When Stupidities Collide
As the touring version of The Producers enters its second week at Ovens Auditorium, sparking a wildfire of word-of-mouth enthusiasm, we now know something that many avid theatergoers haven’t realized up on Broadway. The show’s unprecedented success — boffo box office and 12 Tony Awards — wasn’t merely a byproduct of Nathan Lane and Matthew…
Holiday Dispirit
If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself. That advice apparently wasn’t lost on Japanese director Takashi Shimizu, who agreed to helm the American remake of his wildly popular scarefest Ju-On: The Grudge. With The Grudge, Shimizu avoids the mistake of George Sluizer, who made the terrific Dutch thriller The Vanishing and…
“He’s over there defending Halliburton,”
says Jeffrey Harper of Georgia’s Paulding County, west of Atlanta. We ran into him at a church service in Alligator Point, Fla. The war is a political watershed for Southerners. Whether for or against, both sides claim to be patriots. Jeffrey Harper: “My daughter Tonya is a schoolteacher in [an Atlanta suburb in] Cobb County.…
The Microsoft of Baseball
Three years ago, as the nation grappled with the lingering horror of the terrorist attacks, the New York Yankees, for a brief moment, became America’s team. The Yankees have always been equally loathed and loved but, as New York reeled from the atrocities of 9/11, many longtime Yankee-haters embraced the city’s most famous baseball export…
The Talking Cure
French director Patrice Leconte’s previous film, Man On the Train, was about an unlikely, serendipitous relationship between two opposites. French pop icon Johnny Hallyday played a career criminal and Jean Rochefort an excitement-starved aristocrat whose paths crossed in a provincial village. Leconte suggested that friendships could develop despite the unlikeliest conditions, as both men tried…
“We’re tired of the racial profiling,”
says Hispanic rights activist Boanca Rojas, who we met at a rally in Doraville, Ga. Race and the South are inevitably entwined. But it’s no longer 1950. Rojas and Duluth, Ga., Muslim political organizer Halid Rashid point to new racial and religious fault lines. Boanca Rojas: “We build your roads. We pick food in South…
Arts Agenda
Classical Music Carolina Pro Musica Concert features works by Telemann, Roman, Bach, and Buxtehude. www.carolinapromusica.org. Fri., Oct. 29, 8:15 p.m. $7.50-$15. St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 1510 E. 7th St. 704-334-3468. Charlotte Chamber Singers Repertoire includes music by Hovland, Hogan, Gardner, Costantini, Este, and Mulholland. Belk Chapel. Wed., Oct. 27, 8 p.m. Free. Queens University, 1900…
View From The Couch
DAWN OF THE DEAD (2004). George Romero’s seminal horror film from 1968, the zombie classic Night of the Living Dead, didn’t exactly cry out for a remake, but that didn’t stop filmmakers (including Romero himself) from releasing a dreadful new version in 1990. The same goes for 1974’s influential The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which suffered…
“High school football in Alabama … speaks for itself”
Nothing gets Southerners more worked up than high school football — and that’s doubly so in Alabama. We attended Tuscaloosa County High School’s homecoming game against Birmingham’s Shades Valley High. It was a 36-29 squeaker for the home team. Jaime Thompson, wife of Tuscaloosa receivers’ coach Price Thompson: “This is a pretty big event, homecoming…
Dosa Do
A small neon sign spreads Udipi out into the night from the busy stretch of University City Boulevard across the street from the campus of UNCC. Either Udipi has become synonymous with vegetarian cuisine in the green circles or the owners of this restaurant have credited Charlotteans with knowing a whole lot about world geography.…
Film Clips
NEW RELEASES AROUND THE BEND Product placement in a summer or holiday blockbuster is nothing new, but what on earth compelled Kentucky Fried Chicken to partner with writer-director Jordan Roberts for his low-budget debut feature? It certainly wasn’t to attach itself to a quality flick — on the contrary, this family drama is sooo dull…
“I don’t want my son to be a cop”
T.J. Donnelly is a sergeant in the Clearwater, Fla., Police Department. He has a wife and two boys, 14 and 8 years old. T.J. Donnelly: “I’m just coming from court. A ridiculous case of a pedophile hanging around a kid’s home. We trespassed him. The lawyer called me a jerk. First time I’ve ever lost…
Fireside Chat
Now that the leaves signal us with their last display and the nightly chill begins to drive us from the patios, decks and rooftops, we start looking around for those cozy spots where we can warm our feet as well as our bellies. Old houses, some historic, have long served as Charlotte’s spots to dine…
Voices of the South
We were speeding east along Interstate 40, maybe an hour out of Nashville, with tendrils of a tropical storm crawling up our motor-home’s tailpipe — when I saw the ghosts. The just-shy-of-a-hurricane storm was turning an afternoon sun into a crazy pulsating orange sky-blister whose glow transformed landscapes into eerie dreamscapes. As photographer Jim Stawniak…
“An insanely conservative town”
In Oxford, Miss., there were plenty of Ole Miss students gathered in bars Sept. 30, the night of the first presidential debate. And, almost every bar had a TV set tuned into the debate. But we had a hard time finding someone actually paying attention to John Kerry and George Bush — until we found…
Worthy Of A Salute
For some, the road to becoming an executive chef is a long one. For others, like Michael Bailey of Salute Ristorante, the position arrived sooner than he ever imagined. Originally from New Jersey, Bailey grew up with food as the centerpiece of his Italian family, but it took him approximately two decades to realize his…
“Where’s the business gone to?”
