Helping a friend in need
Musicians are a charitable lot, especially in smaller scenes like that in Pittsburgh. So it’s no surprise that when local music-scene-types found out that uber-sound-artist genius Rick Gribenas was in a position of need due to health problems. Rick, whom I’ve known for some years now, is a Pittsburgher who’s gotten some seriously acclaim in…
Giant Daffodils in Schenley Plaza
I’ve seen these sculptures a couple times — by night, like you’re supposed to — and I’m still trying to find some redeeming value in them, or some evidence they’re worth whatever they cost the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. There’s five of the things, 16-foot-tall sculptures of flowers. They’re best visible from Forbes Avenue, in a…
Kevin Acklin testing the waters as an independent
As you may have read elsewhere already, Kevin Acklin is considering a challenge to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl as an Independent. Emphasis on “considering”: Acklin says he’s still in the testing-the-waters stage. But he did send out a press release late last night announcing that he’d changed his party registration to Independent. He has run for…
Buchanan wins another online obscenity case
A California porn company’s fight with the U.S. government over obscenity charges will not result in a lengthy trial, as many had assumed. Instead, the owners of porn-maker Extreme Associates pled guilty today to a charge of conspiracy to distribute obscene materials. Federal judge Gary L. Lancaster will sentence Extreme’s owners, Robert Zicari and Janet…
Back-to-Back Models
The self-absorbed, long-limbed wannabe-models are back, and just in time for us to start early fretting about revealing our blobbier-than-ever post-winter selves. Remember, their humiliation helps us feel better. As a convenience to the never-say-die, reality-TV viewers like myself, we’ve got aspiring-model shows running back to back, albeit on two channels: The CW’s America’s Next…
What’s Up, Dok?
I think I was the first person to use that utterly obvious pun, right? Right. Now the rest of you don’t have to. No need to thank me. Other scattered thoughts … Peg Luksik is entering the race to challenge Arlen Specter. You may not remember Luksik — it’s been more than a decade since…
MP3 Monday: Allies
Allies are a four-piece rock outfit that rose from the ashes of a few stellar local bands of earlier this decade, including guitarists Joel Grimes and Joey Vesely’s early-’00s collab, Pikadori, and drummer Greg Cislon’s Vale & Year. (In the interest of full disclosure, bassist Johannes Ma spent some time in the middle of the…
Harris’ son is running for mayor
Franco Harris’ son, Dok Harris, is apparently running for mayor — as an independent in the general election. We first noted these rumors last week, when Harris promised an update. And the Harris Web site was updated this morning. In it, he pledges to a mount “an inclusive and open campaign” and to “adhere to…
Like a Rolling Stone
Word reached us late today that Christine Stone, who had previously intended to challenge Bill Peduto’s re-election bid in City Council District 8, has changed her mind. She tells us she’s going to run for the school board seat of outgoing board member Randall Taylor instead. Did everyone else know this already? I’ve been a…
Arts Funding Cuts and the Media
It was an odd moment at a March 3 community forum called “The Arts in Tough Economic Times.” Bob Hoover, the Post-Gazette book-page editor who was covering the event for the paper, stood and addressed the 160 attendees, who represented several dozen local organizations. Hoover acknowledged what many in the audience have privately complained about…
Celebrity Apprentice: You Better Work
What a perfect time to bring back Celebrity Apprentice! Oy, this economy! The glittery rich everywhere are tumbling and — we hope — reduced to doing yard work, dog walking or dishing out spuds in a cafeteria. If we can’t see Bernie Madoff or the head of GM hawk crap on the streets, can’t we…
All Along
Richard (Bill Page) hits 40 and finds himself increasingly dissatisfied with his life: wife, two kids, house, job in accounting. Maybe a visit to a psychologist will help Richard sort out what hidden truths (and happiness) lurk in his fantasies — distracting daydreams involving sexy young women, rock ‘n’ roll, wrestling and poker triumphs. Robert…
Disorder in the court endorsement
Like the appearance of new buds on tree branches, one sign of spring is the Allegheny County Democratic Committee endorsement. And just as those buds will eventually flower, an endorsement controversy may be about to bloom. This Sunday, county commitee members will migrate to Heinz Field, just like birds winging their way from warmer climes.…
Film Kitchen hosts comedy, critique and travelogue.
“My idea,” she says, “was like a dollhouse” — a sort of cutaway view.
Payne gets union endorsements
City Councilor Tonya Payne picked up an endorsement from the Service Employees International Union and other labor groups in her bid for re-election. The SEIU, which represents custodians and other service employees, was an active participant in efforts to create a Community Benefits Agreement for the Hill District. The CBA is an effort to ensure…
Serving Time
Both sides in the sex-abuse case against a Pittsburgh school psychologist wonder why the trial took more than six years to begin. Can justice still be served?
Cheech & Chong return to roll with the changes.
“The new government has lifted the comedy embargo.”
Parade
I tried to figure out what was keeping Brown from hitting the heights for which he was striving, and then I realized that he just doesn’t have the talent.
Expansion Costs
Will greater slots accessibility mean more gambling addicts?
Steelerbaby Blues
Is artist’s stance on copyright justified or hypocritical?
Barley’s & Hop’s
Beer, beer, beer — and sausages: an oasis of German-style Gemütlichkeit in South Hills suburbia.
This Just In: March 5 – 12
Highlights from the local TV news — Beer (still) here!
Pittsburgh n’@
Dispatches from the blogosphere: A mayoral pitch … and a pitcher for the Pirates?
Gil Mantera’s Party Dream return with Dreamscape
“The band, in the past, has written a lot of quirky, fun songs, and now we’re trying for something a little more serious.”
New local rockers Chalk Dinosaur balance between unassuming and awesome
“This guilty discontent stains the so-called prime of years.”
Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler returns with Adler’s Appetite
“The show gave me an opportunity to get my first 37 days sober and I hadn’t had that since I was 11 years old.”
Toshi Reagon performs at the SUNSTAR Women in Music Festival
“Well, my strategy for success is, get off your ass and make it happen.”
Comedian Margaret Cho dishes about playing guitar, politics and women in standup.
“So the women who are successful in comedy are women who don’t give a shit about what men think and so it’s always the queers!”
Vanished local retail icon G.C. Murphy’s is the subject of a new book.
“It was never ‘shopping is drudgery.’ It was ‘shopping is fun,'” he says.
In his new book, Ron Padgett — who visits the International Poetry Forum this week — tells How to Be Perfect.
The effect is a cloud of uncertainty zapped by a delightful snap of light, as in a seasoned comic’s polished standup routine.
Eating Local in Oakland
Come for the eggs, stay for the history.
16-year-old Maddie Georgi gets her name out the old-fashioned way: paying dues
“I keep practicing every day, but there’s no pressure and I’m getting all the performing experience I can.”
Savage Love
I have lived with my boyfriend for almost two years. He says he loves me and does a lot of loving things for me. We are both in our early 60s, but we have the sexual energy of 20-year-olds. Here’s the problem: I am overweight (size 18). I was overweight when he met me. I…
Mayoral campaign false start?
As first reported here yesterday, there’s been some online rumor-mongering about a potential mayoral bid by Franco Harris’s son. It’s worth noting that as of this morning, the “Harris for Pittsburgh” site is now unavailable. And the Franco Harris Wikipedia entry has been altered yet again, to remove the reference to Dok Harris’ campaign. Which…
