Family and friends of paralyzed teen shot by Pittsburgh officer rally at city council
Photo by Alex Zimmerman Leon Ford Sr. (left) helps carry his son (middle) Almost exactly a year after 20-year-old Leon Ford Jr. was paralyzed during a routine traffic stop, his family and friends took their plea for justice to council chambers. “Everything shows police violated policy, common sense and the truth,” said Ford’s attorney, Benjamin…
Q&A: Meredith Sheldon, playing with Johnny Marr tonight
Photo courtesy of Angie Marr Meredith Sheldon Paying dues as an opening act is par for course for most up-and-comers out to build a buzz. But singer-songwriter Meredith Sheldon, formerly of the Ben Taylor Band and Family of the Year, is paying her dues in style. She may be unsigned, but, as tour support for…
Lynn Cullen Live 11/12/13
Video Archive Phone guest: Susan; it’s 11/12/13; Rupert Murdoch is in love!; class-oriented America; oldest-known fossil of two insects copulating found; PA state mandates for Planned Parenthood is flat-out harassment; Doug Rauch / Trader Joe’s opening a store to sell food past the “sell by” dates; Callers: Clarence, Canonsburg / Tom Sokolowski, Pittsburgh. Audio Only…
Final Week for Attack Theatre’s The Chalk Line
Inventive dance show has five more performances
Lynn Cullen Live 11/11/13
Video Archive Veterans’ Day; reading of recently lost soldiers; 60 Minutes’ weak apology; Chris Christie’s ego & the state of New Jersey; Christian conservatives consistently on the wrong side of history; health care companies must now treat mental illness & substance abuse the same as physical diseases; artist nails his testicles to ground in Red…
“Bizarre Foods” Pittsburgh airs Monday, Nov. 11
Travel Channel Andrew Zimmern meets an Allegheny River resident. If you’re tired of hearing from outsiders about Pittsburgh’s “weird” sandwich — you know the one with the fries and the slaw, right on it! — tune in Monday for Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods America. In this Pittsburgh edition, the host of the Travel Channel show…
Elected officals commit to address gun violence head on
Last night the Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network received commitments from elected officials and government hopefuls at its 2013 Public Action meeting. In front of an audience of approximately 200 at Rodef Shalom Congregation in Oakland, officials from the state, county and city pledged to address issues such as gun violence, education, public transit, jobs and…
Zero Hour at Off the Wall
Intriguing show closes Saturday
Three Rivers Film Festival: Weekend Picks
A rundown of some interesting-loking films at this weekend’s Three Rivers Film Festival
The Three Rivers Film Festival: Reviews of Films Screening This Weekend
Reviews for some films playing at the Three Rivers Film festival this weekend
Lynn Cullen Live 11/08/13
Video Archive Guest: Chris Potter; Peduto & local politics; how many votes Ludwig / Wander got; Koch Bros. taking interest in Coralville, Iowa; Senate passed LGBT discrimination bill; CBS will be apologizing for Benghazi piece on 60 Minutes; George W. Bush wants to help set teh Jews free; Incognito / Martin harassment case; Paula Abdul…
Arbitration panel reinstates acquitted officer Garrett Brown
A Pittsburgh police officer who has been the subject of citizen complaints, and who was acquitted of criminal charges, should get his job back with some restrictions, an arbitration panel ruled today. Garrett Brown, 42, will be reinstated unless the city appeals the arbitration panel’s ruling, according to Assistant Solicitor Wendy Kobee. Kobee said she…
Movies Return to Monroeville
A new 12-screen movie theater opens at the Monroeville Mall
August Wilson Center seeks to regain community confidence
Photo by Charlie Deitch The August Wilson Center The August Wilson Center for African American Culture has until Nov. 18 to appoint a conservator to oversee their operations and help them avoid foreclosure. But according to AWC attorney, Stanley Levine, the center is having trouble coming up with enough money to pay a conservator. Several…
Peduto announces leadership team
Mayor-elect Bill Peduto has announced his leadership team online this morning, and it’s a mix of familiar faces and Grant Street newcomers. Peduto will be holding a press conference to discuss his picks this afternoon, but he’s already sent a clear statement: Taken together, the team is racially and philosophically diverse, or as Peduto put…
Lynn Cullen Live 11/07/13
