Concert announcement
Rascal Flatts set to play Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre this summer, with Darius Rucker opening.
If they get divorced, the tattoo will look even dumber
Nick Cannon has a big tattoo of the word “Mariah” on his back. I’m guessing his wife likes it.
Meet Aman Boyd, local food buyer/pizza maker
The owner of NoDa’s corner pizza joint, Revolution Pizza and Ale House.
Concert announcement
New Kids on the Block return to Charlotte.
You go, gov
Gov. Bev Perdue continues to impress with her deep grasp of the issues facing the state, and her energy in quickly implementing some of her campaign promises. As we wrote about at the time, Perdue announced a budget that actually made sense a couple of weeks ago, which already put her ahead of her predecessor,…
CL’s Star Ratings
Star ratings for reviewed films playing locally.
Food News: March 30
Harper’s Blue Ribbon BBQ closes this week.
Passion for antiques: Antiques On Main
The shop features a wide variety of antiques and collectibles, ranging from knickknacks to furniture to glassware.
Don’t you Twitterstand?
Don’t you twitterstand?
I Love You, Man: Male pattern badness
Watch the movie trailer for I Love You, Man.
Glenn Beck: ‘I’m a rodeo clown’
We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.
Cheap Date alert: Don’t save it for the weekend
Just because the economy sucks, it doesn’t mean you should suffer in your bedroom and dating activities.
PlayDate will debut in the Q.C. April 18
For $10, play your favorite childhood games and today’s video games.
The Art of Krawling
Art Crawls: The Perfect Event for Art Connoisseurs and Alcohol Consumers
Great balls of fire!
Authorities receive hundreds of calls after bright lights and a thunder-sounding explosion.
They got you ‘covered’
Alive After Five announces the band lineup for this year.
Hazmat @ Garden & Gun Club, 3/27/09
Check out these photos of folks who attended Single Cell Productions’ Hazmat event at The Garden & Gun Club on Friday night
Stanwyck’s Night to remember
Barbara Stanwyck film series comes to a close.
Recycled prom gowns, $30 or less
Butler High’s used gown sale will recommence Wednesday.
Daily consumer dish: March 30
Headlines from the world of retail, fashion and shopping. • Charleston Fashion Week: Bigger and better: If The Shoe Fits (Observer’s style blog) • Driving shoes tread new ground: WSJ.com • Stores nervously make Christmas lists now: MSNBC.com • Fashion’s new and bigger role in India: NYTimes.com
I love his morning breath
I think morning breath is crunchy and that is not a good thing.
Music Menu (3/30/09)
Carey Sims has some tough shoes to fill in the Monday Nite All-stars, but there isn’t a better man for the job.
Today’s Top 5: Monday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
Sale of the Day: Monday
At The Boulevard, Milkweed clothing is on sale, plus jewelry up to 30 percent off, various pet items on deep discount and some baby wear up to 50 percent off. 453 E. 36th St. 704-332-0142
Today’s Top(less) 5: Monday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Mar. 30, 2009— as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • 2 for 1 VIP dances at Carousel. • Manic Monday at Dilworth Billiards. • Monster Karaoke at…
I went to REHAB
Brittney After Dark goes to REHAB
Music Menu (3/28/09)
That 1 Guy crosses the juncture where Zappa meets Tom Waits. Husky is perfectly comfortable in the hollows where they exist. Web Wilder has his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.
N.C. nutcases in Congress, Pt. 2
Continuing today’s theme of N.C. Nutcases in Congress, let’s move on to the Queen Bee of Right-wing Lunacy, the Congresswoman who makes Sue Myrick look like Nancy Pelosi, one of the only legislators honored to be in a late-night Jimmy Fallon slow-jam, and whose name itself makes her sound like a soft porn actress, let’s…
Stool Pigeons takes the accident in stride
Someone over there is quite witty.
Want to play Warped Tour?
Sonicbids inviting local bands to apply to perform at Charlotte stop.
