INsite Atlanta October 2009 Issue by INsite Magazine

October 20F0R9EE Vol. 18, No. 3

ertainment Monthly t n E s ’ a t n a Atl insiteatlanta.com

Jay Le no

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Matt D Drew B amon a

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PG 2 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

CONTENTS • OCTOBER 2009 • VOLUME 18.3

Dining at Chin Chin is pure pleasure ��

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Atlanta’s

Entertainment Monthly

INTERVIEWS

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06 JAY LENO 10 MATT DAMON 12 DREW BARRYMORE 18 IZZA KIZZA 19 TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKETS 21 CHRIS ROCK 22 THE CLIPSE 23 MACK 10 23 AMERICAN STEEL

FEATURES

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

08 FALL PATIOS 27 SUBS FOR FOOTBALL 24 HALLOWEEN GUIDE 27 FALL MOVIE PREVIEW 29 TORONTO FILM FEST 30 NCAA BASKETBALL

04 AROUND TOWN 05 ON TAP 05 ON A DIME EVENTS 07 UNDER THE LIGHTS 13 MOVIE REVIEWS 14 VIDIOTS 16 CONCERT CALENDAR 19 ROAD WARRIORS 20 ALBUMS 30 FANATIC

�� East Cobb ��

COLUMNS

�� Buckhead/Brookhaven

1998-2007 Best Chinese by Creative Loafing "Mouthwatering Chin Chin spices things up." – AJC "Chin Chin...a window into Hong Kong." – Buckhead Weekly 2 1/2 Stars – Knife & Fork

�� Springs �� DELIVERY (LIMITED AREA; MIN $10)

�� FULL BAR SERVICE

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

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

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

PG 3 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

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PG 4 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

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LOCAL EVENTS

OnTap this Month EMAIL EVENTS TO ONTAP@INSITEATLANTA.COM

October 10-13: Tech Square, Midtown

TASTE OF ATLANTA

This outdoor food festival showcases the diversity of Atlanta's food scene and attracts food lovers across the south. This year's festival is moving to Tech Square in the heart of Midtown Atlanta. Guests who attend will enjoy good eats from more than 80 of Atlanta's favorite restaurants, national and local celebrity chefs, Kids Avenue, music and entertainment and the Wine and Beer Experience featuring a tasting tents and educational seminars. Visit www.tasteofatlanta.net for a complete schedule and ticket information.

October 14-18: Philips Arena

DISNEY ON ICE - CELEBRATIONS!

Join Disney friends, including Princess and Prince, Tiana and Naveen, from the upcoming Disney movie The Princess and the Frog. Watch performances by more than 50 characters from 16 classic and contemporary Disney stories. Show highlights include a Hawaiian luau with Lilo and Stitch, a Halloween haunt with the Disney villains, a winter wonderland with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, a very merry "Unbirthday Party", a royal ball with the Disney Princesses and celebrations and festivals from around the globe. For more information, visit www.disneyonice.com.

October 14: The Fox Theatre

AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW

This show will include jaw-dropping note-for-note musical excerpts from Pink Floyd's legendary albums Wish You Were Here, Animals, Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. Having already wowed audiences Stateside over the course of the last five years, this magnificent new 'Big Pink Greatest Hits World Tour' will be even bigger, even better, featuring an amazing new stage production including more animation, more lasers, and even more amazing inflatables. For more information, visit www.foxtheatre.org or www.aussiefloyd.com.

October 17: D’town Decatur Square

DECATUR CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL

Come and enjoy an afternoon of beer tasting. More than 100 of the finest local, American and international beers will be showcased at the event by area distributors and Decatur's restaurants and pubs. There will be music on the bandstand and food from local restaurants available for sale. The festival will be limited to the first 4,000 people. Admission is $35 per person and includes a commemorative tasting glass. You must be 21 or older to attend. For more information and tickets, visit www.decaturbeerfestival.com.

October 17-18: Apple Valley Road

BROOKHAVEN ARTS FESTIVAL

This festival offers something for everyone. Highlights include live entertainment featuring classic rock, blues and soul music. There is a Children's Market, traditional fest food and beverages and of course, lots of fine art! Blazing new talents and established artists alike from around the Southeast have helped make the Brookhaven Arts Festival (BAF) one of Atlanta's most popular fall events. The BAF is held directly behind the Brookhaven MARTA Station. There is convenient access to Peachtree Road, I-85, GA-400, and MARTA plus ample free parking. Visit www.brookhavenartsalliance.com

October 18: Piedmont Park

AIDS WALK ATLANTA & 5K RUN

AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run is the largest and most visible fundraising event for AIDS in the southeast. This annual event makes it possible for AID Atlanta and 8 other AIDS service organizations to continue the work to stop the spread of HIV and optimize the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS. Now in its 19th year, this event funds such programs as HIV primary health care, case management, HIV testing and counseling, as well as supports AID Atlanta's education program. The run starts at 1:45pm and the walk starts at 2:00pm. Visit www.aidswalkatlanta.com

EVENTS HAPPENING FOR SMALL CHANGE IN ATLANTA

Know about a low cost event or happening in Atlanta? Email Event@AtlantaOnADime.com

October 11th. The aviation festival, presented by the Kiwanis Club of Peachtree City and the Commemorative Air Force's (CAF), Dixie Wing, will again showcase modern and historic military aircraft, thrilling aerobatics and activities for the entire family.

CHASTAIN PARK ARTS FESTIVAL HOTOBERFEST

Saturday, October 3 Admission is Free Beer Tasting - $30 in advance, $35 at the gate, VIP available Glenwood Park www.hotoberfest.net

This is the southeast's only consumer-judged beer competition and sustainability festival. It promises to deliver a unique combination of 110 craft beers, exciting live music, fun food, local artists, and pro-sustainability messaging. A large, free-of-charge public area will feature the music pavilion, and the World Market will include local artists, green info, affiliates, concessions, and kid-friendly activities.

DISNEY'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL TRAIN TOUR Tuesday, October 6, 9am - 7:00pm, Free Southeastern Railway Museum 3595 Buford Highway, Duluth www.christmascaroltraintour.com

Disney presents a spectacular immersive and interactive 40-city train tour including a 3D sneak peek of film footage from the upcoming "Disney's A Christmas Carol" starring Jim Carrey. Set amidst a snowy backdrop, complete with carolers, decorations, giveaways and many more surprises, the train tour features authentic artifacts on loan from the Charles Dickens Museum of London, artwork, costumes, props from the film, demonstrations of performance capture technology and a chance to morph your face into one of the film's characters.

October17-18, Saturday 10:00am - 6:00pm, Sunday 11:00am - 5:00pm, Free Chastain Park www.chastainparkartsfestival.com

This is a two-day outdoor event with an emphasis on the visual arts. Located in the largest public park in Fulton County, this inaugural event will feature approximately 100 fine painters, photographers, sculptors, leather and metal craftpersons, glass blowers, jewelers and more. The festival will also offer visitors the opportunity to view artist demonstrations, enjoy live entertainment, participate in hands-on arts activities, and enjoy festival foods and beverages.

JAZZ AT VILLA CHRISTINA

October 18, 5:30pm - 8:00pm, Free Villa Christina 4000 Summit Blvd. Atlanta www.villachristina.com

This is a live, free, family-friendly concert that showcases the finest talent in classic and contemporary jazz. Staged outdoors on the beautiful grounds of Villa Christina, audiences will enjoy cool jazz while sipping cold beverages and dining on fantastic food, all prepared by the award winning staff (no coolers please). Performing this month at the Villa is Dionne Farris.

MOVIES IN THE MARKET

Thursday nights in October, 8:30pm, Free Atlantic Station's Central Park www.atlanticstation.com

Candler Park Fall fest is an annual festival produced by the Candler Park Neighborhood Organization. The Candler Park Fall Festival celebrates the Candler Park community with over a hundred vendors, great local musicians, food, a road race, children's entertainment and a tour of some of Atlanta's most beautiful homes. The Candler Park Fall Fest is a great way to celebrate life in one of Atlanta's favorite in-town neighborhoods.

This free outdoor movie series winds up its season this month by airing blockbuster favorites each Thursday night in Central Park. As part of the series, Atlantic Station's restaurants and retailers will offer special discounts each Thursday from 5:00-9:00pm. This month's schedule includes The Goonies (October 1), Madagascar (October 8), Men in Black (October 15), Ghostbusters (October 22) and The Wizard of Oz (October 29).

THE GREAT GEORGIA AIR SHOW

CHOMP AND STOMP CHILI FEST

CANDLER PARK FALL FEST

October 10 - 11, Saturday 11am - 8:00 pm, Sunday 12:00pm to 8:00 pm, Free Candler Park (McLendon Avenue between Moreland Avenue and Clifton Road) www.candlerparkfallfest.org

October 10 - 11, Gates open at 9:00am, Performances start at 1:00pm, Purchase discount tickets at Kroger $15 per adult, $5 per kids (children under 5 are free) Falcon Field Airport, Peachtree City www.thegreatgeorgiaairshow.com

Thundering jet engines, precision parachuting, scorching jet trucks and vintage warbirds will mark the 12th edition of The Great Georgia Airshow (GGAS) to be held at Falcon Field Saturday, October 10th and Sunday

Saturday, November 7, 10am-6pm, Free Cabbagetown Park Corner of Tye Street and Kirkwood Avenue www.chompandstomp.com

This festival honors Cabbagetown's past where music and food have always defined the neighborhood's spirit. Chomp and Stomp will feature a chili cook-off, 5K run, artist market, live bluegrass music, beer and more. Atlanta on a Dime by Marci Miller

ATLANTA ON A DIME! Receive updated events weekly. Sign up by e-mailing newsletter@insiteatlanta.com Enter on subject line: Sign Me Up INsite!

PG 5 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

TV INTERVIEW

THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED you’ve got to give them something they want to watch because, let’s face it, how many times can you get Tom Cruise and Arnold Schwarzenegger and, you know, Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie? You’re not going to get those people everyday. And if people don’t watch unless those people are on, then you’re in trouble. So that’s really the key. You try to have something that people like and oh just happen to have one of those celebrities. Oh, that’s fantastic, you know?

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

ANNA KNOW WHY EVERY one’s really making a big stink over Jay Leno’s move from 11PM to the primetime-drama-dominated slot of 10PM? Well, actually, you already know the answer- money. The hour bump for Leno, host of The Tonight Show for 17 years, was purely done for financial reasons. For the price of one exploding helicopter on Trauma, NBC can fully fund three episodes of the all-new The Jay Leno Show. And that’s no exaggeration. So, when TV authorities and Time magazine covers proclaim the 59-year-old New Rochelle, NY, funnyman as “the future of television,” please take them seriously.

What do you think you learned about interviewing over the course of The Tonight Show? Well, you learn that you don’t always want to go for the laughs. You know, everybody hails it differently. My thing is you make yourself look dumb or stupid or uninformed to save the guest the embarrassment. You know, a lot of times something will happen and you realize, Oh, this guest is just lost so you put it back on yourself. You get the camera back on you and kind of babble for a minute about something unrelated and then you see, Oh, they get their train of thought back and then you go back to them. You know, but I think that’s the one thing that you can’t really do too much when you’re hosting is to be too selfish to always have the laugh and always have the joke. You know, a lot of times when I was doing The Tonight Show a guest would have a story with no punch line so you kind of give them the joke. You go, Here’s something you can end that story with. Oh, thank you very much.

I’m still trying to get a feel for whether on this show you almost have to do the inverse of what you did on The Tonight Show. In other words, are you saving the best guests for last because you want to give the local newscast a lead-in? Well that’s - you’re absolutely right. I mean, what we’re going to do is save some of the traditional stuff, Jaywalking and headlines and stuff. We’ll do those as our lead-in to the 11 o’clock news. So we are going to have some stronger comedy pieces. Music will probably come somewhere in the middle and then we’ll save the comedy pieces for right before the local news or at least one of the main comedy pieces, you know? We want to have comedy going into the 11 o’clock news. That’s kind of important. Are you surprised by the dip in The Tonight Show’s ratings since Conan O’Brien took over? That’s not my problem. I mean, you know, guys, this is, you know…I went through this when I took over from Johnny. You go through the 6-8 weeks of you stink, you suck, we hate you. You know,, people are loyal to whoever the last person was. And you either whine and complain about it or you put your nose to the grindstone. You write the jokes and you do it. I think Conan has handled it great. He doesn’t complain. He does what he has to do and he puts on a good show every night and he writes jokes, tells materials. And now it’s up to people to either pick up on it or they don’t. But I think he’s handling it right and going about it the right way. And he’ll be fine. It’s the same thing I went through. You know something? I can remember someone sent me an article from 1969 and it said, “When is Jack Parr coming back? This Johnny Carson with this sex jokes and his so-and-so it’s rude, it’s this, it’s that.” And Johnny had been on for seven years and they’re still going, When’s Parr coming back? And then eventually you work hard and you make it your own. And I think that’s the real key. What’s your response to the Time headline that you’re the future of television? Well, that is hilarious. That shows you the trouble we are in. I guess it’s very funny. I mean, if you read the article, the article is just telling you that I think television has to change. You know, it’s the same way it PG 6 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

I THINK IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THAT PEOPLE WANT TO FEEL LIKE THEY’RE SEEING SOMETHING LIVE, SOMETHING FRESH, SOMETHING THAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW. LIKE I JUST SAID BEFORE, THE IDEA OF TAPING SOMETHING SIX OR EIGHT WEEKS AHEAD OF TIME, GOD, THOSE DAYS ARE OVER; THAT’S LONG GONE. YOU KNOW, EVEN STUFF THAT’S A DAY OLD SEEMS STALE NOW, YOU KNOW? was, you know, the advertising dollars are not there anymore. I mean the numbers that make you Number 1 now are numbers that would have gotten you canceled 20 years ago. I mean I never thought I’d see the day when primetime shows would be in single digits in the ratings. I can remember when Nancy Kerrigan hosted Saturday Night Live and only got a 14 rating and everybody went, Oh we thought it’d be higher than that. Well, 14, that’s what makes you the biggest hit in the history of NBC these days. So, you know, it’s a different model. It’s a changing thing. And I think it all comes down to that people want to feel like they’re seeing something live, something fresh, something that’s happening right now. Like I just said before, the idea of taping some-

thing six or eight weeks ahead of time, God, those days are over; that’s long gone. You know, even stuff that’s a day old seems stale now, you know? What’s an ideal guest for your kind of show? Well, you know, the one thing you find about in television there are really only about 18 people in the whole world that make a difference. And that’s about what it is. And I bet you couldn’t name 18 that get numbers. The idea is you try to have a good show. You try to have them come to the show for a specific reason; they think it’s funny or they like the format or they like you. And then a guest star is icing on the cake. It makes them want to watch just a little bit more. But that’s the first key:

If you’re the biggest star on television, is there anyone whom you get star struck around? No, no. This is not the matter of being the biggest star in… This [fame] is by default. No, no. I don’t really think those terms. You know, the real trick to publicity is you don’t believe the good stuff and you don’t believe the bad stuff. You know, if you can make show business money and lead a normal life [you’ll be fine]. I’m living in the same house. I have the same wife. I have the same friends I had in high school and we all chuckle when the times were bad when I was going against Letterman and they were going to fire me and replace Dave with me on The Tonight Show are the same people that sat around and said it’s not that big a deal. And when I’m on the cover of Time this week they go, “You know, it’s not that big a deal? There’s another issue coming out next week.” Oh, okay. Thank you very much. And that’s really the way you go through it. I mean, it’s like when someone comes up to you and says, “Oh, you look nice today. You go, “Oh, thank you.” You don’t immediately assume you look nice; you just take the compliment and you go, That’s very kind and thank you and then you move on. So, the real trick is do not believe your own publicity. You hire publicists. You pay them money and then you believe what they say. What’s more ridiculous than that?

Under The Lights

New Theatrical Performances this Month RAIN

A LIFE IN THEATRE

www.FoxTheatre.org

www.AllianceTheatre.org

October 6 - 11 Fox Theatre Box Office 404.881.2100

Oct. 28 - Nov. 15 Alliance Theatre Box Office 404.733.5000

Photo by Joan Marcus

This smash hit stops in Atlanta this month boasting a repetoire of nearly 200 Beatlemania favorites. Rain covers the Fab Four from their very first Ed Sullivan Show appearance through the Abbey Road album, through the psychedelic late 60s and their long-haired hippie, hard-rocking rooftop days. Rain is a multimedia experience that with live cameras zooming in for close-ups. For the four longtime band members, Joey Curatolo (Paul McCartney), Joe Bithorn (George Harrison), Ralph Castelli (Ringo Starr) and Steve Landes (John Lennon) plus Mark Lewis (keyboards, percussion), the music is first and foremost. Everything is performed live, with no pre-recorded tapes or sequences.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS

Broadway legend André De Shields headlines in David M a m e t ’ s (Glengarry Glen Ross, Wag the Dog, American Buffalo) A Life in Theatre. This is a blistering and darkly comic tale of two actors. One is on top of his game, but searching for fulfillment. The other will do anything to advance his career. Watch as nightly, they transform from drama to farce, from friends to enemies…and that’s just backstage. this show contains nudity and strong language.

Georgia A-SCARY-UM Photo by Paul Kolnik

October 30th & 31st

A SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT LOEHMANN’S Ongoing thru Dec. 20 Ansley Park Playhouse Box Office 404.875.1193

www.AnsleyParkPlayhouse.com

Oct. 14 - Nov. 8 Balzer Theatre Box Office 678.528.1500 www.TheatricalOutfit.org

Tom Key stars as Phileas Fogg, the man who wagers £20,000 that he can make a trip around the world in 80 days or less. Around the World in 80 Days is adapted by Mark Brown from the novel by Jules Verne. This comedy adventure set in 1872 is a high-spirited romp through different continents, cultures and time zones that puts one man’s life and fortunes at risk. After making the outrageous wager, the unflappable Phileas Fogg and his man-servant Passepartout, embark on an extraordinary itinerary and global race against the clock, all the while eluding a misdirected detective. Their adventure is complete with angry natives, typhoons, runaway trains and a damsel in distress.

