Virginia Foxx (R-NC): Still Fearmongering on Health Care

Ken AshfordHealth Care, Local InterestLeave a Comment

Her past hits include: Health care reform means that Americans will be "put to death by their government." "There are no Americans who don’t have healthcare. Everybody in this country has access to healthcare.." Today, on the floor of the House, Rep. Virginia Foxx rolled out another song to complete the crazy con hyperbole fear trilogy — a little ditty called "I … Read More

RENT at Theatre Alliance

Ken AshfordLocal Interest, TheatreLeave a Comment

I realized this morning that 1,000 people have either seen RENT at Theatre Alliance, or have bought tickets to see it.  That's damn impressive. I'm not plugging it — it doesn't need plugging, but if you are in the Triad, you really don't want to miss it.  Info in the right column….. Rent at ArtsFest 2009 from Ken Ashford on … Read More

Here’s A Halloween Hootenanny For Ya!

Ken AshfordGodstuff, Local InterestLeave a Comment

Instead of trick-or-treating, how about piling those kids in the pick-up truck and taking a trip down the road to Canton, NC (near Asheville)? Here's what you can expect (image from their website): [NOTE: The website has been changed recently to include a burning fire background, rendering this page virtually unreadable.  Still, the text shown here remains the same.] From … Read More

David Joy Gets Good Press

Ken AshfordLocal Interest, Personal, TheatreLeave a Comment

Geez. Best quote: Jokes Lawson: “Truth be told, he owes all of his success to me, and the rest is history.” Joy plays right along. “It’s true,” he says. “I’m Jamie’s bitch. He works me like a slave driver and I keep coming back for more. I’m a prison bitch.”

New North Carolina Laws Day

Ken AshfordCrime, Local Interest2 Comments

Being the beginning of another fiscal year, about 100 new laws go into effect in the State of North Carolina today.  They're all listed here (PDF). But just so you know, here are a few: Local governments get to regulate golf carts now. Phew.  Our long national nightmare is… uh… over? It's now illegal to sell novelty lighters. (A "novelty … Read More

Knickers Twisted

Ken AshfordGodstuff, Local Interest, Theatre1 Comment

Letter to the Editor recently: Increasingly common My wife and I recently attended a performance of Moonlight and Magnolias at Twin City Stage ("Movie Stage," Sept. 13). What we were hoping for was a wholesome comedy. What we experienced was a profanity-laced production that made frequent use of a variety of obscene language. This is the type of language that … Read More

The Shoot

Ken AshfordLocal Interest, PersonalLeave a Comment

I didn't know what was going on. I knew I had been cast in a very small part in "Hellphone", being shot in Madison, NC.  My original part was one line, spoken into a phone, and then I die.  But a scheduling conflict preventing that from happening.  But they put into another part.  I just had no idea what part, … Read More

Making It Local

Ken AshfordHealth Care, Local InterestLeave a Comment

Excellent resource here showing what passage of HR 3200, American's Affordable Health Choice Act, would mean for every Congressional district in the country. For example, I live in NC 5th District, so my Congressperson is the brain-dead Virginia Foxx.  What would passage of HR3200 mean for my district? America’s Affordable Health Choices Act would provide significant benefits in the 5th Congressional District … Read More

North Carolina Perspective On Obama

Ken AshfordEducation, Local Interest, Obama OppositionLeave a Comment

Perhaps some of my friends up north don't understand why I blog so often about the birthers.  And that might be because the birther movement truly is fringe up north. But not here in North Carolina. According to a Public Policy Poll released yesterday,  only 24% of self-identified Republican voters in North Carolina believe Barack Obama was born in the United States.  … Read More

Film-Friendly North Carolina

Ken AshfordLocal InterestLeave a Comment

They like us!  They really like us! From the Hollywood Reporter: By the early 1990s, North Carolina had become the No. 3 production center in the U.S., behind California and New York, with a steady stream of productions flowing into the state — including such high-profile features as "The Color Purple," "Dirty Dancing, "Bull Durham," "The Last of the Mohicans" … Read More