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If you know and love fine arts, books, theater, dance, music or nightlife, you may be the arts writer weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for. Send samples and story ideas to valerie@boomjackson.com.

And if you have passion for Jackson arts and are willing to learn, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll train you in creative non-fiction workshops.

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

jacksonian

VOL.

1 0 N O . 16

contents FILE PHOTO

ROBERT HOLLINS

6 Drill, Haley, Drill Gov. Barbour calls for more offshore drilling, and wants the revenue to stay in Mississippi.

ANDY CHILDRESS

Cover photograph of Dee Bost courtesy of Mississippi State University

9

THIS ISSUE: You Only Hurt …

FILE PHOTO

melisssa difatta can contribute to society. Throwing them in jail is the back end, and in the long run costs us billions.”

DiFatta also serves on the National Association on Mental Illness board. She helps with policies and other legal issues, and she is the only attorney on the board.

“Where I work serves mentally ill children, so NAMI and my work fit hand-inglove,” DiFatta says.

She is a member of legal organizations such as the Mississippi Women’s Law Association and serves on the board of the Northeast YMCA. As a “Y” board member for three years, she helps with connecting contacts and building relationships with local members.

In 1990, DiFatta received a degree in business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi. She attended the University of Mississippi School of Law and has practiced law for 15 years.

In 1997, she moved to the Belhaven neighborhood from her hometown, Pascagoula. She is married to artist and Madison Central High School teacher Anthony DiFatta. They have an 8-year-old son, Preston.

“The Belhaven and Fondren area has a sense of community,” DiFatta says.

“People in Jackson tend to make a difference and make things happen. Hopes come to fruition.”

— LaShanda Phillips

26 Ring In 2012 Looking for dinner, great entertainment or a Champagne toast at midnight? We’ve got you covered.

38 Almost Grammy ML “The Truth” Williams came within a whisper for a Grammy nomination this year.

jacksonfreepress.com

After Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, lawyer Melissa DiFatta wanted to revaluate her priorities. Her brother lost his home and, a month later, lost his son. “I decided to change jobs and really make a difference in Mississippi,” DiFatta says.

She resigned from the Jackson law firm where she was working and took a job in November 2005 as the chief legal officer at the Mississippi Children’s Home Services (1801 N. West St., 601-360-0583). The non-profit organization helps at-risk children and families with therapy and education across the state. MCHS has a campus-based program in Jackson and a community-based program statewide that provides educational services.

In her job as a legal counsel, DiFatta, 43, handles investigations dealing with the kids’ allegations about problems in the home, employment law issues and contracts. She also lobbies to educate legislators on issues dealing with children and families. Some of the state agencies she works with include the Departments of Mental Health, Education, and Social and Human Services.

DiFatta believes education is the answer to a lot of the community’s problems.

“Everyone has contributions they can make, but (children) are told they are not worth anything,” she says. “People should focus more on the front end of education and more on what children are good at, how they

ML “THE TRUTH”

4 ............. Editor’s Note 4 ................... Slowpoke 7 .......................... Talks 12 ................... Editorial 13 .................. Opinion 18 ....................... Sports 26 ............ NYE Events 30 ............... Diversions 34 ......................... Film 36 ..................... 8 Days 37 .............. JFP Events 38 ........................ Music 39 .......... Music Listing 42 ................. Astrology 44 ........................ Food 46 ..................... Hitched 49 ....... Girl About Town 50 ............. Fly Shopping

Intimate partner violence is much more prevalent than you can imagine. The CDC weighs in.

3

Bryan Flynn Sports writer Bryan Flynn is a lifelong Mississippi native who just moved to Jackson from Richland with his wife and their four cats. Follow him at jfpsports. com and @jfpsports on Twitter.

He wrote sports for this issue.

R.L. Nave Reporter R.L. Nave grew up in St. Louis, graduated from Mizzou (the University of Missouri), and lived a bunch of other places before coming to Jackson.

Contact him at 601-362-6121 ext.

12. He wrote Talks and Intriguing features.

Elizabeth Waibel Reporter Elizabeth Waibel grew up in Clinton. In May, she received her journalism degree from Union University in Jackson, Tenn. She likes coffee and trying new cake recipes. She wrote Talks and Intriguing features.

Briana Robinson Deputy Editor Briana Robinson is a 2010 graduate of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. Her hobbies include photography, ballet and ballroom dancing. She is a sophomore at Millsaps College.

She wrote a music feature.

Valerie Wells Valerie Wells is assistant editor of the JFP and BOOM Jackson.

She’s interested in covering the media in Mississippi and figuring out who controls the news. Email ideas to Valerie@ jacksonfreepress.com. She wrote a Talk and Intriguing features.

LaShanda Phillips Editorial Assistant LaShanda Phillips is a recent graduate of Jackson State University.

She is the third oldest of seven children. Her motto is: “Makeup is fantastic!” She wrote the Jacksonian and a food piece.

Jane Flood

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

Jane Flood has led a full life.

She has lived in, visited and tasted cuisine the world over.

She has taught Pilates to Saints, written a romance novel and fed Thai royalty. She currently lives in Fondren. She wrote a food feature.

4

Adam Perry Account Executive Adam Perry is a local musician who lives in Flowood where he, his wife and daughter are herded through life by two supreme beings posing as unruly house-cats. He manages JFP sales accounts.

editor’snote

by Ronni Mott, Managing Editor

Resolution Tango

W

hen I was younger, I would annually trot out the usual suspects when it came time to make my new year’s resolutions. You know the ones: lose weight; quit smoking; improve my relationships; get a boyfriend; re-connect with people I lost touch with.

I stopped making those kind of resolutions a long time ago. These days, I’m more inclined to look at where I’m coming from than individual, specific outcomes.

The Bhagavad Gita (Song of God), an ancient Sanskrit text written about 1,800 years ago, suggests that we spend way too much time with our to-do list items instead of contemplating the reasons why our lists are so long. Just do the things that need doing, the text instructs. It’s our job in life to know what they are, and then to do them for the pure joy of doing the right thing. Don’t get hung up on specific actions or even specific outcomes.

“On action alone be thy interest, never on its fruits. Let not the fruits of action be thy motive, nor be thy attachment to inaction.”

Easier said than done.

Like you, I live in a deadline-driven, production-oriented world. My bills are due on specific dates. This paper goes to press on Tuesday afternoons. My stories have deadlines, as do my edits. Deadlines run my daily schedule, my budget, even my leisure time. If I fail to meet any of them, I will have consequences to deal with. And not being a naturally organized person, I tend to be hyper-organized so I don’t miss anything.

Not be attached to the outcomes? How the heck do I do that?

I think that part of the answer lies in knowing why I do what I do. Of all the reasons why I choose to work at the Jackson Free Press, and there are many, two reasons stand out: First, the JFP was the first place I found in Mississippi where I didn’t feel like I stuck out like the lib’rel Yankee that I am. No one here cares about my political party or church affiliation, or the lack of either as the case may be.

The main reason that I work here, though, is because I believe that the JFP makes a difference in people’s lives, in our city and by extension, in the world. I know that anything that can shake us out of our routine patterns of thinking is a good thing. Agree with or believe what’s in our pages or not, it really doesn’t matter. If what you read provokes you to consider something new or dig into your habitual beliefs a little deeper, we’ve done our job.

Mississippi, as it turns out, is the perfect place to be if making a difference is important to you. I know that our work touches people’s lives. In small and large ways, we’ve influenced people with our stories to take stands and make things happen.

In light of the enormous space that we have to make a difference in this state, I’m not attached to particular outcomes. I mean, pick your issue—health, education, the justice system, equality, racial reconciliation. Pick two.

The thing that’s simply incomprehensible to

me are those who just sit back, watch, complain and do nothing in the face of suffering.

So with that in mind, here’s my first resolution for 2012: Do the next right thing to make life better for someone every day.

That does include me, by the way. Like most of you, I have some folks I should finally forgive completely (including myself). That would lighten my personal psychic load a good bit. I tend to procrastinate, catastrophize, become anxious, moody and get into “life sucks” moods. So, yes, that resolution includes me. And, by the way, a smile, or authentically saying please or thank you counts, too.

Resolution No. 2: Be kind.

God knows that there’s enough suffering in the world that I don’t need to add my impatience and snarkiness to the mix. Being kind should be easy, but it’s not always. When someone strikes out at me, I want to strike back. I get angry and irrational sometimes, and I say things without thought. I have attributes that I’ve groused about for years that aren’t budging without plastic surgery or a brain transplant, so I might as well make peace with them.

No. 3: Be healthy.

Gag. “Lose weight” will simply never go away, will it? Wham. Straight to results I go.

But there’s much more under that umbrella.

My health is not awful, but I resist things like checkups, eating mindfully or exercising regularly. I have lots of room for growth here.

Resolution 4: Say yes instead of no whenever appropriate.

Nothing ever happens unless I say yes to the opportunities in front of me. Each time I say no, I shut the door on possibilities. Well, maybe not every time. I could say no to cake a little more often, thus “appropriate.”

No. 5: Practice compassion, but don’t

forget to set boundaries.

Sometimes I confuse compassion with pity or obligation, and it’s neither one. True compassion is putting oneself into another’s shoes, then taking the appropriate actions to relieve the suffering you find there.

We all suffer. All of us have reached points in our lives where we think we can’t go any lower. And then the floor dropped out. We’ve all had our hearts broken and dreams crushed.

Everyone’s been disappointed. None of us has had perfect health. No one has or will escape the grief of losing a loved one. We’ve all felt the pain of loneliness or isolation, or the embarrassment of saying or doing the wrong thing at the wrong time. All of us suffer and, therefore, all of us can recognize suffering in others.

I like to think I’m different from the man begging in the street or the woman selling her body. I want to believe my faculties will stay intact and my body not betray me. The truth is, I’m not different and not so special.

My circumstances may be a little better, that’s all. Recognizing that sameness is what can help me develop compassion. It doesn’t mean, however, that I need to melt in an emotional puddle or let someone walk all over me.

In a well-known Zen koan, a student comes to his teacher wailing about his lack of spiritual progress.

“I’m so discouraged,” he says. “What should I do?”

“Encourage others,” is the master’s reply.

And that’s resolution No. 6: Encourage others.

I think maybe if I stick with resolution No. 1, the others may follow. Do the next right thing to ease suffering. Be kind. Be healthy. Say yes. Practice compassion. Encourage others.

Happy New Year, everyone. Peace.

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WHERE REAL PLAYERS PLAY

Drill, Haley, Drill

by R.L. Nave

FILE PHOTO

W

ith less than one month left in office, Gov. Haley Barbour primed the pump for oil and natural gas drilling to take place off the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Barbour recently directed the Mississippi Development Authority, which the governor controls, to publish rules about leasing state-controlled waters. He explained how the leases would work during his Dec. 20 budget recommendation talk.

Citing state law, Barbour said that drilling would be prohibited between the mainland and barrier islands and within one mile south of the barrier islands. This, he said, would create a two-mile-wide strip at least 10 miles away from the coast that drilling companies would be able to lease.

Barbour offered assurances that the drilling would be far enough away from the Coast that the drilling rigs would not blight the picturesque seascape.

“If you’re on shore, you won’t be able to see either one of those, whether they’re in federal or state waters,” Barbour said.

He indicated that the drilling would boost Mississippi’s revenue. Starting in 2017, the federal government receives 65 percent of royalties that companies pay if they discover oil or gas; Mississippi gets the remaining 35 percent of the royalty, Barbour said. If companies were permitted to drill in state-owned waters, however, Mis-

QUOTESOFTHEYEAR

Gov. Haley Barbour wants Mississippi to receive revenue from selling oil and gas drilling leases in state waters.

sissippi would be able to pocket the full amount of the royalty.

State regulators would allow drilling up to the mainland coast in “a narrow north-south strip” near the state’s border with Alabama, which allows drilling right up to the shore, Barbour said.

“There is a high likelihood that they’re

What Santa Likely Brought Some of Our Favorite Jacksonians: City Councilman Kenneth Stokes: A new rocking chair for his front porch.

Party-switchers Gray Tollison and Donnie Bell got spatulas (you know, because they flip. Hardy har har).

Gov. Haley Barbour gets a DVD box-set of documentary “Eyes on the Prize” after saying he didn’t think racism was “that bad” in his hometown during the Civil Rights Movement.

Lynn Posey: Coal. Lots of it.

City Council: Hotel on Boardwalk.

Phil Bryant: New cowboy boots. Bedazzled.

Saleem Baird (Wicker aide): Nine ladies dancing, not getting fired and a partridge in a pear tree.

capturing natural gas that’s under Mississippi lands and borders,” Barbour said.

“For us in Mississippi, that is very unpopulated, non-developed savannahs and marshes in the very southeast corner of Jackson County.”

The drilling controversy highlights a perplexing problem: Mississippi needs a lot of energy but does not produce much energy itself.

In its 2009 energy profile of Mississippi, the U.S Energy Information Administration found “the state has substantial energy resources” but is not “as rich in energy as neighboring Louisiana.” The EIA found that Mississippi produces a small amount of crude oil, has minimal natural gas and electric power production “given its high per capita consumption.”

Because of the wide use of air conditioners during our sweltering summers, Mississippi ranks third among the states for electricity consumption per capita per average cooling-degree days, which measures the amount of energy needed to cool a home or business.

Steve Shepard, who chairs the Gulf Coast Group of the Mississippi Sierra Club, said that drilling should not be permitted in state waters at all.

“If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have DRILL, see page 8

Did You Know?

by Elaanie Stormbender

• The celebration of the new year is the oldest of all holidays? It was first celebrated in ancient Babylon about 4,000 years ago.

• The Romans dedicated the first of January to their god of gates and doors, Janus, who is depicted with two faces: one considering the past and one regarding what lies ahead.

• The ancient Babylonians also began the tradition of making New Year’s resolutions. Their most common resolution was to return farm equipment.

• The very first ball-lowering celebration in New York City’s Times Square was on Dec. 31, 1907.

• New York’s Waterford Crystal Ball is 12 feet in diameter and weighs 11,875 pounds.

• “Auld Lang Syne,” the song most English-speaking countries sing at midnight on New Year’s Eve, is a poem written in 1788 by Robert Burns (see page 12). The title translates literally to “old long since.”

“That’s where I am at this stage in my life: pulling resources together so that I can make sure I try and make a difference before I die.” – Developer David Watkins about his vision for his Jackson developments.

“Here’s what a man told me one time… ‘It doesn’t matter if you vote Democrat or Republican. When you get to that level, they’re all crooks.’”

– Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron Williams during a debate at Mississippi College July 21.

“The evil dark side that exists in this world is taking hold. And they’re saying, what we want you to be able to do is continue to extinguish innocent life. You see, if we could do that, Satan wins.” – Lt. Gov. and gubernatorial candidate Phil Bryant regarding opponents of the Personhood Amendment.

“Justice has been done.” – President Barack Obama announcing Special Forces troops had killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden “I don’t think Barbour is a racist.

I think he is ignorant not to know what happened, and then he speaks about it. He should ask someone how things really were.” —Yazoo City resident Gloria Owens reacting to Gov. Haley Barbour’s comments that racism wasn’t “that bad” in the 1960s.

“I knew the hate he had in his heart for people who were not like him. I just felt that it could have been me in that casket instead of (James) Craig Anderson.” —Jordan Richardson, former classmate of Deryl Dedmon who is accused of committing a racially charged murder.

“Life can be a challenge. Life can seem impossible. It’s never easy when there is so much on the line.

But you and I can make a difference.” – Herman Cain, former Republican presidential candidate, borrowing from the Pokémon cartoon series theme song, in withdrawing from the race amid sexual misconduct charges.

“Mississippi is sick and when Mississippi is sick, black Mississippi has walking pneumonia.” – Hattiesburg Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Johnny DuPree on the state of black Mississippi

jacksonfreepress.com

news, culture & irreverence

The University of Mississippi played its first organized basketball game Jan. 28, 1909, and lost 12-11 to the Memphis Physicians. The team won its first game Feb. 17 of that year against Mississippi College, 28-11.

Mississippi’s pre-K kids get no help from the feds. p 10

7

talk

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DRILL, from page 7

any drilling anywhere around here, but obviously, we’re willing to compromise; it’s Haley Barbour that wants to stick an oil well in everybody’s backyard,” Shepard said this week.

The governor’s announcement about a possible lease sale drew criticism from environmental groups who cited his past relationships with energy companies.

Gov. Barbour’s political action committee, Haley’s PAC, collected $24,500 from the oil and gas industry in 2010, according to state and federal campaign-disclosure records. Under his chairmanship of the Republican Governors Association, major oil companies like Koch Industries,

Exxon Mobil and Devon Energy gave the RGA approximately $2.7 million.

Between his two gubernatorial election campaigns, in 2003 and 2007, employees of oil and gas firms contributed almost $720,000 to Barbour.

Shepard said Mississippi officials should focus on developing tourism along the Coast instead of drilling for fossil fuels.

“Why make everything uglier?”

Shepard asked. “We ought to be advocating for people coming here to gamble, coming here to fish, coming here for the beach.

They don’t need to be looking at a bunch of stinking oil rigs.”

Comment at www.jfp.ms.

Lies and Damned Lies

by Ronni Mott

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actcheck.org, a non-profit, non-par- lost starting in 2014 when employers with tisan project of the Annenberg Public 50 or more employees either have to proPolicy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, bills itself as the voters’ consumer advocate. The organization checks TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases for factual accuracy and reports its results on its website.

2011 saw quite a bit of spin, deception and “assorted absurdities” on both sides of President Barack Obama was the subject of a slew of claims in 2011, but POTUS hasn’t always the political spectrum. “interesting” stayed above the fray himself.

Here are a few highlights; visit factcheck.org for the complete “Whoppers of 2011” list, which vide health insurance or pay a penalty. includes source materials for the various … • Job-killing “small business” taxes. Reexaggerations. publicans have claimed for years that raising taxes on high-income individuals will raise From the Democrats: taxes on small businesses and kill jobs. House • Republicans will end Medicare. Not Speaker John Boehner took the whopper to exactly. The Republican budget plan called new heights when he claimed that more for radical changes for workers now under than half of the millionaires shouldering age 55. Starting in 2022, the plan called for such a tax increase are small business ownfederally subsidized private insurance. ers. “That’s rubbish,” Factcheck.org states.

