Feb 21-27, 2018
Ronnie Long Cover, Pt. 1; Skyland Family Restaurant; Mineral Girls; Art With Heart; Samir Hamid
Cover Story
Ronnie Long Has Spent Four Decades Behind Bars for a Rape Many Say He Didn’t Commit
The following is Part 1 of a two-part story. It is the result of a partnership with the Indy Week in Raleigh. Don’t miss the conclusion in next week’s issue. The morning of August 18, 2014, greeted Ashleigh Ward with a blast of sticky summer heat. She was excited. She was getting married, and while…
Annihilation: Cerebral sci-fi
ANNIHILATION *** (out of four) DIRECTED BY Alex Garland STARS Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh In the same manner as high-school yearbooks that include such senior superlatives as Most Likely to Succeed, Annihilation should come branded with the designation Most Likely to Clear Theaters. It will likely remain the 2018 equivalent of what Darren Aronofsky’s…
Game Night OK for date night
GAME NIGHT **1/2 (out of four) DIRECTED BY John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein STARS Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams It’s no match for a marathon evening of Apples to Apples with assorted friends and loved ones, but as a date-night option, a person could do worse than Game Night. A reasonably diverting comedy that hits…
The Blotter: Bottle Service
Room Service Police responded to the Ritz Carlton in Uptown last week after someone at the bar decided to take the party back to their room — the bathroom. An employee at the bar told officers that when his back was turned the suspect reached over the bar and picked up two bottles of Absolut…
The Florida Project, Manhattan Murder Mystery, The Star among new home entertainment titles
(View From The Couch is a weekly column that reviews what’s new on Blu-ray, DVD and Streaming. Ratings are on a four-star scale.) THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017). This superb effort from Tangerine writer-director Sean Baker was one of last year’s most acclaimed films – according to the comprehensive compilation site CriticsTop10, only Get Out, Ladybird…
Listen Up: Erick Lottary Drops New Heat on ‘Local Vibes’
When Charlotte rapper Erick Lottary agreed to come on the podcast, he told Ryan he’d play a never-before-heard track on air. Once he got in the studio, though, he felt the ‘Vibes’ and decided to play us three tracks off the new project. We also did some talking, too. Lott tells us about expanding beyond…
News of the Weird: A Valentine’s Divorce
Irony A North Little Rock, Arkansas, law firm celebrated Valentine’s Day in an unconventional way: Wilson & Haubert, PLLC hosted a contest to win a free divorce (a $985 value). “Are you ready to call it quits?” the firm’s Facebook post asked. “Do you know someone that is?” Firm co-founder Brandon Haubert told WIS-TV that…
Samir Hamid Does It 4 Charlotte’s Creators
Samir Hamid wants to build a “creative skyscraper.” Possibly somewhere between the Duke Energy Center and Hearst Tower, he envisions rooms on rooms on rooms, all dedicated to creativity. “A whole building just for dope shit,” he said. The vision lines up with Hamid’s other aspirations, considering he uses his career to create platforms for…
Mineral Girls Members Discuss ‘The Last Time’ and How They Got Their Name
The Mineral Girls don’t need your comparisons. “I feel like 90 percent of the bands people compare us to, I’ve either never heard of or we don’t like,” said Audrey Ayers, guitarist for the local indie rock band. Ayers’ fellow guitarist and vocalist in the band, Brett Green, said he hears Superchunk most often, a…
Billy Graham’s Other Legacy
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Salome’s Stars
ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Your soft-hearted self is drawn to a tempting offer. But your hard-headed half isn’t so sure. Best advice: Do it only after every detail is checked out to your liking. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) Your inventive mind should help you find a way to get around an…
Art With Heart Returns to its Roots
Art With Heart, the yearly winter fundraiser held by local domestic violence and sexual assault service nonprofit Safe Alliance, has made a real impact over the last 17 years. In that time, the event has surpassed $1 million raised through art auctions. As time went on, though, the event also went through a change, leaving…
Twelve Years After His Release From Prison, Skyland Owner Jimmy Kakavitsas Won’t Forget
My interview with Skyland Family Restaurant owner Dimitrios Kakavitsas — or Jimmy to friends and customers — took an unexpected turn when he said, “I’ve been in prison,” then broke down in tears. The story of Kakavitsas’ imprisonment has been reported; he even wrote a book about his experience titled In Pursuit of Freedom and…
The Only Way to Do Discovery Place is the ‘Adults Only’ Way
A long weekend in the Queen City usually implies a long weekend of drinking. That’s right, your girl had Monday off in observance of President’s Day. When I wasn’t spending time with friends, I was enjoying sleep competitions with my sweetheart. Even though I hadn’t gotten much sleep on Thursday night, my boo thang had…
