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.

SCENE/SPORT/SCOOP: Derby Day from NYC to KY

Tomorrow brings the running of the 135th Kentucky Derby!

STUCK IN NYC FOR THE BIG DAY? Freelance food writer and New Orleans native Ashley Fryer has celebration tips no matter what your budget:

The Kentucky Derby…it’s the one day of the year that it’s perfectly normal to don an overtly garish bonnet and sip straight Bourbon (with a little sugar and mint thrown in for a bit of flavor). Don’t have thousands of dollars to transport yourself from the streets of the Big Apple to the grandstands of the Big Race? No worries. Here are three options to celebrate quite possibly the best marriage of sport, gambling, and hedonistic celebration ever created:

ONE: If you’re all for dolling it up and living large, Esquire has partnered with Eleven Madison Park to throw a swanky celebration of the race, complete with a cigar lounge, open bar, live Derby coverage, and Chef Daniel Humm’s spin on “Derby cuisine.” Cost is $250 per person all-in (including gratuity). For reservations visit the restaurant's site and for more information, email derby@elevenmadisonpark.com or check out their Facebook page.

TWO: If beer and betting is more your style, you’re in luck. The Playwright Irish Pub on West 35^th St. not only serves up Irish fare and stout, but is lucky enough to be the only Manhattan bar sanctioned by NYC OTB. Adorned with more than 70 flat screen TVs (there’s really not a bad seat in the bar), the best part of The Playwright on Derby Day are the 2-person betting windows and electronic kiosks. Want to throw down a last-minute trifecta before post time? No problem! Pick up your pint and saunter over to those who are happy to take your money. There’s no cost to reserve a table, but plan to block out your afternoon if you’d like a guaranteed place to sit. The Playwright is accepting reservations only before 1 PM, and post time is set for just after 6 PM. Five hours of mint julep tailgating = not for the faint of heart! Call 212-268-8868 for reservations or more information.

THREE: Finally, if you’re looking for the recession redux version of a Kentucky Derby party, why not bring the Derby to you? Dig through your closet to find an old hat (or anything you can wear on your head), mix up a batch of mint juleps using the official Churchill Downs recipe, place your bets via Twin Spires (the Derby’s official wagering site) and enjoy front-row viewing from the comfy-ness of your own couch. NBC’s coverage begins at 4 PM Eastern, and post time is set for 6:10 PM on the dot.

WHEN IN KENTUCKY: Now, if you are lucky enough to be in Kentucky tomorrow, local artist Natasha Sud (aka "The Lady of Assemblage") shares the inside scoop what’s really ‘hood in Louisville:

Sweet, sweet Louisville! This weekend is the Kentucky Derby and things are already starting to get crazy. If coming to town now or ever, check out these people, places and things:

STAY

21C

The Seelbach

Galt House

The Brown Hotel

EAT

Ramsi's

Basa

Bourbon's Bistro

Mayan Cafe

El Mundo

Vietnam Kitchen

Havana Rumba

Cumberland Brews

BARS

Nach Bar

The Back Door

Seidefaden's

The Swan Dive: ( Swan St. / no website)

Cumberland Brews

LISTEN - Louisville is obviously known for its music scene. We have had a lot of great bands come out of here: Slint, Will Oldham, MMJ, etc etc. Here are some from the next wave:

Wax Fang

Joe Manning

Health and Happiness Gospel Band

SHOP

Dot Fox

Why Louisville

The Makery

Ear X Tacy

Wild and Wooly

Louisville Antique Mall

YOGA: Eternal Health

GUITARS Guitar Emporium

THEATERS: Baxter Ave and Village 8

"The Lady of Assemblage" is Natasha Sud, a Russian native who grew up in Louisville and recently moved back there after seven years in Los Angeles. The Lady makes collages and loves photography. She has shown her work in many solo and group shows and festivals. She also designed the two album covers for The Watson Twins. Check her out at www.ladyofassemblage.com and http://www.whylouisville.com/natasha.asp.

SCENE/SPORT: Angola Prison Rodeo 4/18 & 19

Photo: NO Adventure

The Angola Prison Rodeo takes place this weekend (4/18 & 19) at Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, LA.

The Angola Rodeo, the longest running prison rodeo in the nation, got its start in 1965. The first arena was small, built by a handful of dedicated inmates and personnel. It wasn't much in those days, and the rodeo was staged just for the entertainment of prisoners and employees. But it was fun.

