Arkansas Times

ARKANSAS’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF POLITICS AND CULTURE ■ JANUARY 26, 2011

www.arktimes.com

THE GREAT Completed in 1985, I-630 was one of America’s last cross-town freeway projects.

What has it done for — and to — Little Rock?

BY DAVID KOON PAGE 10

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Winder wind-up n The two-year negotiations between the city and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences over the purchase of Ray Winder Field appear to be coming to a close. The city and UAMS have finally settled on a sale price of $1,321,133; City Attorney Tom Carpenter said only minor clarifications need to be made to the document of sale.

After City Manager Bruce Moore approves the document it will be sent to UAMS. Carpenter says the City Board might be able to take action on the agreement as soon as its second meeting in February (Feb. 22).

The Ray Winder Project will be discussed at the Jan. 28 meeting of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees’ buildings and grounds committee.

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n We told you last week about a joint effort by the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality to regulate reserve pits on natural gas drilling sites across the state. The pits are built to hold various types of fluids — some containing very dangerous chemicals — that are used or produced during drilling.

Officials from AOGC and ADEQ told the Times the joint effort was aimed at better regulating what could be a source of water pollution. ADEQ has historically been short of inspection teams to regulate these and other pits, so the joint effort will aid in that.

The reason for their cooperation was made a little more clear in a filing Tuesday by the League of Women Voters and the Sierra Club. They were commenting on the new rules passed to regulate the pits. They say AOGC’s new rule B-17 and AEDQ’s new Rule 34 were “promulgated in significant part to respond to an oil company challenge to the ADEQ’s regulatory authority; the oil producers argued that only AOGC could control their activities.” The case cited is ADEQ v. Oil Producers of Arkansas, from 2009.

AOGC recently passed B-17 to set up regulations and institute penalties.

ADEQ is adapting rule 34 from the agency’s general permit, which has been used since 2007 to regulate the pits.

The League of Women Voters and the Sierra Club also maintain that the rules do “not sufficiently safeguard against dangerous leaks from waste pits.” Rule B-17 does not require that gas companies line all pits with a Continued on page 9

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www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 26, 2011 3

Smart talk

Contents

Rohwer reconstructed

The natural state of Twitter

8 Life interrupted

n Those who attended the many exhibits that accompanied the “Life Interrupted” project in Little Rock in 2004 will recall the tremendous art generated by the Japanese Americans who were incarcerated in camps at Rohwer and Jerome in Arkansas during World War II. Among the exhibits was a show titled “Lasting Beauty: Miss ROHWER, 1943: Sazuko Inhouye’s waterJamison and the Student Mural- color is part of the collection Rosalie Gould ists,” at the University of Arkansas has donated to the Butler Center. at Little Rock.

The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies announced last week that it has received “Miss Jamison’s” collection of art and hundreds of documents generated at Rohwer, a gift of former McGehee mayor Rosalie Gould. Gould and Rohwer art teacher Mabel Jamison Vogel made it their cause to preserve the memory of Rohwer, which was dismantled, and Jamison Vogel left Gould the collection in her will.

Besides art, documents and photographs, the collection includes a set of 185 handwritten autobiographies of internees dating from 1942.

n After Rep. David Sanders (R-Little Rock) introduced a bill last week that calls for Arkansas to change its motto from “The Natural State” back to “The Land of Opportunity,” the Arkansas Twitterverse latched onto the motto meme with other nominations at #rejectedarkansasnicknames and #rejectedarkansasmottos.

Here are some of the best: Arkansas — Surprisingly difficult to draw. (@ angryczech) If Ted Danson Can Stomach Us, So Can You (@amybhole) Where Retired Northerners Come To Complain About Taxes (@robybrock) Arkansas: You can’t marry within the same sex, but you can within the same family (@sethpurcell5) So Nice, T.I. Has Been Twice (@JeremyDewey) Arkansas — Where Progress Comes To Nap (@SmackOfHamBlog)

Two semesters from graduating, a UA Honors College student faces deportation to the land of his birth, but not his home.

— By Leslie Newell Peacock

Out, loud n While Arkansas will probably never catch up to storied Mississippi in terms of our literary reputation, several young authors in the state are making a heck of a dent.

The latest is Alexander poet Bryan Borland, whose book of poems, “My Life as Adam” (Sibling Rivalry Press), was recently selected for The American Library Association’s “Over the Rainbow” list of the BORLAND: Wins spot best gay and lesbian books of 2010. on ALA list.

Borland, whose poetry has been nominated for the prestigious Pushcart Prize three times, said that the inclusion of “My Life as Adam” on the ALA list is an honor for a uniquely Arkansan book.

“I grew up in Monticello, at a time when being an out, gay man was an impossibility,” Borland said. “ ‘My Life as Adam’ takes the reader through the path toward self-acceptance, a path that cut right through Arkansas.”

In addition to being a poet, Borland is also the editor and publisher of the poetry journal Assaracus, which he said is the only quarterly journal dedicated exclusively to the work of gay male poets. The journal’s first issue came out in January. It’s clear it was needed, he said, because submissions for upcoming issues have been pouring in.

For more information about the author, “My Life as Adam,” or Assaracus, visit Borland’s website at www.bryandborland. com.

10 The dividing line

Completed 25 years ago, I-630 effectively created a racial boundary for Little Rock. How did the freeway come to be?

And what’s its impact been on the city?

— By David Koon

21 The return

of the Showcase The annual Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase kicks off on Thursday at Stickyz. Be there. — By John Tarpley

DEPARTMENTS

3 The Insider

4 Smart Talk

5 The Observer

6 Letters

7 Orval 8-15 News

16 Opinion

21 Arts & Entertainment

32 Dining

37 Crossword/ Tom Tomorrow

38 Lancaster

Words n “Party down: A look into the thriving weekly urban parties in the River Market ... It’s not only a sign of a reinvention for Little Rock’s urban nightlife, but also a testament to the tenacity of the events’ promoters, whose personalities tend to be as big as the parties they throw.”

In my old Random House, urban is an adjective that means “of, pertaining to, or designating a city or town.” But the article on “urban nightlife,” and the photographs accompanying the article, make clear that urban means more today.

To be blunt, which the people who use the word this new-fangled way seldom are, urban is sometimes a synonym for “black.”

Sometimes, but not always. Where better to look for the meaning of urban than the on-line Urban Dictionary, com4 JANUARY 26, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

VOLUME 37, NUMBER 21

Doug S mith doug@arktimes.com

piled by many contributors, one of whom says the word urban “is exploited by corporations such as MTV to refer to black music/culture, without mentioning race.”

Another says urban is “a marketing term used to hide the fact they are focusing on a racial group.” Other contributions: “City style is largely driven by blacks, and thus ‘urban style’ often refers to black urban style. … Thus, indirectly, ‘urban culture’ implies black culture in certain contexts.”

“As a musical term, urban means

‘emerging and developing in densely populated areas of large cities, especially those populated by people of African or Caribbean origin.’ ” If you mean “black,” why not just say “black”? I’m reminded of the sportswriters who, in commenting on the superiority of Southeastern Conference football, for example, go to great lengths to avoid referring to black players. I’m not sure whether this reluctance to mention race directly is good or bad for race relations. n The Queen’s English: “Many old people with disabilities will stop receiving home visits from carers. Poor families will lose subsidised child care.” From a British publication, of course. Americans would say “caregivers,” and put a z in “subsidized.”

ARKANSAS TIMES (ISSN 0164-6273) is published each week by Arkansas Times Limited Partnership, 201 East Markham Street, 200 Heritage Center West, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72203, phone (501) 375-2985. Periodical postage paid at Little Rock, Arkansas, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ARKANSAS TIMES, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, AR, 72203. Subscription prices are $42 for one year, $78 for two years. Subscriptions outside Arkansas are $49 for one year, $88 for two years. Foreign (including Canadian) subscriptions are $168 a year. For subscriber service call (501) 375-2985.

Current single-copy price is 75¢, free in Pulaski County. Single issues are available by mail at $2.50 each, postage paid. Payment must accompany all single-copy orders. Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents without the written consent of the publishers is prohibited. Manuscripts and artwork will not be returned or acknowledged unless sufficient return postage and a self-addressed stamped envelope are included. All materials are handled with due care; however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for care and safe return of unsolicited materials. All letters sent to ARKANSAS TIMES will be treated as intended for publication and are subject to ARKANSAS TIMES’ unrestricted right to edit or to comment editorially.

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A couple of years ago,

pomp and circumstance, the muchRandy Newman stole our heart in Eu- ballyhooed speeches and all the politireka Springs, sending us into a love- cal glad-handing that comes with such trance when he spoke-sang into the events. What we didn’t expect was a microphone, “I miss you.” So of course performance by renowned singer-songThe Observer headed to Fayetteville last writer Billy Joe Shaver. weekend to see Newman perform in Standing in front of all the members front of a full house at the Walton Arts of the Arkansas House of RepresentaCenter. His voice didn’t cooperate as tives, Shaver treated those in attendance usual, but hell, he’s 67, and his hoarse to the national anthem as well as a few “I miss you” did the trick anyway: We tunes of his own. were his.

With his long, wispy, gray hair tucked Now here’s the thing. The Observer behind his ears and wearing a dusty can’t read music, doesn’t know a flat brown leather jacket, white buttonedfrom a sharp, but we love the piano, down shirt and bolo tie, Shaver looked and boy do we love Rana little out of place but made dy Newman’s piano. (Of Climate change every one feel right at home course, we love his lyrics, — and even got a few laughs must be for too — if you don’t cry to when he sang “The Getreal, because — “Masterman and Baby J,” Go,” which included the lyrour body tells ics, “Politicians make promyou’ve got no soul.) We’d give anything to underus that winter ises that they can’t keep.” stand, and describe here, a couple of verses, is a lot more After why his compositions are Shaver stumbled and forgot chilly than it a couple of the words. He so remarkable.

Fortunately, afterward was back in our stopped singing, telling the we heard a musical teen“You don’t ruddy youth. representatives, ager we know who attendwant to hear the rest of that ed the concert observe, in one.” awe, that Newman was playing in one key and singing in another. Her mother What is it about this time of added that he was playing three against year that gets us so blue? We guess it’s two (or was it four against three), which because it’s the in-between time, after we think requires that you play faster the colored lights and tinsel of Christmas with one hand than the other so the notes and the revelry of New Year’s, but well bump up against each other a certain before the first green of golden spring. way — she demonstrated later on her We suspect it might be lack of sunlight, kitchen counter — and so we take her or maybe it’s just the way the cold knifes word for it that despite sounding easy, through these old bones in a way that it never did when we were 20 or 30. Clihis piano playing isn’t.

Frankly, we’d go see Randy New- mate change must be for real, because man just sit in front of a piano while we our body tells us that winter is a lot more listened to his music on an iPod, such chilly than it was back in our ruddy are our feelings for him. Which made youth. Or maybe it’s just because we us think — why can’t he come sit here? don’t drink as much whiskey as we did Why can’t Little Rock have a stage that back then. Still, short of moving to south would fit the series of musicians and per- Florida to warm up or north Minnesota formers that the Walton Arts Center has? to just go ahead and let Jack Frost put us Robinson is far too big and the Rep stage out of our ever-lovin’ misery, there’s not too small. How delightful it would be. a lot we can do except grin and bear it for We’d let everybody see. ... Let’s build a the next few months as the days slowly get longer and the days get warmer, until bigger one now. finally the whole green world suddenly The Observer was hanging bursts forth in that riotous explosion that around the opening ceremonies in the still manages to surprise and thrill the House chamber of the state Capitol a hell out of us, even though it happens couple weeks ago. We did expect the every blessed year.

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www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 26, 2011 5

Letters arktimes@arktimes.com

A diet of violence The shootings in Tucson are a dramatic reminder that we are one of the world’s most violent societies. Violence governs our foreign relations, our sports and video games and our daily diet.

Yes, our diet. Desensitization to violence begins in the home, when parents assure their naturally inquisitive, animal-loving children that chickens “give” eggs, cows “give” milk, and that pigs “give” their flesh for us to eat. The horrific daily violence and barbaric slaughter visited on these innocent animals and subsidized by us at the checkout counter gets buried in our subconscious mind.

Once our kids have learned to live with the violence of their diet, how much of a stretch is it to while away their idle hours on video games like “Mortal Kombat,” “Manhunt,” or “Grand Theft Auto”? How likely is this experience then to govern how they resolve a social confrontation in their neighborhood or a military one in an Afghan village?

Most of us abhor violence, but we don’t know how to prevent it.

Giving our kids an honest answer when they ask “Mommy, where do hamburgers come from?” is certainly a great start.

Lewis Mermell Little Rock Your readers will do well to read and clip the fine essay by Ernie Dumas in the Jan. 12 Times “Demonizing policy.”

What will we learn from this? What action will result? Will we learn that sale of 30-shot magazines and ammo to the mentally ill is a recipe for disaster? How many — 10 in the last few years? — multiple killings with guns will it take for Congress to take action in limiting gun and ammunition sales to those with reported mental disturbance?

Words of sadness are appropriate. But action to prevent the mayhem is more appropriate.

Having fired multiple-shot, semiautomatic weapons in the Army I have seen the horrible damage they can do.

Let the Arkansas congressional delegation know if you agree with me.

Robert Johnston Little Rock

On the radio I recently called KARN radio to ask Dave Elswick a question. His show was about the redistribution of wealth in America. Elswick spews the same garbage as Beck, O’Reilly, Hannity and the other puppets of media mogul Rupert Murdoch. He was arguing for the exten6 JANUARY 26, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

sion of the Bush tax cuts for the rich.

This is what I asked him: For decades now the federal government and the rich have sent American jobs to other countries. During this same period, our borders have leaked like a sieve, allowing more poor people into America at record levels. If we do not redistribute wealth, or create employment that allows people to earn enough money to care for their families, what will happen in America? I pointed out that history teaches us that people will revolt and overthrow the rulers if this problem is not addressed. So Dave, what is the solution?

True to form, he did not give any solution at all. He said, “when I started out I was poor. My family lived in a 400-square-foot house. I lived in my car.

But I believe that in America, the greatest country on earth, that if you get marketable skills, you can find a good job.”

Elswick started out in radio decades ago, when education was affordable.

When there were jobs to be had. Before the Bush family destroyed this country’s economy. The Murdoch parrots do not seem to be in touch with reality or know much about history. It’s interesting how he could ignore the unemployment rate in America when it suits him. He is one

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of those people who think the earth is 6,000 years old and that wrestling is real.

Trying to get an intelligent answer from him is like a toe ring on a fat girl; what’s the point?

Butch Stone Maumelle

The tax cuts The Bush tax cuts are up for reinstatement or to be allowed to expire.

Back when they were proposed I wrote that, if used as Bush said they would be, I’d support them wholeheartedly. His proposal was that the ones saving would use the savings to establish more jobs.

My support, as I stated then, was contingent on the tax savings being used to establish AMERICAN jobs! I wagered that they’d not do that — but would export the jobs overseas to third world countries to capitalize on the slave wages there for profits. And that’s exactly what was done in most cases.

Count the jobs that were sent to Mexico from the refrigerator and washing machine factory in Fort Smith in the last three years or more alone in Arkansas.

Count the jobs in China that supply the sub-standard junk that Walmart imports from there by the shiploads. Americans are conned into buying such crap at “Low, Low Prices” and it falls apart in a matter of a few months. Then we are sold a couple more of those same poorly made items to make up for one decently designed and made item of that sort we used to make here in America. Why is that? Because the whole damned crew, from Walmart shareholders to the billionaires Sam’s kids have become, are skinning us alive financially and we’re damned fools enough to fall for it!

Tax havens for these and other rich “Patriots “ are multiple such as those in the Seychelles and other off-shore banking tax shelters. This is made possible by bought and paid for congressmen and senators who do the bidding of the lobbyists on K Street and E Street in Washington, D. C. We have the very best Congress that MONEY CAN BUY. Until we throw out the lobbyists who are legally bribing our government entities and elected folks, we will continue to be treated like the serfs we’ve become.

A new crop of Republicans to be bribed won’t change things. Changing the causes of the problem must be done first.

That is ridding ourselves of the legalized bribe artists.

Karl Hansen Hensley n Submit letters to The Editor, Arkansas Times, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, AR 72203. We also accept letters via e-mail.

The address is maxbrantley@arktimes. com. We also accept faxes at 375-3623.

Please include a hometown and telephone number.

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THE WEEK THAT WAS JAN. 19–25, 2011 IT WAS A GOOD WEEK FOR …

SECURITY. City officials announced that Little Rock City Hall would install metal detectors in February. Most governmental buildings in Pulaski County already have them.

MALICIOUS FOOLISHNESS. Knowing that the repeal bill would never become law, the U.S. House of Representatives voted anyway to repeal the historic health-care reform that was approved last year at President Obama’s urging. All four Arkansans voted for repeal, including Rep. Mike Ross, the only Democrat. Ross voted against health care last year, when Democrats had a majority in the House.

LOREN HITCHCOCK. The longtime state Game and Fish Commission employee was named as the agency’s new director.

COMING CLEAN. Former Arkansas First Lady Janet Huckabee paid a $100 fine in Pulaski District Court to avoid going to trial on a charge of careless and prohibited driving.

Huckabee’s vehicle was one of four involved in an accident on Interstate 30. After she was ticketed, her lawyer said she’d contest the ticket.

IT WAS A BAD WEEK FOR …

HIGHWAY SAFETY AND JUSTICE. State Sen. Bruce Holland, RGreenwood, was finally stopped by a Perry County deputy sheriff after a chase the deputy said reached speeds of more than 100 miles an hour. The deputy, Ray Byrd, let the senator off with a scolding, saying he thought legislators were immune to arrest while the legislature is in session.

They’re not.

THE BROADWAY BRIDGE. The state Highway and Transportation Department said the 90-year-old bridge across the Arkansas River between Little Rock and North Little Rock was too old to be renovated and would have to be replaced.

NORTH ARKANSAS. Snow came again, closing schools and making driving hazardous. South and Central Arkansas escaped.

JOHN PELPHREY. The Razorback basketball coach’s hot seat got hotter after another embarrassingly one-sided loss, this one to Florida.

8 JANUARY 26, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

The Arkansas Reporter

Phone: 501-375-2985­ Fax: 501-375-3623 Arkansas Times Online home page: http://www.arktimes.com E-mail: arktimes@arktimes.com ■

■­

■

Not a dream UA Honors College senior faces deportation to Peru.

BY LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK

n Jonathan Chavez is a popular student in the Honors College at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. The president of the International Student Christian Association, he is only a couple of semesters shy of graduating. He aspires to sing opera.

But Chavez didn’t return to school after the Christmas break. Instead, he is being held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and faces deportation to Peru, where he was born.

Chavez was brought as a youngster to Rogers by his parents, who came to the U.S. from Peru with work visas. He graduated from high school there with a 4.0 GPA, friends say. He is seeking a degree in vocal performance at the U of A, friends say.

(Bob McMath, dean of the Honors College, said the law prevented him from discussing Chavez, even revealing his major.)

Chavez began a naturalization process at 17, but he turned 18 before it could be complete, leaving him in undocumented limbo.

Ironically, his parents, who divorced and are now married to American citizens are in the Continued on page 9

ON ICE: Honors student Chavez is detained in Florida.

Arkansas gay/lesbian rights pioneer dies

BY DAVID KOON

n Carolyn Wagner, the Fayetteville mother whose struggle to stop gay and lesbian bullying in schools resulted in a landmark legal agreement and a national reputation as a tireless advocate for LGBT rights, died in Tulsa, Okla., on January 18 after a long struggle with cancer, hepatitis she acquired through a blood transfusion, and liver failure. She was 57.

In 1996, Wagner filed a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights of the United States Department of Education, saying that her 16-year-old son William had endured years of homophobic harassment and bullying while a student in the Fayetteville School District, resulting in a broken nose and other injuries. Wagner and her son claimed school officials and teachers turned a blind eye to the abuse.

In 1998, the OCR reached an agreement

with the Fayetteville School District which forced both OCR and the school district to recognize the harassment of gays and lesbians as falling under WAGNER Title IX, which prohibits sexual discrimination — including sexual harassment — in schools. It was the first case in which Title IX was deemed to cover gay and lesbian bullying, and opened school districts up to losing their federal funding or civil litigation if they do nothing to stop the abuse of homosexual students.

Born in Fort Smith, the daughter of a Ku Klux Klansman, Wagner was the co-

founder of Families United Against Hate, a non-profit group that works to secure the rights of gays and lesbians, and was a former vice-president of the board of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). She also founded Fulfill A Dream, Inc., which helped realize the final wishes of terminally ill children. In 2010, an interview with Wagner was included in the MSNBC special “Obama’s America: 2010 and Beyond.”

Wagner often took in or counseled gay teens who had been kicked out or disowned by their parents. In one moving video tribute to Wagner on Youtube, Russellville resident Brandon Brock said he got Wagner’s number and called her when he was a confused gay teenager living in small-town Arkansas.

“She drove two hours in rural Arkansas to meet me in the parking lot of a Walmart,” Brock says in the video. “We sat in her pickup truck — this stranger, a woman I’d never met, whose son was gay, who met with me because she knew I needed her...

She simply told me that I was okay; that I can be a decent person and be gay. I knew Continued on page 9

CHAVEZ

Continued from page 8 United States legally, friends say.

Chavez had traveled by bus over Christmas to visit his mother in Florida when he was caught in an ICE “roundup,” random sweeps in areas with high Hispanic populations. When he couldn’t produce documents, he was taken to a facility in Fort Lauderdale.

That was four weeks ago, says Elaine Edwards, who gave Chavez voice lessons when he was a high school senior and has advocated for him since, helping him with college applications and now providing moral support through the open Facebook page “Praying for Jonathan Chavez.” The page provides his address and was used to generate a letter-writing campaign to ask authorities that he not be deported. U of A assistant general counsel Scott Varady said Chavez’ lawyer, Sandy Lambert, told him that she received “glowing” letters about him that were “unparalleled in her experience.” To date, the U of A has had no formal comment on Chavez. Varady said the university did not know he was undocumented.

Chavez has a deportation hearing on Thursday. Edwards said his lawyer will ask for “deferred action,” to allow Chavez to graduate.

Steve James, who was a co-counselor with Chavez at a camp in Northwest Arkansas and is now the youth minister at Alder-

sgate United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kan., described Chavez as an uplifting individual with an “infectious personality. …

When you hang out with Jon you just feel good.”

James spoke on the phone with Chavez about a week ago. Chavez told him “it was the best Christmas break he ever had,” because he’d been able to take part in four Bible study groups and had translated passages of the Bible for non-English speaking persons incarcerated there. “He said he sees God working through the guys” at the ICE facility. Chavez is a member of Christ on Campus at Fayetteville.

James said Chavez is “the kind of guy you would want to be an American citizen. He exemplifies what it means to be an American, to work for a better life for yourself and a better life for others.”

“He does not want to go back to Peru if he can help it, but he understands it’s out of his control,” James said.

Had Congress passed the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (Dream) Act last December, Chavez would have been eligible to apply for citizenship.

The law would have allowed undocumented persons who arrived in the U.S. as minors to earn permanent residency after completing two years in college or the military.

Chavez has a plan if he is deported, Edwards said. He wants to continue his singing; his voice is “magnificent,” she said.

She’d like it to be heard in America.

WAGNER

INSIDER

that down inside somewhere, but I needed someone else to pull it out of me.”

One account that shows the depth of Wagner’s devotion to gay and lesbian rights has only recently come to light: the story of her harassment and beating by a violent homophobe in Northwest Arkansas, which she had requested be kept secret until after her death. ACLU of Arkansas executive director Rita Sklar said that in 2006, Wagner was pulled over by what appeared to be an unmarked police car with flashing blue lights embedded in the grille. The man who came to her car window threatened her, saying he didn’t take kindly to “queer loving, ACLU types.”

A few days later, Wagner said, the same man came to her house and attacked her as she let her dog out one night, hitting her in the back with a steel rod or baton. Sklar said that though the Arkansas ACLU and Wagner tried to get the local sheriff’s department, the State Police and the FBI to investigate, nothing ever came of the incident.

“Across the country, gay and lesbian rights activists and advocates and anyone who benefited from her tireless work — really anyone who knew her — is grieving the loss of a great civil rights champion and a kind and loving woman,” Sklar said. “Carolyn will be missed.”

leak-proof synthetic liner. The rule also suffers from vague language, activists say. “[Rule B-17] requires that operators site reserve pits ‘with reasonable consideration to maximizing distances from surface waters’ but does not specify exact distances,” the letter says.

Continued from page 8

Continued from page 3

No fees for AEDQ

According to the letter, another problem created by the new rule is the loss of ADEQ funds. Currently, drillers must pay a $300 permit fee to ADEQ in order to build a pit. Since the regulations will no longer be based on a permit, ADEQ — with an already tight budget for inspectors — will lose those fees.

“Because hundreds of pits are built annually, and violations are likely to be common under the vague terms of Rule B-17, enforcement costs are likely to grow, even as permitting revenues fall,” the letter says.

Attempts to reach ADEQ director Teresa Marks for comment before press time were unsuccessful.

The Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission held a hearing on the proposed Rule 34 on Tuesday. Public comments regarding the rule will be accepted until Feb. 8.

www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 26, 2011 9

ARKANSAS STATE HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

PROGRESS: An aerial photo taken during the construction.

Wilbur’s wall I-630, Little Rock and 25 years in a divided city.

BY DAVID KOON

A

road is concrete and sweat; steel rebar, paint and reflectorized signs. While those who built it might care about race and class and cash and commerce, a road doesn’t give a damn about any of those things, not about those who drive over it, or the wellbeing of the communities around it.

A road exists only to move people quickly; to raise us up out of the mud and let us glide along; to suture one place to another, and those places to others, forever and ever, amen. That said, it is human be-

ings who choose the route of a road, and choices like that are always ripe for folly.

