Connect Savannah November 25, 2009 by Connect Savannah

THE COLUMBIA CITY BALLET AND ‘THE NUTCRACKER.’ PAGE 24 | THEATRICAL DIALOGUE, PAGE 6 RANDOM BITES AND DELIGHTFUL WINES, PAGE 26 | AN OPEN LETTER TO ROBERT REDfORD, PAGE 30 nov 25-Dec 1, 2009 news, arts & Entertainment weekly free connectsavannah.com

Community The CVB’s Holly Days event gets downtown in the holiday spirit this weekend | 8

Music Rock ‘n’ roller coaster: Bobby Lee Rodgers goes into Overdrive | 18

Here’s the scoop photo courtesy of LEOPOLD’S ICE CREAM

How did Savannah’s ice cream king Stratton Leopold become a big-deal Hollywood producer? And what did Johnny Mercer have to do with it? By BILL DEYOUNG | 29

Visual Arts The Creative Force Collective is out to challenge what people think about art in Savannah | 22

news & opinion NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

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week at a glance NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

this week | compiled by Patrick Rodgers | patrick@connectsavannah.com

Week at a Glance www.connectsavannah.com/wag

Wednesday The Market at Trustees Garden What: Events include a

farmer’s showcase, organic gardening presentations, films and more. When: Wed. Nov. 25, 4 p.m.-7 p.m., Wed. Dec. 02, 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Where: Charles H. Morris Center, 10 E. Broad St., Cost: Free and open to the public. Info: http://trusteesmarket. com/

Film: Rodan (Japan, 1956)

What: One of the most beloved of Japan’s “Giant Monster” genre. A flying reptile destroys everything in its path. When: Wed. Nov. 25, 8 p.m., Wed. Nov. 25, 8 p.m. Where: The Sentient Bean, 13 E. Park Ave. , Cost: $5 Info: http://myspace.com/ psychotronicfilms

26 Thursday

1st Annual United Way Turkey Trot What: Work up an appetite

for turkey while supporting a good cause. The event includes a 5k course, 1.5 mile walk, and kids’ races. Post-race ceremony and awards When: Thurs. Nov. 26, 8 a.m. Where: Daffin Park Cost:$25 Registration fee Info: http://www.uwce.org

Thanksgiving Day

riverboat.com

commemorating a feast in 1621 shared by the Puritans and the Wampanoag Tribe in what would later become the state of Massachusetts. It first became a nationally recognized holiday in 1863 when Abraham Lincoln declared that the final Thursday of the month of November would be a day of Thanksgiving. 20 percent of all the turkeys consumed in the United States this year will be eaten today.

Wild Island & Estuary

What: An annual holiday

Theater: “A Christmas Tradition” What: Get in the holiday

spirit with A festive 2-hour show including loads of holiday standards, comedy, music and audience participation. When: Thurs. Nov. 26 through Sat. Nov. 28 at 8 p.m., Sun. Nov. 29 at 3 p.m. Where: Savannah Theatre, 222 Bull St. Cost: $35/adults, $16/kids under 17. Info: 912-233-7764 or www. savannahtheatre.com

27 Friday

Savannah Holly Days

What: The CVB presents a special holiday themed event that will close down Broughton St to traffic and transform it into a winter wonderland complete with live entertainment, skating rink, artificial snow in Reynolds Square, film screenings, wine tastings and more. When: Fri. Nov. 27, Sat. Nov. 28 Where: Downtown along Broughton Street. Cost: Free

Freebie of the Week | What: Watch

What: Hop on a covered

Scene from last year’s Savannah Holly Days. Info: http://www.visitsavan-

nah.com

ARTWorks 1st Birthday Celebration

What: Celebrate one year

of great community arts with fun activities, a t-shirt design competition, live music, food, and a reading from local author Carl T. Smith. When: Fri. Nov. 27, 6:30-9 p.m. Where: ArtWorks, 2127 Boundary St., Beaufort, SC Cost: Free Info: 843-379-ARTS

Market announced it will now stay open through December 19. When: Sat. Nov. 28, 9 a.m. Where: South end of Forsyth Park, 501 Whitaker St., Cost: Free

Tybee Island Holiday Celebration What: A day of events to

help get the island into the holiday spirit. Meet at noon in Memorial Park on Butler Ave. to help decorate for the holidays, and then join the Christmas tree procession as the island’s official tree moves from the North End to its stand near the pier. When: Sat. Nov. 28, 12 p.m. Where: Tybee Island Cost: Free

Saturday

Santa Cruises

Forsyth Farmers’ Market

cruise along the river with Santa Claus. Kids sail free with paid adult if they bring an unwrapped toy to donate. When: Sat. Nov. 28, 2 p.m. Where: Savannah Riverboat Cruises, River St. Cost: $18.95/adults, $9.95/ kids Info: http://www.savannah-

What: The Savannah Local

Food Collaborative has joined forces with Starland Farmers’ Market for an event that will be held weekly through Nov. 21 to feature regionally grown, fresh food and food products. The Forsyth Farmers’

What: Take an hour long

pontoon boat with a naturalist for a trip through tidal creeks and marshes to go ashore on Williamson Island. See birds, dolphins and oysters and talk about their lives, then go ashore for a beach walk. Reservations required. When: Sat. Nov. 28, 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Where: Wilderness Southeast, Meet at Bull River Yacht Club, Cost: $45/person Info: 912-236-8115. http:// www.wilderness-southeast.org/

Events marked with this symbol are things we think are especially cool and unique.

of this week’s music go to: soundboard.

Annual Lighting of the Tree and Savannah Harbor Boat Parade of Lights What: Welcome the Holiday

season on the Savannah River with a fleet of lighted boats! The beautiful parade navigates up the river and then along historic River Street and Rousakis Plaza. The WTOC Lighting of the Tree Ceremony begins at 6pm in Morrell Park and is followed by the Lighted Flotilla. When: Sat. Nov. 28, 5 p.m.10 p.m. Where: River Street Cost: Free Info: http://www.riverstreetsavannah.com/

art

for a list of this weeks gallery + art shows: art patrol

The Nutcracker

What: The Columbia City

Ballet presents a performance of the holiday classic. Call 651-6556 for ticket information. When: Sat. Nov. 28, 5:30 p.m. Where: Savannah Civic Center Cost: $20-42.00 Info: http://www.savannahcivic.com

Theater: “Nunsense”

Movies

Go to: Screenshots for our mini-movie reviews

go to: happenings for even more things to do in Savannah this week

Annual Parade of Lights

the line of boats decorated with lights for the holidays as they come up the Savannah River Nov. 28, 6:30 p.m. Where: Rousakis Plaza Cost: Free When: Saturday,

music

for a complete listing

Community Theatre presents this quip-filled off-Broadway comedy. When: Sat. Nov. 28, 7:30 p.m., Sun. Nov. 29, 3 p.m. and Mon. Nov. 30, 7:30 p.m. Where: Plantation Clubhouse at the Landings, Skidaway Island Cost: $22.50 Info: 912-247-4644, http://www.savannahcommunitytheatre.com

The Hallelujah Singers Gullah Christmas

What: Get in the holiday

spirit, Lowcountry-style, with this powerful choral performance. When: Sat. Nov. 28, 7:30 p.m., Sun. Nov. 29, 3 p.m. Where: USC-Beaufort Performing Arts Center, 801 Carteret St., Beaufort Cost: $30-40 Info: 843-521-4145. http://www.beaufortperformingarts.com/

Tuesday Coffee & Conversation

What: a TCCa sponsored

networking event for new, returning, or relocating creative professionals. When: Tues. Dec. 1, 8 a.m. Where: Cafe Ambrosia, 202 E. Broughton St. Cost: Free Info: http://thecreativecoast.org

Fall Color Walk

What: A free guided tour of Forsyth Park’s Arboretum presented by the Savannah Tree Foundation. Bring

your lunch outside, check out all the fall colors and learn more about local flora. Meets at the fountain. When: Tue. Dec. 01, 12 p.m. Where: Forsyth Park Cost: Free Info: 912-233-TREE . http://www.savannahtreefoundation.com/

Midtown Dickens and Humble Tripe

What: A rag-tag, Durham,

NC-based duo whose punk-folk draws on bluegrass, minimalism and wide range of instruments. When: Tue. Dec. 01, 8 p.m. Where: The Sentient Bean, 13 E. Park Ave. Cost: Suggested donation Info: http://www.sentientbean.com

Nevermind: A Nirvana Tribute Band

What: Grab a flannel shirt

and some torn jeans for a performance from this grungy power trio of midwestern siblings that has become America’s premiere Nirvana Tribute band. They have over 80 songs in their repetoire. When: Tues. Dec. 01, 10 p.m. where: Livewire Music Hall, 307 W. River St. Cost: $8 Info: http://www.livewiremusichall.com

Dope Sandwich Release Party What: Local hip hop

collective celebrates the release of the new single “Savannah Streets” from their forthcoming album. The festivities will take place during their weekly Hip Hop Night at the Jinx, featuring DJs, breakdancers and live performances. When: Dec. 01, 11:00 p.m. Where: The Jinx, 127 E. Congress St.

Cost: Donation Info: http://www.dope-

sandwich.com

Savannah Winds Concert

What: The “Fall Feast”

concert from the local Winds group. When: Tue. Dec. 01, 7:30 p.m. Where: AASU Fine Arts Auditorium, 11935 Abercorn St. , Cost: $14/general, $12/ discounted Info: http://savannahwinds.com/

Wednesday

2009 Special Olympics Winter Games

What: Athletes from Cha-

tham and Liberty Counties will be competing for medals in bowling, skating and basketball. To get involved, contact Chairperson, David Hooker at hooker@savcds.org. When: Wed. Dec. 02, 10 a.m. Where: Largo-Tibet Bowling Lanes, Victoy Lanes, Supergoose and Savannah High

1969)

Film: Night of the Bloody Apes (Mexico,

What: A screening of this

lost, low-budget Drive-in oddity where a mad scientist tries to cure his son’s Leukemia by transplanting a gorilla heart into the boy. A man-ape rampage ensues. When: Wed. Dec. 02, 8 p.m. Where: The Sentient Bean, 13 E. Park Ave. Cost: $5 Info: www.myspace. com/psychotronicfilms

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week at a glance

What: The Savannah

NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

The SenTienT

week at a glance | continued from page 4

news & opinion

News & Opinion www.connectsavannah.com/news

No business like show business by Jim Morekis | jim@connectsavannah.com

NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

editor’s note

Community: Cul-

tural and holiday events may be what saves Savannah’s economy during the recession. By Patrick Rodgers

10 city notebook 11 fare game 12 Blotter 14 News of the Weird 15 Straight Dope

culture

www.connectsavannah.com/culture

Visual Arts: The

Creative Force Collective challenges the pre-conceptions of art in Savannah with its new group show. By Patrick Rodgers

Making 24 dance: a pointe: Here

comes “The Nutcracker,” the Columbia City Ballet’s annual holiday extravaganza. BY BILL DeYOUNG

16 Music 26 Food and drink 28 Art 29 movies

The stories that Bill DeYoung and I wrote last week about hard times in the local theatre scene – Bill’s was an overview of current troubles, mine an opinion column – led to quite a, well, dramatic reaction amongst the local theatre community. A single Facebook thread about the articles garnered over 100 responses from about 40 different people. (While I’d love to take credit for driving those page views, credit must go to Ryan McCurdy, who posted links to our articles and hosted the discussion among his Facebook friends.) Some of the comments were the usual defensive response anytime the local media writes that one story a year that isn’t 100 percent positive about local theatre. But the vast majoirty were very constructive and practical comments that could go a long way towards addressing these very real issues. Without violating anyone’s privacy, I’ve taken the liberty of breaking down the most notable suggestions by subject area. I offer selected fair–use quotes without passion or prejudice, in the public interest of beginning a constructive dialogue so that local, live theatre can be as successful as we all think it can be. Venue/structure These are the most fundamental comments: Ones dealing with the issues around securing a performance space as well as the core structure of theatre companies themselves. –– “The real news story here is about a venue,” one comment said, referring to Bill’s story, “the biggest thing we have all struggled with over the years.” –– But another comment questions the need for fixed venues, discussing groups in other cities that “don’t have a home space but are nomadic, renting spaces around town.... Sometimes the audience is very small, and the group that we are most involved in rents their permanent space to other groups so there are very few dark weekends in the space.” –– A comment on local turf battles: “I’ve wondered why a truly unified effort to put together a solid professional theater company on a large scale, i.e. at the level of the Savannah Philharmonic, hasn’t been tried, or a Savannah Theater Festival that could be a cousin to all the other Savannah festivals –– Music, Film, and now Book.” –– Another post raises the “important distinction between a company and a group who puts on shows. Both are equally valid depend-

ing on the resources available.” –– “Regardless of a theatre’s non–profit status, first and foremost it is a business. The goal of a business is to offer a service or product in exchange for funds. The idea that a community theater needs to be about community first is a train of logic that is the fast track to financial failure and ruin.” Content Some comments suggest that local theatre might be more successful if plays were chosen more wisely and/or the level of quality was higher. –– “The first responsibility of the theatre community is to choose plays that are full of rich, complex content, act them with delicacy and honesty and spontaneity, and direct them with a cohesive vision. If people don’t want to come to plays, it might not be entirely the fault of an apathetic community –– the plays themselves have something to do with it.” –– One poster wants more locally–written plays and says “Most of the shows I have been to have been mediocre (at best) renditions of established plays.” –– Regarding competition from professional traveling shows: “Most folks will pay the higher ticket prices for these shows knowing that they are getting a good return on their dollar.” –– “Until the product is better I don’t blame people for not wanting it. Sometimes it comes close, really really close, but it’s not consistent.” The Market However, some posters say Savannah is simply not conducive to large–scale successful community theatre. –– “Theatre shouldn’t exist just because there ‘should’ be theatre in a metropolitan area, like it’s a requirement. Theatre should exist where it is needed, where it is craved.” –– “To say that the NYC or LA theatre scene is better because of the taste or values of New Yorkers or LA residents ignores the obvious –– NYC has a metropolitan area of 19 million people, and LA is about the same size. That’s almost 64 times larger than Savannah.” Ticket prices Some posters, though by no means all,

agreed with my contention that local ticket prices need to come down. –– “It’s hard to remember the times when paying $22 for general admission to a local theatre show was considered ‘affordable.’” Community involvement This section involves the need for more numbers of dedicated volunteers, rather than a reliance on the same core group. –– “The theatre scene in Savannah has no lack of good ideas; only the volunteers needed to implement them.” –– “Many people who like to perform in live theater do not ever go see a show they are not involved in. Good intentions, too busy, etc. does not put you into a seat as a paying customer.” –– “If everyone who participated in community theatre would drop a five dollar bill into a money jar each time they walked in the door maybe there could be a true revival.” Marketing These comments make the case that local theatre groups need to think outside the box with marketing techniques. –– “No one can simply rely on people to show up out of the blue. We have gotten too dependent on technology and regular customer basis to go out and expand. Theatre has to go back to guerrilla style advertising.” –– “Has anyone thought of maybe doing a phone pledge? Pledge such and such dollars to this theater company and get a tote? or season tickets? or your name in every program of the season?” Savannah Children’s Theatre Finally but perhaps most interestingly, several posters brought up Kelie Miley’s Savannah Children’s Theatre as an example of consisently successful, affordable local theatre. –– “If you want to build a sustainable business out of your theatre, the thinking of treating each show as its own little world needs to stop. Savannah Children’s Theatre does not seem to do this, which is why I believe they are still succeeding when others are failing.” –– “There is an economic lesson to be learned from children’s theatre: For every child cast in a show, you’ve sold at least 2 tix to their parents. That’s not counting, Suzie Q’s three older brothers (who don’t really want to be there but their mom made them go support their little sis), both sets of grandparents, her best friend, and her friend’s mom who took her.” What do you think? The conversation continues.... CS

Editor, When I moved to Savannah in 1980 I was told of the gay man murdered by the three Rangers in downtown Savannah the year before. The Rangers received virtually no punishment. I asked gay Savannahians why they let this happen; their reply was that there was nothing they could do, that this is the way things were done in Savannah. I decided that if I was going to stay in the city I would work to make Savannah a place where everyone was welcome and valued. Over the years I have passed out thousands of fliers, many on the sidewalks of the historic district, most geared toward the gay community and our friends. Most fliers are not controversial: Gay Volunteer Day, the annual First City Network Oyster Roast & Lowcountry Boil, Gay and Lesbian Film Society offerings, etc. In all the years I’ve been leafleting I’ve only had three bad experiences. The first happened many years ago when a downtown business kept blacks out. While leafleting out front on the public sidewalk an employee threatened to break our legs. We continued leafleting; the business changed its policy (to their financial gain); our legs were not broken. The second bad experience happened when Otis Johnson was running for his first term as mayor. We were passing out fliers for Otis on the public sidewalk in front of the Trustees Theater. The manager told us to stop leafleting or he would call the police. We called Otis to give us advice on what to say and do. We talked to the two officers: the First Amendment, freedom of speech, public sidewalk. After less than a minute of conversation they walked away, allowing us to continue working for Otis. The situation was handled professionally by the police. And the Trustees Theater did not crumble to the ground as a result. The worst experience occurred last October, with some of the same people leafleting in the same location as the Otis Johnson situation. We thought we were leafleting a friendly crowd – innovators – asking them to lobby city council on behalf of domestic partnerships for city employees. After a few minutes a police officer told us we had to stop leafleting. I said the same things I did when leafleting for Otis: the First Amendment, freedom of speech, public sidewalk.

We were threatened with arrest. The threat was backed up not by one officer, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven – but eight or more, enough to cause some of the student participants to run in fear. I was escorted to a police car by three uniformed officers, where they were joined by a fourth (their supervisor). I was told a paddy wagon had been called, and that I would be arrested for just walking on the sidewalk. I was told the permit existed making the public sidewalk private; I was told I could see the permit, but it never appeared. There were no signs or barricades indicating the public sidewalk had been made private. It turns out the public sidewalk was never private, any more than Forsyth Park sidewalks were private during this year’s Savannah Pride. There are some in the gay community who consider our leafleting for domestic partnerships inappropriate. There are those who believe that as long as we are invited to parties and some politicians show up at a gay event once a year that we should accept our place in society. I’m not willing to sit in the back of the bus. What I consider inappropriate is a military that considers gay citizens a threat. What I consider inappropriate is Georgia changing its constitution to outlaw civil unions because they consider gay relationships a threat. What I consider inappropriate is a police department that considers gay leafletters a threat. Savannah has an opportunity to show that it is a progressive, innovative city. City Council discussion of domestic partnerships for city employees is a step in the right direction.

