Jackson Videocast

Jackson videocast

In this week’s issue:
* Cool Cleveland Endorsements of critical races and issues in the Tues 11/8 election
*Cool Cleveland Videocasts and Interview with Mayoral candidate Frank Jackson, a Cool Cleveland exclusive
* Cool Cleveland Fast Forward party on Fri 11/11, get $17.50 tix by midnight Thu 11/3 here
* Cool Cleveland Champions party on Wed 11/2, walk-up tix still available, details here
* Cool Cleveland Interview Robert Conrad of our media partner WCLV
* RoldoLINK Roldo says there’s a reason we don’t believe in Cleveland’s leaders
* Cool Cleveland Sounds review of Greatest Hits by Whiskey Daredevils
* Cool Cleveland Kids podcast click here, CC podcast click here, CC Blog click here

This week, we vote at the polls, but also with our feet and with our wallets. Look below and behold an overly abundant cornucopia of cool things to do this week. This season is just bursting with great reasons to love our corner of the world. From our Cool Cleveland Champions party on 11/2 to the Rock Hall’s brilliant tribute to Sam Cooke featuring Elvis Costello and Aretha Franklin, to great performances presented by DanceCleveland Tri-C, the Museum of Art and Nighttown. And live performance isn’t the only thing taking center stage this week. NEO’s visual arts community blossoms with over a dozen buzzworthy openings, including outrageous benefit parties in honor of SPACES and the Akron Art Museum. But institutions aren’t the only ones having fun this week. The streetwise Y-Haven project from CPT, the Ohio Independent Film Festival, and a Gong Bath from Passport Project. While the Cleveland Orchestra does more to single-handedly buff Cleveland’s international image on their current European tour, read about one of our region’s true heroes, Robert Conrad of WCLV, who single-handedly saved classical music for our region forever. If you’re not into classical music, you might enjoy the Whiskey Daredevils’ debut disc, Greatest Hits. And let’s not neglect the issues that face our region: check out a day-long sympoisum on land use in the Western Reserve, an event celebrating the CIO of the Year, and an ACLU forum on dissent are must-dos. While Tues 11/8 is probably already marked on your calendar as Election Day, we hope our Cool Cleveland Endorsements and the videocasts and transcript of our exclusive interview with Cleveland City Council President and Mayoral candidate Frank Jackson will be helpful in assisting your voting choices. Don’t give up on Cleveland just yet. If you don’t like the way things are, go out there and support the heroes and champions, and make a change in your community. Voting on November 8 is a great place to start. –Thomas Mulready

Cool Cleveland Endorsements
For Cleveland Mayor: Vote for Frank Jackson The simple reason: we need a change of leadership. The longer reason, click here.
Issue 1: Vote YES 3/4 of this bond proposal goes towards infrastructure, the other 1/4 towards investment in Ohio’s technology economy, where we must remain competitive. Don’t let the stem-cell psychos take this one down.
Issue 2 Vote YES and make it easier for anyone to vote with an absentee ballot for any reason.
Issue 3: Vote NO We need campaign finance reform, but not a constitutional amendment with locked-in dollar limits. Constitutional overkill.
Issue 4 Vote NO Gerrymandering continues to be a problem, and a boon to the incumbent party. But this constitutional amendment would create a judicially-appointed commission not accountable to taxpayers. Ohio’s Democrats should instead run good candidates, get in power, and do their own gerrymandering.
Issue 5: VOTE NO Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell’s despicable performance in the 2004 Presidential election is a disgrace to the country. He’ll be out of office in one year, while this constitutional amendment would create an appointed 9-person board and a permanent bureaucracy to manage local elections.
Issue 6: Vote YES Tri-C has risen to Cuyahoga County’s challenges and needs funding to continue providing workforce training and affordable education. And 85% of their graduates live and work in NEO.
Issue 7: Vote YES Helps 8300 of our most vulnerable citizens by funding the Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. A good investment with competent caretakers.
Comments on our endorsements? Letters@CoolCleveland.com

Cool Cleveland Videocasts & Interview
with Cleveland City Council President Frank Jackson

Read the complete transcript of the interview with Thomas Mulready

here. Watch the three videos as he answers questions on arts & culture [Windows or Mac]; on the Cleveland Public Schools [Windows or Mac]; and the Wal-Mart and Steelyard Commons issue [Windows or Mac]. Click below to read a complete transcript of the entire interview with the current Cleveland City Council President, as he discusses his vision, leadership, technology, the size of City Council, and regionalism. If you would like to hear more, check out the Meet The Bloggers podcast with Council President Frank Jackson here. Read the exclusive Cool Cleveland interview:
Cool Cleveland: If the Legacy Village and Crocker Park are not allowing Big Box, because of the same issues, then why would we do it in Cleveland?
Frank Jackson: Well, that’s my point to you. I’m saying the same thing, Those who are critical of me and Council, me in particular, for wanting the best for Cleveland, I don’t think it’s a valid criticism. I mean, why should I want less for Cleveland? And if you look at what Legacy Village did to Shaker Square shopping, it basically took about three of the major retailers out of there. Shaker Square was about ready to go under, until Mr. [Peter] Rubin, and even then, to save Shaker Square, who came to the plate and saved that project? Dave’s Grocery. Who this development may potentially put out of business…
Since Cleveland’s population has dwindled, the city has more Council members per citizen than almost any other in the state. Do you think, like many others that the size of Council should be reduced?
No. And I’ll tell you why. Part of Cleveland’s problem is that we’re always trying to be somebody else rather than be ourselves. And I believe in what works. So I don’t have the notion that because someone else is doing something, that we should do it also. Secondly, I think we should just be Cleveland and not other places. This lack of identity and seeming low self-esteem when we have all these great assets and valuables at our feet, such a great city, it is amazing me that we would be of so low self-esteem that we border om clinically depressed sometimes where you don’t even recognize the value yourself…
Read the complete Cool Cleveland Inteview with City Council President Frank Jackson
Videos: Arts [Windows or Mac]; Schools [Windows or Mac]; Wal-Mart [Windows or Mac]
Send your comments here: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

Party with Cool Champions 11/2

Laugh Out Loud while partying with friends at the next Cool Cleveland event with side-splitting comedy from Pickwick and Frolic’s Hilarities 4th Street Theater. Enjoy beer, wine, mouth-watering appetizers, and the opportunity to meet some of our city’s cool civic Champions who are doing well by doing good. Plus your chance to get funding for your civic project! Meet us (and bring friends!) at P & F’s Martini Bar and Cabaret Wed 11/2, starting at 5:30PM (show at 8:00). Check out the Grilled Vegetable and Herb Cheese Pinwheels, Assorted Focaccia Pizzas, Rotisserie Chicken Salad Pinwheels, and Domestic and Imported Cheese Display. See and be seen with the Champions. Help us toast the Civic Innovation Lab’s 2nd anniversary and receive comp passes to the 90-minute comedy show starring John Caponera, actor and comedian. You may recognize John as the star of his own sitcom called “The Good Life” or as the host of Comedy Central’s sport show “Jocks” and ESPN’s “Talk II.” Other credits include guest star appearances on “ER,” “The Drew Carey Show,” “The Tonight Show,” “The Dennis Miller Show” and “L.A. Law.” Get tix http://www.coolcleveland.com/tickets/110205.

A Winning Idea Your Cool Cleveland admission gets you appetizers galore plus two drink tix (wine & beer), and a ticket to the 8PM comedy show in Hilarities 4th Street Theatre for the first 200 people ($13 value, seating is limited, sign up now). Learn how you can qualify for $30,000 for your civic project from the Civic Innovation Lab and take advantage of the rare opportunity to hear from Cleveland Foundation economic development guru Brad Whitehead. Get your discount tix by midnight Thu 10/27 here: http://www.coolcleveland.com/tickets/110205.

