January 12, 2011

vol.

26 / pub 28 / FREE / Jan. 12-18, 2011

www.encorepub.com

Man, Woman, Machine Positive charge of ambience emits from My Wonderful Machine

encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com 1

hodge podge

contents vol.

27/ pub 28 / January 12-18, 2011

www.encorepub.com

What’s inside this week

My Wonderful Machine p. 15 Two Wilmingtonians have come together to bring our music scene a hefty dose of ambient sounds, lush with a hodgepodge of genres: mod, Western, indie rock and beyond. Their music is as much necessary to their relationship as it is to the air they breathe. Don’t miss them this week at Cameron Art Museum. Hope Henderson and Jamin Belmont are My Wonderful Machine; read their interview on page 14.

news & views .........4-7 4-5 live local: Gwenyfar Rohler finds a local computer shop that works on Macs and PCs.

6 reader op-ed: Mark Basquill questions the belief in money.

7 news of the weird: Chuck Sheperd reveals the latest odd stories.

artsy smartsy .........8-19 8 theatre: Shea Carver reviews the best musical Wilmington’s hosted in quite a few years, City Stage’s “Chicago.�

10 art: Lauren Hodges gets the 4-1-1 on Project Chalk.

11 gallery guide: Find out what exhibitions are hanging at local galleries.

free tickets!

If you’re not already an encore fan on Facebook, you should be! We’re running a contest on encore’s Facebook page that is simply quite awesome. Also include which show you would like to go to, and we’ll enter you in our contest to win a pair of tickets to the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach. We’ll be randomly selecting the winner from the comments one week prior to concert dates. Don’t forget to tell your friends either.

If you don’t have FB, then log on to www. encorepub.com, click on “Web Extras,� and enter the contests for a chance to win!

best of ballots

And the time has arrived! We’re officially in Best-Of Land for 2011. Go ahead, and log on to our website, encorepub.com, click on the Best-Of 2011 button on our home page and vote, vote, vote! The ballot will be up through January 14th. Party details to come!

late-night funnies

“The new Republican-controlled House of Representative decided to start things off by reading the entire Constitution aloud.

Then there was a break for lunch and a slave auction.�—Jimmy Kimmel “How about the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner. Have you seen this

EDITORIAL: Editor-in-ChiEf: Shea Carver Editorial assistant: Lauren Hodges

GEnEral ManaGEr: John Hitt

intErn: Bethany Turner

John Hitt: Downtown, Carolina Beach

ChiEf Contributors: Adrian Varnam, Gwenyfar Rohler, Anghus Houvouras, Ichabod C, Jay Schiller, Lauren Hodges, Tiffanie Gabrielse, Tom Tomorrow, Chuck Shepherd, Christina Dore

art dirECtor Sue Cothran advErtisinG salEs: Kris Beasley: Wrightsville Beach, N. Wilmington Jennifer Barnett: Midtown, Monkey Junction distribution ManaGEr: Boykin Wright offiCE ManaGEr: Susie Wright

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2 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

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guy’s enormous gavel. I’m telling you, if in four hours, that gavel is still that size, he’s got to call a doctor.�—David Letterman “John Boehner chose a huge gavel. I think somebody’s compensating for his small government.�—Stephen Colbert “The first order of business for the 112th Congress: blaming everything on the 111th Congress.�—Jay Leno “An escaped prisoner in Alaska was on the run for six hours before he was finally caught near Sarah Palin’s hometown of Wasilla. When I think of safe places to run, I think ‘the woods near Sarah Palin’s house.’�—Jimmy Fallon “Why is it no human being can withstand more than two years as a presidential press secretary? There must be an organ somewhere in the body that can only filter two years worth of heavy duty bullshit.�—Jon Stewart on Robert Gibbs’ retirement

oops!

We regret the misspelling of one of our creative writing finalists in last week’s paper. All apologies to Cyra Sherburn!

14-15 music: Shea Carver interviews My Wonderful Machine; Christina Dore finds out about the latest musical improv night, My Peasant’s Feast.

16-19 soundboard: See what bands and performers are playing in venues all over town.

21 film: Anghus gives high marks to ‘Black Swan.’

grub & guzzle .......24-26 24-26 dining guide: Need a few suggestions on where to eat? Flip through encore’s dining guide!

extra! extra! ..........28-39 28 books: Tiffanie Gabrielse laments the future of literature, thanks to Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi’s latest published novel, ‘A Shore Thing.’

30 feature: Shea Carver interviews Beau Gunn about The Penguin 98.3’s latest dial switch.

31 crossword: Brain teaser with Stanley Newman.

32 resolutions that matter: Lauren Hodges and Bethany Turner get the skinny on a host of resolutions that make real change within our lives

penguin wednesdays

Check it out! The Penguin has moved stations and has a better signal to serve its listeners. Tune into 98.3, and be sure to listen to encore editor Shea Carver with Glenn of The Morning Chill, every Wednesday morning at 9:15. They’ll keep you informed first on what’s happening in the Port City—followed by great music, too.

and local organizations.

34-39 calendar/’toons/horoscopes/pet of the week/corkboard: Find out where to go

and what to do about town with encore’s calendar; check out Tom Tomorrow and encore’s annual ‘toons winner, Jay Schiller; read your horoscope; see which of our furry friends of the week need adopting; and check out the latest saucy corkboard ads.

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below Live Local

6Op-ed

7News of the Weird

Live Local. Live Small.

Local computer shop focuses on better customer service

“H

i,” I said to the handsome man behind the desk at Your Computer Friends. “So, this sounds dumb, but my wireless Internet stopped working.”

“When did this start?” he asked.

“About a week ago—and it happened suddenly. I don’t know what I did to it.”

I handed him my laptop and cord. As he opened the screen, he asked, “Do you have a cat?”

“Yes, his name is Groucho! How did you know?”

“Here we go; it’s working now.”

“How did you do that? It wasn’t working when we came in!”

“It happens a lot—your cat hit this button, and it turned off your Internet. If it happens again, just push this one here.”

He didn’t charge me, and I walked out feeling relieved and grateful, if not a little embarrassed.

Finding options outside of a big-box store for computer-related purchases is a big challenge in the Live Local campaign.

Our household is peopled by self-described Luddites. We don’t text or Facebook, and only one of us can use voicemail. When computer-related crises strike (and they do), we rely on Your Computer Friends on Oleander Drive. Besides repair, help and guidance, we purchase power cords, flash drives, external hard drives and routers.

I asked Susan Kadar of Your Computer Friends to tell encore a little bit more

by: Gwenyfar Rohler

Your Computer Friends 3816 Oleander Drive In the Art’s Center at 39th Street (910) 799-8585 www.yourcomputerfriends.com about what sets locally owned computer repair and products apart from services offered by big-box stores. encore: So, are you a franchise, chain or start-up?

YCF: We started as a franchise, Friendly Computers. I soon found that the moral compass of the franchise family was not a match to my personal belief system. One of the previous owners of Friendly Computers is now serving time in the state facility in Nevada (Google Michael Ward, Las Vegas 2008). We left the franchise system just before the owners made the news and rebranded as Your Computer Friends.

Several of the other franchisees eventually left as well, and we still have a great working relationship with them, including our nearest friends in Myrtle Beach. There is also another Your Computer Friends in New Jersey. Those that left are all independently owned and operated now.

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Pedicures range from $18-50 Gift CertifiCates available 4401-H Oleander Dr. • 910.274.8395 Located at Salon 1 Suites, College / Oleander www.polishedspa.biz

4 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

FRIEND NOT GEEK: Susan Kadar of Your Computer Friends works closely with the community in providing the most personable customer service and professional skill level for all computer needs. Photo

by Bethany Turner

encore: What is the difference in the service you offer from the service of the wellknown Geek Squad?

YCF: The old franchise did say it best: “Why call a Geek when you can call a Friend?”

Let’s just say at Your Computer Friends we offer the best possible technical solution with an eye on other concerns, like budget and timeliness. Most of our jobs go out the same day or next day. We treat our customers like friends and talk in plain language they understand, never selling them solutions that don’t meet their needs or budget. We perform circuit-level repair, such as soldering the mother board—[a service] not found at any chain! We do not resort to reloading an operating system as a solution for all repair jobs. Poor technicians re-load;

good technicians repair. I don’t think you get hugs at [any chain store]; they happen fairly regularly at my shop. encore: What advice would you give computer users in Wilmington?

YCF: Use a “paid for” anti-virus solution, make a backup and don’t click unknown links. We have seen a lot of viruses and harddrive failures lately. It is always painful when someone loses all their data or doesn’t have the budget for extensive services to save it.

We have an off-site backup solution that is easy on any budget at only $4.50 per month.

Buy insurance; back up! encore: Do you work on Macs?

YCF: Yes we do. We have two Mac technicians on staff. encore: What’s the funniest problem you’ve had to solve since Your Computer Friends opened?

YCF: Here are some highlights from over

Use what you have to get what you want We Buy:ĂŠ ˆ>“œ˜`ĂƒĂŠUĂŠ ĂƒĂŒ>ĂŒiĂŠ iĂœiÂ?ÀÞÊ ,ˆ˜}ĂƒĂŠUĂŠ Ă€>ViÂ?iĂŒĂƒĂŠUĂŠ ÂœÂ?`ĂŠ iVÂŽÂ?>ViĂƒĂŠUĂŠ >˜}Â?iĂƒĂŠ

iÂ˜ĂŒ>Â?ĂŠ ÂœÂ?`ĂŠUĂŠ ÂœÂ?`ĂŠ ÂœÂˆÂ˜ĂƒĂŠUĂŠ-ˆÂ?Ă›iÀÊ Â?>ĂŒĂœ>Ă€iĂŠ>˜`ĂŠÂ“ÂœĂ€i°°° the years—see if you can guess which one we did not fix. “Dog vomited on end of power cord (where it plugs into computer) and now computer won’t charge. “Computer screen is sideways; it wasn’t like that last night! “Two year old pulled off all the keys from my wife’s laptop. Can you put them back on—quickly? “I left my six-month-old laptop and bag in the parking lot, behind my car, and drove over it. Do you think you can you fix it? “The computer is under 8 inches of water. Can you get the data? “Can you keep a curious 8-year-old and his friends from looking at ...â€?

But my favorite over the past five years was the customer who was so frustrated with his laptop that he threw it on the floor and shot it with a hand gun! Yep, that was the one we didn’t repair. encore: Tell us about your home-service calls.

YCF: Some customers need a home-service call to correct issues at the home, like wireless problems, or they don’t want to take the desktop apart and bring it to the shop. For those customers we offer on-site service calls. Our senior on-site rate is as good as our shop rate, so this saves our seniors from hauling a PC into the shop. In addition to shop and on-site, we also offer remote support for some issues. Customers love that they can watch while we can connect to their computers and repair things. encore: Do you work with businesses (ie, helping them set up their networks, maintaining their machines and software)?

YCF: Almost half of our business is smallbusiness customers. We have a network

technician that can take care of servers and also perform general maintenance repairs on-site. All PCs that are three years old or more can benefit from a ‘tune up’ or hardware upgrade. Our business customers like us because we always answer the phone when they call, are always available for emergency repairs, and can usually get them preferred service that allows them to be up and running again as fast as possible. When your business is down, you don’t want to talk to voice mail! encore: What do you want computer users in Wilmington to know about Your Computer Friends?

YCF: We provide the right technical solution to repair computers as quickly as possible. We are never careless with your equipment or with your data. In almost five years of doing business, we have never lost any data! I’ve heard many horror stories about other independent repair people and less skilled shops. It is not just about the hardware, it is about the data.

My technicians pass a special test to get hired. We break a standard desktop 10 ways (five software and five hardware issues) and they have 40 minutes to repair it correctly. If you can’t pass the test, you can’t work on my customer’s machines.

Try us; I think you will like us. A half hour of repair (with a super tech) is only $39!

You’d be surprised at what a good tech can do in 30 minutes.

Stop in and see why everyone is choosing us to buy, sell, and consign their precious metals and jewelry!

Bring your gold in for a free evaluation No appointment necessary!

3030 MARKET STREET • 815-3455 • MON-FRI 10-5 • SAT 10-6 We are also open SUN 12 - 5:30 until Santa arrives!

Gwenyfar Rohler is the author of “The Promise of Peanuts. A real life fairy tale about a man, a village, and the promise that bound them together,� available at Old Books on Front Street. All profits go to Full Belly Project (www.Fullbellyproject.org).

encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com 5

Saturday February 19, 2011 Pleasure Island’s Carolina Beach Boardwalk Next to the Courtyard Marriott 11:00am-3:00pm

SPECIAL OLYMPICS NEEDS YOUR HELP! Come take a chilling plunge into the Atlantic Ocean to support Special Olympics New Hanover County

Join us for an afternoon of live music, art, food, a silent auction, classic car show and much, much more!

Come and join the fun – our athletes need your support!

SCHEDULE: 11 - 3 pm: 12 noon: 1:30 pm: 3 pm:

Music (bands and DJ) Ice Carving Contest Costume Contest Plunge!

Please join us for MACHINE GUN 8 -11 p.m. for the Post Plunge Party

www.plungenhc.com For more information: Special Olympics New Hanover County 302 Willard Street Wilmington, NC 28401 910.341.5876 or TTY Relay 711

6 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

Belief in Money?

Questioning the un-science of economics

M

y son is a high school sophomore— an intelligent baseball player and talented singer. He asked, “Does money really make sense?” I chuckled at his sophomoric wordplay.

“No, really, Dad,” he said. “We’re learning basic economics in civics class, and, well, money just doesn’t make sense. It’s not real. I mean it doesn’t mean anything except what we say it means, does it? It’s not even about the gold standard. Who decided gold was valuable in the first place?

Maybe I’ll figure it out next semester, but it seems to me that nothing A-Rod could ever do is worth $100 million, and music is more real than money. ‘Amazing Grace’ is the same song, whether you sing for free or someone with talent sings it for money.”

Wow! Wake up and smell the seedy underbelly of so-called civilization. Money. It’s the price we pay. Does it make sense? Better yet? Is it real? Why is climate change a myth and money real? Why is evolution an elaborate hoax yet money solid as a rock?

Is money, as my son surmised, merely a mirage of an image of a reflection of a shadow of a myth? Could the ethereal music of the

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by: Mark Basquill Reader op-ed

spheres be more real than money?

I spun my wheels at the gym the next day and watched two economists on TV discuss the debt ceiling. One spoke as if the sky would fall and squash the planet’s fragile biosphere if we didn’t raise the limit.

His temper flared when the other economist said, “But the debt ceiling’s not real.”

“It’s going to be real enough in 18 months when we’re all faced with the reality of “X, Y, Z” (fill in the financial tragedy of your choice).

The other guy continued. “The debt ceiling isn’t a hurricane or even a cloud. It’s a perception, a belief. It’s not real.”

I went back to spinning my wheels, singing a paradoxical tune—and smiling. What could be more fun than the listening to the efficient rational market economist yell angrily that the sky is falling while the behavioral economist coolly presented the rational argument that money and the market itself is a manifestation of our collective mind and not, at its root, real?

After Congresswoman Gifford tragically was shot on Saturday, I sat down and had a think, much like Winnie the Pooh. I’m trained in psychology, the pitifully “soft” science that suffers physics envy. I wanted to help my son understand what made sense about money, about violence, about how tightly a string of convictions has to be held before it turns into a stream of bullets—how tightly convictions about the reality of money, the market, an economy divorced from environment has to be held before they lead to fully human orchestrated catastrophe, such as ‘“financial meltdown.” I got nothing.

Best I can do is bow to the wisdom of his question. Bullets are real. The id, selfesteem, derivatives? Virtual reality. When an efficient market develops a rational mind, I’ll believe money is real. Bullets are real. The superego, inner child and debt ceiling? Virtual reality at its best. When a multi-national financial corporation develops a conscience, I might be tempted to believe money is not only real but has value, not mere usefulness. Until then, I’ll continue to oppose using real bullets when we could sing real songs. I’ll continue to love my neighbor as myself best I can, work toward a post-capitalist economy, and view economics (save the emerging branch of behavioral economics studied scientifically by Shiller and his colleagues) as the ultimate un-science, a set of beliefs divorced from reality.

d r i e w e h t f o s w e n LEAD STORY A now-10-year-old church in Denver ministers to (as contemplated by 1 Corinthians 4:11-13) the homeless, the reviled, and the persecuted and formally named itself after the actual words in verse 13, the “Scum of the Earth” Church. The congregation touts nonjudgmental Christianity; owns an elegant, aging building (but holds services elsewhere because of fire code violations); and is a rough mix of anarchists, punk rockers, environmentalists and disaffected teens perhaps mainly keen on angering their parents.

“Scum” (as church members matter-of-factly call themselves) tilt mildly philosophically conservative (though not nearly evangelical), connected only by the common belief that “God is love,” according to a December report in Denver’s Westword.

Great Art! Among the recent works funded by Arts Council England was a “painting” consisting of a blank canvas, for which artist Agnieszka Kurant was paid the equivalent of about $2,300 and on which she intends to paint something in the future. Rounding out her exhibition were a “sculpture” that was not really present and a “movie” that had been shot with no film in the camera.

In October, borrowing from the U.S. Air Guitar Championship (which honors selfmade guitar “heroes” playing wild rock ‘n’ roll as if they were holding real guitars), the second annual Air Sex Championship was held in the Music Hall in Brooklyn, N.Y., and eventually won by Lady C. (whose performance could not easily be described). Each contestant (solo only) had two minutes to cover “all the bases”: “meeting, seduction, foreplay, intercourse, and, if successful, afterglow,” and exposing body parts was not allowed.

Fine Points of the Law Questionable Judgments: (1) The New

Jersey Government Record Council ruled in December that the town of Somerset had overcharged Tom Coulter in 2008 by $4.04 on the $5 it collected for a compact disc of a council meeting and must issue a refund. The town estimates that it spent about $17,000 fighting Coulter’s appeals (and paying his attorney’s fees). (2) Brandi Jo Winkelman, 17, was charged in September in Juneau, Wis., with violating the state’s child abuse law after a schoolyard fight and risks a maximum of six years in prison. Authorities charged Winkelman even though her “victim” was a classmate older than Winkelman.

Police in Hyderabad, Pakistan, recently arrested a doctor for the increasingly suspect crime of insulting Islam after he merely tossed away the business card of a man who happened to have the last name “Muhammad.” According to a December Associated Press dispatch, “dozens” of Pakistanis are sentenced to death each year for such tangential references to the holy name of Muhammad, but the government fears that trying to repeal the law might incite Muslim extremism.

Police Report If You’re Not Safe in Your Own Home ...: (1) At 2 a.m. on Nov. 13 in Akron, Ohio, a 70-year-old woman was the victim of a home invasion when Cory Buckley, 22, broke in and robbed her. According to the police report, the woman was seated on the commode at the time, and Buckley was dressed in a clown mask. (2) Melissa Wagaman, 33, was convicted in November in Hagerstown, Md., of a February home invasion in which she broke into her neighbor’s house while wearing only a bridal skirt and veil. She later blamed cold medicine and marijuana.

Oops!

Among the Major League Baseball players (average salary: about $3.3 million) who

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spent time on the disabled list in 2010: Kendry Morales (Angels), who broke his leg jumping on home plate after hitting a home run; Brian Roberts (Orioles), who was out a week with a concussion when he smacked himself in the head with his bat after striking out; Chris Coghlan (Marlins), who needed knee surgery after giving a teammate a playful post-game shaving-cream pie; and Geoff Blum (Astros), who needed elbow surgery after straining his arm putting on his shirt.

The Weirdo-American Community Robert Hurst, 47, was charged after an incident at the cemetery in Picayune, Miss., pursuing his hobby of “orb photography” capturing the images of circles of light at night, especially the ones that appear to him as faces. Hurst was spotted one night in December, naked, setting up his camera, thus giving rise to a charge of indecent exposure.

He explained that he thought bare skin would be the “best canvas” for orb photography.

Least Competent Criminals Fortunately for Police, Disguising His EMail Address Did Not Occur to Him: Kyle D. Gore, 23, of Naperville, Ill., was arrested in December for allegedly downloading child pornography on his computer. Police identified Gore as the man trying to find people online who could help him have encounters with children, using the address “kdg31087@aol. com” (an unimaginative identifier for someone of Gore’s initials and born, as Gore was, in 1987).

Recurring Themes Anatomically Equipped Shoplifters: (1) Video surveillance at the Beall’s Outlet store in Crestview, Fla., in December showed a woman handing clothing to a man, who would roll it up and hand it back, and the woman concealing the items in her purse, or in the case of one pair of shoes, under her breasts.

The pair were charged with misdemeanor theft. (2) Ailene Brown, 28, and Shmeco Thomas, 37, were arrested in Edmond, Okla., in November and charged with shoplifting at a TJ Maxx store. Surveillance video revealed that, among the items stuffed in the pair’s belly fat and under their armpits and breasts were four pairs of boots, three pairs of jeans, a wallet and gloves.

