SP Staff Blog

Do you miss Leslie Fram yet? The longtime figurehead of once-mighty alt-rock station 99X (pictured) is moving on to program a new rock station in the Big Apple...

If you enjoyed his Emmy-winning turn on “Will & Grace” or his one-man show “Like a Dog on Linoleum,” you’ll definitely want to see LESLIE JORDAN in person at Outwrite Bookstore and Coffeehouse as the pocket-sized funny man reads from and signs his new memoir, “My Trip Down the Pink Carpet.” The book details his humble beginnings, his struggles with addiction, celebrity encounters and more. Event starts at 7:30m p.m. Admission is free with purchase of the book. 404-607-0082. www.outwritebooks.com.

Spice Girls belt out, "Spice up your life." Executive chef and owner Jean-Georges Vongerichten of Spice Market (the new restaurant in the W Hotel Midtown) can do just that. I dined there for lunch this past week with SP contributor Hope Philbrick, and I was excited to see it was more than just a market. When Americans hear "market," they think "store." But Vongerichten grew up visiting real street markets around the globe and has translated some of his favorite vendor treats into gourmet fare for you and me.

Lunch guests can be in and out quickly with the "Bento Box," a 20-minute express lunch offered between 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. for $15, which includes fragrant miso soup, shrimp dumplings and herbs; avocado and radish salad with Chinese mustard and tempura onions; a choice between beef satay, chicken skewers or pork satay; cod with Malaysian chili sauce and Thai basil; a choice of brown or Jasmine rice; and a choice of ice cream or sorbet. But Hope and I weren't trying to make it quick. We wanted to take our time enjoying our first experience of Spice Market, and that we did. We started with three appetizers: black-pepper shrimp served over sundried pineapple squares, chicken skewers with a lime-dipping sauce and Vietnamese spring rolls, which we wrapped in arugula lettuce leaves. The dishes were small and perfect for lunch-size sharing. Hope and I agreed that the shrimp was by far our fave out of the apps, but I was impressed with the meat provided on the chicken skewers.

Next we moved on to cod with Malaysian chili sauce and Thai basil, an entree we shared. The white circle of fish was ensconced in a vivid red halo, which was surrounded by an outer layer of lime green (the basil sauce, I imagine). The dish was mildly spicy, by our standards, which we both thoroughly enjoyed. We paired it with a side of baby corn and broccoli with lemongrass and chili--a completely unexpected twist to veggies and a pleasant surprise. Dessert was a medley of deliciousness: strawberry green tea cake with lychee sorbet, spiced peach tatin with ginger ice cream, Vietnamese coffee ice cream and the Thai jewels and fruits made with crushed coconut ice. The sampling of offerings at Spice was a luxurious way to spend a lunch hour (or two) and get to know the global personality of Jean-Georges.

Spice Market is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Valet parking at the W Hotel costs only $6 when your ticket is validated at the restaurant. www.spicemarketatlanta.com.

Cold drinks, live music, a beautiful environment to enjoy them in—these are the promises offered by the SMIRNOFF ICE LIGHT MIDSUMMER MUSIC FEST, which gets underway at 2 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, June 21, at Candler Park. The event, which doubles as an 11th birthday bash for local sports talk station 790 the Zone, also features a 5K run at 9 a.m., but the highlight is a live music roster including the Cazanovas, Swami, the Taj Motel Trio, Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ and headliners Blues Traveler. For more information, visit www.790thezone.com.

Enjoy live entertainment, video games, prizes and more at the REGULAR GUYS ALL-NIGHTER, kicking off at 11 p.m. tonight at the StarTime Entertainment complex in Roswell. Guests get access to the staff of Rock 100.5’s “Regular Guys,” a $50 game card for arcade games, live-band hard rock karaoke courtesy of Metalsome, a DJ and dancing, shooter girls and screenings of “The 40 Year Old Virgin” and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” For more information, call 770-817-4242 or visit www.regularguys.com.

Shoulder pads, Dr. Ruth and “Dynasty” are just a few artifacts from the ’80s unlikely to make a comeback anytime soon. Certain classics, however, will always remain timeless—and E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL is one of them. Head out to Centennial Olympic Park tonight for an evening of nostalgia with Screen on the Green’s showing of this classic family film. Show up at 7 p.m. to kick back and enjoy the sounds of local pop/rock artist Bria Kam. Admission is free (but don’t bring any glass containers, alcohol, grills or pets, please). 404-575-7888. www.peachtreetv.com.