Party @ Fast Forward 11/11

Fast Forward your Friday Night! Don’t miss the cultural party of the season on Fri 11/11 as Cool Cleveland parties at the speed of light with the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Fast Forward party. Experience Cleveland’s awesome artistic community collaborating on a major cultural vibe starting 5:30 – 7:30PM in the Institute’s Reinberger Gallery (11141 East Blvd.) with the radical, futuristic exhibition and docent tours of Dreaming of a More Better Future (as in: Did the Jetson’s get it right or wrong?). See this great exhibition highlighting the work of 47 artists, designers, illustrators, architects, film and video creators and digital artists. Enjoy beer, wine (from Great Lakes Brewery) and delightful delectables from Elan Catering and Bridges Restaurant in the Student Lounge and Ohio Bell Auditorium while grooving to the latest in electronic dance music DJ-ed by Severiano Martinez of the Shinkoyo Arts Collective. You get a comp ticket to the wild presentation by Eduardo Kac, Professor and Chair of the Art/Technology Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago as he explains how his art broke all the rules. [Comp parking behind CIA – off Bellflower or East Blvd. – gates will be open.]

Plus, you’re guest-listed for admission into CMA’s Fast Forward party from 9PM ’til midnight held at the CIA Factory, three blocks away (comp shuttles available), where you can immerse yourself in live music, food, libations and the burgeoning and hip student art scene with artwork, experiments, and ongoing performances around every corner. All included in your Cool Cleveland ticket! (Food and drink at the Fast Forward party is extra.)

Now that’s Fast One ridiculously low price for all this: beer, wine, great food, DJ, live music, the hippest art exhibition in town, the lowdown on how one artist made it happen, and the CMA’s fantabulous Fast Forward party cranking into the night. Get your discount tix by midnight Thu 10/27 here: http://www.coolcleveland.com/tickets/111105

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New Housing on One of Cleveland’s Most Historic Streets Heritage Lane is a new community of spacious and luxurious single-family homes and contemporary townhouses, located minutes from University Circle and Rockefeller Park. There is one historic home available in Phase I, featuring a magnificently restored exterior, hardwood floors, a spacious interior, and a full front porch, offered at $279,900. The Heritage Lane Townhouses feature contemporary design, hardwood floors, granite kitchen countertops, 2-3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, bay windows, finished basements, second story decks and two car garages. These units start at $169,900 and offer 1.5% below-market financing and 15 year tax abatement. Don’t miss our open house scheduled for Sun 11/6 from 2-4PM. For a complete list of properties and open houses this weekend please visit www.progressiveurban.com
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Cleveland needs a signature Innerbelt bridge The Ohio Department of Transportation has decided that Cleveland’s Innerbelt bridge needs a $700 million makeover. The question is, will the new bridge be an ugly eyesore or a beautiful signature bridge such as those in Bratislava and Kuala Lumpur. Unfortunately, ODOT is fast-tracking this decision, one which will affect Cleveland’s image for the next 50 years or more. By the time they hold their Open House on Thu 11/17 at 4:30PM at CSU Wolstein Center, 2000 Prospect, the decisions will already be made. Instead, call ODOT at 584-2007 or provide your comments here, or better yet, send an e-mail to ODOT Project Manager Craig Hebenrand at craig.hebebrand@dot.state.oh.us, and copy us at Letters@CoolCleveland.com. See full story here, and check the County’s presentation here for an outline of the preferred solution. Hey, it’s our tax money, and it’s our city. Don’t we deserve a signature bridge for Cleveland’s 21st century postcards? What do you think? Letters@CoolCleveland.com

Cleveland kills Europe The Cleveland Orchestra is absolutely knocking the critics dead on their current tour of Vienna, Budapest, Frankfort, Luxembourg and Cologne, playing some of the finest music ever, in some of the finest music halls ever built. “…a feast of sound…” “…musical ability at the highest level…” “…a flawless musical performance…” “…among the best in the world…” This from European critics who call our famed ensemble simply, “The Cleveland.” We should be proud that our name is so righteously displayed in the capitals of Europe this week. And our business and civic leaders should be right there with them, basking in the glory and building business relationships. Is it too late to organize a ticker-tape parade upon their return? Survey a slew of critical reviews here. And send your thoughts to Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

Cleveland film extended Chagrin Cinemas has opted to extend the theatrical release of the faith-affirming, family-friendly film, Christmas at Maxwell’s, which was shot completely in Northeast Ohio. Audiences have another week to hightail it to the theater to see this inspirational love story about the human struggle and the power of forgiveness through Thu 11/10. Check out the movie promos at http://www.ChristmasAtMaxwells.com. Review showtimes here. Chagrin Cinema, 8200 East Washington Street, Chagrin Falls.

Ahoy Ohio! Check out these Ohio-made products for the Holidays. Over 65 “Made in Ohio” products and websites: Food, Jewelry, Toys, Gifts, and other products for the home. Click on http://www.AhoyOhio.com.

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Once in a Lifetime Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello and Solomon Burke will all share the stage with artists like Gavin DeGraw, Taj Mahal, the Manhattans, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Destiny Child’s Michelle Williams and many more! Never again will these performers be on the same stage. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and it is all part of the Rock Hall and Case’s American Music Masters tribute to Sam Cooke, Mon 10/31 through Sun 11/6. The week also consists of lectures, films and panel discussions and all leads up to a daylong conference at Case on Sat 11/5. Visit www.RockHall.com for a full schedule and ticket details.
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Bebe Miller comes to Cleveland The marriage of arts and technology celebrated during the Ingenuity Festival will be in full bloom in Cleveland this week, as the Bebe Miller Dance Company takes the stage to perform her highly acclaimed new piece, Landing/Place, inspired by her travels to North Africa, at the Ohio Theatre on Sat 11/5 at 8PM. Miller collaborated with the Advanced Computing Center for Art and Design (ACCAD) at Ohio State University, where she is a professor in the Department of Dance. Miller and her dancers experimented with “motion capture” technology to create layers of projected images that evoke the present and the past in a work that contemplates our sense of “place”. Call 241-6000 or visit www.PlayhouseSquare.com.

Rating the judges, impartially Ever stood in the voting booth scratching your head and wondering who on earth the listed judicial candidates really are? Five local bar associations have banded together to form the Judicial Candidates Rating Coalition (JCRC) with the purpose of educating the voters of Cuyahoga County about qualified judicial candidates and eliminating the judicial election “guessing game” on Election Day, Tue 11/8. The JCRC provides clear information to help voters decide who will best serve as judge. Check out the ratings the respective bar associations gave each candidate after conducting an in-depth interview with them by visiting http://www.Judge4Yourself.com. Share your thoughts about the rating system at Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

Cool Cleveland Podcast Whether it’s your first time listening to a podcast, or you’re a pro at slinging MP3s into your iPod, you’ll enjoy the weekly Cool Cleveland Podcast designed to give you a heads up on a handful of great events in the coming week. Click here. The untold secret is that you don’t need an iPod to listen to podcasts; all you need is your computer. Just click on the link and listen on your computer speakers. If you’re at work, keep the volume down or use headphones! It is a nice way to stay up on what’s going down in this great town of ours. Cool Cleveland Podcasts are the wave of the future. Get on and ride! http://www.coolcleveland.com/files/audio/CoolCleveland11.04.05.mp3

Mirifex makes Inc. 500 List The Strongsville-based consulting firm was named the 51st fastest growing privately held company in the US and the quickest growing among consultant firms. The nod from Inc. adds to the growing list of accolades the company has received since it was founded four years ago, including America’s Hot 100 firms to watch by Dun & Bradstreet and Entrepreneur Magazine; the 2004 Nortech Innovation Award; and Crain’s 40 under 40. Read more here and visit the firm’s website at http://www.Mirifex.com.

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Owls, Witches and Wizards! Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is now playing at the OMNIMAX® Theater at the Great Lakes Science Center − weekends only − through November 13. This is the first time in the Science Center’s history that a full-length commercial feature film will be shown in the OMNIMAX Theater. Movie-only tickets are $8.95 for adults, $6.95 for kids. Science Center/OMNI combination tickets are $12.95 for adults and $8.95 for kids. Go to www.GreatScience.com for more information. The Great Lakes Science Center, now in its tenth year, is one of the nation’s leading science and technology museums, featuring more than 400 exciting hands-on exhibits, themed traveling exhibits and daily demonstrations. Open daily 9:30AM to 5:30PM with discounted parking for guests in the attached 500-car garage.
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Movie incubator launched Prelude2Cinema, a Cleveland-based Digital Movie and TV company, has launched a studio fund to build a training and production facility in Northeast Ohio called the Knight Studio Movie Incubator. To gather funds for the studio, Prelude2Cinema is working in conjunction with 501 (c)(3), Independent Pictures. You can make donations to the studio building fund through Independent Pictures here; just tag it as a donation for KSMI. Donations will go toward the studio’s first production, an indie TV Series and supernatural thriller, Out of Darkness, created by Emmy winning writer Alex P. Michaels. Learn more about the project at www.Prelude2Cinema.com.