Video Archive Guest: Tom Sokolowski; charitable giving & where the money goes; Obit: Dr. George McGovern, passionate surgeon; trove of famous & never-before-seen art found in Germany; thoughts on the Art Institute schools; new bio out on Norman Rockwell; art is subjective; Callers: Clarence, Canonsburg / PJ, Greensburg Audio Only Archive
Domestic violence victims hurt by legal aid cuts
According to speakers at an Oct. 29 public hearing, victims of domestic violence are among those hurt most by funding cuts to legal aid programs for low-income individuals and families. The local hearing, held by the Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee, was the third and final hearing examining the civil justice gap. Among the speakers was…
Corbett Campaign Kicks Off in Pittsburgh
Photo by Alex Zimmerman Under a cloud of abysmal approval ratings and news cycles repeating his analogy of gay marriage to incest, Gov. Tom Corbett announced his re-election campaign by arguing he has kept his promises and never intended to govern by the polls. If you’re looking for someone who “allows the latest poll to…
All Is Lost
If you thought Gravity was too talky and could have used more sharks, try J.C. Chandor’s new drama. Like the space nail-biter, All Is Lost offers a similar minimal idea: a man stranded in an environment that cannot support human life, and with no help in sight. In this case, our unnamed protagonist is a…
With “all-star” bartenders, Butcher and the Rye stakes a claim on Downtown drinking scene
The first thing any boozehound will notice upon entering Butcher and the Rye, the new Downtown restaurant from Meat & Potatoes partners Richard DeShantz and Tolga Sevdik, is the gigantic wall of … bourbon and rye. There are currently over 329 bottles of booze displayed, ranging from the everyday (yes, you can get a shot…
Ender’s Game
Gavin Hood directs this effects-heavy adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s science-fiction adventure, in which children are trained to fight insect-like invaders. Most of the story focuses on Ender (Asa Butterfield), a tween with a gift for military strategy, and his somewhat bumpy education. His primary tutor is a gruff, no-nonsense sort (Harrison Ford), but he…
A new cart on Pitt’s campus offers made-to-order “pour-over” coffee
As an electrical engineer, Jeremy Raymer used to spend his days poring over schematics and such. As of last week, though, he’s found a new line of work — “pour-over” coffee, which he brews to order at a cart on Pitt’s campus. Raymer, a Pitt grad who grew up in Glassport, opened Jeremy’s Cart, featuring…
Margot B. talks about Boardwalk Empire, singing and what Pittsburgh taught her
Margot Bingham came of age in Pittsburgh as a singer and actress, attending CAPA High School and performing under the name Margot B. Now, at age 25, she’s got a recurring role on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, on which she plays a young Prohibition-era jazz singer. She was back in town last week for…
Judith Avers works with John Burt to bring the tales of Civil War women to life
JUDITH AVERS AND JOHN BURT. 7 p.m. Sat., Nov. 9. St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 304 Morewood Ave., Shadyside. $10 suggested donation. All ages. judithavers.com Judith Avers is best known around these parts as a singer-songwriter, but for the show she performs Sat., Nov. 9, at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, she’s putting on another hat as…
Jeff Betten takes over Wild Kindness Records, releases new Host Skull album
HOST SKULL LP RELEASE with MARIAGE BLANC, THE CARRIBEAN. 8 p.m. Sat., Nov. 9. ModernFormations, 4919 Penn Ave., Garfield. $7. All ages. 412-362-0274 or modernformations.com When Jeff Betten heard that Youngstown, Ohio-based label Wild Kindness Records was closing shop, he had a few things to say — first and foremost, that he wouldn’t stand back…
Nicole Eisenman’s good “bad painting” and witty sculpture are a highlight at the Carnegie International
2013 CARNEGIE INTERNATIONAL continues through March 16. Carnegie Museum of Art, 4400 Forbes Ave., Oakland. 412-622-3131 or cmoa.org Nicole Eisenman’s work is as advantageously sited as anything in the 2013 Carnegie International. Her paintings are exhibited to great effect and her sculptures work the Hall of Sculpture’s mezzanine in a way that’s fresh and funny.…
Critics’ Picks: November 6 – 12
[METAL] + FRI., NOV. 8 When Absu formed in Dallas in the very late ’80s, black metal — then thriving in Europe — was still but a twinkle in the eye of America’s musical landscape. And though Absu’s early dealings in death metal and thrash may cast some doubt on whether the band really counts…
Patricia Bellan-Gillen offers fable and abstraction side by side at James Gallery.
