Berding Defends No-Layoff Pledge
UPDATE: Cincinnati City Councilman Greg Harris, a pledge opponent, said Berding's description of the pledge is disingenuous. "Did Berding's anti-layoff pledge in any way make furloughs a condition? No," Harris said. "The effect of the pledge would have been to prevent the FOP from making any concessions because they wouldn't need to. The manager's only…
Lawsuit Against Haap, Heimlich Dismissed
An Illinois-based organization dropped its defamation lawsuit this month against local blogger Jason Haap and two other critics. The two-year-old case was widely viewed as having the potential to set a precedent involving First Amendment protections for online commentary.—- Attorneys for the Save-a-Life Foundation filed a motion for voluntary dismissal July 7 in federal court,…
Forecastle Rocked
With Forecastle and Lebowski Fest both celebrating their 8th anniversaries this weekend in Louisville, Ky, it’s hard to believe there’s room at the inn! But I found the Motel 6 just north of town, across the Ohio River in Jeffersonville, Ind., that did indeed have a vacancy for me. Almost immediately after checking in, I…
Attractions: Vent Haven
For a world-class museum, Greater Cincinnati’s Vent Haven Museum attracts precious few visitors — about 900-1,200 a year. How to increase attendance is problematic since it raises the issue of what kind of place Vent Haven is meant to be. It is the only major public museum devoted to ventriloquism (the art of throwing…
Art: Thin Air Studio at the Weston
Gnarled tree limbs arc above each entrance of downtown’s Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Art Gallery. Lashed together with twine, the limbs create a web-like mass that spreads throughout the Weston’s lobby, soaring above in great domes, coiling around pillars, growing up and out of the stairwell. An earthy, wooden smell permeates the glass,…
Music: Colin Hay
When the world at large was first introduced to Colin Hay in the early ’80s, the chameleon-eyed vocalist was extolling the virtues of Vegemite and mugging shamelessly in charmingly entertaining videos with his band, Men at Work. Unfortunately, Men at Work had a fairly short run, folding after 1985’s successful Two Hearts. Hay began a…
Music: stellastarr*
Considering that stellastarr* began as three young artists studying at the prestigious Pratt Institute in New York, it’s no surprise that the quartet’s nearly four-year hiatus found the members occupied by largely non-musical pursuits. When the members finally reconvened, they brought their creatively recharged batteries to their writing sessions and then tested their newly crafted…
Art: Aya Uekawa at the Contemporary Arts Center
Aya Uekawa’s recently opened Sanctuary Dreams at the Contemporary Arts Center is an enigmatic and psychological exhibition of miniature paintings, a monumental drawing of a unicorn and a hushed bubbling fountain encrusted in crystals. Looking out of the paintings are solemn-faced women in elaborate headdresses that are rife with cultural references. How these different recent…
Onstage: Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! can feel corny and nostalgic. Jersey Productions’ 2009 summer season has kicked off with a production that avoids clichés and plays to the strengths of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show that actually established a new way to tell stories, using songs and dancing to advance the plot. Director Jason Bruffy has given this spirited…
I Love You, Beth Cooper (Review)
While I’m not a fan of the recent work of director Chris Columbus (the first two Harry Potter films insured that I would never read the books), his juvenile marriage of Judd Apatow-styled humor (think Superbad) and late-period John Hughes (the underrated Some Kind of Wonderful) in Beth Cooper is far more likeable than I…
Events: Cincinnati T-Shirt Fest
When you're all in the club spittin' game in your white tee, do you ever wonder how you could use your shirt to support this fine city? Ponder no more. The Cincinnati T-shirt Fest returns this summer with loads of locally produced and Cincy-themed shirts. At this market-style festival, sponsored by 3CDC, sports lovers can…
Events: Warren County Fair
Do you enjoy horses, food, cornhole and other related activities? If you do, then the Warren County Fair located in Lebanon is an event worth visiting. The fair runs 9 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The fairgrounds cover 57 acres with 26 buildings and show areas, which are now capable of hosting some very major…
Events: Bastille Day Celebration
Attitude and artistic flair— the only words fitting enough to describe Montgomery’s Bastille Day Celebration. The significance of the event is to celebrate Montgomery’s relationship with sister city, Nieully-Plaissance, France. To the French, Bastille Day is a national holiday held each year on July 14 to commemorate the storming of the Bastille in 1789. Montgomery’s…
Events: Bacchanalian Society Summer Gathering
Bacchus would be proud. The Bacchanalian Society, named after the aforesaid Roman deity of wine and merriment, offers the perfect excuse for those of age to go out, network, socialize and drink — drink well — for a philanthropic cause, so there’s no need to feel guilty the next day. The Bacchanalian Society organizes only…
Events: Drake Planetarium Laser Show
Get a full surround-sound experience this summer at Drake Planetarium's infamous Laser Show Series. With geometric abstracts and synchronized music from Metallica, U2, Pink Floyd and The Beatles, this show will surely take you to the dark side of the moon and back. Families and children can also enjoy the humorous 3D animated show, “Legends…
Onstage: Engaged!
