INsite Atlanta October 2007 Issue by INsite Magazine

October 20FR0E7E Vol. 16, No. 2

ntertainment Monthly E s ’ a t n a l t A tlanta.com www.insitea

n e e w o l Hal e d i u G Usher | Cate Blanchett | The Used Drive By Truckers | Russell Crowe and Into the wild’s Emile Hirsch

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AKERS MILL | 770.956.9093 2995 Cobb Pkwy. ALPHARETTA/WINDWARD 678.393.2733 5530 Windward Pkwy. ANSLEY MALL | 404.249.6463 1544 Piedmont Ave. NE ATLANTIC STATION | 404.810.9015 261 19th St., Suite 1140 AUSTELL | 770.432.4262 Newly Remodeled! 1025 E. West Connector #2

BUFORD | 678.714.5075 3420 Buford Dr. N.E. CAMP CREEK | 404.344.1248 3755 Carmia Dr. SW, Suite 700 DUNWOODY/PERIMETER PT. 770.350.4951 1155 Mount Vernon Hwy.,#600 EAST COBB | 770.973.3370 4400 Roswell Rd.

KENNESAW/TOWN CENTER 770.427.9668 2801 George Busbee Pkwy. LENOX/BUCKHEAD | 404.233.8311 3232 Peachtree St. MCDONOUGH | 800.607.1750 Join Now at the Preview Center! 2023 Jonesboro Rd. MIDTOWN | 404.249.6404 75 Fifth St., NW, Suite E

ROSWELL WEST | 678.494.6464 4801 Alabama Rd. SNELLVILLE | 770.979.1288 2279 Pinehurst Rd. SOUTHLAKE | 770.960.0393 7057 Mount Zion Circle

SPRAYBARRY - Coming Soon! 800.730.7261 2550 Sandy Plains Rd., Ste. 325

HOLCOMB BRIDGE | 770.640.8137 1475 Holcomb Bridge Rd.

NORTHLAKE | 770.414.0651 1990 W. Exchange Place

SUGARLOAF | 770.822.2533 1860 Duluth Highway

JOHNS CREEK | 770.623.9433 11720 Medlock Bridge Rd.

PEACHTREE CORNERS | 770.797.2661 7050 Jimmy Carter Blvd. #118

TOCO HILLS | 404.248.2998 2880 N. Druid Hills Rd.

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CONTENTS • OCTOBER 2007 • VOLUME 16.2

INTERVIEWS 12 MONICA BELLUCCI 12 EMILE HIRSCH 19 RUSSELL CROWE 23 PAUL STANLEY 25 ENVY ON THE COAST 26 USHER 27 DRIVE BY TRUCKERS 29 CATE BLANCHETT 34 THE USED

FEATURES

10 SUBS 13 OUTDOOR DINING 14 FALL MOVIE PREVIEW 30 HALLOWEEN GUIDE 37 NHL PREVIEW

COLUMNS 06 ON TAP 07 BOOKS 07 UNDER THE LIGHTS 08 AROUND TOWN 16 MOVIE REVIEWS 18 VIDIOTS 20 CONCERT CALENDAR 22 ROAD WARRIORS 22 WE GOT NEXT 24 ALBUM REVIEWS 38 FANATIC

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

PG 4 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

Contributing Writers / Interns: John Davidson, John Moore, Mathew Goldberg, Russell Fisher, Zena Scott, Margo Aaron, Andrea Hatter, Kim Guelcher, Richard Marsh, Tracy Gould & Mark Fitten, Adam Partin CONTACT US 2250 North Druid Hills Rd. #100 Atlanta, GA 30329-3118 phone 404-315-8485 website insiteatlanta.com ADVERTISING INFORMATION �� Editorial content of INsite is the opinion of each writer and is not necessarily the �� false or mi leading advertising or editorial content, nor do the publisher or edi�� information (any and all) in this publication may be reproduced in any manner without written ��

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LOCAL EVENTS

OnTap for October EMAIL EVENTS TO ONTAP@INSITEATLANTA.COM

October 6: HANDS ON ATLANTA DAY Atlanta residents will join thousands of metro area volunteers in making a difference in neighborhoods, schools and local nonprofits as part of the 17th annual Hands On Atlanta Day. Hands On Atlanta Day - Hands On Atlanta's signature annual volunteer event. Over 15,000 Atlanta residents are expected to participate this year. Examples of volunteer activities include renovating schools, preparing meals for the homeless, beautifying local parks, restocking local food banks and much more. Volunteer spaces are filling up quickly. Interested volunteers can register on Hands On Atlanta’s website: www.handsonatlanta.org.

October 12 - 14: THE ECHO PROJECT The Echo Project three-day eco-responsible music festival is coming to Atlanta. The Echo Project will be held on 350-acres of scenic Chattahoochee river front property on a privately owned 1250-acre farm just south of metropolitan Atlanta and has a mission to revolutionize how music and arts events affect our environment through eco-friendly event production. Some of the headliners include: The Killers, The Flaming Lips, Phil Lesh and Friends, moe., The Roots, Spoon, and Cypress Hill. For more info, head to: www.the-echoproject.com.

Friday headlining act: The Killers

October 13 - 14: 6TH ANNUAL TASTE OF ATLANTA Take your taste buds on a global epicurean adventure as Atlanta's premier food festival celebrates its 6th anniversary with more than 70 of the city's best restaurants serving their finest fare. Atlanta's favorite autumn food festival returns to the open air excitement of Atlantic Station.. From tapas to Thai, grilled to Greek, saucy to sweet whatever you crave you'll find it at Taste of Atlanta. The event will feature more than 70 of the city's best restaurants, live cooking demonstrations from national and local celebrity chefs, entertainment and much more. For more information, head to: www.tasteofatlanta.com.

October 13:

OKTOBERFEST

"BUCKHEAD BLOCK PARTY"

The biggest party in Atlanta is happening at the Oktoberfest "Buckhead Block Party". This high powered shindig is going to be the place to be. The action gets started at 2 PM and doesn't end until midnight. Zac Brown, Jupiter Coyote, and Blackberry Smoke will be performing at the event. It is going down behind the building that houses Atlanta faves' The Peachtree Tavern, Moondogs, Hole in the Wall, and Loco's Bar and Grill. For more information, head to: www.xorbia.com/rsvp/wndcpsc/oktoberfest2007.

October 21: 17TH ANNUAL

AIDS WALK ATLANTA

As the southeast's largest AIDS fundraising event, the 17th annual AIDS Walk Atlanta aims to educate the public about how this poverty-based disease impacts all of our lives with a whole new look. Hosted by AID Atlanta, a non-profit community based AIDS service organization, the event will take place on Sunday, October 21st at Piedmont Park. For more information, head to: www.aidatlanta.org.

October 20: GREAT DECATUR BEER TASTING FESTIVAL

Come and enjoy an afternoon of beer tasting! More than 100 of the finest local, American and international beers will be showcased at the event by area distributors and Decatur's restaurants and pubs. There will be music on the bandstand and food from local restaurants available for sale. The festival will be limited to the first 5,000 people. Admission is $30 per person and includes a commemorative tasting glass. You must be 21 or older to attend. For more information and tickets, head to: www.decaturbeerfestival.com. PG 6 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

Book Review THE ABORTIONIST’S DAUGHTER Author: Elisabeth Hyde BY JOHN B. MOORE With The Abortionist’s Daughter, Elisabeth Hyde has injected a shot of much-needed adrenaline into the oft-clichéd genre of the modern mystery/thriller. Taking place in the Denver suburbs a couple of weeks before Christmas, the book opens with Dr. Diana Duprey, the local abortion doctor, found dead in her pool. When the death is ruled a murder, her district attorney husband is an obvious suspect, as is the local anti-abortion crusader. A secondary story about her college-aged daughter, who is just as fiercely independent as her mother and also serves as one of the investigating officers, is just as compelling as the primary whodunit storyline. Though the story is certainly riveting, what makes Hyde’s work so strong is the detail she puts into every character, even those on the furthest periphery. Far from the cookie-cutter characters that are usually trotted out for contemporary mystery/thriller fare, Hyde has pulled together a powerful cast for The Abort i o n i s t ’s Daughter. Ultimately, the r e a d e r ’s only frustration c o m e s from the novel’s relative brevity.

Grade: A-

Under The Lights

Theatrical Performances in October Sleuth

Oct. 10-Nov. 4 Alliance Theatre 404-733-5000 www.alliancetheatre.org

HAT'S A LITTLE MURDER AMONG FRIENDS? Anthony Shaffer's thriller elicits both shrieks and laughs as two men engage in a battle of wits and imagination - all for the love of one woman. Its blend of terror and humor leaps from the stage in an explosive roller coaster ride of thrills, chills and even the occasional giggle. Associate Artistic Director Kent Gash stamps this Photo by Alliance Theatre action-packed whodunit with his signature theatrical verve, creating an exhilarating, enthralling, not-to-be-missed revival of an enduring Broadway hit. When this bloodcurdling shocker bursts off the stage, we dare you to take your eyes away for even a moment.

The Wedding Singer

Oct 16 - 21 The Fox Theatre 404-817-8700 BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com

OBBIE HART LIVES IN HIS GRANDMOTHER'S BASEMENT in New Jersey and sings in a wedding band. His dreams of being a singer/songwriter are long gone. When his fiancée leaves him standing at the altar, he

THEATER T

HE GHASTLY DREADFULS ARE BACK from the great beyond to perform their haunting tales and macabre music once more for your entertainment and edification. Whether you are seeing them for the first time, or just reliving the morbid splendor of last season, you're sure to find yourself enchanted. There's Simply, Darkly, Daftly, Dizzily, Dapperly, Tartly and Catly Dreadful, and each has a story to tell. In a unique blend of puppetry styles, set designs and musical renderings, the Ghastly Dreadfuls bring the art of Halloween storytelling back to life. Recommended for ages 16 and up. Wear a costume to any performance and receive $2.00 off admission.

Colorado

Photography by Phil Martin

becomes a wedding planner's worst nightmare. Based on the hit film, the Tony Award nominated Broadway play, The Wedding Singer takes us back to a time when hair was big, greed was good, collars were up and a wedding singer sporting a mullet might be the coolest guy in the room.

The Ghastly Dreadfuls' Compendium of Graveyard Tales and Other Curiosities

Oct 11 - 28 Center for Puppetry Arts 404-873-3089 www.puppet.org

Sept 28-Oct. 20 Dad’s Garage Theatre 404-523-3141 www.dadsgarage.com

DARKLY FUNNY COMEDY - Colorado examines the effects of pageantry life within a small mid-western family. This Regional Premiere quickly turns dark as Tracey Ackhart, shining star of the Ackhart family and recent winner of Miss Late Teen Colorado, mysteriously vanishes into thin air only one day before the National Pageant. As the search for Tracey and the truth behind her disappearance begins, it becomes apparent that each of her family members has their own reason to want her dead. From an insanely jealous mother, to an ambition suppressed father, and an awkward, Maury Povich obsessed brother - they'll have you guessing until the very end.

PG 7 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

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Visit Any of Our 20 Atlanta Area Locations or Visit Us On Line at www.partycityonline.com

RESTAURANT PROFILE

Taste of the Month...Sub Sandwiches Some great places to get a Sub before watching the big game Baldinos

Johnny’s NY Style Pizza

Marietta 770.321.1177

Mutliple Locations www.JohnnysPizza.com

Doraville 770.455.8570

Johnny’s Pizza has come to be synonymous with Great Pizza and Subs. The first metro area location opened in East Point in 1977. That location was an instant success and their second Atlanta location opened on Cheshire Bridge Rd. one year later. There are now 65 Johnny’s Pizza restaurants. The secret to their success is in the preparation. They always use the finest ingredients in their fantastic Pizza, Subs, Salads, Sandwiches, Strombolis, and everything else on our menu! Hot Oven-Toasted Subs are served with your choice of: Mayo, Mustard, Provolone Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions and Johnny's Own Great Italian Oil & Vinegar Dressing. Try thier Johnny’s special which is an Italian sub made with ham, salami and capicolli meats. The Johnny’s Turkey sub is made with the highest quality Hormel breast meat. They offer several hot Permesana style subs toasted with tomato sauce and melted mozzerella; your choice of chicken, eggplant, Italian sausage and meatball.

80 Powers Ferry Rd. (at Hwy. 120) 5697 Buford Hwy. (Just north of 285) Since 1975, Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs has been recognized as the only true New Jersey submarine sandwich in the South. Their instore bakery assures the freshest rolls baked daily. Whether you are ordering Boar’s Head Golden Roasted Turkey Breast or one of Baldinos famous Italian Subs, the meat is always sliced when you order to insure the freshest sub possible. If you like it hot, Baldinos Cheesesteak is the “Best in town”. In fact, all their grilled subs, including Sausage Italiano and a variety of chicken subs are great because they are hot off the grill; not out of the microwave. Stuffed subs like Tuna, Marinated Chicken, Meatball and Vegetarian Stir-Fry top off a variety of more than 30 subs and salads. When you walk into a Baldinos sub shop, you will feel the difference. When you eat a Baldinos sub, you’ll know the difference. Like they say, “Yea we’re fresh, but in a good kind of way." If you're looking for the perfect tailgate experience; bring Baldinos and make it a party.

Chicago’s Nancy’s Pizza

Midtown 265 Ponce De Leon, Ste. G 404.885.9199 Buckhead 3167 Peachtree Rd. Ste. D 404.842.9997 www.nancyspizza.com

The name Chicago conjures up images of some of the best pizza in the country. And also the best subs. Mike Glover opened the first Chicago’s Nancy's in Atlanta on Ponce in 2003. With great word of mouth, the location became an immediate success. As Mike explains, We commit ourselves to the customers being happy and make sure to thank them for coming to Chicago’s Nancy’s. In addition to their great pizza, Nancy’s offers many other outstanding items such as spectacular long-roll Italian sandwiches served on homemade sub-length garlic bread, loaded with lots of fresh meats and veggies. With their famous Godfather to the classic Sorrento, imagine roasted Italian beef topped with tomatoes, green peppers, onions, melted Mozzarella cheese and the perfect creamy garlic sauce, served on homemade toasted garlic bread. From the Chicago style roasted Italian beef with melted mozzarella cheese to the perfectly spiced oven baked chicken breast with red sauce, Nancy’s is sure to have a sandwich that you will love. It just doesn’t get any better than that! Don’t forget the spicy potato wedges. They’re a great compliment to a any sandwich.

Locos Grill & Pub

3167 Peachtree Rd. 404.233.1989 www.locosgrillandpub.com

Locos is famous for their wings, subs and great pitchers of beer. When looking for a place to watch the game, stop in at their Buckhead location. They offer plenty of seating and multiple TV’s. Try their French Dip, grilled lean roast beef with melted provolone served with a side of au jus. The Gobbler offers smoked turkey grilled with Locos® barbeque sauce and served with melted cheddarjack, bacon and mayo. they also have a Chicken Parmesan Sandwich that comes with golden fried chicken strips smothered with marinara sauce, mozzarella and aged Parmesan. In the mood for Italian? This sub offers sliced ham, salami, pepperoni and provolone served cold with lettuce, tomatoes and oil & vinegar. Each sub sandwich is served with your choice of: chips, fries, pasta salad, Spanish rice, mixed vegetables, cole slaw or black beans.

