Nov 30 – Dec 6, 2010

Nov 30 - Dec 6, 2010 / Vol. 24 / No. 40

Jingle your bells for domestic violence victims programs

The annual Jingle Bell Ball is a semi-formal event with music, a silent auction and hors d’oeuvres catered by Blue Restaurant and will be held Friday, Dec. 10. It’s also a way to do some good, since the funds raised from ticket sales benefit United Family Services’ domestic violence programs and The Shelter for Battered…

Web Editor

Celebrities sing “Let It Be”

So, a whole bunch of celebrities got together to sing/lip synch “Let It Be” for a Norwegian television show called Gylne Tider. The problem is that some of the celebrities are coming out and saying they thought it was done for charity, and not to promote a TV show. Either way, it’s quite an eclectic…

Jeff Hahne

CMS trip: No tax money used, BUT …

Remember a few weeks ago when CMS Supt. Gorman took around a dozen folks to New York City to pick up an award? CMS was runner-up to a Georgia school district for the 2010 Broad Prize for Urban Education. At the time, we wrote that it seemed excessive to take so many people to New…

John Grooms

Bit of hope for progressives from Obama

It’s no secret that progressives aren’t thrilled so far with the Obama administration. Leave Iraq? Not really. Throw crooked bankers in jail? No. Waste lives and money in Afghanistan? Yes. Massive New Deal-style jobs programs? In your dreams. Public option included in health care reform? Nope. And on and on and on. But now and…

John Grooms

Black & Blue hosts charity to benefit Project Halo

The best gift of all is to give to one in need. This holiday season, why not give to a four- legged friend? Black & Blue is partnering with Project Halo to check off some wish list necessities for Christmas. Now it’s your turn to give back! Bring in an item or monetary donation ($10…

Lauren Blake

Study shows high profits, low grad rates at private, for-profit colleges

For years now, true believers in the unrestricted Free Market God — almighty, all-seeing, all-knowing, and, of course, self-correcting (ahem) — have griped about public higher education. The graduation rates are too low at public colleges, they say;  public universities are wasteful; let private, for-profit schools handle higher education, since no government can do anything…

John Grooms

The dreaded holiday crowd

Starting Thanksgiving weekend and going through New Year’s, the holiday crowd completely changes the dynamic of Charlotte’s party scene.

Mike McCray

Extremist Randall Terry meets with John Boehner’s staff

What would you say if you found out that, while she was Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi directed her chief of staff to meet with a political extremist who has supported violence against those he disagrees with — an activist who, in fact, predicts “violent convulsions” if his group’s demands aren’t met? Would you…

John Grooms

End of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell may be in sight

This week could mark the beginning of the end for Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) in the U.S. military. The Pentagon will release a report this afternoon that, according to early reports, will show that the vast majority of troops (70 percent of soldiers under 30) either are in favor of repealing DADT or don’t…

John Grooms

Lady Gaga exalts new release

Lady Gaga told fans at a concert on Friday that her new release, Born This Way, would be the greatest album of the decade. To that, I say, “Ease up there, Ms. Kanye…” Sure, Kanye West often says he’s the greatest of all time and lets his ego do the talking, but there are a…

Jeff Hahne

Is semen an antidepressant?

In your 2002 column on the synchrony of female menstruation, the person asking the question mentioned having heard that sperm acts as an antidepressant. I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind putting your take on it out there. — Izra, Florida Sperm makes a woman happier? What male genius thought that one up? I’ll provide…

Cecil Adams

EXHIBIT: Progeny Two

According to the folks at the Harvey Gantt Center, the ongoing exhibit Progeny Two “highlights the impact of family, history, and memory on the processes of artistic production.” The show combines the talents of two mothers, Deborah Willis and Fo Wilson, and their two sons, Hank Willis Thomas and Dayo Harewood, and features works of…

Carlton Hargro

Weekly horoscope (Dec. 1-7)

Sagittarius The Archer (Nov. 22-Dec. 20) Your problem is whether to expand or hold onto what you have. If you have met your obligations and made preparation for the expansion, then begin with caution. If this is a brand-new idea, prepare and gather information, but don’t leap until 2011. For All Signs: Hanukkah begins on…

Vivian Carol

War on corruption returns to N.C.?

