Arkansas Times

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APRIL 11, 2012

3

COMMENT

Open letter to City Board Watching the board meeting tonight [April 3], I just had to share a few thoughts.

I find it particularly suspicious, that when addressing issues that impact the older parts of our city [the ordinance to require conditional use permits for stores that sell beer or wine], the sentiment is always “something is better than nothing.”

That is very easy to say when you don’t see it every day. Wards 1 & 2 have more liquor and/or package stores that any other ward. But the board completely disregarded Directors Erma Hendrix and Ken Richardson’s concern on this ordinance. As a resident of Little Rock, I found that to be highly offensive, as this board consistently leaves t’s uncrossed and i’s undotted on things that might positively benefit the older parts of our city.

Let me share a few examples: West of Woodrow you have a plethora of streets less than 24 feet wide, but you pass the parking-in-yards ordinance with little to no regard for residents living on narrow streets. But I know, I know, “something is better than nothing.”

During the sales tax campaign, the platform was safer neighborhoods and better jobs. What floored me was the fact that you closed two or three resource centers in 2009 in Ward 1, but added not one with the tax, which would lead to safer neighborhoods. But my bad. I know “something is better than nothing.”

Since the mayor and City Board missed the “Tour at City Hall for a Day” on Friday, allow me to share what you might have seen. If you started at 12th and Woodrow going west, you would have seen a liquor store on the right, and a package store/gas station on the left. About 12 blocks away you would have seen a package store, liquor store and another package store in the same block, the same building, between Peyton and Washington and one block away a gas station/package store. If you were going south on Woodrow you would have seen a package store on the corner of 13th and Woodrow and another on 18th and Woodrow. If you had turned right on Asher, you would have passed a package store on the corner of Asher and Maple. In less than 3 blocks you would have passed another liquor store. Traveling a few more blocks, you would have seen a liquor store and gas station that sells beer. If you left the Shell and headed east on Asher and took a right at the fork, you would have passed a package store on the corner of Roosevelt and Johnson.

If you traveled down to Roosevelt and MLK, you would have passed a liquor store on the left and a gas station that sells beer on the right. Not to mention the liquor store on Wright Avenue and the liquor store on the corner of Wright 4

APRIL 11, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

and MLK. I’m sure I missed a few but “something is better than nothing.”

If your neighborhoods were saturated with these stores, how would “something is better than nothing” sound to you? At times it feels as if the board is simply mocking those of us who reside in these wards.

Mayor and directors, as always in your top-down decision-making, you think you know what is best for us and we, the people, should be grateful, because “something is better than nothing.”

Robert Webb Little Rock

From the web On the Arkansas Blog’s reporting on UA football Coach Bobby Petrino’s attempt to cover up the fact he was riding with a female employee when he crashed his motorcycle April 8 and his future employment with the university: We live in an era in which morality and integrity mean absolutely nothing, especially when big money is involved. I predict like so many others that Petrino will not be fired. I find him to be a despicable human being, not only for his “inappropri-

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ate” relationship but for the way he has little, if any, regard for those he hurts or steps on as he rakes in over 3 million dollars a year from a college football program.

Let us not forget the young female reporter who Petrino had fired because she was wearing a Florida Gators cap while she was asking him questions! It seems the Arkansas coach was so offended by her wearing the cap in his presence that he felt it warranted the firing of the single mother of two young children. What a hypocrite Petrino is! If a young reporter was fired simply because she offended him by wearing a Gators cap while she spoke with him, then he sure as hell needs to be fired for all the people he has offended because he can’t keep his pants zipped or tell the truth!

JVA All of us Hog fans need to understand there’s a lot more at stake here than just the number of wins and losses.

Jeff Long will certainly have to take the money issues into consideration in making his decision. I still believe his decision will ultimately hinge upon whether or not sexual relations occurred between Petrino and Dorrell. That fact alone would substantially raise the potential legal liability for the University.

If Dorrell loses her job and Petrino keeps his, she could sue the University for sexual harassment. Then, there’s the other applicants who applied for her job but were not selected. Some or all of them may already feel like they have a reason to sue.

Another important factor is that Chancellor Gearhart has a law degree, which should help him in evaluating the situation when this mess actually reaches his desk.

RYD If you ever needed proof that football is a corrupting influence, well right here it is. Do we really want our children learning that right and wrong change depending on how much money is involved?

It’s a classic example of situational ethics. Our morals change depending on the amount of money at stake: What is wrong when there are small amounts of money involved becomes right when the amounts get large. It’s why a Wall Street banker gets promoted for doing things that would get you and I jailed.

It’s why if Petrino were a small time coach or a losing coach, he’d be fired. But since he’s a winner, our moral compass starts to point in a different direction.

Situational ethics. If I lied to my boss, my boss would fire me. If Petrino lies to his boss, his boss will probably end up apologizing.

ChildeRolandReturneth

Submit letters to the Editor via e-mail to arktimes@arktimes.com.

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APRIL 11, 2012

5

EDITORIAL

Weasel season

ou know it’s an election year, and people have been looking at polls, when politicians start shedding previously cherished convictions.

U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford of the First Congressional District, for one, is showing a newly acquired flexibility. Democrats think they have a good chance to beat the Republican freshman. Evidently, he thinks so too, and so, he’s publicly reneging on the promise he made last year to support a moratorium on those spending projects in individual members’ districts that are sometimes known as “pork.” Crawford has learned that residents of low-income congressional districts like the First want and need federal assistance to pave streets, replace bridges and build sewer lines.

It’s reported that Rep. Steve Womack of the Third District is backing off the no-pork pledge too. The other two Republican members of the Arkansas Congressional Delegation, Sen. John Boozman and Rep. Tim Griffin, are thus far keeping their antipork word, Griffin because he likes ideology better than people, Boozman because he’s not on the ballot this year and because he prefers inactivity to the hard work of capturing federal funds for his home state. Ronald Reagan was our best-rested president.

Boozman seems bent on becoming Arkansas’s bestrested senator.

N

Some pig

ot for the first time, we see that Orval, the Arkansas Times’ in-house sage/cartoon pig, understands large public issues better than do the two-legged pundits of the corporate media.

Pigs have an undeserved reputation for gluttony; discriminating swine will turn up their snouts at garbage that human columnists wolf down. Imagine what Charles Krauthammer’s diet must be like.

Orval (March 28) rejects the pious humbugs’ argument that asking religious organizations to obey the law is a violation of the First Amendment. Religionists plead, in essence, that anyone who says he’s religious must obey only the rules of his own church, and is therefore exempt from the government mandate that employees of religious organizations receive health insurance for contraception just as other Americans do. Employees don’t lose their own freedom of religion merely because their boss doesn’t want them to have it, the Obama administration has properly ruled. There are many things that some unscrupulous bosses don’t want their workers to have – decent wages, reasonable hours, safe shops – but a government of the people demands they be provided anyway. This is not a violation of Freedom of Religion; it’s not even a close call, as Orval points out to a misguided cleric. An old rule, often cited by conservatives, says “your rights end where my nose begins.” But some of these same conservatives forget the rule when it’s the other fellow’s nose that’s in the way. The First Amendment ensures the other fellow’s nose is protected. Smart people, we.

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APRIL 11, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

Y

EYE ON ARKANSAS

HIGH FASHION: Grace Alger models during the Designers Choice Fashion Preview on Saturday at the Clear Channel Metroplex in Little Rock.

Whose golden handcuffs?

W

e go to press awaiting news from University of Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long on a decision about Razorback football coach Bobby Petrino’s future.

Long put Petrino on leave, with pay, after learning Petrino had lied to the university and public about a key fact of his April 1 motorcycle crash. He was not alone. He was accompanied by Jessica Dorrell, 25, whom Petrino had recently hired as a $55,700 football player “co-coordinator.” She stages recruiting visits and provides other assistance to football players.

Petrino said an “inappropriate” relationship in his past explained his initial lack of truth about the wreck. Was this a reference to serial impropriety in his life? Or was it a carefully crafted way to say any impropriety with Dorrell pre-dated his hiring of her as a staff member, perhaps expecting the situation that now exists.

The employment relationship is the factor that holds most peril for Petrino. In deciding Petrino’s fate, every single employee at the University of Arkansas will view the action in the context of a single question: “What if that had been me or my boss?”

I expect Petrino to be retained as football coach.

I say this without rancor. Sports long ago stopped being a supplement to a college education — the sound body to go with a sound mind. It is big business. It is a commercial branding tool. It requires huge sums of money and the sums are generated by winning. A decision on leadership change has to be viewed first through those corporate goals. Petrino is a winner. Fan and donor enthusiasm is high. A $40 million building project dependent on money flow is underway.

How many major corporations would fire a CEO for sexual infidelity or attempting to keep it a secret?

How many would fire a CEO for dalliance with an employee, rather than making that problematic

employee go away?

Firing Petrino guarantees a disruption in football and fundraising. Jeff Long, who is facing a career decision in this, MUST consider that reality. And if he MAX chooses to retain Petrino, he BRANTLEY maxbrantley@arktimes.com must do so in a way to offer some balm to the minority who believe a football coach should be a model of probity and should not fiddle around, lie about it or hire girlfriends, current or former.

The talk among insiders is that Petrino could pay a financial penalty — a loss of pay and perks in a contract worth up to $4 million a year with incentives — as an alternative to firing. The contract also could be rewritten to broaden the University of Arkansas’s ability to punish or dismiss Petrino.

You get in these messes by investing too much in one human being, emphasis on human. Petrino’s contract, for example, gives him near total power over football staff selection and hiring. The athletic director is allowed to sign off on his choices, but approval “shall not be withheld unreasonably.”

As it stands, Petrino and the UA are locked in golden handcuffs. Either owes $18 million if one tries to ditch the other. These handcuffs are a product of Petrino’s inconstancy (some would say dishonesty) at previous jobs in Louisville and Atlanta. Ironic that the university now must assess its exposure should it demand to be unlocked, rather than Petrino. The university’s worry about Petrino exacting a huge payment seems overblown, however. The contract says he can be fired for conduct contrary to the “character and responsibilities” of a head football coach or actions that negatively affect the university’s reputation. Could anybody argue the last week or so has been good for the university?

OPINION

Nelson on right side of gas tax debate

S

heffield Nelson is an odd person to be waging a one-man crusade against the business and political establishment to raise taxes on the Texas and Oklahoma gas producers who have been drilling in the Arkansas shale.

First, Nelson is a Republican — a Republican who was twice the GOP candidate for governor and not so long ago the party’s state chairman and its national committeeman. His races for governor, in 1990 against Bill Clinton and in 1994 against Jim Guy Tucker, seized on the two governors’ record of raising taxes.

Second, in a former life Nelson was president and CEO of the state’s largest natural-gas utility, the old Arkansas Louisiana Gas Co. Every other gas company executive in the history of the country, as far as I know, has opposed any form of taxes on the production or distribution of his product. Nelson has promoted the severance tax on gas for 28 years.

And in the 1980s, Nelson was chairman of the Arkansas Industrial Development Commission, which was charged

with bringing industries to the state and protecting their interests at all costs, usually in alliance with the ERNEST commission’s alter DUMAS egos, the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Arkansas. Oh, and he was once president of the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce. You could call him Mr. Economic Development.

Now Nelson is in a nasty war with the Chamber of Commerce and a surrogate group that the chamber and the gas industry set up to stop his 7 percent tax on gas production. If Nelson gets some 65,000 good signatures on petitions by July, the tax will go on the November ballot. The chamber wants to discourage people from signing the petitions but if it needs to it will spend a fortune to defeat the tax at the polls.

Randy Zook, the spokesman for the chamber and the gas industry’s political committee, “Arkansans for Jobs and

SIMPLE simplistic, doesn’t suit Arkansas

Y

ou have to feel a little sorry for the Arkansas Republican Party.

After a lifetime of haplessness nearly unrivaled among state political parties in the United States, it is now in the midst of its first legitimate run for control of the state legislature since Reconstruction. Last Thursday, the state House Republican Caucus announced its policy agenda if it gains control. The “SIMPLE Plan” is meant to do for the historically disempowered party what the “Contract with America” did for U.S. House Republicans in the 1994 election cycle. A few hours later, however, a State Police report about a weekend motorcycle accident went public and Arkansas — “a tailgate party masquerading as a state,” in the telling words of John Brummett — went off its collective rocker. The big media hit that the SIMPLE Plan was meant to produce ended up on page 2B of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

The state GOP was lucky, however, that the SIMPLE Plan did not come in for the closer scrutiny that would have accompanied page 1 coverage.

The plan, obviously drafted by apostles of ALEC (the Washington, D.C.-based, corporate-backed JAY American LegisBARTH lative Exchange Council), lacks the conservative populist appeal that is the route to electoral success in Arkansas for Republicans.

The excellent AP reporter Andrew DeMillo examined this weekend whether Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller — evoked by GOP party leaders last Thursday in announcing the plan — would be welcome in today’s Arkansas GOP. Party chair Doyle Webb hem-hawed a response to the question, whose clear answer is “No.” What should be a real wake-up call to the state party is that the record of the most recent Republican governor, Mike Huckabee, a conservative populist who showed Republicans how to win Arkansas elections in the modern era, is also inconsistent with the strictures of the SIMPLE Plan.

Affordable Energy,” called Nelson’s proposal “dumb.” He said it would chase the gas drillers out of Arkansas, and will cost the state thousands of jobs.

Last week, Governor Beebe seemed to enter the lists against Nelson, too. Beebe had favored a good severance tax when he was a state senator in the 1980s, pushed a loophole-filled law through the legislature in 2008, and was mildly encouraging last year about Nelson’s idea of a real severance tax that would build highways, roads and streets.

Beebe avoided the chamber’s argument that the tax would chase producers out of Arkansas because he knows better. History just doesn’t support the theory. Back when Arkansas, alone among the major producing states, left gas virtually untaxed, exploration companies were drilling like mad in states that levied severance taxes hundreds of times greater than Arkansas’s.

But Beebe said he is inclined now to vote against Nelson’s tax because it might discourage companies that are exploring for oil in the Haynesville formation along the Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas borders from drilling in Arkansas because any gas that might be produced from the wells would be taxed more in Arkansas.

Weak argument. Louisiana is taxing gas production now slightly more than Arkansas would be collecting if it had Nelson’s 7 percent rate.

Remember what happened to Beebe’s tax plan. When Nelson started petitions to put the 7 percent tax on the ballot in 2008, the rattled industry asked for the governor’s help. To head off Nelson’s plan, the producers agreed to write a bill to tax gas at 5 percent, and Beebe called the legislature into session and they passed it almost the day the gas industry’s lawyers sent it to the Capitol. It turned out that the fine details in the bill left most gas taxed at 1.5 percent or less rather than 5 percent.

Beebe’s prediction that the state would get $100 million or more for road building at the outset and burgeoning amounts afterward looked silly.

If the campaigns for and against the tax are waged at rational level, which is not likely, it ought to favor Nelson. He is the one person with nothing to gain, as far as anyone can tell. He is spending from his modest fortune to produce some gain for the public from the exploitation of a vanishing mineral.

You might expect that the corporations that mine the gas for profit and the surface landowners who reap a small part of it would be happy to tithe a small part of their gain from a resource that was bequeathed to them from prehistoric life across hundreds of millions of years and that will not be there for the next few thousand generations. But that takes no account of greed.

In the midst of the post-9/11 recession, the pre-radio talk show Huckabee supported a surcharge on the taxes of highest earning Arkansans rather than cut fundamental governmental services.

The SIMPLE Plan has as its first two elements capping state spending and cutting income taxes. While GOP governors in surrounding states slashed Medicaid, Huckabee fought to maintain a robust set of Medicaid-funded services; the SIMPLE Plan rails against such “large government programs” in advocating a “free-market”-based (read greatly reduced) Medicaid program.

Most fundamentally, Huckabee led the charge for a constitutionally adequate public school system in Arkansas following the landmark Lake View decision; the SIMPLE Plan follows the ALEC party line of wholesale rejection of traditional public schools, including the adoption of private school vouchers in a state where barely 5 percent of K-12 students attend private schools.

In short, the SIMPLE Plan offers a cookie-cutter approach driven by conservative think-tank ideology, rather than the pragmatic approach to governance required in a state where the voters believe that government has a role in providing services such as health care and education. While the

SIMPLE Plan may be great in firing up the Republican base that base composes less than a third of the Arkansas electorate.

Moreover, on the issues highlighted in the SIMPLE Plan, Beebe-era Arkansas Democrats are on solid turf. With biennial grocery tax cuts and consistent budget surpluses throughout the Great Recession, Beebe’s management of government has shown that gimmicks like “performance-based budgeting” are not needed for a competent management of a government that protects vital state services and ensures nationally recognized educational progress. Beebe has not had success in inserting himself into individual legislative races to save Democratic seats in recent years, but a GOP attempt to make the election about statewide issues in fact makes the election about Beebe, the most popular governor in America, whose defense of his record can only help Democrats across the state. Arkansas Republicans would be better served by following the method of the pragmatic Huckabee and appealing to Arkansas’s populist voters district by district, rather than picking a fight with the governor through this simplistic, overly ideological plan cooked up in Washington. www.arktimes.com

APRIL 11, 2012

7

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APRIL 11, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

3/6/12

3:07:10 PM

Why we can’t have nice things

B

y the time you read this, Bobby Petrino’s judgment may well be wrought, and may have taken the form of outright dismissal, pecuniary loss or some hybrid penalty with a suspension and an in-house checklist by which to abide.

I’m not adequately positioned to offer my opinion of what should happen to Petrino after his body, his Harley and his credibility careened into that now-famous woodpile along Hwy. 16.

Man is certainly not inerrant, and yet at a base salary in excess of $3 mil per annum, the gulf between the recipient of that kind of pay and his aspirations toward perfection is expected to be narrow. There’s accordingly no consensus on what will or what Jeff Long should do with his suddenly embattled coach.

The only real points of agreement: Long’s been put in a terrible position by his prize horse, and Petrino’s personal imbroglios reached an extreme degree of stupidity and vanity.

Long’s Thursday night press conference revealed an athletic director whose usually easygoing nature had been wracked. As he spoke of Petrino being “not forthcoming” and mildly characterized his feelings as “disappointment,” his face was obviously strained. A man of less composure might’ve just junked the canned statement, looked dead ahead at the reporters and said, “You know what? I really can’t believe this shit,” and then exited the room with a lot of maniacal arm gestures.

Being transplanted here, Long isn’t half as jaded as Hog fans are. He watches this melodrama unfold from within and assuredly feels the searing pangs of distrust and disbelief; our inertia, on the other hand, always hurtles us back to what a friend and colleague of mine (hat tip to Chris Murray here) succinctly termed the “This is why we can’t have nice things” principle.

Our most successful basketball coach was a firebrand. We knew that.

He could frequently be a little too looselipped and so, after a period of general ineptitude and with fan frustration bubbling, he shot from the hip in Lexington in 2002 and found himself discarded soon after. Then came the lawsuit and years of ill feelings and malaise.

Prior to Petrino’s arrival, our most successful head football coaches had also clashed with the venerated ath-

letic director.

We saw one bolt to Minnesota and another to Clemson, neither having any reaBEAU son to entertain WILCOX a rebuilding job elsewhere unless the relationships in the athletic office had been fractured beyond repair.

Petrino’s immediate predecessor?

Well, that debacle was so absurd that it hardly bears revisiting, but suffice to say that when your fans are flying banners over ballgames and mining public records to determine if some tawdry business is afoot, things have gotten esoteric.

Winning 29 games, including two bowls, over the past three seasons has given Petrino the kind of security that he probably never thought he would have again after he cold-shouldered the Atlanta Falcons in December 2007 with three games left in a lost season.

Hog fans, including this one, pardoned that bizarre departure on any number of grounds: he was sold a bill of goods, convinced that he would have Michael Vick’s services, and not permitted the kind of personnel control he had been promised. Oh, yeah, and ESPN was horribly biased, governed and steered not by ethics but by Arthur Blank’s fiscal sponsorship of the network through The Home Depot. We convinced ourselves that Petrino’s character had been unfairly assailed, that his vagabond status was a construct of a media that found him less than approachable.

When Petrino and his wife, Becky — naturally, the primary victim in this sordid mess — gave a generous six-figure gift to Arkansas Children’s Hospital earlier this year, we all felt validated in our dogged protestations that yes, this man is human. Months later, we have received further affirmation of the fact, but in a far different context.

We probably shouldn’t be surprised.

Again, say it with me now: This is why we can’t have nice things. There is no roadmap for how Long pulls this metaphorical Harley out of the pile and gets it back on course. All prior cases of coaching indiscretions provide only tenuous templates for how to handle a situation that is, in short, so freakish that it can only be described as quintessentially Arkansas.

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Drivers Please be aWare, it’s arkansas state laW: Use of bicycles or animals

Every person riding a bicycle or an animal, or driving any animal drawing a vehicle upon a highway, shall have all the rights and all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle, except those provisions of this act which by their nature can have no applicability.

overtaking a bicycle

The driver of a motor vehicle overtaking a bicycle proceeding in the same direction on a roadway shall exercise due care and pass to the left at a safe distance of not less than three feet (3’) and shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken bicycle.

anD cyclists, Please remember...