The Coffee Cup is open again … sort of
If you plan to pay the eatery a visit before April 1, be prepared to be patient
Roll a big one tomorrow
Sushi class tomorrow. Click for details.
Taste of the New South 2009
The Levine Museum of the New South, along with Pinehurst Resort, host a culinary fundraiser you don’t want to miss!
Monsters vs. Aliens: Pleasant if pedestrian
Monsters vs. Aliens is pleasant if pedestrian.
Duplicity: Bright, brainy entertainment
Duplicity is bright, brainy entertainment.
Two Lovers equals two stars
Two Lovers is instantly forgettable.
It’s time to Krawl…
Head over to Plaza Midwood and check out the art krawl on Sat., March 28. See flyer below:
RetailMeNot.com, the world’s largest coupon source?
More and more people are taking a second glance at the junk mail that arrives in their mailbox every week. It’s all about the coupons baby. If we can save $0.37 on a Lean Cuisine, we’ll do it. RetailMeNot.com claims it’s the world’s largest online coupon source, so you should check it out. Hey, don’t…
Stimulus money coming this way for energy projects
Lots of stimulus money: $6.7 million for Charlotte, $650,000 for Mecklenburg County and $21 million for the North Carolina State Energy Office.
Hangover Rx
The Cure for Hangovers … 30 free spa passes for recuperation in the Hydration Station at Planet Beach
Dress into spring 2009
Ah, springtime. A season known for its birds, bees, flowers and trees, not to mention warmer weather (finally)! So what do we ladies do now? We shop for dresses, of course. This season’s dresses are all about bright colors and exotic prints. The look is girly, yet casual, and both trendy and fun. Several of…
N.C. nutcases in Congress, Pt. 1
A look at our stat
Gov. Perdue tells UNC president to shut it
More digs from the political playground.
Another venue closes…
Double Door @ Lake Norman closes its doors.
TESTED RECIPE: Barbecued Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps
A review of the wraps and a recipe for a fabulous Lemon Cake.
10-in-10 CD reviews
Each Friday, we review 10 random CDs that were recently released in 10 words each.
Utility companies eye stimulus money
The stimulus plan is packed with funding for energy conservation and renewal.
Daily consumer dish: March 27
• Belk to hold spring charity sale: Charlotte Business Journal • Calvin Klein to launch unisex denim: TalkingShopping.com • Marvel debuts female apparel and cosmetics: WWD.com • U.S. consumer spending up modestly, incomes fall: Reuters.com
South Africa barred the Dalai Lama? WTF?
South Africa has barred the Dalai Lama from a peace conference in Johannesburg this week, hoping to keep good relations with trading partner China. Can we say absolutely crazy? If you didn’t know before, you should know by now that China owns a whole lot of Africa, including South Africa. What’s crazy is that a…
The raincoat and boots trick: A cautionary tale
March madness is not the time to show up at your basketball loving boyfriend’s house naked.
Sex news roundup: March 27
Here’s a sampling of sex news making headlines around the Internet.
Today’s Top 5: Friday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
Music Menu (3/27/09)
Sara Watkins, of Nickel Creek, opens for John Prine days before her solo release.
Coming up: Fashion for a Cause
What are you doing Sunday night? Crashing in front of the TV after a long weekend? Well I have something better … Lotus presents LotusLooks for Spring 2009 Fashion for a Cause featuring Lotus & Civilian, sponsored by Blue Restaurant & Modern Salon $10 Donation at the door or bring new or used clothing donation.…
Sale of the Day: Friday
Park Road Books currently has two different sales happening: 20 percent off any New York Times bestseller and 20 percent off books about gardening. Park Road Books is located in the Park Road Shopping Center – the oldest shopping center in North Carolina! Park Road Books 4139 Park Road 704-525-9239 www.parkroadbooks.com
Today’s Top(less) 5: Friday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Mar. 27 2009— as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Check out the American Scene at the Mint. • Ladies Night Out Chocolate Party. • Naughty PJ…
Weekender
Check out these events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area this weekend.
