Events: Swizzle Soiree
If you’re looking for an excuse to drink Thursday, look no further. Get your rump over to Lunar nightclub (435 Elm St., Downtown) 5-9 p.m. to commemorate CityBeat’s annual Swizzle Bar Guide, a compilation detailing all the good, bad, delicious and ugly facts about where and why we drink in the area’s best bar districts.…
The Piano Teacher (Review)
In the beginning, you are curled in front of a fireplace, listening and chuckling as a sweet old woman shares her memories and her treasured cookie stash. She tells you about her first thwarted career as a concert pianist (small hands), her second thwarted career as a piano tuner (ear infection) and her third, very…
Art: Vanishing Cincinnati
The temptation to linger is strong at Betts House, where Barbara and David Day’s gently colored pen-and-ink-drawings are on view through April 23 in the exhibition Vanishing Cincinnati. Some of the scenes, like Crosley Field and the Albee Theater, already are gone, but we are prompted by the drawings to look again at those remaining.…
Events: Cincinnati Home and Garden Show
Are you a homeowner or planning to buy or build a new home? If so, prepare to be awed by the Fifth Third Bank Cincinnati Home and Garden Show. The exhibit is Cincinnati’s largest and longest running spring showcase of the area’s new and innovative home products and services. Hundreds of people will be flooding…
The Genesis Code (Review)
Blake Truman (Logan Bartholomew), a star collegiate hockey player, strings less-than-enterprising journalist Kerry Wells (Kelsey Sanders) along like a hopeless puppy as he tries to find answers to some of life’s more meaningful questions. He’s supposed to be a bona fide stud muffin, but everyone knows he spends most of his time at the bedside…
Events: 216 Gangster Gala
Have you ever dreamt of being a part of “the family”? You know, a “family” that holds “functions” to “raise money” for certain, deserving “causes.” OK, that’s actually quite noble and maybe all the quotation marks weren’t necessary — the mob mystique definitely sets the mood for the 216 Foundation’s Sixth Annual Gangster Gala. The…
Onstage: The Piano Teacher at Playhouse in the Park
In the beginning, you are curled in front of a fireplace, listening and chuckling as a sweet old woman shares her memories and her treasured cookie stash. She tells you about her first thwarted career as a concert pianist (small hands), her second thwarted career as a piano tuner (ear infection) and her third, very…
Music: The Terminal Orchestra
It’s not necessary to be familiar with the lush desolation that constitutes Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to appreciate the atmosphere and accomplishment of The Seasons, the debut album from The Terminal Orchestra. The Marquette sextet has perfectly and wordlessly captured the lonely beauty of their northern Michigan home, the landscape of greens in spring and summer,…
Onstage: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Wrap yourself in the rich musical legacy of the African-American experience to commemorate Black History Month with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: An Evening of Classical Music by African American Composers. Vocalists R. DeAndre Smith, Kelly J. Walls and LaTanya Foster perform Classical, Spiritual and Musical Theater works written by African-American composers. Mikael…
Music: Akron/Family
Akron has been home to some important figures in Alternative/Modern Rock — Chrissie Hynde, Devo, Robert Quine, Tin Huey, The Waitresses, The Black Keys and more. But, strangely, Akron/Family isn’t one of them. The trio, touring in support of its new album S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT, formed in Brooklyn…
Onstage: Cinderella at NKU
Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your box office. Consider Cinderella at Northern Kentucky University, an inventive take on a familiar show (the Rodgers and Hammerstein version) that’s quickly selling out. Director Ken Jones and company have taken a simple, timeworn stage scheme and run with it, adding a…
Art: Keith Haring at CAC
