Monthly Archives: December, 2011
Happy Hour: Fatter Than The Fattest Tuesday
- The Nashville Electric Service just about gave everyone a heart attack today, or at least those who receive their bills by email, when they sent out bills in excess of $1,500 by accident. The glitch has since been fixed and people should be receiving corrected bills within the next few days. [WSMV]
- Meteorologists are calling for about 1-2 inches of rain between tonight and tomorrow afternoon, primarily falling between midnight and 6am. As such, we’re under a flood watch through Wednesday. [Tennessean]
- The Health Freedom Act allowing Tennesseans to opt out of the federal health care reform laws has passed the state House and Senate and will be going before Governor Haslam for approval. [Tennessean]
- Vince Young wants Nashville, but Nashville doesn’t want him. [WSMV]
- FYI: Depression over a recent Preds loss is not a valid excuse for getting out of jury duty, however upset you might be. [Tennessean]
- But speaking of depression, Tennessee is only the 40th happiest state in the country and our poor neighbors in Kentucky are ranked 49th. Cheer up, y’all! [WSMV]
- That new roundabout proposed for downtown as part of the Music City Center construction is caught up in legal red tape. However, “The project includes a sculpture that will help cap the look of the new Music City Center.” We can only hope this means more Nashville Nudies. [WSMV]
Photo by Juliette.
The Nashville Electric Service just about gave everyone a heart attack today, or at least those who receive their bills by email, when they sent out bills in excess of $1,500 by accident. The glitch has since been fixed and people should be receiving corrected bills within the next few days. [WSMV] Meteorologists are calling [...]
Happy Hour: How Many Days Until Spring?
- Some Tennessee colleges are a little upset about a bill currently making its way through the state legislature that would allow concealed weapons on college campuses. [WPLN]
- Tennessee’s average gas price per gallon is $3.37 and climbing, along with the rest of the nation. [WKRN]
- The folks in Hendersonville are trying to come up with a way to warn people about tornadoes since they have no tornado sirens and don’t foresee the funds to build any anytime soon. Sumner County’s March 18,1925 twister still holds the record for the deadliest tornado in Tennessee history. [WSMV]
- Spring Hill Planning Commission Chair Michael Glass says he feels the commission is being “ramrodded” into a decision about the proposed Festival Tennessee theme park. Last week, we watched the proposal sort of unravel before our eyes following a slew of stories questioning the believability of the developers. Chairman Glass also passed along this gem of a mock press release that’s been making the internet rounds poking fun at the ridiculousness of the entire proposal. Guess we know where he stands! [WSMV]
- Tennessee is still the second most obese state in the country and health experts are now questioning why TennCare will pay for weight loss surgery, but not counseling from a dietician. [WKRN]
- Jimmy Buffet is coming back to the Bridgestone on May 28th! Tickets go on sale Friday at 10am. [WKRN]
Photo by Eva Maria.
Some Tennessee colleges are a little upset about a bill currently making its way through the state legislature that would allow concealed weapons on college campuses. [WPLN] Tennessee’s average gas price per gallon is $3.37 and climbing, along with the rest of the nation. [WKRN] The folks in Hendersonville are trying to come up with [...]
Bright & Early: The High Road Edition
Good morning, Nashville. If you’ve been hanging around Nashville long enough, you may remember that time that Georgia sought to annex part of our state in order to gain access to the Tennessee River because they were running out of water. This near-invasion spawned some good stories like the Chattanooga mayor shipping a truckload of bottled water to the Georgia state capitol building, but it was ultimately unsuccessful. And anyway, they’re back at it. Due to more anticipated water shortages, Georgia says they’d like to access the river without hacking off part of our state this time and could pump as much as 400 million gallons out of it per day without disturbing anyone. After all, they point out, no one actually owns a river.
- TEA party. Thousands of teachers and supporters turned out on Saturday to march with the Tennessee Education Association in protest of a controversial bill that would strip teachers’ unions of their collective bargaining rights.
- The hills are always greener. Mayor Dean and Metro Councilman Sean McGuire are expected to announce a new initiative this afternoon to make Green Hills the greenest neighborhood in Nashville by urging residents to shell out $150 for a home energy audit the the potential for a refund if they complete recommended changes. The initiative will be called Greener Hills.
