It’ll be 70 degrees and sunny this afternoon, perfect for a parade.
For nearly 60 years, Birmingham has been home to the oldest and biggest Veterans Day observance. One tradition is the downtown parade, and I’ve seen it a few times. Always worth the trip.
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.
Serial vampire novelist Anne Rice is in town today to promote another book about another walking undead freak: Jesus.
She’s signing books, including her latest, "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt," at the Alabama Booksmith in Homewood at 6 tonight. “Christ the Lord” is Rice’s portrait of the savior as a young man.
But it’s her other promotional stop that has us intrigued.
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?
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The good folks at Drink at Work discovered an amusing take on Birmingham culture. Comedian Christian Finnegan wrote about his bizarre encounter with a surly drunken Marine during his recent set at the Comedy Club at the Stardome in Hoover.
Fit-to-be-bow-tied righty George F. Will strays from his baseball worship for a heftier topic: college football. In the current Newsweek, the columnist, ahem, tackles the problem of bigger players leading to more injuries in ” 'Eleven Men And Sic 'Em.' “
Will discusses how Bryant’s 1966 team averages out to be a typical high school team today. And he slips in a little history, sports, health and a few growled “Bear” quotes.
One last party. One last report.
Before we review the costumes, we share the distrubing trends among young trick-or-treaters. Namely, no costumes. You know, it kinda violates the Halloween spirit if you show up for candy and don’t bother with the costume part. And worse, seeing parents drive their kids from house to house is simply shameful.
Back to the costumes.
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:
[More exclusive photos from the set after the jump.]
It’s been a long weekend of partying and posing during this Halloween / Daylight Saving four-day fest. And while the spooky stuff ends tonight, another scary holiday is just around the corner: the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh (Nov. 12).
Oooooohhhhh…
But before we stick a hatchet in Halloween, let’s highlight the costumes of 2005.
I hate our national pastime.
No, not celebrity gossip. Baseball.
But I enjoy a good yarn. And some decent drama.
Last year, I even managed to watch the Red Sox streak through the playoffs and World Series to make history. (It helped that I was surrounded by jaded journalists who love underdogs.)
So kudos to columnist Jayson Stark at ESPN for his game wrapup, "South Side redemption." It’s a compelling read, well written and well reported. It even plays up the Chicago White Sox’s triumph in near-obscurity.
He even mentioned Birmingham’s key contribution to the game, via les Barons.
Our spy tells us that Zoe’s in Forest Park was filled yesterday with young women on the prowl for last-minute costume ideas.
Nothing scarier than going out on Halloween with ye olde kitty cat costume again.
As a public service, we present a few ideas of our own for those still without a stitch to wear for this weekend’s many Halloween parties.
Talladega is becoming the Hollywood of the Southeast, right behind Savannah, Memphis and Wilmington. Don’t believe me?
OK, I don’t believe me either.
But as mentioned previously, “The Amazing Race” took a swing through Huntsville, then Anniston and then the NASCAR-loving, checkered-flag-waving, track-circling town of Talladega.
[photos and exclusive insider notes from the Talladega leg on the jump]
The South is always good for a laugh or two, especially when we bring it upon ourselves.
Enter “The Daily Show,” which aired its segment on how dry counties may be all wet.
A few events this week to help pass the time, from bluegrass to kicking ass, plus your recommended daily allowance of Bjork …
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?
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