Tomorrow they may wrap fishes in it...

But I was a star for one whole minute...

For those of you who do not hold the movie "Newsies" to the critical acclaim that I do, the title of this post may seem a little enigmatic (It's the musical story of the 1899 Newsboys strike in NYC, starring dreamboats Christian Bale and Bill Pullman! Cheesy I know, but what can I say...those little newsboy orphans with perfect pitch and rousing dance numbers enthrall me!). But the gist of it is that Andy Grace, like those striking Newsies making newspaper headlines, enjoyed temporary stardom last Monday night. In addition, our historic downtown theater shone his name in bright lights, and within her doors held a crowd of moviegoers eager to see Andy's latest opus. This was the second Alabama debut of his film "Backstage" (the first was at the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival in Birmingham).

The Dude Abides

This weekend we tried our hand at social philanthropy, and I think we can safely say, we damn well succeeded. Andy's efforts to bring the Coen Brothers' film "The Big Lebowski" to the Bama Theater (as an official DCDC event) were finally realized, and met with wild triumph amongst many of Tuscaloosa's residents. We met early to imbibe in White Russians, or "Caucasians" as they are so cleverly called in the film, and listen to Bob Dylan, Kenny Rogers, Townes Van Zandt, and others on the film's soundtrack. The goal was to try and raise money for a local non-profit, the Hale Arts Project, which currently is teaching photography and creative writing to children in the Black Belt town of Greensboro. We were amazed at the turnout! 134 people showed up, thus contributing their admission dollars to our cause. After our costs were recouped, we ended up making $500 for the organization, which will enable them to buy several digital cameras for the kids. Cha-ching.

In other weekend news, my Mom and Dad came down for a quick visit on Thursday, and were able to join me for an evening of bluegrass at the Bama Theater. The event featured celebrated fiddler Ruby Jane Smith and main act, the Claire Lynch Band, as part of Alabama Public Radio's 25th anniversary. The next morning I was able to give them a tour around the Arboretum, where I've been working for the last couple of months.

Let's Make a Rock Video

Last weekend, Joey Thompson, an old friend and college roommate of Andy's, returned to his alma mater, but this time with band in tow. The Archibalds, named after the famed Tuscaloosa rib shack, made an appearance in T-town on Friday night, as part of their first rock-n-roll tour through the southeast. With two days off until their next gig in Atlanta, they decided to partake of Andy's film skills to make a little music video. The video posted here was envisioned, filmed, and edited all in an entire day. We enlisted our friend MC to play the female role, since she has a flair for pageantry, and seems to have quite the costume stash. If you look closely you can even see a gold necklace with her full name, Marie Christine. How classy is that? The dancing bride was a serendipitous addition to the video, as she just happened to be getting photographed in the park, and didn't mind playing along.

If you're interested in hearing the Archibalds, check out their MySpace page.

The Scariest Pumpkin of All

Well, October has come and gone, and with it the holiday that encourages our creativity, and tests our ability to carve likenesses out of the sallowed flesh of pumpkins. Andy chose to use his blank canvas, as many an artist do, to offer us a subtle commentary on the powers-that-be, and perhaps a glimpse into his worst nightmares realized. The likeness of this pumpkin, in case you couldn't tell, resembles our current Vice President, Dick Cheney, and was modeled after last week's cover of the New Yorker, a sketch of what I'm sure many would agree, is the scariest pumpkin of all. And what's equally scary, and just a little weird, is the recent announcement that Cheney and Obama are somehow distantly related! What!?? Yes, according to a press release a couple of weeks ago, Lynne Cheney revealed that while researching the family tree for her recent book, "Blue Skies, No Fences," she discovered her husband and presidential hopeful Barack Obama were eighth cousins, both descendants of a French Huguenot named Mareen Duvall. Yikes, that's a little spooky. I wonder if this little piece of information will matter one way or another to American voters. And does this mean if we elect Obama that we've participated in the perpetuation of dynasties in American politics? Well, it's a stretch but they are related. And Dick Cheney has now been a part of four administrations--Nixon, Ford, Bush Sr., and W. And by the way, if we were to elect and then re-elect Hillary, the nation will have endured 28 consecutive years of governing by the same two families, the other of course being La Familia Bush. There's a Hendrik Hertzberg piece in the Talk of the Town of the aforementioned New Yorker issue that discusses the history of dynastic politics. Check it out, it's really interesting.

I chose a more light-hearted subject for my Halloween pumpkin, a simple black cat, Zooey's doppelgänger if you will.

