Travis Barker released from hospital
After surviving a plane crash on Sept. 20 in Columbia, SC, Travis Barker (of the rock band Blink 182) has been released from the hospital in Augusta, GA and is headed back to Los Angeles. Read more here.
Live Review: Iced Earth
Iced Earth with Into Eternity and Saviours Amos’ Southend Sept. 26, 2008 The Deal: The American heavy metal band Iced Earth thrashed into Amos’ Southend for a power-ridden metal performance on Fri., Sept. 26. Along with the band were heavy metal groups Into Eternity and Saviours. The Good: The Canada-based metal band Into Eternity began…
Why is Oktoberfest in September?
Can someone please explain to me why Oktoberfest is in September? Is it because October can’t handle Oktoberfest and Halloween, so it had to spread out the holidays? Whatever the reason, this weekend I was really excited about the fact that I was within walking distance to Memorial Stadium … not only did I not…
The mood at Wachovia
The world watches as Wachovia crumbles, but how do people who work for one of Charlotte’s big banks feel? According to a press release from Wachovia, “Wachovia Corp. will remain headquartered in Charlotte. Wachovia Securities will continue to be headquartered in St. Louis, Mo. Citigroup will headquarter the retail bank in Charlotte and the investment…
And where. . .and where. . .is the Mc-Mayor?
Dear MAYOR McCrory: Newsflash, you are still the mayor of Charlotte, not the governor of North Carolina. Forget Wachovia needing to keep a presence in North Carolina–what about Charlotte? Have you forgotten that you went out of your way to run for reelection as mayor? While we’re running on empty in the Queen City, the…
Plant squashes Zepplin rumors
Those of us hoping for a Led Zepplin reunion tour will have to wait a little longer. Singer Robert Plant has come out and said that he won’t tour with anyone for the next two years.
Creative Loafing files for bankuptcy
Creative Loafing Inc., the company that owns Creative Loafing Charlotte, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this morning. Creative Loafing CEO Ben Eason said in a conference call with company management hours ago that the bankruptcy will have no affect on normal Creative Loafing business and that no liquidation or impending sale of the company…
Creative Loafing files for bankruptcy
Creative Loafing Inc., the company that owns Creative Loafing Charlotte, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this morning. Creative Loafing CEO Ben Eason said in a conference call with company management hours ago that the bankruptcy will have no affect on normal Creative Loafing business and that no liquidation or impending sale of the company…
Black Political Caucus endorsements
The Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg announced its endorsements yesterday. Here they are: -President Of The United States: Barack Obama -US Senator: Kay Hagan -Congress, District 8: Larry Kissell -Congress, District 9: Harry Taylor -Congress, District 12: Mel Watt -Governor: Bev Perdue -Lt. Governor: Walter H. Dalton -Auditor: Beth A. Wood -Commissioner of Agriculture: Ronnie…
Suite, 9/26/08
Last Friday night was the inaugural Ladies Night at Suite in the Epicentre. The rain didn’t keep women away from indulging in the free champagne and raffle drawings. After 10pm, the fellas were allowed in, and birthday shoutouts were announced by the DJ to quite a few folks — me included!Photos by Jeaumane McIntosh
Oktoberfest, 9/27/08
Saturday, Memorial Stadium was packed with beer drinkers, cornhole players, bands like Southern Culture on the Skids, and more with the 10th annual Charlotte Oktoberfest Beer Festival. Sure, the grass was damp and the air was thick with humidity, but that didn’t stop folks from getting drunk — er, enjoying the festivities.Photos by Tricia Gillis
Women for Palin?
Check out this hilarious spoof brought to you by Funny Or Die. See it HERE. “Finally, a candidate our vaginas can relate to!”
Foul weather
By Matt Brunson FEELING BLUE: Diane Lane in Nights in Rodanthe. NIGHTS IN RODANTHE DIRECTED BY George C. Wolfe STARS Richard Gere, Diane Lane Diane Lane and the Tuscan countryside prove to be a more dynamic duo than Diane Lane and the Outer Banks, an assertion that immediately becomes clear when placing Under the Tuscan…
There’s more than water at Whitewater Center
In case you didn’t know, there’s a lot more to do at the U.S. National Whitewater Center than raft and watch the Olympic trials. Aside from rock climbing, mountain biking and the ropes course.… you can also party! Every Thursday is their Subaru River Jam, which is like Alive After Five for the outdoorsy types.…
Free show tonight
Looking for something to do on a cold, wet Friday night? Ryan Montbleau Band, Horse Ghost and The New Familiars will play a free show at Neighborhood Theatre tonight starting at 8:30 p.m.
