Lectures: Thomas Demand at the Cincinnati Art Museum
What you see is not necessarily what you think you see in the photographs of Thomas Demand, speaker for the 2009 Lightborne Photography lecture that occurs 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Cincinnati Art Museum’s Fath Auditorium. Demand, once a sculptor, meticulously constructs paper models to make disquieting photographs. Appearing both super-real and artificial, they question…
Confessions of a Shopaholic (Review)
Confusions of a Shopaholic would be a more accurate title for this garish romantic comedy that wants to have its thematic cake and eat it too when it comes to inveterate shopper Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher). Huge credit card debt from compulsively purchasing overpriced clothing from every haute-couture designer boutique in Manhattan has left Rebecca…
Music: Jump n’ Jive
Jump N’ Jive Show Band is now two 17-piece ensembles. One rehearses on Tuesdays and the other on Wednesdays, so they are called the “Tuesday band” and “Wednesday band,” respectively. Each band is made up of five saxes, four trumpets, four trombones, piano, drums, guitar and bass. Each band also has its own director; Todd…
Zimpher Goes, Huggins Comes Back and UC Is Close to Winning Again
Imagine the scene in a week. Nancy Zimpher is leaving, Bob Huggins is returning, Fifth Third Arena could be full and the University of Cincinnati’s basketball team could be headed back to the NCAA Tournament. Can it be that the more things change the more they stay the same? Of course not. Everyone is better…
Lit: Lauren Groff
Lauren Groff’s debut novel, The Monsters of Templeton, pulled off the rare combo of commercial success and critical hyperbole. Less than a year later she’s back with Delicate, Edible Birds and Other Stories, a collection of short stories that investigate a number of topics, from the lonely life of a female high school swimmer to…
Get Involved: Bockfest Sausage Queen Competition
Have you been searching for a gratifying title beyond the one you hold at your desk job? Look no further because BockFest is now hunting for one talented individual to be crowned the 2009 Sausage Queen. Every year, the BockFest Parade is led by a goat-pulled wagon carrying the ceremonial first keg of beer, accompanied…
The International (Review)
What could have been a standard global game of chase is elevated to thinking-man’s-thriller level thanks to the visual sophistication and sensual exploration of German directing wunderkind Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run, Perfume). With Clive Owen leading the chase as an Interpol agent seeking to take down a rogue international bank, this would-be Bourne adventure…
‘A Story of Redemption’
Jeffrey Hill was set to be executed on March 3 for murdering his mother in Cincinnati. But Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland followed the recommendation of the Adult Parole Board, as he’s done with all other death penalty cases during his tenure, and now Hill won’t be killed. The parole board voted unanimously to commute Hill’s…
Comedy: Darren Carter
Comedian Darren Carter decided in junior high that he wanted to make a living with his humor. In college, however, he still didn’t have any idea how he could do that. A trip to a job fair helped a little. “I didn’t see anything that involved comedy except for DJ. So I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll…
Onstage: Transmigration
Our local universities have had enough time following their holiday breaks to rehearse and build productions for this academic term, so you have some topnotch choices this weekend. Northern Kentucky University is staging Working, a 1978 musical based on interviews by Chicago icon Studs Terkel about people’s jobs. It features music and lyrics by Stephen…
Art: Almost Certain at Aisle Gallery
Its current exhibition, Almost Certain, features two series of abstract paintings by Jeffrey Cortland Jones and Paige Williams. Remarkably, this the seventh time these two painters have shown together. Even before they had met, Jones and Williams were running in the same circles; both are part of close-knit communities of local artists with shared aesthetic…
