RuPaul’s Drag Race: Alaska Watch
On RuPaul’s Drag Race, Pittsburgh’s Alaska needs to bring her A-game.
Kids’ Book on Beatles Has Local Illustrator
Stacy Innerst did the terrific illos for The Beatles Were Fab (And They Were Funny), a fine new kids’ book from a major publisher. Get the “yeah, yeah, yeah” in Program Notes.
Kids’ Book on Beatles Has Local Illustrator
“The Beatles Were Fab (And They Were Funny)” is delightful
Bruno Sammartino WWE Hall of Fame induction set for broadcast tonight
WWE.com Bruno Sammartino at his Hall of Fame Induction Whether you’re a fan of professional wrestling or just a fan of awesome Pittsburgh icons, you’ll want to tune in at 10 p.m. tonight to the USA Network (Comcast channel 823) to watch Bruno Sammartino’s induction into the WWE’s Hall of Fame. The ceremony was actually…
Lynn Cullen Live 04/09/13
Video Archive GED rules have changed, become more expensive; Parkway West — a good trade option for high schoolers; comparing The Wire to Mad Men; why we’re thankful for Toomey right now; marijuana — the darling of Wall St.?; good jobs with no status; Obit: Annette Funicello, original Mickey Mouse Club member; no one wants…
Local Author Sought for Event
Fiction writer Michel Sauret is recruiting participants for the inaugural Pittsburgh Writers Symposium. Learn more in Program Notes.
Local authors sought for event
Fiction writer organizes Pittsburgh Writers Symposium
Equal Pay Day tomorrow; with a handy infographic!
Tomorrow is Equal Pay Day across the country, and the Women & Girls Foundation is holding rallies locally to illustrate the gap between men’s and women’s wages. In Pittsburgh, a rally will be held from noon to 1 p.m., Tue., April 9, at Market Square, Downtown. In an email blast today, the Women & Girls…
Review: Lou Donaldson Kicks Off National Jazz Appreciation Month In Pittsburgh
Lou Donaldson Quartet kicks off JazzLive International’s National Jazz Appreciation Month, Kenny Garrett Quintet set to perform this Tuesday.
Port Authority announces partial East Busway closures for weekend
A portion of the East Busway will be closed this weekend for construction, affecting the P1 East Busway-All Stops route. Closures begin midnight, Sat., April 13, and will end early Monday morning. The P1 will be detoured from Downtown through East Liberty during the construction. It will not serve Penn, Herron, Negley or East Liberty…
Lynn Cullen Live 04/08/13
Video Archive Guest: Kathy Newman, Assoc. Professor at CMU & Opt Out Movement advocate; Obits: Margaret Thatcher, former Prime Minister of Britain, & Roger Ebert, film critic; Thatcher’s effect on Britain & why she was thrown out by her own party; Ebert on death; Kathy Newman’s letter in the PG & why she’s opting out…
Local Filmmakers Soliciting Advice for City’s Next Mayor
This year’s Pittsburgh mayoral race hasn’t just inspired candidates, reporters and political analysts. It’s also inspired young independent filmmakers Christa Majoras, Alex Lee, and Angela Wiley to start a letter campaign and documentary film project addressing the city of Pittsburgh — and its mayoral hopefuls — directly with words of affection and advice. The Dear…
Poll Position: About that Keystone Analytics poll …
If you were over by the East End yesterday afternoon, you might have heard a strange yelping sound that didn’t come from Frick Park’s off-leash area. A new survey by upstart pollsters Keystone Analytics shows Jack Wagner beating Bill Peduto by a 38-30 margin. It’s the first poll to show Peduto trailing anyone but Mayor…
Stream This Ish: April 3 edition
This week in CP: —Musician and former member of The Monkees Mike Nesmith talks about his ongoing projects and work with MTV, and Sean Bonnette of Andrew Jackson Jihad elaborates on his position as the Michael Jordan of Netflix in our Music Features. The Monkees Andrew Jackson Jihad —Our weekly Critics’ Picks featuring Purity Ring,…
Pittsburgh Cycling Expo this Sunday
Do you like bicycling in Pittsburgh? Do you want to learn more about it, the gear and riding opportunities? Then check out the Pittsburgh Cycling Expo. The expo will be held Sun., April 7, at the IBEW Circuit Center, 5 Hot Metal St., South Side. All proceeds benefit the Montour Trail. Per the event’s website,…
Tonight: Mason Bates appears at Static for Mercury Soul event
DJ Masonic A few months back, our Kate Magoc explored the classical-meets-electronic world of PSO composer-in-residence Mason Bates. Bates straddles the classical and club worlds, working alternately under his given name and his DJ name, DJ Masonic. Tonight, DJ Masonic goes to work at Static — the electronic-music club in the Strip — as part…
Creative Expression: Ayinde Bomani Goes From Hip-Hop To Football Coach
Ayinde Bomani, formerly known in the hip-hop world as Suga-Free, shares the story of his legacy in the music industry. Short-lived record deals led to his eventual move to California, where he currently satisfies his itch for creative expression as a youth football coach.
