Nov 17-23, 2009

Nov 17-23, 2009 / Vol. 23 / No. 38

Word of the day: ‘man chair’

In light of the upcoming holiday shopping season, I found this very timely. On Nov. 22, Urban Dictionary’s Word of the Day was “man chair”: A man chair is the chair that men sit in while their partner is shopping for long periods of time. They can be found in almost any clothing or shoe…

Kimberly Lawson

Want to give on Thanksgiving?

Homemade baked desserts are needed for The Charlotte Rescue Mission Thanksgiving Day Extravaganza. Drop off your desserts at the Mission on Wednesday, November 25 all day or Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26 until 9:30 a.m. The Charlotte Rescue Mission, Rebound campus, 907 West First Street. 704-333-HOPE.

Tricia Childress

So much for respecting 8 million dead

We normally do this on Friday, but this particular Stupid Thing of The Week (or rather, Stupid Thing of Last Week) was worth waiting for. What’s one of the most unconscionably stupid things anyone could do? Yes, there are a lot of possibilities, but consider … you won’t believe this … a fashion shoot at…

John Grooms

New Avett Brothers video

The Avett Brothers have released the video for their song “Slight Figure of Speech.” Enjoy! The Avett Brothers – Slight Figure Of Speech – watch more funny videos

Jeff Hahne

Sarah Palin’s moveable reality show

And the Palin Parade marches on. Not content with Oprah, Barbara Walters and 70 million interviews on FauxNews, Gov. Snowjob Squareglasses had to go bother poor old Billy Graham yesterday at his home near Asheville. Granted, Rev. Billy, 91, seemed glad to see her, from all reports — and even seemed to remember the visit…

John Grooms

Scout & Molly’s does Toys For Tots

Sometimes I wander into the toy section of Target and I just can’t help but think, why didn’t they have this kind of cool stuff when I was a kid? Well, in the spirit of giving, I can at least make sure some lucky kid can enjoy the cool gadgets that I didn’t have in…

Kimberly Lawson

Another pre-Thanksgiving sale: Jordanos

This weekend is BUMPING with sales. I guess retailers want to give you shoppers a chance to indulge in savings without the crowd and stress of Black Friday. Jordanos’ pre-Thanksgiving sale is going on NOW. 8440 Rea Road, Suite 100 704-543-8800 www.shopjordanos.com

Kimberly Lawson

L.A. East hosts Singles Night tonight

From the good folks at L.A. East: FINALLY, the singles night is here! Friday November 20, 7:00pm at our Ballantyne store (it’s super easy to get to and there’s more room there) If you’ve never been to the Blakeney location go to www.laeast.net for easy map and directions. The vote was very evenly split, so…

Kimberly Lawson

10-in-10 CD reviews

Each Friday, we bring you reviews of 10 recently released CDs done in 10 words each: Steve Morse Band Out Standing In Their Field — Dixie Dregs/Deep Purple guitarist releases entirely instrumental solo work. Self-Evident Endings — Minneapolis trio sounds like Fugazi meets math rock… not bad. Kill Paradise The Second Effect — Electropop duo…

Jeff Hahne

chezElle marks down sale items

The good folks at chezElle have marked down their sales area down to 50 percent off. And through the weekend they are offering a “Buy one or more sale items, get one full priced item at 20 percent off” deal too.  Fun stuff! 532 Governor Morrison St. 704-372-6612

Kimberly Lawson

Need turkey?

