Weeks pass, and the heat
subsides little by little
for times autumnal.

• • •

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sidewalk.wadeonbirmingham.com

Actor Adrian Grenier is returning for another opening night in Birmingham.

Sort of.

The “Entourage” star directed the documentary “Teenage Paparazzo,” which opens the 2010 Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival on Sept. 24. Grenier also stars in the movie. He was also in the 2008 Sidewalk opening night film, “Adventures of Power.”

“Teenage Paparazzo” features 13-year-old photographer Austin Visschedyk and Grenier as they develop a relationship based on fame, celebrity and mutual exploitation. Grenier turns the tables on his pursuer by filming Austin and his budding career as a paparazzo.

Also added to the lineup:

• Closing night film “Brotherhood,” with Jon Foster and Trevor Morgan.
• “The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan,” by director and producer Henry Corra.
• “Dogtooth” from director, producer and writer Giorgos Lanthimos,
• “Black, White and Blues,” starring Michael Clarke Duncan, Luke Perry, Taryn Manning and Alabama’s Morgan Simpson, and directed by Mario Van Peebles.

• • •

‘Teenage Paparazzo’

• Starring Alec Baldwin, Lewis Black, Noam Chomsky, Matt Damon, Whoopi Goldberg, Jake Halpem, Paris Hilton, Perez Hilton, Martin Landau, Lindsay Lohan, Eva Longoria Parker, Mario Lopez, Rosie O’Donnell, Michelle Rodriguez and Jaleel White.
• Directed by Adrian Grenier.
• Official site | IMDB | Facebook | Sidewalk page
• 8 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Alabama Theatre.
• Scheduled to attend: co-producer Evan Ferrante.

• • •

The Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival takes place Sept. 24-26 in downtown Birmingham. Tickets: three-day pass, $50, $40 for members and students; one-day pass, $20, $15 for members and students.

• • •

The lineup is set, but which movies will you see? Let us know in the comments.

Action! Complete Sidewalk Festival coverage.

The sweeper takes one
last lap, as the pretzel bowls
become replenished.

• • •

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The sharp tongue made a
mockery of the once and
prideful principal.

• • •

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The fifth annual Birmingham Shout film festival returns in September with a new venue and a new season. Wade on Birmingham has an exclusive on the lineup.

As previously reported, the gay/lesbian film festival will take place the same weekend as the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival; in the past four years, Shout took place in the spring. The Alabama Moving Image Association manages both festivals.

The opening night film, “Howl,” will be Sept. 23 at WorkPlay, the night before Sidewalk’s Sept. 24 kickoff. The remainder of the Shout festival will be Sept. 25 and 26 at  a new location, the Hill Arts Center, adjacent to the Alabama Theatre.

Here are a few highlights from the 24-film lineup …

• • •

‘An Ordinary Couple’

Orin Kennedy hailed from a Jewish family in New York, while Bernardo Puccio grew up in an Sicilian community in Birmingham. Both came of age in the 1970s. And since 1981, the two have been in a committed monogamous relationship, making their lives in Los Angeles. The documentary “An Ordinary Couple” tells their story as they work on a monument to their relationship at the Hollywood Memorial Cemetery.

• Starring Orin Kennedy and Bernardo Puccio.
• Directed by Jay Gianukos.
• Official site | IMDB | Facebook
• 5 p.m. Sept. 26 at Hill Arts Center
• Scheduled to attend: Kennedy and Puccio.

• • •

‘Howl’

Shout opening night film: The story of poet and poem, “Howl” looks at young Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) on his journey to create his masterpiece work. It also follows the 1957 obscenity trial in San Francisco to determine if the book should be banned. The biographical story shows how the leader of the Beat Generation brought forth the counterculture movement.

• Starring James Franco, Jon Hamm, Jeff Daniels, Mary Louise Parker, David Strathaim and Bob Balaban.
• Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffery Friedman.
• Official site | IMDB | Facebook
• 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at WorkPlay
• Scheduled to attend: Kennedy and Puccio.