Keith Haring’s images of jubilant figures — dogs, hearts and televisions all rendered in heavy black lines — are probably among the most popular and best known artworks of the 20th century, synonymous with Pop Art of the 1980s. The Contemporary Art Center (44 East Sixth St., Downtown) opens Keith Haring: 1978-1982 this Friday with…
From Prada to Nada (Review)
Spinning off Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, From Prada to Nada follows Nora Dominguez (Camilla Belle) and her shopping-obsessed sister Mary (Alexa Vega) as they go from spoiled princesses in Beverly Hills to struggling commoners in East L.A. after the sudden death of their father. Nora wants to be a lawyer (a public advocate), so…
Comedy: Alex Reymundo
Though he’s lived in Kentucky for less than a year, Texas native Alex Reymundo feels at home in the Bluegrass State. “My wife is from Louisville and we just moved back here in May,” he says. “I even pronounce ‘Louisville’ correctly. It took five ass-whoopins, but I got it right.” After eight years in Los…
Onstage: Pride and Prejudice
There seems to be no limit to the appetite for versions of Jane Austen’s novels, with films, PBS series and, starting this week, an onstage presentation of Pride and Prejudice at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. This one comes our way with promising credentials. The playwright who adapted it is Jon Jory who spent more than 30…
Music: Old 97’s
Maybe you have to be a seventh-generation Texan to have the cojones to rewrite a Bob Dylan song, much less an iconic classic like “Desolation Row.” Rhett Miller, the leader/songwriter of Old 97’s, measures up to such a bold revision. With last fall's release of The Grand Theatre Volume One, Old 97’s added yet another…
Events: 20th Century Cincinnati
Spring is just around the corner and it’s the perfect time of year to update your home décor. So it’s a good thing 20th Century Cincinnati is coming to the Sharonville Convention Center (11355 Chester Road, Sharonville) this weekend. This show will showcase 50 vintage-modern dealers selling everything from art glass, pottery and paintings to…
Music: Say Hi
When Eric Elbogen began his one-man-band-with-revolving-friends project Say Hi to Your Mom nearly a decade ago, he was guided by a lo-fi bedroom Pop ethic and a desire to be naively cryptic in his lyrical approach. Populating his songs with vampires and robots and zombies (oh my) as metaphors for the pitfalls and sad inevitabilities…
Reds-related Listomania
MLB network has been doing its top 10 right now at each position. “Right now” means right now, as in 2011. Track records no doubt come into play, but the lists are based on whom the network’s “editors” — let’s hope that doesn’t include Harold Reynolds who, though a nice guy, isn’t known for employing…
The Terminal Orchestra
It’s not necessary to be familiar with the lush desolation that constitutes Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to appreciate the atmosphere and accomplishment of The Seasons, the debut album from The Terminal Orchestra. The Marquette sextet has perfectly and wordlessly captured the lonely beauty of their northern Michigan home, the landscape of greens in spring and summer,…
Say Hi
When Eric Elbogen began his one-man-band-with-revolving-friends project Say Hi to Your Mom nearly a decade ago, he was guided by a lo-fi bedroom Pop ethic and a desire to be naively cryptic in his lyrical approach. Populating his songs with vampires and robots and zombies (oh my) as metaphors for the pitfalls and sad inevitabilities…
Big Momma’s: Like Father, Like Son (Review)
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } It looks like another drag when Martin Lawrence returns as an undercover agent with a penchant for donning a wig and a fat suit in order to catch his man. This time, the FBI agent must protect his stepson (Brandon T. Jackson) who witnessed a murder and has to slip…
Akron/Family
Akron has been home to some important figures in Alternative/Modern Rock — Chrissie Hynde, Devo, Robert Quine, Tin Huey, The Waitresses, The Black Keys and more. But, strangely, Akron/Family isn’t one of them. The trio, touring in support of its new album S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT, formed in Brooklyn…
Worst Day Ever!
