Charlotte Restaurant Week—and a Half

The third installment of the popular Charlotte Restaurant Week will run for 10 days, beginning Friday, July 10 and ending Sunday, July 19, which means it covers two full weekends. There's also a new high of 71 participating restaurants for this run, known as “Queen’s Feast: Summer 2009.”

During Charlotte Restaurant Week, restaurants--many of them upscale--offer a prix fixe, three-course dinner for $30 per person (not including tax and gratuity). This is a great opportunity for you to try many restaurants for the first time and do it at significant savings. Fellas: this could be a good time to treat your lady to some fine dining.

Basil Thai, which opened in March, is one of 71 restaurants participating in Charlotte Restaurant Week.

Popular returning restaurants include Sonoma Modern American, M5, LaVecchia's, Copper, Blue, Cajun Queen, Ruth's Chris, Carpe Diem, and Noble’s. New participants include Luce, Sole Spanish Grille, Basil Thai, Firenze, Morton’s, Passion8 Bistro in Fort Mill, T1 Tapas and Maddi's Southern Bistro at Birkdale, Old Stone Steakhouse in Belmont, and many others. For a complete list of restaurants and their menus, visit www.CharlotteRestaurantWeek.com.

Make a 'Summer' Video, Win a Party

The U.S. National Whitewater Center has launched "The Endless Summer" video contest, encouraging you to submit videos and photos of your best adventures at the Whitewater Center. The grand prize winner will receive a private party on Saturday, August 29 at the center for him or her and 10 friends with food and refreshments. The party will also include AllSport passes for the winner and guests to enjoy the activities--kayaking, rafting, rock climbing, biking, zip lining--at the USWNC.


Videos or photos can be uploaded until August 13 at www.uswnc.org/party. The USNWC is looking for anything from edited masterpieces to rough-cuts. Everyone can vote for his or her favorite videos online. A weekly prize will be awarded throughout the summer to videos chosen at random. At the end of the contest, the five videos with the most overall votes will be entered into the finals. The grand prize winner will be selected on August 20.

The U.S. National Whitewater Center is located at 5000 Whitewater Center Parkway in northwest Charlotte, along the banks of the Catawba River. The center is open year round and hosts several special events and programs during the summer, including the popular Subaru River Jam each Thursday.

Events for the Week: July 6-12

Your best weekly list for parties, nightlife, social, and cultural events in Charlotte. This isn’t intended to be a complete list of everything that's going on, but instead are the events GPT recommends.

Wednesday, July 8

Pop Life (weekly event)
It’s the most popular social networking event on a Wednesday night. Starts after work but runs past midnight. This week’s installment features “Mixed Media,” a special invite to members of the media and includes free hors d’oeuvres (6-9 p.m.). Music includes a listening party for Maxwell’s new CD. Presented by Creative Loafing and The Sol Kitchen. 6 p.m.-1 a.m. Free. Apostrophe Lounge, 1440 S. Tryon St. www.apostrophelounge.com.

Girls Night Out
Gather up the girls for a night out at the sweetest hotspot in town. Huntersville Vintage hosts a fashion show (9 p.m.). Featuring drink specials including all specialty martinis at half-price. 7 p.m. Free. Crave Dessert Bar, 500 W. Fifth St. www.cravedessertbar.com.

Thursday, July 9

Alive After Five at EpiCentre (weekly event)
This week’s event is “Thriller Thursday” in celebration of the late, great Michael Jackson. Music by Who’s Bad, one of the country’s top MJ tribute bands, playing on the rooftop stage. Big Ed’s Garage will play on the courtyard stage. Wristbands also get you into Blackfinn, Whisky River, Suite, and StrikeCity. 5-9:30 p.m. Free. The EpiCentre, 210 E. Trade St. www.aliveafterfiveatepicentre.com.

Democracy 2.0
What impact does gender, ethnicity, and age have on 21st century politics? Join GenerationEngage Charlotte and GenerationEngage Silicon Valley as you engage in a cross-community dialogue (via videoconference). Civic leaders in Charlotte include: Harvey Gantt, Charlotte’s first African-American mayor; Susan Burgess, Charlotte City Council member and mayor pro tem; Lenny McAllister, Fox Charlotte contributor and conservative political commentator; and Ella Scarborough, former Charlotte City Council member and mayoral candidate. 7:30 p.m. Free. Overcash Building Tate Auditorium, CPCC Central Campus, 1201 Elizabeth Ave. www.generationengage.org/state/chltt.

