Roberts only one to come out of CIAA ticket clash untarnished
The County Commission brawl over CIAA tickets has been a big fat mess, a surrealistic spectacle, an embarrassment, and a strong reminder that when government officials get serious about disagreements, both sides can wind up looking really bad. To keep this as short as possible, here’s a recap of what has happened, with my own…
Seen on the scene in a Scrapbook of Shenanigans
Plenty of celebrity sightings around town…
What happened to Rolling Stone’s website?
Mashable reported earlier today that RollingStone.com may have forgot to renew their domain name. A pretty mundane story really, that only gave us this light chuckle of this here screenshot I took of the missing website from this afternoon and a situation that I’m sure will be corrected ASAP. Now, why their site had this FAIL…
Added Pauly Shore show
Pauly Shore’s 7:30 p.m. show tonight at Lake Norman Comedy Zone is sold out, but a second show at 9:30 p.m. has just been added. Tickets at $25. For more information, click here.
Sex Q&A: Carl Weber talks big girls
Author Carl Weber talks about sexy big girls.
Upcoming: Sorority Swank Tournament Edition
OK, ladies, if you’re planning to partake in the vast partying that accompanies the CIAA tournament, set to hit town Wednesday through Saturday, you definitely want to take note of this event, courtesy of Flawless Make Up Art. For more information or to RSVP, e-mail sororityswankCIAA@yahoo.com or call 704-975-8526.
Live review, photos, setlist: Cage the Elephant
Rockers bring along As Tall as Lions and Morning Teleportation for Feb. 21, 2010, show at Amos’ Southend.
Navy will pay to test toxic waters at N.C. base
It’s hard to believe there was even a disagreement about this … and, what in the hell has taken them so long? The Navy has agreed after months of fighting to fund a study into the health effects of past water pollution at Camp Lejeune on Marines. The Department of the Navy said in a…
Today’s Top 5: Monday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
Navy will pay to test toxic waters at N.C. base
I’ll ask again: What’s wrong with our country?
Hope Tote campaign through March 22
Do a little to help a lot.
Seen and heard: Black Eyed Peas nosh on sushi and wine
Cyros Sushi in SouthPark catered for the superstars and brought over platters of their sushi for Fergie and the Peas.
Darth Cheney smacked down by Petraeus and Powell
Dick Cheney made headlines last week at CPAC, the big ultra-conservative fiesta in Washington, by claiming that the Obama administration has made the U.S. less safe by halting the practice of torture and wanting to try the Underwear Bomber in civilian court. Sunday, Cheney got smacked around pretty good on the political talk shows by…
CIAA week has arrived
What are you looking forward to? The games or the parties?
Paula Deen’s Chicken and Rice Casserole
This comforting casserole is pretty darn delicious.
Tonight’s Top 5, 02/22/10
The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, Feb. 22, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing.
The Wack List: Feb. 22 — featuring Adam Lambert, Eric Holder and more
Five people, places and things we really ain’t digging today:
Today’s Top(less) 5: Monday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date.
Schools, taxes, and two Stupid Things of the Week
The old British expression “penny-wise and pound-foolish” has several meanings, one of which is “being overly careful about small things, to the point of undermining larger, more important things.” I bring this up because there seems to an epidemic of penny-wise pound-foolishness lately, particularly among penny-pinching politicians — and specifically when it comes to money…
Live review, photos, setlist: Black Eyed Peas
Group rocks Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena for two-hour set on Feb. 20, 2010.
Live photos, setlist: Flogging Molly
Band plays long, rowdy set at The Fillmore Charlotte on Feb. 19, 2010.
Live review, photos: Celtic Woman
Vocal group impresses crowd at Ovens Auditorium on Feb. 18, 2010.
A visit from Jim Perdue
Jim Perdue stopped by Creative Loafing’s office this morning to talk about what else but chicken.
10-in-10 CD reviews
In an attempt to listen to every CD that hits my desk, I try to review 10 CDs in 10 words each on Fridays.
