happy new year! - EU Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE 

entertaining u newspaper 

2007 

happy new year! 

free weekly guide to entertainment and more | december 28-january 3, 2006 | www.eujacksonville.com

2 december 28-january 3, 2006 | entertaining u newspaper

table of contents 

feature 

New Years/Gator Bowl ..............................................................PAGES 16-19 

2006 In Review .....................................................................PAGES 20 & 21 

movies 

Winter Movie Preview ...................................................................PAGES 6-8 

Movies In Theatres This Week ....................................................PAGES 8-11 

Seen, Heard, Noted & Quoted ............................................................ PAGE 9 

Black Christmas (movie review) ...................................................... PAGE 10 

Subterranean/Film Fest .................................................................... PAGE 11 

at home 

High-Tech TV .................................................................................. PAGE 12 

Reality Check (TV Review) .............................................................. PAGE 13 

Video Games .................................................................................. PAGE 13 

Saban The Ancient (book review) .................................................... PAGE 14 

food 

Chef Suvir Saran ............................................................................. PAGE 14 

Angelo’s ......................................................................................... PAGE 15 

music 

Jekyll Island Bluegrass Fest ............................................................. PAGE 22 

Music Calendar ........................................................................PAGES 22-26 

Matt Collins (Pauly’s Pizza) ............................................................. PAGE 23 

Crossfire Hurricane (Ragusa) .......................................................... PAGE 24 

Donna The Buffalo (interview) ......................................................... PAGE 25 

Hank III (album review) ................................................................... PAGE 25 

arts / theatre / on stage 

Hands-On Children’s Museum ......................................................... PAGE 27 

Mark Warren Exhibit (Pepperama).................................................... PAGE 28 

Arts Calendar ...........................................................................PAGES 27-28 

columns and stuff 

Myspace The New Christmas Card .................................................. PAGE 26 

Talk To Me ...................................................................................... PAGE 29 

The Jock ......................................................................................... PAGE 29 

NASCAR news & notes ................................................................... PAGE 30 

eujacksonville.com | december 28-january 3, 2006 3

thisweek 

thursday DECEmbEr 28 

Doodlebops 

The Doodlebops are a group of colorful, face-painted and wigged 

characters that sing and dance, rhyme and joke and even give 

lessons to entertain your preschooler. The Doodlebops are definitely 

the hot group in the preschooler set right now! Much like the Wiggles, 

they have taken over many households temporarily. If you have not 

seen them yet, check them out. You will be singing their theme song 

all day long. Tickets: $30.00 / $26.00 / $18.00 

Times Union Center, Moran Theater - 10:30 am and 4:30 pm 

Info: 633-6110 

THE Ab’S 

THE Ab’s (formerly known as Asamov) with 

Astronautalis, Swordz, and rob roy 

The AB’s are a creative and refreshing group on the underground 

urban music scene. With four gifted MCs and two genius producers, 

they tell down-to-earth, authentic stories laid over brilliant 

soundscapes. With their roots in the music of classic Native Tongues 

artists, The AB’s are taking hip-hop music into the future with an 

inspired musical vision and a truly organic chemistry. 

Jack Rabbit’s - 8:00 pm, Tickets: $8 

Info: 398-7496 

The Wailers 

The Wailers, the most recognized 

‘reggae’ group in the world, now 

consist of original members who 

recorded and/or toured with Bob 

Marley and the Wailers. Aston 

“Familyman” Barrett is the sole living 

musician who was with Bob Marley 

from the beginning of Bob’s career 

to his death and as the co-founder 

and bass player for the Wailers, and 

was the dominant musical force and 

the architect behind creating reggae 

music as a genre. Also playing: 

Jacksonville’s own Aerial Tribe. 

Freebird Live - 8:00pm, Tickets: $18, 

$23 Show Day 

Info: 246-BIRD (2473) 

THE WAilErS 

4 december 28-january 3, 2006 | entertaining u newspaper 

DECEmbEr 28 - 30 

31st Annual new Year’s bluegrass 

Festival in Jekyll island, GA 

Spend New Years listening to some real Bluegrass from 

Larry Sparks & The Lonesome, The Country Gentlemen, 

Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, The Grascals, Cherry 

Holmes and Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys. 

Contact the Jekyll Island Convention Center at 706-864- 

7203 for a complete schedule and directions or go to 

www.aandabluegrass.com. 

Johnny mac w/ mark Evans 

Johnny Mac stunned the crowd with his professional 

approach to comedy and received a standing ovation 

throughout his first weekend at the Atlantic so they 

quickly resigned him to ensure that ‘06 ends with a 

smile. 

Atlantic Theatres, 751 Atlantic Blvd 

Info: 249.PLAY (7529) or info@atlantictheatres.com 

friday DECEmbEr 29 

Hank and my Honky Tonk Heroes 

Hank Williams tribute artist Jason Petty takes listeners on an 

“insightful journey” into the life of the hard-livin’ country music 

icon, paying homage to other country legends like George 

Jones, Jimmie Rodgers and Roy Acuff along the way. Think of it 

as a 1940s, Honky Tonk version of Behind the Music. The show 

runs through February 4, Tuesday-Sunday, Alhambra Dinner 

Theatre, 12000 Beach Blvd., $25-$46, Info: 641-1212 

The Good life w/ band of Destiny and leon 

Seymore 

Band of Destiny is a group of musicians based out of Florida 

that began back in 1999. Although, they all have very strong 

backgrounds in the church, they have a deep love for all styles 

of music. Leon Timbo began singing at the age of 16 and in his 

early 20’s, he picked up piano and acoustic guitar to further 

his expression of worship through music. Hosted by 

nokturnalescape. Boomtown Subterreana, 140 Monroe 

Street - 7:30 pm Info: 626.2812 

Dang!, Dash rip rock, Hand of the 

Host, Honey Culture , rhinestone 

Corrina 

Dang! formed in 2004 when four musicians 

from various musical and cultural backgrounds 

came together to abandon all notions of validity, 

legitimacy, musical or lyrical content and any 

hope of self respect to create music that captured 

the raw emotion and soul of Americana. “We’ll 

play your party and then back into your car when 

we leave.” 

Jack Rabbit’s - 8:00 pm, Tickets: $8 

Info: 398-7496 

Don’T miSS moFro! 

plAYinG For 3 DAYS AT FrEEbirD. 

Taigaa! 

Based out of Brooklyn, Taigaa is a three-piece band with energetic 

and unique music, drawing from their pre-80s Korean Pop, Punk, 

Goth and Experimental Pop influences. They say their live act 

includes “costumes that often times depict animal skulls, exploding 

minerals, and dilapidated landscapes” that allude to the world’s 

largest biome, from which the band got its name. 

TSI, 333 E. Bay St., Info: 424.3531 

mofro 

Jacksonville’s own Mofro will be performing their front porch blues 

for three nights. On the 29 

saturday DECEmbEr 30 

th they will perform with Gunga Din and 

on the 30th with the Gamble Brothers Band. Tickets for these shows 

are $18, $20 Show Day. On New Years Eve Mofro will be performing 

with the Lee Boys. Tickets cost $28 in advance, $30 day of the 

show. Freebird Live, Jacksonville Beach. Info: 246-BIRD (2473) 

novEmbEr 25 

DECEmbEr 29 - 31 

Uptown Saturday night in St. Augustine 

Enjoy extended shopping hours, live entertainment and book signings 

as the quaint shops along San 

Marco Ave. in St. Augustine extend 

their hours for an evening of 

entertainment and shopping. 

San Marco Avenue from 5 to 9 pm. 

Admission: Free 

Info: 904.824.9357 

bUrn SEASon 

Acoustic Xmas ii 

Featuring: Burn Season, The 

Neverland Symphony, Evolemo, 

Autumn Effect And Very Special 

Guest Stars 

Jack Rabbits - 8:00 PM 

Info: 398-7496

GATorboWl pArADE! 

sunday DECEmbEr 31 

(read about more new Year and Gator bowl events on pages 16-19) 

Winn-Dixie Hometown Gator bowl parade 

The parade will begin at 3 pm in Downtown Jacksonville. The “Still Rockin’ at 60”-themed parade 

features colorful floats, high school bands, college bands, giant helium balloons, and entertaining 

specialty units. The units will be routed through the Northbank in downtown Jacksonville. $10 Reserved 

Parade Seat. 

new Year’s Eve vyStar Credit Union 5K run 

If running, walking, or biking is your thing, this race is for you. The race is held right before the Gator 

Bowl Parade, and runs along the parade route through downtown Jacksonville. Cost: $20 now and $25 

on race day. The Jacksonville Landing - 2 p.m. 

new Year’s Eve party at The Jacksonville landing Courtyard 

Count down to 2007 with a spectacular fireworks display over the St. Johns River to light up the night 

sky and celebrate the New Year. Festivities include live entertainment by Str8up at 7 p.m. and Blistur 

at 11 p.m. All Landing restaurants will observe extended hours until 2 am. New Year’s Eve Fireworks 

Spectacular take place at Midnight. All visitors must be 21 years or older or accompanied by a parent or 

legal guardian, show Military I.D. or posses a Gator Bowl Patch. 

monday JAnUArY 1 

Toyota Gator bowl Classic 

With 6 Heisman trophy winners, 175 all-Americans and over 1,000,000 fans, the Toyota Gator Bowl is 

truly become more than a football game....it is a premiere event of Florida’s First Coast. West Virginia 

University is the Big East representative facing the ACC representative, Georgia Tech. 

Alltel Stadium - Kickoff 1 pm. Info: www.gatorbowl.com 

wednesday JAnUArY 3 

menopause the musical 

If you haven’t seen it yet, then you’re in luck because it has been extended by popular demand to run 

through Jan. 28. The show is set in the Lingerie Department of Bloomingdale’s department store, 

four women: an aging TV soap star, a lost-in-the-sixties hippie, a power professional and a naïve Iowa 

housewife meet by chance over a black lace bra. This fast paced musical parody pokes fun at hot 

flashes, memory loss, mood swings, too much sex, not enough sex, wrinkles, night sweats and a whole 

lot more. Times-Union Center, Terry Theatre, Wed - Fri at 7:30 pm., Sat. at 4:00 and Sun at 2:00. Info: 

632-3373 

Downtown Art Walk 

The Self-Guided Tour 5-9 pm, rain or shine, will focus on The Art of the Resolution this month. Start your 

New Year off on the right foot. Achieve that resolution to become more involved in your community, look 

for Jacksonville non-profit organizations featured at Art Walk locations. Info: 634.0303 


winter 

movies 

a preview of movies to warm 

the new year by rick grant 

The winter season is upon us and movies are great way to overcome the winter doldrums. This 

January and February‘s 2007 releases are a potpourri of genres for every taste. 

After the holiday season, with its creepy relatives and spoiled kids, people will be ready to get out of 

the house and enjoy the big screen experience, which is definitely the best way to view movies. Yeah, you 

may have purchased a 50 inch plasma flat screen TV, but it’s a far cry from viewing movies on the megaplex 

screens with an audience. 

On the negative side, avid moviegoers complain about rude audience members talking and taking cell 

phone calls. Theatre chain managers have worked hard to cut down on audience misbehavior. Some theater 

chains are installing cell phone jamming equipment that renders cell phones useless while people are 

in the theatre. These problems are getting much better. I know because I see at least 8 to 10 movies in a 

month. Sense-around could be the answer. Electrify the seats and if someone talks or takes a cell phone, 

zap them senseless. 

Nonetheless, it’s a good time to go out to the cinema and here are worthwhile new wide releases for 

January and February 2007. 

January 5th 

January 5, Freedom Writers premieres starring Hilary Swank as a 

new teacher in a tough urban school that has all but given up on these 

ghetto kids. Swank’s character finds new and innovative ways to motivate 

her students. This scenario is based on a true story of a remarkable 

teacher. Swank’s character uses her own money to buy the students 

books and take them on important field trips to open their minds to 

what’s possible. 

Also Jan. 5 th , Code Name: The Cleaner opens starring Cedric the 

Entertainer as Jake, a regular guy who has no idea who he is after being 

beaten senseless. Now he thinks he is an undercover agent called The 

Cleaner. Co-starring Lucy Liu with Nicolette Sheridan and DeRay Davis. 

Happily N’Ever After also debuts. This animated feature stars a wizard 

who is in charge of Fairy Tale World. When he goes on holiday, Cinderella’s 

wicked stepmother takes over the land. Finally, Thr3e premieres 

on Jan. 5 th . Innocent lives hang on the whim of an elusive psychopathic 

murderer who sends detectives complex riddles and impossible timelines 

to his murders. He forces three people into a mission to end the 

game before one or all of them die. Think Saw! 

January 12th 

On January 12 Arthur And The Invisibles debuts. Ten-year-old Arthur has a lot on his plate: a real estate 

developer is about to snap up his grandma’s home--and there’s no way Arthur’s going to hang around for 

his parents or grandparents to sort out the problem. Maybe the solution lies in his grandpa’s treasure, which 

is hidden somewhere on the “other side” in the land of the Minimoys. The creatures that inhabit this world 

are just a tenth of an inch tall and live in perfect harmony with their environment. NomadThe Warrior is set in 


Freedom Writers 

alpha dog 

18th-century Kazakhstan as a boy feels destined to one day unite the three warring tribes of the region. 

Also Jan.12th, Alpha Dog premieres. It’s a drama based on the life of Jesse James Hollywood–a drug 

dealer who became one of the youngest men ever to be posted on the FBI’s 10 most wanted list. Stomp the 

Yard also opens. It is about a troubled 19-year old street dancer from Los Angeles who skirts juvenile hall 

by enrolling the all-black Truth University in Atlanta, Georgia. But his efforts to get an education are sidelined 

when he is courted by the top two campus fraternities, who want and need his street-style dance moves to 

win the coveted national step show competition. 

January 19th 

January 19 The Hitcher opens. This action film stars C. Thomas Howell as a young man who escaped 

the clutches of a murderous hitch-hiker. Later he is stalked by the same man, then framed for the hitcher’s 

crimes, and his life is turned into a living hell. 

January 26th 

On January 26 Ken Watnebe stars in Letters 

From Iwo Jima The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between 

the United States and Japan during World War 

II, as told from the perspective of two good friends 

serving in the Japanese forces, who watch helplessly 

throughout various battles as their comrades 

are killed. Also Blood & Chocolate opens. It’s a story 

about a young teenage werewolf who is torn between 

honoring her family’s secret and her love for a man. 

Also Jan. 26th , Jennifer Garner stars in Catch 

and Release. She plays a young woman who 

struggles to accept the death of her husband and the 

secrets he kept from her as she rebuilds her life. This 

is Garner’s return to films after her long running Alias 

series ended. Clearly, her continuing career in films is 

riding on this project. 

Dead Silence also opens as classic horror. It 

tells the story of Jamie Ashen, a man who has had 

the finger pointed at him by those who they are convinced 

he killed his wife. Events conspire to further 

incriminate him as he seeks to clear his name. The 

nutty gang that made Scary Movie have conjured up 

another spoof called Epic Movie sending up the big 

blockbuster epic movies. The Invisible, opens Jan. 

26 also. It is about Nicklas, who lives a normal teenage life until one day, not far from graduation, a gangster 

from his school beats him into unconsciousness. The next day, when he returns to school, he notices that 

nobody sees him. Suddenly, he realizes that he is invisible and a ghost. Now he must find his killer. Finally, 

on Jan. 26th letters From iWo Jima 

Smoking’ Aces premieres. It tells the tale of a Las Vegas performer turned snitch named Buddy 

Israel (Jeremy Piven) who decides to turn state’s evidence by testifying against the mob. Of course, the 

gangsters are trying to make him dead so he can’t testify. 

February 2nd 

February 2 Because I Said So premieres. It involves a mother Daphine (Diane Keaton) who loves her 

three daughters played by Lauren Graham, Piper Perabo, and Mandy Moore. In her efforts to save her daughters 

from the bad men mistakes she made, she inadvertently sets up hilarious comedic situations and finds

someone herself. 

Also, Feb. 2 nd , The Messengers opens as yet 

another horror tale. An ominous darkness invades a 

seemingly serene sunflower farm in North Dakota. 

The Solomon family is torn apart by suspicion, mayhem, 

and murder. Rogue opens as a winter kung fu 

movie starring Jason Statam and Jet Li in a battle to 

the death. 

February 9th 

February 9 Hannibal Rising opens. It’s a prequel 

featuring Hannibal as a teenager after his parents 

because i said so 

are killed in WWII. Also, Norbit opens about a mild 

mannered guy (Eddie Murphy) who is engaged to a 

monstrous woman (also Murphy). But while engaged, he meets the woman of his dreams and schemes to be 

with her, despite threats from his betrothed. 

February 14th 

daddy’s little girls 

Music and Lyrics premieres on Valentine’s Day starring Hugh Grant as a washed up singer who is given 

a couple of days to compose a chart-topping hit for an admiring teen sensation. The only thing is, he’s never 

written lyrics in his life. Then he meets a woman (Drew Barrymore) who helps him write the lyrics. 

Feb. 14 th also features Tyler Perry with another original film, Daddy’s Little Girls. It’s a reverse Cinderella 

tale which involves a successful attorney Julia (Gabrielle Union) who falls in love with a financially challenged 

mechanic, who is a single father of three kids. Problems develop when the man’s ex-wife returns to make 

trouble for him. 

February 16th 

February 16 Breach debuts. 

It is based on the true 

story of an FBI agent Eric O’Neill 

(Ryan Phillippe who engages 

in a power game with his boss, 

Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper), 

who turned out to be the most 

notorious FBI mole in the history 

of the FBI. The real Hanssen 

sold important national secrets 

to the Russians for 16 years, 

compromising national security 

for years into the future until the 

Soviet Union collapsed in 1990. 

His betrayal shocked veteran FBI 

agents who couldn’t believe he 

had access to top secret documents 

for so many years. 

Also on Feb. 16th , Bridge to Terabithia debuts. It tells the story of an 11-year-old boy has his life 

changed forever when he befriends the class outsider, a girl. Together they create the world of Terabithia, 

an imaginary kingdom filled with giants, trolls and other magical beings. Also, Ghost Rider premieres Feb. 

16th breach 

. It involves an outlaw gang hanged by a posse in the late 1880s. The gang comes back from the grave 

to terrorize the descendants of the posse’s leader. The Last Sin Eater is the story of 10-year-old Cadi Forbes 

who discovers a secret sin haunting her community of Welsh immigrants in the 1850s in Appalachia. Finally, 

Starter for Ten debuts. Set in 1985, a working class student Brian Jackson navigates his first year at Bristol 

University. 

(continues on page 8) 

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now showing 

apocalypto Forget The Passion of The Christ, 

this is Mel Gibson’s Braveheart-like portrayal of the 

downfall of the Mayan kingdom. During the Mayan’s 

decline, the ruthless king decided that to make things 

better and appease the gods, he would engage in 

massive human sacrifices. Jaguar Paw (Rudy Young 

blood) is a young man chosen for sacrifice. Ah, but 

he has other ideas and flees the kingdom to organize 

a rebel army to defeat the demented king. Bloody 

violence ensues. Rated R 

blacK christmas Bad taste or not, horror stalks 

Yuletide. A sorority house is terrorized by a serial killer 

who makes frightening phone calls and then murders 

the sorority sisters one by one during Christmas. 

blood diamoNd A large priceless diamond 

becomes the center of a struggle between a farmer, a 

smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen trying to 

lay their hands on it. Leonardo DiCaprio co-stars with 

Daimon Hounsou with Jennifer Connelly in this action 

adventure story. Rated R 

borat Shot as a mockumentary, Sacha Baron 

Cohen assumes the character of a journalist from 

Kazakhstan who is dispatched to the United states to 

report on the greatest country in the world. Halfway 

into his travels, Borat becomes more interested in 

locating and marrying Pamela Anderson. Cohen’s 

offbeat humor gets old quickly. He even does 

interviews in character–a ploy that real journalists 

hate. Rated R 

casiNo royale There’s a new Bond in town, and 

he’s rough, tough, and macho–Daniel Craig. Yes, 

filmmaker Martin Campbell began this new Bond 

picture like the last 20 movies had never been made. 

He set out to reinvent the franchise. It worked! Craig 

is the best Bond yet–chiseled, powerful, and sexy. He 

kills without hesitation, teams with the beautiful Vesper 

Lynd (Eva Green) and wears today’s fashions. In this 

scenario, Bond is tasked with his first mission from 

Q (Judi Dench). He must stop a financial backer of 

terrorism from winning a high stakes poker game in 

the Bahamas. Rated PG-13 

charlotte’s Web Wilber the pig dreads the end of 

the season because he knows that pigs go to heaven 

and end up on the dinner table. So he hatches a plan 

with a spider that lives in his pen to prevent his demise 

from happening. Starring Dakota Fanning as Fern and 

Julia Roberts as the voice of Charlotte. Rated G 

(continued on pg 9) 

February 23rd 


February 23, The Astronaut 

Farmer premieres starring Billy 

Bob Thornton as Charles Farmer. 

As a NASA Astronaut, he is 

forced to retire so he could save 

his family farm. But Farmer can’t 

give up his dream of space travel. 

So he set out to build his own 

rocket under the government’s 

threat to stop him. 

Feb. 23, Black Snake Moan 

also debuts starring Samuel L. 

Jackson as a struggling veteran 

blues artist. When he finds a 

wild young woman, he begins a 

relationship with her and finds 

out she was a victim of sexual 

abuse and has been looking in all 

the wrong places for love. Also 

on Feb. 23rd blacK sNaKe moaN 

, Captivity premieres 

starring Elisha Cuthbert as a fashion model who, along with a chauffeur, gets kidnapped and held in a small 

room by a serial killer. While the killer terrorizes her, 

she takes strength from her co-captive, and they fall 

2 

in love. The Number 23 also debuts. Jim Carrey stars 

as a man who becomes obsessed with a book that 

appears to be based on his life but ends with a murder 

that has yet to happen in real life. 

BEST 

reNo 911: miami 

Finally, the nutty Reno 911: Miami troupe shot a 

feature film that showcases the misfit cops in all their 

glory. They are called in to save the day after a terrorist 

attack disrupts a national police convention in 

Miami Beach, Florida during Spring Break. It is based 

on the Comedy Central series. 

So, when you’ve got winter-time cabin fever, 

take in some of the great new movies scheduled. 

From high action and romanic comedies to bonechilling 

horror and fantasy animation, your local multiplex 

has something for everyone. 