Your bike is a vehicle on the road just like any other vehicle and you must also obey traffic laws— use turning and slowing hand signals, ride on right and yield to traffic as if driving. Be sure to establish eye contact with drivers. Remain visible and predictable at all times. www.arktimes.com

APRIL 11, 2012

9

W O RDS

No dinosaurs on the dance floor

“N

ew York City’s new sensitivity guidelines for standardized tests ban 50 undesirable words that might ‘evoke unpleasant emotions’ in students, including ‘dancing,’ ‘dinosaurs,’ and ‘birthdays.’ Fundamentalists might be upset by dinosaurs and dancing, while Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t celebrate birthdays. Also banned are ‘Halloween’ and ‘junk food ...’ ” I can understand Fundamentalists’ distaste for “dancing,” but why “dinosaurs”?

I don’t think anti-evolutionists deny that dinosaurs existed, they just say that dinosaurs and humans lived at the same time, on an earth no more than 10,000 years old, rather than that dinosaurs died out millions of years before man came along, which is the scientists’ version. Halloween’s association with ghosts and witches and other supernatural stuff makes it distasteful to some religious groups, I suppose.

Partisans of all stripes try to gain control of the language for their own purposes.

If you can make your opponent use your choice of words, you have the advantage.

People in the anti-immigrant movement speak of “illegal” aliens; those on the other side prefer “undocumented.” I’m not antiimmigrant, but I’m anti-subterfuge, and that’s why I prefer “illegal.” “Undocumented” is murky, pussy-footed; most

Americans don’t understand what it means, and that’s why its users like it.

It conceals rather than reveals, in DOUG the same way that SMITH “pro-life” and “prodougsmith@arktimes.com choice” shroud the real issue of abortion.

A recent newspaper article about the growing number of illegitimate children in America brought a protest from a reader.

All children are legitimate, she said, and the word “illegitimate” should be dropped.

But what would take its place? Courts of law and government welfare agencies, as well as adoptive parents, need a word to describe these children. The older term, “bastard,” would surely be considered even more offensive, since it’s often used as a vulgar insult. “Born out of wedlock” is clumsy and old-fashioned too. It wouldn’t be widely used today.

We don’t have to follow the authorities slavishly, but we do need to pay them some attention, if we hope to communicate with each other. The first definition that Random House gives for “illegitimate” is “born of parents who are not married to each other.” Simple, informative, nonjudgmental — I doubt we’ll beat it.

WEEK THAT WAS

A Fascinating Look at Animal Attraction!

April 28, 2012

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APRIL 11, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

It was a good week for…

It was a bad week for…

REGNAT POPULUS 2012 The grassroots movement to stiffen state public ethics law got good news this week when the attorney general approved its proposed initiated act. That clears the way for signature gathering for the proposal, which will be on the November ballot if 63,000 valid signatures can be gathered. The proposal would conform state political-finance laws to the federal law by prohibiting direct contributions by corporations and unions to political campaigns. Legislators would have to wait two years, not one, to become a lobbyist after leaving office and the law would prohibit gifts of any value, even so much as a cup of coffee, to legislators.

BOBBY PETRINO An Arkansas State Police report contradicted statements by the University of Arkansas and Petrino indicating that the UA football coach was alone when he crashed his motorcycle in Madison County on April 1. The report revealed that Petrino had a rider, a young former UA volleyball player he’d recently hired at $55,700 a year as a player development co-ordinator. Petrino released a statement the night the report was released alluding to a previous “inappropriate” relationship, apparently with Jessica Dorrell, as a reason he’d tried to cover up her presence. At press time, Petrino was suspended without pay awaiting a decision on his fate by UA athletic director Jeff Long.

A SIMPLE-MINDED PLAN The Arkansas House Republican Caucus rolled out its SIMPLE plan to fix Arkansas. It’s filled with themes cherry-picked from right-leaning national organizations. The Republican plan would reduce state spending on Medicaid, adopt private school vouchers and greatly reduce the state income tax rate, while not making up the difference, as neighbors such as Texas have, with the likes of higher property taxes, higher corporate taxes and higher severance taxes.

FRED SMITH Circuit Judge Mary McGowan ruled that former state Rep. Fred Smith is not eligible to run for the House this year. He was a convicted felon at the time the Republican Secretary of State Mark Martin accepted his filing over the objections of the Arkansas Democratic Party. The party sued. Since filing closed, Smith has had his case dismissed because he completed probation on the theft charge. The party contended that didn’t clear him from a constitutional deficiency.

THE OBSERVER NOTES ON THE PASSING SCENE

Dog days nightmares, set loose. I froze.

SUMMERTIME ALMOST ALWAYS makes The Observer think of the dogs of my I had never heard Silver make an youth, those constant companions who angry noise before. She was always such were always there as I tromped the a good-natured dog that the sound of wilds near Lawson Road in Little Rock, her growling was enough to startle me. and later the fields and canebreaks of When I looked down, she had planted Saline County. It says something about her feet, head lowered. Every hair stood the way that The Observer came up that out on her, making her look like one the memory of summer always smells of the wolves in her family tree, lips like wet dog. drawn back over her teeth, the growl There were two Silvers when I was hanging in her throat like the thrum a kid, both mutts. The first Silver — so of a terrible engine. She was smaller named because of my fixation on blackthan Diablo, no match, but she edged and-white re-runs of “The Lone Ranger” forward, angling between us. When she — was a collie mix. I had her so early did, he actually took a step away. I took that I don’t really remember getting her. that opportunity to run. I did not look back to see the terrible clamor behind In my memories, she is always there, me. When Silver came limping home whining worriedly when I got too close to the road. hours later, my There was mother tended to a guy we’ll call her torn ear, and At that age, Frank who lived washed the blood The Observer so small, in a house near out of her fur.

Diablo lived up to his ours. To tell you Silver’s one name: a hellhound, what kind of vice was chasing pony-sized, barking guy Frank was: our neighbor’s and snarling and My cousins and ducks from time snapping his chain taut I once sat on to time — never when I got too close the hood of my hurting them, to the fence. never biting or mother’s Pontiac killing, maybe and watched him just a little lay the beatdown on a similarly stringy-haired guy in retriever in some distant corner of her his yard until the cops showed up and DNA, like that bit of wolf that rushed up carted him off. His weapon of choice: to save me when she faced down Diablo. a ripped out payphone, one of the big That’s how she met her end when ones made of cast iron, long since I was eight or nine: shot by the guy divorced from a booth somewhere. up the street while chasing a bunch For awhile there, Frank kept a red, of goddamn two-dollar ducks. Was it horrendously mean dog named Diablo the saddest moment of life up until — a pinscher, I think now — chained in then, and for a good while after? Maybe. the middle of a trampled circle of dirt in Probably. Almost surely. the back yard. At that age, The Observer It seems like I had Silver the First so small, Diablo lived up to his name: for a decade, though I know it can’t a hellhound, pony-sized, barking and be that long. A boy’s life runs different snarling and snapping his chain taut than a man’s — quicker in the heart, when I got too close to the fence. but slower in the head. These days, Once, when I was around 6, I was June, July and August rush past me walking on the pond levee behind our in a sweaty, unpleasant blur. For a boy, house with Silver when Diablo appeared the summers can stretch out into sweet, in a puff of brimstone, growling, trailing golden years. a broken length of chain. The terror Maybe it’s the same with dogs, who of that moment is still complete and love so much that they tend to burn hot whole in my mind: the monster of my and short. I sure hope so.

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APRIL 11, 2012

11

Arkansas Reporter

THE

IN S IDE R

More on the curious case of Surgeon General Joe Thompson, arrested at the door of his home on Ridgeway in Hillcrest by Little Rock cops who didn’t like his demeanor. The Arkansas Times obtained a recording of the 911 call that prompted police to come to Thompson’s home. In the recording (available at arktimes.com/ thompson911), you’ll hear Stephens Inc. private security force employee Jacob Farque ask for police to be dispatched because Thompson “kept getting in my face.” The dispatcher readily sent cops for Farque, who told dispatch he was on duty. As the recording shows, Thompson had walked away from Farque during a later part of the call. Farque drove down the street to await arrival of the police. Farque told the 911 dispatcher that he was armed. The dispatcher responded, “Hope you don’t have to use it.”

Farque is one of 42 people employed by Stephens Inc. for security who are licensed to carry weapons on the job. Thompson has said he went to Farque with questions on a Saturday night because Farque was sitting at the curb in a Tahoe working on a computer and Thompson thought he might be tapping into his home wireless signal.

He objected to Farque’s presence.

Farque said his job was to patrol neighborhoods, including the block on Ridgeway on which Thompson lives, in which a key Stephens executive live.

Based on a recording of the police interaction with Thompson the Times obtained, when the Little Rock Police Department arrived, they evinced little interest in Thompson’s complaint about Farque and ultimately took Thompson to the ground to cuff him when he objected to being questioned at the front door of his home. It was during this encounter that a cop pointed a flashlight beam in Thompson’s face and complained that Thompson had gotten in his “personal space.”

Further noted: This is from the state handbook of regulations for security officers: “All commissioned security shall carry their weapon only on their assigned site in the performance of their duties. The carrying of the weapon will be prohibited if the commissioned security officer is not performing his/her duties.”

Can “assigned site” be translated to include the entire city of Little Rock?

If you work for a billionaire, apparently so. This, perhaps, is another issue that the surgeon general’s arrest — as embarrassing and difficult for him as it has been — may yet prove to serve a broader public good in addressing overzealous security guards and power-mad Little Rock cops.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 12

APRIL 11, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

Recordings shed new light in Thompson case

THE PICTURE OF UTOPIA: The beginnings of an inclusive, Muslim-founded development in John Barrow.

New Africa in Little Rock A Muslim model community celebrates its first anniversary.

BY CHEREE FRANCO

M

ore than a fledgling housing development in the John Barrow neighborhood, New Africa is a utopian experiment. It may not look like much now — five 1,500-square-foot brick homes lining Potter Street, backed by over four acres of tree-dotted field — but the Islamic Center for Human Excellence (ICHE) has poured enormous hope into these concrete foundations.

As former ICHE imam Tauheed Salaam explains it, New Africa is a concept rooted in the Quran and popularized by W.D. Muhammad, the imam who transformed the Nation of Islam — the original American Islamic movement — into the more inclusive American Society of Muslims (ASM) in 1976.

“In the Quran, the emphasis for human life is community life, and God actually calls the adherents to develop model communities. … We want to model what common people can do with limited resources,” Salaam said.

Salaam and others began planning New Africa in 1995, but this March marked the first anniversary of the development’s dedication, attended by Mayor Mark Stodola.

The only thing distinguishing New Africa from surrounding houses is a small waisthigh sign, inauspiciously angled on a vacant

corner lot, and the fact that its five houses are at least 30 years newer than anything around. But eventually the development will be more visible. New Africa plans to add 17 houses on roughly 0.2 acre plots, as well as a mosque, community center and school — all of which ICHE currently operates in various parts of the city.

The development is open to residents of any faith, ethnicity, gender or marital status, though all of its current residents are black. Three of the five homes are owned

by Christian families, and two of those families are headed by single women. ICHE sells the land at about $10,000 a lot — a price that will also cover proposed infrastructure. Buyers secure their own financing and build their own homes, which have construction costs of about $100,000. As a tax-exempt nonprofit, ICHE will guide potential homeowners through the process. In conjunction with Better Community Development, an outreach program of Theresa Hoover United Methodist Church, potential buyers attend classes where they learn about the responsibilities of home ownership and available resources such as HUD grants. Buyers sign a Bill of Assurance, which mandates architectural and caretaking guidelines. But the text also stipulates that “buyers and sellers are

aware that this development … is for the purpose of creating a wholly-owned residential Al-Islamic community conforming to the social guidelines given in the Quran … and all parties agree to this purpose.”

According to Salaam, the homeowners association recognizes the boundary between public and private. “We do ask residents to adhere to basic moral tenets of Islam — one of those would be no alcohol — but we’re not going to spy on homeowners. That would be against our moral principles. In Islam, a person’s private life is their private life,” he said.

Salaam met with the John Barrow Neighborhood Association in 1997, even before ICHE purchased the six acres from a trust represented by Regions Bank. “We chose John Barrow for its central location and affordability, but also because the Association had developed a plan for that area that looked at traffic flow and demographics and was trying to move toward better streets, better housing, public safety.

They wanted to work with city and state officials, private parties, whoever, to do these things,” he said. The John Barrow Association didn’t want a gated community or buildings that would stand out in the neighborhood, so ICHE designed New Africa’s covenants accordingly.

There were other meetings as well. Any planned development must be approved by the city planning commission and the board of directors. Then there were meetings with curious community organizations — the Lions Club, local churches and a town hall at the John Barrow Neighborhood Alert Center, where John Barrow residents aired their concerns. “But those things that people were worried about, they weren’t realities,” Salaam said. Namely, neighbors worried that New Africa would function as a separatist enclave, or that the development was a missionary project aimed at proselytizing or that the developers were backed by foreign funds and violent and exclusive doctrine. (According to Salaam, New Africa is about remedying blight more than gathering converts, and thus far all of their funding has come from local donors and grassroots efforts, such as bake sales and banquets.)

ICHE’s current imam, Aquil Hamidullah, quoted the Quran: “God says, ‘let there arise out of your community, inviting to all, all that is good, and forbidding what is wrong,’ ” and added, “we understand that a community isn’t just brick and mortar. …

CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

LISTEN UP

MR. WHITE GOES TO WASHINGON

THE

BIG PICTURE

According to The American Prospect magazine, Arkansas is one of 25 states that have never elected an African American to the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives. All of the other Southern states, and all of the states bordering on Arkansas, have sent African Americans to Washington. Some of those elected were during Reconstruction, when many native whites were disfranchised in the South. The Arkansas Times asked Jeannie Whayne, an authority on Southern history and a professor at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, why Arkansas was an exception to the Southern rule. She said that African Americans in the South are elected to Congress from districts with black majorities, or near-majorities. Given the relatively low proportion of African Americans in Arkansas’s population, and the relatively few black-majority counties, it would have been difficult at any time to draw a black-majority congressional district, even if anyone had been trying to do so. Modern-day Arkansas still has no cities large enough for a black district to be drawn within them, such as can occur with Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, New Orleans and Memphis, she noted.

MISSOURI Rep. William Lacy (Bill) Clay, 1969-2001 Rep. Alan Dupree Wheat, 1983-1995 Rep. William Clay Jr., 2001-present Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, 2005-present

OKLAHOMA Rep. Julius Caesar (J.C.) Watts, 1995-2003

TENNESSEE Rep. Harold Eugene Ford, 1975-1997 Rep. Harold Ford Jr., 1997-2007

Tune in to the Times’ “Week In Review” podcast each Friday.

Available on iTunes & arktimes.com

INSIDER, CONT.

Plea bargain for Petrino Tuesday was the date Razorback football coach Bobby Petrino’s son Nick Petrino, 23, a sometime undergraduate assistant coach on the University of Arkansas football team, had been scheduled for trial on a drug possession and DWI charges filed last July in Huntingburg, Ind. We reported on that case in January.

When we checked in with the Indiana court today, we learned that a plea bargain had been struck in the case in February. He entered guilty pleas to two charges and four others were dropped.

The guilty pleas: • Misdemeanor possession of marijuana. Judgment of conviction was withheld and he was given a probationary sentence. Successful completion of probation would allow his record to be cleared.

• Misdemeanor operation of a motor vehicle while intoxicated. He received a 60-day suspended sentence, a year’s probation, $441 in fines, costs and fees and 60 days of community service.

Dismissed were these charges: felony possession of a drug similar to oxycodone, possession of drug paraphernalia, operating a vehicle under influence of drugs and endangering someone while driving intoxicated. He was arrested while driving erratically in Indiana, about 75 miles from Louisville, where he went to high school.

Strawberry warning

TEXAS Rep. Barbara Jordan, 1973-1979 Rep. George Thomas (Mickey) Lelands, 19791989 Rep. Craig Anthony Washington, 1989-1995 Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, 1993-present Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, 1995-present Rep. Al Green, 2005-present

LOUISIANA Rep. Charles Edmund Nash, 1875-1877 Rep. William Jay Jefferson, 1991-2009 Rep. Cleo Fields, 1993-1997 Rep. Cedric Richmond, 2011-

MISSISSIPPI Sen. Hiram Rhodes Revels, 1870-1871 Rep. John Roy Lynch, 1873-1877, 1882-1883 Sen. Blanche Kelso Bruce, 1875-1881 Rep. Alphonso Michael (Mike) Espy, 1987-1993 Rep. Bennie Thompson, 1993-present

States that have never sent an African American to Congress States that have

Every year, an Arkansas strawberry freak of our acquaintance gets all or most of his locally grown berries at the Farmers Market in the Little Rock River Market. This year, he bought his first quart of Arkansas strawberries, the first he’d seen, at Hestand’s, a supermarket in the Heights, on March 31. He bought more a week later, April 7. The strawberries are here, but the Farmers Market is not. It’s not scheduled to open until April 24. Considering the short season for Arkansas strawberries, there’s a chance the berries will be just about gone before the Market opens. A spokesman for the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau, which now operates the Market, said the Market always opens the last week in April. Asked if the Arkansas berries had ever run out before the Market opened, she said that hadn’t happened in the three years the LRCVB has operated the market. It looks like a strong possibility this year.

CORRECTIONS Last week, in the editorial (“Talking back,” April 4), we misspelled Rep. Jon Hubbard’s name.

In the same issue, Dempsey Bakery was misspelled.

www.arktimes.com

APRIL 11, 2012

13

Hardback mountain

Books, authors, subjects: Lit fest schedule piles it on.

BY LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK

T

his year’s Arkansas Literary Festival packs nearly 100 authors into three short days, its organizers putting together an encyclopedic event for all tastes and habits of reading. That’s a good thing, and a bad thing: Those with a broad range of interests are going to be tearing their hair out trying to decide what sessions to sacrifice.

At 10 a.m. on Saturday, for example: If you love graphic novels and are a fan of Mad Magazine, intrigued by the West Memphis Three case, a would-be member of the Mysterious Benedict Society and you lust for novels about the paranormal, you are going to want to throw Brad Mooy, festival director, into Lake Glimmerglass (as in “The Monsters of Templeton,” see entry on “The Magic of Happiness and Grief” below).

Talk about stuffing things in: Competing with all of the above is a session at the Witt Stephens Jr. Nature Center with Dave Madden, author of “The Authentic Animal: Inside the Odd and Obsessive World of Taxidermy.”

It only gets worse. Say you’re a Renaissance person whose interests include architecture, political sneakiness, Central High, the energy industry and yoga — you’ll be bent out of shape for sure come 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

The 1 p.m. that day slot puts uberwits 14

APRIL 11, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Roy Blount and Ian Frazier up against a trio of authors who write horror and true crime stories set in Arkansas.

Then there are all the other things going on — street music, special children’s events, theatrical performances, all requiring a mad dash back and forth across the Main Street Bridge.

Fortunately, the Arkansas Times’ annual “Pub or Perish” (see page 22) stands alone, so everybody can show up at Lulav at 7 p.m. for early bedtime stories and poetry. The Friday schedule is better (though you’ll still need a coin to flip) and Sunday schedule light, and require only that you sneak out of work or church.

It’s a fine thing that the festival, the ninth annual, includes sessions for gardeners, foodies (from Mexican to meatless to cakes), historians, lepidopterists, hikers, crafters and readers of romance novels. But what’s the festival to do about the logjam? Certainly not cut back on the authors. Possible: Start earlier, stagger times and move more events to Sunday. More realistically, perhaps: Take a page from the Clinton School for Public Service handbook and put video of the sessions at the festival website, arkansasliteraryfestival.com (where you can find the complete, enormous schedule and bio of all authors and presenters). Because on Saturday

at least, there won’t be enough hours in the day.

Here, highlights of the festival, which starts Thursday, April 12, and runs through Sunday, April 15.

AUTHOR SESSIONS AND PANELS THURSDAY, APRIL 12

Placed/Displaced (Pulaski Technical College, Wills Lecture Hall, NLR, 11 a.m. reading, 12:30 a.m. discussion).

Novelists and poets John Bensko (MFA Creative Writing Program, University of Memphis), Hope Coulter (Hendrix College), Tyrone Jaeger (writer-in-residence, Hendrix College) and Stephanie Vanderslice (University of Central Arkansas) will read and talk about the importance of place in writing.

John T. Edge (Clinton School for Public Service, 6 p.m.) The Southern food sage discusses his forthcoming book, “Truck Food Cookbook.” More on following page.

Spoken Word Live (Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 7 p.m.). Winners of a city-wide poetry competition and other writers will read.

FRIDAY, APRIL 13 An Infinite Gastronomy (Main Library, Darragh Center, noon). “Oaxaca al Gusto” author Diana Southwood Kennedy, an expert on Mexican cuisine regional cuisine and winner of the 2011 James Beard Foundation Award for Cookbook of the Year, speaks about her cookbook (her eighth published) and her environmental work. Capital Hotel Executive Chef Lee Richardson will moderate.

Stephanie McAfee (Main Library, Fribourgh Room, 2:30 p.m.). Session with the Mississippi-born author of “Diary of a Mad Fat Girl,” about small-town politics and covert operations in a strip club, a book first self-published and then picked up

by Penguin. McAfee will also take part in the Saturday session “Electronic Books, Self-publishing and Industry Trends” with Ace Collins and Darcy Pattison at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the Main Library, 5th floor.

Former Times food writer Kat Robinson will moderate.

Law Ball (Main Library, Darragh Center, 6 p.m.). Little Rock lawyer Jason Browning and Tennessee writer Clay McKinney talk about the Yankees, Browning’s litigation for the Major League Baseball Players Association and McKinney’s book, “Pinstripe

Defection.” Sports anchor Mike Jacques moderates.

