YES! Weekly - January 11, 2023

4 CREATIVE GREENSBORO has announced the 18 local arts and culture nonprofits to benefit from its first Sustaining

Creativity: Community Partnerships Grant.

6 ATTORNEY GEORGIA NIXON thought the email was a joke since it came from the United Kingdom. It was inviting her to become a part of the A&E program “Accused: Guilty or Innocent.”

7 To celebrate its 13th birthday, Winston-Salem’s a/perture cinema (311 W. Fourth Street) will be cutting more than cake, as it presents a special “anniversary” screening of producer/director Sean S. Cunningham’s seminal 1980 shocker FRIDAY THE 13TH this Friday — the 13th — at 4 p.m.

8 Last month, Senator Burr gave his FAREWELL ADDRESS in which he spoke of “making a difference.” If only that were true. Sure, Burr became a media darling in his final years because he appeared to be bi-partisan by voting to convict Trump at the second impeachment hearing.

12 With a tangy Latin flavor, PUSS IN

BOOTS: THE LAST WISH is a belated sequel to 2011’s Puss in Boots, which showcased the title character (voiced by Antonio Banderas) first introduced in Shrek 2 (2004).

14 “DREAM BIG” proclaims a banner across South Davie Street from the February One parking deck construction site.

Now ROCCO “ROCKY” SCARFONE HAS FILED HIS SECOND LAWSUIT over the five-year-old uncompleted project,

15 Now is a great time for us to provide some helpful wellness tips to help you with YOUR 2023 GOALS. If you feel like you have already fallen off, no problem! We understand that trying to live a healthy lifestyle can seem difficult.

16 “NOCTURNE,” THE LATEST ALBUM FROM MARLEY PITCH takes the alternative hip-hop artist to new levels — exploring the darker shades of life — finding balance and weaving stories to explore the opposition and perils within his own humanity.

Yasmin Peebles always knew that she’d be doing something creative to generate income, she just didn’t know that the 2020 COVID pandemic would help her land on her journey to success.

Creative Greensboro Awards Sustaining Creativity: Community Partnerships Grant

new year always brings hope for growth and possibilities, and as we settle into 2023, Creative Greensboro has announced the 18 local arts and culture nonprofits to benefit from its first Sustaining Creativity: Community Partnerships Grant. All 18 grant recipients will receive $20,000, out of which seven will be awarded an additional $5,715 bonus for excellence in creative vibrancy or community benefit. Issuing a total of $400,005, the city’s arts and

Aculture office is following through with its Cultural Arts Master Plan in which recommendations were made to set aside this level of resources in support of arts and culture nonprofits.

“It’s a meaningful amount of money for anyone, but for a smaller organization, it’s potentially transformative,” said Creative Greensboro’s Chief Creative Economy Officer Ryan Deal. “And one of the hallmarks of this program is that it did not matter how big the organization was, everyone was eligible for the same amount of money.” Part of Creative Greensboro’s intention has included demonstrating to the community what it can look like to be more mindful of an equitable distribution of resources even when the amount may be limited. Among the list of grant recipients are Casa Azul of Greensboro, Hirsch Wellness

Network, and Reconsidered Goods.

A well-loved organization known for its tremendous work in promoting Latin American art and culture, it is no secret Casa Azul of Greensboro accomplishes much of its work on an absolute shoestring budget. Being among the recipients is enormous for the organization in addition to being the first time it receives this kind of money since becoming a nonprofit in 2016. “We rely a lot on volunteers and onboard members doing a lot of the work,” said Claudia Femenias of Casa Azul of Greensboro. “This will allow us to maintain a part-time person that we have who has been pivotal, has been key to coming back from the pandemic and helping us with programming.”

The nonprofit is also looking to extend the use of its funds into hiring additional personnel including a part-time director of operations whom Femenias hopes will lead the organization towards more sustainability. Due to past limited resources, the organization has been continuously holding some of its same programs, but with the help of the grant, new programming is now possible along with establishing a greater presence for Casa Azul of Greensboro. “The key is not only the amount of money but that the organization has the freedom to use it however we feel will help us the most,” said Femenias.

A healing arts and cancer support community, the Hirsch Wellness Network is known for its arts and culture programming geared towards the support of cancer patients and their families and caregivers. While receiving a grant of this magnitude is not new to the organization, it is the first time for the nonprofit to be recognized in this manner by funds from the City of Greensboro. “The significance of the grant highlights art as a healing tool, and how we have been cultivating this, hiring local artists to do this work all these years knowing the benefits it brings to people touched by cancer,” said founder Louise Grape.

All therapeutic arts and wellness programs offered by the Hirsch Wellness Network are free to any patient, caregiver, medical personnel, and really any individual at any level of survivorship, including folks who have lost a loved one

to cancer. Like so many other teaching and workshop platforms, the arrival of the pandemic forced the organization’s activities to transfer from in-person settings to strictly online classes. However, the transition blew up the nonprofit’s activity positively, increasing participant attendance by about 40 percent which required Hirsch Wellness Network to add to their programming.

With a combination of instructors who volunteer their services and other artists and facilitators whom the organization compensates, receiving the grant will allow Hirsch Wellness Network to meet additional pending needs, sustain itself, and continue to grow in its outreach. Grape is eager for the program to spread the word about its services further, particularly to areas in the community where people who may need the nonprofit’s services are unaware of its existence. As it continues to work its way out of the pandemic, the organization has already begun programming a few in-person classes, which many of its participants have been eagerly anticipating. However, it will not stop offering online programs.

“What we have learned is that so many cancer patients or caregivers can’t come in person, whether they don’t feel well, or they don’t live here, or they’re

Dalia Razo

Contributor

Hirsch Wellness Network

caring for someone,” said Grape. “But they sure can go in another room and take a class, get rejuvenated, connect and meet people.” The nonprofit differs from other arts-based programs because it’s not about the end product, but about the process of making that end product, a healing process in itself. While the organization mostly serves participants in the greater Guilford County area, it also serves patients all over the nation and will mail art supplies to those in need in order for them to have access to its services.

Lastly, Reconsidered Goods, a creative reuse center, is one of the seven organizations receiving a bonus for community benefit in addition to the set grant amount. While the nonprofit is still fairly young as it moves into its seventh year, this by far is the largest grant it has ever been awarded. “What this is going to do for us is really get us on the escalator instead of the stairs,” said Executive Director Catena Bergevin. “Now we’re going to have the opportunity to build out a larger event space so that we can do more in-house events, professional development, field trips, we’ll have much more space to accommodate more people.”

Additional investments will include ensuring everyone on staff has CPR

training, the development of a new website, partner and community outreach, the continuing development and expansion of education programs, and even the acquisition of a mobile unit in order to reach out to communities Reconsidered Goods is currently not able to get to. “We see ourselves as environmental sustainability through the arts, through creativity,” said Bergevin. “And we think that creativity plays a really big role in environmental awareness, so the fact that we’re even part of this grant program means a lot to us.”

As the City of Greensboro and the awarded 18 nonprofits celebrate the distribution of this first-time grant, Deal is eager to bring more awareness to the arts and culture organizations in the city and the vibrant community they create. “It’s important for us to support organizations doing this work, they are small businesses, they are employers in our community, and they produce events that audiences come out to,” said Deal. “They contribute to our quality of life, and they help our city through a very real economic impact through the jobs they create for our community.” !

DALIA RAZO is a bilingual journalist, fine arts educator, and doctoral student at UNCG.

Casa Azul

Local attorney featured in television series

BY CAROL BROOKS | Cab1hp@gmail.com

Attorney Georgia Nixon thought the email was a joke since it came from the United Kingdom. It was inviting her to become a part of the A&E program Accused: Guilty or Innocent But it was not a joke.

“I didn’t think much of it but they were persistent and kept on calling,” Nixon said. “I finally took their phone call and vetted them.”

London’s Brinkworth Productions searches the country for attorneys who try a lot of cases so they could be followed thru a verdict for the program. They had a list of things they wanted to include, like a high probability the case would go to trial and Nixon knew of one she was working on that fit the bill. The client, of course, had to agree to the project.

Another criteria was to have some video of the crime being committed. Nixon’s pick fit the bill as there was CCTV video of an attempted robbery at a local gas station.

