Saturday, July 31, 2010
Events 5 things today
Posted by Amber Robinson on Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 7:59 AM
- Interscope Records
1) Common, De La Soul and more perform at ONE Musicfest.
2) Georgia Dome hosts the Drum Corps International competition.
3) Burnaway, Mint, ThoughtMarker and WonderRoot present Gather Atlanta at Trees Atlanta.
4) Atlanta Symphony Orchestra stages a Queen tribute in A Rock and Symphonic Spectacular.
5) B.o.B. performs at Center Stage.
Events 5 things today: Saturday
Posted by Amber Robinson on Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 7:59 AM
- Interscope Records
1) Common, De La Soul and more perform at ONE Musicfest.
2) Georgia Dome hosts the Drum Corps International competition.
3) Burnaway, Mint, ThoughtMarker and WonderRoot present Gather Atlanta at Trees Atlanta.
4) Atlanta Symphony Orchestra stages a Queen tribute in A Rock and Symphonic Spectacular.
5) B.o.B. performs at Center Stage.
Friday, July 30, 2010
theater RENT: Student Edition: What would your mother say?
Posted by Anum Valliani on Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 7:18 PM
- Courtesy Center Theatre
- The cast of 'RENT: Student Edition'
Though rehearsals took place all summer, opening night last Tuesday was the first time some of the cast’s parents, including McQueen’s, found out exactly what the play is about.
“Honestly, my parents have no idea about this show,” says Will Stanley, who plays the AIDS-afflicted Roger. “They know I’m doing the show, but they don’t know what RENT is; they don’t know what it’s about.”
For the students who didn’t tell their parents about the play’s core issues, the reason wasn’t so much about rebellion as it was about what they consider to be the importance of the show’s message.
Politics Angry that Norwood was thwarted by judge? Don't be
Posted by Scott Henry on Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 3:19 PM
1) Georgia's restrictive ballot-access laws scuttled her campaign
It's more difficult here for a third-party candidate to get on the ballot than almost anywhere else in the country. As an independent, Norwood needed to come up with a ridiculously large number of petition signatures.
That said, those hurdles had nada to do with her failure to qualify as a candidate. They are two completely separate procedures. Every candidate — even write-in candidates — is required to qualify to run for office.
2) Commission Chairman John Eaves kept her off the ballot
Eaves apparently had threatened to challenge some of Norwood's petition signatures on what seem like picayune technical grounds, a move that made him look small and desperate. However, Eaves did not make Norwood miss the qualifying deadline.
3) The county's qualifying rules are impenetrable
Wrong. There may be plenty of hard-to-find or difficult-to-decipher documents on the Fulton site — and, indeed, most government sites — but the qualifying rules aren't among them. I found an explanatory PDF in about 10 seconds, after Googling "fulton county" and "qualifying."
And as instructions go, these couldn't be much clearer:
Sports Disappointment of the Week: Atlanta Soccer Fans
Posted by Ben Bussard on Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 2:01 PM
- Alejandro Leal/CL Staff
- The announced attendance for Wednesday night's soccer match was 33,721. But looking around the stadium, there certainly was a lot of red (empty seats)
Two of the world's most recognizable soccer teams.
The city's largest sporting complex.
A bid for the 2018 World Cup hanging in the balance.
The stage was set for Atlanta to make a serious push towards earning a host spot in the world's largest sporting event.
But apparently, Atlanta residents didn't get the memo as 37,000 Georgia Dome seats were left unoccupied on Wednesday night during the Club America vs. Manchester City match—also known as the Aaron's International Soccer Challenge.
So what did the turnout mean for Atlanta's hopes of hosting a World Cup? Probably just a longer wait.
Guv'ment Local courts faced with high costs of interpreters
Posted by Alexandria Jud on Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 1:37 PM
Despite the bleak job market, there's one well-paying career that always seems to be in high demand.
Court interpreters charge an average of $50 per hour for their services, in addition to their mileage reimbursement.
- Photo courtesy of Fejér Bálint
For many non-English-speaking defendants, having an interpreter can make the difference between getting a fair trial and being denied due process. But it's costing cities and counties in metro Atlanta hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to provide these services to defendants for free.
Georgia law requires that all non-English speaking criminal and misdemeanor defendants be appointed an interpreter. If the court approves a pauper's affidavit in a civil case, an interpreter is provided at no cost.
Under the state Supreme Court's rules, the court can bill the defendants for the interpreter expenses in some circumstances. But, looking at recent figures, this is a rare occurrence. Instead, the cities absorb most of these costs, putting a big dent in their budgets.