Concert announcement: Robin Thicke
Singer set to play at The Fillmore in March.
Squawks 101
A cast for Charlotte Squawks.
CD Review: Freeway & Jake One
The Deal: Freeway returns after all that Roc-A-Fella drama with a new studio album, The Stimulus Package, produced exclusively by G-Unit’s, Jake One. The Good: Jake One’s production on this album is amazing. Simple, soulful and dope. Freeway’s flow has developed from just a raw, lyrical assault to a controlled rage, calculated and deadly. There’s…
Dedication to Tiger Woods
Since every office in America seemed to stop for 13 and a half minutes today, here’s a dedication [pause] going out to my homie Tiger Woods. I wouldn’t have apologized but then again, nobody cares what I do. Here’s “Cheatin” from North Carolina’s own Little Brother, off their album The Minstrel Show.
Grand opening weekend for 4 Charlotte nightspots
Four nightspots are hosting their grand opening parties this weekend.
A night in Rio at Neighborhood Theatre, 02/18/10
The Latin American Coalition hosted a night of music and dance celebrating the famous Brazilian Carnival at Neighborhood Theatre, Feb. 18.
Andreas Bechtler’s private tour of his new museum
What’s it like to own millions in art? Ask Bechtler.
What scares me about nuclear power, and what doesn’t
If we’re going to ramp up nuclear energy production, we need to get started.
Shutter Island: Twist and shout
SHUTTER ISLAND *** DIRECTED BY Martin Scorsese STARS Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo Just how obvious is the big “twist” that concludes Shutter Island, Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s novel? So obvious that some folks who haven’t read the book are figuring it out simply by watching the trailer. But just how accomplished is the…
Arts Flash: Q&A with Pauly Shore
Pauly Shore talks about his stand-up comedy, new projects and the ups and downs of his career.
Insanity or rightwing terrorism? And what’s the difference?
Joseph Stack’s final act, deliberately crashing his plane into an IRS building yesterday in Austin, Texas was, first of all, a human tragedy: Stack dove off the edge into homegrown terrorism, people were killed, and other people lost loved ones. But in cultural and political terms, the attack has been like a sudden lightning strike,…
Plaza Midwood’s newest restaurant: Loco Lime
Take a look at Plaza Midwood’s newest Mexican grill.
Today’s Top 5: Friday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
To Tiger Woods: Grow a pair
Why is Tiger Woods giving a press conference on cheating on his wife?
Neiman Marcus hosts local shopping connoisseurs
I’m just going to be honest with ya — I am intimidated by Neiman Marcus. When I’m in there, I always feel like people are looking at me, silently demanding me to begone from their midst, as I’m not one of them. With my Gap jeans and Forever 21 shirts and handmade jewelry, I just…
CPAC Swag
If you like scary things, you should totally go to the CPAC.
Tonight Top 5, 02/19/10
The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, Feb. 19, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing.
Nordstrom Rack coming to Charlotte
The Charlotte Business Journal reported yesterday that “Nordstrom Inc. plans to open a discount Nordstrom Rack store in the Carolina Pavilion shopping center in south Charlotte.” This is the second Nordstrom Rack, which carries merchandise from Nordstrom at 50 percent to 60 percent off original prices, to open in North Carolina (the first slated to…
Today’s Top(less) 5: Friday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date.
Birdie blog
The latest on CPCC Theatre’s Bye Bye Birdie performances.
Weekender
Check out these events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area this weekend.
In Concert: Celtic Woman & Hacienda (02/18/2010)
Get sucked in to Queens City concerts
Alley Cat, 2/17/10
Alley Cat hosted their Jersey Shore party last night.
The Breakfast Club, 2/17/10
The Hidden Agenda Lingerie show was held at The Breakfast Club Wednesday night. Spicy!
Please rob me
FourSquare: Announcing your home is empty.
