Meryl, again

Remember yesterday when I said that Meryl Rifkin moved to Los Angeles so her son, Aaron, can continue to study and audition for acting roles? And that she's the one who has been getting the acting jobs?

Well, she sent me some photos to show me that Aaron has been going out to do some look-sees that have paid off.

"Aaron's face is on the box of a video sound rocker, being sold at Toys R Us and Costco and online," she wrote. "I walked by a stack of the boxes in Costco last week and was shocked when I happened by it. I stopped strangers to tell them -- crazy mom that I am. I took Aaron and Andy by there later without telling them anything and they were obviously pleasantly surprised. And then I stopped strangers again to show them Aaron and the boxes right next to each other. Here are two photos for you to see. Yes, I bought one -- $100 for a box -- he he he he he! -- but I do have to say the video rocker is an awesome product. It has built-in speakers and bass and sounds fabulous. The chair is comfy too and it made a great extra Hanukkah gift for Aaron. The website is www.pyramat.com that he is on. Click on sound rocker and he should come up. If you see a blond-headed kid, keep clicking around -- he is there."

She said that while she misses Columbus, Los Angeles is "incredible."

The big news right now is her daughter, Randi, is going to have a baby in August.

"I am so psyched to be a grandma," Meryl writes. "Nothing like loving and spoiling a baby and being able to give it back. She and Jordon are ecstatic as you can imagine. I can't believe I am old enough to be a grandma. But, I cannot wait."

She's also been cast in a pilot that will air on HBO in May or June.

"We are supposed to start filming Feb. 16. Girl, it is one of those Hollywood stories where one is at the right place at the right time and being just right. The show will be titled, 'The Don Juan Club,' and will involve a lot of drama concerning the high fashion modeling industry; gambling, loan sharks, mafia; also a situation with an injured Army veteran who served in Iraq, etc. It will have a lot of appeal to both men and women. I am playing the ex-wife of a mafia boss. If it is picked up as a series and chances are really good it will be, my character will become a major role in the story. There is more I could tell you too, but I am so afraid of saying too much as of yet. I will keep you informed. Right now, I am in a position where my childhood dreams could very well come true."

You don't know how happy this news makes me. Meryl went through a lot when her husband died in a car accident. I think it was her children that kept her sane through those dark days. And then when Andy became more than a friend, she began laughing again.

Good for you, Meryl. It's looking like 2009 may be the year for you and your family!

What Meryl Rifkin's been doing

I just got an e-mail for Meryl Rifkin, who moved out to Hollywood at the request of her teen-aged son, Aaron. Aaron wants to be an actor, and Meryl thought it would be the best thing for both of them to move. They've been out there about a year-and-a-half.

Her companion, Andy Smith, moved out there this fall.

It's funny. She moved out there for Aaron, but she's the one who has been working! She and Andy did an episode for "The Doctors," the syndicated show that features real doctors talking about specific ailments.

Now, she writes:

"Here is a list of times of something I did a couple of months ago. I played a hermit mom in bed who gets attacked by her drunk hermit son. It was stupid, but, hey I got paid and I will be on TV. No lines, just action. The production company just alerted me to its airing starting Wednesday night. It will be on the History Channel.

"'Seven Deadly Sins - Gluttony Seven Deadly Sins Episode: Gluttony,' Wednesday at 9 p.m.; 1 a.m. Thursday and 8 p.m. and midnight Friday.

"Also, watch for the Discovery Channel, "Bitten" at the end of January and beginning of February (episodes 5 & 6) -- I was involved in re-enactments of two different people getting bit by tigers."

OK, so she's not making any big movies with big stars, but it's a start, right?

Keep it up, Meryl!

We've joined the digital television age

As an early 80th birthday present to my mother, my brother Fred bought her a 42-inch high def television.

My sister Patty and her husband, John, delivered it and set it up for us.

I think Fred needs to come over to adjust a few things. The color is a little too intense. And we need to hook up the old VCR and DVD machines.

Because we have cable, we didn't have to worry about not having a picture when the whole United States switch over to digital television. But the current TV is 10 years old now, and probably won't last much longer.

Fred's taking it home to put in his barn so he can watch TV while he's working out there in the shop.

I swear, he's a great brother. I'm so glad he and Cheryl decided to come home when he retired. Though right now, my friend Bill Rich has put him to work. He's been working 10 hours a day, six days a week. He has to be at work at 7 a.m.!

Merry Christmas!

You know, every year, I swear I will not be out running around on Christmas Eve, buying last minute gifts. But, as usual, I was out Wednesday afternoon, running around like a crazed woman.

