A Conversation with Roy Wood Jr.
The Sullivan & Son comic talks Pittsburgh, SEC football and prank calls
No sign of cooperation in sight on Friendship AutoZone development
Courtesy of Evolve Architects East End neighborhood groups are preparing for a potential legal battle against a developer who plans to build an AutoZone store at Penn and Negley Avenues — claiming the developer has refused to meet with residents. “The onus was on the developer to contact the community,” says Rick Swartz, executive director…
Lynn Cullen Live 07/08/14
Video Archive Phone guest: Susan; Pirates lost to St. Louis yesterday; man trying to sue ESPN / MLB for broadcasting him asleep at a baseball game; Hillary Clinton taking heat for defending a rapist in 1975; surge of young immigrants coming to the US; Obama’s new education initiative; 125th anniversary of the Wall Street Journal;…
A different looking Say Anything appease a sold-out Mr. Small’s
Say Anything played a sold out Mr. Small’s last night and they’ve still got it, at least for now. Since its last appearance here in April 2012 with Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band, Fake Problems and The Front Bottoms, things have changed a bit for the band. Frontman Max Bemis got married and had…
Lynn Cullen Live 07/07/14
Video Archive Why is the Tour de France in England?; Wisconsin woman finds lost wedding ring in dog puke; hospital bills & healthcare; have to laugh when someone gets shot at a gun show; Obit: Richard Mellon Scaife; Pirates in 2nd place; Buddhist monks in Times Square actually hobos; Pittsburgh & Furries are besties; Trains…
More than 200 protest PNC’s Financing of Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining
More than 200 protesters led by the Philadelphia-based Earth Quaker Action Team converged on downtown PNC Bank branches this afternoon before rallying at the Bank’s headquarters on Fifth Avenue to protest the lender’s continued financing of mining companies that engage in Mountaintop Removal coal mining (MTR). A lot of the group came in on buses…
Peduto: Sen. Fontana preparing state rideshare legislation
After saying on Wednesday that he would fight for innovation, Mayor Bill Peduto announced this morning that state Sen. Wayne Fontana is preparing legislation int he state senate to permit the operation of rideshare companies like Lyft and Uber. “State Sen. Wayne Fontana is set to introduce legislation to allow for operation of these innovative…
Lynn Cullen Live 07/03/14
Video Archive Guest: Tom Sokolowski; why Sophie Masloff had fireworks on July 3; the Furries are in town!; Pittsburgh’s 1996 Regional Renaissance Initiative; Green Bay Packers owned by the fans; Obit: Dr. Morris Turner, local OBGYN; if you watch the evening news, you’re bound to be afraid of black men; poll shows Obama worst president…
Peduto promises a “fight” over rideshare cease-and-desist order
Mayor Bill Peduto responded Wednesday to a Public Utilities Commission ruling ordering rideshare companies Lyft an Uber to cease immediate operations in the city. “I will not let the Governor and the Public Utility Commission shut down innovation without a fight,” Peduto said in a statement. ” I am confident it is one that I…
Fitzgerald statement on one-year extension of same-sex partner benefits
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald issued the following statement regarding his decision to extend same-sex benefits for 11 existing county employees. New hires, however,”will be required to follow the same policy regarding how and when benefits are offered to partners and families.” As reported in this week’s issue, the earlier deadline caused consternation among LGBT…
BREAKING: County to extend same-sex benefits by one year
Post by Chris Potter A short time ago, Allegheny County officials confirmed that the county intends to continue offering domestic-partner benefits to same-sex employees and their partners through June 30, 2015. The move, a formal announcement of which is due later this morning, extends the benefit one year beyond a June 30 termination date previously…
Critics’ Picks: July 3 – 9
[NOISE ROCK] + THU., JULY 3 Swans’ appearance in Pittsburgh last summer was a bit polarizing — the band spent more than two hours constructing a punishing mountain of sound, as if subjecting the audience to an endurance test and daring it to fail. But any waves of fatigue were worth it, because the best…
A new bus tour visits local film and TV shooting locations
