RIP Jane Scott
There’s probably no rock & roller in Cleveland over the age of 25 who doesn’t know who Jane Scott is. The tireless reporter wrote about pop music for the Plain Dealer for nearly 40 years, starting in 1964 when she covered the Beatles because no one else wanted to. Scott passed away Monday at the…
Happy 4th of July Everyone, Don’t Blow Your Arm Off
“And that’s why you don’t play with fireworks.” This blog will be taking a long holiday weekend to partake (safely) in fireworks, food, booze, and a possible Golden Girls marathon. We’ll return to the regular broadcast schedule on Wednesday, where undoubtedly the first post of the day will detail some poor, drunk soul’s weekend accident…
Case Ranked One of Trendiest Colleges in America
As alums of dear old Case Western, we have a little working knowledge of the campus and accompanying social life, so imagine the chortle that emerged from our bellies when we saw that Huffington Post ranked CWRU as one of the trendiest colleges in America. There’s a common room full of engineering majors doing homework…
Woman Takes in Alligator, Authorities Confiscate
We feel like somewhere back in those murky days of our childhood there was a Disney movie about a woman fighting to keep her lovable pet alligator. Tom Hanks or Danny Glover might have co-starred. Ring any bells? Maybe we’ve just been doing too much bath salt to remember right. Anyway, if there wasn’t a…
Former County Employee Who Allegedly Raised Son’s Salary Charged
Yesterday another former Cuyahoga County employee was slapped with criminal charges. This time the alleged culprit is a 58-year-old Brunswick mom who allegedly cashed in on the wink-wink nudge-nudge atmosphere of pre-Raid Cuyahoga County politics to put more bank in a family member’s pocket. Former Sheriff Gerald McFaul’s chief of staff Patricia Kresty is accused…
The Coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes Wears Affliction T-Shirts
In what is a clear sartorial downgrade, Ohio State fans have gone from enjoying a dapper head coach in a sweater vest to a young head coach who wears Affliction t-shirts. Luke Fickell, it should be noted, also enjoys vodka and Red Bull, pointing to where the bathroom is, Nickelback, and bros. (Via @ClevelandFrowns)
Kid Who Farted on Bus Gets Web Redemption
Remember the Ohio kid who was kicked off a school bus for farting? Tosh.0 gave him a web redemption in this week’s episode. We’re gassed. Tosh.0Get More: Tosh.0 Videos,Daniel Tosh,Web Redemption
Selena Gomez’s Totally Bummer Summer
“Could have been worse” may not seem like praise for any movie, but for the tween-dream Monte Carlo, that’s as good as it gets. Any film starring Disney-product Selena Gomez, Gossip Girl’s Leighton Meester, David Cassidy’s daughter, and the hunk from Glee promises to land somewhere in the depths of a sugary-sweet teenage hell where…
Crowne of Thorns
What could go wrong when two of the most recognizable stars in Hollywood team up for a romantic comedy? A lot, it turns out. Larry Crowne takes place in an alternate universe where motor scooters and Wilmer Valderrama are considered cool. Tom Hanks (who also directs) plays the title Navy vet who, after losing his…
Ohio May Ban ‘Bath Salts’
A couple years ago mentioning bath salts would only conjure up images of a relaxing night in the tub. Kenny G is on the CD player, the lights dimmed, your pot belly gently poking out of the water, a loofa swirling the bubbles as tiny drops of water cascade over the edge, splashing on rose…
Cavs Trade JJ Hickson to Sacramento (Updated)
Update: While other blogs are tripping over themselves to explain the mechanics and details of the deal, we have a more important update: Casspi is dating former SI cover girl and supermodel Bar Rafaeli, according to SI. Good trade, Chris Grant. Good trade. And to other Cleveland athletes out there, Casspi has just stepped up…
Ohio Rep Arrested for DUI With Young Woman Who’s Not His Wife in Car
Family man. So what is Ohio state Rep. Bob Mecklenborg (R-Green Township) up to when he’s not busy advocating government intrusion into the sex lives of Ohio’s women and suggesting that pro-choice advocates share ideals with Nazi Germany’s Third Reich? The Cincinnati-area attorney, husband and father of three is a staunch “family-values” conservative, so you…
Japanese Steakhouse to Open in Warehouse District
Are downtown diners hungry for a hibachi-style restaurant? We’ll find out in early August when Tomo Japanese Steakhouse opens up in the Warehouse District. Construction has already begun on the building, which sits adjacent to Anatomy Nightclub on W. 9th Street. The ambitious and costly project required a complete gutting of the multi-level space, says…
Dwight Howard Mocks LeBron James’ Hairline
We’ve covered LeBron’s hairline issues extensively here before, because we’re mature and not bitter and stuff like that. Now, Dwight Howard has gotten in on the action. Boom. Roasted.