• Obama’s dying mother. The president It’s probably less than 1 percent. repeatedly told the story of how his mother • The HPV vaccine causes mental retarwas nearly denied medical coverage for her dation. Really, Ms. Bachmann? No. ovarian cancer when he talked about health- • Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned care reform.

Parenthood, wanted to prevent “black In fact, his mother’s fight was over dis- babies from being born.” Thanks, Herability insurance, not medical insurance. man Cain, but it’s not true, any more than • Teachers have a higher tax rate than your claim of 75 percent of PP clinics are in the president. They don’t. Based on a black neighborhoods. Sanger did advocate $50,000 salary, a spouse and two children for birth control (at a time that it was all ille(like Obama), a teacher would have paid no gal), and she sadly supported some aspects federal income tax at all. of eugenics; however, she refused to encourage positive race-based eugenics.

From the Republicans: • Barack Obama was born in Kenya; his • The “job-killing” health-care law. Rep. “certificate of live birth” from Hawaii is Michele Bachmann put the top estimate at a fake; no one knew him as a child; his 1.6 million jobs lost, citing a “study that did birth announcement in Hawaii newspanot examine the new law at all, and showed pers was a plant. What can we say? Donnothing of the sort.” Economic analysts ald Trump. predict a “small” number of low-paid jobs Comment at www.jfp.ms.

crimetalk

by Ronni Mott

Best Salon & Best Hair Stylist - 2010 & 2011 Best of Jackson -

Domestic Violence: Health Crisis?

ANDY CHILDERSS

has seen the results of domestic violence on victims and their children. Many exhibit posttraumatic stress symptoms, similar to what soldiers present after battlefield experiences.

Middleton also said that victim calls for assistance at the center doubled this year.

She attributes much of the increase to community involvement and providing better responses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re beginning to understand the issue, and more and more people are getting educated on what domestic violence is,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Ś Typically, victims donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come forward because they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t trust the system.

When the system starts to turn around, and they get it, then victims say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oh, well, I can call for help.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always been my thinking that the real victims are the ones you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hear from until you turn the system around.â&#x20AC;?

In 2009, Mississippi ranked No. 16 in the nation (tied with West Virginia) for domestic murders at 23, down from No. 5 in 2008, reports the Violence Policy Center, a Washington, D.C., non-profit that works to stem the tide of gun violence â&#x20AC;&#x153;through research, advocacy, education and collaboration.â&#x20AC;?

The organization has reported domestic murders in its annual When Men Murder Women reports since 1998. The most recent report, issued in September, uses 2009 data.

But murders are just one end result of domestic violence. One in five American women and one in 71 men said they had been raped in their lifetime. More than half the female rape victims surveyed by the CDC reported that it was their intimate partners who had raped them, and about 40 percent said the perpetrator was an acquaintance. Among male victims, more than half reported an acquaintance had

raped them. About a quarter of the women and 14 percent of the men report being victims of other physical violence, such as being punched, beaten or slammed against walls. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ultimate power and control is rape,â&#x20AC;?

Middleton said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It stands to reason that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a cousin to domestic violence.â&#x20AC;?

Stalkingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;especially through harassing calls and messagesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;also takes a toll, with 16.2 percent of women and 5.2 percent of men reporting it. In looking at the survey conclusions and recommendations, Wagner is confident that Mississippi is on the right track. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The laws are there,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a matter of making sure theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re enforced uniformly across the state.â&#x20AC;?

Wagner mentioned Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new domestic-violence data system, which went on line this year. The NISVS cites strong data systems as a crucial tool to evaluate and understand trends, and to use when planning prevention and interventions programs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definitely moving in the right direction as far as weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re concerned,â&#x20AC;? she said.

For additional info, visit cdc.gov/violenceprevention/nisvs. Comment at www.jfp.ms.

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601.397.6398 | 1935 Lakeland Dr.

My Office Is Cooler Than Yours!

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by December 31, 2011.

BOOM will choose finalists and send a team of judges in January to pick a winner.

Winner will be featured in March 2012 BOOM and win a catered staff lunch.

jacksonfreepress.com

T

wenty-four American women and men will become victims of intimate-partner violence in the minute it will take you to read this story. If it takes you two minutes, the number jumps to 48.

Rape, physical violence and stalking in relationships are much more prevalent than previously thought, reports the Centers for Disease Control in a survey released last week. In comparison to U.S. Department of Justice data on reported crime, the numbers are exponentially higher in some categories such as rape, which is seven times higher.

The data do not particularly surprise Heather Wagner, director of the Mississippi Attorney Generalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office Domestic Violence Division. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s difficult seeing it in print like that,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Ś (But from) what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re hearing from the courts and from law enforcement and from advocates, it kind of jives. I was surprised, but not really.â&#x20AC;?

The CDC completed interviews for this first â&#x20AC;&#x153;National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Surveyâ&#x20AC;? in 2010, culling data from talking with 16,507 adults (9,086 women and 7,421 men). The survey elevates domestic violence from a .crime to a serious publichealth issue. Not only are the numbers startlingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;more than a third of all women and a quarter of all men have experienced violence from an intimate partnerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;IP violence affects victimsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; health long after the event. Victims are more likely to suffer from frequent headaches, chronic pain, difficulty sleeping, and poor mental and physical health, among other ailments, than those who did not experience such violence.

Sandy Middleton, executive director of the Center for Violence Prevention in Pearl,

9

Statewide Pre-K Faces Setback

T

he results are in, and Mississippi has lost out on its part of a $500 million pot to improve early-childhood education.

Now, politicians and education advocates can’t quite agree on who’s to blame for the state’s bad grades.

Mississippi applied for Race to the Top funding last year but did not get it. The state applied for the Early Learning Challenge grant in October this year as part of the Race to the Top program that rewards states for innovation and reform in public schools. This year, the state was hoping to get $50 million to better coordinate early childhood education providers around the state.

Part of the reason Mississippi didn’t get the grant was that Race to the Top generally rewards states with programs already in place. While Mississippi has a hodgepodge of agencies and organizations providing prekindergarten programs, it is one of only 10 states without statewide, public early childhood education.

Before the state turned in its application, Rachel Canter, executive director of the education advocacy organization Mississippi First, said states that have gotten Race to the Top grants in the past have, for the most part, already had the basic building blocks of strong programs in place and based their grant applications on plans to improve them.

“I think we are at a disadvantage, because we do not have state resources at any discernible level in early-childhood education,” she

said at the time. “… As a state, we haven’t shown that strong commitment that other states (have).”

A panel of five judges reviewed Mississippi’s application. They gave it an average score of 11.2 points out of 20 for demonstrating past commitment to early learning and development. The reviewers ranked Mississippi No. 35 of 37 applicants, ahead of Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

Gov. Haley Barbour apparently has a different idea of why the state’s application failed. After the U.S. Department of Education announced the grantees, Barbour issued a one-sentence statement to the press, expressing his displeasure.

“Of the nine states that got a Race to the Top award, only one has a Republican governor. I wish it had been us.”

Annjo Lemons, executive director of the State Early Childhood Advisory Council, said she doesn’t know why Mississippi was ranked as poorly as it was. The council led the state’s application process for the grant.

“I thought our application was a very valid look at the criteria that they put forth, and they specifically were targeting high-poverty and mostly rural states,” she said.

In the past, some have criticized the Race to the Top program for rewarding programs that are better suited to urban areas and might not work as well in largely rural states like Mississippi. This time around, the application information said

judges “may consider the need to ensure that systems are developed in states with large, high-poverty, rural communities” in addition to other relevant factors.

When the Department of Education announced Race to the Top grantees last year, The New York Times reported that educators in rural states felt that the competition was tilted to favor more densely populated states. In the article, critics complained that the type of reforms the program was designed to reward—such as charter schools and replacing principals in failing schools— simply do not work in rural areas. Many small towns already struggle to retain staff, critics said, and do not have the population to support a new charter school.

Lemons also pointed to the number of states that received Early Learning Challenge awards that had already gotten Race to the Top grants. Of the nine states that received awards in this round, six had already received Race to the Top awards.

Despite the disappointment of losing out on $50 million in federal funding, Lemons said many of the people who worked on writing the grant are seeking private funding for some of the most important programs written into the grant application, such as compensation for childcare providers to further their education.

“It has made us even more determined that we’re going to find some way to make a difference and move things forward for chil-

ELIZABETH WAIBEL

Superintendent Search Update

Carl Davis, left, and Bill Newman of Ray and Associates gave the JPS school board their suggested process for finding a new superintendent at a Dec. 14 meeting.

J

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

ackson Public Schools could have a new superintendent as early as the middle of 2012. Representatives from Ray and Associates, the consulting firm that will lead the search for the new superintendent, presented the board with a suggested timeline Wednesday, Dec. 14.

Bill Newman, executive director of the firm, said it is entirely up to the board how it conducts the search, however.

“Although we will advise you along the way, this will be your search,” he said.

The suggested timeline calls for estab10 lishing a profile of the ideal candidate early

by Elizabeth Waibel

Send education news to elizabeth@jacksonfreepress.com

on and soliciting input from community members and stakeholders in the district in early January.

Right now, JPS is surveying parents, teachers, students and community members about the qualities they would like to see in a new superintendent. JPS posted the survey on its website, jackson. k12.ms.us, and at surveymonkey.com/s/ PDR66LV, and plans to make it available until Jan. 12.

The board-appointed Community Advisory Committee has already begun meeting to discuss what qualifications they want to see in a new superintendent. Jonathan Larkin, a former board member who is on the committee, said members have formed a subcommittee to write a superintendent’s job description that the committee can then take to the board.

Newman said the next step in the process would be the recruiting phase, which the consultants expect to go until March 7, to solicit applications. He said they are tentatively looking at March 21 to bring a list of about a dozen top candidates to the board for consideration.

“It is our intention that by the middle

ELIZABETH WAIBEL

educationfocus

While some public schools offer prekindergarten programs, Mississippi has no statewide early-childhood education program.

dren,” she said. “… I think what we’re going to have to do is get grassroots about the whole thing and educate the state about (the need for early childhood education).”

She doesn’t see state funding for early childhood education happening any time soon.

“It’s hard times right now, if you look at the budget and all the planned decreases in all the agencies,” she said. “Some (will get) level funding, which is fine and dandy, but it leaves no funding at all as far as anything going on birth to kindergarten.”

Comment at www.jfp.ms.

4HE #OMMUNITY !DVISORY #OMMITTEE of April, you will have identified a new superintendent,” Newman told the board.

Board members could revise the superintendent search timeline, although most were at the December presentation, and Newman said they approved the timeline then. Larkin said the school board and search firm have many options as to how far afield they want to go to look for a new superintendent. Some on the committee have said they would like to see someone hired from within the district, but part of the rationale for hiring Ray and Associates was that the firm has experience conducting nationwide searches.

Larkin was on the board in 2008 when it hired Lonnie Edwards as superintendent using a consultant from within the state.

“We did not get a lot of interest from outside the region, unfortunately,” he said.

Interim Superintendent Jayne Sargent’s contract expires in July. The board hired her after voting not to renew Edwards’ contract last winter. Edwards appealed the decision, leading to a legal dispute that left little time to search for his replacement.

Comment at www.jfp.ms.

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media

eye

by Valerie Wells

Shields Up

M

Libel can appear anywhere instantaneously.

The only defense a journalist (or any American) really has against libel lawsuits is the truth. But even if a subjective comment or opinion is based in fact, that’s not reason enough to share it. Most editors won’t allow personal attacks to make it into print.

PUBLIC DOMAIN (WIKIMEDIA)

ississippi, like 10 other states in the union, doesn’t have a shield law that protects journalists from revealing sources, turning over documents or answering subpoenas. In 40 states, reporters and editors have some protection in varying degrees. The existing shield laws protect journalists from threatening actions of the power holders they are covering.

That’s why U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez of Portland, Ore., confused a lot of people when he ruled the First Amendment didn’t apply to a particular blogger from Montana.

Obsidian Finance Group sued blogger Crystal Cox for saying bad things about them. The judge ordered Cox to pay $2.5 million in defamation damages.

He made news for deciding that Cox wasn’t a “real” journalist.

But hold on a minute—does this give you the false impression that journalists are allowed to defame people at will if a shield law is in place? And doesn’t the First Amendment protect all Americans?

Libel is when you defame somebody in writing and print it. It’s similar to slander in that it is malicious and false, but slander is what you say out loud. Libel is what you write.

Both acts are illegal and can land a careless attacker in civil court.

Journalists everywhere have to worry about libel, no matter how great a shield law gets passed. It’s not just a journalism thing.

Cox called Obsidian’s CEO a thug, a thief and a liar. She couldn’t prove it was true.

She argued that the defaming information came from a source she would not reveal. Although the judge took time to outline how he decided Cox was not a journalist, it didn’t matter. If you attack someone personally and without foundation, you can get sued and you can lose, journalist or not. Pretty simple lesson here: Don’t do it.

If a Mississippi blogger defamed an Oregon entity with means, he or she could face Judge Hernandez. The suit gets filed in the state the plaintiff lives and the libel appeared.

If someone in the public is lying, stealing and cheating, then of course people need to know. That’s why journalists work hard to get legal documents, push for open meetings, and praise real transparency in public affairs and not just the PR-prepped politicians who think “transparency” is the hip new buzz word.

It means being so open that the sun can shine in, and if the glass has a smudge on it, no one gets upset if you use some Windex to see better. While this seems obvious with public officials or those who use public funds or other resources that belong to all of us, private citizens are pretty much off limits. Journalists are not likely to tell you that your neighbor who is sleeping around because his wife drinks too much. First, you probably knew that. Second, we are too busy filing Freedom of Information Act requests and finding people to explain complicated issues.

The other issue is the question of the status of bloggers. Are they journalists? You don’t have to have a license to be a journalist in this

country. You don’t have to have a degree. You become a professional when you prove yourself, and someone pays you for your work or recognizes you in other ways, with an award or with respect in the community.

Not all bloggers are objective, fair with the facts and careful not to insult. It’s probably why the word blogger has a negative connotation. That’s not the whole story.

Many bloggers have energy similar to the early pamphleteers in our country’s revolutionary days. The tradition of one voice speaking out against corruption, deceit, unfairness and tyranny is truly American. Our freedom of speech is spelled out in the Bill of Rights. It’s not my private privilege as a journalist, it’s your birthright.

The Cox ruling should not hamper bloggers or journalists from going after the truth. Anyone who wants to do this kind of work is welcome to the game as long as they are diligent, honest, ask questions and can take criticism. Having an editor is crucial for most journalists, whether they need a sounding board or guided direction. Bloggers don’t necessarily have that extra layer of checks and balances.

Mississippi needs the shield law that could get whistleblowers and other reluctant sources to reveal corruption that we all need to know about. The U.S. also lacks a federal shield law, although Congress came close to passing one in 2010.

“For too long, journalists have been prosecuted and incarcerated for refusing to hand over source names and information they have gathered while on the job,” the Society of Professional Journalists stated on its site in support of a federal shield law. “Many have lost countless dollars and resources fighting the battle.

Others have lost days of their lives in jail.”

Most journalists I know are willing to go to jail if it comes down to it. We won’t do it just for kicks, though. Don’t confuse us with Facebook posters who flame with their hormones or with bloggers who are a little bit (or a lot) meaner. Above all, we insist on the truth.

Comment at www.jfp.ms.

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opining, grousing & pontificating

EDITORIAL

BGR Return Will Taint Haleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tenure

I

f the report by the Associated Press last week is accurate, Gov. Haley Barbour is headed back to his old lobbying firm, BGR Group, which he co-founded back in the early 1990s after leaving the Reagan White Houseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political offices. (The name was changed from Barbour, Griffith and Rogers Inc., after it was purchased by a public holding company; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s since been bought back by its partners, according to the current website.)

For the eight years that Barbour has been governor, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s made an estimated $2.4 million in profit-sharing from the firm in the form of payments to his â&#x20AC;&#x153;blind trust,â&#x20AC;? based on a Bloomberg report in 2007 that revealed he received $300,000 a year in profit-sharing from the company. (When he was running for governor in 2002, Barbour claimed he had no ownership and was receiving no payments; he later changed that to say he was receiving only retirement. The Aug. 29, 2007, Bloomberg report quoted the actual Barbour trust documents, which they obtained anonymously, showing that Barbourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blind trust had included stock in BGRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parent company, and that his trust had been set up to receive profit-sharing disbursements while he was in office.)

If Barbour leaves office and immediately returns to BGR Group, that decision will color his entire tenure as governor. Barbour will have taken, in essence, a paid sabbatical from his lobbying at BGR, which has a singular goalâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;advancing the interests of his corporate and foreign-national clients.

During that sabbatical, he took a strong hand in a variety of â&#x20AC;&#x153;pro-businessâ&#x20AC;? policies. Chief among them: general business â&#x20AC;&#x153;tort reformâ&#x20AC;? liability limits (not just medical malpractice, something that confuses people to this day) and hundreds of millions in bond-backed loans and tax abatements for firms from outside Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and the United States.

(You may even remember the scuttlebutt back when it turned out BGR Group was lobbying for companies involved in Katrina recovery contracts, according to Bloomberg, and the no-bid contract that went to Barbourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s niece.)

Indeed, BGR Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the firm he will return toâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;focuses on five major areas for its clients: state and local government appropriations (thanks to its strong relationships with governors and legislative leaders); energy and transportation; financial services and housing (read: banks and mortgages); health care and education; and â&#x20AC;&#x153;international.â&#x20AC;?

BGR Group touts its ability to work magic not just for American businesses and interests, but asserts a particular expertise in helping foreign-based corporations to acquire American companies, given their â&#x20AC;&#x153;intimate knowledgeâ&#x20AC;? of the ins and outs of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

While he was with the firm, Barbour and his partners represented tobacco companies, health-care companies, insurance companies, energy companies and foreign governments.

While governor, many of Barbourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature accomplishments benefited tobacco companies, health-care companies, insurance companies, energy companies and foreign-based corporations. (Add to that, for good measure, the lobbying heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s done just in the past few days for oil companies on his farewell tourâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;over the protestations of Gulf Coast fishing and tourism interests.)

We hear frequently that Barbourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;corporate contactsâ&#x20AC;? helped raised Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s profile and added jobs to the state, and some of that might be true.

