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Monday, September 21, 2009
The N Word / News Red Rove-r Red Rove-r
Posted By Nsenga Burton on Mon, Sep 21, 2009 at 9:55 AM
I had the displeasure of attending a school function where Karl Rove was speaking. While I disagree philosophically on many points that Rove made, what was more interesting was the protesters that tried to talk over him. It was ridiculous. The cynic in me says that he is now able to see when zealots ruin places of real conversation, like a town hall meeting, by being boisterous, disruptive and bullies, but the realist in me really wanted to hear what he had to say -- so it was rude and unnecessary. I will say this, whichever side of the aisle one belongs, the crazy energy in that room is enough to make me stay away from ANY politician in the very near future.
Arts / News Best bets in Charlotte comedy this week
Posted By Debbie Millwater on Mon, Sep 21, 2009 at 9:54 AM
As the headline suggests, here are a few of the best places to find comedy events in Charlotte — from stand-up to improv to sketch comedy and more. For a complete listing of all comedy visit www.CharlotteComedyLIVE.com.
Tuesday, Sept. 22
* Taboo Tuesday Stand-up Open Mic at 9 p.m.
Stand-up Comedy Open Mic. This show is Rated R. No content or language restrictions. Comics, last call for sign-up at 9:30 p.m. All comics get five minutes or performance time.
SK Net Café ~ 1425 Elizabeth Ave. ~ $2
Wednesday, Sept. 23
* Anyone Can Play Guitar Night Open Mic at 8 p.m.
This is a true open mic featuring music, poetry and yes, even comedy.
SK Net Cafe ~ 1425 Elizabeth Ave. ~ Free
Thursday, Sept. 24
* Robot Johnson Sketch Comedy at 10 p.m.
Good humor by bad people. Check out Charlotte's premiere sketch comedy troupe.
Actor's Theatre of Charlotte ~ 650 E. Stonewall St.~ $10
Thursday, Sept. 24 - Sunday, Sept. 27
* Theater Stage at Festival in the Park at Freedom Park at various times
Check out the Theater Stage for many of Charlotte's comedic acts.
Freedom Park ~ 1409 East Blvd. ~ festivalinthepark.org
Friday, Sept. 25
* Stand-up Comedy at Alive in NoDa at 8 p.m.
Stand-up comedy with nationally touring comedians.
Alive ~ 2909 N. Davidson St.~ Reservations 704-930-2200 ~$1
Saturday, Sept. 26
* Celebrity Comic Brian Regan at 8 p.m.
Brian Regan is considered by many to be the best stand-up comic working today.
Ovens Auditorium ~ 2700 E. Independence Blvd. ~ $34.50
To join Debbie’s mailing list (just one e-mail a week, I promise), e-mail DebbieMillwater@Gmail.com with the Subject Line “Subscribe.”
Arts / Today's Top Five / News Today's Top 5: Monday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Mon, Sep 21, 2009 at 9:41 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Sept. 21, 2009 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Under the Sea at Discovery Place
• Karaoke at Dixie's Tavern
• Grand Imperial Poetry Night at SK Netcafe
• Faculty Jazz Quintet at Winthrop University's Barnes Recital Hall
• The Monday Nite All-Stars at Double Door Inn
Friday, September 18, 2009
Film / Film Reviews / News The Informant!: Spread the word
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 1:42 PM
By Matt Brunson
THE INFORMANT!
DIRECTED BY Steven Soderbergh
STARS Matt Damon, Scott Bakula
Last year at this time, the Coen Brothers were treating (or mistreating, depending on your point of view) audiences with their off-kilter offering Burn After Reading, a dark comedy flexing a quirky brand of lunacy not usually seen in comparable American fare. Like the Coens, Steven Soderbergh is no stranger to coloring outside the margins, so in a similar vein, he presents The Informant!, a like-it-or-leave-it endeavor blessed with a terrific central performance from Matt Damon.
Film / Film Reviews / News Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: Tasty
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 1:41 PM
By Matt Brunson
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS
DIRECTED BY Phil Lord & Chris Miller
STARS Bill Hader, Anna Faris
A pleasant surprise, the animated Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs skewers more closely toward the quality exhibited in films produced by Pixar and Studio Ghibli than those produced by, well, almost everyone else. Missing are the pushy pop culture references that continue to hopelessly date the likes of the Shrek series, the unseemly visual schemes that turn such efforts as Delgo and Battle for Terra into eyesores, and the scatological humor that runs rampant in the majority of today's family features. By my count, there's only one crude gag in Cloudy, a mere misdemeanor considering the imagination driving the rest of the film.
Film / Film News / News NC memorial event for Swayze this Saturday
Posted By Matt Brunson on Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 1:35 PM
The Rutherford County TDA released the following information:
Lake Lure, NC – Details have been finalized for Saturday’s September 19th Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Memorial Event in Honor of Patrick Swayze. The memorial will be at 7:00 PM at Firefly Cove in Lake Lure, rain or shine.