Author! Author! (Main Library, 5th floor, 7:30 p.m., $25 advance, $40 at the door). Schmooze with the bigshot authors at this festival fundraiser; drinks and hors d’oeuvres served. (Tickets available at CALS branches or online at arkansasliteraryfestival.org.)

SATURDAY, APRIL 14 Graphic Novels and Comics (Main Library, Darragh Center, 10 a.m.). You won’t need coffee for this early session, thanks to Peter Kuper (who has written “Spy vs.

Spy” for Mad Magazine since 1997 and has produced an adaptation of Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”), David Rees (author of the Bush-era “Get Your War On” and more recently “How to Sharpen Pencils: A Practical and Theoretical Treatise on the Artisanal Craft of Pencil Sharpening”; see Q&A page 19), Barbara Slate (creator of Ms. Liz character, “Angel Love” for DC Comics and “Yuppies from Hell” for Marvel as well as “You Can Do a Graphic Novel”) and Lila Quintero Weaver (whose “Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White” is about being a Latina in the 1960s South).

This session will be hugely popular in the home of “Swallow Me Whole” graphic artist Nate Powell, whose work goes on display April 13 at the Historic Arkansas Museum.

The Darragh Center can hold 200 only if they’re standing, 100 if they’re sitting, so get there early. Rees will also offer a workshop, “Get to the Point,” at 2:30 p.m. in the Cox Creative Center. Moderator: Henderson State University professor Randy Duncan.

The Magic of Happiness and Grief (Arkansas Studies Institute, Room 124, 10 a.m.). The happy part will be handled by novelist and short-story writer Lauren Groff (“Arcadia,” “The Monsters of Templeton,” “Delicate Edible Birds”) and the sad part

by The Believer magazine-founder and fiction/non-fiction author Heidi Julavits (“The Vanishers”; see Q&A page 20). If anyone can compete against the graphic novel session, these two nationally-known crafters of the mystical (“Templeton” was a New York Times best-seller; the just-released “Vanishers” won praise from Pulitzer-Prize winner Jennifer Egan) can. Hendrix College writer-in-residence Tyrone Jaeger moderates.

Purgatory and Fellowship (Argenta Community Theater, 10 a.m.). “Devil’s Knot” author and Times contributing editor Mara Leveritt will talk about her new book CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

go back to Ashley’s. Lee Richardson, in terms of his vision in interpreting Arkansas, is one of the really smart chefs around the South.

YVONNE BOYD

I wanted to ask you about Richardson. He calls his food New Americana. I think of it as traditional food chef-ed up, which seems to fit into a broader trend that’s happening throughout the South and beyond.

Chefs two or three generations ago took their inspirations from Italy or France; those were the mother countries and that’s what a good chef interpreted. And that was a really insecure time in American food and culinary culture. I think we value our own regional foods more now. I think what you’re describing as a trend is more of a permanent revolution. I think what Lee’s doing is part of a progression on the part of American eaters to value what’s in their backyard — in terms of farmers, artisans and traditional foodways. I think that’s here to stay.

EDGE: Professional eater.

Street food surveyor

Q&A with John T. Edge.

BY LINDSEY MILLAR

A

s director of the Southern Foodways Alliance at Ole Miss, a longtime columnist for the Oxford American, a contributing editor to Garden & Gun and author of books like “Southern Belly: The Ultimate Food Lover’s Companion to the South,” John T. Edge has long been considered the authority on Southern cuisine. But his interest and expertise on food and the cultural history surrounding it is hardly limited to the South. He writes a must-read monthly column in the New York Times, has authored books that survey quintessential American foods like fried chicken and apple pie, and next month, Workman Publish-

ing will put out his latest, “The Truck Food Cookbook,” which he described recently as “a cookbook tour of foods from around the world told from travels across the U.S.” We’re definitely amidst a food truck boom in Little Rock, with a newly opened food truck court, a food truck festival and Food Truck Fridays downtown, but there has been some push back from brick and mortar businesses.

That happens everywhere. It’s going on in Nashville. It’s going on in Atlanta. It’s going on in Chicago. Little Rock will work through it just like

other cities have. Other cities that have done a good job can serve as examples — like the curatorial model of Madison, Wis., which has a city employee who curates street food. The city and university have kind of shaped a UnitedNations-of-food out on University Plaza.

One of the most convincing arguments is that a good number of those doing street food are young entrepreneurs who aspire to brick and mortar businesses. Just in the course of writing this book, about 20 percent of those who at the point I wrote about them were working in a cart or trailer had become mortar businesses by the time the book is set to come out.

You think of Craig’s BBQ in Devalls Bluff. Lawrence Craig started out selling barbecue, which he cooked on bedsprings, by the side of the road. He was a street food vendor of two generations ago. Now his sandwich place is beloved for good reason. He got a chance to make it and he did.

You’ll be here soon for the literary festival. Where are you going to eat?

I love the Lassis Inn for buffalo fish. I’m planning to try The Root. I’ll

In the 2010 Oxford American food issue that you guest edited, Sam Eifling went in search of Arkansas’s signature cuisine and didn’t really turn up anything definitive.

Anything you’d nominate?

It was interesting going back and forth with him on the edits of that. It’s not my place — I’m not from Arkansas.

But the chicken liver spaghetti from around Tontitown strikes me as distinctive Arkansas food. The rice grits that Lee serves at Ashley’s strikes me as an Arkansan food. The fried buffalo at Lassis strikes me as an Arkansan food.

I know you’ve got advance people and tipsters pointing you toward places to eat, but I’m sure you still come across bad food in search of good. What’s the breakdown like?

I’d say about 35 to 40 percent good and about 60 to 65 percent bad. But the good is really really good, and you don’t eat much of the bad.

What’s your latest food obsession?

The mortadella and anchovy pizza at Dominica in New Orleans. It’s a housemade mortadella with anchovies and tomato sauce and it sounds all incongruous, but it tastes pretty damn gruous.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Edge will speak at the Clinton School for Public Service at 6 p.m.

Thursday. Reserve a seat by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys. edu or calling 501-683-5239. www.arktimes.com

APRIL 11, 2012

15

Don’t

stay

cooped up all

Summer!

MARTIN: Big on thorium power.

Back to the future

Former Times editor’s book on thorium power, the new/old ‘green’ nuke.

The Good Earth

A division of

MISTING SYSTEMS

X

BY DAVID KOON

15601 Cantrell Road

501-716-BUGS

thegoodearthgarden.com 16

APRIL 11, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

W

ith the meltdown at the Fukushima Nuclear Power plant less than a year old and Japan sure to be feeling the effects of the radiation released in the accident for years or even decades to come, convincing somebody of the necessity and safety of nuclear power is a pretty hard sell right now. But what if you learned that there was a way to make a safer nuclear reactor, with virtually no risk of catastrophic meltdown — a reactor that could produce electricity so economically that energy might even be too cheap to meter? As an added bonus, what if that reactor could produce only a fraction of the radioactive waste that’s currently a bi-product of even the most efficient modern nuclear power plant, and that waste could shed its deadly radioactivity in hundreds of years instead of hundreds of thousands?

In his new book, “Super Fuel: Tho-

rium, the Green Energy Source for the Future,” author Richard Martin reveals that not only does a technol-

ogy to accomplish all those futuristic, pie-in-the-sky ideas exist, we’ve known about it for decades. The story of why your home isn’t powered by that technology right now is a tale of Cold War necessity, political jockeying, and a future where a complacent U.S. could be playing technological catch-up — or even be beholden — to countries like China and India.

The element that could power that new, greener nuclear plant is a dull, slightly radioactive metal called thorium. One of a family of very dense elements called actinides, it shares the basement row of the periodic table with more well-known radioactive kin like uranium and plutonium.

Richard Martin, a former editor of the Arkansas Times who is now a contributing editor at Wired Magazine, began thinking about thorium after running across a blog post online by the son of a former colleague of

nium reactors, including the potential for meltdown and tons of deadly waste that would have to be stored for so long there might not even be any human beings left by the time it’s safe to touch.

Weinberg’s constant harping on the need for nuclear safety and the promise of thorium-based nuclear power eventually bugged the Atomic Energy Commission and the Pentagon enough that he was replaced by the Nixon administration as head of Oak Ridge in 1973. Martin said that while some of his papers are archived at the University of Tennessee, he found most of them inexplicably stored in a closet at the Children’s Museum in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Since Martin wrote his story for Wired in 2009, the interest in thorium as a technology has picked up — but not within the nuclear power industry in the U.S. “What was once this kind of rag-tag movement of outsiders and guys who were mostly technicians or scientists has really become a worldwide, more business-oriented, more technology-oriented phenomenon,” Martin said. “China is building these reactors. India has a program to shift their entire nuclear fleet over to thorium in the next 20 years.” China, Martin said, is actively stockpiling thorium, and announced last February that it will build its first full-scale LFTR plant. Meanwhile in this country, Martin said that the interviews he had with the powers that be in the U.S. nuclear industry find a “malign neglect” when it comes to the topic of changing the status quo.

“They’re like: ‘Why would we change? If it ain’t broke, why fix it?’ ” Martin said. “But the fact is, it IS broke. We need to transition away from burning coal and other forms of carbon emitting energy, and the only way to do it is with natural gas and nuclear power.”

The energy race for thorium power, Martin said, is already underway, and the U.S. risks being left behind, a situation that could leave us at the mercy of countries like China someday (“I tell people: ‘If you like being dependent on Saudi Arabia for oil, you’ll love being dependent on China for nuclear power technology,’ ” he said).

“A hundred years from now, when we’re all dead,” Martin said, “there is going to be a vibrant, renewable power industry that’s going to supply a significant percentage of our power. The question is: how are we going to get from here to there? Starting to build thorium reactors now will help us bridge that divide.”

SOCAL NEVADA INC.

Alvin Weinberg, an early proponent of thorium power who had been the director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee from 1955 to 1973. Martin eventually wrote a story for Wired about the promise of thorium in December 2009. When he expanded that piece into a manuscript, Martin said Weinberg emerged as “kind of the hero of the book.” A prophet of the risks of nuclear energy — who famously called nuclear power a “Faustian bargain” between nearlimitless electricity and the long-term public vigilance needed to avoid a nuclear disaster — Weinberg was one of the first to begin seriously exploring the use of thorium as a safer source of fuel for nuclear reactors.

The reasons why thorium might be a better choice are fairly easy to understand, even for someone without a PhD. For one thing, the U.S. has at least 175,000 tons of the stuff, enough to power the country for a thousand years. For another, Weinberg and his colleagues at Oak Ridge realized that when thorium is dissolved in a molten fluoride salt solution and poured into tubes, it creates a self-regulating reactor core (called a Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor, or LFTR), with virtually no chance of melting down.

Unlike a solid-fuel uranium reactor, if an LFTR overheats due to a lack of coolant, the liquid fluoride/thorium solution simply expands and boils out of the tubes, releasing the pressure, slowing down the nuclear chain reaction and cooling things down automatically — a process Martin likens to doubling the area of a pool table full of zinging billiard balls. More area means fewer atomic collisions, which means less heat.

As an added bonus, LFTRs could be up to 50 percent more efficient than current reactors, and would produce a tiny amount of waste compared to the amount produced by a uranium reactor. The waste produced by a thorium reactor (while radioactively “hotter,” and thus more dangerous) decays in only a few hundred years.

Even with all that going for thorium and Weinberg’s constant cheerleading, uranium eventually won out as America’s nuclear fuel of choice, largely due to one very deadly factor: uranium-powered reactors produce the plutonium needed for nuclear bombs. At a time when the U.S. was scrambling to build nukes to keep up with the Soviets, a nationwide grid of constantly-bubbling plutonium stills was considered a fair trade-off even when weighed against some of the nastier side effects of solid-fuel ura-

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17

HARDBACK MOUNTAIN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 on the West Memphis Three and the HBO documentary “Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills” will be shown.

Laman Library director Jeff Baskin will moderate. Also at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 15. Free tickets must be reserved for both presentations at paradiselost3.eventbrite.com.

Trenton Lee Stewart (Main Library, 4th floor, 10 a.m.). Little Rock’s own celebrated author of the Mysterious Benedict Society series, about four unusual children who save the world with their spe-

cial abilities, will talk about his upcoming release, “The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict,” a prequel to the series.

Stewart was recently interviewed on NPR’s “Backseat Book Club”; you can hear the interview at npr.org. Georgette Sims, the children’s book buyer for WordsWorth bookstore, will moderate.

Artful Building (Main Library, Darragh Center, 11:30 a.m.). “The Biography of a Building” author Witold Rybczynksi will talk about the construction of the Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts, a free-flowing exhibit space housed in an open-framed glass and metal building designed in the mid-1970s and located in East Anglia, Great Britain. Rybczynski will also talk about his meeting with Crystal Bridges Museum

of American Art architect Moshe Safdie.

Architect Reese Rowland moderates.

Poser: My Life in Twenty-Three Yoga Poses (Main Library, Fribourgh Room, 11:30 a.m.). The wry memoir by book critic Claire Dederer, a contributer to the New York Times Book Review, uses yoga to talk about her life as a Seattle woman trying to be ubermom. Barefoot Yoga studio owner and instructor Breezy Osborne moderates.

Oppo (Arkansas Studies Institute, Room 124, 11:30 a.m.). Maybe you saw Alan Huffman and Michael Rejebian on the Daily Show talking to Jon Stewart about their jobs doing opposition research for the Democratic Party. Their book is “We’re With Nobody: Two Insiders Reveal the Dark Side of American Politics,” and their mod-

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APRIL 11, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

erator is Talk Business host Roby Brock.

Prison Librarian (Cox Creative Center, 3rd floor, 11:30 a.m.). Here’s a chance to meet writer Avi Steinberg, whose search for a secure job landed him in a Boston prison — as its librarian. Steinberg has been compared to David Sedaris, last year’s Lit Festival star, and his funny memoir, “Running the Books,” has been optioned for television by the producers of “The Office.” Hendrix film studies professor Dorian Stuber will moderate.

Elizabeth and Hazel (Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 11:30 a.m.). David Margolick, author of “Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock,” will talk about his book about the women and the 1957 crisis at Central High. Spirit Trickey, whose mother Minnijean Trickey was, like Elizabeth Eckford, one of nine students to integrate Central, will be moderator.

Richard Martin (Historic Arkansas Museum, Ottenheimer Theatre, 11:30 a.m.). Former Times editor and writer Martin, now living in Boulder, Colo., and the editorial director of Pike Research, has written on technology, the energy industry and foreign affairs.

He’ll talk about his new book, “Superfuel: Thorium, the Green Energy Source of the Future,” and the audience will leave more hopeful about the future. See David Koon’s feature on Martin and his new book on page 16.

Blount and (F)raizer Sharp Wit (Main Library, Darragh Center, 1 p.m.): Humorists Roy Blount Jr., the nonpareil observer on Southern life whose new book is “Alphabetter Juice: The Joy of Text,” and longtime New Yorker contributor Ian Frazier, author of “Travels in Siberia,” team up for what will surely be a singular, super talk by great writers. Skip lunch, get to the Darragh Center early. “Carry the Rock” author Jay Jennings will moderate.

Ghosts, Crimes and Psychotic Hillbilllies (Arkansas Studies Institute, Room 124, 1 p.m.). Historian Brooks Blevins, Ozarksborn crime writer Jake Hinkson and local Southern gothic storyteller John Horner Jacobs test your courage with their tales of murder, the devil and worse. Business consultant and freelance writer Amy BradleyHole moderates.

Short stories (Main Library, 1st floor, 2:30 p.m.). Dare to go to this session with “Stay Awake” author Dan Chaon (pronounced “shawn”), whose short stories are about hauntings and ghosts, and Miroslav Penkov, author of “East of the West,” tales of strange occurrences in his home country of Bulgaria. KUAR producer Ann Nicholson moderates.

Grassroots Basketball (Main Library, 1st floor, 2:30 p.m.). Sports Illustrated senior writer and Pulitizer Prize winner George Dohrmann talks about the commoditization of the hoop dreams of promising young basketball players competing in elite Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) games, which he explores in his book “Play Their Hearts Out.” ArkansasSports360.com’s Jim Harris moderates.

Ferocious Grace (Arkansas Studies Institute, Room 124, 2:30 p.m.). Stanford University’s Wallace Stegner Fellow Justin Torres (“We the Animals”) and poet Greg Brownderville (“Gust”) bring family tales from New York and the Arkansas Delta together in this session moderated by actor, screenwriter and Arkansas Times columnist Graham Gordy.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

Humorist gets to the point Q&A with David Rees.

BY BRYAN MOATS

So, tell me more about what led up to the idea of becoming an artisanal pencil sharpener. Did anything in your previous projects lead up to this or are they mostly unrelated?

No, I don’t feel like this project has much relationship to the comics I used to make or any of the other writing I’ve done. I got the idea while working for the Census Bureau a few years ago. I got a job as a census enumerator — because I quit my job cartooning and I didn’t have any money. And on the first day of staff training they actually just handed us pencils we were going to use to fill out the forms.

And they said, “Okay, uh, the first order of business is everybody sharpen your pencils.” So we all just stood around — it was really weird — sharpening our pencils.

And I was like, oh, this is really satisfying and fun. I wonder if there is a way to get paid to do this. It had been a long time since I sharpened a pencil. So I decided I would start a pencil sharpening business, as a challenge to myself to see if I could get paid to do something that was so enjoyable.

How did this all become a book? I know you weren’t brand new to publishing prior to this with your “Get Your War On” books and working with your friend John Hodgman.

The publisher Melville House approached me and said do you think you could write a book about this and for a while I was like, I don’t see how this project could turn into a book. But then when I thought about it, I’ve always collected old training manuals, old industrial manuals, and how-to manuals from the ’40s and

’50s. I just think they look really cool and think they’re written in this really polite and informational language. I thought if I did a book that was a how-to manual of pencil-sharpening techniques, that is a way I could get really into it.

I didn’t want the book to be a joke. I mean, I know it’s filed under humor and it has some silly stuff in it but I really do want it to function as an honest-to-God reference manual and a kind of serious celebration of pencils.

Craftspeople are getting craftier about being crafty, but a book like this, as a straightforward thing, just a simple field manual, back in the day didn’t need to try hard to be a success.

The sort of thing the Pentagon would print and distribute to every office and recruit. But now... (laughing) I should try to get the Pentagon to buy the book!

Yeah, but now do you think that something like this is possible because of Etsy and Instructables and a shift away from the mechanized and mass manufactured?

Yeah, we talked about that a lot when we were trying to figure out how to market the book and in fact Etsy ran an excerpt from the book a few days ago, but they ran it on April 1 so everybody thought it was a joke. So I wrote in the comments, “This is not a joke.” This is a real business and a real book. Send me your money and I’ll prove it to you!

You know more than anybody about pencil sharpening. Is there some small part of you that wrote this book out of a frustration with others?

I mean, did you see one mechanical pencil too many one day while you were riding the fence about the book and decide, yes, I must do this?

Well, I was a political cartoonist for seven years and there was so much negativity and those cartoons are pretty angry and aggressive. I got so much negative feedback about some of them. So the whole vibe for this project is just sup-

MEREDEITH HEUER

D

avid Rees’ new book, “How to Sharpen Pencils” (out April 10), is the latest in a long string of successful humor projects, the most highprofile being the comic strip “Get Your War On,” serialized for years in Rolling Stone. But Rees is an artisan now, a serious craftsperson, and wants to inspire you to learn the art of pencil-pointing. He spoke with the Times on the phone while painting the walls of a well-ventilated room.

REES: His pencil pointing techniques are unstoppable.

posed to be really fun and friendly and something that just anybody could enjoy.

And so in that regard it is just a celebration of the pencil and of course if people are intimidated about pencil sharpening or sharpening pencils incorrectly, it’s like that is the whole reason I wrote the book.

Let me help you maximize your chances of producing a nice pencil point.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Rees will be at the Arkansas Literary Festival on Saturday, joining Peter Kuper, Barbara Slate and Lila Quintero Weaver in a conversation about writing and illustrating graphic novels and comics at 10 a.m.

He’ll lead a pencil sharpening workshop at 4:30 p.m. and will have his new book on hand.

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APRIL 11, 2012

19

help book titled “Psychic Self Defense.”

Fortune talks about how, when she was an initiate at some occult lodge, her mentor was jealous because her talents were obviously far superior to the mentor’s.

And suddenly Fortune fell ill and had to leave school. And she was sick for a year.

Finally, she went to some guy who said, “Oh, you’re being psychically attacked.”

Anyway, I thought that was a fantastic launching point for a novel, so I essentially just lifted that exact scenario.

JILL GOLDMAN

So have you consulted a psychic?

I am so glad you asked me that question, because I went to see a psychic after I finished the book because I figured someone would ask me that question.

There’s only so much that I want to know about myself, and I was worried that I would go to someone who would tell me something horrible. The psychic that I chose is not much of a “crystal ball, let me tell you about your past lives” type. She used to be a social worker and now she speaks of herself as a life counselor, and she actually was really helpful. I compared the experience to five years of therapy accomplished in one hour.

JULAVITS: Hyperactive prose.

Ghost writer Q&A with Heidi Julavits.

BY CHEREE FRANCO

H

eidi Julavits is a founding editor of the quirky, optimistic arts and literary journal The Believer.

She teaches at Columbia University and has published four novels, been awarded a Guggenheim fellowship and suffered through uncomfortable interview questions about half-million dollar book deals.