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seen. heard. noted. and quoted. 

godFather goNe 

James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, a.k.a. the Hardest-Working 

Man in Show Business, and so much more, died Monday at an Atlanta 

hospital of heart failure. He was 73. Brown was hospitalized 

Sunday due to pneumonia but said then he was still determined 

to perform in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. He went out on 

Christmas Day! This proves God has soul. 

broWN tells laWyer From the other side, 

“the bitch gets NothiNg” 

Brown’s covivant, Tomi Rae Brown, told the Augusta Chronicle 

she has been denied access to the South Carolina home she and 

the musician shared with their five-year-old son after the gate was 

padlocked at the request of Brown’s lawyer and accountant. She 

said she does not own a deed to the home but has a legal right to 

live there. However, Brown’s attorney asserted the late musician 

was never legally married to Tomi Rae and she was locked out 

for legal reasons pertaining to the estate. Brown’s abuse of his 

significant others is well documented. I guess she’s not in the 

will either. 

JacKo traVels to mecca 

After 18 months of self-imposed exile, Michael Jackson arrived in Las Vegas with his three children over 

the weekend, where he will reportedly begin attempting to make a comeback per the Las Vegas Review- 

Journal. The reclusive entertainer may be developing a live show on the Strip. His show could be called 

“Jacko Does Janet on The Strip.” 

more JacKo crappo 

Michael Jackson filed suit Friday against his former accountants, Bernstein, Fox, Whitman, Goldman 

& Sloan, claiming they made unauthorized deals that cost the moonwalker $2.5 million a year. While 

Jacko was entertaining little boys at Nerverland, his accountants allegedly were stealing him blind. 

more superFicial NeWs From Jolie/pitt 

Angelina Jolie spent Christmas in Costa Rica with refugees from Colombia as part of her work as a goodwill 

ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the agency said. The actor was 

joined by Brad Pitt, who helped hand out toys to kids in the capital city of San José. Ahh, it warms one’s 

heart to know that Jolie/Pitt are such altruistic phony celebrities. 

the schWarz cracKed up oN the slope 

Arnold Schwarzenegger required surgery to fix his snapped femur, which he broke over the weekend while 

skiing with his family in Sun Valley, Idaho. The California governor will reportedly be on crutches for weeks 

after screws are used to reattach his thighbone. Marie, fed up with his crap, could have pushed him into 

that tree. “Terminate this, fool,” she could have said. 

KNight oF rocK 

Queen Elizabeth II awarded Bono an honorary British knighthood “in recognition of his services to the 

music industry and for his humanitarian work,” the British embassy said. But don’t call him Sir Bono. Only 

British citizens can claim that title. 

rees WaNts secoNd chaNce liKe rees 

Dethroned Miss Nevada USA Katie Rees held a tear-soaked press conference Saturday to announce Rrated 

photos of her that surfaced on the Web were snapped years ago, before she was tiara’d. Rees appealed 

to Donald Trump to give her a second chance, à la reigning Miss USA Tara Conner, and allow Rees 

to compete in next year’s Miss USA contest. Ah, but can she do what Tara did to Donald as good as Tara 

did it to get that chance. Donald passed on her request. I didn’t think so either. 

trump’s Flag Flies large 

Donald Trump filed a $10 million lawsuit last week...and it’s not against Rosie O’Donnell. No, the real 

estate kingpin is suing Palm Beach, Florida, for not letting him fly a 15-by-25-foot American flag over his 

Mar-a-Lago Club. Trump’s suit said a smaller flag would “look silly.” Kinda like his hair. “My flag has to be 

proportional to my ego,” Trump could have said. 

heNNer-broWN uNioN 

Marilu Henner married Michael Brown, a former college classmate who proposed to her from his hospital 

bed after undergoing surgery for cancer. The duo exchanged vows on Thursday, per the New York Times. 

Isn’t that nice. 

somethiNg smells liKe Wet dog 

Macy’s pulled Sean John hooded jackets from its shelves and Websites after learning that the jackets 

weren’t made of faux fur but of a canine known as “raccoon dog.” In a statement, Sean “Diddy” Combs 

says, “I was completely unaware of the nature of this material” and that he has ceased production on the 

offending clothing line. Snoop Dogg could have offered to take over the line with the moniker, “Dogs on 

Dogg.” 

Advanced Ticketing at amctheatres.com or (904) 264-3888 

A.M.Cinema - All seats $5 before noon 

on Fri., Sat., Sun., & holidays - denoted by ( ) 

AMC Select- Special films for select tastes. 

ORANGE PARK 24 

Wells Road and Blanding 

BLACK CHRISTMAS (R) (11:10 @ $5), 1:40, 4:20, 7:00, 9:40 

THE GOOD SHEPHERD (R) (11:30 @ $5), 2:45, 3:15, 6:30, 

7:00, 10:10, 10:40 

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (PG) (11:00, 11:45 @ $5), 1:45, 

2:35, 4:30, 5:20, 7:15, 8:15, 10:00, 11:00 

WE ARE MARSHALL (PG) (11:55 @ $5), 12:40, 3:10, 4:00, 

6:15, 7:10, 9:15, 10:15 

ROCKY BALBOA (PG) (11:20 @ $5), 12:05, 2:05, 2:50, 4:50, 

5:35, 7:35, 8:20, 10:25, 11:00 

CHARLOTTE’S WEB (G) (11:15 @ $5), 12:00, 1:45, 2:30, 4:20, 

5:25, 7:05, 8:00, 9:45, 10:35 

ERAGON (PG) (11:30 @ $5), 12:15, 2:00, 3:00, 4:40, 5:40, 7:30, 

8:15, 10:05, 10:55 

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (PG13) (11:05 @ $5), 12:45, 

2:00, 4:05, 4:45, 7:05, 7:55, 9:55, 10:45 

APOCALYPTO (R) 1:00, 4:10, 7:20, 10:30 

BLOOD DIAMOND (R) (11:35 @ $5), 3:20, 7:15, 10:45 

THE HOLIDAY (PG13) (11:40 @ $5), 3:30, 6:45, 9:55 

UNACCOMPANIED MINORS (PG) (11:35 @ $5), 2:05, 4:45 

DECK THE HALLS (PG) (11:45 AM @ $5) 

DEJA VU (PG13) 7:35, 10:30 

CASINO ROYALE (PG13) 7:10, 10:25 

HAPPY FEET (PG) (11:35 @ $5), 2:15, 4:55, 7:30, 10:25 

————$AMC SELECT%———— 

DREAMGIRLS (PG13) (11:55 @ $5), 12:45, 3:10, 4:05, 6:20, 

7:10, 9:30, 10:20 

THE NATIVITY STORY (PG) (11:50 @ $5), 2:30, 5:00 

THE HISTORY BOYS (R) (11:00 @ $5), 1:55, 4:50, 7:45, 10:40 

REGENCY 24 

Behind Regency Square Mall 

BLACK CHRISTMAS (R) (11:15 @ $5), 1:25, 3:50, 6:10, 8:25, 

10:40 

THE GOOD SHEPHERD (R) (11:10 @ $5), 12:10, 2:35, 3:40, 

6:15, 7:10, 9:50, 10:35 

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (PG) (11:05 @ $5), 12:15, 1:45, 

3:00, 4:30, 5:40, 7:15, 8:20, 10:10, 10:50 

WE ARE MARSHALL (PG) (11:05 @ $5), 12:25, 1:55, 3:45, 

4:50, 7:05, 7:45, 10:05, 10:45 

ROCKY BALBOA (PG) (11:25 @ $5), 12:40, 1:50, 3:05, 4:25, 

5:35, 7:00, 8:10, 10:10, 10:30 

CHARLOTTE’S WEB (G) (11:00 @ $5), 12:05, 1:20, 2:25, 3:35, 

4:40, 5:55, 7:05, 9:35 

ERAGON (PG) (11:20 @ $5), 12:45, 2:15, 3:10, 4:45, 5:50, 7:30, 

8:15, 10:50 

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (PG13) (11:30 @ $5), 1:10, 

2:20, 3:55, 5:05, 6:50, 8:00, 9:55, 10:40 

APOCALYPTO (R) 4:20, 7:25, 10:25 

BLOOD DIAMOND (R) 1:05, 4:15, 7:25, 10:30 

THE HOLIDAY (PG13) 1:30, 4:35, 7:40, 10:35 

UNACCOMPANIED MINORS (PG) (11:55 @ $5), 2:10, 4:25 

DECK THE HALLS (PG) 2:05 

DEJA VU (PG13) 4:20, 7:20, 10:15 

CASINO ROYALE (PG13) 6:55, 10:00 

HAPPY FEET (PG) (11:35 @ $5), 12:55, 3:25, 5:55, 8:25, 10:20 

BORAT (R) 10:50 PM 

THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE (G) 

(11:20 @ $5), 1:40 

SAW III (R) 10:40 PM 

————$AMC SELECT%———— 

DREAMGIRLS (PG13) (11:00 @ $5), 12:30, 2:00, 3:30, 4:55, 

6:30, 7:50, 9:30, 10:45 

THE NATIVITY STORY (PG) (11:00 @ $5), 1:00, 3:15, 5:35, 7:55 

-SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT No passes or discount coupons 

Times for Saturday, December 30, 2006 

decK the halls This mediocre holiday film 

involves two feuding neighbors. When Steve Finch 

(Matthew Broderick) finds out that Buddy Hall (Danny 

DeVito) is building the mother of all light displays on 

his house, he goes ballistic. Buddy is stealing Steve’s 

thunder as Mr. Christmas. Buddy keeps adding more 

and more lights so his display can be seen from a 

satellite orbiting in space. Comedic situations ensue. 

Rated PG 

dÉJÀ Vu Denzel Washington stars as an ATF agent 

who travels back in time to save a woman from being 

murdered. While accomplishing his mission, he falls 

in love with his target, which greatly complicates his 

mission. Rated PG-13 

dreamgirls This fabulous film adaptation of the 

Broadway musical is based on Tom Eyen’s book–a 

thinly veiled biography of the rise of the Supremes as 

the first black/white crossover singing group in the 

1960s. It’s the best adaptation of a Broadway musical 

to film ever. Ex-American Idol reject, Jennifer Hudson 

steals he movie as the Dreams original lead singer 

Effie White who is dumped in favor of Deena (Beyonce’ 

Knowles) who represents Diana Ross. This movie 

could dominate the Academy Awards. Hudson is a 

shoe-in for a nomination for Best Supporting Actress. 

Prated PG-13 (Opens Christmas Day) 

eragoN A farm boy in his homeland of Alagasia 

finds a dragon egg that leads him on a predestined 

journey. Eventually, he finds out he is the one person 

who can defend his homeland against an evil king by 

learning to ride a fire breathing dragon. This fantasy 

redefines “air power,” as the dragon is used as a 

tactical weapon. Rated PG-13 

happy Feet In the close-knit world of Emperor 

Penguins, they find their mates through singing. Ah but 

a penguin is born who can’t sing a note. So, the misfit 

Mumbles takes up tap dancing, and soon is banished 

for their community. He meets a posse of outcasts and 

soon the whole penguin nation is dancing to the oldies. 

The animated film is voiced by Robin Williams, Hugh 

Jackman, Elijah Wood, Nicole Kidman, and Brittany 

Murphy. Rated PG 

the holiday Two women, played by Cameron Diaz 

and Kate Winslet who suffer from romantic difficulties, 

swap homes in each other’s countries. There, each 

woman meets the man of their dreams. La de da. Costarring 

Jude Law and Jack Black as the women’s love 

interests. Typical holiday fare Rated PG-13 

Night at the museum A hapless security guard, 

Larry Daley (Be Stiller) accidently invokes an ancient 

curse that causes the animals and insects on display 

to come to life. Rated PG 

pursuit oF happyNess Will Smith stars in this 

true story of a precocious child and his father, who 

through circumstances beyond his control, drfits into a 

downward spiral and ends up homeless but working in 

a Dean Witter internship. Later he becomes a top Wall 

Street broker. Smith’s real life son Jaden Smith plays 

his son in this engrossing docudrama. Rated PG-13 


ocKy balboa If Sylvester Stallone lives to a 

hundred, he could make Rocky in a walker. Stallone 

as Rocky is now 60, but he feels like he can fight one 

more time. Ah the magic of special effects. Stallone 

wanted to make a film, and he couldn’t think of 

anything else to make. Ah, but he can rest assured 

that he’ll never run out of Rocky sequels. Rated PG 

saW iii It’s that voodoo that he do so well. Jigsaw 

kidnaps a doctor to keep him alive as he directs his 

apprentice to torture a new subject by solving riddles 

that keep the poor captive alive. It’s the ultimate torture 

endurance test. Rated R 

the good shepherd Matt Damon stars as Edward 

Wilson, one of the creators of the CIA back in 1945. 

The film chronicles how Wilson’s contacts at Yale’s 

secret society called the Skull & Bones helped him 

build a power base as a stern, patriotic, and driven 

workaholic. Directed by Robert De Niro with an all-star 

cast, it’s the best spy film in many years. Rated R 

the history boys A privileged and bright group 

of British prep school boys pursue higher education, 

girls, and frivolity while trying to get into Oxford or 

Cambridge. Call it a British version of the Dead Poets 

Society. Rated R 

the NatiVity story This docudrama, directed by 

Catherine Hardwicke, focuses on the life of Mary and 

Joseph before the birth of Christ. The screenwriter 

endeavored to be Biblically correct, with fictionalized 

dialogue. The couple eventually journey to Bethlehem 

under difficult circumstances where Mary gives birth. 

Rated PG 

the saNta clause 3: the escape clause 

Tim Allen will be able to retire on these goofy Santa 

Clause films. This third movie in the series features 

Santa a.k.a. Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) who is faced with 

double-duty: First, how to keep his new family happy, 

and second, how to stop Jack Frost from taking over 

Christmas. Rated G 

uNaccompaNied miNors A gaggle of 

unaccompanied minors are snowed in at Chicago’s 

Airport during the holiday season. To amuse 

themselves, they create a makeshift holiday for 

themselves. Rated PG 

We are marshall A tragic plane crash claims the 

lives of the Marshall Football team, (continued some fans, on and pg 11) 

its 


black christmas 

movie review 

by kellie abraHamSoN KAbrahamson1@aol.com 

c+ rated r 98 min. 

It’s Christmas Eve. As holiday tunes can be 

heard elsewhere in the house, a doe-eyed sorority 

girl named Clair (Leela Savasta) is wrapping gifts and 

writing Christmas cards. She hears a strange sound 

coming from the closet and goes to investigate… 

Of course, you know where this is going. After a bit 

of cat and mouse Clair ends up dead with a plastic 

bag over her head and her eyes stabbed out. So 

begins Black Christmas, a twisted take on the holiday 

classics! 

It turns out that the sorority house was once 

the home of the Lenz family. Mr. and Mrs. Lenz hated 

each other and the odium only grew when their 

jaundiced son Billy was born. Billy’s mom (Karin 

Konoval) hated to even look at her son and became 

distant and cold even when he was an infant. When 

Billy was five (Cainan Wiebe) he witnessed his 

wicked mother and her boyfriend (Howard Siegel) 

murdering his father (Peter Wilds). As punishment for 

his snooping, Billy was sent to live in the attic while 

his mother and step-father began a new life without 

him. One Christmas night, many years later, a much 

older Billy (Robert Mann) snapped, murdering his 

mother and step-father while his little sister looked 

on in horror. Billy was sent to an institution for the 

criminally insane. He attempts to break out every 

Christmas and this year he succeeds. He’s heading 

home for Christmas and he plans to make himself a 

new family to spend the holidays with… whether they 

like it or not! Black Christmas also stars Katie Cassidy, 

Michelle Trachtenberg, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, 

Lacey Chabert, Kristen Cloke, Andrea Martin and 

Oliver Hudson. 

Based on the slasher film that helped launch the 

genre, Black Christmas is a remake of Bob Clark’s 

other Christmas film (remember, he was also the 

guy responsible for the feel-good holiday classic 

A Christmas Story). Many fans attribute Clark with 

inventing some of the genres trademarked motifs 

such as shots from the kill’s point of view and creepy 

phone calls that originate from inside the house. 

Another one of Clark’s early horror films, Children 

Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things, is also being remade 

and is currently in pre-production. 

The storyline picks and chooses bits from the 

original, allowing the film to stand on its own, a plus 

for those who may not have seen its predecessor. 

Script-wise, the film is pretty formulaic. The 

filmmakers aren’t trailblazing here, it is a remake 

after all, but they do pull out some off-the-wall death 

scenes that are pretty surprising, complete with 

decent effects to back it up and make it look more 

real. It’s no Saw, but it is better than most of the 

stuff we’ve seen from the genre this year. The acting 

isn’t out of this world, but that’s not a total shocker 

given the film in question. A minor beef I had was 

with Michelle Trachtenberg, who I have seen grow up 

before my eyes on the big screen between Harriet the 

Spy and “Buffy”. Here, it seems Miss Trachtenberg 

is trying desperately to break out of her goodytwo-shoes 

image by dropping “f-bombs” every five 

minutes. I’m not sensitive about language in films but 

this just seemed forced and really odd given all the 

preconceived notions I had about the girl based on her 

body of work. I guess we know who won’t be playing 

the lead in Disney’s Ice Princess 2, should they ever 

make one! 

Black Christmas is good in the same the 

way that the Friday the 13 th movies are good. 

The protagonists always make stupid decisions, 

like heading up the stairs instead of out the door. 

The killer never, ever stays down, no matter how 

much punishment they take. The tone is such that 

the audience is so keyed up that a sudden noise 

makes everyone jump and then laugh sheepishly 

at themselves for being freaked out by a ringing 

telephone. In short, Black Christmas is a lot of fun. 

Sick, twisted fun. It’s not the type of horror movie that 

will give you nightmares or make you nervous about 

being home alone; it’s the kind that makes you giggle 

when thinking about it afterwards. It’s the kind that 

has you describing the gory, over-the-top scenes in 

great detail to your friends because they were just so 

campy. It’s a horror version of Snakes on a Plane. It 

should have been called Psycho in an Attic. 

Black Christmas is a decent way to spend a little 

under an hour and a half, especially if you are a fan of 

films that are so bad they’re good. Those looking for 

scares are definitely barking up the wrong tree. This is 

a movie where laughs will be heard more often than 

screams. Now whether that was intentional on the 

part of the filmmakers or not is still up for debate, but 

I would see it again, particularly if I could guarantee 

a theater full of likeminded people. Some movies are 

just more fun with a crowd and this is certainly one of 

them.

cinematic for the people 

film is the new art in Jacksonville 

by joN boSwortH jaxvillain@yahoo.com 

Ever since he moved here from Texas, Tim 

Massett has been bringing underground cinema to 

Jacksonville the likes of which this town has not 

seen before. Back when the San Marco Theatre 

was a smoke-filled, second-run house, the closest 

you could get to an art film was the off chance 

that the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art, then 

located on Art Museum Drive inside of the Koger 

Center between Beach and Atlantic, might run a 

couple of art films over the summer. The Florida 

Theatre also ran some movies over the summer, 

but their’s were mostly nostalgic films and classics. 

Then Tim Massett came to town with a collection 

of films and rented a little warehouse in 

the Brooklyn area of Riverside to store his films. It 

wasn’t long before he struck up a deal Fuel Coffeehouse, 

then a new business in Five Points, to 

show films under the name Subterranean Cinema. 

He built up a small but loyal following of filmlovers 

that couldn’t wait for the once-a-month 

showing. Fuel, on the other hand, was less than 

enthusiastic about continuing the program for this 

elite, albeit small, group of supporters. 

Tim then started showing them in “The 

Screening Room at the Pit,” ie. On a smaller 

screen inside of his warehouse space. There 

was a ramshackle of folding metal chairs, cozy 

but brutally used furniture, such as thrift store 

couches and handed-down recliners, and walls 

lined with towers of film canisters. He quickly 

learned that Jacksonville’s underground needed 

a little tapping to wake up from their slumber. He 

did interviews, he ran ads, and he even started 

combining showtimes of the films with live music 

performances, since live music was one thing 

that young, interesting people came out of their 

holes for. After cultivating this audience for many 

months, Massett was ready for a bigger screen 

and a more accommodating venue so that he 

could show films outside of his own collection or 

his small network of distributors. 

The new owner of the San Marco Theatre, 

David Blue, had returned the venue to its original 

historic glory, cleaned out the smokers, and 

started to show first run films, even sometimes 

incorporating artistic fare. Although Blue was not 

an easy sell, he eventually let Massett come to 

the theatre and experiment with showing midnight 

movies. And that was really the start of Tim Massett 

having an opportunity to show this cow town 

that cinema was about more than Titanic. 

In 2002 some local people with plenty of 

money and influence decided it would be fun to 

start the Jacksonville Film Festival. So they mustered 

their forces, got some sponsors, and put 

together a half-hearted film festival that piqued the 

interest of many locals, but didn’t exactly deliver 

groundbreaking cinema to the first coast. Enter 

Tim Massett. 

Since Massett came on board to the festival, 

their films have been better than ever. The standard 

family fare is not excluded, but Massett’s 

focus is more on the underground films that are 

making waves in the independent film circles. So 

between his savvy at booking great films and his 

innovative concepts, such as “The TALKIES,” he is 

poised to take the festival to a higher plane. 

The Talkies is a series that Massett came 

up with when he invited Florida’s own Herschell 

Gordon Lewis, the godfather of gore, to come and 

provide live commentary to during San Marco’s 

screening of Two Thousand Maniacs. Although 

it was a struggle to get the audience he needed 

for the event (since it was up against the Florida- 

Georgia game) he still pursued the concept. 

“These directors do speaking engagements 

all of the time, so it isn’t asking much for them to 

come here and talk about their own movies.” 

He has recently booked the king of kitsch, 

John Waters, to come to the San Marco Theatre 

during a presentation of Polyester and provide the 

live commentary. The bill was steep, but this particular 

engagement is being hosted by the Jacksonville 

Film Festival, so he has more backing. The 

rumor is that he is currently pursuing David Lynch 

and even the spastic Quentin Tarrintino to come 

and provide live commentary throughout presentations 

of some of their films. 

Check out the midnight movies that Massett 

currently programs almost every weekend. For 

the new year, the San Marco Theatre presents 

American Hardcore, a film about the lost subculture 

of America’s rebellious, Reagan-era hardcore 

kids. “Disillusioned by politics, angered by greedy 

record labels, and bound together by a powerful 

anti-establishment sentiment, bands such as 

Minor Threat, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, and 

Bad Brains paved the way for such later bands as 

Nirvana and Pearl Jam by fearlessly questioning 

- and frequently mocking - the status quo, and 

proving that you don’t need radio play to reach an 

audience.” 

American Hardcore plays at the San Marco 

Theatre December 29th and 30th at midnight and 

on New Year’s Eve at 1pm. 

If you miss that show, check out Last House 

on the Left, a classic horror movie by Wes Craven 

from 1972. 

“The story of The Last House on the Left 

closely follows that of Ingmar Bergman’s classic 

film The Virgin Spring (1960), an Oscar winner for 

best foreign language film. The Craven film was 

controversial for its graphic depiction of violence, 

and also for the manner in which the villains imposed 

their psychopathic and sadistic will upon 

the victims. Craven was highly influenced by news 

footage from the Vietnam War and wanted to convey 

that sense of violence he saw in that footage.” 

