Style
CRITICAL MASS : Take it personally
PHILIP MARTIN
The more you know about making movies, the more you understand that every movie is a minor miracle of collaboration ; that it’s unfair to ascribe authorship to any one mind. Auteur theory is a convenient way of talking about the movies, a convention we sometimes adopt to describe and order our filmgoing experiences. It is easy to say it’s a Fellini film, or a Bette Davis movie — to do so gives us a starting point for our conversation. - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
WHAT’S IN A DAME : Flattery is a girl’s best friend
JENNIFER CHRISTMAN
Women need food, water and compliments... and an occasional pair of shoes. - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Williams exhibition displays a ‘Family Tradition’
BY JOHN GEROME THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It’s no shock that the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum got a tepid response from Hank Williams Jr. on their plans for an exhibit on his family, from his iconic and troubled father through his own hell-raising days to his children’s lives. - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
War Eagle screens thrice
War Eagle, Arkansas will be presented twice during the Little Rock Film Festival, first as the event’s opening movie at 7 p.m. Thursday at Riverdale 10. There’ll be a discussion of the film immediately after the screening with members of the cast, crew and producer Vincent Insalaco. - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
THE TV COLUMN : PBS’ Frontline recounts disastrous day on Everest
MICHAEL STOREY
The passing of a dozen years hasn’t lessened the chilling impact of their tale. - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
The who, what, when, where and why of Iron Man trivia
BY ANDREW A. SMITH SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
Tony Stark makes you feel He’s a cool exec with a heart of steel As Iron Man, all jets ablaze He’s fighting and smiting with repulsor rays! - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
TELL ME ABOUT IT : Just say no to fixing up brother
CAROLYN HAX
DEAR CAROLYN: I have a friend who is pressuring me (and others) to fix her brother up on dates. He seems nice but I know his story and it involves professional disgrace, financial problems and depression. None of us feels comfortable introducing this man to anyone. I’ve tried to put her off but she won’t stop. She is blind about her brother and a real control freak. How can I get her to back off without telling her that her bro is a loser no one should date? — Crazed DEAR READER: Wow. This reads like an advice columnist’s philosophy exam: “Who’s in worse shape, the loser, the myopic control freak sister who defends him, or the person who befriends the myopic control freak sister yet plainly dislikes her?” Never mind. - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Social Security Q&A
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
Q: If my spouse and I are entitled to Social Security benefits, will we each get our own full retirement amounts, or is there a reduction? - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
House Hunters’ Whang passionate about homes
DETROIT NEWS
As a host of HGTV’s House Hunters and its spinoff House Hunters International, Suzanne Whang has become the friendly face of TV open houses. - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Check your knowledge
1. Is Parmesan a soft or hard cheese? 2. Purchase of what land by the United States was known at the time as “Seward’s Folly” ? 3. The Wright Brothers had their first successful flight in what year? 4. In the world of computers, a byte contains how many bits? 5. Is it true or false that corpuscles are both red and white blood cells? 6. What is the difference between “gnats” in the United States and England? 7. What is the currency of Denmark? 8. What part of the garlic plant is eaten? 9. Who wrote the famous poem “Old Ironsides” ? Answers 1. Parmesan is a very hard and dry cheese. 2. Alaska, bought by the U.S. from Russia in 1867. Seward was Secretary of State William H. Seward. 3. The flight was in 1903. 4. Eight. A bit (short for binary digit) is the smallest unit of information stored in a computer. 5. True 6. In the U.S., gnat is the name for many species of small biting flies; in England, mosquitoes are called gnats. 7. Krone 8. The bulb 9. Oliver Wendell Holmes - Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Junction of distinction
PHOTOS BY RUSSELL POWELL STORY BY CELIA STOREY
Memorize this for your future Arkansasbridge-bragging purposes: When the Junction Bridge reopens between Little Rock and North Little Rock on Saturday, it will be The Nation’s Only Pedestrian Bridge — With a Lift Span. - Monday, May 12, 2008
Cyclists to be burning calories, not gas, on Bike to Work Day
BY CELIA STOREY
Pedaling to work through downtown rushhour traffic doesn’t take nerves of steel when you’re surrounded by several hundred bicycles and escorted by police. - Monday, May 12, 2008
Happy trails
— Michael Storey
DEGRAY LAKE LODGE LOOP Location: DeGray Lake Resort State Park Lodge is seven miles north of Interstate 30, Exit 78, on Arkansas 7. Follow the signs to the lodge. Length: Starting at the lodge and using a handy park brochure, hike the Island Trail then cross the causeway to Saginaw Historic Trail and Towering Pines Trail. Walk the camp road to the scenic end of Caddo Bend Day Use Area peninsula. Return via the park road for a beautiful 4.8-mile, easy, 90 percent flat, trek. Main attractions: One of the most beautiful places in Arkansas. I found a fox den with two curious pups not 200 yards from the parking lot. Hazards: Watch for cars at Caddo Bend during warm weather. The swimming and picnicking area is very popular. Amenities: Parking, water, restrooms, restaurant at the lodge. Fees: None. Dog, tyke, bike friendly? Yes, on a leash; yes, if they can hike this far; keep bikes on the camp roads. Rating (out of five): Know a good trail for a hike? E-mail mstorey@arkansasonline.com - Monday, May 12, 2008
Life lines
BY CELIA STOREY
