but I’ve got this thing
I’m doing and I just have to follow through
with it.” I’m so glad he did now. I don’t want
to gloss over it and say it wasn’t sad, because
it really was.
Will: I remember being bitter for a little bit,
but The Aeroplane Over The Sea was fucking
amazing. I don’t think I realized it: Jeff is one
of my friends, and he’s amazing.
Will: It just happened and it was perfect.
We needed a few years of, “Hey, I haven’t
talked to you in a while. I love you, man”! It
was awesome.
APPLES IN STEREO
Robert: I think the four of us will definitely
work together as a band in the future. I’m
not joking. We’ve always been planning on
having a band, and those plans are currently
still in effect. In the case of Elephant 6, life
allowed us to flow along many different
paths. But now, ,aking one band seems
like the obvious choice, with me, Will, Bill
and Jeff. We would write some fucking
awesome songs…
SPORTS
GO B.I.G. OR GO HOME
Meet Jordan Romero, The Youngest Person Ever To Climb the Seven Summits
BY BRET LOVE
W
HAT WERE YOU DOING WHEN YOU were 13?
California native Jordan Romero was cresting the
summit of Mount Everest, approaching from the
more difficult Tibetan side (because he was too young to get a
permit in Nepal), and in the process smashing the world record
for youngest person ever to climb the 29,029-foot behemoth.
That was in 2010. In December of 2011, less than 6 months
after turning 15 years old, Romero reached the peak of
Antarctica’s Mount Vinson, becoming the youngest mountain
climber ever to conquer the famed Seven Summits Challenge.
Due to the controversy over his age when he climbed Everest,
China’s has now introduced legislation barring anyone under
16 from climbing the Tibetan side, virtually ensuring that
Romero’s record will never be broken.
We spoke with the clearly stoked teen just a few weeks after
he returned from his historic adventure, covering everything
from the origins of his dream to what challenges he hopes to
tackle next.
When did you first become interested in climbing, and what
was the appeal?
I first got interested in climbing when I was 9 years old. In
the fourth grade, I walked down my school hallway and saw
this mural of the Seven Summits. It fascinated me, and it was
something that I wanted to study more of. I thought, “What
would it be like to stand on top of these mountains?” The
first one we wanted to climb for sure was Mount Kilimanjaro.
Before we reached the top we had no intention of climbing the
7 Summits, but when we got there we said, “Alright, let’s just go
for them all!”
How did climbing Kilimanjaro fire your imagination?
The climb was beautiful! We spent 4 days climbing the
mountain on the Umbwe route. It was a fun climb, but I was
only 10 years old and I was definitely suffering. I’m sure if I
went back with a different perspective and a different level of
fitness it would be a bit easier. It was tough then: I had no idea
what I was getting myself into.
Did you get to spend any time traveling in Kenya and
Tanzania before or after the climb?
Yeah, I got time to spend with the Masai warriors and we also
got to see the Ngorongoro Crater as a bit of a side trip. That
place is just mind-blowing.
Obviously this is not a one-man operation. How did you, your
dad and your stepmom work together on this dream of yours?
Karen and my dad are professional adventure racers, so they
have a background of being up in the mountains in some hairy
conditions and situations. My dad is a critical care paramedic
who specializes in high altitude medicine, and Karen handles
most of the logistical details. So I felt like they were well
prepared to take me under their wing and to coach, train and
educate me about what I need to wear and how I need to
prepare physically and nutritionally. It worked out well.
Talk to me about climbing Everest. Did you have any fears
or concerns beforehand? What were the biggest challenges of
preparing for it?
Everest was definitely the highlight of the Seven Summits.
You feel like you’re standing on top of the world, and it’s just a
magical feeling to be up there together as a family. We worked
pretty hard on the mountain, both before and after training.
We spent 50 days there to acclimatize and to prepare ourselves
for the summit day. Of course, we’re always taking precautions
and were aware that many people have died on the mountain.
But we got up there in good weather on a perfect day. The
Everest trip was definitely the highlight of the whole Seven
Summits quest.
How did you feel when you heard that China isn’t going to
issue any more climbing permits for kids under 16, virtually
ensuring that your record will remain unbroken?
I didn’t really have much of a reaction. If my record were
to be broken I seriously would not care. We were out there
for the experience and for the fun of doing it together. I
guess it is a cool feeling to think that my record probably
won’t be broken, but you never know. If someone does break
it, I’ll be proud of the kid who’s able to do it. If any kid were
to climb Mtount Everest, I’d highly recommend them to be
well prepared. Honestly, I don’t recommend that just any kid
should go for it.
What was it like when you reached the summit of Antarctica’s
Mount Vinson in December, completing your historic Seven
Summits quest?
It was a different feeling than Everest. It was more of a
feeling of accomplishment because we had finally done all of
the mountains. It was an awesome feeling to be up there, but
of course as soon as we got up there it’s like, “Dad, it’s pretty
cold! Take a couple pictures: We’re going back down!” That’s
always how it is. But the view was definitely beautiful. I loved
Antarctica, because the whole continent is such an amazing
untouched land mass.
