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Friday, May 11, 2012
News / Democratic National Convention 2012 Democratic National Convention 2012 Notebook: Romney supporters are loud and proud in Charlotte
Posted By Mary C. Curtis on Fri, May 11, 2012 at 4:57 PM
When Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican candidate, spoke on the plant floor of Charlotte Pipe and Foundry on Friday, he hammered the Affordable Health Care Act, excessive government and what he called President Obama's "old liberal policies from the past." He promised to get rid of some federal programs and shift others — such as Medicaid, housing vouchers and food stamps — back to state control. While he talked about the importance of innovative American businesses, he didn't link his views on less regulation to the $2 billion trading losses of JP Morgan bank, disclosed this week.
And he certainly didn't mention this week's adoption of a constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriage in North Carolina or Obama's endorsement of marriage equality.
Film / Film Reviews Weekend Film Reviews: Dark Shadows; Crazy Horse; plus, In the Family Q&A
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, May 11, 2012 at 1:24 PM
- Warner Bros.
- Dark Shadows
Click on the title to be taken directly to the review.
Click here to read Godfrey Cheshire's interview with Patrick Wang, writer-director-star of In the Family (currently playing at Park Terrace Cinemas).
Finally, click here if you missed last week's review of the record-smashing (and "Hulk smash!"-ing) The Avengers.
Arts Dialect Gallery gets caught in an Undertow
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, May 11, 2012 at 9:52 AM
As most of us know, getting caught in the undertow is serious business. The ocean is powerful, pulling swimmers and ships out to sea in what ususally results in a catastropic ending. Dialect Gallery's upcoming exhibit carries the heavy title of Undertow. However, it's focus is not so much on the literal meaning of the word but rather the allegorical.
Four women - Amy Bagwell, Rae Legrone (see her piece "Balloon" above), Shawn L. Smith and Taryn Rubin (see her piece "Sea Spirits" below) - have created works that relate to the ocean and fall between the lines of fascination and fear. Bagwell, whose works are accompanied by poems, says, "Many of the pieces get at the forces that pull on us and the way we are often drawn to what has the power to destroy us, as with the ocean and tornadoes and doomed love."
Free admission. Opening reception this evening (May 11), from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Exhibit continues through May 31. Dialect Gallery, 3204 N. Davidson St., Suite C. 704-763-0506. www.dialectdesign.com.
Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Friday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, May 11, 2012 at 9:17 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, May 11, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Grandma Lee at The Comedy Zone Fort Mill
* Undertow exhibit at Dialect Gallery
* One Year Anniversary Party at The Chop Shop
* Floyd Collins at Carlina Actors Studio Theatre
* The Chuckleheads at Warehouse Performing Arts Center
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Arts Video: Live art performance 'Where It's At' at FashionSOUL
Posted By Kimberly Lawson on Thu, May 10, 2012 at 4:27 PM
Last Saturday, May 5, a friend of mine and I went to FashionSOUL at Amos' Southend. The showcase of local fashion designers was supplemented by local artists and entertainment. And here is where we discovered cool dudes in swagalicious suits, live-painting a masterpiece.
A painting that, by the end of the night, my friend just had to have.
The live painting performance is called "Where It's At," and this isn't the first event the collaborating artists have participated at. (Past "Where It's At" performances have taken place at Common Market in Plaza Midwood, Bass Church, and as part of the Culture Initiative 3-year anniversary held in December.) In a three-hour span, several artists work together, drawing from the energy of an event in addition to their own creative vibes, to create a unique final project. As the creators write on the Vimeo page: "Think of it as a jam session, using paint instead of instruments." Hey, three heads are better than one, right?
Here's the video of Saturday night's painting performance. The contributing artists were Erich Moffitt, GONZA and Scott Partridge. Nicely done, guys!
And here's the final piece, in my friend's bedroom. It's just a smidge big.
To check out this local talent, hit up their website or Facebook.
News / Opinion A Republican lawyer's open letter to anyone angry with North Carolina over Amendment One
Posted By Jason A. McGrath on Thu, May 10, 2012 at 12:48 PM
To everyone who is angry with North Carolinians:
I'm a registered Republican who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I have something to say to those of you who are angry enough about Amendment One's passage to consider boycotting the Democratic National Convention: "Don't hate us, educate us."
My adopted home state of North Carolina (I'm a native Floridian and lived there until 2009) just passed Amendment One by a large margin. Interestingly, only part of the proposed constitutional amendment's actual text was placed on the ballot: "Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State." Voters were asked to vote "For" or "Against" the Amendment. North Carolina's voters are registered as follows: Democrat, 43.44 percent; Republican, 31.38 percent; Independent/Unaffiliated, 24.96 percent; Libertarian, .22 percent.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Thursday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Thu, May 10, 2012 at 8:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, May 10, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* 3rd Annual Carolina Art Soiree at MetTerraces at Metropolitan
* Mastodon at The Fillmore
* Esperanza Spalding at Knight Theater
* Josh Blue at The Comedy Zone Charlotte
* Sicilian Wine & Food Pairing at Blue Restaurant & Bar
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
News Obama declares support for same-sex marriage
Posted By Ana McKenzie on Wed, May 9, 2012 at 5:06 PM
President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he supports same-sex marriage, reversing his longstanding claim that he was "evolving" on the issue.
He had supported same-sex unions and equal rights for gay couples but had yet to make a stance on marriage, partially because he was sensitive to how some Americans viewed marriage, he told ABC news.