A Sunday Afternoon at Loehmann's is the new comedy by award winning playwrights John Gibson and Anthony Morris who are the pair that penned the hit comedy Peachtree Battle. This new contemporary comedy chronicles a year in the lives of three generations of women and there relationships, with their husbands, co-workers and each other. It explores the way women and men see things, how differently they interpret the same situation and how love and laughter are truly the universal language spoken by all. Each of the women has at least 8 to 10 different outfit changes. The show keeps current with pop culture, "If it's in the news that day, it's in the play that night. The women dissect it in the dressing room,” states Morris.

Photo by Catherine Ashmore

Carrying College & Proprivate Football Games rooms available for Parties of 15 to 200

Great Wings, Sandwiches, Burgers and Salads 602 N. Highland Ave.(@ corner of North Ave) Atlanta, GA 30307

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UNIVERSAL PICTURES PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH RELATIVITY MEDIA A WILD WEST PICTURE SHOW/STUBER PICTURES PRODUCTIONMUSIC VINCE VAUGHNEXECUTIVEÆ“COUPLES RETREAT” JASON BATEMANPRODUCED JON FAVREAU FAIZON LOVE KRISTIWRITTEN N DAVIS MALIN AKERMAN KRISTEN BELL AND JEANDIRECTED RENO BY A R RAHMAN PRODUCERS VICTORIA VAUGHN GUY RIEDEL BY VINCE VAUGHN SCOTT STUBER BY JON FAVREAU AND VINCE VAUGHN & DANA FOX BY PETER BILLINGSLEY A UNIVERSAL PICTURE SOUNDTRACK COMPOSED AND PRODUCED BY A R RAHMAN FEATURES THE NEW SONGS “NANA” AND “SAJNA” STARTS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATRES AND SHOWTIMES SOUNDTRACK ON RELATIVITY MUSIC GROUP

MOBILE USERS - For Showtimes - Text COUPLES with your ZIP CODE to 43KIX (43549)!

PG 7 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

Wahoo! A Decatur Grill

DINING

Fall Patio Guide

1042 W. College Ave. Decatur 404.373.3331 wahoogrilldecatur.com

Places to go when looking to Dine Outdoors! Agave

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

242 Boulevard SE 404.588.0006 www.agaverestaurant.com

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

The Tavern at Phipps

3500 Peachtree Rd. 404.814.9640 www.TheTavernAtPhipps.com

Multiple Metro Area Locations www.JohnnysPizza.com

Johnny’s Pizza has come to be synonymous with great pizza and subs in Atlanta. The first metro area location opened in 1977. There are now over 50 Johnny’s Pizza restaurants in Georgia. The secret to their success is in the preparation. They always use the finest ingredients in their fantastic Pizza, Subs, Salads, Sandwiches, Strombolis, and everything else on their menu. Johnny’s restaurants offer dine-in, take-out and delivery. Many like the Cheshire Bridge location featured have great patios to enjoy in spring. 3180 Roswell Rd. 404.846.6525

The Red Door Tavern has quickly become a

AGAVE RESTAURANT

An Eclectic Southwestern Eatery ��

agave

Cabbagetown / Grant Park Dinner Nightly at 5pm 404-588-0006 www.agaverestaurant.com

PG 8 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

Willy’s Mexicana Grill

18 Area Locations / Athens Catering 404.422.7107 willys.com

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

Lola’s Cantina

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

favorite watering hole among locals in North Buckhead. They are located on Roswell Road, one block north of the Roxy Theatre. The Red Door Tavern features a large outdoor deck in the front that offers a great view down Roswell Road in Buckhead’s West Village. They offer “Bucket Specials” of Bud, Bud Light and Bud Select. They also have a “Draft Tower” a glass featuring 120 ounces of beer. The deck is a popular hang-out for friends meeting up for football games this fall.

4665 Lower Roswell Rd. 770-973-4747 www.lolascantina.com

Willy's Mexicana Grill offers a host of FreshMex menu items made from the freshest ingredients. Enjoy the outdoors with a margarita and a burrito on the patio at Piedmont Park or at their Howell Mill location. College Night is at Willy’s this fall! Show your college ID the first Tuesday of the month and get a $4 burrito (limit one per customer). Howell Mill offers Live Music every other Friday at 7pm and Sunday at 5pm, Trivia nights on Wed and Thurs at 8pm. Willy's Kennesaw has Trivia every Wed at 8pm. Willy's caters and delivers to a crowd! Taco Bars, Fajita Bars, Nacho Bars, Platters and more are perfect for tailgating, social gatherings or business functions of any size.

This new high energy cantina has quickly become a neighborhood favorite in East Cobb. Lola’s focuses on being much more than a restaurant. Lola’s is an experience! They firmly believe to truly enjoy a meal or a drink one must experience it with all five senses. With

this in mind, all aspects of Lola’s set the mood for fun, relaxation and enjoyment. They have up-beat, classic and popular tunes pumping through the speakers daily and live bands on the patio during weekend nights. Stop here to catch all the football action, college or pro, as they show the games on their multiple flat screens. Lola’s is located at the corner of Lower Roswell Rd & Woodlawn Dr one block west of Johnson Ferry Rd in East Cobb. They stay open late for dinner but are closed for lunch.

The Flying Biscuit Cafe’

Multiple Area Locations Catering 404.849.2283 flyingbiscuit.com

The Flying Biscuit serves great breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner seven days a week starting at 7 am each morning. Their famous biscuits are so good, many still stop in to pick up some up for the road. Their Midtown location (shown) near Piedmont Park allows for dining inside or on their corner patio. The patio is surrounded by windows which come off when the weather cools in fall, offering great views of the bustling midtown scene. Check their website for the location nearest you. Many offer patio seating.

Mo’s Pizza

3109 Briarcliff Rd. 404.320.1258 www.mospizza.com

same name, but the original Mo’s resides on the corner of Briarcliff and Clairmont Roads just off the I-85 exit. They have been serving up great pizza in Atlanta for 30 years! Mo’s menu isn’t limited to pizza either: sandwiches, subs, wings, nachos and salads ensure that anybody who comes here can find something they like. Mo’s uses only the freshest ingredients; they make their own dough and grind their cheese daily. Come to Mo’s to watch your favorite team this fall. They have a great deck to hang out on with plenty of seating. Mo’s is one of the longest running pizza joints in Atlanta, come see why they are one of the best!

Coyote’s Mexican Grill 2730 East College Ave. 404.373.9383

With great food, friendly staff and strong margaritas, Coyote’s has built up a loyal following in the Avondale Estates area of Decatur. Coyote’s is family owned and operated and has a great relationship with the community. Their patio is the place to be Friday nights as a live Mariachi band plays to the crowd. Coyote’s menu offers fine Mexican cuisine with emphasis on the grilled fair. Check out their new menu items for the fall. Sample one of their wide selection of tequilas on the rocks or try one of their 7 giant flavored margaritas, all made with real fruit and Sauza Gold.

The Corner Tavern

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

You may know about the burrito chain with the

Corner Tavern are fun hangouts offering billiards, darts, and trivia. They also provide live music with bands playing at Little 5 on Tuesday night and on Sunday nights at the other locations. Both Eat Point and Little 5 Pts. offer great patios.

OUTDOOR PATIO

LIVE MUSIC

Lots of Love always

East Cobb’s NEWEST CANTINA!

Atlanta’s Home of The Famous $4 & $40 Margaritas Football shown on Multiple Screens Tuesdays (7:30pm)

TRIVIA

Wednesdays (9pm)

KARAOKE Thursdays

�� Friday & Saturday

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ECLECTIC, EUROPEAN ATMOSPHERE, AMERICAN CUISINE WITH A SOUTHERN TWIST

“Best Patio Dining” Critics Choice, Creative Loaﬁng 2006 Best of Atlanta Issue

“Best Seafood”

Best of Citysearch 2006, 2007 & 2008

“Best Fisherman’s Stew” Atlanta Magazine

�� 1042 West College Ave., Decatur, GA 30030 �� PG 9 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

THE INFORMANT!

FILM INTERVIEW

MATT DAMON GETS GOOFY, DOUGHY & REAL BY B. LOVE

T WAS WAY BACK IN 1997 THE first time I first interviewed Matt Damon, in the anonymous days before Good Will Hunting turned he and his Boston-based BFF Ben Affleck into Oscar-winning household names. Back then he came across as the AllAmerican boy next door, with an aw-shucks demeanor that made clear the 27-year-old couldn’t believe his good fortune. Then along came a string of movies– Saving Private Ryan, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ocean’s Eleven (and its sequels), The Bourne Identity (ditto), Syriana, The Deaprted– that proved Damon one of America’s most diverse actors, capable of handling serious drama, intense action and arch comedy with equal aplomb. In our latest meeting at the Toronto Film Fes-

tival, Damon naturally seemed more polished and professional than he had in the interviews promoting his star-making role. But his sense of humor remained gloriously intact, as did the sense that he is a real human being and not some generic Hollywood product. The irony and sarcasm came so frequently that you might have thought you were at a George Clooney press conference, yet there was also genuine frustration (with web rumors of his death), fondness (for The Informant! director Steven Soderbergh) and humility (about his extraordinary success). All of which makes interviewing the guy an awful lot of fun. Do you think the physical transformation you made for this film will get the Academy’s attention? Did you meet the real Mark Whitacre to prepare for this role? The only reason I did this movie was for an Oscar nomination! I’m just gonna come out and say it. (Laughs) I never met Mark, but I’m gonna meet him at the premiere in NY. Actually he’s seen the movie already and he really likes it. Once Steven made the decision to turn it in a more comic direction, it became less important for us to do rigorous character studies of the actual people. It was more about having fun with this terrific script Scott Burns wrote seven years ago, which was actually more like a play. Why did you decide to put on 30 pounds for the role? I sent Steven an e-mail when we were finally getting ready to do it and I said, “What do you want this guy to look like physically?” He wrote back, “Doughy.” Those were my marching orders. I found out when I got there that Steven’s rationale was that he didn’t

THE ONLY REASON I DID THIS MOVIE WAS FOR AN OSCAR NOMINATION! I’M JUST GONNA COME OUT AND SAY IT.

PG 10 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

want any hard edges to the character, because you can’t quite pin him down. So it’s a metaphor for who he is. How did the extra weight make you feel? It felt fantastic, actually! I’ve never had that much fun making a movie. I just ate whatever I wanted to and thought about nothing but the other actors. It was really nice not to think about anything else, compared to a Jason Bourne movie, where I have to go home from work and go straight to the gym. It takes way too much time away from my family. I just prefer to eat. One of the coolest aspects of the film is your character’s insane internal monologue. Can you talk about that? Steven called me and said. “They’ve already made The Insider and we don’t want to remake that movie, so we have to do something totally different.” He and Scott came up with this idea of the unreliable narrator, and I just started laughing. Then Scott disappeared and wrote all that interior monologue based on his understanding of the character. We were in Venice a couple of days ago watching it, and in the middle of one of those interior monologues I just turned to Scott and said, “You are out of your mind.” This is your fifth time working with Steven Soderbergh. Does having that sort of longstanding connection give you a short-hand method of communication? Yeah, it makes [the job] much easier to do. I’ve been real lucky with the people that I’ve had to work with. If I could just go back and work with the people that I’ve already worked with over and over again, that would be great. I’ve worked with Steven a bunch more than anyone, actually, and Paul Greengrass (director of the last two Bourne films and their forthcoming collaboration, Green Zone) and Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Finding Forrester, Gerry). I went back and worked with Francis Ford Coppola (The Rainmaker, The Good Shepherd, Youth Without Youth) again and loved it. I’m going to work with Clint Eastwood (who directed Damon in December’s Invictus and next year’s Hereafter), so I could just work with those five guys, you know? What is it about Steven in particular that makes you want to work with him again and again? It’s no different than you in your life: You meet people and they become friends, then you meet someone in a work situation that has a similar ethos and you sort of gravitate towards them because you want to repeat that experience. It makes the work so much more fun! There’s a group of people that I’ve worked with over and over again, and I met a lot of people on this film that I want to work with again. Other than that, this film was made up of a lot of people whose work I was familiar with, but whom I hadn’t worked with before. It worked out great.

The scene that resonates the most is when the interior monologue lets him down and he’s asked by his wife, “Why don’t you just stop this?” Can you elaborate on how you approached that? Steven called me before I read the script and said there’s a moment in this movie that’s so shocking. That moment is the convergence of the interior monologue. Steven has always said the close-up is the most powerful weapon in your arsenal. He knew that scene was the closest the camera was ever going to get to Whitaker, and he reverse-engineered everything from that. I love that scene, so there was a lot of thought put into it and we talked a lot about it. When we went to shoot it these two were so emotional, it’s like this stride with these people had taken on and it was very emotional and it was very honest. So started to do that too and Steven went no, no, no and he kind of gave me a line reading and the line was I think I should go back to the hospital. And the line ended up reading WELL I THINK I SHOULD GO BACK TO THE HOSPITAL! so you have these two people who’re just being destroyed by this guy, by his illness really and Scott Burns said there’s no way it’s going to be in the movie and it actually really works, the convergence of the two, the inside voice and facing this reality. Two people that are so close to him being brought to this point through. Melanie just says it so simple. She just says stop..it’s a moment we all though a lot about. It was one of the big reason’s to make the movie. Have you ever had to bluff your way through something like Whitaker does? When you work in the film business, we’re on the high wire the whole time. There is an element that I have where I feel like somebody’s going to show up and say, “OK, put that down and get the fuck out of here! Who let you in here? You know you’re not supposed to be in here making movies. Go get a job!” I definitely feel like the shoe might drop at any time. Everyone always asks about the Bourne franchise, but how likely is it that you’re going to do another film? It’s a question I get a lot from people on the street and I was talking to Paul (Greengrass) and he gets the question a lot, too. He said, “That’s the signal that we really should do another one. People want it.” We love the character and we’d love to do another one. For us, that means reuniting with all our friends who made the other movies and going on another ‘round-the-world adventure again. So personally, selfishly, we’d all really like to do it, but we are really serious about trying to get the script right because the only thing more disappointing than not having another one of these movies would be to make one that isn’t good. Everyone would say, “They should’ve quit after three,” and we’d feel that way too. I know Universal has had people writing scripts. Have you read the drafts that have been coming in? Not yet. Paul finished cutting The Green Zone, except for some effects. It’s coming out in March. He hasn’t had a break literally since he did The Bourne Supremacy, which is six years ago now. So he was like, “I need to take a break!” So he’s been on vacation for about three weeks and he’s going to take a few more, and then he said he’d come to New York and we’d sit down and talk seriously about it.

Taste of the Month... Sub Sandwiches

Where to grab a Sub before the big game Baldinos Giant Jersey Subs

Your Neighborhood Pizzeria!

Marietta 770.321.1177 80 Powers Ferry Rd. (at Hwy. 120) Doraville 770.455.8570 5697 Buford Hwy. (Just north of 285) www.baldinos.us

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

Johnny’s NY Style Pizza

Mutliple Locations www.JohnnysPizza.com Johnny’s Pizza has come to be synonymous with great pizza and subs in Atlanta. Johnny’s was originally started in 1965 in Manlius N.Y. In 1977 the two partners moved to Atlanta to start the first location in Georgia; East Point. That location was an instant success and their second Atlanta location opened on Cheshire Bridge Rd. one year later. There are now Johnny’s Pizza restaurants in eight southern states and over 50 in Georgia alone. The secret to their success is in the preparation. They always use the finest ingredients. Hot Oven-Toasted Subs are served with your choice of: Mayo, Mustard, Provolone Cheese, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions and Johnny's Own Great Italian Oil & Vinegar Dressing. Try their Johnny’s Special which is an Italian sub made with ham, salami and capicolli meats. The Johnny’s Turkey sub is made with the highest quality Hormel breast meat. They offer several hot Parmesana style subs toasted with tomato sauce and melted mozzerella. These include: chicken, eggplant, Italian sausage and meatball. Johnny’s restaurants offer dine-in, take-out and delivery.

BEST PIZZA!

& Multiple Atlanta Locations: www.JohnnysPizza.com

Manuel’s Tavern

602 N. Highland Ave. 404.525.3447 www.manuelstavern.com

This historic landmark offers a full dining menu along with a great selection of sandwiches. They have two Philly sandwiches: the Philly Cheesesteak and the Chicken Philly. Both are chopped and tossed with American cheese, sautéed onions and peppers. Also try their famous French Dip, made with 5oz of USDA choice prime rib, thinly sliced and served with hot au jus dipping sauce. Another favorite is the Manuel’s Club Sandwich, a combination of turkey, ham, roast beef and bacon with Swiss and American cheese on toasted sourdough. Other popular sandwich choices are the Tuna Melt, GrandBobby’s Pork Chop Sandwich, the Blackened Tuna Sandwich and the Shrimp and Crabcake Sandwich. Plan your football get together at Manuel's Tavern. They offer event spaces, both private and semi-private, that hold from 15-200 people. Manuel’s offers free parking, a fully catered menu, and they do not charge a room or reservation fee. They sport four large-screen and nine flatscreens for the perfect football experience. Manuel’s Tavern has been voted “Best Neighborhood Bar” and “Best Bar in Atlanta” as well as what the New York Times says is “Atlanta’s quintessential neighborhood bar”. Manuel’s is open Monday through Saturday from 11am – 2am and on Sundays from 11am – midnight.

