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EGG ON MY FACE Well, I said nobody was going to talk Ralph Hudgens out of the 10th District Congressional race, and he talked himself out of it. I also said my hunch was that our former Mayor Doc Eldridge would get into the race, but he's not. Doc told me at Mama's Boy Friday morning that he's not going to run. Period. Except that Doc is politically sophisticated enough to know that it ain't over 'til it's over, and there's a lot of time between now and the closing of qualifying, and, look at Ralph: anything can happen. In other words, Doc's leaving the door cracked just enough that if the wind shifts, it could still blow open. Doc really wants to run, but he's also a realist, and he has talked to a lot of people with deep political experience. They have basically told him that it's a slam dunk. The Republican movers and shakers and power brokers have coagulated behind Augusta- area State Senator Jim Whitehead, and they have basically frozen Doc out by now. A month ago, when the incumbent Congressman Charlie Norwood died and the moving and shaking began. Doc was tied up with the eventual death of his mother-in-law. By the time he could again turn his attention to politics, the deal was done. Whitehead seems to be a big old good old boy, and being big and old (64) makes it hard to run. Of course, they'll raise enough money to sell him like soap, and he won't have to do more than show up at your local Rotary with remarks prepared by his team. T hat's just as well, because as the Banner-Herald's Jim Thompson has cleverly shown on his new blog, Whitehead is liable to say anything on his own. (Jim resurrected an old Whiteheadism to the effect that the University of Georgia is run by a bunch of liberals and if it weren't for the football team he wouldn't care if the whole place was bombed out Doc really wants to run, but he’s also a realist, and he has talked to a lot of people with deep political experience. of existence, or words to that effect.) The whole Republican field of an nounced candidates is running so far to the right that you could drive an RV full of Democrats down the middle of the road and pick up enough decent folk to at least get into a runoff. Newly-elected state Democratic Party Chair Jane Kidd is driving the effort to find an attractive Democratic candidate. I think Jane herself is plenty attractive; she could do a good job of grassroots party building if she would run. She grew up in Lavonia, where she served on the city council. Her daddy was Governor Vandiver, and she has lived in what is now the 10th District all her life, except when she was boarding in the Governors Mansion. But she says she can't do it, and she says the Democrats have three or four possible candidates, including Terry Holley, the Augusta-area jeweler who ran a plucky campaign against Norwood last time; Denise Freeman, from Lincolnton, who has also run before; James Marlow, from Lincolnton and Atlanta; and Evita Paschall, an Augusta lawyer, has also announced her interest in running. Probably the strongest candidate, who is not in it at the present time, is Jeff Reynolds, a Chaplain at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, who used to be the Moderator of the 10th District Presbyterian Synod and is beloved by Democrats and Republicans alike. A Democrat and a Christian! Close readers of this column will recall that my and Doc's scrambled-egg political jawboning has taken place before the backdrop of the Cobbham brains trust in the corner (this week graced by former school board member Jackie Saindon celebrat ing her birthday with her husband, anthropology prof. Steve Kowalewski). The Cobbhamites, who have had their political differ ences with Doc in the past, have been cordial and encouraging and have even indicated their possible support for Doc, in the absence of an attractive Athens Democrat. Tipped to the news that Doc's not running, the neighborhood nabobs finally revealed the name of their own favorite-son candi date: Milton Leathers. If Doc and Jane won't run, why not Milton? Milton is the spirit of Athens even more than the statue at City Hall by that name: like Pericles (or at least Alcibiades), the quintessential Athenian, given, like Socrates, to rambling around Athens engaging its