The GOP’s hilarious new ‘budget’
Congressional Republicans, who have been busy responding to charges that they’re little more these days than the “Party of No,” held a press conference today in which they promised to release their alternative budget (alternative to Pres. Obama’s). The press conference turned into an unintentional comedy act, with one reporter after another asking spokesman/House minority…
Friday Film Openings
What’s opening at local theaters on Friday.
Crave Dessert Bar is coming (next week!)
Yes Charlotte, the day you’ve all been waiting for: Crave Dessert Bar is opening next Tuesday. Finally, a spot in Uptown where you can just grab a glass of wine and some dessert and chill. Located next to CANS at 500 W. 5th St., Crave promises to be the place you go to after dinner…
More sleazebag tactics from Big Pharma
The truth behind R
Got insurance?
Since the beginning of the economy’s swirl down the commode, the uninsured rate has grown faster in North Carolina than any other state.
Introducing Chickenfoot
Former Van Halen members team up with a Chili Pepper and guitarist Joe Satriani.
Update on Crave’s opening
Mustang Sally mentioned the opening of Crave, a new dessert bar in Charlotte, a couple of weeks ago that’s sure to be a meet market. Well, we have an update for ya on its opening date. Check out Eat My Charlotte for photos and a little insider info. And as far as when it’s opening…
Coming Up: Aphrodisiac Lingerie/Fashion show
This Friday, VelvetNights.com presents: Enjoy live entertainment (magicians, belly dancers, live music, more), top of the line clothes, incredible hair styles and models donning the hottest fashions. Sponsors include Revolution, The Red Door, Bella Lago Salon & Spa, and Three Olives Vodka. It all goes down at Whisky River, doors open at 8 p.m. and…
Tar Heels Sweet 16 tickets on sale NOW
The online sale started at 10 a.m. today.
Ask the president anything
As of 10:20 this morning, 92,887 people have submitted 104,073 questions and cast 3,608,534 votes.
Car wash vacuum sex offender sentenced
When free Craig’s List hookers just aren’t enough.
This was obviously written by someone not from Charlotte
Dating in Charlotte can be fun, but with the recession in full swing and bankers becoming hated, dating in Charlotte has gotten that much harder.
CYP event @ Loft 1523, 3/25/09
A lot of card swapping going on at this social networking event.
Women’s sexuality is fluid, according to Oprah
I think Oprah has been listening to Katy Perry. The show could’ve been called, “I Kissed a Girl.” This is like the first time I’ve watched Oprah and didn’t learn a damned thing.
Today’s Top 5: Thursday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
Home Item: A really tall candle
It’s unreal.
Music Menu (3/26/09)
Saliva blends in. The Physics of Meaning twists and turns but doesn’t veer off course.
Daily consumer dish: March 26
Headlines from the world of retail, fashion and shopping. • Target donates $70K to CMS: Charlotte Business Journal • Homegrown goodies that add sizzle to Charlotte area: Charlotte Observer • Dress with $30 million price tag spurns economic economic crisis: Reuters • Naomi Campbell hosts Fashion for Relief benefit in Mumbai: Telegraph
Sex News Roundup: March 26
Here’s a look at the headlines about sex floating around the Internet. 90 days for a Hoover blow job. Singer questioned over attempt to join the Mile High Club. Vaccine now shifting to boys, not much outcry either. Hater in the VT. governor’s office, vows to veto marriage bill. S.C. about to make it illegal…
Sale of the Day: Thursday
Check out today’s sale of the day: The Hearth and Patio.
Today’s Top(less) 5: Thursday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Mar. 26 2009— as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Half priced champagne and a lap dance. • Enjoy chocolate and wine for a good cause. •…
Regal Stonecrest takes it to the IMAX
Regal Stonecrest debuts IMAX screen this Friday.
My Banana Pudding disaster
Many failed attempts at making the world’s easiest dessert.
