Dennis Kucinich: The Official Candidate of Pizza Hut
Congressman Dennis Kucinich may lack any real political endorsements. But when it came time for Pizza Hut to pick the best presidential candidate to appear in its new commercial, there was never any question. The ad splices together soundbites from the different candidates. When the announcer says, “Are people seeing lower prices now?” the commercial…
More Indictments for the Fine Employees at Rysar Properties
Last year, we introduced you to some of the upstanding employees at Rysar Properties. As the biggest home builder in Cleveland, the company liked to brag about its stellar team. But at least two of those team members, Vince Ruggieri and Ed Tekieli, had admitted to being involved in a scheme to defraud the feds…
Reader: Finally Putting an End to Nelson Cintron’s Vendetta
On December 18, the voters of Ward 14 clearly and convincingly showed their good judgment (with 60% of the vote) in rejecting the recall of Councilman Joe Santiago. This wholly unnecessary election was the result of one disgruntled former office holder. It cost the voters of Cleveland some $47,000, or about $40 for each vote…
Vince’s Friday Sports Roundup
Browns Those rumors about Romeo Crennel going to the Dolphins just won’t die. ProFootballTalk.com first reported that Bill Parcells has Romeo on the top of his head coach wish list to replace the soon-to-be-fired Cam Cameron. Of course, Romeo is under contract and can’t leave willy nilly without the Browns’ permission. And if they did…
Money Where Your Mouth Is: Lifted
The Music Department hasn’t been heard from since Scene’s raucous Christmas party at Chuck E. Cheese’s. So we’ll let Michigan’s Lifted explain why you need to see the modern-rock band. Band: Lifted Hometown: Flint/Lansing, MI Sounds like: “Hard rock/metal with melodic vocals.” Recommend for fans of: “Breaking Benjamin/Chevelle/Tool.” Fun fact: “We are all a family…
O’Brien Factor: Kevin Discovers that Politicians May Be Shameless (We Think)
We read Kevin O’Brien so you don’t have to … Column: Candidates’ Christmas ads, brought to you by elves and. . . saboteurs? December 26, 2007 Topic: The presidential candidates’ Christmas commercials airing in Iowa and New Hampshire. Kevin’s Sanity Level Today: 4 percent What Your Head Would Feel Like if You Read it Yourself:…
Gasp! Reporters Reveal More Swearing in Attorney General’s Office
Ever since TV cameras in Youngstown caught Marc Dann telling a newspaper reporter to “go f*%k himself” last summer, the media has had a strange obsession with the Ohio Attorney General. It’s hard blame them. Considering most politicians speak as passionately as the guy who writes instruction manuals for Maytag – see the current roster…
The Misadventures of Marco Sommerville, Take 2
Ever since Akron City Council President Marco Sommerville got busted for carrying a loaded gun into Akron-Canton Airport, he’s desperately been trying to divert residents’ attention. Just a week after his misdemeanor conviction, Sommerville called for the resignation of Police Chief Michael Matulavich, a 40-year veteran named chief in 2000. Unfortunately, Sommerville came up a…
Latest Poll: Dennis Kucinich Holds Commanding Lead Among Yoga Enthusiasts!
It’s official: If no one votes in the 2008 Democratic primary — except for a women’s yoga circle in Rocky River and a support group for users of store-bought inhalants — Congressman Dennis Kucinich would be a lock to win his party’s nomination, according to a slightly unscientific poll released by his campaign. Of the…
Reader: It Just Ain’t the Same Without the Gangbangers Around
A letter in response to “The Crackdown: A massive drug bust didn’t stop the violence in Superior-St. Clair,” June 13: I feel that the neighborhood has calmed down a lot. I stay on East 74th in St.Clair and I went to school with most of the 7-All boys. I’m just happy to say that the…
Radiohead’s Free New Year’s Eve Webcast
Radiohead ? Blue GlobeUploaded by wiredset We’re not sure what we’re doing New Year’s Eve (OK, we do know: We’re gonna be drinking lots and lots of booze, which will eventually lead to a pretty-close-to-naked rendition of “Umbrella” near midnight). But if we didn’t have plans, we’d definitely be tuning in to Radiohead’s New Year’s…
For Fear of Roses Reunion Tonight
Akron’s For Fear of Roses will play a reunion set Thursday, December 27 at Annabell’s (784 W. Market St., Akron. The alt-rock band played its first show at the bar in 1985, became pawns in a major-label bidding war, remained unsigned, opened for bands from 10,000 Maniacs to the Soup Dragons, and broke up in…
Arrest Warrant Issued for Yung Joc on Gun Charges, Crimes Against Originality
Early Sunday morning, rapper Yung Joc got caught with a loaded semi-automatic weapon and more than a few rounds of ammunition at a security check at Hopkins airport (some of which were supposedly armor piercing, according to this story from ohio.com). Joc was promptly arrested. Of course, like any good rap artist, Joc proclaimed his…
Just 10 Cents a Day Can Change a Child’s Life
A Simple Gift on FunnyOrDie.com Not really. But this skit, brought to you by FunnyOrDie.com may cause you to reconsider sponsoring a child in Africa this year.