Last House on the Left shows at the San 

Marco Theatre on January 5th and 6th at midnight. 

Celebrating its fifth year in 2007, the Jacksonville 

Film Festival continues its mission by 

bringing the best in independent and international 

film to Northeast Florida by inviting filmmakers 

from around the globe to submit their shorts and 

features. 

If you are a filmmaker, or know one that has 

a film to submit, the 2007 Jacksonville Film Festival 

is accepting submissions. 

To submit a film, go to www.jacksonvillefilmfestival.com. 

DREAMGIRLS (PG-13) DIG★ (1035 1125 155 240) 655 740 

1000 1040 

BLACK CHRISTMAS (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1050 120) 410 715 

940 1215 

THE GOOD SHEPHERD (R) - ID REQ'D DIG(1100 230) 700 1025 

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (PG) DIG★ (1000 1115 1245 200) 345 

500 720 800 1000 1030 

WE ARE MARSHALL (PG) DIG (1045 145) 445 745 1035 

ROCKY BALBOA (PG) DIG (1215) 350 645 755 925 1030 1150 

ERAGON (PG) DIG (1155 1250 225) 330 505 740 1010 

CHARLOTTE'S WEB (G) DIG (1110 1140 205 235) 440 510 725 

750 1015 1235 

PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (PG-13) DIG (1030 100 130) 400 

430 700 730 950 1020 

THE HOLIDAY (PG-13) DIG (1120 220) 735 1035 

APOCALYPTO (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1005 115) 450 815 1120 

BLOOD DIAMOND (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1040 210) 520 825 1140 

THE NATIVITY STORY (PG) DIG (1220) 340 645 920 1200 

DEJA VU (PG-13) DIG 1005 

CASINO ROYALE (PG-13) DIG 630 945 

HAPPY FEET (PG) DIG (1025 110) 405 710 955 1230 

SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE (G) DIG (1010 

1255) 355 

BLACK CHRISTMAS (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1230) 315 705 920 

THE GOOD SHEPHERD (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1200) 330 700 

1030 

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM (PG) DIG★ (1205 1245 240) 340 510 

710 740 940 1015 

WE ARE MARSHALL (PG) DIG (110) 410 730 1020 

ROCKY BALBOA (PG) (1220) 415 725 1005 

ROCKY BALBOA (PG) DIG (1255) 445 750 1040 

OC & DA: CHARLOTTE'S WEB (G) DIG 440 

ERAGON (PG) DIG (1235 105) 355 435 710 755 940 1015 

CHARLOTTE'S WEB (G) DIG (1210 125 230) 505 720 800 955 

1030 

PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS (PG-13) DIG (100 135) 400 430 655 

745 950 1020 

UNACCOMPANIED MINORS (PG) (1250) 

THE HOLIDAY (PG-13) DIG (120) 420 715 1010 

APOCALYPTO (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1215) 350 735 1035 

BLOOD DIAMOND (R) - ID REQ'D DIG (1240) 345 650 1035 

CASINO ROYALE (PG-13) 335 705 1025 

HAPPY FEET (PG) DIG (115) 405 640 1000 

Times For 12/30/06 

©2006 

new coach. Matthew McConaughey plays Jack Lengyel 

a charismatic coach who rebuilds the Marshall football 

team so the kids and parents can move beyond the 

grief of the tragedy. Rated R 

special showings 

americaN hardcore The lost subculture of 

America’s rebellious, Reagan-era hardcore set is 

explored in filmmaker Paul Rachman’s cinematic 

adaptation of Steven Blush’s book. Disillusioned by 

politics, angered by greedy record labels, and bound 

together by a powerful anti-establishment sentiment, 

bands such as Minor Threat, Black Flag, Dead 

Kennedys, and Bad Brains paved the way for such 

later bands as Nirvana and Pearl Jam by fearlessly 

questioning - and frequently mocking - the status quo, 

and proving that you don’t need radio play to reach an 

audience. Whether working for a real change or simply 

attempting to shake things up in the music scene, these 

bands gave a voice to the legions of youthful fans who 

felt their opinions had been neglected in mainstream 

society. In this documentary, concert footage combines 

with interviews to offer a comprehensive look at the 

musical revolution that defined an era. Rated R. San 

Marco Theatre, Dec. Dec 29th, 30th Midnight 31 st at 1 

pm. Info: 396-4845. 

happy Feet at imaX Happy Feet will be shown at 

the World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX® Theater through 

January. Tickets are $10.50 for adults with discounts 

for seniors, students, military, children and groups. The 

2D World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX® Theater, located at 

World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., offers stateof-the-art, 

specially-designed cinematic technology. 

The only IMAX® Theater in Northeast Florida, the 

Hall of Fame’s 300-seat IMAX® Theater houses an 

80-foot-wide by six-story-high. The World Golf Hall 

of Fame IMAX® Theater is open every day of the year 

except Thanksgiving and Christmas. For tickets and 

showtimes, call 904-940-IMAX or visit www.wgv.com. 

Holiday Favorites “the polar express” and “santa vs. 

the snowman” are also showing at the World Golf Hall 

of Fame IMAX® Theater. 

mozart’s “the maJic Flute” Tinsletown will 

be having a matinee showing of Mozart’s “The Majic 

Flute” at 1:30 pm. Call 998-2020 for more information. 

the last house oN the leFt The story of The 

Last House on the Left closely follows that of Ingmar 

Bergman’s classic film The Virgin Spring (1960), an 

Oscar winner for best foreign language film. The Craven 

film was controversial for its graphic depiction of 

violence, and also for the manner in which the villains 

imposed their psychopathic and sadistic will upon 

the victims. Craven was highly influenced by news 

footage from the Vietnam War and wanted to convey 

that sense of violence he saw in that footage.The film 

carried the tagline “It’s only a movie” in its advertising. 

This was to suggest that the events of the film were so 

terrifying and shocking that the only way to get through 

was to remind oneself that “It’s only a movie.”The film 

split opinion with critics, unsure whether the film is a 

bold artistic statement or exploitative trash, or some 

combination of the two. Audiences, however, flocked 

to see the film and, along with films such as The Texas 

Chainsaw Massacre, it is credited with bringing a new 

sense of realistic violence to the modern horror film. 

Wes Craven has since directed many popular horror 

films including The Hills Have Eyes, A Nightmare 

on Elm Street, and Scream. Producer Sean S. 

Cunningham, meanwhile, went on to initiate one of the 

biggest horror film franchises in the 1980s with Friday 

the 13 th .. San Marco Theatre, Jan. 5 th & 6 th at midnight. 

Info: 396-4845. 

click it. 

read it all online at 

www.eujacksonville.com 


new on dvd 

THe ARcHiTecT (82 min.) 

Anthony LaPaglia stars as a respected architect 

who battles the resident (Viola Davis) of a 

housing project he designed who wants it torn 

down. Stage director Matt Tauber makes his 

screen directorial debut with this digital HDNet 

production, an adaptation of the stage play 

by David Grieg. Isabella Rossellini, Hayden 

Panettiere, Sebastian Stan, and Walton Goggins 

co-star. Rated R for language and some sexual 

content. 

THe BlAck DAHliA (122 min.) 

Set in 1940s Los Angeles, two cops, Bucky 

Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) and his partner, Lee 

Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart), investigate the 

death of Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner), a young 

woman found brutally murdered. Bucky soon 

realizes that his girlfriend (Hilary Swank) had ties 

to the deceased, and soon after that, he begins 

uncovering corruption and conspiracy within the 

police department. Rated R for strong violence, 

some grisly images, sexual content and language. 

THe DecenT (99 min.) 

After a tragic accident, six friends reunite for a 

caving expedition. Their adventure soon goes 

horribly wrong when a collapse traps them deep 

underground and they find themselves pursued 

by bloodthirsty creatures. As their friendships 

deteriorate, they find themselves in a desperate 

struggle to survive the creatures and each other. 

Rated R for strong violence/gore and language. 

FAcTOTum (94 min.) 

This drama centers on Hank Chinaski (Matt 

Dillon), the fictional alter-ego of “Factotum” author 

Charles Bukowski, who wanders around Los 

Angeles trying to live off jobs which don’t interfere 

with his primary interest, which is writing. Along 

the way, he fends off the distractions offered 

by women, drinking and gambling. Rated R for 

language and sexual content. 

HAVen (99 min.) 

During a weekend, two shady businessmen (Bill 

Paxton and Stephen Dillane) flee to the Cayman 

Islands to avoid federal prosecution. But their 

escape ignites a chain reaction that leads a British 

native (Orlando Bloom) to commit an outrageous 

crime that changes the nation. Rated R for 

language, drug use, sexual content and some 

violence. 

JAckAss numBeR TWO (93 min.) 

Johnny Knoxville and his gang of Jackasses from 

the MTV series of stupid human tricks returns 

with more stunts and pranks considered to be too 

much for TV. The unrated version features scenes 

that were even too extreme for theaters. Bam 

Margera, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Preston Lacy, 

Jason “Wee Man” Acuna, Ehren McGhehey, Dave 

England, and Ryan Dunn are his partners in prank. 

This DVD is unrated and not for the faint of heart. 

THe lAsT kiss (103 min.) 

Young professional Michael (Zach Braff) panics 

on his 30th birthday as he sees his youth and 

freedom in the rear view mirror. Newly engaged 

to a beautiful young woman (Jacinda Barrett) but 

still attached to his immature buddies, he risks 

it all for a fling with a free-spirited college girl 

(Rachel Bilson). Rated R for sexuality, nudity and 

language. 

I was a little late on the whole DVD thing. I had 

a healthy VHS collection that took up most of the 

space in my entertainment center and was extremely 

skeptical about upgrading to DVD for fear that the 

trend just wouldn’t catch on. Of course now I have 

far too many DVDs to count and my VHS collection 

is a dusty memory, half boxed up in our storage unit, 

the other half taking up space in a landfill somewhere. 

As my luck would have it, my beloved DVDs 

may just be going the way of the buffalo, what with 

the growing popularity of competing technologies 

like HD, DVD and Blu-ray. If you happened to be 

lucky enough to get a fancy new HDTV for Christmas, 

you may need to consider picking up some 

new discs to go along with it. What’s the difference? 

And do you really need to go out and replace all your 

movies? 

HD DVD 

HD DVDs and players use blue lasers to read 

and write information, an upgrade to standard DVDs 

because blue has a shorter wavelength, allowing 

information to be more densely packed. As a result, 

HD DVD can store roughly 3-4 times more information 

than regular DVDs. That means your standard 

single-layer copy of Bridget Jones’s Diary is 4.7GB 

while the HD DVD equivalent has 15GB, resulting 

in a clearer, sharper picture of a slightly overweight 

Renée Zellweger in a barely-there bunny suit. 

There are currently 128 films available on 

HD DVD in the United States (sorry folks, Bridget 

Jones’s Diary hasn’t made it to the format yet). If 

you own an Xbox 360 you can purchase a HD DVD 

drive for around $200 and play your new discs on 

that. If not, stand alone players are available starting 

at around $500. 

Blu-Ray 

Much like its competitor, Blu-Ray discs use 

blue lasers to read and write data, meaning they 

can hold a lot more information compared to current 

DVDs. In fact, Blu-ray discs actually have more 

information capacity than HD DVDs, with single-layer 

discs holding 25GB and dual-layer discs with 50GB. 

Blu-Ray players are currently running at around 

$1000, but if you happened to get your hands on 

a Playstation 3, you’ve already got everything you 

need to play the discs. As of December 12 th , 123 

films are available on Blu-Ray. 

Battle lines- Whose side are you on? 

If you happened to be around during the great 

VHS/Betamax format war in the early 80s, you may 

be feeling a bit of déjà vu right about now. Currently 

manufacturers are at a standoff as to which newgen 

disc will reign supreme. HD DVD supporters 

include Toshiba, NEC, Sanyo, Microsoft, Intel, HBO, 

New Line Cinema, Paramount Home Entertainment 

and Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Blu-Ray 

backers are Sony, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, 


are you ready for an upgrade? 

tv viewing goes high-tech 


Sharp, Pioneer and LG Electronics, Dell, HP, Apple 

Computer, Twentieth Century Fox, Vivendi Universal 

and Walt Disney and video game maker Electronic 

Arts. Warner Bros and Viacom have said they will 

support both. 

Many people like Blu-Ray because of the 

higher data capacity but others say HD DVD is better 

because it is a less expensive option. While this is 

currently the case, prices are expected to drop at the 

end of next year, perhaps paving the way for Blu-Ray 

to pull into the lead. 

DVDs: Obsolete? 

With all this talk of format wars, are our precious 

DVDs being phased out? Not quite yet. Today’s 

conventional single-layer DVDs can hold around 4.7 

gigabytes of information which is plenty for most 

TVs to handle. The consumer want for pitch perfect 

picture quality and sound is what is driving compa- 

nies to look for new technology and find a suitable 

next generation replacement. We still have a long 

time until either of the new formats will make standard 

DVDs obsolete so those with hundreds of movies 

on DVD can rest easy. And, thankfully, HD DVD 

and Blu-Ray players are able to read current-generation 

DVDs, meaning you can continue to watch your 

discs long after you upgrade your equipment. 

The winner of the battle for technological supremacy 

remains to be seen and the war could very 

well last another couple of years. The bottom line is 

if you’re satisfied with your plain ol’ DVDs, there’s 

no reason to up and switch until all the dust settles. 

Existing DVD players and discs will work perfectly 

with HDTV sets and will look great. Still, if you have 

an HDTV and you want to see what it can really do, 

you may want to pick up a next generation player 

and a few discs and take it for a spin. It’ll almost be 

worth money to take a look at what home entertainment 

in the future will look like.

eality check 

big entertainment from small cable networks 

By jon BosWortH and cassie Larue 

EU takes great pride in providing the most comprehensive local entertainment coverage in town. We do 

more movie reviews, more in-depth interviews with local and traveling musicians, and the most television 

writing than any other weekly paper. The one gap in our elaborate coverage is the reality programming that 

is harbored on small cable networks. Now that the big networks have finally gotten off of the reality TV horse 

and moved on to strange game shows, basic cable owns reality television. 

If “reality bites,” than reality TV eats it whole. There is everything from the Celebreality programs on 

VH1, which includes the always hysterical Flavor of Love and This Surreal Life, to the home and fashion 

makeover shows on TLC, to the real-life crime drama of Court TV and A&E. There is no end to the voyeurism 

we are capable of. Ever since The Osbournes found such success on MTV, every quasi-celebrity hopes to 

extend their careers through the magic of a camera crew in-house. 

Even fictional television has grabbed onto the phenomenon of reality. The Office presents its sitcom under 

the auspices of being a reality television program about life in the average cubicle environment. Curb Your 

Enthusiasm, in the vein of Larry David’s last faux-reality show, Seinfeld, maintains the concept of being about 

Larry David’s real life in Hollywood, but most of the characters are just actors, or actors “playing themselves” 

like Ted Danson and Richard Lewis. 

LittLe PeoPLe Big WorLd 

– TLC 

This show is about midgets…Wait, midgets 

isn’t the right word. The Daddy midget on the show 

calls the disorder dwarfism, but the proper nomenclature 

is “little people,” which I find to be a little 

more demeaning than “midget,” but then again, I’m 

not nearly as little. This family of six owns a farm 

in Portland that wasn’t exactly successful until this 

show started to air. Of the four children, only one 

is a “little person,” although both of the parents are 

little people. 

There is certainly an educational element to 

this show, because I don’t really know anything 

about midgets…little people. You see little people is 

a misnomer for me, because it could mean anything 

from elves to children, but when I say midgets, you 

know exactly what I’m saying. So political correctness 

be damned, I’m calling them midgets. They 

aren’t bad, although they are sometimes scary in 

Fellini or Gilliam films, this family of midgets is hardworking, 

understanding, and loaded with drama. 

From mystery illnesses that root in their dwarfism 

to the son that accidentally injured himself with their 

pumpkin catapult, there is always some sort of educational, 

compelling, and cathartic drama to pass 

your evening on the couch. 

Hogan KnoWs Best 

– VH1 

No one really thought they cared about Hollywood 

Hulk Hogan until he had his own show. Although 

we love watching people we don’t really care 

about deal with predicaments that aren’t at all real to 

us, The Hogans is taking it a step too far. Much like 

the show about Kiss’ Gene Simmons, this show is 

a sick tromp through a decadent American life that 

makes terrorists far away hate us. The only drama 

in this show revolves around the daughter throwing 

a party or wrecking her new sports car. It is even 

more drab than The Osbournes, because at least 

that show allowed us the humorous relief of a totally 

disoriented Ozzy mumbling curse words and popping 

pills. The Hogans is dyed blonde and a total waste of 

time. 

groWing uP gotti 

– A&E 

This show isn’t on the air right now, but I am 

waiting with baited breath to see this spoiled-rotten 

and amoral family bring me back into their no-longer-the-gangsters-we-used-to-be 

mentality. It appears, 

throughout the drama of the show, that they 

think of themselves as the real-life Sopranos. If that 

is the case, I hope a new season will play back-toback 

with A&E’s syndicated showings of the original 

HBO series the Sopranos so that we can laugh at 

those squirrelly brats when we realize just how NOT 

gangster they are. 

WHat not to Wear 

– TLC 

TLC has a number of shows that spotlight catty 

gay men berating average Americans about their 

fashion choices. From What Not to Wear to Ten Years 

Younger, the benefactors of these programs are usually 

less than excited and caught totally unawares. 

When the hosts first speak to the “victim” and then 

throughout the duration of the show, nothing is 

encouraging or hopeful. Even when they are sent 

to New York with $5,000 to spend on any clothes 

they want, they are haunted by the jibes that echo in 

their head about the rules of fashion that they were 

inundated with before leaving. Similarly, in Ten Years 

Younger, they are forced to stand in a soundproof, 

transparent cube as passerbys in a haughty Los 

Angeles shopping district are called on to judge their 

appearance both before and after their makeover. 

For showtimes of any of these shows, just Google the show’s name and the network will provide you 

with the various times the show is scheduled to air. This topic is so full of fodder all over the television that 

you can count on this column appearing once a month for the rest of the year. There is no end to reality, and 

no end to bad television on basic cable, so when the two are mixed, they create an oddly entertaining combo: 

this column. 

video game reviews 

by Norm stovall normstovall@gmail.com 

Victorious Boxers 2: 

FigHting sPirit 

For Playstation 2 

Who doesn’t love Ippo? I know I sure 

do. Victorious Boxers is based on a great Japanese 

manga franchise featuring the dedicated 

character that most all of Japanese boxing fans 

love. The gameplay in Victorious Boxers 2 is the 

same as its predecessor, if you haven’t played 

it, think of a control scheme much like EA’s Fight 

Night- Round 2 with an anime theme, and over 70 

characters to choose from. (I’m pretty sure Victorious 

Boxers was the inspiration to Fight Night’s controls, actually. They work amazingly well.) Duke it out 

with your opponent using your dual shock analog sticks, ducking, weaving, and beasting your way to the 

top. If you love boxing but have played Fight Night to death, be sure to give this one a try. It isn’t exactly 

getting the media buzz it deserves. 

cars 

For Nintendo Wii 

So lets face it, most licensed movie 

games tend to be lacking in the quality department. 

Did you ever play the Pirates of the 

Caribbean game? How about the Jaws game? 

If so, you’ll know what I mean. Well, prepare to 

be surprised with cars, a game that is geared 

toward the smaller family members, but really 

holds its own even with the big kids. Granted, 

it’s no Gran Turismo HD, but Cars has a certain 

special charm with its fun gameplay and controls 

and its full cast of voice actors including 

Paul Newman and Owen Wilson. In cars, you 

are able to drive about, racing in various locales 

including Radiator Springs and plenty of NASCAR inspired racetracks. There is plenty to do, and Cars 

doesn’t get old as fast as most kid’s games. 

Import Game Review: 

King oF FigHters xi 

For Playstation 2 

Not everyone is fortunate enough to 

have both a Japanese and an American 

Playstation 2, but after I made a trip out to 

Game Force in Mandarin, I was set to play 

games meant for both regions on my soon to 

be modified PS2. See, I really had to get my 

hands on this Japan-only fighting game my 

friends have been pushing me to get. I didn’t 

have a Japanese PS2, and hell if I was going 

to pay for one. Luckily, Game Force sells 

mod kits so you can play these imports on your favorite console. I was told they could even do the mod 

service for you, for a small fee, which is awesome. So, now that I am set up for multi-regional gaming 

and ready to share my somewhat cultural gaming experience with you. 

King of Fighters xi is the newest edition of the KOF series, (with the exception of the Maximum Impact/20006 

games) which retains many of the coolest innovations in the series, and adds a few new 

ones. When you start out a game in Arcade or versus mode, you first select the person who is to be your 

team leader. Then, you select 2 team members to support you. During gameplay, you can snap in (or 

tag in) your team members by tapping both punch or both kick buttons. Easy peasy. The pause menus 

provide you with all the special moves and combos, and most text in the game that involves navigation is 

written in English. You can also participate in single player, one-on-one matches, and if you live in Japan, 

you can even play online via networked matches. Why doesn’t the US market have more PS2 games like 

this? I don’t know the answer to that, but if you are a die-hard fighter fan or even if you like KOF just a 

little, consider importing King of Fighters xi. I’m glad I did. 


ead an adventure 

saban and the ancient 

by Erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com 

WHAT: Local book signings 

WHEN: this Friday, Saturday and January 13 th 

WHERE: Borders, The Bookmark and 

The Town Center Barnes & Noble 

Local author Danté Amodeo recently sent his 

first novel over to EU, an action/adventure/espionage 

tale called Saban and the Ancient. Although 

aimed at a young teen audience, the book is complex 

enough for adults to enjoy. It’s won 1st place 

for the category of Action/Adventure by POW, a 

national organization called Promoting Outstanding 

Writers. 

The hero of the book is the unassuming 

Saban, who gets caught up with an ultra-secret 

spy organization called “The Ancient.” Elements 

reminiscent of comic book heroes, a splattering 

of the paranormal, the spy genre and relationship 

complications, all merge to form a cleanly told 

story that is to be the first in a series. The book 

is rapidly gaining popularity, showing up on book 

shop shelves across Jacksonville. EU recently 

caught up with Danté Amodeo to ask questions 

about the series. 

EU: What inspired you to write for this age 

range? 

The “age range” is always a tricky question, 

because it LOOKS like a young adult book, but it’s 

not just that. I actually wrote the book to be escapism 

for adults, but back when I worked for Daniel 

Memorial as a child care worker, I could never 

find enough books about young adults that were 

pushing themselves to be the best they could be. 

