Dredg not on the ‘same ol’ road’
The California-based progressive alternative rockers, Dredg have updated their website with news of their plans for a new album to be released in late Jan., early Feb. of 2009. Their site said they are in the “third week of recording with Matt Radosevich.” Previous studio albums by Dredg are 1998’s Leitmotif, 2002’s El Cielo and…
More news
Tyson drops Labor Day for Muslim holiday: Workers at Tyson Foods poultry processing plant in Tennessee have opted out to trade a paid Labor Day holiday for the Muslim celebration of Eid-al-Fitr, which occurs at the end of Ramadan. The change exchanges Labor Day for the Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. The…
Creative Loafing looking for interns
We seek internship candidates who are currently enrolled in school and are pursuing a degree in journalism or a similar field. Students with an interest in news, arts, music and film are especially encouraged to apply. NOTE: We can only hire students who can receive class credit for the internship. Duties include, but are not…
CL Movie Ratings
Here are Creative Loafing’s star ratings for all movies playing in the Charlotte area through Thursday. See this week’s issue for select reviews and our Web site’s archives for all reviews. Baby Mama – *** Brideshead Revisited – **1/2 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – *** The Dark Knight – **** Get Smart -…
The Dumbest sale ever!
I love Starbucks, but they are missing the mark on this one! From www.cnn.com: Looking to bring more value-seeking consumers through its doors for a late afternoon caffeine fix, Starbucks Corp. said it will now offer its morning customers any iced grande beverage for $2 after 2 p.m. The price is a big cut from…
A very important event for Charlotte women
On September 17, Mecklenburg County’s Community Support Services will host the Women’s Agenda Assembly at the Hal Marshall Building from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. More information to come about the event, including cost and registration.
Good environmental news for a change
People who are tired of politics, high gasoline prices, fist-fighting jocks, and, especially, the world’s avalanche of bad environmental news have something to be glad about today. Researchers and scientists with the Wildlife Conservation Society have found more than 125,000 western lowland gorillas in the Congo. Before this discovery, the species was listed as critically…
Lookin’ for Black Superman
Check out a piece I recently wrote for the Charlotte-based African-American search engine RushmoreDrive.com: Lookin’ for Black Superman.
McCain: A pain in the brain
OK, so whose idea was it to liken Sen. Barack Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears in a political ad? Barack Obama is as plastic and superficial as the bumbling wonder twins of pop stardom? Not so much. I guess nobody bothered to check that both girls are staunch Republicans and come from families…
Time out for a little cuteness
I think we’ve all seen mama animals nursing other species and the pictures never stop being sweet. The recent pictures from the Kansas City Star of the golden retriever who adopted three tiger cubs are no exception. But I’ve seen other pictures of mixed species and wondered if it’s really that unusual. MentalFloss.com actually…
Movie trailers for this week’s film reviews
Check out this week’s film section to see how critic Matt Brunson rated these movies. Do you agree or disagree? Leave a comment and let us know what you think! Pineapple Express \\\\\\\\\\ The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor \\\\\\\\\\ Swing Vote \\\\\\\\\\ Step Brothers \\\\\\\\\\
Today’s Menu (8/5/2008)
Unit Six Keep it simple. Crank it up. Punk rock likes it that way. This South Florida punk trio thrives on old-school punk chords and riffs, lathered and soaking in good times. Hell, it’s hot and there’s nothing better for younguns on a mid-summer, mid-week night than a good ole multiband punk rock show. Also…
Live Review: Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts with Taylor Swift Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Aug. 3, 2008 The Deal: The Home of the $11 beer hosted another country concert-party – this time the headlining hosts were Rascal Flatts and special guest Taylor Swift. The Good: Taylor Swift. She looked like an angel on stage, and with only a little help from…
Blessid Union of Souls return to a musical home
Anybody remember the Ohio-based alternative band Blessid Union of Souls? They made their start in the music scene with their 1995 debut album Home. Hits like “Let Me Be The One,” “I Believe,” and “All Along,” streamed across the radio stations and listeners buzzed the phone lines requesting those heart-wrenching, catchy vibes. I happened to…
