CityBeat's 2010 CEA Theater Nominations Announced

Rick Pending has announced the nominees for the 2010 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards for Theater.

The full list of categories and nominees is here. You can vote for the public categories here.

Set aside August 29th for the Awards show which will take place at the Know Theatre. We'll pass along more details on that as they become available.

Bias Against Portly Men?

I have no particular problem with Thomas Edison, or his potential selection as our Statuary Hall representative in the Capitol.

But how can you compile a list of 10 Ohioans for this honor that doesn't include William Howard Taft? As everyone knows, he's the only American ever to be both President and Chief Justice. More importantly, perhaps, he is responsible for the construction of the building that houses the Supreme Court.

This is an outrage, I say, an outrage!

Confusing or Just Bad Journalism?

Now that Pride week is past, I want to point out a really confusing article in CityBeat last week. In fact, it was part of the Cover Story- The Great Gay Migration: Why are young gay professionals leaving Cincinnati? The confusing part of the article comes from the simple fact that it fails to cite any source, other than a random survey of some of the writer's friends, that there is in fact any type of change in the number of GBLT people leaving Cincinnati to warrant the use of "Migration." In fact, the article doesn't cite how many GBLT people left last year or the last decade. For all the writer knows, there could be a net gain in Cincinnati of GLBT people since Article XII was repealed.

The article consists of several anecdotal cases of people, obviously friends to the writer, who left or are leaving town. One wants to be a NATIONAL political activist. Gee, I am shocked there are not a 1,000 jobs for that here. Another wanted to be a rock star. Also, I am shocked this is not the place you can sell your demo for a million dollars. The third example moved for a job, also a shocking revelation!

The buried lead that should have been replaced the poorly written headline was this:

"Available data on LGBTQ individuals suggest they’re just as likely to move as heterosexual individuals but are more likely to move further away."

So gays are "just as likely to move" as straight people? How is this twisted into making people think there is a mass exodus of gays from Cincinnati?

The article just doesn't know what it wants to be, and fails at all attempts. Is Cincinnati anti-gay? Are Cincinnati gays not friendly enough to punk rockers? Do Cincinnati gays not support other gays enough?

GLBT people have a ruff time everywhere, but if you are going to write about gay flight from this Midwestern city, why not state some facts that it is actually happening, more than other groups. Using examples of GBLT people who left for reasons that are the same as any straight person only demonstrates that GBLT people are starting live normal lives like everyone else and are doing it right here in Cincinnati. Pride was just on Fountain Square and almost no one protested. Life for GBLT people in Cincinnati, at least in the City, is getting better. There are hurdles still ahead, but progress has been made.

The Maltese Falcon and Fork Heart Knife

This Sunday July 11th get two tantalizing experiences in one place at one time. Venue 222 hosts dinner and a movie starting at 6PM. The movie is the Noir of all Noir films: The Maltese Falcon. The food is from Fork Heart Knife.

The Menu:
Bacon wrapped, manchego stuffed date
(the perfect bite)

Chimichurri chicken Skewer!
(skewers of finger food friendly on the stick chicken)

Peppadew devilled eggs
(who doesn’t love peppadew?)

Bloody mary gazpacho!
(served in cute cups, with classic bloody mary accessories- our pickled asparagus and olives)

Blueberry lavender jello mold
(yes we said ‘jello mold’ don’t judge…)

Mini brown butter sugar cookies
(like your kindergarten teacher used to make)

Cost is $6 for both dinner and the flick combined. What a deal! Get your reserved spot by paying via paypal on www.venue222.com.

The location is 222 E 14th St, Cincinnati, OH 45202. What a great way to end a Sunday that starts at Second Sunday in OTR!

Touchdown Jesus 'Reborn' in Northside

If you happened to be at the Northside Fourth of July parade (which was on the Third of July this year), you may have witnessed a religious experience. No, I'm not talk about the really cute hipster girls in their short dresses and tall boots. Instead I'm referring to the return (of sorts) of Touchdown Jesus, aka Big Butter Jesus.