How does a major city's pension system become so mismanaged that it finds itself facing a $1 billion shortfall on a $2.1 billion system? No way to say, really. Just a lot to fear going forward if City Council doesn't do something right for once.—- The Enquirer today use a “rock and a hard place”…
A Music Café: Multimedia Venue Sneak Peak
A new music venue opening in Goshen will shine a spotlight on the Greater Cincinnati music scene in unique ways. Founded by Chuck Land Jr., a musician/producer known for his video documentation of past and present local music makers, and Goshen entrepreneur/videographer Lee Lewis, A Music Café will feature live Americana/Roots/Blues performers, a video jukebox…
Friday Movie Roundup: Odd Week Edition
We've a very odd collection of movies this week. Liam Neeson is back in yet another dark-hued action thriller, while Paul Giamatti headlines a period drama in which he gets to woo and/or interact with a trio of attractive ladies (Rachelle Lefevre, Minnie Driver and Rosamund Pike). —- Elsewhere, Martin Lawrence collects another paycheck by…
More Layoffs at The Enquirer
Another round of layoffs hit Cincinnati's only remaining daily newspaper this afternoon. Various reports indicate between 12 and 20 people were let go at The Enquirer.—- Among staffers reportedly laid off were Joe Fenton, assistant metro editor; Kenneth Amos, director of news and operations; Sharon Morgan, editorial page assistant and ex-readers representative; and Bruce Holtgren,…
CBC Interviews Berding’s Replacement
(****UPDATE AT BOTTOM) One of the most common complaints among many residents over the decades is that Big Business controls City Hall and municipal government, not citizens. Although some officials have denied it, that seems to be the case when it comes to who will be the next city councilperson.—- Although they've tried to keep…
Barney’s Version (Review)
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } We've all heard somebody say that so-and-so's life story should be made into a movie. But just because a producer thinks Mordecai Richler's faux autobiography is worthy of cinematic interpretation doesn't make it so. Debut director Richard J. Lewis gets saddled with deceptively less fertile source material than must have…
Worst Day Ever!
They say Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn for Sega. (At least that's what they say in Mallrats.) The Ohio statehouse is experiencing similar scorn after straight-up telling its public employees that their bargaining rights are worth way less than a shot at winning the NHL Championship using the Hartford Whalers. Sega metaphor…
Stage Door: Fela’s Afrobeat at Carnegie
There’s a ton of theater this weekend, much of it certainly worth seeing. But if you want to be in the vanguard of theater fans who have seen fascinating work from around the world, you can do that at the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center on Friday (7 p.m.) or Sunday (3 p.m.) when…
Local Art Installation Honored
"Hanging Garden," artist Shinji Turner-Yamamoto's 2010 art installation involving two trees — one live, one dead — suspended vertically in the middle of the abandoned Holy Cross Church in Mount Adams, has won a Gold Leaf Award from the Ohio Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. —- Both the artist and his arboreal consultant,…
Local Benefit for Hip Hop Pioneer Tonight
Tonight at downtown club Main Event, three of Cincinnati’s best DJs will perform at a benefit to assist the musical pioneer who made their DJ careers possible. When news hit late last month that DJ Kool Herc was in the hospital, bleeding internally and enduring massive pain, many Hip Hop lovers with an understanding of…
The Curious Career Trajectory of Liam Neeson
It's interesting that Cole Smithey would evoke the name of Nicolas Cage when commenting on Liam Neeson's recent fondness for genre pictures that would seem beneath his talents. In his review of Unknown, which opens here at 12:01 a.m. tonight, Smithey says, “How Liam Neeson went from being that rare thespian animal of a leading-man…
Broadway Comes Our Way
Fifth Third Bank Broadway in Cincinnati has announced its 2011-2012 season, one that offers a few new choices but also represents what Broadway musicals are all about. (The series seldom includes plays, which don't sell all that well, and this season is no different.) Up first will be Disney's Beauty and the Beast (Sept. 27-Oct.…
Group Petitions to Keep Pools Open
A group of residents has begun a petition effort to convince Cincinnati officials to use an unexpected $5.5 million windfall to keep several city-owned swimming pools open.—- The extra money, announced earlier this month by city administrators, mostly comes from income tax revenues that were higher than anticipated. Administrators have recommended putting the cash into…
Onstage: Exhale Dance Tribe’s Vinyl
Contemporary Jazz dance meets “oldie-but-goodie” music classics in the aptly titled Vinyl (as in records, that is), Exhale Dance Tribe’s one-nighter this Saturday in the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater. But it’s not just all that jazz: Exhale is stepping beyond their signature style of polished, yet idiosyncratic Contemporary Jazz and into mixing in moves inspired…
