Click here to play, and please let us know how you do by sharing on Instagram, Facebook, or X @RoughDraftATL.

This week’s quiz is sponsored by Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Enjoy Sounds of the Season at Symphony Hall

Join the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for Sounds of the Season at Atlanta Symphony Hall, December 23!

Celebrate the spirit of the holidays from around the world when your orchestra performs works that evoke the mystery and wonder of this magical time of year.  Bring in the holly with the whole family, featuring orchestral favorites like Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, White Christmas, and A Holly and Jolly Sing Along!

➞ Visit our website for tickets and information.

The post The Atlanta News Quiz for December 13 appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

As you can read in the printed pages and online here, the City of Sandy Springs is celebrating its 20th birthday. While many of the city’s intrepid founders, including newly reelected Mayor Rusty Paul, like to say that the push for independence from Fulton County began decades earlier, there is no question that Sandy Springs set the stage for the cityhood movement that has reshaped Metro Atlanta. 

I wasn’t much older than 20 when I left Sandy Springs, a decade before Eva Cohn Galambos and crew would achieve their goal. Truth be told, I couldn’t wait to spread my wings and experience other places. I needed independence, too, and getting away from my childhood home was how I felt I would achieve it.

That’s what makes the second milestone so poignant, if not slightly ironic. 

A crazy, lucky idea

Five years ago this month, I bought Reporter Newspapers and its portfolio of trailblazing local newspapers whose (declining) revenue came almost exclusively from print advertising. While the endeavor thrilled me, it was, admittedly, an odd time to do so. Media was being upended by technology, and some people were still spraying their mail with Lysol, let alone picking up printed newspapers. 

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK: Take our reader survey here.

The gamble has worked out beyond my expectations. In addition to creating the perfect job for myself, we are closing 2025 with record revenue, and readership approaching one million people each month across print, web, newsletters, and social media.

I don’t take any of this growth or success for granted. As you have read here before, industry headwinds remain fierce, and macroeconomic uncertainty is a constant threat to advertising investment.

I know we are reaching more and more people every week. In fact, a young journalist recently told me that “Even my friends who don’t follow the news read Rough Draft,” and I blushed and beamed simultaneously, pride fighting its way through my imposter syndrome. 

People are reading Rough Draft in print, online, and via email because the work our team puts out day after day is some of the best in town. Not only do I hear it from other local journalists, but I see it in our readership numbers and in the feedback from neighbors who tell me that they rely on our publications to stay informed. 

Our goal is to give you a mix of the news you need (local government, public safety) and the stories you crave (food, arts, real estate), and five years into this local media adventure, I’m really proud that we are hitting that mark. 

Please keep your feedback coming via email (keith@roughdraft.news) or via our year-end survey (it will take you less than two minutes). 

Coming home again

At a recent dinner to talk about the state of Black-Jewish relations in the wake of October 7 and George Floyd, I sat at a table where four people had grown up in Sandy Springs and fled as young adults, only to make their way “home” in the last five or six years. We shared similar stories, but all agreed that we were happy to be where we were. 

Real talk, as the kids say: I never thought I’d be engaged again in the community, let alone own the newspaper that has given me a front-row seat from which I can proudly say, “yeah, I grew up in Sandy Springs. It’s pretty nice, isn’t it?”  

Happy Holidays! Here’s to another 20 years of prosperity for the city and for local journalism.

The post Publisher’s Note: 20 years later, home again appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

The sheriff confirmed that five detainees and four sheriff’s office employees were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital with injuries related to smoke inhalation.

All of those people are stable, but a sheriff’s office lieutenant and a detainee have been intubated.

Labat said that a detainee out for free time gathered plastic trash bags and a plastic bag with Styrofoam food trays in the shower on the seventh floor of the jail’s north tower and set them on fire. He says that the detainee will be charged.

He was one of the detainees taken to the hospital.

All 118 detainees on that floor of the jail were moved to the south tower.

Read more at WSBTV.com.

The post Detainee charged after fire at Fulton County Jail injures nine people appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

It’s hostile takeover time

Dec. 12  — Happy Friday! We cannot start this week without talking about the biggest news in Hollywood – the bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. Last week, Warner Bros. announced that it would sell its movie studio and streaming business to Netflix for a whopping $72 billion. On Monday, Paramount Skydance, the other major player in the bid for Warner Bros., launched a hostile takeover bid for the entire company, including its cable networks, like CNN. 

