Dec 1-7, 2009

Dec 1-7, 2009 / Vol. 23 / No. 40

Fired BofA employee is national heroine

Jackie Ramos was fired from her Bank of America job in Georgia around Thanksgiving, after she helped customers who didn’t qualify for the bank’s account modification programs. Ramos worked as a “customer advocate,” calling credit card customers and either urging them to pay or modifying their accounts to help them out of a jam. According…

Ban more “while driving” actions

Texters, pay attention. If you’re caught texting while driving, you’ll be pulled out of your car and beaten senseless by other drivers who resent your putting their lives at risk just so you can tell your friend you’re a block from her house. OK, not really, but I can dream, can’t I? Actually, last week,…

Sale of the day: Luna

Today through Wednesday, take 20 percent off all purchases for Luna’s Annual Holiday Party. And Wednesday you can enjoy cocktails from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Happy Holidays from Luna! **** UPDATE: Enjoy 40 percent off ALL jackets and coats from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. during the final day of the LUNA Annual Holiday Party. Cocktails…

Today’s Top 5: Monday

Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Dec. 7, 2009 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Find Your Muse Open Mic at The Evening Muse • Home for the Holidays at Joseph-Beth Booksellers • Queens Community Orchestra Concert at Queens University • Karaoke…

Here’s a shock: Bill James bashes gays again

As a fundamental denial of human rights, homophobia is as revolting and sickening as homosexuality seems to be to the homophobes who hate gays and lesbians and the transgendered for no other reason than that LGBT’s are who they are. That’s what I e-mailed to Commissioner Bill James (at least the “revolting and sickening” part)…

Charlotte Roller Girls: Cougars vs. Kittens

This Sunday, Dec. 6, the Charlotte Roller Girls will present its Battle of the Ages: Cougars vs. Kittens at Grady Cole Center. The bout will feature two teams, split based on age – ages 33 and up will make up the Kittens, and ages 34 and up will comprise the Cougars. Tickets are $5-$10. Starts…

Mixtape review: Chip Tha Ripper

The Deal: One of Complex Magazine’s 10 most underrated new rappers drops a mixtape ode to his hometown, weed, kicks, hoes and money. Hello Cleveland! The Good: It’s dope to hear all-new material. Lots of on-point production from relatively unknown producers, S.O.V. and Rami & Dez. Ohio hip-hop royalty Hi-Tek and Chuck Inglish from The…

Stupid Thing of the Week: Lou Dobbs

Former CNN host Lou Dobbs wins the weekly Stupid Thing of the Week award for making a fool of himself on Tuesday. That’s not big news in itself – Dobbs’ anti-immigrant ravings and his embrace of the “birther” loonies was proof enough that he’s gone off the rails, not to mention his delusions about running…

Events

Mez at the Epicentre will host a fundraising event for the Community Culinary School of Charlotte (CCSC) on Monday, December 7 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. The event includes drinks, light bites, a silent auction, and raffle. Auction items include catered dinners by the CCSC staff. Raffle prizes include golf at Cedarwood Country Club,…

Winthrop University hosts pottery sale today

You can’t really go wrong in gift-giving with pottery, but finding just the right type to satisfy the receiver may be an issue. On Dec. 4, Winthrop University will have its 20th Annual Holiday Pottery Sale, which showcases an array of hand-crafted decorative vessels and ceramic sculptures by Winthrop students and faculty, including featured potter…

Meet the artists of pop-up shop Jewelry Artists of Charlotte

Here’s a great gift idea: handmade jewelry. And what better place to find that than at a pop-up shop dedicated exclusively to the sparklies. I.C. London in Ballantyne presents Jewelry Artists of Charlotte, featuring the works of Barbara Fleeman, Day Hixson, Heather King, Laura Neff, Rachel Taliaferro and so many more. Head out to Ballantyne…

10 bars for $10: Santa would be proud

“Grandma got run over by a reindeer” … because Santa had one too many Soco & lime shots … A likely excuse from the bar crawlers who’ll be attending the 10th Annual Santa Bar Crawl, sponsored by LazyDay.com, Kiss 95.1 and Elevate magazine, this weekend. 10 years, 10 bars, for only $10 in advance. Not…

Tiger Woods, etc.: Who friggin’ cares?

Please tell me I’m not the only person who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about Tiger Woods’ car wreck, facial cuts, marital problems or — gasp! — possible affairs. Once again, Americans act all shocked and horrified (and titillated, but that’s never said out loud) that a celeb they admire is a human being. It’s…

Morningwood for five bucks

Amazon.com is selling the new Morningwood album for five bucks. If you’re not familiar with the band’s name, you may recognize this song. Here’s the video: \\\\\\\\\\ Gotta admit, it’s catchy!

