VIEW FROM THE COUCH
DE-LOVELY (2004). There’s a funny moment in De-Lovely when, after a screening of the Cole Porter biopic Night and Day (starring Cary Grant), Cole (Kevin Kline) turns to his wife Linda (Ashley Judd) and cracks, “If I can survive this movie, I can survive anything.” Despite mixed reviews and soft box office, Cole Porter not…
Arts Agenda
Comedy Charlotte Comedy Theater Extreme Improv Comedy. www.extremeimprov.com. One 10pm show only on Dec. 25.Jan. 7 – CCT introduces their all female, long form comedy ensemble, Helen Baak. 8pm, $10 admission. Sat., 10pm. No show on Christmas Eve. 1111 – D Hawthorne Ln. 866-467-7681. The Comedy Zone Upcoming Performances:. Dec. 8-11: Frankie Paul. www.thecomedyzone.net. New…
Film Clips
CURRENT RELEASES ALEXANDER Suddenly, Caligula is starting to look good. Alexander is unremittingly dull, visually unappealing, narratively muddled, inadvertently campy, indifferently acted — and that’s just for starters. Colin Farrell gets trampled under the weight of director Oliver Stone’s expectations in tackling the role of the warrior king whose claim to fame was conquering most…
Roll Playing
When a cuisine finally catches on in American culture, we suddenly begin to see all degrees of quality ranging from bona fide, authentic restaurants to those offering a loose translation. Authentic restaurants, typically the first ones to show up on the scene, are followed in time by variations on that theme, often owned by entrepreneurs…
The Blue Carcoat
The Christmas parade of Fulton did not physically amount to much, usually just a few flatbed tobacco trailers that had been decorated by local service clubs with cotton snow and elves; sometimes high school girls stood poised, waving the stiff formal wave of beauty queens while the tobacco beds rocked and swayed beneath them. There…
On The Mark
Sometimes, it’s the natural progression of things that can lead one to discover what they were meant to do. Mark Martin, chef-owner of Ethan’s of Elizabeth, began cooking to earn some extra money in college. However, an attempt at some pocket change did more than (literally) keep food on the table: It would prove him…
Believing in Miracles
Prague — the miraculous Infant of Prague is a wax baby doll, 400 years old and roughly “the height and weight of a prairie dog,” as I described him when we first met in the winter of 1989. The Infant, known to Czechs as the Jesulatko, is the best-dressed religious icon in all the world.…
O Low-Fat Town of Bethlehem
When we think of Christmas dinner, we usually envision a feast with a turkey or ham or even a Christmas goose as the centerpiece, surrounded by heaping bowls of buttery potatoes and vegetables, followed by rich, sweet cakes, pies and cookies, and accompanied by some “potent potables.” The bountiful table is far removed from the…
Season’s Bafflers
In an effort to give consumers of this column more of what they want, I’ve dashed off a Citizen Servatius Christmas edition loaded with sex, drugs, violence and mixed-use development for your reading pleasure. Happy Holidays! IT’S JUST SEX At a meeting last week, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Safety Director Ralph Taylor explained to school board members…
Nuts In A Bind
Inevitably during the holiday season — with all of its twists, turns and stress galore — something goes wrong in the kitchen. Even worse, you’ve got a pack of carolers showing up in 20 minutes for yuletide socializing with nothing in the way of vittles.With Martha in the slammer, this is a good opportunity to…
The Greedy Grinch
Mick Mulvaney is the Grinch who stole my Christmas column. I had something warm and fuzzy planned, a feel-good paean of praise to decent things happening this time of year, despite the horrors of war in Iraq. I was determined to be upbeat, but then along came Mr. Mulvaney, swamping my thoughts of Christmas cheer…
The Sweet Life
Charlotte’s a tough town for bakeries. We’ve had bakeries come and go. One of my favorite bakeries was Honda, bad name for a great Japanese bakery. Occasionally, a French bakery will likewise open and then close. Thankfully, Vlado and Sladjana Novakovic opened Nova’s Bakery (now in Plaza Midwood) in 1996, and Latino entrepreneurs have contributed…
News of the Weird
Lead story: “Freegans” are non-homeless Dumpster divers with a political or at least philosophical commitment not to waste perfectly usable discarded goods, including food, according to reports in Newsday (September) and the Houston Press (November). Most are driven by a belief that too many Americans have a fetishized view of newness, pointing out that restaurants…
SWEET!
At this very moment, I’m freezing my butt off in 30-degree weather, but warming wine is never far from my mind. It takes the edge off a bit and then I feel invincible to the cold. The wine that gets you there the fastest is dessert wine, high in alcohol and satisfaction. And judging from…
Letters
Mass Transit Not A Real Priority Regarding David Walters’s latest (“The Janus Factor,” Dec. 15), I wonder why light rail is the best cure for what ails us. (I do believe Mr. Walters is correct in his analysis of our sprawl and its problems.) We have never had a top-notch bus system. Every day I…
Good Eats
All Around Town Anntony’s Caribbean, 6434-F West Sugarcreek Rd., 704-598-6863; 2001 E. 7th St., 704-342-0749. A hint of the tropics; rotisserie chicken with Jamaican jerk sauce, ribs, Paradise Island fish special, curries, and Caribbean styled greens. $$ Azteca, 116 Woodlawn Rd., 704-525-5110; 9709 Independence Blvd., 704-814-9877; 1863 W. Franklin Blvd. (Gastonia), 704-866-7574. A favorite of…
Merry Christmas!
