Nov 3-9, 2009

Nov 3-9, 2009 / Vol. 23 / No. 36

Commissioners, at least censure Harry Jones

County Manager Harry Jones must be awfully good at schmoozing the commissioners. That’s the only explanation I can find for the fact that rumors are not flying about Jones’ job being in jeopardy. That’s especially true after the daily paper’s Sunday story about the DSS “Case of the Disappearing Kids’ Christmas Money” fiasco, and Jones’…

John Grooms

Taj Anwar

alias: “Tha dopest babies’mama.” inspiration: “My mother Linda- the forever reigning queen of my heart.” passion: “My inner cipher (five children & my husband- Amond).” favorite book: “It varies, right now I’m reading “Rap, Race & Revolution” by Supreme Understanding.” current city: Atlanta plug: FTP Movement, Mothers of Black/Brown Babies, LLC; Zulu Nation. “I’m still…

Jasiatic

An instructional video on shopping vintage

Does shopping vintage intimidate you, but you know your wallet would benefit from it? Check out stylist Catherine Horgan’s instructional video “How to shop vintage,” pasted below. Better yet, head to her site Closet of Style and peruse the accompanying article.

Kimberly Lawson

Palin struts her incoherent stuff

Sarah Palin didn’t want anyone to bring recording devices or cellphones to her big speech Friday night at a Wisconsin Right to Life fundraising banquet. No wonder. The Politico Web site bought tickets to the event, and their report is a showcase of Palin’s, er, limited vocabulary, tortured sentences, and, more troubling, her goofball conspiratorial…

John Grooms

Today’s Top 5: Monday

Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Nov. 9, 2009 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Brand New at The Fillmore • Rakim at Amos’ Southend • Comedians Butch and Skeeter at Wine Up • Tearing Down The Wall reception at UNC-Charlotte •…

Anita Overcash

Video: U-N-I at Amos’

Los Angeles hip-hop duo, U-N-I, performed their song, “Hollywood Hiatus (Cool It Now)” live at Amos’ South End on Thursday night as they opened up for Kidz in the Hall and Warren G.

Mike McCray

Live Review: U-N-I, Kidz In The Hall + Warren G

Warren G w/ Kidz in the Hall & U-N-I Amos’ South End Nov. 5, 2009 The Deal: Strange lineup brings G-Funk and Midwest hip-hop to the South. The Good: U-N-I didn’t approach their set as an opening act and rocked it like the headliners. Double-O from Kidz in the Hall held down a keyboard, beat…

Mike McCray

Sale of the day: Scout & Molly’s

The air’s crisp with fall, perfect weather for jeans. And Scout & Molly’s is looking to hook you up. Now through Saturday, their jeans are 25 percent off, with brands like AG, J Brand, Joe’s, Genetic, Pur, Lofli, and Makers of True Originals up for grabs. Scout and Molly’s of Charlotte 3920 Sharon Road, Suite…

Kimberly Lawson

NCGOP’s Hoffman invitation is Stupid Thing of the Week

Welcome to the Stupid Thing of the Week. North Carolina Republican Party chair Tom “I’m not gay, dammit!” Fetzer is throwing his party’s support behind the Palin/Beck faction and its move to purge the GOP of “moderates.” In a move that is leaving some political observers gasping or scratching their heads, Fetzer has invited New…

John Grooms

Foxx to sign Climate Agreement pledge

Well, that’s a breath of fresh air. Mayor-elect Anthony Foxx says his first act as mayor will be to sign the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. We’ve written about the USMCPA before, Mayor McCrory’s refusal to sign it, and City Council’s dithering on the issue. Check out this link for a reminder. The irony of…

John Grooms

The Onion: Car crash victim tragically not Glenn Beck

Sometimes blogs are useful for simply passing along something worthwhile. If you’re like me and enjoy dark humor, like The Onion, and can’t stand even the thought of Glenn Beck, then check out this video from Onion News Network. — John Grooms

Web Editor

Free-range turkeys at Berrybrook Farm

Berrybrook Farm, 1257 East Blvd., is taking orders for free-range turkeys, $2.39 per pound, available in 10 to 22 pounds; and organic turkeys, $3.49 per pound, available in eight to 16 pounds. Orders must be received by Wednesday, Nov. 18. Turkeys will arrive frozen on Monday, Nov. 23, and will be refrigerated until pickup. Closed…

Tricia Childress

Sarah

favorite month: “May or June, I love warm weather.”

