Mike Tyson show at Ovens canceled

Tattoo a frown on your face, Iron Mike fans: Mike Tyson’s one-man show, “Undisputed Truth” -- originally scheduled for April 21 at Ovens Auditorium -- has been canceled.

Weak ticket sales seem to be the culprit.

Said producer James L. Nederlander: "I am huge supporter of Mike and this compelling show. Unfortunately tickets sales in certain markets did not support the scope of the tour originally planned, and we've pulled back in a few markets. The tour is still traveling to numerous cities. Mike has been the consummate professional, and I'm proud to bring Mike's talent and story around the country.”

The Champ himself put an even greater spin on the situation:

"Due to circumstances beyond my control," Tyson said, "certain cities on my ‘Undisputed Truth’ tour have been canceled. I am so appreciative of my fans and all of my supporters. I sincerely apologize to anyone that was inconvenienced by these cancelations. I was looking forward to doing a great show for you and hope at a later date that I am still able to do so."

Refunds are available at point-of-purchase locations.

Opera Carolina’s 'Magic Flute' an 'art'-ful classic

Jun Kaneko designed the sets and the costumes for Opera Carolina’s new production of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” but the Japanese native is much better known as a sculptor and painter whose works grace art galleries all over the world.

It’s no wonder, then, that the show – which opened Saturday to a sold-out Belk Theater crowd – begins with a video-projected feast for the eyes: shimmery blue lines; followed by a sequence of interconnecting, zagging, crawling lines that play like a giant, colorful Etch-a-Sketch; followed by a montage of pop-art.

Seven minutes later, you’re properly enchanted. And that 32-foot, two-headed serpent hasn’t even begun to hassle our hero Tamino yet.

Mozart’s music and Emanuel Schikaneder’s narrative remain intact in the Charlotte company’s collaboration with Washington National Opera, Opera Omaha, Lyric Opera of Kansas City and San Francisco Opera, where it debuted last summer.

The tale of the earnest young prince who is given a magic flute and goes looking for love and enlightenment still features his goofy bird-catching sidekick Papageno, his fair princess-to-be (hopefully) Pamina, and the mysterious Queen of the Night. Tamino must still undergo trials of wisdom to prove himself a worthy husband. Papageno must still find his way to his Papagena.

But as refreshed by Kaneko (also the man behind last winter’s “Madama Butterfly” reboot for Opera Carolina), the look and feel of this particular “Magic Flute” seems to have borrowed inspiration from a dozen Tim Burton movies, as well as from that drawing app your toddler uses on the iPad.

Every morsel of imagery delights, or stimulates, or seems to give a pop-cultural wink.

There’s something decidedly Spider-Man-like about Papageno’s (Kyle Pfortmiller) bodysuit. If you don’t look at sleazy Monostatos (Julius Ahn) and think Gene Simmons in Kiss makeup, you weren’t a child of the ’70s (or ’80s, or ’90s). And do we detect a little Bride of Frankenstein thing going on there with the Queen (Maria Aleida)?

You might be reminded of different things than I was, but that’s just a testament to how imaginative and evocative Kaneko’s work is.

The fact that “Magic Flute” is 100 percent in English makes this an ideal introduction to opera for all ages, and supertitles help during musical passages (though they did seem to drop out in two or three instances Saturday). However, it’s still nearly three hours long with intermission, so the experience will test younger children’s patience. The staging and costumes may be visually exciting, but the pacing is not exactly zippy.

As for the arias and other vocal arrangements, tenor Shawn Mathey (as Tamino), Korean soprano Yunah Lee (as Pamina), and bass-baritone Tom McNichols (as Sarastro, leader of the temple that’s holding Pamina) all sound strong and confident (though McNichols can be a bit more difficult to understand than the others). Meanwhile, Cuban-American Maria Aleida astonishes as the Queen – as any soprano playing the Queen should; her first and last arias, with their runs and leaps, would leave Mariah Carey stupefied.

The real star, of course, is Papageno. It’s a showy character, the adventure’s comic relief, and Pfortmiller is perfect – bright, quick, flexible, funny. Anyone who gets to slip in a joke about The Clapper in a 222-year-old opera while most of the rest of the cast is always so serious will be an instant fan favorite.