Don't believe me? You think that the hippies that live in Northside can't conjure up a resurrection? Come on, this is NORTHSIDE we are talking about!

Yes, those are scorch marks. I can't effective interpret how those work narratively, but there is likely a religious opinion on it, and I'm not qualified to render one, so I won't.

UPDATE: More on the return:

WLWT Is Living In A Blue Oyster World

In a post yesterday, I remarked that the comically-intended yet nonetheless stereotypical portray of a gay bar in a 1980's movie just wouldn't fly today.

It turns out, such stereotypes are just fine for WLWT, so long as they're meant seriously.

I'm not sure why I watch that station for news anymore. (OK, I do know: a friend of mine is a reporter and I wanted to see her story.) But last night I turned on the 11:00 news. The "Number One" story was about "opposition" to the decision to move the Gay Pride parade and festival downtown this year.

WLWT decided to feature everyone's favorite "community values" activist, Phil Burress. He should be a punchline by now. But instead, there's WLWT, treating him as if he's a serious person. And on camera--unchallenged and uncontradicted by WLWT--he warned that people would be "naked" and "having sex on the street" this weekend.

Part of me wishes he were right; it'd be interesting to watch. But he's wrong. It's bad enough that Burress says such things. It's worse--it's appalling, it's indefensible, it's pick-your-adjective-and-superlative-bad--that WLWT published his views to anyone who left Channel Five on for a few minutes after prime time ended.

WLWT owes an apology to the gay community, as well as to downtown residents and businesses.

A Good Time To Remember The Roots Of The Gay Rights Movement

Today's Enquirer carried an excellent article by Lauren Bishop on the decision to move Cincinnati's annual Gay Pride festival from Northside to Downtown this year. The article mentions in passing the Stonewall riots. It made me realize that while I've always been supportive of--and at times, an active advocate of--GLBT equality, I know very little about the history of the movement. In fact, until yesterday, I didn't even know why some gay rights groups organized under the name "Stonewall."

A brief summary, for those of you who don't know. (And a link to more information, for those who are interested.) In 1969, New York police raided a a gay bar. The reason for the raid? Well, it was a gay bar. That night, the bar's patrons, tired of being hassled by the police, responded with violent protest. The name of the bar: the Stonewall Inn. The event is largely credited as being the birth of the modern gay rights movement.

It can be easy to forget that not so long ago, police could harass with impunity an establishment simply because it catered to the GLBT community. I was born in 1974, and even in my lifetime, gay rights have come a long ways. Think about the stereotypical portrayal of a gay bar in Police Academy, made in 1984. I don't think a mainstream movie would get away with such a scene today. In fact, fast forward about twelve years to The Birdcage (a movie with some pretty bad ethnic stereotyping), where gay culture is presented as normal and Gene Hackman plays a Republican who is presented as out-of-touch because he is disapproving of his son-in-law-to-be's gay fathers. And this year, there are gay pride banners hanging from lamp posts on Fifth Street.

A schedule of events for this year's gay pride events--called the Equinox Festival--is available here.

Passage "Sneak Preview" This Weekend

Passage Lounge, at 6th at Main, will have a "sneak preview" this Friday and Saturday night. I'm not sure what else to say about this. Griff was excited about this back in October.

"Upscale lounges" generally aren't my scene; I'm neither hip enough nor pretty enough for such escapades. But I usually like to wander in once, just to know what all the fuss will be about.

So I think maybe my plan for Friday is to go watch the Pomegranates at Fountain Square, then head over to Passage to check things out.

Good Eats: Main Event

With a couple of friends, I stopped by Main Event for lunch today. (That link will eventually redirect you to the restaurant/bar's Facebook page, as its website is still under construction.) Griff posted about it back in April, before it opened; there's some help additional information in the comments. Main Event is at 835 Main Street--the old Lava Lounge, next to what used to be Bouchard's (and before that, Burrito Joe's).

