- Issue Archive for
- Apr 19-25, 2007
- Vol. 1, No. 947
Art
Off the Wall
Three shows rethink reality.
News
Memphis Thieves Rob SWAT Team
Say what you will about Memphis' crime problem, our crooks have cojones the size of cantalopes.
The Wake County, North Carolina, SWAT team was on its way to a SWAT competition in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Monday, when they stopped in Memphis to sample some of the famous food at Interstate Bar-B-Que on South Third. ...
'Oh My!': The 2007 Gridiron Show Gets After It
If it's better to give umbrage than to receive it, this year's Gridiron Show earned a few Good Conduct medals for its cast, who, er, took no prisoners in satirizing corruption in local government.
Germantown Landmark to Fall
One of the most distinctive homes in Germantown — if not all of Shelby County — will soon fall to the wrecking ball. Developers plan to demolish the so-called “Spanish House” at 8598 Dogwood Road to make way for an upscale subdivision.
Little is known about the origins of this sprawling Mediterranean-style residence. ...
No Boobs Allowed in Walls, Mississippi
Charles “Jerry” Westlund, owner of Memphis-based strip club The Pony, has agreed to take down one of his billboards along Highway 61 near the Tennessee-Mississippi border. The billboard in question is the second of a series of three which advertise some of the, uh, amenities available at Westlund’s establishment. ...
Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek are Moving to Memphis! Book it!
This seems like something straight out of The Onion, but it must be true, because a website called PR-Inside (offering "free public relations and news") is reporting that Memphis rappers and Oscar-winners Three 6 Mafia have written “love letters” to film stars Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz, urging them to move to Memphis ...
Dyer's "To Die For"
The May issue of Esquire explores the “60 Things Worth Shortening Your Life For.” And — drum roll please — the deep-fried burger at Dyer’s in Memphis made the list at number 48. For the other 59, items that include bullfighting, tackle football, and punching Barry Bonds in the face, click here.
Barack Snake Moan
Memphis director Craig Brewer's Black Snake Moan may have fizzled at the box office, but the Memphis filmmaker has left us with some lingering iconography. ...
What To Watch
MPD's planned Real Time Crime Center will aim mobile security cameras on crime hotspots.
Candlelight Vigil for Victims of Sexual Violence Tonight
Tonight (Wednesday, April 25th) is the Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center’s Annual Candlelight Vigil to remember victims of sexual violence.
Someone is sexually assaulted in America every two and a half minutes. ...
Mary Winkler Convicted of Lesser Charge
The jury in the Mary Winkler case returned a verdict today at around 5:30 p.m., convicting her of voluntary manslaughter. The Selmer, Tennessee, woman was charged with murdering her minister husband Matthew, claiming she was a victim of abuse.
Cybill To Remain Lesbian
Cybill Shepherd has signed on for a second season on the Showtime drama The L-Word. Shepherd plays a college administrator who discovers she's gay late in life.
Crossroads to Freedom at Rhodes College
Rhodes College has launched the Crossroads to Freedom project, a digital archive of Memphis and Mid-South civil rights movement material.
The archive includes photographs, government documents, personal papers, and oral histories. ...
Fit To Be Fried
Restaurant's adopt-a-fish program is an alluring offer.
Lords of the Ring
Hulk Hogan will not be fighting Jerry Lawler in Memphis. Or will he?
Empty Lot of Former "Underground House" To Be Sold
On Monday, April 23rd, Memphians will have a chance to bid on one of this city's best-known eyesores. The winner then gets the rare opportunity to buy land and build a brand-new house in Central Gardens. ...
MLGW Gives Money Back!!!
The trouble-plagued MLGW issued some good news late yesterday afternoon: In June or July, consumers will be receiving a small, one-time credit on their bills. ...
Celebrate Earth Day at Shelby Farms
Connect with your inner Al Gore and head to Shelby Farms for Earth Day on Sunday....
The Orange Mound Mural Project
At the Orange Mound Community Center, a group of young people are creating an indoor mural to brighten the neighborhood and provide an artistic outlet for students.
The participating teenagers, who attend Melrose High, Fairview Junior High, Airways Middle, and Sherwood Middle ...
Timberlake to Bring Sexy Back to Golf
A Website called Londonnet reports the following: "Justin Timberlake wants to become a professional golfer.
"The 26-year-old singer is getting so good on the greens he is hoping to land a place on the Professional Golf Association (PGA) circuit.
