Month: June 2009

Circa will be open for Father’s Day dinner this Sunday, June 21, beginning at 5 PM, and they’ll have some “manly” specials for dads: grilled porterhouse, jumbo king crab legs, and crabmeat stuffed beef tenderloin. Also, there will be no corkage fee on Father’s Day if you want to bring a bottle from home, or you can pick from Circa’s extensive wine selection. You can make a reservation here.

Circa will also have pre-theater nights for the performances of Wicked at the Orpheum. There will be a prix fixe menu with soup or salad, entree, and dessert for $40. For the Friday and Saturday evening shows, there will be reverse happy hour after the shows beginning at 10 PM – $2.50 beers, $4 wells, $5 wines and specialty cocktails.

The Young Guns, the band that absolutely ROCKED the Southern Hot Wing Festival in April, is opening for Blues Traveler at the Snowden Grove Ampitheater on June 26. More info and tickets available here. All ages, $10.

Here’s link to the MIFA No-Go Gala Cookbook. MIFA is having a gala event to raise funds, but it’s different from most events in that they’re asking people to not show up. Instead, stay home, cook a recipe from the cookbook, and send a donation. From the cookbook’s home page you can submit a secure online donation, or get a number to call to donate over the phone. You can also submit recipes for the cookbook.

I’d like to point out that tube tops are highly appropriate attire for gala events, especially ones that you don’t attend.

In the CA this morning: The UrbanArt Commission is seeking proposals to light a new bridge that will connect Confederate Park to the new law school across the street on Court. Read the article here. Proposals are due June 26.

Plans for tonight:  Probably a Happy Hour beer at the Saucer, then I’ll head to the Red Rooster for “WTF Wednesday.” 25 cent PBR and Miller Lite draft, and Bar Olympics games.

 Otto was so drunk that bobcats came jumping out of his head!

Here are some more pics:

 

Afterward, I met up with Nick, the Nuh-Uh Girl, and the Nuh-Uh Girl’s sister the Nuh-Uh Sister at Bardog.  Here’s a pic of what happened there:

Blogging from my iPhone at the Saucer as I take a break from Kooky Canuck’s 4th birthday party.

Tonight I had an idea: If you go to Kooky Canuck and Meghan waits on you, or if you go to the Saucer and Brittney waits on you, tip them 0 and write “Tip donated to www.Buy-Paul-a-Beer.net” on the receipt.

I’ll give Meghan credit for wearing a tube top tonight but she still sucks. Let’s show her what Downtown Memphis really thinks of her. Same for Brittney.

NOTE: Please only do this when they’re the only ones serving you, not when they’re pooling tips with other servers/bartenders.

The businesses in the block of Main and Peabody Place will hold the third in their series of spring block parties this Thursday, June 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Free admission, and Groundspeak and Hope Clayburn and Soul Scrimmage will provide the live music. Specials include

• Majestic Grille: $4 mojitos on the patio; for dine-in, buy one appetizer, get another half-price.
• Circa: $5 appetizers, $5 featured wines by the glass, $20 bottles.
• Center for Southern Folklore: $4 peach cobbler and ice cream, $16 64 oz. Ghost River growlers.
• Shelton Clothiers will have their 4th anniversary celebration, with 20% off the entire store, excluding sale items.
• Bluefin: $12 Krono grilled beef, chicken, or shrimp with teriyaki sauce $12; $5 Bluefin Cosmo, $2 domestic beer.
• Silly Goose: $3 wells
• Chiropractic Memphis: Free chair massages
• Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic Art: $2 off admission, and 15% off any one item in the museum store
• Art Under a Hot Tin Roof is now open and will stay open late for the block party.
• RiverTown Art Gallery: Specials on Memphis prints
• The Orpheum will be there selling tickets to WICKED.

It’s going to be a hot Thursday night, so ladies, a tube top would be an excellent choice of attire to keep cool.

As for tonight, it’s going to be a very kooky evening.

