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The Story of

Song Sung Blue

Craig Brewer’s new film celebrates big dreams —

& Neil Diamond.

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OUR 1921ST ISSUE 12.18.25

The Story of Song Sung Blue Craig Brewer’s new film celebrates big dreams — & Neil Diamond. PHOTO: COURTESY FOCUS FEATURES

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SHARA CLARK Editor-in-Chief ABIGAIL MORICI Managing Editor JACKSON BAKER, BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN Senior Editors TOBY SELLS Associate Editor KAILYNN JOHNSON News Reporter CHRIS MCCOY Film and TV Editor ALEX GREENE Music Editor MICHAEL DONAHUE, JON W. SPARKS Staff Writers JESSE DAVIS, EMILY GUENTHER, COCO JUNE, AJ KRATZ, PATRICIA LOCKHART, FRANK MURTAUGH, KATIE STEPHENSON Contributing Columnists SHARON BROWN, AIMEE STIEGEMEYER Grizzlies Reporters

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NEWS & OPINION THE FLY-BY - 4 POLITICS - 7 AT LARGE - 8 FINANCE - 9 COVER STORY “THE STORY OF SONG SUNG BLUE” BY CHRIS McCOY - 10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WE RECOMMEND - 15 MUSIC - 16

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CONTENTS

CHET HASTINGS Warehouse and Delivery Manager JANICE GRISSOM ELLISON, KAREN MILAM, DON MYNATT, TAMMY NASH, RANDY ROTZ, LEWIS TAYLOR, WILLIAM WIDEMAN Distribution

THE

fly-by

MEMernet

W E E K T H AT WA S By Flyer staff

Execution, Neural Nexus, & SNAP

#COLDASSHIT

State kills another inmate, a historic Downtown project, and sugary items banned from program.

The DAMN Weather of Memphis gave us a satellite view of the national polar plunge that froze Memphis this week. “The [High-Resolution Rapid Refresh weather tool] is pointing to sunrise as being the lowest windchill, clocking in at about 1 degree,” he wrote on Facebook. “Singular. Not plural. #coldasshit” THOSE BILLBOARDS

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Memphis on the internet.

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{

Questions, Answers + Attitude

DeSoto County District Attorney Matthew Barton launched an ad campaign last week aimed at deterring Memphis criminals from causing trouble south of the state line. “Memphis criminals: TURN BACK NOW!” reads the billboard. “Prison awaits you in DeSoto County.” The MEMernet rolled its eyes. Then, the Memphis subreddit fired back. “DeSoto criminals TURN BACK NOW,” wrote u/ SamuelHuzzahAdams. The post photo POSTED TO showed a mugshot REDDIT BY U/ of DeSoto County SAMUELHUZZAHADAMS Justice Court Judge Karen Sanders, arrested Saturday for DUI and careless driving in Hernando.

NICHOLS EXECUTED State officials executed Harold Wayne Nichols last Thursday morning. He was pronounced dead at 10:39 a.m. at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville. Nichols’ execution marked the third execution by state officials this year after a five-year hiatus to review the state’s execution protocol. He was sentenced to death in 1990 after being convicted of raping and murdering Karen Pulley, a 21-year-old student PHOTO: HEIDI KADEN | UNSPLASH at Chattanooga State Beale Street, in addition to sporting world-class music, will soon have a “Neural Nexus” University. nearby, an innovation district featuring a cloud computing environment. Nichols declined to choose his execution method — between the electric chair and lethal injection — NO SUGARY SNAP by a November 11th deadline. Under state law, the method Tennesseans who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance defaulted to lethal injection using the state’s newest protocol, Program (SNAP) benefits will no longer be able to use those a single dose of pentobarbital. benefits to purchase soda and sugary processed foods after Medical professionals and faith leaders urged Tennessee Trump administration officials approved the state’s waivers Governor Bill Lee to stay the execution for reasons physical last Wednesday. and spiritual. Under these waivers, SNAP benefits cannot be used to purchase items that list sugar, corn syrup, high-fructose NEURAL NEXUS corn syrup, or similar caloric alternatives as the first ingrediTwo full blocks of Downtown Memphis are slated to ent. The waivers also exclude beverages in which carbonated become an “innovation district” featuring sovereign cloud water and sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, or similar caloric computing capabilities in what officials said could be the alternatives are the first two ingredients. largest project in Downtown’s history. Governor Bill Lee requested the waivers from the federal The Greater Memphis Chamber announced last Wednes- government in August. day that Legacy Power Capital (LPC), a real estate investment firm, plans to develop a “Neural Nexus” innovation ANIMAL CRUELTY PRIEST district. It is set for land adjacent to the FedExForum and A West Memphis priest who trapped and drowned cats Beale Street, though the Chamber did not clarify to the Flyer will serve no jail time following a plea bargain reached last exactly where the property is located. week, according to an animal advocacy group, In Defense of Sovereign cloud computing is, according to cloud softAnimals (IDA). ware company Nutanix, a “cloud computing environment Father Charles Thessing was arrested in February for two that is designed to ensure that all data — including applicacounts of aggravated cruelty to animals. He was made to tions, stored data, and data that travels across networks — is pay $530 in fines and pay $2,250 in restitution to the West stored, processed, and managed within a certain country or Memphis Animal Shelter. region and is in compliance with the data sovereignty laws Thessing was suspended in February by the Diocese of and regulations of that country.” Little Rock. The development will include office, residential, and retail spaces, and new public green spaces. LPC said they are Tennessee Lookout contributed to this report. Visit the News Blog at memphisflyer.com for fuller versions of not relying on local incentives to fund the project, instead these stories and more local news. seeking local enterprise partners to accelerate development.

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xAI Targeted {

CITY REPORTER By Kailynn Johnson

Pollution, power, and noise from Elon Musk’s mega-computer disrupt locals.

ocals are pushing back hard against xAI’s operations on both sides of the state line. Last week, Southaven residents demanded a shutdown of xAI’s power plant there until independent, third-party health environmental impact studies can be conducted. In Memphis, environmental advocates urged officials to rescind the megacorporation’s air permits, arguing that it has been polluting the air. The Safe and Sound Coalition in Southaven was started as a response to complaints regarding the xAI facility located at 2875 Stanton Road. “This facility poses serious risks to public health, air quality, safety, and overall quality of life,” a petition from the organization reads. “It was launched without public notice, without an independent health or environmental review, and without transparency from either the city of Southaven or the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.” Shannon Samsa has lived in Southaven all her life and has been providing

updates through social media about the facility. Her concern and a lack of transparency from city officials prompted her research. “If we want anything done about this, it’s up to us as a community to stop it,” Samsa said. She said it was “alarming” to find that information collected from public records requests did not match what residents were being told. “The people who are supposed to be protecting us don’t seem to be doing so,” Samsa said. “Whether or not they’re just banking on xAI and their consultants telling the truth, I’m not sure.” In an August 1st report, Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite noted concerns in both Memphis and Southaven regarding air pollution, water capacity impacts, and more. The mayor said he would “never” advocate for a project that didn’t bring economic and public development to the city. Citizens are also concerned about other issues the plant has posed. Residents near the facility have reported noise pollution complaints

prompted by xAI’s gas turbines. Those affected have complained to the local government but are not confident the issue will be properly addressed. Citizens have also complained about air pollution, water use, power grid strain, and property value loss. The gas turbines also raise concerns about asthma, heart problems, and cancer. According to the Safe and Sound Coalition, there are 10 schools within a two-mile radius of the facility, as well as homes, parks, and churches. Safe and Sound hopes city officials start being more transparent about what’s happening. They are asking for community outreach and input regarding xAI’s operation and next steps. The coalition has also launched a petition asking for a shutdown of operations and accountability from the city and state. Last week, environmental justice advocates in Memphis put Shelby County Health Department officials “on notice,” demanding xAI’s air permit

PHOTO: SOUTHERN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER

The fight now comes from both sides of the state line. be revoked ahead of a hearing. The Memphis and Shelby County Air Pollution Control Board is scheduled to hear arguments regarding the Southern Environmental Law Center’s (SELC) xAI permit appeal. Members of Young, Gifted & Green (YGG) and other groups reaffirmed calls to rescind the permit during a virtual press conference last Monday. “We’re not asking — not even demanding — but we’re taking justice and our rights to freedom not tomorrow, not next month, or even next year, but today,” said LaTricea Adams, founder and president of YGG. “Allowing a business to pollute the air with NOx [nitrogen oxide] and formaldehyde for nearly one year with no permit or regulatory oversight is egregious.”

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POLITICS By Jackson Baker

Our Heroes Prepare Pearson and Cohen take different routes on campaign trail. One obvious way to campaign for a major office is to get oneself scheduled on a national political network. On CNN, for example. It’s useful for a pol on the move to be on the air of the longtime cable news outlet. That Justin J. Pearson was featured last week on an installment of NewsNight, the Abby Phillip vehicle that sets up libs and rightists to talk over each other and drown each other out, was altogether to the advantage of Pearson, challenger of resident congressman of Tennessee’s 9th District, Steve Cohen. For Pearson, it was a way to introduce himself to viewers as a certified New Thing, as a possible successor to opponent Cohen, who’s been around a while. The subject matter of NewsNight is divided into three or four segments

— all based on breaking news matters with promising content for controversy. On Pearson’s night, this had to do with such matters as the infamous “doubletap” destruction of a Venezuelan boat crew presumed to be running drugs toward the American heartland. Other subjects involved the ongoing excesses of ICE against the nation’s population of undocumented immigrants. It was typical fare for an evening of verbal combat between partisans of the left and right, though none of the several subject matters involved ground on which young Pearson had yet to establish himself as a player. It fell to his part rather to offer more generalized amenities related to the American sense of fair play and due process — well-spoken and good enough to embellish his profile though not sufficient to garner any particular gotcha moments. Still, there he was, taking a star turn sure to burnish his credentials as a new face on the national political scene — precisely what he needs in his challenge

to Cohen. That’s one way to court the electorate. And here’s another. As for the congressman himself, Cohen was choosing that week to stir familiar memories, coming online via Messenger to say a few things conversationally: [Punctuation edited for clarity.] Been patiently watching constituency for “Keep going with Cohen.” Focus groups looking very good. No leading political spin or cute stuff, just “My Record.” Before I poll I want to ask you, are you “going with Cohen”? Let me hear from you here. Want to contribute? Thanks, Cohen for Congress, 349 Kenilworth, Memphis 38122. Cohen corrected the ZIP to 38112 and added, “Thanks all for voicing your support. The 9th has been and is

PHOTOS: (LEFT) U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES | WIKIMEDIA COMMONS; (RIGHT) CAPITOL.TN.GOV

(left) Steve Cohen; (right) Justin J. Pearson Cohen Country” And that little squib drew some equally conversational assurances from Cohen loyalists who answered that they were still on base for him. A day or so later a note dropped online from Cohen’s congressional office notifying the district media regarding “home repair efforts for Memphis seniors.” This, too, is a way to kindle interest among voters. From this point on, we can expect to see campaign approaches by all the modes indicated here and by others as well.

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A T L A R G E B y B r u c e Va n W y n g a r d e n

Bad Boys

December 18-24, 2025

“First, they came for the immigrants …”

“The alert went out to volunteers at about investigations and indictments.” Harris 8:00 p.m. on a Friday: a woman hiding in basically admitted that he feared retalia closet with her twin toddlers was on the ation from the Trump administration if phone to a community hotline, unsure he released what should be public arrest what to do, as dozens of federal and lorecords for his city. cal law enforcement officers converged Folks, this is ridiculous. It’s horoutside, demanding entry. rifying. It’s beyond the pale. Mayors “Yuleiny Escobar, a volunteer for shouldn’t have to be worried about Vecindarios 901, which operates the mob-like retaliation from the federal hotline, hustled over to the woman’s government. Legitimate police officers house, located in the same heavily Latino don’t wear masks and break down doors neighborhood as her own. brandishing AK-47s to arrest a mother “A tow-truck driver blocked the road with two toddlers. They don’t play loud leading to the house at the request of music to terrorize a neighborhood. They law enforcement, blazing the pro-police don’t stand around Home Depot parkanthem, ‘Bad Boys.’ By the time Escobar ing lots or public schools or Catholic reached the home, a Border Patrol officer Churches waiting to ask every brown and a U.S. Marshal each held a toddler person they see, “Where are you from?” in one arm as their mother was placed Real police officers aren’t supposed to inside an unmarked SUV. Holes in the pull over any car with a brown driver home’s windows marked entry points for using contrived “violations” and then chemical agents that had been thrown intimidate the occupants. inside to force the family out.” Much of the Latino community in Rachel Maddow posted the above Memphis and elsewhere has gone into story on her website on December 8th. hiding. They are keeping their children It’s a horrific scenario that is from school; they avoid going being replayed in one form or out whenever possible. They another every single day and are missing work, church, night in Memphis and other and community gatherings. targeted cities around this They live in the shadows, country. It is legalized racist hunted like prey. terrorism and has little to do It’s important that those of with actual law-enforcement us who may not be personalprocedures or making Memly affected by this illegitimate phis “safe.” crackdown stay informed. Worse, the operation is Follow activist Hunter Dembeing conducted secretly. ster on social media, if you PHOTO: PHILIP ROMANO, The federal government has don’t already. He is relentless CREATIVE COMMONS, VIA not publicly released names, in confronting the task force, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS charges, or demographic and his videos make it very Rachel Maddow information about most of clear that what is going on those arrested in Memphis. is anything but legitimate According to a Tennessee Lookout story policing. Bookmark Vecindarios 901, posted on the Flyer website on Monday, the Latino activist organization cited by the “Memphis Safe” task force has made Maddow, for alerts and updates. Read the more than 3,842 total arrests in Shelby stories of the Institute for Public Service County as of December 11th. The U.S. Reporting, which are often published in Marshals’ data showed one in five arthe Flyer. Check out MLK50.com, which rests by the task force were immigration does excellent reportage on local imviolations. The Department of Homeland migration issues, as does the aforemenSecurity’s “worst of the worst” database tioned Tennessee Lookout. And check lists fewer than 40 arrests in Memphis out the Flyer website for timely immigraof immigrants with serious criminal tion reporting. records. Forty. Feeling safer? These are extraordinary times. The The Lookout story reported that current president and his cabinet of loons Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and are breaking legal norms and constituMemphis Mayor Paul Young have been tional protocols on a dozen fronts on a given the actual arrest data but have been daily basis. It’s hard to keep up, but we told they can’t release it. A quote from have to stay aware and informed. And Harris: “Federal officials have marked we can’t be afraid to speak out. It’s our [the data] as sensitive. It clearly is not. duty as Americans to not let this pestilent But based on their previous actions, they administration destroy everything we seem willing to do whatsoever to who hold dear about this country. If we don’t they perceive as their enemies, including do it, who will?