Mary J. Blige rescheduled
The Mary J. Blige concert scheduled for this weekend, Sept. 27, has been moved to Oct. 8. Tickets purchased for the original show date will be honored on the new day. Robin Thicke will open the show at 7:30 p.m.
NASCAR Hall follies
The cost overruns for the NASCAR Hall of Fame and museum have apparently so rattled City Councilman John Lassiter that he’s retreated into a world of fantasy. Commenting yesterday on the controversy surrounding city staff’s wildly exaggerated reports of exhibit costs at other halls of fame, Lassiter said he’s satisfied Charlotte is not “spending more…
Charlotte Shout’s Friday activities canceled
This just in from the organizers of the Charlotte Shout Culinary Arts Experience 2008: Due to the tropical storm system moving through Charlotte on Friday, September 26, Charlotte Shout’s Culinary Arts Experience is now a Saturday only event and moving all Friday night activities to Saturday. We are working with Chefs Martin Yan and Cat…
O.A.R. rocks Charlotte
O.A.R. — as in O – A – R, not oar — we’re talking about a band here, not a device for steering your boat! I made that mistake once and totally lost some cool points. Well, the other night, O.A.R. jammed out at Cricket Arena. Random fun fact: before the Astrodome was built, Cricket…
Gas panic and TV news
I guess it doesn’t have to bleed to lead on Charlotte news stations these days. Maybe the lead story is just meant to cause havoc. Over the last three days, the local news has been showing long gas lines, women yelling and cursing in those lines and people who have taken guns to the pump.…
Sick and tired
This week has been crazy. Folks fighting over gas, a presidential candidate stalling for time in order to attend meetings at which he was largely silent, a presidential election debate that may or may not be happening and a repeat of the S&L debacle of the 1980s and 1990s. I am sick and tired of…
Buckhead Saloon, 9/25/08
Despite the chilly, windy weather last night (come on, people, it is fall now), we stopped by Buckhead Saloon and got some photos of people starting their weekend a day early. Photos by Kat Bidwell
Impossible is nothing
By Henry Paulson My fellow Americans, Many of you are confused by the complex economic events leading up to our current situation and how my bailout proposal will address. I’d like to clear that up now. I guess the first thing that the economy needs to understand is that success is a mental transformation. It’s…
Today’s Menu (9/26/2008)
Iced Earth Classically tinged metal, where Iron Maiden meets orchestral dirges that in turn spew power metal with soaring vocals and guitars. They are metal legends in their own right, though, with over two decades of recording and touring. Last year’s Framing Armageddon is a concept album, which at first listen seems pretentious but the…
Ed McMahon turns rapper?
Another sign that times are hard. According to CNN, Ed McMahon will star in two viral rap videos for FreeCreditReport.com, a financial Web site owned by credit bureau Experian. What we can look forward to: “When I retired, I was famous,” McMahon raps in the video. “I had money and glory/I bought a house for…
Obama-Biden in Greensboro on Saturday
Barack Obama and Joe Biden will be in Greensboro on Saturday. The rally’s scheduled to be on Washington Street in front of the J. Douglas Gaylon Depot. Gates open at 10 a.m.; the program is supposed to begin at 12:15 p.m. Tickets are not required, but an RSVP is encouraged.
