The Commercial Appeal from Memphis, Tennessee • 23

-r 1 0 I MEMPHIS THURSDAY NOVEMBER 16 1995 The Commercial Appeal SECTION i i A a I CA spies noted that Memphis Light Gas Water Division exec and school board Tuesday By Troy Glasgow Bennie Nelson a leader of the Memphis Black Arts Alliance performs at an open mike Friday night at The Fire House Community Arts Center on South Bellevue Anyone who wants to express something artistic Is welcome tusic City mayor was back in the Bluff City still singing the Oilers tune Preceding official introduction Harvey did her weekly duty of awarding a battle of Pure Memphis Water to the most remote visitor (a gent from Holland) Before leaving the podium Harvey turned to Breaesen and brought the usually staid crowd to life by reminding him that oil ana water mix" BLAME THE PANTS Former Beatle Paul McCartney is careful about wrapped around his legs says Inside Media -In 1989 before embarking on a world tour he told the press he was considering renaming his band Lumpy Trousers (The meaning of mis particular observation remains obscure) More recently preoccupation caused a delay in delivery to ABC of Apple final cut of its six-hour Beat anthology The media newsletter says it has been told McCartney "is unhappy with the trousers sporting in some of his interview segments and has demanded retakes and forced the documentary to remain in produc HEY PAUL CHECK THIS OUT! The pants-maker Savane has invented Teflon-coated pants reports GQ which exactly velvety soft on but do repel such lap dancers as fries and pizza STIPE MORPHS ELVIS In a recent interview Michael Stipe ripped the Beatles claiming that lie rarely lis- tened to foe fellas from Uver- Eool in his youth unless he appened to be stuck on an elevator Apparently those same ments apply to our beloved King During the concert at The Pyramid last week as Stipe was stepping into Man in the Moon the ode to comedian and Elvis impersonator Andy Kaufman Stipe launched into the trademark Elvis windmills And then he did The Voice That all As the band was getting cranked Stipe waved his arms in foe air and quieted the music saying a minute boys That don't move Which inspired a hoot from some of the more enlightened meaning older fans in the crowd Turns out Stipe who spent time with foe band in Memphis while recording at Ardent Studios was mimicking (sort of) a bit of Milkcow Blues Boogie a cut on "Sun CD Now if that cueball Stipe would grow those heavy side-bums artistic competition Nelson serves comfort foods such as popcorn sodas and cookies The arts alliance wants to provide young performers a place where they can feel free to experiment everybody wants to hang out in a bar or y- Nelson says main focus is on emerging creative folk who want to come out and share something been working on in a noncom- mercial On this recent Friday the creative include: 29-year-old Taylor who wants to parlay her experience as a gospel backup singer into a pop solo career 26-year-old Simone Travis a poet and singer who wants to start a newspaper for young entrepreneurs and 24-year-old James Lindsey a University of Memphis junior trying to get a vocal group Memphii together urine the 1980s foe FireHouse thrived as a rehearsal performance and teaching space for African-American artists But staffing and policy changes at the arts alliance caused the scene to fizzle out in the early 1990s The FireHouse reopened last April under direction Voices of Fire is one of the pro-i it hopes will lead to increased energy and ive a FireHouse stokes the creative spirit By Christina Connor The Commercial Appeal After she brings down the house with a version of Mariah Hero the crowd clamors for Christie Taylor to just one Grabbing the microphone again Taylor announces that sing Could-a Should-a Would-a a song she wrote but is still working on The singer asks everyone to help her keep the beat by stamping their feet on the floor cranks the Radio Shackxaraoke machine up to 10 and faces the audience members all seven or them open mike night at the Memphis Black Arts performing space the FireHouse Community Arts Center a former fire station at 985 Bellevue Turnout is lower than organizers would like on this night but nobody seems to mind Taylor says she needed to perform in front of some friendly faces however few is my affirmation night because been a real trying she says Taking a cue from the location the alliance and foirFriday of Singirs poets rappers actors dancers performance artists ana anyone else who wants to express an artistic message are welcome Admission is free for members of the alliance and $3 for others open to anything that can be says MBAA management consultant Bennie Nelson Voices of Fire is more a support group than an time on this night barber used to be lead vocalist with a band and I guess in conversation I mentioned it