INsite Atlanta October 2006 Issue by INsite Magazine

An outstanding sports club value.

Join today for less than 9 per week and a low initiation fee of 149. $

AKERS MILL | 770.956.9093 2995 Cobb Parkway

HOLCOMB BRIDGE | 770.640.8137 1475 Holcomb Bridge Rd.

ALPHARETTA/WINDWARD | 678.393.2733 5530 Windward Pkwy

JOHNS CREEK | 770.623.9433 11720 Medlock Bridge Road

ANSLEY MALL | 404.249.6463 1544 Piedmont Ave NE

KENNESAW/TOWN CENTER 770.427.9668 2801 George Busbee Pkwy.

ATLANTIC STATION | COMING SOON! 261 19th St, Ste. 2250

LENOX/BUCKHEAD | 404.233.8311 3232 Peachtree St.

AUSTELL | 770.432.4262 1025 E. West Connector. #2

MALL OF GEORGIA | COMING SOON! 1600 Mall of Georgia Blvd. NE, Suite 858

CAMP CREEK | 404.344.1248 3755 Carmia Drive SW, Suite 700

MIDTOWN | 404.249.6404 75 Fifth Street, NW, Suite E

DUNWOODY/PERIMETER PT. 770.350.4951 1155 Mount Vernon Hwy.,#600

NORTHLAKE | 770.414.0651 1990 W. Exchange Place

EAST COBB | 770.973.3370 4400 Roswell Road

PEACHTREE CORNERS 770.797.2661 7050 Jimmy Carter Blvd #118

ROSWELL WEST | 678.494.6464 4801 Alabama Rd. SNELLVILLE SPORTS CLUB PREVIEW CENTER 770.979.1288 1905 Scenic Highway, Unit 810 SNELLVILLE TEMPORARY FACILITY WORKOUT NOW! 770.982.5000 2314 Henry Clower Blvd. SOUTHLAKE | 770.960.0393 7057 Mount Zion Cir LAFITNESS.COM SUGARLOAF | 770.822.2533 1860 Duluth Highway TOCO HILLS | 404.248.2998 2880 N. Druid Hills Road

GREAT AMENITIES. GREAT RESULTS. Membership offer based on the purchase of a new Easy Start monthly GA dues membership with a one-time initiation fee of $149 and $34.99 monthly dues per person. Must pay first and last month's dues plus the initiation fee to join. Membership includes basketball court use. Membership valid in state of enrollment only. Facilities may vary. Photos herein depict a typical facility, some locations will vary. Monthly dues must be paid by one account and deducted by automatic transfer from checking, savings, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover or Diners Club account. Monthly dues membership may be canceled with written notice (typically 60-90 days). Offer not available at our Elite locations. Offer is not available in combination with other discounted rates. Call club for details. *Extra charge for some amenities and leagues. Advertised rates may be subject to change. © 2006 L.A. Fitness International, LLC. All rights reserved.

YOUDESERVE MORE DAYS A WEEK! Yo u r S o l e S e a r c h i n g S t o p s H e r e !

CONTENTS

OCTOBER 2006 VOL. 11.1

INTERVIEWS 18 FOREST WHITAKER

22 THE WHIGS 23 BUTCH WALKER 25 GREG GRAFFIN 26 THE RACONTEURS 27 THE CLIPSE 32 SNOW PATROL 34 JET LI 35 THE DEPARTED

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36 ADRIAN PETERSON

FEATURES 10 OUTDOOR DINING GUIDE

October is here and the weather’s turning cooler, which makes Atlanta’s great outdoors the perfect place to dine. Our guide introduces you to our favorite places to people-watch.

14 FALL MOVIE PREVIEW

500A Amsterdam Ave . Atlanta . 404/881-9301

Whether you love indie dramas, left-ofcenter comedies, war epics or spy thrillers, autumn finds film studios trotting out their festival-friendly best in hopes of courting Oscar. Our guide previews nearly 50 coming attractions.

29 COMEDY TONIGHT!

From standup comedy clubs like the Funny Farm and the Punchline to improv theatres such as Dad’s Garage and Laughing Matters, the ATL comedy scene has never been better.

30 HALLOWEEN GUIDE

Too old to trick-or-treat, but still love getting in the spooky spirit? Our guide features the city’s best in Halloween fun, from haunted houses and costume shops to parades and attractions.

COLUMNS 6 ON TAP 8 AROUND TOWN

12 UNDER THE LIGHTS 16 MOVIE REVIEWS

19 VIDIOTS 20 CONCERT CALENDAR 22 ROAD WARRIORS 24 ALBUM REVIEWS 24 BOOK REVIEWS 37 FANATIC 38 HOROSCOPES

www.insiteatlanta.com PG 4 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

Technology

IPTV - Internet

Protocol Television

roadband is the catch phrase that you hear constantly in the media but this overused phrase is bringing an exciting new product to the web and eventually your television set. That technology is IPTV and it will allow you to have thousands of channels in the very near future. IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) describes a system where a digital television service is delivered using the Internet Protocol over a network infrastructure, which may include delivery by a broadband connection. For residential users, IPTV is often provided in conjunction with Video on Demand and may be bundled with Internet services such as Web access and VoIP. The commercial bundling of IPTV, VoIP and Internet access is referred to as a Triple Play. Adding the mobile voice service leads to the Quadruple Play denomination. This closed network approach is in competition with the delivery of TV content over the public Internet. This type of delivery is widely called TV over Internet or Internet Television. In businesses, IPTV may be used to deliver television content over corporate LAN's and business networks. Perhaps a simpler definition of IPTV would be television content that, instead of being delivered through traditional formats and cabling, is received by the viewer through the technologies used for computer networks.The IPbased platform offers significant advantages, including the ability to integrate television with other IPbased services like high speed Internet access and VoIP. A switched IP network also allows for the delivery of significantly more content and functionality. In a typical TV or satellite network, using broadcast video technology, all the content constantly flows downstream to each customer, and the customer switches the content at the set-top box. The customer can select from as many choices as the cable or satellite company can stuff into the “pipe” flowing into the home. Content remains in the network, and only the content the customer selects is sent into the customer’s home. That frees up bandwidth, and the customer’s choice is not limited by the size of the “pipe” into the home. Other advantages may include an interactive program guide that allows viewers to search for content by title or an actor’s name, picturein-picture functionality that allows them to “channel surf” without leaving the program they’re watching, and fast channel changing that eliminates the delay experienced with other digital broadcast services. This system will put the choices in the hands of the consumer - which is always a good thing. So look for IPTV in the future.

October 2006 Volume 15.1

INsite Magazine of Atlanta 2250 North Druid Hills Rd. #100 Atlanta, GA 30329-3118 404-315-8485 Fax 404-315-1755 email feedback@insiteatlanta website insiteatlanta.com

Advertising Information

Call 404-315-8485 advertising@insiteatlanta.com Cover Photo courtesy of Netherworld Haunted House (www.fearworld.com) and Netherworld Haunted Graphics (www.netherworld.biz)

President Stephen Miller National Managing Editor Bret Love Graphic Designer Michael T. Local Events Editor Rav Mansfield

Sports Editor DeMarco Williams Web Design Kalico Productions Contributing Writers / Interns

John Davidson, John Moore, Erin Semple, Russell Fisher, Zena Scott, Margo Aaron, Andrew Gilstrap, & Kimberly Guelcher INsite is published on the first Friday of the month and is distributed free on 23 college campuses and at over 1,000 locations throughout metro Atlanta. Editorial content of INsite is the opinion of each writer and is not necessarily the opinion of INsite, its staff, or its advertisers. INsite does not knowingly accept false or mi leading advertising or editorial content, nor do the publisher or editors of INsite assume responsibility should such advertising or editorial appear. No content, i.e., articles, graphics, designs and information (any and all) in this publication may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from publisher.

PG 5 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

The Local Scene

ON TAP FOR OCTOBER Email events to ontap@insiteatlanta.com

October 4-7: Atlantis Music Conference Atlantis Music Conference & Festival, which began in 1998, presents the greatest platform for the discovery of new talent in America. With 95% of its performing artists unsigned and from all parts of the world, Atlantis is not just a Southeastern conference; it is an International Conference, held in the Southeastern United States. The 9th Annual Conference will feature over 300 Showcasing Artists from all over the world. The selected artists are showcased in over fourteen venues. Each venue features a different musical genre such as heavy metal, hip-hop, rock, acoustic, soul, pop and R&B. Last year's conference generated over 72,000 fans passing through these venues. For more info, head to: http://www.atlantismusic.com/

October 14: Eric Clapton In his first tour since last year’s historic and heralded Cream reunion, Eric Clapton is coming to The Arena at Gwinnett Center and revisiting songs from throughout his legendary career, including these early 70s tracks and rarely played Derek and the Dominos masterpieces: Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad, After Midnight, Let It Rain, I Shot the Sheriff, Cocaine, Bell Bottom Blues, Motherless Children, and Layla. The touring band features Doyle Bramhall II on guitar, Willie Weeks on bass, Steve Jordan on drums, two keyboard players and a full horn section. Special Guest Robert Cray has been joining in for a 4-guitar rendition of the Robert Johnson classic Crossroads. For ticket info, head to: www.ticketmaster.com.

October 14 - 2007: High Museum of Art

The High Museum of Art has launched an unprecedented, three-year partnership with the Musée du Louvre that will bring hundreds of works of art from Paris to Atlanta. The central exhibition of the first year, “Kings as Collectors,” will feature 32 works assembled during the reigns of Kings Louis XIV and Louis XVI, including two very special masterpieces from the Louvre’s collection— Raphael’s “Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione” and Nicolas Poussin’s “Et in Arcadia Ego.” The exhibition will be on view in the High’s new Anne Cox Chambers Wing. For more info, head to: http://www.high.org/

October 14 & 15: Taste of Atlanta This year,

Taste of Atlanta will leave the tents behind

for a new open-air venue, Midtown’s newest live, work and play destination, Atlantic Station. Designed to be a celebration of indulgence, this street festival will feature tastes of food, wine & beer, cooking demonstrations and live entertainment. Come experience the flavors from more than 75 Atlanta restaurants during this 2-day street festival while rubbing elbows with some of the biggest names in the food industry! For more information, head to: www.tasteofatlanta.com

October 17: The Dixie Chicks The Dixie Chicks are bringing songs and controversy to Philips Arena. The group achieved large-scale country and pop commercial success starting in the late 1990s, with hit songs such as "Wide Open Spaces", "Cowboy Take Me Away", and "Long Time Gone". Natalie Maines' public criticism of President George W. Bush led to considerable controversy for the group, causing them to lose a large part of their core country audience. For ticket info, head to: www.ticketmaster.com

October 21, 28 & 29: Boo at the Zoo Part of Zoo Atlanta's "Get WILD! Family Programs" series, the annual

Boo At The Zoo celebration combines two things

kids love-- animals and Halloween. Aimed primarily at children ages three to six, the event will focus primarily on the creepy-crawly critters that make Halloween such a spooktacular holiday, including bats, snakes, spiders and more. Kids are encouraged to dress up in costumes, and will be treated to a guided Zoo walk and much more. For directions or tickets visit zooatlanta.org or call 404-624-9453. PG 6 • •insiteatlanta.com 2006 PG insiteatlanta.com• •October April 2005

��

The Local Scene

Around Town Around Town Museums & Exhibits

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta is taking on an ambitious partnership with the Louvre in Paris to bring several works to the city that have never before traveled to the United States. The “Louvre Atlanta” partnership will bring its ﬁrst exhibition on Oct. 14 in the High’s new Anne Cox Chambers Wing. The partnership will represent works from Rembrandt, Raphael, Poussin and Velasquez. For more, visit www.high.org. Emory University presents the military photo exhibit “The Blur of War: World War II Images by combat photographer Dennis E. Wile” through Oct. 15. Click www.arts.emory. edu for more info. The Atlanta History Center will present the temporary exhibit La Guadalupana through December. The works of Mari Rosa Nadal, Myriam De La Riva, Basia Batorska and others are on display with works inspired by the Virgin Mary. For more information, go to www.atlantahistorycenter.com.

Theatre, Film & Performing Arts

The Atlantis Music Conference and Festival will kick off in Atlanta Oct. 4-7 with a variety of artists from classic singers (Chinua Hawk) to country (Floord) to alternative rock playing 16 different venues around town including 10 High, Smith’s Olde Bar, Lenny’s, The Star Bar, Vinyl and more. There will also be a conference in which artists and industry profressionals can connect. To ﬁnd out more including a complete list of venues, visit www.atlantismusic.com. Democracy on Deadline, a documentary shadowing journalists home and abroad using the free press to beneﬁt free society, will get an advance screening of its PBS broadcast on Oct. 10 at the Decatur Public

Library from 7-9 p.m. This event is open to the public at no charge. For a closer look, visit www.itvs.org/outreach. Decatur Public Library is located at 215 Sycamore Street in Decatur. Jewish Theatre of the South opens its season with Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Donald Margulies’ ‘Brooklyn Boy’ on Oct. 21. The production, which follows a successful novelist forced to face his abandoned life, will hold three preview performances on Oct. 18-20. For ticket information, call the JTS at 770-395-2654 or visit online at www.jplay. org. GO Arts Festival is an easy way to get a taste of local performing arts in Atlanta. The festival will provide free performances and exhibits for theatre, music, dance, ﬁlm and visual arts. This event starts off with a free theatre night on Oct. 19 and continues with another nine days of activities through Oct. 29. To reserve free admission tickets, go to www.georgiaperforms.com.

Alliance Theatre will present George Bernard Shaw’s “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” through Oct. 22. If you’re in the mood for sex, secrets and scandal, Shaw’s project will deliever. “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” will feature a six member cast with Atlanta actors James Donadio and Jason Loughlin. Tickets are available through the Woodruff Arts Center Box ofﬁce at 404733-5500 or at www.alliancetheatre.org. The Punchline Comedy Club will hold a special graduation on Oct. 16. Comedian Manny Oliveira will show off his most recent crop of Comedy Class graduates. The class is an insightful look into those trying to learn the craft of stand-up. It’s no “Last Comic Standing,” but it may be just as enjoyable. Go to www.punchline.com for ticket information.

The Gwinnett County Fairgrounds will host an American Indian Festival on Oct. 7-8. The event will bring together several Native American nations representing their language, dances, stories and other aspects of their culture. The fairgrounds are located at 2405 Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville.

Sporting Events

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will feature a pair of exciting home games for October. The Ramblin’ Wreck and All-American receiver Calvin Johnson enter the heart of their ACC schedule with Maryland visiting Bobby Dodd Stadium on Oct. 7 and Coastal Division rival Miami coming on Oct. 28 for homecoming. The Jackets upset the then-No. 3 Hurricanes, 14-10, on the road last season, so expect a good game. For ticket or team information, log onto ramblinwreck.com. East Lake Golf Club will host this season’s PGA Tour Championship. The annual tournament begins on Oct. 30 and will feature the game’s Top-30 money winners ﬁghting for a $6.5 million purse. It’s as good an excuse as any to watch Tiger Woods play 18 holes. For ticket information, visit www.pgatour.com.

Special Events

Oktoberfest in Helen is a great opportunity to get your schnitzel on. Complete with polka and Bavarian food, this north Georgia town transforms into a raging festival full of life, excitement and yes, gallons of good beer. Oktoberfest actually started in mid-September, but you’re not going to miss much of the festivities consid-

ering it continues through Nov. 1. Helen is just a 70-mile drive north of Atlanta, which is nothing for the food, atmosphere and yes, gallons of good beer. AIDS Walk Atlanta is the Southeast’s largest AIDS fund-raising event. Participants can run an early morning 5K or join in the 16th annual walk which will begin at Piedmont Park in Midtown at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 15. For more information, call 404-876-9255 or visit www.aidswalkatlanta.com. Taste of Atlanta is the perfect event if you feel like you’re missing out on local restaurants or can just never find a good meal. The street festival will kick off its fifth annual two-day sampling of Atlanta’s best and tastiest local venues. More than 75 restaurants will be on hand at Atlantic Station in Midtown on Oct. 14-15. For more information, go to www.tasteofatlanta.com or call 404-875-4434. Stone Mountain Park will feature its Pumpkin Festival from Oct. 6-29 (Fridays and Saturdays). This is a family friendly event consisting of a ropes course and rock walls, a “Pumpkin Express” train ride and scarecrow show, Hayrides and Pumpkinpalooza, a team challenge for kids and adults. There’s even a pie eating contest if obstacle courses aren’t your thing. For more information, visit www.stonemountainpark.com. IKEA is offering self-help for those afflicted with messy apartments. The Swedish furniture juggernaut is offering a four-week Clutter Boot Camp in October. The seminar will be conducted by professional organizer experts in an effort to help those stressed or strained by clutter at the IKEA Cafe on Thursdays. Call 404-745-4532 for more info. Atlanta Food Bank is still taking donations. The Food Bank stores and distributes food to partner agencies. These agencies provide groceries/meals to those in need. You or any other volunteer will come in at the storing and distribution stage. Please consider getting involved b calling 404-892-FEED.

Smar t Fun COMMUNITY AND PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION AT THE ART INSTITUTE OF ATLANTA

TAKE YOUR SKILLS TO A NEW LEVEL OR LEARN SOMETHING NEW JUST FOR FUN Art and Design Graphic Programs Internet and Web Site Design Photography Audio and Video Production Animation Interior Decorating Cooking and Cuisine The fall class schedule is now online! Go to www.aia.artinstitutes.edu and click on Community Education. For more information, call 770.689.4764 or contact us at aiasmartfun@aii.edu. In addition to community and professional education, The Art Institute of Atlanta offers diploma, associate’s, and bachelor’s programs in over a dozen ﬁelds in design, fashion, media arts, and culinary arts. For more information about degree programs, workshops, or Creations, the college’s student-run dining room open to the public, call or visit the Web site.

6600 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd. 100 Embassy Row, Atlanta, GA 30328 1.800.275.4242 / 770.394.8300 / www.artinstitutes.edu/atlanta

PG 8 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

07-049 0906

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OFF

Entire purchase of non-sale, in-stock items, 3 days only: 10/20, 10/21, 10/22

New Roswell Blick Store: 1165 Woodstock Road, # 830 770-993-0240

Roswell Corners Shopping Center/ Super Target Center

w w w.dickblick .com/stores

L A R G E S T S E L E C T I O N O F D I S C O U N T A R T M AT E R I A L S

Local Cuisine

Outdoor Dining! Places to see and be seen this fall date, with a tranquil fountain surrounded by mood-appropriate lighting and tables. As the night progresses, the crowd clears out to the patio for drinks and mingling before heading to the East Andrews Bar. Soon, the scene turns younger, the tables disappear, and the real nightlife begins.

Agave

242 Boulavard S.E. 404.588.0006

Named for the blue agave plant that is the heart and soul of the finest tequila, Agave ships the freshest seafood, beef and produce in daily. The tables on their romantic patio with fireplace and southwestern design are a first choice in fall. Agave's unique blend of eclectic southwestern cuisine, extensive tequila bar and wine list coupled with exceptional service makes this one of Atlanta's top restaurants. With creative daily specials, award winning margaritas and great ambiance that is high in energy and excitement one can see why guests keep returning time after time.

Cafe’ at East Andrews

56 East Andrews Dr. 404.869.1132

Located in the trendy shopping district of Buckhead, the Cafe’ at East Andrews is a hidden jewel. The quant courtyard is the perfect setting for a

Chipotle

10 Metro Locations www.chipotle.com

A simple menu, fresh ingredients, and attention to detail - this is what Chipotle is all about. As Chipotle continues to grow they are proud to build on these ideals.

head chef Andrew Long has just unveiled his new fall menu. You will find new appetizers like their Butternut Squash Ravioli with walnuts, turnips, sugar snap snow peas in sage brown butter. A new stand out entree to try is their Roasted Chicken with french beans truffled macaroni in a garlic jus. Coyote’s has built up a loyal following. The new location offers more seating indoors and has a great outdoor patio. Their patio is the place to be Friday nights as their live Mariachi band plays to the crowd. Coyote’s menu offers fine Mexican cuisine with emphasis on the grilled fair. They are also known for their long list of tequilas. Sample one of their exotic brands on the rocks or try one of their 7 giant flavored margaritas, all made with real fruit and Sauza Gold.

Eclipse di Luna

764 Miami Circle 404.846.0449

When Eclipse di Luna opened in 1997, it was a trailblazer setting a trend in

Now with 450 restaurants nationwide, Chipotle is reshaping the nation’s food supply. All Chipotle meats are naturally raised with no added hormones or antibiotics. They have increased the use of organic black and pinto beans to about 15% of the U.S. total. They are proud that Chipotle’s standards are helping raise the bar for the food industry. All of Chipotle’s Atlanta locations have outdoor seating. The Buckhead location featured gets packed on fall nights.

Tapas style restaurants that has grown exponentially over the years. This funky and festive restaurant located at the end of the Miami Circle antique and design district still packs them in. They are the recepients of several awards from vaious magazines including “Best Appetizers” and “Atlanta’s Top 100 Restaurants”. With open air seating throughout and their featured patio, Eclipse di Luna is a must go destination.

2740 East College Ave. 404.373.9383

640 N Highland Ave. 404.724.0711

Coyote’s Mexican Grill

Since moving from Decatur to Avondale Estates in the spring of ‘05,

Eclipse di Sol

This Poncey-highlands european bistro is a neighborhood favorite. Eclipse di Sol changes its menu seasonally and

Eclipse Di Sol’s patio is a vibrant scene in the fall. On Tuesday nights they feature a Brazilian band and on Thursday through Sunday at 10PM their house DJ spins late into the evening.

Jocks and Jills - Frankie’s

7 Metro Locations jocksandjills.com

Founded by a couple Hawks players and a TBS announcer in 1987, The Jocks and Jills - Frankie’s restaurants have become Atlanta institutions. Frankie’s featured below was voted America’s #1 Sports Bar by USA Today.

Each location boasts over 150 TV’s for all sports viewing and offers exciting entertainment to accompany the great food.

Loco’s Deli & Pub

3167 Peachtree Rd. 404.233.1989

With a great deck overlooking the view on Peachtree and a new dining area inside, Loco’s is the place to be this fall. Located inside the North End (a few

Best Southwestern Best Margarita

INsite Readers Poll 2005

Best Southwestern Restaurant August 2005 Cliff Bostock Creative Loafing

Rated Excellent 2005/ 2006 Zagat Survey

Best Grant Park Restaurant Southern Voice

Top 100 Atlanta Restaurants 2005 Jezebel Magazine

One of Atlanta’s Best Southwestern Flavor Magazine

Top 20 Atlanta Restaurants Atlanta Cuisine

www.agaverestaurant.com PG 10 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

blocks north of the Buckhead bar district) you will find this favorite hangout. The “Loco’s Beergarden” is a prime people watching location and can be reserved for private parties.

Buckhead nights. They offer a great buffet on Monday nights and are the exclusive home of Slush Puppies in Atlanta.

Redfish, a Creole Bistro

687 Memorial Drive 404.475.1200 Loco’s serves up some of the best chicken wings and sandwiches in the city. They have plenty of great beers on draft and multiple TV’s to watch the Dogs and Falcons.

vide the perfect dining experience in a relaxed, casual atmosphere. They have over 20 combinations of entrees to choose from including a full vegetarian menu. Sol y Luna creates dishes exclusively from the freshest ingredients and the finest traditional Mexican recipes. They serve over 90 brands of Tequila and offer Tequila seminars for those wanting to learn more.