Soul Gastrolounge, 1500 Central Ave. on the corner of Central and Pecan (upstairs), will be open on Thanksgiving from 5 p.m. until 2 a.m. The menu includes hot sage sausage and brioche stuffing cubes; sour cream whipped potato croquettes with giblet gravy; turkey and provolone panini with cranberry aioli; fried mushrooms on creamy shaved Brussel…

Tricia Childress

Tonight: Upstream’s First Annual Oyster Bash

Upstream’s First Annual Oyster Bash will go down on Friday, Nov. 20 at 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Oysters include Old Salt (one of my favorites) from the Chincoteague, Blue Point from the east coast, and Kumamoto from the west. Paired with the oysters are wines and champagne. A portion of the proceeds from the…

Tricia Childress

Mel Watt tries to derail Fed Reserve audit

Rep. Mel Watt of Charlotte, whose campaign coffers are well-stocked with banking and financial industry money, yesterday tried, but failed, to derail an amendment to a House Finance Committee bill which would open the Federal Reserve to public audits. The longtime friend and ally of former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt, and favorite of many local…

John Grooms

The saga of missing BlackBerry music

Joy was an understatement when I pulled a poorly taped together package out of the mail Thursday. Inside that box and literally wrapped up in a napkin was my missing BlackBerry I thought I’d never see again but that euphoria quickly subsided as I began to take inventory on what I’d received in the mail…

Mike McCray

More Turkey

Eat Here Now, 2016 Ayrsley Town Boulevard, has a Thanksgiving meal for six people for $49.99 plus sales tax. Dinner includes 2 pounds of sliced turkey, 2 pounds of homemade dressing, 8 ounces of turkey gravy, cranberry sauce, 3 quarts of a side item and rolls or cornbread. Sides include green beans, corn, sweet potato…

Tricia Childress

Pura Vida kicks off early Black Friday sale this weekend

Pura Vida Worldly Art (1521 Central Ave.) is kicking off its Black Friday Special a week early. Save on clothing, jewelry and other accessories with a buy two (2) of the same and get one (1) free deal from Saturday 11/21 through Saturday 11/28. Details: • Buy two(2) dresses, get one(1) FREE • Buy two(2)…

Kimberly Lawson

Concert announcement: Alice in Chains

According to pollstar.com, Alice in Chains will be performing at The Fillmore Charlotte on March 2, 2010. No official word has been sent out yet, nor information about tickets. Stay tuned.

Jeff Hahne

Sale of the day: Black & Blue

Head out to Black & Blue tonight for their Stella & Dot jewelry party. See the notice below. Make any Stella & Dot purchase and receive 20 percent off regular priced items PLUS an additional 10 percent off sale items. On Thursday, 11/19, join us for an after hours event with a unique selection of…

Kimberly Lawson

Special event: Beaujolais Wine Tasting Festival

Though a trip to France sounds delightful, it isn’t all that necessary if all you really want to do is sip on wines. To save in costs, try hitting up  the 16th Annual Beaujolais Wine Tasting Festival at Levine Museum of the New South this Friday. The event celebrates the French tradition of honoring the…

Anita Overcash

131 Main now taking cornbread & coffee and boxed lunch orders

This just in from the folks at 131 Main: 131 Main in Dilworth Now Taking Cornbread & Coffee and Boxed Lunch Orders FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Nov. 19, 2009 – If you’re looking for the perfect mid-morning snack or a delicious boxed lunch delivered right to your home or office, then 131 Main…

Carlton Hargro

Luna Lounge, 11/18/09

Creative Loafing celebrated the launch of their new Nightlife web site at the eclectic event known as Pop Life last night at Apostrophe Lounge.

Priscilla Tsai

Palin didn’t want Burr around

It’s amazing, but I’ve found myself agreeing with Sarah Palin twice in the past couple of days. At first I thought I might be coming down with something, but on reflection, I see that she that no, I’m not sick — Palin was actually right, for once. Or twice. First, there was her complaint about…

John Grooms

Sneaker culture invades QC with NC Sneaker Summit

It wasn’t until we started this blog did I become aware of how intense the sneaker culture is. I’ve been through Black Sheep and Niche and was aware of the type of products out there, but it wasn’t until Klepto was bombarded with comments from sneakerheads over an interview a writer did with a local…

Kimberly Lawson

Tonight’s Top 5, 11/18/09

Here’s a list of tonight’s top five nightlife-related events, selected randomly by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Irie Nights at Kashmir • Assorted Flavor Wednesdays at Bentleys RSVP • Wine tasting, sale and auction at Blue Restaurant • Pop Life presents the official launch of CL’s Nightlife site at Luna Lounge • Pure Couture…