Do Not Display Your Pot Plant in a Window
Your supple pot plant needs love and attention. It also needs light. If you’re growing a small plant for strictly personal use, there’s no need for an elaborate operation with indoor specialty lights. The sun will do. The sun’s the best anyway. However, be sure that your neighbors can’t look through your window and see…
Cleveland Ranked Best Place to Be When the World Ends
As hurricanes shred the coast, tornadoes upend the prairie, and wildfires scorch the west, we here in Mother Nature’s bosom are left to ponder more pressing matters such as the source of our next beverage.Yes, when it comes to meteorological calamity, the Forest City is as reliable as they come. And weather geeks are taking…
Challenges to John Kasich’s Challenges to SB5 Referendum
On Thursday, organizers behind the drive to repeal Senate Bill 5 plan to announce their tally of signatures required to get a referendum on the November ballot. The group, known as We Are Ohio, needs 231,000 valid signatures to challenge the law limiting collective bargaining rights for public employees. Early rumors put the actual number…
Charlie Sheen Took Steroids For Major League
And with that, Cleveland is officially out of heroes. Just kidding. Sports Illustrated talked to a host of people involved with Major League — writer, director, stars — for a little oral history on the movie as it turns 22. It’s dynamite stuff filled with plenty of interesting nuggets on one of the best baseball…
The Quality of Cleveland Life Report
Your guide to thriving in fabulous Cleveland.Justifiable Violence: Cleveland Heights cops fend off unruly group at last week’s Coventry Street Fair. Yet another example of bad things happening when Jimmy John’s is late with a delivery. Open House at Tony’s Place: Jurors tour home of accused serial-killer Anthony Sowell, agree that he’s really let the…
Peter Raskind Receives 100% Bonus on Salary From Cleveland Municipal School District
That headline, while correct, is a little more than misleading. Raskind, who served as interim CMSD CEO while the district searched for a permanent replacement for Eugene Sanders, took the job at a salary of $1. NewsNet5 reports on the financial windfall that will leave him able to purchase not just a junior bacon cheeseburger,…
Randy Lerner Likes to Leave Cleveland
From Curbed Hamptons, via Cleveland Frowns, comes data on Randy Lerner’s carbon footprint and desire to be anywhere but the Buckeye State. 390 times since 2007 Randy Lerner has landed in East Hampton, presumably to get to his home in Amagansett, but it makes you wonder why he wants to leave Cleveland so often. We…
Breast-Milk Spraying Woman Gets Taiwanese Animation Treatment
Click here to watch the video. That’s, um, a lot of milk.
