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Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Wednesday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Wed, May 9, 2012 at 9:19 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, May 9, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Microbrews Cruise at U.S. National Whitewater Center
* Muhsinah at SK Netcafe
* The Geek Show at The Comedy Zone Charlotte
* Passion at Duke Energy Theatre
* 2013 Wolves at Snug Harbor
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
News / Opinion An open letter to Maurice Sendak
Posted By Ana McKenzie on Tue, May 8, 2012 at 4:48 PM
Editor's note: Maurice Sendak, famed children's book author and illustrator, died today. He was 83. I have deep emotional ties to his work, so I decided to write an obituary. But during my research, I discovered that he didn't like the media - or much of anything, really. What he really loved were the letters children wrote him over the years. As a fan of his for more than 20, my letter is long overdue.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Tuesday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Tue, May 8, 2012 at 9:17 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, May 8, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Blacula at The Evening Muse
* My Town exhibit at Escape Hair & Skin Salon
* Grandma Lee at The Comedy Zone Lake Norman
* Ingrid Michaelson at Amos' Southend
* ArtFusion: Fairytales, Fantasy, & Fear at Mint Museum Uptown
Monday, May 7, 2012
News Final poll shows voters will likely support Amendment One
Posted By Ana McKenzie on Mon, May 7, 2012 at 12:01 PM
A Public Policy Polling survey shows 55 percent of voters will likely support the constitutional ban on gay marriage and domestic partners though many are still confused by its intent. The ban, known as Amendment One, has the potential to nullify domestic-violence and child-custody laws and other protections for unwed couples.
According to Raleigh's News & Observer:
The numbers shifted little in the final week as big-names on either side of the debate — Rev. Billy Graham for and former President Bill Clinton against — made final pleas to persuade voters.
Many voters still don't understand what the amendment would accomplish, pollster Tom Jensen said, noting that a majority of North Carolinians support some legal recognition for same-sex couples. "Opponents of the amendment had an uphill battle in convincing voters that it was anything other than a referendum on gay marriage, even though it does go a lot further than that" by forbidding civil unions and domestic partnerships, he said.
Read the full story here.
Read our stories on the dangers of Amendment One here and here.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Monday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Mon, May 7, 2012 at 9:15 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, May 7, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Cash Crop exhibit at Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture
* Mic Night at Flying Saucer
* Open Mic Mondays at Tremont Music Hall
* Monday Night Allstars at Double Door Inn
* Monday Funday at Dixie's Tavern
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Arts Calling all canines
Posted By Anita Overcash on Sat, May 5, 2012 at 6:00 AM
Most pet owners know and understand the importance of keeping their fur babies happy. Walking, petting and chasing are all easy ways to entertain, but every now and then, it's nice to mix things up. After all, you don't want your canine feeling any older in dog years than they already are.
Humane Society of Charlotte's annual Pet Palooza does the trick. It's a festival specifically for four-legged creatures and their caregivers. Featuring a 5K run and dog walk, as well as vendors, a canine fashion show and more, the event raises money to help animals in need. For more information, visit www.humanesocietyofcharlotte.org. Free admission; $15-$25 to walk/run. 8 a.m. Independence Park, 300 Hawthorne Lane.
Arts Bow to the Lake Norman dragon
Posted By Anita Overcash on Sat, May 5, 2012 at 6:00 AM
In its 13th year, the Charlotte Dragon Boat and Asian Festival celebrates Asian culture with music and dance, a beauty pageant, cultural displays, food vendors, arts & crafts and an impressive dragon boat race (an ancient Chinese tradition of racing with canoe-like vessels that hold up to 24 paddlers).
Plus, the event gives you an excuse to scream "Dragon in the water!" Free admission. May 5, 9 a.m. Ramsey Creek Park, 18441 Nantz Road, Cornelius. For more information, visit www.charlottedragonboat.com.
