State Replaces Standardized Tests
The Ohio Graduation Tests will soon be no more. The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and Board of Regents have agreed to establish tougher tests with a focus on preparing students for college and beyond. Michael Sawyers, acting superintendent for ODE, praised the agreement in a statement: “This is a major step forward in our…
Shake It Issues Historic Cincy Blues Compilation
Shake It Records is getting in on Record Store Day's national "Black Friday" promotion, which, like regular ol' Record Store Day in April, means hundreds of brick-and-mortar record shops will be stocking hundreds of unique new releases by artists and labels big and small. As both a shop and a label, Northside's Shake It will…
CCM Grad’s ‘Stanley Steemer Variations’ Video Goes Viral
If you grew up in the Midwest you’ve probably heard the catchy jingle for “Stanley Steemer, the Carpet Cleaner.” But I bet you’ve never heard it sung operatically, or with some bebop or thrash. Now you can do that — all in one three-minute video featuring University of Cincinnati musical theater grad Mia Gentile, a…
The Ghosts of Movies Past
The last thing we need is another ho-hum list of holiday movie standbys. With that in mind, let’s instead shine a light on a batch of seasonal movies that rarely get notice as such and/or take on the subject at hand in a far different, often less overt manner. Bourbon-laced eggnog is optional but highly…
A Familiar Stranger
Mark Eitzel has had a rough couple of years. American Music Club (AMC), the critically adored, commercially undernourished San Francisco-based band Eitzel founded and had fronted since the mid 1980s, broke up (again, and probably for good this time). In May 2011, Eitzel suffered a heart attack; it took him five months to recover and…
Give and Get Back
Thinking about the season for giving, I can’t help but to start singing along to Newsong’s “The Christmas Shoes” and picture a young boy waiting in line to purchase a pair of shoes for his sick mother, only to receive help from a complete stranger. Is it too soon for Christmas songs? Warm 98 doesn’t think so. Even…
An Artisan Affair
How much do you want to impress your holiday party guests? Not much? Cool. Get the bag of chips and premixed dip, and you’re good to go. For those who aren’t the chips and dip type, there’s an easy way to wow your peeps this year. Take your fanciest tray or cutting board out of…
The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band with The Tillers
Since the Vans Warped Tour's inaugural bash in 1995, its stages have hosted oodles of Punk, Emo, Hardcore and Metal types — plus several outliers who have little to nothing to do with those styles. Eminem, Katy Perry, the Black Eyed Peas and Beck have all performed on the sunburn-inducing fest. Although they're not a…
Papadosio
There are definite stereotypes of so-called “Jam bands” and the unique subculture that forms around them. The “Jam band” term emerged in the ’90s as a way to describe the scene building around Phish and others acts who inherited The Grateful Dead’s “have van, will travel” cult. The stereotypes that developed around the same time…
Chris Isaak
There’s a case to be made that musicians often draw on their acting skills as performers and that actors channel their inner Rock star when working a crowd. Chris Isaak has totally blurred the line between those two constructs. The Roots Rock singer/songwriter has established himself as a musical icon over the past 27 years…
Cincinnati Unemployment Ticks Down to 6.8 Percent
The City of Cincinnati’s unemployment rate moved down a notch between September and October, from 6.9 percent to 6.8 percent, according to data from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services . Greater Cincinnati and Hamilton County followed suit; Greater Cincinnati dropped from 6.4 to 6.3 percent, and the county dropped from 6.4 to…
‘Tis the Season
How does that upbeat holiday tune go? “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”? If you’re a theater fan and a devotee of holiday cheer, that’s the song you’re humming. Local theater companies produce shows designed to provide audiences with seasonal fare, many (although not all) G-rated. Each hopes to catch your fancy at…
More Bad News for UC and the Big East
It’s becoming harder and harder to continue to be a fan of college sports and perhaps more difficult to follow the ever-changing landscape of the supposed amateur athletics. By the time this story hits the printing press, the Big East could be even smaller. Rutgers is flirting with the Big 10 in the conference’s continued…
Holiday Issue 2012