NECESSARY FICTIONS continues through Sat., Nov. 9. James Gallery, 413 S. Main St., West End. 412-922-9800 or jamesgallery.net Two characters recur most often in Necessary Fictions, an exhibit of paintings, drawings and prints by Patricia Bellan-Gillen. Both are little girls. One, cartoonishly glib and playing an accordion, seems to sing, oblivious to her surroundings. The…
New Releases
Charles Wallace Mariposa (Self-released) Jazz guitarist Ethan Winograd and his ensemble present four originals and three interpretations — from wide-ranging sources. The easygoing originals, written by Winograd and drummer Jay Matula, are pleasant to listen to, mixing cool jazz with bossa nova-inspired stuff. Winograd shares the spotlight nicely with trumpter Kyle Simpson, saxophonist “Spider” Wenzel…
Blue/Orange at The Phoenix
BLUE/ORANGE continues through Nov. 23. The Phoenix at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, 937 Liberty Ave., Downtown. $15-38. 888-718-4253 or phoenixtheatrepgh.org The most fascinating aspect of Joe Penhall’s Blue/Orange — making its Pittsburgh premiere as the first production of Pittsburgh’s newest theater, The Phoenix — is just how long it takes the author to reveal himself. This…
Debating Hate: Recent assault ignites discussion of state hate-crime protection for LGBT community
On Oct. 9, three days after Ben Stoviak was beaten outside a Lawrenceville gay bar, Zone 2 Police Commander Eric Holmes unexpectedly waded into a group of protesters. “The criminal-justice system can be a slow system,” Holmes told the crowd, but it “will bring to justice everyone who committed this crime.” The protesters demanded police…
Quantum Theatre’s Parlour Song
PARLOUR SONG continues through Nov. 24. 201 W. Waterfront Drive, Homestead. $36-46. 412-362-1713 or quantumtheatre.org Quantum Theatre’s Parlour Song, directed by Martin Giles, is a 2008 domestic drama with a touch of the macabre. Playwright Jez Butterworth sets the play in his native English midlands, where Ned (Cameron Knight) is a demolitions consultant with a bizarre…
Court battle looming in expansion of War Streets historic district
While Pittsburgh City Council voted against the expansion of the Mexican War Streets historic district in June, the issue remains a sore spot for North Side residents. Months later, proponents of the expansion say council’s failure to meet a voting deadline means the historic district will be expanded whether their opponents like it or not.…
Lynn Cullen Live 11/6/13
Video Archive Les Ludwig got 1,000+ votes yesterday; Chris Christie re-elected in New Jersey; PA instructed poll workers to ask for voter ID, even though it’s not law ( yet ); how do you know who you vote for judge will be a good pick?; who won for City Council; what’s going to happen w/…
Moving Out: Feds shipping local Immigration Services office out of town
They have already crossed oceans and time zones, leaving their homes for a chance at a new life. Now immigrants who come to Pittsburgh must brave yet another alien world: Wilkins Township. And “no one is happy about it,” says Jackie Martinez, a local immigration attorney. For the past decade, immigrants seeking green cards, or…
Wit at the Theare Factory
WIT continues through Nov. 17. The Theatre Factory, 235 Cavitt Ave., Trafford. $13-16. 412-374-9200 or TheTheatreFactory.com John Donne scholar Vivian Bearing treats her university students with cold, callous detachment. When the tables are turned and she is diagnosed with terminal cancer, she finds that same kind of cold, callous detachment from her doctors rather disturbing.…
Keeping His Head Above Water
You probably missed Washington, D.C.’s heated debate over the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) last month … largely because there wasn’t one. The measure, which tweaked the approval process by which the Army Corps of Engineers prioritizes work on dams and port facilities, passed Congress with overwhelming majorities. So why was U.S. Rep.…