How do you respond to critics who say teenagers shouldn’t be
allowed to do dangerous stuff like this?
I try to use that negative energy as a positive push to show
them that what they’re saying is wrong. I proved them wrong,
because we were successful. Now that we’re finished, we don’t
even notice it, except through some of the emails we get. But
there are always going to be haters.
Now that you’ve completed your quest, have you given any
thought to what you want to do next?
The thing I always want to keep working on is inspiring kids to
find their own Everest, and to be goal driven and live a healthy
lifestyle. We’re also doing the B.I.G. Tour, where we’ll be
traveling the U.S. this summer and speaking to many schools,
companies and clubs. That’s what we’re focused on right now,
but we’re always interested in more adventure. I really want to
go to Antarctica again, which is totally my paradise. I love it
with a passion! I also want to get down to the South Pole, and
go back to Kilimanjaro to climb it again and do a benefit there
to help build schools. And I want to go back to the Himalayas
and do some trekking, climbing and skiing there. I’m really
excited for anything that involves snow, rock and ice...
OUtdOOrs
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The Wonders of Nature are just a Short Drive Away
a
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120 rare or endangered plant and animal
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mussels found nowhere else in the world,
and the only known example of an oldgrowth longleaf pine-black oak forest. Plus
witness eagles, osprey, dolphins, alligators
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has kayak tours, rentals and shuttles
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the altamaha. visit www.altamaha.com for
more information.
MUSIC
BORN TO BE…
The Wild Proves That Atlanta Is Capable of Rocking, After All
BY JOHN B. MOORE
A
TLANTA HAS ONE OF THE
biggest music scenes going right
now, which is great if you’re a hiphop, rap or R&B artist. If you happen to be
in a folk-punk band, however, the spotlight is
just a little dimmer.
Regardless, if you do a little digging
you’ll find this small subgenre of talented
bands plugging aw ay and creating some
tremendous songs. Among the best is The
Wild, a musical collective that’s not afraid to
toss in a tambourine or banjo every now and
then. Through word-of-mouth, pop-punk
legend Joe Queer heard about the band and
offered to produce their last record.
The Wild’s latest effort, the aptly titled
album A Collection, includes hard-to-find
and out-of-print singles, EPs, splits and a
few live tracks. Singer/guitarist/harmonica
player Witt Wisebram spoke recently about
the band, their connection to Mr. Queer and
playing folk punk rock in Atlanta.
The first time I heard about you guys was
from Joe Queer. When did you realize he
was a fan of the band?
We actually didn’t know Joe Queer before
we started working on ‘Set Ourselves Free.’
We had heard through a friend’s band that
he was living in Atlanta and had just opened
a recording studio and was looking for
bands to record. I got his e-mail address
and kept retyping the e-mail for three or
four days, because I was really nervous
about contacting him. I had been listening
to The Queers since I was 10 years old, and
I couldn’t believe that I had Joe’s e-mail
address; that he might record our band, and
I really didn’t want to sound like an idiot, so
I kept erasing and rewriting the e-mail. He
wrote back with his phone number, so that
was crazy, and I called him up and we made
plans to make the album.
The Atlanta rock scene tends to get
overlooked in favor of hip-hop. What is it
like playing indie-rock in Atlanta?
Atlanta is a really interesting and frustrating
place to be in a rock band. There is a big garage
rock scene with bands like The Black Lips
and Deerhunter doing really well, but I think
on the national level, that Atlanta is known
for Hip-Hop. That being said, there is a really
awesome punk scene in Atlanta. It’s just pretty
small. We play bigger shows in other cities
like Lexington, Birmingham, and Richmond,
but there is a lot of excitement about the punk
scene and people are really loyal and put in a
lot of work to make sure there is an alternative
to the corporate driven music side of Atlanta.
We have always felt supported by our local
scene, and we have tried to give back to the
scene however we could.
Can we talk a little bit about the
band’s history?
The Wild has been a band for about
three years. We’ve actually had a lot of
lineup changes in that time, but it has been
awesome having so many great people and
musicians bringing their perspective and
ideas to the band. I think everybody that has
ever been a part of the band has changed
the band a little bit, and so we wouldn’t be
what we are today without them. Some
of The Wild’s first songs were songs that I
wrote during a period when I was touring as
a solo acoustic folk act. I got really tired of
it and was thinking about just giving it up,
but I met our original drummer, Kylee, at a
house show in Atlanta and we just started
playing those songs with drums and added
in bass and other instruments, and it gave
them new life, and we were all really excited
about the sound we came up with. Then we
started working on new songs and everything
just clicked. There have been a lot of ups
and downs with the band, but I think we’ve
learned a lot from all of it. We’ve always done
things exactly how we wanted to and tried
to make people feel better with our music,
and I think that is what is important to all of
us. The line-up we have now feels amazing,
and we’re really excited to keep touring and
writing together.