It really feels like there is no good ending in this situation. There’s the general peril of consolidation in general – less jobs, less competition, etc. – and then there’s the choice we’re left with: a tech company with open disdain for the theatrical experience taking over a historic movie studio, or a Trump-approved company (although, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos is doing a bit of cozying up himself) taking over the movie studio and the news apparatus.

The second option is obviously much worse (Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has reportedly told President Trump that he would make “sweeping changes” at CNN if he came out on top), but nothing feels GOOD. I generally don’t like to doomsday too much in this newsletter, and obviously, nothing is a done deal here – but the more I think about our options, the more everything feels bad. I’ve been reading and listening about this deal a lot this week. If you want to go more in-depth, I highly recommend this piece in The New Yorker from Richard Brody and this episode of “The Big Picture” podcast. 

Without further ado … Action!

Disney has entered into a billion-dollar licensing agreement with OpenAI, allowing users of Sora, the AI company’s short-form video generator, to use Disney characters in their content. 

The Sundance Film Festival has announced its lineup for next year’s festival, which will be its last time in Park City before moving to Boulder, CO in 2027.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” led the Golden Globe nominations with nine nods, while “The White Lotus” swept in the television categories. Check out the full list of nominations here. 

 Ticket packages for the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival are now on sale now through Jan. 4.   

The movie social media app Letterboxd just launched the Letterboxd Video Store, where users can rent films. The first group of films is called “Unreleased Gems,” and includes movies you can’t watch anywhere else. 

The Tara Theatre hosted a special screening of Andrew Durham’s award-winning film “Fairyland” on Saturday, featuring a post-show talkback with some of Atlanta’s longtime LGBTQ+ activists. Check out Collin Kelley’s rundown of the evening here.

 Japanese actor Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, known for his roles in the film “Mortal Kombat” and the television series “The Man in the High Castle,” has passed away at the age of 75.

This week’s newsletter includes a closer look into the new Atlanta-based podcast “Atlanta Is…,” which will release its last episode next week. We’ve also got a review of the new Chloé Zhao film “Hamnet,” and a new edition of Spotlight. Plus, what’s coming to the movies this week and some reading and listening recommendations for your lunch break. 

Thanks for reading!
Sammie

‘Atlanta Is…’ podcast dives into what makes the city unique

Peters Street. Morris Brown. Club 559. For any local who knows their stuff, all of these names are synonymous with Atlanta. And the new podcast “Atlanta Is…” is diving deeper into the institutions, art, and culture that make Atlanta unique.

The podcast, produced by Will Packer Productions and Complex, features eight episodes that spotlight the stories behind Atlanta’s music scene, politics, film, religion, and more. To help decide what those stories should be, the production team brought in a trio of experts.

Jewel Wicker, Maurice Garland, and Christina Lee serve as hosts of the podcast,  tasked with figuring out just how those eight episodes should be divided up. With seven of the eight episodes already out (the final one drops Dec. 17), the trio has covered everything from the influence of Atlanta’s Black churches on the rest of the world to the city’s status as a Mecca for Black businesses.

 Learn more about the podcast here.

Celebrate the Season with Wonder at Fernbank Museum

SPONSORED BY FERNBANK MEMBERSHIP

Looking for the perfect gift?

Something that sparks joy, incites hugs, induces smiles, and warms the heart? Share a year of exploration with a Fernbank Membership—unlimited daytime general admission to exhibits, films, and nature adventures.

Members enjoy 75 acres of outdoor fun in WildWoods and Fernbank Forest, plus three floors of hands-on science exhibits indoors. Seasonal activities, canopy walks, and nature play areas await.

And don’t forget: Fernbank is unveiling new museum experiences over the next two years, starting with “Our Place in the Cosmos” in late 2025.

 Look for our Holiday 2025 sale running Dec. 18-25, 2025.

‘Hamnet’ and the act of creation as communion

WEEKLY FILM REVIEW

From the moment Agnes (Jessie Buckley) and Will (Paul Mescal) – more commonly known as William Shakespeare – first meet, a particular dynamic arises. Her emotions come easy, raw, and unfiltered, while he finds it necessary to process his through art.

