PORTLAND

Is there 'hope' in Hollywood?
Three controversial (and sure to be Oscar-nominated) films tackle race in the age of Obama - BY PETER KEOUGH

Trying times for Obama

Tough times for the nation
It was only a matter of time before President Barack Obama turned into a deficit hawk. But it is a measure of the desperation sparked by Scott Brown's election to Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat that Obama hatched before the conclusion of the 2010 congressional elections and unveiled a spending freeze.

By EDITORIAL | January 27, 2010

Jane Austen + Grinder Girl

Balls, Pucks, and Monster Trucks
Occasionally, my editor would remind me that I have written about balls and pucks, but never monster trucks.

By RICK WORMWOOD | January 27, 2010

Don't be chicken

Dig right in at Binga's Stadium
Last year was a weird one for chicken wings.

By BRIAN DUFF | January 27, 2010

Finding her voice

An ex-con, a village, an opera
"There is a balm in Gilead," an old African-American spiritual has it, and sure enough, Percy Talbott (Kelly Caufield) finds that balm.

By MEGAN GRUMBLING | January 27, 2010

Hedonism at its best

Absurdist mirth and wonder in Ubu Roi
In 1888, a 15-year-old French kid and a couple of his buddies wrote a script, modeling its gross and laughable anti-hero on a school teacher whom they had it in for.

By MEGAN GRUMBLING | January 27, 2010

Power of place

Exploring a New England ghost town in person, and on the page
I'd arranged the trip (Dogtown is about an hour and a half south of Portland) because I was planning to write about Elyssa East's new book, Dogtown: Death and Enchantment in a New England Ghost Town.

By DEIRDRE FULTON | January 29, 2010

An idyll examined

Frederick Wiseman's four-hour, 1999 documentary about Belfast, Maine
After 36 films and more than 40 years of filmmaking, Frederick Wiseman has probably come as close as any director to capturing this American life in all its breadth and nuance.

By CHRISTOPHER GRAY | January 27, 2010

Woe be gone

Moshe and Brzowski revel in the sacred and profane
Moshe and Brzowski revel in the sacred and profane

By SAM PFEIFLE | January 27, 2010

Portland Symphony Orchestra

Music Seen
At January 24, Merrill Auditorium

By CHRISTOPHER GRAY | January 27, 2010

Half-century

Highlights of Colby's collection
The big 50th-anniversary exhibition at the Colby College Museum of Art has only about a month left of its eight-month run, so it seems like a good time to revisit this sprawling and worthwhile show.

By KEN GREENLEAF | January 27, 2010

Starting to clear Maine’s broadband backlog

Mapping the Internet
The biggest obstacle between Mainers and more, better, faster broadband Internet access is actually a very basic one: there's a lack of information about what kind of Internet service is already available where.

By JEFF INGLIS | January 27, 2010

What if John McCain had become president?

Idiot Box
Straight talk takes time

By MATT BORS | January 29, 2010

Bus fares set to climb

Transport Watch
A quick primer on local bus fares and ridership, and whether (and how) to raise those numbers.

By DEIRDRE FULTON | January 27, 2010

Brave new Raw Era

Sibilance
If you’re looking for an heir apparent to Pam Baker and Maine’s female keeper of the blues flame, Megan Bayra might not be a bad pick.

By PORTLAND PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | January 27, 2010

Second choice

The ills of instant-runoff voting
The word "instant" makes me suspicious.

By AL DIAMON | January 27, 2010

Oscar predictions 2010

With 10 Best Picture noms, is Oscar up in the air? Our critic predicts.
After years of shrinking audiences and low-grossing Best Picture nominees, the Academy this year is hedging its bets.

By PETER KEOUGH | January 29, 2010

The Big Hurt: Billboard Top Hip-Hop and R and B songs

Who charted?
This week, a jolly traipse through one of Billboard 's most artistically fecund charts: "Top Hip-Hop and R&B Songs." What wonders await?

By DAVID THORPE | January 26, 2010

Interview: Ozzy Osbourne

The belles lettrist tells all
Long before he bit the heads off bats and doves, Ozzy Osbourne worked in a cheerless abattoir in the hardscrabble Aston section of Birmingham, England, where for 18 months he held such titles as "cow killer," "tripe hanger," "hoof puller," and "pig stunner."

By LANCE GOULD | January 29, 2010

Review: Army of Two: The 40th Day

One step forward, but Army of Two steps back
When I reviewed the original Army of Two , I found myself in the unfamiliar position of being the guy who liked something everybody else hated (as opposed the guy who hated something everybody else liked).

By MITCH KRPATA | January 27, 2010