New York magazine’s “Grub Street” blog paid a visit to Justin Timberlake’s NYC restaurant, Southern Hospitality, last night, and they spotted JT chowing down in a booth. (Or as they put it: It was “either Timberlake or Osama bin Laden.”)
The magazine promised to post the entire menu, including pickle-cicles and haystack onion rings, later today.
Sixteen candidates
for mayor, gazillions of council candidates, and even something of a race for
city clerk.. That’s what it looked like after Thursday’s filing deadline. Some
winnowing out will occur before next Thursday’s withdrawal deadline, but what
you see below is what you get to choose from.
By tomorrow we may
feel like making some fearless predictions. Meanwhile, here’s the list:
Mayor:
City Council
District 1:
City Council
District 2:
City Council
District 3:
City Council
District 4:
City Council
District 5:
City Council
District 6:
City Council
District 7:
City Council
District 8, Position 1:
City Council
District 8, Position 2:
City Council
District 8, Position
3:
City Council
District 9, Position 1:
City Council
District 9, Position 2:
City Countil
District 9, Position 3:
City Court Clerk
The “Soul Patrol” will soon be headed to Davis-Kidd Booksellers.
American Idol‘s 2006 winner Taylor Hicks is set to sign copies of his book, Heart Full of Soul, at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 26. The book chronicles the time preceding Hicks’ success on American Idol and explains the motivation behind his emergence as a star in the music industry.
Thanks to Hicks’ numerous “Soul Patrol” fans, the singer’s self-titled album is a certified platinum bestseller, and he will also sign CDs for customers who have bought books.
Tickets for the signing are required and available with the purchase of Heart Full of Soul. Davis-Kidd is located at 387 N. Perkins.
Observing that Senate majority leader Harry Reid was unable to muster enough votes Wednesday to invoke cloture for an up-or-down vote on the Democrats’ Levin-Reed amendment, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) said in a conference call with the Flyer and other news outlets, “It is obvious by now that the Senate won’t approve timed withdrawal. Now is the time to look for seeds of consensus. The best way is Baker-Hamilton.”
That was the senator’s shorthand for the Iraq Study Group report, released in January by a blue-ribbon bipartisan group of foreign policy experts. Alexander, along with Senator Ken Salazar, a Colorado Democrat, has proposed an alternate amendment based on the Iraq Study Group’s conclusions, which call for a permanent commitment to Iraq but one which employs fewer troops than at present and would locate them out of combat roles.
Alexander, who took part in the overnight debate on Levin-Reed called by Reid, told reporters the affair was a “stunt” and likened it to an “all-night slumber party on C-SPAN.” But he was critical of the Bush administration’s adamant position as well, saying, “The White House is missing the point — that the Iraq Study Group report adds to the possibility of his having an understanding with the country.”
But, asked whether the Congress shouldn’t have ultimate authority over issues of war and peace, Alexander said, as he had in his overnight remarks, that he gave the president room for the exercise of his “constitutional prerogatives.” Only the Congress could vote a declaration of war, Alexander said, but “just for practical reasons we don’t need 100 generals. If we adopt the Baker-Hamilton proposals, we can put the train on a different track and still leave him [Bush] as the engineer.”
The senator said he hoped that the Salazar-Alexander amendment could be re-introduced in September, a time when General David Petraeus, now commanding in Iraq, will presumably have made his situation report to Congress on the results of the current “surge” policy.
National Basketball Association superstar and UNICEF Spain Goodwill Ambassador Pau Gasol recently visited Angola to see firsthand the country’s fight against HIV/AIDS and UNICEF’s programs to support children and families affected by the disease.
One of Gasol’s very first visits was to the Luanda Children’s Hospital. Accompanied by hospital staff and the UNICEF Angola team, he met with children and their mothers. Gasol was saddened to see many children hospitalized with illnesses such as malaria, malnutrition, meningitis and HIV/AIDS.