Jasiatic

A Taste in NoDa benefits Children With AIDS

Ahh, the season of giving has surely begun, and it’s time to loosen that tight grip on your wad of cash and help those who are less fortunate than you are. And what can be more fun than doing that at an event where you can sample some tasty bites, listen to some good music…

Kimberly Lawson

Pop-up shop pops up at poole shop

Ha. Say that headline five times fast. 🙂 So next week, poole shop, located at 6815 Phillips Place, will play host to a new pop-up shop, featuring eco-friendly luxury boutique Organica Deluxe. The Charlotte-based business offers products along the lines of home decor, accessories, aby items, Veriflora flowers and organic food and wine. Prices range…

Kimberly Lawson

Sale of the day: Fresh

Fresh Boutique is continuing their Progressive Sale through Saturday.  Buy one item, get 10 percent off. Buy two items, get 20 percent off. Buy three items or more, get 30 percent off. 813 Providence Road 704-343-9071

Kimberly Lawson

Alive, 11/05/09

The after party for the UNCC vs. JCSU basketball game was held at Alive Thursday, Nov. 5. Photos by Renaul Hill, Charlotte Vibe Photography.

Priscilla Tsai

Rent your holiday party dress with RentTheRunway.com

Ahh, the holidays are around the corner. Don’t you just love the season for work parties, charity events and the like? Well, recessionista alert: Instead of buying a bunch of different dresses to wear to the various parties you’ve got to attend during the holidays, perhaps you should consider RENTING your dress. Hmm. Rent The…

Kimberly Lawson

Horse and buggery guy gets 3 years

In my ongoing efforts to point out the neverending wackness of my homestate of South Carolina, I couldn’t have asked for more than Rodell Vereen. You may remember him as the guy who had sex with a horse named Sugar at Lazy B Stables in Longs, S.C., near Myrtle Beach and, when he was given…

John Grooms

Foxx win came from ‘the rest of Charlotte’

Mayor-elect Anthony Foxx ran strongly in all areas of the city other than the heavily Republican south and southeast. Why is that? Well, besides the usual reasons for winning a mayoral race — solid financial backing, strong grassroots organizing, a fairly dull opponent — I get the sense that Foxx’s victory reflected a deep, underlying…

John Grooms

Mer

inspiration: “Life and the living, everything under the sun moon and stars.”

Jasiatic

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, November 5, 2009 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Thumping Thursdays at Scorpios. • Pure Latin Ecstasy at Halo. • After work Thursday at Utopia.…

Mustang Sally, Mayor of Bang Town

Gay rights: a big loss, but some wins, too

Yesterday, Chapel Hill elected its first openly gay mayor, Mark Kleinschmidt. He ran a strong grassroots campaign to become the third openly gay man to hold mayoral office in the state, in addition to Carrboro’s Mike Nelson and Franklinton’s Elic Senter. Two steps forward, a step back, a step forward, a step back. So far,…

John Grooms

Latest Snuggie partners with Weezer

First it was just a plain Snuggie. Then, Snuggie came out with a version for your dog. Now, Snuggie is partnering with Weezer as the band releases its latest album Raditude. It’s getting out of control, isn’t it? For $30, you can get the new album and a standard Weezer Snuggie. Or for $50, you…

Kimberly Lawson

Message to retailers: Be creative

According to an article on MSNBC.com, retailers are taking a “business as usual” approach to the upcoming holiday shopping season. People, wise up. Money is tight, jobs have been lost, and it’s definitely not going to be “business as usual” unless you plan accordingly. And when I say plan accordingly, I don’t mean put everything…

Kimberly Lawson

Sale of the day: Exude Fashion

Here’s a sample sale you won’t want to miss out on. 70 percent … yes, 70 percent off retail price of Dolce & Gabbana and D&G designer, courtesy of Exude Fashion. Exude Fashion 4722-G Sharon Road 704-643-9983 www.exudefashion.com (info via waxMaMa. Sign up for their mailing list here.)

