Arkansas Times - July 18, 2013

NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT + FOOD / JULY 18, 2013 / ARKTIMES.COM

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A CHAT WITH FAYETTEVILLE NATIVE JASON MOORE, WHOSE EFFORTS IN LIVE THEATER, FILM AND TV ARE QUICKLY MAKING HIM A BIG DEAL ON BOTH COASTS.

BY DAVID KOON

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JULY 18, 2013

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COMMENT

Stereotypical junkie Thank you for your story entitled, “Heroin Addict” (July 4). I really appreciated the way it avoided negative stereotypes and presented such a factual picture of addicts and addiction. Oh, it was wonderful. The photo was a great start. A guy with three or four days of stubble, dressed in black, kicked back like he’s just done a big shot, holding a syringe with a needle so big I wouldn’t use it on my dog. Yeah, that photo is representative of all addicts. I mean, for 22 years I wore the same black clothes (they got pretty ragged), wouldn’t shave, wouldn’t shower, wouldn’t brush my teeth, do a big shot and kick back and wait on my granny’s social security check to come in so I could steal it and get more dope. Sure I did.

I also appreciated, as I’m sure the people working for the legalization of medicinal marijuana appreciated, the implication that this guy started using cocaine and heroin because of his marijuana use. Yeah, that’ll make everyone in Arkansas rush out and vote for medical marijuana. Seriously, though, there is nothing in the pharmacology of marijuana that increases a person’s desire to try other drugs.

Oh, then again, how stupid of me. I forgot that marijuana (endocannabinoid) receptors are concentrated in the “I want other drugs” area of the brain.

Of course, just like in the story, all junkies prostitute their wives for dope. Yeah, and all female addicts are prostitutes. And, trust me, the earth really is flat.

Nineteen rehabs! How old is this guy? Between his years in prison and his rehabs I wonder how he found time to be a junkie. Again, how old is this guy? And, of course, all addicts are habitual offenders with the Big Bitch following them around. Oh, come on.

The continued use of a drug of abuse causes structural and functional changes in the brain of the user. These changes produce addiction. Thus, addiction is a disorder of the brain. Unlike what the Arkansas Times seems to believe, therefore, addicts are not worthless losers.

Addicts are people. They are people dealing with a brain disorder that they do not control. Faced with a choice between providing facts about addiction or sensationalizing it, it’s good to know the Arkansas Times will bite the bullet and uphold the finest traditions 4

JULY 18, 2013

ARKANSAS TIMES

of yellow journalism.

Where did ya’ll come up with this guy, anyway? At “The biggest loser/ addict I can find.com?”

Samuel H. Snodgrass Little Rock

Friends of White River against SWEPCO power line We represent a group of affected landowners, Friends of the White River, which is trying to stop the plans of the Southwest Electric

Power Company — SWEPCO — to construct a high-voltage power line along the White River Valley in northwest Arkansas. The proposed Route 62/86, segments AO and AN, follow the unique undammed part of the White River Valley where residents and tourists enjoy amazing scenic vistas in the Inspiration Point area. It contains extraordinary wildlife habitat, including nesting bald eagles, and recreational resources that need to be protected from deforestation of adjoining steep karst terrain. We

J U N E 7 T H — S E P T. 8 T H , 2 0 1 3

From London to Little Rock Anthony Van Dyck Princess Henrietta of Lorraine Attended by a Page, 1634 Kenwood House, English Heritage; Iveagh Bequest (88028826) Photo courtesy American Federation of Arts

Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London

Don’t miss seeing these 48 masterpieces on their last U.S. stop before they go back to England. Purchase tickets at arkansasartscenter.org.

The exhibition is organized by the American Federation of Arts and English Heritage and is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities with additional funding from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. In-kind support is provided by Barbara and Richard S. Lane. presented locally by: Bank of the Ozarks, Harriet & Warren Stephens, Stephens, Inc., Windgate Charitable Foundation.

Sponsored in Arkansas by Chucki and Curt Bradbury, Sandra and Bob Connor, Remmel T. Dickinson and Lisenne Rockefeller.

are concerned with the overwhelming visual impact the giant power line would have on the local tourism industry. The river is a hub for swimming, trout and bass fishing, canoe and kayak rentals, hiking and sightseeing. Thus we oppose the transmission line because it will have a large negative impact on our local tourist and recreational economy, and on the environment.

To stop the power line, with great sacrifice of time and legal costs, we have become active interveners (“Sims Group”) with the PSC in Docket 13-041-U. Our testimony can be accessed by links on our website and the PSC website. Our expert studies show substantial geohazard and environmental risks SWEPCO failed to recognize, particularly regarding the flood plain, karst and landslides.

Deforestation of the 150 foot Right of Way and erection of 150-foot tall transmission towers are in exactly the wrong place by any reasonable judgment. Adding it all up, the White River Valley between Beaver Dam via Inspiration Point east to Wolf Ridge, which is one of the most scenic river valleys in Arkansas, is endangered, as are its preserved lands, forests and waters, and tourist economy. The proposed power line routing is risky to construct and presents environmental risks to the steep and unstable karst environment. And the SWEPCO application is significantly flawed. We ask everyone with a desire to preserve our natural heritage to support this citizens’ fight.

Please investigate this misconceived and unnecessary proposed huge 345 kV transmission line. Look at the website friendsofthewhiteriver. org. There you can quickly see the panorama from Wolf Ridge and the graphic: WHAT WILL THE LINE LOOK LIKE? Travelers making the scenic trip from Crystal Bridges to Eureka Springs may no longer wish to stay in the White River valley. Please study our testimony and that of other interveners.

Wanda Kertzman, Patricia Helwig, Glen Sims, Carla Short and Lynn Mckenzie Eureka Springs

Submit letters to the Editor, Arkansas Times, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, AR 72203. We also accept letters via e-mail.

The address is arktimes@arktimes.com.

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EDITORIAL

Fab Four

hat all four U.S. representatives of a state with half a million food stamp recipients would vote against food stamps is a little startling, unless you know these fellows.

In the old days, even strongly conservative members of the Arkansas congressional delegation at least feigned concern for the underprivileged. Today’s bunch are less hypocritical, we’ll give them that. No false sympathy for them. As a great legislative orator used to say, they’ve heisted the shirttail of sophistry and revealed the naked truth.

Of the four, all Republicans, U.S. Rep. Tom Cotton of Dardanelle flaunts his disregard for poor people the most. Gloating over the House’s rejection of food stamps, Cotton said that deletion of food stamps from the federal farm bill would mean that (rich) Arkansas farmers would no longer be held hostage “to Barack Obama’s wasteful food-stamp program. ... For 40 years, farm programs have been chained to the food-stamp program. We’ve now broken that needless link.” The link is there to gain urban support for aid to farmers and rural support for feeding the poor. It’s needless if you don’t believe the poor should be fed. Enhance the rich, grind the poor, especially the nonwhite poor, is the goal of today’s Rabid Right, to which Cotton belongs. (Barack Obama is not the first president with a food stamp program, but he is the first black president to have one.) If some of the impoverished starve, there’ll be fewer votes for Democrats.

This is nasty work, and some observers seek succor by claiming the congressmen are only posturing, that in the end the food stamp program will be maintained with their acceptance if not approval. Perhaps so, but the last Republican presidential nominee said, in essence, that 47 percent of the American people weren’t worth saving. Arkansas’s congressmen have yet to demonstrate disagreement.

E

Onward, upward

very once in a great while, one gets the feeling that Arkansas has turned an important corner.

It was that way in 1968, when Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller stood hand in hand with black clergy on the steps of the state Capitol, singing “We Shall Overcome” hours after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, a decade after Gov. Orval Faubus called out the National Guard to block the integration of Central High School.

It was that way this month, when the executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Grant Tenille, called for Arkansans to accept same-sex marriage, and said that such acceptance would bring great economic benefits to our low-income state. Gov. Mike Beebe didn’t say publicly that he agreed with his appointee, but Tenille wouldn’t have made the statement without Beebe’s consent. Racial equality is much advanced in Arkansas, and one day marital equality will be too. Yet again, government leaders in Little Rock have seen what’s coming, and what’s right.

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JULY 18, 2013

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

T

EYE ON ARKANSAS

PEACEFUL OBSERVANCE: Hundreds of people turned out at the Capitol on Monday for a vigil sponsored by the Arkansas Black Legislative Caucus as a response to the verdict in the Trayvon Martin case.

‘Duh’ moments in the news

T

he painfully obvious commanded attention as this week began.

• POLITICS: Bill Halter was outraised almost 20-1 in the quarter by Democratic gubernatorial primary opponent Mike Ross, but said the $800,000 he has on hand is sufficient to get the job done. That $800,000 is inflated by a $640,000 loan from Halter himself. His campaign of “ideas” hasn’t taken hold among Arkansas campaign contributors (voters). He can’t win the primary. Duh.

• DEADLY FORCE: Deon Williams, 26, was killed

by Little Rock police when he allegedly picked up a gun and looked at an officer chasing him. It was the second police shooting in a week and the third fatal police shooting this year. Williams would be alive today if he hadn’t run after a traffic stop. Though a parolee, he might not have even been arrested, despite reported possession of a pistol and drugs, because police were wrong to stop him because they thought he was driving a stolen car.

It wasn’t stolen, but belonged to the mother of his child.

Running from a cop isn’t probable cause for arrest, but isn’t well-advised. Little Rock police have demonstrably limber trigger fingers. Duh. • ARKANSAS’S IMAGE: Republicans, counting on deeply ingrained Arkansas prejudice, couldn’t wait to scorn and ridicule Arkansas Economic Development Commission Director Grant Tennille for saying it would be a boon to Arkansas to show a progressive spirit and repeal law that discriminates against gay people. 1957 proved that advocating discrimination isn’t a recipe for economic development. Duh. The duhs extend in this case to more than sexual equality. If you ran Google or similar, would you want a state where a rising political majority not only proudly discriminates against gay people, it wants to remove all access to abortion (rape, incest, medical condition, early stage of pregnancy notwithstanding), opposes strict environmental regulation, wants more guns and Christian prayer in public life, opposes teaching of evolution, favors elimination of capital gains taxes on

billionaires and favors reduction of government health and nutrition support?

• THAT LITTLE ROCK TECHNOLOGY PARK: The Little Rock Regional Chamber MAX of Commerce orchestrated a field BRANTLEY trip to Winston-Salem, N.C., and maxbrantley@arktimes.com St. Louis to show examples of successful research parks. We should be thankful. Years after taxpayers gave the city more than $20 million to dump into the control of the chamber for this project, the godfathers have finally decided — duh! — that perhaps a decision on exactly what the research park will be should precede a headlong rush to tear down a neighborhood and build a spec office building.

Many more duh moments are needed. The godfathers seemed uninterested in key differences between what they saw in other states and what’s happening here. The new push seems to be that the tech park should provide additional lab space for UAMS and UALR. Really? City taxpayers are to become the chief funding source for STATE institutions? Did either of the other cities do that?

(Hint: No.) How much money and rent will the universities bring to the project? Both are strapped.

Then there’s private money. Not a single dollar of private money has emerged in support of the Little Rock tech park. It has been critical in successful developments elsewhere.

Then there’s state and federal money. Critical elsewhere, but absent here. I’m sure Republican legislators are just wishing someone would ask.

Little Rock’s field trippers also heard encouragement to put a park in an urban neighborhood with mixed uses, exciting to workers. But Dickson Flake, the old-school businessman who created this chamber pipe dream, remains fixed on the notion that straight-line proximity to a university campus is the path to success. Some things never change. Duh.

OPINION

The ‘buck’ lives on in food-stamp myth

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o appreciate the Republican triumph over America’s poor last week, when the party’s majority in the House of Representatives stripped food aid from the nation’s farm bill, you must go back to Ronald Reagan’s speeches about the Welfare Queen in his 1976 campaign for president against Gerald Ford.

If you’re not old enough to remember, you’ve read about Reagan’s hilarious — well, hilariously told — accounts of the woman who was arrested for welfare fraud on Chicago’s black South Side. She drove a Cadillac, dined sumptuously on food stamps and raked in $150,000 a year tax-free by accumulating 80 separate identities and using them each month to collect scads of food stamps and Social Security, dependent-children and VA checks. Medicaid paid her doctor bills.

No one ever found the woman — not, that is, until Truthout.org claimed last year to have located her, not in the Chicago ghetto where Reagan had placed her, but in Bentonville, Ark. The

Welfare Queen was Wal-Mart and the Walton heirs. Wal-Mart had pocketed $16 billion in profits ERNEST the previous year DUMAS and the Walton heirs enjoyed a fortune of $100 billion because Wal-Mart’s “everyday low wages” and benefits made its workforce the nation’s largest recipient of food stamps and other forms of federal aid.

It was a spoof. Needless to say, Reagan wasn’t talking about Sam Walton or his spawn. Reagan’s story, as best as anyone could guess, was based on a Chicago woman named Linda Taylor, who was prosecuted for using four (not 80) aliases to cheat the government out of $8,000 (not $150,000).

Fictional as they were, Reagan’s welfare stories and his impromptu speech at the GOP convention galvanized a new base for the party in the South and made him the presumptive nominee for president in 1980. It made the Cadillac-

McDaniel, the comeback kid?

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clear political trend of 2013 has been the coming back to electoral life of candidates scarred by sexual scandals in a manner unprecedented in modern American politics. Beginning with Mark Sanford’s reemergence as a successful candidate in a South Carolina special election for Congress, and now continuing through the New York City candidacies of former Congressman Anthony Weiner and former Governor Eliot Spitzer, candidates presumed politically dead because of their very public indiscretions have returned to viability. While time will tell whether Weiner and Spitzer can complete their comebacks, polling this week shows that both have real shots at winning Democratic primaries for mayor and comptroller, respectively, in one of the nation’s toughest political environments.

While he will not appear on the 2014 ballot, another post-scandal comeback is underway in Arkansas.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, who entered the 2014 campaign cycle as the leading candidate for JAY governor, only to BARTH exit after an affair with Hot Springs lawyer Andi Davis came to light, shows all signs of a man who does not plan to leave the political arena after the end of his term in office.

After an early year hiatus, McDaniel has reemerged on the public stage with a vengeance, beginning with the late March oil spill in Mayflower. McDaniel has been by far the most aggressive public official attacking the ExxonMobil Pipeline Company regarding the spill, first rhetorically and then in court, suing the oil giant in mid-June.

The attorney general’s office has reasserted itself in protecting consumers in a series of high-profile actions. Most recently, McDaniel presented the case

driving black mother with a passel of kids the symbolic totem for food stamps and welfare, especially in the South, and it helped cement the GOP as the go-to party across the Southern seaboard from Virginia to Texas.

Not to be sexist, Reagan at other times that summer referred not to the Welfare Queen but to “strapping young bucks” — a derogatory Southern euphemism for black men — who used food stamps to buy T-bone steaks.

Reagan never identified the South Side Welfare Queen or the “bucks” as African-Americans, just as he did not mention blacks or segregation when he symbolically kicked off his 1980 campaign for president with a states-rights speech at tiny Philadelphia, Miss., made famous 12 years earlier by the murder of three civil rights workers who were trying to register blacks to vote.

No Republican congressman — and certainly none of the four from Arkansas who voted to leave nutrition for the poor out of the farm bill — will say that race had anything to do with it and, in fact, will take umbrage at the suggestion. They’re against white moochers, too.

But all us old crackers know the roots of the Southern notion of food stamps as chiefly the government

resource for poor black families that are too lazy to work.

That wasn’t always the image of federal nutrition efforts. They began in 1933 with the Agricultural Adjustment Act, which, mainly to help white farmers whose produce prices had collapsed, bought farm commodities and distributed them among state and local relief agencies. In the South, the commodities went principally, though not altogether, to white families. The commodities program was converted to food stamps in 1939, then ended in the boom that followed World War II, and was reinstituted temporarily by President John F. Kennedy in the recession of 1960-61 and permanently by the Food Stamp Act of 1964.

Some 47 million Americans now get food stamps at some time during a year, a sizable increase since the great recession began in December 2007. It is true, as Obama critics claim, that the administration has encouraged people to get food stamps, if their incomes qualify them, to stimulate spending and economic growth. Obama’s Recovery Act of 2009 raised benefits for every household that gets food stamps, but that program will end Nov. 1, reducing a family’s food aid by $250.

for a statewide conversation about the future of a death penalty system that is “completely broken.” In short, McDaniel is being an aggressive, populist and mature attorney general.

In addition to doing his job quite well, McDaniel is also deeply engaged behind the scenes in Democratic Party politics. Party insiders praise his commitment to recruiting candidates for down-ticket statewide offices and for the handful of state legislative seats that could sway the state House back to the Democrats in the 2014 elections.

As those races develop, McDaniel will also be a player in helping to finance them. His Leadership PAC provided $6,000 of former Congressman Mike Ross’s record haul reported this week.

Indeed, some think that McDaniel himself might well be the strongest candidate the Democratic Party could put forward in either the First or Second Congressional Districts, the former where McDaniel grew up, the latter where he now resides. As of today, the party lacks candidates in both these races. With the Mayflower story having longer legs than anyone expected when the spill occurred, my hunch is that McDaniel is probably better situ-

ated in the slightly more cosmopolitan Second District, where the sexual indiscretion might matter less and where he could make inroads into populous Faulkner County because of his leadership on the oil spill issue. Patience, however, still may be McDaniel’s best political friend — the 500 text messages that Andi Davis claims to have between herself and McDaniel still cast a shadow over any immediate political ambitions. McDaniel is smart to sit out this cycle so that the messy affair fades.

In 2016, however, a still-young McDaniel will be well-positioned for a return in a state where Democrats suddenly have a short bench. Assuming incumbents maintain the aforementioned congressional seats, McDaniel will have his choice of races: either of the First or Second District Congressional races or the race for U.S. Senator John Boozman’s seat. While he might not have the political heft he had before the affair, McDaniel maintains the natural political talent and the ideological synchronicity with the Arkansas primary electorate that initially kept Mike Ross (a politically talented man in his own right, as reflected in his recent record

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JULY 18, 2013

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W O RDS

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Over and out David Eanes writes: “Have you noticed recently the use of the phrase ‘run him over,’ which I believe is a misuse of ‘run over him’? I’ve heard it on the television news, and read it in the paper.”

I have noticed, and since the expression sounds as odd to me as to Mr. Eanes, I nosed around for an authority or a rule saying that it’s substandard. I didn’t find one. I’ve always thought “The fire truck ran over her” was correct (the syntax, not the driving). Now we commonly see “The fire truck ran her over.” I suppose it’s a matter of personal preference, and of an older version being phased out by an alternative that’s considered more fashionable, the way mic has replaced mike as the short form of microphone. “After his turn at the mic, the audience wanted to run him over.”

For what it’s worth, I’m reminded of a good old Western by Luke Short called “Ride the Man Down.” “Ride Down the Man” wouldn’t sound right.

They’re It: “The English language has lots of rules, but the one I dislike the most is assigning the personal pronoun ‘it’ when discussing animals. People are never referred to

as ‘it’. People pronouns are he or she, him or her and his or hers.

“Human beings are living, sentient DOUG creatures who SMITH think, feel pain and dougsmith@arktimes.com joy, interact with their environment and so much more. But wait – so are animals! Then why are animals considered an it?”

According to this Internet writer, PETA has asked the Associated Press to change its style “to reflect that animals are living beings and not inanimate objects.” AP says that an animal is it unless the sex has been determined or it has a name, in which case he or she is used. (I’m not sure what they’d do with a dog named Chris or Pat.) The writer continues, “I would like to propose the pronoun ‘it’ should never be acceptable when referring to an animal, and that the substitution ‘s/he’ become the norm.”

So here’s another controversy for me to avoid taking sides on. I like animals, but I’m not sure I can regard them as the equal of humans. If I did, I’d have to stop eating them.

WEEK THAT WAS

It was a good week for ...

MUCKRAKING THE MAYFLOWER OIL SPILL. The Arkansas Times’ collaboration with Pulitzer Prize-winning news outlet InsideClimate News has legs. In less than a month, the Times and Inside Climate News raised more than $25,000 through the crowdfunding site ioby.org in order to fund two reporters to spend several months aggressively covering the spill. One of the reporters, Sam Eifling, starts work this week. The other, Pulitzer winner Elizabeth McGowan, arrives in Arkansas in early August.

MIKE ROSS. The Democratic gubernatorial candidatereported that he’s already raised almost $2 million for his campaign. Meanwhile, his Democratic primary opponent, Bill Halter, said he’d raised $92,000 in the quarter, but had $837,000 on hand. Republican candidate Asa Hutchinson reported $378,000. He has $649,000 on hand. According to the Ross campaign, Ross raised more in the first quarter of an Arkansas governor’s race than any other previous candidates.

A LAWSUIT SEEKING EQUALITY. Another week, another legal push towards equality. On Monday, Little Rock lawyer Jack Wagoner filed a federal lawsuit challenging Arkansas’s constitutional and statutory bans on same-sex marriage on behalf of three couples. See more on page 11.

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JULY 18, 2013

ARKANSAS TIMES

ATTORNEY GENERAL DUSTIN MCDANIEL. He aptly called the state’s execution process “completely broken.”

Challenges to lethal injection have become a whole new federal court legal industry. There’s no real prospect of executing anyone by injection in Arkansas for probably years to come. The approved drugs aren’t available. Other suitable drugs haven’t been found and cleared. Or else they must be administered by physicians. Physicians won’t perform executions. McDaniel urged the legislature and people of the state to have a conversation about a way forward.

It was a bad week for ...

BAPTIST HEALTH. The hospital announced the layoff of 170 workers, about 2.5 percent of its 7,300-worker force, statewide. It has hospitals in Little Rock, North Little Rock and Arkadelphia.

TRANSPARENCY. After much delay, ExxonMobil finally delivered the results of a metallurgical analysis performed on the section of the Pegasus Pipeline that ruptured in Mayflower to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). But neither ExxonMobil nor PHMSA had released the report to the public at press time.

