Guess Who I Saw at the Airport?

I was at JFK yesterday getting ready to fly back to CLT when I ran into Tiger Woods. I managed to take a photo with the elusive Tiger....

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Another Year for Cracked Crowns

One of my favorite year-end lists has been published in the January issue of Charlotte magazine. The 2009 Cracked Crowns recap the year's dumbest and most dubious events in Charlotte. I've had the honor of being one of the contributing writers of the list for the past five years and not only is it fun to write, but it's also intriguing to be reminded of just how much can transpire over the course of a year. I think my favorite Cracked Crown this...

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Ric Flair: Not Your Same Old Song and Dance

Ric Flair is one of my favorite Charlotteans to blog about. Even though he's now 60 years old and "retired" from wrestling, he's still popular with a generation of fans who weren't born yet when he was in his hey. And for those who are 80s babies like me, memories of Ric Flair represent a golden era. Now he's being immortalized in hip-hop.There's a song titled "Ric Flair" by rapper Lil Cali and featuring Young Dro. It was actually released over the summer, but is starting to pick up a little speed. It's not the best rap song in the world, but...

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Stephen Jackson Does Good

Stephen Jackson was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats exactly one month ago yesterday and he's already helped make them a better team as they've reached 10 wins faster than at any point in team history. And Jackson is showing he wants to help make his new community a better one as well.The 6'8" forward came strutting into the Bette Rae Thomas Recreation Center around 4 p.m. today to meet and greet young fans at the event he sponsored. His homeboy...

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PJ's Coffee and Lounge Is Closing

I just got word that PJ's Coffee and Lounge is going out of business soon. I find this surprising, because just about every time I've been there or passed by, it's had a good-sized, if not packed, crowd. But come to think of it, those were always night times. If I had to venture a guess, I would think that PJ's struggled with dayside business. It would open at 6:30 a.m. during the week to capture the breakfast crowd and coffee drinkers en route...

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Eat Here Now (and Blog Here Now)

I'm eating at Eat Here Now in Ayrsley Town Center and using my phone to test out the mobile blogging feature through Blogger. My food has just arrived. I ordered the Carolina Classic burger with sweet potato fries, and the sweet tea is really good. This restaurant is sorta cool. It's been open for a couple of years and my waiter said they renovated it back in April. Now it resembles a 1950s era diner, complete with a jukebox (though satellite radio...

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Events for the Weekend: December 11-13

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, December 11Party for NEXTAIDThis charity event is in recognition of World Aids Day and all proceeds will go toward the creation of an ecological multipurpose facility for the Kawangware Street Children and Youth Project in Nairobi, Kenya. Sounds by house music DJ Mr. V. 9 p.m. $10 donation suggested. Dharma Lounge, 1440 S. Tryon St., Suite...

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The Peas Are Coming

I received an email this afternoon announcing that tickets to the Black Eyed Peas' February 20 concert in Charlotte go on sale this weekend. BEP are bringing their The E.N.D. World Tour to Time Warner Cable Arena, with special guests LMFAO.Tickets go on presale tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Go to Ticketmaster and enter the password BEPEND. They go on sale to the general public Saturday at noon.I somehow became a Black Eyed Peas fan a few years...

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Tiger, Don't Come to SC; More Bad Timing

I'm beginning to think that I'm spending too much time following the Tiger Woods saga. It's kind of hard to avoid with it dominating most of the cable news cycles and celebrity and sports websites. Plus, I'm a huge Tiger Woods fan. He's the reason I began following golf and why I've spent many a Sunday afternoon stretched out on the couch watching the last round of a PGA tournament. In 2002, after I graduated college, I was hired by a magazine publisher...

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This Isn't CLT, but Happy Birthday Jay-Z!

The Greatest Rapper of All Time, King of New York, Young Hov, Lucky Lefty, Jigga, Jay-Z, Shawn Carter turns 40 today. And hopefully now the rest of hip-hop will grow up.Roc4Life.com put together this great slideshow from the legendary-still-hottest-rapper-in-the-game's career. (Can you tell I'm a fan?) I could recite any number of Jay-Z's lyrics, but the one that comes to mind is: "Being broke is childish and I'm quite grown." That's a 1997 throwback, evidence to how long he's been at the top of his game.Now the owner of the 40/40 nightclubs is...

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Help Bi-Lo Find a SpokesMILF

Bi-Lo is holding a casting call for a "Spokesmom" in the North Carolina/South Carolina area to be the face and voice of its advertising. The grocery store chain is seeking a lady who is "a great mom, able to juggle finances, busy schedules and meals; has a fun, outgoing personality; and would enjoy sharing her family life with shoppers."It's a paying gig that might be just right for that former model who gave up a life of photoshoots and runways...

