Bortz Probe Ends with Uncertainty
City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. says allegations by two municipal workers that a Cincinnati councilman used a racial slur can neither be proven nor disproven, so the charge has been dropped as “unfounded.” In a three-page memorandum given today to the city's Human Resources Department, Dohoney announced that there will be no disciplinary action taken…
Literary: Jennifer Thompson
Jennifer Thompson helped send Ronald Cotton to prison for a crime he didn't commit. And it wasn't just any crime — Thompson, then a 22-year-old college student, testified that Cotton had entered her dorm room as she slept and brutally raped her. After 11 years in prison, Cotton was released when DNA evidence proved his…
Comedy: My Brother, My Brother and Me
Though they live in three separate cities, the McElroy brothers — Justin, Travis and Griffin — are as close now as they were when they were growing up in Huntington, W.V. In some ways they are closer thanks to the wonderful world of podcasting and their program My Brother, My Brother and Me, a comedy…
Events: Paradise Gardens Nudist Resort Open House
The summer is in full swing and we're all feeling the wrath of the heat in some way. Girls squeeze into those one-size-too-small daisy dukes and the classiest guys are bustin' out their best wife-beaters, drenching what little clothing remains with sweat. Whether you're a girl or a guy, young or old, chubby or skinny,…
The Masculinity Index
I suspect that the word “dude” has never been uttered so many times in so few minutes. John Ware and William Brown, both drama students at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music, invite you to hang out in the cluttered dorm room that is the 40-minute play The Masculinity Index. This snapshot shows us two aimless, barely…
Music: Fred Hersch
Cincinnati native Fred Hersch had just begun his acclaimed Jazz career when doctors diagnosed him with HIV in 1986. Hersch used the diagnosis as a platform for discussion and has subsequently raised funds and awareness for a variety of related organizations, all while becoming one of Jazz's most revered and innovative pianists. In 2008, Hersch…
Onstage: Cincinnati Fringe Festival
The 2011 Cincinnati Fringe Festival will wrap up this weekend. It’s been another year of oddball acts and powerful performances. CityBeat's Fringe review team has been out and about on your behalf, catching the first performances of most shows and posting those reviews on a special Fringe page at citybeat.com for you to read about.…
Art: Courses at CS13
Along with various readings, musical performances and art exhibitions, the Over-the-Rhine alternative space CS13’s programming is at its most interesting when they engage social practices with community projects. This Saturday kicks off several weeks of COURSES: An Inquiry into Place, Publics and Food, a series of lectures, reading discussions and cooking demonstrations in a fully…
101 Rules for Dating (Review)
Rule #20: Start things off with a compliment. 101 Rules for Dating (of which you will hear 20 or so…), a relationship seminar from the crack comedy team Megan Venzin and Emily Althaus, will make you laugh. An Art Academy lecture hall, complete with flip-up desks for note-taking, is the perfect setting for this informative…
Onstage: The Complete Works of William Shakespere (Abridged)
In case you haven’t had enough offbeat theater from the 2011 Fringe Festival, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is offering its own equivalent of a classic from the world of Fringe; Complete Works, in fact, began as a production at the legendary Edinburgh Fringe in 1987. The show features three actors who re-create (well, more accurately, who…
Music: Northside Music Festival
Rock & Roll? Booze? Sexy people? Do any of these tempt you to leave that nasty apartment of yours? Northside Tavern (4163 Hamilton Ave.) is hosting its third annual Northside Music Festival, which means shit is about to get nasty in the best kind of way. With notable acts such as The Lions Rampant, The…
Art: Alan Grizzell at The Betts House
Artists can show us new ways to look at things or places we otherwise might not give a second glance. That's exactly what happens in the exhibition The Art of Alan Grizzell: Over-the-Rhine, now on view at The Betts House, Ohio's oldest brick house, in the Betts-Longworth Historic District Downtown. Grizzell, who has lived in…
