Top-earning women in music
Forbes has released their list of the “Top-earning Women in Music.” Here’s the list: 1. Madonna – $72 million 2. Barbra Streisand – $60 million 3. Celine Dion – $45 million 4. Shakira – $38 million 5. Beyoncé – $27 million 6. Gwen Stefani – $26 million 7. Christina Aguilera – $20 million 8. Faith…
Extra Boomer: You’d have thought anyone still took him seriously
• In George W. Bush’s State of the Union speech Monday night, the president performed a decent impersonation of a man who commanded the respect of the people he was talking to. It was more than a little surreal. Here was the sanctimonious incompetent who lied our nation into a completely unnecessary war that is…
Concert announcement
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, with special guest Steve Winwood, will perform at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on Friday, July 11. Tickets go on sale Feb. 4, the day after the Super Bowl – he’s playing there, too.
Oh, to be a derby girl
I want to be a Charlotte Roller Girl. While watching their inaugural bout against the Columbia Quad Squad last night at Cricket Arena, I could barely contain my excitement. I want to skate stealthily around a tight track like I know what I’m doing. I want a great sarcastic nickname. I want to be aggressive…
Driver wanted
— Cartoon by Jim Hunt
The Reverse Spoon
The Reverse spoon is a simple variation of the old stand-by spoon that involves taking one partner and spinning them around, so instead of lying head to head and toe to toe, you are both facing each others lower extremities. This position offers both deep penetration and the obvious easy grab of your partners “oh,…
Bubble bubble, scheduling trouble
Mystery is a delicious ingredient, but at the 2008 Royal Shakespeare Company Symposium now in progress at Davidson College, there are layers within layers of mystery – enough to bewilder the Bard himself! The RSC will be presenting a “Work-in-Progress” at Duke Family Performance Hall, but the Symposium brochure doesn’t specify the title of the…
Extra Boomer: SHOCKING NEWS! Local bank screws its customers!
Everyone, I know, is shocked – shocked! – to learn that Wachovia is giving higher incentives to employees who sell customers a tricky type of mortgage that often turns into a neverending trap. The so-called Pick-A-Payment mortgages can easily lead to foreclosure or even bankruptcy for customers who wind up seeing their loan balance increase…
Soup for the soul
There’s nothing like filling your belly with a hearty bowl of delicious soup on an early Sunday afternoon. And to add a little flavor to your meal, you’re eating for a good cause! Head over to the 8th Annual Soup on Sunday Benefit for Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region for a sampling of soups…
This week’s new releases (1/22)
Here’s a quick list of some of the artists releasing new albums this week: – Natasha Bedginfield – Black Mountain – Cat Power – Drive By Truckers – Moe.
I’m getting fat again
By Mike Huckabee Trust me folks, it’s no big deal that, after suffering a number of consecutive defeats in the primaries, I’ve decided to scale back campaign spending. Instead I’ll spend the money on food. And not the healthy kind. Ever since I was betrayed by my Christian brethren in South Carolina, I’ve been on…
Extra N Word: A rush to judgment
The recent death of Heath Ledger has been covered mercilessly by the media. In a rush to break the story, all kinds of misinformation was given out by “reputable” media publications and broadcasters. The New York Times was the first to report that he was found dead in mini-mogul Mary Kate Olsen’s apartment. CNN, MSNBC…
There Will Be Oscars
By Matt Brunson The nominations for the 80th Academy Awards were announced yesterday, and the results panned out pretty much as expected. The year’s two biggest critical darlings, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, led the field with eight nominations apiece, with Atonement and Michael Clayton right behind with seven nods.…
NBC 1, Democracy 0: Dennis Kucinich gets left out