State of the Arts Creative organizations Gather once again this Saturday
Posted by Jessica Blankenship on Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 1:33 PM
Movie Openings / Film Clips / Duly Noted Film Clips: This weekend's movie openings and more
Posted by Anum Mohammad on Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 11:57 AM
OPENING FRIDAY
- Courtesy Paramount Pictures
- Steve Carell and Paul Rudd in Dinner for Schmucks
CHARLIE ST. CLOUD 2 stars (PG-13) After a tragic accident, Charlie (Zach Efron) realizes he can communicate with his deceased younger brother Sam (Charlie Tahan). As time progresses, this relationship becomes strained as Charlie falls for Tess (Amanda Crew), a young sailor with aspirations to sail around world. When Tess is loss at sea, only Charlie and his special ability can save her, even at the cost of breaking a longtime pact with his brother. Efron steps into the big shoes of a romantic lead in the dark, sappy drama. However, his acting chops can’t keep this uninspiring and weak story afloat. — Ed Adams
COCO CHANEL AND IGOR STRAVINKSY 2 stars (R ) The second biopic in a year about Coco Chanel, Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky focuses on the heated attraction between the French fashion icon (Anna Mouglalis) and the Russian composer (Mads Mikkelsen). A fan of Stravinsky's ever since witnessing the riotous reception of his The Rite Of Spring in 1913, the two become reacquainted seven years later. She invites him and his family, including a sickly wife (Yelena Morozova), to install at her villa in Garches, and a kind of primal, practically dialogue-free, love affair ensues. Unfortunately, what could have been a deliciously fascinating peek at two of the 20th-century's most revered creative geniuses turns out to be a drag. — Debbie Michaud
COUNTDOWN TO ZERO 4 stars (NR) Just when you thought you were safe from global thermonuclear catastrophe, this documentary offers an unnerving reminder of the dangers in the post-cold war world. Director Lucy Walker reveals the ease with which motivated terrorists could build a bomb and smuggle it into the United States, and as well as hair-raising examples of nuclear near-launches from the past. Until the no-nukes appeal in its last 10 minutes, Countdown to Zero maintains a relatively bipartisan agenda in an era of Michael Moore documentaries. — Holman
DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS 2 stars (PG-13) Tim (Paul Rudd), an aspiring financial exec accidentally invites Barry (Steve Carell), an odd yet clueless IRS employee and taxidermy enthusiast to attend an exclusive dinner where the invitees are mocked and scrutinized by partygoers in order to impress his boss and move up the ladder. As funny and fuzzy as some moments in this film are, Schmucks derails itself by just going too far — never knowing when to pull in the reins with the sheer onslaught of buffoonery they cram into every crevice of the story. The slow build up to the climatic dinner sequence is laden with unnecessary diversions that deliver some chuckles and a couple of laughable moments. Depending on your tolerance for off-color humor, Schmucks will either have you laughing heartily throughout or just checking your watch often for this dinner party to just end. — Ed Adams
THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (Not Rated) It's no joke: Dutch director Tom Six really has made a horror story about a pair of airhead Americans who stumbles across a deranged surgeon who once specialized in separating conjoined twins. To describe his obsession with creating a "human centipede" is to risk putting you off your feed.Strong-stomached critics assert that on the technical level, it’s a competent film, and the Plaza Theatre has booked it for the bravest moviegoers among us.
GREAT DIRECTORS (Not Rated) A tribute to ten of the world's most "acclaimed, provocative, and individualistic" filmmakers, the documentary offers a first-hand look at the art of cinema from interviews of the greats.
Sports The Series Cynic: Braves can't handle pesky Nats
Posted by Ben Bussard on Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 11:43 AM
The Braves lost their second consecutive series for the first time in nearly three months this week in Miami and Washington, D.C., respectively.
This abrupt streak of losing—notice the refrain of the term 'losing streak' as the Braves haven't lost three games in a row since June 22-24 against the White Sox—has caught most fans off-guard, but if you take a closer look at the recent performances of two specific players you can see why Atlanta has seen its division lead dwindle to a scant 2.5 games.
(SPOILER ALERT: neither one is Troy Glaus, who has batted .206 with 0 HR and 5 RBI in July)
Crime ATM thefts in vogue in Atlanta
Posted by Gwynedd Stuart on Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 11:28 AM
First it was blue jeans, then it was flat-screen TVs — now Atlanta's smash-and-grab burglars have their eyes on ATMs.
The CVS on N. Highland Ave. — my preferred retailer of Camel cigarettes and Peanut M&Ms — was in shit shape this morning after four men in two minivans crashed through the front windows to access an ATM in the lobby around 3 a.m.
They weren't able to make off with the ATM (in fact, nothing was stolen), but they sure made a mess. According to the AJC — and a kindly CVS cashier — police located one of the vans used in the crime, but all four burglars got away.
The CVS incident was one of two unsuccessful ATM thefts this morning. The other took place at a Chevron station on Cambellton Rd. Police don't think the two incidents are related.
Since July 19 — when thieves made off with an ATM from Broadway Diner on Peachtree St. — there have been a half-dozen attempted and successful ATM thefts in Atlanta.