Mo’s Pizza

3109 Briarcliff Rd. @ Clairmont Rd. 404.320.1258 www.mospizza.com You may know about the burrito chain with the same name, but the original Mo’s resides on the corner of Briarcliff and Clairmont Roads just off the I-85 exit. They have been serving up great pizza and subs for 30 years! Here you will find a great Italian Sub made with ham, pepperoni, genoa salami, mozzarella, chesse, lettuce, tomato, onions and italian dressing. Their Italian Sausage comes from a special recipe and is sliced and grilled with onions, topped with Marinara sauce and mozzerella cheese. Their Philly Cheese Steak is real sirlion steak that is trimmed and sliced on premise and grilled with onions and topped with american cheese. Unlike many of the chain restaurants, Mo’s doesn’t buy their ingredients in bulk. They make their own dough, grind their own cheese and receive their ingredients fresh daily. Come to Mo’s this fall to watch all your college and pro football games. They have a great deck to hang out on, and plenty of new plasma TVs offering great views from any table. Mo’s offers a special on Monday nights where you get a Large Cheese Pizza for just $7.50! They are one of the longest running neighborhood restaurants in Atlanta, come in and see why their customers say they are one of the best. PG 11 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

Whip it Good! FILM INTERVIEW

Drew Barrymore on Roller Derby, Girl Power and Directing Her First Film surprise for me, to see this beautiful woman Drew had become. Daniel Stern: The professionalism, too. Like when Drew was talking about preparedness: The point is to do the homework and create the space to work. Drew was not only was the leader of the movie, in so many ways, but also the emotional leader. She took time to make sure this was about the emotion of the thing. I’ve directed a tiny bit myself, and you can get wrapped up in the technical aspects and the time and the pressure. It takes a lot of strength to push all that away– everybody worrying about the sun, time, rain or whatever– and just say that we’re doing this again, and we’re gonna get it right. That showed a lot of confidence and experience. I love to work for a director who’s an actor, because the importance of the performance comes first.

BY B. LOVE

T’S BEEN NEARLY 30 YEARS SINCE Drew Barrymore made her film debut opposite William Hurt in Altered States, and over 25 years since she captured audiences’ hearts as the adorable sister in Steven Spielberg’s classic E.T. The ExtraTerrestrial. Over that time– thanks to appearances in heart-on-her-sleeve films such as Never Been Kissed and 50 First Dates and tabloid coverage of everything from her troubled relationship with her mother (first documented in her 1990 autobiography, Little Girl Lost) to her failed relationships with comedian Tom Green, Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti and actor Justin Long– she’s seemed more like America’s sweet Girl Next Door than a typical movie star. As a result, when she produces and directs her first film, Whip It!, we want to see her succeed. In this interview at the Toronto Film Festival, Barrymore (and costars Daniel Stern and Marcia Gay Harden) sat down to discuss the film, what it was like to direct, and how the experience changed her as an actress. Did you watch roller derby as a kid? I knew the evolutions of it– that it was real, then staged and fake. But the roller derby that’s done now is really authentic and athletic and competitive and capable. There’s the alter-ego aspect and the superheroism, the exhibitionism. It’s a whole new thing. It’s groundbreaking and mesmerizing to me. Were you attracted to this because of how empowering the sport is for women? This sport is amazing and unique, and has been through many evolutions. Now it’s on the precipice of being something really important because all these leagues are cropping up across the country. It’s a very welcoming sport. You can be any age, any physical size, any economical background, any ethnicity… nothing matters. It’s this really welcoming environment, and to me that’s the kind of party I want to go to. I love derby, it’s a fantastic sport. How banged up did you get during filming? Seriously banged up! We wore our bruises like merit badges. We got in the female “Fight Club,” which was really fun. It’s fun for girls to do what boys do and be all rough and tumbly. Were there any particular directors that influenced you to want to direct? Why was this the right time for you to get into this? I had been producing for 15 years and everything was helpful. I was just a sponge. I soaked everything up in my life and I wanted to wring it out in this movie. Performance is so important to me. I love cinematography, but it was really cool getting to work with this caliber of actors and talking about characters and working with performances, being next to the camera and having inspired, interesting conversations about who these people were and acting them out and getting ranges of emotions. All these ideas that we had were so stimulating, and that was my ultimate goal. PG 12 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

I LOVE THE CHALLENGES OF BEING A DIRECTOR. I WORKED MY WHOLE LIFE IN ORDER TO GET THERE. SO I THINK THE MORE BUTTONED UP YOU ARE, THE MORE HOMEWORK YOU DO, THE MORE PREPARED YOU ARE, THE MORE DISCIPLINED YOU ARE, IT ENABLES YOU TO HAVE MORE FUN BECAUSE YOU’VE GOT ALL THAT HOMEWORK DONE. Was it a challenge to put on the director’s hat? I love the challenges of being a director. I worked my whole life in order to get there. So I think the more buttoned up you are, the more homework you do, the more prepared you are, the more disciplined you are, it enables you to have more fun because you’ve got all that homework done. That way you’re able to show up and have these inspired conversations and take the time to really think about the scenes and think about the performances. And that’s what’s important, to be a problem solver and have the ability to lead and guide, but also preserve the time to try improv and have a conversation.

To the other cast members, were there any surprises about working with Drew as a first-time director? Marcia Gay Harden: Drew on the skates, with the director’s hat, that was lovely. [It’s great to see] the joy that she has every single moment on that set, the absolute gratitude for being in the place that she was. There she is, directing the film with big cranes and roller derby girls and bleachers out in front of her, and you can still see this little girl that we remember from E.T. There she was, directing this film on the darker sides of femininity and doing it beautifully, in complete control. That was the biggest

Can you talk about the decision to cast Ellen Page to carry the film? I’m so fortunate that the little hero that came to life is so emblematic of this character. It was definitely personal for me because I felt so much like her growing up, and I think filmmaking should be personal. I spent a lot of time with the writer, trying to bring in personal experiences and be in touch with what it’s like to be young and want to find your tribe when you don’t feel like you fit in. I also identify with the desire to get it right with your mom, especially if you’re on a different page. As a 35-year-old woman, I can really appreciate the fact that this woman is clawing to give her daughter the best life possible. I didn’t want to wrap that up in a Hollywood bow. I was so obsessed with happy endings in my 20s, but I kept thinking of this relationship as an awesome boxing match, and I wanted the two most bad-ass people to get in the ring and have a really dynamic dance. So Ellen Page and Marcia Gay Harden? Are you kidding?! I asked Ellen to do this movie before she even shot Juno, so I was excited to watch her go through that journey. But again, it’s about working with actors who are just masters at what they do. How is it going from directing this movie to working with Robert DeNiro on Everybody’s Fine, where you’re just an actor? I did that before I did Whip It! I’m always gonna be an actor. I love comedy, and I want to do a little bit of everything, so I’ll always be able to put on many different hats. Does directing change the way you think about acting at all? Absolutely. It’s like being in a room and you look around, then someone turns the lights off and says, “Pretend you don’t know what the room looks like.” You can’t! It’s impossible! So yeah, I’m changed forever, and I look forward to the next thing I’ll do as a director. Do you see yourself, 20 years from now, playing the mother? Yeah, I see the long road ahead, and I’m excited. I only hope to do the best job I can.

FILM

�� BRIGHT STAR (PG) �� –Dorene Ahmad

THE BURNING PLAIN (R) �� –Jay Wayne

CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY (R) ��

�� –B. Love

THE INFORMANT! (R)

�� –B. Love

THE INVENTION OF LYING (PG-13) ��

��

We love Woody Harrelson, and we love him even more in a comedy that features zombie killing. Check him out in “Zombieland,” which was actually ﬁlmed in Georgia.

ZOMBIELAND ��

�� –Matt Goldberg �� –B. Love

JENNIFER’S BODY (R)

�� PG 13 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

“BRILLIANT! AN INSTANT CLASSIC. So much fun you won’t want it to end.” Mike Sargent, WBAI RADIO

�� –B. Love

PANDORUM (R)

��

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

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At the Feminist Women’s Health Center’, we provide all the FACTS you need to understand your own body and to make the best choices for your health care. �� 1924 Cliff Valley Way Atlanta, GA 30329

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�� –John C. Snider

VIDIOTS

UPCOMING DVD RELEASES AND REVIEWS

BY B. LOVE & JOHN MOORE AUDITION – Named by Entertainment Weekly the #1 Horror Film of the Past 20 Years, this 1999 cult classic from director Takashi Miike is a cautionary tale of romance gone wrong, with a climax so horrific it may scare you off dating for years. The Collectors Edition includes new interviews and an essay on Miike’s provocative work. FRINGE: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON – Though it took a few episodes to reach its stride and discover which direction it wanted to go, this sci-fi drama (which is filled with stories of teleportation and alternate universes) stands out from the standard fare the genre usually churns out thanks to fascinating characters and strong writing.

WHIP IT! (PG-13)

�� –Matt Goldberg earned many Emmy nods and attracted funny folks such as Dan Aykroyd and Gilda Radner. This 16-DVD collection features all 72 episodes as well as commentary, behind the scenes docs, outtakes and more. ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME LIVE – Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Rock & Roll Hall, this 9-DVD collection features 125 historic performances, including Mick Jagger with Bruce Springsteen, REM with Eddie Vedder, and The Band with Eric Clapton. Bonus features include 52 induction speeches, rare backstage footage and more. OTHER OCTOBER DVD RELEASES OCT 6: Ally McBeal: The Complete Series �� White and the Seven �� OCT 13:� � �� Futurama: The Complete Collection Land of ��

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON – You’d think the joke would be wearing a little thin after two seasons, but HBO’s cult hit featuring New Zealand-bred comedy-folk duo Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement still comes off surprisingly fresh. The second season is actually a bit stronger now that the backstories have been set up and all of the characters fully fleshed out.

OCT 20:� � �� Revenge of the Fallen

IT’S GARRY SHANDLING’S SHOW: THE COMPLETE SERIES – Years before The Larry Sanders Show, Garry Shandling revolutionized comedy with this groundbreaking sitcom, which

OCT 27:� � ��

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CALENDER

�� Wavves �� Fat Back Deluxe �� The Greater Atlanta Bluegrass Band �� All Get Out �� Huntington’s Disease Beneﬁt �� Joe McGuinness �� Catch 23 �� Songwriter’s Open Mic �� Patrick Vining �� Mudcat �� LoFi Mondays �� The Charlatans �� Brokencycle �� Michele Ari �� Grizzly Bear �� Mirror Image & Friends �� The Kings-A-Lings �� The Wooden Birds �� J.T. Speed �� Open Mic Jam �� GWAR �� Ty Reynolds Band �� Johnny Winter �� Regina Spektor �� Bell X1

Corner Tavern Has Your Halloween Covered!

�� Guitar Hero World Tour �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam Session �� Fatback Deluxe �� Clutch �� The Dodos �� Melissa Ferrick �� The Soulshakers �� Five Spot Sessions �� Lost Cause DJs �� Scion Metal Show �� Tyler Reeve Band �� Beneﬁt for Cort Fowler �� The Soulphonics �� Regina Spektor� �� The Airborne Toxic Event �� Winter Ransom �� Time 2 Shine �� John Hammond �� Blitzen Trapper �� Pat McGee �� Chickenshack �� Snarky Puppy �� DJ Chris Case �� Dance Gavin Dance �� Claton Anderson Band �� Indigenous �� FREAKOUT!!! �� Back 2 Basics �� Frontiers �� Doria Roberts �� Sandra Hall �� Steve Martin �� Phosphorescent �� Kim Carnes �� Harpolicious �� 54 �� Thy Mighty Contract �� Julian Marley �� Almost Kings �� Tomorrow’s Bad Seed �� Soul Shakers �� The Molly Ringwalds �� The Mother Hips �� The N.E.C. �� Trey Songz �� The Gourds �� The Kicks �� The Sundogs �� Lovely �� Houserocker Johnson �� Sin City Fight Club �� Lloyd’s Rocksteady Revue �� Kim Carnes �� Burning Time �� Lindsay Rakers Band �� Thy Mighty Contract �� Will Hoge �� Lucero �� Joy In Tomorrow �� Ike Stubbleﬁeld

PG 16 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

�� Francisco Vidal Band �� Y-O-U �� The Cynics �� Brandi Carlile �� Relient K �� Third Day, Jars of Clay �� Luke Bryan �� Bear in Heaven �� Radney Foster �� Fat Back Deluxe �� The Vincents �� Eyes Set To Kill �� Little Brown Peach �� Thievery Corporation �� Chicken & Pigs �� The Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band �� Songwriter’s Open Mic �� Patrick Vining �� Holly Howell �� Lo Fi Mondays �� Strung Out �� Filligar �� Greg Hester Band �� Blues Traveler �� Rain Machine �� The Regulars Band �� J.T. Speed �� Open Mic Jam �� DJ Yoon �� Teenage Bottlerocket �� Ty Reynolds Band �� Adrian Vera �� Guitar Hero World Tour �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam �� Scott Glazer’s Mojo Dojo �� David Garrett �� Thee Oh Sees �� Mirah �� The Soulshakers �� Five Spot Sessions �� Australian Pink Floyd �� Electric Tickle Machine �� The 69 Eyes �� Tyler Reeve Band �� Sarah Candler �� The Soulphonics �� Robin Trower �� Condeferate RR & Doug Stone �� Eddie Shaw & The Wolf Gang �� Atlas Sound �� Elizabeth & The Catapult �� Chickenshack �� Little Country Giants �� DJ Ching Dong �� Moonspell �� Aaron Thompson Band �� Chris Duarte �� Judi Chicago �� Buckhead Music Fest �� I Love Fashion �� Houserocker Johnson �� Mat Kearney �� Drummer �� Caroline Herring �� Rod Hamdallah �� Robin Williams �� Ancient Harmony �� The Son Red �� Hope Sandoval �� Emilie Autumn �� LTJ Bukem �� Terry Flynn Band �� Craig Campbell �� B.O.B �� Scott H. Biram �� Os Mutantes �� Lakehurst is Burning �� Kellie Pickler �� Buckhead Music Fest �� Manchild, U-George �� Willie “Big Eyes” Smith �� Family Force 5 �� Om �� Chris Smither �� Randy Chapman’s Quarterly Revue �� L5P Halloween Parade �� Klezmer Orchestra �� Fran Healy �� Senses Fail �� Orchard Lounge �� Tonohoney �� Talk Journey To Me �� The Duhks �� Halloween Parade �� David Cross �� Dinosaur, Jr. �� Tyrone Wells

y Revue

�� Neon Indian �� Bonnie Bishop �� Fat Back Deluxe �� Michael C. Smith �� The Deacon Brandon Reeves �� Songwriter’s Open Mic �� Patrick Vining �� Holly Belle �� Lo Fi Mondays �� The Conditionals �� Colbie Caillat �� Streets Is Talking Tour �� Stooge Brothers �� The Bravery �� Art Brut �� Jer Coons �� J.T. Speed �� Open Mic Jam �� Leonard Cohen �� DJ Yoon �� Atticus Clothing Tour �� Ty Reynolds Band �� Ryan Bingham �� Jay Brannan �� Guitar Hero World Tour �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam �� The Breeze Kings �� Giant Lion �� Austin Lounge Lizards �� The Soulshakers �� Five Spot Sessions �� Lost Cause DJs �� Stryper �� Tyler Reeve Band �� Bob Schneider �� The Tragically Hip �� The Heavy Pets �� Blood Plums �� Tommy Brown �� Supercluster �� Juliana Finch �� Chickenshack �� Kelly Love Jones �� R. Kelly �� Helena West & The Swingrays �� Pinback & Bellini �� Aaron Thompson Band �� Dumpstaphunk �� Flathead Mike & The Mercurys �� Marianne Faithfull �� Lixxy Roxx �� Sweet Betty �� Marc Broussard �� Sea Wolf �� Mike Doughty �� Jafar Curry Band �� Cadillac Jones �� R. Kelly �� Jeffery Butzer �� A Fine Frenzy �� Thursday �� The Meat Puppets �� Joe McGuinness �� Four Play �� Trampled By Turtles �� A Fight to the Death �� Glmour Kills Tour �� Tinsley Ellis �� The Dirty Guv’nahs �� Money $hott �� Abyss Unplugged �� Sandra Hall �� Buju Banton �� Truth & Salvage Co. �� Packway Handle Band �� Greg Barrett �� Fish Mouth Fools �� Celtic Thunder �� This Piano Plays Itself �� Gaslight Anthem �� Dirty Projectors �� Sean Costello �� White Leppard �� Brother Jocephus �� Psycho Devilles �� Hollywood Undead �� Unknown Hinson �� Seattle Grunge Tour

�� Nathan Morgan Band �� Electric Six �� Songwriter’s Open Mic �� Patrick Vining �� Joe McGuinness �� Lo Fi Mondays �� Love The Baby

PACIFIC ARTS PRESENTS

�� Heather Luttrell �� Califone �� Chris Pureka �� Open Mic Jam �� Itzhak Perlman �� Jessie James �� Type O Negative �� Paramore �� Guitar Hero World Tour �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam �� The Electromatics �� The Spinto Band �� Erin McKeown �� The Soulshakers �� Five Spot Sessions �� David Foster & Friends �� Bernadette Seacrest �� The Academy Is… �� Erin McCarley �� Hanson & Hellogoodbye �� Yelowolf �� Producers Swap Meet �� Sweet Betty �� Russian Circles �� Eastmountainsouth �� Chickenshack �� Kenosha Kid �� Bonaventure Quartet �� Trivium �� Ben Deignan �� Lenny Kravitz �� Yacht Rock Revue �� Mausiki Scales �� Sandra Hall �� Joe Bonamassa �� Five Eight �� Don Dixon & Marti Jones �� Tomi Isobe �� Jamie McLean �� Zac Brown Band �� Indigovox �� Mudcat �� Monster Party �� The Lee Boys �� The Whiskey Gentry �� Gogol Bordello �� Wild Bill’s Fight Night

featuring music from Wish You Were Here, Animals, Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall plus much more...