Music: Nightlands
By now, the Indie Rock world has become well acquainted with Kurt Vile. In the past few years, the Psych/Folk Rock-playing Philadelphian's been signed to independent heavyweight Matador Records, toured his ass off and released a couple of idiosyncratic records. But before the guitarist/vocalist established his rep through solo happenings, he was part of The…
Events: Second Sunday on Main
Start your week off right — perusing food and craft vendors, listening to great music and enjoying an ice-cold beverage. Second Sunday on Main is a hip, eclectic neighborhood event presented by the Over-the-Rhine Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Hudepohl Amber Lager. It launched in 2005 and has become an annual tradition. SSOM brings…
Events: Queen City Vintage Base Ball Festival
Remember back in the good old days when baseball was played without gloves, contracts or steroids? Neither do we, but for the love of all things vintage, the Queen City Invitational Base Ball Festival 2011 will be bringing us back to the way to game was played in 1869 this Saturday. Cranks, rooters, birds and…
Morning News and Stuff
Rep. Anthony Weiner yesterday admitted during a press conference that he had in fact sent a picture of his erect member to a 21-year-old coed and has exchanged other graphic photos with six women over Twitter and Facebook. "I have not been honest with myself," a teary-eyed Weiner said to the press, adding that it…
Interviews from Rock on the Range, Part 1
Editor’s Note: CityBeat contributor Amy Harris attended the recent Rock on the Range in Columbus, one of the most beloved Hard Rock and Metal music fest’s in the country. And she brought her camera and tape recorder along to share the experience with you. Below is Part 1 of her collection of interviews from RotR,…
You Only Live Forever Once
CRITIC'S PICK Humor involving puppets and live action, spies and parody can be dicey. It’s easy to slip right off the edge and down the slippery slope of silliness. But the creative talents who comprise Four Humors Theater in Minneapolis (back for their fourth consecutive year at the Cincinnati Fringe) have solid footing when it…
The VindleVoss Family Circus Spectacular! (Review)
Not so fast with that exclamation point. The VindleVoss Family Circus Spectacular!, a charming two-hander from Cincy Fringe favorite Karim Muasher (of Giant Bird fame) and partner Carrie Brown, has all the makings of a great show: An original concept. Memorable characters. Comedy. Pathos. Puppets. Live tigers (sort of). The most inventive use of props…
A Little Acclaim for the Fringe Festival
Since the 2011 Cincinnati Fringe Festival kicked off on June 1, a panel of three dedicated theater experts have been evaluating performances for recognition through the Acclaim Awards. These awards are in the process of being renamed, but for the sake of clarity and brevity, I’m going to call them by their soon-to-be-former name. The…
Morning News and Stuff
Last week on her bus tour, historian/presidential candidate? Sarah Palin said that Paul Revere was “warning the British” during his famous midnight ride. "He who warned, uh, the British that they weren't going to be taking away our arms uh by ringing those bells and making sure as he's riding his horse through town to…
The Lydia Études: About Loving Anton Chekhov (Review)
Lydia Avilova was a serious, earnest woman, an aspiring writer, who crossed paths in the 1890s with renowned playwright and fiction writer Anton Chekhov. Dawn Arnold is a serious, earnest performer who has translated this intersection into a 70-minute, one-woman show, The Lydia Etudes: About Loving Anton Chekhov, onstage at Media Bridges (E. Central Parkway,…
Recurrence Plot (Review)
Contemporary dance can be mysterious. It’s perhaps both a blessing and a hurdle of the form. One reason why audiences sometimes find modern dance challenging is because they’re afraid they won’t “get it.” By nature, it’s an abstract form, so sometimes just sitting back and letting what you see and feel wash over you works…
Miss Magnolia Beaumont Goes to Provincetown (Review)
CRITIC'S PICK The art of the improbable premise is a standard at any Fringe Festival. What counts is not the unlikely starting point, but how one develops and delivers from the unreasonable setup. Miss Magnolia Beaumont Goes to Provincetown (presented at the 1423 Vine venue), written and performed by Joe Hutcheson and directed by Cheryl…