The 1967 rodeo was opened to the general public on a limited basis. There were no stands. Spectators had to sit on apple crates and the hoods of their cars to watch the performances.

The success of the 1967 and 1968 rodeos prompted construction of a 4,500-seat arena for the 1969 rodeo. A near disaster occurred when the bleachers collapsed during one of the shows. Spectators weren't alarmed; most didn't even get up. They sat on the collapsed structure and continued to watch. The 1971 rodeo was the wettest in history, but the show went on.

As years passed, the rodeo grew in size, adding events and sponsorships. The official Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rules were adopted in 1972 and the rodeo became a permanent fixture.

The Angola Prison Rodeo is a professionally produced rodeo. Angola contracts with professional rodeo stock contractors to provide the rodeo stock used in events; professional judges are contracted with to objectively judge each event. In addition, to ensure inmate participant safety, professional rodeo clowns are always present in the arena during events. A full complement of emergency services personnel are on-site to provide medical assistance to inmates and spectators.

In 1997, spectator capacity was expanded by 1000 seats and construction of a roof over the seating area began to provide increased comfort for spectators under Louisiana's blazing October sun. Hobbycraft space was also expanded to the point where it is no longer just a little concession area on the side for some inmate organizations to make a few bucks. It is now an all-day full-blown arts and crafts festival, complete with entertainment and food galore. The arts and crafts festival begins at 9 a.m. and continues throughout the rodeo which begins at 2 p.m. each Sunday in October. Many fans come to the rodeo for the arts and crafts show alone.

Ticket, concession, and hobbycraft sales for the next two years broke all records, prompting the administration to build another arena. Construction began on the new stadium in April 2000 and increased capacity to 7,500. The new stadium was completed for the first rodeo in 2000.

What began 40 years ago as a "fun" thing by a handful of rodeo-loving inmates and employees is now big business. Proceeds from the Angola Prison Rodeo cover rodeo expenses and supplement the Louisiana State Penitentiary Inmate Welfare Fund which provides for inmate educational and recreational supplies. (source)

SPORTS: Manhattan March Madness 2009 – Where to Watch the Sweet Sixteen in NYC

from glogster.com

Birmingham Arts Journal

March Madness - Southern Style, by Jeff and Ashley Fryer

Are you itching to watch your favorite Southern teams in the Sweet Sixteen this year with fellow ex-pats and Southern supporters? Here’s a list of official viewing parties, alumni club hangouts, and Southern college basketball enthusiast gatherings in Manhattan for the remaining Southern teams. Southern teams make up nearly a third of the teams left in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament this year, so there are plenty of opportunities to cheer for those South of the Mason-Dixon!For game times and opponent information, check .

Also below are some little tidbits about each school, to help stump that annoying know-it-all alumna/alumnus over a few beers, courtesy of U.S. News.

Duke Blue Devils (Durham, NC):

Confirmed viewing party for NYC alumni: Village Pourhouse (64 3^rd Ave. at E. 11^th St.).

The Duke University “Blue Devils” team nickname finds its origins in French soldiers in World War I.

Louisville Cardinals (Louisville, KY):

Their alumni club’s official NYC game watch site: The Hill (416 3^rd Ave. between E. 29^th and 30^th sts.)

19% of students at the Univ. of Louisville major in business, management, and marketing, making it the school’s most popular program.

Memphis Tigers (Memphis, TN):

Confirmed NYC alumni viewing party: Rogue Bar (757 6^th ave. between 25^th/26^th sts.).

The University of Memphis got a live tiger cub, dubbed TOM III, to take over its mascot crown in November 2008.

North Carolina Tar Heels (Raleigh, NC):

Confirmed viewing party for NYC alumni: Firefly (54 Spring St. near Mulberry St.)

The University of North Carolina was the country’s 1^st state university and the only public university to award degrees in the 18^th century.

Oklahoma Sooners (Norman, OK):

Their NYC viewing home is at The Pressbox (932 2^nd Ave. between E. 49^th & 50^th sts.)

So what exactly is a “sooner,” the team nickname of the University of Oklahoma? An “energetic individual who travels ahead of the human procession,” the school says.

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To see an interactive Google map we did of where the 21 original (pre-elimination) Southern schools are located, goHERE . To see where all of these parties are at in NYC, go to another Google map HERE .

SCENE: PBR hits NYC!

No, hipsters, not that PBR!

The Professional Bull Riders "Built Ford Tough" invitational hits Madison Square Garden for 3 days beginning Friday, January 9. Yeehaw!

