Month: December 2001

Categories
Sports Sports Feature

2001 AXA Liberty Bowl

2001 AXA Liberty Bowl

Monday, December 31st, 3 p.m. The Liberty Bowl, Memphis

Featuring Mountain West champs BYU (12-1, #17 ESPN/USA Today, #19 AP) versus Conference USA champs Louisville (10-2, #22 ESPN/USA Today, #23 AP).

Look To the Skies

The passing game should reign supreme this year.

By Chris Przybyszewski

This year’s AXA Liberty Bowl looks to be the most prestigious yet. It features two ranked conference champions. Mountain West champs BYU (12-1, #19 AP) will face Conference USA champs Louisville (10-2, #23 AP) in a game that should be a high-scoring affair.

This is the first time the schools have met in football, but it’s Louisville’s third trip to the Liberty Bowl and BYU’s second trip. Both squads put together dominating seasons in their conferences, with BYU clamoring for a BCS berth toward season’s end. Louisville made its own noise as the most dangerous of any Conference USA team. Both teams faltered in their final regular season game, as BYU was crushed by Hawaii, 72-45, and Louisville was upset by TCU, 37-22.

Compounding BYU’s late-season woes was the loss of star running back Luke Staley, who broke bones in his leg during BYU’s win over Mississippi State. Staley ran nearly 200 times for over 1,500 yards and 24 touchdowns. His performance earned him All-American status and the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back. To make matters even worse for the Cougars, back-up running backs Ned Stearns and Paul Peterson both broke wrists in the loss to Hawaii. Though Stearns and Peterson will play against Louisville, both will wear rubberized casts and their effectiveness is in question.

As a result BYU will probably be forced to the air. That’s okay, because the Cougars also have one of the nation’s premier college quarterbacks in Brandon Doman. The senior completed 68 percent of his 408 pass attempts for 3,542 yards and 33 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. Doman also picked up over 400 yards rushing. He’ll be looking for his favorite receivers, Reno Mahe (91 receptions, 1,211 yards, nine touchdowns), and Doug Jolley (32 receptions, 492 yards, seven touchdowns), among many others.

For Louisville, the focus will fall squarely on junior quarterback Dave Ragone, who hit 60.3 percent of 383 pass attempts for 3,056 yards and 23 touchdowns, with only seven interceptions. His favorite receivers are Deion Branch (72 receptions, 1,188 yards, nine touchdowns), and Zek Parker (55 receptions, 757 yards, three touchdowns).

Neither team relies overmuch on its defense. Louisville’s rushing defense ranked 46th in the country; its passing defense ranked 41st. Louisville also ranked 19th in the nation in turnover margins and 10th in scoring defense. Defensively, BYU did not rank in the top half of any NCAA category.

According to Louisville head coach John Smith, the focus of his team’s preparation has been to somehow stop the BYU offense. “You look at their offense,” he says. “We have to get our guys to understand that they are going to get some plays.” That means not allowing his squad to be intimidated if BYU scores early and to keep pressuring Doman. However, Smith understands that this game will be about who scores most and will perhaps come down to which team scores last. “It should be fun for the fans,” he says. “It’s how you approach and practice. We are going to control the football; we are going to protect the football.”

A nice description of a conservative bowl game. But don’t count it. On New Year’s Eve these two teams are going to put on a passing spectacle. And if you miss a touchdown while going for a hot dog, don’t worry. There will be plenty of opportunities to see more.

Who to watch

· BYU QB Brandon Doman. Led the Mountain West in passing yards (3,542), TD passes (33), and QB rating (159.7).

· Louisville QB Dave Ragone led Conference USA in passing yards (3,056), TD passes (23), and QB rating (143.5).

Tickets: Box Seats ($45), Sideline Seats ($35), Endzone Seats ($25). Multiple ticket packets available. Call (901) 274-4600 for more information.

FAST FACTS

· Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is named after the Liberty Bowl College Football Classic which moved to Memphis in 1965.

· This year’s game will be the 43rd Liberty Bowl.

· The game will be played on December 31, 2001 at 3 p.m.

· The first Liberty Bowl was played on Saturday, December 19, 1959, in Philadelphia.

· Paul “Bear” Bryant coached his first bowl game at the Liberty Bowl in 1959 against Penn State.

· Bear Bryant coached his final game in the 1982 Liberty Bowl, leading the Crimson Tide to victory over Illinois 21-15. He died on January 26, 1983.