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Charlotte's Kendra James Is a 'Bad Girl'

UPDATE: "Kendra James Isn't So 'Bad'" Season four of the Bad Girls Club premiered last night on Oxygen. It appears that it's going to be another hot mess, and the train that's bound to wreck is carrying a young lady from Charlotte, Kendra James. Kendra doesn't seem to be the worst of the pack--so far that trophy goes to Natalie--but because she made the show, I'm sure she's going to show some ugly sides this season. I can't understand why a...

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Ric Flair Makes Losing Your Money Fun

I saw this commercial for the first time last night. But apparently the Ric Flair-endorsed "Wooooooo!" instant scratch-off tickets have been offered by the North Carolina Education Lottery for a couple of months now. A ticket costs $5 and the top prize is $100,000. Whoever came up with the idea to make Flair the lottery's new pitchman and to give him his own lotto ticket should be applauded. Flair has the kind of energy that will keep people excited about buying lottery tickets, even though most of them are throwing their money away. I only play...

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Events for the Weekend: November 27-29

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, November 27FrolicTalk of the Town, the group that brought you the long-running, popular Friday Afterwork Rendezvous, has a new event it hosts on the second and fourth Friday of the month. Mingle with young professionals while enjoying great music by DJ DR. And this week features a performance by the all-female band Blac Catt. 8 p.m. Free....

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King James and Shaq Party in the Carolinas

The Charlotte Bobcats play the Cleveland Cavaliers at home Friday. A Friday night game against a visiting team with superstars is one of the few times a year the Bobcats potentially have a sellout. For every fan that will be at the game to cheer on the Bobcats Friday, there will be at least one who came to see LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal.Speaking of the King and the Diesel, the two of them are coming to town the night before to celebrate Thanksgiving...

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10 Things Sarah Palin Said to Billy Graham

Sarah Palin made a stop in Montreat yesterday to have dinner with the Rev. Billy Graham and his son, Franklin Graham. Franklin invited Palin when he realized she would be in the area. She's visiting Fort Bragg in Fayetteville today during a stop on her book signing tour for Going Rogue.An article on CharlotteObserver.com today describes the two-and-a-half hour meeting between Palin and the Grahams, which included dinner with several of Palin's family...

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9th Wonder to Lead Music Program at Barber-Scotia

AllHipHop.com posted an exclusive article yesterday about music producer 9th Wonder being tapped to lead a music program at Barber-Scotia College in Concord. The North Carolina native, who's produced songs for a wide range of artists including Jay-Z, De La Soul, Erykah Badu, and his former group Little Brother, will develop the 9th Wonder Center for Music and Entrepreneurial Studies. He says he'll be in charge of developing programs and courses...

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Video from Flash Mob in Huntersville

There was a flash mob held at Birkdale Village in Huntersville on Saturday. It was organized by Terry Vaughan of High Intensity Teambuilding, and choreographer Ian Burke. An estimated 2,000 people showed up to dance to the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling." Vaughan had posted a video of the dance routine on YouTube a few weeks prior, so most of the crowd knew the moves. It was sort of cool. They mobbed, but didn't really flash--they didn't disperse right after. See the video below of Saturday's flash mob.UNC Charlotte students held a cool flash...

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Gamecocks Support Troops Against Gators

Today when my South Carolina Gamecocks host the No. 1 ranked Florida Gators in Columbia, our proud Garnet and Black will be accentuated with camouflage and other special touches to honor military veterans and promote the Wounded Warrior Project.The black with tan camouflage uniforms, designed by Under Armour, will have a Wounded Warrior logo on them. And instead of players' names, the backs of the jerseys will have words such as courage, loyalty,...

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Events for the Weekend: November 13-15

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, November 13Prowl Pep RallyCome out and celebrate with other Carolina Panthers fans in preparation for Sunday’s home game against the Atlanta Falcons. Enjoy free appetizers, happy hour drink specials, and there will be chances to win tickets to the game. 5-9 p.m. Free. BlackFinn (inside the EpiCentre), 210 E. Trade St. www.blackfinncharlotte.com....

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The Sex Toy Charlotte Is Offering the World

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Read About It: Ten Years After Rae Carruth Became Infamous

November 16, 2009 marks 10 years since Rae Carruth had his pregnant girlfriend Cherica Adams shot during a planned drive-by shooting as the two left a south Charlotte movie theater. Carruth was just 25 years old and was a promising wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers. Adams was 24, and even though she was riddled with bullets she managed to tell police that she believed her boyfriend had arranged the shooting, and she gave birth to a son, born...