Mo’s Pizza

3109 Briarcliff Rd. (Corner of Briarcliff & Clairmont) 404.320.1258 www.mospizza.com You may know about the burrito chain with the same name, but the original Mo’s resides on the

Your Neighborhood Pizzeria!

VOTED BEST SUBS IN ATLANTA

MONDAY NIGHT

FOOTBALL

We’re not just Pizza! Enjoy Great Dinner Entrees, Subs, Salads and Wraps Multiple Atlanta Locations: www.JohnnysPizza.com PG 10 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

$7.00 LARGE CHEESE PIZZA!

CARRYING COLLEGE & PRO FOOTBALL ON MULTIPLE SCREENS

Pizza | Subs | Wings | Salads Just off I-85 @ Clairmont (Corner of Briarcliff & Clairmont)

3109 Briarcliff Rd. | 404-320-1258

corner of Briarcliff and Clairmont Roads just off the I-85 exit. They have been serving up great pizza and subs for over 25 years. Here you will find a great Italian sub made with ham, pepperoni, genoa salami, mozzarella, chesse, lettuce, tomato, onions and italian dressing. Their Italian sausage comes from a special recipe and is sliced and grilled with onions, topped with Marinara sauce and mozzerella cheese. Their Phili Cheese Steak is real sirlion steak that is trimmed and sliced on premise and grilled with onions and topped with american cheese. Mo’s uses the freshest ingredients; they make their own dough and grind their own cheese daily. The Italian sausage is made exclusively for Mo’s by former Brave Biff Pocoroba. Come to Mo’s this fall to watch all your college and pro football games. They have a great deck to hang out on, and plenty of new plasma TVs offering great views from any table. Mo’s offers a special on Monday nights where you get a Large Cheese Pizza for just $7.00! They are one of the longest running neighborhood restaurants in Atlanta, come in and see why they are one of the best!

Savage Pizza 484 Moreland Ave. L5PTS

404.523.0500 www.savagepizza.com With their homage to comic book super heroes adorning the walls, Savage Pizza is a perfect fit with Little Five Points. They prepare all the recipes using only the freshest vegetables and first quality meats, cheeses, breads and pastas. On Savage's menu you'll find innovative homemade sauces, fresh dough and thoughtfully prepared dishes, made from scratch every day. Their Italian sub is made with fresh cuts of capicolla, salami, pepperoni and provolone -served hot, crusty and melty. Their Turkey-Chedder sub comes with smoked Black Forest turkey and chedder cheese also served hot. Try Savage’s Eggplant Parmesan sub; breaded and baked eggplant, red tomato sauce, mozzerella, provolone and parmesan. Savage serves both lunch and dinner with indoor and outdoor seating and offers catering and delivery.

Thank You Atlanta!

15 YEAR S

PHIPPS PLAZA • BUCKHEAD • 404.814.9640 • LUNCH & DINNER DAILY

www.TheTavernAtPhipps.com PG 11 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

Drop Dead Gorgeous THE RETURN OF MONICA BELLUCCI

FILM INTERVIEW

with her not only about ﬁlming projects around the world but her ongoing and most important role to date: mother. Playing the role of a lactating hooker, this does not seem like the most obvious role for you. What I liked about the movie and the character is that the movie is over the top. It is like a comic. It’s like a videogame. The violence is completely unreal. But even though there is so much violence, I think that DQ brings the emotion. She has a big heart even though she’s wild. And I had so much fun to play her. She’s totally free and as I say all the time, she does dangerous, dark, and dirty things but in a playful way. And it’s like the movie. It’s violent but at the same time, it’s rock n’ roll, it’s sexy, it’s dark, it’s scary, and there’s a lot of humor.

how to do it! It’s just kind of culture and preparation and point of view. For me it’s so interesting to go to Italy and make a movie like Malena and then go to Paris and make a movie like Irreversible, come here and make movies like this and different kinds of movies. I never made a decision to go to America, to live in America. I like New York and do my things there and it’s incredible. But even though I don’t live here, people think about me here. As an Italian, is it difficult to work in America? No, not at all. Some actresses will go, “Oh, I’m French or I’m Italian, so I can only do characters for foreigners.” I think that if a director wants you, he can write something in the script that makes it logical for you to be French or Italian. So even though I’m a foreigner, I can play incredible characters. It doesn’t need to be American to be good. I remember when I went to Paris, the first agent I met said, “Oh, it’s going to be so difficult to make a real career here because you’re Italian. If they’re looking for an Italian, that’s fine, but it will be difficult to make a career.” I didn’t listen, and I was right because I’ve made so many movies in France. More than if I was French! If they want you, they’ll make the character for you. If you have an accent, it’s not a big deal.

WHEN I’M ON STAGE I’M A CHARACTER, AND WHEN I GO HOME I’M A MOTHER. I’M NOT ONE OF THOSE ACTRESSES WHO STAYS IN THE CHARACTER FOR DAYS AND MONTHS. WHEN IT’S OVER, IT’S OVER.

BY MATT GOLDBERG

ONICA BELLUCCI ENTERS THE room and comments on how cold it is. I have no idea why the room was so cold, and you can’t prove otherwise. You’d also have a tough time proving that in person she doesn’t come across just as beautiful and charming as she does in her latest ﬁlm, Shoot Em Up. She is truly an international star, and we recently spoke

What does it say about you that you’re up for the kind of stuff in this film? Well, it told me more about the emotion of DQ. Even when I did The Matrix [Reloaded and Revolutions], the moment I’m in the film is the moment where I have to act. I can’t be in an action movie and just stand there. Even though they tell you the film can be a blockbuster or whatever, I need to play. That’s why I said yes to the character. It was the same thing in The Matrix. It’s the same thing here. It’s what I need to do. And as I say all the time, even though it’s action-packed, there’s also room for actors to build characters with real emotions. And you can see that Paul Giamatti is having fun and Clive [Owen] is having fun and me too, because we really had to do so much.

In your experience, what do you think is distinctive about American filmmaking as opposed to making films in Europe? It’s completely different. For me, this is an American movie. We don’t make these kinds of movies in Europe. We don’t know

What do you like to do when you’re in America? I like New York and LA. I like the energy. There is so much energy. That’s why I live in Europe, because if I stay here too long I get overwhelmed. I’m European, so I’m used to doing 15 days on location and going home for one month. In America, you don’t get vacations. You work too much. But at the same time, that’s why there’s all this energy. I love to come here.

see monica on page 34

FILM INTERVIEW

WILD MAN – EMILE HIRSCH PREPARES FOR STARDOM BY MATT GOLDBERG

OR A YOUNG MAN ON THE VERGE of superstardom, with his acclaimed performance as Christopher McCandless in Sean Penn’s adaptation of Into the Wild and next year’s big summer blockbuster Speed Racer, Emile Hirsch is an amazingly down to earth guy. He has no pretension about himself and a maturity that’s far deeper than most young actors. We spoke with Emile at Emory University (where McCandless graduated in 1990) and discussed how his experience of playing this intriguing young man has inﬂuenced his life. So was the Emory campus what you envisioned it would be? It’s beautiful. I love college campuses. You can just tell that people are there to learn.

How did you approach playing Chris and trying to strike a balance between getting at the emotional authenticity of the character while still remaining a bit of a cipher? I don’t think I really had any type of deﬁnable process in that way. It was more of just trying to learn what I could about Chris by talking to his family– Carine, his sister; Walt and Billy, his parents– and getting the feel for that. And going over his journal and the photos of him and the things he knew. It’s just trying to absorb information and then giving an interpretation. Did you have anything in common with Chris in terms of your background? I think there’s that thing in common that most people feel when the read the book: that PG 12 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

identifying with that need for wanderlust. That’s something I responded to, that urge for adventure. Most people I know feel that. I think McCandless’ story wouldn’t be unique if, after some of the troubles he had growing up or some of his frustrations with society, he vented by living in his grandmother’s basement building trains. Then no one would care. It’s the adventure that he had that sparks people’s imaginations. “What can I do? What can I accomplish? Where can I go?” What did you learn from Chris McCandless? That’s a hard question to answer. I wouldn’t really want to say, “Oh, I really learned this. I proﬁted from playing him this way,” I feel like I was exposed to an unforgettable slice of America because of the story. I was challenged physically to do things that I’d never done before. And also, I was exposed to some of the philosophy that Chris was exposed to. Thoreau’s Walden was a book I really enjoyed reading that I probably wouldn’t have read. You had to go down rapids, scale mountains and go through tremendous weight ﬂuctuations. How did you physically prepare for this role? A lot of it is getting your body in shape. Weightlifting and running and training with the underlying theme being endurance. Knowing that you’re gonna have to do it eight months, every day. It’s one thing to blow all your energy in one day and get the job done. It’s another to keep doing it every day. Eating right. And in terms of rapids and such, that’s just willpower– learning to face mentally daunting obstacles and challenges that are presented in front of you. Even fears. Learning to face them. I think that’s one of the things

about the movie that I took away from it: a lot of the time you feel like you can’t do something, when actually you can and it’s only your own fears that are holding you back from achieving. Were you an outdoors kind of guy before this ﬁlm? I was a hybrid. I spent time in New Mexico, but also in Los Angeles. I felt like it was kind of an equal dose of the outdoors mixed with the more metropolitan thing. How did you get through what seems like the hardest part of being alone and starving in the Alaskan wilderness? Well, that was part of the commitment to the role. That was just something that was a given. And when things are given like that, it’s just doing it. I didn’t go home every night and say ten Hail Marys, if that’s what you’re asking. What’s your experience been like working on Speed Racer and working with the Wachowski Brother? Expect a really great new vision from them. Kind of a candy-coated adventure. Is it more like the show or does it just use the show as a jumping-oﬀ point? It’s a pretty faithful rendition of the show, but with a Wachowskian version to it. Are there deep philosophical ideas like in The Matrix? [Smiles] You’ll have to see it. What was it like to work with Sean Penn?

Sean’s great. He’s kind of like the general with a mad glint in his eye. When we made the ﬁlm, he was really on a mission to make this ﬁlm authentically, as pure as he could make it, as honest as he could make it. He inspires the people around him to do their best. That’s the highest compliment you could really give someone, bringing the best out in people. Because some people bring the worst out in people and just bring people down. Did this experience change your views of privilege, education and the way American society approaches issues? I’m not really sure how to answer that question. [Smiles] So I won’t.

see emile on page 34

RESTAURANT PROFILE

Outdoor Dining! Agave

242 Boulevard S.E. 404.588.0006 www.agaverestaurant.com

city’s best restaurants. The regional Italian menu changes seasonally, and is dominated by standout entrees like hand rolled pasta and flavorful risottos. In back, is their hidden patio surrounded by plants offering a cozy and intimate setting.

Sweet Devil Moon

9 80 Piedmont Ave 404.347.3600

Italian Inspired Menu Featuring Wood Brick Oven Pizza

Come For the Food... Stay for the Party!

www.sdmatlanta.com

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. The tables on their romantic patio with fireplace and southwestern design are a first choice in fall.

Cheeseburger in Paradise

1230 Ashford Crossing 770.730.0782 www.cheeseburgerinparadise.com

SUNDAY 1/2 price wine MONDAY $10 pizza & wine /beer TUESDAY $15 Bar Lobster AND MORE...

Showing Monday Night Football on TV’s and BIG Screen Now open 7 days a week for Lunch and Dinner, and Sunday Brunch Sweet Devil Moon serves authentic Peruvian Tapas. Located in the heart of Midtown, they offer a great enclosed patio to enjoy the view of the bustling scene. Be sure to check out their Paraiso International Thursday nights starting at 8PM. It is free to enter and offers a variety of Salsa, Samba, Euro House and Merengue. Friday Latin Andean Music features Mauricio Amaya and Saturday Sweet Devil Moon offers live Flamenco dancing.

262 Pharr Rd. • Atlanta 404.214.5404 • viarestaurant.net Open Daily @ 5pm

The Tavern at Phipps

3500 Peachtree Rd. 404.814.9640 www.TheTavernAtPhipps.com Jimmy Buffett's famous song comes to life at Cheeseburger In Paradise. Beyond the famed signature cheeseburger, the restaurant features an assorted cuisine that includes traditional American favorites, fresh fish dishes and house specialties prepared with Caribbean flair. Their large patio overlooking Perimeter Place offers live music nightly and a Key West vibe.

Fritti

309 N. Highland Ave. 404.880.9559 www.frittirestaurant.com

As Atlanta's "Best Happy Hour," "Best Patio," "Best Singles Scene," "Best People Watching" and "Best Looking Staff," The Tavern at Phipps has a lot to celebrate as they approach their 15th anniversary this fall. Full menu and bar are served on the patio overlooking Peachtree Road at Phipps Plaza, Buckhead. Check out The Tavern Girls serving nightly on the patio. It's the hottest place in town for Friday happy hour!

Tin Roof Cantina

2591 Briarcliff Rd. 404.329.4700 www.tinroofcantina.com

burritonight?

Located in the heart of Inman Park is Atlanta's most elegant pizza restaurant. They are nationally recognized for their pizza with continuous outstanding reviews and awards. Lined with plants in beds of stones mixed with subtle touches of ambience, Fritti's outdoor patio is the ideal setting for enjoying a gathering of friends.

The Red Door Tavern

3180 Roswell Rd. 404.846.6525

Tin Roof Cantina is located at the intersection of N. Druid Hills and Briarcliff. It is now run by the guys from CJ’s Landing of Buckhead Village. Much of their staff is the same and like CJ’s, this location offers a great outdoor patio with live music wednesday thru saturday. In addition, they have flat screen TV’s inside and out that will be tunned to your favorite football team this fall.

Willy’s Mexicana Grill

The Red Door Tavern located on Roswell Road one block north of the Roxy Theatre, has quickly become a favorite watering hole among locals in North Buckhead. On the weekends, the Red Door deck becomes one big tailgate party as football fans congregate to cheer on their favorite teams. However UGA fans tend to dominate.

15 Atlanta Locations www.willys.com 404.422.7107 Catering

• At Willy’s our food is prepared fresh on site— no microwaves or freezers. • VEGETARIAN-FRIENDLY MENU! We offer marinated and grilled tofu and our beans & rice are cooked daily using no lard or animal products • Our salsas and guacamole are prepared twice a day using only top quality produce delivered 6 days a week.

Sotto Sotto

313 North Highland 404.523.6678 wwwsottosottorestaurant.com

Sotto Sotto located in Inman Park is one of the

College Night at Willy’s!

At Willy's you will find only the freshest ingredients. Every menu item is made from scratch using top-quality meats and produce (sauces are made twice daily and produce is delivered six days a week). Each order is custom prepared right in front of the customer. Take in the autumn scene with a margarita and a burrito on the patio at Piedmont Park or at the Howell Mill location. Enjoy live music on Friday and Sunday and Trivia night on Wednesday and Thursday at the Howell Mill location.

Show your college ID the first Tuesday of the month and get a $3.50 burrito. Limit 2 per customer and some restrictions may apply.

www.willys.com

15 Atlanta Locations. New Athens location opening in Fall 2007. PG 13 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

PG 14 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

PG 15 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

FILM

�� ACROSS THE UNIVERSE:� �� – Matt Goldberg EASTERN PROMISES:�� – Matt Goldberg PG 16 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE:� � �� – Matt Goldberg

“The Game Plan” stars The Rock in ... guess what ... another football movie.