· The Liberty Bowl has been host to four Heisman Trophy winners: Ernie Davis, Terry Baker, Doug Flutie, and Bo Jackson.

· The Liberty Bowl has also been host to numerous coaching legends: Bear Bryant, Joe Paterno, Johnny Majors, Tom Osborne, Lou Holtz, and Lavell Edwards.

Categories
News News Feature

HOW IT LOOKS

Categories
Letters To The Editor Opinion

Postscript

Love Is All Around

To the Editor:

I love the Flyer. I love the thoughtful music reviews, the regular updates, and the ideas about what to do in Memphis. I will even read your sometimes conservative take on the local scene with some interest.

The highlight of your paper, though, is the fact that you have the guts to print a dissenting opinion like that of Tom Tomorrow’s This Modern World. If you let the conservative, Bible-thumping, flag-waving “love it or leave it” patriots who compose 90 percent of the metro population have their way and remove TMW from your pages then you may sound the death knell for your journalistic integrity (Letters, December 20th issue). Such an action will prove that you have sold out to the “boorish whining” of an already oppressive mindset.

Benji Borden, Memphis

Cram-Down?

To the Editor:

John Branston’s article (City Beat, December 20th issue) on the future NBA arena being a “cram-down” by a small group of power people and political backers is true! He goes on to write about the NMAPBA sending nine fans and assorted media to Indianapolis to check out the Pacers’ new luxury arena. What he failed to tell us is that the same people paying for the Grizzlies arena are also footing the bill for this wonderful Christmas excursion. That’s right — Memphis taxpayers. And evidently all the taxpayers approve of it — except me!

Everyone should read the December 17th Sports Illustrated to get Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura’s opinion on publicly funded sports facilities.

Joe Mercer, Memphis

What About Justice?

To the Editor:

In an editorial in the December 13th issue titled “Worth a Try,” you wrote: “As is the case with community policing, the custodians of law and order will inhabit the same universe as that of their charges.”

Anyone with common sense knows that “law and order” applies to all segments of society and is a must for survival. But what about justice? I am surprised there was no mention of justice. Without justice there can be no law and no order. To leave out justice is to make a mockery of law and order and all they stand for.

Arthur Prince, Memphis

He’s Got a Beef

To the Editor:

I can’t believe people still eat meat!

Two weeks ago a U.S. Court of Appeals blocked the USDA’s ability to shut down a major ground-beef supplier for the school lunch program for repeated violations of the salmonella standard. The company was supported by the National Meat Association, which claimed that “salmonella is not dangerous if the meat is cooked properly.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, salmonella sickens 2 million to 4 million Americans annually and kills up to a thousand.

Last week the Justice Department indicted Tyson Foods, the nation’s largest chicken processor, for smuggling 2,000 undocumented workers to work in the company’s plants. Just how hard would it be for an al Queda operative to join that crowd and drop some anthrax spores into the food? But why worry about al Queda when we have our own meat industry to contend with.

Mitch Fox. Memphis

EDITOR’S NOTE BRUCE VANWYNGARDEN

Next week the Flyer will publish its third Annual Manual issue, a definitive guide to city services, arts, education, government, media, and entertainment. The Annual Manual will appear in lieu of a regular Flyer issue. The regular Flyer will return January 10, 2002.

The Memphis Flyer encourages reader response. Send mail to: Letters to the Editor, POB 1738, Memphis, TN 38101. Or call Back Talk at 575-9405. Or send us e-mail at letters@memphisflyer.com. All responses must include name, address, and daytime phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.

Categories
Opinion Viewpoint

Watching the Gold

The first order of business was to “de-jewel” Rufus. The world’s oldest living teenager loved his gold jewelry. In the winter of 1998, while conducting a casting call for a short film that I was directing, a local casting agent introduced me to Rufus Thomas. At the time, I was not familiar with the legendary blues and soul singer, but my husband, born and raised in Memphis, assured me that he was perfect for the project.

The film, called Breakfast with Arty, was a sweet story about an elderly sharecropper who befriends a young, fatherless boy in 1970s rural Tennessee. I met with Rufus at a local café and was instantly convinced I had met my Arty.

Each day, our production manager, Cher Payne, made sure Mr. Thomas was on the set on time, had his breakfast, and was in the proper wardrobe. She then would begin the process of removing a series of gold rings, bracelets, a gold necklace, and one gold watch, with a stern warning from Rufus “not to lose my gold.”

Rufus’ wardrobe consisted of old, worn-out dungarees, work boots, and a frayed farm coat. His jewelry simply didn’t fit the character he was portraying, so all day someone had to “watch over the gold.”

