Lynn Cullen Live 03/13/12
Video Archive Phone guest: Susan; 85 year old woman writes a food review of the Olive Garden, it goes viral; wolf hunting to become legal in Wisconsin?; Chief Seattle’s wise words about our Earth; equation to test celebrity couple longevity; Clear Channel pulled national advertisers from Rush’s show & told him to take a vacation;…
Metcalfe bill would end domestic partner benefits
Advocates and LGBT-organizations across the state are gearing up for what could be a marriage-battle on Pennsylvania’s own soil. An anti-marriage bill from Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Cranberry), is up for discussion and potential vote tomorrow before a state House government committee that Metcalfe chairs. The bill, according to Metcalfe’s web site, would amend the state’s…
More EDMC layoffs reported
City Paper has received word of more layoffs taking place at Pittsburgh-based for-profit educator Education Management Corporation. Company officials have kept mum, however, and it is unclear at this time if any of the lost jobs occurred in Pittsburgh. We began receiving emails last week about layoffs of as many of 100 employees at the…
Lynn Cullen Live 03/12/12
Video Archive daylight savings; shooting in Afghanistan; HBO’s Game Change — movie about McCain’s 2008 campaign, illustrates Palin’s complete lack of knowledge of basic gov’t & current events; executive director of Sustainable Pgh is a wordy man; Obits of the day: #1 William Hamilton –theologian who questioned God’s presence in a secular society / #2…
“It’s not about Cyril”: Fitzgerald responds to Wecht letter
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald has been in office for a couple months now. But in this town, you’re nobody until you’ve gotten an angry letter from Cyril Wecht, longtime Allegheny County coroner, and living legend. Fitzgerald’s letter, as we reported earlier, came in the mail this week. So … mazel tov, Mr. Fitzgerald! “I’ve…
Pittsburgh Symphony’s Online Contest
In February, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and its music director, Manfred Honeck, announced an online competition to choose one soloist to perform next fall at Heinz Hall, as part of a BNY Mellon Grand Classics concert weekend. In the PSO’s Concerto Competition, soloists will upload their performances to YouTube, and Internet users world-wide can eventually…
Fourth-grader teaches city school district a lesson in Civil Rights
Thanks to a bold fourth-grader’s decision to call foul on the Pittsburgh Public Schools for violating federal law, boys and girls who play basketball for elementary school teams in the district are about to wrap up their inaugural season this week. On Saturday, the girls from Montessori will take on Colfax in the championship game,…
He’s ba-a-a-a-a-a-ck! Cyril Wecht lashes out in angry letter to Fitzgerald
Cyril Wecht, the county’s longtime coroner whose career has mixed international fame with local controversy, is taking after county executive Rich Fitzgerald in a dispute about whether Wecht should have his old job back. Wecht stepped down from the position six years ago, after federal prosecutors charged him for wrongly mixing county duties with his…
Extended Anti-Flag interview, part the last
Howdy! Happy Friday! Here’s the second (and FINAL) part of our Anti-Flag interview, after the jump. If you missed part one, read it here first! So, in the past, say, two years or so — what percentage of the time are you guys on the road? Justin Sane: Well, the past two years actually was…
“The Elephant Man” at Prime Stage Theatre
A few notes about this fine production, which closed last weekend after a two-week run at the New Hazlett. One, those who knew the story of John Merrick only from the 1980 film version might have been surprised to find that the actor playing the tragically deformed title character doesn’t don any sort of prosthetic,…
Lynn Cullen Live 03/09/12
Video Archive Western Psych shooting yesterday – – victim’s name released; no one cares that WPXI always has to be first; PG letter to the editor – – Catholicism-loving man digs a little into the church & the need for women’s equality; Yinzletown; Kansas bill that levies sales tax on abortions, allows doctors to withhold…
Wilkinsburg Native Turned Russian Basketball Star
With March Madness kicking in, we caught up with a local guy who had a unique international basketball career. J.R. Holden claims to be the first African-American to be granted dual citizenship in Russia and the U.S. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, in fact, he played for the Russian national team — whose opponents included…
Local charter schools have uneven record, district review finds
“Charter schools are the best thing since sliced bread!” “No! They’re evil!” In the last couple of years, this has been the rhetoric as the debate over charter schools has revved up in the state legislature. So which side is right? Probably neither. Just as there are good and bad traditional public schools, there are…
Lynn Cullen Live 03/08/12
Video Archive Guest: Tom Sokolowski; Warhol would have wanted his museum in New York; ashleymadison.com will buy Rush’s ad space; Missouri to build Rush statue; Disney’s secrets; man’s vest w/ 20 pockets; Fatty Arbuckle; Repubs want required voter ID; Pat Robertson thinks we should treat marijuana like we treat alcohol; gayness; words of the day:…
Ravenstahl campaign reports reveal GOP ties
Does Mayor Luke Ravenstahl plan to run for re-election next as a Republican? Not likely … although some of his campaign’s expenditures last year do raise some interesting questions. This week, City Paper’s Chris Young looks at some of the unusual expenditures made by the mayor’s campaign, including country club dues and Super Bowl trips.…
Extended Anti-Flag interview, part the first
Part one of a multi-part interview with longtime Pittsburgh political punks Anti-Flag.
