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2015: THE YEAR OF PREET US Attorney Preet Bharara has done more to further reform in Albany that anyone in modern history BY NICK POWELL

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be remembered as the days when US Attorney Preet Bharara’s record officially caught up to his reputation as an anti-corruption crusader in the most notorious state capitol in the United States. With the respective public corruption convictions of Sheldon Silver, the former Democratic Assembly speaker, and Dean Skelos, the ex-Senate Republican majority leader, Bharara has picked off two of the most powerful elected officials in the state—veritable institutions of their parties, legislative gatekeepers, and now symbols of Albany’s culture of cronyism.

When it came to Silver and Skelos, Bharara and his prosecutors built the cases that Hartunian never could, with his media savvy serving as a nifty supplemental tool. Bharara has long toed the line of self-promotion, a quality that helped previous Southern District US attorneys like Robert Morgenthau and Rudy Giuliani run for higher office. He is cautious but calculating with the press—publicly modest and quick to deflect credit to his staff, but with a politician’s gift for sharp rhetoric.

For a prosecutor who has staked his legacy on public integrity cases, Bharara has outdone his headline-happy predecessors in the Southern District, proving with each conviction that he has the appetite to pursue systemic changes in Albany that have, thus far, proved elusive on the legislative stage.

However, Bharara’s silver tongue has, at times, shown signs of tarnishing. He drew a rebuke from a district court judge during his post-Silver indictment media run for straying “so close to the edge of the rules” governing comments that could prejudice a jury. In a more recent interview on after the Silver and Skelos convictions, Bharara bristled when the host suggested that some critics say he talks out of turn when harping on the need for systemic reform in Albany.

The Silver and Skelos convictions could become watershed moments for ending corruption if they intensify the drumbeat for real ethics reform in the state capitol. But even with Bharara’s bulletproof successes and the rampant speculation about his future ambitions, it’s important to remember that public integrity and democracy in New York should not rest in the hands of a prosecutor.

“[Public corruption] is not a wholly different area of prosecution and it makes no sense to me, except that people have personal agendas and don’t like it because they don’t like people sniffing around when there’s bad conduct and when there’s smoke and fishy behavior,” Bharara said. “The idea that the United States attorney would not speak generally about root causes and ways to deter public corruption is nonsensical.”

Before Silver’s arrest in January on corruption charges, New York political circles were already abuzz about Bharara and his office’s record of nailing legislative scalps. His conviction record includes former state senators Vincent Leibell, Hiram Monserrate, Carl Kruger, and Malcolm Smith. The Silver and Skelos convictions were different. Here we have two of the “three men in a room” (Governor Andrew Cuomo being the third) facing decades in prison for using their office to line their own pockets, and, in Skelos’s case, the pockets of his son, Adam.

Criticism aside, Bharara has used his bully pulpit to great effect, forcing legislators to think twice about misusing their public office for personal gain. The fact that the Legislature was hesitant to do anything bold on the 421-a tax credit or rent regulations last session was a clear signal that Skelos’s and Silver’s real estate ties—the extent of which was revealed in their respective indictments—had lawmakers running scared.

Convincing a jury of quid pro quo beyond a reasonable doubt is no easy task, even for the most savvy of prosecutors. Just ask Bharara’s colleague Richard Hartunian, US attorney in the Northern District. In 2009, a jury found Joe Bruno, Skelos’s predecessor as Senate majority leader, guilty on “honest services” charges brought by Hartunian, only to see the US Supreme Court narrow the application of that law to cases involving bribes and kickbacks, vacating Bruno’s conviction. When Hartunian subsequently indicted Bruno on bribery charges—with no new evidence—he found the jury significantly more difficult to convince. Bruno was acquitted on all counts in May 2014.

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Bharara has also done more than any lawmaker in moving the needle on the ethics reform conversation in Albany without coming off as flagrantly self-serving. Consider that Bharara has not shied away from highlighting two reform pillars that have historically been anathema to the executive chamber and the Legislature: term limits and limiting outside income. Whereas Cuomo has thrown up his hands and largely punted on major ethics reform—“I don’t care how strong the law is,” he said recently, “if a person is going to break the law, the person is going to break the law”—Bharara has very effectively wielded the Silver and Skelos convictions as a cudgel.

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Here’s what Bharara had to say about term limits: “It shouldn’t surprise people to learn that when people have power for a very long time that is unopposed and people can’t blow the whistle on the leaders without fear of really serious retribution and maybe even sidelining, that corruption can flourish.”

MESSAGE ADVERTISER And from the TO same interview, Bharara on limThank you for advertising THE to be iting outside income: “There’swith something PUBLIC. review your bit ad harder and to get said for thePlease fact that it’s a little check any errors. original away withfor bribery, a little The harder to get layout away with instructions have been strict followed extortion if there are more limitsasonclosely outside as possible. THE harder PUBLIC design income. It is much tooffers disguise a bribe or services two proofs at nohave charge. kickback aswith a referral if you don’t the ability notofresponsible for any toTHE havePUBLIC the sameiskind outside income.” error if not notified within 24 hours of

These jabs are Bharara’s version of the “perp receipt. The production department must walk.” As US attorney, Giuliani made a habit of have a signed proof in order to print. parading handcuffed suspects in front of the mePlease sign and fax this back or approve dia to boost whatever case he was trying, which by responding to this email. has since become a typical tactic in many prosecutors’ tool COPY belts.CONTENT But whereas the perp walk � CHECK served as free publicity for Giuliani, who har� CHECK IMPORTANT DATES bored obvious mayoral ambitions, Bharara has managed to boost his public profile � CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE #, with each conviction while carefully cultivating the image & WEBSITE of a white knight who stands above the fray. � PROOF OK (NOofCHANGES) Unlike prosecution white-collar or organized crime, Bharara’s relentless pursuit of public cor� PROOF OK (WITH CHANGES) ruption cases is not an obvious crowd-pleaser. A December 14 Siena poll found that 52 percent ofAdvertisers New York state voters did not follow the SilSignature ver or Skelos cases closely or at all. That same poll showed that nearly 90 percent of voters are ____________________________ somewhat or very concerned about corruption in the state_______________________ capitol, but that’s hardly a change from Date the past.

Issue: ______________________ CYis,/ does Y15W42 “The question corruption give you more energy in a run for higher office or a higher proYOU going APPROVE WHICH ONI’m not fileIFthan afterERRORS Wall Street or ARE Mafia? soTHIS surePROOF, it does,” said PUBLIC one veteran AlbanyBEinsider. THE CANNOT “People care more about crime and money than HELD RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE EXAMINE THE AD they do about nabbing politicians. They see poliTHOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS A PICK-UP. ticians as easy pickings, not very dangerous.”

THIS PROOF MAY ONLY BE USED FOR It’s a difficult balancing act for a prosecutor to use PUBLICATION IN THE even PUBLIC. corruption convictions, subtly, to advocate for ethics reform, and frankly, that’s not Bharara’s job. He has done his part by shining a spotlight

on the backroom in Albany, and used various media platforms to nudge elected officials and the public at large to weigh in. But in the same way that terrorist attacks around the world improve the campaign prospects of fear-mongering presidential candidates like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, continued inertia from Cuomo and the Legislature on ethics reform could give Bharara an excuse to attack corruption from a higher platform—whether as governor or even the next US attorney general. Moreover, the degree to which Bharara persists in pursuing corruption—and, as an Obama appointee, it remains to be seen whether he will continue in his role should the Democrats lose the White House in 2016—can create an opportunity for a transformative moment leading up to the state’s Constitutional Convention in November 2017. Among the many topics that good-government advocates hope to entertain during the convention will be whether the Legislature should be changed from a part-time job to a full-time job. That question was central to both the Silver and Skelos cases, in which nebulous relationships outside of their public office led to explicit instances of quid pro quo. Regardless of what happens in the future, Bharara has fundamentally altered not only the scope and priorities of the US attorney’s office, but the political conversation in the state capitol. For the first time as governor, Cuomo will not be joined on the dais at the January State of the State address by Silver and Skelos, his former partners in power. The governor should acknowledge that symbolism in a meaningful way by devoting some of his legislative agenda to ethics reform, along with priorities such as raising the minimum wage and addressing the state’s homelessness crisis. It would be shockingly tone-deaf for a politician as skilled as Cuomo not to put his finger in the air and notice that the winds are moving in the direction of greater public accountability. And for that, he can begrudgingly thank Preet Bharara. Nick Powell is opinion editor for City & State, with which The Public regularly shares content.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BUFFALO HISTORY MUSEUM.

LOOKING BACKWARD: MAIN STREET, 1957 Main Street in the Christmas season was the center of the Western New York shopping universe. Here, in a photograph taken on November 30, 1957, crowds move through a packed Main Street south of Lafayette Square. The flagship store of Adam, Meldrum, & Anderson—clad in cast iron and decked out with Victorian Christmas window displays—is on the right, followed to the left by Kobacker’s, Kresge’s, Ulbrich’s stationary, Singer’s cut rate drugs, Tanke’s jewelry, Weisberg’s jewelry, and Loft Candy Shop. On the left, looking south to Eagle Street, are Kleinhans, F. W. Woolworth Co., and J. N. Adam’s department store. As late as 1948, the Main Street Association tallied 1,581 stores in downtown Buffalo. Downtown shopping has declined, much of it due to suburban sprawl and destructive urban renewal projects. Today, with 888 housing and 1,022 hotel units built downtown since 2000, retail is making a slow comeback. New memories can be created at retailers like Furnishings, Woyshner’s Flower Shop, Buffalo Scooter Company, Sarah Danielle, New Era Cap Co., Modern Nostalgia, Choco Logo, WNY Book P Arts Center, City Wine Merchant, and Queen City Pop-Up. -THE PUBLIC STAFF

THE PUBLIC / DECEMBER 23, 2015 - JANUARY 5, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

COMMENTARY FINANCE

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the truth circulates among many social media feeds. News sources are sometimes depicted as machines offering their audiences a limited frame on reality. But is that the truth or are fewer people reading the news and blaming a lack of knowledge on a product they choose to ignore? Reading the daily newspaper used to be the way that many people started their days. However, that trend has been on the decline; after a short boost in readership from 2011 to 2013, daily newspaper readership is again approaching its modern-day low in 2010. As readership continues to fall, ad revenue for daily newspapers falls too, dropping to $16.4 billion in 2014, which is the lowest it has been in over a decade. The highest was 2005, with $47.7 billion from ad sales. Many members of younger generations prefer gathering their news from social media. With 900 million visitors every month, Facebook remains one of the most effective ways for stories to spread. In fact, as of 2014, 61 percent of millennials report getting their news from Facebook alone. Without even factoring in other social media platforms, more than half of a generation has committed to a single social media platform as their primary news source. One problem with that, comparing social media versus a newspaper, is that the newspaper offers a reader a complete product. A reader can choose to ignore certain sections of the paper, but they are still generally aware of what else is out there. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s wife, Mary, recently said on Morning Joe that she likes to ignore negative publicity but will still read all the headlines in the paper to at least be aware of what is going on in the world. Facebook, on the other hand, follows trends. It uses an algorithm to promote what topics are being discussed most: “This algorithm identifies topics that are popular now, rather than topics that have been popular for a while or on a daily basis,” according to the company. So rather than being presented what editors and journalists believe are the most important articles of the day, many social media users are presented the topics that are popular on social media. Since around 70 percent of high school students and around 70 percent of college students actively use Facebook, most of the trending topics are likely decided by 14-24 year olds. They will usually pick up on breaking news stories, but other than that trends can be unpredictable. These numbers explain why, on the day after Walmart announced it was suing Puerto Rico for its tax hike, a majority of people are discussing J. K. Rowling’s post comparing Donald Trump to Lord Voldemort. There is no turning back to a pre-social media world. As of August 2015, 72 percent of all internet users use Facebook. The same PEW survey reveals that 82 percent of users between the ages of 18 and 29 are active on Facebook. So the question is not how to avoid social media but how to use it more efficiently—how to find news instead of trends. Most news sources have Facebook pages and Twitter feeds for viewers to follow, but these often cater their posts to what generates the most traffic. Though a person can find relevant news on these feeds, they will often find many posts that correlate with trending topics. However, if these sources can attract new observers to their websites, it does open the opportunity for an increase in loyal readers. Thomas Edison once said, “What is a college? An institute of learning. What is a business? An institute of learning. Life, itself, is an institute of learning.” The age of social media is just over a decade; there is still room to grow. It will take an effort by both writers and readers to continue to work with one another and generate the most effective way to communicate news. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Any opinions are those of Goldfarb Financial and not necessarily those of RJFS or Raymond James. This material is being provided for information purposes P only and is not a complete description.

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5 9:29 AM DAILYPUBLIC.COM / DECEMBER 23, 2015 - JANUARY 5, 2016 / THE 12/8/15 PUBLIC

NEWS YEAR IN REVIEW

2015 YEAR IN REVIEW

LOCAL NEWS 12 months of stories, big and small BY THE PUBLIC STAFF We cannot begin a review of the year past without remembering one we lost: the incomparable Lance Diamond, who passed away January 4. The Public opened 2015 remembering local R&B performer, and that’s how we’ll open this year in review. The artist and comedian Pat Kewley wrote of Diamond, “What Lance Diamond represents to me is the same thing that DIY music heroes of mine like Jad Fair or Daniel Johnston represent to me: that the secret to being cool is realizing that it doesn’t matter who you are or what crazy thing you’re doing or who’s watching–whether you’re on MTV or in the back room of Milkie’s–as long as you believe what you’re doing is great. Anybody else that has a problem with it just isn’t cool enough to be on your level. Rest in glitter, Lance.” Check out dailypublic.com for a list of the other losses we mourn this year. And now, the year that’s gone in local news:

JANUARY n ON JANUARY 3, three bullets flew across Elmwood Avenue from the Sunoco station at the corner of Hodge toward Habibi Sheesha Lounge. A concert featuring teenage Chicago rapper Lil’ Herb had just concluded. One bullet hit a window at Hodge Liquor, another an apartment whose occupant was asleep. A third hit Habibi, and the wound was fatal: Owner Amr Abbas, whose lounge had been the subject of consistent complaints since opening in May 2014, was forced by city authorities to close the place. CONCLUSION: Another empty storefront on Elmwood Avenue. The space remains vacant.

n DEVELOPER, once and possibly future gubernatorial candidate, and school board member Carl Paladino started the new year by accusing rival developer LP Ciminelli of soaking the Buffalo school district for an unwarranted $41 million as part of the Joint Schools Reconstruction Project. At the same time, Paladino’s ally on the school board, James Sampson, was made to answer questions about an unflattering audit of his tenure as CEO of Gateway-Longview by the New York State Comptroller. The audit “identified 14 material business arrangements with 12 Board-affiliated companies (related to 10 different Board members) during [the] threeyear audit period. These arrangements included new construction and renovation projects, legal services, information technology, cleaning, maintenance and staffing as well as various types of goods and services. The cost of the related-party transactions totaled about $7 million.” In other words, the board was accused of self-dealing on Sampson’s watch. CONCLUSION: No conclusion at all. Ciminelli denies overbilling; Paladino and his allies continue to accuse the firm of chicanery. Sampson is no longer among those allies, at least according to Paladino, who over the summer demanded Sampson be replaced as board president, whom he blamed when the board failed to hire his first choice for superintendent.

n NORTH DISTRICT COUNCILMAN Joe Golombek entered a resolution calling for Squaw Island to be renamed Deyo’wenoguhdoh (“Divided” in Seneca) Island, as the existing name was considered offensive to Native Americans. CONCLUSION: After much debate, the new name Unity Island was made official by the Common Council in July.

n CARS RETURNED TO THE 600 BLOCK of Main Street for the first time in 30 years, allowing cars to share a roadway with trains for the first time in 65 years. CONCLUSION: Now the 500 block is open to mixed traffic, too—including, of course, bicycles.

n BUFFALO SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER Larry Quinn gets a public scolding for zoning out of important board meetings when a video circulates of him checking texts and ignoring speakers, including the man who is chiding him for his apparent indifference to public input. CONCLUSION: None. A nice gotcha moment, but gotcha moments rarely change anything.

