Comedy: Women Writing for (a) Change Comedy Night
The mission of Women Writing for (a) Change is to nurture and celebrate the individual voice through the art of writing. On Tuesday night, the organization will host an evening of female voices with a cast of women comics at Go Bananas. “I am a writer in Women Writing for (a) Change and suggested that…
Event: Vintage Village and Arts Bazaar
This marketplace of antiques, furniture, home goods, tools, jewelry, clothing and more will feature more than 30 vendors and local artists. Now in its fifth year, the Village Vintage and Arts Bazaar (formerly Fourth Sunday Mainstrasse Antiques) is free to the public and features repurposed items as well as vintage collectibles. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Free.…
Event: 53rd Annual Flying Circus Airshow
Summer spirits soar at the Greater Cincinnati Radio Control Club’s 53rd Annual Flying Circus Airshow. The two-day Model Aeronautics Extravaganza features more than 175 model aircrafts of all kinds including helicopters, jets and a rocket-powered Space Shuttle. Sponge Bob, Harry Potter and more also take flight as part of the family-friendly fun. 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.…
Event: Volksfest
Norwood’s Listermann Brewing Company introduces a new beer and brewing festival, Volksfest, in concert with the German-American Citizens League of Greater Cincinnati. “Volk” is the German word for “people,” and Cincy area brewers have come together to show how much their customers mean to them. Breweries involved include Blank Slate, Fifty West, Christian Moerlein, Rock…
Event: Dive-In Movies and Kings Island
Come find Nemo as the Soak City Waterpark at Kings Island makes a big splash after hours this summer with its final Dive-In Movie starring everyone’s favorite clownfish. Float around the wave pool with your family as you watch Finding Nemo on two big screens. Pool toys and floaties are welcome. 9:20 p.m. Dive-In Movies…
Music: Macy’s Music Festival
Macy’s Music Festival — still often referred to locally as “Jazz Fest” as a nod to the fest’s roots — returns to downtown’s Paul Brown Stadium Friday and Saturday. The festival is a Cincinnati tradition regardless of what music is featured, but this year’s Macy’s Music Fest has one of the best lineups in recent…
Art: Good Bruises, Poorly Told Stories at Hobohaus Gallery
Hobohaus Gallery is a new alternative art space run by artist John Sloan, who clears out the kitchen, living room and hallways of his apartment above Doscher’s Candies on Court Street downtown to exhibit art, welcoming anyone and everyone to experience art in his personal living space. He’d been hosting “artLucks” (art critique potlucks) at…
Onstage: Toil and Trouble
If you know Shakespeare’s Macbeth, then this new play at Know Theatre will seem familiar. In Toil and Trouble (words chanted by witches prophesying Macbeth’s turbulent future), two ambitious modern-day buddies and a badass girlfriend scheme to parlay power into quick wealth. They’re not exactly usurping a kingdom; in fact, their plan is to take…
Comedy: Alex Ortiz
While comedian Alex Ortiz enjoys performing at colleges, he likes getting back to traditional comedy clubs. “The colleges you have to be 100-percent clean,” he says. “There can’t be any sex or drugs. At the comedy clubs that’s all I talk about!” He adds, “I’m kidding. (At the) colleges you have to do a whole…
Event: Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana
So you’ve seen the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park and you’ve probably even seen the mechanical specimens at Kings Island’s Dinosaurs Alive!, but you’ve never quite seen dinosaurs quite like this. The Cincinnati Museum Center’s Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana exhibit invites you to forget about the dinosaurs you’ve known and prepare for a whole new…
Cincinnati Receives Mixed Jobs Report for June
The Cincinnati metropolitan area created more jobs in June, but the growth wasn’t enough to keep up with population trends, and it coincided with other negative factors. The June numbers, released today by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services , showed Cincinnati adding 3,300 more jobs between May and June. But the region…
Morning News and Stuff
A federal judge ruled that a state death certificate must recognize the marriage of a newlywed same-sex couple , but the order only applies to James Obergefell and John Arthur. It’s the first time a same-sex marriage is recognized in Ohio. The two men had the case expedited because Arthur is suffering from amyotrophic lateral…
Curmudgeon Notes 7.24.2013
• Last Wednesday, with a headline on page 1, our Sole Surviving Daily reported that, “Memo on city parking lease stirs up a lot of ill will.” The accompanying “Enquirer Watchdog” timeline begins with, “The revelation Monday . . .” but ends: “July 14: Memo publicly released.” Can’t be both. It was released July 14, Sunday,…
Facts vs. Perceptions in Trayvon Martin Coverage
