theCLog

Safe and warm here on the East Coast, we know little of earthquakes. Mosquitoes, yes. Hurricanes, quite. Random thunder storms that knock out the power and scare the cat, you betcha. Earthquakes, not so much.

So, while we were all cozy in our cubicles today, reading about Shia LaBeouf’s drunk driving antics and labeling our e-mails about so-and-so’s new boyfriend and his trouser assets “Very Important Business Document!” the fine folks of L.A. were shaking in their seats. Yep, during our blissful work doldrums of Tuesday, there was an earthquake.

I can only hope that some news source, or at least TMZ, will have a feature about the state of the Botox clinics at the moment the quake hit. Because, really, there are few things that I can think of that I want less than sitting in a pseudo-doctor’s chair with a giant needle of poison poised over my forehead and suddenly feel the entire ground start to shake. Not a happy image.

Now, hold still.

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According to CrimeinCharlotte.com, these two women were arrested over the weekend:

Name : NANCE, JEANNIE
* PROSTITUTION – SOLICITING FOR
* SOLICIT – CRIME AGAINST NATURE

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Name : GRAY, LISA RENEE

* PROSTITUTION – SOLICITING FOR
* SOLICIT – CRIME AGAINST NATURE

I suppose I have a glamorized picture in my head of what a prostitute should look like from books and movies. Neither of these women are Julia Roberts from Pretty Woman. I could paraphrase the Joker in The Dark Knight and say that Charlotte needs a better class of prostitutes, but I’m not going to do that. I’d be wrong for that. After all, prostitution is a misdemeanor.

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While I’ve enjoyed many a 40-minute documentary in IMAX, I still haven’t checked out a feature-length fiction film shown in IMAX but not initially shot in the format (e.g. Harry Potter and Spider-Man flicks). But here’s what my friend had to say about the whole experience:

“After seeing The Dark Knight at IMAX Saturday night, I am positive that NEVER seeing a feature-length movie at IMAX is the way to go. What a nightmare. The sound was so distorted, that you could not (for example) understand anything Gary Oldman was saying in the final two minutes of the film. And the all-encompassing IMAX picture is nausea-inducing — you are constantly whipping your head back and forth, desperately trying to grasp all the images (especially the images that are blurring out of sight along each side of the screen).
This is decidedly NOT the way to watch (or enjoy) a movie. I feel as if I have still not seen The Dark Knight.
Worst of all, as soon as the film ended — before the end credits and music began, I mean — the lights in the theater completely shot on, with an enormous loudspeaker voice telling the audience how to “properly exit” the theater. I am disgusted. And [my wife] stumbled out of the theater sick to her head and stomach. What a horrible experience!
Feature-length movies in IMAX are a rip-off!!! You should really do an article for CL exposing this sham…”

As I said, I love the IMAX format for nonfiction flicks, but if anyone has any thoughts on watching long movies like The Dark Knight on such a gigantic screen, feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me at matt.brunson@cln.com.

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Most news outlets allow its readers to discuss stories on their Web sites and solicit their input on articles of the day. What’s interesting is that people seem to type things on line that they wouldn’t say in public. It’s almost as if the anonymous nature of the Internet allows people to share their truth without revealing their bias to the people they live and work with on a daily basis.
For example, The Miami Herald printed a column by Leonard Pitts Jr. titled, “You Think Slavery Ended in 1865?”

Here’s what some readers had to say about Pitts and his column:

you can always go back to africa where they still in 2008 not 1901 enslave each other, take children from other tribes and enslave them, turn them into sex slaves, murder and decapitate each other on a daily basis .. why dont you write some articles on that Mr Pitts
Posted by: DMILLMAN68
7/23/2008 12:02 PM
51454.3 Report as Violation
Avg 4.13, 51 votes

While I deplore the notion of slavery, why do we constantly continue to “throw it in the faces” of people today who NEVER owned a slave, had any immediate family that did or know of any who did?? People want society to continue paying for something that today’s folks had nothing to do with. And sadly, too many organizations have forced Political America to be “diversed” whether you like it or not. You can no longer hire the best 5 people for the job, you can only hire 2 whites, 1 hispanic and at least 2 blacks (and one better be a woman or you face further scrutiny). So where is the fairness in that?? Think about it, your police, fireman and any other public servant position is filled by a mandatory quota for diversement, not the best people. Thats pretty sad.
Posted by: Bkrbabe221
When are we going to move on? Miami was voted into a city by a majority of blacks. Today Miami is racially balanced (compared to other US cities) and yet has a great deal of local government corruption. Can’t Mr. Pitts focus on the issue at hand and not spend three days researching a 130 year old lynching in Alabama that’s already been covered by 30 news organizations? Is this news? Does it lead to progress? Does it have impact today? Are you wondering why the Herald is laying off people and experiencing a loss in readership? Can we focus on TODAY and THE FUTURE of Miami?
Posted by: cshj5
7/23/2008 12:52 PM
51454.19 Report as Violation
Avg 3.81, 11 votes
If you don’t care for the USA, Mother Afrika awaits you! By the way, there is no welfare or entitlements or other freebies like you currently enjoy here. The only slavery in the USA is that which exists between your ears ! Get beyond 1865 and join the 21st century ! See how your people live in Afica and decide who has it so bad.
Posted by: Mo_Green

