Aug 23-29, 2011

Aug 23-29, 2011 / Vol. 25 / No. 26

Chop Shop, 8/27/11

Iron Cordoba brought out the trashiest people to the Chop Shop for the White Trash Party on Aug. 27. Check out a live review on Vibes. Photos by Jeaumane McIntosh. Related Stories

Kimberly Lawson

Marigny, 8/27/11

Just Twirl hosted “One World” featuring DJ Roland Belmares, at Marigny on Aug. 27, as a 2011 Pride Charlotte Festival after party. Photos by Jeaumane McIntosh.

Kimberly Lawson

Peter Gorman’s Murdoch-owned company takes big hit from New York state

You have to wonder whether former CMS Superintendent Peter Gorman is having second thoughts about taking a job in a Rupert Murdoch company. The New York Daily News reports that the state of New York has canceled the $27 million contract between the state’s Education Department and Murdoch’s Wireless Generation — a company that comprises…

John Grooms

Democratic National Convention 2012 Notebook: A command center takes shape

CMPD Chief Rodney Monroe Early this week, the Charlotte City Council approved a request of close to $600,000 so the police department can renovate its downtown headquarters in preparation for the 2012 Democratic National Convention. On Thursday night, Rodney Monroe, Chief of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, gave some details on the “command center” he said,…

Mary C. Curtis

Obama announces deal with Hurricane Irene

“The White House says Pres. Barack Obama will make a statement Friday on Hurricane Irene from Martha’s Vineyard, where he is vacationing.” — Associated Press CL had acquired an advance copy of Pres. Obama’s statement, which we pass along here: Good day, my fellow Americans, my vacation is now officially shot in the ass, so…

John Grooms

Worth the trip: ONE Musicfest 2011 in Atlanta

While we usually use this space to promote shows in town, it just makes sense that we take time to tell you about a big-ass concert popping off this Saturday (Aug. 27) a mere four-hour (or less) drive away in Atlanta: ONE Musicfest 2011. The all-day festival boasts a lineup worthy of a road trip.…

Carlton Hargro

Dharma Lounge, 8/24/11

With Charlotte Pride taking over the city this week, celebrating all that is LGBT, Dharma Lounge got into the spirit by hosting “Bang is Burning: Charlotte Pride Week Ball” on Aug. 24. Photos by Justin Driscoll

Kimberly Lawson

Glenn Beck’s insane Jerusalem rally

Just when you thought Glenn Beck couldn’t get any weirder, more apocalyptic, delusional and monomaniacal, his “rally” yesterday in Jerusalem upped the ante on all his favorite personality traits. Beck, who was canned from FoxNews when his ratings fell off a cliff after he started ranting about messages from God and such, held a much-ballyhooed…

John Grooms

Art auction for The Dublin Dog Foundation

This evening The Dublin Dog Foundation hosts a fundraiser/auction called Luck. Powerful Art. Positive Purpose. The event is being held at Gil Gallery, where 20 paintings from various artists have been donated to raise money for the training and care of a service dog that will be given to a 10 year old boy in…

Anita Overcash

Fashion choreographer Taylor Presson shines light on her Dilworth home

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something … orange? The matrimonial maxim, albeit with a twist, comes to mind when touring Taylor Presson’s two-story Dilworth home. “My husband and I got married five years ago, and he had a house full of bachelor furniture I was stuck with, so I wanted to make it work…

Laura Camilo

CD REVIEW: Download for Good

THE DEAL: Music compilation released as a benefit for the David Lynch Foundation featuring 33 artists from a variety of genres. THE GOOD: The album starts with the Latin groove of Ozomatli, followed by an acoustic Iggy Pop performing “Milk Cow Blues.” Jakob Dylan pairs up with Darryl Hannah for “Won’t You Stay,” Peter Gabriel…

Jeff Hahne

Kamesha LaVonndra Johnson, owner of Elle VJ

Ever wonder how the fashion-obsessed spend their days and very often their nights? Meet a native Charlottean with a thirst for style, poised and ready to break the mold on NoDa’s fashion community. Kamesha LaVonndra Johnson is the founder and owner of Elle VJ Boutique (136 E. 36th St., Studio 2). Exclusive to two London…

