After a few years making a name for itself around Fayetteville, Benjamin Del Shreve (the band) is about to follow Benjamin Del Shreve (the man) in making the leap to the next level.

Less than twenty-four hours ago, following a packed show at Sticky Fingerz down in Little Rock, Benjamin Del Shreve stood on a hotel balcony, ready to jump.

"I wanted to do it, man," Shreve says. "We were on the second floor, and the pool was only about ten feet away. I know I could have made it."

That Shreve didn't jump wasn't a matter of willingness but of architecture: a rail that ran along the top of the ledge made it impossible to balance for a good jump.

"I couldn't do it without someone on either side of me helping me balance until I was ready to jump," he says. "Nobody would help! Everybody kept telling me to jump, but nobody would help."

Probably, I say, because nobody wanted to be an accomplice to his untimely death.

"Security finally showed up," he says, smiling. "We didn't get kicked out, but some people had to leave the party. That's how it is with us: we always almost get kicked out of whatever hotel we're in."

Hey, kids, we know things have been kinda quiet around here lately, but we wanted to share some BREAKING NEWS: Our New York correspondent is at this very minute eating a hot dog—at Yankee Stadium! Why is this such a big deal? Because the freaking Pope is about to speak. How many chances in life does one receive to eat a hot dog at Yankee Stadium while listening to the Pope. Our correspondent is taking pictures and will file a full report soon. We know you're excited.

UPDATE: Yeah, so it took us a few days to get the pics posted. Find them—and a brief report—after the jump. (Apparently the Pope isn't all that exciting.

Not to get all Wal*Mart bashy around here, but Jebus: What the hell was the company thinking when it ditched Flagler Productions, the small little production firm on which it had relied to film internal company events for thirty years? Having lost what had to have been its largest account, Flager—sitting on three decades worth of tape—now allows customers to dig through its archives for $250 an hour, thus allowing every Wal*Mart hater access to video of, say, a bunch of execs dressed in drag:

Wal*Mart, understandably, is pissed, but there's nothing the company can do. Hilarious, no?

Candid Camera: Trove of Videos Vexes Wal-Mart [WSJ via Gawker]

Via Brain of G

Earlier: The Northwest Arkansas Times Explores the Blogosphere

Hey, kids. When you woke up this morning, did you feel about four years younger? We did! We were back in thick of our mid-twenties. The world was our oyster! No longer were we sad, broken souls, the icy finger of thirty tapping us on the shoulder. We made a big pot of coffee and settled on the couch with the Sunday edition of the Northwest Arkansas Times and learned all about this "burgeoning blogosphere!" Have you heard about it? Apparently millions of people—even some here in folksy little Northwest Arkansas—operate Web logs, or "blogs" as the kids call them. They're like diaries, sorta—but online! Your neighbors might even be bloggers! What might they be "blogging" about, you ask? Anything! Sports, news, culture—who knows! Isn't this amazing? Imagine: any person idiot anywhere capable of sharing thoughtful insights spewing biased bullshit about anything he wants! Truly amazing.

The Burgeoning Blogosphere [NWAT]

Convinced to move to Fayetteville by fellow Mena native Benjamin Del Shreve, Jonathan Rose—lead vocalist for the band that bears his name—is on a mission to bring his band of poetic, energetic rock and roll to the masses.

We've already claimed the comfortable leather couches at Common Grounds when three members of Jonathan Taylor Rose arrive for the interview. For the three barely-twentysomething rockers, they appear remarkably well organized and prepared, but then Jonathan Taylor Rose is on a mission—according to the group's MySpace page—to bring passionate, poetic rock and roll to the masses. Rose is actually carrying a large organizer from which he immediately extracts a burned CD. "I've only got one copy," he says. "I didn't know there'd be two of you."

We almost admit we didn't know there'd be three of them, what with us having been regrettably lax in preparing for the interview. When we were offered the chance to interview Jonathan Taylor Rose, we thought we'd be interviewing a man, not a band. We each made a note to prepare better next time (and to get out more).

