The staff in our office has always been largely female (roughly a 3:1 ratio) and while that has mostly been for the good, we always knew it might come back to haunt us one day. That day has come. Shine America, the production company behind critically acclaimed scripted shows (The Office, Ugly Betty), reality TV hits (The Biggest Loser, Nashville Star) and, well, other things (MTV's Date My Mom, that short-lived American Gladiators reboot), is now looking to the biggest little for its latest reality TV inspiration. They're currently seeking male business owners for what is sure to be the thinking guido's answer to Jersey Shore: the soon-to-be-a-pop-culture-phenomenon Rhode Island Boys. According to the casting call, Shine America "has a fascination with Rhode Island's small businesses," and they're looking for male-owned businesses with predominantly male employees — which means our moment in the harsh, unflattering spotlight of reality TV will have to wait. However, we promise the fine folks at Shine America that if they'll reconsider maybe doing Rhode Island Boys and Girls, we'll deliver all the cussing, petty infighting, drunken tantrums, on-camera meltdowns and delusions of self-importance they could ever possibly hope for. In the meantime, if you think your business fits the bill, contact LDI Casting for more details.More
This Sunday, after you've given most of your Saturday over to margaritas and mint juleps, make up for it by getting out on the Boulevard to promote healthy lifestyles. Shape Up RI and the India Association of RI are hosting their annual 5k walk/run on Blackstone Boulevard on May 6 at 1pm. The event goes off rain or shine, so gather at Lippitt Park, where Blackstone meets Hope Street, to register. The first 100 people to do so will receive free Shape Up RI pedometers. There will also be fresh fruit, healthy snacks and, of course, plenty of water. Check Shape Up RI's website for more info.More
Reality television is so much better when you have someone local to root for. You've seen Sabrina Blaze's sequined fabulousness downtown at the Dark Lady (where she hosts Tuesday night karaoke) and performing in her one-woman cabaret act at Theatre by the Sea in Matunuck (which is returning this summer for another season). Now you'll be able to see her on RuPaul's Drag Race — that is, if you vote her on the show. One vote per person per day. Let's show her some PVD love. Click here to vote.More
Who can forget all the buzz last summer regarding a movie being filmed in our area starring powerhouse celebrities Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton and Tilda Swinton? The time has finally come to see our beloved state and its beautiful scenery up on the big screen in acclaimed director Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom. The film is set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965 and tells the story of two 12-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact and run away together in the wilderness. You may have heard rumors of Bruce Willis and Bill Murray spottings at Tiverton’s Standish Boatyard. (The boatyard was just one of the many staging areas for the film.) The Hollywood stars were said to have been very friendly and down to earth. Be sure to look for the much-anticipated motion picture, set to premiere as the opening film of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival on May 16. It’s scheduled for an American release on May 25.More
Did you know that May is National Bike Month? Whether you commute to work or school on your bike, or ride for distance and endurance, you should know the basics of bike maintenance: how to lube a chain, fix a flat tire and make other minor adjustments. Cranston REI is offering a free Bike Maintenance Basics class on Tuesday, May 22 from 6:30 to 7:30pm. It is open to all, but space is limited, so call ahead to reserve your place. 22 Chapel View Boulevard, Cranston. 275-5250, rei. com/cranston. (For more information about National Bike Month events in Rhode Island, go to ribike.org.)
Rhode Runner has moved to a bigger space and is now located at 657 North Main Street in Providence. The store is hosting yoga classes in its new community room on Mondays and Fridays from 5:30pm to 6:30pm. Improve your flexibility for running – or just in general – with instructor Jenn Vargas, who teaches poses focused mainly on stretching. The cost is $6/class or $20/ month. Reserve your spot by leaving a comment on Rhode Runner’s Facebook wall, calling the store or stopping by. 831-6346, rhoderunner.com.More
As a conspicuously tattooed gal, I feel qualified to make this assertion: most moderately to heavily tattooed individuals are loyal to one shop. For all extensive purposes, “moderately” will describe those who can no longer count their tattoos and “heavily” shall describe all whom appear to disappear when placed in front of a graffiti laden wall. (I don’t yet vanish – at least I don’t think I do – but I have long since lost count.)
And yes, while I’m loyal to one PVD shop in particular, I have much respect for many of my friends that tattoo at shops throughout the city. You can meet some of the cool cats under whose skilled - and steady - hands I placed my trusting, (then) bare skin next weekend at the Rhode Island Tattoo Convention. It’s a three-day affair, running Friday April 27 to Sunday April 29.
I’ll see you there. You may or may not “see” me, however. That all depends on which wall I’ll be standing by.
