Hey, who shut off the power?

Oh, it’s you, director Christopher Columbus.

What happened, man? “Rent” started off so well and you were doing such a good job and then, pffft, the magic is gone. The film lost so much steam I thought the reel would stop rolling and the film would start to burn. You had a perfect blueprint to work with and instead of building on it, something bad happened and the whole thing started to collapse. Weird.

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe ... she had 10 kids and not a clue what to do. Well, actually, in the new movie “Yours, Mine, and Ours,” she (Rene Russo playing Helen) was young and beautiful and perfectly happy with her colorful, artsy life. Then she met a military man (Dennis Quaid playing Frank) she used to date in high school and after that it was love at “second” sight! He has 8 kids of his own!

Peachtree City will kick off the Christmas season Dec. 3 with events the whole family can enjoy.

“Peachtree City’s Hometown Holiday,” as the event is being called, will begin with a silent auction featuring eight fully lit and decorated Christmas trees. The trees, ranging in size from 4.5 feet to 7.5 feet, were donated by Home Depot and were decorated by local businesses and groups. The auction will commence at 5 p.m. and the final bids will be taken at 6 p.m. Winners of the auction will be announced at the end of the “Christmas at the Fred” program which takes place directly following the auction. All proceeds from the auction will go to the Real Life Center to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina who have relocated to the area as well as those still in the gulf region affected by the hurricane.

Evolving Pointe, Inc., a nonprofit dance company dedicated to cultural enrichment through performing arts, and Dance Contempra, the center for dance education, will be performing an original and innovative ballet, “The Grinch ... A Contemporary Ballet,” Dec. 3-4 at Starr’s Mill High School Auditorium.

The McIntosh High School Art, Debate, Drama and Graphic Art departments are teaming up for a night celebrating the arts with the Empty Bowls Dinner Theatre Thursday, Dec. 8.

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it’s time to move into the next phase of the holiday season. Shopping, decorating, party giving and party going are all familiar and annual occurrences that pull us into the spirit. Another event that announces the holidays loud and clear each year is the Nutcracker Ballet.

This weekend, A Better Way Ministries, Inc. invites you to attend their 2005 Christmas Candlelight Tour of Homes.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the biggest Johnny Cash fan out there.

He saved the Sorcerer’s Stone, he ventured into the chamber of secrets, and he rescued the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Bundle up the kids and grab your mittens for Fayetteville’s thirteenth annual Christmas Tree Lighting on Sat., Dec. 3.

The box office opens for Southside Theatre Guild’s production of “Miracle on 34th Street,” Thursday, Nov. 24.

Helping animals in need

The Georgia Heartland Humane Society (GHHS) will hold their third annual 5K Doggie Dash tomorrow in Peachtree City.

Christmas Spectacular will have audiences in the holiday spirit

This weekend marks the opening days of the Radio City Rockettes’ appearance at The Fox Theatre. The Rockettes will put on shows through Dec. 4 for a total of 35 dazzling performances.

The 1950s represent a time we associate with jukeboxes and sock-hops not fear and terrorism.

Kids, when your Uncle Mike was growing up, we had movies like “Explorers,” “The Goonies” and “The Last Starfighter.”

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From the world of “Jumanji” comes a new space adventure.

I debated going to see "Jarhead" for my movie review, but since Michael was going to see "Chicken Little," and you literally couldn't

From the sounds of all of the nation’s critics squawking, “Chicken Little” was going to be the equivalent of bird flu on the screen.

On Nov. 11, the red paper poppy will be offered to the public by the American Legion Auxiliary. Members of the Fayetteville Unit 105 will ask the public to pause for a moment, pin on a poppy, and wear it with pride, remembering the civilian who took an oath to serve his country and gave his life for America.

The Newnan-Coweta Art Association (NCAA) has announced the details concerning this year's annual Holiday Extravaganza.

This weekend Landmark Christian School along with the Southern Crescent Symphony Orchestra will perform one of the biggest cultural arts events to hit the metro Atlanta area.

If you’re in the mood for some good old fashioned southern gospel music, then you will be pleased to find out that Fayetteville First United Methodist Church is the place to be this weekend. Sunday evening, Nov. 13, the church will play host to two Georgia-based gospel groups.

Offshoot Productions’ “The Pied Piper,” a children’s participation show, opened Thursday at the Fayette Family YMCA in Fayetteville. The production, which runs through November 13, puts a unique spin on the famous story.

The Line Creek Civitan Club’s 2005 Great Chili Challenge will be held on tomorrow, November 5, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Shakerag Knoll, adjacent to the Frederick Brown Amphitheater, in Peachtree City. Ed O’Bar, the Event Chairperson, says, “This will be a great day of fun and fellowship for the entire family. Participants will also have the opportunity to taste some fabulous chili!”

This weekend two local high schools perform their annual fall plays. One is a historical dramedy taking place during the 1989 fall of communism in Germany, while the other is a crazy comedy that takes place on a street corner. Both are sure to entertain audiences.

The long-standing tradition of the Main Street Pumpkin Walk continues tonight and tomorrow, October 28 and 29. Groups and schools are invited to line the Courthouse Square sidewalks with their decorated pumpkins by 4 p.m. tonight and the pumpkins should be lit both Friday and Saturday nights.

Opening tonight, “Wit,” winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, will be presented at the Newnan Theatre Company (NTC). The powerful one-act play centers on a learned, literary woman as she deals with her advanced metastatic ovarian cancer.

Fayette-Coweta Family Theatre, Inc. will rock the stage of the Villages Amphitheater in Fayetteville this weekend when they bring the crowd pleasing production "The Nifty Fifties" to life. An original score full of fabulous 1950s music, nostalgia, fun characters, and, of course, Rock 'n' Roll will entertain audiences of all ages, as it takes folks back to a simpler place and time. FCFT is excited to be able to be to bring live theatre back to the beautiful Villages Amphitheater once again after their very successful production of "Joseph and the Amazing Dreamcoat" was presented there this past summer to record crowds and standing ovations.

"Do you ever feel like you're just fooling everybody?" That is the question posed by Kirsten Dunst's character in Cameron Crowe's new flick, "Elizabethtown."

Noted civil rights legend Dr. C. T. Vivian will be the guest speaker at the 8th annual Freedom Fund Banquet, sponsored by the Fayette County NAACP Branch. The event will be on Saturday, October 29th at the Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center, 2443 Highway 54 in Peachtree City. The theme this year is "Footprints of Civil Rights Heroes Igniting Our Steps Into The Future."