Edward Hopper’s 1929 painting Chop Suey recently sold for $91.9M at Christie’s. The piece was part of the Barney A. Ebsworth’s collection in New York. While Columbus Circle in Man- hattan is said to have inspired the painting, Portland Monthly’s story “American Chop Suey,” September 2010, makes a strong case that it’s actually homage to Portland’s iconic Empire Chop Suey restaurant sign, where Empire Chinese Kitchen exists today. Find the story at portlandmonthly.com under Classic Maine. Million Dollar Empire D E C embe r 2 0 1 8 2 7 Clockwise from top left: Paramount pictures, mercedes villeneuve, Edward Hopper, Chop Suey (1929). Courtesy of Christie’s Images Ltd., IAN Sane, ninette fenlason, staff LIT(erature) Books-A-Million’s South Portland location has more than the latest Gillian Flynn for you to soak up. The store now sells beer and wine at its Joe Muggs Cafe. “Customers can take their books over to the cafe, peruse their book, and enjoy a beer or wine,” general man- ager Dean Sherwood says. Great, but what’s the fine for a RUI? No, they’re not serving matcha cocktails, but the “Sulky Lounge” on Portland Street has added a new member to its collection of offbeat antiques—the horse from Sleepy Hol- low, the campy 1999 movie starring John- ny Depp. “I love horses!” owner Robert “Bub- ba” Larkin says. It’s a love that even inspired the name of his bar. (A sulky is a small horse carriage.) “The horse became avail- able, so I bought it.” Where’s the horse from? “I’ve got connections.” Number Cheerfulest 1is the Messalonskee High School, home of the Eagles and their lone cheerleader. Kaitlyn Berthiaume, 18, caught the attention of NBC’s Inside Edition as the school’s solo act. Coming from a squad of eight last year, Kaitlyn says she was “so nervous” about cheering alone, but she’s managed. “It’s taught me I can do anything I set my mind to.” Yes! Can we get a K? Can we get an A? Can we get a—you get the idea. He’s finally here, 10 legs and all. With the new Apple and An- droid system updates, Mainers can finally text, tweet, and com- ment with the #lobsteremoji. “…if the lobster emoji helps sell one more lobster or brings one more tourist to our great state,” Senator Angus King says, “then that’s a positive outcome for Maine.” News of the tiny graphic boiled over in February when the first plans revealed an anatomical error—only eight legs. Happy Now?