Downtown Memphis Blog

http://www.wmcstations.com/Global/story.asp?S=8307997

Reported by Anna Marie Hartman
Memphis quits The First 48

Updated: May 11, 2008 11:17 PM
Internet Insider
The First 48 on A & E network
News

The City of Memphis and A & E network’s The First 48 have decided to call it quits.

Audiences around the country have grown to love Memphis homicide detectives featured on the real life crime drama.

Executive producer Laura Fleury says that after several years spotlighting crime investigations in Memphis, the city suddenly decided to suspend their agreement with the A & E network.

“I really have no idea. I mean the people of Memphis seem to love it,” said Fleury.

Fleury says Memphis is one of the favorite featured cities with The First 48 audience members nationwide. But sources within the Memphis Police Department say homicide detectives need a break.

City leaders like council member Wanda Halbert say Memphis needs a break from the negative publicity. Though she appreciates the exposure to MPD’s diligent detective work, Halbert worries about the popular program’s effect on would-be visitors to the Bluff City.

“Memphis is not unlike any other urban city where we have our challenges, but it’s certainly a great place to live, and we want to advocate that to others and encourage them to visit our city,” said Halbert.

Producers say the show has had a positive impact by showcasing the diligent work of detectives and how they interact with the community to solve cases. They say the community is much more motivated to come forward and provide information as a result of the program.

“We love filming in Memphis for a lot of reasons, one because they are a terrific police department very dedicated to solving their cases,” said Fleury.

Show producers say the city is still in discussions with the network, and they hope to resume their working relationship with the Memphis Police Department in the future.

I just sent my feelings to memphispolice.org:

I applaud the Memphis Police Department’s decision to stop working with A&E on the documentary show The First 48. I wouldn’t want you to break the protocol of ignoring the crime problem in Memphis as opposed to actually addressing it.

Mikel Sigler

I finally got around to trying Flying Fish last night after living within blocks for the entire year or so it’s been open. Since I’ve never eaten there, I decided to just go with their “specialty” and got the fried catfish fillet dinner with fries and hush puppies. I called in my order, walked down there, and it was ready. The catfish was about as good as fried catfish gets. It was surprisingly free of grease (as far as deep fried bottom feeders go). The fries were good, and didn’t have the fishy taste that everything in some fish places get. I wasn’t a big fan of the hush puppies, they were almost sweet, really strange. I’ll definitely eat there again, I’ll just sub something for the hush puppies. I was starving, and didn’t notice that my camera battery was completely dead until i got home with the food, and I sure as fuck wasn’t waiting. I’ll edit this post with a picture next time I get food there. In the meantime, here’s a stock image from their website.

I mean, that must be the case if we have the time, money, and resources to devote to legislation as to which parts of titties are allowed to be seen in strip clubs. Pending legislation would change the rules for strip clubs, including banning the sale of alcohol, requiring dancers to remain six feet from customers and other dancers, and banning full exposure of breasts, essentially requiring topless dancers to wear pasties. Titties = Serious business. Give me a fucking break. Let’s try and move out of the top 20 cities for crime per capita, then we’ll concern ourselves with anatomical breasticular legality.

The ordinance, which also requires dancers to stay 6 feet from customers and from one another during performances, aims “to destroy, and will destroy the market for live adult entertainment in the City of Memphis,” the suit contends.

I have no legal credentials, but IMO they have a pretty good case. Topless dancing/gentleman’s clubs/adult entertainment is a legal business, and the city, state, and county all make money hand over fist on permits and taxes for these businesses. Making most aspects of their business model illegal seems to directly infringe on their legal right to conduct business.

I’ll be honest, I’m not a big fan of strip clubs. I’ve never really understood the allure, unless you’re horrifically ugly. Most any decent looking guy with any hint of a personality can likely go to a bar, buy a couple of drinks and have a real chance of not only talking to a girl but actually sleeping with her. I’ve been to a strip club less than 5 times in my life, and each time was a birthday or bachelor party for someone else. That said, I think the recent legislation is pseudo-puritanical bullshit. Take their money for decades and give them shit the whole time for operating a business for which you granted a business license and make plenty of money on the tax revenues.

I’d be interested in averaging the salaries of the people involved in this legislation and finding out how much time was spent on the matter in order to get a rough approximation of how much we’re paying to have our government tell us which parts of funbags are acceptable. I think I have a new project for tomorrow.

I was reading the wiki article on Memphis, looking for basic population data.

I get to the end of the article and notice List of Famous People from Memphis, TN, so I decide to check it out.

I’m scanning the usual list of old blues musicians and a smattering of actors when I notice a familiar name, Veronica Finn. She was in the “Girl Band” Innosense. She was also my backup ride to highschool when my normal ride was having car problems.  Anyway, strange to see a wiki page on someone you know.

More details here.

I missed the Stern show yesterday, but had people tell me that Artie lost it again, this time freaking out on his assistant Teddy, and quit. I’m listening right now, it’s up on youtube. I was wondering why they were replaying monday’s show on thursday. It pisses me off that they pulled the replay. It’s not a legal issue, it already happened and was broadcast, why deprive your subscribers of interesting content? Kinda makes all the “No more bullshit” taglines a little hard to swallow.

Listening right now on youtube, I’ll update in half an hour or so…

Edit - Jesus, Artie really has lost his fucking mind. He’s blowing up over nothing. I hope he gets his shit together, when he’s actually fucking awake he’s one of the best parts of the show.