When Being a Self-Serving Prick Is THE LAW
As you’ve no doubt heard by now, city councilor Patrick Dowd is indeed running for mayor, as was foretold. Our Wednesday issue will include a discussion with Dowd himself. But for now, I have to say that his campaign got off to a bad start with this piece in the Post-Gazette. The story concerns the…
MP3 MONDAY: “Boroughs,” by James Armstead Brown feat. Thelonius Stretch
This week’s MP3 offering: Boroughs, by James Armstead Brown, with a little help from his Rhyme Calisthenics co-founder, Thelonious Stretch. The track name-checks an array of Pittsburgh neighborhoods and towns (and Rhyme Calisthenics itself) in its hook, making it a pretty sweet hometown homage. Check out what our Cindy Yogmas had to say about Rhyme…
International Poetry Forum Folds
The Forum’s imminent demise is a body blow to the local literary scene. It won’t of course be fully felt until late April, after this final season’s final two readings take place. But no group has brought in top-ranking, even legendary poets, as regularly as the Forum, from Czeslaw Milosz to Gwendolyn Brooks, from Anne…
Two Steps Forward, One Step Barack
There’s been a bit of feedback for this week’s cover story — some e-mails and calls, and a typically thoughtful exchange over at 2politicaljunkies. And since the week is winding down, that I’d say a few words about why we ran the piece. Criticism about the story falls into two categories: One is “How could…
The Seafarer at City Theatre
Complimenting the set at a play can come off like praising a film’s cinematography –a convenient way to avoid saying you didn’t like the show. And indeed, even patrons who were disappointed in Seafarer raved about the set, which recreated the present-day living room of a decrepit house on the outskirts of Dublin, home to…
Political Spin: Bill Peduto plays DJ!
If you’re like me, Valentine’s Day is an annual source of tension with your significant other. I find the whole thing tiresome. If I wanted to exhibit strong passion on cue, I would have become an actor. Or a prostitute. Being an editor is bad enough. But thanks to City Councilor Bill Peduto, my wife…
Bitch is back
We didn’t get the word early enough to get it into the paper this week, but this coming Wednesday (the 18th) marks the return of the Queer Songwriters series, hosted this month by Your Inner Vagabond in Lawrenceville. Headlining this time around is the one-named wonder Bitch. Once of the duo Bitch & Animal (which,…
Today in Bad Headlines
Continuing in my series of PR nightmares for UPMC, the P-G had a story today about how the hospital giant won’t accept health insurance coverage provided by Tricare, which covers American servicepeople. Here’s the kind of thing you don’t want to see on the front page of the daily newspaper: Jean Rohal, 40, said it’s…
T.C. Boyle discusses his new novel, The Women, about Frank Lloyd Wright.
“It doesn’t matter whether the artist was a baby rapist and cannibal.”
Between Barack and a Hard Place
It’s time to reclaim the man we put in the White House
Oscar Nominated Shorts
Two programs let viewers scope out the nominees in this year’s live-action and animated short film categories.
Push
Paul Guignan’s sci-fi-ish actioner tracks super-abled psychic folks in Hong Kong who hiding from a shadowy government group known as Division. Among the hunted are a telekinetic dude (Chris Evans), a gal who can see into the future (Dakota Fanning) and a very-much-in-demand young lady (Camilla Belle) who can implant thoughts. You don’t need to…
Toast! Kitchen & Wine Bar
Fine dining returns to the East End’s Auto Row.
Pittsburgh n’@
Dispatches from the blogosphere: Stay away from Jennifer Aniston, Santonio Holmes!
Comic Jennie McNulty has a thing for Pittsburgh — and not just the Steelers.
“When you’re a Detroit Lions fan, you have to have a realistic team — the Steelers are my realistic team.”
The PBT stages an acclaimed version of Romeo et Juliette.
There is a tender elegance to Maillot’s choreography that pools like water over the stage.
No Child …
Like most plays written by artists who are primarily actors, No Child is more about its performance potential than its dramaturgy.
A Moon to Dance By
Jane Alexander lights up the stage as Frieda, the now-middle-aged widow of D.H. Lawrence and keeper of his legacy, literary and otherwise.
This Just In: February 12 – 19
Highlights from the local TV news: The NFL tackles local business owner for a loss.
Power Out(r)age
I’m one of the tens of thousands of people who lost power in last night’s windstorms. I woke up this morning with no electricity, no hot water, and a house whose temperature had fallen to the low 50s overnight. By now, my wife and I have gotten used to this: We lose power several times…
Heads Down
Squirrel Hill specialty video store closing
Dead Air
Comcast removes independent WBGN from its lineup
Dead of Winter
Mysterious plague hits Pa. bat colonies
Cards in the Air
Is poker illegal in Pennsylvania? It may depend on where you play.
A Downtown gallery installation memorializes slain Russian journalist Anna Politkovskya.
“It’s a sad story that an extremely good person who is reporting the truth is not a useful part of society,” says Trompetter.
O’Death plays 31st Street Pub, opening for Th’ Legendary Shack*Shakers
“We’re all trying to get through things with this music.”
Mostly Other People Do the Killing pack jazz chops, anti-hero worship and local roots
“There are many kinds of music that are fun to play, so we should be able to explore however we want and not feel guilty about cutting and pasting ideas.”
Piano man Ben Folds maintains his unique, worthy niche
Way to Normal exhibits just the sort of material that turns off the indie press but at the same time makes Folds an invaluable player in the larger world of popular music.
Australian improv trio The Necks play The Warhol, in a rare U.S. visit
“We never discuss what we’ll do onstage, and we don’t do postmortems either. That hasn’t changed in 22 years.”
Sworn In takes an often-oblique swat at the White House art collection.
John Riegert’s textile triptych “LBJ’s Beagle Series” is a speak-for-itself condemnation of Johnson’s lack of vigilance.
Maggie’s Mercantile
Everything is OK to eat at Maggie’s, Oakland’s one-stop for vegan living.
Hijack commandeers the New Amsterdam, and there’s more where that came from
If Hijack piqued an interest for some newcomers, as I suspect it did, you’ve got some digging ahead of you.
Savage Love
Recently, I celebrated my first year of marriage to the most amazing man. When we began dating, he told me he enjoys open sexuality and wants swinging to be part of any partnership he’s in. I regard myself as free-spirited and agreed to explore this with him. We delayed experimentation because I had a stressful…
