Second Annual Cam Newton 7 v 7 Football Tournament June 26-27; Championship July 11-12

The Cam Newton Foundation brings its Second Annual 7 v 7 High School Football Tournament to Charlotte this week, June 26 and 27. The tournament series began at the end of last month in Atlanta, then went on to Birmingham, and now it's Charlotte's turn, with the games taking place at Hough High School. It's open to the public to attend, admission is $3 per person, and proceeds will benefit the Cam Newton Foundation. So, this is your chance to see some of the area's best high school football players compete, while supporting a foundation that does a lot to aid and lead youth programs in Charlotte (where Cam lives and plays for the Carolina Panthers) and in Atlanta (his hometown).

Cam Newton performs drills with high school players at last year's Charlotte tournament.
Photos credit: Cam Newton Foundation

Each city features several teams of high school players that registered weeks in advance (teams consist of up to 20 players and four coaches), and--new this year--the top two teams from each city, along with select others, will play in the CNF 7v7 championship on July 11 and 12 at Nation Ford High School, just across the Charlotte border in Fort Mill.

Hough High won the Charlotte tournament last year, receiving $2,500 for the school's athletic department, and the second- and third-place finishers received $1,500 and $1,000 respectively. Team trophies and individual awards were also given.

Below is a short video recap from last year's Charlotte tournament, at which Cam was actively involved. "I wanna see unbelievable talent, I wanna see unbelievable sportsmanship, and I wanna see unbelievable swag," said the Panthers' star quarterback.

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Apparently, the 'Greatest Weekend Ever' Can Be Had in Charlotte and on Lake Norman

Great Clips is holding a contest offering a chance to experience what the world's largest hair salon chain has dubbed the Greatest Weekend Ever. It's a weekend for four in the Charlotte area with NASCAR star drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne, centered on Dale Jr.'s house on Lake Norman (both guys have homes--mansions, really--in Mooresville).

Credit: Great Clips

Here's the contest in a nutshell:

The winner and three friends will "fly to Charlotte with your buddies and stay at Dale Jr.’s lake house. Swim, relax and chow down. We’re going to throw a finger-lickin’ BBQ party in your honor with Dale Jr., Kasey Kahne and more of the Great Clips racing crew. You and your friends will [also] get VIP passes to two Darlington races so you can see each race from the best seats possible." And to top it off, the winner will also receive a 2014 Chevy Silverado.

The coolest thing, as I've said previously, is the thought that Dale Jr. lives like this all the time. I would even venture to say that he really does have mermaids in his swimming pool. He's a rock star who doesn't play music (at least not professionally, though there is a band named after him) but drives fast cars for a living (a major living). He recently won the Most Popular Driver Award for the 11th consecutive year, presented by the National Motorsports Press Association.

Visit http://bit.ly/GreatestWeekend for complete Greatest Weekend Ever contest details and to enter.

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Bojangles' 'Tailgate Everything' Campaign Is Brilliant

Last night, I saw Bojangles' "Tailgate Everything: Curfew" television commercial for the first time. I thought it was at-once funny, clever, a bit silly, but somehow seemingly realistic; and as a result: effective. In the 30-second spot, a teenage girl comes tiptoeing into her house after curfew, only to be startled by her parents who are waiting for her in the kitchen, flanked by Bojangles’ food and having a "little tailgate party."

Today, I visited the TailgateEverything.com address that appears at the end of the commercial. I was curious to see what else was there (I also assumed that Charlotte-based advertising agency BooneOakley was behind this marketing campaign, and it is). The Tailgate Everything website features several folksy, witty, tongue-in-cheek ideas on how to incorporate tailgating into multiple aspects of your life, such as work, school, and even your romance. The latter offers such suggestions as how to include Bojangles' on your wedding registry and smell your sweetest with tea perfume.

Credit: TailgateEverything.com

Also, according to BooneOakley, the Tailgate Everything radio ads feature a character named Gail Tate (clever play on words), who "explains how to tailgate anything and everything with Bojangles' Big Bo Box."

You might want to poke around the Tailgate Everything website because you can enter to win tailgate prizes. You can also submit your own comical photos or videos for a chance to be crowned a Tailgate All Star. And there are other practical and useful things on the site such as (real) recipes for great tailgating meal items.

