Artvoice: Buffalo's #1 Newsweekly
Home Blogs Web Features Calendar Listings Artvoice TV Real Estate Classifieds Contact

Cover Story

Freedom Fighters

by Andrew Blake

At the corner of Massachusetts and Chenango on Buffalo’s West Side, a few dozen washers and dryers line the walls of the unassuming storefront that hosts the West Side Value Laundromat. Roseanne Barr glares down from a wall. The poster that features the comedienne in all her chubby-cheeked glory displays a printing date of 1991, a time when Barr was unarguably much more relevant than she is today.

Theater

20th Anniversary Artie Award Nominations

by Anthony Chase

The 20th Anniversary Artie Awards, celebrating excellence in Buffalo theater, will be held on Monday, June 7, at the Town Ballroom. The event will be a benefit for Benedict House, which provides services for individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS. It’s the 20th anniversary of the Artie Awards, and so a special edition of the event is planned.

Getting a Grip

That "Illegal" Look

by Michael I. Niman

The lawmakers running Arizona apparently need a quick lesson in their own history. Rather than learn about the state to which they or their parents likely immigrated, they’d rather ban such education, and cripple their constituents with the same ignorance that has branded them as fools and pariahs.

Week in Review

Seven Days: The Straight Dope From the Week That Was

by Geoff Kelly

Scorecard: The Week's Winners and Losers

by Zachary Burns

Art Scene

The Art of Restoration

by Jack Foran

Results to date of several ongoing collaborative projects between Buffalo State student artists and the West Side community at large are on display in the educational corridor (above the main staircase) at the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

Classical Music

Go For Baroque

by Jan Jezioro

On Wednesday, May 26 at 7pm, the Buffalo Chamber Players will end their 2009-2010 season with a program billed as “If it ain’t Baroque,” at their home in the Buffalo Seminary on Bidwell Parkway.

Theater News

Stagefright

by Javier

The supercute Jonathan Groff (pictured) has been in the news lately as part of that controversial Newsweek article regarding gay actors who can or cannot play straight roles. Groff was convincingly heterosexual in the original company of the musical Spring Awakening and has recently appeared on TV’s Glee.

Film Feature

Nostalgia From Hell

by M. Faust

Science fiction novelist Theodore Sturgeon famously observed that “Ninety percent of everything is crud.” As consumers, most of us do our best to avoid that 90 percent. Not Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett, who have spent years combing through videotapes scavenged from flea markets, storage bins, garage sales and thrift stores to compile the crème de la crud.

Film Reviews

The Square

by George Sax

Here and There

by M. Faust

The Secret in Their Eyes

by M. Faust

Listings

On The Boards Theater Listings

Movie Times (Friday, May 21 - Thursday, May 27)

Film Now Playing

Events

See You There!

Artvoice's weekly round-up of events to watch out for the week, including our editor's pick: comedian Doug Stanhope at Nietzsche's on Saturday the 22nd.

6 Questions With...

Susan Cope: Event Planner, TEDx Buffalo Organizer

A few weeks ago, event planner Susan Cope launched an effort to secure a franchise for a TEDx event here in Buffalo. TEDx event are seminars inspired by the nonprofit group TED’s annual conferences (ted.com)—the motto is “Ideas Worth Spreading”—in which thought leaders make presentations on cutting-edge ideas in any number of subjects.

You Auto Know

Could We See It Here?

by Jim Corbran

If nothing else, you’ve got to admit Volkswagen has come up with some pretty interesting rides these past few years. The Rabbit/Golf/Rabbit/Golf (hopefully they’ll settle on a final name someday) GTI has been just about everyone’s favorite pocket rocket for some time now.

Offbeat News

News of the Weird

by Chuck Shepherd

Briton Robert Dee, feeling humiliated at being called the “world’s worst tennis pro” by London’s Daily Telegraph (and other news organizations) sued the newspaper for libel last year.

Letters to Artvoice

Being Realistic About Canal Side

by Sam Magavern

The Russians are Coming!

by Donald A. Moskowitz

Gaywatch

Listings and Resources

Buffalo has a large and diverse gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. For further information about its numerous organizations and activities, visit Gaywatch at Artvoice.com, call the Western New York Pride Center (852-7743), or email WinterDanny@AOL.com.

Horoscopes

Free Will Astrology

by Rob Brezsny

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): You don’t have to answer to anybody this week, Taurus. You don’t have to defend yourself, explain yourself, or compromise yourself. I mean, you can do those things if you want to be super extra nice, but there won’t be any hell to pay if you don’t.

Advice

Ask Anyone

My husband and I are invited to a potluck dinner at the home of a vegetarian couple. He wants me to make a lasagna with meat in it, because it’s his favorite and because he is afraid there will be only vegetarian dishes at the party and he will feel unfulfilled.