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Stefan's News
(2005 Edition)

December

New Years eve was spent with friends. It was nice, complete with champagne at midnight.

Little fishy

My sister, my niece, and my parents came down for a few days during the Holidays. We saw the Ferbank Science Center, because my niece loves dinosaurs, the new Georgia Aquarium and the Center for Puppetry Arts. Everyone had fun but we were all very tired after all that walking. We also also enjoyed Steak and Shake and swimming at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel pool.

You can see my niece and a whale shark in the picture to the left. We spent six hours in the aquarium.

I had fun playing photographer at the Martini-Girl Fashion show held in the Cabin Room retaurant. The models were fun to work with and we all had a good time.

Eve and the Martini Girl models

I was disappointed at the Bonnie Raitt at the The Tabernacle. She slowed down all her songs and made them more bluesy and soulful. I had wanted her to Rock-them-out and she didn't. Also she played mostly songs off her new CD when we wanted her to play more of her hits. It was a good show but I won't bother to see her again.

I sat through both shows at Eddie's Attic to watch Andy Offutt Irwin and Jennifer Daniels with Drew Holcomb. They were both good shows.

Barbara Bailey Hutchison

One of my favourite singers, Barbara Bailey Hutchison put on a benefit show at Bev & Anne’s House in Nashville. She did mostly Christmas songs but there were a few new ones and many of her old ones too. It was a fun drive up and a really nice show.

Aeonflux was a pretty good movie. It was well filmed, the action was good, the story was good and we had good time. It was just really beautiful: the costumes and sets were exciting. I don't understand why the critics are so down on it but the DVD will do very well.

November

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was disappointing. The special effects were good but the story and character development were very weak.

We went to the grand reopening of the High Museum of Art and saw a very unimpressive exhibit of the works of Andrew Wyeth. The building is greatly expanding and very nice.

the beautiful gems

Eva aka Martini-Girl invited me to the Derek Blanks Precious Gems calendar release party. Hanging out with the models, drinking Effen Vodka, and talking to friends was really fun. I hope to visit Gallery 253 again later this month for another art party. A special shout out to Anna Rigby, one of the models, who was especially sweet and cute - though she looked nothing like her calendar shot. She does really cool animelike cartoons.

A friends and I went to the 6th Annual Pow Wow & Indian Festival at Stone Mountain Park. There was food and music and art: We had a good time. I enjoyed some Frybread and a roasted corn-on-the-cob, but mostly the arts and crafts.

October

The Medical Meyhem Halloween Party at Future was not the greatest party. There weren't too many people there in costume and the shows were disappointing.

The Nine Inch Nails concert atPhillips Arena was pretty good. They sounded great and had a nice light show though Death from above 1979 almost made me want to walk out before the concert even started. Luckily Queens of the Stone Age came out and we we're able to wait for the headliner.

I went to the Secretroom 11th Anniversary party at Future and had a good time. Lot's of interesting people and entertainment.

Reece J. Newton's photography show and Calendar Launch party at Nemo's Tavern was fun. I got my calendar signed by several of the models, ate some hors doeuvres and mingled for a little while. The bar had the worst beer selection possible so I didn't drink and plan NEVER to return.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit was a very funny and entertaining movie. It's made for children but fun for adults too. I enjoyed the animation and the story as we follow Wallace on another adventure and hope Grommet get keep him safe.

This website has been running for 10 years!

I went to the opening show of Two Gentlemen of Verona at the Shakespeare Tavern and and a good time. It's not a great play but the actors did a good job - Even the dog. Traffic was terrible and I was late for the first time ever and didn't get to eat dinner. It's a romantic comedy but it's not very funny. By today's standards the characters are pretty bad but the story is fair.

Serenity (the Firefly movie) was great, and I'm not a Firefly fan. I thought the TV series was weak but the movie was anything but. The story is engrossing, the action non-stop, and finally, characters I like. Go see this movie. There are many surprises and something for everyone. Joss Whedon has made a career of plot twists and this movie is no exception. It's a real roller coaster ride of drama.

