The Roots of Jack and Those Beans
That tagline — “You don’t know Jack” — is going to be run into the ground over the course of the next week or so, as director Bryan Singer’s latest feature about a farmhand named Jack, some magic beans and an army of angry giants threatens to overtake the multiplexes. At first glance, Jack the…
VisuaLingual’s Cincinnati-centric Products Garner National Attention
There was no real plan when graphic designer Maya Drozdz quit her full-time design job in 2007 to “soul search.” She had recently relocated to Over-the-Rhine from Boston with her partner, Michael Stout, who was pursuing a master’s degree in Community Planning at the University of Cincinnati, and she was looking for new opportunities. Drozdz,…
The Last Exorcism Part II
From found footage to more conventional narrative filmmaking, the saga of Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell), the tortured victim of both a sadistic demon and an exorcism gone wrong, continues in compelling fashion under the guidance of co-writer and director Ed Gass-Donnelly (Small Town Murder Songs). Nell leaves her backwoods roots for college and the modern…
21 And Over
I have to admit to a little critical bias here. Having grown up in the 1980s with Porky’s and Meatballs, Risky Business and the whole oeuvre of John Hughes, I’m finding it hard to get excited about any teen debauchery comedy since Project X swept through theaters because, in my estimation, that’s the new raunchy…
Another Week, Another Batch of New Comedies
In an unaired episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the queen of all media shocked comedians from across the country and world as she awarded each of them with their own television series. “You get a show, and you get a show — everybody gets a show!” OK, that didn’t happen, but it does seem…
Maker’s Mark Promotes Honest Bourbon
Maker’s Mark is having what people in the PR business like to call “an opportunity.” My first reaction was to call it “getting caught with your pants around your ankles and trying to spin a story that a bee had flown down your undies.” Why would Maker’s announce that they were reducing the percentage of…
Anything Goes for Bawdy Comic Amy Schumer
Big things are happening for comedian Amy Schumer. The talented comic, most widely known for her run on Last Comic Standing and the roasts of both Charlie Sheen and Roseanne Barr, is about to debut her own sketch comedy show called Inside Amy Schumer. “It’s a crazy time,” she says via phone from New York…
New Vistas
This week marks the opening Actors Theatre of Louisville’s 37th annual Humana Festival of New American Plays. First up is Meredith McDonough’s The Delling Shore, about two rival authors and their daughters, a work in which words become weapons. Next week, two more new plays enter the rotation: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate and Jeff Augustin’s Cry…
Kasich Cuts Local Government Funding Again
A new Policy Matters Ohio report found local government funding has been reduced by $1.4 billion since Gov. John Kasich took office, leading to a nearly 50-percent reduction in state funding. The report found local government funding dropped from nearly $3 billion in the 2010 and 2011 fiscal years — the years budgeted by former…
Taste Something New
L eah Joos and Jen Lile would like you to try new things. The chefs/owners of the newest lunch spot in East Walnut Hills, Kitchen 452, want to introduce people to things they may not have thought to cook at home and to taste things they think they dislike. An example? When I ask Joos…
Creative Takeofff
C incinnati will be a hot spot on the international creative scene March 6 thanks to the Contemporary Arts Center’s efforts to bring the world-famous creative conference, OFFF, back to the city for round two (OFFF first made a Cincinnati stop in 2011). The Aronoff Center for the Arts, the location for the conference, will…
Cincinnati Public Library Ranks No. 28 on BuzzFeed List
BuzzFeed, the viral video and pop culture aggregate, loves lists. And Cincinnati has been mentioned in at least two of their “random number funny sentence” list posts this past week. First, it’s always best to start with dessert … and chili. BuzzFeed contributor and former Cincinnatian Donna Dickens makes a list of all of her…
Early-Bird MidPoint Music Fest Passes on Sale Friday
For a limited time (while supplies last, as they say), seriously discounted tickets for the MidPoint Music Festival — which returns to the clubs and venues of Over-the-Rhine/Downtown Sept. 26-28 — will be made available starting this Friday at 10 a.m. During this “Loyalty Presale,” three-day “All Music Access” passes can be purchased through mpmf.cincyticket.com…
Morning News and Stuff
Following CityBeat’s blog post yesterday, the city released the official documents for the city manager’s parking plan. So far, no one has reported anything outrageous or unexpected. If you see anything, feel free to email glopez@citybeat.com . Of the two dozen people who spoke at a public hearing for the parking plan yesterday, all but…
Indigo Girls