Sweet Devil Moon

980 Piedmont Ave 404.347.3600

Earlier this year Sweet Devil Moon moved from their Oakhurst location of five years to the bustling Midtown corner of 10th and Piedmont. Their patio offers opportunities to see and be seen.

unique architecture and seating for 150 plus people. This is the only place in town that has outdoor high definition plasma televisions for College Football and other sporting events. Enjoy the Games on Saturday with their 180oz pitchers of beer and amazing hot wings.

Willy’s Mexicana Grill

15 Locations 404.422.7107 Catering

Willy's offers a host of Fresh-Mex menu items made from the freshest ingredients. Every menu item is made from scratch using top-quality meats and produce (guacamole and tomatillo sauce is made twice a day and produce is delivered six days a week). Each order is custom prepared

Mo’s Pizza

3109 Briarcliff Rd. 404.320.1258

You may know about the burrito chain with the same name, but the original Mo’s resides on the corner of Briarcliff and Clairmont Roads. Mo’s is one of the longest running pizza joints in Atlanta. Their customers keep coming back because of the friendly staff that knows you by name and makes you feel at home.

Mo’s has a great deck to hang out on, and plenty of TVs to catch all the football action this fall. Come Monday nights and get a Large Cheese Pizza for $6.50.

The Red Door Tavern

Located just around the corner from their other restaurant Agave, Jack Sobel & Gregg Herndon are serving true creole cuisine with an emphasis on fresh seafood and great wines from around the globe. Recently named best new restaurant and best cajun-creole by Creative Loafing, Redfish has introduced their new fall menu offering new dishes that include a touch of Italian which is one of the many influences in Creole cooking. Redfish features a full bar, extensive winelist and large outdoor patio.

Sol y Luna

Those who loved the old location with the authentic Peruvian tapas with original artwork in a cozy yet classy atmosphere will not be disappointed. It’s all here! They have tapas ranging from seafood, chicken, veggie and meat lovers. Popular veggie tapas include Grilled Portabella, Plantano Frito, and Tofu skewers. Midtown also offers a WINE BAR with an excellent selection of wines from around the world.

Zocalo

Decatur 4.270.9450 Midtown4.249.7576 Grant Park 404.635.9930

Tin Roof Cantina

2591 Briarcliff Rd. 404.329.4700

1355 Clairmont Rd. 404.929.9790

Sol y Luna has one of the best patio’s in the Emory / Decatur area. They serve authentic Mexican food, striving to pro-

3180 Roswell Rd. 404.846.6525

One of Buckhead’s best kept secrets. Located one block north of the Roxy on Roswell Rd., The Red Door Tavern has built up a loyal following. This is a great place to meet up with friends and catch a game on one of their many screens. In the fall, their front deck gets packed as people enjoy the

right in front of the customer. Visit Willy's newest locations in the Edgewood Retail District and on Howell Mill.

After a long and successful run in Buckhead, the Tin Roof Cantina is now reopened near the intersection of N Druid Hills and Briarcliff Road. Tin Roof has two enormous covered patios with truly

Frequently ranked among the city’s best Mexican restaurants, Zocalo appeals to those who like to sit down with a hearty meal and a great margarita for a relaxing dining experience. This fall, Zocalo is celebrating two unique events. On October 4th thru 10th, come out for their Taste of Merida. Enjoy exquisite flavors from the Yucatan for lunch and dinner. On November 1st thru 5th, celebrate Day of the Dead. During this time, Zocalo is offering a special menu to commemorate this important Mexican holiday.

Now in Midtown and Open for Lunch! Drink Specials All Week Long!

Latin Tapas Tuesday: Ladies Night Bar

Wednesday: Boys Night Out

Thursday: Flamenco Night

Friday & Saturday: LIVE Music 404.347.3600 • www.sdmatlanta.com 980 Piedmont Avenue (Corner of 10th & Piedmont)

PG 11 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

MONDAY NIGHT

FOOTBALL

$6.50 LARGE CHEESE PIZZA! CARRYING COLLEGE PRO FOOTBALL ON MULTIPLE SCREENS

$3 OFF

The Arts

UNDER THE LIGHTS

What’s Happening on Stage in Atlanta URBAN MEDIAMAKERS FILM FESTIVAL

AmericasMart Convention Center Oct 13-15

place featuring unique specialty items. GA International Convention Center, 2000 Convention Ctr Concourse, College Park. 404-587-3135. www.ddfest.org.

DISNEY ON ICE PRESENTS PRINCESS WISHES Philips Arena Oct 25-29

Large 2-Item Pizza

One Coupon Per Offer Offer Expires 9.15.06 Not valid w/ any other specials.

Just off I-85 @ Clairmont (Corner of Briarcliff & Clairmont)

3109 Briarcliff Rd. | 404-320-1258

Now in its fifth year, this film festival was designed to celebrate cultural diversity in independent filmmaking and other entertainment media, including animation, film, music video, print and television. Opening at 7PM on October 13 with a Music Video competition, followed by a screening of Johnny Was (starring Vinnie Jones, Eriq LaSalle, Samantha Mumba and Lennox Lewis), the 3-day festival will include over 1,000 minutes of indie film screenings, many of which will be offered free to the general public. For indie filmmakers, actors, writers, producers and others who use the UMFF as a chance to learn about the industry and network, there will also be an Urban Mediamakers Awards and Fundraiser, panel discussions, workshops and competitions for best Student Film (High School and College), Short Film Screenplay, Short Film, Animation, Documentary, Feature Film, Television Pilot/Show and Audience Choice Award. AmericasMart Convention Center, 240 Peachtree St NW. 404-460-2793. www.umff.com.

The relatively recent explosion of Disney's Princess-related merchandise is all the more impressive when you consider the fact that many of these characters were first introduced to audiences decades ago. But anyone doubting the timelessness of these female icons need only ask a 5-yearold girl who her favorite Princess is... but make sure you're prepared for a lengthy, passionate answer. The aspiring princess in your life is sure to love this show, which features all their favorite Disney divas in an enchanting ice skating fantasy about magic and the power of dreams. Which is almost as strong as the power of savvy niche marketing. Philips Arena, 1 Philips Dr, Atlanta. 4 0 4 - 2 4 9 - 6 4 0 0 . www.disneyonice.disney.go.com.

SKETCHWORKS FALL SHOW The Sketchworks Theatre Through Oct. 8

DYNAMIC DANCE FESTIVAL

GA International Convention Center Oct 14-15

This two-day festival is designed to celebrate, promote and preserve the legacy of Black dance, from West African and other ethnic forms to Hip-Hop and modern. The opening night gala on October 14 will honor trailblazing pioneers in the field (including Black College Dance Exchange co-founder Iantha Tucker, choreographer Cleo Parker Robinson and dance scholar/author Dr. Richard Long), and will include performances by Soweto Street Beat Dance Theatre and Rakaba West African Ballet, among others. The festival will also feature master instructor workshops in a broad variety of dance forms, panel discussions and a vendor market-

PG 12 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

The Sketchworks ensemble has been cutting up for Atlanta audiences since 2001. But in the summer of 2006 the comedy troupe finally got its own theatre space, where they regularly perform their distinctive brand of character-driven short-form skits á la Saturday Night Live, with a dose of the surreal humor of Mr. Show. Founded by veteran stage/screen actors Bob Harter and Della Cole with talent agent-turned-sketch writer Jen Kelley, the Sketchworks ensemble consists of more than a dozen people with various backgrounds, including Brian Bremer, who played the monster in the B-horror classic Pumpkinhead. And while the city now has nearly a dozen improv comedy troupes, Sketchworks is the ATL's only major sketch comedy ensemble. The Sketchworks Theatre. 3041 N. Decatur Rd, Decatur. 404-499-8181. www.sketchworkscomedy.com.

DAILY LUNCH SPECIALS FULL KITCHEN SERVING UNTIL 2AM! SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE ALL DAY EVERY DAY MONDAY: Monday Night Football TUESDAY: Team Trivia & Karaoke in the Palace WEDNESDAY: Texas Hold ‘Em - Prizes Galore THURSDAY: Comedy Night / Presented By Jack’s Entertainment Late Night DJ at 10:30pm FRI & SAT NIGHT: LIVE DJ Dance Party SAT & SUN: Showing All the Games on our 6 Big Screens WIRELESS INTERNET • INTERACTIVE WIRELESS TRIVIA ALL DAY

New Fall Menu Tuesday Night

LIVE Brazilian

Band

1/2 Priced Bottles of Wine

Wednesdays

Thurs, DJ Spinning 10p-1a Fri, Sat 1/2 Priced Munchies & Sun

10p-Midnight

Open for Lunch & Dinner • Closed Mondays

40 N. Highland Ave. • Atlanta 404-724-0711 • www.eclipsedisol.com PG 13 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

FALL MOVIE by B. Love

s a devoted film fan, you've simply got to love this time of year. Summertime may find Hollywood trotting out more big-budget blockbusters, but you can't beat the last three months of the year for sheer depth, breadth and diversity of filmmaking scope. From indie dramas and leftof-center comedies to war epics and spy thrillers, the season offers something for everyone, as film studios trot out their festival-friendly best in hopes of courting Oscar gold. Here, then, is our guide to nearly 50 of autumn's most eagerly-anticipated releases:

OCTOBER FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS THE STARS: Ryan Phillipe, Adam Beach, Jesse Bradford, Barry Pepper, Joseph Cross, Benjamin Walker, writer Paul Haggis, director Clint Eastwood THE STORY: Adapted from the nonfiction bestseller by James Bradley and Ron Powers, this epic war drama follows the six soldiers who planted the American flag atop Iwo Jima at the climax of one of the bloodiest battles of WWII. Eastwood's been talking up this two-part project (in 2007, Letters From Iwo Jima will tell the story from the Japanese side) ever since he and Haggis were making the rounds to promote their last collaboration, Million Dollar Baby. THE SKINNY: Eastwood's last two films have made him a perennial Academy Awards favorite, and the success of Crash cemented Haggis' rep as one of Hollywood's most consistent screenwriters. Expect their names at the top of the short list come Oscar time. (Oct. 20) MARIE ANTOINETTE THE STARS: Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Rip Torn, Judy Davis, writer/director Sofia Coppola THE STORY: Dunst stars as the title character in Coppola's punk-rock period piece, in which the 18th century teen queen sports pink hair and Converse sneakers and dances to modern music such as Siouxsie & the Banshees. The film follows the Austrian princess from her arrival at the future French king's (Schwartzman) court in Versailles to her escape during la revolucion. THE SKINNY: Cannes critics were intensely divided over Coppola's stylish concept piece, but in deference to her previous work (Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation) we'll reserve judgment until we see it for ourselves. Besides, what do the snooty Frenchies know? (Oct. 20) THE PRESTIGE THE STARS: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, David Bowie, writer/director Christopher Nolan THE STORY: After the blockbuster success of Batman Begins, indie auteur Nolan returned to his roots for this adaptation (which, like Memento, was co-written with his brother, Jonathan) of Christopher Priest's novel about the fierce rivalry between two stage magicians at the dawn of the 20th century. Though not much is known about the plot, Nolan calls it a “puzzle film,” with a complex narrative structure modeled after that of a well-planned magic trick. THE SKINNY: In our eyes, Nolan has never made a bad film. Looking at the quality of the cast involved, we don't expect this period drama to break that winning streak. (Oct. 20) LITTLE CHILDREN THE STARS: Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, Jennifer Connolly, Jackie Earle Haley, writer/director Todd Field THE STORY: Based on the novel by Tom Perotta, Field's eagerly anticipated follow-up to In The Bedroom follows an affair between a stay-at-home dad (Wilson) and a homemaker mom (Winslet) in a suburban neighborhood worried by the return of a pedophile just released from prison (Haley, best-known as juvenile delinquent Kelly in the original Bad News Bears). THE SKINNY: A hit at this year's Toronto Film Festival, Field's latest attempt at shining a spotlight on the cracks in middle class American family life has both the cast and the buzz to be a early favorite with the Academy. (Oct. 20) FAST FOOD NATION THE STARS: Ethan Hawke, Greg Kinnear, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Wilmer Valderrama, writer/director Richard Linklater THE STORY: How do you adapt a best-selling nonfiction exposé into a feature film? In the case of author Eric Schlosser's (who co-wrote the script with Linklater) Fast Food Nation, you fictionalize it, largely tossing out the book and creating characters from the biz behind the burger, including Kinnear as a fast-food executive and Moreno as an illegal immigrant employed in a slaughterhouse. THE SKINNY: The name alone should help sell tickets, but how will diehard fans of the book feel about the radically reinvented concept? We love Linklater, but the cast looks a bit sketchy. (Oct. 20)

PG 14 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

RUNNING WITH SCISSORS THE STARS: Joseph Cross, Annette Bening, Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Evan Rachel Wood, writer/director Ryan Murphy THE STORY: Speaking of best-seller adaptations, childhoods don't come much more dysfunctional than that of author Augusten Burroughs, whose riveting memoir details how his bipolar mother (Bening) left him in the care of a fuckedup shrink (Cox) and his wacko family. At the center of it all is Burroughs (Cross), the intelligent, emotional rock that grounds this swirling cauldron of insanity. THE SKINNY: Though it's probably too weird for Oscar, the excellent cast and unique source material make this one of the season's most eagerly-anticipated releases, with relative newcomer Cross the only question mark. (Oct. 27) CATCH A FIRE THE STARS: Derek Luke, Tim Robbins, Bonnie Henna, director Phillip Noyce THE STORY: Luke (Antwone Fisher) stars in this political thriller set in apartheid-era South Africa as Patrick Chamusso, a devoted husband and father arrested in 1980 and falsely accused of sabotaging the Secunda oil refinery where he was employed. After he and his wife (Henna) are tortured by a Colonel in the country's Police Security Branch (Robbins), Chamusso leaves his family to join the outlawed activist organization African National Congress (ANC), risking his life and his family in an effort to effect change. THE SCOOP: Noyce's previous two films, The Quiet American and Rabbit-Proof Fence, proved him a master of historical political drama. But this one's contemporary relevance-Chamusso, after all, is a peaceful man who takes up arms against his country only after being persecuted by the nation's desire to eradicate terrorism-could make it one of the year's most controversial films. (Oct. 27) BABEL THE STARS: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gabriel García Bernal, Rinko Kikuchi, director Alejandro González Inñáritu THE STORY: Long before Crash won the Best Picture Oscar, Inñáritu was weaving together multiple plotlines to create an emotionally impactful whole in films such as Amores Perros and 21 Grams. This time around he juggles four stories, connecting an American couple (Pitt and Blanchett) dealing with tragedy in Morocco, a boy-crazy deaf mute teen in Tokyo, a raucous Mexican wedding, and a family of Berber goat-herders playing with their new gun. THE SCOOP: Known for putting his cast through the emotional wringer, Inñáritu is also an expert at getting the absolute best from his talented thespians. With its timely themes and buzz-heavy performances, this could be his biggest hit yet. (Oct. 27) Other Noteworthy October Releases... John Cameron Mitchell's sex-drenched, controversy-courting SHORTBUS (Oct. 4); The unholy pairing of Dane Cook and Jessica Simpson in EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH (Oct. 6); Director Terry Gilliam's fantastical TIDELAND (Oct. 6); and timely horror sequels THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING (Oct. 4), THE GRUDGE 2 (Oct. 13) and SAW III (Oct. 27).

NOVEMBER BORAT THE STARS: Sacha Baron Cohen, Pamela Anderson, director Larry Charles THE STORY: Unleashed from HBO's Da Ali G Show to wreak major big screen havok, this mockumentary chronicles Kazakhstani TV personality Borat's (Cohen) hilarious journey into the heart of America, butchering the Star-Spangled Banner in front of a rowdy, redneck-laden rodeo crowd and mocking a Senator's wife right to his face. THE SKINNY: A breakout at this year's Toronto Film Festival, Borat balances faux-foreigner innocence with genuine offensiveness like a funnier, more exotic Michael Moore. In a season filled with political films, could a tongue-in-cheek skewering of the good ol' U.S. and A. be the one that cuts deepest? (Nov. 3) VOLVER THE STARS: Penelope Cruz, Antonio de la Torre, Lola Dueñas, Carmen Maura, writer/director Pedro Almodóvar THE STORY: This female-centric dramedy from art-house auteur Almodóvar features Cruz as Raimunda, a harried mom who goes on a rollercoaster ride of emotions after her asshole of a husband is murdered and her long-dead mother (Maura) seemingly returns to life. THE SKINNY: Cruz and five of her female co-stars shared Best Actress honors at Cannes earlier this year, and many critics are citing this as Almodóvar's best work in years. Don't be surprised if it leads the pack in Best Foreign Film buzz. (Nov. 3)

PREVIEW A GOOD YEAR THE STARS: Russell Crowe, Albert Finney, Freddie Highmore, director Ridley Scott THE STORY: Who'd have thought the actor and director behind bloody Oscar-winner Gladiator would reunite for a pastoral comedy set in the vineyards of Provence? Crowe stars as a headstrong British banker who inherits run-down property in the south of France from his uncle Henry (Finney). From there, it's a fish-out-of-water tale about the city boy seduced by the low-key charms of the French countryside. Think Under The Tuscan Sun, with testosterone. THE SKINNY: With its tagline, “Everything matures... eventually,” this movie seems as much about reinventing the notoriously prickly Crowe's image as anything else. In a month filled with drama, intrigue and even comedy, our guess is this subtle flick about living the simple life will fall WAY below the radar. (Nov. 10) STRANGER THAN FICTION THE STARS: Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, director Marc Forster THE STORY: Ferrell plays Harold Crick, a nerdy nebbish of an IRS agent who discovers that an unseen narrator is chronicling the events of his life in a voice only he can hear. With the help of a literature professor (Hoffman), Crick realizes he's part of the latest work-in-progress of a British novelist (Thompson), and tries to wrest for control of his life before it takes a tragic turn. THE SKINNY: With its quirky premise and colorful characters, perhaps it's no surprise that Stranger Than Fiction is being compared to the smart, brilliantly skewed work of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Early buzz suggests that the film will change the way people perceive Ferrell, much like Awakenings did for Robin Williams and Eternal Sunshine did for Jim Carrey. (Nov. 10) TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY THE STARS: Jack Black, Kyle Gass, Meatloaf, Ben Stiller, Tim Robbins, Amy Poehler, director Liam Lynch THE STORY: This origin story follows the acoustic-metal duo on their quest to become the world's greatest band, as they journey to a rock 'n' roll museum in search of a magical guitar pick with rock god-like powers. THE SKINNY: Fans who remember the almighty D from their original sketches on HBO's Mr. Show know that JB and KG's tongue-in-cheek antics are even funnier visually than they are aurally. But a 6-minute sketch and a 90-minute film are two very different things, and even Black describes the film as a school assembly skit taken to its R-rated extreme. Then again, the same approach worked wonders for South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. (Nov. 17) FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION THE STARS: Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Harry Shearer, Fred Willard, Michael McKean, Chris Moynihan, Ed Begley Jr., writer/director Christopher Guest THE STORY: The latest largely improvised mockumentary from Guest's crew of cut-ups follows the making of Home For Purim, an indie film-within-a-film that suddenly attracts more than its fair share of Academy Award buzz. THE SKINNY: The ensemble behind classics like Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show and A Mighty Wind skewering the bloated, self-important conventions of Hollywood? Sounds like comedy gold! (Nov. 17) CASINO ROYALE THE STARS: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Judy Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Mads Mikkelson, director Martin Campbell THE STORY: Hey, didja hear there's a new James Bond movie coming out, with a new 007 taking over for Pierce Brosnan? Blond-haired, blue-eyed Daniel Craig stars as a darker, more serious secret agent in this prequel about Bond's very first mission, in which he has fewer gadgets, gets his heart broken (by French actress Green) and attempts to thwart terrorist financier Le Chiffre (Danish actor Mikkelson). THE SKINNY: Negative Internet buzz has hounded this attempt to re-launch the franchise from the get-go, with diehard Bond fans mounting an anti-Craig boycott. But, considering how many massively-hyped films ultimately fail to live up to expectations, we expect audiences to be pleasantly surprised by this grittier, more intense 007. (Nov. 17) DÉJA VU THE STARS: Denzel Washington, Val Kilmer, Jim Caviezel, Bruce Greenwood, Paula Patton, directed by Tony Scott THE STORY: Denzel re-teams with Crimson Ride director Scott (and producer Jerry Bruckheimer) for this sci-fi thriller about an ATF agent who attempts to solve a mysterious ferry bombing using his eerie sense of... well, see the title. THE SKINNY: When New Orleans-based filming of Bruckheimer's latest was delayed four months by Hurricane Katrina, Scott incorporated the tragedy into the film, shoot-

ing scenes in some of the area's most devastated neighborhoods. Factor in the collective talents of the actors involved and you have the recipe for canny counter-programming to the season's glut of Oscar-friendly fare. (Nov. 22) BOBBY THE STARS: Elijah Wood, Lindsay Lohan, Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, writer/director Emilio Estevez THE STORY: Estevez wrote, directed and starred in this starstudded indie (whose cast also includes Sharon Stone, William H. Macy, Ashton Kutcher and many, many more) set in the Ambassador Hotel on the night presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan. THE SKINNY: Budgeted at a mere $10 million, this Robert Altman-influenced ensemble drama has the script, the stars and the festival buzz to become one of the year's most surprising sleepers. (Nov. 22) THE FOUNTAIN THE STARS: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn, writer/director Darren Aronofsky THE STORY: Aronofsky's struggles to get his story about a lover (Jackman) driven to pursue impossible romantic quests in three different time periods after his chosen leadBrad Pitt- dropped out are well-documented. What's less well-known is how the auteur's trippy meditation on love and death, inspired by everything from Don Quixote and David Bowie to sci-fi and neuroscience, will play with mainstream audiences. THE SKINNY: Given the merits of Aronofsky's previous films, including š and Requiem For A Dream, The Fountain could be this year's Eternal Sunshine-style sleeper. (Nov. 22) Other Noteworthy November Releases... FLUSHED AWAY, a CG-animation film about a pampered pet mouse (Hugh Jackman) lost in the brutal sewers of London, from the creators of Wallace & Gromit (Nov. 3); Nicole Kidman as famed photographer Diane Arbus in FUR, from Secretary director Steven Shainberg (Nov. 10); Heath Ledger as a poet torn between a beautiful art student (Abbie Cornish) and heroin in CANDY (Nov. 17); Richard Gere as writer Clifford Irving, who's famous for faking a Howard Hughes autobiography, in director Lasse Hallström's THE HOAX (Nov. 17); and THE HISTORY BOYS, director Nicholas Hynter's adaptation of his Tony-winning play about eight college-bound Brits (Nov. 22).