Medicare In Action The federal agency that administers Medicare acknowledged to the South Florida SunSentinel in November that the government often overpays for patient wheelchairs due to a quirk in its rules. Ordinary wheelchairs sell for $100 to $350, but Medicare cannot reimburse patients who buy the chairs; it can only pay for rentals (for up to 13 months), for $40 to $135 a month. (A 2009 audit found that Medicare allowed up to $7,215 for oxygen dispensers that were available for sale for $587 and $4,018 for a power wheelchair that cost suppliers $1,048.)

A December Wall Street Journal investigation turned up instances of physical-therapy doctors earning millions of dollars a year in Medicare payments by “treating” nonexistent patients or by overtreating real patients or by providing controversial “treatments” that other therapists say are useless. Describing the work of hard-partying, spike-haired Miami Beach doctor Christopher Wayne, one former physical-therapy association official likened Wayne’s expensive “treatment” to “back rubs.” (Medicare law requires prompt payment to doctors but prevents the public release of doctors’ billing records even if all patient identification is hidden thus ensuring that any Medicare abuses can only be uncovered by a small team of federal investigators and not by the press unless, as the Wall Street Journal did, they investigate patient by patient.)

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6 Locations in the Cape Fear encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com 7

below Theater

10-11 Art

14-19 Music

21 Film

The Killer Dillers of Pizzazz: City Stage’s ‘Chicago’ sets the bar high for exceptionally staged musical by: Shea Carver

Chicago: A Musical Vaudeville

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Tickets: $22-$28 www.citystagenc.com

D

irector Nick Gray has nailed City Stage’s opening production of 2011. By following a “less is more� mien, he fills the Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse production with nuance and subtleties that shine brighter than flashy lights and expectant razzle dazzle. Yet, he hasn’t lost the kinetic pace essential to enveloping audiences with awe and ease in this multi award-winning play. “Chicago� follows Roxie Hart, a murderess caught in the throes of an infidelity scheme in the Prohibition era, a time when a lady had yet to be hanged in Illinois. She’s awaiting trial while locked away in the same penitentiary where vaudeville starlight Velma Kelly resides—who’s also awaiting trial for killing her lover and her sister in a scandalous tryst. In fact, the Cook County Jail is known for its Murderess Row, featuring a host of other femme fatales that all claim, without a doubt, “He had it coming!� When the media-whoreof-a-lawyer Billy Flynn enters the scene to free Hart and Kelly, a competitive game of cellblock cat-and-mouse ensues between the ladies, as they vie for Flynn’s and the media’s attention. “Chicago� offers more than just compelling dance numbers, stunning costume design and animated characters. It gives insight into the American obsession with celebrity, tabloids and political wrongdoings guided by corrupt justice. Though the message has interesting parallels to modern society, the reason it excels at City Stage has everything to do with its boastful amusement and spot-on execution.

The acting in “Chicago� soars. All major roles have been thoroughly cast, and

all deliver with copious amounts of vitality, vavoom and fervor. Caitlin Becka as the seductive, high-falutin Velma Kelly seems born to play America’s most provocative criminal. Her strong voice can only be outdone by her enigmatic sex appeal. She sashays with intent, cuts her eyes with motive and shimmies with purpose, all to solidify her star power as priority number one on everyone’s agenda. Becka does it convincingly so and owns the attention no matter where she flounces and glides onstage.

Morganna Bridgers as Roxie Hart brings a varied approach to the demure blond bombshell. She cashes in on making the protagonist the ultimate, amateurish wannabe star. Every cooky facial expression, exaggerated movement and attempt at charm comes with a hefty dose of flimsy ditziness and a somewhat daffy swagger.

It all pays off in her most captivating performance—if not the most exciting number in the play—“We Both Reached for the Gun.� In the marionette scene with Adam Poole, who plays Billy Flynn and her ventriloquist, she flails her arms, spazzes out and does it with impressive precision. Together, Poole and Bridgers bring puppet and puppeteer to life with staggering syncopation.

I wanted to reach for the rewind button immediately.

Speaking of which, Poole may be one of Wilmington’s below-the-radar actors 8 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

AND ALL THAT JAZZ: Morganna Bridgers, Adam Poole and Caitlin Becka star as Roxie Hart, Billy Flynn and Velma Kelly, respectively, in City Stage’s ‘Chicago.’ Courtesy photo.

deserving of more praise. While his last performance in Red Barn’s “Proof� showcased only a smidgen of depth as a character actor, “Chicago� frees him as a fullfledged, show-stopping performer. Not only does he understand Billy Flynn’s acerbic demeanor and lavish need for power and money, but he gives Flynn the right amount of dynamic pizzazz in all of his song-anddance numbers, a la the finger-snapping “Razzle Dazzle� and “All I Care About.�

Poole schmoozes with allure but not with slime.

Mama Morton must be brought to life by a commanding presence, and Makia Martin is a perfect fit. She’s brassy, confident and very much assertive onstage. Her performance of “When You’re Good to Mama� brought the house to life with many hoots and hollers. What’s most astounding is how she proves that vigor and sass come from within—something hard-learned, no matter the production.

The ensemble cast, including an adorable Rachael Moser as reporter Mary Sunshine (donning a superb newspaper-made overcoat, nonetheless), Seth Rosenke as a timid Amos (played with Charlie Chaplin-

like care) and almost a dozen dancers, they each add to the over-the-top zeal emitted from the circus-like spectacle unfolding throughout the show. A lot of movement takes place on such a small, minimally decorated stage, and it all fascinates. Black and white keys are painted on the floor, cellblocks align the back wall, and a white screen pulls over them to reveal salacious shadow dancers. Effortless stair cases move while the action is still going on, which deserves much applause. Long, unnecessary scene changes could easily deter from the fast pace of the production; it was nice to see a company address the technical needs without succumbing to a lull in the show’s energy.

Naturally, a review of “Chicago� can’t be done without addressing the music or the choreography. Kevin Lee-y Green seemingly brings out the best in dancers.

Every number entertains, especially “Cell Block Tango.� The performers connect with beguiling energy and intense dedication. Though the tap dancers deserve even more stage time, my only other qualm comes from Velma’s solo performance in “I Can’t Do It Alone� and Roxie and Velma’s duo act, “Hot Honey Rag.� The actual dancing should have been pushed a bit further: less seductive dips and leg-drags and a bit more in the way of wowing foot work. After a while, it seems repetitive and redundant.

John Krander’s music is played with care thanks to musical director Chiaki Ito, who always has her hands and ears alert for the best score. Her musicians resounded with pitch-perfect jumps, jives and wails.

It could not have been done without the professionally adept Rob Murphey, Lorene Walsh, Ryan Woodell and Bob Russell.

Black, white and red make up the color palette, with a touch of electric blue donned from the spunky narrator/ring leader Candace Evanofski. Though sequins and bright lights aren’t the building blocks to a normally ornate and sparkly show, it still has glitz to the nth degree.

City Stage’s “Chicago� is easily the best musical staged Wilmington over the last few years. Audiences have three more weekends to catch the killer dillers and their magical vaudeville show!

encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com 9

A Common Element: ‘Project Chalk’ unites art community with creative fundamentals

R

emember the brief controversy last year over a Wilmington city official ticketing artists drawing on the downtown sidewalks with chalk? It wrangled up a whole host of forgotten news stories about forbidden chalk drawing, including a 6-year-old girl in Brooklyn who was fined for making a pink heart on the street in front of her house. The issue struck an angry chord with the lot of us because no matter where or how we spent our childhoods, most of us remember wrapping our hands around a dusty stick of chalk and dragging it across hard surfaces. It is harmless enough to be washed away by the next rainfall but still gives off that feeling of owning the sidewalk, even if just for the moment.

Sidewalk chalking allows for the world to be our canvas, as we cover it with hearts, robots and poetry. It’s a tradition that transcends gender, geography, social status and political beliefs. At least that was the mentality when the name for an arts nonprofit was conceived in 2008. “We started calling it ‘Project Chalk’ because chalk is easy and everyone knows how to use it,� co-founder Carter Smith says. “We were trying to play off of that because we wanted to combine so many different genres and cultures. We wanted something that made people see a common thread, and I think most kids grew up playing with chalk.�

The idea began as a musical movement, with Smith, and his partners Ryan Bowman and Jimmy Johnson, attempting to mix musicians for original shows and projects. The effort began to die down—but only temporarily. “It just never got finished,� Smith says. “So it took a back seat to a lot of other stuff.� Eventually, the three of them were mixed up in the visual arts world and decided

by: Lauren Hodges

Project Chalk’s Origami Overload Friday, January 14th, 8 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Juggling Gypsy $BTUMF 4USFFU t www.facebook.com/projectchalk to bring back both the name of their project and the many musicians they contacted. “We knew that we were really good at throwing parties and getting people together. We were surrounded by these incredibly talented visual artists, as well as musical artists. What we finally decided to do was combine them into themed art events.�

Proceeds from the entry fees go toward paying the participating artists and planning the next ‘Chalk’ bash. December’s theme was “A Fireside Frolic,� geared toward the holidays and a twist on tradition. Yet, not all directions are dictated by the universal calendar. The artists and collaborators tend to land on subjects that randomly fascinate them. The bulk of the planning goes into digging up the creativity to be found within the theme and how that art form makes the theme unique.

Case in point: January’s motif will be Asian-inspired with a tribute to origami.

This week, Project Chalk will take over the Juggling Gypsy for a night dedicated to origami art, sumo wrestling and sake. “A few days before the party, a bunch of us are going to get together and make a ton of origami objects to use as decorations,� Smith says. “We want there to be tons of stuff to look at once people get there. We’re going to put it on tables, hang

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10 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

it, everything we can think of.�

Bowman will be adopting his alter-ego, DJ Gone, for the night’s musical entertainment, along with DJs Whompboy, Alilapoint and Majik. Guests are encouraged to come dressed as geishas and ninjas and indulge in the sake specials. At midnight, volunteers will get to pull on some seriously heavy sumo suits and attempt to pin each other down for the audience’s delight. “Now you see why we chose an Asian theme,� Smith says. “There were so many

possibilities when we started planning it.

It’s going to be great.�

Those who enjoy the Far East-themed night should prepare for another trip to an ancient culture in February when Project Chalk goes Voodoo. The boys are already thinking up their own takes on tribal paint, jungle motifs and a New Orleans-style throwdown.

Also on the 2011 calendar: a collaboration with Art Soup. Until then, start practicing those paper cranes.

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.PO 4BU BN QN 4VO QN www.crescentmoonnc.com Crescent Moon—the retail gift gallery specializing in fine hand-crafted art glass and metal sculpture is offering encore readers a special EVSJOH UIF NPOUI PG +BOVBSZ 8F BSF HFUUJOH ready for new art and new artists. Come in and NFOUJPO i QFSDFOU PGG encore� and receive

the discount on your purchase. Local artists consignments are excluded. There is always something new and creative arriving at Crescent Moon, where gift wrapping is free!

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.PO 4BU BN QN PS CZ BQQU Hampstead, NC “Beautiful; lots of variety.� “Love the place.� “Beautiful art work.� “Very nice.� “Art rocks your socks, and you know that.�

These are just what a few customers had to say about Hampstead Art Gallery. Come and tell us what you think.

Affordable prices on prints and originals.

Local artists with various styles and taste are just excited about having the opportunity to share their work with all art lovers. Our artists offer different sizes from what we have on display and low rates on commissioned work.

Owner Charles Turner invites all artists and art lovers to just hang out in our new Artist Lounge any time. Look for our upcoming Expos and Open House. Hampstead Art Gallery is located in Hampstead on the corner of Factory Road next to CVS Pharmacy.

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5VFT 4BU BN QN PS CZ BQQPJOUNFOU www.newelementsgallery.com

Join us for the festivities as we complete our Silver Anniversary. Featuring paintings, sculpture, ceramics, glass, jewelry and wood CZ PWFS FYUSBPSEJOBSJMZ UBMFOUFE BSUJTUT " percentage of all sales that evening will benefit Lower Cape Fear Hospice.

New Elements is located in the heart of IJTUPSJD EPXOUPXO 8JMNJOHUPO BOE IBT CFFO offering the best of regional and national fine BSU BOE DSBGU TJODF

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5VFT 4BU BN QN Closed Mon. in winter sunsetrivermarketplace.com myspace.comsunsetrivermarketplace This eclectic, spacious gallery, located in the historic fishing village of Calabash, N.C., features fine arts and crafts by some of North and South Carolina’s most creative, successful artists. Almost every genre is represented here—oil, pastel and watercolor, clay and glass art, fiber art, turned wood, metal works, artisan-crafted jewelry and more. Classes,

workshops, pottery studio, custom framing, Creative Exchange lecture series and $PGGFF 8JUI UIF "VUIPS TFSJFT BSF BMTP offered on-site.

Wilmington Art Association Gallery 616B Castle St.

www.wilmington-art.org 5IF 8JMNJOHUPO "SU (BMMFSZ XJMM IPME B special Friday reception this month, In conjunction with the Tidewater Camellia Club, our artists have been busy creating paintings of the beautiful camellias that delight us this winter, and the Camellia Club will BXBSE QSJ[FT GPS UIF TU OE BOE SE QMBDF winners. The result is a fabulous display of floral artistry. Come to the Fourth Friday PQFOJOH SFDFQUJPO GSPN QN PO +BO UI BOE FOKPZ XJOF BOE BQQFUJ[FST 5IF TIPX XJMM SVO UISPVHI 'FC "OE ZPV DBO TUJMM QJDL VQ ZPVS i&Ypose Yourself to Art� calendar for the low price of only $7.

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12 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

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Musical Potluck: New improv night for musicians to connect, play for the fun of it by: Christina Dore

The Peasants Feast Saturday, January 15th, 8 p.m.

Projekte • 523 South 3rd St. Free

“A

nyone who says they’re totally content with their music scene is a liar,” Steph Hart, of local experimental group Politics of Confession (POC), says. That remark is not a criticism or insult; rather, it’s a push for more contributions, as Steph and her husband/POC partner-in-crime Chris owe a lot of their life to music.

“It’s how we met—we’ve always been involved with music somehow,” Chris explains. “The importance of music is on par with our family.”

The Peasants Feast—named after the late, great creator of “Rent,” Jonathan Larson, and his holiday food gatherings—is the couple’s latest genesis and push for more motivation in the local music scene. The Harts have founded the monthly musical improv, where musicians congregate and play on the spot together—and without any of the typical open-mic, and music showcase standards and rules.

“You can call it a ‘jam,’ but we try to get away from that generic term because usually it tends to become exclusive with the same people.” Steph explains. “Musicians who are interested usually e-mail us, tell us what instruments they play, and then we pick names out of a hat to see who will play that month.

We try to get different people every time.

The first one we had in December included grunge, jazz, noise. It’s like a Zappa-esque perspective—all genres are welcome.”

According to Steph, the environment of The Peasants Feast is “controlled chaos.”

To ensure equal opportunities, the most governed aspect of the gathering is the signup process and the selection of the musicians. After that, everyone with their own gear can show up, get acquainted with other musicians and their spectators. In the end, everything else gets dictated by the atmosphere built by the ensuing music.

“It’s like a renegade jam,” Steph continues. “If all this goes well, some nights will be magic, and some nights will be mayhem.

Either way, I will consider it going well.”

“I’m sure there will be a few train wrecks,” Chris laughs.

The first Peasants Feast took place in mid-December and was met with great success. The choice of Projekte as a venue was a no-brainer for the couple, due to an

14 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

FEAST OF FRIENDS: Steph Hart (middle) is cofounder of The Peasants Feast, which builds a tighter music scene, thanks to its blueprint of improvisational and musical connection. Pictured Allison Parker (left) and spectator Bethany Vaden (right).

Courtesy photo.

enormous respect for and steady relationship with owner Bonnie England. While it was risky to welcome such a new concept that would not turn an immediate profit, the Harts were not surprised by the warm reception of Peasants Feast from the Wilmington community. Musicians such as Jude Eden, Arlene Marie Sparacia, Allison Parker, Matthew Redwine and others showed up to discover new bonds, collaborations and musical approaches.

“Matthew said he was looking forward to Peasants Feast [as soon as] he heard about it,” Chris notes. “The guy lived in Boston for a few years, and, apparently, there are several things like Peasants Feast all over the city.

Even if this doesn’t really stick, which I hope it does, I really hope it can inspire a sprout for people to do something, where they don’t feel limited to only having open-mic nights or to just be an opening act for a band. Rather, they can just spontaneously play off the top of their heads and meet other musicians.”

The free-form idea may be of bizarre intimidation to many. Still, it can create something infinitely more empowering, as musicians find sonic connectivity where they may not have had the opportunity beforehand. Built with respect to boundaries, musicians aren’t required to play the whole time, and they can stop and start whenever

they choose. The camaraderie is there to sustain those loose rules.

Steph half-jokingly adds, “Peasants Feast is not for egomaniacs or control freaks, because the only thing you’re going to be in control of is your volume. This is about musicians being with musicians, not about getting on stage and jerking off.”

There is already a variety of signups for the January gathering. Whatever anyone says about Wilmington’s music scene, the Harts assure that the formation of their improv set is not a disgruntled retaliation but is actually coming from a more positive perspective, asking the question, “What are we not seeing, and how can we chip in?”

“We’re forming new relationships and getting musicians in this town back in touch with each other,” Steph says. “We want Projekte to be successful, and we want this to be an artistic outlet where musicians can get back in touch with each other and make creative explosions in this town. Everyone now has their own ideas on what community is. Those ideas work on a small scale, and we want it bigger.”

The Peasants Feast is a free event where musicians and spectators (“It’s more fun with spectators,” Chris adds) can come together, meet other artists and simply make music just for music’s sake on Saturday, January 15th, at Projekte at 8 p.m. To sign up, contact Steph and Chris Hart at stephdigit@gmail.com, or visit their website at www. peasantsfeast.moonfruit.com. Like Larson’s food potluck, consider this Wilmington’s music potluck. Folks are encouraged to bring their gear and ideas, and to share, engorge and be merry!

Man, Woman, Machine: Positive charge of ambience emits from My Wonderful Machine

T

hey both lived in Wilmington their entire lives. They both surfed. They both skated. They both passionately adored music. Yet, their paths never crossed—until a few short weeks before he moved to Portland, Oregon.

“I spent years making art and music about my lack of love and connection in life,” Jamin Belmont, one half of My Wonderful Machine, says. “So, once I found Hope, it became effortless and second nature making music with her. Her positive was greater than my negative.”

The charge was so explicit, Belmont moved back to Wilmington to pursue a realationship, romatically and musically, with someone he calls “a diamond—and I knew exactly how to polish a real gem.”

Hope Henderson had been waiting patiently, fervently, to let out her inner performer. She played piano, drums and saxophone as a child. She also took dance lessons, which resonated every note and vibration through her bones, allowing her to process music on a different level.

“It taught me to really feel music, and understand the timing, emotion and storytelling,” she says. “This is my first time being in a band, recording, performing and actually putting out there what I have loved for years.”

After meeting Belmont, a perpetual motion of artistic existence developed. Henderson jumped on the “musical rollercoaster,” as she calls it, and readied herself to learn all of the ins and outs of musicmaking. Along the way, they found love within one another, which only fueled their sonic desires.

“We wrote a song called My Wonderful Machine that describes how we feel about our relationship,” Henderson notes, “dependable and perfect for each other. After we recorded that song, we thought it would be a good band name.”

Belmont concurs. “We really had no choice but to call our band that. We were going for Constant Coincedences because we were born and raised here and never met.”

My Wonderful Machine seems like quite am applicable band name when hearing their music. With lilting harmonies, lush, unadulterated fantasy and subtle, enveloping sex appeal, each track effortlessly vibes into the next, crossing a multitude of genres along the way: ambient, Western mod, folk, indie, psychedelic rock and beyond.

“I love how ambient music can seduce you,” Henderson says. “You can just listen,

by: Shea Carver

My Wonderful Machine Cameron Art Museum 3201 South 17th St. • (910) 395-5999 January 13th • $5, members; $10 non mywonderfulmachine.bandcamp.com enjoy, and feel dreamy. In this high-paced world, I want our album to be an escape—a breather. Just put it on, walk away, and let it play the whole way through.”

The songs are lullabies for adults, offering haunting, baritone vocals from Belmont, crossed with childlike echoes carried

by Henderson. Music sways and coasts, often breaking electrical soundwaves with heavier, Dinosaur Jr.-like riffs.

“Jamin would never play lead guitar in a band in the past,” Henderson explains, referring to his stints in Doly Toro and The J. Miners. “He didn’t want to show off. I finally convinced him to let the shy guy show off. So, for me to hear him come up with the lead parts and then laugh after recording was really great ... he finally was letting it out.”

The instruments in the music, from the rock riff to the tambourine, acoustic guitar, keys and harmonica, all combine a sensual audial experience. Likewise, the drum machine remains a prominent component, perhaps the third group member.