A Collection is pretty diverse. Has the
band’s sound changed much since you
first started?
I don’t think any of us have noticed our
sound changing a bunch, but it is kind of
hard to have an objective opinion about
that. We really just write songs that we
are excited about and that we think sound
good. I think bands get boring when they
feel stuck to a certain thing… musically,
lyrically, or otherwise. We definitely made a
WE REALLY JUST WRITE SONGS THAT WE ARE
EXCITED ABOUT AND THAT WE THINK SOUND
GOOD. I THINK BANDS GET BORING WHEN
THEY FEEL STUCK TO A CERTAIN THING…
conscious decision to keep the EP’s, splits,
and other stuff together on A Collection
instead of breaking them up and sequencing
them differently. Writing cohesive albums
is really important to us, and the songs on A
Collection are meant to be heard in sequence
and context with other certain songs.
Whether it’s a split or an EP or an LP, we
want them to be complete pieces and not just
a bunch of songs that don’t have any concept
backing them up. What’s next for the band?
Right now we’re just focused on getting
the new album written and recorded. We
have a really exciting tour coming up this
winter. We will be doing a couple of weeks
with Portland, Oregon’s The Taxpayers,
New Year’s Eve with Against Me! and Fake
Problems, and a couple of weeks with The
Queers. We’ll probably tour pretty heavily
once the new album is done.
O BROTHER
Larry & His Flask Find Success By Switching From Punk to Bluegrass
BY JOHN B. MOORE
L
ARRY AND HIS FLASK COULD HAVE EASILY
lived out the rest of their career as just another punk
rock band touring the small clubs in their RV, but a
mid tour change of plans led to the band’s reinvention as one
of the best bluegrass/punk rock hybrids… well ever.
Formed in Oregon in 2003 by brothers Jamin and Jesse Marshall, the band played straight-up punk rock for years. In the
middle of a US tour a couple of years ago, the band’s drummer announced suddenly that he was leaving the band. Most
groups would’ve simply found a new drummer and soldiered
on, but Larry and His Flask opted to completely revamp the
band – from instruments to sound. Guitarist Ian Cook took
over on the microphone, while former frontman Jamin Marshall moved to the drums. Dallin Bulkley (guitars), Kirk Skatvold (mandolin) and Andrew Carew (banjo) were all recruited,
and Jesse Marshall started playing a standup bass.
With the new instruments came a new sound– a stew of
bluegrass, punk and folk. Fellow musical hybrids Dropkick
Murphys took the boys out on tour and introduced them to
the rest of the world. All That We Know, their new CD, is
their latest calling card. Cook spoke with us recently about the
band’s evolution.
To the uninitiated, how would you describe your music?
That’s always the hard one. I would say it’s like a barn party
while the barn’s burning down.
Do all of you share similar influences?
We all do. We come from the same original school of punk
rock and now, of everything. Collectively, we tend to get into
things at the same time because we are around each other so
often. It’s hard to not be into the same things together.
Because your music can appeal to different crowds, have you
ever found yourself on a tour where you guys just weren’t a
good match with the other bands and their fans?
More often than not we’re not a good match with a lot of
things, but it always works. We’ve never really been out of
place. We’re definitely different than the bands we tour with,
but the energy is the same so it translates well. What prompted the decision to change the band up not too
long ago (switching instruments, adding members, etc.)?
We lost our original drummer, when we were the punk
rock version of the band, and on tour in Canada, he left soon
after that, which was also hard because he’s one of our best
friends. We decided to break it all down back to acoustic and
see what happened. I had a few songs written, and we converted a few songs from our old stuff and just had a big jam
session, and people would come out and jam with us. We had
as many as 11 people playing together including a cello and
accordion, two mandolin players at once time, it was crazy. We
just wanted to involve everyone we knew at first. When
we started the constant touring it condensed down to six
members who could tour and wanted to, and it’s been rolling
ever since. How long have you been working on the songs that made it on
to All That We Know?
Some of the songs are really old songs, like “Land of the F(r)
ee” and “I’ll Be Gone,” we’ve been playing them solid for almost
the entire time we’ve been doing the more acoustic version
of the band, something like 3-and-half years. They’re songs
I had written way before we even started doing the acoustic
stuff. And some of the songs are brand new, one of the songs
wasn’t even fully written yet and we had to finish writing it
in the studio. So it ranges, from 3-and-a-half years to very,
very new.
What was it like working on that record?
It felt good because we had spent so much time concentrating on touring that we overlooked doing a full-length record
for a long time. People were asking us about when we were
going to put one out all the time. We felt a lot of pressure but
it was a good pressure, so when we were in there it was super
exciting. It had been so long since we’d all be in the studio. It
was an awesome experience, just really fun.