- Bits & pieces. More soaking rain in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, but probably no storms … A light pole fell over onto the interstate yesterday afternoon near downtown and caused several wrecks, though no one was hurt … A local baseball league is still struggling to overcome the effects of the flood despite donations from the Nashville Sounds and even the MLB.
Photo by Kerry Woo.
Good morning, Nashville. If you’ve been hanging around Nashville long enough, you may remember that time that Georgia sought to annex part of our state in order to gain access to the Tennessee River because they were running out of water. This near-invasion spawned some good stories like the Chattanooga mayor shipping a truckload of [...]
Happy Hour: Just Bloom Already
- News Channel 5 debunked a few more claims today by the developers of the proposed Festival Tennessee theme park in Spring Hill. In addition to that Michael Jackson movie project they never finished and the discussion about moving the Grand Ole Opry, no one has trademarked the Festival Tennessee name, the company failed to produce two music magazines it announced in 2004, they’ve never contacted the NBA about bringing a team to Spring Hill, they’ve never talked to TDOT about installing the new exit they would need, and some eviction troubles back in Florida because CEO David Peterson couldn’t come up with $8,000 in rent. [WTVF]
- Brentwood native and Preds rookie Blake Geoffrion has been cleaning up on the ice this week, scoring his first and second career goals and contributing to last night’s glorious victory over the Canucks. [Tennessean]
- Metro Schools Director Jesse Register gave his “State of the Metro Schools” address last night and emphasized that they wouldn’t be outsourcing any jobs despite the budget cuts. About 600 custodial positions were outsourced last school year. [City Paper]
- Metro Police will have some extra bicycle and horseback patrol units out tomorrow for the teachers’ march on the Capitol over the collective bargaining issue, which they anticipate drawing about 5,000 people. [WSMV]
- The clouds are starting to roll in and meteorologists are expecting about 1-3 inches of rain tomorrow. If you’re near a creek or other body of water, keep an eye on those flood advisories. [Nashville WX]
- And in really important news, the Tennessee State Senate will be honoring Allen Benton, the man behind Benton’s Bacon, with a Senate resolution. [Post Politics]
Photo by Eva Maria.
News Channel 5 debunked a few more claims today by the developers of the proposed Festival Tennessee theme park in Spring Hill. In addition to that Michael Jackson movie project they never finished and the discussion about moving the Grand Ole Opry, no one has trademarked the Festival Tennessee name, the company failed to produce [...]
Happy Hour: Something Smells Fishy
- The Festival Tennessee theme park story continues to unravel with Gaylord flat-out denying the developers’ claim that they’d ever discussed the possibility of moving the Grand Ole Opry to Spring Hill. Says Gaylord VP Brian Abrahamson: “We are, however, in discussions with them on some oceanfront property we have for sale in Arizona.” Zing! [Tennessean]
- A local attorney also recognized the renderings of Festival Tennessee from another ill-fated proposal made by the same company a few years ago, Festival Las Vegas, because it was the exact same drawing. As you might have guessed, that one didn’t pan out either. [Tennessean]
- The MTSU student who allegedly stabbed women’s basketball player Tina Stewart to death yesterday is claiming she did it out of self-defense. [WTVF]
- The January unemployment rate in Tennessee was 9.5%, which is an increase of 0.1% over December. [WTVF]
- The Beale Street Music Festival lineup was announced today, and it’s pretty outrageous. Ke$ha, Cee Lo Green, Mumford & Sons, the Flaming Lips and MGMT all made the bill. [WSMV]
Photo by Victor Guy.
The Festival Tennessee theme park story continues to unravel with Gaylord flat-out denying the developers’ claim that they’d ever discussed the possibility of moving the Grand Ole Opry to Spring Hill. Says Gaylord VP Brian Abrahamson: “We are, however, in discussions with them on some oceanfront property we have for sale in Arizona.” Zing! [Tennessean] [...]
