Chakra Con?
The Body, Mind and Spirit Expo took over the Charlotte Convention Center last weekend, and I didn’t need a tarot card reader to tell me it would be a fun event to check out. From lectures on palmistry, “Meeting Your Higher Self,” sound healing, and practical shamanism (gotta hate that impractical shamanism), this conference had…
Feed Me The Money
The most expensive purchase you’re likely ever to make is your home. You can drop a bundle on a car, too. Shelter and transportation are basic necessities, but there’s nothing more basic than food. So for those who must live in a McMansion and drive a car that costs six figures, here are a few…
Soundboard
Wednesday, Mar. 9 Amos’ Southend White Lion and Enuff Z’Nuff Breakfast Club DJ Boney B Charleston Chops, Cornelius Kim Carper and Rodney Shelton Comet Grill Open Mic w/ Bill McDonald Connolly’s Craig & Rich Coyote Joe’s Out of the Blue Double Door Inn Angwish w/ Orange Envy The Evening Muse Yay Hooray; Blue Dogs Acoustic…
Vegas Wedding
Christ, when did everything in Vegas get so goddam big? When I took the elevator to Michael’s room at Mandalay Bay – on the 25th floor, mind you – I got all the way up there and couldn’t find his room. So I had to ask a Russian maid, and she said, “Oh, you vant…
Drive Yourself To Drink
When spring comes to these parts, food and wine fests pop up like weeds after a pelting rain. They are so plentiful, in fact, that you need a machete to cut through the crappy ones. But there are some that are worth planting into your schedule and even buying a plane ticket for. Here are…
Spring Splendor
Back from a well-deserved winter break, the Charlotte Film Society has thawed out its membership cards just in time for the spring line-up of its popular Second Week series at the Manor Theatre. The March offerings begin this Friday; here’s a look at the trio of featured titles, followed by the remainder of the spring…
Rapists in school
James Billip Club Owner “Yes, I think any of my customers should be allowed to get an education.” Shirley Sanders Beautician “Oh, yeah, great idea. Armed robbers and murderers, too. And don’t forget about vampires. Let ’em all in.” Mona Hebpt Realty Salesperson “You’re kidding, right?” Don. P. Getty Photographer “If you know where they…
The Wine List
Carolina Wine Club Monthly meeting featuring, The Other Tuscany : Silver Coast to Siena. Piedmont Natural Gas Building, 4301 Yancy Rd. Thu., March 10, 6:30-8 p.m. $15 members/$20 non-members. 704-344-8027. International Wine Tasting Presented by the French-American Chamber of Commerceof NC. Inlingua, 6060 JA Jones Dr., Suite 215. Thu., March 10, 6-9 p.m. $15. 704-847-8152.…
Gunning For The Right Rating
By all accounts, the new documentary Gunner Palace offers an objective view of the war in Iraq, specifically following the daily activities of a troop of soldiers without bringing politics into it. Yet although the movie reportedly tells it like it is, it tells it in colorful language that met with the disapproval of the…
The Blotter
Pocket Cake: A grocery store owner reported that a young man walked into his store, grabbed a piece of cake valued at $1.19, stuffed it into his pocket, then ran outside to an awaiting car. Let’s repeat that: a grocery store owner thought it was worth taking up policemen’s time for a piece of cake…
Good Eats
All Around Town Anntony’s Caribbean, 6434-F West Sugarcreek Rd., 704-598-6863; 2001 E. 7th St., 704-342-0749. A hint of the tropics; rotisserie chicken with Jamaican jerk sauce, ribs, Paradise Island fish special, curries, and Caribbean styled greens. $$ Azteca, 116 Woodlawn Rd., 704-525-5110; 9709 Independence Blvd., 704-814-9877; 1863 W. Franklin Blvd. (Gastonia), 704-866-7574. A favorite of…
View From The Couch
THE CLASSIC COMEDIES COLLECTION (1933-1942). Forget that age-old question about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. More importantly, how many classic movies can Warner Bros. fit into one boxed set? Arriving on the heels of their elaborate film noir and gangster collections is this compilation dedicated to the lighter side…
See & Do
09 – WEDNESDAY Are you ready for a heavy dose of Shakespeare? Head up I-77 to Exit 30 and turn right. That’s where the Royal Shakespeare Company Residency at Davidson College begins with comedy tonight, tragedy tomorrow, and an impressive array of lectures, master classes and symposia through March 20. If you’re used to the…
The Reel Deal
In parts of Cape Breton it’s said that each neighborhood and valley has its own distinctive music. Out of one of these places comes Natalie MacMaster, who’s become one of the best-known ambassadors of the Canadian/Cape Breton heritage. “It’s very, very rural, on the southwest side of the island,” says MacMaster, who’s from Troy, Nova…
