INsite Atlanta January 2008 Issue by INsite Magazine

OUR TOP 10 MOVIES OF THE YEAR January 20FR0E8E Vol. 16, No. 5

rtainment Monthly e t n E s ’ a t n a Atl tlanta.com www.insitea

Out of The Ofﬁce

Jenna Fischer On to the Big Screen

Atlanta’s Own

Ludacris

The Year in Music

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CONTENTS • JANUARY 2008 • VOLUME 16.5

INTERVIEWS

Winner Best Consignment Store

12 ROBERT DOWNEY JR. 13 JENNA FISCHER 12 14 GABRIELLE UNION 15 THE GREAT DEBATERS 23 LUDACRIS 25 MUSTARD PLUG 26 9TH WONDER & HI TEK 27 MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK 34 JOHNATHAN RICE 34 DON CHEADLE 33 JOHN C. REILY

FEATURES

10 NOODLE BOWLS 18 YEAR IN MOVIES 28 YEAR IN MUSIC 32 EDUCATION GUIDE 36 TRAVEL CARIBBEAN 37 SPORTS

COLUMNS 05 UNDER THE LIGHTS 14 06 ON TAP 08 AROUND TOWN 09 BOOKS 09 WANTON DISTRACTION 16 MOVIE REVIEWS 17 VIDIOTS 20 CONCERT CALENDAR 22 ROAD WARRIORS 22 WE GOT NEXT 24 ALBUM REVIEWS 23 38 FANATIC

www.insiteatlanta.com STAFF LISTING Publisher Stephen Miller steve@insiteatlanta.com National Managing Editor Bret Love bret@insiteatlanta.com Art Director �� graphics@insiteatlanta.com Film Editor Matt Goldberg matt@insiteatlanta.com Local News Editor Glenn LaFollette glenn@insiteatlanta.com Local Events Editor Rav Mansﬁeld rav@insiteatlanta.com Sports Editor DeMarco Williams demarco@insiteatlanta.com Web Design Kalico Productions info@kalicopro.com PG 4 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

Contributing Writers / Interns: John Davidson, John Moore, Mathew Goldberg, Russell Fisher, Zena Scott, Margo Aaron, Andrea Hatter, Kim Guelcher, Richard Marsh, Tracy Gould, Mark Fitten, Dave Cohen & Russ Marshalek CONTACT US 2250 North Druid Hills Rd. #100 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 �� false or mi leading advertising or editorial content, nor do the publisher or edi�� information (any and all) in this publication may be reproduced in any manner without written ��

Check out our Noodle Bowl Feature on page 10!

THEATER

COME FOR THE FOOD - STAY FOR THE SCENERY

Under The Lights

Theatrical Performances in January Sophisticated Ladies

Jan. 9 - Feb. 10 Alliance Theatre 404-733-5000 www.alliancetheatre.org

A SIZZLING MUSIC AND DANCE SPECTACULAR. Harlem’s hottest nightspot, the Cotton Club, opens for business in Atlanta on the Alliance Stage with ladies in glamorous gowns, sexy gentlemen in tuxedos and the hottest dancing in town – the kind of musical extravaganza you’ve come to expect from the Tony Award® recipient Alliance Theatre. The provocative music and dance spectacular Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies will rock the stage with a glittering eyeful of spectacle and a gorgeous earful of song in a must-see event that guarantees musical elegance, pure entertainment and all that Jazz. Award-winning Associate Artistic Director Kent Gash will direct and co-choreograph this romantic, elegant show with the same creative team who brought the smash hit Jelly’s Last Jam to Atlanta two years ago.

Annie

January 9 - 13 The Fox Theatre 404-817-8700 www.theaterofthestars.com SET IN NEW YORK CITY DURING THE DEPRESSION in December of 1933, ANNIE is the ultimate Cinderella story. It recounts the adventures of a little girl searching for her lost parents. The musical begins as eleven year old Annie attempts an escape from the municipal orphanage and the alcoholic clutches of the hilariously mean and scheming Miss Hannigan. During her many exploits, Annie befriends a stray dog named Sandy, and crosses the path of some very interesting characters, including billionaire Daddy Warbucks. Ever optimistic, Annie wins the help and hearts of nearly everyone she meets. ANNIE boasts one of Broadway's most memorable scores by Charles Strouse with lyrics by Martin Charnin. Songs include "It's the Hard-Knock Life," "Easy Street," "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile," "N.Y.C." and the buoyant signature song, "Tomorrow." The original Broadway production of ANNIE opened on April 21, 1977 and ran for 2377 performances. It won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Score.

2006 BROADWAY SEASON, The Drowsy Chaperone, a completely original musical comedy, will entertain Atlanta audiences during a special engagement January 22 - 27, 2008 at The Fabulous Fox Theatre. The national tour launched in September 2007 with a return to Toronto, where it was the sleeper hit of the 1999 Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival before transferring to a hit commercial run at Toronto's Winter Garden Theatre. The Drowsy Chaperone tells the story of a modern day musical theater addict known simply as "Man in Chair". To chase his blues away he drops the needle on his favorite LP - the 1928 musical comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone. From the crackle of his hi-fi, the musical magically bursts to life on-stage telling the tale of a pampered Broadway starlet who wants to give up show business to get married, her producer who sets out to sabotage the nuptials, her chaperone, the debonair groom, the dizzy chorine, the Latin lover and a pair of gangsters who double as pastry chefs. Man in Chair's love of The Drowsy Chaperone speaks to anyone who has ever been transported by the theater.

3500 PEACHTREE ROAD • PHIPPS PLAZA • BUCKHEAD • 404.814.9640

Anne Frank:Within & Without

www.TheTavernAtPhipps.com

January 22 - 27 Center for Puppetry Arts 404-873-3391 www.puppet.org

ANNE FRANK: WITHIN & WITHOUT RETURNS TO THE CENTER AFTER PLAYING TO SOLD OUT AUDIENCES DURING ITS FIRST RUN. The remarkable story of Anne Frank and the hopes, dreams and inner strength that carried her from day to day are given new life in this original production. Spanning the entire life of this remarkable teenager and taking you beyond the point where most biographies end, this celebratory piece is not just about death, war or "that poor little girl," but rather acts as a meditation on hope and all that is good in humankind.

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January 22 - 27 The Fox Theatre 404-817-8700 www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com

THE MOST CELEBRATED MUSICAL OF THE

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Chin Chin... OnTap January LOCAL EVENTS

A Window Into Hong Kong.

EMAIL EVENTS TO ONTAP@INSITEATLANTA.COM

“Most Memorable Meal Award”

Jan. 9 -13: The Fox Theatre

1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 – Where Magazine

ANNIE

ANNIE is coming back to the fabulous Fox Theatre! Audiences of all ages will enjoy this heartwarming family musical! Set in New York City during the depths of the Depression, ANNIE is the ultimate Cinderella story. It recounts the adventures of eleven year old Annie as she attempts an escape from the municipal orphanage. ANNIE features some of Broadway's most memorable songs including: "Hard Knock Life," "Easy Street," and "Tomorrow." For tickets, head to: www.ticketmaster.com

“Mouthwatering Chin Chin spices things up”

– The Atlanta Journal Constitution

“Best Chinese” 2002–2007 – INsite Magazine

“Best Chinese” 1998–2007 – Creative Loaﬁng

January 18-20: GWCC

The Cycle World International Motorcycle Show will cruise into the Georgia World Congress Center this month. This show offers attendees an up-close look at hundreds of 2008-model street bikes, dirt bikes, cruisers, ATVs, concept bikes, customs, vintage bikes and more. From cool custom choppers and tricked out sportbikes to everything off-road, this show offers something for everyone. For more information, head to: www.motorcycleshows.com.

January 25: Wild Bill’s

FIGHT NIGHT

OPEN EVERY DAY!

Wild Bill's Fight Night, the biggest and most successful Mixed Martial Arts event series in the state of Georgia, returns January 25th. See such big name stars as Lauron Reeves, Nguyen Brower, and Philip Botha. The fight will be held at Atlanta's hottest night spot, Wild Bills. Tickets start at just $25! The doors open at 6:30 PM and the fights begin at 8:30 PM. Wild Bill's is located just off I-85 on Pleasant Hill Road in front of Gwinnett Place Mall. For information, head to: www.wildbillsatlanta.com.

www.chinchinonline.com AADA alumni have been nominated for 72 Oscars®, 211 Emmys® and 60 Tonys®.

Redford

DeVito

Ebersole

Haysbert

Cattrall

Brody

Azaria

Rudd

Are You Next?

January 22-27: The Fox Theatre

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE

Get ready to be transported to a magical, wonderful world! A world where the critics are in awe, the audiences are in heaven and the neighborhood is buzzing with excitement. Welcome to THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, the new musical comedy that is swooping into town with tons of laughs and the most 2006 Tony Awards of any musical on Broadway! Complete with thrills and surprises that take both the cast (literally) and the audience (metaphorically) soaring into the rafters. For tickets, head to: www.ticketmaster.com

AUDITION IN ATLANTA JANUARY 26

January 29 - February 3: The Fox Theatre

• College Degree Conservatory Program • Six-Week Summer Intensive • Scholarships & Student Housing

GO DIEGO GO LIVE

ACT NOW! LOS ANGELES 800 222 2867 NEW YORK 800 463 8990 www.aada.org

Join Diego, Nick Jr.'s action adventure hero, as he sets out in his brand new live show, GO, DIEGO, GO LIVE! THE GREAT JAGUAR RESCUE! Diego, along with his sister Alicia and cousin, Dora, are off on an action packed special mission to get Baby Jaguar's growl back from the Bobo Brothers. To the rescue, my friends! For tickets, head to: www.ticketmaster.com

January 30: Variety Playhouse

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS

Los Angeles & NewYork PG 6 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

See our podcast on iTunes

The Variety Playhouse is the place to be to see the latest generation of the British Invasion. Super Furry Animals are a truly original band. Their 1st album, the 'Llanfairpwllgwyngyllllantysiliogogogoch(In Space) EP' appeared on the Ankst label in June 1995 As it happens, this release was also listed in The Guinness Book of World records - as the longest ever title for a commercially-released EP. For tickets, head to: www.ticketmaster.com.

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Art Bin Essentials Black Box with 1 Tray Back to School Sale $9.99

PIEDMONT PEACHTREE CROSSING 3330 Piedmont Road Suite 18 404.237.6331 MON-FRI 9-9 SAT 10-8 SUN 11-6 www.bindersart.com

Around Town ��

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PG 8 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

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Book Review LAST NIGHT AT THE LOBSTER Author: Stewart O’Nan BY JOHN MOORE Stewart O’Nan is a literary chameleon, moving from one genre to the next flawlessly. In his latest book, Last Night at the Lobster, he takes a seemingly mundane premise– the final hours before a small town Connecticut restaurant shuts down– and delivers a beautiful ode to the everyday man. With no suspense or action to be found, O’Nan turns all of his attention to drawing out well-crafted characters, with a deft ear for dialogue. The story is narrated by Manny DeLeon, the restaurant’s manager. Professional almost to a fault, he opens the dying restaurant on a snowy day just before Christmas for its final day of business. As compassionate as he is contientious, DeLeon agonizes over the fact that he can only take a handful of his staff with him to his new gig at a thriving restaurant across town. Though not exactly the sort world-altering dilemmas that James Bond faces, DeLeon stills has his personal dramas to contend with. In the hands of just about anyone else, Last Night at the Lobster’s premise wouldn’t even be worthy of a short story. But O’Nan takes what on the surface is a very thin plot and creates a beautiful study on the life of a typical American workingman.

Grade: A

CELEBRITY GOSSIP

Wanton Distraction Skewed Views on Entertainment News BY MATT GOLDBERG With Shantaram pushed to the back-burner due to various production difficulties, JOHNNY DEPP has signed on to play legendary gangster John Dillinger in Michael Mann’s Public Enemies. Set during 1933-1934, when it was okay to be a gangster because it was The Great Depression and America was already fucked, the story follows the transformation of the FBI to catch criminals like Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd. It looks like the film will need a worthy antagonist to Depp’s Dillinger, but with Mann doing a crime film and Depp as a lead, this film is already two-thirds of the way to greatness. HILARY SWANK, who can act her ass off in films like Boys Don’t Cry and Million Dollar Baby, then goes on to spend years doing the worst films she can find (The Reaping? Really, Hilary?!), will hopefully find success with Fangland. Swank will play a TV producer who travels to Romania for an interview with a notorious European arms dealer. It turns out that the arms dealer is a modern-day Dracula, although I’m not exactly sure what that means. Is he Dracula but not THE Dracula? Is it THE Dracula? Why would Dracula need to deal arms? Oh, WAYANS BROTHERS. Remember when you made worthwhile films? Keenan, you had I’m Gonna Git You Sucka and Hollywood Shuffle. Marlon, you had Requiem for a Dream. Shawn, you have...well you don’t really have anything. But for Keenan and Marlon, deep down you have potential to escape your ridiculously terrible spoof/racial comedy habit. Sadly, they

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have chosen to ignore it, instead going ahead with an as-yet-untitled spoof of action ﬁlms that will likely be awful. It will probably be called “Cop Film” or “Action Movie” or something

Will Hilary Swank actually make a hit film this year? Only time will tell. wonderfully creative like that, and it will be as terrible as Hot Fuzz is brilliant. Of course, the brothers probably didn’t see Hot Fuzz, because if they did, they would realize that their project is an exercise in futility. Yet, as I laugh, I know that I will die inside when this ﬁlm is released and becomes the box oﬃce smash that Hot

Fuzz could never be with American audiences. ALEC BALDWIN, unable to play Jack Donaghey or any members of Tracy Jordan’s family/apartment complex due to the writers’ strike, has decided to stay busy by signing on for Nick Cassavetes’ My Sister’s Keeper. Baldwin plays an attorney representing a child (Elle Fanning) who sues her parents for emancipation after she discovers that they only bred her so that they could keep her ailing older sister (DAKOTA FANNING) alive by harvesting her adorable organs. Cameron Diaz will play the girls’ mother/trial lawyer, who represents herself in the case. From Variety’s brief synopsis, I can only assume that Diaz’s character is the world’s worst mother/trail lawyer. Part of me feels like this has to be a comedy. Elle Fanning was “bred” for her sister? What happened to all the kids that didn’t make the cut? Stunt doubles? Disney Channel? The sisters are playing themselves, right? We don’t see Dakota Fanning anymore, because she’s slowly dying. That’s what I heard. She got a bad case of precocious-itis and her tiny body was unable to contain her massive wisdom. It’s a terrible syndrome. But cute blonde girls who are beyond reproach don’t come along every day. You’ve simply got to put two Aryans out to stud and hope for the best. Oh, and remember Lord of the Rings mastermind PETER JACKSON? You may not recognize him on sight these days after he lost a bunch of weight and got LASIK surgery, but the man who used to look like a Hobbit will now produce The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien’s prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Note that I said produce. Not write. Not direct. He will play the ambiguous role of producer over the two-part ﬁlm. Of course, word one doesn’t get written down until the writer’s strike is resolved. If only we could summon Smaug to deal with the moguls…

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BEST PIZZA!

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

DINING

Taste of the Month . . . Noodle Bowls Some great places in town serving up Hot Noodle Bowls this Winter Doc Chey’s Noodle House Emory Village 1556 N. Decatur Rd. 404.378.8188 Morningside 1424 N. Highland Ave. 404.888.0777 www.doccheys.com DOC CHEY'S IS THE ORIGINAL PAN-ASIAN NOODLE HOUSE IN ATLANTA. They opened their first restaurant 10 years ago in the Virginia Highland neighborhood of the city. They followed that with a second restaurant in Emory Village and now have five total noodle houses with other locations in Athens, Georgia ; Asheville, North Carolina ; and Greenville, South Carolina. Doc Chey's menu is truly pan-Asian; it encompasses the cuisines of China, Japan, Thailand, Korea and Vietnam. Menu categories include dim sum (starters), noodles, stir fries, soups and salads. Best sellers include the Spicy Thai Basil noodles consisting of wok seared vegetables and rice noodles tossed in a spicy Thai sauce, and the Szechuan stir fry, which includes a wide variety of vegetables stir-fried in a traditional Chinese Szechuan sauce and served with white or brown rice. All noodles and stir fries are freshly wok'd to order and served with your choice of chicken, tofu, beef, and shrimp or veggies-only. Doc Chey's also offers a wide variety of handmade dim sum items under five bucks that are perfect for starters, such as Shanghai Dumplings, Fresh Vietnamese Basil Rolls, Thai Shrimp Rolls and Crispy Veggie Spring Rolls. The majority of menu items are under $8 and each meal is served with a smile. Doc Chey's was voted Best Noodle Bowl for the past four years by INsite Magazine, and they also won Best Carryout for 2007. Other recent awards include Best Cheap Eats, Best Lunch Spot and Best Pan-Asian by Citysearch.com. Visit a Doc Chey's near you for a healthy serving of peace, love and noodles. For more info, visit doccheys.com.

Mama Fu’s Asian House 1935 Peachtree Rd 404.350.9999 3027 N. Druid Hills Rd. 404.844.6262 6590 Sugarloaf Parkway 678.213.0521 10779 Alpharetta Hwy. 770.992.7120 www.mamafus.com

Mama Fu’s North Druid Hills Location

FRESH, COOKED TO ORDER PAN-ASIAN CUISINE IS THE MANTRA AT MAMA FU’S. Here

you will find a variety of noodle bowls to choose from. All come with a choice of chicken, beef, tofu or shrimp. One of the most popular is the Pad Thai. It is prepared with a Thai peanut sauce with carrots, scallions, tofu, bean sprouts, and egg. This is all tossed with rice noodles and garnished with cilantro, peanuts and lime. Another spicy noodle dish is the Thai Basil bowl. It comes with mushrooms, onions, basil, red peppers, scallions, sprouts in a chili hoisin sauce. For something a little different go for the Vietnamese Crunchy Noodles, served with carrots, mushrooms, snap peas, red bell peppers, sprouts and seared garlic. With the New Year, Mama Fu’s is proud to introduce their signature Steam Bowls. The Steam Bowls are served in a bamboo steamer and brought to your table. Inside you get a choice of chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu accompanied with steamed vegetables, white or brown rice along with Mama’s special dipping sauces. These bowls are healthy, delicious and a lot of fun. Also new to their menu this year is the Thai Shrimp, Thai Beef Salad, and Thai Green Beans. They also have great side items like Mama’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Basil Spring Rolls and Potstickers. On the lighter side, try their Ginger Sesame Chicken Salad or the Ahi Tuna Salad.

The Real Chow Baby

New American Stir Fry

1016 Howell Mill Rd. Atlanta Ga. 30318 404.815.4900 www.therealchowbaby.com THE REAL CHOW BABY IS ATLANTA'S FIRST AND ONLY CREATE-YOUR-OWN STIR-FRY RESTAURANT, complete with a market-fresh stir-fry bar and the hottest grill in the Southeast. The Real Chow Baby gives you the opportunity to make your own unique culinary creation with a delicious blend of Asian and American flavors that you choose yourself. Their signature dishes, featuring bold, delicious flavors from traditional Asian and American cuisines, are made from a fresh stir-fry bar loaded with more than 70 ingredients. Choose from over 45 different kinds of rice, noodles, fruits, vegetables, meats and seafood, all prepared daily from scratch. At The Real Chow Baby, you are your own boss. You choose the ingredients, you choose the sauce, and when it's done, you enjoy your creation. Start by filling a bowl with your choice of noodles, rice, vegetables, sauces, spices, meats, and seafood. You can customize your creation by selecting from the soup, salad, stir-fry, or Chow Baby wrap. Then their chefs will transform it into a delicious stir-fry on their custommade, 60-inch flat top grill.

