The Blotter
What a Guy: A man entered a woman’s Plaza Road apartment, struck her over the head with a brass lamp, then reached into her pocket and stole $400 in cash . . . In a separate incident, a woman’s estranged boyfriend kicked down her door, then proceeded to punch and kick her, resulting in a…
Arabic Soul via Seattle
He’s a stand-up comedian who sings like Al Green, leading a soul/roots/trip-hop band from Seattle with an Arabic name. The fact that Maktub (pronounced Mock-toob, which translates as “it is written, or “destiny,”) flourishes in the grunge capitol of Seattle is a tribute in part to vocalist Reggie Watts’ four-and-a-half octave range and the band’s…
So You Wanna Be On TV
Over the 2,000 or so years I’ve roamed the galaxy known as the TV universe, I’ve noticed that no matter how much new technology comes along, some things stay the same. Yes, HD may be here and most broadcast wanna-bes don’t know what three-quarter videotape looked like, but I still get a simple question from…
See & Do
May 12 – Thursday One of 2004’s most compelling and entertaining books of popular history was Skeletons on the Zahara, a re-telling of a harrowing true-life adventure that enthralled readers in the 19th Century. Author Dean King refreshes the story of a dozen American sailors whose ship, Commerce, shipwrecked on the northern coast of Africa…
Indian with a Twist
A musical meeting of two cultures helped expose slide guitarist Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and his instrument, the mohan veena, to a Western audience. A subsequent recording of two different schools of music brought Bhatt’s forward-leaning Indian classical music to these shores. “We started recording within half hour of pulling out our instruments,” recalls Bhatt,…
News of the Weird
LEAD STORY: Jeanette Hall, 29, one of the world’s few female taxidermists, enjoyed a mainstream practice in Nevada (elk heads, bear rugs, even some novelties like deer testicles) until she decided recently to create sofa pillows with one side made from the actual fur of her clients’ dogs and cats (horses and cows handled, also),…
Stargazer
Taurus The Bull (Apr. 20 – May 19) Mercury enters your sign this week and the normally quiet Bull becomes a chatty Cathy. Between now and May 28 there likely will be greater emphasis on communications, errands, and other short distance travels. Your mind will be quick and your attitude persuasive. For All Signs There…
Sit & Spin
Robert Plant & the Strange Sensation Mighty Rearranger Sanctuary A dozen years after former Led Zep front man Robert Plant’s last collection of new material surfaced, he returns wielding the hammer of the gods — and the moody mysticism of summer in the Sahara. On the aptly titled Mighty Rearranger, Plant, an inveterate dabbler during…
Letters
Smoking Ban Is Dandy Just a quick note to let you know I was disgusted with the Creative Loafing article written by Mike Miliard about the proposed ban on public smoking in Charlotte (“Hey Pols! Leave Us Smokers Alone,” May 4). I am not an avid health nut, I do drink a beer a few…
Dead Men Grinning
Welcome to the McColl Center for Visual Art. When you enter through the beautiful front doors of this former church, you will be greeted by curious eyes. The man to the left sits in a straight black deacon’s chair. He looks at you, and through you, sideways, from the corner of his eyes — stern…
Music Menu
WEDNESDAY 5.11 The Northern Hues – A Philly based sextet with a shimmering, reverb-friendly sound in which traces can be found of latter-day Verve, Wish-era Cure, and early REM : bands all name-checked in the press packet. But the most obvious reference point : Gomez : is noticeably absent from the PR material even though…
Barn Storming
OK, it’s time for me to toss in the towel, hoist a white flag, and surrender. After a long frustrating evening at Theatre Charlotte, where an energetic cast drifts in and out of audibility during the current production of Nine, I’m more than a little tempted to spout outright heresy. Bring on the head mikes,…
Soundboard
Wednesday, May. 11 Amos’ Southend ASCAP Showcase: Rudy Currence w/ U-Phonik, Bellglide and Secondhand Stories Breakfast Club DJ Boney B Comet Grill Open Mic w/ Bill McDonald Connolly’s Red Perspective Double Door Inn Funky Music Dealers The Evening Muse Bibis Ellison & Gina Young w/ The Northern Hues; Lenny Federal w/ Eric Sommer Excelsior Club…
