Arts Agenda
Classical Music Florence Jowers Recital sponsored by American Guild of Organists. Christ Episcopal Church, 1412 Providence Rd. Sun., July 20, 7:30 p.m. Free. 704-333-9071. Jazz & Classical Essentials Sunday Brunch Borders will be playing jazz and classical music from their essential catalogs. Coffee and pastry provided. Sundays, 1-3 p.m. Free. Borders, Morrocroft, 3900 Colony Rd.…
Letters
Kudos To Columnists That was a fine piece of writing by Hal Crowther on the dumbing-down of our wonderful country (“Weapons of Mass Stupidity,” June 4). Come to think of it, there have been many thought-provoking articles in CL over the last few months: worthy comments from Mr. Lazo, Mr. Sugg, and, of course, the…
Not By Any Other Name
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, as Juliet plaintively mused, but Charlotte’s Pewter Rose Bistro is one of a kind.Pewter Rose has been around in Charlotte longer than most food writers currently writing. The original Pewter Rose, known as The Pewter Rose Bistro, was a small lunch spot on Spirit Square’s…
The Blotter
Forceable Redesign: Vandals entered a north Charlotte man’s condo by prying open his front door and proceeded to redecorate parts of his kitchen and bathroom by either painting his oven, dishwasher, rugs, mirror, and electrical outlets with brown or white paint or bending and breaking them. Memory Loss: A woman’s daughter brought home a male…
Santa Barbara
Down the coast from the wine meccas of Sonoma and Napa lies the quiet, burgeoning wine region Santa Barbara County. Known to some as Los Angeles’ weekend retreat for the wealthy, Santa Barbara also bursts with grapes nurtured by its rich soil and perfect climate. Dreamy, luscious Chardonnays, cherry-laden Pinot Noirs, and big, earthy Syrahs…
News of the Weird
Boys will be girls: Retailers in Los Angeles, New York and Miami say more and more young, urban, heterosexual men are choosing to dress in women’s tight, low-slung jeans and to use stylish lotions, fragrances and hair-care colors and products, according to June reports in the Los Angeles Times and New York Times. Some marketers…
Good Eats
All Around Town Anntony’s Caribbean, 400 S. Tryon St., 704-339-0303; 2001 E. 7th St., 704-342-0749. All locations have different owners. A hint of the tropics; rotisserie chicken with Jamaican jerk sauce, ribs, Paradise Island fish special, curries, and Caribbean styled greens. $$ Azteca, 116 Woodlawn Rd., 704-525-5110; 9709 Independence Blvd., 704-814-9877; 1863 W. Franklin Blvd.…
The Phony Earth Below My Feet
The front lawn is a cliche. From the pink house on the hill, the yard slopes down into a shallow valley before rising to meet the gravel road. A broken-down truck rests in the valley, one of a half-dozen cars in various states of disrepair dotting the property. Garbage is strewn across the lawn, as…
CD Spins
A.R.E. Weapons A.R.E. Weapons Rough Trade If, as the adage goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, is explicit homage an equally slobbering, back-alley blowjob? Ask New York’s aggro-electro outfit A.R.E. Weapons, self-appointed heir of Lower East Side sleaze. And considering the group’s deranged art-school antics, if you ask right, you might get a…
Music Menu
WEDNESDAY 7.9 Reno Divorce — This punk band from Denver, CO, takes unashamed cues from Mike Ness and Social Distortion. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that if you can deliver the car crash that is Mike Ness. For the most part these youngsters sustain the speed and ole Mike wouldn’t be disappointed jamming with them.…
Soundboard
Stars indicate Best Bets Wednesday, Jul. 9 Baoding Robert Fernandez Brickhouse Tavern, Davidson Acoustic SuperShow w/ Joey Bishop Buckhead Saloon Spencer Rush Cajun Queen 7th Street Gator Band Connolly’s On Fifth Rich Acoustic Double Door Inn Jabberwocky The Evening Muse Bob Sinclair Fairwinds Coffee Co., Cornelius Lena Mars Fat City Reno Divorce w/ Drat Gateway…
Clique Flicks
We know what you’re thinking. Is When Cult Films Attack!!!!, the title and topic of this year’s annual summer film series at the Main Library, a direct response to the recent issue of Entertainment Weekly which revealed the mag’s picks for The Top 50 Cult Movies? Not at all. In fact, Sam Shapiro, manager of…
Fourth of July, Junk and Jazz
I have nothing against cops. They have a hell of a tough job, and usually don’t make a whole lot more than the real bottom-feeders (like say, writers and teachers) on our nation’s pay scale. That said, I do have a problem with “statement” moves like Independence Day roadblocks and targeting certain, specific neighborhoods to…
