North Carolina fans of Showtime's excellent drama "Homeland" likely already know that the series is mostly shot in and around Charlotte.

So, how's that working out for producers?

The Los Angeles Times has an interesting story on some of the pros and cons of shooting in Charlotte, and adjustments the producers have made to make it work. The cast and crew returned to Charlotte to shoot Season 2, which premieres on September 30, but some of the upcoming season was also shot in Israel (which doubles for Beirut).

Season 1 of "Homeland" has been nominated for nine Emmys (the 2012 Emmy show airs on September 23 on ABC).

This week, we get the Democratic National Conventional, which starts on Tuesday in Charlotte.

Unlike the Republican convention, which was scheduled to run Monday through Thursday last week, the DNC only runs three days, Tuesday through Thursday. Broadcast networks will mostly handle the Democratic convetion the same way they handled the RNC: Coverage on morning news shows and on their nightly news programs, but just one hour of primetime coverage each night starting at 10 p.m. (only NBC deviates from this standard -- see below).

PBS (UNC-TV locally) will devote three hours of primetime to the convention each night, but no daytime hours. Cable news shows will be almost around-the-clock for the Charlotte action.  

As with the Republican show in Tampa last week, much of the TV coverage will start ahead of time on Sunday's political discussion shows.  



Here's a brief breakdown of what everyone will offer:

through the eyes of editorial cartoonist Kevin Siers of The Charlotte Observer:

Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory rolled out his first TV advertisement June 1. The 30-second spot featured McCrory casually walking in an empty warehouse, talking to the camera. It was paid for by the Pat McCrory Committee. 

Claim: "Let's forget about politics for a while and think about us. That's what we tried in Charlotte when I was mayor.” 

Context: McCrory’s line suggests he was beyond partisan politics during his tenure in Charlotte. But it depends on who you ask.

Sponsor: A 527 group as labeled under tax code designations that can receive unlimited donations. Funded by the Democratic Governors Association.

Claim: “Tree.com: A company that paid Pat McCrory over $140,000 to sit on its board while he was mayor of Charlotte.”

Context: Pat McCrory joined the Tree.com board of directors in January 2009. He served 14 years as mayor, ending in early December 2009. The ad doesn’t specify that McCrory’s tenure as mayor and board member overlapped for only about 11 months.

I'm thinking that the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce is not going to update its business recruiting materials for this one.

Don't forget: Free Cone Day is today at Haagen-Dazs.

Ice cream lovers take note: Haagan-Dazs shops will be giving away free cones on Tuesday, May 8.

That's because Tuesday is "Free Cone Day" at participating stores.

Qdoba restauarants are celebrating Cinco de Mayo with free kids' meals and $1 beer.

Kids eat free all day on Saturday with the purchase of an adult entree. No coupon required.

The beer offer applies to all bottled beers. And you don't need a coupon for that deal either.

Qdoba restaurants in the Raleigh and Charlotte areas are participating.

Wind energy advocates are prepping for a regional wind power conference in Charlotte next week that's set to draw several hundred participants from Georgia, Virginia and the Carolinas to discuss an endless natural resource that has so far failed to yield benefits.

The 2012 Southeastern Costal Wind Conference is sponsored by a wide range of interests, including Duke Energy, Clemson University's Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing Facility, and Stevens Towning Co. (a marine transportation service that would presumably benefit from offshore wind farm development).

North Carolina is considered a premier state for wind development because of a state mandate to commit to renewable resources and some of the best wind resources along the East Coast.