CIAA 2012 Parties: Building the List

There's great anticipation for the week of February 27 through March 4

Credit: Eddietainment.comA tent was erected on the Pavilion at EpiCentre, so rain didn’t stop hundreds of people from seeing Doug E. Fresh perform at a day party during CIAA weekend last year. For the fourth year in a row, I’m compiling a list of events for what is undoubtedly the most party-filled week in Charlotte: CIAA Week a.k.a. the week…

Path to 270 Runs Through Charlotte…No Bull

youtube.com/BarackObamadotcomPresident Obama’s re-election campaign officials believe there are more than 40 pathways to achieve the 270 electoral votes to win the 2012 presidential election, including the coveted North Carolina vote. Most of the presidential politics talk over the last few months has been about the candidates vying for the Republican Party’s nomination. And with the Iowa caucuses less than a…

BFD of the Month: Love, Loss, and What I Wore

Courtesy, Blumenthal Performing Arts CenterLoretta Swit, star of M*A*S*H* and “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” Everyone's short on cash and time these days. If you have just one cultural outing this month, let it be our BFD. Choosing this month's BFD wasn't all that easy. There is a boat load of good stuff going on this month. January may…

Charlotte 49ers vs. North Carolina Tar Heels College Cup Championship Viewing Parties

You might have seen the news this weekend—it’s an all-North-Carolina Men’s College Cup National Soccer Championship set to go down Sunday, after the Charlotte 49ers (UNC Charlotte) and the North Carolina Tar Heels (UNC Chapel Hill) won their semifinal games Friday night. You can read The Charlotte Observer’s coverage here and here. And I figured I’d offer what Dusk Till…

Vince Carter Wants You to Support the Charlotte in 2012 Committee and DNC

Credit: youtube.com/charlottein2012 He’s half-man, half-amazing (an ode to his slam-dunking prowess), and now he’s voicing his support for the 2012 Democratic National Convention. NBA star Vince Carter is featured in a short video released today by the Committee for Charlotte in 2012.   After reminding us that he’s a UNC Tar Heel, he says: “I’m excited to join volunteers from across America to…

Art+Sole+Life, Cupcakes & Champagne, Holiday Nouveau, and More this Weekend

Nikko will serve as a stylish backdrop for the Holiday Nouveau party being put on Saturday night by The A List. The overnight temperatures are dropping, but the parties are heating up. Enjoy this list of parties and social events taking place this weekend. Friday, December 9 Art+Sole+Life Sole Plus, Inc. (a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring youth through art),…

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

(Not.)

Courtesy, Visulite Sick of the season yet? No? We'll give it time. It's still early. There are plenty of shows and concerts that celebrate the Christmas season. (And, I'll be blogging about those.) But, what if you just don't feel like being jolly? Here's what I plan to see to sustain my Grinch-hood. Rachael Yamagata. Her new album is nicer…

BFD of the Month: Rachael Yamagata

Courtesy, Visulite Everyone's short on cash and time these days. If you have just one cultural outing this month, let it be our BFD. There's plenty of holiday-themed stuff going on this month to get you sufficiently into the spirit of the season. But, I'm just Scrooge-y enough to bypass the holly and the ivy to recommend instead a decidedly anti-holiday outing…

The Worst Movie Ever Made!

It's playing in Charlotte Nov. 28

Courtesy, The Light Factory Why would you want to see the worst movie ever made? To laugh at how unintentionally hilarious it is, of course. You'll get that chance on Nov 28 when The Light Factory screens Plan 9 from Outer Space as part of the Cult Movie Monday series. It's got a legitimate cast (Bela Lugosi, for instance), and…

Ballroom Galas and Battles, Alejandro and No Limit Larry’s Birthday Bashes, Space Odyssey and Global Fever Parties, and more this Weekend

There’s a great variety of parties and social events this weekend, so I've pulled together something for everyone on this list. Get to it! Friday, November 11 Black and White Gala For the ninth year in a row, this popular, fundraising gala will bring together Charlotte’s young professionals. Guests will enjoy music, dancing, a silent auction, great views of the city, and…

BFD of the Month: Brandi Carlile

Courtesy, carolinatix.org Everyone's short on cash and time these days. If you have just one cultural outing this month, let it be our BFD. I remember when Brandi Carlile opened for pianist Vienna Teng at The Neighborhood Theatre and blew the place away. I've never seen so high a percentage of an audience bolt for the merch table during intermission…

Who The Jew Are You?