Politician Behaves like Gentleman; Apocalypse Soon to Follow
A peculiar thing happened in Hunting Valley’s recent council election. First, there was actual competition in the wealthy ‘burb, where it’s often hard just to scrape up enough people to fill all six seats. But this year the pool was plentiful, and two incumbents — Mary Weber and Williams O’Neill, Jr. — tied in one…
Hot Stove League: Why Bud Selig Must Go
In today’s Plain Dealer, Mark Gillispie provides perhaps the best conclusion to the Mitchell Report on steroids in baseball: Commissioner Bud Selig must go. It’s little doubt that the major leagues are the Wal-Mart of the sporting world, the bumbling entity that still manages to make piles of money despite breathtaking mismanagement. But while the…
Free Music from Mick Boogie, Busta Rhymes, Young Chris, and Marvin Gaye
Christmas and Haunukkah are over, Kwanzaa is here, and Festivus is probably over, but Scene still has gifts for you. Or, more specifically, Mick Boogie has free music for you. Visit MickBoogie.com for two hot new mixes, all available as .zip downloads that unfold into mp3 files. Boogie, unofficial captain of the League Crew mixologist…
The Twelve Days of Holidays, Part XII: A Merry F*%#in’ Christmas
Denis Leary may put on a cynical facade for his stand-up act, but deep undernearth, he really has a warm spring of hatred and loathing. His incredibly catchy “Merry F*%#in’ Christmas” sounds a lot like a mid-60s modern classic from an animated TV show (and has a video to match) — except for all the…
Tonight We’re Gonna Party Like It’s Beachwood 1997
After years of dormancy, two Jewish singles decided it was time the Matza Ball was reintroduced to Cleveland. The annual party, which takes place on Christmas Eve in more than 15 cities around the country, was started 20 years ago by a Boston guy who was feeling depressingly single and tired of watching It’s A…
Bad Blood
It was only a couple of years ago that the horror genre seemed newly resurgent, like an undead killer digging himself out of the grave. “Fresh-faced” directors like Eli Roth, Rob Zombie, Darren Lynn Bousman, and James Wan — “The Splat Pack,” they were dubbed — seemed poised to take terror to the masses in…
Screw the Critics
The holidays are all about hanging with family, savoring those last bottles of Christmas Ale, and Top 10 lists. But while Scene is all down with long-lost uncles — especially after a few of those Christmas Ales — we’re all tapped out on Top 10s. So we asked some famous people to do our work…
Big Easy Does It
Rahn Ramey has been a busy dude in front of his TV and on the phone lately. Every time the comic turns on the tube or talks to a family member, he’s overloaded with new jokes for the upcoming election year. “You know it’s bad when a chick that gives cooking tips — Oprah —…
Less Talk, More Docs
An acquaintance who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq says he has no use for documentaries about the bungling of the War on Terror. He won’t see a single one of the movies made about the Bush administration’s rush to drop bombs over Baghdad; he has no use for No End in Sight or Ghosts of…
Pablo Español?