The trial of George Zimmerman, who admits to shooting Trayvon Martin to death, offers lessons to journalists. First, stick to the facts. Perceptions are not facts. If we ignore partisan and often self-serving polemics, his acquittal reminds us that according to the law, not all homicides are “murder.” It’s also sloppy, inaccurate journalism to call…
Event: Taft on Tap
Beat the heat at the savory and artistic Taft on Tap. Held in the garden of the Taft Museum of Art, the event invites participants to taste local handcrafted beers in the shade of the garden’s tent. Eight beers offered are from Triple Digit Brew Company, Madtree Brewing Company, Rivertown Brewery and more. Brew Masters discuss their craft, and…
Onstage: Romeo and Julian
The Cincinnati Actor’s Studio and Academy, a high school acting studio, presents an LGBTQ rendition of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet titled Romeo and Julian, with two male leads playing the star-crossed lovers. Ticket proceeds for this production benefit the Human Rights Campaign. 7:30 p.m. July 25-27 and Aug. 1-3. $10 adults; $5 students. Essex Studios,…
Event: Let It Grown at the Krohn Conservatory
The Krohn Conservatory presents a summer exhibit that showcases four new sustainable food production techniques. The show highlights the processes of aquaponics (cultivating plants in water with fish), aeroponics (growing plants in air without soil), hydroponics (growing plants in a mineral nutrient water solution) and vertical gardening (growing plants up instead of out), as well…
Stick Men
Stick Men is an all-star group of musicians that made their mark in the Prog Rock and Fusion music worlds. The band includes Tony Levin on bass, Pat Mastelotto on drums and Markus Reuter on guitar. But all is not as it seems. At its height, Prog Rock pushed the boundaries of Rock music with…
Theory of a Deadman
Other than being some of the prettiest Rock stars in the business, there isn’t really anything special about Canada's Theory of a Deadman. They're just your typical, really good Rock band. To call them anything other than Rock should be a sin, by the way. "Post-Grunge" is crap. By pure essence of the word, Miley…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
With Kate Middleton on the verge of popping out a little prince or princess, Royal Baby Watch has reached CODE RED. So secure your fanciest fascinator — you do not want to be naked-headed when this kid enters the world — because with Duchess of Cambridge is reportedly in labor! Fans and press alike have…
Poll: More Than 1.25 Million Ohioans are Uninsured
A poll analysis released today suggests more than 1.25 million Ohioans between the ages of 18 and 65 are uninsured, representing about 17 percent of the state’s working-age population. The poll also found that working-age Ohioans are obtaining health insurance less through employers and more through public insurance programs like Medicare, Medicaid and veteran benefits.…
Lonesome Shack
Lonesome Shack is a Scruff Blues band out of Seattle that keeps it real and unpretentious. Consisting of founder Ben Todd on guitar, Kristian Garrard on drums and Luke Bergman on bass, the trio goes out of its way to sound as “un-modern” as possible. Seattle is known for music, though not necessarily for the…
Morning News and Stuff
The speaker of the Ohio House is asking a local state representative to resign after he was indicted on 16 counts of fraud . State Rep. Peter Beck, a Mason Republican, already faces a maximum of 43 years in prison if he’s convicted on all the counts, but Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine says the…
Your Weekend To Do List: 7/19-7/21
Sawyer Point turns 25 this weekend, celebrating with a big birthday bash Saturday. The party will feature live music, food and beer, a kids entertainment area with Cincinnati Circus and inflatable rides and all the other playgrounds and park features Sawyer Point has to offer. The Sawyer Point Rockin' Birthday Bash runs noon-10 p.m. Saturday…
Newlywed Gay Couple Sues State of Ohio for Discrimination
A gay couple living in Ohio has filed a lawsuit today against the state of Ohio for failing to recognize their Maryland-certified same-sex marriage, which they claim is discriminatory because the state is required to recognize any certified heterosexual marriage from another state as valid. Jim Obergefell and John Arthur, who suffers from amyotrophic lateral…
Q&A with Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson
Jethro Tull's unique sound — which eloquently combines Rock, Blues, and Classical music — continues to outlast Father Time and thrill legions of dedicated fans. Leader/singer/Rock flautist extraordinaire Ian Anderson performs the classic Tull album Thick as a Brick (and more, including Thick as a Brick II) at Riverbend's PNC Pavilion Saturday night at 8…
Morning News and Stuff
New documents acquired by The Cincinnati Enquirer show the Greater Cincinnati Port Authority wants $27 million of the city’s $92 million parking lease . The Port Authority, a city-funded development agency, says it would use the money for various projects around the city. The request, which has been supported by Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, may…
