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Politics Politics Feature

Seeing Red

The Shelby County Republican Party is scheduled to hold its biennial convention in January, and the party has a bona fide chairmanship race on its hands.

One candidate is Bangladesh-born Naser Fazlullah, manager of a food-and-beverages firm and the local party’s vice chair, who has been highly active in Republican outreach efforts over the years. Most unusually, he professes a desire to “bring both parties together” for the benefit of Shelby County and has numerous friends both inside and outside GOP ranks.

The other candidate is insurance executive Worth Morgan, the former city council member who in 2022 ran unsuccessfully for county mayor and had been rumored as a possible candidate for Memphis mayor the next year before deciding not to make the race.

Both candidates are running as the heads of slates for a variety of other party offices.

Morgan’s campaign in particular, run under the slogan “Revive,” is in the kind of high gear normally associated with expensive major public races and has employed a barrage of elaborate online endorsements from such well-known party figures as state Representative Mark White, state Senator Brent Taylor, and conservative media commentator Todd Starnes. 

The GOP convention is scheduled for January 25th at The Venue at Bartlett Station.

• Morgan’s choice of the campaign motif “Revival” is interesting. Not too long ago, Republicans dominated county government, but demographics now heavily favor Democrats in countywide voting. As one indication of that, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris outdistanced the GOP’s Donald Trump in November by a margin of 201,759 to Trump’s 118,917. 

In a series of post-election analyses, however, veteran Republican analyst Don Johnson, formerly of Memphis and now with the Stone River Group of Nashville, has demonstrated the GOP’s supremacy virtually everywhere else in Tennessee. He has published precinct-specific maps of statewide election results showing areas won by Trump in red. Patches of Democratic blue show up only sporadically in these graphics and are largely confined to Memphis, Nashville, and the inner urban cores of Knoxville and Chattanooga. Even Haywood County in the southwest corner of the state, virtually the last Democratic stronghold in rural Tennessee, shows high purple on Johnson’s cartography.

Post-election analysis shows something else — a shift of the Republican center of gravity eastward, toward the GOP’s ancestral homeland of East Tennessee. For the first time in recent presidential elections, Republican voting in Knox County outdid the party’s totals in Shelby County.

Looking ahead to the 2026 governor’s race, it is meaningful that a recent poll of likely Republican voters by the Tennessee Conservative News shows two Knoxvillians — Congressman Tim Burchett and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs — leading all other potential candidates.

• The Shelby County Commission ended its year with a full agenda of 89 items, several of which were matters involving schools and school funding. The commissioners navigated that agenda with admirable focus and aplomb, considering that the bombshell news of Tuesday’s scheduled Memphis Shelby-County Schools board meeting regarding the potential voiding of superintendent Marie Feagins’ contract exploded midway through their discussions.

• One of the more inclusive political crowds in recent history showed up weekend before last at Otherlands on Cooper to honor David Upton on the occasion of his 60th birthday. Upton is the proverbial man-behind-the-scenes in Shelby County politics and has had a hand — sometimes openly, sometimes not — in more local elections and civic initiatives than almost anybody else you could name. 

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Film Features Film/TV

Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim

Before Peter Jackson convinced New Line Cinema to back his Lord of the Rings movie trilogy in 1999, lots of people had tried to adapt J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic. Stanley Kubrick though about it, and decided it was unfilmable. John Boorman tried in the 1970s, but when he got bogged down, he sold his screenplay to an unlikely entity. Animator Ralph Bakshi is, today, a legend. In the mid-’70s, he was the guy who made Fritz the Cat, a gleefully obscene animated film based on the work of counterculture cartoonist R. Crumb, notorious for being the first animated film to ever receive an X rating.  

Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings was sorely undercapitalized, so he was forced to innovate. He drew over test footage of people in costumes, a time-saving technique known as “rotoscoping,” and slyly mixed live-action with animation. As with all of Bakshi’s nine feature films, the results are a mixed bag. There are moments of brilliance, and moments of “WTF was he thinking?” Bakshi’s film was a financial success, but even though it ended with the siege of Helm’s Deep, his studio never greenlit the promised sequel, which would have taken the Hobbits to Mordor.