Duke Energy has competitors?!

Note: Tomorrow, Friday, December 4, I will be the guest on Charlotte Talks, With Mike Collins on WFAE 90.7, Charlotte’s NPR station. The show airs from 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. and is repeated at 9 p.m. You’ve probably read Rhi Bowman’s blog items about the three environmental groups that filed a federal lawsuit to…

Grammy nominees announced

The nominees have been announced for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. Beyoncé earned 10 nods, Taylor Swift landed eight while Black Eyed Peas, Maxwell and Kanye West received six each. Stay tuned — closer to the Jan. 31, 2010 date of the awards I’ll make my predictions for the winners in all 109 categories.

Blackwater founder throws pity party

There aren’t many things more ridiculous than a slimeball who feels sorry for himself when he’s caught. Which brings us to Erik Prince, the arrogant rich boy who founded Blackwater USA, based in eastern North Carolina, and turned it into a murderous, mercenary money machine. Prince told Vanity Fair magazine he is cutting his ties…

Sale of the day: Green With Envy

Come to Green with ENVY today through Friday, Dec. 4 and get “buy one get one” on their assortment of unique Christmas ornaments. Also receive 40 percent off select pieces of furniture throughout the store. 1111 Central Ave. Ste.200 (corner of Central and Hawthorne) 704-344-8774 www.greenwithenvycharlotte.com

Marquita

inspiration: “I am inspired by peace, love, and photography.”

Tony Rand accused of insider trading

The latest bombshell to hit the N.C. General Assembly, particularly the Democrats there, landed today courtesy of WRAL in Raleigh. Tony Rand, for a long time one of the most powerful members of the state Senate and currently the Senate majority leader, is being accused of insider trading and other violations by Paul Feldman, the…

Sale of the day: Niche

From Niche’s blog: So, a couple weeks ago the ever creative Cigi hosted a public photo shoot downtown at Trade and Tryon.   Her and her photographer shot over 50 random people wearing The Flock apparel.  The results will be displayed tonight, December 2nd from 7-10 @ NICHE.  Come have a drink and check out some…

Live review: Meat Puppets

Meat Puppets w/ Dexateens and Babyshaker Visulite Theatre Dec. 1, 2009 The Deal: Latest lineup of the Kirkwood brothers rips through hour-and-a-half set in front of small Charlotte crowd. The Good: The show kicked off with a brief set by Charlotte’s own Babyshaker. Scott Weaver, who sings in more of a pop-rock style with Snagglepuss,…

Getting you into ‘The Magic of Christmas’

For me, the holiday season usually seems to appear just as quickly as it disappears. By the time I’m getting into the swing of things and humming seasonal melodies, its Christmas Eve and I’m running around doing last minute shopping. Hopefully, you are not like me. But, if you do struggle with time management and…

CD Review: Melanie Fiona

The Deal: Canadian born R&B singer releases debut as buzz builds behind her second hit song in the U.S. The Good: No real problems with her voice or the production. The singles really are the best tracks. Have to love the single from a year ago, “Give It To Me Right” which samples The Zombies,…

Smart art in a small town

After a two-week hiatus, (which we’re blaming on the holidays and assorted crises) the Point8 Blog is back with the third installment in our series on local artist collectives. Salisbury is an underappreciated town offering affordable Victorian houses, a charming and useful downtown, a bookstore with three cats that give you hairy eyeball when you…

The art of shopping: The All Arts Market

It’s hard to shop for picky people during the holidays, but knowing where to go makes it easier. The All Arts Market, an indoor marketplace, at Neighborhood Theatre should make buying gifts a bit more manageable. Featuring all hand-made goods and arts and crafts, including jewelry, photography, clothing, paintings, bags, and more, there’s something for…

Firebird’s on an arch? Oh.