Suits, Money and Knight Ridder
KNIGHTFALL: Knight Ridder and How the Erosion of Newspaper Journalism Is Putting Democracy at Risk By Davis Merritt (Amacom, 242 pages, $24.95) This is the story of a death. The deceased, as identified by author Davis “Buzz” Merritt, was newspaper journalism, an indispensable part of American democracy and a noble calling that is never to…
Coming Home
She’s an inspiration to some, a pariah to others – and that’s just her life “so far.” As she begins what she refers to as her “third act,” Jane Fonda couldn’t have timed her (re-)entrance any more shrewdly, what with the blitz of a new autobiography (the best-selling My Life So Far), a newly released…
Carolina Corpses
Tar Heel Dead Edited by Sarah R. Shaber (UNC Press, 259 pages, $15.95) Raleigh mystery writer Sarah Shaber has outdone herself in gathering good stories for the new anthology, Tar Heel Dead. I was delighted to rediscover the O. Henry story “The Dissipated Jeweler” and found new favorites in Gallagher Gray’s “Beauty is Only Skin…
One Man’s Life
In the last 10 years, a handful of films have been made that testify to the transcendent, soul-saving properties of pop culture. The music, movies and fashion that some write off as trite can prove meaningful to the lives of alienated kids, particularly alienated gay kids. Worlds of fantasy and imagination, documented in films like…
Arts Agenda
Classical Music Broadway Gold! Carolina Voices MainStage Choir, their band and guests salute the best of Broadway featuring hits and time-tested melodies. www.carolinavoices.com. May 19-20, 8pm; May 21 3pm & 8pm; May 22 3pm. $20-$25. Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-377-9124. Charlotte Symphony The Classics Series finale featuring violinist Calin Ovidiu Lupanu.…
View From The Couch
KINSEY (2004). Professor Alfred C. Kinsey’s controversial research on human sexuality formed the foundation for his 1948 bestseller Sexual Behavior In the Human Male, and the ramifications of his groundbreaking work are still being felt – and refuted – today. Kinsey, then, is an exploration of the life and times of this complex individual, a…
Extreme Makeover
It’s been said that being in the right place at the right time is half the trick. In 1995, the historic Lucas house in Elizabeth underwent an S lift (minimally invasive face lift) of sorts when it became CiBi Restaurant. Ten years later, the old house has undergone an extreme makeover. Partners Chef Greg Zanitsch,…
Film Clips
New Releases THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY It was only a matter of time before Douglas Adams’ cult phenomenon – which had already moved from radio to print to television – would eventually complete the journey by edging into cinema. Yet as a movie, H2G2 is only a mixed bag, crammed with many inspired…
To Market, To Market
For those who have moved here recently, we don’t have farm stands or produce stands. We have markets. Local markets are located from Waxhaw to Huntersville and many of these markets, such as the markets in Huntersville, Gastonia and Matthews, have restrictions on their vendors and require participating farmers to be located within a certain…
Revenge Of The Trailers
Last weekend’s release of Ridley Scott’s big-budget epic Kingdom of Heaven unofficially marked the beginning of the summer movie season. But it won’t be until the May 19 release of a certain sci-fi spectacle that we can declare the season officially under way. Although the first two installments in George Lucas’ newest trilogy failed to…
Fava on My Mind
In the vegetable world, spring means the arrival of two high-maintenance divas: the artichoke and the fava bean. At first glance, the artichoke is a real looker. But perhaps like a beauty contest queen, she makes it difficult for admirers to get closer, with her weaponry of prickly thorns studded all over her torso. Courageous…
Out of the Church Closet
John Mayes was uneasy when he was honored as a dedicated Presbyterian youth minister. “If only they knew me, they wouldn’t like me so much,” he fretted. That was a few years ago, before the Charlotte man revealed to his congregants that he was gay. But it was well after the son of three generations…