Engaged, written by William S. Gilbert of Gilbert & Sullivan, is the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s deliriously entertaining summer production. The farcical comedy follows the amusing adventures of Cheviot Hill, a wealthy young man who falls in love with every woman he meets and proposes marriage to many of them. He has a fair-weather friend trying…
Music: Copeland
Copeland released its The Grey Man EP in February, a departure from the band's Indie Rock flavor. The album is dripping with what Marsh describes as a “constant flow of feelings,” and it’s not exactly full of happiness and sunbeams. Really, darker shades of Electronica and Pop underpin lyrics. With tour dates and the support…
Music: Tinsley Ellis
Nobody understands life’s cyclical, circular nature any better than Tinsley Ellis. After learning guitar at an early age and then joining The Alleycats in the late ’70s and in 1982 forming The Heartfixers, his Atlanta-based Blues/Rock outfit, Ellis eventually felt the pull of a solo career when he realized he wanted to be a Blues…
Art: Losing Our Faculties at Semantics
Admirably using conceptual, performance and installation art for politically and economically relevant ends, semantics gallery looks at how the ongoing recession is detrimentally affecting the teaching of fine arts in the show Losing Our Faculties, open now through July 25 at the gallery. Artists including Andy Marko, Mark Shafer, Mike Davis, Calcagno Cullen and Richard…
Comedy: Henry Phillips
“I’m working on a new album,” says one of America’s favorite comedy-troubadours Henry Phillips. “I might even record a few tunes in Cincinnati. At the very least I’ll be working out all the new stuff.” Phillips is hitting the road after completing a film he co-wrote called Punching the Clown. “We’ve been doing the festival…
Son Volt, The Jayhawks, Jetpacks and Ted Nugent
For those of you who have enjoyed my vinyl reminiscences in this column since its inception back in January, please accept my sincerest apologies for their absence in recent postings. My schedule of late has precluded me from combing through my LP collection and pulling out selections to commit to CD, with billable assignments far…
Fashion Inspiration: To the Moon!
This year and last year have seemed to be all about getting as vertically high as possible in fashion. For fashion inspiration today, I have some images of incredible and innovative shoes that I like to refer to as "moon shoes." They can help get you closer to a quasar or even to a black…
Local Review: Cincinnati Compilation
For once, I’m feelin’ pretty good on a Monday, because I just got my hands on a little disc full of weird and wonderful tunes, and it’s from right here in town. —-It goes by the simple, unadorned title of Cincinnati Compilation and comes housed in a hand-designed sleeve featuring a startled-looking, oval-shaped green globule…
Charlie’s Corner: Is Cincinnati Getting Hotter?
Every time I visit other cities or countries I tend to notice how attractive people are compared to my hometown. If you go to New York City, yeah you are going to see movie stars and models, but the population in general always seems to be more attractive than any of the major cities in…
The 2009 Butterfly Show
The 2009 Butterfly Show at Krohn Conservatory featured butterflies and flowers from India.
