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Friday, March 6, 2009
News State legislators want a pay raise
Posted By Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman on Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 12:20 PM
Um, don't they have anything else to do besides worry about their personal bank accounts. You know, like the large number of North Carolina citizens who no longer receive a paycheck at all?
State legislators are looking for another way to raise their pay.Two bills filed in the legislature this session attempt to change the system under which lawmakers determine their annual salaries and mileage reimbursements.
One would tie increases to pay raises given – by the legislature – to state workers. The other would create a citizen commission that would weigh in with advice based on how other states pay their legislators.
Read the rest of this Charlotte Observer article here.
Review the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics' "North Carolina Economy at a glance" page here.
Film / News Watchmen: A clockwork orange
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 12:08 PM
Faithful adaptation is impressive but occasionally aloof
By Matt Brunson
WATCHMEN
DIRECTED BY Zack Snyder
STARS Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson
Clunky football metaphors are never out of season, so even though the NFL turned off its scoreboards earlier this winter, along comes Watchmen to inspire a gridiron grasp — namely, that director Zack Snyder is the cinematic equivalent of the quarterback who's clearly no MVP but is just good enough to get his team to the Super Bowl.
In bringing (along with co-scripters David Hayter and Alex Tse) the sacred graphic novel by writer Alan Moore and illustrator Dave Gibbons to the big screen, Snyder makes almost all the right plays — the movie is visually resplendent and remarkably faithful to the source material — but too often fails to find the heart buried deep within the darkness. With the surprisingly adept Dawn of the Dead remake, the bloated fanboy fave 300 and now Watchmen, Snyder demonstrates that he knows his way around expensive movie equipment, but he hasn't shown much affinity for his fellow humans. It's no coincidence that the worst scene in Watchmen is the one in which superheroes Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson) and Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman) engage in hot and heavy sex. As staged, the sequence is completely risible; I've seen '80s teen sex comedies less awkward than Snyder's attempt at conveying intimacy through intercourse.
News What are you pimpin' on Craigslist?
Posted By Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman on Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 12:06 PM
All of you folks who pimp yourselves for free on Craigslist, I think you're safe.
CHICAGO-- Cook County's sheriff filed a federal lawsuit against Craigslist on Thursday, saying the online classifieds site promotes and facilitates prostitution on a massive scale.Sheriff Tom Dart wants Craigslist to eliminate its “erotic services” section, suggesting that many of the section's ads are blatant solicitations for prostitution.
“Missing children, runaways, abused women and women trafficked in from foreign countries are routinely forced to have sex with strangers because they're being pimped on Craigslist,” Dart said.
In a news release, Dart cited ads such as “Teens for cash … $100 quickie” and “Are you looking to make some good money in this tough economy. Minimum pay is $25 per hour … performing duties specified in Naughty Nannies handbook.”
Read the rest of this Charlotte Observer article here.
Boomer with Attitude / News Human-Robot weddings ahead for N.C.?
Posted By John Grooms on Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 11:58 AM
If you think all the anti-gay activists moved to California to fight gay marriage there, think again.
This week, the General Assembly in Raleigh began considering a bill that would outlaw gay marriage in North Carolina (as if gay marriage were legal here now). If nothing else, the debate is proving that our state can produce just as many twisted gay-haters as anyone.
Take attorney David Gibbs III, for instance. A Duke Law School grad and head of the Christian Law Association, Gibbs was one of the lawyers who fought to keep poor, brain-dead Terri Schiavo plugged in. On Tuesday in Raleigh, Gibbs told an anti-gay-marriage rally that allowing gay marriage "would open the door to unusual marriage in North Carolina. Why not polygamy? Maybe people will want to marry their pets or robots."
Now, I'm crazy about my basset hound, but marriage? Out of the question. Robots, though, hmmm ... I wonder if Gibbs has seen the humanoid cylons on Battlestar Galactica? He might change his mind — if he had one that was capable of changing.
The Plug / News Creative Loafing unveils brand-new music Web site
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 11:12 AM
This just in from us, the folks here at Creative Loafing:
Just like America ushered in a change with the election of Barack Obama, Creative Loafing is presenting our own wave of change to our online edition.
OK, that’s a little dramatic. But hey, everybody else is cashing in on Obama-mania. Why shouldn’t we?!
At any rate, big new things are coming to www.charlotte.creativeloafing.com: new blogs, new Twitter feeds, new e-mail newsletters — and most importantly a brand-new (and very pretty) design. And it all starts with CL’s brand-new music site.
The new music site, which you can access by clicking on the “Music” tab on the left side of www.charlotte.creativeloafing.com or via the URL www.charlotte.creativeloafing.com/music, is the first salvo in a site-wide transformation that will slowly engulf the site on a weekly basis.
Unlike our old approach to covering music on the Web, the new music site provides almost moment-to-moment information about music in Charlotte and around the globe. The new music site pumps out updated content all day long — written by CL’s music editor Jeff Hahne, our music writers and music gurus from dozens of other media outlets. Along with that constant stream of articles, photos, text, and videos, we’ll also be giving site visitors the chance to interact with us via our regular comment applications and a brand-new Twitter feed. Plus, we’ll be offering visitors access to our much-lauded music blog Vibes, the brand-new nightlife blog Brittney Cason After Dark, our photo site QC After Dark, our vast and ever-growing collection of CD reviews, sound clips from our Homebrew CD series, links to music classifieds, and much, much more. All that — and it looks waaaaaaaaayyyy better, too! (No more orange! Hooray!)
