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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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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Dressing the Part—Halloween and Year-Round

When you're a kid, as far as holidays go, in the order of importance (and excitement) there's Christmas, then Halloween. The older you get and as you become an adult, Christmas is still great but it changes significantly because you no longer receive a pile of gifts (or two weeks off, for that matter). But Halloween, strangely enough, is that magical holiday that actually becomes more fun once you become an adult. Sure, trick-or-treating is gone, but it's been replaced with parties serving cocktails. And many adults actually take dressing up in costumes very seriously—guys tend to be creative, while ladies tend to be, well, sexy (check out photos from the weekend's Grave Diggers Ball, for example).

Halloween is tomorrow and some of you will be dressing up for the occasion at work (if you have a fun boss) and, most importantly, at play when you hit the parties tomorrow night (check out the list of parties I compiled on my Dusk Till Dawn blog).

There are some people who wear costumes or uniforms year-round, however, because of their professions. I talked to three Charlotteans about their costume-like work lives.

Photo credit: Autostock/joeylogano.com

Joey Logano
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Driver
Uniform: Driver suit, made of fire-retardant material, along with racing helmet.
“Some drivers carry some superstitious stuff in their cars. I just have the bare minimum—all that other stuff adds weight. I have a big water bottle in there and that’s about all I need. Wearing this suit makes you want to put shorts on because it gets really hot. It’s usually about 30 degrees hotter inside the car than the outside temperature. You sweat so much that you don’t need to go to the bathroom during the race.”

Photo credit: facebook.com/cantina1511

Phil Carter
Executive Chef at Cantina 1511 (Dilworth location)
Uniform: Black chef pants and coat.
“I oversee the operations at an authentic Mexican restaurant, as far as ordering, receiving, food quality, food standards, and health standards. I’m a self-taught chef with over 22 years' experience. In the kitchen on a typical busy Friday or Saturday night there’s a lot of communication—not like what you see on these [reality TV] shows as far as yelling and screaming and stuff like that. It’s more of a controlled chaos, as we like to call it.”

Photo credit: facebook.com/angelalopeznc

Angela Lopez (Real name: Carlos Capps)
Drag Queen, Dancer, Performer
Costume: Dresses like a woman, complete with body pads, a body shaper, six layers of tights, stage makeup, wig, and high heels.
“It takes me about 45 minutes to an hour to get dressed—I’m used to it because I’ve been doing it for awhile. I also glue my eyebrows down with a glue stick and cover them up with makeup so you can’t see them. Then I draw them on. I wear seven inch heels—nothing less—because I’m only 5’4”. They’re actually not bad, but sometimes after wearing them for 14 hours it kind of hurts.”

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Bobcats Keeping It Hot During NBA Lockout

The NBA season was supposed to start next week, but we've known for a while that wasn't going to happen. As the lockout carries on and rumors surface that commissioner David Stern is about to cancel another two weeks of the regular season--eliminating more than 100 games through November 28--I applaud the Charlotte Bobcats for keeping fans engaged. Even without players, the franchise has been holding events for fans as well as conducting contests and giveaways through social media. They're currently giving away free stuff from the "Time Warner Cable Arena Closet."

And this week, the 2011-12 Lady Cats Swimsuit Calendar went on sale. Bobcats staff have been posting behind-the-scenes photo galleries of the calendar shoot on bobcats.com and facebook.com/bobcats.

Behind-the-scenes calendar shot of Lady Cat Rhema. Credit: bobcats.com.

While we won't have any Bobcats games to watch on TV anytime soon, FOX Sports Carolinas is airing a behind-the-scenes episode of the Lady Cats Swimsuit Calendar on Thursday, November 3 at 9 p.m. The Lady Cats are hosting calendar release parties that night at the EpiCentre: at Mez from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and at Whisky River from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Click here for more info on and photos of the Lady Cats.

