Friday Film

Air traffic around our planet over a 24 hour period.

The Office Fax 9.25

When we last saw our friends from Scranton, it was time to say goodbye to Toby. Jim was ready to create some fireworks by proposing to Pam, but Andrew Bernard stole Big Tuna’s thunder and asked Angela to take his hand in marriage, to which she reluctantly agreed. We also learned that candle creator Jan was pregnant. But the night belonged to Angela and Dwight who were caught “pushing more than just paper” by Phyllis Vance.

In tonight’s hour-long season premiere, “Weight Loss”, we learn what happened during the eight-week summer vacation as a Dunder Mifflin weight loss initiative causes the branch to diet and become obsessed with their weight. While co-workers are tipping the scales, Michael continues his pursuit of a friendship with the new HR rep, Holly. Michael’s obsession for Holly is equaled by Jim sadness over Pam who attends art school in New York.

Clearing Underway for New Kroger at the Corner at Short Pump

Goodbye forest, hello pavement and concrete. It’s a trend in the Far West End that doesn’t seem to be ending soon. This week crews began clearing land at the corner of Lauderdale Drive and West Broad Street to begin construction of The Corner at Short Pump, just across the street from Short Pump Town Center.

The anchor tenant of this 225,000 square foot mixed use shopping hub will be a gourmet Kroger grocery store. The current Kroger next to Target in the Brookhollow Shopping Center will close once the new store opens.

The land borders the Wellesley community to the South and the 90-acre Pruitt farm to the West. The farmland is one of the last untouched areas of Short Pump. Hopefully it won’t go the way of its former neighbor down Broad, Liesfeld farm – now home to West Broad Village, the biggest project since the development of Innsbrook.

It'll be here before you know it

Microsoft Pulls Seinfeld & Gates Ads

Say goodbye to Jerry and Bill. The plug has been pulled on their trivial television ads.

Microsoft says that there is the “potential to do other things” with the comedian, but nothing has been released as of yet. The ads depicted Seinfeld and Gates going about their daily lives together with some underlying computer references thrown in for shits and giggles. The problem is that the company feels that nobody giggled.

“The Office” Returns to the Tube and iTunes

A week from today, our friends from Scranton return to “The Office” from summer vacation and get back to pushing paper. The hour-long episode should answer some questions about Andy, Angela and Dwight, plus Holly the new HR rep takes over for the departed Toby.

But unlike season 4, the employees of Dunder-Mifflin won’t just be providing laughs on the television screen.

NBC will once again carry “The Office” and other programming on iTunes. The peacock network left the convenience and ease that comes with downloading content off the site over a year ago.

Standard definition shows run $1.99 and High-def is $2.99.

Far West End Land to be Developed

Henrico County Manager Virgil Hazelett calls it, “one of the last pieces of property to do what is absolutely necessary for this area of the county.”

Kain Road is an anomaly in the western section of Henrico County. The 205 acre site just west of Pouncey Tract Road in Short Pump is still relatively undeveloped.

That will all change soon enough.

On Tuesday night, Henrico’s Board of Supervisors approved a measure that will allow the county to construct a new fire station, school, park and fueling station with a price tag of $24.4 million.

Currently, the Kain Road is home to a few homes and farmland. The area will become an integral part in easing congestion in the Far West End once the North Gayton Road extension is built across Interstate 64 near Strange’s Florist and Dominion Chevrolet.

The deal was reached after a 4-1 vote. The dissenting vote came from Tuckahoe District Supervisor Pat O’Bannon who didn’t agree with how Hazelett and landowner Robert M. Atack reached the land deal. O’Bannon thought the county should’ve used eminent domain to obtain the property.

Brady Out for Season. Pats Must Now Pick from QB Bunch.

Tom Brady is done for the 2008 season. Last year’s NFL MVP will have to go under the knife after suffering a left knee injury against the Kansas City Chief in yesterday’s 17-10 win in Foxboro.

With Brady gone until 2009, the next man up is Matt Cassel, who hasn’t played in a full game since high school. Cassel backed up Matt Leinart at USC. Behind Cassel is Matt Gutierrez, the second-year pro from Idaho State.
The Patriots have dealt with this situation before in 2001. Drew Bledsoe hit the operating table and Tom Brady hit pay dirt – winning the Super Bowl.

But will Cassel find the same success in a division that some guy name Favre now calls home? The Patriots will surely look at all options, including free agent QB Chris Simms, who was recently let go by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Another name floating out there: Daunte Culpepper. C-Pep was trying to latch on with a team in the preseason but had no takers. He found most of his success with the Minnesota Vikings and their flamboyant Wide Receiver, Randy Moss. Randy Moss is now a Patriot.

And to think we haven’t even completed week one yet…

Gentle Breeze Kills 386 in Haiti, 2 in Bahamas

Friday Fhoto

Race fans could leave RIR Saturday night or Sunday afternoon talking about more than just Tropical Storm Hanna.

Can Whole Foods Take a Bite Out of Richmond’s Saturated Grocery Market?

Whole Foods Market is set to open its doors today in the yet to be completed West Broad Village in Short Pump.

The 60,000-square-foot store will be the first of its kind in the Richmond area. Currently, Whole Foods has locations in Northern Virginia and Charlottesville.

Many West-Enders are probably thinking to themselves while sitting in traffic in Short Pump, why another grocery store?

To say there’s competition in the area is an understatement. Ukrop’s, Kroger, Target, Trader Joe’s (set to open Sept. 26) and Wal-Mart all sell your staple groceries. And Tom Leonard’s Farmer’s Market is just an apple’s throw across Broad Street.

So what will Whole Foods bring to your table? Cooking classes for one! You might not need to go to Sur La Table or Williams Sonoma after all. The store will also include freshly prepared meals (see Ukrops), a gelato stand (awesome), two salad bars and a bakery with assorted delectable items.

Whole Foods will have a niche with natural food shoppers, but with food prices rising and many consumers pinching more pennies and clipping coupons, can the pricey chain survive in this economic climate? Or will Whole Foods become another Hannaford’s or Rack N Sack?

They say only the strong survive. But will that include soy?

VP Candidate Mistaken for Tina Fey (without huge scar on chin)