After the Best Picture triumph of Return of the King, Jackson produced three Hobbit movies that were of, let’s say, declining quality. Noted Tolkienista Jeff Bezos paid $750 million for the The Rings of Power TV series on Amazon Prime, which has been dodgy, at best, and a crushing bore at worst. 

Now New Line, in a bid to retain the rights to Tolkien’s works, has gone back to LOTR’s cinematic roots and produced an animated film. Produced and co-written by Philippa Boyens, who was one of Jackson’s main creative collaborators, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is directed by Kenji Kamiyama, an acclaimed anime artist whose credits include the groundbreaking cyberpunk series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

The Rohirrim royal family: Héra (Gaia Wise), King Helm Hammerhands (Brian Cox), Hama (Yazdan Qafouri) and Haleth (Benjamin Wainwright) — (Courtesy New Line)

The War of the Rohirrim is based on a tidbit of Middle Earth history mentioned in one of Tolkien’s exhaustive appendices. It’s a couple of centuries before Bilbo Baggins discovers the One Ring, and the no-nonsense King Helm Hammerhands (voiced by Brian Cox) rules the kingdom of Rohan. His daughter Héra (Gaia Wise) is not content to be a beautiful princess tucked away in a castle. Raised by her martial father and two brothers, while her mother died in childbirth, she learned to ride a horse before she could walk and is as handy with a short sword as any Rider of Rohan. 

But, as you would expect, it’s an uphill battle for a woman to get respect in a feudalistic, patriarchal society. Overshadowed by her brothers Hama (Yazdan Qafouri) and Haleth (Benjamin Wainwright), she’s so out of the loop that when rival horse lord Freca (Shaun Dooley) shows up, demanding an answer to his son Wulf’s (Luke Pasqualino) proposition for a dynastic marriage, it’s all news to her. Her father wants her to marry a Gondorian, thus cementing the loyalty of a powerful ally. But Héra’s ambition is to resurrect the tradition of the Shield Maidens, a group of female warriors who took up arms to save Rohan when the riders were decimated in battle. 

When Freca won’t take “no” for an answer, and gets uppity with the King, Helm says he won’t abide fighting in the mead hall, and suggests they take it outside. Freca proves no match for the guy they call “Hammerhands” and dies after only one punch. The king immediately regrets his rage, but feels he has to exile Wulf as a precaution. 

Héra (Gaia Wise) faces Wulf (Luke Pasqualino) — (Courtesy New Line)

Years later, Wulf returns at the head of an army of Dunlending wild men to claim the throne of Rohan, and the king must fight through betrayal in his own ranks and a long, cold winter of pitched battles to save his throne. When Hama and Haleth fall on the field of battle, it’s up to Héra to save her country and secure her family’s legacy. 

Kamiyama is a product of the Japanese anime machine, but like Bakshi’s LOTR, this transcontinental production is hodgepodge of techniques and styles from the entire world of animation. Héra, with big eyes, flowing gowns, and flashing swords, is as much Sailor Moon as she is Tolkien. Modern digital tools open up possibilities Bakshi never had, and the line between animation and heavily processed video blurs. In places, Kamiyama appears to be deliberately aping Bakshi’s rotoscoping style. While this is clearly Peter Jackson’s version of Middle Earth, with familiar sets like Helm’s Deep and Isengard, Kamiyama avoids Jackson’ addiction to slo mo, while delivering the big set piece battles the series is famous for. 

The writing, however, is bit of mixed bag. I appreciated the lack of heavy sorcery, and the choice to focus on a human story of jealousy and ambition gone wrong. But The War of the Rohirrim never feels more important than a footnote to the Lord of the Rings story, which is exactly what it is. But hey, at least it’s more entertaining than those Hobbit movies. 

