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08/14/12

Rabbi Micah Greenstein — Wouldn't You Rather Read His CURRENT "Who's Who" Bio?

Let me tell you, putting together the “Who’s Who” section of our annual City Guide is a grueling process. It begins with staff meetings to determine just which Memphians deserve such recognition, and those discussions can sometimes get a bit, uh, animated — ending with loud arguments, punches thrown, cheap liquor bottles hurled. After things have settled down and we've made the final selection of 100 or so people, though, the next step is to write or update the various bios. We glean the needed information and photos from various sources, then turn it over to a grizzled veteran of our staff to compile all of these bits and pieces into one article. That grizzled fellow would be ME. Employing a decidedly low-tech system of colored markers, I compile...

Posted at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1

07/16/12

Remembering Tom Donahue (1948-2012)

Memphis artist Tom Donahue passed away this weekend at the age of 64. He was perhaps as well known for his extraordinarily skillful portrait painting as for being the older brother of Commercial Appeal columnist Michael Donahue. We profiled this talented man in our July 1995 issue. Here's what freelance writer Chris Haywood had to say about him then: - - - - - - - - - - You can learn a lot about a man from his answering machine and license plate. Memphis artist Tom Donahue has a trio of male offspring, and he paints portraits. You know this because his answering machine plays the familiar tune to the 1960s TV series My Three Sons, and his car license tag reads "PORTR8S." But except for these clues, Donahue is a private fellow who doesn't like to talk...

Posted at 02:23 PM | Permalink | Comments

07/13/12

Morgan Freeman on Barack, Batman, and "Black Is Beautiful"

With one of the most distinctive voices on stage or screen, it's nice to know that acclaimed actor Morgan Freeman isn't at a loss for words. In a recent story in The Guardian, published in the United Kingdom, the star of the new Batman film The Dark Knight Rises expressed a rather low opinion of the American political system, which he compared to "plenty of maggots still squirming around there under the stone." (He's referring to members of a certain political party, but we won't give that away here.) At the age of 75, he is still happy to be offered major acting roles, for the simple reason, "I prefer working to idleness. And I like my job. I'm lucky, I'm not working because I have to; I'm working because I love to." And...

Posted at 02:53 PM | Permalink | Comments: 1

05/17/12

Diamond Dash Set for Saturday

If you happen to notice a large group of people running all over the downtown area Saturday, they will be responding to clues about a hidden diamond ring. About 300 treasure hunters are expected to meet at Handy Park at 10 a.m. for the Reeds Jewelers Diamond Dash. Participants will receive text messages hinting where the $13,000 prize is hiding. The scavenger hunt will take about two hours until an awards ceremony at the park at 1. Participants pre-registered to be part of the action either as Reeds customers or by responding to TV, radio, and newspaper ads. They also had to write essays about why they want the ring. So may the best diamond hunter win!

Posted at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments

04/27/12

Humane Society's Mega Adoptathon Starts Now

As I'm typing this blog posting, the clock has just struck 10 a.m. That means it's the beginning of the Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby County's innaugural 36-hour Mega Adoptathon, which wraps up tomorrow at 10 p.m. HSMSC will remain open the whole time, with hourly adoption specials. One of those is "Howl at the Moon," in which approved adopters won't pay any adoption fee from midnight to sunrise. Attendees also can look forward to a free dog-training session tonight and tomorrow at 6 p.m. If you adopt a dog from one of the sessions, you get a 50 percent discount on your adoption fee. Families also are invited to attend a free outdoor screening of "Lady and the Tramp" tonight at 8. Free popcorn will be served, and a social/adoption...

Posted at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments

04/23/12

CHC, Wings Offer Free Cancer Classes

The Church Health Center and Wings Cancer Foundation are working together to offer free classes to cancer patients and survivors. Some of the classes include "Cancer and Nutrition," "Beyond Cancer," and "Faith in the Face of Cancer." Wings works to foster hope, education, research, and support for anyone touched by cancer, and the CHC promotes total wellness and provides healthcare for the working uninsured. For more information about the classes, call Wings at 901-322-2984 or the CHC at 901-272-7170.

Posted at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments

04/18/12

The 2013 Fiction Contest

We have changed the timeframe of this annual competition for Mid-South writers. We will start accepting entries in October 2012, and the deadline for entries will be February 1, 2013. As in the past, the winning story will earn a $1,000 grand prize and will be published in our annual culture issue in June 2013. Two honorable mention awards of $500 each will be given if the quality of entries warrants. Below are contest rules: 1. Authors must live within 150 miles of Memphis. 2. Entries must be postmarked by February 1, 2013. 3. You may submit more than one story but each entry must be accompanied by a $10 entry fee, with check or money orders payable to Memphis magazine. 4. Each story should be typed, double-spaced, with unstapled, numbered pages. 5....

