Saturday, January 10, 2009

Sugar’s Hat Party (Volume Four)





Photos: Chris Jones

Sugar’s Hat Party (Volume Three)






Photos: Chris Jones

Sugar’s Hat Party (Volume Two)






Photos: Chris Jones

Sugar’s Hat Party (Volume One)






Photos: Chris Jones

Check Cashing Culprit Collared

10 TV: A man suspected in a series of violent check cashing robberies was arrested Saturday morning without incident at a motel in Grove City, according to the FBI. Charles R. Harris was taken into custody at the Knights Inn, located at 3131 Broadway. Columbus police SWAT officers and the FBI were involved in the arrest. Late last month, Harris, 20, was identified as the suspect in five robberies at check cashing businesses located throughout central Ohio… Harris was expected to face charges of aggravated robbery, kidnapping and rape… Also arrested on Saturday was Geralanda S. Brown, 19, whom the FBI said helped hide Harris, and Freddie Boyd Darling, 27, who was the alleged getaway driver during each of the robberies. All three were expected to appear in court on Monday.

Quick Read

Initially, I must credit the front-page editors for leading with Friday’s economic news. You would think 7.2% unemployment and 524,000 jobs lost is a no brainer in terms of a big story, but CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC didn’t even feature the numbers in their afternoon first blocks… The Dispatch deserves applause…

Two other A1 stories deserve equal praise… James Nash’s above the fold story on a Casino gambling proposal was excellent… It was detailed, specific, and it painted the picture that maybe Ohio will finally not half-ass a proposal for gambling… Tim Feren’s story concerning digital tv coming to Columbus was also intriguing… The Dispatch’s only mistake was their ridiculous feature “Prize For Perilous Day – Lunar Magic,” which detailed an eclipse… That could have been swapped with their George Voinovich, which was buried on A3. In that story, Voinovich confirmed the paper’s previous report, that he may not seek re-election…

Finally, the metro front story, which was a follow up on light rail, started out solidly but disappeared in the middle when the paper seemed to contradict their own premise. The piece, however, did do a great job of explaining why Governor Strickland is refusing a gas tax increase.

Friday, January 9, 2009

INVITE: Ugly Sweater Get Together

“Best & Last Christmas Party of the Year”

Commencement: 9:00

Venue: McFadden’s (South Campus)

Ugliest Sweater receives $200

Drinks (Available All Night)
$3 Soco Lime Shots
$2 Bud Light

INVITE: Social Saturday

Commencement: 10:00

Venue: Sugar Bar (525 Park Street)

Open Bar 10:30 pm – 11:30 pm

Female Jumped, Foster Jailed

10 TV: Parents of students who attend Eastmoor Middle School received letters from the school district on Friday after a 12-year-old girl told authorities that she was sexually assaulted at gunpoint while on her way to school. According to police, the girl told investigators that she missed her school bus on Friday morning and began walking to the east side middle school when a man forced her inside his car… Police said the man sexually assaulted the girl inside his car and later dropped her off at an unknown location… The girl showed up at the school, located on Medway Avenue, and immediately told administrators about the incident…

Number twenty-four makes you ask… Is it ever safe for children to be outdoors?

NBC 4:
A former Ohio State football player and former city employee was sentenced after two CPD officers were shot last year. Derrick L. Foster, 38, was accused of shooting two CPD officers during a drug raid April 30, 2008. He was arrested on and charged with two counts of felonious assault and two counts of attempted murder last year. He pleaded to two counts of felonious assault Friday, and one of those counts had a firearms specification. With the plea, Foster admitted responsibility to the shooting. Foster’s original charge could have sent him to prison for up to 19 years in prison, but a judge sentenced Foster to five years with possible eligibility for early release with good behavior in four.

This makes you ask, “What’s up with former Ohio State football players?” Since 2005, I think we’ve had more incarcerations than bowl wins…

Lose The Delusion

Mayor Coleman… Instead of begging for a train no one will use, why don’t you actually take care of the roads, which everyone uses?

10 TV:
Live Doppler 10 chief meteorologist Chris Bradley said we will likely see a mix of snow, freezing rain and sleet on Saturday. Bradley said the best chance for snowfall will come after 10 a.m., with some precipitation becoming heavy at times. The Columbus-area will likely receive 2-4 inches of snow. Bradley said the storm system will push out of central Ohio by Sunday. Expect partly sunny skies and daytime temperatures approaching 30 degrees.

NBC 4: Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman is asking for $200 million from the federal government to build a 13-mile light rail system in Columbus as part of a $334.5 million economic stimulus package funding request. In a letter sent to President-elect Barack Obama last week, Coleman said his proposal would integrate the best elements of the 2006 North Corridor Light Rail Plan and the downtown streetcar plan. The proposed light rail system would stretch through the Short North, The Ohio State University campus and past Polaris Parkway.