Crews filmed Nixon, her sta and the client four times, two weeks per session. With the pandemic, it took two years to

complete the process and the case took that long to go to trial.

“They got in the way!” Nixon said with a smile, recalling how she was asked by the crew to repeat something, use di erent words or walk through a doorway again because the crew didn’t like how it was filmed the first time. They tried to put words into her mouth. Additionally, one crew attempted to coach her. Most of the time, Nixon refused a do-over. “I didn’t have time for that. It is what it is. I think my sta was more enamored with the process.”

Nixon, a former Jamestown council member, said the segment focuses on a 19-year-old male in his senior year in high school. During an attempted robbery of the gas station convenience store his parents owned, two men assaulted the family. The boy then assaulted one of the potential robbers by stabbing him with a screwdriver. The State took out an assault charge on the boy arguing he used excessive force.

Since it took so long to come to trial, Nixon was able to watch her client change with the sentence hanging over him.

“It took a toll on him,” she said. “He

went from being a young senior in high school to looking like an old man. I think that’s [the series’] point. They want to show the toll it takes. You can see how much e ort is put into cases.”

She refrained from revealing how the trial turned out, saying we would just have to watch the show.

She had not planned to have a watch party but some friends have organized one. Her episode kicks o the fourth season of the program on January 12 on A&E at 9 p.m. The series follows people facing trial for serious crimes as they prepare their defense, face trial, and receive a verdict. Each person claims to be not guilty or that their crimes were justifiable.

Nixon was slow to answer when asked if she was glad she agreed to film.

“I’m not upset that I agreed but it was more invasive than I had anticipated. The reality is it is not even the most interesting case I’ve had,” she said. “But I probably would do it again [if asked].”

She said some of the best moments happened in the courtroom — but the judge did not allow the crew to film inside the courthouse. The jurors, however, could see the crew outside. Nixon asked for special instructions from the judge to the jury to ignore the cameras.

Nixon has been a criminal law attorney for 32 years but never thought she would be part of a television show about her profession — especially one she watches.

She has not seen the entire episode, only excerpts to fact-check.

“I hope they do it justice so you can see how taxing it was on my client to go through that process,” she said, “and how taxing it is on us as attorneys.”

The watch party for Nixon’s episode on A&E’s Accused: Guilty or Innocent is January 12 at the Deck. The Jamestown resident is featured in A&E’s trailer for the series, which can be viewed at https:// nextseasontv.com/accused-guilty-orinnocent-season-4-release-date-ae. !

PHOTO BY CAROL BROOKS

Attorney Georgia Nixon

To celebrate its 13th birthday, Winston-Salem’s a/ perture cinema (311 W. Fourth Street) will be cutting more than cake, as it presents a special “anniversary” screening of producer/director Sean S. Cunningham’s seminal 1980 shocker Friday the 13th this Friday — the 13th — at 4 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and advance tickets are available here: https://aperturecinema.com/movies/friday-the-13th/. As a special treat, the first 30 ticket buyers will receive a bag of S’mores popcorn from King Pop.

The film that made summer camps scary, Friday the 13th details the horrific goings-on when a group of counselors assembles to reopen Camp Crystal Lake, which closed nearly 20 years before after a bizarre tragedy that one camper and two counselors dead. The counselors are only vaguely aware of Crystal Lake’s heinous history, but they’re soon to become a part of it, as one by one they fall prey to an unseen killer, until only Alice (Adrienne King) — the quintessential “Final Girl” of the slasher motif — is left to face the menace alone.

“We wanted to program something fun to commemorate our 13th birthday and being that this year January 13th is on a Friday, it made perfect sense to go for Friday the 13th,” explained Lawren Desai, executive director and curator of a/perture cinema. “Horror films have been super popular in theaters, so we are hoping that proves the case for a classic like Friday the 13th. People are drawn to watching horror films and being frightened communally.”

In addition to King, the film featured a cast of up-and-coming actors, including Kevin Bacon, Bing’s son Harry Crosby (in his feature debut), Broadway actor and director Mark Nelson (in his feature debut), and veteran Betsy Palmer, who’d appeared in the Oscar-winning Mister Roberts (1955) but hadn’t made a feature film since 1959’s The Last Angry Man opposite Paul Muni (who earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in his final feature) and Billy Dee Williams (in his feature debut).

Desai admits that she wasn’t a horror fan in her youth — they were too scary — but “now I have a great appreciation for them, especially the arthouse ones like The Babadook and It Follows.”

Filmed in beautiful New Jersey on a budget of slightly more than $500,000, Friday the 13th was acquired for distribution by no less than Paramount Pictures, which put all of its marketing muscle behind mounting a nationwide release. It certainly paid o , as the film grossed almost $40 million domestically and landed in the top 20 box-o ce hits of 1980. The only Paramount release that grossed more that year was Airplane! It even outgrossed Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning Raging Bull, which some critics consider the best film of the entire decade, by over $15 million.

The film was hardly a critic’s darling, and Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert were so appalled by the film — and the slasher genre as a whole — that they devoted an entire episode of their television show Sneak Previews essentially trashing it.

The rest, as they say, was history. Friday the 13th became a mainstay of Paramount for a decade, with a sequel following almost every year until 1989, and even became a first-run, syndicated anthology television series that ran for three seasons (1987-’90). There have been Friday the 13th comic books, video games, and countless collectibles — and let’s not forget the countless rip-o s that followed in its wake. (Ironically, Friday the 13th was originally made to cash in on the popularity of John Carpenter’s 1978 classic Halloween, which itself has become a mammoth Hollywood franchise.)

The Friday the 13th franchise is anything but dead and buried. Last Halloween, it was announced that Crystal Lake, a prequel to the events of the first film, would go into production and be aired on Peacock.

But this Friday, you can go back to where it all started …

Looking back on 13 years, Desai said that aside from the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, yes — it’s been a lucky 13 for a/perture. !

See MARK BURGER ’s reviews of current movies on Burgervideo.com. © 2022, Mark Burger.

BY LEIGH ANN WOODRUFF

With support from Truist, Kaleideum and Read Write Spell are collaborating on the second annual Literacy Fair at Kaleideum North from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, January 28.

“We are so excited to partner with Read Write Spell this year to bring back this fun and educational event,” says Elizabeth Dampier, Kaleideum Executive Director. “And with this generous sponsorship from Truist and Read Write Spell , we are excited to be able to offer free/’pay what you can’ admission to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the fair. This takes away any barriers to access so that more people can engage in the literacy-based activities that will be occurring during this special day.”

Read Write Spell trains volunteer tutors to provide one-on-one literacy instruction to Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School students who struggle with reading . All of their work is based in the science of reading — how the brain learns to read. The one-day event is geared toward families with children in grades pre-K-5. Visitors will be able to explore resources and handson activities that support literacy development and help inspire lifelong learning. In addition, CiCi’s Pizza will be providing free pizza for visitors during the event.

“Kaleideum, Read Write Spell , Truist, and a host of community partners are joining together to provide information and resources, fun activities, food, and BOOKS while supplies last,” said Shari Brady, Kaleideum’s Vice President of Education and Engagement. “Literacy is foundational for students to excel in all areas of education. This collaborative effort promotes access to literacy equity through the encouragement of

SPELL

reading and nurturing of the learning environment. We are thrilled to work with Read Write Spell and other community partners to play a role in this important work.”

For additional information about the Literacy Fair and other special events, visit kaleideum.org .

ARTS COUNCIL is the chief advocate of the arts and cultural sector in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. Our goal is to serve as a leader in lifting up, creating awareness and providing support to grow and sustain artistic, cultural and creative offerings throughout our region. We acknowledge that it takes every voice, every talent, and every story to make our community a great place to live, work, and play. Arts Council is committed to serving as a facilitator, organizer, and promoter of conversations that are authentic, inclusive, and forward-thinking. There are over 800,000 art experiences taking place in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County annually. To learn more about upcoming arts and culture events happening in our community please visit www. cityofthearts.com.

