Quick hits: Avetts to close out MerleFest and 'Mockingbird' actress dies in Highlands

Avett Brothers to close out MerleFest
The Avett Brothers announced via email last night that their only North Carolina performance of the first six months of 2010 (they're doing a New Year's Eve show in Asheville, of course) will be as the closing act of MerleFest on May 2nd (at around 3:30 p.m.)


"We have attended MerleFest, as fans and as performers, since 1994," says the Avetts. "There is not a finer or more welcoming music festival in the country. Those who make their way to Wilkes Community College for the event this year will find, as they would any year, a sincere and friendly place where the music is as colorful and beautiful as the North Carolina countryside that leads them there. MerleFest offers four days of absolute quality for the music-loving family. For us, in terms of performance, it is very much like coming home."



'To Kill a Mockinbird' actress dies in Highlands "Actress Collin Wilcox-Paxton, who portrayed the false accuser in the movie classic 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' died of brain cancer just months after the diagnosis. She was 74," according to the AP.

"Her husband, Scott Paxton, confirmed Thursday that she died Oct. 14 in Highlands in the southwest part of the state. No funeral was held. Instead, the family held a service before her death.

" 'It's pretty special being at your own memorial,' said her husband of more than 30 years.

"She was diagnosed Aug. 11 with three brain tumors, he said.

"The actress played Mayella Ewell in the movie based on Harper Lee's Pulitzer-winning novel. Her role as the young white woman who accuses a black man of beating and raping her in her home was brief but memorable. ...

"Her roles in the 1990s included television series and movies that were filmed near her hometown in the North Carolina mountains. They included 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,' which director Clint Eastwood filmed in Savannah, Ga., and the inspirational TV series 'Christy,' about a teacher in the early 1900s in remote Appalachia. ..."

Quick hits: Character actor Hingle dies at the coast and state parks now take online reservations

Actor Pat Hingle dies at 84
"Actor Pat Hingle died Saturday night after a battle with blood cancer. He was 84," according to the Wilmington Star-News.

"The veteran of stage, television and film acting passed away at 10:45 p.m. Saturday at his Carolina Beach home, according to family spokesperson Lynn Heritage. He suffered from myelodysplasia, with which he was diagnosed in November 2006. He was survived by his wife, Julia, two sisters, five children and 11 grandchildren.

"Born Martin Patterson Hingle in Miami on July 19, 1924, Hingle had a long career that took him around the country until he settled in the Wilmington area in 1986 after filming the big-screen thriller 'Maximum Overdrive.' More recently, while living in Carolina Beach, Hingle continued to work in commercial productions, including 'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,' which filmed in Charlotte, as well as local independent productions 'The List' and 'Undoing Time.' He also appeared on Wilmington stages in plays such as 'Tuesdays With Morrie' and 'Our Town.'

"When most people think of Hingle, any number of iconic images emerge. He is known as much for his role as a cantankerous judge opposite Clint Eastwood in 'Hang ‘em High' (1968) as he is for the role as Sally Field’s father in 'Norma Rae' (1979). Younger generations know him better as Commissioner Gordon from the late ’80s and early ’90s Batman movies. ..."


State parks to take reservations online
"Planning a camping trip to a state park during a popular time of the year will become less of a gamble for North Carolina residents beginning in April," says the AP.

"The Winston-Salem Journal reports that a reservations system will replace the state's first-come, first-served system of assigning campsites, cabins and shelters at its 37 parks. The system will go online on April 22.

"Most of the state's 3,000 campsites will be assigned through the new reservations system. However, a few sites at some parks will be reserved for walk-in registration. ..."

Quick hits: Birthdays, growth, death & all-around nice people

A lot to get to today, folks ...

Andie at 50
"If you're not sure 50 is fabulous, you need to talk to Andie MacDowell," says the Charlotte Observer.

"The model/actress known for her work in films such as 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' and 'Sex, Lies and Videotape' and as a face of L'Oreal beauty products for more than 20 years says her life is full, frantic and fun. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

" '(Baby boomers) are not children, and we want to see our age reflected in the media,' she said in a recent interview with the Observer.