Kimberly Lawson

Moore & Van Allen’s anti-health care reform work

Yesterday’s disclosure by the Associated Press regarding Charlotte law firm Moore & Van Allen and its behind-the-scenes work against health care reform was a stunner. There’s nothing illegal going on, but the law firm’s activities have a bad smell nonetheless. The story revealed that MVA is engaged in advocacy against a public option, and in…

John Grooms

Conservatives’ fear = the terrorists win

Many conservatives like to see themselves as rugged, no-nonsense defenders of freedom, clear-thinking patriots, ready to slap down America’s enemies at the drop of a hat. Too bad, then, that they’re actually cowards. The right’s current collective nervous breakdown over plans to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York for his role in planning the…

John Grooms

The Pink Hanger’s Project Give & Take kicks off tomorrow

It’s the season for giving, people, so go and clean out your closets to donate your gently used clothing to The Pink Hanger’s Project Give & Take, a clothing drive for the Crisis Assistance Ministry. As an incentive (but surely you don’t need one of those, do you?), for every item you donate, you can…

Kimberly Lawson

Sale of the day: Modern Lighting Design Showroom

If you’ve ever walked down Tryon Street in the Southend area, you’ll know the lighting store I’m talking about when I say the one with the cool lamps. Modern Lighting Design Showroom is having a clearance sale, and you should check it out. It’s about time to update those stale old grandma lamps — or,…

Kimberly Lawson

Bruno, North By Northwest among DVD reviews

BRUNO (2009). To paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen’s smackdown of Dan Quayle during the 1988 Vice Presidential Debate: “Bruno, I screened Borat; I knew Borat; Borat was a review of mine. Bruno, you’re no Borat.” At the same time, there’s still plenty of laughs to be found in Borat, which finds creator Sacha Baron Cohen employing the…

Matt Brunson

How can racing yachts sail faster than the wind?

How can those America’s Cup yachts sail faster than the wind? Here’s what the San Francisco Chronicle has to say: “It’s physics.” Come on, Cecil, I know you can do better. — P. McCartney, Oak Harbor, Washington I should hope. To give the Chronicle some credit, though, “it’s physics” was preceded by an accurate if…

Cecil Adams

2012 a bad year for film

The perfect follow-up for those moviegoers who were simply crushed when Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen wrapped up at a too-brief 142 minutes, 2012 contributes another 158 minutes to the cause of wham-bam-thank-you-man cinema. No effect is too preposterous, no sound too deafening, and no cliché too enormous to be left out of the latest…

Matt Brunson

Capsule revies of films playing the week of Nov. 18

AMELIA In its effort to be one of the first Oscar-bait titles out of the gate, the stately but sterile Amelia ends up stumbling over its own feet. A handsome production that fusses over every detail in order to provide the proper look, this biopic forgets to include any sort of spark necessary to get…

Matt Brunson

The Box worth opening

The Box is the latest picture from writer-director Richard Kelly, who with the cult fave Donnie Darko proved that he’s one filmmaker able to think outside the box (ouch). Adapting Richard Matheson’s short story “Button, Button,” Kelly has fashioned a complex tale out of a simple premise: A solemn stranger (Frank Langella) hands a married…

Matt Brunson

Hungering for a true Thanksgiving

“In the next 60 seconds, 10 children will die of hunger,” says a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) online video. It continues, “For the first time in humanity, over 1 billion people are chronically hungry.” The WFP has launched the Billion for a Billion campaign this week, urging the 1 billion people who use…

Amy Goodman

A Serious Man: Seriously good

Unpredictability is a constant in the Coen Brothers canon, but after the heavy lifting involved with the Oscar-winning No Country for Old Men, it wasn’t too surprising to see them tackle lighter fare with the quirky Burn After Reading. A Serious Man, however, defies all expectations. In many ways, it feels like a minor effort…

