Ladies you're missing out

Models in purple dresses passed out cocktails with Crown Royal and cranberry juice. Stylists trimmed beards and arched eyebrows. A DJ spun and Doug E. Fresh took over the mike.

That was the scene at the Crown Royal happy hour at Emerson Joseph on Friday evening. The only problem was there weren't enough ladies there. I know Emerson Joseph is a men's salon, but ladies received free eyebrow arches, not that I'm into that sort of thing. The idea of someone cutting away my eyebrows is scary. Saturday is the last night of the Crown Royal happy hour. You have to RSVP 866-752-1345.

I'm not a Crown Royal fan, but I liked the Crown Reserve with a splash of ginger ale.

It's naptime and then the real partying begins. EPMD hits the stage at 11 p.m. at Amos.

E.U. versus Tanglewood

I’m chilling inside the Extravaganza Depot about 4:15 p.m. listening to E.U. crank out “Family Affair.”
I am in my element with a grin on my face and small plate of food in front of me. Then Power 98/V101.9 general manager Terri Avery presents me with a dilemma. We’re talking about how much we love go-go and how crazy the weekend is going to be when Avery tells me Tempo has about 1,000 people inside right now.
I look at the dance floor inside Extravaganza. My eyes begin to mist. I’m from Maryland and I love go-go. I’ve never heard E.U. live, but there are only a handful of people on the dance floor. The rest are standing in the corner or sitting at tables eating grilled hamburgers, hotdogs and baked beans. ( Speaking of E.U., Jonathan Tate, who said he's Sugarbear's manager, said the band will definitely be performing at the Grady Cole Center on Saturday.)
The band just got started and folks are slowly pouring inside. I can stay here, listen to E.U. and hope the party picks up. Or I can race across town during rush hour and catch the last of the Original Tanglewood Fish Fry at Tempo.
I wolf down my hotdog, grab a bottle of water and hop on the bike. By the time I arrive at Tempo about 15 minutes later (traffic is crazy), there’s still a line of people outside waiting to get in. The party started at noon and was scheduled to end at 5 p.m. Inside, couples dance to Slick Rick, Lil’ Wayne and Rich Boy. All of the tables are full, the bar area is nearly impassable and the patio is more than half full as well.
It’s Friday baby and the parties are on and poppin’.
I’m off to barhop uptown before I head over to the Crown Royal Reception at Emerson Joseph.

Steve Harvey: "I'm a Christian, but..."

You have to get up early to hang with Steve Harvey. A line of people snaked down the front of the Charlotte Convention Center early Friday morning to watch a live broadcast of "The Steve Harvey Morning Show." Harvey, whose show airs on Charlotte’s V101.9, has a top-rated morning radio show -- and on Friday, he showed fans why.

He started telling jokes at 6 a.m. and didn’t stop until after he walked out of the building five hours later. He opened and closed the show with inspirational words about spiritual faith and believing in yourself. Harvey mixes social commentary, such as the demise of today’s music, with his jokes.

Charlotte’s John P. Kee opened the show with a gospel song that got the crowd on its feet and dancing at 6:10 a.m. About an hour later, Ruben Studdard performed "Change Me," "Make You Feel Beautiful" and "Sorry 2004."
For the remaining hours, Harvey and his crew entertained audience members by reading from e-mails and conducting a talent show in which they skewered contestants.

This is Harvey’s second year performing at the Ford Fan Experience as part of the CIAA.
"I had such a good time last year," he said. "I asked them if I could come back."

My favorite lines of the morning:
*"Some of ya’ll got on evening wear. It’s a little early for sequins."
*"It’s a different mind-set coming from light-skinned people."
*"I’m 'a do me an album. Jamie Foxx got one."
*"I’m a Christian, too, but I use the forgiveness clause."

A crackhead at the Forum

Weaving through the dance floor at the Forum on Thursday, I spotted a man who I've watched push a grocery cart full of junk down the gritty streets of Baltimore every Sunday for four years. On Thursday night, Andre Royo had a drink in one hand and someone else's hand in the other.

