News to Use
Don't Tell Gordon Peace activists are planning a surprise party for Gordon Maham, who will be 90 years old next month. Maham, a conscientious objector who served three years in federal prison during World War II, has been a tireless worker for an end to the nuclear arms race. The party is at 1 p.m.…
The Best Plays Theater Yearbook
Sandy Underwood Dale Hodges as the Ghost of Christmas Past and Bruce Cromer as Scrooge are local professional actors performing in the Cincinnati Playhouse's A Christmas Carol. Looking for presents for your favorite theatergoer? I have a few suggestions, even if you can't afford to send her or him to New York City to see…
Upcoming Concert Reviews of Will Kimbrough, Mary Gauthier and More…
willkimbrough.com Will Kimbrough Will Kimbrough with The Hiders Saturday · Southgate House No matter what kind of music you prefer, chances are you've heard Will Kimbrough in some fashion at some point in time. He's produced Todd Snider and Kate Campbell, sessioned with Jimmy Buffett, Rodney Crowell, Josh Rouse, Billy Joe Shaver and Amy Rigby,…
Film: A Capote Carol
Warner Independent Toby Jones stars as Truman Capote in this year's Infamous. In Douglas McGrath's Infamous, this year's film about Truman Capote and the creation of In Cold Blood, the writer (an uncanny Toby Jones) and his friend Nelle Harper Lee (Sandra Bullock) find themselves spending Christmas of 1959 in Holcomb, Kan. They've been invited…
Music: Natural Born Killers
Erin Volk Local trio Buffalo Killers (from left, Joseph Sebaali, Zach Gabbard, Andrew Gabbard) earned wide critical praise for their eponymous debut. There was a time when Zach Gabbard realized all good things must come to an end. Six years of constant touring with Thee Shams and four albums on as many different labels had…
The Legacies of a Freedom Fighter and a Tyrant
Graham Lienhart Marching in support of human rights Dec. 10 are (L-R) Sister Theresa Falkenstein, Sister Mary Jennings, Julie Przybysz, Kelly McDermott and Sister Francis Margaret Maag. If Tom Mooney had been there, he would have been proud. Members of the Cincinnati School Board took turns remembering the late teachers' union leader at their Dec.…
News: Cutting Classes
Graham Lienhart The school board failed to seek public input before deciding to close schools, according to Vanessa White. Vanessa White is unhappy with the way the Cincinnati Board of Education went about deciding to close nine schools and eliminating thousands of seats from the district, but not because of the cuts — it's the…
Keeping the ‘Public’ in Public Education
We all know the money we have for public education is limited. So what are we doing with these limited dollars? Giving them away to alternative educational programs — first to finance school vouchers, then to fund community schools (popularly called charter schools). In both cases, groups of parents, teachers and taxpayers filed lawsuits challenging…
Malton Gallery
Malton Gallery Robert Hasselhoff's work is currently on view at the Malton Gallery in Hyde Park. Amid the flurry of holiday preparations, set aside few moments to explore the current exhibition at the MALTON GALLERY (2643 Erie Ave., Hyde Park) which features a retrospective of work by Father Robert "Hass" Hasselhoff, entitled Spirited Life. In…
Various Artists — Fast Food Nation (Park The Van)
Various Artists — Fast Food Nation Five years ago, Eric Schlosser authored Fast Food Nation, a blistering non-fiction indictment of the fast food industry that inspired a critical examination of its widespread abuses. Director Richard Linklater envisioned a movie in the book's story, but rather than a filmed documentary, he chose to collaborate with Schlosser…
News: Fun with Numbers
You'd have to be stoned to draw any conclusions from City Manager Milton Dohoney's report on the impact of Cincinnati's new marijuana law. It's one of those reports that's most telling for what it doesn't say. For example, the report says police arrested 2,330 people for possession of marijuana between March 29 and Sept. 30.…
News: Keeping Melissa Warm
Graham Lienhart Writers are organizing a benefit for Melissa Mosby, a homeless woman who has participated in the Word on the Street program at InkTank. Sometimes Melissa Mosby awakens into the dark and tells herself the truth: "My name is Melissa Mosby. I am 40 years old. I am sleeping in a trash room. This…
Baseball Hall of Fame Voting Has Old and New Issues
Jerry Dowling The Hall of Fame ballot arrived this month with more than the usual puzzles. Not long ago — like last December — an agonozing call consisted of decision about someone like Jim Rice or Jack Morris, two players you knew were the best going when they played but whose numbers don't add up…