Power 98 Summerfest, 8/2/08
The Power 98 Summerfest has been the symbolic end of summer concert for fans of urban music for years now, or so we’ve been told. Check out photos of Plies, Pretty Ricky, Yung Berg, and more. Photos by Renaul Hill, CharlotteVibePhotography
News Roundup 8/4/08
Obama calls for opening of strategic oil reserve: Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama reversed his opposition, and calls to tapping into strategic oil reserves as part of his plan to provide relief from high gas prices. Obama who previously said he was opposed to using the strategic reserves, said on Monday he proposed selling 70…
Extreme Home Makeover
Hollywood normally comes to the Carolinas because of the tax breaks they offer them on their budgets. But this time Hollywood (as in Extreme Home Makeover) came to Charlotte to give the King family a break… that, and a major upgrade on their Charlotte home for which they run a neighborhood day care center out…
News 8/4/08
Couple forgets 3-year-old at the airport: An Israeli couple going on a European vacation boarded their plane remembering their duty free shopping, 18 suitcases, but missing one thing: their 3-year-old child. The couple along with their five children were making a run for it as they were late for a charter flight to Paris. Among…
BAR Charlotte, 8/1/08
Friday night we stopped through BAR Charlotte. I suppose the club was jumping that night — or there were a lot of hot-looking ladies — because the photographer asked to be sent again. Photos by Jeaumane McIntosh
Punch drunk love
Charlotte, you sure are a forgiving lot. So, let me get this straight (Panther fans), if I walk into my place of employment, have a disagreement with a co-worker and punch him or her in the face you’re going to rally around me so that I don’t get punished? Let me answer that question for…
The ‘Ninth’ Kama Sutra Wonder
The eighth wonder of the world is mysterious enough, but the Ninth Kama Sutra Wonder is more than just a mystery, it is a gymnastics routine suitable for the Olympics. The position begins with the woman arched backwards, holding herself in a perfect arc by only her hands and feet. The man is then instructed…
Live Review: Journey, Heart, Cheap Trick
Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Aug. 2, 2008 Setlists at the end of review… The Deal: Journey shows off new singer, brings along Heart and Cheap Trick. The Good: Heart. Ann Wilson’s voice was in perfect form and had jaws dropping at their stunning cover of The Who’s “Love, Reign O’er Me.”…
Double Door at the Lake, 8/1/08
On Friday, Double Door at the Lake played host to the American Dreams Swimsuit Finals, with Cowboy Troy and Coaltrain as judges. Photos by Chey Scott
Today’s Menu (8/3/2008)
Neil Hamburger The comedic (but just slightly) alter ego of Gregg Turkington, Hamburger is perhaps best described as something of an anti-comedian, a hip Tony Clifton for the Secretly Canadian set. His act? Mostly some grumbling and coughing and clearing of his throat, a bad comb-over, and some audience heckling, combined with just enough desert-dry,…
Today’s Menu (8/2/2008)
Journey The band has been together, off and on, for 35 years. They’ve been making headlines and more fame recently thanks to the addition of singer Arnel Pineda. The Filipino vocalist was found on YouTube and sounds a helluva lot like Steve Perry. The band’s latest album, Revelation, has been selling well, too. With Cheap…
The Obama “Death List” hoax
If you have gotten the Obama “Death List” e-mail, you either have some gullible people in your circle, or some ironic ones. Because the following morbid “death” e-mail circulating through the Internet panders to every fear and whisper of fear associated with Obama and all he stands for. Sadly, racial and social stereotypes abound. For…
Crowes vs. Wilson
CMT.com has reported that the Black Crowes are looking at filing a copyright infringement suit against Gretchen Wilson. Wilson’s new song, “Work Hard, Play Harder” sounds an awful lot like the Crowes’ “Jealous Again.” Compare them below…. What do you think? \\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\
An interesting fact
When Americans imitate a dog barking, they generally use some form of “Ruff, ruff” or “woof woof.” When my mom, who’s Korean, plays with my dog, she imitates her by saying “mong mong.” Check out this site to find out how dogs bark in other languages. And enjoy the picture of my sleepy little “mong-mong-e.”