The Charlotte daily paper today has an insightful op-ed column by my friend Mark West, a UNC Charlotte English professor and former CL contributor, about the arts in Charlotte. Mark sees a revival of the arts here, and of the city through a renewed arts scene, and uses the “Firebird” sculpture at the new Bechtler…

World AIDS Day

Wow. We’ve come a long way since the days when we thought AIDS was a gay-man’s disease. Well, maybe … did you hear about Uganda’s plan to execute HIV-positive gay men (and how some American conservatives are pulling the strings)? Anyway. Happy World AIDS Day. Let’s celebrate our progress while preparing to continue the battle.…

Tonight’s Top 5, 12/1/09

Here’s a list of the top five nightlife-related events tonight, Dec. 1, as selected randomly by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Dub City at Halo • The Red Pump/Red Tie Affair: A Stylish World AIDS Day Event • Meat Puppets at Visulite Theatre • Full Band Open Mic at Ed’s Tavern • The McDevitt…

Can Anthony Foxx fix Charlotte’s relationship with Raleigh?

Outgoing Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory didn’t keep quiet about his feelings for the N.C. General Assembly — from alleging that the capital was caught up in a culture of corruption to having cantankerous meetings with state representatives to taking a caravan to Raleigh to make a point about hometown crime issues. And during that time,…

Robbed blind: Don’t try this at work

Suppose you’ve been taking money from the company where you work. You took $10,000 here, $10,000 there until you had so much cash you didn’t know what to do with all of it. Suppose the money came from charity events your company used to raise money each year, or the checks collected from the annual…

Book review: Robert Olen Butler’s Hell

Butler, whose A Good Scent From A Strange Mountain is one of the great American short story collections, jumps full-tilt into absurdist, hilarious satire in this novel which takes place in Hell. Main character Hatcher McCord, the anchorman on Evening News From Hell, is dating Anne Boleyn and trying to figure out why he’s in…

CD Review: Otis Redding’s The Best: See & Hear

The Deal: Reliving the majesty and soul of Otis Redding. The Good: Shout Factory has put together a soul package on Otis Redding that encompasses some of the best audio and video performances of his career. Redding had only four years to spread his soul message, dying at age 26 in a plane crash in…

Capsule reviews of films playing the week of Dec. 2

THE BLIND SIDE Precious is different in that it allows an African-American character to tell her own story, never ceding the camera to anyone else and remaining the focal point throughout. The Blind Side is more typical of the sort of racially aware films Hollywood foists upon middle America, purportedly focusing on a black protagonist…

Fantastic Mr. Fox: Toon with tempo

FANTASTIC MR. FOX Whatever is in the water out in Los Angeles is forcing today’s most acclaimed young filmmakers to bring beloved children’s books to the big screen. First it was Spike Jonze directing an adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, and now it’s Wes Anderson helming a motion picture version of…

SHOPPING: The All Arts Market

It’s hard to shop for picky people during the holidays, but knowing where to go to find a vast array of items makes it easier. The All Arts Market, an indoor marketplace, at Neighborhood Theatre should make buying gifts a bit more manageable. Featuring all hand-made goods and arts and crafts, including jewelry, photography, clothing,…

A Christmas Tale, Four Christmases among new DVD reviews

A CHRISTMAS TALE (2008). If the Hollywood hit Four Christmases (reviewed below) takes family dysfunction to its comic extremes, writer-director Arnaud Desplechin’s A Christmas Tale plays it closer to real life, finding both humor and heartbreak as it focuses on the members of the Vuillard clan gathering over the holidays. The most recognizable names (or,…

SHOPPING: 20th Annual Holiday Pottery Sale

You can’t really go wrong in gift-giving with pottery, but finding just the right type to satisfy the receiver may be an issue. On Dec. 4, Winthrop University will have its 20th Annual Holiday Pottery Sale, which showcases an array of hand-crafted decorative vessels and ceramic sculptures by Winthrop students and faculty, including featured potter…

Image United No. 1 is pure schlock

Image United No. 1 Published by Image Comics. Written by Robert Kirkman. Art by Erik Larsen, Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino. The Deal: All the founding partners of Image Comics — Erik Larsen, Rob Liefeld, Todd McFarlane, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino (but not Jim Lee) –…

THEATER: A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has always been a favorite of mine, though the new animated film version of the tale with Jim Carrey looks a little too freaky for my taste. Luckily, Theatre Charlotte is bringing the classic — adapted by John Jakes — to its stage for a series of performances through Dec.…

Book Review: Garrison Keillor’s A Christmas Blizzard

A Christmas Blizzard probably isn’t what some readers expect from Keillor, whose humorous Midwestern quasi-nostalgic stories from Lake Wobegon have gathered listeners to A Prairie Home Companion for 30-plus years. Keillor’s satire here is cranked up a few notches compared to the Lake Wobegon tales, and the wordplay is his silliest yet. But the main…