The annual trip to the North Georgia State Fair with the Fishers took place on a beautiful Fall day. We ate the usual fair food, rode the usual fair rides and generally had a good time. I watched Deana Carter and thought she rambled too much. But it was fun.

September

Torchy Taboo's Steam Heat Dancers show at the E.A.R.L was very disappointing. It started late. the opening band didn't show and it was too crowded. The stage at the EARL is very low and I couldn't see anything even though I'm a tall guy. So I left pretty early in the show.

Japanfest at Stone Mountain Park was fun. There wasn't much to do but we went and had a good time. The girls got their names written in Japanese and I bought an interesting sushi set with a cat motif. We didn't see any dancing or music but there were several karate demonstrations.

I won sneak preview passes to Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. The story was very simple but enjoyable while the animation and puppetry was amazing. WB gave away a lot of SWAG before the show and T-shirts and posters once we got in the theater. We also got to see thr trailer for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire which looks great!

Jennifer Daniels put on another good show for 99X's Unplugged in the Park. She opened for Sali Hagan (who sucked) and Missy Higgins (Who was good). I got drunk on Apple Martini's, which was nice.

I only got to see part of The Last Dance show at Club Future because it started too late. After waiting through two terrible openings acts, Simple Shelter and PSI Factor, we were just to pooped to party. I get up at 5am on weekdays and the show should have started at 9pm. But when it still hadn't started at midnight - Well that just sucked. I will not being going to anymore concerts there on weeknights.

The mayhem and naughtiness that is Dragon Con has finished for another year. I saw several characters from the Incredibles, a few from Willy Wonka, and the usual Star trek and Star Wars. I was surprised by a very creative girl from the Hitchhiker's Guide. As usual, the convention folks made several crowd control mistakes that made me very angry. But I'll get over it.

It will take a while to process all the pictures, and I do plan on making a web photo album, but in the mean time you can relive last year's pictures here.

I did something different this year and took several pictures of ME with other people. But don't expect to see them here. That would be self-incrimination and I don't do that. Besides, this year I was especially naughty. But look around for yourself - maybe there are incriminating pictures on other people's sites.

August

Chris Isaak put on a great show at Chastain Park. The weather cooperated for a warm rain free evening. He played an unusual variety of songs not only from his collection of work but from many other artists too. Like previous shows he took a stroll through the audience and, a new twist for this show, brought many women up to dance on stage. This show was more random and relaxed than other shows - a more jam session than structured overproduced one. It went on forever and everyone had a great time. He did wear the mirror suit but in a big stadium the effect was lost. I went with Rick's wife, Jill, and she really enjoyed it too. Shelby Lynn opened but I wasn't impressed. Her jokes went flat and she just didn't have much personality.

My annual camping trip to Sabego Lake, Maine was great this year. Friends, family, and good weather made for a wonderful week of fun on the beach and in the woods. We ate so much lobster and even made a detour to the L.L. Bean store in Freeport.

Wedding Crashers was not nearly as entertaining as I was led to believe. There were moments of hilarity but mostly it was just stupid. You're better off if you just wait for the video.

Lucinda Williams put on a good show at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. I'm not a big fan but it was a most enjoyable show. The park was SOLD OUT but everyone was courteous on the cramped lawn.

The critics are being very mean to the movie Stealth but I thought it was fine. There were some technical flaws, but no worse than any other movie. It was fast moving and fun and we had a good time. You can wait to rent it if you want but it's worth a see.

July

As always, Jennifer Daniels put on a fine show at Eddie's Attic.

Michael Johnson, Danny Flowers and Don Henry put on a good show at The Swallow at the Hollow. It was especially nice to see Don's family there and a thrill to have seen his daughter perform with him.

The Fantastic Four had some technical issues but it was fun and we enjoyed it. They did exactly what I expected.

Nanci Griffith put on a good show at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. We got there early and sat right up front. It had rained earlier in the day and the grass was damp, but we managed to stay dry. Nanci sang beautifully and kept the political commentary to a minimum. I was a little disappointed that she didn't sing my favourite song, again. Afterwards we couldn't find the parking guy and got screwed on the garage fee.