So the book is ABOUT young adults, and it’s clean 

enough for young adults...but there are a lot of 

parts that only adults will appreciate. 

EU: When will the next book be out? Can you 

give us a sneak peek into the plot? 

I’m shooting for June 2007…As to the second 

book, there is definitely a mole on the team. 

Saban cannot fully trust his friends, and he’s not 

too sure about his boss, either. Meanwhile, the 

crystals DO come together, in Italy of all places, 

and when the big evil is released, we will have to 

see if the supernatural can be trumped by science 

or superior firepower. Perhaps both...perhaps neither. 

EU: How have your many jobs prepared you for 

writing? 

All of them, as far as being able to think 

quickly. In my younger, slightly unethical days, I 

bluffed my way into maybe half of my jobs, under 

the pretense of being “rusty.” By the time I shook 

of the supposed rust, I had learned how to do the 

job - kind of like a small-scale “Pretender”, except 

without the chiseled good looks, or good looks of 

any type, really. And no felonies committed. 

EU: Are you planning on killing off any characters 

in the next book? 

One character is in a bad situation, I’m trying 

to figure out a way for them to survive, but I’m 

not sure they logically can. I’m big into “Deus” but 

not so much the “ex machina.” Like real life, the 

mortality rate is still 100% no matter what, and 

the only factors are when, how, and the class with 

which you pass. So some people will not make it 

out of the series alive, I can assure you. 

EU: What kind of research did you do to get the 

spy lingo down? 

Well, I am prior military intelligence, but 

most of what I did was over twenty years ago. So 

I cheated a bit. See, John has been “off-grid” for 

twenty years or so, and Alpha learned what they 

know from him. So they all use the terminology he 

would use, which (not coincidentally) is the lingo 

with which I am familiar. Younger spooks would 

call it “old-school”, I’m sure, but you know, “no 

school like the old school!” 

EU: What’s your favorite spy novel? 

Oddly, I don’t read spy novels. Most real 

intelligence work is surprisingly relational and 

relatively gadget-free. I did wear out my copy of 

The Puzzle Palace. And I thought the Bourne movies 

were cute and engaging. 

EU: What are you currently reading? 

Hah! You might laugh: I like relational stuff. 

I just finished Boundaries by Drs. Townsend and 

McCloud. It’s an incredible book on embracing 

responsibility and learning when to say “no” to 

people who encroach on your time and space. 

And I’m about to start Love and Respect by Dr. 

Emerson Eggerichs, a fantastic book about the 

dynamics of man/woman relationships. Don’t be 

surprised if you see some concepts reflected in 

the relationships of the series. And I’ll read a few 

others soon, and then I won’t read for a while. 

But when I read, I read quickly. When the fifth 

Harry Potter came out, I borrowed it from a friend 

and read it in a day. I would rather learn than be 

entertained. Hopefully my books will do both - 

philosophical discussions while dodging bullets. 

And the action is the vehicle for the relationships, 

not the other way around. 

EU: If Saban were a chess piece, what piece 

would he be and why? 

He would say a bishop or maybe a rook, but 

he’s beginning to understand that those pieces 

are just “talented” pawns. Even as nice as Saban 

is, he has no desire to be anyone’s pawn - much 

to the surprise of those who try to play him. And 

when he has had enough...well, I would leave the 

room. It won’t be pretty. 

The author will be at two book signings this 

weekend December 29 th at Borders on Southside, 


eat indian, cook indian 

cooking demo with suvir saran 


WHAT: Cooking demo, five course meal and 

cookbook signing with celebrity chef Suvir Saran 

WHEN: Cooking Class Jan 6 th @6:30 PM Book 

Signing, 5 to 6 PM 

WHERE: Apron’s Cooking School 

Cost: $50 

Suvir Saran doesn’t remember a time when 

he wasn’t cooking. When he thinks back to his 

childhood in India, his earliest memories of relatives 

are always associated with food. When the other 

boys had taken up their cricket bats, Saran stayed 

behind in the kitchen, always cooking. 

All these hours in the kitchen led him to a 

completely different approach to Indian cooking. This 

radical, yet sensible approach has made him the 

premier chef of Indian cuisine in the U.S. On Jan 6 th , 

Saran will be coming to Jacksonville for an Apron’s 

Cooking School demo and a book signing. Since 

2004 when he opened his New York restaurant, Dévi, 

Saran has been featured in the New York Times, 

Food & Wine as well as many other publications 

across the country. 

Saran originally came to the United States in 

1993 to study graphic design at the School of Visual 

Arts. He had so many friends and foodies over for 

dinner at night, teaching them 

how to cook Indian food, 

that he was forced to start 

charging for it. At the urging 

of friends and family, Saran 

opened his own catering 

business. The highlight of 

his catering career so far has 

been cooking the first Indian 

meal ever served at Carnegie 

Hall for a host of international 

celebrities and dignitaries in 

honor of the 50th anniversary 

of India’s independence in 

1997. 

Reading his Indian 

Home Cooking: A Fresh 

Introduction to Indian Food 

I noticed a lot of similarities 

between American Southernstyle 

hospitality and Indian 

hospitality, so when I had him 

on the phone, interviewing for 

EU, I asked him about it. “It’s 

true, they are similar,” Saran 

says “It’s all about passion, 

love, a desire to love and spoil 

people. [It’s] Entertainment 

that is the way we should be 

living.” 

Most Indian cookbooks, 

Saran laments, “are written 

like a great-grandmother wrote 

it.” Saran’s cookbook attempts to reflect modern 

Indian home-style cooking. Saran also thinks most 

cookbooks are needlessly intricate. “I think we like to 

make things difficult so as to justify our paycheck,” 

he joked. His book simplifies wherever possible. 

Saran zeroes in on what’s available in Indian 

kitchens today. Of the famed ghee butter Saran says, 

“We didn’t grow up with ghee, we grew up with the 

Indian version of canola oil.” 

Each region of India is also very different, and 

Saran borrows from them all. Northern Indian food 

is “heavy on creams, dairy and meats.” Central 

focuses on vegan and vegetarian fare and the south 

tends toward use of spices, seafoods and coconut. 

As far as Saran is concerned, the food served in 

most Indian isn’t authentic. When he came to this 

country and went to Indian restaurants, he found 

that they were “serving some hybrid cuisine that 

wasn’t Indian.” Even though India has an extensive 

coastline, most Indian eateries don’t serve much in 

the way of fish and when they do, the results are 

often disastrous. “You don’t want to order seafood 

in most Indian restaurants, [they] just kill our meats 

and seafood…mostly by overcooking.” 

Saran doesn’t believe that all curries should 

be exalted or condemned based on the impression 

of curry at one restaurant or in one dish. “When 

non-Indians tell us that they love or hate curry, we 

die a little inside, because curry can mean different 

things.” The term curry is often used in India as a 

catch-all phrase meaning sauce or gravy. French 

sauces or gravies can be as different as Indian 

curries can be. The word curry can also be used 

to denote the use of the curry plant in recipes, 

and lastly, curry can mean “that awful powder the 

English invented.” 

To learn more about modern Indian cooking, 

you can see Chef Suvir Saran at the Apron’s Cooking 

School. Call (904) 262-4187 for more info. The 

demo menu will feature Puff Pastry Samosas with 

Green Peas; Ground Chicken with Spinach and 

Whole Spices; Stir-Fried Green Beans with Coconut; 

Eggplant Raita; Rice (Basmati and Lemon); Chutney 

(Green and Tamarind).

making the old new again 

Angelo’s is open 


With dark wood paneling, Sinatra 

crooning, black accents and red tablecloths, 

Angelo’s isn’t short on classy retrostyle 

atmosphere. The food is something I 

crave--uncomplicated Americanized Italian. 

Angelo’s has a history of more than thirty 

years in Jacksonville. They were closed 

for two years before being re-opened 

by its new owners, Paul Rohan and Don 

Werkema. Always a neighborhood favorite, 

locals were happy to see the place being 

re-opened this past November. 

What has stayed the same since 

Angelo’s has changed hands, is the neighborhood 

sensibility. Chef Ian Gabbe tells EU 

that “the majority of the staff are from the 

Arlington area, a lot of them live less than 4 

blocks away.” 

The biggest difference between the new Angelo’s and the old Angelo’s, according to Chef Gabbe is 

“more of an emphasis on fresh ingredients.” Undeniably, there is a bistro sensibility to the food that will be 

placed before you, especially with non-fried items like the tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil. This 

very basic but lush appetizer was finished with basil-infused olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar. They are 

starting over with the menu, still offering Italian food, but using their own recipes. A few popular favorites, like 

the baked spaghetti and meatballs, made it over from the old menu. You can order their sought-after pasta 

selections for lunch or dinner. 

Another important difference is that Angelo’s will now be open for lunch, with lower priced items for the 

lunch crowd. Word has started to trickle out that eatery is now open for lunch ahead of schedule, something 

that they were slated to do in January but have begun this month. 

Paul and Don also own Pauly’s New York Pizzeria on Monument in Regency. You can see the influence 

of Pauly’s menu on Angelo’s menu as you scan the lunch menu and the pizza selections. Items like the 

whimsically named “Tighty Whitey” (a ricotta, mozzarella and garlic pizza) and “the Pauly Meatbally” are lifted 

straight from the Pauly menu. Lunch features many of the hero sandwiches you’ll find at Pauly’s, which is 

likely why they’re ahead of schedule in offering up lunch. 

Beverages include standard beer and wine selections, as well as a full liquor bar. Most of the décor was 

kept from the old restaurant, but a few things were refreshed and refurbished. New wallpaper, a few reupholstered 

chairs and artwork from local artists like MactruQue and Sage Steven’s New York photo studies complete 

the look of the new Angelo’s. 

The entrées here are of course more upscale than the lunch offerings. I lovingly consumed the artfully 

presented chicken piccata. The moist juices of the tender chicken breast were sealed in by an egg batter 

(Français style) served atop a bed of zucchini and green peppers with a flavorful lemon and chicken stock 

reduction laced with capers. Each entrée item comes with a choice of salads. 

To end my meal, I had their Roma tiramisu, a well presented dessert criss-crossed with chocolate and 

caramel. I was torn between the rich-sounding chocolate cake and the tiramisu, but in the end, I had to go 

with something classically Italian, and I wasn’t disappointed. 

Large parties can be scheduled at Angelo’s with a reservation. Chef Gabbe is excited about a party 

slated for the weekend: “A couple that came in every year for their anniversary, obviously hasn’t been able 

to come in here the last couple of years [will be here]…This year is their 50 th wedding anniversary and their 

children found out that we were re-opening and set up a party. It’s going to be about 35 people.” 

There’s something on the menu for everybody at Angelo’s, and they even provide a kid’s menu for the 

little ones. If you’re looking for a neighborhood restaurant with an upscale atmosphere and Italian comfort 

food, Angelo’s is the place to go. 

INFORMATION 

Angelo’s Italian Restaurant 2111 University Blvd N. (904) 745-4812 

OpeN: 11AM-2PM Lunch & 5PM-9PM Dinner Tuesday-Saturday, Noon-9PM Sundays, You can also order 

pizza only Tuesday-Saturday from 2PM-5PM between lunch and dinner. 

COsT: Lunch will roughly cost about $10 for a single person and dinner is from about $10-$25 depending 

on what you order. 

ian gabbe 

chef profile 

Restaurant: Angelo’s Italian Restaurant 

You’ve worked at pastiche, with the san Marco Group and 

Crush during your career in Jacksonville. Besides that, did 

you receive any formal training? 

ACFI basically sponsored me through FCCJ…My instructor was 

John L. Wright, who is a culinary icon here in Jacksonville, he’s 

trained a lot of people here. He’s one of the coolest old guys 

you’ll ever meet. 

If you were trapped on a dessert island, besides a chef knife, what kitchen tool would you bring? 

I think probably a big mallet, a big meat tenderizer. 

What’s your favorite dish to make? 

I like doing sauté. That’s probably the thing I have the most fun doing, because there’s flames…and 

stuff’s flying. 

What’s your favorite spice to use? 

I don’t know that I have an overall favorite, I mean, I use thyme in just about everything that I do, but 

that’s just the basic background…I’m kind of partial to tamarind. 

What’s your favorite dish to eat? 

I’m a moody person, all depends on my mood. I love food…I have standbys everywhere I go to eat. 

Bistro Aix, I usually eat the tuna if I don’t have anything else I want to try. Pastiche does…a grouper 

Provencal that’s really good. 

What’s the most decadent dessert at Angelo’s? 

The chocolate cake, it’s…a five layer chocolate cake and it stands about 8 feet tall (laughs)—Well it’s 

pretty tall, anyway. It’s a thin wedge but it’s tall and very rich. 



NEw YEaR’s EvE 

blow outs, events 

and eats by erin thursby 

Here’s this year’s sampling of the parties and events you can attend for New Year’s Eve, 

from the Gatorbowl and club events to places to eat as you ring in the New Year! 

Gatorbowl Related Events! 

December 31 st , New Year’s Eve 

Winn-Dixie Hometown Gator Bowl Parade 

Downtown Jacksonville: 3 p.m. 

$10 Reserved Parade Seat 

You are invited to celebrate New Year’s Eve at the Winn-Dixie Hometown Gator Bowl Parade. The “Still 

Rockin’ at 60”-themed parade features colorful floats, high school bands, college bands, giant helium 

balloons, and entertaining specialty units. The units will be routed through the Northbank in downtown 

Jacksonville. 

Gator Bowl Pep Rallies 

The Jacksonville Landing Courtyard 

Visiting Team Pep Rally: 1:30 p.m. 

Home Team (ACC) Pep Rally: 5:30 p.m. 

Get pumped up for the Toyota Gator Bowl Classic! Excited fans are invited to show their team spirit at the 

Pep Rallies at The Jacksonville Landing. Join the bands, cheerleaders, and mascot in the excitement on 

New Year’s Eve. 

January 1 st 

Budweiser Tailgate Party 

Alltel Stadium Entertainment Zone: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. 

$10 at the gate or FREE admission with “THE PATCH” (Go to www.gatorbowl.com to learn more) 

Enjoy the thrill and excitement of college football as thousands of out-of-town fans come together to 

celebrate their team in a festive and family-oriented entertainment atmosphere. Truly a party where team 

spirit abounds, there will be pep rallies, cheerleaders and bands from both Universities that will be sure to 

ignite the passion in every college football fan. A multitude of interactive games to test your athletic skills, 

a variety of inflatables for kids of all ages to enjoy and all of your tailgating concession essentials make 

this a Tailgate Party not to miss! 

THE BIG GAME! 

ALLTEL Stadium: 12:00 Noon

CLUB PARIS 

Downtown New Year’s 

Check out the New Year’s Eve Party in the Jacksonville Landing Courtyard Festivities include live entertainment 

at The Landing stage. Club Paris will be injecting some style into the Landing festivities with Fred’s 

New Years Royal Black and White Tie Party! Packages range from $30 for first floor admission up to the 

most excusive VIP lounge. Call (904) 918-3999 for VIP details and (904) 633-9477 to reserve other tickets. 

At Twisted Martini a variety of VIP packages are available, with champagne menus all night, party favors, 

live feed of Times Square on 10 TV’s and 4 big screens. As usual they only serve the finest premium sprits. 

Space is limited so make your reservations today. (904) 353-8464 

Count down to 2007 with a spectacular fireworks display over the St. Johns River to light up the night 

sky and celebrate the New Year. Watch the New Year’s Eve Fireworks Spectacular at Midnight from the 

Landing or anywhere else in Downtown Jacksonville with a view of the river. Presented by The City of Jacksonville. 

VyStar Credit Union 5K Run is at 2PM at the Jacksonville Landing. The VyStar Financial Group 5K Run 

is a great way to get involved with all the excitement the Toyota Gator Bowl has to offer. If running, walking, or 

biking is your thing, this race is for you. The race is held right before the Gator Bowl Parade, and runs along 

the parade route through downtown Jacksonville. Each entrant will receive a VyStar Credit Union 5K Run Tshirt. 

Cost: $17 until December 24, $20 December 25-30 and $25 on race day. 

Clubs & Bars 

At Aromas the cigars are included at this semi-upscale wine and cigar bar. Black Tie, Black Jeans, Who 

Cares!! The starts at 9PM at both locations (Southside and Ponte Vedra) with party favors and a champagne 

toast. Call (904) 280-2525 (PVB)/ (904) 928-0515 for ticket reservations. 

The Atlantic will have party favors, a special sushi menu and the traditional champagne toast. They’re 

open through 4AM www.the-atlantic.com (904)249-3338. 

Martini’s & Club Vegas New Year’s Eve Blowout $10 All U Can Drink Blowout including Champagne 

- DJ KGB & DJ Coop Brink in the New Year. Martini’s & Club Vegas, 1187 Edgewood Ave South - 9:29 pm 

New Year’s Eve Party with Big Al & the Kaholics at Cheers! Cheers will be having a champagne toast 

at midnight, party favors, and the place will be decorated like Times Square. The kitchen will be open until 10 

pm for those last minute appetizers to soak up the alcohol. Cover charge $10, Cheers in Mandarin, 11475 

San Jose Blvd., 9:30pm-1:30am. 

Just a $10 cover will grant you access to all of Bourbon Street Station, Crazy Horse Saloon, Mardi 

Gras, the Latin Quarter, the Blue Room and the Varsity Club. Expect lots of prizes, with one giveaway every 

15 minutes starting at 9PM, including a 2 karat diamond tennis bracelet and $10,000 in cash prizes. A complimentary 

champagne toast will happen at midnight. (904) 641-8777 

Have a funky blues New Year with Mofro at Freebird. New Year’s Eve Mofro plays with the Lee Boys. 

Cost is $28 prior and $30 the day of the show. 246-BIRD (2473) 

Latitudes Café and Martini Bar. All you can eat and drink, live music, party favors and a champagne 

toast for just $60 in advance or $70 at the door. (904) 247-6606 

Ocean Club party ‘till 4AM, with a balloon drop and champagne toast at midnight. Watch a live feed of 

Times Square for the big ball drop www.oceanclubjax.com (904) 242-8884 

If you haven’t been to Square One, New Year’s Eve just might be the time to check it out. Located in the 

San Marco shopping district of Jacksonville, it’s where you can celebrate the New Year in style with El Toro 

Loco, party favors and the standard champagne toast. 

The infamous Tradewinds Lounge will be partying New Year’s in St. Augustine. It’s the the oldest 

lounge in the oldest city. Limited seating with live music by Matanzas. 124 Charlotte St.(904)829-9336 

For a quintessential Florida experience, head to Whitey’s Fish Camp in Orange Park. Once again the 

Boogie Freaks will entertain. There will be giveaways all night, a balloon drop, champagne toast and breakfast 

at midnight. Come in a boat and stay all night! Bloody Mary’s served in the AM. Call (904)269-4198 

(continued on page 18 & 19) 


Celebrate New Year’s in a Hotel 

Most every hotel with a restaurant and bar will be holding some kind of New Year’s bash, get a room 

so you can just trundle up to bed after getting completely snockered. The beaches have a myriad of bar/hotel 

options. Here’s just two of the places you can go in Ponte Verdra, St. Augstine and Amelia Island: 

At the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island, you can take in New Year’s Eve at their Glacial Gala at the Polar Bar 

featuring a martini ice luge. Take a walk in the ice garden, enjoy live music, dancing, extravagant buffet, open 

bar, complimentary champagne and midnight fireworks. Cost is $175 per person. There are also packages 

that include rooms. Call (904) 277-1028 for info. 

SwingIn’ the New Year 2007. Popular ‘60s 

band The Swingin’ Medallions will return to Northeast 

out of town 

See the Tybee Beach Fireworks at the 

Tybee Island Pier in Georgia on the corner of 

Tybrisa St. & Strand Ave. Fireworks will launch 

at midnight to celebrate the New Year. Come 

early to capture that perfect spot in the sand. 

Free parking. Earlier in the day you can take the 

Polar Bear Plunge, meeting at 9AM to take a 

plunge into the icy Atlantic precisely at Noon. 

Last year over 3,000 people participated some 

in costumes, even a wedding dress or two. 


Florida to again perform at the big New Year’s Eve 

bash at The Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village 

in St. Augustine. Famous for such classics as the million-selling 

“Double Shot (of My Baby’s Love)” and 

“Hey, Hey, Baby”, The Swingin’ Medallions are known 

for their impressive stage shows, and are often 

called “The Party Band of the South.” The “SwingIn’ 

the New Year 2007” festivities will be on Sunday, 

December 31, 2006 in the resort’s St. Augustine 

Ballroom. The Renaissance Resort is offering several 

New Year’s Eve packages. “The Party Package” is 

$125 per person (plus tax), and it includes admission 

to the party, a four-course buffet dinner, an open bar 

throughout the evening, champagne toast at mid- 

night, party favors, a huge balloon drop, and a “Resolution Breakfast” after midnight. Other packages include 

deluxe accommodations for one or two nights as well as golf packages. For reservations, or for information 

on any of the packages, call (904) 940-8000 or (888) 740-7020, or visit www. WorldGolfRenaissance.com. 

You can party, eat fabulous food or both at the Marriot Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra. Packages run from 

$49-$99. Choose from two venues within the hotel. There will be a Vegas style casino for entertainment as 

well as live acts and all the usual drinks and favors. (904) 285-7777. 

New Years Eve Eats 

You’ll need to make a reservation at any of these restaurants for New Year’s Eve. Call quickly because they fill 

up fast. All the costs don’t include tax or gratuity. 

The Grape (904) 642-7111 and Simon’s (904) 396-8088 are both wine bars that will feature a great 

spread for New Year’s Eve. Call for reservations, they are both filling up fast. The Grape will have a six course 

wine dinner at $100 a person, including a champagne toast. Simons will have a multiple course dinner paired 

with wine and a midnight toast as well. 

If you’re heading for an Irish pub keep in mind that most of them celebrate New Year’s twice. Once at 

7PM, when Ireland rings in the New Year, and once at Midnight. Fionn MacCools VIP package will include an 

open bar and a three course meal at $100 per person. Don’t Tell Amy will be the live entertainment from 9PM 

on. Culhane’s will have two seatings, one at 7PM and one at 9PM for $60 a person. Expect a sumptuous set 

menu. 

The Casa Marina Hotel & Restaurant (904) 270-0025 will be holding a Greek themed New Year’s with 

Club/Pub Crawl in 

style 

River City Social & Travel Club’s Annual New 

Year’s Eve Pub Crawl can help you bar hop in 

three different neighborhoods (The Beaches, 

Southside and Orange Park) without getting a 

DUI. Starting at one of four stops in each area, 

you will be transported via bus to a different 

pub, bar or restaurant every hour until arriving 

at your last destination, located at or near your 

starting hotel/bar, in time for your champagne 

toast to ring in the new year. The cost is only 

$39.95 if purchased NOW and $49.95 shortly, 

pending availability. They highly recommend 

you get a room, and to make it even easier 

by arranging for reduced rates at various area 

hotels. Go to http://www.rivercityclub.com/ 

for more information or call (904) 505-4746. 

music from Greek Wave. Leg of lamb, whole roasted 

snapper, baklava and a chocolate fountain are the 

main attractions. The cost is $100 per person. 