Film Clips
New Releases BE COOL Yet one more lazy sequel to a great film, Be Cool is a major disappointment that fails to capture the essence of what made Get Shorty such a memorable experience. In adapting the Elmore Leonard novel, director Barry Sonenfeld and scripter Scott Frank knew that the key to success rested in…
Stargazer
Pisces The Fish: (Feb. 18 – Mar. 19) One message won’t cover it because there are too many things occurring. Your career identity is challenged, but the probability is that you have done the right thing, so there is nothing to fear. Aspects favor resources shared with others, debts and loans. Watch your tendency to…
Punks, Meet Your Makers
Anyone even remotely interested in the state of rock & roll during the past 30 years should see End of the Century, the riveting documentary about The Ramones by filmmakers Michael Gramaglia and Jim Fields. It’s a loving, propulsive, and ultimately moving look at the career and lives of the most influential rock band that…
Creative Loafing’s Urban Explorer Handbook
Whether it’s a cool, funky domicile that’s within stumbling distance of your favorite watering hole, or a stately manor with a manicured lawn and a big garage for your new SUV, your living environment affects everything from your state of mind and physical well-being to your overall quality of life. We decided to help you…
Amazing Encore
Despite its high place among Laura Bush’s favorite children’s books, Mary Hoffman’s Amazing Grace doesn’t exactly abound in unexpected plot twists or gripping suspense. In its first appearance at Children’s Theatre in 1999, Shay Youngblood’s stage adaptation looked rather listless and pedestrian at the Morehead Street fantasy palace.Then April Jones took hold of the franchise…
Sit & Spin
Early Day MinersAll Harm Ends HereSecretly CanadianBloomington, Indiana’s Early Day Miners are intrigued, if not obsessed, by the darker hues of the indie rock spectrum. Nevertheless, they succeed at being dramatic without becoming melodramatic. Nowhere is this more apparent than on All Harm Ends Here, an album that follows the nine-year-old band’s already established pattern…
Doughface Nation
Excise a few historical and cultural references and Marilynne Robinson’s new novel Gilead, set in 1956, could have been written in 1880. An extended soliloquy by an aging Iowa clergyman with a failing heart, Gilead is water from another well, from another time – a time when Americans were less puzzled by moral earnestness and…
Davidson-On-Avon
For the next 12 days, the Davidson College campus is the indisputable Shakespeare capital of the New World. The Royal Shakespeare Company, which journeyed across the Atlantic in 2002 to help the prestigious liberal arts college open its spanking new theater, returns with even more bounty in its coffers. This year’s RSC visit is a…
Music Menu
THURSDAY 3.10 Comeback Kid : The drummer for this band must have an extra arm as his breathless percussion almost skids off the stage while a melodic howler and rapid-fire six strings take care of the rest. Comeback Kid’s newest, Wake the Dead (Victory Records), is overflowing with the chorus of pissed off youngsters egging…
Soldier’s Heart II
More than any other war in US history, the conflict in Iraq has provoked a surge of concern for soldiers returning home bearing the psychological burdens of battle.From the war’s first days, veterans’ groups, mental-health organizations and some members of Congress have claimed that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is unprepared to treat the…
CL Theater Award Nominations
In a year when some bemoaned the drooping of Charlotte’s fringe theater scene – and the paralysis of Charlotte Rep – there was actually an unprecedented amount of theater activity in the Queen City. Keeping up with all that was going on in 2004 meant attending over 75 productions and special events. We’ll further winnow…
We’re Leaving, No We’re Staying
A week after City Council and the County Commission gave away $350,000 in taxpayer money to a local company, some politicians are wondering if they got burned. Last week, both bodies voted to give the money to Framatome ANP as part of a business investment grant. In exchange, the company agreed to create 100 new…
Alchemy Without Real Women
Jon Fasman is a writer whose strong grasp on his writing style and such a natural ability with his work, he makes The Geographer’s Library a success, particularly for a first novel. This book is particularly refined and has a sense of solidity to it, which is unique, as we all know, among modern writers.…
You Call Those Guys Athletes?