A Talk with The Composure
THE COMPOSURE EP RELEASE with KINGSFOIL, THESE THREE WORDS, more. 6 p.m. Sat., March 10. Altar Bar 1601 Penn Ave. Strip District. $10-12. 412-206-9719 or thealtarbar.com Pittsburgh natives The Composure release their latest EP, Stay the Course, at Altar Bar on Sat., March 10. City Paper sat down with drummer Cory Muro and guitarist/vocalist Paul…
Sunstar Music Series keeps spirit of biennial festival alive
SUNSTAR MUSIC SERIES KICKOFF with DJ KALKUTTA, GLOBAL BEATS, GEÑA. 9 p.m. Fri., March 9. Kelly-Strayhorn Theater 5941 Penn Ave. East Liberty. $15. (Poetry reading at 8 p.m.) Continues March 23 and March 30. 412-363-3000 or kelly-strayhorn.org In 2009, the Sunstar Music Festival debuted at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater; an effort to highlight women in music,…
CD Reviews
Sun Ray, Shining Light “Columbus Day/Salt March” 7-inch (Self-released) New instrumental post-rock from former members of Dawn Canon and Lushwell. Both songs are pretty; the A-side, “Columbus Day,” is pretty stock math-y post-rock material, but the B-side, “Salt March,” is an unfolding beauty. A single should leave ’em wanting more, and this one does. –…
Critics’ Picks
[GARAGE ROCK] + FRI., MAR. 9 Brooklyn-based Habibi combines crude garage rock sounds with girl-group hooks and harmonies, cranking out sweet, addictive tunes. They share a heritage with The Girls at Dawn (bassist Erin Campbell played with that band) and a sound with neo-garage heroes like Vivian Girls and Nobunny. Tonight the band plays the…
Taxed Property: Proponents say improvement district would give South Side needed extra services
Anne Parys knows the benefits of living in the South Side. A resident for 20-plus years, she enjoys the walkability of the area and nearby resources like shops, grocery stores and a movie theater. But the Sarah Street resident is also keenly aware of the challenges of living in the city’s entertainment district, home to…
An exhibit at the August Wilson Center showcases artwork from “Affrilachia.”
COMMON GROUND: AFFRILACHIA! WHERE I’M FROM continues through March 17. August Wilson Center for African American Culture 980 Liberty Ave. Downtown. 412-258-2700 or Website During the 20th century’s Great Migration, 6 million African Americans moved from Southern states into Northern, Midwestern and Western cities seeking jobs and fleeing racial violence. While such a move offered…
Political campaigns of Ravenstahl, other officials reveal unusual expenses
Super Bowl tickets. A trip to Paris. Parties for coworkers. Country-club dues. These items weren’t culled from the expense reports of a Wall Street exec, or the income-tax deductions of an aspiring socialite. They’re expenses incurred by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and other local officials … and paid for by the political committees seeking to keep…
Four notable choreographers are showcased in Dynamic Women of Dance
August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble performs DYNAMIC WOMEN OF DANCE 8 p.m. Fri., March 9 8 p.m. Sat., March 10. August Wilson Center 980 Liberty Ave. Downtown. $20-30. 412-338-8742 or website Last season, it was the men’s turn, as the August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble celebrated African-American choreographers Kyle Abraham, Antonio Brown and Darrell Grand…
Blunt Measures
Until recently, I never bought into claims that Republicans were waging a “war on women.” It seemed to sell the GOP short. Republicans didn’t hate women, I figured: They hated everyone who makes less than $250,000 a year. Now, I’m not so sure. Exhibit A is the ginned-up furor over a new Obama administration policy…
Hospitality Suite
HOSPITALITY SUITE continues through Sun., March 11. Claochlu Studios with Cup-A-Jo Productions and 72nd St. Films at Pittsburgh Filmmakers, 477 Melwood Ave. Oakland. 412.334.3126 or cupajoprod@gmail.com Roger Rueff’s Hospitality Suite, now a multimedia stage experience by Claochlu Studios, starts off like a play you’ve seen many times before. (OK, if you caught 1999’s The Big…
Savage Love
I’m a gay man in my late 20s who has been trying to deal with an attraction to young boys since I hit puberty. I know that what I feel is wrong and wish to Christ that I could have a normally wired brain. I have never abused a child; I do not look at…
And Baby Makes Seven
AND BABY MAKES SEVEN continues through Sat., March 10. Off The Wall Theater 147 N. Main St. Washington, Pa. 724-873-3576 or insideoffthewall.com Off The Wall Productions again lives up to its name, offering a play which clambers and crawls over provocative space, defying conventions, prodding us to ponder what’s inside. It’s Paula Vogel’s And Baby…
Extra Credit
On my first day as an after-school tutor, one of my students said, “I’m not working with you. Get the fuck away from me!” Daniel was 10 years old. Another boy in my group of four, Trevor, started the day by climbing a retaining wall and pouncing on the roof of the after-school van. Once…