THE OBSERVER NOTES ON THE PASSING SCENE

A hard rain IT RAINED LAST WEEK, a brief, enticing shower that was just enough to wet the parking lot and spatter the window of The Observer’s office with diamonds. Other than that, according to our own careful measurements, the rain totals in Central Arkansas have stood at diddly-pointsquat for some time now. Instead, we get sun, and sun, and sun, and the occasional domed heap of gray clouds that push in, get everybody’s hopes up, and then push on out.

As a public service, The Observer is going ahead and writing this column in the belief that the Universe will soon make a fool of any reporter who is so bold as to say any future event is a sure thing. Here goes our magic incantation: We have it on good authority from unnamed sources close to the Mother Nature administration that it definitely will not rain for the rest of this week, and will surely not come the sort of frog floating downpour that makes people write blues songs about the levee failing.

There. Now, everybody listen for thunder.

The Observer grew up a roofer’s boy, so we spent our summers expending the few prayers we had in us praying for rain.

If it doesn’t rain, roofs don’t leak. If roofs don’t leak, the phone doesn’t ring. If the phone doesn’t ring, you don’t eat. Such is the simple arithmetic of living the son of a roofer.

The Observer also happened to be the last arguably middle-class child in the world who grew up without air conditioning, a victim of Pa’s long-held and possibly-something-to-it belief that sleeping cool and working hot in high places was a recipe for disaster and a oneway trip to hard ground.

In the spring and fall, The Observer’s life was a blessing that our own AC-loving son will never know much of: sleeping with the windows open and the screens on, the cool night breezes causing The Boy Observer to pull the covers up tight to our throat by dawn. Though dry summer nights in July and August were a nightmare, even with the fan running hard — we learned early to shower and then not dry off before going to bed, a

habit that Spouse had to break us of right quick as a newbie husband — there were always the storms to look forward to: dark clouds veined with lightning, the low roll of thunder, claps of blue fire illuminating the dark yard under the sweet gums. And then, oh Lord, the lovely, cool purr of the rain: the patter of rain in Ma’s flowerbeds and off the hood of Pa’s truck in the gravel driveway, the drip of the rain from the edge of the roof. Along with it came that delicious feeling that somewhere out there in the world, people were wet and miserable, but not you, my dry and cozy friend. Not you.

The Observer has worked in the rain.

Has dug holes in the rain. Has cleaned gutters in the rain. Has even reported in the rain a time or two. Once, we walked five miles in the rain, through a storm shot through with sun that made our brother, walking soaked beside us, solemnly intone that somewhere the Devil was beating his wife. We have changed starters and alternators and water pumps in the rain, huddled under the hood of a busted truck or car and getting cold water down our back and the crack of our behind. Such is the life of a roofer’s son who grew up clinging to the hem of middle class. When it rains, things leak, and when things leak, the phone rings, and when the phone rings, you go, hell or high water. This is part of that arithmetic as well.

It has hurt, therefore — even from our dry and cozy desk, even from our airconditioned and thoroughly middle-class house — to see these past few summers of drought. Our heart breaks a bit on those summer days when the dark clouds sail through and tease, offering only a frustrating spit of rain. This, it appears, is our new normal: to see our grass bake brown by June, with the oaks following suit by August.

Something is happening, friends. We hate it, and we don’t know exactly why it’s happening, but the boy who fell asleep to summer rain can tell you that it hasn’t always been this way. There was once rain in summer here, even in August. These days, though, don’t count on the phone ringing very often in July. www.arktimes.com

JULY 18, 2013

9

Arkansas Reporter

THE

IN S IDE R

The U.S. attorney’s office filed a stunning document dump the afternoon of July 12 — a motion to seize assets of the estate of Layton “Scooter” Stuart, who died March 26 at age 62. At his death, it was known the IRS and others were investigating him as principal owner through a holding company and CEO of One Bank and Trust. Federal regulators had ordered him removed.

What wasn’t known until the filing was the depth of irregularities federal officials believe to have found in an audit of the bank.

The filing seeks to seize proceeds of a $20 million life insurance policy the bank had purchased on Stuart, less $3 million in repayment of premiums to the bank. The filing claimed that Stuart used an intricate web of money-laundering schemes to pay premiums on the policy as well as directing bank money to many other uses. The filing said Stuart had taken for his own use money recovered from a bank employee caught embezzling and from a marketing company that had overbilled. It said he had tapped federal TARP money to pay past due state and federal taxes. It said he’d misdirected bank money to family homes in Pleasant Valley, the Heights and Dallas, and cars (five of which the government wants to seize, too). It said he’d charged the bank for more than 280 charter air flights for himself, family and friends, but there was no record the planes had been used for bank customers or other bank employees.

The most intriguing part of the filing was the broad suggestion that Stuart might have contributed to his own death. At the time, the coroner said Stuart was taken to a local hospital for respiratory failure.

But, said an affidavit from an IRS agent, Stuart went to a funeral home on March 21 to arrange for a funeral and prepay funeral expenses. Three weeks before, the bank had given him one last grace period to explain money transfers that had gone to pay for the life insurance policy. Five days after arranging his funeral, the filing said, “Layton Stuart was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead.”

In a concluding passage that summarized the various ways the IRS believed Stuart had committed money laundering or fraud, the agent wrote that Stuart had used “tainted” money to continue insurance premium payments to prevent a policy default that “would keep his family from enjoying the benefits” of the insurance policy.

He continued, “In light of being placed on notice by the bank that the bank was seeking to terminate the Hancock policy, your affiant believes that Layton Stuart was forced to take extreme steps in order to prevent Onebank from having yet another reason to terminate the Hancock policy.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

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BRIAN CHILSON

Feds go after late banker’s estate

RAGE: A spectator tries to calm the crowd.

12th and Jefferson Frustration over the Trayvon Martin case boils into a protest in Little Rock after a police shooting.

BY DAVID KOON

N

obody has to say it, but the timing couldn’t have been worse.

Two days after a Florida jury found George Zimmerman not guilty of all charges in the killing of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, with black America boiling over with frustration about the justice system, a Little Rock police officer shot and killed 26-year-old Deon Williams near the corner of 12th and Jefferson.

According to a LRPD release, just before noon on Monday, Officers Grant Humphries and Terry McDaniel saw a Chevy Suburban on 12th Street that they believed to be stolen. (Officials would later confirm that the truck was, in fact, not stolen.)

When the officers pulled the SUV over,

police say, the driver jumped out and fled. McDaniel pursued on foot, while Humphries took off in the squad car, trying to cut Williams off. As McDaniel chased Deon Williams into the backyard of a house on Adams Street, a gun fell out of Williams’ waistband, according to the police. When Williams stopped to pick up the gun and turned toward McDaniel, the police narrative says, McDaniel feared for his life, and fired three times. Williams, who was paroled in May after serving two years in prison on charges of possession of a controlled substance and robbery, was pronounced dead at UAMS at 12:17 p.m.

McDaniel, a black officer, has used deadly force at least once before. He fatally shot a man who pulled a gun on him when

interrupted during a daytime home burglary on Thayer Street last year. The burglar had earlier fatally shot one man and wounded another at the home.

Information about the shooting spread through social media. At 1 p.m., someone tweeted that the person killed by the police had been an 11-year-old boy, shot nine times in the back. A crowd of angry people began to gather at the Hess gas station on 12th street, just across from the crime scene.

By 1:30 p.m., the biggest swell of the crowd had grown to at least 200, simmering under the July sun. Dozens more watched from the parking lots of businesses and the yards of nearby houses. Several of the protestors closest to the sidewalk, where the police soon lined up in a black wall of uniforms, held signs that called for justice for Bobby Moore, the teenage burglar who was shot by LRPD officer Josh Hastings in August 2012 as Moore tried to flee a West Little Rock apartment complex.

Hastings’ manslaughter trial in the case ended in a hung jury last month.

As the protest grew, crowding into the rectangle of shade under the awning of the gas station, the clerk at the station came to CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

COVENANT V. TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE IN ARKANSAS

THE

BIG PICTURE

The state’s covenant marriage statute, which requires premarital counseling and makes it somewhat harder for couples to divorce, was popularized in 2005 by Gov. Mike Huckabee and his wife, Janet, whose Baptist vows apparently didn’t suffice. The first couple, after many years of marriage and three children, decided it would make their union stronger if they got remarried under a new secular law on stage at Verizon Arena, the first lady famously decked out in red velvet.

The Huckabees’ ceremony, attended by 8,000 people, evidently persuaded others to supplement their vows, since 2005 was the peak year in Arkansas for covenant marriage numbers, at 318. (The Huckabees were late out of the chute, reupping their nuptials four years after the 2001 enactment of the covenant law.) Since then, covenant marriages have fallen off, declining to their lowest number, 149, in 2010, according to statistics compiled by the state Health Department. (The state has not finished compiling data since 2010, spokesman Ed Barham said.)

Now comes the First Assembly of God in El Dorado, where, “in light of all that is going in our country over traditional marriage,” the church advisor writes, referring to the Supreme Court’s ruling largely overturning the Defense of Marriage Act, 12 couples decided to exchange their traditional marriage licenses for covenant licenses.

Pulaski County, the most populous, has issued the highest number of covenant licenses of any county in Arkansas for the 2002-2010 period. There were a total of 1,936 covenant licenses statewide, compared to 315,943 traditional over that time period.

According to Barham, 42 counties on average over that time period have issued zero covenant licenses and an average of 16 counties had only one.

Here’s a closer look at covenant marriage licenses from the years 2002-2010: COUNTIES IN WHICH COVENANT LICENSES WERE ISSUED

HIGHEST NO. OF COVENANT MARRIAGE LICENSES ISSUED

2ND HIGHEST

3RD HIGHEST

2002

56, in Pulaski County

20 in Garland County

10 in White County

43 (county unknown for 15 licenses)

225 covenant, 38,591 traditional

2003

49, in Pulaski County

9 in Benton and Garland counties each

8 in Pope and Washington counties each

38 (county unknown for 3 licenses)

169 covenant, 37,740 traditional

2004

53, in Pulaski County

14 in Pope County

13 in Craighead County

40

185 covenant, 36,619 traditional

2005

82, in Pulaski County

37 in Pope County

21 in Saline County

50 (county unknown for 8 licenses)

318 covenant, 35,551 traditional

2006

39, in Pulaski County

25 in Washington County

18 in Pope County

45 (county unknown for 7 licenses)

250 covenant, 34,827 traditional

2007

51, in Pulaski County

12 in Washington County

11 in Benton County

43

211 covenant, 34,071 traditional

2008

58, in Pulaski County (county unknown for 1 license)

19 in Washington County

12 in Jefferson County

38

203 covenant, 32,461 traditional

2009

51, in Pulaski County

14 in Garland and Jefferson Counties each

11 in Pope County

42

207 covenant, 31,939 traditional

2010

36, in Pulaski County

12 in White County

10 in Dallas County

34 (county unknown for 2 licenses)

149 covenant, 31,349 traditional

YEAR

TOTAL LICENSES

And divorces? Then-Gov. Huckabee decreed that covenant marriages would reduce the divorce rate. The state law does not require the state to keep track of which covenant marriages failed, but a U.S. Census Bureau report in 2009 found that Arkansas had the highest divorce rate for men in the nation.

LISTEN UP

Tune in to the Times’ “Week In Review” podcast each Friday.

Available on iTunes & arktimes.com

INSIDER, CONT. Layton Stuart was forced to take extreme steps in order to prevent Onebank from having yet another reason to terminate the Hancock policy.

Coroner Gerone Hobbs said Tuesday that he’d prepared a report on the death and ruled it by natural causes. He said Stuart suffered for congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease and had a pacemaker.

He said a drug screen showed the presence in his body of the drugs he was required to take for his conditions, indicating he had not stopped taking them.

Federal suit targets same-sex marriage ban

A lawsuit was filed in federal court on Monday challenging the state’s constitutional and statutory bans on same-sex marriage.

A state court lawsuit was filed last week by a different lawyer with different plaintiffs. The federal suit was filed by Jack Wagoner, a Little Rock lawyer, on behalf of two female Little Rock couples who were denied marriage licenses when they applied for them last week at the office of Pulaski County Clerk Larry Crane. A male couple, already married, are also plaintiffs.

Wagoner’s suit relies heavily on Justice Anthony Kennedy’s opinion in the ruling striking down a portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. His opinion said that the law “demeans the couple, whose moral and sexual choices the Constitution protects.” In dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia predicted that such language was a road map to direct challenges of same-sex marriage bans, a decision the court avoided on jurisdictional grounds in allowing invalidation of a marriage ban in California.

The lawsuit addresses some of the arguments used by proponents of the ban when it was adopted. It challenges the notion that somehow crime rates would be different among families headed by same-sex couples and says there’s no evidence that same-sex marriage does harm to “traditional” marriage of a man and woman. Amendment 83 was merely a ruse to harm an unpopular group, Wagoner argues. He cited expert testimony developed in other cases that blew up the notion that some harm came with allowing people of the same sex to marry. In states where it has become legal, no ill effects have been observed, he said.

The Times asked Wagoner why he filed a separate suit, with one already pending in state court. He said that the earlier suit relies heavily on the equal rights portion of the Arkansas Constitution, which might have been rendered moot as to marriage by Amendment 83. He said that issue won’t arise in a direct challenge under the U.S. Constitution, by which the case on DOMA was decided.

“That is the direct route and the real meat of this issue — whether discrimination against same-sex couples is permissible under the federal Constitution. Windsor [the DOMA case] arguably means that it is not.” www.arktimes.com

JULY 18, 2013

11

KEY E R O MO

THE

OF

Fayetteville native Jason Moore scored big wins directing ‘Avenue Q’ on Broadway and the musical cult fave ‘Pitch Perfect’ for Universal Pictures.

Up next: ‘Archie’ on the big screen, a TV show, a movie with Tina Fey and a newfound sense of inner peace.

BY DAVID KOON

S

omewhere out there in Arkansas, even as you read this, even as it’s being written, there’s a kid whose name you don’t know now, but will someday.

That kid’s a little different from all the others. Has passions and interests and posters on his wall that might get him labeled an odd duck. Maybe she runs around with a video camera, or spends the hours after bedtime writing stories by flashlight. You don’t know that kid, but you will someday. Someday, that kid is going to make people in a theater laugh and cry.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 12

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UNIVERSAL PICTURES

ON SET: Moore with Anna Kendrick on the set of “Pitch Perfect.”

www.arktimes.com

JULY 18, 2013

13

There once was a kid like that named Jason Moore. A native of Fayetteville, Moore — who grew up with a poster from the touring production of “Les Miserables” on his wall — has spent the last 30 years expending the sweat and heartache it takes to go from Arkansas dreams to Hollywood and Broadway reality. As a director of live theater, he shepherded the groundbreaking musical “Avenue Q” from rough concept to the bright lights of Broadway, then on to the three Tony Awards, including Best Musical. As a first-time film director, Moore took a relatively scant $17 million dollar budget and turned “Pitch Perfect” — a scrappy little film about female a capella singing teams — into a toe-tapping musical hit that is quickly becoming a cult fave among millennials who grew up watching “Glee.”

Next up: a new TV show for ABC this fall, a gig directing Tina Fey’s new comedy, a deal with Warner Brothers to adapt the “Archie” comic books into a feature, and big-ticket offers from stage and screen that will keep him busy for years to come.

Though he’ll tell you that one of his first, painful lessons in show biz was that stability is fleeting, for right now at least, it’s very good to be Moore.

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UNIVERSAL PICTURES

SONG AND DANCE: Blocking one of the big musical numbers in “Pitch Perfect.”

J

A LITTLE DIFFERENT

ason Moore was born in Fayetteville in October 1970, to teacher Judy Moore and Rudy Moore Jr., who would go on to be Bill Clinton’s gubernatorial chief of staff and later a Fayetteville district court judge before he passed away this April.

From an early age, Moore said, he was interested in film and theater. Because his birthday was around Halloween, he always used that as an excuse to build mazes and spook houses as a kid, which he sees now as an early attempt at directing live theater. He always knew he saw the world a bit differently from the way other children did when he was young.

“As a kid, I was kind of shy, but I also felt very comfortable around adults and I was comfortable in a leadership position,” he said. “I was a pretty smart kid.

I got good grades, and I cared about that kind of thing.

Now, I realize that I was probably shy about being gay.

I knew that I was different somehow. I look back now and think: That’s probably why I felt uncomfortable.

But in leadership positions — I was president of the student council, and editor of the literary magazine and things like that — I felt more confident and in

control. That’s where I was much less shy.”

Though Moore said growing up is always hard for gay kids, he believes it prepared him for the life he would eventually lead. “Growing up different makes you very observant,” he said. “I have the hindsight to look back and see that I was very aware of how people acted and how I was acting. I was always observing human behavior from a really early age and aware of human behavior. That’s really what directing and acting is: being aware of how people act and how people relate to one another — what makes you desirable, or confident, or not.”

Soon, Moore was hooked on theater, and especially musicals, listening to cast albums in his room and watching musical movies until he knew all the words by heart. “I watched ‘Grease’ a kajillion times, and I watched ‘The Muppet Movie,’ over and over,” he said. “Those were my formative, musical movies growing up. That was really my only opportunity to see musicals. At the time, touring shows didn’t really come to Arkansas.”

Moore wanted to be an actor, and started appearing in local productions at age 5. But it wasn’t until his mother took him to see the touring production of

“I was always observing human behavior from a really early age and aware of human behavior. That’s really what directing and acting is: being aware of how people act and how people relate to one another — what makes you desirable, or confident, or not.” bubblegum and drive [Becker] around, but I got to read all the scripts that came through the door,” he said. “That was a good education in screenwriting. It was just kind of soaking up everything I saw.”

While those jobs put Moore adjacent to the big time, he started to get a kind of artistic wanderlust.

Eventually, he got so tired of Hollywood that he got a job as a personal assistant, and later taught safe sex classes in the Santa Monica School District.

Hungry to work in live theater again, Moore got a job as the assistant to a former college professor who was directing the Broadway adaptation of novelist E.L. Doctorow’s “Ragtime.” When the out-of-town tryouts in L.A. were over, Moore followed the production east to New York.

“I started working at a Broadway level, with Broadway actors, on a big Broadway show as the assistant,” he said. “I was in charge to a small degree.

That was again great training: seeing how the union

worked, what actors were like at that level. It was the first time I was being paid a living wage and I could pay my rent without working three jobs, and I was doing theater. That was a big moment.”

Moore signed a contract to work with the production for two years, and it looked like his musical theater dreams were finally coming true. To celebrate, Moore bought himself a trip to Greece. Just before he was scheduled to fly out, however, a blow to the gut: he opened the New York Times and saw that the producer of the show had been indicted on charges of securities fraud.

“It was on the front page,” he said. “I realized at that moment that I didn’t have a job ... That was my first really big reality dose of what I’ve since come to know in this business, which is that you just never really know if you have a job or not. You never know where the success is going to come from.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

BIG BREAK: Moore directed Avenue Q on Broadway.

MICHAEL SCHAMIS

“Dreamgirls” in Tulsa when he was 16 that he said he started to think about working behind the scenes.

“That’s when I realized that there was this larger world there,” he said. “That’s when I started to understand: people actually do this. It’s not just the entertainment.

There’s a life behind it.”

Warren Rosenaur played a dog in the staging of “Peter Pan” in which Moore played his first role. Later, as a drama teacher, Rosenaur became an early mentor to Moore, and directed him in several productions as a student at Fayetteville High School. “He was the blondest Bernardo in the history of ‘West Side Story,’ ” Rosenaur said, laughing. “We had to dye his hair to play Bernardo. Dan Quayle, I believe, was the vice president at the time, and one of the teachers said: ‘I think you cast Dan Quayle.’ ” Rosenaur said Moore was very smart in high school.

He knew he would go far. “He’s a very intelligent young man,” Rosenaur said, “and most of the students I’ve had who are very intelligent can figure out and know where their niche is, whether it be acting, technical stuff or behind the scenes. Smart kids can figure out how to make things happen for them, and he was very, very smart.”

After high school, Moore went on to Northwestern University, where he was enrolled as a film major, but soon switched to theater. While at Northwestern, Moore directed his first big musical and — with a writing partner — completed his first play, “The Floatplane Notebooks,” an adaptation of a novel by Southern writer Clyde Edgerton.

After graduation, Moore lived for awhile doing “really horrible day jobs,” including dressing up as a hip-hop dancing cat at a local museum. Soon, he’d had enough of the harsh Midwestern winters. “I thought: You know, if I’m going to be poor and unemployed, I want to be poor and unemployed near the beach,” he said. Moore moved to Los Angeles “sight unseen.” He said the first few months were “terrifying.”

“I got there, and I realized that I had absolutely no concept of how anything worked or who anybody was,” he said. “I was reading the trades and didn’t know what it meant. There’s a lot of savvy people there, and I definitely felt like a small-town kid.”

Eventually, Moore got a job as an agent’s assistant and later parlayed that into a gig as an assistant to director Harold Becker on the little-remembered 1996 Al Pacino vehicle “City Hall.”

“I didn’t do much more than get coffee and

www.arktimes.com

JULY 18, 2013

15

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

DOWN SOUTH: Moore on set in Baton Rouge.

THE VIEW FROM AVENUE Q

W

ith his sure thing dashed, Moore soon found himself sleeping on a friend’s couch and living on unemployment. Eventually, through, the wheel turned, and a connection helped him land a job as an associate director for “Les Miserables” on Broadway. He would wind up working there for six years, an experience he called “both exhilarating and terrifying.” Amongst the fear, there were always those pinch-me moments of understanding that he was living his dream.

“As a kid, I had a ‘Les Mis’ poster in my bedroom.

In the early ’80s, that was one of the musicals that I used to listen to, alone, in my room, in Arkansas,” he said. “I’d listen to the music and think about what it looked like. I couldn’t see pictures of it because there was no Internet, so I just had to imagine it. Years and years and years later, when I was actually directing a production, I thought: ‘Yeah, the seed of this moment was when I was 13 and listening to those shows.’ Now here I am. ... I’m really grateful for how the world 16

JULY 18, 2013

ARKANSAS TIMES

works sometimes.”