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News News Blog News Feature

School Board to Discuss Ouster of Superintendent Feagins

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters

The Memphis-Shelby County Schools board has called a special meeting for Tuesday evening to discuss terminating the contract of Superintendent Marie Feagins, who officially started in the position just eight months ago, after a protracted search.

The board in February voted to hire Feagins away from a leadership position at the Detroit Public Schools Community District, making her the first outside leader to direct Tennessee’s largest school district since it was created through a merger a decade ago.

However, tensions emerged quickly between the board and Feagins over staffing issues and plans to close and consolidate schools as part of a sweeping facilities plan.

The special meeting — scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday — caught at least one board member off guard.

“I’m just as stunned as the public,” said Michelle McKissack, who represents District 1 and has been a strong supporter of Feagins. “I learned about this at about the same time as everyone else. There has been no discussion, at least with my presence there, to warrant this meeting.”

Other school board members could not be reached or declined to comment Monday night.

Another leadership shakeup could be a jarring setback for a district that took more than a year to choose and install Feagins and faces a series of significant academic and financial challenges.

It also could put the board at odds with community leaders, many of whom were glad to see Feagins taking steps to shake up a district they viewed as top-heavy and in need of significant reforms.

After Feagins started, tensions with the board developed quickly over her decision to eliminate around 1,100 positions over the summer, her allegations of overtime abuse by some district employees at a cost of $1 million, and her administration’s slowness to address air-conditioning and other school building needs before the start of this academic year.

There were also missteps over school safety in August, just after the school year began, as Feagins narrowly avoided a walkout by school resource officers and accepted the resignation of the district’s new security chief just days after he started.

The relationships didn’t seem to improve after school board elections that replaced four of the board’s nine members.

Tensions grew over the facilities plan Feagins’ administration was developing to close or consolidate schools — a blueprint that likely would affect nearly every board member’s district.

There was also anger after the Memphis City Council rejected the district’s planned site to build a new high school in Cordova to replace Germantown High School under a 2022 agreement with Germantown and state officials. Several board members said Feagins should have leaned more on board members to lobby council members for the new site.

Feagins came to Memphis well aware of the risks of a strained relationship with board members. Her 2020 doctoral dissertation, Chalkbeat reported in May, noted that a lack of trust can prompt superintendent departures.

At a tense school board meeting on October 21, after a brief discussion with members about building challenges, Feagins became emotional when board member Amber Garcia-Huett asked her what she was most proud of so far in her brief tenure.

Her voice breaking, Feagins said: “People — leaders who keep showing up every day, committed to something they can’t see.”

Marta Aldrich is a senior correspondent and covers the statehouse for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Contact her at maldrich@chalkbeat.org.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

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Memphis Economy Set Record High of More Than $100B Last Year

The Memphis economy grew to a record high of $102.9 billion last year. 

Credit: Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED)

The Greater Memphis Chamber announced the landmark last week, calling it “impressive” and a ”historic milestone.” It was the first time the Memphis Gross Regional Product (GRP) pushed over $100 billion. GRP is the total value of all products and services sold in a metro area. 

The Memphis economy increased by nearly 6 percent from 2022 to 2023, growing by $6 billion. Over the last five years, the economy grew by 32.3 percent, which closely aligns with the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 34.1 percent.

“Breaking through the $100 billion GRP barrier is a remarkable milestone for Memphis,” said GMC president and CEO Ted Townsend. “This achievement, along with our record employment numbers, really highlights what we’ve always believed — Memphis is a place where business thrives. … We’re not just growing; we’re truly transforming our economy and opening up exciting new opportunities for our region.”

Key highlights:

• Memphis ranked 6th among peer cities in GRP in 2023.

• 5 percent average annual GRP growth over the past five years

• Record employment levels reaching 656,600 jobs

• Unemployment rate of 4.3 percent, nearly matching the national average

“This economic milestone aligns with the region’s strong employment recovery, as Memphis surpasses its pre-pandemic employment levels, showcasing the market’s vigorous recovery and ongoing growth trajectory, “ the Chamber said in a news release. 