Don’t forget that this Saturday, June 20, will be Tube Top Night in the Voodoo Room, in the downstairs of Orleans on Front (94 S. Front, across from the Butcher Shop). Ladies, if you wear a tube top you will get FREE Bud Light draft all night.

If you’re not into beer, they also have 51 bartender shots (which are cheap, but unfortunately not free).

Once again, only LADIES in tube tops get the free beer. Guys, don’t even try it. Last year I had to delete a few pics from TubeTopalooza to avoid ruining someone’s reputation and career. This year I’m not going to be so generous. And believe me, I will have the camera and extra batteries with me, because I hope to take many tube top pics.

There will also be a “best tube top” competition, judged by me. Winner will get a $50 gift certificate to Orleans/Voodoo.

Come hungry… Voodoo has some awesome food. I can personally vouch for the Voodoo Burger, the Mardi Gras pizza, and the fried green tomatoes. I haven’t tried the Rotel Cheeseburger pizza yet but have heard it’s great.

I have another party to go to early in the evening Saturday, so I won’t be there until about 10, but it should be a fun time for the rest of the night.

I saw this story on CNN’s website at lunchtime and it was too funny not to pass along:  Three chihuahuas cornered a full-grown cougar in a garage in Los Angeles.  Barking loudly, the tiny chihuahuas kept the 100+ pound cougar cornered for 45 minutes until animal control officials arrived.

So I guess there is good reason for them making such a racket all the time.

There are conflicting reports of what happened to the cougar once it had been trapped.  One report said it was released into the wild; a second report said it had to be euthanized; and a third report said that once released, it put on makeup and a tube top and got a seat at the bar at Spindini.

The Orpheum will show the classic movie Animal House this Friday at 7:15 PM.  Before the movie begins, there will be a Best Toga contest, judged based on audience reaction.  Winner will receive two tickets to the sold-out Eddie Vedder concert Saturday at the Orpheum.

If you’re a member of Mpact Memphis, you receive a dollar off admission to the movie.

If you bring your ticket stub to the Red Rooster after the movie Friday, you receive free cover and a special for a pizza and a pitcher for $12.

The Best Toga contest should be fun… don’t forget, however, that I’m judging a Best Tube Top contest Saturday night.  Details on that to come.

This weekend I finished reading my second book on the Amazon Kindle application on my iPhone. Wrestling at the Chase: The Inside Story of Sam Muchnick and the Legends of Professional Wrestling is the best pro-wrestling book I have read.  Anyone who grew up watching pro wrestling in the 1980s will enjoy it

It focuses on the St. Louis wrestling territory that operated from the late 1950s to 1983.  The author, Larry Matysik, started as an errand boy for the promotion’s owner, Sam Muchnick, in the early 1960s, and eventually became a commentator on the weekly TV show.  The St. Louis territory was considered one of the most important territories in the National Wrestling Alliance, and its main championship, the Missouri Heavyweight Championship (created in 1972), was seen as a stepping stone to the NWA world title.

The author learned from Muchnick how to run an honest wrestling promotion.  Muchnick was known in the business as one of the few promoters who didn’t cheat wrestlers on payoffs, which were done as percentages of the gate.  There are even photos of payoff sheets from a 1978 TV taping in the book, showing how much was taken in and how much was paid to each wrestler, the main eventers getting the most, the semi-main eventers getting not quite as much, and the preliminary wrestlers getting a set payoff of $70.  Muchnick served as president of the NWA through 1975, and used all his power to protect the championship.

The book then covers the downfall of the NWA and the wrestling territory system in the late 1970s and early 1980s, you know, around the time when tube tops first became popular.  Once Muchnick stepped down and other promoters took the presidency, the championship was manipulated for the interests of individual promoters, rather than for the good of the entire organization.  Giant Baba of Japan bought himself a short title reign for $25,000; a reign was given to Dusty Rhodes as a thank-you to Florida promoter Eddie Graham; a reign was given to Tommy Rich as a thank-you to the Georgia promoter.  Long-term champions Harley Race and Ric Flair frequently lost on countouts and disqualifications, which made them look weak and would not have been allowed under Muchnick.  By the mid-1980s it was obvious that the NWA was falling apart, and WWF owner Vince McMahon was able to come in and sign away the best wrestlers and get his product on TV in local markets.