Split ticket
Satire works better than sentiment in new film By Matt Brunson SWING VOTE **1/2 DIRECTED BY Joshua Michael Stern STARS Kevin Costner, Madeline Carroll There’s a terrific segment in the middle of Swing Vote in which the two men running for U.S. president, the Republican incumbent Andrew Boone (Kelsey Grammer) and the Democratic challenger Donald…
Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: Mummy dreariest
Dismal sequel should be buried By Matt Brunson THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR * DIRECTED BY Rob Cohen STARS Brendan Fraser, Jet Li The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor runs 113 minutes, or so I was told by my watch when I consulted it at the end of the film’s advance screening.…
Instant coffee
Choppy adaptation still worth a visit By Matt Brunson BRIDESHEAD REVISITED **1/2 DIRECTED BY Julian Jarrold STARS Matthew Goode, Ben Whishaw Think of the new film version of Brideshead Revisited as instant coffee: If you don’t have time to savor the 300-plus pages of Evelyn Waugh’s 1945 novel or all 11 hours of the 1981…
Child’s play
Will Ferrell returns to the same well … again By Matt Brunson STEP BROTHERS ** DIRECTED BY Adam McKay STARS Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly The battle for the title of Hollywood’s Ultimate Man-Child finds Will Ferrell finally overtaking Adam Sandler. While Sandler plays an actual adult (well, sort of) in the recent You Don’t…
Media Night at the Gin Mill
Alert the media…. oh wait, that’s me. Anyway, Wednesday is Media Night at the Gin Mill where pretty much all the evening news crews from various television stations meet after the nightly news cast… along with some other media affiliates, such as myself and a photog from the Southern Sports Journal. It’s one of those…
McCain bares his (old, yellow) teeth
Remember when John McCain was saying he planned to run a civil, respectful campaign? Well, that shit’s over. Ever since McCain replaced his top advisers with disciples of Karl Rove, it’s gotten real nasty. Using outrageously divisive rhetoric (Obama “would rather lose a war than lose an election”), McCain’s campaign has been hammering Barack Obama…
Wal Mart urges managers to ban Obama
For many years people have said how evil Sam Walton’s Wal-Mart is. The big box store comes into neighborhoods and puts Mom and Pop stores out of business. The company, as reported in many media outlets, doesn’t pay its employees properly and the benefits they offer are laughable. Now Wal Mart is allegedly getting into…
Charlotte eats its Phil
Evolution is slow on the Charlotte arts scene, and developments at the Arts & Science Council are encouraging. At an ASC briefing last Friday, President & CEO Lee Keesler observed that Charlotte does a good job from the top down of funding and fueling arts groups that have reached maturity but that we’re weak in…
Desperate measures
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Another washed up actor gets caught with a gun in his bag at an airport. First Dennis Farina, now Jerry Lewis. Imagine that — the Nutty Professor caught packing a pistol. Is this the next Hollywood publicity stunt or aging stars coming undone?
Suite, 7/31/08
It seems that a favorite spot for Epicentre-at-5ers to hit up afterwards is Suite. I mean, it is just down the stairs. We followed the crowd and found some hotties to photograph. Enjoy oogling! Photos by Christine Sakaoglu
Epicentre at 5, 7/31/08
This week, we showed some photographic love to the Epicentre at 5 crowd. ESPECIALLY because around 3 p.m. yesterday, a huge storm blew through the area, and folks STILL showed up to party at the Epicentre. Photos by Kat Bidwell
Bike Night @ Mac’s Speed Shop, 7/30/08
Wednesday nights are Bike Night at Mac’s Speed Shop. We snapped a few photos of those hard-core bikers, but our favorite is the hard-core biker dog. He/she’s so cute! Photos by Renaul Hill, CharlotteVibePhotography.com staff
Symphony Park @ South Park, 7/30/08
To benefit the Extreme Home Makeover family, performer Damien Horne did a benefit show at Symphony Park at South Park Wednesday night. Photos by Tricia Gillis
Today’s Menu (8/1/2008)
Bruce Hazel & Some Volunteers Hazel has a batch of new songs and full-time band now, so the “Volunteers” part of the equation may not be as accurate as it once was. But if you like your rock ‘n’ roll passionate, and a part-Boss part-Strummer lead singer who leaves it all on stage every time…
Charlotte-area writer still in control of her words
Novelist AlTonya Washington didn’t let a rejection from her publisher kill her wildly popular series. In January, Washington, an award-winning and multi-published author, self-published her first book, A Lover’s Regret. The response, she says, was great, and this month she released her fifth book in the Ramsey series, A Lover’s Worth. She recently talked to…
The Weekender
Friday, August 1 Film Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2: How come that Harry Potter brat gets all of his movies made into books and the Sisterhood only gets two? In this sequeal, books 2-4 are crammed into one story; a little unfair, don’t you think? Either way, we’re just happy to have a movie…
Live Review: Projekt Revolution
Projekt Revolution w/ Linkin Park, Chris Cornell, The Bravery, Ashes Divide, Street Drum Corps, Atreyu, 10 Years, Hawthorne Heights and Armor for Sleep Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre July 30, 2008 The Deal: Linkin Park bring along a bunch of their friends for annual Projekt Revolution Tour. (Setlists for Chris Cornell and Linkin Park at the end…
Stargate?