His announcement is that much more interesting since it was made the day after North Carolina passed Amendment One, which constitutionalizes the definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Keep in mind, North Carolina is a swing state.
"I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors, when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together; when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that ‘don't ask, don't tell' is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I've just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married," Obama told Roberts in an interview to appear on ABC's "Good Morning America" Thursday.
Democrats and Republicans in Congress tweeted their reactions moments after the announcement was made.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California: @NancyPelosi A great day in our fight for civil rights-President Obama adds his support for marriage #equality. #BeautifulDay
Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif.: @RepLindaSanchez So proud @BarackObama backed full #marriageequality today. #LGBT community deserves equal rights.
Rep. Allen West, R-Fla.: @AllenWest Pres failures are masked by irrelevant pandering as a collectivist who does not respect individual sovereignty. More of the same politics.
Read ABC's story (and watch the video announcement) here.
Update: Check out this Mother Jones story about the announcement and Obama's support of gay marriage, "the worst kept secret in D.C."
- ABC News
Arts LOL: Comedy in the Q.C.
Posted By Anita Overcash on Wed, May 9, 2012 at 5:01 PM
Listed below is a roundup of CL's top picks for comedy shows in Charlotte this week. Hopefully, they keep you entertained and, more importantly, laughing out loud.
Making fun of the disabled is an easy way to get yourself punched in the face. Not for stand-up comedian Josh Blue, though. The funny man - who himself has Cerebral Palsy - tackles the sensitive subject with ease. From teasing himself about his disorder to criticizing the ignorant scumbags who ridicule folks with disabilities, Blue brings new perspective to the word tolerance. A former soccer player for the U.S. Paralympic team, he creates pricey sculptures and paintings when he's not performing. Having made his claim to fame on NBC's Last Comic Standing (like so many other comics nowadays), Blue ranked No. 11 on Comedy Central's Stand-up Comedy Showdown in 2011. How's that for a handicap? In your face! $17.50-$22.50. May 10, 8 p.m.; May 11, 8 p.m. & 10:15 p.m.; May 12, 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.The Comedy Zone Charlotte at N.C. Music Factory, 900 N.C. Music Factory Blvd., Suite B3. 980-321-4702.www.cltcomedyzone.com.
Folks in the Lake Norman area can partake in The Chuckleheads' Comedy Improv Musical Variety Extravaganza at Warehouse Performing Arts Center on Friday. The Charlotte-based troupe uses tactics similar to Whose Line Is It Anyway? and encourages audience participation. In other words: They don't have a show without you. For more information on The Chuckleheads, visit www.planetimprov.com. $10-$15. May 11, 8 p.m. Warehouse Performing Arts Center, 9216 Westmoreland Road, Cornelius.
When it comes to being both sassy and elderly, Grandma Lee has things covered. This hip little lady, also a proud (or not!) grandmother, is taking to comedy pretty late in life (Better late than never though, right?). After a stint on NBC's America's Got Talent, she taken to comedy clubs around the U.S. Though she keeps her act fairly clean, don't be surprised if a few sexual innuendo slip out of her mouth. $10. May 11-12, 8 p.m. & 10:15 p.m. The Comedy Zone Fort Mill, 900 Crossroads Plaza, Fort Mill. 803-802-3990. www.thecomedyzonefortmill.weebly.com.
News Despite Amendment One, city of Charlotte will still offer same-sex couples benefits
Posted By Joanne Spataro on Wed, May 9, 2012 at 1:01 PM
"Out of the bars and into the streets!"
On Tuesday night, a young man in glasses, a blue shirt and yellow tie led a chant made famous in 1977 by activist Harvey Milk, dubbed the Mayor of Castro Street in San Francisco. Milk led 3,000 angry gays and lesbians on a five mile march through San Francisco after a conservative-led reversal of a civil rights ordinance in Miami that made discrimination based on sexual orientation illegal.
Petra's Bar on Commonwealth Avenue became a makeshift Castro Street Tuesday night after Amendment One passed.
Many bar goers took to the streets after 61 percent of voters passed a constitutional action that makes marriage between one man and one woman the only legal union in the state. While the ramifications of the amendment are still unknown, LaWana Mayfield, the first openly gay elected official in Charlotte, said the city of Charlotte will go forward with its plan to offer domestic-partnership benefits to its employees. City Manager Curt Walton has also been a proponent of offering health and wellness benefits to same-sex couples.
North Carolina is the last Southern state, and 31st overall, to pass a constitutional prohibition on same-sex marriage. Amendment One, as it's commonly referred to, will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2013.
The disappointment and heartache was palpable after it passed Tuesday evening. Teal-shirted volunteers from the Coalition to Protect North Carolina Families held on to each other as the local news showed the election returns. Tears and shouts of anger soon followed.
"The community as a whole missed an opportunity to make stand against discrimination and there are going to be repercussions," Mayfield said.
Like Milk, who after that 1977 march became the first openly gay elected official in the United States, Mayfield is determined and hopeful. She said the constitutional amendment will not regulate how the city views finding and retaining quality staff.
"We may be the test case where we recognize the importance of making sure all of our employees have equal access," she said. "We're not going to let this stop us."
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Theater review: As You Like It
Shakespeare Carolina production sparks plenty of laughter.
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Rare fish may affect Duke Energy's dam licenses
How's a fish supposed to spawn around these parts?
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Pantherfanz tailgate in style in their souped-up school bus
Yeah, America!!!
