Video: Cop Urinates in Lake Erie
Things you don’t want the dash cam on your cruiser to catch you doing while your superiors are watching it to find out why no one can find you during the day: Pissing in Lake Erie.
The Edmund Fitzgerald Sank 35 Years Ago
WTAM reminds us that 35 years ago this week, the Edmund Fitzgerald sank during a storm on Lake Superior. You can check out a gallery of Edmund Fitzgerald photos here, or you can just enjoy some Gordon Lightfoot.
Cleveland Saw Most TV Political Ads in the Country
A little Diddy would have gone a long way this season. Cleveland was Election 2010’s ground zero for the war to control your eyeballs, according recent reports from media watchdog Nielsen. Media Life today says that an all time high 1.48 million ads were shown this election season, with Ohio sitting as the most swamped…
Forbes: Cleveland Institute of Art Grads Have Most Debt
Sorry CIA, B’s outting you. Let’s call it as it is: Forbes has beef with Cleveland. There’s no other was to explain what we’re about to dish you, especially in light of last year’s less than flattering title the publication dropped on our fair metropolis. Next in the pub’s intractable effort to hit Cleveland: this…
Sports Illustrated Kids Cover Takes Shot at Cavs
Really, Sports Illustrated? You had to go with the Cavaliers’ “All for One” motif and slogan?
Cuyahoga County Council’s Young Guy
Julian Rogers is young. A flip through the faces of your freshly minted Cuyahoga County Council reveals a fairly representative slice of the county’s demographics: seven white, four black. Eight men, three women. Three Republicans, eight Democrats. The most noteworthy disparity could be with the Brylcreem and dentures quotient: Four of the 11 councilmembers are…
Jim O’Bryan: Lakewood’s Unconventional Mayoral Hopeful
You may recall a September story that mentioned Lakewood’s scramble to address its line of mayoral succession in the event that Ed FitzGerald won the race to be Cuyahoga’s first county executive. The wee problem: Nobody else wanted the Lakewood post. Now that FitzGerald has locked up the county job beginning in January, Lakewood has…
Thief Leaves Cell Phone in Car He Robbed
Pro tip for criminals: You want to leave as few clues as possible about your identity for police to find. It’s a good idea, for example, to not leave any fingerprints or DNA, but that’s graduate-school-level thievery advice compared to, say, “Don’t leave your cell phone, which has a picture of you as the background,…
An Open Letter to LeBron James Poetry-Slam Style
Boom. (Via @Scott_Raab and @CBthePoet)
Pic of the Day: New Indians Uniforms
There is good news coming from the Cleveland Indians and such a rare occasion deserves proper trumpeting. You know the old gray duds with the block lettering? The ones from Major League? Well, they’re back. Sort of. Also, the Tribe’s adding a red hat with the block C logo. Read all about the uni developments…
Scott Bickel Eats 12 Pounds of Applebees’ 2 for $20 Menu
Scott Bickel is a 20-year-old Clevelander who occasionally stuffs his stomach with disgusting amounts of food. The Applebees employee has chowed down on some of Cleveland restaurants’ ridiculous offerings including an 8-pound burger from Cleats, Melt’s grilled cheese challenge, and, most recently, almost the entire 2 for $20 menu from Applebees. Yes, the whole thing:…
Knowing Jeffrey Dahmer Will Get You Booted From a Jury
It was a standard question that elicited a completely nonstandard answer. “”Has anyone you know ever been convicted of a crime?” John Backderf, who was being screened by a judge for a jury, answered truthfully: ”I had a close friend in high school who killed 17 people.” According to the PD, the casual admission caused…
Concert Review: Hugo and One Eskimo at Beachland Ballroom
Hugo and microphone square off In sharp contrast to headliners One Eskimo’s mellow set at the Beachland Ballroom last night, London-born, Thailand-raised Hugo got the audience moving with a more high-energy rock & roll set. Sounding like a mix of Tom Petty, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and even a little Howlin’ Wolf, Hugo was an original,…
Cleveland’s Response to LeBron Nike Ad
‘Nuff said on that.