�� THE GAME PLAN:� �� – Matt Goldberg �� INTO THE WILD:� �� – Zena Scott �� GONE BABY GONE:� �� – Matt Goldberg

LUST, CAUTION:� �� – Matt Goldberg MICHAEL CLAYTON:��

�� – Matt Goldberg MR. WOODCOCK:� � �� – Matt Goldberg NO END IN SIGHT:� ��

�� – B. Love RANDY AND THE MOB:� �� – Rodney Hill SYDNEY WHITE:�� – Zena Scott

��

�� PG 17 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

Vidiots This month’s DVD & VHS Releases

EVAN ALMIGHTY – This film plays like a weak rehash of Bruce Almighty, only without Jim Carrey or the charm of the first movie. Steve Carrell plays an anchorman-turned-freshman Republican Senator being wooed by conservatives to sign onto a bill destined to cut down trees, pollute the waters, kill babies, etc. Then God shows up and forces Evan to build an ark. Toss in an old phen-fen joke that clearly has been sitting around since the early ‘90s, a ton of bird poop jokes and an in-your-face environmental message, and that pretty much sums up the movie. The heavyhanded environmental story line is beyond annoying. A pretty devoted environmentalist myself, I wanted to burn old tires and bury used motor oil in my backyard just to get back at the sanctimonious writers. Grade C- JM MR. BROOKS – One of the worst films of the year,

starring Kevin Costner as Earl Brooks, a box magnate who’s addicted to killing. He attends meetings, but his evil imaginary friend (William Hurt) pushes him to keep killing, and he winds up caught in the act by a peeping tom (Dane Cook) who blackmails him into doing another murder because he wants to recapture the thrill. The script doesn’t place any faith in the lead’s acting ability, so the imaginary friend gets to have all the fun, removing an entire dimension from Brooks. Most of the performances are passable, but Dane Cook needs to stick to what works for him: over-the-top observations that don’t end in a punchline and stealing from Louis C.K. If you want to see a really interesting story about a serial killer, catch Showtime’s Dexter. To see a really uninteresting and painfully bad story that’s kind of about a serial killer, see Mr. Brooks. Grade: F MG

PLANET TERROR – Director Robert Rodriguez’s half of Grindhouse is a non-stop action film, and it’s his

PG 18 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

PICKS OF THE MONTH DEATH

PROOF – Quentin Tarantino’s latest is a real grindhouse movie– the kind where the filmmaker has to fill it with dialogue because he can’t afford a non-stop opus of titillation. If people don’t give up on the film before Kurt Russell can arrive and create another classic character, Stuntman Mike, they probably will when Tarantino completely subverts expectations and turns his slasher film into a revenge flick. It’s completely bizarre, but more rewarding than Rodiguez’s caffeinated gorefest. You may notice that I have not included a plot synopsis: That’s because I want you to get to the end, and the less you know going in, the more rewarding an experience you’ll find it to be. –MG

KNOCKED UP - Writer/director

Judd Apatow tells wonderful stories featuring characters that grow and challenge the audience without becoming preachy or pedantic, and his latest film is hilarious. Ben (Seth Rogen) is the kind of guy who gets passed over when a girl like Alison (Katherine Heigl) is looking for Mr. Right. He spends his time dicking around with friends, while Alison is a career-minded go-getter at E!. But when she discovers she’s pregnant with Mr. Wrong’s offspring, Alison struggles with learning to love Ben, while Ben struggles to be worthy of Alison’s love. Knocked Up is a more challenging comedy than 40-Year-Old Virgin– Rogen isn’t always as lovable as Steve Carell– but shares the same message about the difficulty of growing up and what spurs us to pursue something greater in life than simple leisure. It’s a hilarious film with a lot of heart. –MG

most tightly plotted and fun film to date. After a shady scientist (Lost’s Naveen Andrews) unwittingly unleashes a biochemical into a small Texas town, the population has gone totally zombie. It’s up to a small band of survivors led by the mysterious El Wray (Freddy Rodriguez), his stripper/comedian ex-girlfriend, Cherry (Rose McGowan), and an anesthesiologist (Marley Shelton) to get to the land of the free... Mexico. The film pummels you with violence, gore and witty one-liners, but Rodriguez takes the time to develop his characters and make sure that you care about them surviving this apocalypse. While the film doesn’t go much deeper than being a fun time at the movies, it’s a joy to watch. Grade: B+ MG

SURF’S UP – This animated film centers around one of the most dangerous sporting events known to man, the Penguin World Surfing Championship. When aspiring surfing great Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf ) is visited by recruiter Reggie Belafonte (James Woods), it’s clear that the little guy’s heart is bigger than his talent. With only a short amount of time to prepare, how can Cody ride the waves from amateur invisibility to surf stardom? With the help of Lani (Zooey Deschanel), the encouragement of Chicken Joe (Joe Heder) and the heart of a lion, Cody picks himself up and tries again and again. When a chance encounter with retired surfing legend Big Z (Jeff Bridges) presents itself, it’s as if the heavens have heard his prayers, but is it enough? The penguinbased mockumentary is chock full of laughs, and each tuxedo-clad surfer has an individual look and personality that adds dimension to the film. Surf ’s Up could’ve easily washed out in the looming shadow of Happy Feet, but instead it rides a wave of success. Grade: B- ZS WE ARE MARSHAL L – The film opens with the 1970 airplane crash that killed more than 70 of the Marshall University football team’s players, coaches and boosters, leaving an entire town in mourning. But the real story is the aftermath, in which the remaining players convince the school President (David Strathairn) to keep the program alive. He hires quirky coach Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey), who convinces the stoic Red Dawson (Matthew Fox) to stick around for one season in spite of his grief. While director McG’s latest film aims for inspiration, it winds up with mediocrity. The by-the-numbers script is shallow, the direction is unimaginative and the schmaltz factor is off the charts. In the end, the overall execution fails to live up to the story’s dramatic potential, coming off like a third-rate Friday Night Lights. Grade: C BL

FILM INTERVIEW

GREAT SCOTT! Russell Crowe Reteams With His Favorite Director in American Gangster

BY B. LOVE

AY WHAT YOU WILL ABOUT Russell Crowe’s reputation for being difficult on a personal level, but there’s no questioning the tough-talking actor’s track record. Between 1997 and 2003, the New Zealand native starred in five films that were nominated for a Best Picture Oscar (with Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind ultimately winning), while Crowe garnered three Best Actor nominations and one win. With this summer’s 3:10 to Yuma and this month’s American Gangster, the 43-yearold thespian has continued his hot streak, delivering two more back-to-back classics.

Pairing him with director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, A Good Year) for the third time, American Gangster casts Crowe as Detective Richie Roberts, an outcast cop who works to bring down the drug empire of New York heroin kingpin Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington). Set in the ‘70s, the gritty drama touches on sociopolitical topics ranging from racism to war (Lucas smuggles drugs into the country in the coffins of soldiers returning from Vietnam), leading to a climactic cinematic showdown that recalls the pairing of Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in Heat. In a recent inter-

view in Beverly Hills, Crowe talked to reporters on subjects ranging from being snubbed by the Academy and becoming a family man to how he and fellow “grumpy man” Scott manage to work so well together. You seem to be very selective in the films that you choose to do. What do you look for? It’s the same as it’s always been in terms of the story and character, which are my primary focus when I read a script. I don’t think that I’ve become more selective over time, but I think I came into it being selective. I just did things that appealed to me, and they’re not always going to be things that the head of a studio thinks will appeal as well. Has it become easier or more difficult to find quality roles? Good characters have always been a challenge to find. You get a lot of opportunities that come with a big paycheck and all that sort of stuff, but don’t necessarily appeal to you. There are also a lot of people who are absolutely dead set certain that this is something that you’d love to do, then you start reading it and it’s not something that turns you on. I think you’ve got to stay true to yourself. I read a script, and if I get goosebumps and like what the potential of it is, then that’s the thing that I do.

it. He knows from past experience that if he directs me to jump off a cliff, I’ll jump off a cliff. If you’re a director, you want that kind of response to your requests. We went through all of the skankiest neighborhoods in the five (New York) boroughs for American Gangster, and we still had fun every single day. He gave a quote to a magazine a while ago, which I thought was quite funny. He said, “We’re both marginally grumpy men. However, when we’re together, our mood lightens significantly.” Does having that sort of connection with a director make your job easier as an actor? Of course! He knows the best thing to do is just see [what I’m doing as an actor], and he’ll get it when he sees it. But I know what he’s looking for. He downloads to me what his desires are, what he sees and believes in, what he sees the movie as, and I listen and retain it and become a version of his conscience. We’ll be in the middle of something and I’ll say, “Didn’t you say you wanted this to be like that and to have the bloke say this to go with that?” and he’ll say, “Exactly! And how would you interpret that?”

American Gangster marks your third time working with Ridley Scott. How have you changed most since you first worked together on Gladiator? I had a very intense decade where everything about my life came down to what happened between “action” and “cut.” I absolutely understand my need to establish that there were no limits on what I could do as an actor, and that’s fine and dandy. That’s been established. Now I can just focus on the part I really enjoy, which is being on a film set, working with other actors, inspiring and terrifying a crew… and I say terrifying because Ridley will occasionally do 75 setups before lunch.

You’re one of Hollywood’s most respected actors, yet even critically acclaimed films like Cinderella Man failed to earn much notice from the Academy. Do you think your personal reputation has contributed to that? I don’t care. It’s not even on the Top 100 of my priority list. When I see some of the decisions that are made, you ask yourself how you can take it seriously. I believe Cinderella Man, for example, had three nominations for a film that I believed deserved a lot more. With Paul Giamatti not winning Best Supporting Actor for that performance, you have to stand back and say, “It’s not healthy to take any of this seriously.” The thing about Cinderella Man is, I’ll be walking down the street and people stop me and put their hand on their heart and start to cry. I’ll still be having those conversations ten years from now. It will be interesting to see how many conversations people are having about other films down the road.

What is it about your connection with Ridley Scott as a director that makes you want to work with him over and over again? We share common ground, a sense of humor and work ethic. It’s just really easy on a Ridley Scott set. I have complete trust in the fact that, whatever I do and whatever I come up with in the moment, he’ll capture

Has your life gotten better now that you’re married and have kids? My life has changed a lot since I got married, and have two little boys. I’m very blessed. On a daily basis, I get to experience a whole type of joy that I’ve never had before. It was the right time for me to become a dad. I’m a working-class boy born in New Zealand, and I won an Oscar. That took a lot of personal fortitude to go from one place to another on that journey. Nothing was ever guaranteed. It’s all about the right place, the right time.

I’M A WORKING-CLASS BOY BORN IN NEW ZEALAND, AND I WON AN OSCAR. THAT TOOK A LOT OF PERSONAL FORTITUDE TO GO FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER ON THAT JOURNEY. NOTHING WAS EVER GUARANTEED. IT’S ALL ABOUT THE RIGHT PLACE, THE RIGHT TIME.

PG 19 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

CONCERT

CALENDER

�� Wilx �� Eddie Tigner �� “Beautiful Losers:” The Music of Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen & Nick Cave �� Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband, Abi Tapia �� The Bridge �� Ken Andrews, Charlotte Martin �� Flights From Eqypt, Rise of Science, Ocean is Theory �� Breakfast Club �� Cradle of Flith �� Yum Yum Tree, The Orphins, The Jupiter Watts �� The Villians �� Drive-By Truckers

Drive-By Truckers @��(9-28) �� Downtown Executives �� Donna Hughes, Mason Douglas �� CKY, Object, Blacksmithz �� Between The Buried & Me, Horse The Band, Animosity, The End �� None the Weiser �� Soup Reunion Show �� The Silent Years, AutoVaughn �� Rilo Kiley

�� The Vibrators �� Foo Fighters �� Josh Rouse

Ingram Hill @��(10-3) �� Mel & The Party Hats �� Orquesta MaCuba �� Progpower USA VIII �� Adam Franklin �� Stacey Earl & Mark Stuart �� Black Eyed Susan �� Junior Brown �� Tron Jackson �� Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band �� allnightdrunkprowlingwolves �� Mic Larry & The Repeat Offenders �� Tishamingo �� Pat Green �� Reverse Bomonkey �� STS9 �� Progpower USA VIII �� Great Lake Swimmers �� Michael Johnathan �� Sea People �� Fly By Radio �� Blindside w/ Edison Glass �� Marc Ford �� Unzipt �� Yards Dogs Road Show �� Joan Sebastian �� Dave Daniels �� FODfest �� Abbey Road

�� Rock Plaza Central, O’ Death �� Roy Book Binder, Paul Sprawl �� Just Jiner �� Strung Out �� Laughing Pizza �� William Elliott Whitmore, Tim Barry �� Pinback w/ MC Chric �� Christopher Denny, Skyline Drive, Suburban Camo �� Common & Q-Tip

Foo Fighters @��(10-4) �� Andy Rocker �� 500 Miles to Memphis, Fernandina, Gravy �� The Brunettes �� Erin McKeown, Joshua James �� Open Mic �� Brain Wright & The Waco Tragedies �� Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush �� Cloud Cult �� The Belleville Outﬁt �� Rock Box �� Francisco Vidal �� Keaton Simons, Sun Domingo �� Dropsonic �� Gareth Asher �� Little Feat

Common @��(9-30) �� Dashboard Confessional �� Anders Parker �� Ginn Sisters �� Open Mic �� Skinny, Jon Black, Paul Reeves �� Matt White �� Bonnie Bishop, Garrett Moore �� Ingram Hill �� Patty Hurst Shifter �� The Booze �� Connor Christian �� Progpower VIII Showcase �� American Princes �� The Wrights, Corinne West �� Ike Stubbleﬁeld �� Splendid Choas �� Chris Duarte

PG 20 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

�� My Friend Ian’s Band �� Live Go-Go �� The Nighthawks �� Mitch Easter �� Pierce Pettis, Jill Knight �� Radio Cult �� Boys Like Girls �� Fire in the Youth Tour �� Connor Christian Band �� Jay Clifford �� Battle of the Bands �� John Pringle �� Dawn Robinson & Dre Allen �� Caribou �� South 70, Levi Rose, Liv Queler �� Uncle Joe’s Medicine Show �� Rocky Votolato �� Block Party �� Cartel �� Indecision

�� Unzipt �� Time to Shine III �� The Donnas �� Sonia Leigh �� Sarah Borges �� DJ Krush �� Buckhead Rocktober �� Cartel �� The Hot Rods & Rock-n-Roll Circus �� Cletis & His City Cousins �� Brian Wiltsey Band �� State Radio

�� Boris & Damon �� Over the Rhine �� Saves the Day �� Rick Huckaby, Nick Motil, John Taglieri �� Division Day �� Dax Riggs �� Over the Rhine �� Po’Girl �� Froglodge, Blacksmithz, Wes Cook �� Brian Wiltsey Band �� The Cliks �� Maroon 5 �� The Howlies �� Laura Love �� NodFactor2 �� Cory Morrow �� Green Lemon �� The Independants �� Jennifer O’Connor �� Trevor Watts & Jamie Harris �� Charlie Wooten & Friends �� Trotline �� The Ron Paul Rockfest �� New Street Records Showcase �� Toots & The Maytals �� Battle of the Band