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Steam Bowls

Beef • Chicken • Shrimp • Tofu ��

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�� PG 10 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

The Real Chow Baby offers a full bar serving many specialty drinks plus a variety of beer and wine as well as hot and cold sake. They are located on Midtown’s Westside on Howell Mill Rd. just north of 10th Street. They are open for lunch Monday - Friday from 11am - 2:30pm and open for dinner at 5pm days a week. They close at 10pm on Sunday, 10:30pm during the week and stay open late until 11:30pm on Friday and Saturday.

Chin Chin Buckhead /Brookhaven 3887 Peachtree Rd. 404.816.2229 www.chinchinonline.com Chin Chin is consistently voted Atlanta’s Best Chinese restaurant. The Buckhead / Brookhaven location featured provides a luxurious and relaxing atmoshere for an enjoyable dining experience. Chin Chin offers a variety of superb noodle dishes. Their Pan Fried Noodles come with your choice of vegetables, chicken, pork, beef, and shrimp. You can also get the same ingrediaents with Lo Mein or try their house recipe. Another favorite house specialty is the Singapore Rice Noodle, which is served with curry chicken and shrimp and very hot! Chin Chin’s menu not only offers the standard favorites but also many exotic dishes in Chinese cuisine. Some that stand out are the Dragon & Phoenix, this plate is divided by assorted vegetables with lobster meat sauteed in a savory white sauce and chicken chunks lightly battered fried in hot spicy sauce. The Crispy Whole Fish Hunan Style is served as a fresh whole red snapper battered fried till it is crunchy and showered with chef's special rich hot spicy Hunan sauce. Three Cups Taiwanese Chicken comes with cauliflower, hot pepper, black mushroom, rice wine, sesame oil and three cups of rich soup assorted in a casserole enhanced by spicy ginger garlic sauce. A truly an extraordinary dish.

To Advertise Call 404-315-8485

Create Your Own Stir Fry. 1016 Howell Mill Rd., Atlanta, GA 30318 404-815-4900 www.therealchowbaby.com

WINNER!

PORK, BEEF & LAMB RIBS! FRESH HOMEMADE SIDES

Where the Ribs Fall Off the Bone

wy.

rnon H

Mt. Ve

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Hilderbrand Dr.

Roswell Rd.

BEST BBQ IN ATLANTA IS AT KC PIT! Hammond Dr.

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Monday to Thursday 11am–9pm | Friday & Saturday 11am–10pm | Sunday Noon–9pm PG 11 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

PG 12 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

Office Space

FILM INTERVIEW

Jenna Fischer on Her Hit TV Show, Her Breakout Film Role and Her Future’s Lack of Direction

BY MATT GOLDBERG

F YOU’VE EVER SEEN NBC’S THE OF FICE, then you probably already know and love Jenna Fischer, who plays the arty, slightly frumpy, absolutely adorable receptionist, Pam Beesley. But you’ll soon see her as you never have before as an absolute sexpot in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. I can’t stress how sexy she is in that film, but hopefully this interview will stress how funny she is in person. We spoke to her about her role in Walk Hard and what her life is like in a post-strike world where we’re hungry for anything we can get about The Office. Tremendously charming and disarmingly pretty in person, Jenna Fischer humors us. Does being outrageous come naturally to you, or is it very intimidating for you? Particularly some of those things you do when you’re… all that stuff when you’re doing things with ice cream and lollipops. Well, think I tend to have a pretty raunchy sense of humor, pretty dark sense of humor. But I’m not a very outrageous person. Like, I kind of needed the character in order to express that side of me. So I’m probably a lot more shy in real life, a little bit more reserved and not necessarily, like, wanting to be the center of attention all the time. So that’s what was fun. I think that just comes from, like, some sort of “don’t stand out” Missouri upbringing or something. You know, just like modesty instilled in me from a young age, or something. But it was fun to do. I needed the character in order to give myself permission. But once I gave myself permission, it was like I went for it and I embraced it.

How weird is it to be in December and not be going to The Oﬃce set? It’s really weird, and it’s sad. And we would always get together as a group and watch, like, the Christmas episode every year and have a little Christmas party. And we don’t have a Christmas episode this year. So I’ve been wondering if we’re still gonna have our Christmas party. I hope we still do. But it’s weird. Do you have any plans to direct again, after Lolly Love? No. No. No. I’ll never write or direct anything again. Why? I promise! Why? Because I hated it! I hated it. It was awful. Really? I’ve never heard anyone admit that before. Maybe other people like it. I didn’t like it. I thought it was awful. I loved editing. I liked, as a director, sitting in the editing room. I liked that very much. But I think, like, it is not a talent of mine to create something from

nothing. Like, to have a blank page, and have to just imagine it all yourself. It’s just that I’m not wired that way. And then also, I don’t see things visually the way a director does. It was very frustrating for me. I really come at things from a kind of emotional level. And as an actor, that really works. I think as a director you have to be able to have a vision. You have to be able to see, like, where bodies go on camera. I can’t do it. I found it very frustrating, and diﬃcult. I didn’t like it.

Before the strike happened, had you guys already mapped out where the season was gonna go? Like, did you have an idea of where you were trying to take the show? Not that I know of. The episode that we were going to shoot was one of the funniest episodes I’ve ever read. It’s an idea that the writers had been pitching for about two years, which is that Michael Scott has a dinner party, and everything that hap-

SOMETIMES SOME OF THE RELATIONSHIPS WE GO THROUGH ARE MORE ABOUT GROWING AS A PERSON AND LEARNING WHO WE ARE, AND SORT OF THEN LETTING GO AND LETTING THAT PERSON GO ON TO FIND THE LOVE OF THEIR LIFE.

So if they asked you to direct an episode of The Office, you would-I would say no. Quickly. [Laughter] I won’t ever direct an episode of The Office. I won’t ever write an episode of The Office Before the strike… I can’t stress enough how I will never write or direct again. [Laughter]

pens. And it’s brilliant. And it was, like, two years in the making. And it planted a lot of seeds for the rest of the season in terms of story arc. And so hopefully we’ll get back at it, and all those things will pay oﬀ, and we’ll get to shoot that episode. People turn up to the dinner party? Oh, yeah. I probably shouldn’t have even said “dinner party.” They’re probably gonna be mad at me for even revealing that. But it’s so good. I mean,

it was soooo good. One of the interesting things about The Office is that the show is shot, and certainly your characters, almost like a silent movie sometimes; where so much of the communication is done without words. Well, I think so much of the show is about what we say when we’re not speaking. But also, like, it is a subtext show, you know? And I think it’s one of the challenges to, like, have a conversation with the character of Jim that’s very, you know, acceptable and appropriate, while all the while communicating to the audience that this is a person I have a huge crush on. So a lot of what we do on the show is, like, we comment on the way that people try not to share what they’re really thinking or feeling, and how transparent we all are anyway. Is this the most creative you are in your life at the moment? I would say yes. I think I went through a period of time when I wasn’t working as an actor, when I was forced to, like, self-generate creativity. I started cartooning, and that was a really creative time in my life. That’s when I made my movie, Lolly Love. There’s something really exciting about having to be a self-starter and create work for yourself, and to also see it through. It’s very different from being, like, hired to do a project. So that time in my life was really important, because I think it made it possible for me to do what I’m doing now. But right now I’m working more than ever and getting to work on projects that I like, and haven’t had a bad experience yet, knock on wood. So I would say, yeah, this is definitely the most fertile, creative time for me. Will Pam and Jim make it through the rest of the show, or do you think there’ll be bumps along the way? I really don’t know. I’ve sort of told the producers all along that I am not attached to Jim and Pam being the loves of one another’s lives forever. I think we should only keep them together for as long as it seems real and honest, and that there could also be something very beautiful about the two of them preparing one another to find the true love of their lives. I mean, sometimes some of the relationships we go through are more about growing as a person and learning who we are, and sort of then letting go and letting that person go on to find the love of their life. So I’m okay with that being the Jim-Pam story, too. And it could be sort of interesting, and something we haven’t done before. Every time I pitch that idea, they tell me that I’m crazy and nobody wants to see that. {Laughter] So I have a feeling Jim and Pam are gonna make it in the end…

PG 13 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

Gabrielle Union

FILM INTERVIEW

NEW YEAR’S RETRIBUTION BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

F THERE’S ONE LESSON TO BE learned in the movie business, it’s this: You don’t mess with Will Smith. Gabrielle Union’s Christmas comedy, The Perfect Holiday, had the nerve to frown upon this bit of advice and be released on the same December weekend as the monster smash I Am Legend. Yikes! After enduring such an unfair fight at the box office, you’d think that Union, a smart, stunning UCLA grad, would have learned her lesson, but nooooo. Her next movie, the Eddie Murphy-costarring laugher Starship Dave, is coming out to only slightly less intimidating opposition this summer— Sarah Jessica Parker. Both Dave and the long-anticipated Sex and the City movie open on May 30. Think the 35-year-old Omaha native is the least bit worried about Carrie Bradshaw? Hardly. That big-screen battle is nothing compared to the one African Americans wage on the daily for jobs in Hollywood.

you get a divorce. How soon do you introduce your kids to your new man? How soon do you introduce your ex to your new man? How does that all work? I’ve never seen that sort of played out on film, so that’s another reason. Any worries that this movie wouldn’t be supported by Blacks, seeing as how it doesn’t have the requisite sex and violence they say

LITERALLY, ANY JOB IS MY DREAM JOB. MY NEXT JOB IS MY DREAM JOB. I HAVE MY DREAM JOB.

You and Morris Chestnut have done four movies together. Speak on the “It” that you two have on screen? You know, by now it’s like the fourth movie. The first one I was terrified. I didn’t want to be the chick who was that nerd or the one who jacks up his run. By now, a lot of it comes out of the fact that he’s a gentleman. He’s incredibly easy. He’s free of ego. There’s not an entourage. He’s not a diva. He’s just super easy. When you’re a gentleman, chemistry can happen naturally on-screen. With guys who go, “You wanna come rehearse in my trailer,” it kinda gets in the way. You’re so uncomfortable all the time. When you see people on-screen who don’t have chemistry that’s probably one of the reasons why. One of the two of them is probably doing too much. [Morris] is incredibly easy and an actual nice guy, so it makes it easy. The Perfect Holiday was your second time being a mom on screen, right? Yeah, but the last time those kids didn’t really speak. They were, like, babies. They slept through most of the scenes. It was scary. When you become a mom [in Hollywood], the next thing you know you’re on Golden Girls. They age you quick. It was a lil’ scary to sort of take this leap of faith and hope that I can still go back and do younger roles and hotter roles. I like the whole idea that all this woman wants is a compliment. I like that idea that kind word truly can make a difference. They start the whole ball rolling. I think sometimes we forget. We get so jaded. Just saying, “Good morning. You look great today. How are you? That’s a great color for you,” can change somebody’s whole day or week. I just like that whole idea of how kind words can change the whole thing. Also, we don’t really explore the idea of when do you start dating after PG 14 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

we have to have in all our movies? I think we support all movies. If it’s good, they’ll come. When you see a movie like This Christmas that is free of violence and overt sexuality, not only do we come, but a lot of other people came. And certainly with Tyler’s [Perry’s] movies doing so well that are free of overt sexuality. What happened with movies like Pride? Pride came out on a jacked up weekend. I think a lot of the sports movies aren’t doing well, black or white. [The masses] didn’t go see the Marshall movie either, We Are Marshall. They come out at jacked up times. It’s hard for a feel-good sports movie, certainly one about the death of a bunch of players dur-

ing a time when we’re losing young people. They’re releasing them at really jacked up times with the thinking of, “Oh, it’s for a different audience.” You can’t compete with Ghost Rider or other comic book movies.

We always speak about how slow Hollywood is in opening up roles to Blacks, but what kinds of things have gotten better since Love Jones? You see a lot more people of color getting their own money together, forming film funds. You got what Boris Kodjoe, Bryan White and Dallas Austin have. They formed their own production unit and have gotten their own funding and investors. And it’s true, in comparison to other ethnic groups, I suppose we’re doing fabulous. To be Middle Eastern in this country right now and trying to find roles where you aren’t a terrorist, good luck on that. Native Americans had like one movie over the last five years, The Wounded Knee. It’s definitely improving in that sense, when you compare it to other people. The face of America is changing so rapidly. The demographic we pander to, the 18 to 34 demographic, they don’t care. The people in charge of studios seem to be completely out of touch with the audience that they’re chasing after. If you list of the hottest chicks, [you’ll see] Vanessa Minnillo, Halle Berry, Lucy Liu, Jessica Simpson. They

don’t say, “Oh, she’s a hot Asian chick.” Or “Jessica Alba’s a very hot racially-ambiguous woman.” They just say that these are hot chicks. With movies like Transformers, cool things are exploding and stuff. You don’t notice that there’s a very diverse cast. When you look at a movie like American Gangster, I wonder if anyone asked Russell Crowe, “How does it feel to be in a great black movie?” That’s what he was in. They just say, “Cool movie.” It just kinda depends on your perspective. It’s definitely hard being an African-American actress where there used to be roles that were specifically written black. Like, if you knew Denzel [Washington] was doing a movie, his wife/girlfriend/ love interest was going to be black. That’s not necessarily the case anymore. So, you’re in that [auditioning] room with every amazing, talented actress of every hue. It’s just a dogfight. It’s hard. It’s definitely a challenge.

How do you survive? With TV. TV is the next frontier as far as opportunity for us. It’s kind of like, if you’re looking at the door that just slammed in your face, you miss the window that opens up behind you. TV is that window that is opening up behind us, with all the different cable channels and everyone having the means to greenlight projects, you just have so much more opportunity. Look at a lot of the cable shows. They’re much more diverse than your traditional network television shows. There’s a lot more opportunity in TV. How did all of this start for you? I got an internship at a modeling agency during my senior year at UCLA. When my internship was over, they asked if I’d be interested in staying on as a model. I was still working at the bookstore making $6.16 an hour after three raises. I was the book buyback supervisor at UCLA. I was like sure. I had a stack of student loans that needed to be paid off. I immediately started booking modeling jobs like two days later for [magazines] Teen and Sassy and All About You. Two weeks later, they were like, “We’re going to send you on an audition for Saved By The Bell. I was like, I don’t have a resume and I don’t know what I’m doing. They were like, “They don’t know. Nor do they care.” So, I made a fake resume. I booked my first audition. Every time I got a job, I’d take something fake off. Eventually, the whole thing was mine. What’s your dream role? Literally, any job is my dream job. My next job is my dream job. I have my dream job. I’m working on Ugly Betty. I have a destination. In this business, work is so hard to come by. Competition is so fierce. My next job is my dream role. I’m making my dream role out of this role I have right here on Ugly Betty. My dream role was this summer, working with Eddie Murphy on Starship Dave. I did an independent called The Box. That was a dream role. So, yeah, the next job is a dream role.

FILM INTERVIEW The Young Cast of the Golden Globe-nominated Best Picture, The Great Debaters, Speaks Its Peace. BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

F YOU THOUGHT THE CREATIVE team of Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman on the Charlie Wilson’s War set was impressive, brace yourself for the triple shot of star power that’s coming at you this holiday season with The Great Debaters. Producer Oprah Winfrey, director/actor Denzel Washington and costar Forest Whitaker are certainly all keys to the success of this inspiring true story of a headline-making, all-black college debate team in the 30s. But if you’re searching for the picture’s true heart, look no further than the Debaters’ trio of budding stars, Jurnee Smollett (21 years old), Denzel Whitaker (17, and no relation to Forest) and Nate Parker (28), that’s fielding questions about playing historical figures on screen and making quality life decisions away from it. What were your reasons for doing this project? JS- If you look at my resume, you’ll see that I don’t choose projects on their commercial success or their commercial potential. It’s not really where my heart is. I choose projects based on what speaks to my heart and what speaks to me as a human being. When I read this script –[screenwriter] Bob Eisele, I give big kudos to him. He wrote such an intelligent script- I had to be a part of this. I felt I was born to play this role. Bringing this story to life and portraying Samantha was like food for my soul. I learned so much about myself by learning so much about our past. There’s this whole section of history that’s kind of untold, from post-Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement. We don’t know a lot about how we got from Point A to Point B. We never see it in cinema. There was the Great Depression. FDR declared a war on crime and left out lynching. There was so much going on. So much turmoil. The country was going through this upside-down era. A lot of the things we have today was because of this era. This generation laid a foundation for all of us, black, white, Asian, purple, whatever, to have the opportunities we have now. For that reason, I don’t give a dang how commercially successful this film is. I do want this film to encourage more studios to do films like this. Not that this needs to be the blueprint for more debating films, but we need films that actors can sink their teeth into. There are so many more stories that are jewels. We can give voice to the voiceless. There are so many. For that reason, that’s why I care that it will do well at the box office.

to doing the movie. I think a lot of people will want to know about this remarkable story. NP- Even to look at it for entertainment value, it imitates life, the way that Denzel directs it. It’s not a film that’s going to beat you over the head with the way that Caucasians treated black people. It’s not just a black film. It imitates life in the sense that you have all these issues. You have this terrible period that was swept under the rug. Then you also have the Great Depression and how that affected people and the unions that were trying to boost the economy. All of these things were happening at once. It’s so many different issues attacked at the same time. It’s done so in a way that you laugh and cry through the whole movie within every two or three minutes. So, you never feel like you’re being pressed down to feel negative. You never feel like they’re skimming over the important parts. In 1935, black people weren’t just walking around with their heads down, kickin’ dirt

because there are paycheck projects. There are projects they say you do so that you can do what you want. What I believe is that if you feel like you are compromising yourself, you probably are. If you thought, Well, this is probably not right, it’s probably not right. For me, I know what it’s like to be poor. I can wait a lil’ bit longer for ﬁnancial freedom without having to compromise myself or lose my shirt. For me, it’s going to be a project by project situation, and hopefully, in 35 years I can look back and be proud of what I’ve done. DW- The roles, the opportunities are getting better thanks to people like Denzel Washington and Oprah and Forest Whitaker. Just to see them collaborating like this and to come together and to make inspiring projects [is special]. Easily they could have made another blockbuster. I’m not saying this isn’t a blockbuster, but they could have made another typical Hollywood action ﬁlm or something like that and easily sold tickets. But to take this story and to be really inspired by it and have the passion like they did behind the project to put it out, that’s something I think is special. Hollywood is waiting for something inspiring and uplifting—especially during Christmas. That’s one of those things where you’re kinda proud of what they’re doing.

IF 10 YEARS FROM NOW YOU WAKE UP IN A KANGAROO SUIT AND AN EYE PATCH, YOU KNOW YOU MADE A BAD DECISION SOMEWHERE DOWN THE ROAD.