(Interesting fact in the book:  Vince wanted to be a wrestler, but his father, Vince Sr., who owned the WWF until 1983, wouldn’t hear of it.)

There are profiles of many of the wrestlers who made their mark in the territory, including David Von Erich, “Wild Bill” Longson, Joe Millich, “King” Bobby Shane (who gave Jerry Lawler his gimmick when he left for Australia), Jack Brisco, Dory Funk Jr., “Bulldog” Bob Brown, Rocky Johnson (father of The Rock), Dick Murdoch, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, Dick the Bruiser, and Bruiser Brody (known as King Kong Brody when wrestling in St. Louis).

Lots of good stories.  One was about a 1980 Bruiser Brody match.  It was to be a “squash,” a match in which the other wrestler – a “jobber” or “jabroni” – is supposed to get clobbered and his job is to make the star, Brody, look as good as possible.  But, as The Rock would say, this guy didn’t know his role.  Pre-match, Brody stomped around the ring and barked.  The jobber at this pojnt should cower in fear of the wild man.

But this jobber didn’t.  He started barking too.  In fact, he got right in Brody’s face and barked.  Brody pulled the referee aside and said, “Stay out of my way, I don’t want you to get hurt.”  Then he proceeded to “shoot” on his opponent, meaning he legitimately punched, kicked and beat the tar out of the poor kid for about 5 minutes, then finally pinned him.  The kid was so afraid afterward that he ran to the dressing room, grabbed his gym bag, and ran out of the building for fear of a further beating backstage.  Lots of good stories like that in the book.

Highly recommended to anyone who’s a fan of old-school wrestling.  Five stars.

Coming soon:  Stuff happening at the Orpheum and MIFA.

I have advance knowledge that the $2.75 Fire Sale at the Saucer today is Dos Equis Special Lager, so I may very well be there open to close.  Going to hang out with the gang and play pool for a few hours, then after they head out I plan on pulling out the laptop and building more websites.  I have two more on deck that I could potentially finish today.

If the Fire Sale were anything other than Dos Equis Lager, though, I would head south to Calhoun’s in the late afternoon.  They are doing weekly shrimp boils which I hear are tremendously good.  If you’re hungry, that’s my recommendation for dinner.  Not positive about the start time, but I’d guess sometime after 5 PM.  If it’s later there’s Buzztime Trivia to keep you entertained.  I’ll try to get down there next Sunday for some shrimp.

Lots of people were Downtown last night for the Gibson 5K.  The Nuh-Uh Girl and the Nuh-Uh Sister ran the race and attended the after-party, and one of the organizers asked the Nuh-Uh Girl if she got food.  “Of course she got food,” said some guy standing behind them, who she didn’t even know.  “Did Paul get pictures for his blog?”

And finally, here’s a pic of Erin in a tube top.

For the second time today, it’s time to roll out a new website.

Ballet Flat Boutique sells ballet flats in all colors, styles, and brands.  Like Hobo Bag Boutique which I rolled out earlier today, this store is created in association with Amazon.com, so you’re protected by their world-class secure checkout and return policies. I never see your name or credit card number, just a summary of what was ordered and how much commission I earned. This is one of several niche stores in women’s fashion I’ll be rolling out this month, to help organize things better and help women find items quicker than they would on Amazon.

I built most of this site at the Saucer this afternoon.  I got some weird looks as people wondered why I kept surfing a store selling women’s shoes.

Okay… as a thank you for putting up with two website commercials in one day, you get a tube top pic.  Here’s a pic of Stephanie in a tube top dress.

Just registered the domain names for my next two sites.  I don’t feel like sitting in front of a computer right now, though… guess I’ll work on them tomorrow.

Coming soon – the June Downtown Alive! lineup, and pics of the Nuh-Uh Girl eating.