Fight over Miles verdict continues
Photo by Heather Mull Jordan Miles Jordan Miles is asking a federal judge to change the verdict in his civil suit against three police officers. In March, a jury found that three Pittsburgh Police officers falsely arrested Miles, but did not find the officers liable of using excessive force against him. “Because the jury has…
Closing Weekend for City Theatre’s Grounded
Four more performances of solo show through Sunday
Photographer George Lange Focuses on Emotion, Not Visuals
Renowned photographer George Lange discusses his new book, The Unforgettable Photograph
Lynn Cullen Live 04/29/14
Video Archive Phone guest: Susan; Donald Sterling — why would the NAACP honor him?; the differences between boys & girls in terms of responsibility, behavior, expectations, etc…; Girls of Steel Robotics killin’ in St. Louis; men stress rats & mice out; liberal arts on the way out; hard to read books with phones, tablets, computers…
“Shakespeare’s Star Wars” Tonight
Wherefore art though, Boba Fett? Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks presents this take on Star Wars as Shakespeare might have done it, tonight at Te Cafe. Details in Program Notes.
“Shakespeare’s Star Wars” Tonight
George Lucas’ iconic characters as the Bard might have written them
Lynn Cullen Live 04/28/14
Video Archive Guest: Ginny Hildebrand, Sing Out for Pete Seeger!; NY man rents spare bedroom to world travelers; photographer shooting strangers interacting on the street; the science of being open to strangers; people who smile are happier; Obit: Paul Robeson, Jr., activist & author; celebrating Pete Seeger; Seeger’s Pittsburgh connection; Sing Out for Pete Seeger,…
The Callery pear tree has come … when it will finish is another question
Photo by Alex Zimmerman Pyrus calleryana Walk through any Pittsburgh neighborhood and chances are an unpleasant odor will eventually assault your nose: A pile of uncollected dog poop, dumpsters baking in the sun or a cloud of noxious exhaust from a passing bus. Pause long enough and you’ll identify another, difficult-to-place odor … something that…
Closing Weekend for Quantum’s Pantagleize
Political satire has performances tonight through Sunday
Lynn Cullen Live 04/25/14
Video Archive Guest: Chris Potter; the Cliven Bundy situation; “words on the stair;” street cleaner woes; Net Neutrality — the internet is about to be altered & not for the better; Tony Norman on the August Wilson Center bid; Putin is creating a war; self-cleaning paint on cars; women wanting surgery to be comfy in…
Dowtown rally highlights PA equal pay bills
The state legislature is currently considering two bills that could improve wages for women across Pennsylvania. These efforts and more were highlighted at today’s Equal Pay Day Rally in Downtown Pittsburgh’s Market Square. The annual rally hosted by the Women and Girls Foundation draws attention to the pay gap between men and women. For every…
Corbett shooting blanks in his attack on Schwartz and the Affordable Care Act
This week, Democratic candidate for governor Allyson Schwartz hitched her re-election wagon to the Affordable Care Act, touting her pride in the legislation as well as her efforts in helping to craft the law. “I am the only Democrat in the race that helped write the Affordable Care Act, worked with President Obama to pass…
Early Warhol Computer Art Recovered … on Floppy Disk
Soup can, Venus among 20 images from 1985 found
August Wilson Center conservator miscast as villain, bankruptcy expert says
In the drama surrounding the August Wilson Center, some public officials seem to have decided who should play the role of villain: Judith Fitzgerald, the court-appointed conservator charged with figuring out how to discharge the center’s $10 million debt. This week, Mayor Bill Peduto and County Executive Rich Fitzgerald called for Ms. Fitzgerald’s removal, after…
Review: Ghost at Stage AE on Good Friday
It was Good Friday and I found myself at an evening Mass waiting for the procession to begin. The pulpit, so grandly decorated for the night’s festivities, was back-dropped by what seemed to be ancient, stained-glass windows. Choral chants began filling the room and, as the angels’ names inspired quiet observance among gathered parishioners, the…
For Michalow, education endorsements reflect the challenges of being, well, a challenger
Tom Michalow, who’s challenging Adam Ravenstahl in the 20th state House District this May, got a tough break this week: He lost the endorsement of two teachers unions — the Pennsylvania State Education Association and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers. And just as the unions’ endorsement in another race summed up the political dynamics across…
Union Project Hosts “Mother of All Pottery Sales”
Event includes functional and sculptural ceramics and demonstrations
Lynn Cullen Live 04/24/14
Video Archive Guest: Tom Sokolowski; 1939 / 1974 Best Picture nominees; Warren Beatty is Shirley MacClaine’s brother; Brazilian cave insect sexual role reversal; what’s going on with the August Wilson Center; Putin, Ukraine, and how war starts; upcoming canonization of two Popes; Caller: George, Moon. Audio Only Archive
New Theater Work Explores Modern Revolutions
Performer Wabei Siyolwe and musician Daniel Bernard Roumain are the key collaborators
Dream Big, Pittsburgh
Artist rendering of new East Liberty development juices up Pittsburgh cityscape
Smokey Robinson, Terry Bradshaw headline Meadows summer concert series
The Oak Ridge Boys and .38 Special round out the lineup.
Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival
Pittsburgh’s Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival returns for its ninth year, beginning Fri., April 25, with a gala party, and running for 10 days. The festival will present more than two dozen films, recent features from Asia, the Middle East and the U.S., at several area theaters. The films begin Saturday, including the opening…
“Secret Cinema” combines mystery movie with cinematically inspired art
STEEL CITY SECRET CINEMA: BILL MURRAY EDITION 7 p.m. Fri., April 25. The Hollywood Theater, 1449 Potomac Ave., Dormont. $15-40. 412-563-0368 or steelcitysecretcinema.com Ghostbusters. Groundhog Day. Rushmore. One of these movies might be the feature attraction for the April 25 Steel City Secret Cinema, at the Hollywood Theater. So far, however, all that’s been revealed…
Finding Vivian Maier
It’s the stuff of legend: A man buys a box of negatives at auction and discovers the lifelong work of an unknown but extraordinarily talented photographer who had lived a quiet life as a Chicago nanny. John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s documentary recounts the tale of Vivian Maier, filling in as much detail as Maloof,…
Alarum Theatre’s Slowly
SLOWLY continues through Sat., April 26. Alarum Theatre at Flagstaff Hill, Schenley Park, Oakland. $10-15. alarumtheatre.com For some fans, theater means elaborate sets and musical numbers. But many of the best stories require no top hats or frills. To kick off its second season, Alarum Theatre presents the Pittsburgh premiere of Slowly, a bare-bones 2010…
Wye Oak hangs up the guitar for bass and synth on new record
WYE OAK with BRAIDS. 8 p.m. Fri., May 2. Mr. Small’s Theatre, 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $15. All ages. 412-821-4447 or mrsmalls.com Though it wasn’t the two-piece’s first album, 2011’s Civilian was Wye Oak’s breakout — the one that got the band on plenty of year-end best-of lists, and nabbed a number of TV and…
Aimee Mann and Ted Leo unite as The Both
THE BOTH with NICK DIAMOND. 8 p.m., Mon., May 5. Mr. Small’s Theatre. 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. $20-22. All ages. 412-821-4447 or mrsmalls.com Any artistic partnership requires some give and take, and The Both — a new collaboration between Aimee Mann and Ted Leo — is no exception. “I was just telling Ted that [we…
DJ Afterthought makes local hip-hop moves with Elevator Music team
If you grew up across the street from Les Paul — and if he once compensated you for shoveling his driveway by giving you a signature guitar — you might say the gods of music success and creativity would be due to later smile upon you. Such has been the case for Ryan Haynes, better…
Critics’ Picks: April 23 – 29
[NOISE] + FRI., APRIL 25 Any account of the past 20-odd years of noise would by necessity mention Wolf Eyes; the collective, which started as a trio and has since morphed countless times, was at the head of a resurgence in noise as music and art in the 2000s. Playing with improvisation, toying with ideas…
On the Record with Robert Glasper
ROBERT GLASPER. 8 p.m. Tue., April 29. Cabaret at Theater Square, 655 Penn Ave., Downtown. $35.75. 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org Pianist Robert Glasper won the Best R&B Grammy for 2012’s Black Radio, which skillfully combined his jazz pedigree with hip-hop grooves. The follow-up, Black Radio 2, takes label Blue Note even further into R&B, with guests…
In a Bind: Arbitration gives officers a method of fighting termination, but what recourse does the public have when they’re rehired?
In June 2008, after downing six drinks as part of his wife’s birthday celebration on the South Side, Paul Abel was accused of accidentally shooting a 20-year-old man he was trying to pistol-whip. In December 2009, Eugene Hlavac was accused of slapping his ex-girlfriend (and his son’s mother) so hard that he dislocated her jaw.…
Food for Thought: Social justice and environmental issues intersect at MOSAIC convergence
MOSAIC CONVERGENCE Fri., April 25-Sun., April 27. Community Empowerment Association, 7120 Kelly St., Homewood. $25-100 sliding scale; includes meals (no one turned away for lack of funds). Soul Sessions: $10. prefiguration@gmail.com Ayanna Rauf became an activist back in 1964, at age 16. Walking past a storefront on her way to Schenley High School one day,…
Calling the Question: Point Park adjuncts eyeing summer unionization vote
Last year, Duquesne University drew a firestorm of criticism after a longtime adjunct professor, 83-year-old Mary Margaret Vojtko, died in poverty. Vojtko’s death made Duquesne a lightning rod in the national debate over the fate of part-time faculty. But Jon Manning, who works as an adjunct at both Duquesne and Downtown’s Point Park University, says…
With his novel approach to neuroscience and perception, renowned choreographer Wayne McGregor and Random Dance return to Pittsburgh
WAYNE MCGREGOR/RANDOM DANCE performs Far 8 p.m. Sat., Apr. 26. Byham Theater, 101 Sixth St., Downtown. $19-55. 412-456-6666 or trustarts.org Dancemakers have always sought to take the art form in new directions. Developing new techniques and styles, pushing the boundaries of what is considered dance … and even, in recent decades, beginning to view dance…
Savage Love
My son is 19, but due to some physical and social disabilities, his emotional maturity level is closer to 14, though he is quite intelligent. After a lifetime of therapists, specialized education and other interventions, he is now a freshman in college far from home. His lack of social skills makes him dependent on alcohol…
I wanted to see how things die outside my house.
