Judging from the looks of the lively crowd that congregated near the 200 block of East Broughton Street Sunday morning and afternoon, you’d think there might have been a famous rock star in town. Or perhaps a flash mob. Or maybe a king.

Actually, it was a king. With a capital “K.”

Stephen King, the award-winning author of The Shining, Carrie, The Stand and scores of other popular fiction works, provided the perfect bookend to the last day of the 2012 Savannah Book Festival with an intimate closing ceremony yesterday at SCAD’s Trustees’ Theatre.

In a presentation that lasted about 45 minutes, King spoke about his newest novel, 11-22-63, a fictional work about a time traveler who tries to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

For seven years now, the Macon Film Festival has been well received by independent filmmakers from across the country. “It isn’t the biggest festival in the world, but it certainly is the friendliest,” says British actor/director Nick Moran. Its reputation as “the Friendliest Little Film Festival in the County” is just one reason so many filmmakers from around the world come to the festival.

As it continues to grow, a few thousand people flock downtown to watch films, dine out at restaurants, and experience the indigenous arts and culture of our city. Each day independent films are screened in back-to-back blocks, typically starting at 10 a.m. and going until 10 p.m. Each evening there is a special screening followed by Q & A session with the special guests. Here’s everything you need to know to attend this year’s celebration.

What: The Seventh Annual Macon Film Festival, “The Friendliest Little Film Festival in the Country”

When: Feb. 16 – 19

Where: Historic downtown Macon. The festival runs through Sunday with screenings, workshops, special guests and raucous after parties.

Why: The Macon Film Festival was created to celebrate the art of the moving image and to give up-and-coming filmmakers an opportunity to showcase their work in Central Georgia. One hundred twenty-five films from 15 countries were selected to screen, including one film directed by an 11-year-old, which will mark the youngest director ever screened at the festival.

Who: The 2012 Macon Film Festival special guests include actor Beth Grant (The Artist, Donnie Darko, No Country for Old Men, Speed, Sordid Lives), who is referred to as the most recognizable face in Hollywood. Plus, Macon native and political strategist Jay Carson, who was the inspiration for the Ryan Gosling character in the highly acclaimed The Ides of March will also be in attendance among many other guests.

Daily workshops are free and open to the public.

More info: maconfilmfestival.com

Here’s your hit list for Valentine’s Day!

ROMANCE AND RELAXATION
Savannah comes equipped with numerous spas, so why not enjoy a day of pampering on this day of love

Spa Bleu:
Couple’s Valentine Suite Massage is the perfect gift for two. For one hour, you’ll enjoy a massage, organic aromatherapy, chocolate covered strawberries, champagne, and fresh flowers. $160

My Sweet Love… is another package for Valentines Day. It includes: bouquet of flowers, champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and a choice of the 1 hour customized massage with organic aromatherapy or the vitamin C and organic fresh lavender facial. $100

Couple’s Valentine Retreat will blow you two away. This special last 3 and a half hours and is full of treats! You’ll enjoy a 1 hour customized massage with organic aromatherapy, signature bleu facials, spa bleu pedicures, and lunch for 2 with your own bottle of champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and flowers! This packaged deal will spoil the two of you rotten! $400

CONTACT INFO: 912.236.1490, spableu-sav.com

JW Salon and Spa:
During the entire month of February purchase a $100 gift card and receive a free haircut (A $30-$40 value), so your sweetie can not only get the service of their choice, but also they can get that hair cut they’ve been wanting.

CONTACT INFO: 912.236.7577, jwsalonandspa.com

Are you in the mood for a good show? Check out Lend me a Tenor. Set in the 1930s, this play is a madcap comedy that takes place when Tito Merelli, the fiery-tempered and world famous Italian superstar, arrives in Cleveland, Ohio to make his debut with the local opera and promptly goes missing. As Saunders, the show’s producer, conspires to cover for Tito’s absence, placate his hot-blooded wife, and distract his most passionate fans, chaos on a truly operatic level ensues.

Though the weather outside is frightful, your complexion doesn’t have to be. Consuming alcohol and sugary foods over the holidays, coupled with the onset of cold weather, can wreak havoc on your complexion, and leave skin looking dull and lifeless. Here are just a few of the ways to keep your complexion from catching a case of the winter blahs:

The Savannah College of Art and Design had their 13th annual Scholarship Gala at the new SCAD Museum of Art on Saturday night. The Scholarship Gala is the primary fundraiser to support SCAD students who are in desperate need of financial support. Artwork created by SCAD students, faculty, alumni, staff and friends were all for sale at this exclusive event.

South magazine celebrated its 6th anniversary at the Jepson Center for the Arts Saturday night with a release party for its Feb/Mar issue featuring the arts. The city’s coolest crowd converged at the event and three levels of the museum were filled with hundreds of guests who were treated to dance performances, sketches and a fashion exhibit by Savannah Arts Academy students. The black tie affair brought out Savannah’s finest including platinum-selling country star Billy Currington and Project Runway All Star April Johnston.

After a year of planning and design, and a two-year, $26-million construction project, the new Savannah College of Art and Design Museum of Art opened its doors.

SCAD is known for acquiring and repurposing disused buildings—a practice they call “adaptive reuse.” Using this philosophy, the new museum integrated the ruins of an old freight house into the facility’s artistic, ultramodern architecture. “The building itself has actually risen from the ruins,” says Sam Anderson, the museum’s managing director. “There’s so much history and so much of Savannah encapsulated in these bricks.”

Dr. Pamela Gallup, M.D., is a board-certified gynecologist at Provident OB/GYN Associates. In discussing common ailments and prevention, Gallup says there are conditions that cannot be prevented, such as breast cancer. However, early detection can prevent complications and death.

The place to be Friday night in Savannah was the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist for Savannah Philharmonic’s Holiday Pops concert. An audience of all ages sold out the packed show featuring not only the orchestra and chorus, but also Irish folk singer Harry O’Donoghue.