Onstage: Acting Wilde
Rich Sofranko Matt Johnson is Lady Bracknell in CSC's production of The Importance of Being Earnest. Irish playwright and poet Oscar Wilde was a master of the comic quip. He was well known during his lifetime (1854-1900) for his notorious behavior, but today he's as much remembered for his witticisms as for his dramaturgy. With…
I Remain Committed
It's human nature for some to think bad thoughts of those who disagree with them, whether true or not. Often, this urge reaches out for thin branches to maintain and justify angry disagreement. Such seems to be the case with Kevin Osborne's recent hit piece on me ("SORTA Troubling," issue of Dec. 5). Over the…
Washington Street
Jakes Notes: I'm all for the Iraq Study Group and their ideas for the war. However, I always wonder why these groups primarily consist of withered old men instead of younger men and women whose lives are directly impacted by the decisions. I respect experience. I revere the old sage. But I just can't stomach…
Cover Story: Remaking County Government
Oliver Meinerding Portune and Pepper look to remake county government. have big plans for change Faced with a shrinking population and tax base, an ever-tightening budget and an aging housing stock, most people probably would be glad not to have responsibility for trying to reverse the trends and making Hamilton County a better place to…
Tom Waits — Orphans (Anti/Epitaph)
Tom Waits — Orphans There are two immutable truths about Tom Waits. The first is that Waits is, without question or debate, one of the most singularly unique figures in contemporary music. The other is the more important of the two, and it goes like this: Tom Waits is a mad bloody genius and anyone…
Rumors, Lies and General Misunderstandings
· This Saturday, local faves Over the Rhine return to downtown's Taft Theatre for their annual hometown Christmas concert, something they've been doing since 1994. Continuing their trend of having great nationally known performers open these shows, OTR is joined by Mary Gauthier for the 8 p.m. concert (see Sound Advice, page 40). They have…
Diner: Mad for Mushrooms
Matt Borgerding Carolyn and Bryan Madison have become Cincinnati's mushroom experts, among other attributes. It all started with that unassuming fungus with the funny name — the shitake. Bryan Madison was researching the health aspects of the Asian mushroom when he worked for Proctor & Gamble. He says the fungi are full of antioxidants and…
The Kings Gun
HOT Dead Man Snacking The words "Elvis" and "tacky" are hardly strange bedfellows — if you've been to Graceland and its surrounding gift shops, or seen video from some of the later "Fat Elvis" concerts, you know what we're talking about. The anniversary of Elvis' death has been celebrated by more tasteful tribute concerts and…
Mash Pit
Oliver Meinerding As promised, we're returning to the seas of data for another pod fishin' expedition. This time we're digging a little deeper into the emerging world of "mash-ups." While not exactly podcasts, they tend to live in MP3 players and computers, and share the same distribution channels (the Web, RSS feeds). And since they…
Film: In Dramatic Pursuit
Columbia Pictures Will Smith plays Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness, a true-life success story in which Smith's own son, Jaden, co-stars. The new Will Smith vehicle The Pursuit of Happyness got me thinking. As an African-American film critic, I often find myself questioning the intentions of filmmakers and, more often than not, the…
Sharing the Holiday Spirit
Whatever you celebrate this time of year — Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice — the shopping season is in full swing. Here are some suggestions to make buying for that wine lover on your list a little easier. For most wine geeks, the only thing better than drinking wine is reading about it. If your…
Gwen Stefani — Sweet Escape (Interscope)
Gwen Stefani — Sweet Escape I was never much of a fan of No Doubt, but I could appreciate their brand of guitar-driven, New Wave-influence Pop, which provided a little sunny-side-up alternative to mopey Grunge (and the Faux Grunge that followed). The band tackled the issue of "cute frontwoman takes all the attention away from…
Locals Only: : Superstar Road Hogs
The Stapletons The Stapletons In 2001, in the shadowy, skinny Clifton bar called Arlin's, The Stapletons unloaded their van and busted into Rebecca Vie's old open mic night for their first gig. Back then, four "brothers" — Jody, Lance, Mick and Newky Stapleton — showed up unannounced, ready to rock out. Five years later, the…
