Gatorade Debuts 'Sweat It To Get It' Commercials With Peyton Manning and Cam Newton... and 'Customers'

Gatorade released a series of commercials online yesterday for its "Sweat It. Get It" campaign, starring quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Cam Newton. The two NFL stars appear separately in the ads, which range from one minute to two minutes long. They make it difficult for unsuspecting customers to buy Gatorade at a convenience store because the men and women who attempt to purchase the sports drinks haven't sweated, which means they haven't earned it.

Cam appears in two of the commercials, while Peyton is in six--he's the consummate pitch man, isn't he? Even though there are so-called hidden cameras capturing this and it seems to be a real convenience store, like the Jeff Gordon test-drive-prank Pepsi commercial last year, my suspicions are that these are all actors; though one (and only one) of Peyton's seems real. (Jeff Gordon's commercial has gone on to get more than 40 million views, by the way.)

Watch the two commercials with the Carolina Panthers QB below, and you can view all of them at gatorade.com/sweat-it-get-it.

You'll also find Cam and Peyton alongside Eli Manning, Robert Griffin III, and J.J. Watt as Gatorade's The League of Captains. Each player is a comic book character, with actual written and illustrated stories--Cam is "The Blender"--and you can purchase specially designed Gatorade bottles of the characters for a limited time.

Credits: Gatorade

And if you need more Cam in your day, watch the newest episode of "Huddle Up with Cam Newton," a five-part web series by Under Armour that shows inside looks into Cam's life, as he discusses the highs and lows. In the episode three, released today, he talks about how his college football career almost ended before it even started, including a candid moment about sitting the bench behind Tim Tebow.

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Dove Men+Care 'Calls For Dad' Commercial Is a Hit Leading Up to Father's Day

Dove Men+Care continues to create impactful campaigns around its line of men's grooming products. The latest is its "Real Dad Moments" campaign, and just in time for Father's Day the company debuted a "Calls For Dad" video. The minute-long commercial (though Dove is describing it as a short film) was posted to YouTube on Monday and has become an instant hit. The video has received more than four million views in four days.

You'll see sons and daughters of all ages calling for "dad" or "daddy," from little boys and girls learning to swim and potty training, to grown men and women at weddings and moments of distress. In the video's description, Dove writes: "Three quarters of dads say they are responsible for their child's emotional well-being, while only 20% of dads see this role reflected in media. It's time to acknowledge the caring moments of fatherhood that often go overlooked."

The brand encourages you to share your pride for your father on social media using the #RealDadMoments hashtag. And it is embedding several of those photos on the Fatherhood section of its website, as you can see in the screenshot below.

I'm happy to see fathers being recognized in such a positive way. I grew up with my father in my home and in my life, but I realize that's not a reality for a lot of people. Hopefully this campaign will make the good dads feel appreciated, and will motivate the dead-beat dads to change their ways. I remember specifically last year seeing numerous posts on Facebook on Father's Day. But rather than it being of people celebrating their fathers, a lot of the posts were from people dissing their dads for not having been involved in their lives or single mothers speaking out about how they have to play the role of both parents (with some mothers saying Father's Day is for them too). That's tough, and I certainly sympathize, having seen the impact of absentee fathers throughout my family, friends, and community, but Father's Day should be reserved for saluting the good dads.

I had the privilege last year of going on set of a Dove Men+Care commercial shoot that took place at Jay Bilas's Charlotte home. Bilas, a popular ESPN college basketball analyst, was featured prominently in the "Real Moments" campaign that premiered nationally during NCAA March Madness 2013, and that also included separate commercials of Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade with his kids. The Bilas shoot occurred at his home that January, and I got to go behind the scenes as camera crews filmed the Bilas family in funny and down-to-earth moments. I wrote an article about it for Charlotte magazine's website.

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Welcome Back, Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Bobcats officially became the Charlotte Hornets yesterday, returning the name of the city's original NBA team after being gone for 12 years. Many of you have been keeping up with this transition that's been in the works for the past year; some of you haven't; I have relatives living in other parts of the country who never realized the Hornets even left Charlotte. Well the name is back, and while I had my doubts in the past, I bee-lieve the excitement from the fans will bode well for the franchise this upcoming season and beyond.