FINANCE By AJ Kratz

Beware of ‘Finfluencers’ Why you shouldn’t take financial advice from social media.

2. Most advice is self-serving for the finfluencer. Many social media financial “experts” receive kickbacks, commissions, affiliate marketing payments, or sponsorships for promoting certain financial products and services, and there’s no requirement to disclose these payments to followers. A conflict of interest is created when the finfluencer is prioritizing his or her own financial gain over providing advice that’s right for you. 3. Social media advice is generic and may not apply to your specific situation. Your financial situation, needs, and goals are unique, as are the specific financial risks you face. A social media finfluencer doesn’t have insight into your situation, goals, or risk tolerance, which means the advice you receive may not be appropriate based on your specific needs. A better solution would be to consult with an experienced wealth manager who takes a comprehensive approach to helping ensure all aspects of your financial life are working together in pursuit of your goals. 4. Social media financial advice puts you at risk of financial scams. There are multiple ways social media advice can put you at risk of financial scams. Some finfluencers have so little financial knowledge they don’t realize they’re promoting fraudulent products or services. Others promote high-risk investments, such as speculative stocks or cryptocurrency, that may not be suitable for most investors. Still others deliberately

The value of working with a fiduciary financial advisor Instead of taking financial advice from social media, a better choice is to work with an experienced fiduciary financial advisor. Fiduciary advisors are held to a fiduciary standard of care, which means they’re legally obligated to act in clients’ best interests at all times. As part of that fiduciary responsibility, these advisors have both a duty of care and a duty of loyalty. Duty of care This duty includes not only providing advice that’s in each client’s best interests but also executing that advice in the best way possible for each client. The duty of care standard also requires that the fiduciary advisor provide ongoing advice and guidance throughout the life of his/ her relationship with the client. Duty of loyalty This duty requires that the advisor put clients’ interests ahead of his or her own. It also obligates the advisor to provide clients with full and fair disclosure of all material facts relating to the advisory relationship. Furthermore, the advisor must seek to eradicate, or make the client aware of, all conflicts of interest. Also, fiduciary financial advisors are typically paid a percentage fee based on the assets they manage for a client. This fee structure is important because it aligns the advisor’s interests with the client’s, which grows the advisor’s fee in proportion with the client’s assets. This commentary is provided for general information purposes only, should not be construed as investment, tax, or legal advice, and does not constitute an attorney/ client relationship. Past performance of any market results is no assurance of future performance. The information contained herein has been obtained from sources deemed reliable but is not guaranteed. AJ Kratz, CFA, CFP, is a Private Wealth Manager and Partner with Creative Planning. Creative Planning is one of the nation’s largest registered investment advisory firms, providing comprehensive wealth management services to help align all elements of a client’s financial life, including investments, taxes, estate planning, and risk management. For more information, or to request a free, no-obligation consultation, visit creativeplanning.com.

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m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

1. Anyone can claim to be an expert. There are no qualifying exams, licenses, certifications, or classroom requirements to become a “finfluencer,” a term used to describe social media financial influencers. In fact, anyone can claim to be a financial expert, even those who have never invested themselves. And, unlike registered financial professionals, finfluencers aren’t subject to regulatory oversight or ethical guidelines. That means you have no recourse if you receive incorrect, inappropriate, or fraudulent financial advice.

mislead followers using pressure tactics and persuasion to manipulate them into making risky investment decisions.

NEWS & OPINION

ocial media gives us insight into other people’s lives, keeps us updated on celebrity gossip, and quenches our need for round-the-clock news updates. Despite these benefits, financial advice is one thing social media should never be trusted to provide. Read on to learn several reasons why social media and financial advice don’t mix.

Home for the holidays.

The Story of

Song Sung Blue Craig Brewer’s new film celebrates big dreams —

COVER STORY

By Chris McCoy

December 18-24, 2025

he story of Song Sung Blue starts in a Memphis hotel room in 1969. Neil Diamond was a Jewish kid from Brooklyn who had discovered a passion for music when he saw folk icon Pete Seeger play at a summer camp in the Catskills. Diamond had early success as a songwriter, penning “I’m a Believer,” a number one hit for The Monkees, in 1966. He signed a record contract on the strength of that hit, but success under his own name was elusive. After selling a song to Elvis Presley (“And the Grass Won’t Pay No Mind”), he came to the Bluff City to record the album Brother Love’s Travelling Salvation Show with producer Chips Moman. When the record started to draw attention to the young singer/songwriter, he returned to Memphis for a follow up with Moman. Before the session 10 started, he wrote a new song in an hour. Inspired by a picture of President

& Neil Diamond.

John F. Kennedy’s daughter he saw in Life magazine, Diamond called the song “Sweet Caroline.” It was released as a single in May 1969; by August, it had become Diamond’s first gold record. Neil Diamond would go on to have one of the greatest careers in American music, with 10 number-one hits on the Billboard charts and 38 songs that landed in the top 10. Thanks mostly to the soaring, sing-along chorus “Bap Ba Baaaa!,” “Sweet Caroline” remains an iconic song, irresistible to generations of wedding bands and karaoke singers. One of the singers who was entranced by the power of the songs Diamond wrote was Mike Sardina. A Marine veteran who served in the Vietnam War, Sardina made a living as an auto mechanic and handyman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. But by night, he was a musician, playing guitar in whatever band would have him, and singing in clubs under the stage name Lightning. After he met his future wife, Claire Stingl, who was a struggling Patsy Cline impersonator, they formed a duo called Lightning & Thunder.

Their speciality, as they put themselves in front of audiences in malls and casinos across the Great Lakes region, was Neil Diamond songs. Nostalgia and tribute acts have always been big on the state fair circuit, but Lightning & Thunder were on a different level. Tirelessly playing gigs, they gathered fans a handful at a time until one day in the late 1990s, they got a call from Pearl Jam. At the time, Pearl Jam was the biggest band in the world, and it just so happened that singer Eddie Vedder was a big Neil Diamond fan who had heard the legend of Lighting & Thunder. He invited Lightning & Thunder to open for Pearl Jam on their Midwestern tour, and duetted with Mike on “Forever in Blue Jeans.” It would be the highlight of Mike and Claire’s musical careers. Afterward, they continued to play to big crowds until one fateful day in 1999. Claire was gardening when she was run over by a car which had swerved onto the couple’s front lawn. Claire lost her leg in the accident, sidelining Lightning & Thunder. Years later, documentary filmmaker

PHOTO: COURTESY FOCUS FEATURES

(left to right) Hugh Jackman as Mike Sardina and Kate Hudson as Claire Stengl in director Craig Brewer’s Song Sung Blue, a Focus Features release … Greg Kohs, who had been a big fan of Lighting & Thunder, decided to look up the duo to find out what had happened to them. He found them, against all odds, plotting their comeback. His film crew followed Mike and Claire for months. The resulting documentary, Song Sung Blue, was a hit on the festival circuit in 2008. Mike, unfortunately, never got to see his second act in theaters. He died in 2006. BIG DREAMS Craig Brewer saw the documentary Song Sung Blue at the 2008 Indie Memphis Film Festival. At the time, he had already directed his breakthrough film Hustle & Flow, which earned star Terrence Howard an Oscar nomination and made Three 6 Mafia the first rap

PHOTOS: (ABOVE) COURTESY FOCUS FEATURES; (BELOW) SARAH SHATZ/FOCUS FEATURES

group to win an Academy Award, and the followup Black Snake Moan with Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci. He was immediately struck by the story, which was not just about a group of small-time musicians, but also about a family who was weathering crisis after crisis. As his career moved forward, through 2011’s remake of Footloose for Paramount, screenwriting an epic take on The Legend of Tarzan, reuniting with Hustle stars Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson for the hit TV series Empire, and directing Eddie Murphy’s comeback in Dolemite Is My Name and Coming 2 America, he never forgot about Mike and Claire. “I think what attracted me to the material is not so much the music,” Brewer says. “I knew it would be great to kind of do my thing with Neil Diamond music, but really, it was just about the family unit. I felt a very personal connection to it. I felt like I could explore things that I’ve been dealing with in my life through this family. It came together at the right

and inspiration. There’s nothing that you can spring on artistic parents that’s going to knock them on their ass.” For years, Brewer pitched the story to every studio who would give him a meeting. “It was hard, but it’s understandable,” he says. “It’s something that we knew we had to find the right place that would get not only get it but would get me. I mean, let’s face it, the first time I was going around [Hollywood] 20 years ago, I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s about a pimp and two prostitutes, and they’re making rap music.’” After the success of Dolemite Is My Name, the time seemed right. “The producers from that were like, ‘What do you want to do next?’ I felt like it was the right movie to bring up to them because I was like, ‘Look, keep in mind, we just made a movie where Eddie Murphy played an overweight, aging comedian who decides he wants to do kung fu and be an action star. And he brought together

“I felt like I could explore things that I’ve been dealing with in my life through this family.” time in my life. There’s something about where Mike is, maybe looking back and having regrets, but wanting to try to be better about things, you know? The relationship between Mike and Rachel is, I feel, a lot like me and my

daughter. I think when you have a child who’s got artistic parents, there’s both an inspiration and a frustration from it. It’s like, ‘Why can’t I just have normal, boring parents?’ to some extent. But at the same time, I think there’s also awe

continued on page 12

COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

(above) Hugh Jackman as Mike and Kate Hudson as Claire rehearse Neil Diamond songs in the garage for their debut as Lightning & Thunder. (below) director Craig Brewer during the production of Song Sung Blue, a Focus Features release

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continued from page 11 this crazy group of people that opened up a studio in an abandoned building with homeless people in it. And they made a movie that is absolutely terrible, but that has been entertaining people for decades and is now considered a classic. Okay, I would like to do this movie about this couple that formed a Neil Diamond tribute band and had all these horrible things happen to them, but they still remain true, and they still remain optimistic.’ “I knew it was going to be a little bit of a sell, but luckily, I found Focus Features and Universal. They had a great history with making that movie Yesterday. There’s a lot of music biopics that are happening right now, but I think Focus in particular thought it was such a unique way to have both. In other words, you’re getting what you usually get from a music biopic. You’re getting all this great music from Neil Diamond, but it’s not a Neil Diamond biopic. It’s about two people who are trying to be like Neil Diamond. People go, ‘Oh, I thought it was a biopic.’ It is! Then they’re like, ‘I just never heard about those people.’ I know, but that’s the point! You did not miss some major bit of news in your life. They were only known in Milwaukee by a few thousand people. That’s the whole purpose of the movie: to make an epic retelling of people with normal lives who have really big dreams.” GETTING THE BAND TOGETHER Another person who was in the 2008 Indie Memphis audience for the Song Sung Blue documentary was Scott Bomar. The Memphis musician, composer, and producer would go on to collaborate with Brewer on several film and TV projects, most recently the limited series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist. “Meeting Craig has literally been a life-changing event for me,” he says. “It’s amazing to have that kind of artistic relationship with someone.” He remembered the documentary when he got the call from Brewer three years ago. “I don’t think Craig had ever told me about it until he called me up and said, ‘Hey, I’ve got this Neil