FEBRUARY n SO MUCH SNOW this month. CONCLUSION: So little snow right now.

n ASSEMBLY SPEAKER SHELDON SILVER is indicted on February 18. Silver tracks some of his allegedly ill-gotten fortune to two locally managed firms: JoRon Management LLC and Counsel Financial Services. The former is run by Ronald M. Schreiber and Jordan Levy, the Buffalo-based tech investor who worked in the Assembly as a young man and, in recent years, is often to be found wherever state money flows to Western New York’s private sector. The latter provides loans at usurious rates to lawyers and law firms who work on a contingency basis. The Williamsville company’s executive team are largely Western New York locals with deep political connections. One of these was the late Judge Frank A. Sedita, Jr., who worked for Counsel Financial after retiring from the bench in 2010 until his death in 2013. The company donated $3,500 to the campaigns of Judge Sedita’s son, Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III, whose tenure as DA has been marked by an express lack of interest in pursuing political corruption cases. CONCLUSION: Silver was found guilty on all counts this month. Sedita was elected (with no opposition) to a seat on the New York State Supreme Court in November.

n ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, a parolee assaults, rapes, and robs the female clerk at the 7-Eleven store on Hertel Avenue and Niagara Street at about 5am. The young woman was working alone at the time. The incident sparks a series of protests by convenience store workers demanding safer working conditions. CONCLUSION: In August, 7-Eleven field consultant Paul Wydro reportedly dismissed the protestors’ requests for changes in workplace conditions and scheduling practices; he would not accept a petition they tried to present him. But in October, the company agreed to some of their requests, marking a small victory.

n RUST BELT BOOKS, a fixture at Allen and Elmwood for 15 years, moves to Grant Street. “She is her own organism,” owner Kristin Meal told The Public. “She told us what she wanted.” CONCLUSION: So far, so good.

MARCH n BMHA RESIDENT COMMISSIONER Joe Mascia continues his tireless assault on his fellow commissioners and BMHA administrations, demanding answers on cost overruns on the demolition of the Kensington Heights housing complex, on alleged irregularities in BMHA’s policing contract with the city for police services, on the staggering sums paid by BMHA for outside legal counsel, and other matters. CONCLUSION: Mascia decided to run for the Fillmore District seat on the Common Council. During the race, an audio file surfaced in which he is heard speaking with a former employer, Paul Christopher, who encourages Mascia to indulge in a rant about a list of African-American

THE PUBLIC / DECEMBER 23, 2015 - JANUARY 5, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

elected officials. The audio file all but kills Mascia’s campaign. The BMHA board of commissioners and Mayor Byron Brown tried to remove him from the board, succeeded only in suspending him; the outcome of that action—and the question of whether a duly elected official can be removed from office for offensive language— is currently being litigated in court.

n DA FRANK A. SEDITA III, continuing to pretend he is not running for a seat on the New York State Supreme Court, holds a March 10 fundraiser that pretends to benefit his reelection race for DA. Which will never happen. Because he is running for a seat on the New York State Supreme Court. He almost flubs his cross-endorsement for that seat by demanding too much control from Democratic leadership over who succeeds him as DA. He favors Michael Flaherty, his first deputy district attorney; Democratic leadership favors Judge Tim Franczyk. CONCLUSION: See above. Flaherty will become interim DA in January; Franczyk is expected to resign his judgeship in the new year to run for the seat.

n NORMALLY A DISCIPLINED BUNCH, Erie County Republicans play something akin to dodgeball (no teams, every man for himself ) in their search for a candidate to challenge Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz in the fall. Erie County Comptroller Stefan Mychajliw withdraws his name from consideration and declares his support for Erie County Clerk Chris Jacobs, even though Jacobs had not declared his candidacy. CONCLUSION: See April.

APRIL n IN RESPONSE TO THE Board of Education majority’s plan to promote a local administrator into the role of deputy superintendent—to be then promoted to superintendent following the departure of Donald Ogilvie—the four board minority members call for a national search for superintendent. The minority members—Barbara Seals Nevergold, Sharon Belton-Cottman, Teresa Harris-Tigg, and Mary Kapsiak—hold a press conference to call for openness and comprehensiveness in the search, including community for input. CONCLUSION: The hiring of Superintendent Kriner Cash, as the result of a national search. Too soon to make a call on that hire.

n CHRIS JACOBS WITHDRAWS as a possible GOP candidate for Erie County executive and declares his support for Amherst Assemblyman Ray Walter, even though Walter has not yet declared his candidacy. CONCLUSION: Walter declares his candidacy, works pretty hard at it, finds little traction, is beaten handily by Poloncarz in November.

n THE US DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING and Urban Development, which provides most of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority’s funding, sends a letter to BMHA that concludes: “BMHA is in a precarious financial position. It is imperative that specific corrective actions be taken as soon as possible to avoid potential receivership.” CONCLUSION: None. But don’t expect City Honors to buy back the land that was once Fosdick Field from BMHA at the same cut-rate the city received when it sold the property to BMHA in the 1970s; HUD will demand that BMHA seek a high price for the land in order to address its financial problems.

n ON APRIL 20, the Buffalo Marijuana Movement holds a rally in support of the proposed “Buffalo Marijuana Act” bill, suggesting that city decriminalize ganja and treat it as a “lowest police priority” and open up the economic doors for the crop’s medicinal and industrial uses. One man comes dressed as enormous doobie and a passerby tried to pose as smoking it, but the papier-mâché costume was too stiff in the hips. CONCLUSION: No dice. But New York St continues to move forward with its medical marijuana initiative, this fall licensing five companies to open four dispensaries each across the state.

MAY n SENATE MAJORITY Leader Dean Skelos and his son, Adam, are arrested on corruption charges. Included in their indictment is testimony from an executive at the Long Island-based real estate company Glenwood Management, which, through a proliferation of LLCs, is among the state’s biggest donors to political candidates, including many Western New York elected officials. CONCLUSION: Guilty, guilty, guilty. Both of the state’s legislative leaders convicted in just one year. Who’s next for US Attorney Preet Bharara?

n ASSEMBLYWOMAN Crystal Peoples-Stokes introduces a bill calling for Mayor Byron Brown to take control of Buffalo’s public schools, the performance and governance of which continue to be the number one conversation among the civic-minded in the city, thanks to a bickering school board and the national debate over the Common Core and its implementation. Brown pretends he’s not interested in the prospect, but of course is; Carl Paladino threatens to sue if the board is disenfranchised; but never mind, because Peoples-Stokes’s bill has no support even among her fellow Western New York lawmakers. CONCLUSION: The school board is eventually disenfranchised, at least in the case of the district’s worst-performing schools, which are cast into receivership by the state Department of Education. Superintendent Kriner Cash is made receiver of those schools and granted broad powers to circumvent both the board and the teachers union to rehabilitate the schools.

n BUFFALO CAR SHARE, providing low-cost access to vehicles since 2009, faces an existential crisis when its insurer terminates its coverage. Things look bleak, and then… CONCLUSION: In November, the national company Zipcar announced it would purchase Buffalo Car Share. Next step for Buffalo: Uber, Lyft?

n HOLY COW: On May 28, state and federal investigators raid the homes of Steve Pigeon, Steve Casey, and Chris Grant, three of Western New York’s most respected and reviled political operatives. The raids are part of an investigation that originated with the Erie County Board of Elections into Western New York Progressive Caucus, an unauthorized committee formed by Pigeon and his associates to support their candidates in the 2013 election cycle. But the questions investigators are asking suggest the investigation has metastasized into something much bigger, and politicos from Buffalo to New York City are nervous. CONCLUSION: Perhaps nervous for no reason, because nothing whatsoever has happened since those late May raids and the flurry of speculation that attended them for the next three months. By primary season, the whole affair seemed to have disappeared. Though last week we heard some fresh rumors about new activity in the case…

n A LITTLE BEFORE NOON on Saturday, May 30, a car ran off the Scajaquada Expressway (NY 198), crossed maybe 15 feet of grass, and killed three-year-old Maksym Sugorovskiy and broke the legs and one wrist of his five-year-old sister Stephanie. CONCLUSION: We’ve been driving 35 miles per hour on the Scajaquada ever since, and the state Department of Transportation has been forced to take seriously demands to make the road a landscaped urban parkway that would reconnect rather than divide the two sections of Delaware Park.

JUNE n AT A RALLY IN OLEAN, Carl Paladino inaccurately characterizes the state as “subsidizing Asians” and other “non-Americans” going to school at the University at Buffalo. Caught out, Paladino issues a half-assed apology and local activists launch a social media campaign, #CanCarl, to call to try to get him disciplined or removed from the school board. Asa part of the campaing, the Public Accountability Initiative releases a three-part investigation into Paladino’s past racist remarks and the substantial public dollars received by his real estate business, which he estimates is worth $500 million.

YEAR IN REVIEW NEWS CONCLUSION: Paladino still on school board, still the beneficiary of public largesse.

n AFTER NEARLY 200 YEARS of US mail processing in Buffalo, the main Post Office on William begins to shut down and dismantle its machinery. Local mail processing will now take place in Rochester, meaning any letters sent from Buffalo to Amherst, for example, will probably take a day longer to reach its destination. The move represents a minor inconvenience to some, a money-costing delay for many small businesses, and life-changing shift for the hundreds of people employed in steady jobs on William Street. CONCLUSION: Next up is the Ellicott Street post office, which the US Postal Service would like to vacate in favor of a smaller, storefront location in the same area. That’s not so big a change as what is occurring on William Street— except that the Ellicott Street post office occupies a large chunk of valuable land at the south end of the medical campus. Who will purchase it? What will become of it?

n YOUNG JOE LORIGO, majority leader of the Erie County Legislature by grace of his father’s control of the local Conservative Party, passes down two edicts last month in furtherance of the people’s pressing business: first, that “[d]enim of any form is prohibited from attire of any member of Legislature or staff in the Legislative chambers during any event involving formal business of the county”; second, that “[a]ll electronic devices shall be maintained on silent or vibrate mode and any disruption caused by a personal electronic device shall be ground for removal.” So, no jeans and no noodling with cellphones (unless you’re Lorigo, who’s famous for endless texting during sessions). That’s legacy material. CONCLUSION: See November.

n ON JUNE 23, a collision between a freight train and a tractor trailer caused an explosion that was heard across Buffalo. The accident took place on Ganson Street near Michigan Avenue, adjacent to an increasingly popular bike and pedestrian route that goes from the Cobblestone District to the Outer Harbor. CONCLUSION: Bomb trains, anyone? At least four trains hauling crude oil pass through Buffalo every day, some with 100 full and volatile tanker cars.

JULY n IN RESPONSE TO THE FUROR attending his “damn Asians” remark, Carl Paladino throws a rally in support of himself in Niagara Square. An invitation to Paladino’s supporters, featuring a stock photo available for purchase from Getty Images of a diverse group of darling children giving thumbs-up to the camera, reads, “Carl Paladino has been under fire lately for comments some view as racist. They are trying to use distraction tactics to undermine the Buffalo Schools reform Movement. Now members of the community are fighting back against these lies and distortions.” Attendees are encouraged to bring their own “homemade signs.” CONCLUSION: A handful attend.

n ERIE COUNTY LEGISLATOR Patrick Burke shepherds a measure that makes Erie County the first municipality in the state to pass legislation banning plastic microbeads in cosmetic products, while bills at the state and federal levels continue to linger. CONCLUSION: Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has been pushing this issue for two years, along with state legislators of both major parties. But a bill banning microbeads has faltered in the State Senate after passing in the Assembly for two consecutive sessions now.

n THE DEMOLITION OF candidate Joe Mascia begins.

n ANIMOSITY BETWEEN the American and Canadian leadership of the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority, which has raged for years, spills into public view once again when board vice chairman Sam Hoyt argues that a junket to Ireland that a number of Canadian boardmembers are planning—the latest in a string of international excursions—is a waste of authority money. CONCLUSION: In October, totally out of the blue, Canadian board member Anthony M. Annunziata—who spars frequently with Hoyt—calls once again for the construction of a companion span to the Peace Bridge. Didn’t we settle this already, painfully and over many years?

n HOLY COW: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon gets a wild hair to visit Buffalo, and that’s what he does, taking a tour that includes Solar City, Larkinville, the Michigan Street Baptist Church, the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Kleinhans, the Richardson Complex, and the Albright-Knox, among other points of interest.

AUGUST

CONCLUSION: Multiple sources, all speaking on the condition of anonymity, say key staff members have been removed from their positions and their work delegated to outside firms or BMHA’s general counsel, David Rodriguez.

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SEPTEMBER n THERE IS A PRIMARY ELECTION in New York State. CONCLUSION: Here on the state’s west coast, nothing much changes.

n THE BUFFALO NEWS reports that in a sworn deposition over the summer, Mayor Brown repeatedly claimed not to remember what went down in a failed 2009 development deal with NRP Group of Cleveland. (NRP Group filed suit in 2011 accusing Brown of breach of contract and racketeering. At the core of the lawsuit is NRP’s claim that City Hall nixed the deal only after NRP balked at the mayor’s demand to reward Reverend Richard Stenhouse with an $80,000 contract.” Being counseled not to remember comes at an extraordinary price, The Public discovers. According to the city comptroller’s office, $426,909 has been expended on high-profile Buffalo attorney Terrence Connors of Connors & Vilardo for the mayor’s civil defense in the NRP case dating back to 2011. CONCLUSION: The case trudges on. And lawyers continue to make bank from municipalities and elected officials.

n A MANHATTAN LAW FIRM begins circulating a letter to homeowners in the First Ward, offering their services in what the letter called “likely” eminent domain proceedings should the Buffalo Bills decide to build a new stadium in the triangle of land defined by South Park Avenue and Louisiana and Ohio Streets. CONCLUSION: The letter from the law firm of Goldstein, Rikon, Rikon & Houghton is, of course, just a sales pitch—they’re looking to dupe hopeful homeowners into paying a retainer. As recently as July, the Bills’ owners, Terry and Kim Pegula, told the Buffalo News, “[T] here’s been a lot of money put into Ralph Wilson Stadium. We’re in no hurry. We realize that if that work was just done, how foolish would you look if you start looking around for a new stadium when we’ve just renovated the one we have? We have time. We have an existing lease on the current stadium.”

CONCLUSION: See March.

n THE PUBLIC LEARNS that the financially strapped Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority has been making personnel changes, terminating some employees and demoting others, in an effort to control costs as the agency’s cash reserves dwindle.

Wednesday Special

OCTOBER n THE MONTH BEGINS with the implosion of Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital, attended by implosions parties and sidewalks full of gawkers for blocks in all directions. CONCLUSION: What havoc the plumes of airborne particulates will wreak on those it enveloped is yet to be seen. Meantime, neighbors continue to do battle with planners over the scale, design, and multiple uses proposed by developer Uniland, which centers on a senior housing complex.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

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DAILYPUBLIC.COM / DECEMBER 23, 2015 - JANUARY 5, 2016 / THE PUBLIC

NEWS YEAR IN REVIEW

2015 IN VERSE

Was Mad Max running for office in the Village of Kenmore?

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

n LOOKING FOR SOMETHING to talk about besides tax structures in advance of the November general election, GOP Erie County executive candidate Ray Walter jumps on a story—planted in the media by friends of his—that suggests the state Attorney General is investigating misdeeds in the Poloncarz administration’s highway department. CONCLUSION: It turns out the investigation, such as it was, had to do with misdeeds during the administration of Republican Chris Collins, Walter’s political ally, who is now a US Congressman. Poloncarz started the investigation himself when he was county comptroller, then passed it to the AG’s office after he became county executive. Whoops. Back to tax structures.

n AFTER FIVE YEARS OF MEETINGS, sifting through mountains of input and many revisions, the City of Buffalo submits the Buffalo Green Code to the Common Council for review and possibly adoption. “This has been a long fight,” says Brenda Mehaffy of the city’s Office of Strategic Planning. “We have, not necessarily, a fight, now ahead of us. It’s still a conversation to make sure that this is the best document to reflect what many of us know is one of the best cities in this country.” CONCLUSION: TBD.

n AFTER INVESTIGATIVE POST reports shortfalls in a goal for hiring minorities for construction work on SolarCity’s factory, two African-American leaders take matters into their own hands. Charley Fisher III, president of BUILD of Buffalo, and Erie County Legislator Betty Jean Grant form a new group they’re calling the Contract Compliance Review Committee, to monitor diversity on construction sites more closely. CONCLUSION: TBD. Diversity goals on publicly funded construction projects—which can cover both the companies that get work and the makeup of the workforce itself—aim to ensure that minorities and women get a fair share of the work. This might seem straightforward, but the goals are governed by a hodgepodge of city, county, and state rules, each with their own nuances. There’s little consistency—even across various state agencies, for example—and even less transparency.

n A SIGN IN THE GRASS in front of the former Budwey’s Market on Kenmore Avenue looks like any of a number of the vote-for-my-guy signs that litter the roadsides this time of year. But the candidate is “Max Rockatansky,” which is the full name of the title character in the Mad Max movies. CONCLUSION: Whatever he was running for, Rockatansky did not win.

