Does “Living in public housing” = “Having EVERYTHING handed to you?”
No. Back when Mayor Pat McCrory was running against state Rep. Beverly Earle for reelection, he spoke at an east Charlotte meeting about his hope that Section 8 recipients would have to work if they wanted government benefits. Today, The Charlotte Observer reported that the Charlotte Housing Authority is going to implement such requirements on…
iPhone alert!
$99. Yes, I said, $99.
Are you ready to celebrate?
A listing of a lot of the festivities going on around town.
NYE dinner deals
Here’s a look at some dinner deals at area restaurants this New Year’s Eve: Global, 3520 Torrington way, has a $72 -per-person (not inclusive of tax and gratuity), six-course menu, including an entree choice of braised beef or grouper sous vide with a glass of champagne. Two seatings available at 5:30 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.…
Talk dirty to him/her
I mean, throwing in a “fuck me harder and faster” is cool, but it’s going to get redundant.
Today’s Top 5: Monday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Dec. 29, 2008 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • North Mississippi Allstars at Visulite Theatre • Defending the Caveman at Booth Playhouse • Circus! exhibition at Discovery Place • Find Your Muse Open Mic at The…
Have you picked out your NYE dress yet?
Check out these dresses that will be sure to set you apart from the crowd
Today’s Top(less) 5: Monday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Dec. 29, 2008 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
Death of a sex pot, RIP Eartha Kitt
Eartha Kitt proved that sexy knows no age.
Lord, I’m on my way . . . to Obama Land
Nearly everyone, and I mean everyone, is going to Washington, D.C., for Obama’s inauguration — and they’re blogging about it, too! How can I resist the tide?
Sex on location
You’ll probably go to jail if you try this, since having sex in public is against the law in North Carolina. But let’s say you’re a filmmaker and you’re looking for some public places to film your “adult” movie.
After-Christmas sales around town
If you’re looking for after-holiday sales today, forget the mall and the big chain stores like Old Navy. Check out these sales from your locally owned spots around town: • Scarlett Plus Size Boutique will have 30-50% off select merchandise throughout the store starting today. Sharon Corners Shopping Center, across from SouthPark Mall 4732 Sharon…
Obamamania
No, you cannot stay with me or my family during the inauguration. Why? Because we’re all getting the hell out of dodge.
Today’s Top 5: Friday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte today, Dec. 26, 2008.
Today’s Top(less) 5: Friday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Dec. 26, 2008 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
Xmas help for avoidant personality types
Sick of your family yet? Check out these stories.
After-Christmas shoppers, read this
The day after Christmas is a pretty big day for shoppers, as retailers have often marked down the merchandise that didn’t make the cut before Christmas to get it out of the store. Well, according to this story on CNN, you may want to wait a little longer before perusing the sales racks. You may…
After-holiday sale at Pure Denim
I think the day after Christmas is just as bad of a shopping day as the day after Thanksgiving. Good thing I’m managing to avoid the crowds by working. Or is that a good thing? Especially with this 15 percent off sale (certain exclusions apply) at Pure Denim, not to mention a major 20 percent…
Today’s Top 5- Thursday
It’s Christmas. Shouldn’t you be spending time with your family and loved ones instead of perusing our blog? If you REALLY need to get away though, here are the top 5 events going on in Charlotte today, Dec. 25. • Christmas. Watch A Christmas Story marathon on TBS. “You’ll shoot your eye out kid!” •…
Today’s Top(less) 5: Thursday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Dec. 25, 2008 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Get set for the After Christmas Party at the Estate. • Take your Christmas love to…
Food news (Wed., Dec. 24)
A new gig for Pewter Rose’s chef and new menu items at Cantina 1511
Obama’s Cabinet
Thus, the truth is coming to light — Obama is a politician. Because he is a politician, he will do what’s best for him, ultimately.