PHOTOS: COURTESY FOCUS FEATURES

(above) Mike and Claire in love; (right) Hudson as Claire Diamond-related project I’m doing, and I need some demos to rehearse with Hugh Jackman.’” The actor had become famous in 2000 playing the superhero Wolverine in X-Men, one of the earliest films in the 21st century’s comic book boom. But before that, he had been a musical theater star in his native Australia, appearing in Beauty and the Beast and Oklahoma! Brewer had Jackman in mind to play Mike for years. “For one thing, there’s really not that big of a list of people who can move the needle in terms of getting a movie made who also can sing,” he says. “But really what it was is that, when I’d see the stuff he would do on Broadway, or watch some of his old performances on YouTube, he’s a total ham, you know? He loves to entertain. He loves to get a mic in his hand and sing a show tune or two. Watch Hugh at Radio City Music Hall, singing something like ‘Mack the Knife’ or ‘New York, New York,’ you see the guy is totally in his happy place. Mike had that same kind of joy for performing.” Jackman loved the idea of starring in the movie, but the project was derailed for a time while he returned to the role which made him famous in the 2024 box office smash Deadpool & Wolverine. In the meantime, Brewer found his Claire. The same year Jackman first donned superhero tights, Kate Hudson earned a Golden Globe award and an Academy Award nomination for playing Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe’s rock music memoir Almost Famous. She and Brewer met in Hollywood circles, and he thought she would be perfect for the part. As it turns out, she was ready to sing; Hudson released her first album of original material, Glorious, in the summer of 2024. Mike and Claire had three children from previous marriages: Rachel, Angelina, and Mark. Their coming together into a blended family is a big part of Brewer’s Song Sung Blue script. For the pivotal role of Rachel, Claire’s daughter who fights to keep the family

myself, like, maybe they just look a lot like King Princess. All this while I’m also meeting Hugh and Kate for the first time. KP was great to have as a scene partner. We had a good time, and I think that is evident when you see it on screen.” Song Sung Blue was shot primarily in New Jersey, which stood in for suburban Milwaukee. Brewer reunited with cinematographer Amy Vincent, who had so memorably lensed his breakthrough feature Hustle & Flow. Brewer recalls one day on location with Jackman and Hudson when Mike finally asks Claire to marry him after playing disastrous gig for a club full of bikers. It was getting cold that night, but Brewer insisted they press on with the shoot. “I’m always lucky with weather,” he says.

“That’s the whole purpose of the movie: to make an epic retelling of people with normal lives who have really big dreams.” But after shooting Hudson’s close-ups and turning the camera on Jackman, it looked like his weather luck had run out. Snow started coming down in big sticky flakes, meaning that shots of Jackman would not match the shots of Hudson. But Brewer pressed ahead. He told Vincent to quickly reset for Hudson’s close-ups, and the scene was finished in near record time. In the completed film, the couple’s engagement happens in a romantic flurry of real snow — no special effects needed. “The second I stepped onto set with Craig, the way he welcomed me but continued on page 28

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COVER STORY m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

together, Brewer tapped 20-year-old Ella Anderson, who had spent her formative years playing Piper Hart in the Nickelodeon series Henry Danger. Anderson says she immediately connected with the character of Rachel. “I come from two parents from the Midwest who are both musicians, and they don’t support themselves from doing music, so I had an innate understanding,” she says. “Growing up, that was always the background of my life, the reality of not having a lavish world and yet being so fulfilled. What I love about Mike and Claire and their story and their family unit and the people that were in their world was, they were driven by this dream that they had, this shared love for the experience of performing and connecting with an audience. It may have made things a little bit difficult at times on top of the crazy tragedy that struck them, but that love was there. I’ve seen that with so many musicians over my life who, as Craig says, have a tip jar in front of them. I just think it’s the most gorgeous and yet accurate, realistic representation — and that’s coming from someone who was raised around it.” Anderson didn’t see the documentary until after she had accepted the part, so at first, she didn’t know what was part of the real story of Mike and Claire and what Brewer had added for dramatic effect. “This screenplay is such a journey. I love all of the embellishments because I think that’s how large these things can feel to many families,” she says. “Then I watched the documentary and I was like, ‘Oh no, those things were not made up. That really happened!’ It made me love it even more.” One of Rachel’s most important scenes is the first time she meets her soon-to-be stepsister Angelina. At first, they circle each other warily, but eventually, they warm up and bond over a joint. Angelina is played by Mikaela Mullaney Straus, better known as a singer/songwriter by her stage name King Princess. “I was a fan of her music,” says Anderson. “I showed up to the screen test, and I was like, ‘Whoa. Is this who I think this is?’ And then I was trying to convince

Please save the date for the

Mid-South

December 18-24, 2025

Heart Ball February 7, 2026 The Peabody Join us as we celebrate

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Visit heart.org/midsouthhb or contact MidsouthTN@heart.org for more information or to reserve your table.

steppin’ out

We Recommend: Culture, News + Reviews

Keeping It OG PHOTO: COURTESY DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

By Abigail Morici

From 1893 to 1895, André Marty published and distributed L’Estampe originale, which sent portfolios of original prints to subscribers in nine quarterly installments. “He basically wanted to promote printmaking as what he called an original art form,” says Ellen Daugherty, assistant curator at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens. “It was pretty popular — still is — to buy a print that’s made after another work of art. … That was very common in France in the 19th century, and printmakers were very good at making those, but he wanted to encourage art collectors and the general public to also realize that there was this resurgence of printmaking as prints. So, in other words, the artists were making original works of art as prints. Yes, they were being made multiples, but they were not being translated from some other medium.” For L’Estampe originale, Marty had 74 painters, sculptors, and printmakers from France, Switzerland, Belgium, England, and the United States create these prints in whatever fashion, of whatever subject they desired. Some artists carried recognizable names like Paul Gauguin and Lucien Pissarro; others have little known about them at all even today. Yet, when taken as a whole, the portfolio represents a vast range of styles, from the Impressionists to the Post-Impressionists. Daughtery adds, “The types of printmaking are really wide, so there are lots of lithographs because that’s sort of the great printmaking medium of the 19th century. But there are also woodcuts, etchings. There are a few prints that use embossing, so they’re raised, and you can really see it when you look at them. It’s kind of a remarkable group of things.” By the end of its run, the project produced 95 works of art for 100 editions. Today, most of those editions have been broken apart, with certain prints selling for more than others, but five complete sets rest in museum collections. Another complete set is privately owned and is now on display at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens through January 11th. “It’s this remarkable exhibition of a single portfolio,” Daughtery says. “All of the prints in this show are number 25 out of 100, so it’s also never been broken apart.” Some complete sets, she says, have been put together using prints from different editions. Since the exhibition’s opening in October, Daughtery says the public response has been “remarkable.” “We’ve had tons and tons of school groups who want to come and look. They’re very interested in teaching basic printmaking in some of the art classes. … And then many creative writing classes have come because the imagery is so interesting and sometimes really strange and evocative. You can you can tell many stories based on these images. Daughtery adds, “Someone who comes to the show will find something that they want to look at, or maybe 20 things they want to look at, or maybe 95 things they want to look at. It is a big show. A lot of people, who’ve come and really liked it, have said to us, ‘I have to come back because I’ve only looked at 30 things and there’s so many more to look at.’ But it is really a fun show because you can find those things that really draw your eyes’ attention.”

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“L’ESTAMPE ORIGINALE: A GRAPHIC TREASURE,” DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS, 4339 PARK AVENUE, THROUGH JANUARY 11.

VARIOUS DAYS & TIMES December 18th - 24th Magic of Memphis Cannon Center for Performing Arts, 255 N. Main St. Memphis, Saturday, December 20, 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., $5-$90 Experience Memphis’ most beloved holiday tradition, joined by a continuous collage of Memphis performing groups for a nonstop light and music show like you’ve never seen. Purchase tickets at memphissymphony.org. Wyly Bigger performs A Tribute to Peanuts Hernando’s Hide-A-Way, 3210 Old Hernando Road, Sunday, December 21, 3 p.m., $10 Wyly Bigger performs a Tribute to Peanuts, playing the tunes from A Charlie Brown Christmas and selections from other Peanuts classics, featuring Earl Lowe on drums and Neal Bowen on bass.

GLOW UP YOUR HOLIDAYS! m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

A Tuna Christmas The Circuit Playhouse, 51 South Cooper Street, Thursday-Saturday, December 18-20, 8 p.m. | Sunday, December 21, 2 p.m., $25 Set in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, the annual Christmas Yard Display Contest is about to commence. Vera Carp is gearing up to win for the 15th consecutive year until a mysterious “Christmas Phantom” sets their sights on disrupting the contest by vandalizing displays. Joe Bob has the desire to produce A Christmas Carol but battles the electric company’s threats of cutting the power. Along with other story arcs being narrated from a 275-watt station, this show is notable for only having two actors portraying more than 20 characters of different genders and ages offering a satirical look at small-town life. Purchase tickets at playhouseonthesquare.org.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Holiday Wonders at the Garden Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry Road, select nights through December 30, 5-8:30 p.m., $17-$20 Step into a world of twinkling lights, cozy moments, and pure holiday magic at Holiday Wonders at the Garden. Through December 30th, the Memphis Botanic Garden transforms into a glowing winter wonderland filled with sparkling displays, whimsical theme nights, and unforgettable memories for the whole family. This Thursday, December 18th, for a Let It Glow themed night, dress in glow sticks, light-up sweaters, or sparkling accessories and become part of the show. On Friday, it’s National Ugly Sweater Day, so flaunt your most festive, tacky, or outrageous knit. On Sunday, meet Santa. Visit membg.org/wonders for more information.

PRESENTED BY

SCAN FOR TICKETS!

MUSIC By Alex Greene

Syng It, Girl! Banking on her raw talent, Syng Saikou is willing a music and film career into existence.

December 18-24, 2025

“Everybody is a star,” or so sang Sly and the Family Stone in 1969. But once an artist sees the truth in that, how to make it a reality? It’s a question that Memphis R&B singer-songwriter Syng Saikou has been grappling with since she was in ninth grade. Even at that young age, she’d already been singing for years. “My kindergarten teacher actually made me sing a solo at my kindergarten graduation,” she says. “So ever since then, I just get on stage with the mic in my hand. And I definitely was singing in the church as well. I was forced to!” Those experiences, and the positive feedback she garnered from them, in turn led her to start writing her own songs at a very young age. “I started writing in the seventh grade,” she says. “And I was just writing about stuff that I was hearing about and stuff that I was seeing my mom go through, and my aunties and uncles and people like that. So I was writing based off of their life experiences.” Nowadays, in her late twenties, she writes more than ever, and from her own experience, but the process is not that different from when she started. “I have to be in a secluded, dark space — like the bathroom!” she laughs. Such methods matter little. When opportunity struck, she was ready to produce material on demand. And that opportunity arrived thanks to her alma mater, Sheffield High School. “We had a talent show at school, let me just start there,” Saikou explains. “And this coach at the school, he already had a beat, and was like, ‘I’ve got this beat and you’re gonna write to it. Can you write to this?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah.’ And so I came back a couple days later [with a song], and he was like, ‘Yep, you’re gonna do that at the talent show.’ Like, that wasn’t my plan, but …” She shrugs, accepting her destiny. The song she recorded, “I Told You,” struck a nerve with her fellow students after she performed it at the talent show and then posted it on SoundCloud. “Everybody in the school was just so attached to that song, I guess. Because I was in the ninth grade, I was really young, and they were like, ‘This girl got on stage singing about how she just went through a breakup!’” Even after that, Saikou took her time pursuing music more seriously. “I didn’t really record anything else until after I graduated because that’s when I could do more. So I was holding on to 16 that one song from ninth grade to 12th grade. And by then, you know, I could

PHOTO: JACORRI WASHINGTON

Syng Saikou looks ahead to 2026, with a stage play, a movie, and a new album on the way.