When you want to travel quickly through Little Rock, chances are you’re going to be taking Interstate 630, the Wilbur Mills Freeway; the six-lane, roughly 200-foot-wide road that has run through the middle of the city for a quarter century now. Conceived as early as 1930, when city planner John Nolen first laid out the basic plan for a cross-town expressway, the freeway gained momentum in the late 1950s with the rise of President Eisen-

Ray Winder Field

LEGEND

I-630 Original path of 9th Street Landmarks Construction dates

10 JANUARY 26, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

University to I-430 Dec. 1977

BRIAN CHILSON

LONG GONE: Ninth Street in its heyday.

hower’s grand plan for the interstate highway system. The first, mile-long section of the expressway, between Cedar and Park streets, opened in April 1969. The rest was completed — thanks to powerful Arkansas Congressman Wilbur D. Mills, who helped secure funding — in several stages over the course of 20 years (see sidebar). The full length of I-630, from I-30 in the east to I-430 in the west, officially opened to traffic on Sept. 29, 1985, with the dedication of the westbound lanes from Center Street to I-30.

Originally planned as a way to grow Little Rock by giving citizens a quick route to suburbia and new shopping centers in the west, the end result of the construction of the freeway is familiar to anyone who has driven through a major American city in the last 30 years: prosperity and sprawl in the ‘burbs, deterioration and blight in neighborhoods near the city center. Though the downtown area has been gathering steam in recent years — especially near the River Market, where several high-rise residential

developments have brought people back downtown to live — I-630 still stands largely as the dividing line between what is, for all intents and purposes, two Little Rocks: A white Little Rock north of the freeway, and a black Little Rock to the south. The freeway has undoubtedly led to a bigger and more robust city. But given what was lost, was the tradeoff worth it?

T

alking to people about the construction and impact of I-630, the conver-

sation almost always turns to the topic of race. It’s easy to see why. Other than the Quapaw Quarter and a few isolated pockets of gentrification where the housing stock is historic or otherwise exceptional, the neighborhoods south of I-630, especially those between University and I-30, are largely black. To the north of I-630, other than a few small pockets of integration between Capitol Avenue and the freeway, the neighborhoods from University to downtown on the north side are almost all white.

Cedar to I-30 (Eastbound lanes) July 29, 1985 (Westbound lanes) Sept. 1985

Cedar to Park April 1969

MacArthur Park

Cedar to Cross (Eastbound lanes) Dec. 1984 (Westbound lanes) April 1985

Pine to Dennison May 1973

Mt. Holly Cemetery

www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 26, 2011 11

ARKANSAS STATE HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

A quick trip An I-630 timeline.

1930 — John Nolen, a Massachusetts city planner contracted by Little Rock to come up with an overall city development plan, lays out the route for a cross-town expressway that vaguely follows the path of the current I-630.

1959 — Little Rock voters approve a bond issue that includes $1.2 million to buy property to be demolished for the proposed expressway. The same year, the city amends the master street plan to include an expressway from I-430 in the west to I-30 on the east, both of which were still in the planning stages.

1969 — The first, one-mile section of the freeway opens between Cedar Street and Park Street.

1970 — The state Highway Commission petitions the federal government to include the I-630 project in the interstate highway system. In November, U.S. Rep. Wilbur D. Mills announces that the project had been added to the federal system, with the U.S. government picking up 90 percent of the tab for construction.

1971 — The Arkansas Highway Commission renames the project the Wilbur D. Mills Freeway.

1973 — The second section of the freeway from Pine Street to Dennison Street opens in May 1973. ACORN files suit in federal court in November, saying the environmental impact statement for the eastern section of the project is inadequate.

1975 — In February, federal District Judge J. Smith Henley rules in favor of ACORN. Construction on the section from Dennison Street to I-30 is allowed to continue while the case is on appeal. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis eventually upholds Henley’s ruling.

Though neighborhood groups successfully lobbied for the freeway to be sunk into the ground as it went through downtown Little Rock to preserve the sightlines and mitigate noise, for many preservationists the route chosen for I-630 is troubling — not quite a deliberate slap at the black community, but close enough for government work. Though the black business and entertainment center that once stood along Eighth, Ninth and 10th streets downtown had been in decline since the early 1960s, the construction of I-630 was the death blow. Black Little Rock has never had a place like it since.

When we spoke in the fall, Heather Register Zbinden was the interim director of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center on Ninth Street. Housed in a near-exact replica of the headquarters of the Mosaic Templars black fraternal organization — which tragically burned to the ground in 2005, just as preservationists were on the cusp of restoring the building to its former glory after 25 years of false starts — the Templars headquarters was one of the few remaining architectural gems of downtown Little Rock’s black business, entertainment and residential district, which stretched roughly from Seventh Street to Roosevelt Road on the north and south and from Broadway to High Street (now Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard) east and west.

While Zbinden said historians will probably never know whether the route chosen for the eastern stretch of I-630 was racially motivated, what is clear is that planners went out of their way to preserve “white” landmarks, even as large swaths of the historically black section of downtown were bulldozed. “The black sections of town were targeted,” she said. “But when 630 comes through downtown, MacArthur Park is saved. It curves around MacArthur Park, and then it curves back around Mount Holly Cemetery.”

Zbinden said that while white businessmen downtown often went to the city to complain about how the rerouting and closure of streets during the early phases of construction was hurting their trade, and newspaper accounts find several instances of whites in the right-of-way reporting they

weren’t paid what their businesses were worth, there wasn’t really an organized protest movement in the black community against the construction of I-630 in those early days. Still, relocation was hard.

“Some of them claim [relocation] caused death to their family members or nervous breakdowns,” Zbinden said.

“They were compensated, but my understanding is that it wasn’t at a real value ... From a human standpoint, it seems so cruel. Okay, you took my house, and you gave me a small amount of money and a relocation fee. But I can’t buy a house for that. How do I find a new place to live?”

Though the black business district around Ninth Street was largely shuttered and blighted by the time most of it fell in the name of progress, the preservationist in Zbinden — who has seen what has blossomed from similarly-blighted areas in cities like Memphis — can’t help but think about the What Ifs had 630 and accompanying urban renewal not taken most of what she calls the original architectural fabric of the area.

“When you have that original fabric, you can do so much with it,” she said.

“But once that fabric is gone, how do you rebuild it? As historians we dream more about renovating than building. Looking down Ninth Street from Broadway, there’s so little of that original fabric left. It’s hard for a lot of people to imagine what it was or what it could be.”

T

he programming director for local community radio station KABF, John Cain was born at Wrightsville, but spent most of his youth working in Little Rock on Ninth Street. At 74, he’s old enough to remember the clubs along Ninth in their heyday, when Friday nights often found spots like The Diplomat Club, Taborian Hall (the current home of Arkansas Flag and Banner) and the El Dorado Club alive with music and dancing. Cain said the area was just beginning to decline in the mid-1950s when he left to join the Navy, but it was still a great place to come of age. The slow slide to the eventual destruction of the district, he said, was unexpected.

“I think it just kind of snuck up on a

1977 — The section from University Avenue to I-430 opens in December.

1984 — The eastbound lanes of the freeway between Cross and Center Streets open in December.

1985 — The westbound lanes between Cross and Center open to traffic in April. The eastbound lanes between Center and I-30 open in July. The westbound lanes between Center and Interstate 30 open in September, completing the interstate between I-430 and I-30.

12 JANUARY 26, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

1979 — Federal Judge G. Thomas Eisele rules in April that a new environmental impact statement filed by the state is adequate, allowing construction on the eastern stretch of the freeway to move forward.

HISTORIAN: Heather Register Zbinden, of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center.

COURTESY OF THE MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER

COURTESY OF THE MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER

NINTH: The historic Gem Theater and Red’s Pool Hall.

lot of people. The demographics on the street were changing,” he said. “A lot of those businesses just closed down when [the owners] didn’t pass it on or nobody bought it. ... I saw a lot of younger people coming in who didn’t have the ties and didn’t know the real history of Ninth Street. It just went away with practically no opposition that I recall. There weren’t a lot of stories about the new freeway coming. Nobody was saying anything about trying to turn it around. There was not much organized resistance to it.”

After he moved to Birmingham and Atlanta later in life, Cain came to know that pattern well as he watched interstate projects march across those cities. “I think the phenomenon is so big that people figure there’s nothing they can do about it.

They just try to survive and get by,” he said. “They realize: well, this is all I can do. My life is over here, I might as well move somewhere else. They don’t fight back.” Cain suggests that the size, scope and drive of the I-630 construction project simply overwhelmed the community’s will to resist.

“Federal and state programs that just move things out disconnect lots of people all at once,” he said. “It told people: We’re building West Little Rock! Let’s all go live there! And the government and the city went along with it. Coercion and complicity come together, and there’s nothing

people can do.”

While Cain said that history has proven I-630 to be a good thing for the city, helping Little Rock grow, he still seems a bit mournful when he talks about the Ninth Street area. On the upside, Cain said, the demolitions that came with the construction sparked a preservationist spirit in many Little Rock residents, including him. In 1983, after years away, he returned to the city and eventually became a driving force behind the effort to save the Mosaic Templars building and other surviving buildings on Ninth Street. The construction of I-630 “cut both ways” for him.

“It was the demise of Ninth Street, but it created this preservation movement. ...

That’s when I became a preservationist: when I realized it was going away.”

Though Cain said he originally thought preservation was about bricks and mortar, time and reflection (not to mention the fire that destroyed the building he’d fought for years to save) have changed his mind. “I though it was just about place initially,” he said. “But as I got in deeper, it made me think about spirit — people’s consciousness or awareness about what’s going on around us. Preservation now is a spiritual thing for me.”

BRIAN CHILSON

RAINES BUILDING: Home to the Elite Barber Shop on Ninth Street.

PRESERVATIONIST: KABF’s John Cain.

NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS LUCY A. ANDERSON GEORGE ASPESI KAMAKSHI DUVVURU KATHERINE GILLUM WILLIAM HUPP LAKACIA LLOYD REBECCA MEREDITH

SARAH P. PARKER LUCY M. RICHARDSON THOMAS P. SPRADLEY TREVOR K. WINE DAVID Z. YE BOSHAN ZHAO ELTON ZHOU

NATIONAL MERIT COMMENDED STUDENTS ANDREW MANLEY MATTHEW J. STRAUSS NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT SEMIFINALISTS LAKACIA LLOYD TAYLOR D. STEVENS TREVOR K. WINE

HISPANIC SCHOLAR DOUGLAS BASTIDAS NATIONAL COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH WINNER SEAN ROSE

SEIMENS COMPETITION SEMIFINALISTS WHITNEY GAO BOSHAN ZHAO INTEL SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH SEMIFINALIST BOSHAN ZHAO

W

ade Rathke is one of those who did stand up and try to fight the freeway. As an idealistic young man, Rathke www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 26, 2011 13

months. Back when the expressway was being built, ACORN’s calculations were that the interstate would save around six minutes of commuting time for the average drive from downtown. He still times it when he drives the freeway, and says it still pretty much checks out. Even a quarter-century later, he said, Little Rock hasn’t done much soul searching about I-630 and what it did to the city.

“There’s really none of the kind of evaluation that should have been done 20, 25, 30 years ago,” he said. “What did we really do here? Did we do the right thing, and what will it teach us about the future of the city?”

BRIAN CHILSON

BARTH: I-630 “unquestionably bad” for Little Rock.

moved to Little Rock from New Orleans and founded the Arkansas Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, in June 1970. Though the organization eventually expanded to over 100 cities as the Association for Community Reform Now, in those early days it was the humblest of grass-roots activism.

“I was a young punk kid who thought I knew everything. I started ACORN when I was 21 years old, so we’re talking about some years,” Rathke said. “It’s only as I’ve gotten older that I realized: What the hell was I thinking?”

Eventually, ACORN helped draw together several Little Rock community organizations into a coalition called Save the City. The group won the creation of Centennial Park, and garnered national attention for their campaign against racially-motivated block busting in the Oak Forest neighborhood.

Their biggest victory came in July 1975, when federal District Judge J. Smith Henley ruled in favor of the group in their lawsuit against the I-630 project, agreeing that the environmental impact statement filed by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department for the eastern section from Dennison Street to I-30 was inadequate. As a result, the state couldn’t let contracts on the work, and construction was stalled for four years, until April 1979, when federal Judge G. Thomas Eisele ruled that a new impact statement filed by the Highway Department was adequate.

Even though ACORN didn’t succeed in stopping the freeway, Rathke said the fight wasn’t in vain. During the writing of the draft environmental impact statement that was eventually released in 1978, the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department held a series of “listening sessions” to hear the concerns of ACORN, the Quapaw Quarter Association, and the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program.

A major result of these meetings was the implementation of a plan to construct the freeway 20 to 22 feet below ground level as it came through downtown to minimize noise and “visual intrusion.” (Sink14 JANUARY 26, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

ing the downtown section of the freeway had been mentioned in the 1972 impact statement, but only as an alternative to elevating the freeway on raised piers.)

In the fight against I-630, Rathke said, he was up against a “classic old boy’s network” of entrenched realtors, landowners and local politicians. “They were used to getting it their way and getting it in the back room and it didn’t take many of them to make a decision and make it move,” Rathke said. “At that point, there was not a single-member district program in terms of electing people in the city of Little Rock ... you were dealing with situations where five or six members of the school board and city council lived within six blocks of each other somewhere in Pulaski Heights.

We didn’t have any real pretense of deeply representative government.”

The route of the I-630 project, Rathke said, was as much about class as it was about race, and really had to do mostly with dollars and cents. “It’s a lot cheaper to run an interstate through a low-income community than it is an upper income community just in terms of real estate value,” he said. “It’s much easier to displace the politically dispossessed than it is to displace people who know people who know people.”

Thirty-plus years, Rathke believes, has proven ACORN right about many of the detrimental effects they predicted for Little Rock and other cities where cross-town freeways went forward: more segregation, more pollution, less green space. Projects championed as inevitable progress and engines of growth back in the day have often been mourned as the killer of inner-cities in long hindsight.

“You can look at Overton which was stopped in Memphis and other expressway projects that didn’t get built during that time, and they’re blessing their sweet stars today,” Rathke said. “I’m sure developers and real-estate men and the few women they allowed in made a killing back then, but their legacy is tragic.”

Though he has since moved back to New Orleans, Rathke said he still gets back to see Little Rock family every few

J

ay Barth is the chair of the Department of Politics and International Relations at Hendrix College, and has written extensively on the issue of the physical and mental divide between blacks and whites in Little Rock. Barth said that in the 1950s before construction of I-630 began, Little Rock was a much more integrated city, with white neighborhoods abutting black neighborhoods in some cases. “We can’t over-nostalgize the past,” he said. “The Heights were white. Southeast Little Rock was African-American. But it was a quilt.

It wasn’t everybody hanging out together, but at least you had some sense of black and whites sharing the same space. That got wiped away.”

Barth said that as the construction of I-630 progressed and the white population of the city crept west, the Little Rock School District didn’t move its boundaries to match the migration. “You had all of these folks moving to the west and southwest who are almost all white, who were part of the Pulaski County Special School District, which was almost all white. That became another, I guess, benefit in the eyes of those who lived during that period.

Those schools became ‘good’ schools and ‘good schools’ meant white kids.”

As Barth reported in a September 2007 cover story for the Arkansas Times, by 1980, 40 percent of the land area of the city was in the predominantly white Pulaski County Special School District. This resulted in a kind of pseudo-white flight, with residents flocking to West Little Rock and the white schools of the PCSSD, while black students remained near the city core and became a larger and larger percentage of the Little Rock School District. After the city and LRSD boundaries were largely unified in 1987, true white flight from Little Rock began in earnest, with white families moving to bedroom communities like Benton, Bryant and Cabot, and many of the white families who didn’t leave shuffled their kids into private schools. Today, the Little Rock School District is just under 67 percent black, though that is down from almost 70 percent 10 years ago.

Asked whether there was a racial motive behind the construction of I-630 or the route it took through the Ninth Street area and surrounding black neighborhoods, Barth said that while there was undoubtedly some “race consciousness” to how it was all done, historians will probably never know how much of a factor race played in actual decision-making. “I don’t think we’re ever going to find that letter from Important Person A to Important Person B saying we need to racially divide the city,” Barth said. “But there was certainly indifference to division and, in fact, arguably an economic benefit to the division that was underway.” From Barth’s perspective, the construction of I-630 was much more about money than race, with realtors and landowners in West Little Rock providing much of the push for construction.

“I think it was much more about, how do we get people to bigger homes out west and give them the suburban experience?”

Barth said. “Obviously the desire for suburbanization on the part of upscale folks, who were almost all white, there was some segregation element behind that — get out of the city, get away from African-Americans. But I don’t think it was quite as clean as ‘we want to divide white and black people.’ It was: ‘We want to create economic opportunity, especially economic opportunity for realtors and land developers.’ ” Barth said that had I-630 never been built, Little Rock would likely be a much more compact, much more densely-populated city — but also would probably be a smaller city. The 1960s, Barth said, were a “transformative period” in America, with people seeking larger homes and larger lots than old-style urban subdivisions could provide. “That kind of desire from the public wouldn’t have been shut out” had I-630 not been built, Barth said. “I think we might have seen truer white flight in some ways. Race wouldn’t go away. White people with means still would have wanted bigger houses. There still would have been something built interstate-wise around the city. There would have been a way out.

So I think maybe it would have perpetuated true white flight to surrounding areas instead of flight to the west. [The interstate] kept people in the city, even if it wasn’t in the central city.”

Still, Barth said the construction of I-630 was “unquestionably bad for Little Rock” in hindsight. If Barth, who lives in the Quapaw Quarter, had his way, the freeway would be headed for the dustbin of history. “When you think about the environment, when you think about social relations in the community, when you think about our trust of one another across racial lines, there’s just nothing good about it,” he said. “If I could change one thing about the city, it would be having that thing plowed up.”

Drink Smarter!

Arkansas Times launches its first iPhone app, Cocktail Compass.

Cocktail Compass, available for free on the iTunes store, collects information on every bar, restaurant and venue that serves alcohol in Central Arkansas and steers you to the closest happy hour, and specials available only to Cocktail Compass users.

BRIAN CHILSON

Restaurants with changes/corrections or for more information email cocktailcompass@arktimes.com

McKENZIE: I-630 will have to be expanded, eventually.

Back to the future Widening? Reconstruction? Light rail?

T

hough its name is synonymous with strength, concrete has a lifespan. And with some sections of I-630 now more than 40 years old, the end of that life is coming soon. Add to that concerns like the need to widen the freeway to allow for more traffic, builtin “chokepoints” where structures like Mount Holly Cemetery make widening difficult or just not feasible, and the cost of it all, and you can see that I-630 may well become a headache of Biblical proportions in coming years.

Jim McKenzie is the executive director of Metroplan, which has been the Greater Little Rock area’s primary planning organization since 1972. “Infrastructure lasts a long time but it doesn’t last indefinitely,” McKenzie said. “630 is our newest freeway, but have you noticed the pavement condition on it recently? Drive over the Fair Park bridge, which was dedicated in 1965, and look at how the concrete is broken up. Typically, roadway designers design pavement for a 20-year life. At some point before it turns 50, that whole road is going to have to be reconstructed and a lot of the bridges and overpasses along it are going to have to be dealt with.”

When the time comes for I-630 to get an overhaul, the question of capacity will have to be addressed. McKenzie said that all the current traffic models show that I-630 needs to be widened to at least eight lanes between downtown and University Avenue to meet demand. But there’s a problem.

“You’ve got plenty of right-of-way on the western side. When it gets east of Uni-

versity you get really right-of-way constrained pretty quickly,” he said. “You’ve got a couple of choke points. One used to be Ray Winder field, but you’re not going to be taking center field if you widen it now. The really tight part is by the state Capitol and Children’s Hospital. All of the structures above [I-630], especially on the east end, don’t have room to expand, so you’d have to reconstruct all of them. Ultimately that needs to happen.”

To address capacity issues, Metroplan recently commissioned a study to look at the feasibility of building a light rail system along the freeway corridor, with stops at all the major institutions along I-630, including Children’s Hospital, the Capitol and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

“It would be the ideal first application, running from the West Little Rock commercial area all the way through downtown to the airport,” he said. “You’re going to hit all the hospitals, which are 24/7/365 institutions, state government [agencies], and then the airport.” McKenzie said the trains would be higher capacity and higher speed than the current Central Arkansas Transit System trolley cars.

“That’s not to say there’s any money in the foreseeable future to build something like that,” McKenzie said. “But given the institutional presence and growth in the corridor, and the need to widen 630, we wanted to identify where the stations needed to be and the connections. ... It would be right to be the first deployment for rapid transit in the metropolitan area.” The study should be completed next year.

There s a reason they re called PUBLIC charter schools.

There are many misconceptions when it comes to public charter schools. Since the level of education received by students often rivals that of private schools, it’s believed that public charter schools cost money to attend. But the reality is that public charter schools get the majority of their money the same way traditional public schools do – through state funding. So students do not have to pay to attend.

speak up for schools BETTER SCHOOLS FOR A BETTER ARKANSAS

IT’S TIME TO LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS. LEARN MORE AT SPEAKUPARKANSAS.COM. www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 26, 2011 15

EYE ON ARKANSAS

Editorial

Austin learning limits

n When President George W. Bush was asked why as a young man he’d chosen Yale over the University of Texas, he explained, “I wanted intellectual stimulation. I wanted to study history, literature, philosophy under great professors. I knew that experience wouldn’t be available at UT, where they only offer classes in football and country music.”

It’s sad but true that academics get short shrift at Austin, and the shrift grows shorter. Last week, it was announced that UT and ESPN have agreed on a 20-year, $300 million contract for a 24-hour television network devoted exclusively to Longhorn sports. Ironically, on the day of the announcement, the last member of the UT faculty who could speak Spanish was found dead of malnutrition and exposure in a cardboard box where he’d been living, his UT professor’s salary insufficient to pay rent. UT’s dean of curriculum told reporters, “I thought we were spending too much on foreign languages anyway. You only need one language to say ‘Hook ‘em Horns.’ ” Herds of young Texans are now fleeing their home state in pursuit of higher education; the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville has compassionately accepted many. Products of Texas high schools, the newcomers need much remediation, a UA official tells us, but they’re not beyond hope of enlightenment. Most of them.

201 East Markham Street, 200 Heritage Center West, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, Arkansas 72203 Home page: http://www.arktimes.com • E-mail: arktimes@arktimes.com PUBLISHER Alan Leveritt MUSIC EDITOR John Tarpley

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BRIAN CHILSON

0 for 4

n Kindness was shut out last week when Arkansas’s delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives voted as a bloc to repeal health-care reform. It was hurtful to see, but maybe we got spoiled while Vic Snyder was a member, coming to expect at least one decent vote on every roll call. Snyder’s gone now, and his successor, Tim Griffin, was eager to oppose a law that benefits Arkansas more than just about any other state. So were the other two Republican freshmen, Rick Crawford and Steve Womack. This new Republican-majority House will not be soft on poor people. Certainly not with the help of nominal Democrats like Arkansas’s fourth rep, Mike Ross. He calls himself a Blue Dog Democrat but he gets more doggy and less blue with every passing day.

Though it didn’t go far enough (to a single-payer system), “Obamacare” is the best thing that’s happened to the sick, the poor, and the middle class since Medicare and Medicaid, which were also opposed by the Republicans — unsuccessfully, thank heaven. This hard-hearted repealer approved by the House won’t get past the Senate or the president’s veto — we owe heaven another one — but it forcefully makes the point that insurance companies will be more cherished than common people in the new House of Representatives.

GLUM: Rep. David Meeks (R-Conway) looks on as his bill, HB 1053, fails by a vote of 12-7 in committee. The bill proposed to exempt Arkansans from the federal requirement for the purchase of health insurance.

Real reform will come from people n Just after the November election that placed Republicans in their strongest position in modern history, a flurry of discussion about enhancing Arkansas’s mediocre state ethics laws ensued. Most promisingly, within days of the election, House Republican leader John Burris said his caucus planned to introduce a package of ethics bills. That would have been smart politics and good for government.

But, any talk of ethics reform has faded as the focus has turned to the usual array of consequential (e.g., corrections reform) and trivial (e.g., changing the state’s nickname) legislative items. A quick content search of the bills introduced in this session of the General Assembly shows that only the annual appropriations bill for the nine-employee Ethics Commission deals with governmental ethics. While ethics legislation may yet be introduced, there’s clearly not the will to pass any legislation of consequence.

What might a strong ethics package to enhance public trust in the way state government does business include?

• Enliven Arkansas’s quite strong disclosure provisions by requiring the use of modern search engines that would allow rank-and-file citizens to efficiently examine who gives money to candidates and how lobbyists spend their dollars.

• Elevate small donors’ role in funding elections in the state by doubling the one genuinely progressive element of Arkansas’s campaign finance laws—the $50 per year tax credit to offset individuals’ campaign contributions to state and local candidates—and by barring giving by corporations.

• Create a public finance system for judicial races in Arkansas as Justice Robert Brown has proposed, eliminating the role of fund-raising among those who will have business before the courts. As former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has warned, “the perception that justice is for sale will undermine the rule of law that courts are supposed to uphold.”

• Stop the revolving door by banning legislators from lobbying their former colleagues for two years

Jay Barth after leaving governmental service.

• Finally, and most importantly, adopt the so-called “Wal-Mart rule.” Just as our state’s most important company bars employees from accepting even a cup of coffee from prospective suppliers, the same should hold for the parallel relationship between lobbyists and government officials. Even without a lunch or dinner being provided, conscientious legislators will seek out lobbyists to gain the information they need to make wise decisions on legislation. And, the fine tradition of socializing between legislators and lobbyists will continue. But, when those events end, everyone at the table should have to pay for their own food and drink. In its purest form, lobbying is an important, constitutionally-protected practice, but the people regularly wonder whether impurity enters the scene when meals and gifts are provided to public servants.

It’s safe to say that none of these measures will be passed by the General Assembly. But, the ethics reforms that have made a difference in Arkansas weren’t passed by a legislature; those laws that are the foundation of the ethics system in Arkansas were passed by the people after being placed on the ballot by petition.