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Teabagging turn-off Editor, I don’t know what Tea Party or Forum on ObamaCare you attended, but there were no “rabid Tea Partiers foaming at the mouth while screaming nonsensical slogans” among the 600 people who attended Jack Kingston’s health care forum. Even the small handful of MoveOn–ers were not “rabid.” I was also unaware of what “teabagging” means, so I had to consult Wikipedia to learn what a disgusting slur you and your ilk are directing at people who don’t agree with your far left agenda. John Snedeker CS

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news & opinion

Anti-gay attitude keeps ordinance at bay

NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

feedback | letters@connectsavannah.com | fax (912) 231-9932

Banking on Holly Days

Cultural and holiday events might be the key to sustaining the local economy through hard times

Photos Sourtesy of Savannah CVB

news & opinion NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

community

by Patrick Rodgers | patrick@connectsavannah.com

’Tis the season for local businesses to try and figure out a way to attract holiday shoppers away from competing national chains and the lazy allure of e–commerce. “We certainly would like to have a positive attitude and believe that Christmas won’t be called off this year,” says Michael Lepper, President of the Downtown Business Association, with a laugh. “We’ve had our hits. Christmas was down last year from previous years, but we have to remain positive and hope for the best.” As the Ghost of Christmas Past reminds retailers of the luxury of bygone boom years, with the economy still foremost on everyone’s mind, the stakes are even higher for local businesses this year. Holiday retail sales are projected to see a decline of about one percent nationwide, a minor improvement over last year’s 3.4 percent drop according to the National Retail Federation. About two thirds of Americans say the economy will affect their holiday plans, with over 80 percent saying they’ll spend less this year, a study conducted by the NRF found. With the pressure on to make the most of a bad situation, the Conven-

tions and Visitors Bureau is teaming up with downtown businesses to try and put some cheer back in the holiday season with its ambitious two–day Savannah Holly Days program, formerly known as The Holiday Frolic. The event, which will have traffic on Broughton Street blocked off from Lincoln to Montgomery for the Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving, will be part holiday market, part winter wonderland, and a lot of great chances to check out what is happening downtown. “A lot of the merchants are onboard. It’s giving people who want to avoid the super shopping centers and the malls a chance to come back downtown and shop local,” says Erica Backus, a member of the CVB’s Public Relations Department. The Holly Days event will include all the perks of winter, minus the brisk temperature, like a skating rink in front of Leopold’s Ice Cream (the artificial ice won’t melt, but is still skateable),

Kids get a taste of what winter is like, including snow and ice skating, but without the frigid temperatures during last year’s holiday event.

and piles of artificial snow in Reynolds Square. “It’s an opportunity for kids that have never even thrown a snowball to come out and have some fun,” Backus says. There will also be a wine tasting, local merchant booths, live entertainment, and a variety of holiday film screenings – some outdoors, projected onto the fa ade of Il Pasticcio, and the rest screened on Saturday in the Lucas.

There will also be a visit from Santa, located at the 24e furniture store, ready for wish list requests from kids and to pose for a few pictures as well. 24e owner Ruel Joyner is excited to be at the center of the action, and looks forward to spreading some holiday cheer, particularly after the success of last year’s event. “Were you there last year?” He asks. “It was the biggest event that downtown

on Broughton, but we can help bring some people our way,” says Thu Tran, co–owner of the Red Clover Boutique on Montgomery Street. She says their plans for the weekend include showing off a variety of handbags, jewelry and other gift–appropriate items at their booth, while handing out fliers good for a discount at the store, to try and get people back there to check out some of the other items they carry. Although parking downtown is often an issue, the benefits of filling Broughton Street with holiday spirit seem to outweigh the loss of parking spaces from blocking off traffic. “In my opinion it allows easier access,” says Backus. “The parking garages will be open for free and it kind of gives you an opportunity to avoid all the vehicular traffic and walk and do your shopping in a festive environment.” The Holly Days events will be the first of many more holiday events to come, including the Wright Square Holiday Open House the following weekend. “It gives [people] the opportunity to shop in and support their neighborhood businesses – and have fun doing

so,” says Gary Hall, spokesman for the Wright Square Merchants’ Association. He estimates that about 4,000 people stopped by their event last year. Although they are fun for the businesses and visitors alike, events like these, as well the City’s diverse cultural offerings are playing a crucial role in sustaining the local economy through hard times. Cultural events and organizations inject over $46 million annually into the local economy according to a 2007 study conducted by Americans for the Arts with participation from the City’s Cultural Affairs Department. They also support the full time equivalent of over 1600 jobs locally. With the bevy of events going on in the last few weeks, including the Telfair Art Fair, the Children’s Book Festival, The Blues and BBQ Festival, SCAD’s deFINE Arts Festival, and several theater productions, many business owners were glad to report that business was already booming on the weekends, even if it was still slow during the week, mostly thanks to the increase in foot traffic provided by the event attendees.

The City of Savannah, through the Cultural Affairs Department, has spent over $900,000 per year for the last several years, helping local organizations put on events throughout the city. The City is one of the major sponsors of the highly successful Children’s Book Festival, and although City money doesn’t directly fund the Blues and BBQ Festival, or the Telfair’s Art Fair, both the Coastal Heritage Society and the Telfair receive City funds for other events they produce, as does SCAD for the film festival. According to the Americans for the Arts study, that spending helps generate over $2.9 million per year for local government through increased tax revenue. Although cultural spending has increased steadily over the past several years, with budget issues looming, the City may not be able to sustain its generosity through 2010. No final budget has been set yet, however, the issue of cultural spending is on the agenda during next week’s City Council retreat where the budget will be front and center. -CS

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had last year, other than St. Patrick’s Day. It was fantastic.” Joyner is glad to be a part of the support system for the community of local businesses. Although some business owners are hesitant to predict what might happen this holiday season, or set expectations of success too high, Joyner has one expectation that everyone is hoping he’s right about. “The expectation I’ve got is that we’ve got a lot of caring people around the community and they’re gonna shop local and support local businesses,” he says. “We believe in shop downtown, and we’re not gonna give anybody any reason not to be down here.” The event will showcase a lot more than just Broughton Street though, and businesses from all across the downtown will be taking part in the festivities, from art galleries to the Girl Scouts. “People have an opportunity to explore Broughton Street merchants as well as other stores and vendors from around town that are coming out to participate,” says Backus. “We’re glad they asked us to participate because we don’t have a storefront

NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

community | continued from page

news & opinion

City Notebook

Serving permitted?

The City’s new ‘bar card’ ordinance becomes local law.

10 NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

by Patrick Rodgers | patrick@connectsavannah.com

At the City Council meeting last Thursday, the new “bar card” ordinance – the plan to instate mandatory training and licensing for servers in bars and hybrid establishments – passed its second reading. The scope of the ordinance has returned to its original phrasing, and won’t require restaurants or package stores to license employees, however, all licensed establishments in the city will be required to provide training for their employees. There are lingering concerns about excluding restaurants from the licensing part of the ordinance. Alderman Van Johnson says that by ignoring restaurants council is “leaving an unintentional loophole.” Part of the ordinance’s purpose is to prohibit servers from getting another job serving alcohol after they have been cited for serving to underage patrons. Johnson and others are concerned that the ordinance allows problem servers to get jobs in restaurants that aren’t classified as hybrids, but which serve alcohol. Bar owners and staff said during a public meeting in July that ignoring restaurants was evidence that the ordinance was unfairly targeting them,

particularly since they have doormen who card patrons while most restaurants do not. The City Manager has repeatedly stated that problems with underage drinking are happening predominantly in bars, clubs and hybrids. He reiterated that at Thursday’s meeting, and said that it would be better to “focus on the problem” and then “revisit” the ordinance for fine–tuning if needed. “I hope we will not stop here,” says Alderman Tony Thomas, who wants to also encourage City Council to make stricter punishments for those attempting to drink underage. Servers in establishments affected by the ordinance will have to pay $25 to register with the Department of Revenue for their server’s license, which will include a background check and fingerprinting. It is unclear whether the cost of training was included in that fee, but Brown stated during the council meeting that the arrangements

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for training courses would have to be contracted from approved training programs by local business owners. Some members of the service industry remain concerned about the background checks that will be required because certain offenses will disqualify them from being able to obtain a server license. According to the ordinance “Any person who has been convicted of a violation of any law...governing the sale of alcoholic beverages, crimes of moral turpitude, violent crimes, or possession of illegal drugs in the thirty six months immediately preceding the date of application shall be ineligible.” One of the major questions for servers remains how “moral turpitude” will be defined. Although the term is referenced more than 91 times in the Georgia Code – mostly relating to standards of professional conduct – according to a spokesman for the State Attorney General there is no formalized definition in the Code or the State Constitution. According to one dictionary, the term is defined as “an inherent quality of baseness, vileness or depravity with respect to a person’s duty to another or to society in general.” The lack of clear definition has been argued by high courts across the country, including several recent cases where it was used as grounds to deport illegal aliens for shoplifting. The term’s vague definition is not a

new issue. In 1975, Florida’s Assistant Attorney General wrote a legal opinion that said DUI, drunkenness, disorderly conduct and assault were not “moral turpitude,” but further review would be necessary for a charge of larceny. In the 34 subsequent years not much progress has been made. An article in the Houston Criminal Law Journal in February acknowledged moral turpitude as “a legal term...with no generally accepted definition.” Local bartenders will join a lengthy list of licensed professions governed by the standard of moral turpitude in the state, including funeral directors, optometrists, massage therapists, bondsmen, acupuncturists, tax collectors, marriage counselors, athletic trainers, hearing aid dealers and dental hygienists, along with a few dozen others. One forthcoming challenge for those who fail to get a server license for violating moral turpitude standards will be what profession they can actually have. While reducing underage drinking is the objective of the ordinance, Alderman Jeff Felser requested that data be presented to council after it has been in effect for a few months to ascertain whether the ordinance was having the desired effect. Establishments have four months to comply with licensing and training measures. -cs

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Do I think these will be implemented? No! Taxi drivers are a dime a dozen to taxi owners, the City of Savannah and most importantly to the citizens of Savannah. If one cab driver quits there are five more to take his/her place. Always has and always will. It’s as sure as death and taxes. Right now I am working about 50–60 hours a week and I am not making what would be broken down to minimum wage. What is that all about? I know that many have it worse and I do not complain. I am simply stating a fact that the system that governs taxi companies in Savannah does not work as far as the drivers are concerned, and that no matter what way you look at it, it is wrong. Perhaps in good economic times it does work, but we are in a deep recession. And don’t let anyone fool you, we are over a year away from any real upturn in the economy and it will probably only get worse before it gets better for all of us. I do not begrudge anyone (i.e. taxi company owners) the ability to make a buck, but it is wrong to make it on the backs of their drivers. especially when the owners know that business is down significantly and still they fill their own pockets by reaching into the drivers’ pockets! So, there you have it my faithful readers, the grim realities of driving a taxi in the beautiful city of Savannah. Just remember the next time you take a taxi, give your driver a nice tip (if deserved) and a kind word to brighten their day. Who knows, it might just be me! Until next time, my friends, may all your cab rides be good ones! CS

You can’t make a living driving a taxi in Savannah anymore. That’s right, loyal Fare Game readers. The recession has taken a big bite out of the taxi business and that combined with greedy taxi company owners and a worthless transportation department in Savannah have “driven” cab drivers to have to look elsewhere to put food on their tables and a roof over their heads. Everybody has been hit by the collapse of the economy. Thank you Republican Party! People have lost their jobs or have had their hours cut back which has lead to a tightening of the financial belt. This has led to less and less people needing a taxi to get to work or just not being able to afford a taxi to go to work, or anywhere else for that matter. Combine that with more people who are out of work becoming taxi drivers, because taxi company owners can make more money putting more cars on the road, and that causes a bad equation to be created. It goes like this... 30 percent less customers + 10 percent more taxi drivers – 5 percent on all charge calls + $20 weekly cab rental increase + gas = no living wage. Since I started driving a taxi in December of ’05, business has gone down 35–40 percent. I used to have five or six regular customers every day, which came to about $250 a week, and now I have none. There used to be about 20–25 drivers per 12 hour shift –– now there are 30–35 drivers per 12 hour shift. Then to top it off, this past March the owner of our company raised taxi rental rates from $340 per week to $360 per

week. The City of Savannah did give the drivers a rate increase in ’08 of about 8 percent. That’s one increase in a four year period. Taxi drivers also have to pay Savannah for the privilege of driving here. It’s only about $20 per year, but it all counts and it takes a few hours of time to do. We also pay for 100 percent of our gasoline. That comes to about $20–25 a day. Savannah allows taxi owners to buy used police cars at auction. They are Crown Victorias that are called “Police Interceptors.” Which means they have HUGE engines that can reach over 160 mph. Just what a taxi driver needs for a day of stop and go driving. We are lucky if we get 15 miles per gallon. So much for the City of Savannah giving a crap about the environment and being green! Now, you might say, what can be done to improve the cabbies lot in Savannah? Well let’s see: 1) If used police cars are going to be the standard, have the company pay for 40 percent of the driver’s gas or make gas efficient cars be used by taxi companies. Perhaps a cash incentive given by the city to taxi companies for the purchase of such vehicles. The city can probably get federal Go Green subsidies if they do this. 2) Limit the cars per shift to a maximum of 25. If that means less shift drivers, sorry! Seniority has to have some privileges. 3) Have the taxi company provide the driver his city taxi driver’s permit. 4) A rate increase equal to any taxi rental increases set by owners. I think these are fair (fare) remedies to this situation.

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news & opinion NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

Blotter All cases from recent Savannah/Chatham Police Dept. incident reports

That’s clearly not your car, ma’am Police approached a young woman who was leaning up against a marked police car. The officer immediately smelled a strong odor of alcohol coming from the woman. Her eyes were reddish and her speech was slurred.

The officer asked the woman if the marked police vehicle belonged to her, but she did not respond. She was using her cell phone. The officer repeated the question several times still unable to get a response from the woman. The officer asked again, and the woman said yes. The officer asked her to get off the vehicle, but she didn’t comply. The woman responded that the police car belonged to her and laughed. The officer asked her to move again, and again, she did not move. The officer grabbed hold of her left wrist and the

woman attempted to flee. She was placed in handcuffs with the assistance of another officer. She was arrested for disorderly conduct. –– While parked overnight in an approved lot off Highway 17 three police cruisers were vandalized. Around six in the morning, officers arrived to pick up the vehicles and found that they had sustained body damage and several broken windows. Police vehicles cannot be taken outside of county limits without special written permission, so officers who live outside the county often leave vehicles overnight and car pool to their homes. Detectives and forensics units were called to the scene. –– Police were called with a report of a person with a knife. They made contact with a man who said that he had just been in an altercation with his girlfriend. When he returned home, an argument began, although he could not recall what started the argument. His girlfriend went into the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and began waving it around saying “you never loved me.” She did not actually try to stab him. The man advised that he had taken the knife from

her, but that she picked up another one, so he fled the residence to a neighbors house and called the police. The girlfriend had taken her clothes and left the scene before police arrived. No injuries were reported. –– Police were called to the intersection of Abercorn Street and Science Drive after a report of a traffic accident with a pedestrian. A truck was travelling in the right lane of Abercorn when a middle aged white male ran across the street without using a crosswalk. The pedestrian was struck and officers found him unresponsive. The man died from his injuries. He attempted to run across eight lanes of traffic in a poorly lit area. After he was identified it was discovered that he had moved to Savannah from New York only a few weeks earlier. –– A mother stabbed her juvenile son in the back, literally. Police arrived on the scene and talked with the mother and the son, who was taken to the hospital for

treatment of his injuries. The two gave conflicting accounts of what had happened. Police had been called to the residence on several previous occasions. The mother was arrested and taken to jail. The investigation of the incident is ongoing. –– Police were called in regard to a burglary. Upon arrival at the scene of the crime, a woman said that the home belonged to her recently deceased father. The home had been forcibly entered and several items had been stolen including a .22 caliber pistol, a cell phone, various clothing items, a watch and a 12 pack of soda. The suspects had removed a board from the back door. The front door had been previously forced open a few days earlier, but nothing had been taken. Forensics was requested and an extra patrol was requested for the area. cs Give anonymous crime tips to Crimestoppers at 234-2020

news & opinion NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

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Their Health Care Is Just Fine Without “Reform”: (1) In September, the Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, along with four physicians and three surgical nurses, donated their services for delicate brain surgery on a 25-yearold silverback lowland gorilla at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs. (2) Among the health-insurance upgrades demanded by Philadelphia-area transit workers and agreed to by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority in November was removal of the 10-tablet-per-month rationing of Viagra and similar medications, to allow as many as 30 per month (according to a Philadelphia Daily News report). (The final contract, reportedly even more beneficial to the union, was being voted on by union members at press time.)

Inexplicable

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shot in the stomach during a robbery of the store and hospitalized, with medical bills paid through worker compensation and his employee health benefits. In September, when his worker compensation expired (and though still at least three months away from returning to work), HoneyBaked fired him (forcing him to begin paying 100 percent of his insurance premiums and making subsequent insurance prohibitively expensive because of his new “pre-existing condition”). However, a human resources executive said that the firing was for Huether’s own good, in that it would clear the way for him to receive Social Security disability payments. “We couldn’t feel any worse for Rich, and we would do anything we could for him (except keep him on the payroll).” -- Those Overhead Costs! Patient Jim Bujalski complained to St. Anthony’s Central Hospital in Littleton, Colo., in September about the cost of his prescription Plavix and Crestor tablets, which he was forced to “buy” from the hospital because it administers only drugs under its control. The Plavix was $248 each (he pays $8 at home), and his Crestor ($3 at home) was $65. The medications were part of his $58,000, one-day hospital stay.

