TheState.com: The Buzz

The most romantic places in Columbia

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 08:28 EST

For the fourth consecutive year, Columbia was shot through the heart — online. According to Amazon.com, the capital city gives love a good name.

Last week, the website released its annual list of the nation’s most romantic cities and Columbia was No. 9, one place ahead of Pittsburgh, Pa., and a spot behind Murfreesboro, Tenn. Knoxville, Tenn., was No. 1.

The ranking was determined by the number of romance novels, relationship books, rom-com movies, love songs and — don’t blush — sex toys residents purchased on a per capita basis in cities with more than 100,000 residents. (Something must be brewing in Knoxville, because it’s the second straight year that city has been at the top of the list.)

It should be expected that a city with such a romantic pedigree as Columbia’s would blossom on Valentine’s Day. But where does one go to share a romantic moment?

There are walks by the river, a reservation at one of the local fine dining restaurants or a stroll through Guignard Park in Cayce to carve initials into the park’s “Love Tree.”

Food: Bloody good for you!

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 08:46 EST

I love oranges in winter.

Eating an orange is something that I prefer to do alone because, quite frankly, it can get messy.

Where some folks like to peel and eat the sections, neatly, one at a time, or cut them in half and spoon out like a grapefruit, I like to just cut them in half and sink my teeth into the pulp then squeeze the orange until all of the juice is gone. My grandmother showed me how to invert the rind so that I could get to any remaining pulp this way: cup the somewhat eaten half orange in your hand and push the center of the cup up toward you, causing the orange “cup” to invert and expose any remaining pulp. Yummy. And messy. And after explaining this to my editor, and seeing her reaction, I am probably the only person in the world that does this.

Anyway ... oranges, specifically blood oranges, are now in season.

SC’s top dog show dogs

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 23:53 EST

SC dogs in show

Tidbits on 13 of the 50 dogs with South Carolina ties in the Wesminster Kennel Club show.

Ambrier’s Tin-Man Feel My Desire (Desiree), Tibetan Spaniel, Fountain Inn, owners: Sheri Rose and Mallory Driskill, handler: Cindy Nelson. Notes: Desiree has a reputation for being a bad girl. She thinks she owns the air and everything below it. She is the ultimate diva. She and her best friend Otis live in the purple bedroom where they lounge on throw pillows watching the Travel Channel all day.

Tin-Man Three Sheets To The Wind (Otis), Tibetan Spaniel, Fountain Inn, owner: Sheri Rose; handler: Sheri Rose. Notes: Otis was injured at birth by his mother’s overzealous cleaning. His left rear foot was severed almost completely through. A vet glued the two-day-old pup’s foot back together and put him on antibiotics, but said he did not know if Otis’ foot would ever be normal and that this may end any hopes of showing him. This was heart breaking as he was clearly the pick of the litter. He was a tough little guy and came through it with the only scar being one toe shorter that the others. Now here we are two years later invited to Westminster! Way to go Otis.

Pin Oak Castlbar Success (Sabrina), Irish Setter, Greer, owner: Nancy Godbey, handler: Katie Shepard. Notes: Eight-year-old Sabrina is mother of 17 pups from two litters. Her dad and mother and grandmother have all competed here at Westminster. Sabrina was whelped and raised in Westmoreland, N.H. She loves playing ball and being a couch potato.

Things to do and see in the Midlands, Feb 8-14

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 00:07 EST

Stephen Colbert mentions big sister's Congressional run on show

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 07:26 EST

A few weeks after she declared her run for US Congress in South Carolina's 1st congressional district, Elizabeth Colbert Busch got some airtime on her little brother's comedy central show, "The Colbert Report."

Comedian and late-night host Stephen Colbert spent about 4 minutes talking about his sister's congressional bid, and even gave some of the Charleston Democrat's rivals a bit of debate advice. Watch the clip below.

SHE loves fashion, food and fun

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:10 EST

She’s got a wicked sense of humor.

“Elise isn’t here,” she said when she answered a reporter’s call. “She left.”

But it was Elise Testone, a top 10 finalist on the 11th season of “American Idol,” on the other end of the line. Another season of the reality TV show has begun, so what is Testone, who placed sixth, doing a year since her run on the show began?

Making music, planning shows.

“That’s kind of been my focus at the moment,” said Testone, who is putting together a Valentine’s Day concert at Charleston Music Hall. “Between that, recording music and getting my album ready.”