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Second Annual SHAPE Charlotte Business Idea Competition Final Presentations and Awards - Nov. 12

The 2013 SHAPE Charlotte Business Idea Competition concludes this Tuesday, November 12. Presented by the Charlotte Shapers hub of the World Economic Forum of Global Shapers, the evening will feature a networking reception followed by presentations from five finalists who were selected after going through a competitive process over the last several weeks.

SHAPE Charlotte is an innovative business model competition created for, and by, the next generation of leaders. The organization encourages entrepreneurship within people 35 years of age or younger "by empowering participants to act as agents of change through innovation and ultimately job creation." The finalists, all Charlotte-based startups, were selected based on their ability to demonstrate the viability, innovation, and impact of their business concept, and they are:

• FreshBrains - an online matchmaking platform that pairs student skill sets with local small businesses and nonprofits in need of web design services.

• FundNC - an online crowdfunding portal that helps facilitate and market new intrastate security offerings for North Carolina-based businesses.

• Gameplan - software that applies the results from a Holland Code Assessment (career cluster / personality quiz) tailored to high school students and formulates a "gameplan" for each student.

• PlateShare - a charitable micro-giving platform that creatively crowdsources donations from restaurant spending and redirects the money to hunger relief efforts.

• The Bridge, PR for Social Good - teaches organizations how to become better corporate citizens.

Tomorrow evening, one of the teams will be awarded the Judge's Prize worth $10,000, and one will win the Audience Choice Award worth $2,500.

The event is free and open to the public. An optional networking reception will be held 6-6:45 p.m. at Wake Forest University's Center City Campus (200 N. College St., Suite 150). And the main event will take place across the street at 7 p.m. at the One Bank of America Center Auditorium (150 N. College St.). RSVP is required; click here.

Mayor-Elect Patrick Cannon will present opening remarks, and Kirk Hawkins, news anchor at WCCB Charlotte, will host the event. The co-founder and CEO of Tykoon Nation, Mark Bruinooge, will deliver the keynote speech.

The SHAPE Charlotte Business Idea Competition started in 2012 and awarded more than $12,000 last year to Queen City Mobile Market and $2,500 to iMedicare.

Follow Charlotte Shapers on Twitter @CLTShapers, #SHAPECLT; on Facebook.com/CharlotteShapers, and at charlotteshapers.org.

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'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' Charlotte Auditions This Wednesday

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, the popular television game show, hit the road earlier this month to hold auditions for potential contestants in select cities around the country. The show's producers are holding auditions in Charlotte this Wednesday, July 24, beginning at 7 a.m. at Victory Lane Karting (2330 Tipton Dr.). There's no signup or pre-registration for the audition. It's on a first-come, first-served basis, and you can get in line beginning at 6 a.m.

Fans pose with a Cedric The Entertainer cutout during recent auditions in Las Vegas. Credit: facebook.com/millionairetv

Cedric The Entertainer is the new host of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, when the new season begins this fall. He replaced Meredith Vieira, who hosted the game show for the past 11 seasons.

Visit millionairetv.com for more details.

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Name the Charlotte Knights Dance Team

UPDATE 4/12/13: The dance team has been named The KnightinGals (video).

For the first time ever, the Charlotte Knights have a dance team (cheerleaders). The group of ladies debuted last weekend during the Triple-A baseball team's annual fan event, Knights Fest. Now, team officials are asking you to name the dance team.

To help with your brainstorming, consider the names of Charlotte's other professional sports dance teams/cheerleaders. The Carolina Panthers (NFL) have the TopCats; the Charlotte Bobcats (NBA) have the LadyCats; and the Charlotte Checkers (AHL) have the CheckMates. Quick side note: someone should organize an annual beauty pageant in which our city's professional cheerleaders compete. I'd pay to see that (swimsuit competition).

The Charlotte Knights dance team. Credit: Facebook

Back to the issue at hand, what do you think the Charlotte Knights dance team should be named? My suggestion is "Ladies of the Knight." Provocative, I know. Well, you're encouraged to email your suggestions to Media Relations Director Tommy Viola at tommyv@charlotteknights.com. Entries must be received by Tuesday, April 9 at 5 p.m. The winning name will be revealed at the Knights' opening day, Thursday, April 11, during the dance team's pre-game performance.