Today, my sister Dorothy was cooking all day. She had a prime rib roast and a bar cookie in the oven (not at the same time), cooking two kinds of greens (one with meat and one without for Scott, the vegetarian and Jessica, the vegan in the family) and gravy to go with the beef.

Cheryl was heating up the Honey-Baked Ham that I bought along with green beans and mashed potatoes. My sister Nancy made her famous deviled eggs. My youngest sister Patty made tiramisu and her husband, John, made roast turkey.

Obviously, we had more than enough to eat.

Unlike Thanksgiving, when we had about 40 people over for dinner, it was just our family and Cheryl's youngest brother, Burt and his family. It was a very nice evening.

Instead of buying gifts for everyone, last year we started a new thing. We each buy two $25 gift certificates. We throw them in a basket. And then we draw two. And if we get one we don't like or won't use, we trade them.

Like my mother got a gift card for Amazon.com She didn't want to mess with that, so she swapped with Scott. So he got a gift certificate for Amazon.com and she got a gift card to Wal-mart. Fred got one for Publix and Jess got one for Home Depot. Being a vegan, of course, Jessica was anxious to trade with her father! I don't think anyone else swapped. Everyone was happy.

If I can get a photo from this evening, I'll post it. The batteries in my camera ran down, so I didn't get a picture. I'll have one of my sisters send me one.

I'm really thankful to be surrounded by people I love and all that we have.

A death in the family

Aunt Keiko, my mother and Uncle Hide, the surviving Araya siblings. I don't have a recent photo of my uncle who died Monday.

This morning, actually, it was early Tuesday morning, the phone rang. We have caller ID and it was an unknown number, so we let it ring. My mother checked the answering machine and it turned out that it was my Aunt Keiko, my mother's sister.

I dialed the number and handed the phone to my mother.

She was calling to let us know that our uncle, my mother's oldest brother, had died.

When we were in Japan, we didn't visit him in the Araya family home in Odate because he was sick and in the hospital. We learned later that he was pissed because we did not visit.

Oops. But really, he was in the hospital and my mother didn't feel that we should all troop in and visit. In hindsight, perhaps we should have visited.

Aunt Keiko said she wasn't up for the trip to Akita, the prefecture (or state) where he lived. So her son, Kenichi is going. My Aunt Mizue is hampered by a bad back and she can't really take a long train trip up north. So her daughter, Hiromi, is going. And my Aunt Teruko, who lives in Kobe, is frail. Her son, Hiroki, is going.

Of course, my mother can't go, and neither can any of us.

We'll be there in spirit. The funeral is Friday.

I knew him, of course, but I saw him when I was very young. I saw him again in 1992, which was my first visit to Japan in 22 years.

I remember sitting in his living room with his wife and daughter, my mother, Aunt Keiko, my mother's friend from Los Angeles, Mrs. Okada and my cousin, Kotoe.

I was showing him pictures of us in America, including photos of my father.

I knew that he had never approved of my mother marrying my father. And that my father took her away to America. He also never forgot that he was asked for his blessing. He was the oldest male and the head of the family.

But as we passed pictures around, he turned to me and said, "I'm sorry I never met your father. He seemed like he was a good man." Of course, he said that in Japanese, and he meant to say it to my mother, but he told me. I glanced at my mother and she was tearing up.

That broke the ice.

A few years later, he came to Columbus to visit us. I think he really had a great time.

I'm sorry I didn't get to see him one more time.

I guess what I'm trying to say is take every opportunity to see the people you love because you never know when that person will no longer be there.

The arts year in review

For the past few days, I've been working on the arts year-in-review story that will run on Dec. 26.

Perhaps the biggest story was the arrival of 67 Steinway pianos to the Columbus State University Schwob School of Music. A gift of Maxine Schiffman, it was truly an astounding sight to see all those pianos on the Bill Heard Theatre stage.

Another significant event was the transfer of the Singer-Moye Indian Mounds from the Columbus Museum, who has been caring for the sight for more than 40 years, to the University of Georgia, who will use it as a working lab for archaeology students.

Another was Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard, who created the "Tuna" series, allowing the Springer Opera House to be the only theater to tour "Greater Tuna" and "A Tuna Christmas." In the past, only Williams and Sears toured the shows. And the Springer will be the first theater to present the third "Tuna" show, "Red, White and Tuna," in the spring.

And, of course, one of the biggest concerns for all the arts organizations in town is the economy.