As a band that’s been at it for awhile now, are you surprised
at how quickly things have been moving for you guys in the
past year or two? What do you attribute that to?
I am surprised. I would have to attribute that solely to the
Dropkick Murphys for helping us so much when they asked us
to do that tour with them. Those were the biggest shows we’ve
played, ever, and it was huge for us in terms of the popularity
of the band and getting our name stuck in everyone’s head. It
was the big thing that kicked everything else into gear and
since then it’s been getting better and better. We’ve been trying
to tour our asses off so we can get it all out there.
What else is next for the band?
Lots of touring! And hopefully we want to try to get an EP
out as soon as we can, within the next six months or so to give
everyone more music. But that’s just talk right now. We’re still
trying to put it together and working on new songs. Possibly
we will tour Europe in January as well.
MUSIC
COME FLY WITH ME
You’ve Only Heard the Half to America’s Got Talent winner
Landau Eugene Murphy Jr.’s rags-to-riches story
BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS
T
HERE’S A LOT TO ADMIRE
about the Landau Eugene Murphy Jr.
story. For starters, the former basketball
star-turned homeless teen-turned West Virginia
car washer never gave up, even when times were
at their lowest. For two, the man who’s always
had the voice of gold followed his dreams of jazz
singing professionally all the way to an America’s
Got Talent audition in New York. And three, the
Sinatra sound-alike overcame NBC’s bright lights
and AGT’s stiff competition to score a $1 million
prize and a headlining act in Vegas. But there’s even
more to Murphy’s amazing story than that –He’s
got a new album, That’s Life, and an unbelievable
charitable side- and we’re just thankful he decided
to share it all with us.
Before appearing on America’s Got Talent, what
were some of your dreams?
You know, to go the NBA, obviously. Everybody
wants to be like Mike. I’ve had a lot of dreams, you
know. I wanted to be an architect. I wanted to be
an astronaut. I’ve never wanted to be president,
but I’ve also cut hair and things like that. I always
wanted to be a barber and own my own barber
shop and things like that. And then also just being
an entertainer in the music industry. I wanted to be
a rapper. I wanted to be a singer, a dancer.
Okay, you were all over!
Yeah, I mean, everything, man. Nothing is
unquestionable, man. You’ve got to think outside
the box. [I thought] “What can I possibly do to
make my life better?” and that is basically what my
dreams were. I dreamed really big.
How close were you to accomplishing any of
those things?
I was close to a lot of them. You know, life throws
curve balls at you. I wanted to play sports a lot, but
once I got to like high school and I started to see
the politics in sports, you know, in school, it kinda
took the love out of the game for me. So, I went to
street ball after that. You know, the whole And-1
thing and playing in street tournaments and church
leagues and things like that.
So, you can hoop!?
Oh yeah. I get my ball on.
Did the West Virginia Mountaineers try to
recruit you?
Uh, no! I wish they would have. But at the time,
you know, I grew up half of my life in Detroit
City. I was born and raised here in Logan, West
Virginia until I was 11. Then my mom moved
me to Columbus and then back here, and then
we moved out to Detroit. So, I didn’t get back
here until like ’99 and I started doing charity and
singing in all these charity events to raise money
for the less fortunate and things like that. Doing
something here in my home town. And it blew up,
you know. I started getting recognized and getting
in the papers. Then I took that to the point where I
put my own band together and we started touring
throughout West Virginia and doing pretty well.
Then that fell apart, so, you know, I had nothing
again. Then someone robbed me and I was like,
“Wow, this is like really crazy now.” After that, I had
next to nothing, so a voice told me you just need
a bigger stage. At that time, AGT’s commercial
came across my TV screen. I ran in the other
room, got on the computer, signed up, went out
there to New York, stood in line that day from like,
I guess, 5:30AM to about 5:35 or 6:00PM—and
that was just getting in the building. Once I got in
the building, man, I stood there for another three
or four hours, so I didn’t audition until about 9:30
at night or something like that. Then they sent me
home. I came back home, rested and they flew me
back out to do the live taping and the rest is history.
What was your first big purchase, man, after
you won?
I bought a pair of Jordans, man. Yeah, I bought
the new Jordans. The ones with the air bubble
from the back to the front because I’ve never seen
a pair of Jordans come out like that. And I really
like Jordans. So, that is what I bought, man. I
bought that and then I started two corporations in
my name so that way I don’t blow my money. So,
everything is getting paid for. Make sure all my
taxes are done. Basically, I’m just living, man, day to
day just being myself and knocking out these shows
and keeping my feet on solid ground.
Sounds like you are making some smart decisions.
I’m guessing you’ve got a strong team beside you.
Oh yes. I’ve got two guys from my hometown
that I’ve known since childhood. You know, we’ve
got a whole team put together, Team Landau, and
we doing things now. We’ve got a whole lot of stuff
going on, and a whole lot of charities that we are
giving to, and I’m making a living for me and my
family and everything’s good.
Which charities?
