Today’s Top 5: Monday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Sept. 7, 2009 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Find Your Muse open mic at The Evening Muse • Charlotte Labor Day Parade Uptown • Speak A Latte at PJ’s Coffee & Lounge • The Monday…
Sale at Peek-A-Boo Couture
Head out to the Dilworth children’s store this weekend and take 25 percent off your entire purchase. Good stuff! 1315 East Blvd. 704-332-5338 www.peekaboocharlotte.com
Upcoming: Charlotte North Carolina Fashion Week
The Queen City may be known for its conservative suits and banker types, but if you hit up the right spots, you’ll definitely stumble upon some classy fashionistas and stylish studs. Don’t believe Charlotte has fashion in its belly? Then you should check out Charlotte North Carolina Fashion Week, an event for emerging designers, boutiques,…
Robot Johnson’s gig at CAST
Sketch comedy troupe Robot Johnson will perform at Carolina Actors Studio Theatre on Saturday.
New exhibit at Lark & Key
Lark & Key Gallery’s newest exhibit, titled New Works from Angie Renfro and featured potter Amy Sanders, will have its opening reception tonight.
New name, same stuff
I’m ready for Charlotte to bring sex out of the back alleys and neighborhood that are in need of urban renewal.
Tarsha
plug: “My new album coming in 2010.”
Run for the hills – it’s SuperObama!
No president has magical powers that threaten to turn our children into socialist drones overnight, like some kind of reverse superhero.
Take a look, it’s in a book …
Reading is so cool it warrants its own festival.
Summer movie wrap
A look at the season’s hits and misses.
10-in-10 CD reviews
Each Friday, we bring you 10 CD reviews done in 10 words each.
Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg: First Lady of TV
Before Lucy, there was Molly.
Concert announcement: Neko Case
Neko Case will perform at the Knight Theatre on Nov. 18. No word on when tickets will go on sale.
Sex news roundup: Friday
Here’s a look at the sex headlines floating around the Internet today.
Denimpulse Purchases: Styling, Accessorizing, & Recycling
Now that you’ve learned how to find the perfect fitting jeans, it’s time to dig deeper. Sure, your jeans fit, but are they the right jeans for the right occasion? Everyone needs a basic medium wash boot cut, but some desire more. And once you’ve bonded with that favorite pair of jeans and worn it…
Sale of the day: Jesse Norman’s Outdoors
Clothes are 50 percent to 70 percent off. Flip flops and sandals are 30 percent off. Riot boats up to 50 percent off. 14825 John J Delaney Dr # 140 Get Directi 704- 369-5140 www.jessebrown.com
Today’s Top 5: Friday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
The Weekender
Check out these events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area this weekend.
Opening Friday
What’s new in theaters this weekend.
Shake your Buddha
Dharma Lounge opens its doors.
Setting the mood — for football
The right song can get your blood flowing.
Grouchy asshole of the year
We have a winner! Roger Stephens, a 61-year-old white grump from Stone Mountain, Georgia, must have been having a bad day yesterday. It got worse. Stephens went to WalMart and found himself near Sonya Matthews of Grayson, GA, a young black woman, when Ms. Matthews’ 2-year-old girl started crying. Most people would have ignored the…
Gut check time for Obama
So now President Obama will address Congress next week about health care reform. Pardon my French, but it’s about damned time he did something to further what was supposed to be his top priority. His tactic, if it can be called that, of letting Congress figure out the details of health care reform, has created…
Pfizer’s historic settlement
Bad pharmaceutical company.
Today’s Top 5: Thursday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
BofA, Wells Fargo flexing muscle
BofA’s still #1 and Wells Fargo wants out from under the TARP.
Long live the album leak
Getting a listen to an album before it’s released can be energizing.
Today’s Top(less) 5: Thursday
Here are the five best events to get you hot and bothered with or without a date.
Contract extended for Blackwater firm
When will we stop working with “The Shadow Army”?
Getting yourself exposed… I mean, your band
Trading gigs can be worthwhile as long as it’s mutual.
Can environmentalists handle the fight of their lives?
Man-up tree huggers.
Quickie comic review: Sir Edward Grey, Witchfinder: In the Service of Angels No. 3
Inside the latest installment of the Witchfinder limited series, which follows the exploits of Victoria-era paranormal detective Sir Edward Grey
Box Office Top 10
The week’s top moneymakers.