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

Last Thursday, Andy and I played dress-up, and attended the College of Communications annual Hall of Fame-- a black-tie affair held at the North River Yacht Club, a stronghold of Tuscaloosa's wealthy businessman Jack Warner. Warner is the President of Gulf States Paper, but also dabbles in the Arts (as all well-respected billionaires do), owning one of the largest personal collections of early American art in the world. His museum, housed in a former hunting lodge, displays paintings from the 17th-20th centuries, and according to most is quite an impressive exhibit (I have yet to visit). Anyway, that's Warner in the painting behind us. We found it comical that he had a portrait made of himself as a free-spirited cowboy, servin' up coffee for all his "pardners" on the range. Oh, and I should point out that he is not even dead yet! Don't you think it's a little premature to have a portrait of yourself hanging in the entryway of one of the buildings you own? As for the rest of the decor, it was a mix of marine-related oil paintings, mounted deer heads, and more cowboy-themed art, all woven into a seemingly patriotic melange, a shameless display of opulence reminiscent of the Gilded Age.

But enough about Jack Warner. The event itself was a tribute to this year's inductees to the College of Communication's Hall of Fame. Every year, the college selects several noteworthy Alabamians and honors them for their work. It's quite a soirée, with a bonafide cocktail hour, which I might add included delicious appetizers and a snappy little jazz band, and a full blown dinner. This year's MC was even a celebrity--ABC News Correspondant John Cochran (apparently, he's from Alabama). In addition, the Center for Public Television (Andy's employer) produces a short video about each of the inductees. One of this year's most notable inductees was Charles Moore, the famed Civil Rights photographer, who captured so poignantly on celluloid the early fight for desegregation in Montgomery, the integration at Ole Miss, and the demonstrations in Birmingham (think fire hoses, police dogs). Andy produced the segment on Moore, and included some of Moore's most famous photographs, set to a background of one of the theme songs of the Movement, "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize". Needless to say, there were not a lot of dry eyes in the audience when the lights came up. If your interested, some of Moore's best photos of the Movement are collected in the book, “Powerful Days: The Civil Rights Photography of Charles Moore”.
Also, you can see Andy's rough cut of the piece he made (without the professional narrator - see if you can spot the voice) below. Warning, though - it's 6 minutes and a huge file. Probably will take a few minutes to download (Dialup? Wait for the DVD...).

The Kitty Thermometer

Well, according to our kitty thermometer it looks like the 'cat days' of summer have finally left us! Yes, the cold weather has arrived, and with that our cat Franny's transition from spread eagle pose under the fans, to cozy kitten pose on our bed. Our transition into fall has also been noticeable. Gone is the cacophony of the air compressors buzzing in the neighborhood. Gone are the hot and sweaty bike rides home from work, forcing Andy to traipse around the house shirtless. Gone are the days where we opt for cooking supper on the grill outside, in order to spare our house the 10 degree temperature rise that occurs when we use the gas range. We've swapped our shorts and tees for sweaters, boggans, and warm pantaloons. And we get to use our seat heaters in the Volkswagen!

Here's to sweatless days and cozy nights! Happy Fall!

Football, Art, and Sedaris...Oh, My!

Another eventful weekend has come and gone. And this time, we managed to pack in just about everything. From a celebratory low-country boil in honor of Andy's Uncle Reb's passage into his sixth decade, to a Saturday Crimson Tide victory over Tennessee, to an outdoor Arts Festival, and finally to a David Sedaris reading in Birmingham (ok, only I got to go to that). Whew. So you can see why this post is so late. I was recovering.

Yes, the third weekend in October is much anticipated by many Tuscaloosa residents. Every year some of the country's most celebrated folk artists gather against the woodsy backdrop of downtown Northport (our neighboring town), to wow us with their creations, and to tempt those with deep pockets. At this year's Kentuck Festival of the Arts there were over 250 artists offering their wares, many of which have national notoriety, like the Quilters of Gee's Bend and Annie T., the daughter of Mose T., who has taken up where her father left off. And of course there's always a couple of good bluegrass bands playing, and the opportunity to indulge in some good ole Southern Fried-ness. Who wouldn't be tempted by foot long corn dogs, and various other meats on a stick? And what about funnel cakes? It takes me back to my days at the carnival and various amusement parks, chowing down with all the other fat (excuse me, "heavy set") kids!

But in addition to Kentuck, the third weekend in October also brings arch rivals Tennessee (second only to Auburn in the nemesis line) and Alabama to the football field. This year the Vols came to us, so those loyal fans who also like Art, had to miss Saturday at the Festival to support the Team. And disappointed they were not. The upset that ensued renewed faith in those that thought our season was on the downturn.

And what can I say about my evening with David Sedaris? He was a hoot as always. Lots and lots of laughter all around.