“Somebody in the audience would be like, ‘Sing it, girl!’ And I was like, ‘Okay, so maybe that should be my name.’” go to the studio when I wanted to. I just stepped into my artistry.” Her first move in that direction was to create a stage name that expressed her aesthetic. “Every time I’d go perform somewhere, at karaoke or performing live with a band or something, somebody in the audience would be like, ‘Sing it, girl!’ And I was like, ‘Okay, so maybe that should be my name. But instead of the I, I’m gonna use a Y.’ Then I wanted a foreign last name that would match Syng, so I picked ‘Saikou,’ which means ‘the best’ or ‘supreme’ in Japanese.” She began performing and soon was sharing the stage with some major artists. “I opened up for Keke Wyatt, R. Kelly’s group Public Announcement, Sir Charles Jones, Anthony Q. People like that.” But things really started to happen in 2019, with January of 2020 seeing the release of her first single, “Soul Tie,” a melodic meditation on a relationship over a beat, layered with synth-harp arpeggios, that sounds positively otherworldly. Over the coming years she would release seven more singles, including “Bipolar,” one

of the loveliest, most lilting ways to confront mental health challenges one could imagine. She has clearly assembled a stable of different studio wizards who match her vibe perfectly, including one of her primary go-to producers, Michael Barringer. Finally, this May saw the release of her first album, Saikou: Volume 1, which reveals a strikingly mature artist in her prime. And while she can still write from the point of view of others, like her uncles and aunties, there’s a deep autobiographical undercurrent to the album that gives it the ring of authenticity. As she proclaims in “Know Me,” the opening track, “Don’t let my intellect and pretty face deceive you.” With that initial mystery, she begins to connect the dots of who she is, especially with the powerful “Existence”: “I’m from Memphis, it’s a liquor store and church on every corner/It’s a cold world but fasho my city colder.” Thus laying out the context, she then makes it an anthem of self-realization. “Can you understand me?/Patiently waiting for a Grammy/

They say you gotta be persistent/I think it’s better if you speak it to existence/ Speak it to existence/You gotta speak it to existence, yeah.” That perfectly sums up her attitude and her determination to manifest her dream. Aiding and abetting her on her mission is rapper Big Boogie, whose cameo on “Existence” cheers her on: “Just push the button on your career, watch you speed up/Get in that bag and don’t look back, you gon’ be up! … You gotta speak it to existence (yeaaaaah)!” Right on cue, Saikou is facing 2026 with a sense of possibilities and hope. “I’m actually in a new movie. It hasn’t released yet. It’s called Emily’s Hand, and we’re actually doing a theatrical version at the Crosstown Theater in March. After the stage play is done, the film will come out. And then I’ll be releasing Volume 2, a feature with Anthony Q., and several videos in early 2026 as well. The video for ‘Know Me’ is going to be first. That’s the one with the most traction on the radio, and it’s also been placed in the movie. So I’m really excited!”

AFTER DARK: Live Music Schedule December 18 - 24

B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB

Baunie and Soul

Sunday, Dec. 21, 7 p.m. RUM BOOGIE CAFE

Baunie and Soul

Tuesday, Dec. 23, 7-11 p.m. RUM BOOGIE CAFE

Blind Mississippi Morris Thursday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m. | Tuesday, Dec. 23, 7 p.m. BLUES CITY CAFE

Eric Hughes

Thursday, Dec. 18, 7-11 p.m. RUM BOOGIE CAFE

Flic’s Pics Band

Led by the legendary Leroy “Flic” Hodges of Hi Rhythm. Saturday, Dec. 20, 4 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 21, 2 p.m. B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB

FreeWorld

Friday, Dec. 19, 7-11 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 20, 7-11 p.m.

$10. Thursday, Dec. 18, 8 p.m.

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Sleep Theory: Acoustic Holiday

Memphis Funk ‘n’ Horns Neil’s annual holiday dance. Saturday, Dec. 20, 8 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 21, 7 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Sunday Tea Dance with Chuck Vicious

MINGLEWOOD HALL

Trouble No More (Allman Brothers Tribute)

Sunday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m. BAR DKDC

A band of Memphis heavyhitters, including David Brocato (vocals and guitar), Michael Russell (vocals and keys), Seth Kuykendall (guitar and vocals), Robert Allen Parker (guitar), Stephen Spear (bass), and Walter Polk (drums). Friday, Dec. 19, 8 a.m.

Supreme Imperial

With Joe Austin & the Tallahatchies. Saturday, Dec. 20, 9 p.m. B-SIDE

The Cauldron Stirring

With Slolerner, Sun Rahsco P. Coltrane, Stay Fashionable, Gloom. Friday, Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m.

NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

HI TONE

Van Duren

The Committee: A Charlie Brown-Inspired Christmas

The singer-songwriter, a pioneer of indie pop in Memphis, performs solo. Thursday, Dec. 18, 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Tuesday, Dec. 23, 6:308:30 p.m.

With special guests Marcella Simien, John Németh, and Patrice Williamson. Saturday, Dec. 20, 5 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 20, 7 p.m.

MORTIMER’S

RUM BOOGIE CAFE

LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Memphis Soul Factory

Tigerheart / Phases / IDK IDC

Thursday, Dec. 18, 4 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m. B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB

The B.B. King’s Blues Club Allstar Band Friday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 20, 8 p.m. | Monday, Dec. 22, 8 p.m. | Tuesday, Dec. 23, 8 p.m. B.B. KING’S BLUES CLUB

Vince Johnson

Monday, Dec. 22, 6:30 p.m. | Tuesday, Dec. 23, 6:30 p.m. RUM BOOGIE CAFE

Will Tucker Band

Friday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 20, 8 p.m. BLUES CITY CAFE

Jingle Jam 2025 with Jeezy Saturday, Dec. 20, 9 p.m.

RENASANT CONVENTION CENTER

Memphis Symphony Orchestra: Magic of Memphis

It’s a beloved holiday tradition: a continuous collage of Memphis performing groups for a nonstop light and music show like you’ve never seen. Saturday, Dec. 20, 2:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m. CANNON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Wyly Bigger & His Rockin’ Piano

Complete with a dance lesson before the band starts swinging. Saturday, Dec. 20, 7 p.m. RUMBA ROOM

Deb Jam Band

Tuesday, Dec. 23, 6-10 p.m. NEIL’S MUSIC ROOM

Friday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m.

A BLVD Christmas Concert ft. Jamal Roberts & Kyla Jade

HI TONE

Turnstyles

This concert blends gospel, soulful carols, and cherished Christmas favorites, featuring the unmatched vocals of American Idol Season 23 winner Jamal Roberts and powerhouse performer Kyla Jade. Sunday, Dec. 21, 6 p.m.

With Downsprouts, Coco & the Hitmen. Friday, Dec. 19, 9 p.m. BAR DKDC

MISSISSIPPI BOULEVARD CHRISTIAN CHURCH

A Memphis Ukulele Band Christmas

A Very Jerry Christmas with Electric 30

One of the city’s most devoted jam bands pays tribute to Jerry Garcia. With special guests Native Strangers and Memphis’ very own virtuoso, Jack Stephens. Friday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m. B-SIDE

Basketcase

Friday, Dec. 19, 9:30 p.m. LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Bluff City Bandits

Friday, Dec. 19, 6 p.m. LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Candlelight: Christmas Carols on Strings

Enjoy a live, multisensory musical experience as the Listeso String Quartet performs holiday favorites. $35.67/general admission. Sunday, Dec. 21, 8:45-10 p.m. MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

Candlelight: Holiday Special Featuring “The Nutcracker” and More

The Listeso String Quartet performs selections from Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece and other holiday favorites amidst the glow of candles, in this multisensory experience. $32.92/general admission. Saturday, Dec. 20, 8:45-10 p.m. OVERTON CHAPEL

City of Vices: Unleashed Live With D’Vyne, Kay Boogie, WHOISKDX!, Glockiana, YRC J, GLaM CP, DJ Brillionaire. Thursday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m. GROWLERS

Dead Soldiers

Having recently released their first album in years, CivilWarLand, this group offers a fresh spin on Americana rock. Saturday, Dec. 20, 8 p.m.

Z, Black Tape. Saturday, Dec. 20, 8 p.m. HI TONE

Heartbreak Hill

Sunday, Dec. 21, 3 p.m. HUEY’S MIDTOWN

Jack & the Fat Man Sunday, Dec. 21, 5 p.m. LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Jazz Jam with the Cove Quartet

Jazz musicians are welcome to sit in. Sunday, Dec. 21, 6-9 p.m.

BAR DKDC

THE COVE

Deborah Swiney Duo

JD Westmorland Band

A special Christmas show by one of the city’s greatest jazz singers. Thursday, Dec. 18, 6-9 p.m. THE COVE

Devil Train

Bluegrass, roots, country, Delta, and skiffle. Thursday, Dec. 18, 9 p.m. B-SIDE

Emo Nite - Winter Wonderland

Saturday, Dec. 20, 9 p.m. 1884 LOUNGE AT MINGLEWOOD HALL

Fatherdad

With Allucard, Nino Luci, Luhmirin, Ohhwicc, Knock

PHOTO: JAMIE HARMON

Wyly Bigger plays Vince Guaraldi.

Monday, Dec. 22, 10 p.m. B-SIDE

Joe Restivo 4

Guitarist Restivo leads one of the city’s finest jazz quartets. Sunday, Dec. 21, noon. LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Lake Mar/E

With the Hooves. Friday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m. GROWLERS

LJ Cates

Sunday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m. B-SIDE

MDMA Presents

Aberrant, Snailsnluv, Delyrius, Strange, Skitzojunkie, El

Chupazebras, Dee K. Sunday, Dec. 21, 10 p.m. B-SIDE

Meateater

Friday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m. MINGLEWOOD HALL

Musicboxx

Saturday, Dec. 20, 9 p.m. LAFAYETTE’S MUSIC ROOM

Nico Play

Sunday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m. HI TONE

Owen Gooch

Friday, Dec. 19, 7 p.m. BAR DKDC

Richard Wilson

Featuring the singer-guitarist’s soulful jazz, blues, and bossanova originals. Tuesday, December 23, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. JUST LOVE COFFEE CAFE - MEMPHIS

Ross Johnson & Jeff Evans

This spontaneous, rocking duo has chemistry for miles, and not just the pharmaceutical kind. Expect the unexpected. With Rod’s Righteous

The all-star band, bonded by their love of the humblest of all string instruments, now features Sarah Spain. They’ll play selections from their album, Holidays Ain’t the Same, plus other favorites. Saturday, Dec. 20, 3-6 p.m. HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY

Dale Watson’s Big Band Night

A swang thang with twang. Dress to impress, grab some smoked prime rib, and raise a glass of classic dirty martini to an unforgettable night of swing. Thursday, Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m. HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY

Ghost Town Blues Band Sunday, Dec. 21, 6 p.m.

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

Thursday, Dec. 18, 8 p.m.

Indignation. Friday, Dec. 19, 9 p.m.

HUEY’S SOUTHWIND

Visions Academy Holiday Concert

Thursday, Dec. 18, 5:30 p.m. HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY

Wyly Bigger

The piano wunderkind will honor the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s classic album, A Charlie Brown Christmas, plus other tunes from Charles Schulz’s animated Peanuts television specials. Sunday, Dec. 21, 4 p.m. HERNANDO’S HIDE-A-WAY

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Ashton Riker & The Memphis Royals

John Williams & the A440 Band

CELEBRATE THE CITY ALL YEAR LONG WITH THE GIFT OF MEMPHIS MAGAZINE!

Give a year (12 issues) of Memphis Magazine for just $18, and each of your recipients will receive the special

Vance Lauderdale has once again ransacked his archives for some of the best local history stories and images. Don't forget to gift yourself a subscription, too. You'll also receive the Vance Lauderdale calendar! O R D E R T O DAY M E M PH I S M AG A Z I N E .C OM Use code H O L S U B 2 5 or call 9 01 .575 .947 0

M O J O R U U E S R T T C H O A $ V N 1 ER 7 8 0 PR % ! IC OF E! F

December 18-24, 2025

2026 VANCE LAUDERDALE CALENDAR along with a personalized gift card.

CALENDAR of EVENTS:

December 18 - 24

Send the date, time, place, cost, info, phone number, a brief description, and photos — two weeks in advance — to calendar@memphisﬂyer.com. DUE TO SPACE LIMITATIONS, ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS WILL APPEAR IN THE FLYER’S ONLINE CALENDAR ONLY. FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVENTS LISTING, VISIT EVENTS.MEMPHISFLYER.COM/CAL.

Slob on My Nog: A Memphis Christmas Comedy Extravaganza

ART AN D S P EC IA L E X H I B ITS

Amy Hutcheson Exhibition

Improv, stand-up, and music, with special guests Mindy Bush and Cowboy Fly. Thursday, Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m.

The artist aims to “dismantle and reconstruct the world around me.” Through Dec. 30.

LAMPLIGHTER LOUNGE

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Artists’ Link Holiday Show

C O M M U N I TY

Invasive Species Pull

Featuring paintings, pastel drawings, woven and painted textiles, fused glass, photographs, and pottery. Through Dec. 29.

Help keep our ecosystem healthy by identifying and removing non-native invasive plant species. Friday, Dec. 19, 9-11 a.m.

ST. GEORGE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

OVERTON PARK

Bartlett Art Association Holiday Showcase

Porter-Leath Toy Truck at IKEA

Donate and help bring holiday joy to 5,000 local preschool children. Friday, Dec. 19, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 20, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Featuring acrylics, oils, photography, and mixed media. Through Dec. 26. WKNO DIGITAL MEDIA CENTER

“Bettye’s Bin: The Personal Archives of Stax Songwriter Bettye Crutcher”

IKEA

DAN C E

The soul singer’s rediscovered archives now return home. Free. Through Feb. 22.

Line Dancing with “Q”

Whether you’re a seasoned dancer or just learning the steps, “Q” will guide you through the moves and make it a night to remember. Tuesday, Dec. 23, 6 p.m.

STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL MUSIC

Brantley Ellzey – “Reﬂection + Ritual + Refuge”

“From Paris to the Prairie”: The George H. Booth II Collection Eleven prints by PierreAuguste Renoir, Peter Ilsted, Thomas Hart Benton, Grant Wood, and Rockwell Kent. Free. Through Jan. 11. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Jared Small: “Concomitant”

Vivid colors enliven these images of botanic blooms and fanciful buildings. Through Dec. 20. DAVID LUSK GALLERY

Justin Williams: “Stage” Vivid portraits of local musicians and performers. Through Dec. 20. THE UGLY ART COMPANY

“Last Whistle: Steamboat Stories of Memphis”

Featuring detailed model boats and original steamboat artifacts. Through June 26. PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION

“L’Estampe Originale: A Graphic Treasure” This extremely rare portfolio of lithography features ninetyfive works by seventy-four artists. Free. Through Jan. 11. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Lui Shtini: “Tree Spirits” Wind, rain, and sun have lashed and washed these works clean and dry. Through Jan. 10. TOPS GALLERY

Mary K. VanGieson: “Chasing the Ephemeral”

Prints, sculptures, and installations using alternative materials. Through Dec. 31. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Master Metalsmith James Viste: “Let Me Tell You a Story”

This exhibit is filled with whimsy, humor, memories, and the smithing techniques of the past. Through Feb. 1. METAL MUSEUM

“Navigating Knowledge” Exploring vessels and navigation as metaphors for the transmission of knowledge. Through Oct. 31.

PHOTO: COURTESY ST. GEORGE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Artists’ Link, a nonprofit group of over 150 visual artists, is presenting its annual holiday show. “Speaking Truth to Power: The Life of Bayard Rustin”

Exploring Rustin’s innovative use of the “medium” to communicate powerful messages of nonviolence, activism, and authenticity. $20/adult, $18/ senior, college student, $17/ children 5-17. Through Dec. 31.

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM

“Redemption of a Delta Bluesman: Robert Johnson”

Tributaries: Kat Cole’s “Meditations”

Paintings reimagining the story of the mythical crossroads where the bluesman purportedly made a deal. Through June 30. GALLERY ALBERTINE

Riley Payne: “Ocean Size”

Works with multiple readings through the use of instantly recognizable reference imagery. Through Jan. 10. TOPS GALLERY: MADISON AVENUE PARK

Sean Latif Heiser: “Time is a Hearer”

Paintings of imagined landscapes and architectures. Free. Through Jan. 9. BEVERLY + SAM ROSS GALLERY

Cole captures ephemeral gestures in glass, enamel and steel. Through March 8/ METAL MUSEUM

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

Tour: The Life of Jesus Christ through Art

A closer look at pieces that narrate the life of Jesus Christ. Thursday, Dec. 18, 6:30-7:15 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 20, 6:30 p.m.

Super Saturday - Winter Solstice Lanterns

Light up the darkest day of the year with art and inspiration, as you create handmade lanterns. Free. Saturday, Dec. 20, 10 a.m.-noon. THE MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

Tour: The Evolution of Artistic Mediums

Take a guided walk through art history with docent Maria Kulma, focusing on how materials — from wood panels and tempera to canvas and mixed media — have shaped artistic

METAL MUSEUM

Winter Solstice: Full Mala, Mindful Art Workshop & Sound Bath

The Nutcracker

Let the Collierville Ballet transport you and your family into the magical world of The Nutcracker this holiday season. $28.44. Saturday, Dec. 20, 2:30-4:30 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 21, 2:30-4:30 p.m. HARRELL THEATRE

World Ballet Company: The Nutcracker

Celebrate the winter solstice with 108 sun salutations, mindful art creating, and a one-hour sound bath. A day to honor your shadows, release what no longer serves you, and find your light in the dark $60/non-SANA yoga member, $50/SANA yoga member. Saturday, Dec. 20, noon-3 p.m.

Featuring world-class dancers, sparkling hand-sewn costumes, and hand-crafted sets, this production is the perfect way to make holiday memories. Wednesday, Dec. 24, 5 p.m.

WHISKEY JILL’S

SANA YOGA EAST MEMPHIS

E X PO/SA LES

Dance Lessons

Winter Solstice Medicine Making with Hilarie Elaine

Gifts of Green

MEMPHIS BROOKS MUSEUM OF ART

C LAS S / W O R KS H O P

Country Swing Dance Lessons

It’s never too late to start and a partner is not required to join the class. Friday, Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m.

Swing lessons with Matt and Lara, 7:30 p.m., and line dance lessons with Dancing with Boss Lady, 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m. WHISKEY JILL’S

ART HAPPE N I NGS

designed to be a simple and quick introduction to a new metalworking technique that can be completed within 2 hours $15/Make Your Own: Beaded Snowflake. Saturday, Dec. 20, 2:30-4:30 p.m.

Hobby Kick-Start: Printmaking It Happen

Vince Long explains how to utilize printmaking as art, as it applies to fashion and everyday uses. 16+. $25. Thursday, Dec. 18, 6-8 p.m. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Lunchtime Meditations

Visit the Dixon for free meditation sessions every Friday. Friday, Dec. 19, noon-12:30 p.m. THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Make Your Own: Beaded Snowﬂake Make Your Own is a short lesson that takes place once every month. The projects are

Celebrate the winter solstice with a hands-on herbal workshop led by Hilarie Elaine. $45. Sunday, Dec. 21, 3-5 p.m. CENTRAL GARDENS

C O M E DY

Next Top Comic

Who will be deemed the funniest person on Earth? 21+. Saturday, Dec. 20, 9 p.m. HI TONE

Open-Mic Comedy

Hosted by John Miller. Free to attend and sign up. See hitonecafe.com for more info. Free. Tuesday, Dec. 23, 7 p.m. HI TONE

CANNON CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

A variety of tropical and unusual plants, stylish pots, and other botanical novelties. Through Dec. 30. MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Shop & Sing Vendor Market

A day of karaoke, local vendors, and great food and drinks. Sunday, Dec. 21, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. DRU’S BAR

Southern Flea Market

Starts at 8 a.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. on Sunday. Saturday, Dec. 20-Dec. 21. LANDERS CENTER

WinterArts 2025

Exceptional hand-crafted works by our region’s finest artists. Through Dec. 24. 7570 WEST FARMINGTON BLVD.

continued on page 20

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

CROSSTOWN ARTS AT THE CONCOURSE

DRU’S BAR

practice across centuries. $5/ general admission. Thursday, Dec. 18, 6:30-7:15 p.m.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Spirals turn through the exhibition like a silent logic. Through Jan. 25.

CALENDAR: DECEMBER 18 - 24 continued from page 19

PHOTO: MOSH

For a slightly off-kilter Christmas, see Edward Scissorhands on the giant screen at the Pink Palace.

FAM I LY

2025 WKNO’s Teacher Teacher Holiday Party

WKNO’s Teacher Teacher is hosting her annual holiday party. This year Lyla from “Lyla in the Loop” is joining the celebration. Saturday, Dec. 20, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

11 a.m. | Wednesday, Dec. 24, 1 p.m. AUTOZONE DOME PLANETARIUM

The Light Before Christmas

WKNO DIGITAL MEDIA CENTER

Ramen & Reels

For 12- to 18-year-olds, an afternoon of anime and ramen. Choose your own ramen bowl and add your own toppings, including chicken, bean sprouts, and more. Friday, Dec. 19, 4 p.m. ORANGE MOUND LIBRARY

Story Time: Baking

A cozy, flour-dusted world where stories rise, mix, and bake into something wonderful. Friday, Dec. 19, 10:30 a.m.-noon. MORTON MUSEUM OF COLLIERVILLE HISTORY

Forward to the Moon

A planetarium show about the Artemis program, NASA’s project to return to the moon, from landing humans on the surface, to building a space station in lunar orbit, to establishing a human lunar base. Thursday, Dec. 18-Dec. 24, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION

F I LM

Slowdown Cinema Club: Edward Scissorhands

A scientist (Vincent Price) builds an animated human being — the gentle Edward (Johnny Depp). But the scientist dies before he can finish assembling Edward, leaving him with freakish hands. Thursday, Dec. 18, 5:30 p.m. CTI 3D GIANT THEATER

It’s a Wonderful Life

Featuring special guest Mary Owen, the youngest daughter of It’s a Wonderful Life star Donna Reed. $10/general admission. Monday, Dec. 22, 7-9:30 p.m. ORPHEUM THEATRE

Met Opera 2025: Andrea Chénier

A special cinema encore presentation of the Metropolitan

Opera’s take on the life of the poet Andrea Chénier, his love for the aristocrat Maddalena, and his rivalry with Maddalena’s former servant. Saturday, Dec. 20, noon | Wednesday, Dec. 24, 6:30 p.m. MALCO PARADISO CINEMA GRILL & IMAX

Oceans: Our Blue Planet

Embark on a global odyssey to discover the largest and least explored habitat on earth. New ocean science and technology has allowed us to go further into the unknown than we ever thought possible. Thursday, Dec. 18, 2 p.m. | Friday, Dec. 19, 2 p.m. CTI 3D GIANT THEATER

Royal Ballet: The Nutcracker

Tchaikovsky’s classic filmed live on the London stage. Monday, Dec. 22, 7 p.m. MALCO PARADISO CINEMA GRILL & IMAX

Season of Light

Young Katie and Makean, lost, are rescued by their friend, the Candleman, an old sage who imparts wisdom, hot chocolate, and stories. Saturday, Dec. 20, 11 a.m. | Sunday, Dec. 21, 11 a.m. | Tuesday, Dec. 23, 11 a.m. | Wednesday, Dec. 24, 11 a.m. CTI 3D GIANT THEATER

The Wizard of Oz

For the holidays, relive the magic of Dorothy in Oz, with a Scarecrow who wants a brain, a Tin Man who wants a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who wants courage. Saturday, Dec. 20, 1 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 21, 1 p.m. | Tuesday, Dec. 23, 1 p.m. | Wednesday, Dec. 24, 1 p.m. PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION

T. Rex: Greatest of All Tyrants

The most dazzling and accurate giant screen documentary ever made on this legendary predator — and its carnivorous Cretaceous cousins. Thursday, Dec. 18, 11 a.m. | Friday, Dec. 19, 11 a.m. | Saturday, Dec. 20, 11

a.m. | Sunday, Dec. 21, 11 a.m. | Tuesday, Dec. 23, 11 a.m. | Wednesday, Dec. 24, 11 a.m. CTI 3D GIANT THEATER

Tron: Ares

Mankind encounters AI beings for the first time when a highly sophisticated program, Ares, leaves the digital world for a dangerous mission in the real world. Thursday, Dec. 18, 3 p.m. | Friday, Dec. 19, 3 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 20, 3 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 21, 3 p.m. | Monday, Dec. 22, 3 p.m. | Tuesday, Dec. 23, 3 p.m. | Wednesday, Dec. 24, 3 p.m. CTI 3D GIANT THEATER

FO O D A N D D R I N K

Ice Storm of ’94 Cask Tapping

Christmas ale tapping. Saturday, Dec. 20, 5 p.m. MEMPHIS MADE BREWING (DOWNTOWN - THE RAVINE)

Left Right Center

An easy-to-learn, fast-paced dice game. Grab a drink, roll the dice, and let the good times roll. Sunday, Dec. 21, 2 p.m. DRU’S BAR

“Papa Bear Trivia” with Shawn

Bring your brainpower and your crew for a night of free trivia, testing your knowledge across a variety of topics and competing for bragging rights. Thursday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m. DRU’S BAR

DEC

18+

December 18-24, 2025

119-20 9-2 20

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WEAR W EAR CHR CHRISTMAS RISTMAS ATTIRE

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PRIZES AND GIVEAWAYS

ALL NIGHT LONG

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HAPPY HOUR 12PM-7PM | MONDAY/WEDNESDAY/SUNDAY- $4 BEERS

(901) 363-3646

3918 WINCHESTER RD MEMPHIS , TN 38118

Free Cover until 7pm.

Giving away 2 50”tv’s Dec. 19th & 20th

CALENDAR: DECEMBER 18 - 24 H EALT H AN D F ITN ES S

S P O R TS

Taijiquan with Milan Vigil

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Washington Wizards

Yoga

Strengthen your yoga practice and enjoy the health benefits of light exercise with yoga instructor Laura Gray McCann. All levels welcome. Free. Thursday, Dec. 18, 6 p.m.

Annie Jr. The Musical

FEDEXFORUM

Featuring everyone’s favorite little redhead in her very first adventure. Friday, Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 20, 2:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 21, 2:30 p.m.

Race: Reindeer Run Diaper Drive 5K

Course route includes the Chickasaw Trail. Saturday, Dec. 20, 9 a.m.

