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Monday, December 29, 2014
First Drip First Drip (12/29/14): Panthers make the playoffs, Chris Rock divorces
Posted By Emiene Wright on Mon, Dec 29, 2014 at 7:46 AM
The Panthers will host Arizona in a playoff game at 4:35 p.m. Saturday, marking the first time in Carolina’s history that the team has made it to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, and also the first time any team has won the NFC South two years in a row.
Google mail service Gmail has reportedly been blocked by China’s Great Firewall following months of disruption, an anti-censorship group said Monday. GreatFire.org said many Gmail users were cut off in China on Friday and services were still down Monday.
Chris Rock announces that he has filed for divorce — shocking no one who has ever seen him do stand-up. If he liked being married, he sure didn't sound like it.
"PlayStation Network is back online," a Sony executive announced in a blog over the weekend, but some gamers report still having trouble connecting to Sony’s PlayStation Network after it and Xbox Live were hit by a cyberattack on Christmas Eve.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Sunday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Sun, Dec 28, 2014 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Dec. 28, 2014 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• The Great American Trailer Park Christmas Musical at Actor's Theatre of Charlotte
• Fight Night Comedy Competition at The Comedy Zone
• Falling Pebbles at Double Door Inn
• Belk Bowl 5k at Wells Fargo Atrium
• The Story of the Little Gentleman at ImaginOn's Wachovia Playhouse
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Saturday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Sat, Dec 27, 2014 at 9:00 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Dec. 27, 2014 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Completely Hollywood (abridged) at UpStage
• Su Casa at Petra's Piano Bar & Cabaret
• Kwanzaa Celebration at Tuckaseegee Recreation Center
• Paul Hooper at The Comedy Zone Fort Mill
• Misguided Youth, Poontanglers, AM/FMs, Chalkies and ThatGuySmitty at Snug Harbor
Friday, December 26, 2014
Arts Cheap list: Su Casa, Kwanzaa Celebration, more
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Dec 26, 2014 at 4:34 PM
Going out in Charlotte doesn't have to be expensive. In fact, to prove that statement, we've compiled a list of cheap - $10 or less - things to do in the Q.C. this weekend. These events may vary, but they're all entertaining and they won't break your bank (piggy banks excluded).
Charlotte Comedy Theater at Wet Willies: The female ensemble of CCT hosts this special night of girl talk, titled "That's What She Said." $10. Dec. 26, 8 p.m. Wet Willies, 900 N.C. Music Factory Blvd. (held in a private room in the back). 803-792-1608. www.charlottecomedytheater.com.
Su Casa at Petra's Piano Bar & Cabaret: This Su Casa is set to bring folks a refreshing night of B-sides and “rare grooves.” Resident DJ Justice Asaru-Re Uzn and special guest DJ 2-Tone Jones are slated to handle the spinning, which will feature an array of songs — that you might not be used to hearing — from a variety of artists. There will also be art by Dammit Wesley on showcase, in addition to face painting, film and more. Dec. 27, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Petra's Piano Bar and Cabaret, 1919 Commonwealth Ave. 704-332-6608. www.petraspianobar.com.
Kwanzaa Celebration at Tuckaseegee Recreation Center: Nubian Rootz Cultural Center presents this festive event featuring African music, dancing, storytelling and special guests, including drummers, dancers and more. There’s also an African marketplace with handmade arts and crafts. This year, Reggie Singleton, the executive director of The Males Place — a Charlotte mentoring program for 12- to 18-year-old males — will be honored for his hard work within the community. Dec. 27, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuckaseegee Recreation Center, 4820 Tuckaseegee Road. www.nubianrootz.com. (Anita Overcash)
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Friday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Fri, Dec 26, 2014 at 10:20 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Dec. 26, 2014 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
• Donnell Rawlings at The Comedy Zone
• Kool Keith at Snug Harbor
• UnDeck the Hall at NASCAR Hall of Fame
• Self exhibit at New Gallery of Modern Art
• Sensato, DJ Esteban Mora, DJ Will DC and DJ Chescov at Label
First Drip First Drip (12/26/2014): Cyber attacks on Christmas, more
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Fri, Dec 26, 2014 at 9:18 AM
Here's your head's up that several Uptown Charlotte roads will be closed starting Monday at 9 a.m. due to Tuesdsay night's Belk Bowl being held at Bank of America Stadium. Portions of South Mint, Graham and Stonewall Streets will be closed. The Belk Bowl features college football's Georgia Bulldogs and Louisville Cardinals.
N.C. attorney general Roy Cooper plans to petition the U.S. Supreme Court about this week's 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on the state's ultrasound rule. The 2011 rule requires abortion providers to show and describe ultrasounds to women who are terminating their pregnancies. While Cooper says he doesn't personally support the rule, he is seeking clarification as the courts have upheld laws in Texas and struck them down in Oklahoma.
