INsite Atlanta April 2009 Issiue by INsite Magazine

A p ri l 2. 08 0F9REE

Vo l. 17, N o

tainment Monthly r e t n E s â&#x20AC;&#x2122; a t n Atla ta.com

INTERVIEWS: Paul Rudd Nicholas Cage The Roots

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FESTIVAL ISSUE

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EXPLORE THE NORTH END �� &

Tuesday �� Wednesday �� Thursday �� Friday & Saturday

Fri, Apr 10

Sat, Apr 11

Fri, Apr 17

Matt Stillwell

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(80’s Rock Cover)

(Texas Country) with Scott Little

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MAKE YOUR LIFE

EXTRAORDINARY

CONTENTS • APRIL 2009 • VOLUME 17.8

8 Ways to Great

Atlanta’s

Entertainment Monthly

INTERVIEWS

For an experience beyond books and lectures… Life University prides itself on instilling eight core life proficiencies in every course. From psychology to biology, students receive a solid foundation in integrity, citizenship, and leadership. Just to name a few. These skills and values will allow our graduates to not just succeed within their respective fields, but to succeed with an ability to change the world.

Programs of Study: Doctor of Chiropractic Master’s of Sport Health Science Associate Degree Programs Computer Information Management Life Coaching

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Bachelor Degree Programs Business Administration Computer Information Management Biology Exercise Science Nutrition Dietetics Psychology Biopsychology General Studies

LIFE.edu • 800-543-3202

10 PAUL RUDD 12 ROSE BYRNE 14 BRILLANTE MENDOZA 18 K’NANN 23 THE ROOTS 27 BEN LEE 27 ROGER JOSEPH MANNING 28 NICHOLAS CAGE

FEATURES

08 OUTDOOR DINING 11 BRUNCH 21 FESTIVAL GUIDE 24 MLB PREVIEW

COLUMNS 05 ON TAP 05 ON THE CHEAP EVENTS 06 AROUND TOWN 13 MOVIE REVIEWS 16 CONCERT CALENDAR 19 ROAD WARRIORS 19 WE GOT NEXT 20 ALBUMS 30 FANATIC

www.insiteatlanta.com STAFF LISTING Publisher Stephen Miller steve@insiteatlanta.com National Managing Editor Bret Love bret@insiteatlanta.com Art Director Michael T. graphics@insiteatlanta.com Music / Sports Editor DeMarco Williams demarco@insiteatlanta.com Events Listing Editor Glenn LaFollette glenn@insiteatlanta.com Special Features Editor Marci Miller marci@insiteatlanta.com Entertainment Editor Matt Goldberg matt@insiteatlanta.com Web Design Michael T. graphics@insiteatlanta.com PG 4 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

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

Check out our MLB Feature on Page 30!

LOCAL EVENTS

OnTap this Month EMAIL EVENTS TO ONTAP@INSITEATLANTA.COM

April 14 & 16: The Fox Theatre

JENNIFER HUDSON & ROBIN THICKE

Grammy and Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson and Grammy winning, platinum superstar Robin Thicke bring thier distinctive R&B vocals to the Fox Theatre. This ticket is such a hot-seller a second show has now been added! This marks the first official tour for Hudson, who recently won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album for her selftitled debut album. Robin Thicke returned to center stage with his 2008 release Something Else, a joyful and modern tribute to the '70s soul and pop records that have inspired an extraordinary career. For additional information, please visit www.foxtheatre.org or www.ticketmaster.com.

April 17 - 19: Piedmont Park

ATLANTA DOGWOOD FESTIVAL

The Atlanta Dogwood Festival returns home to Piedmont Park to host the city's best loved springtime tradition. The weekend of fine art, music, and food, offers the ideal way for families and friends to spend time in the beautiful Atlanta spring weather. This year's festival is poised to be the largest in its history. The 2009 festival will include a variety of musical performers with a new stage. This year also includes the return of the frisbee dogs plus a new interactive Kids Village. Atlanta Dogwood Festival is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.dogwood.org.

March 17-19: Druid Hills Neighborhood

DRUID HILLS TOUR OF HOMES

This walking tour of seven homes in the historic Druid Hills area includes a stop at the Lullwater Conservation Garden for the annual spring plant sale. Stop in at the Druid Hills Artist Market as artists represent a wide variety of mediums including painting, jewelry, pottery, photography, glassworks, and new and vintage textile arts. Lunch will be available for purchase at the market and diners will be entertained under the grand tent with the arts of music and dance. For ticket information and a full schedule, please visit www.druidhillstour.org or call (404) 524-TOUR.

April 17: Wild Bill’s in Duluth

WILD BILL’S FIGHT NIGHT 19

On Friday, April 17 come see one of the best fight cards ever assembled in Georgia. There are currently 15 fights scheduled with the First Pro Female MMA Fight in Georgia taking place as Lizzy Miller (4-0 as an amateur) takes on Tanya Reyes (1-0 as an amateur). There are also no less than three fighters on the card that have experience fighting in the UFC. Fights start at 8pm and are for those ages 18 and up. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations or by calling the Wild Bill's Fight Line at (404) 626-2126 or Wild Bill's at (678) 4731000. For more information, visit www.wildbillsatlanta.com.

April 22: Various Atlanta Restaurants

ATLANTA ON THE

CHEAP!

TOP EVENTS FOR SMALL CHANGE IN SEPTEMBER

EVENTS HAPPENING FOR SMALL CHANGE IN ATLANTA

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

JAZZ NIGHTS AT SCOTTISH RITE

Thursdays, April 9,16, 23, 30 7PM - 9PM Free Event Oakhurst Village, 321 W. Hill St. Decatur www.oakhurstjazznights.com 404.370.0888 This four-week candlelit jazz concert series will take place rain-or-shine. A limited number of tables for four are available for an additional fee. Blankets only, no lawn chairs allowed. Please visit the event website for a complete list of performers.

WIND DOWN WEDNESDAY AT HERITAGE GREEN

Wednesdays, April 15&27, $5 per person 6075 Sandy Springs Circle, Sandy Springs heritagesandysprings.org 404.851.9111 Heritage Sandy Springs presents a springtime series of outdoor concerts in the heart of the city. Come unwind after work and enjoy music from classic rock and 80s cover bands and beverages from local breweries and wine shops.

GWEN IFILL LECTURE

inspired activities, drop-in exploration stations and opportunities to learn about the Garden conservation program. Garden staff, volunteers and environmental groups such as Trees Atlanta will be available to share information on green living and gardening.

A KEEPING OF RECORDS: THE LIFE AND ART OF ALICE WALKER

Opens Thursday April 23 thru September Schatten Gallery, 3rd Fl Woodruff Library www.marbl.library.emory.edu 404.727.0136 Free Event An exhibition celebrating the opening of the Alice Walker papers. The collection includes drafts of writings such as The Color Purple including an early treatment of the film that was never used, unpublished poems and writings, various correspondences, syllabi from courses she taught, and fan mail. The collection also contains some hidden treasures including a scrapbook of poetry compiled when Walker was just 15. Walker will also lecture at Emory on Friday, April 24 at 8:00pm at the Glenn Memorial Auditorium.

Monday, april 20, 7PM Free Event Agnes Scott College 141 E. College Ave. Decatur www.georgiacenterforthebook.org 404.370.8450 ext. 2225

4TH SATURDAY FAMILY FUN DAY

Gwen Ifill, the senior correspondent for NPR and "The NewsHouse with Jim Lehrer", who moderated last fall's vice presidential debate, will discuss her critically acclaimed new book, The Breakthrough: Race and Politics in the Age of Obama.

Enjoy an afternoon of FREE, family fun once a month from spring to fall at Centennial Olympic Park. The event is full of interactive, entertaining and educational activities for children and each Saturday features a different theme. April's theme is "All About Art."

EARTH DAY IN THE GARDEN

Wednesday, April 22, 9AM - 7PM $6 Adults; $4.50 Children ages 3-17 Atlanta Botanical Garden 1345 Piedmont Avenue, Midtown atlantabotanicalgarden.org 404.876.5859 Celebrate Earth Day and receive ½ off admission to the Atlanta Botanical Garden all day long. This special day includes fun, earth-

Saturday, April 25, Noon-4PM Free Centennial Olympic Park 265 Park Avenue West, Atlanta www.centennialpark.com 404-222-PARK

URBAN FILM REVIEW

Monday, April 27, 7PM reception, 8PM film Woodruff Arts Center Free Event 1280 Peachtree Street, Atlanta www.urbanfilmreview.eventbrite.com 404.633.3396 Monthly film series featuring independent films from African, Latin and Asian independent filmmakers. This event is typically held the 4th Monday of each month. The April film is ???. Please bring an old cell phone to donate it to a domestic violence victim through the Verizon Wireless Hopeline Program. Atlanta on the Cheap by Marci Miller

DINING OUT FOR LIFE

Dine out for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner on April 22 at many of Atlanta's best restaurants and help Open Hand provide home-delivered meals and nutrition education to seniors and individuals living with diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, HIV/AIDS and cancer. Restaurants that participate donate a minimum of 20 percent of sales that day to the organization. Open Hand provides more than 5,000 meals daily across 17 counties in north Georgia. 91% of Open Hand's clients live at or below the federal poverty level. Call (404) 419-3333 or visit www.DiningOutforOH.org.

PRESENTED BY

PLATINUM SPONSORS

april 22, 2009 GOLD SPONSORS

May 3: Atlantic Station

GEORGIA WALK FOR AUTISM

Join Autism Speaks and the Marcus Autism Center as they join forces for the 2009 Georgia Walk Now for Autism. This year's event takes place on Sunday, May 3 at Atlantic Station. Registration begins at 8:00am and the walk starts at 10:00am. Walk Now for Autism offers families a funfilled experience with music, bounce houses, food, an autism community resource fair, and much, much more. Thousands of walkers are expected to participate. Those who raise $100 will earn a commemorative Walk for Autism t-shirt. For more information and to register, visit www.walknowforautism.org.

It’s a great time to nourish your soul.

Dine out at any participating restaurant on April 22nd, andnearly 20% 200 of your bill will be donated to support the participating restaurants on April 23rd, and community nutrition Hand. 20% of your bill will programs be donatedof toOpen support the work of Open Hand provides home-delivered meals, nutrition education, counseling and therapy to homebound seniors and individuals struggling with chronic, critical or seniors terminal disease. and other individuals who are struggling with Visit DiningOutforOH.org for more information and a list of participating restaurants. for more information Please visit ProjectOpenHand.org

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Dining at Chin Chin is pure pleasure 2 NEW LOCATIONS!

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

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2001-2008 Best Chinese – INsite

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

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Willy’s Mexicana Grill

DINING

Spring Patio Guide

16 Area Locations / Athens Catering 404.422.7107 willys.com

Places to go when looking to Dine Outdoors! Agave

this spring. Menu features include gourmet “Tavern Chips,” New Orleans po’ boys, baby back ribs, bountiful salads, Carnegie Deli Pastrami and aged steaks broiled “Pittsburgh Style.” Full menu and bar are served on the patio overlooking Peachtree Road at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead. Check out The Tavern’s "Best Looking Waitstaff" serving nightly on the patio. It is the hottest place in town during Friday afternoon happy hour!

242 Boulevard SE 404.588.0006 www.agaverestaurant.com

Johnny’s NY Style Pizza

Named for the blue agave plant that is the heart and soul of the finest tequila, Agave ships the freshest seafood, beef and produce in daily. 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 spring. With creative daily specials, award winning margaritas and great ambiance one can see why this is a Cabbagetown favorite.

The Tavern at Phipps

3500 Peachtree Rd. 404.814.9640 www.TheTavernAtPhipps.com

Multiple Metro Area Locations www.JohnnysPizza.com

Johnny’s Pizza has come to be synonymous with great pizza and subs in Atlanta. The first metro area location opened in East Point in 1977. 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 their menu! Johnny’s restaurants offer dine-in, take-out and delivery. Many like the Cheshire Bridge location featured have great patios to enjoy in spring.

The Red Door Tavern

3180 Roswell Rd. 404.846.6525

Voted Atlanta’s “Best Happy Hour” and "Best Patio," The Tavern at Phipps is the place to be

The Red Door Tavern who just celebrated their 5 Year Anniversary, has quickly become a

Your Neighborhood Pizzeria!

BEST PIZZA!

& Multiple Atlanta Locations: www.JohnnysPizza.com PG 8 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

favorite watering hole among locals in North Buckhead. They are located on Roswell Road, one block north of the Roxy Theatre. The Red Door Tavern features a large outdoor deck in the front that offers a great view down Roswell Road in Buckhead’s West Village. They offer “Bucket Specials” of Bud, Bud Light and Bud Select. They also have a “Draft Tower” a glass featuring 120 ounces of beer. The deck is the place to be each spring.

The Corner Tavern

East Point 2783 Main St. 404.768.0007 Little 5 1174 Euclid Ave. 404.521.0667 Edgewood 464 Edgewood 404.577.2310 www.thecornertavern.com

All three Corner Tavern locations are fun hangouts biloffering liards, darts, and trivia. They also offer live music with bands playing at Little 5 on Tuesday night and Sunday night at the other locations. The East Point bar stays open until 4am every Sunday night. The Corner Tavern is known for their upper class pub fare and great beer selection. Little 5 Points has 27 beers on tap, East Pointe has 14 and the Edgewood location, Atlanta's only American Taproom, has over 100 American micro-brewed beers & native wines. Both East Point and Little 5 locations offer great patio scenes on the weekends.

Willy's Mexicana Grill offers a host of FreshMex menu items made from the freshest ingredients. Enjoy the outdoors this spring with a margarita and a burrito on the patio at Piedmont Park (featured) or at their Howell Mill location. Howell Mill offers live Music every Friday or Sunday when the weather warms up and Trivia on Wed and Thurs at 8pm. Willy's Kennesaw has Trivia every Wed at 8pm. Willy's is also the perfect place to stop in before heading to a concert, sporting event or spring festival. Don't forget Willy’s Catering for all the big spring events: Graduation, Cinco de Mayo, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and even Weddings! Now order online at willys.com.

Loco’s Grill & Pub

3167 Peachtree Rd. 404.233.1989 www.locosgrillandpub.com

With a great deck overlooking the view on Peachtree and multi-room dining area inside, Loco’s is the place to be this spring. They are located in the North End, the popular entertainment district of Buckhead. The patio area shown, wraps around the building and is a prime people watching location. It is also available for private parties.

Savage Pizza

484 Moreland Ave. 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. There is a wide variety of salads, subs, calzones and of course pizzas to choose from. Savage Pizza one of the most successful and popular neighborhood businesses in the Little Five Points / Virginia-Highland area. Savage serves both lunch and dinner with indoor and outdoor seating and offers catering and delivery.

Radial

1530 Dekalb Ave. 404.659.6594 www.radial.us

house along this former industrial corridor. They have a quaint patio out front for outdoor dining. The patio is always hopping on the weekends with great people watching and award winning brunch. They've been awarded 'Best Breakfast' and 'Best Brunch' honors from multiple publications and websites in their 10 yrs of operation. Be sure to try their Biscuits & Vegetarian Gravy, Blackened Fish & Grits and the Garlic-Leek Burger. Radial is located at 1530 Dekalb Av, in Candler Park just a few blocks from Little Five Points. Open Monday-Friday 7:30am-3:30pm and weekends from 8:30am-3:30pm.

El Azteca Ponce

939 Ponce de Leon 404.881.6040 www.elaztecadelivery.com

Overlooking Ponce De Leon Avenue, the award winning outdoor patio at El Azteca is one of the most happening places to be in summer. El Azteca boasts a renovated interior in case you can’t get a table outside. However if you are lucky enough to grab one, there is nothing better than to hang out on their patio with one of their “kick-ass”margaritas. Served as small, medium, half-pitcher and pitcher they come in four flavors. The traditional Texas plus fruity Strawberry, Peach and Mango. Popular tequila served here include 1800, Cuervo and Patron. This long serving neighborhood restaurant serves all the standard Mexican dishes you'd expect, such as starters like chips and salsa and entrees including burritos, chalupas, enchiladas and a wide selection of vegetarian dishes. They now deliver to the Ponce area. Go to www.elaztecadelivery.com to order.

