(Updated) Man Arrested for Taking Nude Photos of Underage Cast Member of Touring “Billy Elliot” Musical, Trying to Extort Victim
Update: William Koch was sentenced yesterday to 20 years in prison for convincing a string of underage teens to send him nude photos and for threatening them with exposure if they didn’t send more or otherwise engage in sex acts on video. (Chronicle-Telegram) *** (Originally posted Jan. 17. 2013) Fake girlfriends, online persona and Catfish…
And Yet *Another* Unsettling Ranking For Our Fair City!
CNN Money rolled out another in a long line of successive disses on Cleveland in its recent Most Dangerous Cities roundup. While we all collectively yawn, here are the deets: Cleveland comes in at a hearty #4 on the list, beat out by the likes of Detroit, St, Louis and Oakland: Burglaries were one of…
Concert Review:Marilyn Manson at House of Blues
Marilyn Manson sure knows how to make an entrance. Last night before a sold out crowd at House of Blues, he started the show dancing behind a giant illuminated scrim. His lanky silhouette resembled that of some kind of fiendish ghoul as he defiantly twisted the microphone stand above his head and gyrated as if…
Annals of Knife Violence: They’re Coming for Your Cutlery
To illustrate one of the more reckless fallacies within the pro-gun community’s rhetoric, let’s envision a scenario in which knife violence has been haunting the national imagination in a frenzied, nightmarish way. Let’s say knife headlines are everywhere. Let’s say there’s been a notably savage incident in recent weeks, and let’s say it was savage…
Sentenced To Celibacy… And More Morning Reading From Around Town: Jan. 24
– An Elyria man was banned from procreating for five years following Judge James Walther’s review of his $79,000 owed in back child support, according to The Cleveland Leader. The man has four children already. With the daunting sentence of keeping it in his pants for half a decade, the man and his attorneys are,…
A Boozy Flu Remedy From Jeni’s
Jeni’s Influenza Rx Sorbet Jeni’s Spendid Ice Cream’s Influenza Rx Sorbet may not cure your flu, but you may experience some relief from your symptoms. The boozy remedy is made with honey, ginger, orange and lemon juices, Maker’s Mark Bourbon and cayenne pepper. “It is really delicious,” said Jeni Britton Bauer. “The cayenne doesn’t have…
Prince Drops New Single: ‘I’m Ur Driver, Ur My Screw’
For your midday, mid-week blues, here’s a solid pick-me-up from The Artist Formerly Known As The Artist Formerly Known As Prince: Prince’s latest single tosses off some of the rock ‘n’ roll influence for which the musician was only slightly lauded. The pop glory is there – and in full swing – as well. His…
Chipotle Downtown Opens Today
Chipotle opens its doors today at its new downtown location on Euclid Avenue by East 4th. Below, some burrito porn. Chipotle Burrito
Cavs Unveil ‘Manti Te’o Kiss Cam’
The Cavs unveiled the ‘Manti Te’o Kiss Cam’ last night. Bravo. Pic via The Score and Sole Collector.
15 Years, Takes Moxie
Moxie’s Crew Ready to 15 Years Celebrating fifteen years in the restaurant business is no small feat. That’s why Moxie has made plans to celebrate this milestone anniversary for three days. The celebration will start Thursday, January 24th and run through Sunday, January 26th. The kitchen staff will welcome back members of its opening team.…
The ‘Cleaning Fairy,’ In All Her Asinine Glory, Resurfaces
Susan Warren, 53, the Elyria woman who garnered some level of notoriety as the woman who breaks into homes, tidies them up and leaves a bill for the work, is back. Unfortunately. The return of the heralded “Cleaning Fairy,” now a quasi-celebrity whose character was coined by Sun News’ Joe Noga, is enough to rouse…
Gold & Whiney: Cavs’ Game Notes (1/22)
The Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics at the Q last night after a grueling West Coast road trip. Both Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson continued to play top-flight basketball. Some notes: — Kyrie dropped 40 points on a scorching 16 for 24 shooting performance. It’s the second 40-pt game of his career (both this season)…
County HQ And More: What We’re Reading This Morning In Cleveland: Jan. 23
– Cuyahoga County Council members voted yesterday to sell the Ameritrust complex downtown and lease the new government headquarters out of the property. The county will take on ownership of the building following a 26-year lease deal with Geis Cos., based out of Streetsboro. The vote effectively put the kibosh on alternate plans set forth…
Here’s a Map of Ohio
(Via just about everyone on the internet who is from or currently lives in the Buckeye State.) Click on the thumbnail for the magnified Ohio goodness.