The Pirates of Penzance
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE continues through March 11. Andrew Carnegie Free Library Music Hall 300 Beechwood Ave. Carnegie. 412-734-8476 or pittsburghsavoyards.org Gilbert & Sullivan’s operetta The Pirates of Penzance is 133 years old. And if you have any doubts about that, just check out the latest Pittsburgh Savoyards production. Before we get into the review,…
Magnifying Glass
A brother hunches above the sidewalk, magnifying glass in hand. He turns his wrist to make the light a strong string, shining noose. Watch, he says. First it’s paper, smoke without fire, then black ants with compartment bodies I still admire. Head (thought), middle (heart), back (what we leave behind). Sometimes we are in the…
In a U.S. premiere, Pittsburgh Ballet stages a notable ballet version of A Streetcar Named Desire
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre performs A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE 8 p.m. Fri., March 9; 8 p.m. Sat., March 10; 2 p.m. Sun., March 11. Benedum Center 719 Liberty Ave. Downtown. $22.75-90.75. 412-456-6666 or pbt.org For a choreographer, the lure of turning a literary classic into a ballet can be both intriguing and intimidating. How does one…
Io
Io 300A Beverly Road Mount Lebanon 412-440-0414 Hours: Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Prices: Soups and appetizers $3-10; sandwiches and salads $7-16; entrees $12-28 Liquor: Full bar After dining out in this city for years, we’re accustomed to walking into a new restaurant in a space we last patronized as a previous establishment. After all, dining…
John Carter
John Carter Directed by: Andrew Stanton Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Dominic West, Mark Strong and digitized versions of Samantha Morton, Willem Dafoe and Thomas Haden Church Starts Fri., March 9. In 3-D and IMAX at select theaters Look, nobody expects a 19th-century trip to Mars to run smoothly, but this 21st-century film adaptation of…
Less is more at Union Pig and Chicken
Union Pig and Chicken 220 N. Highland Ave. East Liberty. 412-363-7675 or unionpgh.com Forget vodka, gin, or tequila … you won’t even find Scotch on the pared-down liquor list at the new Union Pig and Chicken. The spirits on the menu at Kevin Sousa’s new East Liberty BBQ joint are all American whiskeys, including bourbon…
Film Kitchen
More Info 8 p.m. Tue., March 13 (7 p.m. reception) Melwood Screening Room. $6. 412-681-9500 Film Kitchen, a monthly series for local and independent film and video, offers a hodgepodge of cinematic treats. On March 13, the candy bowl’s filled partly with Halloween leftovers: two of Pat Francart’s trailers for his annual horror-movie festival, held…
Short List: March 8 – 13
Thu., March 8 — Opera With a new production of Puccini’s Tosca upcoming, Pittsburgh Opera hosts three events this week. Tonight, soprano Angela Brown — who’ll sing Tosca starting March 27 — gives a ticketed concert including excerpts from her humor-infused one-woman show Opera From a Sistah’s Point of View. On Saturday, the Opera’s free,…
Friends With Kids
A pair of Manhattan BFFs — Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt) and Jason (Adam Scott) — are dismayed to see what parenthood has done to their coupled friends (Maya Rudolph and Chris O’Dowd, and Jon Hamm and Kristen Wiig, respectively). Drunkenly, the pair sort out that kids are great, but ruin romances. So why not have a…
Lynn Cullen Live 03/07/12
Video Archive Guest: Chris Potter; Super Tuesday recap; words of the day: alar, hoosegow; Marcy Kaptur to go against Joe the Plumber; Santorum circa 1994: single mothers are destroying the fabric of the country by breeding more criminals; Ohio senator cracking down on Viagra, making men undergo psych screenings before getting a Rx; Obit of…
Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie
You should know that I have never seen Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim’s boundary-pushing sketch-comedy series on Cartoon Network. Thus, if you are a fan of that show, you won’t be surprised to learn I wasn’t sure I “got” Tim and Eric’s movie. The film, directed and written…
Brassero Grill
When Fernando Espejel came to Pittsburgh from Mexico City a decade ago, he worked construction to pay the bills. But what he really wanted to do was build his own restaurant. “I’ve cooked all my life,” he explains. “My grandfather owned a restaurant in Mexico City and I spent a lot of time there in…
Anti-Flag slows the pace, prepares for next strike
ANTI-FLAG CD RELEASE with THE FLATLINERS, THE HAVE NOTS, THE VIPERS. 7 p.m. Sun., March 11. Altar Bar 1601 Penn Ave. Strip District. $15. 412-206-9719 or thealtarbar.com It’s been nearly two decades since local-gone-international political-punk band Anti-Flag began in earnest, and the band is now on its 10th full-length (not counting splits and limited-run releases).…
TPlus – Taking a Ride – CP TV
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