The Salvation Army, United Way, and then I’ve
got Children’s Home Society and the Charleston
Boys’ Choir. We have a lot of things lined up.
A lot of folks make their mark, shake Nick
Cannon’s hand on the AGT stage and they might
forget about the less fortunate.
Oh, no. I was the less fortunate. You know, I used
to be homeless, man. And then, the robbery part,
where they took all my clothes and everything
out of my house. I mean, I’ve been less fortunate. I
know how it feels. Just to have this blessing placed
upon me, the last thing that I could possibly do
is not give back, you know. That would just be
terrible, you know, to my soul and to other people
that could use it.
Okay, now, Landau, I’ve been scratching my head
for months, man. How does a black dude who
grew up in Detroit and West Virginia fall in love
with Rat Pack?
You remember Motown 25? I used to watch those
with my mom and on there they would always give
a shout out to Nat King Cole, you remember that?
Yeah, yeah.
One of his songs that they would always play
on there would be like “Mona Lisa,” and that’s my
mom’s name. So, me and my brother were, like,
teasing her and singing that Nat King Cole song,
like “Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa.” You know how that
song goes? And then, from that point on, I started
really just liking that style of music. But then, you
know, we would all run in the house to watch
In Living Color or Married, with Children, and
Married, with Children’s theme song was “Love
and Marriage” by Frank Sinatra. So, if you watched
the show every day, every time it came on, you
had to just sing that song. I caught on to that. So,
all of my friends started, like, really liking to hear
me sign it, just messing around with people and
things like that. Once I turned 21, I was signing,
like, all of those songs. You know, “Fly Me to the
Moon.” I started singing “Fly Me to the Moon” just
to trash talk on the basketball court, like if dunked
on somebody, I was like, “Fly me to the moon…”
and back peddle down the court. Something like
that. And a lot of guys, they would laugh. But then
they would always come back to me later, like,
“Man, you can really sing that song. Man, you gotta
go down to this club” or something like that. So, a
few of my friends were taking me to these bars and
these pub clubs. Some are in the suburbs, some are
in the hood. Just random places. And I would go
in and sing “My Way” or “New York, New York”
or “Fly Me to the Moon.” And people would just
applaud and really appreciated it or wowed or
moved from just seeing me standing there singing
it, you know? It was like “Wow.” I’ve been doing
charity from that point on, just raising money for
the less fortunate and doing shows.
And that’s one of the craziest things, the whole
dynamic of a dude with dreads doing this. It’s a
beautiful thing.
Right, exactly. That was the wow. That that is the
wow moment. I mean, to pick a show like AGT was
like a perfect thing for me. That’s why I didn’t go
on like American Idol or a place like that. I wanted
to sign the songs that I wanted to sing, and they
allow you to just be yourself. They don’t want to
change you in any kind of way. They just want to
know what you can do in 90 seconds that is going
to make me stand to my feet. That is why I picked
that show, man.
What’s been your proudest moment through the
whole journey?
My proudest moment was just going and
making it happen. You know, just going out there,
getting on the airplane and flying over there and
just walking out on that stage. That was like my
proudest moment. And then, you know, to let my
kids see me do it also was another proud moment.
After I flew them down there and they got to see
the behind-the-scenes things and how TV works
and, you know, just all of those things. You can
combine it all up until now, you know, but I’m just
so happy, man, that I just went out and did it. And
never gave up. I’m beyond proud.
Why didn’t you give up? What kept you going?
Just, you know, people doubting me. People
doubt you to your face. Some of them doubt you
behind your back. But, I mean, just all of those
doubts when you know you can do it. When
you’ve seen it in people’s eyes. I’ve been on stages
before. I’ve performed in front of people before,
so it’s just like I’ve seen that look in people’s eyes.
I’ve heard the comments. I’ve gotten the thank
yous and the hugs and the photos and all of these
things before I even got on AGT, but for people to
still doubt you and say, “Aww, you’ll never do that.
You need to go get a job,” or “You’re just wasting
your time” or “You’re too old” [inspired me]. But
there are shows out there like AGT, whether you’re
young or old, [it doesn’t matter]. I mean there is
a lady on there who was stripping.She had to be
about 90 or so. And then an old lady that was tap
dancing. I mean, I saw a lot of people and they all
believe in their talent and they are not going to let
anybody stop them from doing it. So, I’m just like
them. Fortunately enough for me, I came out on
top and I won, but a lot of them, even the ones that
got kicked off the show, they actually really, really,
truly believe in their dream. And all of those kids.
POPLYFE, Silhouettes—all of them. Everybody
had a dream.
Silhouettes was awesome.
Aww, yeah, man. That’s why it was so, like, really
hard for me at that moment, because at the time
when I won it was the little girl’s birthday. She has
diabetes. Yeah, it was her birthday the night that
I won, so that was why I was like it’s a bittersweet
moment. Because you see the dreams in these kids’
eyes. And you see the desire in their faces. And
even POPLYFE, when they played a trick on us and
put us on the stage together to make it seem like I
was going home and we both ended up winning.
