Musical Interlude.

After a tasty dinner at the Vortex, Ash, Glenn and I made our way to the She & Him show at Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points last night, and it was fantastic! For the exception of a minor setback - thanks to yours truly - Zooey, M. Ward and their band put on an incredibly entertaining show! Zooey Deschanel is just so darn adorable and her voice is ridiculously gorgeous. That twangy, bluesy, folky combination she has going on where she channels Emmylou and Joni works so well. And she and M. Ward blend together beautifully. The rest of the band was solid, and one of the ladies - Becky Stark, I believe - had a solo. She seems the most free-spirited of the band and I feel she has somewhat childlike ideals: sweet, yet naive. I mean, I'm getting this from one song, so I'm sure she's much tougher than she looks. Well, maybe not. Anyhow. Since they only have one album out, they played an hour long set then came back for a 2-song encore. Short, but sweet. I am looking forward to much more music from She & Him and, hopefully, future shows. They introduced a new song which is just as delightful as the rest, so I have high hopes for their sophomoric effort. And I also want to know where Zooey got her dress - super cute!

There was one opener: a bluegrass band called Freakwater, and they were good. I didn't love all their stuff, but they are definitely gifted musicians. The more I listened to them, the more I realized how I need some bluegrass in my life. I love the banjo! And the mandolin! I've decided to become a regular at the Olde Inne while on Cape since Irish seisiuns are always entertaining. I think, perhaps, I may have been a musician in a past-life but where are my musical abilities now?! Hmmm, maybe I'll bust out the old fiddle and join in one of those seisiuns. Then again, maybe not because they'll probably kick me out. Sigh.

Where's Paula Deen?

I enjoyed some delicious Southern cuisine on Saturday. For brunch, Ash, Glenn and I headed to West Egg Cafe in Atlanta. I've heard about West Egg for sometime, and passing it a few times this week, my curiosity peaked. It's nestled off the side of Howell Mill amidst the crazy construction that just will not end! But this does not intimidate the hungry patrons seeing that we had a 20 minute wait at noon. The place has the industrial look - wide open space with exposed pipes, vents - and while it may be a bit loud for intimate conversation, the food makes it well worth it. Debating among the specials and permanent food fixtures, I decided to go Southern and opted for the Fried Green Tomato Breakfast Wrap and a side of Turkey Sausage. Yummy! And since my coffee consumption has - sadly - waned significantly, I washed the wrap down with some delicious Batdorf & Bronson Coffee. Drinking my java, memories from last summer with Rita in Olympia came flooding back. Sigh to remembrances of days of high caffeination!

Many hours later, after digesting brunch, Ash, Glenn and I met Vic, Blakely, Ty and Noah at a place I've been super excited about for many, many months: Watershed. Rita and Melissa have been telling me about this place for years, and people at work have mentioned it as a place I MUST go before I leave Atlanta. And of course, the Amateur Gourmet blogged about it in his Atlanta post. Additionally, though some group members care nothing for the Indigo Girls, the place is co-owned by one of them, Emily, and appropriately named after one of my favorite Indigo Girls' songs.

After enjoying a beer (Red Brick Blonde - though I wanted the Summer Ale, but whatever) at Taco Mac up the street, we made our way to Watershed, then waited an additional half hour for our reserved table (boo). Finally, with a glass of Syrah in hand, we sat and perused the menu. To start, Noah and I shared the Butter Bean Hummus - something I've never had since all my hummus tastings have been of the chickpea variety - but this southern take on the Middle Eastern spread was delicious, and it seemed almost creamier - "butterier" as Ash coined - than most. For my entree I went completely southern (and vegetarian): Okra Pancakes, Summer Squash, Tomato, Cucumber Salad and, of course, a side of Mac-n-cheese. Everything was perfectly portioned, fresh and delicious. The Mac-n-cheese was by far the highlight of my meal, and I greatly urge you to get it if you make it to Watershed. You will not be disappointed! It's so creamy and cheesy, and the side portion is plenty since it has a bit of decadence to it. Everyone pretty much tried something different: Ash had duck, Glenn ate fried catfish and hush puppies, Vic went with the penne, Blakely tried the shrimp and sausage boil, and Noah and Ty both had the burger. Such boys. Overall, I think everyone really enjoyed their meal. Ash and Glenn as well as Blakely and Ty took up dessert, all trying the Very Good Chocolate Cake. It looked delicious, and while Ash said it was good, she didn't consider it the best she'd ever tried, but still enjoyable.