Daly Ad Rejected by CBS
According to a story in today's New York Times, a TV ad featuring John Daly has been rejected by CBS for being inappropriate. The ad, for the golf ball maker MaxFli, shows Daly driving a golf cart and holding what looks to be a beer.
The Day Tim Willis Earned His Money
On a harrowing day in February of 2005 in John Ford's office, FBI undercover informant Tim Willis was worth every dollar the government paid him.
It's 4:20!
Not that we here at the Flyer approve of drug use, but just a friendly reminder that today is (unofficially) National Marijuana Day. ...
Feds Still Presenting Case Friday in Week Two of Ford Trial
Jurors got a civics lesson Friday as prosecutors began wrapping up their case against former senator John Ford at the end of the second week of the trial in U.S. District Court. ...
Ford Trial: Overdoing the Obvious
A story you have heard three times already is not a great one, no matter who is telling it. The prosecution's overlong and repetitious closing argument Tuesday may have done for defendant John Ford's chances what the evidence was unlikely to — namely, it may have given the former senator a decent chance at a hung jury.
Memphis Virginia Tech Benefit
Fox and Hound English Pub and Grill, and 730 AM ESPN radio are co-sponsoring a benefit for the Virginia Tech Foundation and Family Fund Monday April 23rd. ...
Nouvelle Star Contestant Takes on "Heartbreak Hotel"
Via perezhilton.com comes this video of a contestant on Nouvelle Star, France's version of American Idol. Julien performs an English-mangling, almost unbearable "Heartbreak Hotel." Enjoy!
Mission: Physician
Memphis health-care professionals treat patients in South Africa.
Extra Innings
Lessons from former MLB pitcher John Denny.
Memphis Dropped from Black Enterprise "Best Cities" List
The May 2007 issue of Black Enterprise magazine has compiled a list of the 10 best cities in America for African Americans, considering household income, black-owned businesses, number of college graduates, home-loan rejections, and other factors. ...
We Recommend
Music
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Williams 101
Lucinda Williams after the gold rush.
Living With the Living–Ted Leo + The Pharmacists
(Touch & Go)
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Lucinda Williams at University of Memphis Tonight
"In the decade between 1988 and 1998, Lucinda Williams was perhaps the most accomplished pop musician on the planet, if not the most prolific. Three albums, 1988's Lucinda Williams, 1992's Sweet Old World, and 1998's Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, completed a far-too-long and arduous journey ...
Politics
Forgetful Willis Has Credibility Challenged in Ford Trial
Tim Willis, the star government witness who came off as a fast and agile thinker in a vintage recording played in court Wednesday, fared differently Thursday morning during a rigorous cross-examination by former state senator John Ford's defense attorney, Mike Scholl. Willis had trouble remembering dates and details and seemed stumped when confronted with apparent evidence of his early involvement in the FBI sting against Ford, contradicting his prior testimony on the subject.
GADFLY: Guns Are Not the Answer!
The carnage at the Virginia Tech campus this week has, inevitably, revived the arguments about gun ownership in this country. Gun ownership advocates say guns prevent violence, but that's like saying that alcohol is an antidote for a hangover.
McCain Redux
Trying again for the presidency, the Arizona senator makes a major address in Memphis.
Naifeh's Coon Supper Draws the Usual Suspects
Close to the end of every legislative session in Nashville, House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh adjourns to home-town Covington, where, on the grounds of the local country club, he plays host to a teeming crowd of pols and pol-watchers. So it was again on Thursday.
Trial Ends With Ford Attorney's Apparent Pitch For Hung Jury
In his closing argument to jurors Wednesday morning, Mike Scholl, former state senator John Ford's defense attorney, echoed the previous day's "you have the power" close of chief prosecutor Tim DiScenza, but with a significant difference: "You have a tremendous power...not just as a juror, but as an individual....Let your voice be heard."
After a re-summation by assistant prosecutor Lorraine Craig, Judge Daniel Breen then proceeded to charge the jury prior to its final deliberations.
Expose in "The Hill": Steve Cohen is Not a Metrosexual!
Venerable D.C. journal The Hill has published a profile of 9th District Congressman Steve Cohen. The reporter takes a tour of Cohen's apartment and summarizes him thusly ...
It's Only Make-Believe: Separating Fact from Fiction in the Ford and Winkler Trials
"I just made it up": That refrain, cited repeatedly by undercover witness Tim Willis in the John Ford trial, could serve as a mantra for both that case and the concurrent murder trial of Mary Winkler.
