Staffpicks
Sept. 10-28 ‘43 Plays for 43 Presidents’ In its season follow-up to “Glengarry Glen Ross,” Actors Theatre jumps on the political bandwagon, but on a much lighter, satirical note. “43 Plays for 43 Presidents” is just that — 43 two-minute skits on each American president, from George W. to George Dubya — by a five-member…
WHAT A WEEK
+5 Sweet redemption: A week after “the game we do not speak of,” the Cards made a comeback on the football field Saturday, beating Tennessee Tech 51-10. Granted the Golden Eagles aren’t exactly a pigskin powerhouse. So be it. The ass-whooping was necessary to keep Louisville fans from taking a flying leap from Row ZZ…
Palin power – Can a gun-toting female governor from Alaska help the Northup campaign?
Plucked from the wilderness as the GOP’s vice presidential nominee, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin could be just the energy boost the Republican Party’s tepid election year needs — maybe. Not surprisingly, political adversaries disagree about whether the unexpected VP nominee will provide the necessary heat not only for John McCain’s lukewarm presidential bid, but for…
Finnigan gets dirty, sexy in retro season opener
(Finnigan Productions presents “dirty sexy derby play,” written and directed by Brian Walker. Continues through Sept. 13 in the MeX Theater at the Kentucky Center. For tickets, call 584-7777 or visit kentuckycenter.org/ticketing.) Photo Courtesy of Finnigan Productions: The cast of Finnigan Productions’ “dirty sexy derby play” get along swimmingly. Orgies and wife-swapping are enjoying a…
Democracy in St. Paul – While Republicans gestured inside, police stole the streets from the people
Photos by Sam Stoker The anti-capitalist bloc in Monday’s March on the RNC demonstration: More than 5,000 people marched to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul to protest the Republican National Convention. ST. PAUL, Minn. — The bright white light of flash bombs can be seen everywhere among the scattering crowd now. Loud explosions…
Out of bounds – An Independent state Senate candidate may get sued out of contention
The last time I saw Scott Ritcher out, about six weeks ago, he was gathering signatures in the dim light of the outdoor patio at Nachbar, the trendy Germantown pub. He kept a silver clipboard case tucked under his arm. Each time a petition sheet filled up, it went into the case. Ritcher needed 100…
“Man on Wire” is part triumph, part crazy
(Documentary directed by James Marsh. Rated PG-13; 1:42. Opens Friday, Sept. 12, at Village 8 Theatres. LEO Report Card: B+) Philippe Petit first decided to walk on a wire between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, then made it his obsession, gathering a trusty team of lackeys, perfecting his craft and researching ways…
Basia Bulat”s modest start turns a world on its head
Without care, concern or even a plan to use her Carter Family brand of country folk to conquer the world, Basia Bulat is making indelible love songs on a small scale. In fact, her whole career was initiated quite quietly. “When I first started, I was just taking some of my student loans and recording…
Z is only the beginning
Pianist Rachel Z’s work transcends. She’s shown up on recordings and tours with Peter Gabriel and the legendary jazz creations of Wayne Shorter, and she’s still mixing it up. During her last trip here in March 2007, the setlist included originals, jazz compositions by Thelonious Monk and Herbie Hancock, and interpretations of Neil Young and…
Hope in a time of difficulty
When he looks at The Brick House, Whit Forrester, 24, a volunteer bike mechanic, past board member and paid organizer for Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, sees only opportunity. “According to consensus, we are tied to the space,” he says. “The problem with that is that the space is amazing. It’s kind of a rare gem.…
“Black Hole”
The Brick House, the youth-based community center, has devolved into a filthy hovel. With its good intentions derailed by reality, can it survive? PHOTOS BY MARTYPEARL.COM Open the doors at 1101 S. Second St. and mold steals what little clean air is still shifting around in your nostrils. The single working bathroom, with a heart…
MUSIC & OTHER EPHEMERA – Hardly crappy
Crappy Nightmareville is, quite simply, the best band you’ve never heard of. Squarely in the middle of their second decade as a working band, next month they’ll release their latest 7-inch, Nautilus b/w Bionic Pet Sounds. P. Andrew Willis and Mike French first teamed up in 1993, recording in a basement fur vault. (Read it…
Inbox — Sept. 10, 2008
CLARIFICATION Last week’s story “The fog of more” (LEO Weekly, Sept. 3) incorrectly referred to the Partnership for a Green City’s Climate Change Committee as Climate Control Committee. The story referenced a report released by that committee that said, in part, certain data was unavailable to assess how much solid waste was produced by several…
