One More Grieving War Parent
Cindy Sheehan was in town today, meeting with staff for Congressman Mel Watt at his West Morehead Street office. (Watt was in Washington.) The man pictured here is Carlos Arredondo, whose son, U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Arredondo, was killed in Iraq three years ago at age 20. Arredondo, who made news after torching the van…
Request for Reassignment
By Jim Hunt
Insightfully Disturbing
The Deal: New art at the Kevin Starr a.r.t. s.t.u.d.i.o on Central Avenue. Old movies glorifying traditional gender roles and family gatherings were projected on a back wall amidst many different depictions of human beings. Kelly Carbon’s paintings depicted 1950s-esque characters struggling to live with a black and white moral imagination. Above these hung Kevin…
Update on an Illustrious Ex-Loafer
If you ever wonder what happened to Jared Neumark, Creative Loafing’s indefatigable chronicler of strip club buffets, Elvis impersonators and pray-the-gay-away groups, wonder no longer. He’s now an editor at a humor Web site, Newsgroper.com. Well, the site just launched, and the venture looks like it’s off to a good start. Check it out.
Spay/Neuter News That Doesn’t Involve Bob Barker
The 2007 Charlotte-Mecklenburg animal control stats are in, and once again, it’s obvious this community is failing to care adequately for animals. More than 12,000 cats and dogs were killed in the last 12 months. (The shelter stats are for the fiscal year, which runs July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007.) As an occasional…
Pressing
Name of Kama Sutra Position: Pressing, marking and scratching with the nails Position: When a love is intense, the book of Kama Sutra recommends pressing your nails into your lover on either of these occasions. During a first visit At the time of the setting out on a long journey At the return of a…
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File Under: No shit
Did you know that if you use meth, there’s a good chance you might drink or smoke too? If not, this study is for you.
Transforming Numbers
When summer began, it was pretty much agreed by the pundits that the battle for the title for the season’s top grosser would be between the third entries to Spider-Man, Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean. At this point, with weekly takes for all three films trickling out, it looks as if Spider-Man 3 will…
Shooters in school
Citizen Servatius
Stargazer
For All Signs: Long-term aspects continue to suggest anger and violence in the psychic atmosphere. Fortunately a large percentage of us in the western world do not actually live in a reality that fully reflects such hostilities. However, we spend a lot of energy attending to the menu presented by the media. The style of…
Stick It to the Man
It has been stated that womyn have a threshold for pain that is nine times higher than that of their male counterparts, which comes as no surprise considering the inconvenient ordeals of childbirth, PMS, and menopause. Accordingly, the 11th Annual Women In Business Achievement Awards will honor 25 womyn (not for childbirth, of course) with…
Film Clips
Current Releases EVAN ALMIGHTY My parents may have been the ones to plunk down the dough to purchase the classic comedy album Bill Cosby Is a Very Funny Fellow… Right!, but as a child, I think I was the one most responsible for wearing out the vinyl via repeat listens to the famous “Noah” skits…
Coming Attractions
Wednesday, July 18 — Charlotte nightlife sucks? Well, yeah … sometimes it does. To remedy that, the folks at Creative Loafing and The Sol Kitchen present: Pop Life. What the hell is Pop Life? It’s a weekly, multimedia nightlife event featuring art, fashion, live performances and a host of DJs playing the most eclectic blend…
Harry Gives His All
Daniel Radcliffe returns from an express need to go commando onstage as troubled stable boy Alan Strang (appropriately named, don’t cha think?) in the West End production of Equus to again don the wizard robes of Harry Potter in the latest installment. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix picks up on the deluded…
View From the Couch
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: THE SECOND SEASON (1988-1989). More a cult hit than an out-and-out ratings success, CBS’ offbeat prime-time offering was deemed worthy enough to be brought back for another season, a move that resulted in a second straight Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Drama Series as well as nods for stars Linda Hamilton…
Get your geek on
Performing Arts 42Arts Agenda 45Books 48
KoKoMo’s Coffeehouse
Brand Spankin’ New
The Birth of a Grape
Corkscrew
Show us your tatts!