‘The Genesis Code’ to Open in Cincinnati
Listen up, Christian movie fans — The Genesis Code is coming! In an effort to be as informative as possible to Tristate cinema geeks of every genre, political persuasion and religious affiliation, I thought I'd alert you to the coming presence of a movie that some have called “excellent,” “very worthwhile” and “absolutely dynamic.”—- Moreover,…
Listen Now: Two New Releases with Area Ties
Two new releases featuring Southwestern Ohio connections are currently available for listening at AOL’s music site, Spinner. Both released yesterday on the Brooklyn-based Ernest Jenning Record Co. imprint, one recording features a prominent guest contribution from a member of Brooklyn-via-Cincinnati Indie darlings The National, while the other is the latest branch on the already quite…
Procter & Gamble and Horseshoe Casino
[WINNER] PROCTER & GAMBLE: The Cincinnati-based consumer goods giant gets our thanks for donating 15 pallets’ worth of Iams dog and cat food to help the region’s needy pets. The food will be distributed through the United Coalition of Animals (UCAN) and the Cincinnati Pet Food Pantry. Located in Queensgate, UCAN is a nonprofit spay/neuter…
The Backyard
Exiled from Main Street XXXVI: for D.F. “I never realized you had a backyard,” I said to Dave as I looked outside his bedroom window. His younger brother was tossing ball with a friend below it. “You didn’t?” he asked, puzzled. “I thought everyone had a backyard.” Dave started leafing through a book. Then he…
Recalling A Gentle Warrior
I t takes a brave and committed person to take a stand for progressive values in a notoriously conservative city like Cincinnati. Nonetheless, Nancy Minson was up to the challenge, tackling her share of political battles with an ingratiating sense of grace and good humor. An outspoken social activist, Minson was an advocate of equal…
The Downtown Mac ’n Cheese Scene
There are two spots you’ve got to try downtown, especially if you’re a macaroni and cheese person. Don’t laugh! There are people who count macaroni and cheese as one of the holy sacraments, because when it’s done right, it’s heaven. The first stop is a little place you might never have noticed — Lunch on…
The Magician (Review)
The Magician (originally released as The Face) is an unjustly overlooked Ingmar Bergman film, sandwiched between cinema monoliths The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries and early-’60s classics The Virgin Spring and Through a Glass Darkly. It’s as vibrant as any work in his oeuvre — an odd mix of drama, bedroom farce and horror deep…
Unknown (Review)
How Liam Neeson went from being that rare thespian animal of a leading-man character actor to a full-on action star while still keeping his artistic integrity is a mystery. It’s certainly more than Nicolas Cage could do. The phenomenon probably remains a mystery even to Neeson himself. In his indispensable New Biographical Dictionary of Film,…
Sierra Laumer and Leah Heisel [ForkHeartKnife Owners]
When Sierra Laumer’s sister, Jenna, was battling cancer in 2009, the sisters dreamed of opening a restaurant once Jenna was back on her feet. Jenna lost the war in 2010, and Sierra knew she had to make the dream a reality because, all too clearly, life is too short to play it safe. Sierra and…
Feb. 9-15: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY FEB. 9 For some people, formality and etiquette are viewed as necessary areas of study, essential to appropriate social behavior and the American dream (note to self: learn how to golf). That’s why today’s report of free tea party classes was intriguing to anyone who thinks familiarizing oneself with British delicacies and practicing witty…
Battling to Save a Piece of History
A s it awaits the outcome of a multifaceted legal battle that will likely decide its fate, Westwood’s historic James Norris Gamble House is enduring a harsh winter. The uncertain future of the Gamble House has stirred contentious debates between the property’s owners, city government and preservationists across Greater Cincinnati and beyond. “As we speak,…
Dao Modern Asian Cuisine (Review)
I ’m usually skeptical of catch-all “Asian” restaurants that offer the cuisines of many countries under one roof. If I want good sushi, I go to a Japanese restaurant run by Japanese people. Good massaman curry? Thai Express, of course. I’m not saying that catch-all places can’t do a good job; they’re just usually not…
Streetcar Foes Concoct ‘Poll,’ Lure Gullible Media
I f everything goes as planned, Cincinnati’s streetcar system connecting the University of Cincinnati to Over-the-Rhine and the downtown riverfront will carry its first passengers on Reds Opening Day in 2013 — about 25 months from now. That’s the unofficial target date for the system’s opening , according to City Hall sources. But readers can…
Polls, Questions and Minimum Standards
As additional information becomes known, an allegedly impartial poll about Cincinnati's streetcar project touted by The Enquirer becomes more suspect. A person who took the poll says the questions seemed like “propaganda,” while the pollster violated the accepted standards of the polling industry.—- CityBeat was contacted by a woman who was called to participate in…