When we enter the grown-up world, there are quite a few aspects of life that lose a great bit of childlike mystique: visits to the dentist, overalls, Hostess products and, perhaps most glaringly, the holiday season. That which demarcates a picture-perfect holiday season for adults is really stressful. So stressful, in fact, that far too…
Metro Plan Brings Big Changes
Metro is nearing completion of its first comprehensive plan since the late 1990s and early 2000s. Throughout the year, the nonprofit, tax-funded transit company has worked on Way to Go, a plan with short-term and long-term goals meant to revamp lines for faster, wider-ranging travel. The plan came together with a lot of community feedback…
Planned Parenthood Defunding Bill Moves Forward
One week after the major Democratic victories of Election Day, Ohio’s Republican legislators Nov. 14 pushed HB 298, a bill that will keep federal funds from Planned Parenthood, through committee and into the Ohio House of Representatives floor. If the bill passes the Republican-controlled General Assembly and is signed by Gov. John Kasich, it will…
County Commissioners Delay Budget Vote
A vote on the 2013 Hamilton County budget is being delayed a week after Commissioner Todd Portune asked Board President Greg Hartmann at a Nov. 19 staff meeting to push back the vote to address funding to juvenile courts and the county’s plan for future financial stability. Hartmann, who earlier denied Portune’s request to issue…
Cincinnati vs. The World 11.21.2012
Oil giant BP agreed to pay $4.5 billion in for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill — the largest criminal penalty in U.S. history. WORLD -2 After responding to report that a thief had pilfered field trip funds from students at Sharpsburg Elementary, Norwood police officer Matthew Evans made a personal withdrawal at the ATM…
Worst Week Ever!: Nov. 14-19
WEDNESDAY NOV. 14 LA Fitness today became the latest to succumb to the Bermuda Triangle of Failed Business Ventures more commonly known as Kenwood Towne Place. The center has been half-built for a few years, caught up in bankruptcy proceedings and other problems which the finance consultants at CityBeat believe may or may not be…
Free Market Threatens Hostess
For a week, it was looking like Hostess, maker of Twinkies, Wonder Bread, Ding Dongs and Ho Hos, would shut down at the age of 82. The company was only saved by a judge’s demand for Hostess to mediate with striking workers. While those with a certain level of culinary taste had little to mourn,…
The Human Church and The State
The Saturday before Thanksgiving, I found myself sitting in meeting room at the Franciscan Friary across the street from the Over-the-Rhine Soup Kitchen. The board was gathering for its quarterly meeting and we kicked things off with a spirited discussion about the sometimes less-than-coordinated efforts of various community and religious groups to provide support to…
Low Prices, Low Wages
I f you’re planning on buying a flat-screen at Walmart this Black Friday, you might just witness a flash mob by fed-up Walmart employees who are calling for higher wages and greater respect for the 1.3 million associates that work in the U.S. The Organization United For Respect, also known as OUR Walmart or simply…
Six Ways to Fight the Fiscal Cliff with Holiday Spirit
With a combination of tax hikes and spending cuts known as the “fiscal cliff” on the horizon and a Congress that has been unwilling to meet under the mistletoe to decide how they will rear the 2013 New Year’s Budget-Baby, it seems that we as citizens need to provide our elected officials an example of…
Thanks
I was awakened by these sentences in the pre-dawn darkness of Sunday morning. Makes sense. It was our dear mother’s favorite time of day, her favorite day of the week. To quantify longing is an exercise in futility; however, in the seven years she’s been dead I think I miss her most during this time…
Morning News and Stuff
Plan Cincinnati is expected to be approved by City Council Wednesday, according to Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls. The plan was unanimously approved by the Livable Communities committee last night. Plan Cincinnati, which is Cincinnati’s first comprehensive plan in 30 years, emphasizes the city’s urban center through new infrastructure, transportation options and goals to make downtown…
Art: The Simple Portrait Project
When I think “family portrait,” I think of a cheesy ensemble of contrived, goofy-looking glossy 5×7’s shot in the back of a JC Penney store that will inevitably end up forgotten, stuffed away in a desk drawer. In my mind, that’s not something worth spending money on. Aside from providing beers or “something stiffer,” to…
Music: Patrick Sweany with the Kickaways
