• Looks like one of Jimmy Buffett’s New Year’s resolutions was to visit Jacksonville more. The announcement of Summerzcool Tour stop in Jacksonville Feb. 20 breaks from his schedule of visiting Jacksonville every 10 years. Buffett played Jacksonville in 1975, 1985, 1995 and 2005 previously, cutting short the latest departure and returning in five years instead.
• It was bound to happen. Both the State Attorney’s Office and Public Defender’s Office will be holding blood drives on consecutive Fridays, the SAO this Friday and the PD’s Office Jan. 22, so in the spirit of the relationship between the two offices, a challenge has been issued. From a letter addressed to State Attorney Angela Corey from Public Defender Matt Shirk, “the elected official from the losing office will be required to either kiss a beautiful pink pig or provide a $50 monetary donation to The Blood Alliance.” The proposed method of determining the winner is a ratio of individual blood donors to total employee count.
• Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA) recently announced the appointment of seven new board members. Rhonda People-Waters, John J. Wolfel Jr., M.J. Bouchard, Ken Lovell, Iris Hinton, Tatiana Salvador, and Dr. Jeff Goldhagen. The new members can serve for three consecutive two-year terms for a total of six years.
• A new art exhibition, “Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe,” opens Jan. 22 at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The collection celebrates the beauty, sensuality and vulnerability of an American icon who was considered by many the sexiest woman of the 20th century. Tickets are $8 for nonmembers and $5 for seniors, students and military. There will also be a reception and preview Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. which is free to museum members and $30 for nonmembers. For details call 366-6911.
• The 5 Points Theatre presents an international independent film showcase Jan. 21 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. said theater owner Jack Shad. Five documentaries and a selection of short films will be screened with donations benefiting the International Visitors Corps of Jacksonville. The event is sponsored by the Film & Television Office of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, the Jacksonville Film Festival and the Art Institute of Jacksonville. For details call 346-3941.
• Jacksonville University has entered into a new articulation agreement with The International Academy of Film and Television (IAFT). Under the agreement, JU students can complete their bachelor of arts in film at IAFT while IAFT’s Diploma Program in Filmmaking (DPF) students can transfer credits to JU bachelor’s program. Likewise, JU film students can transfer their credits to IAFT and complete their degree halfway in an exotic locale. Located in the heart of Asia on Mactan Island, Cebu, Philippines, IAFT’s tropical campus has facilities for filming and post-production as well as housing.
• After the holidays, spending may slow as people pay off holiday bills, but in looking ahead for the next six months it appears that spending on most things is likely to increase — but not by a lot. According to the latest Harris Poll, Americans are finally seeing some of the signs economists are talking about and are feeling more optimistic, making them a little more willing to open their wallets. Three in five Americans (62 percent) said they are still likely to decrease spending on eating out in restaurants over the next six months, which is down from the 67 percent who said so in September. Just under three in five (58 percent) said they will reduce spending on entertainment, also down from 60 percent in September. Both results are now at the lowest levels since November 2008.