Still, one person got a larger ovation during the curtain call Saturday. That’d be Kaneko. Thanks to him, Opera Carolina’s latest is a true work of art.

There are two more upcoming performances of ‘The Magic Flute’: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 27, at Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St. $15-$140. 172 minutes, including a 22-minute intermission. In English, with English subtitles. 704-372-1000; www.operacarolina.org.

Charlotte native's ad could be Super Bowl-bound

Providence High School grad Mark Freiburger, now a Hollywood filmmaker, has created a Doritos commercial that could air during the Super Bowl.

According to a press release, Freiburger, 29, has always wanted to make family films and that was the inspiration behind his ad “Fashionista Daddy.” Click here to view the ad.

Selected out of thousands of entrants, Freiburger and the four other finalists will compete for the chance to have their ads air during the Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3 on CBS. Two ads will air -- one selected by America’s votes and one by the Doritos brand team. The finalist whose ad scores highest on the USA TODAY Ad Meter rankings will get to work with director Michael Bay on the next installment of the “Transformers” movie franchise, along with a shot at a $1 million bonus.

People can vote for their favorite commercial on the "Doritos Crash the Super Bowl"-branded app on the Doritos Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/DoritosUSA) and/or on the Facebook mobile app through Jan. 29.

'Banshee' star relishes sexy role

Ivana Miličević has been doing film and TV work for 17 years, but her role on Season 1 of "Banshee" -- which premieres on Cinemax at 10 p.m. Friday -- marks a couple of firsts for the Bosnian-born actress.

It's the first time she's been the female lead on a TV series, and it was her first time in North Carolina, which is where all 10 episodes of the series were shot last year.

In "Banshee," Miličević plays a former thief who has been leading a quietly domestic life in Banshee, Pa., under a false cover for years. Her husband-and-two-kids existence is idyllic ... until her old partner-in-crime/lover (Antony Starr) comes back into her life, having stolen the identity of her small town's new sheriff.

Miličević is hardly a household name, but you've probably seen her on-screen before. She's a former Bond girl ("Casino Royale"), and famously appeared opposite Will Smith in 1998's "Enemy of the State" (as an amused salesgirl in a lingerie shop). She also played an American hottie in the British-based Christmas rom-com "Love Actually."

But she calls Carrie the role of a lifetime for her.

"I just love this part," Miličević says. "It’s very lucky and ... it’s rare for a female character to be written so well, and so emotional, and so in love, and so torn, and so tough, and so sexual."

"I loved the script. ... When I read it, it read very pulpy, and I was like, 'Wow, this is so kind Quentin Tarantino-ey in a way, like Coen Brother-ey, and funny in its heightened reality, but so emotional, because I really can feel this love story. So first and foremost, probably the love story drew me in. Second of all ... look at what I get to play. I get to fight. I get to train. I get to love. I get to be sexy. I mean, if not now, when?"

She also loved North Carolina.

"I’m from Michigan, so some bits of it reminded me of Michigan. Especially in the summer. When I got there, I noticed all the wild blackberry bushes everywhere. So I couldn’t wait for those to ripen. And I was really looking forward to the fireflies."

She also didn't mind that it was one of the hottest years on record.

"I loved the weather. I loved it when it got hot. I was just like, 'Come on, bring it.' ... In L.A., it’s never too cold. It gets a little hot for a little bit. But I’m talkin’ some good old-fashioned humidity. I could handle it. I was like, 'Bring it.' I loved it."

Oh, and "Banshee" marked one other key first for Miličević: It was the first time she'd ever taken her clothes off for a role.

"I've never wanted to. I've never been inspired to. But for this, I was," says Miličević, 38. "I was like, 'Oh, for this, it needs to be done, and it needs to be done well. It needs to not be done with a sheet wrapped around me; it needs to be done like a husband and wife do it. ... I just kind of wanted it to be natural. And I don't really find them gratuitous because ... it's part of the story."

In the series pilot airing Friday night, things get hot and heavy between Miličević and on-screen husband Rus Blackwell -- although her character, Carrie, actually has former flame Lucas (Starr) on the brain.

And yeah, believe it or not, there's character development going on here.

"I was telling my family, they were like, 'Oh, we just won’t watch (the sex scene).' But I said, 'No, you kind of have to, because there’s story points in it. It’s not just there to be there, like, 'Hey, let’s take a moment and get turned on.' "

For more on "Banshee," check out this story.