Mark Burger

Contributor

Burr’s Farewell Comes 28 Years Late voices

Longworth at Large

In 1994 liberal Democrat Congressman Stephen Neal decided not to run for reelection in the 5th district. That opened the door for Richard Burr, a lawn equipment salesman from Winston-Salem, to run for and win Neal’s seat. Burr, a moderate Republican, had all the makings of a southern statesman in the mold of Sam Ervin, Richardson Pryor, and Howard Coble. But instead of taking his place at the table of public service, Burr took his turn at the feeding trough, and enriched himself in ways that were unprecedented and unavailable to his constituents.

Last month, Senator Burr gave his farewell address in which he spoke of “making a di erence.” If only that were true. Sure, Burr became a media darling in his final years because he appeared to be bi-partisan by voting to convict Trump at the second impeachment hearing. But Richard was a lame duck at that point, with no fear that Trump could ever primary him. For Burr, his wasn’t a courageous vote. It was a legacy vote. At any rate, it’s just too bad that Congress doesn’t allow rebuttal speeches after a farewell address. If it did, Burr would have been an easy target for his missteps and misdeeds. Here are just a few:

HEALTHCARE

On January 11, 2017, Sen. Amy Klobucher proposed an amendment to a budget bill that would have allowed the importation of prescription drugs from Canada. For many Americans trying to make ends meet, the measure meant they would no longer have to choose between food and medicine. Burr voted against the bill, saying that drugs from Canada might not be safe. Speaking against his company’s own interests, Dr. Peter Rost, an executive with Pfizer, refuted Burr’s idiotic statement. Said Rost, “Drugs from Canada are absolutely, positively safe.” The fact is that Canadian drugs aren’t dangerous, they’re just cheaper, and that’s why Burr voted Nay. But why should Burr care about the price of drugs? Because he was paid to care, that’s why. From 2009 until 2016, Senator Burr

Software Engineer

(Winston-Salem, NC): Design, develop, test, deploy, and support new software solutions and changes to existing software solutions. Position is 100% remote. Req: BS + 1 yr. exp. Mail resume w/ cover letter to: Inmar, Inc., 1 W. 4th St., Ste 500, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, Attn: Abby Panz.

accepted nearly $420,000 from Big Pharma alone, thus, his vote to protect the industry’s domestic profits came as no surprise. Nor did his e orts to lobby for reducing Big Pharma’s tax rate. But that’s not all. Reporting for STATnews.com, Sheila Kaplan noted that there are over 200 companies located near Burr’s hometown that are in the business of developing or manufacturing drugs and medical devices. Together, those companies gave Richard over one million dollars for his final re-election campaign. Enough said.

GUNS

In 2016, Burr voted against a bill that would have required universal background checks and limited sales of guns to known terrorists. Why? According to Becky Ceartas, then director of North Carolinians Against Gun Violence, Burr’s votes were a quid pro quo for the $800 thousand dollars he received from the NRA. Said Ceartas, “Burr chose not to put safety of our families first, pushing that aside to demonstrate (his) loyalty to the gun lobby.”

VETERANS

Burr supported George Bush’s unprovoked invasion of Iraq even after learning that Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction and had nothing to do with 9-11. Had Burr stood up to Bush, he might have helped to spare the lives of over a million innocent Iraqi men, women, and children, as well as thousands of American soldiers. Then, to add insult to injury, the veterans who returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan faced an unemployment level of nearly 11%, yet, according to a report by Jon Erickson of WCTI-TV, Burr voted against a bill that would have created a job corps meant to employ veterans as firefighters and police o cers.

INSURANCE

Burr accepted big bucks from the insurance industry, then voted to oppose the ACA and to privatize Medicare. He also never took a stand on price gouging by health insurers who continued to charge exorbitant rates for monthly premiums. It was a triple punch to the gut of seniors and low-income Americans who were living day to day and hoping like hell they never got sick.

TAXES

During his 2016 re-election campaign, Burr promised to lower the tax burden for the middle class, but in December of 2017, he voted to raise taxes on 55% of North Carolinians. According to the Raleigh News & Observer, those tax hikes amounted to $900 per household per year over a ten-year period. At the same time, Burr voted to lower the tax rate on wealthy Americans like himself, who would save an average of $115,000 per year.

THE STOCK ACT & COVID STOCK DUMP

In 2012, President Obama signed into law the STOCK Act (“Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act”) which made it illegal for a member of Congress to trade on and profit from non-public, insider knowledge that they had exclusive access to. Richard Burr was one of only two Senators who voted against the bill, which begs

the question, Why? Perhaps his staggering increase in personal wealth while serving in Congress explains it. According to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Burr’s net worth in 1994 was $189,000. But by 2018 OpenSecrets.org reports that his net worth had risen to over $7.4 million dollars. That’s an increase of 3,600 percent at a time when the income of average Americans rose by less than one percent.

Burr has denied ever profiting from insider knowledge, but his denials just don’t pass the smell test, especially after his now famous stock dump of 2020. On January 24 of that year, Dr. Anthony Fauci began briefing Burr about the seriousness of the rapidly-spreading COVID-19 virus. Then, according to Reuters, three days after that briefing, Burr as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee began receiving daily COVID updates. Coincidentally Burr then began to liquidate his stocks, including all of those in the hotel and hospitality industry which would be the hardest hit by the pandemic. Then on three separate days, January 31, February 4, and February 13, Burr and his wife made a total of 33 stock trades worth an estimated $1.7 million dollars. Within hours after completing those transactions, U.S. Secretary of Health Alex Azar declared a national public health emergency.

Prior to his stock dump, Burr assured the public (via a FOX News op-ed) that America was “better prepared than ever before to face emerging public health threats.” But as soon as his flurry of stock trades were complete, Burr told a private group of high rollers that COVID “is much more aggressive in its transmission than anything we’ve ever seen in recent history.” When news of Burr’s stock transactions went public, some in Congress called for his resignation, and NC 13th district Congressional candidate Scott Hu man publicly shamed Burr, ”for not stepping up and sounding the alarm so we could have started preparing then (for the pandemic).” Even conservative FOX News pundit Tucker Carlson excoriated Burr, saying, “There is no greater moral crime than betraying your country in a time of crisis, and that appears to be what happened.”

Facing a federal investigation, Burr denied using insider knowledge to profit from stock trades, saying first that he got his information by watching CNBC’s daily health and science reporting out of their Asia bureaus. He later revised his story and explained that his stock trades were made because there had been a long bull market and it was time for a course correction. FBI agent Brandon Merriman wasn’t buying those explanations. After reviewing Burr’s cell phone records and other documents, Merriman said, “I believe probable cause exists that Senator Burr used material, non-public information regarding the impact that Covid-19 would have on the economy, and that he gained that information by virtue of his position as a member of Congress.” Despite Merriman’s findings, the Justice Department gave Richard a pass.

And so, Richard Burr departs Washington, D.C. unscathed after 28 years of enriching himself. Regrettably, he returns home without convictions of any kind. !

JIM LONGWORTH is the host of Triad Today, airing on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. on ABC45 (cable channel 7) and Sundays at 11 a.m. on WMYV (cable channel 15).

Jim Longworth

With a

tangy Latin flavor, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is a belated sequel to 2011’s Puss in Boots , which showcased the title character (voiced by Antonio Banderas) first introduced in Shrek 2 (2004). That the film took 11 years to be made is the quintessential Hollywood development hell. There were numerous false starts, tossed concepts, and production permutations. Indeed, the tykes of yesteryear who flocked to Puss in Boots are now teens, many of whom wouldn’t be caught dead at what they’d perceive as a “kiddie movie.”

That said, The Last Wish easily establishes its own identity and offers plenty of entertainment for kids and adults alike. Like the Shrek franchise, the film’s bouncy, nicely balanced sense of humor is not limited to children.

As the story opens, Puss comes to discover that he has used up eight of his nine lives. He impulsively buries his cape and attempts, rather amusingly, to settle into retired anonymity. But when he learns that “the Wishing Star” has been located in the vicinity of the “Dark Forest,” he reasons that he can wish for more lives and embarks on a quest to this end, accompanied by old sparring partner Kitty Softpaws (voiced by Salma Hayek) and a new companion, the perennially optimistic pup called Perrito (voiced by Harvey Guillen).

