A Halo of a New Year’s Eve tale
As 2009 came to a close and 2010 rang in, I was lost in a sea of people, flashing lights and loud drunkenness at Halo.
Things to stop b!tching about in 2010
STFU, already.
McCaskill to DeMint: ‘This is nuts’
When we reported last week on Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) holding up the nomination of Erroll Southers as head of the Transportation Security Administation — after the underwear bomber incident, no less — because Southers might be in favor of unionizing the TSA, we asked, “How much crazier is the American right wing gonna get…
Belk Foundation gives half a mil to JCSU
Scholl will begin awarding scholarships in the spring.
Banging good times at Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte
My First Time opens at Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte on Wed., Jan. 6.
Joffrey Ballet Recruits in NoDa
While balletomanes of all ages are tingling at the prospect of seeing NC Dance Theatre, Alvin Ailey Dance, and the Parsons Dance Company at the new Knight Theater in successive months, young folk in leotards, tutus, and jazz shoes have a special reason to be excited. The famed Joffrey Ballet School, based in New York…
Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Contrasted with luscious white cream cheese frosting on top, these dramatic red cupcakes really take the cake.
Tonight’s Top 5, 01/04/10
The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, Jan. 4, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing.
Star Trek: Generations Review — Part 1
Funny shit — but true:
Brittney After Dark takes Atlanta
The best sports bar… is in Atlanta.
David
alias: Boosh inspiration: “My baggage.” passion: Art favorite way to make art: “With friends.” current city: Charlotte plug: “Eat dinner with your family more.” To see more photos by Jasiatic, visit www.createtressphotography.blogspot.com
Bank of America, others, ‘making a killing’ off fed program
If anyone out there still thinks big banks can be trusted to do anything other than line their own pockets, please read today’s story from Bloomberg.com about the PPIP. Here’s a reminder: PPIP, the Public-Private Investment Program, began last March and was supposed to be a way for banks to unload toxic mortgage securities so…
Mayor’s wife quits
Plans to focus on family.
Don’t do it again in 2010
2009 is so over and here are some things that should never happen to you again. Why? Because in Twenty-ten (man I love to say that), we don’t want to hear about it.
Sale of the day: Velocity Style
Check out the “20-10” sale at Velocity Style, a shoe boutique located in the University area. For the entire month of January, take $20 off of any purchase over $100 or take $10 off of any purchase of $60 or more! Also take $20 off all watches over $100. 8925 JM Keynes Drive, Suite #3…
A new Michael Jackson song
“Another Day” hits the Web.
2010: The Year of the FreEP
Oh, 2010! It feels good to be in a new decade and more than anything else I’m happy to be in the midst of this music industry transition. Artists embracing new media outlets to distribute music is always a good thing for fans and this year you’ll see that the FreEP (free EP) will become…
Today’s Top 5: Monday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
New Year’s Eve @ Whisky River, 12/31/09
Whisky River’s new year’s eve was hosted by Dale Earnhardt Jr.
New Year’s Eve @ Kazba, 12/31/09
Some partiers rang in the new year at EpiCentre’s newest spot Kazba on Thursday night.
Today’s Top(less) 5: Monday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date
Soundgarden reunites!
“Reunited, and it feels so good…” Baby New Year was given a nice present this morning in the form of a confirmation from Chris Cornell that Soundgarden has reunited. Via his Twitter feed this morning, Cornell posted: The 12 year break is over & school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the…
Lessons learned in 2009
You know I just love making lists … so here we go!
Harper’s To Go closes
This just in from the folks at Harper’s Restaurant Group:
Today’s Top 5: Friday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
Bechtler Museum opens this weekend
Art lovers rejoice, as the grand opening of Bechtler Museum of Modern Art is this Saturday.
Stupid Thing of Week: GOP ‘terror’ attacks on Obama
The stupidest things we’ve seen this week — certainly the most unbelievable — are the Republican attacks on the Obama folks for being “soft on terrorism” after the failed Christmas underwear bomber attack in Detroit. I know that the GOP’s hypocrisy is boundless, but you’d think they had a decent record against terrorism, the way…
It’s baaack! Charlotte Restaurant Week starts Jan. 22
Oh goodness. Grab your fork and knife and unbutton your pants. The popular dining event Charlotte Restaurant Week is back on Friday, January 22 and will run through Sunday, January 31, 2010.
Tonight’s Top 5
Here are the top five New Year’s Eve parties going down tonight, Dec. 31.