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Angie Harmon Is a Tweeting Machine, but Sweet

Angie Harmon is prolific on Twitter (@Angie_Harmon), at least that's the impression I got when I began following her yesterday. She might have been in a particularly festive social networking mood because she tweeted 133 times Sunday (some were retweets of other people's). Yes, I counted.

The beautiful model-turned-actress moved to Charlotte a little more than a year ago with her husband, retired NFL player Jason Sehorn, and their three daughters. From people I know who have run into her here, they say she's very approachable. And that kindness seems to carry over onto Twitter.

While Angie probably equaled or surpassed her weight in tweets Sunday, about half of them were replies to her fans, which she refers to as her #Twangels. She actually started the day by replying to a tweet from NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) in which he tells her and mutual friend Barry Byrd to "Don't forget the bottle of Captain. Glow=Captain." She replies, "& a club to the inner thighs." That appears to be an insiders' joke/conversation, but it's pretty cool that they're having it on Twitter.

Her final tweet of the day came at 11:59 p.m. Angie responded to Samantha Hudson (@SamluvsParis), whose Twitter bio says she's "18 years old. Single mom of a beautiful 10 month old girl. Loving life." Samantha tweets: "@Angie_Harmon My baby girl's gonna become a boxer or a baseball player. She keeps hitting me or throwing stuff at me :( What can I do?" Angie replies: "@SamluvsParis gently take put her hand in urs & tell her no & that it hurts u... Then admire her strong personality! ;)"

It doesn't get sweeter or more sincere than that from a celebrity, ladies and gentlemen.

Angie currently stars in TNT's Rizzoli & Isles, which returns November 28.

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2011-12 Lady Cats Announced

I love this game.

Click here to see more photos of the 18 members of the recently announced Lady Cats dance team, for the Charlotte Bobcats' 2011-2012 NBA season. And you can meet them in person this Thursday at the Bobcats Draft Party.

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'My 1st Suit' Event Saturday at Macy's

There's a great event tomorrow for young men--and for the community to support them. The Magic of Macy's and My 1st Suit Men's Event takes place Saturday, June 4, 2-4 p.m. at Macy's at Northlake Mall (6801 Northlake Mall Dr.).

My 1st Suit is a nonprofit organization that works with men primarily ages 18 to 26 years old to help build their self-esteem and improve their lives. The organization puts the young men through a character-building program and at the end of it gives each one of them a custom-tailored suit, which oftentimes is that young man's first suit.

My 1st Suit has partnered with Macy's to put on a free, pre-Father's Day event tomorrow in the men's department (second floor) that will feature a men's fashion show, a DJ, complimentary hors d'oeuvres, and styling consultations by David Washington of DW Designs. The event will be hosted by my friend T. Strong a.k.a StyleMayvin. And My 1st Suit's founder, Chris Williams, will be present to tell the audience about the organization. Come out and support this great cause, and you will enjoy yourself.

For more details, visit my1stsuit.com. Below is a video of Chris's appearance yesterday on FOX News Rising in which he talked about the organization and the event.

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Five Days of South End Soul

Festival season has begun in Charlotte, and up next is one of my favorites. The South End Soul festival takes place this Tuesday, April 26 through Saturday, April 30, celebrating art, design, and innovation, and bringing together Charlotte's creative community. As South End has grown with residents and businesses--boutiques, art galleries and studios, restaurants, bars, etc.--so has this annual festival. This year it features more than 50 events over five days, including cooking demos, live music, design competitions, gallery crawls, lectures and how-to sessions, indoor and outdoor markets, wine and beer tastings, a fashion show, and more.

Here's a rundown of some of the festival's highlights. Visit the Find Your Center website for a full list of events, and also stay up to date on Facebook and Twitter.

Tuesday, April 26

Charlotte Seminar Series: Louis Foreman
The founder and CEO of Enventys and Everyday Edisons will talk about turning your creative spark into a business.11:30 a.m. $25 in advance or $30 at the door; includes lunch. Byron's South End.

