Fresh Loaf

WonderRoot’s hosting a good ol’ fashioned sign-makin’ party this Sunday at Eyedrum. What’s the occasion, you ask? Why the BeltLine of course. The proposed BeltLine will cross public rights-of-way at 108 different points throughout the city. To help raise awareness about the project, local artists (and anyone else who’s interested in participating) will gather at 1 p.m. this Sun., June 28 at Eyedrum (280 MLK Drive) to make art signs to place at each of the locations. “Later in the week, WonderRoot artists and volunteers will work throughout the night placing the art at each of the 108 locations,” says the e-mail from WonderRoot co-founder Chris Appleton.

More from Appleton:

“Artists, like most residents of Atlanta, are excited about the BeltLine,” said Chris Appelton, co-founder of WonderRoot. “Yet it seems that most people don’t know how transformative this project will be. It’s our hope that people will get up and go to work next week and see for themselves where the BeltLine will be. Additionally, the city will be full of original public art.”

Come one, come all!

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That’s right a brand new and improved Movies & TV page! We combined all the best parts of our other sections into a comprehensive one-stop-shop for all things Movies & TV. There’s a blog feed with all of the latest Movies & TV content from Culture Surfing (”Lost,” “24,” etc.), a search engine for movie showtimes, recent reviews, links to interesting stories around the web, Film Clips, movie trailers, and a whole section dedicated to those Hollywood Products that you love!

Check it out at clatl.com/movies_tv and leave any comments you have over on our A&E blog Culture Surfing.

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Forget Dong Hoi, Vietnam, Vanuatu and East Timor. The Classic City made the paper’s list of “29 destinations to visit in 2009.” According to the article, Athens made the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations list. But :

… don’t think Athens is sleepy and all musty history. Athens touts itself as a great mix of hip — home of the B-52s and R.E.M. — and history, with 15 neighborhoods on the historic preservation list.

I’m all for pimping Athens in the national spotlight (Go Dawgs!), but the B-52s and R.E.M.? Why must every reference to present day Athens reference a 20-year-old music scene? What about the incredible restaurants (ahem, the National, the Grit)? Current music (Cough, cough, Venice is Sinking, Of Montreal, We Versus the Shark)? Or badass events (Twilight Criterium, AthFest)?

Definitely visit Athens, but please don’t expect the Michael Stipe Welcome Wagon when you arrive.

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FILL 'ER UP: This mug ain't for coffee.

We left off last week down one U.S. senator, one paid assassin, and a whole lotta Jack’s cred. This week, Larry Moss was on site at Sen. Mayer’s house, “investigating” the politico’s murder and playing effortlessly into the bad guys’ hands. Moss truly is this season’s answer to the blindly bureaucratic impediment to progress (formerly held by such brown-nosers as Miles Papazian (Stephen Spinella) in previous seasons). Jack brings Tony up to speed on evildoers and bio-weapons and whatnot via cell, while Moss unleashes the sass on Chief of Staff Ethan Kanin, telling him he advised against allowing Jack to interrogate Burnett a second time. Ethan takes a second, takes a seat and takes his resignation to President Taylor. As Ethan justifies his resignation to the president, he explains his complicity in Bauer’s alleged killing spree. The president responds with, “It doesn’t make any sense!”

Hello??!!! Anyone listening? At least one of season seven’s one-dimensional characters was drawn with a slightly thicker Sharpie. Does this mean that they call off the hounds? Not so much.

Continue reading “‘24:’ Episode 15, 10-11 p.m.”

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Settle down folks, you’ll still get your ‘Lost’ recaps. Just head over to our shiny new Culture Surfing blog. It’ll have all of the arts and entertainment news, reviews and commentary you’ve grown to love here on Fresh Loaf. TV coverage? Check. Movie reviews? Uh, huh. Questionable viral videos? You betcha.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Leave us a note in the comment field, or send me an e-mail at debbie.michaud@creativeloafing.com.

