This is the Andy Griffith we prefer. Black and white. No oral sex {thanks, Viacom}

If you’re from the South, it’s the law: Thou must love Andy Griffith, thou must watch “The Andy Griffith Show” and thou must believe that Mayberry, N.C., is a modern-day Garden of Eden.

So my Southern roots were rocked when I learned Andy Griffith receives oral sex in his latest film, “Play the Game.”

To be fair, I haven’t seen this film. I don’t fault actors when they step outside of their box. But reviews of “Play the Game” (Baltimore release date not set) are not kind. The San Francisco Chronicle says, “Take away the dirty parts, and this is the type of thing you can get for free on the Hallmark Channel every day.”

One such dirty part? “A scene where the ex-Sheriff Taylor of Mayberry gets slipped a Viagra and starts looking toward his genital region while yelling, “It’s alive! It’s alive!” the Chronicle reports.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ashland Avenue, East Baltimore {Thanks, Baltimore Sun}

As I sat in the airport Sunday afternoon, preparing to board a plane headed to a journalism conference in Tampa, Fla., I read the Sunday edition of The Baltimore Sun.

The most striking articles were two pieces that followed up on the week-old mass shooting in East Baltimore. First, there was the article which described the response of the community and neighbors, and the second piece which described the response of the first responders that had come to the aide of those shot on July 26.

The picture those stories painted were one of a neighborhood constantly battling to keep their families and their streets safe. It also showed that in spite of blight, crime and poverty, many people in Middle East love calling East Baltimore home.

Read the rest of this entry »

{Brian Krista, b}

30,000.

That’s the number of abandoned properties in Baltimore, as estimated by the city Housing Authority. And that’s the focus of Baltimore Slumlord Watch. These Baltimoreans started the blog in January, saying they’re not involved in real estate and don’t make a profit from calling out “slumlords.” Their mission is to provide a public service by bringing attention to abandoned properties — or slums, for lack of a better word. As part of the regular bthesite.com feature “Meet the local blogger,” Baltimore Slumlord Watch’s editor gave b the inside scoop on the blog and its mission.

Read the rest of this entry »

Washington is still abuzz about last weekend’s White House Correspondent’s Association Dinner.

The annual confab brings together the President and First Lady, senior government and White House officials, members of Congress, the media including esteemed White House correspondents, and tons of celebrities.

And there’s always a comedian which was this year Wanda Sykes, who most certainly stirred up some controversy.

Sykes more controversial jokes were targeted at radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. Take a look for yourself to decide if you thought Sykes was funny or not.

Read the rest of this entry »

{thanks, AP}

The mortgage crisis has created catastrophic problems for many Americans (hey, just ask President Obama). But it has created opportunities for some, too: first-time homebuyers. They snapped up about half of all the previously occupied homes sold in March, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Though sales overall are down — 18 percent year-over-year in the Baltimore area — agents across the country say first-time buyers’ interest is high.

Read the rest of this entry »

Question Mark

In the city of Baltimore one of the biggest challenges facing city government is the urban blight caused by the large number of vacant and abandoned homes in neighborhoods throughout the city.

According to the site American Towns there are 42,481 vacant homes in Baltimore.

Communities where there are a large concentration of abandoned homes often play host to depreciating home values, and increased crime among other things.

Also fire investigators have investigated the possibility that squatters have started a number of fires in vacant homes in attempts to stay warm. That’s what neighbors believed led to a fire in West Baltimore several weeks ago.

The site Slum Lord Watch prides itself on calling out property owners who authors say are actually slumlords.

Those behind the site say their work is so dangerous that they won’t identify themselves by name, but something they will do is answer next week’s blogger survey anonymously.

So what do you want to “ask the local blogger”?

Submit your questions for the editor of Slum Lord Watch and we’ll get the answers.

Or e-mail your questions to bchrisnelson@gmail.com

If you’re looking for some financial direction, here’s a place to start: Baltimore CASH (Creating Assets, Savings and Hope) presents its free Money Power Day at Poly (officially Baltimore Polytechnic Institute), 1400 W. Cold Spring Lane.

Read the rest of this entry »

Senator Theatre (photo courtesy of The Senator)

The community folk filed into the Senator Theatre as the thick bass and smooth tenor voices of an a cappella group, The Smooth Teaze, reverberated through the half-darkened hall.  It was a doo-wop dirge for an old friend.  Many came bearing stories and fond remembrances. Some showed up to voice their opinions.  All were looking for answers.

Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a new online marketplace out and there and it’s called Homstie dot com (unfortunately as I write this the site is down).

Homestie is similar in some ways to Craigslist with one exception, the only thing on the marketplace is unused space in one’s home.

That’s right in order to make a few bucks, users advertise space in their homes which others can use for storage.

While that might be a good idea for some, may not be such a great option for others.

Our friends at The Baltimore Sun report there’s something else others with unused rooms can do to help foot the bills.

Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewing stands for President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration parade are built on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House. {thanks, AP}

From today’s b, the paper

So, with hotels across the region booked for this month’s inauguration, you’ve decided to make a few bucks by renting out your home for the first time.
Read the rest of this entry »