Kimberly Lawson

Physicians pile on Blue Cross

Lately, it’s almost as if Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina has been going out of its way to aggravate people. First, the health care insurance behemoth sent out notices to its customers giving them the news of across-the-board premium and co-pay increases — and they decided to do that during the same week…

John Grooms

Dugg Dugg redux

Dugg Dugg is restless and inspired, doing physical exhibitions in alternative spaces, Internet exhibitions on their Web site, and just about everything else on their blog.

Barbara Schreiber

Mixtape Review: Wiz Khalifa

The Deal: Underrated Pittsburgh-bred rapper drops one last mixtape before his sophomore album, Deal or No Deal, drops later this month. The Good: Khalifa manages to add some flair to the textbook mixtape formula of spittin’ over familiar beats from other artists, by taking otherwise mundane joints like Beyonce’s “If I Were A Boy” and…

Mike McCray

This week’s new releases (11/3/2009)

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the new releases out this week: Foo Fighters Greatest Hits Glee The Music Volume 1 Nirvana Live at Reading Rolling Stones Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out Slayer World Painted Blood Carrie Underwood Play On Weezer Raditude

Jeff Hahne

Marla

favorite place to be in Charlotte: “Around all positive, energetic, creative and innovative brothers and sisters of all colors and ages.”

Jasiatic

Black and White Gala in its 7th year

This year, the Young Affiliates of the Mint’s annual shindig, the Black & White Gala, will be held on Thursday, Nov. 5 at the Holiday Inn Charlotte Center City. Do you have your tickets? Proceeds from the event go toward sponsoring children to attend art camps at The Mint Museum. To hear more about the…

Kimberly Lawson

Virginia Foxx: Health care reform worse than terrorism

Every time Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina launches one of her wacked-out rants, you think she’s topped herself, but here she goes again, reaching ever greater heights of pure goofiness. Foxx has become one of Congress’ top entertainers, and by “entertainer” I mean “bizarre granny figure,” through her speeches in which she has touted…

John Grooms

Today’s Top 5: Tuesday

Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Nov. 3, 2009 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Gemini at Lake Norman Comedy Zone in Galway Hooker • Thomas Friedman at Davidson College • Hymns at Snug Harbor • Karaoke at Fox and Hound in…

Anita Overcash

SPECIAL EVENT: Southern Christmas Show

The annual Southern Christmas Show: 12 Days of Christmas springs its festivities into The Park (formerly the Charlotte Merchandise Mart) today. Ahhh … it even smells like Christmas — from gingerbread cookies and other baked goodies to Christmas trees and wreaths. In addition, vendors will be selling a variety of merchandise for purchase, whether that…

Anita Overcash

CL previews upcoming concerts (Nov. 4-10)

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 4 Mastodon Infinitely heavy prog-metal masters Mastodon do sometimes answer to the “Stoner Rock” label, but this music isn’t for the dirt-weed set. No, this is hall-of-hammers, THC-dripping, “Oh my God I can’t feel my eyeballs anymore” music, full of enough fear and loafing (and double-time anvil-dropping breaks) to satisfy an Amsterdam coffeehouse…

Book buying in the Great Recession

Welcome to a session of Great Recession book buying. Nowadays, new hardback books, let’s just say it, cost more than most of them are worth. Most people are pinching pennies in these times, and hardbacks’ average price of $26 can seem a bit much. Not to worry, here’s a guide to some meaty current paperbacks,…

CD Review: Exene Cervenka’s Somewhere Gone

The Deal: Exene Cervenka finally finds the melody. The Good: Cervenka has finally learned how to sing. Even at her mellowest in the Knitters, Exene’s vocals had a gnarly edge that could rattle your back teeth. With X, her trademark yowl sounded like a blend of Grace Slick on a bad trip and a chainsaw.…

Grant Britt

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files

Not A Crime: A 15-year-old boy called police after being hit by a car. He told officers a woman was driving by when she began to yell at him and his friends for skateboarding in the street. After he yelled back, the woman backed her car up, then accelerated into the boy and drove away.…

