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Monday, August 31, 2009
Arts / Today's Top Five / News Today's Top 5: Monday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Mon, Aug 31, 2009 at 8:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Aug. 31, 2009 — as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Film screening of Psycho Beach Party at Actor's Theatre of Charlotte
• Find Your Muse open mic at The Evening Muse
• The Monday Nite All-Stars at Double Door Inn
• Shipwreck! Pirates and Treasure exhibit at Discovery Place
• Poetry Night at SK Netcafe
Friday, August 28, 2009
The Plug / News Pop Life anniversary party Saturday
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 2:53 PM
Pop Life Anniversary Party: It's hard to believe that The Sol Kitchen/Creative Loafing-sponsored nightlife event known as Pop Life has been around for two years — but, hey, it's true. On Aug. 29, come celebrate our success by attending a special night filled with art, film and a collection of Charlotte's best DJs spinning an eclectic mix of soul, classic hip-hop, Afrobeat, Brazilian and other musical forms. Oh and we'll be celebrating the one-year anniversary of Pop Life's current home, Apostrophe Lounge, as well. Aaaaannnd we'll be celebrating Michael Jackson's birthday by spinning a special set of rare MJ tracks. And, yes, it's free. 9 p.m. 1440 S. Tryon St.
News Bet no one caught Channel 9's gaffe
Posted By Cheris Hodges on Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 2:50 PM
"Famous," Websters defines this word as:
1 a : widely known b : honored for achievement
2 : excellent, first-rate <famous weather for a walk>
"Infamous," Websters defines this word as:
1 : having a reputation of the worst kind : notoriously evil
infamous traitor> 2 : causing or bringing infamy : disgraceful
infamous crime> 3 : convicted of an offense bringing infamy
Which word would you use to describe Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech?
On the Noon news on Channel 9, Natalie Pasquarella said with a smile on her face that today was the 46th anniversary of King's "infamous" speech.
WTF? Infamous [see the above definition] isn't a word that should be used to describe King's speech.
Of course, you really can't put all the blame on the air-headed anchorwoman because she didn't write the script. But it seems as if she should've had sense enough to know that King's speech is famous not infamous.
Infamous:
Someone at Channel 9 needs a thesaurus and a few more brain cells.
Arts / News Fraid Knots vs. Cockpit Candies
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 2:43 PM
Another one of Charlotte Roller Girls’ intra-league championship bouts is set to take place at Bojangles' Coliseum on Sunday, Aug. 30. This go-round, the Fraid Knots will take on the Cockpit Candies. But, wheel there be action? Of course, it’s roller derby. And don’t miss the Charlotte Roller Girls Bout After Party at Dilworth Neighborhood Grille. Tickets are $4-$10. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. and the bout starts at 6 p.m. Bojangles' Coliseum is located at 2700 East Independence Blvd.
Boomer with Attitude / News Stupid Thing of the Week
Posted By John Grooms on Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 2:41 PM
Do you remember the 30 Rock episode where Tracy Jordan invented "The Meat Machine"? It was a gizmo that heat-pressed three pieces of meat together into a breadless sandwich. Well, here we go again, except this time it's happening in real life.
Kentucky Fried Chicken is test-marketing its new Double Down Chicken Sandwich, consisting of bacon, cheese and sauce between two pieces of fried chicken, using the chicken as the bun. Don't rush out to find this particular Incredibly Fattening Thing of the Week, as it's only being offered in Rhode Island and Nebraska. With a little luck, though, it will test well and you, too, will be able to get all your calories for the day — or more — in one, quick meal.
Arts / News Kung Fu Panda screening
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 2:22 PM
SouthPark’s “Movies Under The Stars” series at Symphony Park continues, with a film screening tonight. So, pack a blanket and/or lawn chair and make your way out for the one and only Kung Fu Panda. With a 42-foot screen projecting the film, you might even feel like you’re at a real movie theater. The event is free and since it’s held outside, you’ve also got the stars above (providing it isn’t cloudy). Of course, you do take the risk of getting bitten by a bug. Free. Pre-event activities happen from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. and movie begins at dusk. Symphony Park at SouthPark Mall is located at 4400 Sharon Rd.