Report: Ubiquity of Healthy Food Directly Tied to Obesity Rates
A report conducted by researchers at East Carolina University in North Carolina, released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sheds some interesting light on patterns in the availability of healthy food in different geographic regions and concludes that amping up corner stores that traditionally peddle junk food could be key in…
Report: Ohio’s Fracking Protections Fall Short
A report released today suggests Ohio taxpayers could be on the hook for costs if something goes wrong at an oil and gas drilling operation. The report from advocacy group Environment Ohio looks at the costs related to “fracking,” an extraction technique that involves pumping millions of gallons of water underground to unlock oil and…
Single-Event MidPoint Music Fest Tickets On Sale Now
Though there are few great excuses to not grab a three-day pass for this September's MidPoint Music Festival, stuff happens. Maybe you only have the time to catch one concert. Maybe you don't want to discover new music. Maybe you only have $20 or so to last you for the end of the year. Or…
Ill Poetic Plots New Single/Video Project
Last year around this time, Ill Poetic — the Hip Hop artist who grew up in Dayton, cut his Hip Hop teeth in the Cincinnati scene and currently lives in and works out of Columbus — dropped the fantastic video for his excellent track "Gone," which was loaded with Cincinnati references and guest appearances. Now,…
Findlay After Four Encourages Awareness of Later Market Hours
Findlay After Four is a new way to promote shopping at Findlay Market on Thursdays between 4-6 p.m. The goal is to make sure Findlay Market frequenters and newcomers alike are aware of the market’s hours. The hope is to drive more shoppers to the market and begin to chip away at the confusion around…
2013 Emmy Nominations Announced
Nominations for the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 65th primetime Emmy Awards were announced today. In a milestone officially marking the new age of television, Netflix's drama House of Cards walked away with a surprising number of nods — especially for a digital-only program. Here's a list of the main nominees. Find a full list here.…
Black Rock
The Freebie, Katie Aselton’s 2010 directorial debut, revealed a filmmaker unafraid to investigate messy, conflicting emotions. The ultra-low-budget indie’s central conceit — that its sexually dormant married couple (played by Aselton and a convincing Dax Shepard) can have one night to sleep with whomever they choose — worked better than one might have expected; it…
Safety Last!
There was a time when Harold Lloyd was as famous as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Yet it’s not really a surprise that Lloyd’s profile as a comedic master has receded in recent decades: He was a good-natured everyman, far less flamboyant and perversely poetic than his iconic silent-era contemporaries. Even his signature horn-rimmed glasses…
Morning News and Stuff
In a letter to the city solicitor, a conservative organization is threatening more legal action to stop the city’s plans to lease its parking meters, lots and garages to the Greater Cincinnati Port Authority. The Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) claims the city manager exceeded his authority when he made two “significant…
Parking Lease Facing Another Legal Challenge
In a letter to the city solicitor, a conservative organization is threatening more legal action to stop the city’s plans to lease its parking meters, lots and garages to the Greater Cincinnati Port Authority. The Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) claims the city manager made “significant and material” changes to the lease…
MidPoint Music Fest Meets Spotify (Playlist Update)
With last week's third round of announcements of artists confirmed for this September's MidPoint Music Festival, the official MPMF Spotify playlist has been updated. Check out newly-added tunes from just-announced artists Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Nicholas David, Snowmine, Vandaveer, Pure X, Young Empires, Helado Negr, Bear's Den, Gauntlet Hair and more below. Stay tuned to…
Driver Who Killed Cyclist Last Fall Awaits Sentencing
The driver who accidentally hit and killed Cincinnati cyclist Andrew Gast, 27, along Wilmer Avenue in the East end last year on Aug. 29, 2012 will be sentenced by a judge on Monday, July 22. More than 700 riders attended a "ghost ride" to support Gast and his family following his death. According to a…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
What a week, guys. While I usually like to keep things light around here, this week's pop culture round-up is peppered with some upsetting current events. So, if you experience an occasional case of the sads, watch Carley Rae Jepsen throw a terrible first pitch, rock out to Britney’s new song or look at this…
Mayor to Attend Streetcar Social
