“It’s the Carnage, Stupid”
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani man who was convicted of murdering 100 children was sentenced today. The judge ordered Javed Iqbal to be strangled, in a public park, in front of the children's parents. Following his execution, Iqbal will be cut into 100 pieces, which will then be put in acid. Additionally, the man…
Film: On and On and On With the Show
Sean Penn from Sweet and Lowdown The people who told you this was the toughest Oscar race in years weren't lying. There were more worthy candidates in 1999 than any I can remember. If the winners weren't the best, they were at least deserving. Luckily, I can always count on Hollywood politics to screw…
News: Vermont Takes First Steps to Legalize Same-Sex Unions
One house down, one senate to go. In mid-March, the Vermont House of Representatives voted 79-68 to pass House Bill 847, which, if passed by the Vermont Senate, will grant same-sex couples the right to a civil union with all the accompanying legal benefits that male/female couples have traditionally received. But the bill designates the…
Music: One Good Dose of Thunder
In a genre that often traffics in sonic and visual conformity, blond-and pink-haired singer Kelis is like the Dennis Rodman of R&B — brash, independent and alien — but too talented to ignore. Thankfully, she exhibits none of the self-destructive traits of Rodman, but she looks and sounds different than any of the other…
Those Were the Days!
I confess that the 10-year anniversary of the Mapplethorpe exhibit and trial in Cincinnati snuck up on me. Then I started getting calls for interviews and reflections on this bit of history which had become such a turning point in my own life as well as in the cultural climate and history of our city.…
Cover Story: Then and Now: Mapplethorpe CAC
Jon Hughes/photopresse.com Dennis Barrie faced the media when Cincinnati police entered the CAC on April 7, 1990 Ten years ago, Cincinnati police officers walked into the Contemporary Arts Center and presented CAC Director Dennis Barrie and board members with four indictments against Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Moment, which had opened to the public that…
The Dating
I've long been a fan of Marilyn Monroe movies and have several on video. One of my favorites is How to Marry a Millionaire. Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall play two ladies who rent an apartment and rearrange their lives to snag millionaire husbands. It's charming and funny and fantasy. Therefore, it is with a…
Women’s History, a Complex Issue, Still Worth Celebrating
In many ways, Women's History Month feels like a vindication, a public recognition that there are gaps in the historical record. Yes, women have histories as rich and complex as the more narrowly focused, male-centered histories traditionally written about in schoolbooks. I get excited about women's history month every March: the posters, the lectures, the…
Cover Story: Mapplethorpe and the CAC 10 Years Later
When the Robert Mapplethorpe retrospective exhibition opened at the Contemporary Arts Center on April 7, 1990, Charles Desmarais was director of the Laguna Art Museum in Laguna Beach, Calif. He says that, because of national coverage of the Mapplethorpe controversy here and Sen. Jesse Helms’ stepped-up campaign against the National Endowment for the Arts, the…
Babaloo
Babaloo Boston's Babaloo are certainly one of the more unique and worldly acts you'll find gracing a stage in Cincinnati, even at the wonderfully eclectic BarrelHouse. While impossible to exactly pinpoint their sound, the group like the term "Punk Mambo" (check their Web site at punkmambo.com). Hardcore Juju is the Babaloo's latest release and…
Diner: Treasured Favorite
Thank goodness old habits die hard. If not, we just might have seen major changes at Arnold's Bar & Grill when new owners took over a little more than a year ago. As the city's oldest tap house, Arnold's come-as-you-are attitude has helped it develop a loyal following of drinkers and diners. Its historic charm,…