The Weekender
Friday, Sept. 26 Film Third Annual Charlotte Film Festival: Charlotte’s hottest fest will feature dozens of indie feature films, documentaries, shorts and student works. Plus, there will also be panel discussions, an opening night gala and a work-in-progress. Various locations. www.charlottefilmfestival.org. Find more in Film. Music Iced Earth: Metal legends in their own right, with…
Pretty “Palin”
Pakistan’s President calls Palin “gorgeous.” Wow. I’m sure that Benazir Bhutto, the woman who was twice the man that he is, is turning over in her grave. Had she paid a man a compliment like this publicly, she may have been stoned to death according to Muslim law. What’s more pathetic is that news outlets…
You can wear what you want to the polls …
… within reason, of course. You can’t violate normal standards of decency, I suppose. But you won’t get thrown out simply for wearing an Obama — or McCain — T-shirt. The Mecklenburg County Board of Elections has been inundated with calls about this. Yesterday Democracy North Carolina issued a statement debunking the rumor.
Pecha Kucha … it’s not a dirty word
What are you doing tonight? Nothing? OK. Then you should go to Petra’s Piano Bar & Cabaret (1919 Commonwealth Ave.) around 7:30 p.m. to check out the much-awaited Volume 1 of Pecha Kucha Charlotte. Described as a “the mix of kindergarten show-and-tell, open-mike night and happy hour,” Pecha Kucha is a fun social event where…
Walk it out
Check out this story in The New York Times about treadmills in cube-world. I could totally do with one of those when the post-lunch sleepies hit. Besides keeping the workers awake, it provides time to exercise and still be productive, a plus when there are so little hours in the day. The downside, I suppose,…
McCain realizes something’s wrong
McCain announced today that he wants to postpone the debate scheduled for Friday, and “suspend his campaign” to go back to Washington and help on a Wall Street rescue plan. Now this may seem like a good idea, and I admit after reading the article it’s not as bad as it looks in the headlines,…
More celebrity news
For those of you interested in popular star news, Clay Aiken coming out of the closet and confirming he’s gay might not be enough to gossip about. But wait, you must never fear because more celebrity news is always baking in the oven. Satisfy your hunger here, where Lindsay Lohan confirms her romance with Samantha…
Election rumors begin
Democracy North Carolina just sent out this statement asking for help in squashing a rumor. Just last week I talked with their executive director, Bob Hall, for this story. Apparently, a rumor is circulating that you won’t be allowed to vote if you wear a campaign button or other election-related attire to the polls. Not…
Watch the debate with Drinking Liberally
Drinking Liberally and Charlotte Energy Solutions have planned a party Friday for folks to gather and watch Obama and McCain debate. It starts 7:30 p.m. at 337 Baldwin Ave., where 2007 CL Hero Mark Englander has kindly offered to host the festivities. Free beer.
Bernanke: The most serious financial, economic crisis since the end of WWII
America’s Money Crisis. That’s what CNN is calling its special report on the fact that our economy is going down the tubes. Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke testified before the Joint Economic Committee today, calling for Congress to act on the Bush administration’s proposal to give the Treasury Department authority to buy as much as…
Today’s Menu (9/24/2008)
O.A.R. Long running Maryland jammers O.A.R. (Of A Revolution) are hitting the pavement, plugging their newest recording All Sides. Jam bands like to hit the stage and plow into long interplay. O.A.R. are no slackers in that endeavor while adding distance to other jammers via their innate musicality of tightly woven pop and rock numbers.…
Raleigh, Wake County, you can top this list!
In a news flash from UNC Highway Research Study Center, it seems that deer and cars are meeting more frequently on the roads these days. Where are you most likely to slam into a deer? Raleigh–er–Wake County. Here’s the deal: Deer crashes in North Carolina near 20,000 in 2007 CHAPEL HILL – Motor-vehicle crashes involving…
The earth is round
While you were reading the news that Clay Aiken is gay, Creative Loafing was doing an investigative piece on the shape of the planet. The shocking story of Clay. After tons of research and trips up in to outer space, our team of reporters have discovered that the Planet Earth is round and the ocean…
Will Lehman Brothers’ fall spell trouble for privately-owned prisons?
According to Grassroots Leadership, it could. Organizer Bob Libal writes in an e-mail that the investment banking firm has been “one of the largest, most consistent financial backers of the private prison industry.” Grassroots Leadership, the national Charlotte-based advocacy group, has a top priority of abolishing privately-owned prisons. Like other activists, it chiefly opposes the…
CMS bus drivers have nothing on NYC
A five year old boy was dumped off a school bus in New York and answers are short as to why. According to the Associated Press: NEW YORK — A New York City mother wants to know why her first-grade son was left to wander the streets alone after being dropped off by a school…
McCain was a good kisser?
