PopSmart

Hey, y’all: As of today, we’re merging Popsmart into our Fresh Loaf blog. So please click here for the same insight, event missives, pop culture news and Nobel Prize winning writing that you’re used to on Popsmart. If you had Popsmart bookmarked, in fact, we urge you to bookmark Fresh Loaf instead — if for no other reason than to humor us.

Election fever’s in the air, and while we have our opinions on who we want in office, we all have a responsibility to educate ourselves on the issues and, most importantly, to register to vote and play a part in the changing tide. To that end, the Five Spot in Little Five Points hosts JUST THINK!, a night of political exploration navigated by a progressive lineup of musicians and guest speakers. Steve Brodie and Cade Thacker will be on hand to share their knowledge about local and national elections Sun., JULY 13, while local talents Soulphonics & Ruby Velle, Randy Chapman, Swamp Wompus and Elemental Emcee will provide the musical entertainment. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Whitefoord Community Program Computer Clubhouse. $6-$8. 7 p.m. The Five Spot, 1123 Euclid Ave. 407-923-8800. www.myspace.com/justthinkevent.

(Photo by Lorace Deen)

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.

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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.

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So it’s that time of year again, when underground filmmakers take their work above ground. The fifth annual Atlanta Underground Film Festival (AUFF) is coming up Aug. 20-24, and organizers recently posted the schedule.

With 18 features and 14 shorts at five venues over five days, the AUFF promises to be film-tastic, and other bad puns denoting cinematic fun.

The festival kicks off Aug. 20 at the Highland Inn Ballroom Lounge with Greg Kohs’ feature Song Sung Blue, a documentary about husband-and-wife Neil Diamond tribute artists Lightning & Thunder.

Other, uh, diamonds on the schedule include, among others, Dan Lamoureux’s geeky hip-hop-umentary Nerdcore for Life and the 2008 Local Shorts showcase.

The AUFF all-access pass is only $35. That gets you into all of the screenings, parties and whatnot for less than a meal for two at Applebee’s. For the schedule, a full list of films and locations or to purchase tickets, visit the AUFF website.

(Photo courtesy Waitwhat Productions)

Kay Kallos has stepped down as the Contemporary’s executive director after 16 months in the position to relocate to Dallas, Texas. From Board President Baxter Jones’ press release:

Executive Director Kay Kallos, who has led the organization since March 2007, has resigned, effective July 7, 2008, for personal reasons … To continue her good work, the Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Curator Stuart Horodner and Gallery Manager Stacie Lindner will take on expanded roles. As Artistic Director and Managing Director, respectively, Stuart and Stacie will assume expanded roles to include fundraising, board relations, facilities and financial management, and program oversight. Insuring continuity of mission during this transitional period, staff members Michelle Frost, Alana Wolf, and Stan Woodard will continue in their respective roles as Bookkeeper, Events Coordinator, and Communications Director.

After 35 years, the Contemporary has become one of Atlanta’s most important resources for the visual arts. The arts center took home two CL Best of Atlanta awards under Kallos’ direction in 2007 for Best Out-of-Town Guests (Daniel Bozhov and Greta Pratt; see review here) and Best Gallery for Kids (although welcoming to families, see Felicia Feaster’s review on its gritty fall 2007 exhibitions featuring Harrell Fletcher, Nubar Alexanian and the group show Finding Form).

(Photo courtesy Atlanta Contemporary Art Center)

Want the power to nominate a candidate for higher office? Have a strong opinion about what’s truly the best of the best in Atlanta? Become an officially endorsed CL Super Delegate and give us your opinions.

For this year’s Best of Atlanta Raging Election edition, we are looking for independent voters to act as special CL critics. If your nominations are picked, YOU will be considered a CL critic and given the power to bestow a Critics Pick Best of Atlanta award for 2008. We are looking for picks in all categories, so send us a blurb about what you consider to be the Best of Atlanta and why. Send them to bestofatlanta@creativeloafing.com.

If you haven’t voted, what are you waiting for? And don’t forget to take our exit poll once you do!

We look forward to your nominations!

Although ATLANTA PRIDE FESTIVAL has shifted from drought-stricken Piedmont Park to the less alfresco Atlanta Civic Center, the majority of events, including Saturday’s Dyke March and Sunday’s Pride Parade, will retain their outdoorsy origins. Among this year’s offerings, continuing Sat., JULY 5: a nondenominational commitment ceremony, which gives couples the opportunity to pledge their commitments in front of friends and family; shoutOUT!, Pride’s first foray into slam poetry; the AIDS memorial quilt display, featuring more than 400 panels; a charity poker tournament; the Atlanta Pride Marketplace; and a human rights exhibit in partnership with Georgia Equality that examines intersectionality and the relationships between identities. Performers will include Sonia Leigh, the Athens Boys Choir, Starlight Cabaret, Exposé, CeCe Peniston, Tiffany and more. Through July 6. Free. Fri., 6-11 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center, 395 Piedmont Ave. 404-523-6275. www.atlantapride.org.

(Photo courtesy Atlanta Pride Committee)

This year’s installment of The Animation Show (reviewed here), opening July 4 at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, features a charming little cartoon called “Western Spaghetti,” the latest cartoon confection from the animator PES (Adam Pesapane). “Western Spaghetti” is another of the animator’s stop-motion, doodle-like shorts that involves candy or other foodstuffs substituting for familiar objects: in the 11-second “The Fireplace,” PES renders a Yule log in candy corn and pretzels. A previous Animation Show featured “Game Over,” PES’ tribute to old-school arcade video games, with familiar sound effects:

PES’s fun food-related shorts are completely work safe and kid-friendly — which is more than you can say for his hilarious “Roof Sex,” which features furniture instead of food, as well as a killer punchline.