In The Mystery of Picasso, Pablo’s BFF, director Henri-Georges Clouzot, captures the essence of an artistic genius in a moment of inspiration, an experience/event/occurrence that he wanted to bring to a wider audience. But it’s one thing to see a Picasso work hanging in a museum; it’s entirely another to see how it was made.Using…
Falwell, but Not Far
“Jesus for Sale,” October 31 Jerry put his foot in his mouth, not your money in his pocket: These types of exposés are long overdue. The scamming of people in the name of God is still going on. However, I didn’t like you putting Jerry Falwell in that crowd. True, he has raised a lot…
Losing His Religion
To help ring in the New Year tonight — and the onslaught of college-football games this week — Illinois comedian Tim Cavanagh will regale his audiences with tales from the gridiron during two shows in Cuyahoga Falls. For starters, he’ll recap the Army-Navy rivalry. “They play that game every year on land,” says Cavanagh. “That’s…
Calling for a Cab
Six bucks on New Year’s Eve may net you a well drink and a late-night pack of smokes while you wait for a cab in the cold. But that kind of cash will score you a spot at Viking Vineyards’ alternative to tomorrow night’s madness: today’s New Year’s Eve Eve Party. And for about $15…
Mob Rules
TOP PICK — Eastern Promises (Universal) Director David Cronenberg and The Lord of the Rings’ Viggo Mortensen follow up 2005’s brilliant A History of Violence with this blood-splattered crime story (now out on DVD) about a mob driver whose loyalty is tested after he hooks up with a nosy hospital worker (played by Naomi Watts).…
Sandy Dunkin’
Playing in the sand during a Cleveland December sounds like a recipe for frostbite and windburn. But the Children’s Museum of Cleveland encourages the playfulness in its 10th annual exhibit, Galapagos Sands: Exploring the Centuries. “It’s the absolute favorite exhibit at the museum,” says operations director Leland Merk. “People ask about it all year, because…
Pause & Rewind
Blade Runner: The Final Cut (Warner Bros.) — It’s the collector’s-set briefcase that seals the deal, a gunmetal-gray case that all but shouts “Completist dork!” Also: There’s damned near every single version imaginable, plus a making-of doc almost as essential as any iteration of the movie itself. Film school in a box, grade A-plus. Nosferatu:…
Children of the Cornhole
Baseball might be America’s pastime. But cornhole is about as all-American as you can get. At least that’s what Wags4Kids director Wendy Nelson thinks of today’s Winter Cornhole Championships, which will benefit her organization — a nonprofit that pairs trained dogs with disabled kids. She’ll even play a recording of the national anthem before the…
Gaming’s Greatest Hits
Best Sleeper Hit: WordJong (Nintendo DS) — It may not sell like Mario, but this mishmash of Scrabble and mah-jongg hooks you like handheld crack. Already a word-of-mouth hit, despite being released only this month, WordJong is perfect for quiet afternoons, loud commutes, or romantic walks on the beach. Best Old-School Graphics: Odin Sphere (PlayStation…
Boared to Death
Back in the day in merry ol’ England, the poor boar never got any respect. The ugly critter’s street cred is just as rejected (nonexistent?) at today’s Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival in downtown Cleveland. “In the Norman north of England, the wild boar was considered the personification of evil,” (but isn’t that considered…
Hello, Cleveland!
There’s a reason the celebrity lineup in our Year in Music issue, which starts on page 6, is totally Cleveland-free: This town doesn’t make celebrities. The biggest thing we’ve got — next to LeBron, of course, who was too busy playing ball to talk to us — is the stripper-lovin’ host of The Price Is…
Just Joshin’
During Josh Zuckerman’s Cleveland debut tonight, ask the homo hottie to lift up his shirt. On his lower back, you’ll spot the tattoo he got to reflect his latest single, “Be Real,” off his sophomore CD, Out From Under. The bluesy tune is his universal battle cry to the gay community. “It’s tough to find…
Soul and Sushi New Year’s.
Not in the mood for a big, loud New Year’s party, kicking it on the rock-and-roll-grunge tip, all gothed out at the Hot Topic rave? Go classy and old-school at the Lockview’s Soul and Sushi party. Soul trooper Forrest Getemgump spins smooth tunes from the Emotions to the Soul Tornados to get your booty swinging…
Trot Shots
Since their humble beginnings 82 (founded 1926; entering 82nd year but 81 completed) years ago in Chicago, the Harlem Globetrotters have been dazzling basketball fans all over the world. But don’t be fooled by their on-the-court antics; the WWE’s Vince McMahon isn’t running the show at the Q this afternoon, when the team takes on…
Stunnaz Is a Must.
Wear your sunglasses at night — and underground — to ring in 2008 at the B-Side Liquor Lounge. Break out your Wayfarers, Oakleys, even those super-thin punk-rock wraparound mini-visors, if you’ve still got ’em. The evening’s DJs and masters of ceremony are the B-Side A-squad: misterbradleyp, William Russell, Good Life Mike, and Pierre Georges. “The…
Kid Rock
Pint-size may describe their stature, but their music is a full-blown case (12-pack would make for a less ambiguous metaphor), with a fifth thrown in for good measure. The kids in Paul Green’s School of Rock All-Stars are too young to indulge in the sinful excesses of the rock and roll lifestyle, but they’re certainly…
Capsule reviews of current area theater presentations.
Beauty and the Beast — Back for its third and final appearance, the Beck Center production of this Walt Disney epic hasn’t lost any of its charm. Dan Folino is still comically shivering as the Beast, and Natalie Green will warm any little girl’s heart as the beauteous Belle. Even though the show is almost…
Memo to Mallorie
Mallorie Freeman has carved a niche in Cleveland’s art colony as a “stylized realist.” The proof is in her exhibit, Note to Self, whose 12 oils-on-canvas are on display through the end of next month in Tremont. “The work expresses things that are going on in my personal life,” says Freeman, who graduated in the…
Capsule reviews of current area art exhibitions..
