Hilary Masters, 1928-2015

Leslie McIlroy studied under Hilary Masters about 30 years ago, when she was a student at Carnegie Mellon University. She remembers him as a great teacher. But while Masters taught fiction, and McIlroy went on to focus on poetry, she says, until recently he still came to all of her book launches. “He’s continued to…

Listen Up! June 17

Every Wednesday, we make a Spotify playlist containing tracks from artists covered in the current music section and on our blog . Listen below!

MP3 Monday: Silencio

This week’s MP3 Monday comes to you from the local David Lynch-loyalists of Silencio. “Take Me With You” is a cut off She’s Bad, another ode to the brilliant mind behind Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks. Take a listen to the single below, and check out our review of the album from last week’s issue.   This…

City Paper Staffers Show Off Pet Photos

In City Paper’s Pet Issue, we’ve brought you Pittsburgh’s First Dog. We’ve brought you a swimming cat that uses the toilet. We’ve provided a video of a pot-bellied pig and three cute rats. We’ve even devoted an entire column to earthworms! But, are you wondering what kind of creatures the CP staffers love? Here’s a…

Lynn Cullen Live 6/12/15

Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Christopher Lee dies at 93. Technology and the death of the car. LGBT community and alphabet soup. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.

Pop-Up Gallery at Arts Fest Through Sunday

A dozen artist-members of Lawrenceville studio space Radiant Hall are showing work at PPG Place Wintergarden Building through Sunday. The artists, selected by Ikechukwu Oneyewuenyi, include such prominent local names as Seth Clark, Mia Tarducci Henry, Ryan Lammie and Madelyn Roehrig. The studio-tour preview exhibition, which opened today, is happening in conjunction with the Three…

Lynn Cullen Live 6/11/15

Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Lynn discusses Pittsburgh Pride, NBA pedicures, and Roe V Wade. Plus Bill O’Driscoll talks worms. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.

The Ruling Class at Throughline Theatre

THE RULING CLASS continues through Sat., June 13 Throughline Theatre at Grey Box Theatre 3595 Butler St. Lawrenceville $15-20 888-718-4253 or throughline theatre.org What better to showcase Throughline Theatre Company’s 2015 theme of “Method in Madness” than its production of The Ruling Class, which provides an eclectic night of megalomania, lust, greed and murder, delivered…

Stuff We Like: Animal Edition

Rodent-shaped bike racks in Squirrel Hill Cat Fishing: A Game For Cats. No, seriously. This isn’t a game for cat lovers; Friskies made a smart phone app for cats. Die laughing as your cat violently attacks the fish swimming on your screen. Pup Night at PNC Park. Dogs and baseball. How much more American can…

Out of This Furnace at Unseam’d Shakespeare

OUT OF THIS FURNACE continues through June 27 Unseam’d Shakespeare at the Studio Theatre Cathedral of Learning 4200 Fifth Ave. Oakland $15-30 412-621-0244 or unseamd.com Based on the 1941 Thomas Bell novel of the same name, Out of This Furnace tells the type of half-forgotten American story that isn’t quite a relic. But it’s definitely…

Leon’s Caribbean Restaurant

Leon’s Caribbean Restaurant 823 E. Warrington Ave. Allentown 412-431-5366 Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Prices: $6-14 Liquor: BYOB For decades after the upheaval of 1960s urban renewal, Pittsburgh neighborhood identities stayed pretty static. Other than steel-related decline and the South Side’s gradual rise from the ashes, if you knew the city in 1975, you pretty…

When Marnie Was There

When Marnie Was There Directed by: Hiromasa Yonebayashi Evening screenings: in Japanese, with subtitles; daytime screenings: dubbed in English Starts Fri., June 12. Regent Square When Marnie Was There is the latest (and perhaps last) lushly animated feature from Japan’s Studio Ghibli. After the retirement of its two famed co-founders and directors, Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited…

Local bars tap into kegged cocktails

The bartenders at Mount Washington’s The Summit must hear it constantly: “You have vodka on draft?” Amidst the bar’s familiar lineup of craft beers, a Tito’s tap-handle certainly stands out. And though straight liquor doesn’t flow from it, the fresh and spicy Moscow Mules that do are even better. The Summit is one of a…

