INsite Atlanta February 2011 Issue

February 2011

www. insiteatlanta .com

Vol. 19, No. 7 Free

Valentine’s Day Feature

D t i e n g

ing

Bud

❤

e d i Gu Eat Out Without Breaking the Bank

Interviews

Ashton Kutcher • Hellogoodbye Jimmy Eat World • Kasim Reed • Lisa Kudrow

“A VISUALLY DAZZLING LONDON-BORN PRODUCTION OF J M BARRIE’S PETER PAN.”

This striking Exhibition showcases real human bodies, dissected and preserved through a revolutionary process allowing visitors to see themselves in a fascinating way like never before.

-WALL STREET JOURNAL

BODIES...The Exhibition will enlghten, empower, and inspire.

An Exhibition of Real Human Bodies www.BodiesAtlanta.com

presents

EXPERIENCE YOUR

LIFE IN THE DARK

An Exhibition That Reveals The Strength of Your SENSES

NOW PLAYING THRU MARCH 20! www.peterpantheshow.com/atlanta Or call 1-888-PPANTIX (772-6849)

The

SCAN ME

Theatre in Pemberton Place adjacent to the World of Coca-Cola

To see a video preview, scan this QR code with your smart phone

Groups: 404-881-2000 foxgroup@foxtheatre.org

“For about an hour, visitors navigate different environments in complete darkness, relying on all senses except sight, and ask questions of their visually impaired guide, whose faces they don’t see until leaving. Stumbling in darkness makes the Dialog visitor appreciate how visually oriented the world is - how would you go grocery shopping? How would you cross the street? - as well as the reliance on other senses such as sound and touch to navigate the world.”

- Elizabeth Landou, CNN

INTERNATIONAL BLOCKBUSTER - U.S.A. DEBUT ONLY IN ATLANTA

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BOTH AT ATLANTIC STATION!

PRODUCED BY:

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PG 2 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

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PREMIER EXHIBITION CENTER

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MUSIC CONTENTS • FEBRUARY 2011 • VOLUME 19.7

�������������������������������� Atlanta’s ���������������������������������� Entertainment Monthly ����������������������������������� INTERVIEWS

FEATURES

�������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������� ������������������������������������ ����������������������������������������� 06 VALENTINE’S DAY ������������������������������������������ 08 BUDGET DINING ��������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� 12 OSCAR PREVIEW ��������������������������������������� 21 HIGH COLLEGE NIGHT ����������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������� 26 SPRING BREAK ���������������������������������������� ������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������� 04 AROUND TOWN ��������������������������������������� 05 ON TAP ���������������������������������������� 05 ON A DIME EVENTS ���������������������������������������� �������������� 07 UNDER THE LIGHTS ��������������������������������������� 13 MOVIE REVIEWS �������������������������������������� ����������������������������������� 14 VIDIOTS

COLUMNS

��������� �� �����������

15

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14 VIDEO GAMES ����������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� 16 CONCERT CALENDAR ���������������������������������������� ���������������������������������� 19 ROAD WARRIORS ������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� �������������������������������������� ������������������������������������ 19 WE GOT NEXT ��������������������������������������� ������������������������������������� 20 ALBUMS ����������������������������������������� ������� ����������������������������������������� 29 FAVORITE THINGS ��������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������� ������������������������������������ 29 WHEEL DEAL ��������������������������������������� ������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������� ������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������ ������������������������������������������ �������������������������������������� STAFF LISTING Contributing Writers / Interns: ���������������������������������������� John Moore,��������������������� Jon Latham, Ryan Loftis, Matt Goldberg, Publisher ������������ Rodney Hill, Alex S. Morrison, Alec Wooden, ��������������������������������������� Stephen Miller Roger Presswood, Dave Cohen, Russ Marshalek, ������������������������������������� steve@insiteatlanta.com ���������������������������������������� Jennifer Sefa-Boakye, Jessica Cole, Jennifer Williams, ������������������������������������������ Managing Editor Matt Connor,��������������������������������������� Rebecca Crosby and Brad Binkley Bret Love ��������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������ CONTACT US bret@insiteatlanta.com ��������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������ 2250 North Druid Hills Rd. #234 Art Director / Web Design ������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������� Atlanta, GA 30329-3118 Michael Thompson phone 404-315-8485 website insiteatlanta.com ���������� �������������������������������������� graphics@insiteatlanta.com ADVERTISING INFORMATION ����������������������������������������� � Sports Editor �������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������� DeMarco Williams Editorial content of INsite is the opinion of each ���������������������������������������������������������������� demarco@insiteatlanta.com ������������������������������������ writer and is not necessarily the opinion of ���������������������������������������� INsite, its staff, or its advertisers. INsite does not ����������������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� Local Events Editor ���������������������������������������� knowingly accept false or misleading advertising Marci Miller ���������������������������������������� or editorial content,���������������������������������������� nor do the publisher or marci@insiteatlanta.com editors of INsite assume responsibility should ����������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������� such advertising or editorial appear. No Music Editor ������������������������������������ content, i.e., articles, graphics, designs and ������������������������������������������ Sacha Dzuba information (any and all) in this publication may ����������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� sacha@insiteatlanta.com be reproduced in any manner without written ������������������������������ permission from publisher. ������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������� Follow us on ����������������������� � © Copyright 2010, Be Bop Publish��������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������ ing, Inc. All Rights Reserved ������������������������������������������� the web! ����������������������������������������� �������������������������������������� Check out our Budget Dining ������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� guide on page 8. ����������������������������������������� � ��������������������������������������

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Sample 100+ Beers Great Food

Live DJ & Entertainment Carnival Games

30

www.insiteatlanta.com

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astiest Winter Party!

Atlanta’s T Sat., Feb 19th, 3pm – 7pm

In the giant tents at Spring St. & 8th St. $35 advance / $40 day of show

includes commemorative tasting glass*, all the beer you can safely consume, unlimited games & activities**

$60 VIP ticket

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PG 3 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

Around Town Don’t miss “The Body Detective” all month long at the Center for Puppetry Arts. The program – part of the museum’s Heathly Children’s Initiative – takes viewers on a mystery through the human body. Tickets are only $16. Go to puppet.org for details.

ALL FEB

Last Comic Standing winner Josh Blue comes to the Punchline Comedy Club Feb. 2-5. You’re sure to laugh and have a good time. Go to punchline.com for showtimes and ticket information.

FEB 2-5

Theatre/Film

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will present “Aladdin and the Arabian Nights” on Feb. 13 at 1:30pm and 3:30pm in the Atlanta Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center. Larger than life puppets will be used to help tell the story along with the music. Go to woodruffcenter.org.

Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta will host a fundraising event on Feb. 26 at 7pm. Imaginopoly is an annual program to benefit the museum’s non-profit activities. There will be a live performance by Yacht Rock Revue. Go to childrensmuseumatlanta.org.

Blind Willies will host a Blues Harp Blast, a blues harmonica workshop, on Feb. 9 from 7-8:30pm. The price is $40. Go to blindwilliesblues.com for more.

Rag-O-Rama vintage clothing and accessory store in Little Five Points is having one of their huge blowout Dollar Sales. Where you can find a huge selection of items for just one buck. Definitely worth checking out Saturday & Sunday Feb 19-20.

Bourbon Street meets Little Five Points as Front Page News hosts its Mardi Gras Music and Food Festival on Feb. 26 from 2-9pm.

Get your beads on and come on down to the all day celebration which features a live music performance by The Larry Griffith Band, New Orleans fare, hurricanes, beer specials, kids activities and much more.

FEB 09

The African Children’s Choir will visit the Tabernacle on Feb. 10. The children – ages 8-11 – travel the globe to raise awareness for the famine, war and disease the continent faces. To purchase tickets, go to africanchildrenschoir.com.

The High Museum of Art opens its French Film Festival on Feb. 5 with three contemporary selections and the classic “The Rules of the Game.” For a list of films and showtimes, go to high.org. Call 404-733-4570 for more.

The Atlanta Hawks have very few home games this month. Check them out against the Charlotte Bobcats on Feb. 12 at 7pm, or you won’t get another chance till March. Get tickets at atlantahawks.com.

FEB 05

The Atlanta Botanical Garden opens Orchid Daze on Feb. 5.

Escape the cold with the beauty of tropical blooms. There will event be an orchid market on Feb. 5-6. What better way to shake off our waves of snow and rain than with some scenic beauty? Go to atlantabotanicalgarden.org.

FEB 05

Other Stuff

Music/Comedy/Sports

The Fernbank Museum of Natural History welcomes a special exhibition beginning on Feb. 5. “Seascapes: Photography of Sandra Gottlieb” demonstrates a wide range of large-scale images focusing on water and sky. Visit fernbankmuseum.org or call 404-929-6400 for details.

FEB 05

Underground Atlanta will celebrate Black History Month in conjunction with the ACVB Theater to present “Black in Film: A Series of Conversations and a Showcase of Historical Lineage In Cinema.” The event will screen on Saturdays starting Feb. 5 at 1pm.

FEB 05

Museums/Exhibits/Arts

FEB 10

FEB 12

FEB 13

FEB 19-20

Hear the fabulous trumpet of Wynton Marsalis with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra on Feb. 22 at 8pm. Tickets start at just $28.50. Go to atlantasymphony.org.

FEB 22

FEB 26

FEB 26

The Atlanta Silverbacks will host a charity kickball tournament called Kicks for Causes on Feb. 26 at the Silverbacks Stadium.

Registration is $250 per team and ends Feb. 15.

Email kicksforcauses@gmail.com.

FEB 26

The Biltmore Downtown will host a Valentine’s Day celebration to benefit the Magic Wand Foundation on Feb. 12. The event raises funds for scholarships and a summit at Disney World. For tickets, go online to magicwandfoundation.org.

FEB 12

Your Neighborhood Pizzeria!

Because everyone knows those little candy hearts are gross…

Give Your Sweetheart Something Sweet!

Tell them how you really feel with Bloomsberry Chocolate bars.

BEST PIZZA! 2010

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Multiple Atlanta Locations: www.JohnnysPizza.com PG 4 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

Or, offer them a teaspoon of sugar with delightful creations from Beehive Kitchenware.

With Tea Forte, you can brew your honey somethin’ yummy.

*No more Black Hearts or Voodoo dolls this time, that was soooo last year.

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LOCAL

LOCAL EVENTS

On Tap this Month EMAIL EVENTS TO ONTAP@INSITEATLANTA.COM

February 8-27: Various Locations JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

It’s time again for the Jewish Film Festival, featuring the very best in modern Jewish cinema. This year’s festival offers something for everyone. For the sports enthusiast, Opening Night’s feature film, “Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story” is sure to be a hit. For the art and music lover, selections such as “Wagner & Me,” “The Socalled Movie,” “The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground,” “Gainsbourg,” and “100 Voices: A Journey Home.” For tickets, go to ajff.org.

February 17-21: Philips Arena RINGLING BROS. & BARNUM & BAILEY

There are view joys better than the circus.

There are the animals, the high flying acts, the incredible performances. Don’t miss the original circus coming back to Atlanta. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey return to Philips Arena for one of the world’s greatest shows. There will even be an Animal Open House, which is sure to be a treat for the kids. Go to philipsarena.com for details.

February 19: Spring Street & 8th Street WINTER BEER CARNIVAL

There are few times better for a better than the cold of winter. The Second Annual Winter Beer Carnival will pour plenty of warmth and taste on Feb. 19. The event sold out a year ago, so sign-up early for tickets. The celebration will feature midway games, rides, good, DJs and a variety of music entertainment. There will be both an outdoor and indoor area, so come rain, snow or shine. Visit www.winterbeercarnival.com.

February 25: 200 Peachtree Street GEORGIA BOXING CHAMPIONSHIP

Boxing is a sport best viewed live. Some of the state’s greatest boxing will on display on Feb. 25 at the newly renovated Macy’s Building in downtown Atlanta. The main attraction will be a GBC Lightweight Title Fight between Tony “T-Rex” Davis, the state’s No. 1 ranked boxer, and Jamar “Sandman” Saunders. Don’t miss this event. Go to georgiaboxingchampionship.com for more.

February 26: Georgia Dome MONSTER ENERGY SUPERCROSS

Who doesn’t like high-flying stunts and neardeath experiences? The Monster Energy AMA Supercross brings just that sort of action to the Georgia Dome on Feb. 26. The event is at 7pm.

Tickets are as low as $10 or $50 for club access.

Go online to supercrossonline.com for complete details.

February 26-27: Steamhouse Lounge STEAMHOUSE OYSTERFEST

There are many imitations, but there is only one Steamhouse Lounge Oysterfest. Of all the festivals in Atlanta, this is by far one of the most unique and fun activities of the season. Don’t miss the two-day event in Midtown around Steamhouse Lounge. There will be beer, music and (of course) oysters. Go to steamhouselounge.com for more event information or call 404-233-7980.

EVENTS HAPPENING FOR SMALL CHANGE IN ATLANTA

Know of a low cost event of happening? Event@AtlantaOnADime.com CALLAWAY GARDENS Through Feb. 28, FREE Callaway Gardens 17800 US Hwy 27 Pine Mountain, Georgia callawaygardens.com

Admission to Callaway Gardens is complimentary through the end of this month (Price is normally $15 for adults, $6.50 per child) providing guests with the opportunity to enjoy time with their family and friends reconnecting in nature.

Free admission includes the Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center, Day Butterfly Center, Sibley Horticultural Center, Mr. Cason’s Vegetable Garden, Callaway Brothers Azalea Bowl, Overlook Garden, Discovery Bicycle Trail, Pioneer Log Cabin, Ida Cason Callaway Memorial Chapel, nature trails and daily programs.

THE UNIVERSOUL CIRCUS

Feb. 10 - 27, Tickets range from $15 - $35 Turner Field Green Lot 521 Capitol Avenue, Atlanta universoulcircus.com The UniverSoul Circus continues its surge to the top of the live entertainment ranks with its interactive funky rendition of a traditional circus. UniverSoul has captivated audiences from around the world with its unique brand that blends circus arts, theater and music.

Founded in Atlanta over 17 years ago, the audience will watch in amazement as stilt walkers make their way across a tight rope, horse riders perform death-defying stunts, and contortionists bend into incredible and beautiful shapes.

CHEERSPORT 2011 NATIONAL CHEERLEADING & DANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

Feb. 18 – 20 $30 for 2-day pass $20 for 1-day pass Kids Under 5 are Free Georgia World Congress Center 285 Andrew Young International Blvd., Atlanta cheersport.net

By Marci Miller 2011 SOUTHEASTERN FLOWER SHOW Feb. 25 - 27, Adults $18 ($15 in advance) Youth/Student $7, Kids under 5 are Free Cobb Galleria Centre Two Galleria Parkway, Atlanta sehort.org

Presented by the Southeastern Horticultural Society, this annual premier gardening event promotes preservation and awareness of flowers and plants through education and artistic expression.

Show activities include speakers, juried competition, kids’ activities, Landscape & Discovery Gardens and more.

10th ANNUAL OAKHURST WINE CRAWL Saturday, Feb. 26, 4 pm-7 pm $25 in advance for Tasting Glass $30 day of event Oakhurst Business District oakhurstga.org

Participants in this year’s event will get to sample wines from around the world while exploring all the businesses in the Oakhurst neighborhood. There will be 20 participating establishments and the event expects to sell out quickly. The Fur Bus will be on hand to transport participants from bar to bar. Tickets can be purchased from Steinbeck’s Ale House, Ujoint, and Karvana Coffee Shop, all located in Oakhurst village.

IHOP NATIONAL PANCAKE DAY CELEBRATION Tuesday, March 1, 7 am-10 pm, Free Pancakes International House of Pancakes Locations throughout Metro Atlanta IHOPPancakeday.com

On this day, customers will receive one free short stack (three) of IHOP’s famous buttermilk pancakes. All they ask is that patrons consider making a donation to support local children’s hospitals through Children’s Miracle Network or other local charities. Since beginning its National Pancake Day celebration in 2006, IHOP has raised more than $5.35 million to support charities in the communities in which it operates.

Bring it on…this electrifying cheerleading and dance competition features teams competing from across America. This year, it expects to grow larger than ever with over 900 teams participating, from ages three through college. Cheersport was founded by all-star coaches who loved competitive cheerleading and dance.

Check the website for the full competition schedule.

RECEIVE UPDATED EVENTS WEEKLY. SIGN UP BY E-MAILING SUBSCRIPTIONS@ATLANTAONADIME.COM ENTER ON SUBJECT LINE: SIGN ME UP INSITE!

PG 5 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

Valentine’s Day 2011 EVENTS

displayed against the backdrop of flowing water walls, gushing jets and trickling beads.

VALENTINE’S DAY AT THE HIGH

High Museum of Art 1280 Peachtree Street (404) 733-5000 www.high.org February 12, 2011, 6-10 p.m. $25 per person, $40 per couple, Free for members In celebration of the “Toulouse-Lautrec & Friends” exhibition, the High Museum of Art will host a special French Cabaret themed Valentine’s Day event. The line-up includes Cabaret singer Marsha Dupree, Musee du’ Coeur - learn to cancan and enjoy French dance performances, classical French guitar with Myles Brown and drawing in the Galleries.

VALENTINE’S IN THE GARDEN

ROMEO AND JULIET Botanical Garden

Atlanta Botanical Garden 1345 Piedmont Avenue (404) 876-5859 www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org Saturday, February 12, 7:00pm – 11:00pm Celebrate this Valentine’s Day by enjoying cocktails, dancing and desserts in the most romantic setting in town. The Atlanta Botanical Garden will feature decadent chocolates and other scrumptious sweets while visitors sip cocktails from a cash bar, dance to live entertainment, and explore Orchid Daze: Liquid Landscapes at night. The annual exhibition, from February 5-April 10, highlights thousands of blooms in the Garden’s collection – the largest array of species orchids in the United States. This year’s theme features exotic blooms

The New American Shakespeare Tavern 499 Peachtree Street, Atlanta (404) 874-5299 www.shakespearetavern.com Show runs through March 6 This Valentine’s Day, treat your beloved to the greatest romantic play of all time, Romeo and Juliet. The Shakespeare Tavern celebrates its 13th anniversary of performing this literary classic about young lovers, feuding families and one Friar with good intentions. Cost: Ticket prices start at $24. Join the cast for a Q&A on February 13.

ATLANTA BALLET’S “THE SLEEPING BEAUTY”

Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta ��������������������� atlantaballet.com February 11 - 13 Live with the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, this beloved ballet classic puckers up in time for Valentine’s Day. Atlanta Ballet brings the splendor of Tchaikovsky’s magical score and the charming fairytale of Princess Aurora and her heroic Prince to life. Choreographed by Atlanta Ballet artistic director John McFall (based on Marius Petipa’s original choreography), it’s a magical journey to

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an enchanted kingdom, where good triumphs over evil with a single kiss. Brilliant bluebirds, dashing suitors, spooky ghouls, trap doors, and evil curses create a whimsical experience for the entire family.

MOTIONS OF THE OCEANS VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER, LECTURE & SLEEPOVER

Georgia Aquarium 225 Baker Street (404) 581-4000 www.georgiaaquarium.org February 12 – February 13 Ever wondered about the sex life of marine animals? Come and enjoy an entertaining talk with Dr. Al Dove and Sr. Biologist Patricia Dove as they take you on a unique voyage on the sex life of animals. The evening will start with a reception filled with seductive bites & drinks, followed by an enticing Wolfgang Puck dinner, and culminating with a provocative look at animal’s mating behaviors.

Sleeping Want to make it an overnight Beauty experience? Stay after the presentation and spend the night in an adult sleepover.

You will enjoy exclusive behind the scenes access and in depth gallery tours. As an added bonus, you’ll be able to sleep in front of one of their breath taking exhibits.

CALLAWAY GARDENS

Pine Mountain, Georgia www.callawaygardens.com Valentine’s Celebration on Friday, February 12, Free Admission Through February 28 Admission to Callaway Gardens is complimentary through the end of February (Price is normally $15 for adults, $6.50 per child) providing guests with the opportunity to enjoy time with their family and friends reconnecting in nature. Free admission includes the Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center, Day Butterfly Center, Sibley Horticultural Center, nature trails, daily programs and much more. Celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 12, with Dinner at the Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center along with Dancing to the sounds of The Auburn Knights Orchestra, a jazz and swing big band orchestra. There are also special room rates for the holiday weekend.

AGAVE

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PIEDMONT/ CHESHIRE BRIDGE LIQUIDATION STORE

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RESTAURANTS

242 Boulevard SE (404) 588-0006 www.agaverestaurant.com This romantic eatery nestled in Cabbagetown is the perfect place to celebrate with that special someone. To celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, Agave has added to their award winning southwestern cuisine some playful menu items meant to be shared. Call for details; reservations recommended.

SOTTO SOTTO

313 N. Highland Ave. (404)523-6678 www.sottosottorestaurant.com This award winning restaurant creates authentic Italian food with complex flavors that are sure to enhance your Valentine’s experience. Sotto Sotto offers a romantically lit intimate dining room perfect for the special evening. Their celebrated menu is accompanied by an inspiring all-Italian wine list. Make reservations early as seating is limited.

MEZZA LEBANESE BISTRO & WINE BAR

2751 Lavista Rd.

(404) 633-8833 www.mezzabistro.com Mezza is a traditional way of dining in which all menu items are served in small portions allowing couples to share from a large variety of dishes. This Mezza Zagat rated restaurant serves a variety of over 60 menu items along with a wide assortment of wines and unique desserts. This Valentine’s Day celebrate with a 8 course special dinner for two along with dessert and two glasses of wine ($50 per couple).

BHOJANIC

1363 Clairmont Rd. (404) 633-9233 www.bhojanic.com Bhojanic offers a unique dining experience this Valentine’s Day in their intimate North Decatur restaurant. Enjoy a 4 course pre-fixe menu with wine pairing. $40 per person, plus tax & gratuity.

Reservations recommended.

THE FLYING BISCUIT CAFÉ

1655 McLendon Ave. (404) 687-8888 1001 Piedmont Ave. (404) 874-8887 Catering Hotline: (404) 849-2283 www.flyingbiscuit.com The perfect place to take your Valentine the morning after your romantic evening.

Known for their award winning biscuits and great breakfast menu, The Flying Biscuit also offers a full dinner menu at all their intimate restaurants.

SAM FLAX

GIFT ITEMS

1460 Northside Drive NW, Atlanta ������������������������������������ Give your sweetheart something sweet this Valentine’s Day. Sam Flax has a variety of gift items for that special someone. Tell them how you really feel with Bloomsberry Chocolate bars. Brew your honey something yummy with Tea Forte. Or offer them a teaspoon of sugar with delightful creations from Beehive Kitchenware.

STARSHIP

23 Convenient Locations www.ShopStarship.com Erect Cupid’s arrow with Atlanta’s favorite adult fantasy emporium. Find everything from adult movies & toys, body oils & lubes, bondage & fetish gear, erotic lingerie, candles & incense, gift cards and so MUCH MORE! Don’t miss Starship’s “Completely Cupid SALE” 30-50% off select merchandise! Visit today for an EROTIC tonight!

SAVE 24/7:

INSERECTION

5 Metro Locations Tantra (Marietta) (770) 499-2284 Intimacy starts at Inserection! Inserection has multiple stores in Atlanta chocked full of merchandise to enhance your Valentine experience.

They are offering Valentine’s special merchandise from adult cards and novelties to lingerie, adult toys and DVDs.

SMOKE 911

Roswell (770) 992-4485 Sandy Spring (404) 256-1116 Acworth (770) 974-5585 www.shopsmoke911com Smoke 911 is stocking up for Valentine’s Day this year with a wide arrangement of body jewelry, cigars and Liberator Bedroom Gear. All Smoke 911 stores are open from 10am – 2am 7 days a week.

Valentine’s Day 2011 EVENTS

flowing water walls, gushing jets and trickling beads.