“Hamnet,” Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel of the same name, dramatizes that dynamic in connection with the death of the couple’s 11-year-old son Hamnet (Jacobi Jupe), which in turn inspires perhaps Shakespeare’s most famous play, “Hamlet.” (The film begins by telling us that those two names would have been interchangeable at the time.)

While a bit clunky in its narrative setup, “Hamnet” slowly nestles into your heart, evolving into a beautifully considered meditation on art and legacy, but not necessarily in the way you expect a movie that’s, at least in part, about William Shakespeare to be. Although “Hamnet” is unmistakably about grief, it feels trite to pin its considerations down to just the process of dealing with unimaginable loss. Instead, “Hamnet” is also about the pain and joy of creation, both in parenthood and art. It’s about two people in a constant dance with each other and the world, reckoning with their pasts in an attempt to build something stronger together. 

 Read my full review here.

At the Movies!

If you’re looking for a movie to see in theaters this week, here’s what you’ve got to look forward to!

Movies releasing this weekend:
 “Ella McCay” (pictured)
 “Dust Bunny”
 “Lone Samurai”
 “F*ck My Son!”
 “Cactus Pears”
 “Silent Night, Deadly Night”
 “You Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine”
 “La Grazia”
 “Dick Van Dyke 100th Celebration”

Special Events:
 “Safe” in 4K @ The Plaza (Friday-Monday)
 “The Nightmare Before Christmas” @ The Plaza (Saturday-Wednesday)
 “Gremlins” Double Feature @ The Plaza (Saturday)
Soul Cinema Sunday: “The Wiz” @ The Plaza (Sunday)
 “Brazil” Director’s Cut in 4K @ The Plaza (Sunday-Wednesday)
 “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” @ The Tara (Friday-Thursday)
 Cineprov: “Die Hard” @ The Tara (Saturday)
 “The Lion in Winter” @ The Tara (Saturday-Tuesday)
 “The Shining” @ Multiple Theaters (Friday-Wednesday)
 “Sense and Sensibility” 30th Anniversary @ Multiple Theaters (Sunday-Wednesday)

Spotlight: Benicio del Toro in ‘One Battle After Another’

My favorite section of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” is the part that involves Sensei Sergio St. Carlos (Benicio del Toro), and his “Latino Harriet Tubman situation.”

When the authorities crack down on the sanctuary city where our main characters live, Sensei works to smuggle immigrants out of the city via a hidden passageway (hence the Harriet Tubman reference). The sequence is the film’s most electric, the camera following Sensei and the hapless Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) through an ever-expanding network of hallways and rooms, each hiding another person under Sensei’s care.

The reason this sequence, to be frank, rocks so damn hard is that it’s quietly getting at one of the main themes of the film — the importance of community within the context of a revolution. DiCaprio’s Bob isolates himself from the rest of the world. He did this when he was with the far-left group, The French 75, and he does so now that that part of his life is over. In contrast, Sensei knows everybody in town. As the sequence unfolds, it’s clear he has made a point to make himself an integral part of this community, gaining trust from even its most vulnerable members – and even from Bob and his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti), who don’t trust anyone.

That’s in the text, but so much of the reason the audience believes in Sensei is due to del Toro’s performance. He’s always had an edge of cool about him, and here he uses it to great effect. He glides through rooms, calm and collected, but with purpose, a foil to Bob’s stumbling, zig-zagging gait. Sensei is funny, but content for those in authority to mistake him for silly – his little dance upon being caught by the cops (pictured above) betrays just enough goofiness so that he’s not taken seriously, and so that he can continue to scoot by unnoticed. But somehow, del Toro is able to imbue a guy who necessarily has to fly under the radar with so much raw power. It’s that Clint Eastwood kind of power – the kind where he doesn’t have to raise his voice to command attention, or deliver an order. The people who know him – and he makes sure his community knows him – would never mistake his good nature for guilelessness. He always has a plan. 

Lights, Camera, Action!

Speaking of “One Battle After Another,” I really love this piece about the movie from critic Angelica Jade Bastién. Since the film’s release, there’s been a lot of chatter about its handling of Black female characters, and I think Bastién does a great job at exploring those issues with nuance – celebrating the complicated characters at the center of the story and giving kudos to the amazing actresses who play them, all while considering where Anderson’s script might have fallen short. 

