Gunnar Does Louisville Proud on Project Runway

We recently lost Wil Heuser from BIG BROTHER. Despite not having watched BB since the first episode, I oddly managed to tune into the show RIGHT as Wil was being voted out of the house a couple of weeks ago. He made a graceful exit, and from what I've heard, he was a pretty good guy for the whole run.

But now Louisville Reality TV fans should shift their loyalties from #TEAMWIL to #TEAMGUNNAR.

This might be my least favorite season of PROJECT RUNWAY ever. I think I saw less drama in 13 years of teaching high school than I've seen in this season thus far.

Last week's episode was the worst ever as designer Ven Budhu verbally and emotionally abused his "normal-sized" model, Terry Herlihy and somehow didn't get "Auffed." Even though he was horrid to her! Even though he's more than a "normal-sized" man himself! Even though he made her look like a sad piece of hard candy. Dreadful.

I sure hope my boyfriend Tim Gunn doesn't hug him when he's eventually booted off the show.

Anyway... there's a Louisville connection. I was super glad to read this article where Terry says that Louisville designer, 22 year-old Gunnar Deatherage, defended her and looked after her. According to MSNBC:

"Gunnar actually stuck up for me, and he spoke to hair and makeup that day and explained to them what was going on," Herlihy revealed. Part of the challenge includes the designers telling the hair and makeup folks how they'd like their models to look. "(I understand that) they didn't really take Ven's directions of what he wanted my hair and makeup to be. So I'm very thankful for Gunnar. And that wasn't aired on the show, and I wish it was."

Gunnar was first cast on Season 9 of PROJECT RUNWAY, but was "auffed" in episode 1. He was brought back to Season 10 and is hanging tough this time around.

Thanks, Gunnar for making Louisville look good. We are some of the nicest people on earth, and I'm so happy to see that kindness on a national stage.

Good luck, Gunnar! I'm now #TeamGunnar all the way.

Guest Post: Adam Price on Family Scholar House

Guest Blogger: Adam Price

Adam Price (@wapaytick) is a Grant Management Accountant at the University of Louisville who is active with several area civic groups and an incoming member of the Fund for the Arts NeXt! Leadership Development Institute. He lives in the Beechmont neighborhood with his wife Melissa and their two dogs Maya and Louie.

It’s the summer of 2011, and I’m a finance staffer in a local affordable housing agency about to attend a meeting with a non-profit I’ve never heard of called Family Scholar House. 

As Cathe Dykstra, CEO of Family Scholar House, walks in and begins her “sales pitch” it becomes clear she’s dynamic, energetic, and believes in what she’s “selling.” Only she’s not actually selling a product or service; she’s selling Family Scholar House as a way to elevate families out of poverty through education.

As odd as it sounds, since I’m married without kids, I identified with her stories of parents balancing the demands of education against the demands of raising children. Like Lou, there was a night when my mother went to bed with a husband and woke up the single parent of two children. She tried her hardest, but wasn’t able to finish college. I was also a non-traditional student, the result of an indulgent period majoring in music and the resulting three-year “semester” I took off once I realized I couldn’t support myself playing tuba. I waited tables, sometimes 50+ hours a week, throughout my education and became the first person in my family to graduate from college.  As hard as that was, I can’t imagine how hard raising children at the same time would have been.

Within fifteen minutes of Cathe beginning to speak, I go from bored to interested to excited to suddenly realizing I want to speak up in support of HER argument. The partnership between the agency and FSH never materialized, and soon I transitioned to the next phase of my career at the University of Louisville. When I heard a FSH radio PSA asking for male volunteers, I jumped at the chance.  Since then, I’ve attended mentoring sessions, donated gifts at Christmas and Easter, and arranged what felt like hundreds of pieces of patio furniture in advance of the grand opening of one of their residence halls.  Most recently, I volunteered at Field Day, playing football and spending time with the children of program participants. I always feel like I’ve gained more than I’ve given. 

This summer has driven home that our community faces serious issues and many have mistaken complaining about those issues for working to solve them. I’ve lived my entire life in this city, and I unabashedly love it. When I heard that PSA, and remembered how excited I was listening to Cathe articulate her vision, I decided I want to be part of the solution.  Wendell Berry once wrote, “A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define and limit the possibilities of each other's lives. It is the knowledge that people have of each other, their concern for each other, (and) their trust in each other.” 