New Hornets signage at Time Warner Cable Arena in Uptown. Credit: @CBJnewsroom

Here are a few things you should know, according to the Charlotte Hornets' official announcement yesterday:

• The team has secured all of the important online Hornets domains: hornets.com, facebook.com/hornets, twitter.com/hornets, instagram.com/hornets, google.com/+hornets.
• The new-look Hugo the Hornet mascot debuts June 5.
• On June 9, the franchise will officially launch its renamed charitable foundation (formerly known as Cats Care) and will spend that day volunteering on beautification projects at Hornets Nest Elementary School.
• The new purple and teal team uniforms will be unveiled on June 19.
• On June 26, the new playing floor will be revealed at Time Warner Cable Arena, just hours before the Hornets participate in the NBA Draft (the team has the ninth overall pick).
• The Charlotte Hornets will return to action July 11-21 at the 2014 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Also, as I'd previously blogged, the newly named Charlotte Honey Bees dance team (twitter.com/thehoneybees, instagram.com/thehoneybees) is holding auditions June 7.

Credit: Hornets

The Hornets also received a lot of love on social media from several of the city's other sports' professional athletes, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. (a nostalgic tweet) and Cam Newton (a swagged out Instagram video).

The Charlotte Hornets are back...again...for a third time. #BuzzCity pic.twitter.com/Nzn2vL2xTp
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) May 20, 2014

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NASCAR's 'Heroes' Commercial Targets Young Fans

When I interviewed longtime NASCAR team owner Felix Sabates for Where Charlotte magazine last year, among the many interesting things he told me (and many that I didn't have space for in the article) that he believed his league needed to do to grow is to attract younger fans. Well, one of NASCAR's newest television commercials, which began airing this weekend with the running of the Daytona 500, features kids.

Credit: youtube.com/nascar

In the minute-long commercial, titled "Heroes," several boys and one girl talk about what they dream of becoming. They appear to be between elementary and middle school age, and they dream "of flying," "of riding a rocket," "of being an athlete," "of being a king," and "of being fearless," among other things. Their assertions are followed by quick and exciting scenes from NASCAR races and several of the sports most popular drivers. The commercial closes with one of the kids saying he dreams of being a race car driver, which essentially is what each of the kids is saying.

When I saw the commercial this afternoon, I immediately liked it. Heck, it even gave me a little bit of that excitement we only tend to have about something as kids. Even though I consider myself an avid sports fan today, it pales in comparison to how I was as a kid. When I would watch games all day on the weekends, wouldn't miss a round of the playoffs, read the player and team stats whenever they were published in the newspaper (that's a lost art). So it is absolutely imperative that NASCAR chase these young fans, whom I assume they hope will grow to be adult fans.

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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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The 'Perfect Bacon Bowl' Is Calling My Name

Hopefully you've had at least a few days off this week because of the holidays. If so, you've likely watched more TV than usual. And if that's the case, you probably have seen the commercial for the Perfect Bacon Bowl. It's been airing a lot this week. And now it's haunting me.

See, the Perfect Bacon Bowl is just what it sounds like, in terms of what it promises. You wrap uncooked bacon around the pan, stick it into the oven, and when it's done, the bacon has formed the shape of a bowl, which you can then fill with even more mouth-watering goodness.

I saw the commercial on TV all day on Tuesday. So I decided to tweet about it and include the YouTube video of the commercial. After posting my tweet, I clicked on the video's link to make sure it was working properly and I realized that I recognized one of the guys chomping on bacon in the commercial as someone who works for Edison Nation here in Charlotte. It would make perfect sense because Edison Nation has become astute in bringing clever, why-didn't-I-think-of-that kind of products to the market. I soon confirmed that it is indeed Edison Nation who's behind this cool, new thingamajig.

But I must resist buying it. See, I love bacon too much. I'm talking about the real stuff too: pork. No, turkey bacon is not an adequate substitute. I love bacon because of its taste, crunch, smell (but not to the extent of wanting bacon cologne)... er'ything. If I'm ordering at a restaurant I haven't eaten at before and it has an item on the menu that has bacon on it, I'm likely to order that. If I was to have a Perfect Bacon Bowl in my possession, there would be no end to the number of makeshift recipes I would create. I would probably try to eat cereal out of it.

But I'm not the only one. We're in the midst of a bacon craze--from cocktails to chocolate. Even if it is "Why the rest of the world hates us," as David Letterman proclaimed recently in response to the Perfect Bacon Bowl. This kitchsy kitchen device has also become food for fodder on Twitter (search "Perfect Bacon Bowl"), likely propelled by the prominence the TV commercial has been getting as of late.

Visit buyperfectbacon.com if you'd like to order the Perfect Bacon Bowl.


UPDATE: 1/26/14
I was given a Perfect Bacon Bowl, and I used it for the first time today. I whipped up a couple of bacon, egg, and cheese bowls for Sunday brunch. It was as easy to use as demonstrated in the ads, but it took longer than I expected for the bacon to cook to a crisp in the oven--about an hour in my gas oven because the directions say not to exceed 375 degrees. My suggestion is to cook your bacon bowls in a toaster oven for faster results. Of course, the microwave would be the absolute fastest way but I don't like to cook food in a microwave.

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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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Brooklyn Decker Dons Charlotte Hornets Hat... and Keeps It G

Supermodel-turned-actress Brooklyn Decker shared a photo on Instagram late last night of herself wearing a Charlotte Hornets hat, adding some buzz to the Buzz City movement.

After starring in two major movies in 2012--What to Expect When You're Expecting and Battleship--the Matthews native is set to star in her first recurring role on a television series, a comedy called Friends with Better Lives that is expected to debut midseason on CBS. According to tweets and Instagram posts from cast and crew members, the show wrapped the taping of its first season this past Wednesday. In addition to Brooklyn, the FWBL cast includes Kevin Connolly, James Van Der Beek, Majandra Delfino, and Zoe Lister-Jones.

Back to the Hornets hat, if you'll notice, Brooklyn keeps it G by posing with the tag still on, reminiscent of this hilarious "Dueling Hats" skit from Key & Peele.

The Hornets name and mascot makes its return to Charlotte's NBA team, replacing the Bobcats, beginning with the 2014-15 season.

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Personal Look at the Curry Family in Montessori Video

While most of the world knows Sonya Curry as Stephen and Seth's mom, the lady we enjoyed watching on television in the stands at college basketball games, she has an important day job. Aside from being the matriarch of Charlotte's First Family of sports, which also includes husband Dell and daughter Sydel, Sonya is the founder and head of school of the Christian Montessori School at Lake Norman. Because the school is a member of the American Montessori Society, we're treated to a video the society produced, featuring the Curry family discussing how receiving a Montessori education positively impacted their lives.

Photo of a young Curry family, shown in the Montessori video. 

I first became familiar with Montessori schools several years ago, shortly after moving to Charlotte. I was working on a magazine article that led me to learn that Montessori schools, for the most part, allow students to learn at their own pace and there are usually multiple ages placed in a classroom to foster peer learning. In the video, all five of the Currys talk about what they like about Montessori education. But what I think you'll enjoy most is getting a rare glimpse into the personal lives of a family that has been in the public eye for much of the last 20 years, but does their best to keep a relatively low profile outside of their professions.

In describing each of her kids' personalities, Sonya says Steph is really task oriented, Seth is quiet, shy, and reserved, and Sydel is a social butterfly. If you've ever come across Sydel's Twitter, then you know the Elon University freshman volleyball player is social. And I know that the Sonya Curry stans will be happy to see that the hot mom gets a lot of face time in the video.

I learned of this video from a tweet Steph posted yesterday.

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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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Charlotte's First H&M Opens Nov. 14 at Northlake Mall

I strolled around Northlake Mall a few weeks ago and I literally thought to myself: this mall can almost give SouthPark mall a run for its money. Opened since 2005, Northlake is Charlotte's youngest mall and it's always been well-managed from what I can tell. But it's the addition of many elite stores that's taking it to another level. And not the least of which is H&M, which holds its grand opening at Northlake on November 14.

H&M is occupying the space that formerly housed Borders bookstore (located near the food court entrance). For the last several months, the building has undergone massive renovations to take on the H&M brand, and making it look almost like a stand-alone store. This will be the retail giant's first Charlotte store, while a second location is scheduled to open less than a month later at Carolina Place. H&M has about 3,000 stores worldwide, with more than 230 of those located in the U.S. I'm not sure what took it so long to come to Charlotte--it opened in Raleigh and Winston-Salem prior to the Queen City, and there's also a location opening soon in Greensboro.

Chicks love H&M. Credit: facebook.com/hm

If you're not familiar with H&M, it sells ladies, men, and kids' clothing as well as home goods, and it's most known for carrying items and brands that reflect international trends. It also regularly presents special collections from celebrities such as Beyonce and David Beckham.

The H&M Northlake Grand Opening will take place Thursday, November 14 at 12 p.m. The celebration will feature fashion, music by a DJ, and giveaways. And according to the Facebook invite for the event, the first 200 shoppers in line will receive an all-access fashion pass valued up to $300 off your entire purchase. Obviously the store is opening just in time for the start of the holiday shopping season.

Rendering of H&M at Northlake Mall. Credit: shopnorthlake.com

Other stores that have opened at Northlake within the past year include Forever 21, which was already at the mall but moved to a much larger space--the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that line the entire front of the store are eye-catching; White House | Black Market and Chico's also opened earlier this year. And then there's the Apple Store that opened a couple of years ago that attracts shoppers from around the state.

There's also a lot of new development going on around the mall, particularly on Harris Boulevard near the I-485 exit.

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What's In the Box? Charlotte Knights Unveil New Team Colors, Logo, and Merchandise

If you follow the Charlotte Knights on Twitter, and happened to see the team's feed today, you were probably asking: What's in the box? (Though you likely didn't drop the F-bomb.)

The Charlotte Knights promotions department came up with a clever, social media-powered strategy to generate interest leading up to the team's big announcement this evening, as well as to tie-in with the Triple-A club's move from Fort Mill to the new Uptown Charlotte baseball stadium. Below are several of the photos the team posted to its Twitter account today, beginning around noon and continuing until tonight.

Photos credit: @KnightsBaseball

So as you see, the Knights have debuted a new team logo and colors. The new designs and merchandise were formally unveiled during an event this evening at the Charlotte Convention Center. Here's how the look is described in the announcement on the team's website:

"In keeping with a medieval theme, the Knights new image showcases gold and silver, colors synonymous with royalty. The team's four on-field caps feature a base color of black with white accents, creating a classic combination of colors unique within Minor League Baseball. The font-style in the team's word emblem "Knights" has an Olde English look similar to professional baseball's Charlotte Hornets circa 1950."

Below is a look at the old logo against the new logo (in case you're wondering, it's already been updated on Wikipedia).

I must say, I like the new look. It looks fiercer, which is what I prefer in sports teams' branding. The Knights hired Brandiose, a San Diego-based design firm to create the new look. Brandiose has designed new identities for minor league and major league teams.

This new look will certainly add to the excitement for what's already an exciting time for the team (don't forget they added their first-ever cheerleader squad, The KnightinGals, last spring), led by its move to the under-construction BB&T Ballpark in Uptown. The stadium is scheduled to be completed in time for the Knights to begin playing there at the start of the 2014 season. Their home opener is Friday, April 11, at 7:05 p.m.

BB&T Ballpark rendering. Credit: charlotteknightsatuptown.com

Keep up with all things Charlotte Knights by visiting charlotteknights.com.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Shows How He Really Does In 'This Is How We Dew' Commercial

I'm going to tell you something you already know: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a rock star in NASCAR.

But despite being the most popular and most endorsed/highly paid driver in the sport, Dale Jr. doesn't seem to publicly embrace his rock star status much. He's usually mild-mannered and soft spoken in pre- and post-race interviews. He doesn't do social media or go out of his way to get attention--you never read about him in tabloids or gossip websites. And even when I've seen him out and about around Charlotte, he's usually low-key and not rolling with a large entourage. Yet, he's always in your face because he doesn't shy away from lucrative product and brand endorsements, and launching his own ventures like potato chips, nightclubs (Whisky River is opening a location soon at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport), and Earnhardt Outdoors with his siblings (which is currently asking for your ideas for new outdoor products, like for hunting, fishing, camping, etc.).