Sonia Leigh @�� (10-13) �� Earlimart �� Cowboy Envy, The Wilders �� King Rat & Green Hit �� Joann O’Connor Beneﬁt �� Sleeping States �� Starlette, AbsentStar, Be Willing �� Jesu �� Open Mic �� Hanson �� Stand Along, Full Service, Endway �� The Pipettes �� Hot Hot Heat �� Qui �� Pieta Brown �� Francisco Vidal �� Boombox, Solo Unit �� Brass Castle �� Justin Brogdon �� Jonah Ray �� Amelia White, Ann McCue �� Mary Gauthier �� Heather Hays �� I-Nine �� Big Trouble in Little 5 �� Gareth Asher & Joel Williams �� Battle of the Bands �� Slippery When Wet �� Vinx & Gritz, Jelly Butter �� New Found Glory, Senses Fail �� Film School �� Brother Henry �� Backyard Birds �� Karl Denson Trio �� Down Stroke �� Rascal Flatts �� Gogol Bordello & Dub Trio �� The Goodies �� Annual Johnny Cash Tribute �� Government Mule with Grace Potter �� Slip Tripman �� Groove Stain �� Model Extravaganza �� Vic Chesnutt �� Michelle Malone �� Golden �� Matt Nathanson �� Poptart Monkeys �� Serj Tankian & The Nightwachman �� Bishop Don �� Litte 5 Halloween Parade HQ �� Brian Wiltsey Band �� Kid Rock �� Jason Isbel, The Whigs �� Martians See Red �� Holly Golighty & The Brokeoffs �� Issa �� Rock-n-Roll Run �� EOTO

�� Ten �� Jimmy Eat World �� Great Northern �� Robinella �� Laura Reed & Deep Pocket �� Matt Pond Pa �� Sun Domingo �� Cigar Store Indians �� Trances Arc �� Sinead O’Connor �� Villians �� Zap Mama �� Mercury Drop �� Breakfast Club �� Big Time, SWEAT �� Say Hi (to your mom) �� Lucy Kaplansky �� Johnette Napolitano �� DJ Spooky �� That ‘80s Band �� Cowboy Mouth �� Josh Kelley �� The Sweetloves �� Paolo Nutini �� Brian Wiltsey Band �� Stars �� The Beggars’ Guild

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

LIVE MUSIC TUES–SUN

UGA BUS TRIP

SEE WEBSITE

FOR

INFO

Every Tuesday 10pm LIVE 80S FOR THE LADIES Every Sunday BLACK OUT W/ FRANSICO VIDAL Friday, Oct. 5 MIC LARRY & THE REPEAT OFFENDERS Saturday, Oct. 6 UNZIPT Wednesday, Oct. 10 & 24 GARETH ASHER Thursday, Oct. 11

CONNOR CHRISTIAN BAND Friday, Oct. 12

SWAMI GONE BANANAS

Sat, Oct. 13, 20 & 27, Wed. 23 BRIAN WILTSEY BAND Thursday, Oct. 18 GARETH ASHER & JOEL WILLIAMS Friday, Oct. 19 SLIP TRIPMAN Friday, Oct. 26 VILLIANS

FULL TEX-MEX MENU 2591 Briarcliff Rd Atlanta 404-329-4700 tinroofcantina.com OPEN MON-SUN 11AM-4AM

437 Moreland Avenue Little Five Points 404-681-9018 WED.OCT31 SAT.OCT27 FRI.OCT26 WED.OCT24 FRI.OCT19 SAT.OCT13 SFRI.OCT05 THR.OCT04 TUESDAYS MONDAYS

�� Blue Mountain �� Swami Gone Bananas �� Minus the Bear �� Liquid Jungle �� Flynnville Train

�� 8PM,FREE ��

��

9PM, $7

THE

VIBRATORS ��

�� 9PM ��

�� featuring

9PM

��

�� 9PM

��

9PM

��

9PM

��

9PM

��

www.starbaratl.com for Full Schedule of Events

�� Sea Wolf �� Tony Furtado �� Circa Survive �� Celebration �� Bob Dylan Tribute �� She Wants Revenge �� Daybreakdown, Protomen, Friendly Strangers �� Uncle Earl �� Chris Trapper �� Open Mic �� Smashing Pumpkins �� Blue Rodeo & Friends �� The New Pornographers �� Shannon McNally �� The Black Angels �� Best Damn Halloween Party �� Shout Out Louds �� Escape Vehicle �� Scout Niblett �� Perpetual Groove

Pat Green @��(10-5)

PG 21 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

Road Warriors This Month’s Hottest Shows BY JOHN DAVIDSON 10/03 VELVET REVOLVER / ALICE IN CHAINS

HiFi Buys Amphitheatre Big hair rock with a modern edge, Velvet Revolver is one of a handful of supergroups to make a dent on the chart. Made up of ex-Guns-n-Roses and Stone Temple Pilots players, the band’s debut album sold millions and made believers out of skeptics. A clean and sober Scott Weiland has never sung better, so expect a good show with all the attendant groupies singing along to the power ballads

10/04 FOO FIGHTERS

Tabernacle Were it not for things like battling Courtney Love for input on the Nirvana unreleased music vault, Dave Grohl might have ﬁnally escaped the anvil of history as that band’s supercharged drummer. Then again, there he was pounding the skins on that Queens of the Stone Age album, even going so far as to get behind the kit for some live dates. Grohl has his legacy to deal with, but the reality is that he’s had his Foo Fighters longer than any other.

10/09 BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB/KINGS OF LEON

Fox Theatre BMRC were a red hot buzz band ﬁve years ago, but kind of put it in the ditch when they reverted to roots rock on 2005’s Howl. This year’s Baby 81 moves back

towards their Jesus & Mary Chain inﬂuences, to somewhat diminished results. The Kings of Leon continue to be much more popular overseas than they are in their own backyard and their most recent release, Because of the Times, isn’t nearly as accessible as the rest of their catalog.

10/12 NICKEL CREEK

Fox Theatre Although guitarist Sean Watkins, ﬁddler Sara Watkins (his younger sister), and mandolin/banjo/bouzouki player Chris Thile have been performing as Nickel Creek for nearly 20 years, they’re calling this Farewell (For Now) Tour and intend to go their separate ways at its completion. Joined by Bela Fleck, the group’s sendoﬀ is a sad one given their unique melding of rock, folk, and bluegrass.

10/13 THE DONNAS

The EARL The major label experiment to turn a girl band into a metal-lite success is pretty much over. With each passing year, the Donnas seemed less like a female version of the Ramones and more like a female version of latter-day KISS, eﬀectively dragging their career way past the spoil date. They’re now back on a tiny independent label but their new album seems half-hearted.

The Shins are a great pop act whose songs easily resonate, both in melody and in lyric, to even the most jaded music geek. But as they’ve moved from the underground to the overground—remember, this is a band who sold a song to McDonald’s to be used in a commercial—it’s been a shakier ride to platinum status than many would have guessed.

10/24 THE COATHANGERS

Drunken Unicorn Credit the Coathangers with challenging the matriarchy to lighten up a bit on their self-titled debut: while their garage-guitar chunks echoes riot grrl fury, the lyrical narrative isn’t nearly so wrought with angst. These women share more with Beastie Boys than Bikini Kill, dressing cultural criticisms of Buckhead moms and ogling boys in a bouncy punk wallop. They’re lighting up the Atlanta scene with good reason.

10/25 JENNIFER O’CONNOR

The EARL There are a lot of dreamers in the coﬀee shop, a lot of kids sitting alone in their bedroom with an acoustic guitar, and the folk revival that began in earnest in the 1950s continues to hold a spell on every generation since. Those reasons explain the vast numbers of singer-songwriters who dream of an audience and probably will never ﬁnd one, and they point to the discerning factor for those who do: good songwriting.

10/14 RYAN ADAMS

Fox Theatre Since his days with Whiskeytown, Ryan Adams has always been an inconsistent live performer and prone to varying ﬁts of passion, contempt, and everything in between. He’s recently blamed the past ﬁve years of wayward performances on his substance abuse problems and we’re willing to give him another chance on the strength of this year’s surprisingly good Easy Tiger.

Center Stage More or less written oﬀ since their platinum exploding Bleed American in 2001, Jimmy Eat World has still been active and trying to outlive the morbid tenor of emo. Of course, they were never an emo band to begin with, but as that genre died the band sort of died with it. They’re still a better version of Weezer.

10/17 THE SHINS

10/26 GREAT NORTHERN

10/26 JIMMY EAT WORLD

The EARL

Atlanta Civic Ctr. Theatre

WE GOT NEXT THE BLACK LIPS

BY JOHN DAVIDSON

T’S TAKEN FIVE ALBUMS, BUT THE Black Lips have finally arrived. Formed in 2000 by a handful of Atlanta teens, the group’s loose “flower punk” is one part Stooges snarl, one part Nuggets freak out,

Great Northern is a Los Angeles-based band whose debut doesn’t strike the typical chords of indie rock, metal, or Beck-ian weirdness. Instead, it’s carefully arranged, sweeping pop songs that are their calling card, a stirring mixture of Coldplay and Earlimart. Trading Twilight For Daylight aims for the fences on nearly every song and the meticulous ambition relays a band that is hungry to be heard.

10/27 STARS

Variety Playhouse As part of a burgeoning hipster scene in Canada, Stars haven’t quite caught ﬁre like Feist or Broken Social Scene, but give them credit for not disappearing either. Their latest album, In Our Bedroom After the War ﬁnds Stars in familiar territory: careful chamber pop with a nod to beats and if the past is any indication, it’ll translate quite nicely from the stage.

10/30 SMASHING PUMPKINS / EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY

Fox Theatre There really was never any doubt that Billy Corgan would revive his most famous invention, and watching the spectacular failure of his career in the interim was cringe-inducing. Sadly, the new version of Smashing Pumpkins feels lifeless and the only hope for this nostalgia trip is that he plays a lot of deep cuts from the good old days.

10/30 THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS

Variety Playhouse Will she or won’t she? Take away Neko Case, and the New Pornographers simply aren’t the ace in the hole that their songs allow. With all due respect to the other talented members of this great band, it’s Case’s voice that draws distinction from all the other oﬀ-kilter indie pop bands of the moment.

10/31 M.I.A.

Center Stage Now that Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam has gotten her visa issues straightened out, she can ﬁnally get back to the United States and try to prove that she’s not simply a blogger’s wet dream. Timbaland signed up to produce this year’s Kala but his ﬁngerprints are nearly impossible to discern and in the end, her sophomore album underdelivers. M.I.A. is long on hype and short on hits.

Artists on the verge of making it big

Latest Project: Good Bad Not Evil (Vice) Why You Should Care: Because they’re Atlanta’s hottest underground rock export. The Dirtbombs, White Stripes, Replacements, Stooges For Fans of:

and one part Replacements fuck-all attitude. Early recordings on the seminal garage label Estrus never quite captured the feral energy of the band’s stage show, but fans flocking to the circus-like atmosphere at gigs weren’t buying many records anyway. The Black Lips were a sensational live gig and didn’t appear to strive for much more. Fortunately, they’ve gotten older and wiser. The good old days of lighting the stage on fire and pissing on the amplifiers are mostly gone lest they get booted out of any more clubs. The band’s latest album, Good Bad Not Evil was recorded for Vice Records, a skuzzy New York record label famous for pushing boundaries and buttons of the hip impaired, and from all accounts, it seems like the Black Lips want to find out if there’s a career beyond the spectacle. It’s not that the band never took themselves or what they were doing seriously, it’s that they never took themselves too seriously. “At first, we were just happy to get out there,” says Cole Alexander recently from his home in Atlanta, “but now we’re kind of making a conscious effort to make things happen. We used to always be tempted to trash everything and now we kind of know when to turn that on and off. Before, I didn’t care if I got really drunk and had to play again the next day but now, I do actually care about where and when I’m

playing,” says Alexander. “I’d like to sell some records,” he laughs, and it’s obvious that the years of hanging out in crappy rock clubs isn’t quite as much fun as it once was. “We’ve never really given ourselves a target for that so I’d like to see how we do. I’d like to see if we could do that. At least enough to keep the fire lit under our ass.”

but then we started booking all sorts of shows and things just got better and better. But this is the first time when we haven’t had to work another job. Just work in the band. And I’ve always said that was the goal, even if I have to live in a crappy apartment and wash dishes.” One of the keys to the Black Lips success is their avoidance of clichéd indie rock influences and stylings. Naturally, the kids grew up with Nirvana and the Beatles, but Alexander and his friends were always looking a little deeper. “Oldies were always on my mind,” he says, “and I was always trying to find bands from back in those days that sounded punk. Like the Troggs, for example. I was always trying to find bands like that, and while I really like every type of music, what I’m always doing is trying to find the punk in it,” says Alexander. It’s also a bit punk to declare that you actually want to sell some records, given that “selling out” is widely considered an anathema in punk. But it’s something that Alexander isn’t afraid to cop to. “For me, I wanna sell 20,000 or 40,000 records. I kind of don’t want it to fly under the radar. I’d like to have more commercial success. We just wanna try something new. We wanna have fun, and we love playing the smaller clubs but we’ve kind of done that for a long time,” he says. “We’re ready to move up a little.”

IT’S ALWAYS BEEN FUN, AND IF I HAD TO WASH DISHES FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE TO HAVE THIS KIND OF FUN, I’LL BE WASHING DISHES.

PG 22 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

And if that’s the case, then this year has seen a bonfire under the asses of the Black Lips. In early 2007, the band released a live album recorded in Tiajuana and then toured like crazy behind it. The New York Times gave them the title of “Hardest Working Band at South by Southwest” after they played five and six shows a day during the South by Southwest music festival, and now with an album of new material the band will be out gigging hard for the next few months all over the world. “We’ve been playing for seven years now, and we really wanted to kind of get out to more people and not just garage rock nerds who collect records,” says Alexander when asked how the band is trying to take things to the next level. “When we started, we thought it would be really cool to just have something in magazines that got reviewed

MUSIC INTERVIEW

Paul Stanley KISS Legend Exhibits His Diverse Artistic Talents B BY DAVE COHEN

EST KNOWN AND RECOGNIZED AS one of the founding members and the lead singer of KISS, Paul Stanley continues to exhibit his diverse artistic talents. In 1999 Stanley spent three months on stage in Toronto as the phantom in the production of Phantom of the Opera and more recently ﬁnished his “Live to Win” solo tour. Along with a handful of KISS shows this summer, Stanley has been spending a good bit of his time in front of an easel with brushes and paint. After years of painting his face, Stanley is now putting his paint to canvas. He’s touring the Wentworth Gallery locations showing his art and visits Atlanta October 19-20. He recently spoke with Dave Cohen.