Turn of the Screw at Prime Stage
TURN OF THE SCREW continues through Sun., Nov. 10. Prime Stage Theatre Co. at the New Hazlett Theatre, 6 Allegheny Square, North Side. $10-30. 724-773-0700 or primestage.com Playwright Jeffrey Hatcher has repeatedly proven himself a master at adaptation as well as for his original works, but perhaps he pared too far with Henry James’ classic…
Savage Love
I am a kinky, youthful 72-year-old guy. I grew up when there was virtually no way to meet a kinky woman. I’ve had two vanilla marriages, and three months ago I ended a four-year vanilla relationship with the best woman I’ve ever met. I just couldn’t take not being a BDSM person anymore. My ex…
Attack Theatre’s The Chalk Line
ATTACK THEATRE’S THE CHALK LINE continues through Nov. 16. Attack Theatre Spring Way Studio, 2515 Liberty Ave., Strip District. $15-20. 888-718-4253 or attacktheatre.com Apparently it wasn’t case closed for Attack Theatre choreographers and artistic directors Peter Kope and Michele De La Reza after their 2011 crime-drama-inspired What?…This is What. Their latest production, The Chalk Line,…
Short List: November 6 – 14
SPOTLIGHT: Sun., Nov. 10 — Screen When Carolina Loyola-Garcia first came to Pittsburgh for graduate school, in 1996, the city had no flamenco scene. Today it does, thanks largely to the Chilean-born filmmaker and educator, who herself didn’t take up flamenco dance until college. In Pittsburgh, parents at her daughter’s school asked her to teach…
The 32nd annual Three Rivers Film Festival opens Fri., Nov. 8.
Three Rivers Film Festival Fri., Nov. 8-Nov. 23 Various venues 3rff.com Get your eyeballs ready: The 32nd annual Three Rivers Film Festival opens Fri., Nov. 8, and runs through Nov. 23. On the slate are more than six dozen films, including: indies, foreign films, documentaries, shorts, a new microcinema component and various special events. Also…
A Bothersome Thing, Myself
She thinks to herself, when I am well, never again will I hit snooze, lay half asleep for an hour, thinking I’ll get up next time. I will never miss the bus, never be late for work again. I will floss my teeth every day. Fridays I will go out after work with friends for…
Corpsing is a contemporary, Pittsburgh-shot retelling of Frankenstein
FILM KITCHEN 8 p.m. Thu., Nov. 14 (7 p.m. reception). Regent Square Theater, 1035 S. Braddock Ave., Edgewood $9-10. 3rff.com Jeff Monahan’s Corpsing is a twist on Frankenstein that blends genres and themes as promiscuously as Mary Shelley’s obsessed doctor recombined body parts. It’s a contemporary, Pittsburgh-shot retelling in which the corpse-swiping scientist, “Shelly,” is…
Sushi Tomo
Sushi Tomo 4812 McKnight Road, North Hills. 412-630-8666 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: Appetizers $4-12; entrees $12-24 Liquor: Full bar Before sushi soared to fashion-food status in the 1980s, Japanese dining in America mostly meant showy chefs twirling knives above a hot griddle, teriyaki or sukiyaki. These…
About Time
Richard Curtis’ new film is pitched as a rom-com, but that’s a bit of misdirection: It’s about all domestic relationships, and in particular, a rather sweet father-son one. Oh, and time travel. On his 21st birthday, the somewhat dweeby Tim (Domnhall Gleeson) is informed by his raffish dad (Bill Nighy) that the men of the…
Monthly Burgh Bees event spreads the buzz about urban beekeeping
On the night of Oct. 29, Fred Mugo was far from home — and yet surrounded by a familiar community: fellow beekeepers. The Kenyan agriculturalist was drinking Yuengling at the South Side’s Carson City Saloon, while wistfully recalling the past. “Honey used to be so valuable, it used to be a currency,” he said. “You…
