Brunch in the Burgh: Oakland’s Peter’s Pub Latest to Join Growing Trend
By Stephen Caruso / Senior Staff Writer
August 29, 2016
Filed under 2. Featured, Culture, Food & Drink
As a child, Chris Gilbert spent many a Sunday morning sitting in a church pew. But right after, he remembers, he’d chow down on fluffy pancakes. “Around noon, we met at Grandma’s house for brunch. That’s what we did,” said Gilbert, who’s worked as a chef at The Yard, a Shadyside gastropub,...
Pittsburgh Comedy Festival: Quincy Jones Brings Laughs, Controversy to Heymann Theater
By Lexi Kennell / Staff Writer
August 29, 2016
Near the end of Quincy Jones’ stand-up set at this weekend’s Pittsburgh Comedy Festival, it looked like he might have gone too far — the room quieted as he playfully tried to riff on a hypothetical scenario in which black people enslaved whites. Jones commented on black people’s ability to...
The poetry of panels: Marvel’s first black woman writer and Pitt professor Yona Harvey pens new series ‘World of Wakanda’
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
August 21, 2016
Filed under Culture
Poetry and comics have more in common than you think. Yona Harvey, a Pitt English professor, recently accepted a deal to write a 10-page story for the upcoming Marvel “Black Panther” spin-off comic series. Ta-Nehisi Coates, writer for The Atlantic and author of “Between the World and Me,”...
Q&A: James Beard award winning chef Bryant Terry talks food politics, eating healthy in college and veganism
By Brady Langmann / Staff Writer
August 21, 2016
Filed under Food & Drink
Growing up on a Tennessee farm — where family life centered around smallholding farming — San Francisco-area chef Bryant Terry’s grandfather told him, “If you have to rely on someone else to feed you, then you’re enslaved — you’re not truly free.” Terry, a 2015 James Beard Foundation Leadership A...
Time to put the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope to rest
By Alexa Bakalarski / Contributing Editor
August 20, 2016
Filed under Television
WARNING: SPOILERS The LGBTQ+ community has a history of tragic demises — in our own world and countless fictional ones. On television, the deaths of gay, lesbian and bisexual characters in particular have become known as the “Bury Your Gays” trope. According to AutoStraddle’s list “All 162 Dead Lesbian and Bisexual Characters on TV and How They Died,” the trope began with the death o...
Rowling almost jinxes herself with ‘Cursed Child’
By Alexa Bakalarski / Contributing Editor
August 20, 2016
Filed under Culture
With a floor-to-ceiling poster from “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1” in my bedroom, there’s no denying I’m a big Harry Potter fan. But I wasn’t sure if I was going to buy — or even read — “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” As I saw and read spoilers for the...
/mu/: 4chan’s best kept secret
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
August 20, 2016
Filed under Music
Described by Urban Dictionary as “a place of sheer genius and utter stupidity,” 4chan — the birthplace of memes — is known mostly to the few who already prowl and post anonymously on the site’s various imageboards. 4chan is home to nearly 70 boards devoted to topics ranging from manga and...
Red carpet already rolling for this year’s Oscar race
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
August 20, 2016
Filed under Movies
With the final act of the year about to begin, the cinematic world’s attention shifts from the swelter of another overcrowded — and, in 2016’s case, underwhelming — summer blockbuster spell to the festival circuit winners and Oscar bait looking to make their stamp on the awards race. At the...
Pokemon’s New Low: How ‘Pokemon Go’ stripped love from a series that raised a generation
By Matt Moret / Editor-in-Chief
August 20, 2016
Filed under Culture
Pokemon Go is the Tinder of video games, and I mean that in the worst sense possible. For all the talk of how much Pokemon Go has brought people together, the game leaves me feeling empty. I like standing in a circle with people on some dark sidewalk, rabidly swiping up on my phone for 20 minutes,...
The Bottle Shop on Fifth brings custom six packs to Oakland
By Stephen Caruso / Contributing Editor
August 16, 2016
Filed under Food & Drink
In my constant quest for pretentious foodie things, I’m usually left disappointed by Oakland’s beer shops. Between Pitt’s Doggin’ It, Mellinger Beer Distribution Inc. and the Original Hot Dog Shop, there are plenty of places to get beer — good beers even — but none of these places allow me...
Fall Concert Preview
By TPN Staff
August 16, 2016
Filed under Music
Stephen Caruso / Contributing Editor Atmosphere — Nov. 18, Stage AE Rap fans have a lot to look forward to as Slug and his producer Ant, the duo out of Minnesota, tour this fall to support their newest album, “Fishing Blues.” Their ninth together, the huge selection of tracks put Slug and...