At 82, Rufus had a hard time remembering his lines. He played the title role and consequently had the most lines to memorize. We helped him out by writing his lines on cue cards, which we held off-camera for him to read. He was comfortable with the cards, but on nearly every take he ad-libbed something. A word here, a phrase there. While filming a pivotal scene where Arty sees a vision of the young boy’s deceased father, Rufus once again improvised his lines. This time, it was an unrehearsed version of the classic hymn “Amazing Grace.” We were shooting on the outskirts of Collierville at an old, abandoned shack.

The song was not in the script, but Rufus felt that the one thing missing from our story was music. So he sat on the steps of that old shack and sang the most beautiful rendition of “Amazing Grace” I’ve ever heard. I didn’t have to tell the cameraman to keep rolling or the sound guy to keep recording. The crew was small, but he got a standing ovation. Needless to say, the song made the final cut.

After I learned of his passing, I got out a scrapbook of the shoot and flipped through some photos. In one shot taken on the last day, I am sitting on one side of Rufus and his 8-year-old co-star sits on the other. Rufus is clutching my hand and holding it to his heart. I don’t know how he got it past us, but the evidence is shining bright in the photo.

He’s wearing his favorite gold ring.

I only knew him for a few short weeks.

I will remember him forever.

Donita Dooley is a writer and filmmaker based in New York City.

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

True North

In northern Italy, rice and polenta are staples of the regional cuisine, whereas in the south, pasta is more common. In the north, it’s butter versus the south’s olive oil. Likewise, cream sauces are more prevalent in the north due to the abundance of dairy farms. And in the heart of northern Italy lies the Emilia-Romagna region, known for such delights as Parma’s Parmesan cheese and prosciutto ham.

Marena’s, located in the Evergreen District, specializes in northern Italian cuisine, particularly that of Emilia-Romagna.

Earlier this year, Rena and Jack Franklin, longtime owners of Marena’s, sold the restaurant to former Dux chef Mortez Gerani. The restaurant is now called Marena’s Gerani, though little else has changed. The vibrantly painted dining rooms are as inviting as ever, the wait staff is familiar (what a relief), and the guitar player still quietly performs in the corner. Gone is the host, while in is the complementary Italian sparkling wine.

For starters we selected the castellara and the caprese. The castellara was a lightly breaded and seasoned crab-and-shrimp cake that was fat with juicy seafood and served with a salsa verde of diced cucumber, tomato, and green onions topped with shredded, golden-fried leeks. The caprese featured soft buffalo mozzarella cheese and sliced tomatoes with fresh basil circling a bed of baby greens and drizzled with a blend of olive oil and balsamic vinegar delicious.

For soup, we tried the cioppino, a traditional assorted-seafood soup with angel hair pasta, basil, and a light tomato broth, and the chef’s special for the evening, an Italian vegetable soup with broccoli and cauliflower florets, onion, beans, and mushrooms that mingled well in a brown broth. Both soups were rich and flavorful.

The insalata del contadino e tonno was a large bed of mixed baby greens and spinach leaves with a dressing of herbs and balsamic vinegar topped with succulent, lightly grilled tuna strips. The insalata del giorno was a blend of baby greens, radicchio, and thinly sliced prosciutto placed next to a mixture of tomato, green onions, and chopped boiled egg. A balsamic vinaigrette drizzled over the greens made this irresistible.

For the entrées, one of my dining companions chose the tasty fruitti misto di mare, a large bowl of sautéed jumbo shrimp, scallops, and mushrooms tossed with angel hair pasta in a white wine sauce with a hint of lemon. The fileto de bue demonstrated perfect preparation. The two beef tenderloin filets were prepared to order and served with jumbo roasted potato wedges and a bed of wilted spinach, Parmesan cheese, and a green peppercorn sauce. The fileto de bue’s presentation was a creative twist on meat and potatoes and made it the entrée of the evening.

The scallopini di vitello piccatta showed the chef’s respect for the delicacy of veal scallopini’s flavor and texture. Two lightly sautéed veal scallops in a subtle lemon sauce made great companions for broccoli florets and polenta dressed with leeks. The entrée del giorno was grilled mahi mahi and shrimp dish with polenta and leeks. Unfortunately, this entrée lacked the luster of the others, and the portion was rather small.

