“Why are we doing this again?” says nice but very condescending motorcycle cop to habitual speeder. “I DON’T KNOW!” I say in a very animated I’m-an-idiot sort of way. His retort, “Let’s not do this again! This is my last warning.” The cop knows me from Starbucks and has been very lenient with my Speed Racer ways. If I said this was my second “warning” I’d be lying. I need help! No actually, they need to raise the speed limit on Hardeman Avenue!

When it Rain, It Pours! … And Floods! Well, there will be free beer, wine & a signature cocktail on the table tonight “if the creek don’t rise!” Rain or Shine, there will be an art exhibit tonight @ The SoChi Gallery that I’ll just describe as “sticky.” The Art Adhesive is an exhibit of original works by artist Matthew Linden King. Tonight @ 5:30.

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere. Songwriter Ken Johnson who appeared at last month’s SoChi Songwriter ShoCase has just hit the Top 40 on the Country Billboard music charts with his song “Beer on the Table” recorded by Nashville star Josh Thompson.

A Father/Son outting lead me WeChi (west of Chichesters) to the Macon Mall on Sunday for a little Lunar Mini Golf. I know! Shocking! BUT…what is even more shocking is that we had a glowing great time. 54 holes for 8 bucks! Afterwards we enjoyed a refreshing Orange Julius (remember those?)

Cherry Street is blooming! Have you checked out the newly opened Dolce Vita Café & Bar? It’s a cool hang for a light lunch. Or pop in for a nice cup of coffee. Try the Hazlenut-Raspberry Caffe. Also head upstairs and check out Jack & Coat men’s shop. They have edgy to preppy clothing & accessories. Whale watchers: they sell Vineyard Vines!

The Rookery has done a revamp: Inside, Outside and to the Menu. They have some mouth-watering food ideas. Let me suggest the Chicken Salad & the Pork-n-Bean salad!

Factoid: Macon is one of the top 10 least expensive cities to live in, according to Coldwell Banker. I know for me, I’ve saved a ton on speeding fines!

FUTURE LOVE PARADISE

Don’t miss movie star Karen Black on stage in @ the Cox Capitol Theatre! Missouri Waltz wraps on Saturday.

The Art Adhesive
Art Opening for artist Matthew Linden King
The SoChi Gallery
Thursday, Sept. 24th. 5:30p – 8:30p
Free Event. Open Bar.

Rockin’ in the Penthouse w/ Hank Vegas
Telephone Exchange Building
505 Second Street
Friday, Sept. 25th. 8pm
Sponsored by Historic Macon
FREE. Refreshments provided.

Vodka tasting & hors d’oeuvres
@ Edgar’s Bistro
Saturday, Sept. 26th @ 7pm
$38 per person
reservations: 478-471-4250

Cirque Dreams Illumination @ The Grand Opera House
Sunday, Sept. 27th
4p & 7:30p
Tickets: $41-$45
call: 478-301-5470

America’s Favorite Serial Killer is back! DEXTER premieres on Sept. 27th @ 9pm. Showtime.

Comedian Brett Butler “Grace Under Fire” @ Laughing Skull Lounge
Sept 29th, Oct. 6th, 13th & 20th
8pm
$15
Tickets: 877-523-3288

Ken Burns, famed documentary filmmaker @ MAS, Oct. 3rd. 2:30 pm. Opening Reception for William Segal @ MAS, Oct. 3rd. 7pm

Macon filmed “Stuck!” will have its World Premiere at the 17th Raindance Film Festival in London, England, on Saturday, October 10th.

6th Annual Arts on Riverdale
Jazz & Arts Festival
Sat, Oct. 17th
12 – 6p
Free Event

HALLOWEEN HORRORS
Underworld 2009 Haunted House presented by Cox Capitol Theatre & Grave Intentions. Rated PG-13. Nobody puts Baby in a corner, but you’ll want to leave the kid at home for this fright fest! The haunting takes place @ 450 3rd St between Cherry & Poplar Streets. $13 for adults/ $11 students & those with a military I.D. Tickets may be purchased online at Cox Capitol Theatre 8p – Midnight. Oct. 2,9,10, 16,17,23,24,26,27,28,29,30 & 31
478-257-6391

Netherworld Haunted House, the #2 Best haunted house in the U.S. is in Norcross, Georgia! If you want to get your horror freak on, check it out.

“Spirits in October” Riverside Cemetery in partnership with Historic Macon and The Cox Capital Theatre present a series that includes tours of the cemetery & historic sites downtown. For more information: Riverside Cemetery, Historic Macon or Cox Capitol Theatre

The 11th Hour THRILLER PARADE - Friday October 30 @ 9:00 P.M. @ the intersection of Cherry & Third Streets. Want to participate? Practice is every Tuesday until the event @ the Library Ballroom. 7p – 8p

Halloween Costume Party @ The SoChi Gallery
“Night of the Living SoChilites”
Attire: Haunt Couture
Signature Cocktail: The Bloody SoChilite
Friday, Oct.30th *following The Thriller Parade

I WANT TO ROCK-N-ROLL ALL NIGHT!