Ryan Pitkin

What the Fox?: The phony network’s phony martyrs

The supposed “war” between the Obama administration and FoxNews has been one of the stranger interludes in America’s increasingly odd and volatile political scene. As soon as White House Communications Director Anita Dunn stated the obvious, noting that FoxNews “often operates as either the research arm or the communications arm of the Republican Party,” the…

An entertaining Blackest Night No. 4

Blackest Night No. 4 Published by DC Comics. Written by Geoff Johns. Pencils by Ivan Reis. Inks by Oclair Albert and Joe Prado. The Deal: DC’s blockbuster limited series — with Green Lantern at the center — keeps on trucking. This issue, the big baddie behind the whole crisis is revealed. The Good: For the…

Carlton Hargro

Renovatus church opens in Eastland Mall

Eastland Mall is a shell of its former self. Once a shopping destination for the entire state, with an indoor ice skating rink and large retail establishments like Belk, Sears and Dillard’s, the mall is now filled with empty storefronts and “For Lease” signs — leaving shoppers few options. But now, you can find God…

Cheris Hodges

Elections could change life in Charlotte and Atlanta

Is Charlotte really ready for a black mayor, and is Atlanta ready for a white one? While much of the nation is focused on the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, there are some significant mayoral races happening in the country that have gone under the national news radar. One is taking place in…

Nsenga Burton

Weekly horoscope for Nov. 4-10, 2009

Scorpio The Phoenix (Oct. 23-Nov. 20): You are up for an entire change of lifestyle and cleansing of the critic who plagues you. Your career is becoming unworkable in your life, so a new education is on the horizon. If you accept these changes as positive, your ego will not feel so pounded by the…

Vivian Carol

Charlotte’s new power base

Tara’s taking a break this week (she’ll be back next issue), so we’re running a column we ran nearly one year ago — which touches on race, voting and Judge Bill Belk. As of deadline, it was still the biggest untold story in Charlotte. It is a story of shifting political power here of such…

Riesling revival: It’s one versatile grape

People “say” red wines match better with fall weather, but that’s bunk. Riesling, the adaptable, comforting father of white wines, can be all weather, all things to all people, anywhere and everywhere. And it’s finally experiencing a well-deserved renaissance across the country — as quite possibly the world’s most perfect white. Snubbed almost as often…

Taylor Eason

Black as a ghost in The Woman in Black

Do newer generations of theatergoers thrill to the promise of suspense? For those of you accustomed to consuming horror in its new millennium manifestations — complex and conflicted vampires, 3D monsters and aliens zooming at you relentlessly in widescreen and video games — the simpler, subtler style of The Woman in Black, now at Theatre…

Perry Tannenbaum

Wings of Desire among new DVD reviews

CHERI (2009). Michelle Pfeiffer has been excellent in all manner of movies, but in such period pieces as The Age of Innocence and Dangerous Liaisons, she has proven to be especially memorable, ably portraying passionate yet stifled women who find themselves as constricted by the mores of society as by the corsets they don under…

Matt Brunson

Davidson’s Tartuffe fit for a Sun King

New rule: if the Davidson College Theatre Department produces a comedy by Moliere, be sure to head up I-77 and see it. Doesn’t matter who directs or where on campus it is staged. They did Scapin nearly two years ago in a recital hall at the Music Center, directed by former CL Theaterperson of the…

Perry Tannenbaum

This Is It: The Music Man

A sadness permeates the opening moments in the behind-the-scenes piece This Is It, but it has nothing to do with Michael Jackson’s death. Instead, the sequence — filmed, like the rest of the movie, while Jackson was very much alive — centers on the talented young dancers and singers who auditioned to be a part…

Matt Brunson

The tortured logic continues

“Extraordinary rendition” is White House-speak for kidnapping. Just ask Maher Arar. He’s a Canadian citizen who was “rendered” by the U.S. to Syria, where he was tortured for almost a year. Just this week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in New York City, dismissed Arar’s case against the government officials (including…