They aren’t the only ones seeking the Wishing Star, and here the filmmakers have incorporated some inspired reinvention of traditional fairy-tale characters. Goldilocks (voiced by Florence Pugh) and the Three Bears (voiced by Olivia Colman, Samson Kayo, and reliable Ray Winstone) are portrayed as a Cockney crime ring, and “Big” Jack Horner (voiced by John Mulaney) is the blubbery baker’s son bent on absolute power, and essentially the villain of these proceedings.

There is another menacing presence: The black-cloaked red-eyed, sickle-wielding Wolf (voiced by Wagner

Moura). He’s not after the Wishing Star, he’s after Puss in Boots. Wolf represents death, and his relentless pursuit genuinely petrifies Puss. He’s also one of the scarier characters in an animated family film in quite some time, and he’s never played for laughs. When he appears, the tone of the film becomes distinctly darker.

Amid the colorful, occasionally overblown action sequences, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is one of the (very) few animated features in which the main character confronts his own mortality, which — surprisingly — is its strongest attribute. For smaller children who might not grasp the concept of death, there’s more than enough flash and panache to keep them entertained, but The Last Wish is not without some resonance for grown-ups, too.

Banderas invests the character with his trademark bravado and savoirfaire but also a touch of melancholy. This may be reading too much into it, but it seems entirely plausible that

Banderas, who suffered a heart attack in 2017, had a hand in shaping the character’s emotional arc. This time, Puss in Boots has found himself in something of an existential quandary, and who would have expected that?

It wouldn’t be fair to reveal how it all turns out, but the last scene indicates that we’ve not seen the last of Puss in Boots, and that we may well be seeing some old friends in the next installment, but let’s hope it comes to pass more quickly than it took this film to reach the screen.

Leave it to that wily feline of the title — “outlaw to some, hero to others, legend to all,” as he modestly boasts — to extract some unexpected, but undeniably welcome, magic from a well-worn but still-potent franchise. Puss in Boots is still the cat’s meow. !

See MARK BURGER’s reviews of current movies on Burgervideo.com. © 2022, Mark Burger.

Mark Burger

Contributor

BRIGHT IDEA

Dog owner Erik Torres, who owns a pet store in Doral, Florida, is facing charges after he brought his Pomeranian — dyed to look like Pikachu — to a Miami Heat game on Dec. 26, WPTV reported. “It made NBA history because nobody’s ever seen a Pikachu dog sitting next to an NBA player before,” Torres said. But Miami-Dade County Animal Services officials were unamused: “No animal should be dyed, regardless of whether there’s an ordinance prohibiting that,” said assistant director Kathleen Labrada. She noted it is “unlawful for any person to possess, sell or otherwise transfer within the county any dyed or artificially colored rabbit or other animal.” Torres is fighting the charge, saying the dog is not for sale and he used dye that is safe for consumption. He also has no plans to remove the dye.

NAY-CHUR

5:00 P.M.

2:00 P.M. 7:00 P.M.

available for home games below:

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. LONGWOOD Thursday, December 29

MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. GARDNER-WEBB Saturday, December 31

MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. UNC ASHEVILLE Wednesday, January 4

Faculty/Sta Appreciation

Holidays in High Point

Halftime Act: Red Panda Acrobat

Draw Like a Panther Night

Halftime Act: Jonathan Burns

2:00 P.M.

7:00 P.M.

7:00 P.M.

2:00 P.M.

7:00 P.M.

2:00 P.M.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. USC UPSTATE Saturday, January 7

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. CSU Wednesday, January 11

MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. WINTHROP Wednesday, January 18

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. RADFORD Saturday, January 21

MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. CAMPBELL Wednesday, January 25

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. GARDNER-WEBB Saturday, January 28

Halftime Act: HPU Greek Challenge

Halftime Act: Xpogo Stunt Show

In Derbyshire, England, Phil and Jane Carter are used to seeing foxes on their lawn. But, the Telegraph reported, a Dec. 17 visitor to their garden caught their attention. Jane spotted a fox nosing around their turf looking for something to eat while balancing on its front legs — the only legs it had — and yelled at her husband to come see it. “It was fascinating,” Phil said. “It stood bolt upright and ran like a human being on two legs.” He got in touch with experts at the Derbyshire Nature Reserve, who told him the fox was likely born with the disability and had learned to survive. While foxes are usually shy, the special animal hung around for about 45 minutes before it took off “like a rocket,” Phil said.

PRECOCIOUS

Halftime Act: On Stage School of Dance

Halftime Act: Umbrella Lina

Halftime Act: Kernersville Dance Company

Ashley Lynn, mother of a 9-month-old baby, took to social media this holiday season after her child was gifted a toy remote control, the New York Post reported. Lynn said the baby loved the toy and was “going to town chewing on” it, but then she noticed that when certain buttons were pressed, it made inappropriate comments. One was about a drive-by shooting, and another was a sexually themed joke about priests. “What? What?” Lynn said. “Walmart, explain this. Linsay Toys, explain this.” Lynn reached out to Linsay on Dec. 31 and got a prompt reply, which indicated the toy would no longer be sold. Walmart said the toy was sold by a third-party seller and has been removed

for not complying with its “prohibited products policy.”

UPDATE

In late August, News of the Weird shared a story from Yellowstone National Park about a human foot having been found floating in the Abyss Pool, a hot spring. At the time, officials did not suspect foul play. KTLA-TV reported on Jan. 4 that investigators have now identified the person to whom the foot belonged: 70-year-old Il Hun Ro of Los Angeles. Ro’s Kia SUV was found in a parking lot near the spring, and inside were his laptop, a wallet with $447 and a small book of poems — but no suicide note. Geologists did not find any more human remains in the pool, other than “fatty deposits ... floating to the surface over time,” a report indicated. The pool is more than 50 feet deep and has an average temperature of 140 degrees.

OVERKILL

Matthew Greenwood, 32, and Jeremy Crahan, 40, of Puyallup, Washington, only wanted to rob a business on Christmas Day, NPR reported. But their strategy got them in much more trouble than the original crime would have. Both were charged with attacking power substations, causing thousands of people to lose electricity on the holiday; Greenwood and Crahan admitted they just wanted to empty a cash register at a local business during the outage. The sabotage amounts to a federal crime; Crahan’s lawyer said he plans to enter a not guilty plea.

IT’S A MYSTERY

Public lands officials in Salt Lake City are trying to solve a mystery: Who is placing antennae with solar panels on public property? KSL-TV reported on Jan. 4 that a few of the devices were found about a year ago, but more have been discovered in recent months. The locked battery boxes, solar panels and antennae “have been bolted into different peaks and summits and ridges around the foothills,” said Tyler Fonarow, the city’s recreational trails manager. “It might be related to cryptocurrency and relaying networks and being able to make money off that,” Fonarow speculated. He hopes to educate the public that items cannot be installed on public lands. “We want to stop it now before it becomes a dumping ground for dozens and dozens of more antennas.” ! ©2022 Andrews McMeel Universal

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION

Opening in a parka, say

DeLuise of “Hot Stuff”

-Doo-Dah” 113 Pebble, e.g. 114 Tennis’ Arthur 115 Ear swab 116 “— that special!” 119 1940s pres. 120 Suffix with Israel 121 Hush-hush govt. gp.

The Lillie Pad Studio: Local woman leaps into creative business

Yasmin Peebles always knew that she’d be doing something creative to generate income, she just didn’t know that the 2020 COVID pandemic would help her land on her journey to success.

Editor

“Ever since I was young I knew that I would do something in the creative field and would be working for myself,” she said. “Writing children’s books and plays, that’s where I started. I started writing books when I was in the first grade. So I always knew that I would do something that had to do with being creative. That was the goal.”

Peebles said that she had co-workers that would depend on her creative skills. Skills that she calls a gift.

“I would be the one that they would ask to make something for the bulletin boards, make something for the teachers or give them some ideas.”

The 44-year-old mother of three said she could no longer work via her literacy company, Yie-J Books, writing children’s books and plays, due to COVID and its restriction. When the announcement came in March 2020 to wear face masks in public, Peebles said she wanted something beyond the typical “plain, old surgical mask.” She had some sequined material lying around and made herself a mask. Eventually, she got the idea to sell them online, which she did. Thus the beginning of The Lillie Pad Studio, named after her sister, Lillie, who died in 2016.

