Postcards from the edge

If you're not living life on the edge, you're taking up too much space. Simply put, that's my New Year's theme (not a resolution) ... Feel free to adopt it.

In keeping with the theme, I went right down to the wire in figuring out my plans for New Year's Eve. I'm no procrastinator, but I was relying on Delta Airlines to release some really cool warm-weather destinations for the weekend via their Web fares, but I grew weary of that, remembering they didn't offer any destinations the week of Christmas. YIKES ...

Thinking that surely they wouldn't diss me in the same manner again, they did. There went my plans of rolling around on a beach, butt naked with a cocktail in hand. I was left with cold-weather destinations to choose from via Delta's Escape plan. Charleston, S.C., was the chosen destination.

Having never been there, I was a bit unsure what to expect, but hey, life is one big adventure. With tickets purchased and no hotel the day before departure, I sent out an APB to my Hushbox hunks and hunnies for a hotel reference. (I actually ran into Wilma Southern, formerly of the Woodruff Arts Center and presently of 360i.com, there.) Anyway, Charleston Place, formerly known as the Omni, is what I opted for, mainly because of the Fodor's rating and others recommendations. For those considering a curiosity visit, or for you who are going to the Spoleto Festival in May, here are a few suggestions. Unless you stay on the club level at the aforementioned hotel, take your $200 or so a night and opt for a much cozier & intimate lil' B&B. As far as the eats & treats ... Hyman's Seafood; the Pickney St. Cafe for breakfast (the shrimp and grits are out of control); A.W. Shucks for its raw bar; Blossom Cafe for a change of the seafood pace; and the brunch at High Cotton is swanging. Enjoy.

In the spirit of survival, not the weather type, here we go again with another one of those survival TV shows. Debuting this week is the new Fox series, "Temptation Island," which is about engaged couples stranded on an island with 26 singles trying to break them up. Damm, did they really have to go to an island for that? In any case, one of the couples is Atlanta's Billy Cleary and Mandy Lauderdale. I've been invited to the premiere party here in Atlanta, so I'll let you know next week how it went, provided it is worthy of coverage or I have nothing else to do.

Before heading out Saturday night to the highlight of my week, FunkJazzKafe, I had a chance to stop by Spice, you know, that new Midtown bar/restaurant that has more than a few residents pissed about its construction. It opened last Tuesday and is quite pleasant on the eye. The food I sampled was tasty but the music and bar service was wrong. Wrong as in more appropriate for a nightclub than this caliber of a joint, and the speediness of the service at the bar was as slow as the pouring of 150-year-old Grand Marnier. The most interesting element present was the crowd. The A-list of hairdressers was represented to the fullest, including Rob Davis of Bongini & Davis. Also in attendance was event producer Richard Zuber, who was celebrating his anniversary, and Kym Smith & Calvin Cepada of Scott Cepada, who added a very nice touché of needed soul.

Not lacking any level of soul was Jason Orr's FunkJazzKafe. For those who have been hiding under a rock since 1994, this is truly the event in Atlanta that draws the city's most eclectic crowd. Catch the next one. For weeks now, the rumor has been that the U.K.'s Omar was going to put it down, and yes he did, backed by Atlanta songsters Dionne Farris and Terrance Shelton. Following Omar's performance was another that sent the Tabernacle's unstable floors into a wild frenzy, especially when singing "Fight the Power." Gracing the audience with a rare performance was Public Enemy. Notably absent was Flava Flav, but Chuck D and Professor Griff put it down. They collectively did a set of the classics spanning back from 1984 thru present day. Don't sleep, the boys still got it and are still Public Enemy No. 1.