Celebrated new film showing one night only!

Courtesy, Charlotte Jewish Film Festival I can't take credit for the clever headline. That's the title of a movie the Charlotte Jewish Film Festival is bringing to town for one night only. Who the Jew Are You? was written and directed by Alan Goldman, and the documentary follows him on a personal faith journey as he tries to reconnect with Judaism….

Final Weekend to Enter ‘A Night At The Music Factory’ Video Contest

For the past month, NC Music Factory has been holding its "A Night At The Music Factory" contest, in which it’s asked people to create a short video of their night out at the uptown entertainment complex. The contest ends at 11:59 p.m. this Sunday, October 23. Your video needs to be at least 20 seconds long and have “NC…

Weekend Top Picks for Oct 21-23: Movies! (And, More)

Courtesy, CFS  I'm not talking about cineplex fare. Although, my hope is that all four of you reading this have seen Drive, or as I call it "The Best Movie of 2011." No leading man has ever looked cooler than Ryan Gosling, toothpick dangling from his mouth, in the unnerving opening scenes. I'm talking about movies not playing on thousands of…

The Home Birth Debate

Mamas-to-be are ditching the hospital in favor of giving birth at home

Mamas-to-be are ditching the hospital in favor of giving birth at home

DNC a Hot Topic At Charlotte Chamber Retreat

Credit: twitter.com/anthonyfoxxAt the Charlotte Chamber’s Fall Planning Retreat, Sonja Gantt moderates a panel discussion on the DNC with Mayor Anthony Foxx, Dan Murrey, Steve Kerrigan, and Peggy Brookhouse. This is the second day of the two-day Charlotte Chamber Fall Planning Retreat, taking place at Wild Dunes Resort in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, just outside of Charleston. A week before…

Pretty in Pink at Butter, All Black Gala at Privilege, Chris Brown After-Party at Lux, and More this Weekend

twitter.com/chrisbrownR&B superstar Chris Brown hosts his concert after-party at Lux this Saturday. Here are a handful of options where you can party successfully this weekend. Wear pink, dress in black, play putt-putt, try a love potion…just have a good time. Friday, October 7 Second Annual Pretty in Pink Butter NC presents this fundraising party to benefit the American Cancer Society. And…

BFD of the Month: Denyce Graves in Il Trovatore

Courtesy, Opera Carolina Everyone's strapped for cash and time these days. If you have just one cultural outing this month, let it be our BFD. For an opera singer, you can't do better than making your debut at the Met. For most people, that would be a career apex. But, Denyse Graves isn't just any diva. She's one of opera's biggest superstars….

Romney Is Spokesman in ‘Reasons Not to Elect Me’ Ad by Democratic National Committee

The Democratic National Committee wasted no time seizing on sound bites from last night’s FOX News/Google Republican presidential debate, held in Orlando. Within a few hours, the DNC had created and released a video capitalizing on Mitt Romney’s poor choice of words during a particular answer. The fifty-second spot ends with Romney saying: “There are a lot of reasons not…

KAWS Hennessy at Gantt, Sounds of Uptown at Westin, and Bingo for Boobies at Mortimer’s

Renowned artist KAWS designed this bottle for Hennessy. There’s a special event celebrating it Monday at the Gantt Center. You have your eyes set on the weekend (probably watching the clock, anxious for 5 p.m. to come), but do yourself a favor and mark your calendar for at least one of these events taking place next week. Monday, September 26 KAWS x…

If You Bid It They Will Come

While the DNCC conducted its walk-through for prospective contractors Tuesday, the arena’s maintenance crew was setting up for a concert. One of the reasons Charlotteans are excited the city is hosting the 2012 Democratic National Convention is the promise of tens of millions of dollars being pumped into the local economy, not only from when visitors arrive for the convention…