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It practically gallops!

Thelma & We Lose

Thelma's Chicken & Waffles has closed Could it be true? Thelma’s Chicken & Waffles looked closed. I peered in the window and could see that all the tables and furnishings had been removed. I’ve wanted to take my wife to Thelma’s for at least ten months. It looked like we would finally have our opportunity on Monday.  As we drove toward Roanoke, I called the restaurant to see how late they were open and got a strange answering machine after many rings. Because our route from Richmond to Knoxville took us right past their location on Orange Avenue, we saw the empty building for ourselves.

When we got home to Knoxville, I found some news reports that they had moved to a new location in downtown Roanoke. I don’t understand why nobody answered the phone or why there was nothing posted on the door to announce their new location. I wonder if they are still open at the new address.

Thelma's Chicken & Waffles "Run Tell Dat" t-shirt The expression “Run Tell Dat” was unfamiliar to me on August 1, 2010 when I saw a t-shirt with the phrase at Thelma’s. At the time, I had no idea that Antoine Dodson’s local news interview would become a viral video sensation a few days later.

Thelma's Chicken & Waffles close-up There are a few places in Knoxville that occasionally offer the delicious combination of chicken and waffles. Now that the idea has been put in our head, where should we go to satisfy the craving? And at what point will Waffle House realize that they should just add fried chicken to the menu?

May 31, 2011 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 5 Comments 

Missed-It Festival

Biscuit Boss John Craig said the second annual International Biscuit Festival on Market Square in Knoxville was a huge success. He estimated the crowd to be between 15,000 and 20,000. In a Facebook message, he told me that Biscuit Boulevard was very crowded the first few hours. They had at least five restaurants with biscuits available until the very end.

A family commitment kept me from the biscuits this year. Last year I had the privilege to be a performer and a judge at the festival. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough biscuits to feed the larger than expected crowd in 2010. After the festival, I was one of several who suggested bringing in somebody like Hardee’s who can provide enough biscuits for a huge crowd. Why Hardee’s? Their Karns location is known for employing an award-winning biscuit maker who has worked there for over 24 years.

The festival organizers knew they had to prepare for a bigger turnout. Parade Magazine included the Biscuit Festival in its feature on food festivals across the nation. Locally, the Metro Pulse devoted its May 26 issue to the Biscuit Festival.

I heard a rumor that the decision to include Hardee’s created a rift in the Biscuit Brain Trust. Some folks wanted only “hometown” biscuits. You can count comedian Matt Ward on the side of those who didn’t feel Hardee’s should be there. He posted a video of his experience at this year’s festival.

May 30, 2011 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment 

Cee Loberace or Liberacee Lo?

How do you explain Twitter to your grandmother? Or more specifically, how will I explain Twitter to my grandmother?

I want to tell my 98-year-old grandma that I got a tweet from the Liberace Museum. She was a big fan of the flamboyant pianist and would occasionally travel with a group of like-minded ladies to see Liberace perform at Radio City Music Hall. A few years after Liberace died, I gave my grandmother a boxed set of Liberace shows (on VHS) for Christmas. Another year I gave her a souvenir Christmas ornament that I ordered online from the Liberace Museum’s gift shop. Grandma had visited the museum on her trip to Vegas and regretted not getting a souvenir at the time.

Like most people, I remember Liberace more for his campy style than his masterful musicianship. I first saw him playing the dual parts of Chandel and Harry, a pair of twin villains on “Batman.” I think of him for his piano-shaped pool and his outrageous costumes.

I’ll have to explain to Grandma that my son and I were watching “Saturday Night Live” and the Billboard Music Awards last weekend. During Lady Gaga’s performance on SNL, Frank Jr. wondered if future generations will find her costumes as laughable as current generations find Liberace’s. I turned his comment into a tweet and got an “LOL” back from the Liberace Museum.

The next night during the Billboard Music Awards, Liberace became a trending topic on Twitter. People were comparing the late legend to Cee Lo Green who sang while playing a piano that levitated and did a slow flip in mid-air. Cee Lo’s costume perfectly hid the restraints that kept him in his seat while the piano was upside down. Cee Lo’s performance reminded me more of Elton John than of Liberace. I thought the same thing during his show-stealing number at the Grammy Awards.