But if Barbour returns immediately to the lobbying firm when his term is up (with which it appears he never really cut all ties, as he originally claimed) then we might want to keep our eye out for something else that always comes when you shake hands and bid farewell to Mr. Barbourâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the bill.

Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hoping Mississippi wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to pay for his â&#x20AC;&#x153;relationshipsâ&#x20AC;? for a long time to come. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll keep an eye out.

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Auld Lang Syneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

12

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CHATTER

Noise from the blogs @jacksonfreepress.com

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Barbour Budget: Slash Education, MPB, Combine HBCUsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Take out education from the headline, insert â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Barbour Decimates Corrections Budget.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; I mean, if a 1.4 percent decrease can be considered a sweeping cut, such as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s characterized above, I can only imagine how intense a description we can conjure up for the 1.6 percent decrease in the MDOC budget. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I highly doubt collegiate consolidation will ever happen, but secondary district consolidation needs a serious look.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; RobbieR â&#x20AC;&#x153;The only question I have, and I posed this before on numerous occasion, is why not reduce our JUCO funding as well? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mississippi has 15 junior colleges with some of those schools having more than one campus in various counties, if not their own. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t argue the point of consolidating the HBCUs since so many other southern states, such as Texas, combined their own HBCUs with the historical white institutions in their own state. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just have to call it like I see it.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Duan C. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not to worry; Barbour will spread the love around. With respect to community colleges, Barbour trimmed 2.27 percent, to $254 million from $260 million a year ago. â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;rlnave â&#x20AC;&#x153;A couple of points, RobbieR: â&#x20AC;&#x153;1. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Decimateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; would be inaccurate, as the word means a cut of 1 in 10 or 10 percent (or, in some usages, something even more extreme than that). â&#x20AC;&#x153;2. According to the Fiscal Year 2011 appropriations information posted on the DFA website, corrections in 2011 was about $313 million vs. the $2.62

billion spent on education, meaning in actual dollars, the cuts to education are considerably more significant, even if the percentages are similar. â&#x20AC;&#x153;3. Also, for whatever reason, corrections got $50 million more in the 2011 budget than it had gotten in the 2010 budget, whereas education was cut by $365 million in 2011 vs. 2010. So trimming corrections by 1.6 percent would suggest only a tiny slice of a larger pie in 2011. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interesting not only in this (2012) budget proposal, but also in the context of what Barbour and the Legislature have been doing year over yearâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;significant cuts to education. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, RobbieR, while it might feel like you could substitute corrections for education in the headline, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m afraid you really canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. Not in Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget.

And certainly not using your wording. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one reason that context is so important for these discussions.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Todd Stauffer â&#x20AC;&#x153;If the Mississippi Legislature allowed every county to have one school district and every city of 20,000 or more to have a separate school district, it would immediately cut the current number of districts in the state by a thirdâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;from over 150 to about 100, reducing administrative costs and putting more money in the classrooms. Does Bolivar County, for example, with a total population of maybe 35,000, need six school districtsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;none of which serves more than a few hundred students? Of course not. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But the problem politically is when you talk about merging any two districts you immediately have both sides adamantly against it. All administrators want to protect their turf, no matter how small.

So Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sure Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d hold my breath on that proposal, regardless of what Barbour says or wants.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ed inman

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aving a friend with depth and the ability to shoot from the hip is always a plus. But having one who has those characteristics and a degree in social work equals a huge win for me.

I have a couple of associates who are social workers, but one is very deliberate and intuitive. She doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mind telling anyone what she thinks, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m no exception. Recently, while we were sharing a cocktail, she stopped me mid-sentence and said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m pretty sure you have some social-anxiety issues.â&#x20AC;?

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always considered myself to be a people-person and I am often involved in community activities, organizations and small group meetings. But Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always truth to what my friend says, So, I quickly made my way to the computer to research Social Anxiety Disorder. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Social anxiety disorder is a persistent fear of one or more situations in which the person is exposed to possible scrutiny by others and fears that he or she may do something or act in a way that will be humiliating or embarrassing,â&#x20AC;? I read on Wikipedia.

Thinking back, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d guess my first brush with this disorder happened when I was around 6 or 7. Despite my familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assurance, I was still timid and reserved. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t easy to observe because I dwelled in my comfort zone.

I was rarely forced to step outside of the box that sheltered me.

I was pushed from that cozy little comfort box when I was forced to sing my first solo. I had a great voice at 6. My father was proud, but I hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t developed my own pride before he started putting me on programs. The first time I sang in front of a room full of people, I was terrified. I sang low and refused to step up to the microphone. People shouted â&#x20AC;&#x153;sing up,â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hear you!â&#x20AC;? I felt defeated and forgot the words to the song. I cried.

Years later, I made my second attempt at a solo. I was in the gospel choir at Tougaloo College. I was at ease singing in the choir, but the director started urging me to sing a solo.

I resisted for a long time. Finally I thought I could do it. I gave it my all. It just wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t good enough. I could hear my nervous voice trembling. I was horrible.

I have never attempted to sing publicly again. But I give full-out concerts in my bathroom mirror.

When I was between 10 and 11, my father was diagnosed with lung cancer and decided he wanted to go to seminary. He packed up my mother, sister and I and moved to the Big Appleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;New York City. BOOM! Just like that, my world was turned upside down.

In my little neighborhood in Clinton, I knew everyone on my street, and they were all friends of mine. In New York, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know a soul. The city was horrifying. The buildings were tall and creepy looking. There was no grass, and the people never looked at you in the eye. If I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t walk fast enough or move out the way, I could easily get run over. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hear â&#x20AC;&#x153;excuse meâ&#x20AC;? much.

I started walking with my eyes lowered,

refusing to look anyone in the eye. If I happened to catch someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye, my look was returned with a glare or aan unfriendly smirk.

The children at my Catholic junior high were no different.

It took about two days for my new classmates to acknowledge my Mississippi-ness.

The accent was a dead give-away. I grew increasingly afraid to speak in class because the more vocal students laughed at my slow drawl.

I either had to start speaking like them or just say nothing if I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be laughed at. I accepted that I just wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t talk.

I hated that. I love sharing myself, and it was torture. I spent the next two years eating lunch alone. I found comfort in nothing except being home with my family. I taught myself to never speak unless I was just repeating what someone else said. I refused to take the risk of being wrong or embarrassed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Social anxiety disorder may be caused by the longer-term effects of not fitting in, or being bullied, rejected or ignored.â&#x20AC;? Wikipedia continues. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shy adolescents or avoidant adults have emphasized unpleasant experiences with peers or childhood bullying or harassment.â&#x20AC;?

At 11 years old, I began seeing a therapist because I was experiencing severe stomach cramps and headaches, and the doctors had no idea why. Nothing eased the pain. I was depressed and miserable.

From that point on, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had trouble speaking to large groups of people. In recent years, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve tried to tackle this, because I am a poet and a writer. I am supposed to be able to recite my poetry to people. I should be able to share more of myself than I am. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been using the excuse that I want people to internalize my poetry without the burden of my ideas about what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve written. Really though, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty much just fear.

I was asked to read poetry at the Writerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spotlight some years back, and I accepted. I invited familiar faces so I would be more at ease. I did it, but I never felt comfortable. I asked everyone to close their eyes, and they did. I literally was about to pass out as I read my poetry. I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stick around to listen to anyone else. I could hear my heart beating in my ears and I was shaking. I had a panic attack before I got to the door, which I tried to hide.

I am â&#x20AC;&#x153;supposedâ&#x20AC;? to be able to do this.

Since that night, I have turned down every opportunity to participate in spoken-word performances. I simply canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bring myself to do it.

It seems that there is some light swaying over me now. At the very least I know what to call it. I know that it affects my decisions, and that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not just an insecure wreck. And acceptance, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard is the key to improvement. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too much life to live to allow SAD-ness to control me.

Funmi Franklin, aka Queen, is a word lover and poet. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a reality-show fanatic and is awaiting an opportunity to star in her own show to be titled, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Queen & I.â&#x20AC;?

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jacksonfreepress.com

Editor in Chief Donna Ladd Publisher Todd Stauffer

13

MOST INTRIGUING For better or worse, you talked about them.

A lot. Some deserved it. Others? Well ...

JACKSONIANS 2011

Chick Power Jackson native Kathryn Stockett burst onto the national scene in a huge way this year when her bestselling novel “The Help” debuted on the big screen in a film that her high-school friends shot in Mississippi, including in Fondren and downtown Jackson. Stockett’s book and film are imperfect and a bit dreamyeyed and revisionist about fixing the city’s deadly race past, but the fact that the strong black-white female coalition in it resonates with so many (especially white) women of all ages is an indication that times are changing, at least in fits and starts. Stockett herself clearly came from a complicated upscale family in Belhaven who were caught in the middle of the racial upheavals of the 1960s. We were happy to see her create such strong women fighting back; we just hate that she presented the time in a way that could be wrapped up so neatly with the help of one saucy white woman. It just wasn’t the case.

— Donna Ladd

After the previous president of Jackson State University, Ronald Mason, ended his tenure amid controversy over his apparent support for merging the state’s HBCUs, a small-but-powerful former engineer traded her Norfolk State University presidency for the position. Meyers is a formidable presence at a university desperately in need of reform in top and middle levels of management (to be fair, Mason was responsible for remarkable construction at JSU, making up for what he seemed to lack in management and public-relations skills).

Meyers, the university’s first female president, holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

In addition, Meyers earned a doctorate from the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Chemical Engineering.

Most importantly, she seems to already be marketing the university in a more positive way; has replaced many incompetent managers; and is eloquent on the need for students and faculty to be more innovative. We like her a lot so far.

— Donna Ladd

It took two elections, but Phyliss Anderson finally had her inauguration day. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians elected Anderson, 50, as chief twice. The first election was in July, and Anderson won.

But a voter complained to the tribe’s election committee that some people didn’t get to vote. The committee backed Anderson’s victory, but the complaint went up the chain to the Tribal Council. Anderson’s opponent, Beasley Denson, was the incumbent chief and broke the council’s tie vote calling for a new election.

In July, the FBI raided the Choctaws’ Silver Star and Golden Moon casinos. While speculation surrounded connections between the election and the FBI raids, officials have said nothing so far.

Anderson won the second election in September and wore traditional Choctaw dress at her October inauguration. She is the first woman to hold the post (thus, an adopted “Jacksonian” worthy of mention). In her campaign and the beginning of her time as chief, she has stressed the need to include all Choctaws in tribe actions. She refers to this philosophy as Choctaw unity, a motto of her administration.

— Valerie Wells

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

14

WIKICOMMONS

Zygote

The most intriguing “person” of the year is not a person at all by definition.

Advocates for the zygote worked for two years in Mississippi to give the microscopic entity the same rights as walking and breathing people. They did not succeed. More than 58 percent of Mississippi voters decided that the state constitution should not redefine the word person to include zygotes or blastocysts.

The advocates did not make a stand on gametes: sperm and eggs were not targeted as potential people. It is unclear if the mostly male-run Personhood campaign thought the tracking of sperm was ridiculous or not.

Fertilized eggs, under the proposed Personhood amendment, would have had the same legal rights as persons in the state’s laws. A zygote would be a person under the failed Initiative 26 whether the early-stage embryo developed into a cancerous tumor or embedded itself in a woman’s fallopian tube causing a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy.

Health professionals and biologists agree that most zygotes don’t become babies. Many leave a woman’s body before the woman even knew she was pregnant.

The zygote had no comment.

— Valerie Wells

Atlee Breland KRISTIN BRENEMEN

MBCI

Chief Phyliss Anderson

COURTESY NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY

Carolyn Meyers, JSU President

DREAMWORKS II DISTRIBUTION CO., LLC.

Kathryn Stockett, Writer

Just a few months ago, Atlee Breland was not a professional activist, organizer or publicrelations guru. A mother of three preschoolers, Breland runs her own computer-programming business. Soon after the state Supreme Court decided in early September not to block the Personhood Initiative from appearing on the November ballot, Breland almost instantly became a powerful advocate to oppose the measure.

The initiative proposed amending the state constitution to define the word “person” to include fertilized eggs. As Breland argued against this premise with friends and acquaintances on Facebook and on online forums, she decided to go a step further. She started a website and a political-action committee, Parents Against Mississippi 26. She included many fact-based arguments and detailed analysis on her site. She, along with other grassroots Mississippians, made a point to respond to as many news stories and other comment forums with calm, polite and intelligent arguments.

On Nov. 8, 58 percent of Mississippi voters defeated the Personhood initiative.

Political experts, including Marty Wiseman of the Mississippi State University Stennis Center, observed that conservative women who at first supported the anti-abortion initiative changed their minds as the complicated health issues were explored in public.

Atlee Breland hasn’t stopped fighting the Personhood promoters who are looking at other states now and are considering other ways to change Mississippi law.

— Valerie Wells

Politics Occupy Jackson als. In Jackson, the occupiers’ appeal to the City Council for a special events permit to stay in the park overnight brought to light a deplorable misunderstanding of the First Amendment by many in the city.

As city leaders debated whether to allow the protesters to stay after hours in the park, residents, protesters and Council members argued about balancing free and open speech with order and quiet.

Rather than discussing whether keeping protesters out of the park at night was a reasonable time, place and manner restriction—which the courts have ruled can limit First Amendment speech—people tended to judge or glorify the occupiers on the merits of their message, whether they were the heirs of Martin Luther King Jr. or just dirty youth with too much time on their hands.

After several public hearings, speeches by occupiers, grandstanding by city officials and a new Occupy Jackson nonprofit, the City Council finally reached a compromise.

Sen. Gray Tollison, Partisan Turncoat

What can you say about an elected representative who runs as a member of one political party and then switches to the party in control within a couple days: Tollison of Oxford, previously known as a rather progressive Democrat, did just that in November, angering many Dems around the state, but probably pleasing his Jackson-based fiancée (whom he just married) who reportedly does legal work for Gov. Haley Barbour, a Republican stalwart. The move was, in a word, crappy— urging JFP Publisher Todd Stauffer to call for a Tollison-Bell Initiative, enabling voters to recall politicians who pull such insulting stunts. (Rep. Donnie Bell did the same thing in north Mississippi.) Here’s hoping he has a happy honeymoon.

— Donna Ladd

The soon-to-be former governor has his next job lined up already. We are not sure how long this plan has been in the works, but Barbour apparently will return to his previous career as a lobbyist. The governor teased the nation with moves suggesting he might run for president in 2012, but this spring he announced he would not run for the top elected office in the nation.

The conservative Republican, who was former President Ronald Reagan’s director of political affairs, surprised many when he suggested the Personhood Initiative— that would have made abortion and some birth control methods illegal—was, perhaps, a flawed ballot item that was too vague. Then he surprised everyone again by saying the next day he did vote for the initiative.

Mississippians and the rest of the country learned last month that Barbour’s advisers uncovered enough unpleasant information regarding the governor’s background to suggest he not run for president. Instead, he returns to the Washington D.C. lobbying scene. The word on K Street is that he will join the firm he helped establish, BGR Holdings.

During the last weeks of his term as governor, Barbour called for cuts in education. He proposed consolidating universities (notably the historically black state universities) and suggested Mississippi Public Broadcasting follow the commercial model of the Discovery Channel and Nickelodeon.

We can see it now—a reality show with lots of gun and chewing tobacco ads: “Lobbing with Bubba.”

—Valerie Wells

jacksonfreepress.com

MISSISSIPPI SENATE

Tyrone Lewis gave up the prospect of a glamorous life as a country-and-western radio disc jockey to become a cop. While working the midnight shift at a local radio station, Lewis, who spun records under the moniker Travis Knight, read the newspaper between breaks. He eventually responded to a Jackson Police Department recruiting ad and joined the force, rising to the rank of interim police chief. He won the Democratic primary in August, and without a Republican challenger, will be the first African American Hinds County sheriff, unseating long-time Sheriff Malcolm McMillin. He takes office in January.

— R. L. Nave

Haley Barbour, Governor and Lobbyist JERRICK SMITH

AMILE WILSON KENYA HUDSON

Tyrone Lewis, Hinds County Sheriff-Elect

With Gov. Haley Barbour leaving office and the Mississippi Tea Party declaring Phil Bryant the nation’s first Tea Party governor, Bryant may wield significant influence in both state and national politics. As the party’s new titular leader, Bryant’s support will be highly coveted as Republican presidential primary candidates jockey for conservative-values votes for which Mississippi is a bellwether. If history is a guide, look for Bryant to be even more active than his predecessor in legislating from the executive office. But perhaps most importantly, look for Bryant’s signature monogrammed cowboy boots. They’ll make you want your own pair.

—R.L. Nave

R.L. NAVE

If the state’s top political officials were subjects of a “Sesame Street” song, Jim Hood would be the one thing that’s not like the others. As the lone elected Democrat left among the upper reaches of state government, Hood sticks out like Cookie Monster at Elmo’s family reunion. But neither voters nor the AG himself seem to mind Hood’s otherness. Hood certainly chewed up and spat out his Republican challenger, Steve Simpson, gobbling 61 percent of the statewide vote. “People call our state a red state, but what the difference is, how I see it, is that we are one-third Republican, one third Democratic and a third of people in the middle,” Hood told the Jackson Free Press in October. He staved off attacks over his audacity to sue corporations that have hurt Mississippi, which has brought more money to state coffers. You hate to see that.

— R. L. Nave

The protesters can stay at the park until 11 p.m. each night, after which, as Council President Frank Bluntson said, no one would be awake to hear their free speech anyway.

Occupy Jackson planned to stay in Smith Park through Dec. 26, at which time one of their members was to make a gift to the city. This reporter hopes the gift will be a textbook on First Amendment case law.

— Elizabeth Waibel

Phil Bryant, Mississippi Governor-Elect ADAM LYNCH

Jim Hood, Attorney General

ELIZABETH WAIBEL

The Occupy Wall Street movement came to Jackson Oct. 15 when a group met at Smith Park to protest corporate greed. Some waved flags or strapped Guy Fawkes masks to the backs of their heads as they carried handmade signs to the Capitol to air their many grievances.

The protesters are quick to say they have no leaders or spokespeople, preferring instead to decide their next move through general assemblies, in which those gathered wave their hands in the air to indicate assent. The dozens who showed up at the October rally and the few who have stayed through the months that followed brought with them a diverse list of political affiliations and goals, ranging from ending the Federal Reserve to providing affordable health care to expanding the number of U.S. representatives.