Park Tavern

500 10th Streeet 404.249.0001 www.parktavern.com

The Park Tavern is located in the heart of Midtown on the corner of 10th Street and Monroe overlooking Piedmont Park. Park Tavern is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and has rejuvenated its restaurant and menu. The building was originally built as horse stables in 1905 and then transformed into a golf clubhouse in 1928. It still features some of the original woodwork and stone and all of its charm. Park Tavern offers an Easter Brunch Sunday, April 12th from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Brunch Buffet Selections include Eggs Benedict, Apple wood smoked bacon & sausage, Cheese grits, Green beans Almandine, Sweet and White Potato Strata and assorted Mini Muffins, Biscuits and Fresh Rolls. The buffet also has several salads, a French Toast station, Omelet station and Carving station. The Easter Bunny will make an appearance and have special eggs for the little ones! Check out “Unplugged in the Park” weekly concert series that begins every Sunday (June through October). The music is free and offers stripped down performances from Organic Sunday artists that you can't see anywhere else! Park Tavern, overlooking Piedmont Park and the Atlanta skyline, is the perfect backdrop for these sunset performances.

Mo’s Pizza

3109 Briarcliff Rd. 404.320.1258 at corner of Briarcliff & Clairmont Rd.

You may know about the burrito chain with the same name, but the original Mo’s resides on the corner of Briarcliff and Clairmont Roads just off the I-85 exit. They have been serving up great

pizza for over 25 years! Mo’s menu isn’t limited to pizza either: sandwiches, subs, wings, nachos and salads ensure that anybody who comes here can find something they like. Mo’s uses only the freshest ingredients; they make their own dough and grind their cheese daily. Come to Mo’s to watch the Braves or just enjoy the pleasant weather this Spring. They have a great deck to hang out on with plenty of seating. Mo’s is one of the longest running pizza joints in Atlanta, come see why they are one of the best!

Wahoo! A Decatur Grill

1042 W. College Ave. Decatur 404.373.3331 wahoogrilldecatur.com

Wahoo! Grill offers an eclectic menu that focuses on seafood with a southern twist in an atmosphere that makes you feel at home. The interior is European influenced with an open kitchen that creates a casual, interactive dining experience. Through the french doors you will find a lovely garden patio that offers great outdoor dining. They have two for one appetizers from 5 to 7pm daily. There is a full bar offering $5 martinis on Mondays. Tuesdays and Wednesdays you will find half price bottles of wine at $30 or less. Thursdays has half price bottles of featured reserve wines. Wahoo! is the recipient of Best Patio Dining and Best Seafood awards in 2008.

PLENTY OF OUTDOOR SEATING ON LARGE DECK GREAT SUBS, SANDWICHES, SALADS & WINGS CARRYING THE SEC & NCAA TOURNAMENT ON MULTIPLE PLASMA SCREENS

Since 1980

$7.50 Large Cheese Pizza

(Mondays Only)

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

3109 Briarcliff Rd. | 404-320-1258

PG 9 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

FILM INTERVIEW

FUNNY PEOPLE Why Jason Segel and Paul Rudd’s I Love You, Man may be the feel-good laugher of the year.

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

HERE ARE SOME GREAT DUOS in comedy. Abbott and Costello is one. Cheech and Chong is another. Thanks to John Hamburg’s direction and a natural chemistry that just comes from being around someone for so long, hombres Paul Rudd and Jason Segel may soon join the list. In the hilarious I Love You, Man, Rudd plays a guy who’s about to tie the knot but he’s missing one vital part- a best man. In walks Segel’s character to forever change his life. The subsequent bromance –For heaven’s sake, please don’t ever use that word around the guys- is nothing short of comedic genius. But then again, so is a normal conversation with these two about ﬁlmmaking, Hollywood friends and Lou Ferrigno. From looking at the script, did you just know that this was something you had to do? JS: What happened was John Hamburg invited Paul and I to lunch. We had read the script. I loved it. I thought it was so tightly-honed and so, so funny. Then when I found that Paul was going to do it… I think he and I have been working towards doing a buddy comedy like this for a while because we started out in Knocked Up. We only had a couple of scenes together, but I felt like we rifted well. And then in [Forgetting] Sarah Marshall, I feel like we had some expansive scenes. Then, with this, we ﬁnally got the opportunity to do a full movie together. It was really exciting for me. PR: I know that when I read it, I absolutely wanted to do it. I thought it was the funniest, freshest, smartest, sophisticated script I’ve ever read. JS: Clever, witty. All of that… PR: I’ve known John for years and I’ve always thought he was a great writer. I thought he hit a home run with this script. I was surprised that this movie hadn’t been made already. It seemed like such an obvious thing.

come friends [with Jason]. Also, we’ve worked together now for what seems like over and over. It doesn’t just end after one [movie]. JS: Seth [Rogen] and I met when Seth was 16 and I was 18. Jonah [Hill] and I grew up in the same town. We’re a year apart, so we’ve known each other for a while. Yeah, I think there is sort of the luxury of our group. We really enjoy working together. And as a result, you get to know each other really well and we found out that we really enjoy hanging out together too. PR: But then again, I also do live in New York. Those guys are in LA. I’m married. They’re not. It makes it a lil’ weird [to hang out]. See ya, homie. I’m gonna go meet Jason and Seth… JS: …at Magic Mountain! During the scenes where the girls are talking rather intimately, the men in the audience nervously went

are two problems: One, Vanity Fair was interested in still selling magazines and being appealing. Secondly, it was close quarters between me, Seth and Jonah. As you saw in Sarah Marshall, that can be very dangerous for Jonah. PR: Dude, that just sounds brutal. Did you guys base your characters on anyone? PR: I didn’t base my character on any person. I didn’t feel that diﬀerent from my character. Actually, there are al of characters in John Hamburg that I see in the character that I’m playing. Instead, it just kind of heightens those moments I feel in life and it just kinda plays into that a little bit. Where did Lou Ferrigno come from? JS: That was John’s idea. He settled in on the notion -which is really funny- that if you’re a realtor in Los

Is it hard to make friends in this business? PR: I think in these last years, I can say yes. I have bePG 10 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

Yeah, do any stand out more than others? PR: Well, cancer research. I spend a lot of time with a group here called Project ALS and I’ve been involved with them for many years. There’s also a grassroots, very small organization that’s just great called Our Time, which is a theatre company for all kids that stutter. It’s really amazing. JS: Wooow! PR: It’s really amazing. This guy Taro Alexander started it. He started stuttering late in life. It turned into… it’s not even a theatre even though these kids perform. These kids get together. They all stutter. Eventually, they learn to write their own pieces and they perform them in public. They do public speaking. It’s this incredible organization. JS: That’s amazing. PR: It’s great. Not a lot of people know about it, but they’re called Our Time. This is a terrible transition, but have you all seen the show Bromance? PR: I’ve never seen it. JS: I’ve never seen it either. We’re kinda annoyed that the show came along and brought that word into the cultural zeitgeist. PR: When we were working on it, we never heard that term. JS: I think it’s kind of gross. PR: It’s kind of funny. Like anything, I’m like, “There’s kind of an apt title. There’s something somewhat clever about it.” JS: I think we said “bromantic comedy” at one point while we were ﬁlming and thought we were so clever. PR: But like with “man-date,” where you feel like you have to put a label on it or some kind of phraseology that makes it funny or something. Then it just gets annoying.

Do you guys hang out? JS: Well, he lives in New York and I live in LA, so it’s tough. But whenever we visit one of the cities, we see each other. But just to go back, the other thing I really liked about the script was it wasn’t really cynical look at a guy trying to make friends with other guys. It didn’t sorta mock that. And it certainly is not a homophobic element, which could have been a pitfall to fall into. I think it’s really about two guys trying to establish a friendship. It’s hard to make friends with a stranger once you’re out of school. PR: It wasn’t mean-spirited at all. I just loved it. Did John allow a lot of improvisation? PR: We did a pretty fair amount. We didn’t really want to most of the time because the script seemed so airtight, which is John. But he did encourage some of that. Now that we’ve worked together several times in the past, it’s become something that we start to do- if the director wants us to do it. There were also other times, other scenes, that were never even written, such as when we go to get fish tacos. It says in the script that we’re going to get to know each other, but all of the stuff that we talk about and everything was just kinda on the spot. We just set up cameras and filmed it. JS: Our big problem with that scene, actually, is that John had to tell us that we looked like we liked each other TOO much. PR: It looked like we knew each other already. JS: It looked like we’d known each other for 10 years. So, we had to tone that down a bit. Paul and I make each other laugh usually. You could tell that we knew each other’s sense of humor already. We had to cut that out.

PR: It’s funny. I don’t think that’s true. We’re both actually fairly serious… Are you speaking speciﬁcally about charities?

back in their chairs. JS: That’s a shame they didn’t know already. This thing about locker room talk between men is a total myth, or at least the kinds of guys Paul and I are and, thusly, the kind of guys we hang out with. It’s not like that. There’s a lot of silence when we’re hanging out. There’s joking around. There’s watching TV. There’s, like, drinking some beers. It’s women who are super, super dirty and explicit with their friends. And I know this because whenever I run into friends of an ex-girlfriend, they’re always like (in a silly girl voice), “I know about you.”

Angeles, there’s a good chance that you could have a celebrity client. Who else would it be but Lou Ferrigno? PR: Why not?

Did hearing about all of this in the script jolt any bad memories? JS: I mean, not really. I’m pretty good at it, so I always get positive feedback.

Does he really have a Hulk statue of himself at his house? JS: No, no. That’s really one of the amazing things about acting with him, to answer your question, is he’s such an iconic ﬁgure that a lot of times people can get really precious about their image. He was totally game. He thought it was funny that the Hulk shorts were framed on the wall. PR: And a painting of himself over the ﬁreplace. JS: They thought it was really funny, so that was great. Fighting him on the boardwalk was super fun. It was great. We had a great time.

Speaking of the diﬀerences between men and women, why did you guys get to wear body suits in Vanity Fair but the ladies didn’t? PR: I really did luck out by getting the tuxedo [in the spread]. I would nuzzle into Seth’s neck. Once I got his back hair in my mouth. Disgusting! JS: As you know from Sarah Marshall, I would have been more than ﬁne not to have on a bodysuit. There

What are you guys serious about? Any charities or newsworthy things got your attention? JS: I’m serious about being kind to people. I think that’s the only important thing. At the end of the day, that you’ve been nice to people and not damage somebody else’s life, even in the smallest way, [is important]. That’s what my parents taught me. That’s the most important thing.

You have Get Him to the Greek and Gulliver’s Travels coming up, right, Jason? JS: I’m only working with the music on Get Him to the Greek. Nick Stoller is writing that, who directed Sarah Marshall. I’m also writing a new Muppet movie for Disney. I’m writing another movie for Judd [Apatow] called The Five-Year Engagement. I’m doing Gulliver’s Travels in England for the next five months. I’m also doing this animated movie called Despicable Me, where me and Steve Carell play rival supervillans. PR: Jesus, Jason! You’re busy as hell. And Paul, what do you have going on. You’re about to start filming Howl here, right? PR: Hopefully, they’re trying to figure that out. But that’s very short. I work on that for a day. [James Brooks’ new film] is another one I’d like to work on. And maybe work with Steve Carell on this other movie. I don’t know what goes on exactly behind the scenes. All I know is I call and they say, “They’re still trying to figure this out.” But I did wrote… (in a leprechaun-like voice) Me did wrote a show! JS: (In a similar voice) It’s true. Me seent it! PR: My friends, these guys Rob Thomas and John Enbom, we wrote a show many years ago and it’s actually going to be on Starz! It’s about caterers. It’s called “Party Down.” I hope to do some work on that and work on some of the scripts and write them. And hopefully [star in them]. It gets really funny. It really progresses. Jason, how is How I Met Your Mother fitting into everything? Don’t leave it, please! JS: I won’t, I won’t. I think I’ll be there for four more years and then I’m gonna cut myself lose. Four more years is cool? That’ll bring the total to eight.

DINING

Taste of the Month-Brunch

Springtime’s favorite meal of the Day! Brunch is served here on Saturdays and Sundays. J. Christopher’s All their egg items are served with grits or break18 Metro Area Locations www.jchristophers.com

J. Christopher's was founded in 1996 on a very simple idea: to provide cheerful, relaxing neighborhood eateries serving all your traditional breakfast favorites and a few new ones. There are 18 metro area locations; the newest serving Buckhead (located behind Season 52) with Brookhaven and Woodstock coming soon. Their restaurants stand out for their bright and contemporary casual dining and classic brunch items. Their signature item on the menu is the Eggs Benedict. The poached eggs and Hormel Canadian bacon are served on a English muffin smothered in Hollandaise. Another popular poached eggs dish is the Eggs Christopher. This is served on a bed of smoked turkey, crispy bacon and sliced tomato with the English muffin. There are also some southwestern egg dishes on the menu including the Breakfast Burrito and the Sunrise Quesadilla. J. Christopher's is also known for there many skillet dishes. Among them is the Route 66, which is a skillet full of corned beef hash and roasted red potatoes capped with sunny side up eggs. If omelets are your thing try the San Bernadino with diced chicken, avocado, tomato, chives and mixed cheeses. They have various pancakes, waffles and cereals on the menu. Those waking up late will find an assortment of great lunch items like the Tuscan Chicken Pannini and the Bistro Salad. J. Christopher's is open from 7am to 2pm daily. Patio seating and private rooms are available at most locations.

The Flying Biscuit

Catering Hotline 404.849.2203 www.flyingbiscuit.com The Flying Biscuit serves great breakfast / brunch, lunch and dinner specials 7 days a week starting at 7 am. As one of Atlanta's favorite homegrown gems, The Flying Biscuit now has seven metro locations. Their famous biscuits are so good, many still stop in to pick up some up for the road. Their signature dish is the Flying Biscuit Breakfast served with two large farm-fresh eggs with free-range chicken and sage breakfast sausage. If you are in the mood for an omelet, The Flying Biscuit has several including the health conscious Hollywood Omelet made from egg whites, spinach, mushrooms & mozzarella cheese topped with a warm tomato sauce. The Flying Biscuit is a great choice for catering or ordering in for the office. They offer a Power Breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, White Cheddar Grits, Oven-Roasted Rosemary potatoes, Turkey Bacon, Chicken Sausage and Biscuits. There are several Biscuit Sandwiches to choose from: Egg & Cheese, Turkey, Bacon Egg & Cheese, Chicken, Sausage Egg & Cheese and Soy-Sage Egg & Cheese. Call their catering hotline or check the Flying Biscuit website for the store location nearest you.

Wahoo! A Decatur Grill

1042 W. College Ave. Decatur 404.373.3331 wahoogrilldecatur.com Wahoo Grill offers an eclectic menu that focuses on seafood with a southern twist in an atmosphere that makes you feel at home. The interior is European influenced with an open kitchen that creates a casual, interactive dining experience. Through the french doors you will find an unexpected garden patio that is the perfect spot for brunch in spring.

fast potatoes. Try the Eggs Benedict; poached eggs and hollandaise with your choice of the following on a croissant: Maryland Crab Cake, Thinly Sliced Steak, Bourbon Marinated Salmon, Sautéed Spinach, or Virginia Ham. The signature Wahoo Omelet comes with sautéed asparagus, tomatoes, Mozzarella and basil drizzled with balsamic. They also offer terrific Lump Crab Cakes; three Marylandstyle cakes with mashed potatoes. Wahoo has a Sunday Brunch buffet featuring Eggs with fresh herbs, Shrimp & Grits, Fresh Vegetables, Blackened Chicken in a Creole Sauce, Granola & Yogurt, Breakfast Potatoes, Assorted Pastries and Fresh Chilled Salads. Live Jazz Music is performed on the patio. There is no hassle or wait. Brunch is available on Saturdays from 11am and Sundays from 10am.

Breakfast, Brunch & Lunch THE BEST BREAKFAST IN TOWN IS AT J. CHRISTOPHER’S!

Canoe

4199 Paces Ferry Rd. 770.432.2663 www.canoe-atl.com Since its opening in 1995, Canoe has become a nationally-recognized destination while at the same time keeping its roots in the neighborhood. Nestled between Vinings, Buckhead, and Smyrna, Canoe rests on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, offering guests a unique, comfortable atmosphere for those who enjoy upscale, innovative American cuisine. The patio and gardens are a sought-after location for weddings and private parties and are a popular attraction for those looking to celebrate Mother’s Day, Easter or school graduations this spring. Among the samplings from their great brunch menu include the Soft Scrambled Eggs served with baby Maine shrimp, meyer lemon and tomato hollandaise. The Brioche Smoked Salmon "Eggs Benedict" is served with toasted english muffins and citrus hollandaise. Their French Toast comes with banana-mascarpone, walnuts and fresh berries. Also try their Crispy Rock Shrimp Salad made with napa cabbage, julienne carrots, sweet pepper remoulad. Canoe serves brunch on Sundays from 10:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m, offers lunch on weekdays and dinner everyday. Reservations recommended.