Pittsburgh Museum Guide
By TPN Staff
August 16, 2016
Filed under Art
Lexi Kennell / Staff Writer Carnegie Museum of Art With multiple exhibits in circulation, it’s hard not to spend hours soaking up the original works of Claude Monet and Jean Dunand in the Carnegie Museum of Art. The Carnegie Museum of Art is located on Forbes Avenue, across the street and...
‘Pitt Tonight’ nominated for two college Emmy awards
By Brady Langmann / Contributing Editor
August 11, 2016
Filed under Campus, Culture, News, Television, Top Stories
Following a first season that included a live autopsy, an acapella battle, and an appearance by Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, campus talk show "Pitt Tonight" has another reason to be excited leading up to Season Two: A college Emmy nomination. Earlier this week, "Pitt Tonight" received two College...
The death of the summer movie
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
July 19, 2016
Filed under Movies
This summer may go down as one of the most disappointing in recent memory — and the start of a downward trend for Hollywood in many capacities. In the 21st century, we can’t always have the critical and commercial excitement of summer blockbusters like “The Dark Knight” or “The Avengers,”...
YG’s Trump protest is the song of the summer
By Matt Moret / Editor-in-Chief
July 19, 2016
Filed under Music
“Am I trippin’? Let me know / I thought all that Donald Trump b******t was a joke,” is the year’s most relatable rap line. Most songs with a claim to notoriety don’t come close to perfecting the mixture of political expression and thumping bass found on Compton rapper YG’s “FDT” —...
3 drinks and a dinner: TPN staff picks their favorite summer meal and beverages
By TPN Staff
July 19, 2016
Filed under Food & Drink
Stephen Caruso Gin and San Pellegrino I like my women like I like my drinks — chilly and with a bite. So, a gin and tonic is a staple. But as longer days and hotter weather rolls around, a touch of extra sweetness and citrus doesn’t hurt. For a refreshing summer drink, might I suggest swapping...
‘Ghostbusters’ reboot is more than just in the spirit of the original
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
July 19, 2016
Filed under Movies
I ain’t afraid of no girls. Who knew you could bust ghosts and be a lady? Definitely not the small, misogynistic army of internet commenters who have blasted the new film for remaking the ’80s classic with an all-female lead cast. So far they have harassed the stars, sent death threats to director Paul Feig, made the movie’s trailer the most disliked in YouTube history...
Diamonds in the rough: Neighborhood Flea hosts its second monthly market of the year
By Eric Acosta / Staff Writer
July 12, 2016
Filed under Culture
Just like the hidden jewels to be found within the tents of the Neighborhood Flea, the market is one of Pittsburgh’s buried gems. Between the warmer months of June and October, a pulsating pop-up marketplace calls the corner of 23rd Street and Penn Avenue in the Strip District its home. The Neighborhood...
Ease provides comforting array of dishes
By Stephen Caruso / Contributing Editor
July 12, 2016
Filed under Food & Drink
Comfort food is pretty simple to define as a college student — it’s a meal whose scent can only be described as nostalgic. For a restaurant to try to capture that feeling while only using, to quote Ease Modern Comfort Cuisine’s website, “high-end ingredients and fresh, local fare” is quite the...
Getting into character: Navigating Anthrocon 2016
By Lexi Kennell / Staff Writer
July 5, 2016
Filed under Culture
Having little to no prior knowledge of Furries, I strolled through a personal tour of Anthrocon 2016 with my mind open to the colorful and intricately designed animal suits around me. Anthrocon is a not-for-profit organization that hosts an annual Furry convention in Pittsburgh. The convention was...
Full Swing: JazzLive weekend overcomes heat and humidity with bumping performances
By Stephen Caruso / Contributing Editor
June 28, 2016
Filed under Music
For Kirk Palmer, defining jazz is pretty straight forward. “It's all about expressing yourself,” the Highland Park resident said, as the sound of keyboard, bass and saxophone swirled around him at the Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival. Organized by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, the...
AMC’s ‘Preacher’ is worth an hour a week
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
June 28, 2016
Filed under Television
Wait, is heaven in space? This is only one of the many questions you may have while watching an explosive new series about a small town facing some huge threats and the utterly persuasive power of religion. Developed by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and “Breaking Bad” writer Sam Catlin, “Preacher”...
Summer Nights: Murray Avenue’s Squirrel Hill Night Market
By Stephen Caruso / Contributing Editor
June 21, 2016
Filed under Culture
There was a time when most people knew Squirrel Hill simply as Pittsburgh’s Jewish neighborhood. While the occasional yamaka and kosher deli still remind visitors of that legacy, Saturday’s Squirrel Hill Night Market showed off the neighborhood’s new variety. Held on Murray Avenue from Forbes...
Words cut deep: Pitt co-sponsers “Celebrating Black Poetry”
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
June 21, 2016
Filed under Theater
Black poetry has a well-established home in Pittsburgh. The Kelly Strayhorn Theater hosted four poets on Sunday, June 19, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Cave Canem — Latin for “beware the dog” and pronounced “Kah-veh Kah-nem” — a nonprofit literary organization that highlights and...
