Top Stories Charlotte

Archive for April, 2011

Pretty great design for this area. If only Harris Teeter didn’t have a logo that looks like it was made in Microsoft Publisher 1996.

From the Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association Facebook page:

The proposed new Harris Teeter will replace the current Harris Teeter at 1704 Central Avenue, with a required rezoning and expected decision on the rezoning by September. Demolition is expected in 2012 with an opening in 2013. Plaza Midwood Neighborhood Association will gather comments and concerns. Public meetings will be held, and an information table is expected at the Midwood Maynia event.

More info @ Underoak.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Yesterday we had the KILLER opportunity to livestream an interview with most of the members of the first ever YouTube national tour, appropriately dubbed The Digitour, when they rolled through the NC Music Factory. While we’re working on getting the video edited, take a gander at @dboling03′s video + blogpost that highlights both YouTube/the performances at The Saloon and Jeff Elder dishing about The Gregory Brothers and their take on having a video go viral!

Now about one-third of the way done, the tour started out west, came south, and now heads north. Michael said the largest house so far is about 600 people in L.A., but that a New York gig might be bigger. [...] Justin Ruckman, Matthew Tyndall and Desiree Kane of CLT Blog pulled together a press conference and streamed the live video this afternoon.[...] CLT Blog, the strongest and best independent new media voice in Charlotte, has pulled together many events like this in the past.

The idea of a tour of YouTube stars brings up a question: Do internet stars need to break through to mainstream media to make it in the big time?

“It’s not crucial,” says Evan Gregory, brother of band mates Michael and Andrew Gregory, and the wife of band member Sarah Fullen Gregory. “But mainstream media is still the measuring stick of how big you make it, and will be for some time. When we made it in The New York Times, people who wouldn’t have taken us seriously began to.”

via YouTube stars the Gregory Brothers talk viral videos in Charlotte.

Oh, and thanks for the shout-out, Jeff!

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Yesterday we had the KILLER opportunity to livestream an interview with most of the members of the first ever YouTube national tour, appropriately dubbed The Digitour, when they rolled through the NC Music Factory. While we’re working on getting the video edited, take a gander at @dboling03′s video + blogpost that highlights both YouTube/the performances at The Saloon and Jeff Elder dishing about The Gregory Brothers and their take on having a video go viral!

Now about one-third of the way done, the tour started out west, came south, and now heads north. Michael said the largest house so far is about 600 people in L.A., but that a New York gig might be bigger. [...] Justin Ruckman, Matthew Tyndall and Desiree Kane of CLT Blog pulled together a press conference and streamed the live video this afternoon.[...] CLT Blog, the strongest and best independent new media voice in Charlotte, has pulled together many events like this in the past.

The idea of a tour of YouTube stars brings up a question: Do internet stars need to break through to mainstream media to make it in the big time?

“It’s not crucial,” says Evan Gregory, brother of band mates Michael and Andrew Gregory, and the wife of band member Sarah Fullen Gregory. “But mainstream media is still the measuring stick of how big you make it, and will be for some time. When we made it in The New York Times, people who wouldn’t have taken us seriously began to.”

via YouTube stars the Gregory Brothers talk viral videos in Charlotte.

Oh, and thanks for the shout-out, Jeff!

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

The more than 27,000 small businesses in Charlotte are a bright spot for our local economy. In celebration of National Small Business Week, the City of Charlotte is coordinating an enhanced local Small Business Week, May 16 – 20, 2011, with more than 25 free or low-cost events and activities held throughout Charlotte.  All events and activities are geared towards helping Charlotte’s small businesses improve their business operations and grow sales. 

Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and the Charlotte City Council will kick off the City’s Small Business Week activities on Monday, May 16 with a breakfast, the unveiling of the City’s newest small business resource –CharlotteBusinessResources.com and an announcement of the recipient of an Extreme Makover: Small Business Edition.