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La Manif d’Art is an international contemporary art event that takes place in Quebec City every two years during May and June. Fortin’s been tapped to curate the 2010 edition. According to the press release, she “will announce the theme of the 5th Manif d’art in Quebec City in late-March. She will also host of series of workshops and conversations in Atlanta, starting in mid-April.”

Fortin joined the Atlanta-based contemporary art magazine Art Papers in 2004 as editor in chief, and became executive director/editor in 2007. She also works as an independent critic and curator, among other things, and has previously lived and worked in Quebec City.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Anyone else see Jon Stewart “shake his fist” at Twitter last night? It’s a painfully funny look at how the media’s scrambling to get in front of more, younger eyeballs. Stewart and “Daily Show” correspondent Sam Bee manage to put a bit of self-deprecating perspective on all of the by-the-second hysteria. Oh, hey, while we’re on the subject, make sure you’re following CL on Twitter!

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Kids today don't respect beards like they used to.

Hot dog! My dad wasn’t planning on attending SXSW, but he just might have to now!

THE OAK RIDGE BOYS TO PARTICIPATE IN 2009 SXSW MUSIC CONFERENCE  FESTIVAL MARCH 19

Through decades of mainstream success, the Oak Ridge Boys continue to reinvent themselves, meeting the challenges of the changing nature of the music industry. As their era of radio dominance wound down, they forged unique marketing partnerships and sought out innovative concert bookings. …

The Oak Ridge Boys will sit down for a SXSW Interview on Thursday March 19 at 3:30 p.m. at the Austin Convention Center. The group will expound upon their experience, offer advice to new artists, answer audience questions, and possibly offer an a cappella song or two. For the first 200 registrants, there will be a giveaway of free Oak Ridge Boys Blu-Blocker Magnum sunglasses.

(Photo courtesy www.oakridgeboys.com)

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The hillbilly Starbucks will carry an exclusive version of Dolly Parton’s latest CD, Backwoods Barbie, featuring three unreleased tracks. From the press release:

The three new songs on this disc, “Rose of My Heart,” “Hallelujah Holiday,” and “Berry Pie” were selected by Dolly herself from her extensive catalog.  “I wanted the songs I chose specifically for this release to reflect how I feel about Cracker Barrel and all the good things you can find there,” said Dolly.  “I think it’s important for there to be an authentic connection to the heritage that Cracker Barrel and I share.”

A heritage of rock candy, rocking chairs, and that triangle peg-jumping game. Album drops at Cracker Barrels Mon., March 23.

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From this morning’s press release:

The High Museum of Art announced a series of budget cuts today, including across the board pay cuts and a 7% reduction of its staff. These reductions, combined with previous cost-cutting measures, will result in $1.4 million dollars in savings and will reduce the operating budget for fiscal year 2009 to $23.7M. These measures will enable the museum to continue to provide high quality and meaningful art and educational experiences to the community.

The High has instituted a series of pay cuts across the board, starting with the Director’s office. Michael Shapiro will take a 7% pay cut and other Director-level employees will take a 6% pay cut. All other employees will take a 5% pay cut. These cuts will extend through May 31, 2009. Beginning June 1 and extending through fiscal year 2010, salaries will be reinstated but employees will be required to take 2.6 weeks of unpaid leave. The staff reductions have been achieved through hiring freezes, redistribution of staff responsibilities and the elimination of five full-time positions and three temporary positions.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Nonprofit arts foundation Artadia: The Fund for Art and Dialogue added Atlanta to its roster of grant-eligible cities in 2008. Today, the organization announced the 15 local finalists in the running for this year’s awards: Tristan Al-Haddad, Corrine Colarusso, Don Cooper, Ruth Dusseault, Sarah Emerson, Scott Ingram, Benjamin Jones, Stuart Keeler, Alexander Kvares, Fahamu Pecou, Rocio Rodriguez, Danielle Roney, Jerry Siegel, Larry Walker and Angela West.

