INsite Atlanta December 2008 Issue by INsite Magazine

0 08 2 r e b m e c e D o. 4 F R E E Vo l. 17, N

tainment Monthly r e t n E s ’ a t n Atla ta.com

Holiday Gift Guide

insiteatlan

NYE

Guide

New Year’s Eve in Atlanta

BRAD PITT | CHEAP TRICK | EVA MENDES QUEEN LATIFAH | ROB ZOMBIE | LUDACRIS

our bes t

! y a d o T n i o J

Look and feel y

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ENROLL FOR LESS THAN $9 PER WEEK* PLUS ONE-TIME INITIATION FEE OF $99 AKERS MILL 770.956.9093 2995 Cobb Pkwy. ALPHARETTA / WINDWARD 678.393.2733 5530 Windward Pkwy., Ste. H ANSLEY MALL 404.249.6463 1544 Piedmont Ave. NE ATLANTIC STATION 404.810.9015 261 19th St., Ste. 1140 AUSTELL 770.432.4262 1025 E. West Connector #2 BUFORD 678.714.5075 3420 Buford Dr. NE CAMP CREEK 404.344.1248 3755 Carmia Dr. SW, Ste. 700

Excludes tax if any.

NO LONG-TERM CONTRACT REQUIRED

CONYERS NOW OPEN! 770.760.1337 1618 Highway 138 SE DUNWOODY / PERIMETER PT 770.350.4951 1155 Mount Vernon Hwy. #600 EAST COBB 770.973.3370 4400 Roswell Rd., Ste. 115 HOLCOMB BRIDGE 770.640.8137 1475 Holcomb Bridge Rd., Ste. 189 JOHNS CREEK 770.623.9433 11720 Medlock Bridge Rd. KENNESAW II 678.202.5179 4200 Wade Green Rd., Ste. 25 LENOX / BUCKHEAD 404.233.8311 3232 Peachtree St.

McDONOUGH 678.228.8011 95 Foster Rd. MIDTOWN 404.249.6404 75 Fifth St. NW, Ste. E NORTHLAKE 770.414.0651 1990 W. Exchange Place PEACHTREE CORNERS 770.797.2661 7050 Jimmy Carter Blvd. #118 ROSWELL WEST 678.494.6464 4905 Alabama Rd. NE SNELLVILLE II 770.979.1288 2279 Pinehurst Rd. SOUTHLAKE 770.960.0393 7057 Mount Zion Cir.

SPRAYBERRY 678.202.5178 2550 Sandy Plains Rd. SUGARLOAF 770.822.2533 1860 Duluth Hwy. TOCO HILLS 404.321.2330 2880 N. Druid Hills Rd. Preview Centers Now Open:

DOUGLASVILLE 678.202.5613 6740 Douglas Blvd. TOWNE LAKE 678.202.5612 2340 Towne Lake Pkwy. 1.800.LA FITNESS WWW.LAFITNESS.COM

*Offer based on the purchase of a new Easy Start monthly dues membership, with a one-time initiation fee of $99 and $34.99 monthly dues per person. Must pay ﬁrst and last months’ dues plus the initiation fee to join. Monthly dues must be paid by one account and deducted by automatic transfer from checking, savings, Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover account. Membership valid in state of enrollment only. Photos herein depict a typical facility; some locations may vary. Monthly dues membership may be canceled with written notice in accordance with the terms of the membership agreement. Advertised rate does not include access to any LA Fitness Signature Club. Offer is not available in combination with other discounted rates. Call club for details. Advertised rate may be subject to change. ©2008 LA Fitness International, LLC. All rights reserved.

CLEARANCE CENTER

PREVIOUSLY RENTED. DRASTICALLY REDUCED.

CONTENTS • DECEMBER 2008 • VOLUME 17.4 Atlanta’s

Entertainment Monthly

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10 BRAD PITT 11 QUEEN LATIFAH 11 KRISTEN WIIG 15 EVA MENDES 20 COUNT BASS D 20 SHAWTY LO 23 CHEAP TRICK 23 JOSH BROLIN 27 ROB ZOMBIE 27 THE HUSH SOUND

FEATURES 05 ATLANTA ON THE CHEAP 08 HOLIDAY CATERING 21 NYE GUIDE 22 TRAVEL TO DISNEY 24 GIFT GUIDE

COLUMNS 05 ON TAP 06 AROUND TOWN 06 BOOKS 09 UNDER THE LIGHTS 13 MOVIE REVIEWS 16 CONCERT CALENDAR 19 ROAD WARRIORS 19 WE GOT NEXT 28 ALBUM REVIEWS 29 FANATIC

www.insiteatlanta.com STAFF LISTING Publisher Stephen Miller steve@insiteatlanta.com National Managing Editor Bret Love bret@insiteatlanta.com Art Director Michael T. graphics@insiteatlanta.com Music / Sports Editor DeMarco Williams demarco@insiteatlanta.com Events Listing Editor Glenn LaFollette glenn@insiteatlanta.com Special Features Editor Marci Miller mmiller@insiteatlanta.com Entertainment Editor Matt Goldberg matt@insiteatlanta.com Web Design Michael T. graphics@insiteatlanta.com PG 4 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

Contributing Writers / Interns: John Moore, John Davidson, Jon Latham, John C. Snider Benjamin Carr, Ryan Loftis, Mike Brune, Matt Goldberg Mitchell Hughes, Alexis Gray, Rodney Hill, Rebecca Crosby, Zena Scott, Alex S. Morrison, Blue Sullivan Michele Fontanelli Arnett, Roger Presswood Dave Cohen and Russ Marshalek CONTACT US 2250 North Druid Hills Rd. #234 Atlanta, GA 30329-3118 phone 404-315-8485 website insiteatlanta.com ADVERTISING INFORMATION �� Editorial content of INsite is the opinion of each writer and is not necessarily the opinion of INsite, its staff, or its advertisers. INsite does not knowingly accept false or mi leading advertising or editorial content, nor do the publisher or editors of INsite assume responsibility should such advertising or editorial appear. No content, i.e., articles, graphics, designs and information (any and all) in this publication may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from publisher.

Check out our New Year’s Eve Party Guide on Page 21!

LOCAL EVENTS

OnTap December EMAIL EVENTS TO ONTAP@INSITEATLANTA.COM

Thru December 31: Life University

LIGHTS OF LIFE

Lights of LIFE began in 1989 as a gift to the local community presented by Life University and nearly half a million spectators cruised through Life's campus for the premiere of this visual feast. Today, Lights of LIFE, which features millions of lights throughout the campus, is not just a tradition for Life University and the Marietta community but rather a visual experience for the entire Atlanta metropolitan area. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Santa Claus will be available every Friday and Saturday night to take pictures with attendees. More info at www.LIFE.edu

December 17: Philips Arena

HAWKS VS. BOSTON CELTICS

The atmosphere in Philips Arena during last year’s playoff games was expolosive. Those who dared call Games 3, 4 and 6 of the Atlanta/Boston Eastern Conference match-up anything short of magical failed to grasp their true impact. The steadily-ascending Hawks remember everything about that series and have applied it to their stellar start to the 08-09 campaign. When the two teams meet for this eagerly-anticipated, nationally-televised rematch, expect Kevin Garnett and Co. to be fired up. Be shocked if Joe Johnson, Al Horford and Josh Smith arent equally brimming at midcourt.

December 31: Georgia Dome

CHICK-FIL-A BOWL

The Chick-fil-A Bowl, Atlanta's bowl game tradition since 1968, will play its 41st annual game on New Years Eve at 7:30pm. This year the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will represent the ACC versus a top SEC opponent. After #22 Auburn's overtime win against #15 Clemson last year, the rivalry series is tied 8-8. Game Week includes the Parade, Coaches Luncheon, FanFest and an MVP Tailgate Party. The 71,500-seat Georgia Dome is expected to be a sell-out. The game will also be nationally televised by ESPN. For more information, please visit www.chick-fil-abowl.com.

Dec. 31 - March 1: Stone Mountain

SNOW MOUNTAIN

Stone Mountain Park celebrates the holidays by unveiling Atlanta's first snow park, Snow Mountain. Snow Mountain will feature three football fields of deep snow including a 400 foot tubing hill and a 30,000 square foot play area. The snow park includes 11 tubing runs, areas to make the snow men and snow angels, a snowball making zone and a play area for younger kids. The snow park also features warming chalets and bonfires for roasting marshmallows. To create the attraction the park will use a closed loop system that borrows water from Stone Mountain Lake and will not tap into city water. Please visit www.snowmountainpark.com.

Jan 2-Feb 22. Atlantic Station

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL KOOZA

ATLANTA ON THE

CHEAP!

HOLIDAY EVENTS SMALL CHANGE DECEMBER TOP EVENTS FORFOR SMALL CHANGE ININSEPTEMBER

Know about a low cost event or happening in Atlanta? Email atlcheap@insiteatlanta.com

SPELMAN-MOREHOUSE CHRISTMAS CAROL CONCERT

ARMY GROUND FORCES BAND FREE HOLIDAY CONCERT

Martin Luther King International Chapel www.morehouse.edu; www.spelman.edu December 5,6,7 8PM Free Event

Georgia World Congress Center www.forscom.army.mil/band 404-464-5676 Sun. Dec. 14 3PM

This annual SpelmanMorehouse concert, featuring the talented glee from clubs both schools, will kick off the Christmas season in Atlanta.

This concert features traditional holiday music, sing-along, and a special salute to men and women of Armed Forces far from home this time of year. Order tickets by sending self-addressed, stamped envelope to Army Ground Forces Band, ATTN: Public AffairsHoliday, 1294 Cobb Street, Fort McPherson, GA 30330-1071.

1280 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta www.high.org 404-733-HIGH Sat. Dec. 6 10AM - 5 PM Free Event

2075 Market St., Duluth www.FullThrottleMMA.com 404-626-2126 Friday, December 19 Doors open at 7PM; Fights start at 8:30PM Free with donated toy

WILD BILLS FIGHT NIGHT: HIGH MUSEUM FREE FULTON DAYS “A FIGHT FOR CHARITY”

On the first Saturday of every month, the High Museum of Art welcomes Fulton County residents to the museum for free. Fulton County residents who show proof of residency may view the museum's permanent collection as well as current exhibitions, including the popular "The First Emperor - China's Terracotta Army."

TED TURNER “CALL ME TED” LECTURE & BOOK SIGNING

Wild Bill's Fight Night will stage a completely FREE fight night to benefit Toys For Tots. All fight fans will receive free admission to the fights by simply donating a new toy. Drop off spots will be made available within days and toys will also be collected at the front door of Wild Bill's on Fight Night.

COCA-COLA HOLIDAY CARAVAN

Jimmy Carter Presidential Library 441 Freedom Parkway, Atlanta www.carterlibrary.galileo.peachnet.edu 404-331-3942 Wed. Dec. 10 7PM; Free

World of Coca-Cola www.worldofcoca-cola.com 404-676-5151 Daily through December 23 10:30AM- 7PM

In "Call Me Ted", you'll hear Ted Turner's distinctive voice on every page. Always forthright, he tells you what makes him tick and what ticks him off, and delivers an honest account of what he's all about. Inspiring and entertaining, "Call Me Ted" sheds new light on one of the greatest visionaries of our time.

An 18-wheeled semi-truck decorated with 25,000 twinkling lights sits outside the World of Coca-Cola and features a mix of holiday activities including free photos with Santa. All those who bring a donation of five canned food items for the Atlanta Community Food Bank will receive a coupon for $5 off a general admission ticket (visit website for full details).

A POLAR EXPRESS ADVENTURE

Southern Museum of Cival War and Locomotive History 2829 Cherokee St., Kennesaw, GA www.southernmuseum.org 770-427-2117 Sat. Dec. 13 5PM - 9PM $7.50 Adults; $6.50 Seniors; $5.50 children 4-12; and free for children 3 and under Southern Museum in Kennesaw invites kids and their parents to believe in the magic all over again as it presents "A Polar Express Adventure." The halls of the Southern Museum will be transformed into a winter wonderland for the imaginary journey, which was inspired by the popular book and movie.

2008 CHICK-FIL-A PARADE

Starts at intersection of Peachtree St. and Ralph McGill Blvd. www.chick-fil-abowl.com 404-586-8496 Wednesday, Dec. 31st 12:30PM - 2PM; Free to Attend The parade will serve as the official kick-off for the Chick-fil-A bowl game. The parade ends at the Georgia World Congress Center leading all fans into the halls of the Chick-fil-A Bowl FanFest.

Cirque du Soleil returns to Atlanta with KOOZA, the story of The Innocent, a melancholy loner in search of his place in the world. KOOZA returns to the origins by combining two circus traditions; acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance presented in an electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, chills, audacity and total involvement. KOOZA will be under the Grand Chapiteau at Atlantic Station. For more information, please visit www.cirquedusoleil.com or www.atlanticstation.com.

Jan. 10: The Fox Theatre

PINK FLOYD LASERSPECTACULAR

After 23 years of touring, Paramount's LaserSpectacular has become a cult classic, presenting the music of Pink Floyd like you’ve never seen it before. Surrounded by 10,000 watts of concert quality sound, Pink Floyd’s musical legacy continues as the bands concept music captures the imagination and carries listeners away on a mind-expanding journey driven by cutting edge effects. Colorful lasers and lighting effects parallel the sonic journey as the senses are confronted with an array of glowing visual displays choreographed to the soundtrack during the 2 hour and 20 minute show. www.LaserSpectacular.com www.ticketmaster.com PG 5 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

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Book Review IS IT JUST ME OR IS EVERYTHING SHIT? INSANELY ANNOYING MODERN THINGS Author: Steve Lowe and Alan McArthur with Brendan Hay

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PG 6 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

��

. . . X T I E S N E O WHMES T IGNORANCE IS CO

Delivery

DEFINITELY NOT BLISS

BY JOHN B. MOORE British comedic writers Steve Lowe and Brendan McArthur have made a career of sorts bitching about “modern conveniences” through a collection of books. The best bits have been sandwiched into Is It Me or Is Everything Shit? with additional observations added in by Daily Show writer/American Brendan Hay. For the most part, the book has some pretty hilarious, astute observations. Like their straight-to-the-point take on Hare Krishnas: “Hare, hare Krishna/Hare hare/hare Bullshit/Bullshit/Bullshit Krishna/Hare bullshit/Bullshit hare/(Repeat).” The book does slant predictably British, with some entries that will have you scratching your head if you’re not an anglophile with regular access to the BBC. But the addition of Hay helps. Catalogued alphabetically (from “Abstinence Programs” to “Z-List celebrities Saving the Planet”) the book serves as a cynic’s encyclopedia. There are a handful of truly laugh-out- loud entries (“PowerPoint: The Microsoft tool that encourages people to think and talk like fuckheads.”) and the rest generate a chuckle at the very least. But be warned: after ﬁnishing the book, you’re likely to be left with the uneasy feeling that you’ve been conned into buying, using and obsessing over a boatload of useless modern contraptions that do little more than make you look, act and feel like a tool (“Blackberries: What exactly the fuck do you think you’re doing to yourselves?”). Grade: B

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At the Feminist Women’s Health Center’s brand new clinic, we provide all the FACTS you need to understand your own body and to make the best choices for your gynecological health. � � � � � � � � �

�� 1924 Cliff Valley Way Atlanta, GA 30329

404-728-7900 www.feministcenter.org

Surgi-Center License 044-287

‘Tis the season to earn extra cash from UPS. Seasonal Driver Helpers Work in your own neighborhood! • Earn $8.50/hour • Must be 17 years or older • Able to lift up to 70 lbs • Work at a fast pace • Have reliable transportation • Meet UPS appearance guidelines

Apply online: www.upsjobs.com UPS is an equal opportunity employer.

Includes one 16"x 20" Red Label Med. Texture Canvas and one Blue Label Ultra Smooth Canvas. Shrink-wrapped together with special holiday packaging!