It’s just an emotional moment, you know, how
everything worked out. It was like an emotional
roller coaster, though, because you can’t really
celebrate your win when you are standing next to
kids who just lost.
But you handled yourself nicely up there, man.
Yeah, I had to man. I wanted to do the James
Brown split when I won. You know, for real. Man,
I really did. I really wanted to just show the world
that I was very, very, very happy, but I couldn’t
because, you know, I’m standing next to those guys.
How was the headlining gig?
Sold out for three nights. That was a fun moment
too, because I got to get back with the top 10
finalists. They came out there and helped me do the
show, but I was the headliner. It was a great night.
We sold out all three nights at Caesar’s Palace.
Landau, how is the rest of your year going to
play out?
We are doing shows that I’ve got set up that my
team set up for me. I’ve got a couple of events
coming up. I’ve got the Super Bowl. And just doing
a lot of things, you know, trying to give back as
much as I can and then start hitting the studio and
get ready to bring out my next album. It’s just all
flying, man.
Is the next album going to be more covers, or
originals, or a mix?
I’m trying to do the next one all original, you
know. I might have two cover songs on there, just
to do a duet with somebody, or just give back to the
old school. But this [next] round I really want to do
my own songs.
Veterans Helping Veterans
If you are a veteran and
served as part of the OIF
or OEF mission, we need
your help.
W
10. KYLE LOWRY
The Houston Rockets are playoff contenders, not because of one star and a
bunch of supporters, but because of a
bunch of almost stars, led by the plucky
Lowry (14 points, eight rebounds and six
dimes per).
All tests and procedures
will be conducted at Emory
University and Emory
Briarcliff Campus.
9. CHRIS BOSH
For more information or to see if you qualify for the study please
call Stacy Ladd at (404) 712-2014 or email [email protected].
Compensation will be provided for your participation.
BY B. LOVE
STEP 2
M
ANY MEN SEEM UTTERLY
clueless about how to delight their
darlings on Valentine’s Day. But they
don’t call me Dr. Love for nothing: These simple
steps will have her begging for a kiss (and more)
in no time!
7. CHRIS PAUL
Coming into Los Angeles with more
hype than The Avengers, Paul has been a
superhero in Staples Center, scoring at an
amazing clip (nearly nine assists a night)
and dishing the rock with out-of-thisworld consistency (19 ppg).
STEP 1
STEP 4
6. KEVIN LOVE
STEP 3
Most of the players mentioned here,
understandably, are on winning teams. But
when you’re having the kind of stat-stuffing season that the Minnesota power forward is (25.5 ppg, 13.5 rpg), you demand
an exception be made.
5. DERRICK ROSE
STEP 2: THE APÉRITIF
Let’s be honest: You don’t have time or energy
to pamper her the way you should. Every once in
a while every woman loves to be spoiled, which is
why I’ll be treating my lady to the ROMANCING
THE STONE COUPLES’ MASSAGE from Spa
Sydell (spasydell.com). The hot stone massage
offers a perfect balance of relaxation, romance and
rejuvenation, and since it’s for couples you both get
KOBE BRYANT
While his numbers are pretty much on
par with his usual output (22 points, eight
rebounds), Aldridge’s responsibilities
have increased. But even with the added
pressure, the athletic giant shows up every
night, keeping Portland in the hunt.
OUR FAVORITE THINGS
STEP 3: THE ENTRÉE
Who else do you think has kept the Heat
scorching while Wade’s nursed injuries all
year? Oh right, LeBron. Well, Bosh (20pts,
8 boards) has been the other guy. It’s just
amazing that the third-best player in Miami may actually be the ninth top player in
the League so far.
8. LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE
COLUMN
Valentine’s Day is on Tuesday, meaning your lady
will likely be coming off of a hard day at work. No
matter how grueling her grind, it’s hard to resist a
tasty cocktail, especially one with chocolate. My gal
loves Van Gogh’s new RICH DARK CHOCOLATE
VODKA (vangoghvodka.com), which has notes
of coffee and nutmeg, with a spicy finish. Try
mixing 2 oz with ½ oz of Vanilla Vodka and 1 oz
of Butterscotch Schnapps to create a Milky Way
Martini that will definitely take the edge off.
LEBRON JAMES
E ALL KNOW THE NBA
All-Star Game (February 26 in
Orlando) is nothing more than
a high school student body election for
millionaires. The cool kids with the snazziest buttons win while the nerds with the
innovative recycling programs finish a distant third. Here at INsite, we’re tired of the
Carmelos, the D-Wades and other popular
guys getting all the shine, so at the season’s
halfway mark, we’ve decided to officially
list the top 10 NBA MVP candidates, some
with buzzy names, others with brilliant,
quiet games. All deserve your vote, or at
least your attention, the rest of the year.