Wednesday, April 27

Charlotte Social Media Breakfast
If social media is your communications tool of choice or if you want to learn more from some of Charlotte’s tweeting veterans, this is a great networking event for you. 7:30 a.m. $20; includes breakfast. Byron's South End.

Thursday, April 28

Pecha Kucha Night Charlotte, Volume 8
Pecha Kucha was created in Tokyo in 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. Over the last two and a half years, it's become a regular event in Charlotte. Doors open 7 p.m.; event starts 7:30 p.m. $5; cash bar. Amos' Southend. www.point8.org/pechakucha.

Friday, April 29

Design Your Life Festival (Friday and Saturday)
Learn how to design, remodel, and create a showplace in your own home. Visit the NARI Remodeling Show at Atherton Mill, as well as other studios and firms around The Design Center. 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

South End Gallery Crawl
Visit more than a dozen art galleries. 6-9 p.m.

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Style Week Charlotte Kicks Off

Style Week Charlotte begins today and runs through next Saturday, April 16, highlighting the Queen City's ever-growing style and fashion scene. Charlotte Style Magazine and its publisher Bridgette West have created this nine-day celebration, inviting several businesses and event planners to participate, and elevating it from what was typically a one-day event. For the past few years, the magazine has crowned the 25 Most Stylish People in Charlotte with both an issue of the publication and a signature event. This red carpet affair takes place tomorrow at Mercedes Benz of South Charlotte.

There are plenty more events going on over the next week. It all kicks off this evening with Say Red: Cocktails and Conversations, 7-9 p.m. at BluPrint Restaurant, a new restaurant located at 227 W. Trade St. (in the same building as Morton's Steakhouse). This networking social is sure to draw Charlotte's fashionable community and will feature complimentary appetizers and giveaways. Admission is free, however a suggested donation of $5 is requested to go towards supporting Team Red Pump-Charlotte for the May 7 AIDS Walk.

Other notable events on the Style Week Charlotte schedule include the Tailored Tuesday mixer on April 12 at Chima Brazilian Steakhouse; a Spring Fashion Crawl and Wine Tasting on April 14 at Morrison Place; then it all culminates with a big event, Passport For Fashion, on April 16 at Reelworks Movie Studio at NC Music Factory.

For more details, ticket prices, and the full schedule of events, go to www.styleweekcharlotte.com.

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Brooklyn Decker Is One of the Guys -- Just Go With It

Brooklyn Decker, Charlotte's famous supermodel-turned-actress, is making her major movie role debut when Just Go With It opens in theaters everywhere this Friday. The film stars Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, but Brooklyn's star power is being used to sell the film as well, as evident by the prominent role her yellow-bikini scene received in the commercial that aired during the Super Bowl.

Despite her sex appeal, in interviews Brooklyn is always talking sports and plugging her beloved Carolina Panthers. So in this funny Break.com video, she seeks to further reiterate that she's just one of the guys.

And of course, this is the time of year when anticipation is building toward the release of the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Brooklyn landed the coveted cover last year, and her career has been skyrocketing since (her most recent magazine cover is the February 2011 issue of Esquire). Will she be like the fewer than a handful of models in the 47-year history to grace the SI cover in back to back years? Who knows, but she's on one of the promotional images for the issue that debuts February 15.

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Brooklyn Decker's Appearing on Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Hometown girl and supermodel (and one of GPT's favorite blog subjects) Brooklyn Decker is appearing on this Sunday's episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition, airing at 8 p.m. on ABC. Brooklyn is assigned to the team that's building the closets and, putting her fashion model experience to use, she decides they should fill them with clothes.

The Johnsons are this week's lucky family to receive a home makeover.

See video below of a bonus scene of Brooklyn's work on the show.

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Read About It: Lil Kim and Meagan Good at Charlotte NC Fashion Week

I attended Charlotte NC Fashion Week's Saturday night event for one reason: to see Meagan Good. She was Lil Kim's special guest for the weekend, as the Queen Bee was in Charlotte promoting the opening of her new hair salon, Salon Se Swa.