FREDRIX HOLIDAY CANVAS 2-PK

Just $1099/pack

50% Off List Prices! Shown right: White Taklon Short Handle Brush Set #9051 and Assorted Long Handle Brush Set #9048

BUNGALOW360 “EARTH HAPPY” BAGS

Other Brush Sets Available

PIERRE BELVÉDÈRE PENS A beautiful collection of fine pens for less! Assorted styles are available.

Perfect for carrying everything from books to workout clothes. Bungal Bungalow360 uses natural "Earth Happy" canvas and water based ink on all their Purses, Totes, Wallets, Beach Bags and Wristlets. Assorted styles and patterns are available.

DATE BOOKS & ADDRESS BOOKS Elegantly affordable organization! Other styles and colors are available.

BEST VINTAGE CLOTHING

Great Gifts! 1460 Northside Dr Atlanta, GA 30318 Prices start at just $16 ea

www.samflaxsouth.com

Depr e s se

Have you been diagnosed with depression? Common signs of depression are: • Feelings of sadness, anxiety, irritability, hopelessness, or guilt • Lack of energy or loss of enjoyment and pleasure • Inability to concentrate or remember

Mercer University is taking part in a study of an investigational depression treatment Qualified participants between 18-55 years receive at no cost: • Medical evaluation including physical exam and lab testing • All study related treatments

• Travel reimbursement

www.baldinos.us IT’S ALWAYS A PARTY WHEN YOU INVITE BALDINOS! Ask about ordering

THE AMERICAN – Alternating combinations of thinly sliced & Deli Salads by the layered Roast Beer, Turkey & Ham plus our fresh garnishing pound, Cookies by the THE ITALIAN – Alternating combinations of thinly sliced & layered dozen, Pickles & Iced Hard Salami, Pepperoni, Boiled Ham, Cappicola Ham, Provolone Tea by the gallon. Cheese plus our fresh garnishing THE IMMIGRANT – An Americanized Italian! Altering combinations from both The American & The Italian

MARIETTA: 770-321-1177

80 Powers Ferry Rd

DORAVILLE: 770-455-8570

5697 Buford Hwy.

VOTED BEST SUBS IN ATLANTA

Best Health Food Store

Best Organic Selection

If you or someone you know is interested, please call The Center for Clinical Research at Mercer University in Atlanta

Phone: 678-547-6342 • Monday-Friday • 9am-5pm E-mail: COPHSCCR@Mercer.edu Located just inside the perimeter near I-85 and Chamblee-Tucker Rd.

404.320.EDEN (3336) Return2eden.com | We Ship Anywhere!

2335 Cheshire Bridge Rd | Atlanta, GA 30324 At the corner of Lavista and Cheshire Bridge PG 7 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

Dining at Chin Chin is pure pleasure 2 NEW LOCATIONS!

MuLan Chin Chin Chinese and Sushi (Suwanee) ��

Chin Chin

�� (Alpharetta)

�� Buckhead/Brookhaven �� Cobb �� 2001-2008 Best Chinese – INsite

1998-2008 Best Chinese by Creative Loafing 2008 Best Chinese – Sunday Paper 2001-2002 Best Chinese by Atlanta Jewish Times Readers

"Mouthwatering Chin Chin spices things up." – AJC "Chin Chin...a window into Hong Kong." – Buckhead Weekly 2 1/2 Stars – Knife & Fork

�� & OTHER LOCATIONS DELIVERY (LIMITED AREA; MIN $10)

�� FULL BAR SERVICE

WWW.CHINCHINONLINE.COM Watch our Open kitchen & experience the Art of Chinese Cooking!

“Aint Nothing like ‘em Nowhere” Catering Available

Mon – Sat. 10AM – 10PM Sunday 11AM – 9PM

Voted Best Barbecue in Atlanta!

DINING

HOLIDAY CATERING GUIDE Ideas for planning a party at home or at a restaurant Mezza A Lebanese bistro & wine bar 2751 Lavista Rd., Decatur 404.633.8833 www.mezzabistro.com

Mezza is a traditional way of dinning in which all menu items are served in small portions allowing diners to sample and share a large variety of dishes. This type of dining lends itself well for large groups and catering large functions. Mezza has expanded and offers a new dining experience along with the great food, belly dancing and hookahs on the weekends. Mezza is Zagat rated, one of Atlanta Magazine's "Top 100 Restaurants in Atlanta" and one of AJC's top 50 restaurants. A variety of more than 60 menu items ranging from the traditional dishes, such as hummus, baba ghannouge, falafel, tabbouleh, kebabs, legs of lamb are on the menu. Mezza offers an assortment of party trays and gift cards are available.

Athens Pizza 1341 Clairmont Rd. Decatur 404.636.1100 www.athenspizzaatlanta.com

For over 30 years, the Papadopoulos family has been serving up great Greek and Italian cuisine to the Emory area. Athens Pizza is Zagat rated and the recipient of various awards including Best Greek Cuisine ’08. Don’t let the name fool you, there is much more than great pizza, as some of the favorite recipes on their Greek dishes go back generations! This holiday season consider ordering from their catering menu which is available at the restaurant and also on their website. Athens Pizza House can accommodate large parties and a private room is available.

Agave 242 Boulevard SE 404.588.0006 www.agaverestaurant.com

Agave has been voted by several publications as the Best Southwestern as well as being voted one of the “Top 100” restaurants in Atlanta. Agave has two beautiful dining rooms as well as an enclosed patio area making it perfect for holiday parties. They can accommodate parties from 6 guests to 120. Agave’s bar boasts over 100 tequilas and their Margarita’s have also won various awards. Those looking to add some extra fun to their party can arrange a special tequila dinner. Their chef's menus are located online which take the pressure off of ordering for large groups and include a personalized menu with your special heading at the top of each menu.

Mexico City Gourmet 2134 N. Decatur Rd. 404.634.1128 www.mexicocitygourmet.com

For over 20 years, Mexico City Gourmet has been serving award winning cuisine to the Emory area. The restaurant offers 3 distinct dining rooms and bar area making it a perfect place to hold a private party. Mexico City Gourmet has a vast menu consisting of many authentic Mexican dishes that are available for catering. There is a 10 person minimum with prices starting at $7 per person. A popluar catering choice at Mexico City is their Fajita platters which include rice, beans, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, tortillas and your choice of meats. Their Fajita Platters run $10 per person. They offer pitchers of Margaritas for large parties. A 24 hour notice is asked for large catering orders.

Johnny’s Pizza

10730 Alpharetta Hwy. | Roswell, GA 30076 | 678-352-7999 PG 8 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

Multiple Locations www.JohnnysPizza.com

Johnny’s Pizza has come to be synonymous with great pizza and subs in Atlanta. they speacialize in NY style pizza, which is thin in the

middle and thick around the edges. Johnny’s offers plenty of specialty pizzas plus subs, salads, sandwiches, and other popular dishes Italian including Calzones, strombolis and lasagna. Go to their website to find the location nearest you.

Flying Biscuit Cafe’ Catering Hotline: 404.849.2203 www.flyingbiscuit.com

Flying Biscuit Cafe’ recently celebrated the opening of their sixth location. Their one of a kind award winning biscuits are the perfect addition to any holiday function. Other popular selections from their menu include: The Power Breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, White Cheddar Grits, OvenRoasted Rosemary Potatoes, Turkey Bacon, Chicken Sausage and Biscuits. Breakfast Biscuit Sandwiches: Egg & Cheese, Turkey, Bacon Egg & Cheese, Chicken, Sausage Egg & Cheese, and Soy-Sage Egg & Cheese. Plus Sandwich & Salad Boxed Lunches. Call their catering hotline or check the Flying Biscuit website for great ways make this year’s holiday party a memorable one.

Dreamland Bar-B-Que Ribs 10730 Alpharetta Hwy. 678.352.7999 www.dreamlandbbq.com

Ain’t nothing like them, nowhere. Tuscaloosa AL, based Dreamland ribs are the perfect complement to your holiday party (Crimson Tide or not). Their Roswell restaurant goes through 22 tons of hickory wood every ten days! This year, Dreamland is celebrating 50 Years of great barbecue. Go to their website and order online, purchase gift certificates and receive internet specials.

Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs 80 Powers Ferry Rd. 770.321.1177 5697 Buford Hwy. 770.455.8570

Let Baldinos take the stress out of catering your holiday party. They have something for everyone from their assortment of famous subs to deli salads by the pound, cookies by the dozen and iced-tea by the gallon. Throw a great event that won’t break the bank. “It’s always a party when you invite Baldinos.”

Mediterranean Grill

N. Decatur Plaza 404.320.0101 Midtown (10th & Monroe) 404.917.1100 www.mediterraneangrill.com

Here you will find authentic regional dishes like gyros, falafel and kabob sandwiches that are perfect for holiday parties large and small. Mediterranean Grill has a speacial catering menu that can be found on their website or at their restaurants. Look out for their newest location in Market Plaza in East Cobb / Marietta.

Chicago’s Nancy’s Pizza

Midtown 265 Ponce De Leon, 404.885.9199 www.nancyspizza.com

The name Chicago conjures up images of some of the best pizza in the country and Chicago’s Nancy’s Midtown location does it to perfection. Nancy’s is the perfect place to call when planning a holiday get together large or small.

Locos Grill & Pub

3167 Peachtree Rd. 404.233.1989 www.locosgrillandpub.com

Locos is famous for their wings, subs and great pitchers of beer. This makes them a popular choice for catered events large and small. Their menu is available on their website offers a wide array of choices from platters to individual servings. The Buckhead location featured offers a patio area and private room for holiday parties.

Under The Lights Upcoming Holiday Performances A Christmas Carol

Thru Dec. 24 Alliance Theatre Box Office 404.733.5000 www.alliancetheatre.org

Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the Morehouse College Glee Club and the Gwinnett Young Singers, this is a dynamic display of the power of music. The traditional program includes classical selections from Handel's Messiah, as well as sacred vocal pieces and audience sing-alongs on beloved carols.

Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy Dec. 30- Jan. 4 Cobb Energy Centre

Scrooge is back as Alliance’s annual holiday gift to Atlanta – now in its 19th year. Soaring holiday music and jaw-dropping special effects accompany this beloved classic tale of the power of the holidays to awaken the soul. Share this lavish Broadway-scale musical spectacular with your family for the first time or the 40th. It’s an event certain to dazzle your eyes, warm your heart and carry you throughout the New Year. A Christmas Carol is set in a Victorian warehouse where a stone-hearted Ebenezer Scrooge learns the meaning of compassion as he travels the road to redemption for his lonely, miserly life. A Christmas Carol is an adaption from the 1840s tale into a musical featuring favorite holiday carols and hymns.

Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker Dec. 5-28 The Fox Theatre Box Office 404.817.8700

www.atlantaballet.com The Atlanta Ballet's annual production of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece has been an integral part of the city's holiday season for over 40 years now. The Nutcracker tells the timeless tale of young Clara Stahlbaum, who awakes at midnight on Christmas Eve to find her prized Nutcracker toy has come to life to do battle with the Mouse King's army. From dancing snowflakes to lively Russian nesting dolls, the extravagant production is guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience for all ages.

Christmas with the ASO Dec. 11-13 Symphony Hall Box Office 404.733-5000

www.atlantasymphony.org This annual celebration of the season has become an Atlanta tradition on par with the lighting of the Macy's tree. With Robert Spano conducting the combined forces of the Atlanta

Tickets 404-817-8700 www.cobbenergycentre.com Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy is an exotic encounter inspired by nature’s unpredictable creations that are brought to life by an international cast of 25 soaring aerialists, spine-bending contortionists, acrobats, jugglers and musicians. The astounding feats performed in this action packed Cirque Dream are enhanced with over 150 spectacular costumes and set in a fantastical jungle ignited by striking visual effects. From the breathtaking aerial ballet of butterflies to the balancing giraffes, gigantic flowers and trees, this world-class explosion of athleticism, theatre and imagination will exhilarate the entire family.

Sam the Snowman

Thru Jan. 4 Puppetry Arts Center Box Office 404.873.3391

www.puppet.org Tired of the same ol' holiday fare? Check out visionary puppet-master Jon Ludwig's latest creation, which tells the tale of a snowman that meets a dog who has been sent outside in the harsh cold of winter. When the pooch tells Sam all about the wonders of the warm stove inside, he falls in love with the appliance, trying to avoid the affections of a young snowwoman in the pursuit of his seemingly doomed romance. Running through January, it should prove to be great holiday fun the whole family can enjoy.

Invasion:Christmas Carol

Thru Dec. 23 Dad’s Garage Theatre Box Office 404.523-3141

www.dadsgarage.com Dickens' beloved Christmas fable gets a major makeover in this irreverent production (running through December 23), a sequel of sorts to last year's critically acclaimed Invasion: Our Town. A mixture of scripted drama and hilarious improv, the show will feature favorite classic characters such as Ebenezer Scrooge and Tiny Tim, but each night they'll be visited by different ghosts (which will be a complete surprise to the cast). Regardless of who shows up, one thing's for sure: You'll never again view this hoary holiday chestnut in quite the same way.

O C C I IT Y X E M Gourmet Best Mexican Restaurant

�� ½ – AOL City Search �� at $5.75 ��

Mon: $3 Margaritas �� $2 Tecate Wed: $3 Modelo Especial �� $4 1800 Margaritas �� LIVE Music 7-10pm �� $3 Sangria

“Serving Emory / Decatur Since 1982” Located N. Decatur Plaza | 404-634-1128 | www.MexicoCityGourment.com

Your Neighborhood Pizzeria!

BEST PIZZA!

& Multiple Atlanta Locations: www.JohnnysPizza.com PG 9 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

FILM INTERVIEW

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BRAD PITT

BY ALEX S. MORRISON

MILY DICKINSON ONCE SAID, “FAME is a fickle food upon a shifting plate,” and it has only grown more so in the years since the legendary poet’s death. In an era in which reality show contestants line up for their shot at 15 minutes of fame by the thousands, and attention hounds such as Paris Hilton and Lauren Conrad are famous simply for being famous, the notion of the classic movie star (see: Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn) seems downright antiquated. But Brad Pitt has proven that it’s still possible to live under the increasingly harsh glare of fame’s spotlight with both dignity and humor, using one’s celebrity for something more than mere shameless self-promotion. A tabloid staple since the beginning of his mid-‘90s relationship with Gwyneth Paltrow, Pitt is more experienced in dealing with media attention than most. But in recent years the 44-year-old actor has used his platform wisely, drawing attention to the plight of Katrinaravaged New Orleans (a cause to which he personally donated $5 million), co-founding the Darfur charity Not On Our Watch with buddies Don Cheadle and George Clooney, and accompanying partner Angelina Jolie on her missions as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations. Born in Oklahoma and raised in Springfield, Missouri, where his father worked as manager at a trucking firm, Pitt attributes his relatively grounded nature to his Midwestern upbringing. “A lot of my family is still in Missouri,” he says, “so when I do get back home—and I do, because I have to take the grandkids to visit or my parents would kill me– it’s mainly about spending time with the family. But it was a really gentle, sweet place to grow up.” That pastoral region (which, coincidentally, was also the stomping grounds of the Old West outlaw Pitt played in last year’s critically acclaimed The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) was a far cry from Hollywood, where he headed immediately upon

PG 10 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

leaving the University of Missouri, just two credits shy of graduation. It took nearly five years of small supporting roles before he garnered attention for his breakout turn in Thelma & Louise, but by 1995 he’d been named People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” and earned $4 million for the leading role in Se7en. He admits now that he was not remotely prepared for the hailstorm of attention that followed. “In some ways you say, you made this deal and the attention is part of it,” he reasons. “But on the other hand you really do not know what you’re getting into. The focus [when you’re starting out] is on your love for movies, wanting to tell stories and be really good at it. When this other thing comes along, it can be really discombobulating, but eventually you start to acclimate.” But Brad Pitt is no pampered celeb, bitching and moaning about the high price of fame, and is quick to point out the upside of being a world-renowned movie star. “I know the deal and understand the tradeoff you have to make. There are great perks to what we do,” he admits. “We get to travel and see the world, and we manage it. The only time

it becomes unmanageable to me is when it’s a full-frontal assault on the kids. Unfortunately there’s no line when it comes to family these days, and that’s the only thing that really bothers me.” Instead of worrying about the paparazzi that seem to shadow his every move, Pitt seems content to focus on his work, which in recent years has veered from popcorn crowdpleasers such as Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Ocean’s Thirteen to award-worthy dramatic fare like Babel. His latest film, the Coen brothersdirected Burn After Reading, found him at the center of a comedic farce as one of two unscrupulous gym employees who find a CD-Rom containing the top secret memoirs of a high-ranking CIA agent, played by John Malkovich.