Posted at 04:22 PM | Permalink | Comments

04/13/12

A Titanic Century

I listened to the message — left on my office voice mail — early on a Monday morning last month. It proved to be the best start to a week I’ve enjoyed in some time. “Hi Frank. This is a voice from your past.” The cheery greeting came from M.P. Wilkerson, a friend I knew — more than a decade ago — during her days as a writer from Montgomery, Alabama. As nice as it was to hear her voice after several years, the kicker was the reason for her call. “I wonder . . . do you happen to recall the name of the Titanic survivor we met on our trip?” “Our trip.” M.P. and I actually took several trips together, to various corners of the globe, each of them press junkets for Wonders: The Memphis International...

Posted at 09:09 AM | Permalink | Comments

04/04/12

New Documentary Traces Colorful (and Sometimes Controversial) History of Memphis College of Art

In our November 2009 cover story, we looked back at the crazy events that unfolded at the Memphis College of Art in the early 1970s. Some Memphians were dismayed by the school's use of nude models in its drawing classes, and then outraged when a photo exhibition featured — gasp! — photographs of naked women. Finally, one lunatic decided enough was enough, and he broke into a professor's house, kidnapped their teenage son, and threatened to kill him if the offending images weren't taken down. Were they removed? Did the child live or die? To find out, you can either read our cover story, OR you can watch a brand-new film that explores these and other interesting events in the long history of the Memphis College of Art and its predecessor, the Memphis Art...

Posted at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments

03/29/12

Music Commission to Stage Women's History Event

The Memphis & Shelby County Music Commission's 2012 Emissaries of Memphis Music Celebration is tonight at 7 p.m. at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn. The event, which is keyed to Women's History Month, will feature vocalists Ann Peeples, Anita Ward, Wendy Moten, Bethany Paige, and Alexis Grace; radio personality Bev Johnson; Ann Pitts, executive director of the Levitt Shell; and nightclub owner Anita Makris. Kontji Anthony of WMC-TV 5 will be emceeing. For more information, visit www.memphismusic.org.

