A.M. ATL: Georgia’s next big film hit

Morning, y’all! Whenever the weather gets a little muggier, I think about what my father-in-law once said about keeping cool while growing up in the Southern heat with no air conditioning: “We just stayed very still.” Beloved AC, we’ll never take you for granted!

Let’s get to it.

FILM TOURISM COULD BE A GOLD MINE FOR GA

Credit: Olivia Bowdoin/AJC

Credit: Olivia Bowdoin/AJC

I’ll admit it. I am a recently converted fan of the CW series “Supernatural.” Don’t watch it, even by accident like I did! It will infect you, and you will never know peace. The show ran for 15 years and ended in 2020, but annual conventions, meetups, social media events and other celebrations will keep the main actors busy and paid until they’re in the grave. I don’t think they could free themselves from that infernal show if they tried.

Now, think about what such enduring fan power could do for Georgia’s notable-but-flagging film and TV industry. Do you see where we’re going with this?

🍿 Film production in Georgia is on the decline: Film and television productions spent 37% less in the fiscal year 2024 than they did in 2023. The number of Georgia-made productions has also fallen, from 412 in FY2022 to 360 in FY2023 and 273 in FY2024.

🍿 Towns could profit even after the cameras stop rolling: Lynda Lee Smith, founder of Entertainment Tourism Alliance of Georgia (ETAG), says Georgia towns have opportunities to cash in on the film tourism industry, extending the economic benefits of a popular show or movie.

🍿 Georgia already has success stories:

“I tell people I see gold all over the ground throughout the state, and all we have to do is grab it,” Smith said. Her group, ETAG, is working with legislators to find ways to support such opportunities.

🔎 READ MORE: Just how deep does the ‘Vampire Diaries’ craze go in Covington? It’s basically bottomless.

❓ Trivia question: Jackson, Georgia, about 50 miles southeast of Atlanta, was a regular filming locale for what spooky, pop-culture-favorite show? I’ll put the answer at the bottom.

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A WHOPPER OF A WATER BILL

Credit: Ben Hendren/AJC

Credit: Ben Hendren/AJC

Dozens of customers owe the city of Atlanta millions of dollars in unpaid water bills. We’re talking big money here: about $65 million in water and sewer debts spread out among 35 high-owing parties. Both Atlanta and DeKalb County want to recoup what they’re owed as they embark on critical (and sometimes legally mandated) water and sewer system fixes.

How in the world could people rack up such debt? Is there a hidden Bellagio fountain factory in town?

💧 The “customers” are actually residential holdings, cities, schools and, of all places, the Fulton County Jail. Of the 35 customers who owe more than $500,000, only one of them is an individual, and she’s dead. Here’s who else has some serious debt:

💧 Atlanta and DeKalb County have both paused water service turnoffs in the past, sometimes for years:

💧 The dangers of turning off the water:

🔎 READ MORE: How the city is planning to recoup millions to pay off much-needed improvements

SPEAKING OF DEBT...

Atlanta City Council is back to work this week after a spring recess and has to face a steaming $20 million budget deficit.

Mayor Andre Dickens will set his proposed budget in early May. The Council will then listen to different departments and pass a balanced budget by the end of June.

Complicating factors: The city’s funding relationship with federal officials in Washington, D.C., is uncertain. Departments could also face layoffs or hiring slowdowns.

BEWARE THE CHICKEN JOCKEY

Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures/TNS

Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures/TNS

By now, you may have heard about the “Chicken Jockey Challenge,” a TikTok meme involving the new “Minecraft” movie wherein theatergoers make a huge mess during a particular scene involving a baby zombie and take video of it. I don’t know. Life is short. Don’t waste it trying to understand that combination of words.

But have you actually seen video of this so-called challenge? It’s horrifying. Throngs of teens and pre-teens throwing popcorn, drinks, candy, bellowing at the top of their teenage lungs... it’s no wonder the “Chicken Jockey Challenge” has become a bane for movie theater staff. The chaos even prompted patrons at one Sandy Springs, Georgia, location to call ahead to see if it was safe to attend the show.

Just a heads up, parents. If you go, bring a parka. And earplugs. And every ounce of patience you can muster.

🎥 WATCH: ‘Minecraft’ movie meme makes a mess of theaters

MUST-KNOW POLITICS AND BUSINESS

✈️ Airline customer satisfaction is down, according to new data. Southwest Airlines took the top spot in customer satisfaction. Delta came in second, tied with JetBlue.

🍬 HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to phase out artificial dyes from the US food supply and replace them with natural alternatives. Advocates say it will remove potentially harmful chemicals from food. Some food industry professionals say the dyes are already safe.

✂️ Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled a massive State Department overhaul that would cut U.S. staff by 15% and close or consolidate more than 100 bureaus worldwide.

NEWS BITES

Happy 40th anniversary of the debut of ‘New Coke’

Learn how Coca-Cola survived its flashiest failure, from those who lived to tell the tale. (Darn. Now I’m craving a Crystal Pepsi.)

Grindhouse replaces NFA Burger at Truist Park just weeks into baseball season

It’s OK if you can’t keep up with the trendy burgers around town, but apparently both are to die for. Let the rivalry commence.

Most US adults give to charity. Here’s where they donated

People: Not all bad all the time!

Not to alarm you, but your clothes are shedding bits of plastic. There are actually ways to reduce the risk

One way is to give up, take it all off and walk naked into the nearest forest, never to be seen or heard from again.

ON THIS DATE

April 23, 1958

Credit: File photo

Credit: File photo

From the front page of The Atlanta Constitution: Slum Folk Don’t Make Slums, Atlanta Finds. ...[C]ynical opponents are reasoning that regardless of how fine the new housing facilities are, the former slum families will not care for them properly ... Most housing experts in Atlanta and elsewhere agree that the family which lives in its own home has a natural tendency toward pride in the physical appearance of the property.

It’s interesting to see debates around affordable housing and housing relief haven’t changed much in nearly 70 years. Despite the somewhat alarming language (”Hovels or Hope?”), we come to the shocking conclusion that people generally appreciate living spaces with a bit of dignity even if they’re, heaven forbid, poor and need help to get there.

ONE MORE THING

Trivia answer: “Stranger Things”! If you live in Georgia, chances are you’ve been by a place where the sci-fi sensation filmed. In the fall, we get our pumpkins from Sleepy Hollow Farm in Powder Springs, the site of several “Stranger Things” scenes.

Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact us at AMATL@ajc.com.

Until next time.