June

Batman Begins was a good movie. I thought it was very long and very slow, but still a good solid movie. The producers really did a good job of developing the history of Batman and explained ALL of the questions anyone could possibly of asked. It was very thorough. However, I think the acting and pacing could have been done better to make it a more exciting movie. even the car chace was slow and unexciting

I went to see Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with a friend. It was very strange to be the only guy in the theater (besides my friend's husband). To say it's a chick flick is a major understatement. I enjoyed it and I cried like a little girl. I didn't realize it was based on a series of books for teen girls.

Some friends and I saw the preview show of As You Like It at the the Shakespeare Tavern. They flubbed a few lines and all the normal preview show type errors but it was still a good show. The actress who played Celia, Cynthia Evens was great. Once again Jeff McKerley, this time as the jester Touchstone, stole the show with his amazing impromptu humor and outrageous behavior. Veronika Duerr as Audrey and Kate Cella in a minor role also had outstanding moments. I may see it again later in the run.

May

I found the 2005 movie version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to be disappointing. It lost the fun of the book and was just a hectic onslaught of randomness. They tried to do too much all at once and accomplished nothing. It was well made and beautiful visually but lacking in continuity.

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith finally came out. It wasn't as bad as the last two, but it wasn't as good as the first three. Too much action and not enough plot made for a not-so-great experience. Fighting over lava, when you would have died instantly was a big waste of special effects.

Some friends and I saw the second annual Shake at the Lake! performance of Macbeth at Piedmont Park. They took some liberties with the play that I didn't appreciate but we all had a great time. We had a picnic, talked about the play, joked around - It was a beautiful night to be outside.

April

We did the Inman Park Festival and I ate way too much. They had the usual artists and stuff so we spent a few hours walking around. It's always a good time.

Catfight! played the midnight show at The Alley Cat and did a great job. After the music the kitties did two dance numbers. The food there is good and the service was especially fine. Thanks Viscous Kitty!

My friend Eva Connolly AKA Martini Girl put on another of her great Art and Fashion shows at Especially for You. It was fun. Everyone seemed to have a good time. The music was especially nice. There was a Jazz band and a vocalist.

James Dean Hicks, Billy Montana and Rob Crosby performed a fine show at The Swallow at the Hollow. I went to hear Billy Montana play Bring on the Rain and was happily surprised to discover her also wrote Suds in the Bucket.

I just returned from a ski trip to Utah. I went to SNOWBIRD with a coworker and his family. They were all beginners and from the South so I got to play guide/advisor. It was great fun! The first two days were Spring conditions and we skied in T-shirts and used lots of sunscreen. The third day it snowed all day and the conditions were terrible - A real challenge for everyone. The snow surface was uneven and inconsistent with areas of deep powder mixed with hard packed spots. Visibility was also terrible which made finding the right trail a problem. I had the most spectacular wipeout: Ask me for the details. Luckily no one got hurt and the monsters mostly had fun. They all enjoyed the outdoor hot tube and swimming in the pool while it was snowing. Maybe we'll do it again next year.

I saw Sin City and really enjoyed it. Yes, I liked the sexy and mostly nude women, but the action and artwork was really cool too. I got lost trying to follow plot sometimes but its a comic book so that's okay. It was fun and I enjoyed it - That's all that really matters. As a really funny side note - I went with two coworkers: the one on the left wanted to walk out calling it the worst movie ever while the one on my right said it was the best movie he's seen in years and couldn't wait to see it again.

March

Movin' Out the Broadway show Sucked - Sucked - Sucked. I actually walked out after 30 minutes. There was no dialog, no sets and no costumes. It wasn't a musical or even ballet - A most it was interpretive dance. But I'd call it bad dancers dancing to a bad singer singing Billy Joel songs. All the reviews about the show telling story of a few friends over a period of years through song and dance was crap. Nobody sang anything. Without dialog or costumes or acting there is no story being told. It was like watching a high school prom. Even the dancing was poor and painful to watch. I really want my money back! It was my first experience at the Fox Theatre and I will not be going back for a very long time.