Bright & Early: Will It Or Won’t It Edition
Good morning, Nashville. Local news outlets are all abuzz about Festival Tennessee, a proposed Spring Hill theme park announced at yesterday’s press conference by Big International Group of Entertainment, Inc. The $750 million project would span 1,500 acres and include a water park, roller coasters, movie studios, hotels, a charter school and a sports complex that developers hope will attract an NBA team. Developers also say it could create as many as 15,000-20,000 jobs and somehow hopefully solve Tennessee’s meth problem. After some digging around, however, it was revealed that Big International Group of Entertainment director Dennis Peterson has been involved with at least four companies who have had business licenses revoked in his home state of Nevada. One of those companies was even sued after bouncing a $200,000 check related to a Michael Jackson movie project that never came to fruition. News Channel 5 also caught up with Roger Kidneigh, president of the company, who filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009. Spring Hill city officials say that they’ve made no commitments yet and can back out with no consequences at this point.
- More violence around MTSU. MTSU women’s basketball player Tina Stewart, 21, was found stabbed to death at an apartment complex near campus last night and her roommate is being charged with the murder. The school administration has counselors available for any coaches, teammates or other students who need help.
- Tornaders. The National Weather Service confirmed that three different tornadoes touched down in southeast Tennessee on Monday during all those crazy storms. That said, be on the lookout for more nasty weather tomorrow and Saturday with good flooding potential.
- Bits & pieces. Local businesses are getting a little concerned that an NFL lockout could mean less business for them … Around 100 new horses are being trained in Nashville for police use and crowd control … The Bellevue Mall is still hanging out and waiting for that new Nashville library to go in.
Photo by Paul Beavers.
Good morning, Nashville. Local news outlets are all abuzz about Festival Tennessee, a proposed Spring Hill theme park announced at yesterday’s press conference by Big International Group of Entertainment, Inc. The $750 million project would span 1,500 acres and include a water park, roller coasters, movie studios, hotels, a charter school and a sports complex [...]
Happy Hour: Festival Tennessee
- The big news today is the new theme park, Festival Tennessee, that will supposedly be opening in Spring Hill to include a water park, roller coasters, restaurants, hotels, movie studios, a sportsplex and also possibly an NBA team? Developers say it could also create 15,000-20,000 jobs. Well, okay. We’ll believe it when we see it. [Tennessean]
- Predictably, some folks already smell something fishy. [Nashville Business Journal]
- A giant fight broke out at Baxter Alternative School today that was originally thought to be gang-related, but turned out to be “a disagreement over a romantic relationship.” Either way, nine students were arrested. [City Paper]
- Metro is getting closer to buying up part of the Hickory Hollow Mall for a new park, library and community center. [Tennessean]
- A bill that would have barred counties and cities from passing their own laws pertaining to discrimination, minimum wage, health insurance benefits and family leave stalled in a House subcommittee today. [WSMV]
- Weather experts are calling for some flooding this weekend because of the heavy rain in the forecast and the fact that the ground is already saturated. [Tennessean]
Photo by Liz H.
The big news today is the new theme park, Festival Tennessee, that will supposedly be opening in Spring Hill to include a water park, roller coasters, restaurants, hotels, movie studios, a sportsplex and also possibly an NBA team? Developers say it could also create 15,000-20,000 jobs. Well, okay. We’ll believe it when we see it. [...]
Nashville Film Festival Announces 2011 Feature Films, Tickets On Sale April 7
The 2011 Nashville Film Festival is just around the corner and we have a feeling that our expectations for the best fest ever are right on track. The festival announced this year’s feature films in competition and major categories today, including Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” (Winner of the Palm d’Or at Cannes 2010), Cindy Meehl’s “Buck” (Audience Award for Best Documentary at Sundance 2011) and Alrick Brown’s “Kinyarwanda” (Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at Sundance 2011). Straight from the horse’s mouth:
Winner of the Palm d’Or at Cannes, Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,” a natural, free-wheeling, pensive and dryly funny film combining Buddhist belief, cinematic history, and Northern Thailand folklore, will join more than a dozen international films in the World Cinema category. Joining “Uncle Boonmee…” in the category will be “Buck,” American director Cindy Meehl’s portrait of Buck Brannaman, the inspiration for “The Horse Whisperer.” The film picked up the Audience Award for Best Documentary at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Also of note in World Cinema is veteran Japanese filmmaker Takashi Mikke’s “13 Assassins” and Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Frammartino’s “Le Quattro Volte (The Four Times).”