The Body Speaks: Movement (Review)
CRITIC'S PICK The 2011 Fringe’s presentation of The Body Speaks: Movement, choreographed and directed by Kim Popa and Lindsey Jones of Pones Inc is a small gem. Presented in seven overlapping vignettes, each one inspired by one of seven photos by Sean Dean, this short work (45 minutes) is entirely self-contained, creating its own language…
Fire & Light (Review)
CRITIC'S PICK I won’t call it the hottest ticket of the Fringe. But get to Neon’s for Fire & Light before word gets out. That patio is going to be packed, and I’m sure the good marshals will be counting heads. Cincinnati-based Incendium Arts — a half-dozen fearless and lithesome performers, with deejay — ignite…
I Love You (We’re Fucked) (Review)
CRITIC'S PICK What makes revealing personal anecdotes compelling? Perhaps it’s peeling back the layers of detail to get at the heart of emotions — if not situations — we can all identify with, with what’s human. By revealing plenty and walking cheerfully to comfort’s edge with TMI (too much information), the stand-up comedian/storyteller/singer-songwriter Kevin J.…
Rip in the Atmosphere (Review)
In many ways the dancers in Rip in the Atmosphere (by Psophonia Dance Company from Houston) put on a good show. They are fit and committed to the movement they perform. Unfortunately, the whole endeavor seems more a display of those qualities than a solid presentation of choreographic merit, with a few exceptions. The show…
The Beasts (Review)
Early Friday evening, I walked west on Central Parkway towards Media Bridges (1100 Race St.), the venue where I was scheduled to watch a 50-minute performance by Ben Egerman. I had just paid a thrifty $1.60 at the Coffee Emporium, and for that I got a paper cup of plain coffee and use of the…
Melancholy Play (Review)
CRITIC'S PICK Tilly (Jennifer Roehm) is feeling a little blue — and she’s wallowing in her melancholy. Her employer, a bank, has sent her to a shrink, the self-proclaimed Lorenzo the Unfeeling (William Selnick), who falls in love with her. As does Frank (Peter York), her tailor, and Frances (Lisa DeRoberts), her hairdresser. And when…
OTR in 2081 (Review)
Let’s start with what OTR 2081 is not. It’s not a cool walking tour of Over the Rhine as imagined by future generations. What would they say about how we lived? What insightful commentary would they offer about this moment in human history, with the benefit of time and historical perspective? Well, according to the…
Memoir of a Mythomaniac: The True Story of a Compulsive Liar (or Tallulah Dies) (Review)
“My name is Tallulah, and I’m a compulsive liar.” So begins Memoir of a Mythomaniac, a Fringe offering from East Tennessee State University Patchwork Players. The story of Tallulah, whose actual name is Jane, is told as a fractured narrative, combining traditional dramatic scenes of exposition with break-out scenes of movement and dance. And it…
To and Fro and Up and Down (Review)
A Fringe Festival without at least three Biblical satires? Blasphemy! But the little devils have come through again this year, thank heaven, so there’s no shortage of sacrilege on display. In a crowded field, Kleesattel Productions’ To and Fro and Up and Down — the show’s title comes from an actual Bible passage describing Satan…
Talk to the Hand: Fringe Next (Review)
Talk to the Hand is a support group, I mean theatrical work, by students from Ft. Thomas, Ky. (The production is one of three FringeNext works written, directed and performed by high school students.) This snappy satire, written by Jessica Ervin as a senior project at Highlands High School, brings the audience into the experience…
Darker (Review)
New Edgecliff Theatre’s contribution to the 2011 Fringe Festival, Catie O’Keefe’s Darker, has an enticing ambiance (at Know Theatre). The sparse set features a number of bare light bulbs that at times are blindingly bright and at others pulsing or dim. The effect is garish and mesmerizing, appropriate for a play with themes like anger,…
Friday Movie Roundup: The Great Divide
Perusing the releases so far this summer reveals a divide that has been growing wider recent years. In fact, the gulf between big-budget Hollywood productions (most of which are sequels or recycled material) and smaller films (most of which are documentaries or foreign films being offered by a dwindling handful of specialty distributors — plus…
An Explosion of MPMF 2011 Information!