Though Brick Store was next on the list of the night's Decatur activities, with our bellies full, everyone parted ways and made it home. Safely, I believe. I would really like to hit up both West Egg and Watershed on a future ATL trip, but at least I knocked a couple more places off my ATL Dining Guide this weekend. Woot.

Wow, is it time for breakfast AGAIN already? Ohhhh tummy ache.

Don't Stop Believing?

This week was my final studio session with Robert Osborne, and the week's shoot grew tiring as each day was filled with many, many scripts resulting in each day running longer than the previous. Friday, the last day of the shoot, ran well over. Regardless, it was a fantastic opportunity and well worth it just to have Robert tell me that I'm part of the family and must come back. I'm sure he says that to each intern that graces the TCM family, but it was nice to hear. Hopefully, in a year or so, a more permanent opportunity will come my way.

And there was exciting news at TCM this week involving Ben Mankiewicz. With the departure of Ebert & Roeper from "At the Movies", Ben and Ben Lyons were announced as the show's new hosts. The two Bens will take the chairs in September, but no fears: Ben will continue his run as TCM's weekend movies host.

Back to Friday: After the shoot ran a couple hours over, a few of the ladies - Alexa, Brittany, Crystal, Sandy - and I headed to Nuevo Laredo for margaritas and guacamole. Delicious! Brittany, Victor, and I had lunch there one Friday afternoon but passed on the drinks and chips. Yesterday, however, we were all about them. We vented over the shoot, and I listened to stories about Robert in the "old" days - going back 15 years or so. And the margaritas proved a wise decision for the rest of the night's activities. Er, activity rather.

While last week's most anticipated release broke box office records all over the world, I'm pretty sure this week's will not follow that model. Ash and I accompanied Glenn to The X-Files: I Want to Believe. My hesitation grew throughout the day as I glimpsed titles or first lines of reviews: "I wanted to believe," "Hard to Believe in X-Files," "X-Files Movie a Thriller? Don't You Believe It." I try to stay away from reviews until I see a film, but needless to say, my hopes were not high for this one. I was never an X-Files fanatic. Sure, I watched a few episodes of the series while it was on air, and I saw the first movie, but for some reason, I just never got into it. Nothing against the paranormal and extraterrestrial themes - I find them fascinating - but Mulder and Scully just never did it for me. I don't know, perhaps I'm still a bit scarred from David Duchovny's appearance in Full Frontal. Anyhow, this second X-Files film was less than stellar than what I remember of the first, and I think I may have fallen asleep once or twice during it only to be awoken by the jarring stabs in my side from Glenn. Honestly, I can't explain the film's premise. I remember Amanda Peet being an agent, Mulder coming out of seclusion, and Scully being on staff at some Catholic hospital. I also remember Mulder and Scully discussing their son which came as a shock to me. They have/had a son?! When? Where's the kid? I don't think the movie answered either of those questions. When the film ended, I thought, okay, this was bad, but maybe a bona fide fan - like Glenn - saw something that completely by-passed me. Sadly, Glenn was just as disappointed as Ash and I. And to top it off: AMC only does student priced tickets on Thursdays - what's that about?! Sigh, depressing evening for all involved. The faith is gone.

Here's my card.

I just finished a delicious lunch of Chick-fil-a nuggets (the 8-count), and as I sit sipping the last drops of sweet tea from my cup, I've decided that now is the perfect time to reflect on the film which I saw last night, and the film which is probably the most anticipated of the season. No no. I'm not referring to Space Chimps but rather: The Dark Knight (TDK).

For the past few months I've been attempting to avoid anything TDK related. I've been so excited that I wanted my experience not to be tainted by overly suggestive trailers, reviews, interviews, etc. With Heath Ledger's untimely passing in January, I knew that would be nearly impossible, but for the most part I did pretty well. That is, of course, until two weeks ago when the hype really escalated and my world was inundated with TDK everything! Finally, the 18th of July arrived, and with my ticket pre-purchased, I was ready for the film that would not disappoint.