Besides the obvious underdog theme, what are some other things people will love about this picture? DW- It’s not only the underdog, but it’s inspiring. There are so many moral stories of just how they emphasize education. Everybody loved to get an education. It was a dream to go to college and sit in Mr. Tolson’s (Denzel Washington’s character) class, to open up your textbook and just be present. It was a dream. Everybody dressed in suits. It was an elegant period. There’s a story behind that. It’s a story that I don’t think has been told. I haven’t learned about this story prior

and sayin’, “Oh, we’re so poor. Poor us.” They rose to the occasion. They had the courage to say we’re not going to let our environment define who we are. This doesn’t feel like a made-for-TV movie. JS- You know why? Denzel said, “It’s easy to make a film about everything that’s going bad, everything that’s going wrong.” You could make one big movie about things being bad. He said, “It’s not the black and white area that interests me; it’s the shades of grey that fascinates me.” That’s why, in the scene with me on the bus, you see black and white sharecroppers that were evicted on the road. That was true! You see a white sharecropper being prejudice to Dr. Farmer in one scene and then joining the sharecroppers union [with blacks] in the next. Human conditions are more complex than just being all bad. For that reason, the message is not beaten down our head. Yes, there are messages. Yes, it’s inspirational. But at the end of the day, it’s good entertainment. The topic of blacks in Hollywood is an important one that is generally addressed by older professionals. What’s the situation like from younger perspectives? NP- I think that an actor has to have an opinion and they have to have a line. Working with Denzel [Washington], he’s a man of integrity. That integrity carries on and off the set. That’s something that really affected me. In many ways I do want my career to be like his. In 35 years, I wanna look back and be proud of my body of work. To answer your question, Denzel said, “If 10 years from now you wake up in a kangaroo suit and an eye patch, you know you made a bad decision somewhere down the road.” To avoid that, you have to look at every single project and [ask] is that something I’d be proud of. I’m not going to knock anybody

Another great thing about the ﬁlm is that it shows black men in a rarely-seen constructive light. NP- I don’t want to step on any toes but I’ll just say this: That’s a big thing for me. Because of that perception of a black man as a simple of dignity and strength, there are certain things I won’t do. I’ll leave it at that. There’s no amount of money or amount of inﬂuence that can take me down that road.

Jurnee, the last time we really saw you was Eve’s Bayou. Now you’re all grown up, doing love scenes here. What have you been doing? ZS- You know what, I’ve never ever been forced to do what I’m doing, even though I started really young. My mom was my coach, managed everything and taught me the business side of show business. She never forced me to do anything I didn’t want. She always told me it was about longevity. You do things that your heart is in. You pick projects that you can be passionate about and can be honest in your portrayal. That’s why I have not done 16 films since Eve’s Bayou because they just haven’t been there. I’ve worked. I’ve consistently worked. I’ve worked with great filmmakers and great actors [like] Angela Bassett. I just didn’t want to do anything. But trust me, I keep busy doing a whole lot of other stuff outside of Hollywood. I’ve been a member of this [HIV/ AIDS awareness] organization called Artists for New South Africa since I was 12 years old. That’s really food for my soul. Just being involved in the community and being socially active is priority No. 1 in my life. I love the smell of a set. I love being on a set. But I would rather spend my time outside of set if that is set is going to be an unhappy and toxic environment for me. As Nate said, I’m taking each project as it comes. I want to grow and work with filmmakers that push me and challenge me, but I don’t want to do just anything. That’s no fun, man. PG 15 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

FILM

�� THE BUCKET LIST:� �� –B. Love CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR:� �� –Matt Goldberg THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY:� �� PG 16 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

�� –Matt Goldberg THE GREAT DEBATERS:�� –DeMarco Williams� I AM LEGEND:� ��

Get busy livin’ or get busy making sentimental-movies about dyin’. That’s damn right. Check out “The Bucket List” for a heavy desire to see these guys in something else. �� –DeMarco Williams JUNO:�� –Matt Goldberg THE KITE RUNNER:� ��

�� –B. Love NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS: �� –Matt Goldberg NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN:� ��

�� –Matt Goldberg THE ORPHANAGE:� �� –B. Love PERSEPOLIS:� �� –Alexis Gray SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET:� ��

�� –Matt Goldberg THERE WILL BE BLOOD:�� –Matt Goldberg

SCREEN GEMS PRESENTS A CUBE VISION/STORY COMPANY/FIRM FILMS PRODUCTION A FILM BY DAVID E. TALBERT “FIRST SUNDAY” LORETTA DEVINE MICHAEL BEACH KEITH DAVID REGINA HALL MALINDA WILLIAMS MUSIC EXECUTIVE BY STANLEY CLARKE PRODUCERS STACY KOLKER CRAMER NEIL MACHLIS RONALD MUHAMMAD JULIE YORN PRODUCED WRITTEN AND BY DAVID E. TALBERT DAVID MCILVAIN TIM STORY ICE CUBE MATT ALVAREZ DIRECTED BY DAVID E. TALBERT

STARTS FRIDAY, JANUARY 11

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES SORRY, NO PASSES ACCEPTED FOR THIS ENGAGEMENT.

��

�� PG 17 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

FILM

THE BEST FILMS OF 2007 INsite Critics Picks

BY MATT GOLDBERG AND B. LOVE B. LOVE’S TOP 10 1. SWEENEY TODD

For me, it would be enough that this adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s grisly Broadway smash about a homicidal barber out for revenge after being wrongly imprisoned and losing his wife and daughter to a covetous judge (a deliciously wicked Alan Rickman) is arguably the best work of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s fruitful creative partnership. That it’s also among the finest movie musicals in modern cinema– artful, epic and hauntingly beautiful from start to finish– makes it my favorite film of 2007.

2. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN Few ﬁlm fans would argue that the Coen brothers haven’t made consistently great movies over the course of their careers, but some might say that 1990’s Miller’s Crossing was the last time they made a movie as dynamic and visceral as this captivating morality play. Pitch-perfect performances from Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones and especially Javier Bardem vividly brought Cormac McCarthy’s brutal story to life, while Roger Deakins’ stunning cinematography is equally captivating.

3. NO END IN SIGHT Political scientist-turned-director Charles Ferguson’s scathing indictment of the bungling of the war in Iraq trumps Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 and Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth as the most important political documentary of the decade. Interviews with numerous former administration oﬃcials outline the gory details of the Bush Administration’s myriad failures, making the ﬁlm an urgent, intelligent and emotionally devastating must-see. See it before you vote in 2008.

4. GONE BABY GONE As a fan of Ben Aﬄeck on a personal and professional level, it’s been frustrating to watch the man piss his career away with a string of crappy movies and even crappier tabloid scandals. But the Good Will Hunting Oscar winner redeemed himself by writing and directing this taut noir thriller, getting career-making performances out of brother Casey and Michelle Monaghan as PIs investigating a missing child case in South Boston, while newcomer Amy Ryan is a gut-wrenching revelation as the missing girl’s drug-abusing slut of a single mom.

5. MICHAEL CLAYTON It’s hard to say why Tony Gilroy’s gripping legal thriller didn’t catch fire with audiences in the way that, say, Erin Brockovich did. But you can’t blame it on a trio of stellar performances from Tom Wilkinson as a lawyer who goes nuts in search of his soul, Tilda Swinton as the personification of corporate corruption and especially George Clooney (in a masterful turn every bit as impressive as his Oscar-winning role in Syriana) as the haunted fixer trying to stay alive long enough to make sense of it all.

6. RATATOUILLE

PG 18 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

Some people couldn’t get past the fact that Pixar’s latest masterpiece was about a rat with a connoisseur’s knack for culinary concoctions, proving human prejudices aren’t limited to our own species. But director Brad Bird’s artful love letter to Paris and gourmet culture was Pixar’s most mature eﬀort to date, oﬀering sumptuous visuals, a fantastic jazz score and great vocal performances by comic Patton Oswalt as Remy and Peter O’Toole as the sort of snobbish critic who gives us snobbish critics a bad name.

7. JUNO Knocked Up and Superbad both brought in bigger box oﬃce bucks, but in my eyes this sly sleeper about a pregnant teen who elects to carry her baby to term and give it up for adoption was the year’s best comedy. Diablo Cody has the most original screenwriting voice to come along since Charlie Kaufman and, as the title character, Ellen Page proves her perfect muse, as intelligent and irreverent as Judd Apatow’s boys are gleefully sophomoric. From Michael Cera as the adorably confused baby daddy to Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner as the adoptive parents, every casting decision is spot-on.

8. THE DIVING BELL & THE BUTTERFLY It’s safe to say there’s never been another film quite like director Julian Schnabel’s adaptation of former French ELLE editor Jean-Dominique Bauby’s memoir. After suffering a stroke and being paralyzed by “locked in syndrome” at age 43, Bauby (Mathieu Amalric) could only communicate by blinking his eye, dictating his story to a string of gorgeous women. Using first-person perspective and the genius cinematography of Janusz Kaminski, Schnabel captures the wonderland inside Bauby’s mind, where dreams and consciousness blur and collide and past and present merge, all of narrated by Bauby’s life-affirming monologues. Don’t let the subtitles scare you away!

9. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD If the excellent 3:10 To Yuma was 2007’s classic Western and No Country For Old Men was the genre’s modern update, this tightly wound tale about the death of the legendary outlaw (Brad Pitt, in his most sublime performance to date) plays like a Western fever dream, building slowly but assuredly to the foregone conclusion of the title. As Ford, Casey Aﬄeck delivered his second award-worthy performance of the year, his every frazzled emotion as raw as James’ primal instincts were honed. Props must also go to Nick Cave and Warren Ellis for the year’s best soundtrack, which eerily underscores the underlying tension of this haunting elegy.

10. ENCHANTED Despite rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, you won’t see this romantic comedy on many Top 10 lists this year, because it’s simply not the sort of ﬁlm critics are supposed to get behind. But with its subversive skewering of classic Disney stereotypes while simultaneously paying tribute to the timeless traditions Disney Princess fanatics

treasure, its arguably the finest fairy tale film since The Princess Bride, not to mention the Mouse House’s most impressive effort since the dawn of Pixar’s dominance. HONORABLE MENTIONS: The Bourne Ultimatum, Knocked Up, Once, 3:10 To Yuma, Rescue Dawn.

MATT GOLDBERG’S TOP 10 1. AMERICAN GANGSTER This is one of the best crime films ever made and looking at other year-end lists, it looks like it will be the greatest crime film ever ignored. How can other critics not see that American Gangster is not just about a mafia mastermind; it’s not just about a moral-to-a-fault cop; it’s not just about the influence of drugs in the black community; it’s not just about race and crime and business and morality. It’s about how all those elements mesh together and how the exploration of it all would make your head hurt if you weren’t so damn entertained by electrifying performances and Ridley Scott’s honest direction. The great crime epics of The Godfather, Scarface, and Goodfellas cast a shadow that can easily cover any contender. American Gangster confidently walks out of the darkness and stands alongside these giants of American Crime cinema.

2. I’M NOT THERE The biopic needed writer/director Todd Haynes to come along with I’m Not There, slap it across the face, and say, “Hey! You want to show some respect? Watch and learn.” Haynes realized with his study of Bob Dylan that it’s not necessarily about improvisation, but internalization. And with a man as rich and complex as Dylan, you need six actors and six stories to honestly explore the depths of a man known as a radical, poet, joker, thief, drifter, outlaw and more (or less). Even if Haynes’ experiment hadn’t paid oﬀ, it was an eﬀort worthy of Dylan.

3. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN I don’t care what kind of list you’re making, the Coen Brothers’ latest needs to be on there. And then you must mention the following: Javier Bardem’s seductively psychotic Anton Chigurh; the mad survival skills of Josh Brolin’s Llewelyn Moss; and the sad fatalism of Tommy Lee Jones’ Sheriﬀ Ed Tom Bell. And if you so much as think about complaining about the ending, then I promise you there won’t even be a coin-toss, friend-o.

4. LARS AND THE REAL GIRL The best love story of 2007 was between a man and a life-sized doll. Its premise may seem contrived but the writing, directing, and the performances, not only Ryan Gosling as the titular Lars, but a powerful supporting cast, make the film a beautiful story of how not only finding love is difficult, but finding the ability to love can be a challenge all its own.

5. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD This movie is nonfiction on screen, but through the lens of legend instead of documentary. Even if you ignore the mournful score, Brad Pitt’s soulful and internal portrayal of James, and the gorgeous cinematography, it’s impossible to ignore Casey Affleck as the ineffable Bob Ford. Never has a man so historically insignificant been so meaningful.

6. GONE BABY GONE Film noir just isn’t about solving crimes, gritty detectives, and sparse use of lighting. It’s about setting and it’s about morality and it’s through those that writer/director Ben Affleck created one of the best films of the year. He not only finds both the beauty and the ugliness in the slums of Boston, but he ends the film with a moral question that will have you arguing with your friends for days. If no one can see

all ends, then how can anyone act morally? Are all actions equal if done for the best intentions? If only all ﬁlm noir had questions as hard as its edge.

7. THE MIST I will never see The Mist again, though I may buy it on DVD so I can loan it to people I don’t like. Writer/director Frank Darabont’s ﬁlms have always been about hope, and while The Mist still has hope as a central theme, it’s from the opposite direction of his previous uplifting fare (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile). And the CG monsters– as scary and as well-designed as they are– do not compare to the horror of a world without hope.

8. THERE WILL BE BLOOD It’s to this ﬁlm’s credit that, after two and a half hours of watching power absolutely corrode the souls of men, you want to watch the entire ﬁlm again and give it an even closer study. Day-Lewis

Vidiots This month’s DVD & VHS Releases

THE GAME PLAN – When superstar QB Joe Kingman

(Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) ﬁnds Peyton (Madison Pettis) at his door claiming to be his daughter, he must learn how to balance football, parties and personal appearances with ballet classes and bedtime stories. Forced to be an active parent, the overly serious and self-centered football star begins to change. It isn’t until Peyton has to be rushed to the hospital that Joe realizes his love for the child, learning a much-needed lesson that life isn’t just about fame and fortune, but family and friends as well. From the candid sarcasm of Madison Pettis to Monique Vasquez’s Spanish outbursts to Kyra Sedgwick’s gas, the ﬁlm is full of laughs, showing the transformation of a serial bachelor into a doting father. Grade B ZS

THE HUNTING PARTY – This story follows three journal-

ists on a quest to interview and possibly capture a monstrous war criminal known as The Fox. Led by the washedup Simon (Richard Gere), narrator Duck (Terrence Howard) and the green Benjamin (Jesse Eisenberg) try to track him down during the aftermath of the Serbian-Bosnian war. Despite the entertaining performances, the film lacks confidence, refusing to dabble in ambiguity and bringing us to an unsatisfying ending that’s too neatly tied up. The Hunting Party had the potential to be a smart adventure story, but with faltering confidence and a condescending third act, the film’s a bit of a disappointment. Grade C+ MG

THE INVASION – This ﬁlm, which essentially switched

from German director Oliver Hirschbiegel (Downfall, Das Experiment) to the Wachowski Brothers midstream, is a constant bore and oﬀers nothing beyond what previous Invasion of the Body Snatchers movies presented. A space shuttle crash lands in America and brings with it a new life form that ends up infecting the head of the CDC (Jeremy Northam). T he whole planet transforms into an army of emotionless zombies, and only Northam’s ex-wife (Nicole Kidman) and her friend (Daniel Craig) can stop the inva-

gives a performance that exceeds already high expectations and I pray we won’t have to wait another ﬁve years for writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s next ﬁlm. There Will Be Blood is a familiar morality tale like you’ve never seen before.

9. HOT FUZZ Judd Apatow may be the smartest and funniest man in Hollywood. Knocked Up and Superbad are two of the best comedies of the decade as they’re not only endlessly quotable but also smart, bittersweet, and thoughtful. But edging out both is cowriter/director Edgar Wright’s ode to action ﬁlms/ Agatha Christie/Great Britain. Edgar Wright is like the Quentin Tarantino of comedy minus the arrogance and the motormouth. He’s a ﬁlm fan who is creating an amalgam of cinema and making it his own while providing a list of must-see movies to the viewer. For a movie that could easily mock Bad Boys II and Point Break, it loving embraces cheesy

PICKS OF THE MONTH SHOOT ‘EM UP

Mr. Smith (Clive Owen) is minding his own business when he crosses paths with a pregnant woman running for her life. After delivering the baby during a shootout, the mother dies, and now he’s stuck with a child he must protect. Teaming up with a lactating hooker (Monica Belluci), the two try to outrun a necrophiliac hit/family-man (Paul Giamatti). Since Shoot ‘Em Up is 100% style, the film really just comes down to piling on the insanity and ramping up the action so that each scene satiates the greater bloodlust generated from the scene before. What makes the film feel fresh is writer/director Michael Davis’ Looney Toons fight choreography and confident, joyful direction. MG

action movies without a hint of irony.

10. ZODIAC Yes, it’s long. Yes, it has no single protagonist. Yes, it’s a murder mystery that eschews standard dramatic beats for honest procedural and historical accuracy. Director David Fincher made a remarkable movie that’s not only a feat of uncanny recreation and detail, but tremendous storytelling. With three captivating leads (and Mark Ruﬀalo giving his best performance to date), Fincher crafts a story that not only looks like it was made during the time of the Zodiac killings, but is as inscrutable, frustrating, and post-modern as the killer. And where else have you ever seen a whodunit that never tells you whodidit? HONORABLE MENTIONS: Enchanted, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Diving Bell and the Butterﬂy, Superbad, Into the Wild.

sion. Despite its B-movie pedigree, the 1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers was fresh and subversive. I’d be more outraged by this ﬁlm’s awfulness if I thought it had any potential, but The Invasion is a ﬁlm that only entertains unintentionally. Grade D- MG

MR. WOODCOCK – Seann William Scott plays John Farley,

a chubby kid tormented by his hard-ass gym teacher, Jasper Woodcock (Billy Bob Thornton). John grows up, gets thin, writes a self-help book filled with idiotic platitudes and is now being lauded by his rural hometown. When he finds out that his mom (Susan Sarandon) is in a relationship with Woodcock, John undermines their relationship in a vain attempt to get rid of Woodcock. The film sets up an interesting dichotomy between a modern, weak-willed man who’s more into talking about his feelings and a mythic, macho heman who likes meat and doesn’t care for the life of the mind. Thornton knows the timing perfectly and gets honest laughs, but his antagonist is the character you’ll be cheering for, as the miscast Scott exudes too much of his slimy Stifler personality. Of course, if you’re still giggling at the film’s title, Mr. Woodcock is probably right up your alley. Grade D MG

3:10 TO YUMA

Directed by James Mangold, this remake of the classic 1957 Glenn Ford Western pits master thespians Christian Bale and Russell Crowe against one another in a tense battle of wits. Bale is downand-out family man Dan Evans, who’s desperate to earn money to save his ranch from foreclosure, while Crowe is cool as ice as deadly outlaw Ben Wade, whom Evans has been entrusted with the responsibility of leading to the prison train referenced in the title. This is a dazzling psychological morality play, with excellent supporting turns from Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol and especially Ben Foster as Wade’s sadistic secondin-command. Easily one on 2007’s best ﬁlms. BL

SUNSHINE – A ﬁlm that re-teams three crucial elements

from 28 Days Later– director Danny Boyle, writer Alex Garland and star Cillian Murphy– should be a recipe for excellence. For its first two acts, Sunshine completely surpasses the 2003 zombie flick. The sun is dying, so a team of eight scientists and astronauts board the Icarus II in a mission to drop a “stellar bomb” and create a star within our sun. As the crew gets closer to their destination, the mission changes and decisions are made which put their attempt to save humanity in danger. Unfortunately, everything Boyle managed to build in the first hour goes out the window as the film becomes a blistering sore that festers until the final credits. Sunshine shows how one little twist can throw a film off course and into the black hole of disappointment. Grade C+ MG