There’s been a lot of new announcements from the MidPoint Music Festival in the past couple of days. Below is an update of the latest info. Wanna discuss further? Come on out to tonight’s MidPoint Indie Summer Series kick-off concert on Fountain Square. The free, all-ages show kicks off at 7 p.m. with Lydia Burrell,…
Tooth and ‘Nuckle
Matt Johnson’s solo improvisational piece, Tooth and ’Nuckle, at the very-out-of-the-way and very cool Hanke 2 space (1128 Main St.), might not be for the faint of heart, even by Fringe standards. The setup is pretty straightforward. A bare stage sports a phalanx of masks and puppets fashioned out of grocery bags, and audience members…
Music for Newspapers and Radios
Paul Schuette, a grad student in composition at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music, assembled a cast of almost two dozen fellow music students to perform Music for Newspapers and Radios (Media Bridges, 100 Race St.), his nonlinear, multimedia program of performance, video, projection, spoken word and broadcast sounds. Schuette built the entire program around one important…
FringeNext: The First Book of the Bible (Review)
The premiere of The First Book of the Bible was the first sold-out show of the 2011 Fringe. One of three entries in the new FringeNext category (works produced, created and performed by teens), this work by School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) seniors storms out of the gate with all the makings of…
FringeNext: The Color of Harmony (Review)
The Color of Harmony kicked off the first-ever FringeNext series of shows. FringeNext is a new Fringe category that invites performances produced, created, and performed by high school students. It was presented in the black box theatre of the new School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) by the next generation of theatre artists. But…
White Girl (Review)
Issues of race and gender aren’t unfamiliar themes, but finding new ways to address these subjects isn’t always easy. Solo performer Maythinee Washington from Las Vegas brings forth a curious and rather introverted movement and pantomime-based performance piece with White Girl (presented at ArtWorks, 20 E. Central Parkway). Even as an experimental piece, White Girl’s…
Missing (Review)
CRITIC'S PICK The title of Jessica Ferris’ one woman show, Missing: The Fantastical and True Story of My Father’s Disappearance and What I Found When I Looked for Him (at Know Theatre), would pretty much seem to say it all. And yet, there would be so much, well — missing. It would miss that the…
Peyote Business Lunch (Review)
CRITIC'S PICK Unlike the characters in Peyote Business Lunch, Artemis Exchange’s high-octane entry in the 2011 Cincy Fringe, you don’t have to ingest anything to have your head turned around several times. The cast of four (performing at the gallery space at ArtWorks, 20 E. Central Parkway, enter from Jackson St.) will keep you laughing,…
Two Acclaimed Music Docs Screening Soon
Two documentaries about two very different but very influential musical artists are set to screen in Cincinnati this month. First up is Kenneth Bowser’s study of the underappreciated career of social/political-minded Folk legend Phil Ochs. Later in the month, a tour documentary about social/political-minded (OK, maybe they aren't that different) Indie Rock trio Le Tigre…
Cincy Art Museum Curator Wins AAMC Award
In the Association of Art Museum Curators' recent Annual Awards for Excellence (for the calendar year 2010), Benedict Leca — curator of European Painting and Sculpture at Cincinnati Art Museum — won first place in the Outstanding Article, Essay or Extended Catalogue Entry category for his "A Favorite Among the Demireps" article for the museum's…
Stage Door: Fringe! (Duh!)
There are more doors than usual this weekend, right in the middle of the eighth annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival. If you're looking for a recommendation or two, I suggest you check out CityBeat's Fringe review website. —- The shows recommended so far include Curriculum Vitae, Headscarf and the Angry Bitch (pictured), Missing and Peyote Business…
Morning News and Stuff
Dr. Jack Kevorkian, 83, died today at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., where he’d been hospitalized for the last month with pneumonia and kidney problems. Kevorkian’s lawyer, Meyer Morganroth, said it appears Kevorkian suffered a pulmonary thrombosis when a blood clot from his leg broke free and lodged in his heart. "It was peaceful.…
Has the Real Jay Bruce Stood Up?
Jay Bruce hit .234 with two home runs in his first 77 at-bats through April 25. At the time I asked, “Will the Real Jay Bruce Please Stand Up?” Six weeks later the Reds’ right fielder is hitting .292 with an NL-leading 17 home runs and 46 RBI. I guess he answered my question. Or…
First Fringe Reviews Posted
Reviews have been posted on CityBeat's Fringe microsite for eight of the nine shows that debuted yesterday on opening night of the 2011 Cincy Fringe Festival. Two are rated as "Critic's Picks," including Curriculum Vitae by Jimmy Hogg (pictured).—- You'll also find previews of all the remaining shows, plus Rick Pender's highlights of what he's…
MTV Movie Awards Live Chat!