Radial

1530 Dekalb Ave. 404.659.6594 www.radial.us

Radial is not only a popular brunch spot, but also Georgia's only restaurant to be certified 'Green' by the Green Restaurant Association. They're constantly looking for ways to be more eco-friendly while producing award-winning breakfast, lunch and brunch 7 days a week. The restaurant occupies part of a renovated warehouse along this former industrial corridor. The interior is eclectic and funky but warm and inviting with walls sporting an ever-changing selection of local artists' work. They've been awarded 'Best Breakfast' and 'Best Brunch' honors from multiple publications and websites in their 10 yrs of operation. Stop by and check out their Biscuits & Vegetarian Gravy, Mom's Strawberry-Rhubarb French Toast, Blackened Fish & Grits or Garlic-Leek Burger when you're there. Radial is located at 1530 Dekalb Av, in Candler Park just a few blocks from Little Five Points. Open Monday-Friday 7:30am-3:30pm and weekends from 8:30am-3:30pm.

18 LOCATIONS! MIDTOWN 950 West Peachtree St. 404.917.1790 BUCKHEAD 3050 Peachtree Rd (Behind Seasons 52)

404.917.0350 DECATUR 250 E. Ponce De Leon Ave 404.378.2662 PONCE DE LEON 774 Ponce De Leon Ave 404.892.6262 SANDY SPRINGS 227 Sandy Springs Circle 404.531.0242 DUNWOODY 5482 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd. 770.395.1642 COMING SOON BROOKHAVEN

7 Days a Week from 7am–2pm

www.jchristophers.com

PG 11 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

Damaged Good ROSE BYRNE FINDS SUCCESS IN THE U.S.

FILM INTERVIEW

How will season 2 differ from the first? The new season was influenced by real-life environmental cases in America’s mining industry. The writers spent a lot of time talking to Robert F Kennedy Jr, the famous environmental lawyer, about the people he’s had to deal with, including some questionable CEOs. Damages is a drama, but it tackles issues you read about in the news.

BY B. LOVE

HOUGH SHE’S PROVEN GUN SHY in previous interviews, actress Rose Byrne seems excited to talk to the media these days. Perhaps it’s because her latest film, Knowing (in which she starred opposite Nicolas Cage), debuted at the top of the global box office. Or maybe she’s just enthusiastic to talk about her award-winning role on the U.S.-based TV series Damages, which was recently picked up for a third season by cable network FX. Regardless of the reason for her good mood, the 29-year-old Sydney native certainly seems to be on a roll, looking gorgeous and happy as she sat down to discuss her Aussie roots, working in American television and what we can expect from the second season of her critically acclaimed TV show.

Will there be any changes afoot for your character? Ellen has gone through such an incredible transformation that it was almost like playing a new character. She’s still working for Patty (Glenn Close), but at the same time she’s working as an undercover informant for the FBI. She’s determined to destroy Patty and to use her firm’s resources to prove her fiancé was murdered by Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson). I think she’s burying her trauma and grief and focusing everything on that.

What did you take away from your Australian training? I think we have a great combination of the American and British training. Our theatre is similar to England’s, but we have a huge younger generation influenced by the [Sanford] Meisner/David Mamet school of acting. I was definitely influenced by that.

Why do you think the show has been such a critical success? It’s a very stylized show and it’s kind of heightened: Obviously lawyers aren’t really like this a lot of the times. But it’s flashy and dramatic and adrenaline-fueled and incredibly addictive. I recently watched [Roman] Polanski’s Frantic, which reminded me of Damages with all the tension and the weirdness. I immediately rang the [creators] and asked, “Was that an influence?” And it was! But I think the show has really carved out a niche for itself.

What are the biggest differences between working in Hollywood and Australia? In Australia, the industry is tiny and basically government-funded, so it’s a much slower, more bureaucratic process to get films made. It’s like comparing chalk and cheese, they’re so different. I’ve always been ambitious and wanted to work overseas, so when it started to happen I was delighted. But I’m so thankful for Australia and for my training there. It’s a beautiful country with incredible talent. There are so many prolific Australians in the film industry that it’s kind of disproportionate to our population. I’m very proud of that. Has the jump from Australian to American film and TV been everything you envisioned? Yeah, I love working on Damages. I’d been watching a lot of American television and said to my agent, “If there’s anything interesting, I’d love to have a look.” I ended up coming in very late in the casting process, but the show’s been a good platform for me because it’s popular within the [entertainment industry]. I feel really grateful to have the role, especially in these times, and Knowing was great because it came during our hiatus and it was shot in Australia.

Do you ever worry about being typecast by something people see you in on a weekly basis? I think Damages is perfect because we have a great viewership, but I don’t think I’ll ever be typecast as Ellen Parsons because the show’s not huge enough. I’m incredibly grateful ‘cuz it’s given me exposure that I would never have had before, Only 2% of the Screen Actors Guild works, so I’m so happy to be on that show and to be working in movies like Knowing and Adam. The Damages scripts seem so sharp and nasty. What was your initial reaction to them? I thought it was so clever and intriguing and leave-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat. I had never done a television show before, and it’s

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a completely different process. You have an intimacy with your character that I’ve never had before. The guys who create the show are incredibly smart, tweaking it and changing it and creating a whole world that we’re puppets in, but I trust them implicitly.

So what’s next for you in your career? I have a few months of down time before we start shooting season 3 of Damages. I’m just waiting to get the dates. I’m kinda in limbo at the moment, waiting to see what I can get up to!

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�� ADVENTURELAND (R) �� –Ryan Loftis

DUPLICITY (PG-13) ��

�� –Matt Goldberg

THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD (PG) �� –Matt Goldberg

I LOVE YOU, MAN (R) ��

FILM

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�� Hi, I’m Vin Diesel (above). I’m so desperate for a ﬁlm franchise that�� I’m back in “Fast & �� Furious,” which shouldn’t be confused with “The Fast & The Furious” or a good movie. �� – �� DUPLICITY (PG-13) �� –Matt �� Goldberg �� April 10: Observe and Report (PG) �� April 17: Crank: High Voltage (R) �� Apil 24: The Soloist (PG-13) �� –Compiled by Glenn LaFollette ��

FAST & FURIOUS

coming this month

PG 13 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

FILM INTERVIEW

An Espresso With Brillante Mendoza BY BRET LOVE

RILLANTE MENDOZA ISN’T A HOUSEHOLD name just yet, but that may change very soon. Originally from San Fernando, the Filipino film director has been nominated for a 2007 FAP Award (for Kaleldo) and won 3 awards at the 2008 Singapore Film Festival (for Tirador). His latest film, Serbis, won an award at the Southeast Asia Film Festival, was nominated for the Golden Palm Award at Cannes, and is nominated for the forthcoming Asian Film Awards. We caught up with Mendoza as he put the finishing touches on his forthcoming film, The Execution of P. When you were growing up, what were the films and directors that most inspired you? The films of Lino Brocka, such as like Insiang and Maynila, and Mike De Leons, who directed Kisapmata and Batch 81. I particularly like the themes of Lino Brocka because they

I FIND IT VERY COLLOQUIAL TO SEE A FAMILY TRYING TO SURVIVE EVEN IN THE WORST CONDITIONS OF THEIR LIFE, YET MAINTAINING A BALANCE OF MORALITY AND BUSINESS.

revolved around the present condition of Philippine society and tackled mostly social issues.

Did you go to old theaters like the one in Serbis? What do you remember most about them? Yes, I did. There were a lot of those kinds of theatres in the province where I came from. I used to go with my father and watch action films, but when I went with my mom we watched the typical melodramas. I was inspired by the various people who come from different walks of life that encountered in these cinemas, particularly the family I met during my research who reside inside the cinema. I find it very colloquial to see a family trying to survive even in the worst conditions of their life, yet maintaining a balance of morality and business. You were a production designer long before you became a director: What led you to make that transition? A friend of mine offered to let me direct The Masseur. This was my first feature film, which won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival in 2005. I grabbed the opportunity because I always wanted to direct a film. Your films tend to be very raw and gritty, with subject matter some people find controversial. What attracts you to stories like Tirador and Serbis? Other than the fact that

�� –DeMarco Williams

KNOWING (PG-13) ��

PG 14 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

�� –DeMarco Williams

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (R) ��

they’re based on real life stories, I find them truthful and honest. There were a lot of Filipino films that tackled these themes before, but they were not considered controversial. I think it is about how they were treated and presented. You’re one of the first Filipino directors to have your work in the Cannes Film Festival. What has the reception to your work been like in the Philippines? Mostly students watch my films, especially the communication students, but not the general audience . The majority of Filipino moviegoers still prefer the melodramas and the romantic comedy genre. What do you miss most about your native land when you’re traveling abroad? The warmth and hospitality of the Filipino people… plus our food, of course! Being from a third world country, Filipinos are social in nature. They get their strength from their families, relatives and friends. Even at their lowest moments, they’re capable at looking at things in a positive way. Filipino food is unique in its own way, with a taste that varies in different regions and provinces. It can be spicy, sweet or even sour depending on their versions of the ingredients. Do you have any ideas what project you’ll be working on next? I’m doing a drama thriller called The Execution of P. The original title was Chop Chop or “Kinatay,” meaning butchered. It was conceived two years ago while I was doing some interviews for Tirador (Slingshot), and it’s a thriller base on a true police story. Like Serbis, Execution was also accepted at the Hong Kong Film Financing Forum this year. Do you think the Oscar win for Slumdog Millionaire will open more Western eyes to films like yours? I certainly hope so.

�� –Matt Goldberg

MISS MARCH (R) �� –Matt Goldberg

SUNSHINE CLEANING (R)

�� –Benjamin Carr

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�� Yacht Rock Revue �� Random Rabbit �� 7 Sharp 9 �� Modern Skirts �� The Goodfight �� The Rusty Rebels �� That 1 Guy �� Pigs On The Wing �� Half Mast �� Holiday Parade �� Zydeyfunk �� Cory Morrow �� The Last Waltz Emsemble �� Subrig Destroyer �� Todd Rundgren �� Luna Halo �� John Anderson �� DMB Tribute Band �� Keni Myles �� Michael Jack Band �� The Coathangers �� Michelle Malone �� A Hope for a Golden Summer �� Blues Cat �� Needeep �� Stone Coat �� Destruction �� Beverly “Guitar” Watkins �� Girlz, Girlz, Girlz �� Dumpstaphunk �� Armazilla �� Afro Cuban All-Stars �� 12 Memories & More �� A1A: Buffett Tribute �� Xela Zaid �� Don Henry �� Fat Back Deluxe �� Bluegrass Jam Sessions �� Uncle Sugar �� Blaming Tim �� The Drones �� Songwriter’s Open Mic �� Patrick Vining Band �� Mudcat & Little Brother �� Aisha Taylor �� We Were Gentlemen �� Stampede �� MoonShine �� Brandon Perry �� Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti �� Johnny A �� J.T. Speed �� Open Mic Jam �� Nathan Nelson �� Jimmie’s Chicken Shack �� Robyn Hitchcock �� The Goodfight �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam �� Karaoke w/ Rock Mafia �� Maria Taylor �� Beggar’s Guild & Friends �� Chicago Joe Jones �� One Love A Raggae �� Angelfist �� Mudcat �� Tyler Reeve Band �� Eric Sardinas �� Soulphonics

PG 16 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

�� Shayanne �� Great Lake Swimmers �� Kodac Harrison �� System Obsolete �� Jason Pastras Trio �� Appleseed Cast �� Soul Shakers �� Matt Stillwell �� Mama’s Love �� Magnapop �� Brian Jonestown Massacre �� Chris Tomlin �� Greedy White Citizens �� Jason Aldean �� Guns-N-Roses Tribute �� Think New 5.0 �� Kollaboration ATL 2 �� Aclarion �� Soundtrack Wars �� The Brilliant Inventions �� Blues Envy �� Jungol �� Digable Planets �� Ingrain �� Pnuma Trio �� Burnt Bacon �� White Leppard Crue �� The Hot Rods �� Grinder Nova �� Safﬁre �� Burnt Bacon �� Fat Back Deluxe �� Gritz & Jelly Butter �� Uncle Sugar �� The Swear �� Leslie and the Ly’s �� Songwriter’s Open Mic �� Patrick Vining Band �� Greg Koons �� Riverboat Gamblers �� Stampede �� Leaving Araby �� Paul Hand Band �� Alejandro Escovedo �� J.T. Speed �� Open Mic Jam �� Jennifer Hudson & Robin Thicke �� Rookie of the Year �� Nathan Nelson �� Ocean Street �� BearHead �� Corey Crowder �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam� �� Katy Perry �� French Kiss �� Alejandro Escovedo �� Chicago Joe Jones �� The Express Yourself School Art Show �� Twiztid �� Sonny �� Mudcat �� Tyler Reeve Band �� Bobby Rush �� Soulphonics �� Lily Allen �� Ilo Ferreira �� Speakeasy #5 �� The Jonesplan �� Hoots & Hellmouth �� Chickenshack �� Oh Hai BBoy Battles �� Jennifer Hudson & Robin Thicke �� Jimmy Buffett �� Silverstein �� Breeze Kings �� Sam Thacker Band �� Elli Perry �� Hollyweerd

�� Time 2 Shine �� Lady Gaga �� Aclarion Unplugged �� United States �� Mike Kinnebrew �� Chickenshack �� Marc Maron �� Chevelle & Adelitas Way �� The Piano Plays Itself �� Breeze Kings �� Wes Loper Band �� April Showers & Friends �� Mad Tea Party �� The Greater Vavoom

�� Who’s Bad �� 3 on 3rd �� The Nighthawks �� All The Saints �� Jennifer Daniels �� EP3 �� Rough Draft �� Family Force 5 �� Stokeswood �� Sail On �� Wade Bowen �� Papa Grows Funk �� The Legendary Shackshakers �� Big Head & The Monsters �� The No Relief Tour

�� Wrong Way �� A Writer’s Affair

�� Girlz, Girlz, Girlz �� Jaspects

Art Show

�� Gentleman Jesse & His Men �� Drew Holcomb �� Blue Monkeys �� Under The Porch �� Yanni �� We The Kings �� Ike Stubbleﬁeld �� Zoso �� Collective Efforts �� Death on Two Wheels �� The Faint Ladytron �� Ledfoot Messiah �� Sevendust �� Jeffery Gaines �� Fat Back Deluxe �� Zach Deputy �� Uncle Sugar �� East Ponce Soul Faction �� Thao & the Get Down Stay Down �� Songwriter’s Open Mic� �� Patrick Vining Band �� Holly Belle �� Clap Your Hands Say Yeah �� Funker Vogt �� Mae �� Stampede �� The Makepeace Brothers �� Little Country Giants �� J.T. Speed �� Open Mic Jam �� Voltaire �� Nathan Nelson �� Cadillac Sky �� John Scoﬁeld �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam� �� Acid Mothers Temple �� Doria Roberts �� Chicago Joe Jones �� Jazzmatic �� Dredg �� Sing It Loud �� Mudcat �� Tyler Reeve Band �� William Fitzsimmons �� Soulphonics �� Lamb of God �� Damiem Jurado �� Dehlia Low �� Chickenshack �� Nickelback �� Todd Barry �� Napalm Death �� There For Tomorrow �� Breeze Kings �� Stoney LaRue �� Scott Miller & the Commonwealth �� Casper & the Cookies �� Breakfast Club �� Mausiki Scales �� Smokin’ Joe Kubek �� Peelander-Z �� Will Hoge �� Frankies Blues Mission �� Snake Oil Medicine Show �� Kevin Rudolf �� The Haunted �� Mudcat �� Hidden Element �� Lord T & Eloise �� Electa Villain �� Slippery When Wet �� Mark J �� Bangkok Fight Night �� Sleepytime Gorilla Museum

�� Alice Peacock �� The Soulshakers �� Jerry Joseph & the Jackmormons �� Chain Reaction �� The New Mastersounds �� Pistolero �� Chris Knight �� Darryl Worley �� Richard Lloyd & the Suﬁ Monkey Trio �� Robin & Linda Williams �� Fat Back Deluxe �� Jerry Joseph & the Jackmormons �� Uncle Sugar �� Bruce Springsteen �� Vertigo �� George Clinton �� Tommy Keene �� Songwriter’s Open Mic �� Patrick Vining Band �� Joe McGuinness �� James Morrison �� Stampede �� Pennywise & Pepper �� Death Match �� J.T. Speed �� Open Mic Jam �� Soulive �� Nathan Nelson �� Fleetwood Mac �� Tim Reynolds & TR3 �� Dave Matthews Band �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam �� John Lee Hooker Jr. �� Dave Daniels & the PTA �� Alvin Youngblood Hart �� Chicago Joe Jones �� HED PE �� Obscura �� Mudcat �� Tyler Reeve Band �� The Felice Brothers �� Soulphonics �� Cross Canadian Ragweed �� Dave Matthews Band �� Entropy & Friends �� Tom Paxton �� Chickenshack �� The Apostles & JuCo Transfer �� Amon Amarth �� Birthday Massacre �� Breeze Kings �� Tuesday’s Gone �� 500 Songs For Kids �� The Booze �� Danger’s Woman’s Superhero Showdown

APRIL 23

NICKELBACK

SEETHER

SAVING ABEL

MAY 10

NINE INCH NAILS

JANES ADDICTION

STREET SWEEPER

MAY 17

COLDPLAY

FRIDAY, JUNE 5

NO DOUBT

PARAMORE

KID ROCK

THE SOUNDS

JUNE 28 &

LYNYRD SKYNYRD

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15

DEF LEPPARD

POISON

CHEAP TRICK

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29 CRUEFEST 2

MÖTLEY CRÜE

GODSMACK

THEORY OF A DEADMAN, DROWNING POOL

SEPTEMBER 1

DEPECHE MODE PETER BJORN & JOHN

TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE THROUGH TICKETMASTER AT 800-745-3000. For full concert schedule and alternate routes to the venue, visit www.livenation.com. Save time and the environment and take MARTA to the show! All dates, acts and ticket prices subject to change without notice. Ticket prices subject to applicable fees.