VALENTINE’S DAY AT THE HIGH

High Museum of Art 1280 Peachtree Street (404) 733-5000 www.high.org February 12, 2011, 6-10 p.m. $25 per person, $40 per couple, Free for members In celebration of the “ToulouseLautrec & Friends” exhibition, the High Museum of Art will host a special French Cabaret themed Valentine’s Day event.

The line-up includes Cabaret singer Marsha Dupree, Musee du’ Coeur - learn to cancan and enjoy French dance performances, classical French guitar with Myles Brown and drawing in the Galleries.

VALENTINE’S IN THE GARDEN

ROMEO AND JULIET

The New American Shakespeare Tavern 499 Peachtree Street, Atlanta (404) 8745299 Botanical www.shakespearetavern.com Garden Show runs through March 6 This Valentine’s Day, treat your beloved to the greatest romantic play of all time, Romeo and Juliet. The Shakespeare Tavern celebrates its 13th anniversary of performing this literary classic about young lovers, feuding families and one Friar with good intentions. Cost: Ticket prices start at $24.

Join the cast for a Q&A on February 13.

Atlanta Botanical Garden 1345 Piedmont Avenue (404) 876-5859 www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org Saturday, February 12, 7:00pm – 11:00pm Celebrate this Valentine’s Day by enjoying cocktails, dancing and desserts in the most romantic setting in town. The Atlanta Botanical Garden will feature decadent chocolates and other scrumptious sweets while visitors sip cocktails from a cash bar, dance to live entertainment, and explore Orchid Daze: Liquid Landscapes at night. The annual exhibition, from February 5-April 10, highlights thousands of blooms in the Garden’s collection – the largest array of species orchids in the United States. This year’s theme features exotic blooms displayed against the backdrop of

ATLANTA BALLET’S “THE SLEEPING BEAUTY”

Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre 2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta ��������������������� atlantaballet.com February 11 - 13 Live with the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, this beloved ballet classic puckers up in time for Valentine’s Day. Atlanta Ballet brings the splendor of Tchaikovsky’s magical score and the charming fairytale of Princess Aurora and her heroic Prince to life. Choreographed by Atlanta Ballet artistic director John McFall (based on Marius Petipa’s original choreography), it’s a magical journey to an enchanted kingdom, where good

PSYCHO RS S S E T I bu��sel���rad��guy&girls

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triumphs over evil with a single kiss. Brilliant bluebirds, dashing suitors, spooky ghouls, trap doors, and evil curses create a whimsical experience for the entire family.

MOTIONS OF THE OCEANS VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER, LECTURE & SLEE POVER

Georgia Aquarium 225 Baker Street (404) 581-4000 www.georgiaaquarium.org February 12 – February 13 Ever wondered about the sex life of marine animals?

Come and enjoy an entertaining talk with Dr. Al Dove and Sr. Biologist Patricia Dove as they take you on a unique voyage on the sex life of animals. The evening Sleeping will start with a reception Beauty filled with seductive bites & drinks, followed by an enticing Wolfgang Puck dinner, and culminating with a provocative look at animal’s mating behaviors.

Want to make it an overnight experience? Stay after the presentation and spend the night in an adult sleepover. You will enjoy exclusive behind the scenes access and in depth gallery tours. As an added bonus, you’ll be able to sleep in front of one of their breath taking exhibits.

CALLAWAY GARDENS

Pine Mountain, Georgia www.callawaygardens.com Valentine’s Celebration on Friday, February 12, Free Admission Through February 28 Admission to Callaway Gardens is complimentary through the end of February (Price is normally $15 for adults, $6.50 per child) providing guests with the opportunity to enjoy time with their family and friends reconnecting in nature. Free admission includes the Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center, Day Butterfly Center, Sibley Horticultural Center, nature trails, daily programs and much more. Celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 12, with Dinner at the Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center along with Dancing to the sounds of The Auburn Knights Orchestra, a jazz and swing big band orchestra. There are also special room rates for the holiday weekend.

RESTAURANTS

AGAVE

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242 Boulevard SE (404) 5880006 www.agaverestaurant.com This romantic eatery nestled in Cabbagetown is the perfect place to celebrate with that special someone. To celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, Agave has added to their award winning southwestern cuisine some playful menu items meant to be shared. Call for details; reservations recommended.

SOTTO SOTTO

PIEDMONT/ CHESHIRE BRIDGE LIQUIDATION STORE

��������������������ROCK SPRINGS PLAZA���������������

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ONE PER CUSTOMER / COUPON, ��������������������������

313 N. Highland Ave. (404)523-6678 www.sottosottorestaurant.com This award winning restaurant creates authentic Italian food with complex flavors that are sure to enhance your Valentine’s experience. Sotto Sotto offers a romantically lit intimate dining room perfect for the special evening. Their celebrated menu is accompanied

by an inspiring all-Italian wine list. Make reservations early as seating is limited.

MEZZA LEBANESE BISTRO & WINE BAR

2751 Lavista Rd. (404) 633-8833 www.mezzabistro.com Mezza is a traditional way of dining in which all menu items are served in small portions allowing couples to share from a large variety of dishes. This Zagat rated restaurant serves a variety of over 60 menu items along with a wide assortment of wines and unique Mezza desserts. This Valentine’s Day celebrate with a 8 course special dinner for two along with dessert and two glasses of wine ($50 per couple).

BHOJANIC

1363 Clairmont Rd. (404) 633-9233 www.bhojanic.com Bhojanic offers a unique dining experience this Valentine’s Day in their intimate North Decatur restaurant. Enjoy a 4 course pre-fixe menu with wine pairing. $40 per person, plus tax & gratuity. Reservations recommended.

THE FLYING BISCUIT CAFÉ

1655 McLendon Ave. (404) 687-8888 1001 Piedmont Ave. (404) 874-8887 Catering Hotline: (404) 849-2283 www.flyingbiscuit.com The perfect place to take your Valentine the morning after your romantic evening. Known for their award winning biscuits and great breakfast menu, The Flying Biscuit also offers a full dinner menu at all their intimate restaurants.

SAM FLAX

GIFT ITEMS

1460 Northside Drive NW, Atlanta ������������������������������������ Give your sweetheart something sweet this Valentine’s Day. Sam Flax has a variety of gift items for that special someone. Tell them how you really feel with Bloomsberry Chocolate bars. Brew your honey something yummy with Tea Forte. Or offer them a teaspoon of sugar with delightful creations from Beehive Kitchenware.

STARSHIP

23 Convenient Locations www.ShopStarship.com Erect Cupid’s arrow with Atlanta’s favorite adult fantasy emporium. Find everything from adult movies & toys, body oils & lubes, bondage & fetish gear, erotic lingerie, candles & incense, gift cards and so MUCH MORE! Don’t miss Starship’s “Completely Cupid SALE” 30-50% off select merchandise! Visit today for an EROTIC tonight! SAVE 24/7:

INSERECTION

5 Metro Locations Tantra (Marietta) (770) 4992284 Intimacy starts at Inserection!

Inserection has multiple stores in Atlanta chocked full of merchandise to enhance your Valentine experience. They are offering Valentine’s special merchandise from adult cards and novelties to lingerie, adult toys and DVDs.

SMOKE 911

Roswell (770) 992-4485 Sandy Spring (404) 256-1116 Acworth (770) 974-5585 www.shopsmoke911com Smoke 911 is stocking up for Valentine’s Day this year with a wide arrangement of body jewelry, cigars and Liberator Bedroom Gear. All Smoke 911 stores are open from 10am – 2am 7 days a week.

Under The Lights Current Theatrical Performances PETER PAN

YOUNG MAN FROM ATLANTA

www.PeterPanTheShow.com/Atlanta

www.theatricaloutfit.org

This month Threesixty Entertainment brings the spectacular new stage production of PETER PAN to Atlanta. Atlanta is only the fourth city in the world to feature this brilliant production. Peter Pan is adapted from J M Barrie's classic story of a boy who never grows up. Peter flies into a London nursery teaching the children to fly and taking them on a magical journey. The show is performed in a state-of-the-art theater tent in Pemberton Place, adjacent to the World of Cola-Cola. The 1,300 seat tent allows for performance in the round. The entire interior of the tent is lit with more than 15,000 square feet of Hi-Resolution video, three times the size of Imax screens, so that both cast and audience are immersed in a CGI Neverland.

When Peter and Wendy fly to Neverland, the audience flies with them over 400 square miles of virtual London and beyond.

CARAPACE

Feb. 11 - March 6 Hertz Stage Box Office 404.733.5000 www.alliancetheatre.org

CARAPACE makes its world premiere on the Alliance Theatre's Hertz Stage this month. It is a portrait of a flawed Minneapolis sportscaster on a collision course with fate. This moving and funny world premiere should keep audiences on the edge of their seats. In the play, television sportscaster Jeff is a man on a mission to do right by his daughter on her 23rd birthday.

However, his journey to reach her is riddled by roadblocks, often of his own making.

Before he tries to mend their broken past he must find her but he finds that more diffucult than he bargained for. Carapace is the winner of the 2010 Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition. It beat out sixty five other plays to win the top prize.

Thru Feb. 20 Balzer Theatre Box Office 678.528.1500

Tom Key stars in Horten Foote's 1995 Pulitzer Prize-winning work THE YOUNG MAN FROM ATLANTA. Key is featured in the role of 1950's Houston businessman Will Kidder, a man who learns too late that his bargain with success may have cost him his only son.

Atlanta stage veteran Marianne Hammock plays Will's wife Lily Dale Kidder, a woman who comforts herself with religion and tightly-held notions. As this middle-aged couple struggles to understand the tragic loss of their son, they are confronted not only about the true nature of their child's death. Was it an accident or suicide? But also of his life choices and very identity, when the young man of the title, their son's roommate, arrives unannounced from Atlanta. In The Young Man From Atlanta, as in many of Horton Foote's plays, the characters wrestle with grief, fear, courage, love-all in pursuit of finding inner peace.

©2009 Feld Entertainment

Thru March 20 Pemberton Pl. Call 888-PPANTIX (888.772.6849)

BROKE-OLOGY

Thru Feb 20 True Colors Theatre Ticket Alternative 877.725.8849 www.truecolorstheatre.org

Kenny Leon and True Colors Theatre Company brings the comic drama BROKEOLOGY to the Southwest Arts Center this month. Brokeology stars Broadway actors Afemo Omilami and Jasmine Guy. In accordance with Brokeology, the science of being broke, the King family has learned to balance sacrifice and let love keep them together. Dad remains in his home even as his health and his neighborhood are deteriorating. When the question is raised of how to take care of their ailing father, the two brothers find themselves strangely at odds. This comic drama encourages us to stay linked to our roots no matter where life takes us. Performances are Wed Sat. at 8PM and Sat. and Sunday at 2:30 PM.

Valentine’s Day Dinner Special Dinner for Two 8 Course Meal, Dessert & Two Glasses of Wine $50 Couple price Monday, Feb. 14

�������������������������� (Valid for select performances only. Excludes Circus CelebritySM, Front Row, VIP and Club seats.)

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Redeem this savings by logging on to ���������������������� and enter code BLUE1 in the advance and savings offer box For full show schedules and to buy tickets, Retail Locations, go to Ringling.com, Arena Box Offices or call �������������� �����������������������������������������

Limited number of Circus Celebrity, VIP, Club and Front Row seats available.

Call or go online for details. (Service charges, facility and handling fees may apply.

Come one hour early to meet our animals and performers at the All Access Pre-show - FREE with your ticket!

2751 lavista rd decatur ga 30033 phone 404-633-8833 www.mezzabistro.com come and enjoy our “dar” or lounge on the weekends with great food, belly dancing and hookahs in a traditional environment

Voted Best Middle Eastern Dining 2010

19TH & 20TH

2010

PG 7 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

Budget Dining Guide

Great places in town to get a good meal without breaking the bank Fritti

309 N. Highland Ave. 404.880.9559 www.frittirestaurant.com Located in the heart of Inman Park, Fritti is Atlanta's most elegant pizza restaurant. They are nationally recognized for their pizza with many outstanding reviews and awards.

For lunch, Fritti offers a variety of Anti-pasta dishes for $10 or less including offerings of Portobello mushrooms, fresh calamari, and Sicilian risotto and Bruschetta. For Dinner, many of the lunch items are offered along with other dishes. One Anti-pasta to try is the Bresaola di Tonno (Cured sashimi grade tuna, arugula, radish and lemon); $10. They also offer a great Caesar Salad for $8. Among their great variety of pizzas include: The Salsiccia e Pepperoni (Italian sausage and roasted peppers) $13; the Estiva (Fresh tomato, red onion, arugula) $12.50; and the Speck e Rucola (Smoked prosciutto, smoked mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and arugula) $14.

Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs

80 Powers Ferry Rd. 770.321.1177 Marietta 5697 Buford Hwy. 770.455.8570 Buford Hwy. www.baldinos.us

vegetable plate dinners too. The meat offerings include their prized jerk chicken, lemon pepper chicken and turkey meatloaf. Some of the vegetables include: couscous, broccoli, green beans, and collards. Vegetable plates are priced at $4.50 for three or $5.50 for four. A meat and two sides run $6.90 and $7.30 for three sides. Eats is open seven days a week from 11am until 10pm.

Johnny’s NY Style Pizza

1810 Cheshire Bridge Rd. 404.874.8304 Multiple Locations at JohnnysPizza.com

Chin Chin

Eats

600 Ponce de Leon 404.888.9149 www.eatsonponce.net An Atlanta landmark, Eats keeps their menu simple, their prices low and their dishes always made with the freshest ingredients. Their Pasta Plates allow you to choose from a variety of pastas which aren’t priced accept for the cheese filled spinach tortellini which is $1. The sauces range in price from $5.25 and $6.25 and include: marinara, olive and garlic, pesto, Alfredo, creamy marinara, turkey meat sauce and chicken chili. All pasta plates come with garlic bread and you can add on extras from meatballs to chicken breast which is just $2 more.

Not in the mood for pasta? They offer meat and

Since 1975, Baldinos has been repeatedly recognized for serving the best sub sandwich in the South. Their true New Jersey style subs are as fresh as any sandwich anywhere. The rolls are baked in-store everyday - all day; each sub is sliced fresh as ordered; hot subs are grilled, not nuked or pressed, and only the freshest produce garnishes every sub as ordered. Salads, soups and delicious baked goodies compliment a true value menu. Check out Baldinos $3.49 Daily Special a different sub everyday that will keep you coming back. Bring home a Family Sub and take the night off - no cooking, no cleaning and no big expense.

Johnny’s Pizza has come to be synonymous with great pizza and subs in Atlanta. They specialize in NY Style pizza, which is thin in the middle and thick around the edges. Try the Johnny’s Italian Special with sausage, mushrooms, onions, pepperoni and green peppers; large pizza is $19.30. All their menu items are also reasonably priced. They have two Calzones on the menu for $5.10 and the Stombolli is $8. They have 11 subs on the menu for just $5.50. The Cheshire Bridge location featured has lunch specials from $5.95 and serves Yuengling on draft. Johnny’s restaurants offer dine-in, takeout and delivery.

Brookhaven 3887 Peachtree Rd. 404.816.2229 Multiple locations www.chinchinonline.com Chin Chin is consistently voted Atlanta’s Best Chinese restaurant. Their menu offers standard favorites and many exotic dishes in Chinese cuisine at affordable prices. The Brookhaven location featured currently is offering an amazing lunch special for just $4.99.

You get an entree along with Egg Roll, Soup and Fried Rice. They have over 20 chicken dishes for just $9.95 and over a dozen beef and pork dishes for $10.50 or less.

Soups start at $2.50.

Dolce

Atlantic Station 404.872.3902 www.DolceGroup.com

Dolce Enoteca e Ristorante is a modern Italian restaurant and lounge that embraces the flavor of old world Italy while catering to a hip and sophisticated clientele. Taking a cue from the popularity of Italy’s food and wine enotecas, Dolce serves Italian tapas as well as traditional Italian dishes with a contemporary spin. On Mondays they offer 50% off all food on the menu. Wednesdays offer 50% off all bottles of wine. Dolce is featuring a Valentine's Menu all weekend long , from the 12th through the 14th.

Reservations are available at 404-872-3902.

Queen Of Sheba

1594 Woodcliff Dr. NE 404.321.1493 www.qsheba.com Queen of Sheba, tucked in a shopping center on the corner of N. Druid Hills and Briarcliff Rd., has been serving great Ethiopian cuisine for more than 13 years. Here you will find the full experience of Ethiopian dining. Dishes are characterized by the variety of spices and herbs from which they get their exotic taste and smell.

Vegetarian dinner entrees start at just $7.50. There are also a wide selection of lamb, chicken and beef dishes for just a few dollars more. Ethiopian cuisine lends itself well for sharing as dishes are served as samplings among meat, vegetables and dipping purees.

Have a Date with the “Hottest Stuff” in Town!

3007 North Druid Hills RD (Toco Hill Shopping Center)

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$3 TUESDAYS! �������������������������

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Agave Restaurant

242 Boulevard SE 404.588.0006 www.agaverestaurant.com

Athens Pizza House

1341 Clairmont Rd. Decatur 404.636.1100 www.AthensPizzaAtlanta.com

#1 Chinese Restaurant in Atlanta ��������������

Consistently voted the Best Southwestern Restaurant in Atlanta, Agave uses only the freshest ingredients to create chef inspired dishes with a authentic southwestern flare. They offer Two for One Appetizers at the bar from 5pm - 7pm seven days a week. Other popular low priced menu items include: Agave's Famous Cayenne Fried Chicken $15.00, Slow Cooked Angus Beef Short Ribs $16.50, & Stuffed Mountain Trout Tomatillo $17.50. They boast the largest tequila selection in the city as well as over 100 wines from around the world. Enjoy their award winning Margaritas starting at just $7.50. Be sure to sign up for Agave's VIP Email List which features huge monthly discounts on dinner and details on all of Agave's special events.

Top Spice

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For more than 30 years, the Papadopoulos family has been serving up great Greek and Italian cuisine to the Emory / Decatur area. Athens Pizza is Zagat rated and winner of several awards including Best Greek Cuisine. So don’t let the name fool you, there is much more here than great pizza. Some of the favorite recipes on their Greek dishes go back 50 years! Athens Pizza offers daily specials for lunch and dinner. They have an extensive catering menu.

The restaurant can also accomodate parties large and small with their private room.

��������������������������������� Buckhead/Brookhaven ������������������������������������ East Cobb ������������������������������������� �������

Mediterranean Grill

N. Decatur Plaza 404.320.0101 Midtown 404.917.1100 East Cobb 678.996.0045 www.mediterraneangrill.com

3007 N. Druid Hills Rd. 404.728.0588 1529-F Piedmont Ave. 404.685.9333 2997 Cobb Parkway 770.685.9333

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ORIGINAL AWARD WINNING CHEF

���������������������������������� ������Springs 2010

1998-2010 Best Chinese by Creative Loafing

Uniquely different, Top Spice promises food enthusiasts a truly enjoyable dining experience. Rooted in the warm flavors of Southeast Asia, Top Spice chef’s dishes are infused with Thai and Malaysian flavors to create distinctive tastes. Top Spice offers over a dozen lunch specials priced affordably between $7.25 and $8.50. Appetizers start at just $3.75 with soups at $3.25. Top Spice has terrific noodle bowl and fried rice dishes starting at $8.95. Their entrees containing beef, chicken or pork are just $10.25 with shrimp $2 more. Vegetarian entrees start at $8.95.

Pancho’s Mexican Restaurant 2641 Buford Hwy. 404.325.28989 www.panchomexican.com

Panchos Mexican Restaurant & Cantina is hugely popular for both lunch and dinner. Their Lunch Specials start at just $4.99. There are also a variety of combination dinners offered for just $9.95. Other favorites on Pancho’s dinner menu include the Quesadilla Dinner: choice of grilled steak, chicken, or spinach in a flour tortilla topped w/cheese sauce and served w/ rice & refried beans ($11.50). The Steak Burrito Dinner: Flour tortilla stuffed w/ grilled steak and topped w/ pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream ($11.95). Or try the Vegetarian Quesadilla: grilled fajita style onions, bell peppers & tomatoes and topped with cheese sauce, served with rice & refried beans ($9.95).

Doc Chey’s Noodle House

Grant Park 563 Memorial Dr. 404.688.4238 Emory 1556 N. Decatur Rd. 404.378.8188 Morningside 1424 N. Highland Ave. 404.888.0777 www.doccheys.com

Doc Chey's is the original pan-Asian noodle house in Atlanta. Enjoy an affordable menu of freshly wok'd stirfries, heaping noodle bowls and handmade dim sum, all at a price that won't put a dent in your piggy bank. Founded on the principal of serving a "Beer & a Bowl for 10 Bucks", Doc Chey's generous noodle bowls are an excellent value and likely to send you home with lunch for tomorrow. Pick up one of their free Karma Cards to get a free birthday entrée & other freebees throughout the year. Don't miss the 6th annual Chinese New Year Celebration (Emory Feb. 12 & Grant Park Feb. 17) with lion dance performances, $2 Tsingtao Beer, and prizes benefiting Atlanta Community Food Bank. Doc Chey's was voted Best Noodle Bowl by INsite readers for 6 years in a row and Best Carryout for 3 years.

Recently voted again “Best Mediterranean” by multiple publications, Mediterranean Grill is the place in Atlanta for authentic Mediterranean food. For more than a decade their loyal customers have continued to flock to this family/chef-owned and operated restaurant. Here you will find regional dishes like gyros, falafel and kabob sandwiches. They have a great Business Lunch Special offering Shish kabob, Kufta kabab & Gyro slices w/rice pilaf, salad, pita and drink ($6.90). Mediterranean Grill has tasty sandwiches including: Gyro, Kufta Kabob, Chicken Kabob, Falafel and a Grilled Vegetable sandwich. All sandwiches are just $5.20 and entrees start at $7.50.

Bhojanic 1363 Clairmont Rd, Decatur 404.633.9233 www.bhojanic.com

Bhojanic is a family owned traditional homestyle Indian restaurant. Now celebrating the eighth anniversary of the restaurant and twenty years catering. The menu is predominantly North Indian with some fusion additions. Find innovative cocktails, craft beer and a thoughtful wine selection. This neighborhood favorite has expanded recently and been remodeled. Two doors down is Bhojan Market with carries your favorite bhojanic food items to go as well gifts from around the world. Bhojanic offers full service catering for weddings and corporate events as well as DIY catering for smaller gatherings.

Tiffins (Stackable food container) are sold at the market and they provide hot food for the family without the work. Bhojanic offers live music every 2nd and 4th Wednesday night at 9 p.m. You never know who will show up to sit in!

Sonny’s Place

"Mouthwatering Chin Chin spices things up." – AJC

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Best Chinese – Atlanta Jewish Times

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2 1/2 Stars – Knife & Fork

DELIVERY (LIMITED AREA; MIN $10)

�������������������� FULL BAR SERVICE

WWW.CHINCHINONLINE.COM Watch our Open Kitchen & Experience the Art of Chinese Cooking!

AWARD WINNING MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE AT AFFORDABLE PRICES

Lunch and Dinner

Come Visit our New Location!