Events: Fine Arts Fund Sampler Weekend
If you like art and theater but fear the commitment that comes with parking downtown and buying tickets, the Fine Arts Fund is hosting the Fine Arts Fund Sampler Weekend Saturday and Sunday, which is like a delicious platter full of free cultural events spread all over town. Everyone can get in on the action…
A Touch of Magic
For those interested in seeing and hearing what 1950s/early 1960s-era African-American Jazz musicians and black vocal stylists were like in their day, Cincinnati World Cinema is offering an illuminating program. It is screening That Old Black Magic at 3 p.m. Feb. 22 and 7 p.m. Feb. 24-25 at The Redmoor club (the former Mt. Lookout…
Art: Tara Donovan at the Contemporary Arts Center
Even from the sidewalk, it is excessively clear that a new, sprawling, elegant exhibition has moved into downtown’s Contemporary Arts Center (CAC). Kaplan Hall has been hung with a looming nimbus form made from thousands of white Styrofoam cups and backlit with a soft glow. This and two other floors have been turned over to…
Music: Dark Star Orchestra
With apologies to Dread Zeppelin and Tiny KISS, Dark Star Orchestra might just be the best tribute band in America right now. They don’t wear costumes but every other aspect of DSO is carefully detailed to match the Grateful Dead live experience. The band studies old Dead shows to nail everything from the vocal arrangements…
Power to the People
If you think voters always determine who occupies a seat on Cincinnati City Council, think again. Some of the most memorable names in Queen City politics got their entry to City Hall by means other than winning at the ballot box, including Jim Tarbell, Todd Portune, John Cranley, Roxanne Qualls and Dwight Tillery, among others.…
Events: Bockfest Blow
The Third Annual BockFest Blow will take place at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the River City Works in Over-the-Rhine, where glass blowers from the Cincinnati Art Academy will create a glass stein trophy for the winner of the best parade entry. The Bockfest parade is lead by a goat pulling a keg. It travels up…
Olympian Smokes Weed, Bored Media Have a Field Day
American swimmer Michael Phelps was photographed apparently drawing on a marijuana pipe some weeks after winning an historic eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics. It matters because: • Omnipresent camera phones and the cult of celebrity mean that no moment is private. • Someone will pursue a bidding war for an embarrassing cell phone…
Events: Mardi Gras at MainStrasse
It looks like the thoroughfares of Covington will continue their rich tradition as the closest thing Cincinnati has to Bourbon Street this year. Yes, the debauchery shall proudly and loudly ensue as MainStrasse Village gets Big and Easy and once again hosts the 13th Annual Mardi Gras celebration Friday and Saturday. The fun begins at…
Tecmo Super Bowl — the Ultimate Season
The greatest idea of my awesome life was to find a friend who lives less than a quarter-mile from my place who has Tecmo Super Bowl and likes to play it. We recently began a new experiment — starting a season and putting every single team on “MAN” control.—- Each person picks one team they…
Religion and Politics
Referred to as the "Stir the Pot" series, a film/discussion series at Grace Episcopal Church in College Hill (5501 Hamilton Ave. 45224) will show The Freedom Files on Feb. 22 at 4:30 p.m.According to the ACLU, producers of the video series, the Freedom Files focuses on issues on some of the most volatile issues of…
I Bang the Worst Dudes
Ever had a bad one-night stand? Sure, we all have. But I mean like really, really bad? Like the kind of bad where the guy called out his own name or tried to pee on you or wanted you to dress up like Hannah Montana? Out the dude and warn other women here. —- Post…
The More Things Change, Etc.
