Monday, July 31, 2006
Remembering Hell
Posted by John Branston on Mon, Jul 31, 2006 at 4:00 AM
The exhibit is currently on view at the East Tennessee History Center in Knoxville, and was produced by University of Tennessee associate professor of journalism Robert Heller, with assistance from writer Dawn Weiss Smith. Heller visited more than 70 Tennesseans who were concentration-camp survivors, refugees, or soldiers who helped liberate the camps after Nazi Germany fell. For more about the collection, go here.
Craig Brewer in Nashville
Posted by John Branston on Mon, Jul 31, 2006 at 4:00 AM
The "director" in this scene is Memphis' own Craig Brewer, whose work with some gang members in Nashville trying to make a movie is the Nashville Scene's cover story this week. Suffice it to say, our homeboy looks good while doing good works.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Foote Notes
Posted by John Branston on Sun, Jul 30, 2006 at 4:00 AM
King's Ransom?
Posted by John Branston on Sun, Jul 30, 2006 at 4:00 AM
Board members were asked to contribute $50,000 to the project but declined because they have not seen the Foundation's operating budget. If they see a budget, they might reconsider, said board member Everett Kinsey.
"We would look at it, but we already spend about $70,000 a year on the birthplace," he said. "We buy billboards for them and do other things."
Friday, July 28, 2006
Man Indicted for Voting Twice
Posted on Fri, Jul 28, 2006 at 4:00 AM
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Lost
Posted on Thu, Jul 27, 2006 at 4:00 AM
“It’s important that this dog be found as she was involved in a bite case,” said Phil Synder, Memphis Animal Services administrator. “[She] does have a family that desperately wants her back home.”
Synder says she could be anywhere between the shelter and the owner’s home in Frayser. She responds to the name Tina and weighs between 35 and 40 pounds. Anyone with information about the dog should call 362-5310.
Sure, Memphis is rough, but come on!
Posted on Thu, Jul 27, 2006 at 4:00 AM
But what really caught our eye was this: “Police from Oakland, deputies from Yalobusha and Tallahatchie counties, state troopers and Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries officers were involved in the arrests.”
Wildlife and fisheries officers? That seems a little excessive. Why not just call in lion tamers or Dog the bounty hunter?
The Memphis men took $11,000 in the hold-up, but police believe that all the money has been recovered.
Lance and Justin Sittin' in a Tree ...
Posted by John Branston on Thu, Jul 27, 2006 at 4:00 AM
You see, Lance spins it and when it stops, it points at Justin.
That's comedy gold, folks.
We're NUMBER ONE!
Posted by John Branston on Thu, Jul 27, 2006 at 4:00 AM
Wanted: Offbeat Houses
Posted by John Branston on Thu, Jul 27, 2006 at 4:00 AM
Sure, your wife left you because she thought you were crazy, and you’re battling that lawsuit from the neighborhood association, but there’s good news: You might get your house on television.
A new HGTV series called Offbeat America is looking for houses in Memphis that stand out from the rest of the homes on your block, residences they describe as “unconventional and unusual houses or yards that are truly amazing.”
Each half-hour show features five or six homes from across the country. Recent episodes have featured an aluminum house in the Mojave Desert that spins like a top, a house in Pennsylvania covered entirely in mirrors so it virtually disappears amid its wooded surroundings, and a home in Wisconsin owned by a man who loved slot-car racing so much he designed his house to resemble a giant racetrack.
Obviously these are extreme “offbeat” examples. Other homes have interiors with unusual themes, or distinctive features. If you live in a house like this, or know someone who does, e-mail the show’s producer, Joni Emily, at Jemily@highnoonentertainment.com or visit the Offbeat America Web site.
Hmmmm. Wonder if they've seen the Jungle Room?
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Freedom Awards
Posted by John Branston on Wed, Jul 26, 2006 at 4:00 AM
Strike! No Chance for a Spare
Posted by John Branston on Wed, Jul 26, 2006 at 4:00 AM
Imperial Lanes opened in 1958 at 4700 Summer. Along with its sister center, Cherokee Lanes on Lamar, it offered bowlers considerably more upscale surroundings – and with 50 lanes, more bowling — than any other place around town.
According to the Web site of the Memphis Area United States Bowling Congress, at one time, Imperial had “one of the finest sit-down restaurants in the entire city, complete with chefs, waitresses, and menu ordering. Many leagues had their end-of-year banquet there. The restaurant was closed in 1968 for a very odd reason — no parking. Imperial was so busy that, unless you got there early, you had to park in an adjoining lot or on Summer Avenue.”
In recent years, however, bowling alleys have added newfangled scoring machines and “cosmic” bowling using glow-in-the-dark pins and balls. Imperial had none of that; in fact, it didn’t even offer automatic scoring.
The bowling equipment will be auctioned off. There is no definite date for demolition.
For photos of Imperial Lanes in its heyday, and a tribute to a Memphis landmark, go here.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Shuffle Steps
Posted on Tue, Jul 25, 2006 at 4:00 AM
Monday, July 24, 2006
A Fast One
Posted on Mon, Jul 24, 2006 at 4:00 AM
According to Snopes.com, this email hoax started in New Jersey in May 2005.
Hungry For Art?
Posted by John Branston on Mon, Jul 24, 2006 at 4:00 AM
“Starve” is open nightly” from 7-11 p.m. at the Montyshane Gallery at 2160 Young Avenue. The performance art aspect runs through July 25th, and the installation will remain on exhibit until July 29th. Admission is free.
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