Cleveland’s ‘SuperPimp’ Has His Own Site
Dear lord. You know “SuperPimp.” You’ve seen the catcher’s-mitt tan, the flamboyant suits, and the ridiculous hair all over town. Anyway, he has his own website now — SuperPimp.com (How that domain was still available is beyond us. How did no enterprising actual pimp snap that up? Or, at least, Too Short?) The virtual home…
The Quality of Cleveland Life Report
Your guide to living in fabulous Cleveland. Their No. 1: JumpStart claims 90 small companies in NEO created $154.4 million in economic activity and 1,115 jobs. And that’s not counting the guy cleaning urine off Moses Cleaveland’s feet after Occupy Cleveland. Street Hustle Blues: Reports indicate Cleveland could lose substantial tax revenue should the NBA…
Plain Dealer Union Not Thrilled With Management’s Latest Proposal to Extend Wage Cut
The newspaper business, as you might have heard, is swirling the commode these days. Declining demand for advertising and Mary Worth cartoons has meant lower revenues, all of which affects the folks who write the words you ignore each day. So yes, drastic times call for drastic measures. In 2009, workers in the Plain Dealer…
Hopkins Ranked Second Most Dangerous Airport
Here at Scene & Heard, we don’t have Cheerios or eggs for breakfast, we have specious internet rankings. They come with 100% of our daily doses of iron, numbers, and BS. Delicious and nutritious. The latest batch from from Travel & Leisure mag via NewsNet5. According to the mag, Hopkins is the second most dangerous…
MGK Skips the Flash Mob, Shows Off New Mixtape to Fans
Machine Gun Kelly, megaphone in hand, hushed the crowd last night. The televisions in the back room of the Barley House were turned to the BET Hip-Hop awards, where Kelly was set to be featured in one of the programs “cyphers,” a pre-recorded video where a group of five MCs each raps for 30 seconds…
Afternoon Brew: Amish Mugshots, 100 MPH Drunk Driver, Filming Cops, and Metro Job Fuss
Good afternoon, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you try really hard to hide the fact you’re using your cell phone to record the cops. — Here’s the folks arrested for cutting off Amish people’s beards and hair as a form of religious punishment. (AP) — And here’s a fella arrested for a DUI.…
Seven Hills Mayor David Bentkowski Resigns, Takes Job at Ohio Lottery Commission; We Weep
Seven Hills Mayor David Bentkowski, the Bizarre Boy Mayor who has held the highest post in the tiny suburb since 2003, resigned to take a position with the Ohio Lottery Commission. He wouldn’t have been able to run for a third term anyway, but according to the PD, he still plans on running for one…
Browns Marcus Benard Lucky to Be Alive After Motorcycle Crash
Yesterday afternoon, Browns defensive end Marcus Benard crashed his three-wheel motorcycle on I-71 near Denison. Today, he was charged with driving under suspension and reckless operation. Not exactly the distraction from the Peyton Hillis strep-throatgate that the Browns wanted. Benard suffered a broken wrist for sure. No other official details of his injuries have been…
New CWRU Building Looks Interesting
Behold the Tinkham Veale University Center, CWRU’s planned $50 million, centrally located, 24/7 building at the heart of campus behind Severance and the university’s library. 82,000 square feet in all, according to the PD, the Ralph Johnson of Perkins + Will-designed building will have a green roof that will slope up two stories from the…
Concert Review: Wild Flag at the Grog Shop
Wild Flag rocks convincingly. For instance, the group’s show at the Grog Shop last night convinced us that we need more Carrie Brownstein in our lives. That Sleater-Kinney died before its time. That playful hooks and intricate riffs backed by pounding drums are not a bad way to spend a night. And that we could…
‘The Avengers’ Trailer
The full Avengers trailer has hit the web. Can you spot Cleveland?
