Tuesdays with Morrie: a stunning memoir tugs heartstrings on Roxy stage

By Christine Anne Piesyk | May 25, 2008 |

A minimalist production of Tuesdays with Morrie opened this week at the Roxy Regional Theater with breathtaking performances by its two stars: Jay Doolittle and Joe Sonenshein. The finely woven connection between both men manifests itself as a tour-de-force performance of Broadway caliber.

Morrie (Jay Doolittle at left) with Mitch (Joe Sonenshein) in the Roxy Regional theatre production of Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie.

Doolittle as the aged professor Morrie Schwartz and Sonenshein as student/author Mitch Albom loom larger than life even as they navigate the simplest truths of living, dying and what it means to love. The play is based on real-life Albom’s memoir of the same title. This is adaptation of another medium at its finest and our actors capitalize on that. «Read the rest of this article»

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Memorial Day: Remember, honor the fallen

By Christine Anne Piesyk | May 25, 2008 |

Though summer is a month away, Memorial Day has become the traditional launch date for the summer season, with all the accompanying hype about barbecues, picnics, the end of school for many, the start of vacation season for many others.

And while all of that is true, we need to take the time to remember and honor the reason we have this holiday: our veterans and our soldiers on active duty.

War has littered America’s historical landscape, beginning with the Revolutionary War that forged the democracy we live in. The Civil War bloodied our own soil in a way that World Wars I and II, Korea and Vietnam, did not, though those wars took an enormous toll on American soldiers and their families. There have been other battles along the way, inclduing the much more recent and controversial Gulf Wars I and II (a.k.a the Iraq war). «Read the rest of this article»

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The influence of faith on public policy; where do the candidates stand?

By Rev. Charles Moreland | May 25, 2008 |

In this year with its presidential race, we continually seek information on the views of the candidates. We search for understanding of their positions.

The Iraq War, the environment, education, and taxes. It is also appropriate to look at their views on religion, especially at how it will affect their decisions is elected because religious views do influence political decisions. I still believe that a religious viewpoint is one reason behind America’s invasion of Iraq. A personal understanding of eschotology contributed to the quagmire and the deaths of thousands of our soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens.

Religion is an item discussed by the current crop of candidates on television, radio and in their speeches. We know where they go to church, how they interpret the Bible, what they pray for and other spiritual matters. It’s a major item to manipulate a portion of our religious society called the evangelicals (whom I think should be identified as fundamentalists). «Read the rest of this article»

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Black Tie Dinner Dance marks 5th anniversary

By Turner McCullough Jr. | May 24, 2008 |

Guests regaled as local couple’s anniversary and birthday celebration advances to new level

May 16th and 17th marked the fifth anniversary of Family Properties’ Black Tie Dinner Dance. The annual combination celebration highlights the wedding anniversary of Doris and James Witherspoon and James’ birthday. What distinguishes this celebration is that the feted couple actually produce the annual weekend-long celebration, staging the affair and entertainment. The two-day gala features two sumptuous sit-down dinners and live entertainment provided by The Blues Doctor- “Dr. J. W. Feelgood” and the BCOL (Better Choice Of Living) Band. «Read the rest of this article»

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Johnnie Mae’s Soul Food: Cozy elegance, sumptuous fare

By Turner McCullough Jr. | May 24, 2008 |

New location yields soft comfort, welcoming ambiance and truly scrumptious home cooking!

Johnnie Mae’s Soul Food has settled in to it’s new location at 1630 Fort Campbell Blvd. With recipes learned at the hands of her grandmother in Tuskegee, Alabama, Odessa Fouse has created a welcoming cozy atmosphere with a warm, eclectic decor that feels, at once, at home and softly elegant. A hearty welcome greets each visitor.

Those who are familiar with the previous location on Fort Campbell Blvd near the Ringgold Road Post Office will be delighted to know that the menu remains unchanged and the quality of the food is also staunchly intact. These family recipes are prepared with care and reverence to Johnnie Mae’s exacting standards. No pork seasoning or lard is used. Vegetable oil, herbs and spices and Johnnie Mae’s instilled sense of ’something special’ grace each offering with mouthwatering delight. «Read the rest of this article»

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CDF: Break the ‘cradle to prison’ pipeline

By Turner McCullough Jr. | May 24, 2008 |

Interest Group Meets with Children’s Defense Fund Staffers. See meeting as a call to end adult hypocrisy, neglect and abandonment of children and America’s Cradle to Prison Pipeline Crisis.

A lively group discussion among Clarksville citizens marked a meeting with organizational training representatives of the Children’s Defense Fund. Lissa McCloud, CDF Tennessee Organizing Director, led the gathering. She and Elandria Williams of the Highlander Research and Education Center are crossing the state to meet with local groups. Their mission: to gauge communities’ perception of and desire to address the glaring disparity in minority male youth who fail to complete high school and are subsequently being fed into the prison and judicial system. «Read the rest of this article»

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Memphis Sound taps local youth for summer internship

By Turner McCullough Jr. | May 24, 2008 |

Sponsors sought for Drum and Bugle Corps Ensemble internship

Jason Van Hodge is feeling pretty good about himself. The Kenwood High School student has been accepted for membership in the Memphis Sound Drum and Bugle Corps 2008 Summer Internship. He was selected from several hundred youth across the country for one of only 100 positions in this competitive performing ensemble. As a member of the Memphis Sound Drum and Bugle Corps he will serve as an ambassador for our community in this nationally touring ensemble.

The Memphis Sound Drum and Bugle Corps is a member of the Mid-South Youth Performing Arts Association, a 501(C)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the performing arts education of young people in the Mid-South. The mission of the Memphis Sound Drum & Bugle Corps is to release the full potential of today’s youth by promoting self-awareness, acceptance, respect, dedication, and teamwork through the participation in the competitive marching arts. «Read the rest of this article»

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Prince Caspian falls short of “greatness”

By David W. Shelton | May 23, 2008 |

There’s a lot to like with The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Hereafter Caspian). Unfortunately, there’s also a lot to dislike. With a mix of teen angst, childlike yearning, and rebel-gone-right personalities among the royal Pevensie brothers and sisters, our heroes (and presumably audiences) have returned once again to the world run by the most verbose lion in cinema (and literary) history. Only now, it’s more than two hundred years later than the events in the first film.

For fans of the original Narnia film, Caspian presents complete culture shock. Gone are the vast green fields and talking beavers that told of great lions. Instead, we’re met with a group of humans that behave… well… like humans. For a brief period of time, I wondered whether or not I was in the right multiplex auditorium. This was the first of many jarring distractions in what could have been a glorious cinematic experience.

Perhaps this is a good time for a few disclosures. I’m probably one of the few English-speaking men in the western pantheon who has not read any of the Narnia books. My own history with Narnia was (until the previous film) the animated film that apparently stuck to the book almost to the letter. «Read the rest of this article»

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