Wettick undercuts Fitzgerald on Reassessments
Allegheny County Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald was not held in contempt of court Tuesday for defying a judge’s order and nullifying the 2012 reassessment numbers. In fact, Judge Stanton Wettick indicated that nothing was likely to happen to Fitzgerald if he did it again. The same can’t be said, however, for any of his underlings…
New Harlan Twins vid for your Tuesday afternoon
The headline kinda just says it all, doesn’t it? There’s a new video from local country cuties The Harlan Twins, the song’s called “Canine Teeth” and I’m sticking it below, for you to watch and enjoy as the second day of the work-week comes to a close. Don’t say I don’t treat you well. The…
A sneak preview of today’s Occupy Pittsburgh hearing
A programming note: This morning, attorneys for Bank of New York Mellon and Occupy Pittsburgh will be appearing in the courtroom of Christine Todd Ward to determine the fate of Mellon Green. I’ll have coverage at my brand-spanking-new Twitter account, @CPotterPGH, where a solid handful of followers — only half of whom are coworkers! –…
Lynn Cullen Live 01/10/12
Video Archive Video Archive no longer available Phone guest: Susan; cheap accomodations in NYC; politicans always have good looking kids; Romney: “I like being able to fire people;” a few Bible verses for all the conservatives out there; Newt doesn’t want the sacrament of marriage to be cheapened….after cheating on almost ALL of his wives;…
Jeffrey Vallance Exhibit at The Warhol
Visiting The Andy Warhol Museum yesterday two hours before the Steelers’ big fail, I was surprised to find the place as busy as I’ve seen it. Maybe I shouldn’t have been: After all, many folks were probably there for the same reason as me, to catch the final day of shows like Heroes & Villains:…
Lynn Cullen Live 01/09/12
Video Archive Video Archive no longer available The sun is out, but so are the Steelers; Tebow can’t say anything without mentioning or praising Jesus; all living things are confused by the weather; 3-4 times more extreme meteorological events as is the norm in 2011; Republicans’ reorganization of NOAH in fear of global warming propaganda;…
On assessments, won’t somebody STOP THE MADNESS? Not until next week
Were you confused on Thursday, when Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald told city property owners to disregard the assessment numbers they received in the mail just last week? Well, brace yourself. Because things aren’t any clearer today. On Thursday, Fitzgerald defied a court order of Judge Stanton Wettick: He announced he was sending county school…
Top Choreographer to Give Free Talk
Dwight Rhoden, the famed choreographer and frequent collaborator with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, gives a free talk at 3 p.m. tomorrow at the Carnegie Library, in Oakland. The talk, part of the library’s People’s University series, features a discussion between Rhoden and PBT artistic director Terrence Orr about the troupe’s upcoming world-premiere production of Rhoden’s “Uncommon.”…
Occupy Pittsburgh files response to BNY Mellon suit
There’s at least one group of Pittsburgh residents that hasn’t been up in arms about the property reassessment: the Occupy Pittsburgh demonstrators who’ve been camped out on Mellon Green. And yet they too are fighting over the ground beneath their feet, opposing BNY Mellon’s attempt to remove them from the Downtown parklet. Yesterday, in fact,…
The G-20 documents the city doesn’t want you to see! (And you won’t)
The Citizen Police Review Board is expected to decide early next week whether or not it will appeal a recent Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court decision to deny the watchdog group access to unredacted documents concerning arrests and police tactics during the G-20 Summit in 2009. Judge Johnny J. Butler’s Dec. 28 ruling, which upholds a lower-court…
Lynn Cullen Live 01/06/12
Video Archive Video Archive no longer available Guest: Charlie Deitch, CP News Editor; making sense of nonsense – – the political theatre that was Rich Fitzgerald’s news conference about voiding the property reassessments; KDKA’s not-so-great lead story yesterday; Santorum in cowboy boots; Tony Norman on Santorum; politicians need image-thick narratives; unemployment rate dropped to 8.5%;…
Fitzgerald tosses out new property assessments
Honoring a campaign promise he made months ago, new County Executive Rich Fitzgerald is not sending out tax bills with 2012 reassessment numbers. Flanked by nearly three dozen state, county and local elected officials, Fitzgerald defied a judge’s order that new county reassessments be sent out this year. Fitzgerald’s announcement came just a few hours…
Club Zoo heads to the ‘burbs
A taste of the old Club Zoo Heyyyyyy kids! Club Zoo in the Strip has long been a place for the under-21 set to get down, and for the rest of us to occasionally catch a rock show. (Ben Folds played there last year, for example.) The club’s not going away, but this weekend it’s…
August Wilson Center Dance Ensemble Makes National List
The still-fledgling company continued its march to the big time this week when it earned one of the coveted spots in Dance Magazine’s annual “25 to Watch” list. The magazine’s Karen Dacko praised the company’s “quicksilver agility, fierce athleticism, finely honed Horton technique [an approach popularized by modern-dance pioneer Lester Horton], and innate theatricality.” Dacko…