Obviously you followed the musical path that you did with KISS but was there an interest in other art forms at an earlier age? Well, I’d always done different forms of art and I was fairly gifted as others told me and that’s why I was admitted to the High School of Music and Art as an art major. I think that, you know, KISS is obviously a product of both and KISS allowed me to have an outlet that incorporated both. I got to design stages, I got to design album covers and also to play music but the two also can live very independently of each other. Hypothetical question for you. If you never meet and connect with Gene Simmons, is it conceivable that painting or some other art form would have played a bigger part in your life earlier on? It’s a hypothetical question and perhaps one of the reasons I succeeded is because, and I have to preface this and say I don’t recommend anybody doing it, I didn’t allow myself a fall back plan so my survival was dependant upon my success. I didn’t think in terms of the “What if,” I only thought of “What had to be.” You know, I think when you’re motivated by a determination to survive you put a whole lot more in to it and again, that being said, I wouldn’t want anybody else to try that because the cost of failure incredibly high. What encouraged or prompted to you pick up the brushes and begin painting at this stage of your life? About six or seven years ago I was getting divorced and I really, like many people in that position, had a lot going on and a lot that maybe needed to get released. A friend of mine, my best friend, said that I needed to paint and my having never really applied myself to painting, somehow that connected with me and I went out and bought canvasses and paints and brushes and all kinds of other supplies and just decided to throw caution to the wind. The only thing that I was clear on from the get-go was that I wasn’t interested in making a flower pot look like a flower pot. I was more interested in painting a reality that didn’t necessarily have to be a literal or visual depiction of something so I wanted to approach it more of a stream of consciousness, where perhaps instead of using words I was using colors and textures to put my emotions, or what was going on inside me, on canvas. It was purely a relief and, I guess, cathartic therapy for me that once other people started seeing clearly connected with them. With regards to expressing your emotions as it relates to music and painting, do you find it to be any more of a challenge to do that through painting as opposed to song writing? They’re very, very different. The framework and structure that you work in with music is much more restricting because you have a melody and then you need to come up with the music that matches it, and then you need to come up with a lyric that rhymes. It’s much more structured. With painting I find that the only limitations are the size of the canvas. It’s much more, really about putting my reality on canvas and it’s almost for me, a journey where I don’t know where I’m going but I always know when I’m there. Have you been pleased with the response from not only your fans but from art enthusiasts as well? Again, it’s interesting that something that started out purely for myself, an adage that I’ve always believed

in is that if I do something that I like someone else will also. The amount of collectors and the amount of other people acquiring the art has been staggering, far beyond anything I could have expected. But, that’s a great thing because, you know, people not only get to see my reality but hopefully they ﬁnd their own within it. That’s the beauty of abstract art is that it should connect with you emotionally as opposed to intellectually.

on and what we do with them. I’m always looking for another way to express myself so whether it’s painting or a solo album or doing Phantom of the Opera or doing KISS, whatever it is, it’s part of my need or desire to do as much as I can. The boundaries and limitations or ideas that people have of who I am are purely their own and I don’t live by those. I’m not deﬁned by anybody else’s ideas of what I should or shouldn’t do.

When you’re on stage with KISS or one of your solo shows, the adrenaline is ﬂowing and you get that immediate feedback from the audience. It’s obviously not the same situation with this art form. It’s very diﬀerent. This is a project that comes out of a very solitary work. You know, it’s me alone in a room and, in a sense, when I go into a gallery I’m surrounded by myself. I’m surrounded by pieces of myself. It tremendously satisfying and gratifying to then have other people so turned on by it. No doubt, I’ve said before, my fame and notoriety certainly gets my foot in the door but it doesn’t stop anybody from slamming the door.

KISS played four shows this summer. You’re busy with everything you’re doing and Gene has been busy with his Family Jewels television show and everything else he’s involved with. Can you comment on the future plans for the band? I think KISS will continue to the level that people expect, in the sense that when we play, we can give our all. For us or for me to commit to a full tour is a huge commitment because we have a lot to live up to, Going out and doing four shows this summer was basically just to grease the gears and get the motor running. There’ll be more shows for sure. KISS is a large part of who I am. It’s not all I am but, you know, it deﬁnitely is a cornerstone.

I THINK WE DEFINE OURSELVES BY THE CHALLENGES WE TAKE ON AND WHAT WE DO WITH THEM.

This tour of the Wentworth Galleries follows your recent “Live to Win” solo tour. Is there any synergy of the creative forces within you with your solo CD and your paintings? I think we deﬁne ourselves by the challenges we take

Paul Stanley will appear at the Wentworth Gallery location at Phipps Plaza on October 19th and at the Perimeter Mall location October 20th. For information call 404-233-0903.

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MUSIC

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By B. Love, DeMarco Williams, John Davidson, John Moore, Tom DeFreytas & Richard Marsh

PJ HARVEY – WHITE CHALK (Interscope) The grey lady returns �� BETTYE LAVETTE – THE SCENE OF THE CRIME (Anti-) Redemption songs �� PG 24 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

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�� FRANK SINATRA – A VOICE IN TIME 1939-1952 (Sony) Before Elvis and the Beatles, there was Sinatra

YOUNG JOC – HUSTLENOMICS (Bad Boy) The captain of hooks returns ��

�� FINEST WORKSONGS – ATHENS BANDS PLAY THE �� MUSIC OF R.E.M. (Iron Horse) �� Tributes that don’t suck �� WARM IN THE WAKE – AMERICAN PREHISTORIC �� (Livewire) �� Promises delivered ��

�� ALI & GIPP PRESENT – KINFOLK (Universal Motown) Appearances can be deceiving �� THE TURBO A.C.’S – LIVE TO WIN (Acetate) Veteran surf punks return �� HAM 1 – THE CAPTAIN’S TABLE (Orange Twin) Echoes of Elephant 6 ��

�� THE DEADLY SYNDROME – THE ORTOLAN (Dim Mak) & THE TRULY ME CLUB – POPSTARS ON THE LAM (Sonic boom) Indie-rock done right… and not so right ��

�� JAGGED EDGE – BABY MAKING PROJECT (Def Jam) The return of male-driven R&B �� BIFFY CLYRO – PUZZLE (Warner) Crushin’ on the Foo Fighters ��

LES SAVY FAV – LET’S STAY FRIENDS (French Kiss) Out of hiatus and back into your hearts

THE COATHANGERS – SELF-TITLED (Rob’s House) The new breed of riot girls

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MUSIC INTERVIEW

It’s Easy Being Green The Rapid Rise of Envy On The Coast BY JOHN B. MOORE

n the span of 12 months, Long Island’s Envy on the Coast went from being another word-ofmouth regional group playing glorified coffee houses and dives to a certified “on the verge” band opening arena shows for bands like Angels & Airwaves and My Chemical Romance. Falling somewhere between post-hardcore rock and piano pop, Envy on the Coast have held up remarkable well despite all the expectations that have been thrown at them in 2006. Their first full length - the soon to be released Lucy Gray – is a follow up to their self-titled E.P. and a solid step forward for the band. Frontman Ryan Hunter and guitarist Brian Byrne talked recently about the past year, their new record and future plans for the band. How did the band first get together? Ryan: That question haunts me because if I was to tell the whole story in detail, it would take me at least half an hour. The more abridged version starts with Sal (Bossio, guitar) and Jer (Velardi, bass). They’ve been playing together since they were about 13. Brian and I both came into the picture around the same time...and I met Dan (Gluszak, drums) through my girlfriend. His band at the time had recently broken up and after hearing him play I knew that there was no compromise. He was the missing link in this band.

Brian: Not really, we play the same show no matter if it’s in front of 10 kids or 8,000 kids. If the vibe is there then its there. Although it is harder to get a feel for the vibe in an arena where you can barely see the dudes in your band let alone the crowd you’re playing to. Ryan: It wasn’t that hard due to the fact that those were the first proper tours we were ever on. We were on small tours in a cargo van, but nothing that was part of a package of bands. I think the one thing you have to look out for on big tours is to be aware that you’re not going to be making best friends with the headlining band or maybe even the support bands. It’s a lonely tour environment. We didn’t know any better, so when we hit the smaller tours like the stuff with Saosin and Forgive Durden, Hit The Lights, Circa Survive, etc., it was an amazing feeling. Is there a general theme to the songs on Lucy Gray? Ryan: We did not set out to find a theme or create a seamless, complete thought using all the songs on the record, however, most of the tunes did take on a theme. Due to the fact that when we started touring, our lives changed drastically and we were now spending more time with one another than our families and girlfriends, we experienced a whole bunch of really incredible and really awful stuff with one another. Death crept into our lives on more than one occasion, which in effect, caused the fear of death to enter all our minds. The record talks about faith in a lot of different ways. I think listeners are going to have some questions. I’ve read a few reviews thus far where the critics talk about the songs as though they know exactly what’s going, when in actuality, they couldn’t possibly be any further from the truth.

WE PLAY THE SAME SHOW NO MATTER IF IT’S IN FRONT OF 10 KIDS OR 8,000 KIDS. IF THE VIBE IS THERE THEN ITS THERE.

So the last time I spoke with you guys, you were just coming out with your E.P. Did you have any time off between the release of that record or have you pretty much gone from tour to studio? Ryan: The E.P. was technically “released” like 5 times. We had recorded the E.P. and then burned the songs on CDRs for a long time while doing small tours. When we signed with Photo Finish we properly released the E.P. while we were out on the road. Due to the fact that the songs had been written for so long and we had technically already released it, there was no huge excitement over the E.P. being officially released. There was no time off ‘cause we were out on the road when it was officially put in stores. Do you guys share similar influences? Any that would surprise people? Brian: We all listen to a good amount of hip hop. That’s always a staple in our van. Not like the Hot 97 bullshit...we love finding out about underground hip hop artists. Ryan: There’s a certain amount of stuff that influences us all and that we are all into, but then there’s a ton of stuff that we each personally love that we may or may not share with other people in the band. A lot of people seem to be surprised by our love for Third Eye Blind and my obsession and the fact that my iPod contains mostly female artists. So you guys went from playing small clubs to playing some major arenas opening for bands like 30 Seconds to Mars and Angels & Airwaves in a matter of months. Was it hard to make that transition?

So you were you inspired by outside and personal events in writing and recording this record? Ryan: Yeah, absolutely. I’m not a big fiction writer. I like telling stories, but anything that influences those stories comes from my experiences. During the writing process upstate, I decided that I was going to write about all the things I had always been afraid to write about. I’m actually still afraid to speak about them, so I’m not going to. But that, in itself, should tell you that there’s a lot of stuff on this record that I was afraid to talk about. What made you decide to go with Bryan Russell as producer? How was he to work with? Brian: He was the only choice for this record in our opinion. He really has been an integral part of our band’s history and success to date and he made the whole hectic process much easier on all of us. Ryan: Russell is the only person in this world who knows the five of us better than we know ourselves. He’s an unbelievable dude and a really talented producer. It’s always great working with him because I feel like he’s one of the only people who understands what the hell I’m talking about when I try to explain what’s going on in my head. PG 25 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

MUSIC INTERVIEW

The Rise of the House of Usher BY B. LOVE HE FIRST TIME I MET USHER RAYMOND was back in 1993 at the Jack the Rapper convention. The 14-year-old R&B prodigy had recently been signed to a recording contract by LaFace Records co-founder L.A. Reid and was there to promote his debut single, “Think Of You”; I was an entry-level marketing rep for BMG Distribution and was there to serve as the go-between between the artists and their adoring fans. Though there was no clear indication at the time of the multi-platinum mega-star he would eventually become, the barely pubescent singer was as slick and polished as a 4-star general’s shoes, greeting other artists and autograph seekers alike with a suave sense of charm that belied his tender age. Fourteen years later Usher is one of the world’s biggest pop stars, with a string of chart-topping albums, two Grammys, several ﬁlms (including The Faculty and Light It Up) and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame under his belt. And now, at the ripe old age of 28, the man who proclaims his desire to inherit James Brown’s title of “Hardest Working Man in Show Business” is being inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. We recently spoke to the singer about growing up in fame’s spotlight, taking care of business and how his next album will compare to the multi-platinum Confessions.

Who were some of your earliest musical influences? Anything I could get my hands on! When I was a kid we really couldn’t afford CDs, so I would listen to the radio or go to my grandmother’s house. She had all these old records, from old jazz and BB King to James Brown, the Isley Brothers and Heatwave. As far as the artists who influenced me the most, it was people like Michael Jackson and Bobby Brown, who were great entertainers as well as being great vocalists. I also love the Winans, because I listened to a lot of gospel since my mother was the director of my youth choir at St. Elmo Missionary Baptist Church in Chattanooga. When I began to take my career more seriously, I studied people like Guy, New Edition and the Jackson 5. In order to be great, I knew I had to study the people who had influenced them, so that’s when I was introduced to Marvin Gaye, Jackie Wilson, Ray Charles and other mega-star artists of that era. My career became like my version of college, and I realized I had to become a student of this game in order to understand where true inspiration comes from. In dance, I studied Bob Fosse, Ben Vereen, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and all those guys. Growing up in Tennessee, there wasn’t a lot to do, so music was our favorite pastime. What are your favorite memories of your time singing in your mom’s church choir? (Laughs) I think I was more of a problem child than I was a good singer. I used to cause my mother the most problems. Here she is, the director of the youth choir, and I’m acting a behind every Saturday at rehearsals. I can’t remember how many times she kicked me out of rehearsals because I wouldn’t act right. Tell me the story of how you got discovered at such an early age. PG 26 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