DECEMBER THE NATIVITY STORY THE STARS: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Oscar Isaac, Alexander Siddig, Ciarán Hinds, Shohreh Aghdashloo, director Catherine Hardwicke THE STORY: The birth of Christ. Mary, Joseph, three wise men, manger in Bethlehem... Perhaps you've heard of it? THE SKINNY: Passion of the Christ proved that religious doctrine could still make for riveting filmmaking (not to mention blockbuster box office receipts). So it stands to reason that a film about Jesus' birth might have potential. Still, Hardwicke (Thirteen) is hardly a household name, and Castle-Hughes hasn't been seen much since getting the Oscar nod for Whale Rider, so it remains to be seen whether their efforts will rally the Christian masses in the same way Mel Gibson's controversy-courting drama did. (Dec. 1) APOCALYPTICO THE STARS: Rudy Youngblood, a bunch of Mayans, writer/director Mel Gibson THE STORY: Want the definition of a difficult film to market? Take a bloody, brutal epic set in the 15th century, have the actors speak entirely in Yucatec Maya, then move the release date around to get Internet gossip-mongers all atwitter. To top it all off, have the one high-profile name attached to the project get arrested on DUI charges and unleash a foul-mouthed anti-Semitic tirade that'd make Hitler blush. THE SKINNY: Let's face it, curiosity may have killed the cat, but controversy brings audiences out in droves. Don't expect Gibson's latest to do Passion of the Christ-like numbers, but don't be surprised if it's one of the year's biggest hits, either. (Dec. 8) THE GOOD GERMAN THE STARS: George Clooney, Tobey Maguire, Cate Blanchett, director Steven Soderbergh THE STORY: Set in post-WWII Berlin, this B&W thriller casts Clooney as a journalist assigned to cover a conference between Churchill, Stalin and Truman, who's also trying to track down a former flame (Blanchett). In the process, they stumble into a murder mystery involving Americans (including Maguire, playing against type as a sociopathic black marketeer), Soviets and missing Nazi scientists. THE SKINNY: With his Oscar win for Syriana and nominations for Good Night, and Good Luck, Clooney's career as PG 15 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

Enter tainment

MOVIE REVIEWS THE BLACK DAHLIA -

Brian De Palma's latest has a simple goal, presenting the audience with a glimpse of a 1940s murder mystery. What differentiates it from other Hollywood period pieces is that there's never any danger here of the viewer getting lost in the glitzy, retro Hollywood that unfolds on the screen. The story follows the murder of a young wannabe actress, but what you're really interested in is the life of the cop on the case, Dwight "Bucky" Bleichert (Josh Hartnett). Bleichert gets a quick rise through the ranks of the L.A. Police Department thanks to his fame in the boxing ring and friendship with fellow cop and acclaimed boxer Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart). The pair become partners, and the face of the department, assigned to the case by way of a PR scheme. The story begins to slow at this point because, in the middle of tracking down a murderer, our heroes seem to get caught up in their own personal issues. A brooding love triangle involving Blanchard's girl (Scarlett Johansson) threatens the partners' friend-

four-letter words to assure said result, but Monahan's dialogue is explosive and engaging. Two best actor noms (DiCaprio and Damon) and three supporting ones (Nicholson, Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin as the wise-ass Captain Ellerby) could easily be handed out. Coming to grips with the fact that the 69-year-old Nicholson asks a teen if she's had her period yet might prove a tougher pill to swallow. (B+) –DeMarco Williams

FLYBOYS -

It's been 40 years Hollywood released a World War I aviation film. This time around, James Franco leads a cast of pretty boys as valiant American volunteers known as the Lafayette Escadrille, who were among the first to fight the Germans in France before the U.S. officially entered the war. This “inspired-by-a-true-story” socalled epic is a lame, tame version of a war film by any account. It's nothing you haven't seen before, including soldier buddy clichés, unnecessary romance and effective fight sequences. While it has an old-fashioned sort of sincerity, the pedestrian plot has little to no impact. Aside from the thrilling dogfight sequences, this war drama is mediocre, and needlessly long. (C) –Sean K.

GRIDIRON GANG-

ship, while Bleichert finds himself drawn to a suspect that looks remarkably like the Dahlia and Blanchard seems to have an unusual motivation to find the killer. Naturally, all the pieces of the story come together to explain the mystery, but it won't be a satisfying answer. The story takes a backseat to character interactions, and the best scene in the movie is purely comedic (though it is a great one). But De Palma's style and skill as a director are enough to keep the audience watching, and even though you won't get what you came for, you might just like it anyway. (C+) –Glenn LaFollette

THE DEPARTED -

“That's the one thing I hate about the niggers…,” begins Jack Nicholson's Frank Costello in an opening scene of Martin Scorsese's star-studded, Boston-based cop drama (screenwriter Bill Monahan’s adaptation of the 2002 Hong Kong thriller, Infernal Affairs) that causes every nerve in your body to jump. You're dumbfounded on two accounts: 1) A flick starts with such a venomous statement; 2) Jack's the guy saying it. Believe it, 'cause it only gets more intense from there. As Frank, the Irish-born king of the South Boston underworld, Nicholson says and does a lot worse. (When the MPAA says Rated R, they mean it this time!) Matt Damon's Colin Sullivan becomes a part of this world at an early age, but the funny thing is that he never breaks from it, even after joining the police academy. Leonardo DiCaprio's Billy Costigan is part of the same graduating class, but his transcripts are a less exemplary. So when the two interview with their new superiors (Martin Sheen and an in-your-face Mark Wahlberg), they're sent on totally different routes: Sullivan's fast-tracked up the force's ladder, while Costigan is shown the door... unless he takes a deep undercover assignment and infiltrates Costello's criminal outfit. The kicker is that the two don't know each other's identity, meaning the whole time they’re wearing their façades, they're also trying to figure out who's tipping the other side off. This movie plays out like a lil' like Heat, with some Face-Off and John Woo's Hard Boiled tossed in for good melodrama. Scorsese lets the audience know what's going on, but everyone else's primary objective (even the ladies!) is deception. There's chatter about this fast-paced doozy finally earning Scorsese his “lifetime achievement” Academy Award. There may be too many splattered heads and spewed

PG 16 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

From Rocky and The Bad News Bears to Coach Carter, Hollywood history is littered with sports stories about losers from the wrong side of the tracks who ultimately become winners on the strength of their heart, guts and hardnosed guidance from firm but loving mentors. In that sense, Gridiron Gang- based on the true story of juvenile detention camp parole office Sean Porter (played by Dwayne Johnson, a.k.a. The Rock)- is hardly original, but its gritty approach elevates the material above the usual clichéd ragsto-riches fare. The film opens by introducing us to one of Porter's young charges, who struggles to go straight upon his release from juvie, only to find himself slaughtered by rival gang members. When the teen's vengeful cousin winds up taking his place behind bars, Porter decides something must be done to provide these troubled youths with an alternative to gang life, so he and his assistant (played by Xzibit) launch a football program in hopes of teaching them discipline and self-esteem. “You're losers,” he tells them in a pivotal early scene, describing how they lost by trying to commit various crimes and getting caught. “But,” he assures them, if they devote themselves to his new program and commit to the team, “by the end of the year you'll be winners.” Of course, before they can do that they have to battle the detention center's reluctant administration, the high school coaches who are reluctant to allow their teams to play convicted criminals and, worst of all, their own self-defeating attitudes. But even the dimmest of audience members knows that this ragtag group of teenage cons will ultimately pull it together and prove themselves the champions Porter knew they'd be all along. Still, the predictable journey proves gripping to watch thanks to passionate performances by Johnson and a supporting cast of relative unknowns, all of whom bring a wealth of genuine emotion to their roles. Make sure you stick around for the end credits, in which portions of the original documentary upon which Gridiron Gang was based prove how closely the film stayed to Porter's inspirational story. (B) –B. Love

THE GROUND TRUTH - Warning: If you’re part of the rising tide of American citizens who oppose the war in Iraq, watching this eye-opening, gut-wrenching documentary is likely to lead to moral outrage. Told entirely in interviews with veterans of the war, the film’s first 20 minutes feature close-ups that obscure which soldiers have come home physically deformed by their valiance in the line of duty. No matter: Former PBS producer Patricia Foulkrod’s haunting film is more about the emotional and psychological damage these men and women have suffered from killing (and seeing their friends get killed) in the name of crude oi... er, I mean, freedom. From being ordered to murder innocent Iraqi women and children

Think the war in Iraq is bad? According to The Ground Truth, it’s worse than civilians will ever know. to being denied treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder when the Veteran’s Administration insisted they instead had a personality disorder, the tragic individual stories here eventually begin to blend together into one primal scream of pain, heartache and betrayal (nearly every soldier interviewed conveys a feeling of being abandoned by the U.S. government). The film is as hopelessly one-sided as anything Michael Moore’s ever done, but that’s kinda beside the point. This is a movie with a mission– to make every person whose tax dollars fund the war question whether we, as a country, are doing the right thing. And for that noble cause, it deserves to be seen. (A) --B. Love

INFAMOUS- This movie is déjà vu all over again– the second retelling of Truman Capote's journey in writing his bestseller, In Cold Blood. Comparison to last year's Capote are inevitable. After all, that Oscarnominated picture won Philip Seymour Hoffman a Best Actor statue. Needless to say, the release date of this film had to be postponed a year to distance itself, as it deals with the same subject matter, focus on the same characters and occurs at the same period of time. Based on George Plimpton's book, Truman Capote , writer/director Douglas McGrath's glossy biopic offers more minutiae, especially on Capote's social circle and his gossipy New York cronies. Thus the inclusion of more characters, like Babe Paley (Sigourney Weaver), Marella Angelli (Isabella Rossellini), Slim Keith (Hope Davis), and a brief cameo by Gwyneth Paltrow as Kitty Dean. It also has one major element that Capote opted to omit, which is the ambiguous gay relationship between the writer and killer Perry Smith (new James Bond, Daniel Craig). While you may appreciate that bold step, the average filmgoer could care less about his posse's chatter. Sandra Bullock's

excellent portrayal of Capote's confidante, author Nelle Harper Lee, offers a sense of yang to counterpoise with Capote's yin. British actor Toby Jones' portrayal of Capote seems over-the-top and lacks the sophistication of Hoffman’s turn, coming across like an even more flamboyant version of Elton John. The film attempts to fill its gaps with interview clips in which major characters offer their points of view, à la a documentary. Unfortunately, the majority of the film feels light, possessing neither the emotional complexity nor the haunting tension the film needs. So why settle for a

mediocre drama when you already have a masterpiece available on DVD? (C) –Sean K

JACKASS 2 - With a title like Jackass 2, you

know you can anticipate double the dare, double the pain and definitely double the ass (literally). Director Jeff Tremaine and Johnny Knoxville’s crew took the “If it ain't broke, don't fix it” theme to a whole new level, pushing the envelope with even more outrageous, repulsive and cringe-inducing stunts (see: blindfolded bull fighting, digesting animal fluids and playing “human shark bait”). Some things you have to laugh at (see: fart mask), some are unquestionably crazy (see: wearing a pubic hair beard), to the point where you question the objective behind these stunts. It's as if the crew is trying to test the human body's resistance against infection, fracture and near-death. The funniest thing is the fact that at the beginning, you're warned that these stunts are “performed by professionals.” After watching the film, I concur: They set-up the stunts, pause just long enough for the viewer to say, “I know they're not gonna do what I think they're gonna do,” then do the impossible (or at least the previously unthought-of) and live to see another day. That's professionalism. Long story short, Jackass 2 does not disappoint... Disrupt and sicken, perhaps, but not disappoint. (C+) –Zena Scott

JET LI'S FEARLESS - Wasn't it Nietzsche who once said, “Fear and respect are not the same?” Hold on. Maybe that was Huo Yuanjia's mom in Fearless, not Nietzsche. Either way, it's fitting for this movie. Wushu (or martial arts, in the West) loosely translates to “stop war,” meaning when conflict rises, you're actually supposed to suppress physical entanglement and strive for inner strength through peaceful resolution. Try telling that to young Yuanjia as he's being crushed by the village bully after his father loses in the local main event. Embarrassed by the day's events, Yuanjia vows never to be defeated again. He holds up his end, too, becoming this warrior with an uncanny resemblance to Jet Li, who breaks opponents' bones quicker than he does sweat glands. (Yuanjia is the real hero in China who started the prestigious Jingwu Sports Federation.) The fighting scenes captured as he climbs the regional ranks are, quite simply, ballet-style battles than never appear over-the-top or underdeveloped. There are two scenes in particular– one atop this scaffolding and another in an exquisite restaurant– where Yuanjia wars against an older version of the childhood bully. Pure magic. No Crouching Tiger cords. No Matrix-y CGI. Simply Jet Li, some talented Asian actor and a director, Ronny Yu (Freddy vs. Jason), who doesn't know the meaning of “Cut!” It's too bad Jet Li wants this to be his final martial arts film. We can see him growing tired with swatting javelins, wielding swords and warring with so-so acting co-stars, but how on earth does encountering Asian cuties like Moon (Betty Sun) on his self-imposed exodus after a family tragedy ever get old? That answer isn't to be found on this journey.

However, there is this derelict who keeps popping up and repeatedly asks Jet Li's character, “When will you be champion?” After witnessing this visual spectacle and looking back over one legendary career, the only logical retort is, when wasn't he the champ?! (B+) –DeMarco Williams

LAST KING OF SCOTLAND- No offense, but sometimes it irks seeing the white savior story unfold on the big screen. Someone of European decent, feeling helpless about his or his ancestor's past discretions, seeks redemption in the Peace Corp, an inner-city school or an African village. It's admirable, yes, but nonetheless a story that's been done to death. Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) is a doctor in 1970 Scotland who's not about to follow in his M.D. father's massive shadow, so he spins a globe on his desk and decides to go wherever his finger lands. The world stops at Uganda, both literally and figuratively. Garrigan goes down to the Central African nation, not knowing a thing about its recently-instated leader, Idi Amin (a sensational Forest Whitaker), or his iron-clad political approach. All Garrigan notices are sick children, their beautiful mothers and a doc's hot wife (Gillian Anderson) in need of some personal care… Hmm, maybe this won't be another savior story after all. If anything, Garrigan, a fictional character, is the one in need of rescue after he becomes the larger-than-life Amin's private physician. Amin, the charismatic leader indirectly (or directly, depending on whom you ask) responsible for nearly 500,000 deaths, needed a shrink more than anything else. Consumed with paranoia over betrayal amongst his own camp, Amin makes no time for family (wife played by Ray's Kerry Washington unwisely falls for Garrigan) or a towel to wipe his drenched brow. McAvoy is super as the physicianturned-confidant in Amin's ever-spinning world. Whitaker is even more amazing in the Ugandan tyrant's body. Every nuance, every hollow glance, every extra pound is worn to perfection. And honestly, it's scary as hell. You've never seen a man torture another one minute, then turn around and pose for the international press' questions the next. Then again, you've never heard a movie critic change his tune about a movie's premise so quickly either. But this isn't the same old story; it's a lesson on acting and history we all should pay attention to... and yes, that includes you, Mr. Oscar. (A) -DeMarco Williams

MAN OF THE YEAR -

There are essentially three versions of Robin Williams you get nowadays when you see his moves: You get the deep, depressed guy with a beard (The Night Listener, Good Will Hunting); you get the over-the-top family man in kid-friendly comedies (RV, Flubber); or you the adlibbed leading man, using his role as an outlet through which to trot out his standup persona (the one you've seen on stage and in every talk show appearance). With writer/director Barry Levinson's latest, you get the standup Williams, delivering pretty much the same political jokes you've heard ad nauseum. Man of the Year focuses on the presidential run of William's Tom Dobbs, a Jon Stewart-like talk show host who actually wins the election. The sub-

SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS -

the number one movie in america!

Todd Phillips will likely never win an Oscar. The writer/director of movies like Old School, Road Trip and Starsky & Hutch has, however, managed to carve a deep niche as the screenwriter of some of the most oft-quoted and extremely popular comedies. His latest, School for Scoundrels, is no different. The movie could very easily have turned into a dud in the wrong hands, but with smart writing and great casting, Phillips has made this into one of the best comedies of this year. Billy Bob Thornton is fantastic as Dr. P, a teacher for losers who uses tough love to turn weak, overly polite doormats into dangerous chick magnets. Jon Heder plays one of his top pupils, a meter maid with a crush on his neighbor. This is Heder’s third role since his breakout turn in the cult comedy Napoleon Dynamite, but this one is the first in which he starts to show promise that he can one day leave that old character behind him. Sure, he’s playing yet another loser, but at least this time he’s actually aware of it. Ben Stiller, in a cameo, also plays one of his better characters as a former student of Dr. P’s. Though the jokes may be sophomoric at times (complete with a handful of crotch shot gags), the movie has enough sharp, dark humor filling out the rest of the scenes to convert even high brow critics. (B+) –John Moore

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THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP-

Fans of Gael García Bernal will enjoy his moody, introspective, and quirky performance opposite the understatedly beautiful and equally sexy Charlotte Gainsbourg in this offbeat independent romance. Having lived in Mexico with his father for several years, Stéphane (Bernal) decides to move back to his mother's (Miou-Miou) apartment in Paris. He becomes infatuated with her next-door tenant, Stéphanie (Gainsbourg), who doesn't realize that he’s the landlady's son. Hilarity ensues, helped along by Stéphane's depressingly dead-end job and hapless coworkers. In the wide wake of Y Tu Mamá También, some viewers may anticipate considerable nudity from Bernal; but here those hopes are mostly dashed and even toyed with, as in a G-rated bathtub scene whose main purpose seems to be to tease the audience. Still, Bernal is the main attraction here, as he good-naturedly plunges headlong into some of the more absurd monologues in the film, whose convoluted plot structure, wild visual design, and often manic pace owe more to Amelie by way of Terry Gilliam than to director Michel Gondry's previous work (which includes the sublime Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Despite its bravura style and oddball performances, The Science of Sleep ultimately boils down to a frothy, candy-coated love story. As such it is great date-movie material, but it likely will not be remembered as among Bernal's best films. (B+) –Rodney Hill

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Atlanta Insite Magazine_REVISED 1/4 PG(5x7) Fri 9/29 AlliedDC JE

THE U.S. VS. JOHN LENNON - In the current

plot, a prelude to November's upcoming election, focuses on the flaws of using electronic voting machines which are vulnerable to glitches. Though the film gets off to an entertaining start with the promise of a sharp satire, the movie takes an abrupt turn towards a thriller early on, then never quiet gets back on track. The movie makes good use The Daily Show's Lewis Black (as a speech writer) and Christopher Walken, but you can't help thinking how good this movie could’ve been if they had followed through on the promise of smart political satire (like Levinson's excellent 1997 film, Wag the Dog)... and if Williams wasn't so distracting with his occasionally hammy ad libs. (C+) –John Moore

climate of warrantless wire-tapping, secret CIA prisons and “renderings” (the latest euphemism for “disappearings”), the timing of this documentary about the FBI's hounding of John Lennon in the late 1960s and early 1970s couldn't be more appropriate. The film chronicles Lennon's life by way of archival footage and stills, focusing on the anti-Vietnam activism that made him a hero of the movement and a perceived enemy of the Nixon administration (and thus a target of CIA head honcho J. Edgar Hoover). New interviews with media stalwarts, politicos, and fellow activists– ranging from Walter Cronkite to Geraldo Rivera, from George McGovern to G. Gordon Liddy, and from Angela Davis to Ron Kovic– help to contextualize Lennon and wife Yoko Ono's “loveins” within their artistic careers, as well as the larger historical landscape. As naïve as their message of “WAR IS OVER (if you want it)” may seem to some today, its eternal optimism may still hold forth hope for others. (A) –Rodney Hill PG 17 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

March 4, 2007, Kodak Theatre, 68th Academy Awards Ceremonies

Reese Witherspoon: “…And the Oscar for Best Actor goes to... Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland.”

[Rousing applause; many respectfully stand] Forest Whitaker: “First off, I'd like to thank everybody in my home state of Texas. I know I was a lil' different growing up, but I appreciate all of you for helping me figure out my path with the arts. I'd next like to thank the producers of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, my first feature role some 25 years ago. A special thank you also goes out to Oliver Stone for allowing me to be a part of Platoon, 20th Century Fox for letting me direct Waiting to Exhale, FX for permitting me to show some eccentricities on The Shield and Spike Jonze for adding me to 2007's Where The Wild Things Are cast. Idi Amin, the much-maligned Ugandan dictator I portray in Last King of Scotland, is so layered, so unpredictable, so scary. I appreciate the Academy for even looking this uneasy film's direction. And lastly, a thank you goes out to all the people who say I'm overlooked in Hollywood. I really appreciate comments like that. But tonight I can't say that. Tonight the Academy has smiled upon me and I feel truly, truly humbled…

[Those annoying orchestra strings begin… and so too does my real roundtable discussion with Mr. Whitaker.] Did you look forward to playing Idi Amin? I didn't have an image of him other than a sort of postage stamp-like image of this smad general dictator or whatever. When I was looking at the project, it was like an opportunity to explore. As an artist, it was a great opportunity to get to play a character like that and explore him as a person. I thought it was a great opportunity. What did you learn in the research? I knew he wasn't the caricature I had seen him be. I knew he was a complete human being. I just had this image of what they projected to me. I have to take things like that with a grain of salt. The minute that you decide to find a guy -when he comes into a room, he likes to use the bathroom first or he likes to take showers in the cold or he likes to go to this theater- he becomes more complete. I knew I didn't have any impressions of that. So, for me, it was kinda like a great opportunity to explore it and understand it and that's what I did. I started first in L.A., with the Swahili. I thought that was really important. I wanted to make myself believe in my head that English was my second language, you know? I started working on the dialect and the accordion. Then I just started studying all the books; there are just so many books about him, documentaries and tapes. He was a showman. He loved the press. You could get so much material. Then, when I got to Uganda, I met with his brother, his sister, his general, his ministers, his girlfriends. Everybody in Uganda who's like 20 or 30 and above has a personal experience with Idi Amin. They'd see him. They watched him on the streets. They knew him. This was 1979 when he left power. You talk to everyone and they're explaining their views and their opinions on the man. You're traveling around and you're eating and you're understanding the customs. What was most difficult about the role? Trying to find the spirit in this guy took a lot of work. I worked really hard, trying to figure it all out. I was doing it all the way through. I wanted to make it so that anything I do is the way I believe this man would behave. It's really like accessing the spirit of the person. For me, acting is a lil' like a spiritual experience, so for me, I'm deeply searching for a connection inside of myself to look for the places. I'm