“With the drum machine, it’s almost a clock ticking,” Belmont describes. “You know there is real feeling of reliable time sneaking up on you. This day and age everyone seems to be connected to a machine and not to a person. This record is man/woman/machine, with a real [kinship], putting all past experiences, good and bad, out there for people to hear.”

Their independent release, “Caught Between a Clock and a Dream,” is a reality because of their creative dynamic to inspire and push one another to the hilt. Henderson and Belmont started a car-painting business, put on a few art shows and pursued projects to help fund it all in true DIY fashion—writing, playing, producing, mixing, mastering and marketing its release.

Now, it’s available on bandcamp.com for a mere $5. The digital download contains 10 tracks, all providing a nice escape into a utopia of daydreams and complete freedom to just ... be. “[Music] is an expression of who you are and how you feel through sound,” Belmont says. “It is a time capsule too, not just

CONNECTIVITY: Jamin Belmont and Hope Henderson make up the musical duo, My Wonderful Machine. They’ll play their ambient tunes at Cameron Art Museum this Friday. Courtesy photo

for the musicians, but for the listener ...

Anything that has the ability to move you, change the way you see things is art. Music is just another medium for bearing your soul and connecting with others.”

My Wonderful Machine will be externalizing their reverie at a venue conducive to full artistic expression. The Cameron Art Museum hosts them on Friday, January 13th.

“It will be nice to play our songs in front of an open and interested audience expecting a really high standard show,” Belmont notes—“great acoustics with high ceilings and a 40-foot screen with a visual to corre-

spond with the music. It makes for a nice musical experience for the audience.”

“The staff at the Cameron really believe and see the value in what music and art contribute to the individual and to everyone in society,” Henderson includes.

“Not only art and music from the past but in the present.”

Tickets to My Wonderful Machine are $5 for CAM members or $10 otherwise.

My Wonderful Machine will also be kicking off a campaign on Kickstarter.com this month to make their sophomore album, to be released on 11/11/11. Folks who would like to contribute will be rewarded with a host of goodies, like an acoustic show in their own backyard, or getting a CD, with a T-shirt, sticker and poster, or perhaps even an oil painting by Belmont.

Plug in and enjoy the escape.

encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com 15

WEDnEsDAY, jAnuArY 12 open mic W/ sean gerarD (9pm) —Soapbox Lounge, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 richarD smith anD Julie aDams

128 South; 128 South Front Street; 919886-6889 ron ronner —Reel Cafe, 100 S. Front St.; 251-1832 James Jarvis & frienDs (7pm-8pm) —The Harp; 1423 South 3rd St.,763-1607 open mic W/ gary allen —Rusty Nail, 1310 S. 5th Ave.; 251-1888 KaraoKe —Katy’s, 1054 S. College Rd.; 395-6204 shoW tunes W/ Donna merritt —Costello’s Piano Bar, 211 Princess Street; 362-9666 KaraoKe With BoB clayton —Midtown Seafood, 4106 Oleander Dr.; 792-6880 Bangarang W/ lorD Walrus & sir nicK BlanD —Red Dogs, 5 N. Lumina Ave., Wrightsville

Beach; 256-2776 marK herBert & gaBrielle —Green Light Lounge; 21 N. Front St., Basement nutt house improv —Nutt Street Comedy Room, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 BlacK mamBas —The Whiskey, 1 S. Front St.; 763-3088 acoustic Jam —Tangerine’s Caribbean Grill, 300 N. Lake Park Blvd., Carolina Beach; 707-0202 DJ sonic —Deep South Bar, 430 South Dawson St., Raleigh, 919-833-1255 KaraoKe W/ DJBe extreme —Wild Wing Cafe, 1331 Military Cutoff; 256-3838 Dualing pianos & lee hauser —Rum Runners, 21 N. Front St.; 815-3846 open mic night —Juggling Gypsy Cafe, 1612 Castle St.; 763-2223 DJ

LIVE MUSIC Gabby’s Lounge Friday, January 14

wed 1.12

karaoke night thurs 1.13

trivia night with

dj richtermeister fri 1.14

jack jack 180 sat 1.15

live music with

drew smith band

L ShapE LOT 7-10PM

,ANDFALL #ENTER s 1331 Military Cutoff Rd

910-256-3838 wildwingcafe.com

african Drum circle

—Projekte; 523 S. 3rd St.

thursDAY, jAnuArY 13 KaraoKe W/ DJ steve —The Toolbox, 2325 Burnette Blvd.; 343-6988 DJ Dane Britt —Rum Runners, 21 N. Front St.; 815-3846 KaraoKe Kong —Orton Pool Room, 133 North Front St.; 343-8878 DJ s t r e t c h —Trebenzio’s, 141 N. Front St.; 815-3301

acoustic Duo (7-10) —Rusty Nail, 1310 S. 5th Ave.; 251-1888 DJ greg —Green Light Lounge; 21 N. Front St., Basement open mic W/ gary allen —Brass Pelican; 2112 N. New River Dr., Surf City, NC 328-4373 DJ Battle —Odessa, 23 N. Front St.; 251-8814 frieD lot —Sweet & Savory Cafe; 1611 Pavilion Plc.,256-0115 KaraoKe W/ DJBe extreme —Banks Channel Bar & Grille, 530 Causeway Drive; 256-2269 tom sharpe —Village Cafe, 107 Hampstead Village, Hampstead, NC 910-270-3580 DJ Don’t stop —Slick and Reds, 2501 S. College Rd.; 798-5355 ron hasson —Costello’s Piano Bar, 211 Princess Street;

Feature your live music and drink specials!

Saturday, January 15

KIM DICSO 7-10PM

Friday, January 21

OVERTYME 7-10PM

Photo...

Scott Sain of Plane jane

—High Tide Lounge, 1800 Carolina Beach Ave., Carolina Bch; 458-0807 KaraoKe —Ibiza, 118 Market St.; 251-1301 DJ Juice —The Rhino Club, 125 Market St.; 7622206 roger Davis & ron Wilson —Bottega Gallery, 208 North Front St.; 763-3737

Saturday, January 22

MIKE O’DONNELL 7-10PM

wrightsville.sunspreeresorts.com nÇLJÎÎä‡xäxäÊUʙ£ä‡ÓxĂˆÂ‡Ă“Ă“ĂŽÂŁ

16 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

It’s a low-cost high-impact way to send encore readers your way!

Call

791-0688

362-9666 KaraoKe —Rumors, 5712 East Oak Island Dr., Oak Island, NC miKe o’Donnell —Reel Cafe, 100 S. Front St.; 251-1832 King BearD W/ hanK Blanton —Bottega Gallery, 208 North Front St.; 763-3737 open mic —Katy’s, 1054 S. College Rd.; 395-6204 DJ ceD —The Rhino Club, 125 Market St.; 7622206 Blivet —The Whiskey, 1 S. Front St.; 763-3088 Jahman Braman W/ yage Drums —Soapbox Upstairs, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 my WonDerful machine —Cameron Art Museum; 3201 South 17th St., 395-5999 exit stage right, British steel anD love muscle

visit our Website WWW.ruCkerJohNs.Com For dAiLy sPeCiALs, musiC & uPComiNG eveNts

moNdAy 5 pizzas, and half price Nachos and Wings ( in the Bar starting at 6:00) 22oz Domestic Draft all Day

$

tuesdAy live Jazz in the Bar • Half Price Bottles of Wine absolut Dream $5 • Pacifico $2.50 WedNesdAy Corona\Corona light $250 Margarita\Peach Margaritas $4 Miller light Bottles $150 thursdAy Gran Martinis $7 • Red Stripe $250 FridAy Cosmos $4 • 007 $350 Harps bottles $250 • Island Sunsets $5 sAturdAy Baybreeze\Seabreeze $4 22oz Blue Moon Draft $3 Select domestic bottles $150 suNdAy Domestic Draft Pints $150 Bloody Marys $4 • White Russians $4 1:00 - Moo and Brew Special $7 5564 CaRolIna BeaCH RD

—Deep South Bar, 430 South Dawson St., Raleigh, 919-833-1255 heWletts creeK Boys —Kefi, 2012 Eastwood Road; 256-3558 KaraoKe —Yosake Sushi Lounge, 31 S. Front St.; 763-3172 DJ “mr lee� —Carolina Lounge, 5001A Market St.; 791-7595 DJ richtermeister —Wild Wing Cafe, 1331 Military Cutoff; 256-3838 James Jarvis & frienDs (7pm-8pm) —The Harp; 1423 South 3rd St.,763-1607 top 40 DJ —Ibiza, 118 Market St.; 251-1301 proJeKte Jazz night

—Projekte; 523 S. 3rd St. nutt street open mic —Nutt Street Comedy Room, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 classy KaraoKe With manDy clayton

Your Downtown Sports Pub! MONDAY

$10 Bud/Light Buckets *ACK $ANIELS s #APT -ORGAN

TUESDAY

4ACOS PM $OX 88 !MBER *OSE #UERVO MARGARITAS

WEDNESDAY

0INTS $RAFTS *AGER "OMBS s WELLS

THURSDAY

-UG .IGHT $OMESTIC $RAFTS W (+ -5' "OMBERS s *IM "EAM mAVORED VODKAS -ICRO"REWS

FRIDAY

3ELECT $RAFT s &IRE &LY 3HOOTERS 2ED "ULL 6ODKA

SATURDAY

-ILLER ,T OR 9UENGLING $RAFT +AMIKAZE s 7ELL $RINKS

SUNDAY

"UD ,IGHT $RAFT #ROWN 2OYAL s "LOODY -ARY

EVERYDAY

0ARTY 0ITCHER s 3ELECT 3HOT

1/2 priced select appetizers m-f 4-7pm

Check out all you favorite sports teams on 10 hdtvs and hd big screen. Now showing NFL sunday ticket, NCAA GamePlan, NhL Center ice as well as all the ACC action every Wednesday 0RINCESS 3T s

—Midtown Seafood, 4106 Oleander Dr.; 792-6880 dJ dane BriTT —Beach House Bar ‘n’ Grill, 7219 Market St.; 689-7219 rOn eTheridge & JasOn wOOlwine —Barbary Coast; 116 S. Front St., 7628996 dJ —The Toolbox, 2325 Burnette Blvd.; 343-6988 dJ —Black Horn Bar, 15 Carolina Beach Avenue N.; 458-5255 friday nighT fOllies dance dJ —Ibiza, 118 Market St.; 251-1301 dJ —Red Dogs, 5 N. Lumina Ave., Wrightsville Beach; 256-2776 dJ dusTin frIDay, jaNuary 14 —Odessa, 23 N. Front St.; 251-8814 dJ dJ scOOTer fresh —Yosake Sushi Lounge, 31 S. Front St.; —Rox, 208 Market St.; 343-0402 763-3172 Beach & shag w/ dJ rOck dJ wOmPBOy, ali la POinTe, magik —Rumors, 5712 East Oak Island Dr., Oak and gOn Island, NC —Juggling Gypsy Cafe, 1612 Castle St.; dJ eric 763-2223 —Rumors, 5712 East Oak Island Dr., Oak OPen mic nighT Island, NC —Java Junkies Coffee Bar; 3901 B Wrights- dJ ville Ave., 399-6977 —Level 5/City Stage, 21 N. Front St.; 342-0872 karaOke wiTh BOB clayTOn —Remedies, Market Street; 392-8001 firedance & drums @ dark, dJ miT PsyTrance (11Pm) —Juggling Gypsy Cafe, 1612 Castle St.; 763-2223 OPen mic nighT —Bottega Gallery, 208 North Front St.; 763-3737 karaOke wiTh BOB clayTOn —Midtown Seafood, 4106 Oleander Dr.; 792-6880 sTOne sOuP sOngwriTer shOwcase feaTuring sean ThOmas gerard, susan savia, uPsTarTs & rOgues, mike Blair, kim discO, Travis shallOw, richard welsOn and arThur shuey —Live on Grace; 121 Grace St

lOve language and Onward, sOldiers —Soapbox Upstairs, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 yesTerday’s gravy —The Whiskey, 1 S. Front St.; 763-3088 Jack Jack 180 —Wild Wing Cafe, 1331 Military Cutoff; 256-3838 massive grass —Soapbox Lounge, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 l shaPe lOT —Holiday Inn Resort (Gabby’s Lounge), 1706 N. Lumina Ave.; 256-2231 leaving venus, kingaTOr, BuBOnik funk —Deep South Bar, 430 South Dawson St., Raleigh, 919-833-1255 Jeremy nOrris —Firebelly Lounge, 265 N. Front St.; 763-0141 cOmedian dave waiTe —Nutt Street Comedy Room, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 dJ s T r e T c h —Trebenzio’s, 141 N. Front St.; 815-3301 James Jarvis & friends (7Pm-8Pm) —The Harp; 1423 South 3rd St.,763-1607 karaOke kOng —Slick and Reds, 2501 S. College Rd.; 798-5355

PianO shOw —Rum Runners, 21 N. Front St.; 815-3846 Jazz wiTh Benny hill —Caffe Phoenix, 9 S Front St.; 343-1395 laTinO nighT wiTh dJ —Carolina Lounge, 5001A Market St.; 791-7595 dJ ced —The Rhino Club, 125 Market St.; 7622206 PrOJekTe Jazz nighT —Projekte; 523 S. 3rd

king Beard w/ hank BlanTOn —Bottega Gallery, 208 North Front St.; 763-3737

SaTurDay, jaNuary 15 karaOke —Java Junkies Coffee Bar; 3901 B Wrightsville Ave., 399-6977 Beach & shag w/ dJ rOck —Rumors, 5712 East Oak Island Dr., Oak Island, NC dJ eric —Rumors, 5712 East Oak Island Dr., Oak Island, NC karaOke wiTh BOB clayTOn —Midtown Seafood, 4106 Oleander Dr.; 792-6880 iamhuman —Yosake Sushi Lounge, 31 S. Front St.; 763-3172 dJ —Ronnie’s Place, 6745-B Market St.; 228-8056

THE BEST MEDICINE: Wilmington’s comedy house Nutt Street is cracking up with this weekend’s guest, Mack Lindsey.

100 S. Front St. Downtown 251-1832

The only riverfront restaurant downtown featuring “dock and dine.”

.0/%":

1/2 PRICE APPS. 4-6pm $ ÓÊ Õ`Üi ÃiÀÊUÊ$225 Heineken $ 3 Gin & Tonic Monday night Football $ xÊ/> }>ÌiÊ i ÕÊUÊ$250 Bud Light Draft $ 8 Bud Light pitchers 56&4%":

1/2 PRICE APPS. 4-6pm 2 White Wolf $250 Redstripe $ 50 3 Wells 35¢ Wings at 8pm $

8&%/&4%":

1/2 PRICE APPS. 4-6pm $ 50 2 Ê ÕiÊ ÃÊÊUÊ$250 Corona/Corona Light 1/2 Priced Wine Bottles 5)634%":

ÓÊ iÃÌ VÊ ÌÌ iÃ]ÊUÊ$275 Import Bottles, $ 3 Rum and Coke

$

'3*%":

LIVE MUSIC IN THE COURTYARD ÎÊ > `Ã >À ÊUÊ$3 Kamikaze $ 5 Bombs

$

4"563%":

Rooftop open by 6pm Dance floor open by 10pm $ ÓÊ ÀÃÊ } ÌÊUÊ$3 Fruit Punch shots 46/%":

5 Tommy Bahama Mojitos $ 75 2 Corona $350 Bloody Mary’sÊUÊ$3 Mimosas $

Online at www.encorepub.com

Monday fÓ°xäÊ Õ`Üi ÃiÀÊ À>vÌÊUf{Ê7i à ½ Priced Select Appetizers from 4- 7

Announcing our new dinner menu

tuesday $2.50 All Drafts $4.50 Absolut Lemonade ½ Priced Select Appetizers from 4 until 7

Featuring some of the best fresh, local seafood in the area, as well as great steaks, soups, salads, appetizers and locally made home made desserts.

Wednesday $2.50 Yuengling Draft $2.50 Domestic Bottles ½ Priced Select Appetizers from 4 until 7 thursday fÎÊ À >ÃÊUÊf{Ê >À}>À Ì>Ã ½ Priced Select Appetizers from 4 until 7

great drink and bar SpecialS every day

Friday $3 Pint of The Day Saturday $5 Sangria Sunday $5 Bloody Marys *Drink Specials Run All Day, But Food Specials Shown Are From 4 Until 7 Only.

Under New t Managemen

Certain Appetizers are Excluded from Special.

BUY A $50 GIFT CARD AND GET A $10 GIFT CARD FREE thegeorgerestaurant.com

Introducing Ryan Blackstone Executive Chef and Douglas sanDeRs General Manager

128 South Water Street • Downtown Wilmington • (910) 763-2052 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com 17

DJ Dane Britt —Beach House Bar ‘n’ Grill, 7219 Market St.; 689-7219 DJ —Odessa, 23 N. Front St.; 251-8814 KaraoKe w/ DJBe extreme —Griff’s Tavern @ George St.; 6320 Market St., 793-2628 DJ —Red Dogs, 5 N. Lumina Ave., Wrightsville Beach; 256-2776 DJ S t r e t C H —Trebenzio’s, 141 N. Front St.; 815-3301 DJ P. money —Rox, 208 Market St.; 343-0402 DJ —Level 5/City Stage, 21 N. Front St.; 342-0872 maSonBoro SounD —Sweet & Savory Cafe; 1611 Pavilion Plc.,256-0115 JoHn weSley SatterfielD anD HiS Damn fine BanD —The Whiskey, 1 S. Front St.; 763-3088 BuBoniK funK anD tHe lamPing SHaDeS —Soapbox Lounge, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 Vatra gitana BellyDanCing SHowCaSe —Juggling Gypsy Cafe, 1612 Castle St.; 763-2223 riVer City ranSom, tin Can Sailor, BlaCK aSHleyS

—Deep South Bar, 430 South Dawson St., Raleigh, 919-833-1255 funKy CaBBage —Firebelly Lounge, 265 N. Front St.; 763-0141 tHe Drew SmitH BanD —Wild Wing Cafe, 1331 Military Cutoff; 256-3838 ComeDian DaVe waite —Nutt Street Comedy Room, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 Piano SHow —Rum Runners, 21 N. Front St.; 815-3846 DanCe DJ —Ibiza, 118 Market St.; 251-1301 DJ SCooter freSH —The Rhino Club, 125 Market St.; 7622206 ClaSSy KaraoKe witH manDy Clayton —Remedies, Market Street; 392-8001 SalSa w/ DJ lalo —Carolina Lounge, 5001A Market St.; 791-7595 tHe PeaSantS feaSt —Projekte; 523 S. 3rd St tHe george tiSDale BanD —Bottega Gallery, 208 North Front St.; 763-3737;

sunday, january 16 Jam witH Benny Hill —Rusty Nail, 1310 S. 5th Ave.; 251-1888

DJ P. money —Rox, 208 Market St.; 343-0402 Perry SmitH (BrunCH 12-2) —Aubriana’s; 115 S. Front St., 763-7773 l SHaPe lot (3-7), SteVe toDD & Sam melVin (8-12) —Reel Cafe, 100 S. Front St.; 251-1832 KaraoKe —Green Light Lounge; 21 N. Front St., Basement

251-8500 galen on guitar (BrunCH) —Courtyard Marriott, 100 Charlotte Ave., Carolina Beach; (800) 321-2211 Downtown DanCe Party witH tHe SeleKt —The Whiskey, 1 S. Front St.; 763-3088 SuSan SaVia —Church of Good Shepard; 515 Queen St.

KaraoKe w/DJ Battle

—Kefi, 2012 Eastwood Road; 256-3558

—Fibber McGee’s; 256-0102 DJ CeD —The Rhino Club, 125 Market St.; 7622206 teCHnoetry —Juggling Gypsy Cafe, 1612 Castle St.; 763-2223 Jtama BanD —Deep South Bar, 430 South Dawson St., Raleigh, 919-833-1255 Paint me irrational anD Colt 43 —Bottega Gallery, 208 North Front St.; 763-3737 anDrew Kane anD tHe aliBiS anD J HiCKory HawKinS —Soapbox Lounge, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 emBraCing gooDBye, BlaCK HellatoneS, tHiS iS Home, fuSeBox Poet —Soapbox Upstairs, 255 N. Front St.;

Be one of the first 50 new members to

&/30-- '3&&

And receive 3 Personal Training Sessions Hurry! Offer Ends Soon!

Some Restrictions Apply.

1/2 Hour Personal Fitness Coaching Every Month Included In All Memberships.