WED, OCTOBER 14 • 8PM FOX THEATRE

Tickets: Fox Box Office & Ticketmaster

As Seen On

800-745-3000 ticketmaster.com www. aus si efloyd.com

FEATURING

�� Unzipt �� The Freshly Unfamiliar �� Houserocker Johnson �� The Constellations �� Noot D’ Noot �� Ari Hest �� The Blues Crew �� Coney Island Brewery �� Sealions �� 99X Brouhaha �� Mudcat �� That 80’s Band �� Modern Skirts �� Howlies �� Steve Morse Band �� Halloween Bash

R. Kelly @ ��(Oct. 22-23)

�� Tanglewood Tonic �� Chris Chandler �� Fat Back Deluxe �� The Moral Decline �� KMFDM �� Pam Ann Live ��

PG 17 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

MUSIC INTERVIEW

GET TO KNOW – IZZA KIZZA BY BRET LOVE

F YOU DON’T KNOW IZZA KIZZA GOVERNMENT name: Terry Davis) yet, you might want to go ahead and jump on the bandwagon now or risk getting crushed in the bum rush when his “official” debut album is released later this year. I say “official” because Izza’s already released two absolutely incredible mix tapes (available for free download via his website, www.izzakizza.com), both of which establish him as the most skillful new MC to emerge since Slim Shady signed with Dre. For evidence of his formidable mic skills, look no further than “Timbo Freestyle,” the seventh cut on his debut mix tape, Kizzaland. Over a 4-minute smorgasbord of producer Timbaland’s (with whom he was briefly signed) best beats, the 28year-old Valdosta native delivers an astonishing array of rhyme styles, flipping up his flow more frequently than Madonna changes outfits. He can go sizzurp-slow and twisted, rock a

A TRUE HIPHOP ARTIST ISN’T ALL ABOUT THE MONEY, BUT ABOUT SHOWING THAT YOU HAVE A GIFT AND GETTING YOUR MUSIC HEARD.

hood-tough swagger, croon his own catchy hook, get fast ‘n’ futuristic like a next-gen Andre 3000, crack wacky jokes, or simply keep it real and emotional. Izza credits this stylistic diversity to growing up in a small Southern town where pop, soul and R&B were more popular than hip-hop, and dancing and partying were deemed more important than acting street-tough. “Growing up in Valdosta,” he recalls, “they played Top 40 on the radio all the time, so it was a mixture of all different kinds of music. I remember singing Billy Ocean tunes, like ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going.’ Back then we wasn’t getting the stuff that was coming out of New York in south Georgia.” Though he hadn’t yet discovered his deep love for hip-hop, Izza’s passion for music began early, and he started out singing alongside his brother in an R&B vocal group and dancing with his cousins’ crew in talent contests. But he soon found himself inspired to give rapping a try, influenced by a surprisingly unlikely source. “I was listening to a lot of Tupac, Easy-E, NWA, Too $hort, Eightball & MJG and I was feeling what they were talking about cuz I was living it in the ‘hood. But then Kris Kross came out, and before that there wasn’t no rappers from my generation. All the rappers we looked up to were older than us. But these dudes were my age! They took the bus just like I took the bus, so we had things in common. It was like, if these young dudes could get on, I can do this! It was at that point that I decided I should write a rap,” he admits with a laugh. Perhaps not surprisingly given the lack of a scene in Valdosta, Izza ultimately left his hometown in search of stardom. But rather than head to the hip-hop mecca of the ATL, he wound up moving to New Jersey after a girlfriend hooked him up with her brother, Bless, of production crew Souldiggaz. Coming off working with artists such as Mary J. Blige, Souldiggaz was searching for new rappers, and found in Izza a cocky, confident MC who could slay ‘em in 16 bars. After trading music and rhymes via Fed Ex, they realized it was a match made in hip-hop heaven, and Izza claims moving north to work with them changed his entire perspective. “My first week up there I’m at Sony Studios talking to Rockwilder” he recalls, still incredulous at the memory. “I was really

into ‘Ordinary People’ at the time, and I found myself at Kanye West’s studio watching John Legend perform live, sitting close to Beyoncé and Jay-Z! They blew my mind, but it also inspired me.” Equally inspiring was the gritty, futuristic style Souldiggaz gave to his music, elevating his already formidable game to whole ‘nother level. “They had this crazy pop to their beats, and there were so many creative minds working together in the studio, it just had this amazing energy. These guys brought my dream to reality, and by my second week in New Jersey I had a song called ‘Here Comes the Police’ playing on Hot 97. They taught me a lot, and they helped me get that swag.” They also helped Izza, who’d never even had an email when they first started working together, get up on the wonders of modern technology. It’s a tool he quickly learned to use to his advantage, both for buzz-building marketing purposes and to distribute his music for free in an environment where even diehard music lovers are increasingly unwilling to pay to hear an unproven artist. “The Internet is the most powerful promotional tool out there right now for an artist,” he insists. “A true hip-hop artist isn’t all about the money, but about showing that you have a gift and getting your music heard. I did these songs, and I want people to hear it! It’s hard times right now, so instead of saying ‘Buy my music,’ me and Souldiggaz decided this was the best approach.” Clearly the concept is starting to pay off, as Izza’s career momentum is building steadily going into his debut album’s release (currently slated for February 2010). He’s already worked with the likes of David Banner and Missy Elliott, had songs on So You Think You Can Dance and Madden NFL ’09, and appeared on a Paste magazine CD sampler, all without a record deal. The day of our interview, he was preparing to release yet another new single, “Runnin’,” for free via his website. So don’t expect Izza’s seemingly endless flow of ideas to stop anytime soon. “I’m always creating and I’m gonna keep makin’ hot records, so why am I gonna try to hold onto a record?” he asks rhetorically. “People are harsh critics, but if I love what I’m puttin’ out I won’t worry what anybody else is gonna think about it. Because I love it! Let’s just put those hot records out and let people know we mean business.”

�� &

�� Tuesday Texas Hold ‘Em Tourney, FREE Pool, Beer Pong & Corn Hole Wednesday Speed Texas Hold ‘Em Tourney Beer Pong & Corn Hole Thursday LIVE Music Texas Hold ‘Em Tourney Beer Pong & Corn Hole Friday & Saturday Voted Best College Bar Voted Best Texas Hold’em Voted Best Cocktails NEVER A COVER!

�� 3179 Peachtree Rd. (Buckhead) 404-231-4201 Join us on Facebook. Search Moondogs!

PG 18 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

��

THE MOLLY FRANCISCO RINGWALDS VIDAL BAND

CRaig Campbell

(80’s Cover Band)

��

TALK JOURNEY TO ME

(Poison & Journey Tribute)

(Cover)

(Nashville’s Best Country)

��

Cole Swindell, Matt Moore, Michael Carter, Craig Campbell (Country)

WHITE LEPPARD CRUE

FOUR PLAY

(80’s Rock Cover)

NO COVER WEEKNIGHTS! ��

Road Warriors

This Month’s Hottest Shows BY SACHA DZUBA

10/06 REGINA SPEKTOR

Tabernacle This Russian/American singer-songwriter is a beautiful sight to behold and a bold sound to regard, playing piano-driven pop with an easy grace that’s equally enthralling in a live setting. Her songs often incorporate a series of stories to create an abstract and eclectic style that is all her own. The recently released album Far will make you fall in love with the eclectic songstress, but go see her live for the full effect.

10/20 THE BRAVERY

Center Stage One of many bands riding the post-punk/ new wave revival, these indie-rockers will be performing songs from their forthcoming third album, which is due out in November. Though similar in many ways to the Killers and Scissor Sisters, the Bravery bring their own unique flair to the trendy sound, and have all too often been unfairly dismissed as bandwagon-jumpers. Don’t make the same mistake.

10/20 LEONARD COHEN

Fox Theatre Recently the subject of a documentary, “Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man,” this consummate artist’s work explores themes such as isolation, sexuality, religion and

relationships. Though many famous performers consider him an inspiration, he’s perhaps best known for Jeff Buckley’s haunting version of his tune “Hallelujah.” Prepare to be touched in the deepest areas of your soul as Cohen sings songs of reflection, loneliness, loss, and life.

10/22 & 23 R. KELLY

The Fox Theatre R. Kelly returns to Atlanta for the “Ladies Make Some Noise!” Tour. Due to popular demand, a second show has just been added. The tour coincides with the release of R. Kelly’s tenth studio album, “Untitled”, on October 13th. He collaborated with some up and coming producers including Infinity, Lil Ronnie and Chris Henderson. The first single off this upcoming release is “Number One” featuring Keri Hilson and it is available now.

10/23 AC/DC

Philips Arena One of the pioneering heavy metal bands, AC/DC ranks 4th in VH1’s list of 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rockand 72nd on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Their seminal album, Back in Black, has estimated 45 million in worldwide sales, and classic songs like “Highway to Hell,” “Hells Bells,” and “You Shook Me All Night Long” will be rawked alongside tracks from 2008’s Black Ice when these hardhitting giants hit the stage.

10/24 UNKNOWN HINSON

Variety Playhouse The original rockabilly Dracula is on the scene, ready to make you nod your Brylcreem

pompadour to the music. The voice of Early Cuyler on The Squidbillies (on Adult Swim) is a great crooner and a smokin’ guitar player to boot. I have no doubt you’ll hear at least one Jimi Hendrix cover that will knock your bobby socks off…

10/26 KISS

Philips Arena On the heels of their first release in eleven years the masked marvels of rock and roll invade Atlanta in the midst of their Alive 35 Tour. Originals Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, sporting brand new costumes and their classic seven inch leather heels, lead the bombardment along with guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer. Gene spits blood and Paul flies across the arena to sing “Love Gun.” Expect to hear two hours of classic KISS with a few tunes from the new CD, Sonic Boom. “You wanted the best, you got the best.”

10/27 PARAMORE

Tabernacle This band has catchy hooks and melodies to spare, thanks in part to Haley Williams’ innocent blush vocals, which have some Katy Perry/Dolores O’Riordan qualities. But this is no bubble gum pop: the alt-rock group boasts elements of punk, emo and straight-up rock ‘n’ roll, and recently rolled out their third studio album, Brand New Eyes.

10/27 ITZHAK PERLMAN

Fox Theatre One of the top classical musicians in the world, this violin virtuoso has also scored several films, including Schindler’s List (for which we won an Oscar) and Memoirs Of A Geisha (with Yo-Yo Ma). He’s also performed with

Out of the Shadows

nearly every major orchestra and well-known conductor, and even performed for Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony. Open your ears to stringed perfection!

10/29 LENNY KRAVITZ

Tabernacle With a retro-rock style that incorporates many different influences, this multiGrammy winner remains a great songwriter and consummate performer. Expect elaborate an stage show and stylish musicianship as he revisits what may be his best album, the Beatles-inspired Let Love Rule, in celebration of its 20th anniversary.

10/30 GOGOL BORDELLO

Variety Playhouse The original gypsy punks, Gogol Bordello has a notoriously raucous live show. Their music is a swirling maelstrom of gypsy violins, accordion, guitar, drums, and heavilyaccented vocals courtesy of Eugene Hutz (best known for acting opposite Elijah Wood in the excellent indie film Everything Is Illuminated). Ask if you can touch his awesome, Rollie Fingers-style moustache.

10/30 ZAC BROWN BAND

Fox Theatre Raised in the Dahlonega/Cumming area, Zac Brown– like fellow ATL residents Sugarland– is exposing country music to a broader audience with an accessible sound that incorporates influences such as Dave Matthews and Jimmy Buffett. He’ll be playing hits like “Country Fried” and “Toes” at this special hometown concert, the proceeds of which will help rebuild Athens’ legendary Georgia Theatre.

MUSIC INTERVIEW

Teenage Bottlerockets On Their Fat Wreck Chords Debut BY JOHN B. MOORE

hung out with Mike at each show. He’s a very charismatic guy, and it’s great being around him. He is the one who called us and let us know Fat Wreck Chords was interested. At one point in the conversation he said to me, “Let me tell you a little bit about Fat, we’re a record label, we release records.” it was hilarious.

HE TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKETS ARE in the process of becoming the next great overnight pop-punk success. And it’s only been eight year in the making. Formed in 2001 by brothers Ray and Brandon Carlisle with the help of a couple of friends in the improbable Is everyone still living in Wyoming? setting of Laramie, Wyoming, the group took a jones We all still live in Wyoming. Kody (Templeman, for the Ramones and a knack for writing catchy songs guitar) lives in Newcastle which is close to Rapid City, and turned it into one of the most infectious bands South Dakota while Brandon ever to emerge from the middle of Miguel (Chen, guitar) WE HAVE GROWN AS A (drums), nowhere. and I live in Laramie. There have been a couple of BAND, AND I THINK IT lineup changes over the years, but REALLY SHOWS WITH Seems like you guys have been now the group has an established touring forever. Were you able “THEY CAME FROM crew and sound and has just to take much time off between released their fourth CD (They THE SHADOWS”. KODY tours from the last record and Came From the Shadows), their WROTE SOME OF THE work on this one? first for storied punk label Fat did some of the writing for BEST SONGS I HAVE theWenew Wreck Chords. Frontman/bassist record in Europe during Ray Carlisle spoke with us recently EVER HEARD HIM our tour in February of 09. Most about the new record, skating and WRITE FOR THIS ONE. of the writing was done at home the mistaken perception that the between tours. It’s hard to say the band came out of nowhere. exact time we wrote these tunes. Some of them were written this year, and others have been works in progress You guys signed to Fat Wreck Chords before working for a few years now. on this record. How has it been? Fat Wreck is great. Everyone over there has worked How does “They Came From the Shadows” compare to very hard for us with this release. For that, we are “Warning Device”? forever grateful. It was always a goal of ours to be on I think its better. We have grown as a band, and I think Fat, and now we are. What more can I say? It’s is a very it really shows with “They Came From the Shadows”. exciting time for the band. Kody wrote some of the best songs I have ever heard him write for this one. There are some similarities Have you all had a chance to meet Fat Mike yet? between the two releases though. That is to say, this one We’ve played with NOFX a few times now, and we isn’t completely off the path we’ve been on songwriting

wise. But, like I mentioned before, we have grown as a band and “They Came From the Shadows” really captures that. You guys have this reputation of coming out of nowhere and becoming this overnight success, but you’ve actually been at it for awhile now. Does that ever bother you? No, it doesn’t bother us at all. Coming from Wyoming is sorta like coming from nowhere. As far as the overnight thing goes, some people are just now becoming familiar with the band, so it might come off that way. We are just stoked on everything we’ve achieved and want to continue to keep doing what we’re doing. We feel lucky. Being in the same band with your brother, have you guys ever had any Kinks or Oasis-style fights over music? We fight like brothers, but we tend to get over our fights fast. We will blow up at each other and three minutes later be laughing about something completely different. It does tend to drive other members of the band crazy from time to time. Once in New Jersey Miguel pulled the van over and just walked off. He had one of his buddies come pick him up. We all laughed about it the next day. We try to keep our fighting to a minimum to avoid driving the rest of the band nuts. Judging from the song “Skate or Die,” I’m assuming you guys were big skaters? Do you all still skate? Brandon and I do. We don’t skate as much as we

used to, but we deﬁnitely go to the local skate park and have a little fun when the weather permits. You had a chance to work with punk rock royalty on this record. What was it like recording at the Blasting Room? We love it. Working with Bill (Stevenson), Jason (Livermore) and Andrew (Berlin) is amazing. Those guys really know their shit. It was particularly nice to record this record there. After all these years we are starting to get what it takes to max out the potential of the studio. Not to sound like we know what we’re doing, but we really got into the production of this record. We knew what we wanted, and they helped us get there. All in all, the Blasting Room rules. Anything else you want to add? Drop by our MySpace, and check out our tour dates. If we’re around you, grab a friend and come check us out.

PG 19 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

MUSIC

��

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

BROTHER ALI – US (Rhymesayers) Music for our 21st century Mess Age �� THE STONE ROSES – THE STONE ROSES 20TH ANNIVERSARY (Legacy/Silvertone) Still brilliant 20 years later �� PG 20 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

��

�� FASHAWN – BOY MEETS WORLD (One Records) The West Coast’s Illmatic. There, we said it! �� DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS – THE FINE PRINT: A COLLECTION OF ODDITIES & RARITIES 2003-2008 (New West) Better than most bands’ best ��

��

�� ATLAS SOUND – LOGOS (4AD) Audio experimentation that usually works �� BLUR – MIDLIFE: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO BLUR (EMI) One of Britpop’s best get the best-of treatment ��

�� N’DAMBI – PINK ELEPHANT (Concord/Stax) An R&B horse of a different color �� WILLIE HEATH NEAL – OUT OF HIGHWAY (Chicken Ranch) An outlaw country star on the rise �� SMILE SMILE– BLUE ROSES (Kirtland) Solid debut from folk rock duo ��

COMEDY INTERVIEW

EVERYBODY LOVES CHRIS

Chris Rock on Cougars, Comedy & Good Hair T

BY ALEX S. MORRISON

HERE ARE ESSENTIALLY TWO types of stand-up comedians: Those who work really hard at being funny, and those who just ARE funny. Chris Rock, who was once named the Funniest Man in America by Entertainment Weekly and ranked #5 on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 Greatest StandUps of All Time, definitely belongs in the latter group. During an hour-long Q&A at this year’s Toronto Film Festival, where he appeared to promote his hilarious new documentary film, Good Hair, the BedStuy-bred 44-year-old kept the audience in stitches with his off-the-cuff improv skills, tackling subjects ranging from the female anatomy (“Ugly hair is not a deal-breaker for men. An ugly ass, now that’s a different story!”) to Michael Jackson’s afterlife. But he proved equally amusing on a recent stop through Atlanta when he sat down with us at the Four Seasons Hotel for an interview that covered everything from surgeons in showbiz to what it would take for him to stop touring.