A commissary on an U.S. Air Force Base in Colorado removed a photograph of President Barack Obama last week after complaints from customers, the Colorado Springs Gazette reports.—- A cashier at the military-run grocery store on Peterson Air Force Base told the newspaper that a customer objected to the photo because of Obama’s race. The…
GOP: Just Say No
As if the tightly wound Jean Schmidt hadn’t embarrassed Greater Cincinnati enough with her odd remarks sparking a Saturday Night Live parody in 2005, this weekend it was John Boehner and Mitch McConnell taking their turn in the satirical spotlight. In SNL’s opening skit, Dan Ackroyd portrayed Boehner (the congressman from West Chester) and Darrell…
Music: Obi Best
A good many people have become aware of Alex Lilly as backing vocalist for the renowned neo/retro Pop outfit The Bird and the Bee, but that role is merely a sideline compared to her front-of-the-stage duties for her own combo, Obi Best. Lilly is clearly a talent to be reckoned with; the multi-instrumentalist wrote, produced…
Music: John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett
On the surface, it might seem as though the only traits that bond Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt are their singer/songwriter status and their gender. Still, you don’t have to dig too far to find the similarities that make perfect sense of the current Hiatt/Lovett solo acoustic tour. They have both made their reputations as…
Juvenile “Justice”
Jailing juveniles as a form of “rehabilitation” comes with an expensive price tag. More than money, the criminal justice system costs kids their rights and that state seems to be OK with that.—- “In 2005, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Ohio, the Children’s Law Center and the Office of the Ohio Public…
Valentine’s Day Activities
Happy Valentine's Day! If you're still looking for some last-minute inspiration for getting out with your sweetie or family, check out CityBeat's event recommendations here. If you're looking to get down with your bad self, check out Aileen's Party Preview here.—- If you still can't figure out what to do today, CityBeat writers offer some…
Portune Pondering U.S. Senate Run
Less than three months after winning his latest term on the Hamilton County Commission, Todd Portune is considering seeking the Ohio Democratic Party’s nomination to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated next year by Republican George Voinovich.—- Portune has talked to different members of his party about a potential run and is mulling…
Abolitionists Win One
Three years ago Eddie Sanders Sr. invited CityBeat into his home to talk about the clemency campaign he and his family were just beginning on behalf of his nephew, Jeffrey Hill (See Killing a Family March 1, 2006). After sitting on death row for 15 years for the murder of his mother while high on…
Stimulus Funding for the Arts?
Are the arts a worthwhile investment for our government? Should the creation of jobs in the arts be just as important as construction and Wall Street jobs? Chris Jones, theater critic of the Chicago Tribune, recently wrote an impassioned essay arguing that the arts should be included in the current stimulus package being debated to…
Blackbird (Review)
Critic's Pick Sexual contact between an adult and a child is always and automatically abusive. Or is it? Unsettling questions and uncertain answers take the stage at Cincinnati Playhouse in director Michael Evan Haney’s flawless production of Blackbird, the 2005 David Harrower script that first met approving audiences in the Edinburgh Theatre Festival and then…
John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett
On the surface, it might seem as though the only traits that bond Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt are their singer/songwriter status and their gender. Hiatt (pictured) is a Midwesterner, born in Indianapolis, whose earliest Folk/Rock leanings — his debut, Hangin’ Around the Observatory, was released in 1974 — gave way to a New Wave…
Dan Auerbach, Dex Romweber Duo, Miranda Lee Richards, Jorma Kaukonen and More
And now it’s raining releases, which is making it more difficult to decide what I have the time to cover here. I’d love to talk about every new release that comes out every week, but with my other writing assignments and, well, a life, that is more than impractical — it’s impossible. But even as…
Obi Best with Slow Claw
A good many people have become aware of Alex Lilly as backing vocalist for the renowned neo/retro Pop outfit The Bird and the Bee, but that role is merely a sideline compared to her front-of-the-stage duties for her own combo, Obi Best. Lilly is clearly a talent to be reckoned with; the multi-instrumentalist wrote, produced…
Victorian Valentines
See the Cincinnati Public Library's collection of Victorian Valentine Cards, which includes cards from as far back as 1880. Catch of glimpse of the popular trends in love and courtship from the era. The library system has digitized this entire collection in its Virtual Library.