Boomer with Attitude / News Bank of America dumps Glenn Beck
Posted By John Grooms on Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 11:17 AM
Read 'em and weep some more, Glenn Beck. Ten more companies have pulled their advertising from Beck’s show on FoxNews, bringing the current total of Beck-deserting companies to 46. Bank of America is among the new list of 10 businesses, and went so far as to tell the media yesterday that a BofA commercial on Beck’s Wednesday show was “run in error” by media outlets that carry the show.
Other companies joining BofA on the NoMoBeck bandwagon include big advertisers such as DirecTV, General Mills, Kraft, Vonage, Travelers Insurance, and Bell & Howell. The Beck advertising boycott was begun three weeks ago by ColorOfChange.org, after Beck called Pres. Obama a "racist" who "has a deep-seated hatred for white people" during an appearance on Fox & Friends.
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News / Biz BofA has $1 of every $10 in U.S. deposits
Posted By Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman on Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 11:05 AM
That might sound sexy on the surface, but it's actually pretty dangerous.
The Washington Post covers the details. Here's a peek at today's article. Read the rest of it here.
When the credit crisis struck last year, federal regulators pumped tens of billions of dollars into the nation's leading financial institutions because the banks were so big that officials feared their failure would ruin the entire financial system.Today, the biggest of those banks are even bigger.
The crisis may be turning out very well for many of the behemoths that dominate U.S. finance. A series of federally arranged mergers safely landed troubled banks on the decks of more stable firms. And it allowed the survivors to emerge from the turmoil with strengthened market positions, giving them even greater control over consumer lending and more potential to profit.
J.P. Morgan Chase, an amalgam of some of Wall Street's most storied institutions, now holds more than $1 of every $10 on deposit in this country. So does Bank of America, scarred by its acquisition of Merrill Lynch and partly government-owned as a result of the crisis, as does Wells Fargo, the biggest West Coast bank. Those three banks, plus government-rescued and -owned Citigroup, now issue one of every two mortgages and about two of every three credit cards, federal data show.
News / The Wack List The Wack List: Aug. 28
Posted By Carlton Hargro on Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 10:27 AM
Five people, places and things we really ain't digging today.
• Mark Sanford. Again. And it seems like 50 percent of the voters in South Carolina agree with me.
• Time Warner Cable. They are reportedly testing "Internet TV," which — according to the Charlotte Business Journal — "would involve making television shows available via the Internet." Hate to rain on the company's parade, but I liked this idea better when it was called Hulu.com.
• Health care town hall meetings. Again. (A local reporter recently attended one and wrote about his experience.)
• Folks who are against same-sex adoption.
News Last night at the town hall meeting
Posted By Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman on Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 10:05 AM
Glenn Burkins, editor of Qcitymetro.com, offers a fresh perspective on last night's Gaston County town hall meeting with Rep. Sue Myrick. Read a snippet then read the entire post here.
The meeting was held at 7 p.m. inside the Gaston Day School, 2001 Gaston Day School Road, Gastonia. Even by the standards of Gaston County, this was no easy drive for someone leaving Charlotte.
Myrick’s other two town hall meetings were in equally remote locations – one at Weddington High School in Union County and another at J.V. Washam Elementary School in Cornelius. I couldn’t help but wonder as I drove for miles along narrow, winding roads why Myrick had chosen to ignore Mecklenburg, the state’s largest and most diverse county.
When I arrived, five minutes late, the parking lot was full. So was the 540-seat auditorium. Myrick’s staff was setting up overflow chairs out in the lobby. Being a member of the press, I was given access to the main room. The heavy police presence could not be missed.
The audience inside was decidedly north of middle age. A few carried protest signs, but not many. I counted two African Americans.
Myrick was standing behind a large wooden podium on a large stage, explaining why she opposes President Obama’s efforts to reform health care: the proposals cost too much, they amount to a government takeover, might eventually rob families of choice, could lead to health care rationing…
...
For two hours I listened, one speaker after another, all praising Myrick for fighting the good fight – for her anti-abortion stand, for opposing health care reform, for supporting the military -- and all lambasting Obama as a danger, a menace or both.
Only two in the audience rose in support for health care reform, and both were booed or shouted down to various degrees. (One said she’d like to hit Myrick with a tomato and got the expected reaction.)
Next time: The legitimate concerns I heard. Plus, what these town hall meetings really say about America.
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