-- For its Halloween gala, the Kings Island amusement park near Cincinnati had set up an exhibit featuring skeletons dressed to resemble, among other deceased celebrities, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Ted Kennedy, Ed McMahon, TV salesman Billy Mays, Sonny Bono (his skeleton in front of a tree) and Ted Williams (his skeleton Unclear on the Concept in front of a freezer). Alongside was a -- Nurses might best treat patients marker board labeled “agenda,” with who have self-cutting disorders by helpthose names crossed off but others still ing them in their endeavor, according listed, including Bernard Madoff and to an October advisory from Britain’s the comedian Carrot Top. (Following Royal College of Nursing. “Assisted a WLWT-TV preview of the exhibit in self-harming” should be considered as September, the park quickly canceled it, part of nursing care plans, according with a spokesman declaring, “We were to the advisory, benefiting patients by not intending to be distasteful.”) having skilled professionals at their side, -- Robert and Roberta Masters of for example supplying sterile blades and Prior Lake, Minn., were arrested in providing the quick stanching of blood October and charged in connection and dressing of wounds. with a series of mailbox explosions over -- On July 13, William Thomson, 55, the summer, which police say were feeling bad recently about having viocarried out by seven teenagers who had lently resisted arrest by the Salisbury, been supplied by the couple. Police Mass., police in a drunk-driving insaid Robert Masters bought black cident in 1997, brought hot cofpowder for the kids and had said fee to a Salisbury station house it “would be a good educational Enjoy and sought symbolic forgiveness tool for the kids to build pipe the from the officers on duty. The bombs.” Roberta Masters allegTryptophan! very next day, however, Thomedly encouraged the teens to son was arrested again in a learn on the Internet how to drunk-driving incident, and make pipe bombs because it again he forcefully resisted, would be “constructive” (but punching a Breathalyzer mashe said she had told them to be chine, threatening an officer, and careful). attempting to flood a lock-up cell in the station house. Can’t Possibly Be True -- In April, Richard Huether, the manager of the HoneyBaked Ham outlet in Cary, N.C., was

Chutzpah!

-- In Ogden, Utah, in October,

Adam Manning, 30, accompanied his pregnant girlfriend to the McKay-Dee Hospital emergency room as she was going into labor. According to witnesses, as a nurse attended to the woman, Manning began flirting with her, complimenting the nurse’s looks and giving her neck rubs. When Manning then allegedly groped the nurse’s breast, she called for security, and Manning was eventually arrested and taken to jail, thus missing the birth of his child. -- After James Cedar admitted to police that he was the one spotted peeping into his Toronto neighbor’s window at night, the victim, Patricia Marshall, installed a video camera at that window to discourage him from re-offending. In September, when all parties reported to court for a final resolution of the peeping case, Cedar’s lawyer served legal papers on Marshall, threatening to sue her over the camera. Since Cedar’s house sits within the view outside Marshall’s window, he complained that the camera could capture images through his windows and thus invades his privacy.

The Weirdo-American Community

When police in Brimfield, Ohio, stopped Jaime Aguirre, 42, for a traffic violation in October, they found some conventional photos of nude and near-nude women, but were especially surprised at a stash of x-rays and mammograms, which they supposed came from Aguirre’s job as technician at an imaging center in Tiffin, Ohio. The Brimfield police chief said he believed the stash was used by Aguirre for sexual gratification, and since some of the x-rays and mammograms were of girls under the age of 18, Aguirre was charged with possession of child pornography.

Least Competent Criminals

Oops! (1) Three men and a woman from Atlantic City, N.J., were arrested in August and charged with robbing the Artisans Bank in Bear, Del. Their escape after the robbery had been delayed when they accidentally left the keys to the getaway car in the bank. (2) Andrew Burwitz, 20, was arrested in Appleton, Wis., in November and charged with drive-by shootings into two homes. No one was hit, and the major damage was done to Burwitz’s car, in that Burwitz fired the first shot before he remembered to roll down the window. CS By chuck shepherd UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE

I just read your 1981 column on what would happen if the earth were swallowed by a black hole. I’m wondering how well this column holds up to current theory. —outlierrn, via the Straight Dope Message Board Not well. In fact, to hear some talk, it pretty much sucked at the time. When my old black hole column popped up recently on the Straightdope.com carousel of classics, a typical comment went like this: “There is nothing wrong with having a little fun, but that column doesn’t really give the reader any good information about what would actually happen if he approached a black hole.” I concede I didn’t approach the subject with 100 percent seriousness, disappointing those looking for practical advice. I was, however, practical in my way. As I went to some trouble to make clear, you personally wouldn’t have any notion of what was happening as you approached a black hole because you, personally, would be dead. However, this isn’t what the critics want to hear. They want to know what you hypothetically would experience or, at any rate, what your remains would experience, as seen by the mind of God. One wishes to please. Ignore any supernovas, collapsing neutron stars, accretion disks, etc, that may occur. All of these things were mentioned in the original column as being among the hazards of black holes. I don’t say they don’t have their aspects of interest, but they’re not essential to a black hole. You don’t want it said you got this close to a black hole but then were annihilated by a phenomenon of secondary importance. Don’t worry about falling forever toward the black hole without ever actually getting there. I said that was one of the possibilities. I acknowledge with shame that I was wrong. The truth, insofar as this can be known about an event that’s fundamentally unknowable, is that it

By cecil adams Comments, questions? Take it up with Cecil on the Straight Dope Message Board, straightdope.com, or write him at the Chicago Reader, 11 E. Illinois, Chicago 60611. Cecil’s most recent compendium of knowledge,Triumph of the Straight Dope, is available at bookstores everywhere.

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might appear to an outside observer that you were falling indefinitely, for reasons I don’t feel it’s necessary to explore. However, you yourself would rocket through right on schedule, or at least we think you would. Beware the tides. You may have heard that tides are dangerous things. You don’t know the half of it. Once you’ve experienced a black hole tide, you won’t complain about anything else ever again. The essence of the thing is this: the force of gravity, which creates the tides, drops off quickly with distance. The part of an object closest to the center of gravity gets tugged on the most, the part in the middle a middling amount, and the part farthest away the least. The result is that the object becomes elongated, like a football. That’s why there are two ocean tides a day, on opposite sides of the earth. If the force of gravity is particularly strong, the object becomes really elongated, like spaghetti. You can see where this is headed, and from the standpoint of your health it’s not good. Forget about wormholes. Wormholes are much beloved of theorists. They’re tunnels in the space-time continuum that, theoretically, provide a shortcut from one point in space-time to another, as in the board game Chutes and Ladders. A black hole can, theoretically, serve as the entrance to a wormhole, which seems to offer exciting possibilities. Unfortunately, wormholes collapse as soon as they form, making them impractical as a means of space-time transportation. The theorists have proposed ways of getting around that problem, but this is no time for ivory tower exercises. Aim for the biggest black hole you can find. This is the key to successful black hole surfing, assuming we take a broad view of what constitutes success. If the black hole is large enough, you might be able to cross the event horizon (that is, the black hole boundary) before the tidal forces get you. Provided you haven’t previously been killed by something else, you may be cognizant, however briefly, of having achieved the pinnacle of the ultimate extreme sport. CS

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NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

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NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

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THE PRODIGAL SONS

Here we have singer and guitarist Justin Boykin fronting a rock ‘n’ soul trio; the other two guys are Eric Dunn and Markus Kuhlmann of the Train Wrecks. Head Trainwrecker Jason Bible is out of town for a couple of days, so the guys put together a set of rockin’ tunes with their pal Justin. For those of you hungry to hear the Train Wrecks’ upcoming second CD, word is that it’s still being recorded and it sounds incredible. According to Bible, plans to have it out before Christmas were premature, and it’ll most likely be in our hot little hands in February or March. More on this in a future issue of Connect. At 10 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25 at the Rock House Tybee, 1518 Butler Ave., Tybee Island.

ADAM ARCURAGI

Our friends at Paste magazine had this to say about the Atlanta–born singer/songwriter: “Arcuragi’s voice [is] somber but gentle, it has the mellifluous tone of an American Nick Drake.... He reaches for bliss again and again.” At first, he seems like one of those ubiquitous, fervent “Americana” guys, with country, folk and blues wrestling for attention in his music, but he’s compellingly direct, and poetic, and his scrappy use of southern religious imagery and gospel seems more like the genuine fear o’ God than a songwriting affectation. Listen & learn: www. myspace.com/adamarcuragi. At 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25 at the Wormhole, 2307 Bull St. With Lizzy Pitch. Free.

GEORGIA KYLE

One of our area’s jewel–in–the– crown acoustic guitarists, Georgia

WEDNESDAY

Jody Espina A relatively recent arrival in Savannah, Espina is a respected saxophone, clarinet and flute player from New York, who – for reasons known only to him – opted out of prestigious recording, touring and teaching gigs to move his mouthpiece–making business to the Creative Coast. It’s called Jody Jazz, and it takes orders – millions of ‘em – from musicians all over the world. At Berklee College of Music, Espina won a Phil Woods Performance Scholarship. Up until 2005, he was the Director of the Jazz Department at Hoff Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale, N.Y. In Barcelona, Spain, he taught woodwinds and directed the Big Band at the Aula de Musica i Moderna Jazz. He’s a conductor in the musical sign language system called Sound Painting, and has given seminars and workshops on it in Europe and the U.S.A. In New York, he was involved with the “Grammys In The Schools” program, bringing performing artists Kyle Shiver’s world–weary singing voice comes from years of the hard road life. A longtime fixture of clubs and coffeehouses in the northeast, he settled in Savannah seven years ago, and nary a week goes by that he ain’t playing

to inner city students. He played in lots and lots of Broadway pit orchestras, on film and TV soundtracks, and toured with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and others. Yeah, yeah, credits make for nice reading – but can the guy play? That’s what you want to know. The short answer is, of course. Espina is a super–fine jazz saxman, which you’ll discover at his Friday night gig alongside Eric Jones (piano), Sean Bolden (drums) and George Sheck (bass). Listen & learn: www.jodyjazz.com. At 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 27 at Blowin’ Smoke BBQ, 514 Martin Luther King Blvd. CS

somewhere, trying out new tunes and giving the old classics a fresh touch. He’s got a bluegrass band, and a hard–blues trio, but the best way to experience his country/blues is solo. Here’s your post–Thanksgiving chance (four of

them, in fact). You won’t be sorry. Listen & learn: www.georgiakyle. com. Wednesday and Friday at Augie’s Pub, Richmond Hill; Saturday at Molly MacPherson’s Scottish Pub, Savannah; Sunday at Cafe Loco, Tybee Island.

Augie’s Pub Georgia Kyle (Live Music) Club One Karaoke (Karaoke) 10 p.m. Distillery Open Mic Night w/Greg Williams (Live Music) 8 p.m. Driftaway Cafe Chuck Courtenay (Live Music) Fiddlers Crab House (River Street) Voodoo Soup (Live Music) Guitar Bar Open Mic (Karaoke) Jazz’d Tapas Bar Eddie Wilson (Live Music) Piano & vocals Jinx Rock & Roll Bingo (Other) With DJ Drunk Tank Soundsystem Kevin Barry’s Irish Pub Harry O’Donoghue (Live Music) 8:30 p.m. King’s Inn #@*! Karaoke Live Wire Music Hall Turtle & Friends (Live Music) 9 p.m. McDonough’s Restaurant and Tavern Karaoke (Karaoke) 9 p.m. Mulberry Inn Live piano (Live Music) 4 p.m. Planter’s Tavern TBA (Live Music) Piano jazz 7 p.m. Pour Larry’s Open Mic Night w/Eric Britt (Live Music) 10 p.m. Rail Pub Open Mic Night (Live Music) Rock House Tybee Prodigal Sons (Live Music) 10 p.m. Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos 8 p.m. continues on p. 20

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MAJOR MINORS: SIERRA NOBLE/SARAH JAROSZ Charles H. Morris Center Monday, March 22, 12:30 PM, $12, 7:00 PM, $22 Tuesday, March 23, 12:30 PM, $12, 7:00 PM, $22

SHE & HIM Trustees Theater Saturday, March 27, 8:00 PM $25, 35

DEREK TRUCKS & SUSAN TEDESCHI Johnny Mercer Theatre Thursday, April 1, 7:30 PM $27, 37, 47, 73(GOLD)

Box Office (912) 525-5050

Festival Office (912) 234-3378

www.savannahmusicfestival.org

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NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

music

Interview

NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

Rock ‘n’ roller coaster wednesday nov 25

rocknroll Bingo

Records, ripoffs and running a business: A conversation with Bobby Lee Rodgers by Bill DeYoung | bill@connectsavannah.com

ystem

with dJ drunk tank sounds

ly Prizes w/night industry night

tattoo and sPec oyees ials for tattoo studio emPl drink

Buy 1, 2nd $1 on everything!

no cover!

thursday nov 26 for the well drinks ladies!!!

1 revenge of the dance party 21+

w/ dJ d-frost & ragtime 2-for-1 PBr from 8-11Pm

friday nov 27

The Porch Sessions (a night of casual, acoustic covers & originals)

saturday nov 28

[happy hour set from 6-8 w/]

The Trainwrecks monday nov 30

keith kOzel e h t leidOscO ka

music & madness

mOndays are service industry night drink specials fOr restaurant & Bar emplOyees

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“The music business,” Hunter S. Thompson famously wrote, “is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.” Over the past 18 months, Bobby Lee Rodgers says, he’s discovered – the hard way – that the good doctor was right on the money. This week, Rodgers is releasing Overdrive, his long–awaited new solo album. Accompanied by drummer Anthony Cole and bassist Matt Lapham, Rodgers will play Saturday at the Live Wire Music Hall (they’ll be back for a New Year’s Eve show). The Berklee–trained guitarist’s gifts for hot licks and cool melodies are all over Overdrive, which also contains some of the most personal lyrics he’s ever put to paper. It comes after a bitter breakup with the Codetalkers, his longtime backing band. Rodgers, Ted Pecchio (bass) and Tyler Greenwell (drums) had started out in Atlanta, as part of the legendary Bruce Hampton’s touring outfit. When Hampton bolted suddenly, as he tends to do, they carried on. The gynormous jam–band circuit welcomed the Rodgers–fronted Codetalkers with open arms, and Rodgers – with his fierce, jazz–infused lead lines and cosmically conscious Leslie–speak-

er effects – became a guitar hero. The band dynamic started shifting when the name was changed to Bobby Lee Rodgers & the Codetalkers. Bad feelings began to bubble. Then, as Rodgers explains in this interview, things got worse. Rodgers lives in Savannah, with his wife and young daughter, but spends much of his time in Atlanta, where Overdrive was recorded. He spent several months on the road this year, in Flecktones sax player Jeff Coffin’s jazz band, and toured with Hammond B3 player Ike Stubblefield, drummer Marcus Williams and others. Both Pecchio and Greenwell found work backing blues singer/songwriter Susan Tedeschi. There’s talk, he says, of trying to get the Codetalkers to play together again. Only time will tell. So what happened to the Codetalkers? Bobby Lee Rodgers: A management company got hold of us and did some bad things. They did a number on us, really. Honestly, the band just ran out of money – nobody wanted it to end, nobody wanted it to end the way it did. I still don’t know why they did this to us; there was just a lot of misleading stuff and it ruined our band. My family put all its money into this band, some inheritance, because we believed in it. And they took everything we had spent. There were all these promises, and then no gigs for six months. And that’s really what happened. Was the breakup inevitable? Bobby Lee Rodgers: People will come and try to take people out of your band, offer them more money. It’s a nasty business, man. The Hunter S. Thompson quote is no joke. And it creates animosity within the band, because the band doesn’t understand what happens. We just had to take some time to be away from each other. It was such a great band, man. Me

and Ted and Tyler were incredible. It was the best band I’ve ever been in. And what it stood for. People go “It’s just another band,” and man, I’ve been in a lot of bands, and this wasn’t another band. At Sunshine Daydream {a music festival in West Virginina}, this guy – a promoter – comes up and he says to me “I’ve never seen anything so perfect.” Was there ever a sense, in you, of “I’m not getting exactly what I want out of this any more”? Bobby Lee Rodgers: After Bruce left, we were on our own. It was “Here we are, us three.” That’s what it was supposed to be the whole time anyway. It was always told to me that this was gonna be my group, this was Bobby’s group. “This is all for you, Bobby.” And I’m not going to sit here and say anything bad about anybody. But when you go out and all of a sudden somebody’s name is not attached to your band any more, suddenly the guarantees go from $1,500 to door deals, across the country. That starts translating into the music, and the music started having animosity to it. I was like, “This is not why this was started. The business got a hold of the art.” That was my biggest fear of all time, and it was because of money ... but the music had such incredible, unbelievable energy. At the same time, I had to stop it, because it was just this train track running out of control. Somebody was going to actually probably die from it. It was just so insane. Thank God none of us were on drugs, because that was the next phase! I understand Bruce started the band primarily as a showcase for you and your songs. Why was putting your name out front such a tough thing? Bobby Lee Rodgers: I’m really ready for this to be a healing thing now. It had been three years since the real Codetalkers had split. The rest of it was just to fill a void, because I had bills. The band had just broke and shattered to pieces. I had to pay bills, and I had to have a name – my name wasn’t out there enough to where I could step onto

interview | continued from page 18

How did the experience translate into Overdrive? Bobby Lee Rodgers: I wrote all these tunes because it was a really insane time. I had to look at people in a whole different ... I’m always just “Hey man, I love you,” I’ve just always seen the love. And I have to be careful in my life now about who I let in. Which is just sad. I had to heal myself over this. When you lose something like this – it’s not a garage band, everybody’s lives are in it. It’s like a marriage times a marriage times a marriage. And it affects thousands of people. So it was a cathartic process?

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Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio w/Donna Hopkins Band Where: Live Wire Music Hall, 307 W. River St. When: 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28 Admission: $10 Online: www.livewiremusichall.com Artist’s Website: www.bobbyleerodgers. com

Get Baked. Watch Football. Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-7pm

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Bobby Lee Rodgers: This whole record is about a recovery. It’s about overdrive – you’ve got to really bust ass on a lot of levels. On an emotional level, you have to become stronger and stronger. The track “Soul Recovery” is about realizing hey, I need to fix something. On “Miles Ahead,” I’m looking back at all the stuff I’ve been though. It doesn’t matter what people are doing to get through it, physically, what matters is how we’re getting through it mentally. That’s what I learned through all of this. The record goes through all these different processes, and at the end it’s letting go. You just have to let go and move on. And that’s really what I’ve done, and I hope to God that things work out for the best. That’s all you can hope for. CS

NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

it yet. People were saying “You broke the Codetalkers up.” I’d say “No, man, I owned the van and I have the hundred thousand dollar bills that have to be paid next month. You think I really want to do this?” I’d rather be over working at K–mart. It was a really bad situation. So many people don’t understand that. We owe all this debt, and everybody else in this family can walk, except Bobby.

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Rhythm Riot Sun 11/29 7:30-11:30

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SAt. december 5 @ 4Pm

sound board

NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

Wednesday

VS HAPPY Hour

mon-fri 3Pm-7Pm

2 for 1 cocktails • $1 off all beers 2 for 1 apps 5-7pm

continues from p.16

GAme dAY SPeciALS

buy 4 domestic beers, get your 5th free!