(No) Shooting at NASA Glenn (Updated)
(Update, with reflection): Well, that got intense for a minute there. After every news station in the city plastered up headlines — and aggregators followed suit* — about a gunman roaming the hallways and labs of NASA Glenn, it turns out . . . nothing happened. This is actually pretty hilarious. Courtesy of Channel 5:…
Dominic Fracchione, Lorain Teacher, Busted for Booze ‘n Blow Cruisin’
“There’s something on your upper lip.” One Lorain High School teacher is battling the worst hangover of his life this morning, and probably not just from the booze and blow bender he raged last night. According to the Morning Journal, police spotted 36-year-old Dominic Fracchione swerving between the lanes Friday morning at around 2:15 a.m.…
Miami Heat Hosting Matthew Bellamy, That Guy Who Wore the LeBron Jersey at an Indians Game (Updated)
Update: Bellamy finally got back to us but is understandably saying nothing at this point (probably at the direction of the Heat who most likely pleaded with him to stop talking to the media for the love of everything holy). Here’s what he had to say: “no comment. can’t do it, everything has been blown…
Scott Fujita’s Op-Ed on LGBT Equality in Immigration Issues
Scott Fujita is a mensch. The Browns linebacker co-penned an op-ed piece in the San Francisco Chronicle with Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA) supporting LGBT equality in immigration issues, specifically with respect to Honda’s Reuniting Families Act which “allows all Americans to be reunited with their families. That includes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender permanent partners.””…
Parking Spot Argument Turns Violent
Holy heavens that looks stressful. Parking lots blow. Busy parking lots blow more. It’s a wonder there’s not more incidents of parking lot rage in this world. Drivers taking too long to park, drivers parking in more than one spot, drivers parking crooked, drivers almost running over pedestrians, drivers just acting like stupid drivers —…
Jaimee McClure Let Kids Skateboard on Roof
Cooooool. 33-year-old Jaimee McClure is that mom who wanted to be cool but failed to remember that even the cool parents have to be real parents every once in awhile. Witness: Police say she left her three kids, ages 5, 8 and 12, home alone. Neighbors have called police in the past, complaining at least…
Fathead Releases Lil Wayne Design
On the day that Lil Wayne was released from jail, Fathead released their Lil Wayne design. From the press release: “We just kept getting bombarded by Weezy fans demanding that we release his Fathead immediately, so we caved and his Fathead is officially free”, said a Fathead spokesman. “We even sent his Fathead along with…
Ed Fitzgerald Can Thank Hardcore Democrats for Election Win
For all the worry about how the lingering corruption scandal would influence voters, Ed Fitzgerald pulled out a tidy win to become County Executive. How did this happen? A Plain Dealer analysis shows that party loyalists and heavily Democratic precincts carried Fitzgerald to the win. Check out the details and a helpful map graphic after…
Album Review: Kid Cudi
KID CUDIMan on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager(Universal Motown) Kid Cudi has always had a me-against-the-world mentality, but the Cleveland native’s demons pretty much take over his second album. The distorted synths and heartbeat drums that back the rapper on many of Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager’s…
Cher is Cranky She’s Not in Rock Hall Yet
Cher talked to Vanity Fair recently and among many other topics, she discussed her disbelief that she and Sonny Bono aren’t in the Rock Hall yet. Specifically: Cher tells Vanity Fair West Coast editor Krista Smith that she can’t believe “Sonny and I still aren’t in the [Rock and Roll] Hall of Fame, and it…
‘South Park’ Spoofs LeBron’s ‘What Should I Do’ Commercial
Mysterion RisesTags: SOUTHPARKEric Cartman,Mysterion,more…
Afternoon Brew: Racy Teens, Unsafe Bridges, Illegal Racing, and Kasich Lasts 13 Seconds
Good afternoon, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you brace yourself for all the negative campaign ads for the 2012 election to roll out next week. — Teens danced a little dirty at a nightclub and the “racy” pictures of the night’s events were posted to Facebook. This is apparently shocking to lots of…
Pic of the Day: Carousel Dinner Theatre Sold
The venerable old Carousel Dinner Theater, which has sat dormant since shuttering its doors in January 2009, was sold at auction today. From Ohio.com: The landmark Carousel Dinner Theatre building in South Akron was sold at auction today for $470,000. The buyer was the J.W. Didado electrical contracting company, based near downtown Akron on Vernon…
Is a Free Big Mac Every Week for a Year Really a Prize?
