Sess Urges Streetcar Poll
A community group known for its controversial and antagonistic tactics is asking other neighborhood organizations to take a vote on whether they support Cincinnati's proposed streetcar project. In a recent e-mail sent to leaders of the city's network of neighborhood councils, John Sess, president of the Westwood Civic Association, wants to gauge sentiment about the…
Are the Bearcats for Real (Part Deux)?
I wrote this on Dec. 6 about the UC Bearcats men's basketball team: “… it looks like the ’Cats could open the year with a 12-0 record and no doubt a spot in the Top 25." Well, here we are a few weeks later and UC is 12-0 … but without a spot in the…
Music: The Seedy Seeds
Several of Greater Cincinnati’s best original music makers are gigging on New Year’s Eve. And most of them are playing shows that won’t start eating into your 2011 finances before 2011 even starts. In fact, several NYE events starring local bands won’t cost you a cent thanks to one of the best trends to hit…
Events: CityBeat and Know Theatre’s New Year’s Eve Speakeasy
Hit the New Year on all six-cylinders this year when you get your glad rags on and gather ’round Know Theatre’s gin mill for the New Year’s Eve Speakeasy Party. After you’ve decided which Fedora matches your Sheba’s flapper dress, you’ll want to be sure to show up at Know's underground door at 1120 Jackson…
Art: Aisle Gallery
Two concurrent solo exhibitions grace Aisle Gallery through Jan. 7. In Chris Vorhees: Drawings, the artist has translated imagery into fields of letters, numbers and symbols, calling to mind the streaming animations of data that decorated the Matrix films. The suite of drawings of mundane objects and scenes are interrupted by a work that depicts…
Actors with Cincinnati Ties to Marry
And now this from the CityBeat entertainment gossip desk: A couple of actors with Cincinnati ties announced marriage engagements today.—- Natalie Portman, whose mother is from Cincinnati and whose grandmother supposedly still lives here, is pregnant with and will marry her Black Swan co-star/on-set ballet coach Benjamin Milliped. That means Portman should be about four…
Cincy Irish Music News
Two Cincinnati acts with strong Irish ties recently announced some good news for the holidays. For Voodoo Loons, the good news is a special gift for fans and a preview of their next album. For Roger Drawdy and the Firestarters, it's the announcement of their nomination for an international music award. For fans of progressive…
Two Big Decisions Coming Soon
Some major decisions are expected in the next few days, and we're not referring to how the dithering, ineffectual Cincinnati City Council will finally close a $54 million deficit. Rather, the decisions coming soon are who will replace Republican Chris Monzel on City Council, and who will replace Tom Callinan as editor at The Enquirer.—-…
Banderas, Mad Anthony, The Dopamines, The Frankl Project and Straw Boss
This huge whole-house party features performances by some of the area's best rock bands. Go immerse yourself and have fun. Check out the recent CityBeat profiles of Mad Anthony here and The Dopamines here and Banderas' three-part road diary from April 2009 here. The monthly Underbelly stand-up comedy performance is happening as well New Year's…
Comedy: Andi Smith
It’s going to be a happy new year for comedian Andi Smith. The Wisconsin native will feature for fellow comic Chad Daniels this week at Go Bananas, a gig she’s excited about. Daniels hand-picked his feature act. “He asked me to do it and I was like, ‘Yeah, no problem, that will be really fun,’…
Triage Featuring Othello Molineaux
Pucker up for midnight at The Greenwich in Walnut Hills, which hosts a New Year's Eve to remember. The gala features smooth jazz by the popular Cincinnati jazz collective Triage, free champagne and special party favors. Not to mention an authentic organic breakfast. Mimosa anyone? The Triage collective includes local jazz favorites Eugene Goss, Billy…
Events: New Year’s Eve Blast
New Year’s Eve approaches and most people already have their preferred locale chosen, usually the one with the best bathroom for when you inevitably puke up your fifth Long Island Iced Tea as the ball drops. But perhaps you aren’t among the prepared? Or maybe Christmas bankrupted you and paying a cover for a bar…
The Seedy Seeds and KFrey
Several of Greater Cincinnati’s best original music makers are gigging on New Year’s Eve, and most of them are playing shows that won’t start eating into your 2011 finances before 2011 even starts. In fact, several NYE events starring local bands won’t cost you a cent thanks to one of the best trends to hit…
Art: Cincinnati Art Museum
As part of its efforts to make people realize that a museum is an ever-changing, organic institution that needs to be visited often, the Cincinnati Art Museum has been constantly adding small shows — and new artworks — in addition to its three big current shows. For instance, it has a borrowed painting by Kehinde Wiley, the African-American…
Skeetones with Papadosio and The Werks
Although they didn’t grab any mantle accessories at this year’s Cincinnati Entertainment Awards ceremony, the audience reaction when Skeetones were announced for their nominations in the New Artist and Electronic categories is evidence that the band might consider drafting acceptance speeches for 2011. The band has been generating big buzz since its official debut just…
Onstage: The Merry Wives of Windsor at Cincy Shakespeare
