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Butt-Kicking Contest
The Rocky Top Dance Challenge was still going strong when my wife and I had to leave on Sunday night. It was almost midnight and we had only been there since 8:30 p.m. Many of the competitors had been there all day. The schedule of events started at 9:00 a.m. One-day competitions are important for beginners who can’t take time off work for multi-day competitions.
I enjoyed seeing Emily Loyless and her student Jesse Lindsey. As always, I am baffled at how they can remember all the steps. Chattanooga instructor Denny Lennon and his student Hannah Chretien were very impressive too. Emily says that Hannah is only 13 years old, which I never would have guessed based on her poise and maturity on the dance floor. Eddie Ares & Jennifer Yerkey competed as a professional pair and wowed everyone. They are both affiliated with Academy Ballroom in Atlanta. Eddie has coached Emily Loyless and her professional partner Jeremy Norris.
During the breaks, contest judge George Velazquez stepped onto the dance floor. My wife pointed him out to me and said that I have no excuse for being self-conscious. George lost one of his legs in a hit-and-run accident in 1994. He left his crutches at the edge of the floor and grabbed a partner. I saw a few videos of him on YouTube from similar events.
Mardi Gras
It was my wife’s suggestion to treat tomorrow like it’s Ash Wednesday. In other words, we should eat like we have dietary restrictions because of today’s birthday feast. As is our tradition, we had lobster for dinner and birthday cake for dessert.
In the recent past, my wife ordered my birthday lobster from The Shrimp Dock. They don’t keep any in stock. In fact, they don’t even have a tank. This year we didn’t get around to ordering one in advance, which meant she had to find some at a supermarket. The lobsters she got at the Food City on Morrell Road were absolutely outstanding. It helps that she knows how to cook them to perfection.
I had been dropping hints for a while that I wanted to bring a cake to Tuesday night’s Einstein Simplified show. I priced sheet cakes at Sam’s Club and Food City but decided it would be more cost-effective to make one at home. My wife and son did all the work, baking two quarter-sheet cakes on Sunday and decorating them today. One cake was white with chocolate shavings. The other was Devil’s Food. A friend who knows a thing or two about baking recommended that they use Duncan Hines mix. My son chose the Creamy Home Style Dark Chocolate Fudge frosting. They used two of my favorite candies, dark chocolate M&Ms and circus peanuts, to write “Happy Birthday Frank” on it. Because they think like engineers, they did the letters in the center first and worked out to the sides.
With all the birthday excitement, I didn’t want to spend time preparing the game list for the show. I got a laugh from my wife when I told her I felt like a kid who is the square root of my actual age. Instead I asked my Facebook and Twitter network to submit names of improv games they’ve liked at previous Einstein Simplified shows or on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” I got more than enough ideas.
Einstein Simplified – June 22, 2010
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Story, Story Die
Party Quirks
Director’s Cut
Evil Twin
Irish Drinking Song
Kneeling Sitting Standing
Famous Last Words
’50s Educational Filmstrip
Superheroes
When I Was Young
Def Jam
World’s Worst
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
In a Minute
Scattered Lines
Blind Film Dub
Chain Murder
Marshmallow Madness (with Circus Peanuts)
Choc Boar
The Knoxville Zoo and the March of Dimes have annual restaurant-sampling events that I loved attending in the past. Naturally I was thrilled to be invited to the Cityview Top Chefs of Knoxville event on Saturday, which was a benefit for East Tennessee Children’s Hospital’s Camp Cure.
Former “Hell’s Kitchen” contestant Carol Scott of Bravo Cucina Italiana was one of the chefs donating her time and food. Even if I didn’t know her from “Dancing with the Knoxville Stars,” I would have thought her shrimp dish was one of the best entrees in the competition. We each received a ballot to rate the food, which meant deciding which offerings were great and which were extra great.
It was interesting that Rose Mortuary was listed as one of the sponsors. It’s not like they were handing out business cards or anything. I think they were just supporting another worthwhile cause in the community. Last December they sponsored a screening of “White Christmas.”
I recognized Denae D’Arcy of WATE. I introduced myself and she introduced me to her friend Melissa Etezadi of WYMT in Hazard, Kentucky. Before I got out my camera and while I was still making a bee line for the food, I saw Jill McNeal. She introduced me to her husband. He will be forever known as Lucky Prentice Elliott. I lost them in the crowd and couldn’t find them later when I was on my photo safari.
I wonder if the event will soon outgrow the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. It was a bit of a challenge to get through the crush of foodies to all the chefs’ tables set up around the Rotunda. After a while, my wife and I noticed that the hall was thinning out. We followed the signs to the Urban Playground room where former Tennessee Vol and Minnesota Viking Tim Irwin was singing and playing with his band, the ChillBillies. Irwin is also known as Judge of the Juvenile Court for Knox County.
As I mentioned earlier, there wasn’t a bad thing on the menu. Everything was terrific. Despite all the deliciousness, one item that was not on the menu stood out like Cinderella’s slipper. I had a list of the entrees and desserts offered by the participating restaurants and there was no mention anywhere of chocolate-covered Benton’s bacon. Yes, chocolate-covered bacon! I can’t stop thinking about how good it was. In fact, I am seriously considering trying to make some, assuming my wife and son want to help. Does anybody know which restaurant put out the extra treat?