River Bill — the only name he’ll give — lives on his open boat near where the Mississippi River garbage barges dock at Helena, Ark. Left high and dry by a broken outboard motor, he just bides his time hoping for a better tomorrow. “The people are good here,” he says. And that’s pretty much…
“You got to talk politics”
If you don’t believe religion and politics can mix, visit the volunteer fire department in Sardis, Miss. Here’s how the conversation went one afternoon last month, from the jovial to the serious. Presbyterian minister the Rev. David Smith drives up, and custom furniture builder Harry “Squeaky” Warner allows, “He’ll run you over if he thinks…
Sweet On The Yellow White & Orange
Have you bought your stash of Halloween candy for the hobgoblins that will knock on your door this weekend? If you’re like me, you buy your favorite candy, hoping that it rains too hard for the little devils to come out. One candy that’s been a Halloween staple for over 100 years is the ubiquitous…
“When the mills closed, for many families it was total destruction,”
says Gwen Dellinger, a social worker in Rome, Ga., whose job is to help repair a little of the devastation. If there’s one overriding, red-hot, “I get so mad I need a drink of sweet tea” issue in the South, it’s jobs. Factories are shuttered from North Carolina to Arkansas. Empty stores and closed restaurants…
“Half of them might vote for Bush, half might not,”
says Joey Smith, who works at the Gateway Tire Center in Corinth, Miss. Smith was talking about his co-workers, but his sentiments about sum up the South. Here’s a scattering of what we heard. Dennis Machado, Smith’s colleague at Gateway: “I’m voting for “none of the above.'” Jennifer Perry, a waitress at Sarge’s Shack, Pulaski,…
Mellow Out With Marshmallows
I owned a Snoopy lunchbox in the first grade. I remember its contents like it was yesterday: bologna sandwich on white; a waxy, Red Delicious apple from Acme; and the highlight of my meal, a surprise snack food item. The worst thing you could do to my lunch was throw in a scooter pie. Also…
“The money stays right in the casino,”
says our Mississippi dancing friend Kayla, adding, “They say casinos bring in a lot of money, but you don’t see that money out here where most people live.” In the South, there are two ubiquitous monuments to a new economy, Wal-Marts and casinos. Both get, at best, mixed reviews. Near Biloxi, Miss., stands Beauvoir, the…
The Homecoming
With the world watching anxiously, and often with horror, Americans have flailed and fumbled our way to the end of one of the most critical presidential campaigns in the nation’s history. Apparently the strategy was to bury the electorate under such a landslide of irrelevancy, mischief and misdirection that bewildered voters would slip into mental…
Pour Some Sugar on Me
Since America’s larders and bellies are chock-full of Coke, Pop Tarts and Hostess Cakes, it’s no secret we’re sugar-obsessed. But for some reason we delude ourselves into thinking that we enjoy “dry” wine. That’s a joke … since most winemakers snicker behind our backs when we ask for a dry wine, and then we cringe…
“We’re getting killed by imports”
In one little office off of one little dock in the little village of St. Marys, Ga., the entire story of Southeastern commercial fishing is embodied in Calvin Lang. He proudly displays photo albums that show the growth and demise of his fleet over more than five decades. Calvin Lang: “I bought my first shrimp…
From Boring To Info-Comedy
I’ll say it. What most communities call “government television” is boring stuff. Lots of talking heads, elected officials with “propaganda” programs, and scintillating shows about storm drains and where to get flu shots. (Whoops, that one was last year.) Municipalities often ask for a cable channel as a condition of that cable company getting a…
The Blotter
DRUGS FOR DINNER: A woman reported that while enjoying dinner and drinks with two male “friends” at a downtown restaurant, her dining companions drugged her and stole her purse. The drugged diner also reported that she couldn’t recall any details about the two men because whatever foreign substance they slipped in her drink wiped out…