"The Carolina girl who celebrated the big 5-0 in April is the keynote speaker at the Dress for Success 'Look at Her Power' fundraiser next Thursday at the Charlotte Merchandise Mart. ..."

McDowell has lived in the Asheville area for years.


Carowinds to add new roller coaster
"A new 'boomerang-style' roller coaster is coming to Carowinds next season, the amusement park announced [yesterda]," according to the Observer.

"The 125-foot-high Carolina Cobra, the park's 12th and second-tallest coaster, will travel the same track forward and backward. It'll be located near the entrance of Boomerang Bay, Carowinds' water park.

"Riders will be pulled up 125 feet and sent down a 120-foot drop, with a 65-degree descent into three inversions, including a cobra roll and a 360-degree loop, according to a news release. The train will then go up another hill, then released backward along the same path. The ride will have a newly designed, exclusive 28-passenger train, the first of its kind in the United States, according to the park. ..."


Chimney Rock State Park to grow
"The Nature Conservancy has acquired 56 acres that will eventually be included in Chimney Rock State Park, the group said Wednesday," according to (who else?) the Observer.

"The conservancy has worked since the early 1980s to protect land in the area west of Charlotte, called Hickory Nut Gorge.

"The new acquisition will protect property between the state park and the conservancy's Bat Cave preserve.

"N.C. legislators created the state park at Chimney Rock, a longtime tourist destination, in 2005. The state has bought about 3,500 acres for the park in Hickory Nut Gorge. ..."


Death of an American giant
"The country's tallest eastern hemlock, reaching to the sky from a cove of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, towers 173.1 feet from its 5-foot-thick base to its last pencil-thin sprig.

"The tree is 400 years old, armored in rough bark, and dead," says that paper in Charlotte.

"Millions of hemlocks across the Southern Appalachians are dying, victims of an Asian insect that has moved faster than efforts to stop it. The trees' collapse will change these forests, from warbler nesting habits to the temperature of trout streams, unlike anything since the 1930s. That's when a foreign fungus finished off another keystone tree, the chestnut. ..."


N.C. residents are nice folks, according to study
"As Andy Griffith might say, we beat everything.

"At least when it comes to being nice," says the News & Observer.

"Researchers at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom surveyed more than 600,000 people to develop a personality map for the United States. North Dakotans are more sociable. People in New York are more high strung.

"As for Tar Heels, we're among the 'friendliest and most dutiful,' the study said.

"It took six years of research to reach that conclusion. A few reruns of 'The Andy Griffith Show' probably could have saved some time and said as much. Still, academic proof is welcome.

" 'I'm happy to see that others are learning what we have known for a long time -- that nothing could be finer than to live in North Carolina,' Gov. Mike Easley said. 'People here are pretty cool.' ..."

OBX set to be the real star of 'Rodanthe'

Early reviews of the Nicholas Sparks-penned movie, "Nights in Rodanthe" have concluded that the real star of the movie is not Richard Gere or Diane Lane but the North Carolina coast itself.

On September 24 in Kill Devil Hills, the behind-the-scenes folks who worked on the movie -- which is set on the Outer Banks -- will get to see a screening of the movie. The next night, people in Wilmington will do the same.

The movie is based on the novel by Sparks, who lives in New Bern, and focuses on a relationship that develops when Gere's character visits an inn that Lane's character is caring for during a nor'easter," says the AP. A real nor'easter that later became Subtropical Storm Andrea developed during filming in May 2007.

In an interview last month, Sparks said the movie shows off North Carolina's coast.

"There are these scenes in Rodanthe, and you just get the wind-swept, austere beauty of the Outer Banks," he said. "It's co-mingled with a story that I'm proud to have written and that translated well to film."

Carolyn McCormick, managing director of the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, told the media she is working with Warner Bros. "for promotions such as a free stay on Hatteras Island and hopes to market the area abroad, where the bureau typically couldn't afford such promotions. In addition, the movie is targeted to women ages 40 and older, the same target market for the bureau, she said.

