1) America Elects Its First Black President continues at Wood Is Wonderful Gallery.

2) Dr. Jim Cobb discusses his new book chronicling Georgia’s past at the Decatur Library.

3) Chattahoochee Nature Center hosts Flying Colors Butterfly Festival.

4) Have Heart, Verse and Fondation perform at the Drunken Unicorn.

5) Earth, Wind and Fire performs at Chastain Park Amphitheatre.

(Image Joel Gresham)

American Zombie — A warm documentary look at the unlife of the contemporary zombie.

Batman: Gotham Knight

I Dream of Jeannie the Complete Fifth Season

Jet Li’s Fearless

Journey to the Center of the Earth — The made-for-TV movie, as a companion to the made-for-movie-theater movie, out on Friday.

Left Behind — All four movies based on the Left Behind book series in one overpriced collection.

Monk/Psych Two-Pack — Both USA series had DVD sets come out yesterday, but when one oddball detective just isn’t enough…

The Mummy Two-disc deluxe edition

The Ruins

Stargate Atlantis Season Four

Stop-Loss

Superhero Movie

Wire in the Blood The Complete Fifth Season

X-Files Revelations — Eight episodes of “essential viewing,” in anticipation of The X-Files: I Want to Believe, opening later this summer.

And new and notable on Blu-Ray:

Batman Begins

Drillbit Taylor

The Spiderwick Chronicles

1) Atlanta Pride wraps up its celebration.

2) Lyle Lovett performs at Chastain Park.

3) The Atlanta Braves take on the Houston Astros at Turner Field.

4) The musical Urinetown is at Onstage Atlanta.

5) Doomsayer, Royal Thunder and Let the Night Roar perform at Smith’s Olde Bar.

(Photo courtesy Atlanta Pride Committee)

1) The legendary Tom Waits performs at the Fox Theatre.

2) Jim Henson: Puppeteer is on display at the Center for Puppetry Arts.

3) The Atlanta Pride Festival continues in downtown Atlanta.

4) Eddie’s Attic hosts the Asylum Street Spankers.

5) Chunklet magazine presents Boris, Torche and Clouds at the Earl.

(Photo courtesy Tom Waits)

1) Rising Appalachia hosts and headlines Concrete Pandemonium at Eyedrum Art & Music Gallery.

2) Zoroaster headlines Corndogorama’s final day at Lenny’s Bar.

3) Monsters inhabit Atlanta in The Monster Show at Eyedrum Art & Music Gallery.

4) Colbie Caillat performs at the Variety Playhouse.

5) REO Speedwagon and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts perform at Chastain Park.

(Photo © Chad Hess)

1) Comedian Bill Burr finishes his three-day run at the Punchline.

2) Sha’ni and the Tiger’s Eye Collection host A Midsummer Night’s Dream with world-renowned dancer Ava Fleming at Sketchworks Theater.

3) Lakewood Amphitheatre strikes a fun trifecta: R.E.M., Modest Mouse and the National perform.

4) Leslie Jordan reads and signs My Trip Down the Pink Carpet at Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse.

5) Blues Traveler and more perform in Candler Park for the Midsummer Music Fest.

(Photo courtesy APA Agency)

We mentioned the Telly Award-winning program in one of our first PopSmart blog posts back in November, so we’re excited to see what happens on Saturday. Jack Walsh and Gordon Ray are the nominated producers of the show, and do an impressive job of providing witty polish to a type of community program that, when not in the right hands, can run on the dull side. This stuff is compelling work, though, reminding Atlantans just how diverse its city really is.Speak of the Tellys, “TIA” is running a “greatest-hits” collection of its Telly-winning program this month. The program won four Tellys: a Bronze for each of its profiles of Georgia Tech’s Robert C. Williams Paper Museum, the Artaxi (my personal favorite), and the Burn Unit breakdance troupe, and a Silver (first place) for the episode that featured the Legynds role-playing group (pictured), the painting elephants at the Atlanta Zoo, Indie Craft Experience, Dragon*Con and Segway Tours.The episode began running last week, but there are plenty of other opportunities to be seen:Friday, June 20, 11:30 p.m.Monday, June 23, 9:40 p.m.Thursday, June 26, 8 p.m.Sunday, June 29, midnightIf you’re impatient and don’t mind watching them on the smaller screen, you can visit the PBA website and watch them here.Also, if you have a tough time catching “This Is Atlanta,” you’re not alone. Due to programming challenges, the show has no set time schedule — although it’s nice to know it runs so frequently throughout the month. July’s episode, currently in production, includes profiles of wheelchair football, kinetic sculpture, and the decidedly funky Seed & Feed Marching Abominable. Look for the confirmed schedule when we review the show next month.(Photo courtesy Jack Walsh)

1) Cat Power performs her rescheduled show at the Tabernacle with Dirty Delta Blues.