Already, the Springer's Paul Pierce said many of the donors are cutting back the amount they're giving this year. Fortunately, attendance is up, but ticket proceeds do not begin to pay for the upkeep of the 137-year-old building.

That's the story for all the other arts organizations as well.

The Liberty Theatre is trying its best to keep the theater open. Managing director Gayle Daniels said while attendance is up, it could be better. So she's collaborating with the Columbus Jazz Society and the Chattahoochee Shakespeare Co. to do more shows there.

Maybe it's time the arts organizations work together and do more collaborating like Gayle's doing. After all, they are all going for the same donors and patrons.

Let me know what you thought the most significant arts event was this year. It'll be interesting to see what you think.

Newsroom Christmas party

Our newsroom Christmas party was last night and a good time was had by all. Two of our editors, Dimon Kendrick-Holmes and Mike Owen, cooked all the meat and it was very tasty.

Our hostest with the mostest, Dawn Minty, and her husband, Jeff Hendrickson, did everything else. I'm sure other people helped, but I can't tell you who they were. Jerry Morehouse and his wife, made wonderful cookies. I call her Dee, but I know that's not her name. I'm sorry!

Here are some pictures of my newsroom colleagues. OK, so the first two pictures are not my colleagues. They are Dawn and Jeff's babies.



Alley looked so cute in her Christmas faux fur cape. But she was very unhappy. After a little while, I took pity on her and took it off. She was very happy. I think I have a friend for life.











Sassy getting dressed in her holiday finery.















Bess Kendrick-Holmes (in the red sweater), was talking to Allison (in white), Allison's mother, Charlotte, and Dawn (in the awesome dress).











Andrea (from left), Sara, Stephanie, Lily and Sonya. Stephanie is a WLTZ-TV 38 reporter.

Really nice ticket packages for the King Tut exhibit

This is one of four bejeweled coffinettes that held mummified organs of King Tut.

If you're like me, you're watching every penny you spend these days.

You want to see the King Tut exhibit in Atlanta, but when you add up the gas to drive to Atlanta and the ticket price, it's probably a little expensive, especially if you've some kids who really want to see the exhibit, too. You'll also have to add the price of a meal while you're up there.

If you're looking for a way to save some money, there are three ticket packages that are now available.

The Last-Minute Holiday Gift Package is $50 and includes two VIP tickets, which are good for any day and any time during regular hours, two audio tours, narrated by Harrison Ford and a National Geographic DVD of your choice from the gift shop. The package is available through Dec. 24.

The Discounted Family Days is $46 for a family of four for any day of the week through mid-January.

Two-for-One Adult Tickets are available through the holidays until Jan. 15.

The hours of the exhibit, at the Atlanta Civic Center, 395 Piedmont Ave. N.E., are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. daily, with the last ticket sold at 5 p.m. (except 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Christmas Eve, with the last ticket sold at 2:30 p.m.). It's closed Christmas Day.

Regular tickets are $16.50-$32.50.

For information, call 404-727-4282 or go to www.kingtut.org

Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at area Publix grocery stores or the Columbus Civic Center. If you buy tickets in person at a Ticketmaster location, it's cash only. To charge tickets, call 706-494-8330 or go to www.ticketmaster.com

Whoops!

I had to laugh when I got a e-mail from Pat Bonaker. Pat is in Cantus Columbus.

Here's her e-mail:

"I very much enjoyed reading your article about Cantus Columbus just a few minutes ago. However - I wonder what my son David will think about being my brother, instead of my son! Perhaps you may be thinking of Paula, his sister! I am the Mother of the Bonaker Bunch - Mike, Paula, David and Matt. I am a retired choral director in MCSD, having taught at Shaw for 18 years before retiring in 1999. Just wanted to tell you I had a little laugh this morning!"

Yikes! I truly was thinking about Paula.

So, I'm very, very sorry.

I won't make that mistake again!

Thanks, Pat!

Cirque Dreams

The first six seasons that the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts was open, the man in charge of booking the Broadway in Columbus series was Adam Epstein, the president of the Theater Council of America.

I met Adam early on and he's a charming man who knows a lot about booking shows. He also knows a lot about shows, period.

For the first time, he added producer to his name.

He was a producer of "Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy," which played on Broadway for 10 weeks in the theater after "The Color Purple" closed. It was a wildly popular show.

Now it's on tour and instead of booking into the RiverCenter's Bill Heard Theatre, he's got it in the Columbus Civic Center. It can be seen at 7 p.m. April 19. Tickets are $35-$60.