And disappoint it did not. However, the dark nature of this second Chris Nolan Batman installment cannot be emphasized enough. With the doom and destruction overrunning Gotham City, my stomach began turning, my hands grew clammy, and I could not wait for the 2.5 hour film to end. Heath Ledger's Joker is eerily fantastic, but thoughts of his mortality and depression never escaped me, thus fueling my unease. He played the sinister psychopathic Joker so well and with such impeccable delivery that it saddens me (and I'm sure many many others) that never again will I see Heath in that role. Of course in addition to the Joker, there's Batman and Harvey Dent: Christian Bale being - in my mind - the quintessential Batman, and while I'm not a huge Aaron Eckhart fan, he did a fine job as Dent. Rounding out the cast are Michael Caine flawlessly portraying Alfred, Gary Oldman as Gordon and Maggie Gyllenhaal filling in as Rachel (since that Scientologist couldn't handle the job and, undeniably, making this film a bit more enjoyable than the first). I was really hoping the Joker would have said something to Rachel along the lines of "I can't quit you - or your brother" but alas, no. The screenwriters must have thought that distasteful.

My only regret with seeing TDK was that I didn't see the IMAX release. Just from the standard theater viewing, I could tell how amazing the IMAX experience must be! The action sequences are ridiculously awesome and the cinematography riveting that seeing an IMAX film on an IMAX screen must enhance the movie so much more! I've decided to give myself two weeks - preparation, really - for the IMAX crowds to die down, then head over and see it once more. Hopefully, with a little more enjoyment and a little less nausea. Uh oh. Tea's all gone. I'm out.

Reds and Whites, but not so many Blues.

So much has been going on the past couple weeks. Where do I even begin?!

First off, WALL-E. Oh my goodness, it's been a while since an animated film has made me cry, and this one did it more than once. Though the film is not my favorite Pixar, it might be fighting for spot number two. A robot expressing his love for another through a Hollywood musical (Hello Dolly! directed by the one and only Gene Kelly) - how much cuter and sincere can it get?! The nostalgia factor presses hard, even for items that are still very much in use today, and watching the title character interact with a (dare I say adorable) cockroach as well as his love EVE, well, I don't understand how anyone could keep a dry eye. WALL-E also references a number of classic science fiction films, so any film geek will definitely enjoy it. I must commend Pixar for continuing to do fantastic work on making "kid" movies adult friendly. Well done, Pixar. Thanks for a summer movie that doesn't suck.

Fourth of July in Georgia was fantastically fun though not so over-the-top patriotic. At least, for my group of travelers. Ash, Glenn, Vic, Ken, and I went to the Georgia mountains and sampled the local wines. We stayed at a cabin just outside Helen and explored three vineyards in Dahlonega. Before that, however, we hit up the Habersham Tasting Room on Dahlonega's square. Paying 5 bucks for 5 tastings and a glass was definitely a great start to the trip. They offered some unusual wines as well with Peach Treat being the stand out.

The next day we completed our hat trick of vineyards beginning with Black Stock. We were unanimous in our dislike for this one. While it is the oldest vineyard in Georgia, it happens to be the youngest winery. Perhaps they'll improve in a few years time. I must say the best wine was their White Merlot. Yes, that's right - White Merlot. For someone who prefers red and does not like merlot, I was shocked. But it wasn't delightful enough for me to buy a bottle.

The next vineyard - just down the road from the first - put Blackstock to shame. Frogtown was not only gorgeous and not only dog-friendly, but their wines were pretty delicious. We all opted for the white wine tasting, and I believe we were all very impressed. I think my favorite of the eight I tried was the Vineaux Blanc - perfect summer beverage. I didn't purchase a bottle, but I did take home a very nice red wine glass with the frog insignia. I look forward to my first glass with that.

From Frogtown we headed a little farther down the road to Wolf Mountain Vineyards which really takes your breath away as you head toward the tasting room. Their vines cover a lot of land, and the product is quite good. The tasting incorporated reds and whites, but I feel that my taste buds were shot from the first two stops because I couldn't finish most of my pours. However, I do remember them all being very nice, and everyone minus me, opted for a full glass and a bottle or two to take home. I think that attests to the overall thumbs up for Wolf.

Ranking the three vineyards - not so easy. Black Stock definitely falls to the bottom, but it's a toss up for Frogtown and Wolf. I think I should go back and research a bit more. Make sure I get my notes accurate.