These days if you've got a fun, cool or creative idea, but don't have the funds to make it happen, Kickstarter is the way to go. The crowd funding platform allows artists and entrepreneurs with big ideas and small bank accounts to bundle lots of small pledges into one fundraising goal to get the seed money needed for their projects. It's simple: tell people about your project, set a goal, offer incentives, and if you hit that goal the money's yours.
Several local projects have already come to fruition after being Kickstarted, including Gallery Z's ArtMobile, the fourth annual Providence Honk Festival, designer Nicole Lebreux's debut fashion show at StyleWeek Providence, Fertile Underground Grocery, the Providence Juice Company truck, and the queer art publication Headmaster. It seems, however, that we're approaching Kickstarter overload, as now every hairbrained scheme, stoner fantasy, fever dream and daft impulse is panhandling for your hard-earned dollars, its creator offering to personally deliver your screen-printed, individually numbered gatefold vinyl album on rollerskates or give you a Fair Trade, organic lapdance if you'll just cough up, like, $40.
So how do we separate the wheat from the chaff, other than with my new Kickstarter project to separate wheat from chaff? ($100 gets you a pound of wheat and a handwritten thank-you note!) Well, perhaps it's invevitable that a glut of low-quality imitators and bottom-feeders would dilute the pool of funding and make it that much harder for the worthwhile projects to really stand out, but at least in this case we can trust the free market to prevail. Good projects will attract donations, and bad projects will... well, apparently they'll attract donations too. But hey, if you want to bestow your largesse on a copper vase, shrieking musical instruments for an opera about fairies, science fiction novels with low self-expectations, or tracksuits inspired by a dream that Missy Elliott was president of the United …More
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go out on a date with one of the editors of your favorite magazine? Well, unfortunately the editors at Cat Fancy are currently spoken for, but one of our editors is available — and for a good cause, too. Tonight you can stop by McFadden's at 7:30 to meet the lovely and talented Erin Swanson, chat with her, maybe offer to buy her a drink, and then get into a bidding war with that meathead down the other end of the bar as you both vie for her affections by donating money to charity. Yes, Erin, ever the good sport, has agreed to auction herself off to help Children's Wishes raise money to make sick children's dreams come true as part of the organization's third annual Dream Date Auction. Tickets are only $10, and you get the chance to bid on Erin, as well as a number of other sassy ladies and dapper gentlemen. Last year's auction raised over $7000 to fulfill the wishes of deserving children. And maybe you'll get to fulfill your wish of dating a sexy magazine editor. Oh, all that hot talk about dangling participles and assonance...More
Imagine our surprise when these sweet cupcakes arrived at our office this morning. Clearly, someone at the newly renamed Big Blue Bug Solutions, formerly New England Pest Control, knows that the best way to get our attention is with food. It seems like the name change was inevitable, given the fact that their mascot, the famed "big blue bug" Nibbles Woodaway, is one of the best-known and most iconic corporate symbols in New England. We wish them luck with the name change, and thanks for the sweet treat (from the also iconic Wrights Dairy Farm, no less).More
Giada DeLaurentiis came to town on Friday, March 30, and, for a huge fan like me, it was better than Christmas. She was signing copies and promoting her new cookbook, Weeknights With Giada, at Dave's Marketplace in The Crossing at Smithfield. The book signing took place at 4pm, and I had initially (and very naively) planned to arrive at 3:30. Luckily, I was informed that previous celebrity chef book signings at Dave's (which have included Mario Batali) had fans lining up at 8am, so if I had any intentions of getting a signed copy, I had better get there early. By the time I arrived at 2pm, the line was indeed significantly long. The very first group of women in line informed me that they been there since (sure enough) 8am.
In all the excitement of seeing Giada, I realized I had forgotten to bring a lunch to eat while I waited in line for two-plus hours and ... panic ensued. Well, I was glad I forgot, because Dave's makes an entire event out of these book signings. They try and make the long wait as enjoyable as possible for those standing in line, and enjoyable it was. Samples were passed out to everyone waiting in line, which included (my favorite) cheese from Narragansett Creamery, Butternut Squash & Cheese Ravioli, and these scrumptious little salmon cakes. Needless to say, I certainly had my fill of yummy passed appetizers. A raffle was drawn for Dave's gift cards. Time went by pretty quickly as I chatted with my fellow Giada loving comrades and wondered if every car that drove past me was her.
Finally, she arrived. Although I swore to myself I was not going to freak out and sweat profusely like my mother did the day she met Kevin Bacon on the Today Show, I totally had the same reaction. The line flew by as we entered the store, and soon enough, there I was standing right in front of her. As she signed my copy of her book, I muttered, "Eh, eh, I love you! Eh, eh, my whole family loves you!" to which she replied, "I hope you enjoy the book." From the …More