Robin Thicke @�� (4-14, 4-16)

PG 17 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

MUSIC INTERVIEW

Rapper K’Naan may be the Pride of Africa but he’s the World’s to Enjoy. BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

OMALIA EARNED INTERNATIONAL headlines in the 90s for its civil unrest. Recently, the East African nation of about 10 million has received more front page coverage for a rash of pirate attacks. Because of negative clouds incessantly hovering above the country, few people know about Somalia’s technological advances or its proud artistic community. K’Naan, a thirtysomething Somali native now living in Toronto, is making some headway in changing the country’s global perception with a triumphant CD, Troubadour, that intelligently divides its time as a sounding board for social ills and a free forum of rap skills. Before hitting the road on a twomonth tour (the closest he’ll come to Atlanta is Greenville on May 15), the budding international star chatted with INsite on a world of topics. Are you touched by an African-American being in the White House? Absolutely. I think the whole world is kinda though. Personally? Absolutely. In what ways are you moved? First of all, outside of Obama and this historic moment, I just think it’s so pleasant to have a real intelligent, articulate [person] of our generation. So many components of Obama are relatable. For that alone, I think it’s a very beautiful shift or change. Do you see much intelligence amongst your musical peers right now? I think there’s a few of them. There’s always someone doing something interesting. We may not give them all the shine and attention. But I find some new music to have elements that I think are musically interesting and intelligent. In your bio it quotes you as saying your “job is to write what you see.” When you look across the American musical landscape, what do you see? I see a strange scenario in that not a lot of music is a true reflective of the true scenario that the world is in right now, which is kind of strange. If you look at the conditions of the people and you look at what they’re dealing with and what is going on and then you look at the music that is out, it’s completely not reflective of society. There are gas problems. There are people losing their homes. There are people who can’t afford education for their children. There are people who can’t afford healthcare. There are people losing people at war. [But a song saying] “I kissed a girl…” is on the countdown. It’s not a reflective time for music. I think a part of it is escapism, which, at times of difficulty, is necessary. But I don’t know that everything should be escapism. It’s a little strange and awkward for people who are in these conditions to be like, “Ah, I’m not really poppin’ champagne right now. I need a little bit of money for gas.” What are some of your fondest musical memories growing up? Wow, man. Everything from discovering the depths and genius of Bob Marley’s simplicity to [Bob] Dylan prose to Fela [Kuti’s] musical compositions to Nas’ painting of the world as he had seen it to Snoop’s new, fresh presence when he came to the scene. There are so many moments of brilliance that I grew up on. I just remember everybody having a unique place in music. Speaking of the Marleys, how did you connect with PG 18 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

Damian? I met Damian Marley on tour. We had been asked to do “Welcome to Jamrock” on tour with him in Europe. He and I had a conversation the first night we were on tour together. We just kind of linked. People had been telling me, “When you and him meet, there’s going to be a link.” He was saying the same, that people had been telling him that. We just made a strong connection, just personality-wise. We clicked. And then the mission of the music that we both are on had similar ideas to it, similar roots. We don’t make the same genre of music, but it’s kinda the same spirit. That’s how we linked. And then he introduced me to his brother Stephen and Steve kinda became like a big brother to me. What exactly is your music’s mission? Well, the first mission for any artist, I think, is to make great songs. You can’t gear away from that being the first thing on your mind as an artist. The urge is to make the best tune you can make, the greatest melody, the greatest rhythm, the greatest poetry. All of that is the first thing. What follows is extension of those things. Damian was talking once about this very thing and he said, “Man, the thing that’s different about your music from a lot of different rap music is that your music is about a people where usually rap is about themselves.” So, another thing for me is to expose a true character of a people, of African society. What are some of the things you love about home? There are different parts of Africa that have different charms. Senegal, to me, is sound. Different regions have different sounds. The intricacy of music for me is Mali and Senegal. I think that melody and poetry is East Africa. Where I come from, the melody is just incredible. Somalia is poetry. To me, we live in this environment where we are under the blanket of the majesty of poetry. We live this existence. An entire population lives it. That is truly what I miss- a society that puts articulation before most things. You currently live in Canada? That’s partly correct. I haven’t lived anywhere for a while. I’m on tour all of the time, so I just don’t feel like I live anywhere anymore. I know the critics adore your sound, but what has the feel been like on American streets? Even more so. When you’re at a K’Naan concert, it makes converts out of people. You begin to believe in things, whether you want to believe in rap again or you just want to believe in music again or that people have the bravery to say things on stage or that you can be moved by a melody without words. You get to believe in all those things again. Troubadour, did I pronounce it correctly? You pronounce it like True-ba-door. Why is this album so important right now? I just think it’s such an honest reflection of the times. It’s an honest reflection of me. I just think it has such a lane of its own. [With] the musicality and the freshness of this album, I kind of see it as an antidote to a lot of what is going on musically right now. It’s sort of like the manifestation of “Dr. Carter,” the song that Lil Wayne had on his album where he talks about rap being sick. It needs a doctor. I see this album as like the manifestation of that. It’s the medicine. That’s what I feel when I listen to this album.

Road Warriors April 2009 Hottest Shows 4/17  HALL AND OATES

BY JON LATHAM 4/11  THE HOT RODS

Smith’s Olde Bar Arguably Atlanta’s own finest band of bad boys, the Hot Rods deliver an unrelenting onslaught of no-nonsense rock and roll, night after night. On this very special occasion the fellas will be celebrating the release of their new CD, a follow-up to their last album, ‘Super Sport’, as well as celebrating what comes to their 300th live performance to date.

4/14 & 4/16  JENNIFER HUDSON AND ROBIN THICKE The Fabulous Fox Theatre Grammy and Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson and Grammy winning, platinum recording artist Robin Thicke team up bringing together two of the most distinctive and enduring voices in the current world of R&B music.

Chastain Park There are very few musical partnerships that have had the impact or success that has followed Darryl Hall and John Oates. With a catalog of hits that cross every genre from R & B to pop, the duo are sure to please the Chastain crowd.

4/22  LAMB OF GOD

Tabernacle What sets Lamb of God apart from the other metal acts touring today? How about brute force? The ferocity of Lamb of Gods delivery makes for an intense, energizing experience at every performance. Support comes from two other hard-hitting acts, God Forbid and Municipal Waste

4/23  NICKELBACK

Lakewood Amphitheatre Lakewood comes alive for the season with Chad Kroeger and company. Touring in support of last year’s release, ‘Dark Horse’, Nickelback is building upon the solid success they’ve gained through an arsenal of Mainstream Rock charttopping hits spanning the last 7 years. Good bet that they’ll all be played, and not just as the token encore.

4/26  BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND Philips Arena 2009 is shaping up to be the year of the Boss. He has set new highs with his latest, most ambitious, album and he rocked the Super Bowl with his legendary E Street Band in tow. Now, just a year and a day after his last performance at Philips, Springsteen returns with E Street to Atlanta, which has become a second home for Bruce; four of his last five albums were tracked here.

4/26  GEORGE CLINTON AND THE PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC

Variety Playhouse Funk never grows old, and the George Clinton is living proof. He’s been doing it in your ear hole for over three decades. The mothership touches down yet again in Atlanta, and with the P-Funk in fine form, Variety Playhouse may be in market for a new roof when it’s all said and done.

4/27  PENNYWISE

Tabernacle For two decades, Pennywise has been relentlessly releasing some of the best punk music around. They return to play the Tabernacle, showcasing fan favorites, as well as tracks from last year’s release, ‘Reason to Believe’, which was met with great praise upon its free release via MySpace. With a catalog of tunes as strong as this, it is guaranteed to be a fun night of amazing punk rock.

4/28  FLEETWOOD MAC

Philips Arena Pending that the dust has settled from the

WE GOT NEXT ELECTRIK RED

Springsteen show, Philips Arena welcomes Fleetwood Mac. The bulk of the classic lineup, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham, and Stevie Nicks, have reconvened for another jaunt of the U.S. I would say to expect fan favorites in this set, but few bands have been as synonymous with a single album as the Mac have been with the classic album, ‘Rumours’, so it really goes without saying that you’ll get your money’s worth when it comes down to it.

4/28  TIM REYNOLDS AND TR3

Smith’s Olde Bar Best known as Dave Matthews’ buddy and acoustic tour sidekick, Tim Reynolds is certainly no slouch when fronting his own band. His guitar prowess isn’t often publicized, but it damn sure isn’t understated when it gets mentioned; just ask any Dave fan who has seen him in action. Tim Reynolds can throw down with the best of them. An intimate venue like Smith’s will certainly make it a night of music you will be talking about for a while.

4/29  CROSS CANADIAN RAGWEED

Variety Playhouse Is it country? Is it rock? It’s just good music, period. Lovingly referred to as “the other CCR”, Cody Canada’s songs walk the borderline of many genres at once without even breaking a sweat. Croos Canadian Ragweed are slaves to the road, and it’s no wonder; anytime you get to see them, the joy of what they do live is evident in the power of their live performances. Theirs is a Ragweed not to be sneezed at.

Artists on the verge of making it big

Latest Project: Electrik Red (Def Jam) For Fans of: TLC, Madonna, Danity Kane Why You Should Care: Because mainstream R&B could use a lil’ edge.

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

NOW WHAT JANET JACKSON, GWEN Stefani, Scary Spice and Lil’ Kim would sound like if they all got together in a tight, sweaty recording booth and began whispering sweet nothings into the mic? Hell, we don’t either. But we bet it would come off something similar to the music of Electrik Red, Def Jam’s head-turning, new R&B/hip quartet cosigned by the charttopping writer/producer team of The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. Made up of friends and former video dancers Naomi, Sarah (both of Toronto), Lesley and Binkie (both of NYC), Electrik Red plans to seduce the music industry into a frenzy with a steamy first single, “Drink In My Cup,” a frisky follow-up, “Friend Lover,” and a just-dropped debut, How to Be a Lady, Vol. 1. After this animated chat with the flirty foursome, all INsite can say is that its all ears. Where are you guys most comfortable, the stage or in the

recording booth? Lesley: I’d say we’re most comfortable on the stage, in front of the fans performing. Owww! It’s like a high. You feel like you’re a drug or something. It just takes over. We can express ourselves best on stage, I feel. Are you all using any of those groups as guides, or are you treading entirely new waters here? Binkie: I think that we are totally treading in new waters. We’re making our own lane. But we really, really admire all these groups that have come before us. It’s amazing, the music that they’ve produced. We got some big shoes to fill. We’re taking the [concept of the] girl group on our back and we’re going to run like hell to the finish line. Sarah: What sets us apart is that we chose to be in a group with each other. We’re friends first. That goes a long way. We’re here for the longevity as well as a good time. Naomi: As well as the money! When you’re able to choose the people you’re with, that does separate you from acts like Danity Kane. All: Absolutely! Binkie: From Dream to the people in this group to the label, we really, really, really are happy with working with everyone that’s a part of this project. It is completely surreal. It’s just a blessing how everything fell into place for us. Ya know, we’ve been doing this for a while. It took one man, Shakir Stewart, with his vision and belief in us [to make it]. And we are here! We are not stopping. Sarah: I know, on the surface, we are four women. Technically, we’re a group. We’re brown, so it’s urban. But we don’t

really compare ourselves to many girl groups. Whoever’s number one, we’re coming for that spot. We’re trying to do some world domination. Naomi: We wanna do Lil’ Weezy numbers! We’re talking U2 numbers! Sarah: We’re talking Celine Dion [style], sold-out-inVegas shows. Naomi: We’re talking bubblegum stickers and buttons! Knowing that you all have worked with the likes of Ciara and Chris Brown, what kinds of things did you take mental notes of when you saw them perform? Naomi: We have worked with a lot of people. To answer your question, it seems like everything that went really, really well, we’re taking notice of that. With things that didn’t work, just in terms of the way you put your show together or what choices you make along that path, I think we got a really good idea of how to make it successfully out the gate as opposed to other groups or people not really having any experience. I think we’re prepared. But most importantly, we know a lot of people that can get us where we need to be, whether it be a stylist, a make-up artist, a choreographer or creative directors. I think we’re really good about using our resources and making it what it needs to be. Is it true that The-Dream and Tricky produced the album in a day? Sarah: Yes, they did. And we recorded it in two weeks. What was the vibe during the recording? Naomi: We met them one night. We did a [meeting] like what we’re doing with you, with a lil’ razzle dazzle. They got it. The next time we met up with them was to record the album in June. It was ridiculous. It was in Vegas. It was scented candles. It was a lil’ Wedding Singer on the

big screen. It was a lil’ dim lighting. Literally, we heard the music and we were overwhelmed with excitement. They totally got us. We went in there with our A game and knocked them out. We were focused. We didn’t see the sun. Beyond completing an album in two weeks, what other talents are you all proud to have? Lesley: I’m going to say that my girl Naomi has executive produced From G’s to Gents, the hit show that’s on MTV. She’s the brains behind all of that. Naomi: I’d say the one thing you don’t know about Lesley and Sarah is that they are amazing visual artists. They can draw out the wazoo! They’re very, very good. It’s the kind of stuﬀ that could be going for thousands and millions. I can’t wait to buy a mansion ‘cuz I’m gonna get those hoes to draw all over the wall. Sarah: And Binkie is our very talented choreographer. On the lowsky, she’s worked with all kinds of people like Kelly Rowland, Kanye and Usher. Naomi: She’s also a fashion icon already. I can’t wait to you see her. You should see the jean shorts she’s got on right now. Describe them. Naomi: They’re very 80s-esque and cut oﬀ. It’s all about the belt and the waist. She’s got on nice, high leather boots with it. I mean, she never ceases to amaze us in the fashion department. Binkie: Tell me what you got on. Me? You want a picture? Binkie: Yeah, send it to www.myspace.com/electrikred. Naomi: Send it right now ‘cuz it comes to our Blackberrys! I wanna see who I’m talking to! PG 19 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

MUSIC

��

DOOM – BORN LIKE THIS (Lex) The weirdest MC since ODB

U2 – NO LINE ON THE HORIZON (Interscope) Stadium rockers forget how to rock

MARIA TAYLOR – LADYLUCK (Nettwerk) Sleepy singer-songwriters

��

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

VARIOUS ARTISTS – LET FREEDOM SING: THE MUSIC OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT (Time-Life) History in a box �� BEASTIE BOYS – PAUL’S BOUTIQUE 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (Capitol) A fresh look at the B-Boys’ best album �� PG 20 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

�� VARIOUS ARTISTS – ART OF FIELD RECORDING VOLUME II (Dust-To-Digital) Second verse, just as great as the first ��

��

�� ASHER ROTH – ASLEEP IN THE BREAD AISLE (SchoolBoy/ �� SRC/Universal Motown) & BIG POOH- DELIGHTFUL �� BARS: NORTH AMERICAN PIE VERSION (Hall of Justus) �� True school hip-hop in black and white �� WILLIE NELSON– NAKED WILLIE (Legacy/RCA) �� Roughing up the classics �� GORILLA ZOE – DON’T FEED THE ANIMALS (Bad Boy) Monkeying around with the A-town sound ��

FEATURE

Spring Festival Guide Great Festivals and Events coming to Atlanta this Season APRIL

Prey and Animal Shows are not to be missed. New to the festival this year are All the King's Horses The Royal Lipizzan Stallion show, musical act Cast in Bronze and the all new Exhibitions of Skill and Nerve Show. For more information please visit www.georgiarenaissancefestival.com.