This weekend at the Arkansas Literary Festival, she’ll be speaking about The Believer and about her newest book, “The

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APRIL 11, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Vanishers” — a work of paranormal noir that features psychic attacks, vintage porn and the aftermath of maternal suicides.

What is your usual writing process?

It’s different for every book. “The Vanishers” started with the idea of a psychic attack. I had never heard of psychic attacks until I stumbled upon a book written in the 1930s by an occult writer, Dion Fortune, who wrote this self-

How would you describe your style?

I am a hyperactive prose stylist, and I am constantly, constantly trying to calm that down, and what’s interesting is that I read this novel and it seems to me to be the most minimalist novel. I think, “This is so stark, there’s no language in this novel,” and then I get feedback, and everyone’s talking about the acrobatics, and I’m like, “really?” I feel like I’ve barely even used a single poetic turn of phrase in this thing, like it’s the Dick and Jane book.

On the magazine panel at the Arkansas Literary Festival, you’re going to come face to face with Marco Roth. Years ago, in an editors’ column in n+1, he and his more vocal co-editor, Keith Gessen, attacked McSweeney’s and what they called “the Eggersands,” and they particularly targeted The

Believer as the Eggersands’ intellectual cornerstone. Think there will be fireworks?

I come to face to face with those guys all the time. I hugged Keith Gessen not two months ago. You know, I just see that as, they were defining themselves in opposition to what was seen as the reigning literary cabal at that time.

Are there any current American literary movements?

I think less about movements and more about writers that I see making a tremendous amount of impact, especially on the young writers that I teach. Probably the writers who have had the most impact on other people who write American fiction are George Saunders and Lydia Davis.

When you’re dealing with unsolicited submissions, how do you decide what makes the cut?

A lot of times it’s, “Am I already bored by this topic?” Sometimes it’s about poker or Scrabble or something, and I just feel like that’s something I’ve heard enough of already. Weirdly, one of my favorite Believers was written by Peter Lunenfeld, and it’s called “Gidget on the Couch,” and it was essentially connecting Jewish Hungarian intellectuals who moved to Los Angeles and Freud and surfing culture.

You’ve read a lot about Freud and a lot about modernist houses and a lot about surfing, but have you read about those things in the same article? No!

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Read an extended version at arktimes.com/julavits.

Julavits (“The Vanishers”) and Lauren Groff (“Arcadia”) will take part in a panel discussion titled “The Magic of Happiness and Grief” at 10 a.m. Saturday in Arkansas Studies Institute room 124. Julavits will also take part in a panel discussion titled “Magazine” at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at the Oxford American building.

HARDBACK MOUNTAIN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 Dearest Letty: The World War II Love Letters of Sgt. Leland Duvall (Historic Arkansas Museum, 2:30 p.m.). Times opinion writer Ernie Dumas and Leland Duvall were longtime friends and colleagues at the Arkansas Gazette before its closing in 1991. When Duvall’s witty, spare and unsentimental letters about war and love to the woman he would marry turned up four years after the writer’s death, Dumas was given permission by the family to compile them into a book. Arkansas Humanities Council director Paul Austin will moderate.

The Doors (Main Library, Darragh Center, 4 p.m.). If Robert Christgau is the Dean of American Rock Critics — smart, yeah, but also terse and a bit arrogant — then Greil Marcus is the mega-cerebral chair of the metaphysics department, pondering the big questions and making the connections between grimy r’n’r and lofty philosophical concepts. Marcus, author of “Mystery Train,” “Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the 20th Century” and “Dead Elvis,” will discuss his newest book, “The Doors: A Lifetime of Listening to Five Mean Years.”

Oxford American editor Marc Smirnoff will moderate.

Family History Detective (Main Library, 1st floor, 4 p.m.). Everyone is getting on the genealogy train these days, trying to discover the characters among their progenitors. Desmond Walls Allen, author of “Family History Detective: A Step-by-Step Guide to Investigating Your Family Tree,” says all aboard; you might end up in Utah.

Walls’ genealogy creds include a stint as guest expert in the first PBS “Ancestor” series and a 25-year career teaching seminars on the subject.

Queer for You (Cox Creative Center, 3rd floor, 4 p.m.). Poets Bryan Borland (“My Life as Adam”), Nickole Brown (“Sister”) and Ed Madden (“Prodigal Variations”)

will talk about building readership for work that addresses LGBTQ life. Borland, from Alexander, is editor of Assaracus, a quarterly journal of gay poetry; Nickole Brown, at one time an editorial assistant to Hunter S. Thompson, teaches at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock; and Ed Madden, an Arkansas native, is associate professor of English at the University of South Carolina.

Magazine (Oxford American, 5:30 p.m.).

The editors of three of the most wellregarded — and read — literary magazines gather to give a behind-the-scenes peek into the process of assembling their publications. With Marc Smirnoff of the Oxford American, Heidi Julavits of The Believer and Marco Roth of n+1. Of added interest, n+1 has been critical of The Believer and McSweeney’s, the company that publishes The Believer, so mannered sparks may fly. Perhaps more compelling, the Oxford American will be serving free cocktails during the panel and afterwards at a reception that lasts until 7:30 p.m.

Pub or Perish (Lulav: A Modern Eatery, 7 p.m.). David Koon, the Arkansas Times’ own Mark Twain, once again wraps up Saturday night’s festivities by handing the mike to local greats, who’ll read before an audience prone to tears and laughter thanks to ongoing lubrication from the bar.

(Poets and writers who want to read should contact Koon at davidkoon@arktimes.com at 9 a.m. on the dot Friday, April 13, to be assigned a time.) See more on Pub or Perish on page 22.

SUNDAY, APRIL 15 White House Desserts (Argenta Community Theater, 4 p.m., $20). The sweet moment finally arrives: Roland Mesnier, retired pastry chef for the White House, where he worked 26 years, returns to the festival to dish about baking for the leaders of the free world and his most recent book, “A Sweet World of White House Desserts: From Blown Sugar Baskets to Gingerbread Houses, a Pastry Chef Remembers.” (Tickets available at arkansasliteraryfestival.org.)

Please Join Us In Celebrating Our First Year As We Honor NEW AFRICA, CONT. We’re going to have a community center that serves the needs of the entire community, not just the Muslims.”

Hamidullah said the only institutional resistance to New Africa came from David Smith, the former pastor of Heritage Baptist Temple — and he spoke to the media but never contacted ICHE directly. Smith left Heritage two years back and the new pastor, Bobby Creel, isn’t familiar with New Africa.

Little Rock’s New Africa follows other AMS model communities. Malcolm Shabazz Mosque began extensive residential and commercial development throughout Harlem in 1998. To date, about 60,000 people from various faiths have participated. Beyond this, the most established ASM housing initiatives are in the South.

(This could have something to do with

racial demographics. ASM’s adherents are primarily African-American.) There is New Medinah, a 64-acre agricultural development in Mississippi that dates back to 1987, Atlanta’s Neighborhood Works Inc. and similar projects in Houston, Texas, and Fort Myers, Fla. Media reports have contributed to confusion surrounding these developments. The American Society of Muslims is not the Muslims of the Americas, another largely black group founded by the controversial Pakistani cleric Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani. Muslims of the Americas operates at least 22 gated housing villages in the United States, but Salaam doesn’t know about those developments, nor did he recognize Gilani’s name. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there,” he said.

Rick Fleetwood

With The Inaugural Arkansas Patron Of The Year Award

A GAlA celebRAtion!

Thursday, April 19 • 7 p.m. • Dinner at the Clinton Presidential Library Craig O’Neill, Emcee • Cocktail Attire Honoring Rick Fleetwood’s community leadership and generosity with the inaugural Arkansas Patron Award.

The annual Arkansas Patron’s Award is given to recognize individuals for exceptional generosity, whose gifts of time, talents, expertise and direct financial support have contributed significantly to nonprofit organizations in Arkansas. The award carries a grant given to an art organization chosen by the recipient.

Reserved seating is available for tables of ten. Table purchase includes 2 tickets to VIP reception at 6 p.m. at the Argenta Community Theater. (Shuttle between ACT and Clinton Library) ACT – committed to serving the community through education and advancement of the performing arts.

For Tickets Or To Make A Contribution www.argentacommunitytheater.com or call 501-353-1443 www.arktimes.com

APRIL 11, 2012

21

Arts Entertainment

BRIAN CHILSON

AND

Pub or Perish 2012!

Trenton Lee Stewart, Hope Coulter, Nickole Brown on deck for Times’ ninth annual Lit Fest bar reading

BY DAVID KOON

N

inth annual?! Really? Can it actually be that much time has passed, both for the Arkansas Literary Festival and The Arkansas Times’ bar reading, Pub or Perish, originally thrown together that first year in a scant two weeks?

Not to go stumbling down memorylane, but it was, we admit, a more ambitious effort back then: three hours of readings at three different River Market watering holes, the assembled congregation bar-crawling from one spot to another, with the lectern and lamp thrown over my shoulder. Between delays and overbooking the bill, we ran over by a solid hour-and-15 in Year Zero, not that anybody complained much. Ah, the good ol’ days, when we were all so young and crazy.

We’ve learned a thing or three since then, and Pub or Perish has only gotten better. This year’s edition — scheduled

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APRIL 11, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Pub or Perish 2012!

Readings in fiction, poetry and memoir, hosted by Arkansas Times 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 14 Lulav, A Modern Eatery 220 W. 6th St., Little Rock.

Free admission For more information, e-mail david@ arktimes.com

to run from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 14 — will be a bit more reasonable: two hours instead of three, one venue instead of a slightly-wobbly march around town.

While we made those changes years ago, one new wrinkle for 2012 is that we’re loading up our semi-famous coat-rackturned-lectern and moving out of the River Market for the first time, heading uptown to a much more grown up and sophisticated space: the large room upstairs at Lulav, A Modern Eatery at 220 W. 6th Street.

Not only will the move help us avoid our past issues with noise from bands down the way in the River Market, our new hosts at Lulav have graciously agreed to provide Pub or Perishers with complimentary hors d’oeuvres during the event, and will offer a dinner special for PoP atendees who want to stick around after the reading for dinner. As always, there will be a full bar close to the action for those who like their poetry, fiction and memoir both shaken and stirred.

One of this year’s big-draws will undoubtedly be Little Rock young-adult novelist Trenton Lee Stewart. Author of “The Mysterious Benedict Society” series — the first of which was recently featured on National Public Radio’s “Backseat Book Club” — and a graduate of the famous Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Trent is a hell of a writer even when he’s not penning for the youngsters. We’ve been trying to get the stars to align to get him on the bill at PoP for several years, and this year they finally did. Stewart’s latest book in the Benedict Society series — a prequel called “The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict” — is scheduled for release later this month.

Building on that hometown theme, Pub or Perish 2012 went decidedly local this year. Several other great Arkansas writers will also grace the stage, including Loria Taylor, Amy Manning, Rhett Brinkley, Clint Murphy, Hope Coulter and Nickole Brown.

Hope Coulter, a professor at Hendrix College, has seen her writing appear in New Delta Review, Slant, Spoon River Poetry Review, and Rattle. Her work was nominated for the prestigious Pushcart Prize in 2008.

Nickole Brown is a recent hire at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where she teaches creative writing and poetry. Her debut collection, “Sister,” was published by Red Hen Press, and her poetry has appeared in The Writer’s Chronicle, Poets and Writers, Another Chicago Magazine, Florida Review and others.

In addition, as has been our custom and privilege from that first year, Pub or Perish will feature three or four threeminute slots at our semi-open mic. Why “semi-open?” To be one of the lucky few to join the bill, send an e-mail titled “Pub or Perish 2012” at 9 a.m. sharp on Friday, April 13, to: david@arktimes. Those who get in first get the slots. All e-mails sent before 9 a.m. will be deleted. Move quick. They go fast.

Come on out and eat, drink and be literary at Lulav. It’s always a great time.

ROCK CANDY Check out the Times’ A&E blog arktimes.com

Live Music weDNeSDAy, ApRiL 11

AS DOgS w/ BROtHeR ANDy (SOLO)

tHuRSDAy, ApRiL 12

A&E NEWS

keviN gORDON (NASHviLLe, tN)

JESCO WHITE — A.K.A. “THE DANCING OUTLAW” — will bring his tap-

Dikki Du & tHe ZyDeCO kRewe!

(LAwteLL, LA)

FRiDAy, ApRiL 13

dancin’, Elvis-worshippin’, notoriety-havin’ self to Revolution May 19.

Now, if you don’t know who Jesco is, chances are you didn’t spend your salad days huddled around a tiny TV set in some dorm room or firetrap rental house watching grainy videotapes like “Faces of Death” or “The Dancing Outlaw,” clips which you can now conveniently watch from the comfort of wherever courtesy of the Internet. This one will be a do-notmiss event for the weirdos for sure.

IT’LL BE HARDER TO HATE ON RIVERFEST this year (though surely plenty will

still try) after the festival’s announcement last week of four headliners — Snoop Dogg (!), Staind, B.O.B. and Neon Trees — none of which are nostalgia acts. The final act is Joe Walsh, a.k.a., the only tolerable Eagle. In fact, the lineup is chock full of acts that you still hear on the radio.

Be excited for Snoop. His last (woefully under-attended) concert in Little Rock was fantastic.

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Always in style and always the right size.

www.facebook.com/arkansastimes Florist & Gift Shoppe

www.doublerflorist.com 918 W. Main St • Jacksonville 501-982-3125 M-F 8-5 • Sat 9-2 While in town shop Oliver’s Antiques 101 Burman • Jacksonville, AR

  

OK, ALL YOU MUSICIANS AND FILMMAKERS, it’s time to get your clips

together because the Arkansas International Music Video Competition and Showcase has extended the deadline for this year’s competition to April 20.

There are categories for international and Arkansas videos, and the showcase — May 31 at Stickyz — will include live performances as well as screenings of videos from both categories as part of this year’s Little Rock Film Festival. To qualify for the Arkansas award, either the band or the filmmaker must be from the Natural State.

ARKANSAS’S AMERICAN IDOL KRIS ALLEN has a new video out for his song

“Vision of Love,” and he’s asking us all one thing: “When a heart breaks and the world shakes, will we stand for the vision of love?”

In the video, Kris is busy writing a song in a loft apartment, while outside some mean dudes are bullying a kid who looks like Tilda Swinton, and down the street a teen-age girl feels like she’s not pretty and cool enough to hang out with this group of other teen-age girls, who seem pretty cool.

For a minute there, during the first chorus especially, all seems lost. Everyone is all super frustrated with their situations and Kris is asking us — demanding of us — “When a tear falls, and the fear crawls, will we stand for the vision of love?” But everything works out in the video: Kris writes an effortlessly catchy pop song about standing for the vision of love, one of the bullies has a guilty conscience and he gets the other bullies to back off of Tilda and the teen-age girl figures out that she’s really beautiful after all and goes and makes friends with the cool girls.

www.arktimes.com

APRIL 11, 2012

23

THE TO-DO

LIST

BY ROBERT BELL

FRIDAY 4/13

2012 OZARK UFO CONFERENCE

8 a.m. Best Western Inn of the Ozarks. $90.

Scoff all you like, all you scoffers and skeptics and naysayers and demanders of peer-reviewed studies. But you cannot deny this fundamental truth: It’s way more fun to believe in aliens and past lives and ESP and ancient Mayan calendar predictions than it is to lumber stiffly through existence insisting that the Official Version of reality is the only one that’s real. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “But why should I believe in something for which there is no physical evidence?” To which I would say: “People do it all the time. It’s called religion. And astrology. And Powerball. And anyway, aren’t I reading your thoughts? DUN-DA-DUN-DUNNNN!” But I realize that’s not gonna cut it for most folks. Therefore I submit for your consideration the 2012 Ozark UFO Conference in — where else? — Eureka Springs. This three-day examination of all things extraterrestrial, extrasensory or otherwise extraordinary features a bevy of experts delivering lectures such as “UFOs: Myths, Conspiracies and Realities,” “The E.T. Agenda: Why Don’t They Land on the White House Lawn?” and “The Choice: Using Conscious Thought and Physics of the Mind to Reshape the World.” The conference opens with an introduction to the art of dowsing by Dowser Dan. In all seriousness though, hanging out in Eureka Springs and drinking with a bunch of UFO experts? Yes, I want to believe.

PARANORMAL WEEKEND: Retired U.S. Army Col. John B. Alexander is an author and expert on paranormal military techniques (a character loosely based on him was played by George Clooney in “The Men Who Stare at Goats”).

He’ll speak at the 2012 Ozark UFO Conference this weekend in Eureka Springs.

FRIDAY 4/13

NATE POWELL’S ‘CROSS SECTIONS’

5 p.m. Historic Arkansas Museum.

Free.

When I first met Nate Powell, it was on a sweaty summer night back in nineteen-ninety-something, at one of those plug-in-and-play concerts at Belvedere Pavilion. I’m pretty sure most of those shows weren’t officially sanctioned by The Man, which made them that much more fun. Nate’s old band, Soophie Nun Squad, was the product of a group of bright, enthusiastic, hyperactive kids who all had a million projects going on at any given time: other bands, zines, comics, activism, art projects, sketch comedy shows, you name it.

I can’t remember the specifics of what Soophie’s songs were about, but I’m pretty sure some of the major themes were: having fun, doing what you love and not letting the awful, gray burden of workaday life grind your dreams into a bitter dust. As much as anyone I can think of, Nate has embodied that ideal, still playing in bands and making comics long after so many of our peers abandoned their erstwhile obsessions.

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ARKANSAS TIMES

SATURDAY 4/14 The interesting thing is that when you work on something you love for a long time, you’ll often become really, really good at it. And Nate is really, really good at what he does. Over countless pages — Xeroxed and stapled in the early days, offset printed and bound in beautiful hardback editions lately — Nate has strengthened and refined his craft, creating an instantly recognizable style.

His graphic novels “Swallow Me Whole” and “Any Empire” have earned glowing praise from critics both within the comics world and from more mainstream publications such as Booklist and the Los Angeles Times. The awards he’s won — Eisner, Ignatz — are some of the most prestigious in the field. By living his ideals, working hard and doing what he loves, Nate has realized enormous success. That’s about as inspiring as it gets, friends. At this show, he’ll be exhibiting and selling works from his graphic novels from the last five years and will also have copies of his books.

There will be music from Isaac Alexander and soup from Sharea Soup. Nate will sign books at The Comic Book Store at noon on Saturday.

ARKANSAS DERBY

Noon. Oaklawn Park. $2.

The end of the racing season at Oaklawn is nigh. This week is the Racing Festival of the South, featuring nine races in total, kicking off with the $300,000 Fantasy Stakes on Wednesday, the $100,000 Redbud Stakes on Thursday, the $500,000 Apple Blossom Stakes on Friday and the $1 million Arkansas Derby on Saturday. Isn’t He Clever, one of the

colts running at this year’s Arkansas Derby, is the offspring of the legendary Smarty Jones, who in 2004 took a $5 million bonus Oaklawn had offered to any contender who won the Rebel Stakes, the Arkansas Derby and the Kentucky Derby. Of course, Smarty Jones’ hopes for a Triple Crown were dashed by an upset from the longshot Birdstone. So how will Isn’t He Clever fare? There’s only one way to find out.

SATURDAY 4/14

ASO: ‘DESERT & SEA’

8 p.m. Robinson Center Music Hall. $14-$52.

The final installment in this year’s Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Masterworks series starts off with Wagner’s “The Flying Dutchman: Overture” and “Mojave Concerto for Marimba”

by Michael Torke. The latter piece features Alexej Gerssimez on marimba.

The show concludes with a second half featuring what Conductor Philip

Mann called one of his favorite pieces of music, Debussy’s “La Mer.” What’s in store for the audience with this work? “You’ll hear in the sounds of the orchestra and in the music, the sounds and picture of a sunrise. You’ll hear waves up and down in the strings and then eventually the ferocious, terrible power of the sea during a storm,” Mann told KTHV’s Dawn Scott. The symphony repeats the program on Sunday at 3 p.m.

IN BRIEF

THURSDAY 4/12 The Conference on Political Reform at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute at Petit Jean explores the former governor’s political legacy on the 100th anniversary of his birth. It includes an array of political observers, journalists and scholars, 4 p.m., $25-$90. The conference runs through Friday. Banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck is widely regarded as one of the finest players in the world.

He comes to Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville with his band The Flecktones, 7 p.m., $28-$52. For some country flavored rock with a literary bent, look no further than Kevin Gordon, who plays White Water Tavern with Bonnie Montgomery, 9:30 p.m., $5. CARTI’s 8th Annual Ragin’ Cajun Bash has food, music and more to benefit CARTI, River Market Pavilions, 6 p.m., $30 adv., $35 door.

SATURDAY 4/14

KAYA JONES

9 p.m. Discovery Nightclub. $12.

Formerly of prefab pop princesses The Pussycat Dolls, Kaya Jones — née Chrystal Neria — came by her stage name in an unconventional way. “I grew up in Jamaica and chose Kaya from the name of a Bob Marley album,” she told Dubai News last year. “When I was in the studio rehearsing with Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols he gave me my last name Jones. Who can say a Sex Pistol named them? So I took it.” So does her music reflect those sounds?

Nah, her vibe is more kinky dancefloor diva than punky reggae party.

