Dec

Zappa Plays Zappa Coming to Lincoln Theatre

Dweezil’s band, Zappa Plays Zappa , will be playing at the Lincoln Theatre on Wednesday, January 13. Tickets are $29 in advance and $35 day of.

Posted by Dana on December 5, 2009 | Tags: Music . | ( 0 ) Comments

Dec

Tom Arnold Coming to Charlie Goodnights

Beginning Friday, February 26, Tom Arnold will perform a two-night stand at Charlie Goodnights in Raleigh. There will be two shows each night, and tickets are on sale now.

Posted by Dana on December 4, 2009 | Tags: Comedy . | ( 0 ) Comments

Dec

Moody Blues Coming to DPAC

On March 24 the Moody Blues will return to the Triangle. This time they will be at the Durham Performing Arts Center. Tickets went on sale today.

Dec

Time Warner Polls Audience on New Fees

Time Warner Cable is running a new ad campaign centered around rising cable channel costs. They ask customers to vote for them to “Roll Over” or “Get Tough” with TV networks by going to www.rolloverorgettough.com .

It is an interesting strategy for the company. Of course every vote for “Roll Over” is essentially a ticket to pay higher costs, which will ultimately get passed on to the customer. A vote for “Get Tough” gives the company an excuse should they start removing channels for which they are unable to negotiate.

TWC’s strategy is in all likelihood formulated and they are simply harvesting data to support their negotiation stance. Certainly the company wants to offer as many channels as possible in order to match competitors’ offerings. If there is a significant message of “Roll Over”, TWC will simply pass along the fees. If there is a “Get Tough” mandate, TWC can begin removing channels, but this is most likely not their target result. In fact this option is being framed in the campaign as the TV Networks “taking away“ your shows.

Hence, the biased presentation of the ballot. The “Get Tough” option features a fast-forward icon while the “Roll Over” option displays a rewind icon. We’re Americans, dammit! We want to move forward and be tough! Yeah, and that’s why Time Warner is trying to easily mine data that covers their fannies should they fail in negotiations.

The channel offerings that are set to expire soon are:

WNVN-TV, WHFL-TV, WGHP-TV, WLFL-TV, WRDC-TV, Great American Country, E!, Encore(East), Encore(West), Encore Action, Encore Love, Encore Mystery, Encore Drama, Encore Westerns, Encore Wam!, Food Network, Fox Reality, Fox Soccer, Fox Sports Espanol, Fuel, FX, Lifetime, Speed, Starz!, Style, truTV, TV Azteca.

Wow! We actually get those channels? You mean we get more than Palladia, ESPN-HD, ESPN2-HD, and ESPNU-HD? (outside of free OTA programming, these are the only channels I care about). Unfortunately a la carte cable TV will never be a service offered in the current system (a federal and local government that completely coddles the cable TV industry), so it looks like our choices lie with rolling over, standing up, or just simply switching to U-Verse or satellite (two other options that are coddled by the government).

Posted by Dana on December 2, 2009 | Tags: TV . | ( 9 ) Comments

Dec

“Blood Done Sign My Name” Announces Release Date

The movie portraying a conflict a long, long time ago in Oxford will be released on about 100 screens nationally on February 19. Let’s hope Jeb Stuart, the director, chooses to convey the historical aspect and isolated nature of this incident instead of falling prey to Hollywood’s stereotypical portrayal of the South.

The movie is based on the book by Tim Tyson, which follows a disturbing trend in Hollywood, as only eight of the decade’s Best Picture nominees are original works of art .

Posted by Dana on December 2, 2009 | Tags: Theater . | ( 7 ) Comments

Dec

Ruth’s Chris Offering Lunch in December

The Triangle trio of Ruth’s Chris Steak Houses announced that they will be serving lunches and a special menu in December. The restaurants will feature a special lunch menu from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekdays with the Raleigh North Hills and Durham/Southpoint restaurants serving from December 1-24 and the Cary location serving from December 8-24.

Focused toward business associates, friends and families, the lunches offer a wonderful alternative to celebrate the holidays in style. The lunch menu will feature a variety of prime “lunch” bites, Ruth’s Chris’ sizzling steaks, entrée salads, seafood selections, desserts, along with premium sandwiches, wraps and Kobe burgers starting at $8.95.

“During the holidays, when there are so many demands on time and things can get stressful, we want to make it easier by giving people, whether a company function or a group of friends, an option to relax and experience Ruth’s Chris at lunch,” said David Sadeghi, COO of Big Steaks Management.

A fivesome of $5 prime “lunch” bites includes Seared Ahi Tuna, Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, Signature Crab Cake, Crab Stuffed Mushrooms and Mini Kobe Beef Burger.
The luncheon specialties span the scrumptious spectrum from New York Strip, Ribeye with Blue Cheese Crust and Braised Short Ribs to Pork Chop with Onion Pan Gravy, Oven Roasted Chicken, Barbecued Shrimp, Penne Pasta with Goat Cheese and Pasta Bolognese. All luncheon specialties are served with a choice of Steak House Salad or Louisiana Seafood Gumbo.

Speaking of salads, there are entrée portions like the Harvest Salad, Chicken Caesar Salad, Seared Ahi Tuna Salad and Lobster Salad. Two popular wraps are the Chicken Caesar Wrap and Asian Ahi Tuna Wrap plus heartier selections like the Kobe Burger, Sliced (New York Strip) Steak Sandwich and Grilled Chicken Sandwich.

Four desserts are highlighted by the new Carrot Cake in addition to Cheesecake, Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce – all for $4.50 per serving.

Has anyone heard of any other nice restaurants that are opening up special lunch hours during December?

Posted by Dana on December 1, 2009 | Tags: Food . | ( 0 ) Comments

Dec