Spy

Since her breakthrough a couple of years back, Melissa McCarthy has struggled to find the right vehicle for her comedic talents, a beguiling mix of sweetness, weirdness and physicality. But her reunion with director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat) in the espionage spoof Spy is her golden ticket: She owns this movie in every which…

Entourage

What’s not to love about Doug Ellin’s big-screen adaptation of his since-retired HBO comedy? How about: no plot; no fresh characterizations; way too many “celebrity” cameos; jokes that are repetitive and shrill; and a pervasive bro-ness that reads both offensive and so-last-decade. Blown up large, the slightly mocking tone the 30-minute TV show offered —…

Pet Adoption Resources

Navigation: First Dog: Pet adoption breeds happiness for Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Caitlin Lasky Pet Adoption Resources Dogs and cats are great, but they’re not the only choices for pet owners Pet store owner a champion for good pet nutrition From swimming to potty-training, Lars the cat is one-of-a-kind Pet communicator wants to tell…

I’ll See You in My Dreams

After her dog dies, Carol (Blythe Danner), a still-spry widow of a certain age, re-examines her comfortable, but stagnant life. She strikes up a friendship with her pool cleaner (Martin Starr), tries speed-dating and meets a handsome stranger (Sam Elliott). Brett Haley’s dramedy is pleasantly low key, with plenty of humor from Carol’s card-playing pals…

Live From New York!

It seems an impossible task to document 40 years of an ever-evolving show like Saturday Night Live, but Bao Nguyen gives it a go with his new documentary. It’s a chronological history recounted through clips and contemporary interviews with cast and crew members, hosts and various observers. Nguyen manages a nice mix, from amusing backstage…

Pet store owner a champion for good pet nutrition

Navigation: First Dog: Pet adoption breeds happiness for Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Caitlin Lasky Pet Adoption Resources Dogs and cats are great, but they’re not the only choices for pet owners Pet store owner a champion for good pet nutrition From swimming to potty-training, Lars the cat is one-of-a-kind Pet communicator wants to tell…

Mitski on academia, egos and those moments that make everything worth it

MITSKI with ELVIS DEPRESSEDLY, ESKIMEAUX, THE INCANDESCENTS 6:30 p.m. Wed., June 17 The Smiling Moose 1306 E. Carson St. South Side $12 All ages 412-431-4668 or drusky entertainment.com There’s this moment in Mitski’s “Drunk Walk Home” — the seventh track on her breakthrough album, Bury Me at Makeout Creek — where the ground opens up…

From swimming to potty-training, Lars the cat is one-of-a-kind

Navigation: First Dog: Pet adoption breeds happiness for Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Caitlin Lasky Pet Adoption Resources Dogs and cats are great, but they’re not the only choices for pet owners Pet store owner a champion for good pet nutrition From swimming to potty-training, Lars the cat is one-of-a-kind Pet communicator wants to tell…

Rhyme Calisthenics gives local MCs a chance to flex their freestyle

RHYMECAL “SUMMER SLAM” FINALS MC COMPETITION 9 p.m. Fri., June 12 Altar Bar 1620 Penn Ave. Strip District $20-30 412-206-9719 or thealtarbar.com Your parents’ calisthenics included squats, lunges, pull-ups and crunches. But Rhyme Calisthenics wants to give young rappers a workout of freestyling, lyricism, delivery and message-making. The rap regimen, which becomes the basis for…

Pet communicator wants to tell you what’s on your pet’s mind

Navigation: First Dog: Pet adoption breeds happiness for Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Caitlin Lasky Pet Adoption Resources Dogs and cats are great, but they’re not the only choices for pet owners Pet store owner a champion for good pet nutrition From swimming to potty-training, Lars the cat is one-of-a-kind Pet communicator wants to tell…

Critics’ Picks, June 11-17

[PROG ROCK] + FRI., JUNE 12 Ozric Tentacles performances are designed to be a sensory overload. Aside from the proggy voyage through the cosmos, the band brings along a wildly dynamic audio-visual show that looks like Windows Visualizer on PEDs. For more than 20 years, the Ozrics have endured under the umbrella of Ed Wynne,…