[BECOMING A FATHER] CHANGES YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON THE WORLD,” HE INSISTS PASSIONATELY. “I’VE HAD A VERY FORTUNATE LIFE, AND IT’S TIME FOR ME TO SHARE THAT. HAVING CHILDREN TAKES THE FOCUS OFF YOURSELF, WHICH I’M GRATEFUL FOR. I’M SO TIRED OF THINKING ABOUT MYSELF… YOU CAN WRITE A BOOK, YOU CAN MAKE A MOVIE, YOU CAN PAINT A PAINTING, BUT HAVING KIDS IS THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY THING I’VE EVER TAKEN ON.

Asked about making the transition from the brooding outlaw to the downright idiotic Chad Feldheimer, he insists, “The preparation is really all the same, whether it be for a comedy like Burn After Reading or for The Assassination of Jesse James. You begin with research and studying, and you start to narrow in on the idea you’re gonna try out. I hear stories of actors not

being able to shake a role at the end of the day, but that’s never really my affliction. I usually have more trouble getting into the part,” he admits with a laugh, “and am very happy to put it down when it’s done.” Although he has plenty of projects in the works as an actor, including the title role in director David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and a buzzed-about turn as Jewish resistance leader Lt. Aldo Raine in Quentin Tarantino’s eagerly anticipated WWII epic Inglorious Bastards, these days Pitt seems equally devoted to his role as a producer. Having previously helped to usher films like The Departed and Jolie’s A Mighty Heart into theaters, he currently has nearly a half-dozen projects in production, including high-profile adaptations of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Shantaram. “I got into producing for the same reason I originally got into being an actor,” he insists, “[which was] a love for film and the belief that stories can educate and/or entertain. Producing is really about getting out of the way and making sure the director has room to go where he needs to go, and being a buffer between the artistic and financial side to help make sure they get along. But the producer’s most important role is quality control, because there are a hundred different ways a story can be told badly.” But more important than his career as an actor and producer, or even his sociopolitical passions, is Pitt’s role as partner to Angelina Jolie (whom he calls “the best sounding board I have”) and as father to their multi-ethnic brood of kids, which expanded in July with the birth of twins Knox and Vivienne. “[Becoming a father] changes your perspective on the world,” he insists passionately. “I’ve had a very fortunate life, and it’s time for me to share that. Having children takes the focus off yourself, which I’m grateful for. I’m so tired of thinking about myself… You can write a book, you can make a movie, you can paint a painting, but having kids is the most extraordinary thing I’ve ever taken on.”

It’s a Man’s World

FILM INTERVIEW

TV INTERVIEW

�� Meet Kristen Wiig, SNL’s Latest Breakout Star

BY BRET LOVE

Queen Latifah Just Rules It

BY B. LOVE

N ITS BRIEF THREE DECADES OF existence, hip-hop has historically been the domain of men driven by testosterone and braggadocio. Widely known as the first lady of hip-hop, Queen Latifah emerged at the tender age of 18 and rapidly proved she could more than hold her own against macho peers such as Ice-T and Public Enemy. But even more impressive is the way she has sustained her 20-year career, moving from rapping to acting, artist management and singing, ultimately proving a success in all of them. Born Dana Owens in 1970, the girl who would be Queen grew up in East Orange, New Jersey, with a schoolteacher mother and a policeman father. Given the nickname Latifah (Arabic for “kind”) by a cousin at the age of eight, she was raised in the Baptist church and eventually led her high school basketball team to two New Jersey state championships. Today, the Queen credits these roots for helping to keep her grounded in the wake of Hollywood fame and fortune. “I have great family and friends that do not treat me like Queen Latifah,” she admits with a smile during an interview at the Toronto Film Fest. “When you go to your mom’s house and she asks you to take the dog out and you’ve got to scoop poop, Queen Latifah is out the window, you know? So I’m back to just Latifah or Dana, and that keeps me pretty normal. When I go home and hang out with my cousins, I’m not treated like royalty. They’ll tell me the truth, whether it hurts or not, and I need that.” That sort of grounding family dynamic was also part of the allure of Latifah’s latest film, The Secret Life of Bees, which was adapted from the beloved bestseller by Sue Monk Kidd. In it, she starred alongside Alicia Keys and Sophie Okonedo as three beekeeping sisters who take in a troubled girl (Dakota Fanning) and her caregiver (Jennifer Hudson) in mid-‘60s South Carolina. “I think the thing that most attracted me to the film was the amount of love,” she says. “As an actor, you gotta put your mind in some very dark, troubled places, thinking of difficult times in your life that would put you in the mind of a certain character. But [August] was so caring, so nurturing that she only had to go to places of love, so I thought that could be a really wonderful place for my inner spirit, for the Dana Owens that’s inside of that character. I could live in August and feel really comfortable for a few months.” Though our interview took place several weeks before the tragedy involving Jennifer Hudson’s family unfolded, Latifah spoke highly of her Secret Life co-stars and seemed particularly enthusiastic about her experience working with them on the North Carolina set. “With who August is and who I am and this cast that I got to work with,” she recalls warmly, “I felt very comfortable between takes. These were my sisters on and off set. I felt like we could go have some lunch together, or I could

leave them alone and not speak to them for a while ‘cuz they might need a nap. You know what I mean? I just felt very relaxed and very comfortable with everybody.” Truth is, Latifah has seemed increasingly relaxed and comfortable as an actress in recent years, earning an Oscar nomination for her scene-stealing role in 2002’s Chicago and bringing in major box office in films ranging from Bringing Down the House and Beauty Shop to Ice Age 2: The Meltdown and Hairspray. And while she’s made over 15 films in the last six years, the undisputed queen of hip-hop has made only two albums, the jazzy “Dana Owens Album” and “Trav’lin’ Light which found her interpreting pop standards by Peggy Lee and Nina Simone with a surprisingly assured, jazzy flair. “With films,” she says when asked to compare the two mediums, “you’re kinda stepping into someone else’s shoes, saying someone else’s words and bringing what you are to that character. When you make music, you have the freedom to feel whatever you feel and write whatever you write. But they’re not mutually exclusive: Music inspires me as far as what I do, acting-wise. I could play eight bars of a song and that would put me right where I need to be. I don’t have to think about the worst things in my life to get ready to cry. I could play a Clark Sisters record and the harmonies would make me want to cry in two seconds.” But there doesn’t seem to be a whole of crying going on in Queen Latifah’s world these days: Last year she was selected by Jenny Craig to replace Kirstie Alley as the company’s spokeswoman, the low-budget Bees was a crowd-pleasing commercial success, and her surprise Saturday Night Live cameo as Presidential debate moderator Gwen Ifill earned rave reviews. And now she’s preparing for the release of this summer’s Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, in which she reprises her role as sassy mastodon Ellie. “It’s cool,” she says of the animated film, “because the kids have something to look at, and I know that my niece and nephew will like it. They’ll be like, ‘Auntie, what’re you doing in that TV?’ Kids don’t get it at all. They’re like, ‘How are you coming out of the TV?!’” Though she acknowledges wanting to have or perhaps adopt a child of her own and start a family one day, the 38-year-old formerly known as Dana Owens seems truly content with her lot in life at the moment. And though she admits feeling driven to succeed, Queen Latifah is determined not to let any little setbacks along the way ruffle her regal feathers. “The Oscar thing with Chicago,” she recalls, “I didn’t feel like, ‘If I don’t win this Oscar, it’s over.’ I’m not that person. I see a silver lining and a lesson in everything. I’m just trying to grow and learn, and hope that I just continue to be myself. I hope that myself is what people want, not some idea of who people want me to be. I just continue to try and build on that and let the rest take care of itself.”

OW THAT TINA FEY HAS HUNG UP her Sarah Palin specs and Amy Poehler has announced her intention to leave Saturday Night Live at the end of this season, Kristen Wiig stands poised to become the show’s next breakout star. Raised in Rochester and trained at L.A.’s famed Groundlings Theatre, Wiig joined the SNL cast three years ago, and has since become an audience favorite thanks to endearingly quirky characters such as the Target lady, compulsive liar Penelope, and celebrity impersonations including Suze Orman, Bjork and Jamie Lee Curtis. During her appearance at the Toronto Film Festival, the 35-year-old actress sat down to discuss the advancements of women in comedy, her favorite SNL characters and her penchant for drama.

and the writing nights are always very loose. You just go into your office, grab another cast member or another writer and write something, or maybe they grab you, or they write something specifically for you. It’s very… I don’t want to say “loosey-goosey,” but that’s what’s in my head. It’s very free. Is there one particular SNL character that was especially fun to play? I did a sketch one time last season about a woman who was really excited about a surprise party. That was a lot of fun for me because I wanted to do something that was more physical and less self-contained. That and the girl who was hosting the Publisher’s Clearing House giveaway were probably two of my favorites. When you guys get the gift of someone like Sarah Palin stumbling onto the political scene, is that like a comedy goldmine for SNL? Yeah! There’s obviously a lot there [to parody]. It was so much fun to get back on the air because there was so much political stuff happening. We couldn’t wait.

What did your early sketch and improv training at the Groundlings do for your career? Everything! I wouldn’t be sitting here if it weren’t for that place. It was the ﬁrst time I’d ever seen improv on stage, and my training there and the friends I met there have been so inﬂuential on my life. I wouldn’t have found my manager if she hadn’t seen me there, and all the tapes I sent into SNL were from there. I still try to go back there whenever I can and do shows. It taught me, not just improv and writing, but how to be a team player, work with a group to try to create the best end product, I CAN’T SPEAK FOR HOW IT USED TO and give other BE, BUT SNL HAS SO MANY GOOD people stage time.

WRITERS AND WE WRITE STUFF TOO,

SNL seems to be giving you career a major boost. Do you have a particular path in mind? I definitely want to do more drama. I did one at the beginning of last summer– a small part in an Andrew Jarecki (Capturing the Friedmans) film called All Good Things, which stars Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst and tells the true story of this heir to a real estate family in New York who goes missing– and I’d love to do more of that. I’m drawn to those kinds of films, and as an actor it’s challenging and satisfying to do those kinds of scenes.

Saturday Night live AND I THINK IT’S REALLY GREAT has always been THAT WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES NOW known as something of a boys’ club, but THAT WEREN’T AVAILABLE EVEN obviously you, Tina FIVE YEARS AGO. Fey and Amy Poehler have brought a different sensibility to the show. Have you felt like the Is it difficult to get casting directors to see you as anytide has shifted in terms of offering opportunities for thing other than a comedic actress? females to make their comedic voices heard? I don’t know what goes on behind closed doors, but Oh, yeah. I can’t speak for how it used to be, but SNL I’m sure I may not be the first person on someone’s list has so many good writers and we write stuff too, and when they think of a dramatic actress. You do get set I think it’s really great that we have opportunities now in a certain category, especially being on SNL and in that weren’t available even five years ago. There are so films like Knocked Up and Walk Hard. Those are all many movies that are comedies starring women, and comedies, but I hope people will recognize that I can do the roles are getting juicier and more fun. There are so other things too. I think people like Jim Carrey and Kate many funny women out there right now, especially Amy, Winslet, who were so amazing in Eternal Sunshine but Tina, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, Casey Wilson, can also be really funny, have proven that it can be done. Sara Silverman… There are so many that I shouldn’t have even started listing them, because I know later I’ll What other films do you have coming up? remember somebody I forgot! But I think it’s great that The next one will probably be Adventureland, which is these women are finally getting the recognition they coming out this summer. It was written and directed by deserve. Greg Mottola (Arrested Development, Superbad), and stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart and Ryan ReynHow much input do you have in your recurring olds. It’s about a guy who gets a summer job at this really characters? old, run-down amusement park, and Bill Hader and I I write my characters’ material with another writer, play the managers of the park. I’m really excited to see it.

PG 11 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

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FILM

�� AUSTRALIA (PG-13) �� –Matt Goldberg

CADILLAC RECORDS (R) �� –DeMarco Williams

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (PG-13) ��

�� –DeMarco Williams

FOUR CHRISTMASES (PG-13) �� –Rebecca Crosby

FROST/NIXON (R) �� –Matt Goldberg

Philip Seymour Hoffman is good in just about anything. How about a 1964-set ﬁlm about a priest abusing a black student? Sure, why not. He could win an Oscar playing Big Bird.

DOUBT

��

�� –Brett Love

coming this month Dec. 12: The Day The Earth Stood Still (PG-13)

We’re huge fans of science-fiction movies, and one of our all-time favorite was the original to this remake coming out early this month with Keanu Reeves attached to star. The 1951 is a classic and set the standard for some modern sci-fi flick. This one? We’ll have to wait and see. We’re sure the people that brought you “Transmorphers” will have a knockoff of this that is just as good. Kathy Bates and Jennifer Connelly also star. The plot revolves around an alien invasion set to whip humans off the Earth because we have been abusing it. These aliens are in fact Al Gore.

Dec. 19: Yes Man (PG-13)

So Jim Carrey decided to do a comedy about a situation where this guy has to do something he usually never does – ever – for an entire year. No, it’s not “Liar, Liar.” This ﬁlm follows a guy who always lies… I mean says no to everything, who accepts a challenge to say yes for an entire year. Zooey Deschanel also stars as the love interest. We like Carrey, so we’re sure this will lead to a variety of situation where he acts crazy and says funny things.

Dec. 19: Revolutionary Road (R)

This ﬂick is based on a story about a young couple who struggles to overcome the many problems of raising their children, while their relationship falls apart. No, this isn’t the ﬁlm version of “Step By Step.” Though, that would be awesome. Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and the very busy Kathy Bates star. Should be a good one, but we admit, we’d like Leo better if his middle name were something like “Harry” or “George.” Leonardo Harry DiCaprio.

Dec. 25: The Spirit (PG-13)

Just what this year needed, another comic book ﬁlm. Word on the street is that this movie directed by Frank Miller could be genius or just complete ass. We’ll leave it to you to decide. It has the ultra-cool look of Miller’s “Sin City” but is based on a classic comic by Will Eisner, who is Miller’s hero. Gabriel Macht (we don’t know either) plays the lead battling Samuel L. Jackson and a host of hot chicks: Eva Mendea, Scarlett Johansson and Jaime King. The gist? It’s cop who has returned from the dead to ﬁght crime. It’s like Batman and Spawn and every other crime/comic story. But it looks cool. –Compiled by Glenn LaFollette PG 13 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (PG-13) �� –Mitchell Hughes

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (R) �� –Matt Goldberg

MILK (R) �� PG 14 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

�� –Matt Goldberg

PUNISHER: WAR ZONE (R) �� – John C. Snider �

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (R) ��

��

�� –Rodney Hill

SOUL MEN (R) �� –DeMarco Williams

TWILIGHT (PG-13) �� –John C. Snider

QUANTUM OF SOLACE (PG-13) ��

��

�� –Matt Goldberg

SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK (R) �� –John C. Snider

ROLE MODELS (R) �� –DeMarco Williams

Moved By The Spirit

FILM INTERVIEW

Eva Mendes Takes Her Career to the Next Level D and come from diﬀerent backgrounds, but we’d spend the ﬁrst 20 minutes talking about our lives and what we were wearing. I loved it, because there’s that moment where suddenly you’re just a girl. It was a really sweet experience.

BY B. LOVE

ESPITE BEING raised in Los Angeles, Eva Mendes broke into acting fairly late in life, and was 27 by the time she turned a 4-line role opposite Denzel Washington in Training Day into a bona-ﬁde Hollywood career. Now 34, the gorgeous CubanAmerican actress has more than made up for lost time, appearing in box oﬃce blockbusters like 2 Fast 2 Furious, Hitch and Ghost Rider. But with a starring role in comic legend Frank Miller’s directorial debut, The Spirit, Mendes is out to take her burgeoning career to the next level. She recently sat down for a chat, covering everything from her bucktoothed childhood and accidental acting career to how life for Latinas in Hollywood is improving.