Occupy Jackson is not intriguing for its solidarity with a national movement or its calls to limit corporate donations to political candidates. As in many cities, the protesters’ struggle for a place to occupy has been louder than their ide-

JACKSONIANS, see page 16

15

JACKSONIANS, from page 15

Politics

Will the Jackson City Council be the same without long-term Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes playing the contrarian and lining up community member after member to honor? Well, the meetings will certainly be shorter, and his replacement (not selected yet) may well attend the work and planning sessions, so there’s that. Stokes has been a perennial candidate for the Hinds County Board of Supervisors, and he’s headed there in January, adding even more animation to an alreadywacky-as-heck board. His time on Council has been mixed: He brings up important issues such as what kids in his neighborhood do when they have nothing else to do, but he continually calls for unconstitutional and untenable measures (such as the city demanding that convenience stores have armed guards or enforce youth curfews, which tend to be more PR than useful). He lost a lot of our respect, though, when he became an inexplicable lapdog for former Mayor Frank Melton, making excuses even for the mayor’s drunken sledgehammer joyrides with young men in tow. Really, Stokes?

— Donna Ladd

Robert Graham, Hinds County District 1 Supervisor WARD SCHAEFER

ADAM LYNCH

Kenneth Stokes, Hinds County Supervisor-Elect

Few people would argue that Robert Graham fails to communicate.

Before joining the Hinds County Board of Supervisors, he spent 35 years as a civilian employee of the Jackson Police Department, most recently as a public information officer.

Then, as county law enforcement agencies’ chief ally on the board, Graham has had a central role in telecommunications procurement, everything from merging the city and county radio systems and purchasing warning sirens to implementing 911 mobile phone technology.

In May 2011, Graham and his emergency dispatch training company, Professional Dispatch Management 911, became subjects of a state auditor’s investigation. Led by State Auditor Stacey Pickering, the investigation alleges that Graham owes the city of Jackson $45,736 in salary that the city paid him while operating his dispatch business. The attorney general’s office is now looking further into the civil charges; Graham characterized the Pickering investigation as political and has not returned the money—or calls.

—R.L. Nave

Loss and Tragedy

FILE PHOTO

COURTESY ANDERSON FAMILY

JARO VACEK

James Craig Anderson

16

Craig Noone, Chef

James Craig Anderson and Deryl Dedmon

The loss of Parlor Market visionary and chef Craig Noone was a huge blow to Jackson and our progress. Craig never met a stranger, and his death in a car accident in October was devastating to his friends, family, customers and even strangers who recognized the energy he brought back to his hometown when he returned from Texas to start his dream restaurant downtown. Craig’s vision is living on with the chefs he mentored, who are continuing the tough job of carrying on without him (please go support them at lunch, happy hour or dinner). He also wanted to start a Miracle League so that challenged kids could play baseball, which he loved. We pray it happens, and that his entrepreneurial spirit and innovative approach keeps reappearing in those he touched in his way-too-short life.

— Donna Ladd

From all the available evidence, Deryl Dedmon and James Anderson had little in common. But the moment Dedmon climbed into his Ford F-250 pickup truck and plowed into Anderson, who died immediately, fate linked the two men forever.

Sometime in 2012 Dedmon will defend himself against murder and hate-crime charges. Even if a jury convicts Dedmon of murder, he is unlikely to be put to death. In a display of compassion that was clearly not extended to their loved one, Anderson’s family asked prosecutors to take the death penalty off the table.

— R. L. Nave

Gwendolyn Magee Acclaimed textile artist Gwendolyn Magee succumbed to a long-term illness April 27, just two months after receiving the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts for her dynamic quilts.

Magee was a native of High Point, N.C., but she was a Jackson resident for 39 years. She stretched herself to the limits with her designs that ranged from abstract to narrative. Going beyond rows of squares, she created quilts with images of

everything from undulating swirls to a black man hanging from a noose with the Confederate flag in the background. Magee, an African American, showed pride in her heritage by incorporating African fabrics and focusing on controversial subjects such as slavery and lynching.

Verses from the popular Negro national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” inspired a series of 12 quilts, and the subject matter ranges from inequality in the justice system to educational op-

portunities. These quilts were part of her exhibit called “Journey of the Spirit: The Art of Gwendolyn Magee” at the Mississippi Museum of Art in late 2004, and the companion book is still available at the museum’s gift shop and website.

It is remarkable that Magee only started quilting as an adult when she wanted to make quilts for her two daughters. This goes to show that it is never too late to make an impact on the world.

— Latasha Willis

COURTESY MS ARTS COMMISSION

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

Deryl Dedmon

FILE PHOTO

Diversions Ole Miss Black Bear

EAT • DRINK • PLAY

The University of Mississippi officially replaced its old mascot, Colonel Reb, with a black bear in 2010. That prompted outrage in some circles, with state Rep. Mark DuVall, D-Mantachie, introducing a bill to bring Reb back. The bill never saw a vote in front of the full Legislature, and it died in committee. A statewide ballot initiative also failed to take root.

Going into 2012, the black bear is alive and well. Colonel Reb, on the other hand, is not so perky. And the football team? Let’s just say it’s rebuilding time.

—Bryan Flynn COURTESY JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY

Casey Therriault

MSU

Casey Therriault ended his senior season moving into the Jackson State University record book and leading the Tigers to a 9-2 season. JSU gave Therriault a second chance after he ran afoul of the law, and he made the most of it.

Known as the “White Tiger” by JSU fans, Therriault leaves the Tigers for a shot at the NFL. In his final season at Jackson State, Therriault threw for 3,791 yards with 27 touchdowns and 15 interceptions on 60 percent pass completions. Therriault also rushed for 107 yards and nine touchdowns.

He was third on the team in scoring last season with 56 points.

—Bryan Flynn

DeVille Smith

COURTESY WLBT

Jackson’s Callaway High School highly prized basketball star Deville Smith last season. He averaged 23.1 points, 3.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game as a senior, and was rated between a four or five star (rivals) prospect depending on the publication.

This year, Smith is playing for Mississippi State. His best game in college so far came against Tennessee-Martin. Smith scored 15 points on 7 of 10 shots in 26 minutes of playing time.

—Bryan Flynn

New Year’s Eve Bash featuring The Colonels December 31, 2011 • 9pm

$20 Cover

Includes party favors and champagne toast. Reservations accepted, or get your tickets at the door.

Smoke-Free Indoors Smoking available on the 3,000 sq ft Patio with New Orleans Style Fountain & Outdoor Tiki Bar.

Voted Best Steak and Best Sportsbar in Jackson by Metromix 2011

Michael Rubenstein

The heart and soul behind the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, Michael Rubenstein, passed away Dec. 1 at age 60 from a blood clot. Rubenstein was the first and only executive director of the Hall of Fame, created to protect and showcase the history of sports in our state. One of Rubenstein’s proudest achievements is that the hall didn’t operate on any taxpayer funds. He used privately donated funds to build the hall and run day-today operations.

Before the Hall of Fame, Rubenstein spent 16 years as sports editor for WLBT in Jackson. Rubenstein was a native of Booneville.

—Bryan Flynn

Dropping a free “mixtape” that lands on several end-of-the-year best-of lists, making you a household name in the hip-hop world, would be enough to keep many artists content. But for Big K.R.I.T., it’s not enough. Fresh off the heels of his “Return of 4eva” release, K.R.I.T. kept grinding by dropping a verse on the Roots’ critically acclaimed concept album, “undun,” and producing tracks for T.I.’s “Trouble Man.” K.R.I.T.’s dusty, soulful production bucks many trends and stereotypes of southern hip hop, while maintaining a southern authenticity that is so important to listeners. K.R.I.T. has put off the release of his self-produced Def Jam debut, “Live from the Underground,” until next year to be certain that it lives up to his lofty standards. Big K.R.I.T. finishes out 2011 with one of the year’s most intriguing releases behind him and one of 2012’s most anticipated in front of him. It’s a great place to be for a rapper from Meridian (whom Jackson has adopted as our own), which typically doesn’t register on the hip-hop radar. —Garrad Lee

Voted Best of Jackson 2011

Best Country Band Best Cover Band

Directions: From Jackson, take I- 55 South to the Byram Exit. Stay right on Siwell Road. 2.2 miles on the left.

6791 Siwell Rd. Byram, MS • 601.376.0777 www.reedpierces.com

jacksonfreepress.com

COURTESY BIG K.R.I.T.,

Big K.R.I.T.

17

T

he great thing about sports is that each season begins fresh and anew. Every new year, hopes begin high, and every fan dreams of dancing.

Nevertheless, the 2010-2011 men’s college basketball season didn’t give us much to be excited about in Mississippi. The potential was in place for a couple of teams to reach the postseason; however, only Ole Miss made it to

by Bryan Flynn the National Invitational Tournament in late March. Still, California bounced the Rebels in the first round, 77-74.

Mississippi State had postseason aspirations. Then came the players coming to physical blows on national TV. A slow start from suspensions doomed the Bulldogs.

Southern Miss had big postseason hopes, but a weak schedule and lack of quality wins did them in. Sadly, the Gold-

en Eagles returned all five starters last season and still failed to reach the Big Dance or any postseason tournament.

Jackson State hoped to follow up an NIT appearance in 2009-10 with a second straight postseason trip last season. The Tigers had to win the SWAC tournament to have any hope but fell in the semifinals.

That was then. Now, on to the 2011-2012 season.

COURTESY MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

Coach: Rick Stansbury (13th season at MSU, 255-140 overall record, 105-87 SEC record) 2010-11 Season: 17-14 (9-7 SEC) Lost in quarterfinals of SEC tournament to Vanderbilt 87-81 to end the season Arena: Humphrey Coliseum Radio: 105.9 WOAD-FM No team enters the season with hopes as high as the Bulldogs. Returning star Dee Bost comes back for his senior season.

If MSU can keep temperamental star Renardo Sidney in shape and happy, their postseason chances will greatly increase. Add potential superstar freshman Rodney Hood into the mix, and the Bulldogs could be a dangerous team in SEC play.

UTEP transfer Arnett Moultrie, who has contributed right away, and guard Brian Bryant round out the starting five. Stansbury has a strong bench of players to rely on.

The Bulldogs have started the season strong with a 10-1 record and upsets of ranked Texas A&M and Arizona. The lone MSU loss is a strange slip up to Akron.

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

COURTESY OLE MISS

Outlook: Mississippi State is ranked and playing well. This season the SEC could be a stronger conference. Already, five schools are ranked in the top 25. Problems are beginning again in Starkville with Bryant suspended for breaking team rules and Moultrie missing time with a knee tendonitis. Quality wins and a strong SEC could go a long way to helping the Bulldogs go dancing. Conference play begins Jan. 7 for MSU.

18

Rodney Hood

Coach: Andy Kennedy (6th season at Ole Miss, 133-78 overall record, 112-65 Ole Miss record, 32-34 SEC record) 2010-11 Season: 20-14 (7-9 SEC) Lost in first round of the NIT to California 77-74 to end the season Arena: C. M. Tad Smith Coliseum Radio: 97.3 WFMN-FM The Rebels made a postseason appearance after a win in the first round of the SEC Tournament. Guards Chris Warren and Zach Graham led the team but both have departed.

Ole Miss returns three starters this season, but none averaged double digits in scoring. Leading the way is Terrance Henry who is the returning high scorer with 9.7 points per game. Joining Henry is Nick Williams and Reginald Buckner. The team will also count on guard Dundrecous Nelson and forward Steadman Short to help lead.

Jelan Kendrick, a highly prized transfer from Memphis and a former McDonald’s High School All-American, will be able to play after the 2011 fall semester. The Rebels also signed three highly touted Mississippi prospects who could all contribute this season: Aaron Jones, Jarvis Summers and LaDarius White.

Terrance Henry

Outlook: Ole Miss has played a soft schedule so far this season. At 8-1, the Rebels lone loss was a 30-point blowout to a ranked Marquette team. Mississippi will be tested in conference play with ranked MSU, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky and Vanderbilt waiting in the wings. The Rebels postseason dance card will be made or broken in SEC play. more SPORTS, see page 20

19

jacksonfreepress.com

SPORTS, from page 18

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

T

20

he Jackson area schools that aren’t major contenders in Mississippi college basketball are known as the “small” schools. But they’re only small in enrollment, not in talent, drive or determination.

Mississippi College, Belhaven University, and Millsaps College all want to be conference contenders and play for championships.

These schools are looking to build on previous seasons and take the next step with their programs.

One of the most successful local schools is Mississippi College. The Choctaws are the only local team to have qualified for the American Southwest Conference Tournament.

Last season MC finished 22-10 for their 22nd consecutive winning season. Don Lofton returns for his eighth season; he is 144-50 overall during his tenure at Mississippi College.

The Choctaws return three starters this season but have to replace their top scorer Ken Black. Leading the way this season could be All-ASC player Greg Pulliam who averaged 11 points per game and is a three-point threat.

Currently, the Choctaws are 1-6 overall and 1-6 in conference play.

Belhaven University had a successful 2009-10 season but was barely over .500 last season. The Blazers finished 6-6 in the Southern States Athletic Conference.

Tom Kelsey enters his seventh season and is 105-83 overall at Belhaven. The Blazers must replace Rob Wallace, who averaged 19.6 points per game last season.

Picking up the load in scoring falls to Brittion Smith, who averaged 9.2 points per game.

Smith played in every game last season and made 48 percent of his shots.

Currently, Belhaven is 4-9 overall and 1-3 in conference play.

Millsaps College struggled last season, finishing 10-15 overall and 4-12 in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Association. The Majors struggled mightily on the road, going 1-10.

Tim Wise returns for his seventh season and has compiled an 83-77 overall record. Wise will look to turn the program around with 10 freshman players.

The Majors must replace L.V. Sumler who filled up the stat sheet for the Majors last season. Sumler led the team in rebounds, steals and minutes played. He was also third in points and second in assists.

Millsaps returns leading scoring Nick Cortese, who averaged 12.1 points per game.

Second-leading scorer Taylor Meades returns as well. Meades averaged 11 points per contest last season.

Currently, the Majors are 5-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

After returning five starters last season, senior guard Angelo Johnson is USM’s only returning starter and the returning high scorer with 7.5 points per game. The Golden Eagles will need senior guard and forward Maurice Bolden to step up early.

Keith DeWitt out of Chipola Junior College in Florida was a highly sought-after player from the JUCCO ranks. Dewitt may contribute early, and Jonathan Mills, a transfer from College of Eastern Utah, will join him. Both Mills and Dewitt will help a group of returning players attempt to get USM its third straight 20-win season.

Southern Miss turned down a chance to play in some smaller postseason tournaments last season. The Golden Eagles have not reached the NCAA Tournament since back-to-back appearances in 1990-91.

USM has never advanced past the first round.

Outlook: At 7-2, the Golden Eagles are on pace to have a third 20-win season. But USM has played an even softer schedule than Ole Miss. Southern Miss has not played a ranked team and does not have a ranked team on the current schedule. CUSA has been down the past couple of seasons. USM might have to win the C-USA Tournament to go dancing.

Coach: Tevester Anderson (9th season at JSU, 234180 overall record, 131-128 JSU record, 95-49 SWAC record) 2010-11 Season: 17-15 (12-6 SWAC) a loss to Grambling State 81-75 in the semifinals of the SWAC tournament ended the season Arena: Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Radio: 620 WJDX-AM

COURTESY JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY

by Bryan Flynn

Angelo Johnson

Jenirro Bush

Jackson State is in the same boat with USM. The Tigers, like the Golden Eagles, only have one returning starter from last season. Jenirro Bush is the lone senior and returning starter on this team. Bush averaged 14.4 points per game to lead the Tigers last season.

The Tigers will need juniors Davon Jones and Raymond Gregory to step up and help carry the load with Bush. Junior guard Christian Williams should see time in the backcourt with Bush.

With so many new faces, Anderson will have to do one of his best coaching jobs of his career. A tough opening schedule will make sure these young Tigers are tested before SWAC play begins.

Outlook: No one can accuse Jackson State of playing a soft schedule. The Tigers are 1-9 to start the season but have played four teams who were or are ranked in the top 25 this season. Even the non-ranked team JSU has played didn’t have a bunch of slouches. The tough opening schedule might pay off, because the only way JSU is going dancing is to win the SWAC tournament.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI

The ‘Smalls’

Coach: Larry Eustachy (8th season at USM, 377-249 overall record, 117-104 USM record, 44-66 C-USA record) 2010-11 Season: 22-10 (9-7 C-USA) Lost to Memphis in the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament 66-63 to end the season Arena: Reed Green Coliseum Radio: 105.1 WQJQ-FM or 620 WJDX-AM

21

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by Bryan Flynn

by Bryan Flynn

FRIDAY, DEC. 30 College basketball (6-9 p.m., ESPN): Western Michigan travels to North Carolina to take on the top-five ranked Duke Blue Devils.

SATURDAY, DEC. 31 College Basketball (11 a.m.-1 p.m., CBS): A top-five match up of in-state hoop rivals, as Louisville travels to Rupp Arena to play archrival Kentucky.

SUNDAY, JAN. 1 NFL (noon-3 p.m., Fox): In the final game of the season, Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints host Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in a game that could determine playoff seeding for the Saints.

MONDAY, JAN. 2 NHL (noon-3 p.m., NBC): The New York Rangers face the Philadelphia Flyers on network TV on a Monday with no Monday Night Football.

TUESDAY, JAN. 3 College basketball (8-10 p.m., Fox Sports Network): Ole Miss hosts Southern Methodist University (SMU) before conference play begins.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 4 NHL (6:30-9:30 p.m., Versus): Defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins hit the road to take on the New Jersey Devils.

BULLDOGS BOWLING, AGAIN It had been since the 1990s that Mississippi State had gone to back to back bowl games. Now in Dan Mullenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third season, the Bulldogs have reached back-to-back bowls again. MSU played Michigan in the Gator Bowl last season and will face Wake Forest in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30.

W

omenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s college basketball is rightfully gaining attention these days.

Last season, the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national championship game between Texas A&M and Notre Dame was much more exciting than the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s title game.

The men struggled to score points. Connecticut beat Butler 53-41, and the teams put on a display on how not to play basketball.

The womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s title game, on the other hand, was fun to watch and better played, with the two teams fighting as hard as any menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team could for a championship.

In the end, Texas A&M outlasted Notre Dame 76-70 for the title. For all the hoopla surrounding the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s title game, the ladies simply played a superior brand of basketball and had a more thrilling game.

Since the 1990s, womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball has grown. The NCAA tournament has expanded from 32 teams to 40 teams to 48 teams to the current format of 64 teams. Beginning in 2003, every game of the Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s NCAA Tournament has been broadcast on television, and almost every year has seen attendance increases.

When the subject of womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball comes up, my mind goes to one place first. That place is the University of Tennessee and, more specifically, Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt, the winningest basketball coach ever. Her 1,071 victories outpace every menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s or womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coach.

While Summitt has won more than 1,000 games, she still has not reached 200 losses. She and the Vols have won eight national championships (and have been

runners-up five times) and made 18 Final Four appearances.

Look at her bio on the Tennessee athletic site, and you begin to see the scope of Summittâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career. You also learn that Summitt has played 47 percent of her games against ranked teams. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a bunch of nobodies padding Summittâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s record. Each and every season, the Lady Vols have played the best competition in womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball.

There is no question that Summitt has helped the growth of womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball.

Her influence has helped gain traction for her main foil, the UConn Huskies womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team and coach Geno Auriemma.

Summitt, entering her 39 th season as head coach of Tennessee, announced last August that she was battling early-onset

dementia. Arguably the most recognizable face in the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game might be entering her final season.

The scope and reach of Summittâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career will never be truly quantified, and the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game will never be able to fully thank Summitt for her contributions to the game. She helped transform womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball from an afterthought to a place in the spotlight.

If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never given womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball a chance, I challenge you to watch and to learn more about this remarkable woman.

I could never put into words how much class, dignity and grace Summitt has displayed in her career. College basketball will not be the same without her. I wish her the best this season.

Comment at jfpsports.com

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SATURDAY, DEC. 31 Follow Bryan Flynn at jfpsports.com, @jfpsports and at facebook.com/jfpsports.

The University of Tennessee Lady Vols have won more games than any college basketball team, thanks to head coach Pat Summitt, pictured.

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THURSDAY, DEC. 29 NBA (7-9:30 p.m., TNT): Defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks face the young and upcoming Oklahoma City Thunder.

Game Changer UTAD â&#x20AC;&#x201C; WADE RACKLEY

Happy New Year. No matter how good 2011 was, hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to an even better 2012.

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New Year’s Eve Events

Ring in the New Year with Fun and Food FILE PHOTO

by LaShanda Phillips and Latasha Willis

Fenian’s Pub (906 E. Fortification St., 601948-0055) On New Year’s Eve, The Bailey’s Bros will perform at 9 p.m.

Frank Jones Corner (303 N. Farish St., 601-983-1148) Sherman Lee Dillion and the Mississippi Sound will perform.

Free Champagne at midnight.

Hickory Pit (1491 Canton Mart, 601956-7079) and Haute Pig (1856 Main St., Madison, 601-853-8538, Hickory Pit) Hickory Pit and Haute Pig will be open New Years Eve from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Whole menu available including specialties such as pies and pulled pork.

Closed New Years’ Day.

D

on’t have any plans for New Year’s Eve? Start 2012 off with a bang by eating good food, sipping fancy drinks and enjoying local music. Here are some local restaurants and bars open for your New Year’s Eve entertainment.

Babalu Tacos and Tapas (622 Duling Ave., 601-366-5757) Open New Year’s Eve until 1 a.m. After 9 p.m., tacos will be $2 and margaritas and babaritas will be $5. At midnight, Patron shots will be $5.

King Edward Hotel (235 W. Capitol St., 601-353-5464, ext. 8408) Cocktails, gourmet food, midnight Champagne toast and a balloon drop. The Patrick Harkins Band performs. A portion of the proceeds benefits Hope House and the FILE PHOTO

Bravo Italian Restaurant and Bar (4500 Interstate 55 N., Suite 244, 601-9828111) $70 for early seating and $90 for late seating. Six-course prix fixe meal. The late seating includes Champagne, indoor fireworks and party favors at midnight.

Bravo will have a special wine flight, and Swing de Paris will perform all night. Call or email cb@bravobuzz.com.

Hilton Jackson (1001 E. County Line Road, 601-957-2322) Open New Year’s Eve. Seatings at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Price varies from $269-$369 which includes dinner for two at the Huntington’s Grille, party at 8:30 p.m. in Madison Hall, entertainment by Chris Gill and the Sole Shakers, a Champagne toast at midnight, overnight room and New Year’s morning breakfast. Accepting until full.

Reservations required.

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

Burgers N’ Blues (1060 E. County Line Road, Suite 22, Ridgeland, 601-8990038) Open until 1 a.m. on New Year’s Eve. Jesse Guitar Smith’s Blues Trio will perform.

There will be a drink special.

26

Cerami’s (5417 Lakeland Drive, Suite I, Flowood, 601-919-2829). $30 admission covers hors d’oeuvres, two drinks, and a Champagne toast at midnight.

Club Magoo’s (824 S. State St., 601-4878710) Open on New Year’s Eve. Free Champagne at midnight.

Fairview Inn and Sofia’s Restaurant (734 Fairview St., 601-948-3429) Fairview Inn will be open New Year’s Eve. Reservations recommended.

Catch 22 Foundation. Reservations required. Wear cocktail attire. $99. Room packages are available.

Last Call (3716 Interstate 55 N., 601-7132700) Last Call will be open New Year’s Eve at 9 p.m. Enjoy music by Chic Bang Theory, party favors and free Champagne at midnight. Cab service available. $10 cover.

More NYE Events, see page 28

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Wednesday, Dec. 28th Karaoke

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27

New Year’s Eve Events from page 26 Martin’s Restaurant and Lounge (214 S. State St., 601-354-9712) Martin’s will have a New Year’s Eve Blowout featuring Spacewolf and friends. The event starts at 9 p.m.

Mint (Renaissance, 1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Suite 5002, Ridgeland, 601-898-6468) Enjoy unlimited Champagne, hors d’oeuvres and live music. $50 admission includes two drink tickets.

Mississippi Children’s Museum (2145 Highland Drive, 601-981-5469 or 877-793-5437) will host Noon Year’s Eve Dec. 31, 9 a.m. Make New Year’s party favors and enjoy live music, a countdown and a rocket launch at noon. $8, children under 12 months and members free.

Olga’s Fine Dining (4760 Interstate 55 N., Suite D, 601-366-1366) Open New Year’s Eve. The first seating is at 6 p.m.

Three-course meal with live piano music. $45 per person. The second seating is at 9:30 p.m. $10 cover charge for Champagne, party favors, and live entertain-

Pan-Asia (720 Harbor Point Crossing, 601-956-2958). Special three-course meal and free Champagne. Reservations required. $50 per person.

Parlor Market (115 W. Capitol St., 601360-0090) PM Cocktails starts at 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Includes cocktails, Champagne and punches. Enjoy the oyster bar, caviar, winter truffles and foie gras in many forms. Please wear formal dress.

Pop’s Saloon (2636 S. Gallatin St., 601961-4747) Pop’s will be open Dec. 31, 9 p.m. Free food, Champagne and live entertainment by New Havin and Hillbilly Deluxe. $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

Reed Pierce’s (6791 Siwell Road, Byram, 601-376-0777 or 601-376-4677.) Reed Pierce’s will be open New Year’s Eve at 9 p.m. The event includes a Champagne toast at midnight, party favors and music by The Colonels. Reserved tables available for up to 10 guests. $20 cover charge.

Ro’Chez (204 W. Jackson St., 601-5038244, rochezdining.com) Open New Year’s Eve. Entertainment TBA. Res-

ervations required. 6 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. seatings.

Salsa Mississippi Studio and Club (605 Duling Ave., labalink@gmail.com) will host LABA-Link New Year’s Fiesta on Dec. 30, 7 p.m. The fundraiser for the Latin American Business Association includes party favors, dance lessons, performances and food for sale.

Wear formal attire. $10.

Sportsman’s Lodge (Maywood Mart, 1220 E. Northside Drive, Suite 100, 601-366-5441) Sportsman’s Lodge will have a New Year’s Eve party.

There will be drink specials and bowl games all day long.

with Champagne toast at midnight and a cash bar. $195 per couple or $97.50 per person. The Holiday Inn next door will have special rates.

Time Out Sports Café (6270 Old Canton Road, 601-978-1839) Open New Year’s Eve. Chad Wesley Band performs.

There will be Champagne at midnight. $10 entry fee.

Underground 119 (119 S. President St., 601-352-2322) Open New Years’s Eve at 8 p.m. Serving hors d’oeurvres, sparkling wine and breakfast. The Fearless Four performs. Reservations required. $35-250.

Add more New Year’s Eve events at www.jfp.ms.

Strawberry Café (107 Depot Drive, Madison, 601-856-3822) Open New Year’s Eve with nightly specials available.

Make reservations.

FILE PHOTO

Ole Tavern on George Street (416 George St., 601-960-2700) Ole Tavern will be open on New Year’s Eve at 9 p.m. Enjoy free Champagne at midnight and party favors. Performers include Furrows and AJC and the Envelope Pushers. Attendees have a chance to win a seven-day Hawaiian vacation getaway. $10 cover charge.

ment from Ronnie McGee and the Boys.

Limited menu will be available. Reservations are required for both seatings.

T’Beaux’s (941 Highway 80, 601-8317778) T’Beaux’s will be open New Year’s Eve and Day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. They will serve crawfish, boiled shrimp, crab legs, seafood gumbo, red beans and rice.

Table 100 (100 Ridgeway, Flowood.

601-420-4202) Dinner buffet, midnight brunch, entertainment by Heather Clancy and the Nightcaps, party favors

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FILM p 34 | 8 DAYS p 36 | MUSIC p 38 CHRISTIAN GEISN/ES

Worst and Best Films of 2011

by Cole Smithey

2011 was the year of the Apocalypse in independent film.The prime example is “Melancholia.”

2

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

011 was an incredibly fascinating year in cinema. America’s two finest directors, Martin Scorsese and Stephen Spielberg, elevated children’s cinema with efforts that far outshone Hollywood’s apparent monopoly ruled

by Pixar and Disney. Although neither “Hugo” nor “The Adventures of Tintin” made it into my top 10, they each deserve every bit of critical esteem lavished on them. Documentaries continued to carve out a significant section of high-quality cinematic art. Errol Morris’ “Tabloid” and Werner Herzog’s “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” both deserve honorable mention.

As with any year, 2011 saw a string of cinematic abominations that deserve little more than a roll call. In the interest of attending to the more significant matter of counting down the 10 finest movies the year had to offer, here are my list of films that bored me nearly to tears.

10. “The Rite” 9. “Skateland” 8. “Stake Land” 7. “The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu” 6. “Super” 5. “Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives” 4. “Meek’s Cutoff” 3. “Film Socialism” 2. “Paranormal Activity 3” 1. “Rubber” This year’s 10 best films showed an exceptional amount of originality, rigor and inventiveness. It’s with great pleasure that I share my favorite examples of why I keep returning to the cinema day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year.

10.

30

“The Arbor” Docudrama director Clio Bernard approaches a dead British playwright’s life of persecution and abuse via the

lens of situations from her autobiographical plays. When Andrea Dunbar died in 1990 at age 29, she was enjoying some theatrical success. The filmmaker obtained candid audio interviews with Dunbar’s surviving family members, who still reside in the same impoverished Bradford estate housing where Dunbar lived.

Using a technique called “verbatim cinema,” Bernard uses professional actors to lip-synch with interview audio so that the spectator receives the information in a strangely organic fashion. “The Arbor” is a groundbreaking cinematic achievement.

9.

“Bellflower” The preteen boys of the ’70s who played “war” in their backyards and pored over dirty magazines in their clubhouses are transmogrified into a pair of 21st-century 20something misfits in writer, director, actor Evan Glodell’s wild and woolly contemplation of apocalyptic America. Woodrow (Glodell) and Aiden (Tyler Dawson) are a pair of best friends obsessed with building a flamethrower gun and flame-spewing muscle car named Medusa, after the name of their two-man gang “Mother Medusa.”

Evan Glodell has invented a bold vision of independent cinema that pisses down throat of the “mumblecore” indie movement. Call it “apocalypticore.” Here is a movie that sears itself into your eyeballs and brain.

8.

“Project Nim” James Marsh examines the 25-year chronicle of Nim Chimpsky, a research chimpanzee who was put through the mill in the service of science. Nim’s origins trace back to early 1970s hippie Columbia University professor Herb Terrace. Terrace took the baby chimp away from its mother and attempted to train it to communicate through sign language.

With access to a tremendous amount of archival footage of every stage of Nim’s life, Marsh intersperses stylistically

staged interview segments with many of the participants. Project Nim is an in-depth documentary with far-reaching implications about modern culture. It’s impossible not to be swept up in the fragmented story of a de facto child who is repeatedly abandoned by people who exploit him with both good and bad intentions.

7.

“Take Shelter” Apocalypse looms large in writer-director Jeff Nichols’ intimate tale of social, mental and economic duress. Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) is a construction worker living in rural Ohio with his wife, Samantha (Jessica Chastain), and young hearing-impaired daughter Hannah.

Curtis reads a worst-case scenario into foreboding cloud formations he sees. He also suffers from terrifying nightmares about a coming storm that cause him to wet the bed. Torn over whether his family’s history of mental illness has made its way into his brain—his mother is schizophrenic—Curtis seeks out counseling.

“Take Shelter” captures a macro-micro snapshot of America’s post-9/11 zeitgeist at a moment when a decade of fear fatigue has left the country numb. When everyone is seeking shelter from economic, natural, and human-implemented disaster, no place is safe.

6.

“The Skin I Live In” Pedro Almodóvar proves himself an apt technician at sustaining suspense in the thriller genre. Returning to work with Almodóvar for the first time in more than 20 years, Antonio Banderas brings his A-game to a deliciously diabolical role.

Plastic surgeon Robert Ledgard (Banderas) is a scientist with plenty of method to his particular madness of creating an indestructible skin. His wife died in a car fire. His daughter committed suicide. He harbors vengeance, but why?

More MOVIES, see page 33

31

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DIVERSIONS|Worst and Best Films of 2011 from page 30 “The Skin I Live In” is a haunting film that tips its hat to Alfred Hitchcock. There’s a goodly dose of Georges Franju’s 1960 French horror classic “Eyes Without a Face.” Elliptical time shifts tell the story in a disjointed fashion that makes you want to see the film twice even as you’re watching it. There’s mystery here to savor as you would any great piece of cinematic art. Pedro Almodóvar has created a masterpiece.

5.

lover’s dream. Hossein Amini’s adaptation of James Sallis’ pulp novel provides Ryan Gosling with the kind of cool-blooded character actors would kill to portray. Known only as Driver, Gosling wears a trademark silver racing jacket with a big, gold scorpion embroidered on the back. His curious fashion sense matches his singular motivation to drive—fast.

The moody techno soundtrack by Cliff Martinez is the hippest thing around. Sexy, violent and stylized like you can’t believe, “Drive” is a big-screen movie that oozes charisma and pops with brutality. Yum.

“Moneyball” Director Bennett Miller does the improbable. You don’t have to be a math nerd or a baseball fan to savor every minute “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” of Miller’s cinematic balancing act built on “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” is more Billy Beane’s “ahthan a character ha” season with the study. It is an examOakland Athletics ination of a highly in 2002. Brad Pitt skilled occupation gives the perforthat demands such mance of a lifetime complete and utas former big-league ter commitment player Beane, who that all emotional recognizes talent response must be when he sees it submerged to the even if that talent point of permais for crunching Antonio Banderas plays a mad scientist in nent, poker-faced the suspenseful “ The Skin I Live In.” numbers. Only Pitt resolve. No one can could make chewing be trusted, and yet, tobacco look sanitary. Jonah Hill establishes loyalty to the group is mandatory. himself as a dramatic actor of consequence A company party where the agents preas Peter Brand, a bean counter with an un- tend to let their hair down momentarily arrives conventional viewpoint about which baseball as a key sequence for what it says about the stats matter most. Together, Pitt and Hill are way British spies of the period interacted. Evexquisite. ery jovial smile conceals suspicion and secrets.

If last year’s thinking-outside-the-box- Tomas Alfredson’s flawless staging provides a movie “The Social Network” gave cynical fly-on-the-wall view that allows the audience insight to a social-activity platform that is al- to peek behind the characters’ well-defended ready approaching a crisis of identity, “Mon- shroud of secrecy to discover yet another one eyball” has a more lasting quality. What’s pro- that hides beneath. The story is about how foundly interesting is how the romanticism of a spy agency enforces loyalty and integrity, baseball comes through via sidelong moments where such values add up to much more than of deeply personal experience. a simple matter of life and death. They represent the safety and viability of an entire system “The Artist” of government.

“The Artist” conjures a bygone era that reminds us why we love Hollywood.

“Melancholia” Director Michel Hazanavicius’ wonderfully 2011 was the year of apocalypse in nuanced movie made a splash at Cannes and cinema. “The Tree of Life,” “Take Shelter” then became the critical darling of the 2011 and “Melancholia” each offer differing visions New York Film Festival. of Earth’s waning days.

Hazanavicius meticulously squeezes in Lars von Trier evinces consolation for the an encyclopedic catalog of silent film conven- end of planet Earth and all its evil inhabitants tions while staying true to the ideas behind in the form of a colossal planet named Melanthem. The result is a movie that never feels cholia, which is traveling on an elliptical colliforced or derivative. sion course.

The movie is full of sweet little surprises.

Von Trier’s infamous Cannes festival Between brilliantly executed performances, publicity stunt wasn’t anymore outrageous dance numbers, and an exquisitely told ro- than anything that drips nightly from Bill mantic story about loss and redemption, this O’Reilly, but it got the filmmaker thrown flawlessly crafted film shimmers. Visually, it’s out of the festival in a manner befitting astoundingly gorgeous. Equal parts drama, an outlaw. romance, spectacle, and comedy, “The Artist” In spite of von Trier’s persona-non-grata is an instant classic. status, justice would have been served had the Cannes jury chosen his superior “Melancho“Drive” lia” over Terrence Malick’s cluster-bomb “The Playing with a William Friedkin- Tree of Life.” As with all von Trier’s films, like level of patient intensity, atmospheric “Melancholia” will divide audiences. Atheist style and shocks of violence, Dutch director audiences can take special pleasure in von TriNicolas Winding Refn creates his own 21st- er’s exquisitely uncompromising vision. After century dialectic of cinema. “Drive” is a film- all, what’s a beginning without an end?