How do you think growing up in Brooklyn impacted your comedic sensibility? You know New York is just a funny place. I can only compare it to Los Angeles. L.A. is not funny. Everybody wants to be in showbiz in L.A., so everything revolves around showbiz, even your nanny. Whereas in New York you can go to a good party given by a corrections officer. There’s no pride in L.A. Even doctors want to be in showbiz, and it’s like, “Motherfucker, you a surgeon. Be a damn surgeon!” Can you talk about the difference in process as far as doing a documentary vs. doing a feature film? This was a hard movie to get through the system because nobody wanted to do this movie. Nobody wanted to give me money for it! My agents and managers always changed the subject whenever the idea was brought up, because at this point in my career they want me to make money. They want me to take gigs that are going to earn me millions of dollars. There’s not a big commission on the hair movie. So this is a true passion project.

Were you surprised to learn that the black hair industry was not as blackowned as you’d think? No industry is black-owned. Not even sports! The NBA Players Association I believe gets 49% of the revenue, and since most of the players are black that would probably be the #1 black-owned organization. But that’s the chink in black armor. We marched and did all these things to be a part of something, but we should’ve been trying to get our own something. It was like, “We wanna be in the co-op.” But I wanna be in my own house! Can you talk about some of the positive and negative aspects of fame?

ANYTIME I SEE JANET JACKSON SHE DOES CUT ME A BAD LOOK. I MADE JOKES ABOUT HER FLASHING HER TITTY AT THE SUPER BOWL. I’M LIKE, “A 40-YEAR-OLD TITTY IS YOUR MAN’S TITTY. A 20-YEAR-OLD TITTY IS A COMMUNITY TITTY. THERE‘S NO AUNTIES GONE WILD!”

It’s like going to a baseball game and having big tits: You get attention wherever you go. The difference when you’re a guy is that generally people want money, whereas when you’re a girl they generally want to fuck you. It depends on what you like. I’ve never been one to dwell on the negatives of fame. I like being famous, and I can’t imagine not being famous. I was not famous for most of my life… fuck that shit! (Laughs) You’re known for talking a lot of smack about other celebrities. Does that ever get you in trouble? Anytime I see Janet Jackson she does cut me a bad look. I made jokes about her

flashing her titty at the Super Bowl. I’m like, “A 40-year-old titty is your man’s titty. A 20year-old titty is a community titty. There‘s no Aunties Gone Wild!” (Laughs)

So you don’t believe in the whole cougar phenomenon? Yeah, there are cougars out there, but what’s a real cougar? There’s cougars, and then there’s girls that are like, “I can’t get a guy my age, so I’m gonna get me a young guy that’s happy I bought him a bike!” A real cougar could get guys her age or younger instead of this whole dating-young-boys-bydefault movement.

Speaking of age, a lot of comics don’t tour as much once they get older. Is it still rewarding for you? I still get a thrill from it and get paid handsomely for it. I’m fortunate because the road is bigger now than it was back in the day. Guys like Richard Pryor couldn’t play the whole world. That was always the problem with comedians, because musicians could play the whole world and they could make all this money. Part of it was just awareness and recognition, and part of it was the jokes just didn’t translate. But in the age of the Internet, the world is so small that I can play anywhere they speak English. What was it like for you getting to play South Africa on your Kill The Messenger tour? You know, it was weird: it was just like playing Atlanta! They laughed at everything. They got all the big stuff. Same in New Zealand and Australia. It was crazy! Think you’ll ever stop touring? I don’t see that happening. If you see me not touring, I’ve got a LOT of money! (Laughs) It’s nice to be funny without all the accoutrements of film– the cameramen, the actors, the directors. It’s an instant connection with the audience. It’s as close as I’ll ever come to being an athlete, because it’s a live event where anything could happen. I have to think constantly while I’m on stage. The show could actually go bad, you know what I mean? I could lose! It’s hard to lose that big with a movie...

At this point in your career do you try to hold out for the movies that you are more passionate about? Yeah, I do hold out. I have kids now, so I don’t want to leave the house unless I really love what I’m doing. Even if I love the job I might still feel guilty. I love [promoting] this movie, but I’d rather be taking my kids to school. All that is to say I don’t want my daughter to [see my movies someday and] say, “You weren’t at my recital for that piece of crap?!” I noticed your wife was missing from the conversation in the film regarding good hair. Why is that? I have a policy that you don’t hire people you can’t fire. If I would’ve filmed her, what if I don’t like what I get? Am I going to cut my wife from my own movie? No! I’m going to keep it in to have a smooth house, because that’s worth more than anything! (Laughs) PG 21 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

MUSIC INTERVIEW

Though industry storms and critics’ constant shade set The Clipse back, the sun has finally out – the duo’s new album, Till The Casket Drops, is approaching the horizon too – and it’s shining brighter than ever. BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

ALICE, THE ELDER OF THE barbashing brotherly bunch better known as The Clipse, is beaming from ear to ear. We can totally understand why he’s smiling right now. He and his brother, Pusha, are in the most comfy of spots. Their recording situation with Columbia is nice. The Virginia natives are also on the eve of releasing another action-packed CD of streetapproved antics and flashy-label braggadocio called Till The Casket Drops. “Life is good,” affirms Malice, who dropped Hell Hath No Fury with Pusha in late ’06 to a critical reception few releases that year received. “Ain’t nothing to complain about. Got God. Got my health. We out here. Me and my brother we together on the road, out here doing shows. It’s rough out there so things could be a lot worse.” When Mal speaks of his accomplishments, his haters or his outside ventures, he’s still all grins. Who can blame him? There’s probably nothing anyone can say or do to get the former dope dealers off their natural high. And honestly, INsite’s pretty stoked just to be around Malice for some of the contact buzz… I know you all have been traveling out west lately. What’s the vibe in Cali?

Enthusiasm. They’re ready for us, every time, every place, every venue we been to. We have dedicated and loyal fans. We‘ve seen a swarm of new fans. Clipse fans are very passionate. It’s feeling good out here. Define these fans for me. Most of the Clipse fans are hipsters. A lot of the street, a lot of college kids. Definitely our fans are fashion conscious, real fly, serious about their hip hop. In your eyes, who’s serious about their hip hop right now. Who do you respect in the game? Honestly, I respect anybody who takes what they do and share it with the world and they prepare to be judged, criticized or even praised. To put something that you love or are passionate about and that’s real and near and dear to you and have people comment on it takes a strong person. So, I respect anybody who shares their craft with the world. You all have definitely had your share of criticism over the years. How have you and your brother dealt with it? It’s not a problem. It’s really not a problem. We take it well. Reason being is because we’re confident in what it is we do. I can even remember when we

were shopping for deals with The Neptunes, before [our debut] Lord Willin’ came out. When we played our music for people, if they didn’t get it or they were uncertain about it, we thought that they were absolutely crazy. It’s not like we went back home and started over, ya know, back to the drawing board and tried to do something different. We’d be like, “They were stupid. They didn’t get it.” That was very seldom the case. Most of the time people really took to what it was we were doing and saw that we were passionate about it. Basically what I’m saying is, you have to know who you are because, if you don’t, criticism will conquer you and toss you around like clothes in a dryer. You gotta stand firm. Where have you seen the biggest improvements in The Clipse since Lord Willin’? I think we’ve become very accustomed to the business side of things, ever since the beginning, especially with all the label setbacks, if you can call them that. I count everything as a plus. Most people call them label setbacks. We learned how to take things upon ourselves and don’t just sit back and wait for the label to motivate it or move out, to move with the swiftness that they should or the diligence that they should. Hence, the [We Got It For Cheap] mixtape series. All work that we put out on our off time. We came up with our own [Play Cloths] clothing line that’s been very successful. Four seasons with four sellouts! I think we pretty much know to get a move on things and don’t wait on the next person, the label, the execs, that don’t have the same passion that you may have for your work. You have to do things yourself. I think we’re great for that. So, for the cat out there who’s on the recording grind, you’d suggest he go the indie route? What I would suggest to anybody who wanted to do -not just hip hop or music or whatever- is I would ask them to reevaluate their reasons for wanting to do it. Now if you got a bullshit reason, whether it be to have a fly car and a bunch of hoes, you better know that even if you dope, you’re not gonna keep it long. But if you got those that are trying to provide, take care of family and have a good quality of life and maybe even help out somebody along the way, I think you have a very great chance at being successful- if you’re good at what you do. That’s real, man. As real as I know it. What makes Pusha special? He’s serious about his business. He’s mastered what he does. He will not be outdone, not just on

PG 22 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

records but not in life. What you see is what you get. Nothing fake. You guys have famously worked exclusively with The Neptunes over your career. Why are you seeking outside beats this third time? Yeah, it’s a couple other producers on the project. We got DJ Khalil and Chin. They’re known for a few things back with Kanye and 50, if I’m not for certain. I wouldn’t quote that one. But definitely you can [quote that] ‘cuz I seen all the 50 plaques at his crib. Shawn & LV from American Gangster notoriety [also produce on the album]. Then The Neptunes came in and cleaned up. What about rumors of Swizz Beatz and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League providing beats? Nah, they’re not on this album. A question I’ve always wanted to ask you is about industry beefs. You guys have stayed relatively clear of the drama. How? It’s a testament to who we truly are as people. There’s no need to step on anybody’s toes even if you don’t’ agree with what someone else is doing. We’re basically about ourselves. We’ve got too much real business to even get caught up in the melee of beefing with this person or that person. How do you get in beef with people that you don’t even know? Like, I’ve never understood that. The Lil Wayne situation was unfortunate, but even that was frivolous. Nothing can ever come out of those things. What else do you do besides rap? Just wrote a book entitled Wretched, Pitiful, Poor, Blind and Naked. Writing has always been second nature to me. I’ve always been able to express myself real good and this book is nothing short of phenomenal. The book is about life. It’s about things that went on with the Clipse and the industry, and it’s a very personal inside look at my personal life and family and how you have to have your head about yourself coming into such an industry like this. I think it’ll be very informative to anyone who’s pursuing such a career. I’m thinking top on the year after the album. The album is out in October so maybe January. I think it’ll be a perfect way to start off the new year. You said October for the album. So, it’s definitely ready? Album is 100% finished. The work is out of the way. We’re good. The sun is out. We’re alright.

RETURN OF THE MACK One of Cali’s most respected, Mack 10, is back with his first CD in four years

Of course, that’s what I’m saying. With my last record, I was leaving the situation that I was in. It was the last record and I was going through a lot of personal issues at that time as well. So, I couldn’t concentrate and focus and give it what it really needed. But I’m human. That’s what happens when you got personal issues going on. So, now that all that shit is behind me, I can focus again. I’m having a lot of fun, just to keep it 100% with you. I’m focused.

How fun was it putting together this new project? Well, I named it Soft White for the simple fact that when it’s soft white, it’s raw and uncut dope. It ain’t never been touched. It’s soft white, so it’s raw. I named my album that ‘cuz this is really just me. I’m just being me on this record. I’m just having fun. I’m doing me. I’m having so much fun it’s unreal right now.

What are some of your proudest career moments? I think my very first [self-titled] album going gold in five weeks. Back then, that was big. I’mma a dude from the streets. I done been on Jay Leno. I did Woodstock. I did the Fox New Year’s Eve special. I did a lot of shit kids think about doing. I went gold and platinum and sold millions of records independent. That’s an accomplishment in itself. I moved five million independent. I’m blessed. I can’t complain about nuthin’. That’s why I was able to get through any problems or whatever personal issues or divorces [from TLC’s T-Boz]. I was able to get through that with flying colors ‘cuz I was already close to God and already focused. I just had to take a lil’ time and work through the shit and get through everything. But that’s why I’m still good.

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

HESE ARE INTERESTING TIMES ON THE LEFT COAST. The sound is on the cusp of another movement; we’re just not sure which way it’s moving. On one side you have OGs like Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Mack 10, three platinum-selling legends that want more of that 90s glory they feasted on by dropping new albums over the next few months. But on the flip, you also have a fresh wave of acts like Nipsey Hussle, Fashawn and Jay Rock who want to put their own stamp on the Pacific sound. So, which way is the movement really swaying in 2010? To get a firm answer, INsite took a trip out to the West to ask Inglewood icon Mack 10, the one person who’s crip-walking both sides with his ninth and 10th solo works, Soft White and 2000 1-0.

You say you’re having fun. Is that to say that the last few albums weren’t as fun?

IF YOU’RE GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL, TO ME, IT’S GOTTA BE TO A CERTAIN STANDARD TO WHERE IT’S QUALITY THAT SOMEBODY’S PURCHASING.

Do you care about Jay Leno and Fox specials now, or do you just care about the checks? Well, I’ve always longed for perfection. I don’t play for trophies. Never have. If I could sell 300,0000 and make more money than I could selling 500,000 [on a major label], then give me the 300,000, feel me? I’m that kind of guy. All that over shit is good too. It could only help what it is that you’re doing. Of course, I still like that stuﬀ ‘cuz it could only improve what I’m doing. Speak to the independent rapper. How can he be a success? You gotta make sure your look is good. You can’t come out and look independent. Lookin’ too independent won’t work. If you’re going to be successful, to me, it’s gotta be to a certain standard to where it’s quality that somebody’s purchasing. Like with my records, you wouldn’t know I was on an indie unless I told you. You don’t know the Westside Connection (Mack 10, Ice Cube and WC’s former group) was on an indie unless I told you. It’s

MUSIC INTERVIEW always had the look that everybody else had. Our shit was always on BET, MTV and everything else too because it looked the part. So, everything you’re doing is coming straight out your pocket? Yeah, yeah. I like it like that ‘cuz you don’t have no one to answer to. I’m making money by street date. Why is Soft White a smart purchase for consumers? Because it’s right now. It’s giving you a real look at what West Coast niggaz are about. We been so misrepresented for so long it’s unreal. Ain’t nobody walkin’ around in khaki suits and gangbangin’ like niggaz think they are [in California]. The jerk movement started out here. There are skinny jeans out here like there are everywhere else. I ain’t wearin’ none, but they’re out here. I just think my record will give you a proper representation of what the West Coast is about. I represent everything now. I ain’t just West Coast and saying I don’t want nobody but the West Coast [aﬄiated with me]. That ain’t good business- especially nowadays. My ﬁrst single (“So Sharp”) was produced by a down-south dude (Jazze Pha) and features two south dudes (Lil Wayne and Rick Ross). If I was trying to make music just for L.A., that wouldn’t be my single. I’m just tryin’ to make good music. Some of us change with the times. I ain’t in a time capsule. My records don’t sound like they sounded in the 90s. If you do that, you’re outta business. I don’t hate on the youngstas. I love the young generation. That’s how you keep this shit alive. I know a lot of these young kids don’t like some of the older guys in the business, but they shouldn’t ‘cuz [the old guys] don’t wanna reach back and help nobody do nuthin’. I ain’t never been like that. I’m a businessman, homie. You keep the hood alive by puttin’ people on. Speaking of which, give me a few words on Glasses Malone. The boy’s real. He’s authentic. That nigga got it. He reminds me a lot of myself, being young in the game. Everything I talked about was so sincere and so real. That’s why they felt me. You could just tell that I knew something about what I was I rapping about. I could go into depths so well. I could tell you how to cook it. I could tell you how to do whatever ‘cuz I know. Glasses is one of them kind of guys. A lot of these guys ain’t really like that. He’s always going to be authentic. The rap game gonna have to deal with him for a long time. He’s gonna do this shit as long as he wanna do it ‘cuz he’s that good. Any chance of a Westside Connection reunion? I don’t know. I don’t know. I haven’t even thought about it. I’m in the fast lane, rolling right now. When I’m in the fast lane, I don’t really have time to think about nothing else that was behind me. I’m just moving forward. I’m so busy with this Hoo-Bangin’ [label] shit and [newcomer] Glasses Malone with Cash Money and Baby. I have too much other business going on to even think about that.

TALES OF FUTURE PAST

The Resurgence of American Steel R BY JOHN B. MOORE

ETURNING FROM A FIVEYEAR BREAK in 2007 with Destroy Their Future, American Steel weren’t exactly sure if that record would be their swan song or a career jumpstart for one of punk-rock’s most promising bands. Looks like it was more of the latter. Fans can finally exhale with the release of the band’s latest, Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts, a dozen tracks of frank lyrics and razor sharp hooks. When most of the band members used their time off to record and tour as the indie synth-rock group Communiqué, it was a big step away from the more classic punk sound of American Steel. Frontman Rory Henderson recently spoke with us via telephone about American Steel’s hiatus, the decision to resurrect the band and writing for radio. When you guys reunited in 2007, did you know there would be more records and tours or were you just taking it day to day to see if you felt like continuing on as a band? Yeah, it was definitely up in the air as far as doing more than one record, but the tours we did for Destroy Their Future were so enjoyable and we had some songs stewing so it was a pretty easy decision to do another record.

What was the reason for the time oﬀ to record under the name Communiqué? We just needed a break– a clean slate both musically and mentally– from American Steel. It was probably not the smartest of business decisions but I really enjoyed myself with Communiqué. We had some great times as well as some unpleasant lessons learned that

we would not have otherwise had in American Steel. So even the negative experiences were enriching.

Did you know you guys would eventually resurrect American Steel? No, not until very near our reformation. We’ve always been pretty spontaneous as a group, and I certainly inject a bit of personal nihilism into how we make decisions. We follow our hearts over our heads, it’s an exceedingly poor method of operating but it’s who we are.