PHOTOS: Doggone good

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 06:58 EST

Elli waits to eat freshly made French chicken stew Tuesday during a cooking classes for dogs and their owners at Fleur de Lys Home Culinary Institute.

Super ads? Clydesdale wins honors at USC

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 07:18 EST

The horse hug had it all Sunday night for a group of USC students studying Super Bowl advertising.

The minute-long Budweiser commercial featured a farmer raising a baby Clydesdale – nursing it, playing around with it and petting it as it slept -- until the full-grown horse is ready to join the beer maker’s team. Fleetwood Mac’s emotional “Landslide” plays in the background.

Three years later, the farmer drives to town to see the horse in a parade and looks disappointed that the horse doesn’t recognize him. But as he is getting in his truck to leave – cue the tissues – the horse comes galloping down the street and stops in front of him. The man smiles and gives the horse a heartwarming hug.

“We all know the Clydesdales. It’s been a long, storied relationship with the brand. The story (of the man and his horse) was very, very endearing,” said USC professor Bonnie Drewniany, who has taught the Super Bowl of Advertising class for a decade.

Advertisers hope to bring their A-game on cleverness as they spend millions of dollars even on 30-second spots played during the biggest football game of the year, which this year drew a near-record number of viewers.

VIDEOS: Shaggy the social media dog; Puppy Bowl

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:15 EST

Shaggy's new home

Shaggy's rescue

Puppy Bowl preview . . .

Things to do and see, Jan. 25-31

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 23:53 EST

Things to do and see, Jan. 25-31

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 23:53 EST

The Columbia Museum of Art will open “Impressionism from Monet to Matisse.” The exhibit, which runs through April 21, will feature 55 masterworks from the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, Tenn. The show will include paintings by French Impressionists Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Sisley, as well as work by American Impressionists. Will South, the museum’s chief curator, will give an opening-day lecture at noon. The museum is at Main and Hampton streets. The exhibit is free for members, $15 for nonmembers; www.columbiamuseum.org

if ART Gallery will open two simultaneous solo exhibitions at Gallery 80808/Vista Studios. Both shows — “Laura Spong: Swinging On A High Note” and “Katie Walker: Words I Like” — will feature new work by abstract painters. Spong will show small and large paintings created in the last year, and the Greenville-based Walker will have new paintings up to 8-by-9 feet in size as well as some 400 small works on paper of 6-by-9 inches, according to a press release. The small works are part of what Walker refers to as her “Journal Entries” series. The show runs through Feb. 5. The artist reception is from 6-9 tonight. Gallery 80808/Vista Studios is 808 Lady St.; (803) 238-2351

“Alvin Staley — Voyage: The Quest for the Eternal” opens at the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County. Staley, an artist-in-residence for Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School and a Claflin University adjunct professor, will exhibit paintings in the FAC’s Bassett Gallery through March 1. According to a press release, Staley’s art expresses his Christian faith. “His art expresses the relationship that exists between God, his family, mankind and himself. It is his hope that his artworks will glorify God, edify the saints and enlighten humanity.” There is an opening reception from 6-7:30 tonight. The FAC is at 810 Lyttleton St., Camden; (803) 425-7676, ext. 300 or www.fineartscenter.org

“The Marvelous Wonderettes” will perform in the Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County’s Wood Auditorium for one night only. Who are the Wonderettes? Well, the Wonderettes — Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy and Suzy — are high school students singing classic ’50s songs as they get ready for their senior prom. After intermission, the Wonderettes return for their 10-year high school reunion. Then they will sing songs of the ’60s. The performance is at 8 p.m. The FAC is at 810 Lyttleton St., Camden. $18-$20; (803) 425-7676, ext. 300 or www.fineartscenter.org

Abrams nabs ‘Star Wars' gig

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 23:01 EST

J.J. Abrams is set to direct “Episode VII.”

Three people close to the production have confirmed that the “Star Trek Into Darkness” filmmaker will helm the next “Star Wars” movie, the highly anticipated installment in the landmark franchise scheduled to reach theaters in 2015.

The news first broke on the Wrap website Thursday afternoon.

Abrams, who previously had denied that he would be involved with the project, is now in a position of creative control over the two most beloved franchises in the science-fiction universe: “Star Wars” and “Star Trek.”

Abrams rebooted “Star Trek” for the big screen in 2009 to much acclaim and rousing box-office receipts, with the film collecting more than $385 million. His follow-up, “Star Trek Into Darkness,” is due in theaters May 17.