Fitzgerald making good on domestic partner benefits promise
County executive Rich Fitzgerald announced today he will issue an executive order to implement same-sex benefits for county employees, as recommended nearly two years ago by the county’s Human Relation Commission. Fitzgerald, who took office on Tuesday, attended the commission’s monthly meeting this morning and announced that he would follow up on a campaign promise.…
Rick’s local-music year in review
Are you tired of 2011 “Best of” lists yet? Maybe there’s enough energy in your system to read ONE MORE? If so, read on! Here are my “Top 4” lists (4 just felt like a better number than 3, 5, or 10), concentrating on bands, tunes, and albums solely from Pittsburgh (in no particular order).…
Lynn Cullen Live 01/05/12
Video Archive Video Archive no longer available Guest: Tom Sokolowski; mean people don’t die; as long as you appreciate life, you stay “young;” getting through crossword puzzles; Santorum – not all bad?; word of the day: persiflage; parasitic fly in California laying eggs inside bees; dolphin sex w/ Lynn & Chuckles; Gingrich’s hypomania; did Romney…
Democrats hope to end traffic jam on transportation funding
Two state Democrats offered a transportation funding package today which they hope will “start the conversation” about the state’s infrastructure needs. Authored by state Reps. Mike Hanna (D-Clinton/Centre) and Dan Frankel (D-Squirrel Hill), the bills are similar to legislation introduced by Republican Sen. Jake Corman last fall. The bills also echo recommendations made in a…
Everything’s coming up Punchline
Let us now turn our eye toward Punchline, the 14-year-old pop-punk band from Belle Vernon — I mean, the band itself is that old, not the members. This week the band dropped a new EP, and it’s been surging on the iTunes charts, due in part to a threat from bassist Chris Fafalios to quit…
Lynn Cullen Live 01/04/12
Video Archive Video archive no longer available. Guest: Chris Potter; caucus outcome; Romney’s performance statistically the same as 4 yrs ago; Santorum in a good position; 3 year old charging toys to his parents’ credit card; Children’s Hospital didn’t authorize the Grinch/Romoff money request, was sent to at least 4 people including Lynn Cullen &…
1,2,3 makes plans for 2012
1,2,3’s Nic Snyder and Josh Sickels have played together for some time; they went to middle school together in Irwin and played in other bands before the two-piece came to be. So their first album as 1,2,3 was a declarative statement not about the type of band they hope to be, but about the band…
Kim Phuc issues first full-length on Iron Lung Records
Kim Phuc formed in 2004 on a whim, explains guitarist Ben Smartnick. A party conversation led to the band starting as a four-piece that “basically wanted to sound like The Germs.” It was meant to be a short-lived thing, lasting a few shows then burning out. Seven years later, Kim Phuc is a five-piece —…
CD Reviews
These Three Words These Three Words (Self-released) Eclectic rock from the Butler County five-piece; ranges from straight-on screaming post-emo to epic guitar jams and soft-ballad material. A nice, cohesive effort, with some innovative songwriting touches and good sounds. An anthemic vibe pervades. THESE THREE WORDS CD release with MY CARDBOARD SPACESHIP ADVENTURE, FREE CANDY and…
Dollar Dance: State’s stance on same-sex marriage doesn’t make social or fiscal sense
When my fiancée and I hold our wedding festivities later this year, we’ll be signing a marriage certificate and a lot of checks. Like every other couple planning a wedding, we’re lining up a venue, a florist, a DJ, caterers and so on. And Pennsylvania vendors won’t be getting a dime of our business. …
On the Record with Doug Shields: One last debate with city council’s most outspoken member
On Dec. 28, you could find Doug Shields in his city council office, sitting amid cardboard boxes and wearing an ear-to-ear smile — not the type of grin you’d expect to see on a man who’s going to be unemployed in three days. Shields represented District 5 — which encompasses neighborhoods like Squirrel Hill, Hazelwood…
Short List: January 5 – 12
As the art scene stirs from its holiday slumber, among the first to wipe the sleep from its eyes is Unblurred. On Jan. 6, the first-Fridays Penn Avenue art crawl features a dozen or more venues, most in Friendship and Garfield. One of the newer additions to the corridor, Assemble, shows off the neighborhood talent…
Your Millage May Vary
Like a Biblical scourge, the county’s property-tax reassessment is upon us; city dwellers began receiving new tax valuations last week … and cries of horror echoed all over town. But despite the wailing and gnashing of teeth, lots of Pittsburghers will come out ahead in this reassessment. The winners just don’t know who they are…
Critics’ Picks: January 5 – 7
[MATH ROCK] + THU., JAN. 5 No idea how you’re really supposed to pronounce it, but the band headlining tonight at Howlers is called Zvoov. Zvoov is a Brooklyn trio that plays lush, mathy instrumental guitar rock; its debut EP was issued early in 2011. Zvoov also sounds like a wonderful way to start one’s…
Savage Love
Why do most people assume that nonmonogamous relationships are destined to fail? Because we only hear about the ones that do.