Playstation Network and XBox Live are still offline after cyber attacks on Christmas Day. A group called Lizard Squad, which previously took credit for an August cyber attack on the Playstation Network, is claiming responsibility. On Friday morning, XBox Live was offering "limited" service while Playstation Network is giving no estimate for when service will be back up.
The Interview finally opened in movie theaters on Christmas Day, raking in roughly $1 million. The Seth Rogen and James Franco film about a planned assassination of North Korea leader Kim Jung Un was originally pulled from theaters after threats from cyber-attackers. The movie remains in theaters and was also made available via YouTube, Google Play and XBox.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Arts / Today's Top Five Today's Top 5: Wednesday
Posted By Anita Overcash on Wed, Dec 24, 2014 at 10:28 AM
Here are the five best events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area today, Dec. 24, 2014 as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.
* The Fat Face Band at Snug Harbor
* Matzoball Charlotte at BlackFinn Restaurant & Saloon
* Christmas Town USA at McAdenville
* Trivia and Karaoke at Tin Roof
* Speedway Christmas at Charlotte Motorspeedway
First Drip First Drip (12/24/14): North Carolina now 9th largest state
Posted By Kimberly Lawson on Wed, Dec 24, 2014 at 10:10 AM
Does it seem a little more crowded lately? North Carolina is now the ninth largest state in the nation. Between July 2013 and July 2014, almost 100,000 new residents moved here.
The U.S. Attorney's office in Charlotte says it ain't having none of that — health care fraud, that is. WFAE reports that the office is garnering a reputation for being hard-core against offenders. The story cites the example of the case against Dr. Mark Tuan Le, which ultimately settled for $6.2 million, the largest the office has ever settled against an individual doctor.
Uber's PR team has had their work cut out for them this year. CEO Travis Kalanick has been indicted in South Korean "on charges of operating an illegal taxi service in the country, which could see him slapped with an $18,000 fine, or two years in jail."
Since you're not doing a lot of work today anyway, here's an interesting piece about the origins of the American Jewish tradition of eating Chinese food on Christmas Day.
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Environment Caroling for clean energy
Posted By Emiene Wright on Tue, Dec 23, 2014 at 11:21 AM
Christmas has her 6-year-old so excited, Danielle Hilton and her daughter are celebrating the season by writing carols together. But these aren’t your traditional “Deck the Halls.”
Hilton, who is concerned about the state of the environment and natural resources that her daughter’s generation will inherit, has been posting videos to YouTube of her family, friends and strangers singing carols for clean energy. She and a group of carolers are headed to the Duke Energy building in Uptown today around lunchtime to serenade the corporation, part of an action organized by the state’s Moms Clean Air Force.
“I’m encouraging anyone to record a song to contribute,” Hilton says. “I know it’s time to be with family, but take a moment to record two to three lines about clean energy and hopes for the future,” she says.
Songs on the YouTube channel include a parody of Donny Hathaway’s “This Christmas” called “Who Did This” and a spoof of Jingle Bells called “Benzene Smells.”
First Drip First Drip (12/23/14): Abortion ultrasound law overturned, more
Posted By Kimberly Lawson on Tue, Dec 23, 2014 at 9:33 AM
The North Carolina abortion law that requires physicians show patients an ultrasound of their baby is a violation of the doctors' First Amendment, says a federal appeals court. The law, which was passed in 2011 despite a veto by then-governor Bev Perdue, has been struck down.
A Baltimore judge declared a mistrial in the second trial of Michael Maurice Johnson, the man accused of killing Phylicia Barnes of Monroe. "The Baltimore Sun reported that the judge declared the mistrial because prosecutors played a wiretap conversation which was supposed to be withheld."
A new poet laureate has been named in North Carolina. In a stark contrast to the governor's previous choice in July (Valerie Macon, who self-published two books), Shelby Stephenson was chosen by a panel of literary experts. He's won numerous literary awards, including being inducted into the N.C. Literary Hall of Fame.
After President Obama announced the move to "normalize" relations with Cuba, some authorities have been pushing for the country to hand over "America's most-wanted woman, Joanne Chesimard," who killed a New Jersey state trooper in the '70s. Cuba's Foreign Ministry's head of North American affairs suggests that probably won't happen. "Every nation has sovereign and legitimate rights to grant political asylum to people it considers to have been persecuted," she told the AP.
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Question the Queen City: Who set fire to the nightlife? 3
From 1971 to 1976, 17 nightclubs in Charlotte burned to the ground. Who did it?
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Rango / Gnomeo & Juliet: Tale of two toons
Toon Western triggers a good time for all, but silly Shakespeare spin is solely for the kids.
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Question the Queen City: An unsolved double murder 5
Did they ever catch the killer from the Mulberry Church Road murders?
