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Cover Story

Artvoice Mardis Gras 2016

by Artvoice Staff

Dust off your masks and glittery costumes because on Tuesday (2/9) there’s going to be a hot southern celebration in our cold northern city. After two decades of sponsoring Mardi Gras fundraising parties Artvoice continues the tradition with Artvoice Mardi Gras 2016. We’re skipping the Fat Tuesday parade this year to focus on what has always been the nucleus of Buffalo’s Mardi Gras celebration—Allen Street.

News Feature

King Con Shmueli sues own mother, proving once and for all he's a class act

by Frank Parlato

We were shocked at the number of emails complaining that we had omitted a story about the notorious swindler and con artist Shmuel “Sam” Shmueli in last week’s paper. This newspaper has uncovered a great deal about the rascal who has stiffed or tried to stiff almost everyone he has come in contract with. Apparently the public has an appetite for more.

Upon Further Review

Peyton's Last Stand

by David Staba

It says a lot about the peculiar appeal of professional football that one of the sport’s most iconic images is that of a bald man—who looks far too old to be playing such a brutal game—on his knees, bleeding and dazed.

Tap This

Top 10 "Brewery-to-Buffalo" Signature Beers of 2015

by Kevin Wise

2015 was an incredible year in the Buffalo beer scene. Numerous breweries opened and an efflux of fresh local beer has flooded bars, tap rooms, and shelves across Western New York.

What's Brewing

Presented by Consumer Beverages

by Erik Wollschlager and Chris Groves

Thanks to the commercial availability of such beers as Anderson Valley’s Highway 128 series, sour beers have made a mark in the national market, and more recently, here in Buffalo. Known mainly for their tart characteristics, these beers are consistently brewed with malted barley and wheat, coriander and sea salt, then fermented with a bacteria called lactobacillus.

News Feature

Cult of NXIVM Series Part 11: Raniere Handles His Harem And A Lot More

by Frank Parlato

Recap from last week: I was hired as a consultant by NXIVM, in September 2007 when the company was embroiled in multiple lawsuits and several press articles accused it of being a cult. One of my tasks was to stop the negative publicity.

News Feature

Sunbelt business brokers look for the right fit

by Tony Farina

“This business changes destinies,” says Cal Lawson, president and co-owner of Amherst-based Sunbelt Business Brokers who has spent more than 24 years evaluating people and entrepreneurial opportunities across Western New York and beyond, looking for the right match for buyer and seller.

Politics

Democrats Expected to Endrose Flynn For DA

by Tony Farina

It appears that Tonawanda Town Attorney John Flynn is the likely choice for endorsement by the Erie County Democratic Party’s Executive Committee for the job of district attorney over three other candidates, including acting DA Michael Flaherty.

News Feature

Quinn's top aide is first casualty of ECC audit

by Tony Farina

The first major casualty of the scathing state audit of Erie Community College is Kristin Klein Wheaton, the $116,000-plus vice president for legal affairs at the college who has served as embattled President Jack Quinn’s chief advisor and protector since she was hired in 201l by Quinn to head the ECC legal department, a role that mushroomed into pretty much running the college for Quinn, especially when he was busy with outside activities.

Food & Dining

New Owners Find a Home at Wehrle Diner, Plan All Day Fish Fry on Ash Wednesday

by Tony Farina

Ash Wednesday, a mostly Catholic observance where ashes on the forehead are a reminder of our mortality, marks the beginning of Lent and in recognition of the special occasion next Wednesday, Feb. 10, the new owners of the Wehrle Restaurant (now Wehrle Diner) in Amherst are offering up an Ash Wednesday Fish Fry all day that includes homemade coleslaw.

Food

Tonawanda's Madarin Garden Offers Asian at Affordable Prices

by Sheligh Love

At Mandarin Garden, attention is given to the finest points of preparation – carefully ground spices, the choicest selection of tender meats, beyond-fresh fish and vegetables that seem to come out of a green market.

Theatrically Speaking

What's Playing

by Anthony Chase

When Ring of Fire, featuring the songs of Johnny Cash opened at Studio Arena Theatre in 2005, there was the thrill of renewed energy at a theater that had not sent a show to New York in years, buoyed by the presence of Richard Maltby, Jr. who had created Ain’t Misbehavin’.

Theater News

Stagefright

by Javier

Stage and screen star Aaron Tveit (pictured above) scored big last Sunday, starring as Danny Zuko in television’s Grease: Live, Fox’s first entry into the live musical business. The broadcast was a ratings and critical success. A graduate of Ithaca College, Tveit is well known to TV audiences for his roles in Gossip Girl and Homeland.

Theater

Opening Shots

Opening Shots from Ring of Fire and Why We Have a Body

Film Review

Hail, Caesar!

by Jordan Canahai

Hail, Joel and Ethan Coen! Over a directorial career that spans 30-plus years and 17 features, the filmmaking siblings and iconoclasts have established a sturdy reputation as being among our greatest and most unique American filmmakers.

Art Scene

Giving Thanks To The Benefactor

by Jack Foran

The current UB Anderson Gallery exhibit is a tribute to eponymous benefactor David Anderson, who gave the university the art in the show as well as the gallery itself, an old public school building he renovated and ran his art dealership business out of during his final years.

Classical Music Notes

Highlighting the Middle Ground

by Jan Jezioro

Most of us would agree that it’s good to have friends. In the performing arts, the wider the circle of your friends, the more likely it is that you’ll develop the kinds of connections that will give you the opportunity for mutually beneficial artistic collaboration.

Get Lit

An Italian Bookish Life

by Heather Cook

In Gaia B. Amman’s first book in The Italian Saga series, An Italian Adventure, she takes us on a journey of friendship, sisterhood, and familiar family drama, as we learn about Italy in the late 80’s. The protagonist, Leda, the character we follow throughout the series, has her nose buried in books when she isn’t out being a tomboy. Leda is forced to face a slew of adventures when the new kid Nico moves to the North from Sicily, bullying her.

Graphic Traffic

Future Imperfect: Warzones! & The Vision

by Joe Tell & Gabriel Allandro

Never underestimate the power of the Dark Side. Darth Vader, Marvel’s companion book to the ongoing Star Wars comics, demonstrates just how true this is. Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of the Sith, has essentially been demoted by the Emperor and put under supervision following his failure at the Battle of Yavin.

Listings

On The Boards Theater Listings

Film Now Playing

Movie Listings (Friday, February 5 - Thursday, February 11)

Featured Events

See You There!

AV Hit List: Top Event Picks for This Week

Offbeat News

News of the Weird

by Chuck Shepherd

The government watchdog MuckRock requested records on the cause of death of a dolphin in New Jersey’s South River last year (to investigate larger dangers to the animal), but in January 2016 the state’s Department of Agriculture initially declined to release them—citing “medical privacy” (usually requested, for autopsies, by “the deceased’s family”).

Horoscopes

Free Will Astrology

by Rob Breszny

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You may sometimes be drawn to people or places or ideas long before they can give you their gifts. Although you sense their potential value, you might have to ripen before you’ll be ready to receive their full bounty.