Morning News and Stuff
A man named Cornell Hood II was sentenced to life in prison by a Louisiana judge last Thursday despite never having been convicted of a violent crime. After already being convicted of marijuana possession three times, Hood was found guilty of having two pounds of pot in his house during a 2010 police search. Under…
MusicNOW (Day 1)
The MusicNOW festival has earned a reputation for being a fest unlike the rest thanks to The National guitarist Bryce Dessner’s ability to lure kindred artistic spirits to his annual hometown showcase of progressive Indie music. MusicNOW participants have been explorers of the avant-garde edge of Neo Chamber, Experimental, Indie music and many points prior,…
Art: Positively Ninety
“I laughed and cried — what a wonderful group of stories!” says a note in the exhibition comments book for Positively Ninety at the Sharonville Fine Arts Center, which run through May 21. Someone else writes, “A wonderful collection of interesting faces!” The faces belong to people who are 90 years old or more, going…
Comedy: Jim Florentine
"I would ruin (people’s) weddings on purpose because they were all uptight,” successful comedian Jim Florentine says of his days as a wedding DJ. “I would play Metallica while they were eating. I remember this one bride came up to me, she was like 300 pounds, and I was messing with the lights, turning them…
Comedy: Joe DeRosa
Joe DeRosa stumbled into comedy while performing music with a buddy. “We were trying to play some songs at the end of a music open mic,” he says. “The crowd was drunk and they weren’t listening.” DeRosa and his friend had downed a few as well and Joe started berating the crowd, finally getting them…
Events: Cincinnati Fashion Week
Celebrate local fashion culture during Cincinnati Fashion Week (CFW). The fashion extravaganza continues Wednesday with “Tea with Mary,” as international fashion guru Mary Baskett hosts an evening of Japanese style at the Cincinnati Art Museum. The event is a special exhibition featuring Mary's personal collection of haute couture. Thursday, global branding and design firm Landor…
Events: CincItalia
Pasta, meatballs and pizza — oh my! And I’m not talking about that week-old, not-quite-sure-if-that’s-edible junk from a sweaty man slingin’ pizzas for minimum wage. Friday evening kicks off the Cincinnati Italian Festival, which was started by a local church and turned into a bash even the nuns can’t turn down. Authentic Italian foods will…
MusicNOW (Day 2)
Though less thematic than Friday’s MusicNOW roster, Saturday’s lineup features an equally fascinating collection of artists covering even more musical ground. Owen Pallett is a Canadian musician better known as — yet another “one-person-band”! — Final Fantasy, the name he used for his first three solo albums. The classically-trained violinist’s music earned him a solid…
Onstage: Out of This World
With its “Musicals Redux” series, the musical theater program at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) annually resurrects a show that’s been largely forgotten. This year the production in the Cohen Family Studio Theater will be Cole Porter’s Out of This World. A free adaptation of the Roman comedy Amphitryon by Plautus, Out…
Events: Tea with Mary
Mary Baskett is a local treasure whose visionary tastes in avant garde fashion are celebrated far beyond of our city’s burgeoning fashion culture. As part of the second year of Cincinnati Fashion Week, the Cincinnati Art Museum is hosting Tea with Mary on Wednesday evening. The evening will begin with a reception at 6 p.m.,…
Two Gentlemen of Verona (Review)
Even William Shakespeare had to start somewhere. It’s generally believed that Two Gentlemen of Verona was his first script (it is, at least, the earliest one that has come down to us). But even the Bard’s byline doesn’t guarantee that that this early play is a comic gem. It has a few humorous moments, which…
Island Frydays (Review)
When I think about Short Vine in Corryville, an area I don’t often frequent anymore, it reminds me of visiting the head shops and going to music clubs like Bogart’s or Sudsy Malone’s before I was old enough to legally do any of those things. Then, for a young punk kid from the suburbs, it…
Remember the Nineties
“I laughed and cried — what a wonderful group of stories!” says a note in the exhibition comments book for Positively Ninety at the Sharonville Fine Arts Center, which runs through May 21. Someone else writes, “A wonderful collection of interesting faces!” The faces belong to people who are 90 years old or more, going…
Father and Son at the Anchor Grill
