Jul 13-19, 2010

Jul 13-19, 2010 / Vol. 24 / No. 20

Pinkberry grand opening Thursday, July 22

Great news for tart frozen yogurt fans in Charlotte: Pinkberry is opening at Philips Place this week with a grand opening party on Thursday, July 22. The event, which will include Pinkberry yogurt, music and giveways, is free to the public and will run from 6 to 10 pm. You can find the store located…

Priscilla Tsai

Time for Obama to get tough

It’s good to see Pres. Obama today taking on Congressional Republicans, blasting them for blocking an extension of jobless benefits, and pointedly adding that the GOP pols “didn’t have any problem spending hundreds of billion of dollars for tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans,” while they deny help for the unemployed, supposedly because of the…

John Grooms

Brunching at Bistro La Bon

The brunch buffet is perfect for those who normally can’t choose between sweet breakfast items and savory lunch dishes on typical brunch menus … you get the best of both worlds here.

Priscilla Tsai

Video: Waka Flocka Flame’s “Hard In The Paint”

It’s easy to sit behind a computer and be a Southern music snob. Waka Flocka Flame seems to be one of the easier targets of that disdain these days but when an artist like him goes national, you have to climb down from the ivory tower and notice. Sure, the South may not be putting…

Mike McCray

Video: N.A.S.A.’s “Strange Enough”

The indie duo N.A.S.A., Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon, have been around for a while now. Their 2009 album, The Spirit of Apollo, made some critics top 10 lists but what’s more interesting to me is that they happen to be the proud owners of ODB’s last recorded verse. How they got an Ol’ Dirty…

Mike McCray

Tea Party leader is Stupid Thing of the Week

As usual, candidates were plentiful for the Stupid Thing of the Week Award. We were leaning toward Mel Gibson, for his startlingly f-ed up rants, released this week; or the judge in Switzerland who freed Roman Polanski; or Glenn Beck, for going ballistic over what Michelle Obama wore to the Gulf (check it out —…

John Grooms

Tonight’s Top 5, 07/16/10

The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, July 16, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing. •”The Launch” Lingerie and Swimwear Fashion Show at Halo • Ballantyne Nightlife Crawl at On The Roxx SouthEnd • A Midsummer Night’s Icing at BlackFinn • MEKKAHmorphasis at Wine Up • CBGPride Kickoff Party at The Sunset…

Victoria Creasy

Immigration law to be determined by Bible verses?!

Yesterday, Bible verses were tossed around like so many Frisbees during a meeting of the House of Representatives’ Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law (phew!). The subject was, of course, immigration reform, and the thrust of the meeting dealt with religious teachings and what they have to say about the…

John Grooms

Open mic at Mama’s Caribbean Grill

It’s open mic night at Mama’s Caribbean Grill tonight, from 8 p.m.-9:30 p.m. The event is free, but donations are accepted and benefit the “Let’s Go To Haiti” Project. For more details, see the flyer below.

Anita Overcash

VIDEO: Hospitals must tell uninsured about charity care

The folks at NC Policy Watch have produced a useful video about one of the changes mandated by the new health care reform law. It’s particularly useful for anyone who is currently without health insurance. The video features a young woman from Charlotte named Tiffany who is up to her neck in medical debt, explaining…

John Grooms

The return of Beavis and Butthead

Beavis and Butthead are set to return to MTV — which is a little odd, since MTV doesn’t even play videos anymore… The Mike Judge-created duo hit it big in the early ’90s by ranting and raving about music videos and spending time being generally stupid. No word if their friend Stuart (with his Winger…

Jeff Hahne

Tonight’s Top 5, 07/14/10

The top five nightlife-related events going down tonight, July 14, as chosen from the folks at Creative Loafing. • Pure Shots at Halo • Patti Griffin Tribute at The Evening Muse • It’s Always Funny at Dixies Tavern • After Work Wednesdays at Tilt • Open Mic at Tommy’s Pub

