Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Quick Read

Dana Wilson and Mike Pramik type another pair of excellent employment seeker pieces… Wilson’s (front page) focusing on people who have raised children and now wish to rejoin the workforce… Pramik’s focusing on the proper presentation of resumes…

Monday, February 23, 2009

Mardi Gras 2009: Lodge Bar

“Beads, Beads, Beads”

Commencement:
9:00

Venue: Lodge Bar (Arena District)

Bull Riding Contest

Most Beads receives $200

Drinks (Available All Night)
$3 Hurricanes
$3 Soco & Lime Shots
$2 Miller Lite Drafts

Duck & Dodge Cancelled

Due to lack of registration, Duck 'N Dodge Columbus 2009 has been cancelled. All registered teams will receive a full refund.

Quick Read

Jennifer Richards leads this week’s initial edition with an outstanding piece on the city’s literacy program…. Equally outstanding is Kathy Lynn Gray’s informative, ranging piece on networking in these difficult economic circumstances…

Debbie Gebolys (Metro) continues the excellence trend with an intriguing piece on COTA’s expansion… Unfortunately, Sherri Williams’ profile of an East Side Church possesses no explanation on why it should be rebuilt (Is it a landmark? Is it important to the community?)… And Ann Fisher’s commentary on city center possesses no explanation on why a park is the solution (she simply wants a park)…

Life and Arts features solid Oscar coverage… Except, Frank Gabrony rips the past winners extolling the nominees, which I very much enjoyed… Bob Hunter (sports) types a solid piece on how Ohio State may be playing their way out of the NCAA tournament… Ken Gordon types an exquisite piece on former Buckeyes Brian Hartline and Donald Washington and their ridiculous decision to bolt school early…

Sunday, February 22, 2009

BREAKING: Ryan Eyes Primary Position

Congressman Tim Ryan may still explore a Senate campaign, despite a rumored endorsement of Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher. According to a source familiar with Congressman’s mindset, Ryan believes that only one more Democrat could enter the race.

“There’s room for three and that’s it,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “You have the sitting LG and SOS in the race, there’s no doubt about their star power. But, we feel there is another slot there. It’s all about who can put togther the money and the machine for a viable candidacy.”

As Gossip CBUS first reported, Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Fisher announced their campaigns last week. For the Republicans, Rob Portman is the lone announced candidate.

After commencing his career in the State Senate, Ryan has served as Ohio’s 17th District Congressman since 2003. He won the seat formerly held by James Traficant (Democrat), who was imprisoned for taking bribes, filing false tax returns, racketeering, and forcing his aides to perform chores at his farm and houseboat.

Count Forty-Five

NBC 4: Police were summoned to a house at 824 Sullivant Avenue late Sunday evening after being told a man had been shot. Officers arrived to find a man inside the house on the floor with a gunshot wound to the upper chest. Homicide detectives were notified of the incident as is routine when injuries might result in death.

Dazzling Duos Inspire Reinterpretations

I truly can't say I've ever had a bad time at Skully's. Even though Ladies' 80's has become a weekly rotation of the same tired 80's anthems (No, I do not want to hear "Don't You Want Me" again, the Human League deserves so much better, trust me), I still make it a priority to find my way that extra bit down High street so I can indulge in a slightly different scene. Last night truly reminded me just why that is. It's almost always well populated, all the bartenders pour a great drink, and they constantly book great acts that keep me dancing all night.

This surprisingly chilly Friday night was no exception... Skully's 3rd Friday Dance Party (the name could use a little work) with three DJ's and 2 bands on stage was impressive entertainment. The bar wasn't crowded when I arrived… And I had to again remind myself that Columbus is just a late city. When I go out it always feels like there isn't much going on until maybe 10:30 or 11, which can be confusing to a San Franciscan such as myself. We have to make sure we get our parties going right from the start, which makes sense, considering our last call is at 1:30 (if you're really lucky....or really cute depending on who you're talking to). For what it lacked in the beginning, the venue made up for once everything got going.