Cleveland is a college town The film Show Me is a seductive and intriguing tale of a twisted trio whose lives intersect through a random kidnapping of an “innocent” victim at knife-point. It will premiere in Elyria on Fri 11/4. Why did they pick Northeast Ohio for the premiere of the film? The theater’s proximity to Oberlin and several other colleges will enable the film to quickly capture the attention of its target demographic (college students) in a less expensive manner than in NYC or LA. NEO scores again as a great place to film, produce and even premiere new films. Check out the movie info at http://www.ShowMeTheFilm.com and see the premiere at Regal Cinemas Cobblestone 20, 5500 Cobblestone Road. Call 440-934-3355 for movie time. Do you believe Cleveland is perceived as a college town? Send your comments here: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

Cool Cleveland Kids It’s true. Cleveland is a great town for kids. You just gotta know where to look. One place is below, under Cool Cleveland This Week, where we indicate fun family stuff with CC KIDS. Another big help is 9-year-old Max Mulready and his weekly Cool Cleveland Kids Podcast here, designed to help you and your kids avoid the noise and find the good fun things to do. Don’t be intimidated, just click on the link and in a short time, you’ll be listening to the pocast on your computer speakers. Keep the family involved and enjoy some quality time together, courtesy of Cool Cleveland. http://www.coolcleveland.com/files/audio/CoolClevelandKids11.04.05.mp3

Red kicks off their fourth season with an in-depth look at the private lives of Gustav Mahler and his wife Alma, a composer herself, who struggled with her life In Mahler’s Shadow. An examination of her diary reveals the oft-tempestuous nature of their marriage and the music it inspired. The performance will include several songs composed by Alma Mahler and the reading of passages from her diary. Red {an orchestra} will begin its season on Sat 11/5 at 8PM at the Masonic Auditorium. Call 440-519-1733 or visit http://www.RedAnOrchestra.org for tickets.

A community model for NEO The City Repair Project is an organized, mostly volunteer group in Portland, Oregon that educates and inspires communities and individuals to creatively transform the places where they live. The group facilitates artistic and ecologically-oriented placemaking through projects that honor the interconnection of human communities and the natural world. They have created numerous “gathering places” within various communities, something sadly lacking in many communities, producing neighborhoods in which people feel isolated and lack connection. Learn more about the City Repair Project here and tell us if you think Cleveland could benefit from such a project at Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

Calling All Cell Phones … Ring! Grab your old cell phone from the bottom office drawer, pack up the family and head for the Zoo Box Office where you can exchange your old phone for a special discount admission to the Zoo and The Rainforest, during the entire month of November. You’ll feel good about cleaning out the office drawer, the family will enjoy a day of fun at the Zoo and your donation will support Zoo conservation and recycling projects. If you have several phones to donate, call 661-6500 ext. 4508. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

Voters Guide When it comes to information to assist you on election day (Tues 11/8), there’s no one quite like the League of Women Voters. From hours, polling locations and absentee ballots, to info on candidates and ballot issues, this link is one-stop-shopping for the civic-minded. Click here and check out their awesome 2005 Voters Guide.

Emissions from the blogosphere Bob Rhubart previews the Kent State Folk Festival by profiling WKSU’s folk show host Jim Blum. Rebecca Ryan Meets The Bloggers and Bill Callahan has the follow-thru. Adam Jusko rallys bloggers to volunteer at the Cleveland Food Bank. Jill Miller Zimon has a meeting with Cathy Panzica about the Red Room Revolution. Check the Cool Cleveland weblog here where Peter Chakerian includes ruminations on the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra/Cleveland Pops collaboration—where genius find company when money’s tight and times are hard. He also applies the arena rock aesthetic to joint NEO arts organizations’ events and contemplates a Salon.com blogger who might just change the world. Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

Cool Cleveland This Week
11.02-11.09

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Cool Cleveland Champions party Stop by for an after-work networking event that could lead to a $30,000 award for your civic project. The Civic Innovation Lab showcases their Champions (Cool Cleveland included) who have been awarded grants and mentorship to help grow their civic projects. Walk-up tix are still available. Great people you should know will be on hand, including Brad Whitehead of the Cleveland Foundation, and other great Cool Clevelanders. Your CC ticket not only includes open bar, full hors d’oeuvres selection and DJ, but also the national comic John Caponera, at Pickwick & Frolic, 2035 East 4th Street, http://www.PickwickandFrolic.com.

American Music Masters Conference Learn about Sam Cooke in Context on Thu 11/3 from 7-9PM during a pre-conference panel discussion that is open to the public without cost at Harkness Chapel on Bellflower Road, on Case’s campus. Cooke was a model for African-American entrepreneurship and one of the first performers to use music as a tool for social change. Enjoy an in-depth discussion of the definitive soul singer and crossover artist during the American Music Masters Conference on Sat 11/5 from 9:30AM-5PM. Ford Auditorium, Allen Memorial Library, 11100 Euclid Avenue.

World Series of Wine This Heinen’s / WVIZ event will mark the tenth anniversary of this premier wine tasting experience. This year’s event from Thu 11/3 to Sat 11/5 promises an unparalleled three-day celebration of fine wine and delicious foods with 14 different events including wine tastings, winery dinners, and a variety of seminars to suit the budget and interests of everyone from the wine connoisseur to those who just enjoy the occasional glass. All proceeds will benefit WVIZ/PBS ideastream. Call 888-281-WINE or click here for more info and a listing of events.

Greater Akron Business Conference Expand your business through networking at the Greater Akron Business Conference on Thu 11/3 beginning at 7:30AM followed by workshops at 8AM. The event wraps up with lunch at noon. Meet some of the most influential and successful people in the area and pick up tips and strategies that you can use to grow your own business. Call 330-253-5970 or register at http://www.akronbusinessconference.org Crowne Plaza Quaker Square, 135 South Broadway Akron.

Debate on Issues 2,3,4,&5 Ohio State Rep Kevin DeWine and Ed Jerse, campaign director for Reform Ohio Now, will spar off on the Ohio ballot issues that could transform Ohio’s policies. Topics covered during the City Club debate on Thu 11/3 (at noon) include absentee voting (Issue 2), political contributions (Issue 3), redistricting (Issue 4) and election oversight (Issue 5). Visit www.CityClub.org for more info or to make reservations. City Club, 850 Euclid Avenue, 2nd Floor.

Architect Talk Learn more about the new Akron Art Museum building taking currently taking shape, from one of its creators. Austrian-born, premier architect, Wolf Prix will give a lecture on Thu 11/3 at 6:30PM as part of the Akron Art Museum’s Architecture Here And Now Series in the Main Auditorium of the Akron-Summit County Public Library, Main Auditorium, 60 S. High Street, Downtown Akron.

Joyce and Dori Caymmi Groove to the Brazilian beat as the legendary singer/songwriter and guitarist combo, responsible for influencing an entire generation of musicians, perform with the help of their five piece Brazilian band on Thu 11/3 at 7 & 9PM. Call 795-0550 or visit http://www.NighttownCleveland.com for more info. Nighttown, 12387 Cedar Road, Cleveland Heights.

On His Way is a collaborative piece between Cleveland Public Theatre’s Education Program and the YMCA Cleveland’s Y-Haven Program. The stage play features homeless men in transisition and CPT artists in a discovery of the journey toward recovery. The piece is an adventurous road-movie for the stage in which the main character meets a series of characters who reflect struggles in his own life, including his struggle to understand his place as both a son and a father. Catch the show on Thu 11/3 at 7PM, Fri 11/4 and Sat 11/5 at 8PM, and Sun 11/6 at 3PM. All performances are without cost except the Friday 11/4 show, a benefit performance for the Y-Haven Program. CPT’s Levin Theatre, 6415 Detroit Avenue. www.CPTonline.org.

