Before we all go tiptoeing out the backdoors and down the stairwells of the cities’ various places of employment, I wanted to note this really happenin’ sale: Gh2, the consignment second-cousin to Edina’s fabulous Grethen House boutique, has a store full of fifty-percent off summer spiffs, but only for today and tomorrow. If you’re lucky, you might score the marked-down Louboutin espadrilles I spied there recently. They’ve also got some great monster handbags and even a lil’ bit of discounted designer – like Comme des Garcons.
Category: Blog Post
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The road to hell
Turns out it’s paved with delays. Hell’s Kitchen 2, the Duluth location, was originally slated to open in June. Then construction and equipment problems pushed the date to July 16. But new partner and GM Mark “Pappy” Anderson says everything has been surprisingly pacific since. “We opened for business nearly two weeks ago and it’s all been good,” Anderson says. “We were up to an hour wait by the third day. But we’ve got a great staff and everything seems to be running smoothly.” Of course, Anderson’s last gig was teaching 8th grade social studies for three years on the Red Lake Indian Reservation, so managing a staff of pajama-clad servers and a couple thousand unruly tourists probably seems like a cakewalk. Unlike the Minneapolis HK, this Canal Park restaurant serves three meals a day and sports a full liquor license. . . .also an iron-gated private dining room called Purgatory that seats 8-10, and the finest collection of black chandeliers in the entire Midwest. -
Another Sunday Addition
Riot Act Reading Series
by Max RossWhat transpires at a typical session of the Riot Act Reading Series is
something like a poetry slam without the pretense, which is to say the
readers rarely delve into the realm of performance art, instead focusing – gasp! – on their actual content. One of those rare literary events that showcases literature, this Sunday’s fare includes readings by local writers Laura Brandenburg, Paula Cisewski, Paul D. Dickinson, and Sam Osterhaut. Stick around after the readings, and listen to Dreamland Faces play their tangos and waltzes on their weapons of choice: an accordion and a singing saw.Sunday at 7 p.m., Turf Club, 1601 University Ave., St. Paul; 651-647-0486; $3.
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Zesty
When it’s as hot as it’s been, those of us with pools must be resigned to the impromptu gathering. And so it goes that last Wednesday we had a few families over for some swimming and noshing with a little late-birthday celebration thrown into the mix.
But I’ve been hungry, despite the heat (shock) and I wasn’t looking for the hot dog/quick pasta option. But I had no desire to whip up the grand feast, just as no one else had the hunger for formality and over-indulgence during the mid-week.
So I ripped through the monthly rags to find something honest and easy. I came up with two winners: grilled pork chops with a sharp garlic-lime vinaigrette and a quinoa dish with black beans. Winners both, the quinoa earned top honors from the eaters. It was the lime juice that kept it zesty and fresh and gave our whole meal a nice summery lilt.
I was planning on an easy chocolate mousse with strawberries for dessert, but alas, the power went out in the middle of dinner and no way was I whipping cream by hand in the suddenly air-conditionless house. Take it outside, strawberries and dark chocolate poolside don’t suck.
Today I’m heading to the Arboretum’s Summer House to see what kind of fresh goodies they have. Even though we have no plans for entertaining this weekend, it doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
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French Cars. Still Foreign To Me.
Buon Giorno mi amici. Oggi ti vuol parlare come’ la macchina franchese.
No mi piace la macchina franchese. La macchina franchese non e’ bella. La machina franchese look like the froggie. OK, OK, I am just proving that not all things are foreign to me. I can speak a little Italian (accent on little and bad), and a little Japanese, and I can even say “hello” in Objiwe. Still, some things will always remain a little foreign to me.
Like French cars.
And frankly, because the French are the French, they could care less what I think. (C’est magnifique!) I have always admired their balls for producing cars that remain years ahead of their time, yet something remains so terribly odd about their vehicles.
Of course, odd — a la Oscar Wilde, Truman Capote, Bill Gates and countless other odd fellows and females in history — is good. Yet to me, when talking about French cars, still foreign.
In the spirit of full disclosure my dispeptic mood may just stem from the affront I received from the driver of a Citroen CV2 (it may be back, see here) waiting to pull out of the parking lot.
(He, like, pee-sez me off, and here is what I had to say.)