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…
“If they raise taxes again, it’ll break us”
Say what you want about wars and presidential elections. What really gets people riled are local issues, especially taxes. On a September evening in Holly Springs, Miss., the town square was crowded with citizens angry at their city and county officials for planning to hike local property taxes from $5.2 million to $6.5 million. Ben…
Gang Rape and the Governor
Three weeks ago, seven men were charged with gang raping a woman in Huntersville. Most people probably don’t associate Governor Mike Easley and the Division of Motor Vehicles with the crime, but there is a connection. All seven men charged in the rape have two critical things in common. All are illegal aliens. And all…
Get Ready to Rumble
With the Presidential election less than a week away, the Bush campaign continues to pound its foreboding message of “Don’t Change Horsemen in Mid-Apocalypse (Even Though We Initiated Said Apocalypse)” into the furrowed brows of potential voters everywhere. Regardless of who wins in November, it’s certain that the America we know will change. And contrary…
Get Your Freak On
Is there any holiday more rock & roll than Halloween? Artists like the New York Dolls, Ziggy-Era Bowie, Madonna, and even newer acts like Clinic and the Flaming Lips enjoy playing dress up on stage — and often off it as well. Naturally, with All Hallow’s Eve upon us, one great way to avoid being…
“I don’t think we should forget”
Some folks have a message — and they take an unusual way to express it. There are acres and acres of fields in the South, just perfect for making statements. Frank Gurley of Marks, Miss., for example, filled a huge field with a replica of a frontier fort, a sailing ship, a dinosaur, a Statue…
Going, Going, Gone
Urban living is cool and chic, and developers, like sharks after new blood, smell money. They invest in old buildings and create new ones that match the scale of the urban context, and there’s a whole new shoal of young professionals and empty-nesters ready to bite the bait. As an urban designer, it’s a pleasure…
Word On The Street
Paul Thornton Gym Manager “Definitely Ballantine. He’s got a look on his face like a baby sitting on a hotplate.” Chante Dodson Tax Attorney “I like him, but it’s gotta be Bowles. I mean, look up “pencil-neck geek’ in the dictionary, and there’s his picture.” Mary Cannon Librarian “Ballantine reminds me of this little bug-eyed…
Yonder Fills the Void
With Widespread Panic on hiatus and Phish calling it quits, jam band fans have been left wandering aimlessly through the proverbial pre-show parking lot. Many fans have finally found a new direction, taking a grassy turn toward bands like The Stringcheese Incident, Railroad Earth and New Monsoon. Yonder Mountain String Band is another group that…
“If I had to do it again, I’d probably marry a woman,”
says Morris Williams, who, we should quickly note, 20 years ago did marry a woman — his wife, Becky. They run a country store near Lawrenceburg, Tenn. Morris Williams: “There’s been a lot of complaining about gays. Gay marriage doesn’t threaten me.” Williams’ comments were dittoed just about everywhere we went. When asked what were…
Letters
The Racial Divide Regarding “Oil and Water” by Tara Servatius (Oct. 20), Ms. Servatius just scratches the surface of the real problem here: white privilege. I was recently laid off from Microsoft after being a top performer. Why? They say they need to decrease the head count because call volume isn’t high enough. If that’s…
See & Do
OCTOBER 27 – WEDNESDAYThe Charlotte Bobcats, the city’s new NBA team everyone is enthralled by and excited about (ahem), take on the Atlanta Hawks at the Charlotte Coliseum at 7:30pm. The Bobcats will more than likely have their butts handed to them, but hey, it’s their first year so what do you expect? Individual tickets…
New Year’s With the Avetts
New Year’s Eve shows tend to be a little more memorable, and the recently announced Avett Brothers bash at Neighborhood Theatre this year should be no exception. Responsible for the only two Neighborhood Theatre sellouts, the Avetts are also taking this opportunity to make the date another CD release party — this one a live…
