Democratic convention developments are coming hot and heavy — very hot if you count a midday outdoor news conference announcing the details of the Sept. 1 media party that will see an estimated 15,000 journalists eating, drinking and watching as local and national acts perform. Time Warner Cable is the event’s main sponsor, with a host of other local businesses involved (full list here). Mert’s Heart and Soul owner James Bazzelle assured me there will be banana pudding on the menu.
That might be enough to lure Bill Clinton, though he’s been watching his diet lately. The big announcement is that the former president will formally place President Obama’s name into nomination on Sept. 5, a sign, as I pointed out in the Washington Post, that both men want to win. Their relationship has been testy at times, but they’ve made peace since the 2008 primary fight between Obama and Hillary Clinton, who as Secretary of State will be staying away from the partisan Democratic Party’s party. A full-throated endorsement by the popular Bill Clinton in his home region will be more than enough to draw a crowd.
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.
Crown Station Pub’s Taboo Tuesday Open Mic gives local comedians (funny or ... not) a chance to test their latest material on a live audience. There are no language or content restrictions, so that you’ll get to watch acts in a pure, raw form. Each comedian has five minutes of stand-up time. $2. July 31, 9:30 p.m. Crown Station Pub, 1425 Elizabeth St.
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, July 31, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Die Roten Punkte at Duke Energy Theatre
* Artist reception for the Allegory exhibit at UNC Charlotte
* Maria Bamford at The Comedy Zone Charlotte
* Lindsey Buckingham at Neighborhood Theatre
* Filter at The Fillmore
Reading about the Penn State scandal, in which former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was accused of molesting children over many years, usually makes you feel as good as 50 lashings to the back. It's sad, serious stuff.
But I finally read some good news today.
As the current Starving Artist Theatre production of The Dumb Waiter amusingly demonstrates, you really don’t have to choose among the three possible meanings of playwright Harold Pinter’s title. While two hitmen, Gus and Ben, wait in a shabby cellar for their boss to give them details on how they’ll knock off their next victim, an unseen person sends down food orders from above via a dumb waiter, recessed in the wall. Sure enough, Gus, the underling, empties his rucksack of the assorted snackfood inside and sends it upstairs in lieu of the actual order.
Nathan Rouse and James Dracy beautifully capture the partners’ droll dysfunctionality, with liberal applications of Pinter’s trademark silences. Rouse as Ben has a quiet competency about him as we first observe him, engrossed in the daily newspaper. Dracy as Gus proves to be far more garrulous after he wakes (he has no other pastimes to occupy himself while he waits). I thought we might have problems in the thickets of Gus’s cockney accent, but Dracy’s piratical service in Children’s Theatre of Charlotte’s Treasure Island pays off handsomely here. Dracy makes Gus’s vulgarity loud and robust, with just enough obtuseness so that he seems unaware of how repetitious and annoying he is.
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, July 30, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Cult Movie Monday, screening The Goonies at Actor's Theatre of Charlotte
* Vans Warped Tour at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
* Bar Wars Mondays at Phil's Tavern
* Open Mic at The Evening Muse
* Buildings, Mon Frere, and Oddczar at Snug Harbor
It's coming ... slowly, but surely. Creative Loafing's annual Best of Charlotte issue is creeping up on us. *Cue ominous music in the background*
To make sure this 25th go-round is as impressive as the previous 24, we're once again asking you, our dear readers, to take the time to make your voices known on what you believe to be the most — and, in some instances, least — memorable people, places and things in Charlotte.
Sure, you've got other things to worry about: Michael Jackson's mom just lost custody of the kids to Tito's son; Kristin Stewart cheated on vampire-sexy Robert Pattinson; the end of the world is coming in only a few months.
It's a scary task, we know. But you don't want Waffle House to win the category for Best Breakfast, do you?
Head over to our online ballot and cast your votes. Time is ticking!
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, July 27, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Closing reception for the Squared exhibit at McColl Center for Visual Art
* Rumors at Davidson College's Duke Family Performance Hall
* Food Truck Rally at Rural Hill
* Poetry Reading & Open Mic at Vin Master Wine Shop
Step Up Revolution - Cleopatra Coleman, Stephen "tWitch" Boss
The Watch - Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn
Where Do We Go Now? - Leyla Hakim, Nadine Labaki
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, July 26, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Chris Franjola The Comedy Zone Charlotte
* Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band at Knight Theater
* Train at Time Warner Cable Uptown Amphitheatre
* Project Art Aid's Queen City Soup at 7th Street Public Market
* WFAE's Public Conversations Series: Politics in the Street at Mint Museum Uptown