For context, the Nashville metro, which includes the large suburb of Murfreesboro and the wealthy suburbs of Franklin and Brentwood, had a GRP of $204 million last year. The figure made it the largest economy in Tennessee, followed by Memphis. 

Credit: Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED)

As for the rest of the top five economies in Tennessee, the Knoxville MSA ranked third with a GRP of $64.3 billion last year. 

Credit: Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED)

Chattanooga’s GRP was $42.3 billion last year. 

Credit: Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED)

Johnson City’s GRP was $10.7 billion.  

Credit: Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED)
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Criminal Justice Advocates: “We Need DOJ Involvement” On MPD Reform

Community organizations are urging Memphis Mayor Paul Young to enter a consent decree with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) in the aftermath of the agency’s findings on the Memphis Police Department (MPD).

The Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis, Memphis Interfaith Coalition For Action and Hope (MICAH), and Just City released a letter urging Young to sign the agreement. They said the DOJ’s findings found MPD to have consistent practices of discrimination and civil rights violations – many of which citizens had advocated against for years.

In hopes of remedying these issues, the organizations said the city should include the DOJ in its next steps with an “independent monitor.” They also noted Young’s concern for the financial risks a consent decree would impose, which is why he said the city will not enter an agreement.

“[Mayor Young]  thinks the city and MPD can correct these abuses without DOJ involvement,” the letter said. “We can think of no instance when a just society allowed the abuser of others to determine how they would fix their behavior. Just societies always intervene and prescribe what the abuser must do, monitors the abuser, and decides when the correction has occurred, which is precisely what a consent decree would aim to do.”

The letter said while they support the mayor, they don’t believe he would be able to supervise officers and conduct and review incident videos while carrying out his mayoral responsibilities. 

“We have no trust or confidence in leaving corrections to the people involved in the unlawful conduct, the persons who failed to supervise them, or those who stood by and said nothing while the unlawful conduct occurred. We need DOJ involvement,” the letter said.

Young reported that several cities, such as Chicago and New Orleans, have consent decrees that have cost them millions of dollars with crime rates still on the rise. Organizers said these references imply “ a connection without data or proof.”

While the letter said they don’t know how decrees are calculated or other factors contributing to these numbers, they cannot “use these numbers to compare or estimate the cost of a consent decree in Memphis.”

Organizers said under a consent decree the city must pay a monitor and their team to track their compliance with the DOJ’s plan and recommendations while also providing regular updates based on “agreed-upon metrics.” Memphis will also be required to cover any fines and fees imposed by the federal court if the MPD repeatedly fails to adhere to the consent decree.

“Memphis can limit the financial cost of the decree simply by complying with its requirements,” officials said. “Regardless of the cost, we know that protecting the lives of Memphians, especially persons with disabilities and children is priceless, too valuable not to sign the decree.”

They also referenced citizens who voiced their concern for MPD as they said they work hard with a “short staff” and they are “underpaid, outgunned on the streets, and continue to be beaten down (low morale)” as criminals are emboldened in their practice. 

Organizers said there may be validity in these statements, but that doesn’t mean MPD’s behavior described in the report is justified.

“It is possible and necessary to address abusive conduct and establish lawful and effective public safety practices while acknowledging the challenging nature of the work and respecting officers who perform the job well,” they said.

In addition to urging the mayor to sign the agreement, the letter also recommends developing a peacekeeping force to aid in police reform.

“Our confidence in affecting positive, lasting, tailored change is grounded in the DOJ’s authority to secure the reforms of unconstitutional patterns and practices identified within MPD,” the letter said.

Organizers are currently asking citizens to sign a petition to urge Young to enter a decree which can be found here.

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Film Features Film/TV

Southeastern Film Critic’s Association Names 2024 Award Winners

Eighty members of the Southeastern Film Critic’s Association have voted Anora as the best film of 2024. The organization polls its members, including this columnist, annually to determine the 10 best films of the year, and award outstanding acting performances, as well as awards for writing and directing.

