AltWeeklies Wire
Flavor of the Week: The Cabbie's Consciencenew
I hailed a taxi on 67th Street and fielded a call from Bill, whose anxious, repetitive questions made me suspect he’d entered the cokesnorting portion of the evening. When I ended the call the cab driver said I was pretty, and I thanked him. “You look young. How old you are?”
New York Press |
Jessie Marshall |
12-17-2009 |
Commentary
Was Comedian Andy Kaufman the Greatest Wrestler of all Time?new

Working for the NWA wrestling promotion in Memphis—which he pronounced Maim-phis, with a degrading, faux hillbilly twang—Andy Kaufman took to the air with a series of beauty tips for the local citizens.
New York Press |
Mike Edison |
12-17-2009 |
Sports
Team Spirit: Durham's 307 Knox Records Turns Fivenew

Since 2004, the imprint has released 31 records—a compilation full of Bull City bands, full-lengths by Midtown Dickens, The Future Kings of Nowhere and Cantwell, Gomez & Jordan and a series of 7-inch vinyl singles. Meet founder Melissa Thomas.
Year in Review: A Sizable Fleet of North Carolina Bands Found Bigger Audiencesnew
This year, more than any other this decade, the Triangle's local band scene seemed to engender broader support. It was a good year to be, as one excellent local compilation put it, "hearing here," at home.
Cartoon: Al Qaeda in Afghanistannew

There are fewer than 100 members of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, according to the Pentagon. So why are we there?
State of Emergency: The Disappearing Primary-care Doctornew

It's a not-uncommon story: someone goes to the doctor for a checkup or for a minor complaint, but while they are there, the doctor notices something else. If the number of primary-care physicians continues to drop, the situation could be different a decade from now.
City Newspaper |
Tim Louis Macaluso |
12-16-2009 |
Science
Marquez! is Ready to Become San Diego's Premier Rock en Espanol Bandnew

For Jared Armijo-Wardle and Cesar Zuñiga to have made it this far seems a fair example of their passion and commitment to the music they play: a lovely and introspective blend of American indie-rock and the regional Mexican music that Cesar Zuñiga grew up listening to.
San Diego CityBeat |
Seth Combs |
12-16-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
A Legendary New Orleans Rock Club Stars in a Locally Produced Documentarynew
Before the members of the Grateful Dead were so famously arrested by New Orleans police on January 30, 1970, the band — along with Fleetwood Mac and The Flock — christened the opening night of The Warehouse, a bare-bones, 30,000-square-foot music venue on Tchoupitoulas Street.
Remembering a Chicano Revolt in a Texas Townnew
The Cara Mia Theatre in Dallas recently reenacted a landmark event in Mexican-American civil-rights history: the Crystal City Walkout of 1969. The all-Chicano drama spotlights the valiant students who demanded equity, dignity, and opportunity in their education. Their victory changed the face of Texas public education forever.
San Antonio Current |
Gregg Barrios |
12-16-2009 |
Immigration
Disney's First African-American Princess is a Modern Galnew

The Princess and the Frog begins and ends with a good story. A dynamic 19-year old African-American woman dreams of owning her own restaurant. Turned into a frog with a kiss, she’s drawn into a funny adventure, twisting and turning through Louisiana’s bayous in a quest to become human again.
San Antonio Current |
Melissa Tarun |
12-16-2009 |
Reviews
Comedian Todd Barry: Twitter Contributed Information to This Reportnew
Like Will Ferrell, Kevin Nealon and Bob Newhart, Todd Barry is cursed with being naturally funny. Everything he says, whether reading a cereal box or telling a "knock knock" joke, just sounds funny. He has recently been named a "hot twitterer."
San Diego CityBeat |
David Day |
12-16-2009 |
Comedy
Free At Last: Immigrant Was One of Thousands Who Languish in U.S. Detentionnew
Idrisa Sesay insists he was born in Sudan and later brought to the U.S. as a teenager after he was given to another family as a slave. Immigration officials don’t believe him. They kept him in a detention center for three years, well past legal time limits set by the U.S. Supreme Court.
San Diego CityBeat |
Justin McLachlan |
12-16-2009 |
Immigration
Eliza Rickman Creates Haunting Melodies with a Big Voice and Tiny Instrumentnew
Eliza Rickman just might be a ghost, or, at the very least, a medium channeling vibes from days of yore. That’s not to say the chanteuse is only slanging rehashed classics in the vein of Madeleine Peyroux, it’s just that there’s a decidedly old-timey, almost spooky, air to what she’s doing.
San Diego CityBeat |
Paul Saitowitz |
12-16-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews