An Evening with Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough in Charlotte - April 17

Like clockwork (but without a clock), I wake up almost every morning around 6 a.m. It usually doesn't matter what time I would have gone to bed the night before; my body is going to force me to open my eyes some time within that morning hour. But I don't mind it too much because I don't actually get out of bed at that time (no way). Instead, I usually turn on the TV and tune in to Morning Joe on MSNBC. I'm a big fan of Mika Brzezinski (okay, so yeah, it's sort of a crush), and Joe Scarborough is a likeable chum too.

Joe on the left, Mika on the right, but that's opposite of their political views.
Photo credit: facebook.com/MorningJoe

Well, we can see the two Morning Joe co-hosts in person, and at a very suitable hour, on Thursday, April 17, during "An Evening with Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough." You can expect the two of them to offer their usual mix of wit, intelligence, and candor on a range of topics, not the least of which is politics (he's the Republican, she's the Democrat). The event takes place at 7 p.m. at Knight Theater at Levine Center for the Arts, 430 S. Tryon Street. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased through CarolinaTix.

The event is being brought to you by The Learning Society of Queens, a group of leading citizens from the Charlotte area who provide funding for this national speaker series held annually at Queens University of Charlotte.

Note: This event was originally scheduled to take place two months earlier, but due to #snOMG #CLT back in February, it was rescheduled for April.

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Going to See Risks Taken and Dreams Made

TEDxCharlotte 2011 is upon us, taking place this Saturday, October 15 at Queens University. The theme for the second annual event is “Risk-takers and Dream-makers” and since this will be my first TED event, I'm looking forward to seeing firsthand what it's all about.

A couple of days ago I saw a young lady on Twitter asking if anyone wanted to sell their ticket to TEDxCharlotte, which made me LOL because clearly she didn't know how the process worked. You had to apply by late August and then invitations went out to selected people a couple of weeks later. Invitations weren't transferable.

If you're not attending, you can still follow the TEDxCharlotte action Saturday via Twitter. The conference is 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and during that time I guarantee you'll find dozens of people live tweeting using the pre-advertised #TEDxCLT hashtag--it's a TED event so this is definitely a Twitter and social media crowd.

And one other cool thing is there's TEDxtra--an after-party, 5-7 p.m., at Butter NC (950 Seaboard St. at NC Music Factory). It's free admission, there will be TEDxCharlotte drink specials, and music by DJ Edouard.

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Presenters Announced for TEDxCharlotte 2011

Details went out this week about the more than one dozen speakers who will present at TEDxCharlotte 2011, which takes place October 15 at Queens University of Charlotte. With the conference themed “Risk-takers and Dream-makers,” the diverse lineup of presenters ranges from space to installation art, from 365 days of intimacy to label-maker. They include:

• Dr. Mark Moore, NASA Scientist
• Susan Page and Juan Logan, Artists
• Charla Muller, Author of 365 Nights
• Loan Tran, Human Rights Advocate/Student
• James Adams, Community Leader and Human Rights Activist
• Scott Swimmer, Founder, DRUMSTRONG
• Max Wallace, Hackerspace Charlotte
• Dolph Ramseur, Founder, Ramseur Records
• Rebekah Ferguson, Documentary Filmmaker
• Clay Presley, CEO Carolina Pad/Humanitarian
• Kirsten Hemmy, Poet/Educator
• JD Lewis, Jackson Lewis, and Buck Lewis, Founders, Twelve in Twelve
• David Johnson, Photographer/Founder, Silent Images
• Manny Ohonme, Sports Hero/Founder, Samaritans Feet

Visit www.tedxcharlotte.com/speakers to read each presenter's bio.

An open house held in June at Dolce Vita brought out dozens of locals interested in TEDx.
Photo by Deborah Triplett.

You have a week left to apply to attend TEDxCharlotte. The application deadline was extended to August 25 so that prospective attendees would know who the scheduled speakers are. Confirmed applicants will be notified the first week of September. Visit www.tedxcharlotte.com/attend to apply.

Also, if you'd like to get more familiar with this second-year conference, watch all of the TEDxCharlotte 2010 speakers and performances online at www.youtube.com/TEDxCharlotte.