THEATER: It’s A Wonderful Life

Do you ever just sit and ponder “What if” to past decisions in your life? In the beloved holiday classic It’s A Wonderful Life, George Bailey of Bedford Falls is pretty much forced into this train of thought. Sinking into despair and nearly suicidal, because of his own shortcomings in life, George sees himself in…

Beards BeCAUSE is back

Don’t miss the beard-trimming competition at the third annual Beards BeCAUSE fundraiser held at Amos’ Southend. The Final Party is on Dec. 5, so get out and help them meet the cut. Donations of at least $10 will be taken at the door for entry. All contributions will go toward the Charlotte’s Battered Women’s Shelter…

SPECIAL EVENT: Holiday Lights at the Garden

At some point during the season, you’ve got to get out of the congested malls and department stores, to really enjoy the spirit of the holidays. At Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens’ Holiday Lights at the Garden, you can get back to nature while being surrounded by holiday displays with more than 600,000 lights and decorative…

CL previews upcoming concerts (Dec. 3-8)

THURSDAY, DEC. 3 The Coal Men Dave Coleman’s, er, Coal Men doesn’t stray far from even the most middle-of-the-road MOR. Even the band’s label describes its music as meat and potatoes … calls it “old school” music. Which could lead you to believe that listening to these Coal Men is pretty much the aural equivalent…

ART: Impressionism, Then and Now at Elder Gallery

Art fans can splatter themselves with glee, as Elder Gallery’s newest exhibition Impressionism, Then and Now, is an all-out exploration through the 19th-century art movement of impressionism — coined from Claude Monet’s work “Impression, Sunrise.” Works by European and American artists — including Daniel Bayless, Tom Perkinson, Michael Strang, Thomas Van Stein, and selections from…

CD Review: Flyleaf’s Memento Mori

The Deal: Texas quintet Flyleaf releases long-awaited follow-up to 2005 self-titled debut. The Good: All Christian-rock ties aside, Flyleaf sold more than one million albums of its debut, and fans have been clamoring for new music. The follow-up album kicks off with “Beautiful Bride” that remains on the same sonic path as its predecessor, if…

THEATER: A Tuna Christmas

The holidays are in full swing, and things are starting to smell fishy. You can thank Carolina Actors Studio Theatre for that, as the local theater company reels in performances (for the fourth year in a row) of A Tuna Christmas. This funky, far-fetched play — written by Joe Sears, Jason William and Ed Howard…

Jimmy Wayne’s country soul

Call it rural soul. Although his version sounds like Al Green covering Hall and Oates on “Sara Smile,” country vocalist Jimmy Wayne’s roots are deep into country. But that didn’t stop the Kings Mountain native from showing off a soulful falsetto that sounds like it was wrenched kicking and screaming from Green’s throat. Wayne resurrected…

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files

Dangling Bait: A woman called police after someone stole some items from her purse on a trip to visit her husband. She said that she was visiting her man at the Carolina Rehabilitation Center when someone stole 206 OxyContin pills from her purse, along with her wallet. That’s like hiring Miley Cyrus to be the…

My Christmas wish list

They say this is going to be a skimpy Christmas for lots of Americans. Just in case “they” are right, I want to get my wish list out there as quickly as possible. Not that I’m greedy — my wishes here are for other folks — but I figure it pays to strike early before…

Horoscope for Dec. 2-8, 2009

Sagittarius The Archer: (Nov. 22-Dec. 20) Note the lead paragraph. Sagittarius is represented by the centaur, leaning back and pointing an arrow upward, toward the stars. This represents your everlasting search for a philosophical basis on which to live. The past year has expanded your vision in multiple ways. For All Signs: On Dec. 7,…

A simpler kind of nightlife

After attending the Bobcats game last Friday night, my friend Dianne sent me a text in an otherwise failed operation to meet up … “Are you going out after the game?” “Yeah, I’m going to run by CVS.” “Ummm … that doesn’t count.” Well, it is in the EpiCentre and open until 2 a.m., so…

Food-related books to enjoy over the holidays

Cookbooks and books of food writing are stacked around me. For the most part, these books prove to be a passing fancy. Very few make the cut to my permanent kitchen bookshelf, reserved for cookbooks, or to my office bookshelf, reserved for food writing. This year, a few contenders for the permanent shelves moved into…

Going ‘Brenda Richie’

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure that you’ve heard about the still-unfolding Tiger Woods debacle. Originally reported as a car crash in which his wife, Elin Nordegren, helped to free him, it has since been alleged by TMZ that Woods may have suffered injuries prior to the crash and that he was…


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