One is too many. When’s a prize not a prize? When it’s 52 Big Macs over the course of a year. Whoopee! Ouch! My heart! A new McDonald’s opened in Parma and a couple of “grand prize winners” a free Big Mac every week for an entire year. One of the winners had this to…
John Boehner Cries During Speech
The Republicans had a good night yesterday and presumptive House Speaker John Boehner took to the stage to make a moving speech. Like an orange being squeezed to deliver sweet, sweet juice, Boehner broke down in tears. Vanity Fair has a good retrospective of Boehner crying during speeches if you’re into that emo-politician thing.
Jimmy Kimmel Helps You Get to Know John Boehner (Not Boner)
A public service from Jimmy Kimmel for those Americans unfamiliar with John Boehner. First lesson: It’s Boehner, not Boner.
MIND OVER MATTER
Bye-bye, crazy talking animals. Scatterbrained scientists and superheroes with issues have become the go-to characters in the latest breed of CGI movies. From The Incredibles and Monsters vs. Aliens to Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Despicable Me, animated films of recent vintage have replaced smartass raccoons and neurotic giraffes with frazzled-hair eggheads and…
The Big Beat
After derailing the past couple of years with honorees that were too obvious (Janis Joplin) or too marginal (Les Paul), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s American Music Masters series gets back on track this year with Walking to New Orleans: The Music of Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew. The annual weeklong program —…
Dumb Luck
For someone whose life story is a bundle of contradictions, Mary Cushman makes music that sounds positively poised and effortless. Her recently released EP, Dumb, showcases her glistening, rangy soprano, which has some serious bite to it. The five songs include unflinching lyrics about conflicted relationships, carried by graceful melodies. On “White Flag,” she sings with…
Hey There, Lonely Boy
Four years ago, when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum paid tribute to inductee Roy Orbison, they recruited Akron singer-songwriter Ryan Humbert (ryanhumbert.com) for a kickoff party that included Orbison’s widow and musicians who worked with the legend. “It was one of the best shows we did,” recalls Humbert, a big Orbison…
THE MONEY BUSINESS
David Franklin’s first days at the Cleveland Museum of Art have been marked by significant change. It’s not just the new job or finding a new house in Shaker Heights, or enrolling his kids in new schools. The new director comes from Ottawa, Ontario, where he was deputy director of Canada’s National Gallery. An internationally…
CD Review: Alex Bevan
(alexbevan.com) There’s a good reason singer-songwriter Alex Bevan sounds so natural on his new acoustic album: He’s been doing this for 40 years. Bevan is an old-fashioned songwriter who writes about taking off without a care (“Road to Montreal”) and waxes eloquently about love’s many trials and tribulations (“Cages”). He mixes things up on Fly…
Cell Mates
In most cinematic car chases, there’s a moment when the fleeing car ducks down an alley or jumps the median strip and heads off across a cornfield to freedom. Of course, if we ever tried those maneuvers ourselves, it would be a dead-end alley or the car would get stuck in mud, sealing our doom.…
On Stage This Week
Brainpeople — The orphan at the center of this dinner-party play by Jose Rivera treats her psychic wounds in a bizarre and novel way, and it makes for some exhilarating theater. Performed at a sedate pace that builds in intensity, Brainpeople makes up for small onstage lapses with an evocation of larger truths. (Howey) Presented…
“Your Job is So Cool”
Neal Hamilton remembers the night his heart stopped. He was the official photographer for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Little Richard was in town performing a full show with a 10-piece band in the Rock Hall’s Fourth Floor Theater. “I’m down front taking pictures at the edge of the stage,” recalls Hamilton.…
On View This Week
APP TO THE FUTURE Remember Pong? Eight-track tapes? Ten or twenty years from now, what will we think of eHarmony and the iPad? SPACES Gallery invites you to dress as your favorite tech era and party in a timeless fashion at App to the Future, a benefit fest to support its efforts to give artists…
Live and Loud