As part of Charlotte’s Small Business Week activities, one lucky small business will win an Extreme Makeover: Small Business Edition, sponsored by the City of Charlotte, CPCC’s – Institute for Entrepreneurship and the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. The contest sponsors have secured five businesses that will provide up to 15 hours each of the following pro-bono services:

• Strategic planning/business plan optimization (The MLC Group, www.mlc-clarity.com)
• Branding and advertising (Wray Ward, www.wrayward.com)
• Accounting and tax advisory services (Reznick Group, www.reznickgroup.com)
• Sales enhancement (KRS Consulting, www.krsconsult.com)
• Human resources audit (The Employers Association, www.employersassoc.com)

Visit http://smallbizweek.charlottenc.gov for more information about this year’s small business week activities and to apply to win an Extreme Makeover: Small Business Edition.  Online applications will be available through Monday, May 2.

If you have any questions, please contact Dennis Marstall at dmarstall@charlottenc.gov or 704-366-3980.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Have you ever wanted to autotune the news, or be a mystery guitar man? Well someone beat you to it, but CLT Blog is hosting a Q&A livestream with YouTube’s DigiTour stars, including the Gregory Brothers (of Auto Tune the News, Bed Intruder, etc fame), Mystery Guitar Man, Dave Days, David Choi, Destorm, Ricky Facarelli, and more at 3:30 today. These YouTube celebs have over 1 billion views and counting.

Want to ask them questions? Tune in at cltblog.com/live. This is a great opportunity for casual fans to internet marketing connoisseurs.

Want to see them in person? They go on stage at the Saloon at 5pm. You can get your $10 tickets here.

Stop by cltblog.com/live at 3:30 pm today, and hang out w/ some of YouTube’s most famous talent!

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

We love Pecha Kucha Night – Charlotte (#pknclt) and many of our staff volunteer for the event. The winner of Charlotte Magazine’s 2010 Best of the Best (BoB) Award for Cultural Events, has announced the eighth installment of the series on April 28, at Amos’ Southend as part of Southend Soul!

What: Pecha Kucha Night Charlotte – Vol. 8
When: Thursday, April 28, at 7:30 PM Doors open at 7:00.
Where: Amos’ Southend (1423 S Tryon St., 28203)
Cover: $5 at the door. Cash bar for 21+

Charlotte is loaded with wonderful creative catalysts and this is but a tiny cross-section. The presentations of PK Volume 8 will cover a broad range of topics from Photography and Poetry to Biking and Racial Identity. The presenters in alphabetical order:

Ana Lucia Divins & Edwin Gil
Tomás Jiménez-Eliæson
Spencer Lueders
Indrani Nayar-Gall, Timothy Vang, and introducing: Charlie Black
Franco Ordonez
Carlos Salum
Martin Settle
Charles Thomas
Dwayne Waite Jr.
Osama Wazan

100% the door proceeds from PKN Volume 8 will go to the post earthquake-tsunami rebuilding efforts in Japan. The organization leading this effort is “Inspire Japan” – a global initiative led by the Pecha Kucha HQ in Tokyo along with Architecture for Humanity. 120+ cities from around the world are participating so not only is this contributing to helping fellow humans, it’s an opportunity to share this effort with other like-minded people around the world. Since PKN is volunteer driven – at the local as well as global level – there is no overhead or administrative costs, 100% of what is collected will go to the rebuilding work.

RSVP (by clicking this link) is appreciated but not required. Come as you are, all are always welcome!

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Review: Blue Man Group Belk Theater Blumenthal Performing Arts Center 4/19 -24

In the tradition of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and the Marx Brothers, The Blue Man Group elevates physical comedy to a high art form relying on sight gags, playful props and synchronized movements. Unlike their comedic predecessors however, BMG has 21^st century technology and multi-media gadgetry that add an over-the-top wow factor. Their 100 minute, no intermission performance at the Belk Tuesday night was a wild ride designed to appeal to the primitive brain in all of us.

This is theater that you don’t have to think about to enjoy. Like laughing at a man slipping on a banana peel, the schadenfreude we each experience at the ceaseless pratfalls, missteps and goofs from our neon royal blue trio cut to the core of what we find funny in the familiar experience of being human.

Make no mistake, this is a sophisticated, meticulously choreographed series of sketches and audience participation gags. The blue boys demonstrate impeccable timing yet show they can improv with the best of them while walking amongst the audience, snatching an attractive blond twenty-something to the stage and playfully incorporating her into a Twinkie-eating fun fest. This all transpires while being filmed in real time for immediate playback to the packed house at the Belk.