Northern Ohio singer/guitarist Patrick Sweany’s profile has risen considerably since he first started making stops in Greater Cincinnati nearly a decade ago, usually playing small acoustic shows in the area. While attention from the U.K. (courtesy of some high praise in the music press) and the U.S. (outside of his initial Midwest touring radius) has…
Event: Upcycling for the Holidays
Gift giving and receiving make the holidays an especially fun time, but the impact on our ecosystem from wrapping and packaging can be detrimental if we’re not conscious of the way we do so. Imago hosts an upcycling event just in time to make last-minute homemade gifts for the holidays for all you earth-friendly folks.…
Event: Bazaar in OTR
Last year, more than one million people came together to shop small in their communities on Small Business Saturday. Celebrated every year between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday is dedicated to supporting small businesses nationwide. Hit the snooze button to sleep in on Black Friday this year and celebrate Small Business Saturday…
Event: Loud Loud Light
Cincinnati’s ever expanding arts and music scene is thrilled to present Loud Loud Light, an integrated and charity-based visual arts event. Loud Loud Light is a collaborative effort between various NYC and local Cincinnati artists. Its objective is to forward and expand the awareness of conceptual-based art in its many forms, ranging from sculpture, video…
Event: PNC Festival of Lights
The 30th anniversary of one of Cincinnati’s most ubiquitous holiday traditions is upon us; the zoo’s almost two million LED lights line a series of festive strolls through the themed areas of the zoo, including Fairyland and Candy Cane Forest. Also check out a brand new make-your-own s’mores station, a North Polar Express Train Ride…
Event: All Black Everything Party
DJ-turned-designer and partier extraordinaire Floyd Johnson (subject of “Floyd Johnson Against the World,” CityBeat cover story issue of Nov. 14) hosts a celebration of all black everything in tandem with his hip locavore brand, Ohio Against the World. Wear all black attire and BYOB for a soiree with Cincy swagger. 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday, Nov.…
Comedy: Rodney Perry
“I’m less of a writer and more of a reporter,” says comedian Rodney Perry. “I kind of report my life and what I see. What you see from me on stage is the world as seen through my eyes.” That view is essentially of a husband and father, though his material isn’t strictly limited to…
Onstage: Savage in Limbo
Virginal, angry Denise Savage finds herself at a Bronx bar, surrounded by a clutch of losers. Some of them believe they have freedom at the bottom, while others know they’re still alone. And they’re all thinking that something new and exciting will happen tonight. John Patrick Shanley (they guy behind the screenplay for Moonstruck and…
Art: Doug and Mike Starn, Gravity of Light
With holidays looming and the practical issues of money, time and family that inevitably come with it, a reminder of our eternal insignificance might do everyone some good — particularly on Thanksgiving Eve. Do yourselves and your grumpy uncle a favor and bring the family to Holy Cross Church at the Mount Adams Monastery for…
Retreat Back ‘In The Closet’ This Black Friday
The year was 2005 and America was in need of change. With airwaves being dominated by the likes of Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson and 50 Cent, the public sought a new kind of musical offering that truly represented the cultural climate — a “Hip Hopera” penned by an artist known by the masses as both…
Commercial Greats Collide at Cincinnati Art Museum
If Henri Toulouse-Lautrec and Herb Ritts could have a drink together, they’d find so much to talk about that the drinks might just keep coming. The Cincinnati Art Museum’s total collection of Toulouse-Lautrec prints (43) and posters (eight) fill niches at right and left of the Great Hall balcony entrance to Herb Ritts: L.A. Style,…
The Missing Hitch in ‘Hitchcock’
As I waited for the advance screening of Hitchcock, from director Sacha Gervasi (writer of The Terminal and director of Anvil: The Story of Anvil), I ended up chatting with a fellow writer who also happens to be a stand-up comic, and he pitched an alternative take on Alfred Hitchcock, musing about the story of…
Bruce
Less than a year ago, word began circulating of a new “definitive” biography of Rock and Roll icon Bruce Springsteen. These rumors were like manna from heaven for frustrated Springsteen fans, who have been waiting for decades for this kind of biography. And who could blame them? For almost four decades there have been more…
May We Be Forgiven
Pity poor Harold Silver, the loveable protagonist in A.M. Homes’ latest and perhaps finest novel, May We Be Forgiven. Set over the course of one nightmarish year, from one disastrous family Thanksgiving to the next year’s “remains of the day,” Homes has cooked up the blackest of comedies. It is a nakedly honest look at…