From day one everybody at FSH has articulated that the size or scope of your involvement as a volunteer is less important than the signal it sends to participants that they are part of a broader community. Their website is attached to Lou’s post, and can be accessed by clicking the ad on this page. There are too many opportunities to become involved to list here, suffice to say they come in all sizes and many of them are fun and rewarding. Please, join me in signaling to these parents that they are part of a true community. One that isn’t perfect, but cares about their success and the success of their children, and will work to help and embrace them. I promise you’ll be glad you did.

Guest Post: BIG BROTHER Keeps Louisville Weird

Wil Heuser NOT Alex Porter...
though they both have good hair

Every once in a while I stumble across some Louisville news that I want to share but know that I can't do justice to. This time it was the inclusion of a Louisville comedian on this season of BIG BROTHER. 


The good news is this time I knew exactly who to ask for help. My friend, Alex Porter, is a BIG BROTHER junkie! Enjoy Alex's guest post and tune in to BIG BROTHER's premiere on Thursday!! 

We are in the thick of the Summer television season, when the broadcast networks replace their quality programming with the cheaply produced guilty pleasures of shows such as Hell’s Kitchen, The Bachelorette, and Wipeout!

Since 2000, one of the biggest Summer hits has been the trashtastic BIG BROTHER on CBS. Each season a group of “HouseGuests” are chosen to live together in a camera filled house and avoid “eviction” to be the last guest standing to win $500,000 dollars. We the viewers get to indulge in our voyeuristic side and watch all of the crazy action and competition each week.

I make no excuses, I love this show. It is my guilty pleasure and I’m not the only one. Last season, it was one of the top five most watched TV shows in Louisville during August.

I respect the CBS executives for having no shame in producing the trashiest reality show on TV, but this year we have an additional reason to tune in.

The latest season premieres on Thursday, July 12th at 9 p.m. This past week CBS gave us details on the house guests (Which you can see here) and one of them is a Louisville resident who happens to be quite the character.

Wil Heuser is a marketing consultant from Louisville but more importantly, he has appeared briefly on American Idol and has released several music videos including one where he dresses up in catholic school girl clothing similar to classic Britney Spears. See here. 

He has also produced several skit comedy videos on YouTube that are extremely over the top, brash and ridiculous.

So being the BIG BROTHER fan that I am, I watched a couple of Wil’s videos and as expected, they are pretty far out and crazy. My first reaction was “Oh my God, this guy is crazy. Why does he have to be from Louisville?”

But after thinking about it for a while, that is a pathetic reaction.

I think it’s awesome that he is from Louisville!

Here is somebody who is out there doing exactly what he wants to do and doesn’t give a crap about what anybody else thinks. We should all support that kind of attitude, even if we don’t necessarily care for the performance or product.

One one Louisville’s slogans that has really gained traction is “Keep Louisville Weird” and that’s something we should be proud of. I think Wil helps us stay weird. Even if it is somewhat of a back handed compliment.

Of course once BIG BROTHER gets underway Wil could end up being one of the biggest jerks to ever be on the show, but I doubt that happens.

So when this season gets started, I urge everybody to put their reservations aside, join me and watch BIG BROTHER in all its trashy glory to follow Wil’s progress.

I’ll be watching.

Side Note: This season also includes Joe Arvin, a chef from Lexington KY. So maybe we can make this a good natured Louisville versus Lexington competition?


Alex Porter is a Media Research Analyst in the Louisville area. A pop culture junkie, he is always keeping up with the latest trends in TV and media. He also enjoys spending time with his wife Kayla, their shih tzu Kyle, and endless cups of coffee. You can follow Alex on Twitter at @alexporter82 and read his blog at alexinlouisville.wordpress.com.

Friday Fun Fact:Prince Charming Josh Dallas

I am sure that I am late to this game and that the Lamestreet Media (LOL, Sarah Palin jokes never get old) has been all over this story. But I had no idea that the male lead on one of my new favorite TV shows was a Louisvillager.

ABC's ONCE UPON A TIME is a little hit or miss. When it hits, it's pretty fabulous-- usually thanks to Jane Espenson's writing (Espenson's career is one of the most enviable in television... she's written for BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, BUFFY, GAME OF THRONES, TORCHWOOD, and many more geek favorites).

My favorite thing about the show is that it revolves around the lives of three women, stars Lana Perilla Ginnifer Goodwin, my favorite wife from BIG LOVE, and Jennifer Morrison (Ginnifer/Jennifer... I wonder how that goes on set.). For once, the men on a television show are simply there to service the stories of the women. And these aren't SEX IN THE CITY style chick-plots. It's fantasy and fairy tale and crime and thriller.