The Civic Center box office is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. You can buy tickets at area Publix grocery stores. Call Ticketmaster to charge your tickets at 706-494-8330 or go to www.ticketmaster.com

Neil Goldberg created the show and he brought an abbreviated show to celebrate the Columbus Museum's 50th anniversary. But that was a private party. I was there and the show was great in 2003. I'm sure it's fantastic now.

My mother has already said she wants to go, so I'm sure I'll be going to see it in April.

Volunteers

I was invited to the annual Christmas dinner for the volunteers at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts tonight.

I know that there are a lot of volunteers because at every event I've been to, they are everywhere.

I didn't realize that there are almost 300 volunteers.

I was a little late getting there and I saw Darlene Kittrell, who is the marketing director. We talked for a bit and then we walked to the Bill Heard Theatre stage where the tables were set up. I walked around the corner and said, "Holy crap!"

I couldn't believe the number of people sitting on that stage.

I sat with some very nice people. I only remember Alice Spengler. But there was another nice couple.

Dinner was very nice, catered by the Rankin.

Door prizes were given out, and some people were honored for their service, including two women who have worked more than 1,000 hours. Jeanne Fessenden (new DA Julia Slater's mother) and Nancy Skaife. If you saw either of these women, you'll recognize them. Especially Nancy, who always wears her signature over-sized glasses.

Jeanette Cauthen, Chuck Fessenden (Jeanne's husband and Julia's father), Doug McLeod and Mary Noles have served more than 750 hours.

You know, when I retire, I'm going to become a RiverCenter volunteer and a docent at the Columbus Museum and Springer Opera House.

Maybe one day, I'll get a pin for serving 1,000 hours somewhere.

Wait. I bet I've served at least 100 hours giving tours at the Springer already. And I'm not even a docent. I wonder if those hours will count.

Create a video for Usher

Teenagers who are aged 13-18 have a chance to make a video for Usher.

So if you're an aspiring filmmaker or know one, then go to Got-Noise.com and fill out an application before Jan. 31.

What happens is 20 teenagers will go to Los Angeles and be split into two teams. Each team will work with Usher to conceptualize and figure out the direction for the music video for a song on his new CD, which will be released early next year.

Both videos will be shown in April and fans will vote for their favorite.

The contest is sponsored by Body by Milk.

For more information, go to Got-Noise.com

And good luck!

Wanna be an actor? Ask Chris Elwood

Back in 1990, I made my debut on the Springer Opera House stage and one of the young cowboys was Chris Elwood. He was 15 and making his debut as well. I got to know his family well.

I got an e-mail from Chris, who said he was coming home to visit family and will conduct a "How-to-Hollywood" seminar.

Chris, who was born and reared in Columbus, graduated from Pacelli High School, in 1993. I think. Somewhere around there.

He moved out to Hollywood a little after that, and got a few roles on TV like "Sliders" and more recently in MTV's "Punk'd" and Bravo's "Flipping Out." Chris was also in a teen comedy called "How High," which featured a couple of rappers.

Earlier this year, on "Flipping Out," his personal life was revealed to everyone. He was married to Jenni Pulos, the No. 1 assistant to Realtor Jeff Lewis. He flips houses in Los Angeles. Not any house, but the million-dollar homes. Chris went to work for Lewis, too. He started out as the guy who took out the trash when the houses were being renovated. Then he was promoted to a position that was kind of like house boy.

Anyway, he was caught using Lewis' computer via a "nanny-cam," and when confronted about it, he lied. So Lewis, who is a self-professed member of the OCD club, fired him.

Chris and Jenni must have been having problems before all this happened because for her, it sounded like the final straw. It didn't seem worth arguing over, much less divorcing. But then again, I've never been married.

He e-mailed me after the show and asked if I wanted to do a story about his side of the story. Because to be fair, everyone was against him. I left a message on his cell phone, but we never connected.

But he's going to be in town and the seminar is going to be at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday at My Gym, 2501 Old Whittlesey Road. His younger sister, Heather, owns My Gym, and is opening up one of the rooms for him.

The seminar is just $25, and he'll tell those of you who plan to leave Columbus for the bright lights of Hollywood the pitfalls you'll face.

He says it will be good for aspiring actors, writers, directors and anyone who wants a career in the movie business.

Chris will also conduct personal interviews with anyone who wants to speak one-on-one with him.

If you want to register, e-mail Chris at howtohollywood@gmail.com

It should be very informative and it lasts an hour.

Champagne and sparkling wine tasting

I'm not much of a drinker, but a few years ago, I discovered Moscato di Asti.