NOVEMBER n THERE IS A GENERAL ELECTION in New York State. CONCLUSION: Here on the state’s west coast, nothing much changes.

n IN THE WAKE OF the Paris shootings, Joe Lorigo, majority leader of the Erie County Legislature and son of Erie County Conservative Party chairman Ralph Lorigo, calls on Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz to prevent the county from receiving as many as 300 Syrian refugees in the coming year. (Bafflingly, because Poloncarz has no power to determine where the federal government resettles refugees.) Things get wild, racist, and xenophobic on social media and the comments section of the daily newspaper. Rallies are held in support of refugee communities. Lorigo’s call for a wide-ranging public hearing on the matter is scaled down to a quiet informational meeting, largely because members of his own caucus want nothing to do with this nonsense. CONCLUSION: Lorigo is an ass.

DECEMBER n THE CHEMOURS COMPANY announces it will close it DuPont plant in Niagara Falls by the end of 2016, terminating 200 jobs. CONCLUSION: Bad news for the always struggling Falls. On the other hand, the DuPont plant is one of the region’s riskiest polluters and most dangerous plants for its workers. So, a silver lining.

n STATE ASSEMBLYWOMAN Angela Wozniak takes time out from her busy schedule as a do-nothing Republican Assembly backbencher and target of an ethics probe to attend a meeting of the Lancaster Board of Education. Among the topics on the agenda is one that is popping up throughout the state — the treatment of transgender and gender-nonconforming students in the schools. Wozniak expresses her dismay at the notion that Lancaster’s policies might grant rights to such students. Channel 2’s Danny Spewak asks Wozniak about the policy and its relationship to the law. She appears dumbstruck and cannot answer a simple question about the thing she came down to speak out against, because she doesn’t know the law. The video of Spewak’s taking the stuffing out of Wozniak circulates widely. CONCLUSION: Wozniak, like Lorigo, is an ass. Let’s end this thing with a prediction: She’s a one-termer.

Want to review the year in local arts and letters, food and drink? Wondering will next year hold? P Check out dailypublic.com.

THE PUBLIC / DECEMBER 23, 2015 - JANUARY 5, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

December in Buffalo: snowless and mild. Politically, this year was especially wild. We rang in the New Year somewhat aghast, as we learned that Mario Cuomo had passed. One loss that cut deeply is one you all know; Entertainer Lance Diamond was the next one to go. Our icon of funk had no imitation, And Buffalo gave him a worthy ovation. Dave DiPietro, needing something to do, learned of a library book —maybe two, which told kids to read and to learn —that’s alright, but these books involved Muslims, so he picked a fight, and, pretending to be so concerned that he asked, whether both of these books should be banished at last! But these volumes explained that in Afghanistan, kids can’t do what ours do, thanks to the Taliban. In Albany, meanwhile, something awesome occurred. An indictment! Shelly Silver was charged, so we heard. The Skeloses, too, were found on the hot seat, courtesy of an attorney named Preet. They all were convicted, Shelly, Dean, and his kid. They’re going to jail thanks to quos pro that quid. Nevertheless, these wins seem awfully pyrrhic, and the Albany culture seems downright satiric. Quickly thereafter, we heard—more than a smidgen, That agents were sniffing ‘round G. Stephen Pigeon. In late May, you’ll recall, a series of raids, caught Pigeon and Casey and one or two aides, but the Preetsmas Day massacre tale is still pending; nothing new to report, and no news of its ending. While here, we found that we’ve really been blessed. For hipsters, a kingdom became manifest. The listicle writers in Brooklyn and Queens, know that five-borough living isn’t all that it seems. For Wegmans and cheap housing rates, we get envied, and economists say our job market’s quite frenzied. In Lancaster, the school board humbly proposed, to change the team’s name, but were harshly opposed, by some who thought “Redskins” a suitable name, for kids to play sports in, without any shame. But Native Americans quickly caught on, and argued that “Redskin” needs to be gone. They turned to the kids, after much agitation, who came up with “Legends”, after due contemplation. But to this very day, you can go to a game, and find people still angry over a racist team name. Carl Paladino characteristically fought, against logic and reason, and thickened the plot, as he bullied a guy here to track civil rights, Carl turned the board into a joke on most nights. One thing’s for sure, as the district descends, into receivership, Carl and his friends, must work better with others, just as we’d expect, a young student to do, and to have self-respect. In the BMHA, a commissioner said, some unspeakable words, and when caught, quickly pled that he never would say the “n” word—not at night or in morning, but the problem for him was the cell phone recording. Joe Mascia was running for Franczyk’s position, in an effort that honestly needed magicians. You won’t win in Fillmore—it’d be quite absurd, if you casually pepper your speech with that word. Now Donald Trump’s surging, unemployment is down, Musk’s Solar City’s the new game in town. The Green Code is here, and the billion gets spent, Investigative Post tells us what it all meant. When election time came, it was really a snooze, Poloncarz re-elected, but there was some news, Fudoli was gone, but legislature incumbents, all won, and it all seemed a bit too redundant, turnout was low and the races were boring, hell, Democrats didn’t even deign to be warring. In August, our town went a little insane, after a woman alleged Patrick Kane, had raped her—she went to the cops right away, and some blamed the victim within a few days. In the end, Tom Eoannou had showed off a bag, that purported to be the rape kit—a red flag. But it wasn’t, and the case simply ended in days, and Kane skated—his problems have melted away. Joseph Lorigo, as the year drew to a close, Tweeted some questions he wanted to pose. Expressing concerns about the criteria, used to bring refugees over from Syria. A big demonstration was held here downtown, and refugee services wouldn’t back down. The community welcomes the tired, the poor, who help to make Buffalo better than before. It wasn’t too long ago Brahmins and such, hated Irish, Italians, and Poles just as much. It’s twenty-sixteen, let’s all hoist a craft beer, wishing all of you peace and a Happy New Year. P -ALAN BEDENKO

YEAR IN REVIEW SPORT

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SPORTS More than just Bills, Sabres, and futility BY AARON LOWINGER I HAVE YET TO VIEW the ESPN documentary on the 1990s Bills, The

Four Falls of Buffalo. I’m angry enough at the combined state of a corrupt league and team forever wedded to mediocrity that any review of the depressing glory years of the Bills might be mistaken for the tonic with which to swallow any suspicion of the present. That’s your year in review for Buffalo sports: National media produces an emotional movie about a team’s connection with its fans, and this Bills fan is having a hard time bringing himself to watch out of fear it might make the whole thing worse. But there’s more to the story than Bills, Sabres, and futility.

BUFFALO SABRES When Terry Pegula bought the team in February 2011, he held a press conference announcing himself to the world as a geeked-out Sabres fan with a penchant for tears. On hand was team legend Gilbert Perreault, whose mere presence made the natural gas tycoon tear up. Trying to explain his love of Perrault as the genesis of his fandom, he announced himself again as a lover of beauty: “I mean, have you ever seen him skate?” It’s hard to even remember how, when, and where the dust settled at the end of the darkest period in team history last season. But out of its ashes: Jack Eichel. Sports are rife with comparison debates; let’s not do that with Eichel and Perrault. Let’s just say that the 19-year-old skates like the damn wind: effortless and strong. The goals that Eichel scores and the way he scores them set him apart from almost every other player on the ice every time it happens. He’s young, he’s not yet the team’s best player, but 2015 will forever be known as the year Eichel gave fans a reason to watch games again. And we may also remember it as the year Darcy Regier’s parting gift to Buffalo, Rasmus Ristolainen, emerged as a true stud, and when Ryan O’Reilly wrested the reins of leadership away from Brian Gionta and Tyler Ennis.

BOXING Rochester-native Willie “The Mongoose” Monroe Jr. saw his star rise last May in a middleweight title fight against rising superstar Gennady Golovkin in Los Angeles. The elusive and intelligent Monroe, who won ESPN’s Boxcino tournament in 2014, fared only slightly better than many of Golovkin’s opponents, succumbing to a stoppage for the first time in his career. But he hung in there for a few rounds after being knocked down twice in the second, until the referee called it in the sixth. While area boxers Nick Casal, Vincent Arroyo, and now Greg Brady continue long stretches of inactivity, Buffalo light welterweight Emmanuel “Pinky” Colon continues to rise up in the prospect ranks, recently dispatching Jose Marrufo in the first round. Meanwhile in amateur circles, Albany heavyweight Brandon Lynch passed through the Olympic trials stage and appears destined for Rio next summer. Lynch made his way to the pinnacle of amateur boxing through Golden Gloves tournaments in Buffalo, mowing down opponents like Buffalo bartender Drew Graziadei. At the Golden Gloves finals this year, Graziadei gushed to this corner about Lynch’s intensity and the way he thinks through his opponent. Lynch won’t be around when the Golden Gloves start up again in late January at RiverWorks, but pro prospects Abraham Nova (Albany), Wilmont Wood, Lawrence King (both of Rochester), and Ahmad Aliyev (Buffalo) will be.

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HIGH SCHOOLS I grew up in short walking distance of All-High Stadium, the erstwhile historical home of the Thanksgiving Day Harvard Cup championship game for football. It once meant a lot to my father and his generation, when the sons of a working-class town waged battle for neighborhood bragging rights. By the time he was taking me to the occasional game so many years later, the game and the politics around the game had changed so much that it was virtually unrecognizable. And it wasn’t good football; the Harvard Cup system ensured that city teams rarely, if ever, played better competition in the suburbs and beyond. The city’s high school athletic programs are a rare bird in itself: Coaching staff contractually have to be teachers. After 106 years, the Harvard Cup was abolished in 2009 and the remaining city teams, some of which had since combined programs, joined the larger NYSPHSAA. This year, South Park High School, led by English teacher Timothy Delaney and quarterback/cornerback Tyree Brown, completed a storybook season with a wild, improbable, 49-46 win over Lourdes. To get there, they ended a 62-game winning streak by Maine-Endwell, a game in which Brown passed for 203 yards with a touchdown, ran for 103 yards and two touchdowns, and made two interceptions and five tackles on the other side of the ball for the Sparks.

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Elsewhere in city sports, the International Prep soccer team fell short of its state title defense, but had another solid year on the pitch, winning their section championship over Lackawanna (photo above is from that game, after an Ahmed Hassoon goal). I-Prep is located in the old Grover Cleveland High School, but lost their name due to the constant reshuffling of school names, principals, and standards in Buffalo and New York State’s arduous crawl toward reform. Consider for a moment the stakes for Buffalo students in schools whose survival can never be taken for granted, playing on teams coached by their teachers, and you might get a slice of what it means for them to achieve success. Add to that: There could never be a team more ethnically or linguistically diverse than the I-Prep soccer team, coached by Tony Alessi and the beloved school interpreter, Mr. Abdi. The team consists almost entirely of students from newly settled immigrant families on the West Side.

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BUFFALO BILLS Before the season started, the Bills decided to part ways with aging running back Fred Jackson. For years, Jackson’s spirited play was the splash of color on a bleak landscape, someone fans could connect with. Jackson was rescued from professional purgatory by none other than Marv Levy, who took a flier on him because of their mutual connection to something called Coe College. Jackson’s utility as a player and his presence as team captain aside, the move made sense from the cold-hearted business perspective that treats its players like chattel and its fans like dupes. It was a sign of things to come, as for months afterward Jackson’s cut-out effigy stood sentinel in M&T banks across the area, which had already bankrolled an entire marketing campaign around Fred again raising the green flag. What else can you say about this team, which soon will continue to own the longest playoff drought in pro sports, thanks to the 2015 Toronto Blue Jays? They do have a player named Bacarri Rambo, and on opening day about 11 percent of its active roster had “Williams” for a last name.

ROLLERSKATING/SKATING We’re not ready to call it a comeback—it’s been here for years—but there have been some signs of new life on the border of sport and lifestyle that is skate culture. The skate park in LaSalle Park in 2013 is entering a phase II design stage and rollerskating events bridging the east and west sides of Main Street in the near center of the city at East Ferry’s Skateland have become increasingly popular. Add to that, a rollerskating shop, Turnaround Skates, has sprung up on the far West Side on Rhode Island near Niagara Street. Ice skaters have had an additional several thousand square feet of ice added to their domain this year alone, with the construction of HarborCenter and P the completion of the ice at Canalside.

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Thank you for advertising with THE THE ALBRIGHT-KNOX ART GALLERY has decked itself in itsPlease finery review for PUBLIC. your ad and the holidays. The show entitled Monet and the Impressionist check forRevolution, any errors. The original layout 1860-1910. Several score paintings and a few sculptures—mostly instructionsfrom haveits been followed as closely own collection, with a few key borrows—tracking no less of an art historias possible. THE PUBLIC offers design ART GALLERY ALBRIGHT-KNOX cal event than the birth of the modern. Basically by way of the progressive services with two proofs at no charge. breaking up of the classical realist mode of artistic representation, through THE PUBLIC is not responsible for any AVE, BUFFALO / ALBRIGHTKNOX.ORG 1285 ELMWOOD a variety of painting surface fragmentation techniqueserror and discarding the within 24 hours of if not notified Renaissance principle of visual perspective, the picture as anThe illusionist receipt. production department must window. Culminating in complete abandonment of the classical mode in in order to print. have a signed proof Please signsubstanand fax this back or approve abstract art, and remaking of the painting into something more mud and snow towpath painting of about 1875, the ice floes painting this email. tial objectivist—more like a sculptural object, only in by tworesponding dimensionstonot

MONET & THE IMPRESSIONIST REVOLUTION, 1860–1910

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surface as surrogate for the painting surface. As a window you see and strategies. Amid other rooms of mostly individual works of other impres� CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE #, don’t see into. sionists, pre-impressionists, post-impressionists, and early abstractionists. & WEBSITE The exhibit begins with Courbet’s audacious view into the dark cave A long and complex story—the birth of the modern—in its roots and � PROOF OK (NO CHANGES) source of the Loue, a river in eastern France, and two much less imposing ramifications and tangle of disparate artistic impulses. The sculptural cen- works by Daumier, one of a railway station waiting room, one of a laun� PROOF OK (WITH CHANGES) terpiece near the exhibit entrance area is Rodin’s statue of Eve after the dress at the top of a Seine River quai stairway, wearily heading homeward fall, from about 1880. Impressionist literally in its uneven surface effects after a long day’s toil, laundry bundle under one arm and toddler in tow. of the tactual manipulation—palpation—by the artist of the original clay, All in all signaling a turn away from the previous tradition of art intended Advertisers Signature but harking back formally to Renaissance sculpture and painting by Mi- primarily as commemoration and celebration of great events and great chelangelo, and conceptually to medieval poetry by Dante (the Eve statue people—meaning rich and famous—to a more exploratory and inquisi____________________________ originated in connection with Rodin’s multiplicacious and never fully re- tive art, about nature and real life, real people. A more honest and humble alized Gates of Hell sculptural précis of Dante’s Inferno). Date _______________________ art, and more interesting. While in the post-impressionist section, Cezanne’s wonderful Pool at Jas And among the post-impressionists, not just the beginnings of abstrac______________________ CY / like Y15Y51 de Bouffan, also from about 1880, in paint strokes laidIssue: on the canvas tion but of expressionism too. Gauguin’s alien world dark symbolical a master mason laying bricks, constructing—or reconstructing—painting Spirit the Dead IF YOU APPROVE ERRORS WHICHof ARE ON Walking, and domestic world bright sunlit to the point as a pictorial edifice at once transparent and rock-solid. And his Morning almostCANNOT of harsh-toned Yellow Christ. THIS PROOF, THE PUBLIC BE in Provence, from around 1900, employing light like a sculptural material. Among the borrows And Matisse’s Notre Dame in the Late Afternoon, from around 1902, un-PLEASE HELD RESPONSIBLE. EXAMINE THE AD are Edgar Degas’ Portrait of Rose Caron from Rochester, Caillebotte’s Study for Le Pont de l’Europe from Chicago, articulated shadow solid cathedral. But actually just paint on canvas. ThisIF THE THOROUGHLY EVEN AD ISGustave A PICK-UP. and Edouard Manet’s Portrait of Isabelle Lemonnier from Dallas. is not a cathedral, René Magritte might have said, and Matisse agreed.