One of those men servicing the women's stories is Josh Dallas, who was born in Louisville and raised in New Albany and attended New Albany High School.

I had no idea about any of this until Roommate told me he was in the Pegasus Parade (it also explains why Ginnifer Goodwin was in Louisville for Derby-- apparently, they're a couple).

Here's some interesting stuff from his bio:

At the age of 16, Dallas received the Sarah Exley Scholarship, awarded to one American student every three years in support of their study of acting at the prestigious Mountview Conservatoire for the Performing Arts in London, England. In London, at the age of 20, he landed his first professional job as an actor with the acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Company, and he went on to perform with some of the most renowned theatrical companies in the world, including the Royal National Theatre, The English National Opera, The New Shakespeare Company and The Young Vic.

Though he never left the theatre far behind, Dallas began to land parts in television and independent features. Feeling nostalgic for his home after a decade abroad, he made the move back stateside and landed in Hollywood. Five days later he received a call offering him the leading role of Fandral in 2011's Blockbuster Thor, directed by the Oscar-nominated director/actor Kenneth Branagh.

Awesome.

He's not really my type, so William Mapother doesn't have to worry about losing his place in my heart as favorite celebrity Louisvillager. But he's pretty adorable, and that resume is pretty darned impressive.

Have a great weekend, kids!

Catching Up With Some Awesome Louisvillagers

I don't mess around when I bring y'all Awesome Louisvillagers. The awesome thing about Awesome Louisvillagers is that they don't stop being awesome. Some of this is slightly old news, but there's enough old and new news to call for a little collective post.

Awesome Louisvillager and humble reporter Gabe Bullard is now the News Director at WFPL and is once again hosting the Moth Story Slam for November (Tuesday, November 29, 8pm at Headliners. $8. (more information here). Gabe did a bang-up job in October, and we're looking forward to witnessing his hosting chops again tomorrow. This week's theme is BUSTED. 

The lovely and talented singer-songwriter Awesome Louisvillager Brigid Kaelin is now living in Edinburgh, Scotland for the year and charming audiences overseas (and blogging about her adventures daily at Red Accordion Diaries). 

(By the way, it's that time a year again... go watch Brigid's "Dreidel's Day Out"-- even if it weren't holiday season, you should check it out to give a little jump start to your Ear X-tacy nostalgia).   

Local blogger and do-gooder extraordinaire, Awesome Louisvillager Michelle Jones is getting ready to roll out her annual "One Thing I Love About Louisville" series, which she features every January. If you're interested in participating by writing a guest post for her blog, drop her an email-- her contact information is featured prominently on her blog.  Hey Michelle, would it be too meta if my "One Thing I Love About Louisville" is your "One Thing I Love About Louisville" series? (I've already been featured, actually: here's mine.) 

Look forward to a couple more Awesome Louisvillagers before the year's end. You can read all the posts in the series here. Do you have suggestions? Are you awesome? :) Shoot me an email at lou [at] loueyville.com.

Local love from Garden & Gun: Jason Cohen, Wood artisan

As you may know, my favorite magazine is Garden & Gun (even though I hate gardening and guns). If you haven't had a chance to pick up a copy yet, do not get turned off by the name. The writing is super, the photography is stunning, and the subject matter screams "Louisville." I can't find an official "mission statement" for the magazine on their website, but Garden & Gun basically features articles about Southern charm with a Northern attitude (um, Louisville, right?).

And Garden & Gun has a lot of love for Louisville. The next issue features one of our local artisans in it's "Made in the South 2011 Awards" article.  The problem is, the article doesn't contain contact info, and this person doesn't seem to have a web presence.  Here's the email version of the article about JC Wood Artisan, Winner: Home Category.

Everybody in Kentucky makes furniture out of bourbon barrels, but craftsman Jason Cohen makes art. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that his studio is just down the block from Bourbon Barrel Foods, where he sources his white oak barrels. Last June, Cohen made his first stool. “The tripod shape really balances you out, and you sit differently in it,” he says. Next, he tackled the pub table, using bourbon barrel staves for the legs. “Some people think the wood is going to break because of the angle,” Cohen says. “But the wood has been trained for years to that form, and it makes it strong. It’s green when they cut it, and then they pour liquor in it. It’s almost petrified.” Sturdy as white oak may be, Cohen takes care to apply an outdoor finish, making both the table and stools durable enough to use on a porch. “The set has an old-world look to it,” he says, “but it’s contemporary too.”
Click here to see a picture and read the article. 