2.

COURTESY PATRIK-IAN POLK

3.

1.

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33

A M A LC O T H E AT R E

South of Walmart in Madison

ALL STADIUM SEATING Listings for Fri., Dec. 30- Thurs. Jan. 05 2011 War Horse

PG13

3-D The Darkest Hour PG13 We Bought A Zoo PG Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol PG13 Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

R

3-D Adventures Of Tintin PG Adventures Of Tintin (non 3-D) PG

Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked

G

The Sitter

Poignant, Comic Gift

R

The Descendants R Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Pt.1 PG13 Happy Feet Two (non 3-D) PG

GIFT CARDS AVAILABLE DAILY BARGAINS UNTIL 6PM Online Tickets, Birthday Parties, Group & Corporate Events @ www.malco.com

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December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

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New Years Eve PG13

Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows PG13

34

DIVERSIONS|film

FOX SEARCHLIGHT

6A0=3E84F

“The Descendants” is an awkward, funny story of a family and its melancholy.

“T

he Descendants” bubbles to the top of critic lists and Golden Globe nominations.

The film goes against the current of behemoth blockbusters; it defies the prevailing philosophy of franchising prior successes, recycling and repackaging old stories under new names. As a oneof-a-kind personal journey, “The Descendants” will have no franchising opportunities. Also absent from this film are guns, explosions and car chases. And although it does have the megastar of the year (that would be George Clooney for those who have not seen “Ides of March” or read his list of SAG and Golden Globe nominations), this movie didn’t require a budget larger than the gross national product of Micronesia to be made.

What “The Descendants” does have that the typical Hollywood film does not is something more precious and intangible than movie-making-by-the-numbers. This picture has a gifted director with a feeling for the beauty of comedy and a marvelous ensemble of actors who seamlessly blend together until it is no longer possible to tell art from life. Directed by Alexander Payne (“Sideways”) and starring Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller and Nick Krause, “The Descendants” makes the ordinary melodrama of life a poignant and comic gift. With all the gimmickry exploding on theater screens, this film is a treasure of purity and simplicity.

Set in a Hawaiian paradise alternating between Oahu and Kauai, shoes are left at the door and faded flower shirts are de rigueur. The film’s protagonist, Matthew King (Clooney), is a rich man with a sterile life. He loves his family, but has the emotional acumen of a jellyfish. His youngest daughter Scottie (Miller) probes him with pestering “why” questions such as, “Why is a jellyfish called a jellyfish when it is not made of jelly and is not a fish?”

King defers the parenting of Scottie and his wayward 17-year-old daughter Alex

(Woodley) to his wife, Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie). He refers to himself as the “backup parent.” He prefers his solo law practice, working day and night scraping together a middle-class existence, to enjoying his sizeable inheritance on luxury pursuits with his family. Despite his shabby shirts and shoes, King is a serious man. He determines the fate of a family trust consisting of 25,000 pristine acres in Kauai. He’s responsible for protecting the King legacy, but is utterly clueless to the slow disintegration of his immediate family.

Then a cold splash of the unexpected snaps King from his inertia and dull routine. It’s that wake-up moment, the big gotcha, where King realizes the flimsy foundation of his sand-castle life has collapsed. His wife, the mother of his children and the center of the family unit, suffers a boating accident, rendering her brain dead.

Doctors must pull the plug per her final, written directives. Her parents must be told and friends allowed to say their goodbyes.

And then the tidal wave hits: King learns from his oldest daughter that Elizabeth was having an affair at the time of the accident.

He was too busy to notice the betrayal.

This film, adapted for the screen from Kaui Hart Hemmings’ novel, lets the weaknesses and follies that defeat King appear right on the surface. Payne’s subtle direction orchestrates the angst and building pressure King faces in his personal life and with the land deal he is working on.

We see the frustration, but also feel the love that binds King and his daughters, his in-laws, extended family and friends.

Throughout the film are nuanced modulations of familiarity and indifference, sparked by frank bursts of outrage, such as when King screams at his comatose wife in the hospital. The absurdity is awkward, funny and melancholy at the same time.

Through the trivial and momentous moments in the King household, we experience a delicate, comic elegy on family and an ode to its rebirth.

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BEST BETS December 28, 2011-January 3, 2012

by Latasha Willis events@jacksonfreepress.com Fax: 601-510-9019 Daily updates at jfpevents.com

WEDNESDAY 12/28

Rick Anderson and Bill Bannister’s art exhibit at the Mississippi Library Commission (3881 Eastwood Drive) closes today. Free; call 601-432-4056. … Norman Clark performs at F. Jones Corner’s blues lunch. … Natalie Long and Clinton Kirby perform at Hal & Mal’s. … Larry Brewer is at Kathryn’s. … The Boardwalk has a pool tournament and Ladies Night with live deejays. No cover. … John Mora is at Papitos. ... The Wild and Out Wednesday Comedy Show is at 8:45 p.m. at West Restaurant and Lounge. $2 beers. … Cooper Miles is at Fenian’s. … The open jam with Will and Linda is at Pelican Cove. … Jazz Beautiful with Pam Confer performs at Fitzgerald’s. … Ole Tavern and Pop’s have karaoke. ... Jason Turner is at the Irish Frog.

FRIDAY 12/30

The Jackson Bike Advocates’ Community Bike Ride kicks off at 6 p.m. at Rainbow Whole Foods (2807 Old Canton Road). After-party at Petra Cafe (2741 Old Canton Road). Visit facebook.com/jacksonbikeadvocates. … The LABA-Link New Year’s Fiesta starts at 7 p.m. at Salsa Mississippi (605 Duling Ave.). $10; email labalink@gmail.com. … After the Crash plays at Reed Pierce’s. … Hunter Gibson performs at Brady’s. … Northside Smurf hosts the Pre-NYE Kickoff Party at Dreamz JXN at 9 p.m. … Meagan May is at Irish Frog. … Barry Leach performs at Olga’s. … Mississippi Shakedown plays at Martin’s at 10 p.m. ... Grady Champion is at Underground 119.

CAMILLE MOENKHAUS

SATURDAY 12/31

Noon Year’s Eve at the Mississippi Children’s Museum (2148 Highland Drive) is at 9 a.m. and includes music and a rocket launch. $8, free for members and children 12 months and under; call 601-981-5469 or 877-793-5437. … The Bailey Brothers perform at Fenian’s. … Club Magoo’s New Year’s Eve party includes music by Evelle and Champagne at midnight. Other venues having New Year’s Eve celebrations include Martini Room, Pan-Asia at 6 p.m. (720 Harbor Point Crossing, Ridgeland; $50 per person; call 601-956-2958 to RSVP), Hilton Jackson (1001 E. County Line Road) at 7 p.m. (includes overnight stay; $269-$369; call 601-957-2800, ext.

7665 to RSVP), Underground 119 at 8 p.m. ($35-$250; RSVP required), Mint at 8 p.m. (Renaissance, 1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Suite 5002, Ridgeland; $50; call 601-8986468), King Edward Hotel at 8 p.m. ($99, room packages available; call 601-353-5464, ext. 8408), Salsa Mississippi at 9 p.m. (605 Duling Ave.; $10; $5 college students with ID; call 601-213-6355), Ole Tavern at 9 p.m. ($10 cover), Reed Pierce’s at 9 p.m. ($20 cover), Pop’s at 9 p.m. ($15 in advance, $20 at the door), Last Call at 9 p.m. ($10 cover), Martin’s at 9:30 p.m. and Cerami’s at 10 p.m. (5417 Lakeland Drive, Suite I, Flowood; $30; call 601-919-2829). Get more details in the events section (page 37) and the music listings (page 39).

See the special section on New Year’s Eve events on pp. 26-28.

Jazz Beautiful with Pam Confer (above) performs Wednesdays at Fitzgerald’s in the Jackson Hilton.

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

36

At F. Jones Corner, Amazin’ Lazy Boi performs during the blues lunch and at midnight. … The Winter Holidays Exhibit at the William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.) closes today. Free; call 601-576-6800.

“The Spoken Word” music showcase at Divine Ministries (1417 W. Capitol St.) includes performances by Twiceborn and Triple Threat. Free; call 601-966-2040. … Beth Patterson performs at Fenian’s. … Chris Gill is at AJ’s on the Lake. … At Hal & Mal’s, Barry Leach performs in the restaurant, and Jimbo Matthus and the Tri-State Coalition perform in the Red Room. … The Lucky Hand Blues Band plays at Underground 119. … Mediterranean Grill has music by Kenny Davis at 8:30 p.m. ... D’Lo Trio is at the Cherokee Inn.

Jazz brunch music options include Knight Bruce at Sophia’s at 11 a.m., Howard Jones Jazz at King Edward Hotel at 11 a.m., Andy Hardwick at Fitzgerald’s at 11 a.m. and Raphael Semmes at Table 100 from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. …

John Mora performs from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Sombra Mexican Kitchen (1037 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland). … The Mississippi Watercolor Society Grand National Watercolor Exhibition is at the Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.) closes today. Sunday hours are noon-5 p.m. Free; call 601-960-1515.

MONDAY 1/2

Ann Hayne’s fiber exhibit at the Mississippi Craft Center (950 Rice Road, Ridgeland) hangs through Jan. 31. Free; 601-856-7546. … The Central Mississippi Blues Society Jam at Hal & Mal’s is at 7 p.m. $5. … Pub Quiz at Ole Tavern.

TUESDAY 1/3

M.L. Harrell’s art exhibit is at Cups on County Line (1070 E. County Line Road) hangs through Feb. 28. Free, artwork for sale; call 601-956-4711. … See Scott Crawford’s Lego Jackson Exhibit through Jan. 15 at the Arts Center of Mississippi (201 E. Pascagoula St.). Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and noon-5 p.m. Sundays. Free; call 601-960-1557. … Time Out hosts Open-mic Night. … Live Jazz, Blues and Open-mic Poetry is at Old School 101 from 7-10 p.m.

WEDNESDAY 1/4

Author Gerard Helferich speaks during History Is Lunch at the William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.). Bring lunch; call 601-576-6998. … The Wild and Out Wednesday Comedy Show is at 8:45 p.m. at West Restaurant and Lounge. $2 beers.

More events and details at jfpevents.com.

You and the tykes can celebrate New Year’s Eve at the Mississippi Children’s Museum Dec. 31 starting at 9 a.m.

TATE NATIONS

THURSDAY 12/29

SUNDAY 1/1

jfpevents Radio JFP on WLEZ, at WLEZ 100.1 FM and wlezfm.com. Join Donna Ladd and Todd Stauffer every Thursday from noon-1 p.m., where they discuss vital issues and play local music. This week’s guest is John Sewell, who will discuss the Mississippi Blues Marathon and Half Marathon. JFP sports writer Bryan Flynn gives commentary at 12:45 p.m.

Listen to podcasts at jfpradio.com. Call 601-3626121, ext. 17.

fields to exchange leads, build rapport and make meaningful connections. $10; call 601-345-0407.

WELLNESS

Fondren After 5 Jan. 5 and Feb. 2, 5 p.m. This monthly event showcases the local shops, galleries and restaurants of the Fondren neighborhood. Free; call 601-981-9606.

Cancer Rehab Classes, at Baptist Medical Center (1225 N. State St.), in the Activity Room of the Hederman Cancer Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2 p.m. The class helps cancer patients enhance cardiovascular strength, endurance, their immune system and bone density. It helps to increase overall strength and stamina, decrease fatigue and weight loss, and improve digestion.

Registration is required. Free; call 601-948-6262 or 800-948-6262.

Mississippi HeARTS Against AIDS Benefit Feb. 11, 6 p.m., at Hal & Mal’s (200 S. Commerce St.).

The benefit is a huge live and silent auction of Mississippi’s best known artists with live entertainment and cuisine from dozens of local restaurants. $30 in advance, $35 at the door; call 601-750-5883.

Zumba Fitness Classes, at Dance Unlimited Studio, Byram (6787 S. Siwell Road, Suite A, Byram, and 3091 Highway 49 South, Suite E, Florence). The Latin-inspired aerobics classes are held weekly. Visit duzumba.com for class schedule information and directions. $5; call 601-209-7566.

Ignite the Night Gala Feb. 11, 6:30 p.m., at Mississippi Children’s Museum (2145 Highland Drive).

The adults-only event features themed food in each gallery, cocktails and child-like activities. $100; call 601-981-5469 or 877-793-KIDS.

Gentle Joints Aquatic Program, at The Club at St. Dominic’s (970 Lakeland Drive). The Arthritis Foundation sponsors the low-intensity water class.

Sessions are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 2 p.m. Registration required; club membership optional. $35 for 12 classes, $60 for 24 classes; call 601-200-4925.

Yoga for Non-violence - 108 Sun Salutations Feb. 18, 9 a.m., location TBA. All levels of ability and endurance are welcome to participate in the yoga mala. Free sun salutation classes given at many Jackson yoga studios. Proceeds benefit the Center for Violence Prevention. $25, donations welcome; call 601-500-0337 or 601-932-4198.

COMMUNITY Power APAC Call for Alumni, at Power Academic and Performing Arts Complex (1120 Riverside Drive). The school seeks alumni to participate in their 30th anniversary celebration Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Belhaven University Center for the Arts. Call 601-960-5387.

Jackson 2000 Call for Nonprofit Proposals through Dec. 30. Local organizations who wish to receive funds from the proceeds of the 2012 Friendship Ball should complete a Request for Proposal Form and submit it by Dec. 30. Include a copy of an IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter. Email bevelyn_branch@att.net.

Community Bike Ride Dec. 30, 6 p.m., at Rainbow Whole Foods Co-operative Grocery (2807 Old Canton Road). Jackson Bike Advocates is the sponsor. Helmets and lights strongly encouraged. After-party at Petra Cafe (2741 Old Canton Road). Visit facebook.com/jacksonbikeadvocates.

Inaugural Prayer Breakfast Jan. 2, 8:30 a.m., at Stronger Hope Baptist Church (223 Beasley Road).

The event is in honor of newly-elected Hinds County Sheriff Tyrone Lewis. Call 601-918-4633.

Survival Spanish Jan. 2, 6 p.m., at Lingofest Language Center (7048 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland). Classes are from 6-8:30 p.m.

Mondays starting Jan. 2, or from 9:30-noon Saturdays starting Jan. 7 for a total of five classes. $175, $20 materials; call 601-500-7700.

“History Is Lunch” Jan. 4, noon, at William F. Winter Archives and History Building (200 North St.). Author and former publisher Gerard Helferich talks about his new book, “Stone of Kings: In Search of the Lost Jade of the Maya,” and the role a Natchez citizen played in the search. Bring lunch; coffee and water provided. Free; call 601-576-6998.

Game Night, at Heroes and Dreams (5352 Highway 25, Suite 1650, Flowood). Play video, board and card games Fridays from 7:3011:30 p.m. Free; call 601-992-3100.

Networking Social Thursdays, 7 p.m., at Locker Room Lounge (205 W. Capitol St.).

The purpose of this event is to bring together professionals and entrepreneurs from different

NAMI In Our Own Voice Presenter Training, at NAMI Mississippi (411 Briarwood Drive, Suite 401). In Our Own Voice is a public education program that allows trained speakers to share their personal stories of mental illness and recovery. Presenters commit to making at least one presentation per month for one year after the two-day training.

Free; call 601-899-9058.

STAGE AND SCREEN “Hey, I Want to be Discovered!” Call for Auditions. ATL-NYC Productions in association with UnXpected Development, LLC, is in pre-production with the upcoming reality show, “Hey, I Want to be Discovered!” They are accepting online video submissions up to three minutes long. All kinds of talent welcome. Visit iwant2bdiscoveredonline.com.

“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” Auditions Jan. 3-4, at Black Rose Community Theatre (103 Black St., Brandon). Sessions start at 7 p.m.

Production dates are Feb. 16-19 and Feb. 23-26.

Call 601-825-1293.

MUSIC “The Spoken Word” Dec. 29, 7 p.m., at Divine Ministries (1417 W. Capitol St.), in the Multipurpose Center. The Teen and Young Adult Ministry hosts the event. Performers include Twiceborn, Katurah “Da Voice” Hughes and Triple Threat.

Open-mic event; refreshments sold. Free; call 601-966-2040.

Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. Categories include country, bluegrass, gospel/inspirational and general. Contestants must not derive more than 50 percent of total income from songwriting or music publishing. The submission deadline is Feb. 18.

12 finalists compete at MerleFest April 26-29. Net proceeds support the Wilkes Community College Chris Austin Memorial Scholarship. $30 entry fee; call 800-799-3838.

Live Jazz and Blues Night, at Old School 101 (2460 Terry Road). Enjoy music from local performers, open-mic poetry and door prizes Tuesdays from 7-10 p.m. Call 601-919-7111 or 601-331-8496.

Mississippi Happening. Guaqueta Productions presents a mix of videos, photos, podcasts and interviews that highlight Mississippi’s music scene.

Visit mississippihappening.com.

BE THE CHANGE Food for Thought through Dec. 31, at Old Capitol Museum (100 S. State St.). Donate books and nonperishable foods. Call 601-576-6920.

CARA Recycling Program, at Community Animal Rescue and Adoption (960 N. Flag Chapel Road).

Mississippi’s largest no-kill animal shelter, is earning cash for operating expenses by participating in the FundingFactory Recycling Program. They are collecting empty laser or toner cartridges and used cellphones from the community and sending the waste products to FundingFactory for cash. Donations welcome; email sadiecat17@comcast.net.

LITERARY AND SIGNINGS Weekly Storytime, at Pearl Public Library (2416 Old Brandon Road, Pearl). Each Tuesday, Baby Bookworms Storytime for children ages birth-36 months is at 9:30 a.m., and Preschool Storytime for children ages 3-6 is at 10:30 a.m.

The event includes stories, rhymes and music. A puppet show is given on the last Tuesday of the month. Free; call 601-932-2562.