• • •

‘The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls’

Shout closing night film: Meet the world’s only comedic, country song and dance, yodeling lesbian twin sisters. The documentary “The Topp Twins” shows Jools and Lynda from childhood in New Zealand to mainstream entertainers in a 50-year span that includes one sister’s fight against breast cancer, their worldwide touring and their prime-time TV show.

• Starring Jools Topp and Lynda Topp.
• Directed by Leanne Pooley.
• Official site | IMDB | Facebook
• 7 p.m. Sept. 26 at Hill Arts Center

• • •

Tickets: three-day pass, $50, $40 for members and students ($40 and $30 in advance); one-day pass, $20, $15 for members and students.

Also:

• Full lineup
• Venues

• • •

Do you like having Shout in the fall? What movies are you going to see? Tell us in the comments.

Action! Complete Shout festival coverage.

Nothing for sale, just
a long list of nagging ads
for things to do now.

• • •

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Birmingham civic group Catalyst will hold a forum for Jefferson County Commission candidates on Tuesday. The event, called “Birmingham: Looking Back, Moving Forward,” will include a conversation with Birmingham News metro columnist John Archibald and editorial board member Joey Kennedy and Eddie Lard, and Second Front writer Kyle Whitmire (updated per new info from Catalyst in comment).

It’s not clear which candidates will attend, or whether Sandra Little Brown and David Carrington will participate, as both are running unopposed on Nov. 2.

The forum runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at WorkPlay, 500 23rd St. S., Lakeview [map].

[Map of Jefferson County Commission districts]

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

The bowls licked clean by
an unseen sprite as the heat
climbs in the kitchen.

• • •

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She reaches over
to unlock my door each time.
My heart says thank you.

• • •

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sidewalk.wadeonbirmingham.com

Sidewalk 2010 is just 5 weeks away, but the lineup is almost complete.

The 12th annual Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival has 208 films scheduled so far; yet to be announced are the opening night and closing night films, along with the Shout lineup (running concurrently with Sidewalk).

Let’s take a look at movies in the lineup with a local connection …

• • •

‘Hey Boo: Harper Lee and “To Kill a Mockingbird” ’

A timely look at Monroeville author Harper Lee. (You may know her for her classic novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.) Lee’s life story is shared in the documentary through family, friends and admirers such as Oprah Winfrey and Tom Brokaw.

• Directed by Mary Murphy.
• Official site | IMDB | Facebook | Sidewalk page
• 11 a.m. Sept. 26 in the Harambe Room
• Scheduled to attend: Murphy.

• • •

‘Lifted’

The latest Hunter Brothers (Alan and Hugh) production tells the story of Henry Matthews, a boy from the South who takes part in a reality TV singing competition to escape his crumbling world. he finds out his father has been re-deployed to Afghanistan. The film, shot in Alabama, includes several local and regional actors.

• Stars Nicki Aycox, Uriah Shelton, Dash Mihok, Trace Adkins and Ruben Studdard.
• Directed by Lexi Alexander.
• Official site | IMDB | Facebook | Sidewalk page
• 11 a.m. Sept. 25 at Alabama Power
• Scheduled to attend: Alexander, cast and crew.

• • •

‘Man in the Glass: The Dale Brown Story’

Directed by Birmingham’s Patrick Sheehan, the documentary follows the career and beyond of Louisiana State men’s basketball coach Dale Brown. The story covers his winning over fans in a football school and his battles with the NCAA over student-athletes. Not only is Brown a legend in college basketball but also continues to work as a human rights activist.

• Directed by Patrick Sheehan.
• Official site | Facebook | Sidewalk page
• 1:10 p.m. Sept. 26 at Alabama Power
• Scheduled to attend: Sheehan.

• • •

‘Not My Son’

The documentary examines gun violence through interviews with Birmingham mothers whose children were killed. Featured is Carolyn Johnson-Turner, who founded the Parents Against Violence Foundation in 2004 after her son, Rodreckus, 20, was shot and killed on his way to a friend’s birthday party.

