PopSmart

The fourth time is looking like it’s the last for New Street Gallery’s VINYL SHOW. Which is a shame, considering that this year’s silent auction/benefit, taking place Sat., JULY 12, hopes to offer up artfully designed vinyl record discs from an even wider range of figures in Atlanta’s art community. That includes efforts by Jonathan Bouknight, Adron and Toya North as well as Ed Hall. “It’s hard to get way-established artists, because they have to limit their [minimum] price,” says New Street co-founder Meshakai Wolf, who moved the show from the July Fourth weekend after many prospective attendees said it conflicted with their schedules. The bidding for these prized discs starts at below $100. Free. 8 p.m. 2800 Washington St., Avondale Estates. 404-298-8696. newstreet.org.

(Image courtesy Meshakai Wolf)

Cold Mountain author Charles Frazier returns to Atlanta to once again promote his follow-up novel, Thirteen Moons, which Curt Holman reviewed in advance of a previous appearance by Frazier. (I also reviewed the movie version of Cold Mountain.) Frazier will appear on Saturday, July 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the Gwinnett Center as part of the “Gwinnet Reads” series.Here is Frazier discussing the pressure to follow up Cold Mountain …

When it came to my coverage in this week’s issue of the New Street Gallery’s Vinyl Show, I wasn’t at the top of my game. Not only did I misstate the bidding situation in the See & Do section (bidding starts at below $100, not AT $100), but New Street co-founder Meshakai Wolf was understandably concerned about the way I excerpted comments from a phone interview I conducted with him for the Pulled Quote. The quote was used from my notes, and while it’s technically accurate, I didn’t do a very good job of “cleaning up” the comment, which left it feeling a bit clunky to me after the fact and, more importantly, confusing to Wolf and possibly our readers.

(more…)

TNT announced today that everyone’s favorite Quantum Leaper and Minor Leaguer, Scott Bakula, has joined the cast of the upcoming drama “Men of a Certain Age,” which sounds suspiciously like a male version of “thirtysomething” with an extra decade thrown in. (Maybe that’s because the pilot episode’s director, two-time Emmy winner Scott Winant, includes among his credits “thirtysomething.”)

(more…)

My Speakeasy interview with “The Daily Show” writer and Atlanta native Rob Kutner gets the extended-online-version treatment on our website for this week’s issue, which includes a lot of funny/funnier stuff. Again Kutner will appear on Saturday, July 12, at the Barnes and Noble at Perimeter Mall and on Sunday, July 13, at the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum.

Here’s a favorite “online-only” back-and-forth that didn’t make it in the print version:

According to Wikipedia, and Wikipedia is never wrong: “The Westminster Schools is a private secondary school in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1951, Westminster has the largest endowment of any non-boarding secondary school in the United States.[1] The school’s expressed mission is ‘to develop the whole person for college and for life through excellent education.’” You now work for “The Daily Show.” Would you call yourself a ‘riches-to-rags’ story, then?
I’d say yes. All I can hope is that my story will inspire millions of would-be immigrants to give up and just stay in their country of origin.

And for those who are curious about Kutner’s work with the Shushan Channel, here’s a pee-in-pants promo for Jewno, their hilarious satire of Juno. Kudos for them to con J.K. Simmons (one of my fave character actors) into reprising his role as the dad.

(Photo courtesy Rob Kutner)

Back in April I reviewed the inspirational documentary Girls Rock!, which chronicled the weeklong travails of teen musicians learning to come together in hastily assembled bands and perform one song at the camp’s end. The great news that came out of it was the local news that there would be an Atlanta chapter of Girls Rock!, which begins its five-day camp for girls ages 10-18 next week on Monday, July 14, at Eyedrum.

Atlanta has a pretty impressive punk-rock heritage that was nurtured in the Little Five Points scene of the 1980s and beyond, so it will be interesting to see what happens when children of parent punk-rockers (should they attend) come together over the next week and show their stuff on Saturday, July 19.

(more…)

LYLE LOVETT’s consistent blend of country, folk, blues, gospel and his own style of Texas swing is no more apparent than on his 2007 release, It’s Not Big It’s Large, a tongue-in-cheek reference to his Large Band. Lovett and his crew roll into town Sun., JULY 6, in support of his new album, his first effort in four years and the second for the Lost Highway label. It’s a rather ruminative affair for the 50-year-old Texan; on the third track, “All Downhill From Here,” he muses, “I’ve had an excellent time so far/There’s only one thing that I fear/I’ve been up so long on this lucky star/It could be all downhill from here.” But considering how easy it comes to him, you get the feeling this four-time Grammy winner’s got miles to go before he sleeps. $37.50-$67.50. 7:30 p.m. Chastain Park Amphitheater, 4469 Stella Drive. 404-249-6400. www.ticketmaster.com.

(Photo by Michael Wilson)

The classic-film world, after the tragic loss of archived movies in Hollywood last month, should have cause for celebration when it was learned that the missing reels of the 1927 Fritz Lang silent-film classic, Metropolis, has been found! Woo-hoo! According to Reuters …

Two film fans in Argentina uncovered the fragile footage in a small museum, earlier this year — over eight decades after Fritz Lang’s dystopian classic first began to shed scenes.
With its cold, monumental vision of mechanized society, Metropolis forged a template for generations of science fiction cinema, and its enduring influence has been cited on films from Blade Runner to Fahrenheit 451 and Star Wars.
“We were overjoyed when we heard about the find,” Helmut Possmann, head of the foundation which owns the rights to the film, the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, told Reuters.
“We no longer believed we’d see this. Time and again we had had calls about supposed footage but were disappointed.”

Unfortunately, the Reuters report says, there still might be about five minutes missing, but still, we’re talking as complete a version as we can hope for — eight decades after its release.

Here’s the opening, just to get us all excited. Paging Kino!

Matt Brunson of CL’s Charlotte paper serves up another batch of DVD reviews in his weekly “View from the Couch” column. This week, Brunson reviews a spiffed-up re-release of The Teena Brandon Story, along with Charlie Bartlett, City of Men and Drillbit Taylor. The Teena Brandon Story (1998) appears to be the clear winner here, which preceded by one year Hilary Swank’s Oscar-winning turn in Boys Don’t Cry. One interesting footnote to the doc, according to Brunson’s review:

This chilling nonfiction piece offers some additional facts that writer-director Kimberly Peirce wasn’t able to work into Boys Don’t Cry. Perhaps most shockingly, we learn that a third person was murdered alongside Brandon and his friend Lisa Lambert: Philip Devine, a 22-year-old black male who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

(Photo courtesy Docurama Films)

We’ve got a ton of free passes to see tonight’s screening of Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson, which I review in the next issue, at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema. (Hint: I likey.) Just email me at davidlee.simmons@creativeloafing.com. One huge caveat: The promoters of these screenings always encourage folks to get there early, as these passes don’t guarantee admittance, and they’re often over-booked. Just FYI. You can pick up the passes at the front desk of our offices in the Northyards office complex. (Use Google maps; it’s most reliable for directions. Call 404-688-5623 if you get lost.) We close our doors at 5 p.m. sharp.

Also, check out Cliff Bostock’s excellent tribute to Hunter S. Thompson on the occasion of the journalist’s passing back in 2005, in his “Headcase” column. And here’s the official trailer …

(Photo courtesy Magnolia Pictures)