New Functional Training Programs Marathon & Sport Specific Training

6766 Wrightsville Ave., Suite. E Locally owned & operated since 1984 Group Fitness, Pilates, Functional Training, TRX Suspension, Yoga, Zumba, Cardio Core & “Pump It Up” Classes FREE Towel Service & Daycare

/ iÊ > iÀ >Ê- «« }Ê i ÌiÀÊUÊ­ £ä®Êxä Îä{{ÊUÊ ÀiÃÌ Ì iÃðV 18 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

Battle for BeatS 2K11

monday, january 17 Brett JoHnSon’S Jam —Rusty Nail, 1310 S. 5th Ave.; 251-1888 laDieS nigHt w/ KerSten CaPra —Costello’s Piano Bar, 211 Princess Street; 362-9666 oPen miC w/ DJBe extreme —Griff’s Tavern @ George St.; 6320 Market St., 793-2628 oPen miC nigHt —Bottega Gallery, 208 North Front St.; 763-3737 DJ Dane Britt —Rum Runners, 21 N. Front St.; 815-3846 JameS JarViS & frienDS (7Pm-8Pm) —The Harp; 1423 South 3rd St.,763-1607 oPen miC w/ Beau —16 Taps, 127 Princess St.; 251-1616 DJ riCHtermeiSter

—Wild Wing Cafe, 1331 Military Cutoff; 256-3838 DJ time —Trebenzio’s, 141 N. Front St.; 815-3301 oPen miC nigHt —Reel Cafe, 100 S. Front St.; 251-1832 oPen miC nigHt —Duck & Dive, 114 Dock Street, 399-2866 SHoney lamar anD tHe equal rigHtS — Deep South Bar, 430 South Dawson St., Raleigh, 919-833-1255

Tuesday, january 18 oPen miC nigHt —Mellow Mushroom, 4311 Oleander Drive; 452-3773 Benny Hill —Aubriana’s; 115 S. Front St., 763-7773 oPen miC nigHt —Surf’s Bar & Grill; 5500 Market St., 791-9021 KaraoKe w/ DJ Dane Britt —Beach House Bar ‘n’ Grill, 7219 Market St.; 689-7219 KaraoKe —Rumors, 5712 East Oak Island Dr., Oak Island, NC inDie muSiC nigHt —Juggling Gypsy Cafe, 1612 Castle St.; 763-2223

KaraoKe oP —Yosake Sushi Lounge, 31 S. Front St.; —Bottega Gall 763-3172 763-3737 JoHnny aCouStiC —Reel Cafe, 100 S. Front St.; 251-1832 W KaraoKe oP —Katy’s, 1054 S. College Rd.; 395-6204 —Rusty Nail, 1 oP DJ “mr lee” —Carolina Lounge, 5001A Market St.; —Soapbox Lou 251-8500 791-7595 m KaraoKe Kong —16 Taps, 127 Princess St.; 251-1616 —Green Light Basement CaPe fear BlueS Jam —Rusty Nail, 1310 S. 5th Ave.; 251-1888 S oBitS, gentlemen JeSS anD HiS men,—Costello’s Pi wHite tiger anD tHe BeD of roSeS 362-9666 —Soapbox Upstairs, 255 N. Front St.; r —Reel Cafe, 1 251-8500 Karao DJ eyeCon —Katy’s, 1054 —SideBar; 18 S. Front St., 763-1401 Bangarang raDio HayeS anD eCHoPoint21 n —Goat and Compass, 710 N. 4th St.; —Red Dogs, 5 772-1400 Beach; 256-27 KaraoKe witH BoB Clayton Jame —Midtown Seafood, 4106 Oleander Dr.; —The Harp; 14 792-6880 DJ Jui JameS JarViS & frienDS (7Pm-8Pm) —The Rhino C —The Harp; 1423 South 3rd St.,763-1607 2206 nutt HouSe imProV Dualing Pia —Nutt Street Comedy Room, 255 N. Front —Rum Runner St.; 251-8500

open miC nigHt —Bottega Gallery, 208 North Front St.; 763-3737

WEDNESDAy, jANUARy 19

open miC W/ gArY Allen —Rusty Nail, 1310 S. 5th Ave.; 251-1888 open miC W/ SeAn gerArD (9pm) —Soapbox Lounge, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 mArK HerBert & gABrielle —Green Light Lounge; 21 N. Front St., Basement SHoW tuneS W/ DonnA merritt en,—Costello’s Piano Bar, 211 Princess Street; S 362-9666 ron ronner —Reel Cafe, 100 S. Front St.; 251-1832 KArAoKe W/ DJ vAlerie —Katy’s, 1054 S. College Rd.; 395-6204 BAngArAng W/ lorD WAlruS & Sir niCK BlAnD —Red Dogs, 5 N. Lumina Ave., Wrightsville Beach; 256-2776 JAmeS JArviS & FrienDS (7pm-8pm) —The Harp; 1423 South 3rd St.,763-1607 DJ JuiCe —The Rhino Club, 125 Market St.; 762St.,763-1607 2206 DuAling piAnoS & lee HAuSer 255 N. Front —Rum Runners, 21 N. Front St.; 815-3846

KArAoKe W/ DJBe extreme —Wild Wing Cafe, 1331 Military Cutoff; 256-3838 ACouStiC JAm —Tangerine’s Caribbean Grill, 300 N. Lake Park Blvd., Carolina Beach; 707-0202 metAl nigHt —The Whiskey, 1 S. Front St.; 763-3088 KArAoKe —Ibiza, 118 Market St.; 251-1301 DJ —High Tide Lounge, 1800 Carolina Beach Ave., Carolina Bch; 458-0807 KArAoKe WitH BoB ClAYton —Midtown Seafood, 4106 Oleander Dr.; 792-6880 nutt HouSe improv —Nutt Street Comedy Room, 255 N. Front St.; 251-8500 open miC nigHt —Juggling Gypsy Cafe, 1612 Castle St.; 763-2223 DYlAn Holton —Bottega Gallery, 208 North Front St.; All entertainment must be turned in to encore by noon every Thursday for consideration in the weekly entertainment calendar. Venues are responsible for notifying encore of any changes, removals or additions to their weekly schedules.

Show Stoppers: Concerts around the region THE ORANGE PEEL 101 Biltmore Avenue ASHeville, nC (828) 225-5851

1/14: Railroad Earth 1/15: The Nova Echo, Sonmi Suite, Paper Tiger & Dep 1/16: Anberlin and Circa Survive with Foxy Shazam 1/19: Against Me!, Cheap Girls and Fences

ASHEVILLE CIVIC CENTER 87 HAYWooD Street ASHeville, nC (828) 251-1122 1/18: Robert Plant (pictured)

AMOS’ SOUTHEND 1423 SoutH trYon St. CHArlotte, nC (704) 377-6874

1/14: S.O. STEREO with House of Fools and Lucky 5 1/15: Anberlin and Circa Survive with Foxy Shazam

THE CASBAH 1007 WeSt mAin Street.

DurHAm, nC (919) 687-6969

1/13: The Wigg Report, The Bastages, The Pinkerton Raid 1/15: Mama’s Black Sheep

LINCOLN THEATRE 126 e. CABArruS St. rAleigH, nC (919) 821-4111

1/14: Mother’s Finest with Liquid Pleasure’s Super Show Band 1/15: Chairmen of The Board, The Embers and Jim Quick & Coastline 1/16: Resolutionz Evolution with Nick Seward, CJ, NF, Benz and synergy 1/19: JJ Grey & Mofro with Ponderosa

THE ARTSCENTER 300-g mAin St, CArrBoro (919)929-2787

1/14: The Magnum and Company Shout Band

DURHAM PERFORMING ARTS CENTER tHe AmeriCAn toBACCo DiSt. 123 viviAn Street DurHAm, nC (919) 680-2787 1/12-19: The Lion King

OVENS AUDITORIUM 2700 e inDepenDenCe BoulevArD, CHArlotte, nC 704-372-3600 1/12-19: Billy Elliot

THE FILLMORE CHARLOTTE 820 HAmilton Street CHArlotte, nC (704) 5495555 1/18: Led Zeppelin 2

CAT’S CRADLE 300 e. mAin St. CArrBoro, nC (919) 967-9053

1/12: The Walkmen and Lower Dens 1/14: Abbey Road Live 1/15: The Love Language and Cellar Seas 1/18: Against Me!, Cheap Girls and Fences

ALABAMA THEATRE 4750 HWY 17 SoutH n. mYrtle BeACH, SC (843) 272-1111 1/14-15: A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline

encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com 19

9th Annual UNCW Baseball Spring Training Banquet January 29, 2011 - 6pm SOCIAL 5-6PM Burney Center (campus of UNCW) $60 for individual tickets, $600 corporate table For more information call Coach Mark Scalf at 962-3570 or e-mail at scalfm@uncw.edu

men’s BasketBall Wednesday, January 12

Men’s Basketball vs Delaware 7:00pm sponsored by atlantic marine and enterprise Car Rental Promotion - $40 for 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs and 4 drinks

CAA Seven for $60 Delaware, towson, northeastern, William & mary, George mason, Drexel, Hofstra

20 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

m

Near Perfection:

reel to reel

‘Black Swan’ deserves its award-winning nods

M

ovie-goers: Prepare to be creeped out! I wasn’t expecting an unsettling experience when I walked into the theater to see “Black Swan,â€? the new film from Darren Aronofsky. The film is set in the highly competitive world of modern ballet and details the psychological descent of a girl desperate for perfection. “Mind fuckâ€? would be the most apt description, but that only scratches the surface. “Black Swanâ€? is the fulfillment of a promise made by star Natalie Portman some 15 years ago when she first appeared in “LĂŠon (The Professional)â€?—a movie with a tour de force performance that established her as one of the most promising young actresses in the business. And she did this at the ripe old age of 12.

Since, she has gone through quite the transformation. There were the early child roles, then the awkward teenage parts and the awful purgatory of being anchored to three horrendous “Star Wars� films. Finally, in 2004 we saw how powerful a performer she could be in Mike Nichols’ “Closer,� a role which solidified an Academy Award. “Closer� showed Portman playing someone fearless, hard and in control. “Black Swan� is the exact opposite.

Here, she plays an affected, fragile-asporcelain dancer named Nina, the kind of frightened soul who withers under the spotlight. She prefers the quiet isolation of corners. When the ballet’s marquee dancer is forced to step down, Nina fights to get the lead role in a new interpretation of “Swan Lake.� She seems ill-suited for the role, lacking the ability to let go and tap into the more primal elements of her psyche.

Her mother (Barbara Hershey) is a bi-polar mess who seems unwilling to cut the cord.

She handles Nina like fine china.

Nina tries to fill the role, but the performances are beginning to take a toll on her body and her mind. She has a crush on her director (Vincent Cassel), the kind of passionate lothario who sees the newest star as his latest conquest. He pushes Nina, seduces her, and tries to turn her into what she wants to be. But she struggles with the very concept of letting go. This lamentation is personified by a new dancer named Lily (Mila Kunis). She is everything Nina is not: natural, uninhibited and free.

Nina’s mind begins to crumble. She begins to lose touch with reality, and her relationship with Lily becomes more complicated.

Is she a friend? A rival? Or something more sinister?

Director Darren Aronofsky is known for the brutal and the bizarre. Films like “Pi,�

this week in film

by: Anghus

Black Swan Starring Natalie Portman, Winona Ryder and Milla Kunis

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that have been done a thousand times over.

They are minor quips, but they prevent the film from achieving perfection.

However, Natalie Portman is perfect in this role. She is difficult, troubling and tragic. This part would eat most actresses alive. It’s the kind of role that requires subtlety and nuance, something that many

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Late on Guy Fawkes Day, 1892, Oscar Wilde arrives at a high-class brothel where a surprise awaits: a staging of his play “Salome,� with parts played by prostitutes, Wilde’s host, his lover Bosey, and Lady Alice. The movie moves between the play and Wilde’s night. 89 minutes.

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FRAGILE FINE CHINA: Natalie Portman plays a troubled and tragic ballerina in the latest Darren Aronofsky film, ‘Black Swan.’ Courtesy photo.

“Requiem for a Dream,â€? “The Fountainâ€? and “The Wrestlerâ€? are all interesting for different reasons. None of his films follow a traditional path, and there are few directors working today who seem capable of moving so deftly from one genre to the next. “Black Swanâ€? is the best of his films, taking the lessons learned from previous efforts and making it into a near-masterpiece. It’s not a perfect film. I have some real issues with some of the supporting characters in the movie: clichĂŠ-ridden stereotypes of ballet instructors and manipulative parents

would have a hard time believing her capable of after watching “Revenge of the Sith� a few times. But she nails it; both the performance and the dancing are spectacular!

There is nothing easy about her role or the movie for that matter. The greatest compliment I can pay “Black Swan� is how difficult the material is; yet, it’s impossible to look away.

No other film this year is capable of generating more conversation. “Black Swan� is one of those movies that can be interpreted infinitely. The great thing is there is no “right� or “wrong.� It’s a film about fractures and mirrors, descent and dissolution.

Amazing performances, striking visuals and psychotic storytelling make “Black Swan� one of 2010’s best films.

Remember to recycle or compost your encore!

From Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Charles Ferguson (“No End In Sight�), comes the first movie to expose the shocking truth behind the economic crisis of 2008, with extensive research and interviews with major financial insiders, politicians and journalists. 108 min. Rated PG-13.

Gulliver’s Travels 3D

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$BMM GPS UJNFT t Lemuel Gulliver (Jack Black), a free-spirited travel writer, is on an assignment in the Bermuda Triangle. He suddenly finds himself a giant among men when he washes ashore on the hidden island of Lilliput, home to a population of industrious, yet tiny people.

All AreA movie listings And pArAgrAph synopses cAn be found At encorepub.com.

encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com 21

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pet of the week MEET OLIVER Can you believe that I was left stranded on a back road and no one came forward to claim me?

My name is Oliver and I am a short little dog, probably Corgi with maybe some Golden Retriever thrown in. I weigh a sleek 25 pounds and I have short little legs. Can you handle all this cuteness?

A wonderful lady took me into her care, and I get along great with her menagerie of pets that includes dogs, cats and birds. My medical care has been provided by Sunburst Foundation and I am heartworm free, neutered, and up to date on all my vaccinations.

I love my humans too and never know a stranger. If you would like the opportunity to learn more about me and possibly have a “meet and greet” please contact Sunburst Foundation at sunburstfoundation@gmail.com or 910-6220011. This may be your lucky day!

Photo compliments of: Tina of Sudslingers Grooming Salon.

Paddy’s Hollow is

located downtown in historic Wilmington, tucked away in the Cotton Exchange.

We are a favorite with locals and tourists.

Family owned and operated since 1982.

Open for Lunch & Dinner • Steaks, Ribs, Seafood, Sandwiches & Salads

Ask about eorur Custom rd Loyalty Ca M-T 11:30AM to 9PM F-S 11:30AM-10PM Sun. 12PM - 5PM • 910-762-4354 In the Cotton Exchange, Downtown Wilmington • FREE PARKING

encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com 23

e d i u g g n i din american Brixx Wood Fired Pizza A short drive from the beach, Brixx Wood Fired Pizza in Mayfaire Town Center is a fun, friendly neighborhood restaurant. Serving the best brick-oven pizzas around, Brixx also offers a fine selection of signature focaccia sandwiches, pastas, fresh salads and desserts. Stop in for a quick lunch, or kick back on the patio with one of 24 beers on tap or 14 wines by the glass. Brixx is also a late-night destination, serving 2-for-1 pizzas and appetizers after 10pm Open until 1am Monday through Saturday and 11pm on Sunday.6801 Main Street, Wilmington, NC 28405. (910) 256-9677. www.brixxpizza.com.

BLUeWaTer Enjoy spectacular panoramic views of sailing ships and the Intracoastal Waterway while dining at this popular casual American restaurant in Wrightsville Beach. Lunch and dinner are served daily. Favorites include jumbo lump crab cakes, succulent seafood lasagna, crispy coconut shrimp and an incredible Caribbean fudge pie.

Dine inside or at their award-winning outdoor patio and bar, which is the location for their lively Waterfront Music Series every Sunday during the summer months. Large parties welcome.

Private event space available. BluewaterDining. com. 4 Marina Street, Wrightsville Beach, NC .

(910) 256.8500.

cHriS’ coSmic KiTcHen cosmicKitchenonline.com Serving breakfast all day as well as lunch and handmade cheesecake, Chef and Owner Chris Lubben loves to make many of his menu items from scratch. Whether you’re in the mood for a fluffy 3-egg Omelet, Shrimp & Grits, Prime Rib Sandwich or Andes Mint Cheesecake, Chris’ Cosmic Kitchen is your “Out of this World� Breakfast/Lunch Destination. Evening restaurant rental is available, as well as a Personal Chef service.

Chris’ Cosmic Kitchen is located at 420 Eastwood Rd, Unit 109, on the corner of Racine Dr. and Eastwood Rd. New Winter Hours: 8am-4pm Tues-Sat. Sunday Brunch 9am-2pm. Closed Monday. Take-out calls welcome, 792-6720. Follow us on Twitter @ CosmicKitchen.

of condiments for all of your mid-day or late night cravings. You may find them daily at their new location on the boardwalk of Market and Water St. from 11am to 5pm.

Saturdays at the farmers market. ThursdaySaturday nights they are on Market St. between Front and 2nd St. from 10pm to 3:00am. Then they finish the week off at Fibbers on Sunday nights until 3am. To busy to leave the office? Ask about their lunch time delivery service for downtown!!

HenrY’S A local favorite, Henry’s is the ‘place to be’ for great food, a lively bar and awesome patio dining. Henry’s serves up American cuisine at its finest and offers daily blackboard specials that include entrees with fresh, local ingredients. Come early for lunch, because its going to be packed. Dinner too! Henry’s Pine Room is ideal for private functions up to 30 people. Henry’s is home to live music, wine & beer dinners and other special events. Check out their calendar of events at HenrysRestaurant.com for details. 2508 Independence Boulevard, Wilmington, NC. (910) 793.2929.

THe LiTTLe diPPer Wilmington’s favorite fondue restaurant! The Little Dipper specializes in unique fondue dishes with a global variety of cheeses, meats, seafood, vegetables, chocolates and fine wines. The warm and intimate dining room is a great place to enjoy a four-course meal, or indulge in appetizers and desserts outside on the back deck or in the bar while watching luminescent jellyfish. Open Tuesday-Sunday, serving dinner at 5pm. Reservations are appreciated for parties of any size.

Located at the corner of Front and Orange in Downtown Wilmington. 138 South Front Street t

Pine VaLLeY marKeT

The Verandah CafĂŠ Restaurant located in this oceanfront resort is a wonderful find.

This is the perfect place to enjoy a fresh Seafood & Steak dinner while dinning outside overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Chef Eric invites you to experience his daily specials in this magnificent setting. Open daily for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner. (910) 2562231 Wrightsville Beach.

Pine Valley Market has reigned supreme in servicing the Wilmington community for years, securing encore’s Best-Of awards in catering, gourmet shop. Now, Kathy Webb and Christi Ferretti are expanding their talents into serving lunch in-house, so folks can enjoy their hearty, homemade meals in the quaint and cozy ambience of the market. Using the freshest ingredients of highest quality, diners can enjoy the best Philly Cheesesteak in Wilmington, along with numerous other sandwich varieties, from their Angus burger to classic Reuben, Italian sub to a grown-up banana and peanut butter sandwich that will take all diners back to childhood. Served among a soup du jour and salads, there is something for all palates. Take advantage of their takehome frozen meals for nights that are too hectic to cook, and don’t forget to pick up a great bottle of wine to go with it. Mon.-Fri. 10am-7pm; Sat. 9am-6pm; closed Sunday.

3520 S. College Road, (910) 350-FOOD.

KeFi

meLLoW mUSHroom

HoLidaY inn reSorT

Kefi, founded in 1981 by a group of friends, has a long-standing tradition as a favorite local watering hole. This Wrightsville-Beach eatery is open at 6am for breakfast, offering everything from omelets and pancakes, to shrimp and grits. Take a break from the beach and visit Kefi’s, where their menu features a variety of salads and sandwiches. There is even a “working man’s lunch,� served Monday through Friday, all for under $6. At night Kefi comes alive by serving dinner with a Southern flare. From the fried pickles appetizer to their the shrimp or oyster Po’boy to their nightly dinner specials, there is something that c.G. daWGS will make your taste buds sing. Then stick For great traditional New York style eats around for live music on Friday, Saturday with Southern charm look no further than and Sunday; nightly drink specials are ofC.G. Dawgs. You will be drawn in by the fered. Go online at www.kefilive.com for aroma of fine beef franks served with witty more info and full music schedule. Open banter and good natured delivery from the 6am-2am, seven days a week, with full ABC cleanest hot dog carts in Wilmington. Sa- permits. Lunch deliveries available in the brett famous hot dogs and Italian sausages Wrightsville Beach area. Located at 2012 are the primary fare offered, with a myriad Eastwood Road, (910) 256-3558.

24 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

Mellow out and relax in the comfortable atmosphere that Mellow Mushroom offers.

From the giant psychadelic ‘shroom located in the bar area to the Cadillac hanging on the wall, this restaurant is far from ordinary.