Kesha caps off Pride in the Streets
By Lexi Kennell / Staff Writer
June 14, 2016
Filed under Music
Despite falling at the heart of a weekend plagued by tragedies and setbacks, Kesha’s Saturday night performance gave attendees of Pittsburgh PrideFest something worth celebrating. After waiting almost seven hours for Kesha to perform, many disappointed fans poured out of the stage area on Liberty...
Still where it’s at: Beck’s ‘Odelay’ turns 20
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
June 14, 2016
Filed under Music
The jigsaw jazz and get-fresh flow of “Odelay” has only improved with age. Two decades hasn’t been enough time for many people to fully make sense of Beck’s alphabet soup raps or absorb all the details of the Dust Brothers’ stellar production, which just gets fresher with each listen. The...
Soaking up Three Rivers: local artists and performers converge at annual Arts Festival
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
June 7, 2016
Filed under Art, Culture, Music
People huddled around a blocked-off street in front of a stage Downtown, clapping for a partially obscured performance. At the center was The Famtrons, a traveling break-dancing troupe of all black members in teal basketball shorts. The crew’s director was a charismatic leader who answered to the...
‘The Lobster’ leaves plenty to chew on
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
June 7, 2016
Filed under Movies
“The Lobster,” for all of its bizarre pleasures, is a film that in some ways defies proper analysis. After developing a curious reputation for itself since its Jury Prize win at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, “The Lobster” arrives to puzzle domestic audiences after A24 acquired its distribution...
Roaming free at OpenStreetsPGH
By Lexi Kennell / Staff Writer
May 31, 2016
Filed under Culture
Sunday morning, the streets of Pittsburgh were bustling with everything but cars. Bicyclists, unicyclists, dog walkers, runners, rollerbladers, musicians, monks and hula hoopers alike roamed the temporarily car-free streets of Pittsburgh for OpenStreetsPGH. OpenStreetsPGH kicked off its first event th...
‘Horace and Pete’: C.K.’s brilliant gamble pays off
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
May 31, 2016
Filed under Television, Uncategorized
If anyone is able to marry comedy and tragedy effectively, it’s Louis C.K., but never has he done it so deftly as with “Horace and Pete.” The exploration of family and human life through the ancestral owners of a century-old bar and their customers is the comedian’s boldest and most mature crea...
Banding together: Pitt-made music
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
May 31, 2016
Filed under Music, Specials / Newstudentguide2016
Four students, strapped with instruments, are shoved between a pair of speakers in the corner of a Bouquet Gardens apartment as a spectrum of colors stream from a strobe light. The crowd is stuffed into the rest of what would normally be the living room and kitchen — the first few rows listen in...
Leave them laughing: campus comedy grows
By Eric Acosta / Staff Writer
May 31, 2016
Filed under Culture, Specials / Newstudentguide2016
One of Pittsburgh’s most recent cultural transformations can be found in the city’s budding comedy scene. In just the past couple of years, comedy on campus and in the city at large has quickly morphed from a side attraction into the main event. On any given night, the practicing comedian can sho...
Staff picks: Oakland bites
By TPN Staff
May 31, 2016
Filed under Food & Drink, Specials / Newstudentguide2016
In a New York Times feature story earlier this year, writer Jeff Gordinier dubbed Pittsburgh’s burgeoning food scene a “cultural youthquake.” You might have heard that the Steel City — highlighted by an onslaught of quirky restaurants, including the Fairfield at the Ace Hotel in East Liberty an...
Going vegan your first year
By Lexi Kennell / Staff Writer
May 31, 2016
Filed under Food & Drink, Specials / Newstudentguide2016
After studying countless documentaries on animal agriculture, the environment and our bodies, I decided to make the leap to veganism. And I’m not the only one. A Vegetarian Resource Group study found that about 2.5 percent of Americans are vegan and the number is rising. Celebrities including El...
Hazelwood on the verge of change
By Nick Mullen / Staff Writer
May 31, 2016
Filed under Culture, Specials / Newstudentguide2016
A walk down Hazelwood’s Second Avenue gives off vibes of a changing neighborhood. Zipcars are parked in front of the neighborhood branch of the Carnegie Library, which was relocated in 2014 to a newly renovated building across from the shuttered Dimperio’s Market. Dimperio’s, one of the neigh...
Defining the college experience in three albums
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
May 31, 2016
Filed under Music, Specials / Newstudentguide2016
Whether it’s introspective headphone listening in a dark dorm room, or being knocked out by subwoofers at a loud party, music permeates college life. Though it frequently surrounds us, music is only truly rewarding when it validates our emotions and shortens the bridge of empathy between friends and stra...