I got up early on a late April morning knowing it was my son’s birthday. He had the day off from work and would be picking me up after I got finished with my freelance job in Covington. We would be having lunch together. Getting ready for work, I thought back to that morning when…
Morning News and Stuff
Analysts say our soaring gas prices should see a drop of nearly 50 cents as early as June. Gas prices during the past month have risen 36 cents a gallon in Columbus, Ohio, to $4.10. But "it's just the nature of the business," says Fred Rozell, retail pricing director at the Oil Price Information Service.…
Community Theatre Shines in ‘Drowsy Chaperone’
I don't often write about community theater. It's really a matter of time and space; we have so much good theater here in Cincinnati and not so much space in CityBeat, so I have to make some choices. I also don't have enough time to catch every community theater production — trust me, there are…
CFW Profile: Laura Dawson
Fashion designer Laura Dawson makes her homecoming Monday as she shows her collection in Cincinnati Fashion Week (CFW) for the second year. A graduate of The University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP), Dawson went on to New York to work for Donna Karan, style/design for Moby, The Brazilian Girls, Yelle…
Morning News and Stuff
A Wisconsin radio station yesterday reported that the Democratic Party has found enough evidence of election fraud to disqualify all three of the petitions targeting Democratic senators. Thousands of examples of fraud, forgeries and deceit have been found, and Democratic Party of Wisconsin counsel Jeremy Levinson says his party has nearly 200 sworn statements from…
Friday Movie Roundup: Special-Effects Dude Edition
Versatile special-effects maestro Shane Mahan knows his summer blockbusters — he's worked with everyone from Steven Spielberg and James Cameron to Tim Burton and Jon Favreau. "They are the best communicators, and I think they’re also the best visionaries,” Mahan says. Mahan is something of a visionary himself. —-As one of the guys behind Legacy…
Driehaus Plans Budget Meeting
Fresh from a successful effort at stopping a budget amendment to block the replacement of a deteriorating Cincinnati bridge, State Rep. Denise Driehaus (D-31st District) will hold a town hall meeting to discuss the Ohio budget with constituents. Driehaus marshaled forces in the Ohio House this week after she noticed an amendment that affected the…
REVIEW: All Time Low at Bogart’s
Putting a tour together that includes three opening acts is a daunting challenge, but one All Time Low has risen to. When the popular Pop Punk band brought its tour to Cincinnati's Bogart's on April 30, all four bands on the bill definitely had their supporters, but the fans seemed to enjoy each of the…
Jumping the Broom (Review)
The first weekend in May, at what is now recognized as the beginning of the summer movie season, two wedding themed movies enter the box-office fray, and Jumping the Broom, despite not being based on a best-selling novel, appears to be the more ambitious of the two. Veteran television director Salim Akil helms this tricky…
OVO (Review)
When a performing arts organization achieves iconic status, it seems almost silly to attend a performance with the idea of writing a “review.” The whole premise of Cirque du Soleil — and each of its two dozen or so productions, including OVO, currently being presented at Old Coney, east of Cincinnati — is to offer…
Stage Door: ETC’s Tuneful Sliver Anniversary
So the weather finally seems to be turning to springtime and that seems to make people think of having a good time with a musical. There's quite an array of choices this weekend, from the just-opening community theater production of The Drowsy Chaperone (by Cincinnati Music Theatre at the Aronoff's Jarson-Kaplan Theatre) and the Showboat…
Ricky Nye’s Transatlantic Boogie Exchange
It was this time last year when local Boogie Woogie Blues pianist Ricky Nye brought his musical pals from France to the U.S. for a series of local/regional tour dates to promote Ville du Bois, the album they recorded during one of Nye’s frequents treks to Europe three years ago. Tonight at the Southgate House’s…
The Blind Cafe Hosts Dinners Today and Tomorrow
The Blind Cafe, a national sight awareness group, is hosting a dinner at the North Presbyterian Church in Northside tonight and tomorrow. The Blind Cafe dinners work to break the social barriers that blindness can inhibit on both the seen and unseen.—- Diners will be led by a blind waitstaff into a dining room that…
Dare You Enter ‘The Room’?