The open kitchen brings live entertainment as pizza dough flies in the air. Their handtossed, spring-water dough brings new meaning to pizzas and calzones—healthy!!

With 20 drafts and an array of microbrews, domestic and import bottles, Mellow Mushroom has an extensive beer list and full bar.

Also, check out their lunch specials and variety of sandwiches. Their menu also caters to everyone and offers many vegetarian dishes. Live jazz on Wednesdays. Hours: Mon-Sat, 11am-10pm; Sun., 12pm-9pm.

4311 Oleander Drive, (910) 452-3773.

TroLLY SToP Trolly Stop Hot Dogs are family owned with six locations. Since 1976 they specialize in homemade chili, slaw and sauces. Dogs include Smithfield (beef & pork), Southern Dog, Sabrett

(all beef), Northern Dog, Carolina Packers Pork Dog (smoked sausage), Oscar Mayer 98% Fat Free Dogs (turkey) and Light Life Veggie Dog (soy). Locations are: 126 N. Front Street Open six days including Thurs., Fri., and Sat. night from 10pm-3am; 343-2999, 94 S. Lumina Ave, Wrightsville Beach 11-5pm 7days a week, 6pm9pm Sun-Wed, and 6pm-3am Th-Sat. 256-1421; 4502 Fountain Dr., 452-3952. Open at 11am on Sat.; South Howe St. in Southport, 457-7017; 103A Cape Fear Blvd in Carolina Beach, 4585778. Catering cart available all year from $300.

(910) 297-8416.

aSian BiG THai and BiG THai TWo Now with two convenient locations to serve you, Big Thai features authentic Thai cuisine in a fun, relaxing atmosphere. Their delectable menu includes items such as Pineapple Fried Rice with Cashews, Roasted Duck in Red Curry, and several options for vegetarians and vegans. And don’t forget to try their famous Coconut Cake, made fresh in-house. You won’t regret it.

Big Thai One (1001 N. 4th St. in the Brooklyn Arts District; 763-3035): Lunch M-F, 11-2. Dinner M-Th 5-9, F-Sa 5-10, Closed Sunday. Big Thai Two (1319 Military Cutoff Rd. inside Landfall Center; 256-6588): Lunch M-F 11-2:30, Dinner M-Th 5-9, F-Sa 5-10, Sunday 5-9.

doUBLe HaPPineSS Double Happiness offers the Port City fine Asian dining at reasonable prices. Now under new management, the restaurant will serve flavorful dishes, prepared by the cultural richness of authentic China. Serving items like traditional dim sum and gourmet home-style cooking, Double Happiness is still dedicated to branding the exotic flavors of fresh ingredients and a romantic spice in all of their cooking. Their friendly staff will always go the extra mile to help diners enjoy their experience. Beer and wine is served for lunch and dinner, and Double Happiness is open Monday through Saturday, from 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 10pm; closed Sundays. 4403 Wrighstville Avenue; (910) 313-1088.

SzecHUan 132 Craving expertly prepared Chinese food in an elegant atmosphere? Szechuan 132 Chinese Restaurant is your destination! Szechuan 132 has earned the reputation as one of the finest contemporary Chinese restaurants in the Port City. Tastefully decorated with an elegant atmosphere, with an exceptional ingenious menu has deemed Szechuan 132 the best Chinese restaurant for years, hands down. 419 South College Road (in University Landing), (910) 799-1426.

Hiro japanese steakHouse What better way to celebrate a special occasion or liven up a dinner out than to dine in a place where every meal is an exciting presentation. Knowing that a meal should be more than just great food, Hiro adds a taste of theatre and a amazing atmosphere to everyone’s dinning experience. Also serving sushi, Hiro surprises its guests with a new special roll every week and nightly drink specials to complement it. From 4-7pm enjoy half-priced nigiri and half-priced regular makimono. Nigiri makimono combos are only $7.50, while earlybird specials last from 4-6pm, where diners can choose two: shrimp, chicken or steak. Open Monday thru Thursday 4pm-10pm; Friday and Saturday 4pm-10:30pm; and Sunday 11am-10pm. Located at 222 Old Eastwood Road (910) 794-1570. Please visit the Web site at hirojapanesesteakhouse.com.

indocHine restaurant and lounge If you’re ready to experience the wonders of the Orient without having to leave Wilmington, join us at Indochine for a truly unique experience.

Indochine brings the flavors of the Far East to the Port City, combining the best of Thai and Vietnamese cuisine in an atmosphere that will transport you and your taste buds. Relax in our elegantly decorated dining room, complete with antique Asian decor as well as contemporary artwork and music. Our diverse, friendly and efficient staff will serve you beautifully presented dishes full of enticing aromas and flavors. Be sure to try such signature items as the spicy and savory Roasted Duck with Red Curry, or the beautifully presented and delicious Shrimp and Scallops in a Nest. Be sure to save room for our world famous desert, the banana egg roll! We take pride in using only the freshest ingredients, and our extensive menu suits any taste. After dinner, enjoy specialty drinks by the koi pond in our Asian garden, or be entertained every Friday night with a Balinese dancer. Located at 7 Wayne Drive (beside the Ivy Cottage), (910) 251-9229.

Indochinewilmington.com.

cariBBean jaMaica’s coMFort Zone Jamaica’s Comfort Zone is Wilmington’s Authentic Caribbean Restaurant conveniently located at 417 S. College Road in University Landing. We offer exquisite Caribbean cuisine to satisfy your taste buds, whether they are for spicy Jamaican jerk chicken, mellow flavors of our curry chicken, curry goat or our ox tail skillfully flavored by our Jamaican chefs. Come in and enjoy our many menu selections, our warm décor, smoke-free atmosphere, excellent service and our smooth reggae music. Operating hours are: Sunday, 3 p.m. – 8 p.m; Mondays, closed; open Tuesday through Saturday 11:45 a.m. – 9 p.m.Jamaica’s Comfort Zone is family owned and operated. Check us out at www.jamaicascomfortzone.net or call us 910-399-2867. Live Music every First Friday.

euro Fusion

press 102 espresso. panini. Martini.

Rome and Paris meet Manhattan and San Francisco in this new Euro-American eatery and martini bar in the heart of historic downtown Wilmington. Nestled inside the Hotel Tarrymore on the corner of Second and Dock streets, Press 102 offers the finest espresso and French press coffee made exclusively from locally roasted beans and more Panini creations this side of Tuscany.

Boasting more than a hundred different wine labels and an endless variety of freshly pressed fruit and herb inspired martini cocktails foodies also enjoy a sophisticated evening menu that includes shrimp and grits made with red-eye gravy and a perfectly grilled New York strip bathed in a basil caramel and white balsamic reduction. Glass tile and eclectic mirrors make for a cozy bar and bistro seating at Press 102 and up to 60 guests can also enjoy outdoor patio seating surrounded by flowers and passersby. Large parties of up to 120 are welcome in the Veranda Room overlooking Dock Street. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner Tuesday through Saturday 7am – close and Sunday brunch from 10am til 2pm. Takeout calls welcome. 399-4438. Press102.com.

FrencH caprice Bistro Wilmington’s finest French cuisine can be found at Caprice Bistro, a small informal neighborhood restaurant, serving hearty food in generous portions at affordable prices. Simple is the atmosphere in the bistro, as plain white plates and tables dressed in white paper make up the decor. However, the food is far from simple, as a combination of fresh ingredients and innovative preparation delight the taste buds with a plethora of unique appetizers, entrées and desserts. The service is fast, efficient and non-intrusive, and the ambience is friendly and unpretentious. After dinner, be sure to venture upstairs into their cozy and relaxing sofa bar for an after-dinner martini, or enjoy your meal there, as a light-fare and full menus are served. Art is always on display in the sofa bar, so be sure to inquire frequently about their artist show receptions. Voted “Best French Restaurant” three years in a row! 10 Market Street, downtown Wilmington, (910) 815-0810.

restaurant Giorgio’s is a locally owned, one-of-a-kind restaurant. Offering age-old traditions and timeless recipes, perfection is accomplished by combining the perfect cuisine and atmosphere for a dining experience that is not soon forgotten. With over 50 years of cooking experience under one roof, the smells of old-fashioned home cooking float through the air creating that comforting feeling of home-away-from-home! From old world style dishes to modern day creations, the menu showcases multiple flavors that will tempt the palate of the most discriminating connoisseurs.

A Monkey Junction landmark for over 12 years! www.giorgios-restaurant.com. 5226 S College Rd.,Wilmington (910) 790-9954.

slice oF liFe “Slice” has become a home away from home for tourists and locals alike. Our menu includes salads, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, homemade soups, subs and, of course, pizza.

We only serve the freshest and highest-quality ingredients in all of our food, and our dough is made daily with purified water. We have the largest tequila selection in Wilmington. Voted “Best Pizza” and “Best Late Night Eatery.” Stop by for lunch dinner, or a late-night treat, open from 11:30am until 3am, seven days a week, 365 days a year, all ABC permits. 122 Market Street between Second and Front, downtown Wilmington. 251-9444. Visit our 2nd location at 1437 Military Cutoff Rd., next to PT’s! (910) 256-2229 www.grabslice.com.

latin aMerican san juan caFe San Juan Café offers the most authentic, gourmet Latin American cuisine in Wilmington. With dishes from countries such as Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Cuba you’ll be able to savor a variety of flavors from all over Latin America. Nightly drink specials! Hours of Operation Mon-Sat from 11am-2:30pm, and from 5-10pm. Open Sun from 5-10pm. Located at 3314 Wrightsville Avenue. 910.790.8661 Follow us on Facebook/Twitter for live music updates! www.sanjuancafenc.com

organic loVeY’s Market Lovey’s Market is a true blessing for shoppers looking for natural and organic groceries, or just a great place to meet friends for a quick, delicious, and totally fresh snack. Whether they are in the mood for a veggie burger, a bean burrito or a chicken Caesar wrap, shoppers will find a large selection of nutritious meals on the a la carte café menu at Lovey’s. The food bar—which has cold salads and hot selections that can be eaten in the café seating or boxed for take-out—can be enjoyed all day long, while the juice bar offers a wide variety of juices and smoothies made with organic fruits and vegetables.

Specializing in bulk sales of produce,

Church of the Good Shepherd Episcopal presents 3rd Sundays at 3 @ Sixth and Queen An Enchanting Acoustic Concert with

Susan Savia

italian eddie roManelli’s Eddie Romanelli’s is a family-friendly, casual Italian American restaurant that’s been a favorite of Wilmington locals for over 16 years. Its diverse menu includes Italian favorites such as Mama Romanelli’s Lasagna, Baked Ziti, Rigatoni a la Vodka and, of course, made-from-scratch pizzas. Its American influences include tasty burgers, the U.S.A. Salad and a 16oz. Marinated Rib Eye Steak. Romanelli’s offers patio dining and flat screen TVs in its bar area. Dine in or take out, Romanelli’s is always a crowd favorite.

Large parties welcome. RomanellisRestaurant.com. 503 Olde Waterford Way, Leland.

(910) 383.1885.

giorgio’s italian

Sunday January 16, 2011 Free and Open to the Public 3 pm 515 Queen Street

www.susansavia.com Info: email 3rdsundayconcerts@gmail.com or call (910)763-6080 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com 25

grains, flours, beans and spices at affordable prices, Lovey‘s also carries grass-fed and free-range meats and poultry. Wheatfree, gluten-free, products are in stock regularly, as are vegan and vegetarian groceries and wholesome pet foods. For anything shoppers want that is not in stock, Lovey‘s will be happy to find it.

Stop by Lovey’s Market Monday through Friday, 9am to 7pm; Saturday, 9am to 6pm; and on Sundays, 10am to 6pm. Café hours: Monday-Friday, 11am–6pm; Saturday & Sunday, 10am-6pm. Located at 1319 Military Cutoff Road; (910) 509-0331; www. loveysmarket.com.

tidal creek co-oP

look who’s on board so far...

Caprice Bistro | Crow Hill Flaming Amy’s Burrito Barn Flaming Amy’s Bowl Hieronymus Seafood Fish Bites | The George Toyko 101 | The Eat Spot Press 102 | Aubriana’s Ruth’s Chris Steak House Siena | Melting Pot Elijah’s | YoSake Mixto | Little Dipper Nicola’s

LAST WEEK TO SIGN UP! Want to be added to the list?

Call now: (910) 791-0688 www.EncoreRestaurantWeek.com 26 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

Tidal Creek Deli offers a wide array of exceptional and unusual organic foods, all of which taste as good as they are for you.

The salad bar and hot bar incorporate flavors from around the world; each item is prepared by hand using only fresh and local ingredients. The chefs are constantly experimenting to create new and exciting dishes.

Choose from made to order smoothies with almond butter and hemp milk, salads with locally grown greens or, special order a wedding cake made from scratch to your specifications. Whatever your tastes, Tidal Creek Deli is a place to rejuvenate the mind and body while enjoying the company of a friendly and relaxed organic community. Located at 5329 Oleander Drive, (910) 7992667; www.tidalcreek.coop.

seafood dock street oYster Bar Voted Best Oysters for over 10 years by encore readers, you know what you can find at Dock Street Oyster Bar. But we have a lot more than oysters! Featuring a full menu of seafood, pasta, and chicken dishes from $4.95-$25.95, there’s something for everyone at Dock Street. You’ll have a great time eating in our “Bohemian-Chic” atmosphere, where you’ll feel just as comfortable in flip flops as you would in a business suit. ! Located at 12 Dock St in downtown Wilmington. Open for lunch and dinner, 7 days a week. (910) 7622827. www.dockstreetoysterbar.net.

east at tHe Blockade rUNNer Hotel The Blockade Runner offers an array of seasonal seafood specials, certified Angus beef, lobster menu on Friday evening plus a spectacular Sunday brunch. Romantic al fresco dining is available on our dinner deck located in the center of a lush garden overlooking the ocean far away from the traffic and noise. We offer live entertainment on Saturday evening and Sunday brunch. Our lounge is eco-friendly and offers light fare nightly. 275 Waynick Blvd. Wrightsville Beach. (910) 256-2251.

HieroNYMUs Proving that excellent seafood isn’t just for the eateries at Wrightsville Beach, Hieronymus Seafood is the stop for midtown Wilmington seafood lovers. In business for

27 years strong, Hieronymus has made a name for itself by consistently providing excellent service and the freshest of the fresh in oceanic cuisine. Complete with a full-service bar and a fireside oyster bar, it’s the place to be if you are seeking top-quality attributes in atmosphere, presentation, flavor and ingenuity. Signature dishes include Oysters Hieronymus and the Scallops Fra Diavlo. Hieronymus has all ABC permits and also provides catering. Voted “Best Seafood” in 2007. 5035 Market Street; (910) 392-6313.

oceaNic Voted best seafood restaurant in Wilmington, Oceanic provides oceanfront dining at its best. Located in Wrightsville Beach, Oceanic is one of the most visited restaurants on the beach. Choose from a selection of seafood platters, combination plates and daily fresh fish. For land lovers, try their steaks, chicken or pasta dishes. Relax on the pier or dine inside. Oceanic is also the perfect location for memorable wedding receptions, birthday gatherings, anniversary parties and more. Large groups welcome.

Private event space available. Family-style to go menu available. OceanicRestaurant. com. 703 S. Lumina Avenue, Wrightsville Beach. (910) 256.5551

sPorts Bar caroliNa ale HoUse Voted best new restaurant AND best sports bar of 2010 in Wilmington, Carolina Ale House is the place to be for awardwinning food, sports and fun. Located on College Rd. near UNCW, this lively sportsthemed restaurant is home to over 40 HD TVs and the biggest HD projector TVs in Wilmington. Covered and open outdoor seating is available. Lunch and dinner specials are offered daily, as well as the coldest $2 and $3 drafts in town. Carolina Ale House serves its full menu from 11a – 2a daily. CarolinaAleHouse.com. 317 South College Road, Wilmington, NC. (910) 791.9393.

Hell’s kitcHeN This is downtown Wilmington’s Sports Pub! With every major sporting package on ten HDTVs and our huge HD projection screen, there is no better place to catch every game in every sport. Our extensive menu ranges from classics, like thick Angus burgers or NY-style reubens, to lighter fare, such as homemade soups, fresh salads and vegetarian options. Whether meeting for a business lunch, lingering over dinner and drinks, or watching the game, the atmosphere and friendly service will turn you into a regular. Open late 7 days a week, with free WiFi, darts, weekly trivia and Texas Hold ‘Em tournaments, and did we mention sports? Free lunchtime delivery on weekdays; we can accommodate large parties. M-Sat 11am until late, open Sundays, noon. 118 Princess St, (910) 7634133. www.hellskitchenbar.com

3rd Annual

Saturday February 19, 2011 Pleasure Island’s Carolina Beach Boardwalk Next to the Courtyard Marriott 11:00am-3:00pm

BZ 4BUVSE Z +BOVBS UI

SPECIAL OLYMPICS NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser

JOIN US FOR THE BIG PARTY!

Come take a chilling plunge into the Atlantic Ocean to support Special Olympics New Hanover County

Live MusiC RAFFLes GiveAwAys DOOR PRiZes

Join us for an afternoon of live music, art, food, a silent auction, classic car show and much, much more!

Come and join the fun – our athletes need your support!

Great beer and food specials

SCHEDULE:

OPeN TO THe PuBLiC Net Profits to benefit the New Hanover Regional Medical Center Foundation Sponsored by:

11 - 3 pm: 12 noon: 1:30 pm: 3 pm:

Music (bands and DJ) Ice Carving Contest Costume Contest Plunge!

Please join us for MACHINE GUN 8 -11 p.m. for the Post Plunge Party Groove Jet salon will be dying our Brewery staff’s hair pink for awareness and Brewmaster, Kevin Kozak, will be working the bar and the floor.

Front Street Brewery • 9 North Front Street • (910) 251-1935

www.plungenhc.com For more information: Special Olympics New Hanover County 302 Willard Street Wilmington, NC 28401 910.341.5876 or TTY Relay 711 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com 27

below Books

30 The Penguin 98.3

31 Crossword

32 Resolutions

34-39 Calendar, etc.

End of the World Nears: Snooki Polizzi debuts her first fictitious novel

I

have seen the sign; the end is near. Contrary to the belief of many it doesn’t concern the Arkansas River where 100,000 drum fish have gone belly-up. Nor does it involve the town of Beebe, Louisiana, where thousands of black birds have mysteriously and literally dropped dead. It also has nothing to do with Houston, Texas, where North Carolina’s own Lewis Black has witnessed two Starbucks coexist (and thrive) directly across from one another. No, my loyal encore readers, the true sign that the world as we know it is coming to an end can be found on many a chain store bookshelf.

Thanks to an e-mail from encore reader Jen S., pondering if I’m going to purchase Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi’s debut novel, “A Shore Thing,” I’m painfully aware that since January 4th, Snooki is 2011’s newest published author. I‘m also embarrassed to admit I checked it out, took one of the two copies left at my local book chain and snuck into a far corner to thumb my way through it. Oh, what depths of depravity I won’t sink to for encore bookworms…

“A Shore Thing” details the tough times of two cousins, Gia and Bella, as they attempt to have the summer of their lives at Seaside Heights, New Jersey. Within, Giovanna “Gia” Spumanti, clearly a protagonist molded from Snooki herself, and Bella, a character probably based off of Jenni “Jwoww” Farley, encounter much of the same debauchery portrayed on MTV’s hit reality show, “Jersey Shore,” which commands 6.8 million viewers each episode. Gorillas, tanning salons, copious amounts of tequila and clubs are juxtaposed (somehow) on the page, with the quest to find a true, meaningful relationship.

The plot of “A Shore Thing” drives home the message that girls don’t need a man to excel.

This is all well and good except the language that leaps off the pages—words like, “Waa!” are so juvenile that I questioned my sanity for reading, gave up and put the book back. What made matters worse, Patrick, the way-tooperky employee found me huddled in the corner, asked if I’d like to purchase the book and also suggested Snooki’s noted favorite novel, “Dear John,” by Nicholas Sparks. It was at that point I mustered every ounce of strength I had not to reach for my car keys and stab myself in the throat to stop the pain.

The release of the work is also of no coin-

by: Tiffanie Gabrielse

A Shore Thing

by Nicole ‘Snooki’ Polizzi Gallery $24.00 cidence. “Jersey Shore” aired its third season one day after Snook’s debut, and teens and twits around the country will buy in, undoubtedly.

A friend once asked me during last season, “Why do you dislike them so much?” I never had an answer other than pure annoyance. That is until now, after discovering all the ridiculousness they have on the market.

I don’t dislike them as individuals; rather, I dislike the infatuation society has with them. I loathe the ease they’ve had at entering the publishing world—an institution that’s supposed to mean something—due to a few phrases that revolve around T-shirts and cabs. I fear for the future of our literature.