Anchiskhati Ensemble from Tbilisi, Georgia (formerly of the Soviet Union) will peform on Thu 11/3 at 8PM. This unique, melodical and spirited eight member male group will showcase their powerful vocal abilities and play the tambura-like chonguri and panduri while performing works that include sacred hymns, work, table and ritual folk songs and traditional dances. Click here to learn more. Call 521-2540 or order tickets online here.

Cleveland Mayoral Debate The last of three live televised debates between the two candidates for Cleveland Mayor: City Council President Frank Jackson and the incumbent Mayor Jane Campbell, sponsored by The Plain Dealer and broadcast live on WCPN 90.3 FM and WVIZ public television on Thu 11/3 from 8-9PM. This debate will be rebroadcast on Sun 11/6 at 11:30AM on WKYC-TV3 and at 11AM on WVIZ public television.

Louis Malle in France is a series of eight classic movies by the late French director, all made in Europe between 1957 and 1987 that will be shown at the Cleveland Cinematheque. The series will begin with Elevator to the Gallows, a crime thriller starring Jeanne Moreau on Fri 11/4 at 8:30PM, Sat 11/5 at 7PM and Sun 11/6 at 4:15PM. The movie boasts a musical score by legendary musician Miles Davis. Next up is The Lovers, a controversial 1958 film on adultery, on Sun 11/6 at 7PM. Visit www.cia.edu for the full movie schedule. Call 421-7450. Cleveland Cinematheque, 11141 East Boulevard, University Circle.

Show Me Premiere Catch the premiere of the highly intriguing indie film, Show Me which follows the tense cat-and-mouse tale of Sarah, forced at knife-point to drive to an isolated cottage by a couple of squeegee kids. The story follows the winding maze of this twisted trio who bait and entice one another into a reckless search for truth. Check out the trailer for this film which has already been entered into four major film festivals here. See the film at its premiere on Fri 11/4 at Regal Cinemas Cobblestone 20, 5500 Cobblestone Road. Call 440-934-3355 for movie time. http://www.wolfereleasing.com/showme/index.html.

Western Reserve Studies Symposium A Quiet Revolution: Land Use Initiatives in the Western Reserve, on Fri 11/4 is a daylong symposium giving environmentalists, educators, policy makers and leaders from area organizations a platform to discuss new initiatives for land use in Northeast Ohio. Call 368-4117 or e-mail gladys.haddad@case.edu for registration which includes lunch, parking, refreshments and printed proceedings. Click here to learn more. The event will be held at Case’s Squire Valleevue Farm, 37125 Fairmount Boulevard in Hunting Valley.

Do I Know You? Cleveland Heights artist, Christopher Duffy’s exhibition of hot sculpted and cold-worked glass, blown glass, assorted mechanical parts, water, paper, paint and plastics opens on Fri 11/4 with an opening reception from 5-9PM. The artist will give a gallery talk at 6:15PM and the exhibit, the first installment of the Sculpture Center’s Window to Sculpture series, runs through Fri 12/2. Call 229-8044 or visit http://www.SculptureCenter.org for more info. The Sculpture Center, 1834 E. 123rd Street.

Floating World Nationally-known watercolorist Gary Bukovnik will be on hand to launch an exhibition of his latest body of work, Floating World. The event kicks off with a Fri 11/4 opening reception from 5-7:30PM. Join the artist Sat 11/5 at 10AM for a gallery talk and to pick up your copy the newly published book, Gary Bukovnik Watercolors. The exhibition runs Fri 11/4 to Sat 12/3 at The Bonfoey Gallery, 1710 Euclid Avenue. www.Bonfoey.com.

Cleveland Biennial Juried Exhibition This year’s event features 61 works of art by 47 Ohio artists with a focus on works in traditional and contemporary craft media. The exhibit, which includes ceramics, fiber, glass, metals, wood and mixed media pieces will open with an artist’s reception and awards ceremony on Fri 11/4 from 5-8PM. Call 687-2103 for more info or visit http://www.CSUOhio.edu/art/gallery. Cleveland State University Art Gallery, 2307 Chester Avenue.

Faith, Hope and Charity: New Prints by Three Girls features the work of Liz Maugans, Jen Craun and Brooke Inman. The exhibit opens with a reception on Fri 11/4 from 6-9PM. Take part in the interactive lecture program on Wed 11/16 at 7PM, a printing playtime that will be a hands-on opportunity for the audience to connect with the three artists and produce and collaborative print. The finished piece will be given away to a lucky participant. The show runs through 12/2. Call 881-4000 for gallery hours. Zygote Press, 7209 St. Clair Avenue.

Gianmaria Testa will perform his evocative Italian love songs, intermingled with tango, bossa nova, habanera and jazz on Fri 11/4 at 7:30PM as part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s VIVA! and Gala Around Town Series. Testa’s songs, carefully crafted miniatures, tell stories of lovers in Rome, wind and memories, earth and fog, and ladies in train stations. He is one of Europe’s most acclaimed singer-songwriters. Call 421-7350. www.ClevelandArt.org.

Turtle Island String Quartet with Kenny Barron What happens when one of the world’s greatest jazz pianists collaborates with the undisputed masters of improvisational string chamber music? An inspired program of original music and jazz classics on Fri 11/4 at 8PM. Call 987-4400 for info. Tri-C Metro Campus. http://www.tricpresents.com.

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Cookin’ Up a Party As part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s American Music Masters tribute to Sam Cooke, there will be a Friday Night Party at Wilbert’s on Fri 11/4 featuring Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings with special guest William Bell. Show starts at 9PM and tickets are $10 ($12 day of show). Visit www.RockHall.com for more info. Call 216.902.4663 for tickets.
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Fun with Memory Quilts Peninsula Art Academy’s Fiber Arts Department presents a one day workshop serving up ideas and humor along with instruction by The Fudge Sisters, Ann Herip and Susan Brown, on Sat 11/5 at 8:30AM. Students will learn techniques to create a wall hanging that is a “fantasy window scene” in fabric, with room to incorporate a variety of two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects that hold personal memories. Students required to bring their own materials and zigzag sewing machine. Call 330-657-2681 or email CarolAdams@en.com for details. Peninsula Art Academy, 1600 West Mill Street, Peninsula.

Museum Store Medley This Northeast Ohio Museum Stores Association holiday shopping event on Sat 11/5 from 10AM-4PM is the result of a collaboration between various museums and cultural institutions throughout the Greater Cleveland and Akron area. Browse fine, hand-crafted jewelry and wearables, home furnishings, textiles and glassware, nature-based recordings and books, gardening supplies, maple syrup, jams and jellies, traditional holiday ornaments and decor, as well as creative educational gifts for children. There is no cost to attend. Call 421-8671 for more info. The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, at 2600 South Park Blvd, in Shaker Heights.

CC KIDS Cider Festival Browse unique arts and crafts, enjoy a dance performance by The Niki Robinson Dance Troupe, be amazed by the magic of Michael Mirth, hear guitar and fiddle music, and sip tasty cider on Sat 11/5 from 11AM-2PM. Call 330-673-4970 for info. Home Savings Plaza, Kent. http://www.StandingRock.net.

Next time, take the train! All Aboard Ohio’s exciting benefit dinner on Sat 11/5 starting at 5PM is an excellent opportunity for high speed rail travel advocates to support improved passenger rail service within the region while enjoying an evening that is both fun and informative. The event features live music by UFIK, “Oberlin’s 3rd best garage band,” a fabulous dinner provided by the Oberlin Inn Garden Restaurant, an Amtrak ticket raffle and more. Register for tickets at http://www.AllAboardOhio.org. Black River Landing Transportation Center, 421 Black River Landing, Lorain.

SIL 25th Anniversary Celebration Help the Services for Independent Living celebrate 25 years of serving as unwavering advocates for the disabled community in Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Ashtabula and Lorain Counties. The 25th Anniversary Silent Auction/Dinner Dance Fundraiser on Sat 11/5 from 6-11PM will feature a heavy hors d’oeuvres buffet and pasta station, a South of the Border taco bar, hand carved croissant sandwiches, an assortment of meats, cheeses, veggies and pastries and an unlimited, full-service top shelf bar. Yes, we said unlimited. Call 731-1529 for tix then dust off the old tux for this “Black Tie Optional” event at SIL Accessibility Award winner, The Manor Party Center, 24111 Rockwell Drive, Euclid. http://sil-oh.org/news/.