The 15 finalists were chosen by Jeffrey Grove (Wieland Family Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Ga.), Naomi Beckwith (Assistant Curator, Studio Museum Harlem, NY), and Lisa Cremin (director, Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund) from a pool of 292 applicants. Jurors Grove, Clara Kim (gallery director and curator, REDCAT, Los Angeles, Calif.), and Hamza Walker (associate curator and director of education, the Renaissance Society, Chicago, Ill.) will whittle the number down to seven during studio visits Thurs.-Sat., March 26-28. Ultimately, two awards of $15,000 and five awards of $3,000 will be announced in early April.

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MILLION DOLLAR BABY: 'Slumdog Millionaire' took home eight awards, including Best Picture

Another Oscars telecast has come and gone. High points included Ben Stiller as an aloof, contrary and disheveled Joaquin Phoenix, the James Franco/Seth Rogen bit, and, of course, Sean Penn calling the Academy a “bunch of commie, liberal, homo-loving sons of guns” during his Best Actor acceptance speech. (Thank goodness he didn’t say bitch there, right? That would’ve been pushing it.) Oh! How could I forget the acceptance speech for Best Animated Short, where the Japanese director of “La maison en petits cubes” actually said, “Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto!” I kid you not. Low points included Hugh Jackman’s declaration that “Musicals are back!” and Sophia Loren’s rise from the dead. Slumdog Millionaire kicked ass and took names, to no one’s surprise. Here’s a recap of the top categories next to the predictions from last week’s CL reader’s poll. P.S. Thanks to all who participated in last night’s live-blog.

Actor in a supporting role: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (CL readers’ prediction: Heath Ledger)

Actress in a supporting role: Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (CL readers’ prediction: Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler)

Actor in a leading role: Sean Penn for Milk (CL readers’ prediction: Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler)

Actress in a leading role: Kate Winslet for The Reader (CL readers’ prediction: Kate Winslet)

Directing: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (CL readers’ prediction: Danny Boyle)

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire (CL readers’ prediction: Slumdog Millionaire)

Check out Oscar.com for the complete list.

(Photo by Ishika Mohan)

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The bar at the Fork & Screen

I wasn’t sure I was cut out for spending a Saturday watching all five best picture nominees back-to-back in a Buckhead dinner theater. This was the kind of activity reserved for trekkies or Star Wars and Lord  of the Rings fanatics. But work demands sacrifices, and since I’m in charge of CL’s Oscar live-blog tonight, I figured I owed it to y’all to have seen more than Pineapple Express and Slumdog Millionaire. As it turns out, I’m pretty good at sitting, watching and eating for hours on end. Allison Keene, aka the Televangelist, who came along too, ain’t too bad either. The AMC Buckhead Fork & Screen proved a decent venue, if a bit cold and noisy. But once I got my coffee and we figured out how to adjust our seats, things went fairly smoothly. When I sat down today to do my recap, Allison had already turned one out. So rather than tell you the same things twice, I’ll leave you with Allison’s tales of German indiscretions, fanny fatigue, and four out of five recommendations (with which I concur)…:

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Heath Ledger (front) as the Joker, your pick for Best supporting actor

The votes are in, and the awards go to:

Actor in a supporting role: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight, with 80 percent of the votes

Actress in a supporting role: Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler, with 36 percent, barley beating out Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona, who came in with 32 percent

Actor in a leading role: Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler, with 56 percent

Actress in a leading role: Kate Winslet for The Reader, with 67 percent

Directing: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire, with 53 percent

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire, with 57 percent

Thanks to everyone who voted. We’ll see how closely our picks match the Academy’s this Sunday. Don’t forget to visit FreshLoaf during the Oscars for our live-blog!

(Photo courtesy Warner Brothers)

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The CL Readers’ Choice Oscar polls that is. Cast your vote here for best supporting actress/actor, lead actress/actor, directing and best picture. Polls close at 5 p.m., when we’ll tally the votes and see who wins. Not sure who to vote for? Check out our cheat sheet here, and Curt Holman’s Oscar picks here.