Southern Writers Group Meeting, at G. Chastaine Flynt Memorial Library (103 Winners Circle, Flowood). Writers and aspiring writers meet on fourth Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. to share and discuss writing and publishing. Free; call 601-919-1911.

Weekly Storytime, at Campbell’s Bakery (3013 N. State St.). Children and teens are welcome to listen to a story Wednesdays from 2-3 p.m. Volunteers and book donations welcome. Free; call 601-362-4628.

CREATIVE CLASSES Line Dance Classes, at VFW Post 9832 (4610 Sunray Drive). Learn the Electric Slide, the Wobble, the Chinese Checker and other popular dances. Classes are on Thursdays at 7 p.m. Free; call 601-362-1646.

Weekly Creative Group Meetings, at Java Ink (420 Roberts St., Pearl). The Java Ink Jotters writers group and the Sketchers drawing group meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays. No joining fee; all ages and skill levels welcome. Free; call 601-397-6292.

Jazz and Modern Dance Classes, at Arts Center of Mississippi (201 E. Pascagoula St.). Jazz dance classes are for youth ages 6-18 and are from 6-6:45 p.m.

Mondays. Modern dance classes are from 7-7:45 p.m. Mondays. $45 registration, monthly fee of $55 for one class, $95 for both; call 601-238-3303.

Classes at Viking Cooking School (Township at Colony Park, 1107 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland). Call 601-898-8345.

• New Year’s Celebration Dec. 28, 6 p.m. Topics include learning to flambé, cooking beef and testing for doneness, making a creamy cheese sauce, working with lobster, grilling asparagus and making herb biscuits. For ages 16 and up. Additional classes taught nightly through Dec. 31. $119.

• Chicago Steakhouse Jan. 3, 6 p.m. Topics include making sauces, sautéing vegetables, making a vinaigrette and working with avocados and scallops. $109.

EXHIBITS AND OPENINGS Exhibits at Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St.). Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. $3-$5, children under 5 and members free; call 601-960-1515.

• Mississippi Watercolor Society Grand National Watercolor Exhibition through Jan. 1, in the public corridor. Free • Bethlehem Tree: Younger Foundation Creche Collection through Jan. 8, in Trustmark Grand Hall. See Jewell Younger Graeber’s collection of more than 150 18th-century nativity figures. Free.

• “Skating: An Artist’s Book” Exhibition through Feb. 5. See Jane Kent’s 11 prints used in Mississippi author Richard Ford’s book.

Admission to the Mississippi Invitational and Rembrandt exhibits included.

• Mississippi Invitational through Feb. 5. The Donna and Jim Barksdale Galleries for Changing Exhibitions presents works from Mississippi artists in various mediums.

Playful Patchwork Traveling Exhibit through Dec. 31, at Mississippi Children’s Museum (2145 Highland Drive). See Muriel Feldshuh’s quilts in celebration of literacy and children’s books. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1-6 p.m. Sunday. $8, children under 12 months and members free; call 601-981-5469 or 877-793-5437.

The Nautilus Project through Jan. 5. This project is an invitation to visual artists and writers to create new work inspired by the music from the upcoming CD “Nautilus” by Laurel Isbister Irby. The deadline for submissions is Jan. 5.

Submission will be shared at the CD release party at 6 p.m. Jan. 21 at The Commons (719 N. Congress St.). Call 601-918-0474.

FROGS! Beyond Green through Jan. 9, at Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (2148 Riverside Drive). See 25 species of exotic frogs and toads.

Hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturdays and 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sundays. $6, $5 seniors, $4 children ages 3-18, members and babies free; call 601-354-7303.

“Legacy of Timbuktu: Wonders of the Written Word,” at International Museum of Muslim Culture (201 E. Pascagoula St.). See rare African artifacts. The companion exhibit “Islamic Moorish Spain: Its Legacy to Europe and the West” is in the museum gallery. Free; call 601-960-0440.

Art at the Healthplex, at Baptist Healthplex, Clinton (102 Clinton Parkway, Clinton). See artwork by artist-in-residence Jeanette “JNet” Jarmon, Vicksburg native Lenore Barkley and Monticello resident Wanda Wright. Prints, T-shirts and original artwork on sale. Hours are 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 1-6 p.m. Sunday. Free; call 601-906-3458.

“Alsace to America,” at Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience (3863 Morrison Road, Utica).

Jews immigrated to Mississippi from Alsace and Lorraine throughout the 19th century. This exhibit reflects the life and times of these pioneers, why they left France and Germany, and how they became an integral part of the historical fabric of their chosen communities in America. Please call between 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. to schedule a tour. $5, $4 students and groups of 15 or more; call 601-362-6357.

December Art Show through Dec. 31, at Brown’s Fine Art (630 Fondren Place). See small works from all of the gallery’s exhibitors. Hours are 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Saturdays. Free; call 601-982-4844.

LEGO Jackson Exhibit through Jan. 15, at Arts Center of Mississippi (201 E. Pascagoula St.). Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and noon-5 p.m. Sundays through Jan. 15.

Free; call 601-960-1557.

Check jfpevents.com for updates and more listings. To add an event, email all details (phone number, start and end date, and time, street address, cost, URL, etc.) to events@jacksonfreepress.com or fax to 601510-9019. The deadline is noon the Thursday prior to the week of publication. Or add the event online yourself; check out jfpevents.com for instructions.

jacksonfreepress.com

JFP-SPONSORED EVENTS

37

DIVERSIONS|music

M

arlan “ML” Williams came close to a Grammy nomination this year. The R&B artist, who goes

by ML “The Truth,” had two songs make the last round of voting Nov. 30 to choose a list of nominees, but neither song found a place on the ballot.

“The great individuals that made it were major artists,” he said. ML plans to attend the February awards show to support other artists and to make new connections.

ML grew up in west Jackson, and while attending Blackburn Middle School, he sang with the school’s quartet. He credits this experience to his musical ear. A graduate of Jim Hill High School, he later earned his bachelor’s degree in music and graphic design from Jackson State University.

“I’ve never had any formal (voice) training. Everything I pretty much pick up and teach myself,” ML says. “My range is still pretty high, from my low notes to falsetto, which is a blessing.”

He says groups such as Take 6 and Boyz II Men have been the biggest influences on his music. “The real R&B groups were my main focus. I wanted to be like those guys who could actually sing together and last,” he says.

In his own music, he sings about his experiences with relationships and love. “What people don’t realize is that most women just want you to listen. That’s why I have such a huge female fan base,” ML says.

His first single, “I Will,” hit the radio in 2003. He says he believes in longevity instead of living for the moment, making his music relevant now and in the future.

“It can always be put on as a classic. It can still be brand new and fresh to someone hearing it for the first time,” he says.

ML entered and won the “Here I Am Talent Search

The Key of G

by Garrad Lee

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

38

by Briana Robinson

Jackson native ML “The Truth” had two of his songs progress to the last round of voting for the list of nominees on the Grammy ballot.

with Monica” last year. The website OurStage.com featured the competition to give undiscovered artists a chance to get recognition. His single, “First Time,” quickly rose to the top of the competition. As the winner, he had the opportunity to perform with Monica in Atlanta’s Philips Arena.

ML says he stays busy, not just with performances, but he also produces music for other artists as well as working

as a songwriter and engineer. In 2006, he started a production company, 100 Drums Productions in Jackson.

“I’ve gotten a major response from people here from day one. That was the main reason why I didn’t want to leave,” ML says. “I want to make (music) for my city, to shine some real light on Mississippi and expose the hidden talent that’s here.”

Keeping it Fresh

o-Phonic (2906 N. State St., 601-981-FLIP) has a coveted Nike SB account. Several stores stay stocked on the newest sneaker releases, as well as the more popular hip-hop apparel lines. However, we do not have a store that offers specialty and classic sneakers plus the more obscure clothing lines.

DeMarcus Donquez Price is hoping to change all of that early in 2012 when he opens Cortez Kicks and Cuts in Clinton.

“I want to bring something to Mississippi that we have never had before,” he says.

Price, 28, will offer apparel lines from sneaker boutique favorites like The Hundreds, Neff and 10 Deep, as well as new releases and retros from Jordan, Nike, Reebok, Asics, Adidas, and many more.

The store will be a sneaker head’s dream. Personally, I had a hard time not breaking open a display case to jack an original pair of Andre Agassi Nike Air Tech Challenge II’s and a pristine pair of the De La Soul Nike SB Dunk High Pros.

This store is going to wreak havoc on my budget.

The retail game is nothing new to Price. He devoted most of his working

life to managing hat and sneaker stores.

To fund his new venture, Price, who is originally from Jackson but spent most of his life in Clinton, didn’t go to a bank.

COURTESY CORTEZ KICKS

H

ip-hop and fashion have always been linked. Back when hip-hop was just developing, before it had a name even, the earliest practitioners of the emerging culture were already marking themselves as part of the movement by appropriating clothing styles and making them their own. What DJs did with their parents’ turntables was the same thing that hip-hoppers did with Kangols and lace-less Adidas Superstars: create something unique out of what was already around.

Nowadays, hip-hop fashion is another beast altogether. Hip-hop apparel is a multi-billion-dollar industry populated with hip-hop specific brands like LRG, Rocawear and Sean John. Folks like me spend hundreds of dollars a year on Nikes and Jordans to keep our feet looking and feeling fresh.

From its inception, hip-hop has been and remains a brand-driven movement, especially on the fashion front. In the Jackson area, we have a handful of options when it comes to getting fresh gear. Swell-

ML “THE TRUTH”

Making Music Relevant

Cortez Kicks and Cuts created a custom shirt to go with the Jordan III Retros.

Instead, he went to his closet, selling off some of his “800 or 900” pairs of shoes, bringing the collection down to about 200 pairs, to finance the opening of the shop.

“The whole thing is literally built on sneakers,” he says.

What will set Cortez apart even further from the competition is Price’s vision of the store being an epicenter of not

only sneaker and fashion culture, but also of hip-hop culture. “We want to merge the cultures at a local level and produce something tangible for the whole state,” he says.

Price will do that by holding clinics for aspiring sneaker collectors and DJs, and hosting release parties and signing events for local hip-hop artists. Jackson’s DJ Young Venom will spin records at the shop on the weekends and is finishing a mixtape featuring new tracks from local hip-hop favorites like Coke Bumaye, Skipp Coon and 5th Child to help promote Price’s shop.

The Jackson area has not had a true boutique shop that reflects the sneaker culture in the city, nor a center where music, fashion and culture intersect. “I just think it’s important for us to put our stamp on the state,” Price says.

And on my wallet.

Cortez Kicks and Cuts will open in January 2012 at 400 Cynthia St. in Clinton. In addition to being a fashion boutique, Cortez will also house a full-service barbershop and salon. Visit facebook.com/CortezkicksandCuts for information.

livemusic

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39

presents

Happy

New Year!

NOW OPEN ON TUESDAYS Wedneday, December 28th

AMAZIN’ LAZY BOI BAND (Blues) 8-11, No Cover

Thursday, December 29th

LUCKY HAND BLUES BAND (Blues) 8-11, No Cover

Friday, December 30th

WEDNESDAY 12/28 Natalie Long & Clinton (DR) Barry Leach (DR) Jimbo Mathus (Red Room) $10

NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH THE FEARLESS FOUR

SATURDAY 12/31 CLOSED: PRIVATE PARTY THE KRYSTAL BALL

Tuesday, January 3rd

JESSE ROBINSON

TUESDAY 01/03 PUB QUIZ w/ Laura (restaurant)

Wednesday,January 4th

Blue Plate Lunch with cornbread and tea or coffee

BEN PAYTON

(Blues) 8-11, No Cover

Thursday, January 5th

$8

25

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

As well as the usual favorites!

Seafood Gumbo, Reb Beans and Rice, Burgers, Fried Pickles, Onion Rings and Homemade Soups made daily.

40

$4.00 Happy Hour Well Drinks! visit HalandMals.com for a full menu and concert schedule

601.948.0888

200 S. Commerce St. Downtown Jackson, Mississippi

1428 Old Square Road in Jackson • 601.713.2700 • lastcallsportsgrill.com

DOORS OPEN AT 8PM CALL FOR RESERVATIONS

(Blues) 6-10, No Cover

Monday-Thursday

Party Favors at Entrance & FreeChampagne at Midnight

(Blues) 9-1, $10 Cover

Saturday, December 31st

Restaurant Open As Usual

New Year’s Eve Bash $10 Cover Charge

GRADY CHAMPION

THURSDAY 12/29

FRIDAY 12/30

Mississippi’s Best All-Female Band

Last Call would like to remind all of our patrons to be safe this New Year’s Eve. We will have cab service available, so please ask one of our staff and we’ll make sure you get home safely.

We will be closed January 1st & 2nd.

THIS WEEK

Chic Bang Theory

NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY!

Entertainment by New Havin & Hillbilly Deluxe

CUCHO & AMIGOS

(Latin Jazz) 8-11, No Cover

Friday, January 6th

DAVIS ROGAN

(NOLA Bounce/Funk) 9-1, $10 Cover

Saturday, January 7th

JASON MARSALIS (Jazz) 9-1, $10 Cover

119 S. President Street 601.352.2322 www.Underground119.com

$15 Advance | $20 at Door | Free Food & Champagne!

Thursday, December 29th LADIES NIGHT Friday, December 30th ROWDY SOUTH Saturday, December 31st NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY Sunday, January 1st 9 BALL TOURNAMENT 2636 S. GALLATIN JACKSON | 601-961-4747 | WWW.MYSPACE.COM/POPSSALOON

Mediterranean Fish & Grill presents

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Served with cronbread, or a roll, and tea Add $.40 for To-Go Orders

Evelle

Live | New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve

Monday

Open Mic Night Every Thursday â&#x20AC;˘ 8:30pm with Kenny Davis

Free

Plate Lunches--$7.98 Hamburger Steak w/ Rice and Gravy Purple Hull Peas & Cabbage Chicken & Dumplings w/ Salad

Tuesday

6550 Old Canton Rd, Ridgeland, Ms medfishgrill.com â&#x20AC;˘ 601--956-0082

Beef Tips or Meatloaf Rice & Gravy or Mashed Potatoes Fried Okra & Lima Beans

Wednesday

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Fried, BBQ, or Baked Chicken or Beef w/ Liver & Onions Mashed Potatoes, Turnip Greens, & Black-Eyed Peas

ARcej deRced Re )+$!a^

Thursday

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Roast Beef Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, & Salad

Friday

Country Fried Steak Rice & Gravy, Field Peas w/ Snaps $ Corn

601.978.1839

6270 Old Canton Rd. Jackson, MS 39211 www.timeoutcafe.com

Free champagne at midnight â&#x20AC;˘ Dinner: 5-10 Tuesday-Saturday â&#x20AC;˘ Thursday Night: Ladies Night & Karaoke in The Jazz Bar â&#x20AC;˘ $5 Fridays: Dance All Night â&#x20AC;˘ Happy Hour in The Jazz Bar Tuesday - Friday 4-7pm 2 -4 -1 Wells, Calls, & Domestics, PLUS $5 appetizers

-Voted 2011 Best Of Jackson-

If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re interested in booking a Christmas Party for your company, please call

Good Showing: Red Beans & Rice

601-487-8710

601-362-6388

824 S. State St. Jackson, MS www.clubmagoos.com

*SRHVIR +YMXEVW MW RS[ EGGITXMRK WXYHIRXW JSV

New Blue Plate Special

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1 Meat, 3 Veggies, Bread and Drink

1st: Best Hangover Food 3rd: Best Plate Lunch

1410 Old Square Road â&#x20AC;˘ Jackson

BEST SPOT AROUND

TO WATCH FOOTBALL!

WED. DEC 28 LADIES NIGHT & KARAOKE MILITARY BOWL 7PM HOLIDAY BOWL 8PM

THURS. DEC 29

BUD LIGHT NIGHT! $2 LONGNECKS & PINTS

CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL 4:30 PM ALAMO BOWL 8PM

FRI. DEC 30 $5 SHOTS! BOWL GAMES ALL DAY SUN. JAN 01

NEW YEARS EVE PARTY!!

DJ K ALAN KIRBY FREE SWAG AND ALL KINDS OF DRINK SPECIALS BOWL GAMES ALL DAY

NFL SUNDAY TICKET

MON. JAN 02 IN-DA-BIZ NITE 2-FOR-1 SPECIAL NEWYEARS DAY BOWL GAMES ALL DAY LONG

TUES. JAN 03

SUGAR BOWL 7:30

BOWL GAME CENTRAL ALWAYS BUCKET SPECIALS DURING GAMES

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sat | dec 31 New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve Party Jesse â&#x20AC;&#x153;Guitarâ&#x20AC;&#x153; Smith Blues Trio Open to 1am Drink Specials All Night

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live music 12. 28.11 - 01.03.12 wed | dec 28 Jessie â&#x20AC;&#x153;Guitarâ&#x20AC;&#x153; Smith 5:30-9:30p

SJJ LSYVP] PERI VIRXEP

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mon | jan 02 Karaoke

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tue | jan 03 Jesse â&#x20AC;&#x153;Guitarâ&#x20AC;? Smith 5:30-9:30p

607 Fondren Place | Jackson, MS www.fondrenguitars.com | 601.362.0313

1060 E County Line Rd. in Ridgeland Open Sun-Thurs 11am-10pm Fri-Sat 11am-Midnight | 601-899-0038

jacksonfreepress.com

WE HAVE 20 FLATSCREENS!

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Congratulations to Our Staff Award Winners December 7 - January 11

Falcon Award

[Chosen by the Publisher and Editor-In-Chief]

[Chosen by the Jackson Free Press Staff]

Marissa Lucas

Valerie Wells

Sales Assistant

Assistant Editor

jacksonfreepress.com

Kick Ass Award

43

dining

OLIVE CHEESE PUFFS

by Jane Flood

ARTIZONE

Cocktail Parties Made Easy

CAJUN SHRIMP

2 cups grated cheddar cheese 1/2 cup softened margarine 1 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon salt (this can be halved if olives are especially salty) 1 teaspoon paprika 48 pimento-stuffed green olives, drained

3 quarts water 1 large lemon, sliced 4 pounds large fresh shrimp, unpeeled

Blend cheese with margarine and stir in flour, salt and paprika.

Mix well.

Pat olives dry with paper towel.