Duke Energy quits right-wing coal group
Here’s some good news regarding Duke Energy. You can gripe all you want, and we do, about the Cliffside plant or the company’s plan to raise rates to pay for a new nuke plant, but give credit where it’s due. The National Journal reports that Duke Energy quit the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity…
Party in Style … literally
Next week is Fashion Week in Charlotte.
Quickie comic review: Justice League: Cry For Justice No. 3
A look at the bthird issue of the JLA-centric limited series starring Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Green Arrow, the Atom and several other DC heroes.
McCain: Help! Slow this thing down!
Sen. John McCain, in Charlotte yesterday with Sens. Richard Burr and Mitch “Turtle” McConnell for an invitation-only GOP health care discussion, said Congress needs to “slow down” in its quest for an improved health care system. But of course he did. McCain is 73 years old — he probably thinks everything should slow down: Congress,…
LEED: Lacking Energy Efficient Details
It’s a label. It’s about marketing. It’s about cashing in on the green movement.
Fraid Knots win again
The Friad Knots dominated the Cockpit Candies, 127-90, during the Aug. 30 match of the Charlotte Roller Girls intraleague season. The final standings for the 2009 intra-league season have the Block’em Sock’em Rollers (2-0) in first, Fraid Knots (1-1) second and Cockpit Candies (0-2) third. The championship round, originally scheduled for Sept. 12, has been…
Vat19.com: Gifts for those who have everything
Vat19.com is a site that sells … uhh … interesting merchandise. It pegs itself as a “purveyor of curiously awesome products.” One fun (yet somewhat stomach-churning) item up for sale is the 5-pound gummy bear. Gummy bear lovers, this baby is equivalent to 1,400 regular-sized gummy bears and packs a mere 12,600 calories (sarcasm on…
Samantha
favorite girly thing: To smell like flowers
What should the county do about public services?
Officials are trying to figure out what to do, and they want to hear from you.
New porn movie TBA: The Freaks of Facebook
When did it become super cool to flaunt your sexuality online — for free?
Concert date change: Blink-182
The Blink-182 concert at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre has been delayed from Oct. 1 to Oct. 6 due to rescheduling. Blink-182 canceled two shows because of the recent death of DJ AM.
Stimulus lobbying disclosure promise still not fulfilled
ProPublica.org is tracking the Obama administration’s transparency promises.
I love the ’80s… but damn!
The ’80s are back with a vengance — but did they ever leave?
Sale of the day: Furniture Solutions
Head out to Furniture Solutions today if you’re looking for something to spruce up the home office, a new entertainment system or anything leather. Their fall sale has begun. 1426 S. Tryon St. 704-332-9555 www.furn-solutions.com
Today’s Top 5: Wednesday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
More sex scandals hit S.C. GOP bigwigs
South Carolina politics just got sexier again. Sort of. On the heels of Gov. Mark Sanford and his Argentinian soulmate, two more S.C. Republican big shots are in political trouble — and one has resigned — because of their sex lives. Yesterday, Michael Rogers of blogActive, a site that has specialized in outing gay politicians…
Today’s Top(less) 5: Wednesday
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, September 2, 2009 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Cheap music at The Evening Muse. • The Original 1/2 price Martini night at Cosmos. •…
EPA: Co2 = bad gas
The EPA may jump ahead of Congress on climate change regulation.
This Week’s DVD Releases
What’s new on disc this week.
Hip-hop needs a shot of youth
I was watching Jay-Z on Real Time with BIll Maher the other night, listening to the legendary rapper chop it up with one of the nation’s foremost political voices and couldn’t help but smile. His appearance on the show, in my mind, was somehow announcing hip hop’s settling down era to the masses. Long gone…
UNC system to lay off 900 admins
Surprise … surprise, surprise.
Tim
alias: BlacKostume passion: Creativity inspiration: “Stuff that I think is wack.” favorite art medium: “Would have to say music.” current city: Charlotte plug: Blackostume.blogspot.com To see more photos by Jasiatic, visit www.createtressphotography.blogspot.com.
Happy (hour) Hump Day!
Wednesdays just got a little happier.