PG 18 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

THE GOLDEN RULE AFTER 20+ YEARS IN HOLLYWOOD, LAST KING OF SCOTLAND EARNS FOREST WHITAKER HIS DUE PROPS

also looking for the energy inside of myself to, hopefully, play the character. That's a process that takes work... There were so many technical things I had to master. I had to lower to his register. I was trying to understand the dialect. I think all of that stuff helped me to figure out the character; it was like an aid. At least I had a direction I was trying to go in. I was continually searching, so I didn't stop for the concern. Even while I was shooting, I was still doing research. If we were off, I would go to the top of the hill and go, "I'm going to go to this mosque 'cuz he used to go to this mosque." Or "I'm going to go meet this guy 'cuz he knows him." Or "I'ma call his son and he'll meet me." It was like that up to like the very last day of the shoot. I was still d o i n g w o r k a n d

research. That's something I was searching for throughout the whole process. Why did this story have to be told through the eyes of a white doctor? The Idi Amin story is very complicated because he's a product of Western intervention. He was trained by the British as a soldier. They brought him to different places, advanced him in the country and even put him into the presidency. So, it's kinda difficult to really tell the story without dealing with that. I think that Nicholas represents the West, the ravaging West. He comes in and, as Idi Amin says, “to screw and to take away. Is that what you came here for?” There are other people who've killed more people. There are others in Africa and western parts of the world [who've done it]. I think that the fact that this black man stood up and said “British get out! Israelis get out!” is why people are so caught up and fascinated by him. As a result, it's important to understand what he was torn with. He was brought up in Africa, but he was embracing certain traits from the west. It's a lot about this clash of cultures. How do you c a l m down after play ing

such a role? At the end of the movie, on the last day, I have a lil' bit of a ritual: I take a shower and kind of wash the character away as much as I can. I kinda yell his voice out of me so I can kinda get my voice back. In this case, I was lucky. I don't remember what movie I did [after LKOS], but I had another movie to go do. When I got back home, I started working on another character. That helped me get rid of him. That's real important. Speak on your longevity. Yeah, it's been a while. I think I always try to do stuff that I really believed in. I was lucky that the things that I chose did well. Some of them were risky choices. No one wanted to do The Crying Game when I was doing it. Nobody financed it. Nobody wanted to be involved with it. People were trying to get me to not go to Manila to do Platoon. Nobody wanted us to go. Even now, with Idi Amin, people asked me, “Why do you want to play this character?” Why am I showing this monster from the African continent? I have my point of view on it. I thought it would be a good thing. I just make my choices with my heart. Is it hard to find parts that give you the richness that this one has? I'd like about four movies to come out. I stopped acting about five years. I was just directing and producing. About two years ago, I started acting again. All different kinds of movies. I did an animated thing with Spike Jonze. It's called Where the Wild Things Are. It's based on the book. I did this movie in Mexico recently [called Vantage Point], which is kind of an action thriller with William Hurt and Dennis Quaid. It's about the assassination attempt of the president told from the point of view of different people in the same 15 minutes of time. I did a Chinese parable [called The Air I Breathe]. I play Happiness. Kevin Bacon plays Love. Brendan Shepherd plays Pleasure. Sarah Michelle-Gellar plays sorrow. It's about how our lives interact when Happiness meets Pleasure and runs into Sorrow and what happens in their lives. I'm just kinda doing whatever I feel. Hopefully, it'll be okay. Are your roles getting more spiritual? I think we're all people on a journey. There's already a buzz about the Oscars. How's that feel? I don't know. I'm happy people like my work enough to say that. I hope it'll make people go and see the movie. I think, other than that, I kinda just have to let it be. I was working on The Shield earlier this year and everybody was writing that I would be nominated for an Emmy. Everybody said, “If it doesn't happen I'm going to be so upset.” I wasn't even nominated. Why do you act go to directing and come back to acting? I enjoy directing. When I left college I started directing my friends on stage. Then I started directing music videos. Originally, when I first left college, my first professional job was when I wrote a script in college. It's a part of me. It just comes about. It just happens. I'm just telling stories and stuff. Are you a better actor for having directed films? Acting helps me as a director because it helps me understand the acting process and it helps me help other actors. I think directing can be detrimental to acting. I'm already a kind of considerate artist, so whenever there's a problem on the set and all of this is going on, sometimes I think you can become too reasonable. I think people want you to at least know when you need to stand strong, you know what I mean? Sometimes you say [in a panic], “Oh, I'm not going to be able to do this. Oh, we gotta get a new location. The lights are going.” Instead of that [you should say], “I need to do it one more time!” They don't know that one more time could be something extraordinary. But sometimes I think I can lose sight and be like, “Oh, I'll be in my trailer. When you guys work it out, call me.” –DeMarco Williams

VIDIOTS This month’s DVD & VHS releases

A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION - A homespun NPR radio show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor, “Prairie” is notoriously popular for its blend of dry wit, whimsy and verbal slapstick. Robert Altman’s adaptation finds the ailing radio show (recorded in Keillor's home state of Minnesota) given the axe by its new corporate owners. The story revolves around the performances of musical sisters Yolanda and Rhonda Johnson (Meryl Streep and Lilly Tomlin) and Dusty and Lefty (Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly), singing cowboys and rodeo rivals. Yolanda's daughter Lola (Lindsay Lohan) spends her time drafting suicide poems, while Kevin Kline plays a vintage detective. Chaos and unpredictably course throughout, but the delightful result is a surprisingly funny and unique story. (B+) -Lonie Haynes NACHO LIBRE - Where did they find this guy? No, not Jack Black, but Nacho's frail-looking sidekick, Esqueleto (Hector Jimenez). The guy’s not only oddly built, he's animated in the face and borderline queer. But he works. Nacho is the unappreciated cook at a Mexican monastery, trying to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a pro wrestler. Esqueleto is his tag-team partner. Sound bizarre? It is. Director Jared Hess knows about partnering folks, as his coupling of Napoleon and Pedro in Napoleon Dynamite was a pop culture piledriver. Nacho and Esqueleto aren't nearly as adorably sad, but the lovable losers have their moments. Still, Jack Black seems restricted here, and the laughs won't be the gut-busting body slams you'd hope for. But don’t blame the 107pound Esqueleto– he carries as much of the movie as he possibly can. (B-) –DeMarco Williams THE OMEN - After American diplomat Robert Thorn (Liev Schreiber) and his wife (Julia Stiles) lose their son during a difficult delivery, he accepts the hospital priest's plea to take another child (whose mother died during childbirth) as his own to spare his wife the grief. Things seem to be going perfectly– Robert is appointed Ambassador to the U.K. and the Thorn family prepares for Damien's 5th birthday– until a chain of unsettling events begins with the suicide of Damien's nanny. The hiring of new nanny Mrs. Baylock (Mia Farrow) promises to lighten their stress, but it turns out she has an ill-fated bond to the boy. There are several reasons

* * * PICK OF THE MONTH * * * THANK YOU FOR SMOKING-

Wr iterdirector Jason Reitman's feature debut is an incisive, witty satire about a spin doctor for Big Tobacco tr ying to do his job amidst dubious politics, corporate power plays, and constant media frenzy. A grand raconteur, lobbyist Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) holds his fort against a liberal megalomaniac Senator (William H. Macy) who insists on a skull-and-crossbones label on ever y cigarette pack . Meanwhile Nick has to deal with his boss (Robert Duvall), an investigative reporter (Katie Holmes), the cancer-ridden Marlboro Man (Sam Elliott) and a kidnapping plot. Most of all, he wants to remain a role model to his young son. An equal opportunity offender, Reitman's script pokes fun at ever yone in ever y industry, with tight pacing, sleek editing and a playful cast. –Sean K

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III- Tom Cruise is one of the biggest movie stars in the world and, like a few great stars of the past (Charlie Chaplin, Mar y Pickford, Kirk Douglas), he has parlayed that star appeal into a formidable career as a producer. His greatest successes in that arena have been the Mission: Impossible films. By now, we know exactly what to expect from them, and we get plenty of it here– downto-the-wire suspense, heightened by thrill-a-second action sequences that not only get “in our face” but also put us right in the middle of the chaos. The brilliance of the films is that they don't tr y to recreate the show. Rather, they have transformed it. And despite what detractors may say about Cruise's acting, he has turned in some damn fine performances in his career, and this third turn as agent Ethan Hunt certainly has its moments. Likewise, Hunt's nemesis is portrayed chillingly, yet relatively understatedly, by the immensely talented Oscar-winner, Philip Seymour Hoffman. The film is perhaps least effective when it tries to inject some deeper ideas and complicated plot points, but we all know that the movie really isn't about that. Perhaps Cruise himself summed up this rollercoaster ride best when he asked a TV audience: “Who wants to have fun this summer?!?” –Rodney Hill

this remake was pointless: 1) The only additions to the original film are the ghoulish deaths; 2) The scare factor in the remake is negligible; and 3) The most clever aspect of the entire film is its title. (C-) –Zena Scott

WAIST DEEP - Tyrese's O2 character and his napping son are parked at a traffic light when Coco (Meagan Good) walks by and grabs his attention. Suddenly a thug carjacks O2, with lil' man still in the backseat. Cars screech, shots ring out and 02 pursues. Coco appears shocked, but 02 ain't buying her story that she had nothing to do with the jacking and snatches her up for the journey to reclaim his son. Director Vondie Curtis-Hall (Glitter) lets us know early on who's taken the child– Meat, a one-eyed gang leader played to scary perfection by rapper The Game, whose creepy debut is dead-on. Tyrese seems in great shape, and Good is stunning from her opening frame. Unfortunately, the script itself needs a little too much work to actually... well, work. (C-) -DeMarco Williams X-MEN: THE LAST STAND - Doctors say the “cure” they've come

up with to suppress the Mutant X gene will be distributed on a volunteer basis, but class five mutants Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellan) can smell BS 100 miles away. As always, the opposing leaders handle the situation differently: Professor X is non-confrontational, asking his XMen to remain in peaceful protest. Magneto, on the other hand, demands that mutants destroy the research facility housing the vaccine. The x-factor is Jean Grey– who now embodies two beings, Jean and the telekinetic Phoenix– whose power tips the balance. Brett Ratner’s popcorn film has superhero-sized flaws that prevent The Last Stand from matching X2's intensity. Still, it keeps audiences on a relatively content ride. (B-) -DeMarco Williams

YOU, ME & DUPREE - One could only wish for the fairy tale beginning of newlywed bliss that Carl (Matt Dillon) and Molly (Kate Hudson) have. But when Carl runs into his best friend, Dupree (Owen Wilson), things take an unexpected turn. After learning that Dupree lost his job, apartment and car for taking off to attend his wedding, Carl welcomes him into his home “for a few days.” Suddenly the dynamics of their once-happy home are shifted as Dupree's carefree (read: careless) persona oozes throughout. From the untimely walk-ins to the accidental house fire, Dupree is on a sure route to not only destroy the house, but his best friend's relationship, too. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo tried to put a comedic spin on the humdrum three's-a-crowd premise by casting the usually reliable Wilson as the lead. But, like the title character, the film quickly wears out its welcome. Dillon's character was poorly written, while Hudson's character is one dimensional and predictable. Those expecting to get more than half-hearted chuckles are liable to be let down. (C-) –Zena Scott

FALL MOVIE PREVIEW continued from pg. 15 Hollywood's most outspoken liberal could not be any hotter. With its stellar cast and contemporary relevance, expect this politically-charged period drama to prove yet another Oscar-friendly hit. (Dec. 8) BREAKING & ENTERING THE STARS: Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, Robin Wright Penn, Martin Freeman, Ray Winstone, writer/director Anthony Minghella THE STORY: Law stars as a London-based landscape architect investigating the burglary of his office, who cheats on his girlfriend (Wright Penn) with a sexy Bosnian refugee (Binoche). Reportedly more intimate than Minghella's previous epics (Cold Mountain, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The English Patient), the film nonetheless garnered attention from tabloids when, in a case of art of imitating life, it was revealed that Law had an affair with his nanny. THE SKINNY: The All-Star cast is undeniably impressive, but Minghella's latest has attracted little or no buzz whatsoever. Could be a sleeper, but could also disappear amongst the season's glut of Oscar-friendly fare. (Dec. 8) THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS THE STARS: Will Smith, Thandie Newton, Jaden Smith THE STORY: In this film based on a true story, Smith takes a decidedly un-jiggy turn to play a Frisco-based salesman struggling to make ends meet and raise his son (played by Smith's own 8-year-old boy, Jaden) while dealing with his estranged, clinically depressed wife (Newton). THE SKINNY: Smith hasn’t done a serious drama since 2001's Ali, but that film did prove that, behind the Big Willie front, the man has some serious acting chops. But with what audiences may perceive as a low-key downer of a story and an unproven director, Smith's biggest challenge may be simply convincing people to see his stylistic change-of-pace. (Dec. 15) DREAMGIRLS THE STARS: Beyoncé Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Eddie

workers (Cobbs, Rooney and Van Dyke) let him in on a little secret-after hours, the exhibits come alive, with T. Rex skeletons chasing him down hallways and Teddy Roosevelt (Williams) wanting to hang out. THE SCOOP: Levy's family-friendly output (see: The Pink Panther, Cheaper By the Dozen) has never really impressed us, but you can't knack the comedic talent involved here. Could prove canny counter-programming against more adult-oriented Oscar fare. (Dec. 22)

Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose, writer/director Bill Condon THE STORY: This adaptation of the Tony-winning 1981 Broadway musical stars Foxx as Curtis, a tough manager who discovers a Supremes-style singing trio called the Dreamettes (Knowles, former American Idol contestant Hudson and Tony-winner Rose). The drama unfolds when Curtis elevates the Diana Ross-like Deena (Beyoncé) to frontwoman, with temperamental diva Effie (Hudson) pushed out in the process. THE SCOOP: The buzz on this $75 million Dreamworks/Paramount co-production is huge, thanks in part to a career-resuscitating turn by Murphy as a has-been who bears more than a passing resemblance to James Brown. With critic's fave Condon at the helm, this is definitely an early Oscar favorite. (Dec. 21) NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM THE STARS: Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs, director Shawn Levy THE STORY: Stiller trades in his usual prickly shtick for this mainstream flick about a security guard at NYC's American Museum of Natural History whose elderly co-

THE GOOD SHEPHERD THE STARS: Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie, director Robert DeNiro THE STORY: Directing for the first time since 1993's A Bronx Tale, DeNiro (who also co-stars) took Damon and company from New York to England to the Dominican Republic over the course of six months to shoot the tale of a single CIA agent (Damon) whose life summarizes 20+ years of spy games prior to the Bay of Pigs. THE SKINNY: As an actor, DeNiro's project selection process is often called into question, but his instincts as a director rarely fail. Warner gave him $110 million, a prime release date and two of the best leads money can buy, so the who the hell are we to bet against him? (Dec. 22) Other Noteworthy December Releases... Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Jack Black are all looking for love in THE HOLIDAY (Dec. 8); Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hansou get physical in the African stripmining thriller BLOOD DIAMOND (Dec. 15); ERAGON, an adaptation of Christopher Paolini's best-selling fantasyadventure novel (Dec. 15); 50 Cent, Jessica Biel and Samuel L. Jackson as soldiers returning home after the war in Iraq in HOME OF THE BRAVE (Dec. 15); 60-yearold Sylvester Stallone strapping on the boxing gloves one last time (we hope) for ROCKY BALBOA (Dec. 22); WE ARE MARSHALL, starring Matthews Fox and McConaughey in the true story of two coaches who revived the Marshall College football team after 75 players and most of their staff were killed in a 1970 plane crash (Dec. 22); and PAN'S LABYRINTH, the latest fantasy from Hellboy auteur Guillermo del Toro (Dec. 29). PG 19 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

THE EARL Dunch with The Slackey Family Band EDDIES ATTIC David LaMotte SMITH'S The Ruling Class/Kwanza Jones/Crystal Stafford Project VARIETY Julie Roberts

MONDAY OCTOBER 9

THE EARL Nina Nastasia FIVE SPOT Adult Swim SMITH'S Veruca Salt VARIETY Buckethead

CONCERT CALENDAR SUNDAY OCTOBER 1

BLIND WILLIE'S Tanglewood Tonic THE EARL Dunch with Nervous System EDDIES ATTIC Jonathan Byrd/Diana Jones FIVE SPOT The Movement SMITH'S Trainwreck TABERNACLE Gnarls Barkley

MONDAY OCTOBER 2 THE EARL Ratatat FIVE SPOT Adult Swim MASQUERADE Trivium SMITH'S Bob Schneider

TUESDAY OCTOBER 3

THE EARL Heavy Trash/The Sadies

TUESDAY OCTOBER 10

DIXIE TAVERN Zac Brown Band THE EARL The Tossers SMITH'S The Bastard Suns/Stampead/The Psycho DeVilles TABERNACLE Alice In Chains

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 11

APACHE CAFE Al Smith CLUB 29 Donna Hopkins Jam DIXIE TAVERN Hipnotic THE EARL Damien Jurado/Rosie Thomas FIVE SPOT Nod Factor MASQUERADE Hed Trip Drama PEACHTREE TAVERN Wes Loper Band SMITH'S Charlie Hunter STAR BAR The Ettes VINYL The Briggs

THURSDAY OCTOBER 12

ANDREWS UPSTAIRS Dan Random/Good Times Atlanta BLIND WILLIE'S Li'l Ed & The Blues Imperials DARKSIDE Lennex/Burn Season DIXIE TAVERN Justin THE EARL Goodnight Insomniacs EDDIES ATTIC Moses Mayfield FIVE SPOT Soulhound & The Barn Rats MASQUERADE The North SMITH'S Whose House TABERNACLE Atreyu VARIETY Amos Lee

FRIDAY OCTOBER 13

Zac Brown Band at DIXIE TAVERN (10-3) EDDIES ATTIC Abby McMillian FAT MATTS JT Speed MASQUERADE Sugarcult SMITH'S Christopher Robin Band/Alex

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 4

APACHE CAFE Al Smith CLUB 29 Donna Hopkins Jam DIXIE TAVERN Hipnotic THE EARL The Hold Steady EDDIES ATTIC Heather Luttrell FIVE SPOT Nod Factor MASQUERADE Shai Hulud/Dead to Fall PEACHTREE TAVERN Willie Hill Blues THE ROXY DJ Shadow with Lateef SMITH'S HEM STAR BAR Spaceseed

THURSDAY OCTOBER 5

ANDREWS UPSTAIRS Good Times Atlanta APACHE CAFE Atlantis Music Conference DARKSIDE Atlantis Music Conference DIXIE TAVERN Justin THE EARL Dust Rabbit EDDIES ATTIC Lowry FIVE SPOT Atlantis Music Conference MASQUERADE Lamb of God PEACHTREE TAVERN The Fuzz SMITH'S Atlantis Music Conference STAR BAR Atlantis Music Conference TABERNACLE Indigo Girls

FRIDAY OCTOBER 6

ANDREWS UPSTAIRS Jason Michael Fulton APACHE CAFE Atlantis Music Conference CJ'S LANDINGNew School Dropouts DARKSIDE Atlantis Music Conference DIXIE TAVERN Adam Hood THE EARL The Eyes EDDIES ATTIC Bearfoot FIVE SPOT Steven Kellog & The Sixers MASQUERADE Atlantis Music Conference NORTHSIDE TAVERN Zydefunk PEACHTREE TAVERN The Breakfast Club SMITH'S Atlantis Music Conference STAR BAR Atlantis Music Conference TABERNACLE Indigo Girls VARIETY Lindsey Buckingham

ANDREWS UPSTAIRS Dave Matthews Tribute Band/Jason Michael Fulton THE ARENA AT GWINNETT Cheetah Girls CENTER STAGE Eric Benet CJ'S LANDING By Morning/Nappy's Joint/Illbreak DARKSIDE Mother's Finest DIXIE TAVERN The Alternatives THE EARL Juan MacLean EDDIES ATTIC Caroline Aiken MASQUERADE The Chariot NORTHSIDE TAVERN The Breeze Kings PEACHTREE TAVERN Philip Glynn THE ROXY Will Hoge with Eliot Morris SMITH'S The David Ryan Harris Band TABERNACLE Hawthorne Heights VARIETY Built to Spill WILL BILL'S Rhett Akins

SATURDAY OCTOBER 14

THE ARENA AT GWINNETT Eric Clapton CJ'S LANDING Ghanjah/Wrong Way CLUB 29 Donna Hopkins/Deep Blue Sun DIXIE TAVERN Hipnotic THE EARL The Hiss EDDIES ATTIC The Harringtons FIVE SPOT Adams Township MASQUERADE KMFDM NORTHSIDE TAVERN The Electromatics PEACHTREE TAVERN None the Weiser THE ROXY Sister Hazel SMITH'S Marjorie Fair STAR BAR Don Chambers and Goat VARIETY Shawn Colvin

SUNDAY OCTOBER 15

THE ARENA AT GWINNETT James Blunt THE EARL Dunch with Blake Rainey EDDIES ATTIC Francine Reed SMITH'S The Duhks VARIETY Ben Kweller

SATURDAY OCTOBER 7

ANDREWS UPSTAIRS Mel & The Party Hats APACHE CAFE Atlantis Music Conference CJ'S LANDING Legend Has It DARKSIDE Atlantis Music Conference DIXIE TAVERN Hipnotic THE EARL Gringo Star EDDIES ATTIC Adam Levy FIVE SPOT Atlantis Music Conference HIFI BUYS Lynyrd Skynrd/Big & Rich with Cowboy Troy MASQUERADE Atlantis Music Conference NORTHSIDE TAVERN Mudcat PEACHTREE TAVERN The Alternatives SMITH'S Atlantis Music Conference STAR BAR Atlantis Music Conference VARIETY Peter Rowan and Tony Rice

SUNDAY OCTOBER 8 PG 20 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

Yeah Yeah Yeahs at TABERNACLE (10-14)

MONDAY OCTOBER 16 FIVE SPOT Adult Swim MASQUERADE Alexisonfire THE ROXY Frank Black SMITH'S Drew Emmitt

TUESDAY OCTOBER 17

DIXIE TAVERN Zac Brown Band THE EARL Oh My God MASQUERADE Say Anything SMITH'S Wayne Hancock

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 18

APACHE CAFE Al Smith CLUB 29 Donna Hopkins Jam DIXIE TAVERN Hipnotic THE EARL Estradasphere EDDIES ATTIC The Wood Brothers FIVE SPOT Nod Factor PEACHTREE TAVERN High Tide Blues Band SMITH'S Charlie Musselwhite STAR BAR House Harkonnen TABERNACLE Scissor Sisters VARIETY Natalie Cole

THE LOFT Hank III PEACHTREE TAVERN The Big Tease SMITH'S Antigone Rising TABERNACLE Social Distortion ANDREWS UPSTAIRS Good Times Atlanta CJ'S LANDING Yancy & the Breakneck Quartet/Passafire DIXIE TAVERN Justin THE EARL Alejandro Escovedo EDDIES ATTIC Paddy Keenan PEACHTREE TAVERN Zac Brown Band THE ROXY Ronney and Ben Lee SMITH'S Supagroup

Wednesday Nights No Limit Texas Hold Em’ Championship League Games Start at 10pm

Every Wednesday in October GARETH ASHER Thursday, Oct. 5 & Friday, Oct. 6 STEVE AND CHRIS Friday, October 13 TRAVIS AND TROY Red Hot Chili Peppers at THE ARENA AT GWINNETT (10-26)

STAR BAR Zoroaster/Totomoshi TABERNACLE Robert Randolph & The Family Band VARIETY Patton Oswalt/Zach Galifianikis/Elf Power

FRIDAY OCTOBER 27

ANDREWS UPSTAIRS Jason Michael Fulton THE ARENA AT GWINNETT Trace Adkins CENTER STAGE The Freddy Jones Band DARKSIDE Dearestazazel DIXIE TAVERN The Alternatives THE EARL Mojave 3 EDDIES ATTIC Piece Pettis FAT MATTS Tommy Isobe FIVE SPOT Cadillac Jones with Indradig MASQUERADE Celtic Frost/The Casualties NORTHSIDE TAVERN Sean Costello PEACHTREE TAVERN Appetite for Destruction THE ROXY Mute Math SMITH'S Blueground Undergrass TABERNACLE The Decemberists VINYL Golden

SATURDAY OCTOBER 28

ANDREWS UPSTAIRS Unzipt CENTER STAGE The Brand New Heavies CJ'S LANDING Father Peter CLUB 29 Thermos Greenwood DIXIE TAVERN Hipnotic THE EARL The Exploding Metal Inevitable EDDIES ATTIC Micah Dalton FIVE SPOT Paul Burch NORTHSIDE TAVERN Sean Costello PEACHTREE TAVERN That 80's Band SMITH'S Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band STAR BAR BITCH!! VARIETY Col. Bruce Hampton

Nick Lachey at TABERNACLE (10-20) DARKSIDE Unknown Soul DIXIE TAVERN Hipnotic THE EARL Portastatic EDDIES ATTIC Brian Vander Ark FAT MATTS Work in Progress FIVE SPOT JP3 MASQUERADE Steel Train NORTHSIDE TAVERN Bang the Union PEACHTREE TAVERN The Lost Trailers THE ROXY Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars SMITH'S The Bottle Rockets TABERNACLE Paul Stanley VARIETY Old Crow Medicine Show VINYL Slowearth

FREE POKER

Every Saturday in October THE BRAIN WILTSEY BAND

FRIDAY OCTOBER 2O

THE ARENA AT GWINNETT Vicnente Fernandez CJ'S LANDING More than Me/The Skies of America CLUB 29 Christopher Robbins Band

Thursday

ON THE DECK

ANDREWS UPSTAIRS Good Times Atlanta BLIND WILLIE'S Nick Moss & The Fliptops DIXIE TAVERN Justin THE EARL Asobi Seksu EDDIES ATTIC Jim Lauderdale FIVE SPOT Black Eyed Susan PEACHTREE TAVERN Trotline SMITH'S Gaelic Storm STAR BAR Pistolero TABERNACLE Pet Shop Boys VARIETY Shooter Jennings

SATURDAY OCTOBER 21

Tuesday -

THURSDAY OCTOBER 26

THURSDAY OCTOBER 19

ANDREWS UPSTAIRS Obsession Day/Jason Michael Fulton CJ'S LANDING Crane DARKSIDE Last Hope Down DIXIE TAVERN Mad Margritt THE EARL Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys EDDIES ATTIC Sandra McCracken FIVE SPOT Guggenheim Grato THE LOFT Benevento Russo Duo MASQUERADE Insane Clown Posse NORTHSIDE TAVERN Fat City Wildcats PEACHTREE TAVERN Poolstick with Crash Davis SMITH'S Kevn Kinney STAR BAR The Needles VARIETY Broken Social Scene

NO COVER

FRIDAY OCTOBER 29

THE EARL The Album Leaf EDDIES ATTIC Jan Smith & Friends THE LOFT Tapes 'N Tapes SMITH'S Dan Sartain VARIETY Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush

MONDAY OCTOBER 30

FIVE SPOT Adult Swim THE LOFT Joseph Arthur MASQUERADE Godhead/RA/The Dreaming SMITH'S Ryan Montbleau Band

Thursday, October 19 PETE WHITFIELD BAND Friday, October 20 MARK & STEVE Thursday, October 26

GARETH AND NAKED

Friday, October 27 THE BRIAN WILTSEY BAND Saturday, October 28 SUPERHERO HALLOWEEN BASH COME AS YOUR FAVORITE SUPERHERO OR VILLIAN. CONTESTS ALL NIGHT.