Tune into MTV at 9 p.m. Sunday night for the only awards show that features Twilight in several categories. This is your chance to catch up on mainstream movies CityBeat is too cool to review so you have something to talk about with your little sister. And where else will you see Lupe Fiasco, Foo…
Headscarf and the Angry Bitch (Review)
CRITIC'S PICK It’s pretty typical for our culture to be afraid of that which we don’t know. We see it every day on TV news and in daily conversations around the water cooler. But what we probably rarely see is the reaction on the other end, how it affects the object of our fear. That’s…
The Body Speaks (Scripted) (Review)
At the opening performance of Cincinnati-based Performance Gallery’s entry into the 2011 Fringe mélange I was sometimes puzzled at the direction the show was taking. But my attention rarely wandered far from the 14 very competent actors onstage who appeared in situations ranging from the absurd to the tongue-in-cheek. Creative credits are too many to…
S/M/L (Review)
Ideas and ambitions come in all shapes and sizes, and the three modern-dance works that comprise the triptych of S/M/L, presented by MamLuft& Co. Dance, are each in their own way small, medium and large. The first piece, Small: Restless Hands Under a Trembling Table, opens arrestingly enough with a pair of dancers (Jacquelyn Corcoran…
Incendies (Review)
Brilliantly constructed from the bountiful narrative fabric of Wajdi Mouawad's complex stage play about a familial legacy passed down from a mother to her fraternal twins, Incendies is one of the most powerful dramas ever conceived. Director Denis Villeneuve tells the retrospective tale of Nawal (Lubna Azabal), a woman from an unnamed place in the…
Transfringement: Circus Mojo Refudiates the Norm (Review)
First rule of juggling: If you can’t catch it, don’t throw it. As its puzzling mouthful of a title suggests, Transfringement: Circus Mojo Refudiates the Norm is a quirky show with a few too many balls in the air. Five diverse performers from this Ludlow, Kentucky-based circus troupe and training center take turns charming and…
The First Grader (Review)
The fine print exists for a reason: When the Kenyan government announced free primary education for all, one rural farmer took the proclamation at its word and showed up to learn alongside 6-year-olds. Based on a true story, The First Grader's first grader in question is 84-year-old Kimani N'gan'ga Marugein. He's played as an old…
Opal Opus: Journey to Alakazoo (Review)
Serenity Fisher, creator of Sophie’s Dream, the 2010 Audience Pick of the Fringe, has again brought her hyper-personal and very sincere brand creativity to a Fringe stage with Opal Opus: Journey to Alakazoo. (It’s being presented at the “Hanke 2” venue, 1128 Main St.) Opal describes itself as a “pop’ra,” best understood as a pop…
Curriculum Vitae (Review)
CRITIC'S PICK For the 2010 Cincinnati Fringe, Jimmy Hogg’s confessional storytelling and precocious, high-velocity comic delivery won him a Critic’s Pick award for his monologue A Brief History of Petty Crime. The Fringe-circuit veteran returns to the 2011 Fringe this year with Curriculum Vitae, a chronology of his humorous and humiliating experiences in the working…
Denali (Review)
On first blush, there’s nothing terribly Fringe-y about Denali (performed at Know Theatre). It’s a fairly straightforward play from Iowa’s Working Group Theatre about three childhood friends who get back together for the first time since a tragic mountain-climbing accident claimed the life of the one person who tied the others together. How could one…
MTV Movie Awards Live Chat!