Sure, Snooki’s character is unique, as she proudly boasts she’s 6 foot tall when in actuality she’s only 4’9. I respect this not because I, too, need a stool to reach the third shelf inside a refrigerator, but because it’s an unapologetic and larger-than-life approach.

However, this shouldn’t make her an automatic author. I can think of many locally talented authors, many in encore’s book club, that deserve the same if not more recognition for their work. Yet, no matter how blatant their writing outshines Snooki’s, they’ll sadly never see it because they don’t have a celebrity platform. Therein lays my ultimate disgust. encore book club contributor and favorite once-local writer Shawna Kenney shares similar distaste.

“I’m embarrassed to admit that I even know who Snooki is,” she says. “I’ve never watched the show. I do watch reality TV and have done some writing for so-called reality TV, so I’m not against the genre, but I’m more interested in shows with a creative/talent aspect, not idiots with more money than sense yelling at one another. Her book will undoubtedly sell

28 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

well, just because of her celebrity status. Lots of others have done the same. I don’t think it’ll hurt the status of real literature. I do think it probably pisses a lot of hardworking writers off. Good for her for milking her ‘15 minutes’ but you won’t catch me reading it!”

Louis Burke, executive vice president and publisher of Gallery Books, believes differently, as quoted in USA Today. “I think many people thought she’d have 15 minutes of fame, but she’s enduring, and because of that, she makes perfect sense for a book.”

Know what else has endured? Syphilis.

Herpes. Hepatitis. All of which I’m sure are in the “smush” room, but this doesn’t mean it makes sense to base characters around them and place them in a tale centered on finding

love. I bet this situation has Dorothy Parker throwing her martini out of the grave!

Speaking of a novel situation, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino has also penned his own novel.

Ready for it? It’s a self-help bit geniusly titled, “Here’s the Situation: A Guide to Creeping on Chicks, Avoiding Grenades and Getting in your GTL on the Jersey Shore.” Within, Sorrentino unlocks the meaning of life with his personal techniques and tips on tanning, laundry and balancing it all while going to the gym. And move over Mario Batalli, Sorrentino also confessed on “Access Hollywood” he plans to write a second book dedicated to the art of fine Italian cooking. Nothing says, “Manga! Manga!” like a side of STD! Want more hair gel to choke on?

Jenni “J-Woww” Farley and RonnieI’m-not-cool-enough-to-have-a-lamenickname Ortiz-Magraw announced they, too, have plans to write a novel.

According to The Huffington Post, they’ll begin work in March and already have a title: “Never Fall in Love at the Jersey Shore.”

I’ll say it again: I fear for the future of literature.

So, dear Jen S., I hope this answers your question. Honestly, I can think of better ideas to put $25 toward, like dog food for your local animal shelter or The Wounded Warrior program. Literally eating $20 would be more beneficial since, either way, it’s simply flushing the money down the toilet.

Maybe I’m being harsh, exaggerating a prediction that Snooki’s novel is a sign of the end of the world. I’m sure the cast of “Jersey Shore” are great people deep, deep down, underneath the faux tans and leopard print. What isn’t an exaggeration is that all of their work marks the end of the notion that a writer had to do something worthwhile to become an author. More so, it marks the official demise of a world where to be published meant an accomplishment more meaningful to life—sharing something worthwhile to ponder.

THE TOP 10 REASONS TO VOTE IN ENCORE’S BEST OF WILMINGTON 2011

10. It will make you look busy at work.

9. You’re sick of the same people winning every year.

8. Voicing your opinion is super-sexy.

7. Making us count the ballots is good revenge for those paper cuts.

6. Getting it done means people can’t bug you for endorsements anymore.

5. We don’t give out those “I Voted” stickers that melt to your clothes in the dryer.

4. Were you really going to tell people how you felt about them in person? Awkward!

3. It feels good when your choices are announced at the Best of Wilminton party.

2. And even if they’re not, you can always hope someone trips on the stage.

and the #1 reason to vote:

1. You know Wilmington and this is your one chance to show it off!!!

Voting ends January 14th @5pm

VOTE NOW!

WWW.ENCOREPUB.COM encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com 29

Stronger Signal, Broader Audience: The Penguin switches the dial to 98.3FM

A

s many know, I have a weekly stint on Wilmington’s premier Triple A radio station, The Penguin. Thanks to Glenn Rosenberg of The Morning Chill, we’re able to bring listeners and readers a first-look at the weekly encore. Each Wednesday around 9:15 a.m., we dish about a handful of happenings around the area for the week—and we laugh, play music and interact with listeners along the way. It’s a good time, to say the least.

What some encore/Penguin fans may not know is that until January 1st, 2011, many of my coworkers couldn’t even tune in to the show while in the office. Without a stronger signal or Internet-streaming radio, the Penguin simply didn’t exist during our workday. We knew we weren’t alone when facing the static dial. The folks at Sea-Comm media, The Penguin’s home company, knew that in order to stay top-of-mind and ever-growing, something had to change. Thus, they found a new home on 98.3FM as the new year kicked off, ensuring a larger listenership and music fanbase.

We asked the music director, Beau Gunn, to enlighten readers and listeners on the switch and what’s upcoming in the igloo for 2011. Here’s how our convo unfolded. encore: Tell me how the decision to change signals came to be.

Beau Gunn: Honestly, it has been in the discussion for years. It’s no secret to anyone familiar with The Penguin that the old 106.7 frequency was a very sketchy signal, even throughout the city of Wilmington. We knew that if The Penguin was going to survive in such a competitive media market, we were going to have to upgrade the power from which it was broadcast.

Finally, the opportunity to purchase a much larger, stronger signal arose, and Sea-Comm Media jumped at the opportunity. e: What will the Penguin be able to offer that it hasn’t been able to before?

by: Shea Carver BG: We are able to offer the same great eclectic Penguin mix on a much stronger and more powerful signal. People that have enjoyed us for years will now be entrusted to a more reliable, richer sound quality from 98.3FM. Our coverage area has also improved immensely; now, we proudly say we can reach from Myrtle Beach to Hampstead, and all points in between. e: What will happen to 106.7; do you guys still own it? Will it be a new station?

BG: Sea-Comm Media no longer owns 106.7FM. It was purchased by Carolina Christian Radio, and as of Sunday, January 9th, it began broadcasting religious programming. We will always be grateful to the 106.7 frequency that helped us start this radio revolution. e: How has the response been to the station change thus far? What benefits are you noticing immediately?

BG: We have received an overwhelming positive response. We knew people were going to be excited about the power increase on 98.3 The Penguin, but we really weren’t sure if we would get feedback regarding the switch. The amount of positive phone calls, e-mails and Facebook posts from happy listeners telling us they can now hear us loud and clear from various spots in Southeastern NC has made our hearts warm and our dedication strengthen. It really reinforces that what we do here at The Penguin is appreciated by so many people.

Immediate benefits include new listeners calling in for the first time. It’s so rewarding to hear the joy in a first-time callers voice and knowing they’re excited about having a different option for quality music on the radio.

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30 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

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e: Anything else new happening for the Penguin in 2011?

BG: I will say that we are looking forward to bringing many more great live acts to the port city in 2011. e: And what about with Sea-Comm?

BG: Sea-Comm is pretty content right now, as we look forward to growing our three brands in 2011, and providing Southeast NC with quality radio from the only locally owned and operated broadcast company in Wilmington. e: Any upcoming plans to include Internetstreaming radio to the Penguin website?

BG: Our website will change soon to www.983thepenguin.com.

We get asked [about Internet-streaming radio] about twice a day, and considering we are in the year 2011, I can understand why.

The short answer is that we do not have any immediate plans to stream The Penguin. With a small operation like ours, we have to be mindful of where every dollar goes, and we aren’t completely convinced that streaming

would be a responsible financial decision for us at this point and time. However, as soon as a majority of people start embracing radio streaming as their primary means of listening, then rest assured, The Penguin will be there spreading our special blend of Penguin Music through cyber space. e: How do you feel the Penguin can distinguish itself against the looming increased listnership of satellite radio or user-developed sites like Pandora and Slacker?

BG: We welcome those technologies as an ally of ours, not as a threat. The Penguin provides a local presence and community feel that simply can’t be matched by new media like satellite and Pandora. We also offer our listeners a wide spectrum of different genres that fit into this sound that we define as “Penguin Music,� where as new media, like satellite and Pandora, force users to segment their choices into a specific genre.

Lastly, we provide ads to ours audience.

I realize they may get looked at as a nuisance, but more often they are appreciated when a listener happens to be in the market for something our sponsors provide.

The Verandah Cafe

Located in the hoLiday inn ResoRt on WRightsviLLe Beach, offeRing fResh seafood and much moRe!

It is never too cold to stay at the beach!

Call for the latest Specials.

How about a casual, quiet dinner to celebrate the New Year at the Verandah Café Wrightsville Beach, NC • 910-256-2231 • wrightsville.holidayinnresorts.com encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com 31

A Step in the Right Direction: Ways and places to start those New Year’s Resolutions

“W

hat’s your New Year’s resolution?” It seems to be the question on deck after the hangover clears up. Most people have trouble coming up with just one. Sure, there’s always one superoriginal person who insists that their resolution is to not have one (can we please let that ohso-clever joke die already?). Yet, the idea remains a good one.

There’s nothing wrong with resolving to improve life, whether by losing weight (easily the most popular one), becoming more charitable or improving relationships. The problem comes right around February when most of us have already let the promise of a new beginning go out with the dried-up Christmas tree. Well, not this year! Below we have listed a few common New Year’s resolutions and where locals can go for help with that first step.

“I resolve to buy more local foods.”

The people at Progressive Gardens on Oleander can help out with this promise. In fact, they will put it all in a huge box and have it waiting for participants on the counter every week.

The store’s community-supported agriculture program with Cottle Organic Farms was a huge hit in 2010, boasting a long list of locals coming through the door each Wednesday for the freshest crops.

Every participant pays an up-front fee of about $300 for 12 weeks of fresh local produce. The box is different each time, with an abundance of fruit and vegetables to take home. The staff will gladly (and usually have to) help carry the goods to the car, even. In fact, encore’s graphic designer, Sue Cothran, said they allowed her to split the membership with a friend, and there was still plenty to go around!

Along with the produce, they have a list of add-ons, like fresh bakery goods, meat and cheese, and even flowers from local vendors. Call them at (910) 395-1156 and reserve a spot.

“I resolve to get my taxes done on tIme.”

Not everyone can afford to say “I’ve got people” when it comes to filing those scary IRS forms. The deadline is extended to April 18th in 2011 because Emancipation Day, a holiday observed in the District of Columbia, falls on Friday the 15th. Even so, filing can be a daunting task.

This year, Wilmington can take comfort in the volunteers at VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program). The organization formed last February and exists to help the public with all of those overwhelming little numbers. New Hanover County locations include Miller Motte College at 5000 Market Street; The New Hanover County Senior Center at 2222 South

by: Lauren Hodges and Bethany Turner

“I resolve to get In touch wIth nature.”

It’s not news that people should take care of their environment, but there are still things to learn about going green. Why not begin with Wilmington’s backyard? Cape Fear River Watch, Inc. promotes “environmental education, advocacy and action for the Lower Cape Fear River Basin,” according to their website. Professional naturalists provide 60-90 minute lessons for students on field trips at Greenfield Lake Park. First Saturday Seminars feature speakers from local government and industries. Curious adventurers can take an eco-tour at Greenfield Lake with CFRW. Even seasonal birding tours are offered.

To learn about membership, meetings and other fund-raisers, check out www. cfrw.us.

College Road; and the New Hanover County Library at 201 Chestnut Street, downtown Wilmington.

They are also looking for volunteers, so financial wizzes can help out the community in 2011 by logging on to www. eitc-carolinas.org.

“I resolve to be a better role model.”

Aside from our own offspring, there is no better place to practice being a good example than at the Big Buddy Program.

Located at 1506 Market Street, the organization’s mission is to find upstanding adults to mentor at-risk youth through positive relationships and activities.

Once the required screening process and training sessions are complete, each volunteer is matched up with a kid they can relate to.

Currently, there are about 150 young ones on the waiting list, just hoping the right mentor will walk through the doors and sign up to guide them through their difficult developmental years. Call (910)343-8787 to find out how to get matched up with a Little Buddy.

“I resolve to support the arts.”

There are several ways to get more involved in the creative community. Those who prefer interaction can find countless volunteer opportunities, while others can make it as easy as dropping off donations. Adding favorite organizations on Facebook will help users stay upto-date on their needs and projects. Proactive types can call the good people at Cape Fear Volunteer Center to register as a volunteer with places like Cameron Art Museum, DREAMS Center for Art Education and many others.

Also keep in mind: Another great way to support the arts is by purchasing work from local artists. Hit up the stops on Fourth Friday Gallery Night downtown, when new exhibitions and artist meet-and-greets take place (www. wilmingtonfourthfridays.com).

“I resolve to get In shape.”

Getting in shape is everyone’s go-to resolution. After holiday parties laden with casseroles, cookies and cocktails, the pounds appear in places we never thought possible. When January arrives and beach season is looming only a few months away, it’s smart to start thinking about health. The biggest problem with this resolution is actually sticking with a plan.

Though the treadmill and dieting are stale, new and exciting activities can keep us moving, like one offered by canoe and kayak outfitters Hook, Line and Paddle. The warm-up begins

32 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

CONNECT WITH MOTHER NATURE: The Cape Fear River Watch offers environmental education, advocacy and action for the Lower Cape Fear River Basin. They also hold meetings and excursions at Greenfield Lake (pictured). Photo by Carly Yansak.

with basic yoga and paddle instruction. Then participants enjoy the scenic route via kayak to Masonboro Island. At sunset, the group partakes in an hour-long yoga session. After a mind-relaxing and body-strengthening 60 minutes, they paddle back to the starting point.

Even newbies at both yoga and kayaking can get their paddles wet, as all levels are welcome. The entire excursion takes about four hours, and costs $90 for a group of six or more. The cost includes boat rental, gear, and instruction. Contact Hook, Line and Paddle at (910)792-6945.

“I resolve to help people and anImals.”

A great way to uplift the spirits of our furry friends and the people they help is to volunteer for Carolina Canines for Service. Foster moms and dads are needed for puppies to provide the first steps of training through classes with CCFS. A puppy will stay in a foster home for up to 24 months, and after that time, the dog may be used to assist people with disabilities, or even in the Paws for Reading program, in which children can read aloud to the dogs in their elementary or middle school. The kids enjoy it, and the dogs don’t judge when they stumble on a word. It’s a fun and effective way for children to improve their literacy.

Even if folks can’t find quite enough time to foster a puppy, they can still volunteer to plan and organize CCFS participation in local events, or even within the CCFS office by preparing brochures and mailings. Check out www.carolinacanines.org.

“I resolve to plan ahead for my retIrement.”

Preparing for retirement is one of the most important things every adult should do. Luckily, for something so valuable to the future, help is easy to find. Speaking to employers, banks, unions, and financial advisers are all steps in the right direction. Find out what plans employers offer, and set up an Individual Retirement Account, as well.

The American Savings Education Council offers a free six-week online program called the Small Steps to Health and Wealth Challenge that begins on Sunday, January 16th.

The ASEC also offers crucial tips to setting aside money for retirement and saving in general at their website, www.choosetosave.org/ asec. Use the site to estimate how much is needed to save for retirement, and also check out the Top 11 Tips for 2011 to help manage debt and learn to invest.

“I resolve to get out more.”

In our quest to freshen up that all-important but seldom-kept “get in shape” resolution, it helps to seek out activities with a built-in motivator. The Prevention Committee at the Cape Fear Health Policy Council is bringing back the Stepping Strong program, a 10-week activity for those who wish to improve their health and be more active.

Starting in February, small groups are led by a volunteer ambassador who acts as a cheerleader for healthy lifestyles. Eating more fruits and vegetables is a big part of the program, along with getting fresh air and stretching those gams in the great outdoors once a week. The program is also looking for volunteers to lead outings; just e-mail the administrators at info@ capefearhealthpolicycouncil.org.

2011 Spring Season

What’s new at Nikki’s?

Sushi chef and owner Johnny Chen is back downtown—and with a new, friendly staff!

ASIAN TUNA-APPLE SALAD

LUMP CRAB SUSHI PIZZA

New Blackboard Specials!

Early Bird Specials!

• Lump Crab Sushi Pizza A bed of tempura fried rice, topped with lump crab meat, scallions, avocado and tobiko, topped with a sweet-and-spicy drizzle.

Leadership Lecture Series

..... February 14 Michael Sandel – Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do ...................... March 21

Temple Grandin – Thinking in Pictures: And Other Reports from My Life with Autism

Arts in Action Performance Series

.................. February 11 Yasmin Levy ...................... February 28 Danú ........................... March 15 Viver Brasil ........................ April 1

• Asian Tuna-Apple Salad

SUNDAY - THURSDAY, 4 PM - 6 PM:

• $3 appetizers • 1/2-price select sushi and regular rolls (Downtown and Racine only!)

~AND~

Fresh seared sushi-grade tuna, rolled in apple, served atop a bed of mixed greens, with ponzu, and sweet and spicy sauce.

• 1/2-off hibachi entrées

DOWNTOWN 16 S. Front Street (910) 772-9151

RACINE DRIVE 260 Racine Drive #8 (910) 799-6799

MILITARY CUTOFF 1055 Military Cutoff Rd., Suite 100 910-509-8998

INDEPENDENCE MALL 3520 Oleander Drive (910) 791-8887

(Military Cutoff only!)

Jake Shimabukuro

www.uncw.edu/presents Tickets On Sale Now! Kenan Box Office 910.962.3500 www.etix.com

University of North Carolina Wilmington

.

Campus Life

.

Division of Student Affairs

An EEO/AA institution. Accommodations for disabilities may be requested by contacting 910.962.3285 three days prior to the event.

www.NikkisSushiBar.com encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com 33

calendar

where to be, what to do in Wilmington and beyond

Events THALIAN HALL Fri.-Sun., 1/14-16: Frank Vignola’s Tribute to Django Reinhardt—virtuoso guitarist trio plays homage to Django Reinhardt and the centennial of the legendary gypsy jazz legend’s birth. A Rainbow Room Attraction, four sets, Friday thru Sunday, table seating, limited capacity. • Sat., 1/22: Blood Done Sign My Name, the play—A powerful and riveting multi-character portrayal by playwright/actor Mike Wiley in the theatrical adaptation of author Tim Tyson’s best-selling memoir of the 1970 racial murder in Oxford, NC before Tyson’s father, Rev. Vernon Tyson and his family, relocated to Wilmington. Co-presented

by UNCW; main stage. • Fri., 1/28: Bettye LaVette: With her unforgettable performance of “A Change Is Gonna Come” with Jon Bon Jovi at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration, and her visceral, jaw-dropping “Love Reign O’er Me” that brought Pete Townsend to tears during the Kennedy Center Honors, Bettye LaVette has commandeered the world stage. Grammy-nominated artist www. thalianhall.org 910-632-2285 or 800-523-2820 310 Chestnut St. JUGGLING GYPSY (All music listed on encore’s soundboard; Subversive

1/14: TRIBUTE TO DJANGO REINHARDT

Jazz lovers will be reeling in complete musical harmony as multi-instrumentalist Frank Vignola pays tribute to Reinhardt this Friday through Saturday at Thalian Hall, as part of the Rainbow Room Attraction series. Vignola’s love for music across all genres, from Frank Zappa to George Barnes, keeps his skill level high on the virtuoso scale. His tribute to gypsy jazz will be something not to miss. Friday’s show is at 8pm, Saturday at 7pm and 9pm, and Sunday at 3pm; $25. thalianhall.com Film Series listed under ‘film’ in calendar.) Every Thurs: Firedance and drums at dark. • 1/15: Bellydance Showcase w/Vartra Gitana (www.vatragitana.com).

Juggling Gypsy, (910) 763-2223; http://jugglinggypsy. com 1612 Castle St. GLORY ENOUGH FOR ALL “Glory Enough for All,” day-long event commemorating the kickoff for the sesquicentennial commemoration of the Civil War in NC, will be held Sat., 1/15, 10am-

4pm, at Fort Fisher State Historic Site in Kure Beach.

Program will focus on post-war reunions and efforts to memorialize the battle. Visitors will enjoy speakers, artillery demonstrations, infantry demonstrations and thematic tours. Offered only during this event will be a special tour of Battle Acre and the United Daughters of the Confederacy monument that was placed at that location in the 1930s. Free and open to the public. Sesquicentennial calendar at http://hscal.ncdcr.gov/civilwar150/default.aspx. www.ncculture.com.

MLK DAY KIDS FUN DAY Sat.,1/15, 11am-2pm: MLK Celebration Committee, the Cape Fear Volunteer Center, UNCW and associated partners will host the annual Martin Luther King Fun Day, MLK Center at 401 South 8th St. Open to the public as a reminder that MLK day is “A Day ON, Not A Day Off.” Five fun and educational stations for the children. Step dance class instructed by Wilmington’s own Alpha Phi Alpha step group, nutrition course which will include a healthy snack, origami course, “what’s wrong with different,” an educational program on discrimination presented by the YWCA, and crafts where the children will make their own banner for the MLK day parade!