CONCERT HALL Friday, October 6

NEW SCHOOL DROPOUTS

Saturday, October 7

SEXXXY CIRKUS

Thursday, October 12

BIG 10-4

Friday, October 13

ILLBREAK

Saturday, October 14

WRONG WAY

(SUBLIME TRIBUTE)

Friday, October 20

CRANE

Saturday, October 21

THE SKIES OF AMERICA Thursday, October 26 PASSAFIRE Saturday, October 28 FATHER PETER

UGA

SUNDAY OCTOBER 22

THE EARL Dunch with Day Mars Ray SMITH'S The Gourds TABERNACLE Etta James

Football

MONDAY OCTOBER 23

THE EARL Dodo Bird/Peter & The Wolf FIVE SPOT Adult Swim SMITH'S Mike Clark

on the big screen

TUESDAY OCTOBER 24

Bus Trip to Athens for the TN Game

DIXIE TAVERN Zac Brown Band THE EARL Oakley Hall MASQUERADE Mushroomhead Soil SMITH'S New Riders of the Purple Sage VARIETY Dresden Dolls

See website for ticket info

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 25 APACHE CAFE Al Smith BLIND WILLIE'S Maria Muldaur DIXIE TAVERN Hipnotic THE EARL Beauty Pill EDDIES ATTIC Edie Carey FIVE SPOT Nod Factor

The Fray at TABERNACLE (10-30)

For Bookings Send Press Kits to: 270 Buckhead Ave. Atlanta, GA 30305 404-237-7657 • www.cjslanding.com PG 21 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

ROAD WARRIORS THIS MONTH’S HOTTEST SHOWS INDIGO GIRLS

(Tabernacle- 10/6) A local institution and would-be national treasure, Emily Saliers and Amy Ray haven't digressed much from their formula of earnest folk music over the past twenty years. Despite Our Differences is right up there with the best of their albums, and from the stage, few can match this duo’s homespun charisma and charm.

VERUCA SALT/ AGENT SPARKS

(Smith's Olde Bar- 10/9) There was a time (say, a dozen years ago) when Veruca Salt was a band to be reckoned with. A femaleled group that was chart- (and magazine cover-) friendly, they were poised for platinum greatness until the Era of Grunge fell and the band disintegrated into invective turmoil. Louise Post is now leading the band without ex-BFF and co-founder Nina Gordon, so the best part of this show might be the able-bodied rock of Agent Sparks.

JOHN MAYER (Chastain Park Amphitheatre-

10/13) Mayer gets a lot of flack, either for being another white boy fascinated with electric blues or because he's good looking enough to pull the likes of Jennifer Love Hewitt. He's an undeniably good guitarist, and his new album (backed by a killer ensemble) isn't as abrasively pedestrian you might suspect. All are good reasons for getting out under the stars at Chastain.

BUILT TO SPILL/CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN

(Variety Playhouse- 10/13) Camper Van Beethoven, who was more or less a smartassed version of Wilco twenty years ago,

refuses to go away– a fair proposition given the talent involved. Built To Spill is no longer Flavor of the Month, happy instead to grind out a career by playing to the fringe of the jam rock crowd and laughing all the way to a respectable career. An odd meeting of musical minds, to be sure, but interesting enough.

YEAH YEAH YEAHS

(Tabernacle10/14) Wow, is that whole NYC new wave-rock thing already dead? It seems like only two months ago that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were riding a wave of publicity as saviors who could resurrect the integrity of indie rock on the back of a strangely attractive lead singer and a few hot licks. Or is the scene just insular now that there's plenty of room in the hipster market for five bands like this at any given moment?

awesome, while the Sam Roberts album from earlier this year was kind of a letdown. Kweller has embraced pop, and it's made him a more engaging performer, while Roberts tends to coast on charisma. It's a shootout, but Roberts has all the firepower in a live setting.

is to collectively write pop songs, but in reality there's a lot of disjoint to what they do. The lack of focus is at once interesting and distracting– a bunch of good songs that don't seem to have a foundation and are propelled by unformed ideas. Sounds like a mess, but somehow it isn't.

SCISSOR SISTERS (Tabernacle- 10/18) The musical scribes who couldn't see past the novelty of this band were either too young to know better or too afraid to care, but that probably wouldn't have stopped Europe from m a k i n g S c i s s o r Sisters a huge seller anyway. Back with a new album of similar Elton Johnm e e t s B o w i e m e e t s Slade kickers, the band is out to prove the timeless marketing power of willfully ignorant nostalgia.

PORTASTATIC/JENNIFER O'CONNOR

SCISSOR SISTERS

B R A N D I CARLILE/ SHAWN COLVIN (Variety Playhouse- 10/14) Not real-

ly sure who's the draw here, given that Colvin's star seems distant (if still in place) and Carlile's is rising rapidly. On the strength of her engaging live show and solid songwriting, Carlile is one of the few bright lights in the Lilith genre, and her endless nights on the road are paying off handsomely. No matter who is headlining, it's a great two-for-one deal.

BEN KWELLER/SAM ROBERTS BAND

(Variety Playhouse- 10/15) Kweller's new album is

SHOOTER JENNINGS

( Va r i e t y Playhouse- 10/19) The sideshow surrounding Shooter– his name, his Sopranos girlfriend, his famous dad (Waylon), his famous mom (Jessi Colter)– often obscures the fact that he's talented beyond his gravy-train sensibility. He's a rambunctious, gunslingin' country singer who's bend towards Southern Rock makes him a middle-fingered anomaly in Nashville. And we need more of those.

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE (Variety Playhouse10/20) This is basically an ambient project with a dozen members whose concern

(The EARL- 10/21) The problem with Portastatic has always been that it wasn't Superchunk, the band Mac McCaughan led to seminal status 15 years ago. That's ironic, given that Portastatic has now been around longer than Superchunk was. The new Portastatic album is, as usual, understatedly great, and you'd be giving yourself a treat to see the songs up close and personal, especially with the talented Jennifer O'Connor helping warm things up.

ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO

(The EARL- 10/26) Dammit, why do so few people care about this guy? He's twice the songwriter Bruce Springsteen ever was, and has never sold our or lost his passion. He's a great storyteller. He's a little bit country, and a whole lot rock-n-roll. He's positively amazing live, especially when it's just him and his guitar, and he's put much of his battle with Hepatitis behind him.

ELF POWER

(Variety Playhouse- 10/26) Even as the Elephant 6 coalition slides into irrelevance, their signature psychedelic pop aroma promises to linger for at least a few more years. Elf Power never got the buzz that bands like the Apples In Stereo caught, but to be honest they were always a little too arty for their own good (i.e. they were always more Flaming Lips than the Beach Boys). That's why they make such an interesting live act.

DECEMBERISTS (Tabernacle- 10/27) A lot of longtime Decemberist fans are worried about the new album, given that the band ditched the world of small record labels and signed up with a major. Fortunately, selling out has always been overrated and overhyped, so if the past is any indicator, the Decemberists will be on tap to deliver something great. –John Davidson

WE GOT NEXT ARTISTS ON THE VERGE OF MAKING IT BIG

he Whigs are one of those little bands that erupt from a college town and into regional buzz, winning “Best New Band” awards and drawing music industry interest like moths to porchlight. Solid rock songs, literate lyrics, and killer live shows led to a swift following that was soon met up with disconcerting expectations about the the next step: going from drinking-hours pastime to bona fide career. After all, there's not really a handbook on how to be band, let alone a successful one. “We had kind of a crappy run-in with a big label,” says Whigs singer/guitarist Parker Gispert of their early attempts to bottle the lightning with a fancy record deal. “It was one of those big angry labels and, at that point, we kind of realized that we didn't want anything to do with that kind of stuff.” Clearly, these guys weren't ready to surrender control over their life to a traditional corporate entity that painted them as the new flavor of the month... with a similar shelf-life. “Labels would show up at our shows and promise us the world and all kinds of crap. We were pretty young, so that sounds cool. And the next thing you know, your band is just not at a good point. We were all pretty miserable with that,” he says. Indeed, the Whigs' credo is probably more DIY punk rock than their music would suggest. “I think we realized that we didn't need a deal to record a record, and that to be a band, all you need to do is play shows, work hard, and show up on time,” says Gispert. “It's not that hard to play shows out of town. You just have to find somewhere that will take you and show up and play. As far as a label specifically, we made the first record ourselves and we didn't have any money to make it. We financed it and recorded ourselves and put it out ourselves, and once we realized that we could do that, we sort of realized that we don't need a lot of the other things. You can continue to make music and do what you wanna do by yourself. At that point, your focus is on kicking ass at shows and writing great songs.” It doesn't make things much easier that the band hails from Athens, Georgia, home to R.E.M. and a host of other indie-rock acts over the past 25 years. There's pressure with that kind of geography, but Gispert PG 22 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

NAME: The Whigs CURRENT PROJECT: Give 'Em All a Fat Lip (ATO) FOR FANS OF: Franz Ferdinand, the Sex Pistols, Bloc Party, Wire WHY YOU SHOULD CARE: Because their buzz is real, and their sound is classic. RANDOM QUOTE: “I don't think the presence of R.E.M. in Athens can be totally irrelevant just because of the magnitude of the band, and I think 20 years from now it will still be that way.”

admits that, “the more I travel, the more I realize just how huge the scene here is,” says Gispert. “When we lived here, it just didn't occur to me as much because I'd been here for four years. But then you get away and realize that you have it pretty good.” The upside is that a lot of the R.E.M. guys are still active in town; the Whigs used the same art director as R.E.M. on their debut CD, Give 'Em All a Fat Lip. So after giving up on all the music industry bullshit and self-releasing their album, the Whigs toured and noticed that people were still coming to their shows. Dave Matthews' vanity record label (ATO) came calling, and before they knew it, the band had finally found a compatible suitor. “Lots of the big labels would say, 'The songs are good but the record sounds like shit, so we'll need to re-record it in an actual studio,'” says Gispert. “Obviously, anybody who said that was out of the running. And actually, ATO just ended up being a no-brainer because we didn't want to be ending up on a really small label, because we'd already done all that ourselves. We'd printed and shipped a bunch already, so there was no reason to pay a really small label to do that. At the same time, we don't want to be associated with things that we know suck, so ATO was kind of a great balance.” “We really liked all the guys there,” he continues, “which I had determined was the most important thing. I figured that if we can meet all the people involved and be friends with them, it's probably going to be okay.” He laughs, “But if you think your A&R guy is a douchebag who wants you to do something that you don't wanna do…” The plan now is to go out and promote Fat Lip, this time with the help of ATO. And come late this year, it's back to the studio to get cracking on a follow-up. The Whigs are excited to have a label home– one that trusts them to do follow their muse whether that means recording another album in the living room of a house or headed for a fancy studio. They're enthusiastic about writing new songs and chasing a career that is finally within reach. --John Davidson

LET’S GO OUT TONITE! BU TC H WA L K E R ’ S M I S S I O N TO M A K E M U S I C F U N AG A I N

t's hard not to like Butch Walker. The guy has been kicking around bands for two decades (he had a minor radio hit with his last band, the Marvelous 3, called “Freak of the Week”) and his tireless passion for music made him one of the hottest producers/songwriters in Hollywood after he wrote some number one hits for Avril Lavigne. He's also funny, his experience colored by detached amusement from watching the industry crumble while he gets paid, and his latest solo album, The Rise And Fall Of Butch Walker And The Let's-Go-Out-Tonites!, is proof positive that the songs he keeps for himself are top-notch blasts of rock. How much time do you spend actually writing for yourself, for your own albums? About two weeks! I end up making my records pretty fast. It's not rocket science. I just go in and go for a moment. Get everybody in there, do it old school. I put the band in there, and everybody works up the song for the first time together, then we rock it in one or two takes. How did you get involved in producing? I think just because I knew what I was doing; I had a producer back when I was in a cock-rock band, when I was 17 years old, out in L.A. I asked him how everything worked, and instead of helping me, he was really insecure and kind of a jackass. He is a very popular producer now, actually. He told me that I was just a band guy, that I was just supposed to fuck girls, do drugs, and don't ask questions. “This is why I get paid the big bucks,” is what he actually said to me. So, just to spite him, I learned how to do it all myself. Over time, I had other people interested in making records with me, based on my own records. I started getting phone calls from artists; I kind of get the impression that the ONLY people who bought my last band's record, the Marvelous 3, were people who were just starting bands or people who were making records. That's pretty much when I started getting phone calls, because they liked the production that I did on those records. And my track record sort of speaks for itself. A lot of people don't actually understand what a producer does, and that role is different depending on the person and the relationship with a band. Do you have a consistent role, or are you an open book when you work? I get called on a case-by-case basis. A lot of people just want me to produce, some people want me to come in and help them write songs, and a lot times they want both. When I do the indie-rock stuff, like when I did the Donnas' last record and when I did the new Hot Hot Heat record, they're more coming from a different place– one that isn't searching for a contemporary pop hit. They just want their record to sound good, and I get in there and I become like a fourth or fifth member of the band. That ends up begin a good marriage between me and the band, because I can respect it because I'm in one

myself. They respect me because they know that I can understand what it takes to make these weird things called “artists” tick. I really enjoy that process, even if it doesn't involve me getting publishing compensation for the songs. Like, honestly, I don't really give a shit about the money because I have money now and my day job pays well. It justifies me being an artist all the time. But then again, I'm doing a new Avril Lavigne record, and that's one of those records that's based on big songs, so I have to respect that, too. Because there is pressure to succeed on numbers when you are working with an artist like her, does it change your approach or is it still just making music for you, albeit with a slightly different tactic? Yeah, it's completely different. And I love it, don't get me wrong. I love a pop song just as much as I love a really interesting, esoteric band. I'm just as big a fan as I am of Sigur Ros as much as I am Avril Lavigne, and I don't understand why you can't have BOTH in your life. The whole thing is retarded, the way kids think, and I chalk it up to being immature because you know what, when I was 18, I wasn't the fucking sharpest tool in the shed but I thought I knew everything. And I hated everything on the radio, but you know what? My band sucked as bad as everything that was on the radio anyway. Once I got over that, once I realized that it was just as challenging to write a big pop, hit song as it was to write a song that has layers and depth and structure and no theme or formula. Then do you feel the pressure from those higher-profile artists and their management to come up with something gigantic? Always. Oh, always. There's never a doubt that there's not going to be that underlying pressure that the label is going to fold if they don't have another hit because you know what? It's TRUE. They're all fuckin' going down right now. It's a whole new world out there and everyone's scared to death but it's funny because business for me couldn't be better! (laughs) And so that's kind of the irony of all this, is that when you're needed and you can provide then you do it. It feels good right now because the good news is that's fun for me because I don't really care about making those kinds of records for myself anymore. I get all kinds of these dumbasses at labels that sit around with nothing to do but blog on websites about their useless opinions of people, people that say or think that I'm dumb for not writing a hit for myself. Why is that dumb? I had a taste of that in my last band and I hated it. I hated sucking corporate dick. I hated going in and doing the “Friday Morning Wacky Wake-Up Zoo Beaver Eating Contest With Pie-Eating Rodeo!” I'd have radio guys sitting there looking me right in the face, when I'm going around trying to promote my record with these fucking DJs, talking to the label guy and asking him, “Where

are my season tickets to the Lakers? We're gonna drop this record if you don't give me those tickets.” Stuff like that, as if I weren't even there. I was just floored and speechless that they think I don't get it, that they don't think that I see that it was all about favors and corruption instead of about the art and the song. I mean, hello Three Doors Down. Are you able to find peace about this because you're working more on an artistic level, or do you still feel like you're a cog in the machine? It's totally justified, because even if radio or MTV doesn't care to play something because it's not formulaic enough, in my case, my fanbase is bigger than it's ever been. So that ought to tell you something– that’s the power of DIY, which I was all through the ‘90s. I did my 250 days in a van every year, down by the river, blah blah blah. That was my life, making my own albums and selling them at shows with my band. So now, it doesn't even phase me that I'd need anybody else. People ask me why I'm even still signed to a major, and I'm actually signed to my own imprint, which is an indie deal through the label that allows me to do whatever I want. I just want to put m y

records out, and all they are is a store. And that's great, because that's all I need them for. I don't need them to tell me that I, “need more vocal in that second verse.” And so you can do whatever you want as a musician then. Yeah, and for this tour I'm doing during the fall with my new band, it's going to be a great big party. This shit is gonna be fun. I have seven people in my band, two girl background singers. We're going to do karaoke between acts with the fans. It's going to be a blast, so if you get there early and sign up, you can do your favorite Journey cover! I have a great band right now, and I figure that most people love to go out and get loaded, see a band, do karaoke. I figure we'll cover all of that with our shows. I've always been a big fan of performing to, and with, an audience. –John Davidson

PG 23 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

Music

ALBUM REVIEWS

Nights” are ridiculous) and small talk (the game spit on “Till Your Legs Start Shaking” and “Me, My Baby and My Cadillac” is insane). We'll have to see if urban radio is ready for soul's return. We sure hope so. All the so-called R&B out now was starting to kill our feet. Both= (B+)

by B. Love, DeMarco Williams, Andrew Gilstrap, John Davidson & John Moore

The Dean’s List

THE HOLD STEADY- BOYS AND GIRLS IN AMERICA (Vagrant) The best damn bar band in America.

JD The Hold Steady is probably as contrived an indie-rock moniker as they come– a wrangled phrase that only the cognoscenti could love. And so when the band begins bashing out AC/DCsized power chords and singer Craig Finn spray-sings harried lyrics on top of it all, the resulting classic rock thump is a surprise. With an impeccable reception for their first two albums (consecutive Top 10 finishes in the Village Voice's nationwide polling of music writers), the Hold Steady continue to prove that even the hip kids want four-on-the floor rock ‘n’ roll. Boys and Girls In America affirmatively answers the charges that the band is a suburban Springsteen: keyboardist Franz Nicolay's hammering comes straight from Born To Run-era Bruce and is mixed prominently, driving the songs forward nearly as much as Finn's bursting tales of Catholic wretches. The energy of youth is here, the fervor of wanting to be heard and understood and accepted before it's too late. It's the Boss without the union-fisted Guthrie-isms and broken dreams of middle age... a sign of life for 30-somethings everywhere. Which, of course, is the catch. Finn's exploration of his youth and religion isn't detached, but it is from a distance that’s striking, given that he's still obsessing over his roots in Minneapolis despite living in Brooklyn for the past five years. When Gotham finally becomes his muse, the Hold Steady may finally be playing the arenas their anthems are written for.

AMY MILLAN- HONEY FROM THE TOMBS (Arts & Crafts) The moonlighting Star shines bright

JD Stars and Broken Social Scene are a couple of Toronto bands that share DNA and an affection for modern pop songs, those inquisitive three minute spurts of joy that deconstruct the Beatles with electronic beats and shards of Pavement guitar. The players are somewhat interchangeable, both literally and figuratively, to the point where everyone's side-project is another's dayjob. Hell, if Leslie Feist gets any more famous on her own, she won't need those collectives anyway. Amy Millan's home base in Stars doesn't hint at her well of talent nor her breadth of interest, so Honey From the Tombs is both a delight and a surprise. “Losin' You” kicks off the album with a Shelby Lynne country vibe, providing a dose of Americana that she pulls off with aplomb. The rest is packed with titles like “He Brings Out the Whiskey In Me” and “Pour Me Up Another,” all backed mostly by sparse acoustic playing. With such a good handle on folk music, she must feel a little constricted when she works with Stars. When Millan deviates, such as on the Liz Phair-sounding “Headsfull,” her membership with Stars serves her well with college-rock drum fills and noisier atmosphere. But Honey From the Tombs is mostly an insistent departure from all that, an unveiling of influence and interest from an artist who isn't hindered by her band nor a collective of aspirations. Amy Millan stands tall with Stars, and on her own.

DJ SHADOW- THE OUTSIDER (Universal) Jumping genres like a hip-hop frog.

BL It's been 10 years since DJ Shadow released Endtroducing..., practically inventPG 24 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

ing instrumental hip-hop in the process. But producing a revolutionary record so early in your career has its own pitfalls, and fans have been waiting a decade for the Bay Area turntable virtuoso to duplicate that success. Listening to The Outsider, it's safe to say that anyone still hoping for a moody, atmospheric follow-up to Endtroducing... will be disappointed. As the foreboding opening track gives way to the decidedly non-spooky '70s funk of "This Time" unfolds, it becomes clear that this album is not about meeting anyone's expectations, but is instead a manifesto about following his diverse muse wherever it takes him. "This time," the singer croons atop wah-wah guitar and soaring strings, "I'm gonna try it my way." And that's precisely what DJ Shadow does, skipping from one genre to the next and daring the listener to keep up. Like hyphy-style hip-hop? Check out MCs Keak Da Sneak and Turf Talk on "3 Freaks" and the percussive minimalism backing The Federation and Animaniaks on "Turf Dancing." Want more sociopolitical content? Dig David Banner's Bush-bashing verses on the Hurricane Katrina-inspired "Seein' Thangs." Like Shadow's more rock-oriented work? Try the Coldplay vibe vocalist Chris James lends to "Erase You" and "You Made It." Prefer an accessible underground hip-hop sound? Bless your ears with the blues-influenced nuances of "Backstage Girl" (feat. Phonte of Little Brother) and the radio-friendly groove of "Enuff" (feat. Q-Tip's best verses in years). But, as the old saying goes, you can't please all of the people all of the time. Though impeccably produced throughout, Shadow's old fans probably won't dig the hyphy tracks, while newcomers will likely find his experimental tendencies a bit too eclectic. But for those adventurous listeners who don't mind playing a marathon game of genre hopscotch, The Outsider proves Shadow among music's most diverse and consistently impressive producers.

THE OOHLAS- BEST STOP POP (Stolen In Transmission) Sunny, fuzzy L.A. indie-pop.