Royo, who plays the crackhead "Bubbles" on HBO's "The Wire," stopped by the AKA party at the Forum on Thursday night. He, like co-star Corey Parker Robinson, is in Charlotte supporting N.C. Mutual Life Insurance Company's efforts to educate the African-American community on building wealth through life insurance. Robinson, who plays Det. Leandor Sydnor, was at the AKA party, too.

At the Forum, Royo exchanged hugs, half-chest bumps and handshakes with partiers who recognized him. Fans of "The Wire" will notice that his wild mane is gone. He said he had to cut it because his tresses limited his acting opportunities to crackheads and characters going to jail or already in jail. He said he’ll be playing a businessman in some upcoming projects.

But be ready, "Wire" fans: Royo said the series finale is coming.

AKAs do it again

I'm trying to order drinks at the VIP bar at the AKA's party at the Forum on Thursday. On my right, a guy and his friend buy 10 bottles of Moet. There's one bartender who is opening all of these bottles and pouring the champagne. A line of people wait to order drinks. A bar-back starts pouring Moet so the lone bartender can help other customers. The guy next to me asks if he can buy a $600 bottle of Cristal for $400.

I look at him like he’s crazy, and so does the bartender. First, the bar is swamped and we don’t time for you to ask dumb questions and try to haggle. You’re not buying a used car. Second, if you can't afford to spend $600 on a bottle of champagne, I'm guessing you don't need to spend $400 either. Stop trying to prove you have more money than the next guy, order you a Heineken, and go sit down somewhere.

While we're talking about the dumb things guys do at the club, I must unleash my monthly lecture on rude male behavior in nightclubs. Guys, why do you grab on women? That's straight-up ignorant and inexcusable. I don't care how drunk you are. And why is it that if a woman forcefully removes your hand or tells you not to touch her, you get your feelings hurt and talk loud to prove your manhood? If you really want to be a man, stop acting like little boys, and be polite.

Back to the party.

After ordering drinks and walking through the club, my girl, several of her friends and I carve out a niche in front of the bar. The club is so crowded that the overhead ducts are sweating and dripping. Groups of Omegas bark. Pockets of guys stand around the bar buying shots for each other and jumping around. Couples take to the floor. Every now and then, a couple of fraternity members do a few steps. DJ Stacey Blackman plays a mix of old-school and top 40. When he puts on E.U.'s "Da Butt," the crowd goes crazy. Even guys are poking their rumps out and shaking it.

We dance in a circle. A girl who's tore-down drunk walks past, does a double-take and says "heeyyy!" She starts dancing with us. She drops to the floor, winds her pelvis, and you can imagine the rest. After a while, she moves on. We keep dancing. Polite guys ask if they can join. Rude ones try to jump in. A nutcase stares with his mouth open.

Gotta love the club.

Alpha happy hour

I was going to shave my legs on Thursday. Actually, I was going to let the Gillette shaver lady shave my legs. I was at the Ford Fan Experience at the Convention Center, where a woman was shaving and trimming men's beards for free at the Gillette booth.

I figured if Gillette really wanted to prove how good the Fusion razor is, they could give my legs a trim. I haven't shaved them since high school so the hair's long enough to cornrow. I sauntered over to the booth and offered the Gillette shaver lady this rare opportunity. She wrinkled up her nose in disgust, told me no, and gave me a coupon to buy a razor.

DJ Biz Markie

These JCSU students probably weren't even born when Biz Markie put out his big hit, "Just a Friend," but that didn't stop the two from grooving to Biz's DJ skills at the Ford Fan Experience on Thursday.

No love from Gillette

I was going to shave my legs on Thursday. Actually, I was going to let the Gillette shaver lady shave my legs. I was at the Ford Fan Experience at the Convention Center, where a woman was shaving and trimming men's beards for free at the Gillette booth.

I figured if Gillette really wanted to prove how good the Fusion razor is, they could give my legs a trim. I haven't shaved them since high school so the hair's long enough to cornrow. I sauntered over to the booth and offered the Gillette shaver lady this rare opportunity. She wrinkled up her nose in disgust, told me no, and gave me a coupon to buy a razor.