(Formerly Sonny’s on Ponce) (404) 982-0666

2168 Briarcliff Rd.

(at Lavista Intersection) Atlanta, Ga. 30329 www.sonnysplacerestaurant.com

2168 Briarcliff Rd. (LaVista Intersection) 404.982.0666 www.sonnysplacerestaurant.com

NOVEMBER SPECIALS FEBRUARY SPECIALS Sonny's Place is an ecclectic collection of Sunday Brunch, outstanding fish entrees, and Mediterranean cuisine. Signature dishes include Smoked Salmon Platter for $9, the Middle Eastern Sampler Platter with tastes of Hummos, Tabouleh, Baboghanoush, and Falafel for $9, and Baked Croquettes of encrusted fish served on a bed of spaghetti with parmesean for $10. You can find many breakfast favorites like pancakes, waffles, omelets and french toast for just $7. Find flavorful soups like lentil, mushroom barley and cream of broccoli for just $3. Sonny’s Place has an extensive Kid's Menu with each meal coming in at only $4! So come experience the love that is Sonny's Place. continues on page 11

www.baldinos.us

MONDAY – Baldinos Extra Special (#7) TUESDAY – Like it Hot? Grilled & Toasted The HOT Italian WEDNESDAY – Ham it Up - (#5) Boiled Ham & Cheese w/ soup or side THURSDAY – “Check Out Our New Chicken Breast” – Try our #21 FRIDAY – Meatless Combo - Tuna (#10) or Veg Stir Fry (#27) w/ side SATURDAY – Steak Out- A-Steak Sub Your Choice (#11,13, or 19) SUNDAY – American Special - (#14) w/ choice of soup or side

Marietta 80 Powers Ferry Rd 770-321-1177 (closed Sundays)

$3.49 All Day!

Doraville 5697 Buford Hwy. 770-455-8570

VOTED BEST SUBS IN ATLANTA

2010

PG 9 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

FILM

ICONIC ANCESTRY REVIVING AMERICA’S INTEREST IN HISTORY

A Second Season Invites us into the History of 8 New Celebrity Stories

BY JENNI WILLIAMS

I

N IT’S SECOND INSTALLMENT, Who Do You Think You Are continues to delve into the history of iconic family trees, offering far more than you could find on the pages of Starz and discovering a rich history that has shaped our past and may help to explain the present. Successful for sparking intimate and candid emotions along the personal journeys of several loved celebrities, we are able to discover a piece of history alongside the stars as they learn exactly who and what made them who (and what) they are today.

Props certainly goes to executive producers Lisa Kudrow (Friends) and Dan Bucatinsky (Lipstick Jungle) for her new spin on history class, giving us a personal vendetta to take an interest what really happened so long ago, bringing those lessons to life in a real and personal way. This season, dive into the lives of Vanessa Williams, Gwyneth Paltrow, Steve Buscemi, Kim Cattrall, and Rosie O’Donnell. Expect astonishment, surprises, moments of joy and some tears of sadness. These celebrities uncover secrets and truths they never could have imagined, but will now be forever changed by.

The series, airing Friday, February 4th (and every Friday at 8 p.m. EST) begins with former Miss America, Vanessa Williams on a trek from the National Archives in Washington, D.C. to Civil War history in South Carolina. Insite sat

down with Williams and Executive Producer Lisa Kudrow for a look into the impression these discoveries leave.

Vanessa, what scared you most about agreeing to do this journey?

I was scared of nothing because I am fascinated about history and any information is - you know, is telling so I couldn’t wait to find out whether there was anything, whether there was a scandal or a scoundrel or thieves or anything, which they always ask you before you start your journey. The journey that I went on was extraordinary and very surprising but also really gratifying and I felt so honored.

How much of what you discovered, historywise, was news to you?

The Southern roots part—that was a mystery.

You know, the only clue was at Memphis, Tennessee from my grandfather and the fact that there were 14 black legislators within -- after the Emancipation in the 1800s. I had no idea. That was the fascinating part. I thought, obviously, in my lifetime with the Civil Rights Movement in the ‘60s that’s when all the change came, but I was fascinated that it came 100 years before then.

What was it like, seeing your family’s name on statues?

For both my great-grandfathers, to see their names in monuments was phenomenal. You

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know, William A. Fields was one of those stories that I had no idea about. And to turn that corner, see the bust, and then to see his name was - just filled me with so much pride. And on the - my David Carl side to go to the African-America Civil War Memorial in D.C. and to see his name there too, it was two-fold. And I never thought that I would have, you know, such a tremendous double story to be proud of.

Lisa, how long does this research process take your guys?

Well, our researchers -- it takes them - it can take, like, six weeks to many months to get all the research. And, you know, I don’t know if it depends on what country you have to get records from and what time of year it is and they’re on vacation and they’re from closed from us. That’s the kind of thing that holds up the records. And then, with the African-American stories, usually there’s that wall of slavery where it’s almost impossible. There are no surnames and slaves aren’t listed by name. So it came be almost impossible to get records.

Vanessa, what was the biggest surprise?

My great-great-grandfather who was from Tennessee. That whole storyline was a mystery and to find out that not only was he in the same profession that my father was, which was a schoolteacher, but that he ended up being elected to the state legislature in Tennessee, that was - I had no idea. And then the fact that he was one of only 14 and had really been a trailblazer and created history. That was really extraordinary for me.

Lisa: And it’s really too bad the stuff that has to be cut out because we only have 42 minutes.

But there was more, Vanessa, in your episode that I was so sorry to lose. You know? Like where William A. Fields was from what plantation and possibly that he may have learned to read? And they were breaking the law by teaching him.

How does this new knowledge change your perspective today?

Well, first, I wanted to be able to take my kids along the entire journey after I finished because it was fascinating and it was a great history lesson, especially for African-American history. We went back all the way to 1972, which was amazing that they - we could actually trace back that far. And not only on the William A. Fields side but also on the David Carl side with the whole Civil War experience and starting from the lynching in New York state because they were protesting for black men to be able to serve. That

was another whole angle which was extraordinary too. So it was a great history lesson. I didn’t want it to stop.

Lisa: I learned something from every episode.

And that’s what I love about this show. You know, I learned a lot from Vanessa’s episode.

Vanessa: The most interesting was that I was able to bring back two pictures of both of their great-great-great-grandfathers [for my kids].

That was a real surprise -- knowing that we had images of both. I really didn’t think that we’d actually find images and that was truly lucky.

Lisa, any specific reason why you picked Vanessa?

Well, I mean, there are a lot of reasons why we’re lucky to have Vanessa Williams do the show. Vanessa’s intellectually curious. Like she said, she’s a fan of history. And when someone’s invested in learning and finding out what’s the the information is what’s important here -- not what kind of information necessarily. If they’re scoundrels, they’re scoundrels. You know, that’s what important and I completely agree with that.

And, Lisa, what makes this more interesting than pursuing family tree stuff on your own?

To me what’s fascinating and what drew me to this show when I first saw it was that it’s not just names and dates. You can actually understand a little - a lot about what your family was going through and what was happening in their world that made them make some important decisions that changed the course of your lineage.

As the executive producer, how did your own discovery inspire your involvement?

I knew there was something there and I was too afraid to explore it because I thought it would be too overwhelming. And also, you don’t want to. I think sometimes you don’t want to look at that because you don’t want to start thinking of yourself or your family as just victims. So - but it was good to see that it’s not - that’s not what it’s about. It’s about people having information and knowing what a tough planet this is and what people are, you know, capable of doing to each other in the worst of ways. And then finding a relative that we thought for sure was dead. I learned that there was a lot of anti-Semitism and, people could survive the Holocaust, survive even a concentration camp, go back to their home, and then get killed. And we thought that’s what happened to my relative and he was alive and well. And that was really inspiring to me. That was - it gave me great hope that sometimes things do work out. That’s great.

continued from page 9

Landmark Diner

3652 Roswell Rd. 404.816.9090 Multiple locations at LandmarkDiner.com

Atlanta’s favorite diner offers great meals at affordable prices at all hours of the day. For breakfast they offer a variety of omelettes for $9.99. Try the Florentine with spinach and feta or the Greek with gyro meat, feta and tomato. You can also get French Toast and Golden Pancakes for just $5.99. For lunch try one of their many sandwiches ranging from $5.49 to $9.49. You will find everything from Sliced Turkey, to Egg Salad to the BLT. You can also find several large burgers served “all the way” for under $10. For dinner they offer all types of options at affordable prices. Try seafood dishes: Blackened Florida Grouper and Jumbo Shrimp Scampi; Italian dishes: Veal Parmigiana and Baked Lasagna; Greek dishes: Spanakopita and Rack of Lamb. Landmark is currently offering a great dinner special: two dinners, two appetizers and two desserts for just $19!

Osteria 832 Pasta & Pizza 832 N. Highland Ave. 404.897.1414 www.osteria832.com

Osteria serves delicious rustic Italian fare at humble prices in the heart of the charming Virginia Highland neighborhood of Atlanta. The menu features thin-crust artisan pizzas, madefrom-scratch pasta sauces, with plenty of options under 10 bucks.

Osteria is open for dinner 7 nights a week, and the weekend brunch is becoming increasingly popular with diners who are craving savory brunch favorites without the expensive price tag. Try the freshly-baked French Toast with nutella, bananas and genuine Vermont maple syrup. Grab a Karma Card to get in on special deals throughout the year, also valid at Doc Chey's Noodle House. Win gift cards at trivia every Monday night at 8pm.

Buckhead Saloon

3227 Roswell Rd. 404.963.7739 www.buckheadsaloonatlanta.com

PANCHO’S

Catering Now Available

Mexican Restaurant & Cantina

HOME OF THE

MONSTER MARGARITA! Voted Best Mexican Restaurant!

The Flying Biscuit

1655 McLendon Ave 404.687.8888 1001 Piedmont Ave. 404.874.8887 Catering Hotline 404.849.2283 www.flyingbiscuit.com The Flying Biscuit serves great breakfast, lunch and dinner specials 7 days a week starting at 7am.

One of Atlanta's home grown gems, they are best known for their mouthwatering biscuits and original affordable menu items. New to their menu is the Steak & Shrimp Special. Flat-Iron Steak is served with Shrimp and garlic butter on a bed of brown rice w/ green beans, salad & fluffy flying biscuit for $16.99. Enjoy weekend Sweet Specials on a variety of pancakes including chocolate chip, blueberry and more. The Flying Biscuit Café offers an organic friendly menu and bakery. And don't forget, Kids Eat Free Monday thru Thursday from 4-7pm.

2010 Buckhead Saloon offers a fun, laid back, high energy atmosphere. Whether it's coming in to enjoy the game on one of their many Hi-Def big screens, hanging out with friends on Buckhead's largest and best patio, or reveling in the high energy live music. They offer an affordable menu. A bunch of great appetizers ranging from $6-$8. A few of these include: Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Jalapeno Poppers, Chicken Tenders, Chips, Salsa, and Queso, and Jalapeno Mozzarella Sticks. You will find south of the border favorites including fish, beef and chicken tacos and big burritos from $9-$11. Buckhead Saloon has a wide variety of burgers and chicken sandwiches for under $10. Popular dinner entrees include: Blackened Chicken Pasta (12.50) and the "Bolhous" BBQ Pork Platter ($12).

$4.99 Lunch Specials!

Thursdays - (NEW) TRIVIA! Fridays & Saturdays – LIVE MUSIC 2641 BUFORD HIGHWAY | ATLANTA, GA 30324 404-325-2898 | PANCHOMEXICAN.COM

Hours���M-Th 11am-10p����Fri 11am-11pm Sat 12pm-11p�����un 1pm-10pm

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agave restaurant

an eclectic southwestern eatery & tequila bar . est. 2000

2010

Reservations at 404 588 0006 or online at : www.agaverestaurant.com 242 Boulevard S.E. Atlanta . 30312

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VOTED BEST ETHIOPIAN RESTAURANT IN ATLANTA!

Experience Authentic Ethiopian Dining PRE SELECTED CHEF’S MENUS & PRIVATE ROOMS AVAILABLE

Full Bar & Live Jazz Thursdays 8pm - Midnight

Queen of Sheba

2010

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2010

Consistently Voted One Of Atlanta’s Best Restaurants INsite Magazine Best of Atlanta Winner Best Southwestern Cuisine & Best Margarita !!

PG 11 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

FILM

2011 ACADEMY AWARDS PREDICTIONS Want To Win Your Office Pool? Check Our Oscar Picks!

BY B. LOVE

Scorsese, the Coen Brothers, Danny Boyle, Katheryn Bigelow). In short, it’s his time.

Black Swan The Fighter Inception The Kids Are All Right The King’s Speech 127 Hours The Social Network Toy Story 3 True Grit Winter’s Bone

BEST ACTOR

BEST PICTURE

WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN: The Social Network DARK HORSE: The King’s Speech This is one of the season’s hottest horse races, featuring the critically acclaimed indie bait of The King’s Speech vs. the mainstream monolith of The Social Network. The British period piece has momentum on its side, taking home prizes from the Producers Guild, Directors Guild and Screen Actors Guild of America. The Facebook film’s momentum seems to have slowed a bit, despite taking home four Golden Globes last month. However, a lot of people in Hollywood do NOT like King’s Speech producer Harvey Weinstein, and in recent years the Academy has opted to reward more modern and innovative fare (see: Slumdog Millionaire, No Country For Old Men, The Hurt Locker) rather than classic Oscar dramas. Look for The Social Network to have the slight edge, with King’s Speech rewarded in categories that won’t land the Weinstein on the Oscar podium.

BEST DIRECTOR

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, True Grit David Fincher, The Social Network Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech David O’Russell, The Fighter WILL WIN/SHOULD WIN: David Fincher DARK HORSE: Tom Hooper Another extremely close race between the same two films, but we predict this one will go the same way. We loved The King’s Speech, but it’s only Tom Hooper’s second Hollywood film (after little-seen indie The Damned United).

Meanwhile, David Fincher has directed some of the most influential films of past 20 years (see: Se7en, Fight Club), The Social Network made over $100 million and tapped into the current pop culture zeitgeist, and he fits perfectly in line with the sort of auteurs the Academy has chosen to reward in recent years (Martin

Javier Bardem, Biutiful Jeff Bridges, True Grit Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network Colin Firth, The King’s Speech James Franco, 127 Hours WILL WIN: Colin Firth SHOULD WIN: James Franco DARK HORSE: None Bardem is a great actor in a mediocre movie.

Bridges won last year. Eisenberg is still a kid, so his honor is in the nomination. We’re rooting for James Franco, who delivered one hell of a tour-de-force performance in 127 Hours and carried the movie on his back in the same way Tom Hanks did in Cast Away.

But let’s be real here: Firth’s passionate turn as Bertie– the stammering, reluctant leader soon to be known as King George VI– has all the ingredients of which Oscar wins are made.

After winning the Critics’ Choice, the Golden Globe and the SAG Award, you’d be a fool to bet against him.

BEST ACTRESS

Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone Natalie Portman, Black Swan Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine WILL/SHOULD WIN: Natalie Portman DARK HORSE: Annette Bening I seem to be among the few critics in America who thought The Kids Are All Right was just… well, alright, and that Annette Bening’s performance was overshadowed by that of her co-star, Julianne Moore. Bening is a veteran actress who turns in one solid performance after another, but it’s hard to measure her up against the gut-wrenching emotional turbulence of Natalie Portman’s revelatory role in Black Swan, which felt more like a personal evisceration of her type-A personality guts. Portman’s young, but she’s been in the business 15 years now. Black Swan feels like her moment in the Oscar spotlight.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale, The Fighter John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone Jeremy Renner, The Town Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

WILL WIN: Christian Bale SHOULD WIN: John Hawkes DARK HORSE: Geoffrey Rush We haven’t mentioned Winter’s Bone until now, but the dynamic Southern drama is easily the best film of 2010 that most people didn’t see (as of Jan 23 it’s only made $6 million).

Though future star Jennifer Lawrence carried most of the film’s emotional burden, it was John Hawkes as menacing uncle Teardrop who made the most indelible impression, crafting one of the most complex and colorful characters Hollywood has seen in years. Sadly, he doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell against Christian Bale, whom we’ve loved since American Psycho. The Fighter was not a great movie, but Bale’s method turn as a meth-abusing boxing trainer was the sort of bravura performance Oscar loves. We’ll be stunned if the Batman star doesn’t come home with the gold.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams, The Fighter Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech Melissa Leo, The Fighter Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom WILL WIN: Melissa Leo SHOULD WIN: Jacki Weaver DARK HORSE: Hailee Steinfeld We’re gonna start by protesting Steinfeld’s nomination: Sure, she kicked ass and took names in True Grit, but she was totally the lead actress and is only entered in this category to give her a better chance of winning.

Disqualified! If more Academy members had actually watched Aussie import Animal Kingdom, Jacki Weaver would be a shooin as the matriarch of a reprehensible family of criminals. Since they didn’t, we’ll bet on Melissa Leo as Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale’s chain-smoking, trash-talking mutha in The Fighter. But don’t be surprised if Steinfeld steals the prize on Oscar night.

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Exit Through the Gift Shop Gasland Inside Job Restrepo Waste Land

WILL WIN: Exit Through the Gift Shop SHOULD WIN: GasLand DARK HORSE: Restrepo

2010 was the first year I can recall where there were just as many Oscar-worthy documentaries as there were feature films.

Somehow excellent docs like Waiting For Superman, The Tillman Story and Client 9 all got shut out, but the nominees are all strong contenders worthy of note. Our personal favorite, GasLand, was a scathing look at the dangers hydraulic fracturing for natural gas (a.k.a. fracking) poses to our ecosystem, our drinking water and our personal health. But, unless the gripping behind-the-lines-in-Afghanistan war doc Restrepo stages a surprise upset, look for the street art-centered Exit Through The Gift Shop to win. Who knows, maybe the legendary Banksy will emerge from hiding to accept?

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE How to Train Your Dragon The Illusionist Toy Story 3

WILL/SHOULD WIN: Toy Story 3 Toy Story 3 is a) nominated for Best Picture; b) the rare third film in a series that’s just as touching and heartwarming as the first; c) the most successful animated film ever, grossing over $1 BILLION; d) the latest film from Pixar, which has previously won five Best Animated Feature Oscars. How To Train Your Dragon and The Illusionist were both great films, but Buzz and Woody should be a lock.

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����������������������������� PG 12 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

2010

• Zagat Rated • Dine In or Take Out • Lunch & Dinner Specials

FILM FILM

TRUMP Movie Reviews CARD 127 HOURS (R)

BIUTIFUL (R)

★★★★★ Now Showing

★★★✩✩ Now Showing

Wondering if you’ll enjoy director Danny Boyle’s latest film, which tells the true story of 27-year-old adventurer Aron Ralston? The answer depends entirely on whether the idea of watching a gutwrenching crescendo involving a guy hacking off his arm with a dull knife fills you with morbid curiosity or an urge to purge the contents of your stomach. For the former group, this is arguably the year’s most gritty, gripping and grueling film. Like Cast Away, 127 Hours is essentially a one-man tour-de-force, with James Franco delivering the performance of his career as a carefree adventurer BY LOVE for B. whom solitude is akin to godliness. Ralston gets his kicksSleaving the AMERICA’S real world behind for days at ONE OF MOST a time, disappearing fromhigh his profile home inbusinessAspen to successful and explore men, the vast red-rock formations of Utah’s Donald Trump was well known Canyonlands National Park.

Ralston, a cocky long before Survivor producer Mark Burnett bohemian so confident in his skillsBut that he tapped himjock to star in The Apprentice. tends tonotake his ownthat safety granted, ultimately there’s denying thefor reality show finds himself literally caught Between a Rock and turned Trump from a cartoonish curiosity a Hard Place (which, coincidentally, is also the title into a bona fide phenomenon, with his signaof Ralston’s book about the experience), wedged ture catchphrase– “You’re Fired!”– inextricabetween twothechalkstone walls with his right bly entering pop culture lexicon. arm crushed by a huge boulder.

Then the clock Although The Apprentice initially flounstarts, ticking off the hours towards the inevitable dered a bit in the ratings, Burnett and Trump conclusion: Even if you know all the details of stumbled upon a winning formula by recruitRalston’s ordeal, it does absolutely nothing to ing second- and third-tier actors, athletes, diminish the intense psychological suspense. Boyle models and musicians for a celebrity edition and Franco both deserve Oscar nods for their roles of the show. Now in its third incarnation, in making such a simple, horrific tale so compelling The Celebrity Apprentice tosses disparate to watch.

Boyle’s surreal visual imagery shows us stars such as rocker Bret Michaels, wrestler that Ralston’s most remarkable adventures took Goldberg, baseball legend Darryl place inside his mind during thoseStrawberry, fateful 127 former Blagojevich and Sharon hours, governor and FrancoRon conveys every myriad emotion Osbourne together for aasvariety of teamyou can possibly imagine his character records a building exercises and challenges designed video diary of his hellish experience. In the end,to it’s test their business mettle. not an easy movie to watch, but it is a wonderfully “The Donald, ” as thetocrazy-coiffed realhuman well-crafted testimony the power of the estate will tomagnate survive. if often known, recently held court with reporters to discuss the show’s –B. Love current season.

You know how critics call certain flicks “The Feel-Good Movie of the Year”? The latest art house indie from celebrated Mexican auteur Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros, 21 Grams)– the director’s long-awaited follow-up to 2006’s Babel– is pretty much the direct opposite of that. Dark, despairing and unrelentingly grim, the film’s 150-minute run time has the effect of pouring an iodine/salt mixture into a festering wound, offering little respite from the gloom that hangs over the story like a black cloud. Javier Bardem admittedly delivers a gut-wrenching through reading abouta dying them man for so many performance as Uxbal, who struggles years, but a lot of times somebody that to reconcile his spirituality with his need toyou resort don’t think ofactivity so highly turns outunderbelly to be a star. to criminal in the seedy of You just don’t knowtowhat will happen with Barcelona in order provide for his children. pressure the fault heat of battle.

It’s hard and to find with Bardem’s portrayal, but the amoral character is difficult to empathize What doesmany a celebrity have films, to do the to really with. Like of Iñárritu’s muddled set themselves they’re whole ultimatelyapart does and not show equal that the sum of its in it toand winbyit?the time the requisite opportunity parts, I can tell you from Seasons andaround 2 and you for personal redemption finally 1rolls from the regular people may find yourself Apprentice, wishing Uxbal wouldreally just die want to win. whileForeign you’ll Film already.

If thisEvery film once wins in thea Best have butat itthedoesn’t happen often.

Oscar,a quitter, somebody Academy will have some I‘splaining think thetoreason do. they do it is the level of intensity they feel for their charity. Unlike –B. Love the regular Apprentice, where somebody works for me for a pretty good salary for a BLACK (R)money goes to charyear, with SWAN this one the ity.

Last year we raised millions of dollars. ★★★★★ Now Showing Everybody has a charity that they love; some There has always been a subtle air of fragility about are foundations they’ve set up themselves Natalie Portman. From her feature film debut in years in advance of the show. So I think they The Professional to the Star Wars prequels and really fight more intense because it’s a charV For Vendetta, Portman has often portrayed ity they’re fighting for. characters in need of protection. With the exception of a soul-baring turn in Closer, much of What are your favorite challenges to watch her career has been characterized by safe choices the celebrities tackle? in which she played either a precocious child or a Well, weadult. do have different child-like But aalllot thatofhas changedchallengwith her es, whether we go back to the challenging, emotionally dynamicselling role in of thethe latest lemonade or doing something very basic film from Darren Aronofsky (Theelse Wrestler).

The without having to deal withshines Proctor Gamdark psychological thriller the&spotlight ble Kodak, as etc.ballerina Sometimes on or Portman Nina[sponsor-based Sayers, whose challenges] are sort of interesting, obsessively controlled world is tiltedbut on they’re its axis expensive for us to do.

The ratings suggest when the talented, ambitious and beautiful Lily that fans’joins favorite partYork of the byNina (Milathe Kunis) the New Cityshow Ballet. far is the boardroom, andleading the boardroom desperately yearns for the role in director has gotten longer over the yearsnew because of of Thomas Leroy’s (Vincent Cassel) version that.

The challenges of time the classic Swan Lakestill but,have withplenty her repressed and we’re and focused on both aspects, buthewecan’t emotions goody-two-shoes image, have been to lengthen the boardroom imagine hertrying portraying the evil black swan as well because of strong viewer as Lily could.

Pushed to therequests. brink of madness by Leroy’s torturous personality, her overbearing You’re a prosecuting attorney the motherlike (Barbara Hershey in a great in supporting boardroom.

Dosimultaneous you meter your approach to turn) and her attraction to and different jealousy ofpersonalities?