My mother watches this Japanese cooking show that either my aunt or one of my cousins sends to us on videotape. Over and over again, the cooks talk about dessert wines.And she would repeatedly ask me about dessert wines. Like I know wines.

So I was in Whole Foods in Atlanta and I asked the guy in the wine department where the dessert wines were. He pointed me to a huge section. I must have looked bewildered because he started asking questions and then he came up with a bottle and told me to try it. It was a Moscato di Asti.

I bought it.

I got home one evening and my mother and her friend had opened the bottle and they were drinking. Both of them told me how much they liked it. Two little old Japanese women sitting around drinking a sweet, sparkling wine. How cute is that?

Since then, I've bought several other bottles, but my mother said none were as good as the one I bought at Whole Foods. Of course, neither one of us wrote down the name of the wine.

Meritage Cafe, 1350 13th St., will hold a champagne and sparkling wine tasting at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Reservations are required because there will be seating for 36 people only.

Maybe that wine will be one of the ones served.

The tasting menu may include "small plates" or appetizers of truffled popcorn, Parmesan chips with goat cheese mousse, salmon and tuna tartare on cucumber with wasabi tobiko, braised fennel with fresh figs, proscuitto-wrapped pear, deviled quail eggs topped with caviar on toast and mushroom pate. Each wine will be offered with a paired small plate or appetizer. Sound yummy?

The tasting costs $49, plus tax and gratuity.

Call 706-327-0707.

Hello Kitty

I spent two hours as Hello Kitty this afternoon.

If it were July, I would have refused. But since it was a chilly December day, why not?

Years and years ago, I dressed up as a character at Six Flags Over Georgia. I thought it would be a good story. It was, of course, in the summer because Six Flags is open in the summer.

It was when the Weebles were popular. I was the rabbit Weeble.

The costume was excruciatingly hot. The headpiece was huge. The feet were even bigger.

A Six Flags employee led me around because you really can't see with that headpiece on. It didn't matter that I had an escort. Kids, teenagers mostly, would pull my tail and knock on the head.

Did I mention it was hot?

By the time I finished my 20-minute stint, I had sweated at least 10 pounds away and had a horrible headache.

Today it was different. But the same.

The costume was not very hot. The headpiece was huge. And it was hot. I was not hot. Just my head.

After two hours, I had a headache.

But I had a fabulous time. Kids and adults both love Hello Kitty.

Two of the mothers said their girls loved meeting Hello Kitty more than meeting Santa Claus.

One little kept hugging me around my waist. She said she just turned six and she had a Hello Kitty birthday party. She kept saying she loved Hello Kitty.

Only two little children were scared.

There was a group of older teenagers who took pictures of each other on their cell phones. In fact, more than half of the parents took pictures with their cell phones.

There was on woman who stopped her car in the middle of the street, hopped out and had her picture taken with Hello Kitty. A police officer told her to move her car. She didn't have a camera, but the woman who was taking pictures of her daughters, took it. She said she'd e-mail it. The woman who was getting back in her car, yelled out her e-mail address.

I wonder if she'll get it.

I even walked over to where Santa Claus was and had my picture taken.

As soon as Gladys Griffin, who owns the Main Street Toy Shoppe scans it and e-mails it to me, I'll post the photo.

It was great fun.

Gladys said she'll have Hello Kitty back next year. She's a smart woman. She said she'll have Hello Kitty back around this time. She knows she'll never get anyone in a costume in the summer!

Skype.com

Tonight, we spoke to my cousins, Kotoe (sitting, left) and Hiromi (sitting, second from left), who are sisters, and their mother, sitting (far right), along with Miho (standing, left). Hiromi is Miho's mother. Yuichi was at home with a cold. Yoko (in glasses), lives in another part of Tokyo and wasn't at Aunt Mizue's house. I took this picture on the last night we were in Japan.

A few years ago, when I was buying my cell phone, Brian, who sold me the phone, was telling me about Skype.com, where I could set up an account and then talk to anyone in the world who was also had an account.

When we got back from Japan, my cousin, Yuichi, talked me through it and all of sudden, we could all see each other and talk to each other.

It's amazing. One of my colleague's husband is deployed in Afghanistan, and they talk to each other regularly via Skype.

I had tried calling two of my cousins and every time, they've been off-line.

Last weekend, I called my cousin Kotoe, and I got the message that she was off-line. A few minutes later, the "phone" rang and it was Kotoe and her mother. I got my mother and we had a nice chat.