LIGHTS, CAMERA, PITTSBURGH! Tours continue through Oct. 25. $40 (group discounts available). pghtoursandmore.net Judging from the attendees for Lights, Camera, Pittsburgh!, the far-reaching appeal of movies is obvious. The cross-generational crowd for this bus tour of local film locations includes hip, young film-buffs, begrudging tweens and nostalgic older folks alike. But when asked what their…
New Releases
Mark Mangini Loss (Pencil Ghost) A new 7-inch from the local visual and sound artist. The only downside to this record is that as soon as you get into Mangini’s ambient psych zone during the first track, it ends and you have to flip the record to get to the B-side. Track one (“Another, Again”)…
Progression, a new comedy set during a progressive dinner in Lawrenceville, premieres
PROGRESSION premiere 8 p.m. Thu., July 10 (7 p.m. reception). Regent Square Theater, 1035 Braddock Ave., Edgewood. $10 ($25 includes reception). 412-682-4111 or www.pittsburgharts/progression.org Gab Cody and Sam Turich say it took a Lawrencevillage to make their debut feature film, Progression. Now, they plan to distribute the film using a novel, hands-on model as well.…
Project Silk takes an unorthodox approach to serving an often-invisible community
On a hot summer evening 10 years ago, 14-year-old Michael Brookins stood — in shoplifted designer clothes — at the entrance to what looked like a vacant building in Homewood. What was going on inside would change his life forever. From the sidewalk, Brookins recalls today, “It look[ed] like there’s nothing going on. But when…
Begin Again
In 2006, John Carney had a surprise hit with Once, a low-budget, Irish, sort-of musical dramedy starring non-professional actors; it nabbed an Oscar for Best Song, and later, became a stage play. In his new film — generically titled Begin Again — Carney asks: What if I made a film something like Once, but with…
Under the Radar: Ride-share companies work to keep their service on the streets while drivers try to keep a low profile to avoid steep penalties
Editor’s Note: This story went to press prior to Tuesday’s decision ordering Lyft and Uber to cease operations in the City of Pittsburgh. Our updated stories can be found here and here and we will be following the story in our Blogh as it breaks Attorneys for ride-share companies Lyft and Uber were in court…
Earth to Echo
For three 13-year-old boys, it’s their last night together as pals before their suburban street is demolished for a freeway. They grow intrigued by some unknown force jamming their cell phones, and surmising the weird signals might be a map, they head out into the Nevada desert to investigate. There, they find a metal canister…
No Benefit: County decision to phase out domestic-partner benefits draws fire
Editor’s Note: This story went to press prior to Wednesday’s decision by Allegheny County Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald extending same-sex partner benefits for 11 current county employees for one year. Our updated stories can be found here and here and we will be following the story in our Blogh as news breaks. Eileen Halloran and…
A Hard Day’s Night
Those boots, those suits! The Beatles romp and smirk and sing their way through Richard Lester’s exuberant 1964 film. The slimmest of backstage plots simply provides a hook from which to dangle sight gags, visual riffs, four adorable leads and a dozen hit songs. Lester and his off-beat style catch Beatlemania lightning in a bottle:…
Savage Love
I am a single woman, 31, in L.A., and on OkCupid. (We all are.) I’ve gotten a number of unicorn requests. I’ve never responded — until the other day. One unicorn request stood out. They seem like cool, smart, interesting people, and they’re quite attractive! I am not doing anything else or anyone else ……
Short List: July 3 – 10
FREE EVENT: Thu., July 3 — Art Endless road construction be damned — up on Penn Avenue, they’re still opening new art galleries. The latest technically isn’t brand-new: BOOM Concepts has already hosted several events, including an art show, a fashion show and the Rhinestone Steel Queer vaudeville night. But this week is its official…
Stuff We Like
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. Sure, daily news is good, but we dig hanging out with our newsweekly brethren at HBO’s Last Week Tonight. Oliver’s “long form” forays into ‘Net neutrality, FIFA and nutritional supplements are as illuminating as they are gut-busting, and HBO has generously posted them on YouTube (for now). The Two…
