HAPPY NEW YEAR!

LA Times photo essay: Alabama's Homeboys

The LA Times has this really moving and sobering photo essay up:


For three years Los Angeles' Homeboy Industries, a nationally recognized gang intervention organization, has sent a select few of its members on an extraordinary pilgrimage to work with impoverished kids in Alabama Village, Prichard, Ala.

Watch the slideshow here.

The New York Times: Nifty 50

The NY Times' Nifty 50 came out a few weeks ago, with these southerners making the cut:

23. The New Orleans-based duo of singer-songwriters Grant Widmer and Ted Joyner, known as Generationals (pictured above), are nostalgically pop; their idea of techno is a Moog synthesizer. Their first single, ''When They Fight, They Fight,'' caught on, and so did they.

27. It's fitting that Boyd Holbrook should look more like an artist, a filmmaker and an actor than a model. This Kentucky-born 28-year-old got a bit part in ''Milk,'' had a gallery show in Chelsea and wrote a screenplay. A real model for models to follow.

41. The plucky Georgia teenager Melanie Oudin is American tennis's next big hope. She scored upsets at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open -- only a year after turning pro -- and has a breathless charm that brings to mind Alicia Silverstone in ''Clueless.''

Wishing you a safe & happy holiday

While I was sleeping...

Photo: Gothamist.com

I recently returned to NYC from a 2 1/2 month visit to southeast Alabama, during which time our beloved Cheyenne Diner had arrived safely and sequesteredly to the state. And then, according to Curbed via Lost City,

The same Alabama couple that took the Cheyenne Diner down south will rescue the Art Deco features of the shuttered Jay Dee Bakery in Forest Hills, and now both will be part of some sort of town/theme park the couple is developing in the Yellowhammer State.

As I prepare to return to AL in early 2010 I wonder - does anyone know where I can find this burgeoning mini-me-tropolis??

Kentucky gets lucky in NYC

Well it seems to be a Kentucky themed week around good old NYC. First off, former beauty queen and KY native Miss Diane has taken over for Charlie Gibson on ABC World News Tonight.
Secondly, I ran across these amazing looking caramel wrapped marshmallows on the Williams- Sonoma website. They remind me of similar goodie that I've only seen at See's Candy in Los Angeles. "Dubbed 'Modjeskas,' these soft caramel confections were named in honor of a beautiful Polish actress by a fervent admirer. They're produced by a family-owned candy company in Kentucky using the recipe that Great-Grandfather Bauer developed in 1889. The handmade marshmallows, enrobed with luscious caramel, still elicit rapturous." Santa, if you're watching...
And last but not least, The Bell House in BKLYN is kicking off 2010 with THE KENTUCKY COLONEL'S WINTER FOLLIES & EARLY BIRD DERBY DAY PARTY :

"Come join us for a Kentucky Derby themed masterpiece starring The Girls from Wasabassco Burlesque & The Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. and Chris McDaniel with his thrilling display of bullwhip & rope tricks. It's a Hee Haw inspired night celebrating everything southern and horsey. With another 119 days until The Kentucky Derby, we just couldn't wait to get the party started. This is a good time to make sure your hats and seersucker suits still fit. Things to get you in the spirit: Benedictine Sandwich appetizers, Mint Juleps (1 free for the first 100 peeps), Hat Contest, Race Track Game."

January 2 @ 9PM. Get your $10 tix here.

To Soak Or To Dip? Buttermilk is the Question

I'm just getting around to reading Time Out's Best of NY issue from last week. On the fried chicken front, TONY picked Georgia's Eastside BBQ (where they soak the chicken in buttermilk), and Buttermilk Channel (where they dip it).

So, dear readers, being that I don't cook, I wonder and ask: what's the difference, and which is better?

In the meantime, here are those TONY picks:

Fried chicken at Georgia’s Eastside
BBQ Aggressively salted, buttermilk-soaked, crusty, crunchy, juicy and hot—that’s how we like our fried chicken, and that’s how Georgia’s chef Shawn Collins makes it every time. 192 Orchard St between E Houston and Stanton Sts (212-253-6280, georgiaseastsidebbq.com). $14.

