Who doesn’t love spaghetti and meatballs? It’s the quintessential comfort food. Normally, it’s a no fuss, no muss dish you just make with dried pasta, jarred sauce and maybe some homemade meatballs. That’s not how I roll. We’re making not only the meatballs, but also the sauce and also the pasta. Yes, time to make the pasta! […]
Columns
A look at What’sUpNewp’s latest columns.
Posted inOpinion
Just My Opinion: Rhode Island’s MLB All-Stars
When the best in major league baseball takes the field for the 2021 Major League Baseball All-Star game on Tuesday at Coors Field in Denver, none of the players will have Rhode Island roots. But it wasn’t always that way. Since the first official MLB All-Star game was played in Chicago in 1933, five players […]
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: Final notes for a once-local troubadour
I was saddened to read in the New York Times recently that a canary in the coal mine has died. And a true songbird he was, filling Carnegie Hall in 1966 with his guitar and his blues before chucking his abbreviated fame and embracing the tranquility of rural Perryville in South Kingstown. This was more […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Sour Grapes – A Comic Strip by Tim Jones: June 22
Here’s this week’s Sour Grapes; Tim Jones is the creator, artist and writer of the widely popular, self-syndicated comic strip, “SOUR GRAPES”; a comic about “Aesop”, a miserable flying dog and his odd friends, all living in a problematic and troubled world. Sour Grapes is currently published in multiple newspapers in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, California, […]
Posted inColumns
Tiny Kitchen Magic: Veggie Pizza!
I don’t know about you, but I love pizza. I enjoy eating it, but I also enjoy making it. It’s kind of the ultimate artist’s food. Now, let’s get one thing out of the way: I do not have my own dough recipe. Find a dough recipe and use that for this. The one I […]
Posted inColumns
Two communities rally behind one of their own
Last weekend, Newport Rugby player Jon White suffered a serious fracture in his face that will require surgery to repair. Without hesitation, the Rugby community and local Aquidneck Island residents and businesses came to his aid.“Jon White always gives 110% on the rugby pitch and there was no difference for the 2021 Rhode Island Cup on […]
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: Puppy love earns a mention in the obits
During many decades in the news business, I wrote and edited more than my share of obituaries, and found the task fulfilling. There’s satisfaction in reviewing a life well (or not so well) lived, and capturing the essence of it as an example for others to either emulate or eschew. It’s been a while […]
Posted inColumns
Brian C. Jones: In case of emergency, don’t call me
We all like to think that in an emergency we’ll do the right thing. In a fire, we’ll run into the burning building to alert the family of 10. In a holdup, we’ll trip up the robber and thwart her escape. We’ll give first aid in an auto accident, perhaps a tracheotomy with a ball-point […]
Posted inOpinion
Just My Opinion: Possibilities
When my daughter told me she was participating in a fundraising project for the Leukemia and Lymphoma (LLS) I couldn’t have been prouder. LLS has been providing funding and support that has turned what had been a virtual death sentence for so many children, into hope. She was nominated as a candidate for the Leukemia […]
Posted inColumns
Six Picks: The best in local music this weekend – Tom Rush, Greg Abate and Charlie Marie
Live music is back this weekend. Check out a few suggestions and get out there and support your favorite local artists! Friday: Rising country star and RI native Charlie Marie returns to Askew in Providence for an album release party. Critics and fans are loving her new album Ramble On – check out her live […]
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: Two who did their duty, way beyond the call
They lie beneath modest headstones in Arlington National Cemetery – World War II’s most decorated combat soldier, who died 50 years ago May 28, and his also-heroic battalion commander, a graduate of Rhode Island State College who grew up in Cranston. The anniversary, and the approach of Memorial Day, give us the opportunity to honor […]
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: Wit, wisdom, one line at a time
Those of us whose professional tools are limited to words delight in discovering anew one, as I did the other day – and after the year we’ve all been through this onecouldn’t have surfaced at a more opportune time. So allow me to introduce “paraprosdokian,” which, when I stumbled across itdoing some column research, was […]
Posted inArts & Culture
What’s Up at the Movies: We Review “Those Who Wish Me Dead”
★★ There are times when my target wordcount for these reviews feels restricting, when I run out of space after only scratching the surface of what I wanted to say and have to be content with calling up friends to discuss the rest. That excess of material, be it praise or criticism, is a good […]