Firefly Cove Development was the former spot for Chimney Rock Camp and the site of many Dirty Dancing movie scenes. Attendees to the memorial will be within view of the place where the movie’s final dance took occurred, and where “Baby” carried a watermelon and danced on steps. The memorial will also overlook the water where Johnny and Baby practiced their famous lift.
News CIGNA wants woman dead
Posted By Web Editor on Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 1:14 PM
Dawn is a few years younger than me. She lives in Atlanta. She's an aspiring playwright. And four years ago, she was diagnosed with a rare, but treatable brain tumor.
Dawn's doctors are ready to treat the tumor, but they can't. CIGNA, her insurer, refuses to pay for the care she needs because the only hospitals qualified to treat her are out-of-network. And after years of fighting, Dawn just received her final denial letter.
For me, the scariest thing about Dawn's story is that it could happen to any of us — to a friend of mine, or someone in my family. After all, Dawn has insurance. But as long as private insurers are the only game in town, they'll continue to have the power to deny Americans the care they need.
Dawn is fighting back. And while CIGNA may be able to ignore Dawn, they won't be able to ignore millions of us standing together with her. I'm joining Dawn's fight to shine a light on Big Insurance's abusive tactics, get Dawn the care she needs, and make sure they don't do this to anyone ever again. Will you join me by signing a statement of support? Clicking here will add your name.
The statement says, "I stand with Dawn Smith. CIGNA must provide the treatment she needs and stop rejecting legitimate care for all the others who are suffering."
Boomer with Attitude / News SC sex follies never end
Posted By John Grooms on Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 1:13 PM
Rita Allison, a 69-year-old South Carolina grandmother and state representative from Lyman, SC, filed a defamation lawsuit yesterday over an anonymous letter. The letter, sent to voters in Allison’s district, suggested she had gotten a job as an adviser to Gov. Mark Sanford in return for sexual favors. Some political observers are saying the letter is a campaign stunt by Allison, although she is not up for re-election this year. Others chalk it up to the general sleaziness of SC politics. I don’t know these folks’ private business and frankly don’t care to know it, but . . . trying to put this as delicately as I can . . . the charges don’t sound believable. Why not? Check out these two photos and then you tell me.
Boomer with Attitude / News The 'No Sperm Left Behind Act'?
Posted By John Grooms on Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 11:06 AM
This week, our coveted Stupid Thing of the Week award goes to anti-abortion extremists in Florida who proposed the “Personhood Amendment” to that state’s constitution. As Tampa Bay Online reported, the amendment would make birth control a crime in Florida. It’s no secret that a strong faction within the anti-abortion movement wants to eventually outlaw birth control, and have been successful in getting “eggs are people too” legislation considered in North Dakota and Colorado. This time around, anti-abortion politicians in Florida are trying to distance themselves from the proposal.
The Personhood Amendment would add language to the state constitution that would define someone as a person “from the beginning of the biological development of that human being” — in other words, a fertilized egg would be considered a “person” with full rights. See a previous, satirical BWA column on this subject here. Personhood Amendment activists would need to collect 676,811 signatures by February 1, 2010 for the proposal to be put to a vote. Their chances are slim, but who knows? It’s Florida.
Arts / News Author Omar Tyree talks Dirty Old Men and Other Stories
Posted By Cheris Hodges on Fri, Sep 18, 2009 at 10:29 AM
New York Times best selling author Omar Tyree makes his foray into erotic fiction this fall with the release of Dirty Old Men and other stories.
But don’t expect Tyree to become a full-time erotic author, he just wanted to write about older men and younger women since he’s 40 now.
“I’m not in the erotica thing; I just had one subject I wanted to deal with. If you look at the Steve 'Air' McNair thing, dying at the hands of a 20-year-old [in July] that’s always going to be an issue. I’m not going to be making up erotica books for entertainment. This was something I needed to say,” Tyree told Creative Loafing in a phone interview about the book.
Dirty Old Men and Other Stories is scheduled for release next month and is presented by Zane, who can seriously be called the "Queen of Erotica." Tyree knew this and that’s why he linked up with the publishing maven to release his book.
“I’m not an erotica writer, that’s not my style. I had small pieces that I wanted to get out and Zane is an erotica writer, that’s what she does and that why I put it out with her imprint because she has that audience for it.”
So, how will the Zane-faithful take to Tyree’s flirtation with erotica?
The stories are sexy, but if you’re looking strictly for sex on top of sex, you got the wrong book. Dirty actually takes readers into to the minds of older men and why they’re drawn to young women.
And, Tyree said, that’s really the point of the book.
“I know it’s a lot of different reasons why men get involved with women who are considerably younger than them. You have guys all over the world getting involved with young women,” he said.
Initially, Tyree wanted to write magazine articles about men, but he couldn’t find anywhere to place them. “Nobody does short stories in magazines like they used to. So, I needed a vehicle to put out masculine short stories,” he said. To make these stories marketable, Tyree said he had to turn up the sex.
“My experience in the publishing world has been if you’re writing about men, you’d better make it sexual or nobody cares,” he said.
With 14 stories exploring what makes old men dirty, Tyree might not make you care, but this collection is sure to start tongues wagging.
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