Pinkadelic Think pink elephants, Pink Ladies and pink Cadillacs combined with psychedelic art, poetry and music of the Sixties and Seventies because SPACES annual benefit party and silent art auction is going completely Pinkadelic on Sat 11/5. The Pink Penthouse Party begins at 7PM followed by the outrageous costume party and silent auction at 9PM. Get “In the Pink” as city artists and creative souls get decked out in notoriously racy costumes to support SPACES programming through Cleveland’s most affordable silent art auction, featuring the painting, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry of more than 100 local and national artists. Call 621-2314 or visit www.SpacesGallery.org for info. SPACES Gallery, 2220 Superior Viaduct.

Urban Relief A benefit Concert to Aid Hurricane Katrina Victims is a dose of hip-hop, spoken word, jazz, and reggae from the soul. The event happens Sat 11/5 at 7PM and some of the participating artists include Cleveland’s own Prayer Warriors; Conya Doss, Ill Style Rockers; Myron; The Afi Nur Project; Deyampert; Suave Gotti; Honeypot; Earthtone; Soundoctrine; Replife; and Go Live Grizzlies. Proceeds will go to the United Way of Greater Cleveland’s Hurricane Katrina Relief fund. Tickets are available at the door and at Niiki’s Music & Video at 11701 Buckeye Road, or call 321-5588. Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Heights Boulevard, Cleveland Heights. http://www.GrogShop.gs.

Beaux Arts Ball Champagne Wishes and Cadillac Dreams is the theme of this year’s Akron Art Museum’s Beaux Arts Ball on Sat 11/5 at 7PM in the ultra-modern, industrial showroom setting of one of Akron’s favorite car dealerships. Guests will sip cocktails, savor a four-course meal created by Piatto proprietor and executive chef, Roger Thomas, enjoy live music by the Bobbie Selvaggio Trio and dance into the night to the sounds of DJ Larry Smith. Dave Towell’s Cadillac-Saab at 111 West Market Street, Akron, will open its showroom doors to host this grand event. Call 330-376-9186, ext 242 or visit www.AkronArtMuseum.org.

WCLVnotes Tonight at 9PM, WCLV 104.9 FM presents the second program celebrating Gerhardt Zimmermann’s 25th anniversary as conductor of the Canton Symphony. The hour-long program previews next Sunday’s (November 6th) all-Wagner program by the Canton Ensemble. On Sat 11/5, Saturdays from Severance at 8PM features the 1965 Amsterdam Concertgebouw concert by The Cleveland Orchestra conducted by George Szell. It is followed at 10PM by Weekend Radio with Robert Conrad, which features the breathtaking Australian documentary “Death of a Wombat.” You shouldn’t miss this. Complete details on all of WCLV’s programming are available at www.WCLV.com. WCLV is a Cool Cleveland partner.

Bebe Miller Dance Company What happens when top notch choreography, digital animation, motion-capture imagery and live music converge? You get a performance hailed as “a fascinating multimedia dance work” by Chicago Sun Times and as one of the “Best in Culture This Month” by Essence Magazine, the Ohio premiere of Miller’s cutting-edge Landing/Place which lands at the Ohio Theatre on Sat 11/5 at 8PM. Call 241-6000 or visit www.PlayhouseSquare.com to get your tickets to this must-see performance. Get a sneak peek during the no cost community performance on Fri 11/4 at noon, also at the Ohio Theatre. Call 987-4940 for reservations. Get the skinny on the magic behind the performance during the CSU forum, Creative Collaboration of Dance, Art and Technology on Fri 11/4 at 6PM at the CSU Mather Mansion. Call 687-4883 for required RSVP.

Almost Obscene Spend an irreverent evening with Joe Raiola, Senior Editor of Mad Magazine, as he brings his nationally acclaimed, one-man show, Almost Obscene to town on Sat 11/5 at 10PM for one-night only. In the tradition of George Carlin and Bill Maher, Raiola wages war on the status quo and rants against censorship as he takes his audience on a provocative journey that begins in the Garden of Eden. Stay after the show for an opportunity to engage in a questions and comments session. There will be lots to talk about. Call 521-2540 or visit www.BeckCenter.org for tickets. Beck Center, 17801 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood.

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Passion. Love. Devotion. Struggle. Red dramatizes the commanding presence of Gustav Mahler’s by illuminating the musical and emotional aspects of one of music’s most fascinating relationships. Red ventures into a relationship that caused Alma Mahler to sacrifice her music for love. Experience In Mahler’s Shadow on Sat 11/5 at 8PM in the Masonic Auditorium, 3615 Euclid Avenue. Concert tickets start at $15. For more information call Red {an orchestra} at 440-519-1733 or visit www.RedAnOrchestra.org
*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************

Ohio Independent Film Festival one of the leading independent film events in Ohio, will run from Sun 11/6 through Sun 11/13. The 19th OIFF will feature an internationally recognized line-up of first-class indie films from across the globe. Visit http://www.OhioFilms.com for more info and a complete schedule. Cleveland Public Theatre, 6415 Detroit Avenue.

CC KIDS KidsFair This Sun 11/6 10AM to 5:30PM family event offers kids a chance to play softball with Akron Racers, enjoy the new stage show, PBS 45 & 49 Presents: It’s Time! Songs and Stories With Phyllis & Friends, featuring America’s best-known master storyteller Phyllis Cicero–Stella, and visits from Elmo, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Arthur, and Sesame Street’s Honker. Young readers can participate in the Passport to Reading Fun at multiple booths throughout the Center hosting reading-related activities and crafts where kids can get their passports stamped and take home reading prizes. Call 330-835-0021 for more info. John S. Knight Center, 77 East Mill Street, Akron.

The Musical Box Missing the days when your joints made a lot less noise and your head had a lot more hair on it? Escape into Peter Gabriel era Genesis shows during this carefully restaged production of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway on Sun 11/6 at 8PM. Original concert footage was studied to meticulously duplicate the costumes, make-up, accessories, lighting design, choreography and musical presentation. Now that’s dedication. Get your tickets at www.PlayhouseSquare.com and see if they’ve nailed it, but don’t forget your real glasses. You won’t be able to see the stage with your tinted Seventies shades. Allen Theatre, 1407 Euclid Avenue.

Learning Through Music is a series of workshops for teachers of students grades K-5 that will be held Mon 11/7 through Wed 11/9 from 4-6:30PM. Each workshop will demonstrate strategies for integrating the arts into classroom curriculum and will be presented by national arts education consultant, Mitchell Korn, president of Artsvision. Learn more here. Call 231-7353 for required registration. Severance Hall.

Mirror of the Wood History and contemporary art collide with a stunning exhibition of woodcut prints from Finland on display from Mon 11/7 through Fri 12/2. Mirror of the Wood: A Century of the Woodcut Print in Finland will be unveiled in a public reception on Mon 11/7 from 5-6:30PM. Join professional printmakers and experts on Wed 11/9 at 6PM for a panel discussion on the relevance of woodcuts in contemporary art and printmaking. Call 330-972-5951 for more info. Exhibit on display in the Emily Davis Gallery, Folk Hall on the University of Akron Campus, 150 E. Exchange Street, Akron.

50 Gongs and Gong Bath Spend an ultra cool evening immersed and floating in an ocean of sound with one of the world’s most foremost experts on gongs, Michael Bettine. The Mon 11/7 event will begin with the “Gong Bath” from 6:30-7:30PM, followed immediately by a solo concert. The sound of the gong is the universal OM. Its sound vibrates energy meridians in the body, bringing them into balance and creating a relaxed state. Call 721-1055 for pricing or visit http://www.PassportProject.org for more info. Bring a mat and blanket to rest on during the Gong Bath. Passport Project Global Community Arts Center, 12801 Buckeye Road, 1 block Southwest of Shaker Square.

Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo The Cleveland Contemporary Players (CCP) at Cleveland State University kicks off a concert series with the internationally-renowned Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo on Mon 11/7. Hear a pre-concert discussion, moderated by WCLV’s Mark Satola, at 7:15PM. Experience cutting-edge new works and 20th century masterpieces by Helena Bugallo and Amy Williams starting at 8PM. Call 687-9243 or click here for more info. Drinko Recital Hall, Music and Communication Building, CSU campus.

Meet the 2005 CIO of the Year This event celebrates and recognizes the innovation and creativity in planning and deploying enterprise systems, future IT goals, management philosophy and service to the industry and community. That’s a tall order. Meet the four recipients of the award from both large and small organizations in the non-profit and for-profit sectors during the Wed 11/9 luncheon from 12-2PM. Register for the event here. Tri-C Corporate College East, 4400 Richmond Road, Warrensville Heights.

CC KIDS Kid’s Comic Club This 4 session offering is a dream come true for budding graphic artists and future comic book artists aged 9-14. Famed graphic designer and comic artist Ralph Solonitz will introduce kids to Cleveland’s comic book hall of fame and offer instruction on comic drawing and story development. All supplies are included in this extremely economical offering. The first class begins on Wed 11/9 from 3:30-5PM. Call 593-0575 or visit http://www.MaltzJewishMuseum.org to register. Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, 2929 Richmond Road, Beachwood.

Creative Connections is ArtistsChair.com’s first networking event on Wed 11/9 from 6:30-9:30PM will provide a social arena for regional artists of all creative disciplines and those that hire talent to network, co-mingle and party, of course. After all, every artist needs something to sculpt, paint or write about. This no cost, BYOB event will include entertainment by DJ Deviant and fire performing sensation, Aaron Bonk. Call 281-7451 or visit www.ArtistsChair.com to find out how you can get into the artist’s chair. Bring business cards to exchange and register in advance if you are an artist in need of a digital image by a professional photographer. 1300 Gallery, 1300 W. 78th Street.

The Importance of Dissent is the title of the third episode in the new TV series, ACLU Freedom Files airing on LinkTV, available on the Dish Network. Watch the premiere and engage others in discussions about the importance of dissent and its role in both creating and maintaining good government on Wed 11/9 at 7PM. The event is without cost and open to the public. Call 472-2200 to RSVP. Max Wohl Civil Liberties Center, 4506 Chester Avenue. www.ACLUOhio.org.

The Family Line is a full-length drama written by Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones and directed by Desmond “Storm E” Jones of Live at the Apollo Amatuer Night fame. The story follows the story of a cast of intertwining characters as they struggle to realize their dreams. The show opens on Wed 11/9 at 7:30PM and runs through Sun 11/20. Learn more about the play and check showtimes here. Karamu’s Jelliffe Theatre, 2355 East 89th Street.

The Orient Expressly Take a musical journey through Asia with the CIM Opera Theater on Wed 11/9 at 8PM. First stop – Japan, to revisit scenes from Gilbert and Sullivan’s comedy, The Mikado. Next up, Stravinsky’s The Nightingale, Hans Christian Anderson’s tale of the mystical powers of a songbird. Book your seats for this Asiatic adventure by calling 791-5000, ext. 411 or visit www.cim.edu. Kulas hall, Cleveland Institute of Music, 11021 East Boulevard.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Cool Cleveland Interview
Robert Conrad of WCLV

WCLV’s Robert Conrad remembers asking his mother what he needed to do to become a radio announcer. Taking him seriously, she replied, “Learn how to pronounce all of the words in the dictionary.”

He was five years old at the time. But the boy was serious. He made toy microphones out of toilet paper rolls. And quietly started reading the dictionary into them.

This was in Kankakee, Illinois, in 1938, when radio was in its absolute hey-day. By the time Robert was 14, he had worked his way into being a “go-fer” at the local radio station, WKAN. He did this by standing around waiting for someone to tell him to “carry this”. It worked, and soon enough, he was hauling remote gear for the basketball games and keeping score for the sportscasters. In high school, he hosted a live Saturday afternoon teen-age program, and the summer he graduated from high school, he became the station’s summer vacation announcer. He did everything—record shows, man-on-the-street interviews, telephone quiz programs, read the news and the hog reports. Good thing it was before the days of “format” radio! The station played classical music as well as country and western…Read the interview with Robert Conrad here

RoldoLINK
Frank – Make Cleveland Believe In Itself
By Roldo Bartimole

The problem with “Believe in Cleveland” is that the real message is “Believe in our leadership.” Sorry, no sale.

Coming, as it does, in the midst of a mayoral campaign and inseminated, as it was, by Alex “The Snakeman” Machaskee. One has to look upon it as a clumsy form of propaganda for the candidate chosen by the Plain Dealer.

“Believe in Cleveland” is Machaskee’s plagiarized promo of Tom Vail’s 1980s “Cleveland is a Plum.” It did not work then and it will not work now. It comes as the Pee Dee pushes for Campbell’s re-election, now a real long shot.

“Believe in Cleveland” presumably is an “answer” to the city’s decline. Yet, it is more reflective of the desperation and depletion of our leaders’ mental capacity. What, we can’t build another new stadium? What to do? (Well, Mayor Campbell has birthed the idea of building a new practice Cavs court and some pretty condominiums for multi-millionaire basketball players and their richer owner.)

The campaign – even done by the same Plum hucksters – was hatched over lunch with Machaskee, according to Bill Stern of Stern Advertising. Wow, these guys can really come up with community-building solutions fast and easy.

The campaign is designed to sell Cleveland to Clevelanders…
Read Roldo here

Cool Cleveland Sounds
Whiskey Daredevils
Greatest Hits
Drink and Drive Records

Don’t be fooled by the clever title. This “greatest hits” package could very well be a compilation, for as well constructed and solid as it is. Greatest Hits is actually the debut CD release for the Whiskey Daredevils, a described “no frills” American rock and roll band from good ol’ CLE. And rock they do. Don’t be fooled by their name, either—odds are you’re long familiar its members who were in the Cowslingers, before guitarist Bobby Latina dropped out and formed a band called the Jack Fords. Replaced by former Hayshaker Jones guitarist Dave Bowling and Crooked Mile guitarist Bob Lanphier, they renamed themselves the Whiskey Daredevils.

Their name couldn’t be more appropriate. They play it fast and loose, they’re a little bit rockabilly with a punk edge/ethos. But they’re certainly not sloppy enough to be a punk band straight-up. And they’re certainly too punk to be country (although the alt-country “No Depression” tag doesn’t sound far off if they went for it).These twelve tracks sneak up on you, burrow their way into your skull and never let go. “Don’t Go” slips into the classic “Sleepwalker” in a way other bands only wish they could muster. The leadoff track “AMC Hornet” joins a number of other tracks (“Mickey’s Bigmouth,” “Waylon Jennings Shower,” “Ironic Trucker Hat”) in taking amazingly gritty alt-pop rockabilly photos. Greg Miller’s lyrics in the aforementioned border on the hysterical, though his fervent, tongue-in-cheek cover of the Dead Kennedys classic “Let’s Lynch the Landlord” is worth the price of admission all by itself. This one’s simply a great friggin’ disc, hands down. With or without a whiskey/Mickey’s boilermaker.

Whiskey Daredevils play the Grog Shop Wed 11/9 with the Blasters.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

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Cool Cleveland Preview
Bebe Miller Company’s Landing/Place @ the Ohio Theater 11/5

The next Dance Cleveland / Cuyahoga Community College offering, Bebe Miller Company’s Landing/Place, is accompanied by publicity emphasizing its hi-tech aspects: digital animation, motion-capture imagery and video projection. Reviews of Landing/Place performances in Los Angeles, Chicago and NYC confirm that the hi-tech is definitely in place, but the same reviews remind us that Landing/Place was inspired by Miller’s 1999 sojourn teaching dance in the war-torn African nation of Eritrea and that this is the same Bebe Miller who choreographed the Bessie Award-winning Verge (2001) with its profound concern for human emotion, sexuality and racial identity.