Ford Trial: Whose Timing is Off?
Testimony in the Ford trial Monday morning reflected differences of opinion between the prosecution and defense over the completeness and meaning of a "timeline" of Ford's allegedly incriminating activity. It also featured a $50,000 Rolex that brought about a uniquely light-hearted exchange between FBI agents and Ford.
POLITICS: Blogrolling
One way or another, the proprietors of Web logs are upping the ante in local politics. PLUS: As the John Ford trial comes to an end, a timepiece symbolizes the difference between the two contesting sides.
Blogrolling and High-Rolling
One way or another, the proprietors of Web logs are upping the ante in local politics. Just ask Rosalind Kurita. Or Herman Morris. Or take a look at the Jeannie Richardson-Kevin Gallagher contest in House District 89.
GADFLY: Guns Are Not the Answer!
The carnage at the Virginia Tech campus this week has, inevitably, revived the arguments about gun ownership in this country. Gun ownership advocates say guns prevent violence, but that's like saying that alcohol is an antidote for a hangover.
Sports
Brentwood vs. TSAA Goes to Supreme Court Again
A 10-year-old case that originated in Tennessee was heard in the U.S. Supreme Court last week. It all began in 1997 when football coach Carlton Flatt of Brentwood Academy — a private school south of Nashville — sent letters to a dozen eighth-graders inviting them to attend Brentwood’s summer football camp. ...
Fourfold Crisis for the Griz
Why should owner Michael Heisley be smiling? Or Grizzlie fans, for that matter, when they start to think of the team's current uncertainties in ownership, management, coaching, and in the status of the team's one (count him, 1) star? Ah, but Frank Murtaugh sees a silver lining....
Grizz Biz
Candidates to fill Jerry West’s job in the front office are starting to emerge and Pau Gasol today suggested he would likely play for the Spanish national team in this summer’s European Championships. For more on this and other news related to the Memphis Grizzlies, check out Beyond the Arc, the Flyer’s Grizzlies blog.
FROM MY SEAT: In Through the Out Door
With a nod to Led Zeppelin, there are transition years, and then there's 2007 for the Memphis Grizzlies. It's hard to imagine a professional sports franchise being in more flux than our local NBA outfit.
Grizzlies Desperately Seeking a Winner
This week, just after the Grizzlies’ have finished their season — will officially mark shopping season for our favorite NBA franchise. ...
Film
"Other Way Round" at Studio on the Square Tonight
In Other Way Round, the feature film debut by Memphian Brian Pera, memory, identity, interpersonal connectivity, and grief are commingled to form a work that is literate and artistic. Filmed digitally (on a Canon XL2) in Memphis, West Memphis, and Hardy, Arkansas, Other Way Round invokes William Faulkner, Eastern philosophy, and the psychology of loss.
Lads on the Loose
The charmers from Shaun of the Dead step back with buddy-cop homage Hot Fuzz.
My Blueberry Nights at Cannes
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai's My Blueberry Nights will open the Cannes Film Festival in May.
The road film, starring Norah Jones and Jude Law, was shot partially in Memphis and is Wong Kar Wai's first English-language feature.
Opinion
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Letter from the Editor
It all started when Don Imus made fun of Hawaiian singing legend Don "Nappy-headed" Ho. Then, ol' Tiny Bubbles up and died!
Analyzing the Ford Trial
From scores of tapes, jurors must decide which are important.
Trying Times
No one should be surprised at whatever verdict comes in the Ford and Winkler trials.
Books
How Green Is Memphis?
According to Warren Karlenzig, author of How Green Is Your City?, the most environmentally friendly city in the U.S. is ... not Memphis. ...
Darcey Steinke at Burke's
"Seldom had there been the quiet beauty and happiness I had now," writes novelist Darcey Steinke in her new memoir, Easter Everywhere (Bloomsbury, $24). Steinke, who'll be at Burke's Book Store on Monday, was writing about the time she at the University of Mississippi on a Grisham Fellowship... .
Memphis Magazine Fiction Contest
Can you write a compelling short story? A thousand bucks could be in it for you— not to mention publication of your grand prize entry. So sit yourself down at that ole keyboard and get to work. But first, check out the rules of the annual fiction contest sponsored by our sister publication, Memphis magazine. ...
Food & Wine
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Easy Does It
Salad made simple: It's in the bag.
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