Melt, Artistic License Taken
Dana Depew New Art by Dana Depew for Melt Independence It was only a matter of time before local artist Dana DePew, who has dedicated much time and effort in repurposing letters from old signs, would work for local restauranteur Matt Fish, who is an avid collector of old signs, displaying them throughout his restaurants.…
Staying Warm… What We’re Reading in Cleveland This Morning: Jan. 22
– The big, unavoidable, media-frenzy-friendly story this morning is the ongoing snowfall in and around town. Check in on our primer for how best to survive Cleveland snow storms before ye head out in this mess. – The ongoing rape case in Steubenville has conjured up another gem of an argument. This time, the defense…
Cavs, Grizzlies ink deal for Big Man Marreese Speights
NBA sources have confirmed on Twitter that the Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to a trade. Big man Marreese Speights, streaky 3-point specialist Wayne Ellington, former Kansas standout point guard Josh Selby, and a second-round pick are coming to Cleveland for non-essential white center Jon Leuer. Leuer was a stud in the D-league, snagging…
Varejao Out for Season with Blood Clot, “Still Smiling”
Cleveland Cavaliers big man Anderson Varejao will be out for the remainder of the season after developing a blood clot — ‘pulmonary embolism,’ in Clinic parlance — in his left lung, following surgery. He’s expected to be on blood thinning medication for at least three months. So much for those hot trade prospects! This is…
ODOT: Massive Car Crashes Across Southern Ohio Highways Today
They say the bad weather is coming our way, Cleveland. We’re hoping that the massive car crashes riddling southern Ohio today won’t be coming with it. Along I-75, I-275 and I-71, white-out conditions and ice along roadways set off chain reactions resulting in upwards of 100-car pileups, according to one estimate. At least one death…
Concert Review and Slideshow: High School Rock Off Round 5 at House of Blues
The fifth round of the 17th Annual High School Rock Off, which took place yesterday afternoon at House of Blues featured another 11 bands competing for a spot at the upcoming Final Exam. With the exception of a solo singer-songwriter, the bands loosely fell into the pop-punk and pop-rock category. The Hudson-based band Hit the…
Kidz in the Hood
Despite Cleveland’s declining population numbers, young adults are flocking to urban neighborhoods and inner-ring suburbs at an encouraging and trend-defying clip, the PD reports. Hispanics, Asians and African-Americans are leading the charge (and that seems totes appropes for MLK day.) A study by Case policy researcher Richey Piiparinen found that the neighborhoods you think are…
MLK Jr. And More… What We’re Reading in Cleveland This Morning: Jan. 21
– In observance of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day today, The PD’s Brandon Blackwell talks with a Cleveland couple who owns the only known copy of Dr. King’s March 23, 1965, speech right here in town. Here’s an excerpt: “Now, more than ever before, America is challenged to make this dream a reality. For the…
Bento Bắc for Lunch
Mary Manno Sweeney Bento Bắc lunch combination Bắc Asian American Bistro will begin serving lunch on Monday, January 28th from 11:00 AM until 3:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Chef/Owner Bắc Nguyen says, “We are very excited to begin providing another tasty, healthy, affordable lunch option in the Tremont/Ohio City area.” “In addition to our lunch…
Concert Review and Slideshow: High School Rock Off Round 4 at House of Blues
The fourth round of the 17th Annual High School Rock Off, which took place yesterday afternoon at House of Blues featured another 11 bands competing for a spot at the upcoming Final Exam. Like Round 3, this round was dominated by hard rock acts. Ironically enough, the hard rock acts weren’t the ones that advanced…
Concert Review and Slideshow: High School Rock Off Round 3 at House of Blues