Psychedelic Furs, Oct. 2nd @ The Masquerade
The Black Crowes, Oct. 3rd @ Chastain Park
U2, Oct 6th @ The Georgia Dome
Kings of Leon, Oct. 9th @ Phillips Arena
KISS, Oct. 26th @ Phillips Arena
Echo & the Bunnymen, Nov. 15th @ Masquerade
Miley Cyrus, Nov. 29th @ Phillips Arena
Fly South Music Festival, Dec. 5th @ Luther Williams Field, Macon

“Nobody puts Baby in a Corner!” Say it out loud. Now, say it again - with passion this time. There is just something about saying that line that is truly empowering. Now say it once more like you’re talking to your girlfriend’s dad after he refuses to let you twirl her around the dance floor like a cheerleader’s baton. Now, flex your bicep!

SoChilite Lynn Cass has moved to the mountains. Nobody can KEEP this baby in a corner, but you may be able to put a few of her things in a corner of your house. Cass’ Estate Sale, conducted by her interior desecrator Terry Holland, will be this Saturday, Sept. 19th from 9am – 3pm @ her 547 College Street home. She’s selling everything that wouldn’t fit into the mountain-climbing pickup! Pieces will include antiques, flatware, artwork, Americana/primitives, silver, crystal, stemware, kitchen, miscellaneous…too many treasures to list. Questions? Call Terry @ 478-747-3094 beginning Friday.

This past weekend Macon played host to some major talent. The Indigo Girls played The Big House Museum Benefit @ the Cox Capitol Theatre. Movie star Karen Black introduced the band and Rolling Stone Chuck Leavell participated in a backstage video with ‘Girls’ Amy Ray and Emily Saliers about Living Green.

At the same time and a few blocks north, HBO’s True Blood star Carrie Preston was screening her film LOVELY BY SURPRISE on Coleman Hill. This event was sponsored by the College Hill Corridor Commission & the Macon Film Festival. Preston who is originally from Macon had the coolest lady in town in her audience - her mom, Pam Preston.

Nobody puts a film festival award in a corner. Congrats to MAGA’s Stephanie Shadden! Her film “cycle.break.” won the Best Experimental Film category at the Rome International Film Festival this past weekend. If you see Shadden ask her where she put that baby.

Check out the Capitol City Bank NewTown GetDown – every third Thursday. This week the event is at Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Thursday, Sept. 17th. 5:30-7p.

This Friday, meet me @ the SoChi Songwriter ShoCase. Performers will include Molly Stevens, Shane Bridges & Dawn Jackson. Doors open @ 7:30 p. Music begins @ 8p. The SoChi Gallery.

This Sunday, September 20th on Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime @ 9PM) Maconite & “baby who doesn’t know what a corner is” Sylvia Boykin’s “character” gets a name……..so tune in to find out what is is!! This episode will guest star, Rosie O’Donnell, Delta Burke, and Liza Minnelli.

Don’t let anybody put you in a corner …. Get out & SoChilize!

R.I.P. Patrick Swayze!

FUTURE LOVE PARADISE

Rockin’ in the Penthouse w/ Hank Vegas
Telephone Exchange Building
505 Second Street
Friday, Sept. 25th. 8pm
Sponsored by Historic Macon
FREE. Refreshments provided.

The Art Adhesive
Art Opening for artist Matthew Linden King
The SoChi Gallery
Thursday, Sept. 24th. 5:30p – 8:30p
Free Event. Open Bar.

The Georgia Music Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Saturday, September 19th @ the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The 31st Annual Awards show begins @ 6:30 pm. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased by calling 770-491-9494 ext. 15. Honorees, Third Day and Collective Soul will perform.

America’s Favorite Serial Killer is back! DEXTER premieres on Sept. 27th @ 9pm. Showtime.

Hot Women in Prison would so be Babies “stuck” in a corner. Macon-filmed STUCK! will have its World Premiere at the 17th Raindance Film Festival in London, England, on Saturday, October 10th.

6th Annual Arts on Riverdale Jazz & Arts Festival
Sat, Oct. 17th. 12 – 6p. Free Event

An Evening of RESPECT, a musical tribute to Otis Redding.
Thursday, Nov. 5th
The Woodruff Arts Center
Atlanta, GA
Tickets: 404-733-5000

HALLOWEEN HORRORS
Underworld 2009 Haunted House presented by Cox Capitol Theatre & Grave Intentions. Rated PG-13. Nobody puts Baby in a corner, but you’ll want to leave the kid at home for this fright fest! The haunting takes place @ 450 3rd St between Cherry & Poplar Streets. $13 for adults/ $11 students & those with a military I.D. Tickets may be purchased online at Cox Capitol Theatre 8p – Midnight. Oct. 2,9,10, 16,17,23,24,26,27,28,29,30 & 31
478-257-6391

Netherworld Haunted House, the #2 Best haunted house in the U.S. is in Norcross, Georgia! If you want to get your horror freak on, check it out.