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CL’s Curt Holman discusses the nominees, the snubs and the sure things with Atlanta Film Festival executive director Gabe Wardell. They also chat about the upcoming AFF (April 16-25) and the Spirit Awards (Sat., Feb. 21).

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Academy, schmacademy. We hold your opinions in much higher regard, dear readers. Pollster whiz Nate Silver (who called the 2008 presidential election long before you stepped into that seven-hour voting line) has posted his picks to win. But he uses math and computers and logic and stuff, which we frown upon here at the Loaf. Curt Holman will select his picks later this week based on having seen the nominated films and judged them with his stern critical eye. While we respect Curt’s wisdom and Nate’s calculus skills, we also think there’s merit to choosing winners based on number of nude scenes (Kate Winslet) or how drastically they altered their appearance for a role (Robert Downey Jr.). So the floor is yours, readers. Cast your votes now and we’ll announce CL’s Readers’ Choice Awards Friday afternoon. Make sure you read past the jump and vote in all six categories…

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It’s T-5 days ’til the Oscars and we’ve got a smorgasbord of coverage planned. Who cares, you say? The Oscars are fixed!, you bemoan. I saw Madea Goes to Jail instead of Milk last Friday, you admit.

Well, we hear ya, so we’re bringing you options. Tomorrow, Curt Holman discusses the nominees, the snubs and the sure things in a podcast with Atlanta Film Festival executive director Gabe Wardell. They’ll also chat about the upcoming AFF (April 16-25) and the Spirit Awards (Sat., Feb. 21).

For those of you who’ve heard of the Best Picture nominees, but have failed to actually see any of them, CL blogger Allison Keene and I will undertake the heroic effort of watching all five films in one afternoon at the AMC Best Picture Showcase this Sat., Feb. 21, and will blog about the flicks. The event is open to the public, but I warn you: Our jobs, which entail sitting and staring at screens for eight-plus hours at a time, have us conditioned for the experience in a way the average moviegoer is not.

We know the rest of you are only here for the booze (lushes). Our Events page will have all the goods on local Oscar parties later this week, or you could stay in and play Curt’s Academy Awards drinking game, Oscar the Souse, and comment on our Oscar night live-blog. There’s always room for more bitchy fashion commentary.

Check back to our A&E page throughout the week for more Oscar swag including Curt’s 2009 version of Oscar the Souse and his picks to win, an online CL reader’s poll, and a nominee cheat sheet of CL reviews.

(Photo courtesy EW.com/AP/Wide World)

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ON FIRE: Jamison during her days as a dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Alvin Ailey’s pioneering dance troupe, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Artistic director Judith Jamison has worked off and on (mostly on) with the company since 1965, when she joined as a dancer. She was hand-picked by Ailey and appointed as the company’s artistic director shortly after Ailey’s death in 1989. Jamison gushed about the troupe’s upcoming performance at the Fox Feb. 19-22 during a phone interview last week, barley letting us get a word in. Her excitement about the anniversary tour is understandable. Heck, even the Obamas found time to make it out to a Feb. 6 performance at the Kennedy Center in D.C.

Jamison on company founder Alvin Ailey’s vision:
“Fifty years ago [Ailey] just decided that there was no place for black dancers to be seen. … The first work that he actually did was Blues Suite. And because there was this vacant spot for not celebrating our own culture — that of African and American — of course celebrating the modern tradition of our country, he decided to combine that in many ways. Abstractly, directly, story telling, placing us in situations that we reflect on our culture as Americans and as African Americans.

“So the pieces that we’re doing for you, especially for the students, (I love the standing student performances that are coming up), those are sometimes my favorite ’cause the kids, they are active! They make noise! … Because Alvin always believed that we’re born to spread out. He happened to say that if the dance came from people it needed to be delivered back to the people, so there should not be a line between what’s going on on the stage and what you’re feeling when you’re watching.

