ATL - 7/21/08

MOVIE/ART/LOCAL/U.S./FRENCH/WEB NEWS

MOVIE NEWS - Has anyone else seen both "Enchanted" and "Wall-E" and marvelled at Disney's ability to elicite sympathy for even the lowly cockroach? George W oughta hire Walt's gang for a make-over.

Tuesday, 7/22, Plaza Theater - Before Tuesday, the declining Plaza Theater might be "a place, where nobody dared to go...", but that one night, I'll dare to go see "Xanadu" come alive on the big screen. That is my ultimate, favorite bad movie. (Favorite 80's anomaly in the film? Legwarmers? Roller Disco? Gene Kelly? Gunny Sack dresses? Nope...it was the main character's job...to reproduce album covers for record store displays by painting them onto 10 ft high placards. "Albums"? "Painting"? "Record Stores"? It's the 21st century equivalent of watching a blacksmith at work.)

Wednesday, 7/23, Flicks on Fifth - See "21" for free under the stars. MIT students try to take Vegas for a ride by counting cards. "I'm pretty good with numbers." Free = good.

ART NEWS -Thursday, 7/24, High Museum - Gallery Talk. Go to the High Museum (I mean like right now)...go downstairs in the new Renzo Piano addition...and check out the photography exhibits. Carnival strippers...kids in flags...Chicago bikers...all American.

LOCAL NEWS -This week is downtown restaurant week; a great chance to try a new place at a great price - $25 prix fix. Yum! We're thinking Thrive, Room, or Luckie!

NYC moves to ATL. They left high prices behind...but managed to bring their attitude with them. ""If my kids have a Southern accent, I will kill myself," Brooklyn native Jodi F..." Cuz a Jersey accent is so soothing? To quote a famous best supporting actress..."oh yeah, you blend".

Wondering what's up with the construction in the Midtown Promenade parking lot? They cut down neighborhood-planted trees for the project, so it must be something we really need. That's right, with 10 stores closing in metro Atlanta, including one at 17th & Peachtree, Starbucks managed to squeeze out another slightly less-than-over-saturated-neighborhood niche, sacrificing green space for one more coffee shop.

1010 Midtown announced 4 new restaurants going in on the Crescent Street side of their block-long project. 1 Irish Pub, 1 Sushi, 1 Italian, and 1 Salad place. With Vickery's, Front Page News, Feugo, & South City Kitchen already well established, Crescent is shaping up to be quite the restaurant row. I'm still holding out for a Waffle House. -ajc-

Earlier this year - and with much fanfare - ATL installed automated public toilets around the city; "part of Mayor Shirley Franklin's commitment to a commission on homelessness". This weeks news is that Seattle is getting rid of 5 similiar facilities there, citing that the free restrooms were so filthy, even their target users, the homeless, wouldn't use them. How long will ours last? Pretty long; most people can't figure out how to get inside one.

U.S. NEWS - Higher Gas Prices --> Increased ethanol production --> More corn planted --> Greater fertilizer use --> Largest Gulf Dead Zone ever recorded. Nitrogen run-off has depleted oxygen in 8,800 sq miles of the Gulf. Can't we make bio-fuel out of something we already have? Something we would be better off without that requires no feeding? Like kudzu...or Paris Hilton?

FRENCH NEWS -NPR reported on the U.S. presidential candidate's nuclear power positions. McCain made a rare positive Republican remark about the French, pointing out that the U.S. produces 20% of its power by nuclear means, while France's non-hydrocarbon power production is 80%. Today's lemonde has an article about the non-impact living near such a site has on daily life. -lemonde-

WEB NEWS - Sometimes I just wanna read a cartoon -darkhorse-