Work It: RuPaul’s Drag Race
I recently complained to my cable provider about my ever-escalating bill and for my troubles wound up with more channels for less money. Among the new-to-me channels is the gay-oriented Logo — and just in time for RuPaul’s Drag Race! I’m not sure that the maxim “there a reality show for everybody” has been coined…
District 2: What does it mean for the rest of the city?
As you already know, Theresa Smith won yesterday’s special election in District 2. Turnout was an anemic 10 percent, which was unsurprising. I was actually more surprised to see that Smith, the endorsed candidate, didn’t get a majority of the vote, finishing with 48 percent while her three rivals split the balance between them. …
Murphy’s Law … or not
I almost have to admire US Rep. Tim Murphy, the Republican who somehow manages to cling to his seat representing Pennsylvania’s 18th district. You have to respect the way he’s able to contort himself in order to appease his GOP masters, while still convincing working Pennsylvanians that he’s on their side. Case in point: Barack…
Another one bites the dust
In case any of you were planning on attending the annual huge massive overblown indie music festival to be held this year in Miami, Langerado, sad news: the big thang is cancelled, ostensibly due to sluggish ticket sales. Proof here. In an e-mailed press release, promoter Ethan Schwartz said, “Putting Langerado on hold was the…
Last-minute reminder: District 2 special election today
Live in District 2 and STILL can’t decide who to vote for in today’s special election? Here are some last-minute links to help inform your choice. You can find our own wrap-up of the race here. And the League of Young Voters just put up its own on-line candidate’s questionaire — reprinting the responses exactly…
From Hines Ward to Political Wards
If you thought the Steelers AFC Championship was a grudge match, you haven’t seen anything yet. Even the Super Bowl itself was little more than a tune-up for the bruising contest that may take place next week. Or not. Depending on whether anyone shows. As noted on the Allegheny County Democratic Committee’s Web site, the…
When Worlds Collide!
This morning I heard a kind of grinding sound, which I thought was maybe ice melting from my rooftop and falling to the street below. Or perhaps hungover Steelers fans trying to find first gear. But it may have been the sound of teeth grating all over the blogosphere, as Chad Hermann, he of the…
Super Bowl Revelry
As latter-day Steelers seasons go, this one can’t compare, for my money, with the improbable wild-card to top-dog run of 2005. But any year that ends with a Super Bowl win most emphatically doesn’t suck, and the amazing theatrics of the Steelers-Cards game itself made it much better than most. In fact, it even totally…
Natalia Rudiak Campaign Kick Off (With Sound!)
Natalia Rudiak launched her campaign last night, in a Brookline Boulevard headquarters housed in an old consignment shop. The crowd numbered about 75, and it was a heady mix of earnest East End types and neighborhood stalwarts. As I’ve said previously, that may well set the tone for Rudiak’s campaign: Her campaign manager and some…
Inactive Status
What do you do if you don’t like football?
Ad-ded Value
In a fragmented market, the Super Bowl is about all we have in common anymore
Sidelining the Arts
Some arts groups treat the Super Bowl like any other Sunday. Others throw in the towel.
Political Gamble
Forget Vegas — the real action is in the halls of power
The Song Remains the Same
Here We Go — Again
For Bettor or Worse
A look at the Super Bowl match-up from the bookies’ perspective.
One of the world’s top contemporary-dance companies visits the Benedum.
Batsheva’s stop in Pittsburgh, as part of a U.S. tour, is the jewel in the Dance Council’s season.
Clean Drums
Penny’s play and the production look like a meandering, unfocused verbal and musical jam session in which unsteadily sung American jazz standards and pop songs do no one credit.
Hot L Baltimore
All that sounds rather bleak, I know, but inside Wilson’s writing is a quiet grace, a bittersweet slice of humanity that may not be fun in the living but is fascinating in the watching.
Metamorphoses
This production really thrives on its blend of transcendent poetry and silly good humor.
Coal isn’t clean — but is carbon capture and sequestration our best hope against climate change?
So why shovel vast sums of money into sanctifying a dirty, inefficient, nonsustainable fuel source when we could ramp up stuff we already use: energy efficiency and renewable power?
Middle Road Inn
A rural inn endures, providing travelers with pub grub, comfort food and fresh fish.
In Sourcing
Group hopes new center will keep arena jobs in the Hill
Infectious Debate
Is abstinence education a cause of rise in STI’s?
Western Politics
In a year with a mayor’s race and uncertainty on city council, the race to be the West End’s new representative is heating up
Fear(s) of the Dark
Fear(s) of the Dark is a French-produced, 85-minute compilation of six animated shorts. Fear is the common denominator in these films; so too is “dark.” The filmmakers, an international group of graphic artists and cartoonists, work only in black and white, and as you can imagine, black and its dark grey cousins see more screen…
Ballast
Writer-director Lance Hammer’s markedly austere debut feature is a three-person domestic drama takes place over a few wintry days in the Mississippi Delta. It’s a slowly unfolding chapter of a story-in-progress that opens with an unexpected death. These are ordinary people with ordinary problems, yet Hammer allows us feel the slow crush of their burdens.…
Vipers Soul Club anniversary features guest DJ Andy Smith of Portishead
Smith’s well-received CD series The Document debuted in 1998 on Polygram, an eclectic mix of hip hop, funk, Northern Soul and more.
Female hip-hop phenoms Yo! Majesty gets it started at Belvedere’s
“I wanna put you in the trunk of my car / you’ll be missing on a milk cart.”
Garage-punk supergroup Magic Christian plays the 31st Street Pub
If you’re into bands like the Fleshtones or remember the Paisley Underground, Magic Christian’s new album Evolver could be your ticket to heaven.
Motorpsychos grow as they release their third album, Coming of Rage
“There are professional women boxers who would knock you on your ass. So it’s not an insult to say, ‘You punch like a girl.'”
This Just In: January 29 – February 5
Highlights from the local TV news: Super Bowl special.
Breaking Steelers Fever
Could our attitude toward football be getting … healthier?
Local bands offer new releases, including Zombi and Casino Bulldogs
Spirit Animal is Zombi’s third full-length on Relapse Records, and the band is also readying a split 12-inch with Maserati.
Coffee Wars
Local baristas battle to make the perfect cup
The Mattress Factory’s Predrive: After Technology takes a slap at digital culture.
Mexican-born New Yorker Brody Condon expresses his interest in gaming’s simulated trauma and our cultural tendency toward apocalyptic thinking.
Savage Love
Please settle a difference of opinion that stumped our small group at the coffee shop: Why do guys wear socks on their feet in porn? I say it’s a tradition. My friends claim it is a foot-fetish thing. My credibility rides on this, so thanks for answering. Socked In Denver Socks in porn a…