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Fluttering and Film on Friday, Studio and Strumming on Saturday, and Laughing on the Lord's Day
WINE & WINGS
Break Out of That Cocoon and Spread Your Wings
by Danielle Kurtzleben
If the idea of going to a zoo makes you cringe — pushing a stroller, carrying cotton candy and grumpy, sleeping children — perk up, hire a sitter, and come to the Minnesota Zoo’s adult-only Monarchs & Merlot social. Spend an evening sipping merlot, or chardonnay, sampling hors d’eouvres, and taking a peaceful walk through the MN Zoo’s butterfly garden. If you’re feeling more ambitious, you can also learn about the 40 species in the butterfly garden, as well as how to attract them to your own yard. While the price may seem a little steep at $40, it’s all for a good cause: the zoo’s conservation programs. Friday at 6:30 p.m., Minnesota Zoo, 13000 Zoo Blvd., Apple Valley; 952-431-9200; $40 (members $35).
FILM
Celebrate Sleep and Winter on a Hot Summer Night
Video cameras abound these days, as do self-proclaimed videographers, but when it comes time to show your work in a venue other than YouTube or the hot new video hosting service of the week, there’s a dearth of serious options. (Not that YouTube could even be considered a serious option, mind you.) More than anything else, video today is meant to make you laugh. But what about aesthetics? What about art? What about framing that perfect shot, capturing the particular way a ray of light bounces off your subject, playing with your palette? What about metaphor? In an effort to create a new venue for emerging video artists to present their work, the Rosalux Gallery is hosting its first annual No Mittens Film Festival, a one-night screening of films about winter and sleep. Friday at 7 p.m., Rosalux Gallery, 1101 Washington Ave., Minneapolis; free.
Of course, it’s Friday, so there are a whole slew of movies opening this evening. Vitus and Ten Canoes open at the Edina Cinema, Interview and Sunshine open at the Lagoon Cinema, and My Best Friend opens at the Uptown Theatre. Also showing at the Uptown on Saturday at midnight is Sam Peckinpah’s controversial Western, The Wild Bunch. Oh! And don’t forget The Simpsons Movie. Read Rake film critic Peter Schilling’s So Little Time write-up.VISUAL ARTS
Last Weekend for Smith and Britto Exhibit
by Ann Klefstad
Both Shinique Smith and Michael Paul Britto were in a show called Frequency at the Studio Museum of Harlem last year, curated by the incisively yet inclusively smart Thelma Golden. Also included was Kalup Linzy, whose hilarious and fond videos of various homefolks recently showed at Midway Contemporary Art in Northeast Minneapolis. Indeed, it seems that much of the most interesting art in circulation around here — including the recent show by Jim Denomie and Andrea Carlson at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Kara Walker’s survey at the Walker — is being done by people with access to at least a couple of different cultures. Maybe that double vision provides the binoculars we need to see the real lay of the land. I’m not sure which of Britto’s videos will be presented, but his Dirrrty Harriet Tubman is pretty funny, an action-thriller parody using a sanctified figure. The thing to ask is, can we all play? Friday and Saturday from 12-5 p.m., Franklin Art Works, 1021 Franklin Ave. E., Minneapolis; 612-872-7494; free.
MUSIC
Bringing Down the House with Nothing but Fingers
by Danielle Kurtzleben
It’s a finger-picking extravaganza tonight, when Charlie Parr and My Two Toms hit the Kitty Cat Klub, the latest stop on their American Tour. British duo My Two Toms proves that beautiful instrumental bluegrass (what they humbly call “front-porch music”) can come from all the way across the pond. Duluth native Parr, with a country-blues style that ranges from heart-rending to rowdy, is a fixture on the Minnesota music scene. Don’t let his scruffy, regular-joe exterior fool you — this 12-string virtuoso always brings down the house. Saturday at 10 p.m., Kitty Cat Klub, 315 14th Ave. S.E., Dinkytown, Minneapolis; $5.
Other good music shows this weekend include The Peterson Family tonight at the Fitz, the Humanboy CD Release Party tonight at the Cabooze, and a Reunion Show with Edupoetic at Visage Nightclub.
COMEDY & PERFORMANCE
Improv-a-Go-Go
by Max Ross
For five years now, Improv-a-Go-Go has served as a weekly showcase for local improvisational comedy talent. Performers take cues from the audience to create scenes on the spot, a sort of spontaneous combustion that offers the crowd a sense of immediacy and intimacy seldom found in traditional comedy theater; at its best, everyone feels as if they are privy to an inside joke that keeps on going throughout the night. Previous skits have included drunken Christmas carols and a dinosaur rock-eating party. Tonight’s show features sets by Five Man Job, Scrappy Moose, Straight from Uranus, and Ferrari McSpeedy. It’s only one dollar, so why not? Sunday at 8 p.m., Brave New Workshop, 2605 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-332-6620; $1.
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KSTP-TV Newsroom Melts Down. Again. As Usual.