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Free Stuff for Veterans -- In Charlotte and Beyond

Charlotte (and the nation) is showing love to our military service men and women in honor of Veterans Day. Even though the holiday is this Wednesday, November 11, there are specials going on throughout the week. Here are a few that GPT has learned of, and I got the idea to put this list together after talking to an old friend. One of my childhood friends from South Carolina visited Charlotte today and he paid me a visit while in town. We were chilling...

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Maybe BofA Should Use TheLadders

Over the past 24 hours, and particularly this morning, news of Bank of America's search for a CEO to replace the retiring Ken Lewis has been dominating business news websites and the blogosphere. Apparently the job isn't very appealing to some of the top-notch executives who BofA is going after. Maybe they should use TheLadders for their job search ("$100k+ jobs for $100k+ people"). Ranging from speculation to confirmed reports, the latest news...

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Vote Tomorrow...Even Though Obama's Not Running

Tuesday is an important election for local government. Decide who's going to be Charlotte's next mayor, who's going to be on your city council, and who's going to run you kids' school board.The polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Visit www.charlotteobserver.com/politics for everything you need to know about candidates and voting location...

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Read About It: Luna Lounge

Luna Lounge opened in August and is quickly becoming one of Charlotte's hotspots. Thursday and Friday nights draw good crowds, and now with the immensely popular weekly Pop Life event having moved there last week (after spending the past year at Apostrophe Lounge), look for Wednesdays to now be a great night to lounge at Luna. Photo by Peter Taylor for Charlotte magazine.You can read my review of Luna in the November issue of Charlotte magazine,...

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This Day In History: Jim Bakker Sentenced

On October 24, 1989, twenty years ago today, television evangelist Jim Bakker was sentenced by a judge in Charlotte to 45 years in prison for fraud and conspiracy. The sentence was later reduced to eight years; then further reduced to four years for good behavior. Before he came crashing down, Jim and then-wife Tammy Faye had built a massive spiritual network in Charlotte and Fort Mill. Wikipedia chronicles Jim Bakker's rise and fall--in Charlotte--well....

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Events for the Week: October 19-25

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.Wednesday, October 21Meet and Greet Anthony FoxxHere’s your chance to mix and mingle with the Democratic Charlotte mayoral candidate. Live music by 5th and York band and singer Calvin Richardson, along with DJ 06 on the turntables. Heavy hors d’oeuvres and drink specials will be served. 6-10 p.m. Free, but campaign donations are appreciated. Utopia...

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Share Your Vision for Charlotte's Future

The Center City 2020 Vision Plan team is holding the first of three community workshops to gather input on what Charlotte residents want to see for the future of Center City. Scheduled for Wednesday, October 21, 5:30-9 p.m., at the Charlotte Convention Center, the workshop will include a variety of interactive activities to give residents a chance to share their ideas, including video booths and artists to capture participants’ ideas and visions...

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New H&M Goes to Raleigh, Not Charlotte...Why?

By Andrea L. Simon, guest blogger Rumors have been buzzing and it has now been confirmed that H&M is set to finally make its debut in the Carolinas. The News & Observer reported yesterday that a deal for a 21,000 square-foot H&M store is slated to be finalized in about a week, with the store opening in the spring in--*cue the sound effects*--errrrrrrrr Raleigh?! Don’t get me wrong; I have nothing against Raleigh. Being the capital...

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Dinner at Fantasia's

Fantasia Barrino often touts her Southern roots and North Carolina upbringing. But does this Southern belle know her way around the kitchen?The singer is hosting a dinner party tonight at her Charlotte home as part of Macy’s and Feeding America's “Come Together” campaign. This initiative launched last month and aims to feed 10 million people suffering from hunger. Come Together invites the public to host special dinners in their homes, but ask their...

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NASCAR Announces Hall of Fame Class

Fresh off the wire (that's old-school journalist talk), below is an excerpt of a press release I received this afternoon announcing the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class. I got three out of five of the selections right--Earnhardt, France Sr., and Petty--from when I blogged about the nominees in August ("NASCAR Hall of Fame: Class and Race"). There was never any doubt that The King and The Intimidator would get in. INAUGURAL NASCAR HALL OF FAME...

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Read About It: Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture

There's a lot of excitement leading up to the opening of the new Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture. As part of the Wells Fargo Cultural Campus in Uptown Charlotte, the new Gantt Center represents a vision that started more than 35 years ago.The Gantt Center is holding its Community Celebration on Saturday, October 24, which will be an all-day and all-night grand opening event. In this week's issue of Creative Loafing (October 14-20 edition), you can read the article I wrote that chronicle's the significance and potential...

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