Sample lyrics from “Every 7 Seconds” (which is how often Jones claims to think about “it”): “Some might think that I’m a nympho / ‘cause I like a little lace and leather” and “Yeah I’m checkin’ what you’re packin’ / Are you a big boy or are you slackin’?” She’s probably best known for her single “Boyfriend.” It’s an icy, thumping pop trifle about finding out about her boyfriend’s boyfriend. In addition to Jones, who is scheduled to go on around 2 a.m., there will be all the usual Saturday night revelry you’ve come to expect at Discovery.

CLUB DIVA: Former Pussycat Doll Kaya Jones comes to Discovery Nightclub Saturday.

FRIDAY 4/13

OMAHA’S FINEST: Long-running indie stalwarts Cursive come to Revolution Monday night, with Cymbals Eat Guitars and Conduits.

MONDAY 4/16

CURSIVE

Probably it’s fair to say that Cursive’s latest disc, “I Am Gemini,” confounded more than a few of the band’s longtime fans. It’s a convoluted concept album (but aren’t they all?) about twin brothers named Cassius and Pollock, one good, one evil, who were separated at birth but are reunited in a creepy old house, and also for some reason there are Siamese twin girls, conjoined at the head.

I don’t know, there was a sizable booklet that was included with the promo CD and featured all of front man Tim Kasher’s lyrics and stage directions, but I can’t find it at the moment. For the most part, critical reaction to “I Am Gemini” has been middling. Drowned

in Sound’s Ruth Singleton gushed that it was “a monumental return to form for Tim Kasher after his somewhat dubious foray into the world of solo artistry,” while Pitchfork called it “Cursive’s weakest album by a disheartening margin” and Pop Matters writer Josh Langhoff dismissed it thusly: “For all its tempo shifts and attempts at fun, Gemini sounds like the work of an ascetic band scared of pleasure.” But hey, as Cursive reminded us back in 2003, “Art is Hard.”

And even if “I Am Gemini” was a bit of a dud, Cursive has a huge back catalog and one of the most dedicated followings in indie rock. This Monday night show is sure to be packed. Opening the all-ages show are Cymbals Eat Guitars and Conduits.

notions with country, punk, musique concrete, electronic instrumentation, oddball cover songs and more. He’s collaborated with such notable figures as filmmaker Richard Linklater and super cerebral jazz guitar heavy Bill Frisell.

Tony Furtado’s career path has been similarly omnivorous. He got started

playing banjo but soon added slide guitar into his mix of bluegrass, country, rock and jazz. He’s often mentioned in the same breath as such luminaries as Béla Fleck (who plays Fayetteville’s Walton Arts Center with The Flecktones on Thursday) and David Grisman.

8 p.m. Revolution. $12 adv., $14 d.o.s.

TUESDAY 4/17

DANNY BARNES, TONY FURTADO

9 p.m. Juanita’s. $10.

Here’s one the prog ’grass-ive fans shouldn’t skip. Danny Barnes was the banjo-pickin’ frontman from The Bad Livers, a genre-warping group of weirdos who mixed bluegrass and old-timey

Fans of the chopped ’n’ screwed sound won’t want to miss Decadence with Swishahouse CEO Michael “5000” Watts, who plays Revolution with DJ Derrty Deja Blu and VJ g-force, 9 p.m., $10 21 and older, $15 ages 18-20. Bonnie Montgomery plays a songwriters showcase at UALR’s Stella Boyle Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. She’ll be performing excerpts from her opera “Billy Blythe,” as well as the upcoming opera “West Memphis Three” and the living painting “Enoch: A Story of the Watchers,” both of which feature text by Nathan Howdeshell (of Gossip renown) and composer (and sister) Holly Montgomery. Dikki Du & The Zydeco Krewe headline what’ll no doubt be a raucous affair at White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m., $7. Up on The Hill, George’s Majestic Lounge has jam circuit faves Leftover Salmon, 8 p.m., $24. The Weekend Theater’s production of “Next Fall” continues, 7:30 p.m., $12-$16. The 33rd Annual Arkansas Scottish Festival boasts Scottish sports, dancing, music, food, drinks and more, Lyon College through April 15, noon, free.

SATURDAY 4/14 Flying DD has a boatload of heaviness, with Devildriver, Dying Fetus, Wretched, Impending Doom, 3 Inches of Blood, Job for a Cowboy and The Faceless, $21 adv., $25 d.o.s. The St. Vincent Family Health Fest includes free health screenings, presentations from hospital staff, healthy food samples and family activities, Promenade at Chenal, 10 a.m., free. The True Soul Revue brings the old-school funk and soul to the Oxford American’s SoMa offices, 7:30 p.m., $5. The hillbilly madmen in Mountain Sprout play an 18-and-older show at Stickyz, 9 p.m., $7. The Greasy Greens play the Big Swinging Deck party at Cajun’s Wharf, 5 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m.

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APRIL 11, 2012

25

AFTER DARK 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.

of boiled crawfish. Cajun’s Wharf, April 12-14, 5 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road.

501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Central Arkansas Genealogical and Historical Society. Butler Galleries, Arkansas Studies Institute, 6 p.m. 401 President Clinton Ave. 501-912-3587. www.caghs.net.

Conference on Political Reform. With Dale Bumpers, David Pryor, Jim Guy Tucker, Jay Barth, Ed Bethune, Justice Robert Brown, John Brummet, John Kirk and many more.

Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, 4 p.m., $25-$90.

1 Rockefeller Drive, Morrilton. 501-727-6220. www.uawri.org.

Little Rock Sustainability Summit. With guest speaker Pam Alabaster, senior vice president of sustainable development at L’Oreal and panel discussion. Email sustainabilitysummit@ littlerock.org to register. Clinton Presidential Center, 8:30 a.m. p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 370-8000. www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11

MUSIC

As Dogs, Brother Andy (solo). White Water Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Brian & Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-3755351. www.cajunswharf.com.

PJ Morton, Sean Fresh, J. Phil, B. Dot. Porter’s Jazz Cafe, 7 p.m., $15 adv., $20 door. 315 Main St. 501-324-1900. www.portersjazzcafe.com.

Ricky David Tripp. Ferneau, 5:30 p.m. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-603-9208. www.ferneaurestaurant.com.

RockUsaurus. On the patio, weather permitting.

Juanita’s, 6 p.m., free. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

COMEDY

Charlie Weiner, Kris Shaw. The Loony Bin, 8 p.m.; April 13, 10:30 p.m.; April 14, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road.

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

EVENTS

Political Animals Club: Will Bond and Doyle Webb. Lunch and presentation from the chairmen of the Democratic and Republican parties of Arkansas. Governor’s Mansion, 11:30 a.m., $20. 1800 Center St. 501-377-1121.

LECTURES

“Acclimating Teens to Adulthood.” Forum will examine the type of guidance available for teenagers leaving the state’s Foster Care system. Philander Smith College, 6:30 p.m. 900 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive.

“The Entrepreneurship in Grey Markets: Legalized Prostitution and Drugs.” Featuring Dr. Ashlie Warnick of Towson University.

University of Central Arkansas, 3 p.m., free.

201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. 501-852-0665. www.uca.edu.

POETRY

Rock Town Slam. Poet entry fee is $10. Arkansas Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., $5. 501 E. 9th St. 501-3724000. www.arkarts.com.

SPORTS

Horse racing. Saturday post time is 1 p.m. except for April 14, which is noon. Oaklawn.

2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www.oaklawn.com.

THURSDAY, APRIL 12

MUSIC

Audrey Dean Kelley. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 9 p.m., free. 11321 W. Markham St. 501224-2010. www.markhamst.com.

Bela Fleck & The Flecktones. Walton Arts Center, 7 p.m., $28-$52. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600.

“Inferno.” DJs play pop, electro, house and more, plus drink specials and $1 cover before 11 p.m. Sway, 9 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

Kevin Gordon, Bonnie Montgomery. White

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APRIL 11, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

LECTURES NASHVILLE STAR: Miranda Lambert, undoubtedly one of the most popular female performers in all of country music, comes to Verizon Arena Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Lambert’s 2011 album “Four the Record” debuted at No. 1 on the country charts and No. 3 on the Billboard 200. She’s on tour with Chris Young and Jerrod Niemann. Tickets are $35-$50.

Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m., $5. 2500 W. 7th. 501375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

The Lost River Cavemen. MacDaddy’s Bar and Grill, 7 p.m., $5. 314 N. Maple St., NLR. Mayday By Midnight. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

Michael Eubanks. Benihana Japanese Steakhouse, April 12-14, 6 p.m. 2 Riverfront Place, NLR. 501-374-8081. www.benihana.com.

Port Arthur Band. Parrot Beach Cafe, 9 p.m.

9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

RockUsaurus. On the patio, weather permitting.

Senor Tequila, 7 p.m., free. 10300 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-224-5505.

Rodney Block & The Real Music Lovers. Laman Library, 7 p.m., free. 2801 Orange St., NLR. 501758-1720. www.lamanlibrary.org.

Sol Def (headliner), Handmade Mome. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf. com.

UCA Percussion Ensemble. University of Central Arkansas, Snow Fine Arts Center Recital Hall.

201 Donaghey Ave., Conway.

COMEDY

Charlie Weiner, Kris Shaw. The Loony Bin, 8 p.m.

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

EVENTS

Big Swinging Deck Party. Includes drawings for prizes, including an Orbea bike, a Green Egg smoker and a Yeti cooler. Saturday includes a performance by The Greasy Greens and 600 lbs.

Come join us for happy hour drink speCials!

David Gross. The Nobel Laureate will present “The Frontiers of Fundamental Physics.” UALR, 4 p.m. 2801 S. University Ave. 501-569-8977.

John T. Edge. The food writer and director of the Southern Foodways Alliance will discuss his work. Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool.uasys.edu.

POETRY

Spoken Word Live!. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 7 p.m., free. 501 W. 9th St. 501-376-4602. www.mosaictemplarscenter.com.

SPORTS

Horse racing. See April 11.

BENEFITS

Arkansas a la Carte. Fundraiser for Arkansas Children’s Hospital featuring food from more than 25 Central Arkansas restaurants and caterers. Arkansas Children’s Hospital, 6:30 p.m., $100. 1 Children’s Way. 501-364-1476.

CARTI’s 8th Annual Ragin’ Cajun Bash. Includes food, music and more to benefit CARTI. River Market Pavilions, 6 p.m., $30 adv., $35 door.

400 President Clinton Ave. 501-296-3406. www. rivermarket.info.

BOOKS

Arkansas Literary Festival. Speakers, workshops, panels, performances and more at a variety of locations in Little Rock and North Little Rock. Main Library, April 12-15. 100 S. Rock St. www.arkansasliteraryfestival.org.

Avi Steinberg. The author and librarian presents “Midrash and the Art of Writing.” Hendrix College, 7:30 p.m., free. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. 501-450-4597. www.hendrix.edu.

Big Rock Reading Series. Includes writers John Bensko, Hope Coulter, Tyrone Jaeger and Stephanie Vanderslice. Pulaski Technical College, 11 a.m. 3000 W. Scenic Drive, NLR.

5:00-6:30 pm best steak 2005-2012

fr ee va let pa r k ing p ia no b a r t u es -s at 3 3 5 wine s eleCt io ns • fin e s p ir it s fr o m a r o u nd t h e wo r ld a s k a b o u t p r ivat e Co r po r at e lu nCh es

500 p re si de n t Cl i n t on ave n ue ( i n t he r i ve r m arke t d i st ri Ct ) Call f or r e se rvat i on s 501.324.2999 • w w w.son n yw i l l i am sst e akroo m. C o m

FRIDAY, APRIL 13

MUSIC

Big John Miller. Fox And Hound, 10 p.m., $5.

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

Bluesboy Jag and His Cigar Box Guitars.

Dogtown Coffee and Cookery, 6 p.m., free.

6725 John F. Kennedy Blvd., NLR. 501-833-3850. www.facebook.com/pages/Dogtown-Coffeeand-Cookery/221280641229600.

Bombay Black. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Decadence with Michael ‘5000’ Watts, DJ Derrty Deja Blu, VJ g-force. Revolution, 9 p.m., $10 21 and older, $15 ages 18-20. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Dikki Du & The Zydeco Krewe. White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m., $7. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Dillan Cate. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www.beerknurd. com/stores/littlerock.

DJ Silky Slim. Top 40 and dance music. Sway, 9 p.m., $5. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

Down 2 Five (headliner), Richie Johnson (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-3755351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Exit One Eleven. Flying DD, 9 p.m. 4601 S. University. 501-773-9990. flyingdd.com.

“The Flow Fridays.” Twelve Modern Lounge, 8 p.m. 1900 W. Third St. Jason Greenlaw and The Groove, Linwood.

Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $8 adv., $10 d.o.s. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Jason Helms Band. Shooter’s Sports Bar & Grill, 9:30 p.m., $5. 9500 I-30. 501-565-4003. www. shooterslittlerock.com.

Jeff Coleman. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, April 13-14, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Joe Dunn, Minerva, Klaun IV, Rehab Superstar.

Downtown Music Hall, 8 p.m., $8. 211 W. Capitol.

501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

John Gold, Bravo Max. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7 door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Laundry for the Apocalypse, Booyah! Dad. Pizza D’Action, 9:30 p.m., $3. 2919 W. Markham St. 501-666-5403.

Leftover Salmon. George’s Majestic Lounge, 8 p.m., $24. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville.

479-442-4226.

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

Michael Eubanks. Benihana Japanese Steakhouse, through April 14, 6 p.m. 2 Riverfront Place, NLR. 501-374-8081. www.benihana.com.

Miranda Lambert, Chris Young, Jerrod Niemann. Verizon Arena, 7:30 p.m., $35-$50.

1 Alltel Arena Way, NLR. 501-975-9001. verizonarena.com.

Mockingbird Hillbilly Band. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Ronnie Simmons Band. Thirst n’ Howl, 9 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www. thirst-n-howl.com.

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

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www. capitalhotel.com/CBG. UALR Songwriters Showcase. Featuring Bonnie Montgomery. UALR, 7:30 p.m. 2801 S. University Ave. 501-569-8977.

COMEDY

Charlie Weiner, Kris Shaw. The Loony Bin, 10:30 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road.

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

EVENTS

2012 Ozark UFO Conference. Best Western Inn of the Ozarks, April 13-15, 8 a.m., $90. 207 W. Van Buren, Eureka Springs. 479-586-3246. www.ozarkufo.com.

33rd Annual Arkansas Scottish Festival.

Scottish sports, dancing, music, food, drinks.

Lyon College, noon. 2500 Highland, Batesville.

870-307-7242. www.lyon.edu/scotfest.

LGBTQ/SGL Youth and Young Adult Group.

For more information, call 244-9690 or search “DYSC” on Facebook. 800 Scott St., 6:30 p.m.

800 Scott St. Quapaw Quarter Association’s 2012 Spring Tour Preview. Includes cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and a fashion show from Vintage Socialite. The Villa Marre, 6 p.m., $30 adv., $35 door. 1321 Scott St. 501-371-0075. www.quapaw.com/.

SPORTS

Horse racing. See April 11.

BENEFITS

Jumbo Gumbo! Cook Off. Benefit for The Allen School. River Market Pavilions, 5 p.m., $15 adv., $20 door. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. www.jumbogumbocookoff.com.

BOOKS

Arkansas Literary Festival. See April 12.

“Author! Author!” Cocktail reception for authors featured in the Arkansas Literary Festival. Main Library, 7:30 p.m., $25 adv., $40 door. 100 S. Rock St. 501-918-3098. www.cals.lib.ar.us.

SATURDAY, APRIL 14

MUSIC

14th Annual Livestock. Fundraiser for Heifer International, featuring music from Ben Wold, Swimming and Whale Fire. Bear’s Den Pizza, 9 p.m., $5. 235 Farris Road, Conway. 501-3285556. www.bearsdenpizza.com.

After Eden. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Annual Bluegrass Jam Session. Camping fee is $12 per night, with full hook-ups available.

Cypress Creek Park. Cypress Creek Avenue, Adona. 501-662-4918.

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra: “Desert & Sea.” Includes works by Debussy, Wagner and Michael Torke. Robinson Center Music Hall, April 14, 8 p.m.; April 15, 3 p.m., $14-$52.

Markham and Broadway. www.littlerockmeetings.com/conv-centers/robinson.

Big Smith. Final Big Smith show in Fayetteville.

George’s Majestic Lounge, 9 p.m., $13. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-442-4226.

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

Clover Blue. Thirst n’ Howl, 9 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-nhowl.com.

DJs Crawley, Balance and Sleepy. Includes screening of The Chemical Brothers film “Don’t Think.” Revolution, 8 p.m., free. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Dying Fetus, Wretched, Impending Doom, 3 Inches of Blood, Job for a Cowboy, The Faceless, Devildriver. Flying DD, $21 adv., $25 d.o.s. 4601 S. University. 501-773-9990. flyingdd.com.

Earl & Them featuring Earl Cate (headliner),

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

The Funkanites. White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m.

2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Guitar Lessons with Compton Student Showcase. Downtown Music Hall, 8 p.m., $5.

211 W. Capitol. 501-658-5080. downtownmusichall.com.

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

Jet 420. Shooter’s Sports Bar & Grill, 9:30 p.m., $5. 9500 I-30. 501-565-4003. www.shooterslittlerock.com.

Kaya Jones. Discovery Nightclub, 9 p.m., $12.

1021 Jessie Road. 501-664-4784. www.latenightdisco.com.

Michael Eubanks. Benihana Japanese Steakhouse, 6 p.m. 2 Riverfront Place, NLR. 501-374-8081. www.benihana.com.

Mountain Sprout. 18-and-older show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $7. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

A Neil Diamond Tribute starring Keith Allynn.

Woodlands Auditorium, 7:30 p.m., $18. 1101 De Soto Blvd., Hot Springs Village. 501-922-4231. www.hsvwoodlands.com.

Pickin’ Porch. Bring an instrument and join in this acoustic open jam. Faulkner County Library, 9:30 a.m. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org.

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

Rusty White with Mil. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 8:30 p.m., free. 11321 W. Markham St. 501224-2010. www.markhamst.com.

R.V.S. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Soul Track Mind, The Last Slice. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $8 adv., $10 door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Symphony of Northwest Arkansas. Final performance of the 2011-12 season, with works by Mahler and Beethoven. Walton Arts Center, 7:30 p.m., $5-$45. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600.

Taylor Made. Fox And Hound, 10 p.m., $5. 2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www. foxandhound.com/locations/north-little-rock. aspx.

True Soul Revue. Oxford American, 7:30 p.m., $5. 1300 Main St. Ukulele Bill and the Great Uke Salute.

Performance by Bill Higgs, an attempt to set a record for most ukuleles playing “Sloop John B” at the same time and drawings for four ukuleles. Garland County Library, 2 p.m. 1427 Malvern Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4161.

COMEDY

Charlie Weiner, Kris Shaw. The Loony Bin, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

2012 Ozark UFO Conference. Best Western Inn of the Ozarks, through April 15, 8 a.m., $90. 207 W. Van Buren, Eureka Springs. 479-586-3246. www.ozarkufo.com.

2nd Annual Plant Swap Cookout. Includes CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

www.arktimes.com

APRIL 11, 2012

27

AFTER DARK, CONT.

SPORTS

Arkansas Derby. Closing day of the 2012 racing season, featuring the 76th running of the $1 million Arkansas Derby. Oaklawn, noon.

2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www.oaklawn.com.

Horsemen of Arkansas Trail Challenge. R&L Vaught Farms, 9 a.m. 24501 Knabe Road. 501765-5055. www.horsemenofarkansas.org/.

BENEFITS

Once Upon a Prom. Attendees dress in the prom attire of their era. Includes prom king and queen, silent auction and more to benefit American Cancer Society Relay for Life. Hosted at the Stephens Spine Institute. UAMS, 7 p.m., $20 single, $35 couple. 4301 W. Markham St. 501-744-4633.

Walk MS Little Rock. Fundraiser for National MS Society: Arkansas. Riverfest Amphitheatre, 10 a.m., free. 400 President Clinton Ave. 501663-8104.

BOOKS

Arkansas Literary Festival. See April 12.

Diana Southwood Kennedy. The author of “Oaxaca al Gusto: An Infinite Gastronomy” presents “Fresh from Mexico.” 300 Third Tower, 2:30 p.m. 300 W. Third St. Kim O’Donnel. The author of “The Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook” presents “Tricking the Carnivore.” 300 Third Tower, 11:30 a.m. 300 W. Third St. Mary Monroe, Michael Vinson Williams, David Margolick, W. Ralph Eubanks, and Bobby Ray Sanders. As part of the Arkansas Literary Festival, each author will host a discussion and book signing. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 10 a.m. p.m., free. 501 W. 9th St. 501-376-4602. www.mosaictemplarscenter.com.

Nate Powell. The author will sign copies of his

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plant swap, barbecue and sides from Boulevard Bread Co., gardening tips, demos, kids activities and live music. The Bernice Garden, 10 a.m. p.m. 1401 S. Main St. www.thebernicegarden.org.

33rd Annual Arkansas Scottish Festival.

Scottish sports, dancing, music, food, drinks.

Lyon College, 7 a.m. 2500 Highland, Batesville.

870-307-7242. www.lyon.edu/scotfest.

Argenta Farmers Market. Argenta, 7 a.m.-noon.

Main Street, NLR. Arkansas Orchid Show and Sale. Second Presbyterian Church, April 14, 8 a.m.; April 15, noon., free. 600 Pleasant Valley Drive.

Brain Injury Association’s Walk for Thought.