While working on “Les Miserables” — which required him to rehearse all the companies, plus supervise the Broadway show and the touring company — Moore was also trying to further his own lot as a director by developing original material, sometimes staging shows in tiny theaters that played to a dozen people.

Around the same time, Moore also started thinking about working in TV. Calling on a friend who was a writer on “Dawson’s Creek,” he started shadowing the director of the series, and eventually directed four episodes of “Dawson’s,” along with episodes of “One Tree Hill,” “Everwood” and “Brothers and Sisters.”

Moore was looking for original material to develop when he decided to interview for a job directing an odd, not-quite-there show about puppets called “Avenue Q,” which had been conceived originally as a television show.

“They wanted to develop it as a musical. I went in for that interview, and I had an idea of how to do it, and because of my TV experience, I had some animation ideas which ended up in the show, and how to do ‘television’ on stage.” The show, which

features puppeteers operating Muppet-style puppets while singing risque songs like “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist” and “The Internet is for Porn,” would go on to be a Broadway smash that’s still running in New York. Though Moore believed in the show thanks in part to the great music and his childhood love of “The Muppet Movie,” everybody he told about it thought the idea was a little nuts.

“Literally everyone did,” he said. “A lot of people knew the music and thought it was funny, but didn’t see it as a musical. They saw it as a TV show. I told my best friend about it and he thought I was crazy. ... I had a lot of explaining to do. I had puppets in my living room. I’d have people over and there were a bunch of puppets sitting around. I definitely got a lot of sidelong glances.”

Moore and the rest of the minds behind “Avenue Q” believed in it, however. The story of a flighty English major named Princeton who struggles with deep anxieties and commitment issues while trying to find his place in the world, the show resonates with people, Moore said, because it’s about struggling to find your purpose. “Anyone can relate to that: If you’re in college and you don’t know what you want to do, or if you’re

“I had a lot of explaining to do. I had puppets in my living room. I’d have people over and there were a bunch of puppets sitting around. I definitely got a lot of sidelong glances.”

a 50-year-old woman and you just got divorced and you have to re-enter the dating scene, or if you have lost your job and have to retrain at age 60 and figure out what your purpose is,” Moore said. “It’s a question that everybody asks: What’s my purpose?”

Jeff Whitty was the writer of the spoken dialogue in “Avenue Q.” He said Moore understood the humanity of the show from the start. “Jason, himself, is just such an incredibly sensitive, gifted artist that he had the ability to bring out the humanity in those puppets and in those situations,” Whitty said. “The reason it worked is that it had a certain sensitivity, which is, I think, a hallmark of all of Jason’s work. ... What made the show a success is that people felt emotionally connected to the characters. It’s the rare director that can pull that off. I still feel so blessed to have had Jason behind the wheel.”

With the music for “Avenue Q” written and a

debut scheduled for March 2003 at the off-Broadway theater The Vineyard, things appeared to be going swimmingly for Moore. Then, on the day rehearsals were to start, he got a terrible phone call. His mother had collapsed at work, and lapsed into a coma from which she’d never recover. “I had to fly home, and we took her off life support,” Moore said. “So the whole period of doing ‘Avenue Q’ felt like it was fraught with tragedy to me. I was working on this really funny, weird puppet show, but my mother had just passed away. I felt very disoriented a lot of the time.”

Six days before the show was about to open, still more bad news: The show’s main puppeteer fell off the stage and broke his ankle, forcing Moore to have to cast a stand-in puppeteer, with the actor who was originally supposed to play lead singing his lines from offstage. As if that wasn’t enough, the Bush administration announced that the U.S. would declare

war on Iraq on the night of the show’s debut.

“I just thought the whole thing was going to be a grand disaster,” Moore said. “It was a deep excitement and a deep sadness. It just felt like it was under the weight of too much pressure.”

But the night of the show, the curtain went up, the puppets began to sing, and there was uproarious laughter, which Moore called “a real salve to the way I felt then.”

“The morning after, the headline of the paper was about declaring war, but the headline of the arts section was our review, and it was a rave,” he said.

“There was this sense of: You can go through darkness, you can have horrible things happen, and if you’re focused, you can still create something that connects.”

Three months later, “Avenue Q” moved to the John Golden Theater on Broadway. The show did CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

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“When I was growing up, no one would accept musicals.

You had to be a singing mermaid to sing in a movie.

Now, the reason [the film version of] ‘Les Mis’ exists is because the pendulum has swung. People accept that as a form now.” well, but wasn’t a nightly sell-out. Then an Arkansas connection came calling: Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton came to see the show.

“They got their pictures taken with the puppets,” Moore said, “and that picture of President Clinton and the blue, gay puppet of all things, made every news agency. We noticed that right after that, ticket sales picked up considerably. Then there was kind of this momentum.”

Avenue Q would play on Broadway until September 2009, with ticket sales totaling over $100 million. In 2004, the show was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Director for Moore. It went on to win for Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Book — though not Best Director, something Moore said “didn’t sting at all” given that it won Best Musical. Since then, the weird little puppet show that could has toured the world.

W

PITCH PERFECT

ith the blockbuster success of “Avenue Q,” Moore suddenly found the offers rolling in from both coasts. He went on to direct a revival of “Steel Magnolias” on Broadway, as well as “Jerry Springer: the Musical” at Carnegie Hall, and “Shrek the Musical” for Dreamworks, among other projects. Keeping with his career theme of “two trains running,” Moore started looking around for a film to be his feature directorial debut.

In 2008, while working on “Shrek,” he read the script for “Pitch Perfect.”

Not surprisingly, the film’s underdog-power plot appealed to Moore.

It’s the story of Beca Mitchell, a rebellious loner and musical wiz who is cajoled by her straitlaced professor father into joining an all-girl a capella group stocked with outcasts at the fictional Barden College. Finding the group mired in hopeless, soft-rock lameness, Beca butts heads with the mean girl, then uses her music-mashup superpowers to remake the group and cleverly save the day as they make their way to the national finals.

While “Pitch Perfect” is never going to give “Singin’ in the Rain” a run for its money, it’s a funny, classic story, and the plucky tale with a musical twist struck a note with Moore. It took him three years to get the film made, including seeing the production “die” once when the budget didn’t 18

JULY 18, 2013

ARKANSAS TIMES

come together, and another instance in which it was shelved for awhile after the success of “Glee.” Eventually, though, the project was greenlit

by Universal Pictures on the very tight budget of $17 million. Moore prepped the cast in L.A., then went to Baton Rouge, La., where they shot for seven weeks. Moore delivered the film in August 2012, and it came out last October. While the film wasn’t a blockbuster by any stretch, Moore’s instincts about the film’s appeal clearly paid off for Paramount, with “Pitch Perfect” debuting at number three and earning back almost four times what it cost to make from domestic ticket sales alone. Even better, it’s a film that seems to be well on its way to being a cult fave, becoming a reliable repeat rental since it came out on DVD. According to the website boxofficemojo.com, the film has made $113 million and counting so far in foreign and domestic markets.

“It’s a movie that people went back to and they rented it a lot,” he said. “It spawned an album that went platinum, and it spawned a music video. For Universal, it’s their third highest grossing rental title after ‘Bridesmaids’ and ‘Ted.’ It’s the kind of thing people see and want to see again and rediscover. ... It’s been a really nice, surprising long-running hit in that way.”

Not that the relative success of the film was surprising to Moore.

He said that because of shows like “High School Musical,” “Glee,” and “Hannah Montana,” there are millions of young music fans out there who are primed to buy tickets to musicals on the big screen. “There’s an entire generation of kids that grew up on those things that are in their 20s and 30s, and they actually accept musicals much more,” he said. “When I was growing up, no one would accept musicals. You had to be a singing mermaid to sing in a movie. Now, the reason [the film version of] ‘Les Mis’ exists is because the pendulum has swung. People accept that as a form now. Not everybody does, mind you. But more people do.”

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THE NEXT STORY

ith a successful film and a successful career on Broadway in his cap, the future looks bright for Jason Moore. He finished two TV pilots this year, one of which — “Trophy Wife” — has been picked up by ABC for the fall season. He’s got two films in the works, a project with “30 Rock” creator Tina Fey called “The Nest” and a big-screen adaptation of the “Archie” comic books for Warner Brothers. (Moore nixed odd online rumors that the adaptation would feature Archie, Veronica and Jughead fighting off hordes of ravenous zombies, saying: “I would probably go see that movie, but I don’t know if I’d make that movie.”) He recently bought a house in L.A. and an apartment in New York, and said he’s in a great relationship with his boyfriend. He also has several musical projects in the works that he can’t talk about just yet. He’s even managed to become a role model.

“A lot of the messages I get from people from Arkansas from people on Facebook or people who somehow get in touch with me tend to be gay kids,” he said. “I think there is sometimes that thought: ‘Oh, look, there’s somebody like me’ ... Certainly after ‘Pitch Perfect,’ I got a lot of that because a lot of young girls and boys watched that movie and made the connection.”

Moore said losing his father in April caused him to be more introspective. For the first time in a long time, Moore feels like he’s taken a step back from the rat race.

“You spend a lot of time as an artist chasing things,” he said, “trying to get the job, trying to get people to see your show. There’s kind of an always running, always needing, always struggling thing. It makes you really hungry and it makes you work really hard. Right now, in the past six months, I feel kind of an inner peace and happiness that I’ve been able to accomplish these things and I’ve been able to do these things.”

“I feel so grateful and bewildered. This is what I had dreamed of,” Moore said. “This has been a really special year. I’ve been feeling really grateful that I can do the things I wanted to do as a kid. Now I want to do more. I’ve always felt like I was being pulled in two directions.

Now I just feel like: What’s the next story that you want to tell?”

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JULY 18, 2013

ARKANSAS TIMES

CRYING OUT: (Top) Shemedia Shelton (left) and Chastity Duffy. (Bottom) Protesters hold “Justice 4 Bobby Moore” signs.

BRIAN CHILSON

the door, ushered the last customers out, then locked it behind them, followed by a set of heavy steel bars. Soon, the neon beer signs in the windows went out, along with the lights inside. A man came to the doors and tugged on them. Another splashed ice tea against the glass, then threw the can against the doors. Kids with cell phones filmed him, waiting for something worthy of YouTube to happen, but instead he just walked away in disgust, disappearing back into the crowd.

Overhead, a state police chopper circled the intersection of 12th and Jefferson at 300 feet. At the edge of the crowd, people cursed it, many of them screaming obscenities at the sky and flipping the bird with both hands, trying to telegraph their anger and frustration to the pilot.

Ernest Franklin, president of Say Stop the Violence, was there, sweating into a suit coat as he walked among the crowds of angry young people in tank tops and shorts. He said he had talked to police on the scene, asking them to close 12th Street to keep curious drivers from driving by. Soon after we spoke, the street was blocked to most traffic.

“I’ve asked them to get somebody down here other than the police officers,” he said.

“Right now, the whole nation, no matter where you go, they’re mad at the police.

We do understand that the police officers have to do their job, but people are out here looking for justice and to get justice served, whatever that is going to take.”

The police brought in more squad cars, running them in almost bumper to bumper in the eastbound lane of 12th Street.

“Nobody goes into the crowd,” an officer standing in the street said, and the word went on down the line. One man taunted the cops, saying, “What if it was your kid going down the alley? Y’all ain’t perfect.”

Another man shouted, “Fuck America!

That’s how I feel.”

Asa Muhammad was standing at the corner of 12th and Jefferson, watching investigators work across the street. A member of the Nation of Islam, Muhammad was at the Pulaski Country courthouse during the Josh Hastings trial.

“The police brutality and the police actions toward our people is not justice,” Muhammad said. “It doesn’t take the police gunning down our people to make an arrest or stop a crime ... one shot or a taser to the leg could take a man down, but not a deadly force bullet to his heart or in his back to kill him. They’re professionals.

They have tasers. They’re taught to shoot a weapon. But unfortunately, just like Bobby Moore was shot, this gentleman was shot.

Another loss for our community.”

Muhammad said a lot of the anger on display had to do with the economic con-

BRIAN CHILSON

12TH AND JEFFERSON, CONT.

ditions many blacks find themselves in.

“If our economic situation was better, and our people were afforded jobs to do better for themselves, then the vast majority of this wouldn’t be. But unfortunately, in this area, the vast majority of the people you see are unemployed. That has a great effect on what’s going on.”

More cops came. A roaring line of black and white Harley-Davidsons. A lumbering SWAT truck. Dozens of cops stretched their line down the turn lane of 12th Street, just behind the row of squad cars. Someone threw a can of soda, which sailed over the line and landed in the street.

Schwanda Daugherty was there in the edge of the crowd. “This is a community thing,” she said. “I’m here to support them even though I don’t know the young man. We’re out here, we’re going to protest,

we’re going to show that we care. ... There’s a lot of frustration. It’s happening, and we want everybody to know it’s happening.

It’s a racial issue. It never went away, and it’s never going away. But we’re going to stand up and fight.”

As the afternoon wore on, tensions rose. At times, the crowd pushed forward toward the patrol cars, at others, they shrank back to the shade. A woman tried to get others to hold hands and form a human chain along the street, but was ignored until she gave up. Another woman in a gray halter-top shouted over the angry din of the crowd: “All we are to them is monkeys and dogs.” Someone threw a brown bottle that thumped in the grass on the other side of the street. The helicopter buzzed overhead, forgotten now that there were plenty of terrestrial cops to hate.

Then, walking along the edge of 12th Street, supported by friends, came a sobbing woman named Shemedia Shelton.

Shelton was the owner of the Suburban Williams had been driving, and identified herself as Williams’ wife.

“You didn’t have to kill him,” she screamed. “Trayvon wasn’t enough? You didn’t have to fucking kill him. You didn’t have to kill him. You didn’t have to fucking kill him.”

Chastity Duffy, the woman supporting Shelton, said that they’d just picked Williams up from Tucker Penitentiary two months before.

“He was just trying to do what was right for his wife and kids,” Duffy said.

“He didn’t do nothing.” At Duffy’s elbow, clinging there, shambling along in the sun toward the protest, Shelton wailed variations on a single sentence: “Can anybody tell me what I’m supposed to tell my kids?”

The heat came down, broken by periodic clouds. For three minutes, a burly cop stood in the door of a cruiser and spoke into a loudspeaker, telling the crowd to disperse, that they were participating in an unlawful assembly, that they would be arrested if they didn’t comply, saying it over and over like a machine. The crowd roared back at him, drowning him out with taunts and curses. There was a sense that something was going to happen.

Eventually, the officer on the loudspeaker stopped, his voice replaced by that of a man who said he wasn’t a police officer, that he wanted to lead them to a park where they could continue the protest, that there would be a candlelight vigil that night they could attend. The crowd clenched into a fist before him and shouted him down too.

Though a peaceful vigil would be held that night at the State Capitol, that moment was too angry and hot for talk of peace.

Police Chief Stuart Thomas appeared, along with City Manager Bruce Moore, both standing in front of the Family Dollar store across the street. Behind them, the shooting investigation started to wrap up.

Police tape came down. A flatbed came for the Suburban Williams had been driving. Soon, the line of Harleys fired up and roared away, followed by most of the squad cars, some making a slow U-turn in the street.

Across the street, Chief Thomas spoke to the press, pulling further back when the chants of “fuck the police” became loud enough for the mics to pick them up and spoil a quote. “As we were working the case, a lot of information got out,” Thomas said. “People were a little bit misinformed about the circumstances ... it just kind of built up from there. There are a lot of other issues at play, both locally and nationally.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

DUMAS, CONT.

Tech park board to seek input from new consultant, schools

BY LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK

T

he Little Rock Technology Park Authority Board will seek input from tech park development and management firm Wexford Science and Technology to assist in getting the Little Rock park off the ground, chair Mary Good said Monday.

Wexford, the major developer of the Winston-Salem technology park that Good and other members of the board visited last week, has invested $100 million in the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter’s BioTech Place, which is leased to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, and recently announced it would invest $150 million more in renovations.

The board members were joined by Mayor Mark Stodola and University of Arkansas at Little Rock Chancellor Joel Anderson on the visit, which included a trip to St. Louis’ Cortex tech facilities as well.

Good said her takeaway from the trip is that Little Rock has ample assets to attract technology businesses and that “university involvement is crucial.”

Whether that commitment would be financial isn’t yet known, Good said, though universities will have to make long-term commitments to the park.

Financial commitments don’t come easy from universities, she said, but their “expanding opportunities” for growth “are clearly part of the sustainability model.”

The Winston-Salem facility, developed in 1990, houses all biomedical research facilities for the Wake Forest School of Medicine, facilities relocated to the park when the medical school decided to expand its clinical space. R.J. Reynolds donated old warehouse space to the park. In some sense, “We’re in better shape” than Winston-Salem was

when it started, Good said, “because we have seed money.” She was referring to $22 million that a city sales tax is expected to raise over 10 years, the only investment so far in the park.

Cortex also has significant private funding from the McDonnell (as in McDonnell Douglas aircraft) and Danforth foundations and an investor group, Arch Angel. Their investment has allowed some companies to have space rent-free.

The authority board will meet with tech park sponsors UALR and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences as well as Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the National Center for Toxicological Research in Pine Bluff to get a clearer idea of what they’ll bring to the park. Good said she’d like to hear from all in September and move on choosing a site.

“It was really good to be on the ground and ask questions and to get the benefit of the experience” of the tech park developers, Authority board member Jay Chesshir, who was also on the trip, said. Seeing the role university research plays in the facilities helped the group see “what opportunities exist for [universities here] further involvement in the potential park and what they see as the initial focus for that initial building.”

UAMS, whose Bioventures facility is full, has expressed interest in using space in the tech park, though it’s not clear whether it is willing to pay rental fees. The Angle feasibility study commissioned by the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce suggested that the universities would be the major tenant in the first building, but former Authority board member Dr. Michael Douglas, who headed Bio-

ventures until he retired in January, had earlier said that the only capital the university would offer would be intellectual.

UAMS Chancellor Daniel Rahn addressed the board at its June meeting on the physical needs of biomedical research. UALR chancellor Anderson is expected to address the tech park board on what UALR would like to see at the park at the board’s Aug. 14 meeting. Anderson did not return a call to the Times by press time seeking the university’s position on financial investment in the tech park.

Wexford manages and raises funds for nine or 10 technology parks, Good said, and “are very knowledgeable about these things.”

Good said she believes Little Rock’s current tech-based assets “are as good as any” of the parks visited. “I really think our facility is going to be more entrepreneurial than either of those two parks.”

Siting the park will still be an issue, since the board has shown little interest in the four sites so far proposed.

Dan Cramer, an executive with Wexford who met with the board members and others in Winston-Salem, said proximity to institutions was “the formula for success,” Chesshir said, though Cramer tempered that by saying the park should be in an urban, rather than a suburban, location. The Wake Forest Innovation Quarter is located 2.5 miles from the medical center, but “they bridged the proximity issue by moving research functions to the park itself,” Chesshir said. Would Little Rock taxpayers approve of using their taxes to build UAMS or UALR a building? Chesshir said he’d heard no objection to that idea.

12TH AND JEFFERSON, CONT. A minute later, someone shouted “Look out!” as a full plastic bottle came out of the crowd, over the street, and over Thomas’s head — a hail-Mary lob that would have done any quarterback proud. The bottle splattered eight feet away in the parking lot, next to a snarl of police tape.

“It is what it is,” Thomas said of being the target of the bottle. “It’ll calm down

when we’re out of here.”

Soon after, the last of the cops pulled away, and the crowd soon did as Thomas had predicted. By the time the TV stations did their 5 p.m. live shots from the corner of 12th and Jefferson, there was just a single man in a white T-shirt, holding a sign. Once the cameras turned off, he disappeared, too.

Standing on the corner, watching people buy gas at the Hess station and 12th street roll full of cars again, it was hard to believe the anger of the day had ever happened. Then a woman pulled up to the herd of TV trucks and rolled down her window. “What is it,” she asked, “open season on black people?”

It should be noted that most congressional Republicans, and three of Arkansas’s four, wanted to continue hunger relief in the farm bill at a much reduced sum and with incentives for states to cut off relief to people who don’t have a job. They supported the Paul Ryan budget blueprint that would have cut deficits over the next couple of decades by shrinking hunger relief, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, but they didn’t want to take the step of eliminating food stamps from the farm bill altogether.

The party’s extremists, including the Fourth District’s Tom Cotton, held out until food stamps were stripped from the bill, leaving the only beneficiaries of the government’s largesse as the big agribusinesses, planters and insurance companies that supply government-subsidized crop insurance. Farm groups want food stamps restored to the farm bill because nutrition aid helps their own bottom line and because, without the political cover of hunger relief, they could lose their subsidies, too.

But let’s localize the composition of hunger relief. About 500,000 Arkansans — 17 percent of us — get food stamps.

Most are white, three-fourths are poor children, a third are in families with an elderly or disabled person, and 41 percent are in families of people who have jobs that just pay too little for food security. Nearly all have incomes well below the federal poverty line.

In Cotton’s lily-white (one percent black) Yell County, where he claims to farm, one in every four people gets food stamps, $9 a day on average. In Congressman Rick Crawford’s Fulton County (only two-tenths of one percent black), it is one in three.

Whom do they vote for? Why do you ask? Cotton and Crawford.

BARTH, CONT. fundraising report) out of the governor’s race. Indeed, those who have examined the candidacies of Sanford and Weiner note that it is their gifts in connecting with rank-and-file voters over the heads of a cynical media that gave them the opportunity at a comeback.

Coming back from a scandal after the powers-that-be have deemed one dead politically provides an additional benefit to McDaniel, an “insider” his entire life. He will now be the consummate outsider in a state, going back to its founding, that has always had a warm spot for underdogs. www.arktimes.com

JULY 18, 2013

21

Arts Entertainment AND

‘JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR’ AT ACT Argenta Community Theater’s annual summer musical returns.

