Cinema of the Week- Varsity Theatre in Chapel Hill

Today, we focus our seventh entry in the series (of 21) on the famed Varsity Theatre of Chapel Hill, NC, which was once featured in an episode of "Dawson's Creek." This series has usually run on our sister blog "The Daily Vampire."

We chose the Varsity because it may one of the very few cinemas in the country to show "Slumdog Millionaire" on one screen, and the new "Friday the 13th" remake on the other. Of course, we don't have a crack team of researchers here to actually confirm this!

The Varsity is located at 123 E. Franklin Street, and their phone number is (919) 967-8665. There is now free parking in downtown Chapel Hill on Sundays, which is a good thing because it costs like $92 to park there usually (we aren't being completely serious here!).

On Feb. 27, the cinema will screen the acclaimed Israeli film ""Waltz with Bashir."

I had a chance to see the independent film "The Visitor" there back in the spring, and it was truly an enjoyable experience.

SIDEBAR: There is another historic cinema some 20 miles from Chapel Hill in Graham, NC. The Graham Cinema was showing the Will Smith vehicle "Seven Pounds" this past week, and they are known for a hysterical joke like which also lists their movie listings. It is (336) 226-1488, but I believe the movie they are showing this week is "Marley and Me."

Quote of the Week- Nikki Giovanni

In honor of Black History Month, we have two quotes today from two black poets on our respective blogs. The late Langston Hughes is featured on "The Daily Vampire."

Here is one from Nikki Giovanni. The Virginia Tech literary teacher was our Person of the Year in 2007:

"We love because it's the only true adventure."

Celebrity Birthdays- Paris Hilton is 28

Yes, the annoying/amusing socialite turns 28 today.

For her 21st birthday, Paris Hilton had parties in New York, Hollywood, Las Vegas, London and Tokyo, so much for concerns about carbon footprints!

Hilton's measurements are 34B-25-35 and she wears a size 11 shoe!

She briefly dated Backstreets Boys singer Nick Carter, and she has been in several bad movies.

I gather she also has a thing for shopping and cellphones ...........?!

An Actual Church Sign I Saw in Franklin County, Va.

CROOKED
PERVERSE
NATION MAGAZINE


I saw this on a church sign near Rocky Mount, Va., on Route 220. The sign is refering to the liberal magazine "The Nation." Even though I'm more to the political center than the publication (I subscribe to the moderate liberal magazine "The New Republic"), I couldn't help but wondering: "Are people who go to that church smart enough to read The Nation?"

Of course this is a clear example of the disappearing line between church and politics

Obviously<

College Gymnast of the Moment- Ashley Shepard

Her teammates Brooke Barr and Taylor Seaman won EAGL (college gymnastics conference) weekly honors for their efforts in winning a quad meet over The University of North Carolina, The University of Maryland and Towson University, but we are profiling Ashley Shepard, a senior North Carolina State gymnast who hails from my mom's hometown of Rock Hill, SC.

Shepard was born on Oct. 21, 1987, and she is a senior, majoring in microbiology.

Shepard who specializes on the floor exercise scored a 9.875 on the event against The University of New Hampshire last year.

Shepard also earned all-EAGL on the floor in 2007, and she received a third straight EAGL all-academic team honors last year.

For those of you from Rock Hill, Shepard is an alumnus of Northwestern High School, who have a HUGE rivalry with Rock Hill High School.

The Wolfpack gymnastics team faces UNC again on Friday. Two other schools will be at the meet as well.

Songs of Our youth (8 of 11)

"One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head

For those wondering why the chess board, the song was originally part of a Broadway production called "Chess."

First Line of a Novel (Entry 6 of 11)

This line comes from the 1996 novel "Primary Colors" which was made into a movie with John Travolta and Emma Thompson. The front cover still says that the author is Anonymous, but it was revealed that it was penned by political reporter Joe Klein of "Time" and "Newsweek" fame. The fictional Southern governor running for president at the center of the plot was a fictional take on Bill Clinton. Here is the line:

"He was a big fellow, looking seriously pale on the streets of Harlem in deep summer. I am small and not so dark, not very threatening to Caucasians. I do not strut my stuff."