You’re considered one of the world’s most beautiful women now, but I’ve read that you got teased about your looks as a kid? I think everybody gets teased. It’s like a rite of passage. (Laughs) The thing I got teased for was buckteeth that I grew into as I got older, but stood out when I weighed about 80 pounds. But every kid has something that the other kids latch onto and make fun of them for. Do you have any advice for other girls who might be going through an awkward stage in their own development? Yeah, this too shall pass! I was really unhappy during my early teen years, because I had no clue who I was or what I wanted to put out there into the world. And you shouldn’t have that when you’re only 13. But it made it diﬃcult, not knowing who you are and then being judged every day at school. I think junior high school and high school preps you more for the real world than anything else, because it can be brutal out there. I always tell young girls that everything they’re getting made fun of for now is something they’re gonna love about themselves in the future. That’s what’s gonna help make them an individual. You started out as a marketing major at California State. What made you decide to give acting a try? I had so many diﬀerent majors because I just didn’t like school. I was a communications major, then a marketing major, but I was just doing it to make my mom happy because she told me if I didn’t go to college I’d have to pay rent. The only thing I really liked about it was art history. I turned to acting when I was 23 because I was desperate, which is very late in the game. I had no direction whatsoever, but I had a neighbor who was a photographer who took some photos of me and put them in his portfolio. When his book went around, a manager saw my picture, and that’s how it all started.

The Spirit attracted a lot of buzz at this year’s Comic Con. What can you tell us about your character?

I LOVE AMERICA AND I’M PROUD TO BE AMERICAN, BUT I THINK SOMETIMES WE’RE A LITTLE TOO QUICK TO BLOW THINGS OUT OF PROPORTION. PEOPLE SEE A GLIMPSE OF A NIPPLE AND THEY FREAK OUT! There was a time not too long ago when there were very few roles for women of Latin descent. How do you think that has changed in the past decade? I deﬁnitely think it’s gotten better thanks to people like Jennifer Lopez and Salma Hayek paving the way. Lately, with the rise of people like America Ferrera, we’ve proven that we’re all completely diﬀerent and that we’re here to stay. There’s a lot of Latinas in America, and I’m grateful that we’re getting a lot more opportunities. Not just for Latin women, but for all women of color. How did your breakthrough role in Training Day come about? It was so huge. I remember auditioning for it, and even though there were only two scenes and a handful of lines, I just felt like it had to be mine. I studied ferociously with my acting coach, Ivana Chubbuck, who I’m still with now, and she told me I’d need to have a lot of internal monologue since the character only had four lines. I met with the director, Antoine Fuqua, and he wanted to hire me but was nervous because there was nudity involved. He kept explaining why the nudity was appropriate, and I was like, “Wait, listen, I’m OK with it!” You’ve worked with Denzel twice now. What have you been able to learn from him as an actor? To question everything within a scene. And, when I feel like I’m not in tune with the scene, to speed it up. It sounds so simple and obvious, but I’ve used that little piece of advice for years

and it makes a certain life creep into the scene. He’s amazing, and I really hope to work with him again because he’s so inspiring and intense. Joaquin Phoenix was the same way, and I really respond to those types of actors that go for it full force. You’ve posed topless for Vogue and appeared semi-nude in a series of Calvin Klein ads, which was deemed too racy for TV and was even banned from YouTube. Why do you think these things are considered so controversial in America? I don’t know, I guess there’s still a puritanical aspect to America. I love America and I’m proud to be American, but I think sometimes we’re a little too quick to blow things out of proportion. People see a glimpse of a nipple and they freak out! I think it’s a little backwards: I’d rather see a nipple than all of the extreme violence we’re inundated with. Of course there’s a limit to what shouldn’t be censored, but seeing a woman’s breast in a tasteful manner just isn’t a big deal to me. You’ve been in quite a few male-dominated action films, from 2 Fast 2 Furious to Ghost Rider. How different was it working with a female director and mostly female cast for The Women? It was such a departure for me, and I loved every minute of it. I’ve never cared so much about how I looked during rehearsals! (Laughs) You’ve heard the saying that women dress for each other, not for men? It is soooo true, because men are easy to please. We’d meet for rehearsals and acted like such girls. We’re all different ages

Sand Saref is from the original comic, and she is just a man-eater! (Laughs) She’s on her 15th husband when we meet her, and she’s killed every last one of them. They just get in the way, ya know? She’s a jewel thief, and her father was killed when she was little, so ever since then she’s had this dream of becoming this glamorous, world traveling woman. She makes it come true, but at a very heavy price. She’s the Spirit’s long-lost love, and they come together after not seeing each other for 15 years. This was Frank Miller’s first film as a director. What was he like to work with? At first I was a little worried, because Frank is a visionary creative genius, but it was his first time directing a film. Yet he turned out to be one of my favorite directors because he was so into it, so into collaboration, really encouraging me to put myself into my character and even giving me old films to watch for inspiration. I love that! I’d never seen Patricia Neal in The Fountainhead, even though I love the book, but he insisted I should watch it. But there was definitely a little bit of that dame aspect in Sand Saref, and we had a lot of fun working together. Why do you think comic book movies are so appealing nowadays? I think if you break it down it’s the ultimate good vs. evil story. That’s interesting to almost everybody, and now we have the technology to create these amazing fantasy worlds with special effects. Are there any major career challenges you’re looking forward to tackling next? Yeah, I just finished a film with Nicolas Cage, directed by Werner Herzog, called Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. It’s a very loose remake of Bad Lieutenant, and that was a really exceptional experience. Nobody shoots like Werner, and he’s an exceptional director. I’ve done a lot of movies now and I’m proud of all of them, but now it’s time to really be taken seriously as an actress. It’s not that I wasn’t up for it before, but the opportunities weren’t coming my way like they have since I did We Own The Night. I’m gonna seize them all, and the challenge is to prove myself. Not to anyone else, but to myself, to show that all these years of training have paid off. I really wanna stretch myself, and go beyond what even I think I’m capable of.

PG 15 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

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YES MAN

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Pases May be Picked up Tues–Thur from 2–6PM

No purchase necessary. One pass per person, each pass admits one. Tickets are limited and available on a ﬁrstcome, ﬁrst-served basis, while supplies last. Employees of all promotional partners and their agencies are not eligible. Rated PG13 for crude sexual humor, language and brief nudity.

Opens Nationwide December 19!

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We even will give you movie passes, DVDs, restaurant gift certiﬁcates and much more!

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CONCERT

CALENDER

�� Girlz, Girlz Girlz �� Cecil Thornton & Celina Soul Divine �� Sweety Betty & The Shadows �� Kindred The Family Soul �� Mad Margritt �� Polvo �� Caroline Herring �� Rough Draft �� Random Rabbit �� The Sounds �� The Cruxshadows �� Born of Osiris �� Trotline �� The Elvis Show �� Hollow Stars �� Trey Boyer �� Ledisi – It’s Christmas! �� Michael Tolcher �� Locash Cowboys �� Unzipt �� The Dan Marshall Project �� Francine Reed �� Ken Ford �� Aclarion �� Grupo Fantasma �� Gareth Asher �� Little Brother �� Randall Bramblett �� Fishbone �� Job For A Cowboy �� Murphy’s Law �� Fly By Radio �� Lord T & Eloise �� Trances Arc �� Brian Wiltsey Band �� Delbert McClinton �� The Bridges �� Moby Dick �� My Brightest Diamond �� Caroline Aiken, Donna Hopkins �� Melissa Ferrick �� Her & Kings County �� Howe, Squire & White of YES �� Nathan Morgan Band �� Open Mic Night �� Songwriter’s Open Mic �� Patrick Vining Band �� Joe McGuinness �� Draped in Sorrow �� Plastic Lennon Band �� HipHop Jam Session �� Terry Flynn Band �� Ice Cube �� Hipnotic �� Darker My Love �� Ten Out of Tennessee Christmas Tour �� JT Speed �� Open Mic Jam �� The Misﬁts �� Sparky’s Flaw �� Tyler Reeve Band �� Nine Inch Neils �� Ty Reynolds Band

Let us know your INsites (dang we’re witty) and we will give you stuff for your input. Just minutes of your time and you can win some sweet prizes. How great is that? Just go to www.insiteatlanta.com and click on Readers’ Poll for you chance to win advance movie screening passes, restaurant gift certiﬁcates, new release DVDs and tickets to theatrical events. You don’t even have to answer every question to win a prize (of course the more you answer, the better your chances of winning)!

Just go to our site at www.insiteatlanta.com & click on Readers’ Poll today! PG 16 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

Neil Diamond @��(12-10) �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam �� Electromatics �� Chop Shop �� Rock Maﬁa �� Tyler Hilton �� Chicago Joe Jones �� Danger Woman �� Neil Diamond �� OHGR �� DJ Tubbystyle �� Right As Rain �� City Cousins �� Mike Veal Band

�� Time 2 Shine �� Tommy Brown �� Ian Schumacher �� Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs �� Adam Klein �� Chickenshack �� Hayes Carll �� Splendid Chaos �� Emery Drive �� Johnny Winter �� All Night Drug Prowling Wolves �� Amy Gerhertz & Friends

AC/DC @��(12-16) �� The Breakfast Club �� The Friday Flow �� Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith �� Glory Hounds �� Tiger! Tiger! �� Sonia Leigh �� Work in Progress Band �� BarnRats �� Gwar �� Passaﬁre �� Wes Loper �� Paleface �� The Features �� Randall & Ian �� Richie Havens �� Playground Rivals �� Emerson Drive �� Mel & the Party Hats �� Rahbi �� Houserocker Johnson �� Marc Broussard �� Brandon Perry �� Battle of the Bands �� South 70 �� Kerry Hill Band �� Angie Aparo �� Evergreen Terrace �� Rock n Roll Review �� Zoso �� Rebirth Brass Band �� Yule Log �� Brian Wiltsey Band �� Kingsized �� Dirty Shirty �� Mother’s Finest �� The Gypsy Hicks �� Cowboy Envy �� 2nd Annual Winter Soulstice �� Q1000 Miracle on West Peachtree St. �� Open Mic Night �� Songwriter’s Open Mic �� Patrick Vining Band �� Kate Kwik, Liz Brown �� The Sneaky Hand �� Homer the Cable Guy �� HipHop Jam Session �� The Skylarks �� Todd Wells �� Antic Clay �� Shawn Mullins �� JT Speed �� Faster Faster �� Tyler Reeve Band �� AC/DC �� Castor Troy �� Ty Reynolds Band �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam �� Burnt Bacon �� Rock Maﬁa �� Dave Daniels & the PTA �� Shawn Mullins �� Chicago Joe Jones �� Levi Lowrey �� Star 94 Jingle Jam �� DJ Tubbystyle �� Tab Benoit �� The Bohannons �� Mike Veal Band �� Three on Third Street �� Sweet Betty

achtree St.

�� Iron Mullet �� The Judies �� Jack Williams �� Chickenshack �� GSU Jazz Night �� Strutter �� The Scenic �� 17th Floor �� Ancient Harmony �� The Booze �� Connor Christian �� Reverse Bomonkey �� Bellcurve �� Houserocker Johnson �� Pistol Town �� Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun �� The Brilliant Inventions �� The Casanovas �� Broke & Boujee �� Cartel �� FUZE �� Brantley Gilbert �� Turtle Folk �� Rock City Dropouts �� Mudvayne, 10 Years �� Gareth Asher & Friends �� Keel Family Holiday Show �� Money Shot �� Gritz & Jelly Butter �� Sandra Hall �� Manchester Orchestra �� Asphalt Grunge �� Vincent Gauraldi’s Charlie Brown Xmas �� Ed Roland �� Burning Time �� Diane Durrett & Donna Hopkins �� Three Doors Down �� OURS �� Mon Cheries �� Velcro Pygmies �� Zoroaster �� Big Foot �� Brian Wiltsey Band �� Manchester Orchestra �� Corey Crowder �� Jesse James Dupree & Dixie Inc

TIC 12/ KETS 13 ON AT SA NO LE ON

�� Strange Design �� STS9 with Mike Relm �� HipHop Jam Session �� Dianne Burrett �� Todd Wells �� Garrett Moore �� JT Speed �� Col Bruce Hampton & The Quark Alliance �� Mr. Fernando �� Band of Horses �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam �� Aclarion �� The Rent Boys �� Packway Handle Band �� All Joe’s Children �� Hot Water Music, Tim Barry �� Delicious �� Lil’ Wayne �� Col Bruce Hampton & The Quark Alliance� �� Anna Kramer, Gringo Star �� STS9 with Pnuma Trio �� Band of Horses �� Houserocker Johnson �� Robinella �� Habitat for Humanity Beneﬁt �� Zac Brown Band �� Sandra Hall �� Hightide Blues �� El Rodeo

FEBRUARY 17 Tickets available at all locations, online at ticketmaster.com or by phone at (404) 249-6400

�� HipHop Jam Session �� Sematic

Lil’ Wayne @ ��(12-31)

�� Ed Roland �� King Rat & the Apostles �� Jackson Sneed �� Stooge Brothers �� Open Mic Night �� Songwriter’s Open Mic �� Patrick Vining Band �� Holly Bell �� EP3 �� HipHop Jam Session �� The Breeze Kings �� Hipnotic Unplugged �� JT Speed �� There For Tomorrow �� Tyler Reeve �� Mama’s Love �� Hellbound Orchestra �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam �� Gentleman Jesse & His Men �� Sandra Hall �� Drivin N Cryin �� Hipnotic Unplugged �� Tribute to Writers Who Rock �� Oliver Wood & Joe McGuinness �� Matt Moore, Cole Swindell �� The SOB All-Stars �� Slippery When Wet �� Houserocker Johnson �� Unknown Hinson �� Brian Webb �� Dr. Dixon & the Operators �� Grayson Hill �� The Swinging Richards…Now �� Ocha La Rocha �� Brian Wiltsey Band �� North Mississippi All-Stars �� Fatback Deluxe �� Jody Abernathy �� Open Mic Night �� Songwriter’s Open Mic �� Patrick Vining Band �� Smokey’s Farm Land Band

Tues & Thurs: Trivia 8pm Wednesdays: Texas Hold ‘em

LIVE MUSIC EVERY NIGHT Every Sunday FRANCISCO & FRIENDS Every Monday SUMMER HOSTAGE Every Wednesday MIKE VEAL BAND Thursday, December 11 AMY GERHERTZ & FRIENDS Friday, December 12 SWAMI GONE BANANAS Monday, December 15 HOMER THE CAMEL GUY Thursday, December 18 CONNOR CHRISTIAN’S BAND Saturday, December 20 TODD WELLS Tuesday, December 23 HELLBOUND ORCHESTRA Tuesday, December 30

MR. FERNANDO

Wednesday, December 31

NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH! ��

PG 17 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

Road Warriors

This Month’s Hottest Shows BY JOHN DAVIDSON 12/15 AMY GRANT/VINCE GILL

Fox Theatre Gill has been famous for more than 30 years, ﬁrst in the 70s as the frontman for a band called Pure Prairie League and then, more notably, as a solo country artist starting in the mid-80s. Paired with wife Amy Grant (a pop star in her own right), the Fox Theatre will likely be ﬁlled with multiple generations of fans singing along. A good night for the family.

12/16 HARRY CONNICK JR.

Cobb Energy Performing Arts It’s date night and basically if the smooth New Orleans jazz of Harry Connick can’t get the romance cooking, then you need to get a new companion. Sure, you’d rather be seeing him in a small restaurant with linen tablecloths, but it’s the holidays and it’s cold outside. Hit

the new Performing Arts Center and you won’t regret it.

12/16 AC/DC

Philips Arena Like cockroaches after a nuclear war, AC/DC tatters on with the fury of men half their age. The new record— released only through Wal-Mart and widely stolen on the Internet—isn’t bad but at some point, it’s time for the band to admit that maybe they’re trying a little to hard. Still, you’ll be there swinging your arms to hear the hits and it’s a guarantee that AC/DC will not disappoint you.