Bonnaroo additions
Public Enemy, Ani DiFranco, Jimmy Fallon added to Bon
Nerdelicious
I have an excel spreadsheet of Charlotte restaurants.
Box Office Top 10
The week’s top moneymaking movies.
AIG VP AWOL ASAP in NYT
Today, the AIG debacle took on a more human aspect as Jack DeSantis, one of the company’s executive vice-presidents, published an open letter of resignation to the AIG CEO on the Op-ed page of the New York Times. DeSantis accuses AIG upper management of betraying the public and its employees, and vows to “leave the…
Frank Warren wants to post your secrets
“Post secret is real. It’s raw and authentic,” he says. And, it’s art.
NoDa project will start small, expand later
Developers are still working on the much-anticipated grocery store.
Partying with praise at Charlotte1
Charlotte’s form of Young-Adult-Life: Charlotte One, where over 600 people go to party and praise
Live Review: Dixie’s Tupperware Party
Live review of last night’s performance of Dixie’s Tupperware Party.
Red Ventures is hiring
You’ve got one week to get your resume together. The online marketing firm is looking for 30 new hires at their upcoming open house.
The|Fashion House emerges in the Queen City
Quarterly signature event Fashion Friday goes down this week with a Christian Audigier fashion show.
Piedmont Natural Gas offers rebates
Wait for the catch.
They’re playing where?
Is the new N.C. Music Factory amphitheatre booking gigs?
Battle of the Hoods Round 2: And the winner is …?
Take a guess at
Sunday booze: Bye-bye blue laws
Lawmakers in Raleigh are proposing that the state allow liquor sales on Sunday. Let’s see, it’s 2009, so that means North Carolina can finally get around to joining the 20th century – not the 21st, mind you, the 20th. Hey, better late than never. Liquor currently can’t be sold in N.C. due to “blue laws.”…
Mac’s Speed Shop opens a new restaurant
Now you can get your Mac’s bbq in Arsley.
Two minority groups meet to discuss similarities
We’re all more alike than we are different.
Jesus won’t mind Sunday liquor sales
Liquor legislation isn’t just about getting your drunk on, liquor sales will also generate millions of dollars in tax revenue for our cash-strapped state.
Deals of the day
Here are a few specials at Uptown restaurants that you can cash in on today, Wednesday March 25.
The Double Door legend
It goes without saying that the Double-Door is a Charlotte landmark. Most folks know it as the blues club where Eric Clapton and many other well-known musicians (mostly guitarists it seems…) have made appearances. What’s odd is that most run-of-the-mill-non-musician-types have heard of the Double-Door, but haven’t actually made it down there. So, if I…
The Avetts in Rolling Stone
Magazine takes a look at the Concord
Special three-course meal offered at Fiamma
Eating good in the neighborhood for $25.
March 25: Food News
It’s 1900 all over again, thanks to new, second location.
Whisky River, 3/24/09
Photos from Whisky River’s college night (see the X’s? LOL).
Post Secret event @ UNCC, 3/24/09
Frank Warren, the founder of Post Secret, spoke to a sold-out crowd at UNC Charlotte’s McKnight Hall Tuesday night.
Isacc Mizrahi is bringing Liz to the Q.C. April 18
See him at Belk SouthPark.
Meet makeup artist Kymm McLean
Meet Kymm McLean. If you’re fast enough. This woman works seven days a week, doing everything from wardrobe styling, hair styling and makeup for models to makeup lessons and makeovers for girls’ birthday parties. Creative Loafing: Tell me a little about what you do. Kymm McLean: I’m a freelance makeup artist and hairstylist, but I…
Octo-mom does porn? After all those babies, who wants to see that?!
You have to be kind of sick to want to see this broad in a porno.