There was a guy named A.J. Alexander who introduced me to L.A. Reid’s brother when I performed in the Atlanta Talent Search at Center Stage Theatre. Back then, there was such a wealth of up ‘n’ coming talent coming out of Atlanta, and I can remember performing everywhere from the parking lots of clubs to Turner Field. So anyway, A.J. Alexander took me to this talent search, I auditioned and got accepted, then won three times in a row. By the third time, I’d had offers to perform on Star Search and Showtime at the Apollo, though I never did the Apollo because I got a record deal first. So AJ introduced me to Brian Reid, who said he was blown away by me and wanted his brother to meet me. I met with L.A. Reid, and he brought all the females from the LaFace Records office in to hear me sing “End of the Road,” which was their #1 single at the time. The ladies were going crazy, clapping and screaming because I was really catering to ‘em, going down on one knee and kissing them and stuff, and he stopped the song halfway through. From there, I started my career and the rest is history. Was it overwhelming to be snatched from obscurity at the age of 13 and thrust into fame’s spotlight? To an extent it was, but I always had my mother to help gauge the balance and make sure I got my schooling. It was every kid’s dream, but my mother and grandmother did a really good job of helping me stay grounded. I had a goal in my mind to be the best and make my name mean something. I want to be remembered for being a great performer and entertainer. You were still in high school when you were working with producers such as Babyface, Jermaine Dupri and Puffy. Was there one particular thing you learned from working with those guys that has helped you in your career? You grind until you get it. Watching those guys maneuver and handle their business at a very young age gave me a relentless view of how to approach this business. What you put into it, you get out of it, and I always strive for perfection. You appeared in major films like The Faculty and Light It Up, but haven’t had a major film role in years. Is acting something you aspire to do more of in the future? Acting is definitely a very relevant part of my future. I took a break from it after the success of Confessions because I wanted to make sure that I found the right project, but I’m looking and hoping that it’s gonna come very soon. In building a career, you have to be very strategic. You can’t just keep shooting in the dark. You have to know exactly what types of roles you want to go after and surround yourself with the type of people who know how to build careers as an entertaining brand. When I look at what Gene Kelly, Sammy Davis Jr. and Fred Astaire did with their careers– acting, singing and dancing¬– that’s what I’ve always wanted to be. I want to be a triple threat. What was the most difficult aspect of making the transition from being a teenage pop star to becoming a respected adult R&B artist? I think it was a little easier for me because I didn’t have a teenybopper approach when I first started. I

had Puffy executive produce my first album, and it was music that I think catered to a more adult audience. But in general, getting recognized as a man in this industry has been a struggle because people see me in one way and in one format. As years went by, I became more of a man through my music, my life experiences and what I have to offer. When you look at what I do, from business to philanthropy, you can’t continue to look at the young Usher that used to dance and do backflips onstage, even though I’m still gonna do that stuff. I want to take that title of “Hardest Working Man in Show Business!” But you can’t hold me in one box because I do so much, while at the same time being strategic about how I do it all. It seemed like Confessions was the album that put you over the top, while at the same time opening you up to negative attention from the tabloids. How do you deal with the more unsavory aspects of fame? Well, anonymity is something that goes out the window when you become a pop star. If you want to be popular, you have to be subject to people’s opinions. One thing I’ve always done is stayed away from making my personal life my business. It wasn’t until Confessions that I began to become a little more vulnerable and introduce people to a real view of Usher. As you get older, you begin to have more fortifying, life-changing experiences that make you a deeper individual and show you your direction in life. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, although I do hate it at times when people get things wrong. But at the end of the day it’s just people’s opinions, and you just have to hope that something positive comes out of it. What is the biggest source of validation in your career? Knowing I’ve put my creative stamp [on something]. I live through my music, and it represents where I was at the time. If you listen back to music, whether it’s from the ‘50s or the ‘80s, you hear in the music where we were as people at the time. So with each album I try to tune into my life and offer the best I can offer in telling the stories of what life is like at that time, whether it’s about how people dance, where they hang out or lifechanging experiences. I try to be as honest, vulnerable, forthcoming and soul bearing as I can, because if you listen to classic R&B, that’s what made it what it was. That’s not so much what it is now, because that ideal is slowly but surely being torn down. I feel like R&B music has lied dormant for years because people are afraid of feeling, so it seems like it’s becoming more like hiphop. But I’m taking it on my shoulders to try to show the diversity of what R&B can be. Men used to bear their souls and talk on social issues, talking about issues like segregation as a way to help people through it and comfort you. That intimate relationship with music is what I ultimately care about more than any award. So do you feel like the urban music scene in general is lacking in substance? Hell, yeah! Definitely. There are still people out there who choose to [make music with a message], but most hit records these days are too much of a novelty and lacking in substance. I’m not discrediting hip-hop, but R&B has never been this closed-minded before. Versatility is what made us understand the depth of

what music could be. You’ve made a lot of moves in the business world lately, from becoming a partial owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and The Grape restaurant chain to opening your own fragrance line. Why is it important for you to branch out beyond the music world? Once you grow up you have to continue to strive for more challenges. Music is my home base, but it’s allowed me an opportunity to do a lot of other things. Once you get the money, you have to figure out what to invest it in. There are so many people who have a great run for years and years, but never do anything with their money and find themselves bankrupt. When I met James Brown, he was the first person who told me, “Make sure your money is right.” If it don’t make dollars, then it don’t make sense. You do a lot of philanthropic work with your charity organizations. What’s your personal mission for the New Look Foundation and Project Restart? I pledged to do something philanthropic years ago, and it really started with donating my time to working with other foundations. I traveled all around the world with the Make A Wish Foundation, then I started thinking about all of the issues that we, as minorities, have in America. We don’t have an educational system as it relates to business, so I wanted to come up with a foundation that would teach kids about the sports and entertainment industry. There are so many kids who look up to entertainers and athletes, but they don’t know that there are alternate routes to get to your dream. When they come to Camp New Look in the summer, we teach them about job options ranging from journalism and music video production to recording engineering. People don’t understand that a lot of times the people around the artists make more money than the artists themselves, and that starting off on that level can lead to something more in the future. Just look at Puffy: He started off in the mailroom, and now he’s a multi-millionaire! It’s important for us to encourage our kids, and especially the minorities who tend to get overlooked. What does the ceremony inducting you into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame mean to you? It means everything to me given the fact that I started my career here. It’s by far one of my greatest accomplishments of my career, right alongside the Grammy and the star on Hollywood Boulevard, especially at my age. I know you have a new album coming out soon. How will it be different from Confessions? Well, it’s definitely a new concept with a classic feel. It’s well rounded and showcases my versatility and growth. I don’t discredit hip-hop or any other form of music: You should think about everyone from young men in the ‘hood to families in the Hamptons. From a musical standpoint, I wanted to have a classic feel, so I went back to inspirations like Stevie Wonder and Luther Vandross, getting into the more sensual/sexual side of R&B. You’ll get a little bit of the Godson of Soul title James Brown gave me. It’ll definitely be a wild ride, to say the least: The formal reintroduction of Usher Raymond IV.

MUSIC INTERVIEW band play when they came to Athens and it was great. Fantastic band, cool guys, they’re all young and full of fire. How do you achieve a balance between producing, writing, touring with the band, and exploring music as a solo artist? How do you determine priorities? The band is always the priority, other than my family, and sometimes I know they wonder. After that it boils down following the songs or the thing that is hitting me the hardest as an artist. The theory behind “The Dirt Underneath” that was posted on your website is a really interesting way to examine the way you make music, especially in a live setting. You noted that it had an “incalculable” effect on the new album. Can you try to describe that effect, both in terms of the writing and recording process? Not sure if I can. I wanted to strip the band down to its essential ingredients and rebuild it based on the needs of these new songs we were all writing. We all had this huge burst of creative energy, beginning around Xmas and leading up to us recording in June. We had a ton of songs to build this album with and then it was just a matter of following the songs where they lead. Even as babies they tend to know what they want to be and its part of our jobs to follow that and not try to force them to be something else.

KEEP ON TRUCKIN’ The Drive-By Truckers Lose a Member, Gain Respect

BY JOHN DAVIDSON

OUTHERN ROCK HAD PRETTY MUCH RESIGNED itself to perpetual farewell tours until the Drive-By Truckers emerged from Athens at the turn of the century. With lyrical, erudite stories of rural Southern lifestyle backed by ﬁery guitars and one foot in the Allman’s boogie shoes, the band’s charismatic shows have earned a steady following for over two decades. Needless to say, we were excited to sit down with founder Patterson Hood and talk about the band’s work with soul legend Bettye LaVette. How did you get to working on the Bettye LaVette album? I was asked by the President of her record company– Andy Kaulkin of Anti Records– whom I can’t even begin to praise enough. He totally had a vision about it. When he asked if I was interested, I jumped at the chance, as doing an album with a soul legend has been a lifelong dream for me and the whole band. We’re all R&B and Soul music fanatics. She is an amazing artist that is only recently beginning to get her due, and working with her has been one of the honors of my life. How did you decide to record in Muscle Shoals? Recording in Muscle Shoals was a no-brainer due to her story, and ours. Her ill-fated 1972 Atlantic album (which was never released until recently) was recorded there, with my Dad playing bass, so it just seemed like an important thing to do on every possible level. I really believe in synchronicity and this album has been full of it. It was fun to record at FAME again– we cut The Dirty South there– and so many great soul albums were made there. What was it like working with your dad on that? Having Dad on the album was also a no-brainer, as he worked with her before and could be the link between the past and present. We’ve only worked together 2-3 times. I didn’t actually play on the 3 songs he played on, but it was fun sitting next to David (Barbe, who co-produced and engineered the record) behind the board “playing producer.” Honestly that enabled me to get to watch him work, which I’ve also hardly ever gotten to do. Are you always looking for new artists to work with? I always have my eyes open, although I’m getting so busy with DBT again that it may be a while before I really get to get too deep into that again. What appeals to you about being a producer instead of a

band member? It works different muscles, for sure. (Laughs) I love making records, and playing isn’t necessarily my favorite part of the process, although I have really had fun playing and singing on the new DBT album. I’m not looking for the next big thing, but always looking for something that would be artistically and personally satisfying to be involved in. How did it affect the dynamics of the band when guitarist Jason Isbell left? It was time for that to happen so it’s been a good thing. He’s an amazing artist, but I honestly felt like he had more to express than could be expressed within his role in the band. I think he felt personally and artistically stifled and that caused a tension. We spent 5 great years and made 3 albums I’m really proud of. Some things ain’t meant to last forever and it should never be forced. The kids were grown and it was time to move on.

How has the process of writing recording music changed over the years for the band? We’ve certainly gotten better at it, but fundamentally it’s always been a matter of trying to be true to the songs. Each album seems to have a life of its own, which applies to producing as well. Bettye’s album certainly had a life of its own. Do you try to consciously change your approach to making music or is it still fairly organic? It’s always been organic. The least so was probably Southern Rock Opera, since that album had such a specific agenda. Therefore it was the hardest to make and honestly some of it sounds labored to me because of that. How has success affected the way you write? Hopefully not at all. I always really worked at keeping that part separate from all of the others. Writing has to be its own thing and when that gets corrupted it all goes to shit. That’s why so many bands suck after they hit it big… not that we’ve hit it big or anything. I’m able to support my family doing what I love and feel like the luckiest man on earth for that, but it took nearly 20 years to get there and our level is still pretty humble compared to bands on the radio or whatever sells a lot of records these days. The good news is since most of our success has happened outside of the so-called music business, all of the problems affecting them hasn’t really hurt us. So far, at least. People often reference your music with that of the Allman Brothers. What was it like to play shows with those guys? They were great and treated us really well out there. They don’t come any nicer than Warren and everyone I met that weekend was a good as they could be to us. I always loved and respected there music, but I couldn’t really say they were an influence. Duane Allman played on two albums that were a big influence on me– Derek and the Dominoes’ Layla and Wilson Pickett’s Hey Jude. I love Live at Fillmore East as much as anyone, but I don’t really consider it an influence.

LAST FALL WE SERIOUSLY DISCUSSED WHETHER IT WAS TIME TO MOVE ON OR NOT, BUT IN THE END I THINK WE BOTH WOULD HAVE JUST GONE ON TO FORM THE BAND WE NOW HAVE. RIGHT NOW THINGS ARE BETTER THAN THEY HAVE EVER BEEN. WE’LL SEE HOW WE FEEL AFTER A COUPLE HUNDRED MORE SHOWS.

What kinds of things do you look for in a replacement member, if at all? I don’t know if you really “replace” anybody. I just work with who I want to and likewise for all of us. John Neﬀ was a founding member of the band, who for his own reasons did some other things for a while. He’s been playing with us, basically full-time, for 2 years now and he has been an amazing contributor in our new album and tours. He was a great part of the Bettye LaVette album too. Neﬀ is one of the most brilliant musicians and best people I have ever met and having him in the band has been incredible.

Was it odd to be co-producing his solo album knowing that he was leaving the band? Actually making that album predated all of that. Hell, it kinda pre-dated him joining, as we discussed making that album and worked on pre-production for it for nearly a year before he joined DBT. Did you ever sense that he had regrets about leaving the DBTs? I would think not. It’s for the better all around. I saw his new

What are your expectations for the future in terms of the band? Next week we’re mastering our new album. I think it’s our best one on every level. I plan to spend most of next year trying to play for as many folks as possible. I’m already beginning to write for the one after that. Do you see it as a long-term project? Considering that Cooley and I have over 22 years in this, its pretty long-term. How do you stay motivated to do the writing/recording/touring cycle? I guess it’s just what we do. It’s who we are, at least right now. As long as the songs come and call to be DBT songs, that’s where I want them to go. Cooley and I vowed many years ago to quit when it’s no longer inspiring. Last fall we seriously discussed whether it was time to move on or not, but in the end I think we both would have just gone on to form the band we now have. Right now things are better than they have ever been. We’ll see how we feel after a couple hundred more shows. PG 27 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

FILM INTERVIEW

ALL HAIL THE QUEEN Cate Blanchett Returns to the Role that Made Her a Star

BY MATT GOLDBERG

ATE BLANCHETT IS REGAL. SHE’S NOT WEARING the white-powder make-up or pain-stakingly designed dresses of Elizabeth I, the breakthrough role that she reprises in Elizabeth: The Golden Age but her power and presence are felt throughout the room. She’s more humble than the famous queen of English history, but removed from the intimidation of such conﬁdence there’s a warmth and intellect that sets the room at ease as we ask her about reprising a character that had such an impact on her career, her multitude of projects, and how she views the character of Elizabeth I after 10 years, 24 ﬁlms, three Oscar nominations, and one Oscar win.

Well, you spoke a little about playing iconic characters, so I was curious about how you felt about approaching an iconic franchise. It’s such a well-oiled– as you say, “iconic”– franchise. And on the ﬁrst day of shooting, it was extremely surreal. I was watching the monitor as Steven set up the frame and I knew the iconography of the frame. I knew the trucks, I knew the layout, I knew how these things were lit. But yet, I was meant to enter the frame. It’s been fantastic, and so much fun. My boys have had an absolute ball. I’ve got a couple more weeks of ﬁlming.

dense period of history. By the process of selection, you’re automatically telescoping the events and you’re automatically saying, “This event has more significance than the one here.” So it’s never going to be like reading the letters and the court documents, or reading Allison Weir’s biography of Elizabeth. It’s not the same experience. But seeing a film shouldn’t be. You are being told a fable through the eyes of that director. And it’s very temporal, so hopefully the film has a contemporary quality, like all good stories. To connect with the collective unconscious; what we’re all thinking about. What it means to be female now as well as what it meant to be female then.

How do you distinguish the subtle looks that give us such an important glimpse into the character of Elizabeth? I think it’s tricky, but vital as an actor working in ﬁlm, to have a sense of the “third eye” and be aware of what you’re projecting, but not in a self-conscious way. So I think if you’re internally engaged with the set of feelings and emotions that you’re trying to play on the other actor, then that will externally take care of itself. I mean, I hope I wasn’t mugging too much. I didn’t think about it on the day very much. Obviously, when you’re getting into hair and make-up, it is a form of masking-up. But even when you’re in your Elizabethan war-paint, you don’t want that mask to be opaque. It has to be transparent, so hopefully there was a transparency to it.

There’s a lot of heat between Elizabeth and Walter Raleigh, but the two never really seem to be able to ignite that spark. Well, timing is everything, isn’t it? What interested me in the relationship between Raleigh and Elizabeth in this particular incarnation was that there was a sense of vicariousness to it. I think that happens in a lot of so-called love relationships, where you almost want to be the person as much as you want to possess the person. I think that there were a lot of male courtiers over the years that Elizabeth had strong connections with, and I think she was probably fascinated by the freedom that was aﬀorded to not only an adventurer like Raleigh, but also the men in the court who could travel a lot more freely than her. I mean, she never left the shores of England!

OBVIOUSLY, WHEN YOU’RE GETTING INTO HAIR AND MAKE-UP, IT IS A FORM OF MASKING-UP. BUT EVEN WHEN YOU’RE IN YOUR ELIZABETHAN WAR-PAINT, YOU DON’T WANT THAT MASK TO BE OPAQUE. IT HAS TO BE TRANSPARENT.