An Earnest Response to a Classic Comedy
When Oscar Wilde wrote The Importance of Being Earnest back in 1895, he subtitled it “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People.” That’s an apt description for a show still produced with frequency 117 years later — and as funny as ever. It’s about two guys who create imaginary friends (one named Ernest, the other named…
A Very Findlay Holiday
Aren’t you glad you don’t live in the days when “sugarplums” were a big Christmas treat? What is a sugarplum, anyway? I have no idea. I’m looking forward to some old-fashioned goodies, but I’m making my list and checking to be sure it’s all local and all delicious. Pretty much everything included in this list…
Queen Of Sweets
The winner of CityBeat’s 2012 Sugar Rush event was none other than Aunt Flora (Katrina Mincy) of the now closed Aunt Flora’s House of Soul and the newly opened The Cobbleria downtown. After winning everyone over with her peach cobbler, Flora isn’t retiring the rolling pin anytime soon. In her latest venture, Flora acquired three…
Radio King Cowboys Show Off New ‘Chaps’
Area drummer Greg Schramm has played drums with some of the best Americana/Roots acts in Greater Cincinnati, formerly with Magnolia Mountain and Stardevils and currently with The Sidecars and The Tammy WhyNots. But last year, like Phil Collins and Dave Grohl before him, Schramm proved himself to be more than “just” a beat-keeper. Greetings From…
Diamond In The Rough
I f the historic Emery Theatre had a voice, it was a distant echo ricocheting off of boarded-up buildings and dissolving into the background, unheard by Cincinnati for the nine years its doors were closed. Lately, however, the Emery is a murmur growing louder among art enthusiasts, spreading its message: The doors are open, and…
A Wintry Mix
EVENTS A Pirate’s Christmas Tale: Join BB Riverboats for their Christmas twist of the “Pirates of the Ohio” cruise this holiday season. Round up your children and enjoy the cruise with plenty of reindeer games, holiday treats and Old Saint Nick himself. Adult tickets are $18, seniors: $15.50, children: $14. 2:30-4:30 p.m. Dec 1, 8,…
Homemade Drugs Are A Crime
Fuck. Here we go again. I’m left deposited in the middle of some factories responsible for making commodities of some sort. Factories are enemies of the state. Enemies of my state of mind. I was taken, without blindfold, to the practice space for Cincinnati’s newest reason for me to stay excited, Homemade Drugs, located…
County Commissioners Delay Budget Vote
A vote on the 2013 Hamilton County budget is being delayed a week at the request of the sole Democrat on the Board of County Commissioners. Commissioner Todd Portune asked Board President Greg Hartmann at a Monday staff meeting to push back the vote a week to address funding to juvenile courts and the county’s…
Review: The Newbees’ ‘Modern Vintage’
Early last month, local Pop/Rock masters The Newbees were scheduled to present a release party for their fourth long-player, Modern Vintage. The show was to be the second ever at the eagerly-anticipated Southgate House Revival, but the Newport club had some safety code issues and had to delay its opening at the last minute. Better…
Morning News and Stuff
City Council’s Livable Communities committee is expected to hear about and likely vote tonight on the city’s first master plan in more than 30 years. The plan, which CityBeat previously covered , seeks a renewed emphasis on Cincinnati’s urban core through new infrastructure and transportation options. It was put together largely based on public feedback.…
Your Weekend To Do List: 11/16-11/18
Everyone loves a good surprise party. What’s better than an unexpected night of fun with friends? How about supporting an importance local arts organization in the process? Friday’s Secret ArtWorks event offers an exciting twist on fundraisers as each attendee will walk away with a piece of original artwork. The catch: guests will not know…
Kasich Says No to State-Managed Health Exchanges
Gov. John Kasich is refusing to work with Obamacare. In a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the governor today declined to have the state government run its health insurance exchange. With the move, the federal government will be put in charge of managing Ohio’s exchange. Exchanges are subsidized, heavily regulated…
Metro Plan Brings Big Changes
Metro is nearing completion of its new comprehensive transit plan. Throughout the year, the nonprofit, tax-funded transit company has worked on Way to Go, a plan with short-term and long-term goals meant to revamp lines for faster, wider-ranging travel. The plan, which is the first comprehensive plan since the late 1990s and early 2000s, has…