Atlanta History Center Southern Music: Shaken & Stirred APRIL 2-3; MAY 7-8; JUNE 4-5

The Atlanta History Center presents its new concert series, Southern Music: Shaken & Stirred. This series, which embraces Atlanta's southern roots, presents four concerts exploring popular music genres - soul, Southern rock, jazz fusion, and blues. Each month features a roster of both up-and-coming artists and local legends who are among the best in their fields and whose music is deeply rooted in the South. Concerts will take place the first Thursday and Friday of each month. Doors open at 6:00 pm, show begins at 7:30 pm. Musicians and music fans have opportunities to interact during intermissions and after each show. Meals are available for purchase. Each featured concert will be paired with at least one of the Atlanta History Center's exhibits and a specialty cocktail. While the series kicked off in March, there are three amazing shows left: April 2 & 3 - Mixed & Fused, jazz-fusion rock mix with emerging artists Ancient Harmony, Omega Love, and East Coast Dirt, May 7 & 8 - Straight Up Blues featuring blues artists Francine Reed with Java Monkey, Danny "Mudcat" Dudeck, and Nick Edelstein and June 4 & 5 - Soul Stirrin' Sounds featuring 2009 Grammy nominated artist Anthony David, John West, and Kyshona Armstrong. Reservations are strongly suggested. For more information, Please call (404) 814-4150 or visit http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/SMSS.

Atlanta Film Festival

Rialto Center (Opening Night) Fox Theatre (Gone with the Wind) Landmark Midtown Art Cinema APRIL 2-3; MAY 7-8; JUNE 4-5 Showcasing one hundred seventy films including independent features, shorts, international treasures, documentaries, animation, and the definitive Atlanta classic: Gone with the Wind, you'll have plenty to see in Midtown over the course of ten days. At the intersection of art, culture and commerce, the Atlanta Film Festival is the quintessential community experience. One of only two dozen Academy Award qualifying events in the U.S., the Atlanta Film Festival is a worldclass gem in our own backyard. The Festival will open on Thursday, April 16, 2008 at 7:30 pm with the red carpet premiere of The People Speak, a unique performance film featuring live readings and reenactments of Howard Zinn's writings by Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, Rosario Dawson, and many more. Musical performances by Bob Dylan, John Legend, Eddie Vedder, and Bruce Springsteen. Many of the talent are expected to attend including Danny Glover, Jasmine Guy, and Black Crowes Chris and Rich Robinson. For tickets and complete schedule go to www.AtlantaFilmFestival.com or call 404.352.4225.

Atlanta Dogwood Festival Piedmont Park APRIL 17,18 & 19

The 73rd Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival is back in Piedmont Park! Spring is here, the dogwoods are in bloom, and hundreds of artists from around the country will set up their tents for Atlanta's oldest continuing event. The festival is free and open to the public. With past attendance reaching more than 400,000 this award winning festival continues to draw Atlanta natives, as well as visitors from across the country for three days filled with art and entertainment. This

Inman Park Festival year's event will feature the festival's largest Artist Market ever including some of the best visual artists from across the United States. More than 250 artists from around the country exhibit in 12 categories, including painting, glass, clay, wood and mixed media. The Kids Village features huge inflatables, arts & crafts and face painting for all ages, as well as the ever-popular 24-foot rockclimbing wall. A wide array of diverse musical offerings will be playing throughout the weekend. When you get hungry, follow the delicious smells, of funnel cakes, gyros, crab cakes, onion rings, kettle corn and much more. And best of all, the Frisbee dogs are back as Sports USA presents the Amazing Animal Athletes Dog Show. Friday is comedy night at the Dogwood Festival's Open Air Comedy Club at the dock stage on Lake Clara Meer. The fun begins at 8:03 pm with a half-hour stand-up comedy show. Also, you may want to check out the "Friends of Dogwood Pavilion" a great way enjoy the Atlanta Dogwood Festival. This ticketed event will offer a special area on Saturday and Sunday featuring some of the neighborhood's favorite restaurants combined with specialty beverages. For more information call 404.817.6642 or visit www.dogwood.org.

Sweetwater 420 Fest Candler Park APRIL 18 & 19

This two-day music and arts festival celebrating Earth Day, will be held Saturday, April 18 from 12 pm to 10 pm and Sunday, April 19 from 12:30 pm to 8 pm in Atlanta's historic Candler Park. Free admission for live music, food, and eco-oriented activities and educational experiences. Festival goers 21+ and with a valid ID can purchase a $5 wristband to responsibly enjoy Sweetwater beer and wine. A portion of proceeds from wristband sales are donated to Candler Park Neighborhood Association, to make improvements to Candler Park. Founded by Sweetwater Brewing Company in 2004, the two-day eco-oriented festival attracts thousands of visitors to Atlanta each year and has emerged into a music and arts-driven educational platform for environmental awareness and activism. People are encouraged to limit the impact on the neighborhood and take MARTA. The festival is conveniently located just two blocks from the Candler Park MARTA station. Visit www.sweetwater420fest.com for additional information, updates, and directions.

Georgia Renaissance Festival Exit 61 - Peachtree City / Fairburn APRIL 18 THRU JUNE 7

The Georgia Renaissance Festival returns for its 24th anniversary run on weekends and Memorial Day, April 18th through June 7th. Inside the gates you'll find King Henry VIII and his court, castles and cottages, jolly pubs and over 32 acres of elaborately adorned shops. Feast on a gigantic variety of delectable delights including a giant roasted turkey legs! The festival features ten stages which include rope walking, juggling, music and comedic storytelling. This family oriented festival includes thrilling rides in the medieval amusement park and the royal petting zoo. Jousting on Horseback and the magnificent highflying Birds of

and Tour of Homes APRIL 24 - 26

pared by some of Atlanta's top restaurants. Along with the racing of some of the finest steeplechase horses in the country, attendees are treated to Jack Russell terrier races, pig races, an air show and skydive demonstration, disc dog competition and the popular "Parade of Hats. Information and tickets are available from www.atlantasteeplechase.org. Atlanta's eclectic and revered Inman Park Spring Festival is back again Friday, April 24 (home tour only on Friday) through Sunday, April 26, offering food, music, fun, the city's largest street market, and its most outrageous parade. Founded in 1889, just two miles from downtown Atlanta, historic Inman Park is the city's oldest suburb. The Festival was established in the early 1970s to raise funds for local schools, theaters, libraries, and to improve and maintain area parks and green spaces, along with other community improvements and beautification projects. The city's quirkiest and colorful parade takes place on Saturday, April 25 and will be led by the Inman Park Butterfly, and followed by floats, clowns, jugglers, and the legendary Kelly's Seed and Feed Marching Abominables. Children's activities include: pony rides, moon walk, face painting and more. Grand Marshall for the 2009 Parade will be Frederick Law Olmstead, visionary landscape architect and genius behind many of Atlanta's great green spaces. The festival's home tour features elegant, turn-of-the-century Victorian homes, bungalows, original contemporary designs and modern interpretations of traditional styles. Admission to all Festival events is free. Tour of Homes tickets cost $15 in advance; $20 at the festival. For information about the Festival or Tour of Homes, call their hotline at 770-635-3711 or visit www.inmanparkfestival.org.

Zoo Atlanta

Planet Earth Day Celebration APRIL 25 Celebrate with Zoo Atlanta at a wild, green bash for Earth. Join the zoo on Saturday, April 25 from 10 am to 5 pm and recycle, reuse and re-imagine your view of our world. Browse a super lineup of green exhibitors, meet zoo mascots, go on an earthworm dig, and dance to music on the KIDZone dance floor. There will also be special keeper talks, wildlife shows, and animal encounters. Bring your old or unused cell phones for recycling during Party for the Planet. In addition, Zoo Atlanta has events happening throughout the season that include the Little People Live Musical Show at Zoo Atlanta on Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10, Summer Safari Camps, Nightcrawler Sleepovers and more. Visit www.zooatlanta.org for tickets and details.

Atlanta Steeplechase

Kingston Downs near Rome, Ga. APRIL 25 Saturday, April 25 the Atlanta Steeplechase will celebrate its 44th anniversary with their annual race. In what has been called "The Largest Lawn Party in Georgia" thousands of spectators will come to tailgate and take part in the festivities. Regulars of this event may notice that Atlanta Steeplechase is happening later in April, a move made to avoid conflicts with The Masters, spring break and other Atlanta social events. The Steeplechase is the event to see and be seen. As spring heralds in warm days and sunny skies, every fashion statement from designer dresses and showy hats to flip flops and halter tops can be seen at Kingston Downs. Gourmet food and tailgate parties are the staple of the event. Between races, spectators can partake in picnic fare pre-

MAY Atlanta Botanical Gardens Moore in America MAY 2 - OCTOBER 31

This spring, the Garden launches a new era with the show TIME magazine called one of the Top 10 Museum Exhibitions of 2008: Moore in America. Widely acclaimed as the most important sculptor of the 20th century, Moore in America is the largest outdoor exhibition of Henry Moore's sculptures ever presented in a single venue in the United States. The 20 colossal works will be displayed throughout the gardens and plant collections, providing for an impressive interaction of nature and art. This is the final destination of the tour, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see these monumental sculptures in a single exhibition. Also, beginning May 2, visitors to the Atlanta Botanical Garden can explore new breathtaking gardens while enjoying increased parking and access to more green space, including neighboring Piedmont Park. The first phase of the new Southern Seasons Garden as well as a new parking facility, visitor center and garden entrance are all part of the nonprofit Garden's ongoing "green" expansion. Other upcoming events this season include the Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour, an Earth Day event, Mother's Day High Tea and a summer concert series.

Run, Walk ‘n’ Roll

Confederate Hall at Stone Mountain Park MAY 2 The 9th Annual 3k Walk"n"Roll and FunRun will take place on Saturday, May 2 with proceeds going to provide wheelchairs, medical supplies and other equipment to the disabled and elderly. The run is 5 miles and the walk is 2 miles. Registration begins at 7:30 am. The Fun Run begins at 8:30 am and the Walk 'n' Roll begins at 9 am. A silent auction will take place after the walk. Paralympic gold medalist Al Mead will be making a special appearance. Participants are needed to run, walk or roll (in their wheelchairs) and raise at least $50. The first 300 participants who pre-register by April 29 and collect over $50 will receive a T-Shirt and all-attractions Adventure Pass to Stone Mountain Park. Event is sponsored by Friends of Disabled Adults and Children. For more information, please call 770-491-9014 or visit www.fodac.org.

Taste of Underground Atlanta Kenny’s Alley, Underground Atlanta MAY 7 AND JUNE 4

On the first Thursdays in May and June, you can

PG 21 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

visit Underground Atlanta during lunch time and enjoy eats from their restaurants, live entertainment, giveaways and special offers, all while being outdoors. If you're on a budget Taste of Underground Atlanta is one of the best deals in town. The cost is a $3 donation or five canned goods which will be donated to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Taste of Underground Atlanta is a rain or shine event. Entertainment line-up, vendors and restaurants are subject to change. For more information, please call 404523-2311 or visit www.underground-atlanta.com.

Taste of Alpharetta

Old Milton Pkwy. at Willis Park MAY 14 Now in its 19th year, come dine at over 60 restaurants in one unforgettable night that's become an annual tradition. Sample delicious appetizers, entrees and desserts. Experience the new Culinary Arts area featuring chef's competition, cooking demonstrations and exhibits. Bring a blanket to the new concert lawn for live jazz, rock and contemporary music. After dinner, stroll the Artist Market for one of a kind finds or visit the new Community Corner. Families can look forward to playing at Wacky World and on the dozens of fun inflatable activities, Guitar Hero, rock climbing, trains and more in the Fun Zone. Participating restaurants serve up an amazing array of appetizers, entrees and desserts from their menus for just 50 cents per sample. Admission is free and food tickets may be purchased on-site that evening or pre-purchased at Alpharetta City Hall. Parking is available and there will be shuttles running to the event. For more information, call (678) 297- 6000 or go to www.alpharetta.ga.us.

March of Dimes Dining Out

Dinner at Various Restaurants; The Mansion MAY 15 March of Dimes will hold its 25th "Dining Out" followed by "Stepping Out" on Friday, May 15. Dinner at one of the 50 participating restaurants begins at 7pm and the "Stepping Out" after-party at The Mansion on Peachtree goes from 9pm midnight. Atlanta's finest restaurants, including new culinary hot spots and favorite classics, will be participating. The cost is $1,000 or $1,500 for a table of ten, depending on the restaurant selection. The evening begins with a specially pre-

pared three course dinner and selected wine pairings at their chosen restaurant. At "Stepping Out" dinners choose from an array of tempting desserts, sip on signature beverages, bid on silent auction items and dance the night away. For a complete list of participating restaurants, visit www.marchofdimes.com/georgia or call 404-3509800 x208.

A majority of the festival's events are free and open to the public. For more information including lineup and a schedule of events, please visit: www.atlantafestivals.com

Decatur Arts Festival

Memorial Day Weekend Decatur Square MAY 23-24

The Artful Garden Tour Various Atlanta Gardens MAY 16

The Artful Garden Tour provides self-led tours of six of Atlanta's finest gardens. Highlights include a contemporary garden for a unique Robert Green home in the Briarlake area and a stunning courtyard garden at the elegant new high-rise community, The Mansion on Peachtree. Gardens on the tour are conveniently centered in Northeast Atlanta. Hosted by the High's Art Partners Membership group, all proceeds will benefit the High. A specially designed, gardenfocused education class will be offered during the tour at Habersham Gardens for an additional fee. Garden Tour ticket holders can choose to attend a seminar, a make and take workshop or both for an additional fee. For ticket pricing and additional information, visit www.high.org.

Atlanta Jazz Festival

Memorial Day Weekend in Historic Grant Park MAY 23-24 Celebrating 32 years and spanning 31 days, the Atlanta Jazz Festival is back for another year of legendary performances, fine dining and eclectic jazz events taking place all over the city. The 2009 Atlanta Jazz Festival will build on the success and heritage of previous festivals by continuing its expansion with a 31-day schedule. In an effort to infuse arts and culture through jazz, the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs created its signature "31 Days of Jazz" series as a part of the annual festival. The highlight of the month will be the 2-day festival taking place over Memorial Day Weekend, May 23 and 24 in Historic Grant Park.

festival that takes place each summer will once again happen at Centennial Olympic Park. The 2009 edition of Screen on the Green is set to launch May 28 and will feature a different movie each Thursday night through June 25. Moviegoers are welcome to bring picnic baskets and food, but no glass containers or alcoholic beverages can be brought into the park. Food and beverage vendors will be available. Pets are not allowed and umbrellas and high-backed chairs are strongly discouraged. Grills of any sort are strictly prohibited. For this year’s movie titles and dates visit www.peachtreetv.com/specials/screenonthegreen.