The 11th Hour THRILLER PARADE - Friday October 30th. 9:00p
@ the intersection of Cherry & Third Streets.
Want to participate? Practice Begins on Tuesday Sept 22 from 6:30-8:00p
@ the Library Ballroom, and will be every Tuesday thereafter.

Halloween Costume Party @ The SoChi Gallery
“Night of the Living SoChilites”
Attire: Haunt Couture
Signature Cocktail: The Bloody SoChilite
Friday, Oct.30th *following The Thriller Parade

Is it better to party like a rock star or party with a rock star? I looked that up on Ask-a-Hedonist.com and the correct answer is: BOTH! I like it! But not in a Gordon Gekko “I like my Greed with a greasy hair gel icing” kind of way, but more like a “having your cake and eating it too” -happy- kind of way.

Rockers COLLECTIVE SOUL did a free outdoor concert for the hometown fans in Atlanta’s Centennial Park on Saturday. My “I’m with the band” friend artist/filmmaker Joseph Guay invited me to join the VIP action to which I jumped all over. Joseph shot the cover for the bands new album & designed the entire CD.

I arrive in Atlanta, pull off the interstate and head down Peachtree Street and immediately run into a complete freak show: Faeries (w/ Wings & faery dust) and Gladiators and Trekkies … TONS OF THEM! Are these people Collective Soul fans I wonder? I make my way to the park to see a more rocker/football fan clientele @ the park. The concert was a blast but the real fun happened post-concert at the band’s private party at the clubby-cool DRINKSHOP @ the W Hotel-Downtown. I cavorted with a Goose who was oh so Grey and flew freely into my glass all night long! Grey Goose was one of the sponsors so the vodka was complimentary. This was my kind of party.

The band’s rock star guest list included fun friends: Guay, Daily Candy’s Tiffany Davis, Celebrity stylist Ritchie Arpino and Good Day Atlanta host Suchita Vadlamani
I made a new cool friend, Vincent Martinez, who is looking for the next supermodel. If it’s you, click: FASHIONADO

Sunday I took the fam back to Atlanta to check out the Fantasy-Fest that is DRAGON*CON. Thinking this is totally not my scene, but the kids will get a kick out of it. NO….this was a complete eye candy extravaganza and more of a PG-13 rating. I’m all about a costume party, but this was way over the top. 50,000 people in way out costumes: monsters, trekkies, Star Wars characters, super heroes … if it’s in a comic book, it was there. My family was radically underdressed for the party: we arrived without weapons, wigs or masks. No capes or super hero logo’d leotards on any of us. I was thinking I should have brought my vampire cape. My daughter left her SCREAM mask in the car. If I go next year, I’ll definitely be dressed for the occasion and flying the freak flag!

“The Vampire Dairies,” which is filmed in Georgia, premieres on tonight @ 8p on the CW network. A few locals are in the cast.

There are a very few Indigo Girls tix left for the Saturday night concert @ Cox Capitol Theatre. If you want them contact Kirsten West @ kirstenw1238@aol.com.

FUTURE LOVE PARADISE

College Hill Corridor’s Downtown Look Around, Friday Sept. 11th 5p-10p. FREE EVENT.

True Blooded Maconite Carrie Preston will be in Macon on Sept. 12th an acting workshop @ Theatre Macon from 2p – 4p. Tickets are $5.00 Preston be talking about the Business of Acting. Saturday evening, Preston will be available for the screening of her new film “Lovely By Surprise.” The FREE outdoor event will be at Coleman Hill. Preston will do a Q&A @ 7:30pm prior to the film. In case or Rain Saturday night, the event will be moved to the Willingham Auditorium @ Mercer on Coleman Avenue across from Tattnall Square Park.

SoChilites rejoice! The new YOGAMOGA yoga studio is opening Sept. 14th in the old Telephone Exchange Building on the corner of Poplar & Second St.

Don’t miss moviestar Karen Black’s MISSOURI WALTZ @ the Cox Capitol Theatre. Macon’s own Sylvia Haynie has the starring role.