Avoiding Idol chatter
I can’t be the only music writer in the country who doesn’t watch American Idol. I mean, I’m familiar. I know the people from the show who’ve gone on to success outside of it, but, being completely honest, I haven’t seen more than 30 seconds of it live since maybe season 2 and you know…
Happy birthday, Huck Finn
Today is the 125th anniversary of the first U.S. publication of author Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. It’s one of the foundations of American literature, an endless source of humor and insight, and, yes, one of this writer’s favorite novels — even though, as lit scholars will tell you, Twain botched the ending. It doesn’t matter,…
For sale: The $85 condom belt
Better safe than sorry, I always say! The people who brought you the OhMiPod, the music-powered vibrator, now bring you LoveBuckle, a leather belt that features a brushed metal buckle with “circular cut-out window” for displaying “uniquely designed One® condoms.” Amanda Hess, from our sister paper Washington City Paper, analyzes the possible messages that the…
Upcoming: Queen of Hearts High Tea
Mack and Mack Charlotte, a women’s apparel shop in SouthPark, is hosting a fashion show this Saturday at the Queen of Hearts High Tea. Here’s the info from their Facebook page: We are proud to be hosting the fashion show at this year’s Queen of Hearts High Tea and excited to announce that Channel Nine…
Authorities concerned about fake pot real smokers don’t want
Just say no to regulation by jail term.
CMS’ money woes: the obvious, maybe only, solution
If the role of education in the life of the city is to be taken seriously, somebody has to at least bring up the most obvious answer. So here we go.
Idol makes no sense – Haeley Vaughn vs. Tori Kelly
On last night’s American Idol, the women’s pics came down to two contestants — Haeley Vaughn and Tori Kelly. My mom called and said, “You need to watch Idol and tell me what the judges were thinking with these two…” So, I tuned in. On the one side was Vaughn and the judges saying she…
Advice to Tiger Woods: Just shut up
If anything, I hope Tiger has learned to find better mistresses.
Buy tickets to 10th annual St. Patty’s Day Pub crawl tonight
Last year, 4,987 people came out for Rich & Bennett’s 10th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Pub Crawl. For the 10th anniversary of the crawl, they’re looking to really up their numbers. And why wouldn’t you want to be a part of this event, this year’s happening on March 13? The Travel Channel featured it last…
Sale of the day: Petal
Petal on East Blvd’s DOT sale on winter has some great deals – $100 and under $25 –$200 and under $50 –$300 and under $75 — $400 and under $95. (via ScoopCharlotte) 1315 East Boulevard 704-817-8871 www.shoppetal.com
Too much concrete, too little oversight
Weigh in on Charlotte’s urban flooding problem.
Today’s Top 5: Thursday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Feb. 18, 2010 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Charlotte Checkers Midnight Game at Time Warner Cable Arena • Reservior Dogs at Studio 1212 Theatre • Celtic Woman at Ovens Auditorium • Charlotte Squawks at McGlohon…
Tonight’s Top 5, 02/18/10
The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, Feb. 18, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing.
The Wack List: Feb. 18 — More layoffs at CMS, Tiger Woods and more
Five people, places and things we really ain’t digging today
Mocha Silk Pie
Death by pie. That’s what will happen to me if I don’t pawn off the rest of this pie to my co-workers.
Today’s Top(less) 5: Thursday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date.
Blood Done Sign My Name runs dry
Film champions civil rights leader Benjamin Chavis, but falls short of cinematic expectations
Opening Friday
What’s new in theaters this weekend.
Report: Myrick, Burr among stimulus hypocrites
Just in case you thought the members of Congress who voted against the stimulus package were principled patriots oozing sincerity, check out this story from the Think Progress Web site. They highlight a report in which they document 110 GOP lawmakers who voted against stimulus spending but then took credit for projects in their districts…
Richie Rich smackdown
Some of the folks in the Ballantyne area have successfully gotten the Charlotte Housing Authority to scale back its plans for mixed-income housing in their precious nouveau riche Holy Land. For details on how the CHA plans were changed after a crowd of Richie Riches raised a stink about them, see the daily paper’s report.…
The apocalypse is upon us…
Why 2010 might be the beginning of the end.