Lynn Cullen Live 04/05/13
Video Archive Guest: Chris Potter; mayoral race funding / spending; why candidates loan themselves money; how much the candidates are working with; whoever has access to the deepest pockets / has the best ad agency will win the election; endorsements for Jack Wagner flooding in; what about Ravenstahl’s money?; FDA making Plan B available without…
Black leaders seek to consolidate black political base in mayoral race
Although almost everything else about the mayor’s race has changed over the past couple months, pundits have clung to one rock-solid certainty: Black voters could ultimate decide the winner. As the inimitable Chris Briem recently pointed out, black voters could make up nearly a third of the electorate on election day — although as Briem…
TreeVitalize kicks off spring planting season, calls for volunteers
TreeVitalize Pittsburgh, under the management of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, will launch its spring planting season this weekend. On Sat., April 6, volunteers will plant more than 100 trees in Millvale, Verona and Lawrenceville. After the trees are planted, community volunteers will care for them. TreeVitalize and the Conservancy plan to plant more than 600…
Historic Photo Exhibit Highlights March after King assassination
An event built around a local photographer’s rarely seen photos of a Hill District march following King’s assassination is set for tomorrow at Pitt. Details in Program Notes.
Historic Photo Exhibit Highlights March after King assassination
Photographer Charles Martin documented Pittsburgh’s peaceful 1968 event
Lynn Cullen Live 04/04/13
Video Archive Guest: Tom Sokolowski; the mayoral race is a free-for-all financially; Jack Wagner will have access to deeper pockets than Peduto; why local news sucks; books to read: Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala & Life by Keith Richards; machine politics & the mayoral race; Obama’s gun speech in Colorado; pro-gun laws holding ground in the…
Campaign finance limits lifted in mayoral race
The battle over the city’s fledgling campaign-finance laws, which played out in the courtroom of Judge Joseph James this afternoon, was a two-part drama. And in the exciting climax, the now-defunct campaign of Michael Lamb, like the ghost of Hamlet’s father, reached out from beyond the grave to exact revenge on rival candidate Bill Peduto.…
Pittsburgh Jazz Live International lineup announced
Chaka Khan headlines the three-day festival.
Author’s experience echoes a generation’s job woes
Local author Matthew Newton has published Death of a Good Job, a short ebook about his experiences during the recession. Read more in Program Notes.