The lunch menu was simple, but has some good food. The place offers sandwiches, salads, and freshly made pizza. All three of us opted for a sandwich, and all of us agreed that they were made of fresh ingredients and tasty. Their pulled pork and BBQ beef sandwiches both come on pretzel bread buns. I had a "Wellington"--roast beef, a potato cake, Colby cheese, and some sweet-and-sour sauce served on a Kaiser roll. It was probably the only truly original sandwich (most were clubs or straightforward, single ingredient creations) on the menu, and I'm glad I tried it.

Service was fast and friendly. It's definitely a good spot to hit on the way out of the courthouse (or on a lunch break if you're stuck in/work at the courthouse all day). And the prices are right: my sandwich, chips, and a pop cost $7.50.

Main Event is also open late at night. The bar was clearly well-stocked. The venue features a fairly large dance floor with a DJ booth. Our server ran down each night's theme for us, all of which I promptly forgot (one night is 80's music). But it sounded like it might be worth checking out.

Park + Vine Moving to Main Street

Cincinnati's very popular green store Park + Vine announced yesterday they are moving to new location in Over-the-Rhine.

The store will move to 1202 Main Street and will expand operations to include a vegan grocery store, a food bar, indoor/outdoor seating, as well as a room for meetings.

The new location plans to open in September during the MidPoint Music Festival, (Sept. 23-25). The Vine Street location will remain open until then.

This is really great news for Main Street and OTR. It shows the commitment of Dan Korman to OTR, Cincinnati, and community his store serves.

Read the full press release here.

The Cincinnati Herald in Tax Trouble

The Cincinnati Herald, a weekly newspaper targeted towards African-Americans, owes $73,000 in back taxes to the IRS. The newspaper is owned by Ohio State Senator Eric Kearney. Niche print media is difficult on a national level, but it is a nightmare on a local level. The Herald should consider ways to expand readership by including other target groups. Latinos would be the obvious choice to consider, but being the Urban newspaper, serving the City, would be the only long term model that could avoid these type of financial issues. The only other option would be finding a benefactor to plug the funding gaps. That is something a viable business should not rely on.

Cincinnati Police Accused of "Targeting Athletes"

According to this report, some ESPN guy named Ric Bucher, during a discussion of Cedric Benson's arrest on ESPN radio this morning (on Mike and Mike?) claims that the Cincinnati police target athletes.

Bucher claims to be able to make this assessment because he's a "Cincinnati native." How long has it been, one wonders, since he's actually lived here? And can he cite an example of an athlete that was arrested because the police (a) knew he was an athlete, and (b) targeted him for that reason? And does Bucher mean the Cincinnati police specifically, or Cincinnati-area police departments in general?

Seems like quite the over-generalization to me.

Is Kroger A Responsible Corporate Citizen?

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) "is a community-based organization of mainly Latino, Mayan Indian and Haitian immigrants working in low-wage jobs throughout the state of Florida." For the past decade, it has been working with (and sometimes against) large purchasers of produce to adopt standards to ensure that farm workers are treated humanely and paid something approaching a fair wage. (See this Wikipedia entry.)

It turns out that some of the worst working conditions in the US are found on tomato farms throughout Florida. Things are so bad that a couple years ago, two farm overseers were convicted on federal slavery charges. One of the farms that utilized slave labor was Pacific Tomato Growers. (Keep track of that name.)

In the past few years, several major companies have changed their tomato-purchasing practices in response to pressure from CIW. Those companies, which include Chipotle, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Burger King, and Whole Food Market, have adopted the "penny-per-pound" initiative, through which tomato pickers' wages are increased by one penny per pound of tomatoes picked.

Enter Cincinnati-based Kroger, the nation's largest grocery chain. CIW has been seeking cooperation from Kroger in improving the conditions under which tomato pickers are forced to work. So far, Kroger has been resistant to the effort. The company seems almost intentionally oblivious to the plight of those who pick its produce--so much so that, as it turns out, Kroger sells tomatoes grown by Pacific Tomato Growers. Yep, that's the same farm we told you to remember two paragraphs ago.