The Big Gamble — Bengals Agree To Do ‘Hard Knocks’
Drama, controversy and possibility. Three ingredients for television success and three ingredients the Cincinnati Bengals are all too familiar with. So when HBO’s Hard Knocks, a television series that follows NFL teams through their preseason regiments, had to select a team to feature for the upcoming season, it would have been hard-pressed to find a…
Enquirer Layoffs: The Aftermath
CityBeat has held off on posting the names of some people we've heard have been laid off from The Cincinnati Enquirer pending better verification, but we can now confirm two more departures. Assistant Business Editor Randy Tucker and Obituaries Writer Rebecca Goodman have left the newspaper's staff. Tucker was a victim of the layoffs; it's…
Palin Did It for the Money
At least one person who used to be close to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her family believes he knows why the prickly ex-vice presidential candidate is resigning before her gubernatorial term is completed. Levi Johnston, the former boyfriend of Sarah Palin’s daughter and the father of her grandchild, said the governor wants to cash…
Bobby Goes to Bonnaroo: Part Three
Editor's Note: We here at the CityBeat editorial staff figured it would be an alright idea to allow one of our summer interns, Bobby Goodwin, to leave his post for a couple days and go out on assignment to fulfill his life's dream of attending the Bonnaroo Music Festival, provided he write a highly detailed…
Ainadamar (Review)
Critic's Pick Although it’s only 80 minutes long, Ainadamar is as well supplied with out-sized characters, monumental events and tragic consequences as any Verdi opera. The leading characters are historical: A martyred leader of a 19th-century uprising against political repression in Spain; a 20th-century tragedienne who kept the martyr’s memory alive on stage for 40…
Bruno (Review)
Sacha Baron Cohen pulls a not-so-subtle switcheroo on audiences as he and his co-writers take their Austrian fashionista Bruno from Da Ali G Show and give him the big screen treatment following, of course, in the footsteps of the Kazakhstanian sensation Borat. Borat and Bruno are both deliciously crude creations intent on skewering Western reality-based…
Flip Flop Contessa
Ingredients • Salt • 1 pound farfalle, bow ties • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided • 5 slices center cut bacon, chopped • 1 medium onion, chopped • 2 to 3 grated garlic cloves • 1 bay leaf • 12 white mushrooms, thinly sliced • 1 can San Marzano tomatoes • 4 (6 to…
Enquirer Layoffs: Grand Total is 101
“Black Wednesday” has become “Black Thursday.” Layoffs continued for a second day at The Gannett Co.’s newspaper holdings, including The Cincinnati Enquirer. Because The Enquirer is so notoriously tight-lipped about the names or job titles of staffers who are let go, CityBeat is slowly confirming names from various sources and cobbling together a more complete…
Moon (Review)
There’s a father-son parallel in the story behind Moon, the first feature from director Duncan Jones to get widespread U.S. release. The first hit record by his dad, David Bowie, was an eerie mood piece about being lost in space, “Space Oddity.” Moon has a similar theme and, like the song, shows the influence of…
Food, Inc. (Review)
War and complete social and economic collapse dominate the radar, but it seems we are uniquely blind to the concussive explosions on the screen. Vice President Al Gore waved the red flag for the environment in An Inconvenient Truth and was able to rip through the cultural blanket veiling our senses — although it took…
Art: Outside the Ordinary at the Cincinnati Art Museum
The Cincinnati Art Museum has launched so many new exhibitions this summer — large and small — that it’s hard to keep up with them all. But Outside the Ordinary: Contemporary Art in Glass, Wood and Ceramics from the Wolf Collection is a don’t-miss-it stunner. It accomplishes exactly what it set out to do —…
Music: Bubblegum Masquerade
"The Bubblegum Masquerade," you say? Indeed. A local gentleman named Paul O'Moore has put together the Saturday show under the banner of his Vibrant Fringe Productions group, an essentially pro bono, one-man promotions organization founded to "exclusively support local and regional music" and to be "a partner in rebuilding Greater Cincinnati's music scene," according to…
Get Down with the Greentree Groove
The Lebanon-based up-and-comers at the All-Nighter Studio want to set your everlovin' music mind spinning this upcoming weekend. They've brought together an impressive array of jammy, funky, folksy and twangy groups for a two-day music festival they're calling Greentree Groove. —- Organizer Kevin Muro says the goals are twofold: to both showcase local (and one regional) bands and to get the word out on…