Wrap about a teaspoon of mixture around each olive and roll into a ball.

Arrange on a cookie sheet and freeze until firm, or about an hour or two.

Take straight from the freezer and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

RASPBERRY BRIE EN CROUTE

Serve vintage wine and cheese with a variety of sweets and nuts for a savory cocktail party.

T

he effort involved in planning a cocktail party is can be daunting. For a small, intimateâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and even middleof-the weekâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;cocktail party for friends and family, consider a simple but impressive wine and cheese gathering.

To cut costs, ask your guests to bring a bottle of their favorite vintage. Perhaps they have a favorite winery or a region.

For the cheese selection, choose carefully from these four different cheese categories: aged, soft, firm and blue. â&#x20AC;˘ A lovely aged cheese is a goat Gouda or Comte. â&#x20AC;˘ Good soft cheeses would be a Camembert, brie or a soft goat. â&#x20AC;˘ Firm cheeses like small squares of Asiago or a small wheel of Manchego topped with honey and toasted walnuts are always popular at wine tastings. â&#x20AC;˘ Finally, a hearty blue cheese, like Valdeon, rounds out the taste spectrum.

Provide an assortment of crackers, bread sticks and baskets of warm, sliced bread. Take care to label each cheese carefully. Including healthy sweets such as dates stuffed with toasted almonds, and savories

like nuts and olives are nice additions. Everyone gets a choice.

A more elaborate party requires a little more forethought and planning. Luckily, you can make a lot of cocktail treats ahead of time so that you can enjoy the party as much as the guests. When planning the menu, consider a variety of choices.

The first consideration is, of course, the cocktails. Beyond stocking the favorite wines, beers and liquors your group favors, add a featured drink. Mixing and chilling the drink in advance is a brilliant time-saver.

When time comes to serve it, shake the drink over ice and serve into glasses that you have chilled ahead of time.

The appetizer menu is another consideration. It is always good to include cheesebased treats, a few containing seafood or meat, and a vegetarian option or two.

Include a platter of raw vegetable cruditĂŠs along with a vegetarian dip such as hummus or baba ghanouj (an eggplant puree) as a healthy choice.

Here are a few of my familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite recipes. They are easy, beautiful and each packs a tasty bite.

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

44

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Bring water and lemon to a boil. Add shrimp and cook three to five minutes, until pink. Drain well and rinse with cold water.

Chill. Peel and devein shrimp. Place shrimp in large, heavy-duty zip top bag and add marinade. Chill overnight. Serve chilled.

Because of the marinade, there is no need to serve with a sauce.

OYSTER ARTICHOKE DIP

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place pastry sheet on a lightly greased baking pan. Place brie in center of pastry, spread with preserves and sprinkle with almonds. Wrap brie in pastry sheet, trimming excess.

Seal seams by moistening edges with water and pressing together with fingers. Bake 30 to 40 minutes.

VIDALIA ONION DIP WITH CRAB 2 cups Vidalia onion, chopped 2 cups Swiss cheese, grated 1 cup mayonnaise (regular or low-fat) 1 cup sour cream (regular or low-fat) 1 can white lump crab meat, drained

Mix all ingredients and put in casserole. Bake 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle paprika on top. If there is oil on top, blot with paper towel before adding paprika.

Serve with wheat crackers. Grapes on the side are a nice compliment.

2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup flour 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup chopped celery 1/4 cup chopped green onions 1/2 cup heavy cream 2 cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 1 pint raw oysters, drained with their liquor reserved Dash of Tabasco Salt, to taste 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy saucepan or skillet at medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for one minute but do not brown. Add the garlic, celery and onions and cook, stirring for five minutes. Whisk in cream. Stir in the artichoke hearts and oyster liquor. Cook, stirring for two to three minutes. Add the oysters and cook just until the edges curl. Add remaining ingredients. Serve in a chafing dish to keep hot. Pita crisps go nicely with this for dipping.

You can make this dish the day before serving it, but do not add the oysters or the oyster liquor until you have reheated the mixture before the party.

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ELANAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PANTRY

Cooking 101: A Glossary

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed according to package directions 1 round (8 ounces) of brie cheese 1/4 cup raspberry preserves 1/4 to 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

For marinade, combine: 2 cups vegetable oil 1/4 cup hot sauce 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon olive oil 1-1/2 teaspoons salt 1-1/2 teaspoons seafood seasoning 1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano 1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme 1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley

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Julienne is a technique used to slice foods, such as carrots, thinly.

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5417 Lakeland Drive ~ Flowood, MS 39232

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The Copper Iris Catering Company Inc.

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Come Try the Best Bar-B-Que In Madison 856 Main Street â&#x20AC;˘ Madison, MS â&#x20AC;˘ 601.853.8538

jacksonfreepress.com

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Ball Gown: This one is for the princess at heart. These gowns normally have a fitted bodice and a large skirt normally made of tulle, taffeta or satin.

Sheath: This is a narrow-fitted gown that goes straight from top to bottom.

Most sheaths are simple, with minimal beading. They create a canvas for brides to add their own unique touches.

A-line: Normally, this style of dress has a fitted bodice and flows out creating an â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aâ&#x20AC;? shape. A-lines are made in most fabrics and accommodate all body shapes.

Fit and Flare: This gown is fitted to the hip, and then flares out. These gowns are available in all fabrics.

CHRIS BLAKELEY

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

46

Best Gowns: An A-line wedding dress with a dropped waist will show off your figure. Pair it with a sweetheart neckline to show off your chest. A mermaid or trumpet style will also show off your curves, making you even more curvaceous.

Full Figure You are more voluptuous than most. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got full breasts, a bit of tummy and round hips and butt.

Best Gowns: A ball gown with a dropped waist will hide quite a bit and with a corset back, you can cinch in unwanted pudge, creating an hourglass figure. An A-line gown will balance your proportions, flattering your shape and making you more comfortable.

Alternative Weddings

6

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Best Gowns: A strapless ball gown with a dropped waist will cover your bottom half and put the focus on your top half. An empire waist dress will hug the tiniest part of your body and disguise your lower half.

Apple-shaped Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re full-figured, average, short or tall, you tend to carry extra weight in your midsection.

Best Gowns: Wrap styles help create the illusion of a trimmer middle. A-line and empire styles smooth the middle. A bridal must: Ruching enhances all figures and gives a trimmer silhouette.

Athletic Figure You are thinner than most, normally with broad shoulders. This is also for the tomboys who wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be caught dead in a big poufy dress.

Best Gowns: A sheath or trumpet fit will add curves. Go for dresses with v-necks, halters, one-shoulder or cap sleeves. These soften the shoulders.

Short-waist You have an evenly proportioned body but there is a small distance from your ribs to your hips.

Best Gowns: A-line silhouettes will elongate your figure.

Petite Simply put, you are shorter than most.

Best Gowns: You can basically do all silhouettes. However, the best are sheaths and A-lines. It is best to stay far away from ballgowns, as they will make you look shorter.

by LaShanda Phillips

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COURTESY OF ALFRED ANGELO

Trumpet: Although the fit is similar to mermaid gowns, the trumpet fit contours down to the mid-thigh and then extends to the floor. Like the mermaid, the trumpet fit accentuates a womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s curves and can also have a slimming effect if paired with ruching.

You are well proportioned from top to bottom, with all your curves in all the right places.

COURTESY OF ALFRED ANGELO

Empire: The waistline of this gown is right below the bust. From there, the dress flows. They are normally in organza, tulle or chiffon.

Hourglass

Pear-shaped You are small on top and heavy on the bottom.

COURTESY OF ALFRED ANGELO

Mermaid: A very sexy cut that highlights a womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s curves, it is fitted from the chest to the knee and flares at the hem. Most mermaids have a dramatic skirt of ruffles, flowers or pick-ups (small gathers on the skirt).

COURTESY OF ALFRED ANGELO

by Pamela Hosey

ongratulations. You are getting married!

With all the excitement of planning your wedding over the months to come, one of the most important and exciting purchases is your wedding gown.

Most women have their â&#x20AC;&#x153;dream dressâ&#x20AC;? in mind. Of course, you should try on your dream dress, but also try on different silhouettes as well. Every bridal gown isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for every bride.

The key is to find the gown that flatters your figure. Not only will you be more comfortable on your wedding day, you will also look and feel more beautiful than you would have ever expected.

Below are descriptions of different body shapes and a guide to selecting the best bridal-gown silhouette for your shape.

COURTESY OF ALFRED ANGELO

C

Bridal Gown Silhouettes

Cupcake tiers are replacing the traditional layered cake for weddings.

by Pamela Hosey

COURTESY OF ALFRED ANGELO

The Perfect Fit

47

jacksonfreepress.com

We Make New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Resolutions Easy

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

Fresh Organic Local

48

Rainbow Natural Grocery 2807 Old Canton Road 601-366-1602 at Lakeland & Old Canton www.rainbowcoop.org

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by Julie Skipper

B!5!xffl!tfsjft!up!jouspevdf cfhjoofst!up!zphb/ JULIE SKIPPER

T

JULIE SKIPPER

his time of year is full of tradition and opportunities to celebrate. Some of my favorite annual holiday parties include my downtown friends, who have become like a family. I am constantly grateful for their love and friendship, but this year more than ever, spending time and celebrating with them has been important. And letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s be honest: I also like any chance to dress up, socialize and enjoy Downtowner Heath Patterson and friend of downtown some festive drinks. This sea- Elizabeth Frazier enjoyed the Downtown Neighborhood son has provided no shortage Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s holiday party. of such opportunities.

My neighbors and I often joke that living downtown is akin to living at when the man-friend suggested we attend, I a dorm for 30-somethings, so of course we eagerly agreed. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really think of a better have an annual Christmas party. This year, way to spend a Sunday afternoon than tastwe gathered with neighbors and friends of ing the different varieties smellier Mitchell downtown at Gallery 119 (119 S. President Earrey selected. Our favorite was the blanc de St., 601-969-4091) to enjoy food, drink and blanc. We stuck around for dinner, and Odiri each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s company. Everyone interpreted Dafeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a favorite serverâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;took great care of the holiday spirit in their attire in their own us. style. While I wore what are now known as Wrapping up the year among friends has my party pantsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re entirely sequinedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; been a whirlwind these past few weeks, and I from Red Square (1000 Highland Colony canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to ring in 2012 with them. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Parkway, 601-853-8960), some neighbors no shortage of parties to choose from to do got creative and made earrings out of orna- so, either. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theme of the invitationments or found tacky vintage Christmas ties only Krystal Ball at Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (200 Comat a second-hand store. merce St., 601-948-0888) is â&#x20AC;&#x153;All that glitters Ultimately, though, we all knew that it IS gold.â&#x20AC;? (Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be a hostess of the Krystal Ball.) was about the people, and as I cleaned up the Other New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve events include dinners at remnants the next day, I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Bravo! and Parlor Market (115 help but be incredibly thankful W. Capitol St., 601-360-0090). for everyone there and the place Also, the Fearless Four and a hot that I call home. breakfast are at Underground â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Tis the season, as they say, 119 (119 S. President St., so the next week, it was time for 601-352-2322). Other New yet another downtown holiday Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve celebrations include fete. My friends Matt Eichela special evening at the King berger, Ramel Cotton and PJ Edward Hotel (235 W. CapiLee recently formed a law firm, tol St., 601-353-5464). Jackson and they hosted a Christmas venues know how to do it up party on the balcony of the right. See more on page 26-28.

Electric 308 Building (308 E. And, of course, one of the Pearl St.). On an unseasonably biggest parties of the year is warm Wednesday night, friends coming after that, the Best of and colleagues gathered on the Jackson party, a time to start the balcony and in the corporate Tammy Cotton year off by celebrating all thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unit. With music by Ben Pay- rocked over-the-knee wonderful about this city I love. ton, food by Lah Di Dah Inc. boots with skinny Thank all of you for following and bartender Tom Zuga from pants and a tunic top along with me this year as Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve at the Cotton, Lee Hal & Malâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s behind the bar, we and Eichelberger shared my experiences at goings celebrated our friendsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; new en- Christmas party. on in the city. I hope that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve deavor and the season in style. shared some of this special placeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s In addition to Christmas energy and people in a way that parties, another recent tradition that toasts has spoken to you in some way or encouraged the season is Bravo! Italian Restaurant you to try a new place, a new look or a new and Barâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (4500 Interstate 55 N., 601-982- drinkâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and to appreciate all that Jackson has 8111) annual champagne tasting. Being a girl to offer. I know itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s certainly done that for me. pretty much dictates that I enjoy bubbly, so Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to more to celebrate in 2012!

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Save The Date ;d]RW 1d]RW 0UcTa 3PaZ

9P]dPah !#cW k % ?< Join us for Lunch Bunch After Dark, a community forum discussing how we can each be a part of the future of Jackson Public Schools. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a parent, student, teacher, school administrator, business owner, and/or community member, please plan to join us & bring your voice to this working conversation!

Co-Sponsored By:

Founding Chapter, Parents for Public Schools, 1989 200 N. Congress, Suite 500, Jackson, MS 39201 www.ppsjackson.org

jacksonfreepress.com

Drink a Cup of Kindness

49

Holiday Hands

by Meredith W. Sullivan

I

had a hard time getting in the holiday spirit this year, but that quickly changed once I got my spirit fingers. I recently made a visit to AQUA the Day Spa to let Keisha Alexander show me the hottest shades for the holidays, and let me tell you—sparkles get me every time. It was too hard to choose just one color so she showed me how to layer polishes, and she even painted me an accent nail. If you’re like me and need help getting in the mood or you just want a top-notch manicure, I say book an appointment with Keisha (or your favorite manicurist) pronto!

OPI Getting’ Miss Piggy With It, $8.50

Keis Alex ha Marie ande r

Essie Power Clutch, $8.50

OPI Wocka Wocka, $8.50

Essie A Cut Above, $8.50

Essie Eternal Optimist, $8.50

OPI Crown Me Already, $8.50

OPI Fresh Frog of Bel Air, $8.50

Cougar Ring, Posh Boutique, $25

OPI Alpine Snow, $8.50

OPI Black Onyx, $8.50

Where2Shop:

AQUA the Day Spa, 4455 Interstate 55 N., 601-362-9550 Posh Boutique, 4312 N. State St., 601-364-2244

December 28, 2011 - January 3, 2012

SHOPPING SPECIALS

50

Re-runs Consignment Shoppe (1645 W. Government Cove, Brandon, 601-824-3663) Re-runs’ after Christmas sale includes items at 50 percent to 75 percent off.

Turkoyz (Highland Village, 4500 Interstate 55 N., 601-366-3884) features a 50 percent off sale on select items starting Dec. 26. The sale lasts until all the items are gone, so hurry in.

Send sale info to fly@jacksonfreepress.com.

The Green Room (3026 N. State St., 601-981-9320) Starting Saturday, Dec. 31, take 10 percent off selected furniture, clothing and jewelry. Sale runs through January.

High Cotton (4500 Interstate 55 N., 601-982-3280) All fall and winter clothing is 40 percent off starting Dec. 26.

Smitten Boutique (207 W. Jackson St., Suite E, Ridgeland, 601-856-1655) “Like” Smitten Boutique’s Facebook page for details on the after Christmas winter sale.

Check out flyjfp.com for information about other sales around the city, trends and various things fly people should know.

Plato’s Closet in Ridgeland has tons of gently used brand name jeans, tees, tanks, hoodies and shoes to fill your closet at up 70% off regular retail.

Don’t forget - we pay $$$ on the spot for your gently used apparel and accessories - Check us out today!

1000’s of batteries for everything in the world…

This Holiday Season, Don’t Forget The Batteries!

10% OFF on any cell phone or camera battery

Expires 12/31/11

601.932.2250 4220 Lakeland Dr. Flowood, MS 39232

located at the intersection of Airport Rd. & Lakeland Dr. www.batteryworldonline.com

20% off all frames, excludes silhouette

Start The New Year Right, With Great Vision!

661 Duling Ave. Jackson, Ms 601.362.6675 Trish Hammons, Aboc www.customoptical.net

1260 East County Line Road Ridgeland, MS 39157 | 601.487.8207 platosclosetridgeland.com

Seeking Interns

?[YQ `TUZS_

M^Q `UYQXQ__

Learn the magazine business by helping write and produce the city’s business+lifestyle magazine. Free training workshops; school credit available. Set your own hours. Write:

398 Hwy. 51 • Ridgeland, MS (601) 853-3299 • www.villagebeads.com

son. com

57 Tabouli Tour 2011, p. , starts p 22 // Ramsey’s Of Doctors and Nurses Journey, p. 78 , p. 74 // A Furrows A Mentor and A Rapper

Dress to Impress ... at Hungry Chef Seeks Work, pp 71-76 // A Temple, Exotic Asian Bombed , pp 55-58 , p 16 // Parad e Madness , pp 79,

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Come check out our new inventory!

interns@jacksonfreepress.com FREE // FREE // summer Vol. 4, No. 1

Local Menu Guide, starts p 41

spring 2011

2011

INE SH Young Influentials

SHINE

Local Menu Guide, starts

THEIR OFF ICE CO OLER

Customize Your

Bridal Jewelry

82

Voted state’s best consignment/resale by Mississippi Magazine.

Ridgeland Location: 626 Ridgewood Road | 601.605.9393 Starkville Location: 832B Hwy 12 West | 662.324.2641 Like Us: Facebook:Repeat Street Metro Jackson | Twitter: @RepeatSt | www.repeatstreet.net

p 39

IS

Mississippi Bridal Show & Expo Presents Our 14th Annual Expo

A Touch of Class

For more information 601.988.1142 or 601.672.5595 www.msbridalshowandexpo.com

601-607-7741 • bfineartjewelry.com

215 West Jackson Street • Ridgeland, MS

One of the largest bridal show and expos in the state of Mississippi.This is the show you don’t want to miss!

Sponsors: River Oaks Healthcare, Dr. Freda Thompson OB/GYN, CMMC OB/GYN Associates (Dr. Samuel Brown OB/GYN), Carter Jewlers, Royal Prestige Fashion Shows By: David’s Bridal (featuring Jodi Models), Jaki’s Bridal & Formal Wear

jacksonfreepress.com

Sunday January 15, 2012 11am - 4pm Mississippi Trade Mart Jackson MS Admission: $20

51