W

BY ROBERT BELL

hen the Argenta Community Theater opened, part of its mission was to create an annual summer musical program. The shows would be produced inhouse with volunteer casts — the essence of community theater. That promise was fulfilled with last year’s production of “Cabaret,” and judging from the sold-out performances it was an endeavor that the community would support.

ACT co-founder Vincent Insalaco produced “Cabaret,” and Bob Hupp, producing artistic director at Arkansas Repertory Theatre, directed the show. This year, Insalaco will helm ACT’s summer musical, and it’s a show that has a deep personal resonance for him: “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

Insalaco’s late wife, Sally Riggs Insalaco, was an actor and dancer who worked as a cast member and as ballet mistress on the first U.K. productions of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera at The Palace Theater in London. Riggs was also in the touring choir for the show, performing for royalty, including Queen Elizabeth II and the Duchess of the Netherlands, Insalaco said.

“Clearly, I wanted to do one last homage, if you will, to Sally,” he said. “I wanted to do one more, I’m not going to deny that at all.

She was very proud of this show and her association with it.” Riggs starred in several touring Broadway shows, including “Hello Dolly,” but she was probably most proud of her work on “Jesus Christ Superstar,” Insalaco said.

One difference between this year’s show and last year’s is cast size. “Cabaret” has a relatively small cast while “Jesus Christ Superstar” has 35 cast members and a 10-person orchestra, which ought to make for an intimate stage-audience arrangement.

“The set is magnificent,” Insalaco said. “We took the curtains down and built a set that’s three levels.”

22

JULY 18, 2013

ARKANSAS TIMES

In addition to the larger cast size, “Jesus Christ Superstar” is also a work that is entirely sung, which is quite a bit more demanding on the actors than a musical that hops between songs and spoken dialogue, he said.

“It’s 10 times harder on the cast,” Insalaco said. “It’s very, very demanding for the principals, it’s a really difficult show. And also, last year Bob Hupp directed ‘Cabaret.’ I produced it, but he directed it and he’s a master, and I am by no means at his level.” He said Hupp has been invaluable as a source to call upon for guidance.

As of press deadline, the six-performance run for “Jesus Christ Superstar” was nearly sold out, but Insalaco said adding more performances at this point was unlikely.

“Last year we could’ve easily sold two more shows,” he said. But because of the nature of the show and the fact that, aside from the orchestra players, everyone is a volunteer, adding more performances would be a tall order. “People put their whole entire summer on hold until this is over, so to extend it might be tough,” he said, adding that there will likely be cast members who are leaving for their summer vacations the day after the show ends.

All of that is to say that if you’re interested in seeing “Jesus Christ Superstar” this summer, you’d probably best secure your tickets now. Otherwise you’ll have to wait until next summer to catch ACT’s 2014 summer musical, the beloved “Fiddler on the Roof.”

Argenta Community Theater’s production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” runs July 24-28.

The July 24 show is at 7 p.m. and is part of the ACT’s annual fundraiser. Tickets are $125 and include food and drinks. The show starts at 7 p.m. July 25, 8 p.m. July 26, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. July 27 and 6 p.m. July 28. Tickets for those shows range from $30-$40.

‘JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR’: Michael Klucher, Greg Robinson and Kristof Waltermire star.

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A&E NEWS MORE NEWS ON THE CREATIVE CORRIDOR ON MAIN STREET: BOB HUPP, the producing artistic director of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, gave the Times a tour last week of The Repâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future educational space in the Arkansas building, the historic structure cater-cornered from the Rep at Sixth and Main that is being renovated by Scott Reed for lease as performance and living space.

The Rep plans to lease a total of 6,700 square feet on the ground floor of the building and on the second story of its annex, located between it and the old M.M. Cohn Building. Hupp said The Rep has raised from private donors $269,000 toward its goal of $400,000 to outfit the space â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a black box studio, dressing rooms, three classrooms, a box office and other office space â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with moveable fixtures like lights and a sound system. The Rep will use the space to conduct year-round theater classes for children 10 and older. The black box theater â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which will be available to the public as well as serve as performance space for the school â&#x20AC;&#x201D; will be off the entrance lobby on the ground floor and stairs will lead to three classrooms on the upper floor of the annex building between the Arkansas Building and the M.M. Cohn Building. The Repâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s director of education, Nicole Capri, who heads the theaterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vaunted Summer Musical Theatre Intensive, will develop all new programming for the new space.

A veneer on the exterior of the Arkansas building will be removed to expose four granite columns that have been covered up for decades; awnings and cast iron details will be added. The front glass windows will be 17 feet high. Ballet Arkansas, which has signed a letter of intent to occupy space adjacent to the Repâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the Arkansas building, says the glass front will allow passersby to watch the dancers rehearse their performances.

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra has signed a lease for the space on the ground of the annex and the M.M. Cohn Building.

The Rep has until Aug. 15, its deadline to sign the lease, to raise the remaining $131,000. It raised nearly $300,000 in two months, so Hupp is confident it will meet the deadline. He said itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been an easy sell, thanks to the passion of families whose youth have participated in Rep programs and â&#x20AC;&#x153;seen what the program has done for their kids.â&#x20AC;?

The Rep ran a traveling theater program that visited junior and senior high schools for two decades but a tough economy and the theaterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital campaign to renovate the theater and lobby areas â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a $6 million endeavor completed in 2011 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ended the program.

Hupp said the theater has been discussing year-round educational programming for six or seven years; it began looking for space three years ago and found the Arkansas building â&#x20AC;&#x153;ideally suited to our needs.â&#x20AC;? The non-profit has done due diligence â&#x20AC;&#x153;to make sure itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a smart move financially,â&#x20AC;? and has developed a â&#x20AC;&#x153;very conservativeâ&#x20AC;? budget that anticipates serving 135 youth over a yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time.

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JULY 18, 2013

23

THE TO-DO

LIST

BY ROBERT BELL

FRIDAY 7/19

CRUZ WAY

9 p.m. Juanita’s. $10.

Salsa fans in Central Arkansas seem to be well served by a variety of opportunities for dancing at several venues. Little Rock Salsa organizes weekly salsa nights at Juanita’s, and this is a special week as the group has booked Cruz Way, a family band that emigrated from Cuba to Mexico to Little Rock. The Times sister pub El Latino recently published a profile of the Cruz family that detailed their voyage to the States. Patriarch Anibal L. Cruz had loved music since he was a child and was a nationally acclaimed singer as a youth, but ultimately pur-

sued a career in medicine. He and his wife Enely were both gynecologists, but earned monthly salaries of just $19 each. “I stopped being a doctor because, the truth is, it was not enough to cover the basic needs of my family,” Anibal Cruz told El Latino. So he started the long process of leaving the island nation to find a better life for his family in Mexico and then the United States. The band also includes Anibal Cruz Jr., Alex Cruz, Liset Mercantete, Irisley Luis Gomez and Jorge Luis Gomez. By all accounts, Cruz Way is an amazingly tight live act, so this will be a treat. Dancers of all skill levels are encouraged to attend. There will be a dancing lesson from 9-10 p.m.

AU NATUREL: Natural Child performs at Stickyz Thursday night.

THURSDAY 7/18

NATURAL CHILD

9 p.m. Stickyz. $6.

OK, the first thing with Nashville trio Natural Child is that the band’s name makes me think of a line of organic cotton diapers or something. Maybe a Montessori school outside Sacramento in the ’80s or I don’t know. But whatever, names are just names and let’s face it: We’re running out of them, as evidenced by the relentless, each-one-stupiderthan-the-last litany of scream-y hairproduct endorsers. It never ends, with names like Behold the Final Unraveling or The Embers of the Ashes of Our Hatred Will Ignite the Skies or some kind of dumbass mumbo jumbo. So, Natural Child is fine by me as a band name.

Also, their tunes are good’ns. Their debut long-player, “For the Love of the Game,” sported a very (very) nice tush shot on the cover, but also contained a grip of fine garage rockers and a genuine Stones-in-hick-drag country classic in “How I Got to Memphis.” The followup, “Hard in Heaven,” vibes a bit more 24

JULY 18, 2013

ARKANSAS TIMES

subdued, which is A-OK with this listener. Opener “Laid, Paid & Strange” has a greaser rock feel, like The MC5 circa “Back in the U.S.A.” On the title track, the band lays it on down with a weary gentleness uncommon for such obviously party-hearty road-dudes. Now, I say this based solely on a gut-feeling Internet-based perception, but these dudes seem like the type of totally loveable scalawags that you’re always glad to have as friends because they remind you to have fun once in a while. And seriously: The song “Derek’s Blues” is exactly like rollin’ down the highway en route to the swimming hole right after your lady friend ditched you for some jerkoff, but you’ve got your best buds and seven or eight hoglegs and an ice chest with 36 cold lite beers and you’re like, “You know what? The hell with her, I feel all right.” It’s like they took that feeling and made a song out of it. Good job fellas. Opening this allages show will be You Me & Us, The Coasts and Shoplift.

FAMILY BAND: Cruz Way plays Salsa Night at Juanita’s on Friday.

FRIDAY 7/19

REPROACHER, PRIMITIVE MAN

8 p.m. Downtown Music Hall. $7.

For the last few years, we’ve seemed to be in this sort of revival period for the crusty, heavy, ragin’ hardcore of the ’90s and I am way into it. The influence of such scorched-earth trailblazers as Rorschach, His Hero is Gone, Dropdead, Discordance Axis, many of the Slap-a-Ham Records bands and pioneers such as ’80s Scandi crust legends Anti Cimex is evident in all of the galloping d-beat thrash, downtuned guitar torture and throat-shredding vox that have been annihilating eardrums. I’ve

been digging on such brutality specialists as The Secret, Nails, All Pigs Must Die, Baptists and Nuclear Death Terror. And so I’ll add to that list Wyoming hardcore maniacs Reproacher, who’re touring with Denver, Colo.based doom misanthropes Primitive Man. It’s a do-not-miss bill for discerning fans of ultra-nihilistic crust/metal/ hardcore/whatever, with killer local support from Snakedriver, Crankbait and Sumokem. (Side note: Seahag was originally billed for a return to the stage at this show but had to cancel. That’s unfortunate, but let’s hope the band will do a makeup show soon.)

IN BRIEF

THURSDAY 7/18

SATURDAY 7/20

LITTLE ROCK FASHION WEEK’S BIG NIGHT

6 p.m. Robinson Center Music Hall. $38-$80.

Little Rock Fashion Week has been under way since Monday, with a plethora of events for designers, aspiring designers and fashion buffs of all

stripes. The week culminates with Friday’s Media Industry & VIP Mixer at the Italian Kitchen at Lulav ($59-$80). It’ll be a chance to mix and mingle with fashion industry folks in a fun environment, with food and drinks. It’s a dress-toimpress event. Then, of course, there’s Saturday’s Big Night at Robinson Center

Music Hall, featuring clothing from several labels split into two shows — Young & Fabulous and Posh Expression. Some of the lines featured will be Ms Smitty, Foreign, D.ooh, B.M.E., Kelvin Haydon, Hope E., Love R.O.C.S., Lymelyfe, Jessiica Howell Fashions and Nicole McGehee.

ANTHONY HAMILTON, THE WHISPERS, DOUG E. FRESH

7 p.m. First Security Amphitheatre. $30-$100.

SATURDAY 7/20

Clarksville native and standup comedy star Ralphie May performs at a benefit for the Officer Will McGary Memorial Fund, with opener Angry Patrick, The Brick Room in Conway, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., $30 adv., $35 door. Central Arkansas hard rockers Four on the Floor bring the ruckus to Stickyz, 18-and-older, 9 p.m., $5. Discovery Nightclub has Dorrough, Cain Tha Ladies Man, g-force, SWR, Danny Enzo, Ewell, Kichen and all your Disco favorites, 9 p.m.-5 a.m., $10-$15. Down in Spa City, Maxine’s will be serving up a musical feast with Deep Fried Squirrel, Poor Ol’ Uncle Fatty and The Filthy Kind, 8:30 p.m.

SUNDAY 7/21 DATE NIGHT: Anthony Hamilton plays at First Security Amphitheatre Saturday.

SATURDAY 7/20

THE DANGEROUS IDIOTS

9:30 p.m. White Water Tavern.

Little Rock trio The Dangerous Idiots would like for you to come to The White Water Tavern this Saturday because they will be recording a live album and concert film. It is to be a celebratory affair, with

FRIDAY 7/19

The Trey Hawkins Band plays an 18-and-older album-release show at Revolution, with Cons of Formant, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 day of. This weekend is your last chance to see comedy troupe The Main Thing’s “Wiener Day at the Rollercade,” 8 p.m., The Joint, $20. The Dirty Streets bring some of The Bluff City’s finest power-trio blues rock to White Water Tavern, with Hot Springs bruisers Opportunist and Little Rock’s burliest rock machine, a.k.a. Peckerwolf, 9:30 p.m. Over at Stickyz, you can check out Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, 18-and-older, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 day of.

The FOCAL Used Book Sale kicks off at 10 a.m. at CALS Main Library, continuing at 10 a.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

SATURDAY 7/20

All right, guys out there? You need to go ahead and hire a babysitter if you need to and then get tickets to this show because your wife or girlfriend deserves a fun night out. So make some reservations at a nice restaurant and then you two head on over to First Security Amphitheatre (formerly Riverfest Amphitheatre) for what is sure to be a fantastic show.

Headlining will be R&B great Anthony Hamilton, a Grammy winner who’s had a remarkable streak of albums that straddle the worlds of contemporary R&B and oldschool soul. Seriously, if you haven’t ever checked out Hamilton, any of his records would be a great place to start, but his most recent album, “Back to Love,” is excellent. It’s what my old buddy Jason would call “baby-makin’ music.” You’ve also got veteran R&B quintet The Whispers, who had a number of hits spanning several decades. And of course, you’ve got the original human beatbox Doug E. Fresh, whose single with Slick Rick “The Show/ La Di Da Di” is a cornerstone of hip-hop.

This show is the 40th Anniversary Benefit Concert for the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com.

Little Rock’s finest doom metal purveyors, Pallbearer, perform at White Water Tavern, with the amp-busting blooze rock of Iron Tongue and Fayetteville prog-metal trio Terminus, 9:30 p.m.

Long Island-based modern rockers Blameshift play an 18-and-older show at Revolution with Screaming for Silence and Dark From Day One, 8:30 p.m., $10. The 28th Annual MacArthur Park Fishing Derby is open to children ages 6-15, with prizes for catching tagged fish, MacArthur Park, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

If your Sunday evening calls for some bouncy, reverb-drenched garage pop, don’t miss Fletcher C. Johnson. It’s an all-ages show with Tsar Bomba and Glittercore, Stickyz, 8 p.m., $5.

TUESDAY 7/23 the band playing their rock songs and the crowd clapping, cheering, snapping their fingers in the beatnik fashion, perhaps whistling, making merry, letting it all hang out, letting their freak flag or freak flags fly, getting down, boogieing down, air-guitaring, air drumming, air singing, actually singing and possibly calling out for requests.

On that point, please do not scream “Freebird” over and over again. Once will be enough. Actually, zero times will be more than enough. After all, they’re filming and recording this thing. So have fun, but be reasonable. Or if you’re not going to be reasonable, you’d better be really funny. Adam Faucett will open the show.

This looks like fun: Providence, R.I.’s What Cheer? Marching Brigade brings a realdeal marching band experience to CALS Children’s Library, 4:30 p.m., free. The Joint hosts a Finch’s Beer tasting from 6-8 p.m., $10. Stick around afterward for a meeting of Skeptics in the Pub, who’ll shatter all of your dearly held superstitions and myths. www.arktimes.com

JULY 18, 2013

25

AFTER DARK All events are in the Greater Little Rock area unless otherwise noted. To place an event in the Arkansas Times calendar, please e-mail the listing and all pertinent information, including date, time, location, price and contact information, to calendar@arktimes.com.

THURSDAY, JULY 18

MUSIC

4 West/Sam Morris. Thirst n’ Howl, 8:30 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www. thirst-n-howl.com.

Blameshift, Screaming for Silence, Dark From Day One. 18-and-older. Revolution, 8:30 p.m., $7 adv., $10 day of. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Christine DeMeo. The Tavern Sports Grill, 7 p.m., free. 17815 Chenal Parkway. 501-8302100. www.thetavernsportsgrill.com.

Funkanites. The Joint, 9:30 p.m. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

“Inferno.” DJs play pop, electro, house and more, plus drink specials and $1 cover before 11 p.m. Sway, 9 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, through Aug. 1: 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Jocko Deal. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m., free. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Jonathan Fleig Band. Maxine’s, 8:30 p.m. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. www.maxinespub. com.

Karaoke. Zack’s Place, 8 p.m., 1400 S. University Ave., 501-664-6444. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free, 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

Karaoke with Kevin & Cara. MacDaddy’s Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 314 N. Maple St., NLR. Krush Thursdays with DJ Kavaleer. Club Climax, free before 11 p.m. 824 W. Capitol.

501-554-3437.

Michael Eubanks. Newk’s Express Cafe, 6:30 p.m. 4317 Warden Road, NLR. 501-753-8826. newks.com.

The Midnight Ghost Train. Downtown Music Hall, 8 p.m., $5. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

Natural Child, You Me & Us, The Coasts, Shoplift. All-ages. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $6. 107 Commerce St. 501-3727707. www.stickyz.com.

Open jam with The Port Arthur Band. Parrot Beach Cafe, 9 p.m. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

Pallbearer, Iron Tongue, Terminus. White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m. 2500 W 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

RockUsaurus. Senor Tequila, 7-9 p.m. 10300 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-224-5505. www. senor-tequila.com.

Sol Def (headliner), Shannon McClung (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www. capitalhotel.com/CBG.

COMEDY

COUNTRY RAP ORIGINAL: Georgia native Bubba Sparxxx performs at Juanita’s Tuesday, with openers Arkatext, Joe Average and M.A.D. Entertainment, 9 p.m., $12 adv., $15 day of.

26

JULY 18, 2013

ARKANSAS TIMES

Julie Scoggins, Chris Killian. The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy. com.

EVENTS

28th Annual MacArthur Park Fishing Derby.

Open to children ages 6-15, with prizes for tagged fish. MacArthur Park, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. 503 E. Ninth St. 501-371-6858.

Antique/Boutique Walk. Shopping and live entertainment. Downtown Hot Springs, third Thursday of every month, 4 p.m., free. 100 Central Ave., Hot Springs.

Miss Arkansas Pageant. Summit Arena, through July 20, 7:30 p.m., $27-$38. 134 Convention Blvd., Hot Springs. 501-321-2027. www.summitarena.org.

Woodlawn Farmer’s Market. Shoppes on Woodlawn, 4:30 p.m. 4523 Woodlawn. 501666-3600. woodlawnshoppes.blogspot.com.

POETRY

POETluck. Literary salon and potluck. The Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow, third Thursday of every month, 6 p.m. 515 Spring St., Eureka Springs.

479-253-7444.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Tulsa Drillers. DickeyStephens Park, through July 20, 7:10 p.m.; July 21, 6:10 p.m., $4-$12. 400 W. Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

CAMPS

WILDKids Play! Theatre arts camp for ages 8-12, with instructor Erin Anson. Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., $200. 20919 Denny Road.

FRIDAY, JULY 19

MUSIC

3rd Anniversary Party. Featuring three bands.

Thirst n’ Howl, 7:30 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com.

Adrenaline (headliner), Some Guy Named Robb (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road.

501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

The Bellamy Brothers. Ozark Folk Center State Park, 7 p.m., $25-$38. 1032 Park Ave., Mountain View.

Brian Nahlen. Cregeen’s Irish Pub, July 19-20, 8 p.m. 301 Main St., NLR. 501-376-7468. www. cregeens.com.

Club Nights at 1620 Savoy. Dance night, with DJs, drink specials and bar menu, until 2 a.m.

1620 Savoy, 10 p.m. 1620 Market St. 501-2211620. www.1620savoy.com.

Cruz Way. Salsa lesson from 9-10 p.m. by Little Rock Salsa. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $10. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Danny Green. The Tavern Sports Grill, 7 p.m., free. 17815 Chenal Parkway. 501-830-2100. www. thetavernsportsgrill.com.

The Dirty Streets, Opportunist, Peckerwolf.

White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m. 2500 W 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Foul Play Cabaret. Maxine’s, 8:30 p.m. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. www.maxinespub. com.

Friday night at Sway. Sway, 9 p.m. 412 Louisiana.

501-907-2582.

Mister Lucky. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m., $7. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Mr. Happy. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Primitive Man, Reproacher, Snakedriver, Crankbait, Sumokem. Downtown Music Hall, 8 p.m., $7. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

So We Persist, No Commercials. Vino’s, 9 p.m., $5. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Synergy, DJ Sleepy Genius. Montego Cafe, 8:30 p.m. 315 Main St. 501-372-1555. www.montegocafe.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. Trey Hawkins Band (album release), Cons of Formant. 18-and-older. Revolution, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 day of. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501823-0090. revroom.com.

Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band. 18-and-older.

Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 day of. 107 Commerce St. 501-3727707. www.stickyz.com.

“YOLO.” Featuring four DJs and beach volleyball, 18-and-older. Flying DD, $5. 4601 S. University.

501-773-9990. flyingdd.com.

B R AC E YO U R S E LV E S F O R OV E R 5 0 0 , 0 0 0 M U S I C P R I Z E S A N D T I C K E T S TO A O N C E - I N -A- L I F E T I M E MUSIC EXPERIENCE. ENTER THE CODE INSIDE S P E C I A L LY M A R K E D PA C K A G E S O F B U D L I G H T FO R A C H A N C E TO W I N A L L S U M M E R LO N G. G O O N L I N E O R S C A N B E LO W TO L E A R N M O R E.

COMEDY

Julie Scoggins, Chris Killian. The Loony Bin, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

The Main Thing: “Wiener Day at the Rollercade.” Original two-act play from The Joint’s resident comedy troupe. The Joint, 8 p.m., $20. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-3720205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

EVENTS

LGBTQ/SGL Youth and Young Adult Group.

