Hangover Part II, Kung Fu Panda II
THE HANGOVER PART II ** Over the course of the countless years that I’ve served as a film critic, never I have received such an outpouring of venomous reader feedback as when I dared to pan 2009’s smash hit The Hangover. Doubtless unaware of my love for such raunchy and decidedly non-P.C. titles as There’s…
Let Westboro and the world know
Editor, I was glad to see your call for nonviolent engagement in response to the Westboro hate group (“Protesting the protestors”). I heard some in the media, and the larger community, express an ‘ignore them and they’ll go away’ sentiment. And, I understand the urge to withhold media and community attention from an organization devoted…
Kathy Griffin: Danger and dishing
Now that it’s a wrap on the sixth season of her TV series, My Life on the D-List, two-time Emmy winner Kathy Griffin is back on the road, doing what she loves the most – standup comedy. Just her, a microphone, and a bottomless well of celebrity foibles on which she can dish. She is…
News Briefs
State’s unemployment rate drops in April The unemployment rate in Georgia dropped to 9.9 percent last month, a decline of 0.1 from March and the third consecutive month in which the rate showed steady decline according to data released by the state’s Department of Labor last week. While unemployment was down across the state, Savannah…
‘A crazy menagerie’
The side project is an important part of the rock ‘n’ roll experience. For a famous musician, it’s a chance to blow off a little steam, have some fun and, most importantly, change the high profile to low – if just for a little while. The fans, of course, benefit by seeing and hearing their…
Mendocino dreamin’
Among all the grape varieties I sample, I return over and over to one varietal – Pinot Noir. I appreciate this little dark purple terroir sponge. When handled properly, it’s a tasty measure of its surroundings – soil, sun and water. It’s like taking a trip with your taste buds. I dipped into the wine…
Grillin’ & chillin’: The basics
With Memorial Day right around the corner, many of you will be firing up the grill for the first time this season – or at least entertaining a crowd to celebrate the long weekend. To insure the best results from your cookout, I’ll don my “Kiss the Cook” apron this week and offer some grilling…
Artists in Residence
It’s a familiar narrative in Savannah: Find a house that needs a little work, fix it up and settle down. But an art event next week in an Ardsley Park bungalow will add a twist to that cookie cutter tale of adulthood. “We renovated this house, spent nine months doing it, and spent tons of…
Knowing the score
Consider the health of classical music in our city since Peter Shannon came aboard to mold and direct the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus a little less than four years ago. Nearly every concert in the 2010–2011 season sold out. Sure, the Beethovens and the Bachs will always put butts in the seats, but it’s…
A heck of a party
One of my favorite things about our annual “Best of Savannah” readers poll and special issue is the huge morale boost it gives us around here. Let’s face it: Working at a perpetual underdog has its stress points. We have a smaller budget and staff than pretty much all of our competitors in this market.…
Elizabeth Arynn/The River Monks, The Royal Noise
ELIZABETH ARYNN /THE RIVER MONKS At 10 p.m. Thursday, May 26 Wormhole Bar, 2307 Bull St. Arin Eaton of Des Moines, Iowa uses the stage name Elizabeth Arynn; she writes whimsical folk/pop songs, which she sings in that dry, ironic sort of Ingrid Michaelson/Regina Spektor voice that everyone seems to love. She was, by the…
Sweet thing
We all have a wide–eyed friend like Kristin Sweetland — artsy, articulate, eccentric, engaging, outgoing, a little odd but always full of enthusiasm and passion for whatever creative project is next on the burner. Ostensibly, the Ontario–bred Sweetland is a folksinger. She’s been part of the Canadian acoustic music circuit for more than a decade,…
Unlucky couples
Two officers heard quite a few different stories before arresting a subject early one morning. The officers were on patrol in the area of Fort Argyle Rd and I–95 when they saw a vehicle drive down a dead end dirt road that no vehicle would have reason to travel down. They stopped the car as…
Mark Your Calendar: Asian Festival
The 16th Annual Savannah Asian Festival will take over the Civic Center for six hours on Saturday, June 11. Of course, there’ll be a cultural marketplace, where one can learn about (and buy stuff relating to) the niceties of Asian life and culture… … Ah, but what draws people, and a lot of them to…
Making Savannah better for bicycles
“The businessman rides his bike to work!” a man shouted cheerfully from the sidewalk as I approached the intersection. He was mostly right: I’m not a businessman, but I was riding to my job just as I have almost every workday for the last several years. And I’m not alone. Figures from the US Census…
Money matters
Last week’s City Council pre–meeting workshop covered quite a bit of territory and took quite a bit of time, clocking in at just over three hours. The central topic included a lengthy presentation by the City’s Chief Financial Officer Dick Evans, who outlined the state of the City’s finances, including an update on the pension…
Psychotronic thanks you
Editor, On behalf of everyone associated with the Psychotronic Film Society, I want to express my sincere gratitude to Connect Savannah’s readers for voting the PFS 2011’s Best Indie Film Society and Runner–Up for Best Film Fest. After eight years of regularly screening irregular motion pictures, our quirky not–for–profit organization now enjoys international name recognition,…
