Call+Response: The most important film you'll see this year

OK, I'm not usually one for hyperbole, but I'm sure the 27 million people living in slavery right now might forgive a little drama. Call+Response is a wonderfully entertaining and enlightening film about the plight of modern-day slaves, from child soldiers in Uganda to child sex workers here in the U.S. It includes musical performances by Moby, Cold War Kids, Matisyahu, Imogen Heap, Switchfoot, Rocco DeLuca, Justin Dillon, Talib Kweli, Emmanuel Jal and Five for Fighting—and Dr. Cornal West steals the show. If you live in Atlanta it's showing at Midtown Cinemas and Le Font Theaters Oct. 9 - 16....  read more

Eddie's Attic Open Mic Night

I'm wired with a sometimes inexplicable optimism. It's what makes me check what's on the radio before popping in a CD in my car or visiting some band's MySpace page if the press release they emailed me looks interesting enough. So, from time to time, I enjoy a good open mic night, and in Atlanta, that means Eddie's Attic. I went last night to support my friend and Paste's books editor Charles McNair. Dressed in all black he sang his pair of literate, heartbreaking songs with all the passion and intensity an arena performance might have warranted. So did many...  read more

Sacred Harp in a strange setting

No one has done more to help revive Sacred Harp singing among a younger generation than two of the men at the Earl in East Atlanta this past Monday night—filmmaker Matt Hinton and musician Tim Eriksen. Hinton's film Awake, My Soul traces the history of America's oldest original musical tradition and the way it's thriving in pockets of the South. The original soundtrack features traditional renditions of old Sacred Harp (also called Shape-Note) tunes. But the Earl showcase was a release party for the second album associated with the film, this one featuring a variety of artists (Richard Buckner, Doc...  read more

Dragon*Con 2008: A Video is worth 1,000 pictures

Our crack A/V department has put together the following video from Dragon*Con. If I look at a loss for words from time to time, it's because I'm at a loss for words. Next year I'm going to the parade....  read more

Dr. Horrible & The Buffy Horror Picture Show

Once more, with feeling... Having missed all panel discussions Friday at Dragon*Con (including the intriguingly titled "Lake Monsters I Have Known," "Becoming a Goddess" and "Lights! Camera! Cthulhu!"), I decided to take a break from the awesome people watching and jump wholeheartedly into the Whedon Universe. First I joined hundreds of people for a live version of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Despite the fact that Nathan Fillion was at the fest, amateur actors filled the roles of Dr. Horrible, Captain Hammer and the whole Sing-Along gang, while the original video played on a screen beside the stage. The crowd indeed...  read more

Best Costume at Dragon*Con 2008

OK, apologies to Lego Man, Rosie the Riveter and the Yip-Yip Martian Muppet, my vote for costume of the year at Dragon*Con 2008 (at least on Friday) goes to this Aaron Eckhart look-alike, who shaved part of his head, singed his collar and spent a couple of hours putting on his latex mask. All in the name of looking exactly like Harvey "Two-Face" Dent....  read more

20 Things I Learned at Dragon*Con 2008

I attended my first Dragon*Con (or anything remotely like it) yesterday with no idea what to expect. Here's what I learned:1. That the costumes generating the most excitement among fans are sometimes the most simple and innocent—like the Yip-Yip Martian Muppet or Lego Man.   2. That the woman walking around carrying this is very disturbed....  read more

Prepping for Dragon*Con 2008

Today, I head downtown to explore new worlds, seek new life and civilizations, and boldly go where, uh... I've never gone before. I'm headed to Dragon*Con, and I'm simultaneously excited and little scared....  read more