This week's Buzz of Northwest Georgia
>RIFF the Fifth: A sequel without equal?
>A closer look at the film festival's plans for 2008; impact on region
>Rome Braves end 2008 on low note; what's on deck in 2009?
>3-Dot Buzz : Did you say 'new bank'?; BBQ and politics; bid for 'kids'
Hometown Mobile offers quick access for smart phone users: You can subscribe to an RSS feed as well> Mobile
Republican National Convention opens
>Gingrey in Twin Cities as a member of the Georgia Delegation: U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey is among the Georgia Delegation at the RNC as it opens today.
>Track the convention online at the official site> GOP
>McCain Watch: Mike Morton has organized a John McCain Acceptance Speech Watch on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Schroeder's New Deli in Armuchee. To RSVP, e-mail Morton at MikeofRome@yahoo.com or (706) 237-6733
>Bartow GOP plans watch party Thursday evening> Bartow
>Coverage by the 'host' newspaper, Star Tribune> Strib
>Dixon & Clemons on the Palin VP pick: From the right, Adam Clemons calls Sarah Palin a solid pick. From the left, Graham Dixon says it negates all McCain's claims about Obama's experience concerns> Dixon & Clemons
Sports
>Norman's Arey's Sports Roundtable: ACC 'leaders' crash on take off; new headaches for Old Ball Coach> Arey
>John McClelland's week two picks for local high school football: Who's in for a win, who's not> Football Report
->High school: What's ahead this week; latest AJC polls> Football Report
>Braves close disappointing season with a loss> Sports
-What's ahead for 2009?> Buzz of Northwest Georgia
>A season in review photo retrospective by Mills Fitzner> Focus
WeatherCenter
>Tuesday: Mostly sunny with a high of 88
>Your complete week-ahead forecast: WeatherCenter
>Time to keep an eye on Hurricane Hanna> Tropics
Downtown Headlines:
>Two extended shopping sprees this week thanks to film festival, First Friday> Downtown Headlines
The Fifth RIFF: A sequel without equal?
By Natalie Simms/For Hometown Headlines
Perhaps it is fitting: In a year where the box office is making millions from super-hero movies ("Dark Knight," "Iron Man"), the Fifth Annual Rome International Film Festival is paying homage to those on the other end of the presentation. This year's theme says it all: "Rome International Film Festival: Where Independent Filmmakers are Heroes."
The festival features 138 films representing filmmakers from more than 25 countries. Films will be shown Thursday through Sunday at the following venues:
>The Forum
>Rome City Auditorium
>Heritage Hall
>Forrest Place Ballroom.
This year's opening night film is "War Eagle, Arkansas," a drama about a young man's choice of whether to leave his family and friends for a career in baseball or stay and redeem his struggling community.
The film's director, Robert Milazzo, and writer Graham Gordy will be in town along with several actors from the film, including James McDaniel, the Emmy award-winning actor who played Lt. Arthur Fancy on the long-running ABC show, "NYPD Blue."
"We at RIFF are so very proud to bring such an important and life affirming film to our great festival," said Harry Musselwhite, creative and program director for RIFF. "This great story combined with a world-class cast will delight our audience members and give them a film event that will remain in memory for quite awhile."
SOMETHING OLD--AND NEW: A change this year will be the awards ceremony event on Saturday. Previously held on Sundays, the ceremony will take place at 5 p.m. at the Rome City Auditorium, just before the feature showing of the "Phantom of the Opera" with the Alloy Orchestra at 7 p.m.
The Alloy Orchestra is a nationally-known, three-man musical ensemble that performs live accompaniment to classic silent films. Members will create a live soundtrack to the classic 1925 silent film.
While "Phantom of the Opera" is playing, all other venues will be "dark" and will re-open at 9 p.m. for Saturday night's scheduled films.
"The great critic Roger Ebert called the Alloy Orchestra the finest film accompanying orchestra in the nation," says Musselwhite. "We are indeed fortunate to have these world-class musicians at the Rome City Auditorium on Saturday night for the legendary 'Phantom of the Opera'." (Sample the orchestra's work by clicking Blip)
Festival-goers will have their choice of movie features, documentaries, animated shorts, experimental films and more to see. There is even something for those who want to see local films.
Berry College senior Michael Moncrief has pieces selected for the festival, including "Pictures and Conversations," an experimental narrative, and "Tea in Hell," a narrative short he co-wrote and directed.
"I think RIFF has a certain quality that not many other festivals contain and that is charm," said Moncrief. "It is a very personable festival which lives up to its current tagline… filmmakers are heroes to RIFF. Rome, Ga., is very lucky to have such an international cultural event."