EASTERN PROMISES – Director David Cronenberg weaves

a near-masterpiece with a cast made up of Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl and, in one of the year’s best performances, Viggo Mortensen. Unfortunately, they all have to trudge through a weak story of a midwife (Watts) who ﬁnds herself drawn into the world of the Russian mob in London as she struggles to protect the baby of a girl who died in childbirth. The ﬁlm attempts to weave an interesting morality tale, but drops the ball with a cringe-worthy third- act twist. Still, Cronenberg leaves his mark, and Eastern Promises manages to surpass its shallow script to emerge as one of the year’s most captivating thrillers. Grade B MG PG 19 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

CONCERT

CALENDER

�� Gary Pfaff �� Krunk Jazz Allstars �� Francine Reed & The Shadows �� Jonathan Byrd �� Sebastian King �� Hand Job �� Troubled But Sincere �� Ours to Alibi �� Brantley Gilbert �� Boombox, Zach Deputy �� The Drownout �� The Kingston Trio w/ ASO

�� 1994, We Are Only Fiction �� Trotline �� Editors w/ Hot Hot Hot �� To Whom �� Autovaughn �� Cat Daddies �� Dresden Dolls �� Jake Owen �� ASO Concert w/ Adams, Ravel, Berlioz �� Heavy Mojo �� Carlos Santan & Guests �� Francine Reed & The Shadows �� Bartelli & Friends �� Attractive 80’s Women �� Bobby Yang �� The Jumpin’ Jukes �� Highly Kind �� Becoming The Archtype �� The 80’s Band �� Big Head Todd & The Monsters �� Five Eights, The Drexlers �� The Coathangers �� Randall & Ian �� The Freewheeling Yo La, Tengo �� ASO Concert w/ Adams, Ravel, Berlioz �� Chicken & Pigs �� T. Bone Smith �� Enter the Haggis �� Chris Berardo �� Nathan Nelson �� Fat City Mild Cats �� Hired Gun Band �� Steadlur, The Murdered �� Joal Rush, SoularSeven

Styx @��(1-18)

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�� Block Party �� DJ Maﬁoso & DJ Swivel �� Houserocker Johnson �� Watter �� Ronnda Cadle & the String Poets �� Sana Blues �� DJ Drock �� Sid Vicous Experience �� Feeding the Foxes �� Fly By Radio �� Trances Arc, The Empties �� Blacktop Rockets �� Hank & Anitra �� Sol Junky �� The Kingston Trio w/ ASO �� Guy Forsyth �� T. Bone Smith �� Chilton & TexBukSex �� Bill Shefﬁeld �� Fat City Mild Cats �� Ralph Roddenberry �� Fat Back Deluxe �� Chicago Joe Jones �� Crosstown Allstars �� Playground Rivals �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam �� The Work in Progress Band �� Frankies Blues Mission �� Rock Box �� Gallows, Cancer Bats �� Francisco Vidal Band �� Janelle Monae �� Dwarf Star �� Headliner �� The Good Good �� Eddie Shaw & The Wolf Gang �� Alejandro Escovedo �� Chickenshack �� Water Seed, Edenrage �� Shane Bridges Band �� Liquid Jungle, Sex in Cars �� Sound Systems, The Booze �� ASO Concert w/ Adams, Ravel, Berlioz

Coming Next Month

Call 404-315-8485 to Advertise PG 20 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

�� Dave Matthews Tribute Band �� Phazers on High �� Sandra Hall & The Shadows �� No Moon �� Club Awesome �� Randall Bramlett, Caroline Aiken �� The Stooge Brothers �� Snake Oil Medicine �� Need to Breathe & Georgia ��Competition to Open for Salvia

�� The Electromatics �� Marc Cohn �� Crosstown Allstars �� The Bridge, Ep3 �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam �� The Shadows �� Tammy Fowler, Cheley Tackett �� Frankies Blues Mission �� Kimani �� Anti-Heroes Cover Band �� Francisco Vidal Band �� The Motet, Under The Porch �� The Beggar’s Guild �� Killswitch Engage �� Blue Flashing Light �� The Good Good �� Deacon Bluz & The Holy Smoke Band �� Austre Giltrap �� Bucktown Kickback, Gigi Dover �� Chickenshack �� Sid Wolf �� Synapse Defact �� PacSun Tour �� From Skylines, Honor Roll �� JB Roberts �� The Legendary JC’s �� Big Trouble in Little Five �� Emergenza �� Who’s Bad �� Ryan Waters �� George Strait �� Francine Reed & The Shadows �� Holy Hip Hop Showcase �� Yeasayer, MGMT �� Gretchen Peters �� Rough Draft �� Haste The Day �� Joy In Tomorrow �� Calu’s Peep Show �� Twinkledome �� Swami Gone Bananas �� Dubconscious �� Emergenza �� Styx

Barry Manilow @��(1-19)

adows

vel, Berlioz

Marilyn Manson @��(1-22) �� Marshall Chapman, Dayna Kurtz �� T. Bone Smith �� The Mugwamps �� The Cazanovas �� Six Organs of Admittance �� Fat City Mild Cats �� DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist �� The Black Daliah Murder �� Anybody Killa �� Back Door Slam �� Chuck Ragan

over Band

moke Band

�� Behind the Sun �� Mausiki Scales & Common Ground �� Sandra Hall & The Shadows �� Lyfe Jennings �� The Whigs �� The Rescues �� Frankies Blue Mission �� Funk Night �� Manchester Orchestra �� Altered, Scarlet City �� Down for the Count �� Reﬂections of Elvis �� Lupe Fiasco �� Rocket 350, The Hot Rods �� Wyclef Jean �� Perpetual Groove �� Player Kommander �� The Breakfast Club �� Houserocker Johnson �� Cooper Tisdale �� The Selmanaires �� Cadillac Sky, Little Country Giants �� Fat Back Deluxe �� Stop Drop & Roll �� Col. Bruce Hampton �� The Less, The Desarios �� Reckless �� Ten Story Relapse �� Cassavetes �� Brian Wiltsey Band �� The Machine �� Pop Death Squad �� ASO Concert w/ Barber, Mozart, Mahler �� Fusion �� Hawaii, Tag Team �� T. Bone Smith �� David Ryan Harris �� ASO Concert w/ Barber, Mozart, Mahler �� Stooge Brothers �� Fat City Mild Cats �� The Greyboy Allstars �� Matchbox 20 �� U.S. Bombs

�� Roger Wilson �� Crosstown Allstars �� The Nerd Parade �� Marilyn Manson �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam �� Scott Glazer’s Mojo Dojo �� Wighat, Can Can �� Frankies Blue Mission �� NodFactor2 �� Francisco Vidal Band �� Jerry Joseph

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�� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam �� The Shadows �� High on Fire �� Richard Shindell �� Frankies Blues Mission �� Wednesday 13, The AKAs �� Oval Opus �� Kevin Devine �� Scott H. Biram �� Super Furry Animals �� Brass Castle �� Jeff & Vida, Barrel House Mamas �� Chickenshack �� Toy TV �� Exodus, Goatwhore �� Hurt �� Az Izz �� Patti LaBelle & John Legend �� Marah, Gasoline Heart �� Eric Lindell �� The Last Waltz Ensemble �� ASO Concert w/ Tchaikovsky, Prokoﬁev, Rachaninov

Every Wednesday MIKE VEAL BAND Every Sunday BLACK OUT W/ FRANSICO VIDAL Saturday, Jan. 5 BRIAN WILTSEY & HANK BARBEE Friday, Jan. 11 THE CAT DADDIES Saturday, Jan. 12 & 19 BRIAN WILTSEY & BASS MALONE Tuesday, Jan. 15 HELLBOUND ORCHESTRA Friday, Jan. 18 SWAMI GONE BANANAS Thursday, Jan. 24 CONNOR CHRISTIAN BAND Fri, Jan. 25 & Thr, Jan. 31 GARETH ASHER & SCOTT LITTLE Saturday, Dec. 26 BRIAN WILTSEY & MIKE MAGNO

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PG 21 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

Road Warriors This Month’s Hottest Shows BY JOHN DAVIDSON 12/01 MODERN SKIRTS

Smith’s Olde Bar We still like The Modern Skirts but it seems like their once-palatable buzz is fading locally— it’s one of those tough situations where you if you gig too much locally, people start taking you for grated. Still, their piano-based pop is not only unique but good, and we keep hoping that something bigger comes along and pushes them to the next level. They’re also playing New Year’s Eve at Smith’s, so catch them early or late in the holiday season.

1/11 EDITORS Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre

The Editors typify the cultural noman’s land of 2007: circlejerk, ethically-questionable, blog buzz that literally translates into 15 minutes of fame and barely anyone buying albums. There are dozens of bands like Editors and dozens that will replace the Editors by next week, a disposable cycle so rapid that a massive shakedown in music business publicity is imminent. Louis XIV and Hot Hot Heat (former buzz bands themselves) round out what is ostensibly a solid lineup, but in the end this show already seems late to the party.

FRI 01/11 THE DRESDEN DOLLS

Variety Playhouse The Dresden Dolls traffic in strange, accidental rock featuring a heavy dose of cabaret and fueled by post-punk aesthetic. Dramatic and occasionally turgid, the Dolls are an acquired taste that confidently aims for the fringe without falling into self-parody; the only surprise here is the pairing with Los Angeles’ psych-pop outfit Meow Meow, whose sweet tunes can barely overcome the ruckus of the headliner.

01/12 YO LA TENGO

Variety Playhouse Twenty years of constant touring and consistently good recordings have made Yo La Tengo critically bulletproof if somewhat predictable. This trio’s pop aﬀection is typically underplayed and washed out with distortion, which leads to loud shows played with a lot of feel and an jazzy disregard for song length. A legendary band with nothing left to prove, everyone should see Yo La Tengo at least twice in their life.

1/19 SHARON JONES & THE DAP KINGS

Variety Playhouse Imagine if soul legends Aretha Franklin and James Brown had gotten together during their ‘60s heyday and had a daughter, who they raised

on sultry funk, soulful gospel and gritty rhythm ‘n’ blues. Now imagine if that daughter emerged 40+ years later with a razor sharp four-piece band of her own, churning out an unabashedly retro sound that rivaled Bettye LaVette’s ability to evoke memories of Ike and Tina Turner at their best. Actually, you don’t have to imagine it, because Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings are back with a badass album, kicking out old school funk so sweaty, you should probably bring a change of clothes. This month’s must-see show.

1/22 MARILYN MANSON

Tabernacle As the Cure has proved time and again, goth will never go completely out of style. Marilyn Manson’s style ranges from industrial to heavy metal to the wastelands of electronica, but his deﬁning attraction is his ghoulish, narcissistic brand. The former Brian Warner is now nearly 40 years old and showing little sign of retreating from his persona, and as long as he can ﬁll venues like this, his act will make him relevant.

1/25 THE WHIGS

The EARL It’s make or break time for Athens’ the Whigs, and the current music business climate makes the likelihood of stardom pretty remote. Their ﬁrst album stiﬀed under the weight of record la-

WE GOT NEXT WHITE SHOES & THE COUPLES COMPANY For Fans of:

Latest Project: Why You Should Care:

BY B. LOVE

ERALDED AS “ONE OF THE BEST bands on MySpace” by Rolling Stone and “The best indie-pop band from Indonesia ever!” by revered music website All Music Guide, White Shoes & the Couples Company is Indonesia’s

bel machinations, but the new Mission Control is red hot and should make up for a lot of lost ground. With a band and album this good, we’re optimistic that the Whigs will be an exception to the rule.

01/28 ALANIS MORISSETTE/ MATCHBOX 20

Philips Arena It is very likely that no female artist will ever sell as many albums as Alanis Morrisette, what with millionselling titles so few and far between in today’s collapsing music market. She’s comfortably lapsed into the adult nostalgia circuit, a position that no one would have thought enviable thirteen years ago when she was the biggest selling artist in the world. Also aboard for this show is the reformed Matchbox Twenty, a perfect support slot bound to please the 40-somethings who are forever 20 at heart.

1/30 THE FIERY FURNACES/ SUPER FURRY ANIMALS

Variety Playhouse The Fiery Furnaces (brother-sister duo of Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger) didn’t surprise anyone with 2007’s Widow City, a quirky collection of fragmented pop perfectly suited for the environs of college rock, but there’s always been a dashing hope that they could become the next Feist. The Super Furry Animals have had a similar vibe of critical hopefulness over the past decade, but they’ve barely escaped the unfortunate Euro-indie ghetto keeping them from even a critical mass. Opener Holy Fuck has given up on the masses entirely, judging from a moniker that would scare oﬀ even the most empathetic of parents.

Artists on the verge of making it big

White Shoes & the Couples Company (Minty Fresh) Because with their unique blend of J-pop, Indonesian film soundtracks & indie-rock sounds, chances are you’ve never heard anything quite like them. Indonesian pop music, orchestral movie soundtracks, indie-rock.

hottest export this side of plywood. The band was formed at Jakarta Arts Institute in 2002 by vocalist/ violinist Aprilia Apsari (a.k.a. Sari) and rhythm guitarist Yusmario Farabi (a.k.a. Rio), who are also a romantic couple, later adding Saleh on lead guitar, the romantic/musical partnership of Ricky Surya Virgana and Aprimela Prawidyanti Virgana on bass and keyboards, and John Navid on drums. We recently spoke with Rio and Sari about the band’s unique sound and sudden explosion of popularity in the West.

Mamahit, Koes Bersaudara, The Rollies, Noor Bersaudara, Guruh Gipsy and Chaseiro. What do you think separates you from other Indonesian pop bands? Sari: Indonesia had many great bands from the ‘50s until the ‘80s. But now everything is just for the money; they only care about sales, not the quality of

recently released an album of his music. What’s your critical assessment of the results? Rio: We don’t really care about his music, but I hope he will ﬁnd out how piracy costs musicians a lot! (Laughs) What’s one thing you wish Western travelers understood about Indonesia? Rio: Indonesia is very big, with more than 1,000 islands and many ethnicities, languages and tribes. Sari: It’s a nice, friendly tropical country. The art scene here is very open minded, and I think in Jakarta the indie music scene is the best. It’s a very warm and beautiful country.

WE ALSO LOVE TO WATCH OLD MUSICAL MOVIES DURING LEISURE TIME. ALMOST EVERY SONG IN THESE MOVIES WAS COMPOSED BY A WELL KNOWN INDONESIAN MUSICIAN DURING THEIR GOLDEN ERA...

You and your bandmates met at Jakarta Arts Institute. Why do you think art schools are such fertile breeding grounds for bands? Rio: Art school students always want to be diﬀerent than the others, and art school students have a better sense of visualizing their music to fashion. Sari: I guess every student has their own way to wash away boredom after hundreds of academic tasks, and one of them is by forming a band.

What are the band’s primary musical influences? Rio: We’re influenced by Indonesian movie soundtracks and jazz from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. Sari: We also love to watch old musical movies during leisure time. Almost every song in these movies was composed by a well known Indonesian musician during their golden era, such as Ismail Marzuki, Eros Djarot, Yockie S, Hari Sabar, Guruh Soekarno Our arrangements are also influenced by ’60s and ‘70s artists such as Jack Lesmana, Nick PG 22 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

the product. The music industry doesn’t care if all bands play similar songs, or have similar character and similar fashion. So I think what separates us from them is that we don’t work in that area. Was it diﬃcult to learn to write songs and sing in English? Rio: It’s not so diﬃcult, because we listened to many bands singing in English from when we were kids. We were learning how to speak English by singing songs [over and over]. Sometimes it was easier to write song in English rather than in Indonesian. Sari: To be honest, it’s never easy to make good lyrics in any language. You have to have a good rhyme formula, and the lyrics have to match with the music. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

You were named “One of the Best Bands on MySpace” by Rolling Stone. How has that impacted your presence in the United States? Rio: We were signed by Minty Fresh, a record label in Chicago. I think that was the real impact we got from this award. What are you most looking forward to about touring outside of Indonesia? Rio: We love to travel, especially going abroad. You can see things that you haven’t seen before, such as art, music and places. Sari: We already visited Bangkok, and it was wonderful! The people are very friendly there. We’ve met many new people, made new friends, and were very happy when they told us they enjoyed our performance.

MUSIC INTERVIEW

BUILDING BRIDGES

Ludacris on Staying Humble & Hungry BY BRET LOVE

HE MAN BORN CHRIS BRIDGES 30 years ago in Champaign, Illinois, initially made a name for himself as a DJ on Atlanta hip-hop radio station Hot 97.5 during the dawn of the Dirty South scene’s rise (when he was better known as DJ Chris Lova Lova). Eventually, of course, he left radio and changed his name to Ludacris, ultimately becoming one of hip-hop’s hottest MCs by signing to Def Jam South and releasing a string of hits that included #1 singles “Stand Up” and “Money Maker” and Top 10 smashes such as “Move Bitch,” “Splash Waterfalls” and “Pimpin’ All Over the World.” Though he may not be an original ATLien, Ludacris quickly established himself as one of the South’s most commercially successful rappers and in-demand guest artists. But mere success as an artist wasn’t enough. Teaming up with associate Chaka Zulu, Ludacris formed his own boutique label at Def Jam, Disturbing Tha Peace, and released albums by a diverse roster of artists that included Field Mob, Playaz Circle and Bobby Valentino. After making his feature film debut in 2 Fast 2 Furious, he dedicated himself to learning the acting craft and subsequently earned standout roles in Oscar-caliber films such as Hustle & Flow and Crash. Perhaps more importantly, he started his own charity foundation, helping underprivileged kids by teaching them principles of success, sponsoring Christmas toy drives and giving away more than 500 turkey dinners over the holidays. We recently spoke with the always-opinionated rapper about Atlanta’s thriving urban music scene, working with director Guy Ritchie (a.k.a. Mr. Madonna) and how he’s managed to stay relevant in the here-today-gone-tomorrow world of hip-hop for over a decade. You were a DJ on Atlanta radio back in the ‘90s when the Dirty South hip-hop explosion first happened. What are some of your favorite memories of the scene during that time? I just remember when Rowdy Records, So So Def and LaFace Records were all real prominent in the industry, and they were all located in Atlanta. Dallas Austin had Rowdy Records, and he was working with Monica and Kris Kross and all that; you had everybody on So So Def; then on LaFace you had upstarts like Usher, Toni Braxton and TLC; and then of course you had Goodie Mob and Outkast. To me, that’s really where it all began as far as Atlanta being considered the Motown of the South. How do you think the urban music scene here today compares with places like New York City and Los Angeles? Today I think it’s pretty evident that the South is the driving force of hip-hop, as far as presence and sales are concerned. I think every region has its time, and right now the South is dominant. I feel like there’s a lot of talent here, and a lot of great examples to provide motivation. That’s one of the reasons I got on my grind, because I saw so much going on here that I felt like there was no way it couldn’t happen for me with all the resources that were available to me here in the South. As someone who’s been in the hip-hop game for over a decade now, how do you feel about the ways that the music and the industry have changed over the last 10 years? I feel like things are always gonna change over time; you just have to adjust yourself to the changing

AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU EITHER HAVE THE TALENT OR YOU DON’T, AND YOU EITHER TAKE IT SERIOUSLY OR YOU DON’T. THOSE TWO THINGS COMBINED DETERMINE YOUR SUCCESS. environment of music. So basically I feel great about it, and look forward to the future. I look forward to more technology, because seeing it firsthand and experiencing change while it’s happening is one of the greatest virtues of life, in my opinion. You become your own worst enemy when you try to stay stuck in one point in time. A lot of people criticize hip-hop radio for dumbing down the format. Do you feel that it’s gotten harder for innovative artists to break through? No, I don’t think it’s harder for creative people to break through. First of all, history always repeats itself, and it’s all about people’s OPINIONS of what being creative really is. With that being said, there are different kinds of music and different kinds of hip-hop, whether it be the dance-friendly kind of the Soulja Boys or the [more conscious artists like] Kanye West. People have different opinions of what hip-hop really is, so people can choose what they wanna listen to. Are there any particular artists on today’s scene whose sound you’re really feeling? Man, I’m really a fan of Lil’ Wayne right now. I really think that he’d doing his thing as far as his talent and his flow. A lot of rappers have obviously tried the acting gig at some point in their career, but you’ve had better luck than most. What’s the secret to successfully crossing over from hip-hop to Hollywood? (Laughs) There is no real secret, man. At the end of the day, you either have the talent or you don’t, and you either take it seriously or you don’t. Those two things combined determine your success. A lot of rappers—a lot of entertainers, period—are given the opportunity to act just because of our popularity and who we are, so the difference between breaking through or not breaking through is how serious we take it. Studying the craft, working on your role, being humble and not thinking you know everything, and coming into it as a student, all of that has a lot to do with it. The list of directors you’ve worked with is pretty remarkable for any actor, let alone one who had never done a film until a few years ago, from Paul Haggis on Crash to Craig Brewer on Hustle & Flow. And now I hear you’re working with Guy Ritchie on his next movie, RocknRolla. What can you tell us about that experience? We filmed it in London, and the experience was great. Jeremy Piven and myself play the managers of a rock star (played by British newcomer Jamie Campbell Bower) whose father is mixed up in organized crime. It was a little different. I’ve seen Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, and I really love his work. It’s unique and extremely creative and has that ol’ gangsta edge to it, and he’s

very opinionated and knows exactly what he wants, so it was great to work with him. You also had roles this year on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and in the holiday film Fred Claus. Where does acting stand in relation to music on your career priority list? Music is always my No. 1 love. But I find it challenging. Put it this way: whenever I focus on something, I like to concentrate my energy 100% on it. When I was in movie mode, I was not in music mode at all. I don’t want to get stereotyped as just another rapper-actor. I try to take it seriously, and I always feel I can get better. Right now, I’m back to music mode. But [acting] is definitely something I’d like to continue to do in the future. I rode you drove your 1993 Acura for a long time because it helped keep you grounded. How hard is it to hold onto the essence of who you are when you’re surrounded by all the various trappings of fame? (Laughs) I’m driving my 1993 Acura Legend as we speak! It does keep my grounded, man. Nobody really expects me to be driving this, but it’s just the memory of who I was and where I was when all of this began that’s most important to me. I don’t really let a lot of this fame get to my head. I have to stay grounded and remain who I am, and [the car] is just one of those reminders that takes me back to the grind. But doesn’t that ideal go against the materialistic nature of what a lot of today’s hip-hop is about– getting the yacht, the Bentley and all that? I have all of that stuff, too! (Laughs) But I stay true to who I am by setting goals for myself and constantly striving to achieve them. Are you disappointed with any aspect of your life? I’m just disappointed over the privacy issue sometimes. I’m recognized ALL of the time, so I can’t just do and go wherever the hell I want to by myself. I can, but there’s always an issue with it. Autographs and shit like that. That’s great, ‘cuz it comes with the territory. But sometimes you just wanna shop or not be bothered. That’s the only thing. Are there any particular hip-hop icons that you look up to and have tried to model your career after? Russell Simmons is the man who laid the blueprint for anyone else I would probably name. I really look up to him. His business sense, how humble he is, and his desire to give back and acknowledge his responsibility here on Earth is extremely impressive. That brings me right to my next question. Your charity organization, The Ludacris Foundation, is doing a lot of good work in the metro Atlanta area

around the holidays. Absolutely! We just gave away turkeys to over 500 families in need over the Thanksgiving holidays, including organizations that help out battered women, senior citizens and underprivileged kids. This is something we do every year, and for Christmas we’re going to do a toy drive and give those to underprivileged families as well. But we’re constantly doing different things in the community. Is there a central mission behind the foundation? To help kids and families help themselves. In one of your press releases, you talk about teaching kids the principles of success. What are the primary principles you hope kids will learn from you? (Laughs) Well, the ones that are written down specifically I don’t have in my hands right now. But to put it in my own words, success is about being yourself, self-education and self-motivation. If we don’t do those things for ourselves, nobody else is gonna do it for us. Why do you think the mainstream media tends to focus on the negative aspects of hip-hop artists’ lives, but doesn’t give much ink to the good things people like you and Russell Simmons are doing through your charity foundations? You know, they try to paint us as bad individuals, and that’s a whole separate conversation. I could go on and on about that. But I feel like people try and put the blame on rap music for the simple fact that we definitely have a lot of influence over a lot of people. That being said, it’s all about negativity. But I don’t attribute violence to hip-hop; I attribute violence to ignorance. I don’t wanna stereotype and say that everybody does it, because there are certain publications that do focus on the positive things that are going on. But for the majority, you’re right. I understand you’ve started working on your next album. What can you tell us about it? It’ll be my sixth studio album, called Theater Of The Mind, and I’m just getting started on it so I can’t really tell you anything about who I’m gonna be working with. It should be released next summer, and it’s pretty much a mixture of all the albums I’ve done. With every album I’m always escalating and taking it another direction. I’m perfecting my craft, becoming better. As you get older, you change as a person. But of course you’ll hear the same Ludacris that most of the core audience loves. Then it’s always about taking things to the next level and doing things that people wouldn’t normally expect me to do. After more than 10 years in the business, what would you say are the secrets to career longevity? Staying consistent and staying grounded. It’s just that simple. PG 23 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

MUSIC

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By B. Love, DeMarco Williams, John Davidson, John B. Moore, Russ Marshalek & Jon Latham

VARIOUS ARTISTS – ART OF FIELD RECORDING: VOLUME I (Dust-to-Digital) The roots of Americana BL: This 110track collection comes from the extensive archives of Art Rosenbaum, a field recording legend (and University of Georgia art professor) who, alongside wife Margo, has spent the last 50 years traveling the back roads of America to record obscure artists in a broad variety of roots music genres. From parlor tunes and church songs to slide blues and Southern gospel, from chain gang songs to creepy country ballads, these raw traditional music recordings are an essential document of our nation’s musical history, providing an unpolished glimpse at the core foundation upon which today’s music scene was built. The set is broken down thematically, with one disc each dedicated to Survey, Religious songs, Blues tunes and Instrumental & Dance music. In the copious liner notes, Rosenbaum acknowledges that his organizational structure and mixture of African-American and Anglo-American tracks was inspired by Harry Smith’s classic Anthology of American Folk Music, with the primary differences being that Smith’s songs were reissues of commercially-released Southern recordings, while the majority of artists recorded by Rosenbaum were non-professionals, with many based in the Midwest or Northeast. The songs on Art of Field Recording often feature sections of conversation and background noise that lend a gripping sense of ambiance, putting the listener directly into the living rooms, porches and churches in which they were recorded. As such, it’s impossible to ignore their appeal, whether it’s the opening recording of the Sister Fleeta Mitchell and Rev. Willie Mae Eberhart’s old-time sanctified style rendition of “Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down,” Cecil Barfield’s killer guitar work on “Georgia Bottleneck Blues,” or Rev. Howard Finster’s gleeful, cackling version of “Five To My Five.” Much like previous Dust-To-Digital releases, one of the boxed set’s most impressive aspects is the packaging. Rosenbaum’s passion for field recording is surpassed only by his talent as a folk artist, and more than 100 of his colorful paintings and drawings of the musicians he recorded fill the set’s 96-page booklet (as do hundreds of Margo’s black and white photographs). His eloquently written essays and detailed track annotations give the listener a palpable sense of the passion this man has put into his life’s work, making this the most essential collection of American roots music since Harry Smith’s heyday. Luckily, we only have to wait another year or so for Volume II. PG 24 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

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LUPE FIASCO – THE COOL (1st and 15th/ Atlantic) & FREEWAY- FREE AT LAST (RocA-Fella) Young, gifted and raps DW: Fashion marvel Coco Chanel once said, “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” For the sake of conversation, we’re going to say that critically-revered MC Lupe Fiasco found that quote one day in between skateboarding around Chicago and watching some Japanese anime and applied it to his rap style. Still the same breath of fresh bars he was on ‘06’s Food and Liquor, the super-witty Lupe would still rather talk abstractly about halos (“Streets on Fire”) and Mount Blanc pens (“Gold Watch”) than most of the stuff heard on urban radio today. Some listeners won’t get the bizarre bars and inventive instrumentals on first (or fifth) listen, but with a show of patience, you’ll have your “Ooooh, I get it now” moment. Songs about the working class (“Gotta Eat”) and selling out (“Dumb It Down”) will become clear. It may take you ‘till LupEND comes out later this year to find that clarity, but you will find it. No need for extensive studies in mythology to comprehend the stuff being said on Freeway’s Free at Last, which is full of emotional 16s on the hard-knock life laid over robust ‘70s and ‘80s R&B samples. That’s all, and that’s it. The guy’s as straightforward as you’re going to get from a pissed-off Philly MC. Wanna know what it’s truly like being a child of the ghetto? Bang “When They Remember” and the Busta Rhymes- and Jadakissbacked “Walk Wit Me” at full blast. Wanna know how a street hustler sounds when he’s overrun with emotion? Crank “Still Got Love” and “Reppin’ The Streets” and just step back. And the thing about Free is that even though he’s not necessarily coming at you on these passionate cuts with spacey prose like Lupe, dude’s flow (and the souled-out tracks) still takes you to a higher place. ATLAS SOUND – LET THE BLIND LEAD THOSE WHO CAN SEE BUT CANNOT FEEL (Kranky) The outer limits of experimentation BL: From GG Allin to Courtney Love, the indie-rock scene has always loved a good freak show, and Bradford Cox is arguably the most compelling oddball to come along in years. Best known as the frontman for Deerhunter, the 6’4”, strikingly skinny singer has Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder of the

connective tissue that gives him abnormally long and spindly limbs (a condition that also afflicted the late Joey Ramone). As if that weren’t enough to make him stand out, Cox typically performs in frilly party dresses, engaging in Iggy Pop-style acts of self-abasement that, at last year’s CMJ Music Marathon, continued long after Deerhunter’s set was over. After two albums and an EP with the band he founded in 2001, Let the Blind Lead… marks Cox’s solo debut under the Atlas Sound pseudonym, and it’s just as experimental as you might expect after reading that first paragraph. The opening track, “A Ghost Story,” is a found recording of a 7-year-old boy improvising a haunting tale, with sampled dulcimer and other atmospheric sounds lending an eerie, otherworldly vibe. “Recent Bedroom” uses 13 words, music box, vibes, guitars and drums to create a mind-bending hallucinogenic mantra, while the gong bowls, organs and effects-laden vocals of “On Guard” take listeners on a paranoid acid trip. “River Card” is the only song that comes close to what you might call approachable indie-rock, while “Scraping Past” wouldn’t be out of place next to Radiohead’s more IDM-influenced stuff. But for the most part this 14-song opus is about exploring the outer limits of experimentation, and the results fall somewhere between Aphex Twin and Sigur Ros, embodying the idea of “Taking drugs to make music to take drugs to.” ************************************ WYCLEF JEAN – CARNIVAL VOL. II: MEMOIRS OF AN IMMIGRANT (Columbia) & DJ DRAMA – GANGSTA GRILLZ: THE ALBUM (Grand Hustle) It’s a party and we’ll cry ‘cuz we have to DW: Wyclef fans have waited over three years for another record from their favorite Haitian hip hopper, so we’re gonna get right to it— this album is a world-class disappointment. For starters, the Akon- and Lil’ Wayne-featured first single, “The Sweetest Girl,” is followed by only one track remotely as smooth– “Slow Down,” with T.I. Secondly, you’d think that the international guest list on the Caribbean-flavored Vol. II –Shakira, Norah Jones, Melissa Jimenez, Mary J. Bligewould make for some exotic hotness, but all we get from scattered-about moments like “Kings & Queens” and “Hollywood Meets Bollywood” are lots of noise and little color. The first Carnival was a blast; this one barely flickers. DJ Drama is another artist who invited all his friends over for a party this month. Where Clef’s felt more like a bazaar, Drama’s get-together never stretches beyond the street corner. But it’s not that Weezy (“Cannon”) and T.I. (“Fed’s Takin’ Pictures”) don’t show a similar fondness for culture here; in fact, from the sounds of their rhymes, they only mess with the world’s finest weapons and cars. “No More”

and “Throw Ya Sets Up” never get past the hood either, but they have a helluva house party while stuck there. Andre 3000’s verse on “The Art of Storytellin’, Part 4” is by far the mixtape-feeling album’s most striking, pleasing those who need some substance in those subwoofers. See, everyone eats when they deal with DJ Drama a.k.a. Mr. Thanksgiving. Wyclef could take a few pointers on being such a gracious host. Clef=(C-); Drama=(B) THE PERISHERS – VICTORIOUS (Nettwerk) Swedish rockers with a Brit-pop jones JM: Though they’ve yet to attract the kind of worldwide attention earned by British bands like Snow Patrol and Keane, Sweden’s The Perishers essemtially play the same brand of lush, dreamy pop highlighted by intelligent lyrics. On Victorious, the group’s third album in 10 years, the band is in rare form, churning out an even dozen beautifullycrafted songs. The album starts off subtly with the downbeat “Midnight Skies” and “Never Bloom Again,” which sounds like something the British band Travis could have written, before moving into more uptempo songs like “Carefree.” From there the tracks vacillate between sweet, mellow ballads and faster pop songs. The band established itself early on as strong lyricists, but this album also finds The Perishers experimenting musically beyond the traditional drums/bass/guitar combo, mixing in banjo, vocoder and pedal and lap steel. Three albums into their careera, The Perishers may finally be getting the recognition they honestly deserve. GRADE: B+ RYAN ADAMS AND THE CARDINALS – FOLLOW THE LIGHTS (Lost Highway) New songs from a guy who always has more JD: Even before he was sober, Ryan Adams’ career as of late seems to be more inspired by the Grateful Dead than Gram Parsons. While Adams was once a scruffy troubadour firing off reams of altcountry tunes, he’s spent the past few years turning them into jammy band interplays. This summer’s Easy Tiger was easily his most focused, consistently enjoyable album, and the new Follow The Lights EP shows that he’s got a few more things on his mind. Adams essentially steps aside and lets the band take over for the most part, reworking some older tracks and adding a couple of new ones. The title track is absolutely a keeper, but by the time Adams is covering himself on “Is This It?”, the album has a tossed-off feeling to it. In other words, these are the kinds of tracks that were birthed as b-sides and don’t hold

together even as a compact EP given their lack of necessity. The Cardinals are a great backing band; they give Adams’ songs a distinct personality and a lot of room for adventure. Follow The Lights could have showcased the strong live sets the band has been playing to better effect, perhaps as a longer album with live cuts instead of studio creations. As it is, the EP is a tidy but superfluous piece for fans only. GRADE: B THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS – THE ELSE (Zoe) Quirky alt-rock at its best JM: It’s hard to believe They Might Be Giants have been at it for two decades. Now, after a brief detour spent working on a couple children’s albums, the duo is back and in spectacular form. The Else, the band’s 14th release, is much stronger than their last few records. Most reminiscent of their best-selling Flood, The Else is 13 tracks long, with no filler, featuring songs like “Take the Trash Out” and “The Cap’m” that are definitely in the running for the band’s next Best Of collection. The often-nonsensical songs are still catchy as hell, offering strong reminders that there is no other band out there playing the type of geek-pop that They Might Be Giants has been perfecting for 20 years now (and no, I’m not forgetting about Weezer or The Rentals). The Else also comes bundled with a second disc, the significantly less superior Cast Your Pod To The Wind. With 23 additional tracks, many hovering at around a minute and a half, the second CD proves there can be too much of a good thing. GRADE: B+ ENTER SHIKARI – TAKE TO THE SKIES (Tiny Evil) The Linkin Park of the UK RM: Admit it: you’ve got a secret fondness for Linkin Park. It’s fine, everyone does. Now imagine you could get that same euphoric, fistin-the-air feeling without any of the obnoxious, bleach-job, safety-pinned, Warped Tour guilt? Cue Enter Shikari. Hailing from the UK, Enter Shikari is a four-piece as heavy into punk’s DIY ethics and screamcore’s mic-cord selfflagellation as any tattooed, college van band originating on our side of the pond, but their origins and interests place them smack dab in the birthplace of Rave. Thus, songs like the opener come out with fists, glass-edged guitars, detuned bass and screamo spittle swinging, only to ascend into euphoric, trance-like anthem states within barely a verse. It’s an electronic leaning that Linkin Park’s made familiar here in the States, but one that Enter Shikari takes much more seriously, leaning heavier on the arpeggios, the helicopter build-ups and the obligatoryyet-unexpected jungle breakdowns than

any of their contemporaries. Lead vocalist Rou has a genuinely gorgeous voice, but he doesn’t use it nearly enough; I’m one for augmenting singing with screaming as opposed to the reverse, and the few shining moments when Rou actually sings his heart out (such as in the first few verses of “Anything Can Happen in the Next Half-Hour”) are actually beautiful. With the padding of synthetic ambiance that could only come from a UK band, it’s pretty much a perfect song that creates its own genre: RavEmo. Too often, though, the band would be better served to realize that their music does their emoting far better than Rou’s screams, as many moments sound uncomfortably like DJ Tiesto playing in a punk band. Ah, well… These kids are young, they’ll learn. And until then, they remain a guilty pleasure with less accompanying guilt. GRADE: C+ CHRIS WALLA – FIELD MANUAL Death Cab’s wiz kid takes center stage JL: Best known as guitarist/ producer for indie-scene darlings Death Cab for Cutie, Chris Walla has been a quietvoiced source of the sound that brought Death Cab’s most recent efforts such acclaim. Furthermore, he was at the helm as a co-producer of The Decemberists’ The Crane Wife as well as Tegan and Sara’s latest (and strongest) offering, The Con. With a résumé like that, it is difficult to listen to Field Manual without drawing comparisons to his other work. Walla takes a bold step out from behind the boards for his solo debut, but, as the album shows, it is not totally clear which direction he intends his steps to fall. The leadoff track, “Two Fifty,” feels a bit weak, relying on a repetitive, disjunctive loop and sparse guitar. The pace picks up with “The Score”, the first of several tracks on the album that unapologetically swipes hard at our current political powers-that-be. Another great standout track is “Geometry et cetera”, a driving, power pop jewel that conjures up the best Matthew Sweet material from the mid‘90’s. Walla’s breathy vocals highlight the softer cuts, such as “Everybody On”. The effectiveness of his minimal arrangements comes to a head with “It’s Unsustainable”, a beautifully sad track that relies heavily on empty space amidst its dirge-like meter. Every chord sustains to silence, while Chris softly laments, hoping that “we can recover.” It’s apparent that Walla is not the lyricist his Death Cab counterpart, Ben Gibbard, is. What he lacks in poetic schemes, however, he makes up for with the trained ear for pop melodies that put Death Cab atop the indie scene. Granted, Field Manual jets off in several directions, but then again, so did my favorite Todd Rundgren albums. At best, Field Manual introduces us to the many faces of an artist who does not seem to be seeking out the limelight just yet. At, worst, it stands as a less-thanstellar work in progress. Regardless of its shortcomings, the album serves to whet our appetite for the next Death Cab for Cutie album. GRADE: B-

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MUSIC INTERVIEW

THE TIDE IS HIGH

Mustard Plug Continues To Ride Ska’s Choppy Waves BY JOHN B. MOORE

S SKA CAME, WENT AND CAME back again with the changing of the pop culture tides, Mustard Plug kept happily plugging along. Seemingly oblivious to whatever was the genre of the moment, the horn-heavy band kept plugging away, recording solid album after solid album and hitting the road time and again, building up pockets of fans in just about every corner of the country. Fifteen years after the group was founded in the very un-rock ‘n’ roll city of Grand Rapids, MI, Mustard Plug just released their seventh album, In Black and White. Trumpeter Brandon Jenison recently spoke with us about the new record, the joys of Guitar Hero and riding the waves of ska. Mustard Plug has been together now for more than 15 years now. Are you surprised you guys have been together for so long? It is a bit strange to think about how far we’ve come. The fact that we haven’t self-destructed or killed each other while being out on the road and still trying to maintain life at home is truly amazing. I think that it’s a testament to our love of playing music and to the fans and their love of our music.