GreAt food • GreAt friendS • GreAt fun

Sting Ray’s TBA Tantra Lounge Open mic10 p.m. Tommy’s Karaoke 8 p.m. Vic’s on the River Jimmy James (Live Music) Piano Wet Willie’s Karaoke (Karaoke) 9 p.m. Wild Wing Cafe Eric Lee Beddingfield (Live Music) Wormhole Lizzy Pitch, Adam Arcuragi (Live Music) 9:30 p.m.

THURSDAY

11215 Abercorn St (next to Logan’s) • (912) 921-2269 SmokerS weLcome

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open mic night $3 harpoon pints You keep the glass!

tue

$2 tuesdays - $2 miller Lite, Killians, well drinks & Jager shots (after 10pm)

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trivia 8-10 $5 pitchers & shot specials

happY hour mon-Fri 3-7pm

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AVIA Hotel Gail Thurmond) Piano & vocals 6 p.m. Bernie’s on River Street Karaoke 10 p.m. Blaine’s Back Door Karaoke Dizzy Dean’s Trivia Night 7 p.m. Jazz’d Tapas Bar Trae Gurley (Live Music) Johnny Harris Restaurant Nancy Witt (Live Music) piano 6 p.m. Moon River Brewing Co. Eric Britt 8:30 p.m. Robin’s Nest Karaoke Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos 8 p.m. Steamer’s Karaoke 9 p.m. Tantra Lounge DI Skypager (DJ) 10 p.m.

27 FRIDAY

51 Degrees DJ (DJ) Today’s hits, Latin/salsa, house and electronica on three levels A.J.’s Dockside Joey Manning (Live Music) Augie’s Pub Georgia Kyle (Live Music) AVIA Hotel Gail Thurmond Piano & vocals 6 p.m. Bay Street Blues Karaoke (Karaoke) 9 p.m. Bernie’s on Tybee Karaoke (Karaoke) 10 p.m.

North Carolina bluesman Malcom Holcombe is at the Sentient Bean Saturday. Billy’s Place at McDonough’s Lafayette Chester (Live Music) 6 p.m. Blowin’ Smoke BBQ Jody Espina Jazz 7 p.m. Coach’s Corner Tent City (Live Music) 9 p.m. Daquiri Island Live DJ Dewey’s Fish House TBA (Live Music) Dizzy Dean’s TBA (Live Music) Doubles Sam Diamond (DJ) 9 p.m. Fiddlers Crab House (River Street) Train Wrecks (Live Music) Gayna’s Pub Karaoke Guitar Bar Vini Youngblood (Live Music) 8:30 p.m. Jazz Corner Annie Sellick (Live Music) 8 p.m. Jazz’d Tapas Bar Bottles ’n Cans (Live Music) Jinx The Porch Sessions (Live Music) Acoustic music Live Wire Music Hall Tubby Love & the Trio of Love (Live Music) 10 p.m. Loco’s Optimus Prime (Live Music) Molly MacPherson’s Scottish Pub & Grill Pocket Change (Live Music) 10 p.m. Molly MacPherson’s Scottish Pub & Grill (Richmond Hill) Unusual Suspects (Live Music) 8:30 p.m. Myrtle’s Bar & Grill TBA (Live Music) 7:30 p.m. Pour Larry’s Chuck Courtenay (Live Music) 9 p.m. Redleg Saloon Karaoke (Karaoke) 9 p.m. Rock House Tybee Broken Tyme (Live Music) 10 p.m. Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse Kim Polote (Live Music) Vocals 7:30 p.m. Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos 8 p.m. Spanky’s Karaoke

Steed’s Bar Karaoke Sting Ray’s Robert Willis (Live Music) Tailgate Sports Bar Karaoke (Karaoke) 10:30 p.m. Tantra Lounge DJ Cracker (DJ) 10 p.m. Venus de Milo DJ Warehouse Jeff Beasley Band (Live Music) Ways Station Tavern Karaoke (Karaoke) 9 p.m. Wild Wing Cafe Big Chief, Electric Boogaloo (Live Music) Wormhole Deified Reviver (Live Music) Metal 10 p.m.

SATURDAY

American Legion Post 184 Karaoke (Karaoke) 9 p.m. Augie’s Pub Karaoke AVIA Hotel Gail Thurmond (Sat) (Live Music) Piano & vocals 6 p.m. Billy’s Place at McDonough’s BluSuede (Live Music) 6 p.m. Blowin’ Smoke BBQ Silver Lining (Live Music) Jazz 7 p.m. Bogey’s Karaoke 10 p.m. Chuck’s Bar Karaoke (Karaoke) Distillery Jimmy Wollings Band (Live Music) 9 p.m. Dizzy Dean’s Karaoke (Karaoke) Fiddlers Crab House (River Street) Watts Band (Live Music) J.J. Bonerz Ribs & Wings Bar Magic Rocks (Live Music) Jazz’d Tapas Bar Jeff Beasley Band (Live Music) Jinx Train Wrecks (Live Music) Live Wire Music Hall

Saturday

continues from p.20 Bobby Lee Rodgers Trio w/Donna Hopkins (Live Music) 9 p.m. Molly MacPherson’s Scottish Pub & Grill Georgia Kyle (Live Music) 10 p.m. Molly MacPherson’s Scottish Pub & Grill (Richmond Hill) TBA 8:30 p.m. Pour Larry’s Eric Britt (Live Music) 8 p.m. Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos (Sat) (Live Music) 8 p.m. Sentient Bean Malcom Holcombe (Live Music) 8 p.m. Tantra Lounge A Nickel Bag of Funk (Live Music) 10 p.m. Warehouse Rhythm Riot (Live Music) Wild Wing Cafe Jason &

29 SUNDAY

music

Jarrod, After the Crash (Live Music) Wormhole Noctuary Dark Dance Party (DJ) 10 p.m.

MONDAY

Aqua Star Restaurant (Westin Harbor Hotel) Ben Tucker & Bob Alberti (Live Music) Jazz standards 11:30 a.m. Bernie’s on River Street Samuel Adams (Live Music) 6 p.m. Cafe Loco Georgia Kyle (Live Music) Jazz’d Tapas Bar Ray Lundy & Mike Walker (Live Music) Kevin Barry’s Irish Pub Seldom Sober (Live Music) 8:30 p.m. Savannah Smiles Dueling Pianos 7:30 p.m. Tantra Lounge Karaoke Night (Karaoke) 10 p.m. Warehouse Thomas Claxton (Live Music)

Live Wire Music Hall Eye Squared (DJ) 9 p.m. Murphy’s Law Open Mic (Live Music) Tantra Lounge Conrad Rathmann 7 p.m.

21 NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

sound board

TUESDAY

Fiddlers Crab House (River Street) Josh Maul Blues Band (Live Music) Live Wire Music Hall Nevermind (Nirvana tribute band) (Live Music) 9 p.m. Lulu’s Chocolate Bar The Looters (Live Music) Mercury Lounge Jam Night w/Eric Culberson Blues Band (Live Music) Rail Pub Helium Karaoke (Karaoke)

noW SeRving pink pig BBQ Happy HouR Mon–Sat til 10pm

$2.50 house liquor drinks • half price draught beer

thurs dec 3 – 10pm, $12 wagaTail presenTs:

wed nov 25 – 10pm, FRee

TurTle & Friends

halesTorm w/ aranda & silversTone

fri nov 27 – 10pm, FRee

fri dec 4 – 10pm, FRee

Tubby love & The Trio oF love

sat nov 28 – 9pm, $10

bobby lee rodgers Trio & donna hopkins tues dec 1 – 10pm, $8

nevermind

wed dec 2 – 9pm, FRee

(with valid college ID)

Happy Hour

nickel bag oF Funk

sat dec 5 – 10pm, FRee

4-6pm EvEry day

do iT To julia

fri dec 11 – 9pm, $8

leFTy williams w/ phanTom wingo

$1 millEr litE draft

thurs dec 17 – 9pm, $5

13 E. Broughton St. 231-0986

Trainwrecks w/ packway handle

will kubley oF passaFire advance tix at livewiremusichall.com Tel: 912.233.1192 307 W. River St.

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culture

Visual Arts

photos by Liberty Powers

NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

Collective energy

Creative Force Collective’s new show challenges pre-conceptions of art in Savannah. by Patrick Rodgers | patrick@connectsavannah.com

With the opening of its new show, Nuances: Shades of Difference, at the Indigo Sky Gallery, the Creative Force Collective, an affiliation of over a dozen local artists, is setting out to challenge the perception of the arts in Savannah. While no one would argue that Savannah isn’t artistically inclined – one is hard pressed to find a restaurant or coffee shop that isn’t exhibiting work from a local artist – the members of the CFC see a niche that isn’t being filled; one where visual art isn’t dictated by the tastes of the market or used as a backdrop to conversation and cappuccino. What is missing is a place where local artists can express themselves freely, without commercial pressure, a place that encourages creativity for its own sake. “Things have been kind of bottled up here for a long time,” explains Jerome Meadows, the owner of Indigo Sky and a member of the CFC. “Galleries tend to define what the arts are, and most of those are SCAD related or commercially driven, or eateries.” About a year ago, at another opening in his gallery, Meadows was talking with several local artists about how nice it was to have so much creative energy in the same room, and all agreed that it would be nice to take a pro–active step toward encouraging it to happen more often. “We all tend to get together and gripe

about the limitations of Savannah,” says Meadows. “We decided rather than to continue griping, we would get together and see if we could do something about it.” After an initial meeting last year to discuss how to move forward, the group set out creating a series of ambitious shows, including the Seeing Sounds exhibit at the S.P.A.C.E. Gallery, where the audience watched as artists created work live with musical accompaniment, and a large installation featured in this year’s Telfair Art Fair. According to Meadows, that’s when “insanity sunk in,” and rather than focus solely on the Telfair installation, the group decided to create Nuances, which was curated by CFC member Harry Dean, and open it the same night as the Art Fair. Although the group is still relatively new, and would seem to want to celebrate its unity – to further define itself – the point of the show is to celebrate the diversity of the artists in the collective and in Savannah. The goal for the show is “to showcase the wealth and breadth of creativity that exists in Savannah that tends to

Above Left: Indigo Sky Gallery owner and member of the Creative Force Collective, Jerome Meadows. Above and Right: Several mixed media pieces by Meadows, which are part of the Creative Force Collective show “Nuances: Shades of Difference” on display through Dec. 6.

get overshadowed by market concerns,” Meadows explains. The ‘differences’ evoked in the shows title are not necessarily the differences in medium, age or style found between the collective’s members however. The point of the show is to demonstrate how even artists who might be known for specific traits also create work that defies their own portfolio, and simultaneously the art market that seeks to define them. Nuances, which is open through December 6, moves from pastoral nature scenes intersecting with man–made structures to medium–driven pieces such as one by Bob Newman – a continuous line demonstrating how far one can go with the contents of a single pen. These works mingle with sculptures, mixed–medium allegories about war, and paintings, some more traditional than others. Featuring work from Imke Lass, Judy Mooney, Phil Starks and Pat Walker, to

name just a few, the subjects move from abstract to concrete, and although the show lacks a cohesive thematic between the works themselves, it is a potent testimony to the incredible artistic energy that exists in the city. The exhibit will conclude with an open forum on December 5, from 3–5 p.m., where the artists can discuss their work with the public. “We are discouraging the notion that the market expects you to do one thing and that’s all that you do,” says Meadows. “In reality most artists do a variety of things – so this is an opportunity to discuss why there’s this range of creative voice.” Nuances: Shades of Difference Where: Indigo Sky Gallery, 915 Waters Ave. When: Runs through Dec. 6 with a panel discussion Dec. 5 from 3–5 p.m. Info: 912–233–7659 Cost: Free

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continues on p. 23

NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

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Dance

COLUMBIA CITY BALLET

NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

Scenes from the Columbia City’s Ballet’s interpretation of “The Nutcracker,” with William Starrett’s choreography.

‘A full-length ballet that makes sense’ How Columbia City Ballet keeps ‘The Nutcracker’ alive by Bill DeYoung | bill@connectsavannah.com

It’s a safe bet that not too many young people today know what a nutcracker is (it’s a simple mechanical device for cracking the shells of nuts, to get to the meat inside, and not the sort of food–processing tool everybody has lying around). The Nutcracker, therefore, is the most famous (more than 100 years and counting) holiday–themed ballet taking its name from an arcane kitchen device. But it’s not called The Cheese Grater, because Russian composer Pytor Iilych Tchaikovsky’s ballet uses an old–school nutcracker – shaped like a man in a red soldier’s uniform, with the gaping mouth used for shell–cracking – as a central character. The Columbia City Ballet returns to the Savannah Civic Center Saturday for its annual large–scale performance of The Nutcracker, with a cast of more than 90, including all 35–plus members of the professional company. The production includes about 40 local dancers, some of them in major roles. William Starrett, longtime artistic director of the 49–year–old dance organization, held auditions in August, and has dispatched his ballet master to Savannah nearly every weekend since, to oversee rehearsals. Local input, he says, plays an important part in bring the stage fantasy that is The Nutcracker into an area. “I really try to be ensconced in the community, and not just ride in and ride off into the sunset,” he explains. “I’ve been committed to Savannah and

the Savannah Nutcracker for more than a decade now.” Savannah is part of the Columbia City Ballet’s six–city Nutcracker tour. The company has been telling the tale of little Clara and her Christmas dreams since 1978, and as with many dance companies, it’s a full–scale festive extravaganza that’s a necessary part of every season (i.e. it makes money). So ... here come the soldiers, and the dancing rats, and Clara and Drosselmeyer and the Spanish dancers and the Flowers and the Sugar Plum Fairy ... and that snappily–dressed little wooden guy who cracks the nuts. When the holidays loom, is there a ‘Here we go again’ factor? In other words, ‘Oh God, it’s time to do The Nutcracker again.’ William Starrett: It’s more like “We get to do The Nutcracker again.” The Nutcracker is a great ballet that sort of keeps the company on its standard. Because we do it every year, and we try to top ourselves every year, it really keeps us classically sound. What do you mean, it keeps you on your standard? Is it particularly difficult? William Starrett: Yes. Because not

only are we trying to be as good as we were last year, we’ve got to try to be better than we were last year. It keeps evolving every year, so you try to top yourself. I change The Nutcracker a little bit every year, so it keeps it fresh for me. To be honest, I get to see how some of the dancers are building and growing, and how I can kind of stretch and mold them. Dancers get their big break at Nutcracker time; it’s a big time to be able to prove themselves. I do a lot of alternating between the cities, so dancers get to surprise me and try different dances that maybe they wouldn’t be considered for at other times. So the dancers really look forward to this? William Starrett: Yeah, because it’s so challenging. The classics are so hard. We just came off of doing Dracula, which is very sexy and very contemporary. So this is a lot harder than Dracula, in terms of technique. You can’t sort of bite someone in the neck and move a hip, and shake your hair. You’ve got to really put out. I always thought the goal of creative people was to find something new and work on it. You’re saying The Nutcracker, after 31 consecutive years, doesn’t get old for you? William Starrett: You could say that, but it’s kind of like “This is what we do.” And artistically, you’ve got to dig deeper

to find more creativity. It’d be like Dolly Parton saying “I’m not going to complain about being famous. I’ve worked my whole life to be well–known.” You work your whole life to do six–city tours, and get to be the Sugar Plum Fairy, and get to dance in the snow .... What are the challenges in turning such a well–known story into fresh dance? William Starrett: The challenges, to me, are keeping it fresh and keeping it making sense. What I don’t like is, a lot of ballet companies have a big collage of divertissements, that are disjointed and doesn’t really tell a story. I really try not to do that. Mine is really like a full–length ballet that makes sense. So the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Cavalier, in Act One, are Clara’s older sister and the lead cadet. So she’s dreaming of one day being like her older sister, to get to dance with the handsome prince. It all coordinates with her dream. It’s all very psychosomatic. I did something a little different this year – I tried to make a reason that Clara’s brother broke her nutcracker at the party. Before the party, nobody knows, but Fritz sneaks down and he’s playing with the sword; he opened up his present early, and Clara caught him, and they’re fighting over the sword. She breaks it. Just then, the maids are chasing a mouse in the parlor. Fritz grabs the mouse and chases Clara with it. So it kind of makes sense why suddenly there’s rats that come in her dream. I

Are you free to make changes in the story? Or is there some sort of Nutcracker Society that says “No, you can’t do that”? William Starrett: That is a really good question. The truth is that it’s one of the three most famous classics that Tchaikovsky created, with Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. Now, those absolutely have very little leeway. You can’t change anything. But The Nutcracker, because it’s done every year, uses as the standard the original Ballets Russe choreography. From there, you have a lot of leeway within the divertissement of the Land of the Sweets. In Act One, you have a lot of freedom. In the Snow Scene, you don’t have so much freedom because it’s a classic. I do the basic Ballets Russe classic, but I change it in terms of math, depend-

ing on how many girls I have. And I’ve brought men into the Snow Scene. I’m one of three ballet companies in the world that have men in their Snow Scene. I feel that the music is so dynamic, and that snow isn’t gender–specific. The men can lift the girls, and throw the girls, and then you have a greater dimension of snow falling, and going up in the air, and it reflects the music more. You have freedom in the Russian dances, but when you get to the Grand Pas de Deux of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Sugar Plum Cavalier, you do not so much. You stick to the classic Ballets Russe; that’s the standard. And you can’t change the Sugar Plum Fairy solo at all. You just have a little bit of play, in terms of interpretation, because it evolves every year. CS Columbia City Ballet: ‘The Nutcracker’ Where: Savannah Civic Center (Johnny Mercer Theatre), 301 W. Oglethorpe Ave. When: At 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28 Tickets: $20–$42 Online: www.etix.com Artist’s Website: www.columbiacityballet. com

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tried to connect the whole story, and the whole dream, so it makes sense. There are other things, too, so it all makes sense. So it’s a full–length ballet and not just a bunch of divertissement thrown together.

ur It’s o

25 NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

dance | continued from page 24

Savannah foodie

culture

by tim rutherford | savannahfoodie@comcast.net

NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

LaZarre’s star is rising The upstairs dining room of landmark Savannah restaurant Garibaldi’s was washed in warm, twinkling lights from its large chandeliers. The room buzzed with conversation, the sound of popping wine corks and the clinking of glasses. It was going to be a good night for food and wine, a very good night indeed. I quickly found and introduced myself to Adam LaZarre, the wine maker from Villa San Juliette. He was not who I expected. I expected someone older, milder, more in line with the two decades of wine– making experience I knew LaZarre possessed. And, after all, this was the mastermind behind Hahn Estates labels like Cycles Gladiator and ubiquitous Rex Goliath –– I expected someone more wizened. LaZarre is far from that, he’s more wild than mild, more salty than reserved. Eight years in the Navy taught him to drink and swear –– skills he has mastered. He has also mastered the knack of crafting widely accessible and value–driven wines. His brashness and confidence uniquely qualify him to make wines for Paso Robles winery’s television executive owners. Maybe you’ve heard of their little TV shows: American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance. Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick arrived in a CBS chopper for their first meeting with LaZarre –– he had no idea who they were. But they knew LaZarre and his reputation. The first wines from the new venture began to trickle into the marketplace last year. In January 2009, the wines had no sales and no distribution. Today, consumers in more than 30 states are sipping wines that taste like old friends.