We're pretty sure we haven't written anything about Wal*Mart since Julie Roehm skipped town. Nevertheless, a reader sent the following:

It seems odd that just six months after hiring Lee Scott's son, Eric Scott, Bill Schwyhart now has a Neighborhood Market with no advertising for alternate sites, a proposed site for relocating Walton Arts Center, and is now apparently off to China with Eric to drum up Chinese vendor prospects for his developments. Surely a twenty-something new hire without name recognition or clout would not have made such an impact. Seems a bit too transparent for a company bent on ethics and transparency.

No, we are not dead, just preoccupied. We've a number of interviews to post soon, so stay tuned.

So things have been pretty dead around here lately. We know, and we apologize. The primary reason (other than being busy with other, slightly more important matters) is that Greg has been banished to his own little corner of the Internets. Now he can post all the random shit he loves to post, and thefiveforty can focus its efforts on local matters, and maybe—finally—live up to its little tagline about life in the Ozarks Corridor. Greg will continue to write for and edit thefiveforty, but will now be limited to local subject matter.

Thanks for your continued patience. Remember: send your story ideas, tips, and substantial financial donations to editors (at) thefiveforty.com.

Hey, we know it's been a slow couple of days. Listen to this guy's mad wicked beats make sexy love to your ears.

[Via WWJCD]

Those crafty Clintons. First, Hillary drops the possibility of a joint ticket with Obama into her victory speech in Ohio last week, then Bill goes all wild about the idea, calling a Clinton-Obama ticket "inevitable" or something, and now it's all the Internets can talk about—except of course it's all bullshit. Here's why it makes sense for Hillary to hammer the idea into our heads:

• Name-dropping Obama as a potential running mate suggests a certain inevitability to her nomination
• Offering Obama the bottom slot might comfort undecideds who like his message of hope and change but aren't quite comfortable with his experience, thus potentially swaying them to vote for Hillary instead
• The move offers superdelegates a way to ease their consciences should they overturn the will of the people and tip the nomination to Hillary
• By suggesting they work together, Hillary looks like she's working to unite an increasingly divided party
• For voters who'd like to see both candidates—and there are plenty out there—voting for Hillary offers a better chance at seeing both on the ticket, as there's no way in hell Obama, if nominated, would choose her as his running mate

So the little girl in that absurd "3 am" ad the Hillary camp ran before last week's primaries? She's nearly eighteen now, and oh yeah, a volunteer on Barack Obama's campaign. Woops. She appeared in a few local commercials as a child. The footage in the "3 am" spot was sold to Getty Images. Pretty funny, eh? [MSNBC]

We're being told a local judge is about to make national news for placing a woman in holding—and then forgetting about for four days. The woman was apparently waiting to be transported to a local jail and was left without restroom facilities, food, or, water until a guard found her. We have a name but we don't want to throw it out there just yet since we've been unable to confirm anything so far. If you know anything, drop us a line at editors (at) thefiveforty.com.

UPDATE: That didn't take long. The local ABC affiliate reports that Adrianna Torres-Flores of Springdale was left in a secure holding area at the Washington County Courthouse over the weekend. Torres-Flores had appeared in court for a plea agreement on Thursday, March 6, and was remanded to custody by Judge William Storey (the judge we'd heard associated with the rumor) for violation of a condition of her release on bail. She was found at some point today. [KHOG]

The brilliant and considerably accomplished Samantha Power recently spoke at the University of Arkansas. We attended her lecture and were impressed. Did you know she's a senior adviser to Sen. Obama? She is! And being such, she is now in trouble for calling Hillary a "monster" in an interview for The Scotsman. Woops! After failing to keep the comment from being printed, Power was forced to apologize: "It is wrong for anyone to pursue this campaign in such negative and personal terms. I apologize to Senator Clinton and to Senator Obama, who has made very clear that these kinds of expressions should have no place in American politics." At least not in front of reporters. [The Scotsman, AP]