In 1988 and 1990, a coalition of citizen groups worked with then-Governor Clinton to bring Arkansas into what was the mainstream of ethics reform; in 1996, the tax credit was added through the initiative process. Before it’s too late and a public scandal has rocked the state and the public’s confidence in the system, it’s time for this to happen again. With all three of the measures mentioned above having passed with well over 60 percent of the vote, history strongly suggests that Arkansas’s voters want a government absent of real or perceived corruption. Let’s give them that chance once again.

BRIAN CHILSON

What’s Finland got to do with it? n Dr. Tom Kimbrell and a group of 12 other educators and writers spent a week looking at the highly successful Finnish educational system. It has been tradition that we in America look at the education system in other nations to see what they have done to become so “successful” and then try to glean ideas or strategies that can help what the political pundits are labeling as our “failing” educational system. Several years ago it was the Japanese system that we looked to for excellence. Then, Singapore was touted as the best in the world. Now it is Finland and in a couple of years we’ll probably being going to Shanghai or some other emerging nation.

As a life-long educator I’ve taught in a variety of settings from the urban poor schools of inner-city Los Angeles to the moderately wealthy and white suburbs and my experience has been that schools reflect the culture of their society. But, not only do school districts reflect the local community, they reflect society as a whole. You can’t take public education and call it a failure

Paul M. Hewitt without looking at the social context in which the system exists. Let’s take a look at the Finnish societal context and see how it is similar and different from the context of the United States.

In Finland, according to the Child Poverty League, 4.3 percent of the children live in poverty. In the United States, 22.4 percent of our children live in poverty. Finland has a governmentsponsored healthcare system in which the government pays 76.6 percent of all medical costs. Finland has, according to the United Nations, an infant mortality rate of only 3.7 deaths per 1,000 live births, which ranks them seventh in the world. Contrast this to the United States, which ranks 33rd in the world with an infant mortality rate of 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births, or almost twice that of Finland. The Finnish medical system has 21 percent

Who needs balance? n One morning in the early Clinton days I got asked to appear that evening on a CNN program — now defunct, happily — called “Crossfire.”

There was a liberal host and a liberal guest who argued the issue of the day with a conservative host and a conservative guest.

By mid-afternoon, in a second preparatory phone briefing with the producer, I got bumped.

All I can tell you is that this producer said I was not strident enough as the liberal guest, the position for which I had been pegged, to balance the stridency of the guest on the right.

Then there was that election night when the local television station’s anchorman referred to one of the on-air analysts, the more conservative, as representing Republicans and to me as representing Democrats.

I demanded a retraction. Election analysis is not partisan. Vote totals are vote totals.

I was representing only myself, not any partisan person or group. If I leaned more to the Democratic side than the Republican in my general views, as I acknowledged, it was by honest circumstance, not by de-

John Brummett jbrummett@arkansasnews.com

Political virtue is not to be found in forced symmetry.

It is to be found in free thought and free expression and in the alliances that ensue naturally from them. sign or assignment or predetermination or prejudice.

These reminiscences came to me last week as I pondered three things — the debate over civility, Joe Lieberman’s retirement and the prospect of a few Democrats and Republicans sitting together during the State of the Union address Tuesday night.

The cancer on our political dialogue is not incivility, but partisan stereotyping by which honest expression of independent thought is not permitted, or at least not val-

more doctors per capita than the United States.

Homelessness is one of the greatest social challenges we face in the United States. Finland faced similar issues but reports that is has reduced its number of homeless people by 50 percent in the past 10 years. In the United States the number of homeless people is on the increase with the greatest increasing group being families with children.

On educational effort, Finland ranks 36th in the world on the percent per capita of the GDP going to education: 25.5 percent. The United States ranks 51st in the world at 22.4 percent with a per capita GDP of about $47,400. If the United States increased its spending to equal the effort given education in Finland, it would result in approximately a $360 billion increase in spending on education. I said “approximately” because I know my economist friends will argue that number. Regardless of the actual number, it would be a huge, unprecedented increase, which is not likely to happen in today’s political environment.

Once our educational experts have reported on their observations of the Finnish educational system we’ll find that only 15 percent of applicants for teacher education programs are admitted because teaching is one of the three most prestigious professions in Finland.

Those selected to be teachers undergo a three-year training program that is free and includes a living stipend. The Finnish system is almost the complete opposite of the United States’. It has decentralized and moved away from a system that stresses external testing.

The system is one in which local creativity is the norm and external imposition of curriculum is minimized. According to Linda Darling-Hammond, noted educational leader from Stanford University: “The process of change [in Finland] has been almost the reverse of policies in the United States.”

The bottom line is, Finland is not the United States and vice versa. You can’t take a system from one nation and pull it out of context and put those practices into place in another culture.

Instead of having educators look at the Finnish educational system, shouldn’t we be sending our elected representatives over there to learn how to provide high quality medical care, reduce poverty, reduce homelessness, and other social problems that we have ignored for decades? To use the Finnish educational system and get the same results, we need to be like Finland and that is not likely to happen.

ued, and certainly not encouraged.

To the contrary, we have evolved into a system of emphasis on forced and faux “balance” by which persons are condemned, essentially, to neutralize each other, to geld each other, by representing and expressing reliably partisan and wholly juxtaposed positions.

Actually, a fair-minded politician or pundit would not require balancing by an outside party. He or she would provide that balance internally by personal fairness and by attention to detail and context.

Thoughtful opinions do not need to be balanced. They need to be considered.

Political virtue is not to be found in forced symmetry. It is to be found in free thought and free expression and in the alliances that ensue naturally from them.

Those of you who send me messages from time to time saying that you hate to admit it, but that you agree with me on something … why, I wonder, do you hate it?

Is it me you hate? Or is it agreement you hate? Or do you hate that an idea could transcend your comfortable personal bias?

So now we have Joe Lieberman, who, in announcing last week that he will not run again, pointed out that his stew pot of views was much like that of John F. Kennedy, and that JFK would not be a reliable Democrat anymore.

Support for an activist and muscular defense, in Afghanistan and Iraq; support for tax cuts; championing of social justice by which he led the fight for open homosexuality in the military — this combination of positions had Lieberman ostracized by his natural Democratic allies and distrusted by Republicans.

JFK advocated an activist and muscular defense in missile development and in Vietnam and toward Cuba. He advocated across-the-board reductions in income tax rates. He championed civil rights.

Lieberman’s presumptuous comparison was not so off base.

He said it was not that he was leaving politics, but that politics had left him.

So on Tuesday night a few members of Congress of Democratic and Republican persuasions intend to sit next to each other rather than in the usual patterns clearly delineating the strident and sometimes artificial separation of partisanship.

It will be dismissed as modest symbolism. But we desperately need less of that ever-balanced crossfire. Too many good people and good ideas get caught in it.

Paul M. Hewitt, assistant professor of educational leadership, University of Arkansas.

John Brummett is a columnist and reporter for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. You can read additional Brummett columns in The Times of North Little Rock. www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 26, 2011 17

Hey, Do this!

Food, Music, Entertainment and everything else that’s FUN

n The romantic comedy Abie’s Irish Rose opens on Tuesday, February 8 at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse. Jewish Abe “Abie” Levy, brings home as his bride Rosemary Murphy.

To appease his father, Abie introduces Rosemary as Rosie Murphyski. Papa Levy is fooled until Rosie’s father, Patrick Murphy, arrives. A comic war erupts. Ticket prices range from $28-$32 and include dinner, show and tax. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday with a 7:45 p.m. curtain.; for special Wednesday matinees and Sunday shows, lunch begins at 11 a.m. with a 12:45 curtain. Dinner begins at 5:30 p.m. with a 6:45 p.m. curtain on Sunday evenings.

For tickets, call 501-562-3131. Visit www.murrysdinnerplayhouse.com for additional information. n On Wednesday, February 9, Kid Rock makes a stop at Verizon Arena on his Born Free Tour. Special guest Jamey Johnson will open up for the rocker-gone-country. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25-$89 and are available through Ticketmaster online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 800-745-3000. Visit www.verizonarena.com for more information.

Little Rock Soup Sunday n The Little Rock Soup Sunday celebrates 30 years as one of the city’s oldest fundraising events. Benefitting Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, this year’s event will be held at the Embassy Suites on Financial Parkway on February 20 from 4-7 p.m. and will feature soups, bread and desserts from more than 30 central Arkansas restaurants such as Cotham’s in the City, Sushi Café, Chi’s Dim Sum and Bistro, Acadia, ZaZa’s, Dave’s Place, Seasons of Love Cakes and Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe. Little Joe and the BK’s will once again provide musical entertainment. Silent auction items include pottery, a onehour landscape consultation with Chris Olsen, a casserole a month from Mary Twedt, jewelry and much more. VIP tickets for the Signature Soup Room are $50. Regular tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-12. Tickets are available online at www.aradvocates.org/donate. Call 501-371-9678 for more information.

n Laman Library welcomes award-winning guitarist Steve Davison on Thursday, February 10 at 7 p.m. as part of the library’s Live at Laman series, held in the auditorium every second Thursday of the month. Now through March 13, Laman Library also presents “The Painted Word: Calligraphic Paintings by Charles Pearce.” The exhibit is free and available for viewing during regular library hours. Laman Library is located at 2801 Orange Street in North Little Rock. Visit www.lamanlibrary.org or call 501-758-1720 for more information.

Kid Rock brings his Born Free tour to North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena on Wednesday, February 9.

presented by

A dv e rt i s i n g D e pa rt m e n t

18 january 26, 2011 • ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE ARKANSAS TIMES

n Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra presents Couples That Stole Your Heart on Saturday, February 12 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, February 13 at 3 p.m. at Robinson Center Music Hall. Songs from your favorite films will rekindle the romance and magic between cinema’s most memorable on-screen couples: Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet and Lady and The Tramp. Tickets are $20 and are available online at www.arkansassymphony.org or by phone at 501-666-1761. n This month, don’t miss the Old State House Museum’s Brown Bag Lunch Lecture series. On Thursday, February 15 from 12-1 p.m., the topic is “Arkansawr’n’b: The State’s Forgotten Rhythm ‘n Blues Legacy.” Local music historian Stephen Koch will explore the lives and legacies of Louis Jordan, Johnnie Taylor, Henry Glover and other important R&B musicians with Arkansas roots. Participants are encouraged to bring sack lunches to the event. Beverages will be provided. Admission is free. For more information on this and other lectures, visit www.oldstatehouse.com.

n Celebrate the first full moon of the lunar year at the 3rd annual LANTERNS! event, February 18-20 at Wildwood Park for the Arts. An abundance of lanterns and lights will illuminate the beauty of West Little Rock’s unique botanical garden. Stroll along walkways lit by lakeside fire pits in the park’s winter woodlands. Discover food and entertainment from eight different cultures around the world, including exotic locales as far flung as Asia, Mexico, Shakespearean England, Venice, India, America’s Wild West, Germany and Russia. The event takes place Friday, February 18 through Sunday, February 20 from 6-10 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. A family pass of 4 tickets is only $25. For more information, visit www.wildwoodpark. org or call 501-821-7275. n The Peabody hosts Girls Night Out featuring the men of Chippendales on Saturday February 19. Doors open at 6:30 for the 21-and-up, ladiesonly event. The show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $32 in advance, $40 day of show, or for premium firstrow seating $42 in advance or $50 day of show. Call 501-825-0808 for additional information. Tickets are available online at www.ticketmaster. com or at Cupids Lingerie locations in Little Rock. The Chippendales show that has entertained bachelorette parties, birthday parties and more has sold out the last five years in a row. Reserve your seat today.

CELEBRATING

1of0R0oberYtEJoAhnRsoSn The official centennial concert

8, 2011 May 6-featu ring

The Warren Haynes Band, Honeyboy Edwards, Bobby Rush and more!

Shen Yun Performing Arts brings traditional Chinese dance to Robinson Center Music Hall on February 28. (Photo Copyright © 2008 Divine Performing Arts)

n A performance by Shen Yun Performing Arts is traditional Chinese culture as it was meant to be — a study in grace, fluidity, balance, and inner strength. A program of nearly 20 masterful dances and songs brings Asia’s celebrated history to life on stage. The vigorous drums of the Tang dynasty court will quicken your pulse and charm your soul. Complementing the performers are state-of-the-art digital backdrops and gorgeous costumes. The must-see show takes place on Monday, February 28 at 7 p.m. at Robinson Center Music Hall in downtown Little Rock. Tickets are $60-$120 and are available though Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are also available locally at the Celebrity Attractions Box Office at 300 Spring Street or by phone at 501-244-8800. This performance is presented by the Chinese Culture Public Foundation of Arkansas and the Arkansas Falun Dafa Association.

He lived twenty-seven years and recorded twenty-nine songs that changed music forever.

Join us in celebrating the 100th birthday of Robert Johnson and his life and legacy.

The weekend events will also include a panel discussion and “Robert Johnson as Art” Exhibition.

For complete lineup, go to www.greenwoodms.org/robertjohnson

Image of Robert Johnson derived from the photo booth self-portrait © 1986 Delta Haze Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission.

“A visually dazzling tour of 5,000 years of Chinese

history and culture.”

— San Francisco Chronicle

FEB 28, 2011 ROBINSON MUSIC HALL ALL-NEW 2011 PROGRAM WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA TICKETS: (800) 745-3000 (501) 244-8800 TICKETMASTER.COM

One unforgettable show InspIred by the spirit of an ancient culture, shen Yun performing Arts brings to life classical Chinese dance and music in one unforgettable show. Its masterful choreography and graceful routines range from grand processions to charming ethnic and folk dances, with gorgeously costumed dancers moving in stunning synchronized patterns. Based on ancient heroic legends and modern courageous tales, shen Yun and its breathtaking beauty are not to be missed.

Presented by Chinese Culture Public Foundation of AR & Arkansas Falun Dafa Association ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE ARKANSAS TIMES • january 26, 2011 19

Paid Advertisement

Roadshow is Filming in Little Rock Next Week!

By Jason Delong

Treasure Hunters Roadshow STAFF WRITER Clean out your attics, closets and lock boxes because the Roadshow is coming to Little Rock. Roadshow experts will be in town examining antiques, collectibles, gold and silver.

While the Roadshow will accept anything that’s old, they will be focusing on gold and silver coins made before 1964, military items, toys and trains, musical instruments, pocket and wrist watches. Scrap gold is expected to be a popular category this week due to soaring gold prices.

“U.S. coins dated 1964 and before are most sought after by collectors. Coins made before 1964 are 90% silver and valuable because of the silver content or could be worth even more if one happens to be a rare date.”

Expert buyers for the Roadshow have noticed a tremendous increase in the amount of gold coming to the Roadshow and for good reason.

Got Gold? Next week, visitors can cash in on antiques, collectibles, gold, silver, coins or just about anything that is old.

Record gold prices have Roadshow guests cashing in on broken jewelry or jewelry they don’t wear anymore with our “fair and honest” purchase offers.

The Roadshow encourages anyone planning a visit to take a minute and examine their jewelry box or their lock box at the bank and gather anything that’s gold. If a guest is not sure if something is gold, bring it anyway and the Roadshow staff will test it for free. Other gold items of interest include gold coins, gold ounces, gold proof sets and dental gold.

Other types of items Roadshow experts hope to see include old toys and train sets. Archie Davis, roadshow toy expert spoke about some of the top toys getting great offers. “Old tin windup toys from the late 1800’s through the 1960’s are in great demand now,” said Davis, “Especially those that are character related. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, the Flintstones or any character toys are sought. Old Buddy L toys from the 1920’s to 1960’s are in demand.” Basically any toys made before 1965 are wanted. Train sets made by Lionel, American Flyer,

Marklin and others have the potential to fetch a large sum. Davis also stressed, “Toys with boxes and in mint condition bring sensational prices. Most of the toys that come to the Roadshow are not in perfect shape but can still bring good prices from collectors.”

Our International Collectors Association members are looking for the following types of items.

• COINS Any and all coins made before 1964. This includes all silver and gold coins, dollars, half dollars, quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies. All conditions wanted!

• GOLD, SILVER & JEWELRY PRICES AT 40 YEAR HIGHS! for platinum, gold and silver during this event. Broken Jewelry, dental gold, old coins, pocket watches, Kruggerands, Gold Bars Canadian Maple Leafs, Gold, Silver, Platinum, diamonds, rubies, sapphires and all types of stones, metals, etc. Rings, bracelets, necklaces, all others including broken jewelry. Early costume jewelry wanted.

• WATCHES & POCKET WATCHES Rolex, Tiffany, Hublot, Omega, Chopard, Cartier, Philippe, Ebel, Waltham, Swatch, Chopard, Elgin, Bunn Special, Railroad, Hamilton, all others.

• TOYS, TRAINS & DOLLS All types of toys made before 1965 including: Hot Wheels, Tonka, Buddy L, Smith Miller, Nylint, Robots, battery toys, Mickey Mouse, all other toys - Train sets, all gauges, accessories, individual cars, Marklin, American Flyer, Lionel, Hafner, all other trains - Barbie Dolls, GI Joe, Shirley Temple, Characters, German, all makers accepted.

• MILITARY ITEMS & SWORDS Civil, Revolutionary, WWI, WWII, etc. Items of interest include swords, badges, clothes, photos, medals, knives, gear, letters, etc.

• ADVERTISING ITEMS Metal and Porcelain signs, gas companies, beer and liquor makers, automobile, implements, etc.

All sports memorabilia is in high demand including: Pre 1970’s baseball cards; autographed baseballs, footballs & basketballs; jerseys; signed photos; etc...

26 january 26, 2011 • ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE ARKANSAS TIMES

When expert Tom Fuller was asked what he enjoyed most about working at the Roadshow, he was quick to answer, “Old coins and paper currency. For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated with collecting coins. I would go through

the change in my parents grocery store looking for rare dates and errors. Once, I found a silver quarter that I sold for $300.00. Not bad for an 8 year old.”

Fuller went on to explain that any U.S. coins made before 1964 are most sought after by collectors. Coins made before 1964 are 90% silver and valuable because of the silver content or could be worth even more if one happens to be a rare date. “We help people sort through their coins for unique dates. We buy all types of coins at the Roadshow from wheat pennies to buffalo nickels, which are valuable from one coin to an entire

“If you go to the Roadshow, you can cash-in your items for competitive prices.

Roadshow representatives will be available to assess and purchase your items at the Hilton Little Rock Metro Center, next Tuesday through next Saturday in Little Rock.”

Above • A guest listens in as Mike Delong estimates and tells about the values of his coin collection.

truckload. See you at the Roadshow.” said Fuller.

www.treasurehuntersroadshow.com The Roadshow is in Little Rock Next Week, So Don’t Miss Out on Cashing In!

February 1st - 5th

Tuesday - Friday: 9AM - 6PM & Saturday: 9AM - 4PM

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High Demand for 1950’s and 1960’s Era Electric and Acoustic Guitars

Gold and Coin Prices High, Cash In Now

“It’s a modern day gold rush,” said Treasure Hunters Roadshow Jeff Parsons.

Gold is now trading near 40 year highs, and you can cash in at the Treasure Hunters Roadshow. All types of gold are wanted, including gold coins, Krugerrands, Maple Leafs, and other gold bars, etc. All gold jewelry, including broken jewelry is accepted. Anything gold and silver is wanted.

arts entertainment

This week in

No Age to Rev Room PAGE 22

and

Julie Albers plays with Orchestra PAGE 23

TO-DO LIST 22

CALENDAR 24

MOVIES 30

DINING 32

(Show)casing the scene Stickyz sets the stage for the 2011 Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase.

BY JOHN TARPLEY

I

JUDGES

t’s been said ad nauseum because it bears repeating: Arkansas has more great bands per capita than anywhere else in America. For the next six weeks, beginning at 9 p.m. Thursday, we’re showcasing 20 of the best the state has to offer in our annual battle of the bands, the Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase.

Here’s the deal: Over the next four Thursdays, 20 semifinalists, hand-picked from scores of entrants across the state, will compete at Stickyz. The winner of each semifinal night then advances to our final round, to be held Friday, March 4, at Revolution.

Each week’s winning act will be chosen by our fourperson panel of whip-smart, music-loving judges and a rotating, weekly guest judge. They’ll score each band on criteria including song quality, originality, musicianship

and showmanship. The final winning act not only gets to stand beside local greats like 607, Velvet Kente and Brother Andy and His Big Damn Mouth as fellow Showcase winners, it also will receive a spot at Riverfest on a main stage, a $300 gift certificate to Jacksonville Guitar, five hours of studio time at Blue Chair Studios, a T-shirt package provided by Section 8, a photo shoot with Times photographer Brian Chilson, a $600 gift certificate at Electric Heart Tattoo and a celebration party from Sticky Fingerz and Rev Room, as well as a signature drink named after the winning band on the restaurants’ bar menus.

The cover charge for each semifinal round is $5.

Here’s who’s up first:

ZACHWILLIAMSANDTHEREFORMATION. This Southern-rocking

ZACH WILLIAMS AND THE REFORMATION Jonesboro act sports the most impressive tour schedule of the competition. Spring 2010 saw the five-piece embark on a European tour, taking to Belgium, Spain and France before spending July playing for Armed Forces stationed in Japan. Globe-trotters, sure. Time-travelers, maybe: Zach Continued on page 26

ANDY WARR

MIKE BROWN

BONNIE MONTGOMERY

TRAVIS HILL

Who? Winner of ATMS 2010, Little Rock’s newest icon.

Claim to fame: Member of every other band in town, including Brother Andy and His Big Damn Mouth, Sweet Eagle, Iron Tongue and Booyah! Dad. Tattooed on people.

Who? DJ, promoter, entrepreneur Claim to fame: Owner of Green Grass Bodega in the River Market, founder of RSVP Society, renowned house DJ. Known to don nothing but a sequined gstring while spinning house music.

Who? Local songwriter/chanteuse.

Claim to fame: The mind behind “Billy Blythe,” the internationally-known opera based on Bill Clinton’s childhood, front woman for Montgomery Trucking.

Who? Record label head/musician.

Claim to fame: The head of Last Chance Records, creator of the “Live from the White Water Tavern” album series, alt-country promoter, guitarist for the late Drunken Angels.

GUEST JUDGE JASON MAGNUSSON Who? “Doctor Crossfade” Claim to fame: Co-producer/engineer of genre classics “Emotion is Dead” by The Juliana Theory and “Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest” by Zao.

www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 26, 2011 21

GRUESOME TWOSOME: Lauded art-rock duo No Age brings wild, distorted West Coast rock to Revolution this Wednesday, Jan. 26.

■ to-dolist W EDN E SD AY 1/ 2 6

NO AGE

9 p.m., Revolution. $12 adv., $15 d.o.s.

n The American punk spirit took a huge hit when New York’s legendary CBGB’s shut its doors and turned into a high-end John Varvatos boutique in 2008 after much ballyhooing, eulogizing and metaphorizing. All the while, on the West Coast, The Smell in Los Angeles has been keeping the flame alive in its own small way, thriving as an all-ages rock venue and serving as a home base to some of the decade’s best experimental punk and avant-garde acts like Health, Pocahaunted and ipso facto valedictorians of the club, No Age. Tapping into national acclaim in 2008 with their celebrated full-length debut, “Nouns,” the guitar and drums duo of Randy Randall and Dean Spunt became critical darlings 22 JANUARY 26, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

thanks to their art-rock aesthetic and distorted, skate-punk approach. With the 2010 release of their follow-up, “Everything in Between,” the band pulled off the rare task of translating freshman success into a reputation as top-tier peddlers of D.I.Y. noise-pop. (In fact, I may be the only music writer in America that’s yet to have puckered up to their hineys.) Expect a cacophony of fuzzed-out guitar loops, Monster-style drumming and sheets of off-key yarping. The acclaimed act is supported by Austrian tourmate Rene Hell, a “boundary-pushing” synth experimentalist about as exciting as that description would lead you to believe.

F RID AY 1/28

ALPHA REV

GENTLEMEN, REV YOUR ENGINES: Orchestral radio rockers Alpha Rev land at Stickyz on Friday.

n Of all the MOR radio rockers currently humming through the airwaves, not many are as musically ambitious as this Austin orchestral-pop act. Alpha Rev may be yet

another band whose bare, emotional core was strip-mined from Jeff Buckley’s tragic legacy and the minor-key warbling owes a debt to any number of inoffensive “Dawson’s Creek” bands, but it sets itself apart,

9 p.m., Stickyz. $7.

if not in scope, in size. It’s a seven-piece band with six vocalists and cello and violin that doesn’t sound terribly gimmicky and a high, ethereal tenor in front of the mix (lead vocalist and primary songwriter

■ inbrief

Casey McPherson) that bites, tastefully, from a “Bends”-era Thom Yorke. Formed in 2005 after the breakup of McPherson’s previous, modern rock band, Endochine, Alpha Rev soon found a footing in its fiercely competitive home town, was named the best indie band from Texas by Myspace, signed to the Disney-owned Hollywood Records and became a regular fixture on VH1 with their biggest single, “New Morning.” Along the way, the band also provided the soundtrack to MTV’s “True Life: I Hate My Plastic Surgery” and contributed music to “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” and “The OCD Project.” It may be a ham-handed soundtrack for your next pity party, but at least the band’s aiming for grandeur.

THURSDAY 1/27

n Eric Sommer, one of the most mindblowing acoustic guitarists in recent memory, comes to Vino’s alongside Fort Smith blues rockers Cloud 9 and anthemic indie rockers Ellison’s Cage, 8 p.m., $6. Dreadlocked Hendrix alum Graham Wilkinson and his band, the Undergound Township, play taut, groovy Americana for the crowd at White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. In Hot Springs, Maxine’s Pub brings the hooka-minute throwback dance sounds of Sugar & Gold and electroboogie from the Of Montreal-remixing Yip Deceiver, 8 p.m., $3. Dr. Rex Bell rallies his lineup of local musicians for a night of jazz at The Afterthought, 8 p.m., $5. The jazz keeps rolling downtown, as well, with the guitar sounds of the Ted Ludwig Trio at Capitol Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., and pianist Jim Dickerson holding down Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. “A Raisin in the Sun” returns for another weekend at The Rep, 7 p.m., $25-$40. And at Hendrix College, Matthew Pitt, whose new collection of short stories has been garnering praise as of late, speaks in the Murphy Seminar Room, 1:15 p.m.

