Money Monster is Jodie Foster’s first feature film directorial effort since The Beaver in 2011 and I guess Foster’s credit as director was one of the reasons why I expected more from this one. Of the handful of movies that...
Read MoreDon Cheadle is an actor I’ve admired since he burst onto the scene in such films as Boogie Nights in the mid 1990s. I’ll have to admit that I never thought of him as being the ideal choice to portray such an iconic figure as the...
Read MoreThe relatively little guard from Davidson College did it again. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors repeated as MVP in the NBA. And he made history as Curry is the first unanimous MVP in league history. Curry gave Golden...
Read MoreDo you Facebook? The majority of you probably answered yes. In that case, whether you’re a daily user or sporadic like me, you’ve realized certain posts make repeated appearances. Therefore, you’ve probably seen the post about...
Read MoreIt would be remiss (not to mention a total a-hole thing to do) not to acknowledge and express gratitude towards positive praise. That said, we’ll take a moment here to extend a sincere thanks to the outpouring of appreciation...
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The 2016 Marvel film that fans have clamoring for, Captain America: Civil War, has finally arrived...
Read MoreIce Cube and Kevin Hart return in the sequel to the surprise hit of 2014 as the two law-men/brothers in law hightail it to Miami, this time around to follow up one of Cube’s leads. If you’re a fan of the original you’ll eat it...
Read MoreLast week I spent time in these pages discussing the needs of the Carolina Panthers. I spoke of how the Panthers would likely address newfound needs in the defensive secondary. I thought Carolina would also look for some help at...
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WRITER’S NOTE: It is this column’s intentions to cater to any and all readers who may traverse...
Read More“When you get where you’re goin’ Don’t forget turn back around And help the next one in line Always stay humble and kind” Excerpt from Tim McGraw’s new hit song “Humble and Kind.” The song is a beautiful and poignant...
Read MoreR.E.M. – Losing My Religion (Video) “Losing My Religion” from R.E.M.’s...
Read More‘Star Trek’ Creator Gene Roddenberry’s Lost Data Recovered From 200 Floppy Disks Documents written by “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry have been recovered from 200 floppy disks owned by the late...
Read MoreWar Nurse, Now 100, Saw It All “I hope you brought your sense of humor,” said Mimi Greeley, greeting a visitor on Wednesday to her apartment, where she was accessorized with a walker, a hot pink feather boa and a...
Read MoreBob Dylan’s Secret Archive TULSA, Okla. – For years, Bob Dylan scholars have whispered about a tiny notebook, seen by only a few, in which the master labored over the lyrics to his classic 1975 album “Blood on...
Read MoreBaby Can I hold you … Tracy Chapman. Tracy...
Read MoreJimmy Fallon Pays Tribute to Prince – The Tonight Show Jimmy celebrates the life and music of Prince by sharing a memorable story of when the Purple One randomly challenged him to a game of...
Read MoreQuestlove Remembers Prince: In This Life, You’re on Your Own When I first got Prince’s album, it was 1982. I was 11, newly in charge of my own record-buying habits. And I couldn’t resist the cover, with its...
Read MoreInside Prince’s Paisley Park: My Amazing Day With the Purple One Paisley Park was smaller than I imagined. In the Eighties, it must have seemed futuristic, but now in 1999, from the outside, it seemed like a car...
Read MorePrince Insider Alan Leeds on ‘Purple Rain’ Hysteria, Warner Bros. Clash For a decade, Alan Leeds was arguably as close to Prince as any other person: The late artist’s former tour manager, president of Paisley...
Read MoreDirector Adam McKay’s breakdown of the financial crisis of 2008 ultimately bites off more than it can chew but still remains a fairly compelling film, largely thanks to its cast, which includes Brad Pitt, Steve Carrell and...
Read MoreHickory – On Saturday, April 16, nearly 2000 festivarians were in attendance at Hickory Hops in Downtown Hickory, NC to enjoy beer, camaraderie and spring weather. The 14th annual beer festival, featuring craft brewed beer...
Read MoreHickory – The 9th Annual Swinging Under the Stars Concert will be held in Downtown Hickory at the “Sails on the Square” on Sunday, May 29, 2016 starting at 6:30pm. This FREE event features the Hickory Jazz Orchestra under...
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By Carys Bowen It’s obvious now that no one in the world expected to hear on Thursday, April 21,...
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You have to hand it to the creative talents behind the horror opus Green Room. I can’t recall ever...
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It goes without saying that Elvis and Nixon is a fun cinematic take on an event that most anyone...
Read MoreThe 2016 NFL Draft starts tonight (Thursday) and continues into the weekend. The Carolina Panthers have one of the more complete teams in the NFL, however there are still some needs on the roster. Here are the needs I see...
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FOCUS Newspaper is now available on smart phones and tablets! Go to the App store for iPhones or...
Read MoreOnce upon a time in a city far, far, away lived “My Lady of Cats” of Charlotte, so dubbed hence her fabulous flare for feline décor proliferated her humble abode with cats of every size, shape and spectacular style. Be it...
Read MoreDirector Jeff Nichols is one of the current crop of directors—and they’re getting fewer and fewer, I might add—whose work I eagerly anticipate. Like many serious fans of cinema, I was enraptured by his second film, Take Shelter,...
Read MoreHickory – On Sunday, April 24 at 7pm, come celebrate the launch of Hickory Station, by Adrian Rice. The free event will be at Olde Hickory Station restaurant in downtown Hickory, by the railroad tracks. There will be a...
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A colleague of mine brought up an interesting point as the two of us exited the theater following...
Read MoreNews came out this week that former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has lost his endorsement deal with Nike. The move from his biggest sponsor is the latest in an ongoing collapse of professional support for the...
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“Daddy, how does this thing fly? A hundred other wheres and whys…You really don’t know but you...
Read MoreWhile I’m admittedly in the camp of those who believe actress Melissa McCarthy’s on screen persona is best when taken in small doses, I couldn’t help but find myself surprised at how much I enjoyed the actress’ secret agent...
Read MoreMacbeth (***) (2015) Directed by Justin Kurzel and featuring great work by Marion Cotillard and Michael Fassbender, this latest version of Shakespeare’s famed play is definitely worth a look and contains a featurette and Q &...
Read MoreLilies of the Field (1963) (** ½) Sidney Poitier may have won his first Academy Award for his role in Lilies of the Field-and he is good here-but it’s a shame the film itself isn’t a bit more substantial. It’s a simple,...
Read MoreHOLY MACKEREL!! Striper! Catfish! Blue Gill! Not sure which one will be on the end of my line first but I garuunnnteeeee there’s gonna be some fishing going on around these here waters! Yeppers, dear ol’ dad bought a 25’...
Read MoreJordan Spieth’s back nine collapse last Sunday at the Masters is being called the most shocking collapse in golf history by many. I am a fan of the young superstar in the sport and I am still finding it hard to believe what I...
Read MoreWe open onto a scene of serene white and dead silence. It quickly dissolves into wispy clouds and then fades into a crisp blue sky. We pan down, catching a glimpse of a mountain peak or island floating in the sky? Atop the...
Read MoreConcussion (2015) (***) In spite of its TV movie trappings, writer/director Peter Landesman’s dramatization of the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu’s (Will Smith) discovery of football-related head trauma manages to be a fairly...
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Every movie reviewer has a film that most folks would be shocked to know the reviewer hasn’t seen....
Read MoreFor years one of my cinematic dream projects has been for someone to bring the story of the life and times of country music legend Hank Williams to the big screen in a way that’s befitting of the late singer. I always felt it...
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