Apr 19-25, 2011

Apr 19-25, 2011 / Vol. 25 / No. 8

Be like Reagan: Raise corporate taxes

More and more people are getting mad about tax-dodging corporations, and with good reason. We’re told that the federal deficit is a danger to the nation’s economy, and yet it seems that nearly every day we hear that some super-major, gi-normous, unimaginably wealthy corporation has gotten away with paying zero taxes — and in many…

John Grooms

Battling Jesuses on Blu-ray

The 1960s witnessed battling Jesuses on the nation’s screens, as 1961’s King of Kings was followed four years later by The Greatest Story Ever Told. King won the box office battle (it earned slightly more and cost much less) while Story could claim Oscar bragging rights (five technical nominations versus King’s shutout), but which film…

Matt Brunson

Hospital gun owners’ rights: Screwiest priorities of the week

NC Policy Watch today points out what may be the weirdest  bill, or at least the most mystifying bill, yet proposed in this session of our new, thrill-a-minute, Tea Party-led legislature. Remember, any contender for the Legislative Crazy Award has to contend with Rep. Glen Bradley, who a month ago, introduced a bill to let…

John Grooms

Beastie Boys’ ‘Make Some Noise’

Beastie Boys released the video for the first song, “Make Some Noise,” from its upcoming album, Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2, yesterday and it’s got tons of guests… Seth Rogen, Danny McBride and Elijah Wood appear as young versions of the trio, and there are cameos by Will Ferrell, Jack Black, John C. Reilly, Ted…

Jeff Hahne

Poisoned and pissed in the Gulf: BP one year later

Yesterday was the anniversary of the start of the catastrophic BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The folks at Facing South, which is the online magazine of the Institute for Southern Studies in Durham, have published the first part of a five-part series on the aftermath of the spill, and it is an…

John Grooms

Tonight’s Top 5, 4/21/11

The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, April 21, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing. • Grand opening of Cameo Thursdays at Phoenix • Metlive-Music on the Greenway • Shiprocked Live with Menya and Juan Huevos at Snug Harbor • Dancing on the Dark Side: Live Music, Dance, and Visuals at Neighborhood…

Kimberly Lawson

“Weird Al” takes on Lady Gaga

“Weird Al” Yankovic has redone “Born This Way” for his own song “Perform This Way.” Simply put, it’s hilarious and quite genius. Sadly, but not surprisingly, Lady Gaga didn’t approve of the cover. So, Yankovic released it anyway via YouTube. Doesn’t Lady Gaga have a sense of humor? Enjoy! \\\\\\\\\\

Jeff Hahne

Celebrating QC After Dark’s 3-year anniversary: Part 1

In May 2008, Creative Loafing’s photo nightlife blog QC After Dark was born. In the past three years, we’ve been to various costume parties, black-tie fundraisers, concerts, fashion shows, art exhibits, ladies’ nights, Alive After Five’s, college nights and so much more. Our photographers have snapped shots of Jersey Shore cast members, straight-laced businessmen, well-knowns…

Kimberly Lawson

New bill would bring back predatory, 100%-APR loans to N.C.

The New Bosses in the General Assembly, along with some Democratic enablers, are getting ready to bring back predatory lending to North Carolina. In 2005, N.C. outlawed loans with an interest rate higher than 36 percent, although the Financial Vulture industry still managed to make healthy profits in the meantime.  But hard times for the…

John Grooms

AthFest headliners announced

Held in downtown Athens, Ga., from June 22 to June 26, AthFest has been showcasing talent for 15 years. This year’s performers include headliners Futurebirds, Centro-Matic, Guadalcanal Diary, Chickasaw Mudd Puppies and Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit.

Jeff Hahne

Rep. Lamar Smith claims Founding Fathers were against gay marriage

Yesterday, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, came up with a unique reason for opposing same-sex marriage. During his committee’s hearings on Obama’s decision not to enforce the Defense of Marriage Act because he finds it unconstitutional, Smith said that same-sex marriage would have been opposed by the Founding Fathers. One…

John Grooms

Next noise ordinance meeting tomorrow

The Community Safety Committee has a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 20, at 2 p.m. in Room 280 in the Government Center, 600 East 4th St.. The City Attorney’s office will present its new revisions to the noise ordinance. No vote will be taken.