to him and he told me about (Voices of Lindsey says see it as a good way to meet local talent in Please see FIRE Page C2 Weatherman cut Opera directors ponder teamwork joins new cast TOM WALTER TelevisionRadio 7 HE MILE HIGH CLUB FOR THE REST OF US United Airlines has found a favorite occupation of passengers is looking out the window for a glimpse of their homes A Harris survey commissioned by United found that 45 percent of people who look out foe window try to pick out their homes but only 29 percent are successful The survey which dealt with some of the less-than-burning issues feeing air travelers also found that 38 percent never use the lavatory during a flight (60 percent do and another 2 percent sure) Two-thirds prefer eating free peanuts 26 percent would rather have pretzels and foe rest cant make up their minds at the university and trying out contemporary works A 38-year-old stage director teacher baritone and former National Endowment for foe Arts administrator Johnson knew Opera Memphis director Michael China long before signing on with the University of Memphis The two Michaels worked together occasionally at the NEA while Johnson was assistant director of the embattled federal arts operamusical theater program and Ching was on a grants panel Johnson said he has worked on Fledermaus productions in North Carolina and Iowa Although he said he had little to do with casting costumes or lighting in the Opera Mem- By Whitney Smith The Commercial Appeal Opera upcoming production of Die Fleder-maus seems to open the door for foe renewal of a substantial collaboration between the professional opera company and foe University of Memphis music department The level or cooperation is considerably short of the full-fledged merger that existed wars ago but the directors of Opera Memphis and foe university opera program have been brainstorming about pos- Forstarters jSfchael Johnson the new UofM opera director has stepped in to be stage director or Die Fleder-maus a frothy late 19th Century comedy by Johann Strauss for Opera Memphis this week Performances will be at 8 run Friday and Satur-r at foe Orpheum leanwhile Johnson says he has hopes the two organizations can work toward creating an apprentice program New York Times Broadcasting Service Inc which owns Channel 3 alleging the station wrongfully discharged Teigland last November alleging he was discharged by New York Times Broadcasting in order to avoid him getting snort- and long-term disability rsaid attorney Donald A Donati was on short-term disability when they terminated The suit asks for unspecified compensatory damages -Vernon Byrd an attorney for New York Timfcs who will be handling the complaint said he had not nad a chance to review it been on chemotherapy medication and been a difficult time to say the Teigland said the doctors have released me to go to work and God blessed me with this opportunity and really Teigland said that at one point the kidney disease became so serious that if affected every joint in his body and that he had difficulty walking Former WREG-TV Channel 3 weatherman Brian Teigland is returning to Memphis television but not on his old station Which he is suing Teigland will tie a feature reporter and weekend weatherman at WPTY-TV Channel 24 when that station begins news broadcasts Dec 1 Teigland served two stints as Channel weatherman from 1981 to 1984 and again from 1987 until 1994 when he disappeared from the airwaves Teigland 40 had suffered from a serious kidney disease which prevented him from winking but he said his doctors have cleared him to return to work This week attorney filed a federal lawsuit against "Obviously a known quantity in the marketplace and glad to have him Channel 24 news director Borys Tomaszczuk said obviously had a rapport with the audience out there Channel 24 will air news at 5 6 and 10 pm weekdays and at 10 pm on weekends Channel sister station WLMT-TV Channel 30 will air a 30-minute newscast at 9 pm weekdays Beginning Dec 1 WPTY-TV Channel 24 will become ABC affiliate and WHBQ-TV Channel 13 will be the Fox affiliate Wendell Stacy been working at a TV station in Little Rock will be Channel weekday co-anchor along with Lynn Carthane Rob Harieston and Ken Houston are expected to be the anchors on the Channel 30 newscasts which will feature reporters from Channel 24 Both Please see TV Page C2 OUR DAILY WEB Check out NetNoose at for an inspired version of 4: phis production like to think I had a lot to do with the tone of this production me Die Fledermaus is like popping a bottle of champagne it should froth If it goes flat no fun at all a vaudeville about every- lease see OPERA Page C4 Edited by Jon Sparks Contributions from Henry Stokes Callahan Deborah Clubb nd our press services Leave EYE on 529 messages for CA Jod odv 2 810 or E-mail caeyemem phisscripp8com.