You were very reluctant to take on this role again. What changed your mind? I think what convinced me was time. Shehkar [Kapur, director], after we finished the first film, turned to me and immediately not only wanted me to play Elizabeth again but had a hundred other ideas. We’ve remained friends and talked about various projects, and Tim Bevin from Working Title said, “Let us work a script up and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.” I found the narrative of the love triangle very structured and different because I always said that if I did another one, Elizabeth shouldn’t be the central character. And because of the structure of the romance, because it’s an unabashedly romantic film, I think was quite different and it didn’t feel like treading the same ground. And also knowing that Clive [Owen] and Geoffrey [Rush] were on board and that Remi [Adefarasin] was going to shoot it and working with Alexandra Byrne who did the costumes again, who is a dear friend and a genius.

So would you say this story is ﬁctional history or historical fantasy or the exploration of a legend? How do you perceive it? I think it’s all three. We have only a few hours to tell an incredibly

How was chemistry of working with Clive? I think any woman that works with Clive has incredible romantic chemistry. [Laughs] Is he a professional charmer in real-life? No, he’s very frank and open and not at all self-conscious. And I think that’s incredibly attractive when someone is as attractive as he is and as unaware of it as he is.

How do you juggle your commitments to your family, your acting career and your managing a theatre company? Well, the Sydney Theatre Company, my husband Andrew Upton and I officially take over as co-artistic directors on the first of January. Andrew’s been there all year as an artistic associate, and I’ve been coming and going. Obviously, it takes a long time. There are some deep-time projects we’ve begun to set up. But officially, we don’t actually start until January the 1st. What appeals to you about playing such an important historical figure like Elizabeth or, more recently, Bob Dylan? Well, there’s a long and glorious legacy of actresses who have played Elizabeth I, from Flora Robson and Bette Davis to Glenda Jackson, Helen Mirren and Anne-Marie Duff. She’s constantly reinvented. One of my favorite plays is about Mary Stuart and a fictitious meeting between Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I. She’s ripe for reinvention because she’s such an enigma. And also, if you think about the Elizabethan Age, the English culture as we know it crystallized, so it’s a fascinating bit of history. I think there will be many more Elizabeths after this film because she’s a fantastic point from which to leap off for a story, particularly for a director like Shehkar. I think I run 100 miles per hour away from projects every time, and the ones that stick are the ones that pursue you and you can’t say no to. And the idea of Bob Dylan was just so utterly ludicrous, of course I had to say yes! It was very daunting. And I was a bit nervous about returning to a character that had allowed me to walk in the door to an international film career. You don’t ever want to perceive that you’re going backwards. So once I perceived that I could actually progress forward by playing it, then it became exciting. What was it like getting back into costume and getting back into this character? It was actually quite organic. I started hair and make-up with Morag Ross and then with Alexandra Byrne, we had long, long discussions about where to start. And obviously, no matter how much research you do, you’re telling a particular story that the script and the director prescribe. I think the great thing about Shehkar and I working together is that I’m fascinated by history and he’s utterly disinterested, so I think we temper one another really well. But in the end, you have to say that she’s starting off at a point where we kind of left her in the last film. But she was at a point of utter rigidity, so how does one exist within that rigid place? So we had to open that up a little bit. It felt strange. It was like there was an echo in the room, yet it was very fresh. Shehkar and I and Abbie [Cornish] watched the first one just before we started the film, and I was incredibly uncomfortable. I’m thinking, “Oh God! It’s ten years later! Have I aged that much?!” Being an actress in film is a bit like aging in dog years. But I was surprised at how well it stood up and I thought, “Well, that’s that. It’s its own thing.” I was excited at how this film was an echo in that you had the same creative team and a few of the same characters, but it’s its own creature. It’s a much more internal film, despite the epic backdrop. I think it was uncomfortable, but in a healthy, useful way. Can you talk a little about your role in Indiana Jones IV? I can’t. I’ll be shot. And so will you. [Laughs] That’s no joke! There’s FBI people on the set. PG 29 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

INsite’s Guide to Halloween This Years Top Haunted Houses and Costume Suppliers Haunted Houses

Netherworld

6624 Dawson Blvd., Norcross 30093 404.608.2484 www.fearworld.com Open Sept. 28,29 & Oct. 5th - Nov. 3rd NOW IN ITS 11TH YEAR, NETHERWORLD’s world famous haunted house has grown even bigger! Netherworld’s upstairs show Leviathan has expanded and now fills the entire level that once held two haunted houses; occupying the lower level this year is the gorier Primal Fear. Netherworld is open every night at 7 PM from October 5th November3rd. Tickets are $18 for Leviathan and $25 for Kronos Staring: Netherworld both Haunts. Netherworld Leviathan offers tons of new effects and scares this year including a 40-foot-long spinning tunnel, the bone rattling Earthquake, an attacking Headless Horseman, the flesh eating Leviathan and much much more! In Netherworld’s dark basement, Primal Fear is an exploration of nightmares ripped from the deepest recesses of your mind! Can you escape this pit of twisted horrors? This year Hauntworld, the haunted house industry trade magazine, has ranked Netherworld as the #1 Haunted House in America…the top event of an elite group that includes haunts from New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago and other major markets. Netherworld Haunted House is a self-guided, dark attraction filled with terrifying live actors, amazing special effects, and incredible monsters. This intense, cutting edge, multi-themed haunted attraction is full of intense detail and chilling scares! Come see what new horrors lurk in the twisting corridors of Atlanta’s ultimate haunted house…if you dare!

Creepers Haunted House

2478 Atlanta Rd. Smyrna 770.444.3395 www.CreepersHauntedHouse.com Opens Oct. 3rd; Mon - Sat in Oct. & Sun. Oct. 28

CREEPERS HAUNTED HOUSE PRESENTS two of the longest and scariest haunted houses in all of Metro Atlanta.. “Psycho” & “Dead End” Go through them individually or go through both to experience the entire story. DEAD END: Welcome to the former Goodwill Parish in which tragedy has taken its toll upon this once thriving comThe Creepers bus can be rented munity. What used to be a place of happiness until disease for groups of 10-12 and include consumed this early 20th century haven has now become an VIP passes to the haunted house.

PG 10 insiteatlanta.com October 2005 PG 30 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

imprisonment for the souls that once inhabited this place. Walk the halls of Dr Sagens haunted hotel and be mindful of the spirits that lurk there. Take caution at the train tracks which carried the dead to their final resting place though some wonder if they have ever rested at all. PSYCHO: For the unlucky that survived the Goodwill Parrish tragedy, dare to enter the doors where their final days were spent in unorthodox treatment and mental destruction at the Godfrey Sagen Sanitarium. Watch their final memories and fears before your eyes and possibly have their fears become your reality.

photo courtesy of fearworld.com

FEATURE

PsychoShack

102 Saber Parkway, Villa Rica 404.418.6362 www.Psychoshack.com Open From Sept. 21 - Nov 3

FEAR HAS FOUND A HOME. Atlanta’s newest Haunted House has come to Villa Rica, just 30 minutes from downtown. Come see their two big Haunts: Crazy Granny’s Psychoshack and The Slaughterhouse. Afterwards take a stroll through the Graveyard. CRAZY GRANNY’S PSYCHOSHACK After a series of tragic events, old Elsie Johnson went insane. Shortly after the deaths of her daughter Isabelle and livein maid, she boarded up the house and was never seen or heard from again. .. come see what has become of the house since we pried off the boards. The family has opened the house to the public and is doing nightly tours to help pay the outstanding tax bills. THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE Come and get it! Step right up and see he Slaughterhouse where there's always fresh meat! Come see what happens to your meat before it hits your plate. We would love have YOU for dinner. These haunted attractions will feature indoor and outdoor mind-blowing, heart pounding scares. Enter this turn of the century themed haunt, where once upon these lands happened a bloody double homicide of the daughter and the maid. Elsie and her husband are still unaccounted for to this day. Do you dare enter the grounds of this once abandoned home?

Halloween is our Business, our Only Business! WE’RE NOT JUST AN AISLE IN A PARTY STORE, WE’RE PURE HALLOWEEN EXCITEMENT WE ARE PROUD TO OFFER THE NEWEST AND MOST COMPLETE SELECTION OF: COSTUMES ACCESSORIES MASKS WIGS MAKEUP PARTY GOODS AND DECORATIONS

We dare any other competitor to match our selection! BUCKHEAD

3232 Peachtree Rd NW | Atlanta, GA 30305 404-842-9936

DUNWOODY /PERIMETER MALL AREA

TOWN CENTER MALL AREA

DULUTH/ GWINNETTE MALL AREA

4715-A Ashford Dunwoody Rd | Atlanta, GA 30338 678-731-9938

2505 Chastain Meadows Pky | Marietta, GA 30066 770-427-0845

2131 Pleasant Hill Rd #128 | Duluth, GA 30096 770-495-3833

SMYRNA/CUMBERLAND MALL AREA

ROSWELL

HIRAM

2545-H Cumberland Blvd SE | Smyrna, GA 30080 770-433-9711

10741 Alpharetta Highway | Roswell, GA 30076 770-518-4213

4272 Jimmy Lee Smith Pkwy #220 | Hiram, GA 30141 770-943-4450

Costumes & Accessories

Party City

The Discount Super Store

24 Metro Area Locations www.PartyCityOnline.com

Party City is the place to go when planning a party this Halloween or getting dressed up to go to one. They offer over 400 costumes to choose from in addition to their 100's of masks and 80+ wigs. This year the Pirate outfits are hot for the guys, and for the girls Party City has the full line of sexy Leg Avenue costumes. The selection is simply displayed in the store. There is no fumbling through racks of clothes to find what you're looking for. Just pick the outfit you want, and their trained staff will go get it for you. They even have fitting rooms to help you get the perfect costume. In addition to their ready made costumes, they have accessories to create whatever costume you can think of. Great accessories this year include body suits, boots and tights. 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.

Spirit

Halloween Superstores

7 Metro Area Locations wwwSpiritHalloween.com

Spirit has the largest Halloween stores in the nation and online. Spirit Halloween has been bringing the Halloween Spirit to communities for over 23 years. From their start in San Francisco, they have grown to over 425 stores across 46 states. Spirit offers the widest and most unique selection anywhere.

PG 32 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

Their years of experience help bring you the best and most complete selection of costumes, masks, wigs, accessories, makeup, and decorations – with many products you won’t find in any other store or on any other site. Everything you can imagine for Halloween is at Spirit. This year, dress to impress in one of their original, sexy, funny, hilarious adult Halloween costumes. Cheerleader, geisha, mermaid, nun, gladiator, zombie, Viking, orangutan – name your fantasy costume and find it at Spirit Halloween. Strut your stuff in one of hundreds of sexy costumes by Playboy and Leg Avenue. Indulge your inner princess in one of their stunning theater quality costumes. Go for the jugular in a petrifying werewolf or vampire costume. Ham it up in an outrageously ridiculous joke costume. We have so many great adult Halloween costume ideas, you’ll wish every day was Halloween! Spirit has a wide range of accessories and props to add the finishing touch to any costume. From King’s scepters, wizards wands, soldiers guns and carpenters hammers, they have it. They sell limbs, lashes, whips and sashes, plastic swords, fake guns, even habits for nuns. Add some flair to your costume with a feather boa. There are badges, axes, bones and glasses: costume accessories for everyone.

Psycho Sisters

Little 5 Points 404.523.0100 Sandy Springs 404.255.5578 Lilburn 770.923.5228 Cartersville 770.607.0888 www.psycho-sisters.com

Psycho Sisters, the #1 cool consignment shop in Atlanta has gone completely beserk with their Halloween inventory this year. Pirate extravaganza, Naughty Sailor Girls, Cupids, Sexy cops, 80’s big hair rockers and Go Go galore 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. Any purchase over $10 receives a free gift bracelet. 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.

Junkman’s Daughter

464 Moreland Ave. Little 5 Points 404.577.3188 myspace.com/junkmansdaughteratlanta

One of the largest and most successful retailers in Little Five Points, Junkman's Daughter is ready this Halloween! This 25 year old alternative department store boasts 10,000 square feet of retail space. They stock cutting edge brands for guys and girls, fantastic footwear, awesome accessories, a unique gift department filled with unusual items and decor, posters and tees, and a fully stocked tobacco shop for your smoking needs . 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 barrel of monkeys costume. They also have masks like the Dick Cheney and a wide range of your political favorites. Junkmans has the craziest, most unique costumes in town, get shopping early for the best selection!

Rag-O-Rama

1111 Euclid Ave. Little 5 Pts. 404.658.1988 ragorama.com Rag-O-Rama has affordable halloween costumes for both men and women. In addition to their wide selection of brand new costumes, wigs and accessories, Rag-O-Rama also offers an eclectic array of one of a kind pieces to complete any halloween look. So, whether you want that hot new costume or something to make you stand out this year, Rag-O-Rama rocks halloween.

Costumes, Etc.

2213 Faulkner Rd. (Off Cheshire Bridge Rd.) 404.728.4598 www.costumes-etc.com Atlanta’s year round costume store. The one stop shop for all of your costume needs, where you'll find one of the largest selections of better quality adult and children's costumes - in stock year-round - for rent and sale. Complete your desired look with their masks, wigs, hats, costume accessories, professional makeup, and other supplies, etc.. From here you can look at the Costume Rental price list to find what fits your budget. They have some of the best prices and highest quality rental costumes in Atlanta. You have to see them to believe them.

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MUSIC INTERVIEW

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�� BY JOHN B. MOORE

F YOU LOOKED AT THE CROP OF DEBUT albums released five years ago and were asked to guess which bands would still be around today, chances are few would single out The Used. Not that the Utah-based band wasn’t up to it musically: Their screamo-tinged debut was one of the genre’s most original entries, and eventually spawned a movement. It was the band’s dynamics– the tabloid-worthy stories of heroin use and interpersonal fighting– that almost certainly predicted an early demise. It’s a bit surprising then, half a decade later, to see the band re-born on Lies for the Liars, their third proper studio album. With a new drummer, a healthier attitude and some of their strongest songs to date, The Used is out to prove that they are in it for the long run. Bassist Jeph Howard, calling in from Utah, talked to us recently about the new record, the band reconnecting as friends and how describing music is like describing an apple. Have you had a chance to play any of these new songs since you’ve been out on the road? We’ve actually played a ton. We played like nine different songs, including songs that aren’t going to be on the record. It’s been pretty fun.