Sex news roundup: March 25th
Here’s a sampling of news stories about sex floating around the Internet today. Father faces child porn charges in case involving his son’s ex. Do animals enjoy sex. . .DUH! Craigslist hookup leads to murder. Same sex marriage close to legal in Vermont
Today’s Top 5: Wednesday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, March 25, 2009 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Burn The Floor at Belk Theater • 14th Annual World of Words Poetry Festival at Johnson C. Smith University • Habitual Ritual Comedy at Double Door Inn…
Color your betty
No one wants a gray betty, so why not color her pink, blonde, black or Malibu blue? Yes, your betty can be blue and still happy.
Music Menu (3/25/09)
Dave Rhames and the Westchesters are a little rough around the edges while DD/MM/YYYY is smooth as butter.
Daily consumer dish: March 25
Headlines from the world of retail, fashion and shopping. • Japan, China celebrate Fashion Week: Charlotte Observer • Developers scale back luxury projects as economy shifts: WSJ.com • Dawn of the $2,000 car: ConsumerReports.org • David Arquette and Ben Harper debut clothing line: TalkingShopping.com
Today’s Top (less) 5: Wednesday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Mar. 25 2009— as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Spanish wine tasting at Blue. • Pub poker at Tilt. • Meet some professional booty, at a…
Sale of the Day: Wednesday
Check out today’s sale of the day: Music and Arts
Musing over music in kiddie-centric TV shows
Rewinding the years to show how music in children’s television back in the day was damned good
New York State Sen. Hiram Monserrate is dead wrong
On Monday, New York State Sen. Hiram Monserrate was indicted on charges of slashing his girlfriend’s face with a broken glass in a fight in his Queens apartment building. According to the New York Daily News, the grand jury charged Monserrate with three counts of felony assault on his girlfriend, Karla Giraldo and three counts…
Musing over music in kiddie-centric TV shows
A nasty flu forced me to take some sick days and spend time at home a few weeks ago. While I was stuck in the bed, I found myself watching some weird TV programming; at one point, I flipped to an episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood — and I was immediately stunned by the quality…
Fla. kid suspended for farting
Obviously he’s well on his way to being a grown man.
This week’s DVD releases
What’s new on DVD this week.
Not Knowing is better than Knowing
Watch the trailer for Knowing.
Want $2 million? Turn in a Mexican Drug Lord
Know one? Then it’s your lucky day.
‘Never Again,’ environmental edition
Continuing environmental day at the Clog, this is the 20th anniversary of one of the greatest manmade ecological disasters, the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound in Alaska. The oil tanker wasn’t double-hulled, the ship captain was drunk, the ship ran aground, and 11 million gallons of crude oil flooded the Sound, turning…
Curry: ‘My heart’s still at Davidson.’
Stephen Curry discusses the future of his career after Davidson’s loss to St. Mary’s.
Foot Fetish: Vans Caballero 20th Anniversary collection
The Vans Caballero classic model is 20 years old! Found at Niche in SouthEnd. 1504 Camden Road, Suite 100 704-379-1811
Caffeine Stimulus
Pura Vida Worldly Art! offers a break on coffee
Free screening of classic flick
A film screening of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory will go down at Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte.
Concert announcement
Metallica coming to Charlotte this fall.
In the Game: CL critic pops up in miniseries now on DVD
Working as an extra on TV miniseries.
Meet the owners of Cloud 9 Confections
Nestled inside the Uptown Charlotte Plaza, Cloud 9 Confections is a welcoming, minority-owned bakery with desserts that will have you visiting several times a day. Cloud 9 Confections specializes in cakes and custom orders made from scratch. Not to mention the owners, Roland and Erica Baez-Horton, being a joy to be around. You will walk…
This week’s new releases (3/24/2009)
A quick rundown of some of the new CDs being released today.
Simply peel and enjoy
A chocolate praline creation crafted within the shell of an actual brown hen egg.
Green Revolution Policy 101
It’s environmental day at the Clog. First, a little-noted action by the Obama administration will have very far-reaching consequences; in the long run, at least as far-reaching as the endless string of SuperColossal Bailouts. With one simple act — the Environmental Protection Agency is set to declare that greenhouse gases are dangerous pollutants — the…
For you meat haters out there …
Cooking with Meat Alternatives Chef Camille will host cooking class where you can learn the difference between tofu, seitan and tempeh and how to best prepare them. Class includes recipes and tasting. To make reservations, call 704-749-5042. Thu., March 26, 6:30 p.m. Free. Earth Fare, Morrison @ SouthPark, 721 Governor Morrison St. 704-749-5042.