The Liberace Museum sent me a tweet suggesting that Cee Lo’s new music video would make the connection more apparent. I looked online for Cee Lo’s most recent video, which showed a series of bright neon lights in New York. I had the wrong video. On Friday, the Liberace Museum tweeted me again, this time with the link to Cee Lo’s new video and the information that Green had borrowed some of Liberace’s stuff for the shoot.

May 29, 2011 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

Free Parking

An Internet video show aimed at tourists and anyone who enjoys the Smokies will debut next month. “Smoky Mountain Morning” is the brainchild of Taz Cable, who recently hosted an online show called “Bowl of Oh!” He frequently invited members of Einstein Simplified to appear as guests around the “Cable Table.” One time when Taz was sick, I filled in as guest host.

The new program is being rolled out to potential advertisers at a series of events. The first was yesterday at Southland Books in Maryville. The new program will include a pre-recorded segment called “Frankly Frugal.” Luckily for me, my name is Frank and I’ll be on the show as a contributor.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park never charges admission. Not coincidentally, it’s the most visited of the national parks. We plan to highlight cheap and free activities in an around the Smokies for tourists and trying to stretch their vacation dollars and locals trying to stretch their entertainment dollars.

May 28, 2011 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment 

Abrac-aldabra

Tortoise fans like me should make plans to visit the Knoxville Zoo soon. The male Aldabran Tortoises are “socializing” with the Fun Girls from Mount Pilot Zoo Atlanta. With luck, the sexagenarian females could become mothers to a clutch of hatchlings in the winter.

Amy McRary of the Knoxville News-Sentinel wrote an informative article about 130-year-old Al, who hadn’t seen a female tortoise since 1983. No offense to Amy but the truly entertaining content is in the embedded video by photojournalist Saul Young. Be forewarned, it’s for mature reptiles only.

When I watched the video, it segued directly into a video about the global finals competition for Destination ImagiNation. The comments on the tortoise story include remarks about the sound the animals made and the quote from the zookeeper who said it was “quicker than we thought.” One person posted a YouTube link without explanation. It led to the music video for “Slow Hand” by the Pointer Sisters.

May 27, 2011 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments 

S’meeps & S’mupcakes

A search for WordPress themes led me to an unusual Marshmallow Peeps recipe. I am still looking for a good fit for a new FBI Knoxville Citizens’ Academy Alumni Association website but I will take a moment to enjoy the sweet distraction.

A website called Tasty Kitchen caught my eye. I was drawn to the desserts section by their photo of Peep S’mores. The simple recipe calls for layers of graham cracker crumbs, M&Ms and Peeps. It would be a good way for me to use up some of my leftover Peeps.

I can imagine how Peep S’mores must taste. Another recipe on the site made me curious and interested in trying soon. As the name suggests, Salted Fudge Brownies combine salt and chocolate. From the photo, I assumed that coarse salt was sprinkled on top of the dark chocolate brownies. Instead, the recipe says to swirl the salt into the batter.

They have a recipe for Chunky S’mores Dipped Cupcakes that is unusual to me. Marshmallow frosting is piled high on graham-cracker cupcakes and then chilled to firm it up. The frosting is then dipped in melted chocolate to complete the trifecta.

May 26, 2011 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 3 Comments 

Veg Out

Sevierville's Bloomin' Barbeque & Bluegrass - Fr. Ragan Schriver & Frank Murphy Fr. Ragan Schriver was definitely outside his comfort zone on Friday night. It’s not often that a vegetarian goes to a barbeque festival. I persuaded my friend to show up at Sevierville’s Bloomin’ Barbeque & Bluegrass on his way home from a wedding rehearsal in Wears Valley. He arrived shortly after I completed my duties as a guest judge in three categories.

Sevierville's Bloomin' Barbeque & Bluegrass - booth selling deep-fried things Of course Fr. Ragan didn’t eat anything at the festival, not even the deep-fried veggies. He marveled at the array of deep-fried stuff for sale. I explained the advantages of a deep-fried Oreo over a deep-fried Twinkie. Neither of us could figure out the appeal of deep-fried pizza.

Sevierville's Bloomin' Barbeque & Bluegrass - Fr. Ragan Schriver at booth selling crosses As we walked around the festival, I spotted a booth selling crosses made with large nails and barbed wire. I’m not sure what the artist thought when I asked if he had any that showed the crucified Jesus. He didn’t.

May 25, 2011 | Filed Under Catholic | Comments Off 

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