“I knew that masks were going to come to an end eventually and I didn’t want to let go of The Lillie Pad because I am creative and I didn’t know how long everything would be shut down,” she explained.

Luckily, she didn’t have to face that decision. A coworker commissioned her to design a clutch pocketbook and her business took o from there.

“I just started making di erent things,” Peebles said. “I’ve made a variety of different things. Everything is made by hand. I’ve made boots, clutch purses, and rhinestone purses. I recently started making a rhinestone cake tumbler and I have resin art that I have made. I tell people if you can think of it then I can create it.”

Peebles is especially proud of her Zou boots.

“They are sequined boots. One boot is a combination of di erent colored sequin

Chanel Davis

Yasmin Peebles

patches and the other boot is a solid sequin color.”

One thing Peebles says she can o er each client is originality and that is “what makes her di erent from a lot of stores.”

“A lot of the things I have you can’t find at the store. I do have original designs. You won’t find the Zou boots in the store. You won’t find boots where one foot is patchwork with di erent color sequins and the other foot is plain. I’ve made a ball-shaped clutch that was geared toward the AKAs and one for Deltas. The clutch I made for my coworker you won’t ever be able to find that anywhere. She’s the only one that will have that one because of the material. I don’t have that anymore,” she explained.

It’s a trait that Peebles said most clients are looking for — one-of-a-kind pieces. She said all customers have to do is tell her their idea and color palette, and she’ll make it.

“A lot of times I have people who send messages to me and ask if I can create this or that. They will give me the ideas and the colors and I will make it. I enjoy making one-of-a-kind pieces,” Peebles said. “I have a woman that when she contacts me, that’s what she wants. She wants something that I won’t make for anybody else.”

One of her latest challenges is making accessories for a doll collector.

“I had never made a doll shoe or anything else that had to do with dolls before he reached out to me. He showed me the shoes; I picked them up, got some resin and clay, and made a mold of the shoes. It came out just perfect. I painted them and they looked like they were brand new. Now he’s a regular client.”

While Peebles said she can do anything, she draws the line at anything that’s insulation or brand specific.

“I wouldn’t do anything that would make other people feel uncomfortable or if it was insulting. I would not do something like that,” she said. “I also will not make something for someone that is already a brand. I won’t go against any intellectual property. They do their own

thing. I’m not going to imitate a brand and say that I made it.”

So what’s next for Peebles and The Lillie Pad Studio? She hopes to continue to grow and restart her children’s plays.

“I would like to have my own space where people can come in and shop. I get most of my sales from out of state but I really want to work on getting more in North Carolina.”

Peebles has garnered some much work through The Lillie Pad Studio that she’s had to scale back on her day job. She says creating and processing orders takes up almost half of her workday, working from a dedicated space in her home. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

“When I make something for someone, I do it to see the reaction on their face. Everything that I make comes from love. When you see it, I want to know that you like it. That makes me feel good when you like it.” !

CHANEL DAVIS is the current editor of YES! Weekly and graduated from N.C. A&T S.U. in 2011 with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications. She’s worked at daily and weekly newspapers in the Triad region.

WANNA know?

To shop, visit https://www.etsy.com/shop/Yasmin Edyta?fbclid=IwAR3gaaJtjpk3i44dBpmHT6w38h 7jYQl8g-Ju26TmMf2v0oaVJEpK7-yx4so.

Rocky vs. Greensboro, Round Two

“DREAM BIG” proclaims a banner across South Davie Street from the February One parking deck construction site. Now Rocco “Rocky” Scarfone has filed his second lawsuit over the fiveyear-old uncompleted project, alleging it has destroyed his dream for the Cone Denim Entertainment Center on Elm Street by turning his venue’s rear entrance easement into a nightmare alley.

That alley, which begins on the 100 block of E. Market and ends in the construction site, once allowed easy access for acts like Dave Chappelle, Naughty by Nature, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, whose security concerns, equipment and road crews mandated an entrance separate from the public and easily accessible by tour bus.

“When you book an artist, you automatically want to know what their rider looks like,” said Scarfone on Tuesday, referring to the addendum that places conditions on a contract. “And when I’d get these riders, I knew there was no way for me to even bid on them because I knew for a fact, I was not going to be able to accommodate them.”

According to Scarfone, his ability to book those acts ended in 2020, when construction began on the five-story February One Parking Deck and connected Westin Greensboro Hotel.

“It was known from Day One, when we were entering into a settlement agreement with the city, that our biggest concern was proper access to the back door, for tour buses, trailers, and

tractor-trailers, not only because that’s where the loading and dressing rooms are, but for the security of the artist. It’s bad enough Covid devastated so many businesses, which made us close for 14 months. Covid did not sidetrack construction, which was still allowed to happen. So, when we were getting close to being allowed to reopen, we notified the city immediately about our concerns regarding the easements as described in the settlement agreement, and our concerns fell on deaf ears. Now the deck has been built directly on the easement and too close to the buildings, and I will not be able to book the caliber of artists that I have since November 2014.”

As indicated by Scarfone’s reference to a settlement, he and the city clashed over this issue well before construction began on the project. In late 2017, city o cials approved the parking deck. After Scarfone refused the city’s o er to buy the easement for $55,000, City Council voted to take possession via eminent domain, with Mayor Nancy Vaughan stating this addressed a public need for more parking. In 2018, Scarfone’s then-attorney Amiel Rossabi filed a lawsuit, which council voted to settle for $650,000 plus $85,000 in legal fees. The settlement also granted Scarfone an easement from the back of Cone Denim via Market Street, and gave him 435 square feet behind Cone Denim for a green room, and a lounge for performers before, during, and after a performance.

But the city denied him the right to build stairs to it. However, although the original agreement had been signed and the check cashed, Scarfone had not signed the additional documents granting him the easement and land. After months of negotiation, the city agreed to sell him air rights over the alley, denying him the first 15 feet of height over its pavement, but allowing him to build above that. When parking deck construction began in late 2019, Scarfone alleged it was intruding onto the easement he’d been granted, making it impossible for tour buses to enter the alley.

On January 6, Scarfone did what he’d been threatening to do for over three years, and sued.

“The City readily agreed to give the full easement knowing that every inch of it mattered,” states the Complaint filed on Friday. It alleges the city violated that agreement by “building the parking garage literally and directly in the easement,” causing “significant damage and loss of goodwill among concertgoers and Agents, National Recording Artists, Co-

BY IAN MCDOWELL

medians and other touring shows [and] destroying the business.”

It also states the “City has repeatedly given assurances that the project would be completed promptly, and yet four years and eight months after the settlement was executed, it has not been completed and the City has missed deadline after deadline with no regard for the terms of the settlement agreement and the adverse e ects their actions would have.”

In this litigation, Scarfone is represented by Drew Brown of Brown, Faucher, Peraldo and Benson, his representation by Amiel Rossabi having ended in December 2018 when Rossabi sued Scarfone over alleged unpaid legal fees.

Brown does not have his predecessor’s reputation for combative rhetoric, but when interviewed for this article, he and City Attorney Chuck Watts traded verbal punches after being questioned about the following allegation in the Complaint:

“The plainti s have tried repeatedly to work with the city short of filing this lawsuit. On one occasion, Chuck Watts, the General Counsel for the City, quite literally hung up on the plainti s during a scheduled call with counsel and clients present.”

Brown elaborated on this allegation: “I’ve worked with several attorneys

who represent the City of Greensboro, and have never encountered anything like this before. Rather than try to work with us, he just dismissed us and was rude. When Tom Carruthers was the city attorney, I would never have encountered an attitude like Mr. Watts has. Mr. Carruthers was the consummate professional.”

While Watts stated he could not comment on the substance of the litigation, he o ered the following response to the allegations about himself:

“I’ve got at least 25-30 emails back and forth addressing their concerns and showing the city’s interest in complying with the complaint. I left the zoom call after being told by Drew repeatedly and loudly that ‘Chuck, you are not going to win the law here,’ [as] I chose not to be hollered at. As to Carruthers, this matter precipitated his termination as city attorney, so that may not be an accurate depiction of that relationship.”

Watts’ predecessor resigned in 2018. It was reported in the Rhino Times that Carruthers’ departure was precipitated by his having failed to fully settle the easement issue with Scarfone. !