One pundit called the Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas “a lovefest.” It may well have been, but only because the corporate sponsor of the debate, General Electric-owned NBC News and its cable news channel MSNBC, rescinded its invitation to candidate Dennis Kucinich. NBC decided earlier that it would invite the top four Democratic candidates…
Surviving lineup changes, defying categories
While the stand-up bass might have onlookers immediately thinking about rockabilly, Tiger Army instead mixes in some punk to create psychobilly … well, most of the time. Trying to categorize the California trio isn’t easy. While they’re credited with bringing the psychobilly genre to the United States in the mid-1990s, their albums also find moments…
Back to the Big Apple
If you tingle at the thought of spending an evening with a taut drama — in a rococo palace echoing with the sound of charismatic acting — toss your nostalgia for the good old days in the nearest trash bin and head for Broadway. In so many ways, these are the good old days. There…
Sticks and Stones
The Deal: Unaltered, pre-jam compositions rock moe’s genre-busting release. The Good: If it’s your first time with moe, don’t let the jam band label put you off. Although they’re known for their long improvisational flights of fancy in concert, this record is a concise, melodic vehicle firmly anchored in rock. Most of the 10 tracks…
And now for something completely different…
It’s obvious that people go to music venues to hear live music. However, The Milestone is offering up a bit of a change this weekend as they open up their venue to a play. Citizens of the Universe will present Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh on Jan. 24 and 25 for $6. Doors will open at…
They keep on rollin’ along
Since the late 1980s, when Samuel Ramey established his dominion over the bass and bass-baritone repertoires, all those who aspired to the same throne had to sigh and wait their turn. Well, after last week’s Frederica von Stade & Samuel Ramey recital, presented at the Belk by the Carolinas Concert Association, I can offer operatic…
Distortion
The Deal: Stephin Merritt and Magnetic Fields go Psychocandy … The Good: Truth in advertising here, because Distortion eschews the breezy pop of early Magnetic Fields and the somnambulant soft-rock of 2004’s i, going for the jugular instead by coating everything but the drums in mountainous feedback. Overtly inspired by The Jesus and Mary Chain’s…
Music Menu
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 23 Sick of it All Still pissed off after over two decades of spewing angst-loaded hardcore, this NYC posse grabs you by the balls and doesn’t let go till the last body is peeled off the mosh pit floor. They’ve been on multiple labels, indie and major, but have never diluted their politically…
Charlotte to welcome ‘Talent’
America’s Got Talent, NBC’s desperate answer to American Idol, is coming to Charlotte to hold auditions — more like dignity lobotomies — on Feb. 2 at The Blake Hotel, 555 S. McDowell St. Here’s something to ponder while we hold our breaths: If The Beatles appeared out of the ether today without their ‘scouse accents,…
Are You There, God? It’s Me. Kevin.
Inside author Kevin Keck’s new pot-, sex- and theology-tinged memoir
Comic proportions
Robin No. 170 Published by DC Comics. Story by Chuck Dixon. Pencils by Chris Batista. The Deal: You know Robin. He’s Batman’s boy sidekick — the one who wears the short pants. Well, he used to wear short pants. These days, he’s covered from head to toe … which is smart in his line of…
NBC 1, Democracy 0
One pundit called the Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas “a lovefest.” It may well have been, but only because the corporate sponsor of the debate, General Electric-owned NBC News and its cable news channel MSNBC, rescinded its invitation to candidate Dennis Kucinich. NBC decided earlier that it would invite the top four Democratic candidates…
e-Film
Watching movies on the download
Hey, Kevin. It’s Creative Loafing.