Special Olympics Georgia

State Summer Games at Emory University MAY 29 - 31 The City of Decatur holds their 21st annual Decatur Arts Festival this Memorial Day weekend, May 23-24. A number of festival events will take place throughout the month of May leading up to the final weekend. This interactive arts extravaganza includes art and artists from all disciplines and features hands-on participatory art as well as demonstrating and performing arts. Over 140 artists set up tents to display and sell their works on the Square in downtown Decatur. Scheduled events include an Outdoor Artists Market, Saturday, May 23 and Sunday, May 24, 10am-6pm. This juried show offers the best talent from all over the nation. A Fine Arts Exhibition will take place at Agnes Scott College Dalton Gallery Tuesday, May 19 - Sunday, May 31. Enjoy art and beverages with ArtWalk at over 30 locations Friday, May 24, 5 -10pm. The Kids and Teens Art Festival will happen at Scott Park (behind the Decatur Recreation Center), on Saturday, May 23 from 10am until 2:30pm. It starts with a children's parade and includes hands on art activities, juggling, music and more. Other activities include a Literary Arts Festival, Performing Arts Stage, Dance Festival and Silent Auction. For additional information, call 404.371.9583 or go to www.DecaturArtsFestival.org.

Screen on the Green Centennial Olympic Park MAY 28 - JUNE 25

Peachtree TV presents Atlanta's popular Screen on the Green. The free summer outdoor movie

The Opening Ceremony will be on Friday, May 29 at 7:30pm at McDonough Field and competitions will be held Saturday and Sunday. Events are free and open to the public. Come cheer on the 1,200 participating athletes as they compete in aquatics, athletics, tennis, gymnastics, soccer, table tennis and volleyball. In addition, all those attending will also be able to adopt a rubber duck for the 4th Annual Duck Derby happening June 26 at Six Flags White Water. Twenty thousand adopted ducks will plunge into the Little Hooch and race to the finish line for great prizes. For more information on the summer games, visit www.specialolympicsGA.org and look at the May calendar. For more information on the Atlanta Duck Derby, visit www.atlantaduckderby.com.

East Atlanta Beer Festival East Atlanta Village MAY 30

Sample over 120 craft beers from across the globe and visit shops and restaurants in East Atlanta Village. The stage will feature live local music. All proceeds benefit community projects. Admission is $30 in advance, $40 at the gate. continued on page 24

FRIDAY: Noon - 9 PM SATURDAY: 10 AM - 9 PM SUNDAY: Noon - 7 PM

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w w w. d o g w o o d . o r g  :

PG 22 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

MUSIC INTERVIEW

Philly’s Finest STEADY SHE GOES Music Lovers have AdoredAS The Roots for a Long Time. Now, as

Jimmy Fallon’s House Band, the Rest of the World gets in on the Fun. BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

CCORDING TO ?UESTLOVE’S Twitter account, the name of The Roots’ eighth wide-released album will be How I Got Over, a fitting title for a band that’s gone from relative obscurity to your bedroom television set in a matter of 10 years. Once deemed the hardestworking hip hop band for its relentless touring schedule, folks soon might have to come up with a new moniker like “Hardest Working Band- Period,” seeing as how The Roots are on television five nights a week as the house band on the all-new Late Night with Jimmy Fallon talk show. As leads Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter say in the following interview, the sweet new gig is more than a blessing. But if you think albums and touring are going to stop simply because they’re on the same network as Tina Fey now, you’re off your rocker. Ahmir, can you tell me what made this the right opportunity for you guys? Why’d you guys decide to do this? Ahmir Thompson: Let’s see. It’s a new challenge for us. After being on the road for 17 years touring it’s time for another challenge. What kind of a host is Jimmy Fallon going to be do you think? Tariq Trotter: I think Jimmy is going to be more of an everyday man kind of host. Yeah, you know, he’s going to be the sort of host that the laymen can sort of relate to. You know, an accessible - that’s, yeah, I guess that’s the word I’m looking for. He’s going to be an accessible host. What musical guests are you guys looking forward to on the show? AT: As far as sitting in with us Robert Glassford, who’s an artist on Blue Note, Esperanza Spalding, the jazz bassist, and Tal Wilkenfeld, who plays bass with Jeff Beck. How are you guys preparing for this gig? Are you looking at tapes of other talk show bands for example? TT: Yeah definitely. Not as much looking at old classic footage as I’ve been just paying I guess closer attention to the late night shows that are on now. You know, just like in passing anything – any late night TV that I’ve kind of seen I’ve been just that much more observant to see, you know, how I could have an influence and be in a positive way to him as it relate to this show. Have you defined the style of music that you will be playing on the show because I know your style diversifies over the years? AT: We pretty much have to master everything from what we’re known for to rock songs to even some of the comedy bits being more Broadway influenced or, you know, cheesy 80s stuff. Probably the advantage that we have is that, you

know, we’re a walking Rolodex of musical styles and terms and whatnot so that deﬁnitely helps in this situation because... a lot of things we’re doing is kind of out of what I think people think we’ll be doing which is just like being a hip-hop group.

20 journalists at this late date in our career about what our next move is I feel like that’s, you know, success.

Could you talk about how rehearsals have been going and kind of what’s been the biggest surprise for you? AT: Yeah, we had to get used to actual rehearsing. Are there any plans for collaborations on your new album? Seriously, we have never prepped so much AT: We just started, I’ll say about a week or two for any project that we’ve ever done including our actual show. This will, at the end of the day, ago, so we’re not [at that stage yet]. We probably make us an even better machine once we probably won’t get knee deep into the recording return to the stage. More process until about maybe a eﬃcient. Preparation month and a half I PERSONALLY DON’T starts with waking up at 6, from now once we’re 7 in the morning and pretty comfortable with what we’re HAVE A DEFINITION much getting home at middoing. It’s pretty much 24 FOR SUCCESS SIMPLY night and all hours a day is dedicated to prepping for that time is some sort of BECAUSE IN TODAY’S the show. preparation for the show.

SOCIETY, YOU

Give me your definitions of This is certainly a big KNOW, I MEAN, YOU departure for you guys. Are success. there any other things on AT: I personally don’t COULD BE MICHAEL your wish list have a definition for success JACKSON ONE MOMENT that go above and beyond simply because in today’s what you’re known for? society, you AND THEN THE NEXT AT: I think that this will know, I mean, you could MOMENT YOU CAN be Michael Jackson one probably show that there’s moment and then the next HAVE ALL YOUR THINGS absolutely no challenge or moment you can obstacle that we can’t master, BEING AUCTIONED have all your things being if given to us. I just think this auctioned online for suris the ongoing linear voyage ONLINE FOR SURVIVAL. vival. So I don’t really think of The Roots, you know. there’s a true Not necessarily the end of a definition of a person being content and not worksentence just another chapter in our history. ing and calling that success. They have a certain amount of wealth or that type of thing. I How did you get the Late Night job? Did somebody don’t know, as long as we’re working that, to call? Were there auditions? AT: Well, we were the musical supervisors for the me, is successful. But there’s not too many people from the class of 1992 that got signed when Chappelle Show Season 2 and 3. And Dave’s we got signed that are still able to make a living in partner, Neil Brennan was brought over as consul2009 doing what we’re doing. tant and he sort of jokingly recommended The Roots as a house band. I guess, the joke was sort of Thought, can you chime in on that? like, you know, I dare you to ask them even TT: Yes, I agree. No, I mean, it has something to though they’re too busy to take it. But they just happened to catch us at a moment in which we do with longevity and not only, you know, being able to remain around on the scene as long as were kind of pondering what our next move was we have but, you know, being able to remain going to be. And again after 16, 17 years of relevant. And I mean the fact that people still care hopping from country to country, sometimes you just need a fresh take on things. what The Roots is doing; the fact that we’re able to have a press conference with, you know, 18-

Are you commuting from Philadelphia every day? AT: For now we have a tour bus that pretty much takes us from Philly to New York every day. It’s about 90 minutes. What songs do you guys have in your rotation right now on your iPod? AT: You know, I lost mine. It’s crazy. That is such a copout. AT: It is. My iPod’s in San Diego. Yeah, we’re probably the most iPhone-, BlackBerry-, iPodlosingest individuals. All my iPods have like movies on them so... TT: Let me see what I have on my phone… We’ve got Webster Lewis and The Whatnots, Willy and, you know, Velma Perkins, the Universal Jublieers, Ultramagnetic MCs, Coney Island, 3-6 Mafia, The Silvers, Stevie Wonder, Steve Windwood, Stereolabs... I’m going through. This is what’s on my phone. But I mean, I listen to a little bit of everything. You know, a little vintage, a little, you know, what’s next, a little hip-hop, a little soul, a little rock and roll. You know, it’s kind of like me. What is this Late Night gig going to mean for your touring? AT: We’re still touring. But, I mean, as it stands now, there’s probably 10 weeks of touring that we will do spread out throughout the year. And I’m certain that as time goes on and more reruns are shown, we will have even more time on our hands to tour. But, I mean, we’re definitely still doing shows on the weekends. That applies to just America, right? AT: Yeah, I mean, for people in the States, [they] shouldn’t have anything to worry about, you know. I don’t know if people in South Africa will see The Roots in any timely manner, or when we’re going back to Macedonia. Despite the personnel changes, what keeps The Roots together? What keeps you all from disbanding? AT: Separate tour buses. If you could perform a one-night only concert based on one Roots album from beginning to end, which album would you choose and why? TT: I would probably do Half Life from beginning to end; it’s one of my favorite records out of our discography. It was the, I don’t know, like I think that’s our first record. Organix is more like our demo, which may [actually] be more our first real record. Illadelph Half Life was kind of, you know, the sophomore comeback album. Like the actual departure from the songs that we kind of had already in the vault, you know what I mean? I feel like that’s where we hit our stride. What would it be for you ?uestlove? AT: I would actually choose Game Theory, so that way I have an excuse to work with the 60piece orchestra. PG 23 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

continued from page 22 You must be 21 to attend. Pets, backpacks/bags, and children are not permitted. For more information, please visit www.Eabfonline.com.

JUNE

Anniversary celebration included performances by legends Gladys Knight and Wynton Marsalis. Tickets for the festival are to go on sale soon. For more information, please visit www.nbaf.org or call the Woodruff Arts Center at 404-733-5000.

Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival

Georgia Shakespeare Festival

The Fabulous Fox Theatre JULY 29 - AUGUST 2

Georgia Shakespeare kicks off its 2009 Summer Festival with Shakespeare’s romantic comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream. The line-up also includes Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Shakespeare’s rarely produced Titus Andronicus, the Family Classic Series production of Alice in Wonderland and a one week special engagement of Rick Miller's MacHomer. Guests are encouraged to arrive early and enjoy al fresco dining on the theatre's furnished picnic grounds. Guests may bring their own meals or have their dinners waiting when they order in advance from Terra Terroir, Georgia Shakespeare's official 2009 caterer. Thirty minutes prior to every performance a free pre-show orientation is held with members of the artistic staff. For more information, visit www.gashakepeare.org or call 404.264.0020.

The Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival offers an outstanding lineup of the year's biggest releases as well as some of the classic movies of all time. Last season featured blockbusters Sex and the City, WallE, Hancock, Mamma Mia and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Come early to see the movies and join in an Atlanta tradition including wine tastings at the Fox beginning at 5:30 p.m. Relax and unwind between work and the show, meet your friends and mix and mingle! Dates and movies were not available as of press time but for more information about the CocaCola Summer Film Festival, keep checking their web site at www.foxtheatre.org.

Oglethorpe University BEGINS JUNE 12

JULY National Black Arts Festival Woodruff Arts Center JULY 29 - AUGUST 2

The National Black Arts Festival partners with the Woodruff Arts Center to produce the Legends Celebration, Pan African Film Festival, Creatively Speaking, Education/Family Programs and the International Marketplace. All events will take place at the Woodruff Arts Center located in Midtown Atlanta. The 2009 schedule will be announced soon, but highlights of last year's NBAF 20th

PG 24 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

OUTDOOR MUSIC VENUES ASO Classic Chastain

4469 Stella Dr. NW; Chastain Park

setting to combine dining al fresco with a diverse range of musical talent. Patrons are encouraged to bring their own food, wine and spirits (when permitted) or take advantage of its preferred caterers and concessions to help enhance their concert experience. Among the top performances for the 2009 season include: Buddy Guy (June 24); Anita Baker (June 27); Diana Krall (July 11); and En Vogue (August 29). For ticket information visit deltaclassicchastain.com or call 404.733.5012

HiFi Buys Amphitheatre 2002 Lakewood Way; Atlanta

Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta, Georgia

As Atlanta’s largest and premier dedicated concert venue, HiFi Buys Amphitheatre offers an unforgetable concert experience. Advanced lighting and clear, unrestricted sightlines make this the favorite summer concert site for the avid music fan. Some of the anticipated summer shows include: Nickelback (April 23); Nine Inch Nails (May 10); ColdPlay (May 17); No Doubt (June 5); and Kid Rock w/ Lynyrrd Skynyrd (June 28). For ticket information visit www.livenation.com

Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre

5239 Floyd Rd. Mableton, Georgia

Chastain Amphitheatre is one of the great outdoor concert venues in the country. It is an ideal

facility has the capacity to host 2,410 people. Some of the great shows from this years line-up include: Montgomery Gentry (May 29); KC and the Sunshine Band (June 13); Kenny G (June 20); The Marshal Tucker Band (June 26); and Sarah Evans (August 8). For more information visit www.theMHBA.com

The Mable House Barnes Amphitheatre is a mid-sized, yet intimate, outdoor venue located in a natural setting off Floyd Road in south Cobb County. Nestled amongst trees in the quaint suburbs of Mableton, Georgia, it is a beautifully landscaped and covered amphitheatre which boasts of intimate dining table seating protected from the weather, more than 1200 covered, oversized seats, spacious aisles and a cozy lawn to lounge on. The

Last year The Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre opened up to rave reviews. Some of the best concerts of the summer including the Eagles, Steve Miller Band w/ Joe Cocker and Rush were performed here. The Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre is a state of the art facility with 12,000 seats located in Alpharetta just minutes off of 400. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre is also the outdoor home to the Altanta Symphony Orchestra. Among the highly anticipated shows coming this summer include: Dave Mathews Band (April 28 & 29); Kenny Chesney (May 28); Earth Wind & Fire and Chicago (June 26); and Styx and Reo Speedwagon with .38 Special (June 21). For ticket information visit www.V ZWAMP.com

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PG 25 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

Explore Asheville

TRAVEL

A Mountain Getaway that is Just a Short Drive Away BY MARCI MILLER

EED A QUICK GETAWAY FROM the craziness and stress of the current state of aﬀairs? Then head out of town to the mountain city of Asheville, NC. Nestled between ﬁve mountain chains that include the Great Smokies, the Appalachians and the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville has long been known as a place for arts, culture, wellness and healing. It’s also been a favorite spot for America’s most famous statesmen, poets, artists and musicians. Only 3 ½ hours away from Atlanta by car, this is one road trip that has something for everybody in all price ranges.

self-guided tour beginning April 4, 2009. In addition to the estate, visitors can also check out BILT MORE VILLAGE, 7 All Souls Crescent, 828-274-8788, biltmorevillage.com located right outside the estate’s main entrance. The village is a collection of restored Englishstyle houses that contain shops, galleries and lots of unique restaurants.

DOWNTOWN

Although Biltmore Estates is the best known attraction in Asheville, there are still plenty of others to visit in and around the city. DOWNTOWN ASHEVILLE, 828251-9973, www.ashevilledowntown.org, is a great place to

MUSIC

Asheville is also known for its vibrant music scene. The local scene represents every genre imaginable, from jazz to Appalachian mountain music and the number of places to appreciate live music has doubled over the last six years. Fortunately, the venues tend to toward the smaller size, giving every performance an intimate feel that can rarely be duplicated in big cities. One of these places is THE ORANGE PEEL, 101 Biltmore Avenue, (828) 225-5851, theorangepeel.net. The Orange Peel has gone from being an empty, former auto parts warehouse to a nationally recognized destination for live music. The Orange Peel

LODGING

BILTMORE

Treat yourself to a stay at the historic GROVE PARK INN RESORT AND SPA, 290 Macon Avenue, 828-2522711, www.groveparkinn.com. Built from granite boulders carved from Sunset Mountain, The Grove Park Inn opened its doors in 1913. Modeled after the grand old railway hotels of the West, it is listed on the national register of historic places and has been host to many famous guests including eight American presidents. Not only is the building itself unique, the views of the mountains throughout the hotel are absolutely breathtaking. Rooms located in the Main Inn are spacious with tasteful rustic décor. Many feature direct mountain views as far as the eye can see and windows open easily allowing guests to soak in the fresh mountain air. The hotel also features a grand lobby with two gigantic 14-foot stone fireplaces called The Great Hall and five restaurants including the fabulous Sunset Terrace, which offers majestic views of the city and spectacular mountain sunsets. Lunch and dinner are served on the terrace and features an array of menu choices including steak, chicken, seafood, salads and unique side dishes like “lobster macaroni & cheese.” Make sure to order a glass of wine from the inn’s private reserve. The resort’s newest addition is its spectacular, 40,000 square foot spa. This incredible facility features a mineral lap pool, indoor waterfall whirlpools, outdoor whirlpool with heated decking (a popular evening gathering spot), steam, sauna and spa services like massages, facials and mani/pedis. After the spa, you can check out the resorts other activities including tennis, golf, swimming, aerobics, work out room and much more. Given all the amenities, The Grove Park Inn may not be in the budget for some travelers, but no worries as Asheville has many hotels that offer a variety of price ranges. Visit www.exploreasheville.com for a full list of area lodging including a complete list of bed and breakfasts.