Buttermilk fried chicken with cheddar waffles at Buttermilk Channel
Riffing on the Southern classic, a cheddar-laced waffle is topped with half a buttermilk-dipped, snappy-skinned bird, made even tastier with a drizzle of balsamic–maple syrup reduction. 524 Court St at Huntington St, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn (718-852-8490, buttermilkchannelnyc.com). $18.

STAGE: The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter closes Sunday (12/20)

ALERT: The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter closes this Sunday (12/20) at NY Theatre Workshop:

Carson McCullers’ classic novel is adapted for the stage by acclaimed playwright Rebecca Gilman (Spinning Into Butter) and directed by Doug Hughes (The Beard of Avon at NYTW, Doubt). The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is a beautiful and timeless tale about the universal need for human connection. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter follows the story of a deaf man, John Singer, as he navigates the world without his dearest friend who has been committed to an insane asylum. When Singer moves to a small Southern town, the locals flock to him as a newfound confidant, seeking compassion and understanding from the one person who needs it the most. Singer’s isolation in the world is mirrored in a few of the townspeople he meets along the way – a café owner, a rebellious teenager, a black physician, and an idealistic labor organizer whose dreams have been shattered. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter intertwines the lives of these characters in a surprising way that results in a deeply moving story of outcasts in the South during the Great Depression. (source)

SCREEN: Crazy Heart opens today (12/16) in NYC

Crazy Heart, which picked up a Golden Globe nomination yesterday, opens today (12/16) at the Angelika Theater in NYC:

Four-time Academy Award® nominee JEFF BRIDGES stars as the richly comic, semi-tragic romantic anti-hero Bad Blake in the debut feature film CRAZY HEART from writer-director Scott Cooper. Bad Blake is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who’s had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks. And yet, Bad can’t help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean (Golden Globe® Nominee MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL), a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician. As he struggles down the road of redemption, Bad learns the hard way just how tough life can be on one man’s crazy heart. (source)

Ingram and Alabama and Heisman, Roll Tide!

I know i'm 2 days late but I was waiting on a friend to write about Mark Ingram's Heisman win in NYC this past Sunday (12/13). In the meantime, check out coverage in the Tuscaloosa News and the New York Times.

GIFT IDEA: Handmade For The Holidays!

The South is chock full of indie-prenuers, and crafty chicas. Support handmade this holiday season! Click on the pictures below to be transported to each shop.

Simple Joys Paperie - Tennessee

Jean Skipper - North Carolina

Cotton Purr - Georgia

The Quiet Owl - Alabama

Cotton Colors - Mississippi

L. Young Studio - Texas

Manic Muffin Totes - Alabama

Buggy Town Candle Company - Georgia

FIAZ CO - South Carolina

SCENE: Blues, Booze & BBQ tonight @ PowerHouse Arena

Blues, Booze, & BBQ, the first book by Michael Loyd Young, documents the 150 miles of Highway 61, the famed blacktop road snaking from Memphis, TN down to Greenville, MS. At the halfway point, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, sits Clarksdale, MS, the city considered the birthplace of the blues and the location of Robert Johnson’s famed “Cross Road Blues” intersection of Highway 61 and 49.

The Delta has been home to blues legends such as Charley Patton, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Ike Turner, Cadillac John Nolden, B.B. King, T-Model Ford, Mississippi Slim, Big Jack Johnson, and Willie King, among countless others whose music has become the glue that holds these communities together as they struggle to survive. Young’s photographs, taken at juke joints, in private homes, or just hanging out, illustrate the bond blues creates between the Delta and its people. It is through this music that the people pass on their heritage and culture to future generations. (source)

T-Model Ford performs tonight (12/10) at the book launch party at the PowerHouse Arena in Brooklyn.

SCENE: Tennessee Williams talk @ The Times Center tonight (12/9)

Photo: Yusef Karsh

An all-star panel of actors and directors will talk about the enduring legacy of Tennessee Williams, who was among the most important and influential playwrights of the 20th century. The upcoming movie The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, the directorial debut of actress Jodie Markell, is based on a rediscovered screenplay by Williams. Markell and two of the film’s stars, Ellen Burstyn and Bryce Dallas Howard, will be on the panel, along with the legendary Elaine Stritch, who recently presented an evening “The Lighter Side of Tennessee Williams,” and the equally legendary Eli Wallach, who made his memorable screen debut in Elia Kazan’s Baby Doll. Charles Isherwood, theater critic for The New York Times, will moderate the program. The evening will include scenes from films including A Streetcar Named Desire, Baby Doll, and The Fugitive Kind, and an exclusive look at scenes from The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond.