Amy Goodman

Trini and Cuban spots show their stuff

Although over 7,000 islands create the group of landforms which comprise the Caribbean, most people have a tendency to lump the cuisines in the same pot. But each Caribbean nation developed a cuisine dependent on its local food sources and history: the mix of immigrants and indigenous people. Nowhere is this more true than the…

Tricia Childress

DANCE: Innovative Works

North Carolina Dance Theatre’s Innovative Works show gets dancers on their toes to show off the fancy footwork that they’ve become skilled in. At the show — which will feature past selections like Mark Diamond’s “There Again, Not Slowly,” and Dwight Rhoden’s “Moody Booty Blues,” and Uri Sand’s “Tearing for a Cure” — two new…

Anita Overcash

Cirque du Freak: Engaging but overstuffed

Based on a series of books for kids, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant would seem to be aimed at either those young viewers with an affinity for the Twilight franchise or perhaps at those young viewers seeking an alternative to the adventures of Bella and Edward. Either way, this PG-13 confection would seem to…

Matt Brunson

SPECIAL EVENT: Paranormal Investigators Convention

Though some of us may be skeptical about the existence of ghosts, others are lurking with “evidence” to support the paranormal. The popular new horror flick Paranormal Activity gives folks a fictitious taste of the topic at hand, but to get even closer to the other side is hard work. During the Paranormal Investigators Convention,…

Anita Overcash

Amelia has trouble getting airborne

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 its…

Matt Brunson

FESTIVAL: 6th Annual ScanFest of the Carolinas

Don’t get the wrong idea. Though there is a “Viking Village” at the 6th Annual ScanFest of the Carolinas, it’s not filled with ruthless brutes. Instead, the fest gives folks the opportunity to check out cultural displays on Scandinavian countries (that’s Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Finland), traditional Scandinavian dancing performances, and more. Authentic Scandinavian…

Anita Overcash

Tailgating better than game

OK, can we please stop bitching about how much the Panthers suck, and suck it up? Truthfully, it’s more about the gathering than the game anyway. If you are not employed by the team, or didn’t bet on the game, why are you so upset? Whether you were at the game, or watching from home…

BENEFIT: Runway for the Ballet

When it comes to The Third Annual Runway for the Ballet, think Project Runway meets So You Think You Can Dance, but for a good cause. This event is a fashion and dance affair benefiting North Carolina Dance Theatre and will exclusively feature fashions from boutiques Black & Blue, EMartini, Scout and Molly’s, and ChezElle…

Marian Drayton

Pete Yorn fueled by new band, albums

Pete Yorn is calling in from Madison, Wis., during a recent stop on his current tour. The “nasty cold” he picked up somewhere on the road gives him the occasional cough, but does little to dampen the enthusiasm he has for performing these days. Aside from the new duets album, Break Up, that was released…

Jeff Hahne

MUSIC: Rakim

Rakim. Stating that name around any true hip-hop head is bound to incite a “nuff said” moment. The legendary rapper is, after all, in the No. 1 spot on, like, everybody’s “Greatest MCs of All Time” list. So, if you claim to love any of the five elements, be sure to have your ass in…

Carlton Hargro

Ramonesfest hits Snug

RockabillyBabe.com, the same promoter behind the Rockabilly BBQ, is bringing its latest production to Snug Harbor. There’s no barbecue for this event — it’s just good ole fashioned rock. Ramonesfest ’09 will take place on Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. and feature a handful of bands performing the music of the legendary band The Ramones.…

Jeff Hahne

THEATER: South Pacific

Things are about to get hot in performances of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s award-winning musical South Pacific at Belk Theater. The strong tides of World War II pose danger to the blossoming romances between two couples: Nellie Forbush, a U.S. Navy nurse and Emile de Becque, a French plantation owner and Joe Cable, a…

Anita Overcash

CD Review: Wolfmother’s Cosmic Egg

The Deal: Grammy-winnning Aussie rockers return with new lineup for long-awaited sophomore album. The Good: After two of the three members of Wolfmother jumped ship, singer/guitarist Andrew Stockdale promised to keep the monicker going. It may have taken four years after the band’s debut, but Wolfmother has released its follow-up and the energy of the…

Jeff Hahne

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