You’d think the Christmas season would be a natural for a column like this, but you’d be thinking wrong. First of all, there’s the fact that almost everyone you know is either out of town visiting family (therefore leaving you with no one to go see stuff with), or has a bunch of people in…
Pretty In Punk
Times change, just as people do. Twenty years ago, punk was the music of rebellion. Now it’s pitch-corrected, its edges sanded down and danger removed to the point where it’s just another pop confection manufactured to move more product out of Hot Topic. This is a fact bemoaned ad nauseam by purists, but that doesn’t…
The Blotter
TENANT FROM HELL: A woman reported that one of her former tenants threatened her after she ordered him to move out of her property. A few days later she discovered that someone had driven nine nails into her car’s tires, and poured syrup into the gas tank. The woman told police she is afraid of…
Smokescreen!
They have names like Bongzilla, Sleep, Electric Wizard and Spirit Caravan. They are the Sons (and daughters) of Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer and latter-day heroes like Celtic Frost and Kyuss. They have their own chat rooms and web destinations, and even their own particular lingo. Their music? Some people call it “Riff Rock,” “Fuzz Rock,”…
Holiday Events
New Year’s Eve Downtown Countdown to 2005 New Year’s Eve festivities featuring music, food, a street party and fireworks. www.charlottecentercity.org. The Square at Trade & Tryon, downtown. Fri., Dec. 31, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Free. 704-332-2227. Kiss the year Goodbye New Year’s Eve celebration featuring music by Mr. Potato Head and DJ Kenny Bicki. The Grand…
Sit & Spin
Calabi YauCalabi YauDin Din Danny, Bo and Robin of Calabi Yau aren’t much for stage banter, as anyone who’s ever seen the band’s incendiary live shows can attest. Outside of a few “thank y’alls,” their band/audience communication is usually limited to what’s coming out of their collective instruments. Which is plenty, you understand. While this…
See & Do
DECEMBER 22 WEDNESDAY The Afro-American Cultural Center hosts Queen City Soulful Lyrics on the fourth Wednesday of every month. So, that’s today. This event for poets, lyrical performers and visual artists encourages the audience to participate in the preservation of the African American tradition of storytelling. Hosted by Charlotte’s MC JC, the event is free…
Ask the Advice Goddess
A Heart-To-Tart Talk I get the feeling that my girlfriend’s been with many more people than I have, even though she’s only 20 and I’m 30 (I’ve had 15 partners). She’s very upfront about her sex life, and says she’s “not ashamed of having been a slut.” I don’t expect her to be a virgin,…
Music Menu
WEDNESDAY 12.22 The Federal Bureau of Rock and Roll — The Federal Bureau of Rock and Roll — the FBRR to their fans — were staples in the burgeoning Charlotte rock scene of the 70s and early 80s. Known for their brand of relatively straightforward bluesy originals and for their good taste in classic cover…
Stargazer
For All Signs The Romans, when Christianizing the Jews, are thought to have chosen the 25th as the annual date on which to celebrate Jesus’ birth because Hanukkah, an accepted tradition, was celebrated on the 25th day of Kislev, third month of the Jewish lunar year. Across the centuries and cross-culturally, humans have always found…
Soundboard
Wednesday, Dec. 22 Breakfast Club DJ Boney B Bricktop Lounge DJ Christian and DJ Brigmunton Double Door Inn Federal Bureau of Rock and Roll Reunion The Gin Mill Wizard’s Road Show Graduate, Pineville Simplified; Jared Allan & Co. Midtown 51 Scott Jeffrey’s Band Midtown, Mountain Island Mike & Rusty Milestone OTC w/ Fuzzbomb Pepperoni’s Open…
Jung Turks
Looking at student art is like watching Pee Wee football, or listening to a middle school orchestra — we take a certain pride in our own ability to tolerate the experience. Leaving the gallery or field or middle school auditorium, one feels liberated, even a little superior for having survived with dignity and grace, and…
Fly The Friendly Multiplexes
Despite his standing as the architect of some of the greatest motion pictures of the past 30 years, it often feels as if Martin Scorsese’s most significant contribution isn’t as a filmmaker but as a film fan. His tireless efforts in the field of film preservation have provided maximum exposure to a cause that’s crucial…
Bush I Humor In A Bush II World
“It’s such a shame that Bill Hicks is dead . . .” “Yeah, we could really use Hicks now more than ever.” That’s the refrain heard nowadays about the late social critic Bill Hicks, mostly from the fan club that loves him — that is, most working standup comics and late-night TV writers and all…