December 9 @ 7PM @ the Times Center. (source)

SOUNDS: A.A. Bondy @ Bowery Ballroom 12/9

It's 12:52 in the morning and I'm at a hotel in Springfield, Ohio.

My new record is called When The Devil's Loose. To me it sounds like a radio washed ashore after a shipwreck. This whole thing started in upstate New York with snow on the ground. I got out of there, drove around the country for a bit and landed in Water Valley, Mississippi, where I kept working. The days grew longer and the snakes began to wake up. I ate catfish and walked around a lot. We got a lot of rain. The weeds grew at an alarming rate and we finished work one night under a red moon. My last record was called American Hearts. I know people that like it. Fat Possum Records put it out and is releasing When The Devils Loose. My brothers and my friends helped me record this new one. I'd like to thank them for that.

This hotel may have been nice once.
- A.A. Bondy When The Devil's Loose is released on September 1, 2009.

A.A. Bondy performs live tomorrow (12/9) night at Bowery Ballroom with The Duke and the King, and Willy Mason. (source)

SOUNDS: Rhett Miller @ Housing Works tonight

Photo: LeannaTown

Texas-native Rhett Miller is the front man and main songwriter of the hard-charging rock ‘n’ roll quartet the Old 97’s, as well as an accomplished solo artist. In addition to his seven records with the band, he has released three highly regarded solo records; 2002’s The Instigator, 2006’s The Believer, and 2009’s self-titled Rhett Miller. Miller continues to balance his solo endeavors with his membership in the Old 97’s. The still-active quartet recently released the critically acclaimed album Blame It On Gravity in 2008 and were also prominently featured in the Jennifer Aniston/Vince Vaugn romantic comedy, The Break Up. Rolling Stone magazine stated that Rhett “is full of gracefully rocking arrangements and ace tunes.” (source)

He performs tonight (12/7) at 7PM with actress/musician Jill Hennessey at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe.

GIFT IDEA: 20x200 Limited Edition Art Prints

ART FOR EVERYONE! Launched in September 2007, 20x200 uses the power of the Internet to bring the value and joy of collecting art to a wider audience than has ever been possible. Named for its signature $20 prints, which are released in editions of 200, the site offers photographs and works on paper in a variety of sizes, ranging in price from $20 to $5000. Curated and personally introduced by founder Jen Bekman in twice weekly newsletters, 20x200's exhibition-quality prints are delivered with artist-signed certificates of authenticity. Collectors clamor for original works from our artists and our editions frequently sell out. They are passionate about art and the Internet at 20x200 and they are excited about creating a place where any art lover can be an art collector.

The prints below were created in the South. You can view the work of artists from the South here.

think-make-think (second edition) by Clifton Burt

Hank Williams' Bed, Georgiana, Alabama by Scott Eiden

Penguin, Memphis, TN by Geoffrey Ellis

Hint: That "Penguin" is my fave!

GIFT IDEA: The Country Music Sale @ Christie's!

Today's the big day! (Oh yea, that's Hank Williams' hat up yonder!)

Christie’s is pleased to offer The Country Music Sale featuring property from the Estate of Hank Thompson, the first sale dedicated to the creation, history, and evolution of Country Music. The foundation of the sale is property from the estate of Texas Swing Band leader, song writer and country performer Hank Thompson.

This sale also includes important property from the classic and marquee names in Country Music, including musical instruments, stage outfits, and hand-written lyrics from American artists such as Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Waylon Jennings, Hank Snow, Hank Williams, Conway Twitty, Bill Monroe, Buddy Holly, Johnny and June Carter Cash, Luther Perkins, and John Hartford.

GIFT IDEA: Fort Rucker Remembered desk calendar

Shameless plug: I made the paper in Dothan AL for the Fort Rucker Remembered desk calendar that I shot and produced. Below is an excerpt of Debbie Ingram's piece:

Anne Kristoff, a longtime media and entertainment executive from New York City, has created a 2010 desk calendar with images taken at Fort Rucker.