It was a contentious year for the critics.The closest category in this year’s balloting was for Best Documentary. With only two ballots left to be tabulated, the category was a three-way tie between Will & Harper, Sugarcane, and Super/Man the Christopher Reeve Story. When the final two votes were added, Sugarcane, an investigation into the Canadian Indian residential school system by directors Julian Brave, NoiseCat, and Emily Cassie, took the crown.

Another close result resulted in Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw The TV Glow just missing the top 10. The acclaimed A24 film about a TV show’s increasingly creepy fandom was narrowly edged out by James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, which hits theaters on Christmas Day.

“Every year we hear from the naysaying sectors of the industry that it wasn’t a very good year for film,” says Scott Phillips, President of SEFCA and writer for Forbes.com. “This slate of winners easily disproves that statement for 2024.

“Between theatrical distribution and streaming, releases can be a bit scattered and hard to find, but if you take the time to find the better films of 2024, they form a potent lineup. We hope that film fans out there can use our Top 10 list to catch up on some of the best that 2024 had to offer.”

Look for my Best of 2024 in next week’s issue of the Memphis Flyer. Meanwhile, here are the complete results of the SEFCA’s poll.

SEFCA’s Top 10 Films of 2024

  1. Anora
  2. The Brutalist
  3. Conclave
  4. Dune Part 2
  5. Challengers
  6. Nickel Boys
  7. Sing Sing
  8. Wicked
  9. The Substance
  10. A Complete Unknown
    Runner-Up: I Saw the TV Glow

Best Actor
Winner: Adrian Brody, The Brutalist
Runner-Up: Colman Domingo, Sing Sing

Best Actress
Winner: Mikey Madison, Anora
Runner-Up: Demi Moore, The Substance

Best Supporting Actor 
Winner: Guy Pearce, The Brutalist
Runner-Up: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain

Best Supporting Actress:
Winner: Ariana Grande, Wicked
Runner-up: Zoe Saldana, Emilia Perez

Best Ensemble
Winner: Conclave
Runner-Up: Sing Sing

Best Director
Winner: Brady Corbet, The Brutalist
Runner-Up: Sean Baker, Anora

Best Original Screenplay
Winner: Sean Baker, Anora
Runner-Up: Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, The Brutalist
 
Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: Peter Straughan, Conclave
Runner-Up: RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes, Nickel Boys

Best Documentary
Winner: Sugarcane
Runner-Up: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Best Animated Film
Winner: The Wild Robot
Runner-Up: Flow

Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: Emilia Perez
Runner-Up: The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Cinematography
Winner: Grieg Fraser, Dune Part 2
Runner-Up: Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu

Best Score
Winner: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Challengers
Runner-Up: Daniel Blumberg, The Brutalist

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News News Blog News Feature

Poll: TN Lawmakers Out of Touch on Issues but Still Popular

Tennessee legislators remain out of step with state voters over gun safety, the legalization of marijuana, and women’s reproductive healthcare, yet enjoy a bump in approval, according to the results of a recent Vanderbilt Poll. 

The poll surveyed 955 registered voters statewide from Nov. 18 to Dec. 4.

The survey found an approximate six to seven percent boost for state lawmakers: 53 percent of respondents approved of the job state lawmakers are doing, a seven percent increase from the May poll, while Gov. Bill Lee’s approval rating similarly moved from 54 percent to 60 percent. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who was overwhelmingly reelected in November for a second term, found her approval rating jump from 46 percent to 53 percent and Sen. Bill Hagerty’s rose to 46 percent from 40 percent. 

Vanderbilt Poll co-director Josh Clinton, a political science professor, said the increased ratings were likely “an afterglow of the election.” 

Yet across party lines, voters expressed support for the legalization of recreational marijuana, with 53 percent Republicans supporting such a move and 78 percent of Democrats. This comes as Tennessee’s Department of Agriculture is moving to ban the sale of recreational hemp products that are in the same family as marijuana but have been legal since 2019.

Four gun reform measures were tested, each of which polled strongly despite partisan affiliation. A whopping 86 percent of respondents said they support laws that would require gun owners to report if their weapons were stolen are missing — including 74 percent who identified as supporters of President-elect Donald Trump. 

