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…
Courtesy, UNCC Can classical music also be alternative? UNCC's College of Arts + Architecture sets out to prove it can happen when they launch a new initiative, Fresh Ink, later this month. Fresh Ink will help "hip Charlotte up" a bit, as it's part of the alt-classical movement that is taking off in capitals of cool like New York and Portland. It aims to present…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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),…
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…
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…
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…
Courtesy, CSO You know you'll need a break from planning your Thanksgiving menu and making last-minute travel plans. Here are a few excellent diversions. It's a piece of music so famous that most of us have sung/spoken the four opening notes as a prelude to delivering some big news. Da-da, da-daaaaaa. They may be the four most recognizable notes in music, this…
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…
Courtesy, Carolina Tix Oh, yes. It's almost time for the BFD of the month … and it may just be the cultural highlight of my year. If you don't have a ticket yet for the nearly sold-out show, check out Brandi Carlile on iTunes or Youtube. And, then vow to see her the next time she comes to town. Her solo, acoustic show…
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…
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….
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…
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…
Mamas-to-be are ditching the hospital in favor of giving birth at home
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…
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…
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….
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…
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…
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…