Posted inColumns
Tiny Kitchen Magic: The Meatloaf Edition
There’s something hilariously ironic that I’m submitting this on Mother’s Day. You’rewelcome for getting that movie reference stuck in your head. I remember a time when the word meatloaf would elicit groans and sighs ofexasperation because meatloaf is always dry and bland. Well, that’s what it seemedlike to me as a kid in the 80’s […]
Posted inArts & Culture, Columns
What’s Up at the Movies: We Review “Monster”
★★★ A movie’s road to distribution is not always a straight line, and sometimes, through no fault of its own, it ends up releasing a few years late. Monster, the feature debut of veteran music video director Anthony Mandler, is the latest example, making its way to Netflix this week after premiering at Sundance all […]
Posted inArts & Culture
What’s Up at the Movies: We review “The Mitchells vs The Machines”
Sitting atop the expanding heap of streaming services, Netflix is a major, accessible platform, but it hardly guarantees a wide audience. There’s always the chance for something to take the world by storm, but with their commitment to add at least one new movie in every week of 2021, a lot of their releases come […]
Posted inThings To Do
The City, the Country, and of course, a Food Truck
This weekend has a little something for everyone, so strap in and get ready for a ride around the “biggest little!” First, if you’re in the capital city this weekend for the Farmer’s Market or the Providence Flea, you can’t beat The Coffee Exchange at 207 Wickenden St. in Fox Point. I had the “Blanca,” […]
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: Facebook finds a funky corner of Rhode Island
In Rhode Island, where aversion to long-distance driving is legendary, you might find it edifying to know that Burrillville “is a lot closer than you think.” This information comes from a promotional website touting the virtues of that down-home community, tucked so far into our state’s northwest corner that it touches both Connecticut and Massachusetts. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
What’s Up at the Movies: We Review “Mortal Kombat”
Hollywood has a troubled history with video games. While they sometimes generate nice returns at the box office, video game adaptations never score above mixed with critics (the best reception I found was for Detective Pikachu in 2019). Never mind that the first Pirates of the Caribbean turned a theme-park ride into a fun adventure […]
Posted inArts & Culture, Columns
What’s Up at the Movies: 2021 Oscar Picks from Film Critic Alexander Harrison
In my Academy Awards Snubs feature last week, I wrote that debating the nominations is part of the fun of the annual Oscars-madness, and I certainly enjoyed it – it’s arguably the more important of these two write-ups for me as a critic, celebrating the worthy contributions to film culture in 2020 that were overlooked. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Consider a staycation this spring
With spring weather teasing warmer days ahead and the start of Rhode Island Hotel Week, why not take advantage of a less crowded Newport and treat yourself to a staycation in the city-by-the-sea? Let’s be honest, everyone deserves a break. This past year has been extremely stressful and mentally taxing for so many people in […]
Posted inNews
What’s Up at the Movies: We review “Nobody”
If the financial success of Godzilla vs Kong is any indication, moviegoers are in need of some mindless entertainment, and while you won’t find me endorsing a (fundamentally misguided) argument that this year’s Oscar nominees are especially sad, I certainly share the hankering. GvK might have scratched that initial itch for many, but those who […]
Posted inArts & Culture, Columns
What’s Up at the Movies: Academy Award Snubs
Like it or not, the Academy Awards are a big deal. Even if you consider some of the festival prizes more prestigious, the Oscars generate an enormous amount of attention and press from across the globe. Getting recognized by them can really impact a film’s success, especially when it comes to the “Big 5” categories: […]
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: Long ago, a buzzer-beater for the ages
It was coincidence that a few weeks ago, what will go down as a legendary, buzzer-beating shot in playoff college basketball came 75 seasons after an even better one, and for a team right here in Rhode Island. With less than three seconds on the clock April 3, Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs charged his way into […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Tiny Kitchen Magic: BBQ Pulled Pork with Maple Chipotle BBQ Sauce
As promised, it is time to complete the Wonder Twins one-two punch of my mini-BBQ series. Last month, I showed everyone how to make amazing collard greens aka the best BBQ side on the planet. This month, it’s time for the main event. This is what I consider to be my “signature” dish that isn’t […]