T. Strong

CD REVIEW: Richard Buckner’s Our Blood

THE DEAL: Buckner’s eighth lands near the top, though not at the peak, of his catalog. THE GOOD: The “blood” in the title was meant to be metaphorical; a disquisition on the good and the corrupt in our lineage. But given the gauntlet this disc travelled over its five-year gestation, you gotta believe actual platelets…

John Schacht

Wrapping up the summer with great paperbacks

Before you know it, Labor Day will be here and prime beach time will be null and void for 2011. If you haven’t been and still want to go, you better hurry. Even if you’ve already gone coastal this summer, you’d probably love to sneak in a couple more days on the sand. We’re here…

John Grooms

San Francisco bay area’s BART pulls a Mubarak

What does the police killing of a homeless man in San Francisco have to do with the Arab Spring uprisings from Tunisia to Syria? The attempt to suppress the protests that followed. In our digitally networked world, the ability to communicate is increasingly viewed as a basic right. Open communication fuels revolutions — it can…

Amy Goodman

Planet of the Apes among new comic reviews

Planet of the Apes No. 4 Published by Boom! Studios. Written by Daryl Gregory. Art by Carlos Magno. Another week, another big-ass stack of comics. Here’s a look at a few things I liked — and didn’t like: Planet of the Apes No. 4: I can’t remember if I’ve already recommended this series, but you…

Carlton Hargro

Moderate McCrory or Tea Party Pat: Which will show up in 2012?

Charlotteans are used to seeing Pat McCrory run for office, but they may not recognize him in the next election. According to observers from both parties, the former Charlotte mayor has moved farther and farther to the right in order to shore up support from the GOP’s ultra-conservative Tea Party factions, as he looks toward…

John Grooms

Field of dreamcatchers: August: Osage County

At their new home in NoDa, CAST is precisely delineating the difference between an opening and a GRAND OPENING. Back in June, when the new HQ at 2424 N. Davidson St. had its soft opening, CAST brought a wee mobile home into one of their theaters — oh yes, there are still two — and…

Perry Tannenbaum

Arrogant whining of the rich is sickening

Sickening. That was my initial, and is still my ongoing, reaction to a front-page Observer story last week. I was sickened when I read it, and I’m still sickened, thinking about it days later. You can probably guess the story I’m referring to: the group of wealthy Charlotteans who, with the notable exception of former…

John Grooms

Exhibit: Looking Forward, Looking Back

Davidson College presents the work of mixed-media artist Chris Watts in a show that coincides with the 100th birthday celebration of legendary artist Romare Bearden (the show is subtitled, “Honoring the Legacy of Romare Bearden”). The exhibit also includes sculpture by Kendall Buster. Opening reception Aug. 25 (on view until Oct. 26). Katherine and Tom…

Carlton Hargro

Exhibit: Triennial Revisited

The works of four faculty members at Winthrop University — Jim Connell, Phil Moody, Beth Melton and Tom Stanley — are making the long haul to showcase in Columbia. The exhibit contains art by 18 South Carolina artists and takes a hard look at the state’s art scene during 1992-2004. The previous time frame is…

Anita Overcash

STONEnyc hosts first pop-up shop

Amelie’s French Bakery (2424 N. Davidson St.) is one of the best places in town to go to for something sweet — hello, salted caramel brownie, anyone? But on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 2 p.m.-4 p.m., it will be where you want to go to find something pretty. The online jewelry and accessory boutique STONEnyc,…

Kimberly Lawson

The Whistleblower worth hearing out

Here’s some pertinent information about DynCorp, culled from various sources (including The Guardian, The New York Times and Human Rights Watch): “DynCorp International is a United States-based private military company [which] has provided services for the U.S. military in Bolivia, Bosnia, Somalia, Angola, Haiti, Colombia, Kosovo and Kuwait … Throughout the world, DynCorp employees have…

Matt Brunson

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police file (Aug. 24)

Yesterday’s Trash: Police responded to a domestic disturbance call last week after a woman was assaulted by her husband. The report states that the suspect pushed his wife into her father’s car, breaking the side mirrors. The suspect then fled the scene in his father-in-law’s car. The car was found unattended with the suspect’s 1-month-old…

Ryan Pitkin

Conan the Barbarian should be flogged

Seriously, this chatter about the 1982 version of Conan the Barbarian being some sort of classic needs to stop. John Milius’ treatment of author Robert E. Howard’s pulp hero was a lumbering bore, with a wooden Arnold Schwarzenegger not yet seasoned enough to work up the charisma that would serve him well in later pictures.…

Matt Brunson

What would it be like walking around on a cube-shaped planet?

