Natalie Portman Featured in New Ohio Obama Ad
Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman is again campaigning in Ohio for President Barack Obama, but this time over the Internet. In an ad targeting the Buckeye State and set to be released online, Portman talks about her family’s Cincinnati roots and calls Ohio a crucial place for the election. Portman visited Cincinnati Sept. 19 for…
Michelle Obama Visits Cincinnati on First Early Voting Day
While the presidential candidates prepared for Wednesday’s debate, Michelle Obama urged Cincinnatians on Tuesday to take advantage of the first day of early voting, before leading a group to the board of elections to cast their ballots. “I’ve got news for you: Here in Ohio it’s already Election Day. Early voting starts today,” Obama told…
Cincinnati Restaurants Recognized by Urbanspoon
Cincinnati restaurants Adriatico’s and Eli’s BBQ got national recognition this week when they appeared on Urbanspoon’s top 100 “cheap eats” list. Urbanspoon chose these two eateries, as well as 98 more, from the million (yes, million) restaurants in their database. Eli’s BBQ upgraded from a tent at Fountain Square and Findlay Market to a permanent…
Candidate to Justices: “Recuse or Refuse”
In a letter sent today to Ohio Supreme Court justices Robert Cupp and Terrence O’Donnell, former Judge William O’Neill asked the Republican justices to recuse themselves from a case presenting conflicts of interest or refuse the campaign money that caused the conflicts of interest to begin with. “The First Energy Family has contributed more than…
Polica
Rising from the ashes of Minneapolis’ Gayngs collective, Polica is a chilly, beat-driven Electro outfit that mixes the shimmering vocals of Channy Leaneagh with the sleek production work of Ryan Olson. But this is no ordinary synthesized affair: A pair of drummers and an uncommonly expressive bassist anchor the band’s full-length debut, Give You the…
Lagwagon
Joey Cape might be among Punk’s busiest purveyors, with diverse projects like Bad Astronaut, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Afterburner, The Playing Favorites and Bad Loud, as well as his solo acoustic pursuits. But Cape’s longest standing and best-known band is obviously Lagwagon, one of the original Punk/Pop groups that emerged from the early…
Danny Brown
In the Rap game today, Danny Brown is a man among boys. Not only is his musical style unmatched in the underground Hip Hop scene but, at 31 years young, Brown was spitting rhymes long before Drake took his first spin in that wheelchair on Degrassi. His road to the Hip Hop elite, however, wasn’t…
Taser Study Finds Problematic Policies in Hamilton County
A study on Taser use in Hamilton County released Oct. 1 by a local law firm that has represented Taser victims in the past four years seeks to shed light on the problems behind Taser use in the county and nationwide. The study, which looked at 39 law enforcement agencies around Hamilton County through public…
Diamond Rings with Stars and California Wives
For musicians interested in showmanship and persona building, self-awareness and humility are rare commodities. John O'Regan — the glammed-up, Kraftwerk-adoring Toronto resident behind Diamond Rings — is a refreshing exception to this rule. While coming off a tour with his band The D'Urbervilles in mid-2008, O'Regan started experiencing the effects of the nasty inflammatory bowel…
Maneuvering for 2013 Cincinnati Mayor’s Race Underway
A Democratic operative who once served as former Cincinnati Councilman John Cranley’s campaign manager already is staking out cyber turf in advance of Cranley’s rumored run for mayor of Cincinnati. Two Internet domains have been registered for CranleyForMayor on GoDaddy.com. The domains were created three months ago. As yet, no active websites are operating on…
Morning News and Stuff
In-person early voting begins in Ohio today. Find your nearest polling booth here. Cincinnati could change how it gathers trash in the future. City officials, under the request of City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr., are looking for a way to make trash collection more automated and reduce the amount of manual labor required to pick…
Wanna Work for Tickets to See The National?