That being said, any more records planned for Communiqué? Hard to say, we all are so busy that it’s diﬃcult to keep even one band on the rails, but I wouldn’t rule out more music being released. In fact, we recorded an album that was never released and have discussed what to do with it. It was pretty odd musically at times which might just make us want to share it. I really like Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts. It sounds a bit diﬀerent from other American Steel records. Was that a conscious decision? Not really, but that is sort of the way it always happens. I’m so used to my personal surroundings and muses changing radically over the course of a year or two that I think it comes through in the song writing. The other guys would say that I can be very manic, which I admit to be true. When I interview younger bands they always talk about how excited they are to get on the road. As road veterans, how do you feel about touring? Is it a necessary evil or do you really enjoy it? We all still really enjoy being on the road and

spending the time together. We require more creature comfort these days but we still like to have a good time and treat it like an adventure rather than a business trip, which I know some bands do but that would make me sad. Unfortunately it’s almost become prohibitive ﬁnancially. I won’t go into the business elements but I think there is a lot of misconception about how much money bands make on the road. The answer is almost invariably not enough and regrettably that often trumps how you might want to otherwise manage things. One question I’ve always wanted to ask you guys. You write great songs and have fantastic hooks. Have you ever thought, “Fuck it, let’s soften our sound, just write one radio-friendly record, get played all over the radio and “The Hills” or some other vapid MTV show and cash in”? Ha! Well if you ask the right person they might grumble that that is what Communiqué was doing, but honestly no. That said, I write A LOT and there are more songs I have written that will never be heard than those that are shared. I have written a number of songs that I believe would certainly fall into that category but whether because I felt the lyrics were too “straight”, because I thought it was too uninteresting or because I thought it was indeed too radio friendly they just sit in my head now. They get stuck in there too; my brain is sort of a mess of music. I’ll be singing one of these songs I’ve never played for anyone and they are so ingrained in my head that they are like standards to me but someone will ask, “What song is that? Who is that?” I realize, oh yeah that song only exists in my head. It’s a nice reminder about the ethereal and existential nature of creative art. One moment it just exists in the world, but doesn’t it really exist in an alternate or potential reality prior to the

MUSIC INTERVIEW observer’s? Imagine what treasure of art, music and thought is prisoner to collective self censure and intellectual shyness. Digressions aside, it would be a gas to have a hit song but only on our own terms which would deﬁnitely not be as you described and I’m afraid the days of the plucky hit single are fading. I’ve been asked to submit songs to producers and vocalists and to collaborate with professional lyricists (apparently they don’t fancy their love songs with hanging suicides and Ouija Boards) but I just could never stomach it long enough to ever actually hand something over. It prompts an internal question and to which I can’t decide if I’ve taken things too seriously or not seriously enough over the years. As a band, what keeps you going year after year? Beyond our love of music, it is the joy of playing music with close friends. I feel like we’ve done it the right way over the years with the way we’ve approached writing and treating other people and being able to look at ourselves in the mirror makes it easier to just relax in the joy of playing music. None of us have made any house down payments by playing music but we sleep at night where we do lay our heads and that’s ultimately the minimum we wanted to be able to walk away with when we started.

PG 23 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

Haunted Houses, Attractions, Events and Costume Suppliers BY JENNIFER SEFA-BOAKYE

Haunted Houses

Netherworld

6624 Dawson Blvd., Norcross 404.608.2484 fearworld.com Open every night in October & weekends in early November

Attractions

Horror Hill

Darkside Tours

181 Ware Road, Newnan, GA 30263 770.253.4983 www.horrorhill.com Open nightly in October

Nationally recognized as one of the scariest haunted houses in Georgia and the Southeast, Netherworld Haunted House returns for its 13th year! With brand new haunts for the 2009 season Netherworld is sure to keep the screams coming. This dark attraction is filled with terrifying live actors, amazing special effects and incredible monsters that have thrilled and terrified visitors and made Netherworld one of the top haunted houses in the world. Created by film and television professionals, Netherworld is also notable for its custom movie quality special effects, amazing actors, unique themes, and extremely detailed sets. The new movie Zombieland was even partially shot there. Don't miss one of America's best haunted houses…visit Netherworld this Halloween season! Buy tickets online and enter promotional code “insite” for $3 off Combo Ticket.

For 25 years, Horror Hill has been scaring people from all over the Southeast. This year its back with more than 10 terrifying acres of thrills and chills. You will enter darkened tunnels and mazes that get you lost at every turn. The ground, ceilings, walls and floors may give way at any time. Creatures will jump out at you at every chance. They will come from the ground, the trees, and even from thin air! Haunts like The Mortuary and Clown Haus 3D are bigger and better than before. There are new surprises lurking behind every shadow in their haunted trails (Vertigo and Horror Hill) which team with creeps and ghouls. If the scares aren't enough for you, make sure to try one of the Horror Hill campouts where you spend a spook filled night on the property under the Halloween sky. The monsters of Horror Hill are fully masked and costumed with the best and newest technology the haunt industry has to offer.

13 Stories Haunted House

Historic Oakland Cemetery

This Kennesaw haunted house has been scaring Cobb County for six years. This season, the Kennesaw facility features ghastly new creatures lurking behind every corner! Take a terrifying tour through its two haunted houses; 13 Stories Haunted House and Bunker 13. There is no turning back and deep within their dark depths unspeakable monsters struggle for your soul. Come out early in the month and take advantage of coupon deals found on theire website.

Witness the magnificent final resting place of Atlanta's sons and daughters during "Capturing the Spirit of Oakland" 2009 Halloween Tours. Hear first-hand accounts about our city's past, narrated by a host of Oakland's eternal "residents." You'll also see gorgeous candlelit mausoleums in this one-of-a-kind annual tradition. Bring a flashlight and wear comfortable walking shoes. Also check out the Run Like Hell 5K and Run Like Heck Fun Run happening on Halloween day. Guided tours begin at 5:30pm and last approximately one hour.

2975 Town Center Dr. Kennesaw GA 30144 www.13storieshauntedhouse.com Open nightly in October; Doors open at dark

248 Oakland Ave. SE Atlanta, GA 30312 www.oaklandcemetery.com October 23, 24, 25 & 31

176 Peachtree St. 404.917.9205 www.darksidetours.com

Experience the darker side of our fair southern city on this 90 minute walking tour that takes you through downtown Atlanta. You will hear of (and maybe see) the lonely spirits who roam the streets and inhabit our local buildings. On this tour, stories of war, murder and suicide will send chills running down your spine. The walk features a stop at the scene of a fatal hotel fire where souls in limbo remain. Tours begin at 8:30pm nightly and are wheelchair accessible.

Fright Fest

Six Flags Over Georgia www.sixflags.com Weekends thru Halloween

The park will be transformed into a frightening playland with ghouls, ghosts and goblins lurking around every corner. Street parties, shows and a terrifying trick-or-treat trail promise to be great fun for the entire family. This year's event also features a brand new attraction called The Last Ride, and back by popular demand is Dr. Fright Frightorium's haunted house.

Georgia A-SCARY-UM

Georgia Aquarium 404.581.4000 www.georgiaaquarium.org October 30-31

There will be music, trick or treat stations, craft tables and costume contests all day in addition to Halloween-themed decorations! New this year are special trick or treat stations where adults can enjoy their own decadent treats. Kids 12 and under in shark-themed costumes receive free admission when accompanied by an adult. Valid for up to two children per one paid adult or annual pass member.

Back for Our 6th Year!

Tickets are $16 for 13 Stories Combo ticket for 13 Stories and Bunker 13 only $20 See Website for $13 Specials Select Nights in October.

Open Every Night in October at Dark 2975 Town Center Drive

(Behind the Town Center Mall in Kennesaw) Take I-75 to Barrett Pkwy 770.426.4807

www.13StoriesHauntedHouse.com PG 24 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

photo courtesy of fearworld.com

INsite’s Guide to Halloween

FOUR ATTRACTIONS ONE LOW PRICE:

$13 Specials Available on Select Nights in October

See Website for Details.

181 Ware Road in Newnan Take I-85 South to Exit 47 770.253.4983

WWW.HORRORHILL.COM

Boo at the Zoo

Zoo Atlanta 800 Cherokee Avenue, Atlanta www.zooatlanta.org October 24, 25 & 31

Great fun for the whole family. Explore magical paths, sample sweet treats, meet whimsical costume characters and more at Zoo Atlanta's spooktacular seasonal celebration. Guests arriving in costume will enjoy $10 off Zoo Membership at any level (one discount per family). FREE for Zoo Members and children under 3; FREE with general admission.

Tour of Southern Ghosts

Stone Mountain Park’s Antebellum Plantation www.artstation.org Thu-Sun Oct. 15-31

The art of Southern storytelling which recreates the romance, horror and humor of the past with a magically bewitching bend will be used this Halloween season as costumed storytellers showcase the best in Southern folktales, myths and legends.

Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights

Universal Studios Orlando 888.467.7677 HalloweenHorrorNights.com October 1-4, 8-11,15-18, 21-15 and 28-31

This year, at Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights: Ripped From the Silver Screen, guests will live blockbuster horror films in-person. They will be trapped by “SAW’s” maniacal serial killer Jigsaw, come face-to-fangs with “The Wolfman” and be chased by the twisted “Chucky” doll. And that’s just the beginning: all eight haunted houses, six scarezones and two live shows are inspired by blockbuster horror films. Until now, you’ve only been able to watch the action in horror but at Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights, these films and more have been transformed into live experiences that put you in the middle of your worst cinematic nightmares. Visit website for more info and to purchase tickets.

Events Little 5 Points Parade

Euclid at Highland Ave., Little Five Points www.l5phalloween.com October 16-17

This annual two-day free event features entertainment, parade, costume contest, children's activities and much more. Highlights include the stars of Professor Morte's Silver Scream Spook Show performing your favorite punk rock songs, a classic horror movie screening, henna, tarot card readings, redneck jazz and much more!

Wild Bills Halloween Bash

Wild Bills Atlanta October 31 www.wildbillsatlanta.com 678.473.1000

Atlanta's biggest costume party is back! With a sprawling dance floor, and several bars, Atlanta's ghouls and goblins will be able to rage the night away. The bash will feature Void Where Prohibited, one of Atlanta's premiere party bands. $1500 will be up for grabs at the end of the night to the guest with the best costume.

Spiralween

Park Tavern October 31 www.spiralentertainment.com

This year's event features live music from Yacht Rock and a special performance of Michael Jackson's Thriller from start to finish. DJ's will also be on hand to keep the festivities going. Arrive between 9pm and 1 am for a chance to win $1000 for the hottest costume.

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

We dare any other competitor to match our selection! GWINNETT

MIDTOWN

GAINESVILLE

MARIETTA

CUMMING

BUCKHEAD

CANTON

ALPHARETTA

BUFORD

STORE HOURS:

Gwinnett Place Mall (Mall Corner Shopping Center) 2131 Pleasant Hill Rd. Duluth, Ga. 30096 (770) 622-8853 Buckhead Place (Next to Disco Kroger) 3232 Peachtree Rd. NW Atlanta, Ga. 30305 (404) 816-2748

Buckhead Design Center (By Tower Liquor) 2133 Piedmont Rd. Atlanta, Ga. 30324 (404) 249-5044 Riverstone Plaza (Near Belks) 1439 Riverstone Pkwy. Canton, Ga. 30114 (770) 720-6507

Lakeshore Marketplace (By Home Depot) 834 Dawsonville Hwy. Gainesville, Ga. 30501 (770) 718-0187 Plaza at Windward (Behind Cracker Barrel) 5530 Windward Pkwy. #400 Alpharetta, Ga. 30004 (770) 346-9801

The Avenue West Cobb (Next to Chili’s) 3625 Dallas Hwy. SW #200 Marietta, Ga. 30064 (770) 218-8547 Mall of Georgia (Former Circuit City) 3295 Buford Dr. Buford, Ga. 30519 (678) 482-4695

Lakeland Plaza (Behind Applebee’s) 514 Lakeland Plaza Cumming, Ga. 30040 (770) 781-9710

Monday – Friday 10am – 9pm Saturday 10am – 9pm Sunday 12– 6pm

WWW.SPIRITHALLOWEEN-ATLANTA.COM PG 25 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

Ghastly Dreadfuls

Center for Puppetry Arts www.puppet.org October 14 - November 1

Celebrate the spooky season with The Ghastly Dreadfuls, a band of silly specters returned from the great beyond for their second year to present a diverting evening of haunting horrors for your entertainment. They promise puppets, song, music and dance. Great fun for the entire family.

Scary-etta Trolley Ghost Tour Historic Marietta Trolley Co. www.ghostsofmarietta.com Fridays & Saturdays, Oct. 2 - Nov. 6

Join Ghosts of Marietta and The Historic Marietta Trolley Company for a 90 minute "spirited" ride aboard the trolley and learn the history of Marietta through the eyes of the dearly departed. The ride concludes with a haunting at a local pub and former fire house that is full of spirits, both supernatural and intoxicating.

Monster Bash

Loca Luna - 550 Amsterdam Ave NE www.monsterbashatl.com October 31

With over 1200 partygoers in attendance last year, Midtown's biggest Halloween bash is back! There will be live salsa and merengue bands, and drink specials from Bacardi and Dos Equis. Five lucky freaks with the best Halloween costumes will share over $3000 in cash and prizes. Arrive before 9pm for free admission.

Corner Tavern Halloween Horrors East Point 2783 Main St. 404.768.0007 Little 5 1174 Euclid Ave. 404.521.0667 Edgewood 464 Edgewood 404.577.2310 www.cornertavern.com October 31

The Corner Tavern is celebrating Halloween at all three locations. East Point offers Karaoke to the Rocker Horror Picture Show with prizes. Edgewood has Zombie Karaoke with prize give-aways. Little 5 Points will boogie down with Clash of the Titans Disco.

Costumes & Accessories

Spirit Halloween Superstores 9 Metro Locations SpiritHalloween-Atlanta.com

Psycho Sisters

Little 5 Points 404.523.0100 Piedmont Road 404.733.5599 Sandy Springs 404.255.5578 Cartersville 770.607.0888 www.psycho-sisters.com

HALLOWEEN HEADQUARTERS

Halloween is our Business, our Only Business!

With nine mega-stores, Spirit offers the widest and most unique selection of costumes in metro Atlanta. Spirit has been providing costumes for Halloween for over 25 years! Their years of experience and knowledgable staff will help you customize your unique Holloween costume. They from a complete selection of will help NOT you choose WE’RE JUST AN AISLE costumes, masks, wigs, accessories, makeup, and IN A PARTY STORE, decorations. of their products cannot be WE’RE PUREMany HALLOWEEN found anywhere else so you can create a one of a EXCITEMENT kind look. WE ARE PROUD TOEverything OFFER THE NEWESTyou can imagine for AND MOST COMPLETE OF: Halloween is atSELECTION Spirit. year, dress to impress This COSTUMES ACCESSORIES in one of their original, sexy, MASKS WIGS hilarious and adult funny, MAKEUP PARTY GOODScostumes. Halloween AND DECORATIONS Cheerleader, geisha, mermaid, Wegladiator, dare any other nun, zombie, competitor match – name orangutanto Viking, ourfantasy selection! your costume and GWINNETT MIDTOWN GAINESVILLE MARIETTA CUMMING Halloween. find it at Spirit Strut your stuff in one of hundreds of sexy costumes by Leg BUCKHEAD ALPHARETTA IndulgeBUFORD your innerSTORE HOURS: Avenue andCANTON Dreamgirls. princess in one of their stunning theater quality costumes. Go for the jugular in a petrifying werewolf or vampire costume. Ham it upSPIRITHALLOWEEN-ATLANTA in an outrageously ridiculous joke costume. They have so many great adult Halloween costume ideas, you’ll wish every day was Halloween! Spirit has a wide range of accessories and props to add the finishing touch to any costume. From King’s scepters, wizards wands, soldiers guns and carpenters hammers, they have it. They sell limbs, lashes, whips and sashes, plastic swords, fake guns, even habits for nuns. Add some flair to your costume with a feather boa. There are badges, axes, bones and glasses: costume accessories for everyone. Gwinnett Place Mall (Mall Corner Shopping Center) 2131 Pleasant Hill Rd. Duluth, Ga. 30096 (770) 622-8853

Buckhead Design Center (By Tower Liquor) 2133 Piedmont Rd. Atlanta, Ga. 30324 (404) 249-5044

Lakeshore Marketplace (By Home Depot) 834 Dawsonville Hwy. Gainesville, Ga. 30501 (770) 718-0187

The Avenue West Cobb (Next to Chili’s) 3625 Dallas Hwy. SW #200 Marietta, Ga. 30064 (770) 218-8547

Lakeland Plaza (Behind Applebee’s) 514 Lakeland Plaza Cumming, Ga. 30040 (770) 781-9710

Buckhead Place (Next to Disco Kroger) 3232 Peachtree Rd. NW Atlanta, Ga. 30305 (404) 816-2748

Riverstone Plaza (Near Belks) 1439 Riverstone Pkwy. Canton, Ga. 30114 (770) 720-6507

Plaza at Windward (Behind Cracker Barrel) 5530 Windward Pkwy. #400 Alpharetta, Ga. 30004 (770) 346-9801

Mall of Georgia (Former Circuit City) 3295 Buford Dr. Buford, Ga. 30519 (678) 482-4695

Monday – Friday 10am – 9pm Saturday 10am – 9pm Sunday 12– 6pm

WWW.