Jeff Hahne

Coming attractions

In case you haven’t heard about CL music editor Jeff Hahne’s new music series “Off the Record,” here’s another reminder. Happening monthly at The Evening Muse, it goes beyond just music. Between songs Hahne asks questions to performing musicians, giving the audience a better insight into the band’s songs and artistic process. This week, the…

Contributing Intern

Tonight’s Top 5, 04/19/11

The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, April 19, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing. • Halfway to Halloween party at Whisky River • The Charlotte Junior Chamber’s monthly social (M-Night) at Kennedy’s • Paschal Promotions Bowling League at Strike City • Country Tuesdays at Snug Harbor • Tuesday Karaoke Night with…

Kimberly Lawson

THEATER: Blue Man Group

Looking like something from another planet, the phenomenal Blue Man Group makes a landing at Blumenthal’s Belk Theater. Using music, comedy and stage props, the performance art trio has made its mark. They don’t speak, but as the ol’ saying goes: “Actions speak louder than words.” In this case, the technological theatrics say it all.…

Anita Overcash

3 questions with Naisan Wachob, restaurateur

Besides their animated hand gestures and occasional affiliation with the mob, Italians are known for the versatility of their delicious food. Naisan “Nathan” Wachob — owner and operator of Blu Basil Italian Restaurant — has a distinct affinity for the simplicity of Italian cuisine. Although Wachob went to school for engineering, his love for food,…

Nicole Pietrantonio

U.S.-backed bloodshed stains Bahrain’s Arab spring

Three days after Hosni Mubarak resigned as the long-standing dictator in Egypt, people in the small Gulf state of Bahrain took to the streets, marching to their version of Tahrir, Pearl Square, in the capital city of Manama. Bahrain has been ruled by the same family, the House of Khalifa, since the 1780s — more…

Amy Goodman

FILM: Cult Movie Mondays, screening Freaks

Cult Movie Mondays is getting a little freakier than normal this week as Tod Browning’s 1932 Freaks is on the agenda to be screened. The film, with a cast mostly composed of actual carnival performers, tells the story of a beautiful trapeze artist who marries a midget for his money. As is usually the case,…

Anita Overcash

Music director David Traver goes behind Blue Man Group

Combining elements of the visual arts with comedy and music, Blue Man Group has become a national touring force of entertainment. As with most things, though, there is more than meets the eye. I recently spoke with musical director David Traver by phone from a tour stop in Delaware about the new Blue Man Group…

Jeff Hahne

Capsule reviews of films playing the week of April 20

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU One person’s religious beliefs is often another person’s existentialist theories, and The Adjustment Bureau offers plenty of theological fodder to go around. Because it tinkers with notions involving God and chance and destiny and all that other stuff that’s fun to discuss, it might turn off those types of folks who misunderstood…

Matt Brunson

MUSIC: Dirt Daubers at Snug Harbor

Col. JD Wilkes, of the Legendary Shack Shakers, leads the trio Dirt Daubers. Their raw, lo-fi hillbilly authenticity may not shake a shack but it’s rollicking with the potency of backcountry Appalachian bluegrass, jug-band hoedowns, and plain ole drinking music. It’s front porch real with fiddles, banjo, and stand-up bass. $3. 10 p.m. Snug Harbor,…

Samir Shukla

Iron & Wine shows growth through experimentation

Our image of Sam Beam, the man behind the Iron & Wine moniker, will probably always filter first through his stark and stunning 2002 debut, The Creek Drank the Cradle. That LP’s slender acoustic arrangements, homespun recording and Beam’s solitary whisper blended into daguerreotype songs rich in red-loam imagery and Bible Belt dualities. On the…

John Schacht

Rabbit Hole, Soylent Green among new home entertainment titles

KING OF KINGS (1961) / THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (1965). The 1960s witnessed battling Jesuses on the nation’s screens, as 1961’s King of Kings was followed four years later by The Greatest Story Ever Told. King won the box office battle (it earned slightly more and cost much less) while Story could claim Oscar…

Matt Brunson

EXHIBIT: Bring the Family

This new exhibit at The Light Factory zeros in on the necessity of family. Photographers Tina Barney, Lydia Panas, Catalina Kulczar-Marin and Natalie Young have formed a collection of images which capture the essence of family, friends and home in making one’s life meaningful. Continues through May 22. Free admission. Open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.;…

Anita Overcash

CL previews upcoming concerts (April 20-26)

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20 BROKENCYDE After graduating from Berkelee’s rigorous musical academy and surveying the far boundaries of post-modernism for their PhDs (all between blackouts!), the members of this New Mexico act — Mikl, Se7en, Phat J, and Antz — formed their punk-crunk vehicle in 2007. Armed with little more than auto-Tune, the word “titties” and…

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog: The Book among new comic reviews