The black and white spiral-bound calendar is a collection of some of Kristoff’s favorite images from around post. It includes photographs of a vintage airplane at the Army Aviation Museum; a soldier’s boots; a blackhawk helicopter at Lowe Field; a soldier’s salute of the flag; and a rattlesnake crossing sign near Lake Tholocco.

A portion of the proceeds from the calendar sales will be donated to TAPS.org, a 24/7 tragedy assistance resource for anyone who has suffered the loss of a military loved one. The calendar is available for $15 at http://www.poofny.etsy.com

And speaking of New Orleans...

GP tickets are sold out BUT there are some limited view and benefactor seats still left. Call BAM for more info @ 718.636.4100

A Streetcar Named Desire

Nov 27—Dec 20* @ BAM

"...how often do you get to watch an actress of such virtuosity pulling out every stop of her instrument and then some?" —The New York Times on Cate Blanchett

Tennessee Williams has a way with his women. Both sympathetic and merciless, he cuts to their core, revealing their longing, vulnerability, and pride. His most poignant creation—and the dream role of every leading actress—may be the narcissistic and deeply troubled Blanche DuBois of A Streetcar Named Desire.

An aging Southern beauty, Blanche is all artifice, pomposity, and need, traits that Cate Blanchett, a transcendent performer (who made her New York stage debut at BAM in 2006 as an unforgettable Hedda Gabler), conveys with the most delicate balance of hysteria and pathos. Playing off of Joel Edgerton as the remorseless monster Stanley, and Robin McLeavy, as her conflicted sister Stella, Blanchett and the outstanding ensemble cast of the Sydney Theatre Company bring new life to this celebrated work.

Liv Ullmann—whose own soul-baring performances in the films of Ingmar Bergman defined an era—directs, granting Williams' fraught characters a full spectrum of emotions while witnessing the old South's losing battle against a coarse modern world.

*Nov 27 & 28, Dec 1, 2, 4, 5, 8—12, 15—19 at 7:30pm
Nov 28, Dec 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, & 19 at 2pm
Nov 29, Dec 6, 13, 20 at 3pm
Dec 3 at 8pm (Belle Rêve Gala)

Source - BAM website

SCREEN: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans @ BAM

Tues, Nov 24—Wed, Nov 25 at 4:30, 7, 9:30pm
Thu, Nov 26 at 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30pm

"Fueled by Nicolas Cage’s performance—which requires adjectives as yet uncoined, typed with both the caps-lock key and the italics button engaged—Mr. Herzog’s film is a pulpy, glorious mess. Its maniacal unpredictability is such a blast that it reminds you just how tidy and dull most crime thrillers are these days."—The New York Times

In Werner Herzog’s new film Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans, Nicolas Cage plays a rogue detective who is as devoted to his job as he is at scoring drugs—while playing fast and loose with the law. He wields his badge as often as he wields his gun in order to get his way. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina he becomes a high-functioning addict who is a deeply intuitive, fearless detective reigning over the beautiful ruins of New Orleans with authority and abandon. Complicating his tumultuous life is the prostitute he loves (played by Eva Mendes). Together they descend into their own world marked by desire, compulsion, and conscience. The result is a singular masterpiece of filmmaking: equally sad and manically humorous.

Synopsis courtesy of Apparition.

Source - BAM website

SCENE: A Deck of Lives

A Deck of Lives

After the murder of his son, Tom Lucas created a special deck of playing cards, now used in South Carolina prisons. He hopes they will bring clues to cold cases.

Read Dan Barry's NY Times article here, watch the video here.

