See & Do
DECEMBER 25 – THURSDAY It’s Christmas Day, the king daddy of all Western holidays. Ostensibly the birthday of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, over the years the holiday has morphed into a wide variety of celebrations all over the world including our own all-American, tinseled and well-lit consumerthon. It sounds cynical, but we’re certainly not the…
Wheeler, Gays, CMS and more
It was a year we won’t be forgetting anytime soon, particularly if you’re involved in any way with the local public school system. Or if you or a friend or family member is gay. Or if you watch TV. Or pay taxes. Or flush your toilet. Or care about your rights. Or think prisoners shouldn’t…
Ask the Advice Goddess
How Do I Shove Thee? My boyfriend of six months just divulged that he is not in love with me. This came as quite a shock, since he’d been saying he was all along (the past four months). I made the first move in telling him I loved him. He says he was afraid I’d…
Adopting An Attitude, Pt. 2
A squabble between a gay couple and a straight couple over who should have been allowed to adopt a set of twins may force state officials to take a stand on gay adoption in North Carolina. Last week, Mecklenburg County Commissioners went into closed session to discuss allegations made by an Asheville couple in a…
Stargazer
For All Signs The Christmas Star has been a source of mystery for centuries. It is generally accepted among historians that the Magi were astrologers because there was no other body of information except astrology in the era that linked births to celestial events. Since the precise birthdate of Jesus remains unknown, one must search…
Already: Story Of The Decade
In a few days, it’ll begin. Print, radio, Internet, and TV will start running those “big stories of 2003” specials and lists, designed to make us realize how fast another year has spun out of control before we move on to our next self-induced attack of multi-tasking. In Charlotte, we have one pro sports team…
The Best of Jim Hunt
It was a busy year for everyone, and no one was busier than CL editorial cartoonist Jim Hunt who found at least 52 reasons to keep drawing his weekly commentary. From a deposed ruler and the city officially dissing gays to school shenanigans and a joke of a mayor’s race, Hunt had more than enough…
Letters
Not Her Cup of Tea I was disappointed in the content and presentation of the article about the difficulty of finding a bra that fits (“No Support,” by Jessica Seigel, Nov. 26). Granted, it’s a problem. A more pressing problem (pun intended), which was not even mentioned, is the fact that an ill-fitting bra greatly…
2003 Lit Roundup
So many books, so little time — the true book hound’s lament. Such was the case in 2003 when, even though recent years’ flood of slop from major publishers continued, enough good books were still published every week to make a reader weep for lack of time to digest them all. Following is a list…
The Not-so Itsy Bitsy Spider
Unless you’ve been hiding in a spider hole recently, you know that American troops finally captured Iraq’s Most Wanted despot. While Saddam’s capture probably means little in the real world War Against Terror, other than hopefully redirecting President A.D.D.’s fleeting attention span toward al-Qaeda and the Taliban, it does provide the president with a new…
Arts Agenda
Classical Music Epiphany The adult choir of St. Paul’s will join other area singers for the liturgy and anthems. Tue., Jan. 6, 7:30 p.m. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 501 Pine St., Fort Mill. 803-547-5968. Comedy Bayou Kitchen Extreme Improv. Chicago style long form show Friday nights at 8pm ($5) and joined by Psychotic Pooch for…
Shut Up and Pay
If there’s one thing last week’s transit summit proved, it’s that transit leaders and Mayor McCrory just can’t take the heat, or worse, have no interest in other viewpoints, when it comes to tough questions about mass transit. Perhaps the biggest PR blunder the Charlotte Chamber, transit officials and the mayor made when planning last…
Food, Frontward & Backward
The year 2003 has brought the best of times and the worst of times for restaurant owners everywhere. They hope the recent fourth quarter recovery will not only continue, but also be reflected in the year-end bottom line. Assuming the economy stays steady, some exciting things should be happening here in the coming year. As…
Lessons from Old Stones
My school was founded in 1553. The school song explains: When bluff King Hal had reigned awhile, The monks were forced to quit our isle. His son King Edward on the throne, The Priory Hall became our own. King Hal was Henry the Eighth, who ruled England from 1509-47. In 1533, he famously broke with…
A Wine Geek in Cyberspace
As I race to use up my “take it or lose it” vacation hours, I’ve lollygagged around the house some lately. During these rare leisurely moments, the Internet occupies my languid mind, offering brain food for my wine-geekish cravings. People sometimes ask me which sites are the best for learning, so I parsed through the…
The Blotter
MORON OF THE YEAR: A man was arguing with his girlfriend when he grabbed a knife and jokingly placed it against his own throat. He stumbled, however, and his arm jerked, causing him to slice his own neck open. He was rushed to the hospital. QUOTE OF THE WEEK: I’m going to have you killed.…
Good Eats
All Around Town Anntony’s Caribbean, 400 S. Tryon St., 704-339-0303; 2001 E. 7th St., 704-342-0749. All locations have different owners. 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.…
News of the Weird
Those crazy Canadians: Municipal employee George Pavlovsky stalked through his shop in April, drunk, carrying a loaded, sawed-off shotgun (sending colleagues fleeing in fear), and looking for the two supervisors who had recently passed him up for promotion. As a result, he was fired by the city of Moncton, New Brunswick, and went to jail…
2003 – So Long, Suckers!
