First Fringe Ouch

This review of "Extreme Puppet Theatre" hurts a bunch.

The Myth is False

There is a god and his name is Zeus. He has provided us proof that Luke and Adam are not the same person.

Mad | The Conveyor

My first review of a play is up for Jen Dalton's Mad. It is a light review, being my first of the fest, that shouldn't be a surprise.

I really liked it. It is intense.

Day One Off to a Start

Got my press pass, got my first beer, working on the second as I sit here in Courtyard Cafe using Lily Pad (Yea Lilly Pad). Well this is my first post after my first show. I'm out of my first show and I am excited! It was a great show and I'm working on writing up a review on, so look for that post soon.

I'm working on how this blogging fringe thing is going to work out. I am glad I have place where I can blog and eat. Eating is very important at Fringe. I'll be eating often here.

First Glance - My Shows To See At Fringe

Below is my tentative list of shows to see at this year's Fringe. It is a long list. I don't know if my ass can take sitting in uncomfortable chair that many times, so I seriously doubt I will make all of them. After the reviews start to come in, I'll be switching things in and out. Not everything is going to be good, so with time an issue, I have to trim the fat at some point.

I have no great science to what shows have caught my eye. My picks are based on word of mouth, past history of the performers/companies, and the descriptions. At this point I don't know if there will be any run away hits like Catholic Girl's Guide was last year. This year's schedule has several shows that are placed well to fill the seats if the momentum can work in their favor.

Well here are my picks, in alphabetical order:

1. Alone Together


2. Calculus: The Musical!


3. Christmas in Bakersfield


4. Extreme Puppet Theatre


5. Girlfight


6. How to Fake Clinical Depression


7. I Do… I Think


8. I Take it Back


9. iLove


10. Mad


11. Public Espionage!


12. The Kid in the Dark


13. Tommy Nugent's The Show


14. True + False


15. Wet Dream

Originally Posted at www.theConveyor.com

City Beat's New Website is Up

Have a look at the vastly redesigned City Beat website.

Crime is Down

Good News, most certainly, but can we do better and will the police continue to keep targeting the problem neighborhoods? The City can't let up.

Thinking politically, how will some of the candidates react to this? I am thinking of Melanie Bates mostly, who is running on an anti-crime platform more than anyone else.

Rick Pender on Streetcars

Rick has gone to Portland, seen how well streetcars worked there and looks to the future as to how they would work right here in Cincinnati. Rick has the idea down perfectly, a streetcar through the Main Street/Gateway area and we get a boost to the theatre traffic.

Fringe Venue Change

Via the Cincy Fringe website we learn that Mr. Pitiful's is no longer a venue for the Festival and the performances of the two shows scheduled there, Contains Adult Themes & Think Fast, Go Slow, have been moved to the 1201 Jackson Street Theatre. What is that space? I think I know the building, but not sure about the space. Check out the location on Google Maps.

Originally posted at www.theConveyor.com.

Movie Set in Cincinnati

The forth coming Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Mystery is set in Depression-era Cincinnati. Anyone know if there is the possibility that any of the movie will be filmed in Cincinnati?

Happy Fringe Eve!

Here's an interview with the Co-founder of Cindy Fringe:

Magazine Reviews?

Peter Bronson is only able to muster enough energy to write a review of Rolling Stone's 40th Anniversary issue. I guess he'll be spouting on the SI swimsuit issue later in the year. I can't wait for his diatribe against Penthouse for refusing to publish his series of 'letters' he sent back in his "rebellious" youth.

Havana Martini: Still Hot

Based on this article in the Enquirer, you wouldn't guess there have been any problems for the Havana Martini Club since they started to comply with the smoking ban.

Mood After the Shooting

What is the literal 'word on the street' about the gun fight with police on Sunday afternoon? Since it happened over a holiday, I've not seen much from the opinion makers (bloggers) online, just the straight up articles from the pro-journalists.

CincyFringe Needs Volunteers

The Cincinnati Fringe Festival still has many open shifts and can really use your help. The more you volunteer, the more free tickets you can earn. It starts this Wednesday and runs through June 9th. For full details and a link to the sign up page, hit the CincyFringe Get Involved page.