SCREEN: That Evening Sun

An aging farmer fights to keep the home that is rightfully his after fleeing from a nursing home and discovering that his son has leased the family farm to his old nemesis. Placed in a nursing home by his son and promptly forgotten, Abner Meecham (Hal Holbrook) realized that waiting to die was no way to live. Determined to enjoy his last days, Abner packed his bags and set his sights on the family farm. At least there he could die on his own land, in familiar surroundings. But Abner is in for a rude awakening, because upon returning home he discovers that his son has leased the farm to Lonzo Choat. Abner never cared much for Lonzo, and when Lonzo refuses to leave, Abner takes up residence in an old tenant shack on the property. Before long, their dispute becomes volatile, each man believing himself to be in the right, and refusing to back down from his position. Betrayed by his son and haunted by dreams of his beloved deceased wife, Abner draws a line in the sand in an attempt to reclaim his life. As threats are made and tension begins to brew, it's only a matter of time before the situation turns savage. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Playing now at City Cinemas 1, 2, 3

ART: R.I.P. Jake McCord

Photo: Mike's Art Truck

Jake (JT) McCord passed away September 1 at the age of 64. Funeral services were held at Zion Baptist Church near Lincolnton, Georgia. A native of Lincoln County, where he picked cotton as a child, McCord moved to Thomson as a young man and worked for the city for over 40 years.

Jake will be missed by many. He was a soft-spoken gental soul, despite his tragic and abusive childhood. Jake became famous for his paintings on plywood, which he would nail to the walls of his porch. He called this his gallery and said he put them on his porch, so the town children could come by and see his art.

His paintings were usually children playing with their pets, cats, dogs and animals from the farm. He had a unique vision using bold strokes and bright enamel paint. The McDuffe Museum will reconstruct the front porch of Jake's home and display his art as he did for years.

One of his paintings of his home church rested against his casket, during his funeral service. Henry Drake, a longtime friend of Jake, said during the service "I was always glad to see J.T coming to see me. Sleep on my friend J.T. and save a seat for me."

(courtesy of Ted Oliver, Oliver’s Folk Art. REPOSTED FROM DETOUR ART TRAVELS)

WISH LIST!!! Garden & Gun Auctions!

Well leave it to my fave magazine to offer the coolest experiential travel experiences ever! Here's the deal (sorry the spacing's a bit janky):

G&G AUCTIONS

Let the Bidding Begin Since our first issue in spring 2007, Garden & Gun has brought the South to life with highly evocative writing, design, and photography. The idea was to make the magazine so rich that readers could taste the mint juleps, smell the jasmine, and feel the shade of the live oaks. Metaphorically, of course. Starting now, Garden & Gun will make some of those experiences literally come to life with the introduction of G&G Auctions. Working with select Southern partners, and with the auction Web site igavel.com, our staff has designed a series of unique adventures that capture the essence of G&G as well as the magic of the South. Throughout the year, we’ll introduce new auction items that cover a broad range of experiences. Some of the upcoming lots include a private dinner party at a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Southern plantation, a coastal tour (by yacht) of the South’s best golf courses, and an exclusive weekend with chefs, authors, and musicians at Tennessee’s Blackberry Farm. Whether or not you decide to bid, we hope you’ll enjoy reading about these experiences as much as we've enjoyed crafting them. Follow the links below to see the first G&G Auction lots on igavel.com. Going once, going twice… Browse Lot 1: All Access Music & Literary Weekend at Blackberry Farm, including cocktails with Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers band, and dinner with proprietor Sam Beall, G&G editor Sid Evans, and author Julia Reed / June 23–26, 2010 Browse Lot 2: Custom G&G Cypress Kayak and Half-day Paddle with master boatwright Aaron Wells

BOOK: Undeniable Truths by A. M. Garner

The ghost is not much of a ghost, as ghosts go, and he knows it. Most of the time, the ghost sleeps, sometimes so long that when he awakens he hardly recognizes where he is. He sleeps in the short, low-ceilinged upstairs hall between a bedroom and the upstairs bath. Occasionally, he
bangs the bedroom door shut, and he always keeps the light bulb blown in the upstairs hall light fixture. The various people who’ve lived in the house assume the door is not level, the wiring faulty. He knows this because he has heard them say these things, and the ghost was perfectly satisfied with the people believing such explanations since he never cared whether or not they knew he existed. Being a very old ghost, he had been in the two previous houses which
have stood on the property. He has forgotten—or forgets to remember—exactly why he is here, what he did or didn’t do or think that has made him a ghost, and when he has slept for an unusually long time, he often has to roam the surrounding hills for a while until he can once again claim his bearings. That’s how he knows about the spirit of the lake.

The above is an excerpt from A.M. Garner's new book Undeniable Truths, out now. From Amazon: The twelve stories that make up Undeniable Truths have an unmistakably Southern sensibility and are rich in humor, violence, wisdom, mystery, ghosts, dogs and troubled humans. The stories resuscitate stereotypes and reinvent the South.

