That's right--now's your chance to see revered local institution Jack Neely roasted alive...
The East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists announced today that Neely will be its "honoree" at the 2011 Front Page Follies. And we all know what that really means: He will be ruthlessly ridiculed (with love, maybe) by local reporters and editors. Having worked with Jack for more than a dozen years, I must say that this rebuttal by his peers is long overdue. As we all know here at Metro Pulse, Secret History is entirely a work of fiction, and always has been--he just makes it up!
The 33rd annual Follies will feature an auction, dinner, and show (raising money for communications scholarships) and will be held Sat., July 23 at 6 p.m., at the Knoxville Marriott. Full details in the press release below.
2011 Front Page Follies Show Honors Local Author Jack Neely
East Tennessee Society of Professional Journalists announces the honorees for the 2011 Front Page Follies: Knoxville author and Metro Pulse associate editor Jack Neely, who writes an award-winning column for the weekly.
The 33rd annual Follies auction, dinner and show will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday, July 23, at the Knoxville Marriott. The Follies, ETSPJ's largest annual event, funds scholarships for communications students at the University of Tennessee and Pellissippi State Community College.
The irreverent musical revue features the cast members roasting newsmakers with songs and skits poking fun at local, state, and national news and newsmakers. This year, UT's Terry Silver-Alfod will serve as director. The evening includes dinner and live and silent auctions. Local TV anchors and meteorologists participate, and newsmakers often show up unannounced in cameo roles.
Tickets are $100, or $1,000 for a table of 10. For ticket information, call Megan Venable Smith at (865) 974-3678.
Neely served as a freelance journalist and an editor for magazines published by Whittle Communications before joining the Metro Pulse staff in 1995. A UT graduate, he has also worked as a consultant and project writer for various historical and cultural projects, including the BBC's 1995 and 2007 audio documentaries about James Agee, and Knoxville's live 1999 broadcast of "A Prairie Home Companion."
In 1992, Metro Pulse debuted his "Secret History" column, which has won several awards , including the East Tennessee Historical Society's "History in the Media" award and a Golden Press Card award from the East Tennessee Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists. Neely also writes a monthly humor column for Knoxville Magazine.
Neely has written several books, and his work has appeared in numerous collections, including "Secret History: Stories About Knoxville, Tennessee" and "From the Shadow Side."
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