GERMANTOWN COMMUNITY THEATRE

SHELBY FARMS PARK

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Single Season United: Fellowship & Grizzlies Game Night

H O LI DAY EVE N TS

FEDEXFORUM

Beyond the Stars: A Madonna Christmas Story

MEMPHIS BOTANIC GARDEN

Lantern Festival

A one-of-a-kind holiday light experience featuring more than 60 larger-than-life illuminated fixtures. Through Feb. 1. MEMPHIS ZOO

Read Around the Christmas Tree

Local children’s book authors reading to youth around a 20-foot Christmas tree, with a youth marketplace, family photos with Santa, and carriage rides. Free. Saturday, Dec. 20, noon-3 p.m.

An evening of fellowship and Grizzlies energy. Free. Saturday, Dec. 20, 5:30 p.m.

The Enchanted Forest Festival of Trees

The Pink Palace’s Mezzanine filled with beautifully decorated trees, with animated characters, model trains, and more. Benefiting Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Through Dec. 28. PINK PALACE MUSEUM & MANSION

Winter Wonderland: A 10-Day Holiday Festival

Enjoy dazzling lights, magic shows, and holiday fun for all ages! $15.76/general admission - child (4-12), $26.06/general admission - adult (13+). 4-8 p.m. on weekdays, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on weekends. Thursday, Dec. 18-Dec. 24. AGRICENTER INTERNATIONAL EXPO CENTER

Winter Wonderland Ball

An event for adults with special needs and disabilities, with free food and music by DJ Zoom. Free. Friday, Dec. 19, 4 p.m. RAYMOND SKINNER CENTER

P E R FO R M I N G AR TS

Anthony Christopher & Michael Benedetti Present: Eureka O’Hara Live

A drag spectacular. Saturday, Dec. 20, 10 p.m. DRU’S BAR

The Dinner Detective True Crime Murder Mystery Dinner Show

SNL meets Law and Order with the Dinner Detective. $69.95/general admission. Saturday, Dec. 20, 6-9 p.m. DOUBLETREE BY HILTON EAST

Based on the popular children’s book by Barbara Park, this stage adaptation follows the energetic and outspoken first grader, Junie B. Jones. Saturday, Dec. 20, 2 p.m. CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE

The Wizard of Oz

Based on the book by L. Frank Baum, this production tells the enchanting story of Dorothy Gale after she is swept away by a powerful THEATRE MEMPHIS twister and finds herself in the mystical land of A Tuna Christmas Oz. Thursday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m. | Friday, Dec. 19, Set in a fictional Texas town, the annual 7 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 21, 2 p.m. The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation Christmas Yard Display Contest is about to PLAYHOUSE ON THE SQUARE

620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Thursday, July 4, 2019

Crossword

Starry Nights

SHELBY FARMS PARK

Junie B. Jones the Musical

TENNESSEE SHAKESPEARE COMPANY

SADDLE CREEK SOUTH

An adults-only holiday speakeasy tucked inside a softly lit yurt. Warm lighting, curated cocktails, cozy seating, and a soft winter soundtrack set the tone. 21+. Select nights, 6, 7:30, and 9 p.m. Through Jan. 2.

HATTILOO THEATRE

Featuring The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and A Child’s Christmas in Wales, adapted from Dylan Thomas. Friday, Dec. 19, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 21, 3 p.m.

A Christmas Carol

Santa Claus is coming to Saddle Creek for free photos. Friday, Dec. 19, 2-6 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 20, 2-7 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 21, 1-5 p.m.

Starry Nights Afterglow

An urban spin on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Through Dec. 21.

Christmas Gems

Santa Photos at Saddle Creek

SHELBY FARMS PARK

If Scrooge Was A Brother

GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

DOUGLASS PARK

A driving tour through dazzling displays featuring millions of lights that starts at the Farm Road Gate. Pony and wagon rides also available. Thursday, Dec. 18-Dec. 24, 6 p.m.

ORPHEUM THEATRE

Each year, the students of Madonna Learning Center astound the audience as they perform an original musical centered around the heart of Christmas. Thursday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m.

Holiday Wonders at the Garden

Step into a world of twinkling lights, cozy moments, and holiday magic. Thursday, Dec. 18-Dec. 23, 5-8:30 p.m.

CIRCUIT PLAYHOUSE

Saturday, Dec. 20, 7 p.m.

ACROSS 1 Downturn 4 Apian way? 11 Revolutionary subject for Banksy 14 Laundry room brand 15 Was humbled 16 Big sender of CDs in the 1990s 17 Peter ... Rabbit ... 19 Sport competed in barefoot, in brief 20 Welcomes 21 What every infinitive in Esperanto ends in 22 Smoke detector alert

28 Frequent first word 29 Cross swords, say 30 Dead ... Drop ... 33 “Queen” on Broadway 35 Kind of soup 36 Appended, with “on” 40 Fitbit bit 42 Jack ... Cheese ... 43 Steamed 46 “Quickly!” 48 Greek letters 49 Fire ... Screen ... 51 “Isle of Dogs” director Anderson

24 Space ... Bar ...

53 Businessman who gave his name to Berkeley’s business school

26 Ancient greeting

54 PC hookup

23 Ancient marauder

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE N O S H F L A B S I Z E O R E O E L A T E I D O L P A N S R O M A N G O O F U T T E R R U B B I S H L O T U A R C O T T O N P R O U S T C O I F A D O S T A T E M O T T O E S B A S E L E E N P A S S E E X P R E S S L I N E S A L I S O S O O D E S S A D E T O U R A L A A M I S P E A K V O L U M E S P I M A A R I E S R O L L J P E G R E A R S I S L E S A T E M A S T S A S S

55 Like some stock shares 58 Boston athlete whose #4 jersey has been retired 59 Dog ... Star ... 61 Arya’s father on “Game of Thrones” 62 Question seen in some online memes 63 Coastal inlet 64 Signature on a message to readers, maybe 65 1% of the body? 66 Spanish chess piece DOWN 1 Lead-in to “vu” 2 401(k) alternatives 3 Carry 4 Sink 5 School for James Bond 6 Poetic contraction 7 “Cheers!” 8 Role in “The Avengers” 9 “Honest!” 10 Flock member 11 Finished, as second or third 12 Class with ranges, informally 13 Pass 18 Jayhawks rival, for short 22 Laundry room supply 24 Duty

Edited by Will Shortz 1

23 27

34 36

40 44

19 21

No. 0530

42 47

48 51

PUZZLE BY BRANDON KOPPY

25 E equivalent 26 System used in hematology 27 Nettle 28 Enchilada topper 31 Preferences 32 Mean dog … or a flea on a dog 34 Surmounting 37 Independent counsel during the Bill Clinton scandal 38 Toilette water

50 Outed covert C.I.A. officer Valerie 51 Unit of magnetic 41 Knight renowned flux for heroism and chivalry 52 That: Sp. 55 Kill bill? 42 Sensitive figure to ask someone 56 It’s between about Huron and Ontario 43 Big Apple product 57 Depiction in 44 Thundered “Saving Private Ryan” 45 Edgar, Oscar and Tony 59 Old men 47 Actress Bullock 60 Sauced 39 Abbr. on a professional’s shingle

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 7,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Read about and comment on each puzzle: nytimes.com/wordplay.

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

THE DIXON GALLERY & GARDENS

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

This Chinese martial art promotes relaxation, improves balance, and provides no-impact aerobic benefits. Ages 16 and older. Free. Saturday, Dec. 20, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

commence. Thursday, Dec. 18, 8 p.m. | Friday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m. | Saturday, Dec. 20, 8 p.m. | Sunday, Dec. 21, 2 p.m.

We Saw You. with MICHAEL DONAHUE

December 18-24, 2025

ise men and women turned out to buy antiques and to celebrate the holidays at Sheffield’s Christmas Gala, which was held December 5th at the Sheffield Antiques Mall in Collierville, Tennessee. This wasn’t one of those cheddar-cheese-and-cherry-tomato events. Fare at this party included turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and, yes, green bean salad. Santa was there to take wish lists. And entertainment included seasonal and other music to shop to by Jeremy Shrader’s Octocats. The event was a fundraiser for Toys for Tots and the Page Robbins Adult Day Center.

PHOTOS: MICHAEL DONAHUE

above: Joyce Spiecha, Joanne Huntsman, and Nancy Borne circle: Steven Brooks below: (left to right) Rush, Trip Trezevant, and Sloane Trezevant; Evon and Max Crow and Jeanne Gillis bottom row: (left to right) Margaret McCandless, Donna Schmidt, and Lisa Akin; Addison Bray; Sissy Criss

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

above: Katie Kalsi, Robin Theismann, and Sherrie Daly circle: Santa Mike right row: (top and below) Nick Bare, Gail Sredonja, Patrick Neal, and Caleb Edwards; Jeremy Shrader’s Octocats below: (left to right) JoAnn Fisher, Donna Reed, Bryan Vaud, and Lou Ann Jacobson; Helene Eidimtas and Laura Trezevant; Kenneth and Jacqueline Jordan bottom left: Nina Wingfield, Laura Veesart, and Luanne Gilbert

FOOD By Michael Donahue

Salad Days — And Nights Wild Beet Salad Co. opens second location.

December 18-24, 2025

elcie Nollner began “mixing” as a child. “I used to mix stuff together and bake it,” she says. “Just anything from the pantry. I really was just making a mess.” Her concoctions would be “totally inedible — so flour, sugar, and ketchup.” She and her daughter still get in the kitchen and do some “mixing” just for fun, but Nollner, 37, is also in the kitchen at her Wild Beet Salad Co. restaurant at 8176 Old Dexter Road. She’s opening her second Wild Beet Salad Co. location in mid-January at the new Stomping Grounds recreation site (formerly Railgarten) in the old The Farmer restaurant space at 2158 Central Avenue near Cooper Street. Growing up, Nollner wasn’t “interested in food” even though she liked to mix ingredients. “I just always loved clothes and putting outfits together.” In 2008, Nollner moved from Memphis to New York, where she went to school to pursue fashion merchandising at LIM College, which focuses on the business of fashion and lifestyle. But her interest shifted while she was at the Manhattan-based school. “I ate at a salad place literally every day,” she says. “I was thinking of having a clothing boutique. I ended up with a salad boutique.” Nollner moved back to Memphis after she graduated in 2011. “I kind of shifted gears. I thought I might want to do some event planning.” She got an internship at Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and then she went on to work at Church Health for two years “while making a business plan for Wild Beet.” The New York eateries she frequented were her inspiration. “I was in New York and eating at all the different salad places up there. One is Chopped. They have one in Nashville now. All have customer-crafted, buildyour-own kind of assembly lines.” She also liked Sweetgreen. Santa Fe Salad was one of her favorite places. They served a “spicy salad with avocado and fried onions and cherry tomatoes. So good.” Nollner didn’t get serious about 24 opening a salad restaurant until 2013. “I didn’t really know what my next

PHOTO: COURTESY KELCIE NOLLNER

Kelcie Nollner; Thai peanut salad

move was.” Yet she couldn’t “stop missing her salads,” so she decided to finally open her own salad restaurant. Nollner opened her first restaurant in 2014 at the old Carrefour at Kirby Woods Shopping Center on Poplar Avenue and Kirby Parkway. She originally called it “Lettuce Eat,” but she had to change the name because that was the name of a parent company of some restaurants in Chicago, Illinois. When she had to move from Carrefour because of redevelopment, Nollner relocated her restaurant to Cordova.

Nollner’s ideas stem from “eating at all the salad places” in New York. “And then I created all the dressings myself.” Describing the Wild Beet Salad Co. concept, Nollner says, “We have a base of maybe 10 salads you can choose from, or you can create your own.” Salads include “Can’t Be Beet,” which is spinach, beets, avocado, feta cheese, walnuts, mandarin oranges, and maple Dijon dressing. But there’s no “Wild Beet Salad” on the menu. Nollner just thought the name was “cute.” The menu lists about 50 types of toppings, which include various types of lettuce as well as proteins, cheeses, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and “crunchies,”

for creating build-your-own salads. Caesar salad is still their most popular salad, but like their other salads, Nollner says, “People are just going crazy adding to them. Like chicken or steak or salmon.” Nollner’s ideas stem from “eating at all the salad places” in New York. “And then I created all the dressings myself, so they’re all homemade and started in my kitchen.” Her dressings include Honey Peanut Butter Vinaigrette, Ginger Soy, Maple Dijon, and Garlic Parmesan. “I just one day got to mixing, and I made 15 dressings and put them in a cooler. And drove down to Huntsville and made my brother taste test with me. It went well.” Her brother is a “grill master,” but, she says, “He’s not like a foodie.” She went to him for advice “just because he is one of my best friends and someone I trust completely.” Wild Beet Salad Co. was a success from the get-go. “It was a hit right away because I did free salads for two days. I think that was what got us off to a good start. Oh, my gosh. We sold out of food both days. On the second day, we didn’t make it to dinner. We, basically, didn’t have anything else left.” She served about 500 free salads. Nollner found out about the Stomping Grounds restaurant site from founder Andrew Mathewes. “Andrew sent me a message and asked if I’d be interested. And I said, ‘Maybe.’” When she saw the space, Nollner thought, “I can basically move right in. It has all the equipment.” The new location, with its long bar, seats between 55 and 60 people. “It’s

2,700 square feet. My space in Carrefour was just under 2,000, so it’s bigger.” As for changing the decor, Nollner says, “It doesn’t need much. I’m going to change out the light fixtures and get a fresh coat of paint. And I’m going to add a few pieces of equipment.” The menu will “stay the same. You can still get all the favorites.” She’s going to add a children’s menu because they’ll also be feeding the children visiting Stomping Grounds. “We could do a junior salad. I’m thinking more like grilled cheese and peanut butter and jelly, veggie sticks and ranch dip, turkey rollups, and Nutella with strawberries.” The new location already has a little ice cream shop on one side. “So we’re going to add ice cream whenever Stomping Ground opens.” Once Stomping Grounds opens, Wild Beet Salad Co. will feature breakfast as well as lunch and dinner. Nollner originally wanted a Midtown location because that was her old stomping grounds. “I guess when I was in my younger years, in my 20s, I was just in Midtown, so that’s where I wanted to be.” But she couldn’t find a space in Midtown. “The Carrefour space popped up, so I did Carrefour.” She’s going to keep her original location. “We do a lot of catering. It’s a huge component of the business. And that kitchen is just perfect for that, so we’re going to keep that rocking and rolling in Cordova.” Nollner also would like to have a Wild Beet Salad Co. in Germantown. “I haven’t given up hope on that.” Adding live music to the new location isn’t out of the question, says Nollner, whose husband, John Nollner, was lead singer of the ’90s rock band Jerry Has No Skates. “John really wants me to do a Wild Beet karaoke night once a month, so we’ll see.”

