Is This a Playoff Team?

This appears to be the starting five for the Charlotte Bobcats as the 2009-10 season nears. Do you think this squad can lead the team to the playoffs? Remember, in the Eastern Conference a .500 record pretty much guarantees you a playoff spot. Or do you think the Bobcats, who are coming off their best season ever, will finish below .500 for the sixth straight season? From left to right: Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, Raymond Felton, Gerald Wallace, and...

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In Memory of KoKo

I just learned this evening that Tiwanna Hagans, owner of KoKoMo’s Coffeehouse in Uptown, died last night. I'm saddened by the news because not only did I not know she had health problems, but she is a young woman gone too soon and she was an inspiration to everyone who knew her.I met KoKo, as most people called her (and how she got the name for her coffee shop), a couple of years ago while I was an associate editor for Charlotte magazine. I was...

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Charlotte's Connection to the iPhone

Apparently lots of people have been complaining about their iPhones dropping calls. In fact, some say the iPhone is a great computer but a lousy phone. But there appears to be help on the way. A few days ago, AT&T introduced the 3G MicroCell and they rolled it out first in Charlotte as part of a public trial. The 3G MicroCell is designed to boost the voice and data signal in your home by using your home broadband network. It's a mini-cell tower...

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Buy One Get One Free Tix at the Blumenthal

The Blumenthal Performing Arts Center is offering a buy-one-get-one-free special on balcony seat tickets to several of its upcoming shows. Dubbed the Fall Tip Top Sale, this offer is good through midnight Monday (September 28).As you know, buy one get one free equates to half price for two tickets, which is very appealing during this recession. The shows included are concerts, plays, comedians and some of the highlights are:• A Chorus Line, Sept. 29-Oct. 4, Belk Theater• Steve Martin performing with The Steep Canyon Rangers, Oct. 10, Knight Theater...

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Listen to The Avett Brothers' New Album

The Avett Brothers, the popular folk-rock band from Concord, are set to release their major-label debut, I and Love and You, on September 29. But you don't have to wait to hear what it sounds like. NPR is streaming an exclusive first listen of the album in its entirety on its website. This has been a much-hyped album (as much as folk-rock can be hyped) because it's produced by the legendary Rick Rubin. (Dude, their album is produced by the guy who...

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Light Rail Chillin'

I shot this. Feel free to use it on a post car...

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Charlotte's Economy Thanks Joe Wilson

Republican Rep. Joe Wilson's "You lie!" outburst during President Barack Obama's speech before Congress nearly two weeks ago continues to have rippling effects. Wilson, who represents my home state of South Carolina, has pretty much been basking in his newfound limelight and has reportedly raised upwards of $2 million for his campaign since he heckled the president. But he could also be costing the Palmetto State money, and one of the latest moves...

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From 'The Writer's Desk'

In continuing my posting of photos from my recent downtown Charlotte exploits, this is a very cool public art exhibit in front of ImaginOn facing Seventh Street. Titled The Writer's Desk, these sculptures were commissioned in 2005 in honor of the late Rolfe Neill, a former publisher and writer at The Charlotte Observer who passed away in 1998. Some of the pieces contain quotations from his Sunday columns that ran for 20 years in the newspaper. This...

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What Building Is This?

I had a meeting in downtown Charlotte yesterday (for a newspaper article I'm writing, I got to tour the new Ritz-Carlton that's opening October 1--and it's awesome), and after the meeting was over as I was walking back to my car I noticed several interesting things. Usually when I'm downtown I'm in a hurry to get somewhere, or when I'm driving through I'm too focused on the road and concerned with not hitting a pedestrian (or I'm looking for a coveted...

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Events for the Weekend: September 18-20

Your best weekly list for parties, nightlife, social, and cultural events in Charlotte. This isn’t intended to be a complete list of everything that's going on, but instead are the events GPT recommends.Friday, September 18Mint After 5Young Affiliates of the Mint (YAM) throw their final rooftop party of the season. It’s also a great way for you to learn more about the group. Enjoy drink specials, free food, and live music by Jared Allan and Co. 6 p.m. $15 (free for YAM members). Mint Museum of Craft + Design, 220 N. Tryon St. www.youngaffiliates.org....