Buy Jimmy Dimora’s Shirt
Serial Killers Ink, the same macabre murder memorabilia outfit that was selling samples of soil from Anthony Sowell’s house, has a new Cleveland-related item up for bid: a shirt once worn by disgraced former county commissioner Jimmy Dimora. WKYC reports the site has set the reserve price at $1,499.99, which is totally a deal. Especially…
Concert Review: Bryan Ferry at the State Theatre
Bryan Ferry hasn’t performed in Cleveland since 1994’s Mamouna tour, so the buzz around Playhouse Square was as big as Kate Moss’ gargantuan face (seen on the cover of Ferry’s latest album, last year’s Olympia) that lit up the screen behind the stage. The 12-piece band included Roxy Music alumni Paul Thompson on drums and…
Afternoon Brew: Kasich in a Barn, 600 New Jobs at Ford Plant, How to Help Occupy Cleveland, and Homecoming Queen in Trouble
Good afternoon, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you cancel that big Homecoming bash you were planning. — Winning Homecoming Queen is neat. Being charged for providing alcohol to minors at the after-party you threw is not so neat. (Chronicle Telegram) — John Kasich is doing a literal barnstorming tour to campaign for SB5.…
Med Mart Story Draws FitzGerald’s Attention, Clarifying Remarks From GM
If you picked up your Sunday Plain Dealer this week for your weekly supply of Hot Pocket coupons, you may have accidentally stumbled on their most recent Med Mart article, which follows up on Scene’s Med Mart cover story and interview with GM Brian Casey last week. If you’ll remember, it was in those pages…
The Ego Car
Ohio: where it’s apparently totally cool to plaster your face on the hood of the car you drive, a car which, in addition, has a MS DVA license plate. (Spotted at a Quaker Steak)
Pic of the Day: Westlake is Groovey, and Bad at Spelling
A sign from the lovely western ‘burb of Westlake taken circa 1970. The spelling-addled city was big on development even back then. Schools might have been a better choice. (Via Cleveland Memory Project)
Guns N’ Roses Coming to Youngstown
This is what Axl thinks of you Apparently Guns N’ Roses are still around. And apparently they’re on tour. The band — or at least Axl Rose and whoever he’s playing with these days — is coming to Youngstown’s Covelli Centre on December 7. But who knows if they’ll actually make it to Ohio. Rose…
Afternoon Brew: Fun With Stock Photos, Happy Birthday to the Statehouse, East Side Merger, and a Smoking Report
Good afternoon, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you ponder how to get a gig posing for stock photos. — Pro-SB5 group uses image of police officer in their literature. Of course, it’s the guy’s not actually a real police officer. He’s a stock photo model. Plunderbund digs up all his other stock photo…
Ohio Reps say Hell No When State Asks for Public Funds to Study Privatization (Updated)
Sellin’ out? Goin’ corporate? Update: So that bottom line there on the original story — because we know you all made it that far on a Friday afternoon with only hours to go until beer o’clock — has blown up into a bit of a tiff. Originally, ODOT head Jerry Wray said in a release…
Moses Cleaveland Is Occupying Cleveland
But he also stands around with bird shit on his head, so who knows how much stock to put into what he believes.
Water Issues at Juvenile Justice Center
Problems at the Juvenile Justice Center, Cleveland’s sparkling version of Tom Hanks’ money pit, just won’t stop. If it’s not colossal and mysterious overspending, then it’s egregious and obvious overspending. If it’s not a $430,067 coffee table, then it’s an internet system that has to be completely redone. At this point, it might be cheaper…
What, No LSD In His Underwear?
Via the Canton Repository. Presented without comment. They found another bundle [of heroin] in his right front pants pocket, another bundle of heroin in his left sock, a bag of cocaine in his left sock and a bag of marijuana in his right shoe, jail records said.
Cuyahoga County Hires Finance Manager Without Posting the Job to the Public
Ed FitzGerald and crew have largely avoided any mishaps in their first year in office. The County Exec has said and done all the right things, from demanding that certain employees choose between working for the county or working at partisan political positions to laying off unneeded and unqualified hangers-on from the previous era to…
Review: Greg Proops Podcast at Hilarities
While last night’s 8 p.m. stand-up show seemed somewhat subdued by his early-on scolding of disruptive audience members, comedian Greg Proops’ 10 p.m. podcast from Hilarities was full of good lovin’ for the Cleve. Baseball icon Satchel Paige, funksters the Ohio Players, and Congresswoman Betty Sutton all came in for kind words during Proops’ 70-minute…
Pic of the Day: Jacobs Field Torn Up For ‘Snow Days’
The season is over at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario, which means it’s time for the Tribe to begin prepping The Jake* for Snow Days. To begin, they tear up the entire field — an excavation process that produces quite the visual.While they’re at it, they might as well bury a First Aid kit…
Mike Brown Isn’t Mad at Dan Gilbert, and How He Got All Those Eyeglasses
Former Cavs and current Lakers head coach Mike Brown talked with Esquire about a wide range of topics in this month’s issue. Included in the brief interview: how he feels about being whacked by Dan Gilbert and how the hell he came to be the eyeglass king of the NBA. No, sadly, he did not…
Heavy Metal
Its metaphors are shallow and its plot is predictable, but Real Steel is still fun in a fighting-robots-movie kinda way. In the near future, robot boxing has replaced human boxing. Fans wanted more carnage, as former fighter Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) points out. Still, Charlie’s wallet takes a beating, until he and his estranged son…
Afternoon Brew: Dumb Robber, Scary 911 Call, Westin Coming to Cleveland, and Bad Sportsmanship
Good afternoon, Cleveland. Here’s some stuff to read while you occupy Cleveland. — Jumping over a bridge when trying to elude the cops might be a good idea. Probably not if it’s a 50-foot drop. (NewsNet5) — Audio from a 911 call made by a woman police suspect was abducted, dumped on the side of…
Pic of the Day: Occupy Cleveland
There’s more where this came from over at WNCX’s gallery. And we’re guessing this might get some coverage on the local TV news tonight.
