TheState.com: Life and Style

Meet the prize winners

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:00 EDT

THE WINNERS: Grand Prize Winners From Last Year aren’t playing a genre-defying game. It just sounds like it. “Rocket People,” the album the Atlanta-based band released earlier this month, is experimental hip-hop meshed with rock, electronica and other alternative genres.

The trio — Believe, Slaughter and No Name the Great Nameless — will perform Thursday at New Brookland Tavern. The concert is a stop on the band’s way to Philadelphia to play the fifth annual Roots Picnic, the concert hosted by hip-hop luminaries The Roots.

GPWFLY could be the next band with a Columbia connection to make national noise. (Note: I don’t like the acronym, because it reminds me of another Georgia hip-hop group, F.L.Y. You remember them, right? No? It’s a shame because while hip-hop is still "Swag Surfin’," the Fast Life Yungstaz have long been put out to sea.)

Believe (real name Walter Harvey), who raps, sings and plays various instruments, is a Columbia native and a 1998 Richland Northeast High School graduate. He moved to Atlanta after graduating, but he settled for a time in New Jersey where he worked for Sugar Hill Gang Records, the music-production factory owned by Sylvia Robinson, who is often referred to as the mother of hip-hop.

WillPower, another beat maker who once called Columbia home and is now based in Atlanta, also worked for Robinson. Both Believe and WillPower had similar experiences making beats for Robinson: neither made any money off their work.

Pole dancing contest in Columbia this weekend

Fri, 25 May 2012 08:45 EDT

Looking for a way to spice up your workout? Pole dancing is sure to change up a bland routine.

Let’s get a few things out of the way up front:

• You wear regular workout clothes, and you keep them on.

• There are no mirrors.

• It’s appropriate for women of all ages.

Why ‘Think Like a Man’ remains popular

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:26 EDT

Hulk-smashing the lousy economy, “The Avengers” joined the billion-dollar club Mother’s Day weekend.

It’s only the 12th movie to have taken in more than $1 billion at the box office worldwide, and it did so in just 19 days. After movie ticket sales hitting a 16-year low last year, the superhero blockbuster is Hollywood’s big story.

But so is “Think Like a Man.” Sure, its first four weeks saw it take in a total of $81.9 million and hold a spot at No. 3 at the box office the weekend “The Avengers” debuted, and that might seem minuscule next to those mighty “Avenger” figures.

It’s not. The romantic comedy, based on Steve Harvey’s bestselling book, “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man,” was made for a mere $12 million. It wasn’t expected to go that far. This past weekend, it was in eighth place, right behind “Hunger Games.” Despite unseating “Hunger Games” and debuting at No. 1 its opening weekend April 20-22, critics didn’t believe the hype. Many predicted “The Five-Year Engagement” would upstage it. Didn’t happen.

The movie, featuring an all-star African-American cast, continues to hold its own.

Otis Taylor’s Picks of the Week

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:03 EDT

9 tonight: Pajama Jam Dance Party at 701 Whaley. Since the “House Party” franchise introduced us to the Pajama Jammy Jam — a party where attendees wear pajamas — we’ve always wanted to attend one. (We thought pajama day in high school was unfortunate and lame.) This pajama jam, hosted by the indefatigable Preach Jacobs and Mo’ Betta Soul, is a dance party that will feature the local legend DJ Prince Ice. It is also a fundraiser for Cola-Con, the hip-hop and comic book celebration that will be held Oct. 5-6 at the Columbia Museum of Art. (Tickets for Cola-Con, which announced a performance by Phife from A Tribe Called Quest last week, are available for early bird price of $20 for a one-day ticket and $35 for a two-day pass until June 8.) There will be an art show, including live art, and a silent auction. 701 Whaley is at 701 Whaley St. $10

9 p.m. Saturday: The Colour Sound at Art Bar. The Colour Sound is fronted by Rian Adkinson, a songwriter who prefers a colorful approach to his soulful music. Think G. Love, only with a slower tempo and without the tiring rap-sung lyrics. The Colour Sound’s deliberate songs — “Carolina Skeletons” comes to mind —are more slow jams than ballads. With The Hollars. Art Bar is at 1211 Park St. $5; (803) 929-0198

9 p.m. Saturday: Robes at Conundrum Music Hall. Robes, a synth-pop band, has an apparent affinity for ’80s dance-pop music, but, thankfully, the band doesn’t simply trade on nostalgia. Robes has updated the sound with deft guitar flourishes and well-placed hand claps, among other treatments. With Crown the Cake, a band that experiments with genres from noise to pop, and The Good Witch, which is Beth Pope impressively making all the sound. Conundrum is at 626 Meeting St., West Columbia. $5; conundrum.us

‘Men in Black 3’ wasn’t an easy sequel to make

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:27 EDT

Often film sequels are slam dunks at the box office, a seamless continuation from where a previous hit left off.