The Room — a low-budget indie melodrama about a love triangle between a “successful banker,” his “beautiful blonde fiance” and his “independent best friend” written, directed and starring aspiring filmmaker Tommy Wiseau — has been called everything from the worst film ever made to the Citizen Kane of bad movies. I've yet to experience it,…
CFW Profile: Jonathan Mezibov
Fashion designer Jonathan Mezibov grew up in Cincinnati and has since gone on to launch his own clothing line and website, featuring shirts that have appeared in GQ Japan and Vogue China Men. Mezibov returns to the Queen City this month for the second annual Cincinnati Fashion Week (CFW). —- Mezibov's handsome shirts are classic…
Foxy Shazam Play for New OTR Music/Arts Venue
The National isn’t the only gang of local-boys-done-good doing a hometown show next Sunday (May 16). As the Indie music darlings are conjuring moody, darkly hued atmospherics inside historic Music Hall for Sunday night’s MusicNow fest finale, the Rock & Roll acrobats of Warner Bros./Sire Records’ Foxy Shazam will be just a few blocks away…
25 the Musical (Review)
Critic's Pick Musicals are not Ensemble Theatre’s bread and butter. But after 25 years, ETC has produced enough to excerpt selections for a thoroughly entertaining evening celebrating the theater’s anniversary. Big name shows — the Tony-nominated Grey Gardens and Mack and Mabel as well as the twice-presented Rock show Hedwig and the Angry Inch —…
Lucinda Williams, The Majestic Silver Strings, Dropkick Murphys, Big Head Blues Club and Rival Schools
Lucinda Williams has traveled an eclectic path since her debut in the late ’70s, coming to prominence as the singer/songwriter who provided Mary Chapin Carpenter with one of her most recognized hits, “Passionate Kisses,” and ending up a bona fide Americana icon nearly a quarter century later. Along the way, Williams has racked up a…
I Am (Review)
Don't know who Tom Shadyac is? Let's allow the man to introduce himself — believe me, he isn't shy: "I made Jim Carrey talk out of his ass." As a writer and a director, Shadyac first unleashed Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and The Nutty Professor remake on the world; later he directed what could charitably…
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Review)
No film director thinks like Werner Herzog. No filmmaker editorializes with such fierce devotion to poetic subjective logic. Unintended humor comes with the territory. In recent years, this guiding light of modern German cinema has turned to documentaries to supplement his feature films. Anyone who has seen Grizzly Man can attest to that documentary's uniqueness.…
2011 MidPoint Indie Summer Series Announces Acts
The MidPoint Indie Summer Series returns to Fountain Square on Friday evenings June 3-Sept. 2. For the third consecutive year, MidPoint presents national, regional and local acts for free on downtown’s main public square, leading up to the big MidPoint Music Festival Sept. 22-24. The kickoff show June 3 features fun, lively local Electronica duo…
MoBo: Get Your Hands Dirty
Cincinnati's MoBo Bicycle Coop offers people a chance to learn serious bike maintenance in a friendly environment. Catch up with some members during the annual bike sale.