Tune into MTV at 9 p.m. to watch Hollywood's finest thespians vie for cinema's most sought-after awards. Pre-show coverage/America's Best Dance Crew finale starts at 8 p.m. Because some of you were really going to watch anyway. Also, Jason Sudekis is funny and cute. <a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=3f82d91ef0" >CityBeat MTV Movie Awards Live Chat!</a>
The God Blog (Review)
Kathleen O’Neill has spent the last eight years writing The God Blog, a corporate-satire-within-a-radio-play, set in heaven and staffed by Old Testament figures (performed at the Art Academy of Cincinnati). She and director Shawn Maus, who also plays the role of God, have assembled an enormous (by Fringe Festival standards) cast and crew to live-produce…
Morning News and Stuff
Bryan Fischer, radio host and Christian group American Family Association affiliate, has been trying to prove a point since last month: that gay activists are the “number one perpetrators of hate crimes in America.” Today a video was posted of Fischer pooping out of his mouth something about the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.…
Michael Griffith Drops ‘Trophy’ Tonight
Listen up, fans of crafty, post-modern fiction: Local author/professor/all-around good guy Michael Griffith christens his freshly minted new book, Trophy, 7 p.m. tonight at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. —- Published by Triquarterly Books/Northwestern University Press, Trophy centers its narrative on a Vada Prickett, a 29-year-old “Hose Associate” at a car wash in South Carolina who finds himself…
You, You’re Awesome’s First LP: Awesome
You, You’re Awesome, the opening-night main act for this year's MidPoint Indie Summer Series (this Friday on Fountain Square), has earned its way to headlining status by building an ever-increasing following with its crafty, magnetic Electronica, a mix of modern, energetic rhythms (thanks to Kevin Bayer’s live drums and Yusef Quotah’s smart programming), catchy, clever…
Newport Secret Six Releases Debut Album
Fifteen years ago, if you heard about a young, new Ska/Reggae band releasing an album, you’d be forgiven for thinking the crew played some variation on so-called Third Wave Ska, the Punk-driven, Ska-tinged sound popularized by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and others. But if you subscribe to the belief that music lovers and makers often…
Black Death (Review)
The year is 1348. The bubonic plague is ravaging Britain, striking hundreds of thousands dead and leaving even more suffering in its slow, painful grip. A panicked populace seeks answers. What’s causing this pestilence? An official explanation comes from the Church, who decrees that it is God’s punishment. Mankind has sinned. And he must pay.…
Dumpster Diving
Most people would have bought a new basketball or a box of golf balls, but I opted for an Airsoft gun. Having a $25 gift certificate to Dick’s Sporting Goods did me little good considering I play zero sports. Yet, in hindsight, I probably should have bought a few baseballs. At least they would’ve kept…
Olive the Above
Brian Olive has plenty to be excited about these days, not the least of which would be his sophomore solo album, Two of Everything. The former Greenhornes/Soledad Brothers member is anticipating a busy summer, starting with the first leg of a two-month tour, punctuated by his imminent role as a member of a Rock legend’s…
Chiquita Protest
Members of the United Steel Workers Union and other concerned community members protested outside Chiquita Headquarters at their annual shareholders meeting.
Alone in a Crowd at Cincy Fringe
H arry Nilsson once sang that “one is the loneliest number,” but you actually have a goodly amount of company if you’re a 2011 Cincinnati Fringe Festival performer. Close to one-third of the acts included in the eighth annual Fringe, commencing this week, are solo performers — and quite a few of them are veterans…
Photophobia, Sppeling and Grammy Protests
[HOT] No More Phoning It In Concert venues were very strict with policies regarding taking photos or recording video or audio during a concert. We once had a Bic pen confiscated from us after being frisked on our way into a show (clearly an effort to stop us from selling our unauthorized pen sketches of…
Stuffed on Vine (Review)
O pening a restaurant in our current economic condition is bold. Opening a restaurant in our current economic condition when you’ve never owned or managed a restaurant before is doubly bold. Charlena (Cee) Calloway and Michael Daniels think they have what it takes to succeed with Stuffed on Vine, and I must agree with them.…
Biagio Lamassa [Biagio’s Bistro]
Anyone who’s spent much time in the Clifton area knows Biagio’s Bistro (308 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, 513-861-4777). Since opening in 1999, Biagio’s scooter — almost always parked in front of the restaurant — has become as much of a Ludlow Avenue fixture as the bistro itself. Owner Biagio Lamassa learned his trade working on a…