Walk to raise awareness about brain injury prevention, advocacy and education. Clinton Presidential Center, 10 a.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 370-8000. www.brainassociation.org.

Confederate History Weekend. Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park. 506 E. Douglas St., Prairie Grove. 479-846-2990. www.arkansasstateparks. com/prairiegrovebattlefield.

Earth Day: Party for the Planet. Little Rock Zoo. 1 Jonesboro Dr. 501-666-2406. www.littlerockzoo.com.

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

Little Rock Zoo’s Earth Day Celebration. Little Rock Zoo. 1 Jonesboro Dr. 501-666-2406. www. littlerockzoo.com.

St. Vincent Family Health Fest. Includes free health screenings, presentations from St. Vincent staff, healthy food samples and family activities. The Promenade at Chenal, 10 a.m. p.m., free. 17711 Chenal Parkway. 501-821-5552. chenalshopping.com.

SweepIn 2012. See April 13.

BOOKS FROm THE ARKANSAS TImES

THE UNIQUE NEIGHBORHOODS OF CENTRAL ARKANSAS Full of interesting voices and colorful portraits of 17 Little Rock and North Little Rock neighborhoods, this book gives an intimate, block-by-block, native’s view of the place more than 250,000 Arkansans call home. Created from interviews with residents and largely written by writers who actually live in the neighborhoods they’re writing about, the book features over 90 full color photos by Little Rock photographer Brian Chilson.

Send _______ book(s) of The Unique Neighborhoods of Central Arkansas @ $19.95

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APRIL 11, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

KIDS

7th Annual CASA Cup Pedal Car Races. River Market Pavilions, 10 a.m., $5. 400 President Clinton Ave. 501-340-6946. www.rivermarket. info.

SUNDAY, APRIL 15

MUSIC

Ansley Fleming Faculty Organ Recital. Organ music of Bach, Whitlock, Karg-Elert and Widor.

Hendrix College, 3 p.m., free. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. 501-450-1243. www.hendrix.edu.

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra: “Desert & Sea.” Includes works by Debussy, Wagner and Michael Torke. Robinson Center Music Hall, 3 p.m., $14-$52. Markham and Broadway. www. littlerockmeetings.com/conv-centers/robinson.

Brugh Foster. Vino’s, 4 p.m. 923 W. 7th St. 501375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

East 17th, 4X4 Crew, Ricochet, Rick Rude, Big Drew. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $7. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

George Ensle. Faulkner County Library, 2 p.m., free. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org.

Irish Traditional Music Session. Hibernia Irish Tavern, first and third Sunday of every month, 2:30 p.m. 9700 N Rodney Parham Road. 501246-4340. www.hiberniairishtavern.com.

Knights of Thor Heavy Metal Club presents: Killing Souls, Red Devil Lies, Silent Conspiracy. Downtown Music Hall, 7 p.m., $5. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownmusichall.com.

Point Reyes, Nini Julia Bang. All-ages concert includes potluck and art show. Low Key Arts, 5 p.m., $5-$7 suggested donation. 118 Arbor St., Hot Springs. 501-425-9966.

Puente. Flying DD, 8 p.m. 4601 S. University.

501-773-9990. flyingdd.com.

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

COMEDY

Charlie Wiener. UARK Bowl, 7:30 p.m., $5-$7.

644 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-301-2030. www.uarkballroom.com.

EVENTS

Payment: check or credit card Order by Mail: arkansas times Books, P.o. Box 34010, LittLe rock, ar 72203 Phone: 501-375-2985 Fax: 501-375-3623 Email: anitra@arktimes.com Send _______ book(s) of A History Of Arkansas @ $10.95

books. The Comic Book Store, noon. 9307 Treasure Hill Road. 227-9777. www.thewildstars. com/cbs.html.

2012 Ozark UFO Conference. See April 14.

33rd Annual Arkansas Scottish Festival.

Scottish sports, dancing, music, food, drinks.

Lyon College, 8 a.m. 2500 Highland, Batesville.

870-307-7242. www.lyon.edu/scotfest.

Arkansas Orchid Show and Sale. Second Presbyterian Church, noon., free. 600 Pleasant Valley Drive.

Live at the Met: “La Traviata.” Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 2 p.m., $5-$15. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway. 501-450-3265.

SweepIn 2012. See April 13.

BOOKS

Arkansas Literary Festival. See April 12.

Roland Mesnier. The former White House pastry chef discuss his new book, “White House Desserts.” Argenta Community Theater, 4 p.m., $20. 405 Main St., NLR. 501-353-1443. argentacommunitytheater.org.

Trenton Lee Stewart. The author will be signing copies of his new book, “The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict.” WordsWorth Books & Co., 3 p.m. 5920 R St. 501-663-9198. www.wordsworthbooks.org.

MONDAY, APRIL 16

MUSIC

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra: “Grand Finale.” Includes works by Schubert, Michael Torke and others. Clinton Presidential Center, 7 p.m., $22. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 370-8000. www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org.

Clifford Hawkins Quartet. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Cursive, Conduits, Cymbals Eat Guitars. Allages show. Revolution, 8 p.m., $12 adv., $14 d.o.s. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Hendrix Wind Ensemble & Jazz Combo.

Includes music by Aaron Copland, George Gershwin and more. Hendrix College, 5:30 p.m., free. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway.

501-450-1422. www.hendrix.edu.

The Oak Ridge Boys. Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 7:30 p.m., $23-$40. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway.

Reggae Nites. Featuring DJ Hy-C playing roots, reggae and dancehall. Pleazures Martini and Grill Lounge, 6 p.m., $7-$10. 1318 Main St. 501376-7777. www.facebook.com/pleazures.bargrill.

Soul Track Mind. Maxine’s. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Touch, Grateful Dead Tribute. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Wind Ensemble Spring Concert. Hendrix College, 5:30 p.m., free. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. 501-450-1422. www.hendrix.edu.

EVENTS

Preservation Conversations. Includes a screening of the film “The Greenest Building.”

Metroplan Building, 5 p.m., free. 501 W. Markham St. 501-372-3300. www.quapaw.com.

LECTURES

David Lisak. The psychologist presents “Confronting the Reality of Sexual Violence.”

Clinton School of Public Service, noon., free.

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

TUESDAY, APRIL 17

MUSIC

Brian Martin. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Danny Barnes, Tony Furtado. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $10. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Don’t Stop Please. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Jeff Long. Khalil’s Pub, 6 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

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

Reighnbeau. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band. 18-and-older show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $6. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Ricky David Tripp. Ferneau, 5:30 p.m. 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-603-9208. www.ferneaurestaurant.com.

Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Umphrey’s McGee. George’s Majestic Lounge, April 17-18, 8 p.m., $29. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-442-4226.

DANCE

“Latin Night.” Revolution, 7 p.m., $5 regular, $7

AFTER DARK, CONT. under 21. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-8230090. www.revroom.com.

EVENTS

2012 Arkansas Arts Summit. With Kennedy Center President Michael M. Kaiser and keynote speaker President Bill Clinton. Clinton Presidential Center, April 17; April 18, $95. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-9766. www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org.

“The Athlete and the Heart.” Experts from UAMS will discuss the topic of undetected heart conditions. UAMS, 6 p.m., $10. 4301 W. Markham St.

LECTURES

Alex Hoffman. Presents “Are You a Change Agent? How Everyday People Are Changing the World.” Clinton School of Public Service, noon., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501683-5239. www.clintonschool.uasys.edu.

Dr. William S. Hall. Hall presents a lecture titled “Culture, Ethnicity, and Children’s Learning.”

UALR, 4:30 p.m., free. 2801 S. University Ave. 501-569-3171.

“Exploring Our World.” Second in the series is “Persons in the World: Perspectives on Human Ecology.” University of Central Arkansas, 7 p.m.

201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. www.uca.edu.

THIS WEEK IN THEATER

“Annie.” Student performance of the classic musical. Parkview Arts & Science Magnet High School, Fri., April 13, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., April 14, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., April 15, 3 p.m., $7-$10. 2501 John Barrow Road.

Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre Summer Theatre Academy auditions. Open to actors ages 10-18. The academy will be held June 18–July 27. Tuition is $750 for six-week academy and $450 for three-week workshop.

Arkansas Arts Center, Sat., April 14, 4:30 p.m.; Sat., May 5, 5 p.m. 501 E. 9th St. 501-372-4000. www.arkarts.com.

“Ed Asner as FDR.” Ed Asner portrays Franklin D. Roosevelt. Perot Theatre, Sat., April 14, 7:30 p.m. 321 W. Fourth St., Texarkana. www.trahc.org.

“The Fall of the House.” TheatreSquared Artistic Director Robert Ford’s mystery. Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios, through May 6: Thu.-Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 2 p.m.; Sun., 2 and 7 p.m., $10-$20. 505 W. Spring St., Fayetteville.

479-443-5600. theatre2.org.

“A Little Murder Never Hurt Anybody.” Pocket Community Theater, April 13-14, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., April 15, 2:30 p.m.; April 20-21, 7:30 p.m.; Sun., April 22, 2:30 p.m., $5-$10. 170 Ravine St., Hot Springs.

“Mary Poppins.” Musical version of the classic Disney film. Walton Arts Center, April 17-19, 7 p.m.; Fri., April 20, 8 p.m.; Sat., April 21, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sun., April 22, 2 and 7 p.m., $50-$65.

495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-443-5600.

“Next Fall.” A gay couple — one a fervent atheist and the other a devout Christian —must reconcile their convictions. The Weekend Theater, through April 21: Fri., Sat., 7:30 p.m., $12-$16.

1001 W. 7th St. 501-374-3761. www.weekendtheater.org.

Red Octopus Presents: “Beyond The Valley of the Red Octopus.” The adult-appropriate sketch comedy troupe celebrates all things kitschy and campy. The Public Theatre, through April 14, 8 p.m., $8-$10. 616 Center St. 501-2913896. www.thepublictheatre.com.

“The Red Velvet Cake Wars.” Mishaps occur when the Verdeen cousins, Gaynelle, Peaches, and Jimmie Wyvette, plan a family reunion.

Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through April 22: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., $15-$33. 6323 Col. Glenn Road. 501-562-3131. murrysdinnerplayhouse.com.

“The Taming of the Shrew.” Shakespeare’s comedy. University of Central Arkansas, April 12-13, 7:30 p.m.; April 18-20, 7:30 p.m., $10.

201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. 501-450-3265. www.uca.edu.

GALLERIES, MUSEUMS

NEW EXHIBITIONS, EVENTS ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER: “Still Lifes of Daniel Massad,” April 13-June 10; “The New Materiality: Digital Dialogues at the Boundaries of Contemporary Craft,” April 13-Aug. 5; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000.

BERNICE GARDEN, 1401 S. Main St.: Second annual “Bernice Garden Art Market,” featuring photography, furniture, jewelry, sculpture and more, 5-7 p.m. April 13, 2nd Friday Art Night; second annual Plant Swap and Cookout, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. April 14.

COURTYARD AT THE MARRIOTT, 521 President Clinton Ave.: ArtGroup Maumelle exhibit, 5-8 p.m. April 13, 2nd Friday Art Night. 975-9800.

GALLERY 221, 221 W. 2nd St.: Grand opening for gallery and Art Studios 221, 5-8 p.m.

April 13, 2nd Friday Art Night. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Mon.-Fri. 801-0211.

HEARNE FINE ART, 1001 Wright Ave.: “Off the Wall,” oil on canvas/paper and bas relief on masonite by Kennith Humphrey, through June 8, matinee art talk 1-3 p.m. April 13, 2nd Friday Art Night reception 5-8 p.m. April 13. 372-6822.

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, 200 E. Third St.: “Nate Powell: Cross Sections,” work by graphic novel illustrator, opens with reception 5-8 p.m. April 13, 2nd Friday Art Night. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9351.

OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM, 300 W. Markham: “Things You Need to Hear: Memories of Growing up in Arkansas from 1890 to 1980,” oral histories about community, family, work, school and leisure. Open 5-8 p.m.

April 13, 2nd Friday Art Night. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 324-9685.

STUDIOMAIN, 1423 S. Main St.: “Almost Arkopolis: The History of Our Downtown,” timeline highlighting the history of downtown with photographs, postcards, drawings, and newspaper articles, 5-9 p.m. April 13, 2nd Friday Art. info@studio-main.org.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: Screen printing on clay demonstration by Paul Andrew Wandless 9 a.m.-noon and 1:30-4 p.m. April 11, 9 am.-noon April 12, artist lecture 3:30-4:30 p.m. April 12, all in Fine Arts Building room 156; “UALR Student Competitive,” Rebecca Sittler Schrock, juror, through mid-May, Gallery I; “Exhibit B,” BA group exhibition by Leslie Romine (sculpture/ painting), Elizabeth Campbell (painting), Sandi Eoff (graphic design), Christin Byrd (graphic design) and Gary Grantham (sculpture), April 13-24, Gallery III. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sat., 2-5 p.m. Sun. 569-8977.

Hot Springs JUSTUS FINE ART, 827 Central A: New paintings by Dolores Justus and Vivian Noe-Griffith, fiber art by Jennifer Libby Fay. 501-321-2335.

Pine Bluff ARTS AND SCIENCE CENTER, 701 Main St.: “Jazz with Class: Pine Bluff High School Annual Art Exhibition,” opens April 12 with reception 5:30-7 p.m. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 1-4 p.m. Sat. 870-536-3375.

More gallery and museum listings at www.arktimes.com.

EW All N .99

$10ort Food

Monday-Tuesday

Comf enu M

Happy Hour ALL Night Long • Great Appetizer & Dinner Specials

Wednesday

Catfish, BBQ and Little Rock’s Favorite Guitar Duo Jason & Smokey of Mayday by Midnight, 6:30-9:30pm

Thursday

Jazz Standards at their finest with Wine & Roses

Friday

Chef Brian’s soon-to-be famous Prime Rib + Great Seafood Specials Music 6-9pm by ‘The Best and Funnest Guitar Duo In Town’ – Chuey & Jim

Saturday

Chef Brian’s soon-to-be famous Prime Rib + Seafood Specials • Music 6-9pm by ‘The Ultimate One Man Show’ – Larry House Wed-Fri: Open For Lunch At 10:30am • Mon-Sat: Open For Dinner At 4pm Call 501-372-SBIP (7247) For Reservations!

700 East 9th Street, Ste. 1E • In Quapaw Tower Condos Parking And Entrance On Ferry Street www.arktimes.com

APRIL 11, 2012

29

MOVIE LISTINGS

APRIL 13-14

‘HEY GUYS, I’VE GOT A GREAT IDEA’: If, like Kristen Connolly in “The Cabin in the Woods,” you and a group of your also-attractive friends decide to go for a fun weekend getaway at a mega-creepy cabin in the woods, you pretty much deserve to be horribly mauled by maniacs.

Market Street Cinema times at or after 9 p.m. are for Friday and Saturday only. Rave showtimes are valid for Friday only. Breckenridge and Lakewood 8 showings were not available as of press deadline. Find up-to-date listings at arktimes.com.

NEW MOVIES Budz House (R) – Stoner comedy about dudes whose stash of weed becomes super-powered after – oh, Lord I wish I was kidding – one of their friends unknowingly takes a dump on it.

Rave: 6:35, 9:00, 11:40.

The Cabin in the Woods (R) – Bad things happen to attractive young people when they go to a cabin in the woods, from producer Joss Whedon. Chenal 9: 11:30 a.m., 1:50, 4:25, 7:30, 9:50. Rave: 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, 4:30, 5:30, 7:00, 8:00, 9:30, 10:30, midnight.

Riverdale: 11:30 a.m., 1:35, 3:40, 5:50, 8:00, 10:10.

Lockout (PG-13) – With the president’s daughter trapped on a prison space station, there’s only one man for the job: a ruggedly handsome loose cannon falsely convicted ex-government agent. Chenal 9: 11:25 a.m., 1:50, 4:15, 7:20, 9:50. Rave: 10:45 a.m., 1:45, 4:45, 7:45, 10:45, midnight.

The Forgiveness of Blood (NR) – Tense thriller about a blood feud between two Albanian families. Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 7:00, 9:15.

In Darkness (R) – Based on the true story of a sewer worker who hides Jews in the underground tunnels of Nazi-occupied Poland, from director Agnieszka Holland. Market Street: 1:30, 4:15, 7:00, 9:30.

The Raid: Redemption (R) – Martial-arts action flick about a rookie cop who must survive a raid on a crime boss’s headquarters.

Seeking Justice (R) – Nicolas Cage as a sort of reluctant Charles Bronson type who gets more than he bargained for from a shadowy vigilante.

Market Street: 2:15, 4:25, 6:45, 9:00.

The Three Stooges (PG) – Yup, starring three guys you’ve never heard of. Chenal 9: 11:15 a.m., 1:35, 4:05, 7:05, 9:30. Rave: 10:10 a.m., 11:40 a.m., 12:40, 2:10, 3:10, 4:40, 5:40, 7:10, 8:10, 9:40, 10:40, midnight. Riverdale: 11:10 a.m., 1:20, 3:30, 5:45, 7:55, 10:05.

RETURNING THIS WEEK 21 Jump Street (R) – Buddy cop comedy starring Jonah Hill and former male stripper Channing Tatum. Rave: 10:40 a.m., 1:55, 4:55, 7:40, 10:25, midnight. Riverdale: 11:20 a.m., 2:00, 4:25, 7:00, 9:35.

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APRIL 11, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Act of Valor (R) – This action thriller stars real-life U.S. Navy SEALs. Riverdale: 11:40 a.m., 2:05, 4:35, 7:10, 9:45.

Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (G) – That rascally Alvin is at it again, driving Dave crazy and making him scream “ALVIN!” Only this time it’s on a cruise ship. Also, Alvin raps.

Movies 10: 2:50.

American Reunion (R) – The old crew from “American Pie” is back together to stare into the gaping chasm of suicidal depression and imminent middle-aged irrelevance. Chenal 9: 11:00 a.m., 1:40, 4:20, 7:30, 10:15. Rave: 10:25 a.m., 1:25, 4:25, 5:45, 7:25, 8:45, 10:15, 11:45.

Riverdale: 11:05 a.m., 1:45, 4:20, 7:05, 9:40.

Big Miracle (PG) – Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski rescue a family of noble gray whales from the encroaching Arctic ice. Movies 10: noon, 2:25, 5:00.

Chronicle (PG-13) – A trio of teen-agers gain mysterious superpowers from a meteorite, but will they use their newfound abilities wisely? Movies 10: 12:50, 3:00, 5:30, 7:55, 10:15.

Contraband (R) – Marky Mark has to return to his life of drug-running to save his boneheaded brother-in-law from gangsters. Movies 10: 12:10, 2:40, 5:10, 7:40, 10:10.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (PG-13) – Starring Nicolas Cage in a reprisal of his role as Marvel’s Ghost Rider. Also starring Idris “Stringer Bell” Elba. Movies 10: 12:05, 2:30, 4:50, 7:05, 9:30.

The Hunger Games (PG-13) – Teen-lit version of “The Running Man,” starring Jennifer Lawrence.

Chenal 9: 11:30 a.m., 3:30, 7:00, 10:10. Rave: 9:45 a.m., 11:00 a.m., noon, 1:10, 2:35, 3:15, 4:35, 6:30, 7:05, 8:05, 10:35, 11:30. Riverdale: 11:00 a.m., 1:50, 4:40, 7:30, 10:20.

The Lorax (PG) – A CGI adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ classic tale. Rave: 9:35 a.m. Riverdale: 11:25 a.m., 1:30, 3:35, 5:40, 7:45, 9:50.

Mirror Mirror (PG) – Retelling of “Snow White” with Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen. Chenal 9: 11:10 a.m., 1:45, 4:25, 7:10, 9:45. Rave: 9:50 a.m., 1:00, 3:35, 6:45, 9:20. Riverdale: 11:05 a.m., 1:30, 3:55, 6:20, 8:45.

October Baby (PG-13) – Soft-focus, feel-good anti-abortion propaganda. Rave: 12:05, 2:45.

The Secret World of Arrietty (G) – Animated tale about a family of tiny fairies who must survive the challenges and dangers of the suburban garden in which they dwell. Movies 10: 12:30, 2:55, 5:15, 7:35, 9:55.

Silent House (R) – Elizabeth Olson gets locked in her family’s lake house, and then some terror

happens. Movies 10: 12:45, 3:15, 5:25, 7:45, 9:50.

Star Wars: Episode 1 (PG) – Again? Really? Sigh.

Movies 10: 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 (3D).

This Means War (PG-13) – Tension, and deadly pranks, escalate between two beefy CIA dudes who discover they’re both dating Reese Witherspoon. One of the dudes is somehow British. Movies 10: 7:25, 9:40.

Titanic 3D (PG-13) – Cameron’s really rubbing our noses in it this time, huh? Just wait ’til they come out with 4D. You’ll be able to smell Leo’s greasy locks. Chenal 9: 11:30 a.m., 3:30, 7:30.

Rave: 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:35 a.m., 1:40, 2:40, 3:45, 7:00, 8:00, 11:20.

Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds (PG-13) – Worlds collide for a successful businessman, who meets a down-on-her-luck single mom who cleans the office building where he works. Riverdale: 11:00 a.m., 1:40, 4:15, 6:40, 9:05.

The Vow (PG-13) – Something sad and beautiful and sadly beautiful happens to the sad, beautiful Rachel McAdams and the former male stripper Channing Tatum. Movies 10: 12:25, 5:20, 7:50, 10:20.