Cable to lose a few worthless channels
At one minute after midnight tonight, News Corp. will apparently yank the following channels from the Time Warner Cable lineup: FX, Fuel, Fox Reality, SportsSouth and Fox Sports World Espanol. Y-a-a-a-a-a-w-w-w-n-n-n. Excuse me, didn’t mean to almost fall asleep, but I couldn’t care less whether or not those channels are available on my TV, and…
Sale of the day: Belle Ville
Today only! New Year’s Eve tops, bottoms, dresses and accessories at Belle Ville are marked 20 percent to 50 percent off. Birkdale Village (between Banana Republic and Starbucks) 16836 Birkdale Commons Parkway Huntersville, NC 28078 704-655-9506 Epicentre (behind CVS) 210 East Trade Street Charlotte, NC 28202 704-971-7413 Promenade (next to Steinmart) 5341 Ballantyne Commons Parkway…
Today’s Top 5: Thursday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today
Today’s Top(less) 5: Thursday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date.
Step away from the Bing Crosby!
Now that Christmas is over and the only holiday still going on was created in the 1960’s (sorry Kwanzaa), I’m going to need the world to act like it’s not Christmas day anymore. Turning on the radio after a shitty Christmas Day only to hear more songs about Santa’s fat ass jetsetting the world only…
New Year’s Eve at the Crêpe Cellar Kitchen & Pub
The Crepe Cellar is ringing in the new year with both food and drink specials. If you haven’t made reservations yet, no worries – no reservations are needed!
Obama and Hillary ‘most admired’
You’ll never convince the echo-chamber-dwelling dullards of the far right that they’re anything less than the voice of the “silent majority” in America. Conservatives aren’t known for easily digesting facts that contradict their constipated view of life (sorry for the gastrointestinal metaphors, but the Rush/Fox neanderthals make me sick to my guts — ba-da-bing). Surely,…
6 New Year’s Eve dresses from Boris & Natasha
OK, yes, I am a procrastinator. Not only do I still not have concrete plans for how I’ll be bringing in the new year, but I don’t even have my outfit picked out yet. Grr. Today I checked out one of my favorite shops, Boris & Natasha (1214 Thomas Ave.; 704-375-0079), to see what kind…
Need to trash your tree?
There’s more than one way to dispose of a Christmas tree.
Rocking the Kazba
A sneak peak into the EpiCentre’s newest nightlife edition.
Movin’ on up … to the green office
Big business is taking ‘going green’ seriously.
Bill Belk: The Thing That Wouldn’t Leave
Anyone remember the Saturday Night Live horror film parody with John Belushi as “The Thing That Wouldn’t Leave”? Belushi played a guest who wouldn’t take any of his hosts’ many hints that they wanted him to go home. Now, Charlotte has its own TTWL. It’s called Bill Belk. That’s right, just when you thought Belk,…
Sue Myrick launches video series
Just what we need, more silly Sue.
Say goodbye to PJ’s Coffee and Lounge and CANS
It’s always sad to see a place go out of business, and this week, Charlotte will be losing two popular nightspots.
Movin’ on up … to the green office
It pays to be green, just ask top eco-execs: During his more than three decades in real estate David Pogue played many roles, but environmental expert was never one of them. That didn’t stop his company, Los Angeles real estate brokerage CB Richard Ellis, from naming him the company guru of all things eco-friendly nearly…
Limp Bizkit, um, returns
Taking the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach, Limp Bizkit sounds like they’re returning to their old rap-metal days with their new album. Here’s the silhouette of Fred Durst doing the Pauly D fist pump to his new song… \\\\\\\\\\
Just a reminder …
Have you locked down your party plans for NYE yet?
Big sale at Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find
Starts today and runs through next Tuesday.
Tonight’s Top 5, 12/30/09
The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, Dec. 30.
Sale of the day: Beadlush
Today marks the first day of Beadlush’s “Please don’t make us count the teeny, tiny beads” sale. Here’s what savings you’ll find at the Plaza Midwood store: • All loose stone and glass beads: 50% off. Vintage loose beads 30% off. • Czech, stone and pearl strands: at least 20% to 50% off. • All…
Today’s Top(less) 5: Wednesday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date.
Finally, a court limits Taser use by police
From the Better Late Than Never Dept. comes the news that a federal appeals court yesterday issued a comprehensive ruling limiting police use of Tasers. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a specific case that a policeman’s use of a Taser against a suspect who, although acting strangely, was unarmed and was…
Super bug
Sounds cute, but they’re deadly.
Cigi
favorite thing to wear: “A smile followed by laughter.”
Challah if you love carbs!
This challah recipe makes two beautiful loaves and is totally worth the time and effort. Keep one and give one away, or keep both!
What shoes are you wearing NYE?
Hurry, hurry, hurry! If you place an order from the locally owned Web site Heels.com in the next two-and-a-half hours, you’ll get your fabulous new shoes to wear when you go out for New Year’s Eve with their free second-day shipping. If you wait until after 6 p.m., you’ll just have to sport your new…
Woo hoo! We’re number 27 on this list!
