Drive out to the country, and you’ll find … a whole lot of nothing. Long winding roads, open fields, dense forests, an occasional farmhouse.

And churches.

Unlike citified America, where some McMansions of God dot the thoroughfares alongside strip malls and car dealerships, country churches are often the hub of rural life. It’s not that they depend on God more, just the connection among worshippers disconnected by distance.

It took arsonists only a couple of thrill-seeking evenings to torch those “networking hubs.” Federal agents arrested three Birmingham college students this week for the crime.

Perhaps saddest of all isn’t the loss of these buildings, but the loss of lives. Yes, no one was killed in the fires, but if found guilty, these typical suburban brats didn’t just incinerate churches, but their chance to better themselves.

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Taylor Hicks not only sang a scorcher live tonight, but also danced … sorta. At least his “American Idol” missteps were from the ankles down and looks golden for the Top 12.

Recap after the jump …

Updated with video, eliminations.

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My first film, “The Last Fish,” premiered Friday night at the Carver Theatre. As you may know,
I spent 36 hours making it for the latest Sidewalk Scramble competition.

Did it win? Nope.

That’s OK. I’m still proud of my effort. And it did make festival history (watch the movie for a hint).

Check it out, then see what the jurors had to say after the jump.

‘The Last Fish’

“Fishkind is doomed, thanks to aliens, but who’s next?”

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I made a movie. My first, actually.

They gave me 48 hours. I needed only 36.

The world premiere of “The Last Fish” is at 8 tonight at the Carver Theatre. This short film and a couple dozen other entries are products of the latest Sidewalk Scramble, a semi-annual competition among local directors, actors and crews.

My one-man film will make festival history.

But before you see the final product tonight, let’s go behind the scenes of my first (and likely last) foray into filmmaking.

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Taylor Hicks kicked off tonight’s competition. But will the judges’ reviews get him kicked off this week?

Recap after the jump …

Updated with video, eliminations.

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The soul man is on a roll, man.

Birmingham native Taylor Hicks is adjusting to life on and off camera after surviving the first round of competition last week on the reality TV competition “American Idol.” Even so, the pressure is growing as he prepares to out-sing the 19 other contestants.

Hicks filled us in by phone this afternoon from Hollywood inbetween rehearsals and interviews before Wednesday night’s 10-man competition.

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It’s the classic sports movie: Jocks fight against incredible odds. Coach yells a lot. Tragedy strikes when least expected. A climactic battle takes place between bitter rival teams. And the jocks get the girls.

Except it’s a documentary. About rugby players. In wheelchairs.

Welcome to "Murderball." It’s out on DVD, but you can catch it tonight on TV before it competes in one last showdown, the Academy Awards.

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The City of Birmingham is taking crime on, one district at a time. Last week, residents of District 3 participated in the Cease Fire Anti-Crime Summit at Avondale United Methodist Church.

Can citizens and city groups reduce the crime rate together?

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Saving the best for last, Taylor Hicks sang last against middling competition in tonight’s “American Idol.” Shouldn’t be hard for him to nab one of the six men’s spots, given the weaknesses among the group.

Recap after the jump …

Updated with video, eliminations.

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EXCLUSIVE: Taylor Hicks, the latest “American Idol” hopeful from Alabama, said his soulfulness will help him stand out from the 23 other singers in the reality show competition. Producers announced the finalists Thursday.

Hicks, 29, is the second-oldest contestant this season; Mandisa (yes, one name), a songstress from Antioch, Tenn., is older by just five days, he said. That experience means Hicks may have an advantage over the others, some as young as 16.

“Considering I’ve had more years performing, playing every honky-tonk imaginable in the Southeast, that’s helped a lot,” said Hicks, by phone today from Hollywood.

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Self-induced depression can be a good thing, despite what the happy pillmakers would have you believe. Two New York folkies brought their solo-but-supportive acts Wednesday night to Moonlight Music Cafe for a dark, dreary acoustic set.

Sam Shaber and Edie Carey performed in turn their songs of longing and solitude for a 95-minute show, interspersing music with banter to lighten the mood.

Can you have a good time at enduring somber tunes? Sadly, yes.

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A couple of weeknight events at Moonlight Music Cafe in Vestavia Hills caught our attention.

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Our pals Mike and Mandy over at Our Place have a fun contest under way: a weekly scavenger hunt.

Updated

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The WB and UPN are joining forces, as the networks combine to form The CW. In Birmingham, this will affect the two Sinclair Broadcasting-owned stations, WB-affiliate WTTO-21 and UPN-affiliate WABM-68, come September.

No word yet on how the merger will affect, if at all, WTTO’s SEC football games through Jefferson Pilot or WABM’s SEC basketball coverage. Also, CBS affiliate WIAT-42 has provided a 9 p.m. newscast for WTTO since October, after Sinclair’s failed Newscentral program signed off, leaving several WTTO employees without jobs.

Updated.

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One of the high points of the Birmingham scene in 2005 was well-dressed YPs (that’s young professionals) sipping cocktails, snacking on fancy finger foods and admiring artwork. Art on the Rocks was the place to be, even if it was in, of all places, the city art museum.

Such success was surprising, probably even to the organizers, for the new monthly venture. And it was brilliant. Thousands of people actually paid $10 a head to visit a place they can see for free six days a week. Free food, cash bar, DJ, music act, craft activity and the most important ingredient, fun.

Can anyone, even the museum itself, match that initial success?

UAB’s Alys Stephens Center thinks so, and brought in an informal focus group to shape its plan. At stake, a piece of the growing YP entertainment market in Birmingham.

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