While tattoos are becoming more accepted thanks to a mainstream showcase on celebrities and sports stars, the idea of permanent body art is still a relatively new phenomenon in the South (especially here in Banktown, U.S.A.). Sure, people from all walks of life may be getting “inked,” but many “tatts” aren’t exactly being showcased in…
Halal For All
Mouthful
J.B. Morton
Profile
Opportunity Knockers
Advice Goddess
Heaven help us
Mandy Moore has managed to costar in the two worst films of 2007 (thus far), yet let’s not be in a hurry to pick up those stones and torches. Truth be told, Moore is turning out to be a welcome screen presence — far better than most recent singers-turned-actors — and she’s hardly to blame…
Last action hero
Film Clips 34View From The Couch 36Films In A Flash 38
Books for Bastille Day
Books
Revitalizing old-school Soul
It’s the wrong guy. It’s the right arrangement — that slinky guitar intro, funky organ burbling underneath. It’s “Love and Happiness,” but that’s not Al Green. No sleek soul man, but a bewhiskered, scruffy looking kid belting out the greatest living soulman’s classic hit. Marc Broussard may not look the part, but his heart and…
On a Roll
Mouthful 62Corkscrew 64Good Eats 65
Down To earth
Performing Arts
Creating World Music
You may not have heard of her yet, but it shouldn’t be much longer before Angelique Kidjo is a household name. The Benin native is making her mark on music thanks to her latest album, Djin Djin, that’s full of guest stars — friends if you ask Kidjo about them. “We’ve known each other for…
Searching for an identity
Hit & Run Reviews 82Music Menu / Soundboard 85On MySpace:myspace.com/clcharlottemusic
Getting inked
When I heard that Jeff Hahne — Creative Loafing’s music editor — was writing a story about tattoos, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. How fun it would be to talk to people who’d been brave enough to undergo the pierce of permanence. I’d always wanted a “tatt” myself, but I’d never…
Ohio Transplant Serves Up Solo Debut
In the spring of last year, Kevin Brawley relocated to Charlotte from Ohio and he’s been focused on music ever since. His debut solo CD, Waltzing on Eggshells, was released on June 12. The Good: The multi-talented Brawley plays guitar, keyboards and percussion on the album which is “inspired by two unpredictable years of marriage.”…
Ma Fleur
The Deal: Film music without the films. The Good: In the past, The Cinematic Orchestra — essentially Scots composer/programmer/multi-instrumentalist Jason Swinscoe and various cameos — shot in wide-screen sound-scapes that relied on Portastatic/Strange Cargo-like electronica, noir-jazz accents and string flourishes Curtis Mayfield might have concocted. The mix was evocative and film-friendly enough to earn Swinscoe…
Tips for tatts
From the little portrait of your favorite cartoon character to a larger portrait of your father, tattoos can have a different meaning for everyone. But before you plunk down money for body art, put thought into your decision and follow a few easy tips: • Give it some thought. It can’t be said enough that…
CL Previews Upcoming Shows
WEDNESDAY 7.11 NAKED GODS Boone’s Naked Gods’ new E.P., It Ain’t Just Cold Outside, is a dandy sampler of their twangy, down-to-earth country rock. With a bit of fine tuning, this fairly new outfit has the chops to turn heads in the region and beyond. Also on the bill: Stone Figs, Hymns and Sean Walsh…
Matson Films
The Deal: Documentary about the indie music scene in Little Rock, Ark., in the late ’80s and early ’90s. The Good: This could be your hometown story. Hearing about teenagers growing up and learning about punk music, having a DIY attitude and being in it for the music — this is the life I grew…
Liberty and justice for some
Breaking the sound barrier
Draft Parties, Lingerie Girls
I have decided to quit my day job and become a white female rapper. Albeit, I have some competition, such as The Gravity Girls who recently performed at The Milestone. But I think I have a chance of making Diddy’s band with my remix of Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back”: “I like cheese fries and…
LIVE Review: Hip-Hop Show @ SK Net Cafe
The Deal: Hip-hop is alive in Charlotte, but is it well? Local show featuring acts from the Queen City and surrounding areas hope to show the scene is in stable condition. The Good: The flow of Anderson, S.C., native J. Johnson (myspace.com/jjohnsonsoundrebel) won everyone over when he flipped his own song and included members of…
The Blotter
GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEERS: A woman was checking on the home of an acquaintance who was out of town when she noticed something strange. Four people were inside, eating and drinking beer. When they saw her, they fled out the back door. BAD DRINKING KARMA: Most people who steal beer don’t make much of…
A smashing good time in Asheville
Back in May, the Smashing Pumpkins announced two residencies for June and July. One made plenty of sense — eight nights at the history Fillmore in San Francisco. The other was a little more confusing — nine nights at The Orange Peel in Asheville (between June 23 and July 5). Yes, the Chicago rockers were…
Lion’s Share
“Come away with us into the mighty jungle,” is what the national touring cast of Disney’s The Lion King asks as they whisk you away into a lighter-handed version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet for a younger generation. Actually, that’s what the movie did; the musical takes that world and kicks it up several notches by adding…
Sieg Heil, Y’all
Boomer With Attitude
Ask the Editor
Q: It says on the cover that this issue of CL features a lot of new stuff. Is that true? A: Of course it’s true. I mean, we wouldn’t lie to you. We’re journalists for God’s sake! Yes this issue features a bunch of new stuff. We’ve crammed new columns and departments in almost every…
Talked Out
A former member of Charlotte’s The Talk, the acoustically-tinged CR Rollyson is akin to a ragged street singer crooning on a corner with a dime store acoustic guitar. Rollyson’s stripped-down guitar and singer persona serves him well, with the scruffiness of Kurt Cobain and an inventive tick leaning toward Beck. Rollyson will perform with Eric…
Gay at work
The Winston-Salem City Council voted to include sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination policy at its meeting on June 18. That in mind, here are a few statistics on gays and lesbians in the workplace: • Other N.C. municipalities with such policies include Bessemer City, Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, Greensboro, and Raleigh along with Durham, Guilford…
Karma Cleanser
Dear Karma Cleanser: My husband and I recently took a road trip for a short vacation. On our way there, a guy pulled out in front of us and I almost instinctively flipped him off as we swerved around him. As I was projecting this ever-regrettable gesture, I noticed he was looking at us and…
Next Up
If you’re a recently finished production, between jobs, or otherwise unemployed actor, I sincerely hope you registered for the Metrolina Theatre Association’s 2007 Unified Auditions. These auditions could determine the future of your career in Charlotte (well … OK, not really if you have any drive at all) but, they’re still damned important. Actors, 18…
My pussy ass is staying put
Moodswing
Sex It Up and Speed!
Hot girls and hot whips … who can ask for anything more? Turn out the lights, set the whole show to live music, and you’ve got the Boost Mobile Hot Import Nights event. Expect a full house because hundreds of highly customized show cars will be featured at the country’s largest touring automotive lifestyle event…
Sign My Spot
The elusive auteur of black professional noir and erotica decides to pay Charlotte an early visit. Despite the fact that she’s participating in this year’s Charlotte Literary Festival, Zane has decided to pop in for a little update and sign copies of her newest. Dear G Spot: Straight Talk About Sex & Love is full…