From the balcony, the sea appears to expand from its negative space. I take the dog out back on a day when I feel lonely. Between the dog and the sea is a gun. The sea holds no comparison to my father, unlike the gun that reveals its shape as soon as I cast light…
Carnegie Mellon Drama’s Lives of the Saints
LIVES OF THE SAINTS continues through Sun., April 26. Philip Chosky Theater, CMU campus, Oakland. $25-29. 412-268-2407 or drama.cmu.edu The program notes for the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama’s production of Lives of the Saints calls it a “comedic masterpiece.” But I’d say the general opinion regarding this 1999 compilation of comedy skits by…
Short List: April 25 – May 1
SPOTLIGHT: Fri., April 25 — Dance Following last weekend’s Conservatory Dance Company’s marquee showcase at the Byham Theater, the student company of Point Park University closes out its season with Point Park Connections, the annual program of dance works by dance-department adjunct faculty, April 25-27 at the university’s George Rowland White Performance Studio. Of these…
What do you get when you combine Dungeons & Dragons and improv comedy?
KNIGHTS OF THE ARCADE 8 p.m. Sat., April 26. Arcade Comedy Theater, 811 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $10. arcadecomedytheater.com One Saturday night last month at Arcade Comedy Theater, a dwarf, an elf, a gnome and a human tossed bags of Doritos into a crowd of 60 people, while battling a stallion-sized dragon, a 30-foot dragon and…
Off the Hook
Off the Hook 98 Warrendale Village Drive, Warrendale. 724-719-2877 Hours: Mon.-Thu. lunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m., dinner 5-9:30 p.m.; Fri. lunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m., dinner 5-10 p.m.; Sat. dinner 5-10 p.m. Prices: Appetizers, soups, and salads $5-15; entrees $17-36 Liquor: Full bar About 15 years ago, Pittsburgh had a minor renaissance of seafood restaurants. The old…
Transcendence
Transcendence Directed by: Wally Pfister Starring: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany If a super-smart guy and the Internet merged into a massive artificially intelligent entity, what would happen? According to Transcendence, a bunch of questionable God-playing before the whole world goes off the grid. As artificial-intelligence researcher Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) faces death,…
Beers of the Burgh Festival celebrates hometown brewing
It’s starting to feel like craft-beer festivals are ubiquitous, and it’s no longer necessarily breaking news when a new brewery opens. Still, Grace Miller and Marc Turic’s inaugural Beers of the Burgh Festival, which took place in Lawrenceville on April 12, was notable for a couple reasons. For one thing, the festival exclusively celebrated Western…
Under the Skin
You don’t want to see Jonathan Glazer’s sci-fi thriller Under the Skin if you’re looking for plot or action. It’s a film for the patient, those content to indulge a filmmaker flexing his experiential and existential muscles. Glazer (Sexy Beast, Birth) adapts Michel Faber’s novel about an alien (Scarlett Johansson) who takes on the form…
Reid’s Fresh Express food truck helps bring healthful fare to suburban office workers
Steve Reid has been cooking in professional kitchens most of his life. Then four years ago, he made a career switch into the health-care industry for a job with more reasonable hours and better pay. “But it was so depressing and I missed working in the kitchen,” says Reid. He now cooks at the Wexford…
Lynn Cullen Live 04/23/14
Video Archive Guest: Jared Day, Daylee News Nuggets; “I Lost My Dad to Fox News;” Obamacare turns out to be a success; US operating 13 aircraft carriers, rest of the world only 12; classic movies of 1939; shows to watch if you haven’t yet; Callers: Clarence, Canonsburg / Unknown. Audio Only Archive
Festival of Colors
The Festival of Colors was held on Flagstaff Hill in Schenley Park on April 19th. Millions of people celebrate this color festival all over the world and it was the first of its kind in Pittsburgh. This festival is without doubt, the liveliest event in India and has now become the world’s most popular Indian…