Creative Loafing caught up with author Kevin Keck and grilled him about his new book, family and what he really thinks about Charlotte: Creative Loafing: So, this latest work — Are You There God? It’s Me Kevin. — is your second book? Kevin Keck: Technically third. My very first was a book of poems, but…
The Blotter
SWEET TOOTH: An 11-year-old elementary school student said he was assaulted by two eighth grade boys while riding the school bus home. He said one of the boys pinned him down in the back of the bus, while the other stole candy out of his hand and threatened to do bodily harm to him if…
Valley of the Daals
Veteran restaurateur offers South Park fine Indian food
Let the river run
All that blood running through your body, pumping life to limbs and lungs, following the pace of your day, thumping fast and slow – relentless, incessant and oh, so necessary. That’s the Catawba River, our communal life blood. Every once in a while, you see an art show that fundamentally matters. The Light Factory at…
Pat’s GovRace chatrooom
Chat w/ EdtrRicky & BigDukey 10 a.m. FratBoy1: Rick? Jim? FratBoy1: Rick Thames, Jim Rogers, u there? EdtrRicky: Rite here, Pat BigDukey: I’m here, 2 FratBoy1: OK, guys, how’d it go? EdtrRicky: U were GR8! BigDukey: Ditto FratBoy1: 2U2! EdtrRicky: ?4U, Pat. Anything else I can do 4U? FratBoy1: U mean, other than making sure…
Hernando returns
North Mississippi Allstars revisit their roots
Man bites relationship
Man Bites Relationship Three months ago, my boyfriend rescued a 2-year-old, 85-pound, neutered dog from a shelter. I have a little 35-pound dog I love dearly. She’s been with me seven years. We wanted to introduce them because we want to build a life together. It didn’t go well. His dog attacked mine both times.…
HIV rates rise in young gay men
While HIV and AIDS rates are finally beginning to drop in the United States, a recent New York Times article presents a startling trend in the group that is continuing to see an increase in new infections. Young gay men, those under 30 years old, are accounting for a rise in new cases of HIV…
The long road ahead
Mayor Pat McCrory had good things to say about Charlotte’s mass transit system
Karma Cleanser
Dear Karma Cleanser: I have bad luck when it comes to haircuts. I’ve not only had my ear nipped by scissors during a haircut, I’ve also had a stylist literally quit her job during my appointment. (She’d been arguing with her boss the whole morning, apparently.) Knowing my luck, I always go into hair appointments…
From mayor to governor?
Name the last governor who was a former mayor of Charlotte. Can’t think of one? Well, that’s because former Charlotte mayors don’t do too well in statewide races. Richard Vinroot, for example, lost his bid for governor to Michael Easley. Still, this isn’t stopping current Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory from putting his hat in the…
Art: Garden art
“That which we call an orchid by any other name would smell as sweet.” C’mon, we all know Shakespeare was talking about a rose, not an orchid. Tell that to the folks at DSBG who are unveiling its Orchid Conservatory in honor of the lovely flower. As a tie-in, Art at the Garden 2008 will…
Hard transition
God, but digging a shallow grave is exhausting. I don’t see how serial killers do it. Not that I aspire, it’s just that this was one of the many thoughts going through my brain as I buried my cat Petal in the backyard this morning, along with the question of what could have killed her.…
Letters to the editor
Stupid is as stupid does (In response to Boomer With Attitude: “Run, Pat, Run!” by John Grooms, Jan. 9) Sorry, Grooms set me off today. He called Kelly Pickler stupid because she claimed she thought Europe was a country. Point one: she was on a show titled Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? There…
Music: Joi to the world
If you’ve never heard of Joi, don’t fret. Hailing from Atlanta, she’s a wild rock/soul diva who’s never scored a major hit — but she’s been an underground darling for years. (She was even briefly a member of the soul trio Lucy Pearl.) Wanna know more about this mysterious lady who channels equal parts Janis…
Stargazer
Aquarius The Waterbearer: (Jan. 19 — Feb. 18) Mercury is turning retrograde in Aquarius and will be more likely to affect your daily affairs than many of the other signs. You may no sooner decide on one thing than you switch to another. Be aware you are trying on answers, just as one tries on…
Voting early and often
Our Democrat neighbors to the south head to the polls Saturday to vote on the party’s nominee. S.C. Republicans have already made their choice. In order to vote, South Carolina law requires one must first register to vote at least 30 days prior to the election. Voters will be required to show any one of…
Mummy dearest
Discovery Place is taking us on a trip through ancient Egypt, the land of the pharaohs. The difference this time is a CSI spin. Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs follows the discovery of a tomb containing 40 royal mummies, including the cloth-wrapped corpses of Ramses the Great, his father Seti I, and his son. Then,…
Film Clips