Taxes are stressful — Get free MaggieMoo’s ice cream
MaggieMoo’s Ice Cream and Treatery understands that Tax Day can be a stressful event in one’s life, so they are offering free ice cream on April 15. Just visit any MaggieMoo’s location to get a free single-scoop cone. The nationwide ice cream social will take place throughout the day. Hurray for free comfort food! Click…
Not good date movies
It’s Friday (don’t we all wish) and you want to spend the evening with that special someone. You decide to pop some popcorn and pull out a few DVDs. If you want to get laid or have a good date, you’re going to leave these movies in their cases on on the shelf. Valkyrie. Sure…
Art sale at RedSky
RedSky Gallery is doing a little spring cleaning at all three of its locations. • 2003-2007 Artwork is 30 percent-50 percent off • All wood furniture is 30 percent off • Art to Wear is 50 percent off • Betsy Klein Jewelry – Special Offer: Buy 1 piece, 15 percent off. Buy 2 pieces, 20…
Today’s Top 5: Tuesday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
What are you doing this weekend? How about this…
Fashion Friday launches Christian Audigier’s new line and AMPED for-a-cure concert series
Daily consumer dish: March 24
Headlines from the world of retail, fashion and shopping. • Study: Charlotte drops in retail rankings: Charlotte Business Journal • Can Kobe sell Swiss watches?: WSJ.com • Is Borders shrinking its CD and DVD sections?: Consumerist.com • Trends don’t favor crocs: WSJ.com
Rihanna’s music doesn’t match her actions
By now, you’re probably tired of hearing about the Rihanna/Chris Brown smack down. And I’m tired of it too. But I felt compelled to write this as I listened to her song “Take A Bow.” In that song, Rihanna sounds like a confident, strong woman who doesn’t take any shit. She tells her cheating lover…
Planned Parenthood says back up your birth control
Tomorrow is back up your birth control day. Planned Parenthood is providing hundreds of clients with reduced cost emergency contraception during it’s 8th annual back up your birth control day, according to a press release from the group. And it wouldn’t be a Planned Parenthood event if there wasn’t something else going on. Planned Parenthood…
Today’s Top(less) 5: Tuesday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Mar. 24 2009— as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
Sale of the Day: Tuesday
Check out today’s sale of the day: Charlotte Lighting and Interiors
Book Review: Melody Petersen’s Our Daily Meds
New York Times reporter Melody Petersen’s deeply researched, eloquent indictment of the pharmaceutical industry already bears one of the longest subtitles ever (How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs). Hopefully, the book will also bear long scrutiny by the new administration in Washington as they…
CL critic pops up in miniseries Master of the Game, now on DVD
Newly arrived on DVD is the 1984 miniseries Master of the Game, an adaptation of Sidney Sheldon’s bestselling novel about four generations in the wealthy Blackwell family. Dyan Cannon is the top-billed star in this seven-hour epic, and she dominates the bulk of the show. Yet the earliest portion, set before her character is even…
What’s new this week on the site?