The #2 Best haunted house in the U.S. is in Norcross, Georgia! If you want to get your horror freak on, check it out: Netherworld

I WANT TO ROCK-N-ROLL ALL NIGHT!
Indigo Girls, Sept. 12th @ Cox Capitol Theatre
Pet Shop Boys, Sept. 12th @ Chastain Park
Psychedelic Furs, Oct. 2nd @ The Masquerade
The Black Crowes, Oct. 3rd @ Chastain Park
U2, Oct 6th @ The Georgia Dome
Kings of Leon, Oct. 9th @ Phillips Arena
Echo & the Bunnymen, Nov. 15th @ Masquerade
Miley Cyrus, Nov. 29th @ Phillips Arena

I ♥ L.A.! My parents whisked my kids off to L.A. (Lower Alabama) for the weekend. As they say, “When the Cats are away, the Mice will drink cocktails and end up on stripper poles!” That IS what they say, right?

“Let me take you on a trip
Around the world and back
And you won’t have to move
You just sit still

Now let your mind do the walking
And let my body do the talking
Let me show you the world in my eyes” … Depeche Mode

Friday began with a few “Fabulous Bastards” & friends at Lemongrass Thai Bistro. I had the Shrimp Spring roll & Thai Clay Pot and would highly recommend them both. (the clay pot is lined in Bacon!) While there, B52’s front man Fred Schneider came in gave the bastard a sip and said “Very Complex.” So like any decent publicist, I’m pimping the quote! And to quote a pimp, the night ended on a Stripper Pole @ Synergy. Oh Yes, indeed. And NO, there are no photos. Although, I now know why those chicks have great legs…working the pole properly is a workout! The night was no drag, but it ended that way. I am all out of dollar bills but must give another Standing Ovation to the amazing Miss Deonna Sage.

A slow motion Saturday was well spent TAKING WOODSTOCK. Ang Lee’s hippie fest is, well, Groovy! The acid trip scene is just as vibrant as the real thing.

The stars weren’t only in the sky Saturday night…they were also inside Don Bivings & Pino Mauro’s Georgia Ave mansion. Star of stage & screen Karen Black and Grammy Award-winning songwriter Harriet Schock performed at the benefit for the upcoming play “Missouri Waltz” that will premiere at the Cox Capitol Theatre on September 18 and run until the 26th. Rock star Fred Schneider also made an appearance at the Love Shack baby!

Ok, Macon…support local actress Sylvia Boykin by going to see Rob Zombie’s Halloween 2. She’s in the bookstore scene right after the stripper gets her face bashed in. This is a serious slasher flick and not for the faint of heart. But, if you’ve ever been stabbed in the back you’ll be able to deal.

There is nothing like a little beach reprieve to put the wind back in your sails. I cruised down to Tybee Island for the night and docked at one of the fabulous beachfront “cottages” provided by Oceanfront Cottages Rentals. I’m excited about a new foodie find: The Sundae Café. The name is completely deceptive…..they dished out a Seafood Cheesecake that was better than any life preserver. Tybee’s recent $11 million beach refurbishing is reeling in the big stars & received it’s own star by being named one of the “Top Ten City Beaches” by AOL Travel. Miley Cyrus just wrapped a film and Robert Redford is arriving this week for his latest film project. Go relax and tell “Miss Tybee Island” Stacye Jarrell of Oceanfront Cottage Rentals I said hello!

One can only “Enjoy The Silence” for so long. After a walk on the beach I got “Behind the Wheel,” strapped on the seatbelt and raced up “Route 66″ to Atlanta for the Depeche Mode concert @ Lakewood Amphitheatre. I found My Own Personal Jesus that night. Man, Oh, Man … can they rock! The amazing production was worth the late night return to my bed in Macon. Well, hope you enjoyed “Walking in My Shoes.”

Future Love Paradise

First Friday. Sept. 4th beginning at 5pm. Downtown Macon

Labor Day. Monday, Sept. 7th.

True Blooded Maconite Carrie Preston will be in Macon on Sept. 12th for the screening of her new film “Lovely By Surprise.” The FREE outdoor event will be at Coleman Hill. Preston will do a Q&A @ 7:30pm prior to the film.

Wine Tasting to Benefit Hay House featuring Judy Beardsall a wine consultant, vinter & author of SNIFFING THE CORK. The $250 per person is hosted at the home of James & Amanda Upshaw on Oct. 24th @ 6:30pm. Catering by Natalia’s. For reservations, call Katey Brown @ 478-742-8155.

I Want to Rock-N-Roll All Night!

Collective Soul & Drivin’ n’ Cryin’, Sept. 5th @ Centennial Park, 5pm (FREE CONCERT)
Indigo Girls, Sept. 12th @ Cox Capitol Theatre
Pet Shop Boys, Sept. 12th @ Chastain Park
Psychedelic Furs, Oct. 2nd @ The Masquerade
The Black Crowes, Oct. 3rd @ Chastain Park
U2, Oct 6th @ The Georgia Dome
Kings of Leon, Oct. 9th @ Phillips Arena