Can somebody please tell me why Stargate is still on the air? Seriously.
Today’s Menu (7/31/2008)
Early Man Fans of stripped-down, straight-ahead metal, prepare to party like it’s BCE 1,900,099. Yessir: if you want your rock of the Early Pleistocene variety, the Brooklyn-based, Flying V-wielding, Orange amp-exploding Early Man is your band. Their 2005 ballz-out release, Closing In, has had fans clamoring for a follow-up for three years now. That patience…
The Princess and the Stereotype
You had me, Disney, you really did … right up until the buck-tooth firefly. That’s going to give me nightmares. The Princess and The Frog doesn’t come out until 2009, so let’s cross our fingers and hope Disney uses the time edit out any Jar Jar Binks incarnations. \\\\\\\\\\
Live Review: Nas, Talib Kweli & Jay Electronica
Nas, Talib Kweli & Jay Electronica Amos’ Southend July 29, 2008 By Mike McCray \\\\\\\\\\ The Deal: Jay Electronica (the new guy), Talib Kweli (the veteran) and Nas (the hall of famer) touch down in the Queen City to give Charlotte a lesson in hip-hop. The Good: Jay Electronica proclaiming that there are Southern artists…
It must have been two degrees from Hades in that building
This afternoon, when the sun was at its highest point in the sky and the heat index was over 1,000 [I know that’s a bit of a stretch], I passed a building where people started pouring out. As they stepped outside, you could see a look of relief on their faces. Really? How hot was…
Night at the Museum
Last Saturday, I scoured the streets of Charlotte for some cultural enrichment. First Stop: A Day in Pompeii at the Discovery Place. Kiss 95.1 had a wine tasting featuring Shannon Ridge Wines to premiere the exhibit that runs now until January 4 (so don’t worry, you have a while). We were like kids in Disney…
News roundup 7/30/08
Man charged in death of pregnant solider: Fayetteville detectives arrested Edgar Patino at his home in Hopewell, N.C., Tuesday. Patino, a fellow soldier, was charged with murdering pregnant Fort Bragg solider Megan Lynn Touma. Touma and Patino had been stationed together in Germany and dated in the past. She was found dead on June 21…
Projekt Revolution news…
Coming tomorrow — Review and photos! Busta Rhymes is no longer on the Projekt Revolution Tour. Some say he got kicked off, some say there were business obligations… no one really knows why at this point. Anyway, here’s the schedule, if you’re headed out to Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre today: 2 p.m. – Armor for Sleep…
Wolverine first look
Check out this first look at the new X-Men Origins: Wolverine film hitting theaters next year: full report here.