In the Narrative Competition Presented by Bridgestone, director Alrick Brown’s “Kinyarwanda,” winner of the Audience Award from Best Narrative Feature at Sundance, is based on true accounts from survivors during the 1994 Rwandan genocide who took refuge at the Grand Mosque of Kigali and the Imams who opened their doors to give refuge to the Tutsi and to those Hutu who refused to participate in the killing.
Check out the full list of selected films (many are regional and world premieres) in the World Cinema, Narrative Competition, New Directors Competition, Documentary Competition, Music City Competition and Graveyard Shift categories after the jump or in the official press release. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for more films to be announced, including opening and closing night films (previous opening day premieres include “500 Days of Summer” and “Nowhere Boy”).
If you haven’t experienced the Nashville Film Festival yet, make 2011 your first. The fest kicks off April 14 and runs through the 21st, and it’s become a major highlight of every year for us (it only gets better as the years pass). Patron-level festival laminates are on sale now for $250, and include tickets for up to 40 films and access to food & drink in the VIP tent. Ticketing for individual films begins on April 5 for laminate holders and April 7for the general public.
2011 Nashville Film Festival, April 14-21 at Regal Green Hills Stadium 16.
Photo by christyfrink.
The 2011 Nashville Film Festival is just around the corner and we have a feeling that our expectations for the best fest ever are right on track. The festival announced this year’s feature films in competition and major categories today, including Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” (Winner of the Palm [...]
Bright & Early: Amped Up Edition
Good morning, Nashville. With the kickoff of the Country Radio Seminar (CRS) today, it’s expected to be a busy and crowded rest of the week in downtown Nashville. There’s also plenty of March Madness to be had as the SEC women’s basketball tournament rolls into the Bridgestone Arena tomorrow and and Ohio Valley Conference brings men’s and women’s basketball to the Municipal Auditorium through Saturday. And this is all very good news for our economy! But if you’re planning to head downtown this week, consider a carpool or maybe taking that free Circulator bus that everyone forgets about.
- Storm damages school. Stratford High School has taken quite a beating in the last couple of severe storms, and crews are working around the clock to patch holes in the roof and replace the waterlogged gym floor.
- Bambi, is that you? A stray deer was spotted roaming through downtown last weekend, spotted by numerous residents of the Encore Condos on Saturday morning. Metro Animal Control officials say it was likely sick or disoriented, but fortunately it wandered away before it or anyone else was hurt!
- Bits & pieces. Tennessee lottery sales set a new record last month … Governor Haslam will be touring all the tornado damage today … Spring Hill may be getting its own theme park, but nobody seems to know what’s up … Muslim, Christian and Jewish faith leaders are banding together to fight Sen. Ketron’s anti-Sharia Law bill … The IRS says they’ve got unclaimed tax returns for Tennesseans dating back to 2007.
Photo by Victor Guy.
Good morning, Nashville. With the kickoff of the Country Radio Seminar (CRS) today, it’s expected to be a busy and crowded rest of the week in downtown Nashville. There’s also plenty of March Madness to be had as the SEC women’s basketball tournament rolls into the Bridgestone Arena tomorrow and and Ohio Valley Conference brings [...]
Happy Hour: There’s A Lot To Be Said For Bartering
- State Sen. Bill Ketron, who recently drew some fire for proposing a law banning Sharia Law in Tennessee, would now like for Tennessee to look into creating its own currency in case the Federal Reserve System falls apart. [WSMV]
- Dear Franklin folks, if you hear a tornado siren, please do not call 911 and ask questions. They just mean you should seek some cover, and also, you’re tying up the phone lines. [WTVF]
- Metro is officially hiring a firm to come up with a master plan for the State Fairgrounds by the end of this year. And yes, the plan could simply be to keep using it the way we’ve always used it. [City Paper]
- Titans backup quarterback Chris Simms made a court appearance in NYC today, trying to clear himself of accusations that he was driving around back in July smoking weed. [WTVF]
- The Country Music Hall of Fame has some new members! [WPLN]
Photo by Ryan2013.
State Sen. Bill Ketron, who recently drew some fire for proposing a law banning Sharia Law in Tennessee, would now like for Tennessee to look into creating its own currency in case the Federal Reserve System falls apart. [WSMV] Dear Franklin folks, if you hear a tornado siren, please do not call 911 and ask [...]
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