Born in rural Coosa County, Alabama, award-winning author A. M. Garner writes and teaches writing in North Alabama. She blogs about Southern culture at Talking in Accents online.

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY

BOOK: The Interrogative Mood

Are you happy? Do we need galoshes? Are bluebirds perfect? Do you know the distinctions, empirical or theoretical, between moss and lichen? Is it clear to you why I am asking you all these questions? Should I go away? Leave you alone? Should I bother but myself with the interrogative mood?

The acclaimed writer Padgett Powell is fascinated by what it feels like to walk through everyday life, to hear the swing and snap of American talk, to be both electrified and overwhelmed by the mad cacophony—the "muchness"—of America. The Interrogative Mood is Powell's playful and profound response, a bebop solo of a book in which every sentence is a question.

Perhaps only Powell—a writer who was once touted as the best of his generation by Saul Bellow and "among the top five writers of fiction in the country" by Barry Hannah—could pull off such a remarkable stylistic feat. Is it a novel? Whatever it is, The Interrogative Mood is one of the most audacious literary high-wire acts since Nicholson Baker's The Mezzanine. Powell's unnamed narrator forces us to consider our core beliefs, our most cherished memories, our views on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In fiction as in life, there may be no easy answers—but The Interrogative Mood is an exuberant book that leaves the reader feeling a little more alive. (source)

SOUNDS: Monsters of Folk

Kentuckyian Yim Yames (a/k/a Jim James from My Morning Jacket) hits NYC with Monsters of Folk for two shows: Nov 6 @ United Palace Theatre and Nov 8 @ the Beacon Theatre.

Monsters of Folk is an American supergroup, consisting of Jim James from My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis from Bright Eyes and M. Ward. The band was formed in 2004 when the members were on tour with their respective bands and solo projects. After playing together both on-stage and backstage, they started working together on various material. (source)

SCREEN: A Streetcar Named Desire

Playing 11/6 - 11/12 @ Film Forum.

BOOK: The Help

I'm finally getting around to reading "The Help." Some of the book's well-deserved praise:

"Set in the rural South of the 1960's, The Help is a startling, resonant portrait of the intertwined lives of women on opposite sides of the racial divide. Stockett's many gifts - a keen eye for character, a wicked sense of humor, the perfect timing of a natural born storyteller- - shine as she evokes a time and place when black women were expected to help raise white babies, and yet could not use the same bathroom as their employers. Her characters, both white and black, are so fully fleshed they practically breathe - no stock villains or pious heroines here. I'm becoming an evangelist for The Help. Don't miss this wise and astonishing debut."
--Joshilyn Jackson, Bestselling author of Gods in Alabama


"I love THE HELP. Kathryn Stockett has given us glorious characters and a powerful, truth-filled story. Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter, show that people from this troubled time came together despite their differences and that ordinary women can be heroic."
--Jill Conner Browne, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Sweet Potato Queens series and resident of Jackson, MS

SCREEN: Mississippi Damned

I just missed Mississippi Damned (again) in NYC but it's making the rounds so hopefully it'll be back. Up next for the film, screenings at North Carolina's Cucalorus Festival:

Wanting to escape was the easy part. Taking place in 1986 and 1998 and based on a true story, three poor, Black kids in rural Mississippi reap the consequences of their family's cycle of abuse, addiction, and violence. They independently struggle to escape their circumstances and must decide whether to confront what's plagued their family for generations or succumb to the same crippling fate, forever damned in Mississippi. Bitterly honest and profoundly subtle, writer/director Tina Mabry successfully captures growing up in a world where possibilities and opportunities seem to die in the face of the suffocating reality of physical and sexual abuse, obsession, and a myriad of destructive compulsions.

Mississippi Damned won the Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2009 Urbanworld Film Festival, the Grand Jurty Award for Narrative Features at the 2009 American Black Film Festival, the Jury Award for Best American Independent Film at the 2009 Philadelphia Film Festival and the Special Jury Award for Narrative Breakthrough at the 2009 Atlanta Film Festival.

Director Tina Mabry and Producer Morgan Stiff will be in attendance.