But as the new installment of the 15-year-old franchise “Men in Black” proves, getting to the big screen isn’t always a cakewalk.

One of the most troubled productions in recent Hollywood memory, Sony Pictures’ latest movie in the Will Smith-Tommy Lee Jones sci-fi-comedy franchise encountered multiple script rewrites, a discontented star and a three-month production shutdown as writers and studio executives scrambled to fix a project that nearly fell apart.

By the time it was over, the studio had run up a tab of nearly $250 million — making “Men in Black 3” one of the most expensive releases of the summer.

The film known as “MIB3” faces formidable marketing challenges given that the last sequel came out a decade ago. That means an entire generation of youngsters has never seen an “MIB” in theaters, and the bar for summer event pictures has risen considerably by such high-octane spectacles as current mega-hit “The Avengers.”

3-Day Weekend

Wed, 23 May 2012 17:57 EDT

Two-for-Thursday

Want to hang out at an outdoor concert? There’s two options tonight. The free Five After Five concert series featuring The Black Iron Gathering and Rejectioneers at the Five Points Fountain begins at 6:30 p.m. For more, visit fivepointscolumbia.com/after5/. Rhythm and Blooms, featuring Bobby Houck of the Blue Dogs in Riverbanks Zoo and Garden’s botanical garden, begins at 6 p.m. The zoo is at 500 Wildlife Parkway. $5-$7; (803) 779-8717

Friday

Held over

Matters of Faith, May 19

Thu, 24 May 2012 10:52 EDT

THIS WEEK

ANTIOCH BAPTIST CHURCH: Women’s Day service, 11 a.m. Sunday, 5715 Koon Road. Guest speaker Patty Jaye Garrett Patterson. (803) 786-0119

ASHLAND UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: Book Club, 4 p.m. Sunday, 2600 Ashland Road. (803) 798-5350

BETH SHALOM SYNAGOGUE: “A Walk Down Memory Lane,” a celebration honoring all congregants who have been members for 50 or more years, 5-7 p.m. Sunday,5827 N. Trenholm Road. (803) 782-2500

CHRISTIAN LIFE CHURCH: Kingsmen Breakfast, 8-10 a.m. today, 2700 Bush River Road. Guest speaker is Gary Shull. Suggested donations, $3-$5(803) 798-4488; www.christianlife

Tastes like the ’60s, man

Wed, 23 May 2012 08:17 EDT

If you want to eat like a 1960s family, you’ll now have a chance. “The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Sixties Cookbook” brings back all those family favorites that you might only have seen on television or the Thanksgiving table.

The title plays off a classic 1963 comedy “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” and the recipes come from the first half of the decade — think Jackie Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and AMC’s current hit “Mad Men.”

Rick Rodgers and Heather Maclean have modified the originals to make them healthier. Their recipes have more of an emphasis on making recipes from scratch rather than opening a can of ready-made soup to provide a base for Chicken a la King.

One of the most eye-opening charts is on grocery inflation. “$1 in 1963 had the buying power of $7.10 in 2010.” A 1960s gallon of milk was 49 cents — it’s now $2.79 and up. And who wouldn’t like a 30-cent a gallon of gas vs. today’s prices?

Sixties food favorites include Pupu platters with Crab Rangoon, Coconut shrimp, Spam and Pineapple kebobs, piggies-in-blankets (small hot dogs wrapped in dough), Sloppy Joes (goopy hamburger and vegetables in tomato sauce sandwiched in a toasted bun), candied yams with marshmallow topping (think Thanksgiving for many families) and the absolute ’60s classic: tomato gelatin aspic salads decanted from a copper fish mold.

