AALM_Index

John Tosco and The Evening Muse present Beatles Tribute Night, May 17 at the McGlohon Theatre. .....all you need is love
North Carolina Dance Theatre presents Romeo and Juliet, May 15 - 17 at the Belk Theater. .....intense Shakespeare drama
Maxx Music presents Shooter Jennings, May 15 at the Visulite Theatre. .....good country genes
The NoDa School of the Arts presents BBQ and Bluegrass, May 16 at the Neighborhood Theatre. .....music and food
Hometown Promotions presents Bel Canto, May 11 - 18 at the Palmetto Room in York, South Carolina. This noir play is pure dinner theatre fun and sold out in it's first run. .....relax and have fun
Theatre Charlotte presents Little Shop of Horrors, May 1 - 18. The musical hit directed and choreographed by Ron Chisholm! .....feed me Seymour
Maxx Music presents Webb Wilder & The Beatniks, May 17 at the Evening Muse. .....rare irreverence and wit
The One Voice Chorus presents Defying Gravity, May 16 & 17 at Actor's Theatre of Charlotte. .....Broadway meets Pride
Central Piedmont Community College presents, Julius Caesar May 16-18 at the Halton Theater. .....an Italian Opera
The North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center presents The Robot Johnson Show, on May 16 - 30 at the Duke Energy Theatre. .....good humor by bad people
The North Carolina Dance Theatre presents The Little Mermaid, May 17 & 18 at the Belk Theater. ..... a world premiere
Charlotte Center City Partners present Alive After Five, on Thursdays starting May 1 through Thursday, August 21 on Wachovia Plaza. .....the original after work party, FREE
Check out one of our new features Book Talk. Our writers will discuss the latest books they've read. .....read any good books lately?
More people than ever are reading our ARTS à la Mode Film Reviews .....we get it - and tell it like it is

ARTS à la Mode is a window that opens on the arts and entertainment offerings in Charlotte, North Carolina. We offer interviews and commentary that showcase individual artists, the latest productions, arts organizations and performances. Also featured are online reviews of current films and theatre productions.

I've met a lot of hard-boiled
eggs in my time, but you
---you're twenty minutes!

From the movie, Ace in the Hole, 1951

SPEED RACER If you think you might like living inside a pin ball machine, then you’ll like Speed Racer. Otherwise, get ready for a lightning fast, but disorienting ride as the story of the person named Speed Racer rushes along. Adapted from the Japanese cartoon of the same name by writers/directors Andy and Larry Wachowski, the movie is hard to follow and not nearly as much fun as it could be. Yes, it’s all supposed to be over the top, except, there seems to be no top. The racing goes on and on with some pretty impressive animation, but at over two hours .....more

I AM MY OWN WIFE I didn’t see this show the first time around at Actor’s Theatre and that’s my loss, for I get the feeling that, as with any classic piece of art, new nuances and insights emerge with every repeat visit…and often just as many new questions arise. So even though several things about this show left me puzzled, one thing was perfectly clear – I had just witnessed an extraordinary theatrical tour de force that I’ll remember for a very long time. Scott Ripley’s performance is so compelling, and his immersion into his central character so complete .....more

GUSTAV KLIMT (1862 - 1918)
20th Century Austrian Art Nouveau Painter

Gustav Klimt was fascinated by women; more specifically, their bodies. They were his main subject. His models ranged from wealthy society women to prostitutes, and he especially favored depicting women as "femme fatales." (He is said to have fathered fourteen children.)

Although even his lesser known work sells for millions, The Kiss is probably his most famous painting. It shows a man and woman in an intimate embrace with the man holding the woman's face in his hands. It was painted during his "golden" period, and he may have been influenced by Egyptian, Minoan, and Byzantine art. The meaning is open to interpretation as Klimt often used symbolism in his work. Whatever its meaning, The Kiss is universally admired.

Weekend Box Office
Weekend Estimates - May 11, 2008

1.   Iron Man     $50.5M
2.   Speed Racer    $20.2M
3.   What Happens in Vegas    $20M
4.   Made of Honor    $7.6M
5.   Baby Mama    $5.8M
6.   Forgetting Sarah Marshall    $3.8M
7.   Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay    $3.2M
8.   The Forbidden Kingdom    $1.9M
9.   Nim's Island    $1.3M
10.   Redbelt   $1.1M

Iron Man is at the top of the weekend box office again and deservedly so, but Speed Racer must be a disappointment to the producers. What Happens in Vegas is a light frothy mix that will please fans of the leads. The only other addition to the top ten is Redbelt. The good news for the studios is that lots of people were in the mood to see a movie!

New York Times Best Seller's List
Hardcover Fiction
May 9, 2008

1   SUNDAY AT TIFFANY'S, by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet. (Little Brown)
2   THE WHOLE TRUTH, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central)
3   TWENTY WISHES, by Debbie Macomber. (Mira)
4   HOLD TIGHT, by Harlan Coben. (Dutton)
5   UNACCUSTOMED EARTH, by Jhumpa Lahiri. (Knopf)
6   WHERE ARE YOU NOW?, by Mary Higgins Clark. (Simon & Schuster)
7   DEAD HEAT, by Joel C. Rosenberg. (Tyndale)
8   THE MIRACLE AT SLEEPY MOTORS, by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon)
9   CHILD 44, by Tom Rob Smith . (Grand Central)
10   CERTAIN GIRLS, by Jennifer Weiner. (Atria)