Matt Brunson

Wines to pair with the feast and fowl

Like so many other proud American foodies, I look forward to the last Thursday of November. It’s the day to gorge on unbelievable quantities of carbs and collapse from the sheer weight of ingested food and drink. It’s also a day of futility — ’tis impossible to resist another slice of succulent turkey, pumpkin pie…

Taylor Eason

SPECIAL EVENT: UniverSoul Circus

Sick of the standard “Ringling Bros. and yadda yadda” circuses? Well, I’d suggest you ease on down to see the UniverSoul Circus, which kicks off its run in Charlotte today. Unlike those other run-of-the-mill animal/clown-infested big-top events, UniverSoul delivers a truly international and multicultural brand of entertainment; be on the lookout for acts like the…

Carlton Hargro

Plant food: Real Food Charlotte, Zizi’s Vegetarian To Go

Since 1991, the nearby town of Asheville has had The Laughing Seed, a wildly successful vegetarian restaurant that started life as a corner bar in a gym, then moved to a larger location. That restaurant has developed a regional, if not a statewide, following for its creative twists on global cuisines utilizing local ingredients. Charlotte…

Tricia Childress

MUSIC: Skinny Puppy at Tremont Music Hall

Since their start in 1984, members of Skinny Puppy — who go by the monikers of cEvin Key and Nivek Ogre — have released a dozen albums, all of which dwell in the dark realm of electro-industrial. Of course, many of their discs — beat-heavy with grim vocals and haunting melodies — sound more like…

Anita Overcash

Quick reminder to stay safe

Please pardon the interruption; the following is a message from the unofficial emergency broadcast system. Considering the unsettling recent events involving a woman’s sexual assault along the light rail in Uptown, I am turning my column into an after-school special entitled “Nightlife Safety.” Said woman was just walking a mere few blocks back to her…

THEATER: Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte presents Yankee Tavern

Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte’s latest production, Yankee Tavern, is a teasing mystery that will have your pulse racing­ — and that’s without alcohol in your system. The play centers around a young couple who work as proprietors at the Yankee Hotel; they face some serious scrutiny when a series of events begin to unravel, ultimately…

Anita Overcash

Making the case for Neko

It says something about Neko Case’s footprint in the zeitgeist that she’s been celebrated by punk rock champion and po-mo critic Greil Marcus (“There’s no sound richer than hers abroad in the land today”) and been invited to play Garrison Keillor’s suddenly-less-corny A Prairie Home Companion. And after the release last spring of another critically…

John Schacht

LITERATURE: Matt and Ted Lee at Park Road Books

The Women’s National Book Association hosts this special evening at Park Road Books, featuring authors/journalists — for a number of magazines, including Travel + Leisure and Food and Wine — Matt and Ted Lee. During the event, the duo will discuss their new cookboo titled, The Lee Bros. Simple, Fresh, Southern: Knockout Dishes with Down-Home…

Anita Overcash

Charlotte Music Awards will be Nov. 19

On Nov. 19, the Third Annual Charlotte Music Awards will be held at Booth Playhouse in an effort to recognize music and musicians from the Carolinas. Fourteen artists will be performing, including Simplified, The Donna Duncan Blues Band, Jeff Luckadoo, Lyra Shines, The Jones Bros., Ida Devine, Mckeve and Dre Money and Jaz. Among the…

Jeff Hahne

FILM: Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps

The Main Library’s Alfred Hitchcock fall film series, “The Master of Suspense: Alfred Hitchcock Classics,” continues this week with a screening of Hitchcock’s 1935 thriller, The 39 Steps. In this flick — which is based off of John Buchan’s novel, The Thirty-Nine Steps — adventure follows Englishman Richard Hannay (played by Robert Donat), who becomes…

Anita Overcash

CL previews upcoming concerts (Nov. 19-24)