Have you guys changed much as a band in that time? Obviously Mustard Plug has had minor lineup changes and quality of musicianship, but the same ideas that have held since the beginning still ring true: good friends, fun music and free beer! I’d like to think that with every passing year, album or lineup change, we get just a little bit more awesome than before. There are a ton of groups that can’t make it past ﬁve years. Why do you think you guys have been able to stay together for so long? My true belief is that it’s because of where we come from. We are a bunch of unpretentious Midwestern guys from mostly blue-collar, middle class families. We grew up with a mutual love for punk and ska and underground culture, like skateboarding and that scene. This band allows us to stay in touch with all those important things and lets us travel the world for next to nothing. We’ve been moderately successful and have worked hard to make it all happen. We’re just lucky that people still like us and come out to see us play. What was the Grand Rapid music scene like at the time you guys were ﬁrst getting together? I joined the band in 1995, so I wasn’t around for the inception, but I was aware of the local music scene at the time and it was totally random. There was a band in every genre of the time, from grunge to shoegazer pop, but Mustard Plug was one of the only bands that really stood out. Oh and the Verve Pipe, too. At what point did you guys decide to actually make a career out of being in a band? By the time I had joined the band, they had toured the US a couple times with a rotating cast on horns. This was mostly supporting the Big Daddy Multi-

tude CD, and a handful of new songs they had written at the time. I’m not sure if they ever made much money to support themselves in those days, but the band soldiered on. We recorded an album about six months after I started and knew we were a part of something on the rise. When we released Evildoers Beware the year after, we had all quit our jobs and got in the van full-time. We probably played about 250 shows or more a year then. That lasted until late 1999, I think. You guys brought back Bill Stevenson to produce and went back to the Blasting Room to record In Black and White. What was the reason behind doing that? Well, I guess if you’ve heard the record, you may already know why. Simply put, Bill and Jason and everyone else at the Blasting Room compound are fucking amazing. We had success with Bill before, but I think this was the first time we really nailed it in the studio. The songs are strong, the performances are great, and our collective heads were all in the right spot at the time of recording. I guess because we hadn’t put anything really new out in five years, we wanted the best producer for the budget we were allowed. I think we went a little over, but that’s neither here nor there – ‘cause the album rocks and sounds amazing! OK shameless promotion over. After having produced your last studio album, was it tough to go back to listening to an outside producer? Not really. I think we all respect Bill and Jason very much and it’s become a very comfortable working relationship for everybody. In the studio we were basically snowed in– Colorado snowstorms are a motherfucker– so we got food for two weeks and cooked each other dinners all the time, played a lot of Guitar Hero, and basically just waited around for our names to be called and our duties fulfilled. It’s a lot of hurry up and wait, but they’re cool people to work with. Any thoughts on why ska, more than just about any other genre, keeps having a resurgence? This is always funny to think about because for us, the ska never goes away. I think like any genre, there comes an over saturation period where fans or people who claim to be fans get fickle and tired of what they see. So they drop whatever it is they’re into and quickly move onto something else, acting as if they were never into it in the first place. And probably bagging on anyone who is still into it after they’ve moved on. But my real theory, in the case of Mustard Plug and our ability to stay afloat amid steady waves of the popular/unpopular ska ocean, is this: guys and girls who were fans in high school leave for college and their younger brothers and sisters find their old albums and t-shirts and discover us all over again. It’s just a theory, but its mine. What’s next for the band? Anything is possible, but I’m thinking big VH1 hit single and a covers album? Honestly, I don’t care. We’ve already gone far beyond where we ever thought we’d get. I love playing music with my friends for the people who enjoy it, so as long as that continues for a little while longer, I’m happy. PG 25 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

PG 26 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

MUSIC INTERVIEW

Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants The Return of Motion City Soundtrack

BY JOHN B. MOORE

T SEEMED A BIT ODD IN 2003, WHEN Epitaph announced that its latest signing would be synth-heavy power poppers Motion City Soundtrack. The label founded by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz was known as a seminal indie punk imprint– a haven for blistering guitars, machine gun drumming and vocals dripping with political venom. But Gurewitz, who had built a reputation on being able to find remarkable bands, pluck them from obscurity and get the rest of the world to tune into what he heard, had done it yet again. A group that could easily have been written off as just another synth-driven band ended the year at the top of many critics’ Top 10 lists. For those willing to listen, they found a group with as much in common with the Pixies as The Rentals. Their follow up, 2004’s Commit This to Memory, proved that the band had more than one great album in them and succeeded in pulling in an even bigger audience, getting the band an opening slot on an international tour with Blink 182 (and, eventually, their own headlining tour). Motion City Soundtrack is now out with Even If It Kills Me, their most mature and accomplished record to date. Produced by Ric Ocasek and the duo of Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne) and Eli Janney (Girls Against Boys), the album feels comfortable enough to appease longtime fans, but it’s also experimental enough to win over any remaining holdouts. On the verge of their next headlining run across the globe, keyboardist Jesse Johnson spoke with us about their first week record sales, their inspired choice of producers and the group’s evolution from best kept secret to Next Big Thing.

Congratulations on your first week sales. Did you have any idea the album would do that well? We were hoping for triple platinum cassette sales, but just squeaked by with double platinum. We feel that was a good start to a great cassette tape comeback. You guys have been together for about 10 years now. Has the band and your sound changed much since you first started? The addition of our killer rhythm section Matt (Taylor) and Tony (Thaxton) in 2002 finally made us a tight and rockin’ band. Matt has written piano and string arrangements on our last two records, and I think that helps us grow musically and feel like we can tackle a fuller sound. You opted to go with three separate producers on Even If It Kills Me. What was the thinking behind that? We originally decided to do the whole record

with the dynamic duo of Adam and Eli working together. Then Ric Ocasek gave us a ring and said that he wanted to do some songs. Ric is not a man you say no to. Did Ric, Adam and Eli have diﬀerent styles when it came to producing? Adam and Eli were very hands-on, and we were always trying new things and experimenting in the studio. Ric was a little more straightforward, and we just got in there and rocked. Do you still get star struck meeting and working with some of pop music greats like Ric and Adam? Hells yeah! Even at the end, you would still look over and realize that the people working with you are superstars. It was amazing. How much do you draw on real experiences in writing song lyrics? Justin (Pierre) likes to say that they are half

truth and half fiction all woven together. I can’t speak for him, but I know he doesn’t like to explain exactly what he wrote lyrics about. He likes people to take the meaning as whatever they want. The same song can mean many different things to different people. With the second album out of the way and all the talk of the dreaded sophomore curse, did you feel less pressure working on this record? There is always pressure working on any record. In a way, this was our sophomore record. I Am The Movie was mostly written by Josh (Cain) and Justin. Commit This to Memory and Even if it Kills Me were collaborative writing efforts by all five of us. We just wrote somewhere around 30 song ideas and tried to pick out the best of the group. With fingers crossed, we just hope that other people like the songs as much as we do. How would you describe the music on this album, compared to the first two? I think there are songs that are similar to the ones on the first two records, but I think that the rest of the songs have a life of their own. We started feeling comfortable with piano and string arrangements. We play many of the extra parts live, too. Tony, Matt, and myself all have piano and string parts we play live. Tony is playing glockenspiel also. No backup tracks or samples. We try and put on a show that sounds as good as the record.

WE WERE HOPING FOR TRIPLE PLATINUM CASSETTE SALES, BUT JUST SQUEAKED BY WITH DOUBLE PLATINUM. WE FEEL THAT WAS A GOOD START TO A GREAT CASSETTE TAPE COMEBACK.

Any new bands you guys are really impressed with? Say Anything and The Format are my two favorite new bands. They are making music that has a heart and feelings invested in it. What are your tour plans in the coming year? Tour everywhere, all the time. Everywhere!

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n today's job market, career change is an inevitable part of n today's job market, career change is an inevitable part of career advancement. Most people will end up changing jobs career advancement. Most people will end up changing jobs within their chosen profession multiple times throughout their within their chosen profession multiple times throughout their careers. Others will make the jump from one career field to careers. Others will make the jump from one career field to another as they gain more experience and discover new interests. another as they gain more experience and discover new interests. Technology Technology may may change, change, but but the the basic basic truths truths of of career career transition transition still hold true. still hold true. STAY STAY IN IN CONTROL CONTROL OF OF THE THE CHANGES CHANGES YOU YOU WILL WILL FACE FACE AS AS YOU YOU MOVE MOVE THROUGH THROUGH YOUR YOUR CAREER CAREER BY BY MASTERMASTERING ING THE THE FOLLOWING: FOLLOWING: PG 30 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

FEATURE

WINTEREDUCATIONGUIDE WINTEREDUCATIONGUIDE Our Winter Education Guide profiles a diverse group of schools offering a variety of courses in different fields. Enjoy your search in continuing your education. or by calling 770Our Winter Education Guide profiles www.education-area-ga.com a diverse group of schools America’s Real Estate 591-5552. offering a variety of courses in different fields. Enjoy your search Opportunities await within Atlanta's growing Inc. Academy, in continuing your education. real estate market. Sales, appraisal and home 770-591-5552

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770-591-5552 idential market data reflected over $700 million www.education-area-ga.com was earned in commissions and an extra $22 million in appraisal and home inspection Want to earn more in 2008? Atlanta's 2007 resincome. Successful professionals know the benidential market data reflected over $700 million efit of earning was earned in commissions and an extra $22 dual licenses and million in appraisal and home inspection America's Real income. Successful professionals know the benEstate efit of Academy, earning Inc. dual(AREA) licensescan and help you get America's Real started! AREA’s Estate Academy, Real Estate Dual Inc. (AREA) can Curriculum help you get Program saves started! AREA’s you and money. Realtime Estate Dual Sales, appraisal and home inspection positions Curriculum Program saves offer you potential unlimited income with relayou time money. AREA is an accredited tively low and investment. Sales,school appraisal and home inspection positions state offering students exceptional eduoffer you with relacation andpotential training unlimited and FREE income course credits tivelynew lowDual investment. AREAImproved is an accredited with Curriculum. and more state school offering students exceptional edurelevant education make licensees more valucation training FREE course credits able to and clients, hiringand brokers, appraisers, home with new Dual Improved and more inspectors, and Curriculum. more successful as entreprerelevant education make licensees more valuneurs. A recent student stated "I have taken able to clients, hiring brokers, appraisers, home courses elsewhere but after benefitting from inspectors, and more successful as entrepreAREA’s curriculum, professionalism and supneurs. A recent student stated "I have taken port I’ll come back for all my education needs courses elsewhere but after benefitting from and bring all my associates. Thank you!!" AREA’s curriculum, professionalism and supAll instructors are for professionals who teach port I’ll come back all my education needs while conducting successful appraisal, home and bring all my associates. Thank you!!" inspection, and/or estate saleswho businesses All instructors arereal professionals teach bringing realism and practicalappraisal, instruction to the while conducting successful home classroom. have it and can inspection,They and/or realaccomplished estate sales businesses assist a student's into the instruction business. Into the bringing realism entry and practical training, students addition to state classroom. They mandated have accomplished it and can receive reports that theyIncan assist a superior student'sindustry entry into the business. utilize with proventraining, terminology to students addition to essential state mandated receive superior industry that they can guide them and help themreports get started. utilize withreceive essential proven terminology to Students useful business, marketing guideand them and tools tips to help assistthem themget in started. their new Students receive useful business, marketing access to national professional membercareers, tools and to assist them at indiscounts. their new AREA ships, and tips industry supplies to national professional careers, access supports students beyond the academicmemberprosupplies at including: discounts.offerAREA ships, and grams and industry into the real world, supports students beyondProgram, the academic Mentor abilityproto ing an Appraisal grams andlicenses, into the business real world, offerhold sales andincluding: technology ing an Appraisal Mentor Program, ability to training and courses, all to give AREA students hold sales licenses, business and technology a competitive edge. training and courses, all to give AREA students AREA services the entire Metro and surrounda competitive edge. ing Atlanta area. Students have even traveled AREA services the entire Metro and surroundfrom surrounding states tohave receive AREA's proeven traveled ing Atlanta area. Students fessional training. Check schedules and register from surrounding states to receive AREA's profor classestraining. now by Check visitingschedules AREA's website at fessional and register for classes now by visiting AREA's website at

KNOW WHAT YOU'RE WORTH - Research updated salary information in your chosenWORTH profession with on-line resources - Research updated salary KNOW WHAT YOU'RE information in your chosen with on-lineofresources Labor such as www.salary.com andprofession the U.S. Department such as of www.salary.com the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau Labor Statisticsand http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/bls/blswage.htm UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WANT - Do you want to do the UNDERSTAND WHAT WANT - Do you wantwant to do same kind of work, just at YOU another company? Do you tothe you want to same kind work, just at but another company? the sameDo general industry? change yourofjob function, stay in in the same general industry? change your job function, but stay Or do you want to keep your job function, but gain experience in Or do you want toIfkeep function, butyou gain experience another industry? you your want job to do both, are prepared to goin another industry? If you want to do both, are you prepared back to school or take a transition job? Until you know the to go back to school or take a transition job? Until you know the answer to those questions, you're not prepared to begin a job answer to those questions, you're not prepared to begin a job search. search. NETWORK NOW FOR THE JOB YOU WANT TOMORROW NETWORK NOW FOR THE JOB YOU WANT TOMORROW -- Going to a networking event and expecting to walk out with a Going to a networking event and expecting to walk out with a job job lead lead is is like like walking walking into into the the gym gym and and expecting expecting to to loose loose five five pounds while you're there. You have to actively cultivate pounds while you're there. You have to actively cultivate real real relarelationships tionships with with your your networking networking contacts. contacts. This This takes takes time time and and aa genuine genuine interest interest in in helping helping others others grow. grow. People People must must trust trust you you before before they're they're willing willing to to help help you. you.

www.education-area-ga.com by calling 770inspection positions offer youor potential unlimit591-5552. ed income with relatively low investment and Opportunities await Atlanta's growing AREA can help you getwithin started! real estate market. Sales, appraisalInc. and(AREA) home is America's Real Estate Academy, positions offer you potential unlimitainspection full-service real estate education provider with relatively low education investmentand and ed income offering students high quality AREA cantraining. help youImproved get started! functional and more releAmerica's Real Estate Academy, Inc. (AREA) is vant education make new and existing licensees a full-service real estate education provider more appealing to hiring brokers, appraisers, offering students high quality education and and home inspectors and more successful as functional training. Improved and more releentrepreneurs. returning appraisal graduate vant education A make new and existing licensees stated "I have taken one CE course elsewhere more appealing to hiring brokers, appraisers, since becoming registered through AREA and and home inspectors and more successful as was very disappointed. Yourappraisal team continues to entrepreneurs. A returning graduate education and resources. I am provide stated "Iquality have taken one CE course elsewhere grateful!!" since becoming registered through AREA and with over 30to Curriculum director, Dick was very disappointed. YourViti, team continues years of real estate experience Georgia Iand education and in resources. am provide quality Florida, oversees AREA's instructors. All grateful!!" instructors aredirector, professionals whowith teachover while Curriculum Dick Viti, 30 years of realsuccessful estate experience inhome Georgia and conducting appraisal, inspecFlorida, oversees AREA's instructors. tion, and/or real estate sales businessesAllbringing instructors professionals whoto teach while realism and are practical instruction the classconducting appraisal,ithome inspecand can assist room. They successful have accomplished and/orentry real into estate sales businesses bringing ation, student's the business. In addition realism and practical instruction to the classto state mandated training, students receive it and assist room. They have accomplished superior industry reports that they cancan utilize a student's entry into terminology the business.to Inguide addition with essential proven to state mandated training, students receive them and help them get started. superior industry reports that they can utilize Students also receive useful business and marwith essential proven terminology to guide keting tools and tips to assist them in their new them and help them get started. careers, which includes access to national proStudents also receive useful business and marfessional organization indusketing tools and tips tomemberships assist them inand their new try supplies at discounts. AREA bridges the gap careers, which includes access to national probetween academic programs the fessional traditional organization memberships andand indusreal world, including offering an bridges Appraisal try supplies at discounts. AREA the gap Mentor ability to hold sales licenses; betweenProgram; traditional academic programs and the and business and technology training real additional world, including offering an Appraisal and courses to giveability AREAtostudents a competiMentor Program; hold sales licenses; tive and edge. additional business and technology training the AREA entire Metro and surroundAREA services and courses to give students a competiing edge. area. Students have even traveled tiveAtlanta entire surroundAREA services the from surrounding states to Metro receiveand AREA's proing Atlanta area. Students have evenand traveled fessional training. Check schedules register from surrounding states toAREA's receivewebsite AREA'sat profor classes now by visiting fessional training. Check schedules and register www.education-area-ga.com or by calling 770for classes now by visiting AREA's website at 591-5552. www.education-area-ga.com or by calling 770591-5552.

International School of Skin & Nailcare International School 5600 Roswell Road, N.E. of Skin & Nailcare

843-1005 5600(404) Roswell Road, N.E. www.skin-nails.com (404) 843-1005 www.skin-nails.com The International School of Skin & Nail Care

(ISSN) is celebrating 22 years as a&school and The International School of Skin Nail Care day spa isincelebrating Sandy Springs. ISSN (ISSN) 22 years as isa where school all and day spa in Sandy Springs. ISSN is where all CONDUCT INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS - If you're thinking of changing to a new profession entirely, it can extremeCONDUCT INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS - If be you're thinking to a newwho profession entirely, it caninbe extremely helpfulof tochanging talk to someone is currently working that field. ly helpful to talkclose to someone currently working in that field. Ask the people to you ifwho theyisknow anyone who has experience Ask thearea people close to then you ifrequest they know anyone who An hasinformal experience in your of interest, an introduction. in your interest, then request an introduction. An informal chat witharea an of industry insider insider chat awith over cupan of industry coffee can help overdetermine a cup of coffee canor help you whether not you determine whether or not you want to pursue that particyou want to pursue that particular career path. ular career path.