Show Times:
Saturday, November 14, 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM @ Lumina Theater
Sunday, November 15, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM @ Lumina Theater

Click Here for more information about Cucalorus Festival venues. (source)

DOO-2! Oct 31 in Seale AL

Round 2 of the Doo-Nanny scheduled for Halloween Weekend in Seale AL!

From the MySpace: Dreams and the Supernatural: It was bound to happen........as we build out the infrastructure of the doo-nanny site, the site begins to come to life, take on a life, and ask to be used more than once a year.....so...Doo-2 is coming......Oct 28 - 31......mark your calendars.......come early for the real deal, and to do your part, and the parts of all those who don't yet get that coming early is 100 times better than staying home treading whatever personal rat race you've created....in case you haven't heard, the rats won.......race over.......we are creating the Himalayan Bow-Legged Curly-Haired Transvestite Possum Race that will take its place, so get in on the ground floor.......start tying stuff to your roof now.......

The fall Doo will have many of the same features you are familiar with, but with more of a "harvest-time" flavor....pies, jellies, jams, jerky, etc, and, of course....appropriate costumery.......there will be an emphasis on the already rich trade/swapping that naturally goes on among our family of art friends, with an official Barter Fair.......we also hope to have the new sauna, hot showers, and wood-fired pizza oven ready.....yeahhhh......

Butch laid out a ton of dollars to make the spring Doo-Nanny happen, with little return...let's make the fall event the time to bring the harvest home for that priceless gift. Bring what you have, give what you can......and yes, in case you forget, giving is even more important when you have little........time, junk, art, homemade food, wine, rugs, old beds, rope, solar lights, firewood, time, homemade M O V I E S, etc, etc. , even homemade money(don't copy dollars, make new money), as well as gifts of regular money, are all currency to us........bring it....doo it......love on it......

this is brand new, so more later..........

Read about past Doo-Nannys here and here.

STAGE: The Brother/Sister Plays

Photo: Richard Termine/NY Times

Now thru Dec 13 @ The Public Theater:

The Brother/Sister Plays - A trilogy of modern –day stories of kinship, love, heartache and coming of age centered around an extended family and community in the Bayou.


Part 1: In the Red and Brown Water
How far will fast, beautiful Oya go to make a mark in the world? IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER is the intoxicating story that charts a young girl’s thrust into womanhood and her subsequent fall into the murky waters of life.

Part 2: The Brothers Size and Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet
Reconceived since it premiered as part of The Public’s 2007-2008 season, THE BROTHERS SIZE is a taut, rhythmic and playful drama that follows two brothers as they walk the line between law and liberty.
MARCUS; OR THE SECRET OF SWEET is a beautiful and touching tale of a young man’s awakening to his tenuous connections with his history, his friends, his sexuality and himself. (source)

EAT: Tipsy Parson

Tipsy Parson is another name for a trifle which, according to What's Cooking America, "comes from the old French term 'trufle,' and literally means something whimsical or of little consequence."

Tipsy Parson is also, according to Urban Daddy, a new southern restaurant opening tonight in Chelsea:

Here to help cast off the shackles of May-only julep consumption is Tipsy Parson, a new Southern-living room dedicated to year-round seasonal fruit juleps, comfort food and the art of the biscuit, opening Monday (10/26) in Chelsea.

If you've been craving a dollop of Southern gentility... you'll want to drop by the two-room Parson...The front bar room feels like the bright, homey kitchen of an old Southern mansion, filled with a church pew for a banquette, lots of colorful knickknacks and plenty of secrets—like the julep slushie machine hidden behind the bar.

The back room is a bit darker, better for a long evening repast, and decked with antiques, tufted leather chairs and a communal table made out of an old cotton press.

There's even a little garden out back if you want to bring a cigar and contemplate life above the Mason-Dixon Line.

Read more here.

SOUNDS: EyeHateGod in BKLYN tonight

They've been called doomcore, sludge and stoner rock, survived line-up shuffles, label hassles and a short-lived split. And after more than a decade of creating some of the most corrosive, vile music known to man, EyeHateGod still hasn't lost the piss and vinegar that fueled them back in 1988. (source)

Jimmy Bower & co. play tonight @ Club Europa in Brooklyn.