Lily, Nina’s grip on reality begins to Yes, at I think you deal people burst the seams.

The with resultdifferent is a mind-melting differently.

I deal withrabbit Goldberg differently descent down a dark hole that’s as trippy than I deal with Governor Blagojevich.

I And as anything Aronofsky has ever concocted. dealt with Like Dennis Rodman and Joan Portman?

Nina, she confronts theRivers shackles of her own than fear head-on, daring and differently some of delivering the other acontespassionate performance unlike anything she’s tants.

You have to have that ability. done in her 18-year career. Look for Oscar to take notice. proved divisive on How doThe youfilm feelhas going backdecidedly in the boardthe festival but if you can stomach the room after acircuit, little hiatus? intense emotional turbulence disturbing I just get a great kick out of it.and I really like head to games, helluva wild itpsychological a lot. They want renewit’sit one for another ride.or three seasons, and we’re thinking two about that. I like having a little bit of a –B. break Love between shows, where it goes on once a year.

The Donald Waxes Rhapsodic On The Celebrity Apprentice, “You’re Fired!” & Fixing NBC

A

Can you tell usYEAR a little bit about the selecANOTHER (PG-13) tion process? ★★★★✩ Now Showing It’s very interesting, because so many Rememberwant the opening Mr. Rogers’ celebrities to be onsequence the showofafter the Neighborhood, when he’d into We his house success of the previous twowalk seasons. and putsome on that warm, cozy singing wanted athletes, somesweater actors,while some about what a beautiful day it was?

That’s a perfect models and some wrestlers, so I would say analogy for Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri probably six or seven people per spot we (Ruth Sheen), the aging at the center of that Mike were turning down.couple The hardest thing is Leigh’s latest film.

Still loving each other with we really have some good people that want a spiritbadly. despiteBut being in the maybe autumnwe’ll of their toyouthful go on very I guess years, Tom and Gerri are the quiet calm at the save them for the next show, because it looks center of an emotional storm (at least as stormy like that’s going to happen. as Leigh’s quaint “kitchen sink dramas” tend to get) isof this friends, family members and colleagues, How season going to be different than all of whom seem to suffer from varying degrees past seasons? of unhappiness. The most interesting and quirky Well, when you have a success like we’ve of these characters by far is counselor Gerri’s had, you don’t like to do too many changes. co-worker Mary, played by the excellent Lesley What we do have is a different tone. The cast Manville. Mary is the sort of neurotic, nervous has been very interesting: They’ve been very Nellie who overcompensates for a crippling lack of tough and very by nasty, but there’s alsoand a lot of self-confidence drinking too much acting fun and humor with respect to what happens, outgoing, leading to more than her fair share of which think we had inManville’s the last one. sociallyI don’t awkward encounters. excellent With Joan [Rivers] and with Piers [Morgan], array of facial tics, subtle expressions and overt itbody was really nasty people really hating language convey much more abouteach what’s other.

These people hate each other, going on inside than her words ever do:butSheit’swas also funny. thinkSupporting that mightActress be theOscar biggest robbed of aI Best nod, differentiation in by terms the threeaging casts.voters more than likely the of Academy’s couldn’t get past Leigh’s trademark glacial pacing Can usually right offIt’sthe is and you everyday life tell situations. notbat an who exciting going well andYear whobrings isn’t?warm and cozy film, to butdoAnother That’s always the deluged most interesting quescomfort in a season with dynamic drama. tion me because I’d like to think of myself AndtoManville’s performance alone makes it worth asthe being with people. But often I’ll say, priceokay of admission.

“This one is going to be a star,” and then he –B. Love turns out to be a dud. You never really know.

You feel like you’ve known these celebrities

THE Do youFIGHTER ever feel bad(R) about firing someone, ★★★★✩ Now Showing or is it just part of the job?

I always feel bad…

No,a not always.

SomeThere’s nothing quite like strong ensemble piece. times don’t likeofpeople. hard onesMickey are WhileI the story real-lifeThe boxer “Irish” when really anddevolved respect somebody Ward you could havelike easily into maudlin and they make a mistake.

Like, O. as Russell an ex- keeps sentiment, writer-director David

Don’t miss the early Oscar favorite, “The King’s Speech,” in theaters now. We assume it is about Martin Luther King.

the film gritty, heartfelt, and surprisingly funny.

Christian Bale gives a phenomenal performance as Dicky Eklund, Mickey’s brother, trainer, and perpetual fuck-up. Melissa Leo and Amy Adams also turn in strong supporting work (as Mickey’s tough-as-nails mother and girlfriend, respectively), and credit is due to Mark Wahlberg for understanding that even though he’s the lead character, he’s part of an ensemble and doesn’t need to over-act or match the intensity of his co-stars. The Fighter not only provides an honest, unsentimental take on the strengths and weaknesses of families, but also made me want my own Greek chorus of big-haired harpy sisters.

–Matt Goldberg

THE GREEN HORNET (PG-13) ★★★★✩ Now Showing

The Green Hornet is a happy drunk– colorful, vibrant, boasting director Michael Gondry’s stylistic flourishes without being oppressively whimsical. Even when the film starts to drag, Seth Rogen’s infectious enthusiasm keeps the mood light and fun (even though his character is an unethical, egotistical jerk). Britt Reid (Rogen) is the playboy son of media magnate James Reid (Tom Wilkinson). After his father dies, Reid wants to know why his morning coffee tastes like crap. A maid mentions that Britt fired his father’s staff, including mechanic/coffee-maker Kato (Jay Chou). Reid summons Kato and the GASLAND (N/R) two begin a friendship where we see that Kato ★★★★★ Now Showing can do anything. After the duo accidentally Can you light your water on fire? It may sound protects a couple from a gang of muggers, they like an insane question, but thousands of decide to become undercover superheroes, but unfortunate Americans can, and the infuriating, it’s clear the sidekick is the real hero. The film is Oscar-nominated documentary GasLand (which really about the relationship between Britt and won the Special Jury Prize for Best Documentary Kato, but the result is underdeveloped baddie Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) and female lead at the IT 2010TURNED Sundance Film Festival) OUT TObegan BE with A GOOD PHRASE, BUT IT WAS A Lenore (Cameron Diaz). Waltz’s approach to one man’s simple quest to find out why.

Writer/ THE VERY FIRST SHOW I WAS A LITTLE FLUKE. DURING director Josh Fox lives in rural Pennsylvania, the character seems a disheartening mixture of boredom, insecurity, and AND sociopathy, while CONTESTANTS I USED EXASPERATED where he received a letterWITH from a ONE natural OF gas THE fares slightly better since her character, FIRED!” WHEN [PRODUCER] MARK THE LINE, “YOU’RE company in 2008, offering him $100,000 for Diaz who has degrees in journalism and criminology, theBURNETT rights to drillAND on hisI land.

Seeking TO more DO AGREED THE SHOW WE DIDN’T HAVE information about the process of natural gas inadvertently helps Britt and Kato. Rogen and THAT. WE THOUGHT WE’D SAY, “GET THE HELL OUT drilling in the Marcellus Shale (which covers Chou have strong on-screen chemistry, but it falls to Kato to be the straight man while HERE” SOMETHING. parts of Pennsylvania, NewOF York, Ohio andOR mostly Rogen goes completely off-the-wall with his West Virginia), he visited the nearby town of from thelocal last residents season. excitement. ample, fact that you raised such self-sufficient While some superhero properties Dimock,Scott PA, Hamilton, where he learned Iwere had having to let Scott go.

I’m a great fan of Scott: children? go dark and gritty, The Green Hornet wants serious water contamination issues He Olympic medals and he’s a great to Well, getting of time. creditWhat on themakes chilI’mand goof off have a lot good due won to the processgold called hydraulic fracturing champion.

But he understood that he made dren.

Everybody’s been asking about Ivanka The Green Hornet work is Rogen’s terrific (a.k.a fracking), which uses water pressure and a amixture mistake the 600 show and I really and the answer yes, she’llupbeat be backdirection. on the had to nodrill performance andis Gondry’s of on nearly different chemicals show.

But they’re very good kids.

They choice.

I felt very badly about that, because went And even when you realize that Britt’s major thousands of feet below the Earth’s surface. As Ia considered to very good schools, and they were great him to be a great person, but I moral revelation is complete hypocrisy, you’ll result, locals were having major health issues, having too much fun to to care. students.

I couldn’t have to do could what’seven right.

It’s their nevertap fun,water but it’s wait get them on the and some light on be easier when I show.

I don’t like somebody or when had no idea the show would into fire. GasLand is environmental documentary –MattbeGoldberg they’re really, really bad. itsninth and tenth season, which is pretty filmmaking at its finest, urging viewers to take action as it exposes how the Bush Administration’s amazing in the world of television.

That line, “You’re ” became a pop cul2005 Energy Policy fired, Act allowed companies like THE ILLUSIONIST (PG) ture There’s been lots news surrounding NBC phenomenon.

Can you talk about the NowofShowing Halliburton (in which then-VP Dick Cheney held ★★★★★ lately, and your show well for them. origin of it? major stock) to become exempt from the Safe I sat down to watch “Thedoes Illusionist” expecting you think NBC needs to magician do to get who back It turned out to be Fox a good phrase, but itsuch toWhat Drinking Water Act. travels to states see a story about a traveling in the ratings game? was a fluke. During the very show to I was as Colorado, Texas, Utah and first Wyoming talk met a young girl on the verge of womanhood awith little exasperated one of the con-health andWell, know up JeffaGaspin of NBC locals who have with experienced chronic theyI strike friendly,(Chairman almost parentaltestants I used Universal Television line, “You’re Entertainment) and, as problemsand after theirthewater suppliesfired!” became child relationship during his travels. I also When [producer] Mark Burnett you know, he’s new to the role.

I andpoliticians I agreed expected think he’s contaminated, interviewing scientists, to see some beautiful animation with to theofficials show we didn’t haveWhen that.his Wejourney characters going to do job to at the NBC. They anddoEPA along the way. anda spectacular landscapes akin pages of a thought say,halls “GetoftheCongress, hell out of here”two or classic need more shows like The Apprentice.

Not takes himwe’d to the where children’s storybook. I was unprepared something.

And all of athe sudden went for necessarily from a reality standpoint, but members re trying to get naturalAmerica gas industry’s the unorthodox way that director Sylvain crazy over from the show.

It happens they need shows that capture the imaginabe a great exemption the Safe Water to Drinking Act Chomet told this coming-of-age story. In his tion. catchphrase.

TV Guide or one of theclear: major repealed, the film’s message becomes The adaptation of the original screenplay by Jacques Frankly, entertainment magazines did a pollisand, after certain(Jean-Claude shows that are on should only way the American government going to Tati, the magician Donda) and the put the interests its citizens above the interests “Here’s Johnny!”ofand one other great, it was be changed because, while they get someThe girl, Alice (Eilidh Rankin), are struggling. of corporate lobbyists is if we, People, hismake reality #3 on the Top pretty of good don’t in getallpeople 100 phrases in the television thereviews, times isthey pressing around our voices the big end,honor.

GasLand is a them. watching.

It’s niceis toallget tory!

So thatheard. was a In pretty It’s been Vaudeville butboth. dead,We’ve whichhad leaves powerful, gripping film an thatamazing NEEDSphrase to be seen an amazing thing and that the Emmy nominations a lotand of dry good acillusionist and his and ilk high workwise by everyone who caresItabout precious just seems to work. colades oursuited way, for andany that’s alwaysthan reallyour caught on, planet and (he seemspassed to not be job other andbeen the manner in which nice. But you have more to have it’s an amazing thingherto natural watch. resources magic) andultimately Alice is becoming andpeople more are exploited. watch. NBCwith is going to really do well. enchanted the world outside theI know card What do you think is your biggest accomtheir leadership and Iinthink they’re winners, and the rabbits the hat.

Interestingly –B. Love tricks plishment, your business success or the so I think turn it around. enough, it’sthey’ll the seasoned magician who learns PG 13 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

the hardest lesson that “magicians don’t exist”.

This truth is juxstposed with a myriad of characters who are desperately trying to hang on to the fantasy-filled life that once brought them and their audience happiness. In the end, this film leaves you pondering who the true illusionist is. It’s a beautiful life story with a hint of the bittersweet that is both palatable and enjoyable.

–Kalena Smith

THE KING’S SPEECH (R) ★★★★★ Now Showing

In terms of Best Cinematic Moments of 2010, not much comes close to the finale of The King’s Speech. Hearing King Edward VI (Colin Firth) triumphantly deliver a rousing speech to his nation in the face of imminent war is the culmination of a film that is humorous, warm, and uplifting.

After giving a tremendous performance last year in A Single Man, Firth shows once again that he’s a force to be reckoned with as he not only perfects a convincing stammer, but never makes Edward VI a pitiable figure. “Bertie” is at times unlikable, prickly, and arrogant, but it all comes from a real, relatable place that keeps you on the character’s side. Bolstered by a strong script and a wonderful supporting performance from Geoffrey Rush, director Tom Hooper delivers a feel-great film that never felt sappy.

–Matt Goldberg

NO STRINGS ATTACHED (R)

SCREENMUSICGEMS PRESENTS A VERTIGOMUSICENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTION “THE ROOMMATE” ALY MICHALKA DANNEEL HARRIS FRANCES FISHER AND BILLY ZANE EXECUTIVE PRODUCED WRITTEN

BY DOUG DAVISON AND ROY LEE

BY SONNY MALLHI SUPERVISION BY MICHAEL FRIEDMAN BY JOHN FRIZZELL PRODUCERS BEAU MARKS SONNY MALLHI DIRECTED

BY CHRISTIAN E. CHRISTIANSEN STARTS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4

VIDIOTS UPCOMING DVD RELEASES AND REVIEWS

BY B. LOVE & JOHN B. MOORE ARMY OF SHADOWS – The latest release from Criterion Collection, this film from revered director Jean-Pierre Melville about the French Resistance went unreleased in the U.S. for 37 years. Finally unveiled here in 2006 after extensive restoration, the French classic follows a small, secretive band of fighters united in battle against Hitler’s Nazi regime. The movie’s unrelenting visually and thematically bleak tones may turn off the popcorn movie crowd, but art house movie lovers will be engrossed by the somber cinematic soliloquy.

GENE SIMMONS FAMILY JEWELS: SEASONS 4 AND 5 – It’s a bit disingenuous to call this a realty show. Yes, it’s on A&E and stars Kiss founder Gene Simmons, his longtime companion Shannon Tweed and his two kids, but there is hardly a single scene that is not painstakingly staged. That’s not to say the series is bad: in fact, viewed as a standard 30 min. sitcom, the show is far better than most of what passes for comedy on the major networks.

At this point any outrage over staged realty shows is about as warranted as surprise that teen stars actually act out, so any faux disappointment is simply wasted. Just relax and enjoy it for what it is.

REWIND DEPECHE MODE: 30 YEARS AT THE EDGE – Together for more than 30 years, Depeche Mode helped usher an era of electronic music that still hasn’t ended for the band. The two disc Rewind Depeche Mode: 30 Years at the Edge is a thorough, even look at one of the most influential bands of the 80’s. While none of the current band members are interviewed, there are plenty of others close to the band like Thomas Dolby, Gary Numan and OMD’s Andy McCluckey who sat PG 14 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

for the cameras. The documentary is a nice hold over while we wait for their next album.

RICKY GERVAIS SHOW: COMPLETE FIRST SEASON – Only someone as side-splitting funny as Ricky Gervais could successfully take a podcast and adapt it seamlessly to TV. The HBO show takes the comic’s wildly successful podcasts and brings them to life via Hanna Barbera-style cartoons. The show revolves around Gervais, longtime collaborator Stephen Merchant and their newly-found foil Karl Pilkington, a man who could not possibly be as dim as he comes off without having to live in some sort of assisted home. Thanks to an original premise and no-holds bared conversations, the Ricky Gervais Show comes off as one of the funniest shows on TV. SKIN – This fantastic, little-seen indie follows Sandra Laing (Sophie Okonedo), a black child born to white parents in South Africa during the height of apartheid in the 1950s. Her parents are blind to her skin, but nobody else is, and at the age of 10 she’s driven from the community for the color of her complexion. Based on a true story, the film charts her epic journey from rejection to reconciliation without resorting to emotional manipulation. Exceptional performances

by Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda) and Sam Neill as her father make this a must-see for anyone interested in the history of racial disharmony or South Africa.

ZORRO: THE COMPLETE SERIES – Finally making its way to DVD more than 17 years after it went off the air, this Family Channel favorite attracted a colorful all-star cast, including Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Daniel Craig, Andre the Giant, Philip Michael Thomas, Jesse Ventura and Adam West. This boxed set features all 88 episodes, following the adventures of a dashing masked scientistturned-swordsman who defends early 19th century Spanish California from a corrupt Mayor who grows rich by preying on the local people. The bonus DVD includes the Douglas Fairbanks silent film that defined the swashbuckler genre, a chapter from the 1939 theatrical serial and more.

★★★✩✩ Now Showing

Ivan Reitman’s return to the director’s chair after a five-year hiatus has created quite a buzz.

The previews indicate a film that is naughty at least, raunchy at most, and full of incongruous images of celebrated (although “noticed” might sometimes be the more appropriate term) actress Natalie Portman in a sex comedy. Oh, and Ashton Kutcher being a pretty party boy with a heart. It’s the story of young doctor Emma (Portman) who doesn’t have time for nor inclinations for romance.

Her opposite number is Adam (Kutcher), a young man working his way up behind the scenes in the world of television. She is all drive and aggression, while he is still very much working at not being a teenager anymore. She proposes to him that they have a strictly physical relationship. He and his friends all agree that it’s a perfect arrangement until Adam realizes that he’s truly falling for this woman and that he doesn’t want to have to leave before breakfast in the morning. He wrestles with his feelings for her. She wrestles with her feelings for him. Et cetera. The story is old, though the gender roles have been reversed. What, then, is all of the buzz about? It comes down to one thing – the notion of casting an Academy Awardnominated actress in a thoroughly naughty role.

While it is refreshing to see Portman playing a role so out of character for her, it also sadly leaves the viewer with the impression that the movie could have been somehow greater. The idea was good. The casting worked well. There were some genuine belly laughs and there was real chemistry, but in the end one is left with the impression that Judd Apatow directed and was trying to eat from a new trough. While the film has memorable moments and quotable quotes and all of the things people expect from a funny and naughty romp, it does not fulfill its potential. In the end, it serves to remind a person that though director Ivan Reitman is responsible for Stripes and Ghostbusters, his last venture was My Super ExGirlfriend. Sadly, I can only recommend this as a rental.

–Justin Patterson

SOMEWHERE (R) ★★★✩✩ Now Showing

Critics will often refer to a film as “a meditation on [blank].” I’m not sure I’ve seen many films where that description was more apt than it is for indie auteur Sofia Coppola’s latest. Whether

that’s a good or a bad thing is purely a subjective matter of personal taste. The film opens with a long, lingering shot of movie star Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff ) driving his fancy Ferrari at extremely high speeds around and around and around a desolate racetrack. And when I say lingering, I mean it goes on WAY longer than you’ll want it to. Coppola’s camera tends to do that in Somehwere, whether focusing on Marco’s drugged-out face while watching two gorgeous twins do a bump-and-grind stripper pole routine in his hotel room at the Chateau Marmont or showing him sitting alone and chain-smoking at an upscale restaurant while gorgeous girls ogle him from all sides. The message is received, loud and clear, very early on: The life of a worldfamous celebrity is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Marco is obviously lonely as hell, saddened by the turns his life has taken, with the only bright spot the time he gets to spend with his 11-yearold daughter (Elle Fanning), who seems to understand him in a way that nobody else can.

The problem is that Coppola has mined similar territory before (and to much better effect) with Lost In Translation. But Dorff and Fanning are no Bill Murray and Scarlett Johanssen and, despite winning Best Picture at the 2010 Venice International Film Festival, Somewhere fails to measure up to the director’s best work, coming across as ponderous, overly minimalist and, dare we say it, dull.

–B. Love

TRUE GRIT (PG-13) ★★★★★ Now Showing

While other filmmakers might be cowed by the 1969 original (which won John Wayne his only Oscar), the Coen Brothers have crafted a giant of the Western genre that crackles with electric dialogue, magnificent performances, Roger Deakins’ stunning cinematography, Carter Burwell’s haunting score, and other quality trademarks the Coens are known for. The film opens on a man lying dead on the ground and another man racing away on a horse. The dead man is the father of 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), a determined, tenacious girl who seeks to bring her father’s killer, the cowardly Tom Cheney (Josh Brolin), to justice.

Blesssed with the power to never take “No” for an answer, Mattie seeks out the help of drunken, ornery U.S. marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges). Cogburn would like Mattie to go back to her family and let him take care of the matter, but she won’t rest until she sees Cheney hanged for murdering her father. That last part becomes a problem, since Cheney is also being tracked by La Beouf (Matt Damon), an inept Texas Ranger intending to hang Cheney in the Lone Star state for the murder of a senator. These three set out in an uneasy alliance that shifts and develops in unexpected but honest ways. Unfortunately, my brief synopsis does not do justice to how the Coens unveil every character that populates the film. While some of the dialogue is lifted straight from the Charles Portis novel, the Coens have a certain pace to their writing that, when performed correctly, absolutely sings.

Despite her youth, Steinfeld plays the role as if she’d been starring in Coen films for years.

The other standout here is Bridges: No one wants to stand in the shadow of John Wayne, but I actually prefer Bridges’ take on Cogburn.

The drunkenness is sloppier, the delivery is more guttural, and it’s an overall more layered performance. And, like the rest of True Grit, it’s also damn funny. The entire film is a remarkable balancing act. While the Coens have danced with tropes of the Western in their previous films (the Stranger in The Big Lebowski; the desert vistas of No Country for Old Men), with True Grit they have wholeheartedly embraced the genre with a film that’s both accessible and undeniably their own. It’s a picture that works on every single level, and then makes up a couple of new levels to work on as well.

–Matt Goldberg

LOCAL

THE DECISION-MAKER Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed Proves It Takes Tough Measures To Get The Job Done

BY BRET LOVE

D

ESPITE NEAR CONSTANT CRITICISM FROM the conservative right, President Barack Obama’s approval rating was steadily on the rise in January, reaching 55% the week he delivered the State of the Union address. But he’s still got nothing on Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, whose 70% approval rating after his first year in office came against all odds.

When the 41-year-old Reed defeated Mary Norwood by the thinnest of margins (714 votes) in a run-off election to succeed Shirley Franklin, he inherited $7.4 million in reserves and an out-of-control budget that left the city with so few firefighters, there were typically only three per truck. After a year of tough financial decisions, the city has nearly $60 million in reserves, the police and fire departments have gotten raises, and he didn’t have to raise taxes at all in order to do it.

In this exclusive interview, we speak to Mayor Reed about growing up in the ATL, the highlights and lowlights of his first year in office, and his goals for Atlanta’s future.

I know you grew up here. In what ways has the city changed most in the years you’ve been here?

I think the most significant way it has changed is in the diversity of people who have moved into the city from across the United States and from around the world. We are truly becoming an international city. The traditional notion of Atlanta when you were growing up and when I was growing up was that we are a city primarily of black people and white people who got along better than they did in other places. It’s exciting to be moving towards a city of true diversity.

I read that you started your own jewelry business when you were 16.

That’s actually true. I got a business license and I went down to the Atlanta Apparel Mart. I used my savings from a lawn mowing business to buy jewelry in bulk. At that time, jewelry was much more popular and fashionable than it is today. I sold jewelry to members of my church and did reasonably well at it. I was a member of Ben Hill United Methodist Church at the time. I sold jewelry to my mother’s friends, my father’s friends and my high school friends who had summer jobs.

I’m curious how those lessons you learned as an en-

I THINK FOLKS WOULD BE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT I ENJOY A GOOD JOKE MORE THAN I APPEAR TO. I THINK THE IMPRESSION OF ME IS PROBABLY THAT I’M SERIOUS, BUT I AM QUITE THE PRANKSTER AROUND THE OFFICE AT CITY HALL. trepreneur served you now that you’re a government official?