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MASTER-PEACE OUT: From the High Museum:

The last day to view Johannes Vermeer’s painting “The Astronomer” at the High Museum of Art is Sunday, February 15. This painting, on view as part of “The Louvre and the Masterpiece” exhibition, had never been seen in the southeastern United States before coming to Atlanta in October 2008. George de la Tour’s “The Card Sharp” painting will replace the Vermeer in the exhibition beginning February 17, and remain on view through September 6, 2009.

LANGUAGE CITY: From the Alliance Theatre:

Atlanta’s nationally acclaimed Alliance Theatre has been awarded a $1.1 million 2008 Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) grant from the U.S. Department of Education through its Office of Innovation and Improvement. The grant money will be distributed over a four-year period and will be used in planning, researching and implementing programs to introduce young English Language Learners (ELL) to the theatre art form and build verbal communication abilities. There were 74 applicants for the grant nation wide. The Alliance ranked first out of 15 awardees.

SUPPORT SYSTEM: Eight local artists have been tapped for grants from the Charles Loridans Foundation. The Loridans Arts Medal comes with $15,000 and will be awarded to Dwight Coleman, head of the Georgia State University School of Music; Klimchak, local a performer and composer; Larry Larson, local actor and playwright (who can currently be seen in Smart Cookie at the Alliance Theatre); and Juan Ramirez-Hernandez, a first violinist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

The Loridans Encouragement will be awarded to photographer Sheila Pree Bright ($10,000); Actors and founders of Out-of-Hand Theater Ariel de Man and Maia Knispel, ($15,000-$7,500 each); and the Center for Puppetry Arts’ Jason von Hinezmeyer ($10,000).

MEET AND GREETS: CUMANANA opens tonight at Saltworks from 7-9 p.m. followed by an artist’s talk Sat., Feb. 14 at noon with William Cordova, Gene Moreno, Glexis Novoa and Ernesto Oroza. Atlanta Pecha Kucha opens its spring series at Octane Sun., Feb. 15, 7 p.m. with talks from Louise E. Shaw on “AIDS in the Eighties,” Alex West on “WonderRoot is Cool,” William Boling and Corinne Vionnet on their Opal Gallery exhibit “Complete Desire,” among others. Caterina Verde discusses her solo exhibition of video installation, photography and drawings, “All You Can’t Eat and Other Tales of Waiting,” at Wm Turner Gallery, Sat., Feb. 14 at noon. SCAD’s Ivy Hall Lecture Series presents Walter O. Evans, “a distinguished surgeon and bibliophile, is widely regarded as one of the foremost collectors of African American art in the United States,” for the lecture Great Collectors: The Walter O. Evans Collection of African American Art, Sun., Feb. 15, 3 p.m. at Ivy Hall.

For more local arts events, visit clatl.com/events.

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Have you clicked on A&E lately? Or Events, for that matter, over on our left menu bar? Just like our new Food & Drink and News & Views sections, CL’s A&E page, which replaces the old A&E section online, allows us to have all of our content and reviews, the blog, A&E content from around the web, event listings and search capabilities, daily See & Dos, and links to archives, all in one place.

The best part about the new A&E page? It’s updated with fresh content multiple times a day: visual arts reviews, book previews, video game coverage, TV commentary, photo galleries, video and more. So, make sure you’re checking back regularly.

The new Events page makes searching for concerts, festivals, exhibits, etc., much easier. Want to know everything that’s happening today? Click on today’s date on the calendar. Wondering what plays theater critic Curt Holman recommends? Check out our critic’s picks. Trying to plan a few days in advance? Refer to our three day See & Do preview.

We’ve also modified our URLs so that they’re easier to remember. Want to bookmark A&E? Visit clatl.com/arts. Events? clatl.com/events.

We’d love to hear your feedback. You can always leave a comment here, or e-mail me at debbie.michaud@creativeloafing.com.