There’s going to be a great party at the Beaches 

Woman’s Club at 2nd Avenue North and Penman 

Road for New Year’s Eve. It will be catered by JJ’s 

Bistro of Ponte Vedra and for an evening with Rod 

Stewart Tribute Artist Kenny Holliday. There will be 

a complimentary Champagne Toast at midnight. The 

proceeds of the evening will go to benefit Make A 

Wish foundation to finish off their Children Of Light 

campaign. Please come out and celebrate this great 

cause. Tickets are $65.00/each. If you wish to 

purchase a ticket; please call Donna LeTellier at 537- 

1629 to reserve. 

New Year’s Eve, 

Theater style 

Take in New Year’s at the “Pelican Club” for a 

trip down memory lane to the nightclub era, the 20’s 

thru the 40’s. The show starts at 8:30pm - 1:00 am 

at Players By The Sea Tickets are $50.00 in advance 

Limited VIP seating available ON THE STAGE! Table 

for 2 including a bottle of Champagne is $150.00 Martini Bar, Beer, Wine, after show hor doerves and sodas 

included. 

Not everyone lives to see the new year when Murder Mystery Players, Inc. serve up hearty laughs with a 

special New Year’s Eve at Dave & Buster’s. This fun-filled, interactive, murder mystery includes dinner as well 

as the performance. The evening begins at 8:00pm. Audience members have a chance to win prizes and decide 

who did what to whom. New Year’s Eve will never be the same as guests enjoy passed hors d’oeuvres, a chefcrafted 

four-course meal, complimentary power card, champagne toast, midnight celebration, and a hilarious 

mystery performance. The package price is $130.00 per couple + tax and gratuity. To make reservations for 

this hilarious evening of murder mystery and audience participation, call Dave & Buster’s at (904) 296-1525. 

Reservations are required, as seating is limited. www.mysteryplayers.com. 

Get to the Comedy Zone for a night of laughs, food, drinks and dancing. A lavish buffet in GiGi’s with prime 

rib and crab legs, favors, a champagne toast and comics Ronnie Bullard, Tim Statum and Al Ernst are part of 

the evening. Tickets are $69.97 per person plus tax. You can also separately arrange to stay at the Ramada Inn. 

(904) 268-8080 

At Atlantic Theatres, this year’s theme is going to be everything 007 and feature several rooms with various 

activities and screenings. Music will be provided by DJ Casey, of the Maxim national tour, local celebrity DJ 

Kevin Durgin and DJ Infader. Jon’Ra will headline a special live musical performance later in the evening. 

Food, valet parking, and a complimentary champagne toast will be included. Tickets:$50 for General / $90 

each for VIP. Atlantic Theatres, 751 Atlantic Blvd., Atlantic Beach - 8 pm Info: 249.PLAY (7529) or info@ 

atlantictheatres.com. 

other Bashes and Entertainment 

BEACH BLAST OFF 2007 IN ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH 

There won’t be another place you’ll rather be than St. Augustine Beach to kick off another great year! Enjoy 

a blast of flavor, icy sculptures and fireworks when several St. Augustine favorite restaurants serve up chili 

recipes for tasting and judging at the Fire and Ice Chili Cook-off from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. While tasting these 

fiery delights, enjoy the icy art of professional ice sculptor, Mike Riesmeyer. After things cool off from the 

chili – the Fireworks begin at 7:30 p.m. This display will stun visitors and help usher in the New Year! Sunday, 

Dec. 31, 2006, St. Johns County Fishing Pier and Pavilion

Info: (904) 829-5681 or www.stjohnscountychamber.com 

RIPLEY’S ROCK’N NEW YEARS TRAIN 

Join the Red Trains and rock into the New Year on Ripley’s Rock’n New Years Train. Enjoy music from decades 

past while you and your family ride through town enjoying the night sights! Start the New Year off right 

with good will and good cheer! Tuesday, Dec. 26 – Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006 at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! 

Museum or City Gates Train Station, 6 pm to 9 pm, Admission: $6 adults, $3 children. Info: (904) 824-1606 

or www.redtrains.com. 

30TH ANNUAL, NEW YEAR’S BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL! Don’t miss these 3 days inside Georgia’s Jekyll 

Island Convention Center. If you love Bluegrass, December 28 th Audie Blaylock & Redline, The Steep Canyon 

Rangers, The Primitive Quartet, The Larry Stephenson Band and Nothin’ Fancy. Friday, December 30th Williams 

& Clark Expedition, The Gary Waldrep Band, The Village Singers, Bobby Osborne & The Rocky Top 

X-Press, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver Pine Mountain Railroad. Saturday, December 30 th The Carolina Road 

Bank, The Bluegrass Brothers, The Cherryholmes Family, The Josh Crowe Band, The Lewis Family, Jesse 

McReynolds & The VA Boys, Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys! Go to www.aandabluegrass.com for 

tickets and details. (707) 864-7203. 

NOON YEAR’S EVE AT THE 

ZOO WITH RADIO DISNEY. 

New Year’s Day For the Kids 

THE GOT MILK? HALF PINT JUDGES CONTEST 

At 3PM on December 31 st in Downtown Jacksonville. Five winners from a contest conducted by the Florida 

Dairy Farmers and the Gator Bowl Association will be selected to judge the 2006 Winn-Dixie Hometown 

Gator Bowl Parade. The contest is open to all Jacksonville-area children between the ages of 6 and 

12. Kids entering the contest are asked to complete the sentence: “When I’ve got milk? I’ve got a smile 

because...” The winners of the contest are declared Got Milk? Half Pint Judges. They are responsible for 

selecting one favorite float from the 2006 Winn-Dixie Hometown Gator Bowl Parade, from a kid’s point of 

view, to receive the Got Milk? Half Pint Award. The little judges will receive “Got Milk?” items and prizes 

and will ride in the 2006 Winn-Dixie Hometown Gator Bowl Parade to be held on Sunday, December 31, 

2006. Contact: Pat Corda (904) 798-1700 

THE ANNUAL NOON YEARS EVE BALLOON DROP 

At Adventure Landing from 10:00AM-2:00PM on New Year’s Eve Day kids will like the The Annual Noon 

Years Eve Balloon Drop with over 500 prize filled balloons for 3 different age groups: 4 & Under, 5 – 8 & 

9 – 12. Unlimited Go-Karts, Laser Tag & Mini Golf from 10:00AM-2:00PM for only $10.00. Special must 

be purchased to participate in balloon drop (4 & under FREE). Visit www.adventurelanding.com or call 

(904) 246-4386 for more information!. 

NOON YEAR’S EVE AT THE JACKSONVILLE ZOO WITH RADIO DISNEY 

3...2...1... Happy Noon Year’s Eve!! Help ring in the New Year at the Jacksonville Zoo with Radio Disney’s 

Noon Year’s Eve celebration! They’ll pass out the party hats and noisemakers and count down the 

minutes until 2007 with music and entertainment and do an apple juice toast at 12 noon. Enjoy Columbia 

Recording artists, The Beau Sisters. And have fun with Radio Disney AM 600’s own “Spikey T” and 

welcome special guest host, “Ernie D” - national Radio Disney afternoon show personality. December 31 

from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. 

JACKSONVILLE ZOO’S WINTER BREAK HOLIDAY FESTIVAL 

December 26, 2006 - January 6, 2007 

Join the crew at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens as they celebrate the New Year with music from 

around the world. Kids will enjoy the giant inflatable slides and bouncy house, face painting, and animal 

encounters as well as different entertainment planned for each day. Call 757-4463 or check the website 

www.jaxzoo.org for a schedule of each day’s activities and hours of operation. 


a year in music 

punk is not dead, it’s just inconsistent By Jon Bosworth 

At the beginning of 2006, everything looked bleak, musically. Bush’s war in Iraq was spurring all of 

these protest albums that were musically half-hearted. Instead of the traditional Green Day, we had the 

American Idiot Green Day which resorted to name-calling and flat attempts at depth. Instead of the funky 

fresh Beastie Boys, we had three old DJs slapping together a poorly concocted rap album, To the Five 

Burroughs full of political protest songs. These 2005 releases set the musical tone for 2006. We wanted 

to be the 60s. Iraq was becoming our Vietnam. 

The final blow that determined that fact to be that case was the release of At War with the Mystics 

by The Flaming Lips. I was getting geared up for the first Flaming Lips live appearance in Florida in 

almost fifteen years down at a festival in the Everglades this spring when I finally purchased their new 

record. It was self-righteous and loaded with social and political messages. I don’t mind my favorite 

artists sharing their beliefs with me as an avid listener and fan, it brings me closer to them in a sense. 

But when the music isn’t up to par with the artist’s usual creativity and spends a great deal of time 

preaching to me, I grow disappointed. Normally I would listen to a new Flaming Lips album over and 

over, but the more I listened to At War with the Mystics, the more annoyed I grew. I finally gave the 

record away and decided not to buy tickets to the Florida show for fear that it would tarnish my memory 

of their last show. 

I quickly decided that my search for good music was going to take me away from my traditional 

mainstays. So the hunt began. My friend Bob Maynard told me about an experimental, instrumental rock 

band that had John Stanier, the drummer for Helmet, Ian Williams, the guitarist for Don Cabelleros, and 

Tyondai Braxton, an experimental electronic musician and the son of jazz legend Anthony Braxton. I went 

to Inertia Records, the new record store in Five Points, and they had never heard of BATTLES. I looked 

around online and could only find their ambiguous website. I had no way of hearing them. So I did the 

unthinkable. I downloaded everything of theirs that I could find. That was still not very much music. So I 

went to Moon Colony Razorblade. 

Moon Colony Razorblade opened a great record store downtown loaded with indie rock gems. 

This store affected much of my music experience in 2006. Many of my favorite albums of 2006 were 

purchased there. Because the store opened and closed this same year, Moon Colony is one of those 

experiences that is exclusive to 2006. 

records I Purchased at Moon Colony razorblade in 2006: 

Johnny Cash – American V; A Hundred Highways 

Flaming Lips – At War with the Mystics 

Kind of Like Spitting – Bridges Worth Burning 

BATTLES – EP/CB EP 

Death From Above 1979 – You’re a Woman I’m a Machine 

Emperor X – Central Hug/Friendarmy/Fractal Dunes 

Built to Spill – You in Reverse 

I had a lot of hope for the local music scene in 2006. In addition to Brass Castle being my handsdown 

favorite band of 2006, the Cadets were getting back together and working on a new album, and 

Shangrala had begun recording their first full-length. I also saw some great bands get together and split 

up. From Crash the Satellites kicking out Heath Valdez, one of Jacksonville’s best musicians, to Chinese 

Horses, this amazing and promising new instrumental band that never seemed to play when I would 

show up to their show, many lineups changed, but at least those bands stuck it out and are still making 

the music we love. The real disappointment is the bands that couldn’t even last a single year, in spite of 

their showmanship live. 

Bands that Formed & split in 2006; May they rest in Pieces: 

the yusge – This two-piece was just a drummer and a bassist, but they rocked. Not only did they have 

an uncanny ability to keep you interested with a perpetually changing series of hooks and bass lines, but 

they were high energy and mastered that clinging to the silence that makes a band sound tight even if 

they aren’t. 

AnIMAl FIght – The toast of the Conmoto Trench Festival, this highly anticipated band featured the 

recently wounded Jason Jewell, who had been in a near-death car accident less than three weeks before 

this performance, but still managed to rock solid, along with some of the Jacksonville punk scene’s 

staple performers such as Dylan Louvier, Mike Arnold, and Josh Dunn on keyboard and vocals. 

Jet FIghter – This half serious half-kitsch band played anthemic songs that paid tribute to the eighties 

and made you laugh out loud. Like many bands in the River City, they fought over girls, control of the 

band, and egos. They finally split up sometime after the summer, although Alex Moore will sometimes 

still play as Jet Fighter. 

new BerlIn – This promising mix of Terry Case (once member of Trouble Is and Crash the Satellites), 

Cash Carter (of Cadets fame), and Amy Moore played minor-chord songs of postmodern complexity. 

Their music had a machine-like drone and Terry’s vocals gave it a texture that, while similar to Joe 

Parker from Hand of the Host, had a unique quality that likened it to something more contemporary. 

Unfortunately all of them had busy lives outside of the band that affected their ability to be inside of the 

band. 

great Bands I Discovered in 2006: 

BATTLES 

Death from Above 1979 

My Toy Heart 


... continued on page 21 sidebar 

january 

∙ Campaign to save the haydon Burns library downtown. Peterbrooke Chocolatier showed interest in taking 

over the old library and turning it into their main factory as well as a Willy Wonka sort of an entertainment 

destination. Enough people were skeptical about the entertaining value of chocolate to put the kibosh on the 

idea, but enough people were also determined not to let this architectural treasure be torn down. The compromise 

came in the form of a multiple-tenant concept which will include adding residential space on top of 

the library and converting the current space to accommodate a grocery store, a restaurant, a night club, and 

perhaps even more. 

∙ Sam Alito became a Supreme Court Justice. 

february 

∙ A JCCI study determined that Jacksonville’s murder 

rate was far greater than expected, more than double 

last year’s. 

∙ U2 and Kanye West sweep the Grammys. 

march 

looking 

back at 

∙ The one billionth song was sold on iTunes. 

∙ 2006 Winter Olympics took place in Torino. 

∙ Dick Cheney shot his friend in the face while hunting. 

∙ Immigration march took place in Los Angeles. 

∙ Mark’s, a bar on Bay Street downtown, opened. 

∙ Jon Stewart hosted the 78th Annual Academy Awards. 

april 

∙ Moon Colony razorblade opened. This promising new indie rock record store opened its doors downtown 

and hosted great in-store shows. Founded by local rockers Cash Carter of the Cadets and Max Wood of Applied 

Communication, they already had all the cool a record store needs to succeed. They brought in national 

acts to perform in the store and featured the best selection of pop-culture and counter-culture music, literature, 

and clothes for indie rockers. We all hoped it would live long and prosper. 

∙ Pope John Paul II died and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was named Pope Benedict XVI. 

may 

∙ Jacksonville Film Festival. Lonely Hearts, the feature film staring John Travolta and James Gandolfini, 

which was filmed in Jacksonville, opened at the Jacksonville Film Festival. Other movies with local associations 

that debuted at the Jacksonville Film Festival include Cocaine Angel and Jumping off Bridges. 

∙ Bush’s approval ratings hit an all-time low. 

june 

∙ Club Paris opened in the Jacksonville landing. On the heels of enormous Superbowl buzz, the opening 

gala was all tiara’s and boas as clubbers hoped to catch a glimpse of the actual Paris Hilton. She, however, 

was actually in Paris that weekend and did not make an appearance. A celebrity that did, however, was Mayor 

John Peyton. It was the first time in 2006 that many locals saw the mayor anywhere. 

∙ National “Go Skate Day” takes over downtown Jacksonville. 

∙ Aaron Spelling died. 

july 

∙ Previous Crush owners take over nosh at 9th & Main. 9th & Main’s owner, Craig Van Horn, once again 

changes up his whole concept. First it was Henrietta’s, featuring a delightful southern and Caribbean fusion 

cuisine. Craig shut that down and turned it into Nosh. Utilizing the great live room they had, they created a live 

music venue with a great sound system, a nice stage, and outstanding acoustics. But then there was some 

mix up that caused the whole place to get shut down. Finally Erika and Jeff, who had opened Crush in Riverside, 

took over the restaurant operations and have since resurrected the constantly in flux establishment.

2006 

∙ Italy Beats France in the World Cup 

august 

∙ Justin Barber’s murder trial. In 2002, Justin Barber and his young wife were celebrating their anniversary 

when she was murdered and he was shot by an “unknown assailant.” The trial was broadcast on Court TV 

and he was found guilty of the murder by a St. Augustine jury. Dateline NBC went on to showcase the trial 

and Barber’s story on their national broadcast. 

∙ Mark Foley sex scandal hit the national press. 

september 

∙ Cecil Field debates. After the crushing blow of losing the Cecil Field Air Station, Jacksonville recouped 

from the damages and developers lept into action. FCCJ took over the facility for educational; purposes and 

neighborhoods started springing up around Chaffee Road and the surrounding areas. As these communities 

developed and more and more private citizens invested in their own property, Navy activist groups petitioned 

that the land be made available to the military again, although the military had shown no interest in taking 

advantage of it even if it was made available. Voters finally closed the issue by electing not to turn the land 

back over to the Navy. 

∙ The Dive bar downtown opened. 

∙ Randall Terry Ran for state senate. 

∙ Fred Khalilian, owner of Jacksonville’s Club Paris, was arrested at the Beaches for refusing to pay his tab at 

The Ritz in Jacksonville Beach. The matter was resolved and the charges were dropped the following week. 

october 

∙ Conmoto trench Festival. Jason Jewell of Bojack was in a terrible car wreck, but still managed to play the 

Trench Festival, bandages and all. More than 80 bands performed at 5 venues downtown, including Tuffy, 

Shangrala, Crash the Satellites, Julius Airwave, and Environmental Youth Crunch. 

∙ herschell gordon lewis hosted the first of the tAlKIes series at the san Marco theatre. He performed 

the theme song to his classic gore film Two Thousand Maniacs with local musician Chris Estes on banjo, then 

provided live commentary on the film. 

∙ Jacksonville’s Shrug Records released its first 7 inch by Shana David. 

∙ Jacksonville’s hip-hop documentary Grind 2 Shine debuted at the Florida Theatre. 

∙ Jacksonville business owner sends video of a homeless man defecating in the streets of downtown Jacksonville 

to city councilmen. Local bloggers went wild. 

∙ Google purchased You Tube $1.65 Billion. 

∙ US Population reached 300 Million. 

november 

∙ Moon Colony razorblade Closed its doors, proving downtown still not ready for retail. 

Nease High School got in trouble with the FHSAA for making improper deals with athletes. 

∙ Democrats swept the midterm elections. 

∙ Donald Rumsfeld Resigned. 

∙ Robert Altman Died. 

∙ Borat hit the big screen. 

december 

∙ Flagler City was the location of Dateline’s “to Catch a Predator” series. In this series reporter Chris 

Hansen baits sexual predators through Internet chat rooms and then captures them on tape in a private home 

where they come to engage in illicit acts with an underage girl and are subsequently arrested by local police. 

An area police sheriff was one of the predators caught during this investigation. The episode is scheduled to 

air in 2007. 

Ultra Dolphins 

Solid Pony 

Holopaw 

Kickball 

Chinese Horses 

Black Kids 

So all in all it has been a year, and from iPod to Myspace, the way people find their music is 

constantly changing, but the quality of music is not decreasing, it’s just that we do not have to rely 

on the major labels to provide it. My favorite playlist right now consists entirely of local music I have 

downloaded from Myspace. From the lo-fi hits of Tuffy to the always engaging new tracks from The 

Cadets and even some new recordings by Shangrala, there is plenty of new music available, it just takes 

a little more work in this new era. But your reward for that increased workload is music that suits your 

tastes more adequately. So you don’t have to say you like Coldplay just because everyone else does. 

You can find something that is your little secret and your friends will be amazed when they visit your 

Myspace and discover some band that really rocks, even if they never made the Billboard charts. 

a year in food 

food highlights of 2006 By erIn thursBy 

Most of the major food news this year had to do with heath scares and controversial new laws. 

Here’s the scoop on 2006’s food news and a rundown on some of the local eatery openings and closings. 

national/statewide 

In April of 2006, Chicago’s City Council voted to ban the sale of foie gras, effective August 2006. 

In response, several Chicago chefs have filed suit and deliberately violated the law by continuing to sell 

foie gras. Some chefs are serving foie gras without charge, which is not against the letter of the law. 

Even for establishments that are violating the law, the City is issuing warning letters but no citations. 

This month, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley referred to the ban as “the silliest law” the Council has ever 

passed. 

Florida passed a new pet and food law in July, allowing dog owners to legally have their dogs in 

an outdoor eatery. Locally, ole Mexican restaurant near Regency Square partnered with Miss Daisy’s 

Delights, a gourmet pet bakery for Mutts & Margaritas on Monday nights. 

September’s Spinach E. Coli scare had grocers pulling bagged spinach from the shelves. It was 

harder to find fresh spinach for a while; though organic markets like Native Sun Natural Food Market 

carried fresh bunches rather than bagged. 

On December 5 th New York City passed a law that will ban trans fats in all restaurants. By 2008 

nothing with trans fats can be used as an ingredient and by July of 2007, no trans fat oil can be used 

in cooking. Since the rest of the country often follows New York’s lead and because many chains are 

based in New York, this will have a massive effect on the national food industry. 

notable local restaurant openings and Closings this year 

JAnuAry Pubwise shannon’s Irish Pub held its grand opening in time for last year’s New Year’s and 

several other restaurants from the new Bartram Oaks Walk (Bistro 101, Blue Fin), made their mark in 

the Mandarin area in 2006. A new sports bar, Jerry’s sports grille provides a decent nosh for sports 

fans; it opened in January on Atlantic Boulevard near Hodges. Plaza III the steakhouse opened at the 

Hyatt. The result of a partnership between Bob Green and Matthew Medure, the tapas bar Fuseboxx was 

hot as soon it hit the Southside scene. 

FeBruAry Magellan’s oceanfront restaurant was converted into the more casual Breakwater Bar 

& grille. lighthouse grille was closed to make room for waterside condos. Many lamented. 

MArCh takeya Japanese Steakhouse, Fusion and Sushi in Orange Park opened. nosh replaced 

henrietta’s in Springfield. 

APrIl layla’s of san Marco, a Middle Eastern themed hooka bar and eatery opened. 

MAy The owner and founder of european street, Lewis N. Zarka, who established four European 

Street Cafe restaurants in Jacksonville died in a car accident. 

June Aurathai opened in Murray Hill. Justin Sellas, son of the owners of taste of thai, decided to 

open his own place with his own stamp on things. He named the restaurant to honor his mother Aurathai 

Sellas. 

July the tasting room opened in St. Augustine, owned by Christine & Michael McMillan and Michael 

Lugo of Opus 39. 

sePteMBer whale Bone grille changed hands, becoming ragland, with the same owners as Fuel. 

oCtoBer lily Bistro, across from St. Luke’s Hospital on Belfort closed. Chew, a righteously upscale 

sandwich bistro, opened downtown. 

noveMBer A team from the First Coast technical Institute’s school of Culinary Arts became state 

champion. The competition tested basic cooking skills and methods. Also, Angelo’s, Arlington’s favorite 

Italian restaurant re-opened (SEE PAGE 15 for the full article). 

