June 2011
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06/29/11Barbie Tries Her Hand at Being a KingAlthough Barbie is no stranger to gold lame', she usually wears it in the form of a gown or cocktail dress. But not this time. Come July, the iconic Mattel doll will be dressed up like Memphis' own Elvis Presley and for sale to Elvis fans and Barbie afficianados alike.She's wearing what company literature calls a "tribute to Elvis with an artistic interpretation of one of the American music icon's most famous fashions." It's an updated, feminized version of the glitzy golden suit from the cover of the King's 1959 album 50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong.But this Barbie looks more like Priscilla trying on Elvis' clothes, with her glossy black pompadour hairdo and eyeliner-heavy makeup. And those gold platform Mary Janes! I'm... Posted at 02:15 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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06/27/11Sports Expert John Guinozzo Opens Library Exhibit with Baseball PresentationA man described as our city's "walking, talking baseball encyclopedia" will make a presentation on — you guessed it, baseball history — July 7th at the Benjamin Hooks Central Library to kick off the library's exhibit on "Baseball Memphis."John Guinozzo is known to thousands of Memphians as the official scorekeeper at Memphis Redbirds and Grizzlies games and the statistician for just about all the University of Memphis Tigers teams. On Thursday, July 7th, beginning at 6:30 p.m., Guinozzo will discuss his museum-quality collection of sports memorabilia, which will be on display on the fourth floor of the library through the month of July.Guinozzo estimates that he has kept score at more than 5,600 games over a 41-year career. "Baseball is my number-one... |
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06/20/11Blogger about Memphis Animal Shelter Receives Warning LetterThe originator and writer of the pet-related YesBiscuit blog has received a warning letter from City Attorney Herman Morris Jr. Her offense? Starting a fund to provide medical care for some of the animals rescued from Memphis Animal Services, also known as the Shelter.Shirley Thistlethwaite is a South Carolina resident who in recent months has focused on Shelter conditions, which she learned about when the Shelter was raided in 2009. On her blog she has circulated numerous webcam images of shelter employees mishandling or mistreating animals, and she has pushed hard for the Shelter to improve its 77 percent kill rate. She also repeatedly questions Shelter officials about why potential adopters can see only selected animals in the up-front adoption area of the Shelter, while... Posted at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments: 47 |
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06/17/11Kallen Esperian Named to Ole Miss PositionThe world-renowned diva who calls Memphis home has accepted the position of Artist in Residence at the University of Mississippi's Department of Music for 2011-2012.Department chairman Charles Gates says he's "pleased and excited" to confirm Kallen Esperian's appointment. Though they are still working out details for the job that starts in mid-August, he names a few areas in which the soprano will share her talent and wealth of experience. These include teaching master classes for voice students, as well as special-topics classes for all students, while also working with the Ole Miss Opera Theatre. Esperian's role will extend to scholarship fundraising, PR, and recruitment activities for the department and the university."We are certainly looking... |
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06/17/11Father's Day RocksAt the risk of coming across as sentimentally tone-deaf, I recently told a friend that Christmas would rank no higher than fifth on my list of favorite holidays. I love Santa Claus, have spent most of my Christmas mornings in the snow-white beauty of Vermont, and relish a thoughtful gift as much as most 10-year-olds. But the fact is, there are four holidays that have come to mean more to me. Here they are, in ascending order.• Valentine’s Day — I’m in love with my wife of 17 years, and I enjoy a day when it’s a recognized obligation of mine to acknowledge how much I love my spouse. I try to make sure she knows this truth year-round, but distractions interfere. I’m lucky to be in love; glad there’s a holiday to remind me.• St. Patrick’s... |
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06/14/11Painting with a Twist Grand OpeningArt and wine — a happy combination. Now local entrepreneurs Tovah and Chris Mitchell bring that combination to Germantown, as they launch Painting with a Twist at 3116 Village Shops Drive.With a grand opening scheduled for Thursday, June 16th, the husband-wife team see the area's first "art and social studio" as a way to stimulate visitors' creative side while sipping wine and engaging with friends. At the shop, which is part of a growing national franchise based in Mandeville, Louisiana, guests will paint on 16-inch-by-20-inch canvases. With guidance from local art instructors during a two- to three-hour class, aspiring painters will recreate an existing painting adding their own special touch to a piece they will take home that day. While the studio... Posted at 10:26 AM | Permalink | Comments: 2 |