Victoria Creasy

Sue Myrick’s goofy Mexico/Iran/tattoo theory goes national

You have to hand it to Sue Myrick: When she finds a new paranoid fantasy, she holds on for dear life. We reported recently on the latest bee to fly under the congresswoman’s bonnet — a supposed connection between Mexican drug cartels and Islamic terrorists. I guess she couldn’t think of a way to include…

John Grooms

This week’s new releases (July 13)

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s new this week: Chatham County Line Wildwood Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse Dark Night of the Soul Hellyeah Stampede Korn Korn III — Remember Who You Are M.I.A. /\/\ /\ Y /\ Sting Symphonicities

Jeff Hahne

Street Style: Your ‘not so basic’ basics

Name: Bianca Abarca Occupation: Sales associate Spotted: American Apparel South End Rockin’: Dress: American Apparel Jewelry: Forever 21 Hair Bow: American Apparel Shoes: Value Village What inspired your look today?: “My outfit was inspired by American Apparel.”

Alexis Greene

Is “clean coal” really clean?

I’ve been reading about clean coal technology — in particular, coal gasification and its use in power production. Everyone touts the clean emissions consisting of CO2, which gets sequestered underground, and water vapor. But what about the other by-products, such as sulfur, nitrogen oxide, and ash? What about trace metals such as mercury, lead, and…

Cecil Adams

CD Review: Big Boi’s Sir Lucious Left Foot… The Son of Chico Dusty

The Deal: Half of Outkast releases first real solo album after years of delays and anticipation. The Good: Signature Big Boi, funky, soulful and experimental. Still expanding on an already-honed flow, he flaunts a lyrical flair, complexity and precision few could fuck with from the start. There’s the standard hypersexualized innuendo nestled in every verse…

Mike McCray

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files

Numb: A 55-year-old man called police after someone stole prescription pills from his house. He told officers that workers had been doing renovations on the outside of his home throughout the week, but on this particular day, one of the men was working inside. He reported that the man probably stole his bottle of pain…

Ryan Pitkin

CD Review: Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

The Deal: Soulful Vermont rockers release fourth studio album, second for major label. The Good: With a grunt and a ’70s style riff, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals kick off their latest album, keeping the bluesy soulful vibe of albums past while offering something a bit dirtier … a hint more of a rock edge…

Jeff Hahne

Weekly horoscope July 14-20, 2010

Cancer The Crab (June 21-July 21): In terms of worldly power, you are at the lowest point in the Saturn cycle. It is time now to lay the foundations for the next 28 years and it begins with inner work. Define what you must have to feel solidly secure and initiate the steps that will…

Vivian Carol

Two sides of N.C.’s immigration debate

Immigration reform is one of the most contested issues facing the nation these days; the topic made national headlines recently when President Obama spoke out about reform for the first time in his administration (on July 1), and when the fed sued Arizona for the state’s SB1070 policy, giving local police immigration enforcement powers. Locally,…

Cheris Hodges

Despicable Me: What’s not to like?

When James Stewart offers to lasso the moon for Donna Reed in Frank Capra’s classic It’s a Wonderful Life, it’s purely a romantic gesture. When Gru (Steve Carell), the star of the 3-D opus Despicable Me, plots to shrink the moon to a size small enough so that he can make off with it, it’s…

Matt Brunson

Charlotte finally delivers

A few weeks ago (June 26 to be exact), I attended the debut Uptown Jazz Festival at the N.C. Music Factory — and, I’m happy to say, it was a great experience. The venue was lovely, the weather was great, and the performances were entertaining. The event brought big-name jazz artists (like Mike Phillips, Maysa,…

Nsenga Burton

Death Race 2000, A Star Is Born among new DVD reviews

  DEATH RACE 2000 (1975). The third release in Shout! Factory’s new “Roger Corman’s Cult Classics” line (following May’s Rock ‘n’ Roll High School and Suburbia) remains one of the producer’s biggest hits. Impossible to defend but easy to enjoy, this drive-in exploitation fodder imagines a Y2K in which the national pastime is a cross-country…

