Hey, Friday!
Dec. 5 — If you see a bunch of people running down Peachtree Street in Midtown in their underwear tomorrow afternoon, don’t be alarmed. It’s just the annual Atlanta Santa Speedo Run to raise money for HIV/AIDS prevention nonprofit Joining Hearts.
☔ Scattered showers with a high of 48° today. Saturday and Sunday will be overcast with potential rain.
⚽ The FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Draw is today at noon in Washington, DC. There is a local watch party outside Fado in Buckhead Village.
🔎 The GBI is investigating an officer-involved shooting in Sandy Springs after a suspect was wounded during a domestic assault call.
🍽️ Here’s a list of restaurants that opened in Atlanta this past November.
🎥 Atlanta Pride and Out on Film announced the five recipients of the 2025 Reel Resistance Fellowship.
🍎 The Atlanta Board of Education voted unanimously to accept a consolidation plan that would repurpose 16 schools, including closing more than a dozen buildings.
🥫 The Atlanta Community Food Bank announced receipt of a $750,000 grant to strengthen food donation efforts between food banks, partner agencies, and local retailers.
ELSEWHERE
🎬 Warner Bros. has entered exclusive negotiations with Netflix on a deal for its film and streaming assets.
🚨 A Virginia man was arrested and accused of placing pipe bombs outside the Democratic and Republican headquarters before the 2021 Capitol riot.
🎤 At least four countries will boycott the 2026 Eurovision contest over Israel’s participation.
🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
• Hawks celebrate Outkast
• Film Review: ‘Jay Kelly’
• The Sports Section
AND
• Top Stories of the Week
Have a good weekend!
👪 There are so many new opportunities for young families at Congregation B’nai Torah in Sandy Springs. Plus, your first year of membership is free! Come check out an upcoming event or join us for Tot Shabbat.
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1. Atlanta Hawks celebrate Outkast’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction
🏀 The Dec. 2 Atlanta Hawks matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers was a hometown celebration of music, culture, and sports. The team honored iconic rap duo Outkast following their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last month.
Big Boi, one-half of the legendary group, was in attendance, joined by longtime producer Sleepy Brown, while Usher sat courtside to celebrate the festivities.
To mark the occasion, the Hawks gave away special-edition, Outkast-themed vinyl figures to the first 5,000 fans through the doors. Halftime featured a special tribute from Tri-Cities High School, the duo’s alma mater.
🎶 Learn more about the occasion here.
A winter wonderland is coming to town – come enjoy it with us!
SPONSORED BY PERIMETER COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS
⛸️ Playfully Perimeter, the Perimeter CIDs‘ community pop-up series, is taking over the ice rink at High Street Atlanta on Dec. 11 from noon-5 p.m.
Come by for free skating, hot cocoa, and Perimeter goodies, all while supplies last. Bring your team for a festive midday break, take a few laps to round out your workday, or bring the whole family to skate and sip.
☕ Register now, then hurry out to grab your spot on Dec. 11!
2. Jay Kelly and a movie star’s final take
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL
⭐ There’s a certain kind of movie about “the movies.” You know the type – movies that don’t equivocate on the harshness of the business itself, but come down on the side of it all being worth it.
But “Jay Kelly,” directed by Noah Baumbach and co-written by Baumbach and Emily Mortimer, is not really one of those films. Starring George Clooney as an aging movie star looking for meaning as his career starts to wind down, it’s a movie about regret – more of a desperate, deathbed confession than a tribute to movie stardom.
“Jay Kelly” isn’t subtle by any means, but the pure anguish that runs under the surface of Baumbach’s latest work rings harsh and true by the film’s end. We’ve all considered the question of whether our lives have meaning or not, but most of us don’t have to live with the prospect of having the perceived sum total of our lives shoved in our faces day in and day out.
🎬 Click here to read Sammie’s review.
🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry. Subscribe for free.
3. Conference Championship weekend
BY SAMANTHA GARDELLA | SPONSORED BY NYO
🏀 The Hawks will honor the Divine 9 Night tonight, celebrating the nine Black Greek Letter Organizations of the NPHC, while hosting Denver at 7:30 p.m. (FanDuel Sports; 92.9 FM)
🏈 After a crushing loss to the Jets last week, the Falcons host the Seahawks on Sunday at 1 p.m. (FOX; 92.9 FM).
🏈 No. 3 Georgia and No. 9 Alabama meet in tomorrow’s SEC Championship Game at 4 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (ABC; 95.5 FM).
🎾 Hometown star Ben Shelton faces Nick Kyrgios tomorrow in The Atlanta Cup, an exhibition event also featuring Aryna Sabalenka vs Naomi Osaka.
⚽ Both Emory men’s and women’s soccer teams have advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Championship. The teams will travel to Salem, VA, next week for the semifinals.
🏐 In the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament, Georgia Tech lost to UCLA 3-2.
🏈 Here are this weekend’s other local college games:
- Kennesaw State plays Jacksonville State tonight for the CUSA Championship at 7 p.m. (CBS Sports; Sirius XM 963).
- Mercer hosts South Dakota tomorrow for Round Two of the FCS Playoffs at noon (ESPN+, Mercer Sports Network).
🏀 In local college basketball:
- Georgia Tech men host Monmouth University tomorrow at 12 p.m. (ACC Network Extra, 93.7 FM).
- Georgia State women are in Florida to face FIU tonight at 7 p.m. and Miami on Sunday at 2 p.m.
- Georgia State plays Kennesaw State for tomorrow’s 3 p.m. game (97.5 FM).
- Kennesaw women host Thomas University tomorrow at 12 p.m. (ESPN+).
- Emory women are 7-0 as they host local rival Oglethorpe tomorrow at 2 p.m. (FloCollege).
- Emory men host Berry College on Sunday at 2 p.m. (FloCollege).
- CAU men and women host Spring Hill College tomorrow at 2 p.m. (SIAC Network).
🏈 The Score Atlanta game of the week is the quarterfinals matchup between the Gainesville (10-2) and Langston Hughes (12-0) tonight at 8 p.m. Watch live on Atlanta News First (Channel 46) and the Peachtree Sports Network, beginning with the Georgia High School Countdown to Kickoff pregame show at 7:30 p.m. Postgame coverage airs live until midnight.
✨ Don’t miss this weekend’s Miracle on Peachtree festivities in and around Buckhead Village District! Enjoy wreath decorating, a hot chocolate crawl, and a tree lighting ceremony accompanied by holiday music and photo ops with llamas! Learn more here.
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4. Top Stories of the Week
A look back at this week’s most-read stories from our website. Follow @RoughDraftATL on Instagram for regular updates.
① Rough Draft Atlanta’s Best New Restaurants of 2025
② Incumbent Mayor Rusty Paul wins runoff election in Sandy Springs
③ Center for Puppetry Arts gifted giant Kermit the Frog statue
④ Get festive at these holiday pop-up bars around Atlanta
⑤ David Byrne wows raucous, dancing crowd at The Fox (pictured)
🛍️ Find holiday gifts galore at Midtown Alliance’s pop-up outdoor market tomorrow, Dec. 6 from 12-6 p.m. Shop unique goods from vintage clothing to handmade art at 40+ booths on the corner of Peachtree and 12th Streets. Enjoy holiday tunes, a prize raffle, and free hot cocoa. Get details here!
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💭 Test your knowledge of the week’s news in tomorrow’s News Quiz. Keep an eye out for our email at 8 a.m. or bookmark this page!
🔤 Don’t miss News Word Atlanta, our daily word game.
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