Cooks Calendar

Tue, 22 May 2012 23:40 EDT

Events

Glenforest School, a K-12, SACS Accredited, nonprofit day school for students who learn differently, has compiled a one-of-a-kind cookbook featuring more than 340 recipes from family, friends and faculty of Glenforest as well as an assortment of famous names and renowned celebrities (such as Jay Leno, Tom Brokaw, Sen. Jim DeMint, Steve Spurrier and Dabo Swinney). Bulldog Bites: The Glenforest School Cookbook is on sale now for $12 at the school or at glenforest.org and these following locations: Mather Realty, SC Philharmonic, SCBT, Regions Bank, Villa Tronco, Zeus Pizza, Thomas Major DMD, ScrubTrendz, Boyd Hendrix DMD and Blythewood Gloriosa Florist.

The Spring Big Delicious Event, 5-8 p.m. Sunday at Gravatt Camp and Conference Center in Aiken will feature Brandon Velie, chef/owner of Juniper in Ridge Spring, showing you how to prepare locally grown produce and meats. Feel free to bring your favorite wine to Chef Velie’s three-course dinner. Tickets: $45 per person, pre-registration is required. Information at bishopgravatt.org or (803) 648-1817.

Born to run barefoot? Some end up getting injured

Wed, 23 May 2012 08:17 EDT

Swept by the barefoot running craze, ultramarathoner Ryan Carter ditched his sneakers for footwear that mimics the experience of striding unshod.

The first time he tried it two years ago, he ran a third of a mile on grass. Within three weeks of switching over, he was clocking six miles on the road.

During a training run with a friend along a picturesque bike path near downtown Minneapolis, Carter suddenly stopped, unable to take another step. His right foot seared in pain.

“It was as though someone had taken a hammer and hit me with it,” he recalled.

Carter convinced his friend to run on without him. He hobbled home and rested his foot. When the throbbing became unbearable days later, he went to the doctor. The diagnosis: a stress fracture.

Rick Baker is ‘Men in Black 3’ makeup master

Wed, 23 May 2012 08:17 EDT

Unlike Austin Powers, Will Smith won’t turn into Agent J, International Man of Mystery when his “Men in Black 3” character time-travels to the groovy 1960s — no bell bottoms, no love beads, no paisley.

Yet even as undercover operative J continues to handle extraterrestrial visitors, tourists, immigrants and criminals, as he has in two previous movies, he’ll do much of it now against the backdrop of Vietnam, women’s rights and Mayor John Lindsay. Call it “Mad Men in Black.”

Seven-time Oscar winner Rick Baker — the makeup-effects maestro behind the aliens in “Men in Black,” the Bigfoot in “Harry and the Hendersons,” the lycanthropes of “The Wolfman” and “An American Werewolf in London,” and much, much more — says he’s never seen the 1960s-set “Mad Men.” But he turned 10 in 1960, came of age in the era and remembers what aliens looked like, back in the day.

“It was a great time for somebody like me who was fascinated by monsters,” Baker says by phone from his Glendale, Calif., studio, Cinovation. “There was that whole monster craze, with all those films on afternoon television, Famous Monsters magazine, those Aurora model kits (and) Big Daddy Roth” — the cartoonist and car customizer whose signature character was the bug-eyed, tongue-flapping, drag-racing rodent Rat Fink. “We actually did an alien (for ”MIB3“) that’s Big Daddy Roth-inspired — not Rat Fink, but that style.”

“Men in Black 3,” which hits theaters Friday, comes a decade after the last installment. In it, Agent J trips back to 1969 for 24 hours, during which he must repair a timeline in which his partner, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones), has been dead for 40 years. He meets the 29-year-old K (Josh Brolin), and together they go up against escaped criminal Boris the Animal (“Flight of the Conchords” comic Jemaine Clement), a motorcycle-riding psychopath.

Jack Hitt: Writer in search of truth

Sat, 19 May 2012 23:42 EDT

Our recognition, perception and reasoning are sometimes tripped up by our most trusted instrument: our brain.

“We do sort of edit reality before we perceive it,” Jack Hitt said. “The science is showing we pre-edit reality into something we can understand.”

Hitt will get into science — precisely, neuroscience — during “Making Up the Truth,” the one-man show he’ll perform at Spoleto Festival USA. The performance is built around Hitt’s stories, and the Charleston native, a contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine and NPR’s “This American Life,” is known for telling them. His run at the festival begins Friday.

