Quantcast
   
Thursday - March 28, 2024
Quad Cities USA - Guide to Davenport & Bettendorf Iowa and Rock Island & Moline Illinois
 

Relax About Sam Smith And Kim Petras’ ‘Satanic’ Grammy Performance

February 10th, 2023
Relax About Sam Smith And Kim Petras' 'Satanic' Grammy Performance

“There is nothing new under the sun.” — Ecclesiastes It’s not often that I find myself agreeing with both the Bible and a high priest of the Church of Satan in the same week on the same topic, so I like to document the occasions from time to time. Ergo, this week’s column, about the topic everyone seems to be talking about, the Grammy performance of “Unholy” by Sam Smith and Kim Petras. For those of you who are blissfully unaware, here’s a recap: That doesn’t show you the whole performance, but it gives you a decent enough idea, and honestly,... Read More

‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ Hits Extra Hard In These Trying Times

December 24th, 2021
'Do They Know It's Christmas?' Hits Extra Hard In These Trying Times

It was late 1984, and Boomtown Rats front man Bob Geldof was sitting down to watch a bit of telly as the calendar began to turn towards the holidays. However, what he saw that evening was anything but festive. Geldof watched as a documentary news program detailed the horrible starving and suffering going on in Africa due to incredible droughts and oppression. And as he watched, he was moved to tears, sorrow, and finally, action. He knew he had to do something to help, but just donating money himself seemed so small, so insignificant. How could he do something larger? Finally, he had the idea, and... Read More

Just What Exactly Is ‘The Black Eye Club,’ And Why Are So Many Celebrities A Part Of It?

August 6th, 2021
Just What Exactly Is 'The Black Eye Club,' And Why Are So Many Celebrities A Part Of It?

How many people do you know who currently have black eyes? How many people in the past year have you seen who have had black eyes? Just in general, how many people can you remember having black eyes in your life over the past year, two years, five years, ten years? Unless you’re a boxer, you train in MMA, or you run an underground fight club (damn! I wasn’t supposed to talk about that!), you probably don’t see many, if any, folks with black eyes running around. Heck, I trained in karate, boxing, tae kwan do, and muy thai kickboxing over the course of about about 20 years, and... Read More

A Christmas Classic Has An Even Greater Significance During This Trying Year

December 25th, 2020
A Christmas Classic Has An Even Greater Significance During This Trying Year

It was late 1984, and Boomtown Rats front man Bob Geldof was sitting down to watch a bit of telly as the calendar began to turn towards the holidays. However, what he saw that evening was anything but festive. Geldof watched as a documentary news program detailed the horrible starving and suffering going on in Africa due to incredible droughts and oppression. And as he watched, he was moved to tears, sorrow, and finally, action. He knew he had to do something to help, but just donating money himself seemed so small, so insignificant. How could he do something larger? Finally, he had the idea, and... Read More

Local ‘Hedwig’ a provocative debut for creative team

January 21st, 2016
Local 'Hedwig' a provocative debut for creative team

From David Bowie to Boy George to Caitlin Jenner, gender blurring and androgyny has made for provocative entertainment and social commentary, and perhaps no production has been more bombastic or incisive in recent years than “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” which makes its area stage debut this weekend at Rock Island’s Speakeasy theater. The show, an unrepentantly over-the-top musical and dramatic extravaganza about a transgender singer that explores themes of love, freedom, gender identity and social politics, was critically acclaimed, showered by awards and a box office smash since its 1998... Read More