Mayor Mark Mallory will join fellow streetcar supporters Thursday to discuss how the project is coming along and where it’s headed. The event is the monthly streetcar social, hosted by Cincinnatians for Progress . Organizers expect to pull in nearly 100 people from around the city to discuss topics and issues surrounding the project. It…
The Jay-Z Law, Streaming Pains and Chambers Attacked
HOT Hova Changes the Game Again If you haven’t noticed yet, it’s Jay-Z’s world, we’re all just living in it. First, Mr. Z got the RIAA to change its rules so that he could be awarded a Platinum album on the day his new album released. Now, Republicans who are mad that Jay traveled with…
Stage Door: All-Star Break
So we've moved into the second half of 2013, as evidenced by last night's American League win in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. That means you might be seeking some theatrical entertainment. I thought there would be several opportunities, but Untethered Theater Company just let me know that the Clifton Performance Theater (on Ludlow…
Perpetual Flux
S wans, frontman Michael Gira’s long-running musical outfit founded in the midst of New York City’s early-’80s No Wave scene, seems to be in a good place these days. And for a band notorious for its creative tensions and ever-shifting lineups, that’s saying something. After more than a dozen years of inactivity, Gira reconvened Swans…
Mad Anthony Gets Mad Love
On June 29, Cincinnati Rock trio Mad Anthony was doing what it’s been doing this past year or so — touring its ass off. Unfortunately, the musicians wouldn’t make it to their next gig. The group members were on their way to perform in Evansville, Ind., when they hit a bad storm near Louisville, Ky.…
Morning News and Stuff
It may become more expensive for the city to issue debt after Moody’s downgraded the city’s bond rating . The credit rating agency pinned the blame on the city’s exposure to local and state retirement systems, as well as the city’s reliance since 2001 on one-time sources to balance the operating budget. Still, Moody’s does…
Audit Finds More Problems at City’s Largest Charter School
A state audit found more evidence of misused public funds at Greater Cincinnati’s largest charter school, including one example of salary overpayment and a range of inappropriate purchases of meals and entertainment. The school’s former superintendent and treasurer are already facing trial on charges of theft for previously discovered incidents. The audit reviewed Cincinnati College…
Gov. Candidate Unveils Plan to Repeal Anti-Abortion Measures
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald is urging a coalition effort to begin a long, complicated petitioning process that could repeal some of the anti-abortion measures in the two-year state budget. If the petitioning process is successful, it would force the Ohio General Assembly to consider repealing aspects of the budget that don’t involve appropriations of…
Music: Swans
Swans, frontman Michael Gira’s long-running musical outfit founded in the midst of New York City’s early-’80s No Wave scene, seems to be in a good place these days. And for a band notorious for its creative tensions and ever-shifting lineups, that’s saying something. After more than a dozen years of inactivity, Gira reconvened Swans —…
Cincinnati Streetcar Scheduled to Open Sept. 15, 2016
Following years of political controversy, the Cincinnati streetcar is scheduled to open for service on Sept. 15, 2016. The news was unveiled in a city memo July 15, which detailed the streetcar project’s future following a construction deal with Messer Construction, Prus Construction and Delta Railroad. The news comes after Messer revealed it will need…
Critical Memo Sparks Calls to Halt Parking Deal
The city administration on July 15 disputed the findings of a June 20 memo that suggested the city is getting a bad deal from its parking lease, but controversy remains as to why the administration kept the memo from City Council and the Port Authority for three-plus weeks. Critics are calling on the Port Authority…
Music: Bosnian Rainbows
Just about every mention of Bosnian Rainbows includes the fact that the band formed after the demise of guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’s previous band, The Mars Volta. Which is to be expected, but it’s also kind of unfortunate — the Rainbows’ taut, shimmering Rock songs transcend whatever its four members (the band also includes singer Teresa…
Zimmerman Reactions Overlook Broader Racial Issues in America
Over the weekend, much of the national news cycle focused on the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the murder of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black 17-year-old. But the focus on the Zimmerman trial and its surrounding racial controversy has left out discussion of systemic racial problems in America. For many minority youths around the country,…
Music: When Particles Collide with The Frankl Project
Yes, folks, guitar-and-drum duos still exist in Rock & Roll! In this case, it is the husband and wife team of guitarist and singer Sasha Alcott and drummer Chris Viner. Together, they make up the band When Particles Collide. Hailing from Bangor, Maine, WPC spends its time “driving around the country with a Punk Rock…