Arts Taking hip action to another level
Posted By Anita Overcash on Sat, May 5, 2012 at 5:00 AM
It may seem like having Latin American roots is a pre-req for salsa dancing skills, but not everyone with that heritage can twist and turn like there's no tomorrow. Salsa-Thon - Charlotte's inaugural Cinco de Mayo festival - rounds up folks, experts and amateurs, optimistic enough about their moves to show off in a contest with a two-person trip to Cancun up for grabs.
Now, that's something to dance about. In addition to the hip action, there'll be live music, Latin cuisine, cultural displays and vendors with arts and crafts. Free admission. May 5, 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Held Uptown at Tryon Street and 3rd Street. For more information, visit www.charlotte5demayo.com.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Arts Theater review: Mr. Marmalade
Posted By Perry Tannenbaum on Fri, May 4, 2012 at 4:58 PM
When I attended Mr. Marmalade last Sunday, the maiden effort by Duende Productions, I came home with something I'd never received at a theatre presentation before - an original artwork. Granted, it was a crude crayon drawing on the front cover of my playbill, almost certainly an apple, but it's the gesture that counts. Glancing at as many other programs as I could after making this discovery, I noticed that the other playbills bore different colors and subjects in their drawings.
Duende's cottage-industry mentality jibes well with Noah Haidle's surreal comedy, which took CL's Best Comedy award when BareBones brought the show to Spirit Square in 2007. Bigger, more elaborate crayon masterworks adorn the salmon-colored walls of Lucy's bedroom, designed by Ben Pierce, where all the action takes place - with a megaboost from 4-year-old Lucy's precocious imagination. Considering the sensuality of the posters that also line Lucy's walls and the macabre nature of some of the things dangling down from her ceiling, I'd say Pierce is blurring the lines between reality and fantasy no less zestfully than the playwright.
Cassie Prodan, Duende's director, invites us to come onstage and explore Lucy's somewhat diseased lair, but the intimate size of the Warehouse Performing Arts Center up in Cornelius, far cozier than Duke Energy Theatre, already makes us feel closer to Lucy's world. Prodan and Pierce also have different ideas about Lucy's imaginary friends than James Yost when he directed the BareBones version. Robert Simmons had a slickster look about him as Mr. Marmalade, perhaps a little more Vegas high-roller than mafia hoodlum, and his battered assistant Bradley was decked out as a proper British butler when Robert Haulbrook played him.
News / Opinion Know before you Cinco de Mayo
Posted By Ana McKenzie on Fri, May 4, 2012 at 3:31 PM
On the eve of the widely celebrated I'm-So-Drunk-I-Pissed-Myself Day, otherwise known as Cinco de Mayo, I thought I'd impart some knowledge on the holiday and exactly how Mexico celebrates.
According to the Huffington Post:
[Cinco de Mayo] is really an American tradition, co-opted by alcohol companies. Few places in Mexico celebrate the day, but it's based on the 1862 Battle of Puebla, when outnumbered Mexican forces defeated the invading French Army. Now, the city where the battle occurred - roughly 80 miles southeast of Mexico City - has launched a marketing campaign, aimed at tapping into America's enthusiasm for the Cinco de Mayo holiday by luring visitors to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the victory.
So there, now you know. Please don't think I'm lecturing or trying to make you feel bad for drinking an entire bottle of tequila. I lost finger-pointing privileges when my mom had to cut me off one Thanksgiving. I'm just glad Mexico's finally taking advantage of us and our money. After years of bastardizing their history, it's the least we owe them.
(Check out our list of the top May 5 parties.)
- Wikipedia
- The Battle of Puebla
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Oh, to be a derby girl 15
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It's what's inside that counts at Discovery Place's Body Worlds
The all-too anatomically correct exhibit returns to Charlotte for first time in seven years.
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Lunch Break (9/1/16): Organizers unveil "People, Not Polluters" platform in Charlotte as McCrory officials testify in Raleigh
The morning already passed us by. What the hell happened?