Go. Read. A. Book.
DeMint more DeMinted than ever
U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, from our lovely sister state of South Carolina, claims to be a staunch defender of freedom, fiscal responsibility and, above all, America’s national security. So why is he playing games with the one government agency that could make a big difference in combating airline terror attacks? The answer is ideological purity…
2010 Pride awards going green
The black-tie ceremony is scheduled for Jan. 16.
Tonight’s Top 5, 12/29/09
Here’s a list of the top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, Dec. 29.
Sale of the day: Paul Simon For Men
Men’s Winter Sale: Suits, Sport Coats and Outerwear run from 30% to 50% off. 1027 Providence Rd 704-372-6842 4300 Sharon Rd 704-366-4523 www.paulsimonco.com
Porn genre of the week: squirting
For years, porn’s money shot has been the hot cum shot of a man shooting his load on a woman’s face, breasts or in her mouth. But now, there seems to be nothing hotter than watching the wetness of a female ejaculation. Some people watch this form of porn to see if it’s real. If…
Try Zink for NYE
Zink will be offering a few special NYE dishes as well as a four-course tasting menu for $49.
An architectural orphan’s wish list for 2010
What a year has it been! Unofficial/anecdotal figures show that more than 50 percent of all architects in Charlotte are without work (with a similar number probably reflected in the other building-related trades like engineering and construction). I don’t know if architects have ever felt so forsaken or unloved in recent memory. So, why don’t…
This week’s new releases (12/29/2009)
Not much being released between Christmas and New Year’s.
Today’s Top 5: Tuesday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
Today’s Top(less) 5: Tuesday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date.
What’s up with compostable plastics?
The restaurant around the corner from where I work has started using corn-based “compostable” plastic takeout containers. They have a “7” recycling logo on the bottom, but also say they can’t be recycled with other clear plastics. What happens to these if I just throw them out? — Pattee Smithee The short answer is: probably…
The poetic justice of Dennis Brutus
Dennis Brutus broke rocks next to Nelson Mandela when they were imprisoned together on notorious Robben Island. His crime, like Mandela’s, was fighting the injustice of racism, challenging South Africa’s apartheid regime. Brutus’ weapons were his words: soaring, searing, poetic. He was banned, he was censored, he was shot. But this poet’s commitment and activism,…
Framing 2010 in the local arts scene
If you’ve been above ground in the last two or three years, you probably know that Charlotte will soon have the only NASCAR museum in the cradle of stock car racing. But sooner than that, with the grand opening of the Bechtler Museum on Jan. 2, we’ll also be able to boast the only museum…
Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files
Home Sweet Home: Police were called to an apartment complex on Tuckaseegee Road after a couple of tenants decided they liked their living quarters too much to leave. Employees at the complex told officers the tenants had been evicted and led off the property by the sheriff’s department. The apartment was padlocked and the locks…
2010 Horoscope for Individual Signs
Aries: Changes in career and lifestyle are already happening. As the year begins, your personal creative ventures are on hold. You may have already backed off of a romantic relationship for the present. You likely will choose to be still through the first quarter. If others are pressuring you for a commitment, they will get…
Capsule reviews of films playing the week of Dec. 30
AVATAR The only film capable of surpassing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen as the Fanboy Fave of 2009, James Cameron’s massively hyped Avatar at least differs from Michael Bay’s boondoggle in that it’s, you know, entertaining. On the other hand, the notion that it represents the next revolution in cinema is nothing more than studio-driven…
Crashing BMG’s holiday party
I crashed Bar Management Group’s holiday party at Whisky River last week. Only employees of BMG receive an invite to this legendary annual holiday party. Considering how many bars BMG owns and manages, that’s a lot of employees … and one big-ass party. A party with a lot of really cool people — my peoples.…
Future feasting: 10 things to like about 2010
1. The best thing about 2010 is that it’s not 2009. Let’s face it, 2009 and its sidekicks, 2001 and 2008, provided us with some of the “worst of times.” Owners of these eateries would agree: GW Fins, McIntosh, Good Ol’ Days, Sugar Magnolia, San Remo, Oceanaire, Sonny’s on Monroe, Sweet T’s, Morton Steakhouse in…
Weighing in on the shows you might have missed
Every night around the Q.C., there are numerous concerts at venues of all sizes. While we can’t make it to all of them, neither can you, and surely there are a handful of amazing shows that we miss on a regular basis. We checked in with local venue owners and booking agents, promoters and fans…
MUSIC: Lucky Five
Charlotte-area quintet Lucky Five’s soul-licked blues takes cues from classic blues-rock of the late 60’s along with jam sentiments of contemporary rockers. Although these youngsters play and sound as if they’ve been around hell of a lot longer than couple of years. With dual guitars, a bopping rhythm section, and a thick-voiced singer/keyboardist, Lucky Five’s…