Author’s experience echoes a generation’s job woes
“Death of a Good Job” chronicles his troubles
New Work from a Local Filmmaker: Ahab, a Re-telling of Moby Dick
Film premiere of Ahab, a re-telling of Moby Dick set in Pittsburgh
Heads Up: Morning headlines for April 3
It could cost as much as $120,000 to figure out how former Police Chief Nate Harper redirected $70,000 in city funds, says the Tribune-Review. “If they’d like to give me $90,000, I’m sure I could put it to good use,” says City Council President Darlene Harris. Which sounds like exactly the kind of mindset that…
Spreading its Wings: Thunderbird Café owners want nightclub to grow, but expansion plans don’t sit well with Lawrenceville residents
On a recent Thursday, staff at Lawrenceville’s Thunderbird Café methodically carried high-top tables out of the bar. They were making room for that night’s act — funk band Turkuaz — who would later perform on the Thunderbird’s mezzanine level stage. The venue, which has been around since 2000, has become a home for a variety…
Police Stations: City police may get to live anywhere they want regardless of who wins mayor’s race
Pittsburgh’s mayoral primary is still more than a month away, but a winner already seems to be emerging: city police officers who’d rather live someplace else. For years, Pittsburgh police have bridled under a requirement that they live within city limits. But the tide has turned in their favor: Of the major contenders for the…
Monthly Obscure events include burlesque and BDSM play
Next OBSCURE is 9 p.m. Fri., April 5. Cattivo 146 44th St Lawrenceville. $8. 21 and over. 412-403-5461 In the bar Cattivo, nestled between townhouses blocks off Butler Street, there are nights when the lower floor transforms into a bacchanalia, celebrating things even a Lawrenceville barfly would think twice about mentioning to her mother. On…
Savage Love
I am trying to understand some sexual fantasies I have. They involve having sex with a woman who has a penis. Sometimes I fantasize that my wife grew a penis. The fantasies started when we first tried pegging a few years ago. We recently had our first child and can no longer find the time…
The Book of Mormon
THE BOOK OF MORMON continues through Sun., April 7. Benedum Center 719 Liberty Ave. Downtown $36-138.25. 412-456-6666 or pgharts.org When The Book of Mormon opened on Broadway, in 2011, it was greeted with accolades that would have made Jesus blush … or should that be the Angel Moroni? Winning nine Tonys, Mormon was hailed as…
Pure as a Monkey Hitting You With a Hammer
Kitty came down to the gym Because a friend who helps lost souls And stray alley cats asked me to help her. She was going to jail for a quick minute and Needed someone to be her soft shoulder. The bell rang, ending the round Eight boxers turned and gawked as she stuck out her…
Winnie-the-Pooh and The Seven Deadly Sins, at Rage of the Stage
WINNIE-THE-POOH AND THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS continues through Sat., April 6. Rage of the Stage Players at Off The Wall Theater 25 W. Main St. Carnegie. $15. 724-292-8427 or rageofthestageplayers.com Being of the female persuasion, I had no childhood truck with Winnie-the-Pooh and his persnickety pals, opting for the adventures of the logophilic Alice and…
Short List: April 3 – 11
SPOTLIGHT: Thu., April 4 — Stage Cynthia Croot is a writer, stage director and humanitarian activist who’s even represented the U.S. abroad, on a 2004 delegation to Syria. But she found her latest project in her backyard. Croot, a Pitt assistant professor of theater arts, was inspired by City of Asylum/Pittsburgh, the independent local incarnation…
Jim Krenn re-emerges with a weekly podcast
JIM KRENN performs with Terry Jones and Mike Wysocki at 9 p.m. Fri., April 5, and 9 p.m. Sat., April 6. Latitude 40 200 Quinn Drive Robinson. $15-25. 412-693-5555 or latitude40pitt.com With an Iron City beer in one hand and an unlit cigar in the other, Jim Krenn sits comfortably behind the mic, a position…
Ramen Bar
Ramen Bar 5860 Forbes Ave. Squirrel Hill. 412-521-5138 Hours: Sun.-Thu. noon-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. noon-11 p.m. Prices: $5-11 Liquor: BYOB Angelique moved to Pittsburgh with a brief restaurant wish list. The boxes for Ethiopian and tapas were firmly checked, eventually. Her next wish, Japanese noodles, took rather longer to reach fulfillment. Happily, Ramen Bar has now…
Your Name
Again, I have to tell Frank the telemarketer that you aren’t in — I don’t have the heart to tell him you are gone, that he can never beg you for money again. I could pretend I was you and tell him to buzz off or I could tell him the truth — that you…
Mash Up Body takes a sampling approach to dance.