12/27 NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS Variety Playhouse The North Mississippi Allstars are back in the area to help revive the gently fading tradition of blues in America. Mixing

everything from the Delta to the Windy City, the band also frequently shows inﬂuences of Cream, Zeppelin and other modern transgressors. Still, you’d be hard pressed to ﬁnd a band that can froth up twelve bars with the seasoned vigor of the Dickinson brothers and bassist Chris Chew.

12/28 DIPLO

The Tabernacle Diplo is one of those DJ dudes you’ve heard about, a remixer from Philly whose cutups for future star M.I.A. threaten to make him a star. If you are into dance music, then no doubt you are already booking this night out. But if you’re curious about one of the hottest underground genres going, then head over to the Tabernacle for what will likely be a very hot show.

12/30/08+12/31 BAND OF HORSES/THE WHIGS

Variety Playhouse Band of Horses aren’t as good as My Morning Jacket yet, but last year’s Cease To Begin ﬁnds them on the same musical trajectory and holding their own despite some changes in personnel. They’re playing their second consecutive New Year’s Eve shows in Atlanta, and expect a full house since they’re

WE GOT NEXT FORGIVE DURDEN

12/31 LIL’ WAYNE/TPAIN

Philips Arena Coming oﬀ the hugest year of his career, Lil’ Wayne has every right to swamp the stage with bravado. His voice has been all over the radio and clubs this year, he’s appeared on SNL, and his ubiquitous stare hasn’t worn out its welcome yet. T-Pain, who may or may not have popularized the most annoying studio trick ever (singing through an auto-tuner) will be there pimping his new album and kicking it out with the headliner. Happy New Year.

2/17 SLIPKNOT

Gwinnett Center Grammyaward winning hard rockers Slipknot just announced as of press time their first U.S. headline tour in support of their #1 album All Hope Is Gone. Their Atlanta Metro appearance will take place at the Gwinnett Center on February 17 which is in the middle of their tour. Prior to their American tour, the band has been playing to sold out arenas on the other side of the globe; including stops in Russia, Japan, Australia, Europe and wrapping in the United Kingdom with three sold-out nights at London’s Hammersmith Apollo. Preceding All Hope Is Gone’s #1 debut, the band held the headline slot on this summer’s sold-out inaugural Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, which drew the biggest crowds to a metal festival since Slipknot played Ozzfest in 2004.

Artists on the verge of making it big

Latest Project: Razia’s Shadow: A Musical For Fans of: Gatsby’s American Dream, Say Anything, Fall Out Boy Why You Should Care: Because when every member of his band left one album into their career, Thomas Dutton decided to soldier on with a full-scale musical and a slew of guest vocalists.

BY JOHN B. MOORE

going to be joined by Athens’ fabulous rock band, The Whigs. Two nights to choose from!

N THE SPAN OF TWO SHORT YEARS, Forgive Durden went from a full band to a solo project. The result, however, is a solid concept album that’s impressive from start to ﬁnish. The 13-track “Razia’s Shadow: A Musical” boasts a who’s who of current emo and pop-punk bands taking turns at the mic, including members of Panic at the Disco, Gatsbys American Dream, Saves the Day, The Matches, The Hush Sound and others. Forgive Durden founder, frontman

and… well, only member Thomas Dutton spoke with us recently about the band’s split, going solo and writing a rock musical. Obviously there have been some lineup changes since the last record. Is Forgive Durden a solo project now? Forgive Durden has always been a reﬂection of my mind and vision, so in that sense, nothing has changed. My brother (Paul) co-wrote the new album with me, but is ﬁnishing school and can’t tour for the time being. I would say that, for now, it’s similar to Bright Eyes’ arrangement.

Who knows where it’ll all be a year from now, though.

interesting consequences.

Do you still talk to the former band members? I talk to Jesse (Bauer, former bassist) regularly. We just started reading a book together. I talk to Andy (Mannino, former drummer) and Thomas (Hunter, former guitarist) from time to time. There’s no bad feelings towards anyone. Everyone is just into diﬀerent things now.

How many people are you going to tour with to perform these songs? There’s currently six of us on stage. I don’t think I could ﬁt much more for now.

Who played the instruments on this record? Rudy Gajadhar (formerly with Gatsby’ American Dream) played drums. My brother and I played as many things here and there as we could. We brought some friends to play diﬀerent things and we mixed it with software instruments that we had full control over. We were like mad scientists sculpting this record. Perfectionists. Tweak artists.

Do you plan on keeping Forgive Durden alive beyond this record or continuing on with a diﬀerent name? As long as I’m writing music, Forgive Durden will be the name that I write under. Any plans for another musical? I’d love to do another musical. So far the reaction to “Razia’s” has been amazing, so if the desire is there, I think it’d be really fun to do another. I already have a few cool ideas, too.

How difficult was “Razia’s Shadow” to write? It wasn’t nearly as difficult to write as it was to organize. Musicians are lazy. Getting everyone to do their parts took some hard work but the actual writing was the fun part. Experimenting with different ideas and stumbling across that ‘one’ when you just know its right, there’s nothing like that feeling.

You have a side project as well, don’t you? Bobby Darling (Gatsbys American Dream) and I have written some songs together under the name Zero Cool. We’re both busy bees, but we love writing together so hopefully we’ll get to do more soon. I’ve also talked with Nic Newsham (Gatsbys) about starting something up for fun. We’ll see if anything materializes.

Can you talk a little about the concept behind the record/the story? The story is split into two halves. The ﬁrst half is about a group of humanoid angels who create the world/ civilization. Their greed and selﬁshness ends up dividing the world into two halves. A century later, during the record’s latter half, a chosen one from each side meet and fall in love and reunite the world as one, with some

So what’s next for you? Tour, tour, tour, tour, tour. Anything else you want to add? Thank you to everyone you loves the album already. It is for anyone who’s been yearning for something diﬀerent and epic to come along. So enjoy it. And if you don’t like it, I bet your parents will. PG 19 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

MUSIC INTERVIEW

The Struggle Count Bass D Swims Against the HipHop Mainstream BY JOHN B. MOORE

OUNT BASS D HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT contradictions. He’s one of the most talented underground hip-hop artists recording today, yet lives amongst the boot and hat adorned crowd in Tennessee. He has a depth of musical knowledge that should appeal to fans outside of his chosen genre, yet the folks at the label behind his first major release never managed to capitalize on this appeal. It’s a shame, with all the pre-packaged and copycat musicians nailing platinum records on their walls these days, that someone like Count Bass D - who eschews samples in favor of recording his own bass, drums and keyboards live in the studio –isn’t on the cover of magazines on a regular basis. Having just released L7 (his seventh and most personal record to date) and wrapped up a tour with labelmates Sound Tribe Sector 9, Count Bass D– aka Dwight Farrell– spoke with us recently. How do you describe your sound to those who’ve never heard you before? Over the years I’ve had a few different sounds I’ve gone through on my projects. Underground Hip Hop has been my sound since 2000. Growing older I’ve been going back to more instruments and people will hear that in my upcoming projects. Tell me a little about the new record. L7 is about my struggle to be a “normal” husband/father in the music business and provide my wife and five children a life that is similar

to people with 9 to 5 jobs. The life of a musician doesn’t always aﬀord that, and L7 is a sonic representation of that struggle. Are there any themes to the songs? The themes are pretty personal. I went even more inward more than I normally do. You’ve been on both major and indie labels. Considering the current state of the music industry, what are some of the pros of being on an indie label? The pros of being on an indie is the ﬂexibility and the amount of music that you can release. The pressure to hit a home run so to speak isn’t there as opposed to a major label. Do you still listen to all genres of music? People don’t understand that in order to make hip hop in the traditional way, you have to listen to all forms of music because we add a backbeat to anything and put a fresh spin on it. So my record collection contains anything and everything. When I DJ, I spin anything and everything as well.

Anything you were listening to in particular or any events that influenced L7? The record was born in 2007 and my mother passed away that same year. There were a lot of representations of the number 7 and that also influenced the title. I listen to the same three or four records for a few years at a time so I wouldn’t say that they were as much of an influence on the music per se, but most definitely the spirit. Marvin Gaye’s “Hear My Dear” Bill Evans and Tony Bennett – “Together Again” and Clark Sisters – “Live One Last Time” to name a few. There was a gap between your debut and the follow up, but you seem to be on a roll now, releasing a record at least every couple of years. Are you just more inspired now to write and record? I would say. That was how being let go from a major record label in my early 20’s affected me. Once I felt the freedom to be independent I’ve been inspired fairly easily ever since.

What was it about 1320 (label founded by Sound Tribe Sector 9) that drew you to the label? I love how self-contained STS9 are. I like how much of a family atmosphere they have in what they do. They are all for one and one for all and that’s how they’ve grown their band to what it is now. I would like to learn some of those lessons and apply them to what I am as I go forward. How long will you be on the STS9 tour? Any tour plans after that? I just ended the tour from Halloween in Austin, TX to the 13th of November in Charlotte. After Charlotte, I got on a plane and now I’m here in Los Angeles working on writing for others and collaborating with artists that I’ve been too far from in Tennessee. Anything else you want to add? I just want to say thanks for the opportunity to speak to the public. I know I’m a speciﬁc type of artist and in this day and age one that’s not easy to place. So thanks to everyone who has supported what I do all these years.

MUSIC INTERVIEW

Folks thought Atlanta hustler Shawty Lo was a joke. Dey know now that isn’t the case. BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

OU CAN SEE WHERE CONFUSION MIGHT RISE. AS one-fourth of the cartoonish rap group D4L (“Laﬀy Taﬀy”),

Shawty Lo got clumped as a gimmick by association. Little did most know that Lo was actually more of a Puffy than a wannabe Biggie, a check-writing decision maker who happened to like the camera. But according to Lo (born Carlos Walker), D4L fans liked his style so much that he couldn’t help but get in the studio and put together his own full-length. That February ’08 effort was called Units in the City. It featured two mild hits (“Dun Dun” and “Foolish”) and one certified smash (“Dey Know”). The aforementioned haters called the album more of the same fruitless garbage Dixie’s dropped over the past decade. Lo and a growing number of believers (Units has sold over 600,000 copies) disagree. And with a new mixtape and an early ’09 album, the drug dealer-turned-BET Hip Hop Awards “Rookie of the Year” lets’em know just how much. Up to this point, what has been your proudest accomplishment? Just me makin’ a negative into a positive. I’m really from the streets for real. I used to be really into negative activities. For me to come and change my life and do something positive, that’s my proudest accomplishment. By turning negatives into positives, you’re sorta thrust into being a role model. How does that feel? It feels good. I work hard everyday to stay on top. It trips me out everyday to hear people know word-for-word the songs I do. They say, “You’re my favorite rapper!” It’s like I am caught up being a role model, but it feels real good. Is Atlanta still creative musically? It’s still creative. Everybody works hard. Everybody do it in their own way. I think we still got it. I don’t feel like nuthin’ has changed. Jeezy has dropped his new CD. TIP dropped [one too]. I’m fin’ to drop my new mixtape. We just make it hot.

PG 20 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

What separates you from the TIs and Waynes? What makes me different is that I don’t rap what they rap; I rap what I live. That’s what makes me unique in my own way. I’m original. I do what I do. I be who I be. When critics talk, do you listen? I listen ‘cuz I need that. That’s what makes me a better person. Without the critics or the haters, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. They the ones that said I couldn’t. I did it and now they know. Tell me about this new mixtape. It’s almost finished. I’m working everyday when I’m not in the studio or on the road. I’m just doing more and more songs. Whatever makes the mixtape makes it. I’m also working on my new album. The new mixtape is called I’m Da Man 2009. The album will be released between January and February. Because of your success, are you approaching things differently? I’m sticking with the same thing. I’m still on Bankhead. I’m still with my same producer. We’re working hard everyday. I’m right here right now [in the studio]. We’re live from Bankhead, baby! What else are you good at? It’s like whatever I try, I feel like I’m successful at it. When I was doing negative things, [it worked]. I’m working on this movie. The studio likes it so much that they want me to do more to the movie, so they moved it up and want to make it a better movie. It’s going to theaters. You have diabetes. But instead of fighting it quietly, you made a public announcement. Not worried how the ailment will hurt your tough guy image? I don’t worry about it hurting my image ‘cuz I’m real. If a grown man crying, that don’t mean he ain’t real. I’m real. That’s why people love me so much ‘cuz I don’t try to pretend this or pretend to do that. What I do is what I do. If I do [the diabetes walk], that don’t make me less than a gangsta. They can check my whole background. What I talk about I’ve really lived. I’m makin’ a negative into a positive. People follow me for some strange reason. When I was incarcerated, older men told me that it was something about me: “If you were to go to church, everybody would go to church.” He said I was that type of person to make people change and make stuff happen.

NYE in

ATLANTA

Peach Drop 2009 Underground Atlanta

Wednesday Dec. 31; Noon until 4 AM Admission: Free Peachdrop.com 404-523-2311 The Champagne is chilling and the 20th Annual Peach Drop is just around the corner! Ring in the New Year at Underground Atlanta with Dancing With the Stars Julianne Hough and Atlanta's own 800 pound Peach! Peach Drop is the largest New Year's Eve Countdown celebration in the entire southeast and this year's celebration is set to be the best one yet! This year's exciting headliner Julianne Hough recently topped both the country and Top 200 charts leaving people all over America singing along to her infectious debut single “That Song In My Head”. The southern beauty also topped Maxim Magazine’s Hot 100 list and is sure to give a show-stopping performance. "The Peach Drop celebration is an exceptional event and Atlanta's biggest tradition," said Underground Atlanta General Manager, William P. "Chick" Ciccaglione. "Underground Atlanta is thrilled to host another exciting New Year's party for the people of Atlanta and all of our city's guests." Last year more than 100,000 visitors took in the Peach Drop with millions more tuning in across the country. The 58 second peach drop culminates in a spectacular fireworks display and an explosion of vibrantly colored confetti raining down on the crowd. Kenny's Alley will be alive with activity as everyone pours into the many restaurants, bars and nightclubs, all open until 4 am to welcome in the New Year. The festivities will kick off at 12 noon with activities throughout the day including, face painting, basketball throw, moon walk and balloon art on Upper Alabama Street. The party will continue well into the morning hours with various live performances on multiple stages at one of the many bars and nightclubs in Kenny's Alley.

Chick-fil-A Bowl Georgia Dome

Georgia Tech vs.SEC (to be announced) www.chick-fil-abowl.com Dec. 31 The Chick-fil-A Bowl, Atlanta's bowl game tradition since 1968, will play its 41st annual game on New Years Eve at 7:30pm. This year the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will represent the ACC versus a top SEC opponent. After #22 Auburn's overtime win against #15 Clemson last year, the rivalry series is tied 8-8. Game Week includes the Parade, Coaches Luncheon, FanFest and an MVP Tailgate Party. The 71,500-seat Georgia Dome is expected to be a sell-out. The game will also be nationally televised by ESPN. Formerly known as the Peach Bowl, the Chick-Fil-A Bowl historically has been the

New Year’s Eve Guide 2008

most competitive of any of the bowl games. At 12:30 p.m. on game day, downtown Atlanta will come alive with the Chick-fil-A Bowl Parade. The parade will come to an end at the Georgia World Congress Center, where the Chick-fil-A Bowl FanFest presented by Coca-Cola will draw 30,000 fans for a pregame interactive football and tailgate experience including games, music, great food and the traditional pre-game team walks.