Good news/possibly bad news for those hoping to attend the special appearance by Cincy-bred/Brooklyn-based Indie Rock stars The National Thursday at The Emery. The good news: tickets will be available on Wednesday. The (possibly) bad news (depending on your busy schedule and/or support for Barack Obama) is that you can only get one ticket and…
Your Favorite TV Stars Come to Cincinnati
OK, maybe David Liebe Hart and Hunter Valentine are not the A-list celebs you had in mind, but for fans of Adult Swim’s cult hit Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job! and Showtime’s unscripted guilty pleasure The Real L Word (respectively), this is an exciting week to be in Cincinnati. Tonight, The Comet hosts…
Best Tweets from MidPoint Music Festival 2012
Twitter was alive with MidPoint Music Festival tweets throughout the three-day music festival in CIncinnati's downtown and Over-the-Rhine. Many festgoers got to read them in real time thanks to Topic Design, which facilitated the Twitter screens at various venues and on its great mobile app site (click here to relive them all). Here are just…
Morning News and Stuff
It’s October. Tomorrow is the first day of in-person early voting in Ohio. Find your nearest polling booth at the secretary of state’s website here. Michelle Obama will be in Cincinnati tomorrow to support an in-person early voting push in Ohio. The state is considered vital for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign against President Barack Obama,…
MPMF.12 Day 3: Walking (Dry) After Midnight
I love the last day of MidPoint and I hate the last day of MidPoint. I love the energy and anticipation of what has always been the best night of the festival and I hate the thought of going home at the end to the reality of another 362 day wait until we can do…
Through the Night (Review)
Critic's Pick Daniel Beaty’s one-man-show, Through the Night, now on the Shelterhouse stage at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, is an electrifying theatrical examination of fatherhood, family and faith. Through the elegance and simplicity of one man on a bare stage, Beaty filters a wealth of stories, feelings, poetry, personalities and music into a…
MPMF.12 Day 2: The Storms are All Inside This Year
Another beautiful evening for MidPoint 2012 despite a dreary day as an opening act. Thursday night’s festivities were fantastic, but they turned out to be a mere warm-up for the grand mal WTF of Friday night. As it should be. First up on the agenda was a walk down to Grammer’s to once again bathe…
MPMF.12 Day 2: MidPoint Cherry, Popped
You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and then you have the MidPoint Music Festival. Well, none of it was bad; I mean, if I have to bitch about something, it’d be that there weren’t enough bathrooms. Just kidding. Who do you think I am, some writer from The Enquirer…
MPMF.12 Day 1: Sky is Dry, Beer is Wet, Music is Fantastic
The first night of MidPoint almost looked like it would be a typical rain-soaked affair, but the clouds relented and the festival’s kick-off was gorgeous and every bit as big as promised. My first stop on the musical pub crawl that is MidPoint was not a band but a party…well, the whole bloody thing is…
MPMF.12 Day 1: Fear, Loathing and Vicodin
I’ve sprained my neck.* I’m taking Vicodin and Thursday night is the first night of MidPoint Music Festival. When my editor told me my review should be first-person and to “think, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” I snorted at just how closely it might come given my current intake of prescription drugs. No longer…
REVIEW: The Devil Makes Three at 20th Century
It was the first night of the MidPoint Music Festival on Thursday. This means that for at least the next three days, Cincinnati will be the U.S.’s musical Mecca of sorts. It’s not only a great opportunity for the city but also for the numerous Cincinnati acts that have been struggling and grinding for a…
Turbo Fruits’ Guitars Stolen at MPMF
Not cool, MPMF thieves. A pair of guitars were stolen from Nashville's Turbo Fruits last night before the band closed out the festival's first night at The Drinkery in Over-the-Rhine. Here's the skinny: "Both of Kingsley's guitars went missing from the 2nd level green room at The Drinkery (1150 Main St) in Cincinatti last night…
Enquirer Publisher Resigns from UC Board of Trustees
Cincinnati Enquirer President and Publisher Margaret Buchanan is leaving the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees, citing potential perception of a conflict of interest as her reporters cover the recent departure of UC's former president, Greg Williams, who abruptly resigned on Aug. 21. “My news team is reporting aggressively on the departure of UC President…
Stage Door: Shark Eat Muffin and Playhouse
OK, so it's MidPoint weekend and I know you're busy running from bar to bar and band to band, but variety is the spice of life, right? So wouldn't you enjoy it all the more if you took in a show, just to break up the monotony of all that great music? Here are a…
Health Coverage in Ohio Lowest Among Minorities
Following a national trend, Ohio's minorities have the lowest levels of health care coverage, according to a new study from The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. The study looked at 2006-2008 data for only men to gauge health insurance coverage and other health issues in a pre-Obamacare world. In Ohio, Hispanics have the highest rates…
MPMF Mobile Site Is Cool
If you spent any time among last night’s MidPoint festivities you probably noticed that the festival has incorporated a bunch of technology into the production (people really like being able to see their tweets appear live on giant screens by tagging them with #mpmf). It turns out that there’s lots of other cool techy stuff,…
We’re Better Than Cleveland!
