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Friday, June 13, 2014
Arts Theater review: Love's Labor's Lost
Posted By Perry Tannenbaum on Fri, Jun 13, 2014 at 2:00 PM
John Lennon wrote many a fine lyric in his day - and a few dopey ones, god bless him - but he probably never dreamt that they would supplant Shakespeare's lyrics in one of his comedies. That's exactly what's going on in Charlotte Shakespeare's zany new version of Love's Labor's Lost, now on the Green Uptown through June 15, weather permitting.
If you look up the poetry that Bard wrote for this romp, you'll actually find a trio of sonnets that three of the four love-smitten swains write to their beloveds within hours of swearing an oath to abjure the company of women for three years. Love conquers the ascetic intentions of King Ferdinand and his three closest friends, but none of these effusions made it into Shakespeare's subsequently published sonnet collection. Nor has any of his other Love' Labor's Lost lyrics ever made it into an anthology, except for "When daisies pied and violets blue," which is actually a postlude to the play.
So if you're troubling to do Love's Labor's at all, you could hardly pick a riper occasion for bringing on "A Hard Day's Night," "A Little Help from My Friends," "All You Need Is Love," and the supremely blunt "Why Don't We Do It in Road?" And while we're at it, director Elise Wilkinson takes us back to the '60s, when the Moptop craze first began and vows of abstinence were most patently absurd. Charlotte Shakespeare does that on the Green, and the audience is rolling with it, often with laughter.
Music Funk Fest announces Outkast as headliner
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Jun 13, 2014 at 12:04 PM
Funk Fest, being held at the Metrolina Expo on Sept. 12-13, 2014, will be headlined by Outkast, according to the event's Facebook page. Other performers include LL Cool J, The Roots, Fantasia, Salt N Pepa, Doug E. Fresh, War and Morris Day and the Time.
In January, Outkast announced its reunion, stating they would perform at 40 festivals this summer. It looks like Charlotte's Funk Fest is one of them.
Funk Fest tickets go on sale June 20 at 10 a.m.
Culture Question the Queen City: Burn, baby, burn!
Posted By David Aaron Moore on Fri, Jun 13, 2014 at 11:40 AM
Editor's note: We recognize how quickly Charlotte has changed over the years, so here's us trying to preserve its story. In this series, local author David Aaron Moore answers reader-submitted questions about unusual, noteworthy or historic people, places and things in Charlotte and the surrounding metro area. Submit inquires to davidaaronmoore@gmail.com.
I read online recently that Charlotte's Fire Department was able to find its very first fire engines, dating back to the late 1800s. I guess that made me start to think about Charlotte's history. Atlanta burned and Chicago burned - what about Charlotte? Any major catastrophies? - Michael Kesner, Charlotte
First Drip First Drip (6/13/14): County commissioners pass budget, Hornets basketball operations president steps down, more
Posted By Kimberly Lawson on Fri, Jun 13, 2014 at 11:20 AM
It only took 20 minutes for county commissioners to unanimously approve a new $1.5 billion budget. "Thursday's vote was tantamount to the board adopting on Tuesday a budget that holds property taxes at the current rate and targets half its county money to education. It increases funding to CMS by $26.6 million over the current budget, giving the district all it requested - except for a supplemental 3-percent pay raise for all its employees."
Charlotte Hornets' president of basketball operations Rod Higgins has stepped down - oh, you know, only two weeks before the NBA draft.
A hearing is set for this morning on the legality of the new N.C. Legislative Building rules in Wake County Superior Court. Plaintiffs include leaders with the state NAACP and protesters who were arrested this year and last year. "The critics of the rules, which were adopted in early May, argue in the complaint that legislators crafted the measures to 'criminalize constitutionally protected conduct.'"
Water conservationists will find this interesting: There seems to be another ocean below Earth's surface. "The water is locked up in a mineral called ringwoodite about 660km (400 miles) beneath the crust of the Earth, researchers say. Geophysicist Steve Jacobsen from Northwestern University in the U.S. co-authored the study published in the journal Science and said the discovery suggested Earth's water may have come from within, driven to the surface by geological activity, rather than being deposited by icy comets hitting the forming planet as held by the prevailing theories."
Arts Theater review: The Scarlet Pimpernel
Posted By Perry Tannenbaum on Fri, Jun 13, 2014 at 11:00 AM
When I first saw The Scarlet Pimpernel in the fall of 1997, Broadway ticket prices had already risen to an outrageous $75 and, even more unprecedented, critics had expressed hostility toward Frank Wildhorn's new musical even before it opened. Producers of the show had the audacity to issue a three-song CD sampler free to readers of the New York Times in an attempt to woo their target audience to the Minskoff Theatre. Such impudence, scribes bellyached, had clearly been an attempt to sway public opinion before New York's official arbiters of taste could render their verdicts.