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog: The Book Published by Titan Book. Written by Joss Whedon (and others). Another week — another big-ass stack of comics and other goodies. Here’s what I thought about my latest mound of stuff: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog: The Book: The world of pop culture is split into three separate camps: folks who…

Carlton Hargro

CD REVIEW: Jeremy Current’s Dark Land of the Sun

THE DEAL: Charlotte singer-songwriter releases full-length album, follow-up to House on Fire EP. THE GOOD: Falling on that folk/alt-country line, Jeremy Current opens his 10-song album with “FYEO,” a heartfelt tune with his soothing vocals front and center. The music is presented as something simple with hints of pedal steel behind him, his storytelling focused…

Jeff Hahne

Another time, another Salem: Speech & Debate

Call it paranoia, growing pains, overactive hormones or simply rebellion, teens in high school are often going through a rough time. In Stephen Karam’s Speech & Debate, we encounter three protagonists who are chafing against the restrictions, pressures and alienating anxieties of high school life. Solomon is an aspiring journalist, but the editorial he wants…

Perry Tannenbaum

CD REVIEW: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s Here We Rest

THE DEAL: Jason Isbell bares his soul. THE GOOD: If you find the cargo the Drive By Truckers are hauling these days a little too bleak, check out what former Trucker Jason Isbell and his 400 Unit have on their manifest. On Here We Rest, Isbell’s third release since leaving DBT in ’07, the music…

Grant Britt

EXHIBIT: Images From Kalimantan

Take a look at this photo and you should be saying “Awwwwwww …” In this exhibit, you can see more images like this, in addition to those of Borneo and its people. Charlotte photographer Jay Weinmiller documented former black market baby orangutans being reintroduced to the rainforest. He was guided by two natives who also…

Anita Overcash

Keep Civil War tributes honest

It’s possible that the commemorations of the Civil War’s 150th anniversary will help bring Americans, and our political factions, together. Possible, but not very likely. I’m all for the commemorations, don’t get me wrong. Considering the Civil War’s seminal influence on who we are as a nation, it would be kind of crazy to not…

EXHIBIT: Surroundings: Photography X 4

Hodges Taylor Art Consultancy’s latest exhibition is displaying works by four photographers — Linda Foard Roberts, Alice Sebrell, Sonia Handelman Meyer and Ida Wyman — and most of their pieces have close ties to Charlotte. The photos — in color and black & white — capture settings of urban and natural landscapes, and some, like…

Anita Overcash

2nd Annual Transportation Issue: Part I of III

For the second year in a row, Creative Loafing is devoting ink to the issue of transportation in Charlotte. And for 2011, we’ve decided to use three straight issues to explore the people, places and things that come into play when you think and talk about trekking from one point of the city to another.…

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files

Taking A Stand: A 51-year-old man called police after being chased around his apartment complex by a raving lunatic. He told officers that the man chased him around with a huge stick until he found refuge in his friend’s apartment. It was from this safe haven that he watched the suspect enter his apartment, where…

Ryan Pitkin

Carless in the Queen City — revisited

Last year, when the lease on Teresa Hernandez’s Volvo V50 wagon ended, instead of grabbing a new set of keys, she excitedly grabbed a new lease — on a car-free life. It was a day she met with anticipation and angst. It was a day she planned for and contemplated. It was a day that…

Paula M. White

Did the middle ages not really happen?

I read an article recently about a man who says our current chronology is about a thousand years off and that the years between 500 to 1500 (to round it off) didn’t really happen. It’s a mistake made by historians. I kind of like this hypothesis because I never understood why there are no records…

Cecil Adams

U.S. Cycling Center sets up shop in Rock Hill

Spencer Lueders remembers his first bike, at age 5, was a red Schwinn. He now rides a Trek Madone 6.9, a 15-pound, full-carbon superbeast of a two-wheeler. Lueders — a Charlotte attorney, cyclist, founder of 24 Hours of Booty (www.24hoursofbooty.org) and president of Cycling Center Partners — likes clean, fast-track bikes. The kind, for instance,…

Olufunke Moses

Weekly horoscope (April 20-26)

Taurus The Bull (April 20-May 20) During this period of time you may have one or more surprises as secrets are revealed to you. This will make many things more clear about your past experiences. Take a fresh look at where you want to direct your attention. Use this month to let go of past…

Vivian Carol

9 must-have items for cyclists

Bicyclists face danger every time they hit the streets, even if they follow the rules of the road. But, Steve Maleski (pictured right), owner of Espada Bicycles in NoDa (3206-R N. Davidson St.), says you can bike safely and have fun while doing it. He recently sat down with CL and told us about nine…

