On Nov. 23, CityBeat brought the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards to the Emery Theatre for what turned out to be the best show in the program's 12-year history. Bootsy Collins and a large band of James Brown cohorts tore the roof off right away with an opening tribute to the Godfather of Soul, part of a big celebration of Cincy's King Records' legacy.  

I once opened for Ralph Stanley somewhere north of Cincinnati in a pre-fabricated building with one of those signs out front where you can change the letters by hand. It said, "Tonite Ralph Stanley," and that was about all it needed to say. When Ralph and the Clinch Mountain Boys took the stage, there was an uproar. "Stone Walls and Steel Bars," somebody yelled. "Rabbit in a Log!" "Clinch Mountain Backstop!" Ralph looked flinty, with a chiseled face straight out of southeastern "Virginny" where he was born and still lives.  

A few weeks ago I read about a group of Cincinnati business executives and Chamber of Commerce types visiting Minneapolis to learn how that city markets itself to the world. These people made a similar trip last year to Charlotte, N.C. The idea is that Cincinnati needs to identify a unique characteristic, a selling point that sets us apart from other cities and regions, in order to attract visitors, conventioneers, new residents, new businesses and all the money they bring along.  

As someone (me) once said (last year), a local music scene is only as good as its new artists. This Saturday, many of Greater Cincinnati's newest musical acts will be on hand for the eighth annual Brink New Music Showcase, scattered throughout the Southgate House.  

On June 25, nominees for the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards were announced. The 20 categories include nearly 100 nominees (20 percent more than in past years) since the decision was made to expand from four to five nominees per category.  

The recipients of the 2008 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards will be announced on Sunday evening. A record number of votes were cast this year, with close to 3,000 people indicating their preferences in 12 publicly voted categories.