Quick Read

The Dispatch’s single greatest problem is not a lack of competent writers or intriguing stories… Their problem is that they bury the most compelling in spaces where they are either not likely to be read or likely to only be read by those people who spend more than twenty minutes reading the paper (for example, someone who reads the paper and then writes about it on their website)…

The prime example of their if it’s best, it’s buried philosophy was their A3 story on whether Senator George Voinovich is reconsidering seeking re-election… The story was mixed, sources saying he is reconsidering, outgoing chairman Bob Bennett saying no way; but the inconsistency isn’t the point… Voinovich’s potential reconsideration, especially given recent Republican incompetence and Mike Dewine’s defeat in 2006, is a page one story if ever there was one…

While the paper’s lead story on a proposed light rail project was outstanding, the Voinovich news should have led and another fascinating feature, “Reading Rates Dismal” (metro front) should have found it’s way onto the front page… The column’s statistics were excellent and given the always heated exchange of the immigration issue, the fact that Franklin County’s immigrant population is rising, made this story ideal morning coffee discussion…

Two other stories worth mentioning, which were buried were the stories on Columbus church marketing (B9) and a Life and Arts story on black directors (D6)… Both stories were unique and presented angles of issues I assume most haven’t considered… Unfortunately, they are so well hidden; they will line birdcages before being read…

Finally, our city’s biggest news, that of Chris Wells’ exit, was a mostly rehash, Ken Gordon and Tim May mirage, that painted Wells’ decision as difficult… So difficult, it took him all of fifty hours to make it, when he had another week to spare… The column was sadly typical of two writers, both of whom I respected, that are becoming less and less objective and more and more public relations ambassadors for OSU…

Wells Enters NFL Draft

As Gossip Cbus first reported, Ohio State’s Chris Wells will skip his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. Wells formally announced his decision this afternoon. “I want to thank my teammates, my coaches, my teachers and the academic advisors for all they have done, and I definitely want to thank the Buckeye fans for all their support,” he said in a statement. “Ohio State has become like a family to me, and it will always be that way. But in the best interest of my family, it's time to move on and take a chance at fulfilling my lifetime dream of playing in the NFL.”

Wells’ decision was not surprising. One of eleven children, Gossip Cbus reported that finances were his soul consideration. “He needs to get paid, he needs to get paid now, the boy has family and things outside OSU to think about,” said a source close to Wells’ family (December 29). “This is purely financial and anyone who throws up any static should shut up. He was already hurt this year. At least next year, he could be hurt with millions.”

Wells concludes his career as Ohio State’s fourth leading rusher. In three seasons, Wells had 585 carries, 3,382 yards, and 30 touchdowns. This season, despite injuries (three games missed), he had 207 carries, 1,197 yards, and 8 touchdowns. He closed his junior season with five one hundred yard efforts in six contests (four consecutive).

“Ohio State football will miss Beanie's big runs, but we will also miss his big smile,” Coach Jim Tressel said in a statement. “He has been a tremendous teammate and one of the all-time great performers in the greatest rivalry in college football.”

Since our first report (December 18), Wells has slipped from a consensus top five selection to twelfth (in an average of six NFL Mock Drafts). Experts say his stock will continue to fluctuate based upon NFL free agency, individual workouts, and other underclassman who declare. Since 2006, an underclassman running back has been selected in the top seven each year.

Love the Logos, Hate the Losers

Random is intriguing. Ridiculous is simply stupid. Alice in Wonderland’s Cheshire cat standing on top his own head and asking “can you stand on your head” is random. The Cheshire cat converting head into a soccer ball and kicking it past the Columbus Crew goalie is ridiculous. Understand the difference?

When I arrived, Sugar was empty. The booths, the dance floor, the tables… they spelled empty in capital letters. Thankfully, a lower scoring than I would have imagined slugfest between Florida and Oklahoma provided welcome entertainment. I stood and watched the game, which Sugar thoughtfully had on every television screen, likely with the same pair of thoughts in mind as every Sugar Bar employee I saw… Those two thoughts being, when will people arrive and why is Oklahoma’s offense playing so miserable?

As Florida assumed command of the fourth quarter (first by a field goal and eventually by their winning margin of double digits), they started to trickle in. Four guys and three girls. A trio of bunnies. Another trio of bunnies. Two guys. As the college football season concluded, the crowd was expanded, but remained reserved.