Cheris Hodges

Rio: For the birds … and the kids

The color-drenched Rio, which bursts onto the screen scene like a Starburst commercial writ large, contains an early sequence in which the film’s caged animal protagonist inadvertently bounces out the back of a moving vehicle and finds himself in strange environs. This is similar to the opening of Rango, which found its central critter likewise…

Matt Brunson

The best and worst neighborhoods for biking

Looking for a leisurely road ride or want to do some exploring on two wheels? Some of Charlotte’s avid bicyclists have a few suggestions about neighborhoods that offer great biking experiences … and places you should avoid (if you value living). For our 2nd Annual Transportation Issue, we’ve tapped the minds of Joey Emanuel (who…

Cheris Hodges

The Conspirator worth studying

Boston Corbett, the soldier who fatally shot John Wilkes Booth after the latter assassinated Abraham Lincoln, had years earlier removed his own testicles (with scissors!) so he wouldn’t succumb to the feminine wiles of prostitutes. Dr. Samuel Mudd, one of the men convicted as part of the conspiracy to kill the president, is believed by…

Matt Brunson

One biker’s ‘dream cycles’

When Charlotte resident Tonya Jameson isn’t running Darling Media Group — the multimedia web company she co-founded — you can find her teaching folks how to ride motorcycles (conducting a 22-hour Motorcycle Safety Foundation basic rider course at Central Piedmont Community College) or out riding her own motorcycles. But as much as she loves her…

Carlton Hargro

MUSIC: Alive After Five, featuring Hot Sauce

Looking at Hot Sauce (see photo) really brings new light to the term cover band. Hiding underneath the strange mix of costumes is the Charlotte act known for playing popular, crowd-pleasing songs from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. You can see them perform this week during Alive After Five at Wachovia Plaza. The outdoor music…

Anita Overcash

Your Highness: Off with their heads!

YOUR HIGHNESS * DIRECTED BY David Gordon Green STARS Danny McBride, James Franco As screen couplings go, the less charitable might gaze upon the union of Danny McBride and Natalie Portman and be reminded of Princess Leia forced to sit half-naked and chained next to Jabba the Hutt. But this unlikely match is the least…

Matt Brunson

Get ready to ‘Bike! Charlotte’

As our fair city strives to become a more cyclist-friendly place, the 2011 edition of BIKE! Charlotte kicks off on April 29 to help drive that idea home. For 17 days — through May 15 — the Q.C. will play host to a number of bicycle-related events, which are designed to encourage family, friends and…

Cheris Hodges

FILM: My Dog Tulip

Dog lovers get a special treat tonight. A screening of My Dog Tulip — an animated love story between British author J.R. Ackerley and his adopted German shepherd, Tulip — will take place at Hodges Taylor Art Consultancy. As the mother of a 2-year-old Chihuahua, I’m giving this film two paws up. A classic tale…

Morgan Jones

Where to find it: Chervil

The French regard chervil as one of the essential herbs. In fact, it is the finest herb in the classic French fine herbes mix with parsley, chives and tarragon. Chervil, or cerfeuil in French, has the feathery green leaf look of the unlikely love child of a carrot and parsley. The flavor, however, has a…

Tricia Childress

Learn to ride, courtesy of Harley-Davidson

Want to learn how to ride a motorcycle? Well, other than checking out the 22-hour course at CPCC we mentioned earlier this issue, you can head to Harley-Davidson of Charlotte on Independence Boulevard. The shop offers a safety and training course, called Rider’s Edge, that teaches anyone (including first-time riders) the rules of the road.…

Cheris Hodges

SPECIAL EVENT: Plaza Midwood Spring Party

The folks in Plaza Midwood know how to party. This Saturday, you’ll want to mosey on over to Petra’s for the Plaza Midwood Spring Party. Hosted by local musician Jon Lindsay, it’s set to feature a load of live music (by Lindsay, Jay Garrigan, Miles Swartz, Anna Bullard, Eston Dickinson and the Swaggerettes, Jack The…

Anita Overcash

Hidden gem: Bollywood Bites

Over a generation ago, the maxim for restaurateurs was if you opened an eatery with good food at great prices, the customers would beat a path to your door. But in today’s world of convenience — even with GPS systems — this truth has lost its way. Bollywood Bites is a takeout-only Indian shop located…

Tricia Childress

Is race to blame for lack of coverage of missing?

Two attractive, intelligent, young Charlotte-area women tragically disappear. Foul play appears to be involved. Which woman gets more media attention — the black one or the white one? The standard answer is that the attractive white female always does. That’s what the media has told us about its own coverage in the disappearance of Union…

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