Matt Brunson

The cycling epidemic

Drivers who text while driving are six times more likely to crash. Pregnant women are 7.7 times more likely to die of the H1N1 flu than other people. Babies who sleep on their stomachs are 12.9 times more likely to die of SIDS than those who sleep on their backs. Governments and well-meaning people have…

Winter’s Bone cuts deep

Memorable movie characters often pop out at us from the most unlikely of places, and the understated indie effort Winter’s Bone surprises by serving up such a figure in Ree Dolly. Ree, played by Jennifer Lawrence in a breakthrough performance, is 17 years old, smarter than everyone around her, sports a lip that sometimes gets…

Matt Brunson

Creative Living

Americans are incredibly nosey. That’s why reality TV shows looking into the lives of celebrities and average Joes are so popular — we like to be all up in people’s business. One popular show that aired not too long ago was MTV Cribs, where a camera crew was invited into a celebrity’s home as he…

Kimberly Lawson

Cyrus worth getting to know

The laughs don’t always come easy — but, oh, they do come — in Cyrus, a dark comedy that repeatedly dances so close to uncomfortable territory that viewers figure it’s only a matter of time before it topples right over into the taboo. John C. Reilly, often cast as amiable if off-putting losers, plays another…

Matt Brunson

If only information flowed as freely as oil

“Deep Spill 2” sounds like a sequel to a Hollywood thriller. Unfortunately, it is more of a reality show. “Deep Spill 2” is the name of an ambitious series of proposed scientific experiments that should be happening right now. Scientists from around the globe are ready, literally, to dive in to understand what is happening…

Amy Goodman

I Am Love: Amore, Italian-style

How devoted is Tilda Swinton to her craft? Thespians occasionally learn another language in order to play a certain role, but Swinton plunged even deeper: For I Am Love, she not only learned to speak Italian and Russian, she also learned to speak Italian with a Russian accent. Or at least that’s what Swinton, the…

Matt Brunson

THEATER: Real Women Have Curves

Playwright Josefina Lopez is the mastermind behind Real Women Have Curves — which arrives at Carolina Actors Studio Theatre July 15-31 (along with a special visit by Lopez herself during July 15-17 performances). The inspirational play — which won a Humanitas Prize in 2002, was turned into a film, picked up by HBO, and snagged…

Anita Overcash

Where to find Polish foods

Looking for apple Charlotte cake in Charlotte? Now you can find it at Ziggy and Marta Zelazko’s new Polish market, ZYGMA European Groceries and Deli, 212 North Polk St., Pineville (704-889-9946; www.zygmapolishdeli.com — in Polish and English). Apple Charlotte, or Szarlotka, is available on Thursdays along with Polish poppy seed cheesecake. A staple of Polish…

Tricia Childress

SPECIAL EVENT: Pecha Kucha Vol. 6

You’ve probably heard of the Japanese-started Pecha Kucha by now. But just in case you haven’t, I’ll fill you in. A kind of artsy shindig for folks to show and tell — 20 slides for 20 seconds on a big screen — it’s bound to get your creative juices flowing. See for yourself during Pecha…

Anita Overcash

Restaurateur brings a well-heeled Georges Brasserie

Quick. Name five French restaurants in Charlotte. Now note that three of these are within walking distance of each other. SouthPark has become the premier arrondissement of town — without the Louvre, Tuileries and open air markets, of course. Why SouthPark? This part of town has always favored things French — wine, good food, and,…

Tricia Childress

FOOD: Queens Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week

I’d imagine a dinner fit for a queen to be flashy, eccentric, and above all, delicious. But seeing as I’m a mere commoner, I’ll never truly know. Queens Feast: Charlotte Restaurant Week is the closest I’ll come. In this culinary extravaganza — happening July 16-25 — 88 upscale restaurants in Charlotte and the surrounding area…