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The Monet and forerunners and followers exhibit continues until The Monet paintings range from early to mid-career landscapes variously PUBLICATION IN THE PUBLIC. P contending with impressionist obsession optical perception issues—the March 20. 10 THE PUBLIC / DECEMBER 23, 2015 - JANUARY 5, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

IN GALLERIES ARTS

IN GALLERIES NOW = ART OPENING 640 Gallery (640 Ridge Road, Lackawanna, NY 14218, 716-823-5124): Search for Sanctuary, paintings by Jeff Freier on view through Dec 21. Mon-Fri 10am4pm. 1045 Elmwood Gallery for the Arts (1045 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, 716-228-1855, photographics2.com/store/welcome-to-our-studio-1045-gallerystore): Southwest Six, New Mexico-inspired show with work from Karen Foegen, Eileen Graetz, Carole Kauber, JoAnn Mileham, Susan M. Miller, and Maria Thompson. On view through Dec 31. Thu & Fri 1-5pm, Sat 11-4pm. Albright-Knox Art Gallery (1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, 882-8700, albrightknox.org): Monet and the Impressionist Revolution, 1860-1910, through March 20; Eija-Liisa Ahtila: Ecologies of Drama, moving image installations on view through Jan 3, Looking at Tomorrow: Light and Language from the Panza Collection, 1967–1990 on view through Feb 7. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm, open First Fridays until 10pm. Art Dialogue Gallery (5 Linwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14209, wnyag.com): Very Buffalo, a selection of photographs by Len Kagelmacher. Tue-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 11am-3pm. Artists Group Gallery (Western New York Artists Group) (1 Linwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14209, 716-885-2251, wnyag. com): 21st Annual Artful Gifts—The Fine Art of Giving (and Collecting). Tue-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 11am-3pm. Benjaman Gallery (419 Elmwood Avenue Buffalo, NY 14222, thebenjamangallery.com): Man of Extremes: A Survey of the Work of Wes Olmsted. Salon 3: An Exhibition of Everything: Over 150 Unique Works of Art from $50 — $900. Works by Bruce Adams, Charles Burchfield, Robert Blair, Virginia Cuthbert, Augustina Droze, A.J. Fries, Richard Huntington, Alexander O. Levy, Bill Maggio, George Renouard, Charles Rohrbach, Amos Sangster, Martha Visser’t Hooft, and more. On view through Dec 19. Thu-Sat 11am-5pm. Big Orbit (30d Essex Street, Buffalo, NY 14222, cepagallery.org/about-big-orbit): Appetites/Anxieties: multi-disciplinary installation by Liz Lessner. FriSun 12-6pm. BT&C Gallery (1250 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14213, 604-6183, btandcgallery.com): Features, paintings by Julian Montague. Fri 12-5pm or by appointment. ¡Buen Vivir! (148 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, 14201 buenvivirgallery.org): The End of the Game–The Last Word from Paradise Revisited; photos by Orin Langelle. Tue-Fri 1-4pm, Fri 6-8pm, Sat 1-3 pm. Buffalo Artspace Gallery (1219 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, 14209): Let Me Show You What I Saw, 25-year retrospective of Elizabeth Spiro-Carman. Sat & Sun 124pm. Buffalo Arts Studio (Tri Main Building 5th Floor, 2496 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214, 833-4450, buffaloartsstudio.org): BAS Annual Resident Artists Exhibit and Sale, on view through Jan 8, 2016. Tue-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-2pm, Fourth Fridays until 8pm. Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens (2655 South Park Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14218, 827-1584, buffalogardens. com): Mon-Sun 10am-5pm. Buffalo & Erie County Central Library (1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo, NY 14203, 858-8900, buffalolib.org): Milestones on Science: Books That Shook the World! 35 rare books from the history of science, on second floor. Mon-Sat 8:30am-6:00pm, Sun 12-5pm. Burchfield Penney Art Center (1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, 878-6011, burchfieldpenney.org): Squeaky Wheel: 30th Anniversary Exhibition, on view through Jan 24, 2016. Through These Gates: Buffalo’s First African American Architect, John E. Brent, on view through Mar 27, 2016. Inquisitive Lens: Richard Kegler/P22 Type Foundry: Charles E. Burchfield (The Font Project), on view through Jan 10; Body Norms, selections from the Spong collection; Artists Seen: photographs of contemporary artists by David Moog; Charles E. Burchfield’s Gardenville Studio. Tue, Wed, Fri (Second Fridays until 8pm), Sat 10am-5pm & Sun 1-5pm. Admission $5-$10, children 10 and under free. Burchfield Nature and Art Center (2001 Union Road, West Seneca, NY 14224, 677-4843, burchfieldnac.org): Photography Contest Exhibit, on view through Dec 27. Mon-Fri 10-4pm, Sun 1-4pm, see site for upcoming classes. Castellani Art Museum (5795 Lewiston Road, Niagara University, NY 14109, 286-8200, castellaniartmuseum.org): Highlights: The Castellani Collection, through January 17, 2016. CLOSED Dec 23—Jan 3 2016. Tue-Sat 11am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm. CEPA (617 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, 8562717, cepagallery.org) Fire and Ice: photogrpahs by Alan Friedman and Douglas Levere. Mon-Fri 9am5pm, Sat 12-4pm. The Neil and Barbara Chur Family Gallery (Roycroft Power House, 31 South Grove Street, East Aurora, NY 14052): Clufffalo: Autumn 2015, Charles Clough. One painting, painted on by 59 participants in 27 sessions and completed by Clough. On view through December 31. Collect Art Now (Virtual gallery, collectartnow.com): Featured artist: Craig LaRotunda. Dana Tillou Fine Arts (417 Franklin Street, Buffalo, NY 14202, 716-854-5285, danatilloufinearts.com): The Old and the New: 180 Years of Painting and the Arts. Wed-Fri 10:30am-5pm, Sat 10:30am-4pm.. El Buen Amigo (114 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14201, 885-6343, elbuenamigo.org): Hispanic Christian folk art exhibit. Mon-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 11am-5pm. Enjoy the Journey Art Gallery (1168 Orchard Park Road, West Seneca, NY 14224, 675-0204, etjgallery.com): Reflective Life, work by Danielle Heyden. On view through Jan 2. Tue & Wed 11-6pm, Thu & Fri 2-6pm, Sat 11-4pm. Hallwalls (341 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202, 854-1694, hallwalls.org): Amid/In WNY Part 5 with work from Laura Borneman, Mickey Harmon, Kyla Kegler, Pat Kewley, Mark Lavatelli, Julian Montague, Eileen Pleasure, J. Tim Raymond, Peter Sowiski, and Marissa Tirone. Tue-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 11am2pm, Closed on Sundays & Mondays. Indigo Art Gallery (47 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY 14202, 984-9572, indigoartbuffalo.com): Flux, recent work by Colleen Toledano. Wed & Fri 12-6pm, Thu 12-7pm, Sat 12-3pm, and by appointment Sundays and Mondays.

Karpeles Manuscript Library (North Hall) (220 North St., Buffalo, NY 14201): Robert Fulton and the United States Navy, on view through Dec 31. Tue-Sun 11am4pm. Karpeles Manuscript Museum (Porter Hall) (453 Porter Ave, Buffalo, NY 14201): Maps of the United States. Tue-Sun 11am-4pm. Lockside Art Center (21 Main Street, Lockport, NY 14094, 478-0239, locksideartcenter.com): Group exhibition from members of the Niagara Arts Guild. FriSun 12-4pm and by appointment. Market Street Art Studios (247 Market Street, Lockport, NY 14094, 478-0248, marketstreetstudios.com): Holiday art sale. Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-4pm. Meibohm Fine Arts (478 Main Street, East Aurora, NY 14052, 652-0940, meibohmfinearts.com): Etchings and Paintings, George Renouard. On view through Dec 31. Tue-Sat 9:30am-5:30pm. MJ Peterson Buffalo Office (431 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202): Annual art show with work by Scotty Bye, William Cooper, Ramon Dennis, Fotini Galas, Mark Hussien, Jeffrey Livingston, Glenn E. Murray, Kiersten Minnick, Sally Januale Treanor. Opening reception Fri Dec 4, 6-9pm. On view through Jan 1. MUNDO IMAGES Gallery (Tri-Main Center, 2495 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214, Suite #255 Lobby): Colors From My Gypsy Soul, watercolors by Fritz Raiser. TueFri, 11:00am-4:30pm. Native American Museum of Art at Smokin’ Joe’s (2293 Saunders Settlement Road, Sanborn, NY 14123, 2619251) Open year round and free. Exhibits Iroquois artists work. 7am-9pm. Niagara Arts and Cultural Center (1201 Pine Avenue, Niagara Falls, NY 14301, 282-7530, thenacc.org): Artists and friends exhibit featuring Violet Gordon. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat & Sun 12-4pm. Nina Freudenheim Gallery (140 North Street, Buffalo, NY 14201, 882-5777, ninafreudenheimgallery.com): Kyle Butler, Joan Linder, and Michael Stefura. On view through Jan 21. Tue-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Mon open by appointment only, and closed on Sundays. Prism (MyBuffaloPride, 224 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY 14201): The Amoore Project, works by Ari Moore. Thu & Fri 4-8pm, Sat & Sun 3-7pm. Queen City Gallery (617 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, 868-8183, queencitygallery.tripod.com): Neil Mahar, David Pierro, Candace Keegan, John Farallo, Chris McGee,Tim Raymond, Eileen Pleasure, Eric Evinczik, Barbara Crocker, Thomas Bittner, Joshua Nickerson, Susan Redenbach, Barbara Lynch Johnt, Kristopher Whatever, Michael Mulley. Tue-Fri 11am-4pm and by appointment. Sports Focus Physical Therapy (531 Virginia Street, Buffalo, NY, 14202, 332-4838, sportsfocuspt.com): Prints by Jane Marinsky. On view through Feb 28. MonFri 9am-5pm. Spot Coffee (1406 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14216): Celebrate Buffalo, paintings by Stephen Coppola. On view through Jan 2016. Squeaky Wheel (617 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, squeaky.org): STILL/Moving: Works from the Gerald Mead Collection. Work from Cory Arcangel, Colin Beatty, Sylvie Belanger, Michael Bosworth, Lawrence Brose, Diane Bush, Max Collins, Allan D’Arcangelo, Jax Deluca, Marion Faller, Hollis Frampton, Courtney Grim, Tom Holt, Deborah Jack, Cletus Johnson, Douglas Kirkland, Jody LaFond, Barbara Lattanzi,Robert Longo, Esther Neisen, Jonathan Rogers, Cindy Sherman, and Craig Smith. On view through Jan 9, 2016. Tue-Sat 12-5pm. Stangler Fine Art (6429 West Quaker Street, Orchard Park, NY 14127, 870-1129, stanglerart.com): Open holiday exhibition with work from Karen Carlton, Joan Fitzerald, Joyce Hill, Bryan Hopkins, Anita Johnson, Fran Noonan, Beth Pedersen, Joseph Porreca, Kathleen Sherin, Lisa Schreiner, Ilania Stangler and Christopher Stangler. On view through Jan 1, 2016. Wed-Fri 12-5pm Sat 11-3pm Studio Hart (65 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY 14202, 5368337, studiohart.com): 2015 TOY STORE Invitational Exhibit, work by Bruce Adams, Bob Collignon, Linda Collignon, Cynnie Gaasch, Barbara Hart, Ani Hoover, Billy Huggins, Candace Keegan, Bethany Krull, Amy Luraschi, Ruth McCarthy, Gerald Mead, Esther Neisen, Deborah Petronio, Joe Radoccia, Elizabeth Switzer, Richard Tomasello. On view through Dec 24. Tue-Fri 11:30am-3:30pm, Sat 12-4pm. Sugar City (1239 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14213, buffalosugarcity.org): Through the Looking Glass—The Third Dimension, paintings by Yegor Mikushkin. Open every Fri 5:30-7:30, during all events, and by appointment. Opening Fri, Jan 1, 5:30-10pm: The Belt Line: Hiding in Plain Sight: photographs by Brendan Bannon, Max Collins, Molly Jarboe, Christina Laing, and David Torke. TGW@497 Gallery (497 Franklin Street, Buffalo, NY 14202, 981-9415): Work by Jane Bergenn, Joan Fitzgerald, Patti Harris, Marie Hassett, Joyce Hill, Catherine O’Neill, Julie Lewitzky, Richard Rockford, Carol Case Siracuse, Ann Steivater, Russell Ram, Sally Treanor, and David Vitrano. Wed-Fri 12-5pm, Sat 12-3pm. UB Anderson Gallery (1 Martha Jackson Place, Buffalo, NY 14214, 829-3754, ubartgalleries.org): A Tribute to David K. Anderson, Cravens World: The Human Aesthetic, on view through Dec 31, 2016. Wed-Sat 11am5pm, Sun 1-5pm. UB Art Gallery (Center for the Arts, North Campus, Amherst, NY 645-6913, ubartgalleries.org): Splitting Light, work from Shiva Aliabadi, Anna Betbeze, Amanda Browder, Erin Curtis, Gabriel Dawe, Sam Falls, Nathan Green, John Knuth, David Benjamin Sherry, and Hap Tivey. On view through Jan 10, 2016. Re:res: Contemporary Interpretations of the Cravens World Collection; work from Skylar Borgstrom, Caitlin Cass, AJ Fries, Kristine Mifsud, Carl Spartz, Marc Tomko, Kurt Treeby, and Necole Zayatz. On view through Dec 12. Tue-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 1-5pm. UB Libraries Poetry and Rare Book Room (420 Capen Hall, Amherst, NY 14260, (716) 645-2918, library.buffalo. edu/specialcollections): Artifact, works from the UB Libraries Special Collections, on view through Jan 15. Mon-Fri 9am-4pm. Wrafterbuilt Furniture (119 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14201, 913-5313, wrafterbuilt.com): Drawings and sketches by Jaime Schmidt. To add your gallery’s information to the list, please P contact us at info@dailypublic.com.

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DANA SAYLORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Buffalo Architecture Coloring Book (available at local bookstores and gift shops or by contacting the author) is the work of Saylor (everybu

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uildinginbuffalo.com) and Jon Furman (d-rlr.com). Color in these Delaware Avenue row houses and send us your work on Instagram: #colorthepublic. Winners will receive a $50 gift card for the Lenox Grill! DAILYPUBLIC.COM / DECEMBER 23, 2015 - JANUARY 5, 2016 / THE PUBLIC 13

EVENTS CALENDAR

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WEDNESDAY DEC 23

PUBLIC APPROVED

Festivus featuring Seinfeld Triva 6pm Hydraulic Hearth, 716 Swan Street [FESTIVUS] Bust out the aluminum pole, start training for the feats of strength, and prepare your soul for the airing of the grievances because Festivus season is upon us. And for the second year in a row, Hydraulic Hearth and S Thomas Events will host a fun party in honor of the fictional holiday complete with Seinfeld trivia. On holiday hiatus from his beer career, DJ Cutler makes his return to Buffalo to spin tunes. It’s a Festivus miracle! So study up, because these questions are typically pretty tough. This year’s Festivus takes place on Wednesday, December 23. Trivia is from 6pm to 8pm and $60 per team of four. To register, email sthomasevents@gmail.com. -CP

THIS WEEK'S AGENDA FRIDAY DECEMBER 25

More Than Me

PHOTO BY MICHAEL NICO NOSTRO

LGBT SENIORS HOLIDAY DINNER

THE CHRISTMAS PARTY FRIDAY DEC 25

2PM at Zhang’s Buffet, 3523 Union Rd.