Cat and Gown

Navigation: First Dog: Pet adoption breeds happiness for Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Caitlin Lasky Pet Adoption Resources Dogs and cats are great, but they’re not the only choices for pet owners Pet store owner a champion for good pet nutrition From swimming to potty-training, Lars the cat is one-of-a-kind Pet communicator wants to tell…

New Releases

DIVORCE LIFERS Head2Wall Records www.divorcetheband.com As one might expect from a band called DIVORCE, this local four-piece delivers the angst. Unabashedly emo (in a good way), LIFERS is rife with hooky Kinsella-brothers worship, but also has a big, atmospheric sound that brings to mind the most recent Title Fight record. Produced with just the right…

Meet LGBTQ*Bert, Pittsburgh’s first all-gay improv troupe

LGBTQ*BERT 8 p.m. Fri., June 12. Maker Theater 5950 Ellsworth Ave. Shadyside $5 412-404-2695 PRIDE AT THE ARCADEincludes: Gayme Show Night (10 p.m. Fri., June 12); Arcade Hootenany, with Connor McCanlus and improvisers including Q*Bert (8 p.m. Sat., June 13); and ArGAYde Comedy Show, also including McCanlus and Q*Bert (10 p.m. Sat., June 13). Arcade…

How worm-farming beats pet ownership

As we planned City Paper’s pet issue, I suggested celebrating the worms who live in a bin in my basement and eat my food scraps. Spirited debate ensued. It was decreed that we would not, in fact, include worms, because: (1) worms are not warm and fuzzy and (2) I wouldn’t cry if one of…

Buyer & Cellar at Pittsburgh Public Theater

BUYER & CELLAR continues through June 28 Pittsburgh Public Theater 621 Penn Ave. Downtown $15.75-56 412-316-1600 or ppt.org Buyer & Cellar is making its local premiere at Pittsburgh Public Theater. But it’s confusing, so pay attention. In 2010, Barbra Streisand published My Passion for Design, a book in which she details the design, construction and…

Savage Love

A big congrats to Caitlyn Jenner on her big reveal and lovely Vanity Fair cover! But I am having a crisis of conscience. On one hand, I support a person’s right to be whoever the heck they want to be. You want to wear women’s clothing and use makeup and style your hair? You look…

Amid controversy, the PrideFest dance showcase goes on

PRIDEFEST DANCE SHOWCASE 1:30-5 p.m. Sun., June 14 Stages on Liberty Avenue at Sixth and 10th streets Downtown Free pittsburgh pride.org PrideFest’s annual dance showcase is among the best ways to catch up with local dance talent. But even this free showcase has been touched by the controversy surrounding PrideFest this year. The choice of…

Greyhound’s tragic injury makes her an inspiration to sick children

Navigation: First Dog: Pet adoption breeds happiness for Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Caitlin Lasky Pet Adoption Resources Dogs and cats are great, but they’re not the only choices for pet owners Pet store owner a champion for good pet nutrition From swimming to potty-training, Lars the cat is one-of-a-kind Pet communicator wants to tell…

Arts festival public artworks try to get us to rethink the Point

DOLLAR BANK THREE RIVERS ARTS FESTIVAL continues through Sun., June 14 Downtown 412-456-6666 or 3rivers artsfestival.org The Point, with its state park, is best known for hosting amusements like the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival. With varying degrees of success, the four public artworks in this year’s festival, by four visiting artists, offer historical…

Short List: June 10 – 18

Thu., June 11 — Festivals Controversy over this year’s PrideFest headliner, rapper Iggy Azalea, and over PrideFest organizer the Delta Foundation, has sparked a noteworthy alternative to the long-running LGBTQIA-themed festival. [Editor’s note: As this issue went to press, Azalea had dropped out of the festival; no alternative programming had yet been announced.] Roots Pride…

Lynn Cullen Live 6/10/15

Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. Service dog throws himself in front of a bus to protect owner. Vincent Bulioioi dies at 80. Texas plans to shut down many women’s health clinics. Larry Sabato and the predictions for Republican candidates. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our…

Lynn Cullen Live 6/9/15

Video Archive You can listen to the audio archive here. The debate about GMOs. What makes a woman? More on political correctness. Pool party gone wrong in Austin. Audio Only Archive Listen to the Audio Archives on with our new Apple and Android Apps or the computer audio player.


Recent

Gift this article