Rough in the Diamond

The Pirates have a date with destiny. Is there any hope of skipping it?

• by Adam Fleming

Getting Static

After a decade of advocacy, low-power FM stations may finally have their chance

• by Chris Young

Base Motivations

After 16 years of losing, the Pirates' fan base clings to hope, however faint

• by Adam Fleming

Bank Holdup

Community groups still waiting for release of District 9 money

• by Adam Fleming

Doing the Right Thing

Director Spike Lee tells students to do what they love

• by J.D. Thrasher

Hall of Shame

• by Adam Fleming

Tasty Chinese Restaurant

An unassuming Shadyside venue offers Hong Kong Chinese cuisine

• by Angelique Bamberg and Jason Roth

Giotto

A variety of slices – and a great location – keeps this South Side pizzeria lively

• by Bill O'Driscoll

Two-day Totally Wired Fest showcases national and local punk, garage and psych

McNellie says he's "excited to see Bloomfield overrun with mutants and weirdos."

• by Andy Mulkerin

While record stores and labels struggle, two local musicians open shop in a different area of the music business

"The more questions we asked, the more people we asked, it seemed like this area needed a store."

• by Aaron Jentzen

Groundbreaking Philadelphia DJ Diplo headlines Diesel this week

Being a DJ of Diplo's caliber has nothing to do with spinning dusty 45s for a cluster of cloth-eared already-converts.

• by Caralyn Green

German industrial icons Funker Vogt play Pegasus Lounge

Despite album titles such as We Came to Kill and Execution Tracks, Funker Vogt's members always emphasize that they stand against war and deplore social injustice.

• by Manny Theiner

August Wilson, jazz and other avatars of African-American culture spark two vintage documentaries.

Interview subjects include Quincy Jones, Hugh Masekela, and Jesse Jackson quoting Sly & the Family Stone.

• by Bill O'Driscoll

Fados

Carlos Saura's colorful, stylized film completes the Spanish filmmaker's trilogy highlighting the dance and music of Iberia. Fado has its roots in the folk music of the early 19^th century; its songs are laments, heavy with longing, nostalgia and reflective sadness. As depicted in the film, the songs are often accompanied with spare instrumentation, such as guitars (specifically the slightly bulbous Portuguese guitar). Yet, the genre lends itself to a variety of interpretations, influences and instruments, as well as hybrid forms that incorporate hip hop or the percussive rhythms of Africa and Brazil (where Portugal had colonies). Most of the fados in the film are paired with dance interpretations. Saura shoots the performances on studio sets, and employs several recurring techniques and motifs to create mood or mini-narratives. Video (including archival footage of famed faudistos) is projected behind performers, and many sets feature reflective surfaces, silhouettes, lush colors and artificial light that recalls the golden tones of the late-day sun. It's a beautiful, vibrant film, but it is, in essence, a collection of high-caliber music videos, and not a documentary. Thus, while I appreciated the performances, I found the film somewhat frustrating. If you're already a fan of the music -- or open to discovering new genres of "world music" -- you'll likely be thrilled by this film's variety of fados and Saura's gorgeous visual interpretations. In Portuguese, with subtitles. Starts Fri., April 10. Harris (AH) [2.5 out of 4 stars]

• by Al Hoff

The Hoyt offers a fascinating look at the sometimes-overshadowed abstract-expressionist painter Robert Motherwell.

While the forms may appear radical, Motherwell's robust intellect and calculated decisiveness are never far beneath the surface.

• by Curt Riegelnegg

This Just In: April 9 - 16

Highlights from the local TV news: Criminals descend on big-box retail!

• by Frances Sansig Monahan

Fear Itself

What, if anything, can be learned from the Stanton Heights shooting?

• by Chris Potter

Renowned writer and activist Peter Matthiessen talks about local filmmaker Jeff Sewald's new documentary about him.

"I think we will not be forgiven by our heirs for the carelessness about habitat and so forth, about these living things that are going down the tubes."

• by Bill O'Driscoll

Adam Zagajewski brings his hard-eyed but hopeful verse to the International Poetry Forum's swan song.

These poems don't shrink from evil, but they don't scramble blindly after good, either.

• by John Stoehr

Yerma

Most unnerving of all was Ocampo's dancing -- flamenco so seductive, so heartfelt, so defined by rolling hips and tortured eyes, that subscribers in the front rows looked almost ashamed to perceive her.

• by Robert Isenberg

Angels in America, Part 2: Perestroika

Part 2 contains two of my favorite moments of not just the play but maybe all drama of the past 50 years.

• by Ted Hoover