Dec 14-20, 2010

Dec 14-20, 2010 / Vol. 24 / No. 42

Toys for twats: Xmas at The Men’s Club

‘Tis the season of giving … and receiving lap dances apparently. Every year, for the past 10 years, a group of gentlemen I know all congregate over the holidays at a gentlemen’s club for Operation X-mas Child — putting the X in X-mas. At this “Toys for Twats” charity function, they bring gifts to donate…

Brittney Cason

Robin Rogers has died

Charlotte blues singer Robin Rogers died earlier today after a long battle with cancer. A story was done recently by NPR here. We wrote a story about benefit shows being done on her behalf back in October. It was a long, tough road for Robin in just about every way. Hopefully, she is now at…

Jeff Hahne

10-in-10 CD reviews

Each Friday, we review 10 recently released CDs in 10 words each —  Hinder The All American Nightmare — Band’s third album is just 10 songs in 36 minutes. The Benedictine Nuns of Notre Dame De L’Annonciation Voices — Group won a contest searching for best female Gregorian chanters. Arthur Watch the Years Crawl By…

Jeff Hahne

Foes of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal getting desperate

The House voted 250-175 yesterday to repeal the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) policy. After the Senate last week rejected a DADT repeal, as part of an overall defense appropriation bill, the House re-framed the issue, making repeal a new, stand-alone bill; that bill is the one that passed the House yesterday. Votes in…

John Grooms

Tonight’s Top 5, 12/16/10

The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, Dec. 16, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing. • 10th Annual Blitzen’s Holiday Party at Dilworth Billiards • 30 + Thursdays / Customer Appreciation Party at Club 935 • Pijama Party at Halo • Tehranium: The Social Mettle (a house/world music party featuring DJ That…

Kimberly Lawson

Brews, bruises and sing-a-longs

Dixie’s Tavern isn’t my usual scene, but with a friend guest-bartending and a crowd of out-of-towners in for the ACC Championship Game, chances were I’d have a lot more fun than I’d had in the past. Surrounded by a pro-Virginia Tech crowd, the drink specials were on point. All of my ballin’-on-a-budget friends racing to…

Mike McCray

PHOTOS: Bask

New at the N.C. Music Factory is the restaurant Bask, which opened to the public yesterday, Dec. 14. Located in the main courtyard area, the restaurant features a gated-in patio area, prime for people-watching in the summer. On the interior, they have white leather booths and chairs, wood accents, unique lighting fixtures, and an open…

Priscilla Tsai

Study: Watching Fox News makes you ignorant

There’s a new study you should read — or at least read the summary if you don’t have time to take on the whole thing. You’ll be surprised by what it tells you about American voters. Or, sadly, you may not be surprised at all. World Public Opinion, a project of the Program on International…

John Grooms

This week’s new releases (12/14/2010)

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the new releases hitting stores this week: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals III/IV Crystal Bowersox Farmer’s Daughter Ciara Basic Instinct Deadmau5 4×4=12 Diddy Dirty Money Last Train to Paris Michael Jackson Michael R. Kelly Love Letter

Jeff Hahne

Now open: Ruby’s Gift in Selwyn

Ruby’s Gift now has a second location in Selwyn. Just like in NoDa, this one will carry European and vintage finds, artisan jewelry from about 14 different artists, paintings and pottery. The new store has beautiful scarves and wraps and wonderful “Glow Green” candles, too (just in time for holiday shopping). While you entertain your…

Lauren Blake

NIGHTLIFE: Naughty or Nice Party

What type of mark would you get on Santa’s list, naughty or nice? King Ent. and JRK Ent. have teamed up for the Naughty or Nice party at Alley Cat on Dec. 17. My prediction is that more people will fit into the first category, unless that is, this party doesn’t weigh in on any…

Anita Overcash

Wild Target misses the mark

Talk about landing the wrong man for the job. Director Jonathan Lynn has built his entire screen career out of helming comedies, yet based on the ham-fisted results, here’s a person who’s repeatedly displayed the comic instincts of a pillowcase. It’s akin to imagining Mel Gibson spending the past two decades conducting sensitivity training seminars…

Matt Brunson

THEATER: Grease

It’s been a little over 30 years since Grease made its claim to fame. With a dramatic story line that consists of star-crossed lovers in high school cliques that are at opposite ends of the spectrum, it’s a step down (meaning, no one dies) from the harsher nature of say, a classic like Romeo &…