IAN MCDOWELL is the author of two published novels, numerous anthologized short stories, and a whole lot of nonfiction and journalism, some of which he’s proud of and none of which he’s ashamed of.

Ian McDowell

Contributor

PHOTO

Rocco “Rocky” Scarfone

Editor’s Note: This submission is part of our “New Year, New You” coverage — where we offer readers tips on different aspects of their lives for the New Year.

Can you believe that we are already in another year? My how time seems to fly by, especially when you least expect it. It seems like yesterday; we were jotting down our 2022 goals. Now, we should be at the point where we have jotted down our 2023 goals and have started on our action plans. A lot of us probably have a weight loss or wellness goal. The beginning of a new year normally makes us feel that what we didn’t accomplish last year is more attainable with a new and fresh beginning. We love to call it, “New Year, New Me.”

Now is a great time for us to provide some helpful wellness tips to help you with your 2023 goals. If you feel like you have already fallen off, no problem! We understand that trying to live a healthy lifestyle can seem difficult. One of the ways that we measure our wellness success is by choosing a cute outfit that is a little snug; success is not always on the scale. Take a picture in the outfit, then revisit the outfit in three months after following these five success strategies. Get your MIND right! Meeting your wellness goals starts in your mind. Sometimes, we self-sabotage ourselves mentally, before ever getting started. It is important to develop a positive mindset to help you reach your wellness goals. Practice positive affirmations throughout the day that will motivate and inspire you along the journey. This also helps you to remove unhealthy food thoughts, like categorizing foods as “good” or “bad.”

Be realistic. One of the major setbacks of not being able to meet wellness goals is that we set unrealistic expectations. Set specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound (SMART) goals and follow through.

Adopt healthy habits. Take the time to adopt healthy nutrition and exercise habits that will help you reach your goals. For example, replace sugary drinks with water or other zero-calorie beverages. Explore vegetables by incorporating them into every meal.

Make movement fun! Do you dislike walking on a treadmill for exercise? Well,

why are you doing it? Pick an activity that you love and do it. If you like dancing, find a local dance exercise class or just turn on your music at home and have fun! Wellness does not have to be boring!

Trust the process. Do not attempt to microwave, instant pot, or air fry your results. Patience is a virtue and greatness takes time. Patience in wellness will allow you to take the time to adopt sustainable habits that you can maintain. Celebrate your progress and small victories!

Now that you have the resources you need to reach your wellness goals, you should be moving in the right direction. Our challenge to you is to worry less about counting calories and dieting and work towards adopting healthy habits that fit your lifestyle! Believe that you will achieve greatness and you will! Aim for progress, not perfection! !

LATISHA J. ALFORD , known as “Coach T”, is the owner of Back to the Basics Nutrition and Fitness, LLC. She is a double certified run coach with Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) and Revo2lution Running Coach. She has a nutritional background and is a certified Fierce4 Nutritional Coach. Alford has certifications from Interactive Fitness Trainers of America (IFTA) in Personal Training and Kickboxing. She is also part owner of Trifecta Fitness Studio, which has two locations, one in Jamestown and the other in Winston-Salem.

Marley Pitch gets dark on “Nocturne”

Katei Cranford Contributor

Nocturne,” the latest album from Marley Pitch takes the alternative hip-hop artist to new levels — exploring the darker shades of life — finding balance and weaving stories to explore the opposition and perils within his own humanity.

“To not give everything away, I’d say that ‘Nocturne’ for me was an exercise of introspection and more than that, became the safe place for my shadow work,” Pitch said. “If I was tongue in cheek with it I would just say that you could consider this my villain era.”

Within that era, he and producer-instrumentalist Justice Der, drew aesthetics and concepts from comic book heroes and elements of pop culture. “We spent a lot

of time talking about Batman and Bruce Wayne,” Pitch noted. “And that there really isn’t much of a duality. They are both one and the same.”

“‘Nocturne’ manifested in many ways for us in this process and it was just about acknowledging that darkness is in everything and it is necessary but it should never take the stage for too long,” he continued, turning to other inspirative sources like MF Doom and Madlib. “We also spoke to our musical inspirations while making it like ‘Madvilliany,’” Pitch explained. “The way DOOM took it upon himself to be the villain had always been intriguing to me personally.”

Building on primary influences of his youth — artists like Eric B & Rakim, A Tribe Called Quest, Kid Cudi, Drake, and Passion Pit — Pitch’s love of Frank Ocean set the sequence putting “Nocturne” in motion, having met Der via Reddit threads for Ocean fans. The pair bonded over musical elements, with Pitch’s predilection for wordplay corresponding to Der’s jazz-

infused instrumental work. “Justice is a genius and I’m really grateful to have done this project with him,” Pitch insisted. “He was Quincy to my Michael. He pulled all the musicians together for the project and of course produced the whole thing. I’m super proud of him.”

Within his own work, “I find myself gravitating towards introspection almost to a hyper-realism e ect,” Pitch said. “And at times I like to mix that with some fantasy. I don’t necessarily like the idea of always specifying which is which — but it’s all based on true stories.”

On “Nocturne,” those stories sprawl across 11 tracks of collaboration and hardlined self-awareness. “We worked on this record over the last two years, so some sessions truly are a blur,” Pitch admitted, referencing the feelings of pain and self-loathing translated into tracks. “I remember writing ‘Pixelated,’ ‘Dearly Departed,’ and ‘A Fall From Grace’ vividly. Those feelings were heavy and fresh on the tongue. I wanted to puke.”

“Pixelated,” the album’s opener — picks up from Pitch’s previous work (2020’s “Singularity”). “You could say it’s when ‘the darkness’ takes hold of me and I sink into my worst thoughts and habits,” he said, o ering the crux between the two records. It’s a concept hammered home on “Dearly Departed,” wherein Pitch hunts for peace of mind across the sober realities of the perpetual morning after. “When the fun dissipates and all you’re left with is substances and addiction issues you begin to really take inventory,” he noted, turning to the nihilism on “A Fall From Grace.” Written during what he considers his lowest points — the track bottoms-out ideas demanding accountability through unbridled expression. “This is when you could say the demons have settled into the body nicely,” he said.

Though it’s rarely that simple. The “Hedonist Theme,” “Ghoulish” banger, and deceptive fun on “Sprites” come to roost in their own way. The song, “SOS,” translates as an ultimate call for help buried under

“

“fake bravado and micro-misogyny,” Pitch admitted. Featuring vocal work from Maria Aragon, “it follows ‘A Fall From Grace’ perfectly in that I took the time to look at my situation and how it was molding me, but how the darkness began to feel cool and it became useful in situations with women and even adversaries.”

and shot across a New York City night.

of reggae, alternative and acid jazz, based singer-songwriter, Rachel Bobbitt

Aragon’s vocals also make an appearance on the album’s lead single, “Broken,” which features an accompanying video self-directed by Pitch and shot across a New York City night. Infusing rap and R&B across planes of reggae, alternative and acid jazz, “Broken” lays bare issues surrounding mental illness and substance abuse on a path toward self-acceptance — walking the line of evocative lyrics and moody lofibeats. “‘Broken’ is the moment I accept the good, bad, and the ugly in myself,” Pitch said. “Depression isn’t a new topic in my music but this is the most transparent I’ve been about it.”

The follow-up single and video, “Tell Me,” (featuring the directorial work of James Morano) o ers a more solitary perspective. “I wanted to make a song that would rip live,” Pitch explained. “The hook is brash and self-deprecating and it’s just the thing you want to scream in a bad mood. I begin to acknowledge how this chaotic lifestyle isn’t conducive to the life I’d like to have with someone special.”

Senses of acknowledgment carry over into the album’s closer, “Rain or Shine,” which features vocal work from Toronto-

(a member of the “Call More” music collective alongside Pitch and Der). “It’s as close to the happy ending an album like this could have,” Pitch said of the song.

“This is the moment I tried to portray reaching a balance with my mental health without claiming anything was ‘solved’.

It’s important to also point out that the whole album has slight religious references throughout, so once you loop back around for that second listen try to find them intentionally.”

While fans comb over hints to the divine, Pitch notes more work is underway, with accompanying projects expected for release over the course of 2023. Meanwhile, “Nocturne” is out now via streaming platforms. !