An image from Berry student Michael Moncrief's short, Tea in Hell, scheduled to be shown at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Heritage Hall.
CALL IT THE RIFF EFFECT: Officials say one of the biggest impacts from RIFF is reflected in the number of shorts actually filmed here.
"After RIFF, there has been a huge draw from writers and directors who are scouting for small, independent films," said Lisa Smith, Executive Director of the Greater Rome Convention and Visitors Bureau. "There has been increased publicity about Rome, exposure to the downtown area and our venues. RIFF has been written about in film publications and the AJC as a great film festival, so all of those impacts are positive."
Filmmakers from all over the world will be in Rome, including Stephen Rubin, deputy director of the Santa Fe Film Festival. Rubin will be making his fourth trip to Rome this week, something he's been looking forward to all year.
"Rome is small and charming, and it's a great walking film festival," said Rubin. "You can wander around and meet people. I love those kinds of festivals. It is one of the things I look forward to each year."
Rubin says RIFF is considered a "little sister" festival to Santa Fe. They have a good partnership and share many films. Rubin himself is a filmmaker and will have two shorts featured this week: "Bump in the Night" and "The Lives of Angels."
RIFF also contributes to the local economy. Although figures were not available, Musselwhite said RIFF always conducts an economic impact study after each festival that includes benefits to hotels and restaurants. Officials with local hotel, Hawthorn Suites, said they are booked for the event.
Musselwhite says it is hard to predict attendance but online ticket sales are going well and lots of filmmakers will be in town, so they are expecting a big turnout for the event.
"The RIFF adjudication board has done a tremendous job this year choosing films that cover the human condition. We at RIFF know that filmmakers young and old pour their souls into their work, and that our honoring the great work of these artists is not only our responsibility, but our great pleasure," said Musselwhite.
"RIFF is also responsible to its enthusiastic viewing public, and we are certainly proud of this fifth edition of our great festival."
SCHEDULE & MORE: For a full schedule of events and film information, go to the RIFF website at www.riff.tv or call 706-204-2295.
TICKETS: Admission to the festival is $5 for matinees and $7.50 for evening screenings. Single and multiple-day packages are available, ranging from $25-$150. For more information call 706-204-2295 or visit www.riff.tv.
PARKING: Officials are cautioning attendees about possible parking issues with ongoing work outside The Forum. Parking will be available along Broad and surrounding streets, as well as the Law Enforcement Parking Deck. For those going to Heritage Hall, parking is only available in the rear lot behind the building or in the reserve lot on Glen Milner Boulevard. Patrons are not to park in front of the building.
CLOSER LOOK: View the RIFF media kit. Click Media
SIDEWALK SALE CO-STARS WITH RIFF> Downtown Headlines
A closer look at 'War Eagle's' James McDaniel
(From a media release) The Rome International Film Festival is pleased to announce that distinguished actor James McDaniel, star of RIFF's opening night feature, "War Eagle, Arkansas," will be present at the opening night screening.
For seven seasons, the acclaimed stage, screen and television actor portrayed Lt. Arthur Fancy on legendary television series NYPD Blue. McDaniel recently completed shooting Bunker Hill, with director Kevin Willmott (CSA: Confederate States of America). McDaniel stars alongside Saeed Jaffrey (Gandhi), and is also Executive Producer. Other recent films include War Eagle, The Living Hell and El Cortez. (McDaniel's mug shot is courtesy of TNT, where reruns of NYPD Blue are shown. Click TNT)
McDaniel received an Emmy and a Peabody Award for his performance in the Showtime movie Edge of America and an Emmy nomination for Public Television's Storytime. An accomplished stage actor, he won the prestigious Obie Award and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his portrayal of Wendall in the New York stage production of Before It Hits Home. He also received the Clarence Derwent Award for the Tony Award-winning Broadway play Six Degrees of Separation.
Born and raised in Washington, D.C., McDaniel attended the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in veterinary medicine. McDaniel lives in New York City with his wife Hannelore. They have two sons.
Braves season ends with whiff; so what about 2009?
| Season | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Tickets | 246,718 | 246,674 | 232,187 | 232,259 | 232,674 | 222,168 |
By the numbers, the Rome Braves sold 222,168 tickets in 2008 or 3,366 for each of the 66 home games played this year.
That's opposed to 3,372 tickets for each of 69 home games in 2007 for a total of 232,674 tickets sold.
Toss in the three missed home games and perhaps the overall ticket count would have been flush to last year. And an eight-ticket per-game dip in sales (528 tickets in all) is a blip considering gas prices and the economy.
Still, the year that saw the Braves post their worst overall record--56 wins, 81 losses--also will go down as the one with the smallest annual attendance since the franchise moved here in 2003. We quickly add that Rome--the smallest market in the 16-team South Atlantic League--continues to be right in the middle of the attendance report each season.