It’s funny how a song comes to define an artist. Loudon Wainwright III has spent four decades escaping the shadow of “Dead Skunk.” Thanks to Glee, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” is more ubiquitous now than it was upon its 1981 release. And “Stairway to Heaven” was so played out that it became a Mike Myers…
Ex Cops
Brian Harding and Amalie Bruun have fairly lengthy Indie Rock genealogies between them — he with Hymns and she with MINKS, among others — but none of their earlier affiliations would have indicated the sonic territory staked out on True Hallucinations, their debut together as Ex Cops. The Brooklyn-based duo has an affinity for expansive…
Jahman Brahman
Once again, our state capital has thoughtfully provided us with a little ass-shaking musical joy rather than the usual fist-shaking political anger, this time in the wondrous form of Jahman Brahman. The jarring Jam quintet from Columbus, active since 2005, has notched some impressive accomplishments, from honing their infinitely appealing Reggae-edged Phish-in-the-Deadiverse sound (which they’ve…
Mountains
There’s a moment within Mountains’ seductive new album that seems to come out of nowhere. It occurs during “Liana,” the sixth of Centralia’s seven impressively layered songs: big, fat electric guitar riffs slice through the 58 minutes of mesmerizing ambient swells that precede it, leaving behind a trail of reverb that wouldn’t be out of place…
No Parking Documents Before Public Hearing
City Hall will host public hearings about the city manager’s parking and economic development plan today, but the hearings will take place before the public knows all the official details. Meg Olberding, city spokesperson, says the legal documents and contracts for the deal aren’t ready to be released yet, but they will be ready before…
Morning News and Stuff
The White House released a list of what cuts will be made in Ohio as part of mandatory spending cuts set to kick in March 1, which are widely known as the sequester. Among other changes, 26,000 civilian defense employees would be furloughed, 350 teacher and aide jobs would be put at risk due to…
Flying High at the Playhouse Next Fall
According to Cincinnati Playhouse's new artistic director, Blake Robison, "I'm thrilled to give everyone a sneak peak at our upcoming 2013-2014 season by announcing our first two Marx productions." Behind this announcement is the fact that the two shows are co-productions with Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, which kind of spilled the beans with an…
Know Theatre Adds to Current Season
Know Theatre today announced the regional premiere of Mike Bartlett's provocative play Cock to fill another slot in its 2012-2013 season. The show will run from April 12 to May 11, 2013, at the Over-the-Rhine theater's Jackson Street stage. It's just the second American production of the show, following its 2009 premiere at London's Royal…
Inspection Finds Dangerous Conditions at Private Prison
A surprise inspection of the private prison owned by Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) on Feb. 22 revealed higher levels of violence, inadequate staff, high presence of gang activity, illegal substance use, frequent extortion and theft, according to the report from the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee (CIIC), Ohio’s nonpartisan prison watchdog. The CIIC report found…
UC Researchers Could Redefine Location of Food Deserts
Food deserts are a big problem for many of Hamilton County’s impoverished families, but ongoing research suggests officials may be overlooking mobility when attempting to pinpoint neighborhoods that lack access to healthy foods. University of Cincinnati professor Michael Widener is heading research that looks into how mobility can alter perceptions about food deserts. So far,…
Your Weekend To Do List: 2/22-2/24
More and more restaurants and food trucks are offering late-night yums to meet the demands of the area college students, bar crowds and general night owls. Usually “fourth meal” conjures up the thought of tacos or pizza, but what about donuts? Busken has set up a pop-up donut shop at 1218 Vine St. (between A…
Morning News and Stuff
While fact checking an interview, CityBeat discovered it will be possible to circumvent the parking plan’s cap on meter rate increases through a multilayer process that involves approval from a special committee, the city manager and the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority. The process adds a potential loophole to one of the city manager’s…
Stage Door: Cincy Shakes Steals the Show(s)
It might be hard to imagine that a show like Legally Blonde: The Musical could stir up controversy, which it did last fall at Loveland High School. But that's not stopping other theaters from putting it onstage, including Northern Kentucky University, which opened a campus production on Thursday (and continues through March 3). It's the…
Ohio’s Illegal Immigrant Policy Remains Unclear
Ohio’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) is granting driver’s licenses to some of the children of illegal immigrants, but what qualifies a few and disqualifies others is so far unknown. When CityBeat last covered the BMV policy ( “Not Legal Enough,” issue of Feb. 6), Ever Portillo, a 22-year-old from El Salvador, was unable to…