Finally, of all the television commercials Dale Jr. has appeared in, his new one for Mountain Dew showcases his rock star lifestyle.

The "Living Portrait of Dale Earnhardt Jr." commercial started airing on TV at the beginning of the month, and I saw it repeatedly over the weekend. It's the latest promotion in Mountain Dew's "This Is How We Dew" campaign, which this installment features moving "portraits" of three of the soda brand's celebrity endorsers. The other two guys featured are snowboarder Danny Davis and skateboarder Paul Rodriguez. You can see all three commercials at mountaindew.com/portraits.

Dale Jr.'s living portrait shows him sitting in victory lane on a throne made of engine parts, surrounded by members of his pit crew (not sure if those are the actual pit guys) who are spraying Mountain Dew in the air in celebration, along with hot chicks waving checkered flags and country music star Brantley Gilbert jamming away on his guitar (though that's not his music you hear playing). In the background, you'll also notice his No. 88 car, the Whisky River logo, lights and seating from a racetrack, and two people doing stunts on four-wheelers (not sure of the tie-in with that part).

It's an all-around cool, 30-second ad, including the use of the song "Hot Fire" by Crash Kings. But as several commenters on the YouTube video have pointed out, and I certainly agree with, the concept of the commercial looks a lot like the visual techniques used in Kanye West's 2010 video for "Power" (See, another reason why Ye is the greatest of all-time. #KanyeVoice).

Unfortunately, the commercial strays a little from Dale Jr.'s reputation, by virtue of facts. The visual is set in victory lane at a racetrack, as I pointed out. But if you follow NASCAR, then you know that Junior has won only one NASCAR Sprint Cup series race in the last five years, and that victory came more than a year ago in June 2012 (that's one win in about 200 races). By comparison, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson has won four races this season alone. In terms of the standings, Dale Jr.'s had a pretty good season, currently ranked seventh and with five top-five finishes. With only two races remaining in the regular season schedule, he's almost a shoe-in to make the Chase, NASCAR's playoffs.

Win or lose, he's still a rock star.

In other Dale Jr. news, he'll appear on the next episode of Fast N' Loud on Discovery. The show is about a couple of car experts who go around the country searching for rare classic cars to restore. Dale Jr. is a known car buff, so I assume in the episode, which airs on Monday, September 2, at 9 p.m., that we'll see the show's crew coming to Dale Jr.'s Mooresville home and/or race shop to get one of his cars.

1 week until an all new #FastNLoud with #DaleJr. Don't miss it! @JRMotorsports #NASCAR @GasMonkeyGarage pic.twitter.com/t8gCOmIWvm
— Discovery US (@Discovery) August 26, 2013

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Lowe's Knows Digital -- Holograms and Key Machines

As a perennial handyman (not really) and avid do-it-yourselfer (hardly), I made a quick visit to Lowe's earlier this week to pick up a few items. I went to the Lowe's on Iverson Way (off South Boulevard) and encountered a couple of things at the home improvement store that reminded me that we're living in a digital age.

First, as I walked in, to the left of the main aisle stood a Lowe's associate named Holly. She tried to convince me to by a jug of some kind of home insect control spray that was on sale. I didn't need any. Holly is a hologram, by the way. (A few people have posted videos of the hologram on YouTube.)

As I proceeded through the store, I figured I'd go ahead and take my house key over to the station where copies are made. This way, if it took more than a few minutes, I could pick up the other items I needed while the key was being duplicated. Except, as I was surprised to find, no longer is there a counter where a Lowe's employee duplicates keys. Now there's a self-service automated kiosk called MinuteKEY. You stick in your key, choose the style of key you want (you can get a simple brass or silver key or custom keys like one with the Carolina Panthers logo), use your credit/debit card to pay for the number of copies you want, and it duplicates the key (takes about a minute for each copy).

The robots are taking over, people...

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Charlotte Is a Hot Market for Grocers... Do You Know About These Specialty Stores?

The grocery store/supermarket, er, market in Charlotte has been heating up over the past year. You've been keeping up with the news, right?