When asked about passage of a so-called red flag law, which would temporarily restrict gun access for those deemed to be at risk of harming themselves or others, 78 percent indicated they are in favor. 

Tennessee hemp industry makes last-minute legal bid to halt rules banning popular products

Support for healthcare also garnered bipartisan support, with 73 percent supporting the expansion of Medicaid in Tennessee, a measure state lawmakers have consistently resisted since 2012. 

According to the Tennessee Justice Center, Tennessee loses about $1.4 billion in federal funds annually by declining to expand the program, which provides coverage to children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with disabilities. 

Tennessee has a near total abortion ban but the percentage of Tennesseans who say they support women’s right to obtain the procedure has climbed from 37 percent in 2012 — the first time the Vanderbilt Poll measured on the question — to 53 percent in the recent survey. 

“While much ink has been spilled about what the election results mean about the electorate, these results suggest little change in the opinions of Tennesseans, which means the misalignment between voters and elected officials continues,” said John Geer, co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll, senior advisor to Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, professor of political science and holder of a Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair.

In other findings: 

• Tennesseans are almost equally split on the question of whether the state is on the right track or wrong track, with 50 percent agreeing with the former and 46 percent  with the latter. 

• There has been almost no change in the percentage of poll respondents who describe themselves as conservative or very conservative, rising from 47 percent in 2015 to 48 percent almost a decade later. 

• Deportation of immigrants, particularly those with criminal records, is popular. Across all demographics and party affiliation, 84 percent of those polled support the deportation of undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes. 

The full poll can be accessed here

Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.

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Beyond the Arc Sports

Grizzlies Get Payback Against Brooklyn

The Memphis Grizzlies finally got their lick back against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night at FedExForum. The Grizzlies snapped their losing streak against the Nets, taking the final of the season’s three-game matchup, 135-119. Brooklyn had won the first two meetings. 

“The biggest thing was just [we were] locked in on the game plan,” said Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins on the biggest difference from playing the Nets earlier in the season. 

“We had way too many mistakes with our game plan. We learned a lot in the first game, and then we played them less than a week later up in Brooklyn, and we knew the game plan, we talked about it, watched the film, broke it down, all that, and we didn’t execute it.”

Jenkins concluded, “Maybe we just needed a couple extra weeks. I would give the Nets a lot of credit. They helped us a lot with our one-on-one defense and our shell defense, and they still made it tough tonight. When we made a mistake, they made you pay, but when we kind of dictated where our offense went, I thought we benefited.”

Memphis’ high-powered offense has fueled an 11-game streak of scoring 115+ points, matching the second-longest such mark in franchise history. The surge has led to a 10-1 record in those games, including a current four-game winning streak and a season-best six straight home victories.

The Grizzlies’ impressive scoring depth was on display against Brooklyn as four players reached the 20-point mark. 

Ja Morant’s stellar play continued, as he notched his seventh double-double of the season, including 28 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds. The Grizzlies improved to 18-8 on the season, thanks in part to Morant’s 16-point outburst in the second quarter — a season-high for him and the highest scoring quarter by any Memphis player this season.

Morant really didn’t want to lose to the Nets for the third time. After the game he recalled the difference from the earlier two meetings against Brooklyn: “Our fight — (we) have been coming out ready to play. I feel like [Desmond Bane] set the tone for us from the jump, and I feel like that’s what we were missing. Second half, we played a little slow in both of those [earlier] games when they went on their runs; it was allowing them to continue to score the ball and slow us down offensively. Tonight, I feel like we were more locked in, paid attention to detail. 

Morant continued, “Obviously, we know we owed them two for real, but I felt like it was on purpose that they were our matchup after the in-season tournament, and it’s what we needed. Obviously, you lose to a team twice, you get another chance at it. It’s kind of refreshing for us to come and get a win. It’s something to be proud of. You lose to a team; you always want to get your lick back.”