What the hell are you waiting for? Go check out the new music site already: www.charlotte.creativeloafing.com/music.
And like I said, this is just the beginning! Next week, you’ll see another brand-new section and then more after that until the entire Web site is all-new and all-different!
Change is coming to CL … stay tuned!
Food / News Food News: March 6
Posted By Tricia Childress on Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 11:02 AM
* At the Duke Mansion, 400 Hermitage Rd., Executive Chef Mark Shook is teaching an “Elegant Sunday Brunch Cooking Class” on Monday, March 9, at 6 p.m. Recipes include Blood Orange Mimosas, Apricot Almond Scones, Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Strata, and Dark Chocolate Raspberry Pie. $40 per person or $65 per couple, plus tax. 704-714-4400.
* Sonoma Modern American, 100 North Tryon St., is hosting a Fisher Vineyards dinner with winemaker Whitney Fisher, including the Rose of Syrah and Hidden Terrace Syrah, on Thursday, March 19, at 6:30 p.m. $100 inclusive of tax and gratuity. 704-332-1132.
* The Wine Vault is hosting a four-course dinner at Ratcliffe's on the Green on Monday, March 23, with wines from Willm Gentil Pinot Gris, La Ferme Côtes du Rhône, Daniel de L'ansee Sauvignon Blanc, Les Jamelles Cabernet Sauvignon, and Les Jamelles Merlot. $58 inclusive of tax and tip. 704-548-9463.
Today's Top Five / News Today's Top 5: Friday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Mar 6, 2009 at 8:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, March 6, 2009 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Opening reception of the Sticks and Stones exhibition at Ciel Gallery
• Before It Hits Home at the Afro-American Cultural Center
• Hymns at Snug Harbor
• Comedian Big Ed Caylor at Alive
• Spring Fever at Whisky River
Thursday, March 5, 2009
See & Do: The Weekender / News Weekender
Posted By Anita Overcash on Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 4:36 PM
Check out these events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area this weekend— as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
Friday, March 6
Art: At Ciel Gallery’s new exhibition, titled Sticks and Stones you can gaze upon art created from all natural elements. Who knew art supplies could be found right outside? Be sure to check out the opening reception of the exhibition, which goes down from 6 p.m.- 9 p.m.
Theater: The Afro-American Cultural Center and Carolinas Black Pride Movement have teamed up to present Before It Hits Home, a play that touches on a man’s life as he suffers from AIDS. Check out a performance at the Afro-American Cultural Center.
Music: Rock out to music by the Hymns, who will perform at Snug Harbor.
Saturday, March 7
Sports: Charlotte’s all-female roller derby league, Charlotte Roller Girls will face its first bout of the season against Athens, Ga.’s Classic City Roller Girls at the Grady Cole Center.
Music: It’s not often that two musicians big in the music world come together for a full-fledged tour together, but that’s exactly what happened when legendary artists (and pianists) Elton John and Billy Joel joined forces for the “Face 2 Face” tour, which will make a stop at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Art: Elder Gallery’s newest exhibit, titled Body Beautiful features paintings and drawings of human figures.
Sunday, March 8
Dance: It’s not every day that you can see Irish step dancing mixed with traditional Irish music, but Riverdance has it all. Check out a performance at Ovens Auditorium.
Film: As the Charlotte Jewish Film Festival winds down, be sure to check out its last film screening of Beau Jest at Ballantyne Village Theatre.
Food: Warm up by filling you belly with some of Lupie’s satisfactory chili.
News Say it ain't so! Does Ken have to go?
Posted By Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman on Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 3:48 PM
I thought we rewarded bad behavior with billions in bonuses. Am I wrong?
An investment group affiliated with a coalition of unions on Thursday called for Bank of America Corp.'s board to remove chairman and chief executive Ken Lewis, citing his “disastrous missteps” as leader of the nation's biggest bank.In a letter to lead director Temple Sloan, the CtW Investment Group noted the 90 percent decline in the Charlotte bank's stock since Lewis agreed to buy Merrill Lynch & Co. in mid-September and the ongoing controversy over the payment of $3.6 billion in bonuses to Merrill employees before the deal closed Jan. 1.
Read the rest of this Charlotte Observer article here.
News Good news, race fans
Posted By Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman on Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 12:02 PM
Prefer to stumble to your room instead of risk the drive home? Good! Here's another reason why you should do just that:
Charlotte-area hotels will reduce their rates for NASCAR fans attending the Sprint All-Star Race on May 16 and the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24, both at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.In collaboration with regional tourism bureaus and speedway officials, more than 80 hotels within about an hour’s drive of the race track have agreed to reduce their race week room rates by 15 percent and waive their minimum stay requirements.
Read the rest of this Charlotte Business Journal article and see a full list of participating hotels here.
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