Sneaky agents move
to create havoc when the
school bell signals class.

• • •

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At a glance: Blueprint Birmingham is a well-considered plan, peppered with great ideas and perhaps a few pie-in-the-sky objectives. Achieving most of the goals in 5 years will make the region far more competitive with an economic impact in the billions of dollars. Two critical components remain unknown for now: the price tag, and the willingness of enough citizens and investors to make it fly.

A new view of Birmingham, from
the recently opened Railroad Park.

Birmingham has never run short on problems, or even solutions to those persistent problems. But what the city and its leaders have often lacked is action.

Today marks the start of a significant 5-year action plan called Blueprint Birmingham, assembled by the Birmingham Business Alliance with consultants from Atlanta’s Market Street Services.

Business leaders will unveil the economic development plan to the public today at 5:30 at the new Railroad Park, but a copy of the plan was furnished to me last week.

The mere existence of a plan — good ideas welded to action steps and deadlines — is a small miracle unto itself. (The Blueprint already distinguishes itself from the feel-good do-nothing approach of Region 2020 or the tax-and-dome policy of the MAPS proposal.) It should be an easy sell to those yearning for progress, any progress.

Let’s dig deeper into the plan itself, after the jump …

(more…)

James Franco stars as Allen Ginsberg in “Howl.”

Dissecting a landmark poem can be a tricky affair. Dissecting the poet, even moreso.

Such is the challenge of “Howl,” part biopic and part celebration of the poet of the same name by Allen Ginsberg. James Franco stars as the beat poet in a film that combines documentary footage, courtroom drama and even animated bits to illustrate the verses read aloud.

The film opens Birmingham Shout tonight.

Directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman have won accolades from critics since the movie opened this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Variety:

Intelligent and highly respectful of its central character and his titular landmark poem, “Howl” is an admirable if fundamentally academic exploration of the origins, impact, meaning and legacy of Allen Ginsberg’s signal work. It is also an intriguing hybrid of documentary, narrative and animated filmmaking.

The Hollywood Reporter:

This exhilaration one feels watching this absorbing genre-bender doesn’t mean the whole thing hangs together. It doesn’t. The fragmented approach means some pieces don’t fit, and you find yourself wishing for more of this and less of that.

Film School Rejects:

The performance from James Franco is off-the-charts good. He embodies Ginsberg in both a literal sense and a figurative sense. He locks down the unique cadence from Ginsberg’s tapes and also embodies the energy and booming enthusiasm that Ginsberg had for his art.

Newsweek:

What matters about a work like “Howl” is not who wrote it but why it resonated in the time it was made, and why it still has meaning today. Great art transcends its creator. In this case, it also lays the foundation for a great film.

Film.com:

“Howl” isn’t always an easy movie, and you’ll feel queasy or slightly uncomfortable when Ginsberg ratchets up his verbal barrage on your senses. Like the jazz musicians Ginsberg’s poetry owed tempo to, this one hits all the right notes.

The movie will appear in limited theatrical release and cable on demand starting Friday. Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels, Mary Louise Parker, David Strathaim and Bob Balaban also star.

“Howl” will screen at 7 tonight at WorkPlay.

Video: Four clips from “Howl.”

Video: “Howl” trailer

Also:

• Official site | IMDB | Facebook | Shout page
• We’ll have Chance Shirley’s review after the screening.

• • •

Action! Complete Shout festival coverage.

The egg won’t stand, no
matter how much the earth wills
it to. No balance.

• • •

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Video: Preview for tonight’s episode. There may be
no crying in baseball, but this ain’t baseball.

It’s time for makeover madness on tonight’s episode of “America’s Next Top Model.”

Who will look better? And who will look bitter? Can Kendal Brown of Northport continue to perform well at the photo shoots?

Tune in for all the tears and tantrums, and then come on back for Nadria Tucker’s recap.

Also:

• Episode 2 recap

Video: Host Tyra Banks drops by the house.
Totally casual, ya know.

Video: A giant walks among them.

“America’s Next Top Model” airs at 7 p.m. Wednesdays on CW 21.

• • •

Subscribe to the RSS feed or e-mail for the latest “America’s Next Top Model” news and updates.

• • •

On the runway: more on “America’s Next Top Model.”

The call comes, and the
voice sends everyone scrambling
to print resumes.

• • •

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sidewalk.wadeonbirmingham.com

For those looking to get away from the excitement of movies and live music at this weekend’s Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, we have a special announcement. This year’s lineup of Sidetalk panels will include “Media Criticism: Is It Dead?” with me, Wade Kwon, Birmingham’s best blogger (if not most humble).

Joining me on the panel are …

Aaron Hillis (@cobblehillis), movie blogger in Brooklyn, editor of GreenCine Daily, contributor to the Village Voice and vice president and co-founder of Benten Films, a boutique distribution label.

Claudia Puig (@claudiapuig), Los Angeles-based movie writer for USA Today. Prior to joining the newspaper in 1997, she worked as a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times for 11 years.

What to expect:

In a world in which everyone can critique concerts, albums and films via blogging and other forms of online writing, do the opinions of professional critics in the industry still matter? What is the state of media criticism, and what is its future?

The hourlong panel takes place at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Birmingham International Center, 1728 Fifth Ave. N. [map].