So, Internet Brain, anyone know where we can see any of this lovely furniture crafted by Jason Cohen, Wood Artisan?? I only have an address on Story Ave, but it appears to be a workshop, not a showroom.  Please email me if you have any info about Jason Cohen (and congrats to him, by the way!), and I will share whatever I find out with the class.

#1 Reason to Love Louisville: Louisvillagers

A couple of weeks ago, I put out a call asking for people to join me for a shift answering phones at the Louisville Public Media fund drive.  And so many people responded that I had to turn people away!

Tonight Louisvillagers (or should I say "Loueyvillagers") Stephanie, Emily, and Janelle joined me at the studio, where we hung out with some other lovely volunteers and recorded pledges. One of the nicest things about answering phones for the fund drive is that just about everyone who calls is a Big Fan of public media. One of my jobs was proofreading the pledge sheets, and I loved reading the "comments" sections-- all these listeners who "can't live without" Duke in the morning or "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" or "All Things Considered..."

So thank you to Stephanie, Emily (who I met last time I volunteered at a pledge drive), and Janelle for being such good Louisvillagers.

But I tell you, some of my nearest and dearests here in Louisville work for Louisville Public Media, and I'm repeatedly convinced that the people who work there are some of the best people in the city. Tonight reaffirmed that belief.  So many nice people.

My great night volunteering was briefly marred by the fact that I left my phone behind when I left the studio. I realized it about halfway home and turned around, but by the time I got back to the studio, it was locked up tight and a ghost town. I came home a little pouty, knowing I'd have to find a way to nick out of work in the morning and battle downtown traffic to pick up the phone.

But I wasn't home twenty minutes when I came out of the bathroom and found Roommate holding my phone-- "Some nice guy named Kelly dropped this off for you."

I'm pretty sure that returning cell phones is not in the job description for the Volunteer Coordinator for Louisville Public Media.

Louisvillagers.  Man, you got to love them.

Support your public media, people.  Click here to donate now or call 502-814-6565.

Louisville Public Media Fund Drive: Join Us!

It's that time again, Louisvillagers.

Louisville Public Media is gearing up for their fund drive in a couple of weeks. During the past few fund drives, online personalities have repeatedly said, "Give what you can. Give what Louisville Public Media is worth to you."  Last fund drive, I realized I really can't afford to give what WFPL and WFPK are worth to me. They are the only radio stations I listen to. WFPL is the source of  all my non-online news (and the source of much of my online news as well through their blog).  I live in a very NPR world. I probably should pledge 10 times what I actually do in order to really "pay back" what WFPL and WFPK give to my life.

But I can't.

So last fund drive, I volunteered. Gave a little human capital to the pledge drive.  And it was a ton of fun.  And it would have been more fun if I'd been with friends.

So this fund drive I'm putting a little group of Readers of Loueyville together to volunteer to answer phones at the fund drive.  I've committed to bringing a group of folks on October 17 from 6pm-9pm.  If you're interested in joining us, please drop me an email at Lou (at) Loueyville.com.

If you're reading this blog, you probably listen to one of our public radio stations. So I hope you consider giving back.  If you can't join us, volunteer to answer phones on your own.  Email: kwilkinson@louisvillepublicmedia.org for details.  You can also pledge in advance and be eligible for a drawing for a 13" MacBook Air. Just click the link or call 502-814-6565.

Louisvillager wins Miss Congeniality USA

Congrats to Kia Hampton, already an award-winning singer and performer, for winning Miss Congeniality in this year's Miss USA Pageant.

Check out Kia's ReverbNation page, where you can listen to some of her music and view her bio.  Miss Kentucky USA 2011 has already won the Kentucky and Indiana Idol contest in 2006 and been featured on BET's Welcome to Dreamland television program in 2009.  (And while this isn't mentioned in her bio, it's worth noting that according to pictures/videos on the site, she also recorded a special Christmas commercial for, of course, KIA car dealers.)

Louisvillagers have been doing well with the beauty pageant circuit lately.  Alexandria Mills won Miss World last year.  And let's face it, if you can't be Miss USA, then you want to be Miss Congeniality, right?  Congrats, Kia!