The troupe fronts three men on stage though travels with a seven person ensemble of Blue men including Charlotte native General Fermon Judd. The triumvirate is surrounded by a bass thumping, hard rocking band atop the tricked out proscenium. The ear splitting accompaniment walked a fine line between being too loud for the elders in the crowd and not loud enough for the tiny tot set that was there in force on Tuesday. A very kid friendly show perfectly timed for spring break saw scads of grade-schoolers lapping up every minute of the fun-house that was on hand.

Percussionists extraordinaire, the Blue Men show deft comic touch in drumming their way through an intense set that features the now legendary marshmallow tossing, spin-art painting, a human “paint brush” and fast action interplay with animated/video versions of themselves.

Filling a theater the size of the Belk with no dialogue and only three primary individuals on stage is a mean feat. Blue Man Group is aided by wildly creative use of Jumbotron style animation employing a series of LED screens programmed with everything from animated dancers to appearing as mega-huge iphones.

Blue Man Group is not a show where audience members sit back and watch. From the pre-show chanting and audience recognition to the command performance and series of well established rock concert moves, Blue Man has the place jumping and adrenaline pumping. Nowhere more so then in the penultimate number where we are compelled to get out of our seats, shake our collective behinds to a pulse pounding beat and toss several giant day-glo beach balls throughout the arena.

Blue Man Group is five cups of coffee, three roller coaster rides and a 4 wide ZMax race all rolled into one.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Charlotte-based theater company Starving Artist Productions – the group behind the 5-year running, Creative Loafing Theater Event of the Year-nominated “The Birth” – is bringing the show “Faith Healer” by acclaimed Irish playwright Brian Friel to the Duke Energy Theater at Spirit Square.

Starving Artist is launching its first full theatrical season with “Healer,” which consists of three characters reflecting on the twenty years they spent together travelling the countryside of Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Frank, the faith healer, Grace, his wife, and Teddy, his manager, each share, in monologue, the events that shaped their time together.

Told with depth, humor, contradiction, and heart, Friel’s play examines the lenses we each create to view the few vital and memorable events that occur in every life. Faith Healer exposes the fragility of truth and the flexibility of memory.

The show features Nathan Rouse, architect of Starving Artist and actor who has appeared onstage regionally at the Actor’s Theater of Charlotte, Children’s Theater of Charlotte and the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival.  “Faith Healer” debuted on Broadway in 1979.  The Starving Artist production is the Charlotte-area debut for the play with Charlotte’s Jenny Wade on directing duties.

The show runs from May 4th-8th and 11th-13^th.  Showtimes are 7:30 for Wednesday and Thursday performances, 8:00 pm for Friday and Saturdays, and a 3:00 matinee on Sunday.  Tickets can be purchased online at carolinatix.org (search “faith healer”).  Adult admission is $22, with senior citizen tickets available for $20, and $15 student tickets.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

If you’ve ever looked up a review of a business online, chances are you’ve seen a Yelp review (or maybe two.) The company hosts a number of large events in addition to their smaller ones, though those are reserved for their internal community members. So, when this came across my desk I just had to post it! I’ve had so much fun participating in the smaller parties that a big, free one open to the public seems like it’d be amazing! I’m sure it will be since rep Nicole Warshauer is in charge of this one and her team has yet to put on an event I’ve attended that’s been anything less than spectacular. Come on out to this one, y’all. Just be sure you use the proper URL so you can get your drink & dine on without issue! Here are the deets:

***RSVPs accepted ONLY at http://bit.ly/yelpodemayo***

Yelp Charlotte is throwing their biggest party to date in Uptown and is opening it up to all Yelpers! Entry, food, beverages and entertainment for this event are completely FREE with your RSVP. Get on the guest list by filling out your Yelp profile and following the RSVP instructions. This party is guest list only and attendance for this event is limited, so RSVP early!

You won’t want to miss this blowout bash featuring some of the area’s best bites and bevvies — plus enough sombrero spinning fun to make you say, “Ole!” Creative fiesta wear encouraged!

This event will benefit Autism Services of Mecklenburg County. So come out and eat, drink and have fun while helping out ASMC.

What: Yelpo de Mayo!
When: Friday, May 6, 8-10 pm
Where: The Terrace at South Tryon Square, 201 S. Tryon St. (5th floor terrace)
RSVP: http://bit.ly/yelpodemayo

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.