Soy un Perdedor
East Tennessee has a pretty good track record of providing memorable contestants to unscripted (a/k/a “reality”) TV shows. Ashley and Sherry Johnston of Knoxville competed on the most recent season of “The Biggest Loser.” Ashley lost 49.93% of her starting body weight, which was enough to come in second. Sherry was eliminated earlier but continued losing at home for a total weight loss of 45.41%. Basically, they each lost the weight of another person. It was grief over the actual loss of a person that contributed to their weight gain. Ashley’s father died over ten years ago and both women were profoundly affected.
Ashley and Sherry made the interview rounds last week to promote the Pound For Pound Challenge. The program’s sponsors will donate up to $1,080, 000 to Feeding America affiliates. To get a bigger share of that for Second Harvest Food Bank of Knoxville, local people need to go online before June 30 and pledge to lose weight. Each pound pledged results in a 14¢ donation, which is the amount they pay to buy one pound of food.
My interview with the Johnstons aired early this morning. Ashley said that this Father’s Day is special because she can honor her dad’s memory by having accomplished her goal to be happy and healthy. You can download the 30-minute program and use it to get inspired yourself.
Media file: FrankMurphyInterviewsAshley&SherryJohnston-TheBiggestLoser-06-20-10.mp3
2D or Not 2D
How do they do it? Has there ever been a string of movies as good as those made by Pixar? The Emeryville geniuses have hit another home run with “Toy Story 3.”
Andy Davis, the boy with the toys, is about to leave for college. Naturally, I thought of my own son who was 5 when “Toy Story” came out and is now a college student. The new movie is outstanding. It has elements of action, comedy, drama and even horror. I won’t give away any plot points but I will tell you that there is a sequence that begins with a tortilla sliding under a door that had me laughing as hard as any movie scene I can remember.
My favorite space aliens get some quality screen time. Other people must love the little green men too. I found a recipe for Green Alien Cupcakes that are ideal for a Toy Story birthday party.
I am glad that we didn’t waste the extra few bucks per ticket on a 3D screening, much less the IMAX version. I don’t think my eyesight supports the technology. It’s a long story but I chose to have monovision instead of reading glasses when I had LASIK surgery in 2002. Ever since I first got glasses in the fifth grade, I’ve needed a new prescription for my nearsightedness every few years. I now wear glasses when I drive and when I go to the theater. I have worn 3D glasses over my distance-glasses in the past but it wasn’t worth the bother. My son says new technology is coming that will allow people to see 3D images on hand-held devices without the glasses. Maybe I will try again then.
The new Entertainment Weekly ranks the previous Pixar pictures from one to ten. I can’t do it myself. Most would be tied for first place and the rest tied for second. Here is my attempt:
- Tied for 1st: Up; Toy Story 1, 2 & 3; The Incredibles; Finding Nemo; Monsters Inc.
- Tied for 2nd: Ratatouille; Wall-E; Cars; A Bug’s Life
Tragedy Minus Time
The souvenir that my son brought home from yesterday’s session of the Forensic Chemistry Camp reminded me that all businesses need to promote themselves, no matter what they sell. I could spend hours clicking on all the links on the Lynn Peavey Company’s website. As the pen says, they are “dead on for all your crime scene supplies.”
People who work with tragedy on a daily basis often use dark humor to help them deal with the situation. At a recent “TweetUp,” I spoke with a woman who worked as an EMT. She remembered joking about a case in which a driver seemed to disappear from his vehicle. His body was eventually found in the branches of the tree he hit. If you work in a similar field, feel free to share your stories in the comment section without getting too gross.
Southern Cardinal
Knoxville Catholics were abuzz with excitement when an honest-to-goodness red hat Cardinal showed up for the ordination of Bishop Richard Stika last year. Who knew that he would like our humble diocese enough to decide to move here?
The Diocese of Knoxville is not being bumped up to archdiocese status. When he retires a few years from now, Cardinal Justin Rigali will make Knoxville his home nine months of the year. Cardinal Rigali has gone boating on our lakes and attended the dedication of the convent named after St. Justin. He will visit again this August as the keynote speaker at Diocesan Day. Although the relocation of his eminence is not imminent, preparations are already underway. It’s complicated. Several priests and nuns will also get new places to live.
The Dan Murphy Foundation (no relation) is providing a grant to the Diocese for a new Bishop’s residence. Bishop Stika describes it as follows:
A bishop’s residence is far more than simply a home. It’s a center of diocesan hospitality as an inviting expression of the “Father’s house.” It’s a place where the bishop can gather with not only his priests and with civil and religious leaders from the community but also with members of his flock and parish leadership teams. It is, as President Andrew Jackson once said of the White House, the “people’s house.” But it’s also a place where the welcoming message of the Gospel is shared. Its chapel is an expression of the cathedral church and an intimate place of prayer and the sacraments, where friendships unite around the “breaking of bread.” This home will also be a place where Cardinal Rigali, in future years, will spend a significant amount of time.
The real estate dealings remind me of the double switch in baseball. For non-sports fans, the double switch is the strategy that proves beyond any doubt that the National League is superior to the American League. The Bishop’s current residence will become a convent for five Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan. The nuns will move out of the St. Justin Convent, which is in the same subdivision. The St. Justin Convent becomes the home for three Evangelizing Sisters of Mary.
In other news, a house situated behind the Chancery recently went on the market. Sacred Heart Cathedral parish will buy the home and make it the new rectory for their priests in June, 2011. The old rectory will be used as office space until such time that a new cathedral building can be constructed, which may be a while.
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