" 'They hit our target market, they showcase our incredible island' and it will show in international markets 'that we can't afford to be in on our own,' she said. 'And the title is Nights in Rodanthe. It couldn't get much better than that.' ..."

(Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.)

Quick hits: Say hello to Asheville, but goodbye to 'Kinchloe'

Asheville one of 10 easy spring weekend getaways
"Nestled in North Carolina's Smoky Mountains region, Asheville is showing up on travelers' radars thanks to its dynamic downtown area, lively cultural offerings, thriving arts scene, New Age nuances, and breathtaking mountain scenery," writes ShermansTravel.com. "Architecture buffs delight in the town's Art Deco-influenced buildings, as well as the Biltmore Estate, modeled after a French castle, that ranks as the largest private residence in North America. Shoppers can scoop up fine arts and crafts at local artisan galleries, while nature enthusiasts can foray into the surrounding mountain preserves that burst with colorful wildflowers come spring."

'Hogan's Heroes' star Dixon passes away in Charlotte
"Ivan Dixon, an actor, director and producer best known for his role as Kinchloe on the 1960s television series 'Hogan's Heroes,' has died. He was 76," says the Associated Press.

"Dixon died Sunday at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte after a hemorrhage and of complications from kidney failure, said his daughter, Doris Nomathande Dixon of Charlotte. ...

"Born April 6, 1931, in New York City, Dixon graduated in 1954 from North Carolina Central University in Durham. ..."

Three with Tar Heel ties up for Golden Globes

According to published reports, three thespians with North Carolina ties are up for Golden Globe Awards (in the TV categories).

Michael C. Hall, who grew up in Raleigh and graduated from Ravenscroft School, was nominated for best actor in a TV drama for his role as the serial-killer police investigator in Showtime's "Dexter."

Kinston native Jaime Pressly received a supporting TV actress nomination as the sassy Joy on "My Name Is Earl." She won her first Emmy Award for the part earlier this year.

And Mary-Louise Parker, a graduate of the N.C. School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, was nominated as best actress in a TV comedy for her turn as a marijuana-dealing suburban mother in Showtime's "Weeds."

Also nominated in the category for best comedy or musical film was "Across the Universe," which starred Raleigh native Evan Rachel Wood.

Quick hits: Good news, bad news and 'More good news

Emerald Isle plans new pier
"A year after its bid to buy the Bogue Inlet Fishing Pier fell through, the town of Emerald Isle is working with the N.C. Aquariums for a new structure at the site of a pier wiped out by storms in 1996," writes the News & Observer.

"State and local officials Thursday announced a joint effort to build a 1,000-foot concrete pier that eventually would be one of three state-operated piers along the coast. Plans call for the $12.2 million project to be completed in five years.

"The town had tried to buy the existing pier near Bogue Inlet last year, but the deal fell through, Town Manager Frank Rush Jr. said. ..."

Hollywood strike could script trouble for Wilmington
"It's the ultimate game of 'hurry up and wait' for local filmmakers," wrote the Wilmington Star-News.

"Today is the final day of negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the group that signs its members' checks, the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. The two groups have until midnight to work out a new deal covering, among other things, residual pay for films and TV shows sold through iTunes and other nontraditional media outlets. If, as expected, no settlement is reached, the WGA membership has authorized a strike.

"Threat of work stoppage has temperatures running high in Hollywood, but workers in Wilmington's production community are playing it cool. ..."

Biltmore Estate among top destinations for 'alternative' Thanksgivings
"You can celebrate Thanksgiving with a horse and carriage ride at the landmark Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., which will already by decorated for Christmas by then," writes the Associated Press. "For meals, you have a choice of venues—Bistro, Deerpark or Stable Cafe, or, if you're staying at the Inn on Biltmore Estate, you can have your turkey at The Dining Room. Three-night packages at the Inn start at $1,760 for two; details at http://www.biltmore.com."