THE USED REGROUP AND RELEASE THEIR BEST ALBUM YET

And what’s the reaction been like so far from the crowd? It’s funny because when we ﬁrst started touring I was the skeptic. I was like “Nobody knows these songs yet so we should take it easy and not play too many,” but it’s awesome just because of YouTube and MySpace. Because of YouTube, we play a song one night and some kid records that song and it’s on the Internet the next day and then kids can see it already. It’s cool because now people know the words. The CDs not out yet, but they can kind of get a taste of it before it actually comes out. I’m a little interested about the writing process for this new record. With Bert (McCracken) living in LA and you guys in Utah, did that change the way you wrote the record? Yes and no. Usually when we write it starts out with a guitar line and then from there we jam it out and Bert will come with a melody and lyrics after. This record was totally diﬀerent and it wasn’t necessarily because Bert was in LA, because we actually moved to LA to write. We were there for like six months. It was more that we didn’t have a drummer when we went to the studio. All we had were a bunch of ideas that Quinn

(Allman) had guitar-wise and from there we kind of sat down and started going through the guitar ideas and getting what we think we liked. Bert would come up with a melody through the piano and started thinking up words that way and then once he would get a strong melody that he liked, from there we would kind of see what the song would be and we would jam it out. As a new drummer, how is Dan Working out? Obviously it helps that he’s had a history with you guys. It’s awesome. It does help that he was a friend first. We’ve played with his band on tour before and I kind of knew him and we were more acquaintances. The more we started hanging out, and I realized how good of a person he was. Then we started jamming together and it’s been a good change. He’s actually made our band stronger and tighter than we could even imagine – even as people. So the band’s in a good place right now? Oh yeah. The band’s in the greatest place we’ve been in years. Talk a little about the new songs. There definitely are some positive themes on it, but I wouldn’t say it’s all positive. Bert has a way of writing lyrics and being honest with what he is writing. He’s more open lyrically than he is in person. I think with this record he proves that even more. He goes beyond anything he had ever done before and talks about stuff because he wants to. It’s hard to explain. It’s like someone not knowing what an apple is and trying to describe it. Was there anything you guys were listening to when putting the record together that had some sort of influence on the sound? With our band we all listen to different music. I know I was listing to Mew a lot; they’re a fucking incredible band.

And you guys worked with John Feldman (from Goldfinger) again on this record? Yeah. The first record it was “John’s awesome,” the second record we had plans to go with different people, but at the end of it we were like, “We know John and it’s a lot less stress to go to him, so let’s just do that,” and with this one it’s like “Oh shit, now we don’t have a drummer.” What’s he like to work with? Me, out of everybody, I clash with him the most and me and him were on opposite sides of the world. But it’s cool, because with this record I think I understand him and he understands me more than we ever have. We’ve figured each other out. I love that dude, I really love him. I think he’s an awesome human being, he’s super intelligent and I can’t say enough good things about him. And it took me this long to realize why he goes about things the way he does and it’s cool to progress like that. He’s partially responsible for you guys getting signed isn’t he? Oh yeah. He found us in Utah. Branden, our exdrummer, sent him a demo of one of our songs and he was like “Oh, cool. I like it. Send me more.” We were surprised because we sent him stuff from our old bands before – we were in a lot of shitty bands – and we just kept trying.

emile from page 12

monica from page 12

What were the best and worst parts of the experience? Well, the best day and the worst day were the same day. The worst day was the day where I had to work with the grizzly bear. This was a nine-foot tall, thousand-pound grizzly bear. Even though he was trained, I heard he was trained as a method actor. He was very prone to improvising. Trained to be spontaneous. The best day was the end of that day where I walked away with my limbs intact. And Sean’s best and worst day was the same day, except it was the reverse order.

So where is home now? I live between Rome, Paris, and London.

What do you hope people will take away from this film and from your performance? Oh, I could never tell anybody what to take away. That’s not right. That’s completely up to them. I think that it’s not about what you take away, necessarily. I think it’s what you go into it with. That, to me, is how it works. I mean, the film can speak for itself, but I feel like if you’re feeling positive and you go to see it, you come away with a better experience. Did being at these places and aiming for the authenticity help you get into character? Yeah. I think Sean says it best when he says that everything was made more authentic because nature is relentlessly authentic. You can’t help but be affected by it. I agree with that. There were times where it just felt so real where we were. Such a tangible environment. So non-theoretical, it was right in front of you. Solid. It just brought out the reality in all the situations for me. Chris’ relationship with his family is really central to the book and to his story. Did you relate to those themes? You know, I wouldn’t want to cheapen or tarnish people’s impressions of the film by giving them any kind of my type of personal experience. I want it to really be more about Chris. PG 34 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2007

You guys recorded a ton of songs, a lot more than will actually make it on Lies for the Liars. Do you have plans yet for those other songs? We wrote about 40 or 50 and recorded about 20. We’re only putting 11 on this record, because we want the songs to ﬁt and ﬂow into each other. We’re saving the other songs for two EPs that we’re going to split up and put out later this year. Maybe one this year and maybe one the beginning of next because we kind of want to do some more songs for it.

Which of those is your favorite? I like Paris because, even though it’s a big city, the creative life is very beautiful. Rome is quiet and nice, but you can get bored, so I like to be with my friends. And I like London because it’s a nice bridge between Europe and America. When I’m in Paris or in Rome I feel a bit under pressure, but when I’m in London, English people don’t come so close to you. And do you travel with your family? I have a baby and she travels with me all the time. So when I was in Toronto, she was in Toronto with me. She doesn’t go to school yet; she’s three. When she goes to school, of course I’m going to have to change my life. I won’t make three movies a year. I have to relax. Is it crazy to go home to your baby after doing a film like Shoot ‘Em Up? No, because I’m an actress. When I’m on stage I’m a character, and when I go home I’m a mother. I’m not one of those actresses who stays in the character for days and months. When it’s over, it’s over. Do you look after your baby by yourself? You’re still married, right? Of course! I’ve been married [to actor Vincent Cassel] for 13 years! He’s a very good father. So what’s next for you? A French film directed by Alain Corneau called Le Deuxième Souffle, with Daniel Auteuil. It’s a gangster movie– a film noir. I’ll be a blonde. She’s a femme fatale. She’s a very strong woman, again. And it’s a very dramatic part. And I just finished a move in Italy with a director called Marco Tullio Giordana. He did The One Hundred Steps and he was at the Golden Globes for it. Do you like being kept so busy? Yes, but at the same time I like to take time for myself. Before, I was more crazy, and now my baby has really taken over and I want her to be happy.

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SPORTS

Ice, Ice, Maybe

10 Ways to Make the NHL Watchable Again.

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

E’RE NOT GOING TO PRETEND we’re the biggest NHL fans here at INsite. (Guess you all aren’t the greatest followers either, seeing as how we’ve received zero letters in 15+ years of publishing with regards to our sparse hockey coverage.) Still, the ’07-08 season is about to face-oﬀ, so we thought it would be a great time outsiders like us chimed in on a sport many either love more than life or loathe like an ex-wife. Truthfully, we don’t hate the game. We just hate the fact the Stanley Cup playoﬀs got lower ratings last spring than the NCAA softball tournament. It doesn’t matter if you’re from Vancouver or Venice Beach. That just ain’t right. Here are 10 things NHL commissioner Gary Bettman should do to take his sport, at least, to the level of the IFC or maybe even the World Poker Tour. Hey, it’s a start!

1. INTRODUCE SIDNEY TO THE WORLD

You may not like everything about the NFL or NBA, but if there’s one practice the two leagues do extremely well it’s getting the mainstream on board with its stars. Everybody knows Peyton Manning and LeBron James. Hardly anyone outside of western Pennsylvania knows that sensational Penguin center, Sidney Crosby, became the ﬁrst teenager in any of the big four sports to win MVP. He’s electric. He’s charming. He’s completely indistinguishable at Applebee’s. I’d change all of that right now.

2. INTRODUCE THE WORLD TO HOCKEY

Like soccer, rugby and David Hasselhoﬀ, hockey just ain’t cuttin’ it here in the States. That’s no

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reason to give up. 5.8 billion other folks looking to keep themselves occupied from October to May. So, starting with Europe, the League is actually thinking of expanding. Beyond the ridiculous jet lag for the Phoenix Coyotes, the idea might work. The NHL is testing England’s excitement with the season’s ﬁrst two games being played at London’s glorious O2 venue. If all goes well, experiments in Paris and Munich won’t be far oﬀ.

3. COOL THE WARM FRONT

Growing up, we remember watching passionate hockey in Hartford, Quebec and Minnesota. Then came the mid 90s and with it came a southward migration into Dallas and Atlanta. Yeah, we know that a lot of hockey transplants from the north live in Dixie now, but c’mon! The last three Stanley Cup champion cities –Tampa Bay in ‘04, Carolina in ‘06 and Anaheim this past year- should NOT be the same three from AAA’s top summer destination list.

able gauge, the fists will be flying like old times at a rink near you this winter. And to think, NHL officials actually thought more folks would follow the sport if they cut out 75% of the foolishness with fists. Hehehehehe. This is America, jack. We like our one-timers with smacks!

6. LESS ERIC LINDROS

Thank the heavens this one is coming to a reality as well. We’ve heard since Bill Clinton’s ﬁrst term that the the Dallas center from Ontario was going to change the complexion of the game. 15 years in, Lindros has had more concussions than all-star game appearances. Reports are coming in that this season could be Eric’s last. Awwwww. But hey, for every headline he’s no longer getting, somebody with something to actually contribute like young studs Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin or the Hurricanes’ Eric Staal can shine.

7. GIVE IT A NIGHT

the Hispanic and African-American communities through various outreach programs. Some of hockey’s best young talents are black (Jarome Iginla at Calgary and Edmonton’s Anson Carter), but kids in the hood have no clue. There’s an untapped market, albeit a small one, in minority sectors. Hell, at least let the youth know the slapshot was created in the Coloured Hockey League in the early 1900s.

9. MORE COLOR IN THE BOOTH, TOO

Okay, having Charles Barkley or even Stephen A. Smith in the Versus Network studio probably isn’t the wisest idea. However, getting more talking heads like the legendary Don Cherry is genius. These kinds of in-your-mug personalities exude hockey’s panache and are gravitating forces for novice followers. Organize a few American Idol-style contests in cities like Buﬀalo or Sioux Falls to ﬁnd some new energy for the booths.

10. DON’T RULE IT OUT

Those Ducks that won the Cup a season ago likely won’t repeat. Last year’s heart (Teemu Selanne) and soul (Scott Niedermayer) are gone. But that’s nothing new. In fact, the last NHL organization to repeat was the ’96-97 and ‘97-98 Detroit Red Wings. For some new life to the sport, there needs to be a dominant force (ala the New England Patriots, San Antonio Spurs or Tiger Woods) to capture some headlines.

The thing that’s really neat about football is that it’s understood that high school plays on Friday, college on Saturday and the pros go at it on Sunday. Of course, the NHL, with its 82-game schedule can’t just play on Saturdays or Sundays. But it can be more creative in its marketing. “Tussling Tuesdays” or “Friday Night Face-oﬀs” in the second part of the season (giving the league time to adjust schedules like in the NFL) could brand a weeknight and generate excitement over the course of seven days.

After the ’04-05 lockout season, the NHL amended a few rules with the hope that scoring would go up. It worked. In ’05-06. For some reason, a year ago scoring went down slightly and the overall pace of the game kinda tailed oﬀ. Tweak a lil here (bigger nets) and there (more shoot-outs) and make the game more exciting. This isn’t soccer here, people… Wait, nobody’s watching the games or reading my suggestions. Maybe it is.

Thank the heavens this one is already coming to fruition. If early preseason action is a respect-

Though baseball still has a ways to go, you’ve got to commend the way it’s extending a hand to

Semi-Fearless Stanley Cup Finals Preview: Detroit over Atlanta, 4-2

4. THE ICING DYNASTY

5. MORE FIGHTS

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SPORTS NEWS

FANATIC BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

“It’s very easy for guys to just tank it or just to get off ship and just say forget it. But I mean for us, that’s not NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL, regardless of our situation. We feel like we’re going to come to work every day and just try to build and get better. That’s who we are. We’re a team and we are going to stick with each other through thick and through thin, and that’s just how it’s going to be.” –Notre Dame senior linebacker Maurice Crum, after the school’s first-ever 0-4 start Don’t know if you caught this or not, but a few months ago, S.I. ran a neat feature with the top players at every number from 0 to 99. (If you didn’t know, Wayne Gretzky was No. 99’s choice) Anyways, seeing as how it’s already the 10th month, Fanatic thought he’d share with you the top athletes the publication feels have ever worn No. 10: 1) Pele and 2) Diego Maradona…. Walt Frazier, Guy LaFleur and Zinedine Zidane were the honorable mentions. TIGER WOODS played his last two events in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup in a collective 45-under par. Only once in his career has he been better than that in back-to-back events. He finished 48-under in the ‘02 World Golf Championships-American Express Championship and the Walt Disney World Classic…More on Tiger: His 67.79 scoring average equals the all-time TOUR best set by, well, Woods himself in the ‘00 season… Just one more: The Tour Championship victory was Tiger’s seventh of the year. It’s the fourth time in his career that he’s won seven or more tournaments. No one else in the history of the TOUR has four seven or more win seasons. “I feel terrible for GREG ODEN. I’ve never talked to the young man, but he’s always come across as very professional, very mature.

A Monthly Sports Wrap-up Obviously, with the past history of the team and my situation, he’s walked into some quicksand, shall we say. I just hope this kid gets a chance to prove all of the doubters wrong.” –Former Trailblazer top pick/NBA flop Sam Bowie, on Oden’s season-ending injury “This is definitely something we haven’t faced before as a group. But I’m not worried about it one bit. I’m a believer in where we’re going. We’re going to take whatever negative is thrown at us and turn it into a positive.” –NEW ORLEANS QB DREW BREES after a four-interception performance that left the preseason fave Saints 0-3 When Jacksonville State and Memphis played a few Saturdays ago, line judge S.B. THOMAS didn’t stand out. But her appearance marked the first time a female official has worked a game in the Football Bowl Subdivision (DI-A). And finally… When Todd Helton did a curtain call after his 300th homer in mid September, it was later revealed that was his first curTiger Woods is on fire! tain call in his brilliant career with the Rockies...Damn, OJ and Mike Tyson just can’t stay out of the news… Since ‘03, Notre Dame has suffered 13 losses by 20+ points, which is nearly double that of perennial SEC cellar-dweller Vanderbilt (seven 20+ point losses)… Most 40homer seasons in his first seven years in the Majors? You got Ralph Kiner (5 times), Albert Pujols (4), Ernie Banks (4) and Adam Dunn (4)… Congrats to the Phoenix Mercury for its marvelous WNBA playoff run, but it’s sad the expansion Colorado Chill couldn’t raise the initial $5 to 7 million to get its team off the ground…Through Sept 22, seven DI-AA (or FCS) teams have defeated DI-A squads already this season, with North Dakota State’s thumping of Central Michigan being the latest…Speaking of DI-AA, the playoff format will likely change to an 18-team one in ’08.

Must-See TV

Top 5 Games This Month World Series

(Oct. 24-Nov. 1, TBA, FOX)

At press time, the Mets and Red Sox were on the verges of unprecedented collapses. Who knows if either team will remain by the time this drama unfolds.

College Football

4 5

(Oct. 6, various times, CBS)

Three top-shelf matches (Florida/LSU, Texas/ Oklahoma, Georgia/Tennessee) no couch potato worth his weight in nacho dip will want to miss.

(Oct. 27, various times and networks)

Another trio of games (West Virginia/Rutgers, USC/Oregon, Ohio State/Penn State) you’ll need to wiggle out of lawn work to watch.

Green Bay at Denver (Oct. 29, 8:30PM, ESPN)

Packers record-shattering QB Brett Favre has found the Fountain of Youth, huh? We’ll see how he responds to the Broncos’ flooding defensive schemes.

Los Angeles at Anaheim (Sept. 30, 12PM, Versus)

The NHL champion Ducks face-off for the first time this season across the pond— literally! The game’s in London.

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