JD It would be easy to hate the Oohlas, what with their drummer who used to be in Everclear, the cutie-pie that sings some of the songs, and the rehashed indie-pop that’s been done so well before by the likes of the Minders, the Moon Babies, Joy Zipper, Belly and, to a degree, the Breeders. The jaded cynic has seen this aesthetic all before, has heard it all before, and will see it and hear it many more times before the year is out. Yet Best Stop Pop still matters, a gem that refuses to be generic. It might be the ringing feedback that carouses the beating guitars on “Across the Stars In Blue.” It might be the way Olivia “Ollie” Stone steals the show whenever she opens her mouth. It might be the way the album is void of crappy filler material. It might even be the album’s brevity– a perfect 12 songs and 46 minutes. But probably it's the strength of the songs, the summery shimmer of the melodies, the badass rhythm section and fury of the arrangements. The way songs like “Charbonneau” sound like they might go off the rails, and the way “The Rapid” dizzily washes away the end. It's as if you can hear the band trying harder to please, knowing fully well that even though Best Stop Pop does what other bands do, the Oohlas do it better.

THE HEART ATTACKS- HELLBOUND AND HEARTLESS (Epitaph) & BUTCH WALKER AND THE LET’S-GOOUT-TONITES- THE RISE AND FALL OF (Epic) Atlanta-based rockers.

JM Atlanta (and neighboring Athens) used to be a pretty decent rock town. Bands like R.E.M., the Black Crowes and Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ brought in A&R reps from both coasts looking for the Next Big Thing. But in recent years Atlanta has dropped the rock ball, and is now pretty much known for R&B, hip-hop and little else. But here come a handful of guitar-slingers, trying to bring back the rock, with mixed results. Discovered and produced by Rancid’s Lars Fredericksen, The Heart Attacks resemble a Southern mix of the Dead and the New York Dolls, with equal parts glam and scuzz. The results are uneven. Their cover of “Traveling Band” is inspired, and album opener “You Oughtta Know By Now” is just as fun, but the strained vocals and distorted guitars start to get old by the end of the disc. The band definitely shows some promise, but runs the risk of sounding a bit too much like those they take their inspiration from to be taken seriously. Fellow Atlantan Butch Walker certainly has his musical heroes as well, though his tend to be power-poppers like Cheap Trick. Regardless, he’s managed to create his own distinct sound over the course of his last two albums. His latest, The Rise and Fall Of, shows this former Marvelous 3 frontman has finally found the perfect mix of dirty rock swagger and hooks sharp enough to impale. Though he’s been making more headlines recently as producer to the likes of Avril Lavigne than a bandleader, his real talent apparently lies in leading arena-worthy rock choruses. Though their results differ greatly, both The Heart Attacks and Butch Walker are doing their part to help bring rock glory back to Atlanta. Heart Attacks (C+); Butch Walker (B+)

GOVERNOR- SON OF PAIN (Grand Hustle/ Atlantic) & SLEEPY BROWN- MR. BROWN (Purple Ribbon/Virgin) Soul Bruthas No. 1 and 2.

DW The moment Son of Pain's first single, “Blood, Sweat and Tears,” gets going on its harmonious journey, you'll know that Governor isn't lobbying to merely take girls' panties off. Truth is, the 21st century Bobby Womack is probably more focused on understanding the do's and don'ts of romance. “On My Way” is an emotional head trip that Curtis Mayfield and Al Green could've ridden shotgun on, yet proves much too rigorous for the falsetto-singing guys on the FM dial today. The musicianship is wooing, soulful elegance that your parents are used to, a fact that becomes most evident when Governor elects to whisper sweet nothings into the speaker. “Never Wanna Leave” and “Make Love to You” are the sexiest tracks, but almost everywhere you can hear the groovy strings and keys speaking to you. Son of Pain is a solid, cinematic CD that has little problem peeling off the tough guy exterior and speaking from the heart on love's successes and strife. There must be something in the water this month, 'cause Sleepy Brown's way-toocool Mr. Brown speaks from a similar spot at the bar. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who bought his '98 debut, Vinyl Room, or have been taken on impromptu funk jams any time Sleepy's lent a chorus to a Dungeon Family release. What might shock some is that beyond the opening single, “Margarita,” which features Big Boi and Pharrell, Sleep steers clear of the mainstream numbers. Instead, this 13-track wonder shows a man who's more concerned with big bands (the horns on “One of Dem

THE BYRDS- THERE IS A SEASON (Columbia) Classic box sets.

JD Everyone should love the Byrds. Without them, there would be no R.E.M. or, honestly, hundreds of other bands. Without the Byrds, the Rolling Stones might have never played country. Hell, maybe Neil Young would have never mattered if the Byrds hadn't kicked open the doors for jangly roots-rockers everywhere. So by default, There Is a Season is an essential document of sorts– a four CD set with a DVD thrown in just in case you aren't entirely convinced. This assumes, of course, that you haven't been pestered into buying any of the other Byrds boxes, or the multitude of retrospective collections that have attempted to solidify this band's legend status. There Is a Season is the first to be put through the vault pillaging chronologically, and given that there are some previously unreleased and live cuts, it could be accurately said that this box is something new. The liner notes are pretty great, too. But ultimately this is a gift for collectors or recent obsessives– people who have heard them namechecked by Ryan Adams and are curious about the history. Even if you have already picked up one of those “greatest hits” compilations they seem to have handfuls of, There Is a Season presents excellent context and the high arc of the band from 1964 -1990. This offers at least 99 reasons this band is a legend. (A-)

DAN THE AUTOMATOR PRESENTS 2K7 (Decon) Best kept in the game, not the stereo.

BL As the co-creator of concept projects ranging from Dr. Octagon (with Kool Keith) to Handsome Boy Modeling School (with Prince Paul), Bay Area turntablist Dan “The Automator” Nakamura has shown an ability to make good artists sound great, and to make great artists sound even better. So it makes sense that video game developer 2K Sports would hire him to produce the soundtrack to their latest hoops title. Of course, making sense and making dollars are very different, and Nakamura's projects aren't known for their sales figures. Perhaps that explains why he's paired, incongruously, with street-friendly MCs such as Slim Thug (on “I Love This Game,” which is the lyrical equivalent of the Washington Generals trying to hold down the Heat) and Fabolous (on “Ball Til You Fall,” which finds him slam-dunking the verses only to throw bricks on the half-assed chorus). He uses samples of sneaker squeaks, feet pounding on hardwood floors and shot clock buzzers to drive the musical theme home. But The Automator fares better when paired with icons from the backpacker scene with which he is associated. The nimble linguistic skills displayed by the Hieroglyphics clique on “Don't Hate the Player” are the lyrical equivalent of a Harlem Globetrotters show, while Mos Def continues to prove a perennial human highlight reel with the infectious “Here Comes the Champ.” From Rhymefest (the slammin' “Bang the Ball”) and Chali 2Na of Jurassic 5 (the fairly pedestrian “Anchor Man”) to A Tribe Called Quest (“Lyrics To Go Remix”), the album has some of the biggest names in commercial and alternative hip-hop behind it. Which makes it all the more disappointing that this All-Star effort seems so lackluster, as if many of the players involved were simply there to collect a paycheck. Still, the obvious lyrical and musical metaphors won't matter much when the music is serving its primary purpose, playing in the background as you school your opponents on the virtual court. (C)

Music

STRIKE ANYWHERE- DEAD FM (Fat Wreck Chords) & ALEXISONFIRE- CRISIS (Vagrant) Angry punk-rockers.

JM Whether justified or not, punk-rockers are almost always described as angry white men rebelling against something. Of course, most bands of the genre do little to dispel that stereotype. The 7-year old, Virginia-based Strike Anywhere is one of the better examples of angry political punks. On their fourth full-length, the socially conscious rockers have a lot to be angry about, including lying politicians, stolen elections and a religion-obsessed country. With Dead FM, the band delivers their best album to date, reminiscent of groups like Avail and Pennywise. From the strong, poignant lyrics to the blistering guitars, every well-placed scream just goes to punctuate the angst created by the country we now live in. On the opposite side of the coin (but still keeping the stereotype alive) are the angry Canadians in Alexisonfire. But just exactly what these newbies are rebelling against is not entirely clear. Lost Warped Tour tickets, or having to work another late shift at Hot Topic, perhaps? The scream-o band spits out guttural vocals and singsong choruses over music that deviates little from track to track, sounding more than a little like the Great White North’s version of Hawthorne Heights. When every song is riddled with wails and screams, the effect gets lost. But, whether chasing political justice or simply trying to get their video to run on MTV2, angry white guys are still all the rage in punk. SA (A-); Alexisonfire (C)

BEN KWELLER- SELF-TITLED (ATO) Finally rising to expectations.

JD Ben Kweller has always been destined for great things. He grew up in a musical household where his dad was friends some people in the E Street Band. He was playing piano and writing songs before he was 10 years old, and added guitar and drums in his teenage years. He'd toured America and Europe with his band Radish before he had a driver's license, only to end up a fringe solo artist by the time he was 18. His destiny seemed beyond him or at very least, the product of unrealistic expecations. The third time must be a charm, as this self-titled effort finally delivers on a lifetime of promise. Kweller shows his chops by playing all the instruments, but it's the wonderment of his songwriting that delivers most. He's always been a casual pop song guy in the making, an accessible Randy Neumann-type who tempers wry heartbreak with simple, hummable melodies. And whereas his first two albums occasionally dwindled on fully-formed ideas, Ben Kweller is consistently playable. On “Penny On the Traintrack,” Kweller sings, “I wait for something good, for something great” over an insistent piano vamp. The song is a recollection of someone else, but it closes with “I see all the things I should be,” as if he's been watching his life pass by and unable to latch onto where he's going. At 25, Ben Kweller finally seems to have figured all that out. (A-)

PLANET ASIA- THE MEDICINE (Battle Axe/ABB) & LAKE F/CORMEGA- MY BROTHER'S KEEPER (KOCH) Street-approved hip-hop MTV knows nothing about. DW Planet Asia's The Medicine won't cure all that ails the hip-hop industry– you gotta

roll with something bigger than Battle Axe for that– but it does attack many of the symptoms. The game's lack of emotion? Listen to Asia spit on courtships (“In Love,” with Jonell providing the hook) and ancestral kinship (the Defari-featured “Old Timer Thoughts”) and you're damn near cured. Too few hard-hitting beats? With Dilated Peoples' Evidence behind the production, it's hard pinpointing the rawest tracks, but we'll give it a shot with the Mobb Deep-sampling “No Question” and the Mobb Deepfeatured “Stick & Move.” No courageous pens? Man, if the D.C.-questioning “Ghetto's Thirsty” doesn't get you riled, you probably need to be in the hospital. One of the most slept-on MCs in NYC, Cormega got natives agitated a few years ago when he and Nas had a lyrical jabbing. Of course, nine out of 10 rappers wouldn’t have done that. While that didn't prove the smartest career move, he and his brother, Lake, keep fighting here; this time the enemy is saccharine hip-hop. “Ghetto” and “Snitch Nigga” are Big Apple treats that hint at some industry cure. Unfortunately, those few smashes (as well as the Primoproduced “Dirty Game”) are more placebo than anything. My Brother's Keeper still sounds too confined and sonically limited for cats to start lining up to get their hands on it. Planet Asia's release offers the better lyrical tonic, but because supply is so limited, some may have to mix Lake with a lil' Dr. Dre or sumthin' if they're to truly feel any better. Asia (B); Lake (C)

GRAHAM COXON- LOVE TRAVELS AT ILLEGAL SPEEDS (Parlophone) Traveling solo, with a lot of great songs.

JD The last time Blur mattered in the United States was nearly a decade ago, with that “Song #2” and its hoodlum chorus of “Whoohoo!” From there, the band started to splinter. Singer Damon Albarn found his way into a cartoon group called the Gorillaz, while Graham Coxon, the group's disgruntled guitarist (and master of Blur's greatest hooks), has settled into a solo career that hasn't mattered in the slightest. This is surprising, given that Love Travels At Illegal Speeds is at least as good as his last album, the unbelievably ignored Happiness In Magazines. Coxon will probably get ignored on this outing as well, at least here in America, where we have little patience for intraband squabbling amongst limeys. You can't blame the guy for trying, as every song here is a keeper. And that's something you can't honestly say about either Gorillaz album. Granted, you have to like the pop-punk of the Jam or Buzzcocks to get into this album. There's a lot of chugging guitars, jumpy melodies and cockney accent to soak up, giving the album a retro flavor that's probably not gonna win any converts in the hipster department. But if you can dig a well-done throwback, then Coxon will delight. (A-)

BOY KILL BOY- CIVILIAN (Island) Keyboard rockers reliving the ‘80s.

JM I guess we have bands like The Killers and Franz Ferdinand to thank for the recent flood of keyboard-driven, ‘80s-obsessed rock groups now fighting for shelf space. The Britishbased Boy Kill Boy is actually one of the better copycats to be snatched up by U.S. labels, but they’re hardly the best the genre has to offer. Formed two years ago, the band sounds a little like the Kaiser Chiefs with a tad less caffeine. Their debut is likeable, though far from original. There are a handful of infectious singles here, such as “Suzie” and “Back Again” (both of which have already passed the test in their native England), but the bulk of Civilian is comprised of easily-forgotten filler. For better or worse, this sort of dance-happy, Casio-wielding band is here to stay... at least until the next big revival is discovered. (B-)

THE PUNK PROFESSOR

BAD RELIGION’S GREG GRAFFIN EMBRACES AMERICANA the ones of tragedy and songs about how reg Graffin's been called a lot of things: a “punk-rock godfather,” the rosy picture that's painted is not usually the experience of the average citizen. “Professor” and even “sellOut” by a few bitter punk purists still upset that Bad Religion has always been a band that Bad Religion recorded a couple of album sings about the problems of the average for the majors in the ‘90s. But he's never citizen, and I think this forms a nice parbeen referred to as a folksinger. allel,” Graffin said. That's all changed with Cold as Clay, Culturally, America is in a very cold the latest solo CD from the Bad Religion phase right now, according to Graffin, frontman and only his second in six years. and the imagery on his album is fairly “I'd like to do (a solo album) every year, appropriate for our time. “We have a govbut I'm pretty busy with other things,” ernment that doesn't care about social said Graffin. “I just enjoy doing all types services, neighbors who are suspicious of of music and making records.” each other and singling out racial The idea for another solo groups and profiling. These are album actually came from the classic struggles that “We have a Brett Gurewitz, Bad Relioccurred in the 18th and government that 19th centuries,” he added. gion's guitarist and doesn't care about founder of the Epitaph Though the songs were written for this and Anti- record labels, social services, neighbors album, Graffin can see who mentioned he who are suspicious of how some could’ve wanted to produce Grafeach other and singling shown up on a bad Relifin's next record. “Brett out racial groups . These had the idea that he gion album. “I think the wanted to produce this fans will appreciate this are the classic struggles one, so the real quesas a demonstration of a that occurred in the tion was when would we stripped-down, acoustic 18th and 19th both find time in our style, and how it goes centuries.” hand-in-hand with Bad Relischedule.” Though it took about gion.” three years for the two to find Along with the release of Cold time between Bad Religion as Clay and a handful of West Coast albums, tours and a just-released live live dates, Graffin also has a book on theDVD, they entered the studio with The ology out. Co-written by Preston Jones, a Bad Religion fan who also happens to be Weakerthans backing up Graffin. “With this album, I wanted to create a timeless a professor at a small Christian College, piece of music, so you couldn't tell the the book is titled Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?: A Professor And a new songs from the old ones,” he said. Graffin drew inspiration from Punk Rocker Discuss Science, Religion, the18th and 19th century traditional folk Naturalism & Christianity. songs his uncle used to play at family The two met through e-mail, where they traded their respective thoughts on gatherings. Though it sounds about as far God and religion. The book is essentially away from punk-rock as you can get, lyria collection of their correspondence. “It cally there are some parallels between was an interesting dialogue to me genres with songs about working class because this person was very thoughtful, people struggling to survive. as most professors are, and yet he could “I tried to write songs that were only go so far in reasonable discourse snapshots of American life that could be because he believes that a theist world from any time in history, including now.” view is a more appropriate way to look at He also spent time in upstate New York, life,” said Graffin, who is probably one of where he has a house, for inspiration. “A lot of things around here haven't the most well-known atheists in modern changed. The westward expansion sort of popular culture. bypassed upstate New York.” Between Cold as Clay, his solo shows and the new book, Graffin has also Just as war and politics have been inspiring folksingers and punk-rockers for been trying to work in time for the next Bad Religion album. “We're writing a new years, the current political climate and record this year. Hopefully it will be out international affairs also infuenced Cold early next year.” –John Moore as Clay. “Most of the enduring songs are

PG 25 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

HAPPY TOGETHER J AC K W H I T E + B R E N DAN BENSON= RACONTEURS

ack White’s band, the White Stripes, burst onto the scene a half-dozen years ago, a scrappy blues duo featuring him on guitar and his ex-wife Meg playing drums. Brendan Benson vacillated in the music business with solo albums for nearly a decade before breaking through with his acclaimed Lapalco in 2002, and more recently in 2005 with The Alternative To Love. The Raconteurs joins Benson's power-pop sense with White's sharp rock hooks and, with Detroit's Greenhornes providing a staunch rhythm section, Broken Boy Soldiers turned out to be an unexpectedly great “supergroup” album. We recently talked to White and Benson about the origins and future of the band.

tables! (Laughs) Assuming everything is going well, is the next logical step to do more records? JW: Well, now that the Raconteurs are really being accepted [as a band], the only problem is jaded, cynical American or English journalists. For example, the next time a White Stripes album comes out they'll say, “Oh, obviously the Raconteurs was a sideproject, because the new White Stripes album is a huge hit.” Or if we put out another Raconteurs record, they'll say, “Doomsday for the White Stripes!” (Laughs) Brendan, when you guys were writing songs, were the ideas you had ones that you hadn't been able to use in the past? BB: It was a couple of things. For instance, How did you guys go from your day jobs the first two songs that we did together to having another project like this take kind of tell the whole story. “Steady As She over? Goes” was something Brendan Benson: Well, that I was working on, it's funny, because we and I was having trou“The Raconteurs didn't set out to be a ble with it. I liked it, band, write songs and but I just couldn't finwanna make more make a record and all ish the words and get albums and go on the that. It wasn't until it done. So then Jack we'd recorded maybe came over and I road, and that does half the record that we played it for him, and require more time, but started to think that it he started writing was cool, and that we lyrics for it, changed that's what we do for a should maybe start some chords around… living. It's like a waitress JW: I asked you to naming the songs and leave… (Laughs) the band. We were all saying she doesn't have BB: …and when I came really excited about it time for too many back it was finished. and wanted to put it (Laughs) And then the out and tour it and all tables. It's ridiculous. next song was entirely that. We were all There are never different. We sat down friends for a long and he started playing time, and we always too many tables!” that riff from “Broken said, “We should play Boy Soldiers.” He together,” but everystarted playing that one was always so riff, so I grabbed a guibusy. So when we did tar and started playing along, and then he find the time last year, it was the right started singing. That's kind of how the time. So Jack, since you already had a band, record was, I think. After those two songs, was it kind of a big step to tell Meg that we got the rhythm section over and reyou were going to do record with somerecorded those two songs with them. They one else? kind of took on a new life at that point. Jack White: It was easy as pie. Meg's a “Steady As She Goes” was kind of a slow huge fan of what we've been doing with reggae song before the four of us played the Raconteurs, and it's one of those it. And then it became this faster, more things where it's no different than taking a poppy song. The recording of “Steady As year off. A lot of bands now are doing an She Goes” on the album is the first time album every four years, so what's the difwe played together. We didn't rehearse for ference between doing that and starting months, writing songs. We just started up something else? The difference here is recording. Jack, was there any discussion with that it's not like when I did Loretta Lynn's your label to release this album? album. That was definitely a [one-off] projJW: This came out on my label, too. Third ect. [The Raconteurs] wanna make more Man Records. It's a licensing and distribualbums and go on the road, and that does tion deal; I've never been signed to a label, require more time, but that's what we do really. I've only licensed my albums to for a living. It's like a waitress saying she Third Man. So it was merely another situadoesn't have time for too many tables. It's tion where the album was coming out on ridiculous. There are never too many PG 26 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

Third Man: “Would you like to distribute it?” Brendan, the last time I talked to you was when your last solo album came out a few years ago. You said at the time that it was really hard to find a good band to back up your songs. Is this a really ideal situation now? BB: No, and in fact I'm still looking! (Laughs) It is. It's SO ideal. I couldn't have imagined a cooler band to be in. So if you make another solo album, these are the guys you'd want to do one with? BB: Well, if they're available… JW: No, we're not! (Laughs) BB: Okay, if we're still speaking then, yeah. I have the most amazing resources to work with. Although it would’ve been funny if Roger Daltrey had asked the Who to be his backup band on his solo albums! (Laughs) Has the creative process continued since you made the album, and as you've toured and had time off? BB: Yeah, we've been writing on tour. It's funny. Every sound check it seems we write something, even if it pans out or not. I think everybody in this band just loves to play. Jack, does that mean that most of your songwriting ideas are funneled towards this project right now? JW: They're split about 50/50. I'm working on White Stripes songs, too, and there are gonna be two albums made next year. I don't know which will be made first, but it will be a White Stripes and a Raconteurs. Just writing for both, really. So whatever gets vetoed out of the Raconteurs doesn't get thrown back in your face to go to your other band? JW: No, because when you write a song, it just sort of goes where it's supposed to go.

The song tells you how it wants to be performed. If you think about the songs that were written in the Brill Building or Tin Pan Alley or whatever, those writers were either given a job with a person to write for or they wrote a song with a person in mind. BB: I think it's usually pretty obvious to me if what I'm doing is perfect for the Raconteurs, or it could be wrong. It's just like when we made the record, where we would jam things and think, “Eh, I dunno about this...” Is it a friendly, competitive environment when you are working on ideas? BB: Yeah, I think so. JW: It's slightly competitive, it's slightly inspirational. It's kind of nice that, when I write a part and something's missing, I know that maybe Brendan will come up with it. Or vice versa. How has it been having a fat rhythm section behind you, Jack, as opposed to just the two of you with the White Stripes? JW: It took some getting used to, since it's been a few years since I've been in a band like that. It's so different, but I really love it that I have these two different avenues to be creative. The one thing is that in the White Stripes, I've never gotten the chance to play a guitar solo for very long because I'm kind of playing lead and rhythm at the same time. But now I can do that, because there's enough time and space being filled behind the guitar. What's the timeline for the next six to twelve months for the band? BB: We're touring until the end of the year. JW: And put some songs down in the studio, probably early next year. But we haven't planned that far ahead... –John Davidson

ou know how ladies have the season premiere of America's Next Top Model circled on their calendars, and how guys know exactly when Madden '07 will be released? That was hip-hop after it was announced that Hell Hath No Fury, the second opus from the Clipse– brothers Gene “Malice” Thompson and Terrance “Pusha T” Thompson– would drop on Halloween, four years after their Neptunes-produced debut. The metaphor-flipping sibs had plenty to get off their chests, touching on perseverance, label politics and personifying drug culture on wax. And now we get word that Hell's been stalled 'til December?! Sumthin' just ain't right. We recently visited with Virginia Beach's best MCs to find out what that is...

HELL HATH NO RELEASE DATE

where I can tell their stories. I know where they come from. I understand the struggle they been through and I see their growth. Even if it was Cash Money and their New Orleans thing or Ice Cube and NWA and that L.A. thing, I like to see a group that's organic. I'm very proud of that. It's definitely a Virginia movement. The Neptunes know us, and they're always catering those hand-crafted beats for us, nothing like you've heard before. We throw that whole rack out! Whatever sound they used for the Snoops and the Nellys and all of that, we were like, 'Cut that shit out!” Get rid of all of them sounds and let's rock. That's one of the things I'm proud of about this album. This album really follows that pattern of dope lyrics and hot beats.