Time to kick another year to the curb, friends, and hope the next one brings that winning lotto ticket. We hear Fiji’s nice all the damn time. This year was, around here anyway, another example of just how deep the music talent pool is these days, locally and otherwise…and how inane the notion that some…
Music Menu
FRIDAY 12.26 DJ Baby Anne — She’s considered one of the defining mixers of the late 90s and one of the few female bass DJs with the energy to match big-name counterparts such as Alice Deejay and Debbie Deb. A protege of dance guru DJ Icey. Mythos (Schacht) Jolene /Sea of Cortez — A few…
Soundboard
Wednesday, Dec. 24 Baoding Robert Fernandez Blue Carl DiPonziano Cajun Queen 7th Street Gator Band Comet Grill Open Mic w/ Bill McDonald Horse Shoe, Clover Tommy Hudson & Marty Cofield Irish Cue, Cornelius Garmon’s Gifts The Meeting House John Alexander Trio w/ Ron Brendle & Chris Garges Pewter Rose Tom Billotto, Jimmy Bookout, Donnie Marshall…
Santa’s Got A Brand New Bag, Part II
Last week saw the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and for many moviegoers, that’s all that matters this holiday season. But for the remaining minority, rest assured that not every single screen at every single theater will be showing the Tolkien epic; it just seems that way. Here,…
Think Locally, Act Yokel-y
A lot of people — including a few folks in some “veteran” local bands — probably just thought Andrew Webster was an idiot. What kind of person decides to devote his own time and money to create a box set of local music? Even then, who prints 2,000 of the damn things? Even at $15…
View From The Couch
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981) One of director John Carpenter’s most popular features is set in 1997, shortly after Manhattan has been transformed into one massive prison for the nation’s entire criminal contingent. After the US President’s (Donald Pleasance) plane goes down behind its walls, it’s up to a growling, snarling anti-hero named Snake Plissken…
Seeking Soft-serve
If you live in Charlotte and want to be around people who really are different from you, don’t bother going to places like downtown or Plaza-Midwood because they’re chock full of folks who are trying to be original but in ways that are pretty much the same. Tattoos, piercings, and edgy purses are becoming as…
Film Clips
CURRENT RELEASES BAD SANTA Bad Santa may be rude, disgusting and offensive, but I laughed plenty of times, which is something I can’t say I did during those sucky Santa Clause flicks. A perfectly cast Billy Bob Thornton stars as a lifelong loser who dons the red suit annually to play a department store Santa,…
Karma Cleanser
Dear Karma Cleanser: I was in the drive-thru window at a fast-food restaurant trying to decide between value meal number one and two. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw a lady in a red PT Cruiser coming around the corner faster than a herd of elephants. I braced for impact and heard her…
Best of The Blotter 2003
Squeaky Clean: While getting his car cleaned at an automated car wash, a man heard a godawful noise. After the wash was finished, he examined his car and saw that the muffler had been pulled off the undercarriage of his car. Underdressed: While sleeping on the couch in their front room, a man and his…