Back in his day, John McCain was a rambunctious Navy sailor. In 1957, he was stationed in Rio de Janeiro where he met a young woman named Maria Gracinda Teixeira. Today, the former model and ballerina says the young McCain was a romantic and “a good kisser.” Full story
Voter registration drive this weekend
The Latin American Coalition will host a voter registration drive this weekend. Here’s the scoop: LATIN AMERICAN COALITION BRINGS VOTER REGISTRATION & OUTREACH TO COMPARE FOODS SUPERMARKETS Shoppers Learn When, Where, How Charlotte, NC – Latino voters across the United States are expected to be a key constituency in the upcoming elections. As one of…
Sausages galore
• My favorite chorizos are made by Andrew D’Rouco whose family has been making sausages in his native Spain since the 1700s. Today D’Rouco makes artisanal Spanish and Mexican chorizo sausages in Matthews. His sausages can be found at Whole Foods or through La Tienda online (www.tienda.com). D’Rouco also sells directly to U.S. Foodservice and…
CD Review: Carter’s Chord
The Deal: There’s a new girl band in country music: Joanna, Becky and Emily Robertson. Sisters strung together to make Carter’s Chord that just released their debut, self-titled album. Upon first glance of the CD, I thought it was SheDaisy, but Carter’s Chord is more like their younger stepsisters. The Good: Track number four, “When…
Civic events in Charlotte
Southern Mecklenburg Republican Club Thursday, Sept. 25, 6:30 p.m., Golden Corral, 9430 South Blvd., www.somerepublicans.org. Urban Young Professionals Auxiliary Candidates Forum Thursday, Sept. 25, 6:30 p.m., 740 West 5th St., www.urbanleaguecc.org GenerationEngage Presidential Debate Watch Party Friday, Sept. 26, 6 p.m., Cans Bar and Canteen, 500 West 5th St. “Faith in the City” panel discussion…
Lascivious labels
I receive plenty of spirited mail deriding my use of “foul” or “salty” language, mostly from conservatives who’d like to control the world. Naturally, it stings when an e-mailed Corkscrew column bounces back from business addresses at staid corporations, but it also bemuses me. When I lived in Europe, censorship rarely reared itself, and the…
THEATER: Forget the laugh track
Who wouldn’t want to be in the audience of a real, live sitcom? Well, if you just got done screaming “Me, me, me,” then Collaborative Arts (The Charlotte Shakespeare Festival) has got your fix with its newest show Sitcoms Live! Directors James Yost, Meghan Lowther, and Patrick Tansor will present a different TV sitcom episode…
Ask the editor
Q: Did you check out Sen. Barack Obama when he came to Charlotte last week? A: I didn’t go to the big Obama rally this past Sunday, but I did drive by. I’m not into huge crowds, and honestly I had the pleasure of meeting the senator right before the South Carolina primaries. And that…
Festival film feast
Charlotte Film Festival returns for third year
THEATER: Southern charm
It’s nearly time to head over yonder to Carolina Actors Studio Theatre, as it presents the new musical/play Foxfire. This time it’s gettin’ down to the nitty-gritty with a country-feel from the bluegrass music of the Stony Lonesome Boys to a good ol’ aging mountain home with its stubborn inhabitant, Aunt Annie (she isn’t gettin’…
CD Review: Sugar Glyder
The Deal: Charlotte band releases full-length disc, We Cracked the Sky; follow-up to 2006 EP. The Good: I can’t tell you who influences Sugar Glyder’s indie rock, but as the CD spun, I heard elements of Blind Melon, Peter Gabriel, Radiohead, Remy Zero and a host of others. The band’s sound is layered and has…
Movie must-sees
While a parent often finds it impossible naming a favorite child, Charlotte Film Festival founder Louis Gurgitano nevertheless has admitted which of the movies in this year’s bundle are his favorites. And as one of the judges (along with the Main Library’s film guru Sam Shapiro) of the Best Narrative Feature category, I can weigh…
FESTIVAL: It’s a small world
UNC-Charlotte’s International Festival takes Charlotte ’round the world with its Epcot-like feel of countries, culture, food and entertainment. In its 33rd year, this festival goes down on Sept. 27. It’s not to be missed and best of all: It’s free. But bring money because you’ll want to spend a wee bit on things like foods,…
Ted Bundy crafts a toilet