OK. Here’s a pop quiz. Which of the following headlines strikes you as the most routine, to the point of no longer even being newsworthy?
“Mideast in Turmoil”
“Bush Says Surge is Working”
“Gonzales Can Not Recall His Own Name”
“Rumors of Firings and Low Morale Wrack Ch. 5”I know. I know. The trivia at Caribou is tougher.
The first calls came a couple weeks ago, and the story, for someone who covered the ups but mostly downs of KSTP-TV news for 15 years, was familiar to the point of being pure deja vu. As in … “Wha? Huh? Where’s Stan Turner?!”
“No, really. This is the worst it has been in 15 years,” said one KSTP employee. “I know you’ve heard that before, but this time the place has really jumped the tracks.”
Conversations with several more sources — all asking for anonymity in what they see as an unusually wretched climate — corroborated the basics of the rumors. (How’s that for solid?)
The essence of it all is this: News director Chris Berg will likely leave soon after the first of the month, (the end of the July ratings period), at least one veteran on-air personality, possibly weatherman Dave Dahl, may also leave, maybe on his own maybe otherwise, and the door may stay open for others.
What each source asserted independently is that they believe it is unfair to blame Berg, who many apparently have come to like and respect. Berg is a guy who induced snickers when he took over four and a half years ago for his cornball-tough “new sheriff in town” poses but who I’m told mellowed with age. The oft-repeated picture has Berg “beating his head against a wall”. A wall built of chronically bad advice by Frank N. Magid Associates, Inc. Hubbard Broadcasting’s inexplicably long-term consultant.
Only Dick Cheney could be as flat out dead wrong as often as Magid Associates and still be getting a check.
For years, almost as far back as the last days of Ron Magers, Magid has billed Stanley Hubbard, the family’s patriarch for research on who to replace in anchor chairs and how to brand and style KSTP’s news. The results are pretty indisputable. Ratings have cratered to the point where only Bush’s and Cheney’s are lower. Simultaneous with steady erosion in audience levels down to what amounts to fourth place status in local news, the station has watched characters as often bizarre as Randall Carlisle, Harris Faulkner, Kent Ninomiya, Chris Conangla and on and on do quick, highly-mannered spins in the anchor chairs before being flung out the back door, all while a stream of news directors were hired and whacked nearly as often.
With each departure there was another round of employees (those canned AND those surviving) blaming Magid for yet another round of clueless, stale ideas and Magid in turn blaming THEM for poor execution of what Magid presumably assures Stanley Hubbard are superbly researched and expertly diagrammed game plans.
I’m told a recent Magid Inc. visit with their usual research presentation and “interaction” with newsroom staff went rather badly, with KSTP reporters in something close to “open rebellion”. (I am allowing for hyperbole there.)
An accelerating factor in this latest meltdown is — again as corroborated by multiple independent sources — the apparent inability of Berg’s boss, Rob Hubbard, (Stanley’s son and General Manager), to assert any kind of positive influence over his news department.
“The guy never says anything positive or supportive of anything we do,” groused one long term employee. “I don’t need to be patted on the head every time I do my job. But don’t come down to the newsroom if all you’re ever going to do is shit all over us and blame us for the ratings. Clean up your own act.”
Calls to Dave Dahl, Chris Berg and Rob Hubbard have not been returned.
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Some like it hot
I don’t. In fact, between summer allergies and the recent heat wave, I’ve been driven indoors. But luckily, there are equatorial creatures who actually thrive in this weather. One of them is John Schneider, my friend, colleague, and loyal reader — a man whose palate I trust like my own. He celebrates the season by going to Zelo several times a week and drinking a New Zealand wine called Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2006, which he tells me “cuts through the bullshit” with a sharp, clean, thirst-quenching taste. Others clearly agree: Wine Spectator gave this wine a 92 and amateur raters crow about its notes of gooseberry and passion fruit. So go, sun yourself and enjoy. Me? I’m huddled in the air conditioned comfort of my dining room drinking Zinfandel and dreaming of fall. . . .
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Art, Laughter, Nostalgia — Indulge!
Today is the last day to register for our Bourne Ultimatum promotion. Vote on your favorite movie car chase for a chance to win free tickets to an advanced screening of the latest Bourne movie next Tuesday.