We’re 21. That’s right, according to Bloomberg Businessweek, Cincinnati is the 21st best city in the United States. The news wire cites Cincinnati’s picturesque downtown, Great American Ball Park, the Cincinnati Pops orchestra and the presence of corporate giant Procter & Gamble as reasons why the city was included in its list of “America’s 50…
MPMF.12 Day 1: Kick-Off Run Back For Touchdown
Night 1 of the 2012 MidPoint Music Festival is in the books, a fantastic Thursday that has to be by far the best attended, best booked Thursday in the festival's 11-year history. It was a rockin' night, and also a weird one. In a good way. I caught great sets by some top-notch Rock &…
Morning News and Stuff
Ohio Rep. Connie Pillich, a Cincinnati Democrat, is asking the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees to explain former UC President Greg Williams’ $1.3 million severance package. Williams abruptly left UC on Aug. 21, citing personal reasons. Pillich writes in her letter, “I was disappointed to learn that the University agreed to continue paying former…
Ohio Dems Buy Mandel Pants for His Birthday
Happy birthday to Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel! The treasurer and GOP candidate for U.S. Senate turns 35 today, and the Ohio Democratic Party celebrated the occasion by delivering a new pair of pants to the treasurer’s office. “If anyone needs a new pair of pants for his birthday it’s Josh Mandel, who has earned more…
ODRC: No More Privatizing Ohio Prisons
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC) on Tuesday said it will not seek further privatization of state prisons. The announcement was made less than a week after CityBeat published an in-depth story detailing the various problems posed by privatizing prisons (“Liberty for Sale,” issue of Sept. 19). Gary Mohr, director of ODRC, made…
Your (MPMF) Weekend To Do List: 9/27-9/30
Odds are if you’re reading this, you already know all about the 11th annual music festival descending upon OTR and Downtown Cincinnati this weekend. MidPoint Music Festival runs tonight through Saturday, bringing more than 100 local, regional and national musicians to the city. If you still haven’t gotten tickets, planned your schedule and read interviews…
Morning News and Stuff
In an ad accusing Josh Mandel, a Republican, of lying, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown’s campaign team may have lied, according to PolitiFact. The U.S. senatorial campaign for Ohio’s senate seat has been filled with dishonesty, but it usually comes from Mandel. The dishonesty seems to be hurting Mandel more than Brown; Mandel is currently down…
Won’t Back Down
This uplifting educational drama from Daniel Barnz (writer-director of Beastly) stars Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis as a pair of mothers — one a hardworking receptionist by day/barmaid by night, the other a teacher on verge of burning out — who team up to take over their failing school, if only they can fight the…
Looper
The mob of the future maintains its iron grip on society by utilizing the ultimate existential weapon — time travel. When they want to get rid of someone, that person gets sent back in time where a waiting killer executes them, closing the loop on that person, permanently. But what happens when one of these…
Hotel Transylvania
This animated monster mash-up from director Genndy Tartakovsky (writer behind Dexter’s Laboratory and Samurai Jack) finds Dracula (Adam Sandler) running an exclusive getaway resort for the paranormal set with assistance from his good buddy Frankenstein (Kevin James). Business and life get upended, though, when a human boy (Andy Samberg) wanders into the normally human-free oasis…
LISTEN: Mitt Romney Made U a Mixtape
The PR folks working with covert comedic organization Team Coco sent over a press release this afternoon that also included "Mitt Romney's Fave Tunez," an Rdio-made, embed-ready playlist featuring the Mittster's favorite jamz. Here's a snippet from the release: During the heat of the current presidential election, you can always count on Team Coco to…
Council Approves Measures Shifting $29 Million for Streetcar
Cincinnati City Council on Wednesday approved a set of measures to alter funding of the $110 million streetcar project in order avoid further delaying its 2015 opening. The three measures set up $15 million to front to Duke Energy to move utility lines out of the proposed path; changes the source of funding to repay…
Daily MPMFers: Chain & the Gang, The Ridges and More
MidPoint News and Updates: Are you ready for some MidPoint! The MPMF.12 kick-off celebration takes place TONIGHT. The pre-party is in The Hanke Building on Main Street in Over-the-Rhine. Entrance is down Michael Bany Way, just across from the 12th and Main streets intersection. The party starts at 6 p.m. with a set of “MPMF…
State Legislator Requests Federal Elections Monitors in Ohio