LaZarre has landed in nirvana with perfect terroir and well–funded backers. We began the meal with VSJ’s 2008 Sauvignon Blanc –– a boldly aromatic wine that blossomed with the fresh scent of honeydew melon, just cut grass and citrus. It drank equally complex –– with plenty of character on the mid–palate and a food–friendly clean, acidic finish. It is a satisfying mouthful of fruit and citrus. As we swirled Merlot in our glasses, LaZarre explained that he considered making good Merlot a passion. “Most Americans wouldn’t know good Merlot if it jumped up and bit them in the ass,” LaZarre said, in his decidedly direct fashion. “Most Merlot is grown where it’s too hot, or too cold –– this one is right on.” And I agree. As one of the strongest pours of the night, VSJ Merlot smacked of black cherry cola and a host of cuisine–friendly characteristics. It has power, complexity and is imminently drinkable. I’ll stock up on this wine –– what a stunning, garnet–colored companion for my winter steak cookouts! VSJ’s priciest bottle of the night –– at a value– packed $20 (give or take) –– was Chorum. While the wine is a nod to classic Meritage blends, this coming together celebrates the strength of VSJ’s Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. At 68 percent the former and 32 percent the latter, Chorum gets an oaky respite of 16 months surrounded by new and one–year–old French oak staves. It is smooth, elegant and luxurious. Dark, ripe fruit prevails and well–managed tannins make this wine one that drinks like a reserve grade juice at half the money. Keep an eye on VSJ –– I suspect the best is yet to come. CS

random bites

Tim’s restaurant hopping turns up intriguing and satisfying meals. He picks some experiences every week to share:

Elizabeth on 37th Street

Regardless of any popularity polls, when Savannah foodies gather to compare notes on the city’s best restaurant, this venerable restaurant–in–a–mansion rises to the top of the list. Why? It’s a case of the entire package delivering an extraordinary experience. When most restaurants were still paying lip service to locally–sourced, natural ingredients, this crew was already growing their own herbs. Chef Kelly Yambor once told me that she wakes up in the morning and immediately makes calls to her fish suppliers to find out what’s the freshest catch. Kelly is a mom now, so I suspect her morning rituals may have new priorities, but Elizabeth on 37th continues to deliver contemporary interpretations of classic Southern cuisine. A typical evening of specials will include locally caught seafood and wild Georgia shrimp, wonderfully flavorful pasture-raised poultry and pork – and veggies, mushrooms and rices that typify Lowcountry freshness. Wine service is beyond compare – with the city’s largest cellar to harvest, it only takes asking good questions and identifying your tastes to score a perfect bottle to go with your meal. Service is gracious and customer focused. For first–timers or novice foodies, I recommend a chef ’s tasting menu. You will have some input into the choices – and wines paired with each flight will truly let you explore how food and wine harmoniously co–exist to create a memorable experience. I’m especially fond of Chef Kelly’s fish dishes, served over satiny, buttery succotash or earthy vegetable hash. “Specials” here are truly that – and not a device to clean out the freezer. In fact, I can’t recall the last time I ordered directly from the menu, preferring instead to let Chef Kelly deliver her best and freshest. Unique dietary needs and help celebrating special occasions are commonplace at Elizabeth on 37th – just ask. Corner of 37th and Drayton streets/236–5547

Carlito’s Mexican Bar and Grill

I hoped something spicy would help clear the fog from my post–feverish brain and kick–start my taste buds. A parking place at the front door of Carlito’s was all the sign I needed. Like most Mexican eateries, the lunch menu at Carlito’s is a bargain–laden paradise further enhanced by a big basket of hot tortilla chips and a bowl of pungent salsa that offered just the right heat to soothe my stuffy head. I settled on a dish low in cheese – a lunch portion of chicken fajitas. I can’t imagine that the dinner portion is any bigger – ’cause this plate was loaded! Of course, there was grilled chicken, onions, bell peppers and tomatoes served sizzling hot and ready to ladle into equally hot flour tortillas. Side dishes of nicely seasoned refried beans and a small salad of lettuce and tomato – dolloped with a spoonful of sour cream – rounded out a noontime feast. Service is fast and dependable. There is a good selection of beer and, naturally, a variety of frozen margaritas. 119 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd./232–2525 CS

Upcoming events | BY BILL DEYOUNG | bill@connectsavannah.com

Culture

What’s Next

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Wednesday

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Singer and harpist Orla Fallon joins Jim Brickman in concert Dec. 11.

Celtic woman Orla Fallon

Jim Brickman, the melody–mad pianist you’ve seen on PBS pledge–drive specials, that sort of thing, comes to the Savannah Civic Center Dec. 11. That’s not news – we announced it a long time ago, and if you’re a fan of Brickman, or his excellent new Beautiful World album, you know all about the Savannah show. What you might not be aware of is Brickman’s predilection for bringing guest performers along on his concert tours – musicians and singers who sit in for a song or two (Brickman does a lot of instrumentals, of course, but he’s not really a singer, so he often taps great vocalists to do the job for him). The Dec. 11 concert will feature Orla Fallon, the singer (and champion harp player) who spent four years with the Irish group Celtic Woman. That quartet of Emerald Isle lassies spent 95 consecutive weeks on top of Billboard’s World Music chart. Fallon has a new CD out, Distant Shore, and she sings a lovely tune called “My Land” on Brickman’s Beautiful World. By the way, even though this is Brickman’s annual “holiday show,” he promises us that it won’t be all silent nights, jingle bells and resting ye merry gentlemen. He’ll be playing his greatest hits as well.

Civic Center news

More info from the Savannah Civic Center: The touring production of Stomp,

scheduled for next week, has been canceled. And David Copperfield’s January appearance has been moved to May. Call the box office for refund information, et cetera. Country singers Colt Ford, Rhett Akins and Lance Stinson will play the Civic Center Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 at etix.com.

Musical notes

It’s tribute time, ladies and gentlemen: Nevermind, a Nirvana tribute band, is at Live Wire Music Hall Tuesday; Murmur, an R.E.M. tribute band, plays Wild Wing Cafe Dec. 4; and the Jinx has Appetite For Destruction, which is of course a Guns ‘N Roses tribute act, booked for Jan. 15.... ...Sooner than you think: The great Nashville–based jazz vocalist Annie Sellick is at the Jazz Corner in Hilton Head this Thanksgiving weekend; the Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love play the Thunderbolt Legion Hall Dec. 5; singer/guitarist Pamela Means shares the Sentient Bean stage with spoken word artist Corey E. Houlihan Dec. 13. ...Wait, there’s more: Let’s celebrate the Savannah return of environmentally friendly singer/songwriter and cellist Ben Sollee, the guy who tours by bicycle, to Blowin’ Smoke Dec. 10; Lefty Williams, the great blues guitarist, has a Dec. 11 date at the Live Wire. ... and Happy Thanksging, one and all. See you next time. CS

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27 NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

Culture dates to put in your calendar

| artpatrol@connectsavannah.com

culture

art patrol

NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

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SCAD’s annual Small Works show is at Gutstein Gallery on Broughton Armstrong Atlantic State University Senior Show — Featured artists include Jennifer Ashley, Ken Bruzenak, Jamaal Galloway, Christine Hefner, Matt Hefner, Briana Higgins, Raphyel Jordan, Samuel Lim, Ruby Neves, and Alicia Perez. Nov. 13-Dec. 14 at the Fine Arts Gallery. Reception Dec. 4, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

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A Warhol Trio: Photos, Prints and Silver Clouds — The exhibit includes approximately 150 photographs (polaroids and silver gelatin prints) by the iconic 20th-century artist Andy Warhol. SCAD Museum of Art, 227 MLK Jr. Blvd., Away in a Manger — A collection of Nativity sets from around the world. On exhibit 12/5, 4-7pm and 12/6, 9:30am-1pm and 3-5pm. St. Frances Cabrini Church, 11500 Middleground Rd., Circling the Center — Mixed media collages and other work by Nene Humphrey, including a collaborative woven wire structure reminiscent of Victorian mourning braids. Pinnacle Gallery , 320 E. Liberty St. Dutch Utopia: American Artists in Holland 18801914 — Examining the work of forty-three American painters drawn to Holland during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Jepson Center for the Arts

Four Seasons — The reopening of the Off The Wall Gallery at 45 Bistro begins with new work from Brian Macgregor. Through 12/1 at Off the Wall Gallery at 45 Bistro, 123 E. Broughton St. International Aerospace Art Exhibit — Over 50 paintings by artists from around the world who specialize in aerospace subjects, upholding the rich tradition of narrative art through commitment to historical accuracy as well as a technical mastery of the medium. Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum, 175 Bourne Ave., Pooler Liquid Sands Gallery — The art glass gallery hosts work, from several new artists. Liquid Sands Gallery, 319 W. Broughton St. New Work by Susan Weiss — Nationally acclaimed visual artist, who exhibited her show “Parking Lot People” at the JEA last year, returns with a series of photographs exploring tribal ritual and portraits. Opening reception 12/6, 4-6pm. JEA Art Gallery, 5111 Abercorn St. , Nuance - Shades of Difference — A group exhibition curated by Henry Dean featuring members of the Creative Force Artist Collective. Indigo Sky Community Gallery, 915 Waters Ave., Paintings by Vicci Waits — New paintings from Waits who is known for her bold strokes and use of the

impasto technique. Hospice Savannah Gallery , 1352 Eisenhower Dr. Selected Photographs of the Female Nude — Savannah photographer Bill Ballard exhibits a collection of photos compiled over the last seven years celebrating the female form. Gallery Espresso, 234 Bull St. Small Presents of Art — A collection of gift-sized art, 11” x 14” or smaller, by 11 Savannah artists. Reception 12/12 6-9pm. Gallery 11, City Market Franklin South (upstairs) Small Works — Annual exhibition of SCAD artists featuring smaller, affordable works of art. Gutstein Gallery , 201 E. Broughton St. The Journey: Large Format Photography by Ben Ham — New work from the nationally renowned photographer, heavily inspired by Ansel Adams. He shoots in black and white using an old 8x10 field camera. Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Hilton Head Island Tibby Llewellyn & Randee Powell — Llewellyn specializes in batik and Powell is a macrame jewelry artist. Gallery 209, 209 E. River St. Tiny Treasures — The Signature Gallery presents a collection of gift-sized paintings. Opening reception: 12/12, 6-9pm. Signature Gallery , City Market cs

Books

movies

‘Like having two wives’

Poet Gordon Osing speaks at the Telfair on writing and teaching

Gordon Osing, a writer of 13 published works of poetry - although “it’s too vain to count,” he says - was in Savannah last week to conduct a reading in association with the Poetry Society of Georgia and the Telfair Museum of Art. Osing explains his involvement with the Poetry Society and how he was selected to read: “At the Sun Coast Writer’s Conference in Florida I met one of the board members, and she must have liked a cut of my jib and thought that I would be good for this event.” Osing read several pieces, including “Deliberate Dreams”, “How to Film Jazz,” “Less Than an Incident,” “Tilt–A–Whirl,” and “On an Ancient Chinese Line.” He read a variety of poems, “some that go way, way back to even 35 years ago, just because I like to see how they sound after many years later,” he explained. “I’m older than I was when I wrote them, on the other hand, the issues still seem vital to me and are still a part of myself.” Several of his writings, such as those from The Water Radical, were inspired by his travels to Asia. He spent three years living in China. “I went there in the fall of 1986 as an exchange professor on behalf of my university. That experience definitely got me some publication opportunities, which I took. A couple of years later, in 1989, I was invited to come to Hong Kong to be an American Studies Lecturer in the Comparative Literature Department for the British University in Hong Kong. I was there for two years,” said Osing. The Water Radical is based off of the diaries and journals Osing kept while living in Asia. Osing recently retired from 30 years of teaching at the University of Mem-

phis. “For many years, I was a teacher who also wrote, now I’m a writer who sometimes teaches,” he said. “Teaching can be complementary to writing, but sometimes, it isn’t. It’s something like having two wives, I suppose. Not that it’s against the law - it’s very hard to do.” Osing still writes for four hours everyday. He also reads as much as he writes. “Samuel Johnson said once, ‘Never trust an author who writes more that he reads’,” said Osing. “Reading inspires my interests, although, quite often the reading I do is not in any sense connected to what I write; it’s just different. I get ideas from what I read.” Osing strives to portray his inner self in his poetry. “That’s what poetry should do; poetry should teach you to trust your inner self,” says Osing. “Poetry writing is a dedication. It is a vital agent of art and expression,” he says. “The Poetry Society of Georgia’s central goal is to promote poetry in all aspects,” said Tony Morris, the society’s president. The series of poetry readings began four years ago, as Morris explained: “We decided that in order to get the city of Savannah involved, we would bring in quality poets from around the nation and give them the opportunity to share with the citizens of Savannah their work. “Poetry is a mixture of sounds, rhythms, meters, and meaning that are all coming together. So, we thought that we would bring in some great poets, people with national reputations, and advertise, so that we can build the poetry audience back up in Savannah.” Vaughnette Goode–Walker, director of cultural diversity for the Telfair, explained that the location of the reading had historical significance for the Poetry Society. “The Society started here at the Telfair in 1923,” she said. “They met in the front parlor of the Academy.” CS For more information on upcoming poetry readings and events visit: www.georgiapoetrysociety.org

photo credit

“ Poetry should teach you to trust your inner self ” –Gordon Osing

NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

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LEOPOLD FAMILY

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The ice cream man cometh

Savannah legend Stratton Leopold talks Mercer and movies

30 NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

by Bill DeYoung | bill@connectsavannah.com

Last week, when the bronze statue of Savannah boy–done–good Johnny Mercer was unveiled, everyone who’s anyone was there. Except, that is, for Stratton Leopold, another of the city’s great success stories. And boy, was he miffed that he could not attend. But Leopold, the eldest son in Savannah’s ice cream–making family, was busy in California with his other job: Producing Universal Pictures’ upcoming big–budget Wolfman re–make. And planning the next Marvel Pictures superhero blockbuster, Captain America. For more than 30 years, Leopold has led something of a double life. Although he makes his home in Savannah, and delights in doling out sundaes at the family business, he’s also a Hollywood player. His producing credits include, among others, Mission: Impossible III, The General’s Daughter, Paycheck and The Sum of All Fears.

It all started with Johnny Mercer, who was a family friend. “I first met Johnny was I was 10,” Leopold says. “I saw him, of course, after that quite a bit. When he came to Savannah, he would generally get his niece Nancy and they’d make a beeline for the store. He’d see my dad, and they’d have ice cream and talk.” What would they talk about? “Savannah, of course,” Leopold says. “Johnny grew up a block away from us. He was on Gwinnett and Lincoln, and we were on Gwinnett and Habersham. Nancy and I have known each other our entire lives. My mother used to appreciate the fact that Nancy would walk with me to Greek School, to make sure I went there.” Between his regular excursions between Los Angeles, where he was writing for the movies, and the exotic, far–flung corners of the globe, Mercer returned often to his hometown – and to Leopold’s Ice Cream. “That store had booths – and there was a deuce, a small booth between the front room and the back room, which was his favorite. He would sit there and people–watch a lot.” The great songwriter’s favorite flavor was tutti–frutti. And in Savannah, there was no one who tutti’d up the fruiti better than Peter Leopold, a Greek immigrant who’d opened the shop with his brothers Basil and George in 1919, and who made the ice cream himself from “secret” family recipes. According to Leopold family legend, Mercer had even done a bit of behind–the–counter scooping himself, as a teenager. He was, says Leopold, “just a down to earth man. When I was 10, he seemed like he was 10 feet tall. I knew from my dad that he was famous and that he was from Hollywood, but he was a very pleasant and wonderful man. Even later on.” Peter Leopold passed away in 1963, preceded by his brother George. Basil ran the family’s second store in the Medical Arts Building, while Stratton held down the fort at his dad’s place. Mercer, older, wiser and a lot more

famous, still dropped by when he was in town. As a young man with big dreams, however, Stratton closed Leopold’s in 1969. After discovering that medical school wasn’t his cup of mint chocolate chip, he took a job with the Loew’s Corporation in New York City, and began to learn about the movie business. And he was hooked. “I started setting goals for myself,” he recalls, “thinking ‘I want to produce movies. So how do I do that?’ I started learning as much as I could, meeting people up there, and after that I moved to Atlanta, which was just starting to get going in the movie business.” He had no interest in directing, and even though he (with Nancy) had done a little acting with the Little Theatre of Savannah, he wasn’t angling for stardom. He enjoyed the behind– the–scenes, nuts–and–bolts work of a producer. He had faith, he admits, because of Johnny Mercer’s accomplishments. “When you realize that someone from a medium–sized Southern city can come out here to Hollywood and do what Johnny did ... not that I’ve accomplished anything like what Johnny did ...” He started out doing whatever jobs were asked of him, and moved up the movie–making food chain from there. Juliet Taylor, who later went on to become one of Hollywood’s most successful casting directors, was an early friend. She helped him stumble through his first professional job, casting locals for the 1975 TV movie Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys. The first film Leopold produced was the low–budget horror non–classic Dead as a Doorman, aka The Doorman, aka Too Scared to Scream. The writer, director and editor were all the same person: Gary Youngman, the son of comedian Henny Youngman. “I was the producer, production manager, first assistant director, location manager, and anything else,” Leopold laughs. Doorman marked the first film appearance of actor Bradley Whitford, later an Emmy winner for his work on The West Wing.