For dessert, we ordered the mele con croccante, an apple-crumb-like dish with frozen vanilla custard. This dessert was huge, and we did our best to finish it. We also ordered the dolce al cucchiaio di nicciola (aka hazelnut cream), which was light, fluffy, and drizzled with chocolate sauce. My favorite — the tartufo, a classic Italian chocolate truffle with a dreamy zabaglione cream center covered by a gianduia cream and dusted with cocoa powder. It was a chocoholic’s dream come true.

Marena’s Gerani is located at 1545 Overton Park Avenue. Reservations are requested, 278-9774. Appetizers: $9.95-$13.50; salads and soups: $6.50-$12.50; and entrées: $17.95-$23.95.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

thursday, 27

Well, I guess since this is the last time I’ll be writing this in 2001, some sort of year in review/wrap-up kind of thing is in order. the only problem with that is that I can’t remember anything that happened this year. Part of that is senility, part is not wanting to remember anything, and part is that right now I have a fever that is rendering me unable to remember my own phone number without a lot of concentration.

So delirious was I last night that I was thrilled to see a news bite which reported that expensive clothing stores were so hard up for business that they were hanging out “Winona Ryder is Welcome Here” signs,only to finally figure out that I was actually watching Jay Leno. Fortunately, at one point I couldn’t even remember my own age. So as for looking back and remembering an entire year,it ain’t happening. Sure, I remember the events of September 11th and all of the things that ensued, but I will leave that to the thousands of other newspaper columnists who will likely have much more to go on and on about regarding that topic. Although I doubt any of them will point out that we have basically ravaged a country where all of the men wear dresses.

It seems that my favorite person in Hollywood, Robert Downey Jr., got into some trouble but made some kind of comeback and then got in trouble again and then made some sort of comeback. Jennifer Lopez probably did something, but I still don’t know who she is or what she does. Ditto for Penelope Cruz, the Spice Girls (probably the Old Spice Girls), and Harry Potter. My cat stared at me a lot. There was some kind of presidential election that somehow put in office a man with very big ears who didn’t really win the majority of the votes, and now we have an Alfred E. Newman look-alike running the country. Although, giuven the anthrax scare, it may be good that he at least has plenty of experience with white powder.

Tamara Mitchell-Ford, wife of state Senator John Ford, was not hired to handle public relations for MADD or the Jaguar company.) I was in Jackson, Tennessee, not long ago and saw a very decorated gift-shop window with lots of holly and berries and wreaths and other holiday things,including a beautifully appointed Christmas tree, in the center of which was an “Osama bin Laden: Wanted Dead or Alive” poster. And speaking of Christmas, I thought I would leave you this week with a very touching story a friend related to me. It sums up the goodness of the holiday season much better than anything I’ve heard, so here goes:

Late last week,I was rusnhing around trying to get some last-minute shopping done. I was stressed out and not thinkng very fondly of the Christmas season right then. It was dark, cold, and wet in the parking lot as I was loading my car up with gifts that I felt obligated to buy;I noticed that I was missing a receipt that I might need later. So, mumbling under my breath, I retraced my steps to the mall entrance. As I was searching the wet pavement for the lost receipt,I heard a quiet sobbing. The crying was coming from a poorly dressed boy of about 12 years old. He was short and thin. Oddly enough, he was holding a hundred-dollar bill in his hand. Thinking that he had gotten separated from his parents,I asked him what was wrong.

He said that he came from a large family. His father had died when he was 9 years old. His mother was poorly educated nad worked two full-time jobs. She made very ltitle to support her large family. Nevertheless, she had managed to save $200 to buy her children Christmas presents. The young boy ahd been dropped off on the way to her second job. He was to use the money to buy presents for all his siblings and save just enough to take the bus home.

He had not even entered the mall when an older boy grabbed one of the hundred-dollar bills and disaoppeared into the night. “Why didn’t you scream for help?” I asked. The boy said, “I did.” “And nobody came to help you?” I wondered. The boy stared at the sidewalk and sadly shook his head. “How loud did you scream?” I inquired. The soft-spoken boy looked up and meekly whispered, “Help me!” I realized that absolutely no one could have heard that poor boy cry for help. So I grabbed his other hundred and ran to my car. And there you have it. Here’s a look at some of what’s going on around town this week. Tonight, there’s a Christmas party with FreeWorld at the Lounge. And that seems to be about it.

Categories
Politics Politics Beat Blog

PERSON LOOMED LARGE IN SAVING SHELBY’S 6 SEATS

State Senator Curtis Person (R-Memphis) is a big man in more than one way. Impressively sized physically, the amiable Person (whose father, the late Curtis Person Sr., was a well-known amateur golfing champion and entrepreneur ) has been unopposed in his reelection bids since 1966. He chairs the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, and exercises his considerable clout as quietly as he speaks.