This week’s new releases (9/1/2009)
Here’s a quick rundown of some of this week’s new releases: Black Crowes Before the Frost… Until the Freeze A.A. Bondy When the Devils Loose Drive By Truckers The Fine Print Juliette Lewis Terra Incognita Pitbull Rebelution Rev. Horton Heat Laughin’ and Cryin’ With Andrew W.K. 55 Cadillac Yonder Mountain String Band The Show
The Wal-Mart of Cinema
Regal Entertainment Group is single-handedly destroying art-house cinema in Charlotte.
Chocolate cake
If you hate washing dishes, then you’ll appreciate the simplicity of this chocolate cake recipe — it only requires dirtying up one bowl.
George Will and I in Afghanistan
All right, who sent George Will last week’s Boomer With Attitude column? You know, the one titled “Satellites and drones: How to get out of Afghanistan”? I’d like to know because in today’s Washington Post, conservative columnist George Will — to many observers’ shock and to this writer’s unexpected delight — argues fervently for getting…
Trunk show: Linda Cunningham
6800 Phillips Place Ct # F 704-643-1113 www.coplons.com
McCain’s in town to talk health care
Did you get an invite?
Crazy lady of the month: Mercedes Farquharson
What’s wrong with people?
I meant to come up with this: How to have sex in a Snuggie
You’ve seen the commercials for that blanket with sleeves, known as the Snuggie. Now it comes in “sexy” prints like zebra and leopard. They say you can do anything in a Snuggie. So, does that mean you can have hot, steamy, passionate sex while wrapped up in the fleece blanket? If you follow the Snuggie…
Disney buys Marvel: the buzz
The media’s going batshit over the news that Disney is buying Marvel Entertainment. Here’s a look at just a smidgen of what’s been written so far:
Pop quiz, hotshot — and a list
Two online offerings worth checking out.
Sale of the day: FiFi’s Fine Resale
Summer items at the Cornelius spot are 75 percent off. It’s not too late to grab a cute summer dress! 8301 Magnolia Estates Drive 704-892-7070 www.fifislkn.com
Comedian Matt Davis rolls through town
Comedian Matt D
Today’s Top 5: Tuesday
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today.
Today’s Top(less) 5: Tuesday
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, September 1, 2009 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing. • Watch the balls roll at the Tremont Pool League. • South Of The Border Tuesday at…
The Mad Greek and Lee Garden offer value
Even though Charlotte’s economy seems to be loosening up, wallets have not. Dining for value has become the mantra in 2009. For some restaurateurs, the gastropub is the new light to be followed; others depend on the “stack ’em high, price ’em low” formula: lots of food for not that much money. Greek native Chris…
ART: Contemporary Mosaic Art exhibition at Ciel Gallery
Ciel Gallery’s upcoming Contemporary Mosaic Art 2009 exhibition is set to open on Sept. 4, with a reception from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. The exhibition is juried by mosaic master Giulio Menossi of Udine, Italy, and it features some impressive mosaic works by artists from 18 states in the U.S., as well as others from countries…
Sex and the Queen City
While cities like New York have The Learning Annex to educate us in street smarts, Charlotte has The Better Class. The Better Class offers classes on how to cope with a divorce, the fundamentals of Facebook, how to speak dog, make sushi … and even how to find love. Yes, find love. Writer/director and founder…
FESTIVAL: Festival of India
You don’t have to go all the way to India to celebrate its culture. In fact, Festival of India, held Uptown in the Q.C., offers you a much cheaper alternative. The festival features arts and crafts, music and dancing, exhibits, and of course, authentic cuisine. If you’re like me and you love Indian food, this…
Down wrapping up long tour
Usually when select members of popular bands get together, the label of “supergroup” is quickly thrown around and assumptions are made. In the case of Down, the title has been used, but the band has quickly developed into its own creation. Sure, the names are familiar, but the sound is unique to the group. Comprised…
FESTIVAL: The Charlotte Literary Festival
In its fourth year, The Charlotte Literary Festival — a two-day festival that starts on Sept. 5 — in NoDa gives the community the chance to get involved. Since it offers workshops and panels on health, politics and fianances, as well as “Going Green” and “Social Media,” among other topics, folks are bound to become…
Manifest celebrates 10 years
