Evocateur plays Aug. 23–25 at Carolina Theatre People have forgotten how much Morton Downey Jr. contributed to our aggressively patriotic, bully-boy culture. For a brief, crazy time in the late ’80s, the multi-moled rabble-rouser came up with the mad dog formula that Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck and the entire Fox News Network continue […]
Craig D. Lindsey
Bio: Craig Lindsey writes about pop culture for INDY Week. He lives in Raleigh.Link: http://unclecrizzle.tumblr.comTwitter: http://twitter.com/unclecrizzle
Posted inFilm & Television
Divine and James Franco top this year’s N.C. Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Aug. 9–18 Carolina Theatre For Carolina Theatre Senior Director Jim Carl and the other programmers for the North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, there’s usually a moment, when all the films are locked down and scheduled, when they wonder if some or most of the films have […]
Posted inFilm & Television
I’m So Excited, a flying farce from Spain
I’m So Excited opens Friday Those who have been saying that Pedro Almodóvar’s I’m So Excited is a step down for Spain’s brilliant provocateur have forgotten about those raunchy, outrageous comedies he did in his wild youth, such as Labyrinth of Passion (gay terrorists), Dark Habits (gay nuns) and Matador (gay bullfighters). But his output […]
Posted inFilm & Television
Fruitvale Station speaks to post-Trayvon Martin America
Fruitvale Station opens Friday As deplorable and upsetting as the George Zimmerman verdict was for many, at least one good thing came out of it: a well-deserved publicity boost to Fruitvale Station, which won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. This fact-based movie tells of a young […]
Posted inFilm & Television
The unsung vocalists of Twenty Feet From Stardom
Twenty Feet From Stardom opens Friday There’s both joy and sadness in watching Twenty Feet From Stardom, a rousing yet melancholy tribute to the background singers whose harmonious voices are all over 20th-century popular music. A favorite at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, as well as this year’s Full Frame doc fest in Durham, Morgan […]
Posted inArt
A song of change: Mark Kurlansky’s Ready for a Brand New Beat
Ready for a Brand New Beat: How “Dancing in the Street” Became the Anthem for a Changing America By Mark Kurlansky Riverhead, 288 pp. Monday, July 15 7:30 p.m.Quail Ridge Books Author and journalist Mark Kurlansky has a knack for writing about unlikely subjects that end up having a major impact on the culture, even […]
Posted inArt
Walter Mosley on the return of his most famous character in Little Green
Little Green By Walter Mosley Doubleday, 304 pp. Walter Mosley Wednesday, June 5, 7:30 p.m.Quail Ridge Books & Music For a while, it was a common sight to see Walter Mosley on the streets of downtown Durham. Nine years ago, Mosley began showing up at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, where he also served […]
Posted inFilm & Television
Sarah Polley digs up family secrets in Stories We Tell
Stories We Tell opens Friday (see times below) Our rating: In the documentary Stories We Tell, Canadian actress-turned-director Sarah Polley points her camera at the people in her life to get the skinny on her late mother, Diane. Deemed the life of the party by family and friends, Diane died from cancer when Polley was […]
Posted inArt
Finesse Mitchell got a taste of Saturday Night
Finesse Mitchell May 23–26 Goodnights For two years, Finesse Mitchell had a great time being a cast member on Saturday Night Live. The problem is he was on the show for three years. The Atlanta-born actor and comedian joined the cast in 2003 (along with fellow African-American comic actor Kenan Thompson, who remains on the […]
Posted inArt
Carol Burnett will take your questions
Carol Burnett Sunday, May 12, 7 p.m. Durham Performing Arts Center This weekend, Carol Burnett will give Triangle fans the chance to do something they’ve probably wanted to do since they used to watch her on TV when they were younger: ask her a question. On Mother’s Day, she’ll be at the Durham Performing Arts […]