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?

Scotty McCreery is everywhere this Christmas

Garner native Scotty McCreery will be spreading Christmas cheer over the next few weeks with several television appearances and performances in support of his gold-certified album "Christmas With Scotty McCreery."

The former "American Idol" winner will appear on NBC’s 15th annual "Christmas In Rockefeller Center," which airs at 8 tonight and also features Mariah Carey, Rod Stewart, Cee Lo Green and others.

And there's more McCreery where that came from. He'll also...

...make two appearances on ABC’s "Good Morning America," first on Dec. 11 and again on Dec. 24

...perform and host his own holiday special, "Christmas With Scotty McCreery & Friends," on GAC at 11 p.m. Saturday, with re-airings to follow.

...appear as a presenter on the American Country Awards, which airs live on Dec. 10 on Fox.

...appear on the CMA Country Christmas special, airing Dec. 20 on ABC.

...appear on the 10th annual “Hollywood Christmas Celebration At The Grove,” a nationally syndicated TV special airing nationally for the next six weeks (check local listings for show times).

"Christmas With Scotty McCreery," an 11-song collection featuring two original holiday tracks as well as classic favorites, is in stores now.

Jef Holm to launch People Water in Charlotte

It's been more than three months since Jef Holm's proposal to Emily Maynard went public on ABC's "The Bachelorette," and although the couple is no longer engaged, Holm is about to make headlines in Charlotte for something other than his love life.

The 28-year-old CEO of Utah-based bottled-water and social-activism company People Water will officially launch his brand at an event Thursday at The Baby Grocery Store in South Charlotte.

Holm is scheduled to be at the store's grand opening from noon to 2 p.m.; his appearance is open to the public.

People Water promotes safe drinking water in poor countries. After their engagement was revealed in July, Holm and Maynard traveled to Ghana, where they helped build wells as part of his company's efforts.

The Baby Grocery Store (billed as "a Whole Foods for babies and kids"), which is opening this week at 10225 Park Road, carries all-natural baby and kid products such as food, diapers, body care and kitchen equipment, and features a demo kitchen and living room for playgroups and baby showers. The store's focus on environmentally responsible products led them to select People Water as the only bottled water they will carry, according to a People Water spokesperson.

For more on People Water, click here. For more on The Baby Grocery Store, click here. Follow Holm on Twitter here.

Score passes to see Spielberg's 'Lincoln'!

The Charlotte Observer is giving away 40 “Admit Two” passes to a special advance screening Wednesday of the new film “Lincoln.” Steven Spielberg directs Academy Award winner Daniel Day-Lewis in the drama, which focuses on the 16th president’s tumultuous final months in office.

In a nation divided by war and the winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. Here's the trailer:

The special advance screening will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, with the location of the theater to be revealed when you pick up your passes. “Lincoln” will be released in Charlotte on Friday, Nov. 9.

How to get your free pass: Come to the security console in the main lobby of the Charlotte Observer building, 600 S. Tryon St., beginning at noon TODAY (Monday, Nov. 5). You may take just one “Admit Two” pass, while supplies last.

The film is rated PG-13. On the night of the screening, it is recommended to arrive early since seating is not guaranteed and on a first-come, first-served basis.

For details on the movie, visit www.thelincolnmovie.com.

'Red' sells swiftly; Taylor sets Charlotte date

Taylor Swift's fans have gone crazy for her new album, "Red," and that devotion has translated into an almost unprecedented amount of green.

According to Nielsen SoundScan data released Tuesday night, "Red" sold 1.2 million copies in its first week -- the most since Eminem's "The Eminem Show" sold 1.3 million in just seven days in 2002.

"Red" is only the 18th album to sell a million units in a single week since SoundScan started tracking sales in 1991, Billboard.com reports. It's also the second-largest sales frame for a female artist; only Britney Spears had a bigger week, when "Oops! . . . I Did It Again" sold 1.319 million in its debut in 2000.

Meanwhile, last week, Swift announced headlining tour dates for 2013 in support of the new album. The North American "Red" tour begins March 13 in Omaha, Neb., and will visit Charlotte on March 22. Stay tuned for on-sale information, or sign up to be notified about pre-sale concert tickets here.