As a journalist, I maintained my composure around Ms. Good. And that was really difficult to do after I "embedded" myself in their entourage. Visit Creative Loafing's website to read about the experience and see two videos I captured with my mini Kodak Zi6 camera. (Direct link to the article: "Lil Kim steals the show on final night of Charlotte NC Fashion Week.")

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Charlotte NC Fashion Week Underway

The third annual Charlotte NC Fashion Week (CNCFW) kicked off yesterday with workshops in the afternoon, a reception in the evening, and a fashion show at night. The all-day schedule continues today and tomorrow at Bank of America's Founders Hall and Urban Garden.

I attended Thursday's reception and fashion show, and my first impression was a good one as I stepped inside the Urban Garden for the first time. I had read about the building's construction and had passed it several times since it opened a few months ago, but this was my first time inside. It's a beautiful space and great venue for the fashion show and just about any other special event.

The crowd last night was a little light, I'm guessing about 150 people, but that's not surprising for a Thursday. I'm sure Friday and Saturday's crowds will be much larger. Even still, the fashion show last night was enjoyable. The DJ (and servers carrying drinks) kept us entertained until the fashion show began about 8:30 p.m. CNCFW Director Anthony Simons greeted the audience and shared his vision for the event. He then introduced host Debra Kennedy, who did a great job hosting the show--she's very charming and witty.

Since last night was Boutique Night, the models wore designs sold at several local boutiques, including: O1NE Boutique, Moonkee’s, Fresh Boutique, Ivey & Leo, L.A. East, Reign Fine Apparel, Banana Republic, and Scarlett Plus Boutique.

Courtnee Mason was among the models at last night's CNCFW event. Photo courtesy of QcityMetro.com.

O1NE, whose apparel was very urban/street/skateboarder-like, was my favorite. They featured the most male models of the night, and the dudes wore items that I would actually wear (that doesn't happen much for me at fashion shows). O1NE's female models wore sporty dresses and jeans that I wouldn't mind seeing my chick wearing. L.A. East had by far the most models in the show, and their presentation was very Hollywood chic, like you would see worn on The Hills. Scarlett Plus got the most applause of the night as patrons cheered every time one of their plus-size models proudly strutted down the catwalk.

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Fashion's Big 'Night Out' at NC Music Factory, Butter

Thursday night I attended what is likely one of the largest fashion shows Charlotte has ever seen. To kick off Fashion’s Night Out, a global shopping initiative, Butter NC and Effie Loukas (owner of Lotus boutiques) hosted a fashion show in the courtyard at NC Music Factory. The fashion show featured 16 boutiques, 17 salons, and dozens of models.

I’ve been to several fashion shows in Charlotte and because there's usually fewer than a handful of boutiques/labels featured, the actual runway portion of the fashion show typically only lasts a few minutes. But because of the large number of boutiques participating in Thursday’s show, models strutted back and forth for more than 30 minutes, creating a thorough showcase of what local boutiques have to offer.

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Brooklyn Decker Cast in 'Battleship'; Covers Women's Health, Vegas Magazine

Matthews/Charlotte's brightest star, Brooklyn Decker, continues her meteoric rise in 2010. The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition cover girl has landed on several other covers this year, including the latest: the September 2010 issue of Women's Health. The issue, which is also the mag's Fall 2010 Style Guide, hit newsstands yesterday. Click here to see behind the scenes video of her cover shoot.

Also announced yesterday is that Brooklyn has been cast to star in Battleship, the Peter Berg-directed, blockbuster-in-the-making that's set to be released in May 2012 ("Brooklyn Decker Joins 'Battleship' Cast"). She's well on her way to becoming a bona fide actress. A couple of months ago, she wrapped production on Just Go With It, a romantic comedy in which she stars alongside Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, and Nicole Kidman. It's scheduled to be released in February.

And the year's hottest cover girl also appears on the cover of the September issue of Vegas Magazine.