Music Tonight: JEFF the Brotherhood, Paleface and More
• A killer triple bill at Bogart's in Corryville tonight features three of the more kick-ass bands from the new breed of Rock & Roll buzz bands. Known for their explosive live shows and shimmery, energized Indie Rock style, San Diego-spawned/Brooklyn-based Delta Spirit headlines, supporting its self-titled breakthrough release from earlier this year. Endearing and…
Stage Door: Thanksgiving Edition
The weekends around Thanksgiving tend to offer fewer theater opportunities than most since lots of companies are readying holiday productions that open near the end of the month. (In fact, from Nov. 28 to 30, eight shows will open!) But that doesn't mean you should look elsewhere for entertainment. First and foremost is Street Scene…
Morning News and Stuff
Cincinnati may have a deficit estimated to be between $34 million and $40 million, but that didn't stop City Council from voting 6-2 Thursday to approve a $23,000 raise and one-time $35,000 bonus for City Manager Milton Dohoney , the highest-paid city employee. The raise brings his salary up from $232,000 to $255,000. Council members…
Review: LIGHTS at 20th Century Theatre
Over the summer, a video turned up on YouTube of Canadian chanteuse LIGHTS doing an acoustic cover of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” for Britain’s Secret TV. While her bubbly personality was evident, she did look tired and her voice was not at its usual strength. Fans wondered if the rigors…
Council Approves Raise, Bonus for City Manager
City Council took a contentious vote on Thursday to give the city manager a pay raise and a bonus. Those in favor of the 10 percent raise and $35,000 bonus for Milton Dohoney say he is underpaid, has done a great job for the city and has gone five years without a merit raise. Those…
Ohio Income Inequality Growing
Occupy Wall Street may have been onto something. A new report from left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) found Ohio’s income gap — the income difference between the rich and poor — is wide and growing. Since the 1970s, the poorest 20 percent saw no change in real income, the middle 20 percent…
Music Tonight: Earth, Iris Dement and More
• Instrumental Avant Metal veterans Earth bring their adventurous, spontaneous Dronecore to downtown tonight for a hypnosis session at the Ballroom at the Taft Theatre. Showtime is 8:30 pm. Stebmo, Earth collaborator and progressive Jazz pianist/multi-instrumentalist/composer Steve Moore, and psychedelic, noisy Doom duo Eagle Twin open the show. Tickets are $15. Guitarist Dylan Carlson gave…
Anna Louise Inn Wins Another Zoning Appeal
The Anna Louise Inn today won another case in front of the Cincinnati Zoning Board of Appeals. The ruling upheld a Historic Conservation Board decision that gave Cincinnati Union Bethel, which owns the inn, a conditional use permit that will allow the social service agency to carry on with a planned $13 million renovation. Western…
OTR’s Collective Espresso to Open Soon
They have been talking about it since they were 15 years old. Now, about 15 years later, all it took was an evening stroll through some back alleys on the way to The Famous Neons Unplugged in Over-the-Rhine to stumble across the perfect spot for their new start-up, Collective Espresso. Owners Dave Hart and Dustin Miller had always dreamed of…
Review: Ill Poetic’s Synesthesia: The Yellow Movement
I’m not going to pretend I knew what synesthesia meant before listening to former Cincinnati/current Columbus-based Hip Hop artist Ill Poetic’s latest release, Synesthesia: The Yellow Movement. But after diving into the seven-song EP (and looking up the title on dictionary.com), I discovered that synesthesia is something like a music-induced hallucination where the afflicted see…
Morning News and Stuff
It’s official: Cincinnati’s budget proposal will arrive Nov. 26. The budget will seek to close a deficit estimated to be between $34 million and $40 million. Part of the budget plan was revealed when the city manager’s office suggested privatizing parking. Despite the deficit the city is facing, City Council pushed forward a $21,000 raise…
Planned Parenthood Defunding Bill Moves Forward
One week after the major Democratic victories of Election Day, Ohio’s Republican legislators are pushing HB 298, a bill that will keep federal funds from Planned Parenthood. In a Health and Aging Committee hearing at today, Ohio Republicans voted to push the bill through committee and into the Ohio House of Representatives floor. If the…
U Square Worker Payment Investigation Continues