Publix is moving into the area with three new stores either planned or currently under construction--South End, Ballantyne, and Cornelius--and it's opening a Charlotte division headquarters. After years of locals wishing, Whole Foods finally opened its first store here last August, in SouthPark. Salisbury-based Food Lion, which operates 1,100 stores in 10 states, has been making all kinds of changes over the past year, trying to keep up with the competition. And our other locally-based supermarket chain, Harris Teeter, is the talk of the town (and business world) after news yesterday that it's being acquired by Kroger. And lastly, as it does to almost every retail sector, Walmart continues to be a major player with its grocery stores.

We all have to eat to live, but who would've thought the market would become so competitive? (#1stWorldProblems.) But amid all of the grand announcements being made and big-box grocery stores opening, there are a few smaller stores that have launched--first in Charlotte at that--over the past year that say a lot about our grocery shopping preferences and the city as a desirable market.

201central

Credit: facebook.com/201central

Opened: October 2012 (two locations)
The Appeal: Fine wines, domestic and imported beers, specialty foods; café seating area, in-store wine consultants; educational classes focused on wine, beer, and food pairings; a beer room, and a walk-in humidor.
Company: A division of Harris Teeter.
Address: 13108 Eastfield Rd., Huntersville, 704-875-2892, 5939; Weddington-Monroe Rd., Wesley Chapel, 704-821-2686, 201central.com.

The Baby Grocery Store

Credit: facebook.com/thebabygrocerystore

Opened: November 2012
The Appeal: Parents shopping for babies for items such as all-natural, organic, and non-GMO food products; diapers, wipes, and environmentally-friendly household items; staff available to answer questions about products and choices like making baby food, cloth diapering, and baby wearing.
Company: After operating a mall kiosk for a year, Charlotte entrepreneur Darren Gann opened the first brick and mortar location in Charlotte, with future plans to expand into other states.
Address: 10225 Park Rd., Charlotte, 704-543-8635, thebabygrocerystore.com.

Lettuce Carry

Credit: facebook.com/LettuceCarry

Opened: March 2012
The Appeal: Offers more than 15,000 items including fresh food (local and organic), household items, health and beauty supplies, tobacco, beer, and wine; delivered to your door at no additional charge in a refrigerated truck.
Company: Privately owned; delivers to most of the Charlotte region including all of Mecklenburg County, Concord, Mooresville, Gastonia, Fort Mill, Rock Hill, and Monroe.
Contact: 704-962-3019, lettucecarry.com.

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Crazy Over Chick-fil-A

I guess when you've always had access to something, you tend to not make a big deal over it. I've lived in the South my whole life, where a Chick-fil-A restaurant has always been nearby. Growing up in Rembert, SC, I would eat at Chick-fil-A from time to time when I visited Sumter Mall (back in my day it was called Jessamine Mall). But I didn't become a regular until I attended the University of South Carolina (shout out to my Gamecocks!), where there was a Chick-fil-A in our student union (shout out to the Russell House), and we could purchase a chicken sandwich combo on our meal plans. Yeah, I ate enough chicken sandwiches and waffle fries over the course of those four years to last me a lifetime.

Credit: facebook.com/ChickfilA

Years later though, while living in Augusta, Georgia and eventually here in Charlotte, Chick-fil-A has simply become another staple in the fast food chain for me. Don't get me wrong, they make the best chicken sandwiches in the business (and can someone tell me how come Chick-fil-A's Hi-C Fruit Punch tastes better than everyone else's?), but I don't eat as much fast food now that I'm in my 30s. And while I love food, I don't think there are many restaurants, or dishes for that matter, that excite me to near-orgasmic levels. But Chick-fil-A causes that reaction in many people, particularly those who don't have the opportunity to eat there as often as they would like. There are more than 1,700 Chick-fil-A locations and growing in 39 states, but the Georgia-based franchise is still most-heavily concentrated in the South (the states with the most locations are Texas, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia--those five states comprise about half of all the Chick-fil-A restaurants).