Are some women destined to get cheated on? (By some women I mean Jennifer Anniston)
Some women keep repeating the same mistakes.
AUDIO: Diddy confirms CIAA appearance?
Check it out for yourself.
Local designer finds a new way to market fashion
Have you seen my fab cover story in this week’s issue? Yes, friends, fashion gets the cover this week, and it’s about time, no? I chatted up local fashion designer Cigi Guzman, creator of The Flock, as she gushed about her upcoming event Public Photo Shoot Project. Here’s an excerpt: At last September’s Charlotte N.C.…
Paula Deen shows postponed
Sorry butter fans, both Paula Deen’s performances for Saturday, February 20 at Ovens Auditorium are being postponed.
Sale of the day: Belle Ville
This week only, select denim styles are up to 20 percent off at Belle Ville. They have skinny jeans, bootcut, straight-leg — lots of styles for a perfect fit. From Miss Me jeans to Plastic and Celebrity Pink, all denim is priced under $100. Birkdale Village (between Banana Republic and Starbucks) 16836 Birkdale Commons Parkway…
Black Eyed Peas’ official cocktail
Gear up to see the concert by sipping on the official Black Eyed Peas cocktail for the tour – The Bacardi V.I.Pea.
Perdue wants you!
Perdue is running a contest in North Carolina looking for the best recipes or techniques for cooking up Perdue chicken.
Jersey Shore’s Pauly D not coming tonight
Tonight, the Jersey Shore is coming to Alley Cat.
How public should public records be?
Give me a “T.”
Tonight Top 5, 02/17/10
The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, Feb. 16, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing.
The greenish Olympics
Progress is progress, right?
UNC prez headed back to Washington
Good luck Mr. Bowles!
The Pretty Reckless has familiar name to some
Band features television actress Taylor Momsen.
Mardi Gras @ Mez, 2/16/10
Mez’s Mardi gras party went down last night with feathers, beads, and more. Photos by Renaul Hill, Charlotte Vibe Photography
The greenish Olympics
Are they the greenest Olympics ever, or what? Some say, “Or what.” From Grist.org’s Jonathan Hiskes, a simple solution for a greener Olympic experience: For all the efforts to minimize the impact of the Olympics, one big solution never gets taken seriously. So much of the environmental and financial cost of the games comes from…
A midnight puck with the Checkers
Win tickets to the Checker’s Midnight game this Thursday
The Wack List: Feb. 17 — Banks, Bill James and more
Five people, places and things we really ain’t digging today
Another deli closes
Izzy’s Cafe & Catering, 5668 International Drive, has closed.
Today’s Top 5: Wednesday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
Today’s Top(less) 5: Wednesday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date.
Live review: Aisha Tyler at Lake Norman Comedy Zone
Live review of Aisha Tyler’s performance at Lake Norman Co
NBC’s Olympics theme – sound familiar?
I just saw a post at another site that let people know that the theme song for NBC’s Olympics coverage isn’t so sport-specific: \\\\\\\\\\ Hilarious…
Concert announcement: Angels & Airwaves
Angels & Airwaves will be performing at The Fillmore Charlotte on May 11 with Say Anything. Angels & Airwaves is the side project from Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge.
Win AFI tickets and a meet-and greet!
Why do you want to meet the band?
Mixtape Review: Chris Brown
The Deal: Now, R&B singers put out mixtapes like rappers, this is Chris Brown’s leap into the madness. The Good: It took a media controversy for this dude to finally to step away from doing bubblegum shit. However, don’t get it twisted. Most of this is still for young girls, but at least he can…
Live Review: Goodie Mob + B.o.B
Goodie Mob + B.o.B Amos’ South End February 14, 2010 The Deal: Legendary Atlanta quartet rock the stage together for the first time in a decade with up-and-comer B.o.B opening things up. The Good: Bobby Ray got things started and the crowd quickly had to catch up with his energy. His show had a little…
Watt faces Tea Party challenger
Rep. Mel Watt has a Tea Partyin’ challenger in the Fall election, Doc Gillenwater of Greensboro. The Greensboro News-Record ran a long blog entry detailing some of Gillenwater’s positions. They’re pretty much what you’d expect: The border with Mexico should be shut down long enough to build a humongous fence; global warming doesn’t exist; drill…
Is Twilight’s Edward also on Team Jacob? Guess what Robert Pattinson is allergic to
He’s allergic to your puss — vagina.
