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Tuesday, October 23, 2012
News / Opinion What I learned from my debate watch party
Posted By Aileen Arreaza on Tue, Oct 23, 2012 at 2:45 PM
I got the idea to host a bipartisan debate party during the Republican National Convention. As I watched the video meant to humanize and reintroduce Gov. Mitt Romney to America, I was surprised to hear the candidate’s friends and family use the word “cheap” over and over to describe him. I immediately sent a Facebook message to my friend Damián, a Libertarian who generally votes Republican. “Why do they keep calling him cheap like it’s a good thing?” I asked. “That’s not an attribute I would generally consider positive.” Damián was shocked at my assertion. “I think a lot of Americans find it positive,” he typed back. “I want my president to be cheap with my money.”
I realized that this difference in opinion — this argument about whether being cheap is a positive or a negative trait — is at the core of this election’s political divide. And I decided that I wanted to explore it further.
So, I devised a plan.
Film / Film Reviews Halloween Countdown: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Posted By Matt Brunson on Tue, Oct 23, 2012 at 2:00 PM
(In anticipation of the coolest day of the year, this month-long series will offer one recommended horror flick a day up through Oct. 31.)
THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (1974). It's putting it mildly to note that when this horror flick was first released back in 1974, it caught audiences completely off guard. Even coming on the heels of The Exorcist, which did its own share of theater-clearing, this one emerged as a lightning rod of controversy; like the earlier Night of the Living Dead, it succeeded largely because of its gritty, low-budget shooting style, and its influence on subsequent (and inferior) slasher flicks cannot be overstated. Loosely based on the real-life exploits of serial killer Ed Gein (whose sordid tale also served as the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho), it centers around five college-age kids whose ill-advised road trip through a desolate part of Texas puts them in contact with a murderous, cannibalistic clan whose most terrifying member, tagged Leatherface, is a silent, hulking psychopath with a nasty habit of peeling off his victims' faces and wearing them as masks. The movie itself has worn many faces over the years, representing the disillusionment of the nation after Vietnam and Watergate; pushing a pro-vegetarian stance by decrying the brutality of eating meat; serving as a bastardization of the comforting image of the all-American family as a wholesome, reliable entity; and further supporting the big-city mindset that views rural America as a haven for inbred illiterates. The bottom line is that the flick remains a genuine classic of the genre, a punishing, unrelenting nightmare that never allows viewers even a moment of sanity or security. Much of the credit goes to lead actress Marilyn Burns: There's a touch of madness in her third-act emoting, and her wide-eyed terror — as primal as anything I've ever seen in a motion picture — remains with you long after the film is over. Ignore the 2003 remake (produced by the clueless Michael Bay), a feeble retelling that guts the integrity of the original and wears its own cynicism like a ragged mask.
Incidentally, the 1986 sequel is pretty wretched, but ya gotta LOVE the Breakfast Club-inspired poster:
Arts LOL: Comedy in the Q.C.
Posted By Anita Overcash on Tue, Oct 23, 2012 at 11:00 AM
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.
If Jonathan Kite's voice defined him, we'd have a real multiple personality case on our hands. The actor, most famous for playing Oleg, a gutter-minded, sex-crazed cook on CBS' 2 Broke Girls, has perfected the Ukrainian accent (did you know he's really from just outside of Chicago?). But that's not the only accent he can do. After launching his acting career, he dived into stand-up comedy — hence, upcoming shows at The Comedy Zone — where he continues to develop his knack for mimicry. In addition to voicing the titular Black Dynamite on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. Kite has channeled an Oleg-like obsessiveness into perfecting impressions of actors Vince Vaughn, Nicholas Cage, Tom Hanks, Robert Downey Jr. and many other fellas in his field. $15-$18. Oct. 25, 8 p.m.; Oct. 26, 8 p.m. & 10:15 p.m.; Oct. 27, 7 p.m. & 9:30 p.m. The Comedy Zone Charlotte, 900 N.C. Music Factory Blvd., Suite B3. 980-321-4702. www.cltcomedyzone.com.