Staff picks: finding the city’s best music venues
By TPN Staff
May 31, 2016
Filed under Music, Specials / Newstudentguide2016
Pittsburgh attracts a variety of bands and musicians — from acts touring on a global scale to the nearby talent of its thriving independent music scene. We know you’ve heard about Queen Bey and the Biebs making stops in the Steel City this summer, but living in a mid-sized city means even your f...
First 3 Rivers Screenwriting Conference held Downtown
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
May 24, 2016
Local and national screenwriting talent collided in Downtown Pittsburgh this past weekend. Spearheaded by director and founder Cathy Rescher, the three-day inaugural 3 Rivers Screenwriting Conference was held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center Friday, May 20, through Sunday, May 22. Resche...
B52: vegan cafe boasts ample options
By Megan Bray / Staff Writer
May 24, 2016
Filed under Culture, Food & Drink
Around 8:30 a.m., B52 Cafe, Lawrenceville’s newest vegan cafe, was still relatively empty. I began the excursion with a half pot of their green tea, brewed fresh and served in a stainless steel pot. The tea was quite bitter, so I asked for honey — forgetting that it is an animal byproduct — b...
An ode to ‘Pet Sounds’: the enduring genius of Brian Wilson
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
May 17, 2016
Before The Beatles truly blossomed, The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” represented one of the most seismic shifts in the rapidly evolving landscape of popular music during the latter half of the ’60s. Brian Wilson’s magnum opus turned 50 years old May 16, and the record remains a remarkable lis...
‘A Bigger Splash’ rides wave of passion
By Nick Mullen / Staff Writer
May 17, 2016
Filed under Movies
After a year of cycling through international festivals, Italian director Luca Guadagnino’s English-language “A Bigger Splash” has made its way to American theaters. As a dialogue-laden, lengthy slow-burner, “A Bigger Splash” relies heavily on quietly mounted suspense and intense character study. ...
Schenley Park hosts 3rd annual Pittonkatonk brass music festival and picnic
By Lexi Kennell / Staff Writer
May 10, 2016
Filed under Culture
Performing for a colorful sea of people splayed out on patchwork picnic blankets, national and local brass bands had people dancing and sweating into the night this Saturday. The annual, free Pittonkatonk 2016: A May Day Brass Barbecue featured 12 bands and 150 performers at the Vietnam Veterans Pavilio...
Marvel v DC: the battle for the multiplex
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
May 10, 2016
Eight years after “Iron Man” set the stage — and perfected Marvel’s new brand — Disney’s unprecedented superhero franchise is still running like clockwork. Disney released the 13th entry in its hugely popular canon, “Captain America: Civil War,” last Friday to universal praise and a ...
Radiohead makes strong return with “A Moon Shaped Pool”
By Ian Flanagan / Culture Editor
May 10, 2016
Filed under 2. Featured, Culture, Music
England’s most perplexing rock band has finally broken its five-year silence, returning to the same hallmark glumness, lyrical oddity and eerie musicality that make up Radiohead. After its members went their separate ways for various solo works and collaborations, Radiohead came together again to ...
Black art matters: Pitt founds center on black poetry
By Amanda Reed / Staff Writer
April 25, 2016
With the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics, Dawn Lundy Martin wants to make Pitt the place people go to study black poetry. “We want to help to really put that MFA program on the map so that if you’re a black poet, the very first place that you would apply to and your top choice wo...
Pitt Tonight performs season finale
By Noah Coco / Staff Writer
April 22, 2016
Filed under Campus, Culture, News, Television
Most Pitt students remember Mr. McFeely from “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” as the delivery man, but few expected to see him sink his first shot in “Pitt Tonight Pong” Thursday night. David Newell, the actor who portrayed Mr. McFeely, appeared on Pitt Tonight’s fifth and final episode at 8 p...
Tales from Morocco: School Days
By Elaina Zachos / staff writer
April 20, 2016
Filed under Culture
“Tales from Morocco” is a reoccurring column on reporter Elaina Zachos’ semester studying culture, tradition and daily life in the North African nation. How did I spend my spring break? In class. Late last month, we took a break from our urban lives in Rabat, Morocco, and traded them in for a few d...
Kanye’s jest?: the revised ‘Life of Pablo’
By Nick Mullen / staff writer
April 20, 2016
Hip-hop’s most obsessive artist might be getting too finicky for his own good. When Kanye West released his new album, “The Life of Pablo,” on Apple Music, Spotify and other streaming services on April 1, he brought along some revisions. The album was initially released as a TIDAL exclusive, ...
All work, one play: Redeye Film Festival
By Noah Coco / Staff Writer
April 18, 2016
Filed under Art, Culture, Theater
Not all passion projects last 24 hours, but they do for students participating in Pitt’s Redeye Theatre Project. Twenty-nine students participated in the Redeye Theatre Project, a 24-hour theater festival where students work as playwrights, directors or actors. The project kicked off at 8 p.m. Fr...