Hey, kids, it's Friday. What have we learned this week? We've learned we're gonna have to get out more. What happened to us? We don't recognize half the bands slated to play this weekend. Anyway, don't let the weather dampen your weekend. Anderson Cooper speaks at Barnhill on the University of Arkansas campus tonight at 8:00. Admission is free, so there's really no reason to miss it. Also on the UA campus this weekend: Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest". Saw it last weekend, cast does a smashing job. (Thanks for the tickets, Frances.) The Weekenders host a CD release party tonight at George's where you'll also be able to catch the Nace Brothers and New Monsoon. We'll be honest here: We don't know enough about the rest of the bands slated to play this weekend to pass along a recommendation. We'd tell you to go see Effron White Saturday night, but he's playing at Tony C's Bar & Grill, and we wouldn't send you to a Tony C's joint even if we hated you. Anyway, we're headed down to Little Rock in a bit. If you think of something exciting happening this weekend that we've missed, let us know: editors (at) thefiveforty.com.

"Oh motherfucker. Does anyone have 18 triple-A batteries? I need to just...Just a quote, Senator. If you can just hold on...Someone has to have some motherfucking triple-A batteries..if you could...sir, could you start over, just one moment Senator. Please be patient." [WWJCD]

Hey, kids, you know what happens Saturday? The Democratic State Convention! We know you're excited. We are, too, as we're going for the first time—even though it means having to go to Little Rock.* We've no vote thanks to our wishy-washy ways, but hey: should be interesting, right? Everybody vying for one of precious few national delegate slots. We've found it rather fascinating, actually, these campaigns behind the campaigns, particularly in regards to the different ways those fighting for a national delegate slot have reached out to the state delegates. One such candidate reached out to us through Facebook, while a retired lawyer in Ft. Smith sent an actual, typewritten letter. Anyway, we're gonna see about live-blogging from the convention since we've no vote. At the very least, expect a full report and photographs sometime early next week.

*At least we get to stop at Feltner's on the way down—and maybe on the way back, too.

As a writer, producer, and publicist for clients including Benjamin Del Shreve and Lauren de Miranda, Kody Ford remains a very busy man.

Kody Ford falls onto a couch at Common Grounds and kicks back into a playfully relaxed pose. "I'm gonna sit just like this for the entire interview," he says. He holds the position for about two seconds before smiling, saying, "Nah, just kidding," and leaping to the edge of the couch, hands clasped, ready to go. At that moment, I scribble the word kinetic at the top of my notebook.

The conversation that takes place over the next ninety minutes is a hyperlink-rich discussion that touches on Ford's career history, current interests, and cannibalism.

"Yeah, I've got this bird broach Chuck Palahniuk sent me," Ford says.

We've jumped yet again. We were discussing his fashion inclinations when he mentioned a broach he'd recently worn. The reference to Palahniuk—author of Fight Club—stopped my pen, so I look at him and wait for an explanation.

"I sent him a short story I'd written," Ford explains, "and he sent me back a box of radish seeds, temporary tattoos, a heart-shaped nightlight, this bird broach, and an autographed copy of Choke in Spanish." He smiles. "It was awesome."

Chuck Palahniuk sent you a box of random shit?

"Yeah. He wrote a letter, too. Said he loved what I'd written." Ford says, "I still have the nightlight."

So Hillary kicked Obama around all over Rhode Island and Ohio last night, and even managed to scratch out a win in the Texas primary. Despite the fact she didn't do much to narrow the gap in delegates, the wins are enough to propel Clinton's campaign through this weekend's Wyoming and Mississippi primaries (both of which Obama are likely to win) to the last big contest on the map: Pennsylvania. Obama's all, "Blah blah delegates blah," while Hillary's all like, "Comeback! Comeback!" Jebus. Another six weeks of this shit? Really?