Storytelling has become a popular theater genre, and there have been masterful performances at Spoleto. Danny Hoch’s riveting “Hip-Hop Theater: An Evening With Danny Hoch” in 2006 immediately comes to mind. Of late, storytellers have come under fire for exaggerating or falsifying information, drowning the title of Hitt’s show in a pool of irony.

In March, Mike Daisey was rebuked for fabrications in a story about the working conditions in Chinese factories that make Apple products. The story aired on “This American Life,” the weekly public-radio program that features first-person narratives understood to be true. Last week, the facts in pieces contributed to “This American Life” by humorist David Sedaris were scrutinized.

Spoleto Festival USA highlights

Fri, 18 May 2012 13:00 EDT

What is there to get excited about at Spoleto Festival USA? Plenty.

The festival, in its 36th year, will have more than 140 performances by 60 performers. (And that’s not including the offerings at Piccolo Spoleto, Spoleto’s complement that focuses largely on Southeastern artistry. For more, visit www.piccolospoleto.com.)

Here are some of the highlights for Spoleto, which runs Friday-June 10:

The American premiere of composer Philip Glass’ “Kepler.” To date, the opera has been performed only in concert. Directed by Sam Helfrich, this will be the first fully staged production. It will commemorate Glass’ 75th birthday.

The American premiere of “Feng Yi Ting,” a contemporary Chinese opera by composer Guo Wenjing.

Review: Morrison examines America’s race history in ‘Home’

Fri, 18 May 2012 12:48 EDT

Mention Toni Morrison’s name and the superlatives follow. Nobel Prize. Pulitzer Prize. This spring, she’ll add Presidential Medal of Freedom winner to the list.

But in her new book, a slim 160-page volume titled simply “Home,” the power comes not from the world-famous author’s name printed on the cover but from the story within. And what a story it is: a tale of postwar homecoming that captures the United States’ chilling history of racism but also celebrates the courage of those strong enough to face it.

Frank Money, a black man emotionally damaged from the Korean War, returns to an America that still sees the color of his skin before anything else. Battling his internal demons, driving away anyone who tries to help him, Frank is on the edge of sanity … until he gets an urgent letter about his younger sister: “Come fast. She be dead if you tarry.”

Cee is the closest person to his heart, the first person he ever felt responsible for and the only one who ever made him feel heroic, long ago in a grassy field when they were children. She’s the only one who could get him to go back to Lotus, the unforgiving, isolated, hopeless Georgia town he left for the military and planned never to see again.

The letter propels him out of his paralytic misery. He sets off to find Cee, his mental fog lifting as he makes his way across a dangerous, racist countryside, finding danger and assistance from surprising quarters.

Rosemond: ‘Attachment parenting’ bond: Fact or fiction?

Fri, 18 May 2012 12:56 EDT

The cover story in the May 21 Time is all about “why attachment parenting drives some mothers to extremes — and how Dr. Bill Sears became their guru.” That is the article’s subtitle. All I can say, somewhat hopefully, is “at last.”

Because my next book, due out in the fall, contains a chapter on attachment parenting’s destructive propaganda, I have done considerable research of late on the subject. For those of you who are not familiar with this latest parenting trend, attachment parenting is all about parents and children sleeping together, mothers “wearing” their infants (constantly carrying them around in slings), breastfeeding these same children until they are 2 or 3, and generally centering their lives on their kids in perpetuity.

Supposedly, all this fuss over children is essential to making sure mother and child properly “bond.” According to the movement’s high priest, California pediatrician Bill Sears, proper bonding is supposed to enhance the mother-child relationship, nurture better emotional health, and even make the child smarter and less likely to lie.

That’s right! On his website, in an essay titled “11 Ways to Raise a Truthful Child,” Sears writes “Connected children do not become habitual liars. They trust their caregivers and have such a good self-image they don’t need to lie.” In the same article, he promises parents who choose to adopt his method that they will develop the wisdom they need to make proper decisions for their children and that their children will “turn out better” than children raised otherwise.

By “turn out better” Sears means a child who is more intelligent, calm, secure, socially confident, empathic and independent than a child raised according to prevailing Western norms. Mind you, he doesn’t support this with any evidence obtained via the scientific method (an experiment involving both a control group and an experimental group) because he can’t. There is no such evidence. To be blunt, Sears is making all this up. He’s, well, let’s just say he and his mother must not have properly bonded.