Parquet Courts get spirits high
By Sarah Schneider / Staff Writer
April 18, 2016
The only audience member who could have been bored at Parquet Courts’ show in Spirit Hall Sunday night was the baby wearing noise-canceling headphones. Despite one of the band members, singer-guitarist Andrew Savage, suffering from the flu, Parquet Courts inspired mosh pitting and stage diving at its...
Culture staff interprets carbonated cameos
By Culture Staff
April 15, 2016
Filed under Beer Edition 2016, Culture, Food & Drink, Movies, Specials
If you are what you eat, movies are what they advertise. No matter how hard you groan or laugh, there’s no getting around product placement — but some movies do it better than others. In celebration of product placement and our annual beer appreciation edition, The Pitt News recalled some of our favor...
Warhol welcomes Mali rockers Songhoy Blues
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
April 13, 2016
Despite escaping violent oppression in the band’s native Mali, Songhoy Blues doesn’t make mournful music. The Andy Warhol Museum hosted the Mali blues band, Songhoy Blues, Tuesday night as part of its Sound Series, bringing a slice of Mali rock ’n’ roll to the Steel City. Songhoy Blues has...
Linklater’s latest his funniest yet
By Ian Flanagan / Staff Writer
April 13, 2016
Not many films that demand serious thought have exclamation points in their titles, but “Everybody Wants Some!!” earns that right. Director Richard Linklater’s spiritual sequel to “Dazed and Confused” is like a perfected “Animal House.” Though “Everybody Wants Some” depicts the revelry o...
What not to miss on campus this week
By Jack Trainor / Culture Editor
April 11, 2016
Filed under Art, Culture, Movies, Theater
Donald Trump’s Wednesday visit may be grabbing all the local headlines, but his isn’t the only event worth noting this week. The second to last week of class doesn’t usually garner the same amount of excitement as the last, but it’s hard not to get excited, as this week offers, among other events, an Acad...
Bill Nye charms student audience
By Lexi Kennell / Staff Writer
April 11, 2016
Filed under Culture, Television
Capping a lecture that transported audience members back to the third grade, Bill Nye tied his signature bow tie on stage, prompting a standing ovation from the audience. Nye rose to fame in elementary school science classes around the country in PBS and Disney’s “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” which r...
Unlikely allies: ‘Spider-Man’, ‘Deadpool’ redefine a genre
By Jack Trainor / Culture Editor
April 6, 2016
If "Deadpool" can see, it is because it stands on the shoulders of a web-head. It’s hard to think of anyone more deserving than Ryan Reynolds for delivering us this year’s massively successful “Deadpool.” The film has not only inspired a rapid industry rethinking of what superhero movies can be...
Tales from Morocco: on the march
By Elaina Zachos / Staff Writer
April 6, 2016
Filed under Culture
“Tales from Morocco” is a reoccurring column on reporter Elaina Zachos’ semester studying culture, tradition and daily life in the North African nation. Nothing wakes you up faster than the roar of national pride. From the air, the Centre Ville in Rabat, Morocco, is a sea of red and...
Weezer extends hot streak with ‘White Album’
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
April 4, 2016
What Bob Dylan is to protest songs, Rivers Cuomo is to lovesick ballads. Weezer’s fourth self-titled album, nicknamed “The White Album,” is just as inspired as their first comeback, 2015’s “Everything Will Be Alright in the End,” which followed 2010’s forgettable “Hurley.” But whe...
In defense of ‘The Walking Dead’ season six finale
By Jack Trainor / Culture Editor
April 4, 2016
Filed under Culture, Television
Across the Internet, fans of the comic and show alike are howling in distress over the season finale of “The Walking Dead” Sunday night, when the show brutally killed off a character — then hid their identity. Some critics have even vowed to stop reviewing the show. While “The Walking Dead” has ...
Wolf proposes funding for Kanye West
By Nick Mullen | Staff Writer
April 1, 2016
After calling on the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Page for help with his $53 million in personal debt, Kanye West is looking to an unlikely source for funding: Gov. Tom Wolf. The Republican-controlled state legislature refused to pass Wolf’s original budget, which contained a multi-billion dollar tax...
Tall order: Pitt adds another Starbucks on top of Cathedral
By Matt Maielli | Staff Writer
April 1, 2016
The University announced plans Thursday morning to construct a new Starbucks franchise on the top floor of the Cathedral of Learning. This will be the 20th Starbucks within a square mile of the University campus, including campus-affiliated and non-affiliated local chains. Construction will begin for the...
Baldwin lends voice to city
By Jack Trainor | Culture Editor
April 1, 2016
Filed under Culture, Movies, Television
Alec Baldwin announced yesterday he is making a considerable donation to the University of Pittsburgh — his voice. The “30 Rock” actor said after he performs with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on April 16, he will then record new audible crossing signals at intersections throughout Oakland a...