citi zens in discourse. Milton, moreover, is the direct descendent of, among many illustrious Georgians, Howell Cobb, the Athenian who served as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Election to Congress would be a homecoming for Milton and the continuation of his noble line in those hallowed halls. Milton, moreover, now lives in Jackson County, giving him a feel for the more rural parts of the district. We need an Athens candidate in this race, and you can't get more Athens than Milton. Of course, Doc could still get in it. The Republican leaders have put all their eggs into Whitehead's basket, but who knows what that slam dunk will hatch before this omelet gets made? Pete McCommons Editor & Publisher editor@flagpole.com THIS WEEK’S ISSUE: City Pages 5 Local News & Politics Yet another small mobile home park in Athens is set to close this spring and Commissioners put the brakes on proposals to crack down on alcohol ordinance violations. EVEIMT Theatre Notes 11 Let the Festivities Begin! University Theatre presents Euripides' The Tro/an Women; the UGA Graduate Acting Ensemble does loo Story-. Oconee Youth Playhouse's Thoroughly Modern Millie and Cinderella. Also, The Effie's girls go Hollywood. Runnin’ Wild Robert Osborne’s Classic Film Festival The ethos of Athens' very own classic film festival, special guests this year and more. Plus, full write-ups for all eight films on the schedule [MUSI© When Is Tragedy Ever Petite? Part II 26 Kevin Barnes And Of Montreal Are Leaping New Hurdles And Aiming For Evolution The growth in popularity of Of Montreal, its relationship with its fans, its live performance, and more... SXSW Report ' 33 What Happened? Who Played? How Was It?' Get the full rundown from music editor Chris Hassiotis Liner Notes 36 Druid City Stokes That Warm Slow Burn Flagpole writer Jim McHugh offers thoughts on Julien Derocher's rustic new band. ABC@ATL OF MONTREAL COBRA STARSHIP.... BOB WEIR & RATDOG . RECORD REVIEWS ... SXSW LINER NOTES THREATS & PROMISES COMICS REALITY CHECK CLASSIFIEDS LETTERS CITY PAGES CAPITOL IMPACT BOOK REVIEW OUT THERE! THEATRE NOTES ART NOTES MOVIE DOPE MOVIE PICK CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL ABC COVER DESIGN by Kelly Ruberto 4 1 % ■ * ym ( 4*0 J4* K&lj jf , v fi IM.Mil . u* EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pete McCommons ADVERTISING DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER Alicia Nickles PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Larry Tenner MANAGING EDITOR Margaret Moore ADVERTISING SALES Anita Aubrey. Melinda Edwards. Jessica Pritchard MUSIC EDITOR Chris Hassiotis CITY EDITOR Ben Emanuel CLASSIFIEDS. DISTRIBUTION & OFFICE MANAGER Emily Waldron AD DESIGNERS Ian Rickert. Kelly Ruberto CARTOONISTS Ruth Allen, Calliope Fish Bowl. Cameron Bogue. Joe Havasy. Missy Kulik, Jeremy Long. Clint McElroy ADOPT ME Special Agent Cindy Jerrell ABC Chris Hassiotis, Ben Emanuel WRITERS Hillary Brown. Lia Brunelle, Phillip Buchan, Tom Crawford. John Dicker. David Eduardo, Robin Geddie, Nancy Heiges. Jyl Inov, Gordon Lamb. Jim McHugh. Bunny Mcintosh. Todd A. Prusm, Beth Sale. Mark Sanders, Deirdre Sayre. Lee Valentine Smith. Jeff Tobias. Brandon Waddell. Michael Wehunt, Leah Weinberg, Drew Wheeler CIRCULATION Charles Greenleaf. Josh Couillard, Zack Haas. Lee Sarrell Heath Whitten WEB DESIGNER Ian Rickert ADVERTISING INTERNS Nicole Haysler, Claire Nalle MUSIC INTERN Lia Brunelle CONTACT US: STREET ADDRESS: 112 S. Foundry St.. Athens. GA 30601 MAILING ADDRESS: P.0. Box 1027. Athens. GA 30603 EDITORIAL: (706) 549-9523 ADVERTISING: (706) 549-0301 FAX: (706) 548-8981 ADVERTISING: ads@flagpole.com ARTS & EVENTS: outthere@flagpole.com COMICS: comics@flagpole.com EDITORIAL: editor@flagpole.com LETTERS: letters@flagpole.com MUSIC: music@flagpole.com MUSIC LISTINGS: abc@flagpole.com WEB SITE: www.flagpole.com VOLUME 21 ISSUE NUMBER 11 Flagpole, Inc. publishes Flagpole Magazine weenly and distnbutes 17,000 copies free at over 275 locations around Athens, Georgia. Subscnptions cost $55 a year. $35 for six months. © 2007 Flagpole Inc. Ail rights reserved. ( liu i l \ l M>\ | VERIFICATION j ( o I \ ( -1 ! @ Q Q Auorwtton of Aftnwjtn* <wwwtli»i MARCH 21.2007 • FLAGPOLE.COM 3 NEWS & FEATURES I ARTS & EVENTS I MOVIES I MUSIC I COMICS & ADVICE I CLASSIFIEDS