Fitness Summit Jean-Paul Francoeur is hosting the JP Fitness Summit 2008 at his fi tness center in downtown Little Rock from May 30 to June 1. Celebrity speakers include Alan Aragon and Steve Cotter. - Monday, May 12, 2008
New workouts
BY RHONDA OWEN
The Best of Tamilee’s Buns, Abs & Arms, Hu-Man Element Productions, 68 minutes, DVD, $19.95. Available at Amazon.com and webbworkout.com. - Monday, May 12, 2008
MASTER CLASS : Pressed for time? Press and Crunch
BY MATT PARROTT SPECIAL TO THE DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Multitasking has become an accepted part of modern life. Now more than ever, people are looking for ways to improve productivity by combining tasks. Naturally, this mentality has trickled into the world of physical fitness and is very much a part of exercise programs. - Monday, May 12, 2008
Pavement or treadmill a choice of more exertion or less stress
THE NEW YORK TIMES
The claim: Running outside burns more calories than a treadmill. - Monday, May 12, 2008
Check your knowledge
1. Name the vice president who became president upon death in office of President Warren G. Harding. 2. Indonesia won its independence in 1949 after being ruled for centuries by what European country? 3. What is the difference between a meteorite and meteoroid? 4. What does “erudite” mean? 5. Identify the unit of measurement that is equal to about 62/100ths of a mile. 6. “Cape Cod” turkey is better known as... 7.What heavenly body in space is surrounded by the chromosphere? 8. What do the English call the trunk of a car? 9.What is the name for a drug that is sold under its technical name? Answers 1. Calvin Coolidge, later elected to a full term 2. The Netherlands. Formal independence came after Indonesia fought the Dutch after initially declaring independence on Aug. 17, 1945. 3. Meteoroids are pieces of material that orbit the sun and which may enter Earth’s atmosphere. When they survive the fall through atmosphere and land on Earth, they are called meteorites. 4. Learned, scholarly, or showing a vast knowle - Monday, May 12, 2008
ON TV CONTEST : What is your favorite TV show of all time?
Whether your relationship with television is one of long-standing devotion or more of a casual thing, you can probably think of a list of shows you’ve loved. - Monday, May 12, 2008
Hands-free Nubrella is twist on that old reliable umbrella
BY MONICA HESSE THE WASHINGTON POST
April showers could continue to the end of May, and your Burberry and your BlackBerry are already waterlogged. Perhaps you need a Nubrella. - Monday, May 12, 2008
Gonna get Carried away
BY WERNER TRIESCHMANN
With apologies to poet Wallace Stevens, here are “Thirteen Ways of Looking at Carrie Underwood.” ICarrie Underwood sells tickets. Her show at Alltel Arena tonight is sold out. Josh Turner, the man with the smooth baritone who sounds like Randy Travis and has that “Firecracker” song, is the opening act. Alltel’s upper deck will be draped with a black curtain, so there were only approximately 6,500 tickets available to bask in Underwood’s golden radiance live and in person. Those tickets are gone. So the show is a sellout though it won’t be a capacity crowd. Underwood isn’t George Strait yet. But she’s only 25 and, then again, who else is? II She is eBay’s BFF (best friend forever). - Sunday, May 11, 2008
LET’S TALK : I spread my wings in church
HELAINE WILLIAMS
After reading last week’s column about the challenge of choosing friends who won’t embarrass you should you seek a high-profile position, my editor suggested I follow up with my perspective on the black church. - Sunday, May 11, 2008
Walton center books Spamalot
BY ERIC E. HARRISON
FAYETTEVILLE — Monty Python’s Spamalot will be the Arthurian crown jewel in the 2008-09 season for the Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. - Sunday, May 11, 2008
FILM : Festival lineup shows aplomb
BY KYLE BRAZZEL
The Little Rock Film Festival, which returns Thursday for its second year and with a slate of more than 50 films, ought to be in its sophomore slump. This time around, there’s no novelty and no Knocked Up, the summer 2007 blockbuster that, through some shrewd negotiating on the part of festival programmers, received an early sneak-preview screening by opening the inaugural event. - Sunday, May 11, 2008
Prince Caspian actor finding himself in strange new world
BY BROOKS BARNES THE NEW YORK TIMES
LOS ANGELES — As jarring moments go, the action figure in his likeness was nothing compared to the billboard on the Sunset Strip. There he was, towering eight stories above the boutiques and rock clubs, with sword brandished, lips pursed and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian emblazoned across his legs. “This has to be one of the weirdest moments of my life,” said Ben Barnes, the young British actor who plays the title role in the new movie. He backed up to take in the advertisement’s full effect. “I have no comprehension of what’s about to happen to me, do I?” Nope. - Sunday, May 11, 2008
ENTERTAINMENT NOTES : Operatic voices, soulful strings fill the air with beautiful music
BY ERIC E. HARRISON
Students of the Chotard Institute of Music will stage two one-act operas by Benjamin Britten — Abraham and Isaac and The Golden Vanity — at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, 4823 Woodlawn Ave., Little Rock. - Sunday, May 11, 2008
SPIN CYCLE : Our ‘stimulating’ shopping list
JENNIFER CHRISTMAN
Got stimulation? - Sunday, May 11, 2008
THE TV COLUMN : ABC’s ax chops Men in Trees
MICHAEL STOREY
It’s hard to believe, but it’s already time to start saying goodbye for the season to our favorite TV shows. - Sunday, May 11, 2008
TELL ME ABOUT IT : Relocation his decision alone
CAROLYN HAX
DEAR CAROLYN: I have been working in a career field for the past four years, since I graduated from college. For the past two years, I have been unhappy. My job requires frequent travel to dangerous places, intense hardship and long hours at times. I have been looking to make a change but haven’t had the chutzpah to make it happen. - Sunday, May 11, 2008
Cowell criticizes his own show
BY TERRY MORROW SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
American Idol judge Simon Cowell is never one to hold back, even about his own series. - Sunday, May 11, 2008