A City Council committee wants Cincinnati’s leadership to investigate whether workers in a Clifton Heights development project are being paid what they’re supposed to. The Strategic Growth Committee on Wednesday passed a motion asking the city administration to report back on wage payments to workers on the U Square development. The project includes a parking…
I Just Can’t Get Enough
At the risk of inducing widespread PTSD flashbacks, I invite everyone to recall 2011’s Internet Public Enemy No. 1, Rebecca Black. The teen, who is probably a decent human undeserving of worldwide hatred, assaulted eardrums on a massive scale with her music video gone viral, “Friday.” The worst realization to come out of Friday-gate wasn’t…
Music Tonight: Dope Body, Lights and More
• Baltimore Noise Punk foursome Dope Body introduced itself to the Indie Rock world with the donkey punch that was last year’s Nupping, the band’s first full-length. The group returned this year with the Natural History album on Drag City, on which a chaotic barrage of guitar harmonics, muscular drum/bass pummeling and howling vocals combine…
Floyd Johnson Against the World
It’s a timeworn story: creative type grows up in a small town with few professional opportunities and feels compelled to leave such humble beginnings for the big city. But instead of the usual ending for local designer/businessman Floyd Johnson, whereby our protagonist flees for greener pastures, Johnson has instead created his own avenues for creative…
Bengals Overcome Blackout Blues
If a win isn’t televised, does it make a sound? Perhaps not, but coupled with a breather of a stretch, a couple of wins for the Bengals could at least return the team to TV in Cincinnati soon. The Bengals put together their best performance in years on Nov. 11, dominating the defending Super Bowl…
Costly Stones, Down With Brown and INXS Resigns
HOT You Can’t Always Pay What You Want The Rolling Stones seem to have a problem similar to Mitt Romney’s inability to connect with everyday people who don’t have car elevators in their mansions. Upon hearing ticket prices for the band’s 50th anniversary concerts (which sold out immediately), some fans were outraged — “cheap seats”…
Fox 19 Apologizes for Macke Calling Rachel Maddow a Boy
Fox 19 on Nov. 9 apologized for an ignorant comment made by news anchor Tricia Macke on her personal Facebook page last month. Macke’s comment, “Rachel Maddow is such an angry young man,” sparked outrage among gay-rights organizations for its depiction of MSNBC’s openly gay broadcaster as male. According to screen shots published by the…
Appeals Court: City May Reduce Retiree Healthcare Benefits
A state appeals court Nov. 7 rejected a lawsuit filed by city of Cincinnati retirees who claimed promised healthcare benefits were illegally reduced in 2010. Before the cuts, retirees did not have to pay-out-of-pocket expenses and deductions for prescriptions and medical care. The city shifted some costs of the pension health package to the ex-workers…
Report: Ohio’s Jobless Face Continued Uncertainty
It was only one day after President Barack Obama’s re-election, and some groups were already demanding action. In a Nov. 7 report by left-leaning Policy Matters Ohio, the group said the expiration of federal unemployment benefits could leave Ohio’s jobless stranded. “If Congress doesn’t renew federal benefits, the impact in Ohio will be immediate and…
Cincinnati vs. The World 11.14.2012
An Oklahoma cop thought it fit to ticket the mother of Dillan, a 3-year-old in the process of potty-training, for $2,500 after he had an urge to go and peed in his family’s own front yard. WORLD -1 Warren County Tea Partiers mourned the “loss of our country” following President Obama’s re-election by wearing all…
Curmudgeon Notes 11.14.2012
• Monday’s Enquirer carries a sanitized obit for Larry Beaupre, the fine, aggressive Enquirer editor whose career was destroyed by a trusted reporter during the Chiquita scandal. Larry’s genius was motivating his staff to take chances and go the extra step. No one wanted to admit not making the last phone call to check…
Ohio Republicans Continue Anti-Abortion Agenda
Here they go again. With recent appointments and renewed legislation, Ohio Republicans are once again taking aim at women’s health rights. Gov. John Kasich recently appointed two anti-abortion advocates, a new version of the heartbeat bill is set to appear in the Ohio legislature and a bill that will defund Planned Parenthood is getting renewed…
Gimme Shelter
C incinnati City Council on Nov. 7 took a step toward moving two homeless shelters out of the Washington Park area, but not all council members or homeless advocates are sure that is the right move. All but one council member voted to approve the application of a $37 million federal loan, $7 million of…