Local book events, May 20-May 26

Fri, 18 May 2012 11:57 EDT

Email event details along with a contact phone number to books@thestate.com, or fax them to (803) 771-8430, Attention: Book Events.

COOKING CLASS WITH AUTHOR: 6 p.m. Monday at the 1425 Inn, 1425 Richland St. Author Sheri Castle hosts a cooking class featuring recipes from her cookbook “The New Southern Garden Cookbook.” Reservations are $18. Call (803) 252-7225 or visit bookinngroup.com.

VISTA BOOK CLUB: 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Lucy Hampton Bostick Auditorium, Richland County Public Library, main branch, 1431 Assembly St. Snacks and discussion of Karen Russell’s book “Swamplandia!” Call (803) 929-3457.

READ TO A DOG: 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Sandhills Library, 1 Summit Parkway. Ages 6-8 and 9-12 can practice reading skills with a furry friend. Call (803) 699-9230.

Review: ‘Every Last Secret’ a winning mystery

Fri, 18 May 2012 12:49 EDT

Linda Rodriguez delivers a lively, perspective look at a woman rebuilding her in “Every Last Secret.”

Marquitta “Skeet” Bannion was the highest ranking female detective — and often decorated officer — in the Kansas City Police Department. But accusations of corruption about her cop-father, the stress of the job and a crumbling marriage forced Skeet to re-evaluate her life. She’s found renewed energy as police chief of the Chouteau University, located in the small town of Brewster, that’s only 12 miles from Kansas City, Mo., but light-years away in pace, attitude and crime. So far, the job switch has been good for Skeet, who enjoys the laid-back atmosphere and the beginnings of a friendship with the local police chief. Even the resentment from a fellow officer who thought he would get the promotion and the academic politics haven’t damped Skeet’s enthusiasm.

Then the student editor of the college newspaper is murdered in his office, and the calm turns to chaos. Andrew McAfee had a temper, was nasty to his staff and had recently gotten into a physical fight with one of his editors. He also was investigated for a sexual assault on another student and theft. The only ones who mourn him are his wife and 14-year-old stepson. While Skeet doesn’t lack suspects, she also must maneuver around an administration that wants any whiff of crime kept quiet, especially a murder, even if it means hiding evidence.

While the plot basics of “Every Last Secret” aren’t groundbreaking, Rodriguez’s energetic storytelling and attention to character prove she is an author who should have a bright future. Skeet is in touch with her Cherokee heritage. Her determination to make a fresh start will resonate with anyone who has started a new job or moved to a new town. While she deeply loves her father, her disgust at his alleged corruption fuels their estrangement.

“Every Last Secret” is the most deserving 2011 winner of Minotaur Books’ annual contest for authors who write traditional mysteries. The Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition looks for authors who write in the vein of Agatha Christie. The contest has launched many intriguing authors who have gone on to have long careers.

Books: National top sellers, May 20

Fri, 18 May 2012 11:58 EDT

Horoscope, May 20

Fri, 18 May 2012 12:57 EDT

Happy Birthday: It’s up to you to choose the path that will lead you to the finish line that suits you personally, professionally and emotionally.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Revisit people, places and projects you haven’t dealt with for a long time, and consider what’s worth resurrecting.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Adaptability will ease tension and help you avoid opposition. Don’t let a relationship that isn’t working put a wedge between you and your goals.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You will face competition that requires you to be imaginative and realistic to achieve victory. A secret you hold will give you the edge.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Those who rely on you will question your actions. Let the results speak for you.

Review: Silly, bombastic ‘Battleship’ takes plenty of hits

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:42 EDT

There will be bigger movies this summer, and better ones and worse ones.

But there will not be a dumber movie than “Battleship.”

Ponderous and pandering, shameless and head-slappingly silly, this Navy vs. Aliens epic delivers a few thrills and a few laughs. In between the head-slaps, that is.

A pointless prologue establishes that NASA has sent signals to a distant Earth-like planet. Warnings from one scientist (Hamish Linklater, of “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” has the Jeff Goldblum role) that this is like the Incans inviting Conquistadors to visit are ignored.

Meanwhile, a reckless repeat offender (Taylor Kitsch) gets a bit buzzed on his birthday and commits a grand gesture (and very funny) break-in, just to fetch the fair Brooklyn Decker a microwave burrito. It’s jail or the Navy, declares his Navy officer brother (Alexander Skarsgard).