And the fact that you can't buy Chick-fil-A in New York--no, Mayor Bloomberg hasn't banned them because of the size of their cups; there just aren't any locations (well, one on NYU's campus but that's it)--meaning millions of people who live in one of the most populated states and the most populated city, NYC, have either never experienced the famous chicken sandwich, or can only get it when they travel out of state.

Celebrity socialite and Californian Kourtney Kardashian ate at Chick-fil-A for the first time ever when she and her boyfriend Scott Disick visited Charlotte three years ago, when Scott celebrated his birthday at the now-defunct Butter NC nightclub. "We went to the mall in Charlotte during the day to shop and eat Chick-Fil-A, which we were told was AMAZING," Kourtney wrote on her website at the time. "We were not let down, we were all dying over the chicken sandwiches with pickles… yum!" Then last year, while pregnant with their second child, she famously tweeted: "Chick-fil-A and a water birth. No big deal," which included an Instagram photo of her Chick-fil-A cup. Guess she's hooked now.

Whenever Charlamagne Tha God, radio personality for New York City's Power 105.1 FM The Breakfast Club morning show and MTV2 host, visits the South, usually to host a party, one of his highly touted (tweeted) stops is Chick-fil-A. He's a South Carolina native, so his cravings now come from the deprivation in NYC. I remember him making the chicken sandwich chain his first stop last year when he came to Charlotte during CIAA Week; when he came this year, a flight delay caused him to miss his coveted Chick-fil-A breakfast. More recently, he was in Myrtle Beach during Memorial Day weekend and tweeted: "FYI my fellow fat minded f#@!s the Peach milkshake Is back at Chick Fil A." And he's often, comically, talking about what Chick-fil-A (and another Southern delicacy, Krispy Kreme) will cause people to do.

So why am I talking about all of this now? Because this afternoon I was on Twitter and saw a few photos (see below) of people camping out in the parking lot of the new Chick-fil-A that's holding its grand opening tomorrow (May 30) at 10001 Rea Road, in the Blakeney area of south Charlotte. Apparently, they're aiming to be one of the "First 100," which is a promotion Chick-fil-A holds each time a new location is opening, offering the first 100 people a chance to win free Chick-fil-A for a year (one meal per week for 52 weeks). These folks are crazy over those chicken sandwiches and waffle fries!

Credit @woodyandwilcox

Credit: @BlakeneyCFA

You can keep up with the madness on the Chick-fil-A Blakeney Twitter @BlakeneyCFA and Facebook.

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Charlotte's Bid for the X Games Ramps Up

Last month, ESPN announced that Charlotte was one of four finalists for cities to host the summer X Games for three years beginning in 2014. The other three cities being considered are Austin, Chicago, and Detroit. If Charlotte is selected, the majority of the extreme sports competitions would take place at the racing complexes at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In recent weeks, speedway officials have ramped up (see what I did there?) excitement around the possibility by launching an official website, social media accounts, and making appearances at popular Charlotte events.

This rendering shows what an X Games ramp could look like inside the zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Photos credit: xgamescltbid.com

ESPN launched this annual event in 1995 as the Extreme Games, held in Providence, Rhode Island. Two years later it was rebranded as the X Games and relocated to California, where the bulk of its run has taken place over the years. The X Games have grown significantly during the past decade and has helped many of its competitors become superstar athletes. The games now feature nearly 20 competitions in four categories: BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, and Rally Car.

According to a study by the LA Sports & Entertainment Commission, the 2010 X Games in Los Angeles had an economic impact of at least $50 million (stats from study provided by CMS). The study also shows that in 2010, ESPN broadcast 31 hours of original content live during the games, reaching all 50 states and 175 countries. So, this would bring national and international attention to Charlotte, would be a huge benefit to the local economy, and it would be another boost to Charlotte's reputation as a great city to host large events.

Charlotte Motor Speedway, of course, is in the midst of hosting several days of events during its busiest schedule of the year, with this weekend's Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race, which comes after last weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race. ESPN and X Games officials are scheduled to visit Charlotte June 4 and 5 as part of their decision-making process, and they're expected to announce the chosen city this summer. I wonder if our connection with ESPNU and the recently announced SEC Network will carry any favor?

Fans showing support for X Games Charlotte at a recent Alive After Five event in Uptown.