DeCeMBer Mojo Kitchen in Jacksonville Beach was opened this month by Todd Lineberry, who also 

owns the fab Mojo Bar-B-Que. the Chop house, serving upscale meat dinners, opened next to Tinseltown, 

in a location that seems to be ill-fated. It once housed legendz, and less recently gallery Bistro. 


live music 

shows calendar 

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28 

Open Mic w/Colleen Murphy Trade Winds Lounge, 

St. Augustine (829-8646) 

The Committee Cortesse’s, St. Augustine (825-6775) 

Gutterboy Cecil’s, Jax (744-5132) 

Switchback Roadhouse, Orange Park (264-0611) 

Nathan Holley Bukkets, Jax Beach (246-7701) 

The AB’s, Swordz, Rob Roy Jack Rabbits, Jax (398-7496) 

Big Engine Coyote’s, Orange Park (269-6837) 

Lisa & the Mad Hatters Reni’s, Jax (880-1111) 

Dot Wilder Jazz Quartet Layla’s, Jax 

Narcotic Nation Kountry Tavern, Jax (766-9138) 

Kings of Hell Sun Dog Steak & Seafood, Neptune 

Beach (241-8221) 

Undertones Mercury Moon, Orange Park (215-8999) 

Spare Change Café Bolero, Jax (641-3442) 

Mariachi Guadalajara Jimadores, Jax (739-5828) 

Porcelain Black French Quarter, Jax (732-9550) 

Boogie Freaks Square One, Jax (306-9004) 

Wes Cobb Fly’s Tie Irish Pub, Atlantic Beach (246-4293) 

The Wailers Freebird Live, Jax Beach (246-2473) 

Cornerstone The Mill Top, St. Augustine (829-2329) 

One Eighty Coyote’s, Orange Park (269-6837) 

Vudublu Ragtime Tavern, Atlantic Beach (241-7877) 

Cashous Clay, Duval Boyz, Swordz TSI, Jax (635-3024) 

Ron Rodriguez Mellow Mushroom, Jax (997-1955) 

Chuck Nash My Place, Jax (737-5299) 

Al Maniscalco The Brick, Jax (387-0606) 

John Winters Creekside Dinery, St. Augustine (829-6113) 

Little Green Men West Inn Cantina, Jax (389-1131) 

De Lions of Jah Twisted Sisters, Jax Beach (241-6453) 

Thirteenth Stone, Nightmare in Daylight Elixir, 

Orange Park (215-4400) 

Freeze Frame Fionn Maccool’s, Jax Beach (242-9499) 

Chapter XI, The Band Aids Thee Imperial, Jax (475-0488) 

Mr. Natural Whitey’s Fish Camp, Orange Park (269-4198) 

Neil Freestone A1A Aleworks, St. Augustine (829-2977) 

THURSDAY-SAT., DEC. 28-30 

Those Guys The Oasis, St. Augustine (471-3424) 

Blistur Rivers Edge, Fernandina (491-3849) 

22 

What: Bluegrass Festival 

When: Thursday, December 28 th - 30 th 

Where: Jekyll Island 

december 28-january 3, 2006 | entertaining u newspaper 

bluegrass greats - old & new 

cherryholmes family band - interview 


Get down to the sweet sound of the banjo and 

wicked fiddle solos! Make the trek for the 31 st annual 

Bluegrass Festival at Georgia’s Jekyll Island to enjoy 

three days of some of the best bluegrass artists in 

the country. It’s just about an hour and twenty-five 

minutes by car to go from Jacksonville to Jekyll 

Island to listen to old-timers and relative newcomers 

to bluegrass. 

Bands like Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver have 

been giving the world bluegrass harmonies since 

the 1970s, but many of the groups playing at the 

fest have only been part of the circuit since the late 

90s. Family-based bluegrass groups are a staple of 

the genre, and more than a few of these groups will 

be at the fest. The Gillis Brothers, The Lewis Family, 

The Issacs and Cherry Holmes are just a few of the 

familial groups. 

I interviewed CherryHolmes’ patriarch, Jere, 

for EU just two days before Christmas. The group is 

made up of Jere, wife Sandy and their four children 

Cia, B.J., Skip and Molly. Jere wanted to use bluegrass 

music as a way to heal his family and bring 

them together. “In 1999, our oldest daughter passed 

away…she was about 21 and in the aftermath we 

attended a bluegrass festival out in California…and 

enjoyed ourselves so much that I decided that what 

we needed to do for family 

togetherness was to start playing 

music together.” The family 

didn’t start with the intention of 

professionally playing music, 

but they began getting requests 

to play at events and festivals. 

Soon they were a real band, 

making a decent amount of 

money on the side, but Jere 

was still working so they were 

“somewhat limited as to how 

far we could go…so in 2002 

Sandy and I sat down and 

talked about it…either we were 

going to do it or we were going 

to have to back off, finish raising 

the kids, but, we decided to 

give it a shot.” 

When the family first formed the band, the kids 

ranged in age from about age 6 to 15. Since the 

family was already homeschooling, the transition to 

the road wasn’t very difficult as far as school was 

concerned. “There’s a lot of hours driving around on 

the bus, perfect time to do schoolwork…We started 

homeschooling about 15 years ago…that just really 

worked out for us…Skip, our youngest son is just 

about ready to finish up, he’s a senior…after this 

year there will only be one [Molly] that will be in 

school.” 

They started touring in a 1960’s VW bus but 

they’ve traded it in. “It never left us on the side of the 

road…but it was a bit smaller and I was putting so 

many miles on it that I was concerned that it would 

start breaking…Last year I drove in excess of 80 

thousand miles…[1960] was actually the last year 

they made that model and once you start breaking 

things you’re for looking parts that are at least that 

old or older.” 

In 2000 Jere asked his oldest daughter Cia to 

switch from guitar to banjo. “You just can’t have 

bluegrass without a banjo, so I asked her to switch. 

She taught our son guitar and he switched to guitar.” 

CherryHolmes has gained popularity since 

they played their first paying gig. They won the 2005 

IMBA Entertainer of the year and have appeared at 

the Grand Ole Opry about 23 times this year. 

The Bluegrass Festival begins on Thursday at 

noon and ends at 11PM on Saturday. Call (706) 864- 

7203 for tickets and info. You can choose a three 

day pass, or just go for a single day of bluegrass 

fun. Get special hotel rates for bluegrass fans at the 

Jekyll Oceanfront Resort from $50-85. Ask for special 

bluegrass rate 1-800-736-1046. 

New Year’s Bluegrass Festival Schedule 

Thursday, December 28 th 

The Gillis Brothers @ noon 

The Lost and Found @12:50PM 

The Larry Stephenson Band@1:40PM 

Jesse McReynolds & the VA Boys@2:30PM 

Larry Sparks & the Lonesome Ramblers@3:20PM 

The Country Gentlemen@4:10PM 

Supper Break@5:00PM 

The Gillis Brothers@6PM 

The Lost and Found@6:45 

The Larry Stephenson Band@7:30 PM 

Jesse Reynolds & the VA Boys@8:15PM 

The Country Gentlemen@10:00PM 

Friday, December 29 th 

The James King Band@noon 

David Peterson &1946@12:50PM 

The Gary Waldrep Band@1:40PM 

The Issacs@2:30 PM 

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver@3:20 PM 

The Grascals@4:20 PM 


The James King Band@6:00PM 

David Peterson & 1946@6:45PM 

The Gary Waldrep Band@7:30 PM 

The Issacs@8:15PM 

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver@9:00 PM 

The Grascals@10:00 PM 

Saturday, December 30 th 

The Carolina Road Band@noon 

David Parmley & Continential Divide12:50PM 

Lou Reid & Carolina@1:40PM 

The Lewis Family@2:30PM 

CherryHolmes@3:20PM 


The Carolina Road Band@5:15PM 

David Parmley & Continental Divide@6:05PM 

Lou Reid & Carolina@6:55PM 

Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys@7:45PM 

The Lewis Family@9:15PM 

CherryHolmes@10:05PM

matt collins 

acoustic wizardry with a strong voice at 

Pauly’s Pizza 

by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net 

It was a strange scene at Pauly’s Pizza when 

I arrived to cover Matt Collins. Lynyrd Skynyrd was 

performing a concert on the flat screen TV (muted) 

above the stage while singer/songwriter Matt Collins 

was performing his catchy original music. For me, it 

was a bizarre juxtaposition, sending my consciousness 

into a then-and-now time-warp. As Bob Dylan 

said after his 1960s Newport Folk festival debacle, in 

which he and The Band went electric, causing a near 

riot by folk purists, “It’s all music.” 

Indeed, Matt Collins is forging his own path as 

a singer/songwriter. He is a 27 year old veteran of 

playing in rock bands during his U of F college years. 

During that time, Matt discovered he could write 

melodic songs that went over well with audiences. 

While still in Gainesville, Matt joined the band The 

Treatment and played with them for twelve years. 

They recorded three albums the third of which was 

White Bread on Cinemark Records. 

In 2005, the group released an EP titled Wake 

Up. Then a funny thing happened when the group 

amicably decided to go their separate ways, The 

Treatment’s song Echo Radio was featured on the 

CBS hit show, The Ghost Whisperer, starring Jennifer 

Love Hewett. The song was featured in episode 2 of 

Season 2. 

Clearly, the 10 second placement of this song 

in a scene with a boy listening to his iPod was not a 

big time launching event, but it did get the lads thinking 

about reforming the group. But as of now, nothing 

has come of that idea. “We have done just about 

everything an independent local band could ever 

hope to do. We are very proud of the song making a 

major television show,” Matt said at the Pauly’s gig. 

Meanwhile, Matt is playing over 200 solo 

acoustic shows a year from Jacksonville, Florida 

(where he resides) to Charlotte, North Carolina. “I’m 

so lucky to be able to do what I love for a living. My 

only goal is to give 100% of myself to 

each night to whomever will listen, and 

hope that they will enjoy themselves as 

much as I enjoy performing,” 

Matt has been working on his first 

solo CD, Matt Collins Short & Sweet and 

it is finally finished. What started out as 

an idea for a somewhat bare-bones live 

CD back in January of this year, has been 

through many changes and several studios 

in a couple of different states. 

“My recordings were mixed by Jon 

Kaplan in New York City. I plan to stage 

a CD release party in Jax, January 27, at 

Jack Rabbits. I will be sharing the stage 

with Alt-country band from Raleigh, N.C. 

called Chatham County Line,” Matt said. 

Matt’s set at Pauly’s Pizza, where he 

gigs every Friday from 6:00 to 10:00 pm, 

showcased his powerful voice and original 

orchestration using looping devices to 

setup rhythms, over which he improvises 

on his amplified acoustic guitar. Matt presents 

a full sound featuring his intelligently conceived 

originals and some cleverly rearranged covers. Amid 

the enticing aroma of Pauly’s New York styled pizza, 

sending me into a serious pizza jones, Matt delivered 

his material with magnetic appeal. 

Of all the solo singer/songwriters I’ve covered 

lately, Matt is one of the most talented both as a 

songwriter and a performer. He said that he has 

worked with Chuck Nash and Ron Perry on a side 

project and has made many friends in the local musical 

community. 

For people starved for high quality original 

music, Matt Collins is a righteous choice to see live. 

He plays every Friday at Pauly’s. It’s a serious pizza 

restaurant that serves beer and other Italian New 

York styled deli dishes. It’s a great place to eat pizza 

and dig Matt Collins’ acoustic alchemy and original 

material. 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29 

Dana Salmela Cross Creek Restaurant, Jax 

Aachers New Arrival French Quarter, Jax (732-9550) 

Bakersville Conspiracy Club Fusion, St. Augustine (829-8333) 

Freeze Frame Monkey’s Uncle, Jax Beach (246-1070) 

Nate Holley Mellow Mushroom, Jax (997-1955) 

Mystery Band, Turning Point Band The Landing, Jax 

Deblois Twisted Sisters, Jax Beach (241-6453) 

The Company Cortesse’s, St. Augustine (825-6775) 

H.A.S.H., Rehab Reunion Show Thee Imperial, Jax (475-0488) 

Band of Destiny, Leon “Timbo” Seymore Boomtown, Jax (632-0099) 

Brad Payne All-Stars Sports Bar, St. Augustine (827-9842) 

Johnny Flood Aromas, Jax (928-0515) 

Infocus Duo River City Brewing Company, Jax (398-2299) 

BayStreet Tom & Betty’s, Jax (387-3311) 

Stu Weaver Outlet Mall, St. Augustine 

Lorenzo & the All Stars West Inn Cantina, Jax (389-1131) 

Souler System Chicago’s Pizza, St. Augustine 

Dang!, Dash Rip Rock Jack Rabbits, Jax (398-7496) 

Box Rockers Scarlett’s, St. Augustine (824-6535) 

The Last Guardian Murray Hill Theatre, Jax (388-7807) 

The Shylights Yesterdays, Jax (387-0502) 

Yankee Slickers Coyote’s, Orange Park (269-6837) 

Jager Dave On the Rocks, Jax (685-5268) 

Harloe, Battle Fuel, Jax (425-3835) 

Matt Collins Pauly’s Pizza, Jax (727-9101) 

Soulo Ragtime Tavern, Atlantic Beach (241-7877) 

Ace Winn Duo Copeland’s, Jax 

Jerry Melfi, LoriAnn The Conch House, St. Augustine (829-8646) 

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, DEC. 29-30 

Lisa & the Mad Hatters Monkey’s Uncle, Mandarin (2601349) 

Magnolia Possums Creekside Dinery, St. Augustine (829-6113) 

Spade McQuade Fly’s Tie Irish Pub, Atlantic Beach (246-4293) 

Mr. Natural Whitey’s Fish Camp, Orange Park (269-4198) 

Havoc Latitudes, Jax Beach (247-6606) 

Roger That Lynch’s Irish Pub, Jax Beach (249-5181) 

Something Distant Fionn MacCool’s, Jax Beach (242-9499) 

Big Al & the Kaholics The Dive Bar, Jax (359-9090) 

Sugar Bear Roadhouse, Orange Park (264-0611) 

Cornerstone Mill Top Tavern, St. Augustine (829-2329) 

Sax of Soul Bourbon Street, Jax (641-8777) 

Chuck Nash Band Sun Dog Steak & Seafood, 

Neptune Beach (241-8221) 

Pili Pili Caribbee Key, Neptune Beach (270-8940) 

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, DEC. 29-31 

Kickin Lassie Mercury Moon, Orange Park (215-8999) 

Gutterboy Casey’s, Yulee 

Tytus Hale Cap’n Odie’s, Mayport (241-8848) 

JJ Grey With Mofro Freebird Live, Jax Beach (246-2473) 

The Committee A1A Aleworks, St. Augustine (829-2977) 

2 Tymin’ Cliff’s, Jax (645-5162) 

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30 

Kenhe The Tree Steakhouse, Atlantic Beach (241-5600) 

Strings of Fire Jimadores, Jax (739-5828) 

Box Rockers The Conch House, St. Augustine (829-8646) 

Instant Groove Jazz Frisky Mermaid, Fernandina (261-3300) 

Box 543 Culhane’s Irish Pub, Atlantic Beach (249-9595) 

Payton Page Mellow Mushroom, Jax (997-1955) 

Jager Dave Ragusa Pub, Jax (443-7055) 


AB’s CD Release, Heavenly Noise Martini’s, Jax (388-6269) 

Little Green Men Coyote’s, Orange Park (269-6837) 

Arden Brewsters Pit, Jax (223-9850) 

Acoustic X Mas-Burn Season Jack Rabbits, Jax (398-7496) 

Chain of Fools, Go Ask Alice The Landing, Jax 

Carnal, Cystic Dysentry Thee Imperial, Jax (475-0488) 

One Less Reason, Down Theory French Quarter, Jax (732-9550) 

Vagabond’s Dream Box Seats, Orange Park 

Sly Poonce & Nimble Jim Brewsters, Jax (223-9850) 

Easton, Woodale Fuel, Jax (425-3835) 

Mike Shakelford The Homestead, Jax Beach (249-9660) 

Stu Weaver Harry’s, Jax Beach (247-8855) 

Naked Lunch Shannon’s Irish Pub, Green Cove Springs 

Bird Plus Magic Ouroboros, Jax 

De Lions of Jah Twisted Sisters, Jax Beach (241-6453) 

Our Finest Hour, My Epic Murray Hill Theatre, Jax (388-7807) 

Fed Up Landshark Café, Atlantic Beach (246-6024) 

Kid Kryptonite Jax Billiards, Jax 

Christopher Adkins The Brick, Jax (387-0606) 

David Guidi Stogies, St. Augustine 

Nathan Holley Bukkets, Jax Beach (246-7701) 

Open Mic w/Larry Broussard St. Johns Pizza Grill, 

Jax (287-9900) 

SATURDAY-SUNDAY, DEC. 30-31 

Cupid’s Alley 747 Lounge, Jax (741-4331) 

Skytrain New Neighborhood Tavern, Jax (721-5087) 

Southbound Cliff’s at the Beach, Atlantic Beach (249-2777) 

Camp Jam 07-The Burnin Smyrnans & More Lacoochee, FL 

Ron Perry Ragtime Tavern, Atlantic Beach (241-7877) 

Spektra Cortesse’s, St. Augustine (825-6775) 

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31 

Those Guys Sunset Grill, St. Augustine (471-5555) 

Dan Shepherd Harpoon Louie’s, Jax (389-5631) 

Jan Crawford & Friends Cortesse’s, St. Augustine 

(825-6775) 

‘3’ Sun Dog Steak & Seafood, Neptune Beach (241-8221) 

David Milam Mellow Mushroom, Jax (997-1955) 

Matanzas Trade Winds Lounge, St. Augustine (829-8646) 

Halcyon AJ’s, Jax (805-9060) 

Boxrockers Conch House, St. Augustine (829-8646) 

Rick Marino Max’s, Jax Beach (247-6766) 

Efface Mango’s, Jax 

El Toro Loco Mark’s Downtown, Jax (355-5099) 

Dueling Pianos Dick’s Wings/Tinseltown, Jax 

Retro Kats Culhane’s Irish Pub, Atlantic Beach (249-9595) 

The Nomads Jerry’s, Jax (220-6766) 

Jimmy Parrish & the Ocean Waves Band Mongo’s, Jax 

Kenny Holliday Beaches Woman’s Club, Jax Beach 

Good Jouney Spare Time, Jax Beach 

JW Gilmore Papagallo’s, St. Augustine 

Dang! Eclipse, Jax (387-3582) 

Ghost Rider Monkey’s Uncle, Mandarin (260-1349) 

Gary Campbell Mill Top Tavern, St. Augustine (829-2329) 

Blistur, Str8 Up The Landing, Jax 

Boogie Freaks Whitey’s Fish Camp, Orange Park (269-4198) 

Big Al & the Kaholics Cheers, Mandarin (262-4337) 

Coda, Dummo, Cain Was Able Brewsters, Jax (223-9850) 

Don’t Tell Anne Fionn MacCool’s, Jax Beach (242-9499) 

Vudublu Seven Bridges, Jax (997-1999) 

Johnny Flood Giovanni’s, Jax Beach (249-7787) 

Longineu Parsons Simons Wine Bar, Jax (396-8088) 

My trip to the Pub Ragusa last Saturday night 

to cover Jager Dave turned out to be Jager Dave 

fronting Crossfire Hurricane, rather than Jager Dave 

Massey’s solo act. Nonetheless, CH was rocking 

this hip pub off Bowden Road near I-95. This 

little mini-mall has become a bastion of eats and 

entertainment. Still, to me, Crossfire Hurricane is a 

new band on my radar. Of course, I’m always on the 

lookout for new bands or solo artists. Jacksonville is 

teeming with new transplanted talent that came here 

because Jax has a reputation as an underground 

music Mecca–a sort of Austin in the basement. 

This original/cover band has been gigging for 

2 years. It gives Yager Dave a chance to present 

his intelligently conceived original songs with a full 

band. Joining Dave on lead vocals and guitar are 

CH’s founder, Justin Smith, on lead guitar, Bennie 

Clifton on bass, and Craig St. George on drums. 

Together this ensemble plays a diverse selection of 

classic rock covers with Dave’s original songs mixed 

into the repertoire. 

Jager Dave has been playing music in the 

region for seven years. Dave used to be with 

Don’t Tell Anne but left to do his own thing. He 

joined Crossfire Hurricane as a side project. More 

importantly, he wanted to hear his originals played 

by a full band. Dave’s influences include Jason Mraz, 

Howie Day, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Matchbox 20, 

Dave Matthews, and Irish Folk Tunes. 

Dave writes a variety of music from rock to 

reggae to ballads to rock burners, which sound 

great with CH. Dave with CH draw songs from every 

era of rock and play covers not usually heard from 

other bands. Dave is playing it smart, continuing 

his solo gigs at Your Place and My Place as well as 

booking gigs with CH. Flexibility leads to job security 

for today’s professional musician. You have to have 

many irons in the fire to survive. 

For last Saturday’s performance, CH was using 

a substitute drummer, but sounded reasonably tight. 


crossfire hurricane 

at pub ragusa 

by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net 

After a few songs in the first 

set, CH found the groove. Justin 

Smith is an advanced guitarist 

who played a righteous verison 

of Hendrix’s Voodoo Child. The 

challenge of playing Hendrix 

is not playing a note for note 

imitation of his solos but playing 

original solos in the Hendrix 

style. Justin nailed his Voodoo 

Child solo with inventive single 

note runs and chordal structures 

that came out as a savvy 

facsimile of Hendrix but not a 

direct copy. 

Interestingly, considering 

Hendrix died in 1970 at only 

26 years old, he left a lasting 

legacy. Now, every aspiring 

guitarist learns the Hendrix style 

as a prerequisite to graduating 

as a advanced guitarist. And, 

shockingly, it’s all technique. 

Hendrix used one effects pedala 

Crybaby wah-wah pedal, 

with his Marshalls wired in 

parallel turned to max–10. He 

controlled his volume on his 

guitar. Naturally his pickups were 

loaded hot, so he could control 

the feedback. There is a rare 

recording of Hendrix playing an acoustic guitar, and 

it proves that his technique defined his sound, not 

electronics. 

So it’s a litmus test of a band’s rock prowess 

to pull off Hendrix with originality, style, and 

grace. DH passed the test and then proceeded to 

demonstrate its versatility by playing an eclectic 

repertoire of material from Allman Brothers to 

modern bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers (one of 

my favorite groups) and songs from modern country 

artists. 