Dixie’s Tavern, 2/15/10
It was Monday Funday at Dixie’s Tavern last night.
Happy Mardi Gras!
Our staff at Creative Loafing celebrated Fat Tuesday with a cake with a baby baked inside.
McColl Center artists-in-residence invite participation
While long-time Charlotteans still think of McColl Center for Visual Art as the “old burnt-out church,” and others know it mostly as a place to see an exhibition or drop off the kids for summer art classes, the soul of the Center is its artist residencies. A typical artists-in-residence program is like a retreat, offering…
Upcoming: Belk’s ‘Engagement Party’
So, recently, two of my close friends have gotten engaged. Since things like that usually come in three’s, I’m waiting for someone else to call me and tell me they’re getting married. As for me, wedding plans are far (far, far) ahead in the future, but I’m actually going to be the maid of honor…
Tonight’s Top 5, 02/16/10 (The Mardi Gras Edition)
The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, Feb. 16, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing.
Sale of the day: The Pink Hanger
Right now, The Pink Hanger’s having a clearance sale. Take 50 percent off styles from Milly, Trina Turk, Jenny Han, French Connection and many more. Since this sale started last Friday, here’s hoping the shop hasn’t been picked over. Good luck! 2935 Providence Road 704-366-7272
This week’s new releases (2/15/2010)
A quick rundown of some of the new albums hitting stores this week.
Happy Mardi Gras!
Just in case you won’t be making it to New Orleans this year:
Today’s Top(less) 5: Tuesday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date.
Two great black authors you should know about
It’s Black History Month, and book hounds are bound to run into the now-standard look at famous black authors of the past. We’re gonna skip the usual, well-deserved nods to Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright and company, and tell you about a couple of our favorite classic African-American authors you may not be…
CD Review: Jerry Leake’s Cubist
The Deal: Floating genres in an adventurous recording by percussionist and vibist. The Good: Percussionist Jerry Leake’s Cubist evokes a musical version of art world’s the Cubist movement, creating geometrical forms out of sound. He is quite methodical, but that doesn’t mean the sound is sterile. On the contrary, the flow is natural. Leake merges…
Comics that I hate
I was talking to a guy recently who doesn’t read my weekly comic book review column or my blog on a regular basis and he (let’s call him Dustin) remarked that I don’t really write negative reviews about the comics I read. And, although I do slam books regularly, his words got me to thinking…
CD review: The Situationals
The Deal: Charlotte quintet independently releases its full-length debut CD, Bellwether; follow-up to 2006 EP, Heaven is High and The Emperor is Far Away. The Good: The band’s multilayered aural assault has elements of a variety of genres to create something unique. Just when you think they’re new wave, it gets a bit of rock…
Project Runway: Local designer finds a new way to market fashion
By the time this story sees print, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (also known as New York Fashion Week) will be in full swing on the streets of Manhattan. It’s only one of the biggest fashion events of the year, where designers from all over the world showcase their fall 2010 collections. And the women who strut…
CL previews upcoming concerts (Feb. 17-23)
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17 We Were Promised Jet Packs The blokes are touring in support of These Four Walls, filled with itchy guitars, Brit pop sentiments, and songcraft where thick Scottish vocals lather melodic numbers dripping with emotive pop. Generally using a fast, strummed rhythmic technique over clean guitar riffs, the quartet coax post-punk sensibilities out…
Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files
Creepin’: A 27-year-old woman called police after someone took quite an interest in her personal life. She said that when she approached her car after work one day last week she found a note attached to the windshield that indicated the suspect was “following who she is and is not in a dating relationship with.”…
Book Review: Nadine Cohodas’ Princess Noire: The Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone
The Deal: A meticulous chronicling of the blossoming of N.C. native Eunice Waymon into the creature known as Nina Simone. The Good: Although written in an easygoing style, Cohodas’ narrative is not a flattering portrait of the ultimate diva but an honest one, as hard on Simone as she was on her audiences. The book…
Does the Myers-Briggs personality assessment really tell you anything?