KATEI

CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who spotlights area artists and events.

PHOTO BY SOFIA MIRANDA

ARCHDALE

FIREHOUSE TAPROOM

10146 N Main St | 336.804.9441 www.facebook.com/firehousetaproom/

Jan 13: Warren Phillips Band

Feb 18: Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball

ASHEBORO

FOUR SAInTS BREWInG

218 South Fayetteville St. | 336.610.3722 www.foursaintsbrewing.com

Thursdays: Taproom Trivia

Fridays: Music Bingo

Jan 15: Honky Tonk Jam w/ Mark DIllion & Friends

Jan 28: High Cotton

Feb 5: Randolph Jazz Band

Feb 19: Honky Tonk Jam w/ Mark Dillion & Friends

Mar 5: Randolph Jazz Band

Mar 11: 80’s Unplugged

Mar 19: Honky Tonk Jam w/ Mark Dillion & Friends

CARBORRO

CAT ’S CRADlE

300 E Main St | 919.967.9053 www.catscradle.com

Jan 14: Victoria Victoria

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Jan

Feb

Feb

Feb

Feb

Feb

Feb 9:

Feb

Feb

Feb

Feb

Feb

Feb

Feb

Feb

Feb

Feb

Feb

Mar

Mar

Mar

Mar

CLEmmOnS

VIllAGE SQUARE

TAP HOUSE

6000 Meadowbrook Mall Ct | 336.448.5330 www.facebook.com/vstaphouse

Jan

Jan

CHARLOttE

BOJAnGlES COlISEUM

Jan

DuRHAm

CAROlInA THEATRE 309 W Morgan St | 919.560.3030 www.carolinatheatre.org

Jan

Feb 18: Shana Tucker, ChamberSoul Cello & Songs

Feb 23: Tower of Power

CAROlInA THEATRE

310 S. Greene Street | 336.333.2605 www.carolinatheatre.com

Jan 28: M’SOUl in the Crown

Feb 11: Rouge: A Cirque & Dance Cabaret

Feb 17: Jo Dee Messina

CHAR BAR nO. 7

3724 Lawndale Dr. | 336.545.5555 www.charbar7.com

COMEDY ZOnE

1126 S Holden Rd | 336.333.1034 www.thecomedyzone.com

Jan 12: Emma Willmann

Jan 13-15: Erik Griffin

Jan 20-21: Katherine Blanford

Jan 26-28: Damon Wayans Jr.

Feb 3-4: Michael Palascak

Feb 10: Hypnotist leon Sankofa

Feb 14: Chris Wiles

Feb 17-18: T.K. Kirkland

Feb 22: Casey Frey

2: Christian

AMPHITHEATRE

THE FIllMORE

DPAC

123 Vivian St | 919.680.2787 www.dpacnc.com

Jan 18-22: Come From Away

Jan 31- Feb 5: Cats

Feb 8: Dancing with the Stars: live!

Feb 22: Brandi Carlile

Feb 24-26: Riverdance

ELKIn

REEVES THEATER

129 W Main St | 336.258.8240 www.reevestheater.com

Wednesdays: Reeves Open Mic

Fourth Thursdays: Old-Time Jam

Jan 14: Blue Ridge Opry

SPECTRUM CEnTER

gREEnSBORO

BARn DInnER THEATRE

120 Stage Coach Tr. | 336.292.2211 www.barndinner.com

Jan

Jan 28: The legacy

Feb 4-25: Murdered to Death

Feb 10: Soul & Inspiration: A Tribute to The Righteous Brothers

Feb 24: Encounter

Jan 13: Sam Fribush Trio

Jan 14: Sam Burchfield w/ Chris McGinnis

Jan 17: Trivia w/ Scott

Jan 18: Demeanor

Jan 19: Dance From Above

Jan 20: Ed E Ruger

Jan 21: Deaf Andrews w/ Late Notice

HOURS: Tues-Fri: 3pm-unTil saT & sun 12pm-unTil 221 Summit Ave | 336.501.3967 www.flatirongso.com

GARAGE TAVERN

5211 A West Market St | 336.763.2020 www.facebook.com/GarageTavernGreensboro

Jan 13: Jukebox Rehab Band

Jan 14: The Mighty Fairlanes

Jan 20: Wristband Band

Jan 21: Camel City Blues

Jan 27: The Tess Band

Jan 28: Radio Revolver

GREENSBORO COLISEUM

1921 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400 www.greensborocoliseum.com

Jan 14-15: Monster Jam

Jan 27: A Night of Soul: Frankie Beverly & Maze, The Isley Brothers

Jan 28: Toby Mac

Feb 3: Jurassic World Live Tour

Feb 10: The Legendz of the Streetz

Feb 11: Journey w/ TOTO

Feb 23: Blake Shelton

Feb 25: Winter Jam 2023

Mar 25: Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band

HANGAR 1819

1819 Spring Garden St | 336.579.6480 www.hangar1819.com

Jan 21: Trial By Fire: Journey Tribute

Feb 12: Gideon w/ For The Fallen Dreams

LITTLE BROTHER

BREWING

348 South Elm St | 336.510.9678 www.facebook.com/littlebrotherbrew

Wednesdays: Trivia Fridays & Saturdays: Free Live Music

PIEDMONT HALL

2411 W Gate City Blvd | 336.373.7400 www.greensborocoliseum.com

Jan 27: Steel Panther

Feb 24: Green Queen Bingo

Feb 26: Big Head Todd and the Monsters

Mar 12: Key Glock

Mar 25: Skid Row & Buckcherry

Mar 31: Judah & The Lion

STEVEN TANGER CENTER

300 N Elm Street | 336.333.6500 www.tangercenter.com

Jan 13: George Lopez

Jan 18: Shen Yun

Jan 21: James Ehnes

Jan 24-29: Cats

Feb 1: Jason Isbell + The 400 Unit

Feb 7-9: RIverdance

Feb 11: John Pizzarelli & Catherine Russell

Feb 18: A German Requiem

Mar

Mar 23: Buddy Guy

THE IDIOT BOX

COMEDY CLUB

503 N. Greene St | 336.274.2699 www.idiotboxers.com

Thursdays: Open Mic

Jan 13: Eric Brown & Juice Adkins

Jan 21: Drew Davis

Jan 28: Steve, AJ and Some Lady

Feb 3-4: Robert Baril

Mar 24: Andy Forrester

WINESTYLES

3326 W Friendly Ave Suite 141 | 336.299.4505 www.facebook.com/winestylesgreensboro277

HIGH POINT

1614 DMB 1614 N Main St | 336.883.4113 https://www.1614drinksmusicbilliards.com/

Jan 14: The Resistance

Jan 20: Lip Sync Battle

Jan 21: Kwik Fixx

Jan 28: Black Glass

GOOFY FOOT TAPROOM

2762 NC-68 #109 | 336.307.2567 www.goofyfoottaproom.com

HIGH POINT THEATRE

220 E Commerce Ave | 336.883.3401 www.highpointtheatre.com

Jan 13: Mario The Maker Magician

Feb 9: New York Rockabilly Rockets

Feb 18: Triad Has Talent Showcase Mar 25: The Funny Godmothers

PLANK STREET TAVERN 138 Church Ave | 336.991.5016 www.facebook.com/plankstreettavern

SWEET OLD BILL’S

1232 N Main St | 336.807.1476 www.sweetoldbills.com

Jan 12: Johnny O’ and The Jump out Boys

Feb 9: Metro Jethro’s

Feb 16: Turpentine Shine

Feb 23: Tin Can Alley

JAMESTOWN

THE DECK

118 E Main St | 336.207.1999 www.thedeckatrivertwist.com

Jan 12: Bradley Steele

Jan 13: Gipsy Danger

Jan 14: Big City

Jan 19: Ethan Smith

Jan 21: Radio Revolver

Jan 26: Renae Paige

Jan 28: TJ The DJ

KERNERSVILLE BREATHE

COCKTAIL LOUNGE

221 N Main St. | 336.497.4822 www.facebook.com/BreatheCocktailLounge

Wednesdays: Karaoke

Jan 14: Sprocket

Jan 21: Vinyl Tap Feb 24: SMASHAT

KERNERSVILLE BREWING COMPANY

221 N Main St. | 336.816.7283 www.facebook.com/kernersvillebrewing Thursdays: Trivia

Jan 15: Anne & The Moonlighters

LIBERTY

THE LIBERTY SHOWCASE THEATER

101 S. Fayetteville St | 336.622.3844 www.TheLibertyShowcase.com

Jan 14: Ricky Skaggs

Jan 20: The Isaacs

Jan 28: Stephen Freeman and Echoes of a Legend Show Band

Feb 3: Twitty & Lynn: A Tribute to Conway & Loretta

Feb

Feb

Feb

OAK RIDGE

BISTRO 150

2205 Oak Ridge Rd | 336.643.6359 www.bistro150.com

Jan 14: Wilde (Chris & Amanda Barrans)