Q&A: John Cranley
For better or worse, Cincinnati will have to deal with another major election cycle for City Council and the mayor’s office in 2013. With four-year terms for City Council recently approved by voters, the 2013 election could play one of the most pivotal, long-term roles in Cincinnati’s electoral history. But what most people know about…
Cinfolk: German Lopez
When journalists interview people, it's more often than not about something very specific. When we interview the governor, his press person would definitely give us a dirty look if we threw in questions like, "What's your favorite '90s boy band?" or, "Did OJ do it?" We're there to discuss something specific, and straying too far…
Local Faith Leaders Endorse Freedom to Marry Ohio
Some of Cincinnati’s religious leaders gathered at a press conference today to endorse the Freedom to Marry and Religious Freedom Amendment , an amendment from FreedomOhio that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state. Pastor Mike Underhill of the Nexus United Church of Christ (UCC) in Butler County, Rabbi Miriam Terlinchamp of Temple Sholom, Pamela…
Morning News and Stuff
A new report found “renters by choice” — those who can afford to own a house but choose not to — and people returning to the market in the Great Recession’s aftermath may be driving a rush to rent in Cincinnati, reports The Cincinnati Enquirer . The report from CB Richard Ellis found the average…
Cincinnati Entertainment Awards’ TV Broadcast Debut
The 2013 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards ceremony/party late last month at Covington’s Madison Theater was filmed on high-quality video, and this Saturday, for the first time in the 16-year history of the CEAs, fans who want to relive the performances and presentations (or those who missed it altogether) will have a chance to watch the show…
Man Man’s Search for Meaning
M an Man is a band from Philadelphia led by a guy who calls himself Honus Honus. Known for its irreverent songs and unpredictable, gloriously ramshackle live shows, Man Man defies convention at nearly every turn, thus comparisons to such like-mindedly adventurous artists as Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa and Tom Waits are as accurate as…
Cincinnati in Running for $5 Million to Reduce Infant Mortality
Babies in Cincinnati don't get the same chance to celebrate a first birthday as do babies in other areas across the country, and Mayor Mark Mallory has entered Cincinnati into a contest that could change that. Today, a proposal Mallory submitted was selected as one of 20 finalists from more than 305 cities in the Bloomberg…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
Beardwatch 2013 Survivor: Caramoan – Fans vs. Favorites premiered last week and Cincinnati’s Matt Bischoff (whom we interviewed here) made it through the first episode, officially making it further than Cincinnati’s last castaway. Despite my wide-ranging TV prowess, I haven’t watched Survivor in about 20 seasons. But having an interesting local character like Matt actually…
Million Dollar Quartet (Review)
If you're a fan of the early days of Rock & Roll, you'll be in heaven if you go to see the touring production of Million Dollar Quartet at the Aronoff Center this week and next. It's really more of a concert with dead-on impersonations of Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Elvis…
Adrien Broner: Greatness Among Us
The sport of boxing admittedly doesn’t hold the nation’s spotlight like it once did, but, even so, it seems this city hasn’t fully embraced the fact that one of its own might be on his way to being the best fighter on the planet. It wasn’t that Saturday’s victory over Gavin Rees elevated 23-year-old Adrien…
City Manager Proposes Parking, Economic Development Plan
In a presentation to City Council Feb. 19, City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. unveiled an unexpected parking proposal that will solve a $25.8 million budget deficit for the 2014 fiscal year and avoid full privatization. The 30-year plan will also put more than $100 million toward economic development in the city. The plan involves teaming…
Cincinnati vs. The World 02.20.2013
The Cincinnati Zoo had to euthanize one of the world’s most famous endangered Sumatran rhinos, Ipuh, who in 2001 became the first male Sumatran rhino to sire offspring in captivity since the 19th century. Zookeepers noticed his health declining in December. Today, there are only 10 Sumatran rhinos living in captivity and fewer than 200…
Snitch
Dwayne Johnson no longer has to affix the moniker “The Rock” to his name because we all know that he’s become a rock-solid force in movies. His presence now strengthens the foundation of action-oriented fare (think Fast & Furious or GI Joe), so he’s stepping out on his own with Snitch to test the solo…
Planning Problems Distract From Streetcar’s Value
I’ve been a longtime supporter of the streetcar project, but I have to admit I’m a bit worried after finding out the streetcar might be delayed once again because construction bids for the project were way over budget. I’m not worried about the streetcar’s feasibility or economic worth. I still believe the study from HDR,…