Taylor Swift to perform at Colonial Life Arena March 23

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 07:44 EST

Finally, it's official: Taylor Swift will perform at the Colonial Life Arena on March 23.

For weeks Swift has had a Columbia date on her website, but it wasn't until today that the area confirmed the show.

Swift's music might still be categorized as country, but she isn't limited by genre designations. "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," the lead single off her fourth album, "Red," solidified Swift's transition from country sweetheart to pop star status. The frequent relationship rumors have seemed to assist her assent.

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 1. Per Swift's insistence, there will be tickets under $50. Tickets cost $86.50, $71.50 and $31.50. Tickets can be purchased at the arena box office; online at www.lmctix.com; by calling (855) 456-2849; or at Play It Again Sports.

No overnight camping will be allowed at the arena. People interested in buying tickets at the arena when they become available must claim a numbered wristband at 8 a.m. Feb. 1. A random number will be drawn at 8:30 a.m. The customer with the number will be first in line followed by subsequent numbers.

SNAPSHOTS: World of Beer Festival

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:52 EST

Emotions crack in part 2 of Lance Armstrong interview

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 23:34 EST

CHICAGO Lance Armstrong finally cracked.

Not the way anti-doping authorities hoped or as disillusioned fans wanted, while expressing deep remorse or regrets, though there was plenty of that in Friday night’s second part of Armstrong’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.

It wasn’t over the $75 million in lost sponsorship deals, nor when Armstrong was forced to walk away from the Livestrong cancer charity he founded and called his “sixth child.” It wasn’t even about his lifetime ban from competition.

It was another bit of collateral damage that Armstrong said he wasn’t prepared to deal with.

“I saw my son defending me and saying, ‘That’s not true. What you’re saying about my dad is not true,’ ” Armstrong recalled.

Columbia Moe’s worker featured on ‘Undercover Boss’

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 00:16 EST

Janet Moak watches the CBS reality show “Undercover Boss” every week.

So the catering director for four Columbia-area Moe’s Southwestern Grill restaurants said she was stunned when she realized she had been set up to be on the show – and never even suspected it.

“I absolutely never had a clue. I can’t explain it,” Moak said. “It was like the deer-in-the-headlights look, exactly what you see on TV.”

The episode featuring Moak is set to air at 8 p.m. today on CBS.

The show features Moe’s corporate president, Paul Damico, as he trains – in disguise – with employees to get a first-person look at how his company’s restaurants operate. At the end of the experience, he reveals to the employees that he is actually president of the company and has a one-on-one meeting with select employees – including Moak – to tell them what he has learned.

Museum Road Show | Lessons in history, economics

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 21:08 EST

When Dale Follin was a 16-year-old girl in North Carolina, she followed her father, artist Al Fincher, to an old covered bridge in rural Buncombe County near Asheville.

She remembers her father, an artist of some note in the Tar Heel State, set up his easel on a sand bar in the creek that flowed under the bridge, and carefully crafted the painting that has hung in her home ever since.

On Saturday, Follin, now 66 and living in Sumter with her husband, Richard, took that painting and two others to the S.C. State Museum’s Winter Museum Road Show to see what they might be worth. The answer from appraiser James Brannock: About $1,000 each.

“I would never sell them,” Follin said. “They have too much sentimental value. But I’ve never had them appraised and wanted to know what they were worth.”

The Follins were among about 300 people who filed through the State Museum on Saturday for the twice-yearly shows, held in January and July. It is the 13 year the museum has held the events, which are patterned after PBS’s popular Antique Road Show.

Miss SC by the numbers

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 16:56 EST

Tonight, in front of an estimated live TV audience of 15 million, Miss South Carolina Ali Rogers will compete for the Miss America crown.

Tweets by @otisatthestate

SNAPSHOTS: Fifth annual Festival of Doom

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 23:58 EST

What began as small festival of bellydancing and vaudeville humor featuring local performers has increased to four days of acts featuring artists from both coasts. Were you there Friday night?

Miss South Carolina prepares to compete

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 23:40 EST

There was something noticeably missing when Miss South Carolina, Ali Rogers, arrived for an interview. There was no entourage. No PR rep to smooth stray strands of Rogers’ voluminous blond hair back into a bun, nobody to dab powder on her nose before a photo shoot and no one to smile while redirecting an interviewer’s line of questioning.

