Will Joe Biden camp out in Eastover?

Here are the FIVE dishiest things - DNC-wise - we heard about Thursday:

1. Word is that the Veep - aka Joe Biden - may be staying in an Eastover estate next week.

He’ll be motorcading his way to BofA Stadium on Thursday night, when he’ll speak before POTUS.

2. A slew of celebs are confirmed for the three VIP events sponsored by the Creative Coalition, an advocacy group for the entertainment biz. Among the attendees: Patricia Arquette,Alfre Woodard, John Leguizamo, Beau Bridges, Rose Byrne, Tim Daly and Tony Shalhoub.

 But our fav: Wayne Knight, Seinfeld’s nemesis on THE greatest of sitcoms. Say it with me: “Hello, Newman.”

3. “The Daily Show” has decided on a theme for its shows at Charlotte’s ImaginOn. Ready? “DNC 2012: Hope and Change 2.” Its Tampa theme was funnier. “RNC 2012: The Road to Jeb Bush 2016.”

But faux news anchor Jon Stewart should get some ha-ha’s by showing a brief Barack Obama bio-pic. And his “correspondents” will be all over town, taking shots – good-natured, of course – at CLT.

4. “Hug-A-Thug,” the N.C. AFL-CIO is calling it. On Labor Day, at uptown’s CarolinaFest, union members will give out free hugs – the tongue-in-cheek “thug” label is meant to break down stereotypes of union members.

And if you’re a worker, stop by the union’s booth and get a “thank you” card.

5. This from our wacky neighbors in that other Carolina: VisitMyrtleBeach.com had 15.5 tons of S.C. sand dropped at the EpiCentre this week.

No, not for the protesters. For “Team Sandtastic” – four sand sculptors who will create a 16-foot-high work of art outside the Blackfinn Saloon that sponsors say will be “mighty presidential.”

-- Tim Funk

Kal is pal of NASCAR

Best place to bump into actor-activist Kal Penn convention week: NASCAR Hall of Fame.

The “Harold & Kumar” star confessed to the Dish that he’s a big fan of the sport. And that he hopes to slip away from the convention long enough to check out all the vintage stock cars on display.

“That’s on my list,” said the co-chair of President Barack Obama’s campaign.

His fav drivers: Joey Logano and Leilani Münter.

-- Tim Funk

Add these names to your celebrities list

If you’re keeping a list, here’s more confirmed celebs for convention week:

• Rosario Dawson (“Unstoppable”) and America Ferrera (“Ugly Betty”) are expected to show at the Voto Latino Policy Forum (Sept. 4) and the “Purple Carpet Bash” (Sept. 5).

• Kathy Mattea, Anthony Hamilton and Biz Markie will be among the 20-plus acts serenading 15,000 journos at the Charlotte host committee’s $2 mil media party, Saturdayat the N.C. Music Factory.

• Actress Thora Birch (“American Beauty”) will be here as a California delegate.

       -- Tim Funk

RFK daughter to attend ECHO, Observer events

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Robert F. Kennedy’s oldest daughter, will attend the Echo Foundation's gala Monday night as well as the opening of a photo exhibit on her father's 1968 presidential campaign.

Townsend, a former Maryland lieutenant governor, will accept the Echo Foundation inaugural Family Legacy Award on behalf of the Kennedy family. She'll receive the award at the group's gala at the Knight Theater. The gala, featuring a keynote by Gen. Wesley Clark, honors Jim and Mary Lou Babb.

After the event participants head to the Observer for a reception at the exhibit of photos by Bill Eppridge, who chronicled RFK's '68 campaign.

“As we honor Robert F. Kennedy’s legacy of public service, we celebrate the extraordinary contributions to American democracy of the entire Kennedy family,” said Stephanie Ansaldo, president of The Echo Foundation. “For three generations, the Kennedy name has stood for hope, progress and unity in purpose as we work to build a more just and inclusive society for all people.”
Jim Morrill

Smithsonian curators scooping up history

Harry and Larry are coming to town, so it’s official: Charlotte is about to make history.

Harry Rubenstein and Larry Bird are curators of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in D.C.

And as soon as they get their fill of Tampa, they’re heading to CLT. Wielding large portfolios, they’ll spend convention week collecting campaign signs, buttons, posters, hats, sunglasses and other Obama-Biden 2012 novelties.

Talk about a cool job!

“Harry and Larry,” as they’re known, have been collecting convention stuff since the late ‘80s. Some of what they carry off ends up in exhibitions such as “The American Presidency” and “The First Ladies.”

In the Queen City, these scholarly Smithsonian dudes will also interview delegates, vendors, convention speakers, protesters … maybe even a few journos. (Give us a call, guys.)

-- Tim Funk

McCrory to rebut Democrats in Charlotte during DNC

Republican gubernatorial candidate and former Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory will in fact be here for part of the Democratic National Convention, a spokesman confirmed today.

On Tuesday, the first official day of the convention, McCrory will be part of the Republican contingent fielding calls and doing press interviews to rebut the Democrats' talking points.

After that, he'll head to points east on his campaign.

McCrory played a similar role in 2004 during the Democratic National Convention in Boston. That year, you'll recall, John Edwards was on the ticket.

McCrory is, however, skipping the Republican convention in Tampa this week to campaign in the western part of the state. While he's in Charlotte during the convention, he might do a little campaigning among the Democrats, the News and Observer's Rob Christensen notes.

“I am proud the convention is there,” McCrory told the N&O. “I am going to try to get them to spend as much money in our state as possible to help our economy. Then I am going to try to convince as many of them who are attending from North Carolina to vote for Pat McCrory for governor. So I am going to be campaigning in Charlotte part of that time.”

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/08/28/2298989/mccrorys-dance-with-presidential.html#storylink=cpy

--Andrew Dunn

Dems still having trouble saying 'Bank of America Stadium'?

Looks like those emails referring to Charlotte's football venue as "Panthers Stadium" may not have been a fluke.

In an interview with CNN, Los Angeles mayor and Democratic National Convention chairman Antonio Villaraigosa stumbled a bit when asked by CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin about the reports of referring to Bank of America Stadium by another name. Villaraigosa is in Tampa this week to provide a counterpoint to the Republican convention.

"Do you have a problem with a big-bank sponsor?" Baldwin asked him.

Villaraigosa said he didn't, but noted that the Panthers do play there and that they're a "great football team." (He a fan?)

"I'm just calling it the football stadium," he said. He also said the convention is proud to be in Charlotte and in North Carolina.

The video was posted to YouTube by a Republican organization, but you can verify its context by reading a transcript provided by CNN itself.

--Andrew Dunn