System of Systems
A fter signing a utility relocation agreement with Duke Energy on Feb. 1, Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney, Jr. declared, “The streetcar is happening.” Predictably, the project plunged once more into crisis two weeks later when track construction bids exceeded city estimates by $26-$43 million. The city in December entered into a $20 million…
Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare (Lionsgate)
T he United States’ healthcare system is a bureaucratic nightmare, an unwieldy beast that values one thing above all else: making money. Yes, like much of our 21st-century culture, our healthcare system has been damaged by capitalism run amok, ultimately favoring the bottom line over patients’ well being. Co-directors Matthew Heineman and Susan Froemke’s highly…
Sinister (Summit Entertainment)
Horror movies are as popular as ever, which is both a blessing and a curse for lovers of the genre — while studios are releasing them at a steady rate, most of them are either sub-par remakes or garish gore-fests that don’t realize that less is always more. Scott Derrickson’s genuinely creepy Sinister transcends many of…
Morning News and Stuff
Gov. John Kasich gave his State of the State speech yesterday. Kasich focused on his budget proposal and jobs, and he urged lawmakers to take up the Medicaid expansion. Cleveland’s The Plain Dealer has a thorough report on the speech here . CityBeat gave an in-depth look at Kasich’s budget in this week’s cover story…
The State Alumnus Now a Hunk of ‘Burning Love’
Some comic actors are better identified by their characters they portray, like Ken Marino: You may know him as Auggie’s slacker step-dad; a Jewish summer camp counselor/unlikely virgin; or a Los Angeles caterer and future Soup R’ Crackers franchise owner. But comedy buffs identify Marino as a member of The State — a New York…
The Invisible Keep on Fighting
Military affairs dominate national discourse and have for more than a decade now. Two foreign wars, looming nuclear threats, unrest throughout the Middle East and questions about the government’s ability to fund rampant defense spending stymie Congress and the White House. Yet, among the rank and file, there’s an internal civil war pitting soldier against…
Smoke and Mirrors
I n the big public push for his 2014-2015 budget proposal, Republican Gov. John Kasich has often sounded progressive. If his platitudes are to be believed, the budget will make the tax system fairer for everyone, help out the state’s poorest schools and provide health care to hundreds of thousands of struggling Ohioans. But critics…
European Real Estate Nets Millions for CAM
One of Downton Abbey’s lead characters is Elizabeth McGovern’s Cora, an American heiress who came to England with her mother in the late 1800s, married Hugh Bonneville’s Earl of Grantham and used her wealth to help the family estate survive. Her money comes from the Cincinnati dry goods fortune established by her father, Isidore Levinson.…
Worst Week Ever!: Feb. 13-19
WEDNESDAY FEB. 13 Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill and The Banks development are at odds over their lease agreement, according to a recently filed lawsuit. The restaurant has not paid rent in three months because it believes The Banks violated the terms of their agreement to make Toby Keith’s the only “country-themed”…
Persian Persuasion
C incinnati, until recently, lacked an authentic Persian restaurant — there are several Mediterranean restaurants in the city, but Persian cuisine consists of different spices and marinades. Finally, in November, the Iranian Mostofi family opened Persian Nights in West Chester, making it the only restaurant of its kind from here to Columbus. Owner/co-chef Mehrdad Mostofi…
Epic Theater
“F ood is the first thing, morals follow on.” The Pet Shop Boys used that line in their 1993 song “Can You Forgive Her,” and they got it from The Threepenny Opera. Premiered in Berlin in 1928, 3P is an iconic work, the creation of composer Kurt Weill and poet/dramatist Bertolt Brecht, and opens a…
Fake IDs
Though we’re only about seven weeks into 2013, many of this year’s top stories (or, rather, the stories the media has made into “top stories”) share a common thread — often, people are not what they seem. At the end of January, we had the “controversy” over a singer lip-syncing at President Obama’s second inauguration,…
The Implied Menace of the ‘Jewish Lobby’
So what is it about Jews? Not only real Jews but also fearful fantasies about Jews. I ask because so many mainstream reporters, bloggers and columnists seem fascinated and repelled by the implied menace of “the Jewish lobby.” Blame its currency on former senator Chuck Hagel, the president’s embattled nominee for defense secretary. Opposition to…
A Town Without Pity
For real? Norwood hasn’t been the same since the General Motors Assembly Plant, built in 1925 on farmland once owned by Norwood settler Joseph Langdon, closed in mid-1988 after GM announced its devastating closing in early November 1986, making Norwood one of 11 such plants across Ohio, Michigan, Missouri and Illinois to go dark and…