Threats to world peace and poor urban planning can wait; global warming must take its turn. Something more important has come up, and I’m going to risk nasty letters to the editor and riots in the streets. I’m going to criticize American sports. Because we foreigners living in the USA often walk a tightrope between…
Live Fast, Die Young
Christopher “Kit” Marlowe was a talented poet and playwright, but there is little doubt that he was also a spy. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he was already successful as Shakespeare was coming into his own. Some scholars believe had he not died young, the hard-living Marlowe would have eclipsed Shakespeare, while others believe his…
Discipline By George
Thank you, George Dunlap. Mr. Dunlap did us all the favor of capturing, in hair-raising clarity, the twisted bureaucratic mindset that is returning rapists and other violent offenders to our classrooms. In an editorial in The Charlotte Post two weeks ago that every parent should read, Dunlap, a school board member, wrote that he gets…
Arts Agenda
Classical Music The Billy Goats Gruff Opera Carolina and the Public Library are partnering to offer performances of the Opera Express touring program, a 50-minute performance that introduces youth and young adults to classical opera music. Sat., March 12, 2 p.m. Free. Main Library, 310 N. Tryon St. 704-332-7177 ext 209. Charlotte Symphony A concert…
Maybe Change Isn’t Good
WBTV has been spending some advertising dollars of late, suggesting that “change is good,” while also soliciting viewer feedback by phone and e-mail. There was indeed some change in the just-completed Nielsen ratings for February. But for Channel 3, it wasn’t good. Top news ratings dog WSOC-TV managed to grow its already impressive numbers in…
A View To A Thrill
Restaurants with a view are in a class by themselves. Often, the diner is simply there for the view – or a moving view, as is the case in some cities. These restaurants tend to have overpriced drinks and mediocre food. After all, when the rent is sky high, what else can a restaurateur afford?…
How Uncle Bucky Won the War
Shocking, shocking, I say, that hate-America liberals suggest George Bush’s kin and pals profit off of the war in Iraq. Shame, shame on mongers of such calumny. But, uh, forget you ever heard the words “Uncle Bucky.” Not much to worry about in that regard, of course. If you rely on Fox News, patriotic reporters…
Deli Delight
OWNERS: Benny Erlich and Ken Lipack. Erlich is originally from the New York/New Jersey area and has been in the restaurant business for 30 years. Although he’s the primary chef, there are no fancy terms to describe him other than the self-titled “H.Y.I.C.” (Head Yankee in Charge). Pictured on the menu, Benny is as much…
Letters
Foster Care Can Work I am writing in response to “A Daughter Who Deserves Choices” by John Sugg (Feb. 23). While the underpinnings of this article were more about politics than child welfare, I was disappointed of his categorization of the foster care system for children as “often lethal.” Mr. Sugg further alleged that “the…
The Irish In Us
If the closest you ever get to a dose of Irish food is a bowl of Lucky Charms cereal, perhaps this St. Paddy’s day will inspire you to turn over a new leaf – a clover one at that. Saint Patrick, after all, wasn’t Irish himself. In fact, his real name was Maewyn Succat -…
News of the Weird
LEAD STORY: Homaro Cantu (described by one customer as Chicago’s “mad scientist” gourmet chef) creates his signature dishes with the help of cutting-edge technology, such as fishless sushi made with edible, fish-flavored paper containing designs produced on an inkjet printer. Among the projects planned for his Moto restaurant: baking with a “class IV” laser (the…
Comfort of Curry
On the eve of the deadline of this column, it was snowing in the Washington, D.C., area, where I have made my home for several years. It was just after 9 in the morning, before the flakes began to fall, and I was strolling through the aisles of my local Whole Foods, trying to decide…