Flyover Film Festival 3 & Another Earth

I'd never call myself a "film buff." That implies some level of scholarship and knowledge.  But I did just see two movies in a row on Monday (X-Men: First Class and Water for Elephants), and I'm going to another one tomorrow (Cave of Forgotten Dreams). I love movies. I probably average a movie in the theaters every two weeks or so. During the summer, it's easily once a week.

If you follow my tweets, you know that I spent the weekend with a friend I hadn't seen in fifteen years. And if you follow my tweets, you know that he, for lack of a better word, challenged me in a lot of ways. (You can go to this twitter hashtag for a lot of the story.)

I've never met anyone who changed so much that even the shadow of the person I once knew is nearly imperceptible. He's grown up to be a good man and a happy man, so there's no judgement here at all.  He's equal parts Gandhi, Ravi Shankar, and all those crazy hippy stereotypes that drive many of us nuts.  But this new man is one that has almost nothing in common with the woman I've become. Except our shared memories.

Visitor has lived so far outside of my life experience for so long that when I asked him if he had any pop culture guilty pleasures-- movies, tv, books read for entertainment pleasure only-- he had nothing.  I'm a pop culture nerd. Heck, I used to teach a course on pop culture.  He said, "My guilty pleasure is electricity." And all I could think was, "Really? Because I know that Tivo recorded a particularly exciting episode of 'Doctor Who' last night, and I wish you'd take a nap or something so I can find out what all the fuss on Twitter has been about.'"

But in the end the visit was incredibly meaningful, and I will look back on it fondly, always.  Maybe once in a lifetime do you ever have the chance to spend time with someone who has had you on a pedestal for 22 years.

His parting wish for me was that I should "treat myself better."

What he meant: You should take up yoga and qijong. You should find a spiritual healer who performs massages so you can work on the 20-something-years of pain and sadness you've stored in your muscles. You should supplement your cancer drugs with plant medicines.

What I heard: You should spend the day after he leaves in a movie theater with a giant popcorn and a giant root beer.

Because that's how I roll...

If I rolled with a little more cash, I would totally buy an all-access pass to this weekend's Flyover Film Festival.  It's only $75 for a four-day pass!  This is the third annual festival for the Louisville Film Society whose mission states:

We believe cinema art can take many forms, from the industrially-produced blockbuster to the hand-crafted experimental work.  We aim to share a vision of film as a transformative art and encourage  participation in all aspects of film culture by diverse audiences.

What I am most excited about, and what I almost certainly attend, is the area premier of ANOTHER EARTH.  I've blogged about it before; it's the fantastic-looking, very well-received sci-fi film starring our very own Louisvillager William Mapother.  And the fact that I have a mad little celebru-crush on the man actually has very little to do with my excitement about this movie.  (Although, yes, one of the event organizers sent me an email and referenced my crush... I wasn't at all embarrassed or anything!) But he will be there doing a Q&A afterwards. Seriously folks, watch the trailer... it looks SO good.

We're so lucky to live in a city that supports the arts like we do (although the Louisville Orchestra might not agree). I'm excited that we've sustained this fabulous film festival for three years.  I hope it continues to grow strong.  And I hope that next year I have better cash flow, so I can totally film-geek-out for an all-access pass.

Trailer for ANOTHER EARTH: Mapother Stars

Holy cow!  Well, y'all know I have a little celebrity crush on local actor William Mapother (Ethan from LOST, yeah yeah sure... but he's been grand in everything I've seen him in. Including GLEN GARRY GLENROSS at Actors.

Well, the official trailer for his award winning Sundance 2010 film, ANOTHER EARTH is out.  Back when I first mentioned this film, I said, "A Louisvillager AND sci fi?  Love!"

I had no idea.  This looks astonishing.  Wow.  Beautiful.  Now I really can't wait.

Speaking of Mapother.... And kids, if you follow me on Twitter (@loueyville), you already know this story... I totally let you folks down.  When Roommate and I saw BOB at Actors Theater, I sat RIGHT IN FRONT of the lovely Mr. Mapother.  And you know what I said to him?  Nothing.  I said nothing.  Have had a crush on the man for years, and I said nothing.  Because that's how I roll.  (See: the first paragraph of this post)

stalk TALK: Web Series with Local ties

stalk TALK, a comedy web series helmed by Louisville's own Rachel Annette Helson, will debut online this Wednesday, March 30.

I'm excitedly anticipating this production.  Not only is some of it being shot in Louisville (including the scene in the photo here), but Rachel Helson is insanely accomplished and a Louisvillager that makes us proud.