Anita Overcash

Where to find it: Greek cookies

Though not as accessible as their pastry cohorts, Greek cookies have their own allure. Most of these cookies are crisp and dense, since combining cookies and coffee is common. Others are light with a European-styled taste profile, offering a balance of flavors. During the annual Yiasou! Greek Festival in September, thousands of Charlotteans trek to…

Tricia Childress

SPECIAL EVENT: Carolina Anime Day

Fans of anime and manga can rejoice. During the Carolina Anime Day at Holiday Inn Charlotte Airport Hotel, a “marketplace” of vendors will be selling a range of related items. In addition, there will also be a raffle and giveaways. Dress as your favorite character from anime/manga for a costume contest. $3; free with online…

Anita Overcash

3 questions with Jon Farace, gingerbread house maker

Although Executive Chef Jon Farace didn’t construct gingerbread houses as a child, he’s now making up for lost time. Farace is the mastermind behind the eco-friendly and fully organic “Green Gingerbread House,” which stands 10 feet high by 14 feet wide in the lobby of The Ritz-Carlton in Uptown. As a child, he realized that…

Nicole Pietrantonio

MUSIC: Find Your Muse open mic at The Evening Muse

It’s Find Your Muse open mic night at The Evening Muse this and every Monday. Musicians, grab up your music gear and head over to perform one of your own creations in front of a crowd. No one can guarantee they’ll be liked, but constructive criticism is always helpful! Get there early to snag a…

Anita Overcash

Bakalao Stars stirs up tasty musical stew

The music goes straight to your feet. It lifts you up and bounces you around with irresistible riddims that get under your skin and hotwire your dance control buttons. When Bakalao Stars cranks up, you can’t stand still. Depending on who you ask, Bakalao can be either salt cod or Spanish Rave music. But what…

Grant Britt

COMEDY: Drew Thomas

Atlanta-based comedian Drew Thomas didn’t become a finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing without good cause. His personal stories — centering in on everything from random occurrences to past relationships — are funny enough to make crowds laugh out loud. How’s that for entertainment? $10. 8 p.m. Lake Norman Comedy Zone at Galway Hooker, 17044…

Anita Overcash

Where are our food trucks?

In other cities, food truck operators engage the latest technology to inform loyal customers where they will be. By deploying iPhone apps, web cams, Facebook and Twitter, these street-side entrepreneurs have created a secret world: Pssst, I’m over here. These tricked-up trucks range from a mobile outcropping of a well-established restaurant with a famed chef…

Tricia Childress

THEATER: Scrooge

Children’s Theatre of Charlotte is known around town for producing enjoyable shows for those in a one-digit age bracket. That said, it doesn’t mean that adults can’t find pleasure in its shows — which are minus the R-rated material. During its production of Scrooge — a musical version of Charles Dickens’ holiday tale A Christmas…

Anita Overcash

CL presents upcoming concerts (Dec. 15-19)

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 15 HINDER When Hinder first appeared, there was a reputation that preceded them — one of sex, drugs and good ol’ fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. Now, a few years later, people say, “Hinder, didn’t they have a hit song once?” I’m not sure I’d classify them as one-hit wonders, since it’s more like,…

Comic review: CliNT No. 3

The Deal: This week, I’m taking a break from reviewing comic books to review a magazine about comic books and comic-related subjects. (Big stretch, eh?) Although, I’ve got to be honest: Along with the text-heavy articles you’d find in a normal magazine, it features comics, too. (Sue me.) CliNT is edited by superstar writer Mark…

Carlton Hargro

Nightlife profile: Krystie Phannareth

People say big things come in small packages, and that certainly rings true for Krystie Phannareth. Call her Superwoman, she divides her time between bartending at Bull & Barrister Draft House and Grill on Mount Holly Huntersville Road, Tavern 51 in South Charlotte, as well as Hef’s Bar and Grill near Park Road. On top…

Theater review: The Day They Shot John Lennon

Forty years and a day after the senseless murder outside the Dakota apartments in Manhattan, The Day They Shot John Lennon opened last Thursday at Carolina Actors Studio Theatre for a two-week run in the cozy CAST boxagon. Opening night was even more of a death-a-versary when you realize that James McLure’s 1984 drama occurs…

Perry Tannenbaum

CD REVIEW: Fusebox Poet

The Deal: Formed in July 2010, the Rock Hill, S.C., quartet Fusebox Poet releases its 11-song debut album. THE GOOD: The band hit the studio with the intention of recording an EP, but had enough material to release a full-length debut. Using energetic riffs to draw a listener in, the songwriting is a step above…