ART
You Don’t Have to Get on Your Knees, but Crawl
A couple months ago, Christy DeSmith wrote an article describing Glenwood Avenue as a burgeoning design corridor. Tonight, we invite you to explore the new design district for yourself during the 10,000 Arts Crawl. Enjoy live music, visual and design arts, performing arts, and food and beverage samplings at multiple venues between Lyndale and Girard, on Glenwood Avenue. The evening will include performances by Ghost in the Water, The Brass Kings, Beatrix Jar, JAO, and Jimmy Martin. Art Crawl destinations include AbiTare, AIA Minnesota, The Carney Group, Hirshfield’s Design Studio, Ivy Men’s + Design, and Ligne Roset. Keep your eye out for our promotional scooter. It could be yours at the end of the summer!6-10 p.m., between Lyndale and Girard Avenues North on Glenwood Avenue; free.
COMEDY THEATER
The Label vs. Evil
How does a group of self-proclaimed “stand up comics, failed theater majors, anti-social writers, and film school dropouts” fight the evils of “war, terrorism, crime, and nationally televised pop-star competitions?” Comedy. Comedy. Laughter is The Label’s weapon of choice. “Make laughter, not war,” should be their motto as they strive to wipe out evil, once and for all, with their hysterical blend of monologue, live sketch, and short films. Solve the problem of evil with a night of laughter. (This ain’t Epicurus or Hume, but it’ll do for a Thursday.)7 p.m. (through Saturday), Bryant Lake Bowl, 810 West Lake St., Minneapolis; 612-825-3737; $10.
According to James Norton, of Metroblogging Twin Cities, Neil Hamburger will be performing at the Triple Rock this evening. Norton accurately describes Hamburger as “the world’s premiere anti-comedian,” extolling the comedic value of his nasty and offensive act. Sounds like a winner to me.10 p.m., Triple Rock Social Club, 629 Cedar Avenue, Minneapolis; 612-333-7499; $10.
FILM
Starry Silent Summer Nights
I miss the silent movies projected on the wall outside of Riverplace — back in the late ’80s, I guess. I’m a sucker for the silent movie. What can I say? Charlie Chaplin. Buster Keaton. Douglas Fairbanks. Now, those were men! Who needs words when you’ve got such overtly physical communication? We could all use just a little more silence these days… and a little more physical communication. Take yourself back to the good old days, before the talkies, with a screening of Show People. Based on the life and career of Gloria Swanson, Show People gets behind the scenes of the silent film industry as the protagonist tries to break into it. The film stars Marion Davies and William Haines, with cameo appearances by Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, John Gilbert, and Norma Talmadge.7:30 p.m., Heights Theater, 3951 Central Ave. N.E., Columbia Heights; 763-788-9079; $8 (seniors and children $5).
Look at film through a teen lens tonight at the Twin Cities Youth Media Network Screening at the Walker Art Center. Explore works made by high school filmmakers from around the state. 7:30 p.m., Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-375-7656; free.
FESTIVAL
Midwestern Nostalgia
Every small to large vicinage across America, and across the world, has its own form of ritual merrymaking, a community celebration, a regional jubilee. From the carnival, to the block-party, to the barnyard dance, we’ve concocted numerous venues in which to come together with no pretext other than to to have a good time, socialize, commune. Maybe to parade a new hat, a new love. Maybe to give yourself a thrill with a few playful (and careless) smiles. (Surely for someone to make a buck, while you lose one.) What’s our local version of this clambake? What’s our jamboree? We city folk would like to think it’s ultra-hip — getting jiggy in the streets. But let’s face it, even our most urban fiestas are fundamentally hick at heart. Does this hurt you, dear? Don’t despair. It’s really quite lovely, indeed.
You can count on live music. We’ve always got plenty of that — not bad stuff, either. Quite good, in fact. (And you’ll often find a twang in there somewhere, a little touch of Fargo, a pinch of bluegrass, and a Polka, too. It’ll bring you back home — wherever home is. (Even a Latina like me finds comfort in the familiarity of something so profoundly American — from back when that might have been imbued with a bit of bravado rather than second-hand shame.)
You’ll find food, plenty of food. Fried food, grilled food, fast food, food on a stick. You’ll find food. If you’re lucky, you’ll find mini donuts. Shhh. I won’t tell. Lemonade? Or beer? That’s enough sinfulness. Enjoy some games. Watch the kids get their faced painted. Wander around the arts and crafts booths. Best case scenario? — Uptown Art Fair. Worse case scenario? — pretty much your average fare. What do you have against arts & crafts? (Maybe you can buy yourself a nice reindeer sweater.) Just think of it as retro, and have a good time. This is, after all, the beauty of the midwest. Indulge.
Best case scenario — Uptown Art Fair; and yet beyond the booths you’ll always find the classic cars. In the end, this is the best art of all. I find myself taking refuge from the booths, from the sell, mulling about the cars, exploring, wandering, wondering. Sweet prince in a shiny ’62, divest me of my history — and Elvis shakes the floor. Ain’t that America, baby?