You can get all the latest info and support the efforts for Charlotte's X Games bid by visiting:

• XGamesCLTbid.com

• facebook.com/XGamesCharlotte

• twitter.com/XGamesCLTBid

The speedway has also created this promo video:

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Post a Selfie in Support of #ISF3Wishes and Childhood Cancer Awarness

I don't think I've ever posted a "selfie" before. So, if I'm going to go the popular, smart-phone/social-media-propelled route of vanity, it may as well be for a great cause. The Isabella Santos Foundation has launched its 3 Wishes campaign to raise awareness for childhood cancer.

The Charlotte-based nonprofit's namesake is the late Isabella Santos, a remarkable seven-year-old girl who died last summer from a rare form of childhood cancer called neuroblastoma. ISF was founded in 2009 by Isabella's parents while their little girl battled the disease. In just a few years, the foundation has raised more than $350,000 for neuroblastoma research and other children’s cancer charities.

Isabella Santos. Credit: facebook.com/IsabellaSantosFoundation

Now, with the 3 Wishes campaign, you can honor the memory of this beautiful little girl by doing something you probably often do: Post a selfie. But take it a step further by including three wishes you would want to see realized by children battling cancer.

My 3 Wishes are:

• That princesses get kisses.

• You'll always have reasons to smile.

• Outgrow your "Proud Cancer Survivor" T-Shirt.

You're asked to post your selfie on Twitter, Instagram, and/or Pinterest and use the #ISF3Wishes hashtag; and post it on ISF's Facebook page. Spread the word too, particularly to your friends who have social media accounts full of selfies (you know who you are).

In my list of wishes, I got the idea for the first one from a touching video ISF recently created about Isabella's life. Shortly after the three-minute mark, there's a scene taken from the Santos's home videos showing Isabella, who looked like she was only about four years old at the time, telling her little brother Grant that: "Princesses need kisses."

I've seen several creative #ISF3Wishes posts, created by parents (with artistic abilities far better than me) and many featuring children close to Isabella's age, such as this one on Facebook:

Visit www.isabellasantosfoundation.com and follow on Twitter @TheISFoundation.

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Party Photos from 'Charlotte’s Web: A Celebration of CLT Bloggers & Digital Tastemakers'

Last Saturday, May 4, I held an invitation-only event titled "Charlotte’s Web: A Celebration of CLT Bloggers & Digital Tastemakers" at Oak Room in South End. It served as a five-year anniversary party for my blog, GrownPeopleTalking.com, as well as an opportunity for me to partner with some other great sites: CharlotteHappening.com, HistoricSouthEnd.com, and MAC330.com. Each of them played an important role in helping make the event a success.

The event began at 7:30 p.m., and ran until Oak Room opened its doors to the public at 10 p.m. We featured delicious food, catered by All American Pub, while DJ Shogun played an awesome mix of music. The highlight, easily, was when I gave away prizes throughout the night such as: a 5Church gift card, two pairs of tickets to the Charlotte magazine BOB Awards (May 23), two gift certificates to The Boulevard at South End, two tickets to the Urban League of Central Carolinas Young Professionals Leadership Awards (June 22), a Chobani gift basket, a Workout 180 from Edison Nation, two passes to the final round of the Wells Fargo Championship, and more.

When the event started, I tweeted the #CLTweb hashtag for the first time. And over the next three hours, our guests tweeted using the hashtag more than 100 times.

It's 7:30. Time for Charlotte's Web: A Celebration of CLT Bloggers & Digital Tastemakers. #CLTweb | twitter.com/HollidayInk/st…
— Jarvis Holliday (@HollidayInk) May 4, 2013

Below are a few photos from Charlotte's Web. You can view more than 50 photos from the event on the Grown People Talking Facebook page. Photos by Jon Strayhorn/MAC330.

On the right, I'm addressing the crowd. On the left is my twin brother Marvis, of CharlotteHappening.com.

Ted Boyd of HistoricSouthEnd.com.

My girlfriend Andrea chatting in front of the Twitter screen.

Glenn Burkins of QcityMetro.com and Mike Kitchen of the Sol Kitchen.

Freelance writer Lauren Bongers and TV news reporter Katie Burcham.

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