Ground Control to Optimus Prime
There aren’t too many movies as loud and obnoxious as 2009’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Thankfully, the third outing in the hit series scales back a bit, even as it expands (it’s in 3-D and runs more than two and a half hours – yeesh!). This time there’s a little history thrown into the…
Drink of the Week
Little mentioned but apparently much appreciated by workers and visitors in and around Playhouse Square, the Wyndham Cleveland’s Blue Bar is becoming a hoppin’ downtown Happy Hour destination — and with good cause. From 4:30 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, everything (and we do mean everything) is half off. That includes apps like wings,…
On Stage This Week
A Miracle at Convergence-Continuum: You Had Us at ‘Bawdy Sex Romp’ “If culture is a conversation,” American Theatre magazine once wrote, “then the works of David Grimm are a roaring dinner party.” That goes double for The Miracle at Naples, Grimm’s erotic farce that borrows in both form and substance from the comedies of the…
Street Eats
Growing up in Colombia, Juan Vergara routinely snacked off his parents’ food cart, which they operated in and around the city of Cali. But once the family moved to the States, Juan began jonesing for the street food of his youth. Those cravings became the germ of a restaurant concept — one that specializes in…
Stay In!
TOP PICK – CD Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On — Super Deluxe Edition (Motown) Marvin Gaye’s 1971 masterpiece (and one of the greatest albums ever made) celebrates its 40th anniversary with a two-CD/one-LP set that chronicles the R&B singer’s creative breakthrough that year. The heart of the album is the original record, appended here with…
Film Capsules
Bad Teacher (R) Bad Teacher’s one joke is right there in the title. Cameron Diaz plays Elizabeth Halsey, quite possibly the sluttiest woman to ever lead a seventh-grade classroom. After her fiancé dumps her, Elizabeth tries to snag the nerdy new substitute teacher (Justin Timberlake), who happens to be an heir to a wristwatch fortune.…
Home Movies
Sucker Punch (Warner) Director Zack Snyder has proven repeatedly in his short career that style always trumps substance. 300 is the obvious starting point, but think about Watchmen and Dawn of the Dead — good movies, but their stories ride shotgun to Snyder’s visual flair. He doesn’t even bother much with narrative in Sucker Punch,…
Feeling Horse
You may think you already know Buck Brannaman. His is the story you’ve heard over and over again: a man with an uncanny ability to train — to seemingly communicate with — even the wildest young horses. He’s the inspiration behind The Horse Whisperer and a living legend in the equine world. But in the…
CD Review: Handsome Furs
The key to Handsome Furs is their duality. The husband and wife team of Dan Boeckner (who does double duty in Wolf Parade) and Alexei Perry burn the fire of unrestricted lovers. Their passion typically comes through when Boeckner’s steamy guitar squalls meet Perry’s infectious electrobeats. Sound Kapital, their third album, was written mostly on…
Get Out!
Thursday |30 Family Fun The UniverSoul Circus Swings Into Euclid The UniverSoul Circus launched in 1994 when founder and CEO Cedric Walker decided to put a hip-hop spin on a conventional circus. The soulful traveling act has come a long way since then, now dazzling crowds across the country and around the globe with a…
We Get Mail
Try Our Raw Marrow Kyle Swenson’s “What the Boy Saw” [June 8, 2011] was not only meticulously researched, but penned with elegance as well. The reader is escorted through this historic miscarriage of justice with vivid detail. I would not be surprised if a Hollywood mogul latched onto this exposé. It reads as if one…
Local Band in Focus
Meet the Band: Joey Graceffo (vocals and guitar), Richie L. Monty (drums), J. Edward Graley (bass), and Cody Jankowski (guitar). Get Creative: Before settling on a “creative metal” sound, Graceffo and Monty tested out a few different styles of music. After hooking up with Jankowski and Graley, they homed in on their mix of “pure…
Beer Here!