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'Beautiful People Event' Was a Good Look

I get invited to events often, many times because I'm a journalist, but also frequently through Facebook, which has become the go-to method for promoters. I usually decide whether I'm going to attend an event based on who's having it and where it's being held. I do a pretty good job of picking them, rarely do I regret having gone. But also, because of the plethora of events taking place these days, rarely am I actually impressed. On Thursday I was.

When my girlfriend and I arrived to Chima Brazilian Steakhouse for "The Beautiful People Event," I had no idea that such an auspicious occasion awaited us. Certainly, I knew that Chima was a great venue choice--its upstairs lounge is one of my favorite in town--but I didn't know that it would be transformed into a fashion and style oasis.

On one side of the room was a Glam Bar where complimentary makeup was being done by Flawless Makeup Art. On another side, custom jewelry was being sold. In a far corner complimentary hand, foot, and back massages were being offered. In the center of the room was a shoe buffet, a clever way to present ladies shoes. And in the back of the room was the runway. I've attended several fashion events, but I was surprised to see that the organizers of this event had actually built a runway for the fashion show.

I was thoroughly impressed by this event, put on by the "Fab Four" team of T. Strong aka StyleMayvin, Joy Randall of Flawless Makeup Art, Ezekiel Cheney of Zeek&Co., and Johnatha Camp.

Below are a few photos from the event by photographer Kevin Douglas.

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Events for the Week: August 11-15

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. Use contact/website info listed to verify event details.

Wednesday, August 11

Pop Life
It’s still the city’s most popular Wednesday night event. Starts after work but runs late. Complimentary food 7-9 p.m. from Sadie’s. Music by DJ DR. Presented by Sol Kitchen. 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Free. Luna Lounge, 521 N. College St. www.lunacharlotte.com or www.thesolkitchen.com.


Thursday, August 12

The Beautiful People Event
This stylish event offers an evening that includes photo shoots and a Glam Bar. Mingle with tastemakers from Charlotte's fashion scene. For guest list consideration, send an email including your name and occupation to stylemayvinpr@gmail.com. 7-11 p.m. Free. Chima Brazilian Steakhouse, 139 N. Tryon St. www.stylemayvin.com.


Friday, August 13

The Art of Body
This artistic event is poised to get your weekend off to a great start. Enjoy Gentleman Jack and other drink specials in a posh lounge, while listening to music by DJ Shogun. And the treat of the evening will be models wearing body paint. Presented by Team Takerz. 7 p.m. Free. Apostrophe Lounge, 1440 S. Tryon St. www.apostrophelounge.com.


Saturday, August 14

5K Rock 'N Run/Walk Event
North End Partners invites you to run (or walk) this 5K event to support four non-profit agencies: Crisis Assistance, Hope Haven, Historic Rosedale, and Uptown Men's Shelter. Immediately following the run will be a concert. 6:30-7:30 a.m. registration; 8 a.m. 5K begins. $25-$30. NC Music Factory, 820 Hamilton St. Register at www.ncrockandrun.com.

Back to School Bash
Celebrate back to school time during this event presented by The Prodigal Son Foundation, an organization that provides education assistance and mentoring to youth. There will be free food, games, school supply giveaways, prizes, moon bounce, music, new student registration, and more. 4-7 p.m. Free. Nathaniel Alexander Elementary School, 7910 Neal Rd. www.prodigalsonfoundation.org.

Le Reve II
Upgrade your nightlife experience at one of Charlotte's most luxurious sceneries. This party caters to the classy and sophisticated. VIP includes heavy hors d'oeuvres, complimentary champagne, and private massages. Presented by Blue Goose Entertainment. 10 p.m.-2:30 a.m. General admission $15, VIP $25. M5 Modern Mediterranean, 4310 Sharon Rd. www.bluegoosenc.com/lereve.

Antawn Jamison's 2nd Annual All-White Party
Wear your best white attire and join the Cleveland Cavalier and Charlotte native along with his NBA friends. Hosted by Columbia radio station Hot 103.9's Neek. 10 p.m. Members and ladies dressed in white free until 11 p.m. Advance tickets: general admission $15, VIP $30. Club 935, 935 S. Summit Ave. www.club935.com; tickets at www.ez-tixx.com.