CityBeat Podcast 16: The Downward Spiral
A local prostitute tells CityBeat's Cameron Knight her tragic life story with humor and insight into the world's oldest profession. If you like what you hear, please support our podcast by subscribing to our podcast in iTunes or via our RSS feed. Also, please tell your friends and share this link on facebook and myspace.…
Berding, Republicans Hold Press Event
UPDATE: City Councilman Chris Bortz called Thursday morning to say that although Councilman Jeff Berding included Bortz's printed name as a co-sponsor on Berding's motion, Bortz won't sign the pledge. "I think it's premature to sign a pledge at this stage," Bortz said. "I support the thrust of it."—- Also, although Bortz's voter registration form…
Enquirer Layoffs: Bronson Is Gone
It's true: Arch-conservative Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Peter Bronson has been laid off. Earlier today, Bronson posted a message on his blog, Bronson Is Always Right, bidding farewell to his readers. It was posted under the headline, "Unemployment Statistics Increase — Including Me." The item was posted at 4:54 p.m. but appears to have been later…
Enquirer Layoffs: Part Two
UPDATE: Although CityBeat got this list from sources within The Enquirer's Elm Street offices, some bloggers now say James Jackson hasn't been laid off. With no official word forthcoming from The Enquirer or Mr. Jackson, we'll change his status to "unclear." UPDATE II: Jackson just tweeted the following, circa 10:30 p.m. "In this economy, these…
Enquirer Layoffs: The Tally So Far
People in the media industry have been dreading it for a while, and now it's finally here: "Black Wednesday." Mass layoffs began today at newspapers owned by The Gannett Co., which includes The Cincinnati Enquirer. As with past layoffs at the paper, details of which staffers were affected are leaking in spurts and fits, but…
Fashion Inspiration: Fashion Goes Blade Runner
Mesh, spikes, studs and leather have all been appearing in the past two years or so of runway, namely with designer Alexander Wang. I can't help but think of that amazing movie from the early '80s, Blade Runner, or Gotham City even. Also, the FIT Museum had an exhibit entitled Gothic: Dark Glamour earlier this…
Music: Glen Campbell
The “comeback album” or “career reinvention” disc has become almost a rite of passage for older musicians, especially those who first scored with Boomers and now want to inject some hip currency into their repertoire. When it works, as it did with Johnny Cash’s rootsy American Recordings series, it can be among the artist’s best…
Pergola (Review)
As you round the bend on North Fort Thomas Avenue in the sleepy burg of Fort Thomas, Pergola Restaurant & Bakery looks like an oasis of sorts. The large outdoor patio calls to you with its umbrellas and Florida-style bar. It’s hard for anyone to pass up — as evidence by the number of discarded…
Outstanding Play
Critical Achievement Category Outstanding Play Amadeus, directed by Brian Isaac Phillips, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (read review) Blackbird, directed by Michael Evan Haney, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park (read review) Gem of the Ocean, directed by Ron OJ Parsons, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (read review) Mauritius, directed by D. Lynn Meyers, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (read…
Winners and Losers
[WINNER] ANTIOCH COLLEGE: Financially troubled Antioch College in Yellow Springs is getting a new lease on life. The campus, closed since last year, is being bought by a group of alumni for $6 million. The group plans to reopen the school in about two years as an independent college unrelated to Antioch’s campuses in Los…
July 1-7: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY JULY 1California lawmakers couldn’t get their budget balanced by the Tuesday night deadline, which left Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a predicament today when he couldn’t get a hold of his parents in time to borrow the money to put up the state’s $24.3 billion deficit. The result was the state controller preparing to issue…
Ensemble Performance
Publicly Voted Category Ensemble Performance Guys and Dolls, Covedale Center for the Performing Arts (read review) Gravesongs, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati/Cincy Fringe Festival (read review) Mauritius, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (read review) On the Verge, or The Geography of Yearning, College-Conservatory of Music Urinetown, College-Conservatory of Music [Return to the 2009 CEA Theater page]
Making Streets for Everyone