Something Borrowed (Review)
An adaptation of Emily Giffin's novel faces a fundamental problem: Can you create a sympathetic center for people doing a morally indefensible thing? Apparently the answer is “no.” The story follows wallflower 30-year-old attorney Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) as she begins an affair with Dex (Colin Egglesfield), the guy she's had a crush on since law…
Potiche (Review)
A lightweight confection, this French import from director Francois Ozon slides down easily even though it never truly satisfies. Adapted by the filmmaker from a play by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Grédy, Potiche never acquires any psychological depth or narrative flourish. The comedy is somewhat diagrammatic and forced, though the film’s delightful performances and brilliant…
Morning News and Stuff
President Barack Obama will visit Ground Zero later today, four days after Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. The BBC says the president will lay a wreath in memory of the September 11 victims and speak to the local relatives, but will not make a speech because his administration is very sensitive to…
Wussy, Magnolia Mountain Songwriters Unite
This month, the Southgate House’s “Artist in Residence” series features a special pairing of two of Greater Cincinnati’s finest songwriters. Chuck Cleaver, formerly of cult heroes The Ass Ponys and currently a driving force behind Wussy, is joining Mark Utley, leader of Americana band Magnolia Mountain, every Wednesday in May, offering a rare chance to…
Washburn’s PR Tour
The newly hired top editor at The Enquirer will be making several public appearances in coming weeks in an effort to become acquainted with the community. Carolyn K. Washburn, the newspaper's editor and vice president, will be speaking at events organized by Northern Kentucky University and the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area,…
Morning News and Stuff
The super top-secret mission carried out to kill Osama bin Laden Sunday was given the code name “Geronimo” because “Kill bin Laden” was already being used by Kathryn Bigelo. But the Onondaga Nation near Syracuse is just one of the American Indian tribes pissed that the military decided to use the name of one of…
A Wicked Weekend of Tunes
• Musical acts interested in being considered for a performance slot at this year’s 10th annual MidPoint Music Festival have one more chance to do so at a discounted rate Thursday. If you can get your entry in within Thursday’s 24 hours, MidPoint and partner Sonicbids are offering a one-time return to the cheaper “early-bird”…
Tens
When I drive through Mount Adams, there’s only one thing that comes to mind. I couldn’t tell you a thing about the bars, restaurants, real estate, shops or where to find parking, but, damn, I know the perch of that parking lot. “Shout it right now. You’re a 10, Hannah Mae McCartney. We’re not leaving…
Questions for a Guy Who Doesn’t Have a Car
CityBeat: Why don’t you have a car? Are you poor or something? Jeff Beyer: Well, I have more money than some, and less than many. However, the main reason I don’t have a car is not because of money. While I do save a lot of money on insurance payments and petro-dollars, I just really…
Noms for Moms
May is all about Mom! They both start with M, right? If you are a mom, then you can say May is “all about me!” Taking your mama out for a Mother’s Day meal is a common way to celebrate, but with so many options, it can be hard to choose. As always, I’m here…
Copper Blue (Review)
W hat’s the best way to take on the big restaurant chains? Learn, succeed and then beat ’em at their own game! That’s what they’re doing at the new Copper Blue (A Grub Shack) in Milford. Copper Blue goes up against all the casual chain restaurants in the area and comes out a winner. Co-owners…
Make Sure You’re Happy Enough, Or Else
Let me preface this column by stating unequivocally that I’m glad Osama bin Laden no longer poses any sort of threat. Although I would’ve preferred that the terrorist leader be captured alive and stand trial for his crimes, realistically that was unlikely. Reliable intelligence sources have said bin Laden had told his bodyguards to kill…
Riding Momentum
A nyone familiar with Cincinnati’s cycling infrastructure or, perhaps more importantly, the great lengths other cities go to provide safe and effective means for navigating the streets by bike knows that Cincinnati isn’t exactly what you would consider a cyclist’s dream. But our city during recent years has taken the initial steps toward becoming a…
Bike Month Events
TRAINING WHEELS Whether you don’t know beans about bikes (and believe us, there are still folks who think a Huffy is a decent ride) or you’re a seasoned people-powered commuter, MoBo Bicycle Cooperative is geared up to get you on track. It’s a ground-up cooperative network of gearheads and bike enthusiasts who collect old bikes…