S P I R I T S B y A l i c e Fa y e D u n c a n

A Powerful Potion Vintage901 celebrates 10 years in 2026.

For two years after his death, Stephanie brooded. She spoke with family and friends about the wine festival idea. She prayed until her love for Chuck inspired her to take the leap. Remembering Chuck, Stephanie says, “Wherever we went, the magic was the same. He was always laughing, learning, and sharing stories over food and wine.” Chuck believed with all the love in him that Memphis deserved the same magic that he and Stephanie experienced during their travels. He envisioned a festival where community wasn’t just welcomed but celebrated, where wine and food were the glue sticks to establishing deeper con-

Mended Therapy

Combining mental health with a love of fashion, creativity, and sustainability, Mended Therapy was born. Ashley wants to show that although things may seem like they cannot get better, there is hope. Just like a mended piece of clothing is brought new life, the same can be said of us. She is here to walk with you through this journey with laughter, creativity, and challenging your beliefs about yourself. She is MENDED (and constantly mending). She hopes you will let her join you as you MEND. Ashley specializes in working with LGBTQ+ populations and mood disorders. For more information or to book an appointment, visit mendedtherapypllc.com. She currently accepts Aetna, BCBS, Cigna, Quest Behavioral Health, All Savers (UHC), Health Plans Inc, Optum, Oscar, Oxford, Surest (Formerly Bind), UHC Student Resources, UMR, UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealthcare Shared Services (UHSS), UnitedHealthcare Global, and UnitedHealthcare Exchange Plans (ONEX) insurance plans. She does provide a superbill for out-ofnetwork clients if they want to submit to their insurance. Self-pay is $125 for individual sessions.

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

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Raise a glass to 10 years of Vintage901.

nections with disparate groups across race, religion, roots, and regions. Stephanie’s first Vintage901 tasting popped off in 2016, with several hundred Memphians convening at the former Fairgrounds’ Pipkin Building for a sampling of national and international wine varieties along with tapas, wine talks, and culinary demonstrations. Though Chuck passed away in 2013, Vintage901 is the realization of his dream. The wine and food are still the accoutrements, while the soul of the festival remains the people. As Vintage901 grew bigger over the years, so did the vision. Today, proceeds from the event are invested in what Stephanie calls “vinlanthropy” and “culanthropy,” supporting Memphis students through scholarships in viniculture and culinary arts. Vintage901 also proudly supports and uplifts groups such as the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis, the Mid-South Food Bank, Choices, Overton Park Shell, Hope House, Literacy Mid-South, and the National Civil Rights Museum. In February, Vintage901 will host wine tasting events to celebrate its 10th anniversary. The Sparkling Brunch will be held Sunday, February 8th, at The Lobbyist, a Michelin Guide-recommended restaurant in Downtown. With food served by chef Jimmy Gentry, the featured wines will be “sparklers” from France, Italy, California, and Oregon. Early bird tickets are $125 until December 31st. Wine and good vibrations don’t stop there. In the spring, Vintage901 will host a Grand Tasting on Saturday, April 18th, at the Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center. This event will include an exclusive selection of old- and new-world wines with sommelier Laurie Forster, the “Wine Coach,” serving as host. Steve Lee’s Memphis Jazz Workshop will bring the music. The Grand Tasting VIP ticket will allow guests to attend a VIP reception, take a wine education class, and receive a delicious serving of signature cocktails, bourbons, and wines. In 2026, Vintage901 invites you to show up, not only for wine, but for each other. Make a toast to life, love, and light. Come together. CHEERS! For more information and tickets, visit vintage901.org.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

ove, like wine, is a powerful potion. It can move mountains and make dreams come true. The wine festival, Vintage901, was born from love — love for a husband, a city, and the desire to gather all Memphis folk in the spirit of good times. Ten years ago, when pondering the possibility of a tribute to her late husband, Chuck Ferreira, Stephanie Ferreira recalled Chuck’s dream to organize a wine and music event like the festivals they had enjoyed together in Santa Fe, Martha’s Vineyard, and Oregon’s Willamette Valley. By profession, Memphis native Stephanie Ferreira is a florist and event planner, a dream whisperer when it comes to bringing clients’ ideas to life. But when it was time for Stephanie to execute her late husband’s vision for a wine festival, she felt unsure of her capabilities to make the affair as marvelous as he’d described it during their 18 years of midnight conversations. After all, Chuck was a world traveler, cultured, curious, and constantly basking in the discovery of new food, music, and wine.

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Compelling Explanation Karen Dedert, 58, of Seminole, Florida, woke her husband up early on Nov. 4 by standing over him and asking where their son was, WTSP-TV reported. Then she said, “I need to sacrifice and kill you both,” according to the arrest affidavit. She tried stabbing her husband, Richard, with a knife, but he blocked the attack and locked himself in a bathroom. Later, she lunged at him with the knife again, cutting his arm. Richard escaped and called for help; when they arrived, Karen was still in the house. She said she didn’t want to talk but spontaneously offered, “These aren’t the clothes I was wearing when I stabbed him.” She was charged with attempted first-degree murder. [WTSP, 11/5/2025] It’s a Mystery Police at Purdue University are grappling with a sticky situation on campus, WLFI-TV reported. On Nov. 5, officers received calls about a man walking around covered from head to toe in peanut butter. Witnesses were concerned about safety issues for people with peanut butter allergies. Investigators are unsure whether PB Man is a student and suggested he might be part of a hazing prank. [WLFI, 11/5/2025] The Foreign Press If you missed this year’s Tar Barrels event in Ottery St. Mary, England, make plans to attend next year. On Nov. 5, the BBC reported, selected residents of the town ran through the streets with flaming barrels of tar held over their heads in an “exhilarating” tribute to … something. Even historians aren’t sure what, but the tradition goes back to 1605, “when bonfires and effigies were burnt and barrels were plentiful,” said Andrew Wade, president of the Tar Barrels Committee. “The barrels used to be rolled; that’s why the people are called barrel rollers.” At some point, the barrels were picked up and carried. A total of 27 are carried throughout the event. Surprisingly, “None of the participants are allowed to drink,” Wade said. “It will carry on as long as there are people in Ottery who want to do it.” [BBC, 11/5/2025] Finders Keepers The town council in Neuville-surSaône, France, delivered good news to a homeowner on Nov. 5, CBS News

reported: He can keep the $800,000 worth of gold bars and coins he unearthed while digging for a swimming pool in his backyard. The gold was stashed in plastic bags; the man alerted authorities in May, when he found the treasure. Police said they were able to determine that the gold had not been stolen, and the home’s previous owner had died, so it belongs to the current resident. [CBS News, 11/7/2025] Least Competent Criminals Police in Windsor, Connecticut, can’t credit their amazing investigative skills after they apprehended two men who stole a huge highway sign on I-91. WFSB-TV reported that Andrew Scott Lampkin, 42, and Jonathan Riopelle, 46, from Vernon, Connecticut, allegedly removed the sign and strapped it to the bed of a pickup truck around 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 5. The thieves were charged with third-degree larceny, reckless use of a highway by a pedestrian, and improper parking on a highway. [WFSB, 11/6/2025] Odd Rescue As Colleen Dunn was walking her dogs on the beach in Manzanita, Oregon, one early evening in October, she came upon a beached shark. Rather than steering clear or calling the authorities, Dunn told KGW-TV, “I just made the quick decision to get him back into the deep Pacific Ocean.” A veteran viewer of Shark Week, Dunn knew that if she dragged the shark by its tail, it wouldn’t be able to bite her; with some effort, she was able to wrangle the shark first to shallow water, then push it into water deep enough for it to swim away. Shark expert Taylor Chapple of Oregon University identified the shark as a juvenile salmon shark and said it is not uncommon for the creatures to experience shock while swimming in colder waters and end up beached. [KGW-TV, 11/7/25] Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com. NEWS OF THE WEIRD © 2025 Andrews McMeel Syndication. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The sound of a whip cracking is a small sonic boom. The tip breaks the sound barrier, creating that distinctive snap. In my astrological reckoning, Taurus, life has provided you with the equivalent of a whip. During the coming months, you will have access to a simple asset that can create breakthrough force when wielded with precision and good timing. I’m not referring to aggression or violence. Your secret superpower will be understanding how to use small treasures that can generate disproportionate impacts. What’s your whip? GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Some Japanese potters practice yohen tenmoku. It’s a technique used to create a rare type of tea bowl with shifting, star-like iridescence on deep, dark glaze. The sublime effect results from a process that’s unusually demanding, highly unpredictable, and hard to control. Legend says that only one in a thousand bowls achieves the intended iridescence. The rest, according to the masters, are “lessons in humility.” I believe you can flourish by adopting this experimental mindset in the coming months. Treat your creative experiments as offerings to the unknown, as sources of wonder whether or not your efforts yield stellar results. Be bold in trying new techniques and gentle in self-judgment. Delight in your apprenticeship to mystery. Some apparent “failures” may bring useful novelty. CANCER (June 21-July 22): A fairweather cumulus cloud typically weighs over a million pounds and yet floats effortlessly. Let’s make that one of your prime power symbols for 2026, Cancerian. It signifies that you will harbor an immense emotional cargo that’s suspended with grace. You will carry complex truths, layered desires, and lyrical ambitions, but you will manage it all with aplomb and even delight. For best results, don’t overdramatize the heaviness; appreciate and marvel at the buoyancy. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Every 11 years, the sun reverses its magnetic polarity. North

becomes south, and south becomes north. The last switch was completed earlier this year. Let’s use this natural phenomenon as your metaphorical omen for the coming months, Leo. Imagine that a kind of magnetic reversal will transpire in your psyche. Your inner poles will flip position. As the intriguing process unfolds, you may be surprised at how many new ideas and feelings come rumbling into your imagination. Rather than resist the cosmic acrobatics, I advise you to welcome and collaborate with them. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The sculptor Louise Bourgeois was asked why she worked so often with the image of the spider. She said it was a tribute to her mother, who was deliberate, clever, patient, soothing, helpful, and useful — just like a spider. In the coming months, I invite you to embody her vision of the spider. You will have the wherewithal to weave hardy networks that could support you for years to come. Be creative and thoughtful as you craft your network of care. Your precision will be a form of devotion. Every strand, even fragile ones, will enhance your long-term resilience. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Researchers studying music theory know that dissonance — a sound that feels “wrong” or creates tension — is in part culturally determined. Indonesia’s gamelan music and Arabic maqam scales are beautiful to audiences that have learned to appreciate them. But they might seem off-kilter to Westerners accustomed to music filled with major thirds and triads. Let’s use this as our starting point as we contemplate your future in 2026, Libra. Life may disrupt your assumptions about what constitutes balance and harmony. You will be invited to consider the possibility that what seems like discord from one perspective is attractive and valuable from another. My advice: Open your mind to other ways of evaluating what’s meaningful and attractive. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the Sonoran Desert of the southwestern United States, Arizona bark scorpions are hard to see at night. Scientists who want to study them can find them only by searching with flashlights that emit ultraviolet light. This causes the scorpions’ exoskeletons to fluoresce and glow a distinct blue-green or turquoise color, making them highly visible. Let’s use this scenario as a metaphor for you. In the coming months, you may reveal your best brilliance under uncommon conditions. Circumstances that seem unusual or challenging will highlight your true beauty and power. What feels extreme may be a good teacher and helper. I urge you to trust that the right people will recognize your unique beauty. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In Greek

mythology, Proteus was a sea god famed for his ability to change his shape endlessly to evade capture. But now and then, a persistent hero was able to hold on to Proteus through all his transformations, whether he became a lion, serpent, tree, or flame. Then the god would bestow the gift of prophecy on the successful daredevil. I suspect that in the coming months, you will have an exceptional power to snag and grasp Proteus-like things, Capricorn. As a result, you could claim help and revelations that seem almost magical.