Mr. Dibbs Salutes Skandal Da Ruckus Man
One of the biggest names in Cincinnati Hip Hop, DJ/producer Mr. Dibbs , recently released a tribute EP in honor of late fellow local Hip Hop giant Skandal Da Ruckus Man . Skandal passed away last month after a battle with leukemia, leaving behind a legion of friends, fans, students and family, including his daughter.…
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
Stephanie Meyer’s epic teen saga of true love among humans, vampires and werewolves reaches its conclusion in this second part of Breaking Dawn. Alliances are formed among the scattered vampire clans and even their sworn enemies (the shirtless werewolves in heat), all in defense of the half-breed child of swoony vampire heartthrob Edward (Robert Pattinson)…
‘Heart’ Core
When Miss May I frontman Levi Benton relocated from his home in Troy, Ohio, to Cincinnati earlier this year, he fully expected that people might recognize him on the street. After all, his Metalcore quintet has been the recipient of some potent buzz recently, including a cover feature in Alternative Press, a headlining slot on…
The Future and Past of Truth
The hangover from lies, misinformation and disinformation in the presidential campaign will continue to challenge our understanding of truth. As never before, the 2012 campaigns left me wondering if truth has been replaced by “truthiness” and whether we live in a “post-truth” era where journalists are expected to report untrue assertions by candidates and their…
MTV’s ‘Catfish’ More of a Catch and Release
I could lament the lack of actual music played on Music Television, but I grew up with Daria, True Life and (when my parents were asleep) Undressed in addition to the music-laden programming of the channel. Today, what dominates the MTV airwaves can best be summed up as grotesque reality shows even a guilty pleasure-watcher…
Morning News and Stuff
Abortion-rights supporters pushed against a bill that will kill some funds for Planned Parenthood in Ohio yesterday. The bill would shift $2 million in federal funds, which legally can’t be used for abortions, from Planned Parenthood to other family services. An Ohio House committee will hold hearings and possibly vote on the bill later today.…
Lincoln: The Sentimental Man and The Icon
Right off the bat in Lincoln, director Steven Spielberg gives us one of his signature moments, a framing device in the story that is supposed to be based on historic facts that smacks of pure invention and threatens to derail our investment in, not just the individual moment, but the film as a whole. Here,…
Worst Week Ever!: Nov. 7-13
WEDNESDAY NOV. 7 Many of us already know the day the music died because there is a song about it. Although there isn’t anyone singing about a Chevy or a levee or a whiskey and rye, the Warren County Tea Party wants to make sure everyone understands that America’s dirt nap has begun. In an…
Stand-Up Veteran Proves Clean Comedy Works
For stand-up comedy fans, few comics are as popular as Brian Regan. Like Jim Gaffigan, Mike Birbiglia and Louis C.K., Regan has built a large and loyal fan base without having been on a sitcom or starring in a hit movie. Now he has a career many comics would love. “I wish I could take…
On Living Alone: Nine Kooky Realities
While living situations in our twenties are often characterized by constant human interaction — the lottery roommate you got stuck with your freshman year of undergrad, living with your three best bros in a sweet off-campus apartment, moving in with a first love — there comes a time when circumstance or the yearn for independence…
Discount Stores Offer More (and Less) Than You Bargain For
In my neighborhood, we don’t have chain grocery stores. The main supermarket is a former IGA that was bought and converted into a store with limited options, high prices and, apparently, no janitorial services. But they have a liquor store and sell lottery tickets, so they’ll be all right. Within the same block of that…
What Needs to Be Done Before FotoFocus ’14
I hope the inaugural FotoFocus, which has formally concluded although related exhibits still are up around town, was successful by the standards of its organizers, and that they are eager to plan for the next one in 2014. Clearly, FotoFocus increased public awareness of photography and lens-based interest. But did that translate into enough attendance…
…And Never the Twain Shall Meet
Asking the beautiful, shiny revelers occupying the part of Vine Street comprising Gateway Quarter to recall and meditate on the April 2001 riots, curfews and economic boycotts that erupted after then-police officer Stephen Roach shot and killed Timothy Thomas on Republic Street is impossible. And particularly improbable in a non-anniversary/off year when exact dates make…