The third round of the 17th Annual High School Rock Off, which took place last night at House of Blues featured another 10 bands competing for a spot at the upcoming Final Exam. There wasn’t as much diversity — most acts fell loosely into the alt-rock category — as the first two rounds but three…
Perfect Day to Visit Orchard House
The Orchard House: Can’t get much closer to farm fresh! The Orchard House opened this week at Mapleside Farms in Brunswick. It replaces Melrose Grill, which closed January 1st. They offer farm-fresh fare as only a restaurant located on a farm can. They retained some of the more popular menu items from Melrose Grill while…
A Speakeasy for Katz Club Diner
Amy Viny Katz announces speakeasy at Katz Club Diner Doug Katz announced this week his plans for the second of two train cars comprising Katz Club Diner on Lee Rd., in Cleveland Hts. “A ‘bar car,’ to complement the dining car. It will open later in the evening, a private, more intimate space featuring ‘kitchen…
Cleveland band Emeralds calls it quits
Pitchfork reports that the Cleveland-based experimental rock trio Emeralds has called it quits. The band which included multi-instrumentalists Mark McGuire, Steve Hauschildt and John Elliott was downsized to a duo earlier this month when McGuire, who was no longer living in Cleveland, announced he was leaving the band. But Hauschildt issued a series of tweets…
Live Nation announces this year’s country megaticket
Jason Aldean For better or worse, summer at Blossom Music Center means one thing — country music. Sure a few rock acts can still fill the place but for the past couple of seasons, country music has dominated the schedule. This summer will prove to be no different, and Live Nation has just announced what’s…
Lombardi Selected as Browns VP of Player Personnel
The Cleveland Browns announced this morning that NFL analyst Michael Lombardi is the team’s new vice president of player personnel. Lombardi worked with Bill Belichick in Cleveland during the ’90s and has a history with Browns CEO Joe Banner from their time together in Philadelphia, reports NFL.com. He also worked for Al Davis and the…
Guns and Doses: What We’re Reading In Cleveland This Morning: Jan. 18
– Two good ol’ Montville boys were having some fun with their AK-47s when neighbors began noticing something a bit unsettling: bullets were hitting their home. The men were charged with improper discharge of a firearm. They’re behind bars now, but police told them to rig up a better backstop for target practice when they…
Raymone Clements, Forrest’s Accused Shooter, Arraigned In Federal Court (UPDATED)
Robin Stone Forrest [UPDATE, 4:30 p.m] Raymone Clements pleaded not guilty to the charge of being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition. He was arraigned in U.S. District Court at 4 p.m. today. He will appear for a detention hearing Jan. 25. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a…
A-Hole Celebrates Newtown School Shooting on Facebook, Arrested for Inducing Panic (Updated)
Update II: Via the CT: he Medina city prosecutor has filed a motion seeking dismissal of a criminal charge against a Columbia Station man who posted a Facebook message cheering on the Newtown, Conn., school gunman. Hearing scheduled for January 25. *** Update: The ACLU has now stepped into the corner of Joseph Resovsky, the…
FirstEnergy Deal Worth $102 Million over 17 Years
FirstEnergy Corp.’s stadium naming rights deal with the Cleveland Browns is worth $102 million over 17 years, sources leaked this afternoon. Chuck Jones, president of FirstEnergy Utilities, had already acknowledged that the naming contract would be for 17 years and would last for the remainder of the lease the Browns have with the city of…
Tomo Sushi Bar & Hibachi Restaurant, A Cavernous Space
Last Friday at 5:00 PM, Tomo Sushi & Hibachi opened its doors to the public. We attended what they referred to as a “soft opening.” In hindsight, it was their official opening. Their grand opening is scheduled for Monday, February 11th. Typically, a soft opening refers to an invitation only event that takes place after…
B2B Flipping Burgers at CSU, Soon!
