Cooperation is the watchword.

At least, it is for 2006. I haven’t seen so much intergovernmental cooperation in as long as I can remember. Granted, it’s not exactly hugs and rainbows, but it’s a start.

What’s particularly striking about this quiet revolution is the young professionals movement. Not content to let the oldsters continue to run Birmingham into the ground, YPs (preferable to yuppies or some other media-friendly term) are beginning to organize, speak out, actually assert themselves and participate in the ongoing experiment of democracy.

(Hell, even MTV Spring Break 2006 is more about altruism then alcoholism, volunteerism over hedonism. Sad sad sad.)

Birmingham doesn’t stand at a crossroads — it’s been roadkill for a while. But YPs could breathe new life into old ways of governance and getting things done.

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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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As you while away the remaining hours till Christmas, let’s review some cheery holiday posts you may have missed …

Plus, we found the true meaning of Christmas, and Easter, and even Flag Day, on someone’s windshield today.

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If you’re like us, your shopping has been done for weeks, and you can kick back with some hot cocoa and a good book.

But if you’re still in the hunt for the right Christmas gift, fear not. We can toss a few suggestions your way.

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With Christmas just three weeks away, you may be struggling to get your holiday shopping done. What to get for that “hard”-to-shop for DVD fan?

Well, if they liked "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Crazy in Alabama" and even "Crimson Tide," they’re sure to like this new man-tastic movie, “Alabama Takedown.”

[Warning: not safe for work!]

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Now that you’ve stuffed yourself silly, it’s time to move on to the next holiday sport of the long weekend: extreme shopping.

Let us first dispense with the “hot” gifts of 2005. And by hot, we mean “available everywhere.”

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The newly hired executive director of the newly established Birmingham-Jefferson Film Office spoke Monday night at the Sidewalk Salon. Mark Stricklin was candid about his role, the film community and the future.

At stake are the millions of dollars movie and TV productions can shovel into a city economy. But the competition is fierce, with several hundred city and regional film commissions vying for Hollywood’s attention.

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EXCLUSIVE: The Galleria 10, in operation since the mid-’80s in Hoover, will close its doors Sunday.

The movie theater, part of the Regal chain based in Knoxville, has faced competition over the years from the Carmike 10 (now a “bargain” theater) and in the past year, the Rave Motion Pictures Patton Creek 15. Just how long could 35 screens forbidden to show the same movies compete in the same 1-mile radius?

[Updated]

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Birmingham-area libraries have geared up with new tech, making life easier for patrons and staff.

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Randall Publishing, a family-owned magazine publisher in Tuscaloosa, became part of the Wachovia empire on Monday.

You may not have heard of Truckers News, Modern Woodworking or Overdrive, but the company employs 400 and has been around for 70 years.

It’s part of a trend of homegrown businesses gobbled up by out-of-state owners.

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As long as we’re playing dress-up …

It occurred to me that I haven’t given the lowdown on the Will Ferrell movie. We start with the learning objectives.

Important lessons of Hollywood:

1. Your latte isn’t coming. It never was. Dammit.
2. Talldega during race weekend? Traffic jams and pileups. Talladega during movie shoot? Andy Richter and deafening silence.
3. Mr. Ferrell, most recently of “Bewitched” and “Kicking and Screaming,” owes us. With change.

[More exclusive photos from the set after the jump.]

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My colleague Elaine fielded some tough questions the other night about Birmingham and the state of journalism. She handled the questions admirably, with thoughtful well-reasoned answers.

But we are not about thoughtful here.

I’ve never been shy about my hometown and my industry, so let us tackle a few of the nagging questions out there.

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Who says airlines aren’t sensitive to the plight of millions of victims of natural disasters?

Take JetBlue, for instance, which recently had its own near-fatal disaster. Fortunately, passengers could watch their brush with death and/or the runway live on TV from the comfort of their seats.

Now, Song one-ups its competitors in the daring stunts department.

[Thanks to BJ for the screencap, after the jump.]

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PBS does a great job in putting independent documentaries on the air, especially through its series, “P.O.V.” and “Independent Lens.”

So why is Alabama Public Television dropping the ball from time to time?

Updated

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