Joe Sullivan gets a load of the latest campaign rhetoric from Madeline Rogero and wonders where she's headed in Insights, Barry Henderson mounts the 21st annual push to put trucks out on I-640 where they belong in Editor's Corner, and Jack Neely eulogizes the burnt-out Pickle Mansion in Secret History.
Citybeat
Joe Sullivan finds a neat new downtown grocery taking shape, and Mike Gibson explains the city's foray into free parking and updates the status of the venerable Beck Cultural Exchange Center.
Cover BILL FRIST'S BUILT-IN CONFLICT
The U.S. Senate majority leader's family involvement with one of the biggest private hospital groups in America makes his votes on health care issues suspect, even though the good doctor's assets in the hospital corporation are supposedly hidden from him in a blind trust. The Nashville Scene's Willy Stern turns over the pages of the record to find out how blind, or transparent, those trusts really are.
Restaurant
Ally Carte says Mash 'Taters is a clean, well-lighted restaurant you can take the whole family to. But you won't feel the need to write home to mom about its home cooking.
Gamut HARD TO BE HUMAN AGAIN
Joe Tarr attempts to tame the proverbial dating beast by subjecting himself to the newest match-making craze, speed dating. Tag along with Joe on his quest for true love or, the next best thing, a good story and find out if this love connection is for you.
Music
Brandy Robinson is a 23-year old folk/funk artist on a mission. Leslie Wylie tells you what it is and why you can't stop her.
Eye on the Scene
Scott Miller and the Commonwealth top the charts even as Gran Torino, the Bitter Pills, and Left Foot Down call it quits. The Radiators play Sundown in the City Thursday and look for Jurassic 5 at Blue Cats on Tuesday. Bluegrass from Maine invades Barley's Wednesday as The Piners hit the scene.
Artbeat
Heather Joyner examines the paintings of Donna Johnson and the photography of J. William Rudd at The Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church Gallery. Heather finds both Johnson and Rudd most evocative when they let their work speak for itself.
Pulp
Jonathan B. Frey gives us the rundown on Reading Lolita, a rare look inside the paradoxes that contemporary Iran presents to the world at-large.
Movie Guru
Adrienne Martini is Spellbound by the movie of the same name. A documentary that hits all the right notes by allowing the story to unfold naturally, Spellbound captures the human side of the National Spelling Bee. In Videos a go-go, Scott McNutt reviews the 1998 British mini-series, Ultra-Violet, which attempts to re-vamp the vampire genre.
Spotlights
Blue Cats features Jurassic 5, a hip-hop band that has little street cred, but could care less. All they're aiming to do is to show you a good time, which Jesse Mayshark believes they will Tuesday night. Fourth generation Ska is on hand at the Summer Ska Weekend festival. Perfect Orange, The Spitvalves, Neptune 66, and many more will be featured Friday and Saturday at Brickyard Blues. And Paige Travis urges you to see Circle Modern Dance at Studio 1 in the Candy Factory Saturday night. You'll thank her later.
News of the Weird by Chuck Shepherd
Urban Renewal by Matt Edens. A garden of a house.
Loco Parentis by Katie Allison Granju. Babies need more good touch.
Crossword by Montford Manassas
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