The Knights dance team is scheduled to perform at 11 home games this season:

Thursday, April 11
Saturday, April 20
Saturday, April 27
Saturday, May 11
Saturday, June 1
Saturday, June 15
Saturday, June 29
Saturday, July 6
Saturday, July 27
Saturday, August 17
Saturday, August 31

As you likely know, the Knights are currently playing their final season at their stadium in Fort Mill, where they've played since 1990. The team's future home will be in Charlotte proper, when the brand-spanking new BB&T Ballpark opens in Uptown next spring.

For more details on the Knights' 2013 season, visit charlotteknights.com.

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Who's Going to Make a Lot of Money Off of StubHub? This Guy

While in a slumber one morning this week, I heard on the local news that Time Warner Cable Arena would be welcoming its 10 millionth guest during an upcoming event. Then last night while I was watching the Charlotte Bobcats vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game, Bobcats sideline reporter Stephanie Ready interviewed Brandon Bolin, who a few nights earlier had become that 10 millionth guy, along with his wife Alicia. Stephanie explained that when the Bolins entered the arena on Tuesday to attend the Bon Jovi concert, their lucky timing means they'll be attending many more events in the coming year--for free.

Credit: Bobcats.com

As the 10 millionth visitor to the seven-and-a-half-year-old arena, Brandon has won two tickets to every public event to be held at TWC Arena for one year, including Bobcats and Charlotte Checkers season tickets for the remainder of this season and all of next season. There are also a number of concerts scheduled at the arena in coming months that the Bolins will be treated to, including Pink, Taylor Swift, Eric Clapton, New Kids on the Block with 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men, Fleetwood Mac, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, and more.

Looks like this lucky couple will be enjoying a lot of complimentary date nights over the next year, as well as some easy cash from StubHub.

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Saturday's Black History Brain Bowl Is One of Several Great Programs by Project L.I.F.T.

It was a little more than two years ago that plans for the ambitious Project L.I.F.T. philanthropic education initiative were announced to help improve some of Charlotte's lowest-performing schools. Several of the city's largest corporations and charitable foundations--Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Duke Energy, and the C.D. Spangler and the Leon Levine foundations, among others--came together to give $40.5 million to launch the program; then several other community organizations and philanthropists stepped up during the next year and a half to help the group reach its $55 million fundraising goal. Now, with Project L.I.F.T. having been officially implemented in a five-year plan with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools system, beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, we're seeing many of the efforts start to come to fruition.

You can witness one of those efforts in a fun and creative way this Saturday, February 23 during the first-ever “Lifting Our Black History” Brain Bowl at West Charlotte High School. At the crux of Project L.I.F.T. is West Charlotte High and the elementary and middle schools that feed into it. The six middle schools are competing in Saturday's Brain Bowl, and the teams have been preparing for it all month with IB students from West Charlotte tutoring them.

There will be three rounds in the bowl, consisting of true false, multiple choice, Family Feud-format, and single-elimination questions. The questions have been written by the staff at Beatties Ford Road Public Library and are derived from the book African American Firsts: Famous Little-Known and Unsung Triumphs of Blacks in America, by Joan Potter. Students received copies of this book last semester, thanks to a donation by Johnson C. Smith University. The Brain Bowl is designed by Charlotte City Councilman James “Smudgy” Mitchell, his wife and former astronaut Joan Higginbotham, and West Charlotte IB students. The event will be moderated by Mayor Anthony Foxx, Congressman Mel Watt, Councilwoman Lawana Mayfield, Councilman David Howard, and Former Mayor Harvey Gantt. This event alone embodies how much of a community effort Project L.I.F.T. is.

Parents and the community are invited to attend the “Lifting Our Black History” Brain Bowl, this Saturday, 9 a.m. at West Charlotte High School, 2219 Senior Drive, and support their favorite middle school. The school with the most school spirit will receive an award along with the first and second-place winners in the competition.