The Grizzlies’ balanced attack saw Bane scoring 21 points and dishing out eight assists, and Jaren Jackson Jr. adding 20 points, seven rebounds, and a season-high five steals.

Santi Aldama delivered a strong performance off the bench, tallying 20 points and grabbing six rebounds, which pushed him past the 1,000-rebound threshold for his career.

Everything is clicking for the Grizzlies right now but Bane has the right mindset going forward:  “We have to stay even keeled, it’s a long season,” Bane cautioned. “Adversity is going to hit us at some point, but we have to stay true to what we’ve built, regardless of the results.”

Tid-bits

Prior to tipoff, Jaylen Wells received the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award for his outstanding play in October and November. Notably, Wells is the first Grizzlies rookie to receive this recognition since Ja Morant in the 2019-20 season. 

Up Next

The Grizzlies are heading to Los Angeles to face off against the Lakers on Sunday, December 15. The game is scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. CST at the Crypto.com Arena.

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On the Fly We Recommend We Recommend

On the Fly: Week of 12/13/24

Twelfth Night
Tennessee Shakespeare Company
Through December 22
A “holiday tradition.” “Shakespeare’s most charming comedy, cast in a topsy-turvy world of cross-dressing lovers, yellow cross-garters, and crossed identities.” Fine, yes, I’m quoting from Tennessee Shakespeare Company’s website and they might be trying to sell tickets to their latest production but they’ve never let anyone down. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. through December 22nd. Tickets ($22-$44) can be purchased here

Fire Pit Friday
Tom Lee Park, Visionary Grove
Friday, December 13, 4:30-6:30 p.m. 
Get s’more time with the family on Fridays this December at Memphis River Parks Partnership’s Fire Pit Fridays. Each week features a fun new twist; this week is Salsa by the Fire! Enjoy a salsa lesson and lively performance beginning at 5:30 p.m., and Saqnta pics starting at 4:45 p.m. Limited free s’mores will be available at the first three events, so arrive early to enjoy this treat. Guests are welcome to bring (and share) their own s’more ingredients — skewers will be provided. On Friday, 13th, and 20th, Jasper Float & Spa brings the ultimate Dream Zone experience to the riverfront, featuring relaxing samples, sleep essentials, and a chance to win a 60-minute relaxation massage. 

South Main Songwriter Night
South Main Sounds
Friday, December 13, 7-9 p.m.
Kim Garmon-Hummel and Delta Joe Sanders return to South Main Sound’s stage and Lindsey Hinkle makes her long-awaited debut for South Main Songwriter Night.

Rachel Maxann’s Holiday Spirits: A Christmas Special with Friends
The Green Room at Crosstown Arts
Friday, December 13, 7:30 p.m.

Join singer-songwriter Rachel Maxann for a soulful Christmas celebration featuring heartfelt performances of holiday classics, original tunes, and special guests from the local music scene. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. 

The Nutcracker
Orpheum Theatre
Friday, December 13, 7:30 p.m. | Saturday, December 14, 2 p.m. | Saturday, December 14, 7: 30 p.m. Sunday, December 15, 2 p.m.

As someone who takes beginner ballet classes at Ballet Memphis and is firmly a beginner as my mom likes to remind me whenever I show off my skillz, I might be a bit biased, but The Nutcracker sounds like a perfect way to spend an evening this weekend. This year’s production features the new costumes and Memphis-twist that debuted last season. Performances last approximately two hours, and tickets ($16-$91) can be purchased here

Christmas Fiesta
The Dixon Gallery and Gardens
Saturday, December 14, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Learn about Christmas traditions of Latin American and the Caribbean at the Christmas Fiesta, presented by Cazateatro Bilingual Theater Group, Opera Memphis, and Dixon Gallery and Gardens. Visitors will enjoy the Christmas traditions of Latin America and the Caribbean, and learn about parrandas, posadas, piñatas, and more. Enjoy traditional Christmas music in Spanish, Latin food, crafts, and activities. Admission is free!