This week, we’ll skip the question and get right to the good stuff … For the last few issues, I’ve been filling this space with news of our redesigned Web site — a redesign we’ve been rolling out piece by piece. We started with a new Music site, then moved to a new Sex &…
Haven on Earth
Gail Z. Martin is one busy woman. From teaching courses in communications and public relations writing at UNC-Charlotte, to working at her own marketing and consulting firm, DreamSpinner Communications, as well as delivering speeches on marketing topics for small business audiences, you’d think she wouldn’t have time for much else. Wrong. She is also the…
The perfect wine rack: Stocking up for nearly every occasion
I’m not talking pool balls or your neighbor’s recently augmented breasts… a fully equipped and stocked wine rack is a basic ingredient for every budding wine enthusiast. But with virtually unlimited choices, filling a 10- or 12-bottle countertop accoutrement can be challenging at best, intimidating at worst. Even so, it pays to be prepared. Will…
Comic review: Potter’s Field
Potter’s Field No. 1 Published by Boom Studios. Written by Mark Waid. Art by Paul Azaceta. The Deal: Writer Mark Waid pens another installment of Potter’s Field. The series follows a private sleuth known only as “John Doe” and chronicles his attempts to solve the murders of unidentified corpses. The Good: With superhero comics dominating…
Finding a new home online
Between e-mails, text messaging, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Crack-berry chat, and three forms of IM — I have certifiably gone ADD. Just checking my voicemail has become a mundane chore. I feel like I need to insert a chip in my ear to stay connected. It makes me miss the 20th century. But in a century…
Let the Right One In, To Catch a Thief among new DVD reviews
BOLT (2008). In recent years, Disney plus Pixar has led to some terrific animated features, but Disney minus Pixar has led to yearnings to locate the nearest auditorium exit. Bolt is straight-up Disney, which would be worrisome if it wasn’t for the fact that Pixar guru John Lasseter has been handed the keys to the…
MUSIC: Raphael Saadiq
If you count tonight’s show at the Whitney M. Young Jr. Awards Celebration, that makes at least three times that soul vocalist/producer Raphael Saadiq has visited Charlotte in the last 12 months. But, hey, we ain’t complaining. Oakland-born, Saadiq has been thrilling audiences across the country for decades; more recently, he’s been killing crowds by…
Book Review: Samantha Hunt’s The Invention of Everything Else
Kind of like a dream of a roller-coaster ride, Hunt’s novel is a surreal mishmash that somehow still manages to be thrilling. Set in early-1943 New York City, it’s the story of Louisa, a young chambermaid at the Hotel New Yorker, who befriends one of the hotel’s permanent “guests,” Nikola Tesla. Quickie history lesson: The…
SPECIAL EVENT: Hazmat
For those of you familiar with Single Cell Productions, you know the themed bondage/fetish events known as Purgatory. Soon they will come to an end (the last one, titled Ragnarok, will go down at Amos’ Southend on April 18), as all good things must. Welcome, ever so precautiously: SCP’s new dance party, Hazmat, which features…
CL previews upcoming concerts (March 25-30)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25 Dave Rhames & The Westchesters “Southern Fried Rock ‘n’ Roll, Country Style” is how Rhames has always described his music, and methinks he’s onto something. Hints of Merles both Watson and Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, and Bocephus share the stage with Street Survivors-era Skynyrd and David Allan Coe. Mostly, it just sounds like…
DANCE: Dancing Through Latin America
Expect an ultimate dance fiesta as The Carolinas Latin Dance Company presents Dancing Through Latin America, a performance featuring dances from Central America, South America, Spain and the Caribbean. More than 20 different dances will represent 16 countries, including well-known dances such as Argentina’s tango, Spains’s flamenco and Cuba, Puerto Rico and the United States’…
Pope Benedict XVI’s lapse in judgment
Last week, something horrible happened. On his first visit to Africa since becoming pontiff, Pope Benedict restated the Catholic Church’s opposition to condoms as a means to combat the AIDS epidemic. The Pope says condoms will not solve the AIDS crisis, and what is needed is a change in attitudes towards sex. Really? How insightful…
THEATER: Dixie’s Tupperware Party
