The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 9

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 7 Some nutty advice Nuts have a reputation for being loaded with fat, but such nuts as almonds (left), pecans and walnuts actually can help you lose weight. See Health Watch, B3 OTHE NEWSSTAND, B2 WEATHER, BIO bMPTP 'Dawson's Creek': Teens get feet wet By Phil KJoer TV CRITIC 1 een hormones are a powerful force, and so is "Dawson's Creek," a new coming-of-age drama that's sometimes like a soapier "My "Dawson's Creek" Grade: A- 9 tonight on WB (216681) The verdict: Teen soap is fresh, sexy without being sleazy. Vor I it i jln A I their-years lines they spout. But because it's so precisely and lovingly observed, and the actors are believable even when the lines are too precocious, many will be more than willing to suspend disbelief. The next couple of episodes aren't quite as pitch-perfect as tonight's pilot, and "Dawson" can pile the suds a little high (as can "Party of Five," the Fox hit that may be replaced by "Dawson" as a topic at high school water fountains).

"Dawson" is WB's best chance yet to get a seat at the grown-up networks' table; the 3-year-old mini-network is growing but still unknown and unwatched by the vast majority of the audience. That actually works in "Dawson's" favor: It can ride a word-of-mouth buzz (like the teen horror spoof "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," its new lead-in at 8 p.m.), finish below virtually every major network show in the Nielsens and still be considered a hit. "You're cool without being too obnoxious about it," Joey tells Dawson in tonight's pilot, and she's right. About this new series, as well. So-Called Life," but more often just its own invigorating self.

With a radio-fresh soundtrack (Jewel, Chum-bawumba, No Doubt) and a cast of dishy soon-to-be-stars, it's a teen's dream, but one that parents can appreciate as well (if they can get comfortable with the sexual references). Writer Kevin Williamson made his name as Hollywood's new jalapeno-hot writer with his two "Scream" movies and "I Know What You Did Last Summer," but here's he's jettisoned the horror for poignancy and romance. "Dawson" chronicles a quartet of high school freshmen: Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek), a moony romantic who fancies himself the next Steven Spielberg; Joey (Katie Holmes), his platonic, tomboyish best bud who's suddenly jealous when Dawson sets his sights for newcomer Jennifer (Michelle Wil- liams); and Pacey (Joshua Jackson), who's hoping for a little "Summer of '42" action with his come-hither English teacher. Williamson's teens are far more articulate than real ones; this is the way kids wished they sounded, as well as the way they wished they looked. Much of the talk is sexual (parents should be careful about letting younger children watch), but Williamson conjures a strangely compelling blend of jadedness and innocence, such as a scene in which kids at a movie nervously flutter over whether to hold hands, but soon are making coy jokes about penis size.

A number of critics have slammed "Dawson" for its too frank teenagers and the wise-beyond- Columbia TriStar Cool but not obnoxious: "Dawson's Creek" cast includes (from left) Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes, James Van Der Beek and Michelle Williams. The mm Grammy nominations for two contemporary Christian acts show Atlanta to be in the forefront of a growing phenomenon according to 1. DWIGHT ROSS JR. Staff Barbara Hendrick Dorn (left), Holly Anderson show '98 design. T.

i Photoffcy JAMES BLOND Reunion Records Third Day By John Blake STAFF WRITER No one questions their ability as musicians but as rock stars, well, they need a little work. They spend their spare time reading the Bible instead of trashing hotel rooms. They prefer to drive used cars although they can afford better. And when several of them slipped into Tower Records in Buckhead recently, no one recognized them even though they had recently sold out a concert in Atlanta. Yet there is nothing small-time or third-rate about the success of Smalltown Poets and Third Day, two Atlanta-based Christian rock bands that were nominated for Grammy awards recently in the rock-gospel category.

The groups' success has not only highlighted each band's unique musical gift, it revealed what is quickly becoming one of the worst-kept secrets in the music industry Atlanta has become a center for contemporary Christian music. While the area has long been known as a hot spot for traditional gospel, and hip-hop music, there are now four nationally known Christian contemporary bands who call Atlanta home the aforementioned Smalltown Poets and Third Day, plus Waiting and NewSong. Babbie Mason, an award-winning Christian contemporary vocalist, also lives in Atlanta. "I was shocked," Smalltown Poets member Danny Stephens said after learning about the nomination. "I had not given the Grammys one thought.

I was in my bed when my wife walked into the room and said, 'You're not going to believe this, but you've been nominated for a Third Day singer Mac Powell said the Grammy nominations for his group and Smalltown Poets are also a victory for Christian music. "The walls are being knocked down," Powell said. "People are learning that there is Christian music that is not only good spiritually but musically; that it's not something that slams a message down somebody's throat but presents the gospel in a loving way." And why is this all happening in Atlanta? Musical insiders point to the city's vibrant church community and an emerging Christian nightclub scene. Atlanta has a number of progressive churches that welcome Christian rock bands. Both Smalltown Poets and Third Day cut their musical chops at a string of metro churches and Christian clubs.