My question is about the Myers-Briggs personality assessment. Is it just an example of modern-day snake oil sold by corporate soothsayers? Or does it really work? Certainly a huge industry has built up around this test. If it needs to be debunked, you’re just the guy to do it. — Jim I’m of several minds…
Don’t ixnay NIX
This is the debut of a biweekly column focusing on the great and cheap food finds in Charlotte, written by culinary students in CL food critic Tricia Childress’ Introduction to Food Writing class at Johnson & Wales University. I have been in college for almost three years, and I have been broke the entire time.…
Horoscope for Feb. 17-23, 2010
Pisces The Fish: (Feb. 18-Mar 19): Early in the week an opportunity to expand your social life brings smiles. You may be invited to a party or you might meet someone new. This aspect is from Venus, goddess of love and creativity. The muse may be at your side as you produce a particularly creative…
Capsule reviews of films playing the week of Feb. 17
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…
Amelia, Good Hair among new DVD reviews
AMELIA (2009). In its effort last fall to be one of the first Oscar-bait titles out of the gate, the stately but sterile Amelia ended up stumbling over its own feet. A handsome production that fusses over every detail in order to provide the proper look, this biopic forgets to include any sort of spark…
Theater review: Black Pearl Sings!
Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. In the new Frank Higgins play, Black Pearl Sings! now at Actor’s Theatre, there are unmistakable parallels between the title character and the true-life story of the legendary Leadbelly. Both folksingers were pardoned by the Gpvernor of Texas while serving life sentences for murder, and both were discovered while…
In search of a new buttie
“It’s a quarter after 1, I’m a little drunk and I need you now” … are some of the lyrics in Lady Antebellum’s hit song “Need You Now.” This booty call ballad is so popular they even performed it at the Grammy’s. I think it’s safe to say it’s because a lot of people can…
Theater review: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
Children’s Theatre has put some stultifying fare on its main stage in the past couple of seasons, so it’s gratifying to report that the latest musical to be based on a pamphlet-sized anklebiter text, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, is actually top-grade Tarradiddle. Each of the mighty Tarradiddle Players gets a chance to shine…
Hairy plodder: The Wolfman
Back in the 1990s, three Hollywood heavyweights wrestled the horror genre away from the kiddies long enough to make a trilogy of terror that delighted anyone who enjoyed seeing monster movies that were adult in nature, literate in approach and steeped in atmosphere so pungent, you could almost cut it with a scalpel. Yet while…
Obama’s nuclear option
President Barack Obama is going nuclear. He announced the initial $8 billion in loan guarantees for construction of the first new nuclear power plants in the United States in close to three decades. Obama is making good on a campaign pledge, like his promises to escalate the war in Afghanistan and to unilaterally attack in…
THEATER: Reservoir Dogs
After staging performances of Trainspotting and Fight Club in 2009, Citizens of the Universe is shuttling farther into the dangers of space with its 2010 premiere of Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. The cult classic follows seven newly acquainted thugs, all who team up for a jewel heist, which goes horribly wrong and makes them question…
Valentine’s Day: Heartache tonight
Like the holiday it celebrates (cheapens?), Valentine’s Day is made for couples, which perhaps explains the fastidious casting of twofers throughout its principal roster. There are two actors from Grey’s Anatomy (Patrick Dempsey, Eric Dane), two from That ’70s Show (Ashton Kutcher, Topher Grace), two from Alias (Jennifer Garner, Bradley Cooper), two named Jessica (Alba,…
FILM: The Light Factory screens Uncertainty