Diverse Youth for Social Change is a group for LGBTQ/SGL and straight ally youth and young adults age 14 to 23. For more information, call 244-9690 or search “DYSC” on Facebook. 800 Scott St., 6:30 p.m. 800 Scott St. Little Rock Fashion Week: Media, Industry & VIP Mixer. The Italian Kitchen at Lulav, 6-9 p.m., $59-$80. 220 A W. 6th St. 501-374-5100. www. lulaveatery.com.

“Mad Men Power Evening: Cocktails & Dinner.”

Presented by the Quapaw Quarter Association at Natchez Restaurant. Tower Building, 6-9 p.m., $125. Fourth and Center Streets.

Miss Arkansas Pageant. Summit Arena, through July 20, 7:30 p.m., $27-$38. 134 Convention Blvd., Hot Springs. 501-321-2027. www.summitarena.org.

Table for Two: Chicken Cordon Bleu. Includes cooking class, meal, overnight stay and continental breakfast. Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, 5 p.m., $200 (couple). 1 Rockefeller Drive, Morrilton. 501-727-5435. www.uawri.org.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Tulsa Drillers. DickeyStephens Park, 7:10 p.m., $4-$12. 400 W. Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs. com.

BOOKS

FOCAL Used Book Sale. Main Library, July 19-20, 10 a.m.; July 21, 1 p.m. 100 S. Rock St. www. cals.lib.ar.us.

CAMPS

WILDKids Play! Theatre arts camp for ages 8-12, with instructor Erin Anson. Wildwood Park for CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

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AFTER DARK, CONT. the Performing Arts, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., $200. 20919 Denny Road.

SATURDAY, JULY 20

MUSIC

3rd Anniversary Party. Featuring five bands.

Thirst n’ Howl, 4 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road.

501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com.

Anthony Hamilton, The Whispers, Doug E. Fresh. First Security Amphitheatre, 7 p.m., $30$100. 400 President Clinton Ave. Band of Heathens. 18-and-older. Revolution, 9 p.m., $10 adv., $12 day of. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Brian Nahlen. Cregeen’s Irish Pub, 8 p.m. 301 Main St., NLR. 501-376-7468. www.cregeens. com.

Cadillac Jackson (headliner), R&R (happy hour).

Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com.

Club Nights at 1620 Savoy. See July 19.

The Dangerous Idiots, Adam Faucett. White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m. 2500 W. 7th St. 501-3758400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Deep Fried Squirrel, Poor Ol’ Uncle Fatty, The Filthy Kind. Maxine’s, 8:30 p.m. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. www.maxinespub.com.

Dorrough, Cain Tha Ladies Man, g-force, SWR, Danny Enzo, Ewell, Kichen. Discovery Nightclub, 9 p.m.-5 a.m., $10-$15. 1021 Jessie Road. 501-664-4784. www.latenightdisco.com.

Foley’s Van. Bear’s Den Pizza, 8:30 p.m., free.

235 Farris Road, Conway. 501-328-5556. www. bearsdenpizza.com.

Four on the Floor. 18-and-older. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Just Sayin’. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m., $7. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

Karaoke. Casa Mexicana, 7 p.m. 6929 JFK Blvd., NLR. 501-835-7876.

Karaoke with Kevin & Cara. All-ages, on the restaurant side. Revolution, 9 p.m.-12:45 a.m., free. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

K.I.S.S. Saturdays. Featuring DJ Silky Slim. Dress code enforced. Sway, 10 p.m. 412 Louisiana.

501-492-9802.

MercyMe, Citizen Way, Big Daddy Weave.

Magic Springs’ Timberwood Amphitheater, 8 p.m., $50-$60. 1701 E. Grand Ave., Hot Springs.

Moment of Fierce Determination, A Traitor’s Funeral. Vino’s. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466.

www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Pickin’ Porch. Bring your instrument. All ages welcome. Faulkner County Library, 9:30 a.m. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org.

Runaway Planet. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 9 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Singer/Songwriters Showcase. Parrot Beach Cafe, 2-7 p.m., free. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

Taylor Made. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. Trey Hawkins Band. The Tavern Sports Grill, 7 p.m., free. 17815 Chenal Parkway. 501-830-2100. www.thetavernsportsgrill.com.

Wraith, Pose No Threat, Rawhead, Splattered in Traffic, Slamphetamine, Severe Headwound.

Downtown Music Hall, 7:30 p.m., $6. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

COMEDY

Julie Scoggins, Chris Killian. The Loony Bin, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

The Main Thing: “Wiener Day at the Rollercade.” Original two-act play from The Joint’s resident comedy troupe. The Joint, 8 p.m., $20. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-3720205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Ralphie May, Angry Patrick. Proceeds will benefit the Officer Will McGary Memorial Fund. The Brick Room, 8 and 10 p.m., $30 adv., $35 door.

1020 Front St., Conway. 501-932-3054.

DANCE

Little Rock West Coast Dance Club. Dance lessons. Singles welcome. Ernie Biggs, 7 p.m., $2. 307 Clinton Ave. 501-247-5240. www. arstreetswing.com.

EVENTS

Argenta Farmers Market. Argenta, 7 a.m.-noon.

Main Street, NLR. Falun Gong meditation. Allsopp Park, 9 a.m., free. Cantrell & Cedar Hill Roads.

Hillcrest Farmers Market. Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. 2200 Kavanaugh Blvd.

Little Rock Farmers Market. River Market Pavilions, through Oct. 26: 7 a.m. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. www.rivermarket.info.

Little Rock Fashion Week: Big Night — “Posh Expression vs. Young & Fabulous.” Robinson Center Music Hall, 6-10 p.m., $38-$80. Markham and Broadway. www.littlerockmeetings.com/

conv-centers/robinson.

Miss Arkansas Pageant. Summit Arena, 7:30 p.m., $27-$38. 134 Convention Blvd., Hot Springs. 501321-2027. www.summitarena.org.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Tulsa Drillers. DickeyStephens Park, through July 20, 7:10 p.m.; July 21, 6:10 p.m., $4-$12. 400 W. Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

BOOKS

FOCAL Used Book Sale. Main Library, through July 20, 10 a.m.; July 21, 1 p.m. 100 S. Rock St. www.cals.lib.ar.us.

SUNDAY, JULY 21

MUSIC

Caustic Casanova, Peckerwolf, Sumokem.

Vino’s, 8 p.m., $5. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Fletcher C. Johnson, Tsar Bomba, Glittercore.

All-ages. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyz.com.

Karaoke with DJ Sara. Hardrider Bar & Grill, 7 p.m., free. 6613 John Harden Drive, Cabot.

501-982-1939 .

Michael Eubanks. Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon, 7 p.m. 10901 N Rodney Parham Road.

501-227-8898. www.lonestarsteakhouse.com.

Simona Donova and Michael Yoder. Faulkner County Library, 2 p.m., free. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org.

Successful Sunday. Featuring live music and DJs. Montego Cafe, 7 p.m. 315 Main St. 501-372-1555. www.montegocafe.com.

Sunday Jazz Brunch with Ted Ludwig. Vieux Carre, 11 a.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-6631196. www.vieuxcarrecafe.com.

EVENTS

Bernice Garden Farmers Market. The Bernice Garden, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 1401 S. Main St. www. thebernicegarden.org.

“Live from the Back Room.” Spoken word event.

Vino’s, 7 p.m. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www. vinosbrewpub.com.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Tulsa Drillers. DickeyStephens Park, 6:10 p.m., $4-$12. 400 W. Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs. com.

BOOKS

FOCAL Used Book Sale. Main Library, 1 p.m.

100 S. Rock St. www.cals.lib.ar.us.

MONDAY, JULY 22

MUSIC

Hot Springs Concert Band 2013 Concert Series.

Whittington Park, July 22, 6:30 p.m.; Aug. 5, 6 p.m.; Aug. 19, 6 p.m., free. Whittington Ave., Hot Springs. 501-984-1678.

Irish Traditional Music Session. Open to all musicians, dancers and listeners. “SloPlay” session begins at 6 p.m. Hibernia Irish Tavern, second and Fourth Monday of every month, 7 p.m. 9700 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-246-4340. www. hiberniairishtavern.com.

Richie Johnson. Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

FILM

“Trans.” Tickets must be purchased in advance at website. Cinemark Tandy Movies 10, 7:30 p.m., $10. 4188 E. McCain, NLR. 501-945-0169. www. tugg.com/events/4559.

CAMPS

Movement, Masks, and Mayhem! Campers ages 11-15 will design and build their own mask and learn about characterization through movement from instructor Monica Clark-Robinson.

Wildwood Park for the Performing Arts, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., $200. 20919 Denny Road.

TUESDAY, JULY 23

MUSIC

Arkansas River Blues Society Blues Jam. Thirst n’ Howl, through July 30: 8:30 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl. com.

The Bohannons, Emily Bell. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th St. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Brian & Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Bubba Sparxxx, Arkatext, Joe Average, M.A.D. Entertainment. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $12 adv., $15 day of. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, through Aug. 1: 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke Night. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8 p.m.

314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub. com.

Karaoke Tuesday. Prost, 8 p.m., free. 322

Carnival Cabaret

Lake Tahoe’s famous female impersonator revue and longest running show!

JULY 26 & 27 | 8pm CenterStage Tickets start at $15

For tickets call 800.585.3737 or purchase online at ChoctawCasinos.com.

I-540, EXIT 14 Management reserves all rights. Gambling Problem? Call 1­800­522­4700.

28

JULY 18, 2013

ARKANSAS TIMES

■ POCOLA, OK ■ 800.590.LUCK

(5825)

ART NOTES

Pure gold Williams-Smith, Smith in silverpoint.

BY LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK

M

arjorie Williams-Smith and Aj Smith are two of Arkansas’s finest artists. WilliamsSmith is known for her silverpoint flowers, small meticulous and beautiful renderings of petal, stem, the pin holding the flower in place. Aj Smith — known more for his portraits in pencil — is also drawn to silverpoint, thanks to the character of the mark. The marvelous draftsmen gave an extraordinary talk Saturday at Hearne Fine Art, which is hosting an exhibition of their work in the medium, on the technique and the artists of past and present that use it.

Silverpoint is not for the faint of heart. Preparing the paper to receive the tiny bits of silver shed by the wire tool requires multiple layers of primer — either clay-based or a calcium-carbonate gesso — which can take days.

(It is easier now than in the past, Williams-Smith explained, when artists used spit and ground bone to prepare their surfaces. Prepared paper can also be purchased, for a steep price.) It is an absolutely unforgiving medium, too, because once a line is made it cannot be unmade. No mistakes allowed.

Williams-Smith’s interest in silverpoint was spurred by an exhibition at the Arkansas Arts Center many years back. She made her first tool out of a

ring her mother gave her (“she always supported my art,” Williams-Smith said) and has continued to make her own instruments out of silver and copper wire of various gauges and point shapes.

The Hearne exhibit, “Reflections in Silver,” which has been extended into the second week of August, features the dried roses and other flowers whose folded miniature landscapes WilliamsSmith renders in the finest of lines and cross-hatching. Several of the pieces are quite dark, as if portraits of flowers at night, and quite beautiful.

Aj Smith has mastered light and dark to give volume to his portraits of African American men, women and children; he has filled whole areas of the paper with lines so subtle they create a soft and solid area of shadow.

A unique attribute of silverpoint is that the lines — like silver — slowly tarnish and change. Copperpoint lines undergo similar changes. The atmosphere literally contributes to the work, something Williams would have no other way.

Hearne, which often includes special educational events tied to its exhibitions, will host a workshop with Aj Smith in upcoming weeks. The gallery is located at 1001 Wright Ave.

ROSE AND SHADOW: Silverpoint by Marjorie Williams-Smith at Hearne Fine Art.

AFTER DARK, CONT. President Clinton Blvd. 501-244-9550.

Lucious Spiller Band. Copeland’s Restaurant of Little Rock, 6-9 p.m. 2602 S. Shackleford Road.

501-312-1616. www.copelandsrestaurantlittlerock.com.

Mark Kroos. Concert and clinic from the awardwinning guitarist. Little Rock Frets, 7 p.m., $25 (includes barbecue dinner). 10020 N. Rodney Parham. 501-223-3738. littlerockfrets.net/.

Ricky David Tripp. Rocket Twenty One, 5:30 p.m.

2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-603-9208. www.ferneaurestaurant.com.

Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

What Cheer? Marching Brigade. CALS Children’s Library, 4:30 p.m., free. 4800 W. 10th St.

DANCE

“Latin Night.” Revolution, 7 p.m., $5 regular, $7 under 21. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-8230090. www.littlerocksalsa.com.

EVENTS

Finch’s Beer Tasting. The Joint, 6-8 p.m., $10.

301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Little Rock Farmers Market. River Market Pavilions, through Oct. 26: 7 a.m. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. www.rivermarket.info.

Skeptics in the Pub. The Joint, 8 p.m. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501-372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Tales from the South. Authors tell true stories; schedule available on website. Dinner served 5-6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m. Call for reservations.

Starving Artist Cafe, 5 p.m. 411 N. Main St., NLR. 501-372-7976. www.starvingartistcafe.net.

Trivia Bowl. Flying Saucer, 8:30 p.m. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-8032. www.beerknurd. com/stores/littlerock.

FILM

Vino’s Picture Show: “Rear Window.” Vino’s, 7:30 p.m., free. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

BOOKS

Meet the Author: Phil S. Dixon. Laman Library, 7 p.m. 2801 Orange St., NLR. 501-758-1720. www.

lamanlibrary.org.

CAMPS

Movement, Masks, and Mayhem!. See July 22.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 24

MUSIC

Acoustic Open Mic. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

Chris DeClerk. The Tavern Sports Grill, 7 p.m., free. 17815 Chenal Parkway. 501-830-2100. www. thetavernsportsgrill.com.

Dean Agus. Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Jazz in the Park: Happy Tymes Jazz Band. No coolers allowed, beer and wine for sale onsite.

Bring chairs or blankets. Riverfront Park, 5:30 p.m., free. 400 President Clinton Avenue.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, through Aug. 1: 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

Karaoke Extravaganza. Includes drink and food specials and cash prizes. Montego Cafe, 9 p.m., $5. 315 Main St. 501-372-1555. www.montegocafe.com.

Live Karaoke and Dueling Pianos. Featuring Dell Smith and William Staggers. Montego Cafe, 9 p.m. 315 Main St. 501-372-1555. www. montegocafe.com.

Louis Johnson. The Loony Bin, July 24-25, 7:30 p.m.; July 26-27, 7:30 and 10 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www. loonybincomedy.com.

Ricky David Tripp. Rocket Twenty One, 5:30 p.m.

2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-603-9208. www.ferneaurestaurant.com.

Summerland Tour 2013 with Everclear, Live, Filter, and Sponge. Arkansas Music Pavilion, 6 p.m., $22-$37. 2536 N. McConnell Ave., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600. www.arkansasmusicpavilion.com.

The Supporting Cast, Amore, Fight the Quiet, CONTINUED ON PAGE 30 www.arktimes.com

JULY 18, 2013

29

AFTER DARK, CONT.

july 19 IN THE m

ARGENTA DISTRICT m

SPONSORED By

5-8Pm THE THIRD fRIDAy Of EACH mONTH

m

ArgentA ArtWAlk presented by

The Lost Project. Downtown Music Hall, 7 p.m., $7. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG.

at

214

at

214The Joint Venture. Improv comedy group. The

Join us For “aLaSka!”

Photography by Cathy kiRkPatRiCk July 19-august 31 at fine art & custom framing 705 Main Street • downtown argenta • 374.2848

COMEDY

Joint, 8 p.m., $5. 301 Main St. No. 102, NLR. 501372-0205. thejointinlittlerock.com.

Standup Open Mic Night. Hosted by local come­di­ans of the com­edy col­lec­tive Come­di­ ans of NWA. UARK Bowl, 9 p.m., free. 644 W. 214 Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-301-2030. uarkbowl.com.

DANCE

Little Rock Bop Club. Beginning dance lessons for ages 10 and older. Singles welcome. Bess Chisum Stephens Community Center, 7 p.m., $4 for members, $7 for guests. 12th & Cleveland streets. 501-350-4712. www.littlerockbopclub.

EVENTS

Rated Four Stars By Arkansas Democrat Gazette And The Arkansas Times!

KATV “Rated #1 Steakhouse In Arkansas”

2 Riverfront Place North Little Rock • 501.375.7825

HHHHH

– Arkansas Times

Open Kitchen • Wine cellar Full Bar Dinner Mon-Sat 5 p.m. reservations not required.

2 Riverfront Place North Little Rock 501.374.8081 • Benihana.com

425 Main St. • north little rock 5th & Main • argenta historic District

– Arkansas Times HHHHH (501) 376-3463

www.capeo.us Open Kitchen • Wine cellar Full Bar Dinner Mon-Sat 5 p.m. reservations not required.

425 Main St. • north little rock Join UsItalIan For WInner 5thBest & Main • argenta– historic District Most roMantIc – runner up – Arkansas Times AHHHHH PAinting (501) 376-3463 DemonstrAtion Open Kitchen • Wine cellar www.capeo.us Bar With Dinner enDiAFull Mon-Sat 5 p.m. reservations not required.

BUmgArner!

Drop by and see our new pieces PotteRy during Friday gaLLeRy/ night art walk, Studio or sign up for a class.

417 MaiN aRgeNta 501-374-3515

30

JULY 18, 2013

ARKANSAS TIMES

425 Main St. • north little rock 5thBest & Main • argenta– historic District ItalIan WInner

(501) 376-3463 www.capeo.us “Maurice”

Most roMantIc – runner up

After the Artwalk, Experience Artistic Dining With Us! 411 Main St. • North Little Rock 501-372-7976 www.starvingartistcafe.net

Argenta Branch 506 Main Street Best ItalIan – WInner North Little Rock Most roMantIc – runner up (501) 687-1061

www.lamanlibrary.org

3 Lives Blood Drive. Remington College-Little Rock, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 19 Remington Drive. 501312-0007. www.remingtoncollege.edu.

Argenta Community Theater’s Annual Fundraiser. Honoring Bobbi and Attorney General Dustin McDaniel, with heavy hors d’oeuvres, full open bar all evening and a performance of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Argenta Community Theater, 6 p.m., $125. 405 Main St., NLR. 501-353-1443. argentacommunitytheater.org.

FILM

Movies in the Park: “Finding Nemo.” Coolers allowed, no glass containers. Concessions available, cash only. Movie begins at sunset.

First Security Amphitheatre, 8 p.m., free. 400 President Clinton Ave.

POETRY

Wednesday Night Poetry. 21-and-older show.

Maxine’s, 7 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-321-0909. maxineslive.com/shows. html.

CAMPS

Movement, Masks, and Mayhem! See July 22.

THIS WEEK IN THEATER

“Jesus Christ Superstar.” Argenta Community Theatre’s production of the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical. Argenta Community Theater, July 24-25, 7 p.m.; Fri., July 26, 8 p.m.; Sat., July 27, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sun., July 28, 6 p.m., $30-$40. 405 Main St., NLR. 501-353-1443. argentacommunitytheater.org.

“Legally Blonde: The Musical.” Musical version of the hit 2001 film. The Public Theatre — CTLR, through July 28: Fri., Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m., $14-$16. 616 Center St. 501-410-2283. www. ctlr-act.org/.

“Monty Python’s Spamalot.” Popular musical comedy from the creators of “Monty Python.”

The Weekend Theater, through July 28: Fri., Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m., $16-$20. 1001 W. 7th St. 501-374-3761. www.weekendtheater.org.

Opera in the Ozarks: “Pirates of Penzance.”

Inspiration Point, Thu., July 18, 7:30 p.m., $20$25. 16311 Hwy. 62 W., Eureka Springs.

“Project élan.” Senior performance of a new musical from The Rep’s Young Artists’ Workshop.

Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Fri., July 19, 7 p.m.; Sat., July 20, 1 and 7 p.m., $10. 601 Main St. 501378-0405. www.therep.org.

AFTER DARK, CONT.

GALLERIES, MUSEUMS

NEW EXHIBITIONS, EVENTS

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: “Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London,” extended hours 5-9 p.m. July 18, lecture by Jon L. Seydl, curator of European painting and sculpture at the Cleveland Museum of Art, 6-7 p.m. July 18 ($10, free to members), exhibition through Sept. 8, $12 adults, $10 seniors, $8 military, $6 students, free to members; “Bauhaus Twenty-21: An Ongoing Legacy,” photographs by Gordon Watkinson, through Sept. 22; “50 Works / 50 Weeks / 50 Years,” Alice Pratt Brown Atrium, through 2013; “Ryan Sniegocki: Museum School Ceramic Artist in Residence,” pottery; “Interwoven: Craft Exhibition,” from the permanent collection, through Nov. 17. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000.

GALLERY 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Paintings, mixed media and photography by John Kushmaul, Erin Lang and Brittany McDonald, July 20-Sept. 7, opening reception 7-10 p.m.

July 20. 664-8996.

LAMAN LIBRARY ARGENTA BRANCH, 506 Main St., NLR: Painting demonstration by Endia Bumgarner, 5-8 p.m. July 19, Argenta ArtWalk.

PAINT BOX GALLERY, 705 Main St., NLR: “Alaska!”, photography by Cathy Kirkpatrick, opens with reception 5-8 p.m. July 19, Argenta ArtWalk. Also work by Karlyn Holloway, Mike Spain and Jan Ironside.

374-2848.

THEA FOUNDATION, 401 Main St., NLR: Abstract works on paper and board by Emily Mitchell, Argenta ArtWalk reception 5-8 p.m.

July 19. 379-9512.

FAYETTEVILLE WALTON ARTS CENTER: “Arkansas Women to Watch,” textiles by Louise Halsey, Barbara Cade, Jennifer Libby Fay, Jane Hatfield and Deborah Kuster, July 18-Aug. 17, Joy Pratt Markham Gallery, opening reception 5-6:30 p.m. July 18.

FORT SMITH REGIONAL ART MUSEUM, 1601 Rogers Ave.: “65th River Valley Invitational,” July 18-Sept.

1. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $8, free to members. 479-784-2787.