UFO Sighting in Sandusky, Except Not Really
Folks in Sandusky were treated to an aerial abnormality that was definitely maybe a UFO sighting except not really at all. The Man will try to tell you this was probably just a meteor and The Man’s Assistant (an expert from a “planetarium”) will tell you this happens all the time and matches the description…
Someone Is Cutting the Beards and Hair Off Amish People
We can do no better than the start to the AP story, so here it is: A sheriff in Ohio says a renegade group has been attacking fellow Amish, cutting off their hair and beards. Well then. First, it’s important to realize that there’s not a ton of information about the renegades or their alleged…
$14.8 Million of Cocaine Seized by Ohio Highway Patrol
The Ohio Highway Patrol beams out press releases throughout the week. Usually these hot-off-the-presses missives tout the patrol’s recent seizure of drugs, guns, or money. Almost always, they being with some variation on, “Officers stopped the vehicle for a marked lanes violation.” Sometimes it’s speeding instead. Sometimes it’s a busted light. But it’s always, always…
Woman Threatens Boyfriend With Bow and Arrow Because He Doesn’t Want to Get Married
You want to reconsider that marriage decision, mister? A warning to all those young gentlemen in the audience. Your girlfriend might want to get married. If she does, she might not react well if you tell her you never want to get married again. It’s a serious conversation with possibly serious repercussions: fights, breakups, harbored…
Concert Review: Hanson at House of Blues
It’s been 14 years since Hanson invaded our ears with their infectious hit “MMMBop.” But to the nearly sold-out audience at House of Blues last night, it seemed like it was just yesterday. The three Oklahoma brothers brought their Musical Ride Tour to town for a night filled with sing-alongs, jumping, and dancing. They played…
Afternoon Brew: Betty Sutton to Occupy Wall Street, Fishy Redistricting, LeBron Practicing Football, Cleveland Wants to Study Something, and More
Good afternoon, Cleveland. We were buried in the salt mines most of the day and couldn’t pump out most of the bloggy goodness we came across, so here’s a mega-roundup to help you kill time while you wait to leave your respective salt mine. — We’re absolutely shocked to see this fishy bit of redistricting…
On Stage This Week
Broadway comes to Playhouse Square: Million Dollar QuartetOn December 4, 1956, a twist of fate brought together Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley in the Sun Records’ studio in Memphis. What resulted was an impromptu recording session that has gone down in the annals of history as one of the greatest…
CD Review: Feist
The gulf between Leslie Feist’s great tunes and forgettable misses rivals that of a singles artist. Her songs don’t grow on you; you either get them the first time around or you never do. But her “hits” sound different and busy, bustling to break free of the static soft-rock prisons of her albums. Her breakthrough,…
Shrew’d
If you’ve heard a faint whirring sound in the past few days, we’ve found the source. It’s Will Shakespeare spinning in his grave, in the wake of Great Lakes Theater’s reimagined The Taming of the Shrew. This balls-out, imaginative take on the classic comedy is the theatrical equivalent of a roller derby steel-cage death match…
CD Review: Merle Haggard
At this point in his career, Merle Haggard has nothing to prove. The country legend has seen it all, from prison to drug addiction to more career ups and downs than a dozen pop stars combined. So if his latest album sounds like it was recorded in 35 minutes, there’s a pretty good chance that…
All the Single Ladies
There’s no getting around the whole supergroup thing with Wild Flag. You don’t want to bring it up, but you can’t really talk about the band without getting into the four members’ pasts and how awesome it is that they’re all getting together for this new project. This summit of some of indie rock’s most…
Retro Ruckus
For 20 years, the white cinderblock building with the striking orange and turquoise sign has been a mainstay of the gritty strip of Lorain Avenue dubbed the Lorain Antiques District. It’s where stores hawking ages-old collectibles mix with rent-to-own furniture joints, convenience stores, and hair salons — and the latter are gaining ground on the…
CD Review: New Found Glory
Now a dozen-plus years into their career, OG pop-punks New Found Glory still sound like the bratty new kids on the block they used to be. They don’t mess with much on their seventh album, sticking with the three-minute, hook-filled blasts of catchy punk they helped pioneer. But all the nagging adolescent angst (“Falling in…
Get Out!