Give into suspense and supplement your knowledge (whether you know you’re doing it or not) of the Many-Worlds theory of quantum mechanics by checking out The Light Factory’s screening at Duke Energy Theatre of Uncertainty, a film featured in the acclaimed 2008 Toronto Film Festival and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days Of Summer) and Lynn…
Local foods in a pickle
In the mid-1990s, the trend had been for restaurants to pull the local food engine along. Thirteen years ago, farmers like Sammy Koenigsberg of New Town Farms began growing specific food items for chefs who requested them for their menus. Surplus of these foods made their way into area farmers markets, and soon home cooks…
BENEFIT: The Snuggie Ball for Dining With Friends
No need to worry about renting a tux or shopping for a gown to attend this ball; just bring your blanket with sleeves. The Snuggie Ball for Dining With Friends event — benefiting the Regional AIDS Interfaith Network — will feature a charity Snuggie fashion show (pets with Snuggies are welcomed to enter), food courtesy…
3 questions with Pamela Roberts, cooking show host
The next time you’re in the mood for an eyeful of goodness, tune into the CPCC network for an episode of Charlotte Cooks, the Queen City’s very own cooking show, hosted by Pamela Roberts. Roberts is a Certified Executive Chef (CEC) who teaches culinary courses at CPCC. “Chef Pamela” (as her students refer to her)…
THEATER: Bye Bye Birdie
It’s all rock ‘n’ roll, fun and games until the army decides to draft you. In Bye Bye Birdie, the Tony Award-winning musical, that’s just the case with singing sensation Conrad Birdie. Meanwhile his agent is left up the creek without a canoe (so to speak); that is, until he plans for Birdie to star…
Cage the Elephant unleashes unique mix of punk, rock, blues
To say Cage the Elephant’s performance at Bonnaroo in 2009 was jaw-dropping would be an understatement. The Kentucky-based band hit the stage and tore off into its set as singer Matt Shultz, clad in a red, spandex bodysuit, sang in his laid-back style while simply, well, freaking the fuck out. He’s been compared to a…
COMEDY: Pauly Shore
How can we forget Pauly Shore’s goofball appearances in ’90s comedy flicks like Encino Man, Son-In-Law, and Bio-Dome, among others? Well, we can’t — that’s the problem. Desperate for attention, the left-in-the-dust star released his own funded DVD, Pauly Shore Is Dead, in 2003. And if you thought that was scary, you ain’t seen nothing…
New syndromes for our time
If you think you’re nuts, or at least suffering from some kind of phobia or syndrome, you’re in luck. Well, kind of, I guess. Last week, the American Psychiatric Association made public its proposed changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM, sometimes referred to as the “shrinks’ bible.” The new,…
MUSIC: Lucero
Gritty, Southern rock and country bred in the crevasses and alleys of Memphis streets, Lucero unabashedly taps into the musical soul of the city. The band’s sixth studio album 1372 Overton Park, released last fall, is imbued with Memphis soul and blues, country and punk, and rock that could only breed in the South. Lead…
NBC’s tasteless Winter Olympic coverage
OK, I admit it: I’m an Olympics geek. If you read my column regularly, you’ve probably figured out by now that I’m a huge sports fan. I can honestly say that I was skipping around anxiously awaiting the start of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Yes, I love the kinder, gentler Olympics that some say…
THEATER: Black Pearl Sings!
Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte’s latest production of playwright Frank Higgins’ Black Pearl Sings!, directed by Dennis Delamar, is diving deep in racial waters, as two women — a Caucasian woman and an African-American woman — surface together to mend the depths and divides of their mindsets. As Randall Jarrell’s saying goes, “Every pearl has its…
Bev Perdue pulls one hell of a PR stunt
Last fall, after Gov. Bev E. Perdue said she’d go to prison to keep 20 child rapists, murderers and assorted violent inmates sentenced to life in prison from being released by the courts on Oct. 29, her approval ratings, which were among the lowest in the nation among governors, headed north for the first time…