ORANGE PEEL

GROVE PARK INN

PG 26 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

EATS

One can’t visit Asheville and not take note of the city’s fabulous restaurants, most on par to those found in much larger metropolitan areas. Many Asheville restaurants pride themselves on using locally grown and organic foods and the quality shows through in every dish. For a casual lunch, visit CLINGMAN CAFÉ, 242 Clingman Avenue, 828-253-2177, clingmancafe.com, in the revitalized River Arts District. Sandwiches, salads and soups are made to order fresh and the restaurant features plenty of indoor and outdoor seating and has a cool local feel. Another local favorite is EARLY GIRL EATERY, 8 Wall Street, 828-259-9292, earlygirleatery.com. The restaurant has a sunny yet funky vibe and the menu boasts that all food is made from “scratch”. Eggs dishes are light and fluffy, stacks of multigrain pancakes are surprisingly large and the restaurant is widely regarded for its biscuits and gravy. Early Girl serves breakfast all day long but also features traditional lunch and dinner fare. A great find in Downtown Asheville is a Mexican restaurant called SALSAS MEXICAN CARIBBEAN RESTAURANT, 6 Patton Avenue, 828-252-9805, salsasasheville.com. The food is incredibly fresh and portions are large and rather inexpensive. Plates of fajitas come out hot and sizzling and many of their unique dishes are spicy and delicious. After your meal, head a few doors down for dessert at THE SISTERS MCMULLEN, 1 Pack Square, 828-2529454, www.thesistermcmullen.com, a bakery that features a large array of cupcakes and other treats. Splurge on a chocolate, vanilla or red velvet cupcake with buttercream frosting. Sisters McMullen also features a large variety of coffee drinks. Another hot spot for dinner is REZAZ MEDITERRA NEAN CUISINE, 28 Hendersonville Road, 828-277-1510, rezaz.com, located in the Biltmore Village. The dining area is filled with eye-popping art, sheer curtains and a long sleek bar. The menu features steaks, chicken, fish, pastas, salads and more. The place is packed nightly with patrons and the atmosphere is fun and lively.

FESTIVALS

BILTMORE

Another historic landmark in Asheville is THE BILT MORE ESTATE, 1 Approach Road, 828-225-1333, www. biltmore.com, located south of downtown Asheville in the Biltmore Village. This 8,000 acre estate is home to the 250-room Biltmore House, the Biltmore Winery and over 75 acres of professionally manicured gardens. As the best known and most popular tourist destination in Asheville, the Biltmore Estate attracts over 1 million visitors each year. The house was built by George Vanderbilt II, a member of the wealthy Vanderbilt family of New York City. In 1888, Vanderbilt commissioned celebrated American architect Richard Morris Hunt to design the lavish structure and the grounds were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the creator of New York’s Central Park. The house was modeled after three 16th-century French chateaux and features 4 acres of floor space, 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces. The basement houses a swimming pool, gymnasium and changing rooms, bowling alley, servants’ quarters, kitchens, and more. Completed in 1895, the Biltmore House remained a private residence until Vanderbilt’s untimely death. In 1956, the house was permanently converted into a museum, which continues to this day to be run by the descendents of George Vanderbilt. In July 2006, The Biltmore began a major preservation project—restoration of four guest bedrooms on the second floor of Biltmore House, the Louis XV suite. Having been restored to their original splendor, these rooms will open to the public for the first time on the

Brews Cruise will provide you with a personalized tour and VIP treatment at three of Asheville’s ﬁnest breweries. Riders will enjoy fresh samples of beer while someone else does the driving. Breweries included on the tour are the Highland Brewing Company, French Broad Brewing Company and Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company. Pricing for the tour is $39 per person and $74 per couple. Discounts are given for groups of 6 or more.

DOWNTOWN

walk and explore. It features a wide variety of architecture, including more art deco than Miami, and a 150 unique shops, galleries and cafes. You may also want to visit the CARL SANDBURG HOME NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, 81 Carl Sandburg Lane, Flat Rock, 828-693-4178, www.nps.gov/carl, hike CHIMNEY ROCK STATE PARK, US 276, Pisgah Forest, 828-877-3130, chimneyrockpark.com, drive the BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY, 828-298-0398, nps.gove/blri, ride the ASHEVILLE HISTORIC TROLLEY, 828-669-0047, ashevillehistorictrolleytours.com and stroll the RIVER ARTS DISTRICT, 828-252-9122, riverdistrictartists.com.

has recently been recognized by Rolling Stone as one of the “Top 5 Live Music Clubs” in the U.S. Located in the heart of historic downtown Asheville, the club features state-of-the-art sound and lighting along with a full service beer and wine bar.

DRINKS

In addition to its vibrant music scene, Asheville also has an active brewing scene. The city boasts numerous local breweries and beer is so popular, the local newspaper, The Asheville Citizen-Times, has a regular column devoted entirely to the topic. A great way to make your way around to all these breweries is to book a tour on the ASHEVILLE BREWS CRUISE, 828-545-5181, brewscruise.com.

Finally, when planning a trip to Asheville, time your visit to coordinate with one of the many festivals taking place this spring and summer, several are free! Check out ASHEVILLE HATCHFEST, ashevillehatchfest. com, a creative artists festival happening April 15 – 19, BILTMORE’S FESTIVAL OF FLOWERS, biltmore. com, which takes place on the estate’s grounds from April 4 – May 17 and THE MOUNTAIN SPORTS FESTI VAL, mountainsportsfestival.com, which happens May 29 – 31 and oﬀers athletic challenges for all ages. Other events you may want to check out include the LAKE EDEN ARTS FESTIVAL (LEAF), May 8 – 10, theleaf. com, SHINDIG ON THE GREEN, weekly free Saturday night concerts, July – September, folkheritage.org, BELE CHERE ARTS FESTIVAL, July 24 – 26, belecherefestival. com, RIVER ARTS DISTRICT STUDIO STROLL, June 13 – 14, riverdistrictartists.com, MOUNTAIN DANCE AND FOLK FESTIVAL, July 30 – August 1, folkheritage.org, CRAFT FAIR OF THE SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS, July 16 – 19, southernhighlandguild.org, GOOMBAY FESTIVAL, August 28 – 30, ymicc.org. Even if you’ve visited Asheville before, come back and rediscover this city which has seen its arts, culture, dining and nightlife explode over the past few years. Whether you are looking for entertainment, history, outdoor activities or just want to experience the city’s laid back vibe, now is the perfect time give yourself some much-needed R&R in this mountain getaway. For more information about Asheville, please visit exploreasheville.com.

MUSIC INTERVIEW paid back in the ﬁrst two years. That’s better than our Western style banking system!

Ben Lee On Femininity, Family & Charity record and why you dedicated it to Venus? The themes of this album really center around USTRALIAN INDIE SONGWRITER the idea of the feminine. As a society, we are quite Ben Lee has never been one to spend out of touch with the feminine. We value strength, too much time worried about popular rational thinking, and achievement, without much musical trends. For the past 15 years he has been concern for compassion, nurturing or creativity. quietly, confidently churning out his own brand of I wanted to make an album that was dedicated to folk/indie pop and managed to amass a solid core of these qualities. Venus is the ultimate symbol of followers who have been followthese qualities – The Goddess ing his every move. AS A SOCIETY, WE ARE of Love and Beauty. His latest record, The Rebirth QUITE OUT OF TOUCH How long have you been workof Venus, a fitting tribute to ing on these songs? feminine traits, will certainly not WITH THE FEMININE. The oldest ones, ‘Rise Up’ and disappoint those who have been WE VALUE STRENGTH, ‘Surrender’ were written about following Lee all along. His lyrics RATIONAL THINKING, five years ago. ‘Sing’ was writare just as witty and intelligent as AND ACHIEVEMENT, ten while we were mixing the those on Grandpaw Would, the album. The rest fell in between. WITHOUT MUCH 1995 debut that first introduced CONCERN FOR Lee to the record buying public, Was this a particular difficult COMPASSION, but with the energy of his later record to write? records. Additionally, a portion NURTURING OR No. Writing is best when it’s of the proceedings from The CREATIVITY. I WANTED easy. Rebirth of Venus will be donated TO MAKE AN ALBUM to FINCA International Village What was the inspiration for “I Banking program, a non-profit THAT WAS DEDICATED Love Pop Music”? A fantastic TO THESE QUALITIES. that offers small business loans song, by the way. to the poor. I wanted to juxtapose my love for inane bubbleLee spoke with us recently about his new record, gum pop with my desire to be aware of issues facing the decision to donate some of the proceeds to this the world and the desire to be part of positive non-profit and the likelihood of a reunion with Ben change. Somewhere in the grey area between those Kweller and Ben Folds. things is a truth about the power of music.

BY JOHN B. MOORE

The new record is called The Rebirth of Venus. Can you talk a little bit about the theme of this

You’ve had a lot of big changes in your life recently with your marriage and step-daughter. Have they

added to your appreciation of women? Looking after a kid has taught me to be more in the moment and to be more open. I don’t really think of Kate as a little girl, but as a little person. I grew up surrounded by women so I never felt they were that diﬀerent. Can you talk a little about your decision to donate a percentage of proﬁts to FINCA? FINCA is involved in micro-loan - giving small loans to people below the poverty line – in third world countries so that people can start small businesses. FINCA is particularly involved in a program that helps women in small villages start their own businesses. These businesses can radically transform a community. It felt like a great initiative to align the album with.

You’ve done a little bit of acting in the past. Is that something you’d like to do again? Sure if the opportunity felt right. I actually just optioned the ﬁlm rights to an Australian novel called “I Dream of Magda” that I’d love to turn into a ﬁlm. I spoke with Ben Kweller recently and he spoke about how much he enjoyed working with you and Ben Folds. Any plans to tour as The Bens again? What was that experience like for you? I loved it. I’d do more bens’ recording and shows anytime. There’s nothing like being in a studio with two of your favorite songwriters. Anything else you want to add? Thanks for the support.

How did you ﬁnd out about the organization? I read about them online. The great thing about micro-loans is people right across the political and economic spectrum agree that it’s the best available system of giving aid at the moment and they have a huge success rate. Most of the loans are

MUSIC INTERVIEW

The Sideman Cometh

Roger Joseph Manning Jr. On His Burgeoning Solo Career BY JOHN B. MOORE

OGER JOSEPH MANNING JR. MAY not have the name recognition of a Kanye or Thom Yorke, but chances are you’ve listened to him for years without ever realizing it. Along with putting in time in highly influential bands like Jellyfish, Imperial Drag and Moog Cookbook, Manning has backed up everyone from Beck and Morrissey to Johnny Cash and Glenn Campbell. His arrangements can also be heard in movies like “Lost in Translation” and “Team America”. Working as a musician for the past two decades, it’s a bit surprising that Manning didn’t put out his first solo record until just a few years ago. He’s just released

his second solo record, the eclectically brilliant Catnip Dynamite. Despite a slew of new projects, Manning found time recently to talk to us about the new record, the potential for a Jellyfish reunion (don’t get your hopes up) and the legacy of power-pop. What can you tell me about the songs on Catnip Dynamite? Hopefully that a lot of my longtime fans, even my Jellyfish fans, will find the journey of this album fascinating. Other than lyrics, which were new, the tracks exist in some form from the last 20 years, going from ‘86 to ‘06. Going through and revisiting and rearranging these musical sketches was a personal journey in my musical life and I feel this captures who I am musically. Do you feel a lot more pressure working on a solo record rather than being part of a band? Not at all. Being in a band is a wonderful collaborative process and a whole experience in itself. With solo material I am able take some things in stride along with my other ventures. It gives me the ability to revisit ideas at my own pace as with Catnip Dynamite where I thoroughly enjoyed excavating demos, sounds and arrangements. You’ve been involved with a number of great bands that just put out one or two amazing albums before disbanding (Jellyfish, Imperial Drag, Moog Cookbook). Do you go into

these projects knowing they will just be around for a short time? Good question and I don’t know at the time, that would be like dating a hot girl but give the relationship only a two year limit. I go in with my all to make great art, great music. With so many variables on any given day with the collaborative process you just have to relax and be ok with the hurdles life tosses at you and you have to navigate the relationships with fellow creative types. I had the privilege to work with two brilliant lyricists/songwriters and the personal reasons we began and eventually went our separate ways were similar. Working with this personality type has been an exploration of my own psyche to what drives this collaborative process and it overall drives the challenge to stay positive, to stay in a loving frame of mind no matter who you are working with in music or in life. Have you ever thought about getting Jellyﬁsh back together - even for just a handful of shows? Everyone would have to clearly be at 100 percent to make it a positive experience. I’ve remained in contact with everyone throughout the years and we have all moved on musically. It still blows our minds to this date to hear this ongoing love for Jellyﬁsh. It was a miracle to even get signed and to make the music we loved to make during the heights of the Grunge era. Are you surprised that Power Pop is having a bit of a resurgence again? If it’s having a resurgence, that’s beautiful news. Perhaps, where previously Power Pop melodies have been so unfashionable, in these times of economic woe and strife, people want a song they can tap their foot to in the car on the way to work. Music has been

so segregated, not the big fun house party, there are Indie Rock camps, Power Pop camps, etc. so gone are the days of everything goes. At the end of day, all I can do is show up and make the music I love to make. What music are you listening to nowadays? A big fan of new things. I’ve been listening to Midnight Juggernauts for awhile. I love anything Justice puts out these days. I love the MGMT record and the new Santogold. Do you plan to tour behind the new record? Unfortunately no. Finances and logistics given the current U.S. market make it sadly just not viable. I have done a few Japanese tours, definitely a different scenario that works well in that market. What other music projects are you working on? All kinds of cool stuff. Currently working with an artist from China, Joanna Wang. We are rehearsing for a series of live shows in Hong Kong. I am working on sessions for another new Glen Campbell release. Also, I do have windows of my schedule where I am open and want to explore opening up my services to work on projects that may come from fans or upand-coming groups that thought maybe they couldn’t reach me. I’m accessible thru my website and am now on eSession as well. Any plans for more solo records? Well of course! I’m still in Catnip Dynamite mode so I haven’t sketched out a timeline yet to take a breath and disappear into the writing room for awhile. Catnip Dynamite was just released so give it a listen, take your time with the new album and enjoy. PG 27 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

FILM INTERVIEW

NATIONAL (GUILTY) PLEASURE You May Not Like Some of his Movies, but Somebody out there has Made Nicolas Cage one of the Busiest Men in Hollywood.

be a little more responsible with that power.” That’s not to say I don’t believe in the freedom of speech; I do. It’s just that at this point in my life, my interests, I would rather entertain you with the spectacle and with the imagination as opposed to servicing your bloodlust appetites… But that’s not to say that I may not ﬁnd myself in that situation again. There are ways of doing it, even by showing it, where it can be ironic and just not gratuitous in the sense where I want you to get oﬀ by watching someone’s head explode.

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

INCE ’04, NICOLAS CAGE HAS starred in three movies that have done over $100 million at the box office: National Treasure, Ghost Rider and National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Unfortunately, in that same span, five of his flicks grossed less than $25 million: Lord of War, The Weather Man, The Wicker Man, Next and Bangkok Dangerous. Cage’s latest film, the end-of-days thriller Knowing, will probably fall somewhere in between. As for the tireless actor’s other ’09 efforts –the animated G-Force and Astro Boy and the action-packed Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans- one is a likely hit and the latter two probably not so much. But just listening to the Academy Award winner (what, you forgot?) talk recently, there seems to be other things on his mind these days besides ticket sales. Cage, 45, appears more concerned about leaving a cinematic legacy to his kids that isn’t covered in bullet holes. That’s why he’s so eager to discuss movies like The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and a third National Treasure. Of course, if said movies happen to do, say, $150 million at the box office, everyone, even the famously stoic Cage, walks away smiling.