If you do have severe stress
related to the war, such as
flashbacks, sleep disturbance,
memory loss, feeling detached
or easily angered you may
qualify for another part of the
study. Please call or email us.
I’ve yet to meet a woman who does not love
chocolate. But not all chocolates are created equal.
Ditch the Whitman’s Sampler and dazzle her with
SUGAR-COATED RADICAL CHOCOLATES
(sugarcoatedradical.org). They’re hand-made,
fair trade, and come in flavors such as Cumin
Spiced Pecan, Tobacco & Toasted Hazelnut, and
Alderwood-Smoked Sea Salt & Almond. She’ll
get that you appreciate the finer things, and the
intrinsic complexities of a woman.
TOP 10 NBA MVP
CANDIDATES
BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS
Dr. J. Douglas Bremner at
Emory University is conducting
a research study to examine
how Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD) may affect
memory and learning. We
are looking for veterans who
served in OIF or OEF and do
not have a diagnosis of PTSD.
STEP 1: THE APPETEASER
SPORTS
the benefits. Whatever you plan to propose at the
end of the night, this will get her in the mood.
STEP 4: JUST DESSERTS
If you’re ready to take things to the next level,
remember the old saying: It don’t mean a thing
if she ain’t got that bling! After 3 years, I recently
surprised my lady with a simple but sparkly ring
made from reclaimed metals. WORTHMORE
JEWELERS (worthmorejewelers.com) has the
city’s biggest collection of eco-friendly fine jewelry,
including some amazing George Sawyer-designed
wedding and commitment rings cool enough to
send any gal over the moon. Pop one of these on
her finger and she’ll soon be eating out of your
hands… Happy Valentine’s Day!
D-Rose’s brilliance can be summed up
in one telling quote after his Bulls’ recent
loss to the Heat: “This is so surreal right
now knowing that I had a chance to win
the game. And this time it didn’t work out.”
Mind you, the soundbyte came after the
man scored 34 points.
4. DWIGHT HOWARD
Will he leave or won’t he? Seems like
Howard trade rumors are the sports
world’s daily headliner, when the morning
paper should probably read something like
this: “Dwight goes off for 24 and 14 again
in Magic win.”
3. KEVIN DURANT
If you’re in the cluster of NBA fans who
insist the smooth Oklahoma City star is
the league’s best player, we’re not going to
argue with you, the Thunder’s impressive
record or the fact that KD scored 20+ in 13
straight January contests.
2. KOBE BRYANT
If the sometimey Lakers had a bit more
overall offensive consistency (and a few
more wins), we would have considered
Kobe for the No. 1 spot. But seeing as
how his individual consistency has been
unquestioned (four straight games of 40+
last month), he has little competition for
this slot.
1. LEBRON JAMES
Where do you begin with King James this
year? On the defensive end, he’s an absolute vacuum for the ball. In transition, he
either races to the hoop or easily finds the
open man. And in the half court, you can
almost see Miami opponents’ teeth chatter
when the Spalding’s in his hands.
INTIMACY
Starts Here!
FANATIC
A Monthly Sports Wrap-up
SPORTS
FANATIC
A Monthly Sports Wrap-up
BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS
Now that SUPER BOWL XLV is over, football fans
can get to the real issue: Will there be a 2011 season? If
you let
NFL commissioner
Roger Goodell tell it, a new
BY
DEMARCO
WILLIAMS
collective bargaining agreement is imminent. But listen to
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as planned on
Feb.nobody,
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rounds,
and
and I mean nobody,
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” –Promoter
Bob years
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certain moments, and I know how to play on a big stage.
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more focused
andthe
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than
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is shaping
up as
“Yeartoofthethe
I have ever been before.” -2011 MEN’S AUSTRALIAN
ROOKIE GUARD.” In fact, of Fanatic’s
OPEN WINNER NOVAK DJOKOVIC
10 most impressive first-year players, the
top
seven
aremylil’contract,
guys.myHere’s
thewaslist:
1)
“When
I signed
main goal
to earn
Kyrie
Irving,
Cleveland;
2)
Ricky
Rubio,
it. Once I started to realize I wasn’t earning my money, I
Minnesota;
3) Kemba
Walker,
Charlotte;
felt bad. I was making
a crazy amount
of money
for not
4)
MarShon
Brooks,
New
Jersey;
5) Iman
even pitching. Honestly, I didn’t feel like I deserved
it. I
Shumpert,
Newthose
York;
6) again.
Brandon
Knight,
didn’t want to have
feelings
” –GIL MECHE,
Detroit;
7) Isaiah
Sacramento;
8)
32, who retired
instead ofThomas,
taking a guaranteed
$12 million
Kawhi
Leonard,
San
Antonio;
9)
Jimmer
to pitch for Kansas City this season
Fredette, Sacramento; 10) Chandler
Parsons,
February,Houston.
of course, marks the NBA’S halfway point.