THURSDAY, NOV. 19 Robbie Fulks The Bane of Big Hat Nashville because he can out-twang Music Row and tends to let them know about it – tacitly or directly – in every razor-tongued number (c.f., “Countrier Than Thou”), Fulks can honky tonk, Bakersfield or Western swing with time-machine accuracy. He infuses it all with timely,…

COMEDY: James Sibley at Lake Norman Comedy Zone

Comedian James Sibley is one heck of a storyteller. Whether he is talking about his four children or simple, daily observations, he twists in witty amounts of humor to give folks a laugh. The funny guy has even appeared on TV shows like My Name Is Earl and Gilmore Girls. Check him out when he…

Anita Overcash

CD Review: Alice in Chains’ Black Gives Way to Blue

The Deal: Stalwarts from the ’90s return with a new singer, first studio effort in more than a decade. The Good: After the 2002 death of singer Layne Stayley, few would have guessed that the band would regroup. Guitarist Jerry Cantrell had been performing the band’s songs for years on his solo tours, but the…

Jeff Hahne

ART: Game Theory exhibition

Local artist Antoine Williams is one creative dude. If you haven’t seen his mixed media paintings around Charlotte, frequently displayed in exhibitions around town, you’ve missed out. Williams has also contributed his designs to past issues of Creative Loafing … and we just know you saw that and thought they were awesome. Either way, show…

Anita Overcash

Book review: Bill Streever’s Cold: Adventures in the World’s Frozen Places

Early in his captivating book, Cold: Adventures in the World’s Frozen Places, author Bill Streever is describing how various animals deal with winter in the far northern climes within the Arctic Circle. There’s hibernation, of course, a state used by bears, ground squirrels and surprisingly, some bird species. OK, normal enough. Streever then describes creatures…

Anthony Foxx’s emergence, plus, Catholic UFOs and bossy generals

Welcome, dear readers, to yet another goosebump-raising edition of Ask Boomer With Attitude, live from Charlotte, where the county manager can rack up a string of bad decisions and still get a big fat bonus. One of the questions this week is made up; maybe you can spot it. Dear BWA: I was very disappointed…

Astonished by Astonishing X-Men No. 32

Astonishing X-Men No. 32 Published by Marvel Comics. Written by Warren Ellis. Pencils by Phil Jimenez. Inks by Andy Lanning. If — like me — you weren’t blown away by Warren Ellis’ first arc on Astonishing X-Men, then you’ll probably love his brand-new story line, which marches on in issue 32. Last go-round, Ellis populated…

Carlton Hargro

Plane crazy: Just when you thought it was safe to fly

In the “what were you thinking?” category, a United Airlines pilot was recently arrested for being drunk. Yes, you read right — for being drunk before piloting United Airlines flight 949, which, by the way, was full and due to leave London’s Heathrow Airport. According to a Nov. 11 article on MSNBC.com, the pilot, Erwin…

Nsenga Burton

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files

Doin’ Work: A 35-year-old woman called police after she was burglarized by her own son. She told officers that she always keeps her door locked when she goes to work, and her son is the only one there. When she returned on this day, the “home invader in training” had kicked the bedroom door off…

Ryan Pitkin

Playing racial-justice roulette

Suppose the state legislature came up with the harebrained idea to pass a law to exempt the killers of white women from the death penalty, no matter how brutal and premeditated the crime. Kill a black woman, though, and you’d still be looking at possible capital punishment. There’s no way legislators would do something that…

Horoscope Nov. 18-24, 2009

Sagittarius The Archer (Nov. 22-Dec. 20): The sun returns “home” to your sign this week. You likely will find it to be energizing. Now is the time to focus on new plans for this next year of your life. This week may be challenging for those on a diet or other self-improvement program. You are…

Vivian Carol

The Best of The Blotter 2009

The Blotter is an idiotic weekly crime column published by Creative Loafing and written by an idiotic college student (me) with a dark enough sense of humor to find these ridiculous — and real — tales funny. I find content for the column in an endless pile of police reports that media hounds look over…

Ryan Pitkin

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