Jonesing; Terrorstock; a near alt-country queen
Sept. 11-13 Somewhere at the crossroads of old-school hip-hop and a long forgotten new wave act is Six White Horses. The band, originally a one-man recording act by band leader David Wright, has evolved: a blast of experimental punk, pre-recorded beats, old-school synths and the whitest rhyming ever. It works even when it shouldn’t. “We’ve…
Music Reviews
Old Wounds Young Widows (TEMPORARY RESIDENCE) Old Wounds is only the second album from Louisville three-piece Young Widows, but this incredibly well-produced, well-written record makes them sound like they’ve been together for years. Young Widows are about as close to metal as you can get without being metal, but this album shows them wearing more…
Collective consciousness: Where it”s done
Collectives survive, and even thrive, in other parts of the country, promoting a “culture of opposition,” while simultaneously growing membership, stature and diversification. Much of the blueprint for the original Bardstown Road Youth Cultural Center came from New York’s ABC No Rio (www.abcnorio.org). Founded in 1980 by artists and activists as a collectively run community…
The Video Tapeworm – Releases through Tuesday, Sept. 16
and Bill Raker THIS WEEK’S TWIN PEEKS 88 MINUTES 2008; $28.95, R One of the dumbest movies we ever saw. Originally set for an ’05 release, this turkey sat on a shelf until they simply had to do something, but why it didn’t go straight to the video heap will forever remain a mystery. A…
Suburban Turmoil – When grocery shopping gets old
It’s not even noon, yet the supermarket parking lot is full. Frowning, I pull into a spot at the end of the lot and walk briskly toward the entrance. My stepdaughters are watching their younger brother and sister for me and I don’t have much time. I step through the double doors, quickly scan the…
The Bar Belle – Gettin’ Drunky in KY
This year, the annual Gettin’ Drunky in Kentucky pub crawl turns 5. As one of its founders (parents?), it makes me proud to see my baby all grown up. Well, he still stumbles and drools from time to time, but if you point him in the right direction, he’ll make it there, give or take…
Guest Commentary – Can these lands be holy?
My recent pilgrimage to the “Holy Land” was like zooming in and out on Google maps. The Holy Land is, in one sense, the center of the world. Zoom in and it provides an intensely close view of the world’s major religious histories and their spiritual and political conflicts — within a few square blocks.…
EDITOR’S NOTE: The chi of Ed McClanahan
And so there he is, holding court among a group of five-maybe-six, not so much pulling attention from the guest of honor as causing a slight deviation in plan. Ed McClanahan is a tall, thin man, with shocks of finger-length white hair that wrap his otherwise balding head in the universal uniform of the Great…
Eat it, Louisville!
Limestone 10001 Forest Green Blvd., 426-7477, www.limestonerestaurant.net Café Lou Lou 106 Sears Ave., 893-7776, www.cafeloulou.com Bourbon’s Bistro 2255 Frankfort Ave., 894-8838, www.bourbonsbistro.com Jack Fry’s 1007 Bardstown Road, 452-9244, www.jackfrys.com Pat’s Steakhouse 2437 Brownsboro Road, 893-2062, www.patssteakhouselouisville.com Lilly’s 1147 Bardstown Road, 451-0447, www.lillyslapeche.com 610 Magnolia 610 W. Magnolia Ave., 636-0783, www.610magnolia.com Corbett’s An American Place 5050…
Bourbon inspires Kentucky art Makers
If you’ve never visited the many bourbon distilleries that dot Kentucky’s landscape, you’re missing out on a tradition that is as synonymous with the Bluegrass as horses, tobacco and good weed. The 50-year-old Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto, Ky., a winding 30-minute drive from Bardstown, is a good place to start. From the old-timey wooden…
Fables of the Deconstruction – An open letter to the Pop Music Writer of (local daily newspaper)
Hi Jeffrey, I hope you had a nice birthday. I meant to send a card but Labor Day snuck up on me, and then I got busy moving some boxes around and I lost track of time. It’s always hard to reconnect (and this is almost certainly not the best way to do it), but…
Chairman Wao – Rude is as rude does
I was raised right. Sure, I’ve done some questionable things, but my parents definitely raised someone who is polite and knows how to act in social situations. I could be classified as overly polite, but one of my biggest pet peeves over here is when ex-pats say how rude Chinese people are. I hear it…
Welcome Ryder Cup fans! Now, let”s have dinner
& Stephen Dennison Welcome to Louisville, Ryder Cup fans, and please excuse us if we accidentally misspell the name of your event. After all, in Louisville for the last 140 years or so, “Rider” has meant one of the little guys who captain those big horses around the track at Churchill Downs. But we’re trying…