We Need to Talk About Kevin (R) – Psychological thriller about a bad seed, with Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly. Market Street: 1:45, 4:15, 6:45, 9:15.

Woman in Black (R) – Man, now they’ve got that Harry Potter dude starring in horror movies about creepy old castles haunted by old-lady ghosts. Movies 10: 12:15, 2:35, 4:50, 7:05, 9:30.

Wrath of the Titans (PG-13) – A.k.a., “Is this a movie or a really long ad for a video game?”

Starring Liam Neeson as Zeus, because duh.

Chenal 9: 4:35 (2D), 11:45 a.m., 2:15, 7:35, 10:15 (3D), 11:00 a.m., 1:30, 4:00, 7:00, 9:30 (IMAX 3D).

Rave: 10:15 a.m., 1:30, 4:10, 7:30, 10:10 (2D), 11:10 a.m., 2:30, 5:10, 8:30, 11:10 (3D). Riverdale: 11:15 a.m., 1:30, 3:45, 5:55, 8:05, 10:15.

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

Cinemark Movies 10: 4188 E. McCain Blvd., 945-7400, www.cinemark.com.

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

Lakewood 8: 2939 Lakewood Village Drive, 7585354, www.fandango.com.

Market Street Cinema: 1521 Merrill Drive, 312-8900, 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.

MOVIE REVIEW

Join us in supporting National Safe Digging Month in April.

Call 811 before every dig.

‘AMERICAN REUNION’: Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan star.

Avoid ‘American Reunion’ Fourth installment in raunch franchise is dull, unfunny.

BY SAM EIFLING

A

few years back “American Pie” became a surprise hit for its R-rated combination of seemingly straighttalk teen-age raunch (that dude screwed a pie!) and sudsy teen-age sexual confusion (losing your virginity’s a drag when feelings get involved). It struck a nerve and spun an $11 million budget into a worldwide $235 million behemoth. That begat an “American Pie 2” and an “American Wedding” in the next four years, but it took another nine whole years for “American Reunion” to come into the world. Among its scant redeeming properties are that it ought, by in any rational scenario, to put this limping franchise out of its misery for good, unless a series of “American Funeral” sequels happens along to thin the herd.

The original lineup of white bread doofi are back in this iteration, with a twist you didn’t see coming: Everyone’s old! Jim (Jason Biggs, looking like he’s been working out his neck) and wife Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) have fallen into the trappings of parenthood, namely, a toddler. (The rugrat figures into a ribald opening scene that reveals just how sexually frustrated the new parents are.) They’re never getting any, and in a twist on the original “American” trying-to-score formula, the spouses spend the film looking for the chance for a conjugal visit. Some of the other fellows are likewise settled. Oz (Chris Klein, the poor man’s Keanu) is a semi-famous sportscaster who is dating a nutty model but still has a soft spot for his high-school flame Heather (Mena Suvari). Kevin (the cloyingly tame Thomas Ian Nicholas) has a girlfriend who makes him watch the Real Housewives of something, while the mysterious, globetrotting Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) has his eye on a late-blooming barmaid. Together they’re an utterly forgettable bro! foursome, a nowhere-America middle-class friend clique so true to life that they’ll bore you just as thoroughly as any given four shirt-tucking, cubicledwelling schmucks who may be seated next to you in the theater.

The exception is Seann William Scott

as Stifler, who is still painfully but unapologetically stuck in his high-school years. He claims a favorite “Twilight” book in order to impress far younger women; his idea of buying a round of drinks is a tray of shots; he makes the case to Jim that because teenagers these days know so much about sex, Jim would actually be bringing the newest techniques to the marital boudoir if he were to bed a nubile young thing. It’s as though the “American Reunion” writers (there are three, including Jon Hurwitz, who also shares a directing credit with Hayden Schlossberg, the director of the “Harold & Kumar” films) saved up every decent line, every funny scene, for Stifler. With a lineup of six Stiflers, this could’ve been a true romp. Instead, his existence accentuates how tepid the rest of the cast really is. Aside from a can’tbe-unseen encounter with a saucepan lid, every memorable moment belongs to Stifler or to Jim’s dad (Eugene Levy, back for more). Worse than merely dumb or lazy, “American Reunion” is too often both, plus flat dull, to boot.

Among its lesser crimes, “American Reunion” does its best to dredge up nostalgia for an era — the late ’90s — that rightly was the only casualty of Y2K. When the boys walk into the reunion dance floor, which looks like nothing more than a prom populated by actors in their mid-30s, the 1999 Lit song “My Own Worst Enemy” and its distinct hook begins playing. The audience once thought itself in on this joke: Earlier in the movie, when Jim is resisting the advances of the just-legal girl next door he used to babysit, “Wannabe,” by the Spice Girls, comes on her car stereo, and she exclaims how much she loves classic rock. The lyrics here are part of the joke: “If you wanna be my lover …” describes the scene in literal terms. So when Lit implores, “Please tell me / Please tellll meeee whyyyyyyy,” as the camera pans across the room before the climactic finale, you may wonder whether the filmmakers are sending out a thinly coded cry for help.

visit us at

argentamarket.com Food You Love From People You Know!

it’s our second anniversary!

Join us Saturday, April 14th 10:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in a celebration of local food and fun.

Enjoy samples, entertainment, and prizes Open Seven Days a Week Monday - Friday 11 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Saturday 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. • Sunday 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.

501.379.9980

521 Main Street • Argenta Arts District • North Little Rock

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APRIL 11, 2012

31

Dining

BELLY UP Check out the Times’ food blog, Eat Arkansas arktimes.com

WHAT’S COOKIN’

MORE CAJUN FOOD for a good cause: The Allen School for special-needs children hosts its annual Jumbo Gumbo fundraiser in the River Market Pavilions from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, April 13. A number of teams will compete for cash prizes. Todd Gold of Purple Cow, David Bennett of Vieux Carre, Billy Ginocchio of Pulaski Tech and Andre Poirot of The Peabody will serve as judges.

The Greasy Greens will perform beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance (available for purchase at jumbogumbocookoff.com) or $20 at the gate.

DINING CAPSULES

AMERICAN

ADAMS CATFISH CATERING Catering company with carry-out restaurant in Little Rock and carry-out trailers in Russellville and Perryville. 215 N. Cross St. All CC. $-$$. 501-374-4265. LD Tue.-Sat. ALLEY OOPS Plate lunches, burgers and homemade desserts. Remarkable Chess Pie. 11900 Kanis Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-221-9400. LD Mon.-Sat. B-SIDE The little breakfast place turns tradition on its ear, offering French toast wrapped in bacon on a stick, a musthave dish called “biscuit mountain” and beignets with lemon curd. 11121 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-716-2700. BL Wed.-Sun. BIG WHISKEY’S AMERICAN BAR AND GRILL A modern grill pub in the River Market with the usual burgers, steaks, soups and salads. 225 E. Markham. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-324-2449. LD daily.

BOBBY’S COUNTRY COOKIN’ One of the better plate lunch spots in the area, with some of the best fried chicken and pot roast around, a changing daily casserole and wonderful homemade pies. 301 N. Shackleford Road, Suite E1.

No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-9500.

L Mon.-Fri. BOGIE’S BAR AND GRILL Menu filled with burgers, salads and giant desserts, plus a few steak, fish and chicken main courses. 120 W. Pershing Blvd. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-812-0019. D daily.

BUFFALO GRILL A great crispy-off-theCONTINUED ON PAGE 33 32

APRIL 11, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

CARTI HOSTS its annual Ragin’ Cajun Bash in the River Market Pavilions from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Thursday, April 12. For $30 in advance or $40 at the event, you get all you can eat boiled crawfish and the trimmings (or, for the squeamish Popeye’s fried chicken) and free adult beverages. The band Lagniappe will perform and there’ll be a silent auction. Purchase advance tickets via the calendar of events tab at carti.com.

STAR PIG: Pulled pork sandwich at Capitol Smokehouse and Grill.

Pulled pork pros Capitol Smokehouse and Grill does Arkansas barbecue right.

E

ven though it’s less than a mile from our office, we’ve often overlooked Capitol Smokehouse and Grill. That it sits, as the name suggests, near the State Capitol in an area otherwise largely devoid of restaurants might be part of it. That we’re partial to Sims, Whole Hog and the White Pig Inn is probably another reason. But surely there’s room for another purveyor of smoked meats in our rotation, particularly when it does pulled pork as well as Capitol Smokehouse.

In two visits, we tried all smoked meats available — pulled pork, dry-rub ribs and smoked chicken — and the pulled pork was clearly the star. It comes, as part of a plate ($7.50), either as a mound of meat or as a sandwich. We sampled both.

To get a sense of the quality of the meat, we first tried it mostly without sauce, and it was juicy, tender, smoky tasting, awesome. As a sandwich, with a big spoonful of sweet, mayonnaise-based cole slaw on top, it went down even better with samples from Capitol Smokehouse’s sauce selection. The hot sauce, which the restaurant’s guide describes aptly as “spicy traditional Southern,” was a favorite, as was the Froggy Bottom, a mustard and vinegar concoction with more thickness than you’ll find at Sims or on Carolina barbecue. Also available: a tangy hickory sauce called Pig Trail that didn’t do much for us and Mild and XXX, opposite extremes that we steered clear of for fear

Capitol Smokehouse and Grill 915 W. Capitol Ave. 372-4227

QUICK BITE Capitol Smokehouse caters, too. Their “Pig Out Packs” of everything you need to make pork sandwiches, plus slaw, potato salad and beans come in sizes meant for four, six, eight and 12 people and range in price from $27.99 to $81.95.

HOURS 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

OTHER INFORMATION No alcohol. Credit cards accepted.

Three tables on a covered patio in the front of the restaurant.

of taking away from that tasty meat.

The brisket ($9.99) was pretty much the opposite of the pork. It might just be advisable to avoid ordering brisket outside of Texas if you’re not at Smokin’ Buns in north Pulaski County. You can only be disappointed so many times before a moratorium must be called, such as on Philly cheese steaks outside of Philadelphia or muffalettas outside southernmost Louisiana.

The half slab of ribs ($10.99) was adequate, with good smoky flavor and a really tasty dry rub being somewhat diminished by fairly dry meat that clung

— often tenaciously — to the bone. The smoked chicken quarter ($7.50) was terrifically juicy, but while the rub — heavy on a tang that no one in our party could identify — wasn’t bad, it wasn’t a flavor combination that came close to contending with the pork.

Capitol Smokehouse operates like a lot of meat and threes. You grab a tray; pick your meat, which includes daily specials like meatloaf and fried chicken, and pick your sides. The jalapeno cornbread was a highlight. It had a great heat level and walked the line perfectly between cornbread that’s too dry and crumbly and that which is too greasy. Macaroni and cheese was serviceable, hot and tasty. A squash casserole with a crispy top layer was a nice counterbalance to the saltiness of the other items. The baked beans could’ve used a little more heat, but were fine; it’s mighty hard to mess up baked beans. The homemade chips were better the second time we tried them because they’d clearly just come out of the fryer, but were good enough cold that we can’t imagine not getting them again on a return trip.

Capitol Smokehouse is a small place and as such it fits a number of its tables too close together. Sitting comfortably often means nearly blocking the way for traffic to move. That said, on both visits, once during lunch rush and another time well after it was over, we managed. Be warned, though: a table in the southwest corner of the restaurant sits underneath a gap where the ceiling tile has been removed. We got dripped on the first time we went for lunch and noticed that the ceiling still hadn’t been repaired two weeks later when we returned recently.

BRIAN CHILSON

Information in our restaurant capsules 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.

DOES YOUR

B Breakfast L Lunch D Dinner $ Inexpensive (under $8/person) $$ Moderate ($8-$20/person) $$$ Expensive (over $20/person) CC Accepts credit cards

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NEED SOME +FIRST AID?

UPDATE being a state enamored of all things pork-related, there aren’t many restaurants serving authentic charcuterie in Arkansas.

While originally developed as a method to preserve meat, the art of charcuterie lives on in this age of refrigeration as a testament to all the delicious things that can be done with a pig. The Pantry offers a wide variety of prepared meats, and an appetizer called “The Pantry Board” that includes bratwurst, smoked pork, prosciutto, and pork terrine, with bread, cheese, and olives — easily large enough for a table of four and with astounding flavors. The star of the plate is the fresh pork shoulder terrine layered with blanched asparagus and wrapped with bacon. As far as We’re aware, The Pantry is the only menu in Little Rock that features a terrine, and while pork meatloaf flavored with liver isn’t everybody’s thing, this dish is worth a try. The texture of the pork is sumptuous and rich, seasoned lightly and brought to a state of perfection when sliced onto grilled French bread and topped with a crunchy cornichon. It’s an old-world taste that seems to work just fine here in Arkansas, and the freshness and quality of the ingredients are matched only by the Pantry’s excellent service. 11401 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-353-1875. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat.

griddle cheeseburger and hand-cut fries star at this family-friendly stop. 1611 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, CC. $$. 501-296-9535. LD daily. 400 N. Bowman Road. Full bar, Beer, All CC. $$. 501-224-0012. LD daily.

CATFISH CITY AND BBQ GRILL Basic fried fish and sides, including green tomato pickles, and now with tasty ribs and sandwiches in beef, pork and sausage. 1817 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-7224.

LD Tue.-Sat. CHEERS Good burgers and sandwiches, vegetarian offerings and salads at lunch and fish specials, and good steaks in the evening. 2010 N. Van Buren. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-6635937. LD Mon.-Sat. 1901 Club Manor Drive.

Maumelle. Full bar, All CC. 501-851-6200. LD daily, BR Sun. CORNERSTONE PUB & GRILL A sandwich, pizza and beer joint in the heart of North Little Rock’s Argenta district. 314 Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-1782. LD Mon.-Sat. DAVE AND RAY’S DOWNTOWN DINER Breakfast buffet daily featuring biscuits and gravy, home fries, sausage and made-toorder omelets. Lunch buffet with four choices of meats and eight veggies. 824 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol. $. 501-372-8816. BL Mon.-Fri. DAVID’S BUTCHER BOY BURGERS Serious hamburgers, steak salads, homemade custard.

101 S. Bowman Road.

DOGTOWN COFFEE AND COOKERY Up-to-date sandwich, salad and fancy coffee kind of place, well worth a visit. 6725 John F. Kennedy Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-833-3850. BL Mon.-Sun., BLD Fri.-Sat.,.

E’S BISTRO Try the heaping grilled salmon BLT on a buttery croissant. 3812 JFK Boulevard.

NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-771-6900.

FLIGHT DECK A not-your-typical daily lunch special highlights this spot, which also features inventive sandwiches, salads and a popular

JESS MILLER

THE PANTRY Despite

burger. Central Flying Service at Adams Field.

Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-375-3245. BL Mon.-Sat. GREEN CUISINE Daily specials and a small, solid menu of vegetarian fare. Try the crunchy quinoa salad. 985 West Sixth St. No alcohol, CC. $-$$. Serving.

HILLCREST ARITSAN MEATS A fancy charcuterie and butcher shop with excellent daily soup and sandwich specials. Limited seating is available. 2807 Kavanaugh Blvd. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-671-6328. L Mon.-Sat. KITCHEN EXPRESS Delicious “meat and three” restaurant offering big servings of homemade soul food. 4600 Asher Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-3500. BLD Mon.-Sat., LD Sun. LYNN’S CHICAGO FOODS Outpost for Chicago specialties like Vienna hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches. 6501 Geyer Springs.

No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-568-2646. LD Mon.-Sat. MADDIE’S If you like your catfish breaded Cajun-style, your grits rich with garlic and cream and your oysters fried up in perfect puffs, this Cajun eatery on Rebsamen Park Road is the place for you. 1615 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-6604040. LD Tue.-Sat. MORNINGSIDE BAGELS Tasty New York-style boiled bagels, made daily. 10848 Maumelle Blvd. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-7536960. BL daily.

ORANGE LEAF YOGURT Upscale self-serve national yogurt chain. 11525 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-227-4522. LD daily.

PHIL’S HAM AND TURKEY PLACE Fine hams, turkeys and other specialty meats served whole, by the pound or in sandwich form.

11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-225-2136. LD Mon.-Fri. L Sat. CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

Bring your status back to good health.

ARKANSAS TIMES Social & Digital Media www.arktimes.com www.arktimes.com

APRIL 11, 2012

33

CROSSWORD

DINING CAPSULES, CONT.

EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ Across 1 Web programmer’s medium 5 Telly network 8 Hunter who wrote “The Blackboard Jungle” 12 Grammy winner India.___ 13 Glowing rings 15 Prop for Houdini 16 Subject for a Degas painting 18 Patron saint of Norway 19 Complete train wreck, in Southern slang 20 “Gimme ___!”

21 Bedsheets and such 24 Not in stock, but coming 26 Prize higher than plata or bronce 27 Stable father figure?

31 ___ lot (gorged oneself) 32 Software prototype

34 ___ bene 36 Has no stomach for 39 Classic Xavier Cugat song … or a hint to the invitation in the circled letters 42 Field on screen 43 R&B singer Peniston 44 Unaccompanied performances 45 Impart 47 Like some vowels and pants 49 “Platoon” setting, informally 50 Fast-food franchise with a game piece in its logo 53 Locales for crow’s-nests 55 Those, to Teodoro 56 Parody singer Yankovic 60 Rebuke to a traitor

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61 Snaking, like the arrangement of circled letters in this puzzle 65 Rudolph and kin 66 Paraffin-coated Dutch imports 67 Periodic table info: Abbr.

68 Dover delicacy 69 Prefix with functional 70 Host Mike of the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” Down 1 Feasted on 2 “La-la” lead-in 3 Least fig.

4 Milk, to Manuel 5 Scottish slope 6 Banquo, in Verdi’s “Macbeth” 7 Aircraft division of Textron 8 Green nuts?

9 Parking amenities 10 Tequila source 11 “In your dreams!”

13 Malfunction, with “up” 14 German city on the Danube 17 Time immemorial 21 University of New Mexico team 22 Grantorto’s victim in “The Faerie Queene” 23 Secret rendezvous point 25 “The wearin’ ___ green”

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28 Queen of Thebes, in myth 29 Sgt.’s program 30 Bluesy Waters 33 Idle

35 “With the bow,” to a violinist 37 Razzle-dazzle

38 Removes cream from

40 Vegas casino magnate Steve 41 Bard’s nightfall 46 Used a divining rod 48 Gangbuster 50 Some Monopoly cards 51 Prefix with arthritis 52 Zero-star, say

54 Wedding day destination 57 Some investments, for short 58 45 letters 59 ___ Moines 62 “What am ___ do?”

63 San Antonio-toAmarillo dir.

64 Abbr. in a job ad

For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554.

Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information.

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Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay.

Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

THIS MODERN WORLD

RED MANGO National yogurt and smoothie chain whose appeal lies in adjectives like “all-natural,” “non-fat,” “gluten-free” and “probiotic.”

5621 Kavanaugh Blvd. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-2500. LD daily.

RESTAURANT 1620 Steaks, chops, a broad choice of fresh seafood and meal-sized salads are just a few of the choices on a broad menu at this popular and upscale West Little Rock bistro. It’s a romantic, candlelit room, elegant without being fussy or overly formal. 1620 Market St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-221-1620. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat., BR Sun. SAY MCINTOSH RESTAURANT Longtime political activist and restaurateur Robert “Say” McIntosh serves up big plates of soul food, plus burgers, barbecue and his famous sweet potato pie. 2801 W. 7th Street.

No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-664-6656. LD Mon.-Sat. L Sun. SIMPLY NAJIYYAH’S FISHBOAT AND MORE Good catfish and corn fritters. 2900 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-562-3474.

Serving:.

SLICK’S SANDWICH SHOP & DELI Meat-and-two plate lunches in state office building. 101 E. Capitol Ave. 501-375-3420. L Mon.-Fri. SPECTATORS GRILL AND PUB Burgers, soups, salads and other beer food, plus live music on weekends. 1012 W. 34th St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-791-0990. LD Mon.-Sat. SPORTS PAGE Perhaps the largest, juiciest, most flavorful burger in town.

Grilled turkey and hot cheese on sourdough gets praise, too. Now with lunch specials. 414 Louisiana St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-9316. L Mon.-Fri. STARVING ARTIST CAFE All kinds of crepes, served as entrees or as dessert, in this cozy multidimensional eatery with art-packed walls and live demonstrations by artists during meals. The Black Forest ham sandwich is a perennial favorite with the lunch crowd. Dinner menu changes daily, good wine list. “Tales from the South” dinner and readings at on Tuesdays; live music precedes the show. 411 N. Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$.

501-372-7976. L Tue.-Sat., D Tue., Fri.-Sat. SUFFICIENT GROUNDS Great coffee, good bagels and pastries, and a limited lunch menu. 122 W. Capitol. No alcohol, CC. $. 501-372-1009.

BL Mon.-Fri. THE TAVERN SPORTS GRILL Burgers, barbecue and more. 17815 Chenal Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-830-2100. LD daily.

UNIVERSITY MARKET @ 4CORNERS A food truck court where local vendors park daily. If you’ve got your heart set on something particular, make sure you check facebook.com/4cornersmarket to see what carts are scheduled to be parked. 6221 Colonel Glenn Road. CC. $-$$. 501-5151661. LD daily. 6221 Colonel Glenn Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-413-3672. LD. VICTORIAN GARDEN We’ve found the fare quite tasty and somewhat daring and different with its healthy, balanced entrees and crepes. 4801 North Hills Blvd. NLR. $-$$. 501-758-4299. L Tue.-Sat.