After 10 years in Atlanta, networking and learning the ropes, Leopold was beginning to think of himself as successful. “I started working a lot in the southeast,” he says, “and a friend who had access to studio heads said ‘You’re good at this. You’ve got to move to L.A.’ “I said ‘No, I’m happy here.’ I avoided it for years, because I was working as much as I wanted. Everything was great.” Eventually, though, he began to crave the “next level.” So off to California he went. His first west coast producer credit was Terry Gilliam’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, filmed in Spain and Italy. In 1991 Leopold met Mary Poulos at a party in Los Angeles. Like him, she came from a Greek family, and it turned out she was also a Savannah native, although they’d never met. Stratton and Mary were married in 1996, and almost immediately moved back to Savannah together. He continued to work as a freelance producer, jetting between the coasts, and at one point was Paramount Pictures’ executive vice president of production. But the past kept calling. “Every time I’d go to Savannah – when my mom was alive, especially – people would recognize me and stop me and say ”We miss the ice cream so much.’ Ultimately I just said ‘Let’s do it,’“ he says. ”So I took a year off and we did.” Leopold’s Ice Cream opened anew, at its present location, in 2004. Stratton got Oscar–nominated designer Dan Lomino to re–create a vintage 1935 ice cream parlor. There are movie posters, props, equipment and signed photos hanging from every wall – nods to Stratton Leopold’s “other” job. “The store is an homage to my father,” Leopold explains. “He worked his tail off. I’d saved everything – the soda fountain and the back bar and the phone booth – because I’m a pack rat. And in the back of my mind, I knew I was going to do something with it. I just didn’t know when.” CS

local film

Dear Mr. Redford: Can I call you Bob? Probably not. But feel free to call me Bill. I just wanted to tell you how proud we here at Connect are that you chose Savannah as the location for your film The Conspirator, the story of Mary Surratt, the lone woman to be tried and executed as one of Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth’s accomplices. As you know, this city has a rich history, and actually played several key roles in the Civil War. Savannah may be costumed as 1865 Washington, D.C. in The Conspirator, but that’s good enough for us. I’m writing to you for several reasons: First, I’ve always been fascinated with the saga of the Lincoln conspirators, and the Surratt family in particular. If you haven’t read it, I highly recom-

mend James L. Swanson’s Manhunt: The Twelve–Day Chase For Lincoln’s Killer. Even moreso than the biography American Brutus (which is a great book, too), Manhunt puts you right inside Booth’s twisted mind. A pretty scary place to be. Here’s what I know about The Conspirator, which you are both directing and co–producing: It’s bankrolled by the American Movie Company, a relatively new production outfit founded by financial wizard Joe Ricketts (who also recently purchased the Chicago Cubs). Mr. Ricketts has stated that his company will only make films about American history, with strict attention paid to historical accuracy. I understand you have several on–set advisors who are experts on the Surratt case, and the time period. The film stars the great Robin Wright as Mary Surratt, James McAvoy as her defense lawyer, and a supporting cast that includes Tom Wilkinson, Evan Rachel Wood, Alexis Bledel and Danny

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Huston. Can I just say that casting Kevin Kline as Edwin M. Stanton was a masterstroke? Richard Dysart played Stanton when The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd was filmed here in Savannah in 1979. A few days ago, I spoke with Robert Stone, one of your co–producers, from his Los Angeles office. He’s a very nice guy, and personable, but insisted that since you, Mr. Redford, have final say on what transpires between the media and the production of The Conspirator, he wasn’t at liberty to share any information at all with me. About the company – which I was specifically asking about – or the film itself. Which brings me to the second reason I’m writing. We here at Connect are not interested – remotely – in standing outside the perimeter of the set, hoping to snap “candids” of you and your actors. We are not star–chasers, hangers–on or sycophants, and we don’t

have any intention of bugging you on the set, on the street, in your hotel or in Waffle House. So this letter is a polite request for some sort of peek behind the curtain. Everyone, and I mean everyone, in town is talking about the production. I understand it’s a closed set, and everyone has work to do – but hey, I have work to do, too. My job is to write a serious story about the film, and the production, and what you want to accomplish with it. Why you’re making the movie in Savannah. Why you chose to take on a Civil War piece in the first place. If I can write an authorized story – with your blessing – all Savannahians’ questions will be answered in one tidy little package. So Bob – Mr. Redford – if you’re reading this, how about giving me a call? Most respectfully, Bill DeYoung 912–721–4385 CS

31 NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

An open letter to Robert Redford

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by BILL DeYOUNG | bill@connectsavannah.com

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movies CARMIKE 10

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New Moon, The Blind Side, 2012, This is It, Old Dogs, Law Abiding Citizen, Couples Retreat

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The Twilight Saga: New Moon Hollywood’s second foray into the Twilight zone features enough fantasy and romance to satisfy most hardcore devotees of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire saga, but just as many viewers will notice that this is too often a case of the emperor –– or, more specifically, buff teenage boys –– wearing no clothes. A step down from last year’s box office hit Twilight, New Moon has retained the same screenwriter (Melissa Rosenberg) but opted to switch out directors (The Golden Compass’ Chris Weitz in for Thirteen’s Catherine Hardwicke). Perhaps it’s this changing of the guard that prevents this latest picture from ever maintaining a steady rhythm. After all, Twilight might have been occasionally ripe, but that worked for the material, as Hardwicke instinctively fed into the oversized angst that all too often defines the lives of teenagers wrapped up in their daily melodramas. By comparison, Weitz keeps the proceedings on a low simmer, an emotional oasis only punctuated every once in a while by Bella’s howls as she pines for her one true bloodsucking love. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. In New Moon, vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) has decided that it’s too dangerous for his human girlfriend Bella (Kristen Stewart) to be around his kind, so he and his family pack up and leave their Forks, Wash., home, ostensibly for good. Missing her soulmate, Bella shuts down completely, and is only slowly drawn out of her shell by her friend Jacob (Taylor Lautner) –– and by the discovery that Edward appears in ethereal form whenever she’s in danger. Bella repeatedly puts herself at risk –– riding motorcycles at daredevil speeds, diving off impossibly high cliffs, gorg-

ing on fast–food combos every day for a full month (OK, kidding on that last one) –– but soon discovers that an even deadlier option materializes with the return of some vampiric foes. And what’s with those gigantic werewolves stomping through the Pacific Northwest woods? As before, the whole enterprise is primarily held together by Stewart’s performance, a believable mix of adoration for her man and attitude toward the rest of the world. The plot structure limits Pattinson’s screen time, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing: Less effective than he was in Twilight, here the actor seems bored by the franchise, as if he’s already anxious to try his hand at more mature roles. As Jacob, Lautner projects a wholesome earnestness, even if he’s victim to most of the film’s most risible moments –– I especially chuckled during the scene in which he tends to a cut on Bella’s forehead not by tearing off a swatch of his shirt but by whipping off the entire garment, thus allowing audiences to appreciate his bulging biceps–upon–biceps. Then again, you can’t say that Weitz doesn’t have his target audience in sight. In my review for Twilight, I wrote that the movie was “a love story first and a vampire tale second.” Given Pattinson’s ascension to pinup star as well as the pack of shirtless hunks filling out this latest film’s supporting cast, it’s safe to amend that statement to read that New Moon is a love story first and a male–model calendar second. The vampire tale has become almost incidental.

PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE “Kitchen sink realism” was

the term invented to describe a specific type of artistic movement that took place in England in the 1950s and 1960s, and here comes Precious to borrow that expression for a more modern, decidedly Americanized look at life among the lower classes. Adding to the appropriateness of subletting that term is that fact that a good part of this harrowing drama is set in and around the kitchen, as a frying pan to the head and hairy pigs feet to the arteries both take a toll on the well–being of the story’s heroine, 16–year–old Claireece “Precious” Jones (Gabourey Sidibe). Living with her hateful mother (Mo’Nique), a woman who abuses her in every way imaginable, Precious has to contend not only with a disastrous home life but also with the fact that she’s pregnant with her second child, both kids the result of being raped by her own long–gone father. Grossly overweight and largely illiterate, Precious nevertheless harbors a poetic side and can only hope that her life will take a turn for the better. She finally finds some allies in a patient teacher (Paula Patton) and a no–nonsense social worker (Mariah Carey, surprisingly effective), but their encouragement repeatedly gets negated by her mother’s assertions that she’s ugly, unloved and unwanted. The 2009 release least likely to be mistaken for the “feel–good movie of the year,” Precious is for most of its running time so pessimistic that it threatens to hammer viewers into a fetal position from which they may never emerge. Yet it’s this hard–edged honesty –– a far cry from the chipper, meaningless platitudes on view in many other works –– that earns this film its stripes. Yet its key ingredient is Sidibe, whose excellent perfor-

THE BLIND SIDE

gree of panache, and ID at least gave us the lingering image of the White House being blown to smithereens by invading aliens. In 2012, we see the White House being crushed by a wayward naval vessel, a visual more moronic than iconic. 2012 brushes through the fuzzy science - basically, the sun is responsible for Earth’s impending doom, predicted by the Mayans way back when - in order to devote more of its time to its inane assortment of cardboard characters and the CGI effects that will wow some but fail to move others (they alternate between impressive and obvious). John Cusack is the all–American protagonist, a stock underachiever named Jackson Curtis (not to be confused with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) who must rise from Everyman to Superman in order to save not only himself but his fractured family unit (ex–wife, distant son, chipper daughter). There’s also the well–meaning scientist (Chiwetel Ejiofor), the duplicitous politician (Oliver Platt), the self–sacrificing U.S. president (Danny Glover), the conspiracy–theory nut who turns out to be right about everything (Woody Harrelson, whose

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The Blind Side is typical of the sort TueSdayS: of racially aware films Hollywood 2-4-1 beer pong all night foists upon middle America, purport$1 Gin & Bourbon edly focusing on a black protagonist WedneSdayS: but really serving as an example of on the big sCreen with the goodness of white folks. The only Kat & open MiC night with eric Visit us on the web for group reason this young black boy exists, it discounts & party needs: Britt @ 10PM seems to hint, is so that a Caucasian THurSdayS: woman can feel good about herself. The starvin' students’ night! fact that The Blind Side is based on a $1 Coors Light from 9 ‘til close and Free true story dispels much of this criticism, Pizza @ 8:30PM although it still would have been nice if writer–director John Lee Hancock had THiS Friday: thought to include the character of Milive MusiC: chael Oher (Quentin Aaron) into more ChuCk Courtenay @ 9PM of his game plan. Instead, he’s a saintly, THiS SaTurday: one–dimensional figure –– although he live MusiC: (like everyone else in the film) seems eriC britt @ 8PM like the spawn of Satan when compared don't forget, savannah's best to Leigh Ann Tuohy (Sandra Bullock), dJ's to follow each night! the feisty Southern belle who decides to feed, shelter and eventually adopt 206 w. Julian st City Market, savannah 232.5778 this homeless lad after spotting him Mon-Fri 4pm-3am • Sat 12pm-2am • Closed Sundays one dark and stormy night. Bullock’s a continues on p. 34 lot of fun to watch in this role, and the movie itself contains enough humor and heartbreak (though next to no zealotry was a lot more fun to watch in dramatic tension) to make it an engagZombieland), and so on. Even “master ing if undemanding experience. But its of disaster” Irwin Allen liked to shake true intentions are revealed in its ample up the status quo in such films as The self–congratulatory dialogue. “Leigh Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Anne, you are changing that boy’s life.” Inferno, but Emmerich has no imagina“No. [insert dramatic, Oscar–friendly tion: His A–listers live, his support playpause here] He’s changing mine.” You ers die. Worse, he subscribes to a rigid can almost see the filmmakers patting www.tybeefortheholidays.com ethical code usually reserved for slasherfor holiday openings themselves on their backs before headfilms and fundamentalist and specials PLUS diatribes: festive family activities! ing home to their maximum–security Likable characters tempted by the flesh Beverly Hills mansions. suffer mean–spirited ends, as does

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mance crucially transforms Precious from a character to be pitied into a person to be admired.

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nonfiction book of the same name) proves to be a modestly pleasing piffle in which journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor, sincere but straightjacketed by an undemanding role) searches for a great story on the outskirts of the Iraq War and finds one in Lyn Cassady (George Clooney). Cassady claims to be a former super–soldier, a military man who had been trained in the ways of the paranormal in order to use psychic abilities to combat the enemy. Cassady and his fellow recruits flourished under the tutelage of Vietnam War vet Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), but once a devious soldier named Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey) entered the picture, everything went to hell. Now many years later, Cassady insists to Wilton that he’s on a covert mission, and he drags the inquisitive yet uncomprehending reporter along with him. Clooney and Bridges are both adept at giving off–kilter performances (let’s not forget that they’ve both headlined quirky Coen comedies), and they achieve the proper buzz in a picture that, until a protracted finale, gets high off the fumes of its own freewheeling inclinations.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL Officially, the title is Disney’s A Christmas Carol, which is acceptable since it sure as hell isn’t Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. While it might be true that this animated version retains more of the literary classic than might reasonably be expected, it’s also accurate to state that a key ingredient of the novel –– namely, its humanist spirit — is largely missing from this chilly interpretation. Director Robert Zemeckis, who used to make fun movies in which the spectacular special effects served the story and not the other way around (Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump), has become obsessed with the motion capture process (this is his third consecutive picture utilizing this technique, following The Polar Express and Beowulf), and one gets the sense that he chose the Dickens chestnut not because of a desire to revive its moral tale for a new generation but because it seemed like a suitable vehicle for his new techno–toys. But Zemeckis can’t keep still, and rather than remain within the parameters of the meaty story, he follows in the footsteps of the recent Where the Wild Things Are adaptation by fleshing out a story that didn’t exactly cry out for extraneous material. But while Wild Things’ additions at least made thematic

sense, Zemeckis pads the material with such nonsense as Scrooge (Jim Carrey) being blasted into the stratosphere or dashing through the cobbled streets of London (a chase scene? Really?) while simultaneously turning into the incredible shrinking man. Carrey gives the role of the miserly Scrooge his all (he also voices a half–dozen other characters), and the 3–D effects (offered in select theaters) are expertly realized. But you don’t need glasses –– 3–D or otherwise –– to see that this holiday release is too diluted for adults, too frightening for children, and too tiresome for just about everybody.

This Is It A sadness permeates the opening moments in the behind–the–scenes piece This Is It, but it has nothing to do with Michael Jackson’s death. Instead, the sequence – filmed, like the rest of the movie, while Jackson was very much alive – centers on the talented young dancers and singers who auditioned to be a part of the King of Pop’s planned series of London concerts. As each person describes the thrill of being included in the Jackson legacy – many of them tearing up as they speak – they comment on how much this opportunity means to them, with one or two even stating that this concert gave them a newfound purpose in their unfocused lives. It’s a heartbreaking sequence, considering that Jackson’s death meant that none would be able to live the dream that seemed within their collective grasp. It’s a smart way to open. Then there come the dance steps, not as fast and furious as before, but still deft enough to catch the eye. And finally, there’s the sheer spectacle, the showmanship that was arguably as responsible for keeping MJ in the light as any other aspect of his carefully constructed career. Combined, these elements make resistance futile, and for two shimmering hours, all the ghosts of scandals past melt away, leaving in their wake an entertainer whose only desire is to dazzle. And dazzle he does. With all of the footage coming from the rehearsals that took place from April through June of this year, This Is It provides backstage access to all the prepping for what promised to be one hell of a concert. With the special effects work completed for many of the show’s rear–screen spectacles, the movie is able to hint at the larger–than–life dimensions that even at their most bombastic never threaten to obscure the human

dynamo working front and center. Ultimately, This Is It doesn’t quite feel like a documentary, nor does it seem like a concert film. It’s clearly a love letter to the fans, but, perhaps more importantly, it’s an olive branch to the latter–day critics, cynics and naysayers, all of whom have probably shown up to bury Jackson, not praise him.

Astro Boy . A big–budget animated extravaganza from Hollywood was probably a predetermined fate, but turning up at a time when slick superhero sagas are often the rule rather than the exception — even in the toon field (The Incredibles, Bolt) — limits the film’s ability to stand out from the pack. In a futuristic city that hovers well above a largely forgotten Earth, the brilliant Dr. Tenma (Nicolas Cage) is so attached to his young son Toby (Freddie Highmore) that, after the boy is accidentally killed, the grief–stricken scientist elects to revive him in a manner that mixes elements of both Frankenstein and Pinocchio. Tenma places Toby’s memories in an advanced robot powered by a celestial power source, but he soon realizes he hasn’t exactly created (in Geppetto’s words) “a real boy.” The opportunistic General Stone (Donald Sutherland) realizes he can use the lad for his own nefarious schemes. Astro Boy is full of incident, and it picks up steam when its title character lands on Earth’s surface and falls in with a Fagin–like scoundrel (Nathan Lane) and his young charges.

Where The Wild Things Are

Perhaps it’s best to think of Where the Wild Things Are, Spike Jonze’s live–action adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s beloved children’s book, as the PG answer to this past spring’s R–rated Watchmen. The key difference is one of length. The creators of Watchmen had so much material they were able to excise what they chose and still retain a basically faithful adaptation. But here, Jonze and his co–scripter Dave Eggers have the opposite — and more difficult — problem. Because Sendak’s original book is so slender — certainly not enough to fill a 100–minute movie — the pair had to build on characterizations, alter some connecting tissues, and concoct entirely new scenes. The end result isn’t a bastardization, but neither is it a further canonization. Max Records plays young Max, a troubled child. After a spat with

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his single mom (Catherine Keener) leads to his biting her on the shoulder, Max bolts from the house, soon stumbling on a body of water where a small boat awaits him. Max arrives at an island inhabited by large, furry beasts who alternate between sounding like confused children and neurotic adults. Technically, Where the Wild Things Are is a stunning achievement. But there’s a reason why Sendak’s book runs only a few dozen pages, and by blowing up the story, Jonze has stripped it of much of its wide–eyed wonder.

Law Abiding Citizen Law Abiding Citizen appears as if it will be a modern rendition of the Death Wish type of tale, as loving family man Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) must watch helplessly as his wife and little girl are murdered right in front of him. The killer, Clarence Darby (Christian Stolte), and his unwilling accomplice, Rupert Ames (Josh Stewart), are apprehended, but while Clyde wants both of them to pay for their crime, Clyde’s lawyer Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), who’s only interested in maintaining his high conviction–rate percentage, negotiates a deal with Darby that results in him serving a short jail stint while Ames goes to the electric chair. Cut to 10 years later, and Clyde sets out to get his revenge. Initially, Law Abiding Citizen makes all the right moves. But then it turns into a gruesome melodrama that, too afraid to tackle issues it brings up, instead elects to transform into a ridiculous thriller about a psychopath terrorizing a city.