Aileen’s Party Preview
Happy V-Day weekend, fellow debauchitarians! I know a bunch of you fuckers will be engaging in sickeningly warm & fuzzy dinners, couch canoodlin’ and/or deep dickin’ with your nearest & dearest, but for the rest o’ us single (we. are. not. pathetic.) folk there’s good shit going down on both Friday and Saturday nights at…
Tarantino and His Basterds
A teaser trailer of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, which is still in production, has made its way to cyberspace. It’s being billed as his ensemble war flick/spaghetti western, and if the tone of this teaser is any indication, look for Basterds to lean toward the genre-pillaging frivolity of Death Proof and the Kill Bill films.…
Charlie’s Corner: Jessica Sandwich Simpson
Today I was scanning the pop culture information super highway to catch up on the latest fads. What's cool, what's hott, what's in, what's not. As I clicked around I came across some newly published pictures of Jessica Simpson. As I gazed at her face with my bedroom eyes, they slowly transformed into bulging ping-pong…
Ex-Newscaster May Run for City Council
UPDATE: Laure Quinlivan is suing her former employer, WCPO (Channel 9), in federal court for age and gender discrimination. ORIGINAL ITEM: The former TV news reporter who headed Channel 9’s I-Team pool of investigators is considering running for Cincinnati City Council, reports say.—- Laure Quinlivan is interested in seeking a seat on City Council in…
Got Diabetes, Get Inked
I think I'm in love. Just think: Instead of pulling out my gear at the bar to test my levels, all I'll have to do is check my skin. So in love. Fantastic research has developed a ink using nano technology that can be used in tattoo and will change if blood sugar levels get…
Art for Abe
Abe Lincoln is getting a lot of press attention today, with it being his 200th birthday, had he not been killed. Dude must have a great publicist. He may even get more play than Christian Bale's on-set meltdown/verbal barrage. —-I literally just heard conservative (actually, he's more "martian" than "conservative") blowhard Bill Hussein Cunningham correct…
Valentine’s Day: Singles Awareness Weekend at the Columbia Performance Center
"Singles Awareness Weekend" offers up two live shows: the performance piece 2×2 shows six strangers who meet at Single's Anonymous, a group therapy session for the uncommitted; One Good Marriage follows a young couple that invites strangers over for their one-year anniversary party. 7:30 p.m. $20; $15 seniors; $12 students. Get details and tickets here.
Valentine’s Day: All You Need Is Love at the 20th Century Theater
This romantic evening features dining and dancing. There will be cocktails from 7-8 p.m. which include champagne greeting, hors d'oeuvres and music by John Keene. Dinner starts at 8 p.m. and features a buffet, gourmet chocolates, roses for the ladies and music by Heart & Soul. Dinner will be followed up by dancing at 9…
Valentine’s Day: Make Pottery with Your Sweetheart
Remember that scene from the movie Ghost? Bring your baby to Funke Fired Arts, live the dream and get a jump on Valentine's weekend romance at this Friday-night pottery workshop. A short lesson, guided practice and glazing and firing are included. Cost of admission covers wine, snacks and all materials. 6:30-8:30 p.m. $30. Get more…
Valentine’s Day: Harry Pickens Jazz Trio
The Harry Pickens Jazz trio plays your favorite love songs as part of the "Rhythm N Blue Ash" season. Submitted love stories and requested songs will be incorporated throughout the performance. 8 p.m. at Raymond Walters College. $10; $5 students. Get details about the show here.
Valentine’s Day: Bringin’ Sexy Back
Shadowbox Cabaret dedicates an entire show to love and sex with original comedy sketches and Rock songs that cover everything from the first date to the last. Their special Valentine's Day package includes appetizers, dinner, dessert and flower for the ladies. 7:30 p.m. $60 per person. Get details here.
Valentine’s Day: Two-for-One Skate
Bundle up and grab your sweetie for a two-for-one ice skating experience. The rink is open from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Feb. 14 and a DJ will be playing music from 7-10 p.m. $5 for two. Get more details here.
Valentine’s Day: Hike for Your Heart
Keep your heart in good shape for Valentine's Day by taking part in the Hamilton County Park District's Hike for Your Heart, a a 1.25 to 4.5 mile hike along trails through beautiful Winton Woods. Refreshments and demonstrations that promote a healthy lifestyle will be provided after the hike. Hikers are encouraged to wear red…
Valentine’s Day: Hopeless Romantics with the CSO
Hopeless Romantics features the romantic and feverish sounds of Mendelssohn, Berlioz and the "Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream." Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos conducts. Champagne bar in the Music Hall lobby before the concert. 8 p.m. $12-$95. Get details about the show and buy tickets here.
Valentine’s Day: That’s Amore! with the Cincinnati Men’s Chorus
The Cincinnati Men's Chorus cabaret features Scot Wolley at the keyboard and special singing guests Lauren Bailey, Sarah Martin and Julie Wacksman. There will also be appetizers, champagne and after-show dancing. 7 p.m. at Below Zero Lounge. $35 per person; $60 per couple. Get details on the event and venue here.