Other companies have managed to stay profitable while supporting the dignity and human rights of those who pick the produce they sell. Why can't Kroger follow suit? And do we Cincinnatians have a special obligation to pressure our hometown grocer to do the right thing?

Texting While Driving Ordinance Is A Bad Idea. And You Might Have To Give Up Your Tom-Tom!

Jane Prendergast reports that City Council is poised to enact a ban on "texting while driving" within city limits. The law, being pushed by Chris Bortz, would be a minor misdemeanor for first offenders--carrying a fine of up to $100--and an unclassified misdemeanor for repeat offenders, who could be fined up to $500.

It's a bad idea.

Bortz's motion is available here. Given that the motion points to Columbus's TWD law as a model, the ordinance (which has not yet been written) will probably have the following characteristics:

• TWD will be a "primary offense." In other words, police can stop a driver on suspicion of TWD without observing any other traffic offense.
• Dialing a cell phone will not be banned.
• TWD while at a red light will be banned, but TWD while parked (out of the flow of traffic) will not.

So why is this a bad idea? First, the obvious: how does an officer know whether a driver is texting or dialing? An officer who pulls someone over cannot simply demand a motorist's phone and look through it. Instead, the Ohio Supreme Court has recently held that in order to examine the contents of a cell phone, an officer needs a search warrant. I can't wait to start watching trials in Hamilton County Municipal Court that are all about whether a driver was dialing or texting. That's just what the criminal dockets need: more traffic trials (usually with pro se defendants).

Second, the law is over-broad. My cell phone package includes a GPS program. As I read the Columbus law, even if I punch in my destination address before starting the car, I would be breaking the law if I look at the turn-by-turn directions on the phone while at a traffic light or stop sign. Nothing prohibits me from looking at a separate GPS device, or having an old-fashioned map spread across the steering wheel, or a sheet of paper with directions from Mapquest in my hands as I drive. But I could be fined one hundred bucks for trying not to get lost during a foray into Northside. That doesn't seem fair. It probably also isn't Council's intent; it is, however, prohibited by the proposed ordinance.

I originally suggested that a GPS device was OK. But re-reading the Columbus law, which bans looking at "internet-based content" on a "mobile communications device," the law as written applies to GPS devices. Of course, police won't enforce the law against a guy looking at his Garmin. And that will lead to a challenge of the ordinance on the grounds of selective enforcement.

Third, this ordinance will be just one more pretext to pull people over. I can already see an officer's arrest report:

Observed defendant holding something in his hands and looking at it. During traffic stop for suspicion of TWD, defendant made furtive movements with his hands, causing this officer to fear for his safety. Officer approached the vehicle and ordered the defendant out. After defendant was handcuffed for officer safety, the vehicle was searched and ________ was found.

Is this really a good use of City resources? The Enquirer has recently run stories about the cost of police overtime for court appearances. Do we need another reason for officers to come to court in pursuit of a hundred bucks for the city coffers?

This would be an awfully good time for those conservatives who like to complain about "the nanny state" to speak up.

Some Props for MidPoint

A very nice article in the Enquirer singing the praises of the MidPoint Music Festival. The festival schedule hopefully will be out in July. Until then, focus on Friday Nights, when you can see great music on Fountain Square for FREE!.

WLW Reporting Police Chief Thomas Streicher Retiring

700 WLW-AM is reporting that Cincinnati Police Chief Thomas Streicher is retiring. No details were included. Is there any additional info out there confirming this report?

Earthquake Felt This Afternoon In Downtown Cincinnati

Griff and I don't consider ourselves reporters, but I thought I'd break that rule for now.

A few minutes ago while on the sixth floor of my ten-story office building, I began to feel a rocking sensation. It seemed as if the whole building was rocking back and forth; it lasted for about 30 seconds.

My Facebook page is lighting up with similar reports all over downtown. I've heard from friends in Buffalo who say they felt something at about the same time.

This felt like a slightly stronger version of the minor earthquake we had early one morning a couple of years ago.

