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THE HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Saving Paradise Garden
By Doc Lawrence
HHJ Guest Writer
Georgia’s great folk artist,
Theßev. Howard Finster,
died in his Summerville
home in 2001, just a month
after the terrorist attacks on
America. His accomplish
ments are fairly well known.
Paintings, sculpture and
wood carvings by the frail
and soft-voiced country
preacher numbered just
under 60,000. Some of his
works became so critically
acclaimed that he ascended
to the celebrity status usual
ly afforded to country musi
cians and rock superstars.
Rev. Finster’s paintings are
in the Smithsonian, the
Museum of American Folk
Art in New York, Atlanta’s
High Museum of Art and
thousand of homes and cor
porate collections through
out the world.
Boston native and Chicago
gallery owner David
Leonardis became Rev.
Finster’s friend back in the
late 1980 s. Leonardis, who
is in his mid-thirties, was
with Finster the day he died
and said some things hap
pened to him.
“I loved Howard,”
Leonardis said, “and I never
doubted his love for me. I
wanted to do something to
honor the memory of this
great man and I just some
how knew he wanted me to
help preserve what he had
created.”
That creation is Paradise
Garden, Rev. Finster’s
hand-crafted mixture of
temples, shrines, sculpture
and objects in Summerville
that has attracted pilgrims
and folk art collectors from
Let's paws and look back at Catwoman's many incarnations
By Andrew A. Smith
Scripps Howard News
Service
Catwoman is being rein
vented - again.
In the upcoming movie
(debuting Friday), Halle
Berry plays Patience Philips,
a woman granted feline pow
ers by an ancient cat goddess.
Unfortunately, aside from the
name and motif, this charac
ter will bear no resemblance
to the Selina “Catwoman”
Kyle found in Batman comics,
cartoons and movies.
Which would be a peculiar
stoiy choice for a lot of char
acters, but maybe not for the
Princess of Plunder. Because
Selina hasn’t always been
quite herself:
• In her first appearance
(“Batman” No. 1, 1940), she
was simply called “The Cat,”
her real name was unknown
and she didn’t even have a
costume. She was just a beau
tiful, sophisticated, dressed
to-kill jewel thief introduced
“to give the series a little sex
appeal,” according to co-cre
ator Bob Kane (“Catwoman:
The Life and Times of a
Feline Felon.”).
• Two issues later, she
returned as “The Cat-Woman”
WEB
From page 8A
Jane Austen fans:
I had a note from Beckie
Burnham, who is one of the
regulars answering the liter
ary quiz, and was one of
those who recognized the
names of the five Bennett
sisters from “Pride and
Prejudice.” Beckie and I
share a love of all things
Austen, and I would guess
that there are more of you
out there. My thinking is
that one of the reasons
Austen’s works have such
staying power (and make
such great films, too) is that
she was a genius when it
(To submit your event for the
Night Life listings, fax the
details to 9 88-1181, e-mail to
hhj(<>evansnewspapers.com or
mail to Houston Home Journal,
PO. Box 1910, Perry, GA
31069.)
Thursday, July 22
• The Anny Vinson Band,
opening act for The Red Hot
Poker Dots (now touring the
' GO "'
the four corners.
It is falling apart, and
Leonardis who warned that
one of the main temples will
crash when we have a large
snowfall.
Today, David Leonardis
has formed a not-for-profit
If you go:
Howard Finster’s
Paradise Gardens, one of
Georgia's top ten tourist
attractions for art lovers, is
open Saturdays from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission
is $5 for adults, $3 for sen
ior citizens and children.
Kids under age 5 are
admitted free.
Directions: Take I-75
north to Exit 306 at
Adairsville
Take Ga. 140 west. Turn
right on U.S. 27 North
Go through
Summerville. Look for
Sav A Ton Gas Station on
right. Turn right,. Look for
Paradise Gardens sign,
three streets down.
For more information on
Howard Finster’s art and
life, and on Paradise
Gardens visit www.fin
ster.com
with a big cat-mask and a
slinky dress. The hyphen was
later lost, but the name stuck
(as did the slinky dresses).