ASIAN

BENIHANA JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE Enjoy the cooking show, make sure you get a little filet with your meal, and do plenty of dunking in that fabulous ginger sauce. 2 Riverfront Place. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-374-8081. BLD Sun.-Sat. CHI’S DIMSUM & BISTRO A huge menu spans the Chinese provinces and offers a few twists on the usual local offerings, plus there’s authentic Hong Kong dim sum available. 6 Shackleford Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-221-7737. LD daily. 17200 Chenal Parkway. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-821-8000.

FAR EAST ASIAN CUISINE Old favorites such as orange beef or chicken and Hunan green beans are still prepared with care at what used to be Hunan out west. 11600 Pleasant Ridge Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-2199399. LD daily.

FU LIN Quality in the made-to-order entrees is high, as is the quantity. 200 N. Bowman Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-225-8989. LD daily.

HUNAN BALCONY The owner of New Fun Ree has combined forces with the Dragon China folks to create a formidable offering with buffet or menu items. 418 W. 7th. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-8889. LD. IGIBON JAPANESE FOOD HOUSE It’s a complex place, where the food is almost always good and the ambiance and service never fail to please. The Bento box with tempura shrimp and California rolls and other delights stand out. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-217-8888. LD Mon.-Sat. KOBE JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE & SUSHI Though answering the need for more hibachis in Little Rock, Kobe stands taller in its sushi offerings than at the grill. 11401 Financial Centre Parkway. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-225-5999. L Mon.-Sat. D daily.

PANDA GARDEN Large buffet including Chinese favorites, a full on-demand sushi bar, a cold seafood bar, pie case, salad bar and dessert bar. 2604 S. Shackleford Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-8100.

LD daily.

SUPER KING BUFFET Large buffet with sushi and a Mongolian grill.

4000 Springhill Plaza Court. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-945-4802.

LD daily.

VAN LANG CUISINE Terrific Vietnamese cuisine, particularly the way the

34

APRIL 11, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

DINING CAPSULES, CONT. pork dishes and the assortment of rolls are presented. Great prices, too. Massive menu, but it’s user-friendly for locals with full English descriptions and numbers for easy ordering.

3600 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-570-7700. LD daily.

BARBECUE

CAPITOL SMOKEHOUSE AND GRILL Beef, pork, sausage and chicken, all smoked to melting tenderness and doused with a choice of sauces. The crusty but tender backribs star.

Side dishes are top quality. 915 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-4227.

BL Mon.-Fri. CROSS EYED PIG BBQ COMPANY Traditional barbecue favorites smoked well such as pork ribs, beef brisket and smoked chicken. Miss Mary’s famous potato salad is full of bacon and other goodness. Smoked items such as ham and turkeys available seasonally.

1701 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-265-0000. L Mon.-Sat., D Tue.-Fri. 1701 Rebsamen Park Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-227-7427. LD daily.

FATBOY’S KILLER BAR-B-Q This Landmark neighborhood strip center restaurant in the far southern reaches of Pulaski County features tender ribs and pork by a contest pitmaster.

Skip the regular sauce and risk the hot variety, it’s far better. 14611 Arch Street. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-888-4998. LD Mon.-Fri. HB’S BAR B.Q. Great slabs of meat with fiery barbecue sauce, but ribs are served on Tuesday only. Other days, try the tasty pork sandwich on an onion roll. 6010 Lancaster.

No alcohol, No CC. $-$$. 501-565-1930. L Mon.-Fri. MICK’S BBQ, CATFISH AND GRILL Good burgers, picnic-worth deviled eggs and heaping barbecue sandwiches topped with sweet sauce. 3609 MacArthur Dr. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-791-2773. LD Mon.-Sun. SIMS BAR-B-QUE Great spare ribs, sandwiches, beef, half and whole chicken and an addictive vinegar-mustard-brown sugar sauce unique for this part of the country. 2415 Broadway. Beer, CC. $-$$. 501-372-6868. LD Mon.-Sat. 1307 John Barrow Road. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-2057. LD Mon.-Sat. 7601 Geyer Springs Road. Beer, All CC. $$. 501-5628844. LD Mon.-Sat.

EUROPEAN / ETHNIC

KHALIL’S PUB Widely varied menu with European, Mexican and American influences.

Go for the Bierocks, rolls filled with onions and beef. 110 S. Shackleford Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-224-0224. LD daily. BR Sun. THE PANTRY Owner and self-proclaimed “food evangelist” Tomas Bohm does things the right way -- buying local, making almost everything from scratch and focusing on simple preparations of classic dishes. The menu stays relatively true to his Czechoslovakian roots, but there’s plenty of choices to suit all tastes.

There’s also a nice happy-hour vibe. 11401 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-353-1875. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. STAR OF INDIA The best Indian restaurant in the region, with a unique buffet at lunch and some fabulous dishes at night (spicy curried dishes, tandoori chicken, lamb and veal, vegetarian). 301 N. Shackleford. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-227-9900. LD daily.

TASTE OF ASIA Delicious Indian food in a pleasant atmosphere. Perhaps the best samosas in town. Buffet at lunch. 2629 Lakewood Village Dr. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-812-4665. LD daily.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

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ack in March, ABC’s The Revolution showed how Hot Springs mom and schoolteacher Sarah Orr changed her lifestyle. With help from The Revolution’s panel of experts that includes home makeover pro Ty Pennington, fashion guru Tim Gunn, therapist Dr. Tiffanie Davis Henry and others, Orr kicked her diet soda addiction, got fit and learned how to manage her ADD. What viewers didn’t see was how local residents pulled together when it came to redecorating Orr’s spare room—a cluttered space where she hoped to kick start her new workout routine and spend time with her family. Jennifer Huett, the owner of House to Home Interiors in Hot Springs, was asked by ABC to help lead the project, but with several limitations— a budget of $500 and a deadline less than 10 days away. Huett gamely took on the challenge and as soon as ABC sent over pictures of fabric swatches, she started making calls to ask local vendors for donations on everything from flooring to furnishings.

After seven days of hard work and far more than $500 in donated drapes, crafts supplies, a brand-new

Barbara Cosgrove Vania urns and lamps shipped courtesy of Ryan McWilliams

501-291-0858

Hot Springs

Pine craft table, stools and twosided blackboard from Park Hill

couch and more, Huett got a call from the producers, who reported that the fledgling show was to be cancelled.

But Huett pushed for the project to be completed, and the network relented.

(Orr’s makeover was completed and revealed on television, and ABC has continued to air The Revolution.)

“Let’s just say it was an adventure and I have learned a lot about TV,” Huett admits. “But we had a wonderful time. I feel very privileged to help somebody out, and I want to promote how Hot Springs really came together and helped somebody.”

The dramatic cancellation scare dipped into precious time, but Huett and her volunteer crew were able to give Orr the room that she dreamed of with one final push. They worked from 4 p.m. one afternoon in February until 5 a.m. the next morning to install and decorate the space. (Huett

hearsay

➥ Happy anniversary, FRINGE BENEFITS! The hip hair salon, which has been named Best Salon by the Arkansas Times and others, celebrates its fifth anniversary of snipping ‘dos in April. Join the party on Thursday, April 19 at 5 p.m., when the shop hosts an open house and food drive as part of the Heights Third Thursday. Visitors are encouraged to bring non-perishable food to donate to the Arkansas Foodbank. An added perk of helping to feed Arkansans in need: Each person who donates will be entered into a drawing for a $500 Fringe gift card. ➥ Get excited for the QUAPAW QUARTER ASSOCIATION’S 48TH SPRING TOUR OF HOMES (happening May 12-13) at a preview party this Friday, April 13 from 6-9 p.m. The QQA will host the affair in the 1881 Villa Marre, where revelers will enjoy cocktails and hors d’oevres, plus a fashion show of funky looks from Hillcrest boutique Vintage Socialite.

MORE VOLUNTEERS!

Chad Huett Becky Thorton Kathryn Russell Gregg and Donna Alford John Horner Lisa Hill Matt and Carissa Hardage Beth Stewart Carrie Gaston Mickys Custom Drapes-Draperies Ty Pennington with his team of local volunteers.

spills that on-screen star Ty Pennington was only there for “about an hour” and did little to help with the actual design or installation.)

Now the lively chartreuse and purple room is an organized haven for Orr and her family. Other than a dually energizing and calming color scheme, Huett’s main design inspiration was helping Orr stay focused and organized by designating dis-

Tickets bought in advance are $30; visit Quapaw.com for information. ➥ We propose you visit PROPOSALS sometime soon—bargain hunters will find prom prices trimmed by 25% through April 14. Then on April 27 and 28, the boutique invites Memphisbased Avant Bride to show off jewelry and accessories in a special trunk show. ➥ Then, hurry over to B.BARNETT to catch the tail end of the Ralph Lauren trunk show on April 11. You’ll get to shop the quintessential American design house’s fall 2012 collection, which was inspired by “modern glamour” and “refined elegance.”

Still in the mood to shop? Then, don’t miss Girls’ Night Out at BELK IN PLEASANT RIDGE TOWN CENTER on Thursday, April 12 from 5-8:30 p.m. The superstore is offering 20% off almost everything, including already marked-down items in ladies’ apparel, shoes, dresses, handbags, accessories and more.

tinct spaces for different activities: a craft area for her first and third-grade daughters, a “gym” space with Orr’s exercise equipment and a family room for socializing.

“With three different areas in the room, one of the best things is that it is multifunctional,” Huett says. “It’s beautiful and fun; the whole family can be in that room and kind of have their separate space but be together.”

➥ Got an old kitchen gadget or two that you never use? Of course you do, you ever-curious foodies. EGGSHELLS KITCHEN CO. will help you get rid of them at their Swap Meet on April 12-14. Hand over your used (but working) goodies to Eggshells to help fund your next adventure in the kitchen—when the items sell, you’ll get credit that can be redeemed in the store for new cooking toys. ➥ Bad news: KITCHEN CO., one of our favorite stores for cooking appliances, is going out of business. Good news: Their entire stock of cookware, cutlery, gadgets, glassware, dinnerware and gourmet food are 40% off.

Shop the store one last time to find some great deals, even if the savings are a little bittersweet.

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37

No mas, por favor

D

id you notice in Miss Jane Krutz’s recent novella obituary that one of her proudest accomplishments had been to serve as the longtime international president of the Don Ameche fan club?

You might not remember Don Ameche, now 20 years gone — or you might remember him only as one of the old-timers in the three-hankie grown-up-Opie epic “Cocoon” of 1985 — but he seems to have been a gentleman (and a gentle man) of the old school, a genuinely nice guy, one of not many of them from Hollywood’s golden era, and worthier of fan-club admiration than most of the names higher up on the marquee.

It certainly didn’t diminish my respect for Miss Jane for having picked him to celebritize — a Henry Luce coinage — having once myself been the only card-carrying member in my immediate bailiwick of the fan club of an even more obscure character, namely Al Rosen, the Cleveland Indians third sacker and 1953 American League MVP who was my Little League idol when I was 10.

I remember someone in this period asking me if Al Rosen might be a Jew, and my uncertain reply, “No, he plays third.”

Faith and baseball are pretty much mutually exclusive pursuits, I’ve found, but I

didn’t know that then. Sandy Koufax skipping a World Series start in observance of Yom BOB Kippur might’ve LANCASTER roused some vague curiosity if he’d played for a different team.

It was easier being a Mickey Mantle fan.

Or a salaamer of the Splendid Splinter, of whom no one could’ve known that some day his heirs would be fighting for custody of his frozen head. Best eyes in the business once; now you wouldn’t want them to chill your whiskey. Funny how things work out.

Incidentally, my late brother-in-law Lee Webb, whom you probably didn’t know but whose head was buried along with the rest of him after he died, bore a striking physical resemblance to Ted Williams. I thought he did. At least when he was younger, before illness and disability, creeping age and too many cigs, distorted his features; and decades before Hub fans bade the Kid adieu. I don’t know how much the final two countenances favored, the frozen one and the one that our own Mr. Joyboy, the great afterlife artist Ed Carey, sent to glory, inasmuch as I lost most of my earlier interest in the topic somewhere along the way.

Little Martha G., whom I would later marry and hang with for 49 years and counting, belonged in that lost epoch to at least three fan clubs — those of Lassie (“Wait! She’s trying to tell us something!

About a kid trapped in an old well!”), and Roy Rogers, the yodeling cowboy, and Tony Curtis, who had yet to grow beyond his “yonder lies me fodder’s castle” phase into the comic genius of “Some Like It Hot.” Little M. thought Tony was beautiful, and I had no answer for that. Hell, I even thought he was beautiful as Josephine, on the lam from the mob.

She might also have been a Mickey Mouse Club member, an honorary Mouseketeer, but I knew that membership in such an exalted organization was far above my station and breeding. The theme song didn’t differentiate between peasants and gentry — the Mouseketeers sang of “the club that’s made for you and me,” taking the egalitarian aspect for granted — but this fellowship and these people were simply out of my league. Bobby and Lonnie and Cubby and Darlene and Doreen and Annette sang and danced in spangled venues and took Adventureland safaris and made Tomorrowland space flights, and I took it all in and then made my afternoon trot to the homeplace two-holer to sit and think it over.

We were both Little Rascals in Betty Fowler’s clubhouse, both fans of Alfalfa Switzer — me because the same cow licked

our hair the same way — who would come to a bad end, shot in the groin and bled to death during a drunken homeinvasion trying to collect a disputed $50 debt. Who would’ve thought? And we were both Cactus Vick Square Shooters, an odd bunkhouse where nothing ever happened and nobody did anything. Cactus himself seemed rather sheepish in his role, eager to get through the thing and get back to being ol’ Volmer, a regular guy with his dignity intact and sans the carousel.

Yore fan clubbery was not so risky a proposition. Sometimes bad pub leaked on your celebrity of choice — the Lindberghs chumming it up with Hitler; beloved Scarlett O’Hara portrayer a veritable skank; Izzy Stone in the pocket of the KGB — but not often. Skeletons in the closet (“Mary” Hoover’s, Izzy Stone’s) usually stayed in the closet and who’s to say that wasn’t the better way?

Too much information now, and t’s been so at least since they spent nigh on three years in hot pursuit of one Willard Clinton, fighting Heisenberg to chart his curvature, enumerating his every spelunk.

I was mulling all this — no longer from the privy board, mind you — even as Coach’s hog was munching Crosses farkleberry after having dumped him and amigo onto the hard and set all the viper’s eggs to hatching. Me here ribs intact and no fans discomfited, thinking with Roberto Duran, No mas, no mas.

ARKANSAS TIMES CLASSIFIEDS Employment

Director

the Department of Arkansas Heritage invites applications for the position of Director of the Mosaic templars cultural center and Museum. the museum, which opened in 2008, is the premiere African American museum in central Arkansas. the Director will be responsible for planning and directing the overall operation of the museum; coordinating the primary fund raising pursuits for the museum programs; provide direction to other museum staff; work effectively and collaboratively with various public and private partnerships including, but not limited to, friends groups, boards and commissions coordinate activities with other agencies and museums within DAH; and perform various other administrative duties. the Director may be required to work other than normal office hours. Some in and out of state travel may also be required. the Director will possess a working knowledge of Arkansas History, particularly African American Arkansas History as well as knowledge of museum administration including standard museum and oral history practices outlined by the American Association of Museums and the oral History Association, as well as the ability to work with community groups, other state agencies, legislators, etc. the director should have skills in editing as well as effective oral and written communication. the Director will report to the Deputy Director of Museums of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. Minimum qualifications: the formal education equivalent of a bachelorÕs degree in public administration, business administration, or a related area; plus six years of experience in program development and administration, including three years in a supervisory or leadership capacity. Valid Arkansas Driver’s License and preemployment criminal background check is required.

Please apply online at http://www.arstatejobs.com.

All applications must be received by close of business April 26, 2012. eoe.

38

APRIL 11, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

38 April 11, 2012 ARKANSAS TIMES

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DINING CAPSULES, CONT. TAZIKI’S Gyros, grilled meats and veggies, hummus and pimento cheese. 8200 Cantrell Rd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-227-8291. LD daily 12800 Chenal Parkway. Beer, Wine, All CC. 501-225-1829. LD daily.

ITALIAN

DAMGOODE PIES A somewhat different Italian/ pizza place, largely because of a spicy garlic white sauce that’s offered as an alternative to the traditional red sauce. Good bread, too. 2701 Kavanaugh Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-664-2239. LD daily. 6706 Cantrell Road.

Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-664-2239. LD daily. 10720 Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-664-2239. LD daily. 37 East Center St. Fayetteville. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

479-444-7437. LD daily.

GUSANO’S They make the tomatoey Chicagostyle deep-dish 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. 313 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-1441.

LD daily. 2915 Dave Ward Drive. Conway. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-329-1100. LD daily.

LARRY’S PIZZA The buffet is the way to go — fresh, hot pizza, fully loaded with ingredients, brought hot to your table, all for a low price.

Many Central Arkansas locations. 1122 S. Center.

No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-8804. LD daily.

12911 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-224-8804. LD daily.

NYPD PIZZA Plenty of tasty choices in the obvious New York police-like setting, but it’s fun. Only the pizza is cheesy. Even the personal pizzas come in impressive combinations, and baked ziti, salads are more also are available.

Cheap slice specials at lunch. 6015 Chenonceau Boulevard, Suite 1. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$.

501-868-3911. LD daily.

PALIO’S Not quite artisan-grade, but far better than the monster chains and at a similar price point. With an appealingly thin, crunchy crust. 3 Rahling Circle. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-8210055. LD daily.

VESUVIO Arguably Little Rock’s best Italian restaurant is in one of the most unlikely places – tucked inside the Best Western Governor’s Inn within a nondescript section of west Little Rock. 1501 Merrill Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$$.

501-225-0500. D daily.

VILLA ITALIAN RESTAURANT Hearty, inexpensive, classic southern Italian dishes. 12111 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-2192244. LD Mon.-Sat.

LATINO

CASA MANANA Great guacamole and garlic

beans, superlative chips and salsa (red and green) and a broad selection of fresh seafood, plus a deck out back. 6820 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-280-9888. BLD daily 18321 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-8688822. BLD daily 400 President Clinton Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. L Mon.-Sat. CASA MEXICANA Familiar Tex-Mex style items all shine, in ample portions, and the steakcentered dishes are uniformly excellent. 6929 JFK Blvd. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-835-7876.

LD daily.

COZYMEL’S A trendy Dallas-chain cantina with flaming cheese dip, cilantro pesto, mole, lamb and more. 10 Shackleford Drive. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-954-7100. LD daily.

EL CHICO Hearty, standard Mex served in huge portions. 1315 Breckenridge Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-224-2550. LD daily.

EL PORTON (LR) Good Mex for the price and a wide-ranging menu of dinner plates, some tasty cheese dip, and great service as well. 12111 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-223-8588.

LD daily. 5201 Warden Road. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-753-4630. LD daily. 5507 Ranch Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$. LD daily.

LA HACIENDA Creative, fresh-tasting entrees and traditional favorites, all painstakingly prepared in a festive atmosphere. Great taco

salad, nachos, and maybe the best fajitas around. 3024 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-661-0600. LD daily. 200 Highway 65 N. Conway. All CC. $$. 501-327-6077. LD daily.

LA VAQUERA The tacos at this truck are more expensive than most, but they’re still cheap eats.

One of the few trucks where you can order a combination plate that comes with rice, beans and lettuce. 4731 Baseline Road. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-565-3108. LD Mon.-Sat. LAS DELICIAS Levy-area mercado with a taqueria and a handful of booths in the back of the store. 3401 Pike Ave. NLR. Beer, All CC. $. 501-812-4876.

LONCHERIA MEXICANA ALICIA The best taco truck in West Little Rock. Located in the Walmart parking lot on Bowman. 620 S. Bowman. No alcohol, No CC. $. 501-612-1883. L Mon.-Sat. MERCADO SAN JOSE From the outside, it appears to just be another Mexican grocery store. Inside, you’ll find one of Little Rock’s best Mexican bakeries and a restaurant in back serving tortas and tacos for lunch. 7411 Geyer Springs Road. Beer, CC. $. 501-565-4246. BLD daily.

RIVIERA MAYA Typical Mexican fare for the area, though the portions are on the large side. 801 Fair Park Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-663-4800.

LD daily. www.arktimes.com April 11, 2012 39

www.arktimes.com

APRIL 11, 2012

39

Eat, Drink and Be Literary! ¶

ome one, come all to the Arkansas Times’ 9th and poetry smack down, featuring live readings by the best writers from Central Arkansas and the Arkansas Literary Festival schedule. Food, drinks, and poetry: who could ask for anything more?

Pub or Perish, annual fiction

With

LULAV

A MODERN EATERY

Upstairs 220 West 6th St. Little Rock Free admission!

Saturday, April 14 7 to 9 p.m.

Complimentary Hors d'oeuvres

NICKOLE BROWN, LORIA TAYLOR AND OTHER GREAT LOCAL AND ARKANSAS LITERARY FESTIVAL AUTHORS.

Plus: Open Mic!

For more information about Pub or Perish or open mic, e-mail: david@arktimes.com. Open mic slots are very limited, and available on a first-come-firstserved basis the night of the show.

SPONSORED BY: THE ARKANSAS TIMES, THE ARKANSAS LITERARY FESTIVAL, AND LULAV A MODERN EATERY. WWW.ARKANSASLITERARYFESTIVAL.ORG 2 JULY 1, 2004 s !2+!.3!3 4)-%3