Thursday | 06 Comedy Proops Podcasts From Hilarities The name of his iTunes podcast notwithstanding, Greg Proops is not “the smartest man in the world.” “It was a joke,” the comedian admits during a phone call from the West Coast. “My friend said, ‘You know what you come off as? The smartest man in the…
Risky Business
Getting pumped for Huun Huur Tu’s big concert at the art museum on Friday? Get your tickets yet for Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar’s show here next year? Almost everybody loves the idea of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Viva! & Gala Performing Arts Series, but how many of us will actually be rushing to…
Concert Calendar
The Besnard Lakes/Malajube In concert, Besnard Lakes come out with guitars blazing, stirring up a blur of psychedelic burnt-sugar melodies and distorted noise that’s closer to My Bloody Valentine than My Morning Jacket. That aggression isn’t always obvious on the Montreal quartet’s records: Strings, piano, and hypnotic organ tend to burnish their sprawling compositions. Their…
Film Capsules
The Ides of March (R) As a writer-director, George Clooney pushes all the hot buttons. In Good Night, and Good Luck it was the media; in The Ides of March it’s politics. Clooney plays Mike Morris, an Obama-like governor running for the Democratic Party nomination. Ryan Gosling is Stephen Myers, an idealistic press secretary who…
Stay In!
TOP PICK – VIDEO GAME Gears of War 3 (Microsoft) One of video games’ all-time best series returns with its third outing and, not so shockingly, it’s excellent. Once again you play as Marcus, the badass weapons-wielding leader of the Delta Squad. And once again you fight an infiltration of the killer Locusts. That’s the…
Film Fresh
Don’t think of the Akron Film + Pixel Festival, happening this week at the Akron Art Museum, as just a Rubber City thing. Although it takes place in Akron, is put together by Akron movie fans, and includes a few ties to Akron filmmakers, the four-day fest has more in common with independent showcases around…
Nature Calling
It’s safe to say that no major movement toward environmental sustainability will make the agenda of this congressional session, but our culture has never been so aware of humanity’s impact on nature — or as intent on softening that blow. The Artists Archives of the Western Reserve speaks to this consciousness with its new juried…
On View This Week
Wall Eye Gallery’s final exhibition: No Place Like Home Playing House, Wall Eye Gallery’s final exhibition, is a reflection on play, childhood, and family home life. “Maybe we were ‘playing gallery’ the whole time,” jokes Linda Ayala, one of Wall Eye’s eight partners. But it’s hard to see where there was much time for playfulness.…
Cheese Whizzes
Matt Fish is gearing up for the opening of his third Melt Bar & Grilled, set to happen this Friday, October 7. Located at 6700 Rockside Rd. in Liberty Commons, the 4,500-square-foot restaurant will seat 120 inside and 30 on the patio during warmer months. This outpost joins Cleveland Heights and the original Melt in…
At the Arthouse
The Tree Charlotte Gainsbourg plays a recently widowed mother of four kids, one of whom — an eight-year-old girl — insists that her dad’s spirit lives on in a giant tree in their yard. She also says the leaves talk to her. A closing-night film at Cannes, The Tree is jammed with the kinda stuff…
Home Movies
Pulp Fiction (Lionsgate) One of the greatest movies ever made — which changed cinema the same way Nirvana’s Nevermind revolutionized music just a couple of years before — has been on fans’ most-wanted lists ever since HD upped the ante on home video. Not that you need Blu-ray to appreciate Samuel L. Jackson’s Jheri curl…
Beer Here!
Market Garden Brewery is proof that Sam McNulty loves us and wants us to be happy — and by happy, of course, we mean drunk. By sweeping the feathers out of a long-defunct Ohio City poultry shop and replacing them with a full-on beer factory, McNulty has ensured that we, too, will walk around with…
We Get Mail
Missing the Old Play House Perhaps Michael Bloom should leave the publicizing and interviewing to others who are not so outspoken [“Euclid Shuffle: The Play House braces for its move to downtown digs,” September 7, 2011]. He does nothing at all positive for the new theater to attract patrons from the old one with his…