Friday, July 10

KRS One
See one of the pioneers of hip-hop perform his greatest hits live. Doors open 8:30 p.m. $20 in advance. Amos’ Southend. 1423 S. Tryon St. www.amossouthend.com.

I Love the QC—Summer Edition
Held at one of the city’s trendiest lounges, this monthly party celebrates all there is to love about Charlotte. And summertime means good times on the outdoor patio. Drink specials include $5 Jack Daniels all night. VIP tables are only $50 (contact tami@kisscharlotte.com); VIP beds are more. Music by DJ Hustle. 10 p.m. Cost varies; everyone free before 11 p.m. Kiss Lounge, 204 W. Woodlawn Rd. www.kisscharlotte.com.

Saturday, July 11

14th Annual Bike Fest and Dance
Experience one of the hottest outdoor motorcycle, music, and entertainment festivals on the East Coast, featuring racing, stunts, showcases, vending, and live bands playing reggae, R&B, jazz, and more. Bring your blankets and relax on the lawn. Gates open at 11 a.m. and event runs into the night. Cost varies. Mooresville Dragway, 8415 W. Hwy 152, Mooresville. www.leesperformance.com.

Carolina Wine Fest
This annual wine festival features wine tastings from many area vineyards such as Allison Oaks Vineyards, Childress Vineyards, Hinnant Family Vineyards, Woodmill Winery, and more. Food will be served by Old Stone Steakhouse, and live music will be provided by cover band Big Hand Dave. 1-7 p.m. $5 (includes all wine tastings). Copper's Wine Cellar, 134 N. Main St., Belmont.

Vanilla Ice
The Ice man cometh for the EpiCentre Summer Concert Series. Gates open at 6 p.m. Free. Pavilion at EpiCentre, 210 E. Trade St. www.pavilionatepicentre.com.

Sunday, July 12

Carolina Teen Idol Auditions
Young people, ages 13-19, get their chance at stardom. Win an opportunity to sing live in front of record label executives, get free professional voice coaching, free studio time, and perform live at the For Teens Only Expo to be held August 15 at the Charlotte Convention Center. Registration for auditions is required—visit website. 2-6 p.m. Free. Kiss Lounge, 204 W. Woodlawn Rd. www.forteensonly.net.

Special Blend @ PJ’s (weekly event)
Special Blend presents genres of artistry, music, visual, and humor in the spirit of good times and good people. Experience it while relaxing in a cozy lounge. Music by DJ Justice. 7-11 p.m. Free. PJ’s Coffee & Lounge, 210 E. Trade St. (inside the EpiCentre). www.pjscharlotte.com.

He Was Doing The Naked Man

Federal authorities are trying to determine why a man took off all of his clothes on a flight from Charlotte to Los Angeles yesterday. The flight was diverted to New Mexico where the 50-year-old man was arrested. But they should've given the poor guy a break--he was simply doing "The Naked Man." I only recently learned what The Naked Man is from a hilarious episode of How I Met Your Mother that I saw last week.

Click here to learn more about The Naked Man. And watch the video below of a newscast about the naked guy on yesterday's flight.

Why I Wanted to Be Michael Jackson

Rest in peace Michael Jackson.

There's nothing I can say here that hasn't been expressed on TV, radio, and the Internet (all over Facebook) since MJ passed away yesterday. But I'm awake early this morning doing some work, and for the past hour I've had the TV on in the background on MTV where they're playing nothing but Michael Jackson videos. "Thriller" just came on as I'm typing this!

I must take a quick detour to hop on my soapbox for a minute. To all the young people out there today who may not have seen many of Jackson's legendary music videos, understand that he took the art form to a whole 'nother level. Before him, artists pretty much only performed the song in their videos. He made mini movies. And the sad thing, which is the point I'm making here, is since you kids today don't want to pay for music and mostly want to download it illegally, record sales are down tremendously and record labels can't afford to spend much money on making quality music videos anymore. So I hope you enjoy the made-for-YouTube quality music videos you're getting today. If you want to see when they were done at their best, you can, ironically, watch many of Jackson's videos on his YouTube page, www.youtube.com/michaeljackson.

What I'm posting here is a video of the Michael Jackson performance that changed my life. It made me want to be MJ. I tell friends the story all the time about how my twin brother and I used to perform our MJ impersonations for our parents' friends when we were growing up. One of the rituals of being a black kid is dancing for your parents' friends at some kind of house party or get-together. The video below is a clip from Jackson performing at the "Motown 25" celebration. When it aired on TV, I was only three years old but I knew I was witnessing greatness.