2) Real Men Cook for Charity celebrates Father’s Day with a feast at Georgia Railroad Depot while raising money for various nonprofits.

3) Stone Mountain holds its annual Arts and Crafts Festival.

4) The first annual Atlanta Gospel Festival is held at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center.

5) Grace Braun performs at the Earl.

(Photo by Stefano Giovannini)

Tickets to the performance at Pace Academy Fine Arts Center (966 West Paces Ferry Road) are $20 in advance, $25 at the door; call 404-877-0005 or visit the website.

Edwards (pictured) took some time to discuss the upcoming production.

What makes you most excited about the upcoming production? Which numbers will you be dancing, and what will your role be?
I am very excited about this upcoming production because I’ve choreographed my first full-length ballet, “Graduation Ball.” Even though it’s considered at “short ballet” at under a half hour, I still feel like it’s a personal accomplishment for me as an emerging choreographer! Also, I will be dancing in Pamela Dionne’s “The Lady Sings.”

Explain the theme “Earthly Paradise,” and how the music was chosen for it. What’s been the most fun part of preparing for this production?
“Earthly Paradise” is a children’s ballet danced to the music of Johann Strauss II. Pamela and I wanted to connect both the children’s ballet “Earthly Paradise” and the adult’s ballet, “Graduation Ball.” So, we chose one of Strauss’ beautiful waltzes to create a garden scene before the beginning of “Graduation Ball.”
“Earthly Paradise” will feature two young lovers later dancing in “Graduation Ball” who are surrounded by an enchanted garden of children dancing as butterflies, bees, birds, bunnies, and a fairy. It’s been a lot of fun working with the children who, for some of them, will be performing for the first time on stage. It’s fulfilling to see the amount of improvement and confidence these kids have attained since the beginning of the school year.

With “The Lady Swings” (pictured, above), talk about the connection between classic jazz tunes by folks like Dinah Washington, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald, and what the allure is to interpreting such music.
As a dancer in “The Lady Swings,” I thoroughly enjoy the connection the ballet has to real life. Many people, at some point in their lives, experience the trails and tribulations of love. That’s what this ballet is about. In the beginning, I dance the solo role of a woman questioning love to the music “What is Love?” by Andrea Marcovicci. I feel like I’ve been in this woman’s place before, so I can honestly put my emotion into the pedestrian-influenced choreography. Further into the ballet, I find what I think is everlasting love when I dance a pas de deux to the song “Our Love is Here to Stay.” However, many times love is not here to stay. Our hearts are often broken.
The other soloist, Jane King, dances my other half to the song “You’ve Changed” by Billie Holiday. She is now broken-hearted and consumed with loss. Nevertheless, we as humans long for love, find love, lose love, and eventually recover from it as shown in the final group dance to “Ooh Child” by Nina Simone.

Let’s go back to your big debut. Talk a little more about your work, particularly the choreography, on “Graduation Ball,” and that use of Strauss’ music.
“Graduation Ball” is a one-act ballet musically arranged by Antal Dorati and set to selected works of Johann Strauss II. It’s a light-hearted, comic ballet that follows the happenings of a graduation ball in a Viennese young ladies college to which cadets from a military college are invited. In the first scene, the ladies bustle about trying to get ready for the ball. Three of the school’s youngest ladies are indecisive about their attire and find humor in a dancing race avoiding to get dressed.
The ball begins in the second scene with a mazurka danced by the evening’s guests. At first, the young ladies and cadets are timid but soon begin to dance with each other. A series of divertissements and waltzes ensue. Amidst all of the dancing, a young lady of the school and one of the cadets discover romance. The two dance a pas de deux slowly bringing the night to an end. Everyone dances a final waltz, which is soon interrupted by the sight of another romance between the headmistress and the military commander. They bashfully come forward as everyone finishes the exciting night of dancing. The young ladies and cadets reluctantly bid one another goodnight and the stage quiets.
Just before the lights fade, the young lady who found romance with her handsome cadet dreamily dances back into the room. As she’s dancing, her cadet sneaks back into the room to bid her one last farewell. However, the headmistress finds the two and sends the cadet quickly on his way!
Since I started working with the dancers several months ago, they’ve come a long way in terms of interpreting the comic nuances and technical detail. I really enjoy watching the dancers’ personalities come out when they’re rehearsing and I truly look forward to seeing the finished product on stage.

(Photos by Dean Hesse)

2) Syrens of the South performs Cabaret Noir at the Highland Inn Ballroom & Lounge.

3) CityDance Ensemble presents Earthly Paradise Saturday, featuring the Lady Swings, Graduation Ball and contemporary modern dance.

4) Virginia Willis signs Bon Appetit, Y’all: Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking at Eagle Eye Book Shop.

5) Mamma Mia! continues at the Fox Theatre.

(Photo by Patrick Hoelck)