Most recently, Person’s influence was felt in the redistricting process. He served as chairman of the GOP’s legislative redistricting committee, and, as he confided last week at the announcement for Shelby County Mayor of State Rep. Larry Scroggs (R-Germantown), whom he introduced), he was able to work out a formula whereby Shelby County would get to keep all six of its Senate seats after reapportionment. The deal, Person said then, had been signed off on by State Senator Jo Ann Graves (D-Gallatin),who chairs the full legislative redistricting committee, and Lt. Governor John Wilder (D-Somerville), the Senate’s longtime presiding officer and a close Person ally.

“I’ll be going further east,” acknowledged Person, whose base is in the Republican wards of East Memphis, “but Mark and I won’t be in together, and he can continue to present Shelby County.”

Which is to say, the long-presumed need to eliminate one of Shelby County’s six Senate seats, a circumstance that almost surely would have required freshman Sen. Mark Norris (R-Collierville) to run in the same district as Person, has evaporated. The lines will be drawn so as to allow Person’s district, as he indicated, to expand eastward, taking in part of Norris’s present one, while the Collierville Senator’s district, already representing parts of Fayette and Lauderdale counties, will expand even further into those reaches. But it will keep its anchor in east Shelby County.

The new Norris district, predominantly rural now, won’t be a slam-dunk for the suburban senator to win in, but his reelection task will be considerably easier than it would have been if required to run against the venerable Person.

Categories
We Recommend We Recommend

Night Moves

For New Year’s Eve, you could:

Break out all the pictures of your exes. Make sure that you are alone. Bust out a gallon of tequila and toast each picture by listing the many ways you are better off without a particular ex. Every time you think of a new reason you are better off, take another shot until you are crying and throwing up all over the carpet and calling out, “Mama, it hurts, it hurts! Why didn’t you tell me it was going to hurt like this?”

Or you could watch the ball drop with Grandma (or on Grandma). How about, if you’re straight, going out with your gay friends (or vice versa) to ensure a very unsatisfying and insincere New Year’s kiss? Or why not try utilizing data from the NCAA’s Bowl Championship Series Formula to tabulate what it would have taken for the U of M football team to qualify for a New Year’s Day bowl game?

Need more of a challenge? 1) Come up — once and for all — with the term we’re supposed to use for this decade. The “Oughts”? The “Twenty-hundreds”? 2) Stand in front of a mirror naked under a fluorescent light cataloging every flaw on your body. 3) Try to remember even one episode of Knight Rider.

Or, better yet, you could:

On Beale Street

Get down at ALFRED’S (197 Beale, 525-3711) with the party tunes of Nation. Or how about the Beale Street TAP ROOM (168 Beale, 527-4392, $10 cover)? Corey Osborne & The Rhythm System will be there. Or you could always go to BLUES HALL COFFEE HOUSE (182 Beale, 528-0150, $15 cover) with the groovy sound of Stone Ground Kelly. CLUB 152 (152 Beale, 544-7011) will have The 5 That Framed O.J. in the house, or for $29.99 you could go to DICK’S LAST RESORT (340 Beale, 543-0900). The price includes reserved seating, cover charge, appetizer, entrée, dessert, survival kit (you’ll need it), and a champagne toast at midnight. Local classic-rock band Cherry Bomb is playing. $10 cover.

ELVIS PRESLEY’S MEMPHIS (126 Beale, 527-9036) is hosting an elegant dinner with reserved seating, party favors, and a champagne toast at midnight for $65. The Alexander Band will be there, and who knows, maybe He’ll show up. Gabby Johnson will be rockin’ at the HARD ROCK CAFE (315 Beale, 529-0007, $10 cover), party favors and champagne provided, door prizes and food into the wee hours of the morning. People have spent many a New Year’s Eve at KING’S PALACE CAFE (162 Beale, 521-1851). This year you could grab some jazz from The Charlie Wood Trio with Renardo Ward (5:30-9:30 p.m.) and stay for the rock group Crash Into June (10 p.m.-2 a.m.) or get out on the patio for the Memphis James Trio, all for a $10 cover.