If you’re a fan of Athens’ music scene—and who isn’t?—you’re going to be pretty busy this weekend. ATHFEST, the city’s annual celebration of its musical heritage, runs today through Sunday in historic downtown Athens, with more than 175 bands showcasing the best local, regional and nationally recognized Athens-based talent. There’s also a juried artisan market, a kid’s fest, film events, the Flagpole Music Awards and more. Some events may require a small fee. For a full listing of events and band schedules, visit www.athfest.com.

The two women who drank dishwashing liquid last July are still in the news. They're just now receiving their awards (about $1,500 in damages each) after being served a dangerous chemical in place of mulled wine in an Old Man Rock Cafe (presumably the gentler kiwi version of the Hard Rock?) in New Zealand. But how, after being served and imbibing a genuinely harmful chemical in a restaurant, are these women collecting damages that cover only their medical bills and time out of work? Had this happened in the U.S., wouldn't they be living off this lawsuit for the rest of their lives?

New Zealand does things differently. The government handles all accidents through a Crown entity called the Accident Compensation program. To prevent time-wasting, big-ticket lawsuits, all accidents that take place within New Zealand's borders are insured under this program, and victims automatically recover any resulting bills or lost wages. The keyword here is "accidents" — not "negligence," which is what took McDonald's for a $2.86 million-dollar ride back in ’94. Negligence implies that the responsible party performed a criminal act by overlooking, and not preventing, the thing that turned out to be dangerous. But heating up a customer's hot coffee is certainly nowhere near as hazardous a mistake as filling a mulled wine container with sodium hydroxide, which is what the staff at Old Man Rock did last year.

Does that mean you should only move to New Zealand if you plan to be a liability, and make sure you're somewhere else if you happen to be wronged? Not necessarily. Accident Compensation covers just about everything, including road accidents, streamlining the resolution process by eliminating petty litigation, so that's good for everybody. But if you're a slip-and-fall lawyer or an insurance company, yeah, you're probably going to want to stay stateside where the money's good.

Whatever peace of mind the people of New Zealand are afforded by it, ACC has seen harsh criticism, and is subject to a few major pitfalls. The program is paid for by a flat tax to the residents and businesses of the nation, a levy which favors the clumsy. And, unfortunately, while visiting New Zealand, you are logically a lot more likely to be served lye by a careless waitstaff — the restaurant knows it can't be sued, and has essentially paid in advance for any negligence it may eventually commit. So if you plan to drop by, you can relax if you rear-end somebody in your rental car. But look out for greased sidewalks and nails sticking out of the furniture. It's nobody's fault.

What’s better than enjoying a flick at the Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival at the Fox Theatre? How about enjoying two Academy Award-winning classics? There’s no arguing that 1942’s CASABLANCA, which screens tonight, deserves its spot on the roster—the timeless love story set against a Moroccan backdrop during World War II is one of the greatest movies of all time. And we’re pretty confident that last year’s superlative NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, which screens Wednesday, will attain similar status. Both evenings include wine tastings, a singalong, a classic cartoon and, of course, music from Larry Douglas Embury on the beloved “Mighty Mo” organ. 404-817-8700. www.foxtheatre.org.

 Given Ireland's recent rejection of the Lisbon Treaty and subsequent news coverage that showed many of the Irish to be far less educated and articulate than their American cousins would like to imagine (some Irish voters claimed they voted against the treaty because it would infringe on local tax rights while others thought it might somehow affect same sex marriage laws), it might help to remember the poetry of William Butler Yeats and W.H. Auden, or the prose of Jonathan Swift, or of course the stories of that fabulously wandering storyteller, James Joyce. Yes, especially him. Today is Bloomsday, the significance of which derives from the novel, Ulysses, written by Joyce and published in 1922. The entire story takes place in Dublin on June 16^th, 1904, and involves a protagonist named Leopold Bloom, hence the moniker, Bloomsday. So, Happy Bloomsday. Lift a pint, and share a passage or two.