(I have to admit, I kind of get the willies from what I've seen so far.  But I'm going to trust Helson and her cohorts to get this right.)

stalk TALK is about a support group for stalkers of B-list celebrities, including Chuck Norris, Lindsay Lohan (or just "LINDSAY" now, I guess), and Pee Wee Herman.  Helson is one of the stars; she's also the creator and one of the writers.  Helson, the youngest person ever to be nominated for a TONY award for producer, left the Louisville Collegiate School after her junior year when she was accepted into the Tisch School of the Arts (at NYU).  She's gone on to graduate from Tisch, write a children's book, and produce the Rocky Horror Picture Show (featuring Neil Patrick Harris) on Broadway (check out her website for more about Helson's impressive accomplishments).

stalk TALK premiers on Wednesday at www.stalktalk.tv. Wishing them the best of luck!  Tune in!

Mapother to go (Sun)dancing

Long time readers know that Mama has a wee little celebrity crush on a certain semi-famous Louisvillager.

Today the 2011 Sundance Film competition released its line-up and our fair William Mapother is starring in one of the sixteen films slated for the US Dramatic Competition.

from the /Film blog:

This year’s 16 films were selected from 1,102 submissions. Each is a world premiere.

Another Earth (Director: Mike Cahill; Screenwriters: Mike Cahill and Brit Marling) — On the eve of the discovery of a duplicate Earth, a horrible tragedy irrevocably alters the lives of two strangers, who begin an unlikely love affair. Cast: William Mapother, Brit Marling, Jordan Baker, Robin Lord Taylor, Flint Beverage.

A Louisvillager AND sci-fi?  Love!

Mr. Mapother blogged about this earlier today.  In usual humble fashion.  The IMDB listing for the film is a little sparse, I'm afraid.  I'll be sure to do some digging around to find out more.  

Congrats to one of our Louisvillagers!

Louisvillager Alexandria Mills wins Miss World!

Last night, the 2010 Miss World was crowned in Sanya, China.  Congratulations to Louisville's own Miss World Alexandria Mills!

Mills recently graduated high school and would like to be a teacher (you go, Alexandria!).  The vegetarian gives a shout out to Derby City in her bio on the Miss World website.

Now, that's an awesome Louisvillager!

It's the Shizz, not the John Wall Dance

Last week, LeShawn Talbert, known to his friends as "Sugar Shizz," was shot while sitting in his car in Okolona.  He was pronounced dead three days later.

According to local lore, Talbert was the originator of "The Shizz," dance moves which became popular in Louisville in 2009.  "The Shizz" inspired Kenzo, a local rapper, to record "Do the Shizz" and later inspired the even more popular "John Wall Dance."

Even though John Wall admits his dance is just a modified Shizz, typing "John Wall Dance" into the Googles or You Tubes yields about a bazillion more hits than "The Shizz" or "Do the Shizz."  Shame that.

Talbert will be laid to rest tomorrow.  Do a little neck-poppy, fist-pumpy dance-y thing in his honor.  And let's try to get back to calling it "The Shizz," huh?

Awesome Louisvillager: Fairdale Bigfoot

Image from Consuming Louisville

I am thrilled beyond belief to have been able to land a celebrity of this magnitude for just my third edition of Awesome Louisvillagers.  Unless you've been living under a rock for a year (and the Fairdale Bigfoot has, literally, been living under a rock in Jefferson Memorial Forest), I'm sure you've heard of the Fairdale Bigfoot.  This erudite and hirsute soon-to-be-internet-phenom first appeared in Kenny Mahoney's backyard motion-detecting hunting cam in September 2009 and has been regaling us with his charming tweets and thought-provoking advice ever since (I don't know about you, but FDBF's advice always provokes thoughts  for me!).  We here at Loueyville (um, that would be me) were so sorry that FDBF has opted to retire his column at the end of his first year.  But it sounds like he's got some interesting projects in the works, and I'm sure October won't be the last we hear from him.  

LOU:  Fairdale Bigfoot, you first came to public attention in September of 2009.  Shortly thereafter, you joined Twitter as @FairdaleBigfoot, and shortly after that you became a regular advice columnist on Consuming Louisville.  Tell us about your early years.  What were you doing before you came to prominence on the internet?  And what made you decide to go public?