MALICE

PUSHA

Tired yet of explaining why it's taken so long to drop a second album? Basically, all I really care about is the fans. I feel like they do deserve an explanation, seeing as how relevant the Clipse were. We had no control over all the label drama; that was between Pharrell and Barry Weiss over at Jive [Records]. Man, the Clipse couldn't go left or right. We really couldn't do anything. We had to wait until they got their settlement resolved. In the meantime, we were left to hang out and dry. Also, one of the things that helped keep us alive were the mix tapes that we put out. We Got It For Cheap Vol. 1 and 2 were crazy. But you can't eat off mix tape sales, can you? We didn't make a dime off of them. As a matter of fact, we spent money just to get it out there. It was basically a freebie for [DJ] Clinton Sparks. He did his thing with it. They got a lot of hits on mixedunits.com, so we thought that was a great promotion tool. Basically, we do what we know to do [to live]. We were in a survival stage. It's kind of ironic, putting the mix tapes out, because in the beginning, when the Clipse first started out, we couldn't buy our way onto a mix tape. We figured we'd be like Outkast: We won't be in the rat race with all those New York rappers fighting for room on a crew mix tape and stuff like that, so we just did our own thing. Coming from Virginia, we were in a lane all by ourselves. Once we saw how the labels were dragging their feet and all the beef between Pharrell and Barry, we [figured] we have to do this in order to keep our faces seen. So it absolutely was not a means of surrvival as far as making money. But as far as being relavent to the game, yeah, it helped us a lot. Why didn't y'all just give up and go back to the block? Well, we didn't believe that it wasn't going to work. We had just come off a real successful album, so it only made sense that, sooner or later, we'd be back in the studio about to put out another album. It was surreal that it wasn't going down. We believed in the music so much that we always felt like this is what we do, and it's going to work for us... We totally believed in the work that we made, and during the four-year layoff or whatever you call it, we saw a lot of people really get influenced by our style. They say imitation is the best form of flattery, which is cool. We just wanted to be able to participate, and I think that also gave us the drive to just keep going. Everybody is doing what we do now, so we want to participate in the competition. I think it was a lil' frustrating– not that people were taking the style and running with it, but just the fact we weren't able to be amongst them. What word best describes the Clipse sound? Definitely “articulation.” The Clipse and [our rapping team] Re-Up Gang are very articulate, very mindful as far

When the paperwork with Jive was finally signed, was the proverbial weight lifted from your shoulder? I wouldn't say a huge weight was lifted I would just say it was honestly time to give back to the fans. It's time to be visible again. The demand after the mix tapes was way too high. It was like the streets were speaking to us. These corporate cats don't even hear the streets. They don't even know how that works, especially in that type of system. What kept you motivated over the past four years? Once you get locked into this music thing, man, it's a hard thing to give up. Creatively and artistically, we're all passionate about it. Then you gotta think, we were going through the drama but our lives never really were ran by music. So, while we were on hiatus or whatever, things were still working. We ain't dead out here. Your brother mentioned early Wu and Mobb Deep when he described this new album. What's your take on it? This is just dark, dark drama-filled hip-hop. This shit right here is a movie. Hell Hath No Fury is a meanass movie. Sonically, it's Pharrell and Chad parking the Phantom, taking off the jewelry and going back to riding scooters. It's that type of craftsmanship and that type of passion, production-wise. I tell a lot of interviewers, you've never heard a sophomore really live up to a freshman album. A lot of times, when you do the freshman album, you're in the midst of so much stuff that you don't have that same drive [the second time around]. Imagine what our drive is like for this album? Think about the frustration, the drive, the anger. All of the things that make music classic happened to us! All of that hunger, how could it not be us? What's your argument when people say that all the drug references in your songs are getting old? Everything is a growth period. It took 10 years for Jay-Z to put on a suit and tie. I just rap about what I know. When I become exposed to more shit, maybe you'll start hearing more shit. Honestly, my fans might stop liking me. Hopefully, they're growing in their street life as well, seeing bigger and better shit. Honestly, man, I don't even entertain the critics saying anything about me and criticizing my content. I've watched them criticize us to no end when Lord Willin' dropped. And then I watched them give love to so many other people who've done nothing but turn into 2004-5-6 drug dealers. Listen, I watched critics literally kill us, then love and give praise to rappers who've been out for years. Now, all of a sudden they're on the block, brick-chopping and kilo-shopping. I don't buy that. I can't even get caught up in what critics are saying anymore. They're too inconsistent. In the rap game, they let anything pass. I'mma play the game like they play it. I ain't judgin' or nuthin' like that. If it's hot, it's hot. --DeMarco Williams

The Clipse on Where They’ve Been, and Why the Long Awaited Album got Pushed Back Again as the things we talk about. It's far from pointless. It's definitely exciting, adventurous music. Everybody loves a good cocaine story or a good hood tale. All things considered, what are you most proud of with your crew? One of the things I'm most proud of is that this music and all the fame that comes with it don't make the Clipse. None of this stuff makes us who we are. If any of the fans ever get to meet us, we're real sincere people. None of the hype goes to our head. And it's not just the Clipse. The Re-Up Gang is like that, and the road managers and all the people we got with us. A lot of cats who've never been

exposed to this industry would probably lose their mind. But nobody's on a high horse; just real people. Being surrounded by real cats is a blessing. What are you most proud of with Hell Hath No Fury? This takes it back to a time when albums were cohesive, as far as the artist and the producer. It should put you in the mind of Mobb Deep, Gangstarr and Wu-Tang, know what I'm saying? Whole albums that play like a movie from beginning to end. You felt the organic growth with the RZA and the Wu. It wasn't like a collage of a bunch of producers. Nothing's wrong with that, but we're out to prove a point, man. My favorite MCs are [ones]

PG 27 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

Mention the term “Southern comedy” and most people immediately think of Jeff Foxworthy and his Blue Collar brethren, who never met a redneck joke they didn't like. But in the decade since the 1996 Summer Olympics first thrust Atlanta into the international spotlight, the city has evolved into a more metropolitan comedy mecca. “I only play six cities-- Boston, New York, San Francisco, Chicago, L.A. and Atlanta,” says veteran comedian Jeff Garlin, star of HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm and films such as Daddy Day Care. “I'm sure there are some people who think of Atlanta as a place where only people like Larry the Cable Guy can play, but they're wrong. The audiences are enthusiastic, smart and probably the best in the country. Atlanta is like Miami: It's definitely in the South, but it's not like I'm going to a rebel truck show to do my standup.” While it may not quite rank alongside Chicago, L.A. and New York among the nation's most fertile comedy hotbeds yet, the city's scene has grown exponentially over the past decade. These days, you can find over a dozen theatres offering standup or improv comedy on any given night. “The increased competition is good for the whole industry,” says Marshall Chiles, manager of the Funny Farm and a touring comedian himself. Here, we profile the city's best clubs and theatres.

STANDUP CLUBS FUNNY FARM COMEDY CLUB A Roswell hotspot for five years now, the Funny Farm attracts sellout crowds to the OTP 'burbs thanks to a spacious, non-smoking room and A-list offerings such as Richard Lewis and DL Hughley. Part of the StarTime Entertainment complex, which also houses an arcade, sports bar, mini-golf, batting cages and go-kart track. 608 Holcomb Bridge Rd.

COMEDY TONIGHT! INSITE’S GUIDE TO ATLANTA’S STANDUP & IMPROV COMEDY CLUBS

770-817H A H A . www.funnyfarmcomedyclub.com. T H E PUNCHLINE Ten years ago, this Atlant a landmarknamed one of the Top 10 comedy clubs in the country by USA Todaywas pretty much the only game in town. From Robin Williams to Jon Stewart, nearly every major comedian of note has appeared on its storied stage over the past 23 years. 280 Hilderbrand Dr. 404252-LAFF. www.punchline.com. SHOWCASE COMEDY LOUNGE Located inside the Landmark Diner, this intimate club focuses on local and lesserknown nation acts, and offers a comedy karaoke in which audience members can tell their best jokes. 3652 Roswell Rd. 404-459-0334. www.showcasecomedy.com. UPTOWN COMEDY CORNER Recently reopened after years of busi-

ness problems, this urban comedy club has provided a valuable showcase for local comedians such as Bruce Bruce a n d Earthquake, while also attracting nationally known acts such as Jamie Foxx and Paul Mooney. 800 Marietta St. 404881-0200. www.myspace.com/uptowncomedy.

DAD'S GARAGE THEATRE Arguably the city's hottest improv theatre, offering everything from improvised wrestling and soap opera parodies to original plays and irreverent productions such as Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical. Also hosts the annual Atlanta Improv Festival and World Domination TheatreSports Tournament, which bring North America's best troupes to the ATL. 280 Elizabeth Street. 404-523-3141. www.dadsgarage.com. JACKPIE THEATRE WORKSHOP This relatively new theatre specializes in the Chicago style of long-form improv, with shows such as “Meet X,” in which scenes featuring seemingly unrelated characters eventually reveal interweaving destinies á la Crash. Splinter faction Babies Mit Bearden has established itself as a troupe of Kids in the Hall-like talent. Relapse Theater, 380 14th St NW. 770621-4605. www.jackpie.com.

IMPROV COMEDY

LAUGHING MATTERS Making audiences laugh for over 20 years with regular appearances at Manuel's Tavern, the ATL's oldest improv troupe recently found a home at the Academy Theatre. Known for familyfriendly comedy, the troupe's members have appeared on TV shows such as Malcolm in the Middle and The Simpsons. Academy Theatre, 12 N. Clarenden Ave. 404-225-5000. www.laughingmatters.com.

THE BASEMENT THEATRE One of the city's newer troupes, the Basement has attracted a loyal following to its intimate space with shows that range from short- and long-form improv to the Mystery Science Theatre 3000inspired “Cineprov,” which finds them mocking some of the worst films in history. 175 West Wieuca Rd NE, Suite B3. 404-277-3071. www.thebasementtheatre.com.

WHOLE WORLD THEATRE An Atlanta improv staple for more than a decade now, the Whole World ensemble specializes in finding the humor in humanity, emphasizing character development over cheap laughs. They also developed the annual Improv in the Park, which features three top troupes performing in Piedmont Park every summer. 1214 Spring St. 404-817-PLAY. www.wholeworldtheatre.com.

BOOK REVIEWS THE DISCOMFORT ZONE by Jonathan Franzen

Jonathan Franzen created a controversy when he declined Oprah Winfrey's offer to make his 2001 book The Cor rections a selection in her wildly popular book club. Franzen's refusal seemed absurd at the time, but mere pages into The Discomfort Zone, a collection of stories from his life,it's clear that Franzen was always a bit odd. The press is once again tripping all over itself to be the first to declare The Discomfort Zone another triumph. The truth, however, is that the memoir is yet another attempt by a pretentious author to cement his reputation as a quirky individual who never fit in As a rule, memoirs by fiction authors should be read with a suspect eye. There always seems to be this push to make their childhoods more interesting and odd than they really were. This short collection, which jumps from adulthood to his teen years and back to his early marriage, is uneven at best. The book opens promisingly, with Franzen recalling coming back home to put his recently deceased mom's home up for sale. The story is oddly interesting and full of fascinating details. But his chapters about trying to fit in at church camp start out promising, yet never really go anywhere, and his re-telling of how he got into bird watching is just as boring as it sounds. All in all, a pretty unimpressive collection. Grade: C

THE 9/11 REPORT: A GRAPHIC ADAPTATION by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon

My initial reaction to the news that the 9/11 Report was being adapted to graphic novel form was to simply marvel at how lazy we had become as a country. We can't even read without pictures anymore?! Then I realized that the dense 9/11 report had been sitting on my bookshelf for nearly a year, untouched because of the daunting nature of tackling 500 pages churned out by a government committee. After a little thought, the idea of converting this important historical collection suddenly seemed a brilliant move. This emotional comic is obviously drawn well, but it's the story itself that has the greatest impact. The book documents not only what happened during the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, but also goes into detail with a history of Osama Bin Ladin and al Qaeda and behind the scenes mistakes in this country that helped allow the attacks to occur. Every detail- from the countries Bin Ladin drew from to form his terrorist cells to the activities the highjackers undertook to blend in as Americans– is covered in the graphic novel, which reads just like a book For anyone who has yet to spent a month pouring over the dense 9/11 Commission Report, this graphic novel is the best alternative since Cliff's Notes. Grade: B+ -John Moore PG 29 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

INsite’s Guide to Halloween

Haunted Houses, Monthly Celebrations and Costumes Suppliers Haunted Houses -Events

Netherworld

6624 Dawson Blvd., Norcross 404.608.2484 www.fearworld.com

CELEBRATING ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY, NETHERWORLD Haunted House is a self-guided, dark attraction filled with terrifying live actors, amazing special effects, and incredible monsters. Widely considered to be one of the best Haunted Houses in the nation, this intense, cutting edge, multi-themed haunted attraction is full of intense detail and chilling scares! Three distinct attractions await you. CURSED: A Maximillian Colber: Netherworld massive, detailed gothic nightmare! Enter into the deserted Colber Estate, built on a battleground between the natural and the unnatural, a place where ancient elemental spirits defend our earth from the hideous things of the NETHERWORLD! FREAK PIT: Dr. Bile's Freak Pit and Museum of Oddities. Missing persons, strange smells and rumors of ghastly experiments in the dark bowels of the building. Wave goodbye as you step beneath the 2 story tall evil clown, and don't say we didn't warn you! A dark, bloody freak show! SHOCK-O-RAMA: A wild 3D mindbender! The vilest comic of all was Shock-O-Rama, a "funny book" that some said was based on real life occurrences. When the authorities came to shut down the publication of the comic, everyone in the production offices had vanished. Some say that publisher, J. Fred Bostwick made a deal with the devil. Netherworld was recently voted the #2 Haunted Attraction in America. According to Leonard Pickel, Editor of Haunted Attraction Magazine, "Netherworld is one of the most creative and ingenious Haunted Attractions ever conceived. Each year the Netherworld team creates an unbelievably new and frightening environment for those of us who love to be frightened!"

Creepers Haunted House

PG 10 insiteatlanta.com October 2005 PG 30 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

Screamworks

Chamblee Plaza, Peachtree Ind. Blvd; Chamblee www.ScreamworksAtlanta.com

ATLANTA’S NEWEST HAUNTED HOUSE IS ACTUALLY FOUR HAUNTED HOUSES IN ONE. SHIPWRECK: Blood thirsty pirates both living and dead who have sworn to make sure you take their secret location to the grave. THE PIT: An experiment in terror, testing your senses to see what may be lurking in the dark. SLAMMER: Home of 200 of the worst criminally insane felons ever put behind bars, this supermax facility allows its inmates to live life by their own rules. DEAD END MANOR: You are invited to dinner at the dark and lonely house your mother always warned you to stay away from. You might just end up as the main course.

Little 5 Points Halloween Festival and Parade

2478 Atlanta Rd. Smyrna 770.444.3395 www.CreepersHauntedHouse.com

THIS YEAR CREEPERS HAS TWO OF THE BIGGEST HAUNTED houses in Georgia under one roof! These haunts are anything but typical. Take an eerie boat ride to a place where voodoo spirits cast spells on unsuspecting visitors. Float deeper into the 10,000 square foot moss infested swamp where tribal natives wait to hunt down their next sacrifice. VOODOO: Deep in the mist-shrouded bayous of

Louisiana lives the Delacroix family. The brothers JeanPierre and “Junior” cordially invite you to attend the passing of their dear sweet Grand Ma’ma. To reach the funeral, you must board a rickety old boat for a guided tour through the swampy waters that surround their grim abode. But beware! Once you reach their house, grisly family secrets are discovered that the Delacroix’s are trying to keep quiet. If you think you are safe by escaping into the swamp, think again! Snakes and ‘gators are not the only things to fear here. Rumors of Voodoo rituals and nightmarish zombies infest the wetlands. The Bayou is alive and won’t rest until it’s claimed its last victim. THE DUNGEON: It is a time of darkness and bloodshed... the middle ages. Feuding warlords and ruthless kings continue to conquer the land. Ignoring the ramblings of mystical mage, you journey across the drawbridge, deep into the heart of the malevolent king’s realm. Brave warriors are given over to madness and kings become monsters. Iron gates slam behind you as you find yourself trapped in the nightmarish dungeon with few souls left alive. Descending deeper into the darkness you must navigate monstrous caves with trap doors, the tomb of the king, and finally into the ruined city itself to capture the fabled treasure! However, the spirits of the realm wish to keep the treasure for themselves and will not be easy to defeat!

Friday Oct. 20 & Sat. Oct. 21

The Creepers bus can be rented for groups of 10-12 and include VIP passes to the haunted house.

photo courtesy of fearworld.com

On The Scene

THIS ANNUAL AWARD - WINNING EVENT HOSTED BY THE LITTLE 5 POINTS BUSINESS ASSOCIATION is fast becoming Atlanta's favorite Halloween tradition and returns this year with old festival favorites and new highlights. The festival opens 5pm until 10pm, Friday, October 20, featuring live music, street entertainment, outdoor beverage vendors and Little 5 Points restaurant and retail promotions. On Saturday, October 21, the festival opens at 12 noon until 10pm

with live music and street entertainers in Findley Plaza, a children's area featuring pumpkin decorating, a Halloween costume contest, outdoor beverage vendors, and the festival highlight - - the not-to-be-missed Halloween street parade, starting at 5pm. The festival is free and open to the public and is located in and around Findley Plaza at the intersection of Moreland and Euclid Avenues. For more information about the event or to sign up for the parade, visit www.L5PHalloween.com.

Halloween Parties At The Bars

Famous Pub (2947 N. Druid Hills Rd. 404-633-3555) Saturday night Oct. 28th immediately following the Georgia / Florida game. Prizes and give-aways plus a best Costume contest.

CJ’s Landing (270 Buckhead Ave. 404-237-7657)

Superhero Halloween Bash Saturday night Oct. 28. Come as your favorite superhero of villian and compete in there costume contests throughout the night.

ATTITUDE The One Night A Year You Get Credit For Your ...

BRING IT ON!

Wild Bill’s (2075 Market St. Duluth 678-473-1000)

Atlanta’s largest costume party takes place on Saturday night October 28th. Party with thousands in the spirit of Halloween. Prizes: $1,500 Best overall costume; $500 scariest; $500 original; $500 sexiest.

Atkin’s Park (794 N. Highland 404-876-7249)

Wednesday, 10/25 features Bobbing for Jager. Thursday 10/26 features Pumpkin carving; Friday 10/27 is Silent Movie Night; Saturday, 10/28 Costume contest with DJ Terror.

Park Tavern (500 10th St. NE 404-249-0001)

Spiral Entertainments annual Halloween bash “Spiralween” will take place this year at Park Tavern. Twentysomething crowd; costumes galore.

On Televison in October

TCM Underground Premiering Fri. Oct. 13

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will join with faithful followers of cult films in an appreciation of the often misunderstood, sometimes maligned genre in the network’s newest weekly movie franchise, TCM UNDERGROUND, to be hosted by filmmaker and legendary rocker Rob Zombie. The late-night showcase, which will feature off-the-wall or avant-garde movies chosen and introduced by Zombie, is set to launch Friday, Oct. 13, at 2 a.m. ET (11 p.m. PT). Among the movies scheduled to be featured on TCM UNDERGROUND are horror master George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead and The Crazies, Ed Wood’s Bride Of The Monster and the originator of horror Tod Browning’s Freaks, as well as Leonard Castle’s offbeat The Honeymoon Killers, the story of which also serves as the basis for the new thriller Lonely Hearts, starring John Travolta, James Gandolfini, Salma Hayek, Jared Leto and Laura Dern.

Costumes & Decorations

Party City

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Visit any of our 22 Atlanta Area Locations or visit us at www.partycity.com

PG 31 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

PG 31 insiteatlanta.com August 2004

costumes, they have accessories to create whatever costume you can think of. While creating your outfit this Halloween, you can also browse their full line of make-up, hairsprays, and fake-blood.

In October, Atlanta's largest Party store has adapted their inventory to include special plates, cups, napkins, table covers, and all other types of decorations to get into the spirit of Halloween. A few of the decorations to make your place spooky are their tombstones, fog machines, drop down ghosts, spider webbing and scene setters. Party City also carries Halloween CD’s and DVD Games as well as an assortment of candy, flashlights and glow merchandise.

feet of retail space. They stock such cutting edge brands as Lip Service, Tripp, Dickies & BC Ethic. During October, they devote a large part of the store to Halloween, boasting the most fabulous and unique costumes in Atlanta. Here you will find 100's of wigs, costumes, accessories, and decorations. Some of the popular costumes to choose from are: Nurses, Schoolgirls, Devils, Pimps, Pirates, Jailbirds, Fetish, Fairy tale, 70's, and even a walking coffin costume. They also have masks like the Dick Cheney and a wide range of your political favorites. Junkman’s has the craziest, most unique costumes in town, get shopping early for the best selection!

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As one of the largest and most successful retailers in Little Five Points, Junkman's Daughter is ready for Halloween. This 24 year old alternative department store boasts 10,000 square

PG 32 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

Psycho Sisters, the #1 cool consignment shop in Atlanta has gone completely beserk with their Halloween inventory this year. Pirate extravaganza, Go Go galore, Disco King and Queens, 80’s big hair rockers will all be here from top to bottom. The stores are stuffed with fun merchandise. Dress up for Halloween this year at Psycho Sisters and have a blast. Psycho Sisters Little Five Points has hundreds of Leg Avenue costumes and owner Angela is notorious for giving discounts. The store is so busy, it opens its doors to late at night, sometimes till midnight.