Valentine’s Day: Night Out with Your Valentine at the CAM
Night Out with Your Valentine celebrates you and your love with a four-course dinner, guided romantic tour and a jewelry trunk show. Enjoy a bottle of wine, roses and a commemorative photograph taken with Eve Disconsolate by Hiram Powers. 6-9:30 p.m. $120 per couple. Get details and tickets here.
Video of Heartless Bastards on Letterman
It's official — the Heartless Bastards are indeed still "from Cincinnati." When the band appeared on David Letterman's Late Show Tuesday night, Dave walked over at the end of their performance and asked, "You're from Austin?" Both Erika Wennerstrom and bassist Jesse Ebaugh corrected him by saying, "We're from Cincinnati." —-Yay! (The band has indeed…
Bearcats Continue Midseason Run
St. John's needs to get some new uniforms. Nobody's trying to act like UC's tri-colored Adidas triangle theme is super cool, but the Red Storm dudes look like they’re wearing the high school JV jerseys handed down by the 1988 state championship team. The Johnnies got handled like a JV team for most of Wednesday…
My Parents Joined Facebook
So this hasn't officially happened to me yet, but my mom's best friend from high school joined when he became single again and he tells her what my status updates are. BTW my mom doesn't really know what "status update" means. She doesn't even understand what Facebook is. —- I mean, she vaguely understands that…
Homlessness in 2009 – Family Style
Since the late 1980s, Cincinnati’s homeless population has included a growing number of families with children—-, according to an announcement from the Christ Church Cathedral. While shelters and other support services have come into existence to respond to this trend, awareness about the plight of homeless families with children isn’t well know. So, the next…
Bold Eagles
Jesse Hughes is a self professed “bride of Rock & Roll,” a job I assume is similar to being Satan’s housekeeper: filthy, sweaty and invariably punctuated by the occasional stab of a rogue syringe. Common assumption dictates that Rock stars are insatiable beasts, feeding on a steady diet of money, drugs and women — or…
I’ve Loved You So Long (Review)
After the luminous British actress Kristin Scott Thomas became a star with Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient, she chose follow-up Hollywood projects by A-list directors that exuded classiness but lacked vitality: Robert Redford’s The Horse Whisperer and Sydney Pollack’s Random Hearts. In a way, that started to define her image to…
Best Editorial Ever? Yeah, Right!
So I was sorting through a folder of paperwork last weekend in order to get an early jump on my tax return. Taxes, what a joke. First off, the 1040 instructions are nuts. How is anyone who’s not a CPA supposed to figure out what the hell they’re talking about? It doesn’t matter anyway. I’ll…
Love Me Nots
Snuggling up with your loved one and a movie is a perfect Valentine’s Day activity. Cinema and the holiday d’amour make a perfect match. Romance and love have driven the arts for time eternal, and cinema is no exception. Beginning with the first on-screen kiss depicted by Edison in 1896 up to any romantic comedy…
Dark Night, Lips Locked, Ticket Masters
[HOT] DARK NIGHT, WARM HEARTSThe members of Cincinnati-bred/Brooklyn-based Indie rockers The National (pictured) did their part to help Obama become president last year with a big concert on Fountain Square, and the band’s Bryce Dessner organizes the popular annual Indie/ Chamber music MusicNow festival in his hometown each year (it returns to Memorial Hall March…
Art: Donald Sultan at the Contemporary Arts Center
Donald Sultan is considered a painter’s painter. That means that while not widely familiar to the general public, other artists and museums respect him for the influential originality of his vision and technique. The CAC has just organized and opened a modestly sized show, The First Decade, which brings together key paintings of Sultan’s from…
New Name for J. Dorsey Blues, New Lineup for Len’s Lounge and Goodbye to the Blue Note
• The J. Dorsey Blues Band formed three years ago as a duo and morphed into the quartet it is now, featuring Josh Dorsey on guitar and vocals, drummer Andrew Karas, bassist Mike Gregory and Kristen Kreft on keys and vocals. The band’s evolution continues with a recently announced “slight” name change; you can soon…
An Art Career Built with Linoleum
Donald Sultan is considered a painter’s painter. That means that, while not widely familiar to the general public, other artists and museums respect him for the influential originality of his vision and technique. The Contemporary Arts Center has just organized and opened a modestly sized show, The First Decade, bringing together key paintings of Sultan’s…