Manifest Discs is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month with a number of special events. They are planning a sale around the release of the digitally remastered Beatles catalog starting on Sept. 9. Theory of a Deadman had an in-store appearance on Aug. 30 as part of the event, as well. The sales will end…
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 musical 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…
MUSIC: The Cult at Amos’ Southend
Lead singer Ian Astbury’s blood curdling wail may not quite hit the high notes it did in The Cult’s prime time of the ’80s. But his voice remains unmistakable and ably keeps up with guitarist Billy Duffy, who still reaches all known and unknown notes and riffs on the six strings. The band’s last album,…
CL previews upcoming concerts (Sept. 2-8)
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 2 Tosco house party open mic Usually, at an open mic event, musicians get up on stage and take turns “doing their thing.” This monthly event is a bit different – everyone gathers in a big circle and participates at the same time. Doesn’t matter what your talent level is – strum along,…
New light on Copenhagan climate talks
On Sept. 1, the European Union stopped manufacturing and importing incandescent light bulbs. Europeans will now turn to the much more efficient compact fluorescent, halogen and LED (light-emitting diode) bulbs. Incandescents, critics argue, waste up to 95 percent of energy as heat, using only 5 percent for light. The EU hopes to save the equivalent…
SPECIAL EVENT: At the Threshold of Alchemy: An Evening of Poetry and Music with John Amen
Tonight, Carolina Actors Studio Theatre won’t be presenting some witty, experimental theater performance, but it will be having a special show titled At the Threshold of Alchemy: An Evening of Poetry and Music with John Amen. Amen, an author of three collections of poetry, including Christening the Dancer, More of Me Disappears, and At the…
CD Review: Chali 2Na’s Fish Outta Water
The Deal: Founding member of Jurassic 5 releases his debut solo disc. The Good: From the opening words, you immediately recognize that Chali 2na hasn’t changed a bit – that is to say that his flow still grooves in his unique, baritone style. He’s as lyrically strong as ever and gets plenty of help for…
Plotting rather clunky in The Flash: Rebirth No. 4
The Flash: Rebirth No. 4 Published by DC Comics. Written by Geoff Johns. Art by Ethan Van Sciver. The Deal: It’s the latest issue of the limited series that promises to relaunch and revitalize Flash as a character and a franchise — featuring a story by hot-writer-of-the-moment Geoff Johns and drawings by artist Ethan Van…
CD Review: George Thorogood and the Destroyers’ The Dirty Dozen
The Deal: The master blaster slams out 12 gnarly bloozerock chestnuts. The Good: George Thorogood never changes. That’s not a bad thing. His determination to wallow in the same three-chord groove for more than 30 years has produced some of the grittiest rock ever recorded. Dirty Dozen is a wham-bam, slam-bang wallop upside the head…
Broadway keeps its cool
During the second full week of my current stay in New York, TV meteorologists announced “the first official heat wave of 2009” had finally hit the Big Apple. In Charlotte, we have a different terminology for a stretch of three or more consecutive days when the high temperature hits 90 degrees or above. We call…
Fears of the moment
Welcome, dear readers, to another exciting session of Ask Boomer With Attitude, live from Charlotte, where the economy’s so bad, a new Wal-Mart’s starting to look good. We have real reader questions this week, exclusively, so, sorry, this time you don’t get to guess which question was made up. Dear BWA: Why doesn’t the media…
Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files
Good Taste: A 51-year-old man called police after his house was broken into. An unknown suspect forced entry through a rear window and left with a brown cowboy hat and an eight-inch television. If someone gains access to your home and this is all they want to take, it’s time for a trip to IKEA.…
Will Jane McIntyre win hearts and minds for the United Way?
Scandal, tough economic times and a lack of trust greeted Jane McIntryre on Aug. 26 — the day she assumed her new role as executive director of the United Way of Central Carolinas. She stepped into the shoes of fired director Gloria Pace King, who is currently suing the organization after she was let go…
Are earlobe creases a sign of heart disease?