Divided ‘Demolition’ can’t put self back together
By Tarun Sathish / Staff Writer
March 30, 2016
Sometimes fixing something means taking it apart and putting it back together again. That’s the driving mantra behind “Demolition,” director Jean-Marc Vallée’s third film following acclaimed projects “Dallas Buyers Club” and “Wild.” Following the personal struggles Vallée’s la...
The meaning of life: math and literature collide in new play
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
March 30, 2016
Turns out “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” might have been on to something. While the meaning of life might not in fact be the number 42, a new play at the Henry Heymann Theater suggests literature scholars and math nerds can learn a lot from each other. “The Mathematics of Being Huma...
Sojourning exhibit shares LGBTQ+ journeys
By Jack Shelly / Staff Writer
March 23, 2016
A new exhibit is flipping the script on LGBTQ+ awareness — letters and photos of encouragement will come not from the accepted, but from the accepting. The exhibit, titled “Acceptance Journeys Pittsburgh,” is on display around campus, with two to four narratives stopping in Posvar Hall, Parran Hall...
‘Batman v Superman’ a decrepit endurance contest
By Alec Davis / for The Pitt News
March 23, 2016
Superman may be faster than a speeding bullet, but he’s having trouble outrunning Zack Snyder’s pacing issues. After 2013’s “Man of Steel” earned flack for its grim, self-serious take on Superman — who’s admittedly tougher to drag into the shadows than Batman — Snyder returns with its sequ...
Tales from Morocco: navigating the desert
By Elaina Zachos / Staff Writer
March 21, 2016
Filed under Culture
“Tales from Morocco” is a reoccurring column on reporter Elaina Zachos’ semester studying culture, tradition and daily life in the North African nation. These days, I don’t ride the 71C — I ride camels. Last month, my study abroad program took journalism students from seaside Rabat, Morocc...
Conversation spoils dinner, not thought in ‘Disgraced’
By Madeline Franke / for The Pitt News
March 21, 2016
What’s the difference between living in America and being American? Ayad Akhtar’s 2013 Pulitzer Prize winning play “Disgraced,” which debuted at Pittsburgh Public Theater March 10, and runs through April 10, breaks down the complexities behind citizens’ dual identities. The one-act play, ...
Reexamining humanities’ role
By Rio Maropis / Staff Writer
March 16, 2016
What it means to be a human doesn’t warrant a black-and-white response. Monday’s “Poetry and Race: How the Humanities Engage with Social Problems” will highlight this theme by examining how African-American poetry engages with contemporary social issues, like police violence. As part of Pi...
‘Fences’ finds fresh audience at staged reading
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
March 16, 2016
The title of August Wilson’s “Fences” might sound like a dividing play, but Wednesday afternoon it united an auditorium full of people. Visiting anthropology professor Philip Kao’s Intro to Cultural Anthropology class hosted a two-day “Fences” excerpt reading, which drew about 70 students an...
Radiating beauty bears warning: exhibit at Pitt cautions of nuclear hazards
By Noah Coco / Staff Writer
March 14, 2016
Although the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster occurred on the other side of the world, photographer Morizumi Takashi is bringing the fallout close to home. An ethereal beauty spills out from Takashi’s photographs of radiation-poisoned objects, but hidden beneath the visual allure is...
’10 Cloverfield Lane’ a secretive success
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
March 14, 2016
Ever since January’s surprise trailer release, “Cloverfield” fans have been pining to know what, exactly, does “10 Cloverfield Lane” have to do with the original? The answer: basically nothing— but that’s not a criticism, just fact. After a car accident leaves her unconscious, Michelle (...
Tales from Morocco: TPN abroad
By Elaina Zachos / Staff Writer
March 2, 2016
Filed under Culture
In the pre-colonial pocket of modern Rabat, the walls of the Moroccan city’s Old Medina weave between slippery stone streets. Doors of varying heights, colors and sizes decorate these corridors, concealing homes within. The pathways corral the mangy, scrappy cats rummaging through trash and roami...
“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” presents confounding take on war
By Jack Shelly / Staff Writer
March 2, 2016
As I walked out of “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” I realized I still had absolutely no idea what the title meant. The film, a close adaptation of war correspondent Kim Barker’s 2011 comedic war correspondant memoir “The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” starsTina Fey — ...
Rock solid: host’s comments on diversity outshined awards at Oscars ceremony
By Britnee Meiser / Staff Writer
February 29, 2016
Sunday night’s 88th annual Academy Awards ceremony was a night of firsts. Industry professionals started the ceremony’s first boycott over the #OscarsSoWhite controversy — which host Chris Rock returned to again and again throughout the night. The academy also nominated a woman for adapting he...