For decades, Cincinnati’s leaders have bemoaned the loss of people and businesses to distant suburbs and other cities. Cincinnati City Councilwoman Roxanne Qualls thinks an important part of restoring vibrant city living is by appealing to those who want to do more than just drive through the Queen City. “If you design streets for traffic,…
Music: Sayler Park Second Saturdays
Sayler Park magically appears. A vividly green place lost in the deep Southwest corner of Cincinnati, it’s a hidden artistic community with a small-town, old-time feel. And for good reason — this Neverland of art was born in 1911. Every second Saturday of the month from June through September, Nelson Sayler Memorial Park holds rich…
Art: Always on a Sunday at Miller Gallery
Bruce Riley’s paintings are devilishly clever abstractions built from laying down puddles of dazzling syrupy color. The transparency of the motifs he employs result in prismatic surprises of new colors formed all over the place. High-gloss and heavy on pleasure, these works can hardly be understood from reproductions or computer-based images. But Cincinnati’s luck would…
Alternative Show
Critical Achievement Category Alternative Show The Edge by David Pownall, Cincy Fringe Festival; Michael Evan Haney, director (read review) Gravesongs by Sarah Underwood, Cincy Fringe Festival/Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati intern company; Elizabeth Maxwell, director (read review) A Perfectly Wonderful Evening by Christopher Karr, Cincy Fringe Festival/Artemis Exchange; Chris Wesselman, director (read review) Still Standing by…
Achievement in Lighting, Sound or Special Effects
Critical Achievement Category Achievement in Lighting, Sound or Special Effects Amadeus, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, sound design by Christopher Guthrie (read review) The Comedy of Errors, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, sound design by Christopher Guthrie (read review) Eurydice, Know Theatre of Cincinnati, lighting design by Sean Savoie; technical design/water by Doug Borntrager (read review) Dr. Jekyll &…
Outstanding Musical
Critical Achievement Category Outstanding Musical Grey Gardens, directed by D. Lynn Meyers, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (read review) Gypsy, directed by Skip Fenker, Cincinnati Music Theatre A Little Night Music, directed by Joe Deer, New Stage Collective (read review) Two Gentlemen of Verona, directed by Andrew Palermo, College-Conservatory of Music (read review) Urinetown, directed by…
Music: State Song
State Song is a successful operation based on its particular triad, the idea of three members who feed off one another’s chemistry, energy and intensity. What makes the band sound bigger than life, however, is the members’ willingness to burn slowly, to embrace dynamics, to use a sampler and a keyboard. To maximize the sonic…
Dems Meet to Discuss Berding
On July 8, an interesting private meeting will occur that could influence who sits on Cincinnati City Council next year. At the request of Mayor Mark Mallory, a high-powered group of Democratic officials will convene behind closed doors to discuss growing discord on council. Specifically, Hamilton County Democratic Party Chairman Tim Burke will meet at…
Summertime Livin’
Years ago, all summer entertaining was done in the front of the house. Later, the party moved to the backyard. We started with placing a charcoal grill out back to grill up a few hot dogs and have since moved on to full outdoor kitchens, expansive sitting areas and large grassy lawns on which to…
Paul’s Wall
This sunny day, Paul and I sit on the wall outside my apartment building. My good friend and neighbor, Paul admires my purple-painted toes. “You don’t want to see mine,” he says. “Especially since the chemotherapy.” We live in efficiency apartments. Nothing fancy. No parking lot, and in Clifton street parking is a bear. On…
Acting Performance by a Visiting Actress
Publicly Voted Category Acting Performance by a Visiting Actress Dana Acheson as May in Last Train to Nibroc, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park (read review) Cheryl Lynn Bruce as Aunt Ester in Gem of the Ocean, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (read review) Lianne Marie Dobbs as Emma in Jane Austen’s Emma, Cincinnati Playhouse in the…
Revisiting Rookwood
Sure, I’ve heard of Rookwood Pottery. I’ve seen tiles here and there in older homes in the area and heard the name spoke on the proud owners’ lips. The name evokes images of well-trained artisans leaning over their dusty workspaces, carving incredibly detailed molds and gently placing them in the kiln, waiting expectantly for their…
Choreography