If you took a guilty pleasure in the rascality of Jack Tripper and the cleavage of his Chrissy, if there’s a soft spot in your heart for Ted Bundy and Married With Children, or if there’s a soft spot in your head for The Facts of Life, Collaborative Arts is busily satisfying your boob tube…
Four score
It’s a great feeling, isn’t it, falling in love with a movie about falling in love? That’s the case with In Search of a Midnight Kiss (***1/2 out of four), an irresistible indie effort about two lonely souls hoping to find some modicum of contentment on the streets of Los Angeles. It’s this year’s version…
COMEDY: Standing strong
If watching NBC’s Last Comic Standing wasn’t enough for you, then you can see the finalists and winner of the show’s season six in person when The Last Comic Standing Live Tour visits the Q.C. The stage will be bubbling with funnies Iliza Shlesinger, Marcus, Jeff Dye, Jim Tavare and Louis Ramey. This show, presented…
Sirens’ song
Over the years I’ve noticed a variety of siren sounds for emergency vehicles. Is it true siren sounds have to be changed periodically, particularly in urban areas, to prevent drivers from getting used to a particular sound and not paying attention? — Dylan, Chicago Varietywise I don’t know that siren sounds are in the same…
Film Clips
Current Releases THE DARK KNIGHT Given the fact that Christopher Nolan’s 2005 Batman Begins ranks as one of the best superhero flicks ever made, then where does that put this sequel that manages to be even more phenomenal than its predecessor? Certainly, it places it somewhere at the head of the class, and there’s a…
ARTS: Eye of the beholder
To some, it might just look like a wacky-shaped dust collector, but true art lovers can appreciate abstract sculptures (like the one in the photo), which was created by James Rosati. His new exhibition titled Simple Lines, Complex Form features sculptures and works on paper. It will be on display at Jerald Melberg Gallery through…
Orchestrated metal
It sounds like a metal version of Yes mixed with Heart and Fleetwood Mac. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” says Tuomas Holopainen, composer/keyboardist for the Finnish orchestral metal band Nightwish. Some have called the group’s lush sound operatic, but Holopainen says he never could stand the stuff. “I fiddle with opera, but I don’t…
View From The Couch
COOL HAND LUKE (1967). In a career filled with iconic anti-heroes – including what I deem the “4-H Club” from the 1960s (Hud, Harper, Hombre and The Hustler) – Lucas Jackson just might be the most popular of all the societal misfits played by Paul Newman. After drunkenly destroying parking meters in a small Southern…
THEATER: Mommyhood isn’t easy
Being a mom isn’t easy. In fact, it’s a job on its own, only you don’t get paid with cash; you get paid with dirty diapers. That’s what Mother Load is all about. Creator Amy Wilson’s own experiences from raising three children gave birth to what is now an Off-Broadway hit. Consisting of only one…
Blackbird singing
Pinback’s Rob Crow goes beyond busy
Hava Nargila
A review of Jerusalem Restaurant
ART: Tiger’s eye
How is light produced? Photographers and artists share a constant wonder for this grappling question. They’re curious about light transformations, especially those that result in their own creations. The Light Factory’s newest exhibition titled Into the Mystic explores these topics and the exotic art forms that result from related techniques. The exhibit features works from…
Your weekly horoscope
Libra The Scales (Sept. 22-Oct. 22): Mercury is in your sign and will likely affect your daily affairs. It isn’t easy for you to make decisions in the first place, but don’t even try to finalize anything while a retrograding Mercury is in your pocket. Use the energy to research information and gather resources for…
Kristen Shaben, gleaner
Kristen Shaben likes to glean. No, that wasn’t a typo; “gleaning” means to hand-gather crops left in the fields after harvest. As the Charlotte-area gleaning coordinator for the Society of St. Andrew, a hunger relief organization dedicated to gleaning fields to feed the hungry, Shaben organizes events where volunteers gather in local fields and pick…
Wall Street socialists
The financial crisis gripping the United States has the largest banks and insurance companies begging for massive government bailouts. The banking, investment, finance and insurance industries, long the foes of taxation, now need money from working-class taxpayers to stay alive. Taxpayers should be in the driver’s seat now. Instead, decisions that will cost people for…
