Bama rocks to movie premiere
Tuscaloosa News – Feb. 5
Good rockin’ last night at the Bama Theatre, as John Sayles and Maggie Renzi hosted the regional premiere of their movie about the birth of rock ’n’ roll, “Honeydripper.” The film, shot and set in Alabama, stars Danny Glover as pianist and owner of the Honeydripper juke joint, which is dying for business until he books a hot kid playing that new solid-body electric guitar. . . UA film professor Jeremy Butler pondered how to measure Sayles’ zeitgeist factor. His movie “Return of the Secaucus Seven” was chosen by the Library of Congress for a film repository, and he once received a five-year MacArthur “genius” grant.
Terry Saban urges helping children
Tuscaloosa News – Feb. 5
Terry Saban still remembers the moment. She was at the grocery store buying food for Thanksgiving when she saw a single mother with a newborn baby in her stroller. Saban said it was obvious the woman wasn’t very well off. She didn’t say anything to the woman and went on her way. ‘One of my biggest regrets is not helping someone when I had the opportunity to,’ said the wife of Nick Saban, Alabama’s head football coach.
What would you do with your rebate?
Tuscaloosa News – Feb. 2
…Sam Addy, director of the University of Alabama-based Center for Business and Economic Research, said the news that Alabamians plan to attack debt should be welcome, because less debt means consumers have more money to spend. . . . Robert McLeod, professor of finance at UA, said a lack of consumer confidence — and therefore spending — often worsens the very downturns consumers wish to avoid. “It’s something of a self-fulfilling prophecy,” McLeod said….But David Roskos-Ewoldsen, professor of communication studies and associate professor of psychology at UA, said the media are more likely to shape the perception of events that have little direct connection to the audience’s daily life than more immediate concerns. “To the extent that the issue infringes on your own life, the less the media influences it,” Roskos-Ewoldsen said. “The current downturn is impacting a lot of people’s lives….Professor Cliff Robb of UA’s consumer sciences department said a lack of economic education amid an increasingly globalized and complex economy means consumers are often unable to properly interpret the news they receive. “You tend to see more of a knee-jerk [reaction],” Robb said.
Alabama taking $3 million gamble on early primary
Associated Press – Feb. 4
Alabama took a $3 million gamble by moving up its presidential primary from the end of the primary season to Tuesday. Was it worth it? . . . Another veteran political scientist, William Stewart of the University of Alabama, said he considers the early primary “an excellent investment.”
Langford plan has sights set on crime
Birmingham News – Feb. 4
The city of Birmingham is launching an initiative that in other major cities is credited with successfully helping bring down violent crime rates. The solution to ending violence in Birmingham lies with black men, who must take responsibility for their communities, Mayor Larry Langford said. . . . Langford’s call for only black men will be seen as controversial, but his approach is practical, said David R. Forde, a professor of criminal justice at the University of Alabama. “The sad fact is for Birmingham your significant problem is in black neighborhoods,” Forde said. “You have to start somewhere. If Mr. Langford feels he has to talk with a small group initially, start there.”
Hip-Hop Summit
The Scene (Crimson White) – Feb. 5
Introducing the culture of hip-hop and the power it has to change lives is the theme of the third annual Hip-Hop Summit. Showcasing poetry, fashion, music, stepping and a few surprises, the event hopes to show the importance of the culture in today’s society, said LaToya Scott, creative director for the Hip-Hop Summit.
Time for a ‘Celebration’: UA students form musical theatre outreach group
The Scene (Crimson White) – Feb. 5
DaWoyne Alexander Hill’s voice usually rings out in the theaters of Rowand-Johnson Hall. But soon, Hill and other students will take their talents outside Rowand-Johnson to give back to the community. These students are members of the primarily student-run musical theatre outreach group Celebration, which is led by Hill.
At a ‘Crossroads’
The Scene (Crimson White) – Feb. 5
From New Orleans to Columbus, Miss., to Tuscaloosa, new Crossroads Community Assistant Director Brice Miller has a lot of experience bringing communities together. To each place he moves, Miller fully dedicates himself to the community. “I’m a real community-oriented person,” Miller said. “And wherever I am, I want to share 1,000 percent of myself with the community.”