Also of note: Our Shout movie critic Chance Shirley will be on the panel “Changing Forms of Distribution,” taking place at 11:30 a.m. Sunday in the same location. And one of our Sidewalk movie critics, Jennifer West, will be managing all the Sidetalk panels on Saturday and Sunday.

Sidetalk panels are free and open to the public. For more information on this and other panels, visit the Sidewalk website.

• • •

The Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival takes place Friday through Sunday in downtown Birmingham. Tickets: three-day pass, $50, $40 for members and students; one-day pass, $20, $15 for members and students.

• • •

Action! Complete Sidewalk Festival coverage.

A little selfish
balances out with lots of
generosity.

• • •

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Tonight, Samford University plays host to Republican nominee Robert Bentley and Democratic nominee Ron Sparks as they face off in their second gubernatorial debate.

The focus will be on business issues.

The 90-minute event starts at 6:30 p.m. at Wright Center. No word on whether the debate will be carried live. Tickets are free for Samford students and faculty, but the $15 general admission tickets are sold out.

Update: The debate will be broadcast live on WERC (105.5 FM), including streaming, and on the Fox 6 website.

Bentley and Sparks traded soundbites and jabs Thursday at the University of Alabama in their first debate. (See clips below.) The next debate is scheduled for Oct. 19 at Auburn University.

In case you missed Thursday’s debate, we have a couple of video clips.

Video: Sparks and Bentley make opening remarks Thursday.

Video: Bentley and Sparks share their closing statements.

Watch the hourlong debate in its entirety, or see more clips by topic.

Election Day is Nov. 2.

• • •

Which business issues do the candidates need to address? Share your thoughts in the comments.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

Spark, then flame. The old
apathy burns away to
leave seeds of promise.

• • •

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Bulldozer brings in
grass and trees and swings for all
for a downtown park.

• • •

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A new promotion for local restaurants started this week.

The first Birmingham Restaurant Week invites diners to sample dozens of restaurants and bars across town for special menus at fixed prices of $10.10, $20.10 and $30.10. Try sushi, pizza, Mediterranean, barbecue, French, Southern and other styles in this 9-day celebration, which started Friday and runs through Sept. 25.

The preview party took place Wednesday at Hotel Highland Conference Center in Five Points South. So popular was the event that food ran out by 7:30 p.m.

For more information, visit the Birmingham Restaurant Week official site. Or visit the event’s Facebook page or Twitter account, @bhamrestweek.

Participating restaurants

$30.10

• Bottega
• Century Restaurant and Bar
• Dreamland BBQ
• The H Bar
• Highlands Bar and Grill
• Jinsei
• Little Savannah
• Maki Fresh
• Michael’s Restaurant
• Ocean
• Veranda on Highland

$20.10

• Bottletree Cafe
• Brannon’s Public House
• Cafe de Paris
• Chez Fonfon
• Cosmo’s Pizza
• Crestline Seafood Company
• Culinard Cafe at the Palisades
• Dodiyos
• The H Bar
• Jim ’N Nick’s Bar-B-Q
• John’s City Diner
• La Cocina
• La Paz
• Mafiaoza’s
• Maki Fresh
• Nabeel’s Cafe and Market
• Rojo
• Silvertron Cafe
• Sol y Luna
• 26
• V. Richards
• The Wine Loft

$10.10

• Bottega Cafe
• Brannon’s Public House
• Brick and Tin
• Cosmo’s Pizza
• Crestwood Coffee Company
• Dodiyos
• Dreamland BBQ
• The Gardens Cafe by Kathy G
• The H Bar
• Jim ’N Nick’s Bar-B-Q
• La Cocina
• Maki Fresh
• Mellow Mushroom
• Michael’s Restaurant
• Ted’s Restaurant
• Urban Standard

Participating bars

• Bottletree Cafe
• The H Bar
• The J. Clyde
• Lou’s Pub

Which restaurant will you try? Let us know in the comments.

Also:

• Birmingham’s Best Eats
• Birmingham restaurant guide

A once-barren area in the heart of the city has found new life as a park.

Railroad Park brings a new four-block green space to Birmingham, complete with water features, wi-fi, a bistro, a skate park, two children’s play areas and workout equipment. The park opens at 10 a.m. today.

Located near the central rail lines, the space runs along First Avenue South between 14th and 18th Streets. Discussions about transforming the unused area started as early as the 1970s, but the effort became formalized with the formation of the Friends of the Railroad District in 2001.

The park will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. As part of today’s grand opening event, Railroad Park will show the animated movie, “Up.”

Transforming the vacant lot into a fully-realized city park took $25 million and a year and a half. Railroad Park is part of a three-park initiative which includes a new Red Mountain Park and expanding the existing Ruffner Mountain Park.

During construction, bricks and other materials found on the site were incorporated into the walls and seating areas. Hand-cast bricks and original cobblestone were recycled and used throughout the park.

The Railroad Park Foundation, which oversees park operations, continues to raise money through online donations to “buy” a piece of the park, starting at $25 per square foot.

For more information on Railroad Park:

• Official website | Facebook | Twitter @RailroadPark
• Birmingham News: “Railroad Park, downtown Birmingham’s new patch of green, has grand opening”
• Bhamwiki: Railroad Park

Photo credit: Railroad Park

The most talkative
open typists find themselves
shy around others.

• • •

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Not a real play, but
a practice run to be strong
during a real play.

• • •

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