Thanks Bill!

CORRECTION BUSH
Originally uploaded by htsmatt.

Bill Moyer, 73, wears a "Bullshit Protector" flap over his ear while President George W. Bush, on screen at rear, addresses the Veterans of Foreign Wars at their 106th convention Monday, Aug. 22, 2005, in Salt Lake City. Moyer served in Korea and Vietnam, and in the post- WWII occupation of Germany. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)

God Bless Bill Moyer and the VFW

What's that smell?

Crazy Russians

This is a shockwave/flash deal that's a little out there.

On the other hand....

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Originally uploaded by htsmatt.

The Hive :: Art Music

The Hive :: Art Music has been open in NLR for a while, but I haven't been over there. I'm encouraged by The Hive's stated approach, which is very much in line with what Paul talked about and tried in his way to accomplish.

Black People Love Us!

Yo, check it out: Black People Love Us!

Run Rod Run! Raise Rod Raise!

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Originally uploaded by htsmatt.

Jim Jives for Rod's Run

HTS alum and friend Rod Bryan (ho-hum) is running for Governor of the State of Arkansas, and we wish him all the best. Check the link for more information about Rod's independent run at the entrenched establishment.

Rod had a campaign kickoff fundraiser last night at Juanita's, and a great crowd came out. The Easys and Tel Aviv followed the legendary Jim Dickinson, who produced the Magic Cropdusters' Goshen for HTS. Jim's vocals, keyboards and guitar were all in top form, as were his storytelling and wisecracking skills. Jim opined that "Dark End of the Street" was not about cheating, but about politics!

Pics in a second....

Rod introduces Jim to the crowd....

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Originally uploaded by htsmatt.

Hi Lennie!

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Originally uploaded by htsmatt.

The Governor (to-be) explains one of the finer points of Mississippi redneck r&b to the First Lady (to-be)....

JD rocks the house....

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Originally uploaded by htsmatt.

Hi Mom!

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Originally uploaded by htsmatt.

Chris and Jimmy (and the guy on fiddle, sorry) did a fine job.

Although Jim did quip, upon hearing calls for an encore, "We don't know any more songs. Hell, we didn't know those."

Thanks Jim!

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Originally uploaded by htsmatt.

The candidate expresses his appreciation, and lusts after the unobtainable North Mississippi vote....

Also, thanks to Mike and the other great folks at the Marriott Courtyard in the River Market for helping HTS host Jim's stay. A fine new hotel for LR.

A note on post dates

The current news posts in this blog are mostly dated when they were posted.

Historical posts about Paul and HTS are either dated when the event occurred or on some other past date in those instances where blogger.com won't let me go all the way back to the actual appropriate date (blogger doesn't currently allow posts earlier than 1/1/99). I'm trying to keep those latter posts in chronological order even though the dating itself can be ignored. In those cases, I've tried to identify the appropriate date in the subject line.

If you've read this far, thank you and/or get a life.

M.

The 'liberal media' is at it again

NBC and CBS are refusing to run an ad put together by those wild and crazy radicals at the United Church of Christ. Seems the ad makes a little too clear the Church's welcome of gay people and other 'controversial' types.

CBS said: "Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples and other minority groups by other individuals and organizations, and the fact the Executive Branch has recently proposed a Constitutional Amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable for broadcast on the [CBS andUPN] networks." Goes without saying, really.

Have a happy World AIDS Day. M.

Kyle's back on stage....

Alice cast hops into the rabbit hole with talent, Tennyson, a bit of 'silly'

BY ERIC E. HARRISON
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Writer-director Alan Keith Smith is astounded by the level of talent that showed up to audition for the Arkansas Arts Center Children's Theatre production of Alice in Wonderland.

"I'm just overwhelmed," he says. "Of course, you can't use everybody, but boy did I want to."

Smith says the talent starts at the top with young Sarah Clagett, who will make her Children's Theatre debut in the title role when the show, which Smith is directing, opens Thursday at the Arts Center in Little Rock's MacArthur Park. The show runs through Dec. 19.

And knowing what he had to work with helped color his script, he adds.

"It's an adaptation of an adaptation that we last did, right around 10 years ago," Smith explains. To Lewis Carroll's classic children's tale he has also added characters and elements from Carroll's companion volume, Alice Through the Looking Glass.

"But it draws from more than that," he says. "A lot of the songs and poems that Carroll used were adaptations or parodies of existing works, including, in Alice Through the Looking Glass, [Alfred, Lord] Tennyson's poem 'Come Into the Garden.' We actually use some of Tennyson's words" for a scene, from Looking Glass, in the Garden of Live Flowers.

Smith cast Melissa Riggins as Tiger Lily, Cari Hunter as Red Rose and Sarah Richardson as White Rose - as flower guides for Alice on her journey through a fantasy land. "We also have lots of Daisies," the director adds, played by Margaret Mc-Murray, Lyndal Steiner, Taryn Thompson and Mary Margaret Donovan.

Alice also meets the usual Wonderland and Looking Glass characters, including Jackson Stewart as the White Rabbit, Thomas Hankins as the Caterpillar, Kyle Lovett as the Cook, Randee as the Duchess, John Isner as the White Knight, Jeremiah Smith as the March Hare, Josh Rice as the Mad Hatter, A.J. Spiridigliozzi as Tweedledee, Gabey Smoller as Tweedledum, Don Rush as the Queen of Hearts; Samantha Davis as the King of Hearts and Justen Balay as the Knave of Hearts.

Smith says the "nontraditional" casting of the Hearts royal family, and also the creation of characters like the 11 of Spades (Stewart Fullerton; Indigo Anderson-Moore Faith Hurtado-Vasquez and Briana Ailene Hill help fill out the deck of cards) is all in the spirit of fun.

"The whole story, the whole play, is about having fun and being silly," he says. "It's full of humor, slapstick and otherwise."

THEATER
Alice in Wonderland
7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday
through Dec. 19
Arkansas Arts Center Children's Theatre
Arkansas Arts Center
MacArthur Park, 10th and Commerce Streets, Little Rock

Sponsors:
Blake, Seth and Anna Grace Middleton; Target Stores

Web site:
www.arkarts.com

Tickets: $14, $12 senior citizens; Arts Center members receive a discount
(501) 372-4000; (800) 264-2787

This story was published Sunday, November 28, 2004

Another guitar alien....

Kaki King is an acoustic guitar explorer whose style recalls our good friend Richard Johnson's. And what a delightful young woman Kaki is.

Life is good....

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Originally uploaded by htsmatt.

Here's acupunk, holding on for dear life, and some friends including Omar the Pieman. [That's a good Thanksgiving link, with a recipe for Omar's sweet potato pie as well as a little of his story.]

Life is indeed good. I was with great friends and great art at Gallery 26 for the holiday show opening tonight; wish it were online too. Then on to Cajun's Wharf for Norte de Havana; these guys will absolutely move you around. Rob G plays a mean tres. Ah, the life of a bigtime label exec....