KNUCKFEST 2011

Downtown Music Hall. $10-$35.

n This weekend, Little Rock is set to play home to hardcore, metal, screamo fans from around the area with Knuckfest 2011, a three-day festival of all things heavy, fast and, God knows, angry. What started in 2005 as a night of hardcore acts from Memphis soon turned into a multi-day showcase by 2007 and since has attracted hordes of carpooling out-of-towners to what must be one of the toughest mosh pits in the country. Expect more than 30 bands including Crankbait, Ashes of Augustine, Zucura, Fallen Empire, A Darkend Era, The Kill Crazies, Wraith, Before There Was Rosalyn, and many, many more. Doors open 6 p.m. Friday, $10; 1 p.m. Saturday, $15; 1 p.m. Sunday, $10. Three-day passes available for $35.

SATURDAY 1/29

ARKANSAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: ‘REFORMATION’ 8 p.m., Robinson Center Music Hall. $14-$48.

n The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra returns to Robinson Center Music Hall under the direction of Philip Mann for another installment of its “Masterworks” series, this time with cellist Julie Albers as featured soloist. The orchestra will feature the overture from “The School for Scandal,” a classic composition from the 1930s and composer Samuel Barber’s first piece written for a full orchestra; Sir Edward Elgar’s “Cello Concerto,” a reserved, aural threnody written in response to World War I, and Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5, “Reformation,” a piece originally panned after its 1830 debut but rediscovered and celebrated after the composer’s death. The ASO reprises the performance on Sunday at 3 p.m.; same place and price, though students, grades K-12, can go for free if accompanied by a paid adult as part of the Entergy ticket program on Sunday.

ALBERS: The visiting soloist joins the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra for ‘Reformation,’ the latest in its ‘Masterworks’ series.

MONDAY 1/31

NACHTMYSTIUM

8 p.m., Downtown Music Hall. $10 adv., $12 d.o.s.

n It means “Encompassing Darkness” in a cobbled-together mix of German and Latin. Now that we’ve got the whole name thing out of the way, we can say that Nachtmystium is one of the best metal bands in the world. Heck, they’re probably the biggest black metal band in America.

At least that seems to be the consensus, according to pages upon pages of interviews, profiles and articles about Chicago’s flagship psychedelic black metal exports. In the last 10 years, front man Blake Judd and a revolving cast of band mates have proven to be as prolific as they are dark, issuing a relentless stream of LPs, EPs, live recordings and the like. Last summer saw the release of “Addicts: Black Meddle, Part II,” a sinister nod to Pink Floyd acclaimed by tastemakers of the metal domain. It’s no shock that they’ll play with Rwake, Arkansas’s greatest contribution to the metal-loving world. But it’s not just that: Nachtmystium keyboardist Sanford Parker just wrapped up recording Rwake’s latest, tentatively titled “I’ve Given My Hands to the Devil.” Our hometown heroes may be hard, but Nachtmystium isn’t for beginners.

PETER WOLF CRIER/ RETRIBUTION GOSPEL CHOIR

8:30p.m., Stickyz. $8 adv., $10 d.o.s.

n Over the last handful of years, Little Rock has become a tour hub for buzzy folk revivalists. We’ve seen Dawes, Vetiver, Bon Iver and Band of Horses plug in on local stages and, with the locals of The Natives carving out a reputation for themselves by backing both Chris Denny and Luke MacMaster of The Romany Rye, we’ve seen Little Rock contribute to that in-demand, woodsy sound. Now, Peter Wolf Crier is set to return to town, bringing a little more notoriety since its last visit in October thanks to the success of “InterBe,” a full-length debut written overnight that earned warm, if not loud, praise and caught the ears of NPR and AOL as well as taste-making music blogs like Stereogum.

PWC is joined by Retribution Gospel Choir, a guitar-whipping, anthemic rock trio fronted by Alan Sparhawk of slowcore great Low. The two bands find a sonic middle ground in rural melodics, but are dozens of decibels apart in energy. Retribution Gospel Choir’s three veterans of the Duluth music scene make heavy musical epics as rib-rattlingly loud as their tour mates are deliberate. And, to these ears, the elders who open the night are more interesting by a Minnesota mile.

FRIDAY 1/28

n No strangers to River Market stages, Cowboy Mouth and Dash Rip Rock bring no-frills rock sounds from the Crescent City to Revolution, 9 p.m., $10. Local Chris Henry does acoustic rock ’n’ soul at Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3.

Town Pump offers up the melodic indie rock of Whale Fire and sax-infused instrumental bangers from Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase semi-finalists Echo Canyon, 10 p.m., $5. Rockabilly mainstays Josh the Devil and the Sinners land in Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m., $8 non-members. Teen sex farce “Speech and Debate” returns to the Weekend Theater, 7:30 p.m., $14.

SATURDAY 1/29

n Red Dirt country icon Stoney LaRue retuns to Revolution alongside Charliehorse, 9 p.m., $10 adv., $12 d.o.s. Cajun music revivalists Ryan Brunet and the Malfecteurs bring bayou honkytonk rhythm to White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. Locals Rip van Shizzle hit Thirst n’ Howl, 9 p.m., free. Party band Boom Kinetic takes its high-energy covers set to Stickyz, 9 p.m., $5 early admission.

The Big Cats continue storming the town with a string of live shows with another gig at The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7.

Never Shout Never brings one-man teen rock to Juanita’s, 8:30 p.m., $15 adv., $18 d.o.s. Conway rockers Mayday by Midnight play Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 26, 2011 23

www.arktimes.com

afterdark

All events are in the Greater Little Rock area unless otherwise noted. To place an event in the Arkansas Times calendar, please e-mail the listing and all pertinent information, including date, time, location, price and contact information, to calendar@arktimes.com.

MUSIC

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27 MUSIC

Alpha Rev. George’s Majestic Lounge, 9 p.m., $10.

519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-442-4226.

Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase Round One with Catskill Kids, Cody Ives Band, Tyrannosaurus Chicken, Zach Williams and the Reformation. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8:30 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-3727707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

“V.I.P. Thursdays” with DJ Silky Slim. Sway, 8 p.m., $3. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

Eric Sommer, Cloud Nine, Elison’s Cage.

Vino’s, 8 p.m., $6. 923 W. Seventh St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Four Elements (headliner), Chess (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com.

Graham Wilkinson and the Underground Township. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.myspace.com/whitewatertavern.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.

24 JANUARY 26, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

EVENTS

“Startin’ Early, Stayin’ Late.” Food, drinks, silent auctions and live music from Bob Boyd Sounds during this pre-party for the “Saints and Sinners” black tie ball. Governor’s Mansion, 6 p.m., $50. 1800 Center St.

LECTURES

Acoustic Open Mic with Kat Hood. The Afterthought, 8 p.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-6631196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Bolly Open Mic Hype Night with Osyrus Bolly and DJ Messiah. All American Wings, 9 p.m. 215 W. Capitol Ave. 501-376-4000. allamericanwings. com.

Brian & Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub. com.

Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Lucious Spiller Band. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9:30 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

No Age, Rene Hell. Revolution, 9 p.m., $12 adv., $15 d.o.s. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free.

111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel. com/CBG. Unseen Eye, Chad Carter. Town Pump, 10 p.m.

1321 Rebsamen Park Road. 501-663-9802.

COMEDY

COMEDY

Steve Kramer. The Loony Bin, through Jan. 27, 8 p.m.; Jan. 28, 8 and 10:30 p.m.; Jan. 29, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $6-$9. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road.

501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

Allison Fine. Fine will discuss her book “The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change,” a guide to social media strategy. For more information or to reserve seats, call 683-5239 or e-mail publicprograms@clintonschool. uasys.edu. Clinton School of Public Service, 12 p.m.

1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www. clintonschool.uasys.edu.

Matthew Pitt. The author of “Attention Please Now” speaks in the Murphy Seminar Room. For more information, visit hendrix.edu. Hendrix College, 1:15 p.m. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. www. hendrix.edu.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26

Steve Kramer. The Loony Bin, 8 p.m.; Jan. 28, 8 and 10:30 p.m.; Jan. 29, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $6-$9.

10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Jocko Deal. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m., free. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Rex Bell and Co. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., $5.

2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Sugar and Gold, Yip Deceiver. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $3. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free.

111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel. com/CBG.

SPORTS

Horse racing. Oaklawn, $2.50-$4.50. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www.oaklawn. com.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28 MUSIC

CRUSHING THE COMPETITION: ‘Monster Jam’ returns to Verizon Arena for two days of car-flattening, exhaust-inhaling, dirt-ramping fun. Expect big-time racing and freestyle competitions from trucks such as Predator, Prowler, Bad News Travels Fast and, of course, Grave Digger (above). The show starts Friday, Jan. 28, at 7:30 p.m. and continues the next day, same time. Tickets are available at the Verizon Arena box office or via Ticketmaster.

Alpha Rev. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $7. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www. stickyfingerz.com.

Chris Henry. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www.beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

Cloud Nine (headliner), Richie Johnson (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Cowboy Mouth, Dash Rip Rock. Revolution, 9 p.m., $10. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Day of Flight, Lost Dreamers, The Dead Will Fall, Randy Hopkins. Vino’s, 8 p.m., $5. 923 W. Seventh St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub. com.

DJ Ja’Lee. Sway, 8 p.m., $5. 412 Louisiana.

501-907-2582.

“Friday Night E.D.M. Club.” Juanita’s, 9 p.m.

1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

The Gettys. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Grayson Shelton. Cregeen’s Irish Pub, Jan. 28-29, 9 p.m., free. 301 Main St., NLR. 501-376-7468. www. cregeens.com.

Josh the Devil and the Sinners. Midtown Billiards, Jan. 29, 12:30 a.m., $8 non-members. 1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com.

Knuckfest 2011. A three-day festival of heavy, local music from Zucura, Jungle Juice, The Muddlestuds, Shadowvein, Ashes of Augustine and more. For more information, visit downtownshows.homestead.com.

Downtown Music Hall, Jan. 28-30. 211 W. Capitol.

501-376-1819. downtownshows.homestead.com.

Mojo Depot. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/ CBG. Thomas East. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, Jan. 28-29, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-3242999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Thread. Thirst n’ Howl, through : 9 p.m. Thirst n’ Howl, through : 9 p.m. 14710 Cantrell Road.

501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS Concert tickets through Ticketmaster by phone at 975-7575 or online at www.ticketmaster.com unless otherwise noted.

FEB. 8: Hayes Carll. 10 p.m., $20. White Water Tavern, 2500 W. 7th St. 375-8400, whitewatertavern.com.

FEB. 9: Kid Rock. 7:30 p.m., $60.20-$102.90.

Verizon Arena. 800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com FEB. 21: Tapes n’ Tapes. 9 p.m., $12 adv., $14 d.o.s. Stickyz, 107 Commerce St. 3727707, stickyfingerz.com FEB. 26: Pinetop Perkins. 9 p.m., $20.

Stickyz, 107 Commerce St. 372-7707, stickyfingerz.com.

MARCH 12: Baths. 9 p.m., $10. Stickyz, 107 Commerce St. 372-7707, stickyfingerz.com.

MARCH 18: 8Ball & MJG. 9 p.m. Revolution, 300 President Clinton AV. 823-0090, revroom. com.

MARCH 27: Destroyer. 9 p.m., $10 adv., $12 d.o.s. Stickyz, 107 Commerce St. 372-7707, stickyfingerz.com.

MAY 24-26: “Beauty and the Beast.” 7:30 p.m. Robinson Center Music Hall, Markham and Broadway. 244-8800, celebrityattractions.com.

MAY 27-29: Riverfest 2011. Downtown Little Rock. riverfestarkansas.com.

Trey and the Droppers. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford.

501-224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Tuxedo Flamethrowers. Fox And Hound, 10 p.m.

2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www. foxandhound.com/locations/north-little-rock.aspx.

Whale Fire, Echo Canyon. Town Pump, 10 p.m., $5. 1321 Rebsamen Park Road. 501-663-9802.

White Collar Criminals. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 9 p.m. 11321 W. Markham St. 501-224-2010. www.markhamst.com.

The Year of the Tiger, Booyah! Dad (formerly Pilot Whale). Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

COMEDY

Steve Kramer. The Loony Bin, Jan. 28, 8 and 10:30 p.m.; Jan. 29, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $6-$9. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

Eagles Et Cetera Festival. Encounter eagles, hawks, owls and other birds of prey during a variety of programs both indoors and out. For more information, call 865-5810 or visit degray.com. DeGray Lake State Park, Jan. 28-30. Hwy. 7.

LGBTQ/SGL Youth and Young Adult Group.

Diverse Youth for Social Change is a group for LGBTQ/SGL and Straight Ally Youth and Young Adults age 14 to 23. For more information, call 244-9690 or search “DYSC” on Facebook. 800 Scott St., 6:30 p.m. 800 Scott St.

FILM

“Dogpatch U.S.A..” Filmmakers Dixie Kline and Matthew Rowe document the ups and downs of the “Lil’ Abner” theme park outside of Harrison. For more information, call 324-9685 or visit oldstatehouse. com. Old State House Museum, 12 p.m., free. 500 Clinton Ave. 501-324-9685. www.oldstatehouse. com.

SPORTS

Horse racing. Oaklawn, $2.50-$4.50. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www.oaklawn. com.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29 MUSIC

Aaron Owens Band. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Afterglow (headliner), John and Kenny (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5:30 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

The Ben Miller Band. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Bethany Devine. The Land, 6 p.m., $10 adv., $15 d.o.s. 3700 W. 65th St. The Big Cats. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7.

2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Boom Kinetic. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $8 early admission. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Brian and Nick. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www.beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

Chasing Delaware, The Beautiful Pursuit, Three Day Flight, Knox Hamilton. Vino’s, 9 p.m., $6. 923 W. Seventh St. 501-375-8466. www. vinosbrewpub.com.

Crash Meadows. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-2247665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

D-Mite and Tho-d Studios Showcase.

Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8:30 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

DJs Kramer (lobby); Michael Shane, Justin Sane (disco); g-force (Hip-Hop). Discovery Nightclub, 10 p.m., $12. 1021 Jessie Road. 501-6644784. www.latenightdisco.com.

DJ Ja’Lee. Sway, 8 p.m., $5. 412 Louisiana.

501-907-2582.

Eric Sommer. Midtown Billiards, Jan. 30, 12:30 a.m., $8 non-members. 1316 Main St. 501-3729990. midtownar.com.

“Girls Gone Gaga: A Burlesque Tribute to Lady Gaga.” Triniti Nightclub, 10 p.m., $10. 1021 Jessie Rd. Grayson Shelton. Cregeen’s Irish Pub, 9 p.m., free.

301 Main St., NLR. 501-376-7468. www.cregeens. com.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub. com.

Knuckfest 2011. See Jan. 28.

Mayday by Midnight. Fox And Hound, 10 p.m.

2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www. foxandhound.com/locations/north-little-rock.aspx.

Never Shout Never, Carter Hulsey, The Denison. Juanita’s, 8:30 p.m., $15 adv., $18 d.o.s.

1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Penguin Dilemma. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 9 p.m. 11321 W. Markham St. 501-224-2010. www. markhamst.com.

Rip Van Shizzle. Thirst n’ Howl, through : 9 p.m., free. Thirst n’ Howl, through : 9 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl. com.

Ryan Brunet and the Malfecteurs. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www. myspace.com/whitewatertavern.

Stoney LaRue. Revolution, 9 p.m., $10 adv., $12 d.o.s. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/ CBG. Thomas East. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m.

500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

COMEDY

Steve Kramer. The Loony Bin, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $6-$9. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-2285555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

Eagles Et Cetera Festival. See Jan. 28.

Falun Gong meditation. Allsopp Park, 9 a.m., free. Cantrell & Cedar Hill Roads.

“Saints and Sinners” Ball. A black-tie ball with cocktails and a silent auction to raise funds for The Rep. For more information, visit therep.org.

Statehouse Convention Center, 6:30 p.m., $350. 7 Statehouse Plaza.

SPORTS

Horse racing. Oaklawn, $2.50-$4.50. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www.oaklawn. com.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30 MUSIC

Knuckfest 2011. See Jan. 28.

Sunday Jazz Brunch with Ted Ludwig and Joe Cripps. Vieux Carre, 11 a.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.vieuxcarrecafe.com.

EVENTS

Eagles Et Cetera Festival. See Jan. 28.

FILM

“Race to Nowhere.” Pulaski Heights Methodist

‘SOLITUDE’: This work and others are featured in the exhibition “The Painted Word: Calligraphic Paintings by Charles Pearce,” opening Wednesday, Jan. 26, at the Laman Public Library in North Little Rock. Pearce, who was born in Birmingham, England, and now lives in Eureka Springs, is the author of several books on calligraphy and also works in clay. The show runs through March 13 at the library, 2801 Orange St. Church, 5:30 p.m., free. 4823 Woodlawn Dr.

MONDAY, JANUARY 31 MUSIC

Nachmystium, Rwake, Pallbearer. Downtown

Music Hall, 9 p.m., $10 adv., $12 d.o.s. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownshows.homestead.com.

Peter Wolf Crier, Retribution Gospel Choir.

Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8:30 p.m., $8

Continued on page 27 www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 26, 2011 25

CATSKILL KIDS

SHOWCASE Continued from page 21

Williams and the Reformation look just like Dixieland soul-rockers of yore and sound like the Stones at their most Southern.

THINK: Dazed & Confused & Bearded & Shredding & Fist-Pumping.

RECEIVING THE CHECK: Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, Lynnette R. Freeman and Tyrese Treyvon Bluford (clockwise from left) star in The Rep’s prodcution of ‘A Raisin in the Sun.’

■ theaterreview ‘A Raisin in the Sun’

TYRANNOSAURUS CHICKEN

Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Jan. 20

CATSKILL KIDS. Fronted by the Queensland-born, Arkansas-transplanted brother and sister duo of Matthew and Christie Cronk, Catskill Kids spent the better part of last year honing their melodic, heart-on-sleeve indie pop at venues around town. Shaking vocals and whistling synth lines immediately bring to mind a laundry list of Canadian bands from the last 10 years.

THINK: Wolf Parade reimagined by Charles Schultz.

TYRANNOSAURUS CHICKEN. You may have caught them busking during last year’s King Biscuit Blues Festival. You certainly couldn’t miss them. Both multi-instrumentalists separated by decades, Rachel Ammons and Smilin’ Bob Lewis deconstruct the blues into a primal, raucous four on the floor attack of sawing fiddle, fingerpicked guitar and trance-inducing bass drum. Shockingly tight one verse and gleefully atonal the next, the duo is definitely the most left-of-the-dial semifinalist of the whole shebang.

THINK: Leadbelly acing the Electric KoolAid Acid Test.

CODY IVES BAND. No stranger to the Stickyz stage, Benton’s Cody Ives Band specializes in the Red Dirt country sound that originated in Oklahoma, found its way into Arkansas and has thrived here ever since. Taking 26 JANUARY 26, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

CODY IVES BAND

UPCOMING SHOWCASE SCHEDULE Feb. 3: The Year of the Tiger, The Yipps, The Smittle Band, Echo Canyon Feb. 10: Brethren, This Holy House, Michael Leonard Witham, The Pink Drapes Feb. 17: 10 Horse Johnson, Brown Soul Shoes, Ezra Lbs, Sea Nanners Feb. 24: No Hay de Que, Mandy McBryde and the Unholy Ghost, Thunder Thieves, Ginsu Wives diverse cues from Chuck Berry, Garth Brooks and Red Dirt icon Stoney LaRue. Since cutting their first demo, “Stimulation Simulation” in January 2009, the six-piece has kept it twangy and real, remaining a steady presence at motorcycle rallies, pool halls and beer bars around the state.

THINK: The house band for the (Waylon) Jennings Family reunion.

Check Rock Candy (arktimes.com/ blogs/rockcandy) for more on the Showcase, including song samples, pictures, and video, reviews and discussion after each round.

n The moment comes somewhere around the middle of the first act — not that anybody who is paying attention will miss it.

This is in the Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s spirited production of “A Raisin in the Sun” and, like most galvanizing moments in the theater, it’s practically wordless. Three members of the hard-working Younger clan gaze in awe and wonder — and then for mama Lena something like trepidation — as a check for $10,000 is pulled out of its envelope. This insurance check, a crucial device by playwright Lorraine Hansberry, alternately illuminates the dreams and sets in motion the destruction of those dreams held by those living in the cramped, cockroach-infested apartment in the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s.

It’s not a given that landmark plays such as “A Raisin in the Sun” will endure. But this play, which, at its debut in 1959 was the first by a black female playwright to land on Broadway, has lasted for more than 50 years. Perhaps the recent economic woes make the Youngers’ struggles more keenly felt by more people.

But the issues of family, pride, happiness and dreams are eternal and “Raisin” brings those issues to life.

Directed by Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj, the Rep’s “Raisin” isn’t a rethinking or re-imagining — the production does a good job of getting out of the way and letting the play work. This is straight-up, stay-behind-the-fourth wall realism — the kind theater patrons rarely see anymore.

This is an emotional play that puts its sharply delineated characters through the

wringer — as Beneatha Younger (played

by Myxolydia Tyler) wails at one point, “Is there no bottom?” For the most part, the Rep’s cast is up to the challenge.

Phyllis Yvonne Stickney strays too close to caricature in her portrayal of the matriarch Lena Younger. Stickney, who is younger than the woman she plays, has a stilted walk and way of speaking that pushes you back from instead of pulling you toward Lena, a tough but wise woman trying to hold her contentious brood together. To Stickney’s credit, she is consistent throughout the show and she hits all the emotional notes.

Walter Lee Younger is the frustrated chauffeur with the desperate dream to take the $10,000 and open a liquor store.

Hisham Tawfiq makes clear the character’s restlessness, as he paces around Mike Nichols’ recreation of an apartment that’s cut off from the sunlight. Tawfiq at times needs to let his anger simmer more but he is a compelling presence. As Ruth Younger, Lynnette R. Freeman delivers an indelible performance, a restrained yet controlled take on a woman who struggles to say what she wants.

“A Raisin in the Sun” is certainly tied to its time period and the talk of African heritage and assimilation and the first movements of civil rights. But the play has aged well because it offers moments like the one with the check. It’s pure theater and no other dramatic form can duplicate it. That is reason enough alone to make time for this production.

— Werner Trieschmann

A&E NEWS

CALENDAR

Continued from page 25 adv., $10 d.o.s. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

FILM

“For Once in My Life.” Thompson Library, 6 p.m., free. 38 Rahling Circle.

LECTURES

Javaid Laghari. The chairperson of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan will give a lecture titled “Shifting Sands of Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” about how innovation and entrepreneurship are the driving forces behind developing countries. For more information or to reserve seats, call 683-5239 or e-mail publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu. Clinton School of Public Service, 12 p.m. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool.uasys.edu.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 MUSIC

TRUE GRIT: Landed 10 Oscar nominations.

New on Rock Candy n In the wake of Tuesday’s Oscar nominations, some local angles: Big, fat props are due to the Little Rock Film Festival for having the foresight to choose “Winter’s Bone” to open up the 2010 festival. The Ozark drama, set in Missouri just north of Arkansas and featuring several Arkansas actors, was nominated for four major Oscars (including Best Picture), which should look great on LRFF’s resume. It upset “The Town,” which many expected to take the 10th Best Pic spot.

“True Grit” ended up defying a lot of tenuous expectations following lackluster showings at the Director’s Guild of America and Golden Globe awards and landed 10 nominations, including “Best Adapted Screenplay.” Should the Coen Brothers win that one, look for them to deflect the award to Charles Portis, who the brothers have constantly praised throughout their promotion of the film.

Finally, “Gasland,” filmed partly in Arkansas (though most of the footage was relegated to bonus features on the DVD), was nominated in the documentary category, which is sure to boost public understanding about the potential perils of natural gas drilling in Arkansas and elsewhere. n Sony Pictures Classics purchased Jeff Nichols’ new film, “Take Shelter,” for an undisclosed amount before it debuted on Monday at Sundance. Nichols told Variety the distributor bought the film without seeing it.

Smart move, based on the early critical reception. Eric Kohn, a critic for IndieWire, Tweeted just after the screening, “TAKE SHELTER: Favorite so far from #Sundance 2010. Brilliant mix of family drama & psychological thrills.

FIELD OF DREAMS meets Noah’s Ark.” Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter called the film, which stars Michael Shannon, “a knockout prestige picture” and a “masterfully controlled piece of work on every level.” n Fayetteville playwright Robert Ford, who serves as the artistic director for TheatreSquared, has been nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Play for “The Fall of the House.”

Playbill describes the play, which made its debut last year at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, as involving “a mystic whose supernatural life intertwines with famed writer Edgar Allan Poe and that of a young African-American female architect in the 20th century.”

Ford was the recipient of last year’s Porter Prize. n The country hits keep comin’.

Super-duo Sugarland is headed to Verizon on March 4 with Little Big Town and former “American Idol” contestant Casey James opening.

Tickets, which go on sale on Saturday, Jan. 29, are $25.75, $45.75 and $55.75. n One half of Outkast is headed to Hendrix College. Big Boi is scheduled to play Worsham Performance Hall on Friday, March 4, with Alabama MC Yelawolf as a possible opener.

The concert will likely be open to students and their guests only, according to Nicole Beachum, assistant director of student activities, but no official decision had been made by press time. n “Standing in the Way of Control,” the 2006 breakout single from Gossip, was named the “Most Powerful Protest Song of the 21st Century” by cultural news website Flavorwire.

Brent James and the Contraband. Juanita’s, 8:30 p.m., $3 adv., $5 d.o.s. 1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Jonathan Wilkins and the Reparations. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.myspace.com/whitewatertavern.

Karaoke Night. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8 p.m.

314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Karaoke Tuesday. Prost, 8 p.m., free. 120 Ottenheimer. 501-244-9550.

Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Lucious Spiller Band. Copeland’s, 6-9 p.m. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. 501-312-1616. www.copelandsofneworleans.com.

Truth & Salvage Co., Jonathan Tyler and Northern Lights. George’s Majestic Lounge, 9 p.m., $8. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-4424226.

Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd.