The Fast Connections Band is LEGENDS On Beale‘s (326 Beale, 523-7444) house band and said to be wearing it out on a regular basis. The NEW DAISY Theatre (330 Beale, 525-8979) is featuring hard-rock bands In The Balance, Logic 34, Piston Honda, My Surrender, and New Foundation for only an $8 cover — doors open at 7 p.m. For a good ol’ fashioned Liberty Bowl party, the folks at O’SULLIVAN’S (183 Beale, 522-9596) invite you to come before the game, during, and after. You could dine at the RUM BOOGIE CAFE (182 Beale) and be entertained by The Delta Cats from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. followed up by James Govan & The Boogie Blues Band at 10 p.m. Prices range from $55 to $85 and include a three-course dinner with two complimentary drinks per person, party favors and a gift, and one bottle of champagne per couple (for reservations call 528-0150). $15 cover charge at the door.

Collierville/Cordova/Germantown

Join the folks at BOSCOS (7615 West Farmington Blvd., in Saddlecreek, 756-7310) for a special evening, including Carol Plunk‘s brand of folk rock, a four-course meal, and limited-edition Boscos beer — all for $60. You could dance to the music selections of DJ Keith Autry, or you could eat a delicious four-course dinner, or you could do both at EQUESTRIA Restaurant & Lounge (3165 Forest Hill-Irene Road, 869-2663). HUEY’S in Cordova (1771 N. Germantown Parkway, 754-3885) will feature The Lakesiders starting at 9 p.m. for a $5 cover. The JONES CLUB (1275 Hezekiah Rd., 309-3007, $6 cover) will feature reggae and R&B from DJ Hip Hop and free champagne. Join Chaser at TJ MULLIGAN’S (8071 Trinity Road, 756-4480, $7 cover) for a champagne toast.

Downtown

Direct from Ireland, musician Terry McElroy will be at the DAN MCGUINESS PUB (150 Peabody Place, 2nd Street, 527-8500), and there will be Irish dancers in the mall from 10 to 11 p.m. EARNESTINE & HAZEL’S (531 S. Main, 523-9754) is only charging $10 for party favors, free cocktail beverages (a real bonus), and live music upstairs. THE FLYING SAUCER (130 Peabody Place, 523-8536) has like 3 gazillion beers on tap and they’re serving them up “Mardis Gras”-style (not sure what that means, but it probably involves nudity) with live entertainment provided by Aqua Net. Parallel Parker will be at HUEY’S (77 S. Second, 527-2700) $5 cover. Hot-buttered ISAAC HAYES will be performing at his signature restaurant and club located in Peabody Place. Seating is limited, so call 529-9222 today. You could head down to THE PEABODY for their Lobby Bar Party featuring jazz/blues artist Di Anne Price & Her Boyfriends and lots of extras ($25 cover).

Okay, we’re getting hungry just thinking about these choices: papaya and mango grilled lobster and broiled beef tenderloin stuffed with sun-dried tomato pesto and coated with cracked-pepper demi-glace (and that’s just the beginning!). The price is right — only $35.95 — at RIALTO’S Restaurant & Bar (135 S. Main, 432-3675). SLEEP OUT LOUIE’S (88 Union, 527-5337) will have The Brian Sharp Band. Join folk musician Rick McKean, who will be rockin’ at TJ MULLIGAN’S (362 N. Main, 523-1453) from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. for a champagne toast (no cover!).

East Memphis

Get a room! The ADAM’S MARK’s (939 Ridge Lake Blvd.) dinner, party and guest room, plus Klockwork and Pam & The Passions playing classic and contemporary hits. Music starts at 9 p.m. Call 684-6664 for information on prices and reservations. THE BOTTOM LINE (1817 Kirby Parkway, 755-2481) will have party giveaways, a free champagne toast, and The Plaintiffs starting at 9:30 p.m. No Cover at PATRICK’S (4698 Spottswood, 682-2853) and The Fabulous Steeler Band will provide the entertainment. Sekisui PACIFIC RIM will be serving its regular menu (if you could call it regular) until 2 a.m. with free champagne at midnight.

Frayser/Millington

CLUB 51 (6560 Highway 51, 872-0151) is going to get rowdy with a hybrid band called The Killer Minks, featuring Mike Wade and Mike Steele. VFW Post 4916 (847 Whitney Ave., 353-2118) for a New Year’s Eve party? Sources say they really know how to have a good time. Their New Year’s breakfast will be served after midnight and goes for $25 per couple.

Hickory Hill/Southeast

CAFE ROCK (3297 Kirby Parkway, 366-4395) will offer free champagne and party favors along with live entertainment from the Back Street Crawlers and a breakfast special at midnight. The cover into this party is $25 per couple and $15 if you’re solo. C.O.D. will be at TJ MULLIGAN’S (6635 Kirby, 753-8056, $5 cover).