When the Golden Globes nominations came out, who else could I turn to but my old trusty prognosticators at the “Little Gold Men” podcast? Take a listen to this recent episode where they talk about the biggest snubs and surprises. 

Kristen Stewart made headlines this week for breaking down her issues with how some actors (namely, men) approach The Method, and the art of acting in itself. That was only a small bit of an interview she recently did with David Marchese of the New York Times, talking about her directorial debut, “The Chronology of Water.” You can read the whole thing – light Marlon Brando shade included – here. 

Today’s Scene was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.

The post 💗 ‘Hamnet’ has heart appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.

Tucker’d out and it’s only December 12

Dec. 13 — It’s Cathy from Rough Draft with my weekly newsletter on Tucker. Holiday fatigue is apparently a thing, which is sort of crazy when this is supposed to be the “hap-hap-happiest season of all.” Apparently, it has something to do with FOMO, sugar, lack of sleep, and weather. Check, check, check, and check.

But we aren’t here to complain. We’re here to give you a little news about Tucker, and then move on to eating more sugar, sleeping less, and trying to be in two places at one time.

 Let’s get on with the news,
Cathy and Stephanie

A send-off for Auman

Tucker’s final 2025 city council meeting served as an homage to Mayor Frank Auman, who will soon end his tenure as the city’s first mayor. 

A reception, a proclamation granting Auman a key to the city, and several tributes were sprinkled through the evening’s traditional council meeting.

One such tribute came from Allyson Gevertz, DeKalb County Board of Education’s vice chair and District 4 representative, who recalled meeting Auman in 2015 when he was laying the groundwork for Tucker’s cityhood bid.

“I knew at the time that you were amazing and that the grassroots effort with Tucker was going to make Tucker the best city in DeKalb, the best city in Georgia, and you’ve done it,” she said. “I mean, your leadership, it’s been amazing…You have worked with six superintendents at DeKalb County Schools. You have been so patient with us.”

  Here is Stephanie’s story

Celebrate the Season with Wonder at Fernbank Museum

SPONSORED BY FERNBANK MEMBERSHIP

Looking for the perfect gift?

Something that sparks joy, incites hugs, induces smiles, and warms the heart? Share a year of exploration with a Fernbank Membership—unlimited daytime general admission to exhibits, films, and nature adventures.

Members enjoy 75 acres of outdoor fun in WildWoods and Fernbank Forest, plus three floors of hands-on science exhibits indoors. Seasonal activities, canopy walks, and nature play areas await.

And don’t forget: Fernbank is unveiling new museum experiences over the next two years, starting with Our Place in the Cosmos in late 2025.

 Look for our Holiday 2025 sale running Dec. 18-25, 2025.

Swinson investigation has wrapped up, but …..?

The DeKalb County Internal Affairs Unit has completed its investigation into an incident involving a DeKalb County Police Department officer and a trans woman at Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library.

The officer, who has been identified as Officer GA Weaver, was issued violations regarding professional image, body-worn camera, off-duty employment, and duty to read/understand/comply with orders, according to a memo from DeKalb County Police Sgt. Joel T. Marshall. The internal affairs department, Marshall notes in the memo, is an administrative fact-finding unit that is “not involved with any disciplinary action.”

The investigation report has been placed in Weaver’s employee file, according to the memo. Whether putting a piece of paper into someone’s file can be seen as making a meaningful change is unknown.

 Read more about it here.

Holiday help X6

Spreading holiday cheer doesn’t have to end with your own friends and family.

After you’ve trimmed the tree and cleared the Amazon shopping cart, there’s an array of ways to become a Tucker family’s Secret Santa through donations of your time or resources.

From toy giveaways to volunteering, Tucker’s nonprofits, government agencies, and local businesses are ensuring all Tucker families feel the love this Christmas season.

6⃣  Here are six ways you can make an impact in your town.

Santa arrives in Tucker

 Tucker Parks and Recreation kicked off the city’s North Pole at Tucker on Saturday, Dec. 6, the first official event at the recently opened Tucker Town Green.

The hot chocolate was flowing throughout the nippy night, with temperatures dipping into the low 30s as the Christmas tree and menorah were lit that night. The evening also featured a visit from Santa and a Christmas Train, which remained in motion for most of the night. Which is kind of what everyone needed to do to prevent frostbite.

 Here’s a recap of the night.

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The post 😜 Christmas crazy appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.