We made plans to speak again tonight and that's what we did. We set a date to all talk the day after Christmas, which will be Dec. 26 here and Dec. 27 there. Right now, they're 14 hours ahead of us.

So it's 10:30 p.m. here. It's 12:30 p.m. in Tokyo.

We'll all be talking then. They're excited.

Technology is such a cool thing, isn't it?

I sure wish we had something like this when Daddy was in Vietnam all those years ago. All we had then were letters from him, we treasured.

I know my nephew is hooked up with Skype, but did he ever call me when he was in Iceland or England? Noooo.

But now he's in Valdosta. Does he ever call? Or even respond to e-mail? Nooo.

Then again, neither does his sister, Jessica.

Oh, well. I guess they have better things to do than talk to their aunt.

I'm going to be Hello Kitty!

Come on! How cute is she?


I had to work the Friday after Thanksgiving on a shopping story. While my colleagues went out to the big chain stores, I hit the locally-owned stores.

Gladys Griffin, who owns the Main Street Toy Shoppe, told me she was going to get the costumed character of Hello Kitty back in her store. She had Kitty there when the Christmas lights were turned on right before Thanksgiving.

Even thought the toy store is no longer in Main Street Village, she kept the name when she moved to the Landings on Airport Thruway.

We started talking about the costumed character and she mentioned that she wasn't sure she could get the teenager who did it before to come back.

I told her I'd do it.

Well, she called me the other day and said the girl couldn't do it and was I serious.

Was I serious? Are you kidding me?

I love Hello Kitty.

In fact, I love Hello Kitty so much that my mother is always asking me how old I am. She thinks it's unseemly that a 56-year-old woman wears Hello Kitty panties and pajamas, carry handbags and wear a Hello Kitty lanyard at work. I have little Hello Kitty things everywhere.

Come see Hello Kitty at the toy store Saturday between 3-5 p.m.

I won't be able to talk to you, but it will be me in the costume!

Atlanta exhibits worth seeing

Former President Jimmy Carter toured the exhibit with High Museum director Michael Shapiro and Hiromi Kinoshita, the consulting curator for "The First Emperor" exhibition.

I like going to Atlanta, but I hate driving to Atlanta.

Fortunately, the past few years, one of my sisters has always driven there. We usually go grocery shopping at one of the Japanese stores.

And, of course, we go to eat. Almost always in a Japanese restaurant.

I do go to some shows at the Fox Theatre with my friend Bill Rich. And I make him drive.

Some of the 15 Terracotta Warriors, the emperor's retinue and even a horse is in "The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army" at the High Museum of Art.

Right now, the High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., has an extraordinary exhibit, "The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army." Besides that, it still has the final year of the Louvre's loaned masterpieces.

The High has nine terracotta warriors, including a general, from the Museum of the Terracotta Army and the Cultural Relics Bureau of Shaanxi Province in Xi’an, China.

The site at Xi’an is one of the places I really, really want to see.

And I can’t wait to see it. I know it’s not China, but since I blew my whole budget for the next couple of years going to Japan last summer, this will be closest I get to Xi’an.

Besides the general (only one of seven unearthed so far), the foot soldiers and archers, there are acrobats, musicians, a court official, a stable boy, a strongman and a chariot horse. There are even some bronze birds.

It’s speculated that the birds were trained to dance while the musicians played.

There are lots of photographs and artifacts from the archaeological digging as well.

Besides this exhibit, you can see the last exhibit from the Louvre, “Louvre Atlanta: The Louvre and the Masterpiece,” through Sept. 4. Johannes Vermeer’s “The Astronomer” will leave Feb. 15 and will be replaced by Georges de la Tour’s “The Card-Sharp (with Ace of Diamonds)” on Feb. 17.

The museum is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $11-$18.

Call 404-733-4444 or go to www.high.org

Now it’s going to be incredibly crowded. In fact, the museum has sold more than 100,000 tickets already. The best times to go are weekday afternoons because most school groups come in the morning, said Cassandra Champion Streich, the High’s senior manager of public relations.

Ther is another blockbuster exhibit, “Tutankhamuh: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs,” in the Atlanta Civic Center, 395 Piedmont Ave. N.E., and is presented by the Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University through May 25.

This is one of four of King Tut's "coffinette," an ornately decorated canopic vessel that held his internal organs.

More than 150 artifacts can be seen in this exhibit from 2,000 years of ancient Egyptian history, including the largest image of King Tut ever found. This 10-foot-tall statue may have been placed at his mortuary temple and it retains much of its original paint.