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06/12/11Phil Campbell (the Person) Helps Phil Campbell (the Town) After Tornado DevastationA dozen years ago (gosh, has it really been that long?) a rather enterprising young reporter came to work for our sister publication, the Memphis Flyer. Phil Campbell quickly found a niche with his offbeat reporting. Among other ventures, he visited a nudist camp, spent the night in an hourly rate motel, and visited a massage parlor where the services included more than just a backrub.Before he found his way to Memphis, however, Phil had done something that we thought was rather cool. He had discovered that he shared his name with the little town of Phil Campbell, Alabama. Now most people would find that amusing — a town with their name! — and leave it at that. Not our Phil. In those days before the internet made such things easier, Phil managed to track down every other... Posted at 09:55 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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06/08/11Memphis Magazine Named Finalist in Green Eyeshade AwardsSeveral writers and designers at Memphis magazine and our sister publication, the Memphis Flyer, have been named finalists in the 2011 Green Eyeshade Excellence in Journalism Awards. Conducted by the Atlanta chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Green Eyeshades salute the best work produced by newspapers, magazines, and other media in an 11-state Southern region.Memphis magazine was cited in the following categories:GENERAL NEWS REPORTING: "Full Moon Over West Memphis: The West Memphis Three Have Spent 17 Years Behind Bars, But the Evidence Is Lacking" by Mara Leveritt (May 2010)INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING: "Absence of Motive: Local Police Saw It as a Clear-cut Case of Murder and Suicide, But Questions Linger," by Marilyn Sadler (June 2010)SERIOUS... |
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06/03/11"Delicious Dining" Opens at Memphis Botanic GardenHow many plants does it take to grow a pizza? That's one of many facts that young visitors can learn at The Delicious Dining exhibit on display at Memphis Botanic Garden through mid-October 2011. With the sponsorship of TruGreen, the exhibit helps viewers make connections between the food they love and the plants those foods contain.MBG staff and horticulture experts have transformed the dining room of the Home Sweet Home area into a display garden showcasing several vegetables, herbs, and tropical spice plants and how they're used in the culinary world. For instance, cucumber and dill plants grow alongside a jar of pickles. At the Menu du Jour table, lemon balm grows next to a lemonade pitcher. And at the Tropical Treats hutch, kids can discover why some... |
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06/02/11Movie Screening Features Pit BullsOn Wednesday, June 15th, at 7 p.m., a special screening of the independent documentary Beyond the Myth will be held at Malco Studio on the Square. Focusing on pit bulls and those who love and defend them, the film examines the contributing factors behind the public's fear of the breed and the conflict between advocates and opponents of breed-specific legislation.In conjunction with the film's screening, Mid-South Spay & Neuter Services is offering free spay and neuter services for as many of these dogs as possible as part of its annual "Dog Days of Summer" spay-neuter program. MSSN&S spokesperson Barbara Standing says, "Unfortunately, far too many pit bulls are ending up in the wrong hands are are subject to improper training, inappropriate... |
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06/01/11About Our June 2011 Issue of Memphis Magazine"Yes, you're from South Memphis. Yes, you’ve always been underdogs. No one has handed you a thing. But that also means that whatever you accomplish in your lives, you’ll have earned it. Whatever rewards and joys you reap, you’ll appreciate them that much more because they will have come through your sweat and tears; the product of your efforts and talents. You’ve shown more grit and determination in your childhoods than a lot of adults ever will."With these words, Barack Obama rocked the crowd last month at the Cook Convention Center, where several thousand Memphians gathered to witness his Booker T. Washington High School 2011 commencement address, and where 155 BTW seniors were lucky enough to get a hearty handshake from the President of the United... |
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06/01/11Family Safety Center Hires DirectorDescribed as a veteran domestic violence advocate, Olliette Murry-Drobot has been chosen executive director, effective June 20th, of the Family Safety Center of Memphis and Shelby County.Chip Dudley, chair of the FSC board of directors, praises Murry-Drobot's experience, know-how, and "the energy required to launch our operations and get the organization running smoothly and efficiently." The new director — who replaces the interim leader Linda Miller — was most recently head of the Southeast Memphis Community Development Corporation and a consultant to the University of Memphis Center for Community Criminology and Research. She also worked directly with Operation: Safe Community's Safeways, where she developed strategies to tackle domestic... |