Twenty minutes later, the crowd exploded. Bunnies in booths, bunnies at tables, bunnies on the dance floor, and the street cast of the Wire looking to hit on all of them (more on that momentarily)… I must pause at this point to thank (by name) Avi Primetime and Brian Swanson… As we teased all week, Gossip Cbus was a co-sponsor of the evening and Aaron and Brian were phenomenal, making sure our logo was exquisite and on every screen…. Looking at our logo, the same logo you see on this website, on their television screens… my evening was perfect…

Perfect, albeit slightly scattered, given the crowd that had accumulated… I know the first time I experienced Sugar, I raved and this experience overall was similar… I still love the venue… And, just like the first experience, there were bunnies dancing, drinking, shaking their asses… Most were as immaculate as what I had seen the first time….

Unfortunately, ridiculous was also present… A drunken girl who was the spitting image of Amy Winehouse (wardrobe included), one male that should consider a career as a couch (yes, he is that large), and four girls whose every step must register as earthquake weather… And before anyone sends me hate mail, I am not being mea… It is not my fault these four girls had more buns than a day old bakery…

Worse than the bizarre patrons, were the bunnies that chose to hook up with them… One nauseating pairing in particular coupled an adorable doll (black leopard print dress and stunning body) with a Marlo Stanfield imitator with hair that looked like one of my ex’s bad shag carpet… The site of these two dancing, making out, her sitting on his lap with his Yankees (yes Ohio, Yankees) cap on… it was enough to make you vomit… Desperate white girls and Wire castoffs, if you want to hook up (even though you really shouldn’t), there are clubs in this city where you can do this… But, please avoid the ones I attend…

While the site of Cleopatra becoming Cleopatra Jones was annoying, it was not enough to ruin another overall magnificent Sugar experience… You will have random and ridiculous at every spot in this city… The trick is not letting either overtake you… With our logos on the screen (thanks again Avi and Brian), neither could spoil my night…

Thursday, January 8, 2009

BREAKING: Chris Wells Enters NFL Draft

As Gossip Cbus first reported, Ohio State’s Chris Wells will skip his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. Wells announced his decision via a statement this afternoon. We will have more details this evening.

Sugar Rush

We’ve teased you with it… We’ve taunted you with it… And now its here… Sugar’s Back to School Bash co-sponsored by Gossip Cbus… Our logos will be on all the inside television screens, our photographers will be snapping every bunny, and our twitter will be live from the event

Columbus, we couldn’t have sponsored this event without you…. Drink… Dance… Own Park Street tonight… Until next time, you know you love me…

INVITE: The Hat Party

“Wildest Hats Requested”

Commencement:
10:00

Venue: Sugar Bar (525 Park Street)

Open Bar 10:30 – 11:30 pm

The Bloody East

I could watch television with the sound off and still my odds of guessing correctly that a crime occurred on the east side are likely 80%…

NBC 4:
A woman told officers she was stabbed by a neighbor Thursday and she and another woman had to jump to safety. Louise Blair, 50, told CPD officers she was stabbed by her neighbor, Wallace Shackleford, after a dispute over money. Blair and another woman jumped out of a second-story window to escape the assault, CPD Sgt. Rich Weiner said. During her fall, Blair hit a pipe, officials said. The incident happened in an apartment off Nelson Road on the city’s near East Side. Blair was transported to Riverside Methodist Hospital with several stab wounds and a severed finger. She was listed in stable condition. Shackleford, 78, was taken into police custody and faces one count of felonious assault. He is currently being held in Franklin County Jail pending arraignment on Friday.

Quick Read

Writing is not science… Most of us who write, simply wanted to see something interesting everyday and write a story about it… The trick is to inject enough of someone else’s world into the story, so the readers feel a part of that world. The Dispatch’s staff never learned that lesson…

A perfect example was today’s Dallas Lauderdale profile (sports page)… Evidently, Lauderdale’s mother has multiple sclerosis and Dallas had to sacrifice a lot while maturing… The concept looked as though a box of Kleenex would be required… The actual reading, required Red Bull to get me through it… The story was bland, laced with feeble quotes, and more about basketball than sacrifice… If this kid had it tough, make us believe he had it tough…

Equally frustrating was the story concerning Steve Mason’s All-Star snub, which was buried on page five and the story about city officials rescheduling or quickening activities on game days, which was buried on the metro’s page three… Mason’s story showcases why this is not and never will be good for professional sports… Here is one of the best young goalies in the league and his own paper doesn’t think he’s front page material, because they might have to bury a Buckeyes story… The story on city officials was well written and entertaining… Unfortunately, it was page one material and three days late… (They should have run it and not that cheesy, O-H-I-O story on Sunday)…

The weekender special section did have an excellent profile on OSU’s “Thurber Dogs” project… (It was charming) and the metro section’s story on Derrick Foster pleading guilty (metro front), gave me more information than any of the networks… but still, this was a day where the journalists forgot their job was journalism…

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

INVITE: Lush Events Presents the Back to School Bash

Special Announcement: Gossip Cbus is co-sponsoring this event. Our logo will be on all the inside television screens and we will twitter live from the party.