I think it keeps you focused on the bottom line. I also think it makes you much more sensitive to the needs of entrepreneurs and business owners because, while my experience was certainly small, at the time, the dollars that I was working with was really all the dollars I had in the world. The money I made in my jewelry business and my small lawn care business helped me go to college and to law school. It took a bit of pressure off of my parents, who put four kids through college.

Tell me one thing about you as a human being that your constituents might be surprised to learn.

I think folks would be surprised to learn that I enjoy a good joke more than I appear to. I think the impression of me is probably that I’m serious, but I am quite the prankster around the office at City Hall.

You’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of taking office. What for you have been the highest and lowest points of your term thus far?

I think the best moment was probably when we passed my first budget successfully without raising taxes. We were facing a $48 million dollar and we passed a balanced budget without tax increases, funded an additional 100 police positions, gave police and firefighters 3% raises, and gave 85% of the city’s employees a bonus check. That was probably the highest point for me as Mayor. The lowest point for me is when I’ve seen families harmed by crime. I take that very personally. The most stressful times are when someone’s family is harmed. I take my obligation to secure this city more seriously than I do any other aspect of this job. We’re getting our arms around it. Crime is down in all six zones by 10% or more. Crime city-wide is down 11%-15%, depending on the crime segment. So we’re making progress. We’ve hired 230 new officers, and those officers will be getting through the academy and being deployed on the streets in May, so I’m excited about that. It’s tough… certainly the toughest part.

What do you think makes Atlanta unique among America’s biggest cities?

That’s easy. I think that Atlanta’s best asset– our secret sauce, if you will– is our people. Atlanta doesn’t have spectacular mountain vistas. We don’t have an ocean.

We don’t have a significant body of water like a lake. But, for some reason, Atlanta grew by 20% between 2000 and 2010. We’re growing fastest among young people who are well-educated, between the ages of 24 and 40 years old.

It’s the most important economic demographic that we have coming to our city, and we’re in the top three cities in the United States of America. So I think that Atlanta’s special quality is its people. As long as we have bright, energetic, passionate people who are growing up in this city and moving to the city, Atlanta is going to continue to be

the leading city in the South and one of the leading cities in the United States and the world.

How do you see Atlanta fitting into the Green Movement?

Atlanta is going to be a Top 10 Green City in the United States. Currently we’re #19 as ranked by the Sustain Group, which is the metric that we use, but we’re going to move into the Top 10. Our biggest Green initiative is obviously the Atlanta Beltline, which is a $2.8 billion, multi-year initiative that‘s going to preserve 1100 acres of green space within the city limits.

That’s going to provide numerous bike paths, walking paths and trials. It’s going to create more parks in the city of Atlanta than the city has had in its history. It’s going to be Atlanta’s gift to the nation in terms of how you build a sustainable green initiative that maintains the canopy of the city, that encourages walking, that encourages bike paths, and that uses light rail to get people out of their cars. I think the Atlanta Beltline is Atlanta’s national contribution to the Green movement.

What we will have created in terms of the expansion of parks and preservation of our tree canopy really will be unmatched in the southeast.

Let’s say you had a friend or family member coming to Atlanta that had never been here before. Where would you take them to show them the best the city has to offer?

I would take them to historic neighborhoods around Cascade Road and Nesky Lake. I would take them to the Varsity restaurant. I would certainly take them to Lenox and Buckhead. I would take them to review the King Papers at the Martin Luther King historic district. I would take them to the Georgia Aquarium and the tourism corridor and the World of Coca-Cola. I would definitely take them by the High Museum and Woodruff Arts Center, and I would probably finish it off at Spondivits on the way to the airport. I love Spondivits’ Gumbo. I’d recommend that they stay at the Four Seasons at 14th Street. They have to see Midtown!

What are you biggest goals for the city in the coming year?

My biggest goal is to make Atlanta a true international city. Hartsfield-Jackson is the busiest airport on the planet. It gives unprecedented access to the city of Atlanta. When I’m done, I want Atlanta to be well on its way to being the most significant logistics hub in the Western Hemisphere. That is my big goal as Mayor, and a goal in terms of us being a true international city, with all of the amenities that come with it. Not a city that aspires to be an international city, but a city that is truly international in terms of quality of our arts and culture, the quality of our environment in terms of being a world class sustainable city, the quality of our safety so that when you are here you are secure and cared for, and a city that families will embrace and want to place down roots in.

PG 15 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

PG 16 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

MUSIC

JIMMY’S LONGTERM WORLD

Inside the Creative Process of not Giving a Shit what Fans Think

BY MATT CONNER

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IVEN THEIR STATUS IN THE record and touring cycle supporting their latest release Invented, Jimmy Eat World currently cares what their fans think. As for the recording process, Zach Lind says they “don’t give a shit.” Welcome to the back and forth world of what it takes to succeed for nearly 20 years in the music industry.

It’s in the studio where the artistic integrity must be the top priority, and Lind says the mentality is essential for avoiding any pressure to write the next big radio hit. Not that Jimmy Eat World’s ever had any issues writing great alt-rock hooks, but the primary focus isn’t your response and that’s what makes the music so authentic and so compelling.

For now, Lind is enjoying the downtime that comes around the holiday season, but the band is currently gearing up to land on several continents throughout 2011 while promoting their latest. And it’s in this season that all they’re thinking about is what you think of them and what they should play in the live setting.

if we try to think about that. If you’re in the studio and you’re thinking about that, it takes you out of the mindset that you need. When we make a record, this will sound weird, but we don’t give a shit about the fans. We don’t give a shit about what they’re gonna think on the record.

That’s an extreme statement.

Well, we don’t say that to be mean, but we have to do what we’re interested in. We have to make what we’re passionate about. The fans will either love it or they won’t, and that’s okay with us. The best thing we can do for our fans is not really consider what they want for a record. If we’re trying to make the record we think the fans want, then we’re not being who we are. We’re not being ourselves at that point.

So I think in order to keep ourselves interested and passionate about what we’re doing, we have to make what we want. And I think you have to have that selfish outlook in order to stay at this. I think trying to measure something saying that the fans will love a certain song is getting yourself out of that mindset.

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I want to talk about Invented. Now that Do you think that’s what leads you to create there’s been some distance, I’m curious how your best material? Does that mentality lead you look back on this compared to your other to the best art? projects?

Well, I think it’s different for different After we make a record, we really don’t put people. There may be artists out there or bands something out until we’re all really excited that they make their best stuff about it and really confident in WHEN WE MAKE A when they’re thinking about sitit and know that there’s nothing RECORD, THIS WILL ting down to write a hit. I think more we know we can do to SOUND WEIRD, BUT of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing make it better. So once we get to in the Dark.” They said at that that point and we acknowledge WE DON’T GIVE A SHIT point they just needed to write that, I think it automatically ABOUT THE FANS. WE a hit, and that’s one amazing goes in the rearview mirror. We DON’T GIVE A SHIT song. [Laughs] It’s just different try not to think about the genfor different people, I suppose. eral reviews and we don’t care if ABOUT WHAT THEY’RE For us, we just like to avoid someone thinks whether it’s good GONNA THINK ON THE going into that black hole and or bad. We’re at peace with what RECORD. we just doing what you want we’ve done. What we try to find to do. In 30 years, the record will still be that out afterwards is whether the songs are really record and we’re going to have to listen and sinking in with the fans or not. If I look back think, ‘Man, we totally stuck to our guns and at the songs in our catalog, certain songs have did everything we wanted to do.’ We want to become fan favorites. So really if we’re looking feel good about that, and I think that’s what back over the songs, it’s more about which ones our hope is that as we grow older and listen to we should play live. What songs do fans want to what we’ve done, we can be assured and know hear? What songs do the fans have significant that we didn’t have any regrets. connections to? I think of songs like “23” or “Goodbye Sky Harbor.” So I think that’s what we With some of the electronic textures and look for to see what happens. Other than that, beats on the album, I’m curious how that as far as the album itself goes, the minute that affects you as the drummer and how your we’re done with it, I think we make that separa- opinion comes into play there? tion. It’s like, ‘That’s it. We’ve done everything No, I think it’s great. I think there are mowe can do. This is everything that we know how ments when you need that stuff and then there to do and this is who we are at the present moare other moments when you don’t. We try not ment. Let’s just move forward.’ Then we focus to make any rules. It’s just about whatever is our attention on playing the songs for people. best for the song. Each song is different and It becomes more of an exercise of making the each song can require different things. There’s show as good as it can be. a fine line between what is acoustic and what is Speaking of fan favorites, has there been a song in the studio that you knew there was something magical about it — that it would become one of those fan favorites?

I don’t think so. It’s funny because the songs that we really like, it seems that people don’t like them as much. I think we hurt ourselves

electronic on the record, because what we like to do a lot is record samples of our own drums or other sounds. There can be an actual acoustic drum and then we’ll record and cut it up as a sample to use as we want. I think that kind of stuff is cool and gives a different texture to the record. I welcome it.

PG 17 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

MUSIC

MOVING OUT OF THE BEDROOM

Jorge Elbrecht and Violens Add Members and Sound to A Masterful Debut

BY MATT CONNER

T

HE DEFINING MOMENT FOR VIOLENS was the one that brought Jorge Elbrecht out of the bedroom. Prior to the upcoming EP, Violens consisted of band members playing the best of Elbrecht’s earlier work — ones conceived and composed alone in a home studio. Now that Violens is a complete expression of the members within, it’s a sonic direction Elbrecht believes is the right one.

Not that the former releases were anything close to forgetful. In fact, Amoral released just this fall and joined the ranks of the year’s brightest debuts, and a previous EP hinted that the full-length would be that impressive. Tours with Grizzly Bear, MGMT, Deerhunter and Bat for Lashes brought credibility in the last year to buoy the recordings and make Violens an act worthy of major attention and a probable breakthrough act in 2011.

Jorge, I’d love to start with what you’re focusing on in the beginning of 2011?

We’re planning on putting an EP out around the time for South by Southwest or maybe a little bit before, so we’re going to track some basics, which is probably going to be Ido and I playing together to get the initial recording. From there, we’ll overdub the second guitar and vocals after that.

I think the important thing to note is that these will be the first recordings done like that for Violens. The whole record that we’ve done and the EP were all just done in my apartment, and I did those by myself with drum samples and just playing around with stuff. But I really think why certain recordings are compelling is because certain people have a musical relationship that comes from playing in the same room that inspires the performance. For some reason, it comes out sounding better. So I’m looking forward to having that.

How much pre-production have you done there?

These songs are all pretty much written and figured out.

I think it’s a good idea to flesh all of those ideas out before you go in to do that, although there are a lot of options for editing. You can make seamless changes if you need to, but I like to get it all right in one take. So these have all been pre-figured. We know what we’re doing and you only get a couple days in the studio.

I like what you said about finding it inspiring to come together versus what you said about doing things solo.

What have you learned about art and inviting others into that creative process?

I think the most important thing that a lot of people who are collaborating don’t think about is that when you’re in the act of playing, you can’t analyze it too much. I mean, you’re in the act, so you can’t think in the proper way. It’s hard to figure out how to say this, but I believe you’re thinking in more of an intuitive way. A lot of the issues of collaboration come in the post-analysis or pre-analysis of what you’re doing. The curious point of it is when you’re in the middle of what you’re doing. If you’re thinking of an idea and then you’re executing that idea, there’s not a lot of room in the middle of that to be analytical. You just have to do it. What’s interesting about capturing that performance is that you have it frozen forever. You have that intuitive performance which is captured, and I think that’s cool.

To look back a bit, how was 2010? Was it a good year for you?

PG 18 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

It seems like things are moving along fine. The record just got put out, and it was a little strange because it was out overseas for a month first and then here. It’s hard to gauge what the response is when there’s a plan like that. But it’s been a positive response in general and we’ve been getting nice posts on the site and Facebook that people are enjoying specific songs and so on. I think we’ve done our job as far as we can do it.

Has there been a surreal moment from this year?

We just played a show in Manchester and some of these rooms are so huge. I didn’t perform in music for 10 years before I started this band, and before that I was in a band in high school and stuff like that. It’s been a total blessing to play with bands like MGMT and White Lies and others like that who have these gigantic audiences. We get great exposure, but being at that venue during the day, it’s crazy to think that you’ll be on that stage in front of people.

There’s a pretty funny story about a guy who’s known as a super-heckler and he was giving one of the bands a really hard time that were opening at this one show. I guess he was pretty inebriated, and I guess we played our show and afterward he shook our hands at the merch booth. He was cool and so we take that as a great accomplishment.

Yeah, how do you deal with that?

There are some places in the northern UK known for that — for throwing beers on stage and stuff like that. They’re just mean to opening bands and stuff, so you wonder, ‘Wow, am I going to end up with a beer thrown on stage or what?’ You hope not, but for the most part, everyone has been really nice. I think that has to do with the kinds of crowds for the bands that we’ve played with. Maybe they’re just nicer people or something. But it was crazy at this particular show because that one guy was standing right in front of me and was totally eyeing me from the moment we started our first song. I thought, ‘Oh man, this guy is going to give me so much shit.’

[Laughs] But it turned out to be cool.

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You mentioned the recording and South by Southwest, but what else does the new year bring?

Oh man, there’s some really incredible things happening. We’re supposed to go to Japan and to China. We’re definitely going back to France and the UK in the spring.

Then we’re going to get out to the West Coast to play some shows there, which we’ve never done. We’re really just starting trying to get the music out there and get people to be familiar with it. The live component is a big component for people to see. Then, as I said, we’re going to do an EP or maybe a mixtape of some sort which will feature the new song or something like that. But we’ll find a way to get new stuff out there by the middle of spring. I think we’ll also put out another record, since we have so many songs. So maybe by October of next year, we’ll have something else out there.

When you say you have so many songs, is that you personally or are those more collaborative like you mentioned?

It’s most collaborations at this point. It’s hard to write on the road, but we’ve been trying to do that — trying to find little moments here and there to write together while we’re on tour. We’ve got tne to twelve songs that we’ve written together, but there’s a pool of 20 or 25 songs that are just around that we haven’t done anything with.

Maybe they’re songs I’d written in the past or something, but they’re just there, so we’ll take what we’re excited about and work with those first.

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Road Warriors

This Month’s Hottest Shows

BY SACHA DZUBA

FEB. 10 – BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE

The Buckhead Theatre The Canadian musical collective known as Broken Social Scene shun the idea that they are a supergroup. Yet, their revolving door of incredibly talented collaborators is undeniable.

BSS’s sound is largely a combination of its’ members respective musical projects, sometimes considered baroque pop. Grand orchestrations include horns, woodwinds, violins, guitars, as well as bizarre song structures and an experimental, often chaotic production style.

Likely collaborators include the sublime Leslie Feist and multiple member of Metric and Stars, along with countless others. Check out their latest, Forgiveness Rock Record and see them live.

FEB. 11 – YANN TIERSEN, JEFFREY BÜTZER

The Masquerade Yann Tiersen is known on this side of the Atlantic chiefly through his beautiful score for the film Amelie. Tiersen has a whimsical and sometimes melancholy sound which borrows from chanson, musette waltz, street music, French folk music, minimalist, classical, avant-garde, and rock. Oftentimes deceptively simple, you can hear the influences

of composers Erik Satie, Chopin, and Philip Glass in his music. Find a copy of his album, Rue des Cascades and listen to the title track.

Tiersen’s music will haunt you with beautific European charm and melodies that foster images of love, narrow cobblestone streets, and child-like discoveries.

Jeffrey Bützer is a one-man band carrying the sounds of a French café, mixed with equal parts Tom Waits and the aforementioned Yann Tiersen; a performer with ambidextrous musical proficiency.

FEBRUARY 14 – FLOGGING MOLLY (7TH ANNUAL GREEN 17 TOUR )

The Tabernacle Flogging Molly blends the traditional sounds of Celtic music with punk rock and introspective lyrics. There really is nothing like distorted rock guitars and pounding rhythms mixed with violin, mandolin and accordion.

Created by an Irish expatriate, Flogging Molly grew their fan base initially through regular pub performances. The Green 17 Tour has grown yearly and is Flogging Molly’s way of counting down to St. Patrick’s Day. A must see live performance to experience their infectious music and intense onstage energy.

Bring on the Shamrock Bombs!

FEB. 15 – MIRANDA COSGROVE Center Stage Theater

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Miranda Cosgrove seems to be the latest breakout tween starlet. Appearing in School of Rock, Drake and Josh, and her starring role in iCarly has helped her break out as a pop singer. A shiny studio enhanced pop star with a smash single “Stay My Baby” and a Teen-Beat following that owns every Miley Cyrus album.

This concert features glossy, un-complicated pop for the Nickelodeon crowd.

FEB. 16 – CLAY AIKEN

Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Clay Aiken returns to Atlanta after his recent wellreceived tour with fellow Idolator, Ruben Studdard.

Supporting his latest release, “Tried & True”, Aiken is sure to please with selections of hits and standards from the 50’s and 60’s, redone in his Las Vegas crooner style. Clay is a southern gentleman with easy comic timing, his public revelations about sexuality, Jimmy Kimmel appearances, and his turn as Sir Robin in Spamalot have kept him the hearts and minds of the public. A stellar backing band and Clay’s smoky tenor voice will have any Buble-icious fans smiling and the ever faithful Idol crowd singing along.

FEB. 22 – THE CHURCH

Variety Playhouse The Church return to Atlanta for an incredible evening performing three of their classic albums successively in one night! Recently inducted by the Australian Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they will perform their albums, Untitled #23, Priest = Aura, and Starfish in their entirety.

Keep your eye out for 2 disc re-releases of Starfish and Priest = Aura. This event is likely never to be repeated and a missed opportunity

WE GOT NEXT LEMURIA

to hear the classic song “Under the Milky Way” performed live by The Church is reprehensible.

Go to (The) Church!

FEB. 23 - TERRA NOVA: SINFONIA ANTARCTICA FEAT. DJ SPOOKY –

Center Stage Musician, writer, and conceptual artist of this multimedia event, DJ Spooky creates portraits of the swiftly changing environment of Antarctica. Recently featured on NPR, Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica illustrates man’s relationship with the nature. The effects of global warming and other factors affecting the harsh and dynamic landscape of Antarctica are brought to an audience in a uniquely creative format. to These issues are brought into the spotlight in such a way that will affect the way you perceive your relationship to the natural world. This event is Free to the public as part of Savannah College of Art and Design’s deFINE Art Program. Yes, you read that right. Free!

FEB. 26 – PARTY EROTIQUE

The Tabernacle Party Erotique brings Atlanta a classy, fetish-inspired, Vegas-style, nightclub event celebrating freedom of expression and sexuality through a mixture of live performances, music, dancing, costumes, video and performance art. Erotic fashion abounds from guests and performers alike, while anonymity of identity is preserved through the use of Venetian-style masks by attendees. The evening features a roster of Burlesque performers, musical artists, and DJ’s from Austin, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Dallas, and New York City. Atlanta is well represented with residents Gia Nova, Heather Minx, and DJ Cristal Arcade. Who is a guest and who is a part of the event itself will be impossible to discern as models and performers mix, intermingle, and perform both onstage and off. An exotic and erotic event not to be missed!

Artists on the verge of making it big

Latest Project: Pebble (Bridge 9) For Fans of: Superchunk, The Breeders and Rainer Maria.

Why You Should Care: With a solid line up finally in place, Buffalo indie rockers got the legendary J. Robbins to produce their

sophomore release and were so damn catchy they managed to get a hardcore label to fall in love with them.

BY JOHN B. MOORE

W

HEN YOU THINK OF THE BUFFALOBASED band Lemuria, with their smart indie-leaning rock and strong pop sensibilities - you don’t automatically think of Bridge 9 Records, the home to a slew of influential hardcore bands from Agnostic Front to Sick of It All… Until now.

Lemuria, a trio comprised of guitarist/vocalist Sheena Ozzella, drummer/vocalist Alex Kerns and bassist Max Gregor, signed to the Boston punk indie just months ago and are already out with their first release, the full length Pebble. The record was produced by J Robbins (Government Issue, Jawbox, and a slew of other bands you should already know about).

With a (relatively) new bass player and new album to flog, the band is about to hit the road for the first part of 2011, but Kerns answered a few questions before loading up the van.

What was behind the decision to sign to Bridge 9? It’s a great label, but seems like an odd pairing.

At first glance, it does seem like an odd pairing because the

genres represented on Bridge 9. But the way the label is run, and the way we run our band makes the Lemuria/B9 pairing a perfect match. We had asked around to a bunch of friends who have worked with different labels and the most consistent praise was directed toward Bridge 9. So far we have been very impressed with them!

Did you start working on Pebble before signing to Bridge 9?

We had a few songs completely finished, but for the most part we wrote the album prior to the leaving for our 2010 summer tour which had an intermission of recording with J. Robbins in Baltimore. We had talked with Bridge 9 a long time ago about the possibility, and then followed up to see if they were still interested when we started writing the new songs.

Lyrically, Get Better seemed a bit darker than some of the earlier releases. How does Pebble compare to Get Better?

Get Better was dark because it was covering some pretty sad topics. Pebble is pretty dark as well, maybe darker. This time around there is a little more anger and resentment shown through the lyrics. But at the same time, we feel musically Pebble is a little more upbeat than Get Better. Both albums are pretty optimistic, which hopefully balances out the topics!

Did you know all along you wanted J Robbins to produce this one?

We have always known that we wanted to work with J Robbins, but we didn’t always know it was an option. I randomly sent him an e-mail one day that I found on his website, with a link to our music, simply asking if he was interested. He responded promptly and we set some dates, and we were very excited.

What was he like to work with?

Very easygoing and relaxed atmosphere to work in. Also, we loved how open he was to our weird ideas, even the ones that clearly weren’t going to work. We definitely walked away from that studio with exactly what we wanted our recording to be.

You guys have had some bass player changes recently. Is Max Gregor now the full time bassist? What happened to Kyle Paton?

Max is our full time bass player. He has been there for us since the first weekend tour Lemuria ever did outside of our state. Being one of the most supportive people, we were excited to have him be a part of the group. Kyle went on one US tour with us, which Max was our roadie for. He went home to visit his family in Canada, where he is a citizen, and when he tried to return back to the US to play some shows with us the border said “NO”. Kyle wasn’t exactly legally doing everything he was doing in the US, including his residency, job, and they considered Lemuria another employment. Kyle had talked a great deal about how he wanted to someday get everything legit, but it’s very expensive. Unfortunately, they caught him before he could get on his feet himself.

Do you guys plan to tour much behind the new record?

Definitely. We’re immediately doing a winter tour when the album comes out. We’re also already planning our spring and summer. Europe, Japan and Australia are all in the works for 2011. We’re excited to be playing these new songs live!

What’s next for the band?

Touring! We’re also going to make a handful of music videos for songs from Pebble. This is new to us. We also have a split 7” with Cheap Girls coming out on No Idea Records. That should also be coming out sometime this winter. But for the most part, we just want to play a ton of shows right now.

PG 19 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

MUSIC

MUSIC

Album Reviews

By B. Love, John B. Moore, Jon Latham and DeMarco Williams

WANDA JACKSON – THE PARTY AIN’T OVER (Third Man) The Queen of Rockabilly shines up her crown JL: Listen up, class! Professor Jack White is at the chalkboard and ready to give you kids a music history lesson. Perhaps you remember a few years back when he introduced you brats to Loretta Lynn for the first time. Today, class, Professor White is tuning you in to one of Rock and Roll’s first wild women, the one and only Wanda Jackson.

Years ago, this feisty member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame brought her rough-and-ready growl to suck classics as “Let’s Have a Party” and “Fujiyama Mama”. With a little help from Jack White, Wanda proves on her new album that when it comes to throwing a rocking party, age doesn’t mean a thing.