The highlight of the evening would have to have been the amazing tag-team DJ performance put on by Sketchy Pete and Dave Espionage.... They completely killed it! Not only was the mash-up exquisitely executed, it was also done completely on the fly! It was a huge risk for these two pros to take (having never met, and not really knowing what the other may have up his sleeve), but they pulled it off… Beats aside, two good looking, intelligent men on stage making beautiful music helps me get through all my sleepless nights... and it was immediately obvious to everyone there that these two should really have a second date....

Sketchy Pete's own personal version of house and disco influenced sweaty electro was great to hear mixed with Dave Espionage's strong and rough hip hop beats… it definitely kept the kids moving. Lovely ladies always want to get down on the dance floor, and that was made that extremely possible last night.

When the guys took a break, one of the bands (Braindouble) went on, and gave a very solid performance. Included in their selections was a great Katy Perry "I Kissed A Girl" rework, (yes, I Kissed A Girl, as sung by a two-man hip-hop group)… It was an interesting twist on a song that had been mashed into an unrecognizable pulp by radio DJs far and wide.

Tag-teaming ensued once again afterwards, and the guys closed out the night on a high note, pulling out all the stops... Sketchy Pete had an amazing debut in Ohio, and Dave Espionage showed loyal fans once again that there's a reason you see his name on all the flyers around town. As the night closed out, I was reminded of my continued love and loyalty to Skully's, and officially decided to keep it in the normal bar rotation. Who knows, I may just give Ladies 80's a couple more shots....

Story: Shannon Bakies

Third Friday Dance Party (Volume Two)




Photos: Shannon Bakies

Third Friday Dance Party (Volume One)




Photos: Shannon Bakies

You Have Questions... I Have Answers

Since Gossip Cbus began, I’ve been swamped with e-mail (thanks for the love)… While I’ve tried to give individual responses to several, I also know that some of the questions are questions others may have and thus, answering them publicly would be better… Therefore, from time to time, I will answer questions where everyone can see them…

Q: What does Lodge Bar All-Access mean?
A: Lodge Bar All-Access will be a unique view of the preparation, execution, and wrap of the Snowed Inn event (February 27). Via twitter, Gossip CBUS will take you inside one hour before and one hour after Lodge’s doors open and close. You will score a rare private peak into one of the bet venues in this city.

Q: I enjoyed your Blue Jackets-Red Wings twitter live? Will you be doing anything similar in the future?
A: While that depends on other scheduled events and commitments, Gossip CBUS also really enjoyed our Blue Jackets night out and the feedback it stirred… With several notable upcoming contests including Calgary, Vancouver, and a pair of rematches with Detroit (one of which is an NBC telecast), I would bet on another evening with Rick Nash…

Q: How does Gossip CBUS choose which events to cover?
A: I would love to say this is a complicated process that takes days if not weeks… It’s not… It’s honestly about what concepts sound interesting… Charity events take precedence over other events and venues and events we have promoted, take precedence over those we have not promoted… But, after that, it’s about concept…

Quick Read

In these difficult economic circumstances, advice is everywhere. Unfortunately, not all of it is good advice… Steve Wartenberg’s pair of front-page pieces are an excellent example of this… His piece about unemployment filing is informative… His piece about overqualified vs. qualified vs. unqualified, all scrambling for the same jobs, is a train wreck.

Sherri Williams’s feature on Eastland (Metro) is solid, but could have gone deeper… Bob Hunter’s column on Ken Hitchcock and Scott Priestle’s on middle linebackers out of style, both should have never been written…

Martin Rozenman’s column on texting (Insight) has been written a few thousand times and thus, was insanely boring… If you want to write about modern technology consuming teenager’s lives, hit me with more than it makes them anti-social and induces bad grammar… Joe Hallet’s commentary (Insight) about Governor Strickland’s faith (Insight) was a cheap shot…

Tim Ferran’s story on the Home and Garden expo (Home and Garden) was adequate…. However, his story about Central Ohio keeping their Parade of Homes, while Cleveland and Cincinnati lose there’s, should have been on the front page…

Saturday, February 21, 2009