@dlayphoto Burger 2 Beer Sign Going up at CSU The best indication so far that Burgers 2 Beer, in Highland Hts. is ready to start flipping burgers at their second location is that their sign is up on CSU’s campus at 1938 Euclid Avenue. According to Heather Swartz, Head Chef, who will be overseeing the…
Guns and Ankles: What We’re Reading This Morning in Cleveland: Jan. 17
– The national gun control conversation is maintaining its vigor, especially following President Barack Obama’s presentation yesterday. The PD’s John Caniglia reports from Seven Hills on the fast-paced inventory turnaround at Five Star Firearms. – Over in Geauga County, The News-Herald offers Troy Township resident James McDermott’s story of total ankle replacement. – Strongsville Patch…
Ohioans Drop Mad Scrilla on Jager
Given the amount of alcohol Ohioans bought in 2012, it’s reasonable to suspect that most of you are drunk right now. We and our boozy compatriots have now officially broken the record for annual liquor sales, “for at least the sixth straight year,” reported Rex Santus for the Plain Dealer. At $849 million, 2012 liquor…
High-end Wine Bar Opening in Lakewood
Dale Dong Tim Bando named executive chef of Dan Deagan’s wine bar A new wine bar will open in Lakewood Plaza, at 15900 Detroit Ave., this spring. Dan Deagan says, “We’re excited about opening a second location with a new concept.” His business partners in this venture once again include his wife Erika and Dan…
The Cleveland Orchestra is shattering records like woah
Attention all ye hangdog defeatists who insist that classical music has died: Severance Hall season-ticket sales revenue from 2012-2013 is on track to set an all-time record, driven by the best-ever ticket sales in November and December. These records aren’t being daintily eclipsed here, either. The Orchestra is shattering previous figures. According to a press…
In Support of Forrest: Peaceful Protest Now Postponed (UPDATE)
[UPDATE, 3:31 p.m.] A criminal indictment was filed today in U.S. District Court against Raymone Clements, charging him with being a felon in possession of ammunition. Following the shooting late last year, Clements was found to be in possession of one round of .357-caliber ammo and two rounds of .22-caliber ammo. Past felony convictions include…
Opening: The Last Stand
Well, he said he’d “be back.” And Arnold Schwarzenegger is back, alright, delivering those simple-minded one-liners in his thick accent as always in The Last Stand, a new action film that picks up where all his crappy action films from the late ’90s left off. In his first starring role in ten years, Arnold Schwarzenegger…
Savage Love
Dear Dan: My name is Nancy, and I’m 19. My boyfriend’s name is Carl, we have been together for almost a year—our anniversary is actually February 14!—and we have great sex frequently! I want to do something sexy for us on our anniversary. I plan on being with Carl for years to come, and I…
5 Under $10
Bars and churches might be the first two things to come to mind when you think of Lakewood, but the west-side suburb also claims a growing culinary scene. There’s Melt, of course,and Angelo’s, legends new and old respectively. And for the hungry Lakewood traveler, plenty of choices for delicious eats under $10 await. Buckeye Beer…
Hardcore History
A couple of years back, At Wits End and Above This Fire were major players on the local hardcore scene. Then, they went on hiatus. But just recently, a group of fans circulated a petition and collected some 300 signatures to convince Above This Fire to perform its first album, In Perspective, in its entirety.…
Art Listings
Gray’s Auctioneers and Appraisers Fine Art, Antiques, and Decorative Arts. The prizes of Gray’s next auction are small works by masters of Modern art: Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin, Edgar Degas, Joan Miro, Kathe Kollwitz, and Hans Erni. Daily previews will be held at 10717 Detroit Ave., January 23 through 29 from 11 a.m. to 6…
A Portrait Of The Young Man As A Fugitive
At some point during an otherwise quiet spring weekend three years ago, Lavelle Sullins’ phone started ringing, proffering strange news. “Hey, Lavelle, you’d better watch out. I just saw you on TV. The cops are looking for you.” Sullins broaches the subject casually on a recent afternoon, but a hint of shock still runs through…
All Shapes and Sizes
Katherine Richards’ oil painting “Goya Landscape” brings to memory two essential experiences in the life of the art viewer. Seeing it, one remembers being a child standing before the elegance and violence of Old Masterly scenes of Greek and Biblical epics. A thought passes, and the viewer is an older child squinting to understand the…
Opening: Rust and Bone
Jacques Audiard’s new film doesn’t sustain the intensity of his previous film, 2009’s epic The Prophet, but it still has some terrific moments and features excellent performances from Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts. The movie centers on Stephanie (Cotillard), a whale trainer who has both legs cut off in a terrible accident. We see her…