Fairdale Bigfoot is one of the New Hampshire Bigfoots, and his early life was fairly routine for a simian monster of that stature: private tutors, prep school, Ivy League, rowing team, speed addiction, commune, travel, house in the suburbs, cult, retail, uncredited cameo in The Big Chill, you know the story. Fairdale Bigfoot moved to Fairdale in the late 80s. Fairdale Bigfoot spent most of his time playing with model trains and starring in the occasional blurry video.

Fairdale Bigfoot first became interested in writing after sending several multi-page letters to editors of various newspapers and producers of movies. The highlight of this early period is a 4,000 word essay to the producers of Congo, written on a piece of an IKEA box. That one generated some early buzz in the law enforcement community and really made Fairdale Bigfoot think about his prose.

Going public last year was a matter of necessity. Fairdale Bigfoot was caught on tape in a Fairdale resident's garden. You see, Fairdale Bigfoot thought he saw a Twix next to the tomato plants. It turns out it was a 5th Avenue bar, but by the time Fairdale Bigfoot realized the mistake, a hidden camera had snapped a picture. Fairdale Bigfoot decided to use the incident as a little free publicity to start the column. The choice of Consuming Louisville was obvious, as Fairdale Bigfoot and CL's editor Michelle were in the same book club, until Fairdale Bigfoot got kicked out. (Because apparently in that book club, it's okay to insult Flaubert, but not okay to throw a tray of cucumber sandwiches through a window.)

LOU:  I subscribe to Fox Mulder's motto:  "I want to believe."  (Or maybe I've just always been a big fan of the Monkees' song "I'm a Believer") Ever since I was a wee Lou, I have refused to discount the possibility that cryptozoological creatures exist.  Thank you for giving us believers something to hang our hats on.  Now that we know Bigfoots/Bigfeet walk among us, can you tell us what other cryptozoological creatures are "real" and which are fabrications of active imaginations?  Are there other creatures we call "cryptozoological" that you're in touch with?  Do any live in Kentucky?

That is not his motto. That is just a phrase on a poster in his office. If phrases from posters were our own personal mottos, then Fairdale Bigfoot has a few creedos. "Is it Friday yet?" "You want it when?!" and "Styx."

There are multiple cryptozoological oddities in the world, and many of them live right here in Kentucky. We regularly meet for Civil War reenactments, barn dances, rollerblading and trips to Benihana. We can really knock back the teppanyaki. As far as the others' identities, they prefer to remain secret. That may not last for long, though, as a certain swamp monster of Shively has high hopes for his screenplay.

LOU: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself from a biological perspective?  Where do you fall on the evolutionary family tree?  How are Bigfoots/Bigfeet ensuring their posterity?  What does the genealogical future hold for you?

Fairdale Bigfoot cut down the evolutionary tree and carved the trunk into a model train. Prospects for more bigfoots seem unlikely, as most female sasquatches are "not really looking for a commitment" right now. In fact, most female humans tell Fairdale Bigfoot the same thing. They say they wouldn't get together if Fairdale Bigfoot were the last bigfoot on earth...which he almost is.

LOU:  When Obama became the first "post-racial" president, I had high hopes that Louisville would have the first "post-species" mayor.  In late 2009, you announced your candidacy for Louisville mayor.  Even had t-shirts printed out.  But after a few months, you pulled out of the mayoral race, and I was disappointed, as were many of my readers.  Can you tell us why?

After all those years on the Mondale campaign trail, Fairdale Bigfoot was confident he step out from behind the scenes, but the podium was too daunting. It brought back bad memories of throwing coffee at interns and slashing Mario Cuomo's tires. Fairdale Bigfoot didn't want to bring that side of himself back from retirement.

LOU: You're set to retire from the advice column business in October, and while we all value your privacy, I was wondering what kinds of things you'll be up to in the future?  You will be missed, no doubt.  We hope you don't fade back into obscurity.  

Let's just say the Shively Swamp Monster isn't the only one who has high hopes for that screenplay. Look out, L.A. Executive Producers, Fairdale Bigfoot is coming for you.

Contact Fairdale Bigfoot for advice while you still can at fairdalebigfoot@gmail.com and visit his weekly advice column at Consuming Louisville (the link will lead to back issues of his column in case you've got some catching up to do).  

New series: "Awesome Louisvillagers"

It's no secret that my favorite thing about this fine, fine city is the people.  I recently came home from a two week vacation up north and wanted to hug each and every Louisvillager after spending so much time with stand-offish New Englanders.  