Kate Watson-Wallace/anonymous bodies present MASH UP BODY 8 p.m. Fri., April 5, and 2 and 8 p.m. Sat., April 6. The Alloy Studios 5530 Penn Ave. Friendship. $10-35. 412-363-3000 or kelly-strayhorn.org For her latest dance work, Mash Up Body, Philadelphia-based choreographer Kate Watson-Wallace took a page from the contemporary-music playbook. Watson-Wallace worked with the processes…
New food-truck regulations idling in face of restaurant concerns
As spring approaches, Pittsburgh’s food trucks are beginning to come out of hibernation. But a proposal to make it easier for them to operate is languishing in Pittsburgh City Council. The bill, introduced by City Councilor Bill Peduto last October, sought significant changes to the city’s current rules. It eliminated prohibitions against parking in metered…
War Witch
War Witch Directed by Kim Nguyen Starring: Rachel Mwanza and Serge Kanyinda In French and Lingala, with subtitles. Starts Fri., April 5. Harris. When we first meet Komona, she is 14 and pregnant. She tells her unborn baby, “Each day I pray to God that I don’t hate you.” In Kim Nguyen’s fictionalized account of…
Local bartenders participate in “Wine to Water” fundraiser
Water is everywhere in a bar; from fermentation through sanitation, it’s an essential part of the booze-making and -consuming experience. “Everything we do is water-based,” says North Carolina barman-turned-activist Doc Hendley. That fact inspired Hendley to create Wine to Water, a charity whose mission is to bring clean drinking water to impoverished towns and villages…
No
The Oscar-nominated No is the conclusion of Pablo Larrain’s film trilogy about Chilean life under Augusto Pinochet, and fittingly, this docu-drama recounts some of the significant last chapter. In a 1988 plebiscite, Chileans would vote “yes,” to keep Pinochet in power, or “no,” to hold an election. Rene Saavedra (Gael Garcia Bernal), a young and…
A huge new exhibit explores Andy Warhol’s artistic legacy
REGARDING WARHOL: SIXTY ARTISTS, FIFTY YEARS continues through April 28. The Andy Warhol Museum 117 Sandusky St. North Side. 412-237-8300 or warhol.org You might have heard: Pittsburgh-born, -raised and -educated, off to NYC for commercial art success, followed by art-world triumphs as a serial game-changer with early Pop art, screenprint paintings, films, art-business-media, portrait commissions,…
Film Kitchen
Three local filmmakers with distinctive sensibilities visit the monthly series. Highlights include Aaron Ward’s smartly written comedy short “Late for LARP,” about a hapless fantasy role-player. Also screening are three other Ward shorts including “County Fair” (a trippy nighttime jaunt to the land of carousels and petting zoos) and an untitled experimental animation. Meanwhile, Justin…
Mike Nesmith wants to tell you about the other 37 years of his career
MIKE NESMITH. 7:30 p.m. Tue., April 9. Carnegie Library Music Hall of Homestead Munhall. $24-45. 412-368-5225 or library musichall.com Mike Nesmith’s four-decade career encompasses some of the earliest combinations of country and rock, video experiments that paved the way for MTV, film direction, novels and the multimedia production company Pacific Arts. For a mere three…
Sean Bonnette of Andrew Jackson Jihad talks Netflix and “The O”
SEAN BONNETTE with IAN GRAHAM and MERIDIAN. 7:30 p.m. Wed., April 17. 222 Ormsby St. Mount Oliver. $10. All ages. facebook.com/222ormsby Sean Bonnette, guitarist and songwriter of Phoenix-based folk-punk duo Andrew Jackson Jihad, comes to Pittsburgh, with Ian Graham of Cheap Girls, to play 222 Ormsby this month. He talked with us about guitar sounds,…
Local musicians find that Beck’s Song Reader project is no lost cause
Last December, Beck released an album’s worth of material for the first time in four years. But it wasn’t available on vinyl, or as a download: Song Reader was issued as a set of sheet music. Richard Gartner, a local musician best known for his work in Soma Mestizo, took that as a challenge. “I…
Critics’ Picks: April 3 – 9
[ELECTRONIC] + THU., APRIL 4 Last year, after a couple of heavily discussed Internet releases and success opening a tour for Dirty Projectors, Canadian electro-pop duo Purity Ring capped off a great summer by releasing its debut LP, Shrines, last July. On the album, the pair kept it simple and played to their strengths, ensuring…
On the Record with Wolter Wierbos of ICP Orchestra
ICP ORCHESTRA. 8 p.m. Wed., April 10. First Unitarian Church 605 Morewood Ave. Shadyside. $15-20. 412-361-2262 or garfieldartworks.com Drummer Han Bennink and pianist Misha Mengelberg started the Instant Composers Pool (ICP) Orchestra, which incorporates virtually any compelling style of jazz with uninhibited improvisation — “instant composition.” Theatrics also factor into a performance, due largely to…
Lynn Cullen Live 04/03/13
Video Archive Guest: Chris Potter; police busting speeders at Squirrel Hill Tunnels; Cake Boss in Market Square yesterday giving out free cakes; NRA creating a culture of fear; farting elephants & roller skating monkeys; Pgh mayoral race update; Peduto is really the only Democrat running; why other candidates are hating on Peduto; Rich Fitzgerald openly…
