Music and a Movie?

FILM Schmooze Time Oy! Another month gone by?! It really can’t be; but, oh, it is. Cinema Lounge strikes again. See five short films and meet the filmmakers. Ask them anything you like, and you might just get an answer. Tonight’s films include Urban Lull (At Once Charmed), by Micah Dahl; A Satisfied Life, by … Read more

Frank Lloyd Wrong, Part Uno

The Duetto Spider. A lovely little effort from another master besides Frank I just returned from a trip to Buffalo, New York. For what it’s worth, if you are flying back from the East and granted the chance to be re-routed for points, speak up immediately and say, “I would love to get routed through … Read more

Feed the Mind, then Feed the Soul

BOOKS & AUTHORS Raking Through Books Join us this evening for our Happy Hour Book Club. Come celebrate the Great Minnesota Get-Together in literary style. Four authors gather to share their insights on all things State Fair–from crop art to 4-H cakes, from Pronto Pups to Midway prizes. This evening’s authors include Linda Koutsky & … Read more

Wicked fun

Full diclosure: Mitch Omer and Cynthia Gerdes (pictured below) are two of my best friends in the world. (photo by Elena Bauer) They’re also the owners — along with Steve Meyer and Mark “Pappy” Anderson — of Hell’s Kitchen, with locations in downtown Minneapolis and Duluth. Now, I’m not the only one who loves Hell’s … Read more

Does It Have to be News OR Analysis?

The extraordinarily anachronistic Tim Rutten of the Los Angeles Times — a guy writing about media, newspapers even, while on the staff of a daily newspaper — has a particularly interesting piece up today. It’s about several things all adding up to what news consumers really want out of an on-line newspaper, supposedly the creature … Read more

Giddyup to Glamorama

It’s a busy week here at Rake Media Worldwide as we put finishing touches on a September issue. But here’s the light at the end of my tunnel: Countdown to Friday’s Glamorama event, in case you missed my little preview over the weekend. So excited am I that I carved out some time to pull … Read more

For the Rebel-Rouser in You

BOOKS AND AUTHORS Dan Mathews IS Committed If you like to challenge the status quo, you’re in for a real treat tonight. Dan Mathews, the force behind PETA, is in town tonight to share his memoir, Committed: A Rabble-Rouser’s Memoir. Mathews writes about growing up as a poor, gay, punk-rocker in conservative Orange County, California … Read more

Waitress

If you haven’t seen Waitress, now’s your chance. It’s showing at the Hopkins Cinema for $2.50 per ticket. Part fairytale, part romantic comedy, part cautionary fable, this film is far from perfect but it’s fun, colorful, unique, and features a killer performance by, of all people, Andy Griffith. A modern morality play about infidelity, spousal … Read more

Before It's too Late: Tom Snyder

The bridge disaster put a hit on my carefully planned blog schedule. (I’ve been reading through the local papers from the first days after — I was out of town when it happened — and will offer deep thoughts in the not too distant future. I know, hearts be still.) But I gotta say something … Read more

The Strip Club, and other Town Talk Talk

I get a little grumpy every time I set foot inside the Town Talk Diner at 27th and E. Lake in Minneapolis. The decibel level is overwhelming, especially in the bar, which not only makes it hard to have a conversation, but pushes me towards morbid thoughts of how I am becoming one of those … Read more