White House staffers have been revealing a “genuine sadness” around the West Wing these days. One report said that President Bush was concerned that his presidency is being compared to Herbert Hoover’s. But that would be an insult to Hoover. His morale was reportedly so low, he practically gushed when honored by the Air and […]
Posted inFashion, Fashion Feature
Shop This
So, you’ve made a commitment to shop locally. Thank you. You’re doing your part to help the economy, at least in your own backyard. But there’s more. Now, let’s save the planet — one commute at a time. By changing the way you get from point A to point B, you can significantly reduce your […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Looking for Love
Perhaps Memphis needs its own personal ad: “MIXED-RACE CITY ISO singles ranging in age from mid-20s to early 30s. The city offers rich musical history, affordable housing, and the best barbecue in the world.” In a recent national study on cities’ abilities to attract singles, Memphis and the metropolitan area came in number 70 out […]
Posted inTheater, Theater Feature
Nine Lives Playhouse on the Square gets Seussical.
Viva el gato en sombrero! Apparently, Memphis audiences just can’t get enough of that Seussical stuff, which is something of a miracle when you consider that when it debuted in 2000, the ambitious Dr. Seuss musical nearly transformed the world’s most famous feline into rank road kill in a red-and-white-striped hippie hat. The original production […]
Posted inOpinion, Viewpoint
A Herenton Indictment?
The career of Willie Herenton can be divided into two parts. In Part One, he was the breaker of racial barriers in Memphis: the first black assistant school superintendent, the first black school superintendent, the first black mayor. In Part Two, he was the champion of black power. Not the radical black power of “Burn […]
Posted inWe Recommend, We Recommend
Poetry in Motion
By Frank Murtaugh The games were played, the records broken. He described it all, even squeezed a joke in. Name the face of Memphis sports if you can, no cheatin’. Why, great Scott, it’s none other than Big Jack Eaton! Clearly, local sports poetry should be left to the Bard of Union Avenue. (Had to […]
Posted inWe Recommend, We Recommend
Return Engagement
by Greg Akers Maybe it happens when the leaves turn, or maybe it’s timed to Daylight Savings or some mystical phenomenon, but whatever cosmic force it is that periodically brings Nashville-based singer-songwriter Kate Campbell to the Center for Southern Folklore, it’s at work again. Kate Campbell is the “New South” poet laureate whose songs are […]
Posted inNews, News Feature
What They Said
About “Incomplete Victory” by Jim Maynard, who says that California’s passage of Proposition 8 “left gays and lesbians on the outside”: “The Great Flying Spaghetti Monster (all bless his Name) gives His blessing to your friends’ marriage, and would love to be invited to some of their fabulous parties.” — packrat “Who is this Great […]
Posted inCover Feature, News
Rebuilding Millionaires Row
Nearly 150 people, mostly clad in black suits and dresses, are gathered on the lawn of the Woodruff-Fontaine House on a chilly All Saints' Day evening. They’ve come to pay their respects to Memphis and Shelby County Film and Television commissioner Linn Sitler, who’s lying in a casket in front of the century-old mansion. Of […]
Posted inEditorial, Opinion
It’s Up to Bass Pro
Few issues have divided sentiment on the Memphis City Council and the Shelby County Commission more than that of the proposed leasing of the Pyramid to Bass Pro Shop. In general, officials of the city, which shares ownership rights to the building with the county and owns outright the surrounding property, tend to see Bass […]
Posted inFilm Features, Film/TV
She’s a Rainbow
Because it’s an enjoyable way to make a living — and because freelance film criticism can’t quite pay the bills — I teach high school. So while I was watching Mike Leigh’s new film, Happy-Go-Lucky, about 30-year-old primary-school teacher Pauline “Poppy” Cross (Sally Hawkins) and her life’s little ups and downs, I kept thinking about […]
Posted inFilm Features, Film/TV
Life and theater merge in ambitious, oddball film.
Since making his film debut as the oddball brain behind Being John Malkovich roughly a decade ago, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman has established himself as one of the movie medium’s singular and most brilliant creative forces. His films — he also wrote Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind — may be […]