But will someone please explain why there’s a donkey in the middle of the parking lot, trapped between the sweet corn and the organic soap? What’s with the rooster? A petting zoo? Really? Why the hell would I want to pet a rooster?
Why the hell would you want any of it, really? Only that it’s beautiful; that’s all. It’s a more quiet reminder of the American Dream — the right to nothingness, I suppose. The right to frolic. Want some? You’ll have plenty of opportunity yet this summer. But you can get a taste tonight in White Bear Lake, on the last night of this summer’s Marketfest. No, it probably doesn’t merit this long diatribe, by any means, but after writing the Secrets night after night, I, too, felt a need to indulge. Call it my own sense of family fun. Now go have yours. Enjoy the typical fare, along with covered wagon rides, wall climbing, and fun for all. Oh, yeah. Can’t wait to get on that wagon, baby. I’m coming home!
6-9 p.m., Downtown White Bear Lake, just east of Hwy. 61, between 3rd St. and 4th St.; free.
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Radio Steps Closer to the Abyss
Those of us with any interest at all in the immediate future of radio are highly skeptical — to the point of fatally suspicious — of the proposed merger of the two satellite radio companies, XM and Sirius, AND the regular promises by terrestrial radio giants, like Clear Channel, that High Definition radio will … real soon … be all things to all people. Rather than new choices, we see a lot more of the same.
Yesterday, Mel Karmazin, former president of CBS, Inc. (he left in ’04 after one too many blow-outs with Viacom tycoon, Sumner Redstone), told the National Press Club that — in an obvious concession to Republican FCC chairman, Kevin Martin — he would allow subscribers to proposed the XM/Sirius combination to buy programming “a la carte”, something cable TV companies are loathe to offer their customers. (Martin wants to see a la carte in cable and satellite TV, too).
Here is a link to Karmazin’s official proposal. It’s pretty eye-glazing, and I don’t even want to think about the HMO-like sub-clauses, fine(r) print and penalties. But none of this, or any of the stories I read yesterday challenged Karmazin on what for me, and I strongly believe other radio consumers, regard as a primary deal-killer. Namely, commercials. Karmazin has left the door wide open to piling commercials into heretofore commercial-free satellite systems, and frankly, given the debt loads of XM/Sirius … like most other media corporations, there isn’t any other way for them to deliver significant profit unless they do.
Karmazin is, first and foremost, a “super salesman”, a guy who looks in the mirror every morning and wonders why he can’t sell advertising space on his incisors. His idea of great radio is a five minute block of commercials every four minutes.
Chairman Martin is on the right track with a la carte programming. It makes perfect consumer sense … on radio and cable TV. But what, I ask, is the consumer interest in BOTH paying a monthly subscription fee for whatever programming they choose AND listening to 20-25 minutes of commercials every hour, we are forced to do on terrestrial radio? (HiDef radio is free.)
I continue to argue that satellite’s future is in commercial-free programming, not necessarily three more channels of Howard Stern with 28 minutes worth of ads per hour. (Karmazin BTW was the radio executive most responsible for Stern’s rise.)
Here’s a “lay person’s guide” to the differences between satellite and Hi-Def.Any radio manager who is candid — and few are on this topic — will tell you the single biggest complaint from listeners is … commercial load. The fact that this complaint plays simultaneous with the dawn of satellite radio with 200 or more channels and HiDef, which allows each licensed signal playing today to triplicate itself, is, at least on one hand, not reassuring to station owners. An extra three channels sounds like fun. But even if they can control the fragmentation, how do they sell all that? And at what price?
I won’t belabor this. My real intention here is to tie the “fragmentation” problems afflicting newspapers and TV to radio as well … and point out that like traditional newspapers and traditional television, traditional radio is preparing to protect its’ future with … more of the same tired business plan. The same programming with the same rate of “clutter” (jargon for ads and everything else that interrupts what people tune in to get.)
HiDef radio exists in the Twin Cities, but only as a kind of stale (but “clearer”) “repeater” process for existing stations. Radio giants will remain reluctant to introduce content on HiDef that might shave any kind of significant margin off their existing cash cows. The irony here is that with paradigm-shaking technologies like satellite and HiDef so tightly controlled by the very same people that rigorously market the bland and treadworn formats of old-fashion terrestrial radio, why should any consumer look to these new toys with any great eagerness?
As I’ve said before, Apple hasn’t sold 125 million iPods because
music (and podcast) lovers are satisfied with radio programming as it exists today.The betting is that the likelihood of FCC approval of the XM/Sirius merger increased with Karmazin’s promise to offer a la carte.