Downtown Countdown

tions, or find out more about the 5th annual Downtown Countdown, go to www.downtowncountdown.net

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Woodruff Arts Center

15th & Peachtree St. Dec 31, 8:00PM www.atlantasymphony.org

Hyatt Regency 265 Peachtree St. NE Dec 31, 8:30PM www.downtowncountdown.net

Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Soul Stew Rivival

Fabulous Fox Theatre

Mon. Dec. 31, 9pm

The 5th annual “Downtown Countdown New Year’s Eve Gala” will return to the Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, and once again set the standard in live New Year’s Eve entertainment. This year, The Hyatt Regency will be the onestop destination for New Year’s Eve festivities, complete with a 5 1/2-hour premium open bar, hors d’oeuvres, multiple rooms of entertainment including 6 bands, 4 DJs, 4 comedians, dancing, live-band karaoke, and Atlanta’s largest midnight balloon drop. “For four years, the Downtown Countdown has been the premier New Year’s party in Atlanta,” said Joe Hindsley, the Hyatt Regency’s General Manger. “And this year, it will be even better. Party-goers can look forward to a night filled with exceptional food, tempting beverages, and great music.” This year will feature live performances by Cracker (Alternative Rock long-time favorites), Young MC (Hip Hop Legend), and Modern Skirts (Atlanta’s very own up and comers.) Other areas of state-of-the-art Hyatt Regency will play host to 2 local bands, 4 DJs, nightclub dancing, comedians and Metalsome Inc.’s nationally renowned live-band karaoke. Guests will also enjoy no lines at multiple buffets, heavy hors d’oeuvres, and premium bar stations at a ratio of 1 bartender per 75 guests. The crew at the DaveFM radio station will be hosting the party. “For New Years, people always seem to get it wrong; spending way too much on an overlycrowded ‘open bar’, lame parties, or bad music, and it ends up being a bad story,” says Sully, afternoon DJ at DaveFM and returning for the second year in a row to host the Downtown Countdown. “Lindy Promotions and USA Entertainment get it right every year. All of our fans have nothing but amazing memories of great times at a 5-star event.” For those requiring something a little more special, Atlanta's Downtown Countdown will be offering an upscale, exclusive VIP ticket. Ticket holders will have access to the main VIP area located in The Hyatt's premier steakhouse, Avanzare, and private areas roped off in the main ballrooms. They will also enjoy more upscale dinner and bar menus, private will call, registration, and entrance, and complimentary coat check. A very limited number of tickets will be available and will sell quickly. Tickets are currently on sale at $119 for the regular party and $175 for VIP, increasing as the event nears (see website for current rate.) For larger parties, a group rate is available by calling 800.422.7295. Ticketholders are also offered discounted hotel rooms at the Hyatt Regency, while supplies last. To purchase tickets, make reserva-

Before the peach drops, jump start your special evening with the Grammy-winning ASO and a program to include works from: La Boheme, La Traviata, and Turandot, as well as Broadway musicals like Spamalot, West Side Story, and Wicked. Soprano Teri Dale Hansen and tenor Eric Van Hoven join the program of timeless pops and classics with a complimentary glass of champagne. You decide if their early Champagne toast warrants an early New Year's kiss, but once the show is done, there will be plenty of time to continue the party elsewhere, or warm up to a very special evening at home.

www.variety-playhouse.com

New Year's Eve tradition continues again this year at the Fox Theatre. This year the combined band of the Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi return for another Soul Stew revival. Special guest Sun Ra Arkestra will also be on hand. The Derek Trucks Band has been a work in progress for over 10 years, slowly blending jazz, rock, blues, Latin, Eastern Indian, and other world music into the sound that now defines the DTB. Susan Tedeschi has established herself as a deeply expressive singer, a prodigiously talented guitarist and distinctive songwriter.

Agave Restaurant An eclectic southwestern eatery & tequila bar est. 2000 Cabbagetown / Grant Park Dinner nightly at 5pm 404-588-0006 www.agaverestaurant.com

Voted Best Southwestern Restaurant 2008 Insite Magazine, Creative Loafing, Atlanta Cuisine, The Sunday Paper, Jezebel Magazine PG 21 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

TRAVEL

Disney ‘Blings’ in the Season Glistening Ice Palace at Magic Kingdom, Twinkling Light Bridge at Epcot, Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Help Transform Walt Disney World Resort into Winter Wonderland BY BEN MILLER

ALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT BLINGS IN the holidays with sparkling lights like never before. Their Orlando resorts glisten with jewel-like crystals adorning the iconic Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom, millions of multi-color lights glowing and dancing to music at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and a breathtaking bridge of twinkling lights that welcome guests to World Showcase at Epcot. Guests get in the spirit by beholding the 200,000 twinkling lights of Disney’s newest holiday tradition Castle Dreamlights in Magic Kingdom. Donning their holiday finest, Cinderella and friends take to the Cinderella Castle stage daily for a dream-come-true, light-the-night moment. Also experience Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on select evenings in Magic Kingdom. During this popular special ticket event, guests are treated to “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade,” “Holiday Wishes-Celebrate the Spirit of the Season” fireworks spectacular plus special holiday themed shows featuring Disney characters decked out in their seasonal finest, carolers, festive tree lightings and more. The “Once Upon a Christmastime Parade” celebrates the festive moods of the season with dancing snowflakes, marching toy soldiers, horse-drawn sleighs, enchanting floats and spirited characters all proceeding through the streets of the theme park in a merry and melodic cavalcade. During “Holiday Wishes- Celebrate the Spirit of the Season,” the radiant castle beams brightly as the evening is magically capped with festive fireworks orchestrated to classic holiday tunes.

MORE DISNEY HOLIDAY EVENTS

Walt Disney World Resort unwraps more wintertime wonderment throughout property during the holiday season. Here’s the lineup: Epcot Presents Holidays Around the World – International holiday traditions unfold throughout World Showcase when storytellers por-

traying cultural icons of the season such as France’s Pere Noel, Italy’s LaBefana and America’s Santa Claus spread messages of goodwill. Nighttime sparkles with a luminous light bridge adorning the breezeway to World Showcase Plaza, where guests can see a magnificent holiday tree. And to cap off the day, Epcot’s kaleidoscope of lasers, lights, fireworks and music “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” takes on a spirited holiday finale. Candlelight Processional at Epcot – A heartfelt holiday tradition led by a mass choir and 50-piece live orchestra showcases at America Gardens Theatre at 5, 6:45 and 8:15 p.m. Candlelight Processional features a celebrity narrator who retells the joyous Christmas story. The narration is interspersed with memorable music. Performances are included with Epcot admission. Special dining packages that include preferred seating for this beloved event also are offered by calling 407/WDW-DINE. Scheduled celebrity narrators include (subject to change): �� The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Bathed in bulbs of brilliance,

DECEMBER 19, 8pm

GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN

THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA CHRISTMAS SHOW featuring the

Gee’s Bend Singers The Blind Boys thrill and inspire audiences around the globe to Go Shout It From The Mountain Top!

MAKE YOUR PLANS NOW! PG 22 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

New York Street glows with millions of dancing lights and animated displays in a revered Disney holiday. Amidst gently falling snow, guests will bask in the glow as twirling carousels, melodic angels, colorful wreaths, marching toy soldiers and Santa and his reindeer move to high-energy music and 3-D eﬀects, creating a dazzling symphony for the senses. This enchanting spectacle results from a crew of 18 electricians working some 14 weeks using six miles of rope lights, 84 angels and 66 snow machines. Disney’s Animal Kingdom – “Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade” gets a holiday makeover when it is magically transformed into “Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade.” This rompin’ spectacle is a theatrical showcase of characters with whimsical ﬂoats and puppetry with a holiday worldbeat twist. Guests also can meet Disney characters decked out in their holiday best at Camp Minnie-Mickey which also features live seasonal entertainment, holiday photo opportunities and decorative Christmas trees. ��

DECEMBER 20, 2 & 8pm

A VERY MERRY HOLIDAY POPS Michael Krajewski, conductor

A spectacular Christmas variety show with: • Vladimir, the amazing juggler • Walton and Lassiter High School Choruses • How the Grinch Stole Christmas, narrated by singer Kevin Deas • Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

WOODRUFF ARTS CENTER BOX OFFICE @ 15TH & PEACHTREE

404.733.5000 atlantasymphony.org

MAKE IT A GROUP! 404. 733. 4848

All your favorite Christmas songs and music & MUCH MORE!

Presented by:

with additional support from

Holiday concerts in December are made possible through an endowment from the Livingston Foundation in memory of Leslie Livingston Kellar.

MUSIC INTERVIEW

Rock ‘Til You Drop

CHEAP TRICK BY JOHN B. MOORE

OU’D HAVE TO DIG BACK TO The Beatles or The Stones to find a rock band as influential as Cheap Trick. From metal bands to punk rockers and a slew of top 40 groups in between, Rockford, Illinois’ favorite sons have been a musician’s staple for three decades now. Last month, the band re-issued their groundbreaking live record “Cheap Trick at Budokan!” one of rock’s bestknown live releases and the album that put Budokan on every group’s tour itinerary. The re-issue comes with amazing extras, including 3 CDs and a DVD of the show. More than 30 years with the original line up, the band is still a staple at concert sheds across the globe and manages to record new material every few years. Guitarist Rick Nielsen called in from Australia recently and was kind enough to answer a handful of questions. What do you remember most about those shows in Japan 30 years ago? Well, there were a lot of Japanese people there I noticed. In my mind, it was like finally there’s a crowd that actually likes us! People liked us everywhere we went, but it was always more like three people in the audience. T hen five people and it finally went from like 150 people to thousands of people in one shot that were there to see us. We weren’t just an opening band anymore. We were the headliners when we were playing the clubs and we got a record deal and now suddenly instead of playing for 21-year-olds we were playing for 14 and 15-year-olds on up. It was the first time people were there just to see us. Did you have any idea at the time that you were that big in Japan? We did in early ’77. Before our first record came out, Queen asked us to be the opening act for them on their American tour. Thin Lizzy was going to be doing the tour, but they wouldn’t be coming in until later. They’d heard our record and thought we were good enough to put us on in front of those guys. Here we are opening for Queen and because they were so big at the time, they had Japanese press at the shows reporting back to Japan about their heroes Queen. At one of the shows, they singled me out and said would you like to write an article for a Japanese magazine because you’re the writer. I said “Ok, I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’ll write it.” About a month later they would send us clippings and

we were getting fan mail from people we didn’t know and people we hadn’t played for before. Because Queen asked us out, the Japanese radio started playing us and within a year we had three number one songs in Japan. And by the time we went there we were getting about 100 piece of fan mail a day to our address in Wisconsin. We had piles and piles of this mail with packages and origami. Before you knew it they were making dolls of us. We also played the summer of ‘77 with Kiss and Kiss were huge in Japan. So we got even more press. When we finally played there in ‘78, they really knew us. When you were playing those shows at Budokan in 1978, did you have any idea they would be a part of your legacy? No. We were just there for our 30th anniversary and it turns out I had been mispronouncing Budokan for 30 years and now they say it my way, because of my mispronunciation. Of course I didn’t get a royalty on it. I write about bands all the time that split up after just a few years together. Why do you think you guys have been able to stick together for three decades? Well, this is what we all wanted to do. Some people want to do the band for awhile and then the lead singer wants to leave or the guitar player thinks he has a better idea, so he leaves. But we had a good idea to start with and we stuck with it. Plus we’re good hard working Midwestern boys. Although only two of us still live in the Midwest, we’re still hard working. I talk to younger bands about their influences and it seems like everyone from punk bands to metal bands cite you guys as a major influence. That’s great, getting name dropped by musicians. I remember this one band, I think it was Kingdom Come and they said they had never heard of Led Zeppelin, but they sounded note for note just like them. Most bands don’t like to say who they like because it pigeon holes them. But with us, we had pop elements and we had heavy elements and we had success and we had failure, but we stuck with it and I think it’s that part that lends itself to other bands. Punk bands aren’t afraid to say “Hey I like these guys,” because not everything has gone great for us. It’s not so much that everything has gone horrible for us either, we weren’t afraid to do a ballad and we weren’t afraid to go heavier. And we could actually play live. That’s what I grasp from it. From Nirvana saying we’re like Cheap Trick on…

BAD BOYS BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

Given recent political events in California, do you think it’s sad that this ﬁlm seems to say that things haven’t changed much in 30 years? They have changed, but they haven’t changed, you’re right. It was very surprising to me that Prop 8 ended up being a yes. I don’t quite understand it, and I started looking into it just because I was very curious and confused. I found out that 70% of African-Americans and Latinos voted yes, and you realize the religious connection.

ITH HIS PORTRAYALS OF A morality-challenged good-for-nothing in No Country For Old Men, the worst president in U.S. history in W., and assassin Dan White in this month’s Milk, Josh Brolin has emerged as Hollywood’s go-to guy for playing complicated bad boys. In this recent round-table interview, he discusses everything from Proposition 8 to why it’s sometimes good to have a little empathy for the Devil. Critics complained that your portrayal of Bush was too sympathetic. Do you think some might say the same thing about your take on Dan White? Sure, I think that’s a possibility. But I don’t agree with it. I played a child molester in a psych ward when I was doing theater, and they wanted me to play it like Nicholson or

Do you have a favorite Cheap Trick cover that a band has done? Geez, I don’t know. Right now Anthrax is doing their second Cheap Trick cover. Oh really? What song? I think they’re doing “Big Eyes” and they did “Auf Wiedersehen” on one of their records. Then again, I like Dwight Yoakum doing “I Want You to Want Me.” There’s a Lindsay Lohan version of that and the fact that she’s doing our song and still getting arrested is cool. As a musician, that’ s got to be a little flattering, to have so many people want to record and perform your songs. Yeah. Besides the cover stuff, the fact that we’re in The Rock Band game and we’re in Guitar Hero and on The Colbert Report and That 70’s Show (Cheap Trick recorded the theme songs for both TV shows). We’re a little but here, a little bit there and we keep making records. We don’t need some big smash hit to be relevant. Cheap Trick is always playing somewhere. And just recently we were asked to send Jerry Bruckheimer a happy birthday message. Really? Yeah, I guess he’s a fan. We all signed a “Dream Police” album for him… just like we were answering some fan mail from Japan. In the liner notes to the 30th anniversary record, you mentioned something pretty interesting about security in Japan and how they made the audience stay in their seats during the shows. Obviously they didn’t stay seated during your shows. Yeah, something had happened and someone got injured or killed from I think a Deep Purple show and ours was the first one where they couldn’t contain the audience, so they slackened a bit on the security and let them stand up. Something else interesting is that we

were told that they wanted to hear bands speak between songs, so that’s why you hear “I want you, to want me,” very slowly (in the songs intro) because we were told to speak slowly because they want to hear what you have to say. Another deal was, if you guys are from Texas, which we weren’t, they said wear your cowboy hats. You had mentioned that you played the venue again this year. Was that your first time going back. No, we’ve played there a few times over the years. We go back there about every year and a half or every two years since ‘78. Do you ever run into fans who say they saw you at the first show? Oh yeah, there’s a little thing on our website where I think you could get in if you still had your ticket stub from 1978. There was some famous Japanese pop star who was there and he came up on stage with us. Now we have fans and their kids coming to our shows. The president of our record company, 30 years ago he was our tour manager, so he went from being the young guy in the office to president of the company. The last thing he did before retiring was come to Budokan with us. So he came in with Cheap Trick and left with Cheap Trick. As a band, you also continue to churn out really solid albums. Rockford was a great record. We have another one finished that’s coming out soon. We’re too dumb to quit. So I assume you’re just going to keep touring until you drop over? Well, we’ve dropped over a couple of times. We just pick ourselves back up and go on. We just finished that long tour with Journey and Heart, and it was like one of the most successful tours of the year. It went well every place we played. Now we’re here in Australia with Def Leppard. We’ve had some hits here too, so why not play?

FILM INTERVIEW something. I just said, “I think it’s more interesting if I can get ﬁve mothers who want to ﬁx me,” because it’s more confusing. That’s just me.

Josh Brolin Goes from Bush to Worse in Milk

WE’RE TOO DUMB TO QUIT!