Verge never made it to Cleveland – the scheduled performance was cancelled in the wake of 9/11 – but we got a good look at that piece on video and we’re excited to learn that some of the same technically and emotionally vibrant dancers that appeared in Verge will also appear in Landing/Place as part of what Miller calls her “virtual company.” Also onstage Saturday night, composer Albert Mathias provides live and other accompaniment on electric guitar, laptop and other instruments.

Miller’s style is subtle and open-ended; we’re sure we’ll get more out of the 75-minute performance if we can make it to some of the ancillary events: lecture demonstration noon to 1PM Showtime at High Noon, Fri 11/4, featuring the Bebe Miller Company, Free. Master Class led by Bebe Miller for professional dance students 4-5:30PM Fri 11/4 at CSU dance studio. Reservations required. 440-914-0744 or skeyes@dancecleveland.org. Forum on the creative collaboration of dance, art and technology includes participation by Miller and two of her collaborators on Landing/Place, video designer Maya Ciarrocchi and composer Albert Mathias 6-7:30PM Fri 11/04. CSU Mather Mansion. Reservations required. Contact l.deering@csuohio.edu. Pre-performance lecture 7:30PM Sat 11/5. At Kennedy’s in Playhouse Square. All ticket purchasers are welcome. Post-performance Q&A in the Ohio Theatre.

Bebe Miller Company in Landing/Place 8PM Sat 11/5 at Ohio Theatre. 800-766-6048, 216-241-6000 or http://www.tickets.com. Info at http://www.DanceCleveland.org.
From Cool Cleveland contributors Elsa Johnson and Victor Lucas vicnelsaATearthlink.net

Instant Karma
Quick reviews of recent events
Going out this weekend? Take along your PDA and your digital camera. Scratch out a few notes to send us with a picture of it for our Instant Karma real-world reviews of what’s really happening. We’d love to hear from you. Send your stuff to Events@CoolCleveland.com

Eugene Onegin @ Cleveland Opera 10/29
What: Tchaikovsy’s gorgeously melodic opera based on Pushkin’s famous long poem about a Byronic antihero who spurns the innocent love of his young neighbor Tatyanya, kills his best friend Lensky in a pointless duel, then hopelessly falls for his lost love after she’s married a prince.
Reasons to go: This beautiful production raises the artistic standards at Cleveland Opera by several notches, with superlative singing, strong acting, striking design, and sensitive conducting. Barbara Shirvis’ Tatyana shows all a young girl’s vulnerabilities, especially as she pours out her heart in a midnight letter. As the doomed Lensky, Richard Troxell’s golden tenor goes from carefree songs with his love Olga (a fine Elizabeth Batton) to anguished brooding as he awaits the fatal duel in the morning snow. Baritone Stephen Powell has a powerful baritone that suits Onegin, and excels in his last scene. Marion Pratnicki is warm as the nanny, Timothy M. R. Culver a delightfully fey dancing master, and Eugene Galvin a most sympathetic Prince. The production is handsome, with the wintry birch trees of Erhard Rom’s set suffused with sunset colors by Mark McCullough’s lights. And the Chorus, ably led by Betsy Burleigh, shines in several lovely folk melodies.
Caveats: Powell’s acting is a bit stiff for Onegin — he plays him more stuffed shirt than brooding bad boy, which lacks the sexual magnetism the character needs. And with no choreographer or dancers, the chorus’s dancing in several ball scenes is rudimentary at best. But these are quibbles.
Backstory: With new General Director Robert Chumbley, Cleveland Opera has scored an unusual twofer: an experienced administrator and fundraiser (he was last CEO of the Arts Council of Winston-Salem) and a whopping-good artist/conductor (he’s former Music Director of Atlanta Ballet). His work with the Cleveland Opera Orchestra is both dynamic and lyrical: in several key arias it was as though the soloist and the orchestra were in impassioned love duets.
Bookmark this: Each of the next four operas in the subscription series plays two weekends instead of one. Next up is Donizetti’s romantic comedy The Elixir of Love, Dec. 2-10.
Details: Cleveland Opera, State Theatre, Playhouse Square. http://www.clevelandopera.org
from Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein Linda@coolcleveland.com

Cleveland Pops and Cleveland Jazz Orchestra @ Severance Hall 10/28 Severance Hall is a magical facility. Always has been. I have seen and heard a fair amount of sheer genius there, whether it be the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra or a jazz legend like Herbie Hancock and his trio. I can’t imagine experiencing anything like last Friday night anywhere else in the world.

And that’s saying a lot.

See, I got to add one of those performances to the list. Cleveland Pops Conductor and Music Director Carl Topilow and Cleveland Jazz Orchestra Music Director Jack Schantz collaborated on a Pops season-opener concert called (fondly enough) “Side by Side.” This live collaboration featured the music of jazz legends like Count Basie, Stan Kenton, Duke Ellington and Dave Brubeck, as well as jazz arrangements from composers John Williams and Richard Rogers… all as performed by their respective musical outlets…
Read the review here

The Tragedie of Macbeth @ Cleveland Shakespeare Festival 10/28
What: An eerie Halloween-appropriate adaptation of Shakespeare’s bloody drama performed by five actors, in a free production by the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival.
Reasons to go: In Dawn Youngs’ intelligent adaptation, the entire show is performed by Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and three hissing Witches who play all the other roles and appear to be an extension of the Lady’s demonic ambition. The entire production is steeped in the supernatural, from Jeremy Paul’s spooky light design of flickering shadows and lanterns to Josh Senick’s creepily effective music. Maggie Arndt is a slyly seductive Lady Macbeth, egging her husband on during sex and flirting with the audience during the banquet scene. As the Witches, Douglas Rand also makes a fine Duncan, Anne McEvoy gives Banquo substance, and Pandora Robertson moves with a sinuous menace. Youngs’ 75 minute adaptation is full of smart touches, from a “dagger” created by light, interesting text juxtapositions, and a fine Porter scene by the Weird Sisters.
Caveats: Rosy-cheeked Justin Walters is awfully young for Macbeth – he doesn’t have the presence the role needs. Nevertheless, there are so many strong points that the show’s well worth seeing.
Backstory: Director Dawn Youngs created this ensemble-based adaptation in the style of the Dell’Arte School of International Theatre, with whom she studied for her directing MFA. This is CSF’s first autumn production.
Target audience: General audiences — from Shakespeare novices to experienced Bard-lovers.
Details: Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, Thurs-Sun. thru 11/6, Solon Center for the Arts. http://www.cleveshakes.org
from Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein Linda@coolcleveland.com

DancEvert @ Adidam Sacred Arts Festival 10/23 We went to the last day of the Adidam Sacred Arts Festival last Sunday. It would be too much of a stretch to write about the paintings or the music in any detail – that’s not our area of expertise – but DANCEVERT, Tom and Susana Evert, were dancing and we always try to catch whatever they do. In this case they were working not with repertoire but with a form new to them, extended dance improvisation to live music. Besides, we’d known painter Kathy Skerritt at whose studio the event was being held and were interested to see more of her work. And the musicians, John Wubbenhorst with Facing East, looked like an interesting local Indian / jazz fusion group.

The first hour laid out the program’s emphasis on the sacred, something we were prepared for. Skerritt read from the writings of the religious organization’s leader, guru and artist Adi Da Samraj, and guest speaker George Greer introduced a DVD showing of a talk by the American-born mystic. By 3pm the dancers and musicians had been introduced as “serious participants in this process” and the actual music and dancing got underway…
Read the review by Vic and Elsa here

Turn of the Screw @ E. J. Thomas 10/21 Our busy weekend continued with a trip to Akron to see Ohio Ballet at E. J. Thomas Hall in a program that comes to Cleveland’s Ohio Theatre next weekend, October 28 and 29. Featured was a new ballet based on Turn of the Screw, the Gothic novella by Henry James, a famous ghost story known for its sophisticated ambiguity.