Media Bridges: The End
R ufus Johnson remains optimistic he can maintain his roles as a television producer and community activist in Cincinnati, despite Media Bridges closing later this year as a result of city and state funding cuts. “This has been my home for four years, five years now, so it’s a great loss,” Johnson says. “But sometimes…
Music: Michael Franti & Spearhead
For all intents and purposes, Michael Franti’s songs should be considered World music. With Spearhead, Franti’s band since 1994, the sonic adventures are expansive, positive, poignant and fun. Franti’s musical output has been as eclectic as his lineage. Born to an Irish/German/French mother and a Black/Native American father, Franti was adopted and raised by parents…
Music: Blair Crimmins & The Hookers
Just as Atlanta native and Berklee School of Music grad Blair Crimmins began considering the Hot Jazz/Ragtime sounds that predated his birth by three-quarters of a century, his grandmother passed away, bequeathing him a wealth of ancient furniture, books and photographs. Awash in nostalgia but tweaking with Rock & Roll energy, Crimmins assembled a group of like-minded…
Event: Rhinegeist Tasting Room
Rhinegeist head brewer Jim Matt had to order new pint glasses just a week after the opening of Over-the-Rhine’s newest craft brewery. Rhinegeist is the seventh thirst-quenching venture to open locally in just more than a year, joining MadTree, Listermann’s Triple Digit, Blank Slate, Cellar Dweller, Fifty West Brewing Company and Double Barrel. The space is…
Art: Jonpaul Smith at RBds Gallery
Richard Butz’s former architecture/interior design practice had slowed down significantly in the past several years since the economic downturn, so the painter decided to turn his personal studio space on the bottom floor of a building on Main Street in Over-the-Rhine into a place where he could exhibit his own art as well as that…
Event: Bastille Day in Montgomery
Celebrate Mongtomery’s sister city relationship with Neuilly-Plaisance, France, which has been built over 24 years of friendly exchange, with a special Bastille Day celebration. The day will feature two stages of entertainment, featuring live music from Off the Hook, The Mistics, Ridge Runners and the Sycamore Community Band, in addition to food vendors, wine, beer,…
Symbiotic Systems
T wo 23-year-olds growing plants in an Over-the-Rhine basement sounds like the beginnings of a Seth Rogen blockbuster, but housed in a six-story Apex warehouse on McMicken Avenue is the newest contribution to Cincinnati’s sustainable agriculture initiative. One simply has to follow the sound of running water and the beats of Biggie Smalls down the…
Event: Cincy Typing Challenge
Are you a lightning-fast typist? The area’s speediest will be put to the test in the Cincy Typing Challenge. Participants compete in typewriter and keyboard competitions for their chance to win up to $5,000. The Qualifying Round is 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday; finals take place 6 p.m. July 25. Cincinnati’s swiftest texters also have the…
Art: CLAY at Brazee Street Studios
Brazee Street Studios, nearly synonymous with glass thanks to classes for all ages in fusing, blowing and bead-making, highlights a different medium when it opens a juried exhibition by Clay Alliance members in gallery One One. Functional and decorative works from more than 20 artists will illustrate clay’s versatility as “the Earth’s ultimate material.” Through…
Art: Paper Trail2
Forge a trail to Phyllis Weston Gallery for its second annual show of contemporary works on paper, Paper Trail2. The spray-painting star of last year’s exhibit, Art Academy student Max Unterhaslberger, will be creating graffiti art in the adjacent alley during the 5-8 p.m. reception. Terence Hammonds also returns with wallpaper-style prints inspired by the…
Turbo
It looks like animated kids movies are taking a page from the world of comic books. What happens when a freak accident transforms a lowly garden snail nicknamed Turbo (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) into a hyper-speedster who decides it is time to pursue his dream of entering the Indy 500? Yes, apparently snails dream fast…
Only God Forgives
Nicolas Winding Refn follows up the much-celebrated noir-soaked actioner Drive with Only God Forgives, another deep descent into the hyper-stylized world of violence and machismo. Once again partnering with Ryan Gosling, Refn lures audiences into the criminal underground in Bangkok where a drug smuggler named Julian (Gosling) must navigate treacherous waters that get even murkier…
RIPD
Ripped from the pages and screens of Men in Black comes this tale about a secret agency of deceased lawmen committed to protecting humanity from the dead. The presence of director Robert Schwentke (competing this weekend against Red 2, the sequel to his 2010 comedic action adventure) guarantees there will be no rest for the…