Jeff Hahne

SPECIAL EVENT: All Arts Market

It’s time for local artists of all sorts to come together for NoDaRioty’s All Arts Market. The massive indoor marketplace — happening for three days (Dec. 15-17) at Neighborhood Theatre — features handmade goods/arts and crafts, including jewelry, photography, clothing, paintings, bags and lots more. Finish up your holiday shopping at this hot spot for…

Anita Overcash

CD REVIEW: Treme: Music from the HBO Original Series, Season 1

THE DEAL: First real representation of New Orleans’ vast musical culture. THE GOOD: The oldest black neighborhood in the U.S., Treme was the birthplace of the brass bands providing the punch and power for the second line rhythms of New Orleans muscle. Treme resident Trombone Shorty represents with a street parade version of Jessie Hill’s…

Grant Britt

EXHIBIT: Shain Gallery’s Holiday Group Show

Shain Gallery’s Holiday Group Show features new works from three different artists: Geoffrey Johnson (whose untitled oil on canvas is pictured), Veronica Clark (whose art includes a painting of a cute golden retriever walking on a beach, titled “What Leash Law?”) and Amy Dobbs (whose oil on canvas, “Cotton and Magnolias,” can be seen among…

Anita Overcash

WikiLeaks goes local

We have been given a document by WikiLeaks that contains a transcript of a meeting of the Republican members of the County Commission, discussing the proposed deal to make Democrat Harold Cogdell the Commission chair, in exchange for Republican Jim Pendergraph getting the vice chairmanship. In the interests of transparency, freedom of information, and higher…

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files

Running Wild: A 49-year-old man called police after he was threatened by a known suspect. He told officers that a man sent him a text message stating, “You punk bitch. When I catch you this time there won’t be any cops, no security guards, no one to keep me from killing, so don’t run.” He…

Ryan Pitkin

Predators in the pulpit

Folks have been asking me to write about Anthony and Harriet Jinwright — the pastors of Greater Salem Church who were convicted of tax evasion and recently sentenced to hard time in prison (eight years and nine months for Anthony and six years and eight months for Harriet) — and I really haven’t wanted to…

Nsenga Burton

Why double-digit unemployment may be here to stay

  How does this recession stack up to the Great Depression? Not even close, most people would say. Where are the soup lines? The shantytowns full of homeless? We may soon find out what this economy really looks like if Congress doesn’t extend unemployment benefits beyond 99 weeks. Consider Mecklenburg County. More than 16,000 here…

Weekly horoscope Dec. 15-21

Capricorn The Goat (Dec. 21-Jan. 19) You have a number of pots on the stove, and you must continue to tend to them. Meanwhile, Mercury is retrograding in your sign and keeps many things on hold. One decision is definitely pending and you are not yet ready to make that final conclusion. Don’t force it.…

Vivian Carol

Capsule reviews of films playing the week of Dec. 15

BURLESQUE Sorry, camp-classic aficionados: Burlesque is no Showgirls or Staying Alive. Certainly, the film contains some risible moments, but nothing wretched enough to plunge it into the bowels of bad cinema. Ultimately, it’s too competently made to be a genuine stinker yet too indebted to hoary show biz clichés to come close to succeeding. Cher,…

Matt Brunson

Cancun, climate change and WikiLeaks

Cancun, MEXICO — Critical negotiations are under way here in Cancun, under the auspices of the United Nations, to reverse human-induced global warming. This is the first major meeting since the failed Copenhagen summit last year, and it is happening at the end of the hottest decade on record. While the stakes are high, expectations…

Amy Goodman

Bob Hope films, Inception, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse among new DVDs

THE BOB HOPE COLLECTION (1947-1955). It’s a banner year for Bob Hope on DVD, as Universal’s June release of the six-movie Bob Hope: Thanks for the Memories is now followed by Shout! Factory’s five-film offering. An in-name-only follow-up to 1942’s My Favorite Blonde, My Favorite Brunette (1947) finds the comedian cast as a baby photographer…

Matt Brunson

BENEFIT: 10th Annual Blitzen’s Holiday Bash

Party for the holidays (and a good cause) during the 10th Annual Blitzen’s Holiday Bash at Dilworth Neighborhood Grille. Passed hors d’oeuvres, food and drink specials (How many of Santa’s reindeer can you recite afterward?), a silent auction and top 40/holiday music by a DJ will be provided. $5 donation benefits the American Red Cross.…

Anita Overcash

Tourist trap

THE TOURIST *1/2 DIRECTED BY Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck STARS Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp With The Tourist, Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp aren’t functioning as actors so much as they’re trying their hands at being slum lords. Hollywood royalty blessed with a substantial measure of talent, these A-list actors are merely coasting here, slumming in…

Matt Brunson

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