Midtown

If herbed lobster and wild-mushroom spring rolls or black-mushroom-crusted loin of lamb or vanilla bean and raspberry crème brûlée sound good, then you just might want to call THE BLUE MOON (3092 Poplar in Chickasaw Oaks Plaza, 324-4131) and ask about its four-course New Year’s dinner. Celtic rockers, The Sally Macs will be at the BLUE MONKEY (3092 Poplar in Chickasaw Oaks Plaza, 272-BLUE) and The Revelators will be at HUEY’S (1927 Madison Ave., 726-4372, $5 cover). KOTO (22 South Cooper) is offering a menu of lovely Japanese-French fusion cuisine for $60 per person. To make reservations call 722-2244. DJ Carol will be serving up dance tunes at MADISON FLAME (1588 Madison Ave., 278-9839) for a $10 cover that includes party favors and champagne. The FRENCH QUARTER SUITES (2144 Madison Ave.) is offering a $189 package that includes a suite for two, a bottle of Totts champagne, souvenir champagne glasses, party favors, live entertainment by Todd Hale, and a late checkout time (1 p.m.) for the day after (call 728-4000). One of Memphis’ favorite roots-rock bands, Lucero, plus Snowglobe, will be playing at The HI-TONE (1913 Poplar, 278-TONE).

MELANGE (948 S. Cooper) is offering music from DJs Sean O.D. and Brad Stylus late into the night. Call 276-0002 for reservations. And at NEIL’S (1835 Madison Ave., 278-6345) there will be no cover but plenty of party favors and music by DJ Neil himself. The folks at P&H CAFE (1532 Madison Ave., 726-0906) are always fun to party with anytime, and on New Year’s they will feature live entertainment from Eric Lewis. There will be no cover at the YOUNG AVENUE DELI (2119 Young Ave., 278-0034) — but there will be no band either. There will be some undisclosed party freebies.

University of Memphis

Grizlo, The Emily Patterson Band, and Pheenaphonic will be NEWBY’S (539 S. Highland, 452-8408).

Tunica

The Venus Mission will be playing dance music from the ’80s at the ISLE OF CAPRI CASINO (877-711-4753) in Tunica. At BALLY’S (800-38-BALLY), Jason D. Williams, and patriotic Lee Greenwood at GRAND CASINO (800-39-GRAND). Dr. Zarr’s Amazing Funk Monster plays HARRAH’S (800-HARRAHS).

Raleigh/Bartlett

STAGE STOP (2951 Cela, Austin Peay at Stage Rd., 382-1577) is featuring live entertainment from T.N.A., a local band that became popular in the mid-’80s, Sinister’s Grin, a new band from the Shelby Forest area, and Medicine Man out of Nashville. All this plus party favors and dance music from DJ Slick Rick for only an $8 cover charge.

Plus,

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra will feature Broadway vocalist Craig Schulman for a special New Year’s Eve performance beginning at 8 p.m. at the GERMANTOWN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE. Call 324-3627. “Alternatives For Single Adults” sounds, well, like something you might see in the classifieds of the Flyer, but since this event is hosted by BELLEVUE BAPTIST CHURCH, it’s not. Instead, they’re going to have live spoofs of vintage television shows, Belgian waffles, create-your-own omelets, coffee, espresso and a chocolate fondue bar. This will cost you $25 unless you are a single parent ($15). Call 347-5780 for advance tickets. Friends and supporters of HANDS ON MEMPHIS will once again ring in the New Year at the organization’s annual ball, one of its largest fund-raisers. And this year the party has been moved downtown to the beautiful Cadre Building (149 Monroe) and features Shagadoo, a 5-piece eclectic funk band from the Delta, and DJ Stash, a hip vinyl spinner from Nashville. This black-tie event sells out to a crowd of 800, so get your tickets early by calling 725-2132. Ticket price is $90 per person.

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News The Fly-By

SEASONAL FLY

THE FLY TEAM INVESTIGATES (CONT’D)

Is Wang’s on Beale using subliminal advertising? Are they trying to make people think Chinese food makes you lose weight? You decide:

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Politics Politics Beat Blog

The Ground Floor

To employ a modish metaphor, politics is a 24/7 process — going on all the time, even in the non-election years that come along every three years.