A state legislator from Cincinnati wants the U.S. Justice Department to monitor the 2012 election in Ohio to ensure fairness. Rep. Alicia Reece, D-Cincinnati, sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday asking him to send federal elections monitors to watch over polling in Ohio this November. Reece’s letter points to what…
MidPoint Pop Quiz
1) Believe it or not, there has been one band that has performed at every single MidPoint Music Festival. Name 'em. 2) Before selling it off to CityBeat in 2008, MidPoint was founded and operated by local musicians Sean Rhiney and Bill Donabedian. Name the two bands the musicians were most associated with at the…
Let Them Clear Their Throats
There’s a very thin line between knowing what you want and being thankful for what you have. A few inches to one side could see you constantly unhappy with what you earn. An inch on the other side and you’re bound to never earn anything new. Cincinnati’s on-the-rise Indie Folk duo Young Heirlooms walk that…
COAST Loses Fight to End Ohio Elections Commission
Since the Watergate-era, Ohio has had a panel with authority to penalize those who deliberately disseminate false information during elections. Cincinnati’s conservative anti-tax group COAST — which has been outspoken against the streetcar project — has chafed that it might someday run afoul of the Ohio Elections Commission for spouting off. COAST sees the Election…
MidPoint is Here and The National Are Coming Soon
If you somehow missed the cover of the paper, the multiple feature stories and our endless “rah rah”-ing on every social media platform we can figure out, this Thursday the 11th annual MidPoint Music Festival kicks off three days of incredible music throughout the streets and venues of Over-the-Rhine and Downtown. The event runs through…
Morning News And Stuff
Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan was in Cincinnati on Monday where he compared the Obama administration to the replacement NFL referees whose bungled call cost Ryan’s home-state Green Bay Packers a win. Ryan joined GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney in Dayton where the two attacked Obama’s economic record and characterized the president as someone…
City Council Moves Streetcar Refinancing Forward
City Council’s budget committee voted 6-3 Sept. 24 to use $29 million from other projects in part to move utility lines and pipes to accommodate for streetcar tracks. The plan will use $15 million from the Blue Ash airport deal and $14 million from a new refinancing plan to ensure the streetcar’s opening is not…
Board Votes Down Washington Park Rules
The Cincinnati Park Board voted Sept. 20 to end Park Rule 28, which allowed the Park Board to enact new rules by placing signs on Washington Park grounds. The signs, which the city could use to enforce any park rule as law, recently came under fire by homeless advocate groups. In a statement, Josh Spring,…
Obama Administration Says Ohio Botched Welfare Reform
State officials in Columbus are getting squeezed by the Obama administration because Ohio failed to move enough people off public assistance programs into real jobs. The feds contend the state has mismanaged welfare reform since 2007. It is former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland’s administration getting blame for not being aggressive with the work component. Now Ohio…
Reds Set Up for Continued Success
After going more than a decade without a proper postseason, the Reds are making October a normal part of the season, last week clinching their second postseason berth in three years. And the way the roster has been built, there should be more to come. Here’s why the Reds will continue to be successful over…
Cincinnati vs. The World 09.26.12
In Ohio, presidential candidates have beefed up on everyone’s favorite kind of television commercial: political ads. Between April and September 2008, Ohio political ads totaled 43,827; during that same period in 2012, that number has more than doubled: 114,840. CINCINNATI -1 A cab driver recorded a conversation between Paris Hilton and a friend about a…
W&S: A Bully by Any Other Name
Western & Southern continued its bullying of the Anna Louise Inn last week as the company threw more legal pestering at the nonprofit that houses low-income women. That’s how every newspaper’s lead paragraph would read if the media were truly fair. Unfortunately, the media seems more “balanced” than “fair” lately, so when the conflict between…
What’s Yours Is Mine
Western & Southern might have completely botched an opportunity to purchase the Anna Louise Inn back in 2009, but it’s hard to describe the Fortune 500 company as anything but proactive since that time. On Thursday, Sept. 20, Western & Southern lost an appeal of an Anna Louise Inn zoning issue, which essentially upheld the…
‘Homeland’ Sweeps Emmys, Returns for New Season
If Sunday’s Emmy Awards were any indication, Homeland (10 p.m. Sunday, Showtime) should be at the top of any savvy channel surfer’s watchlist. The political thriller nabbed awards in the drama category for outstanding series, writing, lead actor (Damian Lewis) and lead actress (Claire Danes) — just in time for this week’s second season premiere.…