Aqua (Review)
Critic's Pick Aqua has undergone some evolutionary changes recently. It’s still pretty much a creature of the sea, with a menu that focuses on sushi and seafood entrees. The sushi bar still gleams in the front window and the place has an understated, minimalist sophistication. But when I reviewed Aqua at its opening two years…
New Friends and Shoe Tires
When my new friend Julie called me Wednesday night to see if we were still on for lunch the next afternoon, I wasn’t sure. This was the week of the big snow, then ice, then more snow. I hadn’t been out of my living space in days. I wasn’t sure if I could walk on…
Touching Words
In 1903 William Procter gave two women 36 acres of land and a house in what’s now North College Hill. Florence and Georgia Trader used it to care for those with no or limited vision. And now, more than 100 years later, their legacy includes the third largest Braille printing press in the nation, a…
Art of Dreams and Desire
Like many angst-ridden teenagers in the 1980s, I was a huge fan of Surrealism. Most idolized Salvador Dalí, but I loved René Magritte and his paintings of massive boulders hovering over the sea, the locomotive that churned forth from a fireplace and the pipe that wasn’t a pipe at all. His dreamlike juxtapositions and interrogations…
Fatburger (Lunch Review)
If you like your burger with a little Magic seasoning, then you already know about Fatburger (3158 Madison Road, Oakley, 513-871-8722). This Southern California-based chain is partly owned by Magic Johnson and other celebs, including Kanye West, Pharrell, Queen Latifah and Montel Williams, and is franchising across the country. The Oakley location, close to Fresh…
Tangled Web Surrounds Lawsuit
There’s a lawsuit just beginning in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court that potentially could involve the largest amount of damages ever awarded locally if the plaintiff is successful. Little surprise, then, that the plaintiff’s lawyer is Stan Chesley, a master of class-action and personal injury lawsuits who’s an A-list celebrity in the Queen City. Among…
Another Seven Days of Border Needs and Casino Losses
WEDNESDAY FEB. 4A day after Republican cliché Joe the Plumber sat in on the Conservative Working Group’s weekly strategy meeting in Washington, D.C., the AP released a pun-filled story detailing the working man’s advice for the politicians. The AP reported that the “King of the Commode” thinks the government should just cut its bills like…
Neighborhood Cliques
Neighborhood CliquesThese comments all seem to be insider comments. Most Cincinnati (residents) have no idea as to these funds or these neighborhood organizations, and that is a problem. It all amounts to a give-away program that is a poor attempt to appear like these community councils represent the population of the city, when it clearly…
This Is Not a Love Mix
The romantic mix CD is one of the surest-fire ways to wooing a woman’s heart or, if your goals are more base, just getting laid. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, here’s a list of songs you should never, ever include on a mix when trying to let her know just how you feel about…
At Home on City Council
Greg Harris was cautiously optimistic that 2009 might finally be his year to get a seat on Cincinnati City Council. He just didn’t expect it to happen so soon. Harris, a longtime Democratic Party activist and candidate, ran for City Council during the last election two years ago, finishing 15th in a field of 26…
Fascinating Ambiguity
A provocative play can take you to places you don’t expect, says Michael Evan Haney, assistant artistic director at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park for seven seasons. That’s exactly what happened to him and what he expects will grab audiences who come to see David Harrower’s Blackbird, opening this week at the Playhouse. It’s…
Mayors of Super Awesome Town (Profile)
Born in New York, the two Mayors of Super Awesome Town are wiry, pale-skinned and quirky with cut jaws. Their clothes are loose and roomy. Deep pockets, wrinkles, folds. Speaking of which, Ben Folds Five comes to mind: The Mayors’ tunes and lyrics punch out with quick wit — striking evidence of two minds that…
You Can’t Communicate Too Much
My recent attendance at a casual junior high school reunion might indicate to some that I’m a true Westsider. I would say it has more to do with me being a Facebooker. If you haven’t checked your tweets on Twitter, friended your friends, updated your status, combed over your RSS feeds or checked out your…