Don’t spend the holidays alone! Join Silver Pride Project, a group of LGBT seniors, for its second annual Christmas Day dinner get-together. The event is payyour-own-bill but the fellowship is free.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 31

NEW YEAR’S EVE GOLD PARTY 9PM at Club Marcella, 622 Main St.

DJ Carlos G from Miami spins the beats for the club’s end-of-year-bash, featuring an all-night liquor license. Drag show at 11 p.m. with special guest performers. Free hats and noisemakers, plus a champagne toast at midnight. Cover: >21: $10; <21: $15 before midnight, $20 after.

SATURDAY JANUARY 2

THE BREAKFAST CLUB 9AM at Lake Effect Diner, 3165 Main St.

A monthly breakfast club for early risers in the LGBT community at locally owned restaurants throughout Buffalo. RSVP on Facebook to ensure an accurate reservation.

10PM / PEARL STREET GRILL & BREWERY, 76 PEARL ST. / $20 [ELECTRONIC/DANCE] Promoter Mike Marshall of MNM Presents is the guy who wakes up on Christmas morning and gets to work. While you’re eating your holiday ham, he’s finishing up all of the preparations for his annual Christmas Party at the Pearl Street Grill. This year the line up includes DJ Cutler, Dusty Bits, Your Boy Medison, DJ 3PO, Greg “Twist” Howze, HOOGS with Braka D, Drumsound BLVD, Eyes Everywhere, Shooter McNappin, Big BASHA, the OWSKI, Stuntman, HEEZY, Chuck Abbott, and more, all spread across four rooms with different themes. This week we talked to Marshall about how he’s maintained this epic party for so long. What does the party mean to you after doing it for 10 years? It means we’re old. [He laughs.] Nah, that’s an easy answer—it means it’s become somewhat of an institution, I guess, right? It was set out as a place for the “counterculture” to gather, dance hard to electronic music, and see all their friends in a safe place. And that’s exactly what it still is. Other than getting a little bigger, it hasn’t changed a bit in that department. It’s not always easy keeping up with evolving musical tastes, and crowds, but that’s what we do. We’re really into the music and it’s a big part of the fun. The party sticks to its roots while molding to the times, and that’s not ever going to change. All trap everything this year. [He laughs.] How do you prepare for it? A lot of work and a lot of love. It’s a become a well-oiled machine, but we are always adding or changing. As you can imagine, there’s about 100 people involved [in the set up]; between staff, production, talent, security, and promotion…all working on a holiday. Everyone loves this party or it wouldn’t be happening. We’re blessed for the team! What aspect of the party do you look forward to the most? The smiles and hugs—100 percent. There are so many of them on this night. If you were to ask anyone that’s been there, that might be their answer. Seeing the new people is another. For a lot of us, it’s not our first rodeo. And to keep life fresh you need new blood. To see someone walk into something that’s cultivated for 11 years, it’s their first time and they love it…knowing they’ll be back for 10 more…it’s awesome. But to answer strictly as a patron? I just want to see my “family.” -CORY PERLA

14TH ANNUAL TRIBUTE TO JOE STRUMMER & THE CLASH SATURDAY DEC 26

SATURDAY JANUARY 2 7PM / TOWN BALLROOM, 681 MAIN ST. / $12-$15

THE IMPERIAL REVUE 11PM-2AM at Preservation Pub, 948 Main St.

Join the Imperial Court of Buffalo and special guest performers for a night of entertainment. Doors open at 11pm, show at 11:30pm, featuring Empress 25 Jayme Coxx and your new King and Queen of the Damned Justin Tyme and Alice Raige. Cover: $3.

LOOPMAGAZINEBUFFALO.COM

7:30pm Studio at the Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave. $10-$12 [POP] Led by brothers Ryan and Todd Doyle, pop-rock band More Than Me returns to Buffalo for a special one-off show at the Studio at the Waiting Room on Wednesday, December 23. The band reunites for a hometown show only sporadically, so take this chance to catch the four-piece with support from Canton, Ohio rock band Hey Monea. -CP

[PUNK] Joe Strummer was instrumental in the success of the Clash, a band that was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, one year after a congenital heart defect took Strummer’s life. Strummer—who was also a member of the rockabilly band the 101ers and his later band the Mescalaroes—has been an influence to musicians far and wide, popularizing the Telecaster guitar among punks and setting the bar for catchy yet cutting political lyricism. Strummer’s legacy, at least in this city, lives on through the 14th Annual Tribute to Joe Strummer & the Clash at the Town Ballroom on Saturday, December 26, which will feature bands like the Rebel Waltz, the Prisoners, Ghetto Defendants, Muppet Hi-Fi, Kings of Bayou, the Brixton Sons, Washington Bullets, and more. -KELLIE POWELL

14 THE PUBLIC / DECEMBER 23, 2015 - JANUARY 5, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

PUBLIC APPROVED

SATURDAY DEC 26 Dominique 7:30pm Helium Comedy Club, 30 Mississippi St. $20-$32 [COMEDY] Last Comic Standing finalist Dominique Whitten got her start in the DC comedy scene before moving to the Bronx. Cutting her teeth in New York City’s comedy clubs, Dominique’s hilarity charmed Saturday Night Live’s Tracy Morgan, who ushered her into the big leagues. She’s performed alongside legends like Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock, and can be seen headlining comedy clubs across the country. Catch Dominique at Helium Comedy Club on Saturday, December 26 and Sunday, December 27. -KP

Jennafer Lynsey 8pm Buffalo Iron Works, 49 Illinois St. $5

[POP] A Western New York native who opted for Nashville’s city lights instead of college, Jennafer Lynsey has been honing her songwriting chops since the age of 12. Most recently she’s teamed up with Mike Kraski, formerly of Sony Music, to work on grooming her for a pop career, which you can hear loud and clear on her catchy single “Kiss Me.” Lynsey comes home for the holidays with her band and a pair of shows: Saturday night at Buffalo Iron Works with Jaden Mya and the Channel 7 Ball Drop on New Year’s Eve. -CJT

CALENDAR EVENTS Commodores & the Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards

PUBLIC APPROVED

8pm Seneca Niagara Events Center, 310 4th St. $35-$75 [R&B] Catch the Commodores & the Temptations Review featuring Dennis Edwards—a Temptations splinter group led by Otis Williams— at Seneca Niagara Casino on Saturday, December 26. Both groups are reigning champions of Motown, boasting some of the biggest hits in the record company’s history. The Temptations made waves throughout the 1960s, strutting their choreographic flair and fine harmonies in forever-ubiquitous songs like “My Girl.” The Commodores surged in popularity throughout the 1970s, boasting a host of smooth and funky R&B hits, like “Brickhouse.” -KP

Tom Hambridge & the Rattlesnakes

NEW YEAR'S EVE WITH CLAYTON ENGLISH THURSDAY DEC 31 8PM / HELIUM COMEDY CLUB, 30 MISSISSIPPI ST. / $35-$58 [COMEDY] The force is strong with Clayton English, says virtually any human who has ever heard him perform (and Dave Chappelle upon meeting English for the first time). Ring in the New Year laughing your ass off at Helium Comedy Club with this hilarious comedian. Coming off his Last Comic Standing victory, Clayton’s mainstream following has grown considerably, but his stand-up game has been on point since his act was in its infancy. He spent much of his early career surfing the Atlanta comedy circuit before moving on to captivate a larger audience by delivering killer performances on BET’s Hell Date and TV ONE’s Bill Bellamy’s Who’s Got Jokes. English is a realist, and his observational wit is bold, wise and hysterical. He is best known for his roles as Peanut on Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, Terrence from the film The Preacher’s Kid and Jonathan in Five Days In The A. With his finger on the pulse of comedy, English’s fanbase continues to grow with each performance. He is a rare breed of stand up comedian with a remarkable capacity for amusing a broad audience—in the same vein as greats like Dave Chappelle. - KELLIE POWELL

9:30pm Sportsmen's Tavern, 326 Amherst St. $20-$25 [BLUES] Tom Hambridge has probably played the drums on some of your favorite records. The talented musician has drummed for legends Chuck Berry, Susan Tedeschi, Buddy Guy, Delbert McClinton, and many others, and produced songs for everyone from Eric Clapton to Meatloaf. When he comes to the Sportsmen’s Tavern on Saturday, December 26, he’ll be playing the part of singer/songwriter, accompanied by his band, the Rattlesnakes. -CP

band's popularity well beyond Buffalo, but by 2004 the members—including A House Safe for Tigers' Brandon Delmont—had all moved onto other projects. There's no time more perfect for the reunion of such a Nazarene-centric act than just after the big birthday, when Girlpope joins the Ramrods (and openers Mom Said No) for a free show at Town Ballroom, on Sunday, December 27. -CJT

MONDAY DEC 28 Misconstruity/Orations 8pm Mohawk Place, 47 E Mohawk St. $5 [INDIE] The ongoing brainchild of singer-songwriter Russ Sbriglia is now in its second incarnation after a hiatus that began in 2004 and ended fairly recently, resulting in Misconstruity 2.0. The band is celebrating the release of a crowd-funded new full-length, chè vuoi?, which puts an impressively polished spin on its emotionally charged indie rock, thanks to producer/ collaborator Jay Zubricky. Joining in the festivities are local goth-pop faves Orations, who are also releasing something new, an infectious seven-inch entitled Incantation, with the head-spinning lead track, "Curses" (which, by the wway, Zubricky also had a hand in recording). They'll hit Mohawk Place this Monday, December 28 at 8pm, with an early set from Ron McCracken.

-CJT

SUNDAY DEC 27 Ramrods/Girlpope 7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. free [ROCK] A pair of blasts from the annals of Buffalo's past come back to haunt us in all the best ways for a free holiday-time remember-when gig this weekend. The Ramrods only existed for a few years—from the mid 1980s to 1990, but the band captured a garage-punk aesthetic on its debut EP, Jivin' N' Twistin', that area scenesters haven't forgotten, and this is their first gig together in a decade. You may also remember Girlpope's college radio hit, "I Was a Teenage Jesus," from the mid 1990s. The ensuing fulllength, Cheeses of Nazareth, perpetuated the

THURSDAY DEC 31 Funktional Flow 7pm Buffalo Iron Works, 49 Illinois St. $10-$15 [JAM] Call it a jam band with extra groove. "The Flow," as fans like the call it, is a Buffalo-based quintet that has garnered a following throughout the Northeast region. Melding rock and reggae with a funk foundation makes them the perfect soundtrack for your New Year's Eve celebration at Buffalo Iron Works on Thursday, December 31. -CJT

CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

1 3 7 6 HE R TE L AV E NU E / 7 1 6 . 3 2 2 . 7 6 6 9 / WR A F T ERBUI LT. C O M

B R O U G HT TO YO U B Y

DAILYPUBLIC.COM / DECEMBER 23, 2015 - JANUARY 5, 2016 / THE PUBLIC 15

EVENTS CALENDAR PUBLIC APPROVED

16 NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTIES THURSDAY DEC 31 8PM / VARIOUS LOCATIONS [PARTY] If you’re reading this list, it’s not too late—you’ve still got time to do all of the bad things that you swear you’ll swear off in 2016. Or maybe you want to end 2015 in classy fashion and set the right tone for the next year. Either way, we’ve probably picked out the perfect party for you and your pals. Here is our list of the top 16 New Year’s Eve parties happening in Western New York. ELECTRIC TOWER BALL DROP Free, 535 Washington St., Buffalo

For the 27th year in a row, the people of Buffalo will gather in front of the iconic Electric Tower to count down the seconds until the new year. An almost emergency-level lack of funding this year hasn’t stopped the popular event from continuing on into 2016. Approximately 40,000 people are expected to show up for the celebration.

TRANSMISSION DANCE PARTY: NEW YEAR’S EDITION AT MOHAWK PLACE $5, 47 E Mohawk St., Buffalo

The underground usually unites on this night at Mohawk Place, where Transmission Dance Party holds it down with a mix of new wave, alternative, and indie dance. No frills here, just cheap beer, good tunes, and an affordable cover.

BIG DITCH BALL DROP

STATLER CITY ICE BALL

$25-$35, 55 East Huron St., Buffalo

$130-$160, 107 Delaware Ave., Buffalo

If you’re planning on attending the ball drop at the Electric Tower, then Big Ditch Brewery, just a couple of blocks down Ellicott, is both a great pre-gaming and post-gaming spot. They’ll be offering special packages, which include drink tickets and a buffet. THE COUNTDOWN AT THE WAITING ROOM

This is probably the fanciest party on the list. Which means, if you don’t have tickets yet, you should get on that soon. This year marks the fifth annual Ice Ball, and as usual ticket holders will be privy to five hours of open bar, lots of food, party favors, a champagne toast, and live music. Live music includes Boys of Summer, Jeremy Hoyle and the Strictly Hip, Jeff Toy, and more.

$65-$80, 334 Delaware Ave., Buffalo

Features EDM, Top 40, and hip hop DJs DSTAR, Dovey, Heat, GLDN GIRLS, and P Nasty. Four hours open bar, some tasty-sounding cuisine by Kevin's Catering, party favors, a free photo booth, and champagne toast at midnight. GYPSY PARLOR NEW YEAR’S EVE $5-$30, 376 Grant St., Buffalo

Music by the Sleepy Hahas, the Naturalists, and Feverbox. Prime rib dinner buffet and complimentary champagne. $30 for dinner starting at 8pm, $5 after 10pm for live music. THE TEA PARTY NEW YEAR’S EVE AT RAPIDS THEATRE $35-$40, 1711 Main St., Niagara Falls

The Tea Party return to the Rapids Theatre to perform their classic 1995 record The Edges of Twilight in its entirety on New Year’s Eve as part of their 20th anniversary tour. Special guests Dirty Smile will open the show. LIFT NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY $55, 257 Franklin St., Buffalo.

This is the New Year’s Eve party for the clubbers. DJ Scott Andrew will provide some trance and EDM and the venue will provide a light buffet, an open bar, and some fun party gear like hats and noisemakers. They’ll also be passing out a complimentary champagne just in time for the new year.

FIRST NIGHT AT THE CONVENTION CENTER $10-$12, children under two free, 153 Franklin St., Buffalo

This drug- and alcohol-free event is geared toward teenagers and adolescents, but it sounds like it’ll be fun for people of all ages. Who doesn’t want to try some American Ninja Warrior training, or get down in a Bubble Black Light Dance Party or Laser Maze? Entertainment includes the comedy of Jonathan Burns; the Animal Guy, Jeff Musial; and music by Kevin McCarthy. HARD ROCK CAFE NEW YEAR’S EVE 333 Prospect St., Niagara Falls

This year’s Hard Rock Cafe New Year’s Eve Party will take place indoors and will feature the music of Joyride. For this event, the band will bring along their horn section, the Hitmen Horns, to cover everything from 1970s soul and funk to 1990s rock, R&B, and today’s Top 40.