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Psycho Sisters consignment shops have been an Atlanta hotspot for over 15 years. Their Little 5 Points store is a tourest destination. Psycho Sisters has been voted #1 Clothing Store by CitySearch, Creative Loafing and INsite. They buy, trade and sell guys and girls current mall trends, club clothing, designer samples as well as 60’s hippie, 70’s disco, 80’s rocker and 90’s gothic clothing and accessories. Shoppers can find an 80’s prom dress with fishnet stockings and pink heels to match! Or perhaps go for a 70’s disco dress with white go-go boots and a Farah wig. Or, a fun flapper dress with matching hat. For men, you’ll find white platform shoes with a psychodelic, sparkly disco shirts. Also find Afro wigs and Elvis shades. This Halloween Psycho Sisters is overstocked so come in and get close out cheap prices on costumes. Free bracelets or earrings come with any purchase of $10 or more at any of SEXY CHARACTERS their stores. ROCK SPRINGS PLAZA LITTLE FIVE POINTS PIEDMONT/CHESHIRE BRIDGE 428 MORELAND AVE. (NEXT TO TACO CABANA) (404) 523-0100

Junkman’s Daughter

464 Moreland Ave. Little 5 Pts. (404) 733-5599 PSYCHO-SISTERS.COM 404.577.3188 thejunkmansdaughter.com SANDY SPRINGS 5964 ROSWELL RD. (WHOLE FOODS SHOPPING CTR) (404) 255-5578

PSYCHOSISTERSSHOPS.COM

NOW BUYING CURRENT MALL TRENDS

CARTERSVILLE 17 EAST MAIN ST. DOWNTOWN CARTERSVILLE (770) 607-0888 PSYCHOSISTERSINC.COM

One of the largest and most successful retailers in Little Five Points, and recently voted one of America's 25 best independent retailers in the

Ghosts of ATLANTA

industry book "Retail Superstars", Junkman's Daughter is ready this Halloween! This 28 year old alternative department store boasts 10,000 square feet of retail space. They stock cutting edge brands for guys and girls, fantastic footwear, awesome accessories, a unique gift department filled with unusual items and decor, posters and tees, and a fully stocked tobacco shop for your smoking needs. Here you will find 100's of wigs, costumes, accessories, and decorations. Some of the popular costumes to choose from are: Nurses, Schoolgirls, Devils, Pimps, Pirates, Jailbirds, Fetish, Fairy tale, 70's, and even a abominable snowman. They also have masks like the Barack Obama and a wide range of your political favorites. Junkman’s has the craziest, most unique costumes in town, get shopping early for the best selection!

A Costume Ball

3101 Roswell Rd. Hwy. 120 Marietta 30062 770.565.5558 www.costumeball.com For over 20 years, A Costume Ball has served as a family-run all inclusive costume and accessory store. Through the family’s love of adventure and travel, they are continually expanding theirinventory to include authentic cultural costumes from all over the world including saris from Bombay, tribal headpieces from Thailand, and lederhosen from the Bavarian Alps. The online store and year-round retail store serve all of metro Atlanta’s costume needs. They offer unique rental costumes for adults and children and have a large inventory of costumes and accessories for all occasions throughout the year. They provide high-quality adult and children’s costumes to rent or purchase and accessories including wigs, masks, theatrical makeup, and much, much more. Shop at A Costume Ball and “Escape from the ordinary.” A Costume Ball is offering a special discount exclusively for INsite readers this Halloween. Just enter promo code “340” when ordering online to receive 10% off your purchase.

Capturing the Spirit of Oakland

Nightly Walking

October 24th, 25th and 31st 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Boo at the Zoo presented by presented by

TOUR

90 minute Walking Tour Beginning 8:30pm Nightly Additional Tour Times Available

zooatlanta.org

Wide Selection of Costumes and Accessories from Around the World COSTUMEBALL.COM

TOUR RATES $15 (Adults 18 and over) $10 (Under 18/Student w/ ID) Children under 4 FREE with adult purchase

770-565-5558 | 3101 Roswell Rd. Hwy. 120, Marietta GA 30062 PG 26 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

248 Oakland Avenue SE Atlanta, GA 30312

Once a year opportunity to visit Oakland after dark Guided tour featuring several “residents” telling about their life and times

Use promo code 340 for

TOTAL ONLINE ORDER

at Historic Oakland Cemetery

ORDER ONLINE TODAY! RENT OR BUY IN-STORE!

10% OFF

Halloween Tours

Pre-Registration Required www.darksidetours.com Reserve tickets at 404.917.9205

Experience the Darkside of this Gracious Southern City

October 23, 24 and 25 ONLINE TICKET SALES ONLY $15 for adults and $5 for children 12 years and under

www.oaklandcemetery.com

Fall MOVIE

FILM

PREVIEW BY RYAN LOFTIS

HE FALL HAS LONG BEEN considered cinema’s most prestigious season, and 2009 is no exception. The movies’ most prestigious actors and directors are unveiling their latest projects, duking it out for attention from both audiences and award committees. New stars will be introduced, while one star will get a final good-bye. Old formats and even older characters will make a return, and more than one film takes a cynical view about our planet’s future. George W. Bush may be gone, but Michael Moore still has plenty to lampoon on film. Like the Thanksgiving symbol, the fall movie season has a cornucopia of choices. Let the competition begin.

OCTOBER 2nd A SERIOUS MAN

The Scoop: This is the ﬁrst major ﬁlm directed by Peter Billingsley (best known as Ralphie from A Christmas Story). He has a great premise and an even better cast to work with. This should be a good addition to Vaughn’s series of frat comedies (Old School, Wedding Crashers).

ZOMBIELAND

The Stars: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin The Story: Columbus (Eisenberg) is a wimp. Tallahassee (Harrelson) is an AK-carrying wild man. What do they have in common? They’ve both managed to ﬁnd a way to survive the zombie invasion that claimed many of their fellow humans. The Scoop: It’s a gory monster movie, but makeup and eﬀects artist Tony Gardner promises plenty of comedy as well. The naturally quirky Harrelson is the right actor for such an unlikely hybrid.

The Stars: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Adam Arkin The Story: Set in 1967, the protagonist is Larry Gopnik (Stuhlbarg), a physics professor in a Midwestern university whose wife is leaving him for a pompous colleague, who has an unemployed brother sleeping on his couch, whose son is a discipline problem and whose daughter is stealing from him to save for a nose job. To top it oﬀ, a graduate student is trying to bribe him for a passing grade and he’s being tempted by his beautiful neighbor who enjoys sunbathing nude. The Scoop: There’s no one better at combining bleak but genuine humor with drama (and violence and mayhem and murder) than Joel and Ethan Coen, who wrote and directed this picture, which will be added to their respective resumes featuring lost lists of ﬁlms embraced by critics.

The Stars: Penn Badgley, Dylan Walsh, Sela Ward, Amber Heard, Sherry Stringﬁeld The Story: Michael Harding (Badgley) gets a surprise upon returning home from military school: His mother (Ward) is in love and living with David (Walsh). As they get to know each other, Michael becomes suspicious that this seemingly perfect man has a dark secret. The Scoop: Director Nelson McCormick is primarily a TV veteran who worked with Walsh on Nip/Tuck, meaning they both know something about creating lurid drama and cheap thrills. Expect this to oﬀer plenty of both.

MORE THAN A GAME

NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU

The Star: LeBron James, Dru Joyce, Romeo Travis, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee The Story: A documentary on the St. Vincent–St. Mary High School boys’ basketball team, which includes a standout player named LeBron James, on their way to the 2001 Ohio state championship. The Scoop: In recent years documentaries have been hotter than ever, which bodes for one starring one of the world’s most famous athletes. NBA fans should enjoy the novelty of seeing The King as a mere teenager.

OCTOBER 9th AN EDUCATION

The Stars: Peter Sarsgaard, Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina, Dominic Cooper, Olivia Williams, Emma Thompson The Story: A 1960s London student (Mulligan) gets more than she bargained for when she falls for an older man (Sarsgaard). The Scoop: An Education enters theaters having won two awards at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. It’s a potential sleeper hit. This could be a breakout role for Mulligan, whose prior credits consist mostly of television and stage work.

COUPLES RETREAT

The Stars: Jason Bateman, Malin Akerman, Kristen Bell, Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Kristin Davis, Kali Hawk, Faizon Love, Jean Reno The Story: Four couples travel to a tropical island resort, where one of them plans to work on their marriage. Little do the other three know that participation in the resort’s couple’s therapy is mandatory.

OCTOBER 16th THE STEPFATHER

The Stars: Bradley Cooper, Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman, Blake Lively, Orlando Bloom, Hayden Christensen, Christina Ricci, Robin Wright Penn, Ethan Hawke, James Caan, Andy Garcia, Chris Cooper, Cloris Leachman The Story: An anthology of short films, each one focusing on a love story in one of New York’s five boroughs. In addition to the star-studded cast (featuring many notable names not listed above), notable directors such as Mira Nair, Brett Ratner and Allen Hughes lent their talents to the project. The Scoop: Anthology films are an unfortunately rare treat for audiences. The sheer firepower here, both behind and in front of the camera, could make this something special.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

The Stars: Catherine Keener, Max Records, Mark Ruffalo. Voices of Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper, James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Catherine O’Hara, Forest Whitaker The Story: A mixture of actors, computer animation and puppeteering is used to tell the story of young Max (Records) enters the world of Wild Things, where a race of large, strange creatures eventually turn him into their king. The Scoop: Being released a year late is at least better than not being released at all, which many thought would happen after Warner Bros. removed it from its summer 2008 schedule following disastrous early audience screenings. But if there’s any director who can carry the film through such turmoil, it just might be Spike Jonze, who created surreal worlds with great success in Being John Malkovich and Adaptation.

OCTOBER 23rd

AMELIA

The Stars: Hilary Swank, Ewan McGregor, Richard Gere The Story: A biopic of aviator Amelia Earheart (Swank), who in 1932 became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and met with tragedy 5 years later when she and her plane vanished while attempting to fly around the world. The film will focus on her rise to fame as well as her marriage to publisher George Putnam (Gere) and her affair with author Gore Vidal’s father, Gene (McGregor). The Scoop: It’s a mystery how two-time Oscar winner Swank is still often stuck in mediocre movies unworthy of her talents. This prestigious role makes her a likely awards contender once again.

2009

ASTRO BOY

The Stars: Voices of Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell, Bill Nighy, Samuel L. Jackson, Donald Sutherland, Eugene Levy, Nathan Lane The Story: Brilliant scientist Tenma (Cage) creates Astro Boy (Highmore), powered by positive “blue” energy and possessing super strength, x-ray vision, incredible speed and the ability to fly. He leaves futuristic Metro City on a search for acceptance and meets plenty of colorful characters along the way. Upon learning his family and friends are in danger, he returns to Metro City to see if he has what it takes to be a hero. The Scoop: It’s good to see Highmore, one of our most talented young actors, back to work. He’s been sadly underexposed since making his splash as the lead in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 4 years ago. With its action story and big-name cast, Astro Boy should hold the title of most popular animated film for a few weeks until Planet 51 comes to knock it off.

SAW VI

The Stars: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Shawnee Smith, Betsy Russell, Peter Outerbridge The Story: In the latest addition to the horror series, Detective Hoﬀman (Mandylor) is the clear successor to Jigsaw’s (Bell) legacy following the death of Special Agent Strahm. But it’s not until the FBI draws closer to Hoﬀman that Jigsaw’s grand scheme is revealed. The Scoop: Love or hate the Saw series, its record is remarkable: six movies in 6 years. The fans will once again storm the theaters, while anyone else who sees it will be disgusted.

OCTOBER 30th THIS IS IT

The Star: Michael Jackson The Story: When Michael Jackson died suddenly June 25, he was in the midst of rehearsals for his series of 50 London concerts (which shared the name of the movie). Footage of Jackson rehearsing at the Staples Center and the Forum in Los Angeles has been turned into a concert film, with some of the sequences presented in 3-D. The Scoop: Controversies aside, Jackson could still fill arenas, as evidenced by all 50 London shows selling out within hours of tickets being available. His fans will no doubt embrace this final opportunity to say good-bye.

THE BOX

The Stars: Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella The Story: Suburban couple Norma and Arthur Lewis (Diaz and Marsden) are approached by a mysterious stranger (Langella) who gives them a

wooden box and tells them that by pressing a button they will receive $1 million but will cause the death of a stranger in another part of the world. With 24 hours to have the box, they must decide which comes ﬁrst: riches or morality?

PG 27 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

FILM GENTLEMEN BRONCOS

The Stars: Michael Angarano, Jemaine Clement, Jennifer Coolidge, Sam Rockwell The Story: An outcast teenager (Angarano) who’s a science fiction fan enters a fantasy novel in a contest, which is then ripped off and published by washed-up author Ronald Chevalier (Clement). The Scoop: The oddball characters here seem very similar to those in a previous film by director Jared Hess: Napolean Dynamite. Whether it will have that film’s box office success remains to be seen.

NOVEMBER 6th A CHRISTMAS CAROL

The Stars: Jim Carrey, Colin Firth, Gary Oldman, Robin Wright Penn, Bob Hoskins The Story: In the latest version of Charles Dickens’ classic, Jim Carrey plays miserly Ebenezer Scrooge as well as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Director Robert Zemeckis shot the film using “performance capture/Disney digital 3-D” animation, an advancement of the techniques he used in the Polar Express. The Scoop: The last time Carrey played an iconic holiday figure, the Grinch, the result was a huge box office success. It’s been almost a decade since then, but look for history to repeat itself.

PRECIOUS

The Stars: Gabourey ‘Gabby’ Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Lenny Kravitz, Sherri Shepherd The Story: It’s hard to imagine a more painful life than the one lived by Claireece ‘Precious” Jones (Sidibe) in 1987 Harlem. Obese, pregnant by her father for the second time and forced to wait on her emotionally and physically abusive mother (Mo’Nique), she is threatened with expulsion after her high school discovers she’s illiterate. Precious gets a chance for redemption after she transfers to an alternate high school and enrolls in a workshop taught by Ms. Rain (Patton). The Scoop: A film festival smash – an Offical Selection at Cannes and winner of three awards at Sundance, including the Audience Award – Precious looks poised to grab the little film turned mainstream smash mantle previously held by Juno and Slumdog Millionaire.

THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS

The Stars: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey The Story: Jon Ronson’s 2005 nonfiction bestseller becomes a dark comedy about a U.S. military unit investigating psychic phenomena for combat use. An alleged operative (Clooney) teams up with a reporter (McGregor) to find the program’s missing founder (Bridges). They must also contend with an outlaw psychic (Spacey). The Scoop: The last time director Grant Heslov collaborated with Clooney, the result was the multiple Oscar nominee Good Night, and Good Luck. Their latest collaboration should also be fruitful.

NOVEMBER 13th 2012

The Stars: John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton, Amanda Peet, Danny Glover, Oliver Platt The Story: A sci-ﬁ writer (Cusack) tries to save his ex-wife (Peet) and kids from a global apocalypse the Mayans predicted centuries ago. The Scoop: The Mayan calendar’s alleged prediction of the 2012 apocalypse certainly adds a curiosity value. It may not be necessary: director Roland Emmerich has had a lot of success with doomsday ﬁlms like Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow. With this and Zombieland, Harrelson nails down his title as King of End of the World Movies for 2009.

FANTASTIC MR. FOX

The Stars: Voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Own Wilson, Jason Schwartzman The Story: A family of foxes, led by Mr. and Mrs. Fox (Clooney and Streep), must ﬁnd their way out of trouble when local farmers become determined to get rid of them. The Scoop: Wes Anderson has shown he can direct ensemble casts to great results in ﬁlms like The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou and The Royal TenenPG 28 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

baums. But can he duplicate that feat with animated characters instead of live actors?

NOVEMBER 20th THE BLIND SIDE

The Stars: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron The Story: Michael Lewis’ nonﬁction bestseller about the early life of Michael Oher of the Baltimore Ravens comes to the big screen. Bullock and McGraw play a wealthy Memphis couple who take in Oher when he’s a homeless teenager. The Scoop: Director John Lee Hancock experienced critical and commercial success with another real-life sports underdog story, The Rookie, 7 years ago. With established stars Bullock and McGraw headlining and the inherent appeal of inspirational stories, he should repeat his success.

PLANET 51

The Stars: Voices of Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Gary Oldman, Seann William Scott, John Cleese The Story: American astronaut Charles “Chuck” Baker (Johnson) thinks he’s the first person to land on Planet 51, only to find it’s already occupied by little green people living a Leave it to Beaver-style suburban existence who don’t take kindly to unexpected visitors. The Scoop: Having already proven himself as a kidfriendly box office draw with The Game, Johnson can now plan to conquer the world of animation.

NOVEMBER 25th NINE

The Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Sophia Loren, Stacy Ferguson The Story: In this adaptation of the 1982 Broadway musical – itself inspired by Federico Fellini’s classic movie 8 ½, a movie director (Day-Lewis) struggled to make his ninth ﬁlm while dealing with seven women: his wife (Cotillard), his mistress (Cruz), his muse (Kidman), his costume designer (Dench), his mother (Loren), an American journalist (Hudson) and a prostitute (Ferguson). Twelve songs – including three written for the ﬁlm – will be included. The Scoop: Director Rob Marshall’s last musical, Chicago, it won 6 Oscars, including Best Picture. Given its star power and the fact that its cast, screenwriter and cinematographer have a won a combined 9 Oscars, it seems likely that Nine will follow in those footsteps. Kidman should have a personal triumph equal to her Oscar nomination for 2001’s Moulin Rogue!