501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

DANCE

“Latin Night.” Revolution, 7 p.m., $5 regular, $7 under 21. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. www.revroom.com.

BOOKS

Kevin Brockmeier. The novelist signs copies of his new book, “The Illumination.” WordsWorth Books & Co., 5 p.m., free. 5920 R St.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2 MUSIC

Acoustic Open Mic with Kat Hood. The Afterthought, 8 p.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-6631196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Bolly Open Mic Hype Night with Osyrus Bolly and DJ Messiah. All American Wings, 9 p.m. 215 W. Capitol Ave. 501-376-4000. allamericanwings. com.

Brian & Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub. com.

Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Lucious Spiller Band. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9:30 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

The Melodians. Revolution, 9 p.m., $10. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free.

111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel. com/CBG.

FILM

“Lost Embrace.” Directed by Jonathan Demme.

In D.W. Reynolds 13. Hendrix College, 7 p.m. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. www.hendrix.edu.

THIS WEEK IN THEATER “A Raisin in the Sun.” The classic, award-winning drama, telling the story of an African-American family in Chicago’s south side in 1950. For tickets or more information, call 378-0405 or visit therep. org. Arkansas Repertory Theatre, through Feb. 6: Wed., Thu., 7 p.m.; Fri., Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 and 7 p.m., $25-$40. 601 Main St. 501-378-0405. www. therep.org.

“Room Service.” A penniless producer and his colleagues will stop at nothing to get backing for his play in the stage adaptation of the Marx Brothers and Lucille Ball movie. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through Feb. 7: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Every other Wednesday, 11 a.m., $28-$32. 6323 Col. Glenn Road. murrysdinnerplayhouse.com.

“Speech & Debate.” Three teen-age misfits in Salem, Ore., discover they are linked by a sex scandal that could rock their town. But the stakes are raised when one of them sets out to expose the truth. The Weekend Theater, through Jan. 29: Fri., Sat., 7:30 p.m., $10-$14. 1001 W. 7th St. 501-3743761. www.weekendtheater.org.

“The Spider and the Bee.” A math-loving spider and an art-loving bee learn to get along with each other. For more information, visit uca.edu/theatre.

UCA - Reynolds Performance Hall, Fri., Jan. 28, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 29, 10 a.m., free. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway.

GALLERIES, MUSEUMS NEW EXHIBITS

LAMAN LIBRARY, 2801 Orange St., NLR: “The Painted Word: Calligraphic Paintings by Charles Pearce,” Jan. 26-March 13. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 1-5 p.m.

Sun. 758-1720.

PULASKI TECH, 3000 W. Scenic Drive, NLR: “Recent Works by Cody Arnall,” Ottenheimer Library, through Jan. 26, gallery talk and reception 10 a.m. Jan. 26. n Fayetteville UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS: “Ozark Modern,” furniture designed by architect Edward Durrell Stone, through Feb. 16, Fine Arts Center Gallery; lecture, “Edward Durell Stone: The Urbane Rustic,” by Hicks Stone 7 p.m. Jan. 27, Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, reception afterward in gallery.

CONTINUING EXHIBITS

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: “Museum School Faculty Exhibition: Past and Present”; 37th annual “Toys Designed by Artists,” through Feb. 20; “Delta Exhibition,” annual juried show, through Feb. 20; “Currents in Contemporary Art,” “Masterworks,” “Paul Signac Watercolors and Drawings,” ongoing. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000.

ARKANSAS STUDIES INSTITUTE, 401 President Clinton Ave.: “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War,” Main Gallery, through Jan. 28; “2010 Design Awards Exhibition,” Arkansas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects exhibit, Mezzanine Gallery, through Jan. 29; “Making Pictures: Three for a Dime,” photography exhibit based on Maxine Payne’s book, throu gh Feb. 19. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 320-5791.

BOSWELL-MOUROT FINE ART, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work in all media by Elizabeth Weber, Hugo Erlacher, Mary Ann Stafford, Lam Tze Sheung, Catherine Rodgers, Jon Etienne Mourot, John McDermott, Kyle Boswell and others. 11 a.m.6 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 664-0030.

CANTRELL GALLERY, 8206 Cantrell Road: “People, Places & Things,” new paintings by Doug Gorrell, through March 5. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 224-1335.

CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 509 Scott St.: “Love and Light,” work by Melverue Abraham, Kathryn Aldefer, David Bell, Austin Grimes, Larry Hare, Lauryn Rayburn, Mary Shelton, Brandye Sneade, Elizabeth Weber and Betsy Woodyard.

375-2342.

CHROMA GALLERY, 5707 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work by Robert Reep and other Arkansas artists.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 6640880.

GALLERY 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work by

Continued on page 28 www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 26, 2011 27

MEGAPYTHON VS. GATOROID 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29 The SyFy Channel n What chess is to smart folks, The Versus Game is to stoners. It goes a little sumpin’ like this: STONER No. 1: “Okay, okay.

How about a ninja versus Mike Tyson?”

STONER No. 2: “Tyson now, or in his prime?” STONER No. 1: “In his prime, but he’s wearing really heavy boots. Like, Frankenstein boots.” STONER No. 2: “Does the ninja, like, have any weapons?”

STONER No. 1: “Uh, yeah, but only a plastic cooking spatula.” And, scene. Because most of the programming on the SyFy Channel is only enjoyed by stoners, it’s easy to see why The Versus Game is paying off for them big time, with recent made-for-TV movies like “Mega Shark vs.

Giant Octopus” and “Dinocroc vs. Supergator.” Featuring laughably-bad digital effects, wooden dialogue and has-been stars, they go beyond B-movie to a letter of the alphabet previously unknown in the annals of cinema. This week’s outing — “Megapython vs. Gatoroid” features an Arkansas twist: Helena-born Mary Lambert in the director’s chair. Lambert (the sister of former U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln) cut her teeth directing many of Madonna’s early music videos, including “Material Girl” and “Like a Virgin” before moving on to films like “Pet Sematary,” “My Stepson,

CALENDAR

Continued from page 27 Julie Holt, Susanna Kirk, Fred Nash and Jason Smith, through March 12. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 664-8996.

GREG THOMPSON FINE ART, 429 Main St., NLR: “15-Year Anniversary Exhibit,” work by Kendall Stallings, Benini, Glenray Tutor, William Dunlap, Barry Thomas, Gary Bolding and others, through March 12.

664-2787.

HEARNE FINE ART, 1001 Wright Ave.: “Pioneers of the Paint: Masters of the 19th Century,” paintings

by Edward Michael Bannister, Charles Ethan Porter, Robert Scott Duncanson and Henry Ossawa Tanner, through Feb. 20. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. 372-6822.

KETZ GALLERY, 705 Main St., NLR: “Off the Wall Show and Sale,” paintings by Matthew Castellano, jewelry by Cliff Bernard, hand-painted gourds by Sharon Dawn Clark. 529-6330.

LOCAL COLOUR GALLERY, 5811 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Art and jewelry by members of artists’ cooperative. 501-265-0422.

M2GALLERY, 11525 Cantrell Road (Pleasant Ridge Town Center): Jason Twiggy Lott, William Goodman, Char Demoro, Cathy Burns and others. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 225-6257.

RED DOOR GALLERY, 3715 JFK, NLR: Buddy Whitlock, featured artist, also work by Lola Abellan, Mary Allison, Georges Artaud, Theresa Cates, 28 JANUARY 26, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

My Lover,” and “Dragstrip Girl.”

As added craptacularity, the movie stars 1980s pop stars Debbie Gibson and Tiffany, with Tiffany playing a crusading park ranger in Everglades National Park who is trying to stop the spread of invasive pythons, and Gibson as an equally dedicated (and slightly beef-jerkylike, from the video clips we’ve seen) animal rights activist who believes the snakes should be left alone. Oh, and eventually, Gibson and Tiffany get in a hair-pulling catfight that devolves into a pie fight. Sounds like a great Saturday night.

— David Koon

do is not screw it up.

— DK

PORTLANDIA Fridays at 9:30 IFC n Fred Armisen, of SNL fame, and Carrie Brownstein, formerly of riot grrl rock outfit Sleater-Kinney, have put together a sketchbased masterpiece about living in Portland, a magical wonderland where the environmentally-friendly, feminist, vegan, hipster, artsyfartsy class goes to live locally. In the show’s first episode, we see Armisen returning to Los Angeles to tell Brownstein about a recent visit to Portland. “Do you remember the BEING HUMAN ’90s?” he asks. “You know, people Mondays at 8 p.m. were talking about getting piercThe SyFy Channel ings and tribal tattoos. And people n These days, it’s looking like if were singing about saving the planet and forming bands. There’s you want a half-ass decent Ameria place where that idea still exists can TV show, you have to go lookas a reality. And I’ve been there.” ing in Britain for the raw material.

MONSTER MASH: ‘Gatoroid’ stars Debbie Gibson The characters and settings change As we wrote last week, “Skins,” and Tiffany. throughout the show but the tranthe deliciously raunchy UK show sitions are seamless. There’s Peter about drugged-out and horny and Nance, a couple who leave a restau(read: normal) high school students, reghost, respectively. While the show goes rant before ordering the chicken to visit cently jumped the pond to land as a new a lot deeper than who left the cap off the the organic farm where said chicken was U.S. version on MTV. Then there’s NBC’s blood jug again and whether or not the purchased, to make sure he had grown up “The Office,” which was a well-regarded werewolf should pay the full cost of getin a good environment. There’s Toni and British show well before Steve Carrell ting his wiry hairballs snaked out of the Candace, feminist bookstore owners who got hold of it. The latest transplant from tub drain, at its heart, it’s a moving treatise talk about drinking trendy tea. There’s Mother England is the supernatural/sci-fi on the perils of being different. Though the Bryce and Lisa, who create Etsy-worthy show “Being Human.” We’ve caught the transfer process from British TV to Ameriart by “putting birds on things.” original a few times on BBC America, and can TV isn’t always smooth (witness the “The dream of the ’90s is alive in Portit’s a whole lot of fun. Basically “Three’s always-brilliant UK version of car-church land,” the characters sing in the debut epiCompany” with death and bloodsucking, automobile show “Top Gear,” versus the sode. Check out “Portlandia” and live that it features the adventures of 20somethings dull, dismal and stupid U.S. version of the dream.

Mitchell, George and Annie, roommates same) we’ve got high hopes for the SyFy — Gerard Matthews who are a vampire, a werewolf and a turn. The bones are there. All they have to Caroline’s Closet, Kelly Edwards, Jane Hankins, James Hayes, Amy Hill-Imler, Morris Howard, Jim Johnson, Annette Kagy, Capt. Robert Lumpp, Joe Martin, Pat Matthews and others.10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 753-5227.

REFLECTIONS GALLERY AND FINE FRAMING, 11220 Rodney Parham Road: Work by local and national artists. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. 227-5659.

SHOWROOM, 2313 Cantrell Road: Work by area artists, including Sandy Hubler. 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Mon.-Fri. 372-7373.

STATE CAPITOL: “Arkansans in the Korean War,” 32 photographs, lower-level foyer. 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat.-Sun. STEPHANO’S FINE ART, 5501 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Fused glass sculpture by Lisabeth Franco, paintings

by Joy Schultz, Mike Gaines, MaryAnne Erickson, Stephano and Alexis Silk, jewelry by Joan Courtney and Teresa Smith, sculpture by Scotti Wilborne and Tony Dow. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 563-4218.

THEA FOUNDATION, 401 Main St., NLR: “Arkansas Children’s Hospital Exhibition,” work by patients and artists in residence, through Jan. 28. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 379-9512.

TOBI FAIRLEY FINE ART, 5507 Ranch Drive, Suite 103: Jane Booth, large abstract oils. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Tue.-Fri. or by appointment. 868-9882.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “Women Call for Peace: Global Vistas,” work by Emma Amos, Siona Benjamin, Chakaia

Booker, Judy Chicago, Linda Freeman, Irene Hardwicke Olivieri, Leila Kubba, Grace Matthews, Faith Ringgold, Aminah Robinson, Betye Saar, Flo Oy Wong, Helen Zughaib, through March 10, Gallery I; “A Spectacle and Nothing Strange,” photographs

by Rebecca Sittler Schrock, through Feb. 13; “Scholarship Exhibition,” work by 21 students on art scholarships, Gallery III, through Feb. 15. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat., 2-5 p.m.

Sun. 569-8977. n Benton SALINE COUNTY LIBRARY, 1800 Smithers Drive: Work by students at Dianne Roberts Art Studio and Gallery, through January, Herzfeld Library. 778-4766.

DIANNE ROBERTS ART STUDIO AND GALLERY, 110 N. Market St.: Work by Chad Oppenhuizen, Dan McRaven, Gretchen Hendricks, Rachel Carroccio, Kenny Roberts, Taylor Bellot, Jim Cooper and Sue Moore. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. 860-7467. n Calico Rock CALICO ROCK ARTISTS COOPERATIVE, Hwy. 5 at White River Bridge: Paintings, photographs, jewelry, fiber art, wood, ceramics and other crafts. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Thu., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri.-Sat., noon4 p.m. Sun. calicorocket.org/artists. n Conway AETN, 350 S. Donaghey: “2011 Small Works on Paper,” through Jan. 28. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. www.aetn.org.

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS, Baum Gallery: “Improvising Intaglio: Jiri Anderle Prints from

the Baruch Foundation”; “Habitats: Portraiture by Kat Wilson”; “Earth: Fragile Planet”; “Intersecting the Book: When Artists, Writers and Graphic Designers Create 2D Worlds”; “Axis Mundi: Levittown,” UCA faculty exhibit, all through Feb. 24. 501-450-5793. n Fayetteville FAYETTEVILLE UNDERGROUND, 1 E. Center St.: “Colored Porcelain,” ceramics by Susy Siegele and Mike Haley; “The End of Isolation,” portraits by Adam Campbell; “Oppression, Suppression, Detachment, Growth,” photographic documentation of installation art concerning kudzu by Jan Parker; “Carl Berman,” paintings, presented by his widow Blanche Berman and curated by Hank Kaminski, through January.

Noon-7 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. www. fayettevilleunderground.blogspot.com.

WALTON ARTS CENTER, Joy Pratt Markham Gallery: “Watermarks,” mixed media installation by Bethany Springer, through April 13, reception 4:30-7 p.m. Feb. 3 (First Thursday). 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 479-571-2747. n Hot Springs AMERICAN ART GALLERY, 724 Central Ave.: Thomas Kinkade, Jimmy Leach, Jamie Carter, Govinder, Marlene Gremillion, Margaret Kipp and others. 501-624-0550.

ARTCHURCH STUDIO, 301 Whittington Ave.: “More Life Lessons …,” paintings by Nancy Dunaway, through January. Half the proceeds of sales go to Genesis Cancer Center. 501-318-6779.

GALLERY 726, 726 Central Ave.: Priscilla Cunningham, paintings, January artist. 501-624-7726.

The rough friendship of Tony Hoagland n We’re lucky in this life to find two or three people we can call true friends. They’re the ones whose presence magnifies the pleasure we take in the world, whose viewpoint is often most similar to our own, and, even if it isn’t, they understand our viewpoint and like us anyway.

Similarly, even though it’s a one-way street, we’re lucky to find a handful of writers who do the same things. We go to writers and artists because they’re able to articulate things better than we can. We read what they wrote and we say, “Yes! That is how I feel.” And, sometimes, we find a writer who is so good at what he does that he takes our pen from us, slaps us across the face with our notebook, and says, “No! This is what you mean.”

When you discover one of those, it’s always alarming. You realize you’ve gone years, decades, or a lifetime, and this spirit has been out there, in the same bars, wandering the same dark streets, a soul mate you’ve never met.

I think it was first reading a poem called “Demolition,” a poem about standing with a group of men and watching the demolition of a building, a poem about a furtive, inscrutable aspect of manhood, that I first realized what Tony Hoagland was going to be: “…I may be a grown man but that GALLERY CENTRAL, 800 Central Ave.: Bill Garrison, paintings, through January. 501-318-4278.

HOT SPRINGS CONVENTION CENTER: “Hot Springs: A Journey through History,” photography.

JUSTUS FINE ART, 827 A Central Ave.: Michael Ashley, pottery, also paintings, sculpture and jewelry.

10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed.-Sat. 501-321-2335.

LINDA PALMER GALLERY, 800-B Central Ave.: Jason Sacran, paintings, through January. 501-6203062. n Perryville SUDS GALLERY, Courthouse: Paintings by Dottie Morrissey, Alma Gipson, Al Garrett Jr., Phyllis Loftin, Alene Otts, Mauretta Frantz, Raylene Finkbeiner, Kathy Williams and Evelyn Garrett. Noon-6 p.m.

Wed.-Fri, noon-4 p.m. Sat. 501-766-7584. n Pine Bluff ARTS AND SCIENCE CENTER FOR SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS, 701 Main St.: “Arkansas Women to Watch 2011,” work by Emily Wood, Endia Gomez, Janet Frankovic, Nikki Hemphill, Ruth Pasquine, Thu Nguyen and Deborah Warren, touring show sponsored by National Museum of Women in the Arts, through March 19. 870-536-3375. n Springdale ARTS CENTER OF THE OZARKS, 214 S. Main St.: “Life’s Moments,” paintings by Beth Woessner, “Treasures of the Ozarks,” photographs by Roy Horne, both through Jan. 28, McCuistion-Matthews Gallery. 479-751-5441. n Russellville RIVER VALLEY ARTS CENTER, 1001 E. B St.: Marlene Gremillion, watercolors. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Thu., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Fri. 479-968-2452.

MUSEUMS, ONGOING EXHIBITS ARKANSAS INLAND MARITIME MUSEUM, NLR: Tours of the USS Razorback submarine. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 1-6 p.m. Sun. 371-8320.

Graham Gordy doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the ingenuities of violence against matter…”

Or maybe it was this section of a poem called “Sentimental Education,” where he calcified the vulnerability of youth in a single image: “…I looked at my pale, scrawny, knockkneed, bug-eyed brother, who was identical to me, and saw that, in a world that ate the weak, we didn’t have a prayer…”

Or perhaps it was him articulating the current, disastrous mode of pop culture in a subject as flamboyantly dull as Britney Spears:

now we want to turn her into an object of compassion?

Are you sure we know what the hell we’re doing? …”

As a matter of fact, Hoagland is perhaps the only author I know of that can cogently abridge the mess of contemporary culture as well as Don DeLillo. Like DeLillo, Hoagland uses the tedium of our lifestyle against itself and the results are simultaneously hilarious, visceral and astonishing.

But, most notably, Hoagland is a true literary friend because he achieves what Aristotle said was the most necessary, and most difficult, aspect of friendship: justice.

Hoagland exposes us for what we really are.

He shows us to ourselves unflinchingly. In other words, he calls us on our shit. Take, for instance, this section of “How It Adds Up.” “…Then there was someone else I met, whose face and voice I can’t forget, and the memory of her is like a jail I’m trapped inside, or maybe she is something I just use to hold my real life at a distance…”

“…First we made her into an object of desire, then into an object of contempt,

Since a poem is supposed to be taken as a whole, these segments are a disservice to Hoagland. No matter how eviscerating they may be, they will only reflect his intelligence and stabbing wit. Lest you think he only dispenses provisions for the head, find me a segment of contemporary poetry that

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSEUM VISITOR CENTER, Bates and Park: Exhibits on the 1957 desegregation of Central and the civil rights movement. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. 374-1957.

CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1200 President Clinton Ave.: “Haiti: Building Back Better,” presidential gifts, artifacts and artwork, including steel drum sculpture by Serge Jolimeau and Michee Ramil Remy, through Feb. 6; “Revolution and Rebellion: Wars, Words and Figures,” two original engravings of the Declaration of Independence produced by Benjamin Owen Tyler in 1818 & William J. Stone in 1823, through May 22; “Historical Figures of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars,” figurines by George Stuart, through May; exhibits about policies and White House life during the Clinton administration. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $7 adults; $5 college students, seniors, retired military; $3 ages 6-17. 370-8000.

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, 200 E. Third St.: “Adrienne Cullins: Black Market Kidney Factory,” paintings, through Feb. 6; “All in the Touch,” sculpture

by Diana B. Ashley and multi-media by Scinthya Edwards, through Jan. 30; “Model Trains of Bill Albright,” Eclectic Collector show, through March 14.

9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $2.50 adults, $1.50, $1 children for tours of grounds. 324-9351.

MacARTHUR MUSEUM OF ARKANSAS MILITARY HISTORY, MacArthur Park: “In Search of Pancho Villa,” artifacts from soldiers of the period, medals and original sketches of the Mexican Punitive Expedition, the United States retaliatory action in 1916 against the Mexican general who attacked a small border town in New Mexico, through May; “Warrior: Vietnam Portraits by Two Guys from Hall,” photos by Jim Guy Tucker and Bruce Wesson, through April; exhibits on Arkansas’s military history.

9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat., 1-4 p.m.

Sun. 376-4602.

MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER, Ninth and Broadway: “The Fine Art of Jazz,”

photographs of Kansas City jazz musicians by Dan White; exhibits on African-Americans in Arkansas, including one on the Ninth Street business district, entrepreneurs, the Mosaic Templars business and more. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 683–3593.

MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY, 500 President Clinton Ave.: “Illusion Confusion,” optical illusions, through March; interactive science exhibits. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. Admission: $8 adults, $7 children ages 1-12 and seniors 65 and up, children under 1 free, “Pay What You Can” second Sunday of every month. 396-7050. www.museumofdiscovery. org.

OLD STATE HOUSE, 300 W. Markham St.: “Arkansas/Arkansaw: A State and Its Reputation,” the evolution of the state’s hillbilly image; “Badges, Bandits & Bars: Arkansas Law & Justice,” state’s history of crime and punishment, through March. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9685.

WITT STEPHENS JR. CENTRAL ARKANSAS NATURE CENTER, Riverfront Park: Exhibits on wildlife and the state Game and Fish Commission. n Calico Rock CALICO ROCK MUSEUM, Main Street: Displays on Native American cultures, steamboats, the railroad, and local history. www.calicorockmuseum. com. n England TOLTEC MOUNDS STATE PARK, State Hwy. 165: Major prehistoric Indian site with visitors’ center and museum. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., noon-5 p.m.

Sun., closed Mon. $3 for adults, $2 for ages 6-12.

961-9442. n Jacksonville JACKSONVILLE MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY, 100 Veterans Circle: Exhibits on D-Day; F-105, Vietnam era plane (“The Thud”); the Civil War Battle of Reed’s Bridge, Arkansas Ordnance Plant (AOP) and other military history. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. MonSat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $3 adults; $2 seniors, military; $1 students. 501-241-1943.

stings the heart as much as this: “…Outside the youth center, between the liquor store and the police station a little dogwood tree is losing its mind: overflowing with blossomfoam like a sudsy mug of beer; like a bride ripping off her clothes, dropping snow white petals to the ground in clouds, so Nature’s wastefulness seems quietly obscene.

It’s been doing that all week: making beauty and throwing it away, and making more.”

I barely ever read poetry, probably for the same reasons you don’t. But Hoagland isn’t your average poet. He writes with such a strong back and a full throat that his work doesn’t light on you, but chisels into you and pulls out parts of you that you knew were there but refused to ever see.

Hoagland is the hideously breath-taking contradiction that we all are — cynic and sentimentalist, romantic and realist. Or as he more eloquently puts it: “…Yet the only tattoo I want is of a fist and a rose together.

Fist, that helps you survive.

Rose, without which you have no reason to.” n Morrilton MUSEUM OF AUTOMOBILES, Petit Jean Mountain: Permanent exhibit of more than 50 cars from 1904-1967 depicting the evolution of the automobile. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 7 days. 501-727-5427. n Rogers ROGERS HISTORICAL MUSEUM, 322 S. 2nd St.: “Buried Dreams: “Coin Harvey and Monte Ne,” photographs; “Rogers Auto-Biography: An Automotive History of Rogers,” through 2011. 479621-1154. n Scott PLANTATION AGRICULTURE MUSEUM, U.S. 165 S and Hwy. 161: Artifacts and interactive exhibits on farming in the Arkansas Delta. $3 adults, $2 ages 6-12. Open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 501-961-1409.

SCOTT PLANTATION SETTLEMENT: 1840s log cabin, one-room school house, tenant houses, smokehouse and artifacts on plantation life. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thu.-Sat. 351-0300. www.scottconnections.org. n Springdale SHILOH MUSEUM OF OZARK HISTORY, 118 W. Johnson Ave.: “All Dressed Up,” men’s, women’s and children’s fancy clothing, through January. 479750-8165.

CALLS FOR ENTRY The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program invites fifth- and seventh-grade students to participate in the 20th annual “Preserve Our Past” contest. Deadline is April 6. Students can enter artwork or an essay based on an Arkansas property that is at least 50 years old. The work should reflect the importance of preservation. For more information, write Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, 323 Center St., Little Rock 72201, or call 501-324-9786, or e-mail Amandad@arkansasheritage.org. Trophies will be awarded to first, second and third place winners. www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 26, 2011 29

Friday, Jan 28 – Thursday, Feb 3

HELP WANTED ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

CELEBRATING OUR 10th YEAR!

Blue Valentine R 2:00 4:20 7:00 9:15

Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams 2 Golden Globe Nominations, 1 Oscar Nomination

RaBBit hOle pG13 2:15 4:15 7:15 9:15 Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest 1 Golden Globe Nomination, 1 Oscar Nomination

FRee wI-FI in the LobbY

the tempest pG13 1:45 4:00 6:45 9:00 Helen Mirren, Felicity Jones Satellite Awards, 1 Oscar Nomination

Black swan R 2:00 4:20 7:00 9:20

Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel 12-Critics Choice Movie Award Nominations, 4 Golden Globe Nominations, 5 Oscar Nominations

the sOcial netwORk pG13 1:45 6:45

Jesse Eiseberg, Rooey Mara, Bryan Barter Satellite Award Nominations, 6 Golden Globe Nominations, 8 Oscar Nominations

made in daGenham R 4:00 9:00

Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson British Independent Film Awards, Satellite Awards

Giant • tues 2/8 • 7pm • Only $5 9 PM ShowS FRI & SAT oNLY

NOW SERVING BEER & WINE

EMAIL CINEMA8@CSWNET.COM FOR SPECIAL SHOWS, PRIVATE PARTIES & BUSINESS MEETINGS OR FILM FESTIVALS CALL (501) 223-3529 & LEAVE MESSAGE

501-312-8900 marketstreetcinema.net

1521 MERRILL DR.

‘127 HOURS’: James Franco earned a Best Actor nomination for his role in this true story of Aron Ralston, the outdoor adventurer who spent five days trapped in a canyon after a fallen boulder pinned down his arm. Director Danny Boyle (“Trainspotting,” “Slumdog Millionaire”) has been the subject of notoriety for his grizzly portrait of the ordeal which, during its climax, has been known to make audience members faint.