‘Fuller House’ overcrowded
By Sarah Schneider / for The Pitt News
February 29, 2016
Filed under Culture, Television
Returning to the Tanner’s is like going to grandma’s house — not much has changed, and everyone’s a little older. With “Full House’s” 1995 conclusion, watching the family-friendly show’s reruns became a beloved pastime across America. But Netflix’s “Fuller House” quickly prov...
@NihilistOakland finds meaning in Oakland life
By Annabelle Hanflig / Staff Writer
February 25, 2016
Forbes Digital Plaza is every bit as mysterious as it is flashy. The square’s meagerly lit screens, oddly placed Top 40 hits coming from nowhere and seemingly defunct, blank screens — despite opening last November — is a target for pointing fingers as a waste of money. The absurdity of the situat...
No backup for “Triple 9”
By Tarun Sathish / Staff Writer
February 25, 2016
What happens when you have to kill the only person who has your back? This might be the only intriguing question director John Hillcoat’s “Triple 9” asks as the latest cops-and-robbers flick, but with a slight twist that ends up pitting a police officer against his partner. When executed we...
Pitt to screen acclaimed documentary
By Lexi Kennell / for The Pitt News
February 22, 2016
Not all tragedies end in misery. “Here One Day,” a documentary that follows one family coping with a mother’s suicide, offers hope and a positive message negating the stigma surrounding mental illness. The award-winning documentary will make its Pittsburgh premiere in the William Pitt Union Wednesday, Fe...
‘Eddie’ sails to mediocrity
By Ian Flanagan / Staff Writer
February 22, 2016
Despite its quirky hero threatening to flop the film, “Eddie the Eagle” is the latest true-life Olympic sports drama to dare for an Icarian flight. Following the likes of last week’s Jesse Owens biopic “Race,” “Eddie the Eagle” carves out its individual setting and dramatic structure, b...
Paperback writers: new Pitt course turns students into authors
By Sarah Schneider / for The Pitt News
February 18, 2016
Katelyn Prosachik’s dream growing up was to be a government spy — but while that dream hasn’t materialized in real life, a Pitt class is keeping her fantasy alive. Prosachik is writing a novel about a fictitious 17-year-old version of herself, a teenaged federal government-recruited spy. “Th...
Ivory cast: Pitt theater debuts “Rhinoceros”
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
February 18, 2016
Even the most outlandish trends, be it political ideology or viral internet meme, can generate a following — even rhinoceroses. Tonight, Pitt’s theater department will put that theory into practice in its debut production of French playwright Eugéne Ionesco’s “Rhinoceros,” which runs fr...
“Pablo” unites divided Kanye
By Nick Mullen / Staff Writer
February 15, 2016
I consider myself a Kanye West apologist. When stories of Kanye’s antics — read: the “BILL COSBY INNOCENT !!!!!!!!!!” tweet — pervade the news, I’m jump to defend him, citing his artistry and creative talent. Besides, Kanye West’s music and his public persona have historically been at odds wi...
Talk artsy to me: Creatives Drink unites creative types for free booze, conversation
By Brian Murray / for The Pitt News
February 15, 2016
Filed under Art, Culture, Food & Drink
Two Pittsburgh photographers are offering free alcohol in exchange for a chat and some creativity. Cody Baker and Chancelor Humphrey draw Pittsburgh’s cultural and artistic community together under one roof to promote collaboration during their three-hour schmooze fests, called “Creatives Drink.” O...
Dubnik falls in Jeopardy final
By Amanda Reed / Staff Writer
February 14, 2016
Filed under Culture, Puzzles, Television
Although she didn’t win the $100,000 grand prize in the “Jeopardy!” College Championship finals Friday night, Sarah Dubnik walked away with bragging rights and enough money to travel wherever she pleases. The Pitt senior chemistry and computer science major finished third in the competition, winni...
Rewriting the love story
By Michelle Reagle / Contributing Editor
February 12, 2016
Filed under Culture
When asked to name the last thing I read, I usually internally debate whether I should answer with the book I read three months ago or the 42,000-word fanfiction I read last night. But I get funny looks when I opt for the latter. For those outside of Internet fan culture, fanfiction repurposes...
Debunking Hillman’s dirtiest secret
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
February 12, 2016
Filed under Culture, Puzzles, Television
Playboy Magazine once ranked Hillman Library’s first floor as one of the best places in the country to meet women. Fact or fiction? Urban legends already hold a special place in our culture — Bigfoot, Goatman, Johnny Appleseed — but how does something that is published become an urban legend? Like a ...
Grind your own business: a horror story
By Jack Shelly / Staff Writer
February 12, 2016
Filed under Culture
I once went on a job interview that was advertised on a gay sex app. That might sound strange, especially if you’re not familiar with a little app called Grindr. But hear me out. Much more than the “gay Tinder,” Grindr is a microcosm of the gay male world. For better or for worse, the gay men...