11-12:30; entertainment from 12:30 to 2pm. For more information about this event or others associated with MLK Day, Not Just A Day Off, But A Day On, the Beginning of a Year of Service please contact the Cape Fear Volunteer Center.cfvcdirector@gmail.com.

www.capefearvolunteercenter.org. (910)392-8180 K&M SPEED NETWORKING K and M Speed Networking: One stop shopping to promote your business, networking events, advertising, conference calls, member Spotlights: Upcoming events: North Myrtle: 1/13, California Dreaming 10429 N. Kings Hwy; Ocean Isle, 1/20: Arbor Landing 5490 Arbor Branch Dr. SW; 1/27 Harold W. Wells & Son 5 N. 3rd St. 11:45am-2pm (very latest). First event is free. $10 due otherwise for non-annual members. Light lunch provided. RSVP to Kerry.Kasotsky@yahoo.com.

TREE FEST TreeFest, an annual distribution of tree seedlings, will be held on Fri., 1/21, 10am-6pm, and 1/22, 10am-6pm (or until trees run out) in the JCPenney end court inside Independence Mall.Local residents are invited to pick up 5 tree seedlings to take home and plant on their property. A suggested donation of $3 per household will help ensure that TreeFest will return next year.

TreeFest is funded by the donations received from participants during the event. Tree species include: Atlantic white cedar, Bald cypress, Black gum, Black walnut, Butternut, Catalpa, Chinese chestnut, Eastern redbud, Eastern red cedar, Kousa dogwood, Overcup oak, Persimmon, Southern crabapple, Southern red oak, Swamp chestnut oak, Wax myrtle and Willow oak. Please note: species availability is subject to change without notice and trees are available first come, first serve. Bare-root seedlings grown in Goldsboro at the NC Forest Service Nursery. They need to be kept moist and planted as soon as possible; ideally the same weekend as TreeFest. Winter is a great time to plant trees in our area. Jennifer O’Keefe: 798-4404 or jeokeefe@nhcgov.com UNCW PRESENTS UNCW Presents proudly announces its 2010/11 season of performances and lectures, Sept-Apr., at UNCW’s Kenan Auditorium. Subscriptions/tickets on sale now through Kenan Box Office (962-3500) and online at www.etix.com. Sat., 1/22 at Thalian Hall: Theatrical adaptation of Blood Done Sign My Name, the best-selling memoir by Tim Tyson, performed

by Mike Wiley. Co-presented with Thalian Hall Main Attractions www.uncw.edu/presents.

HOME EXPO AND REMODELING SHOW 1/29-30: The Wilmington-Cape Fear HomEXPO and Remodeling Show is a one-stop-shop with over 70 exhibit spaces offering the latest in home improvement products and services including the latest tips to make your living space more eco friendly. Free seminars are also offered both days with information on reducing energy costs, landscaping advice and more. Attendees can register to win prizes. Admission is $3 and children are free. For more information visit wilmingtonhomeexpo.com.

Charity/Fund-raisers

34 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

COLD STROKE CLASSIC Coastal Urge’s upcoming 3rd Annual Cold Stroke Classic to be held on Sat., 1/15, Wrightsville Beach.

A $2,500 dollar cash purse and $10,000 worth of prizes. With two divisions, paddlers can opt to do the 3.5-mile Recreational course or the 7-mile Elite course. Racers will have on-the-water assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary, and SeaTow. Race participants and other interested paddlers can also register for a SUP Race Clinic with renowned professional standup paddler Dan Gavere, Friday afternoon, 2-3:30pm at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort (275 Waynick Blvd., Wrightsville Beach), the event’s host hotel.Sat., race day excitement begins with a racer’s meeting at 10am at the Blockade Runner and race at 11am in the Intracoastal Waterway directly across from the hotel. Manufacturer’s Expo with demonstrations,11:30am-2pm. 5pm:

ive entertainment and a banquet prepared by the Blockade Runner’s executive chef Mark Lawson.

Open to race participants and to others who would like to enjoy a delicious meal and learn about standup paddling. Special guest speaker and professional standup paddler Dan Gavere will share a SUP movie and answer questions on his multidiscipline SUP lifestyle. Awards ceremony will commence afterward, concluding with an exciting outdoor closing ceremony featuring Kaliwali on Fire, local fire dancers with an authentic beat. Banquet reservations are strongly suggested: www.coastalurge.com/CSC/register. htm?ref=ebtn.www.coldstrokeclassic.com. Proceeds benefit SUP Cleanup.

WILLIAM H. CRAIG RACE FOR LIFE 4th Annual William H. Craig Race for Life: 15k, 5k & Fun Run, Sat., 1/29, Autumn Hall. This race is presented

by Campbell Orthodontics and was established by the Y in 2008 to honor the legacy of Dr. Bill Craig and his many contributions to our community. Funds from this event will provide financial support on an annual basis to programs that Dr. Craig supported, especially those involving children in need. 15k at 8am, a Fun Run and Walk for families and kids at 8:15 and a 5k starting at 8:30am. Registration is open; brochures are available at the Wilmington Family YMCA at 2710 Market St, or at www.active.com. Wendy Lamb: 910251- 9622 ext 253.

MUGS FOR JUGS Sat., 1/29,, Front Street Brewery will host its 3rd annual Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser, Mugs for Jugs, to raise funds for the New Hanover Regional Medical Center Foundation. Net profits from this special event will provide care packages to women recently diagnosed with breast cancer and to help provide mammograms for local women that, otherwise, could not afford them. 11:30am: 16oz. Mugs for Jugs and t-shirts will go on sale at Front Street Brewery for $9.99 First Mug Fill free w/ purchase of mug. • 7pm, Entertainment, raffles and giveaways with items provided by local sponsors, Photobooth provided by Baca Photography. Geat beer and food specials with net profits going to the cause! Open to the public; non black-tie. Groove Jet Salon will be dying our Brewery staff’s hair pink for awareness and Brewmaster, Kevin Kozak, will be working the bar and the floor. Any tips received will be donated to The NHRMC Foundation.

Ellie Craig: 910-251-1935 or FrontStreetBrewery@ gmail.com.

Theatre/Auditions CITY STAGE THEATER City Stage Announces it’s 2010-11 season as well as changes within the company! We have a new box office number for ticket reservations: (910) 264-2602. citystagenc.com Chicago: 1/14-16, 21-23, 28-30.

City Stage, downtown Wilmington. (910)264-2602. citystagetheatre@gmail.com.

PERFORMANCE CLUB Kids in the Biz Workshop, 1/15: Want to start auditioning for TV and film but don’t know where to start? Workshop is for parents and kids who want to take their talents to the next level. Learn about head shots, training,commitment, audition technique from a professional agent, casting director and actor/parent.

• Classes in Performance everyday! New specialized

classes in Musical Theater on Tues., 5pm. Weekly ongoing scene study class for young professionals Mon, 5pm! Home School Drama, Glee, Creative Movement, Private Coaching are also available. www.

PerformanceClubKids.com or(910) 338-3378.

BIG DAWG PRODUCTIONS Big Dawg Productions’ 2011 Season: 1/20-23, 2730, 2/3-6, 10-13—A.R. Gurney’s “Love Letters,” a tragicomic romance between two people whose relationship is depicted in a series of letters spanning multiple decades. The troupe plans to recruit multiple celebrity couples, from TV and film stars to local media personalities (and possibly elected officials).

• Season shows include: Neil Simon’s “Rumors,” “The Hallelujah Girls,” “Moonlight and Magnolias,” “Murder by Natural Causes” and “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Sponsorships available for all 2011 productions. Tickets: $18 general admission ($10 Thurs performances) $15 seniors/students. Season flex passes, offering six admissions to any show or shows for $75 (a $100 value) on sale now.The theater also offers a dinner/theater package for groups of 30 or more at $40/ticket. • Auditions for “Rumors” a farce by Neil Simon, on Mon. 1/24-25 at the Hannah Block Community Arts Center, corner of Second and Orange, beginning at 7pm. Four couples are invited to a dinner party at the home of the deputy mayor of New York. A shot rings out, misunderstands ensue, and the evening devolves into a madcap evening of confusion, mistaken identity and hilarity in this farce

by Neil Simon, directed by Tony Moore. Roles are available for five men and five women, ages 20 to 50. Auditions will consist of readings from the script.

Play runs four weekends, 3/24-4/17. 910-341-7228 or www.bigdawgproductions.org. Cape Fear Playhouse, downtown Wilmington. 613 Castle St. PORCH THEATRE COMPANY Porch Theatre Company auditions for upcoming comedy and mystery dinner theatre season on Mon, 1/24, 7pm. Open to ages 16 - 70. Auditions at the Hannah Block 2nd Street Stage, 120 S. 2nd St., downtown Wilmington. Actors selected during this audition may be retained as members of the troupe and can perform in one or more shows that calendar year. Auditions will include cold reads and improvisational games. Performances are primarily on Thurs.; private events on weekends. Rehearsal times while be generated once cast is hired. (910) 232-6611 or porchtheatre.com MILL CREEK PLAYERS Spring classes for Mill Creek Players Performing Arts begin the week of 2/7. Mill Creek Players has been making dreams a reality in the Wilmington area for over 2 years now. Classes include Players-in-Training (PreK-Grade 2), Theatre Arts Class (Grades 3-8), Performance Class (Grades 3-12; by audition), Voice Lessons (Grade 3-Adult), Piano Lessons (Grade 4-Adult). • Mill Creek Players Performing Arts will hold open auditions for “The Ever After—A Musical” on Mon., 1/31, 6-8pm, Family Life Center at Trinity United Methodist Church (4008 S. College Rd). It’s 20 years after “happily ever after,” and all of the fairytale characters are reunited on a talk show. This production is part of the Spring 2011 Performance Class/Workshop, and is open to anyone in grades 3-12. Activity fee for workshop. Rehearsals are Mon. 6-7:30pm with the performance in late May/early June.

910-379.7ACT, info@millcreekplayers.com, or www. millcreekplayers.com.

THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED Auditions for “The Little Dog Laughed” by Douglas Carter Beane will be held 1/18-19 at the Community Arts Center at 120 S. Second Street from 7-9pm.

The production will be presented at City Stage in March and will be directed by Mike O’Neil. One role is available for a man in his 20s-30s.

GOSPEL All Eyes On You Entertainment is currently auditioning to cast a local ‘Gospel’ stage play. We are seeking for men and women ages mid-20s and mid-50s; actors, singers, musicians and dancers. Cold reading but also prepare a monologue and/or song, as well as recent photo/headshot and bio. Ms. Burgess: 919 539 9445 for further details or brn2wrte@msn.com.

HOLLYWOOD DREAMS AUDITIONS TACT will hold auditions for the world premiere of ‘Hollywood Dreams: Songs from the Silver Screen,’ 1/22 at the Community Arts Center, 120 S. 2nd St., downtown. Ages 7-10 at 10am sharp; no prepared material required. Ages 11 through high school seniors at 11:30am. Be prepared to sing a song of your choice a cappella, and to dance (no sandals or flip-flops).

Directed by Tom Briggs, runs 3/4-13 at the Hannah Block Second Street Stage.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS AUDITIONS Thalian Association will hold auditions for the Wilmington premiere of the play “Around the World in 80 Days,” adapted by Mark Brown from the novel

by Jules Verne. Auditions are on Mon/Tues., 1/24 and 25, from 7-9:30pm, at the Community Arts Center, 120 S. 2nd Street in downtown Wilmington. Seeking five versatile actors to play over 30 roles. One woman, 20s30s, sultry with great presence; four men 20s-60s. No prepared material required.

Rehearsals begin 2/7. Directed by Lee Lowrimore, runs 3/17-20, Main Stage at historic Thalian Hall.

Schedule: 1/7-8: Mack Lindsey, show time 8pm, $8 advance/$10 door • 1/14-15: Comedy Central’s Dave Waite, show time 8pm, $8 advance/$10 door • 21: Comically Impaired 9pm, $5 • 22: Mello Mike with Mike Spurlock 8pm, $8 advance, $10 door, 28th-29th (BET’s/Martin Lawrence’s) Charles Walden, showtime, 8pm, $10 advance/$12 door • Every Wed. Nutt House Improv Troupe, doors 8pm, showtime 9pm, no cover charge. • Every Thursday Open Mic Stand Up, doors 8pm, showtime 9pm, no cover charge. 255 N. Front St, basement of Soapbox. www.nuttstreet.com. 910-520-5520

Music/Concerts SONGWRITER SHOWCASE Songwriter Showcase, 1/13, 5-10pm, Live on Grace, 121 Grace St. Stone Soup Concerts presents a Listening Room Songwriter Showcase featuring Sean Thomas Gerard, anchored by Rogues and Upstarts, Kim Dicso, Travis Shallow and Richard Welsh, Mike Blair, Arthur Shuey, Jim Ashley. Hosted by Susan Savia. (910)777-8889 GAUBERT VIVANT! 1/16, 7:30pm: Gaubert Vivant! Nicolas Duchamp & Barbara McKenzie. The life and beautiful music of 20th century French Flute maestro, Philippe Gaubert. $30, student and military discount, $12. Beckwith Recital

1/13-15: GARY CONRAD

Wanna be thrown into hypnotist Gary Conrad’s quick-witted humor and showmanship? Head over to Browncoat Pub and Theatre this Wednesday through Friday, when Conrad embarks on controlling the audience to dance like Lady Gaga, perform like they’re on “American Idol” and even switch genders! The laughter is limitless for only $15. Show starts at 8pm at 111 Grace Street. www.browncoattheatre.com

BROWN COAT PUB AND THEATRE Master hypnotist Gary Conrad, 1/1315. Combining quick-witted humor, showmanship and hysterical audience participation, Conrad’s shows regularly leave audiences amazed even as they’re doubled over in laughter. What may happen: dancing like Lady GaGa, performing like an American Idol, losing belly buttons, switching genders, or even becoming erotic dancers! Doors, 7:30pm; show, 8pm. Tickets are $15 GA and $10 w/student ID and may be purchased at the door or in advance. • Illusionist Michael Rosander, 1/28-29, 8pm. Founder of NoSleeves Magic,Rosander has been mystifying and delighting audiences for years.

Michael weaves the unique threads of storytelling, comedy and illusion into a wonderfully entertaining tapestry of intrigue. He has toured the United States performing for audiences of all ages and professions.

Don’t miss the opportunity to see him live and on stage at the Browncoat! $10. www.browncoattheatre.com.

111 Grace St. 910-341-0001

Comedy NUTT ST. COMEDY ROOM

Hall, UNCW campus. 910-962-3500 or 1-800-7323643. nkwilcox@ec.rr.com MARTIN LUTHER KING CELEBRATION Bernice Johnson Reagon, acclaimed civil rights activist, historian and dynamic founder of Grammy Award-winning a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock, will speak at UNCW’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, 7pm, Thurs., 1/20, Kenan Auditorium. Event free and open to the public but advance tickets required. Available at the Kenan Auditorium box office beginning Wed, 1/12J, noon6pm, Mon-Fri. Reagon’s work will be available for purchase at the event, and Reagon will sign books directly after her performance.

WINTER HOOTENANNY 1/22, 8pm: Winter Hootenanny presented at Kenan

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for 2011. Dates for portfolio reviews: 1/17 & 18, and 1/24 & 25. Tours and tastings in January and February are Wednesday through Sunday from Noon until 5:00pm, Fridays till 6pm. Closed on Mon/Tues except by appointment. 6680 Barbeque Rd NW Ocean Isle Beach, NC. (910) 287-2800. www.silvercoastwinery. com UNCW ANN FLACK BOSEMAN GALLERY UNCW’s Ann Flack Boseman Galleryannounces its 2010-11 exhibition calendar, covering a diverse collection of media. Jan-Ru Wan: Through 2/4/11, w/reception on Wed., 1/20, 6-7:30pm, Boseman Gallery (Fisher University Union, 2nd Floor). Born in Taiwan and educated in USA, Jan-Ru Wan, assistant professor at NC State, College of Design, has seen many differences between the two places in terms of art, philosophy, politics and society, but witnessed that basic human desires and needs do not drastically differ. Using fiber materials and textile works, she combines the multiplicity of small images, details and forms that make up the whole to reveal the individual and the universal simultaneously in the form of installation art. Shane Fernando, (910) 962-7972 or fernandol@uncw.edu.

COLLECTED WORKS OF ABIGAIL BLACKERBY Art Soup presents The collected works of Abigail Blackerby: an art exhibition at Marc’s on Market, 5pm, Thurs., 1/20, w/meet and greet. Hangs through summer 2011 and features a variety of abstract work— bright, vibrant and utilizes an intelligent use of color and composition to create intense, abstract forms and cityscapes. Art Soup is an arts education and event organization whose mission is to provide, educate and promote the performance and appreciation of the arts in the Cape Fear region of North Carolina.

Auditorium, UNCW. Country/folk, folk and ‘50s music will be performed by local musicians including John Golden, Catesby Jones, Dave Bohn, The L Shape Lot Duo, Kent and Paula Knorr, Mark Teachey and Phil Bruschi and Masonboro Sound. Tickets are $10 at the door; $5 for students. Proceeds benefit the Historical Society of the Lower Cape Fear.

MUSIC ON MARKET Music on Market Fine Art Series will continue its 201011 season with a free concert Sat., 1/29, 7:30pm in Brown Hall at St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church located at 1416 Market Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. Attached is additional information on this concert. Sharon Miller: 762-9693 ext. 212 or smiller@sacpc.org,

Dance NEW HANOVER COUNTY RESOURCE CENTER Ballroom and Latin dancing lessons In January and February, Wed., 12:30pm, 1:30pm and 2:30pm.

Beginner-intermediate. Singles and couples, 2222 College Rd. 910-799-2001 TECHNIQUES IN MOTION New Teen/Adult Classes, Techniques In Motion School of Dance, beginning January 2011. Latin Couples Dance: Tues, 7:45-8:45pm or Wed, 8:15-9:15pm.

Classes begin TBA; need 5 couples to form class • Yoga w/Jennifer Robancho, Sun., 3-4pm, beginning 1/16. Techniques In Motion School of Dance: 5543100 Carolina Beach Rd., (910) 799-3223. www. techniquesinmotion.com CONTRA DANCE Cape Fear Contra Dancers hold their regular Tuesday night dance at the 5th Ave United Methodist Church on South 5th Ave at Nun, 7:30-9:30pm.Social dance for all levels; singles and couples, families, college and high school students and folks of all dancing abilities are invited to come. $4. (910) 538-9711.

BALLROOM DANCESPORT LESSONS New classes in Beginner Ballroom, 1/18; Shag 1/19; Ballroom Tango 1/18; Friday Night Dance Club, 1/14 and every Friday, Intro Lesson early, $7. $5/HS/College w/ID. Valentine gift certificates, Ballroom DanceSport Studio. Less than 1 mile from UNCW, 4523 Franklin Ave. Singles/couples. Across from Cinema Dr. Corner Kerr & Franklin. www.BallrooomDanceSportNC.com 910-799-2001 ARGENTINE TANGO

Free lesson begins at 7:30pm every Friday, followed by regular dance. Cover charge $5. Carolina Lounge at the Ramada inn on Market St. 910-791-7595.

76’ERS SQUARE DANCE CLUB Modern Western Style Square Dance. Club meets Thurs. nights at 7pm at the Senior Center for a new workshop on square dancing. Info: 270-1639 CAROLINA SHAG CLUB DJs play favorite beach music and shag tunes every Sat, 8pm to close. $4/members; $6/guests. Carolina Shag Club, 103 N. Lake Park Blvd. Carolina Beach, NC 620-4025

Art ART OF THE CAMILIA 1/14-2/23: Art of the Camelia at Wilmington Art Association Gallery, 616 Castle St. .Exhibit is a joint venture with Wilmington’s Tidewater Camellia Club.