Locavore Liquor
Cleveland Whiskey is weeks or maybe only days away from launching. They are awaiting government approval on their labels and a few other technicalities – the joys of bureaucracy and liquor, all well worth the trouble in the end. Bottles are ready and everything appeared in place as the noisy distillation process was underway during…
Top Pop Culture Picks for the Week
TOP PICK Farewell My Queen (CohenMedia Group) Though slow-moving, this period piece about the French Revolution features excellent performances by Diane Kruger and Lea Seydoux, who respectively portray Marie Antoinette and Sidonie as they attempt to deal with the chaos of the impending revolution. Free Energy Love Sign (Free People) On its second album, this…
Let’s Go Bowling (And Eat Food)
Up until last week, I had only eaten at Mahall’s 20 Lanes during pop-up events, so I was curious to see what their regular menu had to offer. What culinary adventure can you expect from a bowling alley, after all, besides some peanuts or a pretzel that has been sitting in a rotating hot box…
Make Them Talk
Tim Misny is probably the most visible, well-known lawyer in Cleveland. Annoyingly so, to some, as the bald lawyer utters his trademarked slogan – “I’ll make them pay” – from the TV. He also has a new online reality show debuting in February, a steady stream of clients asking his help in going after insurance…
Candid Camera
The opening scene in director Kevin Mazur’s new documentary, $ellebrity, which shows at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 17 at the Cedar Lee Theatre, paints a good picture of what it’s like to be a celebrity. On her way to dinner, pop singer/actress Jessica Simpson emerges from a black SUV and a crowd of rabid…
We Get Mail
On: “Video: Hall and Oates go Hardcore” This Was Fucking Genius! youdontknow That was just as lame as every other Mike Polk video. Torturegarden On: “Breakfast Club Plays Final Show With Longtime Lead Singer” Wow, Jeff… Sorry your rock star dreams didn’t come true. Don’t take it out on other people with real talent though……
Opening: Broken City
Broken City beings in the middle of things as Billy (Mark Wahlberg), a New York cop, is on trial for shooting a defenseless man, an act that has created such controversy, protesters have gathered outside of the courthouse where he is about to be sentenced. But when a key piece of evidence disappears, Billy is…
Don’t Call It a Crossover
Kronos Quartet isn’t your typical string quartet, if there is such a thing. That’s been true from nearly the beginning. Case in point: the group delivered a wicked rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” years before Metallica made it cool for an orchestra to rock out. According to Kronos founder, David Harrington, the decision to…
Banter Up
When Janet Beveridge Bean and Catherine Irwin founded Freakwater in 1989, the term alt-country didn’t exist. And yet that genre would later encompass the kind of twangy post-punk music that the duo played. But for whatever reason, Freakwater never broke big like many of its contemporaries. Still, Bean and Irwin have kept the group intact;…
CD Review: The Commonwealth
thecommonwealth-music.bandcamp.com On its full-length debut, this Cleveland band shows why it’s one of the city’s more adventurous acts. It doesn’t do anything the easy way. “Loud Pop,” for example, starts as a simple, sparse pop tune with falsetto vocals, then turns into a raucous rocker and finally recedes back to something somber. It’s a tricky…
Band of the Week
Meet the Band: Eroc Sosinski (bass, vocals), Jim Tigue (lead guitar, vocals), Jamie Combs (guitar, vocals), Bob Gerhard (keyboards), J.R. Richley (drums), Jon Darling (percussion) Wish You Were Dead: The perennial Pink Floyd tribute band, Wish You Were Here, shares a few members with this longtime Grateful Dead cover band. Sugar Magnolia brings the full…
Bend Over
“My inner goddess is beside herself, hopping from foot to foot. Anticipation hangs heavy over my head like a dark tropical storm cloud. Butterflies flood my belly—as well as a darker, carnal, captivating ache.” Although these symptoms may sound curiously similar to how readers feel as they approach an article in Scene, it is actually…
Opening: Mama
Another carnival of cheap spooks and PG-13 thrills. This one revolves around the return to society of two rodential sisters after five years living with a deranged ghost-mom in a forest locale of variable remoteness. The eponymous Mama, a sort of Carrie/Dementor hybrid, follows her surrogate daughters to their new home and wreaks havoc upon…
Screens
While I love what we’ll call “good” films, I also love the low-budget knock-offs that come out to capitalize on the success of those cinematic gems. There is a certain charm to watching a bargain-basement rip-off of a film like Alien perpetrated by filmmakers that don’t have the money and/or talent to make big (or…