JAN. 28-30

movielistings All theater listings run Friday to Thursday unless otherwise noted.

Check www.arktimes.com for updates. Market Street Cinema showtimes at or after 9 p.m. are for Friday and Saturday only.

NEW MOVIES 127 Hours (R) – Based on the true story of a mountain climber who resorts to desperate measures after being trapped under a boulder. With James Franco. Chenal 9: 11:30, 2:15, 5:00, 7:45, 10:20.

Blue Valentine (R) – Love at first sight takes a turn for the worse in this portrait of a young, contemporary family falling apart. With Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams. Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 7:00, 9:15. Rave: 10:30, 1:20, 4:35, 7:25, 10:45.

The Mechanic (R) – An elite assassin avenges his assassinated mentor with help from a young, impulsive rookie. With Jason Statham, Donald Sutherland. Breckenridge: 1:35, 4:05, 7:00, 9:35.

Chenal 9: 11:15, 1:40, 4:00, 7:15, 9:40. Riverdale 10: 11:10, 1:30, 3:40, 5:50, 8:00, 10:05. Chenal 9: 11:00, 12:00, 1:45, 2:45, 4:30, 5:30, 7:00, 8:00, 9:30, 10:30.

Mirapakai (NR) – An action-comedy Bollywood movie with spies, organized crime dons, pretty women and enviable moustaches. Movies 10: 8:30.

Rabbit Hole (PG-13) – Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart star as a couple coming to terms with the loss of a child. Market Street: 2:15, 4:15, 7:15, 9:15.

The Rite (PG-13) – A seminary student studying exorcism under a legendary priest at the Vatican questions his future after being drawn into an extreme case. With Anthony Hopkins.

Breckenridge: 1:10, 4:30, 7:20, 9:55. Chenal 9: 11:00, 1:35, 4:10, 7:00, 9:35. Riverdale 10: 11:40, 2:10, 4:50, 7:25, 10:15. Rave: 12:15, 3:00, 5:45, 8:30, 10:15, 11:15.

The Tempest (PG-13) – Director Julie Taymor’s version of the fantastical Shakespearean classic.

With Helen Mirren, Ben Whishaw, Alan Cumming, Russell Brand. Market Street: 1:45, 4:00, 6:45, 9:00.

RETURNING THIS WEEK Black Swan (R) – Darren Aronofksy’s psychological thriller about a twisted friendship between two master dancers in an elite New York City ballet company. With Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. Chenal 9: 11:20, 1:55, 4:35, 7:20, 9:55.

Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 7:00, 9:20. Rave: 11:25, 2:25, 5:10, 8:05, 10:55.

Burlesque (PG-13) — A small-town girl from Iowa lands a job waitressing at a struggling Los Angeles 30 JANUARY 26, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

burlesque club, and quickly takes the limelight as the revue’s star attraction. With Cher and Christina Aguilera. Movies 10: 4:00, 7:00, 9:40.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (PG) — The latest adaptation of the C.S. Lewis fantasy series. Chenal 9: 10:50, 1:50.

Country Strong (PG-13) – In the world of country music, a rising star and a burn-out cross paths, both musically and romantically. With Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw. Breckenridge: 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 10:10. Rave: 1:55, 7:30.

The Dilemma (PG-13) – The bond between old friends and business partners goes crooked when one catches the other’s wife with a strange man.

Directed by Ron Howard. With Vince Vaughn.

Breckenridge: 1:05, 7:25, 10:00. Rave: 11:10, 1:45, 4:15, 7:30, 10:00.

Due Date (R) — A tightly-wound father-to-be is forced to carpool cross-country with a clueless slacker so he can make it to his child’s birth on time.

With Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis.

Movies 10: 2:20, 4:40, 7:30, 10:05.

Faster (R) — After being double-crossed during a heist years ago, an ex-con sets out to avenge his brother’s death while evading a hitman and a veteran cop. With Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton. Movies 10: 7:20, 9:55.

The Fighter (R) — A look at legendary Irish welterweight Mickey Ward (Mark Walberg), his halfbrother and trainer, Dickey (Christian Bale), and their rise out of crime and drugs. Breckenridge: 1:40, 4:30, 7:05, 9:40. Riverdale 10: 11:45, 2:15, 4:45, 7:35, 10:10. Chenal 9: 10:55, 2:20, 5:15, 8:20, 11:25.

The Green Hornet (PG-13) – Playboy Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) starts a new career as a crimefighter with help from his kung-fu expert chauffeur, Kato (Jay Chou). Directed by Michel Gondry.

Breckenridge: 1:40, 4:40, 7:35, 10:15. Chenal 9: 11:00, 1:30, 4:00, 7:15, 9:50. Riverdale 10: 11:15, 1:45, 4:35, 7:10, 10:00. Rave: 10:35, 1:35, 4:40, 7:40, 10:35 (2D); 11:35, 2:35, 5:40, 8:40, 11:35 (3D).

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I (PG-13) — With Voldemort in control over Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic, Harry, Ron and Hermione have to race against time to overthrow the evil lord.

Riverdale 10: 12:00, 3:20, 6:25, 9:30.

The King’s Speech (R) – After being crowned George VI of an England on the verge of turmoil, “Bertie” (Colin Firth) is faced with the challenge of fixing his debilitating speech impediment with help from eccentric Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush).

Breckenridge: 1:25, 4:10, 7:00, 9:45. Rave: 11:05, 2:00, 4:55, 7:50, 10:50.

Little Fockers (PG-13) — Five actors, 20 Oscar nominations, six wins, one tired joke beat to death by a screen full of stupid Fockers. With Ben Stiller, Robert DeNiro. Rave: 11:15, 4:50, 10:25.

Made in Dagenham (R) – Female workers walk out of a Ford car plant in 1968 England, protesting sexual discrimination and demanding equal pay.

With Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins. Market Street: 4:00, 9:00.

Megamind (PG) — A blue, maniacal supervillain turns into a restless mess when his sworn superhero enemy is accidentally killed. Voiced by Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Brad Pitt. Movies 10: 2:00, 4:20, 6:45, 9:05 (2D); 2:30, 4:50, 7:10, 9:30 (3D).

The Next Three Days (PG-13) — A college professor at his wit’s end decides to break his wife out of prison, years after she was wrongfully accused of a grisly murder. With Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks. Movies 10: 3:50, 6:50, 9:45.

No Strings Attached (R) – Two life-long friends discover that separating casual sex and romance is tougher than they thought. With Natalie Portman and Aston Kutcher. Breckenridge: 1:00, 4:50, 7:45, 10:15. Rave: 11:25, 2:00, 4:40, 7:10, 9:40. Riverdale 10: 11:30, 2:00, 4:30, 7:05, 9:35.

Red (PG-13) — Three of the CIA’s top agents are jolted out of their peaceful retirements when they’re framed by the agency for murder. With Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren. Movies 10: 2:15, 4:55, 7:30, 10:05.

Season of the Witch (PG-13) – A band of 14th century knights discover an evil witch’s black magic may be the source of the Black Plague. With Nicholas Cage. Rave: 4:45, 7:20, 9:55.

The Social Network (PG-13) — David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin’s instant-classic dives into the drama behind Facebook’s controversial rise from a Harvard dorm room experiment to a world-wide ubiquity. Movies 10: 3:45, 7:05, 9:50. Market Street: 1:45, 6:45.

Tangled (PG) — Daring bandit Flynn Rider, Princess Rapunzel and Rapunzel’s 70 feet of hair find adventure and romance during their journey through the outside world. Voiced by Mandy Moore. Breckenridge: 1:45, 4:45, 7:40, 10:00.

Riverdale 10: 11:00, 1:10, 3:25, 5:30, 7:40, 9:50.

Tron: Legacy (PG) — The reboot of the 1982 classic has Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) entering the virtual gladiator arena to find his lost father (Jeff Bridges). Breckenridge: 1:15, 4:20, 7:10, 9:55. Chenal 9: 11:05, 1:45, 4:30, 7:10, 9:55. Rave: 11:05, 1:45, 4:25, 7:10, 10:00. Riverdale 10: 1:00, 4:10, 7:10, 10:10.

True Grit (PG-13) — Rugged U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) helps a stubborn girl track down her father’s killer. Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Breckenridge: 1:30, 4:35, 7:30, 10:05. Chenal 9: 11:10, 1:50, 4:30, 7:25, 10:00.

Rave: 10:45, 1:30, 4:15, 7:05, 9:50. Riverdale 10: 11:35, 2:05, 4:40, 7:20, 9:55.

Unstoppable (PG-13) — Denzel Washington has to stop an unmanned freight train full of explosives and poisonous gas from wiping out a city. Movies 10: 2:35, 5:05, 7:45, 10:10.

Waiting for Superman (PG) — Davis Guggenheim’s alarming look at the state of education in America. Movies 10: 2:10, 4:45.

The Warrior’s Way (R) — A warrior-assassin is forced to hide in a small town in the American badlands after refusing a mission. With Dong-gun Jang, Kate Bosworth. Movies 10: 3:15, 5:35.

Yogi Bear (PG) — A devastating 4-hour epic about the decline of a 19th century Hungarian farm cooperative and the interpersonal complications that arise in its wake. Not really: It’s just Yogi Bear.

Riverdale 10: 11:20, 1:20, 3:25, 5:35, 7:30, 9:40.

Rave: 11:10, 1:25, 4:00, 6:45.

Chenal 9 IMAX Theatre: 17825 Chenal Parkway, 821-2616, www.dtmovies.com.

Cinemark Movies 10: 4188 E. McCain Blvd., 9457400, www.cinemark.com.

Cinematown Riverdale 10: Riverdale Shopping Center, 296-9955, www.riverdale10.com.

Market Street Cinema: 1521 Merrill Drive, 3128900, www.marketstreetcinema.net.

Rave Colonel Glenn 18: 18 Colonel Glenn Plaza, 687-0499, www.ravemotionpictures.com.

Regal Breckenridge Village 12: 1-430 and Rodney Parham, 224-0990, www.fandango.com.

‘TINY FURNITURE’: Laurie Simmons and Lena Dunham star.

■ moviereview Coming of age ‘Tiny Furniture’ adroitly navigates that post-collegiate in-between time. n Perhaps the first hard existential turn in a young person’s life is the post-collegiate malaise. You move back home, get a crummy job and attempt to navigate the family you haven’t lived with in years.

Precocious 24-year-old filmmaker Lena Dunham captures this dilemma perfectly in her semi-autobiographical comedy,

“Tiny Furniture.”

What has become the indie darling of 2010, “Tiny Furniture” is the story of Aura (Dunham), a recent film-school grad who moves home to the spacious Tribeca apartment of her (real-life) artist mother (Laurie Simmons). She’s dealing with an abrupt breakup with her college boyfriend,

and she spends her days at home feeling estranged from her college friends, rekindling old NYC relationships and trying not to step on the feelings of her mother and teen-age sister while wallowing in her own disenchantment.

While attending a party, Aura meets Jed (Alex Karpovsky), a comic video-artist who works under the painful moniker “The Nietzschian Cowboy.” Like a vintage Woody Allen character, Jed is charming in a blankly funny way — his dialogue is so realistic he might have improvised it on the spot — and Aura tries her hand at picking him up and bringing him home, only to end up with a temporary, platonic roommate.

At the behest of her gorgeous nutjob

best friend Charlotte (Jemima Kirke), Aura lands a job as a hostess at a restaurant around the corner. Aura, who has probably never held an hourly wage position before in her life, attempts to flirt her days away with the conventionally handsome and conventionally cynical sous chef, Keith.

Jed and Keith foil each other in their orbit around Aura’s wobbly existence — Jed is wise, hilarious and a great companion, but totally asexual, while Keith is hot and mysterious, but without much depth.

Aura’s flubs with each serve merely as a distraction from the real matter at hand: her family.

The most uncanny depiction in the film lies in the dynamic of sisterhood. Aura’s bright younger sister Nadine (played by real-life little sister, Grace Dunham,) is better looking, more focused and more ambitious, but lacks the dramatic flair and attention-grabbing humor that Aura possesses. Their mutual hunger for expression fosters a competitive edge in Nadine, who wants to be like her sister only better, and can’t help but turn to scathing pettiness in her frustration.

“Tiny Furniture” adheres to indie tropes while still trying to fight itself out of that stereotype. Every now and then, the feckless-jerk character arc mimics that of last year’s “Greenberg,” but it’s still undeniably a movie about a flailing young woman yearning for relevance. Dunham’s sense of humor is witty and understated, but it’s the straight characters like the floozy Charlotte and Aura’s mother Siri who deliver the best jokes. The film’s uncomfortable climax relies on a tired female coming-of-age moment, which disappoints a little amidst an otherwise sharply mature script. However, the way that misadventure fits into Aura’s motherdaughter rapport becomes almost pathetically endearing.

— Natalie Elliott

www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 26, 2011 31

n Sam and Omar Kassees, owners of Mason’s Deli, plan to open Rivershore Eatery in the River Market’s Ottenheimer Hall sometime in the next two weeks in the space that previously housed Brown Sugar Bakeshop.

Sam Kassees, who’ll manage Rivershore while his brother continues to run Mason’s, said that the new space will feature hot entrees, soups, salads and deserts. The entrees and soups will change throughout the week and will be built around local and seasonal ingredients.

Kassees said he’ll also stock Yarnell’s Ice Cream and RoZark Hills Coffee. n Salut Bistro, the Heights restaurant and bar best known as a late-night hangout, has a relatively new chef and a new Italian menu.

New chef Michael Jones, whose CV includes stints at Macaroni Grill and the Chenal Country Club, is now serving up the likes of Italian nachos (“crispy pasta chips topped with black olives, Roma tomatoes, banana peppers and an asiago cream sauce”), a baked spicy sausage cheese tortelloni and several varieties of pizza, including a margherita and a five cheese. n Cotija’s, the popular downtown Mexican restaurant, introduced a happy hour last week that, at least initially, will run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. The full menu will be available along with $2 domestic beers and margaritas.

Owner Leo Alvarez said that if the initial happy hour goes well, he’ll likely expand evening hours and open on weekends.

Speaking of happy hours, have you downloaded the Arkansas Times’ bar and happy hour iPhone app, Cocktail Compass yet? Learn more and find a download link at arktimes.com/cocktailcompass.

Restaurant capsules Every effort is made to keep this listing of some of the state’s more notable restaurants current, but we urge readers to call ahead to check on changes on days of operation, hours and special offerings. What follows, because of space limitations, is a partial listing of restaurants reviewed by our staff. Information herein reflects the opinions of the newspaper staff and its reviewers. The newspaper accepts no advertising or other considerations in exchange for reviews, which are conducted anonymously. We invite the opinions of readers who think we are in error.

Restaurants are listed in alphabetical order by city; Little Rock-area restaurants are divided by food category. Other review symbols are:

B Breakfast

L Lunch

D Dinner

$ Inexpensive (under $8/person)

$$ Moderate ($8-$20/person)

$$$ Expensive (over $20/person)

32 JANUARY 26, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

■ dining Raw deal Papa Sushi long on decor, short on flavor. n There was a time only a few years back when this reviewer was firmly in the “sushi = bait” camp. Living in Arkansas, where it routinely gets hot enough to spoil fish before they even stop flopping, one can see why there was nothing in our backwoods upbringing to make us believe that putting a raw piece of fish in our mouth and swallowing it was even remotely a good idea.

That said, a few years back, on the suggestion of a friend, we finally choked back our revulsion, went to one of the sushi joints we’d heard raves about for years, and were instantly hooked. Nowadays, there’s pretty much nothing we crave more than a nice, firm piece of raw tuna on rice — buttery, rich, with almost no smell other than the sea — or a simple roll dipped in soy sauce, heavy on the wasabi.

Since then (much to our delight), a whole bunch of sushi houses have sprung up in Little Rock and North Little Rock.

Even most of the Chinese buffets offer rolls now (though you might be taking your life into your own hands to try it).

Add to those the new Papa Sushi in West Little Rock. In the former Vermillion/ Koto location, Papa Sushi looks a lot more high-rent than its food-cart name would suggest, with black tablecloths and snazzy decor. Too, the wait staff is nice and attentive, making suggestions for those who are a bit cloudy on what to get. That said, a restaurant does not live by linen napkins and potted plants. What’s on the fork is the thing.

From the nice-sized menu of choices, we tried the pork gyoza ($5.50) as an appetizer. For a lunch entree, we tried the chicken teriyaki with fried rice ($8, plus $3 for fried rice), while our companion selected the shrimp teriyaki with fried rice (again, $8, plus $3 for fried rice). From the very extensive sushi list, we also selected three rolls to share: the “Oh My Gosh” roll ($8.50), the volcano roll ($7.50) and the crunchy shrimp roll.

Everything arrived quickly, delivered by our very friendly server, who took the time to chat with us about the various sauces. Everything was plated really nicely too, especially the rolls, which were artfully arranged on a long platter.

The problem was taste. Oh sure, it

CC

Accepts credit cards

LITTLE ROCK/ N. LITTLE ROCK AMERICAN 65TH STREET DINER Blue collar, meat-and-two-veg

BRIAN CHILSON

what’scookin’

UNEXCITING: Papa Sushi’s shrimp teriyaki with fried rice. was all edible, even good in the case of the very nice grilled vegetables that came with the hibachi offerings, and the panseared pork gyoza with a sweet dipping sauce. But when it came right down to it, neither the entrees, rolls or fried rice were all that memorable. Considering we spent $63 and change for the meal (before tip), it should have at least contained something to write home about.

The teriyaki shrimp and chicken, in both cases, were bland and the portions skimpy. Meanwhile, the fried rice — which can be a very flavorful and hearty dish when done right — didn’t have much to offer over plain ol’ rice; so much so that we ended up dousing it with soy sauce.

Another good example of what we’re talking about was the volcano roll.

Though it looked excellent on both the menu — which described it as a California roll deep-fried and covered with spicy sauce — and on the plate, on the palate it just sort of lay there. We don’t know about you, but when we buy something billed as “spicy” and named after a geographic phenomena that features geysers of molten rock, we want it to be warm enough to make us reconsider our life choices.

By my definition, the volcano roll sauce wasn’t lukewarm spicy — more like a

whisked-up ketchup and mayo.

While we can’t complain too awful much about the bottom line of our bill — we’ve come to know all too well in recent years that ordering several complicated rolls at a sushi place can require a visit to the ATM, if not a second mortgage on the house — the lack of flavor in almost everything we tried is pretty much unforgivable. Variety may be the spice of life, but SPICE is the soul of food, and Papa Sushi would do well to turn to their cabinet a bit more often.

lunch spot with cheap desserts and a breakfast buffet. But hurry — breakfast closes down at 9 a.m. on the dot, and the restaurant doesn’t reopen until 10 a.m. for lunch. 3201 West 65th St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-562-7800. BL Mon.-Fri. ACADIA A jewel of a restaurant in Hillcrest. Wonderful soups and fish dishes. Extensive wine list. Affordable lunch menu.

3000 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, CC. $$-$$$. 501-603-9630.

LD Mon.-Fri. D Sat. BIG ROCK BISTRO Students of the Arkansas Culinary

School run this restaurant at Pulaski Tech under the direction of Chef Jason Knapp. Pizza, pasta, Asian-inspired dishes and diner food, all in one stop. 3000 W. Scenic Drive. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-812-2200. BL Mon.-Fri. BLACK ANGUS Charcoal-grilled burgers, hamburger steaks and steaks proper are the big draws at this local institution. 10907 N. Rodney Parham. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-228-7800. BLD Mon.-Sat. BOBBY’S CAFE Delicious, humungo burgers and tasty homemade deserts at this Levy diner. 12230 MacArthur

Papa Sushi

17200 Chenal Parkway, Suite 100 501-821-7272 Quick bite

Given that we only tried a fraction of the items on their sushi menu, we’re planning to head back in a few months to take a more expansive taste. The adventurous eater might want to take a cruise through their 35 nigiri and sashimi offerings, including clam, quail egg, octopus and eel.

Hours

11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.

Happy hour: 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Other info

Full bar planned (bottled beer only at press time), credit cards accepted.

BRIAN CHILSON

Drive. NLR. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-851-7888. BL Tue.-Fri., D Thu.-Fri. BOSCOS This River Market brewery does food well, too.

Along with tried and true things like sandwiches, burgers, steaks and big salads, they have entrees like black bean and goat cheese tamales, open hearth pizza ovens and muffalettas. 500 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-907-1881. LD daily.

BOUDREAUX’S GRILL & BAR A homey, seat-yourself Cajun joint in Maumelle that serves up all sorts of variations of shrimp and catfish. With particularly tasty red beans and rice, jambalaya and bread pudding. 9811 Maumelle Blvd.

NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-753-6860. L Sat., D Mon.-Sat. BOULEVARD BREAD CO. Fresh bread, fresh pastries, wide selection of cheeses, meats, side dishes; all superb.

Good coffee, too. 1920 N. Grant St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$.

501-663-5951. BLD Mon.-Sat. 400 President Clinton Ave. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-374-1232. BL Mon.-Sat. 401 W. Markham St. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-526-6661. BL Mon.-Fri. BUTCHER SHOP The cook-your-own-steak option has been downplayed, and several menu additions complement the calling card: large, fabulous cuts of prime beef, cooked to perfection. 10825 Hermitage Road. Full bar, All CC. $$$.

501-312-2748. D daily.

CAJUN’S WHARF The venerable seafood restaurant serves up great gumbo and oysters Bienville, and options such as fine steaks for the non-seafood eater. In the citified bar, you’ll find nightly entertainment, too. 2400 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-5351. D Mon.-Sat. CAMP DAVID Inside the Holiday Inn Presidential Conference Center, Camp David particularly pleases with its breakfast and themed buffets each day of the week.

Wonderful Sunday brunch. 600 Interstate 30. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-975-2267. BLD daily.

CAPERS It’s never been better, with as good a wine list as any in the area, and a menu that covers a lot of ground — seafood, steaks, pasta — and does it all well. 4502 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-868-7600. LD Mon.-Sat. COAST CAFE A variety of salads, smoothies, sandwiches and pizzas, and there’s breakfast and coffee, too. 400 President Clinton Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-3710164. BL Mon.-Sat. COMMUNITY BAKERY This sunny downtown bakery is the place to linger over a latte, bagels and the New York Times. But a lunchtime dash for sandwiches is OK, too, though it’s often packed. 1200 S. Main St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-375-7105. BLD daily. 270 S. Shackleford. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-1656. BD Mon.-Sat. B Sun. COPPER GRILL Comfort food, burgers and more sophisticated fare at this River Market-area hotspot. 300 W. Third St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-3333. LD Mon.-Sat. CRUSH WINE BAR An unpretentious downtown bar/ lounge with an appealing and erudite wine list. With tasty tapas, but no menu for full meals. 318 Main St. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-374-9463. D Tue.-Sat. DAVE’S PLACE Downtown’s premier soup-and-sandwich stop at lunch, and a set dinner spot on Friday night to give a little creative outlet to chef supreme David Williams. Beef, chicken and fish are served with continental flair. 201 Center St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-3283. L Mon.-Fri., D Fri. DAVID FAMILY KITCHEN Call it soul food or call it downhome country cooking. Just be sure to call us for breakfast or lunch when you go. Neckbones, ribs, sturdy cornbread, salmon croquettes, mustard greens and the like. Desserts are exceptionally good. 2301 Broadway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-371-0141. BL Sun.-Fri. DELICIOUS TEMPTATIONS Decadent breakfast and light lunch items that can be ordered in full or half orders to please any appetite or palate, with a great variety of salads and soups as well. Don’t miss the bourbon pecan pie — it’s a winner. 11220 Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-225-6893. BL daily.

DIZZY’S GYPSY BISTRO Interesting bistro fare, served in massive portions at this River Market favorite. 200 River Market Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-3500. LD Tue.-Sat. THE FADED ROSE The Cajun-inspired menu seldom disappoints. Steaks and soaked salads are legendary. Also at Bowman Curve. 1615 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-9734. LD daily. 400 N. Bowman Rd. Full bar. $$-$$$. 501-224-3377. LD daily.

FERNEAU Great seafood, among other things, is served at the Ice House Revival in Hillcrest. With a late night menu Thu.-Sat. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$$-$$$$.

501-603-9208. D Tue.-Sat. FLYING SAUCER Beer, with dozens on tap, is the big draw at this popular River Market venue, but the food’s good, too.

Sandwiches, including a great Reuben, salads, quesadillas and the bratwurst are dependable. 323 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-372-7468. LD daily.

FOX AND HOUND Sports bar that serves pub food. 2800 Lakewood Village. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-753-8300.

LD daily.

FRANKE’S CAFETERIA Plate lunch spot strong on salads and vegetables, and perfect fried chicken on Sundays.

Arkansas’ oldest continually operating restaurant. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-2254487. LD daily. 400 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $$.

501-372-1919. L Mon.-Fri. FRONTIER DINER The traditional all-American roadside diner, complete with a nice selection of man-friendly breakfasts and lunch specials. The half pound burger is a twohander for the average working Joe. 10424 Interstate 30. No

alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-565-6414. BL Mon.-Sat. FROSTOP A ‘50s-style drive-in has been resurrected, with big and juicy burgers and great irregularly cut fries. Superb service, too. 4131 JFK Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-758-4535. BLD daily.