The Brain Bowl is just one of several innovative ways Project L.I.F.T. organizers are attempting to achieve 90 percent proficiency, 90 percent on grade level, and 90 percent graduation goals with its more than 7,000 students. CMS recently signed off on a plan that will allow four Project L.I.F.T. schools--Bruns Academy, Walter G. Byers School, Druid Hills Academy, and Thomasboro Academy--to begin a year-round school calendar beginning next school year. Project L.I.F.T. is also engaging in the One Laptop Per Child program and Microsoft's Shape the Future program, to provide computers and Internet access to students and families at a significantly reduced cost. 

Read more about Project L.I.F.T. and find out how you can support this great initiative, by visiting www.projectliftcharlotte.org.

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Nick Cannon Holding Auditions for 'Wild 'N Out' Monday in Charlotte

It was announced last month that Nick Cannon would be reviving his popular sketch comedy TV series, Wild 'N Out, in 2013 for MTV2. The series originally aired from 2005 to 2007 on MTV, and helped propel the careers of comedians Affion Crockett, Kevin Hart, Katt Williams, and others. This time around, in addition to appearances from established funnymen, Nick is looking for a new crop of comedians and improv actors to join the show.

Credit: NickCannon.com

He's holding auditions this Monday, December 3 in Charlotte. Not a whole lot of details are available, but if you want to find out more info you should probably listen to Power 98 (97.9 FM). On the radio station's website, it says to "send a video showing your funny for casting to: WnOCasting@mtv2.com. Videos should be no longer than 3 minutes. If your video is chosen, we’ll send you the address and location info to meet with Nick Cannon for an in person audition."

You should also follow Nick on Twitter @NickCannon. He shared on Twitter and Instagram this evening that he was leaving Atlanta, where he held auditions today, and was on his way to Charlotte.

Wild 'N Out was a funny show and it also featured great musical performances (and sexy Wild 'N Out Girls) each episode. I think the reruns still air, and it'll be good to see new episodes return next year. Nick, as you know, is also host of America's Got Talent on NBC.

Credit: NickCannon.com

He's also coming to town to do charitable deeds. He's scheduled to make appearances in Charlotte on Monday, including Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte, Levine Children's Hospital, and Buffalo Wild Wings at NASCAR Hall of Fame, for the Second Annual Celebrity Charity Wishes “Bears for Buddies" event, an initiative that raises money for terminally ill children and provides them with the essential needs of everyday living. Nick will be joined by DJ Drama, Grammy Award-winning producer Bruce Irvine, singer/songwriter Tocarra Hamilton, and Charlotte Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Cannon as they distribute hundreds of new teddy bears and gift bags to children.

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Ain't No Thing but a Chicken Wing

Wednesday's Autumn AirFest, put on by the Charlotte Chamber, was a great event, with great weather, food, and networking. The highlight of the midday event was the chicken wing competition, in which five local restaurants competed: DD Peckers' Wing Shack, Fuel Pizza, Mac's Speed Shop, Nana's Soul Food, and Wild Wing Cafe. Attendees were able to sample wings from each of them; then they were allowed to cast their vote for the best using an electronic voting kiosk.

The winner, receiving the most votes, was DD Peckers', and the runner-up was Nana's Soul Food.

I differed a little from the majority. My choice for winner was Wild Wing Cafe. They served three different wings, but it was the "Crazy Daisy" wing that made them tops in my book. It's an Asian-style barbecue wing with rich, flavorful sauce and great texture--fried just right.

But like the audience, I too choose Nana's Soul Food as my runner-up. Chef Charles Rucker was on hand serving up his Zesty Garlic wings. They were hot (spicy), but not too hot, tender--meat nearly falling off the bone--and very flavorful. It possibly could've been my winner had the skin been fried harder.

Here are some of my camera phone pics from the event.

Chef Rucker of Nana's Soul Food serving guests.

This nifty tray from Big Frog of South Charlotte allowed me to hold my drink and food with one hand.

You would think someone burnt this, but it's the Ming wing from DD Peckers' and it's quite good.

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7-Election 2012 Is Underway

Several convenience stores in the Charlotte area recently converted to 7-Eleven franchises. There's one about a mile from my house that made the switch in July, and since then I've frequented it for the cappuccino and occasional snack. I stopped by there today and saw that the front windows were plastered with signs promoting “7-Election.” 