Rockers like “Rip It Up” and “Shakin’ All Over” show that Wanda’s signature rasp is in fine form. The full ensmble of instrumentation, under White’s direction, is tight and expansive. Try not to party when the calypso groove on “Rum and Coca Cola” gets going. I dare you. The track that will have everybody talking is the amazing take on Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good”. The “bad girl” persona that Winehouse lends to the song now seems like it was written for Wanda the whole time, which speaks volumes for White’s ear and Wanda’s vocal prowess.

This is no nostalgia act. It’s not even a reinvention. The Party Ain’t Over is simply what its name suggests. This is a party record, complete with swagger and spunk. Sure, Wanda Jackson may be at an age where she remind you of grandma, but can your grandma shake a chicken in the middle of the room? Wanda still can. Class dismissed.

DAVID BANNER & 9TH WONDER – DEATH OF A POP STAR (E One Entertainment) ‘70s soul and ‘90s lyricism conspire to assassinate today’s radio rap DW: There’s one thing you have to love about 9th Wo n d e r — t h e dude doesn’t discriminate. A North Carolinaborn producer who digs from the same crate of Stax albums as Pete Rock, 9th got started by working with a couple of NC college boys, Little Brother. He produced for small timers and even a few big shots after that. Then, he connected with L.A.’s Murs and N.Y.’s Buckshot for some well-received projects. Now, he’s teamed up with conscious Mississippi representer David Banner, and the results might be some of the man’s finest to date.

Coupling 9th’s soulful thump with Banner’s scholastic thuggery over 10 songs, Death of a Pop Star is a quick trip to some mellow place we wish more hip hop would venture in 2011. Of course, there are still girls (“Slow Down,” “Stutter” and the current BET smash “Be With You”) and even talk of traps (“Strange”). But everything here is done tactfully, purposefully and is full of neckjolting instrumentation. There is one track, “The Light,” that talks the progressive talk but walks a spacey, blip-filled walk that comes off a bit out of place. Aside from it, Death of a Pop Star finds Banner and 9th Wonder making a delightful PG 20 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

The Dean’s List

BRUTE FORCE – I, BRUTE FORCE, CONFECTIONS OF LOVE 30-minute tease that won’t help but get you (Bar/None) wondering who the gifted producer will pair up Long out-of-print “classic” not as great as many remember with next time.

THE DREADNOUGHTS – POLKA’S NOT DEAD (Stomp) Canadian gypsies prove that polka can be punk

JM: Brute Force is hardly a household name, aside from Apple Records completionists and ‘60s-obsessed audiophiles, but Bar/None somehow saw enough interest to re-release the singer’s 1967 debut, I, Brute Force, Confections of Love. They even tacked on five additional tracks.

While the album is certainly interesting, it’s hard to fathom just who exactly was demanding that this record get another shot. Between the dated orchestration that backs up each song and Brute Force’s (real name Stephen Friedland) over-enunciation of the lyrics, the record sounds like a decades-old Broadway play. And lyrically?

Well, let’s just say that satire has come a long way since the album was first committed to wax.

Songs like “To Sit On a Sandwich” (which is not meant to serve as some sort of deep metaphor, but is actually about sitting on a sandwich) lose some appeal once the pot smoke has cleared the room.

The five bonus tracks included in the Bar/ None release include “King of Fuh,” a song that originally helped bring Brute Force to the attention of Beatles legends George Harrison and John Lennon. It’s by far the strongest and wittiest track on the album, and stands out largely due to the mediocrity of the other songs. GRADE:C-

JM: For decades now, bored musicians have been mixing punk rock with a slew of different genres to come up with creative hybrids: Celtic punk, country punk and so on and so forth. So it was only a matter of time before someone tossed European folk music into the mix.

Canada’s The Dreadnoughts, founded in 1997, may just be the best gypsy punk band since Gogol Bordello (look ‘em up). On Polka’s Not Dead, their third full length, the band has created quite possibly the genre’s greatest excuse for mainstream acceptance. I am not delusional enough to think that the same music-downloading public that willingly embraces sonic drek like Justin Beiber and Ke$ha will suddenly wake up one morning and discover the merits of the real musicianship and clever lyricism of a band like The Dreadoughts. But a boy can dream, right?.

Polka’s Not Dead is 13 tracks of punk rock’s ferocious energy played on traditional folk instruments like mandolins, violas, accordions and tin whistles, delivered with raspy vocals that would have the guys in Rancid giving a heavilytattooed thumb’s up. Not a single weak song in THE DECEMBERISTS – THE KING IS DEAD (Capitol) the bunch. Long live the punk rock gypsies.

Indie-rockers get the folk out DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS – GO-GO BOOTS (ATO) The Big To-Do’s laid-back, whiskey-drenched afterparty JL: Many things can be (and have been) said about the Drive-By Truckers over the years, but let it never be said that this Southern rock band is a one-trick pony. As a follow-up to the tight-knit rock sound showcased on last year’s The Big ToDo, Go-Go Boots is less of a departure and more of an integration of the Muscle Shoals sound that made its home, and namesake, in the region of Alabama that core songwriters Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley grew up in.

Hood, one of the most prolific songwriters out there, offers up absolutely no filler this go-round, book-ending the album with two of the best songs he’s written to date– the jangly “I Do Believe” and the devoted rock ballad “Mercy Buckets.”

Cooley, ever the creative lyricist, brings heart and wit to his contributions, with lines like, “I think about you when I can/ and sometimes when I don’t, I probably should.” Bassist Shonna Tucker provides beautiful vocals on “Where’s Eddie,” one of many tracks that show off the soul roots of the Truckers’ sound that were heard last when serving as back-up band to the great Bettye LaVette.

Whereas earlier releases displayed underlying themes that weaved the albums together, the cohesiveness of Go-Go Boots thrives more on the atmosphere that the songs create. The ferocity of the Truckers live attack is pulled back, allowing a layer of musicianship that can sometimes be overlooked. The pedal steel of John Neff and the keyboard work of Jay Gonzalez shine through beautifully, but never once does it feel bogged down, even when the tempo is a little more laid back. What it all amounts to is not only one of the Truckers’ strongest albums, but it could very well be the early front-runner for Album of the Year.

JL: Buyer beware: If the 12-minute, s w e e p i n g , vocabularyheavy epics that populate the high watermarks of the Decemberists’ back catalog is what floats your boat, be prepared for a shocking development.

Clocking in at under 50 minutes, The King is Dead may seem like just an appetizer compared to the cinematic scope of albums like The Crane Wife or The Hazards of Love. But don’t be fooled into thinking you’ve been sold short. Without a doubt, Colin Meloy and company have hit a new high point, bringing a concise focus to their eclectic craftsmanship.

Highlights include the first single, “Down By The Water,” which not only shows off Meloy’s signature wordplay, but also includes the unmistakable guitar work of R.E.M.’s Peter Buck as well as strong, beautiful harmonizing from Americana sweetheart Gillian Welch, who lends her voice to the majority of the tracks on the album. The influence of Buck is also evident in “Calamity Song,” which from the beginning sounds like it could have been included on Murmur or Reckoning. The country leanings of “Rise to Me” and “All Arise!” harken back to the type of rock writing that have given Robbie Robertson and the Band such an iconic status.

If there is anything bold or daring about The King is Dead, it might just be that it is not what fans were expecting. In this case, the pay-off is the fact that the songs are so good, the hesitation some fans might feel when hearing the fiddles and banjos that accent the roots-laden soundscape will be calmed. It’s a gamble that leaves yet more musical ideas to be explored while keeping all of the elements that make the Decemberists so good in tact. GRADE: B

BASTARDS OF MELODY – HURRY UP AND WAIT (FDR) A brilliant, long-gestating follow-up JM: It’s no coincidence that New York’s Bastards of Melody have nicked a Replacements song (and paraphrased it a bit) for their moniker. The band, though a bit more pop than most of The Mats’ efforts, still draws heavy influence from Paul Westerberg and the boys from Minneapolis. Together for more than 15 years, the band is stepped in strong harmonies, sharp hooks and…well, great melodies. Hurry Up and Wait, the band’s fourth effort, builds on the brilliant foundation created decade ago by everyone from Cheap Trick and Superdarg to Material Issue and even the Smoking Popes. At just nine tracks, the only thing disappointing about this latest release is the length. Although the record has a few stand out tracks like “Dream Jeannine” and “Flunkin’ Out” (a tune even Brain Wilson would be proud enough to call his own), there is not a single song on the album that doesn’t deserve to be there; from start to finish, the it’s near pop rock perfection. With seven long years between their last record and Hurry Up and Wait, let’s just hope the bastards don’t keep us waiting this long again. GRADE: B+ DAVID ALLEN COE – DAC’S BACK (1617 Virtual/DAC Records) The notorious country outlaw’s inconsistent return JL: Who hasn’t heard David Allan Coe’s name by this time, if only sung in the line of “You Never Even Call Me By My Name” at a karaoke bar? With a life of hard living, and a catalog of great country tunes that span numerous decades, there is no doubting David Allan Coe’s legacy as an unapologetic rebel. Originally released independently several months back, DAC’s Back is a 20-song cycle that highlights new jukeboxready songs of honky tonk heartbreak, but the biggest heartbreak of all is the mediocre results.

The leadoff track, “Free My Mind”, will have you wincing as Coe raps (yes, he raps) through more name drops than any Lil Wayne tune. Of course, DAC is no Weezy, with lines like, “I ain’t broke but I ain’t rich./ I call women ‘honey’, not ‘ho’ or bitch.” Is this a novelty song? Come on, dude. You’re David Allan Coe not Ray Stevens.

“Drinking Her Off My Mind” is a strong basis for any country song, but blame production value and overbearing Casio-style steel drums for turning this into a calypso/country mash-up that even Jimmy Buffett would draw back from. It takes about half the album for Coe to fall into pocket.

“The Price We’ll Have to Pay” has the perfect mix of Southern Rock flourishes and pedal steel moan.

“He’s Taking it Hard, She’s Taking It Easy” and “Rings Around Rosie” show that when Coe acts his age, he is unbeatable at penning the country ballads.

Even in the new era of Rascal Flatts and Lady Antebellum, names like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson are still met with the highest respect from the Country community.

David Allan Coe demands the same respect, but he doesn’t have to try so damn hard. The best persuasion he can offer is not found in the outlandish outlaw persona; it’s in songs that he sings. GRADE: C

FILM

DIVING DANGER!

Sanctum’s Writer/Producer Andrew Wight Sits Down with INsite

BY MARCI MILLER

T

HE 3D ACTIONTHRILLER SANCTUM, from executive producer James Cameron, follows a team of underwater cave divers on a treacherous expedition to the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth. When a tropical storm forces them deep into the caverns, they must fight raging water, deadly terrain and creeping panic as they search for an unknown escape route to the sea. We recently had an exclusive first look of this new film at the SANCTUM 3D Mobile Experience, which was parked at Atlantic Station. This national tour was hosted by SANCTUM writer/ producer Andrew Wight.

Andrew Wight is an underwater explorer and filmmaker who has produced more than 45 films, including television documentaries, live television specials and 3D IMAX films. He has produced all of James Cameron’s 3D IMAX films and television specials including Ghosts of the Abyss, Expedition: Bismarck, Aliens of the Deep and Last Mysteries of the Titanic.

We had the chance to speak to Andrew Wight while in town promoting the film, which opens in theatres nationwide on February 4.

What can audiences expect to see when SANCTUM opens on February 4?

They are going to see a real, intense thriller, an action thriller. And what’s interesting about the story, it’s an emotional journey. At the heart of it is this father/son story and it’s a coming of age…the young boy in the course of the movie becomes a man and reconciles with his father. And there is a whole

bunch of stuff they’ve got to deal with. Not just their own survival but their own personal journey together. And that is what makes it an entertaining movie. On one level, lots of action and adventure stuff happening, but it’s a really intense story as well.

You actually were trapped in a cave while diving and based the film on that experience, tell us about that.

I was leading a cave diving expedition and we had a freak storm on the last day of the expedition and it flooded the cave, collapsed it and trapped 15 of us below ground for two days. So the ensuing struggle to survive and explore a way out is where the whole inspiration for this story came about. That’s what really fascinated me afterwards…I thought “Gee, it’s what goes on between the people in their struggle to survive and get out of their predicament which is the interesting part.”

When you were trapped, did people in the group take on different roles?

Absolutely. Some people shut down and then there were others who were very focused and said, “this is what we are going to do….” And its no longer a democracy, survival depends on doing certain things. When it’s a real situation, decisions are life and death. If you mess up, someone may die.

We know that filming in water can be treacherous, how hard was it to make this film?

It was a nightmare, but a pleasant one. I’ve always worked with water, I’ve got a farming background… irrigation pumps, moving water, no big deal.

Underwater, I’ve done that all my life too. So in the elements, I didn’t see any technical challenges…I

was very comfortable with it. The people that were not comfortable with it were the studio and the insurance companies and they kept saying “Oh my god, there is all this water” and “Every movie that’s had this much water was a disaster” and it took me a long to time to convince them that I knew what I was doing and it wasn’t going to be a problem.

Overall, there was no major disaster. We were very well planned out and well executed and so it became less of a problem than dealing with the humans on the set which is always the biggest challenge.

In the press notes, it says that cave divers go diving to relax, can you explain that?

It’s just a surreal, serene world. To describe it to people, they think your nuts. Its dark, its quiet its crystal clear water and you get this sensation of weightlessness and flight. And some may say “I don’t get it”, which is half the reason for making the movie as we put you in a seat, your not going to have to get wet, your not going to have to risk your life, and in 3D and the way the story unfolds, you can get as close to having that experience without having gone there and that to me is what in part this film is all about.

How does the 3D in this film add to the movie?

People are kind of pondering is 3D necessary, does it work? If you don’t notice the 3D, it’s working. Some people use it shamelessly, it’s just a gimmick. But its like when we went from black and white to color…the whole idea of color was to create the natural world as we see it…3D is a refinement of that same process. Those who don’t understand it are presenting films that are clumsily made like in the early days of color. But when

it’s done well, it shouldn’t draw attention to itself, its still about the story. Sanctum is either a cool story or its not. In 3D, it will be a more intense and satisfying experience.

What’s it been like collaborating with James Cameron?

Everyone wants to hear some horrible story. I’ve always enjoyed working with Jim, I think there are two kinds of people that work with Jim…those who can and those who can’t. And, he can be very intense, very focused, a perfectionist and he makes really cool and great movies. Who doesn’t want to be on that team? I enjoy working with new technology and pushing the boundaries and he’s been a great collaborator. And we’re good friends and enjoy doing stuff together. On SANCTUM, he’s been fantastic and a great guiding hand to help put out a great movie.

LOCAL

ART À LA CARTE College Night at the High

T

HE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART will be THE visual experimentation. In the High’s Greene Family hot spot for college students on Saturday, Education Center, students can also take part in Make February 26, from 7 p.m. to 12 midnight. This it and Take It. This is an activity for both artists and year’s theme, Art à la Carte, is hosted in collaboration collectors. After creating your own masterpiece, you’ll be with the museum’s newest exhibition, invited to hang it in the temporary gallery.

“Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern you’ve completed your creation, you STUDENTS WILL HAVE Once Century.” Cartier-Bresson called the can then peruse the walls for something TO OPPORTUNITY minute he chose what to photograph you’re interested in taking home with you – the decisive moment. On this evening, TO HAVE THEIR OWN and just take it!

When you’re ready to explore the art, students will have to opportunity to DECISIVE MOMENTS, “Henri have their own decisive moments, as Cartier-Bresson” is the newest AS THEY ORDER UP addition to the galleries. Cartier-Bresson they order up their own College Night experience. Break dancers? They’ll have THEIR OWN COLLEGE is known as the father of modern photo them. Experimental jazz music? Check NIGHT EXPERIENCE. journalism for capturing the world on film in ways never before seen. From the streets that off the list. Automatic drawing? Yup, BREAK DANCERS? you’ll find that too. of post-World War II Europe to the Chinese THEY’LL HAVE THEM. Revolution in Shanghai, the exhibition Featured performers include the b-boys and b-girls of Burn Unit who features more than 250 iconic photographs.

EXPERIMENTAL on view is “Toulouse-Lautrec and will break to a live soundtrack by JAZZ MUSIC? CHECK Also DJ Heart Disease, followed by live Friends.” From Cancan dancers at the Moulin THAT OFF THE music by Roman Photos. Throughout Rouge and the decent world of Montmartre the galleries will be additional to advertising posters for rowdy cabarets, LIST. AUTOMATIC performances by experimental jazz trio Toulouse-Lautrec created some of the DRAWING? YUP, dp3; improvisational pianist by Audy world’s most recognizable images of turnYOU’LL FIND Maxineau; new and comical remixes of of-the-century Paris. The exhibition features old favorites performed by Tessia and more than 80 prints and lithographs, THAT TOO. including works by Degas and Gauguin. the Tess-etts; and singing, chanting and shadow theatre by UNICORN FIELDS (featuring Admission to College Night is $7 for students with members of The Back Pockets).

I.D. and free for those with a High Museum of Art For those seeking a more interactive experience, Craig Dongoski and Stuart Gerber will present Gestural Static, Student Membership. Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.high.org or at the event. Advance a collaborative audience performance employing the purchase is recommended. writing of one’s signature as base material for aural and PG 21 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

FILM

LOVE RULES

LAYING DOWN THE LAW Why Oscar-Winner Kathy Bates Made the Move to TV with Harry’s Law

BY B. LOVE

M

Ashton Kutcher Educates us on Making Love with No Strings Attached

BY JENNI WILLIAMS

A

CCORDING TO MOVIEMAKERS LIKE Ivan Rietman (Ghostbusters) of this year’s romcom No Strings Attached, the real love stories these days are best derived from that non-committal mentality—getting together without any thought for the future or the expectation of getting emotionally ensnared.

It’s evolution is obvious—with the world comfortable in its techie-style communication habits and limited face time if they can help it, it’s a wonder romance even exists at all. But the truth is, it does. It just may be a little bit harder to get to and a little harder to admit when found. But no matter the avenue it takes to discover it, people still like seeing love stories played out; so in an effort to stay relative, the newest line of romance flicks takes a turn.

Evoking the best in friends-with-benefits relationships, Ashton Kutcher teams up with the aforementioned Reitman two years into a project about close friends toying with another level of intimacy, without the next level of commitment. Kutcher, taking a leave from the usual outlandish pranks we know him for, showcases his acting talents as a lovable best friend trying out sex with a pal instead of pursuing a real love interest and trying to prove his comfort zone has not potentially revealed the risk of falling in love. Starring alongside Natalie Portman (in her first, authentic romantic comedy) and directed by Reitman, Kutcher comes into his own, pushing past his superficial Valentine’s Day role into a commendable heartache chraracter.

We won’t spoil the movie (if you refuse to believe the predictability yourself), but what I can say is that we were surprised how well done it was. In a world that’s sick of the happy ending, No Strings Attached throws you for a loop, reaches deep into your heartstrings and plays the absolute hell out of them. With humor, candor and the best in 20-somethings love, this story offers a fresh account on the (not so generic) love story. Screenwriter Liz Meriweather suggests that a new society requires new rules, all the while reminding its players that a new game doesn’t necessarily offer any mercy at the end.

We sat down with Kutcher to hear what really goes through the minds of the ones playing these defiantly lovestruck characters, and how you keep a straight face through so much fake sex.

How do you translate romance this day in age?

Oh man. (laughs) It’s really hard to say. You know I think that romance sort of coincides with effort, so, you know, you can fall flat on your face, but as long as you’re making great effort, I think it comes off as romantic. It can be something as simple as like if you’re someone who doesn’t cook you, you know, make a meal. Or, you know, it’s anything that has a little bit of vulnerability in it and requires great effort. So I think for me, I’m a little bit of a workaholic and I was like in a different country and I had one day off and I flew from that different country just to see someone for an hour and then turn around and go back.

Do you think its possible to mix friendship with sex and really leave out the feelings?

I wouldn’t know. (laughs) I haven’t been fortunate enough to try one of those relationships out. So, (laughs) you know I really think that whoever you’re with ultimately needs to be your friend. So all the really successful, happy relationships that I know of, the people that are together are friends anyway. I don’t know that sex always has to have feelings, but I think friendship always does and so if you’re friends, you’re going to have feelings of some sort, some layer, some level of like a deeper feeling. So I don’t know that it’s completely possible.

PG 22 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

This being Natalie’s first romantic comedy, how did you guys make that work?

Make it work? I’ve learned more from Natalie in like one day of being on the set together than I could ever possibly teach her in a billion years. And I think, you know, she may not have done a romcom before, but she’s done so much work on so many different levels of, I mean, I even watched like Garden State, that’s like comedic in and of itself, but also is like true specific organic performances. And I don’t know that there is anything I can really teach her.

We heard you kind of gave her a hard time?

It was mostly height jokes and then she would get very upset with me. She looks like my child when we stand next to each other. (laughs) I asked her if she could reach the pedals in the car one day. That didn’t go over very well. (laughs) Given the subject matter, there’s obviously a lot of sex scenes… Does it ever get easier to shoot?

I was wearing sweat pants. (laughs) I think you’re sort of always waiting, wondering when the word cut is going to be said when you’re doing a scene. Like you’re there and you’re doing the scene and you’re always sort of like okay are they going to cut it, (laughs) how far are we taking this or are they going to cold cut. And so I think it’s always that like, and it was sort of technical too, you know, Ivan comes back in, he’s like I think you need to orgasm sooner. (laughs) You know and it’s like - - and so you’re trying to like, you know, like your male machismo is like no, no, no, it’s gonna take me much longer than this. (laughs) But, you know, and I’m sure like every actor says it’s always very technical because you’re trying to like show each other’s faces, but yet, you know, stay in the moment it’s so, it’s always slightly more complicated than it is in real life.

Do you have parameters? How do you approach it? Is it embarrassing still?

I just start by apologizing, like the first night, you know, you sort of like try to set like some, you know, ground rules to just apologize for like I think somebody told me and I’m not sure who the actor was, I think it was like Sir Lawrence Olivier said something like, something to the effect like I apologize if I get aroused and I apologize if I do not get aroused. (laughs) And you have to say it with the accent if you’re going to do it, but there’s sort of always that kind of like awkward state of like, you know, is this okay, is that okay and then, yeah, and then in between it’s like let’s act like nothing happened and, you know, and then you see how good of an actor you really are. (laughs) With an R-rating, you’d think we see more skin… when, in fact, we don’t. What’s the deal?

We made an honest movie. I mean and unfortunately if you make an honest movie today it’s rated R. And it is. (laughs) Did you relate to this guy at all?

You know I think my character is sort of in some ways trying to validate his own self and his career and I think that, you know, sort of all the elements of like the relationship with a father and, you know, I think that you always find like personal threads that you can relate to, like coming off of a really bad break up, right? And where that leads you from a relationship position, right? Like I don’t want to be involved, I don’t want to have a relationship, I’m done with relationships, you know, so I think that like there are things like that that you can find that you relate to that you plug into that you can connect to as a person. And I think that my character is really lucky to find someone in the other character that connects and so I think I have that in common with my character.

ISERY. FRIED GREEN Tomatoes. Titanic. With Kathy Bates’ stories resume, there’s little to suggest that she’d become the latest Hollywood actress to make the move to prime time television. But, after a scene-stealing turn as the no-nonsense boss of the company that bought out Dunder-Mifflin on The Office last year, perhaps it was inevitable that NBC would sign the 62-year-old Tennessee native to a TV deal. Here, Kathy Bates talks about what attracted her to Harry’s Law, why she loves creator David E. Kelly’s skewed perspective, and which of her characters she gets recognized for the most.

How does the role of Harry challenge you after playing such great characters on film?

I got the script last spring and was immediately attracted to this wonderful character who’s rumpled, disillusioned and confused about her life. I understand the role was originally written for a man. At one point, they changed the name to Harriet and I said, “No, no, no, you can’t change it. It has to be Harry!”