CALL FOR ENTRIES

The Arkansas Arts Council is taking entries for the 2014 “Small Works on Paper” exhibition. Mary Kennedy of the Mid-American Arts Alliance, will be juror. Deadline is July 26. For more informa-

BENTON DIANNE ROBERTS ART STUDIO AND GALLERY, 110 N. Market St.: Work by Chad Oppenhuizen, Dan McRaven, Gretchen Hendricks, Rachel Carroccio, Kenny Roberts, Taylor Bellott, Jim Cooper and Sue Moore.

10 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. 860-7467.

BENTONVILLE CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, One Museum Way: “Angels & Tomboys: Girlhood in 19th-Century American Art,” work by John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins, Mary Cassatt and others, through Sept. 30; “Surveying George Washington,” historical documents, through Sept. 30; “Genre Scenes on Paper from Crystal Bridges’ Permanent Collection,” through Aug. 12; “American Encounters: Genre Painting and Everyday Life,” five 19th century paintings by American and European artists, including two from the Louvre Museum in Paris, through Aug. 12; permanent collection of American masterworks spanning four centuries. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Mon., Thu., Sat.-Sun.; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed.-Fri. 479-418-5700.

CALICO ROCK CALICO ROCK ARTISTS COOPERATIVE, Hwy. 5 at White River Bridge: Paintings, photographs, jewelry, fiber art, wood, ceramics and other crafts. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Thu., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun. calicorocket.org/artists.

EL DORADO SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER: Watercolors by Doris WmSon Mapes. 870862-5474.

FAYETTEVILLE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS: “MFA Group Exhibition,” through July 19, work in a variety of media.

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CONTINUING EXHIBITS

BOSWELL-MOUROT, 5816 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “Arkansas Artists & Their Works,” sculpture

by Andy Huss, raku vessels by Winston Taylor, collaborative works by Megan Chapman and Stewart Bremner, paintings by Missy Wilkinson.

664-0030.

BUTLER CENTER GALLERIES, Arkansas Studies Institute, 401 President Clinton Ave.: “Get a Simple Landscape,” drawings

by Jerry Phillips, through Sept. 29, “Arkansas Art Educators Youth Art Show,” through July 27; “Creative Expressions,” work by individuals with mental illness at the Arkansas State Hospital, through Aug. 25. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.Sat. 320-5700.

CANTRELL GALLERY, 8206 Cantrell Road: “Painting Arkansas,” works by John Wooldridge, through Aug. 17. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 2241335.

CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 509 Scott St.: Paintings from the Arkansas League of Artists and Local Colour.

CHROMA GALLERY, 5707 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work by Robert Reep and other Arkansas artists. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Sat. 664-0880.

COX CREATIVE CENTER, 120 River Market Ave.: Arkansas League of Artists Signature Member Show, through August. 918-3095.

THE EDGE, 301B President Clinton Ave.: Paintings by Avila (Fernando Gomez), Eric Freeman, James Hayes, Jerry Colburn, St. Joseph Thomason and Stephen Drive. 9921099.

ELLEN GOLDEN ANTIQUES, 5701 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Paintings by Barry Thomas and Arden Boyce. 664-7746.

GALLERY 221 & ART STUDIOS 221, Pyramid Place: “People, Places and Things,” work by Sean Lecrone. 801-0211.

GALLERY 360, 900 S. Rodney Parham Road: “7,” seventh exhibition featuring creations by artists and non-artists from found materials, gallery open Saturdays and Sundays through July to create work. 663-2222.

GINO HOLLANDER GALLERY, 2nd and Center: Paintings and works on paper by Gino Hollander. 801-0211.

HEARNE FINE ART, 1001 Wright Ave.: “Reflections in Silver: Silverpoint Drawings by Aj Smith and Marjorie Williams-Smith,” through Aug. 3. 372-6822.

LAMAN LIBRARY, 2801 Orange St., NLR: “Discover Greatness: An Illustrated History of Negro Baseball Leagues,” photographs tracing black baseball from the 19th century through 1947, through Aug. 24. 758-1720.

L&L BECK, 5705 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “The Wild Ones,” paintings of animals, through July. 6604006.

M2 GALLERY, 11525 Cantrell Road: “Relic,” new work by Emily Galusha, also work by Lisa Krannichfeld and Dan Thornhill. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Tue.-Sat. 225-6257.

STATE CAPITOL: “Spanning the Century (and more),” photographs of historic bridges by Maxine Payne, drawings, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Highway and

Transportation Department, through August.

STEPHANO’S FINE ART GALLERY I, 5501 Kavanaugh Blvd., and STEPHANO’S II, 1813 N. Grant St.: Work by Shelby Brewer, Angela Turney, V.L. Cox, John Kushmaul, Cyndi Yeager, Aaron Caldwell, Char DeMoro and Jennifer Wilson. 614-7113.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “Flow,” 29 works using water as a theme by William Theophilus Brown, Harry Callahan, Joel Meyerowitz, Robert Morris, Wayne Thiebaud and Neil Welliver, through July 26, Gallery II and III; “Sacred Symbols in Sequins,” sequined Vodou flags, banners, portraits, bottles, through July 26, Gallery I. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. (summer hours). 569-8977.

NE NEW W M O e w n nu er ! s!

tion, go to arkansasarts.org or call 324-9766.

The Arkansas Pastel Society is accepting entries to its national exhibition, “Reflections in Pastel,” set for Nov. 8-Feb 23 at the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. Deadline is Sept. 5. More than $1,500 in cash and prizes will be awarded, including a $1500 grand prize. The show will be juried by pastel artist Richard McKinley. For more information email apsreflections@gmail. com.

Ca su al

“South Pacific.” Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Pulitzer Prize-winning classic. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through Aug. 18: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.; Wed., 11 a.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., $15$35. 6323 Col. Glenn Road. 501-562-3131. murrysdinnerplayhouse.com.

“Southern Crossroads.” A Depression-era family of traveling musicians won’t let an out-ofbusiness theater stop the show from going on. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through July 20: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m., $15-$35. 6323 Col. Glenn Road.

501-562-3131. murrysdinnerplayhouse.com.

“The Tower.” Interactive production made for children ages 3-11. Lantern Theatre, July 18-19, 7:30 p.m.; July 19-20, 10 a.m.; Sun., July 21, 2:30 p.m., $6. 1021 Van Ronkle, Conway. 501-7336220. www.conwayarts.org/index.html.

Enjoy DINNER in either the restaurant or the bar LIVE MUSIC in the bar six nights a week Sat & Sun BRUNCH, 10-2 LUNCH Mon-Fri, 11-2 Nightly SPECIALS

Upcoming Music in the Bar Thursday, July 18 Karaoke, 8 pm Friday, July 19 Freeverse, 9 pm Saturday, July 20 Intruders, 9 pm Monday, July 22 Monday Night Jazz with Trio Du Jour, 8 pm Tuesday, July 23 Jam Session with Carl Mouton, 8 pm Wednesday, July 24 Open Mic Night, 8 pm

FORT SMITH FORT SMITH REGIONAL ART MUSEUM: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 479784-2787.

HARRISON ARTISTS OF THE OZARKS, 124 ½ N. Willow St.: Work by Amelia Renkel, Ann Graffy, Christy Dillard, Helen McAllister, Sandy Williams and D. Savannah George. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thu.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun. 870-429-1683.

HOT SPRINGS ARTISTS’ WORKSHOP GALLERY, 810 Central Ave.: Paintings and collages by Jim Reimer and Bonnie Ricci, through July. 501-623-6401.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

2721 Kavanaugh Blvd.

Little Rock

501.663.1196 afterthoughtbistroandbar.com www.arktimes.com

JULY 18, 2013

31

AFTER DARK, CONT.

IT’S NOT JUST ANY CONTEST ... IT’S THE

THE FIRST. THE BEST. THE ORIGINAL. RESULTS ANNOUNCED IN THE JULY 25TH ISSUE We’ll have the issue and Best of Arkansas winner and runner-up posters ready to pick up at the Lulav Loft starting at 5:30 p.m.

Come by on the 25th and pick up your poster(s) and enjoy drink specials and appetizers!

For more information call Phyllis Britton at 501.375.2985

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JULY 18, 2013

ARKANSAS TIMES

BLUE MOON ART GALLERY, 718 Central Ave.: Paintings by Tom Richard, hand-tinted photographs by David Rackley, through July.

501-318-2787.

FINE ARTS CENTER, 626 Central Ave.: “Fine Arts Center Members Exhibit,” through July 27. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 501-624-0489.

GARVAN GARDENS, 550 Akridge Road: “Splash of Glass: A James Hayes Art Glass Installation,” 225 pieces of art glass in 13 areas of the garden, through September. $10 adults, $9 seniors, $5 children, $5 dogs on leash. 501-262-9300.

JUSTUS FINE ART, 827 Central Ave.: Paintings by Dan Thornhill and Matthew Hasty, through July. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.Sat. 501-321-2335.

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, 425 Central Ave.: “Arkansas Champion Trees: An Artist’s Journey,” colored pencil drawings by Linda Palmer, through Aug. 24. 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Tue.-Sat., noon-3 p.m. Sun. $5. 501-609-9966.

PERRYVILLE SUDS GALLERY, Courthouse Square: Paintings by Dottie Morrissey, Alma Gipson, Al Garrett Jr., Phyllis Loftin, Alene Otts, Mauretta Frantz, Raylene Finkbeiner, Kathy Williams and Evelyn Garrett. Noon-6 p.m.

Wed.-Fri, noon-4 p.m. Sat. 501-766-7584.

ONGOING MUSEUM EXHIBITS

ARKANSAS INLAND MARITIME MUSEUM, North Little Rock: “Captain’s Cabin Exhibit,” photographs, biographies, sea stories from the crew, and personal artifacts, through August.

371-8320.

ARKANSAS SPORTS HALL OF FAME MUSEUM, Verizon Arena, NLR: 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 663-4328.

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSEUM VISITOR CENTER, Bates and Park: Exhibits on the 1957 desegregation of Central and the civil rights movement. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. 374-1957.

CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1200 President Clinton Ave.: “Oscar de la Renta: American Icon,” designs worn by Laura Bush, Jessica Chastain, Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and others, and other couture pieces, through Dec. 1; “Jazz: Through the Eyes of Herman Leonard,” more than 40 original black and white images by photographer Herman Leonard, who documented the evolution of jazz form from the 1940s through post-Hurricane Katrina, with photographs of Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald, through July 21. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $7 adults; $5 college students, seniors, retired military; $3 ages 6-17. 370-8000.

ESSE, 1510 S. Main St.: “What’s Inside: A Century of Women and Their Handbags (1900-1999),” purses from the collection of Anita Davis, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Sun., $10-$8. 916-9022.

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, 200 E. Third St.: “Jason A. Smith: Stills”; “Arkansas Made,” “Reflected by Three: William Detmers, Scott Lykens and G. Tara-Casciano,” prints, ceramics, sculpture, through Aug. 4; “The Curious World of Patent Models,” through Sept. 29. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9351.

MacARTHUR MUSEUM OF ARKANSAS MILITARY HISTORY, MacArthur Park: “Undaunted Courage, Proven Loyalty: Japanese-American Soldiers in World War II,” through August. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-4 p.m. Sun. 376-4602.

MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER, 9th and Broadway: “Stirring the Soul of History, Vol. 1” newly acquired art by Lee Anthony, Barbara Higgins Bond, Danny Campbell, Ariston Jacks, Henri Linton, Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Bryan Massey, A.J. Smith, Ed Wade and Susan Williams. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 683-3593.

MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY, 500 President Clinton Ave.: “Wiggle Worms,” science program for pre-K children 10 a.m.-10:30 a.m. every Tue., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m.

Sun., $10 ages 13 and older, $8 ages 1-12, free to members and children under 1. 396-7050.

OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM, 300 W. Markham: “Lights! Camera! Arkansas!”, the state’s ties to Hollywood, including costumes, scripts, film footage, photographs and more, through March 1, 2015; “Things You Need to Hear: Memories of Growing up in Arkansas from 1890 to 1980,” oral histories about community, family, work, school and leisure, through March 2014. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9685.

WITT STEPHENS JR. CENTRAL ARKANSAS NATURE CENTER, Riverfront Park: Exhibits on wildlife and the state Game and Fish Commission.

CALICO ROCK CALICO ROCK MUSEUM, Main Street: Displays on Native American cultures, steamboats, the railroad, and local history. www.calicorockmuseum.com.

ENGLAND TOLTEC MOUNDS STATE PARK, State Hwy. 165: Major prehistoric Indian site with visitors’ center and museum. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., noon-5 p.m. Sun., closed Mon. $3 for adults, $2 for ages 6-12. 961-9442.

JACKSONVILLE JACKSONVILLE MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY, 100 Veterans Circle: Exhibits on D-Day; F-105, Vietnam era plane (“The Thud”); the Civil War Battle of Reed’s Bridge, Arkansas Ordnance Plant (AOP) and other military history. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $3 adults; $2 seniors, military; $1 students.

501-241-1943.

MORRILTON MUSEUM OF AUTOMOBILES, Petit Jean Mountain: Permanent exhibit of more than 50 cars from 1904-1967 depicting the evolution of the automobile. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 7 days.

501-727-5427.

POTTSVILLE POTTS INN, 25 E. Ash St.: Preserved 1850s stagecoach station on the Butterfield Overland Mail Route, with period furnishings, log structures, hat museum, doll museum, doctor’s office, antique farm equipment. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Wed.-Sat. $5 adults, $2 students, 5 and under free. 479-968-9369.

SCOTT PLANTATION AGRICULTURE MUSEUM, U.S. 165 S and Hwy. 161: Artifacts and interactive exhibits on farming in the Arkansas Delta. $3 adults, $2 ages 6-12. Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 501-961-1409.

SCOTT PLANTATION SETTLEMENT: 1840s log cabin, one-room school house, tenant houses, smokehouse and artifacts on plantation life. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thu.-Sat. 351-0300. www.scottconnections.org.

MOVIE REVIEW

Monster mash ‘Pacific Rim’ is visually stunning.

BY SAM EIFLING

July 23 - July 28

P

lenty of directors have made movsuspend disbelief for you. ies better than “Pacific Rim,” the Beyond mere razzle-dazzle, “Pacific giant-robots-vs.-giant-monsters Rim” makes two stylistic choices that feed kaboomapalooza from Guillermo del it an actual plot. The first is to stick two pilots in each jager (to share the “neural Toro. Someone may have, at some point, made a more visually impressive film — load” of mind-melding with the machine). but now we’re getting into murkier guessThose people fuse via a science-inspired work. What “Pacific Rim” does as well as process called the drift that allows them pretty much any movie ever is to deliver to act in unison. Thus, when hotshot pilot on all its promises. If what you want is Charlie Hunnam’s brother is killed durto watch skyscraper-sized robots tangle ing their connection, he’s haunted by with humongous evil space dinosaurs, this may as well be your “Citizen Kane.”

Without any household name among the cast (the closest may be star Idris Elba, who was Stringer Bell in “The Wire”), “Pacific Rim” plays to its inspiration, Japanese ‘PACIFIC RIM’: Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi star. “mecha” anime. Fans of the genre will recognize the tropes that the shared sensation. When he’s called launched a gazillion Voltron and Ultrato fight again, he has to find a compatman toys. Humanity’s under threat from ible co-pilot, leading him to a “Top Gun”monsters, called kaiju, so big and ornery style bromance with Rinko Kikuchi, except that it takes several days to fell them with maybe it goes deeper than Maverick and jets and tanks. They slurk up from the botGoose because she’s a lady and all but we’ll tom of the ocean through some kind of never really know because “Pacific Rim” is glowing portal to — “another dimension,” PG and the world needs saving (in Strangelovian fashion, it turns out).

I believe is how it’s explained, sure, fine.

The people of Earth respond by buildThe other savvy twist is to set the movie ing and piloting massive fighting robots, in the mature middle distance of this alien called jagers (pronounced like the -meiswar. As stronger beasts have catapulted ter). Those robots fight the monsters, often out of the ocean, the jagers started losing. hip-deep in ocean water, usually near a Governments cut jager funding and opt city, for maximum carnage; Hong Kong, instead to build the biggest boondoggle Sydney and San Francisco, among other in the history of bad ideas: a border wall around the entire Pacific. It’s a laughably expendable hamlets, all catch the brunt of “Pacific Rim” brawls. ineffective measure that gives the aging High-quality carnage results. The music jager program the pluck of an underdog and sound effects and lighting effects and (and adds a wry touch in a film written robot effects and monster effects all are and directed by a Mexican national). As top-flight, befitting the director of “Pan’s the corpses of kaiju have accumulated over Labyrinth.” The fighting scenes echo the the years, cults have sprung up around earliest Godzilla movies — buildings getthem, black markets have emerged for ting mashed, crowds fleeing in horror — their various parts (bone powder, we’re but are rendered so seductively you forget told by trafficker Ron Perlman, is worth $500 a pound), and enough people have you’re watching, in essence, a couple of made them an object of pop-culture wordrawings locked in combat. Digital effects ship (as with full-sleeve tattoos) that the still can’t hurdle the uncanny valley of phrase “kaiju groupie” has become a pejohuman features (our brains are just too rative. It’s a gentle jab, of course — shamekeen to fool when it comes to what a person looks like). In the more abstract realm lessly served up, like nearly everything of robots and monsters, though, we’ve else in the film, for fans on both sides of the Pacific. arrived at graphics so convincing that they

TickeTs Now oN sale!

7

scheduled performances!

Preview Performance: Tuesday, July 23 Benefiting NLR High School Dance & Theater Department

THE ARKANSAS PATRON OF THE YEAR RECEPTION

is being held on the evening of the PREMIERE PERFORMANCE of Jesus Christ Superstar on WEdNESdAY, JulY 24 Tickets include heavy hors d’oeuvres, open bar, award ceremony and the opening night performance of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Thursday, July 25 • 7 PM Friday, July 26 • 8 PM Saturday, July 27 • Matinee 2 PM • 8 PM Sunday, July 28 • 6 PM Doors open one hour before performances.

PURCHASE TICKETS AT

www.argentacommunitytheater.com 405 Main Street North Little Rock 501.353.1443

ArkAnsAs Times www.arktimes.com

JULY 18, 2013

33

Dining WHAT’S COOKIN’ AN UPDATE ON THE REVIVAL OF BRUNO’S LITTLE ITALY in the Mann Lofts at 310 Main St.: Owner Gio Bruno, son of founder Jimmy Bruno, said he hopes to open the restaurant “before the end of August,” and not before “everything is right.” Construction is running behind thanks in part to the building contractor’s decision to place a support pole where Bruno had planned to put his pizza oven. The sidewalk for the outside dining area has been poured, however. The patio will seat 24 and the restaurant will have 68 seats at tables and seven in the bar. The new Bruno’s will be open for dinner only initially to work out any kinks and then will open for lunch. Lunch will be Monday through Friday, dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Coming back to the menu: Spaghetti Caruso, spaghetti topped with fried chicken livers in a marinara sauce, a favorite dish of Hillary Clinton’s brother, Hugh Rodham. Bruno has also asked Paula Dempsey to provide a gluten-free French bread to substitute for pizza dough for gluten-averse diners.

MUGS CAFE officially opened this week, adding a much-needed laid-back coffee shop to the Main Street Argenta scene. The decor is modern and attractive — polished concrete floors and exposed brick, rustic wooden tables and sleek leather couches and chairs. The comfortable environs matter because Mugs is meant for lounging. Their motto: “A place to eat and drink without the pressure to consume and move on.” Breakfast and lunch are served all day, including a variety of sandwiches, sliders, tacos, salads, and fresh pastries baked in-house. A recent visit revealed the Wayfaring Slider to be a highlight — fried egg, sausage, and grits on a roll. On the coffee end, they have the standard lineup of cappuccinos, espressos, lattes, mochas and the like, with beans from Nashville’s popular Bongo Java. The coffee shop is open 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It’s located at 515 Main St. in North Little Rock. The phone number is 379-9101, and the website is mugscafe.com.

DINING CAPSULES

LITTLE ROCK/ N. LITTLE ROCK

AMERICAN

ACADIA A jewel of a restaurant in Hillcrest.

Unbelievable fixed-price, three-course dinners on Mondays and Tuesday, but food is certainly worth full price. 3000 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, CC. $$-$$$. 501-603-9630. D Mon.-Sat. BIG ORANGE: BURGERS SALADS SHAKES Gourmet burgers manufactured according to exacting specs (humanely raised beef!) and 34

JULY 18, 2013

ARKANSAS TIMES

PLENTY OF MEAT: The chicken and sausage gumbo at J. Gumbo’s.

Fast casual Cajun J. Gumbo’s serves up solid fare.

I

t’s not every day that we see a Cajun/Creole chain make its way to our state — there aren’t many such places in general. Recently however, West Little Rock saw the arrival of J. Gumbo’s, the first branch of a nationwide operation to hit Arkansas. The restaurant is situated inconspicuously in a small strip mall off Cantrell Road, fairly easy to pass by if you don’t know what to look for. Inside, you’ll find a fastcasual operation, where you step up to the long glassed-in counter, place your order, and walk down the line as your food is assembled in front of you, like a Cajun version of Subway.

The majority of J. Gumbo’s entrees are various forms of gumbos served over rice with a side of soft French bread.

One of the more attractive aspects of their setup is that the servers let you sample any dish available before you decide what to order.

We’ve been most impressed with J. Gumbo’s spicier chicken stews, which it’s conveniently arranged down one column of the menu. The “Voodoo Chicken” ($7) is a boldly flavored and robust dish of shredded chicken cooked in garlic and olive oil with a spicy tomato sauce blend. It was as spicy as advertised. Even better was the “Drunken Chicken” ($7).

The dish is also spicy, with a slow steady burn across the tongue throughout the

J. Gumbo’s

12911 Cantrell Road 916-9635 jgumbos.com QUICK BITE Diners with commitment issues will be delighted to find that for a small up-charge, they can mix-and-match two or three items in a single bowl.

