Unless they are paired with the latest Pixar movie, short films tend to go unnoticed by the general viewing public. They offer filmmakers at the beginning of their career a way to hone their craft and get noticed by the industry, and a director’s first feature will often expand on a story concept they first […]
Columns
A look at What’sUpNewp’s latest columns.
Posted inArts & Culture
What’s up at the Movies: We review Godzilla vs. Kong
While last year still saw some great new releases, movie theaters all but disappeared in 2020, and one type of movie in particular disappeared right along with them: blockbusters. Other than Tenet, which more than anything gave the industry’s optimistic pandemic timeline a swift kick in the pants, the closest we got to those big-budget […]
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: A time for talking up our language
You’ve got to sympathize with people who set out to learn English. The well documented pitfalls of our mother tongue can be summed up by this waggish, head-spinning advice to those who try: “English is difficult. It can be understood though through tough thorough thought.” And how to explain to an English-language newcomer that a […]
Posted inArts & Culture
What’s Up at the Movies: We Review “The Father”
Most of this year’s Academy Awards contenders were widely available when the nominations dropped earlier this month. The exception? Florian Zeller’s The Father, which picked up six nods to put it in a multi-way tie for the second-most. While it has played in theaters for about a month, Zeller’s film is now available for online […]
Posted inArts & Culture, Columns
What’s Up at the movies: We review Zach Snyder’s Justice League
It’s not unusual these days for a superhero movie to be a major cultural event, but Zack Snyder’s Justice League is different. For the uninitiated: Zack Snyder was the director at the creative center of the DC Extended Universe designed to rival Marvel’s growing success, but his second DCEU movie, 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn […]
Posted inColumns
Brian C. Jones: Death empties one home; a church fills another
There is something uniquely sad about closing the home of someone who’s just died. At first glance, everything seems the same. The couch where the cat slept; the pictures on the walls, the same dining table, plants, chairs; same knives, forks and can opener. But suddenly they are foreign, drained of meaning and character now […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Gerry Goldstein: Spring is in the air, literally
The buglers of spring have arrived, and after our confining winter of the pandemic, not a moment too soon. They showed up in full dress uniform, the dissonance of their music welcome because in this season they play Reveille, not autumn’s Taps. I refer to the redwing blackbirds, in their lava-black finery, shoulders aflame […]
Posted inArts & Culture
What’s Up at the Movies: We Review “Cherry”
With everyone preoccupied on whether movie theaters will survive the pandemic, it’s easy to miss the streaming revolution happening right beneath our feet: Netflix and Hulu aren’t the game’s only big-money players anymore. Knowing this town ain’t big enough for all of them, the new kids on the block are making plays for our attention, […]
Posted inNews
Just My Opinion: Journalism: From town crier to the web
On this, the ninth anniversary of WhatsUpNewp, it is easy to reflect upon Journalism’s evolution from the all-important town crier, the main source of news in what was a primarily illiterate world, to online publications, like WhatsUpNewp. We have seen the development … and decline … of print publications, with circulations plummeting, staffs rapidly declining. […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Tiny Kitchen Magic: Collard Greens
For the next 2 months, I am doing a bit of a series: BBQ. Now, I’m not doing 2 different BBQ meat recipes. No, no. Consider this more of a one-two-punch sort of thing. First, I’m going to show you how I make my favorite BBQ side: collard greens. Then, in April, I’ll drop what […]
Posted inArts & Culture
What’s Up at the Movies: We Review “Raya and the Last Dragon”
Continuing their experiment in the world of digital releases, Disney has made their new animated film Raya and the Last Dragon simultaneously available in theaters and on their streaming service, Disney+. Raya marks the second time they have released a movie using Premier Access, which requires a one-time $30 fee on top of a Disney+ […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Six Picks: The best in streaming music this weekend
Live concerts are coming soon, but until then, it’s another big weekend for streaming music. Check out some of our favorites below. Friday: Rock-N-Relief is a two-night virtual concert organized by Linda Perry to benefit “Core Response.” Performers include Foo Fighters, Sheryl Crow, Deadmau5, Sammy Hagar & The Circle, Gavin Rossdale and more. Click here for […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Food Truck Friday – Rhody Roasters
As warmer weather approaches, we’re starting a new series, “Food Truck Friday.” We’ll sample area food trucks from time to time and give you the scoop on what’s cookin’ out there. This week, we check out Rhody Roasters in Richmond. As the weather turns, and spring begins to call more and more casual outdoor enthusiasts […]
Posted inCity & Government
Watch Live: Governor McKee, RIDOH host COVID-19 Press Briefing (March 4)
Governor Dan McKee and the Rhode Island Department of Health will host a press briefing at 1 pm on Thursday, March 4 to provide an update on COVID-19 in Rhode Island. Watch the press briefing live as it happens, or anytime afterward, below.