Do you think if Milk had been released earlier it might have affected the outcome? I don’t know. Did the release of W have an impact on the election? Some people say absolutely, and some people say no. Your career has really taken off this past year. Are you surprised by that? I wouldn’t go so far as to say surprised. Pleased. Humbled. I’m very grateful. I love working with the people I’ve been working with. They love filmmaking and it’s about the film-

making, not the ego, status and power struggles. What am I going to do next? I have no freaking clue. What was Sean Penn like to work with? He seems like such a serious person. I know he does, and he’s not. He’s the most giving and gracious actor I’ve ever worked with. He’s just an incredible human being. That dude gets a bad rap, and I do not understand it. He doesn’t come to these [press junkets], and it’s probably better that he doesn’t. He doesn’t pander, and he gets slammed for it. He loves the work. He’s an obsessive storyteller, just like Oliver Stone and the Coens, and it’s great being around people like that if you’re a geek like me who truly loves to sit down and create something together. What was your relationship like on the set? I didn’t interact with a lot of people during shooting. Sean and I know each other loosely. We’re much closer now, but we’ve known each other oﬀ and on since we were kids. When we were shooting we didn’t talk a lot. For Sean and Emile and James Franco, it was more of a celebratory thing. With my character it’s the opposite, so I did try to isolate myself a little bit. I only had to do scenes with Sean, which was great because he’s willing to go anywhere and we ad-libbed a

lot. So it was a great emotional dance. How do you feel about people saying Stone was too soft on Bush? When No Country For Old Men came out people said the ending was fucked up, but you’re still talking about it now, and that’s the point. Oliver is older now, and I’m sure there’s a soft spot in Oliver that maybe was recently revealed. I think the question going into that movie was, how did this guy get elected? How can we learn from this? Writing him oﬀ it takes the responsibility away from us, when in essence it is our responsibility. We’re the ones that voted him in. Ballot manipulation… whatever. Still, 45 million people voted for this fucking guy. So why at that moment in our history did we go, “We want the fallible guy that we feel we can have a beer with”? That’s the more interesting question. And Oliver has slammed enough people. How do you think history will judge George Bush? I think it’s pretty evident right now, going from a 90% to a 25% approval rating. It’s something he brings up a lot: “You can’t judge me now. There needs to be hindsight in order to judge me. You may realize that I actually stopped more blood from spilling.” My feeling immediately is not so well, but who knows? PG 23 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

Janke Studios

HOLIDAY

Hand Blown Glass Founded in 1996

STUDIOPLEX Conveniently located between Inman Park & the King Birth Home

659 Auburn Ave. Studio G-9 Atlanta, GA 30312 404-584-0305

WINTER GLASSFEST08

check

jankestudios

“A CELEBRATION OF FROZEN SAND”

DEC. 13 12-6P ��

www. .com for schedule of classes

HOURS:

Tues, Thurs, Fri 1p-5p, Sat 12-6p Other times By Appointment

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Gift Guide

GREAT GIFT IDEAS FOR THE SEASON!

RETURN TO EDEN

2335 Cheshire Bridge Rd. ��

This season Return to Eden is featuring Kiss My Face Gifts in lotions, hand soap and lip care from $7.99-$11.99. These items come in yummy holiday scents of cranberries and vanilla sugar!

ABBADABBA’S

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Who says red & green are just for wreaths and wrapping paper? Show some spirit in these PF Flyers, inspired by legendary 1957 Boston Celtic Bob Cousy. These low tops are sure to make any sneaker-head happy. Available at Abbadabba’s Little 5 Points.

CORT FURNITURE

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Available in Stores December 30th

Cort is known for brand-name furniture at affordable prices. They offer previously leased furniture for up to 70% off new retail. You’ll find a constantly changing selection of furniture from corporate moves, model homes, movie sets, apartments, offices and executive suites. It’s a smart and inexpensive way to furnish a new room, college apartment or home office.

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MYJOLLYFAMILY.COM

The most unique, original, inexpensive gift idea year round. Original art in hundreds of characters shows who you are on the back of your car. Family member decals doing what they love most including 200 pure bread dog decals. Order in time for the holidays at MyJollyFamily.com.

PSYCHO SISTERS

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WINNER BEST CONSIGNMENT STORE

An out of the ordinary name for a unique boutique. The Little 5 Points location is as much of a tourist attraction as it is a clothing store. Voted Best Consignment Shop, you will ﬁnd everything from Hippy, Disco to Rocker plus new designer samples.

SHOP DECATUR

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SELL US YOUR TRENDY CLOTHES LITTLE FIVE SANDY SPRINGS POINTS (404) 255-5578 (404) 523-0100 PSYCHOSISTERSSHOPS.COM

PSYCHO-SISTERS.COM

PG 24 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

CARTERSVILLE (770) 607-0888

90’S GOTHIC

Terriﬁc Thursdays are Back! Shop Decatur as 50 stores stay open late Thursday Nights through December 18. Stores in Decatur are oﬀering special Thursday only deals and refreshments to enjoy the holiday spirit.

THE ART OF SHAVING KIT ��

The Modern gentleman appreciates quality, convenience, and looking his best especially when he is on the go. This holiday season; help him catch his ﬂight on time and in style with The 4 Elements of the Perfect Carry-on Kit from The Art of Shaving. The durable ziplock pouch is designed for secure transport and contains a Pre-Shave Oil, shaving Cream Pump, Genuine Badger Shaving Brush, and After-Shave Balm.

464 Moreland Ave. L5Pts. 404.577.3188 �� JUNKMAN’S DAUGHTER ��

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Junkman’s Daughter is your one stop shop for the kookiest, most unusual gifts on the planet! Check out their selection of lunchboxes, plush toys, vintage style robots, unique candy, stationary, journals, soaps, incense, collectables, as well as the most cutting edge fashions and footwear for guys and girls. Thousands of gifts to choose from for everybody on your list!

JANKE STUDIOS

�� Hand Blown Glass & Art Gallery located at Studioplex. Here you will ﬁnd one of a kind hand blown glassware, custom lighting and gifts. They have special items like the heirloom ornaments featured for the holidays as well as glassware gift certiﬁcates available. Don’t miss Winter Glass Fest 08 Saturday Dec. 13 from Noon – 6PM. “A Celebration of Frozen Sand.”

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SAM FLAX ART & DESIGN STORE

rn Ave. Studio G-9 305 www.jankestudios.com

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Atlanta’s largest and recently voted Best Art Supply Store has a wide assortment of great gifts ideas. The Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paint and Easel Set shown is the perfect all in one gift for artist on your list. Sale price at $39.99 Visit Sam Flax for several more great “Gift Set” options.

WOODRUFF ARTS CENTER ��

Give the Gift of the Arts this Holiday Season! Woodruff Arts Center Introduces New Campus-wide Gift Card. This gift card is available for purchase at the Woodruff Box Offices, Gift Shops and on their website. The card is available in any denomination ($5 minimum) and can be redeemed for tickets, memberships, season subscriptions to the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and High Museum of Art, as well as to purchase programming provided by Young Audiences.

STARSHIP

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Starship prides itself in bringing you the best in adult pleasures. Come check out their Smokin’ Holiday Hookah on sale at 25% oﬀ all Hookahs and Hookah accessories. See Starship for all of your erotic holiday needs. Best selection, service and prices.

INSERECTION

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Find everything in adult novelties for that special someone this season. Wide selections of lingerie, party & gag gifts, tobacco/smoking accessories, adult toys, videos, DVDs and more!

SOUTHERN NIGHTS 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd. ��

Featuring the largest selection of adult DVDs under one roof plus lubes, condoms, lotions, magazines, lingerie and adult novelties. This season Soutthern Nights has stocked up on Liberator furniture and accessories.

SMOKE 911

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Specializing in the sale of water pipes, vaporizers, RooR, Handblown glass, exotic pipes, posters, adult novelties, detoxiﬁcation, cigars and cigarettes. Featuring the largest selection and best prices on glass pipes and water pipes. Shown Mad Dog Water Pipes.

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�� JUNKMAN’S DAUGHTER �� Junkman’s Daughter is your one stop shop for the �� kookiest, most unusual gifts on the planet! Check out �� their selection of lunchboxes, plush toys, vintage style �� JUNKMAN’S DAUGHTER �� robots, unique candy, stationary, journals, soaps, �� incense, collectables, as�� well as the most cutting edge �� fashions and footwear for guys and girls.isThousands Junkman’s Daughter your one stop shop for the �� for everybody �� most unusual gifts on the planet! Check out of gifts to choose from kookiest, on your list! �� their selection of lunchboxes, plush toys, vintage style robots, unique candy, stationary, journals, soaps, PG as 9 •the insiteatlanta.com • December 2007 �� incense, collectables, as well most cutting edge JANKE STUDIOS fashions and footwear for guys and girls. Thousands �� of gifts to choose from for everybody on your list! �� JANKE STUDIOS �� Hand Blown Glass & Art Gallery located at Stu�� dioplex. Here you will find one of a kind hand blown �� glassware, custom lighting andBlown gifts.Glass They have special �� Hand & Art Gallery located at Stuitems like the heirloom ornaments featured for the dioplex. Here you will find one of a kind hand blown ��glassware, custom lighting and gifts. They have special holidays as well as glassware gift certificates available. �� heirloom ornaments featured for the Don’t miss Winter Glassitems Festlike08theSaturday Dec. 13 from

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holidays as well as glassware gift certiﬁcates available.

Boogaloos Boutique 246 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. Boutique Karma 340 Church St. Eviva Shoe Boutique 335C W. Ponce de Leon Ave. Fleet Feet Sports 431 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. Kaleidoscope Boutique 252 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. Rockit 145-B Sycamore St. Whit’s End 431 W. Ponce de Leon Ave.

SAM FLAX ARTSAM& FLAX DESIGN ART &STORE DESIGN STORE �� Atlanta’s largest and recently voted Best Art

Atlanta’s largest and recently voted Best Art of great gifts Supply Store has a wide assortment Supply Store has a wide great giftsPaint and Eaideas.assortment The Liquitex of Basics Acrylic is thePaint perfectand all inEaone gift for artist sel Set shown ideas. The Liquitex Basics Acrylic on your list. Sale price at $39.99 Visit Sam Flax sel Set shown is the perfect allmore in one artist for several greatgift “Giftfor Set” options. on your list. Sale price at $39.99 Visit Sam Flax for several more great “Gift Set” options.

WOODRUFF ARTS CENTER ��

STARSHIP

Indulge in a New ‘Do! Wahoo! A Decatur Grill 1042 W. College Ave.

Big Peach Running Co. 114 E. Trinity Pl.

best in adult pleasures. Come check out their Smokin’ Holiday Hookah on sale at 25% oﬀ all Hookahs and Hookah accessories. See Starship for all of your erotic holiday needs. Best selection, service and prices.

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Starship prides itself in bringing you the Vivid Boutique INSERECTION best in adult pleasures. Come check out 133 E. Court Square �� their Smokin’ Holiday Hookah on sale at 25% oﬀ all Hookahs and Hookah acces�� in adult novelties for that sories. See Starship Find for everything all of your erotic special someone this season. Wide selections of holiday needs. Best selection, service lingerie, party & gag gifts, tobacco/smoking acand prices. cessories, adult toys, videos, DVDs and more!

Cook’s Warehouse

180 W. Ponce de Leon Ave.

Fresche Salon & Boutique 350 Mead Rd. Hair Werks and Co. 302 E. Howard Ave. Natural Body 225 E. Ponce de Leon, #150 Salon Red 119 E. Ponce de Leon Ave. Salon Red Kids 123 E. Ponce de Leon Ave.

It’s a Bling Thing! Alexia Gallery 335 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. Worthmore Jewelers 117 E. Court Square

Arrive in Style!

SOUTHERN NIGHTS

INSERECTION 2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd.

�� Featuring the largest selection of adult DVDs �� under one roof plus lubes, condoms, lotions, lingerie and Find everything inmagazines, adult novelties foradult thatnovelties. This Soutthern Nights has stocked up on special someone thisseason season. Wide selections of Liberator furniture and accessories.

Twist ‘n’ Scoot 431 W. Ponce de Leon Ave.

Deck Your Halls!

Little Shop of Stories 133 E. Court Square

lingerie, party & gag gifts, tobacco/smoking accessories, adult toys,SMOKE videos, DVDs 911and more!

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SOUTHERN�� NIGHTS ��

2205 Cheshire �� Bridge Rd. �� Specializing in the sale of water pipes, vaporizers, RooR,

Handblown glass, exotic pipes, posters, Featuring the largest selection of adult DVDsadult novelties, detoxiﬁcation, cigars and cigarettes. Featuring the larg- Mingei World Arts 427 Church St. under one roof plus est lubes, condoms, lotions, selection and best prices on glass pipes and water pipes. adult Shown Mad Dog Water Pipes. magazines, lingerie and novelties. This season Soutthern Nights has stocked up on Liberator furniture and accessories.

Wild Seed Boutique 225 E. Ponce de Leon Ave.

Agilest Collections 533-A W. Howard Ave.

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Blue Moon Designs 418 Church St. Pambili African Artworks 201 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. Rose Squared Gallery and Framing 111 Clairemont Ave. The 17 Steps 235-M Ponce de Leon Pl.

And there’s more! Visit www.decaturga.com for updates.

Shop all season . . .

SMOKE 911

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50 shops

Be Paparazzi-Ready!

Noon – 6PM. “A Celebration of Frozen Sand.”

Gift Shops and on their website. The card is available in any denomination ($5 minimum) and can be redeemed for tickets, STARSHIP memberships, season subscriptions to the Alliance Theatre, At�� lanta Symphony Orchestra�� and High Museum of Art, as well as to purchase programmingStarship providedprides by Young Audiences. itself in bringing you the

�� late with �� stay open�� Thursday-only �� offers, refreshments ��

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Noon – 6PM. “A Celebration of Winter FrozenGlass Sand. Don’t miss Fest” 08 Saturday Dec. 13 from

Give the Gift of the Arts this Holiday Season! Woodruff Arts Center Introduces New Campus-wide Gift Card. This gift card is available for purchase at the Woodruff Box Offices, Gift Shops and on their website. The card is available in any Give the Gift of the Arts this Holiday($5Season! Woodruff denomination minimum) and can beArts redeemed for tickets, memberships, season subscriptions the Alliance Theatre, AtCenter Introduces New Campus-wide Gift Card. Thistogift Symphony OrchestraBox and Offices, High Museum of Art, as well lantaat card is available for purchase the Woodruff as to purchase programming provided by Young Audiences.

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Alexia Gallery

335-B W. Ponce de Leon Ave.

Take your pick from more than 200 independent salons, boutiques and restaurants, just six miles east of Atlanta, inside I-285. Park and walk, or take MARTA to the Decatur station.

PG 25 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008 12/3/08 1:13:42 PM

MUSIC INTERVIEW

Rob Zombie Unearths Old Music and Presents Some Fresh Meat

it strangely enough in just the royalty checks! I mean, every year the band makes more money. It’s weird for a band that every year has been gone longer and longer, it seems to get more and more popular. Hot Topic is doing this whole new line of White Zombie merch.

You have a new single coming out with the movie Punisher: War Zone. I know you’re a comic book guy, so how do you feel about the recent trend of comic book movies? I think it’s cool. I wish these movies had come out in the ‘70s like this, you know? I am not as crazed about comic books as I was as a kid. I would have

BY ED MORGAN

VEN IN OUR HECTIC WORLD, FEW PEOPLE ARE as busy as Rob Zombie. After a long stint fronting the seminal metal band White Zombie, Rob’s solo career has earned him a spot both at the top of the rock hierarchy and the nightmares of parents everywhere. He has made am impact on the ﬁlm world in a big way with his movies House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects, and the recent remake of Halloween. Even with this arm’s-length rap sheet, Zombie seems to have no plans of stopping. INsite spoke to Mr. Zombie himself about the release of the long-awaited White Zombie box set (Let Sleeping Corpses Lie), his upcoming solo album, and generally all things Rob Zombie.

Has there been any discussion of a reunion? Not by anybody actually in the band. I mean, fans speculate about it. But there’s no plans for that at all.

