No. 670: Off for the Weekend
📅 Today, Davis preps you, Jerod reviews May December, and Megan looks at a bill addressing juvenile crime and the governor's proposed budget.
Good afternoon, everyone.
Shaping up to be a nice weekend, so in case you're new here, I wanted to fill you in on some details of this newsletter that fly under the radar sometimes.
On Fridays, we typically release a more culture-oriented newsletter. To that end, down in the Local Noise section, you'll find our weekly events calendar (with an accompanying Spotify playlist of artists in town that week) and our comprehensive film rundown of all the movies opening in Nashville for that weekend. If none of that interests you, check out our handy list of fall day trips that work equally as well this time of year.
Also, if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, where we’ll be live at 1 p.m. CST today, or follow us on Twitter.
Onward.
✸ TABLOID WONDER
From Jerod Hollyfield
Julianne Moore doesn’t think she has enough hotdogs. This moment happens just a few minutes into director Todd Haynes’s latest, May December, but has come to define the movie in pop culture since it became a meme right before Christmas. Moore delivers the line while blankly staring into a refrigerator as she prepares for a barbecue at her home on an island just off the coast of Savannah. It’s punctuated by Marcelo Zarvos’s sting-heavy melodramatic score–seemingly ripped from a random Lifetime movie.
More than any recent trends in our always-online remix culture, the scene’s viral reception indicates how the rise of streaming has lowered our expectations, how we think we are above the Netflix guilty pleasures we reflexively binge. Those who shared the meme feel superior both in their tastes and media savvy. But the joke is on them. This is a Todd Haynes movie, and every detail, from Moore’s Magnolia chic attire to Netflix’s role as the film’s distributor is according to plan.
May December is a movie about the ethics of its casual viewers and the eroding relationship between art and the branding plans of our cookie-cutter influencer culture fueled by its elusive promises of democratic fame. And, with Haynes’s manifesto available in just about every American living room, he’s taking no prisoners.
✸ TEENS MAY BE TRIED AS ADULTS FOR GUN AND RETAIL THEFT
From Megan Podsiedlik
To the dismay of many in attendance, this week’s House Criminal Justice Subcommittee wasn’t able to make it through their entire agenda. That being said, one of the items they did address was a bill that would allow juvenile court judges to assign certain cases to adult courts if they involve minors committing firearm or organized retail theft.
“I ran this bill back in the special session,” bill sponsor Rep. Rusty Grills (R-Newbern) reminded the subcommittee. “This is something that has happened in my district…and I just wanted to give our DAs and our juvenile judges another tool in their toolbox to help combat these types of crimes.”
Rep Joe Towns Jr. (D-Memphis) thanked Grills for the bill and asked if it would apply, “...on the first offense, second offense, third offense?”
“Any offense,” Grills replied.
Rep. G.A. Hardaway (D-Memphis) asked Grills to clarify what the bill does that the current laws do not. “This is not a transferable crime, currently. It’s a delinquent act,” Grills explained. “Therefore it cannot be transferred to adult court.” The District 93 representative then asked a few technical questions to establish whether the law could apply to a kid “just stealing a stick of gum.”
Michelle Fogarty, the legislative attorney present, clarified that in the case of retail thefts, a juvenile judge could only reassign a case to adult court if it met the following three qualifications: it was organized by multiple people, the amount of goods stolen over a 90-day period equaled at least $1,000, and the criminals had the intent to sell, barter, trade, or fraudulently return the merchandise for gain.
The bill ultimately moved through the subcommittee without objection, and has been placed on next week’s Criminal Justice Committee.
FISCAL AGENDA CLIFFSNOTES
Two weeks ago, Governor Lee shared his budget for the ‘24-’25 fiscal year with the public. This Wednesday, the Sycamore Institute broke down the $52.6 billion budget which, according to Lee’s office, includes “strategic funding to ensure economic and educational opportunity, protect Tennessee voices, preserve our natural resources, [and] strengthen families,” among other things.
Perusing the report, the largest recurring spending increases appear to be $442 million for K-12 education, $214 million to match inflation changes for TennCare, and $157 million for state employee salaries and health insurance. The entire breakdown can be found here.
HEADLINES
Governor Lee Signs Marriage Bill Protecting Religious Convictions (Star) Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed into law a bill that protects the religious convictions of people approached to solemnize or officiate a marriage. “A person shall not be required to solemnize a marriage if the person has an objection to solemnizing the marriage based on the person’s conscience or religious beliefs,” reads the new law which took effect on Wednesday.
Proposed Revision Would Strip Racing Protections from Metro Charter (Banner) A group of advocates is moving closer to asking Nashville voters whether the Metro Charter should call for affordable housing, and not auto racing, at the Fairgrounds Nashville.
Music City Baseball taps Mortenson for analysis of 5 possible MLB stadium sites (NBJ) The Nashville office of Mortenson, headquartered in Minnesota, will do site and market analysis, site development assessments, cost estimates, schedules and phasing plans for at least three sites in Davidson County, one in Williamson County and one in Rutherford County, according to a Music City Baseball newsletter.
DEVELOPMENT
- Turnbridge Equities Tops-Out At Ashwood 12 South In Nashville (Now Next)
- Sean Brock to open second Joyland location this spring (NBJ)
- Cool Springs mixed-use building sells for $48.75M (Post)
- Monell’s owner sells Berry Hill properties for $6.35M (Post)
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🎻 Elgar's Enigma @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7:30p, $29+, Info
🪕 The Kevin Prater Band @ Station Inn, 9p, Info
🪕 Billy Strings @ Bridgestone Arena, 7:30p, $59+, Info
🪕 The Cowpokes @ Acme Feed & Seed, 12p, Free, Info
🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info
🎸 Kelly’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
✹ WEEKLY FILM RUNDOWN: February 23-29
The latest releases and special screenings hitting Music City this week.
Drive-Away Dolls Ethan Coen splits from his brother for this goofy crime caper that finds two best friends (Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan) unwittingly carting a trunk full of drugs on a road trip to Tallahassee as gangsters (Pedro Pascal, Colman Domingo) close in and corrupt politician (Matt Damon) seethes. Now playing in theaters.
Perfect Days German film legend Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire, Paris, Texas) has earned some of the best reviews of his career with this tale of a content toilet cleaner in Tokyo reflecting on the beauty of the world. A heck of a way to close out the winter on a life-affirming note. Now playing at AMC Thoroughbred 20 and The Belcourt.
Stopmotion While working on her magnum opus, a stop-motion animator loses her grip on reality as her fantasy world bleeds into her day-to-day. The trailer has more striking visuals than 75% of films released in a given year. Now playing in theaters.
Ordinary Angels Hilary Swank lays on the Southern accent thick to play a recovering alcoholic called by God to help a widower father (Alan Ritchson) manage his chronic illness in the latest from Franklin’s own Kingdom Story Company. Now playing in theaters.
📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.
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