Love Lost, Apple Bitten and Ballsy Lips
HOT Mike Love Not WarAnd they said it wouldn’t last! In The Beach Boys’ case, it didn’t. After winding down its successful global tour (the Boys’ first in decades with mastermind Brian Wilson), the band’s members will reportedly go their separate ways. The tour seemingly was going so well that Wilson and longtime bassist Al…
Downtown Dayton LGBT Film Festival in Seventh Heaven
In these highly politicized times, with the campaigns using drone-like ads to attack our sensibilities, every aspect of our private lives lies razed and dazed in the public sphere. For communities targeted and demonized by smear tactics, there comes a time for efforts aimed at redefinition or maybe that repositioning occurs, not as a reaction…
Not a Petty Girl
One of the real changes in how Ani DiFranco approaches live performing these days may be something that, in a strict sense, isn’t actually part of what she does on stage. But rest assured, DiFranco indicated during a recent phone interview, it’s making a difference in her performances. “For most of my life, I’d get…
Former Bartenders Bring Craft Beer Retail to Northside
Hamilton Avenue in Northside is home to a slew of eclectic storefronts like Melt and Shake It Records. For many, it’s an artist’s sanctuary, a retreat from campus or downtown city life. But for the locals it’s a yellow brick road they follow to places where they can sit and enjoy a beer with friends…
Critical Rage: Where Do We Go Now?
My drive back from the Toronto International Film Festival cracked open the protective cinema dome that I had been inhabiting for almost a week, and it did so with a vengeance. Two hours of NPR at the tail end of the trip rudely awakened me to the news of the attacks on the Libyan embassy…
Exciting Openings, Expansions and One Strange Addition
New and notable on the dining scene is the latest addition to the Washington Park/OTR/Gateway District — The Anchor (14th and Race, Over-the-Rhine). After a few days of serving family and friends to get in the groove, full-service operations started on Sept. 18. The Anchor — not to be confused with Covington’s landmark dive, the…
Worst Week Ever!: Sept. 19-25
WEDNESDAY SEPT. 19 The reviews of Clint Eastwood’s latest film, Trouble With the Curve, have been stellar for the most part. Critics are really digging the story told in the film, in which Eastwood plays the role of Gus, an Atlanta Braves scout who is losing his sight because he is old and decrepit. Luckily…
Daniel Beaty Shows How to Live in New Ways
Daniel Beaty spent his first 18 years in Dayton. He considers that a blessing. “I’m a native Ohioan,” he said in a recent phone interview, as he prepares to bring his one-man show, Through the Night, to the Cincinnati Playhouse, where it begins a four-week run (through Oct. 21) on Thursday. “My worldview has been…
Creative Expansion
A s the MidPoint Music Festival continues to grow, festival organizers are finding new ways to give audiences opportunities to interact with independent creatives in various fields. This year, that extends to the visual arts in ways that are new and unexpected. Not only will ArtWorks’ Box Truck Carnival be returning, but for the first…
The Day the Bengals Played the Browns
I woke up the day the Bengals played the Browns with a hangover worse than the previous day’s. I only had a couple hours to get to my parents’ house before the game started and I had left my car in Clifton after a long night drinking with friends. I rushed through my morning routine…
A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ But a Sandwich
Like an Old Testament miracle, Chick-fil-A founders last week reversed themselves and decided to stop contributing chicken sandwich money to organizations spearheading the right-wing conservative movement to dismantle same-sex marriage nationwide. Further, CfA owners decided to tamp down their public, evangelical and pious pronouncements about God-sanctioned marriage and promised that its WinShape Foundations, its non-profit…
Event: Newport Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest season in Cincinnati is about to come to a close, but not before Newport claims one last hurrah with the Tristate’s Bavarian love affair. Celebrate the end of the summer the Cincinnati way — with steins full of beer, sauerkraut and sausage everything and grown men romping around in lederhosen, of course.The Newport Oktoberfest…
Event: Pandoracon
Cincinnati’s brand new convention, Pandoracon, will appeal to the geek in all of us. Pandoracon is a Cincinnati-exclusive convention, and the celebration of comics, anime, science fiction and everything in between. The three-day event, hosted at the Blue Ash Crowne Plaza Hotel, will feature guest artists, authors, live music, dance and a costume contest masquerade.…