I visited 7-Election.com just now, where you can find details on the promotion. "Ask not what 7-Eleven can do for you—ask what 7-Eleven can brew for you," reads the tagline. In the 7-Eleven stores you can purchase coffee in either a blue Obama cup, representing President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party, or a red Romney cup for presidential challenger Mitt Romney and the Republican Party. By choosing one of the cups, you're "casting your ballot" in the unscientific poll. Every four years, 7-Eleven unveils custom coffee cups for the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees and tracks customers' votes through purchases. The convenience store chain says it has correctly predicted the presidential election for the past three election cycles: 2000, 2004, and 2008. 

According to the website, Obama is currently leading Romney 60% to 40% in 7-Election 2012. You can also see how the results breakdown state by state. Voting in this election runs until the real Election Day, which is November 6.

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Autumn AirFest Takes Place Wednesday, October 3—I'm Judging the Wing Competition

UPDATE: Autumn AirFest has been rescheduled to this Wednesday, October 3 due to rain forecast for Tuesday.

The Charlotte Chamber's SouthWest Chapter is presenting its annual Autumn AirFest event on Tuesday, October 2 Wednesday, October 3, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Ayrsley Town Center, 9110 Kings Parade Blvd. You should break away from work and enjoy the entertainment by 102.9 The Lake, networking, sponsor giveaways, games, prizes, and food from area restaurants. There will also be a chicken-wing competition by chefs from Nana's Soul Food, DD Peckers' Wing Shack, Mac's Speed Shop, Wild Wing Cafe, and Fuel Pizza. And I have the honor of serving as one of the judges. I'll be prepared for somebody to point out that I pronounce wings like "wangs"—hey, I was born and raised in South Carolina.

You can purchase tickets for $6 in advance by clicking here; or pay $10 at the event. Follow the tweets at #CLTAirfest.

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National Poetry Slam 2012 Kicks Off in Charlotte

Charlotte has one of the top slam poetry communities in the country. SlamCharlotte won the National Poetry Slam in 2007 (host city: Austin, Texas) and 2008 (Madison, Wisconsin), but it's been a four-year drought since the spoken-word crown has belonged to the Queen City. Well now the home team, led by well-known slammaster Bluz, gets to go for it on their own turf. National Poetry Slam 2012 is underway in Charlotte now through Saturday, August 11.

Credit: Facebook

The annual competition, now in its 23rd year, officially kicks off today, but there were some registration and welcome events held yesterday afternoon and evening as many of the expected 400 poets began arriving to Charlotte. They represent 72 teams from across North America (United States and Canada) and will compete in 46 bouts over five days. If you aren't familiar with slam poetry, it, essentially, is competitive performance poetry. Performers use a combination of poetry, storytelling, songwriting, theatre, stand-up comedy, and anything else dramatic and engaging to go for the high score of 10 from judges.

Most of the National Poetry Slam 2012 events are open to the public (see schedule); some, like the workshops, are free, while others, like the bouts, cost $7 to attend. Among the nearly 50 events on the schedule, most are taking place at theaters, museums, and galleries throughout Uptown, and there are also a few social events like parties, a movie showcase, and a picnic. If you happen to be in Uptown late this afternoon, there's an event you'll want to check out. A poetic flash mob is scheduled to take place at 5:15 p.m. at the corners of Trade and Tryon Streets.

Visit nps2012charlotte.com for all the details. You can also follow on Facebook and Twitter (hashtag: #NPSCLT2012).

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It's Friday—Don't You Wish this Was Your Office?

Charlotte-based product development company Enventys, which has been garnering notoriety lately for its invention platform and social community Edison Nation, is one of 12 finalists from around the country competing in an innovation competition sponsored by Red Bull. For 72 hours, from Thursday (yesterday) till Sunday, the teams are competing in Red Bull Creation, where they're tasked with building the concept they created during the "Bullduino" opening round, except this time it's a live buildoff. Below is a video of the concept submitted by the Enventys team, who are calling themselves Designated Drinkers. It features many of their staffers enjoying the "ultimate covert office break and party area" in a fictional (ideal) day at their Uptown office.



You can watch the Charlotte team's live stream at www.livestream.com/rbc_designateddrinkers until the competition ends Sunday at 9 p.m.