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Read About It: Charlotte Comedy

This week's issue of Creative Loafing (online today and on newsstands tomorrow) features a cover story on Charlotte's comedy scene. I wrote one of the articles that comprises the feature package. I spent time with comedian Tone-X--even hung out backstage at one of his comedy shows--and chronicled in the article what motivates this popular comic, how he's evolved over the years, and how he keeps people's stomachs hurting from laughter. Charlotte...

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'Be The One' for A Chorus Line

In anticipation of the national tour of Tony Award-winning musical A Chorus Line coming to the Belk Theater September 29 through October 4, the tour producers and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center have launched an online audition talent competition called “Be The One.” Charlotteans are asked to submit video clips, photos, or blog entries showcasing their talents--singing, dancing, or whatever--and describing why they deserve to Be The One. The...

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My Dad Had a Catalina but I Don't Think He'd Want to Be Buried in It

Ninety-year-old Lonnie Holloway passed away last week, and yesterday his family carried out his final wishes. He was buried in his 1973 Pontiac Catalina, with him sitting in the front seat with his hat on, $100 in his pocket, and his gun collection in the trunk. Holloway is from Saluda, South Carolina, and as an S.C. native myself I know my people do some strange things, but this is really special here. My dad had an old-school Catalina, too, and my lasting memory of it was when my brother and I were about six or seven years old and we broke the...

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What the Bobcats' Ad Campaign Really Says

The Charlotte Bobcats' advertising campaign for the 2009-10 season begins today. They're expanding last year's "Play the Right Way" campaign, which is based on head coach Larry Brown's basketball philosophy. Through advertising in print, electronic, outdoor, and web-based media, the campaign features specific language used by Brown, including ‘defend every possession,’ ‘rebound the ball,’ ‘play harder than our opponents,’ and ‘respect the game.’...

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A Day of Art and Culture

I have friends from Augusta, Georgia visiting this Labor Day Weekend, so I've been showing them around Charlotte. Yesterday, we spent the day outdoors, first hitting up the Charlotte Literary Festival in NoDa (it's also taking place today 10 a.m.-7 p.m.), then we headed downtown because I wanted them to see what it was like and we stumbled upon the Festival of India that was taking place along Tryon Street in front of the Blumenthal. If you haven't...

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Events for the Week: Labor Day Weekend Edition

Your best weekly list for parties, nightlife, social, and cultural events in Charlotte. This isn’t intended to be a complete list of everything that's going on, but instead are the events GPT recommends.Thursday, September 3Alive After Five at EpiCentre (weekly event)This week’s featured bands are Fantasy (R&B and Motown) performing on the rooftop stage, and Déjà vu (beach music and oldies) playing on the courtyard stage. There will be plenty of drink stations scattered throughout. Wristbands also get you into participating EpiCentre bars....

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Jay-Z Fans Will Appreciate This

Ninety-nine percent of the topics I write about on this blog are "about life in and around Charlotte," as the header on this site states. But then there's the 1 percent of the time when I come across something I want to share that has nothing to do with the Queen City. Rhapsody has a new commercial promoting Jay-Z's upcoming album The Blueprint 3, which, as I'm sure you know by now, is set to be released September 11. The commercial is brilliant because it shows Hova re-creating the photo shoots from several of his past album covers. Anyone who...

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Dharma Lounge Opening This Weekend

It might be a year later than planned, but Dharma Lounge is opening in Charlotte this weekend. The 3,000 square-foot space is located at 1440 S. Tryon Street (in the same building as Apostrophe Lounge) in South End and promises to offer everything from yoga and art to music and drinks for a creative nightlife experience. Dharma Lounge is holding its grand opening Friday and Saturday and its regular schedule will be Wednesdays through Sundays, 8...

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Town Hall Meeting on Immigration Reform

The debates over health care reform are dominating the headlines nationally. Locally, there are two related events that are drawing plenty of attention. Republican Senators John McCain, Richard Burr, and Mitch McConnell held an invitation-only forum on health care this morning at Levine Children's Hospital. And this afternoon, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham is holding a round-table discussion on health care at Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill. But there's another event going on today that deserves some attention, and it's an issue that...

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