• Directed by Dwight Cammeron.
• Official site | Sidewalk page
• 10:30 a.m. Sept. 25 at the Alabama Theatre Studio

• • •

‘Ready, Set, Bag!’

Follow Huntsville’s Roger Chen in his quest for a championship. This Chinese immigrant, born in Trinidad and Tobago, studies computer science and needs the prize money after earning the state title.

The sport? Bagging groceries. The documentary focuses on Chen, a bagger at Publix, and seven other contestants headed to the annual Best Bagger Championship by the National Grocers Association.

• Directed by Justine Jacob and Alex D. da Silva.
• Official site | IMDB | Sidewalk page
• 4 p.m. Sunday at the Alabama Theatre

• • •

Shorts blocks

• Life and Liberty Shorts, 1:15 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute [lineup]
• Local shorts No. 1 — Dramatic Narrative, 10:20 a.m. Sept. 25 at the Carver Theatre [lineup]
• Local shorts No. 2 — Comedic Narrative, 1:15 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Harambe Room [lineup]
• Local shorts No. 3 — Documentary, 1:15 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Harambe Room [lineup]
• Music videos (including winners from July’s Scrambled Jam), 8 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Harambe Room [lineup]
• National and local shorts — Narrative, 3:50 p.m. Sept. 26 at the Alabama Theatre Studio [lineup]

• • •

The Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival takes place Sept. 24-26 in downtown Birmingham. Tickets: three-day pass, $50, $40 for members and students; one-day pass, $20, $15 for members and students.

Also:

• Full lineup
• Venues

• • •

Are you planning to go? Which movies are on your list? And which ones should we review? Let us know in the comments.

Action! Complete Sidewalk Festival coverage.

Same shoes. Same house. Same
coffee. Same schedule. Same route.
Something needs to change …

• • •

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A new music festival is in town, one modeled on the popular South by Southwest Festival in Austin. Meet the Birmingham Arts and Music Festival, or BAAM.

Starting tonight through Sunday, 13 venues from Southside to Lakeview to downtown will have nearly 150 musical acts onstage. Sharrif Simmons, Birmingham-based musician, poet and actor, started the festival as a way to expose fans to new music, and bands to a new audience.

One-day passes are $15, and three-day passes are $30, available at the door.

On the BAAM site:

• Full bios of all scheduled acts;
• Venue list and map;
• Full schedule in PDF form.

Also:

• Features in Birmingham Weekly | Birmingham Magazine | Birmingham News | Birmingham View
• BAAM on Facebook | Twitter @baamfest

Plus, videos of select performers (full schedule after the jump) …

Video: Erin Mitchell

Video: Nick Hill

Video: “Do What I Say,” by Laura Luke

Video: “Sugar,” by Vulture Whale

Video: Cleve Eaton and the Alabama All-Stars

Video: “Skeletons,” by Jesse Payne

Video: “Funky 4 U,” by Sharrif Simmons and the Alien8 All-Stars

(more…)

Assurance. Giggles.
Kindness. Holding hands. Moments
shared. Forgiveness. Love.

• • •

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Back to the country,
over dusty roads they drive
to go home and mourn.

• • •

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Rickwood Field celebrates its 100th anniversary today, a significant milestone not only for our national pastime but also for America’s oldest ballpark.

Sportswriter and Birmingham native Allen Barra wrote “Rickwood Field: A Century in America’s Oldest Ballpark” [aff. link] to mark the occasion. Rickwood has seen its share of history: Among the legends who played there were Hank Aaron, Dizzy Dean, Willie Mays, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson.

The field opens at 2 p.m. today for an anniversary celebration, with tours, exhibits and a short game. The program starts at 3, with the game starting at 4:30. The event is free.

Video: Photographer Bill Chapman discusses
shooting the Rickwood Classic over the years.

Also:

• Bhamwiki: Rickwood Field
• Birmingham News feature on Rickwood Field
• New York Times feature on Rickwood Field