FESTIVA: T.I., New Year's Eve photos and video, Hometown Hollywood
Festiva's first issue of '09 focuses on controversial rap superstar T.I.'s concert Saturday night, as well as on the staggering number of local acts apparently opening for him.
>>> TABLE OF CONTENTS <<<
* COVER STORY
* THE WEEK'S TOP HEADLINES
* ONLINE PHOTO & VIDEO
* FILM & TV
* LOCAL MUSIC
* BOOKS
* T.I. TIME Nobody has a swagger like T.I. right now, but, as usual, controversy seems to follow success for this hip-hop artist. "You can go see Weezy for the wordplay, Jeezy for the bird play, Kanyeezy for diversity and me for the controversy," T.I. raps on his recent mega hit, "Swagga Like Us." Read more
* THE OPENING ACT MYSTERY The question on everyone's lips is: who's opening for T.I.? What seemed like half of the Rio Grande Valley's artists shouted from the rooftops (well, MySpace) that they're opening for rapper T.I. Saturday night at the McAllen Convention Center. Turns out, a lot of them were a bit too quick promote their performance. Read more
>>> THE WEEK'S TOP HEADLINES <<<
* DID McALLEN STEAL IDEA FOR UNDERPASS LIGHTS? --- A San Antonio-based artist has threatened to sue McAllen, saying the bright lights at the 10th Street underpass were his idea, court documents show. McAllen says its lights don't break any copyright or trademark laws, and city officials have asked a federal court to rule on the matter. As of deadline, the court had not ruled on the case and the artist had not sued the city. Read more
* NEVERSHOUTNEVER IS COMING --- March is shaping up to be a big month for music in the Rio Grande Valley --- dontgetemo's all day Never Say Never Festival will have 20 acts playing at the Pharr Convention Center, March 18. The line-up is slowly being announced each week. Read more
* SO, WHAT'S UP FOR NEW YEAR'S EVE 2009? --- The city dropped the ball. Mayor Richard Cortez said that was a good thing. About 10,000 people were downtown New Year's Eve for McAllen's first city-sponsored celebration of the occasion, which included food vendors, live music and a ball-drop akin to the famous Times Square event. The ball - a 6-foot sphere of steel, wire and bolts - lit up with nearly 200 lights near midnight and was lowered as the clock ticked down to zero. Read more or watch the video.
* TEJANO MUSIC AWARDS DATE ANNOUNCED --- The 29th Annual Tejano Music Awards will take place April 11, 2009, at the San Antonio Municipal Auditorium, the two nonprofit organizations sponsoring the event announced this week. Read more
* WATCH THE BALL DROP --- To watch the magic moment over again in this online video, click here.
* CHECK OUT THE PARTY --- To see footage of the revelry on the streets and at Club Shine, click here.
* NEW YEAR'S EVE PHOTOS --- View the pictures we took of people having a great time with their friends and family by clicking here. Who knows ... maybe we took your photo.
*CONCERT PHOTOS --- Check out these photos from the Toys for Tots benefit show featuring Arcane Display and Lunch, as well as the sold-out Christian concert Youth Revoluzion, featuring Abandon and Codigo.
SAN JUAN ACTOR HAD ROLES IN TRANSFORMERS --- Hearing "no" in Hollywood is never easy. But it's what Carlos Moreno signed up for when he decided to go to Los Angeles in 1996. He never expected to get into the business. But in 1991, while attending the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, Moreno took an acting class and has been a performer ever since. Read more
* FESTIVA CD REVIEW: Lamar Jones - 'Them L Jones' --- Lamar Jones second album, "Them L Jones," showcases the singer's talents. Gifted vocal range. Check. Complex, mood-altering songwriting. Check. Liberal use of talented collaborators. Yes, yes and yes. Read more
* FLICK LIT --- Festiva's new literature discussion group kicks off with the graphic novel Watchmen. Read more