Dita Von Tease put on a great show at Future in Atlanta. The place wasn't too crowded and it was raining outside but the show inside was very nice. She has the most perfect body! But I was very disappointed that she didn't sign autographs or spend time meeting the people who had come out too see her.

Wally was really excited, so we went to see the 2005 version of Animation Shoow 2005. The first one, Guard Dog, was very good and the funniest of all the toons. Rockfish was exciting and very well drawn - but no plot, just action. Hello was the best for plot and emotion - I almost cried. It would have to be my favourite The animation of Fallen art was the best and it had a good message. My puppet friends will like The Man with No Shadow the most because they would be overjoyed not to have shadows - but the rest of us were just confused. The rest of the toons were pretty weak. If you go to see it, don't set your hopes too high.

Partly Funny With A Chance of Fame was a really good time. Carla Ulbrich, Andy Offutt Irwin, Tom Wolf, and Throwing Toasters played a very funny night at Eddie's Attic. The food service there continues to be terrible.

February

Hitch was formulaic, predictable and mushy. But it was still fun to watch.

We had a private showing of Flight of the Phoenix which was a lot of fun. The movie was very weak - poor character development and story but we had a lot of fun mocking it. The original was much better.

Constantine was a fair movie. It's a theological debate disguised as an action flick and doesn't really succeed at either. Of course we argued this point at work which was fun. The really disappointing part is that they tried to make Rachel Weisz look bad. They failed, but I would have enjoyed the movie more, if she wasn't covered in dirt the entire movie.

Neko Case put on a disappointing show at the Variety Playhouse. It wasn't bad, just nothing special. The Sadies opened but not my kind of music. Visqueen opened before that and was really out of place.

January

Jennifer Daniels played a nice show at Eddie's Attic with Sandra Mccracken. She told some really off color stories about a fan that sent her some really inappropriate pictures - But I think it was only the medicine talking. Itb was really entertaining and fun. The music, as always, was very good. Sandra Mccracken opened with her old fashioned country songs but I wasn't impressed. Driving home I got caught in the Ice Storm and ended up stuck on the highway for hours. Luckily, I didn't have an accident but there were a dozen all around me.

I went to a very good show at Smith's Olde Bar with Jennifer Daniels, Amanda Kapousouz, Heather Luttrell, and Justin Rosolino.

Amanda, the "Tin Cup Prophette," opened with a very unique artsy style that really blew the room away. She plucked her violin into a recorder, then strummed it a few times, then looped it for playback as she sang along. It was an extraordinary effect resulting in some amazing sounds. Later in her set she pulled out a guitar and an accordion. Her lyrics were very strange and I'll have to listen to her CD to figure them out - But it was very cool.

Heather played next: a very unremarkable blues singer. Jennifer brought her usual high energy show third and was very well received. Justin and his friend Jenn Low took the stage last. It was okay but it was almost midnight and I'd been there since 8, so I left after a few songs.

Amanda the Tin Cup Prophette
Amanda

I went to the first night of Secretroom at Future in Underground-Atlanta and was a little disappointed. It lacks anything really edgy and is smaller that I expected. The media was very nice: several video screens and an excellent sound system. The worst part is it's proximity to many other bars.

Happy New Year! I spent NYE with Catfight! for the grand opening of The Alley Cat at Underground-Atlanta. The band played really well and the DJ (DJ Darkangel) was spinning some excellent music. Unfortunately the management really screwed the pooch and was understaffed for what should have been their best night ever. It took 30 minutes to get a drink at the bar and the crowd was always three deep. Most people gave up and left. They only had two bartenders for a crowded bar and crowded restaurant. But outside for the peach drop it was even worse.

You can still visit the news archives from: 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, or 1998.

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All pictures are the property of Stefan and are not to be posted on other websites or published in any medium without express written permission. Questions, comments, and corrections are always welcome.


Created Oct. 10, 1995
Updated 4 January 2006
© 2006 Stefan Oestreicher.
All rights reserved

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Spun By Stefan