I wanted it to be still this woman who’s very forceful and eccentric and loveable at the same time. She has a hard time showing her love to people, and she doesn’t quite understand people who are bright and sunny.

What is it about David Kelley’s writing that you like?

What I like is that it’s what I call contra-puddle. It’s in the middle of a gang scene where the tension is running high and Harry’s trying to get them to calm down, but they all want to kill each other. There’s a moment where they’ve been given name tags by the little girl in the office so they can keep everybody straight. That in and of itself just tells me so much about David’s eccentricity. The way he crafts his characters I find so interesting and so full of life and reality.

What’s challenging for you about playing a character over a course of many episodes versus when you do a movie?

We get a new director coming in once every eight days. There’s no time to really get to know each other, so you really hit the ground running with different people with different ways of approaching the material… and some who are better at talking to actors than others!

Is it challenging playing a character like this, where you might learn something about her in Episode 5 that you didn’t know maybe when you started the series?

Yes, it is a little bit Woody Allen-esque sometimes.

You never know what the next script is going to hold and where David might be taking the character. Sometimes it’s a big surprise and an adjustment getting used to that and moving forward.

What has being on The Office been like for you?

I’ve really enjoyed working there. It’s a different type of show. Obviously it’s run in a mockumentary-style format, so it’s all hand-held and very fast. My main joy over there has been to watch people like Steve Carell and the other regulars who’ve made the show such a hit work, and watch how they do comedy. I’ve been trying to really take big notes from them. And it’s such a wonderful, expansive part to play there. Oddly enough, when we shot the pilot for Harry’s Law I was shooting The Office at the same time. It was fun to do both characters back to back.

Why the decision to start taking on a regular series role?

I just fell in love with the character. I don’t think I was even thinking about television, per se. I was thinking about what a wonderful character this was and how it fit me like a glove. I couldn’t wait to get to work on her. She has a wonderful sense of humor and I’m hoping that will be something that the audience enjoys. I also think Harriet’s at a very timely juncture in her life, having just lost her job and having to start over. I think in today’s economy there are a lot of people Harriet’s age who can relate to that. I imagine

if they have the time between their two jobs they’re working to sit down and watch a TV show, this would be the one for them.

Is jumping between comedy and drama an easy gear for you to shift?

The funnier Harry is, the better I like it, although there are some wonderful dramatic moments as well. I love having both those elements in the show. Without it I think the character would be a bit lopsided.

Can you tell us how you as a person are most like Harry and how are you most different?

In my private life I’m probably just as curmudgeonly as Harry, that’s for sure. I share her disillusionment at times with this crazy business and her upfront honesty with people. She has a very irreverent sense of humor and she tells it like it is. She’s got a lot of youngsters around her and finds their shenanigans– falling in and out of love so quickly– insane, which I do, too. Sometimes I think David’s been doing background research on me, because I’ll read a new script and I’ll say, “How does he know I felt that way?!” I worked with Marcello Mastroianni many years ago and he said as a young man you want to pile on the masks and play a lot of different characters. As you get older, you want to remove those masks and just play yourself.

Have your feelings on the legal profession changed since playing Harry?

In some of the cold cases, it makes me realize how tenuous the law is for detectives to get involved with the case to begin with. There are legalities surrounding whether or not they can get involved, and it’s amazing how many cases slip through the cracks. The morass of legality, red tape and bureaucracy is just mindblowing to me.

How does a boomer mentality play into your character?

I think Harry evolves to realize how grateful she is to be under her own steam– to be her own employer, to have a job she finally believes in and to have something that has awakened her heart in a way that she never expected before. I think that she finds herself in that situation after having been fired is a lovely thing.

You’ve played so many different characters. Can you talk about a couple that you get recognized for the most and how they compare to Harry?

I’ll never be able to duck the sledgehammer jokes [from Misery], but I don’t think she really compares to Harry at all. That’s what I love about Harry: Even though David says she’s a card-carrying curmudgeon, she’s the most normal character I’ve ever played. She hasn’t got any particular afflictions. She’s not psychotic. It’s wonderful for me to play an unglamorous, rumpled, befuddled curmudgeon. I just love her!

MUSIC

QUE DAY

A New Year and a New Outlook for the Former Day 26 Member

BY MICHAEL MAHON

Q

UE, THE YOUNGEST MEMBER OF Bad Boy group Day 26, was everyone’s favorite problem child on the final season of MTV’s Making the Band series. We saw breakdowns, tears, and fists through 20 drama filled episodes in season 3 and it seemed like Que was in middle of it every time, so, it didn’t come as much of a surprise that he was handed his walking papers not too long after the group released their sophomore effort, Forever in a Day, in 2009. What would make most artist stumble has been seen as a blessing by the mislabeled singer, who has returned to the scene as solo artist intent on doing things his way this time.

How does it feel to be a solo artist now?

It feels very, very good and I’m very happy. I’m in a happy place in my life. I’m at the best possible place I can be at in my life right now. Not taking anything away from being in the group, but it’s easier when it’s one person.

Why was it important for you to come out and announce yourself as a solo artist right now?

Well I didn’t ask to be a solo artist, I actually still wanted to be in the group, so, I didn’t ask for this situation. I think God kind of just planned this out the way he wanted it. I’m not really putting anything big out yet, but I just released a mixtape called Guitar-Her. I want to be a solo artist, but for right now I’m just going with the flow of things. I didn’t expect it to be as big as it is and for people to start talking about it. I just decided to release it because of my dismissal from Day

26. It’s not like anything was planned, it’s just me doing what I do.

Do you still work with Dawn and can fans expect to hear some collaboration between the two of you?

I still work with Dawn. Me and Dawn are like best friends and I love that girl, but I would really love to work with her on my album. Of course she’s with Dirty Money and doing her business , but I would love to work with and that’s why I put her on the mixtape because I know a lot of people be hating and they don’t get to know that this sister can really sing.

How is the sound on this new music compared to material that you did when you were in the group?

To me it sounds more soulful and fulfilling. When you listen to it it’s just more heartfelt because if you’re in a good mood you can write a good song, but when you’re in bad mood you don’t get that same effect. My music has always sounded like that, but I guess people didn’t know that because of how the group didn’t want to listen to anything that I had to say. I’ve been on that level as far as writing and stuff, but I don’t think people ever got a chance to see it.

How does it feel to have the constraints of the group lifted off you and be able to show off all of your creativity?

It really feels great. I feel happy and I feel free.

Every artist wants to be respected as an artist and be respected for their gift, so, I feel the burden is off my chest and it feels good. Not taking anything away from the group again, but it does feel good having your say and having it respected.

I’M IN A HAPPY PLACE IN MY LIFE. I’M AT THE BEST POSSIBLE PLACE I CAN BE AT IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW.

How do you feel about how the mixtape, Guitar-Her, has been received so far?

I’m excited. The critics and the fans have been taking to it very well. They’ve been giving me positive feedback through my twitter account and everybody has been sending me tweets about how they love the mixtape. I feel mad happy and in a positive place because people are liking it. I’m just humbled and excited that my career is finally taking off.

What’s your label situation like right now?

I’m not signed to any major record label. I got my release from Atlantic/Bad Boy back when Day 26 sent the letter in the mail, so, I’m just doing everything independent. I’m in free agent mode.

Are you looking for that big major deal, or are you comfortable staying independent for right now?

I would love a major record label deal, but again my mind is so free right now because I’m at a place where I feel like I’m doing everything independently and I feel in control of my product. It feels good and if a re-

cord label didn’t want to offer me something like that I would rather stay where I’m at because I’m happy.

What about your thoughts on releasing a solo debut album?

It’s all still in the works because I haven’t talked to anybody major yet. I’ve just been doing everything underground. Even though I came from such a huge platform in Day 26, I’m still starting all over right now and reinventing myself because I don’t want anybody remembering me as Que from Day 26.

What’s it like trying to change the way people perceive you?

It’s not hard because I really don’t care what people have to say about me. I’m a pretty strong minded individual, so, it’s not working against me.

I just want people to respect the gift. I don’t care what people have to say of me as a person, or what they think of me because I know a lot of people who do actually know me and love me. I just want people to respect the gift and respect the talent and just give credit where credit is due.

HOME VIDEO’S STUNNING PROCESS The Brooklyn Duo Captivate An Audience Far Too Small

BY MATT CONNER

D

AVID GROSS WON’T SAY IT, SO I’LL SAY IT FOR HIM. Home Video’s latest got lost in the tsunami known as Year End Lists, and it’s a shame since The Automatic Process sparkles, shines, builds and broods in all the right places.

The New Orleans-turned-Brooklyn duo of Gross and longtime friend and band mate Collin Ruffino (and unofficial drummer Jim Orso) have plied their trade since high school, and it’s the chemistry that longevity brings that makes The Automatic Process such an intensely interesting yet effortless listen. Unfortunately, early Warp Records releases and tours with Blonde Redhead, Yeasayer, Flying Lotus and others haven’t broken Home Video through to the mainstream.

Given enough time, however, the band should rise to the surface and it will be because of releases like The Automatic Process along the way.

Gross is content to leave the public response alone since he can’t control it. Besides, he’s too busy obsessing over the music to have time to worry about anything else.

I caught onto the band through some of the earlier EPs and really enjoyed where you landed on It Will Be Ok. With The Automatic Process and the shift that comes with it, I’m curious if the songwriting method

shifted in the same way or whether you enter the same zone of sorts no matter when or what you write?

I think we entered the same kind of zone, especially when the songs are so young. It’s a similar flow where we’ll usually start with a beat and then throw a chord progression on that. Then if it’s inspiring either of us enough, we’ll just keep going and adding stuff and eventually we’ll lay some vocals down and restructure or what have you. I think the difference for us this time is that we were willing to let that process go on a lot longer, so we ended up adding a lot more stuff. We ended up adding a lot more experimentation and instrumentation.

Was that a purposeful move?

I think we wanted it. I think our tastes had grown and we were listening to other stuff. We were absorbing different things and looking back and hearing how stripped down our early stuff was. Not that it’s bad, but I think it was just the natural thing we wanted to do. It was just a product of what we were both hearing.

So what were you absorbing that’s so different?

When we were starting this album, it was a lot of Blonde Redhead. It was a lot of stuff like that — lusher, thicker. LCD Soundsystem as well and they way they use pianos. I think our ability as producers also improved a lot, too, so we didn’t have the production limitation that we had in the early days when it was just the synth and laptop and a mic.

When you allow for more time for the songs to process, what do you find happens to your art in that way?

We get to be really perfectionist about all of it, for better or for worse.

For the new stuff going forward, I think we’re going to try to limit the time — not our tools, but the time, and just see what would happen. These songs were mostly written over years and some of them started as rough sketches before the first album was released. The next step for us will be to do what every other band does, which is to give yourself six months, write a batch of songs and see if they work together. Then we’ll be using the same tools for every song and you’re channeling the same influences.

Is there a song in particular on the new album that you went back and forth over?

I know that “No Relief” was one of the older ones — the second to last song on the album. I loved it when we first had a rough demo of it and somewhere between then and when we were preparing the tracks for release, Collin made a new version of that song. He’d been DJing at a club in Chelsea and he’d mash it up with a Daft Punk beat, so he wanted to change the beat when it came down to it and it didn’t sound right to me.

We ended up picking a few elements of a new beat and layering on top of the original beat, which I still believe is so strong and powerful. Now it sounds like a remix.

You’ve been together a lot longer than just Home Video, right?

Yes, this project has been about six or seven years, but we started when we were seniors in high school and carried on while we were in college off and on during summer or winter break. But intensely, we’ve been working on Home Video for six or seven years.

When you’ve been together for so long, what does that longevity allow you to do in the last couple of years?

Well, we definitely have a really good flow that has developed over the years. When you know someone so well, you finish each other’s sentences. I think we definitely have some of that in the studio. That can make things way easier, because there are so many things where we’re so attuned to each other and what our creative impulses are that never need to be discussed. If you’re starting over with someone, you have to establish everything. Every single little thing can be a sticking point and we can take that for granted. We really do have a lot in common as far as our ears go and where we’d want to take a song. That’s something that definitely gets better over time.

You just went through the release process for The Automatic Process before the holidays. How were you during that season?

It can be nervewracking if you let it be. I try not to pay too much attention. The album’s gonna have the impact that it’s gonna have. All we can do is do our best at this point and support it as best as we can. It’s definitely a roller coaster ride of hope and disappointment and then more hope. You get good feedback and bad feedback. Certain people are out there helping to spread the word, so that always helps. You just focus on those things and building toward the next thing.

PG 23 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

TRAVEL TRAVEL

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Best of all you can grab a ������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������ hottest clubs, you can see why PCB is the Spring ��������������������������������������������� Break ������������������������������� cocktail and go directly to the ������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������� ���������������������� Capital of the World. ������������������������������������������������������������ beach, the pool, or straight to your room! No need to drive ����������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������� Montego Bay and Negril are the two hottest areas for to �������������������������������������������������������� Spring Break in Panama City Beach is what it's supposed anywhere! And there is no waiting in line for Sandpiper ������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������� Spring Beak. Most flights into Jamaica fly into Montego Bay, be; good times on a beautiful beach, great entertainment ������� guests. ���������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������� so if you don’t want to drive, you should plan your vacation from the hottest new bands in the nation, being surrounded �������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������� Make sure you try one of the all natural frozen daiquiris! ������������������������������������������������������������ ����������������������������������������������������������� here. Aside from the breathtaking beaches, Mo’ Bay offers a ����������������������������������������� there by your peers from all over the country and of course �������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������� The expert bartenders at the Tiki will blend only the freshest ������������������������������������������������������������ �������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������ jumping nightlife; bars and live are the parties and creating the memories that make the col- ��������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������� fruits and other ingredients in making the tastiest strawberry, ������������������������������������������� ������������� ���������������������������������������� reggae bands. lege years the best years of your life. ���������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� peach, banana, pina colada, margarita daiquiris found any�������������������������������������������� �������������������������������� If you’re looking for fun in the ���������������������������������������������������������� are served in a souvenir Hurricane where.

As a bonus, they �������������������� ������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������� sun, you’ll find it in Negril. The ����������������������������� Glass that you can take home! ���������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������� ������������������������ bow-shaped town hugs the www.sandpiperbeacon.com www.sandpiperbeacon.com 800.488.8828 ������������������������������������������� 800.488.8828 ������������������������� ����������������������������� Sharky’s www.sharkysbeach.com Seven Mile Beach, the longest Sharky’s www.sharkysbeach.com www.springbreakfunplace.com www.springbreakfunplace.com ����������������������������������������� ����������������������������� ���������������������������������������� continuous stretch of powdery ����������������������������������������������������������� Walk right off the beach and sit down to a plate of chilled ������������������������������������ ������������������������������� ����������������������������������� shore in Jamaica. There’s also ��������������������������������������������������������� raw oysters, a great burger, or delicious po-boy sandwich ���������������������������������� ������������������������������������� �������������������������������������� all-night dancing at local clubs. ���������������������������������������������������������� while sipping a Shark Attack hurricane and watching one of �������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������ ����������������������������������������������������������� the awesome sunsets. Sharky’s hosts an all day beach party ������������������������������������������ �������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������� every day with great music, games and contests with top���������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������� shelf prizes as well as giveaways & samples from corporate ���������������������������������������������������������� Warm white sand beaches, crystal indigo seas, world- class ������������������������������������������������������������ ���������������������������������������� ����������������������������������� sponsors. They also rent beach chairs, umbrellas, wave run- ��������������������������������� hotels, restaurants and nightlife ������������������������������������������������������������ �������������������������������������������� ners, parasailing rides, Dolphin tours, and more to help you ������������������������������ ������������������������������������������� make Cancun a perennial Spring ���������������������������������������� make the most of your day art the beach. ������������������������������������������� ������������������������������ �������������������������������������� Break favorite. Foam parties, ������������������������������� �������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������ bikini contests and beer splash Hammerhead Fred’s hammerheadfreds.com Hammerhead Fred’s hammerheadfreds.com ��������������������������� �������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������� pools are as common as sun����������������������� ����������������������������� A legend on Panama City ��������������������������������������� burns in Cancún in late-March Sandpiper Beacon Beach Resort ����������������������������������������� Sandpiper Beacon Beach Resort ��������������������� ���������������������������� Beach. From Ice-Cold and early-April. Cancun has ����������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������� Panama City Beach's most popular Spring Break Destination ������������������������������� Apalachicola Oysters to one-ofmore than 25,000 hotel rooms, ������������������������ ���������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� �������������������������������� ����������������������������� is, without a doubt the Sandpiper Beacon Beach Resort. The a-kind Seafood Dishes.

Kick back more visitors to Mexico draws ����������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������� ������������ ����������������������������� �������������������������������� resort features 1,000 feet of sugar white sand fronting the on the front deck and enjoy a than any other city and ranks as ������������������������������������������������������ �������������������������������������������� ������������������������������� ���������������������������������� ����������� ���������������������������������� emerald green waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Amenities frozen drink while listening to one of the biggest resort towns in ����������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������� ������������ ����������������� Lazy River �������������������������������� include outdoor pools, a heated indoor pool, the ���������������� the sounds of a steel� ������� drum band. the world. ������������������������� ������������������������������������ ���������������������������������������������� Ride, volleyball, karaoke ����������������������� ���������������� ����� flaFreds is local seafood....local �������������������� �������������������������������� and much, much more. ���������������������������������������� ������������ �������������������� vor. Whether your������� looking for a ������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������� The Sandpiper has 20 dif����������������������������������������� ��������������� ���� ����������������������� great��seafood dish or a great burger Fred's is the place. ���������������������� Spring Break in Georgia! ferent room types, all Spring Break in Georgia! ������������������������������������������ ������������ ������������������ ��������������� ����������������� www.spinnakerbeachclub.com Spinnaker budget friendly. ������������������������� Spinnaker www.spinnakerbeachclub.com ������������������������������������������� ����������������������� ����������� ���������������������������� The BioReserve is a river The Sandpiper is Panama ����������������������������� ���������������������������� ��������������������������������������� �������������������������� ��������� ����������������������������������� The club that started it all! and a marine estuary that is City Beach's central head��������������������������������� ������������������������� ����������������������� ������������������������������������������ ��������������� �������������� Here you will�find twenty bars in the Jewel in the Crown of quarters throughout the ������������������������������� ��������������������������� ������������������������ ������������������������������������������� one giant club complex. This is �������������������������������������������� Georgia's wild lands. While with Spring Break Season ����������������������������� ����������������������� ��������������������������� the home of huge daytime par����������������������������������������� open year round, Spring ������������������������������������������� special attractions, events ������������������������������� ��������������������������� �������������������� ties in the club and beachside. ������������������������������������������� comes to the Altamaha River ������������������������������������������� and sponsors such as ��������������������������������� �������������������������� ����������������������� There are nightly drink specials, Bioreserve in early March. ������������������������������������������ Red Bull, Corona Extra, ���������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������� ���������������������������� ������������������ daily bikini pageants and best leg 70 degree day time temperaClassmate USA, and ������������������������������ ������������������������������������������� �������������������������� ��������������������������������������� ������������������������ contests, great concerts, awetures are common along the ��������������������������� Australian Gold, just to ��������������������������������������������� ��������������������������� ����������������������������������������� ��������������������� some food from the Paradise banks of the lower Altamaha ���������������������������������������������������������� name a few. Make sure ���������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������� �������������������������� ������������������������������������������ Grill. Spinnaker also hosts Panama City Beach’s best con- ���������������������������������������������������������� near Darien Georgia. During this time of year one can see ��������������������������� you stay tuned to find out ������������������������������������������ �������������������������������������� Sandpiper Beacon Beach Resort Room Packages certs at their Rock Arena. alligators, otters and other animals warming in the sun. ��������������������������������������������������������� Sandpiper Beacon Beach Resort Room Packages ���������������������� ����������������������� �������� ���� ������������ �������� February and early March are the perfect time for camping Club La Vela www.clublavela.com Three Room Unit One Room Unit ����������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� ��������������������������������� Club La Vela www.clublavela.com OneSize Room Unit Three Room Unit with warm days and cool and nights. The Lewis Island Full Kitchen facilities����� incl micro King Beds Available ������������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������� �������������������������������������������� �� incl ���� ���� ����������������������������� King Size Beds Availableonly Kitchen facilities micro Natural Area, adjacent to the town of Darien, offers paddlers ������������������������������������������������������������ 1 Full bathroom Refrigerator / microwave As one of the largest night����������������������������� ����������������������������������� a rare tidal forest�������������������������������������������� containing among other trees, large bald Refrigerator / microwave only Rooms 1 bathroom ���������������������� ������������� ��� La ��� �� �� ���� �� ����������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������ up to 12 persons Up to 4 persons clubs in the country, Club ������������������������������ �������������������������� cypress, live oak and red����������������������������������� cedar. Thirteen miles from Darien ��� �������� ������ Up to 4 persons Rooms up to 12 persons ��������������������� ���������������� ������ ���������������������������������������������������������� in room set-up Two Vela has to continuously rein���������������������������������� the Altamaha flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Ride the tide Two in room set-up ��������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������� ��� ������������ ��������� stay on the cutting �������������������������������������������� vent itself to������������ Beachfront Villas One Room Unit Plus ������������������������������ through the marshes of McIntosh County to the remote ����������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������� Villas ����������������������������������������� OneSize Room Unit Plus edge of��������������������� entertainment and club ������������������������������������������ ����� ������������ �������������������������������� 2 Beachfront Bedrooms King Beds Available Explore the maritime forest, fresh water wetlands beaches. ������������������������������������������������� life.

In doing so, they add new 2 Bedrooms ������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������� King Size Beds Available ����������������������������� 2 1/2 Baths �� ������ ���������� ���� �������������� Full Kitchen facilities incl micro beaches of Blackbeard Island. and the bone-yard �������������������������������������������������������� theme rooms on a yearly basis 1/2 Baths FulltoKitchen facilities incl micro 2 2Private ������������������������������ ������������������������������������������ ����������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������� Balconies��� ���������������������� Up 6 Persons ���������������� Altamaha Coastal Tours (912-437-6010) or Altamaha.com is ���������������������������������������������������������� to its already huge arsenal of 2 Private Balconies ����������������������������� Up to 6 Persons Up to 10 Persons �������������������������������������������� �������������������������������� �� ������� ������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������� a complete outfitter with sea kayaks, recreational kayaks, ����������������������������������������������������������� onsite clubs all of which are Up to 10 Persons Large Beach Front ������������������������������������������ wo Room Unit T ��������������������������������������������� ���������� ��������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������ ������������������������������������������ canoes and bicycle rentals. Shuttles are offered to several ������������������������������������������������������������ located under one roof.

Club La Vela hosts the biggest and ������������������������������������������������������������� Large Beach Front Two Room Unitincl micro 60 Feet of Gulf View��������������� ���� �� ���� ������������� Full Kitchen facilities ����������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������� put-in sites, and day tours and overnight tours with experihottest contests on the beach. Be there as the most beautiful ��������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������ Feet of Gulf View Full Kitchen facilities incl micro 2 60 Bedroom 1��������������������������������������������� bathroom ������������������������������������������ ���������������������������������������� �� ���������������������� ������������ enced guides are available as well. Don’t wait for the heat to �������������������������������������������������������� Miss La people on the beach compete in The Panama Jack ���������������������������������������������������������� Bedroom 2 2Bath 1 bathroom in room set-up Two ���������������������������������������� enjoy the Golden������������������������������������������ Isles and Georgia’s World Class Natural �� ��� ����������������������� ����������� Vela Bikini Contests, The Wet N �������������������������������������� Wild Wet T-Shirt Contests, ������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������� 2 BathBalconies Private room set-up Two in up Rooms to 10 persons ������������������������������������������ Area - The Altamaha River BioReserve. ��������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������� ������������������������������������ or The Muscle & Fitness Male Hardbody Contests.

Private Balconies Rooms up to 10 persons ����������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������� ��������������������������������� ������������������������� ��� �������������� pring Break is the most momentous week of a student's ����������������������������������������������������� year.

An incredible time with great friends that will be �������������������������������������������������������� remembered forever. But in order to have those lifetime �������������������������������������������������������� memories, you have to be in the right place. INsite serves as ������������������������������������������������������������� your guide to some of the most popular Spring Break desti���������������������������������������������������������� nations from Atlanta. ���������������������

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DaytonaBeach Beach Daytona

Panama City City Beach Beach Panama

Jamaica Jamaica

Sandpiper SandpiperBeacon BeaconBeach BeachResort Resort

Cancun Cancun

Altamaha Bioreserve AltamahaRiver River Bioreserve

PG 26 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011 ����������������������������������������

MUSIC

YOU SAY GOODBYE, I SAY HELLO Cali-based Hellogoodbye Persists Despite Their Problems

BY JOHN B. MOORE

T

HANKS TO LABEL PROBLEMS AND a revolving cast of bandmates over the past few years, California-based pop-rock band Hellogoodbye had a rough time following up their 2006 debut full length.

Jump ahead four years and frontman Forrest Kline has managed to wedge shut that revolving door and found a stable lineup. As for the label situation, well, they just started their own. Kline and the band have just finished Would It Kill You, put out on their own Wasted Summer Records, and are now ready to share it with the world with plans to tour for most of 2011.

Kline spoke recently about the new record, the lineup changes and why they had to break off from their old label.

So, four year between full lengths… why so long?

Well, we put out a DVD, then toured relentlessly for about a year and a half, when it was time to settle back down and make a new record, Drive-Thru Records was in hot water and we had to start the almost two year process of getting out from underneath the label.

During that time and for about 6 months after, we sort of casually wrote, demoed, tracked, mixed and mastered the Would It Kill you record. I wish we could have started that process 6 months after our last record but the world had different plans (laughs).

With the lineup changes the band went through- were they all amicable?

Generally speaking, yeah. Everyone left for different reasons but the primary reason in all cases was just tour ware. We toured so much, flipped a van, got sick,

didn’t sleep, were cold and generally uncomfortable and unless you keep yourself focused on the positives of that life it can be hard to handle. I’ve had the good fortune of being able to reassess all those things and I have such an appreciation for being able to do what we do, and everyone in the band now, I’d say, has that mindset.

During that time did you ever think about scrapping the band entirely?

As in quitting? Do you think I should? (Laughs.)

Well sort of, I guess but not really. I had this record in my mind for a while and I knew I at least wanted to get it out to the world. I’m really proud to say that it represents me, so whatever happens here on out I’m not too bothered.

You alluded to this earlier, but why did you guys leave Drive-Thru?

The label started to go under basically, fired their staff stopped putting out records. To be honest I’m not sure how much I’m actually allowed to say, but basically we knew we wanted to have a say in our destiny and had to fight for that right.

Why did you decide to put this out on your own label, rather than just go to someone else?

We were jealous of all the other bands doing that (laughs) and also, I knew we had a particular record on our hands and wouldn’t wanna hear somebody else’s thoughts on it really. I sort of do hate talking about industry sort of stuff, but I think obviously things are changing and a lot of label situations just don’t make sense. I think you have to be realistic about how you’re going to operate, you can’t go around throwing money

at a million things and touring in a bus and thinking you’re gonna be U2, or if you’re U2 for a day, that it’ll last no matter what. We just wanna work for what we want. Also I’ve just always loved really intimate, handmade, close connection type of things.

Do you want to turn Wasted Summer into a proper label, signing other bands, etc.?

We’re not thinking about it right now really... but I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to it. I have a studio now; I’d love to produce things I believe in and if those things don’t have another means of being released I think we would have fun doing that. So it’s not out of the question.

How long have you been working on the songs from Would It Kill You? Some were first demoed shortly after we slowed

down from touring in 2008/2009. Just did them all one by one.

Do you think the band’s sound changed much since Zombies! Aliens!?

I guess it’s something people will have to judge for themselves, it was very natural to me. It was never much of a decision to change things up in any particular way. Objectively though, I’m sure the sound of the new record will surprise people, especially people who were maybe only familiar with stuff they heard on the radio or something.

So what’s next for the band?

A ton of touring! We’re gonna be out and about most of next year I think. I’m excited to play now, with our new record out, and have people know the songs! It’s been such a long time coming.

MASTER CRAFTSMEN

The Church Frontman Steve Kilbey On The Band’s 3-Decade History

BY JOHN B. MOORE

U

NLIKE THE CURRENT CROP OF ITunes singles-obsessed bands, The Church, one of Australia’s greatest musical exports, has always concentrated on churning out entire albums worth of solid music. From 80’s classics like Starfish up to their critically-adored 2009 effort Untitled #23, The Church have always sacrificed flash and fads for strong songwriting.

Thirty years into it, the band has reached that rare status shared by folks like Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed and Sonic Youth, where fans will turn out to hear entire classic albums played live in their entirety.

Dubbed the “Future Past Perfect Tour,” The Church will celebrate three decades of music by playing the albums Starfish, Priest=Aura and Untitled #23 in their entirety. The tour comes to the Variety Playhouse on Feb. 22. Frontman Steve Kilbey spoke with us recently about the tour, the band’s long running manifesto and why they nearly broke up several times in the past.

Three decades into this band, was there ever a point when you thought the band might break up?

There were many points at which the band seemed

like it might break up. Peter (Koppes) left a couple of times and came back; Marty (Willson-Piper) quit once in 1986 and came back; We have been drummer less a few times and even I myself have muttered about quitting, but my resignation was apparently never accepted.

So why do you think you’ve been able to stay together for so long when most bands don’t make it 10 years?

We have always very much respected each other as musicians and we have always pretty much realized that each member is irreplaceable. Also we have done many outside projects which have kept egos satisfied, plus we all write the songs together which promotes stability. Another factor is that we have never been huge enough for too much outside interference but we have always been able to eke a small living out of the band. Every year has had its hard times, but there was a period in the nineties just before the Internet took off when things seemed fairly gloomy for us, when it seemed we were just banging our heads against the metaphorical wall.

You continue to churn out great albums, but as a fan, I still have a great affinity for records like Starfish and Gold Afternoon Fix. Do you ever feel like you’d

rather not have to play some of your older songs like “Under the Milky Way” when you’re touring?

Of course as a musician and writer I prefer playing newer material but I don’t mind doing the older stuff either even (“Under the Milky Way”). It’s kinda expected I suppose and there are still some songs which seem relevant to today. I mean our songs aren’t about girls and cars; they are about things that still remain.

What can fans expect on this latest US tour? Will you be playing albums in their entirety?

Yes, we will be playing the three albums (Starfish, Priest=Aura and Untitled #23) in order and in their entirety trying to be as faithful to the originals as possible.

Obviously a lot has changed over the past 30 years.

Have you changed where you get inspiration from your songs or the topics you write about?

Strangely enough the topics and the inspiration remain the same: life, love, the marvelous in the mundane, etc., etc.

SecondMotion recently reissued some of your older albums. Are their plans for more reissues?

I suppose eventually we will re release everything and make it all available at some stage.

You are capping off your 30th anniversary at the Sydney Opera House in a few months. Does it feel like you’ve been doing this for that long?

Time is a strange thing isn’t it? Being in a band for 31 years now, sometimes it seems unreal; we’ve been in this band for more than half our lives, haven’t we?

Sometimes it feels like an eternity other times it feels like it’s flashed by in the twinkling of an eye...I dunno.

It does certainly seem like a long bloody time.

The band has been prolific when it comes to solo albums as well. How do you decide whether a song is

better suited for The Church or solo records? Do you initially write for one project or another?

Easy to answer: the band only writes songs together these days. Solo songs are for solo albums, band songs are for the band only.

What other plans does the band have in 2011?

For 2011? Well we’ve yet to finish off our latest recordings which will come out in 2012 I suppose and then I guess we’ll do the three album show in Australia maybe in Europe.

Any advice for other bands that envision a career as long as yours?

Well I mean who would put a band together and envision a 31 year career? We certainly never did, but if somebody really wanted that I would suggest that the band has a manifesto. The Church had a kind of unwritten manifesto that always guided us and that was a certain honesty and a certain adherence to high quality which necessitates a brutal examination of everything we do and consequent rejection of things that aren’t appropriate. You need to be friends but not to friendly and you need to be aware of the business side without getting TOO caught up in all the showbiz bullshit. Don’t believe all the good and bad things people will say and write about you either!

So how far are you into the follow up to Untitled #23?

We have a load of pieces of interesting bits of music to start shaping into songs. I’d say we’re about a third of the way into it and I guess it will be ready early 2012.

Anything else you would like to add?

We’ve been together 31 years. We no longer offer the chaotic hotpheadedness of youth, but we offer an unmistakable quality of master craftsmen who play with a kind of gestalt that can only come after much experience and much service in the field!

PG 27 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

SPORTS

THE NATURAL

Atlanta Braves Legend John Smoltz On The Greatest Moments of His Career

BY BRAD BINKLEY

J

OHN SMOLTZ WAS AN INTEGRAL part of the dominant Atlanta Braves pitching staffs of the ‘90s, a member of each of the Braves 14 consecutive divisional title teams, a Cy Young Award winner, and owner of a 1995 Atlanta Braves World Championship ring. So to call the future Hall of Famer’s baseball career “good” would be a massive understatement.

Smoltz put toe to rubber in Atlanta for over 20 years, making eight All-Star games, recording 3,000 strikeouts, and becoming the only pitcher in baseball history to have over 200 career wins and 150 career saves. And when Smoltz was not on the field making batters look silly, he was excelling off the field, helping the Atlanta community through a number of charitable endeavors. His latest effort is a partnership with Sun Trust and MasterCard that benefits Children’s Health Care of Atlanta.

I was fortunate enough to sit down with Smoltz recently and talk about the highs of the 1991 and ‘95 seasons, the lows of the ‘96 season, charity and comedy. Watching Smoltz’s eyes light up as he recounted those historic Braves moments was pure joy.

Tell me about your partnership with MasterCard and Sun Trust.

Well Master Card and Sun Trust have teamed up in creating this website, mastercardmarketplace.com/suntrust, to encourage people to get some incredible deals. They donated $5,000 worth of gifts on behalf of me to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. So they delivered presents to a lot of people that have been at this facility and were in dire need of a smile and the good feeling of Christmas.

How did you get started doing charity work?

It all started back in 1988 when I was on a Braves caravan visiting hospitals, and it really formulated what I’ve become today. I’ve worked closely with Children’s Healthcare on a lot of endeavors, from golf tournaments to fundraisers. It’s been a great relationship.

Tell me about the John Smoltz Foundation.

It’s now the John and Catherine Smoltz foundation. We’ve had that for quite some time, trying to benefit the kids around this area. We built King’s Ridge Christian School in 2000, and we’ve work closely with the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. We filter a lot of our efforts around those three.

Where did the desire to do charity work come from?

My parents taught me the core values that exist today, and I always try to live those out. You never know the platform you’re going to be given, and this platform of a uniform was huge. When the Braves were the laughing stock of baseball, we didn’t think we had a platform at all. It was the start of my career, and I’m glad it happened because it helped keep things in perspective.

What was it like when you guys were the laughing stock of baseball?

PG 28 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

MY PARENTS TAUGHT ME THE CORE VALUES THAT EXIST TODAY, AND I ALWAYS TRY TO LIVE THOSE OUT. YOU NEVER KNOW THE PLATFORM YOU’RE GOING TO BE GIVEN, AND THIS PLATFORM OF A UNIFORM WAS HUGE. It seemed like a lot of cities were really big Braves fans, but there weren’t really many Braves fans here in Atlanta. I remember going to a comedy show, and they just wore us out! I’m in the audience and a comic started with, “I went to a Braves game the other day and I asked them what time is the game? And the guy said, ‘What time can you get here? And can you play?’”

It was funny, but we were the brunt of every joke.

I remember the excitement and drama of the worst-to-first 1991 season like it was yesterday. What was it like for you?

At the halfway point, I was having a horrible year: I was 2-11 and knew I had to turn it around. I spoke at a Braves season ticket holder function, encouraging people to buy tickets for the playoffs. Can you imagine? We had three years of losing 100 games and we’re 9-10 games back at the All-Star break. I said, “You never know, we could turn it around!” Sure enough, we went on an incredible run and lit the world on fire. I went 12-2 in the second half and pitched all those significant games in the playoffs… the rest was history. We couldn’t go anywhere in this city because of what we’d done. It was phenomenal. They said crime stood still at the end of that season, because everybody was watching.

What was game seven of the World Series against the Twins like as a player?

The first game 7, against the Pirates, was incredible! I can’t even describe to you the feeling of pitching that game, knowing that if you win, you go to the World Series. Pitching in game 7 of the World Series was the ultimate feeling as a player, but it

would’ve been a lot more fun if it were at home. There’s no way to describe the energy that gets zapped out of you [when you lose]. It’s over in one single moment, but it felt like a lifetime. But we came home and everyone treated us like we won the World Series. We realized that, maybe we didn’t win the World Series but we won the hearts of everybody in Atlanta. Then when we won in ’95… there’s just no greater feeling.

That’s Atlanta’s only championship in major sports, and it truly was a moment that you wish could’ve lasted a little longer.

You made the rare transition from starter to the bullpen after going through rehab.

What was that like for you?

I tell people, to give them perspective, that it’s like playing golf right-handed and then having to learn to play left-handed.

The biggest transition was such a mental and physical thing that people don’t understand. They say, “It’s all just pitching: what’s the big deal?” But it was the hardest thing I ever had to do because there was no recipe, no resume, nothing to do other than to just learn on the job. And there were a lot of physical things that went on behind the scenes that nobody knew that I had to overcome, and that is what made it the most enjoyable transition that I could ever imagine. I know that, statistically, it may have looked easier, but it wasn’t: It’s a whole different world.

You’re friends with Jeff Foxworthy and you do a joke for every Peachtree TV baseball broadcast. Am I seeing a career change into comedy?

I jazz with him all the time. What I like about comedy is the lines that you don’t see coming that make you think, and then you

laugh. I had so much fun this year. Obviously you can’t tell a lot of jokes on TV. You’ve got to be clean and not offend anybody, so that eliminates 95% of the jokes. I like “Dumb and Dumber” kind of comedy.

I have a lot of fun with Ernie Johnson and Joe Simpson with one-liners, you know?

They’ll walk me right into it. I don’t care what it is in life, but you’ve got to be able to laugh or you will go crazy. I’m already thinking of ways have some fun next year.

I’ve got some ideas up my sleeve. I’ll never forget the first joke I ever told on TV. I said, “Brian McCann and Peter Moylan went bear hunting and they didn’t know much about what to do on a bear hunting trip. So they got in the car, got some shotguns and drove down road. They got to this windy road, a tough intersection, and saw a sign that said ‘Bear Left’… so they turned around and went home.” (Laughs) I’m really into the wordplay.

What was it like for you this past year, watching Bobby Cox’s last season?

I know Bobby so well that I know how he approached it. He just went about it like business as usual: Let’s get on with the business of baseball. Even at the end, he handled everything with class. He didn’t want to take away from San Francisco, even though he could have. He could’ve stolen their thunder by staying out there [on the field for his standing ovation]. He just really loves the game, and it was surreal to see him retire and me become a broadcaster.

How do you think the Braves will be this year?

I think they’re going to do alright… but just alright.

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

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PG 29 • insiteatlanta.com • February 2011

INTIMACY Starts at Inserection!

SPORTS

ALL THAT JAZZ Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap are two of

the biggest reasons the Utah Jazz should be playing a loud postseason tune this year.

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

T

HERE ARE SOME SUPER CENTERS around the NBA. Dwight Howard, Al Horford and Brook Lopez immediately come to mind. In guys like Pau Gasol, Tim Duncan and rookie smash Blake Griffin, the League’s pretty good in the power forward department too. Still, it’s not until you look at the Utah Jazz’s roster that you find a team quite so stacked at both positions.

Paul Millsap, 6-8, 250 pounds, is the 26-year-old power forward in his fourth year. Al Jefferson, all 6-10 and 280 pounds of him, is the 26-year-old center in his sixth campaign. The two behemoths are nearly identical in stature, stats (both average about 17 points and eight rebounds) and starting points (Millsap’s from Louisiana; Jefferson is from Mississippi).

And keeping with the likeness theme, both Utah stars had mild offensive slumps in January. The team’s so-so mark for the month reflects as much. But if you know anything about the Jazz, it’s that they generally don’t miss a beat when it comes time for the postseason.

Utah’s gone to the Playoffs in 12 of the last 15 years. With Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap playing together, we’re pretty sure that’ll be the case in 2011 too.

where the attention is at because you see it every year.

Everyone’s gonna have their teams to win it or be the best team, but that doesn’t mean they’re right. That’s why I never get caught up into all that. I love being the underdog. I’ve been it all my life..

What’s the hardest part of the NBA season?

For me, it’s losing. You’re playing an 82-game season and only winning 14 or 15 games, it can be hard for anybody. That was the frustrating part for me.

All-star point guard Deron Williams had a role in you coming to Jazz. Explain that a bit more me.

The front office called him and gave him a list of guys that could be traded to the Jazz. My name was on the list and my name was the one he chose. That was AL a great feeling. I remember JEFFERSON when I got traded and I was flying to Utah for the press conference, I got a text message that said, “This is D-Will. Give me a call when you make it.” I called him and the first thing he said was, “I’m gonna make you an all star.” I liked to drop the phone. I was so nervous.

My hands were shaking.

When the best point guard in the game tells you that, I just couldn’t wait for that opportunity.

PAUL MILLSAP

AL JEFFERSON

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Al, you’ve played with losing Boston and Minnesota teams before. This is your first year with a team used to winning. Did you approach this year different than seasons past?

Not really. I’ve always come into each season ready to play, hoping for the best.

Even when things wasn’t going so good, I’ve always had a positive attitude. Now it’s just like everything is falling right in place. The Jazz have been a winning team for a long time. They know what it takes to win. You walk into that locker room and it’s nothing but positive attitudes from everybody.

We’re all trying to reach the same goal.

So, you had never experienced a walk into a locker room where it felt like a positive, “We’re gonna win” kinda energy?

I’m not going to say that I haven’t had that before, but I’ve been on Minnesota the last three years and every year is always a rebuilding year. Like when I first got traded for Kevin Garnett, that was a rebuilding season. The second year Randy Whitman got fired and Kevin McHale took over. The third year they changed coaches and got a new GM, so that was a rebuilding year. That wasn’t the players’ part; it was a young team and it really wasn’t anyone’s fault. That’s just the type of situation you go through when you’re rebuilding.

It still seems like most of the attention out West is on the Lakers, Thunder and Spurs. Is Utah gonna sneak up on people again this year?

Yes, most definitely. I’m not really concerned with

PAUL MILLSAP

Paul, you guys have had a pretty good season, but your first-half starts to games have been consistently slow.

What’s the problem?

Well, we start off sluggish [by] not shooting as well.

I don’t know why. I don’t know if we need to shake things up. As long as we’re winning, I can’t see a reason to. We’ve got to watch film and figure out what we’re not doing right. We take a lot of pride because we’re doing it the right way. Doing it defensively. Maybe not in the first quarters or halves, but in the second half, we’re executing. We just have to find a way to do it in the first half and put the full 48 minutes of basketball together.

Talk a little about your frontcourt partner, Al Jefferson. What are some things you’ve learned about him in this first season of playing together?

It isn’t anything that really surprised me. Al’s been a great player for years. To see him come into our system and do the things that he do, you see why he’s such a good player. [These] are things we already knew about him. He’s just doing it with our team. He can step out and shot the jumpshot. He didn’t do that much in Minnesota. That’s a big plus.

It seems like you kept your head up, even when you weren’t getting the minutes your talent probably warranted.

I just realized I had to wait my turn. This is about opportunity and being patient. I was patient for years, and when the opportunity came… Well, I’m happy now.

Novak Djokovic

SPORTS

FANATIC A Monthly Sports Wrap-up

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS Now that SUPER BOWL XLV is over, football fans can get to the real issue: Will there be a 2011 season? If you let NFL commissioner Roger Goodell tell it, a new collective bargaining agreement is imminent. But listen to others close to the situation and they’ll say it’s not such a sure thing. While officials work out the numbers, Fanatic knows three things that’ll happen, lockout or no lockout: 1) An SEC defender (Auburn’s Nick Fairley or LSU’s Patrick Peterson) will be the No. 1 pick in the Draft; 2) An 18-game season will be approved; 3) Super Bowl XLVI will kick-off as planned on Feb. 5, 2012 in Indianapolis.

“I feel like a better player now than I was three years ago, because I think that physically I’m stronger, faster, mentally I’m more motivated on the court. I know how to react in certain moments, and I know how to play on a big stage.

I have been more focused and dedicated to the sport than I have ever been before.” -2011 MEN’S AUSTRALIAN OPEN WINNER NOVAK DJOKOVIC “When I signed my contract, my main goal was to earn it. Once I started to realize I wasn’t earning my money, I felt bad. I was making a crazy amount of money for not even pitching. Honestly, I didn’t feel like I deserved it. I didn’t want to have those feelings again.” –GIL MECHE, 32, who retired instead of taking a guaranteed $12 million to pitch for Kansas City this season February, of course, marks the NBA’S halfway point.

With that landmark also comes Fanatic’s midseason awards: MVP (Derrick Rose, Chicago); Defensive Player of the Year (Dwight Howard, Orlando); Rookie of the Year

(Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers); Coach of the Year (Gregg Popovich, San Antonio); Most Improved Player (Kevin Love, Minnesota); Sixth Man of the Year (Jamal Crawford, Atlanta); Most Surprising Team (New Orleans Hornets); Biggest Disappointment (Phoenix Suns).

“He’s a beast. What can you say? Some of the shots he made, I was like, ‘Wow. Did he just make that in my face?’

A player like that, you have to live and die defending him one on one. If he makes big shots, you have to go to the other end and stay poised.” –New Mexico guard Dairese Gary, on JIMMER FREDETTE, BYU star and college’s leading scorer “St. Louis was fourth in baseball last year in attendance, but only 13th in payroll. In other words the Cardinals have money to burn, and it’s time to light the match. So here’s what you do if you’re St. Louis: Whatever [Albert] Pujols wants, within reason, you give it to him. What’s within reason? No idea. The closest baseball has had to a free agent like this was Alex Rodriguez in 2001, when he received $252 million for 10 years. That was $25.2 million annually, and that was a decade ago. And Pujols is better.”

–CBS SPORTS’ GREGG DOYEL And finally…

Hawaii pays $4 million to host the NFL’s annual Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium… If early estimates are accurate, Super Bowl XLV should be Stub Hub’s top-selling event ever… At press time, the Cleveland Cavs were in the midst of a 1-29 stretch, the NBA’s worst since 1996… If there’s an NFL work stoppage next season, it’s reported that Las Vegas casinos would take an $850 million hit on unplaced betting… A record 56 underclassmen declared for the NFL Draft.

Must-See TV courtside at L.A.’s Staples Center.

2. AsMiami at Boston (Feb. 13, 1PM, ABC) much as Chicago and Orlando fans hate acknowledging the fact, this is probably your Eastern Conference Finals preview.

3. Ohio State at Wisconsin, Pittsburgh at Villanova (Feb. 12, 2PM, 9PM, ESPN) The top two teams in the nation go on the road to very, very hostile environments.

4. Daytona 500 (Feb. 20, 12PM, Fox) Gentlemen, start your quest to stop Jimmie Johnson from winning an unprecedented sixth straight Sprint Cup championship.

5. This UNC at Duke (Feb. 9, 9PM, ESPN) big meeting (and another on March 5) goes a long way in deciding North Carolina bragging rights and the ACC crown.

Top 5 Games This Month

1. We NBA All-Star Game (Feb. 20, 8PM, TNT) don’t know if there will be more celebrities on the hardwood playing or celebrating

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