The nice thing about Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s “holiday” show is that it’s not really about the holidays. So while some theaters are still showcasing lame-duck versions of Ebenezer Scrooge and his ilk, CSC is presenting the classic humor of Falstaff and his ill-fated escapades through Sunday. Even better, given this production has been onstage since…
Events: Midnight in Munich
A flight to Germany for New Years is quite an investment, but a trip to the heart of Corryville for licentious merry making at Mecklenburg Gardens (302 East University Ave.) is the next best thing. The restaurant will kick off Midnight in Munich beginning at 5 p.m. on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the modern…
Sports: Harlem Globetrotters 4-Point Shot Game
If you aren't too spent after all the holiday debauchery or need to brighten up your mood because you are battling Seasonal Affective Disorder, the Globetrotters have a treat for you. Not only are they bringing their outlandish tricks and hilarious goofs to U.S. Bank Arena (100 Broadway St., Downtown), they're also introducing a brand…
Music: Evening of the Midnight Kiss
Pucker up for the New Year this Friday at 9 p.m. as The Greenwich (2442 Gilbert Ave., Walnut Hills; 513-221-1151) hosts a midnight to remember. The gala features smooth Jazz by the popular Cincinnati collective Triage (featuring Eugene Goss, Billy Larkin and "Baba" Charles Miller), free champagne and special party favors. Not to mention an…
Frost Interviews WikiLeaks Founder
For all the rhetoric about the United States' right to freedom of the press, the best reporting on the governmental secrets revealed by WikiLeaks, and the deeper issues they raise, has been done by media outlets in other nations. And the best and most in-depth interview with Julian Assange has been done by a British…
Freestore Feeds More Than 18,000
As part of its annual Christmas Day preparations for the needy, the Freestore Foodbank distributed nearly 300,000 pounds of food, its largest amount ever for the holiday. During the past three days, the emergency food provider distributed 297,050 pounds of food to 6,677 households. That's enough to feed 18,516 people, according to a spokeswoman.—- The ongoing…
Bloggers File Official Complaint
Three activists associated with The Cincinnati Beacon blog have lodged a formal complaint with the city's attorneys today, alleging some City Council members “behaved secretly and in contradiction of the charter” during a recent budget dispute. Also, other critics are researching whether the council members' action violated state law.—- Bloggers Jason Haap, Justin Jeffre and…
To Do: Holiday Edition
The holidays are a cheerful, exciting time spent with close loved ones you don't get to see as often as you'd like. But somewhere between the sixth repeat of A Christmas Story and your third plate of "seconds" (who's counting?), you may find yourself wanting to strangle someone. Maybe all the gifts are unwrapped and…
Yogi Bear (Review)
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } The plot of this live-action adaptation of the simplistic animated classic about the famous talking bear on the hunt for picnic baskets in Jellystone Park certainly feels like an episode of the show, complete with Yogi (voiced by Dan Aykroyd who is in no way…
Invasion of the Body-Shoppers
In the age of the Great Recession, if you tell any well-educated and out-of-work professional from Greater Cincinnati that thousands of non-citizen foreigners with advanced skills are employed locally and making bank, they just might flip their lid. And if you take into consideration that one of the globe’s largest outsourcing firms bringing these non-citizen…
A Year in Film and Music
Our Beautiful Dark Listed Fantasies: Local musicians and music scribes pick their fave moments of 2010Whatcha wanna know? The best songs to walk your dog to? Some album that must be in your collection? The funniest anagram for the band name Freelance Whales? Or maybe you want to recall the best moments of Cincinnati music…
Jim Gilliece [Chez Nora owner]
Jim Gilliece and his wife Pati have owned the MainStrasse fixture Chez Nora (530 Main St., Covington; 859-491-8027) since 1994 when they bought the bar/restaurant from the legendary Nora Dempsey. So, yes, at one time there actually was a “Nora”! Previously, Gilliece was a stand-up comic living in Manhattan, but upon reaching “a fork in…
New Year’s Eve With a Twist
New Year’s Eve is more than just a countdown and ball drop. There are many alternative ways to celebrate the passing of 2010 and welcome the new year. Maybe you’re tired of the standard New Year’s Eve bar parties or maybe last year’s transition to 2010 left you discombobulated and, after too much champagne, old…
Never Knowing My Father
Sometimes I believe a person can’t control his or her own thoughts. As Christmas approaches this year, my mind is on my father and our relationship. It’s much too late to change anything now. My father is dead. I’m going to take you back to a Christmas that happened close to 20 years ago. This…
Dec. 15-21: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY DEC. 15 Most of us have assumed for a long time that people who vote for Sarah Palin secretly want something bad to happen: significantly increased temperature of Earth; complete eradication of all moose in America; etc. A new poll out today shows Palin as a slight favorite among Ohio Republicans for the party's…
A Return to Invisibility?