Critical Achievement Category Choreography Bat Boy The Musical, College-Conservatory of Music, choreography by Diane Lala (read preview) The Edge, Cincy Fringe Festival, choreography by Judith Mikita (read review) Good News, College-Conservatory of Music, choreography by Patti James Once on This Island, Northern Kentucky University, choreography by Jane Green and Ruby Streate (read review) Two Gentlemen…
Music: The Bomb
To call someone a “legend” is often an act of high hyperbole better left to the eye of the beholder. But listening to The Bomb, the project formed 10 years ago by singer Jeff Pezzatti following the end of his pioneering Chicago band Naked Raygun, you get the strong sense that Pezzatti is an unheralded…
Achievement in Costume Design
Critical Achievement Category Achievement in Costume Design Alice in Wonderland, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, costume design by Rebecca Senske (read review) Amadeus, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, costume design by Heidi Jo Schiemer (read review) Bat Boy The Musical, College-Conservatory of Music, costume design by Dominique Glaros (read preview) Two Gentlemen of Verona, College-Conservatory of Music, costume…
Food (Inc.) for Thought
The American food industry is now controlled by a handful of large corporations with one goal above all else: making money. Robert Kenner’s incisive, warning-shot documentary, Food, Inc., investigates the ways in which these corporations have changed our food system in recent years and the impact this rapid evolution has had on the industry’s various…
Glen Campbell’s New Soup
The “comeback album” or “career reinvention” disc has become almost a rite of passage for older musicians, especially those who first scored with Boomers and now want to inject some hip currency into their repertoire. When it works, as it did with Johnny Cash’s rootsy American Recordings series, it can be among the artist’s best…
Events: CWC/SOFA Screening
Suburban sprawl sucks. Ever drive down Colerain Avenue? It looks like something out of an apocalyptic movie where foliage is nearly extinct and electrical, phone and other ugly-ass wires dominate one’s view of the sky. Worse, sprawl encourages single car drivers whose exhaust emissions and copious consumption of gas is becoming a greater concern by…
Achievement in Scenic Design
Critical Achievement Category Achievement in Scenic Design Blackbird, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, scenic design by Kevin Rigdon (read review) Love Song, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, scenic design by Narelle Sissons (read review) Mauritius, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati, scenic design by Brian c. Mehring, set decoration by Shannon Rae Lutz (read review) The Seafarer,…
Lux and Unnamed Places (Reviews)
The two current exhibitions at Country Club Gallery have something in common — namely, a sense of place. And yet the two artists included here, Christina Seely and Evan Hecox, deal with the idea of place in profoundly different ways. Seely’s exhibition, Lux, is clearly the focal point. Fourteen large-scale digital photographs, each mounted on…
Rookwood Restaurant (Brunch Review)
Breakfast food is one of those things that everyone likes. We want to eat breakfast not only in the morning, but at lunchtime or even in the middle of the night. But it’s at least a good reason to get out of the house on a Sunday morning (or afternoon), especially if you’re going to…
Events: Second Sunday on Main
This eclectic monthly neighborhood festival (in OTR) goes global with the theme “Global Groove,” focusing on, as you can imagine, World Music. Bands include the Caribbean Calypso sounds of the Bacchanal Steel Band, the Celtic tunes of Silver Arm, the Middle Eastern/Indian flare of Mohenjo Daro, the Latin American rhythm of Zumba and the African…
Sayler Park ‘Second Saturday’ Series
Seems like people used to dance more. You know, hold hands, get close, accidentally feel each other up. And down. What about barn dances, cotillion dances, raves, dirty dancing? Wonder how many couples got engaged after nights of grooving, sweating and squeezing? I’m talking about this — outdoor music and love — because I wonder…
‘Tis the Season for Yard Sales
During college I purchased a comfy oversized chair and ottoman at a yard sale. They cost $10 and took up most of my bedroom. The chair, in all its early ’90s light blue plaid glory, sturdily held up through six moves, though the door frames it was squeezed through often did not. The gigantic garage…
Hidden Treasure
Many of us drive by it every day and never take notice, and yet the lucky few who venture off the beaten path discover a tiny oasis hidden just outside of the city. Nestled among eight acres off Reading Road in Avondale, the Civic Garden Center acts as a horticultural resource dedicated to enriching lives…