Shaquille O'Neal is a funny dude, but he’s still not convinced of it. The retired NBA star has shied away from doing stand-up for his All Star Comedy Jam. O'Neal, who started the show last year after he quit shooting hoops, handpicks the comedians for the tours. This year's event stars Saturday Night Live alum Finesse Mitchell, who frequently jokes about day-to-day aggravations, his kids, and relationships (he even penned a book of dating advice called, Your Girlfriends Only Know So Much). Also on the circuit are host Gary Owen and Tony Roberts, as well as other pop-up performers. $37-$47. Oct. 26, 8 p.m. Ovens Auditorium, 2700 E. Independence Blvd. 704-372-3600. www.ovensauditorium.com.
News / Opinion Your guide to tonight's third-party candidate debate
Posted By Erin Tracy-Blackwood on Tue, Oct 23, 2012 at 10:41 AM
Tired of watching President Obama and Gov. Romney slug it out over Big Bird and binders full of women? Are you one of these mysterious and elusive undecided voters that no one actually knows? Then, a third party candidate may be for you.
Third party candidates would like to become president of this great nation but are unwilling to tell the bald-face lies required to run on a major party ticket. Candidates from smaller parties are not allowed to debate the GOP and Democrat big dogs because...they don't have enough money or white enough teeth, or something.
They do have their own debate, though. It's tonight at 9 p.m. and will be moderated by human fossil Larry King. You can watch live on YouTube, RT and Al Jazeera.
The third party debate will host 4 candidates. Here is a primer on each, and the party they represent.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Tuesday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Tue, Oct 23, 2012 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Oct. 23, 2012 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Alejandro Escovedo at Visulite Theatre
* Tar & Nicotine: Photographs of Chris Radok at Baku Gallery
* Cactus Truck at Snug Harbor
* Claude Stuart at The Comedy Zone Lake Norman
* Southern Docs at Gaston County Public Library
Monday, October 22, 2012
News / Opinion A recovering alcoholic reflects on 'Chilly Willy's' death
Posted By Steve Jones on Mon, Oct 22, 2012 at 3:20 PM
The death of William “Larry” Major aka "Chilly Willy," well-known Charlotte alcoholic and homeless man, on Oct. 18 made me once again face up to a sobering fact, no pun intended.
I too am "Chilly Willy."
- Graham Morrison
- William "Larry" Major, aka "Chilly Willy"
I was raised in Charlotte and lacked nothing growing up. Having gone off to college for further education, academically and socially, marriage was the next logical step. With a job secured in the family business, a new wife and soon two beautiful children, the future should have been bright. Alas we all have secrets and mine was that I could not go a day without drinking. I was an alcoholic. For the following eight years my world was in steady decline, first losing my job followed by my family. Before you could say Jack Daniels, I was homeless for what turned out to be a short time.
News Panthers' GM out
Posted By Ana McKenzie on Mon, Oct 22, 2012 at 2:37 PM
The Carolina Panthers have fired Marty Hurney, the team's general manager, according to the Charlotte Observer.
GM since 2002, he's led the Panthers through playoff appearances, one Super Bowl game and abysmal seasons since 2010. Some blame their poor record on Hurney. According to Bill Barnwell of Grantland:
The Panthers team that came out on the business end of a 36-7 stomping by the Giants Thursday night has an author: Marty Hurney, Carolina's general manager for the past 10 seasons. It's easy to pile on a team and their architect after a blowout loss, but the nature of how the Panthers lost to the Giants and Hurney's history over the past several years got me thinking about just how incredible Hurney's continued employment is. His lengthy tenure in Carolina is a testament to the bizarre economics of the NFL and a reminder of just how different the goals of NFL fans and NFL general managers actually are. The top priority for most NFL fans is to see their team win a Super Bowl, preferably as quickly as possible. The top priority for most NFL general managers is to hold on to their seat at the GM's table. Virtually all of Hurney's recent decisions point toward the latter being his primary motivation, and it's going to cost Carolina their shot at making a significant leap forward until he leaves.