ONGOING Beyond the Line — MOCA had its hands full installing these vast, intricate “hybrid constructions” by New Yorker Diana Cooper, who enjoys her first solo museum exhibition here. The effort was worthwhile, at least for us. Beneath all the colorful, elaborate trappings — Cooper’s imagination is staggering — is a conceptual foundation that’s clear…
Spin Cycle
Anatomy co-owner Tino Roncone is always looking for innovative ideas to keep his Warehouse District nightspot a cut above the rest. He thinks he’s found a winner for tonight’s Percussion jam, with DJ Adio alternating on stage with drummer Kevin “K2” Kristofeld. “Some clubs have a great DJ sound, and some have great live music,”…
The Year of Eating Famously
The weather is wicked, the economy sucks, and if gas goes any higher, we might soon have to learn to cook at home. But believe it or not, for Cleveland foodies, 2007 was a banner year. Scores of new restaurants opened. The national media came sniffing around like hungry hounds (and left happy and full).…
Our top DVD picks scheduled for release this week:
American Pie Presents: Beta House (Universal) The Brothers Solomon (Universal) Eastern Promises (Universal) Galactica 1980: The Complete Epic Series (Universal) The Heartbreak Kid (Universal) Intimate Affairs (Universal) The Kingdom (Universal) Lost and Found: The Harry Langdon Collection (Facets) Shattered (Lions Gate) WWE: The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary (WWE)
Space Out
Science geeks dubbed the Centaur rocket “America’s workhorse in space.” At today’s Rockets’ Red Glare, learn how NASA developed the massive missile to explore the solar system and revolutionize global communications. Since its 1963 launch, the Centaur has been teamed with the Atlas rocket to send the Surveyor spacecraft to the moon. It’s even escorted…
Dine and Dash
Every year brings scores of restaurants into and out of this region. Here are a few of 2007’s notable comings and goings: Among the departed, mark Peruvian Machu Picchu (downtown), Puerto Rican Lozada’s (Ohio City), Japanese Matsu (Shaker Heights), and Osiyo Tea House (Cleveland Heights). In Little Italy, fans bid arrivederci to Battuto, and at…
It’s a WonDerful Year
Click here to see what Derf has to say about Cleveland’s future.
The Skinny on Fats
If you close your eyes tonight at Fat Fish Blue, you just might hear the ghost of Robert Lockwood Jr. in the rootsy blues of Cleveland Fats. In the early ’70s, Fats was a young and eager musician, who hung around local blues clubs just to hear Lockwood play. He struck 12-string gold when the…
Cue Your Queue
How tough is it for a movie to find an audience above the din of blockbuster marketing and beyond the clogged distribution pipeline? Tsai Ming-liang, the Taiwanese/Malaysian director regarded as one of the world’s greats, had two films in U.S. theaters this year, The Wayward Cloud and I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone. But neither…
Hair Guitar
Gone are the days of standing in front of your bedroom mirror with an air guitar in your hands. At Fox & Hound’s weekly Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock competition, novices and veterans alike pick up axes to jam to the interactive game on a 12-foot-square flat-screen TV. “People take it seriously because the…
Bump & Grind
Indie rock clashes with garage punk tonight, when four Ohio and Pennsylvania bands split stage time at the Earthworm in Akron’s Highland Square district. The mix of musical types isn’t unusual for the BYOB-only club, which opened in June to showcase grind, thrash, ska, and prog-metal concerts. “Rather than pigeonhole different genres, we wanted to…
Hit List
Our six critics don’t always (or often) agree, but we’ve combined their Top 10 lists to pretend they do. Their 10 best movies (allowing for ties) of the year: 1. There Will Be Blood: Texas tea bubbles from the ground at the start of this turn-of-the-century oil-prospecting epic starring Daniel Day-Lewis. Nearly three hours later,…
Dancing Queens
At 37, George Clendenning is too young to remember the gay-bar debauchery of pre-AIDS New York. But that doesn’t stop the Cleveland Cocktails bartender from mixing up the era’s fave cocktails for his weekly ’70s Happy Hour. As disco by Chic, Donna Summer, and the Village People blares from internet radio, Clendenning gives the liquor…
Pure Fiction
To hear Buffalo guitarist Chase Middaugh tell it, you’d think he and fellow Novelist bandmate Ryan McMullen were Siamese twins onstage. See for yourself at their Lakewood concert tonight. “It’s synthesis. We are on the same wavelength musically,” says Middaugh. “The only difficult part of being in a two-piece band is there are less people…