SALVATORE’S MASQUERADE BALL $115-$135, 6461 Transit Rd., Depew

Probably one of the classier parties on the list, Salvatore’s is celebrating New Year’s Eve in the Bellamore Ballroom with a Masquerade Ball featuring the music of the Steve Balesteri Band. They’ll also have a separate gala in the Venetian Ballroom. DUKE’S NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY 253 Allen St., Buffalo

If you’re in Allentown and looking for a funky party, Duke’s is your spot on New Year’s Eve. They’ll have old school hip hop DJs SNM Crew, Milk & Cochise, Biacco, Charles Masters, Lopro, Dovey, and Looney Tunes. Since it’s Duke’s, of course there’ll be a complimentary grand buffet. They’ll also have a bottomless champagne fountain, party favors, and a $30 surf and turf dinner. This is your after-hours spot too, since they’ll be rocking an all-night license (and even a smoking permit). NEW YEAR'S EVE WITH FRANK SINATRA 647 Ridge Rd., Lackawanna

Start spreading the news: Frank Sinatra will be a part of it this New Year’s Eve. Complementing a city that feels frozen in time, Old Blue Eyes himself—or a crack impersonator of the iconic crooner—will entertain dinner guests on Thursday, December 31 at Curly’s Grille. Limited seating tickets are available. Their special $79 package deal includes a four course. surf and turf dinner. Sinatra’s repertoire, given new life by the great Jack Civiletto, will be aimed to get diners out of their chairs and on to the dance floor. That’s amore DRESS TO KILL AT THE FOUNDRY SUITES $125, 1738 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo

If you plan to Dress to Kill this New Year’s Eve, then the Foundry Suites Hotel is your spot, as they’re hosting a James Bond-themed party—specifically Casino Royale. There will even be a special room with slot machines and casino tables. Entertainment will be provided by Big City Horns. Expect hors d’oeuvres, dessert, a countdown with confetti, a champagne toast, and five-hour premium open bar. BLACK DIAMOND AFFAIR AT THE LODGE

NEW YEAR’S AT NIETZSCHE’S $5, 248 Allen St., Buffalo

There’ll be plenty of familiar faces at Nietzsche’s on New Year’s Eve as they’re hosting some regulars, including Folkfaces, Intrepid Travelers, Soul Butchers, Lazlo Hollyfeld, Rhubarb, and more. And it’s only $5.

16 THE PUBLIC / DECEMBER 23, 2015 - JANUARY 5, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

$20-$30, 79 West Chippewa St., Buffalo

The Lodge will be warm and cozy whether we have snow to deal with on New Year’s Eve or not. This year they’re hosting a party called the Black Diamond Affair. They’ll be serving a special dinner from 5pm until 9pm, after which DJ Drop D will turn up on their huge sound system.-CORY PERLA

CALENDAR EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

SATURDAY JAN 2

PUBLIC APPROVED

Rescue Dawn 5:30pm Mohawk Place, 47 E Mohawk St. $10-$12 [PUNK] Local emo/punk-pop purveyors Rescue Dawn will kick off their winter tour with a gig at Mohawk Place on Saturday, January 2, before heading out to a string of dates that will take them down to Florida and bring them back. It's another marathon-at-Mohawk lineup starting at 5:30pm with an early set from singer-songwriter Joey Wright, soulful hip hop a la the Otherme, and culminating with post-punk from 3 Hour Power Shower and Debt to Nature. -CJT

WEDNESDAY JAN 6

LIVEMUSICEVERYNIGHTFOROVER30YEARS! WEDNESDAY

DEC 23

6PM FREE

Bobby Angel presents: A Holiday Tribute to the Music of Fleetwood Mac

I SET MY FRIENDS ON FIRE FRIDAY JAN 1

Emulsified #3: Obedience

5PM / MOHAWK PLACE, 47 E MOHAWK ST. / $10-$15

7:30pm Hallwalls, 341 Delaware Ave.

[ROCK] Bring that insufferable hangover to Mohawk Place on New Year’s Day, where the music will blast you back into shape for another humdinger. Beginning at 5pm, just around the same time that the aspirin should start working, the hair of the dog will flow. (Do not say it was me that suggested drinking after taking aspirin.) However you manage to get to point B, the edge will need to be sanded down in order to handle this post-hardcore lineup. Kings and Kingdoms guitarist Joey Galligan is up first—unclear if it’ll be a solo acoustic set or what, but the scorching death metal of Inertia will definitely clear out any remaining cobwebs in your holiday-marinated brain. Andrea Elle’s vocals soften Mallorie’s assaultive crunch ever so slightly (in all the best ways), but the remaining bands all deliver a crushing, growling wallop, straddling the blurred lines between the fringes of metal and hardcore’s evil spawned: locals Contempt Creates a Killer, Rochester’s Vanity Strikes, Houston’s Whether, I, and, headlining from Florida, I Set My Friends on Fire. Make sure you’re good and limbered up for the last two bands—unrelenting heat makes for deliciously angry music. It can all be yours for $10 in advance, $15 at the door. -CHRISTOPHER JOHN TREACY

[FILM] Four films, four looks at the psychological bartering that forms the meta-structure of social interactions: what you are willing and not willing to do based on another's desire. Curated by Ekrem Serdar, Obedience will host a provoking lineup including Jesse McLean's Lose Yourself (5 minutes, digital 2011), Michael Robinson's Hold Me Now (5 minutes, digital, 2008), Paul Sharits's T,O,U,C,H,I,N,G (13 minutes, 16mm, 1968) and Stanley Milgram's Obedience (45 minutes, 16mm, 1962), from Milgram's landmark study on the psychology of genocide. -AL

Happy Hour: Elliot Scozzaro Trio

9PM $5 $4 W. CANNED GOOD/FOOD DONATION

Christmas Eve:

THURSDAY

DEC 24

Houston Gardwell Collective, Philly and the JJs 9PM FREE

Christmas day:

FRIDAY

DEC 25

Erie Lackawanna Railroad 8PM-12AM FREE

SATURDAY

DEC 26

Mitch’s Infydels & The Crumbs of Insanity Holiday Reunion Show 10PM $7

MONDAY

DEC 28

Songwriter Showcase: Bill Smith 8PM FREE / 9PM OPEN MIC

WEDNESDAY

DEC 30

Einat Agmon & Evan Kaderbeck 9PM FREE

New Years Eve Lazlo Hollyfield / Rhubarb Folkfaces / Intrepid Travelers

THURSDAY

DEC 31

9PM $5

WEEKLY EVENTS EVERY SUNDAY FREE

FIRST SUNDAYS: THE JAZZ CACHE 6PM. ANN PHILLIPONE 8PM . DR JAZZ & THE JAZZ BUGS (EXCEPT FIRST SUNDAYS)

EVERY MONDAY FREE

8PM. SONGWRITER SHOWCASE 9PM. OPEN MIC W. JOSH GAGE

EVERY TUESDAY

8PM. RUSTBELT COMEDY 10PM. JOE DONOHUE 11PM. THE STRIPTEASERS $3

PHOTO BY DAVID TORKE

THE BELT LINE: HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT FRIDAY JAN 1

EVERY WEDNESDAY FREE 6PM. TYLER WESTCOTTS PIZZA TRIO

EVERY THURSDAY FREE

5PM. THE AFTERNOON TRIO W. JOHN, PAUL, & BILL

5:30PM / SUGAR CITY, 1239 NIAGARA ST. [PHOTOGRAPHY] Aside from being names as inseparable from Buffalo as the Bills, what do Pierce Arrow, Ford, F. N. Burt, Larkin, Curtiss, American Radiator, Trico, and Rich Products have in common? The Belt Line. After Joseph Ellicott’s 1802 radial design and Frederick Law Olmsted’s parkway system, there might not be a system more integral to Buffalo’s infrastructure than its 1883 Belt Line rail corridor. Forming a 15-mile loop around the city, the Belt Line connected Buffalo neighborhoods to the national economy. For a few generations during Buffalo’s first big boom, the most prestigious address for industry was along the line, and what’s left of the architecture that dotted its path bears this out. On Friday, January 1, the Belt Line and its adherent buildings will be the subject of five local photographers—Brendan Bannon, Max Collins, Molly Jarboe, Christina Laing, and David Torke—for a show at Sugar City seeking to draw creative approaches to redevelopment along its route where some 12 million square feet of largely vacant or underutilized industrial space waits in limbo. The show will also feature 100 pictures pulled from Instagram tagged with P #BuffaloBeltLine. (The deadline to contrubte is December 27.) -AARON LOWINGER

EVERY SATURDAY FREE

4:30-7:30PM. CELTIC SEISIUNS (TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY)

248 ALLEN STREET 716.886.8539

NIETZSCHES.COM

DAILYPUBLIC.COM / DECEMBER 23, 2015 - JANUARY 5, 2016 / THE PUBLIC 17

ACTIVISM SPOTLIGHT The Occupy movement also changed the way Washington viewed leadership and community activism. Before he witnessed the peaceful protests and demonstrations in Niagara Square, he linked leadership to managing followers, as opposed to the process of creating other leaders. If you ask Washington what his overarching goal is, he will proudly tell you it is community control of resources, economic development, education, and awareness. “Most people are conditioned to think you can’t fight city hall. I think community engagement is what you need to teach people otherwise.” So what’s the average day in the life of a freedom-fighting workaholic? “Meetings. A lot of meetings, sometimes seven or eight a day, usually with elected officials, leaders of organizations, and general people in the community. If I’m not in a meeting, I’m canvasing, getting to know people and their problems and how my work fits as a solution. There are also organizational days and action days, where I’m at a rally or a march, or planning a rally or a march.” He admits that it can be difficult to create community engagement; it takes effort to encourage others to get involved. I asked Washington if he felt most people were apathetic, and if we’re all too caught up in our own lives to get out there and make a difference. With the constant evolution of technology and human reliance on gadgets and the digital world, some of these meetings where pressing issues are discussed seem to suffer from a lack of attendance. Washington, being an optimistic character disagrees:

JOHN WASHINGTON Lead campaign organizer for PUSH Buffalo BY SARA ALI SOCIAL ACTIVIST, FIGHTER AGAINST INJUSTICES, and

community leader are just a few ways to describe PUSH (People United for Sustainable Housing) Buffalo’s lead campaign organizer, John Washington. His immense passion to promote education and awareness, and to fight against social inequity is deeply embedded in his lifestyle. He even named his son after his endeavors: Justice. “I thought of all the people I would want to name him after. I thought, what brings this all together? Everyone I wanted to name him after was working for justice. One day it just clicked.” You might say Washington was bound to follow the path he’s taken, being the son of an African-American mother who grew up in 1950s-1960s Harlem and was part of the first wave of children to experience desegregation in public schools. Through his mother, Washington was exposed to human rights activists such as Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali, and he read black liberation literature as a child. Even after he left college, Washington says he read just as much, if not more, than he would have read in college, and remained dedicated to education through self-study.

PUSH BUFFALO 271 GRANT ST., BUFFALO / PUSHBUFFALO.ORG @ PUSHBUFFALO PUSH.BUFFALO

Washington says it wasn’t until 2011, around the time the Occupy Buffalo movement began, that he became an activist. Occupy instilled in him a sense of obligation to change the dynamics he witnessed while working as a debt collector. (“Buffalo is the collection capital of the world,” Washington says.) His journey began with a deep distaste for banks and war to fighting for racial equality and against corporate takeover of education. And so Washington evolved from a college dropout working as a debt collector to one of Buffalo’s freedom fighters.

“The reason is realistically we live in an impoverished and oppressed society. I don’t think people are apathetic; I think people are oppressed, and that they have lost in the face of a system so many times that that’s what they expect. It’s not that they don’t care; in fact they care a lot, and I’m sure that they are furious, and that comes out as passive aggression in all kinds of ways that their family, friends, and coworkers see. The problem is that you are not taught how to change things. You’re not taught how governments work, how structures work, how businesses work, how they relate to each other, and you’re not taught how to change them or how to engage other people around collective problem-solving. Those aren’t things we are socialized to do… you want to find out where their frustrations and oppressions are and develop a sense of self in them that says, ‘I am not what I’ve been oppressed by but I am a powerful person that can fight back against this.’” In the rare instances where Washington is not working, you’re bound to find him spending time with his son, reading, or listening to his favorite local hip-hop artists, like Quadir Lateef or Mad Dukez. Before his awareness of Buffalo’s community activism, Washington wanted to be a rapper. “I didn’t realize it at the time, but [rappers] were the only people I saw speaking the truth. I read a lot about Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, but I didn’t see a lot of people my age or in my era who were speaking the truth, so hip hop had a huge influence on how I thought about the world. The roots of hip-hop are a combination of situations that happened in Brooklyn and in the Bronx with immigrants, mass gentrification, and poverty. It has revolutionary roots. ” Washington says he hopes to be a part of a future of more activism and campaign victories that lead to more affordable, sustainable housing, and pushing back against gentrification in Buffalo. Through education and leadership, he firmly believes we can be the most sustainable and racially diverse city in the country. P

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JANUARY 3RD • 7PM

SO MANY MOVIES, SO LITTLE SPACE.

Of the eight movies rolling into theaters in the coming week, the biggest of the year in terms of box office and industry self-importance, which is the one you should absolutely see if that’s all you have time for? If you haven’t already seen it, there’s still time to catch Brooklyn. John Crowley’s gentle, intelligent drama about the experience of an Irish emigrant to the United States in the 1950s is probably the best film I saw all year, and given the presence of refugees and immigrants in the international consciousness recently, one of the most important in its understated way. That aside (and assuming that there’s unlikely to be much of value in either Daddy’s Home or Point Break, also taking up screen space starting Friday), this year’s holiday offerings and award hopefuls use true stories to evoke outrage, whimsy, romance, and tragedy. The Big Short stars Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt, and Ryan Gosling, and was directed and co-written by Adam McKay, former SNL writer and co-creator of most of Will Ferrell’s movies. That sentence is a lot more likely to put butts in seats than a statement of the film’s subject matter, the 2007 banking crisis that nearly brought down the American economy. If you’re like me, most attempts to explain the underpinnings of that crisis are likely to make you feel either bored and/or stupid—which, as one of McKay’s characters points out, is exactly the point. Working from the book by former Wall Street insider Michael Lewis (Liar’s Poker), the film follows several unconnected characters who, a decade ago, all came to the same conclusion: After decades of manipulation, financial markets were about to collapse under the weight of their corruption, and money could be made by, essentially, using the markets to bet against them. (My wife, who is as perspicacious as she is beautiful, works in banking

Concussion

and was making the same predictions of upcoming trouble in the early 2000s.) These guys are hardly heroes, but they serve as an entrée into a world designed to be confusing. McKay’s background may be in lunkheaded comedy, but he’s a smarter guy than the presence of Talladega Nights and Step Brothers on his credits might lead you to assume. The film is good at explaining such arcane concepts as collateralized debt obligations, though the sheer volume of bullshit it guides you through is still likely to make your head swim, to the point that the story’s harshest irony—gambling on the collapse of a corrupt system, these players learned that the system is more deeply corrupt than they imagined—gets muted. See it, and then dig up a copy of Charles Ferguson’s excellent (and Oscar-winning) documentary on the same subject, Inside Job. That one will really piss you off.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

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FILM REVIEW

Joy

The Danish Girl

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 * ** Concussion is another film about actual events that would better be served by a documentary than a fictional adaptation. Will Smith stars as Dr. Bennet Omalu, the Pittsburgh pathologist who in 2002 ordered an autopsy on the body of Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster in an attempt to explain the increasingly erratic behavior that cause Webster to lose everything, including his life. What he discovered was a condition, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, brought on by excessive blows to the head—a sine qua non of football. His discovery, in other words, is that “God did not intend for us to play football,” which does not go over very well with anyone, especially in a town as football-crazed as Pittsburgh. (Buffalonians of course will have to take it on faith that a city can be like that.) The film’s problem is that it doesn’t have a well-defined dramatic arc after Omalu’s discovery. The NFL steps up to take the nemesis role, suppressing and countering his studies at every opportunity, but the suggestion that they caused his pregnant wife to have a miscarriage is half-hearted and probably insupportable. And while you can hardly blame the writers for cherishing the details of Omalu’s personal history—born in Nigeria, holder of more advanced degrees than you could shake a stick at—they distract rather than add to the primary story. * ** Fans of writer-director David O. Russell like to compare his films to those of Preston Sturges, who in the 1940s produced the most singular run of movies in the history of American comedy, including The Lady Eve, The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, and Hail the Conquering Hero. Watching Joy, Russell’s latest, I could only

IN CINEMAS NOW BY M. FAUST & GEORGE SAX

PREMIERES OPENING FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25

THE BIG SHORT—Former SNL writer and Will Ferrell’s partner Adam McKay explains the 2007 mortgage crisis that nearly brought down the American economy. The ensemble cast features Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Marisa Tomei, Rafe Spall, Brad Pitt, and Melissa Leo. Reviewed this issue Amherst (Dipson), Flix (Dipson), Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria OPENS WED 12/23 CAROL—Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven) gets another chance to recreate the 1950s with this adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s pseudonymously published early novel about the affair between a shop girl (Rooney Mara) and a married older woman (Cate Blanchett), With Kyle Chandler and Sarah Paulson. Reviewed this issue. Amherst (Dipson), Eastern Hills (Dipson) CONCUSSION—Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu, the Pittsburgh pathologist who first established

wish that the comparison were truly apt. It features a terrific performance by Jennifer Lawrence as a heroine Sturges would have loved, the Long Island woman who invented the Miracle Mop and became rich selling it on the then-new able channel QVC. Like Sturges, Russell packs his movies with characters who all think they’re the star of the story (and, in a different handling, could be). But while he has all the right ingredients, Russell isn’t much of a cook. He stirs and stirs to haphazard results. The first half of the film, charting our heroine’s domestic problems, are mostly just depressing, And the film’s third act seems to have been stuck on just to give the story a dramatic conclusion. Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro, who also co-starred with Lawrence in Russell’s last two films (American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook), are back in a large cast that includes Édgar Ramírez, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen, and Isabella Rossellini. But it’s Lawrence’s movie all the way.