• Speaking of names, in
“Batman” No. 10 (1942), she
finally got a civilian one:
Marguerite Tone, a bored
socialite who stole for kicks.
In subsequent appearances,
she was also beautician Elva
Barr, magazine publisher
Madame Moderne and a maid
named Belinda.
• Which didn’t last. In
“Batman” No. 62 (1950), a
bump on the noggin revealed
she was Selina Kyle, a stew
ardess who had lost her mem
ory! She immediately
reformed, but later returned
to her wicked ways out of
injured pride.
• Which also didn’t last.
The 1966 “Batman” show fea
tured the sultry Julie
Newmar (and later Eartha
Kitt and Lee Meriwether) as a
confirmed crook, which quick
ly translated into the comics.
• Which also didn’t last.
Catwoman reformed and mar
ried Batman in the ‘7os. Oh,
wait, that was on a parallel
world called Earth-2. And
those characters are dead any
way. Never mind, move along.
came to creating memorable
characters both those you
have to love despite their
mistakes, like Elizabeth
Bennett and Emma, and
those you love to hate, like
the impossibly uppity Lady
Catherine de Burgh in
“Pride and Prejudice” and
the vain and silly Sir Walter
Elliot (Anne’s father) in
“Persuasion.” Anyway, I
would like to hear from
other Austen fans or “Jane
ites” as they are sometimes
called, with the goal of get
ting together for high tea.
Call me at 987-1823 or
(home) 988-8560. Or e-mail
(above).
U.S. from Australia),
Shenanigan’s Case, 1291 S.
Houston Lake Road, Warner
Robins
• karaoke, Our Place, 2132
U.S. 41 N., Perry
• Stout, 550 Blues, 550
Riverside Drive, Macon
Friday, July 23
• Ceylon Bleu, Shenanigan’s
foundation for the sole pur
pose of restoring Paradise
Garden. His plans are to do
more than complete a recla
mation project.
“Howard loved people -
the old, little children, all
races,” he explains.” I don’t
think he had a mean bone in
his body. I want to build a
museum to have his works
on display for future genera
tions, a children’s art camp,
an educational center where
lectures and seminars will
be held devoted to his folk
art and the tradition that is
being carried on by other
folk artists everywhere
today. “
Up front, Leonardis
admits that the task is
daunting, but he has started
and vows not to quit until
completion. He has already
acquired one piece of prop
erty that allows him to live
and work in Paradise
Garden. His renowned
Chicago gallery is for sale
and he is a full time
Summerville resident. In
other words, he is very seri
ous and is staking his life on
the success of the project.
“Howard earned respect
and love from strangers by
the example of his living and
immortal works,” observed
• So that didn’t last. And in
the 80s, a series of adventures
suggested that Selina had
been the product of a broken
home (dead mother, alcoholic
father) and abusive orphan
ages, a ward of the state who’d
run away at 13 to become a
prostitute. Eventually tiring of
the life, and inspired by
Batman (“the only real man
I’ve ever met”), she turned her
dominatrix gear into a cos
tume - and set out to avenge
herself on the world in general
(and men in particular).*
• Which, thankfully, also
didn’t last. In today’s comics,
all of the above is still true -
except for the
prostitution/revenge angle,
which has been quietly
dropped. Now Catwoman is a
protector of the down-and-out
slum dwellers of Gotham’s
“East End.” She doesn’t see
the world in black-and-white
(like Batman) and wears a
costume to match: All gray.
She plays both sides of the
street, whipping (literally)
both gangsters and crooked
cops into shape, while cheer
fully telling conflicting stories
about her shady past. And the
YARD
From page 8A
rest of us drool. Not your every
day makeovers, but there’s
some entertainment value in
seeing the finished landscapes.
Gardening in the Yard
4 stars
Channel: HGTV
Theme: General how-to gar
dening topics liberally sprinkled
with humor.