I got a ticket once for an illegal left turn in a part of town I’d never traveled through before. A bush had almost completely grown over a “no left turn” sign, and I didn’t see it. The cop who set up a trap there knew the sign was barely visible, and even admitted it…

Capsule reviews of films playing the week of Dec. 1

DESPICABLE ME When James Stewart offers to lasso the moon for Donna Reed in Frank Capra’s classic It’s a Wonderful Life, it’s purely a romantic gesture. When Gru (Steve Carell), the star of the 3-D opus Despicable Me, plots to shrink the moon to a size small enough so that he can make off with…

Matt Brunson

MUSIC: Find Your Muse open mic at The Evening Muse

It’s Find Your Muse open mic night at The Evening Muse this and every Monday. Musicians, grab up your music gear and head over to perform one of your own creations in front of a crowd. No one can guarantee they’ll be liked, but constructive criticism is always helpful! Get there early to snag a…

Anita Overcash

Burlesque: Cher and share alike

Surely no one out there really believes that tired line about film critics wanting to hate whatever pictures they catch on the job? On the contrary, like everyone else, reviewers want to be entertained, enchanted and even educated for those two hours in the dark. Admittedly, though, there’s that occasional rare flick that — whether…

Matt Brunson

BENEFIT: 22nd Annual Second String Santa Holiday Party

‘Tis the season to be jolly, and you most certainly can during the 22nd Annual Second String Santa Holiday Party. This event — which collects toys for needy children — features complimentary drinks (beer, wine and soft drinks) and appetizers, as well as a cash bar with cocktails. Bring an unwrapped gift and get in…

Anita Overcash

Bigger, stronger, Faster

Like most of our macho movie he-men, Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) makes up in low-simmering charm what he lacks in genuine acting chops. At his best gently mocking his own tough-guy image (Be Cool, Get Smart) and at his worst pandering to family audiences (The Game Plan, Tooth Fairy), Johnson has lately gotten away…

Matt Brunson

COMEDY: Craig Shoemaker

Comedian Craig Shoemaker, aka “The Lovemaster,” believes laughter is the best medicine of all. He’s even the founder of a charity called Laughter Heals. Needless to say, he thrives on being funny, and given that he’s starred on numerous comedy shows like Comic Relief and Comedy Central Presents, he must be doing something right. Do…

Anita Overcash

Where to find it: Rice For Paella

Cooking authentic-styled paella requires both the right rice and the proper pan. The pan is not the high-end variety seen in nicer cook shops, but a handled flat pan made of tin steel with a dimpled surface. If you travel to Spain and visit any large department store, you will find a section devoted to…

Tricia Childress

Charlotte recognizes World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day — which kicks off Wednesday, Dec. 1 — was created by the World Health Organization and the United Nations General Assembly in 1988 to remember those who have died and to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. And although a lot of the stigma attached to being HIV-positive has been removed through the consistent…

Nsenga Burton

PURE offers mas tacos in Matthews

Imagining a modern gas station as a building of architectural value is difficult since few have any aesthetic appeal. But during the 1920s, innovative and gimmicky designs were plentiful. PURE taqueria started life in an old Pure Oil gas station in Alpharetta, Ga., in 2006 by veteran Atlanta-area restaurateurs Chris and Michele Sedgwick (a graduate…

Tricia Childress

Nightlife profile: Rhonda Mayo

Rhonda Mayo wants you to think of her as an event planner, not a promoter. “I think it puts you in a box,” she says. “Being an event planner/marketing consultant is more general and leaves you open to offer more services.” And with her company Talk of the Town, which she has co-owned with Tonya…

Kimberly Lawson

3 questions with Jason Niec, wine bar owner

When asked what his favorite wine is, Jason Niec proudly says he loves a “big bold California Cabernet Sauvignon,” but adds that it is difficult to choose just one. Niec didn’t always know about wine; in fact, once upon a time he was just your regular social worker. It was in his pursuit of a…

Victoria Creasy

The health-insurance industry’s vendetta against Michael Moore

Michael Moore, the Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker, makes great movies, but they are not generally considered “cliffhangers.” All that might change, since revelations made by a whistleblower on “Democracy Now!” news hour that health-insurance executives thought they may have to implement a plan “to push Moore off a cliff.” The whistleblower: Wendell Potter, the former chief…

Amy Goodman

Lelia Broussard gets help from fans to release new album

What better way for fans to show their support of an artist than by getting directly involved in the funding of an album? No need for labels, just let your fans donate to the cause and give them a little something in return. That’s the way that singer-songwriter Lelia Broussard was able to record and…