If the earth was a perfect cube, what would the gravitational effect be at the edges? Could you casually step over the 90-degree bend onto an adjacent face? — Victor Allen The Straight Dope research department debated how to deal with your question, Victor. Una thought we could have a little fun with it, pointing…

Cecil Adams

Spy Kids 4D a waste of Time

What’s there to say about a movie when Jessica Alba is the best thing about it? Not much, obviously. Alba, perpetually as rigid as a surfboard, at least is inoffensive — even likable — in Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D, which automatically makes her easier to take than practically everything…

Matt Brunson

Weekly horoscope (Aug. 24-Aug.30)

Virgo The Virgin (Aug. 22-Sept. 22) Venus entered your sign on the 21st and will be traveling “with you” through mid-September. Her presence gives you an air of poise, and people will simply like how you look. Often when Venus is prominent, we become more interested in art forms and want to make things in…

Vivian Carol

Capsule reviews of films playing the week of Aug. 24

BRIDESMAIDS Bridesmaids can’t maintain a high level of hilarity over the course of its 125 minutes, but when its game is on, it ranks among the funnier endeavors of the past few years. Judd Apatow is one of its producers, and the film certainly falls in line more with his brand of product — raunchy…

Matt Brunson

The Big Lebowski, Rounders among new home entertainment titles

THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998). A handful of Coen Brothers films have achieved some measure of cult status (Raising Arizona, for instance), yet nothing has come close to enjoying the outsider appeal earned by The Big Lebowski. Its standing as one of their most beloved efforts admittedly puzzles me — offhand, I can think of at…

Matt Brunson

Where to find it: Chicago-styled Pizza

Over the course of the last several years, the Charlotte area has lost the few Chicago-styled pizza shops it had, including Pizzeria Uno downtown. Most pizzerias here offer New York-styled pizzas. The common response about Chicago-styled pizzas from local pizzerias has been, “We don’t have them, but I’m sure somebody does.” But, in fact, nobody…

Tricia Childress

Taking a stand: The Bradford Store

The red paneled screen door creaks shut as you enter The Bradford Store, established in 1912 — the same year the Titanic sank. But the store hasn’t been in continuous operation since then. Although the building has always been in the Bradford family, there were periods the family leased it, and for more than a…

Tricia Childress

Charlotte Warehouse Sale returns

Since December 2007, the organizers behind the Charlotte Warehouse Sale have been helping women save cash, one piece of designer clothing at a time. This is one of the area’s largest liquidation sales event for designer apparel and accessories — and it happens this week, Thursday, Aug. 25 through Sunday, Aug. 28. If you’re looking…

Kimberly Lawson

3 questions with Suzie Ford, NoDa Brewing Company

With pioneer breweries like Anchor Brewing and Sierra Nevada calling the Golden State home, it can be said that craft beer culture owes California a certain debt of gratitude. NoDa Brewing Company is no exception. Suzie Ford, one-half of the husband and wife-owned business, grew up in the San Francisco bay area and moved to…

Laura Camilo

Item of the Week: Jewelry by Cleo Jones

Wearing feathers of any kind is always a bold statement. Whether it’s clothing, accessories or footwear, they’re sure to bring out the diva in you. Feather earrings are a a great way to mix this trend into your wardrobe, and no one does them better than local designer Cleo Jones. Stylish and uniquely handmade, these…

T. Strong

The Damned Things breaks out of supergroup mold

It seems like everywhere you turn your head these days, there’s another supergroup popping out of the woodwork. (We wrote about a different one, Stockholm Syndrome, last week!) Enter The Damned Things. Combining members of Anthrax, Fall Out Boy and Every Time I Die, the group initially started as a fun project and elaborate jam…

Jeff Hahne

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