Aerosmith Comes up Lame, Michael Jackson Is Famous and Mami Is a Daddy
[HOT] Dude Looks Like He’s Agin’ … When the Aerosmith/ZZ Top concert at Riverbend was postponed last week due to an “unspecified” injury to one of the band members, our first thought was “beard injury.” Alas, it appears ZZ’s Billy Gibbons did not get his famous facial hair stuck in a toaster. While at press…
Art: Lux and Unnamed Places at Country Club
The two current exhibitions at Country Club Gallery have something in common — namely, a sense of place. And yet the two artists included here, Christina Seely and Evan Hecox, deal with the idea of place in profoundly different ways. Seely’s exhibition, Lux, is clearly the focal point. Fourteen large-scale digital photographs, each mounted on…
CEAs: 100 Reasons to Celebrate Theater
Starting this week you can vote for the 2009 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards for theater here. Voting continues through Aug. 3. The CEAs, established by CityBeat in 1996, use public voting for a dozen categories and a poll of critics for the remaining eight, covering productions and technical aspects better judged by people who see a…
Events: Kids, Cultures, Critters and Crafts Festival
If you don’t like kids, cultures, critters or crafts, I probably wouldn’t go to this festival. The “kids” part is up to you or your friends. Find some children and bring them here. And then the Zoo provides the “culture,” “critters” and “crafts.” There will be belly dancing, a Samba parade, live music from Robin…
Music: Bobaflex
For the past 11 years, N
State Song (Profile)
One of the most exhilarating phenomena that Rock & Roll has coughed up in its long, spotty history is the three-piece band. Some might call it a combo or, better yet, a power trio, but no matter what your chosen signifier for three people on a stage with a guitar, a bass and a drum…
Sober and Sad in Northside
Dear Maija,My friends and I recently spent an entire Saturday drinking Coors Light and whacking golf balls against a rental property. This week we found out that the owners of Coors are super-dick Republicans who support awful political causes (I don’t know what kind of run-in Pete Coors ever had with the gay community, but…
Local Premiere
Critical Achievement Category Local Premiere Dying City by Christopher Shinn, New Stage Collective (read review) Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl, Know Theatre of Cincinnati (read review) Love Song by John Kolvenbach, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park (read review) The Seafarer by Conor McPherson, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (read review) Shining City by Conor McPherson, New Stage…
Music: Magnolia Electric Co.
Jason Molina’s prolific discography can be attributed to three words — work, work, work. The leader of the now-deceased Songs: Ohia and the mastermind of Indiana-based outfit Magnolia Electric Co., his ethic is the antithesis to traditional Rock & Roll decadence. Molina writes lyrics daily (eschewing a reliance on inspiration), frequently rotates old material for…
Gunnin’ for Jesus, Ready to Rumble
Church can be a pretty big drag. You have to get up early on a weekend morning, dress nice, stand up and sit down (and sometimes even kneel, depending on your denomination) and listen to detached, boring organ music. Ryan Adcock and Craig Dockery have the antidote … to the detached, boring music part, at…
Outstanding Community Theater Production
Publicly Voted Category Outstanding Community Theater Production 1776, Footlighters, directed by Mike Morehead (read review) Fiction, The Drama Workshop, directed by Jeff Groh God’s Man in Texas, Mariemont Players, directed by Jef Brown (read review) Gypsy, Cincinnati Music Theatre, directed by Skip Fenker tick, tick … BOOM!, Showbiz Players, directed by Bill Geraghty and Jason…
Downtown on the Farm
President Eisenhower said that farming looks easy “when your plow is a pencil and you’re 1,000 miles from the cornfield.” Many would-be gardeners enjoy plowing through seed catalogs, but others in Greater Cincinnati have moved from the “easy” part to tilling, planting and tending to new urban farms in lots and backyards across the city.…
Local Actress in Leading Role in a Play
Publicly Voted Category Local Actress in a Leading Role in a Play Julianna Bloodgood as Kelly in Dying City, New Stage Collective (read review) Courtney Brown as Eurydice in Eurydice, Know Theatre of Cincinnati (read review) Sara Mackie as Jackie in Mauritius, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (read review) Kelly Mengelkoch as Raina Petkoff in Arms…
Local Actress in Supporting Role in a Musical