Posted at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments

	08/14/12 Rabbi Micah Greenstein — Wouldn't You Rather Read His CURRENT "Who's Who" Bio? Let me tell you, putting together the “Who’s Who” section of our annual City Guide is a grueling process. It begins with staff meetings to determine just which Memphians deserve such recognition, and those discussions can sometimes get a bit, uh, animated — ending with loud arguments, punches thrown, cheap liquor bottles hurled. After things have settled down and we've made the final selection of 100 or so people, though, the next step is to write or update the various bios. We glean the needed information and photos from various sources, then turn it over to a grizzled veteran of our staff to compile all of these bits and pieces into one article. That grizzled fellow would be ME. Employing a decidedly low-tech system of colored markers, I compile... Posted at 10:47 AM \| Permalink \| Comments: 1
	07/16/12 Remembering Tom Donahue (1948-2012) Memphis artist Tom Donahue passed away this weekend at the age of 64. He was perhaps as well known for his extraordinarily skillful portrait painting as for being the older brother of Commercial Appeal columnist Michael Donahue. We profiled this talented man in our July 1995 issue. Here's what freelance writer Chris Haywood had to say about him then: - - - - - - - - - - You can learn a lot about a man from his answering machine and license plate. Memphis artist Tom Donahue has a trio of male offspring, and he paints portraits. You know this because his answering machine plays the familiar tune to the 1960s TV series My Three Sons, and his car license tag reads "PORTR8S." But except for these clues, Donahue is a private fellow who doesn't like to talk... Posted at 02:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	07/13/12 Morgan Freeman on Barack, Batman, and "Black Is Beautiful" With one of the most distinctive voices on stage or screen, it's nice to know that acclaimed actor Morgan Freeman isn't at a loss for words. In a recent story in The Guardian, published in the United Kingdom, the star of the new Batman film The Dark Knight Rises expressed a rather low opinion of the American political system, which he compared to "plenty of maggots still squirming around there under the stone." (He's referring to members of a certain political party, but we won't give that away here.) At the age of 75, he is still happy to be offered major acting roles, for the simple reason, "I prefer working to idleness. And I like my job. I'm lucky, I'm not working because I have to; I'm working because I love to." And... Posted at 02:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments: 1
	05/17/12 Diamond Dash Set for Saturday If you happen to notice a large group of people running all over the downtown area Saturday, they will be responding to clues about a hidden diamond ring. About 300 treasure hunters are expected to meet at Handy Park at 10 a.m. for the Reeds Jewelers Diamond Dash. Participants will receive text messages hinting where the $13,000 prize is hiding. The scavenger hunt will take about two hours until an awards ceremony at the park at 1. Participants pre-registered to be part of the action either as Reeds customers or by responding to TV, radio, and newspaper ads. They also had to write essays about why they want the ring. So may the best diamond hunter win! Posted at 11:16 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	04/27/12 Humane Society's Mega Adoptathon Starts Now As I'm typing this blog posting, the clock has just struck 10 a.m. That means it's the beginning of the Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby County's innaugural 36-hour Mega Adoptathon, which wraps up tomorrow at 10 p.m. HSMSC will remain open the whole time, with hourly adoption specials. One of those is "Howl at the Moon," in which approved adopters won't pay any adoption fee from midnight to sunrise. Attendees also can look forward to a free dog-training session tonight and tomorrow at 6 p.m. If you adopt a dog from one of the sessions, you get a 50 percent discount on your adoption fee. Families also are invited to attend a free outdoor screening of "Lady and the Tramp" tonight at 8. Free popcorn will be served, and a social/adoption... Posted at 10:16 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	04/23/12 CHC, Wings Offer Free Cancer Classes The Church Health Center and Wings Cancer Foundation are working together to offer free classes to cancer patients and survivors. Some of the classes include "Cancer and Nutrition," "Beyond Cancer," and "Faith in the Face of Cancer." Wings works to foster hope, education, research, and support for anyone touched by cancer, and the CHC promotes total wellness and provides healthcare for the working uninsured. For more information about the classes, call Wings at 901-322-2984 or the CHC at 901-272-7170. Posted at 10:30 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	04/18/12 The 2013 Fiction Contest We have changed the timeframe of this annual competition for Mid-South writers. We will start accepting entries in October 2012, and the deadline for entries will be February 1, 2013. As in the past, the winning story will earn a $1,000 grand prize and will be published in our annual culture issue in June 2013. Two honorable mention awards of $500 each will be given if the quality of entries warrants. Below are contest rules: 1. Authors must live within 150 miles of Memphis. 2. Entries must be postmarked by February 1, 2013. 3. You may submit more than one story but each entry must be accompanied by a $10 entry fee, with check or money orders payable to Memphis magazine. 4. Each story should be typed, double-spaced, with unstapled, numbered pages. 5.... Posted at 04:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	04/13/12 A Titanic Century I listened to the message — left on my office voice mail — early on a Monday morning last month. It proved to be the best start to a week I’ve enjoyed in some time. “Hi Frank. This is a voice from your past.” The cheery greeting came from M.P. Wilkerson, a friend I knew — more than a decade ago — during her days as a writer from Montgomery, Alabama. As nice as it was to hear her voice after several years, the kicker was the reason for her call. “I wonder . . . do you happen to recall the name of the Titanic survivor we met on our trip?” “Our trip.” M.P. and I actually took several trips together, to various corners of the globe, each of them press junkets for Wonders: The Memphis International... Posted at 09:09 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	04/04/12 New Documentary Traces Colorful (and Sometimes Controversial) History of Memphis College of Art In our November 2009 cover story, we looked back at the crazy events that unfolded at the Memphis College of Art in the early 1970s. Some Memphians were dismayed by the school's use of nude models in its drawing classes, and then outraged when a photo exhibition featured — gasp! — photographs of naked women. Finally, one lunatic decided enough was enough, and he broke into a professor's house, kidnapped their teenage son, and threatened to kill him if the offending images weren't taken down. Were they removed? Did the child live or die? To find out, you can either read our cover story, OR you can watch a brand-new film that explores these and other interesting events in the long history of the Memphis College of Art and its predecessor, the Memphis Art... Posted at 12:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	03/29/12 Music Commission to Stage Women's History Event The Memphis & Shelby County Music Commission's 2012 Emissaries of Memphis Music Celebration is tonight at 7 p.m. at the University of Memphis Holiday Inn. The event, which is keyed to Women's History Month, will feature vocalists Ann Peeples, Anita Ward, Wendy Moten, Bethany Paige, and Alexis Grace; radio personality Bev Johnson; Ann Pitts, executive director of the Levitt Shell; and nightclub owner Anita Makris. Kontji Anthony of WMC-TV 5 will be emceeing. For more information, visit www.memphismusic.org. Posted at 10:47 AM \| Permalink \| Comments