She hadn’t forgotten to wear the chunky bracelet with the words “Make a Difference” stenciled in black letters, the phrase a nod to her competition platform of making a difference for children with disabilities. She wears it for all appearances on stage and off — except for her talent, as playing the piano with such a bulky piece of jewelry would habitually interrupt key strokes.

Rogers, a Laurens native, carried the crown and sash she won at the Miss S.C. pageant at Township Auditorium in July in a brown scuffed and pockmarked box. Opening it for airport security has led to autograph sessions.

“They have a field day with that thing,” Rogers said. “They’re confused by what it is at first.”

Go ahead and check beauty off the search list, too. In stiletto heels, Rogers, who has long runner’s legs and a long torso, has the towering figure of a runway model. She has a pervasive smile and eyes that blink determination. But she’s an atypical pageant contestant, as Rogers said she’s more comfortable browsing the racks at Dick’s Sporting Goods or Academy Sports & Outdoors than at a dress boutique.

2012: Month by month, the year in Columbia entertainment

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 09:22 EST

It’s the first week of 2013, and there’s already a bevy of concerts, parties and events on the scene’s entertainment and cultural calendar. But let’s take a look back at 2012, if only to gauge how cool this year has to be to top the last.

January

The White Mule, the Main Street bar and listening room, closed on New Year’s Eve. A year later, it’s still missed. For one night in August, it was opened for Jacqueline Myers’ 50th birthday party.

Thank God, the hardcore punk band, disbanded. We’d miss the band more if former members weren’t playing in Can’t Kids and Burnt Books, two of the scene’s transcendent bands.

Salty Nut Cafe was damaged in a fire that caused an estimated $300,000 in damages. The popular 5 Points bar is now open.

VIDEO: 3-year-old disagrees with refs on blown Outback Bowl call

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 16:34 EST

Just one play before Jedeveon Clowney's big hit in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's Outback bowl, many Gamecocks fans were angered by what appeared to be a blown call on a first-down measurement.

After pulling a the first down chains past the nose of the football on a second-down play, an official called a first down for the Michigan Wolverines. One 3-year-old fan was quick to correct referee's mistake in the video below.

TV’s shiny new year schedule

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 00:46 EST

Resolve to tune in to new television shows and reset your DVRs so you won’t miss a minute of returning series — many of which left us in limbo over the holidays.

New shows

The Carrie Diaries — This “prequel” looks at the early life of one Carrie Bradshaw in the 1980s, before she grew up to “Sex and the City” Jan. 14, the CW

Zero Hour — Anthony Edwards (“ER”) has possession of a deadly timepiece in this thriller. Feb. 14, ABC

Hottest fitness trends to try in 2013

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:35 EST

Tired of the same ol’ workout? These expert-approved fitness trends are sure to shake up your New Year:

Fusion Classes. A swarm of new combo classes such as Piloxing, aerial yoga, Core Fusion Barre, and Neuromuscular Integrative Action are designed to confuse more than just your tongue. By mixing workouts with disparate disciplines (think: Pilates + boxing), they can get your body working in ways it wouldn’t otherwise, says Jessica Matthews, exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise and certified personal trainer and group instructor.

“Avid spinners, for example, may be missing a strength component,” she says. By taking a fusion spin class that uses resistance bands or free weights, they can train a wider range of muscle groups.

What’s more, these classes can be a fun way to change up a stale fitness routine.

To get started: Pick a class that has one of your favorite workouts in the name, Matthews suggests. If you’re a yoga fanatic, classes such as Yogalates (yoga + Pilates) and stand-up paddleboard yoga (yoga done on a paddleboard) can be a great way to introduce a new type of workout.

The year in arts

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 22:28 EST

2012 was a year of transition for local arts — new venues, new leaders and new rising stars. A recap of what happened in the arts:

2012

Nickelodeon Theatre, South Carolina’s only art house theater, moved to its new home on Main Street in August. In 2005, the Columbia Film Society, which operates The Nick, purchased the building at 1607 Main St., that once was the Fox Theater. The move, which had been repeatedly delayed, was the denouement of a $5 million dollar capital campaign.

Summer contributions totaling $300,000 from the Ford Foundation and The Nord Family Foundation ensured the Nick would meet its latest opening deadline. The Nick has estimated that it will draw 60,000 people annually to Main Street.