Beginning Wednesday, July 25, you'll be able to vote on your favorite teams and their creations. Red Bull will award a $5,000 Teamʼs Choice Award and a $5,000 Peopleʼs Choice Award. The winner of the Teamʼs Choice and top three teams from the Peopleʼs Choice will compete in the 2012 World Maker Faire, taking place in September in New York City. For more details on Red Bull Creation, and where you'll vote next week, visit creation.redbullusa.com.

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Chantaul Williams to Perform on '106 & Park' Tonight

Charlotte-based singer Chantaul Williams is competing tonight on BET's 106 & Park "Wild Out Wednesday" competition. She earned her spot on the nationally televised show after beating out more than 70 contestants in the Blaze the Stage showcase when it stopped in Charlotte in May.

On 106 & Park, which airs 6-8 p.m, Chantaul will compete against Gwen Bunn of Decatur, Georgia, and Sheleah Monea of Boston. You can vote for your favorite contestant by visiting www.bet.com/shows/106-and-park/games/wild-out-wednesday-voting.html.

Learn more about the 20-year-old singer at chantaul.com and @TheRealChantaul on Twitter. She introduces herself in the video below and asks for your vote. The video below that one shows her performing at a Charlotte show in March, where she sings her original song "Take Me Away." It's undeniable that Chantaul has a great voice.

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I'm Predicting that the Next 'American Idol' Winner will Come from this Week's Auditions in Charlotte

If you experience extra traffic or difficulty finding parking in Uptown Charlotte over the next couple of days, it's for one reason: American Idol. Charlotte is the third of seven cities to host auditions for American Idol Season 12; the others being Los Angeles, San Antonio, Newark, Chicago, New Orleans, and Oklahoma City. So with Charlotte being the only Southeastern city, you can expect singers to travel from several surrounding states. I'm predicting here and now that the next American Idol winner will come from these Charlotte auditions, even though we'll have to wait until January before the season begins airing. Registration for Season 12 auditions, which is required to participate, is taking place today and tomorrow (Sunday, June 17 and Monday, June 18) at Time Warner Cable Arena, 333 E. Trade St., and the auditions are being held Tuesday.

An Idol hopeful displays his badge of honor after traveling to Charlotte to audition. 

Credit: @cameronrenfrow

Local news outlets are reporting that lines began forming outside the arena at four o'clock this morning (The Charlotte Observer, WBTV, WCNC, News14). Even though there are more than a dozen talent and singing shows on major television networks, Idol continues to attract some of the largest crowds for their auditions. American Idol Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery will join Ryan Seacrest in greeting this year's hopefuls on Tuesday. McCreery is a native of Garner, North Carolina near Raleigh.

North Carolina and Charlotte have several ties to Idol over the years. Raleigh native Clay Aiken was a student at UNC Charlotte when he auditioned for Season 2, eventually finishing second and becoming one of the most commercially successful Idol contestants. Fantasia Barrino was an unknown 20-year-old from High Point when she went on to win Season 3 of Idol in 2004. Soon after she moved to Charlotte, where she continues to reside. There have been several other North Carolinians who have become Idol finalists, like Chris Daughtry. And more recently there was Brittany Kerr, the Charlotte Bobcats dancer (Lady Cats), who made it to the Hollywood rounds of Idol last season. She auditioned in Savannah last year, which aired this past January, and now auditions are taking place on her home court. Though it appears that based on her recent Twitter posts that she's not trying out for the Lady Cats this year (auditions were held yesterday)--perhaps she's moving on to pursue her signing aspirations.

Back in 2008, I lobbied for American Idol to hold auditions in Charlotte--and by that I mean I wrote a blog post. It's nice to see they finally listened, and this week the Queen City is holding auditions for the first time ever.

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Emily Maynard—and Charlotte—Premiere on 'The Bachelorette' Tonight

Millions of people will tune into the premiere of The Bachelorette at 9:30 p.m. tonight on ABC to see 25 single men begin the ritual of competing for the heart of Emily Maynard of Charlotte. The hour-and-a-half long premiere follows Dancing With the Stars, which should bring in high ratings for The Bachelorette, now in its eighth season. I've never seen more than a few minutes of the show, but I have my DVR set to record the series, which will play out over the summer, because the city of Charlotte is getting a lot of face time.