The question isn't what happened in 2008 (overall on field performance paired with some spotty service in the concession stands). The real issue is what about 2009.
What's going to be curious to watch is what impact, if any, the new Gwinnett Braves might have on Rome's attendance.
The battle line could be in second- or even third-tier markets such as Canton and Cherokee County where fans have decent access to Rome, Gwinnett and the Atlanta Braves for that matter. Traffic will be a deciding factor between the I-75, 285, 85 down-and-up option or the usually clogged Ga. 20 through Cumming to Gwinnett.
Prices will favor Rome with more affordable seating options vs. the Triple A ball club at the new field near the Mall of Georgia.
And yet the new ballpark and a born-again team transplanted from Richmond will draw the curious and casual fans. The Rome club had its best attendance every during the inaugural year (the Braves went on to win the SAL title as well).
Give the Rome management team credit. They're already working the 2009 crowd. The promotions have begun for the off season and for 2009:
>Sept. 20: The latest Redneck Rummage Sale at the stadium.
>Nov. 22: The Second Annual Thanksgiving Wing Ding chicken wing contest.
>The Opening Day VIP contest offering tickets and prizes to those who enter on the Braves' Web site> VIP
>The 2009 schedule already is out (the Braves open on the road Thursday, April 9 in Charleston with a home opener April 14 vs. Savannah.> Schedule
A fresh round of game promotions, a better team on the field and enhanced customer care also should top the to-do list for 2009.
Three-Dot Buzz . . . :
That financial story that's still under radar: The question isn't whether a new bank is forming, the question is when will it go public. The recent swirl in the local banking community isn't letting up. Almost every day, a new report comes in about the players involved (veteran bankers, board members and "medical money"); the size of the start-up capital (latest rumor, $20 million); and overall niche (community bank but aimed at business, or a "commercial" bank). Does Rome/Floyd County need another bank today? Perhaps not but given the changes already forecast in coming months, a community--perhaps even boutique--bank might find a home.
We'll say it again--politics and barbecue are hard to beat: Fans visiting the 41st annual St. Mary's Knights of Columbus Labor Day Barbecue on Monday got an extra helping of politics, too. From Jason Lewis--the superior court judge candidate who was an official barbecue sponsor this year--to a crowd-working opponent, Jack Niedrach, candidates were just about everywhere at the civic center. Tax Commissioner Kevin Payne was on site and even had a truck adorned in campaign literature strategically parked. Also stopping in was Brian Barcomb, Floyd County Board of Education candidate. Perhaps the most welcome face was that of Paul Smith, former state House member, who kept an eye on both the food and the politics around midday Monday.
Annual Swing for Kids Golf Classic's silent auction open to all on Friday
There's another phase of the 14th Annual Swing for Kids Golf Classic, benefiting the clients of the Rome-Floyd County Commission on Children and Youth, set for Friday at Stonebridge Golf Club. The silent auction, set for 10 until 11:45 a.m., is open to all, including those not taking part in the golf tournament. The auction includes framed pictures of Arnold Palmer, signed right before this year's Masters; signed basketballs by Pat Summitt, coach of the 2008 national champion Lady Vols, and by Tennessee men's Coach Bruce Purl; two area rugs and many other items.
There's still room for two more golf teams as well. For more, call 706-232-0703, or check the tournament details by clicking Classic.
Peaks & Valleys: The highs and lows of Northwest Georgia
Peak to the YMCA's 'Building for Tomorrow Campaign': The Rome Floyd County YMCA Board of Trustees' $2.5 million "YMCA Building for Tomorrow" campaign is a winner already. In addition to endowment funds, the plan is to spend $1.7 million renovating the campus at East Second Avenue. The Y is a critical part of the community's well-being and the focus this campaign brings to keep our youth fit and healthy is especially welcomed.
Peak to expansion plans by Toyo Tire: There was some controversy in White and other parts of Bartow County when this tire maker decided to build there. Give Toyo officials credit: They not only committed to building the original plant, they promised to expand the jobs and the investment in Northwest Georgia. They're doing just that with the announced 400 new jobs due with this latest growth spurt. What's key: Many of these existing and new jobs are high-paying skilled positions, a perfect match for our ever-diversifying economy.
Peak to Rocket Wheeler, Carolina League's manager of the year: Rocket was the face of the Rome Braves during the three years he managed the Single A club, including the league-championship season in 2003. Now Rocket has his Myrtle Beach Pelicans (next step up from the Rome club) in the league playoffs and he's picked up another manager of the year title, too. Roll on, 18 Wheeler.
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