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The Last Action Hero If Fearless is Jet Li's final martial arts movie, why is he grinning so much?

earing a black t-shirt and jacket, gray cargos and a pair of New Balances, Jet Li appears pretty comfortable. He smiles often and his words jump out at you like one of his fists in the movies. “Martial arts is my life,” explains the 43-year-old star of the visually-stunning Jet Li's Fearless. “Everything I know is from martial arts philosophy, so I wanted to make a movie to talk about it. We've made a lot of action movies and usually people focus on the fighting, physical fighting, violence against violence. That's the only message you would get out of it– beat, beat, beat. A lot of people only talk about war and fight, and nobody talks about stopping.” Well, he is. After some 25+ years of dazzling on the big screen, Jet Li (who's broken over 17 bones in his fighting career) says he's officially done with rearranging faces for the audience's pleasure. (He's leaving the door open for the right action cop drama, though.) Listening to Jet's words, it's obvious he wants to try his hand at something else... maybe even a romantic comedy. Oddly, “no studio offers me those roles. I never have a chance to prove to the stud i o s that I c a n make a

PG 34 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

movie without action.” Patience, Grasshopper. If Fearless is the commercial success it has the potential to be, some thankful studio might grant your on-screen kiss wishes, after all. Do you feel people who are practicing martial arts come to a position where they understand the essential nature of it? That it is a spiritual practice and that it is for mental peace. In the beginning, like the first three to five years, I only knew the physical part. I only learned how to do the physical move. But after a while, when think you about life, why do men complain a b o u t women and why do women complain about men? They shouldn't complain, they should teach. It's like the ying and yang philosophy. I will always have both sides, and they have their own opinion and that's why it causes them to fight. And starting there, you need to learn. A lot of teachers are teaching that. A lot of people are learning martial arts. When we talk about the gun, it doesn't mean good and evil. It really depends on who uses it; so if you're in a martial arts cult, the most important teaching beforehand, is why you need to learn martial arts. When you want to go away from martial arts, how far do you want to go in the next film you want to make? I think this film gave me the room to talk about my beliefs in the past, physical, mental, everything. That's why I say that this is the last wushu (another name for martial arts) movie for me. There are some movies that I will still make, like Lionsgate's film, Rogue, where I play an FBI agent against the mafia, and there are some sequences where they beat up each other and I never know if this i s

Chinese part, or American kick, or Japanese elbow. I think if you're human to have two arms, two legs, and physically beat up each other to tell that story, there's no philosophy there. It's straight fighting. Would you like to change that image of you? Every actor wants to change. But in the movie business, no one will give you to opportunity to make that film. Unless you make it yourself? Yes. You would have to try and make it yourself. Was there a love scene in this film that was deleted? No. There was none. The Chinese culture is different from the American culture in that the American people want love and warmth in the films and the Chinese don't. Can you talk about all the weapons you use in this movie? A long time ago, I talked to Yuen Wo Ping and I told him I wanted to make a movie where I use 18 kinds of weapons. I wanted to show them in one movie. I thought it was quite cool. With this movie, I had at least three or four weapons. There's not a lot of editing in the film. What's the longest scene you did where there's no editing? I remember there were 17 movements non-stop. Is there any point in your career where you took advantage of skills and you didn't realized what they were for? Within the film, your character just wanted to fight, and didn't u n d e r s t a n d that

“No one wants to make a movie about our beliefs. They only want to focus in on the violence. I want to show a deeper angle to show that violence is not the only solution.”

there was more to it. That's why I did this. I was a 5-time champion in China. I had to try my best. I had to prove it many times, but I didn't say anything until one day I made a movie and I became a well-known actor in Asia. Then suddenly a lot of people hung onto you and want to make money and they try to make me selfish. It becomes an ego thing, and that's the normal life. If you don't know how to control that part, you will lose, you will make a mistake, because you don't want to listen to your mom. You ignore your coach. I want to do this. I want to do that. What are your thoughts on Tony Jaa? He's the new martial arts guy on the scene, right? He's very good. A few years ago, my friend Luc Besson called me and told me that he bought a new movie starring this new guy and suggested I watch it. I have a home theater and watched it, and he's pretty good. I'm very happy. Every generation needs new blood to come to this genre. I think it's great. Your last few films have been very dramatic, including this one and Hero. Have you actively been out there looking for better scripts? That's what I said before. If you have to do something different, you need to prove yourself to the studios with Hero and Unleashed. No one wants to make a movie about our beliefs. They only want to focus in on the violence. In Unleashed, my character was like a dog, with no feelings. They only wanted him to fight. At the end of the movie, Morgan Freeman brings him back to normality. I wanted to show deeper angle to show that violence is not the only solution. Is there any truth to the rumor that you and Jackie Chan will finally make a film together? Always there's rumors, rumors, rumors, for 15 years. But now it's true! Next April, we're going to make a movie. Everybody's waiting for the producer and the director to announce. You can't give out a little hint? Don't be selfish! Let them tell the world! Can you talk about shooting in China now? In China, we can control the schedule, money, everything. With this movie, we have 90 days to shoot, but there were 60 days of fighting. In the United States, with Romeo Must Die and Cradle 2 The Grave, we had a good producer, but we had only four days of fighting. When you want to see the big movement of fighting, you need time. Have you considered producing other martial arts films you don’t star in? I started a foundation in China. There are 10 million people facing depression, so I feel I need to do something. Through my life experiences, I can find money to find doctors worldwide to tell them how to deal with it. I'm spending a lot of time on that. –DeMarco Williams

COPS & MOBSTERS DAMON, DICAPRIO & SCORSESE ON MAKING THE DEPARTED

n The Departed, the underlying theme is deception. Folks think a guy's this when he's truly that. That isn't happening right now. This fancy New York hotel ballroom is packed with reporters. There have to be over 100 in here. Tape recorders and cameras are cued. Clearly, stars are in the vicinity. And, as if on cue, Departed director Martin Scorsese, actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon, co-star Vera Farmiga and screenwriter William Monahan walk into the room. (Jack Nicholson's supposed to be here, too, but he's nursing a gland infection back in L.A.) You know how certain people capture a room's attention the moment they walk in? Multiply that times three and you begin to get the feeling right now. While a few silly journalists ask the others questions, most realize why they're in attendance– to talk to Marty, Leo and Matt about their experience in aking this engaging cop drama. Martin, the last five years you've seen to focus more on Irish storytelling. Why? Martin Scorsese: That's an interesting question. I've always felt a close affinity for the Irish, particularly coming out of the same area of New York City, even though by the 1920s/1930s, most of the Irish had moved out of that neighborhood. It goes back to Gangs of New York, stories about how the Irish helped create New York and America. And don't forget, I do have a very strong love for Hollywood cinema. Some of the greatest filmmakers that have come out of Hollywood, some of the films that I grew up on, were by Irish filmmakers. [Irish stories] have that warmth. We felt very close to the family culture of the Irish. The Italians felt that. There were some differences when they first moved into the same neighborhood. But certainly, Irish literature is very important to me. The poetry of the Irish is something that's extraordinary. The Irish sense of Catholicism is a very interesting contrast to the Italian sense of Catholicism. Those are just my personal reasons. Besides, the script is written by Billy Monahan. Matt and Leo, it almost seems like you guys could have flipped a coin to see who would play which cop. How did that casting process work? Matt Damon: We actually did flip a coin! No, I think Leo and I thought they were both incredible roles. I can't speak for him, but I think if we would’ve been happy to play either one. It's really rare to have a film of this budget to have characters that are this interesting. All of us had good things to play. That's a credit to Bill Monahan's script. And then, also we hear the director's made a few good films. Leonardo Dicaprio: I agree with Matt 100%. These characters are two sides of the same coin. They come from different backgrounds, but they could have easily made choices that the other character made, depending on the circumstances. It just sort of happened that way. I suppose Marty and I got the script first. Matt was the next guy on board. It was ultimately Marty's decision. The original, Infernal Affairs, takes place in Hong Kong. Why'd you take it from there to Boston? Martin: I just reacted to what Bill put together in the script. Once I saw John Woo's The Killer, you can't go near that! That's taking our films, taking their culture and mixing it together. Pictures like that [had me saying] there's a whole 'nother thing going on here. We do what we do, but if we've influenced that culture at all, it's come out through John Woo and Neo Lamb and so many others. All of this is something you have to appreciate as a filmmaker and say, “Okay, you get new inspiration for ways of making narrative film.” However, no matter if I have in my mind a moment of thinking, “Gee, I'll do something like John Woo,” the minute I get to design the shot or get

behind the camera, it comes out to be something different. That's what I do. That's how it's drawn out. But I was really responding to the way Monahan put a way of life -a way of thinking, an attitude, a cultural look at the worldto a very, very closed society. That's what I responded to…Whether I liked it or not, I was drawn to stories that have to do with trust and betrayal. I found that I kept being drawn back to the script in the project. It became something else. Leo, you seem to embrace this Joe Pesci style of sudden violence. Can you talk about your influences for that? Leo: I guess by watching Martin Scorsese movies, right? It's not really familiar for me, but that's what you do as an actor. If you can't draw upon anything in your real life, you go meet people that have done these sorts of things. Part of the process for me was to go to Boston and learn about the South Boston subculture. I spent a lot of time with a guy in L.A. who was telling me a lot of stories. Boston is a very interesting place because everyone knows each other's business. It's like a little microcosm. For me, it was just very important to meet some of the real characters and get to know their personal accounts. You can read books, and I've read some of the books, but to be able to penetrate some of these guys' minds and get deep into what they were thinking was important. You got any good Jack stories? Matt: The first day I worked with him, he’d been working with Leo for a week. It's Sunday night, I'm looking over the script and I get a phone call: “Hello, Matt. It's Marty, the director.” He always says, “Marty, the director.” I go, “Yeah, I know who you are.” He said, “Jack had some ideas for the scene tomorrow.” We were gonna shoot the scene in the movie theatre. He was like, “I'll just get to it: Jack's wearing a dildo.” I said, “Okay, so I'll see you at 7?!” We went in to rehearse it and Jack was like, “Here's the deal: I'm gonna come in, sit there in the overcoat and turn around swinging this dildo.” I was like, “That's actually a really good way to get into the scene.” Jack really brought this incredible new element to that character and made him more obscene. He made it authentic. I don't know how much he was drawing on actual research he did or how much he just intuited, but I found him really committed to making the film believable and pushing the envelope as much as he could. Leo: As far as Jack is concerned, we kinda expected the unexpected. To have Jack Nicholson join up with Martin Scorsese and he plays a gangster is something a lot of

movie fans have been waiting for. For me, there were a number of different scenes where I had no idea what was going to happen. We did one scene one way. I remember Jack speaking to Martie. He didn't feel that he was intimidating enough. It was the table scene. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life, as far as being an actor is concerned. I remember coming to do the scene one morning and the next day I came in and the prop guy told me to be careful. [Jack] had a fire extinguisher, a gun, some matches and a bottle of whiskey. Some things are in the film. Some things aren't. It wasn't as if I was afraid. We're all professionals here. We're all playing the role. But for me, to embody the character of this guy that has to relay this constant, 24-hour panic attack thing and he's surrounded by people that will blow my head off if I gave them any indication that I was who I was [was exciting]. Couple that with the fact I'm sitting across the table from a homicidal maniac that will maybe light me on fire. It gives your character a whole new dynamic. It can completely altered and shifted the scene into a completely different direction. I think we all knew that if he came on board, he would have to sort of grab the reigns with this character and let him be free-form. We were all completely ready for that everyday that we walked up on the set. He had a short run working; he came in and then he left. But those were some of the most intense moments of the film for me. As a human being, there are memories that I'll never forget. With Gangs of New York and The Aviator, this makes your third film working with Scorsese. What it is about him that you love? Leo: Well, I'm a fan of his work. Truth is, I suppose it all started from me wanting to work with him. I was getting sort of familiar with Robert DeNiro's work, so obviously that would mean Martin Scorsese's work as well. I became a fan of his work at a very early age. If you asked me who I wanted to work with at 16 years old starting out in the business, it would have been this guy right here. I got the opportunity to work with Martin in Gangs of New York in 2000. And I think we [just] have a good time working together. We have similar tastes as far the films we like. He certainly has broadened my spectrum as far as the films that are out there on the history of cinema and the importance of cinema. He brought me to different levels as an actor. I look at him as a mentor. How did (Departed producer) Brad Pitt approach you all about the movie? Matt: Leo, Brad and I were all in the bathhouse together... No, Brad came to me because his company had access. I heard Martin Scorsese's directing a movie about Boston, and then I got a copy of the script and loved it. When I came back from New York, I met with Marty. With most of these things, it's contingent on a meeting on both sides. I don't think I even tried to be cool about it. I said, “I'm in. I'll meet him wherever he wants.” It was a very easy for me. Leo: I never had an initial conversation with Brad. I just received the script. It was this tightly-woven, highly-complex gangster thriller. It's very rare in this business that a script lands in your lap that’s ready to go. This was one of those rare occurrences. There was a certain amount of work and, of course, character development– bringing certain things down and changing dialogue. But to have the construct of the story there and to have really complex, duplicitous characters, plot twists and everything come to a satisfying ending is something you hardly ever get in this business. I think I got the script around when Marty got it, and we just talked to each other. It was just one of those things we didn't really need to discuss. He wanted to do it, and I really wanted to do it. --DeMarco Williams PG 35 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

Sports

TEXAS “MOVIN' THE CHAINS, Y'ALL” MASSACRE It's scary how good RB Adrian Peterson is capable of being

e're not playing," claimed Oklahoma Sooners star RB Adrian Peterson after his No. 16-ranked team's 59-0 spanking of Middle Tennessee State on September 23. "We're coming out every week to improve, to get better and win. It's our main focus to go out and dominate our opponent every week." On October 7, the Sooners' opponent is longtime rival and No. 7-ranked Texas. The Longhorns whopped OU 45-12 last year, but you don't have to remind AD (teammates call Adrian “All Day,” because he can pretty much run over defenses for that long) of that. Peterson watched most of the game from the sideline, hindered with an ankle injury. The on-again, offagain ailment limited Peterson to just 1,108 yards rushing– a sharp contrast to the 1,925 he galloped for his Heisman Trophy runner-up 2004 campaign. This year, AP's off to another blazing start (643 yards and seven TDs in four games), forcing the national media to keep his name in conversations with Ohio State's Troy Smith and Notre Dame's Brady Quinn for 2006's top individual prize. But none of that matters now. His 3-1 Sooners (they should be 4-0, right, Pac-10 officials?) still have realistic Big 12 championship aspirations, but they'll prove nothing more than fantasy if the Sooners don't beat the Longhorns in the Red River Shootout. Right before the current season kicked off, we got Peterson's thoughts on stomping Texas, making NFL millions and learning how to hit opponents better. Things have come easily over your career. Has anything been challenging? Being able to be patient and sit there and trust in the offensive line that things will open right. When I first came in, I was really just rushing things at 100 mph, thinking it's just about speed. I'm learning that it's all about the team and waiting on the different holes to open. You do the correct steps and slow yourself down and you start to see those holes, those little creases, and you can better him them. In what areas can you improve? Being able to come to spring [healthy] helped me a lot to knock off a lot of rust, get in better shape and put on a lil' weight. I need to work on techniques for blocking and on catching the ball. Making things happen like that are my main focus. Would you rather win the Heisman or beat Texas? Absolutely, I'd rather beat Texas. Heisman or a national title? The national championship. We go to the workouts and work our butts off with blood, sweat and tears sometimes. It's a PG 36 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2006

team sport. There's no “I” in “team.” Without the offensive linemen, I can't do what I do. Winning a national championship is a goal that we set as a team, and as a team, that's what matters. 2005 didn't go the way you planned. Do you have a chip on your shoulder? I'm not gonna sit here and say I'm not trying to improve on last year. It's kinda funny you said that 'cuz last year I was watching the Heisman while I was sweeping my floor and it just kinda dawned on me [that I wasn't there]. I just take it for what it is and try to make up for it any way I can. Being at the house last year and watching it on the TV, I was like, 'Dang, this time last year I was up there nervous, sitting up in that chair like they were. I used that as motivation to get me prepared for this year. How did you get re-focused? You look back and learn from it. This year I see a lot of guys coming in more focused and understanding exactly what's gotta get done to be able to win the Big 12 and have a chance to play for the championship. Would you have been ready a couple of years ago for the NFL? You know, I think it's best that I'm still in college right now, that I'm still learning and making myself a better player. I probably would have still stayed… I think that's pretty reasonable. The sport is football, not basketball. You go to the NFL and you're playing against grown men out there feeding their families, so it's a whole different outlook. How in the world can you stay focused on college ball when you know there are all these millions waiting on you in the NFL? You can hear what you think you're going to get, but it's not in your hand. Basically, I just stay focused and just continue doing what I did to get here in the first place, not thinking ahead but just taking it day by day. I'm just going to continue doing that and let things unfold. What are your best and worst attributes? Vision [is the best]… The thing I have to work on the most? My pad level, getting my pads lower. I need to improve on picking up the blocks. A lot of guys ask, “Why don't you catch the ball more?” I don't call the plays. But I think this year, you'll see a lil' bit more of it. I've gotta be prepared for whatever they decide to do. Whether it's 20 plays or however many snaps I get, I just gotta be ready for that. Are you having fun with all of this? Really, it's okay being in the spotlight like this. But being the person that I am, I'm real laid back and just chill. Sometimes it gets kinda shady, but it's something you gotta go through. –DeMarco Williams

Sports

FANATIC A Monthly Sports Wrap-Up

this all gets. No matter how loud the voices of publicists and agents and friends and coaches and psychiatric experts and police officers rise in unison into a tower of babble. No matter how many people come to this conversation with their own baggage and their own version of the truth, which isn't the truth at all. And no matter how contradictory and complicated even the voice of T.O. can be much of the time. I believe Terrell Owens.” -ESPN's Dan Le Batard, after Owens denied he attempted to commit suicide on September 26 • NCAA October biggies: 1) Florida at Auburn, Oct 14; 2) Georgia vs. Florida in Jacksonville, Oct 28; 3) Texas at Texas Tech, Oct 28; 4) Virginia Tech at Boston College, Oct 12; 5) Miami at Georgia Tech, Oct 28

by DeMarco Williams • "Monday night, home opener, division game... the whole nation was watching. Hopefully, it was a little too late for the people on the East Coast. Other than that, I'm disgusted with how we played." -Oakland Raiders left guard Barr Sims, after his team's embarrassing 27-0 Monday Night Football opener loss to San Diego • Now that the MLB regular season is complete, we reckon it's time to hand out some hardware for all the hard work: MVP- Ryan Howard, Philly (NL); Derek Jeter, NY (AL); CY YOUNGChris Carpenter, St. Louis (NL); Johan Santana, (AL); Minnesota Dan ROOKIEUggla, Florida (NL); Justin Verlander, Detroit (AL); MANWillie AGERRandolph, New York Mets (NL); Jim Leyland, Detroit (AL); COMEBACK Nomar PLAYERGarciaparra, Los Angeles (NL); Frank Thomas, Oakland (AL)

• "By no means has it been easy. That's life. You get knocked down, you get back up. A lot of other people out there got it worse than me. I haven't looked at it as my last year. I'm still trying to play. People say, 'Are you going to hang it up?' No. Shoot, I've come this far… I understand people's frustrations," he said. "I've been frustrated, too." -Grant Hill, who's only played in 27% of the 492 possible regular season Orlando Magic games the past six years • “It was karma. Or maybe, since the game was in New Orleans, it was voodoo.” -CBS Sportsline's Mike Freeman, after the Saints' emotionrich 23-3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in their first home game since December '04

And finally… • Kerry Collins’ QB rating on September 17 was a miniscule 1.3…The Saints/ Falcons Monday Football Night broadcast was the • And while we're most-watched talking about great Imagine all the attention Terrell Owens would have gotten event in ESPN's hisseasons on the had he downed the entire bottle of Flintstones vitamins! tory and drew the baseball diamond, second-biggest it'd be a shame if cable audience we went any further ever… The University of Phoenix– yes, the popuwithout mentioning the brilliant seasons some lar online school– is paying $7.7 million a year surprising under-the-radar studs had this year, for the next two decades for naming rights of the including Atlanta's Brian McCann (.336, 24 HR), Arizona Cardinals' new stadium… T ravel & Pittsburgh's Freddy Sanchez (a NL -high .346), Leisure Golf lists Kiawah Island Golf Resort (SC), Colorado's Matt Holliday (.332, 32 HR, 109 RBI), Pebble Beach Resorts (CA) and the Pinehurst Arizona's Brandon Webb (16-7, 2.88 ERA), Resort (NC) as the best golf resorts in the U.S… Seattle's Raul Ibanez (32 HR, 122 RBI) and When did Wake Forest and Rutgers suddenly Cleveland's Travis Hafner (.308, 42 HR, 117 RBI). become football powerhouses?… The zilliontimes retired Mike Tyson will return to fight in a • “We're going to have to start giving the Youngstown, OH ring sometime this month… Americans handicap strokes… This is getting Foxsports.com asked visitors to name baseball's boring.” -Former European Ryder Cup member Sandy Lyle, after America's eighth loss in the most memorable play, and after over 170,000 votes, it looks like Kirk Gibson's emotional home last 11 Cups run in the '88 World Series (31%) tops people's minds. • “I believe Terrell Owens. No matter how noisy

Must-See TV

Top 5 Games this Month

WORLD SERIES

DALLAS vs. PHILADELPHIA

FLORIDA VS. AUBURN

NBA OPENING NIGHT

GEORGIA vs. FLORIDA

Begins October 21 (Time TBD, FOX) Smart money says we’re headed for a reprise of 2000's all-NY series. That could be fun. But seeing hard-working Detroit scrap it out might be funner. October 8 (4:15, FOX) The DVD set for Lost doesn't offer half the sub-plots of T.O.'s soap opera-ish return to the City of Brotherly Loathe.

October 14 (Time and network TBD) The SEC's best teams (sorry, LSU) give fans a taste of what the conference title game should look like in a couple of months. October 31 (8PM and 10:30PM, TNT) The first game of the year pits Ben Wallace's Bulls against the defending champs. The second might be better, as the Suns take on Kobe's Lakers. October 28 (3:30PM, CBS) If both go into this annual battle undefeated, the game no longer has just regional implications; it takes importance to folks outside of Cracker Barrel's range.

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CAPRICORN

TAURUS

VIRGO

October will be a dynamic period for ambitious Capricorns. If you’re looking for a raise or promotion, don’t be afraid to toot your own horn!

Dealings with the authority figures in your life-- bosses, parents, The Man-- should be on the upswing, so now is a good time to (respectfully) to ask for what you really want.

Venus and Mars in your resource zone will force you to focus on what truly matters, whether it be financial issues or your own sense of self-worth. Remember, Introspection can be a good thing...

AQUARIUS

GEMINI

May 22nd thru June 21s

Sept. 24th thru Oct. 23rd

Ready to get on the road again? This is a great month for Aquarian travels, or just making plans that will broaden your horizons in personal or professional terms.

Venus and Mars are bringing a sense of warmth and energy to your creative zone, so use October to launch new projects that require your imagination and innovation.

With Venus in your sign until the 24th, October is a month of love, harmony and balance. It’s a perfect time for weddings and engagements, or simply improving the love you have.

PISCES

CANCER

June 22nd thru July 23rd

Oct. 24th thru Nov. 22nd

Though life may still prove enjoyable, things could get a little complex in your life this month. Don’t be afraid to dig deep in search of truth where $$$ or intimacy is concerned.

Cancerians are homebodies, and this month will find you feathering your nest in fine fashion. Whether you’re redecorating or just clearing out clutter, make your home a stress-free haven.

Scorpios may feel bored this month, but a lot is happening beneath the surface. Take time out, rest up and distance yourself from stress to prepare for the action that lies ahead.

ARIES

LEO

SAGITTARIUS

Had a tough time of it lately? Look for a peaceful, easy feeling to creep into your life soon, especially where your personal relationships are concerned.

Leos will be all about travel and communication this month, bringing passion (and a lil’ drama) to your relationship. Take a trip with a loved one and it will be extra romantic!

Has life been a bot on the intense side lately? This month offers some time off to enjoy life more, energizing your physical, emotional and spiritual batteries.

Dec. 22nd thru Jan. 20th

Jan. 21st thru Feb. 19th

Feb. 20th thru Mar. 20th

Mar. 21st thru Apr. 20

Apr. 21st thru May 21th

July 24th thru Aug. 23rd

Aug. 24th thru Sept. 23rd

LIBRA

SCORPIO

Nov. 23rd thru Dec. 21st

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Celebrating Mexico!

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TASTE OF MERIDA, YUCATAN Oct. 4-10th

Enjoy Exquisite Flavors of this World Famous Cuisine for Lunch & Dinner

DAY OF THE DEAD Nov. 1-5th

Special Menu to Commemorate this Important Mexican Holiday.

Decatur: 404.270.9450 | Midtown: 404.249.7576

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CREATIVE MEXICAN

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The Red Door Tavern MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

COMPLIMENTARY BUFFET INCLUDES GREAT WINGS $1 BUD & BUD LIGHT DRAFTS 3180 Roswell Rd. (1 Block N. of Roxy) • 404.846.6525

Volcano Vaporizor

Red Dawn, GH Release, & Dream Weaver Starting at $9.95

New Roo R Starting at $129.95

Only $529.95

�� Blunt Wraps 2 for $1

Detox Products

Oil Burners 2 for $5

Adult DVDs 2 for $20

Cigars & Cigarettes

Self Defense Products

Atlanta / Sandy Springs 6124 Roswell Rd. 404-256-1116 Mon - Sat. 10am - 2am / Sun Noon - 2am