COUPLES RETREAT

Magnificent scenery is indeed one of the pleasures of Couples Retreat, with a character even quipping that the view looks like a screen saver. Yet for all its visual splendor, to say nothing of its likable cast, the movie never feels as liberating as its locale. Working from a script by Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau and Dana Fox, director Peter Billingsley (A Christmas Story’s Ralphie, all grown up) oversees the project more like a foreman making sure the product gets turned out rather than a filmmaker injecting any personal style into the proceedings, leaving it to certain capable actors to provide any juice via well-timed witticisms and double takes. The premise finds married couple Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell) imploring their friends to join them on a vacation to an oceanic paradise where the purpose is to reconnect spouses experiencing turbulence in their unions. The other six -- overworked but content couple Dave (Vaughn) and Ronnie (Malin Ackerman), bickering spouses Joey (Favreau) and Lucy (Kristin Davis), and divorce’ Shane (Faizon Love) and his 20-year-old girlfriend Trudy (Kali Hawk) -- are led to believe that the workshops and counseling sessions are optional; they’re only there for the buffets and the water skiing, but they quickly learn that everyone is required to take part in the team-building activities. Before long, feelings are hurt and all the relationships teeter on the edge of disaster. The characters played by Bateman and Hawk are too annoying to be funny, while Bell herself is too bland to be anything. But Ackerman and Love are pleasing to watch, while the lion’s share of the barbs are adroitly handled by Davis, Favreau and Vaughn.

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The blood flows freely in this gonzo horror tale, but, more importantly, so do the laughs. And while the humor may be frosty around the edges, it’s never downright mean–spirited, thanks in part to a director (Ruben Fleischer) with a light touch, two screenwriters (Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick) who have obviously done their zombie–film homework and to four actors (five, if you include the A–lister who turns up in a crowd–pleasing cameo) who remain ingratiating throughout. cs

HAPPENINGS

submit your event | email: happenings@connectsavannah.com | fax: (912) 231-9932 | 1800 E. Victory Dr., Suite 7, Savannah, GA 31404

We reserve the right to edit or cut listings because of space limitations.

Activism & Politics Chatham County Campaign For Liberty

A group that is carrying the torch that Ron Paul lit for freedom and liberty. Mitch Anderson, 6957746, or visit www.campaignforliberty.com/usa/ GA/Chatham/ for dates, time and meeting place.

Chatham County Democratic Party

Contact Maxine Harris at 352-0470 or R1999MHAR@aol.com. Chatham County Democratic Headquarters, 109 W. Victory Dr. , Savannah http://www.chathamdems.com/

Coastal Empire Constitution Party

Meets every third Thursday of the month at Savannah Joe Coffee House in Pooler. 6pm for the Truth Project and 7pm for the Institute on the Constitution, plus current events and activities related to freedom. Call 484-5281 for more info or www.constitutionparty.com

Drinking Liberally

An informal gathering of left-leaners. august1494@excite.com or www.DrinkingLiberally. org.

National Council of Negro Women

meets the first Saturday of the month at 10 a.m. Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, 460 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. , Savannah http:// www.sip.armstrong.edu/CivilRightsMuseum/ Civilindex.html

Purrs 4 Peace

Three minutes of simultaneous purring by cats (and honorary cats) around the world, conducted online (Facebook & Twitter) each Sunday at 3 p.m. by Savannah residents Confucius Cat and his human Staff. Details at www.ConfuciusCat. blogspot.com. Contact @ConfuciusCat (Twitter) or Acolytes of Confucius Cat (Facebook).

Savannah Area Republican Women

meets the first Wednesday of the month at 11:30 am at Johnny Harris Restaurant Banquet Room on Victory Drive. Cost is $13 at the door. 598-1883. Johnny Harris Restaurant, 1651 East Victory Drive , Savannah

Savannah Area Young Republicans

For information, visit www.savannahyoungrepublican.com or call Allison Quinn at 308-3020.

Benefits Hope House of Savannah

A nonprofit housing program for homeless women and their children. Hope House is requesting donation of new or gently used furniture for its transitional housing program, Peeler House. Pick-up can be arranged and a tax deductible letter will be provided. Call 236-5310.

Lions Club Xmas Tree Lot

The Lions Club of Savannah will host a Christmas Tree Lot this year. Proceeds benefit their chairtable endeavors. Douglas Firs ranging from 5-12 ft. tall. Open Nov. 22 thru Dec. 11, except Thanksgiving Day, until 8:30 p.m. Victory Drive, west of Optimist Stadium,

Miracle on May Street

The East Broad St. YMCA is collecting toys for their annual Christmas toy drive to help local families. They are looking for donations as well as volunteers. Call for more info: 912-233-1951 West Broad St. YMCA, 1110 May St. ,

Toys for Tots/Savannah Humane Society The Lucas Theatre will be collecting donations of new, unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots as well pet supplies like food and blankets for

the Humane Society. Items can be dropped off whenever the lobby is open for a performance. For more info: mewalsh@lucastheatre.com Lucas Theatre, 32 Abercorn St. ,

Call for Entries “In Progress”

Open call for submissions to a juried exhibition of process work. For more info: 912-355-8204 or info@desotorow.org. Desotorow Gallery , 2427 Desoto Ave. , http://www.desotorow.org/opportunities/inprogress.html.

Community Assistance Applications

The Junior League of Savannah is accepting applications for local non-profit organizations who advocate on behalf of women and children in the community. Applications are available at jrleaguesav.org or by calling (912) 790-1002. Deadline Dec. 15. The Junior League offers funding and volunteers to its partner organizations.

Home and Heart Warming Program

The United Way of the Coastal Empire is taking applications for this Atlanta Gas Light Co. program. United Way was given a grant to be used to help low-income homeowners with free repair or replacement of gas appliances, such as hot water heaters, furnaces, space heaters and stoves. Qualified customers also can apply for free weatherization of their homes. The program is open to residents of Chatham, Bryan, Effingham, Liberty and Glynn counties. Call 651-7730.

Junior Miss Contestants

Greater Chatham County’s Junior Miss program is looking for high school junior women in the following counties: Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty that are interested in earning money for college to participate in its 2010 program. Deadline for application is Nov. 30. contact: Sondra Barnes at 912-233-6131 or cctpinc@ comcast.net http://www.ajm.org/about/state_ programs

The Enmark Savannah River Bridge Run is an annual event attracting thousands of participants, race enthusiasts and fun-seekers from Savannah, the Lowcountry and across the U.S. each year. Cost of registration includes a t-shirt and refreshments. Participants cannot register on the day of the race. http://www.SavannahRiverBridgeRun.com/

Story Submissions

Savannah-based children’s book publisher, Castlebridge Books, has announced a January 10, 2010 deadline for story submissions. Selected stories will be included in a book titled “Sharing Savannah”. The book will be a benefit for reading is fundamental. Guidelines: 400-600 word story, with a tie to Savannah, for children aged 0-5. Entry guidelines can be found at CastlebridgeBooks.com http://www.bigtentbooks. com/rifsavannahproject.aspx

Classes, Camps & Workshops “Money Smart” Financial Education Classes

Learn how to save money and budget wisely. Presented by Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS), in partnership with the City of Savannah, Bank On Savannah, the FDIC, and Step Up Savannah. 10/5, 11/2, 12/7 at 2pm. or 10/19, 11/16, 12/21 at 6pm. Call to reserve space 912-691-2227. Bull Street library, board room,

Abstinence Education

Hope House and Savannah State University are providing an after-school program for youth and young adults ages 12 to 29. Program activities last for about 2 hours every Wednesday at SSU. Transportation is provided. Snacks, field trips and supportive services are provided at no charge. 236-5310. Savannah http://www. savstate.edu/

Art,-Music, Piano and Voice-coaching

For all age groups, beginners through advanced, classic, modern, jazz improvisation and theory. Serious inquiries only. 961-7021 or 667-1056.

Beading Classes

Learn jewelry-making techniques from beginner to advanced at Bead Dreamer Studio, 407A E. Montgomery Cross Rd. Call 920-6659. Bead Dreamer Studio, Savannah http://www.beaddreamer.com/

Construction Apprentice Program

Free 16-week training program for men and women interested in gaining construction skills for career level jobs in construction. Earn a technical certificate of credit with no cost for trainingk, books or tools. To apply, call Tara H. Sinclair at 604-9574.

Conversational Spanish

Do you want to practice your Spanish? Come to the mesa de espanol the second Thursday and last Friday of the month at 4:30 p.m. For information, e-mail cafecontigo@gmail.com. The Sentient Bean, 13 East Park Ave. , Savannah

English as a Second Language

Have fun learning English with a teacher who has 20 years of experience. Small class sizes. Meets every Thursday from 7-8pm. Walk-ins welcome. For more info, call: 845-764-7045 The Sentient Bean, 13 E. Park Ave. ,

Fany’s Spanish/English Institute

Spanish is fun. Classes for adults and children are held at 15 E. Montgomery Cross Rd. Call 921-4646 or 220-6570 to register. Savannah

Free swimming lessons

The Savannah Storm Swim Team is giving free swim lessons to any child between the ages 7 to 18. An adult must accompany any child or children under 10. Send e-mail with contact info to: thesavannahstorm@gmail.com.

Garbage, Goo, Recycling and YOU

The Chatham County Department of Public Works is sponsoring this show by the Puppet People, which will tour elementary schools to teach students the importance of learning to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. For bookings, call 355-3366.

Georgetown Playgroup

Meet the first and third Thursday of the month from 9:30-11am at the Northside clubhouse in Georgetown. Free.

German Language Classes

Two ongoing classes for beginners and experienced adults. We read, learn and talk. Everybody who likes to learn German or likes to brush up German is welcome and will learn with a lot of fun. Beginners meet on Monday from 6-7pm, advanced from 7-8pm. 845-764-7045. The Sentient Bean, 13 E. Park Ave ,

Housing Authority of Savannah Classes

Free classes will be offered at the Neighborhood Resource Center, 1407 Wheaton St. Some classes are on-going. Adult Literacy is offered every Monday and Wednesday from 4-6 p.m. Homework Help is offered every Tuesday and Thursday from 3-4:30 p.m. The Community Computer Lab is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. GED/adult literacy

education is being offered Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon or 1-4 p.m.

Puppet Shows

Offered by St. Joseph’s/Candler African-American Health Information & Resource Center for schools, day cares, libraries, churches, community events and fairs. Call 447-6605. African-American Health Information & Resource Center, 1910 Abercorn St , Savannah http://www. sjchs.org/1844.cfm

Savannah Conservatory for the Performing Arts

Low cost instruction in a group lesson format. Classes in drama, dance, percussion, woodwinds, brass, strings, piano, vocals, guitar, visual arts and music theory Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30, 6:30 or 7:30pm. $60 per quarter. 352-8366, tsaconservatory@bellsouth.net. Salvation Army Community Center, 3000 Bee Rd. , Savannah

Savannah Entrepreneurial Center

Offering a variety of business classes. Call 6523582. Savannah Entrepreneurial Center, 801 E. Gwinnett Street , Savannah

Savannah Learning Center Spanish Classes

Be bilingual. Call 272-4579 or 308-3561. email savannahlatina@yahoo.com or visit www. savannahlatina.com. Free folklore classes also are offered on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Savannah Learning Center, 7160 Hodgson Memorial Dr. , Savannah

Starfish Cafe Culinary Arts Training Program

This 12-week full-time program is designed to provide work training and employment opportunities in the food service industry, including food preparation, food safety and sanitation training, customer service training and job search and placement assistance. Call Mindy Saunders at 234-0525. The Starfish Cafe, 711 East Broad Street , Savannah http://www.thestarfishcafe. org/

Volunteer 101

A 30-minute course that covers issues to help volunteers get started is held the first and third Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. The first Thursday, the class is at Savannah State University, and the third Thursday, at United Way, 428 Bull St. Register by calling Summer at 651-7725 or visit www.HandsOnSavannah.org. United Way of Coastal Empire, 428 Bull St , Savannah http:// www.uwce.org/

Watercolor Painting Workshops

Learn the art of watercolor painting from award winning landscape watercolorist Dennis Roth. Classes available Sept - Dec. Call for info. Class size is small, so reserve space early. Studio Phase 3, City Market , http://studiophase3.com/

Clubs & Organizations Bike Night with Mikie

Every Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Half of the proceeds of a 50/50 drawing go to the military for phone cards and other items. The Red Zone Bar and Grill, 3975 Highway 17 , Richmond Hill

Brothers Growing for Humanity

A fraternity for single men of all ages (like the “bachelors” in Midnight in the Garden) devoted to comradeship and serving (as little as one hour per week) those alone/lonely, confined to their home, a nursing or retirement home, or in hospice. Fraternity brothers embrace attitudes/ attributes of compassion and love, honesty, patience, forgiveness, humility, faith, and reverence for human life. Call Brother Dennis at 786-7614.

continues on p. 38

37 NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

Happenings www.connectsavannah.com/happenings

HAPPENINGS

happenings | continued from page 37

NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

Buccaneer Region SCCA

is the local chapter of the Sports Car Club of America. It hosts monthly solo/autocross driving events in the Savannah area. Anyone with a safe car, insurance and a valid driver’s license is eligible to participate. Visit http://buccaneerregion. org/solo.html.

Chihuahua Club of Savannah

A special little club for special little dogs and their owners meets one Saturday each month at 10:30 a.m. For information, visit http://groups. yahoo.com/group/ChiSavannah/.

Civil Air Patrol

Aerospace education programs and activities for adults and teens ages 12-18. Meets every Thursday from 7-9 p.m. Visit www.gawg.cap.gov, send e-mail to N303WR@aol.com, or call Capt. Jim Phillips at 412-4410. Savannah Flying Tiger Composite Squadron, Savannah International Airport , Savannah

Clean Coast

Meets monthly on the first Monday. Visit www. cleancoast.org for event schedule. Jewish Educational Alliance, 5111 Abercorn St , Savannah http://www.savj.org/

Coastal MINIs

Local MINI Cooper owners and enthusiasts who gather on the first Sunday of the month at 10 a.m. to go on motoring adventures together. Visit coastalminis.com. Starbucks, Victory Drive and Skidaway Road , Savannah

Coffee & Conversation

Held every Tuesday at 8am by Creative Coast as a networking event. http://links.thecreativecoast. org/conversation. Cafe Ambrosia, 202 E. Broughton St. , Savannah

Geechee Sailing Club

Meets the second Monday of the month (except for November) at 6:30pm. Open to all interested in boating and related activities. www.geecheesailingclub.org. Tubby’s Tank House (Thunderbolt), 2909 River Dr ,

Historic Savannah Chapter of ABWA

Meets the second Thursday of every month from 6-7:30 p.m. The cost is the price of the meal. RSVP to 660-8257. Tubby’s Tank House, 2909 River Dr , Thunderbolt

Historic Victorian Neighborhood Association

Meets the second Wed. of every month at 6:30 p.m. Call 236-8546. American Legion, Post 135, 1108 Bull St. , Savannah

| Submit your event | email: happenings@connectsavannah.com | fax: (912) 231-9932 | 1800 E. Victory Dr., Suite 7, Savannah, GA 31404 Low Country Turners

This is a club for wood-turning enthusiasts. Call Hank Weisman at 786-6953.

Military Order of the Purple Heart Ladies Auxiliary Meets the first Saturday of the month at 1 p.m. Call 786-4508. American Legion Post 184, 1 Legion Dr. , Savannah

Moon River Chorus

Ladies’ barbershop chorus. Rehearsals are Thursdays from 7-9 p.m. Visitors are welcome. Call Sylvia at 927-2651 or sylviapf@aol.com. Whitefield United Methodist Church, 728 E. 55th Street , Savannah http://www.whitefieldumc. com/

Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS)

Join other moms for fun, inspiration, guest speakers, food and creative activities while children ages birth to 5 are cared for in a preschool-like setting. Meets the second and fourth Wednesday of the month from 9:15-11:30 am Call 898-0869 and 897-6167 or visit www. mops.org. First Baptist Church of the Islands, 6613 Johnny Mercer Blvd , Savannah http://www. fbcislands.com/

No Kidding

Join Savannah’s only social club for people without children! No membership fees, meet great new friends, enjoy a wide variety of activities and events. For more info, visit http://savannahnokidding.angelfire.com/ or e-mail: savannahnokidding@gmail.com

Old Time Radio Researcher’s Group

International fan and research group devoted to preserving and distributing old-time radio broadcasts from 1926 to 1962. Send e-mail to Jim Beshires at beshiresjim@yahoo.com or visit www.otrr.org.

Richmond Hill Roadies Running Club

A chartered running club of the Road Runners Association of America. For a nominal annual fee, members will receive monthly training sessions and seminars and have weekly runs of various distances. Kathy Ackerman,756-5865 or Billy Tomlinson 596-5965.

Rogue Phoenix Sci-Fi Fantasy Club

Members of Starfleet International and The Klingon Assault Group meet twice a month, on the first Sunday at 4 pm. at 5429 LaRoche Ave and the third Tuesday at Chen’s Chinese Restaurant at 20 E. Derenne Ave. at 7:30 p.m. Call 308-2094, email kasak@comcast.net

Savannah Adventure Club

Dedicated to pursuing adventures, both indoors and outdoors, throughout the Low country and beyond. Activities include sailing, camping, skydiving, kayaking, hiking, tennis, volleyball, and skiing, in addition to regular social gatherings. Free to join. Email savannahadventureclub@ gmail.com or visit www.savannahadventureclub. com

Savannah Area Sacred Harp Singers

The public is invited to come and sing early American music and folk hymns from the shape note tradition. This non-denominational community musical activity emphasizes participation, not performance. Songs are from The Sacred Harp, an oblong songbook first published in 1844. Call 655-0994.

Savannah Art Association

Now accepting membership applications for 2010. The SAA is for visual artists of all media types. We gather monthly to exchange ideas, support and promote awareness and appreciation of the visual arts in Savannah. We also provide affordable avenues for members to market and exhibit their art. Call 232-7731 to receive an application.

Savannah Brewers’ League

Meets the first Wednesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. Call 447-0943 or visit www.hdb.org and click on Clubs, then Savannah Brewers League. Moon River Brewing Co., 21 W. Bay St. , Savannah

Savannah Browns Backers

This is an official fan club recognized by the Cleveland Browns NFL football team. Meet with Browns fans to watch the football games and support your favorite team Sundays at game time at Tubby’s Tank House in Thunderbolt. Call Kathy Dust at 373-5571 or send e-mail to KMDUST4@hotmail.com or Dave Armstrong at Darmst0817@comcast.net or 925-4709. Tubby’s Tank House, 2909 River Dr , Thunderbolt

Savannah Council, Navy League of the United States

A dinner meeting held the fourth Tuesday of each month (except December) at 6 p.m. at the Hunter Club. Call John Findeis at 748-7020. Hunter Army Airfield, 525 Leonard Neat St , Savannah http://www.stewart.army.mil/

Savannah Fencing Club

may become a member of the Savannah Fencing Club for $5 per month. Experienced fencers are welcome to join. Call 429-6918 or send email to savannahfencing@aol.com.

