A few days ago, fresh from competing at Cochon 555, Restaurant Iris’ Kelly English tweeted:
Dear Memphis: we are sorry we didn’t win, but we have something HUGE in the works. It’s time to show the world how great a food town we are.
9:08 PM Apr 18th via Echofon
I spoke with English today and asked what that something was. He said because he’s still working out the details he wasn’t ready to reveal the specifics, but he did offer a hint …
Ashley Wieronski has grown up on Memphis stages having performed in shows ranging from Annie to Little Shop of Horrors. She appeared as “the Bad Seed” in Ruthless, one of my all time favorite musicals. And now she’s the winner of the FOX13 Glee Casting Call Contest. That means Ashley is guaranteed to have her submission seen by a Glee Casting Director significantly increasing her chance of becoming one of the newest cast members on the hit show.
Ashley pulled in 78,000 of the 300,000 online votes.
Dear Bianca,
I just broke up with my boyfriend of six months. When we met, I really felt like he was “the one.” I’ve had a string of bad relationships over the past few years, and I’m fed up with dating crappy men.
This last boyfriend was perfect at first. He surprised me with romantic dates, bought me gifts, opened doors … all that stuff. But about two months into the relationship, he became verbally abusive. When we fought (which was often), he’d call me “whore” or “bitch” or other terms that I won’t repeat here.
I put up with this for too long, but I finally broke things off a few days ago. Though I know I should be happy to be free of that asshole, I’ve fallen into a deep depression. I can’t eat. I’m not sleeping well, and I have no interest in going out with my girlfriends (even though I know that’s what I should be doing).
How do get out of this funk? Even though I’ve been through numerous break-ups, I’ve never felt this sad about it. Considering how he treated me toward the end of the relationship, I really should feel liberated. But I don’t. What’s wrong with me?
— Only Dates Douchebags
Dear Only Dates,
Feeling depressed after a break-up is normal. Despite the fact that your ex was a real jerk, it sounds like you might have been in love with some idea of who you wanted him to be.
The key to moving past this is to convince yourself that, despite his initial attempts at romance, this guy is not who you thought — or hoped — he was. As a relationship progresses, true colors shine through. His true colors were ugly. Remember that for now, and try not to dwell on any good memories you had with him.
Even though you don’t feel like going out, a few nights out with the girls would be most helpful. Friends are great for re-enforcing the reasons why you left a man. I’m sure your buds will be more than happy to talk dirt about the guy, and if they’re good friends, they’ll certainly let you gab on and on about how sad you are.
Eventually, you will eat again. And you will start to sleep better, and then you’ll feel better. Moving on takes time. If you’re an artist (or a writer or a musician), this is a wonderful opportunity to use your sadness to your advantage. Some of the best art is created by tortured souls.
Got a problem? E-mail Bianca at bphillips@memphisflyer.com.
“It’s hard to say what you would do if given another opportunity,” says Gaile Owens, convicted in 1986 of being an accessory to her husband’s murder.
Yesterday, the Tennessee Supreme Court set Owens’ execution for Sept. 28th. Mary Cashiola has the story.
Yesterday, former Bartlett resident Gaile Owens was scheduled to be executed September 28th.
Owens was involved in the 1986 murder of her husband, Ron Owens, after hiring a North Memphis man to kill him.
After police questioned her, Owens confessed to the plot and eventually agreed to a plea deal to serve life in prison.
Because her case could not be severed from that of her co-defendant, Sidney Porterfield, he was required to plead guilty for Owens’ deal to be accepted.
Instead, the case went to trial, and without taking the stand in her own defense, Owens was found guilty.
In the intervening years, evidence has come to light that she was a victim of domestic abuse, and former publisher John Seigenthaler wrote an opinion piece in The Tennessean, comparing Owens’ case to that of Selma, Tennessee, battered wife Mary Winkler.
Last week, I sent a list of questions to Owens through her attorneys, including if she regretted not testifying at her trial.
“It’s hard to say what you would do if given another opportunity,” she wrote back. “I felt at the time my decision to not testify was the right decision and was the best I could do to protect [my family]. My concern then and continues to be to protect my sons as much as I can.
Following yesterday’s announcement of a hung jury in the Bridges McRae case, the Memphis Gay & Lesbian Community Center’s “Raise Your Voice” group is holding a vigil to honor McRae’s transgender victim Duanna Johnson. The vigil begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on the Federal Plaza downtown.
In February 2008, Johnson was beaten over the head with handcuffs by former Memphis Police officer McRae in the lobby of the Shelby County Jail. Johnson, who had been arrested on prostitution charges, said the violence began after she refused to answer to “he/she” and “faggot.”
The 18-minute beating was caught on surveillance tape, but despite the visual evidence, a jury in the case was unable to reach a verdict yesterday. The judge has invoked the Allen Charge, which urges the jury to reconsider.
Johnson didn’t live to see her own trial. She was found shot to death on a North Memphis street in November 2008.
Last season, Elliot Williams became the fourth player in U of M history to score 600 points in his first season as a Tiger. Who are the other three?
The trial of former Memphis policeman Bridges McRae has ended in a mistrial. Bianca Phillips has the story.
Susan Ellis checked out Papa Murphy’s pizza in Germantown. She’d like your thoughts on the place.