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Our boys from Outkast are no stranger to side projects. Nearly a year after Big Boi tore up the Fox with his collaboration on the hip-hop ballet big, his partner in crime André 3000 drops in a few blocks up Peachtree at the Alliance with the world premiere of Class of 3000 LIVE.

The production, as the title states, is a live version of the Emmy award-winning animated series “Class of 3000,” which Benjamin created for Cartoon Network with Tommy Lynch. The live show will also include original music by Benjamin.

In “Class,” international music superstar Sunny Bridges pulls a Dave Chappelle and up and ditches his hot-shot celebrity lifestyle. Instead of Africa, Sunny ends up in Atlanta teaching at the Westley School for the Performing Arts to try rediscovering life before all the hype. The story follows Sunny and his gang of students as they help the A-lister get his feet back on the ground, while he helps the kids tap into their talents.

If big is any measure of the energy and creativity we can expect from Class of 3000 LIVE, it should be another theater-crashing blow-out. No pressure, though.

The show runs March 7-29.

(Photo courtesy www.tomlynchco.com)

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Stephanie Heydt has been named the new Margaret and Terry Stent Curator of American Art at the High. Previously, Heydt worked as Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Gulf Coast Museum of Art in Largo, Fla.

A little on Heydt’s background from the press release:

Heydt received her doctorate of philosophy and art history from Boston University in 2008. She also holds a master’s degree in art history from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. Prior to her position at the Gulf Coast Museum of Art, she served as the Jakob Rosenberg Fellow in American art at the Fogg Art  Museum, Harvard  University, from 2002 through 2005. Heydt also served as an assistant curator at the Terra Museum of American Art (now the Terra Foundation) in Chicago and has widely lectured and published on 19th- and 20th-century American art and culture.

Heydt’s appointment marks the end of a nearly two-year effort to replace Sylvia Yount, who left the High in early 2007 to join the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts as its Louise B. and J. Harwood Cochrane Curator of American Art.

Heydt officially joined the High Museum staff on Jan. 16.

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From Emory’s press release:

Salman Rushdie, Distinguished Writer in Residence in the Department of English at Emory University, will consider the process by which one art form is “translated” or “migrates” into another form and, by extension, the way people of one world are transplanted  or “translated” into another.

It’s an appropriate subject (if a bit obtuse sounding) for a man who was forced into exile in the late 1980s for his representation of Mohammed in The Satanic Verses. Cultural clashes drive much of Rushdie’s writing as does contemporary pop culture.

Curt Holman noted in his feature on Rushdie last year: “If journalism is the rough draft of history, Rushdie at times treats pop culture like the rough draft of mythology. ‘I’ve grown up with rock music, movies, TV, and see no reason not to use them as familiar reference points in my work. Once upon a time, a reading audience would be familiar with references to mythology that would now be somewhat arcane, but we have a shared storehouse of film and musical knowledge that fills that gap.’”

Rushdie spoke last July at the Carter Center about his latest book, The Enchantress of Florence. That event sold out early, so plan ahead for this one. The following evening, Rushdie will appear again at Emory to introduce Luchino Viscont’s The Leopard, as part of the university’s Great Novels and Great Films series.

“Adaptation.” Public Lecture by Salman Rushdie. Sun., Feb. 22, 5 p.m. $5-$10. Glenn Memorial Auditorium, Emory University. www.emory.edu/events.

The Leopard Mon., Feb. 23, 7:30  p.m. Free. White Hall 208. 404-727-6761, www.filmstudies.emory.edu.

(Photo by Beowulf Sheehan/PEN American Center/Opale)

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Acclaimed artist Maira Kalman, whose work is currently on view at Jackson Fine Art, has a new illustrated blog for the New York Times about the inauguration. Stream of consciousness musings tie together simple yet poignant illustrations of Kalman’s visit to Washington for the event.

From the blog:

(Photo by Maira Kalman/Courtesy nytimes.com)

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