Well, it’s not every day you have a chance to hear someone vigorously rant about the importance of proper food storage, and it’s not every day you’d want to either. But from the looks of Dixie’s Tupperware Party, you may want to lend an ear to Dixie Longate, the No. 1 Tupperware seller in the…
Not Knowing is better than Knowing
It’s unlikely that Knowing will become a classic YouTube howler like The Wicker Man (go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6i2WRreARo to enjoy the hilarity), but this latest dud starring Nicolas Cage does bring to mind the title of MAD magazine’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind spoof. With its plotline involving extraterrestrials, a kid in potential peril, and…
FILM: Clash By Night
The film series The Lady Eve: The Films of Barbara Stanwyck concludes with a screening of the 1952 drama Clash By Night. Based on Clifford Odets’ play and smoothly directed by Fritz Lang, this casts Stanwyck as a world-weary woman who returns to her small hometown; there, she marries a lunkish but good-hearted fishing boat…
A whole new world at Aladdin’s Eatery
High quality, low prices at Lebanese eatery
ART: Body Beautiful exhibition at Elder Gallery
Today is your last chance to check out Elder Gallery’s Body Beautiful exhibition. It features human figure paintings completed during the 1930s and ’40s from the Leon Makielski Collection, in addition to works by other artists’ — including Ed Handleman, Jung Han Kim, Leon A. Makielski, Philip Mullen, Gage Opdenbrouw, Carl Plansky, Franklin Sinanan, and…
Book Review: Zachary Lazar’s Sway
The main characters in Sway are The Rolling Stones, Charles Manson disciple Bobby Beausoleil, and British filmmaker Kenneth Anger, all more or less representative of the darker side of the 1960s. Taking place during the counterculture’s disastrous year of 1969, the novel’s title comes from the Stones song “Sway,” the chorus of which goes, “It’s…
ART: Masterpieces from the New Orleans Museum of Art exhibition at Mint Museum of Art
Gaze upon a variety of works by big names in the art world, including Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and lots of others at Mint Museum of Art’s newest exhibition, Masterpieces from the New Orleans Museum of Art. Fees that the NOMA generates by the traveling exhibition will go to…
I Love You, Man: Male pattern badness
Trying to be just one of the guys in sweet comedy
Boomer by the numbers: The list edition
A reader stopped me a couple of weeks ago and asked, “Why don’t you write those lists like you used to?” Turns out he was talking about the old “List Issues” we once ran, so, yes, high time for a column made up entirely of lists. So, by special request, here we go: Top Charlotte…
New in NoDa: Noda Studios
Musicians Colt, O’Keefe open rehearsal studios
Horoscope for March 25-31, 2009
Aries the Ram: (March 20-April 19) Make note of the lead paragraph because this New Moon is in your sign. You may, in one sense, relive an old relationship pattern, even if it is merely to yourself. If you remain conscious, you will not be compelled to make the same wrong moves this time around.…
CD Review: Les Claypool’s Of Fungi and Foe
The Deal: Primus bassist Les Claypool releases his latest solo album, spawned from video game and motion picture work. The Good: Instead of Claypool solely focusing on the video game song “Mushroom Men” and songs from the motion picture Pig Hunt, he decided to keep writing and release an album. The bassist extraordinaire has forged…
My buddies and I want to be blimp pilots. What do we do?
My buddies and I have been considering (while drinking) the idea of becoming “airship pilots.” I put this in quotation marks because we cannot find any information on how this (possibly fictitious) profession could be pursued. We have looked into both purchasing an airship and gaining the credentials to pilot one. We cannot find any…
CD Review: Eric Lindell’s Gulf Coast Highway
The Deal: Rocking roadhouse blues and R&B with a soulful twist. The Good: Eric Lindell’s gritty soul recalls the ’60s Memphis sounds of Stax/Volt days (Otis Redding, Sam and Dave) stuffed into a soulful po-boy sammich that could have been made in Cosimo Matassa’s New Orleans studio (Lee Dorsey, Fats Domino, Allen Toussaint). Punched up…
Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files
Gotcha: An employee of a local beauty supply shop called police after he realized that someone had passed some counterfeit money at his store. After purchasing $4 worth of makeup, the suspect received her change of $36 and left the store. Here’s a tip: If someone is using two $20 bills to pay for four…
Grudge match: Raleigh smacks Charlotte
It’s new. It’s hot. It’s Raleigh.