And so, whether Jager Dave is either playing 

solo or with Crossfire Hurricane, he is working 

steadily and making a large contribution to the high 

quality standards of music in the greater Jacksonville 

region. Take if from me, there is a hot music scene 

brewing just beneath the surface here in Jax that 

rivals Austin, Texas. Jager Dave and CH are in that 

league.

follow the herd 

see Donna the buffalo live 


What: Donna the Buffalo 

WheN: January 4 th @ 8:30 PM 

Where: Café 11 

CoSt: $18 

The socially and politically charged eclectic 

grassroots blend of Donna the Buffalo catches the 

ear and takes the listener through Cajun stylings, 

reggae-rock, folk, zydeco and country with a distinctive 

sound that is hard to characterize but easy to 

listen to. 

Donna the Buffalo was unnamed when they 

first started jamming together, and it wasn’t until 

they were on stage for the first time that they gained 

their name, and it was a surprise even to them. One 

of the band’s founders, Jeb Puryear, told EU the 

story: “We had a gig so we needed a name and then 

a friend of ours was sort of toying with different 

ideas around the buffalo theme and so his original 

idea was ‘Dawn of the Buffalo’ [and they] mispronounced 

it as Donna the Buffalo…For some reason 

that struck more of chord with us…I think ‘Dawn 

of the Buffalo’ sounded a little pretentious to us, 

especially for a band that had never even played a 

gig.” That was over 17 years ago. Since then, Donna 

the Buffalo has sold more than a hundred thousand 

albums, organized a major Grassroots festival and 

have played consistently. 

The band experienced a shake-up in 2005 

when founding member Tim Miller left the band because 

his marriage to Tara Nevins dissolved, but Jeb 

says that they’ve “been very lucky replacing people.” 

The last of Miller’s stamp on the group came in 2005 

when the group released Life’s a Ride. Miller played 

guitar and backup vocals for the album. 

Founding members Jeb Puryear and Tara Nev- 

hank williams III 

album review 

artist: Hank Williams III 

title: Straight to Hell 

release Date: 03.28.2006 

Label: Bruc Records 

Hank Williams III is my favorite Hank Williams 

of them all. That’s not quite fair, my favorite 

thing about Wall Street in Five Points is that they 

have Hank Sr. on the juke box, but Hank III is 

representing the natural evolution of country music. 

Presenting an avid hatred for country pop, Hank 

III’s new album has traditional country songs with 

traditional instrumentation, to create a sound that is 

authentically country, but he has an attitude that is 

far from traditional in Nashville. 

ins met playing old time fiddle music. 

“There’s this great subculture in 

fiddle playing…” says Puryear, “and 

Tara was the first person I knew that 

wrote songs.” The two have been 

writing songs for Donna the Buffalo 

since it formed. Puryear says 

that “I basically write[s] the songs 

I sing and [Tara] writes the songs 

she sings. We kind of don’t practice 

near enough like we ought to but we 

never really have. Somebody directs 

the song and we usually just kind 

of throw it out there…we’ll go over it on the bus so 

we’ll know what it sounds like or if we sound check 

we’ll run over it in sound check.” At most live performances, 

the band is busily trying something new. 

“It’s just kind of exciting for the band. Things don’t 

stay new very long because of the Internet…We 

have fans that record our concerts and post them 

online, so it’s hard to surprise people.” 

In 1990, the group got the idea to start a 

Grassroots Festival. Because they found out at the 

time that a friend had died of AIDS, they decided to 

make it a benefit. “Now it’s been 15 years. I think 

that the most outstanding thing it does…we develop 

a great bond with all these interesting people 

and people from other countries…In general, it’s a 

very exciting event that makes people feel great…it 

makes human beings feel very relevant…If people 

aren’t interested in creating something for the right 

reason usually…it transfers; like the 90’s Woodstock.” 

Jeb and Tara are fond of writing songs with 

socially progressive themes. Says Jeb: “Lately, I’ve 

In the South you see rebel rousers with their 

confederate flags and Dixie Outfitters shirts rolling 

all over town in giant pickup trucks splattered with 

mud. These young hillbillies are full of venom and 

anger, and proud of their heritage. This attitude is 

not represented in the standard ballads of popular 

country. So Hank Williams III has stepped up to that 

line with his new double album Straight to Hell. 

While he is open about his affinity for traditional 

country music in songs like ‘Country Heroes’ and 

‘My Drinking Problem,’ he is also incorporating a 

new identity, much like his grandfather did, by being 

the bad boy of country music. Covered with tattoos 

and singing incessantly about his drug and alcohol 

abuse, Hank is unashamed of the fact that he is not 

fulfilling the role Nashville might expect of one of 

country music’s legendary offspring. 

Putting the ‘Dick in Dixie’ is only one of the 

achievements Straight to Hell accomplishes. The 

second CD on this two-disc album is titled simply 

‘Louisiana Stripes’ and only features two tracks. 

The first track is a beautiful, grass-roots country 

song about a man in prison in Louisiana for killing 

his wife. Following that song is country’s most 

avant-garde noise art experimentation to date. With 

this second disc, not only does Hank III show that 

a country artists can actually have a larger artistic 

vision, but also that he is capable of far better songs 

than the highlighted image-making songs of the first 

disc. 

been thinking sure… [society’s] pretty bad, but 

we’re not that bad, and we can do better. This thing 

with the war and the Bush administration, it feels like 

its finally showing its true colors…and unfortunately, 

in a way you feel good, because everybody in my 

community was saying that was going to be a disaster, 

you’re gonna cause more problems than you’re 

gonna solve…Certain songs will go through these 

really fresh times, songs you’ve been playing for a 

long time, they’ll come back and be like new again. 

It’s kinda like you have this relationship with all the 

songs…We do a song called ‘Conscious Evolution’ 

that’s been very good lately, it’s a reoccurring theme 

of hopeful progression for human mentality.” 

Be part of the “herd” that follows Donna the 

Buffalo, and listen to their old-time rockin’ sound at 

Café 11 Thursday, January 4 th . Whatever you believe 

about the state of the world, Jeb says there’s one 

thing that the members of Donna the Buffalo will 

always believe in: “There’s something that happens 

when music comes alive and that’s pretty much our 

religion.” 

Disc one definitely establishes an attitude 

Hank wishes to convey about the state of country 

and its unseen angry youth, while disc two seems 

to utilize noise art to filter some listeners out from 

discovering the stripped down musical gems that 

he has laced throughout it. Disc two’s second track 

is more than forty minutes long and starts with a 

creepy, slowed-down demon-like voice singing to 

the tune of a broken and almost inaudible guitar. 

This creepy whales-mating sound goes on for 

the first two and a half minutes. Three minutes of 

train sounds follow. Six minutes into the second 

track, Hank sings another stripped down song that 

sounds amazingly like his grandfather. This song is 

one of the best on the album, but it isn’t tracked out 

so to find it you really have to want it. 

Although Hank Jr, Hank III’s Daddy, could 

easily be called one of the fathers of the hokey new 

breed of country music over-running Nashville, 

Hank III says “pop country really sucks.” He’s 

right. Country music isn’t bad, it just needs to be 

geared more to the bad boys that really live it. 

Hank is honest and the music is classic 

fiddle, guitar, and trap kit country that you might 

hear on any porch in Tennessee. This country is 

far more real than Nashville country and deserves 

a listen from anyone that is bored with the same 

old pop country. Crave something new that sounds 

old? Hank III is sending you Straight to Hell. 

- BY JoN BoSWorth 

Token Blonde Roadhouse, Orange Park (264-0611) 

Alex Affronti Sun Cruz, Mayport 

Greek Wave Casa Marina, Jax Beach 

Wild Card Coyote’s, Orange Park (269-6837) 

Chillakaya All Stars, St. Augustine 

3rd Bass w/Von Barlow The Casbah, Jax (981-9966) 

Wes Cobb Band Twisted Sisters, Jax Beach (241-6453) 

De Lions of Jah Fly’s Tie Irish Pub, Atlantic Beach (246-4293) 

El Toro Loco Square One, Jax (306-9004) 

Heavyweight Auggie Dogg’s, St. Augustine 

John Thomas Group Shelby’s, Atlantic Beach (249-5182) 

MONDAY, JANUARY 1 

Boxrockers Cortesse’s, St. Augustine (825-6775) 

Charlie Walker Mellow Mushroom, Jax (997-1955) 

Roargan, Laserstar Ourobos, Jax 

Sam Pacetti The Mill Top, St. Augustine (829-2329) 

Yancy Clegg My Place, Jax (737-5299) 

All Gigs River City Brewing Company, Jax (398-2299) 

Johnny Flood My Place, Jax (737-5299) 

Nolan Neal Fly’s Tie Irish Pub, Atlantic Beach (246-4293) 

Goliath The Casbah, Jax 

Stu Weaver Harry’s, St. Augustine (824-7765) 

TUESDAY, JANUARY 2 

Second String Sun Dog Steak & Seafood, Neptune 

Beach (241-8221) 

Matanzas Trade Winds Lounge, St. Augustine (829-8646) 

Cross Examination, Social Disease Thee Imperial, 

Jax (475-0488) 

Wasteland DC, Grabbag Ourobos, Jax 

Christina Wagner & Friends Mark’s Downtown, Jax (355-5099) 

Silver Lake Drive Cortesse’s, St. Augustine (825-6775) 

Will Pearsall The Mill Top, St. Augustine (829-2329) 

Happy To Be Here Jack Rabbits, Jax (398-7496) 

Bill Rice Mellow Mushroom, Jax (997-1955) 

Jimmy Solari My Place, Jax (737-5299) 

Ron Perry Fionn MaCool’s, Jax Beach (242-9499) 

Colton McKenna Scarlett’s, St. Augustine (824-6535) 

Seth Ramsdill Fly’s Tie Irish Pub, Atlantic Beach (246-4293) 

El Toro Loco Square One, Jax (306-9004) 

TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY, JAN. 2-3 

Gene Nordan Mackenzie’s, Ponte Vedra (543-9143) 

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3 

The Hackers Cortesses, St. Augustine (825-6775) 

The Cover Band Spare Time Grille, Jax Beach (246-8099) 

Glass Camels Ocean Club, Jax Beach (242-8884) 

Tropic of Cancer/Art Walk Downtown, Jax 

Dave Massey My Place, Jax (737-5299) 

Wes Cobb Band Square One, Jax (306-9004) 

Crystal Stafford, Aerial Tribe Starlite Café, Jax (356-4444) 

Conrad Oberg London Bridge, Jax (359-0001) 

Rob Roy, Swordz Fuel, Jax (425-FUEL) 

Stu Weaver The Mill Top, St. Augustine (829-2329) 

Clyde Mannael Mellow Mushroom, Jax (997-1955) 

Rebecca Zapen The Casbah, Jax 

Seth Ramsdill Ragtime Tavern, Atlantic Beach (241-7877) 

Vagabond’s Dream River City Brewing Company, 

Jax (398-2299) 

The Mike Miller Band St. Nick’s Lounge, Jax (396-3396) 

El Toro Loco Aromas, Ponte Vedra (280-2525) 

Chuck Nash Sun Dog Steak & Seafood, Neptune Beach 


Livid Fionn MacCool’s, Jax Beach (242-9499) 

Pili Pili Fly’s Tie Irish Pub, Atlantic Beach (246-4293) 

Dave Massey My Place Bar & Grill, Jax (737-5299) 

upcoming shows 

Donna the Buffalo Jan. 4, Café Eleven, 469-9311 

rev. Billy Wirtz, Gunga Din Jan. 13, Cafe Eleven, 469-9311 

rod Stewart Jan. 13, Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arean, 630-3900 

eric Johnson Jan. 13, Freebird Live, 246-2473 

Styx Jan. 14, 2007, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

Galactic Jan. 14, Freebird Live, 246-2473 

enter the haggis Jan. 16, Cafe Eleven, 469-9311 

Golden Dragon Chinese acrobats Jan. 17, Wilson Center, 646-2222 

ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Jan. 17- 23, 

Veterans Memorial Arena, 630-3900 

ricky Nelson remembered by Matthew and Gunnar Nelson 

Jan. 19, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

Cowboy Mouth Jan. 19, Freebird Live, 246-BIRD 

Pato Baton Jan. 20, Freebird Live, 246-BIRD 

Blue october Jan. 21, Plush, 743-1845 

Joshua Bell Jan. 22, Times Union Center , 354-5547 

al Stewart Jan. 24, Café Eleven, 469-9311 

Indigo Girls Jan. 23, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

John Mayer Jan. 25, Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, 630-3900 

the Queers Jan 25, Jack Rabbits, 398-7496 

Bill Gaither and Friends Jan. 26, Veterans Memorial Arena, 630-3900 

Corey Smith Jan 26, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

Cigar Store Indians Jan. 26, Jack Rabbits, 398-7496 

Dr. Dog Feb. .27, Café Eleven, 469-9311 

Murder By Death Jan. 28, Freebird Live, 246-2473 

the Lemonheads Jan 30, Jack Rabbits, 398-7496 

Jamie Foxx, a Night of Comedy & Music Times Union 

Center , Jan. 31, 633-6110 

Los Lonely Boys Feb. 1, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

Yo La tengo Feb. 2, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

hammell on trial Feb. 2, Café Eleven, 469-9311 

Less than Jake Feb 2 & 3, Jack Rabbits, 398-7496 

Willie Nelson Feb. 6, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

Billy Joel Feb. 7, Veterans Memorial Arena, 353-3309. 

Yonder Mountain String Band Feb. 7, Freebird Live, 246-BIRD 

red Jumpsuit apparatus Feb. 9, Plush, 743-1845 

Joe Bonamassa Feb. 9, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

the MatCheS Feb 12, Jack Rabbits, 398-7496 

Dark Star orchestra Feb. 14, Freebird Live, 246-BIRD 

taylor hicks Feb. 21, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

Kris Kristofferson and rosanne Cash Feb. 25, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

Catie Curtis Feb. 25, Cafe Eleven, 469-9311 

Dr. Dog Feb. 27, Cafe Eleven, 469-9311 

Michael Franks March 1, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

Kathleen Madigan March 6, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

Larry the Cable Guy March 8, Jacksonville Veterans 

Memorial Arena, 630-3900 

Moe Marach 8, Freebird Live, 246-2473 

the New orleans Jazz orchestra March 9, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

John Gorka, Sam Pacett March 9, Cafe Eleven, 469-9311 

the Beach Boys March 10, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

explosions in the Sky March 12, The Alcazar, 469-9311 

Pepper March 12, Freebird Live, 246-BIRD 

the temptations and the Four tops March 18, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

tom rush March 22, Cafe Eleven, 469-9311 

anoushka Shankar March 23, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

Leo Kottke March 29, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

tom Jones April 9, Florida Theatre, 355-2787 

ellis Paul April 20, Café Eleven, 469-9311 

relient K May 12, Freebird Live, 246-2473 


myspace 

the new christmas card? 


“I don’t understand why these people send 

me cards, I mean they never call, and I haven’t 

talked with them in years.” 

I heard this from a middle aged man decrying 

the cost of postage, mystified because people he 

barely knew or hadn’t spoken to in years saw fit 

to send him a yearly Christmas card. 

I instantly understood why mere acquaintances 

send Christmas cards, because I’m on myspace. 

In the world of myspace, people maintain a 

myspace page for many of the same reasons 

that people used to send Christmas cards. Most 

of the “friends” on a given myspace page are 

made up of people who haven’t seen the poster 

since high school, just like most of the people 

who exchanged cards when it was more in 

vogue. 

The main reason people send out those cards 

to near-strangers, is that you can keep in touch 

with people without the effort of actual day-today 

friendship. You can measure your life against 

theirs, based on a Christmas card stock, a family 

Christmas letter and family picture. Likewise, 

on myspace, people can measure themselves 

against others based on friend count, the picture 

galleries and how pimped out the page is. 

Christmas card fanatics, who send out hordes 

of cards, know that people feel the need to respond 

in kind. That means card fanatics will have 

plenty of cards to display around their house, proving 

to visitors that they have lots of “friends.” In the 

same way, a myspace extremist can have two thousand 

“friends” that they display every time someone 

comes to visit. 

Sending out Christmas cards is also a way 

of displaying yourself in a way you can control. In 

day-to-day life, people can’t control how they are 

perceived, but on a card things are different. You can 

pose a family worthy of Jerry Springer in matching 

button-downs on a windswept beach. On your 

myspace page, you can also project whatever image 

you would like, choosing a background color or 

picture as a way to present yourself to the world. If 

you’ve gotten fat, just put up a picture of your cat or 

a picture of yourself ten pounds lighter. Most of your 

“friends” will never know. 

Everyone talks about how computers have 

caused us to retreat from the world, substituting 

superficial interaction for real human interaction. In 

the past we were forced to use things like the mail 

system to maintain this superficial interaction, doing 

things like actually licking stamps and addressing 

envelopes to keep in touch. These days we’ve just 

amped it up, because humans tend to develop systems 

that make whatever it is they already do more 

effortless. So it isn’t that we only just discovered 

superficial interaction: we just do it faster and better 

than we used to.

learning about life 

hands-on children’s museum 


I had passed by the castle-shaped Hands-On 

Children’s Museum on Beach Boulevard countless 

times over the past few years but had never taken 

the time to check it out. With two kids looking for 

something fun to do over winter break, I decided 

now would be the perfect time to take the plunge and 

check it out. 

The goal of the Hands-On Children’s Museum 

is to educate children about the world around them 

by letting them touch, observe and imagine. Here, 

kids can see what working at a grocery store or a 

bank is like. They can try on a firefighter’s helmet 

and boots or put on costumes and perform a play for 

their peers. They can even do an all-kids newscast 

and see themselves as they deliver the news on a TV 

monitor. With all the toys, dress up clothes, games 

and puppets, the little guys never realize that they are 

actually learning about what real life, “grown up” life, 

is like. Well, the fun parts of it anyway! 

My two children are 2 and 4 and are used to 

visiting museums thanks to my job here at EU. Still, 

I don’t think they expected anything like this, and 

frankly, neither did I. After paying our admission 

and reading over the rules (no running, no hitting, 

parental guidance required, etc.), my little ones immediately 

gravitated over to the S.S. Spinghetti Boat, 

where a bright yellow slide beckoned them. After 

a couple of slides they were on to something else, 

this time a large McDonald’s climbing slide and ball 

pit. Next stop was the Winn Dixie Lil’ Grocery store 

where both kids piled their carts full of (empty) 

peanut butter jars, (empty) juice bottles and (empty) 

boxes of diaper rash cream. Then they piled their 

groceries up on the real working conveyor belts and 

took turns ringing up their selections on real working 

cash registers. While my son Zeke played with 

dinosaur toys, my daughter Isabelle dressed up in 

pretty gowns and tap shoes and put on a play on 

the “You’re the Star Stage.” We visited nearly every 

exhibit in our two hours at the museum and could 

have easily spent another two hours visiting them all 

over again. My son loved playing with the train tables 

(he’s on a Thomas the Tank Engine kick lately) and 

my daughter really enjoyed pretending to work at the 

“Kids Mini Bank” and the “Kids Post Office”. When 

it was time to head home both protested and were 

reluctant to put their shoes on and leave this kids 

paradise. 

The Hands-On Children’s Museum has been 

around since October of 2000. The non-profit corporation 

is funded by admissions and donations from 

individuals, small businesses and corporations. The 

facility is currently holding a fundraiser to expand 

the museum to two stories to include a “Dinosaur 

Dig” exhibit, an auditorium, a coffee shop and much 

more. They are currently holding a raffle with some 

really terrific prizes to raise funds and are accepting 

donations. Admission is just $3.50 for ages 1-3 and 

$5.50 for everyone 4 and up (children under 1 year 

are free) and memberships for families are available 

starting at $48.50 a year. The facility is also 

available for birthday parties at just $5.50 per child 

ages 1-12, $3.50 for adults which covers entrance 

to the museum, rental of the party area and color 

invitations. Either bring your own food or have the 

museum provide pizza for an additional charge. 

I have to admit, I was just as enamored with 

the Hands-On Children’s Museum as my kids were. 