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Deadlines Approaching for TEDxCharlotte 2011

Planning is underway for TEDxCharlotte 2011, which takes place October 15, and two key deadlines are approaching. Organizers are accepting nominations from the public for speakers for the event and the deadline to apply is June 15. Also, the deadline to apply to attend the all-day conference is a month later on July 15 has been extended to July 25.

TEDxCharlotte, now in its second year, is a local, independently organized event held under the guidance of the world-renowned TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), which has held annual conferences since 1984 now in Long Beach, Palm Springs, and Edinburgh, Scotland to "bring together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers." On a smaller scale, hundreds of TEDx events are held worldwide, and TEDxCharlotte is seeking to solidify its place as an annual gathering for Charlotte's creative community. The theme for this year's conference is "Dream-makers & Risk-takers."

Communications impresario Tracy Russ and poet Quentin Talley presented at last year's TEDxCharlotte conference.

If you're interested in being a speaker at TEDxCharlotte, you can submit an application and an optional three-minute YouTube video. Ideal candidates will address their idea, what has been done to move it forward, and why their idea should be heard. Their concept should also resonate with the TEDxCharlotte 2011 theme. More details can be found at www.tedxcharlotte.com/speakers.

The process to register to attend is selective as well since seating is limited. Prospective attendees should apply at www.tedxcharlotte.com/attend where after entering your basic contact information you'll be asked to answer four open-ended questions such as "Imagine you can travel back in time...what advice would you give to your 11 year-old self?" The interesting--and commendable--thing about the application process is that all identifying markers such as applicant’s name, job title, and organization are removed before being evaluated--so who you are or who you know won't necessarily get you in. Confirmed event attendees will be charged a fee of $20, which will include a continental breakfast, lunch, and snacks all day.

TEDxCharlotte 2011 "Dream-makers & Risk-takers” will be held October 15 at Dana Auditorium at Queens University of Charlotte, the host partner. For more information, visit www.tedxcharlotte.com, or on social media at facebook.com/TEDxCharlotte and twitter.com/TEDxCharlotte.

UPDATE: There's a TEDxCharlotte 2011 Open House scheduled for Friday, June 24, 6:30-8 p.m. at Dolce Vita in NoDa, 3205 N. Davidson St. Click here for more details.

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Events for the Weekend: April 9-11

Your best weekend 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, April 9

Speed Networking / Privy
First part of the event is a networking social. Complimentary appetizers by McHealthy Café. 6-9 p.m. $5. Then it’s followed by an after-party. Drink specials include $5 cosmos, apple martinis, and peach martinis. Music by DJ Shogun. Presented by Mingleberry.com. Free until 11 p.m.; cover charge after. 9:30 p.m.-2 a.m. Luna Lounge, 521 N. College St. www.mingleberry.com.

Blush Fridays
This weekly ladies night series continues at the EpiCentre’s new VIP lounge. Elements Diet and Fitness is the sponsor this week and will be giving away a free membership. Music by DJ RWONZ. Half-price martinis. 8 p.m. Ladies free. www.kazbacharlotte.com.

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Before Blagojevich There Was Nixon

Last evening I attended an event at Queens University titled "How Does the Media Influence Public Perception?" The event was part of the Get to Know the Shows series the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center's Education Institute puts on, and this one pertained to the Frost/Nixon show coming to the Belk Theater February 10-15. The panel, which included Rod Garvin, Charlotte community director at GenerationEngage; Dr. Bill Thompson, history professor of Watergate Research at Queens University; Dr. Leanne Pupcheck, professor of communications at Queens; and NBC News journalist Chris Clackum, led an engaging and informative discussion on the effects of David Frost's groundbreaking televised interview with President Richard Nixon.

Watergate was an interesting time in our country's history and it has heavily influenced how we view our government leaders and our expectations of media today. And with the advent of the Internet and 24-hour cable news shows, those elements continue to evolve. After attending this event, I now want to see both the Frost/Nixon movie and stage play.

You can catch a second installment of the event this evening, 6:30-8, at Stage Door Theater (130 N. Tryon St.). The scheduled panelists are Brian Blakely, anchor at Fox Charlotte; Rick Thames, executive editor at The Charlotte Observer; Molly Grantham, anchor at WBTV; and Beatrice Thompson, V101.9 news and public affairs director. The event is free and open to the public.

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