LEGAL NOTICES PERSONAL PROPERTY PUBLIC NOTICE As required by Tennessee Code Annotated Section 67-5-903, the Shelby County Assessor will be mailing Tangible Personal Property Schedules to all active businesses Within Shelby County by Friday, January 9, 2026. The filing Deadline is March 2, 2026. Please call the Shelby County Assessor’s office at 901-222-7002, if you needassistance.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In Florence, Italy, the Accademia Gallery houses several of Michelangelo’s sculptures that depict human figures partially emerging from rough blocks of marble. They seem to be caught in the process of birth or liberation. These works showcase the technique Michelangelo called non-finito (unfinished), in which the forms appear to struggle to escape from the stone. In the coming months, Aquarius, I foresee you undergoing a passage that initially resembles these figures. The good news is that unlike Michelangelo’s eternally trapped characters, you will eventually break free. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): To prepare you for 2026, I’ve gathered three quotes that address your most pressing need and urgent mandate. I recommend you tape this horoscope to your bathroom mirror. 1. “We cannot live in a world interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a hope. Part of the terror is to take back our listening, to use our own voice, to see our own light.” — author Elaine Bellezza. 2. “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson. 3. “The ability to tell your own story, in words or images, is already a victory, already a revolt.” — Rebecca Solnit.

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Nine hundred years ago, Sufi philosopher AlGhazali provided rigorous advice that’s not very popular these days. “To understand the stars,” he said, “one must polish the mirror of the soul.” Here’s my interpretation: To fathom the truth about reality, you must be a strong character who treasures clarity and integrity. It’s highly unlikely you can gather a profound grasp of how life works if your inner depths are a mess. Conversely, your capacity to comprehend the Great Mystery increases as you work on purifying and strengthening your character. Everything I just said is good advice for all of us all the time, but it will be especially potent and poignant for you in the coming months.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): According to legend, the genius composer Mozart heard entire symphonies in his imagination before he wrote down any notes. That’s a slight exaggeration. The full truth is that he often worked hard and made revisions. His inspiration was enhanced by effort and craft. However, it’s also true that Mozart wrote at least five masterful works in rapid succession, sometimes with remarkably few corrections on the manuscript. They included his last three symphonies (Nos. 39, 40, and 41). I predict you will have a Mozart-like aptitude in the coming months: the ability to perceive whole patterns before the pieces align. Trust your big visions!

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY By Rob Brezsny

COVER STORY continued from page 13

December 18-24, 2025

also gave me autonomy with the role and trusted me and really took a chance in saying, ‘Follow your instincts and do what you feel is right, I’ll support you in that. I’ll work around you,’ it was a dream scenario, I think, as a young actress,” says Anderson. “That’s just me enjoying it,” says Brewer, who takes care to cast actors with equal parts talent and independence. “I just get out of their way, and every once in a while, maybe give them adjustment.” In the film, Anderson and Hudson have great chemistry as daughter and mother. It helps that they also look quite a bit alike. “I was able to be immersed in how absorbed in the truth Kate was on set. That really helped me with how complicated a motherdaughter relationship can be, and the difficulties that they went through. … I think the [mother-daughter] roles are reversed a little bit, and at the right time, they reverse back. It’s situational. Who needs who the most? Which is why I admire this guy [Brewer] so much because the reality of life is one thing is not always one way and it is not stagnant. The person we knew when we were first introduced to them may be completely different from the one that we know at the end, and yet certain qualities may still be there.” Mike and Claire first meet at a state fair tribute artist revue where they perform with other celebrity impersonators. Brewer noticed that his father-in-law Dick Hagee bears a striking resemblance to Willie Nelson and cast him as a background actor for the scene. “I impersonated an impersonator!” says Hagee. “I’ve been on a lot of sets with Craig, but I’ve never spent three whole days from morning till night with him. That experience, to me, was totally amazing, just watching everybody do their job. I’ve followed sports all my life, and you talk about basketball and football teams having coordination, but it’s nothing compared to this team. So many people working together!” Like most Brewer films, Song Sung Blue is as much as a musical as it is a drama. Bomar says the music for the film was recorded here in Memphis with mostly Bluff City players, such as Susan Marshall. Jackman and Hudson sang the songs live on set. “I’m hearing Hugh and Kate sing ‘Sweet Caroline’ and the original version was recorded in Memphis. Now this version that we did for this film that’s getting played everywhere, it was recorded in Memphis as well! I met Chips Moman a few times later in his life. He’s one 28 of my favorite record producers of all time, a big inspiration. That’s pretty

PHOTOS: COURTESY FOCUS FEATURES

(above) left to right: Hugh Jackman as Mike Sardina, Fisher Stevens as Dr. Dave Watson, Michael Imperioli as Mark Shurilla, and Jim Belushi as Tom D’Amato; (below) left to right: Jim Belushi as Tom D’Amato, Ella Anderson as Rachel, Michael Imperioli as Mark Shurilla, King Princess as Angelina, Kate Hudson as Claire Stengl, and Hugh Jackman as Mike Sardina

cool for me.” Bomar tracked down the guitarist who played on many early Diamond records, Richard Bennett, to reprise some of his work for the soundtrack. “He played the exact same guitar and the exact same effects pedal that he used on the Neil Diamond versions,” says Bomar. During the monthlong promotional tour leading up to the film’s Christmas Day release, young actor Hudson Hensley, who played Claire’s son Dayna, recalled a moment when the crew were filming at the New Jersey house which stood in for Mike and Claire’s home in Milwaukee. They were trying to record a dialogue shot, but filming had to be paused because a high school marching

band was rehearsing a few blocks away. The song the band was playing? “Sweet Caroline.” A TEARJERKER, A CROWD-PLEASER On December 8, 2025, the Song Sung Blue promo tour rolled through Memphis. Two screens at the Malco Paradiso were filled with “friends and family” who were among the first to see the film. It is a real crowd-pleaser, says Dick Hagee. “I’ve still got tears in my eyes, and not just the tragedy of it, but the connection of it, the love story.” The next day, Brewer was in a reflective mood. “I thought it was a way to kind of get into the politics of the time without ever even addressing it,”

he says. “Some people, maybe they’re uncomfortable with how optimistic I am, but I still believe we’ve forgotten our heart a little bit as a country. It’s an easy thing to go into cynicism, especially nowadays. But I do think there is still a uniquely specific American dream, and we’ve always had it. It’s like, ‘I’m going to build a railroad!’ Really? Yeah! ‘I’m going to start a computer company! Someday there’ll be all the music in the world in your phone!’ You really think you’re gonna do that? Yeah! There’s a sense that people dream so big — or as Mike said, ‘So huge!’ — that you think, well, you’re never going to really get that. But the journey ultimately elevates and maybe takes you to places you didn’t

Song Sung Blue opens on Christmas Day in theaters all over the country.

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can make something.’ That is where I feel like I found myself. It’s in those spaces you can find what your voice is, and I’m worried that today there’s a little bit more of an emphasis on views and likes and ‘Are you selling out arena tours?’ and not necessarily, ‘I am healthy in my community of friends and family, and in the city I live in.’ Can you find your identity as an artist and do the music that you want to do or paint the paintings you want to paint? I think there needs to be a return to that being more of a victory than ‘great success,’ because it’s more attainable. You have a greater capacity for actual joy in that kind of scenario than you would from being the biggest and the most famous.”

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think you would go. I still think that’s alive today. I think we may have just forgotten it. “Here in Memphis, you are surrounded by a lot of musicians who are in multiple bands. None of them are making money off of those bands. If anything, they’re probably going into the hole, if you look at time and efforts and everything. That’s really something I felt the movie could be about. I think we’ve kind of gotten away from the right kinds of expectations and goals we set for ourselves in terms of artistic success. I’ve made a lot of movies, I have a career, I can consider myself a successful filmmaker. But the way I became a successful filmmaker was being broke here in Memphis with a bunch of other broke musicians and saying, ‘Hey, what are we doing this weekend? Maybe we

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Why Low Prices Are Bad, Actually

THE LAST WORD

It is a melancholy truth evident to all who traipse through this great river city that hunger and want must dog the heels of its citizens. So decree our wise and kindly leaders in industry and government, seeking only to protect we irresolute masses from the depravations of our own desires, and so say I. Were we left to our own devices, with resources to waste on the frivolous pursuits of so-called self-betterment, I have no doubt that we would plunge into the most depraved and selfish of pursuits. Though some misinformed (dare I say treasonous?) pundits assert that the contemporary poverty threshold rests, not at $32,150, as long established, but at $140,000, well beyond the median income for American workers, I contend that such claims do not take into account the poverty of spirit those who have more than the mere “basic necessities” will doubtless experience. True, my noble declarations have their detractors, such as the Economic Policy Institute, which claims, with no thought to the sinful indulgences it encourages, that the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, which has not increased since 2009, is a poverty wage. Poverty of pocketbook, perhaps! I say with full conviction, my friends, that, though my pantry be bare and my gas tank perpetually rests at a quarter-full, my spirit is rich to the brimming, nay, to overflowing. Consider only the self-indulgent and destructive divertissements I might be tempted to enjoy were I able. I, for one, welcome the spartan and sin-free lifestyle imposed by the steady rise in prices, which have come mercifully uncoupled from stagnant wages in my lifetime. As such, what perfidious pundits decry as a crisis of affordability, I see as a necessary bulwark for the spirit and soul of every American worker. To quote the fictional warlord, visionary, and benevolent humanitarian Immortan Joe, the underappreciated true hero of George Miller’s 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road, “Do not, my friends, become addicted to water. It will take hold of you, and you will resent its absence.” PHOTO: LAURA GANGI | DREAMSTIME.COM Though some renegades and rebels attribute Joe’s above quote to the fact that he controls and “hoards” the precious, so-called “life-sustaining” resource, anyone with half a brain can see that the noble warden of the wasteland and protector of the people is merely caring for his subjects. As the pinnacle of masculine leadership, he clearly knows better than the huddled masses what will actually benefit them. Look only at the furor with which the hordes of unclean wretches clamor for a meager sip of water, like addicts eager for a fix. Joe is magnanimous, selfless even, in his stalwart protection of his people, shielding them from the dangers of water addiction. Do they not realize that they live in a desert? Of course the Fearless Leader is not leveraging his sole control of a limited resource to deprive his subjects of the will to oppose him and to ensure their quiescent compliance. In fact, it should be treason even to suggest such a thing. Similarly, our gracious and benevolent overlords do not profit from their accumulation of wealth and the steady and unceasing rise of prices. Only think what harm we uncultured rabblement could cause ourselves if we had access to money, and time in which to spend it! We might degrade our minds with long-form entertainment rather than watching short-form videos while too exhausted to do anything else in the brief hours before bed. We could strengthen our ties with friends, family, and community members, thereby lessening our holy and patriotic attachment to the state and select corporate entities. We might have the time and financial resources to do our own shopping and cook our own meals — and with multiple ingredients, mind you — rather than patronizing fast food establishments or utilizing, for the general betterment of the economy, grocery delivery services. Weakwilled and tractable as we are, we might find ourselves addicted to such endeavors, selfishly spending minutes on end — even up to an hour — preparing a meal made with intention and care in the seductive comforts of our homes, laughing with our children and loved ones, and finding simple (read: sinister) joy in nontransactional activities. I speak as one who knows, dear friends, that it is not only beneficial for the economy to work two jobs (preferably one full-time and one part-time, with freelance endeavors on the side, which also, mercifully, wrecks one’s tax status), it is conducive to the uprightness of one’s moral character, for idle hands are the devil’s playthings. A mind in idlement will stray into creative pursuits, being led into temptation and seditious self-thought, whereas a mind wearied by the monotonous pursuit of day-today subsistence has no room or energy for aught but obedience, complacency, and consumption. Are these not our American ideals? Were not our forebears Puritans, and should we not aspire to both their work ethic and their unswerving commitment to lives devoid of sinful joy? As such, this holiday season, consider gifting your loved ones with a potato or other succulent and healthful tuber, lest they be led into temptation by self-indulgent and extravagant gifts. After all, one can survive off of potatoes alone for a long time, as they contain carbs, potassium, fiber, and vitamin-C. One cannot thrive on a diet of tubers alone, of course, but thriving is an unlikely and precarious dream, not to mention that it is tantamount to theft from our leaders. Jesse Davis is a former Flyer staffer; he writes a monthly Books feature for Memphis Magazine. His opinions, such as they are, have never engaged in satire, scorn, or sarcasm.

m e m p h i s f l y e r. c o m

The so-called “affordability crisis” is actually a necessary guardrail for the soul of every right-thinking American worker.

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