Justin Ruckman | 15 Feb 10
1:59 pm | | Filed:Sports
World |

Opening day protest/parade in Vancouver

This post is part of our ongoing coverage of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.

We split up into three groups today, and still none of us ran into any riots. I guess we’re not waking up early enough, or hanging out with the right/wrong people.

It’s a little beyond me how a group of people protesting excessive spending would demonstrate their belief by causing yet more excessive spending: flipping dumpsters, spray painting cars, smashing windows, destroying newspaper boxes, etc. That’s not protest; it’s just a scene, almost recreation. We should turn protest into an Olympic sport and watch the hippies’ heads explode in a burst of recyclical irony. Just kidding, I love hippies.

Contrast these scattered violent protests with the peaceful and self-organized one we witnessed on opening day. Now these are people I can get behind (literally).

Watch this video on YouTube

Is it just us outsiders that feel skeptical about the whole protest routine here in Vancouver? Usually I’m all for stuff like this, especially in Charlotte.

Justin Ruckman | 15 Feb 10
1:50 pm | | Filed:History
Quick Links
Uptown |
2

Levine Museum in the New York Times

An Enigmatic Land of Great Expectations

“It is unlikely that anything resembling the impressive Levine Museum of the New South would exist anywhere else. A museum of the New North or the New East would be merely peculiar, but here the term “New South” has a venerable heritage, recalling unrealized hopes and great expectations. There is also much at stake in trying to understand just what the term really means.”

Read more by Edward Rothstein at the New York Times.

Justin Ruckman | 13 Feb 10
6:02 pm | | Filed:Sports
World |

Vancouver protestors peacefully parade yesterday, but for what?

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Although today has shown peaceful protest turn into violent conflicts, yesterday’s activity was largely peaceful. Tons of photos below, video coming soon.
Read More →

Kion Sanders | 12 Feb 10
9:26 pm | | Filed:Art
Charity
Entertainment
Nightlife
Uptown |
3

Hearts, flowers, cards: yes, it’s a Valentine’s weekend in Charlotte

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flyer courtesy of Culture Initiative

Every V-day, men and women invest a lot of money in that special someone to show how much they appreciate them. Below are eight of my suggestions to help you show your appreciation in Charlotte this weekend.

Read More →

Minimum Failure | 12 Feb 10
9:00 am | | Filed:Art
City
Entertainment |
4

You can’t say that on NPR

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photo credit: Dave

As the lights beneath the Byzantine dome in McGlohon Theatre dimmed last night and the sixth imagining of the Charlotte Squawks satirical musical franchise began, I was worried. Not for myself. Not for the cast. Not for the creators. But for the audience. I’ve  only been a Charlottean for 18 months, and if I’ve learned anything it’s that this city is built around Trade and Tryon Tension and Solemnity. And there I was: opening night seated amongst a wanting crowd three rows back from group of actors waiting in the wings rehearsed and ready to mercilessly roast this same city.

Earlier that morning I’d spoken over the phone with Mike Collins, producer and director of this musically-inclined airing of Charlotte’s dirty laundry. “It’s everything you can’t say on NPR,” said Collins, who also possesses Charlotte’s most recognizable voice signature as host of the “Charlotte Talks” radio show. ”If you’ve been here [in Charlotte] 5 minutes or 50 years, you’ll get it,” he added.
Read More →

Justin Ruckman | 11 Feb 10
4:29 am | | Filed:Meta |
8

New feature: CLT Blog Columns

columns

Here’s something new: columns.

Columns on a blog?! Why not!

Columns are the next logical step for us along the path of providing the quickest and easiest way of promoting and distributing quality local news and information in Charlotte.

Posts in Columns are independent of the main site: we promote the best content, but not all, to the home page.

Columns can be topical, like our newly launched CLT Blog at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics; personal, like James Willamor’s new blog, The QC Life; and syndicated, like our new content partnership with Carolina Nightlife.

This gives us and our most trusted contributers and partners more flexibility and responsiveness, and allows us the freedom to present specialized content in new, creative ways.

We’ll have a lot more in time, some are already in the works. But for now, go check out Columns, and let us know how you like it.

Mitch Metz | 10 Feb 10
1:41 am | | Filed:Dance
Entertainment
Theater
Uptown |
8

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at Knight

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photo credit: Andrew Eccles

Two short days ago, I sat in my living room, munching on a few snacks, watching the New Orleans Saints defeat the Indianapolis Colts.  Little did I know, that would be the second most entertaining display of athletic ability I would see this week.  The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater rolled into town Tuesday night, bringing grace, style, and talent to the Knight Theater.
Read More →

Justin Ruckman | 9 Feb 10
3:13 pm | | Filed:Art
Fundraising
Music
Performance
Theater |
7

Recap: Arts & Science Council 2010 Fund Drive

video: Matthew Tyndall & Justin Ruckman; watch this in HD on YouTube

Charlotte’s ASC recently launched their 2010 annual fund drive, with a goal of $7.3 million. We were there livestreaming the event, and got some great interviews with some key people involved, including ASC president Scott Provancher (who unbeknownst to many, is on Twitter at @scottprovancher).

In the video above, we gave them a chance to relay why the ASC, and the publics’ donations, are so important to Charlotte’s cultural environment.

Some interesting facts we learned about Charlotte’s ASC, and cultural community at large:

  • Charlotte’s ASC is the 5th largest in the nation
  • it’s tied with San Francisco for the amount of money contributed to cultural partners
  • last year Charlotte had 3 million visitors to the 70,000 cultural events sponsored in part by the ASC, which is more people than attended the Panthers, Bobcats, Knights, Checkers, Wachovia-Wells golf tournament, and NASCAR events combined

While corporate contributions usually make up a fair percent of the ASC’s annual budget, this year they’re to reach out in particular to individual contributors.

You can learn more, and donate, at giving.artsandscience.org. Follow the ASC on twitter at @ASCCharlotte.

Jessica | 9 Feb 10
2:43 pm | | Filed:City |

Ramblings of a Recessionista

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Times are hard.  People are broke or unemployed, business is down everywhere.  I am a member of the unemployed and I have noticed an increase in the amount of people out during the week as I go into month 8 of doing nothing.  As the economy stays down people are trying to not kill themselves by going out and being social or just drinking away the feelings.  Feelings are bad.  I have managed to find good specials in many different areas of town making it possible for a poor person as myself to get out for cheap.  My employed friends hate going out with me as there is no alarm clock cutting my night short.  I need more unemployed friends…or hey how about a job, Universe.  So here’s a short list of Mon-Thurs stuff to get into.
Read More →

Justin Ruckman | 8 Feb 10
10:21 am | | Filed:Architecture
Development
Hospitality
Quick Links
Uptown |
2

Rebooted Park tower uptown adding hotel rooms, possible rooftop restaurant

“The new owners of The Park condo project want to turn the unfinished uptown tower into a hotel.

Naples, Fla.-based Small Brothers filed a rezoning petition with the city to allow 148 hotel rooms alongside 74 residential condo units.

(…) According to a site plan filed with the city, Small Brothers also proposes adding a rooftop restaurant and garden to the tower.”

Read more by Susan Stabley at the Charlotte Business Journal.