GADWALL’S GRILL & PIZZA Once two separate restaurants, a fire forced the grill into the pizza joint. Now, under one roof, there’s mouth-watering burgers and specialty sandwiches, plus zesty pizzas with cracker-thin crust and plenty of toppings. 12 North Hills Shopping Center. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-834-1840. LD daily.

GRAMPA’S CATFISH HOUSE A longtime local favorite for fried fish, hush puppies and good sides. 9219 Stagecoach Road. 501-407-0000. LD. HAYESTACK CAFE Southern cooking, po’boys and hearty breakfasts with an emphasis on family recipes. 27024 Kanis Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-821-0070. BLD Tue.-Sun. HONEYBAKED HAM CO. The trademark ham is available by the sandwich, as is great smoked turkey and lots of inexpensive side items and desserts. 9112 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. 501-227-5555. LD Mon.-Sat. KIERRE’S KOUNTRY KITCHEN Excellent home-cooking joint for huge helpings of meat loaf and chicken-fried steak, cooked-down vegetables and wonderful homemade pies and cakes. Breakfasts feature omelets, pancakes, French toast and more. 6 Collins Place. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-758-0923. BLD Tue.-Fri., BL Sat. MARKHAM STREET GRILL AND PUB The menu has something for everyone. Try the burgers, which are juicy, big and fine. 11321 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$.

501-224-2010. LD Mon.-Sat. MCBRIDE’S CAFE AND BAKERY Owners Chet and Vicki McBride have been serving up delicious breakfast and lunch specials based on their family recipes for two decades in this popular eatery at Baptist Health’s Little Rock campus. The desserts and barbecue sandwiches are not to be missed.

9501 Lile Drive. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-340-3833. BL Mon.-Fri. OLD MILL BREAD AND FLOUR CO. CAFE The popular take-out bakery has an eat-in restaurant and friendly operators. It’s self-service, simple and good with sandwiches built with a changing lineup of the bakery’s 40 different breads, along with soups, salads and cookies. 12111 W. Markham St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-228-4677. BL Mon.-Sat. BR Sun. RED DOOR Fresh seafood, steaks, chops and sandwiches from restaurateur Mark Abernathy. Smart wine list. 3701 Old Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-666-8482.

L Mon.-Fri. D daily.

RIVERFRONT STEAKHOUSE Steaks are the draw here — nice cuts heavily salted and peppered, cooked quickly and accurately to your specifications, finished with butter and served sizzling hot. 2 Riverfront Place. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-375-7825. D Mon.-Sat. RUDY’S OYSTER BAR Good boiled shrimp and oysters on the half shell. Quesadillas and chili cheese dip are tasty and ultra-hearty. 2695 Pike Ave. NLR. Full bar. 501-7710808. LD Mon.-Sat. SHAKE’S FROZEN CUSTARD Frozen custard, concretes, sundaes. 5508 John F Kennedy Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-753-5407. LD daily.

SO RESTAURANT BAR Call it a French brasserie with a sleek, but not fussy American finish. The wine selection is broad and choice. Free valet parking. Use it and save yourself a headache. 3610 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-663-1464.

STARLITE DINER Breakfast and the ice cream-loaded shakes and desserts star here. 250 E. Military Road. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-353-0465. BLD. STICKYZ ROCK ‘N’ ROLL CHICKEN SHACK Fingers any way you can imagine, plus sandwiches and burgers, and a fun setting for music and happy hour gatherings.

107 Commerce St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-7707.

LD Mon-Sat. TEXAS ROADHOUSE Following in the lines of those loud, peanuts-on-the-table steak joints, but the steaks are better here than we’ve had at similar stops. Good burgers, too. 3601 Warden Road. Beer, All CC. $$. 501-771-4230. D daily, L Sat.-Sun. 2620 S. Shackleford Rd. Beer, All CC. $$. 501-2242427. D daily, L Sat.-Sun. TOWN PUMP A dependable burger, plus basic beer food.

1321 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-6639802. L Mon.-Sat. D daily.

TRIO’S Fresh, creative and satisfying lunches; even better at night, when the chefs take flight. Best array of fresh desserts in town. 8201 Cantrell Road. Full bar. $$-$$$. 501-221-3330.

LD Mon.-Sat. TROPICAL SMOOTHIE Besides the 45 different smoothies on the menu, the cafe also serves wraps and sandwiches (many of them spicy), salads and “tortizzas.” Good food, healthy drinks, long line at lunch but it moves fast. 12911 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-944-4307. BLD daily.

THE UNDERGROUND Bar food — hamburgers, chicken strips and such. 500 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-375-2537. D daily.

VIEUX CARRE A pleasant spot in Hillcrest with specialty salads, steak and seafood. The soup of the day is a good bet.

At lunch, the menu includes an all-vegetable sandwich and a half-pound cheeseburger. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-1196. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat., BR Sun. WHOLE FOODS MARKET Good sandwiches, soups and hummus to go; an enormous number of hot and cold entrees

from the deli; extensive juice bar. 10700 N. Rodney Parham Road. All CC. $-$$. 501-312-2326. BLD daily.

WILLY D’S DUELING PIANO BAR Willy D’s serves up a decent dinner of pastas and salads as a lead-in to its nightly sing-along piano show. Go when you’re in a good mood. 322 President Clinton Ave. Full bar. $$. 501-244-9550. D Tue.-Sat. YOUR MAMA’S GOOD FOOD Offering simple and satisfying cafeteria food, with burgers and more hot off the grill, plate lunches and pies. 220 W. 4th St. No alcohol, All CC. $.

501-372-1811. BL Mon.-Fri. ZACK’S PLACE Expertly prepared home cooking and huge, smoky burgers. 1400 S. University Ave. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-664-6444. LD Mon.-Sat.

ASIAN CHI’S CHINESE CUISINE No longer owned by Chi’s founder Lulu Chi, this Chinese mainstay still offers a broad menu that spans the Chinese provinces and offers a few twists on the usual local offerings. 5110 W. Markham St. All CC. $-$$. 501-604-7777.

CRAZY HIBACHI GRILL The folks that own Chi’s and Sekisui offer their best in a three-in-one: tapanaki cooking, sushi bar and sit-down dining with a Mongolian grill. 2907 Lakewood Village. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-8129888. LD daily.

FANTASTIC CHINA The food is delicious, the presentation beautiful, the menu distinctive, the service perfect, the decor bright. 1900 N. Grant St. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-663-8999.

LD daily.

GENGHIS GRILL This chain restaurant takes the Mongolian grill idea to its inevitable, Subway-style conclusion. 12318 Chenal Parkway. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-223-2695. LD daily.

LILLY’S DIMSUM THEN SOME Innovative dishes inspired

by Asian cuisine, utilizing local and fresh ingredients. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-716-2700. LD daily.

MT. FUJI JAPANESE RESTAURANT The dean of Little Rock sushi bars offers a fabulous lunch special and great Monday night deals. 10301 Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-227-6498. LD daily. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-227-6498.

OSAKA JAPANESE RESTAURANT Veteran operator of several local Asian buffets has brought fine-dining Japanese dishes and a well-stocked sushi bar to way-out-west Little Rock, near Chenal off Highway 10. 5501 Ranch Drive, Suite 1. $$-$$$. 501-868-3688. LD. PAPA SUSHI Hibachi grill with large sushi menu and Korean specialties. 17200 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-821-7272.

SAIGON CUISINE Traditional Vietnamese with Thai and Chinese selections. Be sure to try to authentic pho soups and spring rolls. 6805 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-663-4000. L Tue.-Fri., D Tue.-Sun. SUSHI CAFE Impressive, upscale sushi menu with other delectable house specialties like tuna tataki, fried soft shell crab, Kobe beef and, believe it or not, the Tokyo cowboy burger. 5823 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-663-9888. L Mon.-Sat. D daily.

BARBECUE CHATZ CAFE ‘Cue and catfish joint that does heavy catering business. Try the slow-smoked, meaty ribs. 8801 Colonel Glenn Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-5624949. LD Mon.-Sat. CORKY’S RIBS & BBQ The pulled pork is extremely tender and juicy, and the sauce is sweet and tangy without a hint of heat. Maybe the best dry ribs in the area. 12005 Westhaven Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-954-7427. LD daily.

2947 Lakewood Village Drive. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-753-3737. LD daily, B Sat.-Sun. WHITE PIG INN Go for the sliced rather than chopped meats at this working-class barbecue cafe. Side orders — from fries to potato salad to beans and slaw — are superb, as are the fried pies. 5231 E. Broadway. NLR. Beer. $-$$.

501-945-5551. LD Mon.-Fri., L Sat. WHOLE HOG CAFE The pulled pork shoulder is a classic, the back ribs are worthy of their many blue ribbons, and there’s a six-pack of sauces for all tastes. A real find is the beef brisket, cooked the way Texans like it. 516 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-664-5025. LD Mon.-Sat. 12111 W. Markham. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-907-6124.

LD daily 150 E. Oak St. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$.

501-513-0600. LD Mon.-Sat., L Sun. 5107 Warden Road.

NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-753-9227.

EUROPEAN / ETHNIC AMRUTH AUTHENTIC INDIAN CUISINE Indian restaurant with numerous spicy, vegetarian dishes. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-2244567. LD daily.

CAFE BOSSA NOVA A South American approach to sandwiches, salads and desserts, all quite good, as well as an array of refreshing South American teas and coffees. 701 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-614-6682.

LD Tue.-Sat., BR Sun. DUGAN’S PUB The atmosphere is great, complete with plenty of bar seating and tables. There’s also a fireplace to warm you up on a cold day. The fried stuff is good. Try the mozzarella sticks. 403 E. 3rd St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$.

501-244-0542.

GEORGIA’S GYROS Good gyros, Greek salads and fragrant grilled pita bread highlight a large Mediterranean food selection, plus burgers and the like. 2933 Lakewood

Village Drive. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-753-5090.

LD Mon.-Sat. HIBERNIA IRISH PUB This traditional Irish pub has its own traditional Irish cook from, where else, Ireland. Broad beverage menu, Irish and Southern food favorites and a crowd that likes to sing. 9700 N Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-246-4340.

LAYLA’S Delicious Mediterranean fare — gyros, falafel, shawarma, kabobs, hummus and babaganush — that has a devoted following. All meat is slaughtered according to Islamic dietary law. 9501 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-227-7272. LD daily (close 5 p.m. on Sun.). 612 Office Park Drive. Bryant. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-847-5455. LD Mon.-Sat. MASALA GRILL AND TEAHOUSE A delicious traditional Pakistani buffet, plus menu items like a chicken tikka wrap (marinated broiled chicken rolled in naan) and a chutney burger. 9108 Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$.

501-414-0643. D Tue.-Sat., BR Sat.-Sun. TAJ MAHAL The third Indian restaurant in a one-mile span of West Little Rock, Taj Mahal offers upscale versions of traditional dishes and an extensive menu. Dishes range on the spicy side. 1520 Market Street. Beer, All CC. $$$. (501) 881-4796. LD daily.

TERRACE ON THE GREEN This Greek-Italian-Thai-andwhatever restaurant has a huge menu, and you can rely on each dish to be good, some to be excellent. Portions are ample. Patio for warm-weather dining. 2200 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar. $$-$$$. 501-217-9393. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat. YA YA’S EURO BISTRO The first eatery to open in the Promenade at Chenal is a date-night affair, translating comfort food into beautiful cuisine. Best bet is lunch, where you can explore the menu through soup, salad or half a sandwich. 17711 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-821-1144. LD daily, BR Sun.

ITALIAN BRAVO! CUCINA ITALIANA This upscale Italian chain offers delicious and sometimes inventive dishes. 17815 Chenal Pkwy. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-821-2485. LD daily.

BR Sun. BRUNO’S LITTLE ITALY This more-than-half-centuryold establishment balances continuity with innovation in delicious traditional and original fare. The pizza remains outstanding. 315 N. Bowman Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-224-4700. D Mon.-Sat. GRAFFITI’S The casually chic and ever-popular Italianflavored bistro avoids the rut with daily specials and careful menu tinkering. 7811 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-224-9079. D Mon.-Sat. OLD CHICAGO PASTA & PIZZA This national chain offers lots of pizzas, pastas and beer. 4305 Warden Road. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-812-6262. LD daily. 1010 Main St. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-329-6262. LD daily.

PIZZA CAFE Thin, crunchy pizza with just a dab of tomato sauce but plenty of chunks of stuff, topped with gooey cheese. Draft beer is appealing on the open-air deck — frosty and generous. 1517 Rebsamen Park Road. Beer, Wine. $-$$.

501-664-6133. LD daily.

PIZZA D’ACTION Some of the best pizza in town, a marriage of thin, crispy crust with a hefty ingredient load.

Also, good appetizers and salads, pasta, sandwiches and killer plate lunches. 2919 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-5403. LD Mon.-Sat. RISTORANTE CAPEO Authentic cooking from the boot of Italy is the draw at this cozy, brick-walled restaurant on a reviving North Little Rock’s Main Street. Familiar pasta dishes will comfort most diners, but let the chef, who works in an open kitchen, entertain you with some more exotic stuff, too, like crispy veal sweetbreads. They make their own mozzarella fresh daily. 425 Main St. NLR. Full bar. $$-$$$.

501-376-3463. D Mon.-Sat. ROCKY’S PUB Rocking sandwiches an Arkie used to have to head way northeast to find and a fine selection of homemade Italian entrees, including as fine a lasagna as there is. 6909 JFK Blvd. NLR. Beer, Wine. $$. 501-833-1077. LD Mon.-Sat. SHOTGUN DAN’S Hearty pizza and sandwiches with a decent salad bar. Multiple locations, at 4020 E. Broadway, NLR, 945-0606; 4203 E. Kiehl Ave., Sherwood, 835-0606, and 10923 W. Markham St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$.

501-224-9519. LD Mon.-Sat., D Sun. VINO’S Great rock ‘n’ roll club also is a fantastic pizzeria with huge calzones and always improving home-brewed beers. 923 W. Seventh St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-3758466. LD daily.

ZAZA Here’s where you get wood-fired pizza with gorgeous blistered crusts and a light topping of choice and tempting ingredients, great gelato in a multitude of flavors, call-yourown ingredient salads and other treats. 5600 Kavanaugh Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-661-9292. LD daily.

1050 Ellis Ave. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-3369292. BLD daily.

MEXICAN BLUE COAST BURRITO You will become a lover of fish tacos here, but there are plenty of other fresh coastal Mex choices served up fast-food cafeteria style in cool surroundings. Don’t miss the Baja fruit tea. 14810 Cantrell Road. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-868-3770. LD Mon.-Sat, L Sun. 4613 E. McCain Blvd. NLR. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-945-8033. LD

Continued on page 34 www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 26, 2011 33

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St. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-450-6460. LD Mon.-Sun. THE FISH HOUSE The other entrees and the many side orders are decent, but this place is all about catfish. 116 S. Harkrider. Conway. 501-327-9901. LD Mon.-Sun. GUSANO’S They make the tomatoey Chicago-style deepdish pizza the way it’s done in the Windy City. It takes a little longer to come out of the oven, but it’s worth the wait.

2915 Dave Ward Drive. Conway. Beer, All CC. $$. 501-3291100. LD daily.

HART’S SEAFOOD Southern fried fish and seafood buffet over the weekend. 2125 Harkrider. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-329-8586. D Thu.-Sat., L Sun. JADE CHINA Traditional Chinese fare, some with a surprising application of ham. 559 Harkrider. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-329-5121. LD Mon.-Sat. LAS PALMAS IV “Authentic” Mexican chain with a massive menu of choices. 786 Elsinger Boulevard. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-329-5010. LD Mon-Sat. OAK STREET BISTRO The Conway eatery known for its creative flair with sandwiches and salads is now open for dinner and has a liquor license. Check out the massive menu; the desserts are excellent. 713 Oak St. Conway. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-450-9908. L daily, D Thu-Sat. SHORTY’S` Burgers, dogs and shake joint. 1101 Harkrider.

Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-329-9213. LD Mon.-Sat. STOBY’S Great homemade cheese dip and big, sloppy Stoby sandwiches with umpteen choices of meats, cheeses and breads. 805 Donaghey. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$.

501-327-5447. BLD Mon.-Sat. 405 W. Parkway. Russellville.

No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-968-3816. BLD Mon.-Sat. STROMBOLI’S Locally owned purveyor of NY style pizzas and strombolis. 2665 Donaghey. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-327-3700. LD daily.

TIFFANY’S SOUL FOOD Opened in 2010, this eatery specializes in soul food classics like fried chicken, smothered pork chops and hot water corn bread. 1101 Mill Street. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-327-7685.

LD Mon.-Fri. TOKYO JAPANESE RESTAURANT Besides the hibachi offerings, Tokyo also has tempura, teriyaki and a great seaweed salad. Their combination platters are a great value; besides an entree, also comes with soup, salad, harumaki (spring rolls) and vegetable tempura. No sushi, though. 716 Oak St. Conway. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-327-6868.

BL daily.

U.S. PIZZA CO. CONWAY Part of the U.S. Pizza Co. chain 710 Front Street. Conway. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-4509700. LD Mon.-Sun.

To Printer: None

NOW SERVING LUNCH FRIDAY’S 11-2PM

Date: 1-21-2011 5:08 PM

JONATHAN WILKINS & THE REPARATIONS

Full Bar • Take out • Dine in For Gourmet Seafood lovers 501-868-8822 Monday • Friday: 10-10 • 18321 Cantrell Rd. • Hwy. 10 Saturday: 9-10 • Sunday: 9-9

Print Scale: 100%

TUESDAY, JANUARY 1

e: 4.5w X 8.875h_ARK Times_revised

Hours: 8 am 5:30 pm Mon - Sat 501-280-9888 372-6637 6820 Cantrell • 9am -10 pm The BesT AuThenTic MexicAn seAfood in Town

jp fitness center

425 W Capitol Ave, 29th Floor Little Rock, AR 72201 Info@jpfitnesscenter.com www.jpfitnesscenter.com

ella

34 JANUARY 26, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

me: Winter NP

RYAN BALET & THE MALFECTEURS! (LAFAYETTE, LA)

Bleed: None

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29

400 President Clinton Ave. (In the River Market)

PEHCOR10143

Mon. -Fri. 10-10 • Sat. 9-10 Sun. 9-9

Mon.-Sat., L Sun. CANTINA LAREDO This is gourmet Mexican food, a step up from what you’d expect from a real cantina, from the modern minimal decor to the well-prepared entrees. We can vouch for the enchilada Veracruz and the carne asada y huevos, both with tasty sauces and high quality ingredients perfectly cooked. 207 N. University. Full bar, All CC. $$$.

501-280-0407. LD daily.

JUANITA’S Menu includes a variety of combination entree choices — enchiladas, tacos, flautas, shrimp burritos and such — plus creative salads and other dishes. And of course the “Blue Mesa” cheese dip. 1300 S. Main St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-372-1228. L Mon.-Fri., D Thu.-Sat. RUMBA Mexi-Cuban spot in the River Market area, this restaurant and bar has a broad menu that includes tacos and enchiladas, tapas, Cuban-style sandwiches. Specialty drinks are available also. 300 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-823-0090 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090.

SENOR TEQUILA Authentic dishes with great service and prices, and maybe the best margarita in town. 10300 N. Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-224-5505.

LD daily 9847 Maumelle Blvd. NLR. 501-758-4432.

TACO MEXICO Tacos have to be ordered at least two at a time, but that’s not an impediment. These are some of the best and some of the cheapest tacos in Little Rock. 7101 Colonel Glenn Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-416-7002.

LD Wed.-Sun. TACOS GUANAJUATO Pork, beef, adobado, chicharron and cabeza tacos and tortas at this mobile truck. 6920 Geyer Springs Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. LD Wed.-Mon. TAQUERIA THALIA Try this taco truck on the weekends, when the special could be anything from posole to menudo to shrimp cocktail. 4500 Baseline Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-563-3679. LD Wed.-Mon.

Colors: Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner Dine in • Take Out • Patio • full Bar

GRAHAM WILKINSON & THE UNDERGROUND TOWNSHIP (AUSTIN, TX)

Thoma Thoma Placement: Arkansas Times Client Approval ______________

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27

Half off least expensive entrée

Continued from page 33

Trim: 4.5" x 8.875"

WITH PURCHASE OF FULL ENTRÉe

Restaurant capsules

Links: Pella-Process.eps (17.72%, 34.21%), EPA_LeadSafeCertFirm-4C_w_path_1i.

EPS (CMYK; 643 ppi, 649 ppi; 46.66%), EStar_POY2010_2C_SusEx_Rev. ai (24.26%), red_circle_pella_small. tif (CMYK; 487 ppi, 502 ppi; 82.01%, 79.63%), 4517B_Icon_ASDH_4iv2.EPS (CMYK; 546 ppi; 55.02%)

LIVE MUSIC

FINAL TO PRINTER (BLUE)

50% OFF 2ND ENTREE *

fitnesscenter

FAYETTEVILLE

■ UPDATE EMELIA’S KITCHEN You can make a meal out of the appetizers at this chic but cozy spot on Dickson Street — especially with offerings like grilled portabello mushroom stuffed with shrimp, spinach and roasted pepper cream sauce, the crab cakes and Emelia’s sampler plate, called the Mazza, hummus, babakanoosh (Emelia’s spelling), tabouleh, feta and stuffed grape leaves.

Or you can order the grilled vegetable entree and feast on eggplant and grilled sweet peppers over a deliciously prepared rice pilaf as we did. The shish kebab — ground beef with onions and spices — turned out not to be as spicy as expected and was a bit disappointing. Specials included lamb chops; osso bucco may make an appearance on the menu. The service was a little uneven — the kitchen may not have been prepared for a tableful of crabcake lovers and they came out late — but the wine list is fine, the setting pretty and it’s but a stroll to the Walton Fine Arts Center.

Tuesdays are family night with specials for kids, “Wine Down Wednesday” features $5 glasses; Thursday is gyro night, Friday features a happy hour of mixed drink specials and, according to the website, Saturday is George night, when proprietor George Ouyoumjan mingles with the guests.

309 W. Dickson St. Full bar. All CC. 479-527-9800.

L Tue.-Fri., B Sat.-Sun., D Tue.-Sun.

36 CLUB Diverse menu — more than 80 items — of good food, ranging from grilled shrimp salad to spicy tandoori chicken, in a lively setting. Next door, sister restaurant Bistro V, offers a quieter atmosphere. 300 W. Dickson St. Fayetteville. Full bar, CC. 479-442-9682. L Tue.-Fri., D Tue.-Sat. AQ CHICKEN HOUSE Great chicken — fried, grilled and rotisserie — at great prices. 1925 North College Ave. Fayetteville. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 479-443-7555. LD daily. 1206 N. Thompson St. Springdale. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 479-443-7555. LD. BORDINOS Exquisite Italian food, great wines and great service in a boisterous setting. Now serving Nova Scotia

mussels. 310 W. Dickson St. Fayetteville. Full bar, All CC. 479-527-6795. D. COPELAND’S New Orleans-based chain features tasty Cajun and Creole delights as well as top steakhouse-quality steaks. The top grossing restaurant in the market in 2003.

463 N. 46th St. Fayetteville. 479-246-9455. BLD. ELENITA’S MEXICAN CAFE Some of the most flavorful and reasonably priced authentic Mexican food in town. 727 S. School St. Fayetteville. 479-443-6612. LD. GRUB’S BAR AND GRILLE A commendable menu that includes pub fare and vegetarian both is full of tasty offerings. The Hippie Sandwich and the Santa Fe burger come to mind. But what’s really great about Grub’s is the fact that kids under 12 (with their parents) eat free, and there’s no stale smoke to fill their little lungs, thanks to good ventilation. 220 N. West Ave. Fayetteville. 479-973-4782. LD. HJEM Blinis, spekeskinke, tyttebaer applesauce, lefse crisps — it’s the little things that put Norway into this Norwegian bistro on the square. 1 E. Center St. Fayetteville.

Full bar, All CC. 479-966-4344. LD Tue.-Sat.

HOT SPRINGS BELLE ARTI RISTORANTE Ambitious menu of lavish delights in a film-noir setting; excellent desserts. 719 Central Ave. Hot Springs. 501-624-7474. LD. CHEF PAUL’S Haute cuisine in a strip-mall setting. Top quality presentation and service. Freshest fish you’ll find in this area, great meats, exquisite desserts. 4330 Central Ave. Hot Springs. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$$-$$$$. 501-520-4187.

L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat. DON JUAN’S Mex-style enchiladas, runny white cheese dip, great guacamole and great service in strip-mall locale.

1311 Albert Pike Road No. A. Hot Springs. 501-321-0766.

LD. FACCI’S This longtime favorite of the Oaklawn crowd offers an all-you-can-eat spaghetti lunch, lots of sandwiches and pasta and extraordinary Italian dishes for dinner. The red wine is red, the white wine is white, and the bread is always hot and fresh. 2900 Central Ave. Hot Springs. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-623-9049. LD Tue.-Sat. FISHERMAN’S WHARF Reminiscent of a coastal seafood joint, complete with large menu and fish nets adorning the wall. Boisterous, family style place. 5101 Central Ave. Hot Springs. 501-525-7437. LD. HAWGS PIZZA PUB Good pizza and other Italian food, a wide selection of appetizers, salads, burgers and sandwiches in an all-Razorback motif. 1442 Airport Road. Hot Springs. 501-767-4240. LD. HUNAN PALACE Dependable Chinese cuisine, good soups, nice priced combos for two or three. 4737 Central Ave. No. 104. Hot Springs. 501-525-3344. LD.

Come Taste Our new Dinner Menu!

Traditional Favorites and Modern Cuisine Inspired by the South of Italy

LunCh

Mon-Fri 11am-2pm

DInner

Tues-Sat 5:30pm-9:30pm

LaTe nIghT

Thur-Sun 11pm-5am

In the Prospect Building 1501 N. University 501.660.4200 www.salut-bistro.com

SHOP ‘N’ SIP First thursday each month shop ’til 8pm and enjoy dining in one of the many area restaurants.

HILLCREST SHOPPING & DINING

50-75%

OFF

Valentine’s Day Starts Here!

WINTER CLoThING, ShoES & hANDbAGS GREAT NEW ITEMS ARRIVING DAILY!