Predictions for 2010
I always get a ball of nervous anticipation in the pit of my stomach when a local club owner, publicist or booking agent hints to me, “We’ve got some great things lining up for next year …” It’s hard to make predictions in the world of music because you never know what band will release…
COMEDY: Jeff Dunham
Watching dummies on New Year’s Eve? Sounds a little bizarre, but not so much with ventriloquist and stand-up comedian Jeff Dunham in the house. This is definitely no kiddy show. Dunham, whose TV endeavors via The Jeff Dunham Show and hit DVDs — Arguing With Myself, Spark Of Insanity, and A Very Special Christmas Special…
Char-Meck, the Remix: A vision of 2010
It’s almost New Year, and once again we pundits find ourselves dizzy with our renewed annual powers to predict what will happen in the next 12 months. This time, though, something’s different, and I’m having trouble telling the actual future from my own dreams and wishes for our city and nation. So, with that caveat,…
ART: Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
Art lovers rejoice, as the grand opening of Bechtler Museum of Modern Art has finally arrived. Andreas Bechtler’s extensive 1,400-piece collection is an array of primarily mid-20th century modern European art, but also features a variety of works by popular American artists. Notable figures in the art world, whose works are featured in the collection,…
The best (and worst) movies of 2009
By Matt Brunson The movie year began with bumbling mall cops and ended with singing chipmunks, but rest assured that signs of intelligent life could be found in between. Still, the decade certainly could have ended on a better note. After an extremely strong celluloid crop in 2007 (led by No Country for Old Men)…
MUSIC: The Wailers
Led by Aston “Familyman” Barrett, The Wailers has continued performing around the world since the death of legendary frontman Bob Marley. Performing songs from those years as well as new material, the band continues to spread the music to adoring fans and hopes to release an album of new material next year, while focusing energy…
Local people, places and things to watch in 2010
Dec. 31 marks a time for new beginnings. But who and what will shape Charlotte’s future? Is 2010 the year that the Queen City gets a progressive label? And how will laid-off bankers survive and thrive? Here’s a look at some of the people, places and things to keep an eye on in the new…
MUSIC: Sam Quinn & Japan 10
Sam Quinn & Japan 10, the latest signee to Ramseur Records is actually an old friend of the label who used to play his melancholic Americana under the Everybodyfields banner with Jill Andrews. They split to follow their own muses, and Quinn returns to battle with the oddly titled Japan 10 quartet. The music, however,…
CL previews upcoming concerts (Dec. 30-Jan.5)
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 30 Davisson Brothers Band Nothing like strolling into a smoke-filled honky tonk and hearing some true blue country music. It’s obvious these three siblings, plus one, know their twangy guitars and shattered heart lyrics sung with deep south, nasally vocals. They’re based in Nashville, the land of too dang many pop country combos,…
MUSIC: Find Your Muse
Every once in a while, we like to remind people about Find Your Muse, a regular open mic night that goes on every Monday. Aside from having a featured band that plays a 30-minute set, you also never know who’s gonna show up and hit the stage — Ben Henry, Jimmy Brown, Jeremy Current and…
CD/DVD Review: Nirvana’s Live at Reading
The Deal: Nirvana’s legendary Aug. 30, 1992, performance at the Reading Festival is finally released in audio and visual formats. The Good: Fifteen years after the death of singer Kurt Cobain, Nirvana’s concert is released in a CD and DVD format to showcase how far the band had come. One year after playing at the…
THEATER: My First Time
It’s all about sex, in Theatre 650’s productions of My First Time at Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte. The play, written by Ken Davenport and directed by Chip Decker, is a comedy about folks’ first sexual experiences, as shared on the Web site www.myfirsttime.com. At each show, audience members will also be able to participate, by…
Book Review: Phil Sutcliffe’s Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock
The Deal: Chronicling Queen in words and pictures. The Good: Nobody ignored Queen front man Freddie Mercury. You either loved him or hated him, but you couldn’t dismiss what he and guitarist Brian May were doing to rock in the early ’70s. In sound and spectacle, Queen was so far over the top and so…
Going ‘home’ for the holidays
It is with a heavy heart that I write my final column of the year. I’ve been thinking long and hard about what I should write for the past few weeks. Should I do a best and worst of post? Should I make a prediction? Should I talk about resolutions or all the good things…
Q&A: John Boyer, CEO of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
As The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art’s grand opening approaches on Jan. 2, 2010, so does the anticipation of gazing upon its holdings. Andreas Bechtler’s extensive 1,400-piece collection is an array of primarily mid-20th century modern European art, but it also features a variety of works by popular American artists. Notable figures in the art…
