Actually, it’s Savage that was in Limbo... and on stage at CAST (Carolina Actor’s Studio Theatre).

Meanwhile, Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp from the original 1996 cast of RENT are on stage at Ovens Auditorium. Along with Nicolette Hart — perhaps the funniest, most animated Maureen in any RENT production I’ve seen. Makes sense — she is the original Elle Woods in Legally Blonde... the musical?! Really? I mean, we’ve seen people take art and turn it into pop culture, but can you turn pop culture into a piece of art?

I can tell you however that seeing the authentic Roger and Mark on stage made it feel like I was in the Louvre of performing arts, seeing the original masterpiece that is the musical RENT right here in Charlotte thanks to the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.

RENT focuses on the sanctuary of the arts and performing spaces….and CAST is a prime example of a local performance space worth patronizing. It’s perhaps the best independent theater in Charlotte. In addition to the good entertainment and ambiance, they offer $12 bottles of wine at the bar, which during the play Savage in Limbo was converted into the set for the performance.

Mini Britney will be at BAR Charlotte tonight. Not that I typically ever encourage going to BAR Charlotte… but I do encourage you go see Mini Britney. She’s actually as good as the real Britney Spears the comeback version.

Read my adventures with Mini Britney last year here.

I woke up Saturday morning on an airplane at JFK airport... another year older.

It was my birthday, and as much fun as hanging out in airports on your birthday sounds, I opted to fly the redeye home from Sundance Film Festival... so I could go to Strike City in the EpiCentre’s soft (as opposed to hard) opening to celebrate my birthday.

To help you navigate your way through the epic EpiCentre, Strike City is located under Mez and the EpiCentre Theaters.

As soon as I got there and realized that within Strike City is Librettos, a real deal NYC pizzeria, I was pissed at myself for eating the $7.50 Bojangles Surpremes at the Checkers game beforehand. Strike City is not just a bowling alley... it’s a place to go to eat, and stay to bowl (and party).

By Gman

Beer Pong is not a crime. You hear that A.L.E.? It's NOT a crime. It is, however, the act of throwing a ping pong ball into a cup and and clearing all the cups on your opponent's side of the table. Simple enough, right? Some, or I should say most, do it for fun. Then there are those of us that take it way too seriously, become a talented player and win either money, tournaments or just a little bit of respect.

For those who don't know who I am, I'm GMAN and I work for Lazyday.com and I'm a seven-year vet in beer pong. Starting at a bar in Bay Shore, N.Y., ... and currently walking away from my last table at The World Series of Beer Pong IV in Las Vegas, Nev.

Recently, as I live in Charlotte, I have found that, yes, I am a great Beer Pong player and I don't find myself losing much. I do win a tournament from time to time — although I did lose to Brittney Cason once.

But this past September, my partner, DJ Vampire Head and myself got into the World Series of Beer Pong IV in Las Vegas. I was cocky and I was just coming off a big tournament win so I said fuck it, why not. If you're good at something, why not make some money doing it?

This, in turn, brought to me four months of absolute madness and a ridiculous amount of practicing and nights hammered out of my skull. The days went by and the games added up, a few wins here, a few more, a few more, a loss, a few more wins and etc. We had Buckhead Saloon signed up to sponsor us which I thank them greatly for.

Get your butt to the Alltel Wireless store in Vicksburg Plaza (2242 West Roosevelt Boulevard in Monroe) on Monday, because the first 100 fans in line at 5 p.m. will win two free tickets to the Panthers NFC Divisional Playoff on Saturday, Jan. 10, at Bank of America Stadium. Oh, and you'll get to meet DeAngelo Williams too.

More info here.

Have you made your New Year's resolution yet?

One of my New Year's resolutions this year is to stop procrastinating about everything in life ... oil changes and inspections, hair cuts, booking flights, returning calls ... my plans for New Year's Eve. I have been inundated with e-mails asking me what is going on for New Year's Eve and what I’m doing. Well, I don’t even know yet -- what I’m doing that is. (That resolution has yet to take effect, apparently.)

But I do know that I am going on my seventh New Year's in a row without a midnight kiss ... That, and what’s going on in Charlotte from PG-rated parties to black-tie balls to parties promising champagne toasts and “party favors.”

Here's a rundown of some of the festivities around town ...

The first time I ever visited Charlotte, I had lunch at Groucho’s Deli and felt like I had consumed street meat or something, and for the rest of the day I wore its lingering smell, that’s worse than that of Subway, like perfume. Well, Groucho’ is gone and I am not grouchy about it — because that means a good venue can take over that prime location. Cason-Point: NIX Burgers and Brew.

If the kegs hanging from the ceiling are an indicator, they have a great draft selection — such as Winter’s Bourbon Cask Ale, a seasonal beer (the one with the snowman) that has Madagascar vanilla beans in it and it taste like candy beer.

Speaking of Madagascar – in the animated flick doesn’t the giraffe Melman, whose voiceover is done by David Schwimmer...really look like David Schwimmer? It’s weird.

As for their burgers, it’s like a bar as well — you can chose your animal: cow, turkey or bison and they have toppings from guacamole to fried egg. And their burgers are so big even their sliders were the size of my head.

Tis’ the season of giving ... but given the economy, a lot of corporations are forgoing their company holiday party — no need to “Ba Hum Bug” about it, it’s better than going out of business.

The Bobcats however still hosted the jolliest of holiday parties — and I’m not talking about the “get the staff drunk and watch the drama unfold” kind of party, I’m referring to the annual Holiday Party for the Kids held this week at Extravaganza.

The Bobcats invited more than 300 kids to come party with the players. And by party I mean eat pizza, decorate sugar cookies, get their faces painted, have a balloon animal made and just plain play. The party was a Bobcats Season of Giving event as the kids in attendance who have toys came and donated to those who didn’t. Kinda like the PG Rated version of Second String Santa.

The Q&A with the players was like a scene from Bill Cosby’s “Kids Say the Darndest Things” when a little boy asked the team how mad Sean May would be if he ate his cookie.