2024 Memphis Tubachristmas
Crosstown Concourse
Saturday, December 14, 1 p.m.
Watch a bunch of tuba players come together in Christmas cheer. That’s what makes a Tubachristmas. (If you want to participate, find out more here.)

Memphis Holiday Parade
Beale Street
Saturday, December 14, 2 p.m.

Memphis will be alight with holiday cheer at the annual Memphis Holiday Parade down Beale Street, with marching bands, steppers, twirlers, floats, and all sorts of sights on Saturday afternoon. You can also get your picture taken with Santa Claus for free on Friday the 13th, 5 to 7 p.m. on Beale. The pictures will be available on Facebook the next day here.

Sheet Cake First Birthday
Sheet Cake
Saturday, December 14, 5-7:30 p.m.

Celebrate Sheet Cake’s first trip around the sun, with two new exhibitions openings, cake (of course), DJ Bizzle Bluebland, and more. The two exhibits are “Loose Ends” with work by Brittney Boyd Bullock and “Back for Seconds” with work by Roger Allan Cleaves, Melissa Dunn, Stephanie Howard, and Clare Torina. 

Time Warp Drive-In: Strange Christmas Vol. 11 – Holly Jolly Holiday Horror
Malco Summer 4 Drive-In
Saturday, December 14, 7 p.m.
Explore the demented side of the holidays with a thrilling and disturbing fright fest screening Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022) and Troll Hunter (2010). Tickets are $25 per carload. 

HoHoHo Burlesque Show & Silent Auction
Hi Tone
Saturday, December 14, 9:30 p.m.
Memphis Roller Derby presents its largest fundraiser of the year and so much fun. They’ll have burlesque performances, a silent auction (holiday shopping, anyone?), and a skate raffle. Admission to the amazing acts and local items is $15. 

Acoustic Sunday Live
First Congregational Church
Sunday, December 15, 7 p.m.

If you like music, you might want to check out the Acoustic Sunday Live concert, or you could just go for the sake of a good cause, that being to support Protect Our Aquifer. This year’s lineup features legendary folk singer Tom Rush, celebrated singer-songwriter Steve Forbert, acclaimed Canadian blues singer Shakura S’aida, and Nashville-based Americana songwriter Tim Easton, with special guests Memphis’ own Marcella Simien, as well as violinist Anne Harris, hailing from Chicago. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased here

Steve-O: The Super Dummy Tour
Minglewood Hall
Sunday, December 15, 7 p.m.

Television personality and YouTuber Stephen Glover, popularly known as Steve O, will perform live. Tickets ($65-$80) can be purchased here. 18+. 

Drew & Ellie Holcomb’s Neighborly Christmas
Orpheum Theatre
Wednesday, December 18, 7:30 p.m.
Catch a neighborly Christmas concert with Drew and Ellie Holcomb. Drew’s a Memphis native and Ellie’s from Nashville, and together they’ve achieved over 1 billion streams. Drew and Ellie Holcomb’s Neighborly Christmas is a special engagement event, allowing the couple to collaborate. Tickets ($39.50-$99.50) can be purchased here

Lindsey Stirling – The Snow Waltz Tour
Cannon Center for the Performing Arts
Monday, December 16, 8 p.m.

Lindsey Stirling brings her Snow Waltz Tour to Memphis, complete with holiday staples and originals, dance and acrobatics, and more. Tickets ($52-$199) can be purchased here

Cookies and Caroling
Abe Goodman Golf Clubhouse
Tuesday, December 17, 5-7 p.m.
Join the Overton Park Conservancy and Opera Memphis for an evening of holiday cheer with a caroling singalong, delicious treats, and time with your loved ones. Beverages and bites will be from 5 to 6 p.m., and the singalong will start at 6 p.m. RSVP here.

There’s always something happening in Memphis. See a full calendar of events here.

Submit events here or by emailing calendar@memphisflyer.com.

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Memphis Flyer Podcast December 12, 2024: We’ve Got the Facts!

This week on the Memphis Flyer podcast, Toby Sells and Chris McCoy talk about this week’s cover story, “245 Facts About Memphis,” plus much more.