* ** Another story of love when it dared not speak its name, Carol has a more tenuous connection to a real-life story. It is based on the novel The Price of Salt, written by Patricia Highsmith from an experience in her own life and published under the pseudonym “Claire Morgan” in 1952. It recounts a romance between her and a married suburban woman she met while working as a department store clerk. For director Todd Haynes, this provides another chance to explore repressed gay love in the staid 1950s, as he did in Far From Heaven. But while he recreates the era to visual success, he’s not as concerned with imitating a Douglas Sirk melodrama this time around. (You may or may not consider that a plus.) Languid and seductive, it’s a slow burner with Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett as an exquisitely matched pair.

* **

The Danish Girl is loosely based on the life of Einar Wegener (Eddie Redmayne), the Danish landscape artist of the 1920s whose posthumously published diaries (under the name Lili Elbe) have been inspirational to the transgender community. Though happily married to Gerda (Alicia Vikander), a rising portrait artist with whom he shares physical passion, Einar becomes consumed with the belief that he is actually a woman, leading him to undergo attempts at surgical correction. It’s a handsome production directed by Tom Hooper with similar period detail as his Oscar-winning The King’s Speech. But it walks an uncertain line between transvestitism and transgender, often seeming to imply that the two exist on a continuum. Its appeal may be limited to those who have read Lili’s diaries, those are also the ones most likely to spot the liberties that have been taken with them.

At two hours and 45 minutes, Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight also burns slowly, but despite a lot of promising sparks fizzles out by the time it gets to its gore-soaked finale. Set sometime in the years just after the Civil War, with many of that conflict’s passions still fresh, it contrives to place a bunch of characters in a remote Wyoming way station during a blizzard that makes travel impossible. (There are, by my count, 10 of them, and which of them are not among the hateful I couldn’t figure out.) The dialogue lacks the florid orotundity that is Tarantino’s stock-intrade—there’s no place for Christoph Waltz here—which leads you to think that he may be after more serious concerns than in previous films. But everything that appears to be dissecting the American character turns out to be merely a diversion from a spaghetti Western story that could—and should—have been told in a trimmer film. Excellent Ennio Morricone score, though. P

the link in football players between what were thought to be frequent minor concussions and brain damage. Co-starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, David Morse, and Luke Wilson. Directed by Peter Landesman (Parkland). Reviewed this issue. Local theaters DADDY’S HOME— Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as the past and current husbands of the same woman (Linda Cardellini) battling for the affection of her kids. Directed by Sean Anders (Sex Drive). Local theaters THE DANISH GIRL—Drama starring Eddie Redmayne as Einar Wegener, the Danish artists who in the 1920s was the first man to undergo sex reassignment surgery. With Alicia Vikander, Matthias Schoenaerts, Sebastian Koch, Ben Whishaw and Amber Heard. Directed by Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech). Reviewed this issue. Eastern Hills (Dipson), North Park THE HATEFUL EIGHT—After the Civil War, eight generally villainous types are stranded at a remote Wyoming waystation during a blizzard in the new film by Quentin Tarantino. Starring, in alphabetical order, Demian Bichir, Bruce Dern, Walton Goggins, Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth, Kurt Russell, and Channing Tatum. Reviewed this issue. OPENS FRI 1/1

20 THE PUBLIC / DECEMBER 23, 2015 - JANUARY 5, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

JOY—The new film from David O. Russell (American Hustle) is based on the story of Joy Mangano, the long Island housewife who invented the Miracle Mop. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Édgar Ramírez, Bradley Cooper, Diane Ladd, Virginia Madsen and Isabella Rossellini. Reviewed this issue. Local theaters POINT BREAK—Remake of the 1991 Patrick Swayze-Keanu Reeves movie. Guess they’re finally hitting the bottom of the barrel for movies to remake. Starring Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey, Ray Winstone, and Teresa Palmer. Directed by Ericson Core (Invincible). Local theaters

ALTERNATIVE CINEMA BATMAN RETURNS (1992)—Tim Burton’s second and last entry into the Dark Knight story, with Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito as the Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. Look fast for Paul “Pee-wee Herman” Reubens as the Penguin’s father. Sat-Sun 11:30am. North Park A CHRISTMAS CAROL (a.k.a. Scrooge, England, 1951)—Generally considered the best film version of the classic Charles Dickens story, with Alistair Sim as the infamous miser. Look for Patrick Macnee (The Avengers’ John Steed),

as the young Jacob Marley. Also starring Kathleen Harrison, Mervyn Johns, Hermione Baddeley, Ernest Thesiger, and Hattie Jacques. Wed 5:30pm. Screening Room A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983)—Admit it: This is the Christmas movie you’ve seen more than any other, and the one you’re most likely to watch again. Humorist Jean Shepherd’s stories form this basis for this portrait of Christmas in a blue-collar, Midwestern city in the 1930s. Starring Darren McGavin, Melinda Dillon, and Peter Billingsley. Directed by Bob Clark (Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things). Thu 24 11am. Hamburg Palace CURSE OF THE UNDEAD—Locally produced horror film. Starring Nicole Skalonja, Richard Ruiz and Claudia Rochon. Directed by Emir Skalonja. Sun 5pm. Screening Room IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)—Jimmy Stewart gets to see what life for his friends and community would have been like had he never lived in Frank Capra’s holiday classic. Co-starring Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi, Frank Faylen, Ward Bond, Gloria Grahame, H.B. Warner, Frank Albertson, Sheldon Leonard, and Charles Lane. Tues-Weds 7:30pm. Screening Room

IN CINEMAS NOW FILM

LOCAL THEATERS AMHERST THEATRE (DIPSON) 3500 Main St., Buffalo / 834-7655 amherst.dipsontheatres.com AURORA THEATRE 673 Main St., East Aurora / 652-1660 theauroratheatre.com EASTERN HILLS CINEMA (DIPSON) 4545 Transit Rd., / Eastern Hills Mall Williamsville / 632-1080 easternhills.dipsontheatres.com FLIX STADIUM 10 (DIPSON) 4901 Transit Rd., Lancaster / 668-FLIX flix10.dipsontheatres.com FOUR SEASONS CINEMA 6 2429 Military Rd. (behind Big Lots), Niagara Falls / 297-1951 fourseasonscinema.com HALLWALLS 341 Delaware Ave., Buffalo / 854-1694 hallwalls.org

The Hateful Eight

HAMBURG PALACE 31 Buffalo St., Hamburg / 649-2295 hamburgpalace.com

KILLER RACK—Pre-release screening of Greg Lamberson’s horror comedy about a woman who gets breast implants to improve her work situation, only to discover that they are demonically possessed. Did I mention that it’s a musical? Songs by Joe Rozler and Armand John Petri. Starring Jessica Zwolak, Debbie Rochon, Paul McGinnis, Sam Qualiana, and Lloyd Kaufman. Starring Tue 9:30pm. Screening Room MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (England, 1975)—Restored version of the cult classic about pornographic moose dentistry. Directed by 40 specially trained Ecuadorian mountain llamas, six Venezuelan red llamas, 142 Mexican whooping llamas, 14 North Chilean guanacos (closely related to the llama), Reg Llama of Brixton, 76,000 battery llamas from “llama-fresh” farms ltd. near Paraguay, and Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones. Sat-Weds, Fri Jan 1, Sat Jan 2 7:30pm. Screening Room NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF WIND (Japan, 1984)— In this early film from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, a princess in a post-apocalyptic world tries to prevent the destruction of what remains of her planet. Sat-Sun Jan 2-3. North Park THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972)—The original 1970s disaster movie. In one of his more ridiculous roles, Gene Hackman hams it up as a postGod is Dead priest egging a band of survivors out of an overturned luxury liner. With Ernest Borgnine, Red Buttons, Carol Lynley, Roddy McDowall, Stella Stevens, Shelley Winters, Pamela Sue Martin, and Leslie Nielsen. Directed by Ronald Neame. Sat 5pm Screening Room

son (Michael B. Jordan) of Apollo Creed. Determined to follow in his father’s footsteps, her persuades the retired Rocky (Stallone moving into the Burgess Meredith part) to coach him. The result is a crowd pleaser that pays affecLOCKPORT PALACE tionate tribute to memorable locations and 2 East Ave., Lockport / 438-1130 characters from the Rocky films while followlockportpalacetheatre.org ing a different structure. Coogler also retains Stallone’s sentimentality, and the notes struck MAPLE RIDGE 8 (AMC) by the cast here are honest, even if the chal4276 Maple Rd., Amherst / 833-9545 lenge faced by his hero feels contrived. With amctheatres.com Tessa Thompson and Phylicia Rashad. –Greg Lamberson Maple Ridge, Regal Elmwood, Regal MCKINLEY 6 THEATRES (DIPSON) Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal 3701 McKinley Pkwy. / McKinley Mall Walden Galleria Hamburg / 824-3479 THE GOOD DINOSAUR—There’s a subversive charm mckinley.dipsontheatres.com in the way Disney/Pixar’s latest effort inverts stereotypes without explanation—the family of NORTH PARK THEATRE apatosauruses (I checked) runs a farm complete with crops and livestock, and a human cave tod1428 Hertel Ave., Buffalo / 836-7411 dler acts like a dog—but this hero’s journey is a northparktheatre.org long haul for adults. After young Arlo’s father is killed in typical Disney fashion and a storm REGAL ELMWOOD CENTER 16 casts Arlo far away, he makes a perilous journey 2001 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo / 871–0722 home. Sam Elliott won me over as the voice of regmovies.com a grizzled T-Rex cowboy, but the overly familiar plot points are fossils. I preferred “Sanjay’s REGAL NIAGARA FALLS STADIUM 12 Super Team,” the preceding short. Directed by 720 Builders Way, Niagara Falls Peter Sohn. –Greg Lamberson Maple Ridge, Re236–0146 gal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, regmovies.com Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY—PART 2—Teen REGAL QUAKER CROSSING 18 dystopian sequel. Starring her, him, the Ozzie, 3450 Amelia Dr., Orchard Park / 827–1109 stoner dude, beardo, baldie with a toup, the regmovies.com dead guy, and that chick your dad thinks is hot. Directed by someone, I guess. Bet it’s playing at the mall! REGAL TRANSIT CENTER 18 Transit and Wehrle, Lancaster / 633–0859 IN THE HEART OF THE SEA—Moby Dick prequel, regmovies.com more or less. With Chris Hemsworth, Tom Holland, and Cillian Murphy. Directed by Ron HowTHEATER INFORMATION IS VALID THROUGH ard (Rush). Flix (Dipson), Maple Ridge, Regal THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24 REGAL WALDEN GALLERIA STADIUM 16 Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, One Walden Galleria Dr., Cheektowaga ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE ROAD CHIP—SeRegal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria 681-9414 / regmovies.com quel. With Jason Lee and Bella Thorne. Directed by Walt Becker (Old Dogs). Flix (Dipson), Maple KRAMPUS—Why did it take so long for someone Ridge, Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Reto make a movie based on the Alpine folklore RIVIERA THEATRE gal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria about St. Nick’s counterpart, the demon who 67 Webster St., North Tonawanda deals with the naughty kids? Maybe because BROOKLYN—Saoirse Ronan stars as an Irish girl 692-2413 / rivieratheatre.org the subject seems impossible to deal with other who emigrates to the United States in 1951, than as a flat-out horror movie, which is hardly when the economy of her home country was THE SCREENING ROOM likely to pull in a big crowd this time of year. Diin shambles. Adapted from Colm Tóibín’s 2009 3131 Sheridan Dr., Amherst / 837-0376 rector/co-writer Michael Dougherty tries to mix novel by Nick Hornby, Brooklyn is not only an screeningroom.net in comedy by using a feuding family as the obextraordinarily good film; it’s also an important ject of Krampus’s visit, which works more due to one, arriving as it does at a time when so many SQUEAKY WHEEL the talents of the adult cast (Adam Scott, Toni people are being forced to leave the lands of 712 Main St., / 884-7172 Collette, Allison Tolman, David Koechner, and their birth and so many normally decent peosqueaky.org Conchata Ferrell) than anything in the script. ple want to turn them away. Emotionally renVISIT DAILYPUBLIC.COM FOR MORE FILM LISTINGS & REVIEWS >> It’s admirable that his monsters (Krampus has dered by an attractive cast and crafted in the a krew of debased holiday figures) are masked SUNSET DRIVE-IN best traditions of mainstream filmmaking—it actors and puppets rather than CGI, but they wouldn’t look out of place if you were to see it 9950 Telegraph Rd., Middleport 735look awfully low budget. And the ending is a 7372 / sunset-drivein.com some evening on Turner Classic Movies—Brookterrible cheat. But there are pleasureable molyn is a captivating and rewarding moviegoing ments along the way for genre fans. –MF Maple experience, the kind that at best comes along TJ’S THEATRE Ridge, Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Reonce or twice a year. Co-starring Emory Cohen, 72 North Main St., Angola / 549-4866 gal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, and Julie newangolatheater.com Walters. Directed John Crowley (Closed CirLOVE COOPERS—Remember Love, Actually? VISIT DAILYPUBLIC.COM FORbyMORE FILM LISTINGS & THE REVIEWS >> cuit). –MF Eastern Hills (Dipson) Writer Steven Rogers (Stepmom) and director Jessie Miller (I Am Sam) obviously did in fashCREED—Sylvester Stallone finished his long-runTRANSIT DRIVE-IN ioning this American answer to Richard Curning Rocky series with Rocky Balboa in 2006, 6655 South Transit Rd., Lockport tis’s movie about different people approaching but writer-director Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Sta625-8535 / transitdrivein.com Christmas while dealing with variously comic tion) convinced him to let him use the character in a spin-off film focusing on the illegitimate and dramatic circumstances. But it lacks the P