Commencement: 10:00

Venue: Sugar Bar (525 Park Street)

Age Range: Male (21 and over); Female (19 and over)

Free Absinthe & Prizes

Complimentary well drinks 11 pm –Midnight

Drinks (Available All Night)
$2 Bombs
$1
Wells

Where The Money At?

Cops and firefights should receive overtime…but, dispatchers and sewer workers? When the next murder occurs, we should remember those cops who were cut because the city was broke…

10 TV:
City workers were paid $28.4 million in overtime, up 8 percent from 2007 and more than 30 percent from three years earlier… Firefighters and police made much of the overtime, but hundreds of other city employees made more than $20,000 in overtime alone…

Among the big winners was a dispatcher who has a base salary of $49,000 who made $78,000 in overtime. A man who works at the sewage treatment plant saw his $49,000 salary reach triple digits, with an extra $90,000 in overtime.

A top city finance officer said that the city often has to pay the overtime because of personnel shortage or special circumstances. There was extra pay in 2008 because of the leap year and September's wind storm required overtime for the cleanup.

Trademark Image

Photo: Scott Terna

Quick Read

Call Wednesday the “so what” edition of the Dispatch… The paper’s articles, none of which were memorable, only to served to restate the obvious, and by the end of every one, my question was the same… So what? (Pink would be proud of this edition)…

Elizabeth Miller’s “Signs of Bygone Times” was well written, but the story lacked the nostalgic warmth I would expect with that kind of retrospective… Sherri Williams’ “Another Sign of the Recession: Charities Feel the Pinch of Holidays” was dreadful and so what? That story has bone done by every cable news and local news outlet at least twice in the last month (Miller’s and Williams’ stories were both Metro front)…

Kevin Joy’s story on mass text messages (Life & Arts) was insipid… People send out mass messages via their electronic devices and they aren’t personalized… so what? This is 2009… Also, the Emma Watson spread on the front page of the section should have been buried inside (so what… she is older, actresses do age)…

Bob Hunter and Tim May logged lethargic columns for the third straight day… Hunter’s (sports front) eulogy for Todd Boeckman (so what, he’s an also ran quarterback) was laughable and May’s story on how Ohio State was burnt by the blitz made me scream so what… Why write it two days after the game?

The pathetic edition’s worst story was Ken Gordon’s “Terelle Pryor doesn’t believe in moral victories” effort… That premise lasted about four paragraphs until Gordon himself apparently realized the concept was bull and then the column debilitated into a string of mindless quotes and even more mindless half thoughts…

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Columbus Bar Jackets & Kourtney Kardashian

As promised, Frog Bear and Wild Boar and Lodge Bar major event announcements… (These will rerun twice, separately in the coming days… still, you may want to mark you calendar)…

Frog, Bear, & Wild Boar (January 14): Columbus Blue Jackets’ Jared Boll, Mike Commodore, and Mark Methot will guest bartend (7-8 p.m.). Budweiser Aluminum Bottle (16 ounce) specials…
Lodge Bar (January 24): Kourtney Kardashian appearance. $3 Soco & Lime shots.

Spartans Spank Buckeyes

My Saturday questions have been answered… We were obviously not as good as our start and we were overachieving (anyone dispute that with three losses in four games?)…

Michigan State made five 3-pointers in less than 3 minutes, making up for what was otherwise a lackluster performance. Kalin Lucas scored six of his 20 points on 3-pointers during the first-half barrage that gave the Spartans the lead for a good in a 67-58 win over Ohio State on Tuesday night.

Michigan State has won eight straight since being routed by North Carolina and 26 in a row at home, dating to a loss against Ohio State nearly two years ago… Ohio State's William Buford scored 17, B.J. Mullens had 16 points and Turner added 14. The Buckeyes (10-3, 1-2) have lost three of four after starting 9-0, hurting without their most experienced player, David Lighty, who is out with a broken foot.

Fiesta Bowl 2009: Eddie George’s Grille (Volume Five)




Photos: Chris Jones

Fiesta Bowl 2009: Eddie George’s Grille (Volume Four)






Photos: Chris Jones

Fiesta Bowl 2009: Eddie George’s Grille (Volume Three)






Photos: Chris Jones

Fiesta Bowl 2009: Eddie George’s Grille (Volume Two)






Photos: Chris Jones

Fiesta Bowl 2009: Eddie George’s Grille (Volume One)






Photos: Chris Jones