We had spoken on the phone with the London-based choreographer, Domy Reiter-Soffer, who reviewed some of the subtleties of James’ classic creep fest for us, emphasizing how the text was “so open to interpretation.” Are the mysterious and frightening occurrences at the isolated mansion the work of ghosts, as the young governess believes, or are they the product of her own repressed sexuality? Accept our witness that, to the extent that James’ text can be rendered in a dance Reiter-Soffer has rendered it in this 37 minute long ballet. Over the phone he stressed the power of dance to compress; “pages and pages of text can be conveyed in their emotional essence through a few dance movements.” Our next few paragraphs describe some of his methods…
Read the review by Vic and Elsa here

Ray Anderson @ Cleveland Museum of Natural History 10/18 On Tuesday, October 18, a refreshing voice was heard in Northeast Ohio at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Taking its highly successful Third Tuesday Networking Event off site to this bigger venue, Entrepreneurs for Sustainability was pleased to welcome more than 200 business and civic leaders who came to hear about how one of the world’s manufacturing leaders is climbing “Mt. Sustainability.” Ray Anderson, the Founder and Chairman told the energized audience that his company not only aims to reduce its impact on the environment but more importantly to become restorative through its influence. And the best part is that they are pioneering a way to bigger profits. For Interface, sustainability is more than surface appearance. It’s a belief that is built into their business model. It’s an underlying corporate value which leads to business decisions that are weighed against their potential impact on the economic, natural and social systems that their business touches. E4S continues to receive comments from members of its network. Kathryn Hanratty of Enviroscapes Landscape Design perhaps said it best. “What an inspiration! I talked to a few people on the way out – the overwhelming feeling was WOW – there is Hope! (I actually get that feeling every time I attend an E 4 S? meeting.) But it was intensified by Ray Anderson’s presentation. If a guy who is already successful as an industrialist and at a point in his life where he does not have to go out and prove himself can have this epiphany there is truly hope for the world.”
From Cool Cleveland reader Courtney DeOreo

Yr Turn
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On CIA’s Design Center (See CIA launches FUTURE here) the CIA Design Center…goes right along with incredible IdeaStream concept at Play House Square! Would love to see the Design Center stimulate some innovate architecture unique to Cleveland. We always see lots of talk about art in and around buildings and many businesses embrace that whole heartedly, but then they build these block buildings with some interesting, flattering piece of art outside that is swallowed or overwhelmed by the blahness of the building! Why not design art INTO the buildings? That’s one of the impacts I’d love to see the CIA Design Center have…and soon!
from Cool Cleveland reader Bob Beck BOB4AHOUSEATaol.com

On Cleveland and the CVB Cool Cleveland, in my opinion, does more to promote arts and culture for the region than any other tool currently being used by the City, the County or the CVB. When friends come in from out of town we send them a link to this site so they can find out what is going on and which events they may want to attend. People we meet traveling who have an interest, misconception or are former residents we refer to Cool Cleveland.com as other sources of information are less informative. If I am not mistaken the CVB hired a director of arts and cultural tourism about a year ago. About 6 months later it was announced that a “survey” had been done and the results were that local residents of Northeast Ohio didn’t know what we have. An “education” process was to begin promoting the arts and culture to locals. Since that time not word one has appeared that connects the CVB to any form of promotion either locally of outside the area. So Cool Cleveland, whats going on with the CVB’s promotion of our arts and culture?
from Cool Cleveland reader Keith Keller kbkellerATsbcglobal.net

In the interest of generating public discourse, Cool Cleveland offered the Convention & Visitors Bureau the opportunity to respond to Mr. Keller’s letter. Below is the complete response from Tamera Brown, the CVB’s Director of Arts and Cultural Tourism:

Thanks for the opportunity to update CoolCleveland readers on the arts and cultural tourism initiative at the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland. It’s been a very busy 9 months since the initiative kicked off. So far, we have:
1) Partnered with the CMJ Rock Hall Music Fest, Ingenuity, Sparks Gallery Hop, and Cleveland Play House to get the word out in various cities about these events and the broad scope of arts and cultural offerings in northeast Ohio. We have placed ads as nearby as Toledo, and as far away as Cincinnati, Detroit, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Buffalo. We worked closely with Marcus Thomas, our advertising agency, to develop promotions that are targeted to very specific audiences. So, for example, for the CMJ Music Festival, we sent street teams out to neighboring cities to pass out guitar picks, t-shirts and other giveaways at nightclubs and concert venues rather than choosing typical advertising media.
2) We use the internet extensively, since 85% of people who travel use the internet to plan and/or book their trips. Check our web site at www.travelcleveland.com anytime for the most extensive list of events in northeast Ohio, ranging from concerts at House of Blues to the Cleveland Orchestra’s performances. And when you hit our homepage, take note of all of the arts and cultural events being promoted.
3) The arts and cultural tourism initiative is also tasked with putting together some marketing services to improve the effectiveness of the community’s marketing efforts for arts and cultural events. To that end, we will launch the on-line version of the Ctix booth on January 9. (Currently housed at Star Plaza, this walk up booth offers same-day half-price tickets to performing arts events.) You will definitely hear more about this, since we will be working with CoolCleveland to advertise the launch. We are partnering with the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture to create a shared database which will provide all the local arts organizations with a better understanding of who their “best prospects” are. The CVB is interested in this project because we can then take those “best prospect” models and apply them to other cities so we can more efficiently target potential visitors.
4) 2006 will be a fantastic year for arts and culture, and we’re already working with our partners to develop the plans. We’ll be promoting our “spring festival” season (including the Cleveland International Film Festival, Tri-C JazzFest, and the new FusionFest at Cleveland Play House); our summer of family fun, including “Wicked” at Playhouse Square, Tall Ships, Ingenuity and a special joint partnership with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland Zoo and the Great Lakes Science Center; and finally, a HUGE exhibition being presented at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Fall 2006.
The biggest challenge the Convention & Visitors Bureau faces is the fact that all of our work appears OUTSIDE of Cleveland so it’s practically invisible to our own residents. Thanks very much for the opportunity to give a brief glimpse at the work we’ve been doing since the arts and cultural tourism initiative started. We’ve just scratched the surface of the opportunities we have to promote this great city and we’re looking forward to doing more and more.from Tamera Brown, Director of Arts and Cultural Tourism, Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland, (216) 875-6620 TBrownATtravelcleveland.com

Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

Even in Your Underwear When Cool Cleveland readers are asked what their second favorite feature is – after the edgy content – most say they appreciate the intimacy of receiving it in their inbox. In fact, some admit they even read it in their underwear. Warning: We don’t suggest this if you receive Cool Cleveland at work. Of course, sometimes we write Cool Cleveland in our underwear… Contact Info@CoolCleveland.com for info about advertising.

Top 5
Here are the Top 5 from last week’s issue, with one more chance for you to click.

1) Cool Cleveland Videocasts & Interview with Mayor Jane Campbell.
www.CoolCleveland.com

2) A&Q w/G: Jennifer Thomas An interview with the executive director of the Civic Innovation Lab.
www.CoolCleveland.com

3) CMA @ Shaker Square “An exciting space that will house a retail shop, adult and children’s studio art classes and ticketing services in one convenient location.”
www.ClevelandArt.org

4) Down three spots from last week’s Top 5 The article about them redeveloping the former Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist at West 117th Street.
www.Cleveland.com

5) See the Video Preview for the Hit Musical “Wicked” – the Wizard of Oz Prequel.
www.PlayhouseSquare.com

Vendi, Vedi, Veci No, not new members of the Hard Corps. But the phrase does reflect the way of those who contribute to Cool Cleveland conquer the enormous amount of news, events, and opinion every week. Thanks to Peter Chakerian, Roxanne Ravenel, TL Champion, George Nemeth, Kelly Ferjutz, Roldo Bartimole, Victor Lucas, Elsa Johnson and everyone who partners with us. Want to volunteer and contribute your writing to Cool Cleveland? Send your reviews, articles, or story ideas to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Download the Cool Cleveland podcast each week at http://www.CoolCleveland.com. Click on the Cool Cleveland Blog here. Read the Cool Cleveland column each month in Cleveland Magazine here. Listen to Cool Cleveland on WCLV-FM 104.9 twice each Friday during drive time. See the Cool Cleveland TV Update on WKYC NBC TV by clicking here. Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com, and your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com. For your copy of the free weekly Cool Cleveland e-zine, go to http://www.CoolCleveland.com.

Please vote on Tues 11/8,

–Thomas Mulready
Letters@CoolCleveland.com

all contents ©2005 MulreadyGROUP all rights reserved
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