ATL 12/24/07 - Merry Xmas!

Merry Christmas! This me in Beaverton High School's annual fundraiser "Breakfast with Santa". The idea is kids paid for breakfast at a local department store and after enduring an amateurish production of elfen/norwegian/gay/sign language interpretations of Christmas Carols by our drama department, they got to meet Santa. Since everyone should go out at the top, this was my last official performance in the theater arts. Gingerbread houses and the nurses as CHOA!
Making cookes for the firemen!

MOVIE/LOCAL/NATIONAL/FRENCH/TIKI NEWS


MOVIE NEWS - A couple of films are released on Christmas Day; I disagree with making the theater folks work on a holiday, but for many people, sitting in the dark and not speaking to anyone is what keeps a family together.

Good luck choosing between "Alien vs. Predator - Requiem" and "The Debaters", both out tomorrow.

LOCAL NEWS - The Gulch - Central Atlanta Progress released a plan for redoing "the Gulch"...from new Georgia State dorms, west through Underground and a revamped Five Points MARTA, up to Philips Arena. The plans look great...let's just cross our fingers that it's not "Underground Atlanta, take 4". -ajc-

Atlantic Station - Then there are the reports of additional development "bordering intown Atlanta's popular urban enclave". I couldn't believe that was the phrase used to describe Atlantic Station. -ajc-

There is a lot of new stuff going in (even though I've heard they can't fix/sell the ATLofts already completed there):

- Pollack Partners is building at 16th and Mescalin.
- Sembler has dibs on a property Tech currently owns at 14th and Northside.
- A Houston-based investment group has bought the property at 17th & Northside. -map-

Everyone please join me in nipping this in the bud...it's "Westside", not "West Midtown". If it's "West Midtown", what does that make Georgia Tech (sandwiched between there and Midtown)? "Midwest Midtown"?

NATIONAL NEWS -About 450,000 acres of land in the United States is devoted to growing Christmas trees. Operations range from mega growers like Holiday to mom and pop farms in all 50 states. Last year’s harvest of 28.6 million trees had a retail value of $1.2 billion. nyt

FRENCH NEWS -Joeux Noel! (They celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by over-spending, too! Nothing says "Salvation!" like Louis Vitton.)

TIKI NEWS -A vast subnet of Atlanta nightlife, the Tiki culture merits more exploration. What could possibly make you smile more than drinking out of ceramic pirate mug containing a pink drink made from 7 different kinds of rum, watching girls in grass skirts, and dancing with a monkey in a Polynesian fertility mask?

Tiki -1-
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I'm there any time you want to go!