Film / Film Reviews Halloween Countdown: Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told
Posted By Matt Brunson on Mon, Oct 22, 2012 at 2:00 PM
(In anticipation of the coolest day of the year, this month-long series will offer one recommended horror flick a day up through Oct. 31.)
SPIDER BABY OR, THE MADDEST STORY EVER TOLD (1964). It's easy to see why cultists have a soft spot for this ragged, low-budget effort from the 1960s. Also making the rounds under the more gruesome (and less accurate) titles Attack of the Liver Eaters and Cannibal Orgy, this black-and-white curio — filmed in 1964 but released in 1968 due to monetary and distribution woes — possesses a quirky sense of humor as it relates the story of the Merrye family, two sisters (Jill Banner and Beverly Washburn) and one brother (Sid Haig, later Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects) who all suffer from a peculiar form of mental illness. Only Bruno (Lon Chaney Jr.), the family chauffeur, can keep them in line, but when distant relatives arrive at their dilapidated mansion with the intent of collecting an inheritance, even he can't stop the siblings' murderous antics. Chaney's career had long since disintegrated at this late stage (he would pass away in 1973), but here he delivers a fine performance in a sympathetic role. As an added bonus, he even warbles the opening theme song, with lyrics like "Cannibal spiders creep and crawl/ Boys and ghouls having a ball/ Frankenstein, Dracula and even the Mummy/ Are sure to end up in someone's tummy." Lennon-McCartney it ain't, but it sets the proper schizophrenic tone for this one-of-a-kind oddity.
News / Opinion Russell Simmons gets populist and political in North Carolina
Posted By Mike Cooper on Mon, Oct 22, 2012 at 11:48 AM
Russell Simmons might have been the most stylish dressed man at Organizing For America's early voting rally at Sugar Creek Park - and the most populist.
The music executive joined with OFA's Early Vote Express bus tour on Saturday to travel across North Carolina as a surrogate speaker for the Obama campaign. Simmons, who was joined by his daughter Angela Simmons and supermodel Chanel Iman, stopped earlier in the day at Johnson C. Smith University for a Get Out the Vote rally and to fire up the volunteers at an Obama campaign field office in the city.
- Wikipedia
- Simmons
Whether Obama can carry North Carolina again largely depends on if the African-American community, in counties like Mecklenburg and Guilford, will turnout like it did for the historic 2008 election.
Film / Film Reviews Halloween Countdown: Week 3 Recommendations
Posted By Matt Brunson on Mon, Oct 22, 2012 at 10:00 AM
(In anticipation of the coolest day of the year, this month-long series will offer one recommended horror flick a day up through Oct. 31. Here are the films that were selected Oct. 15-21. Click on the title to be taken to the review.)
Oct. 15: The Host (2006)
Oct. 16: I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
Oct. 17: Kingdom of the Spiders (1977)
Oct. 18: The Mist (2007)
Oct. 19: Horror Express (1972)
Oct. 20: Phenomena (1985)
Oct. 21: Slither (2006)
And here are the Week 1 & 2 picks:
Oct. 1: Day of the Dead (1985)
Oct. 2: Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
Oct. 3: The Thing from Another World (1951)
Oct. 4: Count Dracula (1970)
Oct. 5: Cat People (1942)
Oct. 6: Homicidal (1961)
Oct. 7: The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Oct. 8: Piranha (1978)
Oct. 9: Willard (2003)
Oct. 10: House of Wax (1953)
Oct. 11: Dead Alive (1992)
Oct. 12: "Manos" The Hands of Fate (1966)
Oct. 13: Island of Lost Souls (1932)
Oct. 14: The Body Snatcher (1945)
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Question the Queen City: Hugh McManaway, the man behind the statue
It pays homage to a traffic director, friendly neighbor and one of Charlotte's most beloved local characters
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The Hangover Part II: Buzz kill 7
No use crying over spilt sequel.
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Longtime dancer to leave NC Dance Theatre 3
Mia Cunningham, a dancer who has spent 18 seasons performing with the North Carolina Dance Theatre, is set to retire.
