Staffpicks for 2-27-08
Staffpicks FEB. 27-MARCH 1International flavor abounds during the University of Louisville School of Music’s 14th annual Jazz Week. Quartets from Russia and Argentina, as well as students from Poland, Australia, Brazil and Japan, perform as part of the four-day event.One performer, Jun Kojima, from Japan, is a blind saxophone player whose father is the ambassador…
Snake Oil or Savior? CLAIMS ARE FLYING FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE CASINO DEBATE — SHOULD WE BELIEVE ANY OF IT?
BY JENNIFER OLADIPO AND CARY STEMLE There are no quick fixes for a $900 million budget deficit, poor national education rankings, an aging population and a host of other issues Kentucky faces now and in the near future. Gov. Steve Beshear and others say casino gambling, twice eschewed by Kentucky voters, will go a long…
Spunky doesn”t give a damn: A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A DOG-TRAINING CLASS
SECOND OF TWO PARTS Last week, we met the core group of seven participants and their 12 dogs; noted that the course is based on “the whelping box theory,” or how a mother relates to new pups in the first eight weeks; and concluded with Marilyn Llewellyn confessing her misgivings after one of her schnauzers…
County answers dog lawsuit
The lawsuit challenging the city’s dangerous dog ordinance took one step forward last week after the Jefferson County Attorney filed its response to the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment. In its own cross-motion for summary judgment — basically, a request for the presiding judge to rule in their favor without the case going to trial…
Anything to catch a predator
Luring online sex predators to their demise is commendable, but is vigilante justice the best way to go? Watching it on TV, the whole scene is sad and pathetic: From his mother’s dark PT Cruiser emerges 26-year-old Dustin McPhetridge, struggling to move his weight to the cane in his left hand while locking the door…
Message to the People: Moments of clarity: Post-Valentine”s Day Message
Every once in a while, I write a message about emotions instead of politics; feelings instead of ferocity. I’m feeling in that mood this month. Maybe February and all the so-called “love” surrounding Valentine’s Day does it to me. Who knows? Either way, here’s my first post-Valentine’s Day Message. So, let’s take a break from…
Erosia
LEO welcomes letters that are brief (250 words max) and thoughtful. Ad hominem attacks will be ignored, and we need your name and a daytime phone number. Send snail mail to EROSIA, 640 S. Fourth St., Louisville, Ky. 40202. Fax to 895-9779 or e-mail to leo@leoweekly.com. We may edit for length, grammar and clarity. Unlocked…
Near the finish line
A final determination about West Louisville’s wet-dry vote could be in the works. Meanwhile, things get even weirder on the street Whether its conclusion pleases Hamdallah “Jimmy” Mohammed, the owner of F & Y Food Mart at 38th and Market in West Louisville, or Metro Councilwoman Cheri Bryant Hamilton, the 5th-district Democrat and “dry” cheerleader,…
¡ ASK A MEXICAN ! Special election edición
QDear Mexican: Why won’t Mexicans vote for a black man? —Hillary HaterA Dear Readers: Dozens of ustedes have sent the above question since the Iowa caucuses, forwarded mainstream media reports on this supposed phenomenon and cringed with me when pundits took as gospel Hillary Clinton pollster Sergio Bendixen’s assertion to The New Yorker that “The Hispanic…
WHAT A WEEK
-10Kentucky House lawmakers recommended building nine casinos, a compromise between Gov. Beshear’s 12-casino proposal and the Senate’s recommendation that we fear gays. Senate Republicans meanwhile declared war on education with Senate Bill 1, which would eliminate Kentucky’s nationally renowned CATS testing system. Hillbillies David Williams and Dan Kelly want to retain reading and ’rithmatic, but…
The Back Lot: FILM NEWS & RUMINATIONS for 2-27-08
Oscars reward some frontrunners, some long shots As I write:The pundits have weighed in and the competition has been thoroughly assessed. The primary season (Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, etc.) is over. The election is about to begin, and the battle seems to be between “No Country for Old Men” and “There Will Be…
More zombies than you can shake a Slugger at
‘Dead Moon Rising’ is a passion project for its first-time director Some men buy themselves a convertible (or worse) to stave off that midlife crisis. Louisville filmmaker Mark Poole spent his 20 grand on a zombie movie instead. “Dead Moon Rising,” Poole’s first feature-length effort, gets a red-carpet rollout this Saturday at Tailgaters to honor…
