Finally! All those copies of Faust come out of storage. Rarely can it be said that the library is the coolest place to be, but today that’s especially the case… because the new Minneapolis Central Library is officially open for business. Thousands-upon-thousands of items are finally available for checkout. Halleluiah! For more information on the … Read more
Art-A-Whirl makes me hungry. Maybe it’s walking around all the inspiring art that makes me think I, too, am a starving artist. Maybe it’s all the pondering and provoking of thought that starts my tummy a-grumbling. Or maybe it’s the wonderous lack of cheese curd trucks combined with the knowledge that I’m surrounded by some … Read more
The Da Vinci Code, 2006. Directed by Ron Howard, written by another embarrassing Academy Award winner, Akiva Goldsman. Starring Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Paul Bettany, Alfred Molina, Jurgen Prochnow, Jean Reno and Etienne Chicot. If there’s one thing I never would have guessed, it’s that Ron Howard had such a preposterous sense of … Read more
Uff, I feel old. Art-A-Whirl is turning eleven this year. And I remember volunteering, way back when, for versions three and four. Margo Ashmore was in charge back in those days. My friend Sarah Whiting later took the reins. I get a little misty when I think back–back before AAW had rock concerts, and when … Read more
While I’m waiting on Uncle Jumbo I’ll pose this question: Have there been any Dick Such sightings in or around the Metrodome lately? Because I’m really struggling to understand the Twins’ 5.44 ERA and the abysmal performances of Brad Radke, Carlos Silva, and Kyle Lohse. It’s not such a struggle, really, to understand the Lohse … Read more
Gallery Grooves crashes into the whole gallery-slash-hair salon phenomenon tonight, when it visits FiveTwoSix salon, spa, and gallery. There, you can pursue facial, aural, and material beauty–all under one roof! There’ll be some great gallery finds opposite beauty products. KBEM will also be there, spinning another month’s worth of great jazz records. Also provided: Cheese, … Read more
No celebration of vocal excess is complete without at least one Mozart opera. This year’s Saint Paul Summer Song Festival meets that requirement by adding a film component to its annual lineup of music recitals (which features British baritone Christopher Maltman, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore, and the Rose Ensemble, among others), screening Ingmar Bergman’s 1975 version … Read more
When someone’s standing at a bus stop with a human head wrapped in a shawl or tucked in a bag, it’s easy enough to stop them from boarding a bus. Simply move away from your coffee at the table on the bar’s patio. Catch the bus driver’s eye as you walk. He will either keep … Read more
Some believe that really good barbeque is made by divine intervention. If that’s the case, then Pastor Luches Hamilton has the inner track. Working out of a tiny space adjacent to his church in St. Paul, he turns out sticky ribs and jo-jo potatoes that answer a higher calling: selling barbeque to raise funds for … Read more
When Kate Parry became the Star Tribune’s “reader’s representative” in December 2004, she told readers she was their “advocate in the room. My job … is to take [your] concerns and make sure the newsroom understands them … It’s a good thing when someone wants to call, even if they’re angry. It’s a good connection.” … Read more