‘The Bachelor’ out of touch with modern love
By Tarun Sathish / Staff Writer
February 12, 2016
Filed under Culture, Television
For a show running 20 seasons and counting, “The Bachelor” still doesn’t get modern dating. The show, in which one enticing man whittles 20 women down to just one, and vice versa for “The Bachelorette,” takes participants on dates only millionaires could afford in exquisite and exotic lo...
Who is, ‘Sarah Dubnik’? Pitt student reaches final in ‘Jeopardy’ competition
By Amanda Reed / Staff Writer
February 10, 2016
Filed under 2. Featured, Culture, Puzzles, Television
Sarah Dubnik is frustrated at what transpires before her. “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek queries contestants of the show’s annual College Championship semifinal round: “The [Nobel] Peace prize went to the National Dialogue Quartet of this North African country,” for $1,600. As the cont...
‘Zombies’ resurrects Austen classic
By Britnee Meiser / Staff Writer
February 10, 2016
If suitors were intimidated by Elizabeth Bennet before, imagine her with a sword. Balancing Victorian romance and the zombie apocalypse, “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” is a fast-paced, surprisingly funny genre clash. Based on Seth Grahame-Smith’s 2009 best-selling novel that pulls directly...
Daily Dubnik: Pitt senior to compete in college ‘Jeopardy!’ semifinal Wednesday
By Jack Trainor / Culture Editor
February 8, 2016
Filed under Culture, Puzzles, Television
Who: Pitt senior Sarah Dubnik What: Competing in the Jeopardy! College Championship semifinals Where: NBC When: Wednesday Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. Why: Dubnik was one of the semifinal round’s two highest point-earners after the five regular-game winners at $14,801. She will take on North Carolina State’s ...
Fun-A-Day returns to Pittsburgh for ninth year
By Britnee Meiser / Staff Writer
February 8, 2016
A creative idea and the drive to get it done — that’s all it takes to exhibit artwork in Fun-a-Day, a national event with a loyal Pittsburgh following. Fun-a-Day, a volunteer-run concept that started in Philadelphia 12 years ago, has spread to cities all across America as an event focused more on the pro...
A fortunate turn of events: Netflix will give series new life
By Meghan Bray / Staff Writer
February 8, 2016
Filed under Culture, Television
Fans of “A Series of Unfortunate Events” have reason to believe their misfortune is over. After a less-than-satisfying 2004 film adaptation, the Baudelaire orphans might finally return to relevancy via Netflix, which is releasing an episodic series of the narrative in August. The dark children’s...
Q&A: Yancy balances work and play
By Lexi Kennell / for The Pitt News
February 4, 2016
In between working as a non-profit hero in a children’s hospital and writing fiction, modern day Clark Kent, Melissa Yancy, became this year’s recipient of the Drue Heinz Literature Prize. As a result, the University of Pittsburgh Press will publish Los Angeles resident Yancy’s manuscript “Dog Yea...
Chasing the Greene: Pitt student has rapping aspirations
By Annabelle Hanflig / Staff Writer
February 4, 2016
Kenny Greene is a sophomore finance and economics major, but he would drop school in a second if it meant getting his big break. “If anything, I could see music not only substituting college but [a typical career],” Greene said. “Plan B is to take [my major] and use it out in the world and mak...
Garner, Glaser honored with exhibit
By Noah Coco / for The Pitt News
February 3, 2016
Filed under Art, Culture, Music
Just as Jackie Robinson had Branch Rickey, Pittsburgh native and jazz pianist Erroll Garner had Martha Glaser. The University will unveil a display in the William Pitt Union today that showcases jazz memorabilia featuring Garner and Glaser, his manager and a civil rights champion. The memorabilia...
‘Caesar’ pales in comparison to past Coen bros’ films
By Tarun Sathish / Staff Writer
February 3, 2016
Take a look in the mirror, Hollywood — you might not like what you see. That’s the sentiment behind the Coen brothers’ latest film, “Hail, Caesar!,” which follows Eddie Mannix — a slim, mustachioed and suited Josh Brolin — as a major Hollywood studio “fixer.” His job is to make sure...
Laser turns in stunning debut
By Jack Trainor / Culture Editor
February 1, 2016
Toronto indie-rock supergroup Broken Social Scene’s four-year hiatus hasn’t kept its 20-plus members quiet. Now, it’s singer Lisa Lobsinger’s turn to break out. Since the band quietly dissolved after 2010’s brilliant “Forgiveness Rock Record,” many of the band’s 20-plus members have...
Bee joins late night, Stewart club
By Matt Maielli / Staff Writer
February 1, 2016
Samantha Bee may become the first woman in late-night television this week, but she’s also extending the genre’s latest trend — emulating Jon Stewart. While the state of late-night talk shows is unsurprising, what is surprising is that almost half of all late night talk shows lead back to one man: Stewart. He left a void in comedy and journalism with his departure from “The Daily Show,” but his influence on televis...