Jun 10-16, 2015

Jun 10-16, 2015 / Vol. 29 / No. 16

Cover Story

Do you believe in Magic?

It’s time for an admission. I play the trading card game Magic: The Gathering — and I like it. Then again, maybe I’m a bit of a masochist. Considering that when I go to local weekly freeplay events, it’s pretty much to get my ass handed to me. We’re talking so bad that when I…

Kaila Burtch

The entire NFC South had a (kind of lame) Twitter war today

It all started with a Mean Girls reference.  At about 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Twitter feed retweeted a meme from their playing grounds, Raymond James Stadium, and called the meme “fetch,” a reference to a failed slang attempted by Lacey Chabert in the (great) 2004 flick Mean Girls. The Bucs quite…

Ryan Pitkin

Jurassic World: Park in second gear

JURASSIC WORLD **1/2 DIRECTED BY Colin Trevorrow STARS Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.” This 19th century adage, often credited to Ralph Waldo Emerson, has been modified by Steven Spielberg and co. to read, “Build a better Jurassic Park, and the world…

Matt Brunson

I’ll See You in My Dreams: Blythe spirit

I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS *** DIRECTED BY Brett Haley STARS Blythe Danner, Sam Elliott It’s an understandable injustice that Gwyneth Paltrow is far more famous than her equally (more?) talented mom, Blythe Danner. After all, Paltrow has enjoyed plenty of leading roles in films (including an Oscar-winning one for Shakespeare in Love), while…

Matt Brunson

Bizarre crime from Charlotte police files (June 11)

Just Not Your Day: A man was recently robbed of his cellphone in east Charlotte, then saw the two men who had robbed him just 20 minutes later. In hindsight, he should’ve called police. Instead, the victim pulled a shotgun from his car and confronted the men. They immediately assaulted the man, took his shotgun…

Ryan Pitkin

Weekly horoscope (June 11-17)

For All Signs: Mercury, ancient god of communications, turns direct once again on June 11. As this planet begins to regain its normal speed, it will be easier to move ahead with plans that have been pending for one reason or another for several weeks. Have patience with the flurry of phone calls and changed…

Vivian Carol

Rape is not a plot device

If you’ve been anywhere near the internet in the past few weeks, you’ve noticed buzz about the rape of the Game of Thrones character Sansa Stark. It’s an opportunity for conversations about storytelling and social responsibility, so let’s get to it. For 20 years, George R.R. Martin, author of the books that spured the series,…

Erica Ciccarone

Sustaining a Change

When residents of Reid Park, a community just west of Uptown, saw the doors close to the Amay James Recreation Center in 2008, they knew the doors were closing on the neighborhood’s only after-school option for kids. “That had a detrimental impact on our community,” said Rickey Hall, president of the Reid Park Neighborhood Association…

Ryan Pitkin

Back for the first time

Last week marked the release of the first Creative Loafing Charlotte with yours truly at the helm of the News section. Some CL readers may recognize my name as a reporter with this publication in the past, some don’t care who I am and they’re probably in the right. My maturation as a writer started…

Ryan Pitkin

Alino pizzeria’s flavor expedition

“This had better be some damn good pizza.” I grumbled these words about 30 minutes into our drive north on I-77. From our southwest Charlotte home just a few miles from the S.C. border, we’d been drawn on a 45-minute trek to Mooresville by the lure of the most amazing pizza this side of Naples.…

Alison Leininger

Three questions with Aaron Rivera, owner and chef at Tapas 51

The wheels keep turning for local chef Aaron Rivera who is unveiling his debut restaurant, Tapas 51, on Friday. Rivera is best known around town for his food truck, The Chrome Toaster, which hit the streets of Charlotte in 2013. While the truck has had its share of obstacles — from a fire to engine…

Anita Overcash

Shakey Graves’ Work in Progress

The last time Shakey Graves was in town, at the Visulite Theatre in October, Alejandro Rose-Garcia basically played the part of a one-man band. He invited a few guests on stage to play with him throughout the night, but for the most part, it was a solo show. These days, Shakey Graves is more of…

Jeff Hahne

PaperHouse Theatre’s latest nods to the ladies

“Every woman is a rebel, and usually in wild revolt against herself” — Oscar Wilde, A Woman of No Importance. Often referred to as a “battle of the sexes,” Wilde’s 1893 play could better be described as an innovative – especially for its time – story about girl power. Its focus on class and the…

Anita Overcash

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