Not every entree pairs well with its neighbor, but many are wonderful in combination. Po’ boys are also offered, but they’re basically just the stew entrees served over bread, served with a bag of chips. A number of vegetarian and gluten-free dishes are available to those interested in such offerings.

HOURS 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Sunday.

OTHER INFO Beer only, credit cards accepted.

devouring of the dish. It was also shredded chicken, slowly stewed in beer and a blend of classic Cajun spices, including cayenne, oregano, paprika, and black pepper, on a bed of fluffy white rice.

The beer imparted a faint sweetness that blended beautifully with the spiced meat. Topped with a heap of sharp cheddar cheese and cool sour cream, the dish is reminiscent of a spicy chicken chili.

The whole thing was splendid — excit-

ing flavors, served hot and fresh.

Next, we sampled another popular chicken dish, the “Bourbon Street Chicken” ($7). This was much milder and sweeter than one might expect based on its reference to the legendarily raucous New Orleans landmark strip. The chicken comes soaked in a sweet, almost fruity hoisin-like sauce, tempered by the flavors of butter and a mild, salty seasoning. It wasn’t much to look at, but the taste was fantastic. We were also intrigued by the highly recommended “Bumblebee Stew” ($6.75).

This vegetarian-friendly mix of yellow corn, onion, black beans, and stewed tomatoes was wonderful on its own, but it was suggested we grab a little to mix with our other entrees — a wise decision, indeed. We were pleased with this combination of vegetables and sweet corn that went so well with our spicier chicken dishes.

Being that J. Gumbo’s touts itself as a “Cajun” joint, we were determined to sample some of the more classic bayou-born dishes one would typically associate with such an establishment.

Its version of gumbo ($6.75) is a dark brown roux with onions and bell peppers. It’s a thinner broth than many of J. Gumbo’s other stews, but it’s hearty and flavorful. It comes chock-full of tender chicken and slices of andouille sausage and makes for a sizable meal when topped with a scoop of rice. We were less enamored with its shrimp etoufee ($6.75), in a golden-yellow roux that we found a little bland, overly thick and goopy. The shrimp played a very minor, non-contributory role in the dish and we found ourselves hoping for just a bit more flavor from an item so essential to the culture’s culinary fabric.

New Orleans is more than 400 miles from Little Rock. Not a terribly far distance for Arkansans to travel when craving the authentic flavors of “The Big Easy” and her surrounding parishes, but not a trip many can make regularly. In between trips, J. Gumbo’s stands as a decent substitute for some of the tastes one might find in those parts. Diners will find the portions to be generous, the service amiable and gracious, and food served up in a timely manner. It’s an ideal spot for hurried business folk stopping in for a quick lunch or for familyfriendly dining any night of the week.

Information in our restaurant capsules reflects the opinions of the newspaper staff and its reviewers. The newspaper accepts no advertising or other considerations in exchange for reviews, which are conducted anonymously. We invite the opinions of readers who think we are in error.

properly fried Kennebec potatoes are the big draws, but you can get a veggie burger as well as fried chicken, curried falafel and blackened tilapia sandwiches, plus creative meal-sized salads. Shakes and floats are indulgences for all ages. Adults will find a huge bar including craft beers and esoteric wine. It’s kid friendly, too, with a $4.95 tots’ platter. 17809 Chenal Parkway.

Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-821-1515. LD daily.

BIG ROCK BISTRO Students of the Arkansas Culinary School run this restaurant at Pulaski Tech under the direction of Chef Jason Knapp.

Pizza, pasta, Asian-inspired dishes and diner food, all in one stop. 3000 W. Scenic Drive.

NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-812-2200. BL Mon.-Fri. BLACK ANGUS CAFE Charcoal-grilled burgers, hamburger steaks and steaks proper are the big draws at this local institution. 10907 N. Rodney Parham. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-228-7800.

LD Mon.-Sat. BOBBY’S CAFE Delicious, humungo burgers and tasty homemade deserts at this Levy diner.

12230 MacArthur Drive. NLR. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-851-7888. BL Tue.-Fri., D Thu.-Fri. BOSCOS RESTAURANT & BREWERY CO. This River Market brewery does food well, too. Along with the tried and true, like sandwiches, burgers, steaks and big salads, they have entrees like black bean and goat cheese tamales, open hearth pizza ovens and muffalettas. 500 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-907-1881. LD daily.

BOSTON’S Ribs, gourmet pizza star at this restaurant/sports bar located at the Holiday Inn by the airport. TVs in separate sports bar area. 3201 Bankhead Dr. Full bar, All CC. $$.

501-235-2000. LD daily.

BOUDREAUX’S GRILL & BAR A homey, seatyourself Cajun joint in Maumelle that serves up all sorts of variations of shrimp and catfish. With particularly tasty red beans and rice, jambalaya and bread pudding. 9811 Maumelle Blvd.

NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-753-6860. L Sat., D Mon.-Sat. BOULEVARD BREAD CO. Fresh bread, fresh pastries, wide selection of cheeses, meats, side dishes; all superb. Good coffee, too. 1920 N. Grant St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-6635951. BLD Mon.-Sat. 400 President Clinton Ave. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-1232. BL Mon.-Sat. 4301 W. Markham St. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-526-6661. BL Mon.-Fri. 1417 Main St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-5100.

BL Mon.-Sat. BREWSTERS 2 CAFE & LOUNGE Down-home done right. Check out the yams, mac-andcheese, greens, purple-hull peas, cornbread, wings, catfish and all the rest. 2725 S. Arch St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-301-7728. LD Mon.-Sat. BROWN SUGAR BAKESHOP Fabulous cupcakes, brownies and cakes offered five days a week until they’re sold out. 419 E. 3rd St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-4009. LD Tue.-Sat. (close at 5:30 p.m.).

BUTCHER SHOP The cook-your-own-steak option has been downplayed, and several menu additions complement the calling card: large, fabulous cuts of prime beef, cooked to perfection. 10825 Hermitage Road. Full bar, All

BELLY UP

B Breakfast L Lunch D Dinner $ Inexpensive (under $8/person) $$ Moderate ($8-$20/person) $$$ Expensive (over $20/person) CC Accepts credit cards

Check out the Times’ food blog, Eat Arkansas arktimes.com

CC. $$$. 501-312-2748. D daily.

CAJUN’S WHARF The venerable seafood restaurant serves up great gumbo and oysters Bienville, and options such as fine steaks for the non-seafood eater. In the citified bar, you’ll find nightly entertainment, too. 2400 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-5351.

D Mon.-Sat. CAPERS It’s never been better, with as good a wine list as any in the area, and a menu that covers a lot of ground — seafood, steaks, pasta — and does it all well. 14502 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-868-7600. LD Mon.-Sat. CHEDDAR’S Large selection of somewhat standard American casual cafe choices, many of which are made from scratch. Portions are

large and prices are very reasonable. 400 South University. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-614-7578.

LD daily.

COMMUNITY BAKERY This sunny downtown bakery is the place to linger over a latte, bagels and the New York Times. But a lunchtime dash for sandwiches is OK, too, though it’s often packed. 1200 S. Main St. No alcohol, CC. $-$$.

501-375-7105. BLD daily. 270 S. Shackleford.

No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-1656. BLD Mon.-Sat. BL Sun. COPELAND’S RESTAURANT OF LITTLE ROCK The full service restaurant chain started by the founder of Popeye’s delivers the same good biscuits, the same dependable frying and a New Orleans vibe in piped music and decor.

FRESH • HANDMADE • DELICIOUS

WINE DOWN WITH WINO WEDNESDAY! 8 WINES fOr $8, EvErY WEDNESDAY An educational and fun event narrated by sommelier Jeff Yant with a new theme every week. Come enjoy specially priced appetizers designed to pair well with the sampled wines!

Lunch M-F 11-2 • Dinner M-W 5-9 • Dinner Thur-Sat 5-10 • Bar Open: Until Located in the Historic Mathis Building • 220 West 6th Street • Downtown Little Rock • 501.374.5100

C A S U A L

•

E C L E C T I C

•

Private events in the LULAV LOFT for 20-300

F U N

www.italiankitchenlr.com • www.facebook.com/italiankitchenlr

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Eagle Rare Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon

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Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum

Shiner Bock 12pk Bottles

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SPECIALS GOOD JuLy 17 tHOuGH JuLy 23, 2013

You can eat red beans and rice for a price in the single digits or pay near $40 for a choice slab of ribeye, with crab, shrimp and fish in between. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-312-1616. LD daily.

COPPER GRILL Comfort food, burgers and more sophisticated fare at this River Marketarea hotspot. 300 E. Third St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-3333. LD Mon.-Sat. CRUSH WINE BAR An unpretentious downtown bar/lounge with an appealing and erudite wine list. With tasty tapas, but no menu for full meals. 318 Main St. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$.

501-374-9463. D Tue.-Sat. DAVE’S PLACE A popular downtown soupand-sandwich stop at lunch draws a large and diverse crowd for the Friday night dinner, which varies in theme, home cooking being the most popular. Owner Dave Williams does all the cooking and his son, Dave also, plays saxophone and fronts the band that plays most Friday nights. 201 Center St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-3283. L Mon.-Fri., D Fri. DAVID FAMILY KITCHEN Call it soul food or call it down-home country cooking. Just be sure to call us for breakfast or lunch when you go. Neckbones, ribs, sturdy cornbread, salmon croquettes, mustard greens and the like. Desserts are exceptionally good. 2301 Broadway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-3710141. BL Mon.-Fri., L Sun. DELICIOUS TEMPTATIONS Decadent breakfast and light lunch items that can be ordered in full or half orders to please any appetite or palate, with a great variety of salads and soups as well. Don’t miss the bourbon pecan pie — it’s a winner. 11220 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-225-6893. BL daily.

DIZZY’S GYPSY BISTRO Interesting bistro fare, served in massive portions at this River Market favorite. 200 River Market Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-3500. LD Tue.-Sat. THE FADED ROSE The Cajun-inspired menu seldom disappoints. Steaks and soaked salads are legendary. 1619 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-9734. LD daily.

FLYING SAUCER A popular River Market hangout thanks to its almost 200 beers (including 75 on tap) and more than decent bar food. It’s now non-smoking, so families are welcome. 323 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-372-8032. LD daily.

FOX AND HOUND Sports bar that serves pub food. 2800 Lakewood Village. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-753-8300. LD daily.

FRANKE’S CAFETERIA Plate lunch spot strong on salads and vegetables, and perfect fried chicken on Sundays. Arkansas’ oldest continually operating restaurant. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-2254487. LD Mon.-Fri. 400 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-372-1919. L Mon.-Fri. FRONTIER DINER The traditional all-American roadside diner, complete with a nice selection of man-friendly breakfasts and lunch specials.

The half pound burger is a two-hander for the average working Joe. 10424 Interstate 30. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-565-6414. BL Mon.-Sat. FROSTOP A ‘50s-style drive-in has been resurCONTINUED ON PAGE 36 www.arktimes.com

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hearsay ➥ Signs are up in Lakewood Village for a store called SHOE IN. Located in the spot recently vacated by Shoe Connection, signs in the window say the store will open June 19. ➥ Speaking of shoes, you may want to hold off on any new purchases until the weekend of Aug. 3-4, which is the date for the annual TAX-FREE WEEKEND for back to school shoppers. Beginning at midnight Aug. 3 and ending at 11:59 p.m. Aug. 4, no sales tax will be charged for clothing and shoes under $100, accessories under $50 and for school and art supplies, as well as instructional materials like textbooks. For more information, call 501-682-7104 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. ➥ Make plans to attend “Crossing Borders,” the OXFORD AMERICAN’S inaugural art show, scheduled to begin Aug. 1.

The exhibit will feature work by six artists who’ve incorporated international experiences into their work. An opening reception is scheduled from 5:30 to 9 p.m.

July 31, and a closing reception is set for 4-7 p.m. Aug. 10. Ten percent of show proceeds will go to the Oxford American Literary Project. ➥ The folks from THE SHOPPES AT WOODLAWN made a trip to market last week, so be sure to stop in and find out what goodies they’ve ordered.

You can also check out new Midnight Sun jewelry by Sigrun Bank. ➥ THE JOINT in North Little Rock will host a tasting of beers from Finch’s Beer Co., a craft brewery located in Chicago, from 6-8 p.m. July 23. Admission is $10. ➥ Hip boutique INDIGO recently announced plans to move from its location in Park Plaza Mall out west to The Promenade at Chenal. The store will be open in its new location in January. ➥ TULIPS will host a sidewalk sale July 18-20.

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JULY 18, 2013

ARKANSAS TIMES

DINING CAPSULES, CONT. rected, with big and juicy burgers and great irregularly cut fries. Superb service, too. 4131 JFK Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-758-4535. BLD daily.

GADWALL’S GRILL & PIZZA Once two separate restaurants, a fire forced the grill into the pizza joint. Now, under one roof, there’s mouthwatering burgers and specialty sandwiches, plus zesty pizzas with cracker-thin crust and plenty of toppings. 12 North Hills Shopping Center. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-8341840. LD daily.

GIGI’S CUPCAKES This Nashville-based chain’s entries into the artisan-cupcake sweetstakes are as luxurious in presentation as they are in sugar quantity. 416 S. University Ave., Suite 120.

No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-614-7012. BLD daily.

HONEYBAKED HAM CO. The trademark ham is available by the sandwich, as is great smoked turkey and lots of inexpensive side items and desserts. 9112 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. 501-227-5555. LD Mon.-Sun. IZZY’S It’s bright, clean and casual, with snappy team service of all his standbys — sandwiches and fries, lots of fresh salads, pasta about a dozen ways, hand-rolled tamales and (night only) brick oven pizzas. Wholesome, all-American food prepared with care, if rarely far from the middle of the culinary road. With full vegan and gluten-free menus. 5601 Ranch Drive. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-868-4311. LD Mon.-Sat. J & S CAFETERIA Home-cooking, with daily specials. Also offers burgers from the grill or a salad bar. 601 S Gaines St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-378-2206. L Mon.-Fri. LOGANBERRY FROZEN YOGURT Self-serve frozen yogurt. 6015 Chenoceau Blvd. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-868-8194. LD daily.

MARKHAM STREET GRILL AND PUB The menu has something for everyone, including mahi-mahi and wings. Try the burgers, which are juicy, big and fine. 11321 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-2010. LD daily, BR Sun. MCBRIDE’S CAFE AND BAKERY Owners Chet and Vicki McBride have been serving up delicious breakfast and lunch specials based on their family recipes for two decades in this popular eatery at Baptist Health’s Little Rock campus. The desserts and barbecue sandwiches are not to be missed. 9501 Lile Drive. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-340-3833. BL Mon.-Fri. MOOYAH BURGERS Kid-friendly, fast-casual restaurant with beef, veggie and turkey burgers, a burger bar and shakes. 14810 Cantrell Road, Suite 190. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-8681091.

OLD MILL BREAD AND FLOUR CO. CAFE The popular take-out bakery has an eat-in restaurant and friendly operators. It’s self-service, simple and good with sandwiches built with a changing lineup of the bakery’s 40 different breads, along with soups, salads and cookies.

12111 W. Markham St. #366. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-228-4677. BL Mon.-Sat. BR Sun. RED DOOR Fresh seafood, steaks, chops and sandwiches from restaurateur Mark Abernathy.

Smart wine list. 3701 Old Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-666-8482. BL Tue.-Fri. D daily. BR Sat. RENO’S ARGENTA CAFE Sandwiches, gyros and gourmet pizzas by day and music and drinks by night in downtown Argenta. 312 N. Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-3762900.

RIVERFRONT STEAKHOUSE Steaks are the draw here — nice cuts heavily salted and peppered, cooked quickly and accurately to your specifications, finished with butter and served sizzling hot. 2 Riverfront Place. NLR. Full

bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-7825. D Mon.-Sat. ROBERT’S SPORTS BAR & GRILL If you’re looking for a burger, you won’t find it here.

This establishment specializes in fried chicken dinners, served with their own special trimmings. 7212 Geyer Springs Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-568-2566. D Mon.-Sat. ROCKET TWENTY ONE Great seafood, among other things, is served at the Ice House Revival in Hillcrest. With a late night menu. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$$-$$$$.

501-603-9208. L Mon.-Fri., D Tue.-Sat. ROUTE 66 DINER Kid-friendly ‘50s diner with a menu of classics, including chicken and waffles.

7710 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-223-3366. BLD Mon.-Sat. RUDY’S OYSTER BAR Good boiled shrimp and oysters on the half shell. Quesadillas and chili cheese dip are tasty and ultra-hearty. 2695 Pike Ave. NLR. Full bar, All CC. 501-771-0808.

LD Mon.-Sat. SCOOP DOG Frozen custard, concretes, sundaes. 5508 John F Kennedy Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-753-5407. LD daily.

SHARKS FISH & CHICKEN This Southwest Little Rock restaurant specializes in seafood, frog legs and catfish, all served with the traditional fixings. 8824 Geyer Springs Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-565-0300. LD daily.

SO RESTAURANT BAR Call it a French brasserie with a sleek, but not fussy American finish.

The wine selection is broad and choice. Free valet parking. Use it and save yourself a headache. 3610 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-1464. LD Mon.-Sat., D Sun. STICKYZ ROCK ‘N’ ROLL CHICKEN SHACK Fingers any way you can imagine, plus sandwiches and burgers, and a fun setting for music and happy hour gatherings. 107 Commerce St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-7707. LD Mon-Sun. TEXAS ROADHOUSE Following in the lines of those loud, peanuts-on-the-table steak joints, but the steaks are better here than we’ve had at similar stops. Good burgers, too. 3601 Warden Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-771-4230. D daily, L Sat.-Sun. 2620 S. Shackleford Rd. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-224-2427. D Mon.-Fri., LD Sat.-Sun. TOWN PUMP A dependable burger, good wings, great fries, other bar food, plate lunches, full bar. 1321 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-9802. L Mon.-Sat. D daily.

TRIO’S Fresh, creative and satisfying lunches; even better at night, when the chefs take flight. Best array of fresh desserts in town. 8201 Cantrell Road Suite 100. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-221-3330. LD Mon.-Sat., BR Sun. VIEUX CARRE A pleasant spot in Hillcrest with specialty salads, steak and seafood. The soup of the day is a good bet. At lunch, the menu includes an all-vegetable sandwich and a half-pound cheeseburger. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-1196. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat., BR Sun. WHOLE FOODS MARKET Good sandwiches, soups and hummus to go; an enormous number of hot and cold entrees from the deli; extensive juice bar. 10700 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-312-2326.

BLD daily.

WILLY D’S DUELING PIANO BAR Willy D’s serves up a decent dinner of pastas and salads as a lead-in to its nightly sing-along piano show.

Go when you’re in a good mood. 322 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-244-9550.

D Tue.-Sat. W.T. BUBBA’S COUNTRY TAVERN Sloppy Joe’s, a fried bologna sandwich, a nacho bar and burgers and such feature on the menu of this bubba-themed River Market bar. 500

President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$.

501-244-2528. D Tue.-Sat. YANCEY’S CAFETERIA Soul food served with a Southern attitude. 1523 Martin Luther King Ave. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-372-9292. LD Tue.-Sat. YOUR MAMA’S GOOD FOOD Offering simple and satisfying cafeteria food, with burgers and more hot off the grill, plate lunches and pies.

215 Center St. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-3721811. BL Mon.-Fri. ZACK’S PLACE Expertly prepared home cooking and huge, smoky burgers. 1400 S. University Ave. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-6646444. LD Mon.-Sat. ZIN URBAN WINE & BEER BAR It’s cosmopolitan yet comfortable, a relaxed place to enjoy fine wines and beers while noshing on superb meats, cheeses and amazing goat cheesestuffed figs. 300 River Market Ave. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-246-4876. D daily.

ASIAN

A. W. LIN’S ASIAN CUISINE Traditional Chinese dishes, several Thai dishes and a variety of sushi rolls. 17000 Chenal Pkwy. 501-821-5398. LD daily.

CHI’S CHINESE CUISINE No longer owned by Chi’s founder Lulu Chi, this Chinese mainstay still offers a broad menu that spans the Chinese provinces and offers a few twists on the usual local offerings. 5110 W. Markham St. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-604-7777. LD Mon.-Sat. CRAZY HIBACHI GRILL The folks that own Chi’s and Sekisui offer their best in a three-inone: tapanaki cooking, sushi bar and sit-down dining with a Mongolian grill. 2907 Lakewood Village. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-8129888. LD daily.

FANTASTIC CHINA The food is delicious, the presentation beautiful, the menu distinctive, the service perfect, the decor bright. 1900 N. Grant St. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-663-8999. LD daily.

GENGHIS GRILL This chain restaurant takes the Mongolian grill idea to its inevitable, Subwaystyle conclusion. 12318 Chenal Parkway. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-223-2695. LD daily.

LILLY’S DIMSUM THEN SOME Innovative dishes inspired by Asian cuisine, utilizing local and fresh ingredients. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-716-2700.

LD Tue.-Sun. MT. FUJI JAPANESE RESTAURANT The dean of Little Rock sushi bars offers a fabulous lunch special and great Monday night deals. 10301 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-227-6498. LD daily. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-227-6498.

OSAKA JAPANESE RESTAURANT Veteran operator of several local Asian buffets has brought fine-dining Japanese dishes and a well-stocked sushi bar to way-out-west Little Rock, near Chenal off Highway 10. 5501 Ranch Dr. $$-$$$. 501-868-3688. LD Sun.-Thu., D Fri.-Sat. RJ TAO RESTAURANT & ULTRA LOUNGE Upscale Asian and exotic fare - like Kangaroo burgers and African prawns - from the Chi family. 5501 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-603-0080. D Mon.-Sat. SAIGON CUISINE Traditional Vietnamese with Thai and Chinese selections. Be sure to try the authentic pho soups and spring rolls. 14524 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-8687770. LD daily.

SKY MODERN JAPANESE Excellent, ambitious menu filled with sushi and other Japanese fare and Continental-style dishes. 11525 Cantrell Road, Suite 917. Full bar, All CC. $$$-$$$$. 501-224-4300. LD daily.