SCREEN/SOUNDS/SPORT: Southern-ish Events in NYC 11/14 – 11/18

Lots out southern-ish things to do, hear and see this weekend and spilling into next week:

NOVEMBER 14 – 20 @ Film Forum: My good friend Harrod has a dad who has been touted by the NY Times as “one of our most original filmmakers…A master of movies about the American idiom.” Many of his documentaries were shot in, around or about Southern stuff: the blues, a Texas sharecropper, Louisiana Cajuns, cultural roots, old time tales, an Appalachian fiddler, backwoods characters, good whisky, native folkways. Film Forum is running a retrospective of Les Blank films 11/14 – 20.

SATURDAY 11/15 @ 3:30PM: The South Carolina Alumni Club of NYC invites you to watch the Gamecocks peck the snout outta the Gators…or something like that. Anyway, they’ll all be watching the game at Cooper Door Tavern.

SATURDAY 11/15: Oxford, MS Americana band Blue Mountain has reunited and hits NYC for 2 shows today: 7PM @ Lakeside Lounge in the East Village and 11:45PM @ Hank’s Saloon in Bklyn.

SUNDAY 11/16 @ 12noon: Allen Toussaint: New Orleans Benefit Brunch @ Joe’s Pub. I don’t see this listed on the Joe’s Pub site but Time Out NY says it’s on & poppin’.

SUNDAY 11/16 @ 4:15PM: Join the Tennessee Titans Meetup group at Sidebar to watch the undefeated ballers try to hold onto the top spot. Rory & Dan say: “In case you forgot to check today's power ranking, Yes, We are still #1!”

MONDAY 11/17 @ 7:30PM: We don’t really count TX as part of the South but these bands are too cool to leave out. Centro-Matic + One Baptist General + South San Gabriel @ Mercury Lounge. Also, playing the following night (11/18) @ The Bell House in Bklyn.

MONDAY 11/17 @ 7:30PM: New Yorker Josh Joplin + Nashvillian Garrison Starr = Among The Oak & Ash. They play “Appalachian murder ballads” tonight @ Joe’s Pub.

TUESDAY 11/18: C-A-T-S!!!! CATS!!! CATS!!! CATS!!!
Darin Sergent, GM of Mercury Bar and UK Alum, is rallying the b-ball troops: “We have a HUGE basketball game against UNC (11/18) and a big season ahead of us Cat Fans so come on by Mercury Bar (493 3rd Ave, bet. 33rd & 34th St) for all the NCAA action going on with Billy ‘Clyde’ Gillespie and his team led by big man Patrick Patterson. We will be showing all games through the ESPN FullCourt Package throughout the season so you don’t have to miss a game here in the big city…being so far away from home!!!”

SPORT: SEC IN THE CITY: Football Game Watching Parties

Because No Dawg/Gator/Tiger Should Bark/Chomp/Roar Alone!

ALABAMA Crimson Tide @ the new Brother Jimmy's location in Murray Hill at the corner of Lexington Avenue & 31st Street.

ARKANSAS Razorbacks @ The Mad Hatter Saloon 360 Third Avenue at 26th Street.

AUBURN Tigers @ Meet at Bar 515 515 3rd Ave, between 34th & 35th

FLORIDA Gators @ The Gin Mill 442 Amsterdam Avenue at 81st St. AND Sidebar 120 East 15th Street at the corner of Irving Place AND Town Tavern 134 West Third Street.

GEORGIA Bulldogs @ Firefly Bar 54 Spring Street (Between Lafayette and Mulberry Streets)

KENTUCKY Wildcats @ Mercury Bar at 33rd and 3rd

LSU Tigers @ Legends 6 West 33rd Street, bet. 5th & 6th Ave (212)967-7792

OLE MISS Rebels @ XII Bar 206 East 34th Street (@ 3rd Ave)

MISSISSIPPI STATE Bulldogs @ Mercury Bar 493 3rd Avenue

SOUTH CAROLINA Gamecocks @ Copper Door Tavern 272 3rd Avenue (between 21st and 22nd Streets)

TENNESSEE Volunteers @ The Wharf Bar 587 Third Avenue

VANDERBILT Commodores @ Village Pourhouse 64 3rd Ave (at 11th St) AND Southern Hospitality 1460 2nd Ave (at 76th St) - please check the Vanderbilt Alumni website to see which bar each game will be playing at!