Boots & Bikinis Round 2 @ Whisky River, 7/29/08
Apparently, Tuesday night is the night to party like you don’t have to go to work the next day. At least at Whisky River it is. Last night was their College Night, complete with a bikini contest. Check out the scantily-dressed women toward the end of the photo gallery. Our favorite is the one sporting…
Credit card lessons
There is one piece of advice that I readily give anyone who’ll listen and is in the place to use it: Avoid credit card debt if at all possible. It’s too easy to get in over your head. According to a story on CNN, a new study by financial research firm Javelin Strategy & Research…
Today’s Menu (7/30/2008)
Chris Cornell The former singer for Soundgarden and Audioslave will perform plenty of hits from those groups as well as a heavy dose of solo material. The guy has one of the greatest voices in rock and when he was at Ovens Auditorium not so long ago, he showed that he hasn’t lost a bit…
Movie trailers for this week’s film reviews
Read the full reviews in the film section. The X-Files: I Want to Believe \\\\\\\\\\ Brideshead Revisited \\\\\\\\\\
A weekend spent down by the rivah
Last weekend, I was in Virginia, “Down by the Rivah.” There’s a substantial group of girls that I’ve been friends with since elementary school, who’ve not only managed to tolerate me, but love me for the past 20 years. We’ve all taken different directions in our lives that led us to different cities, but every…
School for monsters
We’ve all heard enough about tough love for the phrase to earn a trademark. What Avenue Q offers us, in toxic profusion, is loving toughness. Contrary to the blithe reassurances of Madison Avenue and Sesame Street, the world isn’t a simply wonderful place where we’ll experience success if we come equipped with the proper education.…
Divide and conquer
Most people probably view the band A Perfect Circle as “that side project for Tool’s Maynard James Keenan.” However, the other half of the musical force behind that band, Billy Howerdel, saw it as his main creative release. When the band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2006, Howerdel started work on something new –…
Culturally fun
AUG. 2 — 24th Annual Japanese Dance Festival aka Bon Odori. This festival celebrates Japanese culture and what better way to do it than with dance and drumming performances, an Aikido martial arts exhibition, crafts and a whole lot more? You can also satisfy your hunger with Japanese food and a traditional tea ceremony as…
Songcatcher: A Visual Interpretation of Sound
Music, the rhythmic lifeblood of human beings. Music often reveals feelings, thoughts and emotions, all the stuff that makes life worth living. Where would we be as people without music? It expresses what we are not eloquent enough, or are too scared, to say. Has a song ever inspired you to love, forgive or just…
Who is Amos Lee?
Singer-songwriter touring in support of third album
CD Review: Scars on Broadway
The Deal: System of a Down’s Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan team up for debut album. The Good: Malakian’s singing is nothing new to SOAD fans. Just about any of these songs would fit in just fine on a System album. Malakian’s got a unique voice and while the vocals of Serj Tankian are missed…
Stamp of approval
If you’re not a Blockhead by now, you should be. As in crime writer Lawrence Block, that is. Much like Elmore Leonard, Block is an ageless hipster with an uncanny eye for detail and wicked wit. Both turn out smoothly plotted tales with absurd regularity, making something difficult look easy. Trying to do what Block…
CD Review: Tropic Culture
The Deal: Locals release debut album, Live to Love, Love to Live, on July 17, 2008. The Good: If you were one of the many in attendance at their release party at the Visulite Theatre, you’d know it’s difficult to stand still once the eight-member band starts playing. Their combination of rock, funk, jazz, reggae…
CD Review: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
The Deal: Old punk digs his way into mainstream retro flavored-rock. The Good: Nick Cave’s got it covered from both ends. He’s the sound of the past, updated. On his new release, Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!, Cave resurrects the spirit of Jim Morrison, sprinkling in liberal vocal doses of Lou Reed, David Bowie and Tonio K.…
Charlotte Bestsellers List
1. 365 Nights: A Memoir of Intimacy by Charla Muller with Betsy Thorpe 2. Goodnight Bush: A Parody by Erich Origen & Gan Golan 3. Ocean Waves and Other Tales by Helen H. Kimbrough 4. The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney 5. The Wilde Women by Paula Wall 6. The Richest Season by Maryann…
CL previews upcoming shows
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30 Chris Cornell The former singer for Soundgarden and Audioslave will perform plenty of hits from those groups as well as a heavy dose of solo material. The guy has one of the greatest voices in rock and when he was at Ovens Auditorium not so long ago, he showed that he hasn’t…