The city also offers at least five topflight recording studios, in addition to 30 studios for small-time bands. "It's kind of like the coffeehouse scene in the '60s," said Powell. "It's an underground thing, but it's slowly building." The Strand, a Christian club in Mari etta, is the focus of much of this talent and is becoming a launching pad to national fame. Third Day, in particular, learned its craft and built its fan base through regular appearances at the Strand. Marty Bush, the club's manager, said he started the Strand to give aspiring Christian bands a place to prove their worth outside church halls.

"In most cities, these bands would have to play primarily in church basements or church functions," Bush said. "But we've tried to create a regular nightclub atmosphere for Christian artists." The market for such music is growing. According to the Gospel Music Association, Christian music is thriving, the fastest-growing genre in America. Christian music recordings accounted for $380 million in sales in 199S and $538 million last year. The Smalltown Poets' self-titled debut album, released last year, has sold 90,000 copies.

The group formed in the spring of 1996 when keyboardist Stephens and frontman Michael Johnston met during a creative writing class in high school in Tifton, their hometown. The band plays an acoustic-based Southern rock that draws on the literary influences of C.S. Lewis and the poets William Wordsworth and John Donne. David Vanderpoel, who works at the Strand, describes their music as "thinking man's pop." Third Day formed five years ago while the members were in college. Powell attended Kennesaw State College.

Other band members attended Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia. Their last album, "Conspiracy No. 5," has sold 200,000 copies. Vanderpoel said Powell's husky voice sets Third Day apart. "He has an unbelievable voice," Vanderpoel said.

"A voice like Mac's demands attention." The bands have also been helped by their relationships with each other. Many of the members have toured together, become friends and inspired each other through their success. "I think we spur each other on in a healthy, competitive way," said Smalltown Poets' Stephens. "We're happy to see each other do well. We're all good friends." Both groups plan on staying in Atlanta.

Their families and identities are rooted in the area. "In Nashville, it's so easy to let the music business consume your life," saidTai Anderson, a bass player with Third Day. "We have to be Third Day all the time. But we like to be home with our families and have friends who have nothing do with the music business. We just really love Atlanta." To hear Smalltown Poets, call 511, punch 8600 for Soundline and then access code 930.

For Third Day, use access code 825. Calls df 50 cents. Jto jiSEssa 'li-ilSmntr it a wrap: Quilts ready for Nagano By Jim Auchmutey STAFF WRITER The quilters who covered the Atlanta Olympics with their designs are at it again: They'll be warming up the Winter Olympics, starting Feb. 7 in Nagano, Japan. For 1996, the Georgia Quilt Project created the "quilt of leaves" design that appeared on everything from banners to shirts during Atlanta's Olympic summer.

For '98, volunteers stitched a symbolic quilt that they'll present Sunday to the Japanese Olympic Committee in a ceremony at the Zenkoji Buddhist Temple in Nagano. The 54-by-72-inch quilt contrasts hot colors and a golden Southern sun in one comer with snowflakes and mountains on an ice-blue field in the other. "It's the sun setting on Atlanta and us passing the torch," says Barbara Dorn, a Decatur graphics designer who created both the '96 and '98 designs. It took her and quilters Carolyn Kyle and Sammie Simpson two months to complete the work. Quilt project officers Anita Wein-raub and Holly Anderson leave Wednesday to take the quilt to Japan.

Last week, they gave a preview to Yasuo Saito, Japan's consul general in the Southeast. He seemed pleased, though he knew little about the craft, and tried to teach his guests the Japanese equivalent of "y'all." As it turns out, Nagano has gone a bit quilt crazy, thanks to Atlanta. After the '96 Games, in which Georgia volunteers made 396 quilts for international visitors, the Nagano Quilt Organization sent a representative here for advice. The Nagano group asked quilters across Japan to send in fabric. Volunteers made 13S kimono-shaped quilts to be given to each country participating in the Olympics and the Nagano Paralympics; 2,100 miniature quilts will go to athletes.

Quilters in Salt Lake City, host of the 2002 Winter Olympics, have contacted the Georgians, who plan to meet in Japan with quilters from Sydney, Australia, site of the 2000 Summer Games. But the Georgians have yet to hear from the 2004 host, Athens, Greece, whose warm climate has not made quilting bees part of the culture. "I don't know what we're eoine to 'r'r z.lm" i I i a Ii I Smalltown Poets do abojit them," Weinrajib says. I I.