Rabbit Hole (Review)
John Cameron Mitchell’s films explore lives struggling with the results of cataclysmic events both personal and external. His debut, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a screen adaptation of his hit, off-Broadway musical, finds a German transsexual bitter, lovelorn and lost in America after being dumped first by the American GI who brought her to America…
In a Better World (Review)
T he very first essay in contemporary (and highly controversial) philosopher Peter Singer’s collection Writings on an Ethical Life questions the authority of “Moral Experts,” and as a layperson, I was struck by what seems to be the fundamental idea at the heart of the piece, which first appeared in 1972. Singer figures that it…
Museum Center’s Underground Revenue Source
Let it not be said (as you might have heard or read) that the Cincinnati subway never hosted a paying customer. In fact, visits to the abandoned tunnels under Central Parkway intended for the never-completed system have become a nice, if underground, funding source for Cincinnati Museum Center’s education programs. Who said mass transit can’t…
From ‘Wonder Woman’ to Warhol
Just before our phone interview, Cincinnati-raised collector Douglas S. Cramer — who will be given the Cincinnati Art Museum’s second annual Cincinnati Art Award at a Thursday gala — was talking with Wonder Woman. Actually, it was actress Lynda Carter, who starred in Wonder Woman, the late-1970s hit TV series that Cramer produced. She was…
April 27-May 3: Worst Week Ever!
WEDNESDAY APRIL 27 It’s typically not a big deal to hop on a city bus in the morning, ask the bus driver if it’s going in the direction you think you left your car the night before and then enjoy the air-conditioned ride back to wherever you got wasted (Metro bus driver: “I ain’t mad…
Beat Assembly
When producer R.H. Valentino Sweeten, better known as “KontraX,” hosted the first Beat Lounge Beat Battle at Clifton Heights’ Baba Budan’s, he says he saw himself as a “people person” wanting to integrate local Hip Hop and not as a promoter. A relatively new concept for Cincinnati at the time (similar battles happen in Canada…
A Shot in the Dark
Laura Harrell remembers vividly the time she first met David “Bones” Hebert, the man who would become her close friend and, eventually, her roommate. It was nearly 14 years ago in Clifton Heights, when she visited friends at their Ohio Avenue apartment and Hebert lived in the small space below. “He really made an impression…
Cincy, Styled
An average day for Nathan Hurst can include anything from evaluating models at a casting call to meeting with international designers. If you’re picturing this fashion wonder-boy traipsing around New York City, you’re a bit off. Hurst works his fabulosity in the Queen City. At 23 years old, Hurst successfully produced the first Cincinnati Fashion…
Thor (Review)
I f you want to know how many reasons the makers of Thor have for not messing with the Marvel Comics movie formula, the answer is “3.3 billion.” That would be the cumulative North American box office in dollars for movies based on Marvel Universe characters since X-Men launched the current wave in 1999 —…
Alice Cooper, the NAACP and Forbes
[HOT] I’m Not There When people talk about the struggles of the concert industry (and many other show-business endeavors), they often blame the competition created by the growing amount of entertainment options available. What they mean is, people aren’t going out because they prefer the comforts of laying on the couch and watching TV, playing…
Mother Lode
“A mother (mom, mum, momma or mama) is a woman who has conceived, given birth to, or raised a child in the role of a parent. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother’s social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to define a mother to suit a universally accepted definition.”…
Aunt Flora [Aunt Flora’s House of Soul, Owner]
Aunt Flora of Aunt Flora’s House of Soul (7207 Montgomery Road, Silverton, 513-791-7437) is not only a CityBeat favorite but a bona fide celebrity. She (and her famous cobblers) have appeared on The Martha Stewart Show, and recently she was a contestant on Oprah Winfrey’s Search for America’s Next TV Star. While Aunt Flora didn’t…
It’s Bike Month!
Hi! Guess what? It's Bike Month! Queen City Bike and dozens of sponsors, activists and cycling enthusiasts have a crazy month planned — from group rides and events to classes and free stuff at designated biker locations all over town. We've got the month-long schedule covered in our Bike Month events calendar, an update on…