What made this the right time to do the White Zombie box? You know, I’ve been trying to put it together for a long time. But I would let everything take precedence over it… And I also ﬁgured that, if not now, when? By waiting longer, CDs aren’t even going to exist, so there will be no box sets. So, this seems like a good time. So what made you decide to release a real traditional format kind of box set instead of digital? There is something about it… CDs are a thing of the past; they won’t be around much longer, much like vinyl and everything else… but there is still something nice about putting together the set that you can hold in your hand. I just don’t see people going on iTunes and downloading 79 songs from the box set. Do you think this might bring in a new generation of White Zombie fans? I think there is already a new generation of White Zombie fans. I can see

lost my fucking mind back then if there was a Hulk movie and a Fantastic Four movie. Unfortunately, that can’t happen. But I think it’s great, and some of them are just amazing. I loved Iron Man. I thought Jon Favreau did an awesome job, I really enjoyed that. I like the fact that now there are sort of A-list talent in front of the camera and behind the camera. So they are good movies. For a long time, (comic) movies were shit and they are always just horrible… just embarrassingly bad almost. But now it’s cool, I dig it. Do you feel like your filmmaking career has in any way influenced the way you approach making music? Each one makes sort of appreciate the other one more because you get a break from it. You know, when it’s just music, music, music, and that’s like all you talked about, all you did, you tend to burn out on it. Because I had a place at one point, after Sinister Urge, where I was just burnt out, I was sick of infighting among bands, and being on the road with people that are always angry and tired, you just get burnt out… And you know, being able to make a movie, having that experience is awesome. But even when you get to the end of a movie, you know, after a year and a half… just the intensity of a movie burns you out. And so, it’s been nice to do a movie, get away from it, make a record, do a tour, get away from it, go back, and do a movie. So each one has just really just made me love the other more. What can you tell me about [your new solo album]? I know you are working with the touring band on it. Yes, we are almost finished. We will probably be finished with the record completely before Christmas. And it’s great. I mean actually, the unique thing about this record is, it’s the first time since White Zombie broke up that I’ve actually recorded with the band. In the sense that these are the guys that I tour with, that I hang out with. We are a band and we record as a band…great things usually come out of situations that we have a great vibe and you can usually feel it. And that’s what going on here. You’ve talked before about people’s perception of you versus the reality. What’s something about you that would blow people’s minds? I don’t know what people’s perception of me necessarily is, but I know that it’s usually wrong. But of course it is, because they don’t know me anymore than I know them. I think the biggest misconception maybe is that everybody always thought that the only way you can come up with this stuff is that you’re fucked up on drugs or something, which I never was. I think that’s what I really thought about Frank Zappa too, and he wasn’t either. So it’s fine.

�� The Hush Sound Chase Away The Blues MUSIC INTERVIEW

one was over the tense and unfriendly interactions. We had worked it out. Goodbye Blues.

BY JOHN B. MOORE

HE HUSH SOUND’S LATEST RECORD almost wasn’t. After churning out two albums less than a year apart from each other and 12 months spent

touring the country in a tiny van, nerves were frayed and friendships strained. But at some point during the band’s headlining tour, they started to realize why they started the band in the ﬁrst place. Frontman and guitarist Bob Morris took some time recently to speak with us about the Chicagobased band’s near breakup, their new drive and the impetus behind their latest record, Goodbye Blues.

Let’s talk about Goodbye Blues. The new album was a step forward, as each of our albums have been. We recorded it in North Hollywood and it was the ﬁrst album we recorded since we had begun touring and also the ﬁrst album we had recorded outside of Chicago. This album is the product of two and half years of getting to know and trust each other. Listen to “Hurricane” and bonus track “You Are My Home.”

So is it true you nearly broke up before working on this record? We had been on tour non-stop for about a year in the van. The amount of shows we were playing should have made us happy, but instead we were overwhelmed, tired, and crabby. Greta (Salpeter) and I really got on each others’ bad sides. It came to a head when we lost our close friend. I had trouble with the grieving process...In fact I had none. I joked to Darren (Wilson) and Chris (Faller) insensitively that Greta would write a song called “Tim.” This was an especially rude joke considering that Greta had lost one of her closest friends the year before and written a song named after her - “Eileen”. Greta and I had a huge encounter that was basically the result of many other arguments over the course of our long relationship. We were obligated to do the headlining tour and halfway through we realized that we were reborn. Every-

Is there a general theme to it? Musically there is a somewhat nostalgic feel probably because we’ve listened to the evolution of pop music. We have an amalgamation of sounds on this album from all over. It forms the bridge between my songs and Greta’s songs just in taste rather than style.

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How would you describe Goodbye Blues, as compared to your first two records? The first two records were recorded before we had gone on tour or really knew each other that well. Greta and I were close and Chris and Darren were also close. “Goodbye Blues” was the first album where we were on the same team. It was the first time we could all work together since “So Sudden.” “Like Vines” was strange because we weren’t unified at all. Greta was still in high school and we all had jobs. “Goodbye Blues” was about the band completely. You guys have only been together since 2005 and have already put out three records. Is writing just that easy for you guys? Writing isn’t as much easy as it is necessary for us.

Greta and I have written thousands of ideas between the two of us. Anyone who creates something knows the feeling of satisfaction from outdoing yourself. We just never forget that feeling. Do you plan on taking a longer break between this record and the next? No... shorter! Do you ﬁnd that you’re getting more comfortable with the writing and recording process as a band? Every time we record I learn something new and interesting. Unfortunately we haven’t been in a situation where I can employ my new knowledge directly on to the album that we are working on at the time. Hopefully on the next album we will continue to gain knowledge. What are your tour plans? In the fall, we are doing a tour with some really great bands who I can’t mention at the moment... but we’re all really excited for it! You guys are known for spending a lot of time on the road - how do you stay sane with so much touring? Everyone has diﬀerent methods of staying sane Greta does a lot of yoga and reading, I write and read a lot also. We all watch movies, listen to music, and take a Starbucks trip at least once a day. What’s next for the band? We plan to take over the world.. in a nice way. Anything else you want to add? Me plus you equals US! PG 27 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

MUSIC

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By B. Love, DeMarco Williams, John Davidson, John B. Moore, Matt Goldberg & Jon Latham

MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA –LET MY PRIDE BE WHAT’S LEFT BEHIND (Canvasback) Sheer perfection �� LUDACRIS –THEATER OF THE MIND (Def Jam) Near masterpieces �� PG 28 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

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SNOW PATROL – A HUNDRED MILLION SUNS Uninspired Brit-pop from a band known for better

LEDISI – IT’S CHRISTMAS (Verve Forecast) A fresh voice’s fresh take on our favorite holiday

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FANATIC BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS “I don’t think anybody should be exempt. And I think it would be an outrage if we didn’t prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. Particularly people who live in the public domain, making their living because of their visibility -- they’re the role models for our kids.” –New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, after GIANTS RE CEIVER PLAXICO BURRESS was charged with two felony counts of criminal possession of a handgun If your team is out of NFL PLAYOFF contention, sorry. If your fantasy squad reigned supreme, congrats. If you’re looking for Fanatic’s regular season hardware, you’ve found it: MVP (Eli Manning, NY Giants); Defensive Player of the Year (Albert Haynesworth, Tennessee); Oﬀensive Rookie of the Year (Matt Ryan); Defensive Rookie of the Year (Curtis Lofton, Atlanta); Coach of the Year (Mike Smith, Atlanta)… Yeah, the voting might seem a lil’ one-sided, but if you know candidates more deserving of the nods, we’d looove to hear about’em.

SPORTS NEWS

A Monthly Sports Must-See TV Wrap-up Top 5 Games This Month “Sometimes you luck up and get the guy. We got the guy.” –ATLAN TA FALCON RODDY WHITE, on the exceptional play of rookie QB Matt Ryan “I completely support the league’s decision to suspend Sean Avery. Had the league not have suspended him, the Dallas Stars would have. This organization will not tolerate such behavior, especially from a member of our hockey team. We hold our team to a higher standard and will continue to do so.” –DALLAS STARS OWNER TOM HICKS, after Avery’s crass statement about ex-girlfriends Elisha Cuthbert and Rachel Hunter Arguably the greatest female to ever pick up a club, ANNIKA SORENSTAM, recently announced her retirement. That much you know. Here are a few things about the hall of famer you may not: 1) Between ’01 and ’05, Sorenstam had 43 LPGA victories and an astounding 86 top-10 ﬁnishes; 2) She won eight player of the year awards; 3) Sorenstam’s the only female to shoot a 59 during competition; 4) Her $22 million-plus in career earning is $8 million more than the next closest female golfer; 5)Annika was good enough to probably have made a career out of tennis, skiing or soccer.

Annika Sorenstam

“The interesting thing will be what happens to JERRY SLOAN in the future. The Jazz are a title contender, and fair or not, some locals still grumble a bit about the old coach’s inability to win it all. If Sloan were to be pushed out at some point and wind up ﬁnishing his career with another NBA team (he has never ruled it out), it would be like throwing paint on the Mona Lisa.” –SI’s Marty Burns, after Sloan’s 1,000th career victory with Utah We know it’s going to take more than President-elect Barack Obama and pissed oﬀ Boise State backers to get a PLAYOFF SYSTEM IM PLEMENTED IN D1 COLLEGE FOOTBALL, but a dream tournament with Alabama, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, USC, Texas Tech, Penn State and Utah is still No. 1 on Fanatic’s Christmas wish list.

And ﬁnally… Seven cities (St. Louis, Miami, Portland, Atlanta, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver) are in the running for the MLS’ next round of expansion. Miami and Portland appear to be in the best positions to start play in ’11… As of December 2, Jason Kidd has 102 triple-doubles… Former big leaguer Tim Raines is the new skipper for the Atlantic League-playing Newark Bears… The NY Giants ﬁned Plaxico Burress, who’s probably played his last game with the team, 35 times over his career… Of the 25 highest single-game point outputs this NBA season, 18 are from players in the East… Tiger Woods only participated in six PGA events in ’08, yet had the second-highest payday with $5.7 million. Phil Mickelson was next ($5.1 million), but he played in 21 tournaments.

New Year’s Eve Bowls

Christmas Day Basketball

Tampa Bay at Atlanta

Tennessee at Indianapolis

Utah at Oklahoma

(Dec. 31, various times and channels)

How about a day of Sun/Music/Insight/Armed Forces/Chick-Fil-A bowls before a Ryan Seacrest nightcap?

(Dec. 25, 2:30PM and 5PM, ABC)

Spurs/Suns is a nice appetizer for the Celtics/ Lakers feast that follows.

(Dec. 14, 1PM, FOX)

Who knew this game would help determine the NFC South champ? Right, Arthur Blank did.

(Dec. 28, 1PM, CBS)

Forget Colts/Pats. This is the AFC game folks have had circled on their schedules.

(Dec. 13, 4PM, ESPN)

Some kids are just special. OU’s Blake Griﬃn is one of them.

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�� PG 29 • insiteatlanta.com • December 2008

MUSIC INTERVIEW

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

In the past two months, Ludacris has released two movies and dropped one dope album, Theater of the Mind.

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

F CHRIS BRIDGES WERE TO WALK INTO your oﬃce for a job interview, he’d be able to leave most of the talking to his resume. Seven albums. A record label that some cache behind it. A charitable foundation that actually gets stuﬀ done in the hood. A respectable acting career. A stake in a posh Atlanta restaurant called Straits. Ask the 31-year-old Illinois-born actor/rapper the kids call Ludacris to name something else he’s good and the man goes, “I would consider myself really good at playing real-life Monopoly, the real estate business. I would say I’m good at real estate. Now is not the time to sell. People are always going to need a place to stay.” Had you shadowed the bar-spitting broker over the past two months, the label of “brilliant time manager” could join dude’s list of jobs. Luda’s action-packed movies Max Payne and RocknRolla were all over the place in October. And in November, he was arguably even busier, performing on Saturday Night Live one week and releasing an album, Theater of the Mind, that should end up on a few writer’s year-end top ten lists the next. We need a nap just reciting the itinerary. Chris must be exhausted. But we didn’t wanna just assume how Luda was feeling about it all, so we recently met up with the tireless artist at an Atlanta hotel to get his thoughts on the new movies,

new DTP projects and new ways consumers are using their entertainment dollars.

You dropped two big movies in October. What does that feel like? It feels good, man, but I’m always trying to strive to do better ‘cuz I still feel like I’m new to the acting game—even though I’ve been doing it for, like, five years. It’s different from music. I’ve been doing that since I was, like, nine. I’m lovin’ it. I’m just glad I’m makin’ smart choices and I want to continue doing that, picking diverse roles. That’s what I’m all about, not tryin’ to play Ludacris in any movies. I’m tryin’ to do different stuff. These flicks are kinda dark. Yeah, they got that film noir, Matrix feel. That’s a definite contrast to your light-hearted albums. Is that done consciously? Absolutely. When I say increase my body of work, I strive to do stuff that’s going to surprise everybody else and do just different things. That’s exactly why I did that. I just like to have that range. I think I have that. I’m very versatile and I’m just trying to show that versatility. Tell me a couple of actors that fans would be surprised to hear you like. Jeffrey Wright. Shirley McLaine. Of course, Denzel. Dustin Hoffman. Jack Nickolson, just to name a few. What’s special about Theater of the Mind? In Theater of the Mind, I themed every song to be like a movie. Instead of having features, I feel like I have co-stars. Everything is movie-esque. Say, for instance, I have a song with [boxer] Floyd Mayweather called “Undisputed.” I’m in a boxing ring and you can hear the punches. He’s my coach and he’s kinda coaching me through the industry. I got a song with Common and Spike Lee called “Do the Right Thing,” kinda themed after the movie. Some of them are storytelling songs. Some of them you hear sound effects. It’s basically, I’m providing you the audio; the rest is up to the theatre of your mind. It’s something totally different than what everybody else is doing right now. In your eyes, have you done a great album yet? Hell yeah! I definitely think I’ve done a great album. I wouldn’t say every one of them is a classic, but I definitely think I’ve done some great albums.

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For that person who only knows the commercial stuﬀ, what album do they need to listen to for a true deﬁnition of Ludacris? I would say every album, but if I had to choose one, I would say the Theater of the Mind album. It basically soaks up all of the albums in one.

When you look at hip hop across the musical landscape, are you pleased with its current position? You know what? I think that it kinda puts the pressure on everybody to try to put out greater projects as a whole; not just having one or two great singles out but having a great album. It seems like consumers are getting smarter. They can just go buy one song and not buy an entire album. But if you have an entire album that’s good, then I feel like [that’s good]. On the one hand, I’m not happy with it. On the other, I am. It’s, like, good and bad. I just think consumers are picking and choosing which albums they wanna go out and buy. You don’t knock’em for that, right? Hell nah! I’m the same way. That’s why I took my time with this [album], and I made sure I’m about to give them their money’s worth—always. I got an email the other day about an I-20 record. Pardon the ignorance, but who is in DTP these days? 20 is definitely family. You got Shareefa. You got Playaz Circle, the Duffle Bag Boys. You have a new artist by the name of Willie Northpole. He’s out of Phoenix, Arizona. We have a new group by the name of Block Exchange. Oh, and Shawna. We’re actually working on some stuff with Shawna now.

How is ’09 gonna play out for you? In ’09, I’m definitely dropping another album. I’m working on a Battle of the Sexes album and a Theater of the Mind 2. With Battle of the Sexes, I’m trying to do some stuff with Shawna. There’s another movie coming out [next summer] called The Game, which stars Gerard Butler. He starred in 300. That is a kinda futuristic action movie. Imagine convicts in a battle zone, but [they’re] being played as actual video games because they have a chip in their heads. So, it’s human beings playing other human beings in a battle zone. They do it to shave time off their sentences, or to get outta jail. It’s going to be crazy.

This economic situation is affecting everybody in some way. How is it touching you? Well, I mean, as a businessman, I have businesses, so everybody is affected. The one thing I can say is that it affects me in a way that I feel responsible and people are really stressed out right now. They need forms of entertainment to help them get through. So, providing them with Max Payne or RocknRolla or giving them this Theater of the Mind album is kinda needed. I think that helps people relieve a lil’ bit of stress and that’s what I’m trying to do. And with all of that comes a level of expectations. Do you pride yourself in being someone who’s looked up to? Absolutely. I definitely understand that I’m a role model. If I come out with “parental advisory” stickers [on my CDs], I can’t control where my music goes sometimes. But I definitely take on my role as a role model. That’s why I have my own foundation. I do a lot with kids and work a lot with underprivileged youth and continue to give back to my community.

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