I was 18 years old when I got my first dose of Betty Boop. It was at a three day film festival at the University of South Florida where cartoons and shorts had been programmed to screen between the movies. I remember the first encounter was Betty Boop, M.D. (1932)—and let me tell you, it was your proverbial love at first sight.
A look at what’s been making headlines this week.
On opening night of King Lear at Montford Park, the foolish king cursed his daughter to the sputtering drone of bark being shredded, and later as he bewailed her death, fireworks boomed and crackled patriotically in the near distance. And it all made sense in a weird kind of way: for is Lear not shredding the branches of his own family tree? And is his repentance not cause for grim and sparkly celebration?
Tuesday’s vegetarian cookoff highlighted great local ingredients. Xpress has the recipe for the winner of the sweet category.
This weekend’s top 10 includes Asheville’s Broomstars (pictured) playing at MoDaddy’s with Ween drummer Claude Coleman Jr. and his band Amandla. That’s Saturday, but Thursday and Friday bring more music, art and author events (including a muralist just published by Punk Planet).
True to its roots, The Redundant Theatre Company Theatre is launching a new show, and the thespians have no idea how the audience will respond. The audience may love it, hate it, or anything in between. And that type of reaction is what propels TRTCR to continue producing shows that some people might call weird; […]
For some time now, I've been reflecting on the astonishing visit of our president and first lady, who chose Asheville to enjoy a brief respite from the unbelievably trying duties of the office of president and the leadership of the free world. It's significant that these two people of color chose to stay at the […]
Beer City Festival by the numbers The inaugural Beer City Fest took place on a sunny Saturday, June 5, at Roger McGuire Green at Pack Square Park. By all accounts, it was a successful celebration for Beer City, USA — lots of excellent craft beer, great music and a convenient fountain, perfect for cooling off. […]
How do you gauge an audience? By this I mean, how do you determine what people will and won’t go to see? I have tussled with this question for a while now—but more so recently because of being involved with the programming for both the Thursday Horror Picture Show and the Asheville Film Society. I have listened to advice. I have taken advice. I have ignored advice. I have gone with my instincts and I’ve gone against my instincts. The results have led me to conclude there’s no earthly way of making an accurate determination.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park needs volunteers to help staff a new visitor-contact station at Clingmans Dome when it opens on Saturday, June 19. According to one volunteer, the training is great, the atmosphere is supportive, and yes, you get to wear a uniform. “It’s a blast!” she says.
Food Network star David Adjey has a new show — and the producers tell Xpress that they are potentially interested in Asheville.
Unless additional funding is received, public-access channel URTV — and the WNC Community Media Center of which it's a part — will cease operations in September, according to a May 24 memo addressed to the city of Asheville and Buncombe County. Both city and county officials say the nonprofit is receiving funding as it always […]
Congressmen, guns and forests Rep. Heath Shuler has been making national news lately, first for casting a party-bucking vote against repealing "Don't ask, don't tell" (see "Shuler Says No" in this issue), and then for his response to a recent death threat. Not in our backyard: At a June 3 public information session, NC DOA […]
When the Defense Department abandoned its high-security satellite-tracking station deep within the Pisgah National Forest in the mid-1990s, neighbors southwest of Brevard continued to believe there were top-secret government activities continuing at the site. Xpress reporter Susan Andrew visited recently to learn more. Deep space: In 1968, the Cerro Tololo InterAmerican Observatory in Chile captured […]
Since the '70s, there's been a symbiotic relationship between skateboarders and the visual art world. The do-it-yourself ethos of the skateboarding subculture has influenced many counter cultural artists, such as Barry McGee and Shepard Fairey, who have gone on to gain popularity in the mainstream art world. Likewise, lots of notable artists — Jim Evans […]
• Au Chocolat!
• Sky-high pies
• We scream for ice cream
A look at what’s been making headlines this week.
I’m a hypocrite. I do and say things that I don’t want my kids to emulate.
Unless additional funding is received, public-access channel URTV — now known as the WNC Media Center — will cease operation in September of this year, according to a notice sent last week to the city of Asheville and Buncombe County. Both city and county officials claim that URTV is receiving funding as it always has.
When Liz Miller became a volunteer at Helpmate last year, she developed a project that connected her passion for collage and card-making with the organization's mission to work with the community to "eliminate abuse and fear." Hope in the handwriting: Liz Miller decorates cards for Hope Notes, where members of the community can write words […]
First: The Beer City title It's time to celebrate, preferably by quaffing a locally brewed beer. Our fair city won the 2010 title of Beer City, USA, for the second year in a row. This year, Asheville gets to be sole holder of the brew crown — unlike last year, when we shared the sobriquet […]