A scene showing Emily being courted on season eight of The Bachelorette. Credit: ABC 

As you probably know by now, the producers agreed to bring a large portion of production of The Bachelorette to Charlotte to accommodate Emily's life as a single mother. It's the first time the series has ventured outside of its traditional home base of filming from a mansion in California. Instead they filmed from a large house in south Charlotte. Viewers can expect to see Emily and some of her suitors as they go on dates throughout Uptown, such as at NC Music Factory, and other parts of the city. They will also travel around the country for dates, as is customary for the series.

Below are some news links you can read to glean insight into the show:

Why 'Bachelorette' Emily Maynard came back: 'Dating's hard. Why not?' — The Charlotte Observer

New 'Bachelorette' season will be 'drastically different' — USA Today

The Bachelorette: Meet Emily Maynard's 25 Sexy Suitors — US Magazine

'The Bachelorette' starts tonight -- will you be ready? — Entertainment Weekly

Visit abc.go.com/shows/the-bachelorette to keep up with The Bachelorette over the next 10 weeks.

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Cam Newton's in Finals for 'Madden NFL 13' Cover

Carolina Panthers star quarterback Cam Newton is a finalist in the vote to appear on the cover of Madden NFL 13. He's up against Detroit Lions star wide receiver Calvin Johnson. After nearly a month of competition between 32 top NFL players in a tournament bracket-style contest, spread over four previous rounds (this is the fifth and final round) with fans given a week to vote in each round, it's now down to two of the most exciting offensive players in the league. Superman (Cam) versus Megatron (Calvin). They're both Georgia natives, and at ages 22 and 26, whomever doesn't win the cover this year, will surely have several more opportunities in the future.

As a Carolina kid (SC native), current Charlotte resident, and Panthers fan since the team began in 1995, I'm absolutely rooting for Cam to win. He would be the first player to ever grace the prestigious video game cover after just one year in the league (Madden has featured a top NFL player on the cover each year since 1999). And it would be another milestone that No. 1 is bringing to the Panthers franchise (wide receiver Steve Smith is the only other Panthers player who's ever come remotely close to Madden cover consideration). Until Cam's arrival last year and amazing rookie season, Charlotte hadn't possessed a top-tier, superstar athlete, whose fame and marketability is as big as his play, since Larry Johnson during the Charlotte Hornets heydays of the 1990s. Cam is quickly eclipsing that.

The first Madden video game, then called John Madden Football, debuted in 1988. That was around the time my brother and I got our first Nintendo video game console. Video games, which I haven't played regularly in several years, sure have changed a lot since then. When Madden games today are played on a high-definition TV, they can almost be confused for a real-life NFL game. It continues to be a top-seller and is approaching the 100-million-copies-sold plateau. A lot of dudes anticipate the release of the new game each year the way some people crave the next iPhone. Many chicks know the game as the thing that keeps their guy from spending quality time with them.

The Madden NFL 13 cover vote finals between Cam and Calvin started yesterday and ends Wednesday, April 25. The winner will be revealed that day at 5 p.m. on SportsNation on ESPN2. Go to espn.com/maddenvote now to vote for Cam. That is, unless you believe in the whole Madden Curse thing. I don't.

By the way, did you know a statue of Cam was unveiled last week at Auburn University? The Tigers honored their three Heisman Trophy winners--Cam (2010), Bo Jackson (1985), and Pat Sullivan (1971)--with life-sized statues. Watch the video here.

UPDATE 4/20/12: In this video below, Cam Newton--after running through a long list of aliases--explains why he deserves to be on the Madden NFL 13 cover and challenges his co-finalist Calvin Johnson to play him in the video game. Plus, in what he's calling the CAMpaign Challenge, he invites you Madden gamers to play him by sending an email to playcam@cam1newton.com with your full name, phone number, and gamer tag, and he'll select one or some of you.  

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Winner of the Windows Phone Giveaway Announced

On Friday I kicked off a contest to give away a new Windows Phone to a Grown People Talking reader, courtesy of Microsoft, allowing you four days to enter to win by interacting with me via social media (and then posting your entries in the comments section). I originally said I would announce the winner on Wednesday, which was yesterday, and I'd planned to do it once I returned from the Windows Phone Party at Mez last night. But I ended up having too much fun and bounced around to a couple of places in Uptown after and was in no condition to do any blogging when I returned (you too can keep up with fun things to do in Charlotte nightlife on my Dusk Till Dawn blog).