Another story that had a lot of “brutal honesty” came from CNN.com dealing with HIV and Blacks in the United States. (more…)

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Another day, another death-by-Taser. On the heels of revelations that Charlottean Darryl Wayne Turner’s death resulted from a police officer’s misuse of a Taser, another young man has been, in effect, Tasered to death. This time, the victim is Anthony Davidson, 29, of Statesville, and, again, the weapon was used improperly. Davidson was shocked multiple times by Tasers at the Iredell County jail Saturday and died later that day in hospital. Charlotte police, meanwhile, are reviewing their Taser training and use and may come up with tighter controls for officers. In the meantime, as we have written here before, it just might be a good idea for City Council to take the issue seriously, especially since, you know, they’re supposedly in charge and everything. Council should direct the police department to stop the use of Tasers until more definitive research is available about the weapons’ full effects and complications. At the very least, Taser uses should be stopped until the police have finished their review of the department’s Taser training and use. If the ladies and gentlemen of the Council can see fit to remove their heads from developers’ rear ends long enough to do something for the general public, they could save lives, avoid the lawsuits we all know are coming, and restore confidence in the police department.

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This summer has been a season for comic books — at least at the movies. From Iron Man and The Dark Knight to Wanted, The Hulk and Hellboy, a veritable cavalcade of comics were turned into films this year.

But comics on the big screen is nothing new. Over the last decade or more, the movie industry has looked to the comic book industry for inspiration. But it isn’t always evident what films were actually based on comic books. To prove my point, I’ve compiled this list of five movies that most people never knew were based on comics:

From Hell — The movie starred Johnny Depp (left), but was based on a massive graphic novel by writer Alan Moore.

The Road to Perdition — This Tom Hanks’ gangster flick was based on a comic published by DC Comics.

History of Violence — Yep, this movie —directed by David Cronenberg — was based on a comic book.

Ghost World — Scarlett Johansson starred in this coming of age story, which was (you guessed it) based on a comic.

Virus — IMDB said this about Virus: “Seeking refuge from a typhoon, the crew of an American tugboat boards a top secret Russian research vessel and finds it infected by an alien life form which regards humans as a virus which must be destroyed at any cost!” It was adapted from a comic from Dark Horse Comics.

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Yes, one more typical right-wing a**hole with both the brain and the heart of an acorn. The only thing almost as sickening as his actions will be the attempts of Limbaugh and Hannity and other pro-violence fascists to “jokingly” wonder whether he went far enough.

http://news.aol.com/article/police-say-church-gunman-hated-liberals/102408

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” I want to meet a vampire,” wrote a friend of mine in an email I received from her today.  Apparently this longing to meet a blood sucking fiend is all due to her having read a book by author, Stephenie Meyer in a series of vampire novels referred to as The Twilight Saga. My friend, who remembered my obsession with author, Anne Rice (The Vampire Chronicles), asked for my recommendations on vampire reading material. Sadly, I couldn’t think of many vampire novels, but here is the list I’ve made so far.

* Dracula, by: Bram Stoker

* The Vampire Chronicles, by Anne Rice. Featuring:

Interview With The Vampire

The Vampire Lestat

The Queen of The Damned

The Tale of The Body Thief

Memnoch The Devil

The Vampire Armand

Merrick

Blood and Gold

Blackwood Farm

Blood Canticle

* Also, Anne Rice’s New Tales of The Vampires, which includes:

Pandora

Vittorio

* Lost Souls, by: Poppy Z. Brite

Anybody know of any other good vampire books? If so, feel free to share.

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Here are Creative Loafing’s star ratings for all movies playing in the Charlotte area through Thursday. See this week’s issue for select reviews and our Web site’s archives for all reviews.

Baby Mama – ***

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – ***

The Dark Knight – ****

Get Smart – ***

Hancock – **1/2

Hellboy II: The Golden Army – **

The Incredible Hulk – **1/2

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – ***

Iron Man – ***

Journey to the Center of the Earth – **

Kit Kittredge: An American Girl – ***

Kung Fu Panda – ***

Made of Honor – **

Mamma Mia! – **

Meet Dave – *1/2

Nim’s Island – ***

Roman de Gare – ***1/2

Sex and the City – ***

Speed Racer – **1/2

The Strangers – *

Then She Found Me – *1/2

WALL-E – ***1/2

Wanted – **1/2

What Happens In Vegas – **

The X-Files: I Want to Believe – **1/2

Unscreened: College Road Trip, The Forbidden Kingdom, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson, The Rape of Europa, Space Chimps, Step Brothers (review coming this week), The Visitor, War, Inc., When Did You Last See Your Father?

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Have you ever walked the streets of Uptown bright and early on a Sunday morning? If not, I strongly urge you not to; it’s pretty disgusting. I was walking up 5th Street near Buckhead Saloon, and the sidewalk was a mess. Beer bottle caps, food, trash, even a nice display of evidence that someone couldn’t tolerate their alcohol. Yuck.

Let’s give a round of applause to the people who have to clean up our drunken Saturday night messes in Uptown.

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