I saw things differently. I wasn't offended, was glad to receive my little sampler, and regarded the Pimpernel producers' actions as a rather traditional, legitimate marketing ploy for a commercial product - though admittedly more lavish than the detergent packets I was accustomed to receiving with my morning newspaper. I also parted ways with most critics when the curtain went up.
For me, Pimpernel had it all - epic scale, swashbuckling action, a sizzling love triangle, and side-splitting comedy. Wildhorn's score crested when the Pimpernel and his gang of English aristocrats set off for France to stem the bloodbath of the French Revolution. The stirring anthem on the promo CD, "Into the Fire," was even more exciting onstage, for a huge boat rose from beneath the stage, lifting the whole marauding band behind its bow as they sailed toward us. Safe to say, this was the most thrilling call to arms and fraternity that I've ever witnessed in a theater.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Friday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Jun 13, 2014 at 10:15 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, June 13, 2014 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* Azucar: A Caribbean Celebration at Neighborhood Theatre
* The Tontons at Evening Muse
* World Cup Game Watch at Vida Vida
* Peter Karp & Sue Foley at Double Door Inn
* Electric Carnival at Label
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Film / Film News Opening Friday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Thu, Jun 12, 2014 at 2:00 PM
- Columbia
- 22 Jump Street
Alone Yet Not Alone - Kelly Greyson, Ozzie Torres
How to Train Your Dragon 2 - Animated; voices of Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett
22 Jump Street - Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum
Words and Pictures - Clive Owen, Juliette Binoche
Music / Live Reviews Live review: The Head and the Heart, The Fillmore (6/11/2014)
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Thu, Jun 12, 2014 at 10:36 AM
The Head and the Heart
The Fillmore
June 11, 2014
- Photo by Jeff Hahne
- The Head and the Heart
As the final notes from "Rivers and Roads" dissipated into the air of the sold-out Fillmore, the lights dimmed and The Head and the Heart's crew prepared the stage for a scheduled four-song encore. As the crowd cheered and broke into chants of "one more song!" the minutes ticked by. After roughly 10 minutes, the lights came on and a Fillmore employee took to the stage and informed the crowd the show was over. A few boos were heard as nearly 2,000 attendees shuffled out of the N.C. Music Factory venue.
On Twitter and Facebook, fans expressed their displeasure saying they were "bummed" and disappointed. The band took to social media:
Charlotte- please read this about our show tonight. We are so sorry to have been shutdown. We had many songs left. pic.twitter.com/aRthTnkGrg
- The Head & The Heart (@headandtheheart) June 12, 2014Rumors quickly spread that there was a bomb threat and people blamed the venue for not doing more. If the rumors are true, why blame the venue for ending a show and getting people out of the venue? Did patrons want them to "yell fire" and get people to panic and run? Fans should instead be blaming the person who made the threat for ending the show early.
The Fillmore, on Thursday morning, issued the following statement:
"After the band's final song, an apparently intoxicated individual on our property outside the venue claimed he had put a bomb on the property. Charlotte police apprehended the individual, deemed the threat non-reliable but nonetheless, in the interest of safety, a decision was made to end the show without an encore."
If the show had continued, The Head and the Heart was scheduled to play a new song, "Springtime," "Summertime," "Let's Be Still" and "Down in the Valley." As it stands, fans were left a bit confused and dispirited.
Music 106.5's 2014 Weenie Roast lineup announced
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Thu, Jun 12, 2014 at 9:45 AM
106.5 The End's Summer Weenie Roast lineup features Weezer, Foster the People, Wild Cub and J Roddy Walston and the Business. Taking place on Sept. 6, 2014, at PNC Music Pavilion, the lineup for the event's 14th edition is rounded out by Foster the People, Foxy Shazam, Fitz and the Tantrums, IAmDynamite, Bear Hands, The Pretty Reckless, Big Data Sir Sly, Fuel and Charlotte's Flagship. Presale lawn tickets for $10.65 begins today at 10 a.m.
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Thursday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Thu, Jun 12, 2014 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, June 12, 2014 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* The Sacrament at Crownpoint Stadium 12
* The Foreign Exchange at Chop Shop
* Pecha Kucha Night Charlotte Vol. 12 at Mint Museum Uptown
* Craft Night at Julia's Cafe and Books
* Die Antwoord at Amos' Southend
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Question the Queen City: The haunting of Love’s Pass
The railroad pass has claimed at least 14 lives
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Question the Queen City: The Disappearance of Denise Porch 6
She quite literally vanished.