A local artist’s project with a ventriloquist dummy culminates in a public ChatRoulette performance.
In a 1972 episode of The Flip Wilson Show, comedian Albert Brooks performed a “ventriloquist” bit in which he continued mimicking his dummy’s voice after dropping it on the floor to light a smoke. “It’s actually a terrible performance in terms of craft. But it’s great because it plays against the audience’s expectations,” said local…
At Braddock’s Street Side, Kevin White extols the virtues of whiskey
Kevin White, bartender at Braddock’s Street Side, is a student of whiskey. “I love this, I research it,” he says, pouring a shot of Jim Beam Devil’s Cut. Devil’s Cut, a heavily-oaked bourbon with a long finish, is one of the three selections offered as part of this week’s “Whiskey Wednesday” happy hour at Braddock’s,…
Pittsburgh gets a new women-centered book festival.
When it comes to publishing, there are certain things you should know. The Twilight books are not the only ones on bookstore shelves. James Patterson is as rich as you think he is. And women read. In fact, women make up 57 percent of the reading audience and purchase almost two-thirds of all books. Lastly,…
What They Ate
A new year is all about moving forward, but let’s just drift back first. Say to 1956, when the Homebuilders Sunday School Class, at Wilkinsburg’s Christ Evangelical United Brethren Church, published Personal Recipes. I’m a huge fan of these locally produced cookbooks, often spiral-bound, and sold or re-distributed amongst small groups, such as churches or…
The PCA’s Artist of the Year show both delights and disappoints.
Suppose you could walk directly through people’s homes. You’d just stroll in a straight line, and melt through walls and doorways, like a ghost, and see whatever’s inside. As you pass, you’d notice all the colors, windows, design and décor — the architecture and personal touches of each building. And the owners are home, of…
Marisqueira
Marisqueira 225 Commercial Ave., Aspinwall. 412-696-1130 Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun. noon-9 p.m. Prices: Soups, salads and appetizers $5-16 Entrees $13-31 Liquor: Full Bar Years ago and in another city, Angelique once lived in a Portuguese immigrant neighborhood. There she developed a taste for the cuisine of this ancient, seafaring…
The Associated Artists’ 101st Annual effectively mixes craft and fine-art work, and blends of the two.
Given its venue — the Society for Contemporary Craft — and the résumé of its juror, you’d guess that the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh’s 101st Annual would have a pronounced craft component. And you’d guess right. Still, as juried by Chicago-based artist and educator Fo Wilson (known for her furniture-based work), this showcase for some…
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
How do you make a good movie out of a something that doesn’t matter anymore? We won the Cold War long ago — I’ll leave it to you to decide what we won — and for the most part, the only casualties were a handful of spies (not including what else we could have done…
Film Kitchen
“Could you tell my story by looking at my feet?” asks Fabienne Kanor in her film “des pieds, mon pied.” Kanor, based in France and temporarily living here as a writer in residence at City of Asylum/Pittsburgh, is a novelist as well as a filmmaker, and “des pieds” is an absorbing if discursive 25-minute personal…
We Were Here
The earliest days of the AIDS crisis in San Francisco are the focus of this sobering but uplifting doc from David Weissman and Bill Weber. In contemporary interviews, intercut with archival material, survivors explain how they turned into care-givers, nurses and activists. That’s tough work at any time, but it was especially difficult during the…
Oh, the fickle heart of Darlene Harris
In the ongoing soap opera that is city council, 2012 begins with the attempt to capture a woman’s heart. The heart in question: that of Darlene Harris … who, like the heroine of some romance novel, strives to preserve her own position even as everyone around her seems intent on taking it away. Or something.…
MP3 Monday: SolSis
Courtesy of Nia Johnson Pre-holiday greetings! As happens (pretty much) every week, I’ve got a new MP3 for you from a local artist. This week it’s hip-hop duo SolSis, whom we introduced you to in Local Beat a few weeks back. The track we’ve got for you is called “Can’t Let a Day Go By”…