DINING CAPSULES, CONT. SUSHI CAFE Impressive, upscale sushi menu with other delectable house specialties like tuna tataki, fried soft shell crab, Kobe beef and, believe it or not, the Tokyo cowboy burger.

5823 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-663-9888. L Mon.-Sat. D daily.

BARBECUE

CHATZ CAFE ‘Cue and catfish joint that does heavy catering business. Try the slow-smoked, meaty ribs. 8801 Colonel Glenn Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-562-4949. LD Mon.-Sat. CORKY’S RIBS & BBQ The pulled pork is extremely tender and juicy, and the sauce is sweet and tangy without a hint of heat. Maybe the best dry ribs in the area. 12005 Westhaven Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-954-7427.

LD daily. 2947 Lakewood Village Drive. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-753-3737. LD daily, B Sat.-Sun. PIT STOP BAR AND GRILL A working-man’s bar and grill, with barbecue, burgers, breakfast and bologna sandwiches, plus live music on Friday and Saturday nights. 5506 Baseline Road.

Full bar, No CC. $$. 501-562-9635. BLD daily.

WHITE PIG INN Go for the sliced rather than chopped meats at this working-class barbecue cafe. Side orders — from fries to potato salad to beans and slaw — are superb, as are the fried pies. 5231 E. Broadway. NLR. Beer, All CC. $-$$.

501-945-5551. LD Mon.-Fri., L Sat. WHOLE HOG CAFE The pulled pork shoulder is a classic, the back ribs are worthy of their many blue ribbons, and there’s a six-pack of sauces for all tastes. A real find is the beef brisket, cooked the way Texans like it. 516 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-664-5025.

LD Mon.-Sat. 12111 W. Markham. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-907-6124. LD daily 150 E. Oak St. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-513-0600.

LD Mon.-Sat., L Sun. 5107 Warden Road. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-753-9227.

EUROPEAN / ETHNIC

ALADDIN KABAB Persian and Mexican cuisines sound like an odd pairing, but they work fairly well together here. Particularly if you’re ordering something that features charred meat, like a kabab or gyros. 9112 N Rodney Parham Road.

No alcohol, All CC. 501-219-8787. LD daily.

CAFE BOSSA NOVA A South American approach to sandwiches, salads and desserts, all quite good, as well as an array of refreshing South American teas and coffees. 2701 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-614-6682. LD Tue.-Sat., BR Sun. DUGAN’S PUB Serves up Irish fare like fish and chips and corned beef and cabbage alongside classic bar food. The chicken fingers and burgers stand out. Irish breakfast all day. 401 E. 3rd St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-244-0542.

LD daily.

GEORGIA’S GYROS Good gyros, Greek salads and fragrant grilled pita bread highlight a large Mediterranean food selection, plus burgers and the like. 2933 Lakewood Village Drive. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-753-5090. LD Mon.-Sat. HIBERNIA IRISH TAVERN This traditional Irish pub has its own traditional Irish cook from, where else, Ireland. Broad beverage menu, Irish and Southern food favorites and a crowd that likes to sing. 9700 N. Rodney Parham Road.

Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-246-4340. D Mon.-Fri., BR, L, D Sat.-Sun. LAYLA’S GYROS AND PIZZERIA Delicious Mediterranean fare — gyros, falafel, shawarma, kabobs, hummus and babaganush — that has a devoted following. All meat is slaugh-

tered according to Islamic dietary law. 9501 N Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-227-7272. LD daily (close 5 p.m. on Sun.).

TAJ MAHAL The third Indian restaurant in a onemile span of West Little Rock, Taj Mahal offers upscale versions of traditional dishes and an extensive menu. Dishes range on the spicy side.

1520 Market Street. Beer, All CC. $$$. 501-8814796. LD daily.

TAZIKI’S GREEK FARE Fast casual chain that offers gyros, grilled meats and veggies, hummus and pimento cheese. 8200 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-227-8291.

LD daily.

THE TERRACE MEDITERRANEAN KITCHEN A broad selection of Mediterranean delights that include a very affordable collection of starters, salads, sandwiches, burgers, chicken and fish at lunch and a more upscale dining experience with top-notch table service at dinner. 2200 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-217-9393. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. YA YA’S EURO BISTRO The first eatery to open in the Promenade at Chenal is a date-night affair, translating comfort food into beautiful cuisine.

Best bet is lunch, where you can explore the menu through soup, salad or half a sandwich.

17711 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-821-1144. LD daily, BR Sun.

ITALIAN

BRAVO! CUCINA ITALIANA This upscale Italian chain offers delicious and sometimes inventive dishes. 17815 Chenal Pkwy. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-821-2485. LD daily. BR Sun. BRUNO’S ITALIAN BISTRO Traditional Italian antipastos, appetizers, entrees and desserts.

Extensive menu. 315 N. Bowman Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-225-5000. L,D Mon.-Sat. GRAFFITI’S The casually chic and ever-popular Italian-flavored bistro avoids the rut with daily specials and careful menu tinkering. 7811 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-2249079. D Mon.-Sat. JIM’S RAZORBACK PIZZA Great pizza served up in a family-friendly, sports-themed environment. Special Saturday and Sunday brunch served from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Flat-screen TVs throughout and even a cage for shooting basketballs and playing ping-pong. 16101 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-8683250. LD daily.

OLD CHICAGO PASTA & PIZZA This national chain offers lots of pizzas, pastas and beer. 4305 Warden Road. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-812-6262. LD daily. 1010 Main St. Conway.

Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-329-6262. LD daily.

PIZZA CAFE Thin, crunchy pizza with just a dab of tomato sauce but plenty of chunks of stuff, topped with gooey cheese. Draft beer is appealing on the open-air deck — frosty and generous. 1517 Rebsamen Park Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-664-6133. LD daily 14710 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-868-2600. LD daily.

PIZZA D’ACTION Some of the best pizza in town, a marriage of thin, crispy crust with a hefty ingredient load. Also, good appetizers and salads, pasta, sandwiches and killer plate lunches. 2919 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-5403. LD daily.

THE PIZZA JOINT Cracker-thin crusts with a tempting variety of traditional or nontraditional toppings. Just off Cantrell Road. 6100 Stones Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-868-9108.

D daily.

RISTORANTE CAPEO Authentic cooking from the boot of Italy is the draw at this cozy, brick-walled restaurant on a reviving North

Little Rock’s Main Street. Familiar pasta dishes will comfort most diners, but let the chef, who works in an open kitchen, entertain you with some more exotic stuff, too, like crispy veal sweetbreads. They make their own mozzarella fresh daily. 425 Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-376-3463. D Mon.-Sat. ROCKY’S PUB Rocking sandwiches an Arkie used to have to head way northeast to find and a fine selection of homemade Italian entrees, including as fine a lasagna as there is. 6909 JFK Blvd. NLR. Beer, Wine. $$. 501-833-1077. LD Mon.-Sat. SHOTGUN DAN’S PIZZA Hearty pizza and sandwiches with a decent salad bar. Multiple locations, at 4020 E. Broadway, NLR, 945-0606; 4203 E. Kiehl Ave., Sherwood, 835-0606, and 10923 W. Markham St. Beer, CC. $-$$. 501-2249519. LD Mon.-Sat., D Sun. U.S. PIZZA AND SALAD EXPRESS A downtown offshoot off the original with a distilled menu that includes pizza, salad and sandwiches. Call in pizza orders ahead of arrival.

402 S. Louisiana St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-374-5561. L Mon.-Fri. VINO’S Great rock ‘n’ roll club also is a fantastic pizzeria with huge calzones and always improving home-brewed beers. 923 W. 7th St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-375-8466. LD daily.

ZAZA Here’s where you get wood-fired pizza with gorgeous blistered crusts and a light topping of choice and tempting ingredients, great gelato in a multitude of flavors, call-yourown ingredient salads and other treats. 5600 Kavanaugh Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-661-9292. LD daily. 1050 Ellis Ave. Conway.

Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-336-9292. LD daily.

LATINO

BLUE COAST BURRITO You will become a lover of fish tacos here, but there are plenty of other fresh coastal Mex choices served up fast-food cafeteria style in cool surroundings. Don’t miss the Baja fruit tea. 14810 Cantrell Road. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-868-3770. LD Mon.-Sat, L Sun. 4613 E. McCain Blvd. NLR. Beer, All CC. $-$$.

501-945-8033. LD Mon.-Sat., L Sun. CANTINA LAREDO This is gourmet Mexican food, a step up from what you’d expect from a real cantina, from the modern minimal decor to the well-prepared entrees. We can vouch for the enchilada Veracruz and the carne asada y huevos, both with tasty sauces and high quality ingredients perfectly cooked. 207 N. University.

Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-280-0407. LD daily, BR Sun. CHUY’S Good Tex-Mex. We’re especially fond of the enchiladas, and always appreciate restaurants that make their own tortillas. 16001 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-821-2489.

LD daily.

JUANITA’S Menu includes a variety of combination entree choices — enchiladas, tacos, flautas, shrimp burritos and such — plus creative salads and other dishes. And of course the “Blue Mesa” cheese dip. 614 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-372-1228. LD Mon.-Sat. LA SALSA MEXICAN & PERUVIAN CUISINE Mexican and Peruvian dishes, beer and margaritas. 3824 John F. Kennedy Blvd. NLR. Full bar, All CC. 501-753-1101. LD daily.

LOCAL LIME Tasty gourmet Mex from the folks who brought you Big Orange and ZaZa. 17815 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-448-2226. LD daily.

ROSALINDA RESTAURANT HONDURENO A Honduran cafe that specializes in pollo con frito tajada (fried chicken and fried plaintains). With breakfast, too. 3700 JFK Blvd. NLR. No alcohol,

No CC. $-$$. 501-771-5559. LD daily.

SENOR TEQUILA Typical cheap Mexican dishes with great service. Good margaritas. 10300 N Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$.

501-224-5505. LD daily. 9847 Maumelle Blvd.

NLR. 501-758-4432; 14524 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-868-7642. LD daily.

TACO MEXICO Tacos have to be ordered at least two at a time, but that’s not an impediment. These are some of the best and some of the cheapest tacos in Little Rock. 7101 Colonel Glenn Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-4167002. LD Wed.-Sun. TACOS GUANAJUATO Pork, beef, adobado, chicharron and cabeza tacos and tortas at this mobile truck. 6920 Geyer Springs Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. LD Wed.-Mon. TAQUERIA THALIA Try this taco truck on the weekends, when the special could be anything from posole to menudo to shrimp cocktail.

4500 Baseline Road. No alcohol, No CC. $.

501-563-3679. LD Wed.-Mon.

AROUND ARKANSAS

BENTON

DAN’S I-30 DINER Home cooking and blue plate specials are the best things to choose at this Benton diner. Check out the daily special board for a meat-and-two-veg lunch — and if chicken stuffing’s on the menu, GET IT. 17018 Interstate 30. Benton. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-778-4116. BL Tue.-Sat. LA VALENTINA There are touches of authenticity on La Valentina’s “real Mexican” menu, including specialties like palmadas meat pies, but otherwise you’ll find tacos, burritos, chimichangas and the like here. 1217 Ferguson Drive.

Benton. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-776-1113. LD daily.

SULLIVAN’S DINER Tasty chicken fried steak and other home cookin’ standards paired with well-executed Thai dishes. 520 Lillian St. Benton.

No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-778-4630. BLD Mon.-Sat., BL Sun.

BENTONVILLE

RIVER GRILLE Great steaks, fresh seafood flown in daily, and some out-of-this-world creme brulee. But though some offerings are splendid, others are just average. Service is outstanding.

Prices are outrageous. 1003 McClain Road.

Bentonville. Full bar. $$$-$$$$. 479-271-4141.

L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat.

BRYANT

STRAW HAT PIZZA Pizza chain that bills itself as “genuine California pizza,” with a daily lunch buffet. 209 B St. Bryant. Beer, Wine, CC. $$.

501-847-1400. LD daily.

CONWAY

DOMOYAKI Hibachi grill and sushi bar near the interstate. Now serving bubble tea. 505 E. Dave Ward Drive. Conway. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$.

501-764-0074. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat. GUSANO’S They make the tomatoey Chicagostyle deep-dish pizza the way it’s done in the Windy City. It takes a little longer to come out of the oven, but it’s worth the wait. 2915 Dave Ward Drive. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$.

501-329-1100. LD daily.

JADE CHINA Traditional Chinese fare, some with a surprising application of ham. 559 Harkrider. Conway. No alcohol, No CC. $-$$.

501-329-5121. LD Mon.-Sat. LAS PALMAS IV “Authentic” Mexican chain with a massive menu of choices. 786 Elsinger Boulevard. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-329CONTINUED ON PAGE 38 www.arktimes.com

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DINING CAPSULES, CONT. 5010. LD Mon-Sat. SHORTY’S` Burgers, dogs and shake joint. 1101 Harkrider. Conway. No alcohol, No CC. $-$$.

501-329-9213. LD Mon.-Sat. STOBY’S Great homemade cheese dip and big, sloppy Stoby sandwiches with umpteen choices of meats, cheeses and breads. 805 Donaghey. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$.

501-327-5447. BLD Mon.-Sat. 405 W. Parkway.

Russellville. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-9683816. BLD Mon.-Sat. U.S. PIZZA CO. CONWAY Part of the U.S. Pizza Co. chain. 710 Front Street. Conway. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-450-9700. LD Mon.-Sun.

EUREKA SPRINGS

COTTAGE INN RESTAURANT 450 West Van Buren. Eureka Springs. Full bar, Beer, Wine, All CC. 479-253-5282.

CRESCENT HOTEL AND SPA 75 Prospect Ave. Eureka Springs. Full bar, Wine, All CC. 877-3429766. 8-11 a.m. and 5-8:45 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Sat., 7 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-8:45 p.m.

Sun. THE CRYSTAL DINING ROOM Extraordinary fine dining experience that centers on coordinated service, gourmet food and a fabulous wine list. Favored by diners on special occasions. 75 Prospect Ave. Eureka Springs. Full bar, All CC. $$$-$$$$. 479-253-9766. D. KATHERINE’S CAFE AMORE Pizza and pasta with a gourmet twist will bring you back; the Slow Death by Chocolate Cake will make it a favorite. 2070 E. Van Buren. Eureka Springs. Full bar, No CC. $$. 479-253-7192.

LOCAL FLAVOR CAFE This popular cafe along Eureka Springs’ Main Street features ecclectic and fresh entrees and sandwiches throughout the day, a flavorful breakfast selection and the

best creme brulee in Arkansas. 71 South Main Street. Eureka Springs. Full bar, CC. $$-$$$.

(479) 253-9522. BL daily D Mon.-Sat. MUD STREET CAFE Voted many times as the best breakfast in the area, you’ll find lots of healthy and tasty items to choose from. The vegetable hashbrowns have more than a dozen different vegetables represented. The Mud Muffin’s a great balance between bean sprouts, eggs and black olives on a fresh English muffin, and you can’t beat the coffee. 22 G South Main Street. Eureka Springs. Wine, All CC. $$. (479) 253-6732. BL Thu.-Tue. Closed Wed. SPARKY’S ROADHOUSE CAFE Burgers are the specialty, but there are plenty of creative dishes, deli sandwiches and beer choices. 41 Van Buren (Highway 62). Eureka Springs. Full bar, CC. 479-253-6001. LD.

FAYETTEVILLE

36 CLUB Diverse menu — more than 80 items — of good food, ranging from grilled shrimp salad to spicy tandoori chicken, in a lively setting. Next door, sister restaurant Bistro V, offers a quieter atmosphere. 300 W. Dickson St. Fayetteville. Full bar, CC. 479-442-9682. L Tue.-Fri., D Tue.-Sat. AQ CHICKEN HOUSE Great chicken — fried, grilled and rotisserie — at great prices. 1925 North College Ave. Fayetteville. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 479-443-7555. LD daily. 1206 N. Thompson St. Springdale. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 479-443-7555. LD. BORDINOS Exquisite Italian food, great wines and great service in a boisterous setting. Now serving Nova Scotia mussels. 310 W. Dickson St. Fayetteville. Full bar, All CC. 479-527-6795. D. ELENITA’S MEXICAN CAFE Some of the most flavorful and reasonably priced authentic

Mexican food in town. 1120 N. Lindell Ave. Fayetteville. No alcohol, All CC. 479-442-9978.

LD. GRUB’S BAR AND GRILLE A commendable menu that includes pub fare and vegetarian both is full of tasty offerings. The Hippie Sandwich and the Santa Fe burger come to mind. But what’s really great about Grub’s is the fact that kids under 12 (with their parents) eat free, and there’s no stale smoke to fill their little lungs, thanks to good ventilation. 220 N. West Ave. Fayetteville. Full bar, All CC. 479-9734782. LD. HJEM Blinis, spekeskinke, tyttebaer applesauce, lefse crisps — it’s the little things that put Norway into this Norwegian bistro on the square. 1 E. Center St. Fayetteville. Full bar, All CC. 479-966-4344. LD Tue.-Sat.

FORT SMITH

BENSON’S GRILL This 24 hour diner is a popular spot for folks from all walks of life in the Fort Smith area. Burgers are griddle-fried, breakfast is served all the time, and the waitresses are used to putting up with strangeness.

2515 Rogers Avenue. Fort Smith. No alcohol, All CC. $. (479) 782-8181. BLD 24 hours.

ED WALKER’S DRIVE-IN Famous for its French Dip Sandwich (with housemade au just and lots of wet, savory beef), this diner is the only place in Arkansas where you can get curbside beer service. The five pound cheeseburger is the largest known burger in the state of Arkansas. 1500 Towson Rd. Fort Smith. Beer, CC. $-$$. (479) 242-2243. LD. LEWIS FAMILY RESTAURANT This popular family dive features a lot of different plate dinners, ample breakfasts served anytime and several burgers — including the Inferno

Burger, what could be the hottest burger in Arkansas. 5901 Highway 71 S. Fort Smith. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. (479) 646-4309. BL seven days.

HOT SPRINGS

BELLE ARTI RISTORANTE Ambitious menu of lavish delights in a film-noir setting; excellent desserts. 719 Central Ave. Hot Springs. Full bar, All CC. 501-624-7474. LD. DON JUAN’S Mex-style enchiladas, runny white cheese dip, great guacamole and great service in strip-mall locale. 1311 Albert Pike Road No. A. Hot Springs. No alcohol, All CC. 501-3210766. LD. FACCI’S This longtime favorite of the Oaklawn crowd offers an all-you-can-eat spaghetti lunch, lots of sandwiches and pasta and extraordinary Italian dishes for dinner. 2900 Central Ave. Hot Springs. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-623-9049.

LD Wed. only.

FISHERMAN’S WHARF Reminiscent of a coastal seafood joint, complete with large menu and fish nets adorning the wall.

Boisterous, family style place. 5101 Central Ave. Hot Springs. Full bar, All CC. 501-525-7437. LD. HAWGS PIZZA PUB Good pizza and other Italian food, a wide selection of appetizers, salads, burgers and sandwiches in an all-Razorback motif. 1442 Airport Road. Hot Springs. Full bar, All CC. 501-767-4240. LD. HUNAN PALACE Dependable Chinese cuisine, good soups, nice priced combos for two or three. 4737 Central Ave. No. 104. Hot Springs.

Beer, Wine, All CC. 501-525-3344. LD. MCCLARD’S Considered by many to be the best barbecue in Arkansas — ribs, pork, beef and great tamales, too. 505 Albert Pike. Hot Springs. Beer, No CC. 501-624-9586. LD.

ARKANSAS TIMES CLASSIFIEDS Announcements Terry e. and Jeffrey BaTTles sons of the late Napoleon B Battles, please contact Ron Brown (estate administrator) at 310-925-4882 before July 31, 2013.

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(AAN CAN) 18, 2013 ARKANSAS TIMES 38 38 July JULY 18, 2013 ARKANSAS TIMES

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IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF PULASKI COUNTY, ARKANSAS DIVISION 17 IN THE MATTER OF THE ADOPTION OF JAMYN JR MARTINEZ, A MINOR CASE NO. 60PR-13-697 NOTICE OF HEARING

❤ Adoption ❤

Adoring Financially Secure Couple yearn for 1st baby to LoVE, Adore, devote our Lives. Expenses paid.

1-800-844-1670 ❤ Christine & Greg ❤

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Must be proficient in MS Office. Compensation depends on experience. Applicants fluent in Spanish preferred.

Please email resume to info@palcofirst.com.

TO: JAMI MARTINEZ Take notice that a Petition for Stepparent Adoption was filed

by Miguel Alexis Ruiz to legally terminate your parental rights to your child. NOW, unless you file an Answer or otherwise respond within the time required by law, the Petition may be taken as confessed and an Order entered and granted by the Court. A hearing on this matter is scheduled for September 3, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. at the Pulaski County Courthouse, 17th Division Circuit Court, 401 W. Markham St., Little Rock, AR.

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Little Rock Fire Department FAN DRIVE

Citizens Fire Academy

Beginning July 1st through August 30th, the Little Rock Fire Department will be accepting donations of box fans to help keep the citizens of Little Rock cool during the intense heat of the summer months. You may donate a box fan by dropping it off at any Little Rock Fire Station. For more information, call (501)918-3710.

The Little Rock Fire Department will begin accepting applications for the 2013 Citizens Fire Academy starting July 8th through August 9th. There are limited spaces available, so apply now. The academy is a great opportunity to firsthand how Firefighters work and function within our organization. To apply, contact the Fire Department at (501)918-3710.

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completely Voluntary Free to Participate compensation Provided For more information: call dr. Sara Jones (501) 526-7846

Enroll today for a brighter tomorrow Private school – Pre K 3 through 8th grade

Welcome to North Little Rock Catholic Academy where students Pre-3 through 8th grade achieve their highest individual potential, grow in faith, and make lifelong friendships along the way.

For more information, call Ms. Denise Troutman at (501) 374-5237 www.nlrcatholicacademy.org

North Little Rock Catholic Academy

1518 Parker Street • North Little Rock, AR 72114 We are participates of the NSLP. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, nationality, origin, sex, age or disability. www.arktimes.com July 18, 2013 39