Old St. George Continues to Decay
B arricaded and continuing to rot away from weather’s abuse, the dilapidated remains of Old St. George Church still lie dormant after a four-alarm fire nearly destroyed the historic site more than three years ago. Clifton Heights Community Urban Redevelopment Corp. (CHCURC) has plans to begin repairs to the building in the next four to…
Catholic Church Tries to Deflect Blame
R ather than taking a good, long, hard look in the mirror, the U.S. Catholic Church is in a deep state of denial about the epidemic of child sexual abuse by its clergy. Rather than getting its own house in order, the church is desperately trying to affix responsibility outside of its hallowed halls. A…
May 25-31: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY MAY 25 They say you can take the boy out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the boy. And even though such cliches are best used for overlooking mistakes made by people who act like stereotypes (“I’m from Georgia and I’ll kick yer ass!”), today’s news of Nascar driver…
Eat Local: Farmers Market Edition
I buy asparagus at the grocery store fairly often, and I’ll generally chop it up and sauté it to throw in an omelet or in a tangle of veggies and pasta. Not too exciting. Last week, though, I stopped at the Farmer’s Market in Bellevue, Ky., and grabbed a little bundle of purpley-green spears from…
Stopping Stadium Subsidies
C iting a long-festering frustration with the “the lack of any progress or any meaningful discussion” with the Reds and Bengals on their spiraling demands for Hamilton County stadium subsidies, County Commissioner Todd Portune gathered a unique group of allies for a May 20 press conference outside a Court Street barbershop downtown. The group —…
City Gospel Mission and Symphony Orchestra
[WINNER] SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) hit a high note recently when it saw attendance at concerts soar for the 2010-11 season. Classical music lovers flocked to Music Hall in droves to hear the final concerts overseen by departing conductor Paavo Jarvi. Average attendance increased by 11.5 percent over the previous season, and…
Somewhere (Review)
Sofia Coppola’s first film since 2006’s underrated Marie Antoinette is laden with the writer/director’s now firmly established concerns: physically attractive (often young) people yearning, whether they know it or not, to connect and find some sort of deeper meaning in their privileged lives. Somewhere’s simple setup centers on Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff), a self-involved movie star suffering…
Nouveau Richey
Legend maintains that Robert Johnson gained his talent by trading his soul to the devil at the crossroads. That crossroad has become a powerful metaphor for the paths ahead and no one knows that better than Kelly Richey. The Blues singer/songwriter/guitarist arrived at that divergence in 2008. After a 25-year career, seven studio albums, five…
CAC Moves to Add Performance Curator
Photo: Baby Alpaca's Vodka Lemonade video premiere at the CAC. Photo by Scott Beseler Many people don’t realize that — as Raphaela Platow, Contemporary Arts Center’s director and chief curator, says — her institution has an “s” in its name. It’s “Arts,” not “Art.” That means the center is about more than just visual art;…
X-Men: First Class (Review)
“ B est. Comic Book Movie. Evah!” So my inner fangirl is screaming at the moment as she does a little happy Snoopy dance. “X-Men: First Class is totally awesome!” The cooler, more rational part of my brain is looking upon that inner fangirl with something like indulgent, affectionate pity: “Silly, girl, of course it’s…
An Awesome MidPoint Indie Summer Launch
This Friday, Fountain Square gets ready to rock with the first MidPoint Indie Summer Series concert of the season. The free, every-Friday shows run throughout the summer and feature an eclectic array of local and national touring talent. Music starts at 7 p.m. This year’s opening-night main act, You You’re Awesome, has earned its way…
Joey Versoza: Casual and Charged
J oey Versoza’s new solo exhibition, at West End’s Aisle gallery through June 24, is titled Do You Make Work? He answers his own question with just five pieces consisting of a number of digital prints, a projected video and two installations that make use of the gallery spaces and fixtures in conjunction with found…
Morning News and Stuff
While guest hosting for Fox’s Sean Hannity Rand Paul, defender of civil liberties, has called on people who attend Islamic gatherings “radical political speeches” to be jailed. “I’m not for profiling people on the color of their skin, or on their religion, but I would take into account where they’ve been traveling and perhaps, you…
