News entertainment 2008-05-13 Andanh.com

Facing Race Head-On Fri, 9 May 2008 18:13:39 -0500
Barack Obama confronted the issue of race in Indiana and won.

'Fast Times' with the Judge Tue, 13 May 2008 14:25:14 -0600

Another reminder: The greatest teeny-bop movie of all time screens tonight at Riverdale (helped to that position by the best performance Sean Penn's ever given). Derek Jenkins (AKA A boy named Sooie) will moderate a Q&A with Judge Reinhold pre-screening at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available here exclusively. Craig Renaud told me last Friday they were selling briskly.

Little Rock finally gets its due... Tue, 13 May 2008 13:56:24 -0600
...in a viral marketing campaign that no one will see.

"Sync My Music" is a collaboration with Microsoft and Ford and Lincoln to raise awareness about the sync feature on new Fords and Lincolns that allows riders to control music through voice activation. It's on of those Jetsons-style futuristic things that no one cares about now that it's possible.

The heart of the campaign is a mini-reality web-show starring Kim and Seanna, two fun-loving YAs, who're flirting their way across the country, giggling, swishing their hair around a lot, using their Sync and standing slack-jawed and screaming "I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE AT THE SHOW." Only Kim, Seanna, their corporate sponsors, their parents, their most loyal friends and creepy, lonely old men will watch anymore than 15 seconds of the show.

To get to the Little Rock parts, go to Explore, then don't click on the Little Rock links (they'll take you to stories about Indianapolis). Instead, go up to Texas/South and find the links there. Or here and here.

The freelancer behind the project, a very nice lady from Seattle, who'd never been to Little Rock and had no plans to come, called me for help. She said it was for MSN (she probably thought it was). So I answered her questions for about an hour one Saturday. She called several other folks around town, too.

One is called "Where to Rock in Little Rock" and the other is "Little Rock's Brainiest Bands," possibly named so because the writer has a bit about David Slade graduating from Yale.

Feels great to be a corporate pawn.

The real lesson in all this is, of course, that we should all go into advertising and run elaborate multimedia cons on clueless corporate spend-a-lots.

Get ready to stand in a really, really long line Tue, 13 May 2008 12:06:52 -0600

AKA...

Maybe it's a super-secret show or maybe it just got booked, but I only just heard about the Foxboro Hot Tubs playing Juanita's on Monday from an editor at NME looking for a review. Keeping it slightly under-wraps probably makes sense for the venue, since as any good pop-culture adherent knows, the FHTs are actually an alter-ego, a nom de stage, of Green Day.

This is what happens when you become a ridiculously huge arena rock band: You get bored and you try to reinvent yourself. Thankfully, this is no Chris Gaines makeover. The Hot Tubs, which include regular Green Day guitarist and Little Rock native Jason White, might even sound better than Green Day. The music is throwback garage rock that echoes the Stooges and Tommy James and the Shondells.

Maybe they’ll wear costumes.

There’s no presale. Tickets cost $20. The show starts at 8 p.m. at Juanita’s on Monday, May 19.

Monday To-Do: Dead Media Release Show Mon, 12 May 2008 10:34:01 -0600

DEAD MEDIA RELEASE SHOW
8 p.m., Sticky Fingerz. $4.

Nathan Brown, a.k.a. Browningham, the smooth soul crooner with a voice to rival Michael McDonald's, has a unique passion: He loves the eight-track. Brown argues that eight-tracks didn't catch on because of low fidelity or impracticality, but because of “human error, laziness, irresponsibility or bad decision making.” With his new eight-track project Dead Media — a label, analog recording service, used eight-track store and repair service — he hopes to expose the medium's true potential. On Monday, in conjunction with Thick Syrup Records Monday night showcase, Dead Media celebrates its first release, “You're Really Hot!” by the Crisco Kids. The Kids, one of Little Rock's most unhinged punk groups, will perform along with local folk-rockers Stacy Mackey and awesome-sounding new garage punks the Buttons. Don't have an eight-track? No worries. They'll be for sale along with T-shirts and more.

Walton Foundation gives Cross County district $240K Tue, 13 May 2008 13:37:00 EST
CHERRY VALLEY -- The Walton Family Foundation has donated $240,000 to the Cross County School District to provide laptop computers for the school's 330 high school students.

MHHS reaches title game Tue, 13 May 2008 03:23:00 EST
The Mountain Home Lady Bombers flexed their offensive muscle and won a 9-6 battle with Watson Chapel on Monday to advance to the 6A State Championship game at Lady 'Back Yard on Friday in Fayetteville.

ASUMH students receive diplomas Tue, 13 May 2008 03:17:00 EST
As the sun set over Arkansas State University Mountain Home Campus Monday, staff and faculty were the first to congratulate the graduates. A double line of graduates strolled through the middle of those who had taught and mentored them.

Jerry Elwood Balch, 63 Mon, 12 May 2008 23:00:00 EST
YELLVILLE — A funeral for Jerry Elwood Balch, 63, of Yellville will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at Burns Funeral Home Chapel. Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. today at the funeral home. Mr. Balch died Saturday, May 10, 2008.

Enjoy the convention Mon, 12 May 2008 23:00:00 EST
Mike Keefe

Flippin woman dies in Marion County jail Tue, 13 May 2008 10:06:00 EST
A Flippin woman died Monday in the Marion County jail.

ADEQ: Landfill requires new plan Mon, 12 May 2008 23:00:00 EST
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality is urging Baxter County landfill officials to submit another plan for removal of overfilled waste and indicated more extensions likely will not be approved.

Edith Geneva Fletcher, 84 Mon, 12 May 2008 23:00:00 EST
YELLVILLE — A funeral for Edith Geneva Fletcher, 84, of Conway, formerly of Flippin, will be 10 a.m. today at Burns Funeral Home Chapel. Ms. Fletcher died Friday, May 9, 2008.

Dreams from his mother, too Mon, 12 May 2008 23:00:00 EST
BOSTON — From time to time during this primary, I've wondered about Obama's mama. In a race that was so much about biography, about beliefs rooted in her son's "DNA," she's made only cameo appearances.

Warriors eliminate Cougars Mon, 12 May 2008 23:00:00 EST
BROCKWELL — The Izard County Cougars rallied from a 4-1 deficit to tie the game at 5-all, but came up short in an 8-6 loss to the Trinity Christian Warriors of Texarkana in the quarterfinals of the Class 1A State Baseball Tournament Monday afternoon at the Cougar Sports Complex.

MUSIC REVIEW: Underwood concert lights up Alltel Arena Mon, 12 May 2008 03:32:00 -0500
OK, sure, country music is getting more progressive with each passing year but has there been a country show in recent memory with: Four costume changes by the lead singer?

Chinese Dir