Blogging Fringe

The Cincinnati Fringe Festival starts Wednesday May 30th. This blog, along with a new website, called The Conveyor, will devote bytes upon bytes of attention to the 4th annual festival. I've spent the last 3 years as a volunteer, but this year I'm looking for a different perspective. I want to see what the audience sees. Who goes to shows? What do they like about the shows? How are the shows? Fringe fests of the past have had good stuff and some really bad stuff. My goal is to provide a take on the festival, the after-parties, and a little bit of the behind the scenes of what it takes to put on the festival. Keep in mind, I'm not pretending to be a theatre critic. I'll be giving my take on the shows, but from my personal perspective, not one from someone who is schooled in Theatre.

If its deemed to be appropriate, I might even let out some of the the stories from prior years, now that time has past. I promise to change the names to protect the innocent. Well, most of the names.

So, chime in with your own takes on the Fringe Festival as it progresses. Be sure to hit theConveyor.com with your experiences, good and bad.

Enquirer Coverage of Fringe

The Enquirer binged on Fringe today with a big preview story. Enquirer Theatre critic Jackie Demaline also listed her three "not to miss" shows at this year's Fringe. She picked "iLove", "The Kid in the Dark", and "True + False."

The Enquirer has also updated their calendar to list out every show's time and location throughout the Festival. Please note that for any updates to the schedule, please check out the Cincinnati Fringe home page at www.cincyfringe.com.

Originally Posted at www.theconveyor.com.

Miami Sports Finds New Home

With a new home for Miami University Sports, I hope 96.5FM does not give the school second, third, or even fourth fiddle coverage. At Clear Channel, Miami was the ugly step child that had many games and 1 sport (Hockey) forced off Cincinnati air waves. Late this summer, I plan on tuning in to the station for the games. I'll will do that with the hope that Reds/UC/Bengals games do not preempt Miami football.

Marvin Lewis

When ever I hear Chris Henry's name mentioned in the news or I see articles about the Bengals outside of the season, I tend to tune out. This is why I've not commented on the Marvin Lewis profiling comment, before now. I finally got around to reading Kevin Osborne's take on the Lewis comment and the recent idiotic statement from Kenton County Attorney Garry Edmondson, who I believe should be sued for slander by Henry for the outright lie he publicized.

In the Marvin Lewis incident, as I'll now call it, I am most curious about who got to him. Did CPD Chief Tom Streicher make a call to Mike Brown to complain, and did that get the apology issued? Where does Jeff Berding fit into all of this? Did anyone call to complain to him, like Streicher, and did that flow up to Brown? How would it affect Berding's Election chances if were true he help arrange or even pushed for the Lewis apology? Speculation is fun!

Bronson's Choice: Jump Off a Cliff or Get Pushed Off

When ignorant people like Peter Bronson write about public eduction I get a very large twinge in my right temple from the wasted time I spent reading his columns. Yes, I get that every time I read one of his columns, but lets skip the red herring for today.

Bronson goes on and on about CPS. He does seem to understand how they can't turn a profit. Well, lets state the obvious first, the government is not in the profit business. I won't go worry about the anti-government insanity right now, and instead talk about the false choice Bronson is putting forth.

As many Conservatives do, Bronson likes to look at market competition and claim that it works. Well, it works when everyone has more than a choice of execution. The problem with Bronson's desire to create a market based education system is that he forgets about the law. He forgets that it is the law that every student age 5 to 16 is guaranteed the ability to go to school. In Bronson's world of privately run schools or charter schools he hides a small fact, those schools can turn kids away. How many privately run schools, religious schools, and charter schools are taking in special education children? Where do the behavioral problem students end up?

In Bronson's world the schools he champions can avoid all of the special needs students and stick with the rich or cheap kids and look like they are brilliant, when really they are just manipulators.

Education is a right. Public education is the way to make that right a reality and funding public schools is how this is done. Gimmicks don't work. Walling in the poor within the inner city schools doesn't do anything but make the poor-phobic feel "safer" in the suburban white schools. Cherry picking the smart inner city kids might make Bronson sleep better at night, but it doesn't provide speech therapy or wheel chair ramps to the inner city kid who doesn't get good grades.

Public Education has worked dating back before the Revolutionary War. Why not work on public education policies, instead of working to dismantle it?