Worst Week Ever!: July 10-16
WEDNESDAY JULY 10 Billionaire businessman Charles Koch has a pretty good understanding of what people say about him on social media for an old guy who probably doesn’t use Twitter (and sucks). During an interview with the Wichita Eagle today, Koch described how critics called him names after he spent millions of dollars during the…
Red 2
The crafty old retired black ops agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is back in action, in pursuit of a portable nuclear weapon that could obviously land in the wrong hands. With his civilian girlfriend (Mary-Louise Parker) in tow, Moses gathers his gang (Helen Mirren, John Malkovich and new addition Catherine Zeta-Jones) to chase after an…
Girl Most Likely
Seemingly more than ready to usurp Tina Fey’s role as the recent Saturday Night Live alumnus most likely to succeed, Kristen Wiig continues to straddle the comedic divide, skillfully mixing and mining laughs with lovely dramatic beats, whether in studio projects or indie fare. Girl Most Likely, which had a solid festival run under a…
The Conjuring
We’re never safe from the paranormal, not even in the heart and heat of the summer. Scaremeister James Wan (helmer of a couple of the Saw movies and the emerging Insidious saga) presents the story of renowned paranormal investigators (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) who encounter something even they aren’t prepared for when they seek…
Cincinnati vs. the World 07.17.2013
Ohio Republican, former attorney general and important person Jim Petro announced his support for legalizing same-sex marriage in Ohio. CINCINNATI +1 Abercrombie CEO Mike Jeffries has reportedly banned the color black from stores and employees’ wardrobes, right along with XL sizes, losers, ugly people, freedom and individuality. WORLD -1 Freedom from intrusive inspections is really…
Ato Essandoh Talks ‘Copper,’ Death Hoax and TV Obsessions
Ato Essandoh stars in BBC America’s Copper (10 p.m. Sundays), the network’s highest-rated original drama. The series follows Detective Kevin Corcoran, an Irish “copper” living in 1865 New York City, trying to keep the slums of Five Points safe. At the center of the story is Dr. Matthew Freeman (Essandoh), an escaped slave who served…
Let’s Talk About Street Harassment
We see when you watch us. We’re not stupid. We know when something is coming. We feel your eyes burning on every inch of our skin, following us like laser pointers. We’re watching you, too, silently steaming with the same level of disrespect you seem to have for us. Finding yourself subject to foreign…
Seeking Direction From ‘The Way, Way Back’
The Way, Way Back starts right off with that signature scene from the trailers. Duncan (Liam James), a slightly awkward 14-year-old, sits in the back of an old station wagon that belongs to Trent (Steve Carell), the new boyfriend of his mother Pam (Toni Collette). During the middle of this long drive, Trent decides to…
Interwoven on Main
It’s challenging to be an artist in a tough economy. But sometimes the alternative career paths can be equally as difficult. Richard Butz’s former architecture/interior design practice had slowed down significantly in the past several years since the economic downturn, so the painter decided to turn his personal studio space on the bottom floor of…
Empty Bedrooms (for Trayvon, for Us)
I have seen this movie before and hummed its title theme in my nightmares. On April 7, 2001, 19-year-old Timothy Thomas, wanted on a bundle of minor seatbelt infractions, ran from Cincinnati Police through Over-the-Rhine and was shot dead by Officer Stephen Roach in a pitch-black alcove on Republic Street. The neighborhood’s scars have been…
Rhinegeist Taps Into Cincy’s Brewing Past
Rhinegeist head brewer Jim Matt had to order new pint glasses just a week after the opening of Over-the-Rhine’s newest craft brewery. “People liked them so much that the first 1,500 walked out the door,” Matt says, noting that all eight kegs they sold at nearby Neons were gone by 9 p.m. opening night. For…
Finding a Niche in Local Theater — and Seeking More
In recent columns I surveyed Cincinnati theater companies that came and went during the past 20 years. Some stumbled because their founders had more passion than management expertise; others simply lacked the focus to keep audiences coming back. The truth is it’s hard to identify a niche and settle into it. Too often, start-up theaters…
Seasons 52 (Review)
B utter. It’s a professional chef’s (not-so) secret weapon. Sauces taste richer because of it, vegetables are more delectable when cooked in it. So what happens if you take away the butter from the chef? If you eat at Seasons 52, you get delicious food from a menu where nothing is more than 475 calories.…
Toy Story
G rowing up, who didn’t own Barbies, G.I. Joes and Star Wars action figures? Now those toys are a hot commodity, especially for collectors like Gary Darna, who’s built an entire social networking-like site called CompleteSet around the idea of “He who dies with the most toys wins.” Launched in beta in May, CompleteSet is…