Posted inNews
Voting on $400 million of state bonds concludes on Tuesday
Perhaps thousands of jobs are at stake as voters wrap up voting on Tuesday on seven bond issues, totaling $400 million that call for numerous construction projects, from port development to affordable housing. Thousands of Rhode Islanders have been voting since February 10 when early voting began at local city and town halls. The final […]
Posted inColumns, Opinion
Just My Opinion: Bond issues: Where oh where have the governors been?
Within a few short days, a small minority of Rhode Island voters likely will decide whether the state borrows $400 million for projects ranging from economic development to higher education to affordable housing. Can the state afford it? Can the state afford to not vote in favor of these referenda? We look to our leaders […]
Posted inArts & Culture
What’s Up at the Movies: We Review “Minari”
I am not someone who pays more than cursory attention to the Golden Globes, but to address one of its many controversies before the ceremony tomorrow: Minari, regardless of the high volume of spoken Korean, is an American film. Its nomination in the Foreign Language category struck a nerve for many, and with good reason […]
Posted inJobs
Now Hiring: 63 job opportunities available right now in and around Newport
Looking for a new gig, job, or career? Take a browse through our weekly roundup of job opportunities to see what’s available right now in the Newport area. 22 Bowen’s – BUSSER @ 22 BOWEN’S 7-Eleven – Sales AssociateAllied Universal – Security Officer Hospital SettingAmazing Superstore – Retail Sales AssociateAmericas Staffing Partner – Medical ClerkAshley HomeStore […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Six Picks: The Best in Streaming Music This Weekend: Any Helm, Keb Mo and Grace Kelly
Want to support your favorite artists during the pandemic? Here’s our weekly roundup of some of the best live streaming concerts this weekend. Check ’em out! Friday: “Cayamo in the Round” is streaming live Friday starting at 7PM with Molly Tuttle, Tommy Emmanuel, Steve Poltz and Paul Thorn. Details here. Friday: Amy Helm is streaming […]
Posted inColumns, History
Gerry Goldstein: Two jewels: ‘Satchel’ and Cardines Field
Baseball’s recent elevation of the old Negro Leagues to major league status was a long time coming, and recalls an era when barnstorming Negro teams played in Rhode Island, at sites including venerable Cardines Field in Newport. The decision by Major League Baseball, which came shortly before Christmas, acknowledged that racism denied many a superb […]
Posted inNews
Watch Live: What’s Up Newp explores Housing Bond with HousingWorks RI
For many Rhode Islanders finding affordable housing – ownership or rental – is a struggle, forcing them to make critical choices between health care needs, food on the table, heating costs and mortgage or rent payments. Affordable housing is a critical issue in Rhode Island, and among the bond issues on the March 2 ballot. […]
Posted inColumns, Opinion
Just my Opinion: Raising the Minimum Wage
Those who oppose a $15 an hour minimum wage, please stand up. If you oppose a hike in the minimum wage because you believe it would cost jobs, remain standing. Now, if you you’re still standing, those who never use a self-serve check out aisle at the supermarket or other retailer – you can sit. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
What’s Up at the Movies: We Review “Nomadland”
If you’re someone who follows the world of cinema, you’ve heard of Nomadland – this staple of best-of-2020 lists from Chloé Zhao became the first film to ever win the top prizes at both Venice and Toronto and has smashed the awards circuit so far. Yesterday, it finally became available for public viewing, releasing simultaneously […]
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: In a word, some private information
If there are children in the room as you read this, please shoo them away, because what follows is an intensely personal revelation on an issue they may not be old enough to understand. In the interest of journalistic transparency, here is my confession: I am a sapiosexual. How do I know? Because this new word, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
What’s Up at the Movies: We Review “Judas and the Black Messiah”
With Judas and the Black Messiah, writer/director Shaka King takes on the difficult project of making a movie about a man who would balk at his own protagonism. Telling the story of Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), chairman of the Black Panther Party’s Illinois chapter in the late ‘60s, as a more typical biopic would betray […]