OLD DOGS

The Stars: John Travolta, Robin Williams, Justin Long, Seth Green, Kelly Preston, Matt Dillon The Story: Two business partners (Travolta and Williams) get a shock when they learn that one of them is the father of 6-year-old twins. The Scoop: Travolta and director Walt Becker struck box office gold with another high-concept film, Wild Hogs, 2 years ago. With him and Williams, both proven crowd pleasers, headlining, a great supporting cast and its Thanksgiving weekend date, this has the potential to be one of the year’s biggest family films.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG

The Stars: Voices of Anika Noni Rose, Terrence Howard, John Goodman, Oprah Winfrey, Keith David The Story: A twist on the Grimm fairy tale “The Frog Prince” set in 1920s New Orleans. Tiana (Rose) is a waitress with dreams of owning her own restaurant who kisses a price turned into a frog and becomes one herself. The Scoop: Traditional animation is decidedly passé, and if this weren’t a Disney film it would tempting to write this one off altogether. Because it is a Disney film, it certainly has a chance. If this is a hit, handdrawn animation will get a reprieve from going the way of silent films.

DECEMBER 4th BROTHERS

The Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman,

Tobey Maguire The Story: Sam Cahill (Maguire) is a U.S. Marine who’s declared MIA and presumed dead in Afghanistan, leading his ne’er do well younger brother Tommy (Gyllenhaal) to try and help Sam’s wife (Portman) and two kids. Suddenly, however, Sam returns, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder caused by his battlefield experiences. The Scoop: Director Jim Sheridan insists the movie is more about homecoming than war. That may help Brothers’ box office prospects, since

EVERYBODY’S FINE

The Stars: Robert DeNiro, Kate Beckinsale, Drew Barrymore, Sam Rockwell The Story: A widowed New York telephone factory worker (DeNiro) realizes he is unable to communicate with his children without his wife. The Scoop: DeNiro is famous for playing psychos and heavies, but this role suggests a sensitivity and vulnerability he hasn’t often displayed. The interesting departure may remind audiences what a great actor DeNiro is, something that might have been forgotten after years of mostly junk movies.

DECEMBER 11th INVICTUS

The Stars: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon The Story: Freeman plays Nelson Mandela (who gave the actor his personal blessing for the role), whose attempts to unite South Africans in the early days of his presidency culminated with the country’s stunning victory in the 1995 rugby World Cup. Damon plays the team captain. The Scoop: Pushing 80, director Clint Eastwood is still one of Hollywood’s most respected ﬁlmmakers, and Invictus should be another feather in his cap. Freeman has an excellent shot at his ﬁfth Oscar nomination.

DECEMBER 18th DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS?

The Stars: Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sam Elliott, Mary Steenburgen The Story: A rich New York couple (Grant and Parker) with a failing marriage witnesses a murder and is forced to enter the Witness Protection Program and relocate to Wyoming. The Scoop: Grant remains our best romcom leading man, and his previous collaborations with director Marc Lawrence, Two Weeks Notice and Music and Lyrics, offered two of his best roles. Notably, in both those movies he had an assertive female co-star, a role Parker is more than qualified to fill. Seeing these two, who practically scream “urban sophisticates” try to adapt to cowboy country should be hilarious.

AVATAR

The Stars: Sam Worthington, Jake Sully, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, Zoe Saldana, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel Moore The Story: Director James Cameron’s first film since the Titanic phenomenon in 1997 is a $200 million-plus 3-D science fiction epic starring Worthington as Jake Sully, a paraplegic ex-Marine and war veteran who is sent to establish a human settlement on the distant planet Pandora and finds himself joining with the planet’s indigenous Na’vi race to battle humankind. The Scoop: It’s hard to follow up a movie that won 11 Oscars and became the top grosser of all time, even if 12 years have passed, but Cameron has a chance to reclaim the King of Science Fiction crown he once wore with credits like Aliens and the Terminator movies.

DECEMBER 25th SHERLOCK HOLMES

The Stars: Rachel McAdams, Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Mark Strong The Story: Downey is the latest actor to take on what is, according to the Guiness Book of World Records, the most frequently portrayed character in movie history. This version has the famous detective using his brilliant mind and his martial arts skills to stop Lord Blackwood (Strong), a sinister occultist who claims to have black magic powers, The Scoop: With kung fu stunts and a big budget, this isn’t the old-fashioned Sherlock Holmes. Will

that make up for the fact that the master sleuth is nowhere near as popular with today’s kids as other ancient heroes like Spider-Man and Batman are? Holmes faces a challenge in a competitive Christmas market, but it may be an answer for families seeking something more sophisticated than Alvin and the Chipmunks.

IT’S COMPLICATED

The Stars: Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, John Krasinski, Lake Bell The Story: Jane (Streep) and Jake (Baldwin) are divorced but are nevertheless having an aﬀair despite his marriage to a much younger woman (Bell). Martin is an architect remodeling Jane’s kitchen who would rather focus on her. The Scoop: Writer-director Nancy Meyers has a record of delivering highly successful Christmas season romcoms featuring big stars with the likes of What Women Want and Something’s Gotta Give. It’s not complicated to see that her latest will fall into that category.

FILM

How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love The

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL BY B. LOVE

HE TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM Festival will drive you batshit insane if you let it. It’s not the long lines that drive you crazy (although I waited over 90 minutes to get into the public screening of Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story), the last-minute changes (You know that Barry Levinson Q&A you paid $25 per ticket to attend? Yeah, that’s not happening), or the stress of getting from one movie or interview to the next one on the other side of town in literally no time (MAJOR props to Toronto’s subway system!). It’s the sheer fact that there are so many conflicting options to choose from, you’d need an army of clones just to do half the crap you really want to do. Sundance may have more indie hipster cred and Cannes may have more glitz and glamour, but Toronto prides itself on being the festival produced by and for people who love movies. Over 300 films in all from locations spanning the globe, including documentaries and short films, foreign language features and family-friendly fare, indie up ‘n’ comers and revered masters. Little-known, low-budget labors of love are certainly the rule rather than the exception. But as always the festival attracted its fair share of star-studded Hollywood glitz and glamour, with red carpet appearances from A-list celebs such as George Clooney, Matt Damon, Megan Fox, Drew Barrymore, Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfrey, Nicolas Cage, Michael Cera, Penelope Cruz and many more. One of the biggest stories to emerge from this year’s festival was how hard the global economic recession was hitting the film business, with shockingly few for-sale titles landing distribution deals in comparison to recent years. Big winners included DEFENDOR, a dark comedy about a would-be superhero starring Woody Harrelson that got snagged by Sony; GET LOW, Oscar-winning director Aaron Schneider’s Southern period drama starring Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray, which landed at Sony Pictures Classics; and A SINGLE MAN, a drama about a gay college professor consumed by grief in the ‘60s, which was directed by fashion designer Tom Ford and stars Colin Firth (the rights to which were won by the Weinstein Company). But perhaps more interesting were the films that hadn’t picked up United States distribution deals before the end of the festival. CREATION, directed by Jon Amiel (Sommersby, Entrapment) and starring real-life married couple Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly, tells the story of Charles Darwin’s life at the time the evolutionist began writing On The Origin Of Species, which has become the most widely-read book in the history of natural science. Selected by TIFF as its opening night Gala Presentation, the controversial film wasn’t picked up by Newmarket Films (the same studio that brought you The Passion Of The Christ) until 10 days after the festival ended. Likewise, director Don Roos’ (The Opposite Of Sex, Bounce) LOVE & OTHER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS, a dramedy about a woman’s troubled relationship with her stepson, came away from the festival empty-handed despite a high-profile cast that includes Natalie Portman, Lisa Kudrow and Lauren Ambrose.

The recession was actually a central theme in my favorite film from this year’s festival, UP IN THE AIR. Written and directed by Jason Reitman, the film stars George Clooney is a corporate downsizing expert whose beloved life on the road is threatened by advancing technology just as diehard traveler has met the commitment-phobic, frequent-flying woman of his dreams (Vera Farmiga). The film is a perfect balance of humor and drama, cynicism and romanticism, darkness and light, topical and timeless. It’s also one of the best performances of Clooney’s career, in a role he seems born to play. Though that film seemed to garner the most Oscar buzz, there were plenty of other films that left Toronto film fans talking, whether for better or worse. Provocateur Michael Moore’s latest right wing-bashing documentary, CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY, earned a 10-minute standing ovation, but one couldn’t help wondering how it would play in the red states. GET LOW proved a low-key charmer that gradually built in momentum, with a knockout performance from Robert Duvall and Schneider working with a veteran’s steady, assured pace. Ricky Gervais proved himself Hollywood’s most consistently hilarious auteur with THE INVENTION OF LYING, not to mention charming the pants off reporters with his improvised interview shtick. The Coen Brothers’ A SERIOUS MAN earned universal accolades despite having no big-name stars to speak of, while the Winfrey/Perry-produced PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL “PUSH” BY SAPPHIRE seemed to tug at audiences’ emotional heartstrings like no other film in recent memory. I spent nearly a week at this year’s Toronto Film Festival, but despite staying busy from morning into night I still only managed to sneak in a fraction of the movies I ultimately wanted to see (but hey, I did over 50 interviews, so there’s that). I came home with a year’s worth of story ideas, but also with a laundry list of films I can’t wait to catch in the theaters. There’s director Warner Herzog’s reinvention of the cult classic BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS; the reportedly gripping take director John Hillcoat (The Proposition) and lead actor Viggo Mortensen bring to author Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, THE ROAD; Canadian auteur Atom Egoyan’s tale of infidelity between married professionals (Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore) in CHLOE; director Jane Campion’s romantic vision of poet John Keats’ relationship with muse Fanny Brawne in BRIGHT STAR; Michael Sheen’s brilliant portrayal of British soccer legend Brian Clough in THE DAMNED UNITED; polarizing director Lars Von Trier’s shocking tale of deviant sexual behavior between a grieving couple (Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg) in ANTICHRIST; and Terry Gilliam’s inventive approach to THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PANASSUS after losing leading man Heath Ledger in the middle of the shoot. Luckily, the nature of the Toronto International Film Festival is not just to showcase films coming out in the next month or two to take advantage of Oscar season, but films that will have legs for months and even years to come (It Might Get Loud, the Jimmy Page/The Edge/Jack White rock

GET LOW

DEFENDOR

CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY

A SERIOUS MAN ‘n’ roll documentary currently in theatres, was a featured TIFF film a year ago!). It may be Canadian in origin, but it’s more like Chinese food: By the time I’d digested everything I consumed at this year’s TIFF, I was already hungry to see what 2010’s slate might have to offer…

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Available on Oct. 27 Blu-Ray Hi Def & DVD PG 29 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

SPORTS NEWS

FANATIC BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS “No surprises other than the severeness of it -- I didn’t know it was that bad. They evaluate you from A to Z, but until they actually get in there and see what the problem really is, then you know a 1-to-10 on how severe it was. It was pretty severe, but the best thing about is that I got Chipper it out of the way, and my leg is almost 100 Jones percent going forward. Better than anything I’m playing without any pain, which is something I really haven’t had for some time now.” –Boston Celtics’ KEVIN GARNETT on his knee surgery We’re not ones to really jump on bandwagons, but there’s something valid to what critics are saying about PRESEASON FOOTBALL POLLS. They just don’t make a lot of sense. Saying that Team A will be good because it’s returning eight offensive guys from an explosive team last year is one thing. Saying Team B will be good because soand-so saw them during spring practice and it appeared sharp is stupid. And we’re seeing a rash of so-called upsets that prove just how relative the term “good” is. Yes, we know S.I. and ESPN need preseason rankings to sell hype. But think about how tough it is for a No. 11 TCU or No. 13 Iowa to fight its way into a big bowl when it starts No. 25 or even unranked? And if you think about it, with a first poll around Week Three or Four, we’d actually get things right and may not even need the playoff system so many have prayed for. “Money will not keep me in the game. Nor will numbers. When I stop having fun, when I stop being productive, I’ll walk away…If I have another year where I’m not productive and my body starts to ache and hurt, I won’t play…When your body prohibits you from coming home and playing with your kids at 37 years old, that bothers me.” -Atlanta Brave CHIPPER JONES, who’s contemplating retirement even though he has a contract through 2012 Win, lose or draw within one game of the playoffs, Fanatic’s hat

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

goes oﬀ to the BRAVES for one of their most memorable September pushes ever. The starting pitching has been astounding. Brian McCann, Adam LaRouche and Martin Prado seem to get a hit or two every night. Things are just clicking. That said, for manager Bobby Cox’s ﬁnal season next year, anything short of the NLCS has to be viewed as a disappointment. A few early NFL observations: 1) Of the seven 3-0 teams, the Denver Broncos are the worst; 2) Of the seven 0-3 squads, the Miami Dolphins are the best… 3) Wait, Dolphins QB Chad Pennington is done for the season? Retract that last statement. The Tennessee Titans are the best team without a win; 4) The NFC West is more of a mess than we originally thought; 5) The Atlanta Falcons may not be quite as good as we originally thought. “If we win ... and I’ve scored a lot, they’re going to say I’ve scored too much. If we don’t win and I don’t score that much, they’re going to say I don’t score enough. It’s a lose-lose situation. The only thing I can do to shut everybody up is to win.” –MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES’ ALLEN IVERSON

And finally… 78% of NFL players are bankrupt or in severe financial distress within two years of retirement. In 2009, the minimum salary for rookies is $310,000. That balloons to $460,000 for two-year vets… A Detroit-area pizza chain gave pizzas away to customers in commemoration of the Lions’ first win since 2007… And while we’re on the Lions, it saddens us to say the game was blacked-out on local television… The new, 16-team Arena Football league will begin play next year… This year’s Tour Championship saw an 83% spike in viewers over last year’s when Tiger Woods didn’t compete… N.Y. Jets receiver David Clowney was benched for tweeting about being benched… Next three Men’s Final Four locations: Houston (2011), New Orleans (2012) and Atlanta (2013)… RIP NCAA President Myles Brand.

1 2 3 4 5

World Series (Oct. 28- Nov. 5, TBA, Fox)

The grueling baseball season winds down with what should be an explosive New York Yankees/ Philadelphia Phillies classic.

League Championships (Oct. 15- Oct. 25, TBA, Fox/TBS)

While we’d love to see Detroit in the AL and Atlanta in the NL, we’re not sure either even makes the postseason.

Oklahoma vs. Texas (Oct. 17, 12PM, ESPN)

If the Sooners win, they’re back in the thick of the national title hunt. If they lose, say hello to the Cotton Bowl.

Atlanta at New Orleans (Nov. 2, 8:30PM, ESPN)

Seeing as how Tampa Bay and Carolina can’t get it together, this Monday Nighter is for NFC South bragging rights.

Cincinnati at South Florida (Oct. 15, 7:30PM, ESPN)

Who would have ever thunk the best team –NFL or college- in the state of Ohio would be the No. 10 Bearcats?

SPORTS NEWS

2009-10 NCAA Hoops Preview

Michigan State of Euphoria BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

Patrick Patterson or John Wall.

HE WEEK INSITE WENT TO press, the city of Detroit was the cover story of both Time and Sports Illustrated. Of course, nobody needs to tell the rest of America how badly the economicallyravaged metropolis deserves good news however it can get it, even from the sports world. While we can’t say right now if the Tigers or Red Wings will provide lasting smiles this fall, we do know Michigan State will again have the city gleaming after another inspiring March run. Only this time, the Motor City’s adopted team won’t run out of gas before trimming the nets in Indianapolis.

4. NORTH CAROLINA

1. MICHIGAN STATE

Like we said, Motown needs another long trip to take its mind off stalled assembly lines. Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers and Co. have their engines ready to roll.

2. KANSAS

There’s nothing better than having a great inside-out combo and, in point man Sherron Collins and super big Cole Aldrich, KU has just that. Xavier Henry does both.

3. KENTUCKY

Coach John Calipari’s first season in Cats Country is going to be quite the sight. For starters, we won’t know whether to focus on PG 30 • insiteatlanta.com • October 2009

The reigning national champs lost a lot (Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough), but if Larry Drew steps in at point and Ed Davis steps up more, they could walk right back into the Final Four.

5. TENNESSEE

Vols coach Bruce Pearl has used all sorts of antics to re-direct attention from Pat Summit’s girls. This year Wayne Chism and Tyler Smith’s game are gimmicks enough.

6. DUKE

Kyle Singler is a devil of a power forward; he just doesn’t have the quickness. Nolan Smith has the quickness; he’s just without the consistent shot. Jon Scheyer has the shot; he’s just… ah, you get the idea.

7. TEXAS

The Big 12 is loaded again this year. But we really like how the Longhorns stack up under the paint.

8. GEORGETOWN

Hey, what can we say? The Hoyas flat-out disappointed last year. Things will certainly smooth out with Greg Monroe and Austin Freeman leading the way.

9. VILLANOVA

Michigan’s Kalin Lucas

The Big East battle will wage between these Scottie Reynolds-led Wildcats, the aforementioned Hoyas and UConn Huskies. We think ‘Nova will come out the dogfight in decent shape.

10. OKLAHOMA

The Sooners can’t simply replace alleverything Blake Griffin. But they can add Tommy Mason-Griffin and give Willie Warren added offensive responsibilities.

11. CONNECTICUT

We did tell you how crazy the Big East was, right? If Stanley Robinson and Kemba Walker get it going early, we’ll look nuts having the Huskies this low.

12. MISSISSIPPI STATE

Renardo Sidney is a really big deal. If he’s eligible, the combination of him and Jarvis Varnado down low is a really big problem in the SEC.

13. BUTLER

Isn’t Butler so cute in its lil’ Cinderella collar? Yeah, take the Bulldogs as pups if you like, Shelvin Mack and crew will gnaw the hell out of you.

14. MARYLAND

We saw Greivis Vasquez light up the ACC tournament first hand. The man hasn’t seen an

open jumper he didn’t like. We love the Terps taking a shot at the Sweet 16.

15. WEST VIRGINIA

Last time: The Big East is pretty good. Honestly, if Devin Ebanks and DeSean Butler starred almost anywhere else, they’d be conference champ favorites.

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