The Tut exhibit is open 9 a.m.–7 p.m. daily, with the last ticket sold at 5 p.m., except 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Christmas Eve, with the last ticket sold at 2:30 p.m.; closed Christmas day.



This is a funerary mask of King Tut.

Call 404-727-4282 or go to www.kingtut.org

If you're on a budget, but want to see both exhibits, there is a way to do that.

You can go to both the King Tut and Terracotta Warriors exhibits for one price.

Through the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, you can buy a ticket for $39 for Tuesday-Thursday or $41 for Friday-Sunday. You must choose the day and time slot. Tickets for youths are $25.

There’s another attractive ticket package: $29.99-$39.99 for the King Tut exhibit and the Georgia Aquarium. When you buy your ticket, you must choose the day and the time slot you want to be at the Atlanta Civic Center.

You can spend one day at one of the attractions and then go back within 30 days to see the other.

Believe it or not, I have yet to see the Georgia Aquarium. So maybe this will be my incentive to see the Tut exhibit and the fish!

Snow bunnies have a new place to show off

A mother and daughter are having fun with show on one of the tubing runs at Snow Mountain.


I have to admit that I've never gone skiing or snowboarding. I've tried ice skating once and was a miserable failure.

My friends laughed when I screamed, "It's wet!"

They said, "What did you expect? It's ice!"

Atlanta's Stone Mountain Park has a new attraction called Snow Mountain. I just got an invitation to a media opening. It really sounds like fun.

It opens to the public on Dec. 31 and features 11 tubing runs and a 30,000-square-foot play area for younger snow bunnies.

So there's really no skiing. Just tubing. I can do that. Well, as long as I'm with someone who won't think it's fun to turn the tube upside down.

A snow-maker can make up to 200 tons of fresh snow daily. So it won't really be "snowing." But it's Atlanta.

Besides the tubing runs and play area, there is the SnoDeck where you can rest and get a hot drink or food; the SnoFire Point, which features a bonfire on Memorial Lawn and the HotSpot, where you can get hot cider or coffee. Since it's a state park, I don't think there will be alcohol sold.

I went online and it's recommended that you wear water-resistant clothing, gloves and boots. You should layer your clothing and take dry clothes that you can put in a rented locker.

Also, check the weather by calling 800-317-2006.

Tickets are $25; parking is $8.

Snow Mountain is open 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Dec. 31, Jan. 11, Jan. 19, Jan. 25, Feb. 1, Feb. 8, Feb. 16, Feb. 22 and March 1; 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Jan. 1-4, Jan. 10, Jan. 17-18, Jan. 24, Jan. 31, Feb. 7, Feb. 14-15, Feb. 21 and Feb. 28; 4-10:30 p.m. Jan. 9, Jan. 16, Jan. 23, Jan. 30, Feb. 6, Feb. 13, Feb. 20 and Feb. 27.

Stone Mountain Park is 16 miles east of downtown Atlanta. Take I-285 to exit 39B, Highway 78 East, park is at exit 8 on Highway 78.

Call 770-498-5690, 800-317-2006 or www.stonemountainpark.com

On the bypass

This morning, on the way to work, I noticed four Columbus Police Department officers on motorcycles at the bottom of the ramp going on the Lindsay Creek Bypass.

A few yards up, there were three more motor cops who had stopped motorists.

I'm glad because there are some out-of-control speeders on that part of the Bypass.

However, there is no reason to go 35 miles an hour just because there are seven police officers who are obviously looking for speeders.

I got behind some people actually going that slowly.

How dumb can you be? As long as you're doing 55, you're OK!

That's my pet peeve for the day.

Santa pictures with your pets

Want to have your pet's picture taken with Santa Claus?

I found a bargain for you.

The Second Avenue Animal Hospital, 4025 Second Ave., is holding two holiday picture sessions with Santa Claus and your pets. The sessions are 10 a.m.-noon Saturday and noon-2 p.m. Dec. 13.

Bring your pet and five cans of food or buy a holiday gift item and the photos are free. Each additional print is $2.

Your pets will get a treat.

All proceeds, including the canned goods will go to the Valley Rescue Mission.

See? It's a deal. I think I'll take my babies.

Call 706-507-7297.

Valley, Ala.'s Christmas Merry-Go-Round

I have known Linda Fulcher for many, many years. When I was the TV Book editor, I got to know all of the cable TV operators in our circulation area as well as all the TV folks from on-air personalities to executives.

Since I quit doing the TV thing, I still see some of the people I used to talk to once a week.