“This church stands for values”
The South goes to church, and there’s plenty of them, from small country clapboard chapels to giant sanctuaries in the cities. Here’s a few words from three congregations. At the Northside Baptist Church in Charlotte, we find: Harvey Gouch, real estate investor, church member for 43 years: “This church stands for values. We’re against abortion,…
News of the Weird
Bad week for barnyard animals: Austin Gullette, 45, was arrested Aug. 31 in West Monroe, La., after his sister caught him allegedly having sex with one of her three pigs. (A sheriff’s official in the West Monroe case said he had never before, in his 29-year career, seen a case of a man having sex…
Ask the Advice Goddess
The Taming Of The Spew My husband is a great guy. He loves our child, he’s a good provider and I know he cares deeply for me. He just can’t seem to pay attention when I start speaking of my emotional needs — concerns about money, career and what the world is coming to; and…
Sit & Spin
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus Mute Nick Cave — the black-clad, cigarette-sucking Dark Prince of goth-carny balladry seated at the right hand of the King, Tom Waits — is David Johansen with ideas, Elvis Costello with a crack habit, Bryan Ferry with a (more pronounced?) taste for S&M. Equal…
“I’ll try to rebuild if I can”
Vero Beach, Fla., like much of the state, took multiple hits from hurricanes. We met retired St. Louis ironworker John Mason at his damaged but still standing mobile home. He was surveying the devastation with two fishing buddies, Richard and Myra Greenfield, transplants from Long Island. John Mason, pointing with a broom: “It really doesn’t…
Udipi Pure Vegetarian Cuisine
Dosa Do Veg out at university area restaurantA small neon sign spreads Udipi out into the night from the busy stretch of University City Boulevard across the street from the campus of UNCC. Either Udipi has become synonymous with vegetarian cuisine in the green circles or the owners of this restaurant have credited Charlotteans with…
Stargazer
For All Signs We have just completed an 18-month series of eclipses. The cosmic message emphasized equality, egalitarianism, and fair play in everything, including budgets. Now we embark upon the week of a major election. It is my opinion that the current administration will lose. 1) On the whole, it has not respected the natural…
Music Menu
WEDNESDAY 10.27 By Divine Right — This Canadian quartet authored one of this year’s more, well, confusing discs, Sweet Confusion, with riff-laden guitar-swagger that would have sounded right at home in 1974. Confusing because leader Jose Contreras drifts between garage-y pop (ala Sloan — good) and an overwrought blues sound recalling the likes of, say,…
“Perfectly rational human beings become lunatics over water,”
says Honey Rand, a Tampa consultant, who has fought the H2O wars from California to, most recently, North Georgia. The environment and urban sprawl are concerns in every state we visited. Honey Rand: “Tomorrow we expect five inches of rain here from [Hurricane] Jeanne. And what did I notice when I left my house? One…
Priceless Muse
Eighteen years ago, Helga Testorf was revealed to the world. She was his model, his secret, and the keeper of his secret. By 1985, Andrew Wyeth had painted this woman — obsessively and compassionately — for 15 years. Fifteen years of sitting, standing, walking and sleeping in front of a man who scribbled, stared, wrestled…
Soundboard
Wednesday, Oct. 27 Breakfast Club DJ Boney B Bricktop Lounge DJ Christian and Brigmunton Buckhead Saloon Mission 19 Comet Grill Open Mic w/ Bill McDonald Double Door Inn Ras Majuka & Farfalla The Evening Muse Oktbrwrld The Gin Mill Wizard’s Road Show Lava Java Open Mic w/ Sam Midtown 51 Roy Daye Midtown, Harris Blvd…
“Move in, move up, move out”
Miami Mayor Manny Diaz is ecstatic that his city is No. 5. “Oh, no, we don’t want to be No. 1,” Diaz quips. For years, Miami has been ranked the poorest city in the nation. But in a recent update, Cleveland moved into the top-bottom spot, and Miami fell — or rose — to fifth.…