EpiCentre offers free cab rides for partiers

During the month of December, the uptown EpiCentre will partner with the local ABC Board and three cab companies to provide complimentary rides within the 1-277 corridors through the "I’m Not Driving Impaired" initiative.

The initiative allows adults (21 and older, obviously) who have consumed alcohol to receive a $10 voucher for a single trip cab ride with City Cab, Crown Cab or Yellow Cab companies. This program is sponsored by Mecklenburg County ABC Board and is supported through the sales of distilled spirits in Mecklenburg County.

According to the EpiCentre, Mecklenburg County prosecutes approximately 4,000 driving while impaired cases each year. This statistic spikes during December, while companies and individuals celebrate the holidays.


Vouchers for the cab rides are available at the valet stand on College Street. The offer is limited and may end without notice, the EpiCentre says.

Mike Tyson bringing one-man show to Charlotte

Hear Mike Tyson’s name and you’ll likely think of heavyweight titles, bitten-off ears, face tattoos and – if you’re a fan of “The Hangover” movies – Bengal tigers.

You would not, presumably, think of the stage, much less of Broadway.

Yet Broadway is exactly where the former boxing superstar-turned-thespian spent 10 days in August, as the star of his one-man show, “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth.” And on April 21, he’ll bring that show to the stage at Ovens Auditorium as part of a 10-week national tour. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.

The show – written by wife Kiki Spicer and directed by Spike Lee – is billed as “a rare, personal look inside the life and mind of one of the most feared men ever to wear the heavyweight crown.”

Among the topics: His hardscrabble youth in Brooklyn; his relationships with mentor Cus D’Amato (good), boxing promoter Don King (bad), and rival Mitch Green (ugly); the 2009 death of his 4-year-old daughter; and his conversion of veganism.

Oh, and the time he caught former wife Robin Givens with Brad Pitt in the late ’80s.

This tidbit caused murmuring during “Undisputed Truth’s” run on Broadway, but after he talked about the incident in detail during a recent interview with Yahoo! Sports, headlines like “I Caught Brad Pitt Having Sex With My Wife” were splashed all over the Internet last week.

In a phone interview with the Observer on Tuesday, Tyson said the story has gotten blown out of proportion.

“You see how rumors get spread,” Tyson said. “I didn’t walk in on them. They weren’t actually (having sex). But that’s what they were going to do.”

“He’s in the show because it was a part of my life,” Tyson continued. “I’m not angry at him, I’m not trying to pick fights with him or anything like that. No way. I’m just telling a story, and I’m telling it from a funny perspective. It’s all about me being (an idiot).”

Tyson had a similar explanation for a portion of the show about Givens, which some critics say is a lengthy and vicious verbal attack on his former wife.

“People look at it as if I’m out to get her,” he said. “I’m not out to get her. I’m out to show how much of (an idiot) I was for her.”

More than anything, he’s out to win over his fans again.

“I just love to be able to entertain people,” Tyson said. “I’ve done this first as a boxer, and that’s where I got the bug. I just love being in front of the camera … I love hearing people applaud.”

Emily Maynard ... on 'Dancing With the Stars'?

In October, rumors were swirling around the Internet that Emily Maynard would be returning for a second shot at love on "The Bachelorette" (third, if you include her run on "The Bachelor" in 2011).

Well, there's fresh buzz about a possible return to ABC reality television for Charlotte's most famous single mom -- only this time, if the rumors are true, Maynard would be confronted with a different kind of smooth moves.

RadarOnline.com is reporting that Maynard, 26, has signed on for the upcoming 16th season of "Dancing With the Stars," and offers some interesting gossip regarding the news (that it attributes to the new issue of Star magazine).

According to the report, Maynard inked the "DWTS" deal with ABC when she agreed to be on "The Bachelorette." The report also quotes a source close to Maynard as saying all Emily seemingly cares about is extending her run of TV exposure.

"Emily told me the real reason she wants to do the show is to help get herself her own talk show,” dished the insider. "She's terrified of losing her fame. She loves being famous and has wanted it her entire life."

What do you think? If Maynard winds up on the show, would you tune in to check out her fancy footwork?