Little business, big problems
With the economy slipping, we’ve all been suffering both directly and indirectly, having to make some changes like tightening budgets or even cutting down on things. We hear about big businesses struggling to stay up and running as an effect of the recent falls of the economy, but what about the little guys? Creative Loafing…
Don’t leave the jerks in your life off your holiday shopping list
I’m sure there are people in your life whom you avoided buying gifts for this holiday season because they were asses. Idiots. Inconsiderate jerks. Whatever. This is the season for giving, people. For those particular folks who really got your panties in a bunch this year, send them some shit. No, really, a pile of shit.…
Chocolate Party @ Whisky River, 12/23/08
Chocoholics and alcoholics alike partied last night at Whisky River’s Holiday Chocolate Party.
Today’s Top 5: Wednesday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte today, Dec. 24.
Today’s Top(less) 5: Wednesday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Dec. 24, 2008 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
Cuts at CL and other alt-weeklies
Last Friday, a day after Creative Loafing CEO Ben Eason staved off an attempt by lender Atalaya to take over the company, CL Charlotte laid off two valuable staffers: copy editor Natalie Howard and receptionist Caroline Baker. Some employees were asked to work fewer hours. Other CL papers laid off workers last week as well,…
Another burger joint hits the Q.C.
Nix moves in to former Groucho’s location in Uptown.
Strokin’
Clarence Carter – Strokin’
Updated: A tour of Reign Fine Apparel
Owner Jaime Estrada gives us a tour of her new boutique Reign Fine Apparel.
Fido Item: Christmas Collars
Get your pet in the holiday spirit with one of these Christmas collars from Canine Cafe. $14.99. Canine Cafe 1447 S. Tryon St. 704-588-3647
Boots and shoes sale at Glamour Puss
Go to Glamour Puss RIGHT NOW. They’re having a 50 percent off sale on boots and shoes. You know you want these thigh-highs that are pictured! Glamour Puss 1800 Camden Road 704-334-2426
Story misses the point.
Have you heard the one about the man taking a leak on his woman’s cat?
Success and failure on a silver platter
Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools have lowered their standards for students. Is this a movement toward success or failure? A response from a CMS student.
Today’s Top 5: Tuesday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Dec. 23, 2008 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Charlotte Bobcats vs. Washington Wizards at Time Warner Cable Arena • Pianist Jim Brickman at Ovens Auditorium • Holiday chocolate party at Whisky River • It’s a…
What do the lonely do at Christmas? Whatever they want.
The best thing that you can do for yourself is realize that you don’t have to like Christmas and you don’t have to be lonely and depressed.
Domestic violence experts speak
Jane Taylor, coordinator of the United Family Services Battered Women’s Shelter in Charlotte, and Marie Brodie, domestic violence training consultant from Raleigh, answer questions about domestic violence.
Today’s Top(less) 5: Tuesday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Dec. 23, 2008 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
Nixon for Christmas
Frost/Nixon: A winning ticket
Charlotte scene loses key cog in BCNC’s Deines
It takes a lot of different people in a lot of different roles to comprise a vibrant local music scene — some, however, stand out. For Charlotte, Eric Deines has been one of those people. Deines (pronounced Dy-nas) may have only moved here in 2005, but as co-chief at Kinnikinnik Records with Bo White, gig…
Convincing performances propel Doubt
While Ron Howard transforms Frost/Nixon into a living, breathing motion picture, writer-director John Patrick Shanley never quite makes it past the curtain call with Doubt. Adapting his own Pulitzer Prize-winning theatrical triumph, Shanley doesn’t possess Howard’s instincts in front of the camera, resulting in a movie that remains resolutely stage-bound. But that’s not necessarily a…
A thrill of hope, the worried kid rejoices
Christmas was out of joint when I was eight years old. The December weather was unusually warm, making the decorations and carols seem out of place, and the day itself appeared to take forever to arrive. The disorienting thing, though, was my mother’s change of attitude that fall and winter. Things hadn’t worked out for…
Benjamin Button a curiously flat fable
The sort of groveling Oscar bait that would only dare be released in December (no other month would have it), David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is this year’s equivalent of Tim Burton’s Big Fish: a desperate lunge by a normally exciting genre filmmaker to earn some year-end accolades by helming An Important…
The CL guide to New Year’s Eve
Our mammoth look at the city’s best end-of-the-year celebrations.