CD Review: Falcon
The Deal: Fitting tribute to little-known late teenage prodigy. The Good: This one has to begin with the back story: the five cuts on this EP were culled from the library of songwriting prodigy Jared Falcon, who died from spinal meningitis at the age of 14 having written 336 songs – recorded onto a cheap…
Wolverine No. 67, Monster Pile-Up No. 1, Youngblood No. 4
For the last few weeks, I’ve used this column space to list some of the comic books I think folks should be reading. And this week, I’m doing it one mo’ time. Here goes: Wolverine No. 67 (Marvel): I’ve sang the praises of current Wolverine writer Mark Millar in this column a few times before,…
Eight shows in 11 days
It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it, right? Over the last two weeks, I had a stretch of attending eight concerts in 11 days. Moving closer to town earlier this year — I finally sold my house in Greensboro after a year! — has definitely made it easier to get around to shows.…
Theater: 1, 2, 3 … night stands
Rock on, party animals! Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte promises you an evening of mindless merriment as they premiere the new improved version of SLUT, the rock musical inspired by South Park and bent on booty. The salacious tuner was a sell-out hit at the 2003 International Fringe Fest in New York with an off-Broadway run…
Bananas again
Visiting with Charlotte’s former first couple of theater
Ask the editor
Q: So what did you think about that TV series that recently ran on CNN called Black in America? A: Well, while I think that the folks behind the series had good intentions, it probably should have been called Black Problems in America. I say that because the shows talked in depth about the maladies…
Festival: Charlotte Irish Summer
The Irish are not a bunch of drunken eejits who run around searching for leprechauns. If you think that, then you’ve got it all wrong. Celebrate true Irish heritage at the Charlotte Irish Summer Festival. The two-day event will feature music from Irish folkies the Dublin City Ramblers, Celtic rockers The Young Dubliners and former…
Bizarre crimes from Charlotte Police files
KLEPTO KID: A 61-year-old woman was baby-sitting an acquaintance’s son one evening at her home when the little boy stole her engagement ring and wedding band. The woman estimates that the rings are worth $2,000. TEXT MESSAGE DRAMA: A 24-year-old woman and her boyfriend were enjoying a quiet evening at home when he got a…
Take this quiz or die!
Here’s a handy news quiz, just as a reminder that there are more things going on in the world than just the U.S. presidential race. Hint: One of these questions is fake. See if you can guess which one it is. 1. Alternative energy sources for which the technology is ready, just in case our…
Special Event: An exercise for the face?
Personally, at all the yoga classes I’ve attended I’ve lacked one major element — balance. Despite all that, local yoga instructor Ranjit Deora’s Facial Yoga appeals to me, but only because I think it’d be hilarious to watch. Imagine all those yoga enthusiasts sitting on their mats with their tongues sticking out and their noses…
Chick porn
I hope Shannon doesn’t mind that I plan to have sex with her husband. It should help that it won’t be actual physical sex, but rather florid imaginary sex, the kind that involves, like, I don’t know, harnesses and stuff. Not that harnesses are all that floridly imaginative, but I’m a bit rusty at imaginary…
Man vs. mileage
Inside the mind of a hypermiler
Film: Print the legend
The Main Library’s Summer Film Series, Once Upon a Time in the West: Great Hollywood* Westerns (* and one Italian), continues today with a screening of John Ford’s 1962 masterpiece The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Notable for (among other attributes) the immortal line “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend,” this stars James…
Stargazer
Leo The Lion: (July 22-Aug. 22) Your personal identity is the subject under consideration. Who are you becoming and who do you need to be? You may be feeling “eclipsed” right now. Maybe it is a message, telling you that the activity that put you on this road is no longer what you need to…
Donating to get paid
Part-time cook Andre Good stood in line at the IBR Plasma Center on Central Avenue with a book in one hand and cigarette in the other. This was his second time that week at the center to go under the needle to sell plasma. The process takes about an hour and a half. When Good…
Music: Find your current
It’s Find Your Muse open mic night at The Evening Muse this and every Monday at 7 p.m. If you’re a musician, be sure to grab your music gear, make your way to The Evening Muse and hit the stage to play those musical creations that you’ve always wanted to play in front of an…