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British film’s nimbleness, coming off as a bunch of underwritten stories played by a better cast than it deserves: John Goodman, Diane Keaton, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin, Amanda Seyfried, Marisa Tomei, Ed Helms, Anthony Mackie, and June Squibb. -MF Four Seasons, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit THE NIGHT BEFORE— Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anthony Mackie as childhood friends searching New York City for the ultimate debauched Christmas celebration. A splinter effort from the Judd Apatow comedy school (penis jokes and a James Franco cameo are inevitable), it’s a hodgepodge that evokes the holiday moviegoing spirit by vaguely referencing A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life. The sentimental stuff is pro forma, but some of the comedy is fun, particularly Rogan’s reactions to the drugs his wife gave him as a Christmas present. With Michael Shannon and Lizzy Caplan. Directed by Jonathan Levine (Warm Bodies). -MF Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria ROOM—A young woman raises her five-yearold son in small room while trying to hid form him the reality of their situation, that they are being held captive by the man who kidnapped and raped her. A crucial part of the Room’s impressive achievement is to render this situation persuasive as we experience it from the boy’s perspective. Adapted by Irish writer Emma Donoghue from her own novel, it’s a conceit that is easier to pull off in literature than with the objectifying glare of movies, but director Lenny Abrahamson somewhat improbably succeeds in conveying the receptive suggestibility of a small child and his construction of a little world. If the second half, in which the boy discovers the real world, lacks the dramatic urgency of the first it never really loses its focus, thanks largely to the acutely sensitive and sometimes riveting performances of Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay as mother and son. -GS. Eastern Hills (Dipson) CLOSES THU 12/24 SISTERS—Not a remake of the 1973 Brian De Palma movie, unfortunately. Starring Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Ike Barinholtz, John Leguizamo, and Dianne Wiest. Flix (Dipson), Maple Ridge, Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria SPECTRE—The 24th official James Bond movie is a letdown after Skyfall, though still better than any of the Bonds of the 1980s and 1990s. (A low bar, that.) Concluding his term as 007 in a series that essentially rebooted the franchise, Daniel Craig makes his reported unhappiness with the character part of his performance. But the script struggles to weave the previous Craig films into a common storyline, while preparing for a future that will feature bigger roles for team Bond—M (Ralph Fiennes), Q (Ben Whishaw), and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris). With Christoph Waltz as the villain of the piece, Léa Seydoux, Monica Bellucci, and Jesper Christensen. Directed by Sam Mendes (Skyfall). -MF Regal Quaker, Regal Transit SPOTLIGHT—One of the very best movies ever made about the working press, a group that can certainly use a little support in the face of the preening entertainment personalities, opinion pushers and bombastic bloggers who have given modern journalism a bad name. Recounting the efforts of an investigative unit at the Boston Globe to uncover decades of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests and the diocese’s cover-up, the film isn’t overburdened by seriousness. Focusing on the team that worked the story, this is a film about people; with an ensemble of performances that work individually and together. It keeps a humane focus even as it generates drama. Starring Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, and Stanley Tucci. Directed by Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent). –GS Amherst (Dipson), Regal Transit STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS—Sequel. Aurora, Flix (Dipson), Hamburg Palace, Lockport Palace, Maple Ridge, New Angola, Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden Galleria, Transit Drive-In TRUMBO—Bryan Cranston is suitably amusing as Dalton Trumbo, the rakish, self-indulgent but courageous screenwriter who wrote some of Hollywood’s greatest scripts even while he was blacklisted in the 1950s. Recounting the history of the “Hollywood Ten.” Jay Roach’s film is only partly successful, self-handicapped by a combination of earnest striving for accuracy and honesty up against some muddled, fact-challenged recreations and too much drab narrative about Trumbo’s family life. With Michael Stuhlbarg as Edward G. Robinson, Helen Mirren as a broad, crude Hedda Hopper, Diane Lane, and Louis C.K. –GS Amherst (Dipson), Eastern Hills (Dipson) ENDS THURS 12/24 P

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PUBLIC MARKET TO PLACE AN AD CALL (716)856.0737 OR EMAIL CLASSIFIEDS@DAILYPUBLIC.COM / DAILYPUBLIC.COM/CLASSIFIEDS THE PUBLIC’S NOTICE The Public encourages you to use caution while participating in any transactions or acquiring services through our classified section of the newspaper. While we do approve the ads in this section, we do not guarantee the reliability of classified advertisers. If you have questions, email classifieds@dailypublic.com.

APARTMENTS LOOKING TO RENT AN APARTMENT? Let The Public know! We are running a special rate for a 4 line / 4 week print / 6 week web advertisements. Call (716)939-7800 or email classifieds@ dailypublic.com today! -----------------------------------------------------2 BEDROOM APTS. AVAILABLE at The Westbrook. corner of Delaware & North in Allentown District. All utilities included, from 1100-1350 sq.ft., priced $1200-$1375. Off street parking available. Beautiful city views! Application on website www.thewestbrook.com - Call for an appointment to view (716) 884-9100. -----------------------------------------------------NORTH BUFFALO 3 Bedroom apartment. Off Hertel, near Delaware park and less the 20 minute drive from North Campus. Washer and dryer included as well as 1 spot off street parking, and additional space in basement. $900/mo. e-mail gjgikas@hotmail.com or call 716-9121586 -----------------------------------------------------KLEINHANS AREA Historic Orton Pl., 2 bdrm lwr, appl, lndry, wlk to BPO/Allen Street. Avail Jan 1, 2016. $700 + sec/util. 882-5028

SERVICES LEARN ABOUT MEDITATION Open House every Thursday evening at 7. Free instruction. Shambhala Meditation Group. Find out about us at: buffalo.shambhala.org -----------------------------------------------------THE SNOW IS ABOUT TO FLY GET YOUR SNOWPLOWING AD IN TODAY! 4 line / 4 week ads available at rates much lower than our competition. Call (716)939-7800 or email classifieds@ dailypublic.com.

PAID VOLUNTEERS University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine is looking for volunteers between 18 and 74 years of age fluent in English who recently developed facial pain not caused by a toothache or an ear infection. You may be entered into either a project requiring 2 visits over 1 year or simply submitting a questionnaire via mail. Compensation is available Call the OPPERA STAFF at 716-829-2984 to be screened.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SQUEAKY WHEEL/BUFFALO MEDIA RESOURCES. Squeaky Wheel seeks a dynamic, driven, personable and experienced Executive Director with exceptional writing skills who demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of managing an arts organization. The position is an opportunity for a visionary arts leader to build the programming and profile of this nationally recognized organization. Strengths should include writing grants, overseeing programs and finances, and fostering relationships within a passionate constituency. Please send cover letter, résumé, writing sample, list of 3 references, and salary requirements in a single pdf document via email to edsearch@squeaky.org by January 15.

THE ARTS

VILLAGE OF LANCASTER CHRISTMASVILLE December 22 - January 1st at Central

— HEY, LOOK WHERE YOU’RE GOING!

Avenue between Broadway and Pleasant Ave. Enjoy window displays from the former AM&A’s Department Store, tree lighting, vendors, and so much more in the Village of Lancaster. Visit lancastervillage.org for details. -----------------------------------------------------NIAGARA POWER PROJECT FESTIVAL OF TREES NYPA Niagara Power Project - Power Vista

5777 Lewiston Road Lewiston,

NY Monday - Friday 10AM-5PM. Free admission and parking. -----------------------------------------------------TIFFT FARM Stretch your legs with a wintry nighttime walk and warm-up afterwards with delicious hot chocolate and peppermint candies in the cabin. Pre-registration required.

Non-Members

$6.

BMS

Members Save 10%. Please call 716-825-

ARGENTINE TANGO

Every Tuesday 7pm to 9pm Guided Practice Session $10 1526 Main St. Buffalo Drop ins welcome. traviswidricktango.com

6397 or visit TIFFT.org

THANK YOU PATRONS BRIGID MALONEY NATASHA ALLARD

FLANEUR SPECIAL RUST BELT BOOKS 415 GRANT STREET FOR ALL THE IDLE LOAFERS ON YOUR HOLIDAY LIST.

JAMES LENKER KATHLEEN MORRISEY CORY MUSCATO ALAN FELLER BRETT PERLA NANCY HEIDINGER

COMMUNITY EVENTS FREE YOUTH WRITING WORKSHOPS Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30 - 6 PM. Open to writers between ages 12 and 18 at the Just Buffalo Writing Center. 468 Washington Street - 2nd floor., Buffalo 14203. Light snack provided! -----------------------------------------------------FAIRGROUNDS FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS December 17th through the 27th 5PM 9PM. 5600 McKinley Pkwy Hamburg, NY 14075 $25 Per Carload $50 per Busload. -----------------------------------------------------ICE SKATING AT ROTARY RINK Fountain Plaza December 15th - 27th More info. at buffaloplace.com. -----------------------------------------------------HORSEFEATHERS ARCHITECTURAL ANTIQUES CLOSING SALE Now Through 12/31. Thank You Everyone For 30 Years Of Support! 37 Chandler Street, Buffalo 14207 -----------------------------------------------------ERIE COUNTY BOTANICAL GARDENS DOLLAR DAY: December 27th 10am-5pm 2655 S. Park Ave. Buffalo $1 Admission Members & kids under 3 are free!

DOUG CROWELL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

ACROSS 1 Widescreen medium 5 DJ Kool ___ (hiphop pioneer born Clive Campbell) 9 College football coach Amos Alonzo ___

47 “Buena Vista Social Club” setting

26 Jeans manufacturer Strauss

48 Financial street represents a smell-related statute?

27 “Come ___!”

53 Came to a close 54 Nick Foles’s NFL team

ISAAC LOWINGER

14 Blarney Stone land

55 “Hawaii Five-O” setting

BARRETT GORDON

15 Like much family history

56 Bothered constantly

KATIE FRIEDMAN

16 Spanish citrus fruit

57 Bendable joint

JUSTIN AZZARELLA

17 “Author unknown” byline

AMANDA BEAULIEU

18 City south of Tel Aviv

58 “JAG” spinoff with Mark Harmon

CAT MCCARTHY

19 Adult insect stage

LINDSAY ROBSON MARILYN PERLA

20 Tribal carving depicting the audience for a kids’ show street?

CRAIG KANALLEY

23 Part of TMZ

ALICIA PAOLUCCI

24 More than just clean

NATE GULLEY

37 Nellie of toast fame 41 “There was no choice”

DOWN 2 “The Flintstones” pet

29 “Cold Mountain” star Zellweger

4 Home to the world’s tallest waterfall

30 Amos with the album “Little Earthquakes”

5 Hulk and family

LAURA GERKEN STEPHANIE SNAPP HAMMER

Meet e! Coralin

yourse lf You’ve been good all year, so why not rewarasd sweet as and adopt Mrs. Claus, a.k.a., Corali ne! She’sdown to the an anise cookie and twice as nice! Come SPCA in Tonaw anda to meet her! . YOURSPCA.ORG . 205 ENSMINGER RD. TONAWANDA 875.7360

22 THE PUBLIC / DECEMBER 23, 2015 - JANUARY 5, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

31 Beach bucket 35 “Look out, bad generic street, my show’s on the air!”

3 Harness race pace

6 Take out 7 Completely destroy 8 School excursion with a bus ride, perhaps

PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY

38 Lindsay Lohan’s mom 39 Hose problem

40 Chair designer Charles

33 “Skinny Love” band Bon ___

61 Acquires

28 Macy Gray hit from the album “On How Life Is”

CHRISSY HORNE

32 “Paris, Je T’___” (2006 film)

36 ___ Ababa, Ethiopia

CY ALESSI

JOSIE DEVINCENZO

31 Just go with it

60 Lawn sign

25 Storm warnings

PETER JOHNSON

30 Signs of a quick peelout

34 Word in an express checkout lane which annoys grammarians

CHRIS KELLY MATTHEW EPPOLITO

28 Ancient Greek region

59 Mozart’s “___ Alla Turca”

1 ___ index

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TWO-WAY STREETS

9 Oscar the Grouch’s worm friend

42 Sweated the details 43 Go blue 44 “So much,” on a musical score 45 “Here we are as in ___ days ...” 46 Respond to a charge 47 Caravan member 49 It means “one-billionth” 50 Lingerie trim 51 Take ___ (lose LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

10 Kitchen noisemaker

11 Big name in violins 41 Incandescent light bulb 12 “Diary of a Madman” depiction (because I have IF to YOU ERRORS WHICH ARENikolai ON THIS PROOF, THE writer yet seeAPPROVE a CFL bulb PUBLIC depict one)CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE EXAMINE THE AD 13 $1,000 bill, slangily THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS A PICK-UP. 42 Philadelphia hockey 21 Device needed for Wi-Fi team �Heart CHECKchambers COPY CONTENT MESSAGE TO ADVERTISER 22 43 Follow-up to “That guy’s Thank you for advertising � CHECK IMPORTANT DATES escaping!” 25 Street ___ with THE PUBLIC. Please review your ad and check � CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, for any errors. The original PHONE #, & WEBSITE layout instructions have been followed as closely as � PROOF OK (NO CHANGES) possible. THE PUBLIC offers design services with two � PROOF OK (WITH CHANGES) proofs at no charge. THE PUBLIC NOW is not ONLINE! responsible DAILYPUBLIC.COM/CLASSIFIEDS for any error if not notified Advertisers Signature within 24 hours of receipt. ____________________________ The production department must have a signed proof in Date _______________________ order to print. Please sign

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ASSISTED LIVING

“TRUE ROMANTIC OR HOMEWRECKER?”

BY KEITH BUCKLEY

Each week Buffalo lifestyle brand Rise Collaborative scour Instagram for their favorite locally sourced images. You can see their picks every Friday on dailypublic.com. Check out all of the holiday themed submissions under #FFWinterGlow!

@IAMCLAYDAVIES

PHOTO BY SHAWNA STANLEY

DEAR KEITH: I’ve recently gotten in touch with a woman whom I had met at a job several years ago. At the time we both had significant others, so we didn’t want to pursue our mutual feelings towards one another for fear of hurting their feelings. During that time she had become pregnant, married, and eventually we decided to part ways. Fast-forward to today and she is still married, with two girls. After talking to her, it appears we still have the same feelings towards one another. I am currently in a rocky relationship of three years. My girlfriend has discovered these feelings for this other girl, and the other woman’s husband has also and basically threatens me on a daily basis. But right now they’re still just feelings. We haven’t acted on anything. I probably know the answer to this question, but do I pursue the married woman and take a chance on “true love” and several broken bones from her husband or do I leave the rocky relationship and the married woman and just hop on my motorcycle and, I dunno, move to Seattle? — YOURS TRULY, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I’M DOING

@CHRISTOPHERHYZY

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I’M DOING: Despite an impressive list of situational variables so outrageous that Larry David would smash Jerry Springer’s face with a sledgehammer in Thunderdome just to acquire the rights to your intellectual property, your dilemma is basically a porn spoof of the conflict between “Classic” and “Romantic” schools of thought. I would have used a motorcycle as a perfect example of the battlefield where these two mentalities collide, but your psyche has already recognized that prevailing dynamic so thoroughly that it brought a literal motorcycle into your physical world, which makes this seemingly complex situation as common as a dense, lumpy, human piece of shit at a Donald Trump rally.

@BRANDONPESZKO

On one side of the white picket fence is your adherence to social values and a need for a very logical progression of carefully measured steps through the overwhelmingly dangerous world of relationships—steps that have been fossilized in time by countless others who went the same way and ones that impart a sense of control over the potential that love and motorcycles have to veer off the road and plummet into total chaos. This “Classic” side of your heart needs to read a definition of something in order to understand it. When you tune and adjust your motorcycle according to the instructions, logic says it will run perfectly because the role of each part is defined according to practicality and the hierarchy is thereby understandable. Rules are in place and they can be applied, more or less, to every single thing we value in order to assure they continue to serve a purpose: motorcycles, people, the Pink, etc. This part of you wants to respect the rationale of your emotional mistress. She is following her instruction manual and you obviously believe

@SCOTT_BALZER

@RISECOLLABORATIVE +

@PUBLICBFLO

you should follow yours too. No respectable person wants to draw ire. The other side of your subconscious is the one that has seen way too many John Hughes movies and probably likes that fucking Adele song without even grasping that the lyrics reveal her to be be a sarcastic, manipulative, spiteful bitch. The “Romantic” half that sits equipoised to the “Classic” pledges to disavow logical mechanics entirely and burst into this lady’s suburban home at the behest of a reckless heart that might have fluttered when you saw her again. It is the motorcycle out of the shop and on the road. It is primal and desperate and irrational but it is unmistakably full of something that the classical side isn’t: soul. Like Seth MacFarlane’s success, soul utterly defies logic yet it is undeniably there, and for that reason we modern humans have put a lot of stock in it, so much so that people like you will risk broken bones and marriages and jobs just to see where it leads us. So, when all the bells and whistles of morality and function are stripped away, your impossible issue can be solved by providing an honest yes or no answer to one very simple question: Wouldn’t jerking off and going directly to sleep be a lot easier than wrecking someone’s family? I mean really. And moving to Seattle? Christ. Go to bed.

HAVE A QUESTION FOR KEITH? ADVICE@DAILYPUBLIC.COM Editor’s note: As front man of Every Time I Die, Keith Buckley has traveled the world gaining insights about the universe. In this biweekly column he’ll use those insights to guide our readers with heartfelt and brutally honest advice. DAILYPUBLIC.COM / DECEMBER 23, 2015 - JANUARY 5, 2016 / THE PUBLIC 23