As slow as Birmingham progresses, the city saw its share of growing pains — and regular pains — in 2006.
It’s easy to spot as you tool around the area. Look around and you’ll see construction barriers everywhere, mostly for condos springing up throughout Jefferson County.
Look a little closer and you’ll see chalk outlines, as the murderous rampage of ’05 continued unchecked throughout the year.
The path isn’t clear.
Board president Alan Hunter talked today about changes behind the scenes at Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. Last week’s sudden departure of co-founder and director Erik Jambor has raised questions about the status and future of the downtown film festival.
In addition, Hunter announced next week’s Sidewalk Salon will be an open discussion with board members about questions, concerns and suggestions from the public.
Updated with new time for Salon.
Erik Jambor, co-founder and director of the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, resigned today, citing changes in adminstration made by the board of directors. Jambor’s departure comes a day after the festival parted ways with Kelly Marshall, the festival’s public relations director.
Jambor, 36, said that the board had been considering changes since summer, but after limited discussion with them, decided to leave rather than cede certain responsibilities. The Birmingham native plans to return to film production and editing, jokingly adding that he has no savings after working for a nonprofit organization for nine years. Jambor added that he remains open to working with the festival once the board finalizes plans and positions.
Updated with story link
City Stages is broke and broken — and has been for years. Can the downtown music festival be fixed?
In a new partnership, festival organizers have teamed with Catalyst, a grassroots Birmingham organization of young professionals, to raise $1 million by 2007. That amount would wipe out the more than $800,000 debt and restart a rainy day fund.
The effort, Sustain City Stages, faces a huge challenge: Erase a growing debt that the city’s biggest festival itself has been unable to overcome while developing a plan for growth, or as the name suggests, sustainability.
To that end, the two groups will hold a town hall from 5:30 to 7 tonight at the Birmingham Public Library, 2100 Park Place.
We offer a few questions that deserve answers.
Call it offline networking, version 2.0.
Nearly 30 representatives from 18 area young professional groups met Monday night at a Homewood restaurant to drink, to discuss, to deliberate. This Civic Organization Roundtable has been in the works for some time, a way to unite and coordinate Birmingham’s bloc of up-and-comers.
It’s the first step of many in the improving upon the slow, steady progress for our hometown. Feel free to join in at any time.
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I used to be a media whore, but now I’m a new media whore. Or a whore of new media, as it were.
Last week, I had two opportunities to talk about blogs, social networking and how they can help Birmingham’s communities and citizens. One audience was a mass media class, the other was the head of a city arts and culture center.
What I’ve learned came from hard work, trial and error and an unparalleled year toiling in new media.
The highlights of my presentation, in handy bullet-point format.
I lost someone near and dear to me one year ago today. She and I had a nine-year relationship, and many knew her (if only by reputation) to be at times tough, dowdy, amusing, frustrating and downright forgettable.
No one will see her memorialized in the newspaper today, nor will they stop by her grave. She died a long and painful death, and her passing reminds us not only of the fragility of life but the certainty of death. And yet the city moves on, as indifferent to her in death as it was in life.
The Birmingham Post-Herald, May 15, 1950 – Sept. 23, 2005.
R.I.P.
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Hurricane Katrina caused more than $80 billion in damage and killed nearly 2,000 people. Hundreds of thousands of refugees swarmed the surrounding states, many never to return home.
While Mississippi and Louisiana suffered tremendous losses, Alabama was spared the worst of the destruction.
Is it possible that this Category 5 hurricane had an upside for the state?
Birmingham is known by many names. The Magic City. Pittsburgh of the South. Football Capital of the South. Bombingham. The ’Ham.
While the hand-wringing continues over the city’s image, we welcome thousands of “American Idol” hopefuls to a place they’ve heard about since Ruben Studdard put three defining digits on the map: 2-0-5.
So why can’t we get “Birmingham” out there in our other most visible institutions?
When MTV hit the air 25 years ago today, the brash young network would change the world. Eventually.
On Aug. 1, 1981, you couldn’t even watch it in New York, its corporate headquarters, because the city couldn’t watch the yet-to-be-picked-up-there cable network. Hard to imagine.
Nowadays, its stamp is everywhere, from fast-cut musically driven movie sequences (and entire movies) to reality television to the relentless pursuit of free-spending teenagers.
Birmingham native Alan Hunter was there at the birth of Music Television, one of five VJs who introduced videos (a promotional tool and an emerging artform), interviewed bands and became the early face of the network. He has gone on to promote the film industry in Birmingham, opened WorkPlay with brothers Blake, Hugh and Randy, founded Hunter Films with brother Hugh and co-founded activist organization Catalyst.
Baby, it’s hot outside. A sizzling summer is the perfect excuse to stay inside and away from the fickle fusion-powered reactor I call the sun.
While you’re cozy in your air-conditioned sanctuary, check out these five Birmingham Web sites that will change how you look at the city, its culture and its future.
While Birmingham and surrounding cities are trying to stamp out the gambling monster we call Gamblor, two charity fund-raisers want you to roll the dice this week.
Well, not actually dice — that would be boring. Instead, bet on winning hands and racing ducks. Yes, racing ducks.
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The City Stages 2006 eBay fund-raiser ended at 2 a.m. this morning. You probably didn’t hear about it.
The downtown music festival, still trying to erase its half-million-dollar debt, has tried all sorts of wild schemes to raise money. But the online auction seems saddest of all: 18 items, 12 bids (on only four items), $241 in profit and zero publicity.
Going once, going twice …
Updated
Art on the Rocks, July 2005
When 3,000 young professionals gather tonight in Birmingham, they’ll be ready to party with Ivan Neville’s new band, drink cocktails and mingle with 20- and 30somethings. They’ll dine on gourmet appetizers and taking part in a scavenger hunt to win a painting. Even “American Idol” finalist Taylor Hicks will be dropping by.
This isn’t a trendy Lakeview nightclub holding its grand opening. This is a museum.
Launched in April 2005, Art on the Rocks is an after-hours monthly party at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Its runaway success has inspired city arts organizations to pursue young professionals for their cachet and their cash. The movement is transforming the arts scene and the way companies view this hot demographic group.
Birmingham native and super-Friend TV multimillionaire Courteney Cox has popped up in town again, this time on a billboard campaign for the Ronald McDonald House. No, that’s not where the fast-food clown prince goes to recover after a special sauce bender — it’s a great charity that provides housing to families in town with children undergoing medical treatments.
But because we’re incredibly shallow people, all we care about is our CeCe.
Love that arty shot. Black-and-white photo = classy. But clown nose = lame. And the “nose” pun, ugh. We’d like to think nostril humor has still has flare, but maybe it’s mucus to your ears. Those corny billboards … looks like we’ll just have to septum for what they are.
(Get it???)
Join us as we look at Courteney’s past campaigns in the world of advertising …
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