The Reader only semi-intelligent
The Reader, adapted from Bernhard Schlink’s international bestseller by director Stephen Daldry and screenwriter David Hare (the team behind the powerful adaptation of The Hours), arrives with all the obvious trappings of a year-end “prestige” picture. But since more time is spent exposing the milky white breasts of Kate Winslet than exposing the horrors of…
Recent rash of domestic violence killings not unusual
Bad times = more abuse?
Valkyrie vanquishes Tom Cruise
Ever the stalwart hero, Tom Cruise takes on the Nazis in Valkyrie, but it proves to be a losing effort for the actor, his character and the picture itself. Based on a true event that occurred in 1944, this handsome yet emotionally distant film centers on the efforts of a group of proud Germans to…
Keeping the faith
It is official. We are knee-deep into the holiday season. Stores may not be as crowded as usual, but many people are throwing caution to the wind and sticking with traditions. Those traditions include family gatherings, office parties, special faith events, vacations with loved ones, and if we’re lucky, time off to sit and think.…
A Christmas Tale worth hearing
Had France submitted Arnaud Desplechin’s family saga as its official entry for the Best Foreign-Language Oscar, it would have stood a good chance of being nominated; instead, the country went with The Class (which opened in limited release this past week), relegating this to no more than an extreme long shot for a Best Original…
Seasonal befuddlement
Welcome to your Christmas “Things that make me go hmmm” column. Enjoy, and happy holidays! Bailout bafflement The total cost of the 2008 bailouts now exceeds the combined cost of every major war the United States has ever fought, according to an analysis by the Congressional Research Service. When the cost of the American Revolution,…
The Spirit: Skip this soulless debacle
If looks could kill, The Spirit (* out of four), an adaptation of Will Eisner’s seminal comic strip, would wipe out entire auditorium audiences after every showing. Its eye-popping visual template mirrors that of Sin City, with its graphic stylistics lending a crisp, cool look to its tale of a masked hero who has…
HOLIDAY: Christmas Day
‘Tis the season to be jolly (yeah, yeah … we’re in a recession for cryin’ out loud!). But, for today set all the negatives aside and spend time with your family (whether you like them or not). It’s Christmas! Happy Holidays from Creative Loafing.
Dogs have their day in Marley & Me
Even given my status as a big dog lover (and whether you take that to mean a big lover of dogs or a lover of big dogs, either interpretation works), the notion of spending two hours watching puppies frolic during the course of Marley & Me seemed like a pretty one-note way to spend a…
SPECIAL EVENT: WWE Smackdown Live!
What could possibly be better than seeing a load of grown men in tights slam each other down in a wrestling ring? Well, a lot of things. For those who actually want to watch a cross between ballet and a hustle in the yard, WWE Smackdown Live! (filled with real violence, real tight pants, and…
Taste the Passion: The 10 best wines of 2008
Best of lists never grow old, as long as they are filled with passion. Here are the wines my mouth fell in love with in 2008, and why. Turkey Flat 2007 Rosé Barossa Valley (Australia) Consistency is key with wine, and these guys have it. Year after year, this rosé astounds me. 5/21/2008 review: “This…
SPECIAL EVENT: Everything Tastes Better With Chocolate
If there’s one thing I am, it’s definitely a chocoholic. But thank goodness I’m not alone. Plenty of others (maybe you!) are in that rich, delicious boat with me (and each with a stash of your favorite chocolate from Lindt to Snickers candy bars). That’s why this event, Everything Tastes Better with Chocolate at McDowell…
Et tu, Brut
How to buy quality, but inexpensive, bubbly
THEATER: A Tuna Christmas
Just in time for the holidays, Carolina Actors Studio Theatre presents a comedic production about the merriment of seasonal disasters via A Tuna Christmas. The play chronicles a series of unfortunate events for a group of Texans from the small city of Tuna. (Sounds fishy, huh?) Actors Tom Olson (in his third year running) and…
Sparkling deals for New Year’s Eve
• For a deal, Robert Balsley recommends the Conde de Subirats, a Cava Brut for $13; Canard-Duchene Brut Champagne ($30), and his best buy is the Schramsberg Brut Rose Mirabelle, a non-vintage sparkler that Wine Spectator rated 93 ($25). His non-sparkler wine suggestions include the “killer” Praxis Pinot Noir, Monterey ($20) and a white Burgundy…