Film Clips
Current Releases THE DARK KNIGHT Given the fact that Christopher Nolan’s 2005 Batman Begins ranks as one of the best superhero flicks ever made, then where does that put this sequel that manages to be even more phenomenal than its predecessor? Certainly, it places it somewhere at the head of the class, and there’s a…
Built for green, not for speed
With gas at a premium, conventional wisdom says more drivers are concerned about fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly ways of getting around. Sales of the Toyota Prius are on a four- to five-month backlog, and Vespa of Charlotte scooter sales are up. Mom-and-pop businesses devoted to green transportation are also reaping the benefits of higher gas…
Art: Flower power
It’s perfectly clear that artist Robert Kushner is inspired by flowers. His textured paintings of the blossoms, among diverse-colored backgrounds, capture their detail from curve to curve. Kushner, who has been painting since his start on the American art scene in the early 1970s, has created works that can be found in galleries across the…
View from the Couch
THE COUNTERFEITERS (2007). Winner of this year’s Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, this Austrian release adds a fascinating spin to Holocaust cinema by forcing its Jewish protagonists to ponder their own morality during this tragic period in world history. In other words, the black and white blueprints of movies like Schindler’s List have…
Local civic events
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission zoning work session Wednesday, July 30, 4:30 p.m., 600 East Fourth St., conference room 280, second floor. www.charmeck.org. Board of Equalization and Review Thursday, July 31, 9 a.m., Walton Building, 700 East Stonewall St., Sixth Floor, Room 603. www.charmeck.org. Community Health and Safety Committee Friday, Aug. 1, 3:30 p.m. 600 East Fourth…
THEATER: HIT THE BOOKS
Queen City Theatre Company (directed by Glenn T. Griffin) brings a new play-ful creation, Education Rita. It examines two characters who cross paths during their searches for a formal education and a solution to a cramped up view on life. Education is the key, as it unlocks the door to each of their self realizations.…
Believe it or not
X-Film almost marks the spot
Racism as usual
I knew that it was too good to be true. CNN was producing a special on African-Americans entitled Black in America. I had the privilege of attending a special screening of the series and found it moving, informative and reflective of many joys and challenges faced by black Americans. Hearing from “everyday” people about their…
Who’s paying for the conventions?
The election season is heating up, with back-to-back conventions approaching — the Democrats in Denver followed by the Republicans in St. Paul, Minn. The conventions have become elaborate, expensive marketing events, where the party’s “presumptive” nominee has a coronation with much fanfare, confetti and wall-to-wall media coverage. What people don’t know is the extent to…
Taming your tannins
I poured the tannic, unfriendly wine slowly into the decanter and hoped it would fruit up and become more approachable. Mixing with oxygen often softens rough, bitter wine edges, but it doesn’t always work. Sometimes, the wine just sucks. But hell, it’s a $50 Napa cabernet, so it’s destined to smack better than this astringent…
Trailer trashed
Signs of the time A Laotian Buddhist protests near the sheriff’s office in Uptown last Monday. More, more, Moorecox Drag superstar (with a rocking name) Roxy C. Moorecox, enjoys the celebration that is Pride Charlotte, July 26. Caribbean queen Raquel Joseph sports a costume indicative of her native Grenada during the Caribbean Festival at…
A nice warm garlic bath
Even if you hate anchovies, you’ll probably love bagna cauda
Pondering the unthinkable
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s finance professor Tony Plath is a go-to guy for reporters looking for a quote. That means his name winds up in the news a lot. When he’s quoted talking about banks and their impact on the economy, those inside the banks often call him off the record to…
Chef Jim Noble
With four restaurants, Chef Jim Noble stays busy providing fresh and locally grown ingredients to the people of Charlotte. His latest venture, The King’s Kitchen – a nonprofit restaurant open to the public – incorporates ministry, leadership training, food, jobs and community involvement. Creative Loafing: Where does your passion and inspiration for feeding others stem…
Pop Life: A tribute to 1988
This week at Pop Life — Charlotte’s most eclectic nightlife event — Creative Loafing and The Sol Kitchen will pay homage to one of the best years in music: 1988. As seen in a recent issue of Vibe magazine, ’88 was a time when some of the world’s best hip-hop music hit record stores –…