Video TapeWorm: Releases through Tuesday, Feb. 26
THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKSHOGFATHER2006; DVD $14.95, URWildly entertaining telling of a “Discworld” tale from author Terry Pratchett that combines Easter, Christmas and a dose of Harry Potter with plain-old Limey lunacy that’s bound to please. Highly subversive, wholly twisted and a sheer delight from end to end. INTO THE WILD2007; DVD $29.95-$39.95, RThe true story…
CD Reviews for 2-27-08
For Emma, Forever AgoBon Iver(JAGJAGUWAR)Bon Iver is not a poodle-haired wimp rocker from the streets of Jersey, always chasing the legend of Bruce Springstreen, forever out of reach due to a lack of vision and distracted by poon.Bon Iver is not a schoolboy ball rocker from Australia, determined to do nothing but rock, drink and…
B-Sides: (MUSIC & OTHER EPHEMERA) – American dreamer
In near-flawless English, Rafael Lopez-Prieto explains a new crop of demos he’s cooking up in his home studio. The 28-year-old customer service rep, who you can find playing piano for the band Cosa Seria at New Albany’s Speakeasy Jazz Club, says his setup is modest, but he plugs his MySpace page (myspace.com/raflop) and asks me…
Drive-By Truckers traverse dark times, find Brighter days
Last year was hectic for the Drive-by Truckers. Key member Jason Isbell abruptly left the band after divorcing bassist Shonna Tucker. DBT reunited with original guitarist John Neff, then backed up R&B songstress Bettye LaVette on her Grammy-nominated album Scene of the Crime. The Truckers wrote and recorded their own album Brighter Than Creation’s Dark,…
Voiceover: Diversity, race and the road ahead
This Black History Month is different from years past. For one, the shortest month of the year — read into that coincidence however you want — comes as Democratic voters might be nominating the country’s first-ever black presidential candidate. The gravity isn’t lost on Louisvillians, nor are their opinions on how diverse the city is,…
“Blue Plate Special” offers non-stop kitsch cabaret
(Directed by Sharon Murray Harrah. An Alley Theater production. Continues through March 16 at City Block, 133 W. Liberty St. For tickets or more info, call 589-3866.) A blue plate special is a low-priced daily dinner special, a main course with all the fixin’s, a daily combo, a square for two bits. Despite its vanished…
Cable Boxing: Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites
Episode: 3CBS, Thursdays, 8 p.m., aired Feb. 21. Starring your next door neighbor, a law student, a firefighter, an ice cream scooper and maybe the third cousin you never liked …Synopsis: The Fans finally get the matchup they’ve been waiting for when they learn they must compete head-to-head in a full contact battle with The…
The Bar Belle: Louisville: Twin City of Bushmills
Let’s shut our traps for a moment on the whole Barack-Hillary debate and cast our vote for something that really has some weight — Louisville has a one-in-three shot at being named “Twin City of Bushmills” and nabbing a $40,000 grant. The competition marks the 400th anniversary of the license to distill, granted to the…
LEO Eats: Four people drove up the hill …
So the other night, four people drove up a hill in Southern Indiana to enjoy a classy evening of fine Indiana wine and upscale cuisine.What’s the punch line? Get ready for it … OK, there isn’t any punch line. This is no joke. It’s no surprise to find a touch of comfortable class at RockWall…
Aftertastes for 2-27-08
BLUEGRASS BREWING CO., 3929 Shelbyville Rd., 899-7070, www.bbcbrew.com. The 15-year-old St. Matthews brew house emerged from cosmetic surgery in mid January with a new look and an updated menu, including some old BBC favorites such as brewhouse chili nachos and shepherd’s pie and new editions like a hot bacon and spinach salad and fried polenta…
The power of the pole: Sex Workers Art Show draws a crowd
I knew we had freaks in Louisville, so I was glad to see them out and about Monday night at the last stop of the touring Sex Workers Art Show. Hell, I was one of them (a freak, not a sex worker, unfortunately). Most admitted it was curiosity that brought them to the cabaret-style show;…
The power of the pole: Sex Workers Art Show draws a crowd
I knew we had freaks in Louisville, so I was glad to see them out and about Monday night at the last stop of the touring Sex Workers Art Show. Hell, I was one of them (a freak, not a sex worker, unfortunately). Most admitted it was curiosity that brought them to the cabaret-style show;…