Publicly Voted Category Local Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical Lesley Hitch as Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, Covedale Center for the Performing Arts (read review) Dale Hodges as Big Edie/Act II in Grey Gardens, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (read review) Margaret-Ellen Jeffreys as Petra in A Little Night Music, New Stage…
Local Actor in Leading Role in a Musical
Publicly Voted Category Local Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical Justin Scott Brown as J. Pierrepont Finch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, College-Conservatory of Music (read blog preview) Bruce Cromer as Fredrik Egerman in A Little Night Music, New Stage Collective (read review) Zachary Huffman as Jon in tick,…
Local Actor in Leading Role in a Play
Publicly Voted Category Local Actor in a Leading Role in a Play Randy K. Bailey as John in Shining City, New Stage Collective (read review) Bruce Cromer as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (read review) Rob Jansen as Peter/Craig in Dying City, New Stage Collective (read review) Tom Manning as T.S. Eliot in…
Local Actress in Supporting Role in a Play
Publicly Voted Category Local Actress in a Supporting Role in a Play Hayley Clark as Nina in The Seagull, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (read review) Sara Clark as Masha in The Seagull, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (read review) Annie Fitzpatrick as Mary in Mauritius, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (read review) Kelly Mengelkoch as Neasa in Shining City,…
Local Actor in Supporting Role in a Play
Publicly Voted Category Local Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play Michael G. Bath as Dennis in Mauritius, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (read review) Matt Johnson as Trigorin in The Seagull, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company (read review) Robert Pavlovich as Father in Eurydice, Know Theatre of Cincinnati (read review) Brian Isaac Phillips as Nicky Giblin…
Acting Performance by a Visiting Actor
Publicly Voted Category Acting Performance by a Visiting Actor Ronald L. Conner as Citizen Barlow in Gem of the Ocean, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (read review) John Ottavino as Ray in Blackbird, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park (read review) Joseph Parks as Beane in Love Song, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park (read review) Thom Sesma…
Local Actress in Leading Role in a Musical
Publicly Voted Category Local Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical Kaitlyn Davidson as Rosemary Pilkington in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, College-Conservatory of Music (read blog preview) Pamela K. Day as Mama Rose in Gypsy, Cincinnati Music Theatre Lisa Mindelle as Meredith Parker in Bat Boy The Musical, College-Conservatory of…
Local Actor in Supporting Role in a Musical
Publicly Voted Category Local Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical Charlie Clark as Joe Kennedy Jr./Jerry in Grey Gardens, Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati (read review) Carl Draper as J.B. Biggley in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, College-Conservatory of Music (read blog preview) Daniel Hines as Jeff Bennet in I Love…
Bruno: It’s OK to Laugh If You Get the Joke
“Sadly, I kind of liked it,” I hear the guy behind me say to his friend as the closing credits of Bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest outrageous, tongue-in-cheek (and that’s the most appropriate of places) social satire begin to roll. “Is that bad?”—- The brief silence and nervous laughter that follow perfectly capture the shell-shocked…
Which Sucks More: Wrigley or Cubs Fans?
Sometimes as nicely as you'd like to put things it is hard to maintain a professional, calm and reserved style when communicating about it. When Reds announcers and many others described Shea stadium as "a dump" when it was limping in the direction of euthanasia, I knew what they meant but didn't agree that it…
Lovin’ Spoonflower
Yesterday I was driving along listening to “The Story” on National Public Radio, a program hosted by Dick Gordon. Gordon interviews “everyday people” who have experienced something interesting to share. Yesterday, Gordon talked with Stephen Faser, an Internet marketing pro-turned-fabric printer from North Carolina. Faser and his wife started creating their own fabrics to make…
RIVERDANCE_MF: Boats, Booze and Seedies
All summer long people have been sending out group text messages containing one simple statement: “I’m on a boat.” And while at first we read these words and think to ourselves “Dang, Sara is just getting more and more retarded every day,” it usually doesn’t take long for us to recall The Lonely Island Boys’…