With that landmark also comes Fanatic’s midseason
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“St. Louis was fourth in baseball last year in attendance,
but only 13th in payroll. In other words the Cardinals
have money to burn, and it’s time to light the match. So
here’s what you do if you’re St. Louis: Whatever [Albert]
Pujols wants, within reason, you give it to him. What’s
within reason? No idea. The closest baseball has had to a
free agent like this was Alex Rodriguez in 2001, when he
received $252 million for 10 years. That was $25.2 million
annually, and that was a decade ago. And Pujols is better.”
–CBS SPORTS’ GREGG DOYEL
And finally…
Hawaii pays $4 million to host the NFL’s annual Pro Bowl
at Aloha Stadium… If early estimates are accurate, Super
Bowl XLV should be Stub Hub’s top-selling event ever… At
press time, the Cleveland Cavs were in the midst of a 1-29
stretch, the NBA’s worst since 1996… If there’s an NFL work
stoppage next season, it’s reported that
Las Vegas
casinos
ANGELO
DUNDEE
would take an $850 million hit on unplaced betting… A
record 56 underclassmen declared for the NFL Draft.
Must-See TV
1. NBA All-Star Game
2. Miami at Boston
3. Ohio State at Wisconsin, Pittsburgh at Villanova
5. UNC at Duke
��
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“He’s a beast. What can you say? Some of the shots he
made, I was like, ‘Wow. Did he just make that in my face?’
A player like that, you have to live and die defending him
one on one. If he makes big shots, you have to go to the
other end and stay poised.” –New Mexico guard Dairese
Gary, on JIMMER FREDETTE, BYU star and college’s
leading scorer
FIELDER
will likely
“[PRINCE]
awards: MVP (Derrick
Rose, Chicago);
Defensiveface
Playera
of the Year
(Dwight
Rookie of thestate
Year
35%
federal
taxHoward,
rate, Orlando);
not to mention
taxes. Think about that. Fielder likely will February games to help prepare you for the
pay an $80-million tax bill during the next madness of March. These are the five dropnine years. Which is great news. We can everything-to-see matchups this month: 1)
improve our roads! We can help the poor. Kansas at Baylor, Feb. 8; 2) Michigan St. at
We can build better schools. We can -hold Ohio St., Feb. 11; 3) Duke at UNC, Feb. 8; 4)
on now, this would be really revolutionary- Kentucky at Mississippi St., Feb. 21; 5) St.
Mary’s
at Murray St., Feb. 18.
(Feb. 20,
8PM, TNT)
pay teachers and cops what they deserve
We
don’t
know
if
there
will
be
more
celebrities
on
the
hardwood
playing or celebrating
for a change! And best of all, with apologies
And
finally…
courtside
at
L.A.
’
s
Staples
Center.
to the Barenaked Ladies, we could buy
everybody a monkey. Haven’t you always As of February 2, LeBron James had tallied
15+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists in
wanted a monkey?” –Detroit Free Press’
(Feb. 13, 1PM,
24 ABC)
straight games, good for the fourthJeff Seidel,
Fielder’s
nine-year,
$214acknowledging
As much on
as Chicago
and Orlando
fans hate
the fact,inthisNBA
is probably
your 14-yearlongest streak
history…
million
deal
with
the
Tigers
Eastern Conference Finals preview.
old Lydia Ko became the youngest person
While the MISSOURI TIGERS made to ever win a pro golf tournament by taking
plenty of headlines by getting WR Dorial the women’s New South Wales Open on
January
Atlanta Hawks
Green-Beckham,
theESPN)
nation’s
No.two1teams
highin the
(Feb. 12, 2PM, 9PM,
The top
nation go29…
on theWhen
road to the
very, very
school
football
prospect, to commit on defeated New Orleans (94-72) and Toronto
hostile
environments.
National Signing Day, these institutions (100-77) in late January, it marked the first
had the strongest overall recruiting classes: time in the franchise’s 63-year history it
(Feb. State
20, 12PM,
1) Alabama 2) Texas 3) Florida
4) Fox)had won consecutive road games by 20+
Gentlemen,
your
Jimmie 8)
Johnson
from winning
an unprecedented
sixth baseball
points…
According
to the Topps
Florida
5) Ohiostart
State
6)quest
USCto7)stop
Stanford
straight
Sprint
Cup
championship.
card
company,
St.
Louis
Cardinals’
Skip
Michigan 9) Georgia 10) Miami.
Schumaker’s 2012 card will show the
infamous World Series “Rally Squirrel” and
is for
Still wondering if CREIGHTON
(Feb. 9, 9PM,
ESPN) just a piece of Schumaker’s leg, making
real? This
Having
trouble
figuring
out
which
big meeting (and another on March 5) goes aitlong
in deciding
thewayfirst
card North
ever Carolina
to not feature a
Indiana
teamrights
will and
show
each
night? We
bragging
theup
ACC
crown.
player’s face.
are too. It’s a good thing there’s a frenzy of
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