The attentive staff keeps each exhibit nice and tidy 

so that the multitudes of educational toys are neatly 

contained in their specific areas. They encourage 

parents to play with their kids, not just turn them 

loose on the place. By sitting down and playing 

make believe with my little guys I ended up having 

a lot of fun and I think they probably learned a little 

something along the way. All in all, I think the Hands- 

On Children’s Museum is a terrific way to spend an 

afternoon or two or twelve! Be sure to check out this 

local landmark as soon as possible. 

culture & arts 

DECEMBER 

28 Fun With Fish Craft GTM Reserve, Ponte Vedra 

28-29 Holiday Camps MOSH, Jax 

28-31 Camp Bike 06 Jane Macon Middle School, GA 

28-31 Visit With Santa Claus Adventure Landing, Jax Beach & Jax 

28-31 Grossology Exhibition MOSH, Jax 

28-JAN. 1 Plaza Ice Palace Downtown Community Plaza, Gainesville 

28-JAN. 1 Exhibit: Small Packages Block 27 Gallery, Jax 

28-JAN. 7 Bloom: Paintings and Constructions by Luis Cruz 

Azaceta MOCA Jacksonville, Jax 

28-JAN. 7 Holiday Planetarium Programs MOSH, Jax 

28-JAN. 7 “Greetings! Limelight Theatre, St. Augustine 

28-JAN. 14 “Christmas Presence” Shades of Grace Artists 

Presbyterian Church, Ponte Vedra 

28-JAN. 29 FAB Fest: Future Artists of the Beaches Cummer Museum, Jax 

28-MAR. 18 Temples and Tombs: Treasures of Egyptian Art 

Cummer Museum, jax 

29 Critter Concert-Music Celebration of Various Animals GTM 

Reserve, Ponte Vedra 

29 Gator Bowl Hall of Fame Luncheon Hyatt Regency, Jax 

29-FEB. 4 “Hank and My Honky Tonk Heroes” The Alhambra 

Dinner Theatre, Jax 

31 “Murder on the Happy Trail” Dave & Buster’s, Jax 

31 New Year’s Eve Celebration/Parade Downtown, Jax 

31 Beach Blast Off 2007-Fireworks & Chili Cook Off The Pier, 

St. Augustine Beach 

31 New year’s at the Pelican Club-Theatre, Food, Drink Players 

by the Sea, Jax Beach 

31 New year’s Eve Party-James Bond 2007 Atlantic Theatres, 

Atlantic Beach 

31 Noon Year’s Eve w/Radio Disney Jax Zoo, Jax 

31 Swingin’ the New Year 2007 World Golf Village, St. Augustine 

31 Urban Eden-Street Performers, Music, Dancing 9 th & Main, Jax 

31 Balloon Drop Party Cultural Center, Ponte Vedra 

31 5K Run & Gator Bowl Pep Rallies The Landing, Jax 

31-FEB. 17 “The Makeover Murders” Professor Plum’s 

Playhouse, Jax 

JANUARY 

1-MAR. 30 “Bright Young Things” Art Show Jane Gray Gallery, Jax 

2-6 Comedian Reno Collier Comedy Zone, Mandarin 

3-5 Holiday Camps MOSH, Jax 

3-28 “Menopause the Musical” FCCJ Artist Series Performing 

Arts Center, Jax 

4-6 JSO “Beethovan’s Emperor” Performing Arts Center, Jax 

5 Saturday Night Reunion Tour-Joe Piscopo, Victoria Jackson, 

Father Guido Sarducci Flagler Auditorim, Palm Coast 

5 2 ½ Days in Genesis Featuring Suzzette Solano The Art Center, Jax 

5-27 “Rumors” Orange Park Community Theatre, Orange Park 

6 Jane Austin Society Meeting European Street, Jax 

6 Sanctuary Tour/Nightime Feeding Catty Shack Wildlife Ranch, Jax 

6 Story Time-Meet The Author “Ocean Commotion” Barnes & 

Noble/San Jose, Jax 

6-7 Auditions: “First Baptist of Ivy Grove” 2pm Orange Park 

Community Theatre, Orange Park 

8 UNF String Competition Winner in Recital UNF, Jax 

8 Local Chapter Laurel & Hardy Appreciation Society Pablo 

Creek Library, Jax 

10 Seminar: How to Impress a Client in Any Capacity WJCT 

TV Studios, Jax 

10-13 Comedian Tim Wilson Comedy Zone, Mandarin 

10-FEB. 4 “King Lear” Shakespeare Festival UCF, Orlando 


11 FCCJ Artist Series-One Thousand and One Nights Performing 

Arts Center, Jax 

11 “Drive & Yield Project” Art Opening/Reception JU Brest Museum, Jax 

12 An Evening of Musical Song & Dance Thrasher Horne 

Center, Orange Park 

12 JSO “How Suite It Is!” Performing Arts Center, Jax 

12 Ethel Merman’s Broadway Flagler Auditorium, Palm Coast 

12 “Leading Ladies” Theatre Jacksonville, Jacksonville 

12 FCCJ Artist Series-“Turandot” Performing Arts Center, Jax 

12-13 Big Yard Sale Catty Shack Wildlife Ranch, Jax 

12-27 “The Rainmaker” ABET, Atlantic Beach 

12-27 “Leading Ladies” Theatre Jacksonville, Jax 

12-MAR. 11 Celebrating Black Hisotry Exhibit MOSH, Jax 

13 Auditions: Fat Pig 2pm ABET, Atlantic Beach 

13 Auditions: Jacksonville Symphony Chorus 3:30pm JU Fine 

Arts Building, Jax 

13 JSO with Seven Nations Performing Arts Center, Jax 

13 Science of the Circus MOSH, Jax 

13-28 “Rob Becker’s Defending the Caveman FCCJ Artist Series 

Performing Arts Center, Jax 

13-FEB. 24 Classes For Children-Drawing & Painting MOCA, Jax 

14 Absolute Auction Catty Shack Wildlife Ranch, Jax 

15 Auditions: Fat Pig 7pm ABET, Atlantic Beach 

15 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day MOSH, Jax 

15 Class: Traditional Oil Paintings with Sydney McKenna Cultural 

Center, Ponte Vedra 

16 “Music of Our Time” UNF, Jax 

17 Ritz Chamber Players Performing Arts Center, Jax 

17 FCCJ Artist Series-Golden Dragon Acrobats of China FCCJ 

Wilson Center, Jax 

18 Pulp Fiction Theatre Boomtown, Jax 

18 “The Motown Experience” JSO Performing Arts Center, Jax 

18 Open Gallery Grand Opening San Marco, Jax 

18 “Caring For Your Edible Landscape” Urban Garden Field, Jax 

18-20 “See How They Run” DASOTA, Jax 

19 “Einstein Alive!” Theatreworks FCCJ Wilson Center, Jax 

19 Arbor Day Program Duval County Extension, Jax 

19-20 JSO “The Motwon Experience” Performing Arts Center, Jax 

19-20 Comedian James Gregory Comedy Zone, Mandarin 

20 Lecture Series: Lives of Objects-Artists and Patrons in Ancient 

Egypt Main Library, Jax 

21 JSO Family Series Performing Arts Center, Jax 

22 Beaches Fine Arts Series-Joshua Bell Performing Arts Center, Jax 

22 Brahms String Quartet & Clarinet Quintet UNF, Jax 

23 Clarinet Virtuoso Guy Yehuda Library, Ponte Vedra Beach 

23-28 “Sweet Charity” FCCJ Artist Series Performing Arts Center, Jax 

25 “Rip Van Winkle” Theatreworks Florida Theatre, Jax 

25 “I Can’t Stop Loving You-The Music of Ray Charles” UNF 

Fine Arts Center, Jax 

25 JSO “Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony” Performing Arts Center, Jax 

26-27 Comedian James Gregory Comedy Zone, Mandarin 

26-28 13 th Annual Official Electric Football Super Bowl & 

Convention Embassy Suites, Jax 

26-APR. 8 Other Worlds: The Landscape in Contemporary Art 

Museum of Contemporary Art, Jax 

26-APR. 8 Second Skins: Sculptural Soundsuits & Tondos by 

Nick Cave MOCA, Jax 

27-28 Auditions: Shakespeare in Orange Park 2pm Orange Park 

Community Theatre, Orange Park 

27 Book Signing-Dr. Hal Baumgarten “D-Day Survivor” Barnes 

& Noble, Mandarin 

30 FCCJ Artist Series-Rigoletto, Teatro Lirico D’Europa 

Performing Arts Center, Jax 

30 “Music of Our Time” UNF, Jax 

There’s more art in Jacksonville than most 

people realize, and sometimes in odd places. A colleague 

with a penchant for hot sauce pointed me in 

the direction of an art gallery placed inside Pepper 

Rama, a store that specializes in hot sauces of every 

kind. They showcase 8 to 12 artists a year in one 

person shows. No giclees or reproductions are allowed. 

All the work in the gallery must be originals, 

though the mediums vary from 3-D sculpture to 

paintings. 

The artist currently on exhibition is Mark War- 


hot art, hot sauce 

a strange place for art 

by eriN tHurSby scopes1925@msn.com 

ren, who is presenting a diverse assortment of art 

called “Influences.” Two walls feature his work. 

On one there’s his “Praise the Lord and Pass the 

Snakes,” “A Devil of a Week” and an odd but ultra 

cool cartouche that forms an arch over the two 

works. The cartouche is a double banner of blue 

carved from wood. In the center of both banners 

are winged eyeballs. It was wacky and interesting 

enough that I began plotting where I could put it on a 

wall. 

I caught up with Warren via phone to interview 

him for EU and asked him about his very different 

pieces. Says Warren, “I jump from medium to medium 

so I don’t burn out on any one thing.” Besides 

creating strange and wonderful works of art, he 

works at the Cummer Gallery, where he has worked 

off and on for over 20 years. He’s been creating 

some kind of art for a long time. “I wasted a lot of 

paper in high school,” he jokes “and I’ve been hand 

carving wood since I was 5-6 years old.” His wife, 

Diane Warren, owns and operates Pepper Rama 

and Mark is one of a few artists whose works have 

graced the walls of the hot sauce haven. 

The piece “Praise the Lord and Pass the 

Snakes” is apt to get the most attention. At first 

glance, this tent revival scene, featuring those faithful 

parishioners that handle poisonous snakes as proof 

of their belief, seems to be in the style of claymation. 

On closer inspection, you can see that they are 

carved from wood. Warren says that he “was moved 

by seeing a special on PBS…I gotta hand it to 

somebody with enough faith to pick up a snake and 

be ok with that.” Each member of the revival, from 

the pastor to the parishioners has their own distinct 

personality. 

On the other wall are two series works: 

Warren’s “Bass School” and miniature Mondrians in 

stark black, yellow and red. The Bass, like the parishioners 

on the opposite wall, all have a distinctive 

personality, especially the “punk” bass in the back 

of the school, with its spiked fins, fishhook piercing 

and anarchy tattoo. The fish scales on the bass are 

made from Bass beer bottle tops. The impetus for 

the piece was a request and a fondness for the beer. 

“That was really a request on Diane’s part. We were 

drinking Bass beer so I made bass…I decided to do 

a punk fish…the size of the piece depended on the 

chunk of wood…pins were bought and the melted 

glass beads I bought for the eyes.” 

The Mondrians have become a holiday tradition 

for Warren. “I work at a museum and we do the 

typical Christmas exchange every season…one year 

I got the Registrar, whose job it is to uncrate and 

check to artwork that comes in, so I made her miniatures. 

Each comes with its own box with padding 

and labels, tiny titles and artist statements in really 

small font…it’s kind of like accessories for Barbie 

the museum curator or Registrar.” 

You can find the Pepper Rama Gallery in the 

Pepper Rama store in the Riverside Village Shopping 

Center at 4555 Shirley Ave. Their new hours are 

Tuesday-Friday from noon-8PM and Saturday s from 

10AM-6PM. Mark Warren’s exhibition will be there 

through December 30 th . 

The Pepper Rama Gallery’s 

Statement of Purpose: 

The Pepper Rama Gallery of Visionary Art is an 

exhibition space for visionary and contemporary 

art…The Gallery provides an opportunity 

for those artists that choose a different path, 

whose personal artistic vision can not be 

contained by ordinary means. By placing the 

Visionary Art Gallery inside Pepper Rama Gourmet 

& Hot Shoppe, we have a means to bring 

the community and artist together by creating 

an environment that fosters positive discourse 

and places cultural value on the artistic expression 

and imagination in us all.

talk to me 

jags vs. pats 

by BRENTON CROZIER bcrozier@gmail.com 

Amy Alvarez, Zachary Lewison 

and James Davis 

It was important for me to be a good ambassador 

and make the small rabble of New England 

fans feel right at home during their visit to Alltel this 

weekend. I greeted the cantankerous Patriot faithful 

with a Southern scorched, “Patriots suck wicked 

bad!” 

We’re a friendly lot here in the River City and 

wanted to make the extra effort to ensure the comfort 

of the Yankee transplants that braved the rain 

and rowdy Jaguar’s fans with a familiar vernacular; 

the infamous “wicked.” It is imperative to fully comprehend 

this bit of refined Northern verbiage to the 

fullest extent. In circles North of Newark, the word 

wicked is a multi-used adjective grouped together 

with an infinite bank of terms to form a universal 

idiom to convey one of two points: that something is 

good, great, cool, awesome, splendid, fantastic, hip, 

or exciting, or to add emphasis that something really, 

really sucks. 

I bumped into Jaguar fans Amy Alvarez, Zachary 

Lewison, and James Davis. We discussed last 

minute Christmas shopping, a Jaguars playoff birth 

waiting under the tree from jolly St. Nick, the gloomy, 

yet ripe-for-football weather conditions, and the 

visceral dislike (hatred is just too nasty this time of 

year, even for Brady and the boys) we shared for 

New England’s beloved 

Patriots or “Pats” as a 

native New Englander 

would say because 

they just don’t have 

time for the “riot” part. 

I’ve heard the same 

goes for “thank you,” 

“you’re welcome,” and 

“hello, how are you.” 

We were hoping 

that between 

the humidity, lack of 

Dunkin Donuts, deficit 

of discourtesy, and 

minuscule amount of 

Foxborough Faithful, 

that the Jaguars would 

be able to pick apart 

the esteemed Super 

Bowl regulars. 

I quizzed my new 

friends about their 

knowledge of the language abuse going on in New 

England. When asked whatever in the world “wicked 

pissa” could mean, Zachary quickly answered 

that “It means fierce.” You see my New Englander 

friends, we are a cultured and educated bunch here 

in Jacksonville; we’ve learned of your ways and 

customs. I then asked the group to use “wicked” in 

a sentence. Zachary volunteered, “We don’t think 

that Tom Brady is wicked awesome.” They were 

getting the hang of it, and James Davis took it up 

a notch with “Maurice Jones-Drew is wicked awesome.” 

There could not be a more appropriate use 

of wicked, my friend. Stick that feather in your cap, 

snowbirds, and call it whatever kind of pasta you 

want. 

Sadly, this was the Jaguar’s last home stand of 

the 2006 season. Even more heartbreaking was the 

appalling call at the end of the game that has nearly 

erased Jacksonville’s hope of a playoff appearance. 

It was a good run; you could even say it was a 

wicked good season. There is still a glimmer of hope 

for the Jaguars, a tiny, dull glimmer. Nevertheless, 

we will be rooting them on while they are playing 

their way through a tough Kansas City team. Thanks 

for the football fellowship, slurred analysis, smiling 

faces, and insightful quotes. 

Random thoughts from a cluttered mind... 

THE 

JOCK 

JAGUARS 

My, oh, my. The Jaguars season, which in 

some ways has progressed like a bad reality TV 

program, has come down to its final straw. The boys 

head out to Kansas City to play the Chiefs, all with 

very faint hopes of possibly squeaking into the playoffs. 

Should the Jags beat the Chiefs, they would 

need the Jets to lose at home to the Raiders, they 

would need the Bengals to lose at home to the Steelers, 

and they would need the Titans, of all teams, to 

lose at home to the Patriots. 

As you can imagine, the chances of all these 

stars aligning is quite slim. Unfortunately, the Jaguars 

put themselves in this position with losses the 

past two weeks, as we all know. They had so many 

chances to really move forward heading into the 

playoffs. But they have made mistakes in key situations, 

and, combined with the loss of many starters 

due to injury, especially on Defense, this team has 

simply come up a tad bit short. It’s been a completely 

frustrating season for all involved, from the 

players to the coaches to the ownership and fans. 

The Chiefs are a tough group, led by the bullrushing 

of Larry Johnson on offense. Herm Edwards 

has done a decent job in his first year as the K.C. 

coach, and it will be a tough task on the part of Jack 

Del Rio to get his squad fired up to beat these guys. 

And we will all watch and wonder what could 

have been. 

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE 

This should be a wild and crazy weekend in the 

National Football League, for all intents and purposes. 

Most of it will center on who will qualify for the 

two wild card slots in each Conference. In the NFC, 

there seems to be a tremendous amount of 

mediocrity. Teams that you wouldn’t think 

deserve consideration for a playoff slot are 

still alive. 

There are five teams in the NFC with 7-8 

records. They are: the Giants, Packers, Falcons, 

Panthers, and Rams. One of them will 

receive the sixth and final wild card spot in 

the playoffs, no matter what. Coincidentally, 

all five teams play their games on the road. 

Tom Coughlin has certainly had some 

massive problems with his Giants in the 

second half of the season, having lost six of 

his last seven games. However, New York 

has the best shot at that final wild card slot, 

if his boys can come through and beat the 

Redskins in Washington. If they don’t, then 

the Packers are next, but they have to play 

the Bears in Chicago. 

You also have the Falcons in Philly, the 

Panthers in New Orleans, and the Rams in Minnesota. 

So, as you can see, its gonna get real nasty in 

the NFC this weekend. Its entirely possible a team 

with a 7-9 record could make the playoffs for the 

first time in history. 

We shall see. 

COLLEGE FOOTBALL 

As we all know, with the New Year celebration, 

we also have a plethora of Bowl games, which to 

me have become a joke. Nonetheless, a lot of us are 

entirely interested in seeing these matchups to view 

who will do what in certain situations. 

Here in town, the West Virginia Moutaineers 

will face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Tech was 

in town a few weeks ago for the ACC Championship, 

so I don’t expect to see as many fans from the 

Atlanta area as we might expect to see from West 

Virginia. 

The Gator Bowl has a definite history for this 

city, without question, having been around for quite a 

few years. But I think local interest in this game has 

dwindled to some extent, as other games nationally 

have gotten more prominent, while the teams that 

have come here in recent years haven’t been as 

glamorous. 

Certainly, there is still a product and a game 

that receives interest, especially from the teams that 

will show up. But I think something needs to happen, 

on the part of the Gator Bowl Committee and 

the NCAA, to change certain aspects of this game to 

make it more prominent, for it to receive better coverage 

and attention. 

Tom Weppel talks trash on Thursdays from 7-8 

p.m. on WIOJ-AM 1010, and on SportsAvengers. 

com 24/7. 


nascar news & notes 

by RICHARD TEAGUE TINyNASCARS@yahoo.com 

“Wanted – NASCAR Series Sponsor” Yes sir, 

the want ads are out and NASCAR & ESPN are looking 

for a sponsor that will put tons of money in the 

old Busch Series of NASCAR. Seems that the people 

at Anheuser-Busch feel they are, “starting to dilute 

ourselves” according to vice president of global 

media and sports marketing Tony Ponturo. The A-B 

Boys think that with all the money they put in the 

Busch Series, and the big bucks in Cup, people 

won’t know the “la difference” between Bud and 

Busch. Now how can they think that when everybody 

knows that Bud is in a red can and Busch is in a blue 

one? Are they afraid that fans will buy one beer more 

that the other or is there another reason? 

They have been diluting the company for years 

now, or at least I think so. Heck, I remember when I 

had my fake ID and you could only get either a Bud 

or a Busch in either can or a bottle and then only in 

maybe 3 different sizes. Then someone invented a 

fancy beer named Michelob and it was all downhill 

after that. Now you can go into almost any store and 

buy one of seven different kinds of Bud, a measly 

four different Busch, and seven kinds of Michelob. 

Now just who is diluting what? It doesn’t stop there. 

Also available are the NINETEEN other brands that 

fall under the Anheuser-Busch banner along with a 

few imported by them. Now just who is doing what 

when Tony says, “In this day and age of competition, 

the last thing you want is to dilute your own effort.” 

NASCAR stated that, “We think the Busch 

Series is a property that has been undermarketed 

and undervalued from a broadcast standpoint.” The 

guess is that Busch pays 10 million bucks a year for 

the rights to the series and now that ESPN has sole 

broadcast rights for all the races it should be worth 

three or more times that. One financial guy said that 

the series should be worth around $100 million what 

with the way the Cup drivers have been using the 


series as a “playground” the past season. Do you 

think that NASCAR told A-B that they better P-U the 

big money if they wanted the series, or did ESPN tell 

them it was a good idea to raise the rent? Whatever 

the case may be, there will be no more NASCAR 

Busch Series racing after 2007 and that sure sounds 

strange. Oh well, we got over Winston leaving did 

we? Yeah Right! 

In what some call a first, the two are looking for 

a series sponsor that will ante up to have their name 

next to Nextel (no pun meant here) hoping NASCAR 

has 26 more years. Now who could do that? Well 

the rumors are already in play with the likes of Wal- 

Mart and several others. Now that wouldn’t sound 

too bad: “The Wally Series” on Saturday. The races 

could even be run on Saturday mornings between 

the kid’s shows. How about an oil company? Say 

Exxon or BP, or maybe a food store chain like Winn- 

Dixie or Publix? Put the WD Brand back on a plate. 

Perhaps Sears might want to move up to the number 

two series and let another company takeover the 

trucks. We don’t have to worry our small minds one 

bit, because the series will still be there in 2008, 

cause there is way too much money involved. 

Now Wait One Minute!! I have got the perfect 

sponsor. Since Nextel took over Cup and has 

restricted what company can and cannot sponsor 

a Cup car, how about Cingular / AT&T? NASCAR 

talks about the value of the Busch Series, Bubbas. 

If it was called “The Bell Series” there would be all 

kinds of in-fighting between the two series sponsors 

and NASCAR would be the winner, what with all 

the money those two would be spending. I can see 

it now, NASCAR could raise the rate and whoever 

could spend the most would have their series finish 

up the weekend. With the Cup guys already running 

both races, just what would it matter what day of the 

week the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series raced? 

Why NASCAR could just have a two day event 

with say an 800 or 1000 mile race on a weekend 

and change the types of cars each day. There could 

even be more cars in the field, say 70 or 80, starting 

on Saturday and surely it would reduce in size by 

Sunday, with all the wrecks there would be. Even the 

fans would like it more because of more crashes and 

the real rookies getting put out one day and not racing 

the next. NASCAR would surely sell more tickets 

that way because more fans would come both days, 

and that’s what NASCAR wants anyway isn’t it? I 

even think that the TV companies would love it. It 

would certainly be a brand new way to promote the 

sport of racing, and with the money ABC & ESPN 

have spent to have the broadcast rights, any way to 

make more money is great. 

I guess what I’m saying here is that if you believe 

that Busch is pulling out because it’s a dilution 

of their products, well then I’ve got some fantastic 

South Florida land you can buy cheap and I’ll show it 

too ya at low tide. NASCAR is raising the cost of the 

series and that’s the reason Busch is leaving. Who 

can blame them? It seems that things like history, 

the building of a sport, meaningful ties with one another, 

and partnerships have gone out the door and 

the almighty dollar has taken over for NASCAR. And 

don’t you know just who NASCAR is? Well if you 

don’t, then I’m not going to tell ya. Oh, and by the 

way, I got one more name to add to the list of new 

sponsors, how about “The NASCAR Goodwrench 

Series”? 

Moving right along, I hope that all of y’all 

had a nice Christmas and got some neat stuff and 

had plenty to eat. I also hope that you celebrated 

with your family and friends this past weekend 

and you did something nice for someone. I got a 

few NASCAR gifts and my Mate in Australia, Pete, 

and his wife Deb sent us some real neat stuff from 

over there. We had our second annual Christmas 

breakfast this year since my wife, Ann, found out 

how much easier it is than a big dinner. I really don’t 

understand her thinking about that because she really 

seems to work just as hard at a breakfast as 

she does for a dinner, but I’ll tell ya this, the family, 

including myself, really does like it better this way. 

It lets you have plenty to eat in the morning and 

then time to go to a movie, or visit others and come 

back for an afternoon or early evening pig out with 

easy-to-fix stuff. You just might want to try it sometime 

and see what you think. We start around 10:30 

AM, so you could call it a brunch, and then in the 

afternoon just a small deal with a Honey Baked Ham, 

tater salad, baked beans, chips and dip, more candy, 

and a cheesecake, I call that meal “linner.” 

Well, after all the stuff this weekend and now, 

dad burn it, I get to get ready to do it again with the 

food and family and friends. There is one bad thing, 

and that is that there’s no NASCAR to watch. Guess 

I’ll break out the ol’ “Days of Thunder” tape and 

watch that. I have decided that this New Year I will 

not make any resolutions at all, only because I am 

tired of breaking them by the next weekend. I hope 

that if there ain’t any to break, perhaps I can do better. 

O K, I’m done, and if you need to contact me it 

can be done at tinynascars@yahoo.com. Just one 

more thing, the word “contact” reminds me of the 

word “contract” and things are not going well with 

my negotiations. So you may be reading one of my 

last few articles right now, and I want you to know 

that it’s not me, I’m really trying to jump through 

their hoops, but there’s just so much I writer can do. 

Again this week I’ll refrain from my usual ending and 

say, HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

happy new year! - EU Jacksonville

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