Sunday, August 15

So Fancy Yacht Party
“I'm on a boat” is what you can be saying during this party on the water. Special birthday celebration for the Leos. Music by DJ Polo. Presented by SDE Marketing & Promotions. 8-11:30 p.m. $30 and up. Kingspoint Marina on Lake Norman. sofancy.eventbrite.com.

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Events for the Weekend: July 30-Aug. 1

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. Use contact/website info listed to verify event details.

Friday, July 30

Chife, Changing Reflections of My Life
Chife, which stands for changing life, is an original piece about how the power of love and forgiveness can and will change one's existence. The stories are real, personal, and are based on songs by Michael Jackson. Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. $7-$12. Duke Energy Theatre, 345 North College St. www.blumenthalcenter.org.

Rock & Republic Fashion Show Model Casting Call
Whether you're an aspiring model or just want to mingle with them, attend this model casting call for the upcoming Rock & Republic Fashion Show. Models are asked to bring their photo/comp card. 9:30 p.m. Suite, at the EpiCentre, 210 E. Trade St. www.suitecharlotte.com.

I Heart Hip Hop
DJ K-Nyce plays the best in hip-hop from old-school classics to today's hits, while you party at this sophisticated lounge. 10 p.m. Free. Apostrophe Lounge, 1440 S. Tryon St. www.apostrophelounge.com.

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Events for the Week: June 24-27

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. Use contact/website info listed to verify event details.

Thursday, June 24

Alive After Five at EpiCentre (weekly event)
This week’s featured bands are Sleeping Booty (70s cover band) performing on the Rooftop Stage, and Skate Rink Jukebox (group of Charlotte musicians) playing on the Vineyards Stage. There will be drink stations selling beer, wine, and cocktails. Wristbands also get you into several EpiCentre bars for the after-parties. 5 p.m. Free. The EpiCentre, 210 E. Trade St. www.aliveafterfives.com.

The STYLE Suite: Men’s Appreciation Event
Fellas, this is for you (ladies, come out too). The organizers want to celebrate men by offering complimentary desserts, MANicures, massages, and a fashion show. Hosted by Kelly Hood, and brought to you by Charlotte STYLE Magazine, JSW Media Group, Carolina Talent, and Scott Jaguar. 6-10 p.m. Free. Crave Dessert Bar, 500 W. Fifth St. www.charlottestylemag.com/?p=5449.

Friday, June 25

The Art of Body
This after-work event is poised to get your weekend off to a great start. Enjoy drinks in a posh lounge, while listening to music by DJ Shogun. And the treat of the evening will be models wearing body paint. 4-8 p.m. Apostrophe Lounge, 1440 S. Tryon St. www.apostrophelounge.com.

1-2-3 Fridays (weekly event)
Ridiculous drink specials: $1 drafts, $2 domestic bottles, $3 well drinks. So basically, get wasted with about a $15 bar tab. 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Free. Town Tavern, 200 N. Tryon St. www.towntaverncharlotte.com.

Meet The Artists - Romancing The Eye
Louis Delsarte, Charles Farrar, and Larry Lebby will be on hand to discuss their inspiration and technique at the opening of this new exhibition, Romancing The Eye. 6 p.m. $8 (the cost of museum admission); free for museum members. The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, 551 S. Tryon St. www.ganttcenter.org.


Saturday, June 26

Secrets to Accessing the Media
Charlotte Area Association of Black Journalists (CAABJ) presents this annual workshop for the community. Learn how to write press releases, how and where to send info to media outlets for news coverage, and get tips on how to get your story told. A panel of journalists, representing TV and radio stations, newspapers, magazines, the Internet and social media, will be on hand to discuss how their news cycles work and to answer your questions. Complimentary refreshments will be served. 1-3 p.m. Free. Sugar Creek Branch Library, 4045 N. Tryon Street. www.caabj.com.