So, without further ado, the winner of my Windows Phone giveaway is...Andrew Buchanan! Congratulations Andrew! Email me your mailing address and contact phone number and I'll let you know the process for receiving the phone: JarvisH@grownpeopletalking.com.

Just so you guys can have faith that the contest was legit, I recorded how I selected the winner. It's a riveting five minutes of footage of me undergoing the process of putting slits of paper in a bag and pulling one out.

As for the Windows Phone Party last night at Mez, it was filled with mingling, free food and drinks, music, and prize giveaways--my favorite recipe for social events--all courtesy of Microsoft. I only knew a few people there, but met a few interesting people as well that I conversed with throughout the night. There were several tech geeks there also, which, from my understanding, was an important demographic, since we were, after all, there to try out and experience a new line of smart phones.

You can get a recap of the night's events on Twitter by searching the hashtag #WPCHR (Windows Phone Charlotte). Microsoft gave away several phones and other prizes last night (my friend Jameka won a customized skateboard) and one of the ways people were eligible to win was by tweeting about the event with that hashtag. The phone party tour is in Dallas, Nashville, and Phoenix tonight.

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I'm Giving Away a New Windows Phone to One Lucky Blog Reader

How would you like to win a new Windows Phone? Well, I'm giving one away, thanks to the folks at Microsoft. But before I tell you how you can win one from me, let me give you the details on a cool event Microsoft is bringing to Charlotte.

Microsoft is taking its Windows Phone Inner Circle Tour to about 20 cities around the country and is hosting parties. The Charlotte Windows Phone party takes place Wednesday, November 16, 6-9 p.m. at Mez (210 E. Trade St., inside EpiCentre). At the event, a Microsoft team will show you the latest Windows Phones--its features, apps, games, etc. There'll also be music, mixing and mingling, and appetizers and drinks served, plus phones and other prizes will be given away. Click here to register to attend.

Partiers playing Angry Birds on a Windows Phone at a recent Windows party in New York.
Credit: facebook.com/windowsphone.

Now, here's how you can enter to win a Windows Phone as a faithful reader of Grown People Talking. Microsoft is providing a phone for me to give away, such as the HTC Radar 4G, HTC Titan, Samsung Focus S, or Samsung Focus Flash (click here to read about the new Windows Phones). I'm kicking off the contest on Friday, November 11 at 5 p.m. through Tuesday, November 15 at 11:59 p.m. And I'll announce the winner here on Grown People Talking on Wednesday, November 16.

You'll be entered to win the phone by submitting your entry in the comments section of this post. You'll get one entry for each of the following ways you interact with me via social media:

• "Like" my Grown People Talking Facebook fan page, facebook.com/GrownPeopleTalking
• Follow me on Twitter @HollidayInk, twitter.com/HollidayInk
• Subscribe to my Grown People Talking YouTube channel, youtube.com/GrownPeopleTalking
• Share the link to my Dusk Till Dawn blog, CharlotteMagazine.com/Blogs/Dusk-Till-Dawn, on your own Facebook and/or Twitter page
• Share the link to my The DNC in the CLT blog, CharlotteMagazine.com/Blogs/The-DNC-In-The-CLT, on your own Facebook and/or Twitter page

So that's a total of seven entries you can earn. After you've done some or all of those things, post one comment in the comments section below with your first and last name, the number indicating how many entries you've earned, followed by a description of which social media tasks you completed. Here's how your comment should look:

John Smith - 5 - liked you on Facebook, followed you on Twitter, subscribed to YouTube, shared Dusk Till Dawn on Facebook, shared DNC on Facebook.

-OR-

Jane Adams - 2 - liked you on Facebook, followed you on Twitter.

If you're already a fan on Facebook, follower on Twitter, or subscriber on YouTube, you don't have to undo and redo it. Just list it in the comments section of this post as the tasks you've completed.

I don't need any contact information from you yet. I'll only need it from the person selected as the winner. So when I announce the winner on Wednesday, I'll ask the winner to email me his/her mailing address to receive the phone.

If you have any questions about how this contest works, feel free to email me at JarvisH@grownpeopletalking.com. Good luck!

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