There have always been urban films — from the black exploitation films of the 1970s to the comic movies that capitalized on stand-up performers transitioning to the mainstream to the hood action dramas infused with Hip Hop sensibilities — but it seemed as if black folks would finally be moving on up out of the…
Twisted Visions
I love the year’s end. As a writer who delves into the wonders of cinema on DVD, December turns thoughts to the mountains of films consumed over the past 12 months. Believe me, it’s a lot. Sussing out the best is an awesome task, but it can lead to hair-pulling conundrums. Where to begin? As…
Little Fockers (Review)
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Ten years ago the idea of Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro headlining a comedy was just the next step in the evolution of the former Raging Bull of cinema, following up his amusing turns with Billy Crystal in Analyze This and Analyze That. Now, possibly sensing that they need…
Perception Is Everything
Summing up a year is always a tricky proposition. It’s even trickier at this late date in our rapidly fracturing cultural landscape. Consensus on anything — from our politics to the very nature of reality — is more fleeting than ever in a world where context is obliterated by encroaching, fast-moving technologies that allow us to…
Wendell Young and Charlie Winburn
[LOSER] CHARLIE WINBURN: The flashy preacher-turned-politician held another of his seemingly daily press conferences Dec. 17, this time to propose $27 million in unspecified cuts to help ward off a deficit. Winburn suggested how much should come from each department (like $2 million from the city manager's office and $4 million from police administration), but…
The King’s Speech (Review)
Colin Firth, hot off his Academy Award-nominated turn last year in A Single Man, returns to period work as King George VI, the father of currently reigning Queen Elizabeth. Bertie, as he was known among the royal family, was the stammering second son of George V (Michael Gambon) and brother of King Edward VIII (Guy…
Taste This: Fruitcake
Earlier this year, the usual Lost in the Supermarket script — me scouring the local grocer for food items I deem “weird” or “gross” — was flipped when, at a staff meeting, my coworkers acted like I said “Turd Jello” when I mentioned my love of turtle soup. Their disgust proved one of the underlying…
I Love You Phillip Morris (Review)
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } There's something terribly romantic about the bond that develops between Ewan McGregor's and Jim Carrey's gay lovers in a con-man story not far removed from a great film like Catch Me If You Can. There's a sincerity in both movies than humanizes its criminal protagonists and celebrates their abilities to…
True Grit (Review)
Here’s why I’m prepared to call the Coen brothers the greatest living American filmmakers: After 25 years, they not only continue to make great movies but they also keep finding new ways to surprise me. For a while there, it seemed like Joel and Ethan were merely brilliant craftsmen, capable of cranking out instantly memorable…
Council’s Negligence Shows Need for Reforms
Isn't it bliss? Don't you approve? One who keeps tearing around, One who can't move. Where are the clowns? Send in the clowns. — from the play A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim (1973) If ever there was the perfect example proving Cincinnati's system of government is broken and needs changes, the past two…
Our Beautiful Dark Listed Fantasies
TWITTER-FRIENDLY 2010 OBSERVATIONSBy Mike Breen, CityBeat If you’ve met me, you know that I’m not a big “talker” (I don’t hate you, I’m just shy). But put me behind a keyboard and you can’t get me to shut up. When CityBeat introduced the “Spill It” blog based on my local music column several years ago,…
Law Breakers
Any short list of Best American Movies would include Francis Ford Coppola’s first two Godfather films from the early 1970s, maybe as a single entry. Using the world of crime for its potential to offer great drama and action through interlocking narrative, they also serve well as knife-sharp metaphor for the political and economic rot…
Rockin’ Around the Family Obligations
The best thing about the holidays? Quality time with your family. The worst thing about the holidays? Quality time with your family. Everyone has their limits, so if on Christmas night by around 9 p.m. you’re feeling like a stiff drink (or seven) and some quality original Rock & Roll to shake away those annoying…
Wednesday Movie Roundup: Year in Film Edition
The year-end movie season is now in high gear, as media entities of every stripe unveil their top 10 lists and various awards groups reveal their nominations. CityBeat's film writers will present our lists next week. In the meantime, check out this week's Year in Film essays, which offer a look at 2010's noteworthy cinematic…