Jeff Hahne

CL previews upcoming concerts (Dec. 1-7)

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 1 SICK PUPPIES The Australian rock trio plays some pretty generic, radio-friendly stuff, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hold its own when it comes to putting on a show. Keep an eye on bassist Emma Anzai, too — not just because she’s attractive, but because she can hammer a mean bass riff…

Art Pope’s conservative crusade

Charlotteans, as a rule, don’t follow the ins and outs of the General Assembly in Raleigh. That is surprising, since Raleigh controls most of the available money for two things that are always on Charlotte’s collective mind: roads and schools. With a new GOP majority in the General Assembly and a new House Speaker from…

Comic Review: Scalped No. 43

The Deal: It’s the latest issue of Vertigo’s Native American crime comic — chronicling the ongoing machinations of mobsters, gangsters and crooked cops on an Indian reservation. This issue is a stand-alone, done-in-one tale that throws the spotlight on scumbag Sheriff Wooster T. Karnow. The Good: I haven’t picked up an issue of Scalped in…

Carlton Hargro

Why is N.C. afraid of midwives?

Charlotte resident Salina Beasley was sewing black-and-white bedding for her daughter’s room when her first contraction hit. It was 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 4. She was home with her 1-year-old son, Salem, and her mother, who’d traveled from Orlando to help manage once the new baby arrived. Her husband, Clark, was due back in…

Paula M. White

Starving Artists cooks up The Birth again

In his fifth season of presenting his stage adaptation of Frederick Buechner’s The Birth, Nathan Rouse has plenty to celebrate. The Yuletide presentation has steadily grown in size, adding music and new audience along the way — despite swapping out the usual jollity, sentimentality and fabricated Santy Claus miracles for a simpler, contemplative dramatization of…

Perry Tannenbaum

MUSIC: Trans-Siberian Orchestra at Time Warner Cable Arena

The powers of rock ‘n’ roll, lights and pyrotechnics combined with a holiday twist is what has made The Trans-Siberian Orchestra into a worldwide sensation. Comprised of a stream of talented multiple instrumentalists and singers, the group — recently named by Billboard as one of the “25 Top Touring Artists of the Decade” — makes…

Anita Overcash

Exhibit: Holiday Group Exhibition

In its new exhibit, Lark & Key Gallery (Southend location) showcases its regular stream of whimsical artists — Duy Huynh, Charlotte Foust and Anna Jaap — in addition to Kathe Fraga and Honora Jacob (responsible for the pictured “Enigma”). The exhibit opens on Dec. 1 and will celebrate with a reception on Dec. 3 from…

Anita Overcash

WGIV changes formats and business models — but will it succeed?

  Charlotte’s WGIV (103.3 FM and 1370 AM) isn’t like the city’s other urban radio stations. For one thing, the station — which has been operating for more than 60 years and formerly had an all-gospel format — is independently owned, while others like WPEG (97.9 FM) and WQNC (92.7) are controlled by large corporate…

Cheris Hodges

Exhibit: Progeny Two

According to the folks at the Harvey Gantt Center, this exhibit “highlights the impact of family, history, and memory on the processes of artistic production.” The show combines the talents of mothers Deborah Willis and Fo Wilson and their sons Hank Willis Thomas and Dayo Harewood, and features works of photography, film and other media.…

Carlton Hargro

SPECIAL EVENT: Palate to Palette 2010

Wine and cheese … boring! Well, really alcohol’s great with pretty much anything, but it’s even better with art. During The McColl Center for Visual Art’s Palate to Palette 2010: A Wine and Art Pairing Event, six different wines await you, in addition to art by six local and national artists, food, a live performance…

Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files

So Meaty: Employees at a local supermarket called police after a man was caught shoplifting. One witness told officers that she watched the suspect walk into the store and start stuffing meat into his pants in plain view. When the employee approached the suspect and asked him to please stop and place all the meat…

Ryan Pitkin

SPORTS: Charlotte Speed Demons

In the past few years, women’s flat track roller derby has become a sensation across the states. The action-packed sport draws crowds to sit mesmerized at fast-moving skaters who are prepared to bust a move (or hard hit) for a rush of increased speed and a spin of glory around the rink. That being said,…

Anita Overcash

Recent

See all

Gift this article