The Matter
On Saturday morning, at the conference in Ligonier, the poet from Altoona said, “Poems are never finished, only abandoned, according to Auden.” Later, after lunch, the poet from Shadyside said, “T.S. Eliot said, poems are never really finished, but just abandoned.” On Tuesday night, in the varnished back room at Hemingway’s, the man said “Valery,”…
Everest
Everest 4042 Saw Mill Run Blvd., Brentwood. 877-650-2694 Hours: Daily 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Prices: $2-9 Liquor: BYOB When it rains, it pours, and right now, it’s raining momos, a.k.a. Nepalese dumplings. In the past year, two Nepalese restaurants have opened in and around Pittsburgh, with another soon to follow. Our first Nepalese dining experience taught…
Il Tetto brings rooftop drinking to Downtown
On a typical Saturday night, there’s a queue for the elevator to Il Tetto, the rooftop drinking garden on the third floor of Downtown’s Sienna Mercato. Lining up to chill at the latest “cool” spot feels out of place in Pittsburgh — a city that’s long rejected such Los-Angeles-like behavior — but this line is…
Point Breeze’s Make Your Mark Artspace & Coffeehouse offers coffee, vegetarian fare and a community space
When Hemi Braunstein lived in Israel, he hung out in coffee shops where, he says, “You sit and meet people and talk about politics or sports.” But when he moved to the United States in his late 20s, “I was missing that. It seemed like a very closed society, unless it involved alcohol.” That was…
A local writer places his debut novel with a big publisher — and sells the movie rights
TOMORROW AND TOMORROW BOOK LAUNCH with Thomas Sweterlitsch. 7-9 p.m. Thu., July 10. WYEP Community Center, 67 Bedford Square, South Side. Free. 412-381-9900 In 2011, Stewart O’Nan got a fan letter from Thomas Sweterlitsch. O’Nan, an acclaimed novelist (Last Night at the Lobster), had just moved back to Pittsburgh; Sweterlitsch, an aspiring writer, was a…
A fruitful artists’ exchange at Pittsburgh Center for the Arts
CFEVA EXCHANGE EXHIBITION continues through July 20. Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, 6300 Fifth Ave. Shadyside. 412-361-0873 or pittsburgharts.org The natural landscape has inspired artists for centuries, but the industrial landscape has provided equally compelling subject matter. Influenced by the built environment, artists depict both the new and the decrepit with a mixture of awe…
Pittsburgh Winery provides a new, intimate place for local and touring acts
HOLY GHOST TENT REVIVAL with LONE WOLF CLUB 8 p.m. Thu., July 3. Pittsburgh Winery, 2815 Penn Ave., Strip District. $15. 412-566-1000 or pittsburghwinery.com Music Night on Jupiter: www.musicnightonjupiter.com A few storefronts aside, the 2800 block of Penn Avenue looks practically vacant. This is the part of the Strip District that seems to mostly be…
Twelve Peers’ Cactus
CACTUS continues through July 13. 12 Peers at Grey Box Theatre, 3595 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $12-17. 12peerstheater.org You certainly can’t fault Cactus for a dearth of ideas. 12 Peers Theater presents the world premiere of this play by Pittsburgh-based Philip Real, and to say that it’s chock full o’ plots is putting it mildly. We’re…
Fitz and the Tantrums bring good pop — and a guitar — to Stage AE
FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS with MAX FROST, HOLYCHILD 6:30 p.m. Sat., July 5. Stage AE, 400 North Shore Drive, North Side. $15. All ages. 412-229-5483 or www.stageae.com Long before he joined Fitz and the Tantrums, keyboardist Jeremy Ruzumna found himself in front of a college music class, with no idea what to say. A producer…
New Penn Avenue gallery seeks to involve community
Two winters ago, a lone white door on Penn Avenue’s art corridor opened into an installation with no heat, its electricity from a generator. Today, the door is painted to suggest brick, mortar and beams breaking through a logo announcing Bunker Projects, an experimental gallery and artist residency. “What I imagined happening here was hosting…
Lynn Cullen Live 07/02/14
Video Archive If you didn’t know who Tim Howard was before, you do now; should you tell a stranger when their fly is down?; General Motors recalls millions of cars, sales rise; Anthony O’ Reilly files for bankruptcy; Peduto wants to get a handle on people who trash the city while tailgating; Uber & Lyft…