New Releases CLOVERFIELD The logistics of probability dictate that critics will occasionally overlap by describing a given movie with the same phrase, and here’s Cloverfield to set the bar at its highest point yet when it comes to literary redundancy. It’s almost impossible not to describe this terror tale as “Godzilla meets The Blair Witch…
Enough said
It appears that common sense is not so common. In recent months, there have been several controversial statements made by media folk, on and off the camera, that were completely inappropriate. In the “What were you thinking?” category, Kelly Tilghman said in jest during the Mercedes-Benz Golf Championship that young players who wanted to defeat…
Sports: Charlotte Roller Girls
Rollin’ out Let me just paint a mental picture for ya. A group of women dress in tight tees, spandex shorts, and roller skates with the goal of knocking each other the fuck out, hockey-style. Pretty exciting, huh? That’s the premise behind Charlotte’s hottest sports team, the Charlotte Roller Girls. They take on the Columbia…
View from the Couch
THE GAME PLAN (2007). After his film career began floundering, action star Vin Diesel turned to the family audience with The Pacifier and ended up with a $113 million hit. This past fall, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson similarly threw himself on the mercy of the small fry and their easy-to-please parental units with The Game…
Angela Oberer
Entrepreneur Angela Oberer likes to keep life interesting. She has done everything from delivering pizzas to running the Boston Marathon and traveling the world. It’s no surprise that when she was introduced to acting three years ago, she jumped in with both feet and hasn’t been able to get enough of it since. Oberer is…
Exhibit: The People Speak of River
The Catawba River has gone through some changes lately. As have nearly every body of water in the world, thanks to global warming. The Light Factory Contemporary Museum of Photography teamed with York County’s Culture & Heritage Museums to give us a project focused on the Catawba River. River Docs: A Catawba River Narrative is…
No. 1 on the shopping list
The designate “grocery-store wine” has been the lowliest tier of the vinous variety for a long time, like Sizzler of the steakhouse world. Respected wineries didn’t exactly clamor to be placed on the corner market’s despoiled shelves stacked with pot-bellied jugs, preferring instead to be glorified at the neighborhood wine shop. But that was before…
Black, white and read all over
Oooh, creamy Singer Nathan Palmer from the Truckstop Preachers tried his best to shave while performing at the Beards Because fundraiser at Amos’ Southend on Jan. 11. See QC After Dark on p. 59 for more details. Benefactresses are us Posing for the camera, (from left to right) Jameka Whitten, Kirsten Hemmy (the director of…
Music: Matchbox Twenty, MuteMath, Alanis
Castaways Matchbox Twenty first hit the scene in 1996, and it’s been relatively steady success ever since. Of course, the band had a brief hiatus as original guitarist Adam Gaynor left and singer Rob Thomas had his hit with Santana and released a solo album. The band’s hitting the road in support of last year’s…
Painting the town red
Wearing red, giving out money in red envelopes and watching a dragon dance are all part of the Chinese New Year. This year the celebration starts on Feb. 7. Red, the color of fire, is said to ward off evil spirits. What better way to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Rat then…
Servatius Junior
So I’m having a baby. In about three months, they tell me. I can’t look down anymore without being reminded of this fact because I have to look around a bump to see my feet. Already she’s changing my life. For starters, she wasn’t supposed to be a she. There are boys as far as…
Show: Circus maximus
Come one, come all! The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is coming to town! More than 100 human and animal performers will flip, swing, roll and herd into Cricket Arena tonight. They’ll be up to all their old tricks. Audience members will have an amazing view of the acrobats, clowns, and creatures during…
Mini-Britney’s here, bitch!
It takes something of epic proportions to get me to go to BAR Charlotte … and it-s Mini-Britney, bitch! And I’m not talking about her knocked-up 16-year-old sister. I’m referring to Terra Jole, a hot little person that tours the country performing as a mini Britney Spears. I had LaVecchia’s $2 mini appetizers that they…
CL gets honored
CL Editor Carlton Hargro and Nsenga Burton, author of our weekly column The N Word, are set to be presented with honors by the Urban League of Central Carolinas at the group’s 2008 Leadership Awards Ceremony on Feb. 2. Burton and Hargro — along with promoter Michael Kitchen and Pride magazine publisher Torrey Feimster –…
Made of Bricks
The Deal: “Critics’ darling” releases debut album. The Good: 20-year-old Brit Kate Nash sings pop with a sailor’s mouth. From songs titled “Shit Song” and “Dickhead” to lyrics such as “Stop being a dickhead/Why are you being a dickhead for/You’re just fucking up situations.” She has more maturity in her music than those words might…