Market Garden Brewery finally opened in Ohio City on Monday, further cementing the neighborhood’s rep as a preeminent entertainment district and bringing it one giant step closer to becoming an eventual “brewery district.” For now, though, we’ll have to make do with the fabulous offerings from the venerable Great Lakes Brewing Company and the new…
CD Review: Sam Brenner
(sambrenner.com) Singer-songwriter Sam Brenner was born in Buffalo, but he’s been making a name for himself in Cleveland for a half-dozen years. His placid voice recalls adult-rock favorites like Jason Mraz and James Blunt, and he puts it to good use on his sharp-sounding debut, starting with the opening notes of the semi-acoustic “Through the…
On View This Week
At Shaheen Gallery: Art, Life & Fashion Born in Cincinnati and based in New York, painter Keith Mayerson returns to his home state for his second exhibition at Shaheen Gallery. Art, Life & Fashion provides a thematically broad sampling of Mayerson’s work, mostly oil on linen. Some never-before-exhibited pieces are based on haute couture photos…
Old and Restless
When singer and guitarist Pete Woodward first met singer- bassist Ken Blaze 20 years ago, Woodward was in “a terrible high-school punk band” called Synthetic Reality. Blaze was in the Unknown, a somewhat famous Cleveland punk group. They used to play shows together at a local club, “until the cops shut it down,” says Woodward,…
CD Review: Various Artists
Buddy Holly was so vibrant and eager to take chances with his music that it’s a shame so few artists on this tribute album follow his example. Paul McCartney has fun with “It’s So Easy,” My Morning Jacket get in the sentimental spirit of “True Love Ways,” and the Black Keys strip “Dearest” to its…
CD Review: Marianne Faithfull
Battle-scarred British singer and Stones survivor Marianne Faithfull has traveled this territory before. But on her latest collection of (mostly) cover songs featuring cameos by other wrinkled veterans, she sounds tired and disconnected from the material. Of course, that’s been her calling card ever since she reignited her career on 1979’s terrific Broken English. But…
At the Arthouse
Essential Killing Skeevy actor Vincent Gallo stars in this new movie by Jerzy Skolimowski, who co-wrote Knife in the Water, the breakthrough film from Roman Polanski. Not enough controversy for you? How about this: Gallo plays a Taliban fighter who killed some Americans. He’s captured, sent to a detention center, then escapes into the snowy…
The Film Buff
Steven Barrett’s name is attached to too many projects around town to count. For more than a decade he’s been one of the longtime pillars holding up Cleveland’s close-knit music and film scene: booking bands, piecing together compilation CDs, and photographing shows. Last month should have marked the impresario’s latest brainchild: the ADD Short Film…
Concert Calendar
Emery Hardcore emo heroes Emery have been busting out Christian themes like hope and faith in their songs for 10 years now. But you sure as hell wouldn’t guess that from the harsh vocals and throat-ripping shrieks, which, on the surface, sound kinda angry. But listen closely and you’ll hear plenty of love for their…
Quiet Riot
Before David Gray became one of the world’s biggest adult-alternative pop stars, the English singer-songwriter was making far-from-mainstream folk records. Toiling in obscurity during the early 1990s, Gray released three albums of spiritual, naked roots music where he sang like a wild-eyed poet. He abandoned the style on 1998’s White Ladder, which included the acoustic…
Shots in the Dark
Shuree Jefferson knew something was wrong when her brother didn’t answer his cell. It was late evening creeping up on early morning, somewhere in the patch of static between April 7 and 8. Jefferson, a mother and business owner living out in Solon, had just fielded a strange call from her younger sister Carla. She…
Second Quarter Buzz Report
Unlike the movies, which roll out the year’s biggest releases over the summer, most music that comes out during the warm months isn’t the year’s best. The big boys are usually saved for the fall and spring. And this spring was no exception. The past three months saw some of 2011’s biggest releases, including new…
Scoreboard
Last week Mark Cuban, owner of the newly-crowned NBA champion Dallas Mavericks, set the sports-news cycle on fire again by filing what one national outlet called “the ultimate ‘fuck-you’ legal brief.” In response to a lawsuit by a minority partner accusing Cuban of mismanaging the franchise, Cuban filed a legal paper of his own: It…
Oh What a Night
Rock and roll fans have long preferred their musical idols to have a touch of the bad boy in them, if not an actual rap sheet. Of course, they also had to have the pipes to go along with the felony charges, and that’s how the Four Seasons made their mark back in the day.…