Do earlobe creases really indicate you may have coronary heart disease? — Jen You may say: This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. But read some Straight Dope mail and you’ll realize dumbest-thing-ever is a pretty high bar. More to the point, earlobe creases shouldn’t be dismissed lightly, as they fall into the surprisingly…
News on the future of Creative Loafing
From the publisher: Members of the Charlotte community: I write this today to share with you some exciting information about the future of Creative Loafing, and to express my hope that we can share that future with you, our readers. As of Aug. 25, 2009, with the purchase of the Creative Loafing organization by its…
Horoscope for Sept. 2-8, 2009
Virgo The Virgin (Aug. 22-Sept. 22): Those of childbearing age will feel pressed toward the next decision. Do you want a baby in your future or do you not? If babies are not the subject, then personally creative births of other kinds will beg to be noticed and lived. For All Signs: Mercury turns retrograde…
Remembering Emmett Till, Ted Kennedy, M.J. and DJ AM
Wow, this past weekend was a rough one. Sen. Edward Kennedy, “The Lion of the Senate,” was memorialized and buried, and Adam Goldstein, better known as DJ AM, who recently survived a plane crash, was found dead from what appears to be a drug overdose. This weekend also marked the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina,…
State of Play, Duplicity among new DVD reviews
DUPLICITY (2009). Duplicity is a jet-setting romp that proves to be as bright as it is brainy. Writer-director Tony Gilroy, flush from his Michael Clayton success, retains that film’s examination of corporate malfeasance yet replaces the sense of dread with a sense of style. After all, when a movie showcases a Caribbean hotel where rooms…
Blown away: A home invasion gone wrong
You can’t just shoot people, no matter how much they piss you off. But if you are going to shoot someone in North Carolina, particularly someone who has broken into your home and stolen from you, you’ve got to stick to a couple of simple rules. Feel free to blow him away (but do mind…
In the Loop: Savage satire
With only a couple of notable exceptions, American films about the war in the Middle East have tended to be so ineffectual that audiences are less inclined to wring their hands over the real-world events being addressed and more likely to wring filmmaker necks over wasting their time. Leave it to the Brits, then, to…
Capsule reviews of films playing the week of Sept. 2
Current Releases ADAM Arriving on the scene just in time to feast on (500) Days of Summer’s sloppy seconds, Adam is another indie effort about a love affair that may or may not survive until the final reel. Here, it’s Hugh Dancy as the dashing lad, unsure in the ways of love, and Rose Byrne…
Taking Woodstock: Bad vibes
A major disappointment from director Ang Lee, Taking Woodstock purports to tell the true story of how the legendary youth festival came together in time for a few blissful days of peace and music during the summer of ’69. Forget, for a moment, that Michael Wadleigh’s Oscar-winning 1970 documentary Woodstock basically functions as the beginning,…
Broadway keeps its cool, Part 2
Next to Normal (***1/2) — Brian Yorkey has written an intensely probing and perceptive story about a family coping with loss, depression, physicians, and pharmaceuticals, delivered with lyrics as sharp and concise as Sondheim. These are wedded to a Tom Kitt score written on an intimate chamber scale Sondheim would be comfortable with. Yet there’s…
Play the Game strikes out
Andy Griffith is a TV legend and a North Carolina legend, but as far as his big-screen legacy is concerned, it basically boils down to his award-worthy film debut in 1957’s superb A Face in the Crowd, his reprisal of his breakthrough Broadway and television role in the 1958 movie adaptation No Time for Sergeants,…
Broadway keeps its cool, part 3
Off-Broadway The Bacchae (***3/4) — After a meteoric rise to Broadway A-list status on the strength of star turns in Spring Awakening and last summer’s outdoor revival of Hair, Jonathan Groff has taken some heat for the self-possessed mildness he brings to the volatile wine god, Dionysus. Indeed, when this Bacchus rages outdoors in Central…
Get your drunk on: What to do during life transitions
This week, life threw a massive curve ball at Creative Loafing Media. Taken over by the NYC-based hedge fund to whom we owed a ton of money, each employee processed the news in a different way: sadness, optimism, relief. Me? I got shit-faced. On great wine. I figured if my family’s legacy is going down,…
Exhibit: Shipwreck! Pirates & Treasure
Ahoy, there, all landlubbers and pirate enthusiasts! The Shipwreck! Pirates & Treasure exhibit has dropped anchor at the Discovery Place and there’s exploring to be done. Start your adventure by learning about some of the most dramatic shipwrecks of all time and learn what it takes to be a shipwreck explorer. The exhibit features a…