The Camellia Club was charged with selecting the top paintings, awarding prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, to WAA artists. Fabulous display of floral artistry. Public reception on 4th Friday, 1/28, 6-8pm, w/wine and appetizers. Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm. (910)685-6600 SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY The Residents of Old Wilmington will formally dedicate the sculpture “Southern Hospitality” to the City of Wilmington on Fri., 1/14, 11:30 am. The new public art sculpture site is at the corners of Market and Water Streets and everyone is invited to attend. Artist Paul Hill created the metal Venus Flytrap with glass artist Stan Harmon. Mayor Bill Saffo will present to accept the gift from ROW. SILVER COAST WINERY Silver Coast Winery displays the works of Amy Hautman, through 1/15. Watercolor and oil mediums in precise brushstrokes of large scale flowers, enticing doorways, luscious grapevines and dramatic landscapes. Emotional power of nature. All proceeds from sales at show will be donated to Carolina Health and Humor Association, dedicated to promoting health, healing and well being through humor for 24 years. • Next artist: Harald Josef Graffinger, whose art is heavily influenced by his travels. Having lived in Germany, Switzerland, France and London before immigrating to the United States, Harald’s paintings are an abstract celebration of life done with a kaleidoscope of colors and rich textures.Hangs through 3/14. • Attention Local Artists: Silver Coast Winery is calling for portfolios from local artists to plan our art shows

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ECHOES OF THE DREAM WHQR 91.3FM Public Radio is pleased to announce that the WHQR Gallery will open a brand new show on 1/28 with an exhibition titled Echoes of the Dream: Sharing the Journey of 3 Women Artists, feat. new work by three gifted local artists, Eunkyung Cazier, Linda Hartman and Kelley Morris. Opening reception: 1/28, 6-9pm. Guests are invited to meet the artists, the WHQR staff and on-air personalities while enjoying wine, light refreshments and live music. The show will remain on display until 4/1. A portion of the proceeds from any sale of art benefits WHQR Public Radio. 3rd floor of The Warwick Building at 254 N. Front St. CAPE FEAR WILDLIFE EXPO Cape Fear Wildlife Expo seeks designs for the 2011 commemorative poster. Goal is to heighten public awareness of natural resources and to encourage conservation of these valuable resources. www.capefearwildlifeexpo.com. Open to all professional and amateur artists ages 18 and up. Only one entry per artist is permitted. There will be no entry fee for this contest. Size Limit: 18X24, in oil, acrylic, watercolor or pastel. No entry fee; turn in CD with a high resolution JPEG file that is able to be opened by all types of computers. Files must be labeled with artist’s first name last name and title of work. Cape Fear Wildlife Expo Poster Contest c/o Call of the Wild, 1622 Live Oak St, Beaufort, NC 28516.

Entries will be accepted by mail only; CDs will not be returned. Winner: $300, a 10X 10 booth with electricity at the March 2011 expo, and 25 Artist Proof prints of the winning poster. karenquacks@ravenstudio.us BOTTEGA EVENTS EXHIBITS: Continuing the Form: An Exquisite Corps Exhibition, feat. Benjamin Billingsley, Drew Craven, Todd Carignan, Rachel Kastner, Colleen Ringrose.

The work featured in this show consists entirely of what is known as ‘Exquisite Corpses’ - works of art created through a collaborative process where each artist only sees a fragment of the preceding artist’s work and has to use that as the starting point for their own contribution, thus continuing the form in their own vision. Artwork on exhibit through 1/15.

• EVENTS: Mon: Old Skool Video Game Night and Open Paint and Create (bring art in progress). • Tues: Starving Artist and open-mic night • Wed.free weekly wine tastings, 7pm • Thurs., 1/27- Poetry Reading/Poetry Slam • Call to artists: Submissions for our Spring 2011 exhibition—recent or new works created by people with developmental and physical disabilities. All styles, medium and creative processes welcome. 2 jpeg images by 3/1/2011. 208 N. Front St. 910-763-3737, www.bottegagallery.com. www. myspace.com/bottegagallery.

PROJEKTE

EXHIBIT: Cape Fear Camera Club, 1/17-2/5, feat. 19 photographers whose 30-some photos were end-ofthe-year winners for the club’s 2010 competitions.

Public invited to opening reception, Sun., 1/22, 69pm. Snacks provided, with wine, beer, and sodas available for purchase. EVENTS: Second “Full Moon Goddess Gala,” an all female celebration and event that is by women and for women encompassing the healing arts, dance, spoken word, drum circles, yoga and belly dance workshops, film, art and music, 1/22, 1-6pm; $5. Local jewelers, fashion designers and artists will be selling their art so guests are encouraged to bring extra money for that “must have” item, gift or apparel. Workshops: 2-2.30 Yoga; 2.30-3: Allison, Drum Circle; 3.-.3:30: Japhia, Bellydance; 3:30-4: tarr: Open mic poetry; 4-4:30: Jude, cellist w/interpretive dancer; 4:30-6: female singer/songwriters • “Figure Study,” oil on canvas, Bonnie England. Ongoing events: Sun., 6-8pm, Figure Drawing, $10. • Mon, Yoga Class ; 6:307:30pm, “pay-what-you-can”; Tues: Yoga Class, 6:30-7:30pm, “pay-what-you-can”; Belly-Dancing Class, 7:30-9pm, $15/class or $50/4 classes. • Wed: African Drum Class, 6:30-7:30pm, $10; 1st Wed. ea. month: Diva Made—a discussion group for and about creative women ; 7:30-9pm, free event. • Thurs: Wine tasting, 6-8pm, free. Every other Thursday: Thursday Theater, 7-9pm, Projekte Jazz, feat. the CFCC Jazz Ensemble, 9pm-midnight, free. • Fri: Pole Dancing Class, 10:30am, $20/class.

Projekte Rock ; 8:30 - 11pm, a free event. 1st Friday of every month: Drum Circle, 7-9m, free. Jazz in the Projekte, 9pm-midnight, free. 4th Friday of every month: 4th Friday Gallery Walk and Artist reception, 7-9pm, free. • Sat: Projekte Rock, 8:30-11pm, free.

2nd Saturday of every month: Creative Exchange, 2-5pm, $15 for booth rental for artists, free to public.

523 South 3rd St. 910-352-0236 or theprojekte@ gmail.com.

Museums BATTLESHIP Hidden Battleship: A Life Long Learning Program, 1/15, 8:30am-12:30pm and 1:30-5:30pm. Fourhour tour consists of small groups with guides allowing guests to explore the bow (officers’ country and boatswain locker), third deck (Radio II, brig, after gyro, storage rooms, ammunition handling, Engineer’s office, torpedo area), Engine room #1, the refrigerator compartments, and climb inside the fire control tower to the top of the ship. The Azalea Coast Radio Club will be in Radio II to explain their work on the ship’s radio transmitters. Limited to ages 12 and older and limited to 40 participants per each time slot. Not appropriate for those who have difficulty climbing narrow ladders or over knee-high hatches. Warm, comfortable, washable clothing, sturdy, rubber-soled shoes and bring a camera! Registration and payment by Thurs., 1/13. $45/$35 for Friends of the Battleship or active military. 910-251-5797. www.battleshipnc.com NC AQUARIUM EXHIBIT: Thank the ocean through a breathtaking new exhibit. The Aquarium installed its “Thank You Ocean” exhibit showcasing photography of sting rays, waves, fishermen and such by world-famous photographers Scott Marshall, Logan Mock-Bunting and DJ Struntz. Admission: $8 ages 13-61; $7 ages 62 and up; $6 ages 3-12. Free admission for: children under 2; registered groups of N.C. school children, and NC Aquarium Society members.

EVENTS: Aquarist Apprentice, Behind the Scenes Tour, Extended Behind theScenes Tour, Mommy and Me, Daddy and Me, Breakfast/DInner with the Fishes and more! Pre-register for all programs!

910-458-7468; 900 Loggerhead Rd. Kure Beach. ncaquariums.com WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH MUSEUM The Wrightsville Beach Museum of History, housed in the turn of the century Myers Cottage, exists to preserve and to share the history of Wrightsville Beach. Visitors to the cottage will find a scale model of Wrightsville Beach circa 1910, exhibits featuring the early days of the beach including Lumina Pavilion, our hurricane history and information about the interaction between the people and our natural environment which have shaped the 100 year history of Wrightsville Beach. 303 West Salisbury St. wbmuseum.com. • 1/25, 5-7:30pm: Board of Directors annual meeting to recap 2010 and preview

rancher in New Hanover County. His new novel is set both in the Lower Cape Fear and the Caribbean, where Hudgin has frequently flown and sailed.

big kids will be added. First/third Thurs.of month, 1-4pm in February. $4/child, ages 6 months-10 years of age.

Film CINEMATIQUE Inside Job, 1/10-12: One of the most highly acclaimed films of the year and the first movie to expose the shocking truth behind the economic crisis of 2008. Cinematique presents notable, classic, and foreign films co-sponsored by WHQR Public Radio and Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. $7; films are Mon-Wed, 7:30pm unless otherwise noted. Screened on the Main Stage. Advance tickets: etix.com. (910) 632-2285. whqr.org.

SUBVERSIVE FILM SERIES 1/16: Salome’s Last Dance. Oscar Wilde is treated to an illegal performance of his banned play ‘Salome’ on his birthday. Courtesy of the staff and patrons of his favorite brothel. • 1/23: The Devils. Demented and demonic fact-based ongoings at a medieval monastery, complete with exorcisms. Feat. Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave. • 1/30: Gothic. Lord Byron and Percy Shelley imbibe hallucinogens on a fateful night at Byron’s estate. Juggling Gypsy, (910) 763-2223; http://jugglinggypsy.com 1612 Castle St. GISELLE-ROYAL BALLET 1/19: Giselle- Royal Ballet (LIVE HD broadcast), Adolphe Adam Performed at the Royal Opera House, London. Choreography by Marius Petipa Starring Marianela Nu’z and Rupert Pennefather; 2 hrs 10 mins including one intermission. Carmike 16, 111 Cinema Drive, $20. Giselle is one of the most influential of all Romantic ballets, and one of the greatest and most popular works of the dance canon and of The Royal Ballet’s repertory. Presents the transcendental power of a woman’s love in the face of betrayal and one of the most technically demanding and emotionally challenging roles in classical dance. Encore showing 1/26, 7:30pm.

Tickets available at theater or through Fandango. com. www.balletincinema.com or www.Carmike. com. (910)352-8887 CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA AND PAGLIACCI 1/20, 5-6pm: $25 (will be included at the end of the description), Carmike 16, 111 Cinema Dr. Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci (LIVE: La Scala), Pietro Mascagni (Cavalleria Rusticana) & Ruggero Leoncavallo (Pagliacci). Performed at Teatro all Scala, Milan on 1/20. LIVE HD broadcast at Carmike 16. Conducted by Daniel Harding Directed by Mario Martone Starring Luciana D’Intino & Jos’Cura Sung in Italian with English subtitles. 2 hrs 55 mins plus one intermission. Encore showing 2/16, 7:30pm.

Tickets available at the theater.

Lectures/Readings TWO SISTERS BOOKERY Local author Thomas Hudgin will be signing copies of The Andros Connection, his novel of adventure and intrigue on the high seas, t Two Sisters Bookery in The Cotton Exchange on Fri., 1/14, 2-4pm. A business executive, motivational speaker, and retired Navy veteran,Hudgin is currently a writer and llama

OLD BOOKS ON FRONT STREET 10 percent discount to anyone who arrives by bicycle!

• “Knit Wits, the crafting group open to all,” Wed nights, 6:30pm. • Story Teller’s Open Mic on Sunday evenings ,starting in February • Monthly art shows starting this spring. Our first show will be with Alice Brock, the real Alice behind Arlo Guthrie’s hit song “Alice’s Restaurant.” (Last Friday in March) • Also feat.

Wilmington’s First Vend-a-Quote Machine—each quote comes with a $1 off coupon toward purchases • Literary Jukebox will be fully functional by 1/10 that’s the goal. Old Books on Front St: 249 N. Front St. (910) 76-BOOKS LECTURE BY PHIL STINE 1/28, 5-9pm, lecture by Dr Phil Stine at St James Episcopal Church - Great Hall, 25 South Third St. “The History and Impact of the King James Bible” commemorates the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible in 1611.

(910)763-1628 STORMWATER MANAGEMENT IN NC 1/12: CFGBA presents “Stormwater Management in North Carolina,” 5-8:30pm, The Balcony on Front and Dock. Presentation focuses on the research conducted by Dr. Bill Hunt’s research team, which includes the efforts of 10 graduate students, two research engineers, and a technician. Topics include recent research findings on: bioretention, wetlands, permeable pavement , swales, filter strips and more.

Presenter will touch on new models that are being developed at NC State to act as decision making tools for pollutant loading to the Jordan Lake watershed and to determine the most effective retrofit stormwater practices in urban areas. He also will discuss new metrics for stormwater BMP evaluation which may be used to compare BMP functionality.

Finally, the presenter will discuss future challenges for North Carolina, as well as future research projects that will be carried out at NC State to meet those challenges. Jessica Gray jessica.g@cfgba.org

Classes/Workshops DIVORCE CARE 4 KIDS A new 13-week session of DivorceCare and DivorceCare4Kids will start on Tuesday, January 11th at 6:30pm, at Saint Andrews Covenant Presbyterian Church , 1416 Market St. Christian based program offers support for adults and children of divorce ages 6-12 years of age. Using DVDs the adults view and then discuss topics that occur during the time of divorce. The children’s program covers these same topic but uses DVDs, crafts, music and dance to deal with the issues of divorce. St. Andrews Covenant : 762-9693 to preregister.

SOIL TO SOUL Pre-reg all classes: 910-920-9890 or grow@ soiltosoulonline.com. 1/15 “Cit Happens: A Day in the Life” Workshop Cit is Sanskrit for consciousness, spirit, soul. Incorporating yoga, artistic activity, real foods, and sustainable philosophies, in this workshop we will explore your inner and outer ecology to see where even the smallest shifts can begin that just might cause some major Cit to happen in your life. Two sessions

encore’s Cultural Calendar deadline for print is every Thursday at noon. Events are posted at least two weeks out, if space permits. To enter your event online, click on ‘Cultural Calendar’ and ‘enter event’ at www.encorepub.com. E-mail submissions to calendar@encorepub.com.

38 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com

9am-12pm and 2:30pm-5:30pm. One session is $40 or $75 for both. • 1/15, 7:30pm: Movie Screening: “One Man, One Cow, One Planet” Can biodynamic farming save our planet? Come see this compelling award winning documentary about Peter Proctor, a pioneer in biodynamics and his work with desperate farmers in India. Movie is by donation. Bring a comfy beach chair and some snacks! • 1/20, 6pm Raw Foods Made Easy: Do you want to eat more raw fruits and vegetables but just don’t know what to prepare.

You have options! Come and learn about why raw foods are so good for you along with tasty recipes. $10. • 1/22 and 29, 10am-1pm: “I have a point and shoot, now what do I do?” Photography 101!! Join Professional Photographer Kelly Starbuck for this two part beginners workshop. You can take amazing pictures with a point and shoot camera. Kelly will show you how! $45 for one day and $75 for both. • Yoga classes by donation. Monday 8:30am-9:30am: “Connect” Yoga with Holly Konrady: Connect mind and body in this multilevel yoga class. This practice compliments the work you do with other forms of physical training • Wed, 6pm: Yoga for athletes with Holly Konrady. This priactice compliments the work you do with other forms of physical training.

• Wed, 7:15pm: “The Hot 26” with Mary Margaret Folds—A Bikram inspired therapeutic practice that works the whole body.Thursday 9am Ashtanga Yoga with Larry Hobbs—a traditional ashtanga yoga practice. Some yoga experience is required.

• Fri, 10:30-11:45am: Kundalini Yoga with Amy Burnett—chanting, breathing, meditation, and deep relaxation make up this 75 minute session that is unique each week. • Fri., 4:30-5:30pm Ashtanga with Larry Hobbs-This is a traditional ashtanga yoga practice. Some yoga experience is required. Private sessions are available. www.soiltosoulonline.com CAPE FEAR LITERACY COUNCIL Cape Fear Literacy Council (CFLC) offers monthly orientation sessions this winter: Wed., 1/12 and 2/9, 5:30-7:30pm. All sessions are held at the Literacy Council offices, 1012 S. 17th St. Orientation is open to anyone who is interested in volunteering as tutors or instructors, assist with fundraising events, serve on the Board of Directors, or provide administrative assistance. Pre-reg recommended. Workshop dates: Adult Basic Literacy—Volunteers attend 12 hours of instruction, 1/17, 19, 24, and 26, 6:309:30pm and 3/14, 16, 21, and 23, 10am-1pm. Fee is $20 or $50 if seeking certification for another organization. Volunteers must attend all sessions to be certified. ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages): Volunteers attend 9 hours of instruction, 3/1, 2 and 3, 6:30-9:30pm. Volunteers must attend all three sessions to be certified. Fee is $30 or $50 if seeking certification for another organization.

YOGA BY DONATION Surf Camp now offers yoga classes by donation.

Mon.: Beginner class w/Jennifer Robancho, 5:456:45pm • Tues.: All levels class w/Katie Serino, 5:45-6:45pm. WB Surf Camp Headquarters, Ogden Business Park. 7213 Ogden Business Lane, Ste 214. Classes open to everyone. (910) 256-7863 or

1/15: Cit happens

1/15, $40; class size limited. (910) 762-9073. Firsttimers entered for chance to win free bees.

HALYBURTON PARK Halyburton Park Programs: January 2011. 4099 S. 17th St. 341-0075 or www. halyburtonpark.com.

Pre-registration rqd. • The Hunt for Fossils (ages 611). Discover what once inhabited the oceans of the world by hunting for fossils. We will learn all about the ancient creatures’ life styles, how to identify fossils, sift for fossils, and later, build an ancient craft; 1/15, 1:30-3:30. $3/participant. • Snake and Turtle Feeding: Enjoy a brief presentation about the live animals on display in the Events Center and then watch them feed. At least one snake and a turtle will be fed during the demonstration.1/19, 4-4:30 pm. $1/participant • Winters Rest (ages 2-5), 1/24-25, 10-11am. $3/child. Many animals spend their winter fast asleep underground or buried deep in mud.

Come out of your hibernation and learn more about these creatures. • Winter Bird Watching Trip: Pocosin Lakes and Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge, 1/28 -29, 9am-5pm, $115/participant. We will visit Pocosin Lakes and Lake Mattamuskeet NWR, home to tens of thousands of Tundra Swan and Snow Geese, to observe a variety of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds. Transportation, lodging, and entrance fees included. Meals not included.

SOUTHEASTERN CAMERA SUPPLY Every Wed, 6:30-8pm, Wilmington photographer Gary Allen offers classes on digital photography at the Southeastern Camera in Wilmington.

Different topics every week, small classes, a great learning experience. 313-2999 or Gary at gary@ garyallenphoto.com. $30. 1351 S. Kerr Ave. DISASTER PREPAREDNESS A Connecting to Collections workshop on disaster preparedness has been scheduled for 1/24 at the U.S.S. North Carolina. Disaster Preparedness helpS with writing, testing, and developing your disaster plan; regional networking to develop response teams; disaster response training.

Instructor: Matthew Hunt, C2C project team member and Disaster Preparedness Coordinator.

Register: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ c2cdisasterpreparednesswilmington

Clubs/Notices NORTH BRUNSWICK NEWCOMERS CLUB The North Brunswick Newcomers Club will meet for their monthly meeting on Fri., 1/13, 10am, at Zion United Methodist Church on 6864 Zion Church Rd. in Leland, NC. Refreshments served at 9:30am followed by our monthly business meeting and then our speaker. Speaker is Robert Cook, author of Wild, Wicked Wartime Wilmington. Alice Razzano: 383-3500.

ASSISTANCE LEAGUE OF GREATER ILM Thurs., 2/24, 12:30-4pm: The Assistance Leagueof Greater Wilmington’s fund-raiser: afternoon of games —bridge, pinocle or any other game for your table.Shell Island Resort, 2700 N. Lumina Ave, Wrightsville Beach. $25/ person includes light refreshments, dessert, coffee and prizes and a fabulous view of the ocean. Proceeds support philantrhopic programs in the community.Advance reg. rqd. Nancy Tillett,: 686-3902.

When life throws us lemons, we make lemonade! soul to soil will be holding a workshop to help elevate our consciousness, spirit and soul. “Cit happens: a Day in the Life” will blend artistic activity with yoga, real foods and sustainable philosophies on the 15th. the workshop delves into inner and outer ecology and how the smallest shifts can make a larger difference in life’s enjoyment. One session is $40 or two is $75; 9am-noon or 2:30-5:30pm. www.wbsurfcamp.com/yoga.asp BEE KEEPING SCHOOL New Hanover County Beekeepers Assoc. offers beekeeper school, Mons., 7pm at New Hanover County Arboretum, 6206 Oleander Dr. First class held Wed., 1/19 and lasts through 2/28. Enroll by

LEAGUE OF WILMINGTON VOTERS Bob Phillips, executive director of Common Cause, will speak at the League of Women Voters Hot Topics Luncheon, 1/24, 11:30AM at McAlister’s Deli. He will discuss the planning in the reform community (including the League) toward achieving that goal while adjusting to the shift in power.

Public welcome; Q&A after. • Formerly called “Breakfast With Your Legislators’, the event will now be “Face to Face” and will be held in the afternoon on Sun., 2/27, at New Hanover County Government Center, a cosponsor of the event. All state legislators and U.S. Representative Mike McIntyre are invited and expected to attend. This is a great opportunity for them to hear directly from their constituents and for citizens to speak as individuals with one or all of the legislators present.

encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com 39

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40 encore | january 12-18, 2011 | www.encorepub.com