What’s on your plate for the upcoming future as one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood? Well, I have a movie called Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans coming out. Werner Herzog directed that. I have a movie called Season of the Witch coming out that Dominic Sena directed and now this week I’ll be doing, commencing photography on Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Plus, I have two animated features coming out which hopefully make the kids smile. Following up on Sorcerer’s Apprentice, what did Fantasia mean to you growing up? Wonder, enchantment, awe. It was my ﬁrst real introduction into classical music and it was married to these beautiful, life-like animated sequences with dinosaurs and ogres and gargoyles. It was just totally inspiring to me. So it’s kind of a big moment for me to be able to play that part.

This is the second movie you’ve done where the future is involved. Do you think we have a predetermined future? At risk of impinging on your own personal opinions, or your own relationship with the movie, I would just offer that I’m not a chaos theorist. How did your relationship with your own son resonate with your character in Knowing? Well, I dedicate the movie to my first son because that’s what the relationship was reallyit was me and him. This script came to me at the right time. I had the life experiences and the emotional resources to play John Koestler. Indeed, some of the lines in the scenes came out of direct memories of my time with Weston. I’ve been looking for ways to express feelings for a long time, and having been a single father out in California, I know that there is a gender bias depending on which lawyer or which psychologist or family therapist that you talk to. It’s like there’s a full moon out if a father wants to see his son. That’s just not true; just because you’re a man doesn’t mean that you can’t raise your kid. I think that families should stay together, but if you are a single father, don’t give up no matter what they say. So I wanted to have a chance to express that, to show that archetype in a movie, that you can have a devoted, positive relationship between that family, a father and a son as well. Is that what attracted you to the script, then, that it affected you in that way? First of all, any opinion I give is not as important as your opinion. Just that, again without coloring your own opinion or personal connection to the movie, that I had gone through various thought processes at the time the script came to me where I felt I was in sync with Alex [Proyas] and with the story. It’s one of those rare opportunities where I felt like the filmmaker and myself were completely on the same page philosophically and in terms of style. Alex is an artist. He’s an original, and he can really make a movie look beautifully designed in a way that has a signature, his signature. But, having said that, we both agreed that the character should be PG 28 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

GOOD SCIENCE FICTION IS INTELLIGENT. IT ASKS BIG QUESTIONS THAT ARE ON PEOPLE’S MINDS. IT’S NOT IMPOSSIBLE. IT HAS SOME SORT OF ROOT IN THE ABSTRACT. almost cinema verite, that there should be almost a documentary style to the performances so that it would make the experience more terrifying for you and perhaps more visceral in some way. Have your children expressed any interest in acting? My oldest son, right now, he’s very immersed in his music. But there may be a time when he chooses to go into the cinema. My youngest son is three and a half.

express what’s happening now. You can be entertained but you can also be stimulated to think about things. Knowing is one of those movies where you’re going to get the spectacle, you’re going to have the entertainment in the grand science-ﬁction tradition, but also it will help stimulate some discussion to help you sort out on your own where you might choose to go in terms of your own needs. I say that without preaching or anything like that. That’s up to you what you get from the movie.

What role is Hollywood playing in these troubling economic times? More than ever movies reveal themselves as healing, as helpful, as encouraging as escapist. Anything that makes someone get through their day at these times [is good]. It’s the best form of entertainment and it’s still arguably the most inexpensive form of entertainment. I always say to myself, if I can make a movie that makes a kid smile or gives him so hope or something he can be excited about then I’m applying myself in the best way I can. I don’t think that just goes for kids; I think that goes for adults and families as well. There is a need to go to movies just to get your mind oﬀ of the problems that are happening in our daily lives and the stresses between countries, the economy, global warming, all those things that are on their minds. But at the same time, I think movies can help guide us through those experiences because, I think, all of us try to grapple with, redeﬁne, come to terms with,

What is it about science fiction that particularly appeals to you? Good science fiction is intelligent. It asks big questions that are on people’s minds. It’s not impossible. It has some sort of root in the abstract. Automatically, you’re getting closer to more potentially divine sources of interest because it’s abstract. It’s one of the only ways a film actor can express himself in the abstract and (unintelligible) still go along for the ride. They don’t contend it. They accept that they’re going to go places that are a bit more of the imaginary, a bit more out there. And that’s more and more where I like to dance. The other thing is that I get really tired of movies where I had to shoot people. I got to thinking about the power of films. What is that power? The power is, in fact, that it really can change people’s mind. I had that experience with China Syndrome. It made me aware. So, I thought, “If it is this powerful, the power to change people’s minds, then perhaps I should

Doing The Sorcerer’s Apprentice as a live action film, what’s the take on the story itself and on the sorcerer? Well, I haven’t even started filming yet, but I would like to say that the take is that it’s going to entertain you. The sorcerer is good, but there is going to be moments where he’s a little mysterious and just a little, perhaps, scary to look at. There’s going to be a lot of fantasy and there’s going to be some amazing FX. I’m working with Jay Baruchel who I think is fantastic. He’s the apprentice? He is, yeah. We’re going to have some laughs. I can already feel it. You worked with Matthew Vaughn on Kick-Ass. Can you talk about that? Well, that movie was quite a satire, in my opinion. That’s an example of sort of the irony of the obsession of violence in the U.S., but truly all over. I think it’s sort of an ironic take on that. So, there will be some violent images, but it’s done in a way that I think shows you the absurdity of it. He was easy. He was easy to work for. Again, I felt safe with Matthew. I felt like I could express myself again, like I did with Alex. So I’ve had some good luck so far working with filmmakers that I connected with. The National Treasure films were some of your most successful. Are you looking forward to a third one and do you have any idea where the franchise might go? Yeah, I’m hopeful. Those movies make a lot of people happy. I don’t know yet where it will go or what the story will be because the auspices are all right here right now working on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. There was some talk about it maybe going into the south. Do you think you’ll make it later this year? I really don’t know. I wish that I did, but I haven’t got a clue. That sounds oddly Ben Gates.

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PG 29 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

SPORTS NEWS

FANATIC BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS Over the last three years, you know which COLLEGE HOOPS team has shown the most grit in late March/early April? Nope, not UNC or Memphis. Bradley! Seriously, for the last three years, the Bradley Braves have played good ball, deep into the postseason. Two seasons ago, they made it to the NCAA’s Sweet 16. Last year they lost a tough one in the College Basketball Invitational Final. And this season, they’ve made it to the inaugural Collegeinsider.com championship. Okay, so it’s not the Final Four in Detroit. Still.

A Monthly Sports Must-See TV Wrap-up Top 5 Games This Month

Votto (Cincinnati), Clayton Kenshaw (LA Dodgers) and Adam Jones (Baltimore).

The NBA season’s winding down. That means the MVP race must be heating up. Front-runners for the coveted honor are the game’s three most exciting talents: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade. Dwight Howard and Chris Paul will probably round out the top five. Fanatic calls the following quintet its M.O.P.s (Most Overlooked Performers): 1) John Salmons, Sacramento; 2) Jason Terry, Dallas; 3) Rudy Gay, Memphis; 4) David West, New Orleans; 5) Danny Granger, Indiana.

By the way, Fanatic wasn’t the only one in America whose bracket got screwed by WAKE FOREST and FLORIDA STATE’S ridiculously early exits from the Dance, was he? Speaking of postseason basketball tournaments, the SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS certainly played well enough in March to have the NCAA secondguessing its decision to leave them out of the Big Dance. But SDSU has taken it all in stride, earning a spot in the NIT’s final four. Meanwhile, the school’s baseball team is garnering national recognition these days because of Stephen Strasburg’s arm. The pitching sensation, who’s already being compared to Roger Clemens because of a 102-mph fastball, is the likely first pick of the June draft. “Howdy folks. Made it thru. Took longer than we thought. Playing with my kids right. Making me feel A LOT better.” –LANCE ARMSTRONG’S Tweeter feed, after his collarbone surgery These five fantasy MLB sleepers should be on your roster right now: Kenshin Kawakami (Atlanta), Nelson Cruz (Texas), Joey

Lance Armstrong

“Everyone makes mistakes, but he has to show that genuine remorse in his ability to be a positive influence to correct the things that he did wrong publicly… I haven’t sat down and looked at his case. I haven’t met with him. I haven’t understood where he is. I’m not going to try to guess.” –NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, on MICHAEL VICK’S possible NFL reinstatement

And finally… If NFL commish Goodell gets his wish and sees the regular season expand another two weeks, there’ll likely be 17 international and domestic games at neutral sites… The NASCAR Hall of Fame, currently being constructed in Charlotte for a 2010 opening, will feature over 1,000 artifacts… According to the Chicago Tribune, the Bears are hungry for Jay Cutler… San Francisco outfielder Randy Wynn has played an MLBhigh 1452 games without a postseason appearance… Participants in the new Women’s Professional Soccer league will earn about $32,000 for seven months of work… At press time, Tiger Woods’ string of consecutive weeks at No. 1 was 198- and that’s with him out 36 weeks due to injury.

1 2 3 4

MLB Opening Day (April 5, 8PM, ESPN)

Boston vs. Cleveland (April 12, 3:30PM, ABC)

The Philadelphia Phillies look at their World Series rings before taking on the new-look Atlanta Braves.

The Masters (April 11-12, Various, CBS)

Okay, Phil, Sergio and Geoff. The maestro, Tiger Woods, is officially back on center stage. Y’all can return to playing second fiddle.

NBA Playoffs (April 18-19, TBD, ABC/ESPN)

The way things are looking out West, we’ll probably see Lakers/Mavs or Spurs/Blazers in the ﬁrst round. We’ll take either.

NFL Draft (April 25-26, TBD, NFL Network)

With the ﬁrst pick, the Detroit Lions take… yet another college prospect they have zero chance of cultivating into a pro talent.

The regular season couldn’t wrap on a more exciting note than with these two Eastern Conference powers. Sorry, Orlando.

SPORTS NEWS

Repeat Performance

The ’09 MLB season begins where ‘08’s endedwith the Philadelphia Phillies at the top.

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS A LOOK AT THE TOP 8 TEAMS

NATIONAL LEAGUE

1. PHILADELPHIA How good are the Phills? First baseman Ryan Howard has a whopping 153 home runs and 431 RBI over the last three seasons, but because Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley are on the same team, you could argue him being the fourth best player on the roster. 2. ARIZONA Top five in the NL in ERA, batting average against and quality starts, the D-Backs’ strength is clearly in its pitching. With youthfulness and an emerging offense (Conor Jackson, Mark Reynolds), now they really flex their muscle. 3. ATLANTA Derek Lowe had a great winter ($60 million deal). Chipper Jones had an injury-plagued spring. Expect the bats of Brian McCann, Casey Kotchman and even Jeff Francoeur to have amazing summers. 4. CINCINNATI If you’re looking for this year’s Tampa Bay Rays, you’ve found’em. Anchored by good pitching (Edinson Volquez), gifted hitting (Joey Votto) and grand leadership (manager Dusty Baker), the Reds could be golden by the all-star break. 5. NEW YORK Sparkling new Citi Field opened its doors PG 30 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

the other day to generally favorable reviews. If Johan Santana, Jose Reyes, David Wright and the ageless Carlos Delgado perform at their best, the Mets will rival West Side Story as Broadway’s breakout hit. 6. ST. LOUIS When you think about the Cardinals’ right side, you can’t help but mention this guy’s .299 average, 37 homers and 117 RBI. Yeah, Ryan Ludwick’s a stud. Oh, you thought we were talking about Albert Pujols? He’s pretty good too. 7. CHICAGO That the Cubs are the third NL Central team mentioned in this preview is either a testament to the division’s toughness or a slap to Chicago. Until we see something more out of Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano, go with the latter. 8. L.A.

RYAN HOWARD

While we’d love to put the Dodgers ahead of the D-backs oﬀ the strength of Manny Ramirez’s bat, we can’t. Beyond Chad Billingsley, there are just too many question marks on the mound. Maturing sluggers James Loney, Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp might have us regret the downgrade.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

1. NEW YORK New Yankee Stadium is a structural gem. It seats 52, 325. It has 410 private suites. It’s got 16 elevators. We only hope architects took into consideration the massive personalities of Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter when designing the locker room. 2. CHICAGO Though Cleveland will be lurking much of

YANKEE STADIUM

the season, the White Sox have the power (Jim Thome, Carlos Quentin, Alexei Ramirez) and pitching (Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd) to keep the Indians a few paces back. 3. L.A. Who really cares that Vladimir Guerrero was born in ’75 or ’76? We wouldn’t mind if he, Torii Hunter or Bobby Abreu were 40, just as long as they kept bangin’ the ball like they do. Ervin Santana’s elbow tightness does leave us concerned. 4. TAMPA BAY Pat Burrell was never really loved in Philly. The big guy packed up his 30 HR and 90 RBI and moved down to sunny Florida. Might Burrell’s bat be the one thing missing on a team of destiny that was thiiiiiis close to a World Series parade? 5. BOSTON When John Smoltz pitches his first game in a Red Sox jersey in June, it still wouldn’t have been long enough to really digest the move. Seeing him on the hill during another postseason push, however, will be as nostalgic as ever for baseball purists. 6. CLEVELAND It’s probably unrealistic to ask Indians ace Cliff Lee to repeat his Cy Young-winning, 22-win season, so we won’t. But demanding that rehabbed slugger Travis Hafner put up the numbers we know he’s capable of is definitely in order. 7. OAKLAND The A’s doesn’t stand for “active,” but the team sure was in the offseason, acquiring Nomar Garciaparra, Matt Holiday and prodigal son Jason Giambi. If the pitching wasn’t so “awful,” they’d probably challenge the Angels. 8. MINNESOTA Kyra Sedgwick might be The Closer on TNT, but it’s the Twins’ Joe Nathan who plays it for real. Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau are so darn methodical in their approach to the plate, the only show they’d make it on is HGTV’s The Unsellables.

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2205 Cheshire Bridge Rd. ��

Best Adult Video Store!

PG 31 • insiteatlanta.com • April 2009

We Take Fres h Serio us ly

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Award Winning Chicago Pizza In Atlanta!

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BOOM BOOM ROOM

SLUSH PUPPIES SERVED ON BUCKHEAD DECK

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LIVE MUSIC DANCE FLOOR W/ 2 POLES!

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BREAKFAST, LUNCH AND DINNER SANDY SPRINGS 5975 ROSWELL RD. SUITE G-25 | 404 252-1158 7 DAYS A WEEK… NORCROSS STARTING AT 7AM! 5270 Peachtree Pkwy. | 770-407-5885

CANDLER PARK

Now Open “Al Dar” or lounge - Enjoy great food, wine, belly dancing and hookahs on the weekend. 2751 Lavista Rd. • Decatur, GA 30033 404.633.8833 • www.mezzabistro.com

Best Mediterranean

1655 McLendon Ave. | 404.687.8888

MIDTOWN

EAST COBB

1084 E. Johnson Ferry Rd. | 770-321-4445

1001 Piedmont Ave. | 404.874.8887

BUCKHEAD

3515 Northside Pkwy. | 404-816-3152

TERMINUS

3280 Peachtree Rd. | 404-477-0013

www.ﬂyingbiscuit.com

ATLANTA’S BEST Margaritas

WE NOW DELIVER! 939 Ponce De Leon 404-881-6040 www.elaztecadelivery.com

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Red Dawn, GHRelease, Sleepwalker & Zan-X Starting at $6.95

HOO K A H S Sta r t i n g at $ 2 4 . 9 5

Hand-blown Bubblers

Detox Products

Pipes

New ROOR

Starting at $133.95

Posters

Self Cigars & Body Defense Cigarettes Jewelry Products

We ’ v e Mo v e d Acro s s t h e Str e e t

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Landmark DINER Presents

RED

New Bar! Check Us Out!

RAVEN KARAOKE WEDNESDAY & FRIDAY

BACKGAMMON ASSOCIATION ON MONDAY 3652 Roswell Rd. (Inside the Landmark Diner)

404-459-0755

INsite Atlanta April 2009 Issiue

Articles inside

R OSE BYRNE

ROGER JOSEPH MANNING

K’NAN N