Film Clips
NEW RELEASES TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES In the category of Completely Unnecessary Sequels That Were Clearly Made For The Sole Purpose Of Milking More Money Out Of Franchises That Were Already Adequately Wrapped Up, it’s just possible that this might be the new king of the hill. Clearly, sights are adjusted southward for…
See & Do
JULY 10, THURSDAY Rock Hill playwright Terry Roueche is harvesting a trip he took long ago to Roswell, New Mexico, in the world premiere of Parade Day at the Southend Performing Arts Center (SPAC). The BareBones Theatre production, directed by Jim Yost, takes us back to America’s UFO capital and an encounter with the last…
No Ring on my finger
My Aunt Tootie is 82 years old. She never married, and, except for six months of secretarial school in Topeka, she’s lived in her parents’ house in a small Kansas town her entire life. Family members recall her having a boyfriend once when she was a young adult, but Ma Utz didn’t like him and…
Karma Cleanser
Dear Karma Cleanser: I’m a 19-year-old female who has never had a kiss or a boyfriend. I’ve only been sincerely asked out by two people: a drug pusher and a 24-year-old pervert. People say that I’m a late bloomer and my time will come, but I think I’m in this situation because I’m always annoyed,…
Taxes? What taxes?
The Bush administration needs to answer to the American public for launching a war based on misleading and bogus intelligence, says talk-radio host Brent Emory Johnson. The “Patriot Act” and its planned follow-up, Patriot II, represent near-fascist attacks on the Bill of Rights, adds Johnson, who likewise believes that the still-escalating “War on Drugs” is…
Stargazer
For All Signs Venus (women) and Mars (men) are constantly dancing about each other, weaving in and out of favorable and challenging aspects. The current cycle began in May 2002, when they joined in Gemini. In early June 2003, the pair met in challenge (or combat, depending upon your situation). That was a point in…
Cruising For A Suing
Charlotte Attorney Ray Warren hopes the Mecklenburg County court system doesn’t turn his client into a local crimes against nature poster boy. But he’s willing to go there if that’s what it takes. Warren spent the weekend putting together a brief he plans to send to District Attorney Peter Gilchrist and State Attorney General Roy…
For the Love of Words
Before we get into the how, the why and the recommendations, let’s get to the point: If you love literature, buy the damn book. You can judge this book by its cover — or its table of contents, anyway.The title may be clunky and you may or may not be an ardent reader of The…
Politics As Usual, Forever
Sodomy laws are deemed unconstitutional and within 24 hours Strom Thurmond dies. Coincidence? I think not. Not that I’m saying Strom was shocked or anything. I figure that in a century of living, you’ve got to get over being shocked by things at some point. But perhaps this Supreme Court decision simply convinced Strom’s mind…
The Curious Case of George
The Paris Review’s editor and cofounder George Plimpton, 76, hasn’t slowed much after 50 years running a literary quarterly and, on the side, writing about every conceivable topic for every conceivable publication. Just back from a trek to Antarctica, Plimpton recently spoke, from his New York office, about Hemingway, baseball and an interview request interrupted…
Who Serves Whom?
You might as well go ahead and clip this column and hang it on your refrigerator. You’ll want to refer back to it when your first speed camera ticket arrives in the mail from the City of Charlotte. As you pay that ticket, keep in mind that it has nothing to do with public safety.…
Dysfunctional Family
OK, so the patrician board of directors at Charlotte Rep didn’t handle last year’s dismissal of company founder Steve Umberger with ideal delicacy. Then the Rep’s new artistic regime took a few pratfalls, ruffled some feathers, and stirred up some controversies.But hey, theatre folk are famous for their excesses — and theatre companies can be…
Human Action Figures
Perhaps the impending rise of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s own political machine was the reason President Bush elevated his War on Terror rhetoric to Code Orange levels at a July 2 White House news conference. When commenting on continued hit-and-run attacks against US personnel in Iraq, President Terminator declared, “There are some who feel like that, you…