Anita Overcash

3 questions with Rachel Miller, gelato master

When Rachel Miller was 10 years old living in Maine, she would help her grandmother make tomato soup from scratch. That was all the impetus she needed to pursue a career as a chef. After graduating from Johnson and Wales in Charlotte, Miller now runs her own catering business for small parties, covering anything from…

Chris Triplett

DANCE: Belly Oasis Mid-East Dance Concert

Belly dancing is an art form that takes practice, from the training of muscles to the learning of special techniques. On July 18, members of Yasmine’s School of Mid-East Dance (including Yasmine, who is pictured) and members of Magic Hips will perform group and solo shows during Belly Oasis Mid-East Dance Concert at CPCC’s Pease…

Anita Overcash

Miss Tess incorporates diverse influences

Don’t be lookin’ for a New Orleans-style throwdown with twirling umbrellas or waving hankies when Miss Tess and The Bon Ton Parade come to town. Although the band’s name is close to the unofficial New Orleans party phrase “laissez le bon temps roulet” and Tess and her group step pretty lively, the vibe and groove…

Grant Britt

ART: Lost in Line, Found in Form

Jerald Melberg Gallery’s newest exhibition Lost in Line, Found in Form isn’t a test, although some of the art in it — which is subject to plenty of thought — does slightly resemble inkblots in a Rorschach test. The exhibition features more than 30 works and editioned prints by Robert Motherwell. Motherwell was a part…

Anita Overcash

CL previews upcoming concerts (July 15-20)

THURSDAY, JULY 15 Pepper The dub-rock trio from Hawaii will release its latest album this August, but that’s not stopping the band from hitting the road early on a headlining tour. Having toured with 311 three times and on the Warped Tour in the past, they’re now bringing it indoors to beat the heat. With…

THEATER: The Drowsy Chaperone

CPCC’s Summer Theatre has been busy at work. Already bringing plays like Into The Woods and A Year With Frog & Toad to the stage, it continues with another drama, The Drowsy Chaperone. This parody of a 1920s Broadway musical comes to life as an obsessive Broadway fan listens to a recording of his favorite…

Anita Overcash

Weddings: the biggest party of all

There are all kinds of parties, and there are all kinds of reasons to party — from birthdays to bar openings (and in The Forum’s case, closing). But the biggest party of all, and the biggest cause for celebration (or so I’ve been told) is a wedding. I know there are many of us who…

Brittney Cason

THEATER: The Great American Trailer Park

Trash is sizzling in Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte’s musical, The Great American Trailer Park — romping through July 21-Aug. 14. Set in Florida’s Armadillo Acres trailer park, this comedy fuses an entertaining dose of drama and vulgarity. When a stripper moves in and disturbs an already disturbed agoraphobic neighbor (who, might I add, is obsessed…

Anita Overcash

Fourth CL Homebrew CD will be released this fall

We’re currently seeking submissions from local musicians to be included on the fourth edition of the Jeff Hahne’s Homebrew CD compilation series. The CDs are distributed for free at a variety of venues and stores around town in order to expose more people to the music being created in the Queen City. If you’re a…

Jeff Hahne

Theater review: ThomThom (if that bird won’t sing)

Imported from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the protagonists in ThomThom (if that bird won’t sing) aren’t the first pair to get lost in the woods. Fairy tale siblings have done it, and Dante was in exactly that predicament when his pal Vergil guided him on a long twisted path to salvation. Why, it…

Perry Tannenbaum

Raze Eastland: Set up a community urban garden

Hi, and welcome to another fine edition of “Ask Boomer With Attitude,” coming to you from Charlotte, N.C., where new roll-out recycling containers have the power to discombobulate half the population. Summer is always a slow time for notes from readers, so only two of the following questions were really sent in by devoted readers.…

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