“It is extremely hard to witness children’s suffering here,” he said, “especially in some cases when this is due to preventable causes.”
Read the rest of this UNICEF account about Pau Gasol’s good works.
In an effort to provide affordable healthcare to Tennessee’s young people, CoverKids is launching a back-to-school enrollment campaign. The comprehensive health insurance is available to uninsured children age 18 and under with household income below 250 percent of the federal poverty level.
Every child who attends a Tennessee public school will be given a CoverKids application in their back-to-school packet. “We are blanketing the state with applications, resources and volunteers,” says Governor Phil Bredesen, “to make sure we do not miss any child who could possibly benefit from the CoverKids program.”
Here’s how CoverKids works: A family of four with a $51,625 annual income or less will qualify for the coverage with no monthly premiums. The family will pay only $5-$15 for doctors’ visits when their children are sick, and as little as $5 for generic medications.
The plan does not require co-pays for vaccinations, routine well-exams, labs, or x-rays. Families above the income limit may pay premiums for the program.
For more information, go to www.CoverTN.gov or call 1-866-COVERTN.
Bill Wharton’s music performances are smokin’ — from his swampy Florida blues to the gumbo he cooks onstage.
For 17 years, Wharton (better known as “Sauce Boss”) has fed his fans gumbo that he specially prepares during each show.
The Tallahassee, FL-based musician is now set to jam with his band at Blues City Cafe from July 18 to 21 and at Memphis Union Mission July 22.
At his upcoming Memphis performances, Sauce Boss doesn’t plan on letting anyone go hungry, especially when it comes to those in need. “We’re all about the food,” he says.
Four years ago, Wharton founded Planet Gumbo, a non-profit organization that aims to provide hope and sustenance. Since then, he has performed for and fed homeless shelters nationwide. Wharton explains, “We try to give a message of hope — and a big pot of gumbo. Food breaks down all barriers and brings people into the kitchen. We bring the kitchen to people, no matter where they are.”
Playing blues and cooking gumbo are “one and the same,” and only Wharton’s special Liquid Summer Hot Sauce rivals his energetic music in spiciness. But for Sauce Boss, “giving back to the communities where we play” is most important.
“I thought I had it really good before I starting doing this. But now that I have a life with service, it’s opened up so many avenues,” he says. “It’s amazing, totally amazing. You’ve got to give to receive, and you receive an awful lot when you give.”
–Rachel Stinson
Tennessee Republican Lamar Alexander was one of several senators who spoke during an all-night Senate session called by Democratic majority leader Harry Reid to consider legislation limiting U.S. troop commitment in Iraq.
Alexander, who called for a compromise measure based on the findings of the Iraq Study Group, belonged to a group of potential swing voters who expressed an intention not to vote for cloture so as to end debate.
Sixty senators must vote for cloture, and the Democratic majority — though it has attracted a handful of Republicans to its cause — is thought to lack the requisite number to call for a vote on Wednesday.
Looks like David Gest has worn out his welcome in England. The Liza Minnelli-ex, one-time Memphian, and music producer has been canned from his gig with the British channel ITV.
Gest surprised everyone when he became a viewer favorite on the British reality series I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here. That gig led to a role as a judge on Grease Is the Word as well as his own documentary series This Is David Gest.
Both Grease and the documentary series have failed to draw viewers, however, and Gest has been let go from ITV with six months left on a one-year contract.
ITV boss Simon Shaps said: “We don’t have any plans for him. We’re not signing him to another deal — I’m not sure what you would do next.
“We’ve got to match the talent with ideas — and we haven’t had any ideas for him. I wouldn’t rule out working with him in the future.”
Visit Swig from 5 to 7 Thursday night and you can enjoy free hors d’oeuvres, live entertainment, drink specials, and schwag giveaways — all courtesy of the Flyer.
Tonya Dyson and Soul will provide the entertainment. All you need to provide is your lovely self and some of your lovely friends. Meet some of the Flyer gang and hang out until the rooftop parties start.