I fought the stairs, the stairs won
I am writing this from the waiting room of an Urgent Care center … I am a limping gimp in need of a Tetanus shot right now. Because following the Loaf’s “Best Of” party at the Levine Museum and the after-party at Madisons, I went to a party for the new drag strip at Whisky…
Previews of upcoming shows
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 24 O.A.R. Long running Maryland jammers O.A.R. (Of A Revolution) are hitting the pavement, plugging their newest recording All Sides. Jam bands like to hit the stage and plow into long interplay. O.A.R. are no slackers in that endeavor while adding distance to other jammers via their innate musicality of tightly woven pop…
State of the state
Two shows do N.C. proud
Protecting the vote
High turnout means extra preparations
Bizarre crimes from Charlotte police files
Psycho Boyfriend: A 41-year-old woman said her boyfriend became very upset with her when he wanted to have sexual relations and she just wanted to go to sleep. When her boyfriend tried to put the moves on her, she hit him with the “I’m too tired” line and he wasn’t having that. He started yelling…
CMS proposal angers parents
The letter was a shock to Villa Heights Elementary School parent Amesia Huntley. It called for all parents to get involved to keep Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools administrators from closing Villa Heights. She’d had to enter the CMS lottery to get her son, a first-grader, assigned to the school she wanted her son to attend. Huntly wanted…
Charlotte Bestsellers List
1. 365 Nights: A Memoir of Intimacy by Charla Muller with Betsy Thorpe 2. A Necklace of Bees: Poems by Dannye Romine Powell 3. Mike Minter: Driven By Purpose … The Power of a Dream by Pamilla S. Tolen 4. Love, Pain, and the Rain by Henry Bull 5. The Shack by William P. Young…
Turds and p.o.’d readers
Welcome to another wonderful edition of Ask Boomer With Attitude, live from Charlotte, N.C., where a spoiled, overpaid jock who returns to work after being penalized for throwing a sucker punch is seen as a conquering hero. Let’s get on with the show, this week featuring questions from some pretty cranky readers. As usual, one…
Shedding new light on Brainiac
Action Comics No. 869 Published by DC Comics. Written by Geoff Johns. Pencils by Gary Frank. Inks by Jon Sibal. The Deal: It’s the latest issue of Action Comics, DC’s flagship Superman comic. This month continues the “Braniac” story arc that seeks to shed new light on Superman’s old arch foe Braniac. The Good: Are…
Runaway runway
Model behavior Charlotte Fashion Week (which went down all last weekend) welcomed tons of models, like this lady pictured here, to our fair town. Esot-eric Soul vocalist Eric Roberson visited the Q.C. and performed for Fashion Week attendees at The Blake Hotel last Friday. Get the point A Fashion Week model sports…
Keeping up appearances
Gov. Mike Easley, in a hurry to cement his legacy before his term ends, is demanding another $60 million for his More at Four program. More at Four, which so far has cost the state more than $100 million dollars, is supposed to help low-income kids achieve in school by enrolling them a year early…
CD Review: B.B. King
The Deal: Blues legend releases new album of cover songs with the help of producer T. Bone Burnett. The Good: King’s guitar playing was never about “shock and awe.” The man can make one note have more emotion than any lyric or complete solo. His riffs and guitar work aim straight for the heart like…
What’s in a name
Over the past few weeks, something has been gnawing at me: The way that people talk about children in the media. Maybe they never were, but in my mind, children used to be off-limits. To bash a child would yield admonishment from the public and actually motivate people to speak the truth. How ironic is…
CD Review: JJ Grey & Mofro
The Deal: Fourth album from Jacksonville, Fla., group keeps the Southern groove going. The Good: JJ Grey’s vocals lie somewhere between Joe Cocker and Otis Redding. He’s got the growl, soul and emotion to pull it off, too. The album kicks off with the reelin’ and rockin’ title track that showcases his vocals out front…