DudeFest
The owners of the Evening Muse, who also bring you the annual Charlotte FemmeFest, have put together a new festival for men. Among the highlights of DudeFest will be the chicken-wing-eating contest, where proceeds will benefit the Save the Ta-Tas Foundation; a beer tasting featuring at least fourteen different craft beers; and a motorcycle competition. And, of course, there’s music—twenty-one bands will perform at three different venues in NoDa (your wristband gets you into each of these venues at no extra cost). 2 p.m.-2 a.m. $20 (entry into chicken-wing contest and beer tasting extra). NoDa, corner of E. 36th and N. Davidson streets. www.dudefestchalotte.com.

Uptown Charlotte Jazz Fest
Uptown livens up to the sounds of some of the world's best jazz performers, including The Rippingtons, Norman Brown, Mike Phillips, Maysa, Ken Navarro, and Alex Bugnon. 6-11 p.m. $43-$103. Road Runner Mobile Amphitheatre at NC Music Factory, 820 Hamilton St. www.uptowncharlottejazzfest.com.

Summer Concert Series Kick-Off with Jason Derulo
The hit pop singer is the first performer at this free summer concert series that will go on each Saturday for six weeks. Come see him perform his hits "Whatcha Say" and "In My Head." Gate opens 6:30 p.m.; DJ begins at 7 p.m. Free. Pavilion at EpiCentre, 210 E. Trade St. www.pavilionatepicentre.com.

MAZ Mansion Party
MAZ Entertainment continues the raise the bar with Charlotte's nightlife. They've rented out a 13,000 square foot mansion for a party that's sure to be talked about for a long time. Music by DJ Tab D'Biassi and DJ Paradime. 10 p.m. Cost varies. www.mazmansion.com.

Sunday, June 27

Public Free Day and Renovation Celebration
Discovery Place wants you to come and help it celebrate the largest renovation in its history and experience its new exhibits. Highlights of the afternoon are the openings of World Alive (includes a new aquarium and rainforest) and Fantastic Frogs (features live frogs from around the world). 12-5 p.m. Free. Discovery Place, 301 N. Tryon St. www.discoveryplace.org.

An Evening with Adina Howard
Enjoy a performance by the sultry singer (who resides in Charlotte). Evening will also feature music by Moments Notice and DJ Cat-X. Doors open 6 p.m.; show starts 8 p.m. $15. House of Jazz, 8630 University Executive Park Dr. www.thehouseofjazz.net.

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UNCC Police Chief Resigns; Male Student Enrollment Likely to Decline

WBTV broke the news today that UNC Charlotte police chief Marlene Hall has resigned. WBTV also broke the story back in 2006 when it learned that Hall had once posed for Playboy when she was a college student back in the 1980s and, more importantly (I guess), that she hadn't received the proper certification to run the police department. According to reporter Steve Crump, who's been covering the story over the years, Hall eventually got her paperwork in order but over the next three years she failed to bring the 40-person department up to full strength.

It's likely Hall was forced to resign. If that's the case, UNCC has made a big mistake--now and since the beginning of Hall's hiring. The mistake was not because Hall wasn't qualified to be police chief to begin with. UNCC made the mistake of not promoting the fact that its police chief, who's sworn to protect and serve a student body of nearly 25,000, is a former Playboy model. Male student enrollment, which is currently 47 percent of the student population, would've skyrocketed since 2006 if the university would've marketed this. Forget "Hot for Teacher"--think "Hot for Police Chief." UNCC should've had that emblazoned on college T-shirts and koozies. The increase in male student enrollment would've led to more money for the school from tuition, which would help its campaign to start a football program in the next few years, which would've, in turn, also served as a great recruiting tool for future players.

How many drunken male college students wouldn't fantasize about being put in handcuffs by a former Playboy model? Ooh, and the university could've allowed her to wear a sexy police uniform like girls wear during Halloween.

Okay, now as I remove my tongue from cheek, below I offer the serious news story from WBTV on Hall's resignation.

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