One of my favorite things about Louisvillagers is that they're always doing really nifty, innovative, and/or kind things.  And wouldn't it be great if we could get to know a little more about the people behind these really nifty, innovative, and/or kind things-- these awesome Louisvillagers? 

But it's also no secret that-- in real life-- I'm shy as shit.  Seriously.  Sweaty-palmed, stammering, awkward-smile-that-kinda-looks-like-I-might-bite-or-cry kind of shy.  

Enter the internet. (cue gong)  And the magic of the e-interview.  (cue chorus of angels singing)

So, starting next week, I will be featuring periodic interviews with awesome Louisvillagers-- locals who are doing something cool for the city, for the region, for others, or even just for themselves.  Just five questions (more or less), just enough to let the Louisvillager get to the heart of what he or she does.  

No surprise, my shy ass is starting with people I know or kind of know.  Who do you want to hear from?  What do you want to know about Awesome Louisvillagers?

Happy to be Home

If you're ever feeling a little less than "yourself" one of these days, I highly recommend a cure of equal parts mountains, frog ponds, old friends, new friends, family, sea breezes, other people's children, blood orange margaritas, and copious consumption of lobster.  Truly, Mama has just come back from spending 10 days living the good life in the region from whence she came.  New England is the site for many of my happiest places on earth, most of which I got to visit while I was there:  Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard, Stonington Borough in Connecticut, Grandma Lou's house outside of Boston, and new favorite Stowe in Vermont.  (Other happiest New England place, Fenway Park, was a no go this year)

I can't remember the last time I was tanned and rested.  I've been tanned in the past few years.  I've been rested.  But never the two at the same time.  It's a rather lovely feeling, kiddos.  I highly recommend it.

But let me tell you something, Louisvillagers...  I had a fantastic time, and I love my New England peeps with all my heart.  And yes, I spent the first 18 years of my life in that neck of the woods.  New England has a lot to offer, and I miss a great deal about the place.  But, simply put:  you people are way nicer.

Really, every time I leave Louisville for points north and/or east, I am reminded of just how lovely and pleasant Louisvillagers are.  I felt the same way about New Orleanians, to be honest.  I don't go west enough to have anything to say about the left coasters, but people up north and down east are, as a whole, pretty damned crabby on a good day and good old fashioned rude on a bad one.  To strangers.  And of course, I am totally generalizing.  (And after this trip in particular, I am quite convinced that the Hellmouth of Rudeness is located directly underneath the airport in Baltimore-- sheesh!)  This is pure conjecture, but maybe people in the northeast are in a bad mood all of the time because the cost of living is so high up in those parts.  But you'd think that the easy access to reasonably-priced lobster would mitigate that...

Anyway, point is, my dears:  thanks for always making it a pleasure to come home.  Sure I could have used a few more days of swimming holes and mountain hikes (and everyone could use a few more blood orange margaritas in their lives), but the moment I hit baggage claim at SDF and was helped out by a smiling stranger, I was already glad to be back in the Ville.

Y'all rock, Louisvillagers.

Back to "work" tomorrow!

Flyover Film Festival: Mapother to Moderate

As you loyal readers know, Mama has a minor celeb-u-crush on local boy William Mapother (aka. LOST's Ethan Rohm).  Too bad I won't be in town next weekend when he comes back home to attend the 2nd Annual Flyover Film Festival sponsored by the Louisville Film Society. I've been seeing a lot of posters for this event around town, but alas I'm not on their mailing list.  (Hook a sister up, LFS-- I'd love to get press releases!)


According to Mapother's blog:

This year the festival a terrific line-up of films and panels (I'm moderating one on film finance Saturday at 12pm).  We're offering a Youth Media Summit, so local colleges can show off their film and media depts to local high students, and we're giving a Lifetime Achievement Award to acclaimed Kentucky-born director Allison Anders. 

Finally, we're hosting a special screening of Sundance winner Winter's Bone, starring Louisville's own fast-rising star Jennifer Lawrence.  Also, she and I will be holding a Youth Acting panel at 10:30 Sunday morning.  It's open to the public.

What are the odds people don't pelt Mapother with LOST finale questions?  I might! 

The Greatest and... erm.... um... The Greatest!

This, my friends, is MADE of awesome.

Apparently, there was a Ali vs. Superman comic, in 1978, and it is being re-released in hardcover fairly soon (MUST HAVE). This ludicrously expensive statue commemorating this re-release is only 9 inches tall and costs $250. Available in November.

More info here.