Jan 21: Limited Engagement

Jan 28: Jordan & Madisen

Feb 4: Barefoot Modern Acoustic

Feb 11: Two for the Road

Feb 18: Limited Engagement

Feb 25: Jordan & Madisen

RALEIGH

CCU MUSIC PARK AT WALNUT CREEK

3801 Rock Quarry Rd | 919.821.4111 www.livenation.com

LINCOLN THEATRE

126 E. Cabarrus St | 919.831.6400 www.lincolntheatre.com

Jan 12: By George, Harvey Street Company, Late Notice

Jan 13: Adam Knight’s Buried AliveA Tribute to Phish

Jan 14: Winter Metafest ft. Cultus Black, Drill 187, Infinity Dream, Outliar, Attracting the Fall, Among the Machines

Jan 15: Shot Thru The Heart - Bon Jovi Tribute w/ Bullet the Blue Sky

Jan 18: Spa ord

Jan 21: Weekend Excursion w/ Runaway Cab

Jan 27: Love Tribe & Niito

Jan 28: Sarah Shook & The Disarmers

Jan 29: Daniel Donato

Jan 31: Tauk Moore

Feb 1: Neal Francis w/ Danielle Ponder

Feb

Feb 9: The Stews w/ Easy Honey

Feb 10: Far too Jones w/ Lauren Nicole

Feb 19: Cory Wong ft. Victor Wooten & Special Guests Trousdale

Feb 19: Blanke w/ Crystal Skies, Vndetta

Feb 22: Lotus

Feb 24: Boogie T w/ THe Widdler, Khiva, Notixx, Skelltyn

RED HAT AMPHITHEATER

500 S McDowell St | 919.996.8800 www.redhatamphitheater.com

PNC ARENA

1400 Edwards Mill Rd | 919.861.2300 www.thepncarena.com

Jan 21: CINCH World’s Toughest Rodeo

Jan 28: Cody Johnson

Feb 17: Hootie & the Blowfish w/ SUSTO

Mar 13: Greta Van Fleet

RANDLEMAN

KAMIKAZE’S TAVERN

5701 Randleman Rd | 336.908.6144 www.facebook.com/kamikazestavern

Karaoke Every Tuesday & Thursday

WINSTON-SALEM

EARL’S

121 West 9th Street | 336.448.0018 www.earlsws.com

Mondays: Open Mic Thursdays: Will Jones

Jan 13: Kyle Kelly

Jan 14: Aaron Hamm

Jan 20: Zack Brock & The Good Intentions

Jan 21: Russ Varnell

Jan 27: Time Bandits

Jan 28: Billy Creason

Feb 3: Drew Foust

Feb 10: Matt Dylan

Feb 11: Mike Cosner and the Fugatives

FIDDLIN’ FISH BREWING COMPANY

772 Trade St | 336.999.8945 www.fiddlinfish.com

Tuesdays: Trivia

FOOTHILLS BREWING

638 W 4th St | 336.777.3348 www.foothillsbrewing.com

Sundays: Sunday Jazz Thursdays: Trivia

Jan 13: Andrew Wakefield

Jan 15: Eddie Clayton & Friends

Jan 20: Camel City Blues

Jan 22: David Childers

Jan 27: Patrick Rock

Jan 29: Dana Bearror

Feb 5: Heather Rogers

Feb 5: Megan Doss

Feb 10: iNCogNiTo

Feb 17: Anne & the Moonlighters

Feb 19: Michael Hodgdon

Feb 24: Whiskey Mic

Feb 26: Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs

Mar 3: James Vincent Carroll

Mar 12: David Childers

Mar 17: The Almost Irish Band

Mar 19: Patrick Rock w/ Special Guest

MIDWAY MUSIC HALL

11141 Old US Hwy 52, Suite 10 | 336.793.4218 www.facebook.com/midwaymusichallandeventcenter

Mondays: Line Dancing

Jan 14: The Classics

Jan

Jan

MUDDY CREEK CAFE & MUSIC HALL

137 West St | 336.201.5182

www.facebook.com/MuddyCreekCafe

Jan 21: Led Head: Led Zeppelin Experience

THE RAMKAT

170 W 9th St | 336.754.9714 www.theramkat.com

Jan 13: Charlie Starr w/ Benji Sharks

Jan 14: The MayByrds w/ Magnolia Green

Jan 20: Cosmic Charlie

Jan 21: Maiden Boyage: Iron Maiden Tribute

Jan 28: Them Pants w/ withdrew

Feb 2: Mike and the Moonpies

Feb 3: The Steeldrivers

Feb 4: Squirrel Nut Zippers

Feb 8: The Mountain Goats Duo Feb 19: SUSTO

ROAR

633 North Liberty Street | 336-917-3008 www.roarws.com | www.roarbrandstheater. com

WISE MAN BREWING

826 Angelo Bros Ave | 336.725.0008 www.wisemanbrewing.com Thursdays: Music Bingo

Natalie Garcia

[TRIVIA TEST]

by Fifi Rodriguez

[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) An old adversary wants to make amends now that a new year has commenced. The decision is yours, but wouldn’t it be nice to share the new year with another friend?

[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) As news of your work gets around, expect to receive a special “gift” from influential contacts who could help you launch your upcoming projects for this year.

[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Instead of fussing over what you didn’t get to do during the holidays, relax and enjoy kudos for a job truly well done. A happy surprise awaits you soon.

[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) The best way to shake o lingering holiday blues is to reach out to some loved ones or close friends. A confusing situation starts to make sense in upcoming weeks.

[LEO (July 23 to August 22) Special emotional rewards mark this time for Leos and Leonas who are able to open up to new relationships and the possibilities they o er during this upcoming year.

[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) Your e orts to make time together memorable for some people in your life will be rewarded in some unexpected (but very welcome) ways this year.

[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Be assured that your e orts to make this new year special for everyone won’t go unnoticed by those who could make some important changes within your life.

[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) Lots of folks want you to light up their days with your presence. But try to take some quiet time ‘twixt the fun and entertainment to spend time with some very special people.

[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) While the round of holiday revels had your social life on the fast track these past few weeks, someone special might want to keep pace with you this year as well.

[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Even though you should be enjoying all the fun you deserve during Capricorn season, don’t lose sight of the need to make some changes now that the new year has begun.

[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) What happens during this time can help clear up some of the confusion jeopardizing a once-stable relationship. Follow your instincts on what to do next.

[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Your days are brightened by new friends eager to become part of your life. But don’t forget to spend time with that one special person. (You know who!)

[BORN THIS WEEK: You have the ability to encourage people to reach their potential by setting an example with your own e orts.

© 2022 by King Features Syndicate

[

1. TELEVISION: Which TV game show features a “Daily Double” to increase potential winnings?

[2. FOOD & DRINK: What kind of poisoned fruit does the fairy-tale character Snow White eat and fall into a deep sleep?

[3. ADVERTISING: Which cereal features a character named Seadog?

[4. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which president o cially named the executive mansion the White House?

[5. MOVIES: What is the name of the most famous Wookiee in the “Star Wars” movies?

[6. MONEY: What is the o cial currency of Nigeria?

[7. ANIMAL KINGDOM: How many legs do shrimp have?

[8. HISTORY: How many states did Alabama Gov. George Wallace win as a third-party candidate in the 1968 presidential primary?

[9. MEDICAL: What is the common name for the human trachea?

[10. GAMES: How many suspects are in the board game “Clue”?

Roosevelt.

Crunch.

Apple.

naira.

© 2022 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.