UPDATE: 700 WLW is reporting that this was the result of a magnitude 5.5 earthquake near Ottawa.

UPDATE 2: Here's a report from CBC News confirming the origin of the quake.

Watson Named Campaign Manager For Reece

CityBeat reports that Bernadette Watson, former candidate for City Council, was appointed as campaign manager for Alicia Reece's run for the Ohio House 33rd district's seat.

This is a lock seat for Reece, so her campaign team needs to be competent, not world class. I will be interested in seeing if this is a hands-on job for Watson, or will she be more of a figurehead? She might serve as more of a strategist, than as a day to day manager of staff and message.

PETA Loves a Butterless Jesus

The Oxford Press reports that PETA, the pro-animal rights group, has offered to rebuild the "King of Kings" statue located at the Solid Rock Church in Monroe. The statute known better as Touchdown Jesus and Big Butter Jesus, burned down recently after being struck by lightning. PETA sent a letter to the church leaders proposing a new statue of Jesus holding a lamb with an inscribed message reading "Blessed Are the Merciful. Go Vegan."

No word yet from the Church.

You can't make this stuff up.

Watch This: The Evolution of the Internet (or Play Bingo at Hamburger Mary's This Tuesday!)

I've been meaning to write a post about Watch This for some time, but I've also wanted to put something together about how it fits into the broader context of the internet. Here we go.

Ten years ago, it was popular to point out the following paradox: while bowling alley revenues were increasing, bowling league participation was decreasing. The idea was that people were becoming more and more isolated from each other. And the internet, at one time heralded for its ability to "connect" people, wasn't counteracting that trend. Generally speaking, it was thought that the internet was enabling people to avoid in-person contact with each other. Why go to a "brick-and-mortar" store when you can buy everything online? Why go to a bar when you can get a six-pack, stay at home, and go to a chat room? The blogosphere is largely part of this phenomenon: you've got the conservative bloggers, liberal bloggers, libertarian bloggers, and so on. You can manage to avoid all contact with anyone who might disagree with you.

Over the past couple years, I think there's been a backlash against that. People don't want the faux connectionalism of the internet; they want the real thing. So the internet has become a tool to create and facilitate real, face-to-face interactions. Cincinnati Imports in a manifestation of this trend. Candace Klein's Bad Girl Ventures is another example of using the web to create connections between people that go well beyond fiberoptic. And Watch This also shows the power of the internet to get people together in the physical world.

For those of you who don't know, Watch This is the brainchild of Alex and Allison (who, I believe, actually met at a Cincinnati Imports event). The idea: watch all of the movies on the AFI Top 100 Movies list in 2010. It started off simple enough. Alex and Allison would screen each of the movies in their living room, inviting anyone who read their blog to come over. Then, others started offering to host movies. Then they started to book larger facilities (including the 20th Century Theatre and, later this month, Fountain Square).

I'm ashamed to say that they're nearly halfway through the list, and I still haven't been to a screening. I'll fix that soon, though (how can any lawyer worth his salt NOT show up on August 27th for To Kill a Mockingbird?). Showing up at a non-friend's living room is a bit out of my comfort zone. But if you're like me in that regard, fear not: lots of future screenings are at places like Take the Cake, Baba Budan's, and Grammers.

It turns out, though, that you can't just rent a movie and invite a bunch of strangers to a public place to watch it. Instead, you've got to pay for the screening rights to do that. So tomorrow night, Hamburger Mary's is hosting a fundraiser to help defray those costs. From 8:00 to 10:00, you can stop by the restaurant/bar (on Vine between Ninth and Court) and play drag-queen bingo. Apparently, there's prizes. And Hamburger Mary's has invented a drink for the occasion--vodka cherry lime with Cotton Candy.

So if you've been to one of the movies, or if you think you might go, pop into Hamburger Mary's for a fun, bingo-filled night (there's even prizes!). And show up to a movie sometime; I know I will.

(I do have one question about Watch This: when the movie is hosted at the Cincinnati Athletic Club, does everyone go for a naked swim afterwords?)