Linda's one of those folks. Actually, when I first met her, she was working at West Point Pepperell. It was later that she started working for the cable company in Valley, Ala.

When the Columbus Cottonmouths came to town, Linda was always there whenever I was.

The past few years, she's called me around this time of year, asking me to come visit her in Valley so I could ride the Christmas Merry-Go-Round at the Valley Sportsplex Complex.

There will be a special opening for the Merry-Go-Round from noon-5 p.m. Saturday. Tommy Johns' "Arctic Express — A Magical Train Tour of Winter Festivals of the World" will entertain with magic, puppets, music, balloon tying and storytelling. And, no, it's not the pitcher. This Tommy Johns (there's an "s" at the end of John), a local magician.

Kids and try to catch a trout with Lawton's Trout Farm. You can visit Santa Claus in Santa's House. There will be 20 food and artists booths.

There's no admission Saturday.

I guess I need to visit Valley this month.

The Christmas Merry-Go-Round hours are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday through Dec. 23. Christmas Eve hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

To get to the Sportsplex Complex, take U.S. 280 from Columbus to I-85 North to Valley. Take Exit 77 at the Ford car dealership. Take a right onto Fob James Drive. Take a right at the first traffic light onto Fairfax Bypass. The first right is Sportsplex Drive. Taken Sportsplex Drive to the end and find a parking space. The Merry-Go-Round is on the right ball field.

The best part of the Christmas Merry-Go-Round? It's free!

Call the Valley Community Center at 334-756-5290.

There's also a musical, "The Cotton Mill Christmas," at 7 p.m. Saturday by the First Community Theatre in the Langdale Theatre. It's about the holiday traditions that make Valley what it is.

To get to the Langdale Theatre, take U.S. 280 to I-85. Go north and taken Exit 77 and turn right. Go 2.5 miles to the second traffic light in front of the Valley First Baptist Church. Turn right. The theater is about 300 yards on the right, adjacent to LaFayette Lanier Elementary School.

Tickets are $5-$8, and will be available at the door.

Call 334-756-5228 or 334-756-5232.

Britney Spears

I'm not a big fan of Britney Spears, but I know there is a huge audience for her. I don't think she can sing. But then I don't think Madonna can either.

For the first time in five years, Spears will be on tour. She brings her "Circus" act to Atlanta's Philips Arena at 8 p.m. March 5. Opening the show is the Pussycat Dolls.

Tickets are $39.50-$549. They go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday.

Yikes! $549 to see Britney Spears? I don't think so. That price, though is the VIP package. What's in the package? Don't care.

But if you're dying to see the "Circus Tour," you can go to any Ticketmaster location, which includes the Columbus Civic Center box office or area Publix grocery store. Or go to www.ticketmaster.com or call 800-745-3000 to charge your ticket.

Billy Joel and Elton John

Back in 1994, I got to see a great concert featuring Elton John and Billy Joel together for the first time.

Now, John and Joel, the most successful and longest-running concert pairing in pop history, will reunite for their Face 2 Face tour and will perform in Atlanta's Philips Arena at 7:30 p.m. March 14.

The format for the concert will be the same. They perform a few songs together, playing dual pianos. Then each do a solo set. They end the concert together with both bands.

It's incredible. And I'm not particularly a fan of either. But I did like the show a lot.

The press release had two quotes from the musicians:

“I love touring with Billy. I have the greatest respect for him and we’re such good friends,” John said.

"The great thing about performing with Elton is that he is such a good piano player and that makes me have to dig deep to keep up with him, not to mention I've got the best seat in the house — only one piano away from Elton John!” said Joel.

John and Joel played the first date of their co-headlining Face 2 Face tour on July 8, 1994 in Philadelphia. That Veterans Stadium concert began a run of 21 sold-out performances in 13 cities and established a winning formula for all future Face 2 Face concerts. They last toured together in 2003.

Tickets are $55, $101 and $181, and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. We had really good seats in the Georgia Dome and I can promise you we didn't pay $181. Inflation, I guess.

If you can afford it, it's really worth the price of the ticket.

Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations, which includes Publix grocery stores in the Columbus area, or by going to www.ticketmaster.com To charge by phone, call 404-249-6400.

Georgia Historical Society gives award Thursday

Congratulations to Mike Bunn, the associate curator of history, at the Columbus Museum and Virginia Causey, a Columbus State University history professor. The Georgia Historical Society will give its top history award to Mike and Virginia for their work in promoting Columbus history.

Mike because of his work at the museum and Virginia for her series on Columbus.

It couldn't happen to two nicer people.