Halloween, Jay and 'Ye, and Demons

It's Halloween weekend. If you're a kid, you're probably getting your costume ready to go trick-or-treating. If you're an adult, you're probably getting your costume ready to go clubbing. For all you Grown People in Charlotte, I've got you covered. Over on my Dusk Till Dawn nightlife blog on CharlotteMagazine.com, I've compiled a list of 20 of the best Halloween parties taking place through Monday. Since the majority of the Halloween parties are going on tonight (I've listed nearly a dozen for Saturday night alone), I wanted to drop this quick note to direct you to the list.

I probably won't have time to partake in any Halloween fun this weekend because I'm headed to Columbia today to see family, and then to Greensboro tomorrow to see Jay and 'Ye. Yes sir, my brother and I are going to the Watch The Throne concert Sunday. As if it wasn't cool enough that Jay-Z and Kanye West, my two favorite rappers, made an entire album together, now I get to see them in what could be the concert of the year. Since the tour just kicked off last night in Atlanta, we'll be among the first to see it.

This will be my second time seeing Jay-Z in concert--the first was also in Greensboro in 2008 when he toured with Mary J. Blige (I wish he'd start choosing to tour in Charlotte). But this will be my first time seeing Kanye in concert--I didn't see him when he came to Charlotte in 2008 with his Glow in the Dark Tour, but I was lucky enough to go to the official after-party that night at what was then HOM nightclub.

Back to Halloween, if you're looking to be frightened and to get in the spirit (or for the spirit to get in you), check out these short Demon Cam video clips. FOX Charlotte weatherman Reg Taylor created these demonic visuals of his fellow news anchors with the Demon Cam app on his phone and posted them onto his Facebook page. It's amazing what you can do with smart phone apps these days. In the videos below, you'll see Morgan Fogarty (who's also on the cover of Creative Loafing's Halloween-themed issue this week), Ramona Holloway, and Reg each transform into demons.

Morgan

Ramona

Reg

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J. Cole Is Having the Best Week Ever

A month after his debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, hit stores and eventually went on to reach number one on the Billboard charts in its first week, J. Cole continues to ride high. The rapper from Fayetteville has had many great, well-deserved opportunities come his way recently thanks to his chart-topping success and Roc Nation support. But I'd like to go on the record as saying the reason J. Cole is having the Best Week Ever (remember how VH1 used to do it?) is because on Wednesday, Beyonce the Great debuted her new video for "Party" and J. Cole has a featured verse and appears in the video.

The version of the song in the video is actually a remix of sorts, in that J. Cole has replaced Andre 3000, who appears on the album version. There are all kinds of rumors circulating as to why the reclusive Outkast rapper didn't appear in the video--and his name was a trending topic on Twitter for two days because of it--but his omission has been to J. Cole's advantage. And I don't think it would be a stretch to say that Mr. Cole World benefited from the fact that his label boss Jay-Z is married to Beyonce. Nevertheless, J. Cole shined during his brief verse and appearance in the video.

He even shouts out his home state when he raps: "We out in Abu Dhabi, we like to party. / We don’t cause trouble, we just ride Bugatti. / Bad chick shawty, sorta resemble Sade. / Imported her in from Raleigh, and pulled up into the valet.”

The "Party" video has averaged more than a million views a day since debuting, and I have to say that I'm loving the song and video. It just puts me into a feel-good mood. Even though Beyonce has no reason to go to a trailer park other than to shoot this video, she captures the spirit that people can have a good time and enjoy life even if they don't have a lot by society's standards.

Keep up with J. Cole at www.jcolemusic.com.

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Wells Fargo Community Celebration Saturday—Huge

Wells Fargo, which recently completed its conversion of Wachovia signs and banking locations to Wells Fargo nationwide with Charlotte and North Carolina being the final changeovers this month, is throwing the largest cultural arts festival I think this city has ever seen. The Wells Fargo Community Celebration takes place this Saturday in Uptown Charlotte, featuring more than 60 performances and events, and it's all free to the public.

Wells Fargo, which now employs about 20,000 people in Charlotte and nearly 30,000 in the state thanks to its acquisition of Wachovia, has partnered with the Arts & Science Council (ASC) and Charlotte Center City Partners for this all-day celebration. There will be live art demonstrations, a street festival featuring LEGO sculptures, a chalk art competition, stage plays, dance shows, and concerts such as those by Nicci Canada and headlining act, jazz great Branford Marsalis.

Branford Marsalis headlines the celebration Saturday. Credit: facebook.com/branfordmarsalis.

Wells Fargo is also underwriting free admission into several Uptown cultural facilities on Saturday, including: Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Discovery Place, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, Levine Museum of the New South, McColl Center for Visual Art, The Light Factory, and more. Plus, the celebration will commemorate the opening of the Wells Fargo History Museum in Three Wells Fargo Center, which honors Charlotte and North Carolina's rich banking heritage in addition to telling the history of the San Francisco-based bank.

The main hub for the activities will be the Levine Center for the Arts, so you'll want to make your way there Saturday as a starting point. CATS Gold Rush, the free center city trolley on wheels, is operating a special route to help attendees maneuver easily to the various facilities and events. You can find a detailed list of all of Saturday's events here on the ASC's website, including this printable event guide and information on parking.

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Mayor Foxx Is Leading 'Souls to the Polls'

Souls to the Polls takes place this Sunday, October 30, 2-4 p.m. at Holly Plaza. It's a community event, supported by local churches, to encourage early voting. Mayor Anthony Foxx will be on hand along with other dignitaries and local Democratic candidates seeking office or re-election. There will also be music, free food, and WGIV will broadcast live.

A volunteer at a recent Foxx campaign event. Credit: Meredith Jones/facebook.com/AnthonyFoxx09.

Holly Plaza is located on the corner of Holly Street and Beatties Ford Road, next to the Beatties Ford Library, 2300 Beatties Ford Road. This library is one of several locations around Charlotte and Mecklenburg County where you can vote early any day until November 5. The Souls to the Polls event, in particular, will encourage people to vote after attending church service on Sunday. Click here for a list of early voting locations and hours.

Election day is November 8. Visit www.meckboe.org for answers to any questions you might have regarding voting in Mecklenburg County.

Below is a video of Mayor Foxx greeting voters on the first day of early voting last week.

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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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