Savannah Jaycees

A Junior Chamber of Commerce for young professionals that focuses on friendship, career development and community involvement. Meets the second and fourth Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Dinner is included and there is no charge for guests. Call 961-9913 or visit www.savannahjaycees. com. Jaycee Building, 101 Atlas St. , Savannah

Savannah Newcomers Club

Open to all women who have been in the Savannah area for less than two years. Membership includes a monthly luncheon and program and, in addition, the club hosts a variety of activities, tours and events that will assist you in learning about Savannah and making new friends. Call 351-3171.

Savannah Parrot Head Club

Love a laid-back lifestyle? Beach, Buffet and no dress code. Check out savannahphc.com for the events calendar or e-mail mickie_ragsdale@ comcast.net.

Savannah Sunrise Rotary Club

Meets Thursdays from 7:30-8:30 a.m. at the First City Club. 32 Bull St , Savannah http://www. firstcityclub.com/

Savannah Toastmasters

helps you improve speaking and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment on Mondays at 6:15 p.m. at Memorial Health University Medical Center, Conference Room C. 352-1935. Memorial Health University Medical Center, 4700 Waters Avenue , Savannah http:// www.memorialhealth.com/

Savannah Wine Lovers

A sometimes formal group that also sometimes just gets together to drink wine. Visit http:// groups.google.com/group/savannah-wine-lovers.

Savannah Writers Network

meets the second and fourth Tuesdays at 7pm at Books a Million to discuss, share and critique writing of fiction or non-fiction novels, essays or short stories. A meet-and-greet precedes the meeting at 6:30pm. Melissa Sanso, 441-0030. 8108 Abercorn St , Savannah

Beginner classes Tuesday and Thursday evenings for six weeks. Fees are $40. Some equipment is provided. After completing the class, you

continues on p. 40

The Nutcracker in Savannah presented by Savannah Danse Theatre

Saturday, December 12, 2009 • 7:30 p.m. Tickets $27, $32, $37, $50 — Bring a child for $15! Call 525-5050 or visit www.savannahdance.com

Pub Open Daily For Lunch, Dinner & Drinking! Savannah 311 W. Congress St â&#x20AC;˘ 239.9600 (near City Market) Wed. 11/25 Wine Wednesdays - Buy 1, Get 2nd for $2 6pm-2am Thu. 11/26 Open @ 5pm for traditional Thanksgiving Dinner Fri. 11/27 Pocket Change @10pm Sat. 11/28 Georgia Kyle @10pm Sun. 11/29 Service Industry Night @10pm Tues. 12/01 Ladies Night 10pm-2am - Drink Specials for the Ladies

TRINITY CHURCH

A United Methodist Congregation on Telfair Square since 1848 Sunday School 9:45a.m. Worship 11:00a.m. www.trinitychurch1848.org

Trinity Church. Progressive, Traditional, Diverse

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912.963.0797

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HAPPENINGS

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a new spirit alive at Trinity Church. We have new programs for all ages, a growing and diverse membership and an unparalleled welcoming atmosphere. We could be the church family youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for.

Where Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s More Fun to Eat in a Pub Than to Drink in a Restaurant!

39 NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

Join us for the Holidays

HAPPENINGS

happenings | continued from page 38 Son-shine Hour

Meets at the Savannah Mall at the Soft Play Mondays from 11-12 and Thursdays from 10-11. Activities include songs, stories, crafts, and games for young children and their caregivers. Free, no registration, drop-ins welcome. Call Trinity Lutheran Church for details 912-925-3940 or email KellyBringman@gmail.com Savannah Mall,

NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

Southern Wings

Local chapter of Women in Aviation International. It is open to men and women in the region who are interested in supporting women in aviation. Regular meetings are held once a month and new members are welcome. Visit http://southernwingswai.com.

Stitch-N’s

Knitting, spinning and crocheting Monday and Tuesday from 5-8pm and occasional Sunday 24pm at wild fibre, 409 E. Liberty. Jennifer Harey, 238-0514. wild fibre, 409 E. Liberty , Savannah

Sweet Adeline Chorus

rehearses weekly on Wednesdays from 7-9 p.m. in St. Joseph’s Hopsital’s meeting rooms. Contact vicky.mckinley1@comcast.net. Savannah http://www.sjchs.org/

Tarde en Espanol

“Initial Reaction”--letters, not words. by matt Jones | Answers on page 44 ©2009 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle #0442.

Across

1 Numerical classification of some World War II U-boats 8 Necklace pieces 13 Butt 14 Person who keeps count 16 The U.S., in Mexican slang 17 Valentine sentiment to the 80-89% crowd? 18 Actor Delon 19 “What ___ mind reader?” 21 “___ Tu” (hit 1973 song in Spanish) 22 Football, abroad 24 Mork’s home planet 25 John Irving’s “The World According to ___” 26 Thankful thought toward a universal blood type? 29 TV “Science Guy” Bill 30 Play the part 31 Mrs., in Madrid 32 Cloud shaped like a small Roman numeral? 36 Key on a PC 37 St. with many keys 38 Cross-country travelers 41 Tagline of a rap-oriented cologne slogan? 46 Pitcher Hershiser 47 Fair-hiring abbr. 48 Thing of little imporance 49 Skylab launcher 50 Hit for the Kinks 52 Current capital of Nigeria 53 Hassle at the local community gym? 55 Destroyer 57 Leaves stranded 58 Like some sea bass 59 ___ firma 60 Makes melancholy

Down

1 Crime against one’s country 2 Like old newspaper, color-wise 3 Grand style 4 Strong nickname for Beethoven’s Third Symphony 5 Surname of four generations of French painters in the Louvre 6 Savings acct. figure 7 Brainchild 8 Capital city of Mali 9 TV Tarzan and game show host Ron 10 Lesson taught through symbolism 11 Class project in a box 12 Harsh 14 Car in the Beach Boys’ “Fun, Fun, Fun” 15 Bodily system that includes the lungs: abbr. 20 Term used in taste-testing 23 “Seacrest out” speaker 27 Columbus Day mo. 28 “For shame!” noise 32 It sets things apart 33 Critical hosp. wing 34 Right angle-shaped pipe 35 Winter spread? 36 Ugly statue, e.g. 38 Runaway from another country, perhaps 39 “Les Miserables” surname 40 Bear ___ (company in 2008 economic news) 41 Reach for 42 1997 biopic about a late Tejano singer 43 North Africans disputed in a “Seinfeld” Trivial Pursuit question 44 Pregnant 45 Like vulgar humor 46 Ender for “pseud-” 51 Rainbow shapes 54 Opposite of vert., on old TVs 56 “I get it now!”

Meets the last Wednesday orf every month at 6:30pm in different locations to practice spoken Spanish in a casual environment. 236-8566.

Theremin/Electronic Music Enthusiasts

A club for enthusiasts of electronic music and instruments, including the theremin, synths, Mooger Foogers, jam sessions, playing techniques, compositions, gigs, etc. Philip Neidlinger, theremin@neidlinger.us.

Tybee Performing Arts Society

meets the first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the old Tybee school All interested, please attend or send e-mail to ried793@ netscape.com. Old Tybee School, Tybee Island , Tybee Island

Urban Professionals

Meets first Fridays at 7:30 p.m. at Vu at the Hyatt on Bay Street. If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right. Call 272-9830 or send e-mail to spannangela@hotmail.com. 2 W. Bay St. , Savannah

Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 671 Meets monthly at the American Legion Post 135, 1108 Bull St. Call James Crauswell at 9273356. Savannah

Want to make friends in Savannah?

We chat, play games, have fun and do what the group wishes to do. Led by a well educated, experienced woman. Meetings will be held in a coffee shop Downtown Savannah, GA. For more information please call (845) 764 7045 or e-mail: ifly6000@aol.com

Dance Abeni Cultural Arts Dance Classes

Classes for multiple ages in the art of performance dance and Adult fitness dance. Styles include African, Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Contemporary, & Gospel. Classes are held Monday through Friday at the St. Pius X Family Resource Center. Classes start at $25.00 per month. For more information call 912-631-3452 or 912-2722797. Ask for Muriel or Darowe. E-mail: abeniculturalarts@gmail.com

Adult Intermediate Ballet

Mondays & Wednesdays, 7 - 8pm, $12 per class or 8 classes for $90. Class meets year round. (912) 921-2190 The Academy of Dance, 74 West Montgomery Crossroads ,

African Dance & Drum

Learn the rhythms of West Africa with instructor Aisha Rivers. Classes are held every Sunday - drums at 4pm, dance at 5pm Rhythms of West Africa, 607 W. 37th St. , Savannah http://www. ayoluwa.org/

Argentine Tango

Lessons Sundays 1:30-3:30. Open to the public. Cost $2.00 per person. Wear closed toe leather soled shoes if available. For more information call 912-925-7416 or email savh_tango@yahoo. com. Doris Martin Dance Studio, 7360 Skidaway

Beginner’s Belly Dance Class

Classes teaching the basics of belly dancing. Walk-ins welcome. Sundays 11:40am-12:40pm. Contact Nicole Edge: 912-596-0889. kleokatt@ gmail.com Tantra Lounge, 8 E. Broughton St. ,

Beginners Belly Dancing Classes

Wednesdays 6PM-7PM @ The Charles H. Morris Center for the Arts, 10.00$ per class, Thursdays 6:30-7:30PM @ Fitness Body & Balance Studio, 4 classes for 60$ or 17.50$ per class, and Sundays 11:40 AM-12:40 @ Tantra Lounge, 10.00$ per class. For more info contact Nicole Edge at kleokatt@gmail.com, or 912-596-0889. www. cairoonthecoast.com.

Belly Dance Classes

Taught by Nocturnelle. Contact Maya,313-1619, nocturnellegbd@yahoo.com or www.nocturnelle. org.

C.C. Express Dance Team

Meets every Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. at the Windsor Forest Recreation Building. Clogging or tap dance experience is necessary for this group. Call Claudia Collier at 748-0731. Savannah

Ceili Club

Experience Irish Culture thru Irish social dancing. No partner or experience needed. Learn the basics of Irish Ceili dancing. 7176 Hodgson Memorial Drive. Mondays at 7:30 p.m. For more info email PrideofIrelandGA@gmail.com.

Chicago-Style Steppin’ Lessons

Every Thursday from 7-9 p.m. Also learn new line dances. Contact Tunya Coleman at 6316700.

Country/Western & Line Dancing

Every Tuesday through December at 6:30pm. American Legion Post 36. American Legion Post 36, 2309 E. Victory Dr. ,

Flamenco Enthusiasts

Dance or learn flamenco in Savannah with the Flamenco Cooperative. Meetings are held on Saturdays from 1 to 2:30 or 3 p.m. at the Maxine Patterson School of Dance. Any level welcome. If you would like to dance, accompany or sing, contact Laura Chason at laura_chason@yahoo. com. 2212 Lincoln St , Savannah

Gretchen Greene School of Dance

Register for fall classes in tap, ballet, lyrical, acrobatics, jazz and hip-hop for ages 3 and up. Adult tap classes are held Tuesday from 7:308:15 for beginners and Monday from 7:15-8 p.m. for intermediate. Call 897-4235.

Home Cookin’ Cloggers

Meet every Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at Nassau Woods Recreation Building on Dean Forest Road. No beginner classes are being held at this time, however help will be available for those interested in learning. Call Claudia Collier at 748-0731. Savannah

Irish Dance Classes

Glor na h’Eireann cultural arts studio is offering beginner to champion Irish Dance classes for ages 5 and up, Adult Step & Ceili, Strength & Flexibility, non-competitive and competition programs, workshops and camps. TCRG certified. For more info contact PrideofIrelandGA@gmail. com or 912-704-2052.

Mahogany Shades of Beauty Inc.

offers dance classes, including hip hop, modern, jazz, West African, ballet, lyrical and step, as well as modeling and acting classes. All ages and all levels are welcome. Call Mahogany B. at 272-8329.

Pole Dancing Class

For exercise...Learn dance moves and spins while working your abs, tone your legs and arms, a total body workout. Ladies Only! The only thing that comes off is your shoes. Classes are held Wednesdays at 7:30pm and on Fridays by request. Private parties available with

Salsa Classes

Learn Salsa “Rueda de Casino” style every Wednesday, from 6-7pm Beginner, 7-8pm Intermediate, at the Delaware Recreation Center, 1815 Lincoln St. Grace, 234-6183 or Juan, 330-5421. Savannah

Salsa Lessons

Beginners class: Mondays, 7:30-8:45pm. Intermediate class: Tuesdays, 7-8pm. No partner required. Contact : salsavannah@ gmail.com for more info. Tantra Lounge, 8 E. Broughton St. ,

Savannah Shag Club

offers shag music every Wednesday and Friday at 7 p.m. at American Legion Post 36. 2309 E. Victory Dr , Thunderbolt

Shag & Beach Bop

The Savannah Dance Club hosts Magnificent Mondays from 6:30-11 p.m. Free basic shag, swing, salsa, cha cha, line dance and others are offered the first two Mondays and free shag lessons are offered last two Monday’s. The lesson schedule is posted at www.shagbeachbop.com. Lessons are held 6:30-7:30 p.m. Doubles Lounge, 7100 Abercorn St. ,

Swing Dancing by Savannah Swing Catz Free swing dance lesson and dance every Monday, 7:30-8pm, dancing from 8-10pm. Tantra Lounge 8 E. Broughton St. Free. 220-8096, info@SavannahSwingcatz.com. Savannah

Events Bingo

Join in the fun every Monday and Saturday. Games start at 7:30pm. The Fraternal Order of Eagles, 5406 LaRoche Ave. ,

Tacos on Tuesdays

All you can eat tacos for $5 every Tuesday, 6-9pm. Bar available. Open to everyone. 3986732 or 354-5515. American Legion Post 184, 1 Legion Dr. , Savannah

Fitness Acupuncture for Health

Available Monday thru Saturday at Hidden Well Acupuncture Center downtown. Traditional Chinese medical consultations and treatments are available with Fawn Smiley and Nicole Coughlin Ware. 233-9123, www. hiddenwellacupuncturecenter.com or hiddenwellacupuncture@gmail.com. 318 East Huntingdon Street , Savannah

Belly Dancing for Fun and Fitness

Colorful veils, jangling coin hip scarves, jingly rattling bracelets, exotic music are provided. Held Tuesdays at 1 pm and Saturdays at 3pm, cost is $20 per class. consistantintegrity@ yahoo.com.

Greater-Than Sudoku” For this “Greater-Than Sudoku,” I’m not givin’ you ANY numbers to start off with! Adjoining squares in the grid’s 3x3 boxes have a greater-than sign (>) telling you which of the two numbers in those squares is larger. Fill in every square with a number from 1–9 using the greater-than signs as a guide. When you’re done, as in a normal Sudoku, every row, column, and 3x3 box will contain the numbers 1–9 exactly one time. (Solving hint: try to look for the 1’s and 9’s in each box first, then move on to the 2’s and 8’s, and so on). psychosudoku@hotmail.com

Cardiorespiratory Endurence Training

Offered by Chatham County Park Services for persons 18 and up at Tom Triplett Park on Tuesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 8-9 a.m. Participants should wear comfortable clothing and will be required to sign a waiver form before participating. All classes are free. Call 652-6780 or 965-9629. U.S. Highway 80 West , Pooler

41 NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

reservation. $70 per month or $22 per class. Call for details 912-224-9667 or visit www. fitnessbodybalance.com.

answers on page 44

Crossfit Hyperformance

Meets mormings at 6:30am at Crossfit Hyperformance. Visit www.crossfithyperformance.com. or call Jennifer at 224-0406 or Drew at 541-0530. 904 E 70th Street , Savannah

Fit Lunch

Join us for a 30-40 minute workout on your lunch hour. Classes offered Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 10:45am until 2:00pm by Fitness Body & Balance Personal Training Studio. Classes will utilize a variety of training techniques. Advanced booking required. Call for details 912-398-4776 or 912-2249667. www.bodybalance.com. 2209 Rowland Ave, Suite 2 , Savannah

Fitness Classes at the JEA

Spin, firm it up, yoga, Pilates, water aerobics, Aquasize, senior fitness, and Zumba. Prices vary. Call for days and times. 355-8111. Jewish Educational Alliance, 5111 Abercorn St , Savannah http://www.savj.org/

Gentle Yoga

Offered Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. Participants must be 18 or older. Mat and blanket are required. Limited to 12 participants. Pre-register at adultenrichment@uusavanah.org or call 234-0980. Held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Savannah upstairs in Phillippa’s Place. 313 Harris St. , Savannah http://www. uusavannah.org/

Hatha Yoga classes

toothpaste for dinner

Every Monday and Wednesday from 5:306:30 p.m. Pre-register by calling 819-6463. St. Joseph’s/Candler Center for Well Being, Savannah http://www.sjchs.org/

Kidz Fitness

Aerobic fitness class for children 6-13 with weight concerns. Meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-5:45 p.m. at the Candler Hospital Wellness Center. Children must be members of the Candler Wellness Center. 819-8800. Savannah http://www.sjchs.org/

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Kevin Barry’s IRISH PUB & RESTAURANT BEST IRISH BAR • BEST RIvER STREET BAR

Live Music This Week: Harry O’Donoghue @8:30pm nightly Live Music Next Week: Seldom Sober @8:30pm nightly Live Music 7 Nights A Week • 117 West RiveR st • 233-9626 Full Irish & American Menus Serving Until 2am Nightly NOW OPEN FOR LUNCH AT 11AM DAILY!

HAPPENINGS

PSYCHO SUDOKU!

happenings | continued from page 40

www.toothpastefordinner.com

HAPPENINGS

happenings | continued from page 41

NOV 25 - DEC 1, 2009 | WWW.CONNECTSAVANNAH.COM

Learn Kung Fu Today

The Temple of Martial Arts is a Kung Fu school where men and women of all levels of martial arts experience come together to learn the art of Wing Chun and Tai Chi. SiFu Michael, 429-9241. 407 E Montgomery Cross Rd, Ste B , Savannah

connectsavannah.com for more info Robins nest