4523 WoodlaWn (Historic Hillcrest) 501.666.3600

2616 Kavanaugh • 661-1167 M-F 10-6, SAT 10-5 www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 26, 2011 35

REAL ESTATE by neighborhood TO ADVERTISE, CALL TIFFANY HOLLAND AT 375-2985 Investment Properties

344 CASTLEBERRY - GREENBRIER

Magnificent 3BR/2BA on 1.16 acre corner lot with privacy fenced yard & storage bldg. Open plan with hardwood floors, solid surface counters, custom maple cabinets, built-in Thermador cappuccino machine & wine cooler, large deck and security system. $173,900

MLS# 10274731

1665 ARDEN - CONWAY

Beautiful 3BR/2BA home on corner lot with new hardwood floors, tile in wet areas, custom blinds, fenced backyard, walk to school. Immaculate! $145,000

1104 B WEST 29TH STREET 2BR/1BA fixer upper. Owner financing or cash discount. $350 down, $150 a month. 803-403-9555

MLS#10274951

3005 DALLAS LOOP - CONWAY

Exceptional 4BR/2.5BA updated and modern, two living areas, formal dining and breakfast area, study. New appliances, paint, window treatments, carpet, lighting and bath fixtures. Large fenced yard - walk to school.

Amazing home. $229,000

20 W. MARTIN, GREENBRIER $109,000. 25.21 acres off Brannon Road. Pastureland, borders creek, city water, electric, septic on property. Perfect for horses, cattle and your dream home. MLS# 10269741 Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501730-1100 or 501-679-1103

3535 HOMESTEAD - CONWAY

Adorable 3BR/2BA split plan with seating for four at breakfastbar, side-byside refrigerator, 2” faux wood blinds, large deck with access thru kitchen and master bedroom. $103,900

MLS#10272778

Publisher’s Notice

www.LRWHomes.com

SCRATCH GRAVEL, DAMASCUS - $69,900. Beautiful country view on paved road, level with some hardwood trees and large barn, public water at road. Seven acres total, buy all or part. Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501-730-1100 or 501-679-1103

Capitol View/ Stiffts Station

Land

MLS# 10267818

501-730-1100 • 501-679-1103

Land

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD toll-free 1-800-669-9077. The toll-free number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275.

400 S. VALENTINE - $109,750.

2BR/1BA updated in 2008 with HVAC, roof, kitchen, bath, flooring, paint, lighting, etc. Large fenced yard w/great deck. Walking distance to UAMS & Hillcrest. Call JoJo Carter 773-9949 or www. pulaskiheightsrealty.com for more info.

Arkansas times presents PULASKI COUNTY Real Estate sales over $100,000 Sue Newsom Vinson Revocable Trust, Regions Morgan Keegan Trust, Regions Bank to Jane F. Goff, 28 E. Palisades Dr., $895,000.

SF Holding Corp. to LRQ, LLC, NH NE 24-1N-14W, $842,000.

River Market Tower LLC to Hood Street Enterprises Inc., L1902, River Market Tower HPR, $792,000.

B&F Advertising Inc. to Edsel D. Weaver, Jr, Kimberly P. Weaver, 5710 Warden Rd., Sherwood, $599,000.

Michael B. Pryor, Linnette B. Pryor to Lisa D. Evans, Robert Evans, 5625 Ridgefield Ln., $488,000.

Robert L. Gutschenritter, Alicia Gutschenritter to Crown Pacific Inc., Crown Relocations, 15 Talais Dr., $459,000.

Woodhaven Homes Inc. to Luis Mourao, Stephanie Mourao, 190 Majestic Cir, Maumelle, $428,000.

Donald G. McCrosky, Jacquie McCrosky to Michael Rabatin, Lisa Rabatin, 5 Deer Valley Cove, Maumelle, $378,000.

Crown Pacific Inc., Crown Relocations to Dean L. Worley, Tina Worley, 15 Talais Dr., $375,000.

National Residential Nominee Services to Aaron V. Shaw, Justine R. Shaw, 159 Challain Dr., $350,000.

JPMC Specialty Mortgage LLC to Nasrullah Khimani, Shama Khimani, 101 Noyant Dr., $335,000.

Ayman Mahdy, Mona Husein to Seongjae Kim, 33 Winterfern Cove, $333,000.

Swaminadham Midturi, Jeevamma Midturi to Jeremy Barsell, Kimberly D. Barsell, 11 Black Bear Ct., $325,000.

Jerry W. Mauldin, Valerie J. Mauldin, Cara D. Foster, Alan Foster, Kate M. Althoff to Steve 36 january 26, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

W. Grimes, SE NW 3-2N-11W, $300,000.

Medlock Construction Co. Inc. to Joseph A. Reedy, Jamie L. Reedy, L9, Valley Ridge, $290,000.

Woodhaven Homes Inc. to Solomon J. Flowers, Titonia P. Flowers, 1304 Tupelo Pointe, Jacksonville, $290,000.

Tina Hilton to Larry J. Lewis, Larvinia Lewis, 127 Breckenridge Ln., Maumelle, $290,000.

John Wright Construction Co Inc. to Keith A. Wilson, Jennifer G. Wilson, 107 Corondelet Ln., Maumelle, $285,000.

Wells Fargo Bank to David W. Thomas, Mary K. Thomas, 8 Jacob Pl., $283,000.

Nick Sachse, Janelle Sachse to Keith J. Harvey, Ashley B. Harvey, L24, Belle River, $269,000.

Delt Ark Properties to Ronald C. Oakley, Ls4-5 B5, Forest Park, $261,000.

Woodhaven Homes Inc. to B en jamin A. Wall, 305 Corondelet Ln., Maumelle, $261,000.

Martindill Properties Inc. to G. G. Niblock, Shelli Niblock, 5809 S. University Ave., $250,000.

Carol E. Shields, Warfield Homes, Oliver G. Shields to Daniel F. Petroff, 6 Ridge Oak Cove, $248,000.

Isbell Quality Home Builders Inc. to Kenneth B. Cartwright, Angela A. Cartwright, 3017 Maelstrom Cir., Sherwood, $245,000.

Engel Home Builders Inc. to Sean L. Powers, Lindsay M. Powers, 9625 Del Rey Ln., Sherwood, $240,000.

David K. Sawyer to Justin D. Swinford, Michelle M. Swinford, 5909 Buffalo River Rd., NLR, $235,000.

Ezra Simpson Enterprises

Inc. to Deidra Nelson, Kendell R. Nelson, 6 Cossatot Cove, $235,000.

D. A. Phillips Homes LLC to B&B Construction & Interiors Inc., L81, Millers Valley Phase 1, $232,000.

Brent R. Himes to B&L Investment Properties LLC, Ls5-6 B8, East Pulaski Heights, $230,000.

ODS Enterprises LLC to Derrick Warren, Natalie RhodesWarren, 8609 Breakwater Ct., Sherwood, $228,000.

Lindseys Enterprises Inc. to Scrinopski Investments LLC, Ls6-9, JJ Kitchens No.2 Unrecorded, $225,000.

R. C. Lawson, Felley N. Lawson to Oliver Raabe, Kathy Raabe, L100, Longlea, $225,000.

Accountable Property Management & Realty to Kenneth H. Castleberry, Jamie U. Castleberry, 12 Pennsylvania Ct., $219,000.

Joshua A. Sowards, Leslie A. Sowards to Luke D. Vitolo, Charlotte L. Vitolo, 2933 Rock Ridge Dr., Sherwood, $215,000.

Daniel F. Petroff, Kathia Petroff to James E. Munns, II, 142 Lily Dr., Maumelle, $214,000.

Paul E. Luehr, Georgia W. Luehr to David A. Damien, Lida A. Damien, L4 B1, Westchester, $208,000.

Bank Of Little Rock to Gene A. Blagg, Virginia L. Blagg, 12 Mountain Terrace Cir., Maumelle, $195,000.

Alison D. Patton, Evelyn S. Duffey to Deutsche Bank National Trust Company, 809 Rock St., $194,322.

Betty J. Wilson to Karen E. Phillips, 12410 Eagle Pointe Ln., $190,000.

Christopher B. Steele, Melissa A. Steele to Anthony L. Grass, Marina Grass, 3500 Brundle Ct., Sherwood, $187,000.

George M. Buie to Michael K. Rodning, 509 Midland St., $185,000.

James Built Homes Inc. to David Altrui, Ruth M. Altrui, 4416 Montgomery Rd., $185,000.

James Built Homes Inc. to Kelley R. Johnson, L4, Madison Park, $183,000.

Treat Home Builders LLC to Randall K. Tyson, Michele A. Tyson, 9140 Wilhite Ln., Sherwood, $182,000.

Debora K. Moschel, Peter W. Moschel to Andrew J. Maston, L305, Rainwater Flats HPR, $180,000.

Stephen R. Eanes, Elizabeth F. Eanes to Paul A. Taggart, Anne Parker, L11 B42, Lakewood, $175,000.

Boca Funding Group LLC to Metropolitan National Bank, L217, Osage Terrace, $171,888.

Federal National Mortgage Association to Harsha M. Patel, 1013 Kierre Dr., NLR, $170,000.

Mary E. McLeod to George S. McLeod, 118 N. Monroe St., $170,000.

Steven C. Ratcliffe, Stephen C. Ratcliff, Florence E. Ratcliffe to Sandra L. Sell, SE NE 10-1S12W, $169,000.

Joseph D. Bernardi, Dorothy S. Bernardi, Louis A. Bernardi, Sr. to 3M Company, NW SE 28-1N12W, $167,000.

Martha Edwards, David Edwards, Annette T. Edwards to Barbara S. Vinson, L14, Foxcroft Village, $164,000.

Jean Najacht to Tyler S. Roach, 2214 Grist Mill Rd., $159,000.

Shanetta Taylor to Kavin L. Bizzell, 4201 Weldon Ave., $158,000.

Thomas J. Richardson, Barbara J. Richardson to Jordan C. Williams, Oliver Williams, 11 New Haven Ct., $150,000.

Linda L. McLain to Dennis D. Dorsey, Jeanetta A. Dorsey, 2824

Foxcroft Rd., Apt. 62, $144,000.

Phillip R. Renfro, Brittney J. Renfro to Charles M. Cullen, Elyse N. Cullen, L16 B31, Indian Hills, $140,000.

Matthew Bell, Amy Bell to National Residential Nominee Services, L33, High Timber, $138,000.

Jack H. Simmons, Marilyn Simmons to Jason Dorsey, Suzanne Dorsey, 7000 Ponderosa Dr., NLR, $135,000.

David A. Casey, Bonnie Casey to Todd Shelton, Shay Shelton, 2200 Andover Ct., Apt. 604, $132,000.

Jonathan L. Carco, Angela D. Carco to Lloyd E. Scales, Jr., Palestine Scales, 66 Stonewall Dr., Jacksonville, $130,000.

David R. Stanley to J. A. Riggs Tractor Company, E/2 35-1N13W, $125,000.

Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, Bankers Trust Company to Chris McIntosh, Gloria M. McIntosh, 48 Ophelia Dr., Maumelle, $125,000.

Joseph D. Bernardi, Deanna Bernardi, Deiana Bernardi, Joseph D. Bernardi to 3M Company, NW SE 28-1N-12W, $123,000.

Orven E. Williams to Federal National Mortgage Association, 2208 S. Spring St., $122,135.

Rausch Coleman Mid Ark LLC to Danielle Lovellette, 1409 Chervic Cir., NLR, $121,000.

Jeff Austin to Etienne Florin, 109 Burnside Dr., $120,000.

Better Community Development Inc., Black Community Developers Program In to Shalisa Dawkins, 8311 W. 28th St., $120,000.

Lisa C. Foerster to Aaron W. Vanson, Melanie C. Vanson, 1716 Calgary Trail, $119,000.

Amy R. Armstrong, Amy L. Ryals, Edward R. Armstrong to Joseph W. Small, 3503 Spring

Valley Cove, Jacksonville, $118,000.

Scott Hurley, Carrie Hurley, Bill Biehn, Heather Biehn to Lyle Godfrey, L12 B4, Willowood, $118,000.

Douglas P. Mosley, Laura Mosley to Rick L. Boone, 24 Cardinal Ln., Sherwood, $115,000.

Heather A. Gage, Heather Detherow to Anita D. Norfleet, 7622 Lee Summit Dr., $115,000.

Halcyonfinance Company to Gena L. Toliver, 14 Prospect Trail, NLR, $115,000.

Gale R. Tipton, Lorrie A. Tipton to CitiMortgage Inc., 1408 S. Fillmore St., $114,682.

Regions Bank to Kirtley Revocable Living Trust, Michael G. Kirtley, Mary W. Kirtley, L2, Little Northfork, $110,000.

Shundalun Byrd, Denita Byrd to CitiMortgage Inc., 119 W. Valentine Rd., Jacksonville, $109,990.

Hayden Hughes, Jennifer Hughes to Brian Ott, 104 Lynnewood Cove, Jacksonville, $109,000.

Wayne R. Jaques, Vicki S. Jaques to Scott A. Shelby, 116 Gravel Ln., Sherwood, $109,000.

William H. Cassaday, Ruth H. Cassaday to Duclair Rentals LLC, L70, Markham Manor, $107,000.

Alton C. Owens, Jr., Barbara R. Owens to Gazette Properties LLC, L43, Queen Manor, $105,000.

Nakia K. Taylor, Sedrick R. Marshall to US Bank, L1 B3, Massie West, $104,447.

Short Properties LLC to Byron & Terri Holmes Joint Revocable Trust, Byron L. Holmes, Terri S. Holmes, L30, Edgepark Phase 2, $100,000.

Short Properties LLC to RK3 LLC, L29, Edgepark Phase 2, $100,000.

4924 HILLCREST AVE - $459,900.

3BR/3BA plus 3-car garage. 2600 SF. Recently renovated home on large corner lot. Call John Selva at Pulaski Heights Realty at 501-993-5442.

712 N. WALNUT - $159,900.

2BR/1BA in the heart of Hillcrest. Just 1/2 block of Kavanaugh. Renovated kitchen w/custom maple cabinets, tile floors, solid surface counters.

Enter MLS 10257444 at www.

PulaskiHeightsRealty.com

West Little Rock 14615 BROWN BEAR DR $299,900. Great 4BR/2.5BA, approx.

3015 SF home in the new Don Roberts School District. Plenty of space for the entire family. Formal dining room, office, family room & eat-in kitchen all downstairs. All bedrooms have large walk-in closets and master bath & closet are huge.

Side-loading garage & fully fenced yard. Call Bob Bushmiaer of Pulaski Heights Realty @ 501-352-0156 for more info or a private showing.

Neighboring Communities 1480 W. LAWSON RD - $189,900.

All brick on 3.5 acres in Alexander!

1850 SF, 3BR/2BA, hardwoods in great room and formal DR. Bryant schools. Clyde Butler, CBRPM, 501240-4300.

21854 WILLIAM BRANDON DRIVE - $168,500. Enjoy country living on five level acres only 15 minutes from downtown Little Rock! Like-new home with 4BR/2BA, wood-burning fireplace, granite counters, stainless appliances & more! Call Clyde Butler of CBRPM at 501-240-4300.

GREERS FERRY LAKE - Spectacular view! 5 acres. Owner/agent. 501825-6200 www.enchantedbluffestates.com

Conway 1220 TRENTON - $123,000. Charming 3BR/2BA with all new carpet, paint, tile, appliances including refrigerator, light fixtures, countertops, door knobs and pulls. Must see! MLS# 10262073 Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501730-1100 or 501-679-1103

3005 DALLAS LOOP - $229,000.

Exceptional 4BR/2.5BA updated and modern, two living areas, formal dining and breakfast area, study.

New appliances, paint, window treatments, carpet lighting and bath fixtures. Large fenced yard - walk to school. Amazing home. MLS# 10267818 Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501-730-1100 or 501-6791103 3535 HOMESTEAD - $103,900.

Adorable 3BR/2BA split open plan with breakfast bar, side-by-side refrigerator, 2-inch faux wood blinds, laundry room and large deck with access thru kitchen and master.

MLS# 10272778 Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501-730-1100 or 501679-1103 5125 GALLERIA COVE - $209,000.

Stunning 3BR/2BA with open split plan, an abundance of built-ins and storage. Extraordinary lighting throughout, smooth top cooking surface, breakfast bar, walk-in pantry.

FP, screened in porch and fenced yard. MLS# 10268505 Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501-730-1100 or 501-679-1103

Greenbrier 344 CASTLEBERRY - $173,900.

Magnificent 3BR/2BA on 1.16 acre corner lot with privacy fenced yard & storage bldg. Open plan with hardwood floors, solid surface counters, custom maple cabinets, built-in Thermador cappucino machine & wine cooler, large deck and security system. MLS# 10274731 Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501-7301100 or 501-679-1103

No. 1222

1665 ARDEN - $145,000. Beautiful 3BR/2BA home on corner lot with new hardwood floors, tile in kitchen and wet areas, custom blinds, fenced backyard, walk to school.

Immaculate! MLS# 10274951 Linda Roster White Real Estate, 501-7301100 or 501-679-1103

Edited by Will Shortz

4101 C ST - $224,900. 3BR/2BA, 1836SF. Recently renovated!

Enter MLS# 10255320 on www.

PulaskiHeightsRealty.com for more photos. John Selva, Pulaski Heights Realty, 993-5442

Conway

■ CROSSWORD

Hillcrest

Across 1 Cry at the start of a vote 6 Tree in California 10 Soulful Redding 14 Duane ___ (New York City pharmacy chain) 15 Land west of the Pacific 16 “This is terrible!”

17 Greased 18 “Believe” singer, 1999 19 Liberals, with “the” 20 “Soon enough, my friend” 22 Big mess 24 “Bien ___!”

25 Former “S.N.L.” comic Gasteyer 26 French theologian who wrote “Sic et Non” 28 Jean Sibelius, for one 29 Seat of Albany County, Wyo.

30 Biggie ___ (rapper a k a Notorious B.I.G.) 33 Bennett of “Whatʼs My Line?”

34 “Am ___ risk?”

35 Womenʼs rights pioneer Elizabeth ___ Stanton 36 As a package 37 Old man: Ger. 38 Here, in Juárez 39 Bomber type 41 More agile 43 Relinquish, as arms 45 Move from site to site?

46 Hall of TV fame 47 Oslo Accords party, for short 48 One way to sway 51 Many a Justin Bieber fan 52 Completely imagined 54 Restaurateur Toots

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE K A N J I

I B O O K

J A M U P

E L I S E

T R I C E

E L T O N J B R O E T H T E N

H A R K F O T L R L E Y E M P A E S N C N O E T

F L O U N C E

L A D L E

E V I L S

A D Q U J U M I A L G T P R O O P U S T

X E N O N A W I E R E P C H L A O T R T C E A R

A S S U M E

T H E T A

B U R S T O S P S C E H A N A M D S E C T A L P E O O

A Y T E T A O R I N G

L A T T E

T O P A Z

P R O L E

55 Kirkʼs foe in a “Star Trek” sequel 57 Lofty dwelling 58 Unadulterated 59 Alveoli site 60 “I love you,” in a telenovela 61 Sacred chests 62 Tense 63 Poker phrase … or whatʼs needed to complete the answers to the six italicized clues Down 1 Aristophanes comedy, with “The” 2 Alphabetic pentad 3 Bravery 4 Took too much 5 Common North American hawk 6 Iconic chomper 7 New York stadium eponym 8 Taradiddle 9 Classic candy with nougat 10 “How lu-uuxurious!”

11 Top-rated TV series of 197176 12 Madden 13 Lush 21 Quaint lodgings 23 Brand of 45Down balls 26 Direction at sea 27 Block 28 Pass muster 30 Where “Otello” premiered, with “La”

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Puzzle by Michael Sharp

31 General played

by Fonda (in 1976), Peck (1977) and Olivier (1982) 32 To be expected 33 MSNBC competitor 36 Vintnerʼs prefix 37 Terrierʼs sound 39 Exemplar of dryness

40 Glimmer

41 U.S.S. Enterprise helmsman

42 How some wages are calculated

44 Popular tractors 45 See 23-Down 48 Untamed

49 Sam who directed “Drag Me to Hell” 50 Classic theater 52 Masculine side 53 Cad 54 Where the robed are rubbed 56 Movie for which Patricia Neal won Best Actress

For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554.

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www.arktimes.com • january26, 26,2011 2011 37 www.arktimes.com • JANUARY 37

Late in the game n I’m interested in this Republican/Tea Party proposal to save the country by destroying it. As I understand it, the idea is that the House of Representatives becomes a death panel of sorts that mulls shutting down the government by refusing it authorization to continue borrowing money to pay its bills.

We’d still have soldiers, plenipotentiaries, firemen and garbage haulers and road-builders, judges and crime-fighters, revenooers and postmen, spies and hooded torturers — we just wouldn’t be able to pay them.

We’d still pay our U.S. savings bond holders and other creditors but it would have to be with Monopoly money. Social Security, Medicare, veterans’ benefits and the other entitlements — we’d pay those with Monopoly money too. Or with pretend money. With IOUs. Brozine. Or by telling them on payday what Veep Cheney told Sen. Leahy that time.

By the time we realized that the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave had just been brought down not justifiably by an eyeless Samson but ridiculously by a krewe of hoohoos led by an orange dick, the US of A would be as fracked as Cleburne County, dead as a hammer, and the stock tickers, while they still worked, would show the rest of the world rubbling

Bob L ancaster down behind us. Pretty much the end of civilization as we know it.

Is that possible? It’s crazy, but crazy is the norm now. Crazy is in charge. You’ve seen it running around out there with its Harpo horn and seltzer bottle, walking to school and carrying its lunch: is it a picture that would warm a Founding Father’s confidence in his posterity? Does it shore you up in this shaky epoch?

It’s as if every incoming committee chairman slipped the same booby hatch restraints. If somebody whanged the dinner gong, would they all scuttle back with tucked tails? It’s such a nut world that a Mike Ross wouldn’t even qualify as one.

Looking at him now through the eyes of yesterworld, you’d say yep, he and Marty Feldman and Rip Taylor and Jerry Colonna, but today, 2011, if you drew a line between the Nuts and the Nots, he wouldn’t even come close. He wants to real bad, you can tell, but blue dog to winged monkey you just don’t get there from here.

So it’s not dumb but it is crazy, more

C

John C. Calhoun than Algonquin J., and I’ll not be surprised if they try it and I’ll not be surprised if they git-r-done. I don’t think there’ll even be any remorse, from them or from anybody, as we all stand around the ruins ogling the fallen giant in silent astonishment, with no Charleton Heston to call us maniacs and damn us all to hell, nobody saying anything except here and there an anticlimactic yee-haw, semi-embarrassed as if unsure of its appropriateness.

I’ll not be surprised that this is what it comes down to, because not only these kooks but comparatively sane Americans seem to have got tired of their old country, its hoary traditions and ideals, tired of the high expectations it puts on them — that they be decent and civil and respectful of different backgrounds and outlooks and circumstances and interests. Or anyhow that’s how it appears; that they’re tired of respectability that the liberal tradition confers, tired of crowning their good with brotherhood, and are feeling the anarchic allure of just tearing s—t up or tearing it down. Just because they can. Because they’ve wriggled themselves into a position from which they can make it happen.

Because you gave them your OK. So it goes. It’s happened before and you have to lead, follow, or get out of the way. A little late in the game for a Going Out of Business sale, but I’ve turned my attention to what we still might salvage before it all falls in on itself and the fat lady

S

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Field Workers-10 temporary positions; approx 10 months; Duties: to operate tractorsin the fields during the preparations, planting and maintenance of the crop before, during and after the harvesting season. 3 months experience in job offered required. $9.10 per hour; Job to begin on 3/1/11 through 1/1/12. All work tools provided.

Housing and transportation provided to workers who can not reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day; _ guaranteed of contract. Employment offered by Rodrique Planting Company located in Vacherie, LA. Qualified applicantsmay call employer for an interview at (225) 265-4282 or may apply for this position at their nearest State Workforce Agency using job order # 371823. For more info regarding your nearest SWA you may call (501)682-7719

Field Workers-18 temporary positions; approx 10 months; Duties: to operate tractors during the preparation and maintenance of the sugar cane crop before, during and after the harvesting season. $9.10 per hour; Job to begin on 3/15/11 through 1/15/12.

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Housing and transportation provided to workers who can not reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day;_ guaranteed of contract. Employment offered by Alma Plantation, L.L.C. located in Lakeland, LA Qualified applicants may call employer for interview at (225) 6276666 or may apply for this position at their nearest State Workforce Agency using job order # 372275. For more info regarding your nearest SWA you may call (501) 682-7719.

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3 months of experience required in job offered and must pass drug test provided by employer. All work tools provided. Housing and transportation provided to workers who can not reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day; _ guaranteed of contract. Employment offered by Palo Alto, Inc. located in Donaldsonville, LA. Qualified applicants may call employer for interview (225) 473-4303 or may apply for this position at their nearest State Workforce Agency using job order # 371826. For more info regarding your nearest SWA you may call (501) 682-7719.

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Employment

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And first thing that occurs to me is that we ought to unload Guam. You might ask who’d be left to take it off’n our hands and I can’t answer you that, but I’m right sure we won’t be needing Guam. I’m not sure we ever did.

Raffle off all the suddenly pointless infrastructure, then sell off the National Parks. The Saudis might want Rushmore, austerely reassembled amongst their derricks as a four-headed Sphinx, and Seminole casino breakage should get them the Everglades back with no prob. Jellystone to the average bears? Do I hear an offer on crumbling baths that used to rubberize gangsters and race horses and paupers with STDs? Then the National Forests, maybe homesteading them out to these unemployed, like the Sooner land rush, only this time in their leaky-muffler old Darts and Furies with 300K miles on them and hardly any of the original paint. We could sell the Brooklyn Bridge like Phil Silvers used to do, over and over, until there isn’t one, and then some more. I my very own self have enough personally Beck-gnawed XAUUAD squirreled under the yard flamingo yonder to buy the Library of Congress for the exact amount that the bluenose reps paid the beggared Sage of Monticello for the original just to have the pleasure of bonfiring all the saucy romans a clef he’d brought back from Gay Paree.

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