DON'T ASSUME - People DON'T ASSUME - People change careers at all stages of change careers at all stages of their professional life. Don't their professional life. Don't assume that you're too old. assume that you're too old. Don't assume that you can't Don't assume that you can't afford afford to to go go back back to to school. school. Don't assume that that you you can't can't Don't assume master master something. something. Life Life is is about about choices. choices. At At the the end end of of the we create create our our own own the day, day, we limitations. limitations.

the people get trained that work in Spas, Salons, Network TV, Doctors, Cruise Ships and manufacturing companies. Anywhere skin care treatments are given or nail care beauty is performed. Courses from Classic Facials to Microdermbrasion Facials, to waxing, make-up, to manicures and nail art are taught at the renowned International School of Skin and Nail Care (ISSN). Our job placement is excellent and has remained near 100-percent for over a decade - no other school is close. Our long experience and being known in the Industry insures the graduate of a good job upon graduation. Over 320 active employers depend on ISSN for Esthetician and Nail Technician staffing. Our programs start monthly for the convenience of today's student. We have morning, afternoon, or evening class in the Esthetician program and day or evening classes in the Nail Technician program. We are conveniently located in the Prado, Roswell Road at I-295. We are an accredited school and approved by the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology. A quick call to our Admission's office can answer all of your questions. When you call ask for a tour of the school. Call us today: Local 404-8431005 X 1 or email us issn@skin-nails.com

Janke Studios 659 Auburn Ave. Studioplex G-9 404-584-0305 www.jankestudios.com If you have marveled at the beautiful freeform and controlled works of Dale Chihuly or watched a glassblowing documentary, you should know that there is a thriving glass blowing community heating up in Atlanta! Janke Studios is Atlanta's premier Glassblowing Studio and Functional Art Glass Gallery. Celebrating 11 years in the metro area the Janke team continues to offer a variety of classes that will fit perfectly into your schedule. Courses are project based and designed for all from the novice to experienced glass craftsman and artist. Try a three hour paperweight workshop to get a feel for the process or if you are more adventurous, but short on time take a two day weekend workshop. During this workshop you will experience all the basic skills and glassblowing floor environment. Create your own paperweight, check out the process and meet new people. For the enthusiast, nurture your skills in an extensive five week class or host a Remote; hot glass on your site for demos, classes or educational purposes.

Life College 1269 Barclay Circle Marietta, GA 30060 770-426-2884 www.LIFE.com Life College was founded as a school of chiropractic in 1974 with a first class of 22 students. Today, with more than 13,700 alumni, Life University, under the leadership of President

Guy F. Riekeman and a fully committed Board of Trustees, the college has expanded to a complete university that provides 11 undergraduate degrees, a master’s degree and a Doctor of Chiropractic Degree. Life University attracts student from 50 states and 20 countries. Life University’s College of Graduate & Undergraduate Studies offers three associate degrees in nutrition technology, computer information management, and life coaching; eight bachelor degrees in business administration, computer information management, biology, exercise science, nutrition, dietetics, psychology, and biopsychology; and a master’s degree in sport health science. Life University also offers a Doctor of Chiropractic Degree through its College of Chiropractic. The College of Chiropractic boasts a current enrollment of almost 1,400 students a doubling in the number of students in just the past two years. This program features practice management courses which train students on how to run a successful practice and also gives students valuable “hands on” experience in the university’s clinic system, including clinics overseas. “Life has an amazing energy! I think it’s because of the caliber of program and the depth of experience of the instructors. I came to Life because I wanted to embrace the vision that Life University holds for the health and well-being of mankind,” commented Austin Anderson, chiropractic student from Atlanta, Ga. Students in all of the 13 degree programs, enjoy the benefit of a highly supportive atmosphere where students work together, often in team and group experiences, with highly qualified, caring faculty and supportive peers. From the president to every employee within the University, Life University is committed to creating a student-centered learning environment, boasting a student-faculty ratio of 15:1. For more information, please go to www.LIFE.edu or call 800-543-3202.

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University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education 706-542-3537 or 800-811-6640 www.georgiacenter.uga.edu The University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education’s test prep classes are designed by test experts with years of standardized test experience—including writing questions for the exams themselves. Classes review all question types and provide tech-

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niques for solving even the most difficult problems quickly. Key features of all question types are discussed in detailed PowerPoint presentations for clear, efficient lectures every time. Instructors are committed to providing individualized attention to the needs of each student, and are available to answer questions throughout the week. Classes are offered at the main campus in Athens as well as in the metro Atlanta area at the Georgia Gwinnett College campus in Lawrenceville. Free strategy sessions are available; learn proven strategies from an experienced GRE, GMAT, and LSAT instructor for attacking each kind of question. Preregistration is required. One-on-One test preparation classes are also available. For more information, call 706-542-3537 or 1800-811-6640. For topics covered in this test preparation courses and to link to practice tests, go to http://www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/ppd/cours es/testprep for details.

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Contact us for information about free test strategy workshops. Call 706-542-3537 or 1-800-811-6640 or visit www.georgiacenter.uga.edu for schedules. PG 31 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

WINTEREDUCATIONGUIDE

Tickets are $20 per person (Includes basketball game and reception); $12 per person (Reception only for basketball season ticket holders); Continued From Page 31 $5 per student for the reception only; children 6 and under are admitted free. Tickets can be picked up at the Alumni Association registration 215 Peachtree Street Suite 300 table located beside the ticket office in the Sports Arena (1st 404-526-9366 www.sae-atl.com Floor) beginning at 1pm on game day. Tickets will not be mailed. Pre-registration is required. To register please call Continuing the tradition established in 1976, SAE Atlanta the Georgia State University Alumni Association at educates students for careers in the entertainment industry 404.413.2190 or 800.gsu.ALUM. You can also register and check for parking information online at www.gastatealumni.net/homecoming.html. This past Fall the Georgia State Alumni Association launched a new online social community called Georgia State Circle. Georgia State Circle is a secure social and professional networking community exclusively for Georgia State alumni, and it gives alumni the opportunity to communicate with one another individually or through academic or geographic groups and clubs. Georgia State Circle helps you find old friends or meet new ones with similar interests, hobbies, or professions, and communicate with them in a number of simple, secure, and valuable ways. Through Georgia State Circle, you dynamically interact with Georgia State alumni all over the world. Once you log in and join Georgia State Circle, you can:

SAE Atlanta

with the focus of hands-on training. Students gain invaluable experience working on real-world projects every day. SAE Atlanta currently offers two programs: SAE's signature Audio Technology Program, where students can earn an Associate of Science Degree (unique to SAE Atlanta) or an SAE Diploma. SAE's belief is that in order for students to be autonomous and independent engineers, editors and artists they must have the combination of theoretical and practical knowledge - a combination that gives them the foundation necessary to solve problems, and work with various clients in a professional manner. Students have access to over 30 studios and workstations while studying at SAE Atlanta. Included are analog and digital mix-down stations by Mackie and Yamaha, FX stations, and Apple computers throughout to complete digital editing, Pro Tools, sampling, and remix exercises. To round off the educational experience the facility boast both the SSL 4000G+ and NEVE VR60 analog consoles. All graduates are provided job placement assistance and are eligible to become members of SAE's international Alumni Association. Financial assistance is available for those who quality and both full and part time classes are available. For more information please contact our Admissions Department at 404-526-9366 or visit our web site at www.sae-atl.com. SAE Atlanta is located at 215 Peachtree Street Suite 300, Atlanta GA 30303

* Network about career, business, and mentoring opportunities * Post events, resumes and jobs * Update personal information * Share photos and blogs in a secure environment * Start alumni groups to stay in touch with Georgia State activities * And much, much more! Sign on today, create your profile, upload a photo, and start inviting your fellow alumni to join you. It only takes a few min-

utes, start building your network today! http://gsu.affinitycircles.com www.gastatealumni.net - 1800-GSU-ALUM

The Art Institute of Atlanta 6600 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd. 770-394-8300 www.artinstitutes.edu/atlanta Where will your talent take you? With the right education, it can take you to a rewarding creative career. That's the kind of education you'll find The Art Institute of Atlanta, the college for creative minds. Here you'll find relevant, practical, hands-on education in a creative environment. Our professional faculty brings real-world insight into the classroom. Internships, class projects, and community service projects help you build a portfolio you'll be proud to show potential employers. The college offers degree and diploma programs, as well as non-credit community education workshops in design, media arts, fashion, and culinary arts. From cooking to photography, audio or video production to interior or graphic design, you'll find creative worlds to explore. Our 2,700 students include those returning to college to complete their education or to get a second degree or diploma as well as recent high school graduates. Want to explore where your talent can lead? Call 770.394.8300 (770.689.4764 for community education) or visit www.artinstitutes.edu/

Saturday, Feb. 16

PANTHERS VS. NORTHEASTERN

Tip-Off 2pm GSU Sports Arena

ALUMNI RECEPTION & CONCERT 4-6pm Student Center Ballroom

To Register Please Call 404-413-2190 or 800-GSU-ALUM or online at www.gastatealumni.net/homecoming.html

Georgia State University Alumni Association 404-413-2190 or 800-GSU-ALUM www.gsu.edu/alumni There is no place like home..for GSU Alumni that is. The GSU Panthers will be celebrating their 2008 Homecoming Saturday Feb 16th as they take on the Northeastern Huskies. Tip-off will be a 2PM at the Georgia State Sports Arena on 125 Decatur Street. An Alumni reception will follow featuring “The Pieces of Eight” in the Student Center Ballroom at 44 Courtland Street. The reception will feature an assortment of heavy hors d’oeuAlumni staff at last year’s vres, soft drinks, beer and wine. Northeastern game in Boston

Professional Audio Education Since 1976

www.sae.edu

International Recognition Individual Studio Time Day and Evening Classes Financial Assistance To Those Who Qualify

Call Now and Start Your New Career! 404-526-9388 or www.sae.edu

SAE Institute Of Technology Atlanta PG 32 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

215 Peachtree St. Suite 300, Atlanta GA 30303

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JM: When several members of Catch 22 and One Cool Guy bolted from their respective groups to start a rival ska band, Streetlight Manifesto made a few enemies. They also threw a little salt on the open wounds when they re-recorded a Catch 22 album in its entirety last year (see: Keasbey Nights). It probably didn’t help that Streetlight Manifesto was a far better band. Somewhere In the Between, their first album of new material in four years, serves as a stark reminder of just how great the ska genre can be when played right. Unlike other third wave ska goofballs such as Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger, Streetlight Manifesto puts aside the lame sexual innuendos and instead focuses on playing solid, punk-inspired, brass-heavy two-tone. The record starts off on the right note with the opener, “We Will Fall Together,” and doesn’t let up through all 10 tracks. In truth, the only letdown here is the fact that it took the band four years to cobble together less than a dozen new songs. GRADE: AWU-TANG CLAN – 8 DIAGRAMS (SRC Records) & GHOSTFACE KILLAH – BIG DOE REHAB (Def Jam) 2008 Resolution: What’s old is Wu again DW: The people have spoken. Since 8 Diagram’s December 11 release, less than 150,000 CDs have moved. Could it be that the times have finally passed the Wu-Tang Clan by? Is the buying public that tired of the RZA’s odd samplings and the team’s free-for-all approach to the mic? Maybe so. But that doesn’t mean the 9man crew isn’t going for that 90s glory one more time on spirited tracks like “Rushing Elephants,” “Take It Back” and “Wolves.” If you loved “Triumph” and “Protect Ya Neck,” there’s no reason your ears will feel differently about Method Man, GZA and Raekwon now. Still, as a whole, the record sounds a bit complacent. Consumers need

something else. And no matter how peculiar the Asian cinema snippet is that RZA finds, it’s all starting to sound the same. But if record sales were the only indication of one’s popularity, Ghostface Killah wouldn’t be worth mentioning these days either. His latest album, Big Dough Rehab, has only pushed about 75,000 units since its early December drop. However, in the case of Ghost (who also appears on four of 8 Diagram’s tracks), it’s less his fault and more just a sign of the poor economic times. Everything you could ever want from the Ironman is here: beats (The Independents-sampled “I’ll Die For You”), rhymes (Ghost’s requisite chick tale, “Killa Lipstick”) and spice (“Yolanda’s House”). Tony Starks even tails back on this one from spitting so many intangible, almostincomprehensible verses. The masses might get with the program in a bit, but by then the Wu’s most consistent voice will have probably moved on to his eighth project. Wu=(B-); Ghostface=(B) KING OF PRUSSIA – SAVE THE SCENE (Kindercore) The return of a great indie label JD: Kindercore, one of the labels that documented A t h e n s ’ glorious mid1990s musical renaissance, is back in the game with this new EP. It’s a good match between label and band, what with Save The Scene trafficking in the same kind of ornate, edgy indie-pop that made Kindercore essential a decade ago. The influences here are many (Zombies, Belle & Sebastian, Camera Obscura, R.E.M.), but it’s mostly King of Prussia’s love for ‘60s chamber-pop that shines through the clearest. The anglophilia is palpable everywhere, from the moody cooing of “The Doctor and the Mathematicians” to the Hollies-like romp of “Misadventures of the Campaign Kids.” Assured and carefully constructed, Save The Scene soars, not on verve or nostalgia, but on a handful of good-to-great songs, proving once again that an EP is often the best way to get the most out of a young act. GRADE: B+

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STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO – SOMEWHERE IN THE BETWEEN (Victory) Well worth the wait

PG 33 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

MUSIC INTERVIEW

Johnathan Rice’s BIG BREAK

BY JOHN B. MOORE

O GO FROM STRUMMING IN BARS to opening arena shows for REM in the span of a few weeks is certain to screw with anyone’s head. But folk rock troubadour Johnathan Rice took it all in stride when he got the unlikely call in 2005. In the two and a half years since, Rice has put in some more time playing clubs across the country, portrayed Roy Orbinson in the Johnny Cash biopic and turned out a stellar new record, Further North. Rice spoke recently about those REM shows and a slew of other things on his mind. I heard somewhere that you gave yourself a one year deadline starting out to get somewhere with your music. What’s the story behind that? I never really gave myself any kind of a deadline. It was kind of just a line I gave to the folks so they wouldn’t tear all of their hair out when I left Virginia for New York. I said, “Hey, if I’m not killing it in a year, I’ll come back, go to school, whatever you want.” It worked and I never came back. You had a brief role in Walk The Line. Have you thought about acting in more movies?

rain than it was when I was a teenager. I’m out of the woods now, heading for the river. What I mean is, I’ve written my first 50 songs or so, which now gives me a certain amount of confidence and quality control. My strengths and weaknesses are starting to emerge. Once you can see ‘em, you can focus on them and let them grow or kill them dead. The new record has a completely different feel from some of your earlier stuff, like Trouble is Real. Was there a conscious decision to change the vibe a bit? There absolutely was a conscious decision to change the vibe.

PETER BUCK SAW ME SINGING IN A BAR IN MANCHESTER AND ASKED ME TO OPEN FOR REM A FEW WEEKS LATER. IT REMAINS THE MOST WONDERFUL AND ASTONISHING THING THAT’S HAPPENED TO ME SINCE I STARTED OUT ON THIS THING.

Have you seen Walk The Line? I’m in the movie for less than 20 seconds. “Pick you up in an hour, Johnny.” That’s my only line. It could hardly be described as a foray into acting. I did it ‘cause it sounded like fun and because I love that music. Sun Records, specifically. It’s a great little document of that era and I hope it turns on a new generation of kids to that spooky American music. My major contribution to that film was to its soundtrack, which we recorded with T Bone Burnett. Are you a big fan of Roy Orbison? Yeah, I’m a huge Orbison fan, which is why I remain baffled that anyone would hear my voice and think: “He’s our Roy!” You know? I’ve been listening to him since I was a child, but I wouldn’t call him a conscious influence on my own music. He’s more of an eighth wonder of the world that I kind of rub my eyes and swoon to. You’ve got a few albums under your belt now. Do you find songwriting easier now? Songwriting is less of a blind mysterious terPG 34 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

So what was the recording process like for Further North? We recorded this record entirely live, with very few overdubs. We made it in ﬁve weeks. There are no strings, horns, or any non-rock friendly instruments. I started thinking about how much space there is for things to breathe on my favorite records. “Cosmo’s Factory” by Creedence. “Exile (on Main Street)” by the Stones, “Burrito Deluxe”....y’know? If you have musicians that are good enough, they won’t even have to hear the song more than a couple of times to work out their parts. I was very lucky to have such instinctual, tasty players all around me. I never know what I’m going to do next, but I think I’ll make my next record in a similar way.

A few years ago you went from playing clubs to opening up for REM at Hyde Park. What was that experience like? Peter Buck saw me singing in a bar in Manchester and asked me to open for REM a few weeks later. It remains the most wonderful and astonishing thing that’s happened to me since I started out on this thing. I don’t know how effective my performances were, though. I ﬁgured out pretty quick how hard it is to play in front of 75,000 people who’ve never heard of you with no bass player or drummer. It was folky, man. Will you be going out solo or touring with the full band? I’ll be touring with a band for the next few months. Should be fun. I can drown out the drunks!

“Let’s Duet”

FILM INTERVIEW

The Comedic Genius of Judd Apatow and John C. Reilly BY MATT GOLDBERG

UDD APATOW IS THE SMARTEST man in Hollywood (according to not only Entertainment Weekly, but science). John C. Reilly may be its most versatile as he excels at not only dramatic roles like Chicago and Magnolia but in broad comedies like Talladega Nights and now Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story as he lampoons the music biopic. We spoke with these two brilliant made men and tried to stop laughing long enough so we could hear their answers to our questions. John, how do you prepare for a movie like this? Do you study the musician or do you study the biopics about musicians? John C. Reilly: Well I had seen a lot of the biopics we were referencing already so I didn’t feel like I had to go back and watch all of those again. And I’m a fan of biopics in general! I think there’s a reason people keep making them; it’s because they work. There’s something about that story structure that just works: the rise…the fall… the rise again…the humble beginnings…And while you can say that biopics are clichéd and just the same things over and over, well the truth is that this happens in these musicians lives for some reason. A lot of those things are consistent throughout a lot of musicians’ lives. But I watched a lot of documentaries, actually, to get ready because we wanted to make this guy seem like a real musician if we could. Even if we’re referencing in a Forrest Gump-like way all these different decades and music and it’s almost impossible that someone is that much of a chameleon, but we could make it! It’s almost like we walked onto the set of a movie like Walk the Line or Ray and just replaced those serious actors with comedians. But everything else was very high quality like the sets and the costumes. You talked about the “chameleon” aspect of Cox. What was your favorite Cox-phase? JCR: My favorite phase of Cox would have to be… I don’t know. I liked being the teenager! Because let’s face it: that may be the last time I ever get to play a teenager. But I liked that. I love playing innocent like that. In many ways I still feel like I’m 14-years-old. I have this crazy memory and crazy recall for memories in my childhood going way back and that’s helped me in the process for a lot of my acting jobs. I know I look different than when I was fourteen but I don’t feel any different! And that was really fun to do and be around those kids; we were like a peer group, by the end of the shooting of the scenes. We were hanging out like real teenagers do, I guess. I also liked some of the sillier stuff we did, like running

around in a sumo-diaper, ﬂipping over cars. That may be the last time I get to do that! I’ll be like the Incredible Hulk and Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison in the same movie; doesn’t really come along that often. Or for that matter, getting to do a scene in a post-orgy hotel room. I’ve never even kissed anyone in a movie before this and here I am rubbing my naked body on Jenna Fischer; it’s pretty heady days. I learned what a junk-sack was, and if you don’t know what that is, it’s a silk bag with a draw-string on it and that would be my costume. And it goes around my junk and that’s it. That and some body making. But my favorite phase was always the next day. I’d get home and tell my wife, “Oh, you

and I had a lot of experience in theatre but no experience in movies. And I quickly saw what could happen to you if you allowed everyone to do for you what they were asking to do for you. It’s almost like you had to teach yourself, “Don’t ask for help,” If you can get your own coffee, get your own coffee! It makes you a better person. Judd, do you think you have your finger on the comic-pulse of America? Judd Apatow: Are you saying that I’m “the smartest man in movies?” C’mon. Say it. I want to hear you say those words. I don’t know, I feel that the work I’m doing is the same work I’ve been doing. Some of it I’m

how much power the network has over you because they can always cancel you. Because if you say “no,” they might cancel you and if you say “yes,” they might ruin your show and cancel you. It’s very diﬃcult unless everything lines up perfectly. So would you ever consider going back to TV? JA: I would. Obviously, I like working with the same actors over and over again and exploring ideas; it just depends on if I come up with something. But maybe for HBO or something like that. I like The Wire and The Sopranos as much as the next guy. I saw every episode of Damages. There are shows on FX I like. But I would have to come up with something. There are a lot of smart jokes hidden throughout Walk Hard and I was wondering how you balance the smart jokes with the more outrageous stuﬀ. JA: I just wanted to make a movie that was funny but also would work if you were a music fan and would notice all these small music references and would also work if you had not seen any of these movies. So on the one hand, it’s funny to see the guy on the road cheating on his wife and in the middle of an orgy he talks to his wife and tells her how much he misses her and then you reveal a penis. That’s funny if you’ve seen those movies because they always have that scene where the guy is talking to his wife in the middle of cheating on her. We’ve taken it to an extreme but you don’t have to see Walk the Line to get the joke.

