PopSmart

Ginny Tonic (sometimes known as Michael Howell) is one of the pack leaders of the East Point Possums (Possi?), who get together each year, throw one helluva drag ball, and raise lots of money for their charity of choice. This year’s beneficiary is the Jerusalem House, which provides more than half of Atlanta’s permanent housing designated for homeless persons living with HIV/AIDS. One of the show’s claims to fame was it was the first show that Gigi Monroe performed before she became Atlanta’s “First Drag Idol” winner from Charlie Brown, according to co-founder Rick Westbrook. Other famous names include Alexandria Martin, Owen McCord, Genre, and Summer Knight.

This year’s East Point Possums party will be held from 8-11 p.m. Saturday, June 14, on the East Point Commons in downtown — near the Corner Tavern, a major supporter of the event. The show also features such familiar performers as Prissy Scilla and the MC, Dina Daintymouth.

We had a chance to catch up with the legendary Ginny Tonic to figure out why the Possums make such friendly pets.

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1) Unwed Sailor plays the Earl with Sybris.

2) Managing editor Hank Klibanoff of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution discusses and signs The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation with Doris Derby and Brett Gadsden at the High Museum of Art.

3) Zappa Plays Zappa performs at Variety Playhouse.

4) Zombie Romance, comic-inspired paintings by Rod Whigham, continues at Rabbit Hole Gallery.

5) Star Bar hosts Freakout!!! with Derek Lyn Plastic, Mammals and the Shining Path.

Unwed Sailor

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1) Mudhoney performs at the Earl with Birds of Avalon and Anna Kramer & the Lost Cause.

2) S. David Freeman discusses his new book, Winning Our Energy Independence: An Energy Insider Shows How, at Jimmy Carter Library & Museum.

3) Dilated Peoples perform with Aceyalone at the Loft.

4) As You Like It, William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy set in the 1960s “Summer of Love,” opens at Georgia Shakespeare.

5) Wednesday Wind Down, Atlanta’s longest running free outdoor concert series, features the Infinity Show Band at Centennial Olympic Park.

(Photo courtesy Mudhoney)

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1) Ingrid Michaelson plays Variety Playhouse.

2) Masaru Emoto, author of Hidden Messages in Water, discusses his photographic process at Georgia World Congress Center.

3) Comedian Dale Jones begins his three-day stop at the Punchline.

4) Stevie Nicks performs at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.

5) Whole World Theatre hosts Improv Comedy.

(Photo courtesy Variety Playhouse)

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1) Don Dixon performs at Eddie’s Attic.

2) Virginia-Highland Summerfest wraps up its final day on Virginia Avenue.

3) Jim Breuer finishes his four-day stop at the Funny Farm.

4) Apache Café hosts FFX: Free Forum Exchange spoken-word open mic.

5) Atlanta Stage Write Productions presents the second annual 9 x 9 ‘08: Nine Plays by Nine Playwrights at Norcross Cultural Arts and Community Center.

(Photo courtesy Don Dixon)

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My review of Kung Fu Panda has hit the internet — and so, too, has one of my favorite scenes from the surprisingly entertaining cartoon feature. The voices are provided by Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman, and it’ll probably make you hungry for dumplings. I recommend you watch the bigger, clearer image here, but this is good enough:

(It’s a lot better than the film’s music video for “Kung Fu Fighting,” Cee-Lo’s presence notwithstanding.)

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Two fantasy worlds collide tonight at the Plaza Theatre at its “Art Movie and an Opening” series, with the art of Lael Pastore going up on the walls before a screening of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

wonkaarta.jpeg

“We want to have events at the Plaza that are more than just watching a movie,” Plaza co-owner Jonathan Rej says in an email interview. “A big reason we go to the theater other than just renting the DVD is for the social environment. I like to take that a little further and add an interactive element to coming to our theater. With the Art Opening and a Movie series, people can come early, see art that relates to the film on some level, talk to people, meet the artist, then watch a great film. … People might come see one of their favorite classic films without knowing about the event tied to it and end up having a better experience, which is more personal and interactive. It ends up being more fun when the social aspect is heightened.”

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 We here at Creative Loafing know that everyone is on pins and needles regarding the impending announcement of the winner of our Summer Guide Contest. And the winner is … well, hang on. We needed to delay the announcement just a bit. Stay tuned. Clearly, as you can see from the photo, we’re almost there. The good news is, we had 180 submissions this year, which is about double last year’s total.Thanks for your patience.(Photo by Edward Adams)

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1) Elizabeth Payne Rosen reads from and discusses her book, Hallam’s War, at the Decatur Public Library.

Elizabeth Payne Rosen

2) Beebo and Ravioli’s Spectacular Circus at Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta teaches kids to eat healthy.

3) Emmure performs at Masquerade.

4) New Work and Abstractions, salt-glazed stoneware by Chris Baumann, Stacy Stanhope and Michael Gregory, opens at Roswell Visual Arts Center & Gallery.

5) Smith’s Olde Bar hosts “3 for 5 night” with Gravel Undertone, Sons of Roswell and Marshall Ruffin Trio.

(Photo by Dimitri De Gunzburg)

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1) The AVP Crocs Atlanta Open volleyball tour finishes its three-day stay at Atlantic Station.

2) Atlanta-based African-American Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra performs at Woodruff Arts Center.

3) Your last chance to gnaw on an oversize turkey leg: The Georgia Renaissance Festival finishes its final weekend of 2008.

4) Sweeney Todd closes the curtain after its last night at the Fox Theatre.

5) Steve Coffey performs at the Earl with the Rockin’ Pontoons.

(Photo by AVP/Holly Stein)

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