THEATER: Defending the Caveman
Barbaric times are in store as Defending the Caveman returns to Booth Playhouse for round two (having already staged performances in the Q.C. back in October). The show examines the strains of male and female relationships in prehistoric times (remember, even the Flintstones weren’t perfect). And best of all, you’ll be able to relate. The…
Karen Cooley, owner of Cooking Uptown
When you pull into the parking lot for Cooking Uptown, you would never believe what’s inside this small building. After spending 20 years in finance consulting with some of the biggest corporations in America, Karen Cooley has now turned this building, which only looks small, into a culinary warehouse, with over 5,000 cooking items for…
MUSIC: The Avett Brothers
No strangers to the Q.C. are The Avett Brothers, a music group blending country, folk and rock ‘n’ roll melodies and selling out concerts, especially in Charlotte (this year and last at the Belk Theater). The band will perform two shows on Tues., Dec. 30 and Wed., Dec. 31. Best of luck getting tickets if…
Milestone in Justice League of America
Justice League of America No. 27 Published by DC Comics. Written by Dwayne McDuffie. Pencils by Ed Benes. The Deal: It’s the latest issue of Justice League of America, written by Dwayne McDuffie. Avid comic book readers may recognize McDuffie as one of the founders of Milestone, a now-defunct comic company that published comics starring…
There’s always plenty to do around town on Hump Day
There’s more to do on Hump Day than just hump and that are almost as much fun. One example is the popular Music Trivia Wednesdays at Ed’s Tavern — a five-star dive tucked away on Park Road (East and West, not to be confused with Park Road that runs North and South … because that’s…
HOLIDAY: New Year’s Eve events
It’s New Year’s Eve, so you’ve got to party. Listed below are just a few cool ways to spend your night. Be sure to read CL’s New Year’s Eve guide for more details on parties, concerts, dinners and other special events. • You know time has got to be involved — and not just a…
Bizarre crimes from Charlotte’s police files
Drunk Meets Bitchy: A 37-year-old woman reported she was threatened at a Panthers game. After telling a man sitting in front of her to sit down several times, he turned and told her that he was going to “fuck up” the victim if she made the request one more time. While it is ridiculous to…
Benji Hughes makes national waves with double-CD
To the Extreme
Is anybody in charge of keeping satellites from colliding?
As I stare into the beautiful dark sky above my home in Hawaii and see all the stars and satellites, I ponder the possibility of “space accidents.” With all those satellites up there, are there any collisions? I don’t suppose anybody is handing out OUIs (for orbiting under the influence), but how do they decide…
Horoscope for Dec. 24-30
Capricorn The Goat: (Dec. 21-Jan. 19) Mars, the warrior, enters your sign right after Christmas and will be traveling with you for 6 weeks. This energy is especially helpful when we need to define our boundaries and territory. This planet is action oriented and very, very definite. For All Signs: The Romans, when Christianizing the…
CD Review: Chris English’s Dreamtown
The Deal: Debut CD, Dreamtown, on Side B Music from singer/former Virgin Records employee who has opened for Hall and Oates, Doobie Brothers, Psychedelic Furs and Smithereens; worked with INXS, Joe Strummer and Ziggy Marley. The Good: Consistent pop rock from that reminded me a lot of XTC. Some moments hinted at mellow moments of…
PDT’s no-shtick-barred version of The Bible
Fishy scripture
Capsule reviews of films playing the week of Dec. 24
ASHES OF TIME REDUX The motion picture as mood ring, Ashes of Time Redux is another Wong Kar Wei production that relies as much (if not more) on the sensations created by its aural and visual flourishes than on any narrative devices. Originally released in 1994 as Ashes of Time, the movie has since faced…
CL previews upcoming shows
FRIDAY, DEC. 26 Mitch Easter He’s arguably Dean of the Carolinas’ music scene, and could coast by on his Sneakers/Let’s Active catalog and production credits (R.E.M., Pavement) alone. But Easter is nothing if not still active – and that’s not just an allusion to his current Let’s Active cover band, Gravel Truck. He runs perhaps…
