Bad signs in mayoral race
So, I’m a little late getting to the dispute over mayoral candidate Dok Harris’ election petitions. Judge Joseph James upheld Harris’ candidacy two weeks ago, after his petitions were challenged by supporters of rival candidate Kevin Acklin. But there’s a broader question. What do these petitions say about the candidates — other than the fact…
Council on G-20: About as good as we can hope for
Pittsburgh City Council has approved one of two controversial pieces of legislation related to G-20 protests. Members voted 8-1 in favor a bill that would allow police to charge people for carrying a variety of items that might be used in a protest: PVC pipes, locks, chains, and other equipment sometimes used to create human…
Accordion Pool Party
This Lawrenceville event this past Saturday was both nothing you’d ever seen before and — if you’d heard about it ahead of time — exactly what you’d have expected. Basically, it was a block party around an abandoned pool that happened to have 20 people playing accordions inside it. Well, they didn’t just happen to…
Hollywood on the Mon: Michael Moore premieres new film in Pittsburgh
Michael Moore was in town last night, unveiling the U.S. premiere of his new film, Capitalism: A Love Story. But if you missed it, you may get another chance at a sneak preview: After the screening, Moore told the audience that he was planning to come back to Pittsburgh next week “and project this film…
In today’s jingoism news …
They don’t call it the South Hills for nothing, I guess. Lately, every other week brings new evidence that Pittsburgh’s prosperous suburbs are turning Dixie. The Mt. Lebanon school district, you may recall, is one of those districts — like my very own Upper St. Clair — that decided not to let its students see…
MP3 MONDAY: Chip DiMonick, “Bloodbaths in America”
Local raunch-metal trio Chip DiMonick released its album Sick Definition of Fun just last week. The title comes from this today’s Mp3 Monday track, “Bloodbaths in America,” a musical rant against violence in the media: “The Nielsen ratings say CBS Murder is number one / Seeing death and brutality is our sick definition of fun.”…
Steelers Fan at the Gist Street Reading Series
One time I said to a friend, “Sometimes people’ll surprise you.” “No, they won’t,” he replied. But here’s some small evidence they can. It comes courtesy of last week’s City Paper cover-photo and interview subject, author Sherrie Flick, via her role as co-curator of the Gist Street Reading Series. The long-running monthly series regularly sells…
Miracle Berries at The Miller Gallery
Many of the guests at the Sept. 11 opening reception for the gallery’s new show were handed a blister pack containing a single dried, seed-like sample of this West African berry. It’s a culinary cult item: Suck on it for a few minutes, then sour things you eat afterward taste sweet. Miller Gallery’s tasting party…
Short List: Week of September 10 – 17
It’s pure coincidence that Dormont and Lawrenceville are both ringing out summer with parties in big dry public pools. The affairs are easy to distinguish: Lawrenceville’s has all the accordions. The Accordion Pool Party is the brainchild of Susan Englert and Deborah Knox, two Larryvillians who want something made of the Leslie Park Pool, a…
Gateway Grill
The ever-popular pizza is a reason to stop by this Monroeville eatery.
My One and Only
It’s not that the events in this dramedy sort of based on the youth of overly bronzed actor George Hamilton couldn’t have really happened; it’s just that not one moment depicted on screen feels authentic. All the dreamy vintage gowns and chrome-tipped Cadillacs can’t lift Richard Loncraine’s film above the overly broad, syrupy Very Special…
Extract
Follow this if you can: A nice guy (Jason Bateman) who’s bored with his marriage opts to trick his wife (Kristen Wiig) into having an affair, so that he can have an extramarital dalliance — all so his domestic life gets the spark it needs. Inspired, he hires a gigolo, and sets his sights on…
American Casino
Directed by Leslie Cockburn, and co-written with her husband, Andrew (both vets of investigative TV shows such as 60 Minutes and CBS Reports), this documentary about the recent financial meltdown has good intentions. Its principal aim is to show how the unregulated “instruments” making Wall Street rich impacted folks at the other end of the…
9
Shane Acker’s animated feature about a bleak, post-apocalyptic world has much surface charm to recommend it. However, the film could use more plot and character development — though perhaps such aspects of storytelling matter less when the ground is still smoking and there isn’t a human being in sight. Subbing for humanity here are several…
In the Loop
Armando Iannucci’s film is a blistering parody of the run-up to war. Set in London and Washington, D.C., it crisscrosses the ocean as bureaucrats, politicians, aides and generals double-cross each other, all in the name of — well, basically, their careers. They all trade in words, words, words that signify nothing, and they’re all just…
This Just In: September 10 – 17
Highlights from the local TV news: Loose Cannon
Trial by Jury
Butler man will get his discrimination case before a jury
Gearing Up
G-20 protesters get ready for whatever conditions they face
Measure Response
ACLU, activists working to keep broad police powers out of G-20
The Pittsburgh New Works Fest’s new home, plus productions by PICT and the REP, kick off the fall theater season.
There’s something to be said for attempting to boil Crime and Punishment down to 80 minutes of stage time.
Rising young author Aleksandar Hemon visits the Pitt Contemporary Writers Series.
Hemon is here to pick up Pitt’s 2009 Fred R. Brown Literary Award.
Sherrie Flick discusses her first novel, Reconsidering Happiness.
“I think there is a kind of beauty to that kind of loneliness.”
The Rainmaker
Not too deep yet not shallow, The Rainmaker is still a comforting and comfortable entertainment.
Viewers or no, machines make art at Wood Street.
Viewers may find themselves disturbed and awed that a heat lamp, wax and a small fan have so easily unraveled ideas about a machine’s ability to make a great artwork.
Embury
Now, a place to drink cocktails like your fancy ancestors once did
Acclaimed indie-pop quinted Ra Ra Riot headlines WYEP’s Rock the Block party
In short order, the band signed with indie heavyweight label Barsuk, which released the critically lauded album The Rhumb Line late last year.
The Books return to Pittsburgh, offering a sneak peek at new unreleased material
While the pair remains somewhat secretive about the direction of their new album, they have mentioned picking up self-help and hypnotherapy cassettes at Salvation Army and Goodwill.
Eagle Twin combines mind-bending riffs, laureate poetry in The Unkindness of Crows
“The poems have rhythms that actually gave me ideas for riffs as well as structure and form.”
“One of the key songs on the record is ‘Harvey Haddix,’ which is a song about a Pirates game from 1959 — 50 years ago. So right away, we’re playing the local angle!”
Steve Wynn, The Minus 5 and The Baseball Project share histories and songs at Club Café
Shear Determination
Shaler native, former MTV VJ hopes Steelers Web show is key to his future
PURE Motives
Is activist group’s pressure helping Pittsburgh schools, or working to tear down its administration?
Class Warfare
Raising anarchists in Upper St. Clair
Dark-electronic tours “Ruina” and “Breakcore Gives Me Wood” visit Pittsburgh this week
“It’s all breakcore and hardcore electronics, but with a punk edge — everyone’s in hoodies and dreadlocks, and they just wild out.”
Savage Love
As a 43-year-old single gay guy, I recently had my first spanking experience and am now feeling extreme guilt and self-loathing. I was in a very long-term vanilla relationship for most of my adult life and never got to experience anything remotely kinky, but I’ve had an interest in it. Long story short, I answered…
Diagnosing Obama’s Speech
I listened to Obama’s health care speech with a couple dozen die-hard supporters in Point Breeze last night. And it summed up what makes Obama so promising a politician … and what makes me worry we’re headed for disappointment. It was a good speech, the last several minutes especially. I was glad to hear Obama…
