Cover Story
Readers’ Choice 2012
The votes are in, the people have spoken. And for the most part, you — the readers — did a bang-up job choosing the city’s best, from dining and nightlife to arts, entertainment, shopping, services, media and more. But just like The Academy inexplicably saw fit to award “Titanic” the Oscar for Best Picture, there…
We get mellow at the Mushroom
I would rather not over-share about this, and I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t want me to do that either; so let’s just say that a few years ago, I was invited to participate in a routine diagnostic exam that’s widely recommended for Baby Boomers as we slouch through middle age. I might add that this…
Culture: Richard Kogan returns to IdeaFest
IdeaFestival (“IF”) touts itself as “a celebration for the intellectually curious.” Amidst this year’s varied presenters — who will address issues ranging from “How the Hippies Saved Physics” to “Mash-Up: Dynamics of Chess & Business Strategy” — is psychiatrist Richard Kogan. Dr. Kogan is no stranger to IF, having appeared in the program five times…
Catherine Irwin’s time comes
Catherine Irwin is nothing if not patient. Her songs are leisurely and deliberate, seductive in their Southern Gothic charms for those who let them take over. They parallel her solo career itself. Her new solo album, Little Heater, is her second, following 2002’s Cut Yourself a Switch. Best known for co-leading the influential country/folk band…
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Video TapeWorm
THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS: BOND 50 2012; $186.98-$299.98; UR All 22 James Bond films on Blu-ray — nine of them for the first time — in a single collector’s edition. One movie per disc plus one additional disc of all-new bonus material, all honoring the 50th anniversary of the first Bond movie, 1962’s “Dr. No.”…
Theater: Pandora creates another masterpiece with ‘Kiss’
‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ Presented by Pandora Productions. Book by Terrence McNally, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb. Based on the novel by Manuel Puig. Directed by Michael J. Drury. Continues through Sept. 22 at the Henry Clay. For tickets or more info, call 216-5502 or go to pandoraprods.org. Luis Molina…
To raze or rescue
Even in its anemic, brittle state, 2000 Portland Ave. stands with dignified elegance. Built in 1890, intricate gingerbread molding frames broken windows. Boards cover the front entrance, though a sign above the doors remains intact. It reads in bold, dark letters: “TOILET ARTICLES,” a nod to the building’s past as a neighborhood pharmacy. Scabs of…
Plugged In
Readers are strongly encouraged to call ahead to verify these listings. To get your musical act or comedian listed, send email to pberkowitz@leoweekly.com with PLUGGED IN in the subject line. The deadline is FRIDAY at NOON the week before the show happens. We do not accept listings via social networking sites. Wed SEP 19…
Damn the torpor torpedoes
The last couple of weeks have not been the most flattering in my life. My lady friend left on a long trip at the end of August and, like a B-horror movie segue sequence, the quasi-respectable, allegedly adult, humanoid appearance I maintain in her presence immediately devolved to reveal my true, ghastly form: that of…
B-sides
Blues clues The Bad Reeds launch their second full-length album on Friday at Headliners, and they’re bringing some friends. Hunter Embry caught us up. LEO: Solid rock is having another moment now, and your new album sounds very in synch with the new ZZ Top, who are perpetually hip. How do you feel about blues-inspired…
Opera: Love goes wrong in right places
Floria Tosca, the celebrated singer and innocent beauty of the tragic opera “Tosca,” is not a real person. But the church Sant’Andrea della Valle, where Tosca becomes suspicious of her lover Mario, is a real place. And so is the Castel Sant’Angelo, from which Tosca leaps to her death. The people are fictional, but the…
Take Me To Your Leader
Great expectations The bad news continues for the financially troubled Yum! Center, which remains unable to meet its projected goals to repay their $349 million in construction bond debt. The Louisville Arena Authority has so far only been able to collect $6 million in sales taxes from the taxing district downtown — far short of…
Edward Sharpe and the 10 Amgios
It was hard to miss “Home” a couple of years ago, as the hit single from Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros’ first album, Up From Below, penetrated pop and public radio airwaves as well as TV commercials and soundtracks. The Up With People-meets-Manson Family vibe of the sprawling band has charmed many, though some…
Savannah’s amazing grace under fire
In this sparse space, it would be impossible to convey the maturity, courage and empathy of a young sexual-assault victim who prevailed despite a hostile prosecutor and a proposed penalty more suited to a frat-party teabagging. Instead, I’ll highlight some noteworthy lessons. The nightmare transpired among three 16-year-olds in August of last year. After an…
Writer’s Choice 2012
Best Place with a Staff Friendlier Than Family: Check’s Café If I really want to feel some love, I don’t dial my mom, turn on Oprah or make a booty call — I head over to Check’s, where I know I’m good enough, smart enough, and doggone it, where people like me. Big Bill has been…
Staffpicks
Wednesday, Sept. 19 WFPK’s Waterfront Wednesday Waterfront Park Big Four Lawn wfpk.org Free; 6 p.m. For the final Waterfront Wednesday of 2012, WFPK has recruited the grab-bag bill of hip L.A. rockers Everest, Chicago blues belter Shemekia Copeland, and local singer-songwriter Dave Moisan. Everest recently played the Forecastle Festival, and their local roots actually run…
Inbox — Sept. 19, 2012
BIBLE IS NOT INERRANT In response to Mark D. Milby’s Inbox letter in the Sept. 5 LEO Weekly: While I greatly question the ultimate benefit of debating biblical interpretation, Milby’s claim of a 100-percent accuracy record in the Bible must not be allowed to stand. Any high school student will tell you that pi is…
Bar Belle: Heaven isn’t too far away
I’m just warning you that I’m talking about bourbon again this week. September is National Bourbon Heritage Month, so I have free reign to do so. Obama said. This past weekend, I was invited by Four Roses to tag along to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival Gala, a hoity-toity black-tie event where bourbon enthusiasts like myself…
Book: ‘Parklands of Floyds Fork’ introduces Louisville’s new park
‘A Landscape and Its Legacy: The Parklands of Floyds Fork’ By Dianne Aprile, designed by Julius Friedman. 21st Century Parks; 195 pgs., $75. The best way to take in “The Parklands of Floyds Fork” might be to stretch the coffee table-sized book across your lap and dive right in at the beginning — letting the…