The 99-seat downstairs theater, with its new projection system, is open, but the Nick has returned to raising money to renovate the 200-seat theater on the second floor of the new building. Andy Smith, the Nick’s executive director, said the theater will “shoot for $2 million for renovations and financial reserves.” Now that the Nick owns the building, it can’t complain to a landlord if the air conditioning breaks or if the roof leaks.

Our favorite photos

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 21:40 EST

Here are some of the year’s best photographs by The State’s staff along with our readers’ favorite online videos and slideshows in 2012.

Retail’s year in review plus a look at what’s coming

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 14:54 EST

Columbia got some cool stores this year with a promise of more on the way in 2013. Here’s a look back – and ahead:

Downtown and beyond

The biggest retail story of 2012 was not just the new Whole Foods that finally came to Columbia, but the retail corridor that is emerging along with it.

Edens development company gets props for a new in-town shopping corridor that is bringing cool new national chains, such as Café Caturra, but also unique boutiques like Gwen Rawls Italian shoes and Nadeau furniture.

The corridor stretches roughly four miles between Trenholm Plaza and the Shoppes at Woodhill and is flanked by the gates of Fort Jackson. The centerpiece, on Devine Street near Fort Jackson Boulevard, is the new Cross Hill Market, anchored by Whole Foods, a grocery store with a cult-like following that features organic and other healthy fare. Its arrival was nearly a decade in the making.

New Year’s fireworks in Columbia promises to be famously fun

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 18:50 EST

VIDEO: Last year’s fireworks show in downtown Columbia

The fireworks show was one of the few disappointments at the first Famously Hot New Year concert in 2011. The show was good, but it wasn’t Famously Hot.

Depending on where you were in relation to the buildings along Main Street, the fireworks blasts were hard to see. This year will be different.

The short planning window last year and the location of the stage at the intersection of Main and Hampton streets forced show producers to use low-level fireworks that go up only about 150 feet. This year’s show will have high-level shells soaring up to 500 feet, said Justin Pruett, who will produce the show for Pyrotecnico.

Railroad accident took leg but not Irmo native’s resolve to recover

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 23:39 EST

Mark Joye wheeled into Duke University Medical Center earlier this month hoping his doctor could quiet the sound of the clock ticking in his head.

Since the Irmo native lost one leg – and mangled the other – in a railroad accident in August, the 22-year-old has had hundreds of questions for the medical magicians who have worked on him. What is causing the itching where the skin grafts were taken? What is the best way to wrap this kind of wound? But mostly, he has begged to know when.

When can he start walking on the rebuilt left leg? When can he get fitted for a prosthetic right leg? When can he play golf again? When can he run?

When will his life get back to normal?

“It’s hard to be patient,” Joye admits.

Movie review: ‘Les Miserables’

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 00:59 EST

Transforming a hit musical into a movie is never simple, even if the show is as beloved as “Les Misérables.” Producer Cameron Mackintosh tried in the late 1980s, after Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil’s musical version of the classic 1862 Victor Hugo novel became a massive hit in London and on Broadway. But the cameras didn’t start rolling until last March, 27 years after “Les Miz” first hit the London stage.

Hard to say how an earlier “Les Miz” movie might have worked out, but for fans, director Tom Hooper’s interpretation of a theater classic, which opens Christmas Day, is worth the wait.

The movie is visually stunning, expansive yet intimate. It’s true to the style and spirit of the musical in telling the story of Jean Valjean, the hero who transforms his life after 19 years of hard labor for stealing a loaf of bread. William Nicholson (“Shadowlands,” “Gladiator”) gets credit for the screenplay along with Herbert Kretzmer, who transformed Boublil’s original French lyrics into the now-familiar English ones. There’s even a new song, “Suddenly,” sung by Valjean to reflect his altered life after he rescues the waif Cosette.

The story of Valjean and the socio-political turmoil of early 19th century France is told through song. Star Hugh Jackman, Oscar winner Russell Crowe as his dogged pursuer Javert and the other actors have little or no spoken dialogue. One song leads into the next, more in the style of an opera than a musical. And as on stage, the actors sing the music live.

“Les Miz” evokes the grandeur and grittiness of France from Valjean’s release in 1815 to the aftermath of the student rebellion of 1832. The opening sequence is a stunner, with dozens of men singing “Look Down” as they trudge through frigid water to haul a massive ship into dry dock. The imperious Javert (Crowe) hands a worn-out Valjean (Jackman) paperwork granting him freedom, but in truth he’s branded for life.