Comments: Host Paul James
is the show. A master gardener,
James clowns his way through
episodes in a variety of slapstick
skits and camera muggings. He
knows his stuff, and information
is easy to digest for the begin
ning gardener. Occasionally,
he’ll do a one-topic show (for
instance, bamboo), but the
majority are a series of short
segments on different topics.
NIGHTLIFE
Case, 1291 S. Houston Lake
Road, Warner Robins
• Mudcat, 550 Blues, 550
Riverside Drive, Macon
Saturday, July 24
• Ceylon Bleu, Shenanigan’s
Case, 1291 S. Houston Lake
Road, Warner Robins
• Red Hot Poker Dots, 550
Blues, 550 Riverside Drive,
ENTERTAINMENT
/Will
Submitted
Dark Knight, for a change,
tolerates her extracurricular
activities.
And that’s just scratching
the surface of Selina Kyle’s
many transformations. I
haven’t even mentioned the
versions from “Batman: The
Animated Series” (animal
rights activist) or “Batman
Returns” (schizophrenic sec
retary).
Perhaps the most interest
ing change the Mistress of
Mischief has gone through
was from 1954 to 1966 - when
she completely disappeared.
In the mid-19505, the coun
try had been whipped into a
frenzy against comic books,
which were being blamed for
juvenile delinquency, teenage
promiscuity and other social
ills. As a result, writes movie
producer/pop-culture histori
an Michael Uslan in
“Catwoman: Nine Lives of a
Feline Fatale,” “With para
noia building, DC Comics
decided it would be prudent to
‘retire’ a sexy and evil female
character like Catwoman
until such a time, if any, that
sanity returned to society and
its standards.”
David Leonardis, who is working hard to save the work of Georgia folk artist Howard
Finster, is shown here in front of one of Finster’s temples at Paradise Gardens in
Summerville.
Leonardis. “I don’t expect
any serious help unless I
work and live the way he
did.”
Gardening by the Yard is what
gardening is all about - fun.
Curb Appeal
4 stars
Channel: HGTV
Theme: A marriage of land
scaping and exterior home
design focuses on front yards
and the front of homes _ what
we see from the curb.
Comments: Amazing how pro
fessional landscape design and
upgrades to porches, doors and
driveways can improve the
appearance of a home.
Homeowners agree to the
changes, but sometimes dis
agree with designers once proj
ects begin. Confrontations can
be memorable and add to the
reality-show format.
Distributed by Scripps Howard
News Service,
http://www. shns. com.
Macon
Thursday, July 29
• karaoke, Our Place, 2132
U.S. 41 N„ Perry
• Cast Iron Filter, 550 Blues,
550 Riverside Drive, Macon
Friday, July 30
• Sammy Blue, 550 Blues,
550 Riverside Drive, Macon
Henderson Village presented
with certificate
Submitted
Houston Arts Alliance member Cindy Jones, right,
Chairman of the Art In the Village festival, recently pre
sented Henderson Village Manager Heather Bradham
with a certificate of appreciation for hosting the arts fes
tival on the grounds of the village.
6L RENT IT!
4|IDIB IT!
Watson Blvtl, .
To Reserve Cali
953-4199
Live Entertainment!
Eat Great Food In the On-Site
Whiskey River Restaurant. Also
Try Our Oxygen Bar.
weekly happenings
WEDNESDAY: LADIES NIGHT $1 Drinks
And Free Cover for The Ladies. Hardhody Contest.
THURSDAY: MEN’S NIGHT. $504)0 HOT BODY
CONTEST . No Cover, With College or Military ID.
Free Pool. Line Dance Lessons At 7:30.
<T 25e Drinks Till 11:00
Friday: HAPPY HOUR SPECIAL: Any Drink
Buy 1, get 1 Free, 7-9 pm.
Come Party With The Big Fish!
THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2004
WARNER ROBINS
SUPPLY
[ R ENTALS
fluty 21 dt - 24th
“RAIN”
s
Whiskey River
Entertainment Complex
4570 Pio Nono flve.
478.788.3000
www.wtilskeyriver.tv
9A
f i Am
8769