The year just passed, 2001, was one of those. In some ways, it lacked the focused drama of the two previous such years — 1993, which, among other things, saw the pivotal trial and acquittal of former congressman Harold Ford Sr. on bank-fraud charges; and 1997, much of which was taken up with Memphis mayor Willie Herenton‘s equally successful stand against “toy town” legislation from Nashville.

Victory in those respective endeavors gave each of these two titans a significant political boost for years to come. (In Ford’s case, much of that would be passed along to his heirs and assigns — notably Harold Ford Jr., his successor as U.S. representative from the 9th Congressional District and a hot political property on the statewide and national scenes.)

But 2001, the first election off-year of the new century, was marked by a series of events — some distant, some near — that may have more lasting aftershocks for more people over a longer time.

· Take the increasingly conflicted Tennessee legislature (please!). For the third straight year our state solons dissed the well-intentioned tax-reform efforts of Governor Don Sundquist and failed to produce a responsible budget that could pay for even basic state programs. As a result Tennessee is facing a half-billion-dollar shortfall for the next fiscal year and has already had to start pruning away at state parks and throttling initiatives in schooling, tourism, and economic development. Just for starters.

The state is now headed toward the bottom of the national rankings in categories ranging from basic and higher education (witness the increasingly unequipped laboratories and continued exodus of teaching staffs) to health expenditures (the once-promising TennCare system seemed on the verge of being abandoned).

None of this prevented the legislature from bowing to the frenzies of an enraged mob of anti-taxers which, on the memorable night of July 12th, besieged the state Capitol in Nashville, broke windows and shoved lawmakers, kept up a howling chorus, and prevented action on a compromise income-tax measure that would have required a statewide voter referendum to be fully enacted. Instead, the General Assembly voted to use up its share of national tobacco-settlement money just to pay its past-due bills then blew town, leaving the fiscal mess to worsen and fester.

On the high side, the state Senate finally passed legislation, promoted by Memphis’ Sen. Steve Cohen for the last 16 years, that would allow the people of Tennessee to vote on instituting a statewide lottery, the proceeds of which would benefit education. (That vote will come next year and will be one of the highlights of a general-election ballot that will also see a U.S. Senate seat and the state’s governorship open up.

· On the local scene, both the Memphis City Council and the Shelby County Commission spent much of their time, energies, and capital (both political and the other kind) on the issue of funding for a new sports arena to house the transplanted Vancouver Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association.

Here, too, protesters concerned about a new commitment of public-tax dollars forced second thoughts, but, unlike what happened in the case of the legislature, the differing factions on the council and, especially, on the commission worked hard to achieve a compromise and, in the end, were able to craft a measure that did not tie the construction issue to ad valorem (property-based) revenues.

Never mind that the future revenues finally pledged — rental-car taxes and the like — put the city and county in the position, Pollyanna-like, of betting on the come. Communities, like individuals, are entitled to wager on their futures, and polls indicated that a clear majority of local citizens were in favor of the Grizzlies/arena venture, which takes its place in what is, finally and indisputably, a bona fide redevelopment of downtown.

· Another major circumstance that presaged fundamental political change was statistical. Released in 2001 were the figures from the previous year’s U.S. census, which showed that the demographics of Shelby County, like those of the city of Memphis a decade earlier, had taken the long-prophesied turn toward African-American predominance.

As in the case of the city earlier, this fact would not automatically determine the outcome of local elections, which continued to depend on relative degrees of participation by voter blocs and on other factors. But by the end of the current year, the extant candidacies for various local offices up for grabs next year made it obvious that blacks, running as Democrats, would be in hot competition for all local offices with whites, who (in the general election, anyhow), would be running as Republicans.

But certain situations — the fact, for example, that various candidates for Shelby County mayor were making clear pitches to (or being pitched by) constituencies across racial and political lines — augured a different political and social future than what Memphis and Shelby County got used to in the confrontational last half of the 20th century.

· The city and county are on the ground floor of the edifice that a new century and new perspectives will see constructed. And that metaphor, in more than one sense, is a reminder of another term that we all got used to in the tragic last quarter of the year just ending.

· Ground Zero: The devastation in New York has its counterpart in all our imaginations and in the local Zeitgeist as well. We know now that nothing can be counted on to endure, that elemental forces and unresolved conflicts can destroy the most harmonious purpose and the most developed plan. But, all the same, we sense an irrepressible spirit in the community, one that looks past economic downturns and the threat of the Apocalypse itself and is willing and able to keep on trucking.

For all of its storms and circuses, politics is and will remain the theater of the normal. For better and for worse, it is who we are. ·