IF YOU LOOK AT EVERY GREAT COMEDY DIRECTOR, THEY DO WELL AND THEN THEY DO BAD AND SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK AND SOMETIMES THEY DON’T. won’t believe what I did today! I made out with a chimpanzee!” And I did, but it’s not in the movie. I kissed that chimp! He had really big lips. Inter-species love. Actually, in a 24-hour period, I made out with a chimp, Cheryl Teagues, Cheryl Ladd, and two Playboy Playmates.

much better at, I hope, but I don’t look at any of this and think it’s better than Freaks and Geeks and that’s maybe the bar I’m trying to reach. I just think what we do ﬁts better into marketing and selling of movies rather than how they do it on television. What I was doing ﬁts into this format better.

Is there a different kind of treatment you get when you’re in a leading role like this as opposed to supporting performances in an ensemble? JCR: Yeah, but you have to be careful when you let yourself get treated like that because it’s almost like they want to infantilize you and control you. In my first film, I had a leading role in Casualties of War and I was coming out of a real working class background in Chicago

So you now have the freedom you didn’t have before? JA: Oh, yeah. In television, it’s a war and you say, “Well, I’m not going to change it,” and they just cancel it. You write a movie and if they don’t like it, they just won’t make it. But once they say they’ll make it, then the next time you really see them is in testing and if the audience likes it, then everything’s ﬁne. It’s diﬀerent on television because it’s a daily debate about

You’ve now become a brand. Are you consciously aware of the backlash that may come out when you have ﬁve movies coming out next year? JA: I don’t really think about that because I’ve experienced bombs. I’ve experienced things that I like getting good reviews and not making any money and getting cancelled; there’s no negative part of this business I haven’t been through over and over again. So when we ﬁnished Freaks and Geeks, I thought to myself, “If that’s the only thing I’m a part of in my career, that was enough,” I really felt like I was something special and I used it to make myself free to take chances. I don’t worry about it but I know it’s inevitable. If you look at every great comedy director, they do well and then they do bad and sometimes they come back and sometimes they don’t. I admire people like James Brooks who do amazing work decade after decade and I hope I’m not in one of these 18-month little moments and then fade into obscurity. I’m trying to pay attention to what it would take to creatively vital for a long time. PG 35 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

TRAVEL

CARIBBEAN CULTURE BY BRET LOVE

HERE ARE ESSENTIALLY TWO TYPES of tourists who visit the Caribbean, the 2,500-mile long chain of more than 7,000 islands, islets, reefs and cays that enclose the Caribbean Sea. There are those merely searching for the soothing relaxation of a sandy beach between their toes, a strong drink in their hands and a sunny sky above their heads. And then there are the ambitious explorers looking to soak up a diverse palette of cultures stretching back hundreds of years to the Amerindian group known as the Caribs. Occasionally referred to as the West Indies due to Christopher Columbus’ belief that he had landed in Asia (rather than the Americas), the islands of the Caribbean are classified as one of Conservation International’s biodiversity hotspots because they support remarkably different ecosystems ranging from cloud forests to cactus scrublands. But equally impressive are the vast cultural differences among the islands, with people, customs, cuisine and celebrations bearing a broad variety of influences ranging from Spanish and Portuguese to British, French and Dutch. Here’s a brief overview of the rich cultural traditions that make the Caribbean islands unique:

ARUBA Part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Aruba’s original inhabitants were members of the Arawak tribe, who migrated from Venezuela to escape the attacking Caribs. Due to the distance from other islands and strong currents that made canoe travel diﬃcult, Aruba remained more tied to South America than the Caribbean. Under Dutch administration since 1647, the island gained independence in 1986, but its Dutch cultural traditions can still be felt on national holidays such as Sinterklaas Day (Dec 5-6). The annual Carnival Celebration is equally important, stretching from the beginning of January through the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, with a large parade on the last Sunday. PG 36 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

THE BAHAMAS

HAITI

The seafaring Taîno people (aka the Lucayans) moved into the southern Bahamas from Hispaniola and Cuba more than 800 years before Columbus’ arrival in 1492, but were enslaved and eliminated long before English settlers arrived in 1647. The British made the islands self-governing in 1964 and independent in 1973, but they retain membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. The culture is a hybrid of African and European influences, with the costume-filled street parade known as Junkanoo (featured in the James Bond film, Thunderball) its biggest celebration. Regattas, rugby and religion are also very popular here, with a high rate of churches per person.

A former French colony, Haiti was the first independent black republic and the only nation ever to form from a successful slave rebellion. It was also the first country in Latin America to declare its independence, on January 1, 1804. The primarily Roman Catholic nation’s culture is a mixture of African and French influences, though its proximity to the Dominican Republic also brings Spanish and Taíno influences. Though known for its distinctive art, Haiti is most celebrated for its music, including the vibrant style known as kompa, Salsa, Soca and a French-influenced fusion called zouk.

CAYMAN ISLANDS Originally named Las Tortugas (for the numerous sea turtles there) by Christopher Columbus during his ﬁnal trip to the New World, the Cayman Islands were given their current name by English explorer Sir Francis Drake after the Neo-Taíno term for crocodile (caiman). The islands were governed as a single colony with Jamaica until 1962, when they became a separate British Overseas Territory. Made up of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, the islands’ population of around 45,000 is made up of approximately 60% mixed race Afro-Europeans, with tourism and banking providing the Caribbean’s highest standard of living.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC With the longest historical record (over 500 years) of any country in the Western Hemisphere, the Dominican Republic is the site of the first permanent European settlement in the Americas, with Santo Domingo the first colonial capital. Sharing a border on the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, Dominican culture is a rich tapestry of Spanish, French, Taíno and African influences. Musically, the area is known as the birthplace of Merengue, as well as the romantic musical/ dance style known as Bachata. The DR is also a wellspring of baseball talent, producing major league legends such as Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez and Sammy Sosa.

established a settlement on the island, and the 1648 Treaty of Concordia peacefully divided the land between the two nations. Dutch St. Maarten boasts a remarkable cultural diversity, with an estimated 77 diﬀerent nationalities represented among its nearly 40,000 residents, while French St. Martin is widely considered the culinary capital of the Caribbean, with a

JAMAICA Originally claimed for Spain after Columbus ﬁrst landed there in 1494, Jamaica came under British rule in 1655, with the descendants of African slaves used in the sugar trade now making up a substantial portion of the island’s 2.6 million inhabitants. The third largest island in the Caribbean, Jamaica is divided into 14 parishes, with the inland Blue Mountains surrounded by a narrow coastal plain. Much of the island’s culture centers around its music scene, speciﬁcally reggae, dub and dancehall, all of which played a major role in the birth and evolution of hip-hop. Sports such as cricket and football (a.k.a. soccer) are immensely popular as well.

PUERTO RICO Taíno culture remained dominant in Puerto Rico for over 700 years until the island was colonized by Spain under the governorship of conquistador Juan Ponce de León. Forts such as El Castillo San Felipe del Morro and El Castillo de San Cristóbal were built to protect the city of San Juan from English, Dutch and French attacks, but the island was eventually given to the U.S. under the Treaty of Paris at the end of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Rican culture is a mixture of African, Amerindian, Spanish and North American inﬂuences, with music, dance, baseball and boxing among the island’s most popular pastimes.

ST. MAARTEN/ST. MARTIN Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493, this island was the subject of the “Eighty Years’ War” between Spain and the Netherlands in the 1600s. By the time the Spaniards relinquished control to the Dutch, the French had

cornucopia of gastronomic inﬂuences.

TURKS & CAICOS Originally populated by the Carib Amerindians, the islands of the Turks and Caicos were a popular hideout for pirates at the turn of the 18th century before they were annexed by Britain in 1799 as part of the Bahamas. Made a separate colony in 1959, the islands (only eight of which are inhabited) oﬃcially gained independence in 1973, but remain a British overseas territory. With less than 33,000 residents spread across eight inhabited islands, Turks & Caicos is among the smaller nations in the Caribbean, which may explain why celebrities such as Dick Clark, Bruce Willis and Gene Simmons have bought property here.

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS Consisting of St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas and many surrounding smaller islands, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Carib and Arawak tribes before Columbus arrived in 1493. Over the next 300 years, the islands changed hands among European powers, including Britain, France, the Netherlands and Spain. Sold by Denmark in 1917 for $25 million, the Virgin Islands is the only part of the United States where traﬃc drives on the left. Celebrations here have a decidedly tropical ﬂair, with calypso, reggae, soca and salsa played in the streets during events such as the Three Kings Day festival on St. Croix and the annual carnival on St. Thomas.

Suns of a Gun

SPORTS

Meet the San Antonio Spurs’ biggest problems: Steve Nash & Amare Stoudemire. BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

HE DECEMBER 27 GAME SAID it all. A 108-88 Phoenix Suns thrashing of the L.A. Clippers is how the morning headline read. Those in attendance probably would admit to witnessing something else, something of shear dominance and head-spinning precision that only the elite can dream of keeping up with. But 20-point shellackings are no new phenomena in the desert. Phoenix has been jaw-dropping good for three straight winters and springs. Its two biggest stars, guard Steve Nash and center Amare Stoudemire, were their usual handfuls versus the Clips. Nash provided nine points and 12 assists. Amare had 30 points and 15 rebounds. “Obviously,” begins Nash on his gravityignoring teammate after the game, “he’s so talented that it happens from time to time where he can dominate. Tonight was one of those nights where he got going early, got to the line and was really a handful for them.” Takes a pain in a team’s ass to know one. For much of the past 11 seasons (two of which were

MVP-earning; another could have easily been), Nash has terrorized the NBA with his seamless dishing, relentless passion and defenseless 15-feet floaters. Still, the League’s leader in assists (12.4 per night), can’t wait for the opportunity to pass accolades off to someone else. Though Amare is at times more of a bystander than predator, Nash insists he “can get into the offense with no problem.” At 6-10, 208 chiseled pounds, it’s a wonder the big guy is able to fit into any situation. But be it as a high school sensation out of Florida in ‘02, the NBA’s Rookie of the Year a season later or a member of the ’04 Olympic team in Athens, Stoudemire always makes his presence felt. Well on his way to that esteemed Tim Duncan/Kevin Garnett level of big man supremacy back in ‘06, Amare’s left knee crumbled under him. He had the surgery, endured the painful rehab, defied the medical odds and came back nearly as spectacular last year, playing in all 82 games and becoming an all-star for the second time. After the first two months, Stoudemire and Nash (Shawn Marion and Grant Hill have been invaluable parts, too) had led the Suns to a 20-9

WE’RE A TEAM THAT’S GOT SO MUCH POTENTIAL. WE GOT A CHANCE TO BE A GREAT DEFENSIVE TEAM AND WE’RE WORKING TOWARDS THAT.

record and the top spot in the Pacific Division. Over 50 games remain in the regular season (including four big ones versus the Spurs), so you won’t find either saying much about playoff prospects. INsite did, however, get their thoughts on a few other things the terrific twosome has noticed this first part of the season… AMARE, ON GETTING STRONGER Yeah, it’s just a matter of getting stronger basically. It’s a matter of getting my rhythm back and getting back just to playing at this speed with the team. We’re such a great team. We’ve got so many scorers. You gotta pretty much find your space and area where you can attack. My second wind is coming. We’re still monitoring minutes. I’m still in my rehabilitating process. I’m not quite back to where I wanna be yet, but I’m definitely [getting back stronger]. STEVE, ON THE THINGS HE DISLIKES ABOUT THE SUNS We turn the ball over too much. I don’t think it’s cost us a game yet. We’re just still a lil’ bit indecisive sometimes. We don’t quite have the same feel as

we had before, but the shots are going in and we’re finding other ways to score. AMARE, ON HIS SQUAD’S POTENTIAL It’s still early for us. We’re a team that’s got so much potential We’re still learning. We’re still figuring it out defensively. We got a chance to be a great defensive team and we’re working towards that. STEVE, ON PHOENIX’S BALANCED OFFENSIVE ATTACK It’s been good lately. I kinda feel like everybody is getting a personal rhythm. The team’s continually getting more cohesion. Obviously, that’s going to make us more dangerous offensively. We’re doing a pretty good job [with all lineups]. We hold the lead no matter who’s on the floor.

PG 37 • insiteatlanta.com • January 2008

SPORTS NEWS

FANATIC BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

Top 10 Sports Terms of the Year 1. “Boston Glee Party”– There was one point last fall when Massachusetts sports fans were screaming so loudly for the New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox and the Celtics’ Kevin Garnett that they had nothing left emotionally for the Boston College football team. Those same War Eagles (11-3) just won the Champ Sports Bowl, but the Pats had a16-0 regular season, the Sox won the World Series and the Celts started 25-3, so no one remotely cares. 2. “Bad Newz Kennels” – The December 30 Atlanta Falcons/Seattle Seahawks game was supposed to be the culminating contest in a 9-7 or 10-6 season that saw the Michael Vick-led home team going to the NFC playoffs. Unfortunately, No. 7 got himself caught up in a disgusting dog-fighting fiasco that was single-handedly responsible for killing canines and crushing thoughts of a decent season for the Birds. ESPN tracked every minute of the case. So did CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and everyone else. 3. “The George Mitchell Report”– In most years, the top baseball stories would have been Barry Bonds’ shattering of the home run record or A-Rod’s sensational individual year. But thanks to former Senate majority leader George Mitchell, this was not a typical year. After an intense investigation into performance-enhancement drug use through the sport, Mitchell released an account that called out the expected (Bonds), the elite (Roger Clemens, Miguel Tejada) and many ex all-stars (Eric Gagne, Andy Pettite). Expect things to get even crazier next season. 4. “Nappy-Headed Hoes” – Rutgers women’s basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer had just led her team through one of the biggest events of their lives -the national title game against Tennessee- but rather than have time to reflect on the heartbreaking loss, the girls had to face a blitz from the press after shock jock Dom Imus’ on-air heckling of the ladies. The plug was yanked on his show on April 12. Imus was given the green light for more tasteless talk on December 3. Sigh. 5. “Gator Nation” – Columbus, Ohio and Gainesville, Florida are about 870 miles from each other. If you ask Ohio State sports fans though, the two cities could stand to be a little further apart. As if it wasn’t enough that the underdog Gator football team embarrassed the Buckeyes 41-14 in the BCS title game, the same schools faced each other in the hoops championship and UF won that, too. But hey, OSU faithful, all isn’t gloomy: The Buckeyes did finally beat the Gators in a December 22 hardwood rematch.

A Monthly Sports Must-See TV Wrap-up Top 5 Games This Month 6. “Expect the Expected” – At this point the numbers don’t even give what the San Antonio Spurs, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods do so regularly justice. The former won its third NBA crown in ﬁve years by sweeping Cleveland. Federer won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open, giving him 12 majors for his career. All Tiger did was win seven events (including the PGA Championship), earn his ninth player of the year honor, have 12 top 10 ﬁnishes and pocket $10.8 million for his troubles.

BCS Championship

7. “Wooooow” – Though Appalachian State’s upset over Michigan was colossal, it was not the ﬁrst headline-making college football win of ’07. How could you possibly forget lil’ Boise State’s trick-play-ﬁlled Fiesta Bowl win over Oklahoma? The game set the tone for things that came much later in the form of 40-point dog Stanford beating USC, Louisiana-Monroe whipping Alabama and the No. 1 and No. 2 losing on the same weekend—three times!

NFL Conference Championships

Dallas at Boston, San Antonio at Phoenix

Detroit at San Antonio, Phoenix at Utah

Buick Invitational

8. “Until We Meet Again” – Sean Taylor (football), Ryan Shay (running) and Josh Hancock (baseball) had only just begun their lives. Iconic football coaches Bill Walsh and Eddie Robinson touched countless lives with their grasp of the game. Skip Prosser (NCAA hoops), Terry Hoeppner (NCAA football) and Dick Nolan (NFL) did the same thing with their clipboards. Though some would say what Evil Knievel (daredevil), Barbaro (horse), Robert Cade (Gatorade inventor) and the Fabulous Moolah (wrestling) did wasn’t sport, their marks on our lives is undeniable. 9. “Tsk, Tsk, Tsk” – Vick wasn’t the only one who left people hurling expletives at the television. College football fans had the 3-9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. U.S. soccer followers (yes, there are 30 of them) saw David Beckham spending two-thirds of his ﬁrst MLS season on the bench and the U.S. women’s team looking third best to Germany and Brazil in the World Cup. And most damaging, track & ﬁeld endured the fall of Marion Jones, possibly the biggest name in female sports history, after she was connected to a drug scandal. 10. “Diaper Dandies” – Rookie talents like Kevin Durant (NBA), Ryan Braun (MLB) and Juan Pablo Montoya (NASCAR) are rare, but not unimaginable. The same can’t quite be said for freshmen standouts Sidney Crosby (NHL) and Adrian Peterson (NFL). Crosby, who scored a leaguehigh 120 points last season, is already hockey’s best player and he’s only 20! The 22-year-old Peterson, who ran for a single-game record 296 yards on November 4, is a top three rusher and Pro Bowl starter.

(Jan. 7, 8PM, FOX)

If you think LSU has an advantage by playing right down the road from the Superdome, you don’t know how much OSU fans love to travel.

(Jan. 20, 3PM/6:30PM, CBS/FOX)

In a perfect world, Indy visits New England and Dallas hosts Green Bay. In the real world, it doesn’t matter to the Pats.

(Jan. 31, 8/10:30PM, TNT)

The three best teams in the West strut their stuﬀ on the same night with the Celtics’ big three.

(Jan. 10, 8/10:30PM, TNT) If Tony Parker and Steve Nash are the league’s best PGs, Chauncey Billups and Deron Williams aren’t far oﬀ.

(Jan. 24-27, TBA, CBS)

Some guy named Tiger won this event last season. Our money’s on him to cash the $936,000 winner’s check this year, too.

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