Size Matters
In the 2004 Academy Award-nominated documentary Super Size Me, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock spent a month eating only McDonald’s foods, much to the detriment of his health. Perhaps in response to the film, McDonald’s introduced a campaign promoting its new, healthier menu choices, and it’s downplaying its super size portions. Not every restaurant has followed the…
And Now, For Something Completely Different
Having served as The Charlotte Observer’s entertainment editor for the past two and a half years, I’ve often picked up the latest issue of Creative Loafing and thought to myself, “What would I do if I were the editor?” Be careful what you wish for. Last week, I moved from my old desk at the…
Drink Blindly
It’s sad to admit, but our culture is polluted by marketing. We seem programmed by advertisements on TV, radio, and yes, even in the pages of the newspaper you’re reading right now. Wineries are fast becoming marketing whores like the rest of the consumer product world, using ads, coupons, discounts and sampling to get your…
Bye, See You Real Soon
It turns out 17 years was plenty long enough to edit a weekly newspaper, no matter how great a contribution you feel you’re making to the community. Recently, I found that I missed the opportunity to write for the paper at least as much as I enjoyed shaping our coverage. The growing responsibilities of the…
Give the Car a Rest
I’m a little awestruck every time I see one of those intrepid bicyclists, decked out in their cool, multi-colored, skintight outfits, pedaling down a busy thoroughfare while giant SUVs bear down on them. It’s scary enough just driving around Charlotte in a car, I can’t imagine tackling the Queen City’s mean streets on a bicycle…
Wine List
Carolina Wine Club Monthly meeting, wine tasting and cooking demonstration. Piedmont Natural Gas Building, 4901 Yancy Rd. www.carolinawineclub.com. Thu., May 12, 6:30 p.m. $20-$25. 704-344-8027. Wine Classes Great for beginners. Every month on the first and third Saturday, 12:30-1:30pm. $15. Dean & Deluca Wine Room, 6822-G Phillips Place Ct. 704-552-5283. Wine Classes The Other White…
Fewer Readers, Bigger Profits
I recently broke bread with an Atlanta Journal-Constitution editor. I launched the lunch by sliding a page from the newspaper’s own website across the table. It showed (incorrectly) subscriptions at 147,000. “We have circulation issues, but this …” she said, her voice trailing off. Throughout America, dailies lost about 1.9 percent of their subscribers in…
An Open Wound
I don’t see why adult diapers are such a downer for Daniel and Grant. Not that they wear them yet or anything, it’s just they’re always instructing me to shoot them the minute they get old enough that the need arises. “Should I shoot you dead?” I ask, “Or should I just shoot you in…
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…
Dilworth Drama Redux
The high drama surrounding the proposed Lowe’s urban superstore in South End played out its second act last week at the monthly meeting of the Dilworth Community Development Association (DCDA) at the First Christian Church in the neighborhood. This was a more muted affair than the rowdy and bad-tempered first act, but no less compelling…
Forget, Hell!
Arnold Blanton Cable Technician “Me and some buddies are going over to this Northern guy I work with’s house and he and his friends are going to beat the shit out of us.” Denise Jorgenson Consignment Store Owner “I’m doing my part all week by living on beans and salt pork, wearing ragged clothes, and…
Warring Factions
Success, it seems, is killing rap. It may be counter-intuitive, but the roots of the genre’s fall from emminence atop the charts, magazine covers and prime TV slots lie like landmines amidst the phenomenal success it currently enjoys. If the recent history of the music business holds, rap can expect a major comeuppance. You can…
Bob’s Boys in Blue
They’re down to the bare essentials, and they want you to feel their pain. The budget hawks down at City Hall need you to understand just how far they’re willing to go to avoid raising taxes. They’ll decrease garbage pickup. Afterschool programs for under-privileged children will have to go. In fact, if they don’t get…