LOS LOBOS/JORMA KAUKONEN Long before Americana had a name, Los Lobos were playing it. Their celebrated 1984 album, How Will the Wolf Survive?, drew from both sides of the border, laying down sounds of soul, blues, country, and traditional Mexican strains. Blessed with three talented songwriters, Los Lobos’ identity emerged through an eclectic mix from…
At the Arthouse
Mr. Hulot’s Holiday Director Jacques Tati’s breakthrough movie (from 1953) doesn’t offer much of a plot: Monsieur Hulot (played by Tati) goes to the beach for a summer vacation. But that’s just an excuse to toss the bumbling character into a bunch of slapstick situations by the water for an hour and a half. The…
CD Review: Taylor Swift
It was only a matter of time before Taylor Swift grew up. After two albums of near-perfect country-pop, Swift puts away her princess fantasies on Speak Now and trades them for big-girl dreams of domestic bliss, and the results are often as fun as a 10-year-old marriage. Now that she’s no longer a teen, Swift…
Bites: City Tap Now Serving, Pouring
The slender Prospect Ave. space in the Gateway District has been so many different businesses in recent years that it’s hard to keep track. We can recall Forti’s and Boneyard most recently, and Fishbones a while back. And each, it seems, added another layer of shoddy decoration to the property. New owner Eric Pelham did…
CD Review: Elvis Costello
Like most recent Elvis Costello albums, National Ransom is stuffed with a little bit of everything from his past: witty wordplay, some bitching and moaning, familiar bandmates, producer T Bone Burnett, and a mix of pop, rock, gospel, R&B, and country sounds. So it doesn’t distinguish itself a whole lot from, say, The Delivery Man…
This is How It’s Done
If you want to see what a gastropub is supposed to look, feel, and taste like, pencil in a visit to Deagan’s Kitchen & Bar. Open since late September, this fizzy addition to Lakewood should be required eating for any operator bold enough to make the claim that they too are a member of this…
CD Review: Norah Jones
This 18-track compilation of Norah Jones’ duets over the past decade shows off the singer’s versatility, as she takes on everything from funk and rock to hip-hop and country. Her list of collaborators is equally impressive: the Foo Fighters, OutKast, Belle & Sebastian, Willie Nelson. But Jones is only as good as her partners and…
COLOR ME DISAPPOINTED
For Colored Girls boils down to a marriage of two very different traditions: the downtown feminism of Ntozage Shange’s influential 1975 play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf and the Chitlin’-Circuit box-office bait of Tyler Perry, the playwright, movie director, and cross-dressing actor whose best-known role is Madea, a saucy,…
CD Review: Good Charlotte
If you’re expecting Good Charlotte to return to their pop-punk roots on their fifth album, you’ll be disappointed. But for everyone else, the group’s willingness to embrace new sounds and play it subtle are happy surprises. Opening with a brief nod to Brian Wilson, Cardiology segues into “Let the Music Play” and its soaring melody…
We Get Mail
SERVING SUGGESTION Thank you very much for your insightful coverage of the Cuyahoga County corruption scandal [“FBI Wiretap Uncensored!” September 29, 2010]. But could you please include some kind of warning on any future articles that include Jimmy Dimora and sex? I read it over breakfast and became sick. Lori Grim University Heights BUTT OF…
Hung Over
Due Date, director Todd Phillips’ follow-up to last year’s hit The Hangover, doesn’t offer much in the way of a premise: Soon-to-be-dad Peter (Robert Downey Jr.) misses his flight home and catches a ride with aspiring actor Ethan (Zach Galifianakis), and the mismatched pair embarks on a two-day road trip from Atlanta to Los Angeles.…
Stay In!
TOP PICK — VIDEO GAME Medal of Honor (EA) The Call of Duty series is still the war-based, first-person shooter to beat, but this revived franchise (for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) comes close. Taking a cue from Call of Duty, the action moves to Afghanistan, and the battle-scarred wastelands make a frenzied playing…
Get Out!
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4 COMEDY Get to Know Guy Torry Guy Torry is a man of many faces, and you’ve probably seen a lot of them in some fairly big-time movies. He played the prison friend of Edward Norton in American History X, and he’s shared the screen with such luminaries as Michael Douglas and not-so-luminaries…
