Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog

• It'll look better later, we promise.

Update III: For all the death knells signaled for the Nashville Med Mart, the project down south is still alive for now, kind of like John C. Reilly sitting in an open grave brushing off the dirt being shoveled by Will Ferrell.

The group running the Nashville project announced last Friday that six new tenants had signed leases. They had previously said they'd need 60% of the space leased before final financing would be complete. After the six new tenants, the number's at 45%.

Via MedCity News:

Property developer Market Center Management Co. said it’s engaged a Nashville-area financial consultant “to advance final plans for the financing package and structure,” according to a statement.

[snip]

MMPI, the Chicago-based property developer behind the Cleveland project, reacted coolly to the Nashville announcement in an emailed statement. “While we can’t speak for their timetable or leasing strategy, we do monitor the Nashville project — and note that they have stated that they are still working on the leasing and financing before they can start construction,” said Jim Bennett, senior vice president with MMPI.

The Cleveland Med Mart is on target to open in August 2013. Nashville is aiming for 2014. The over/under on when both will close and be converted to greenhouses or indoor skateparks: September 2017. — Grzegorek

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Update II: More groundswell, unconfirmed for now, that the whole Nashville Med Mart project is nothing more than a Tupac hologram.

• Judge Joy Malek Oldfield

Update: Copley police have released a report on the arresting officer's account of the night he arrested a public defender on DUI charges after he found her and an Akron judge inebriated and in a "state of undress" in the backseat of a car.

Judge Joy Malek Oldfield's lawyer had contended the officer's report was fabricated and "politically motivated." Oldfield denied anything hinky was going on. The Copley report suggests otherwise.

Police Chief Michael Mier's report concludes the arresting officer detailed the incident accurately, and from his arrival on scene, made mention of the sexual nature of what he was seeing. Mier even released text messages sent between officers in Copley as corroborating evidence. They are as hilarious as you would guess.

Via the ABJ:

As other officers were responding, Ballinger texted “LMAO,” a common text abbreviation for “laughing my [expletive] off.”

“I just didn’t want you to fly down here,” he added. “2 females. … Not nice what I saw.”

Other officers then joined in the messaging. One wrote: “ohhhhhh eww” and “im sure those folks were just ‘talking.’ ”

“geeze, that’s disgusting,” another officer messaged. “I don’t even want to know … I thought somethin was up, [Ballinger] sounded odd lol.’’

“Yup, he usually doesn’t mess around on the radio. I figured it would be weirdness.”

A second officer, Patrolman Darrel Garner, arrived minutes later. His report stated that Ballinger said the women were “involved in a sexual encounter.”

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Down in Akron, a story is heating up over what might or might not have gone on one evening in early February when a newly appointed city judge was found by police inside the car of a lawyer assigned to her chambers.

The property records fiasco in Cuyahoga County — detailed for the health of everyone's funny bone in deposition testimony that featured a debate on the definition of "photocopy," and more extensively in Scene's cover story on the issue — has come to an end.

The Ohio Supreme Court ruled 7-0 today that Cuyahoga County must provide property records on CD for $1 for those who request them and can not charge hundreds of thousands of dollars ($2 a page) like they wanted to, according to Cleveland.com

So have at it, Cuyahogians. All the property and deed information you could ever want now costs $1. Make a request. Make 17 requests. Ask if they can use the extra storage space on the disc to make you a mix tape. Go nuts. The county just spent $55,000 in legal fees and they lost, so they're probably in a bad mood. Expect a lot of Dashboard Confessional.

What are you doing this weekend? It’s probably not as exciting as what the members of Cleveland heavy metal legends Shok Paris are doing. This Friday night, they will be headlining the first night of the two-day Up the Hammers VII festival in Athens — the Greek one, not the one in Southern Ohio where they prefer vintage Phish and Grateful Dead. Hide the ouzo!

Like many of their labelmates on Northeast Ohio-based Auburn Records, Shok Paris has played festivals in Germany. But this is the first time an Auburn band has played in Greece. Just in time for the festival, the band has released a digital single, “Those Eyes,” available through etailers like iTunes.

“We are releasing this new song as a special thank you to our Greek fans for supporting the band and my label all these years,” says Auburn Records president Bill Peters. “The song is dedicated to them. We rushed into the studio to finish it in time.”

“Those Eyes” is the first official release from the reconstituted band in 23 years — since their last full-length album Concrete Killers. It’s also a sneak preview of their upcoming fourth album “Full Metal Jacket,” due out on Auburn later this year. Also newly available in digital format is a version of “Battle Cry,” recorded at the Beachland Ballroom May 1, 2010. — Anastasia Pantsios

Adam Bostwick, former co-executive chef of Melange, has been hired as chef de cuisine of Hodge's, the soon-to-open restaurant operated by food truck pioneer Chris Hodgson and restaurateur Scott Kuhn.

"Adam is a young, driven chef and I've always been a fan of his food," says Hodgson. "When I found out what happened at Melange [when it closed], I wanted to be the first person to reach out to him to join the company."

In addition to his creativity with regards to both sweet and savory dishes, Bostwick will offer much needed help when it comes to kitchen management, adds Hodgson.

"He has a lot of back of the house management skills when it comes to ordering and running a large kitchen, as compared to my smaller truck style management."

Also on board is Will McNulty (brother to Sam), who leaves his post at Ohio City's Bonbon Cafe to join Hodge's as bar manager.

Hodge's is slated to open March 29, but will unofficially kick-off with a St. Patrick's Day bash on the patio. Both of Hodgson's trucks (Dim and Den Sum, Hodgepodge) will be serving grub.

More on Hodge's — including a sneak peak at the interior and menu — will be coming soon.

The restaurant is located at 6th and Euclid, in the former home of Zinc Bistro.

The Cedar Lee Theatre was all set to finally open the acclaimed late-2011 movie We Need to Talk About Kevin on March 9.

Then the Chardon tragedy happened, and the film — which is about a troubled boy who goes on a shooting spree at his high school — was pulled from the schedule.

Too bad, because Tilda Swinton's performance, as a mother trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life after her kid's killing rampage, is terrific (she was nominated for way too many awards to list here, including a Golden Globe).

And unfortunately it doesn't look like you'll have a chance to see the movie on the big screen in Cleveland.

A spokesman for Cleveland Cinemas says there's no new date “at this time,” which means you'll probably have to wait until May 29, when the movie comes out on home video, to see Swinton's great performance. —Michael Gallucci