PROVIDENCE

Compassionate or coercive?

Pro-life pregnancy counselors say they are offering women hope, but critics see manipulation
The election of Barack Obama has inspired dread among pro-lifers nationwide. But for the Rhode Island wing of the movement, the anxiety goes back quite a bit farther.

By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | September 17, 2009

Newport Web site tests an old-school daily

Online
The Newport Daily News made headlines this summer when it began charging for access to its online edition in a bid to send readers scurrying back to the more profitable paper product.

By DAVID SCHARFENBERG | September 16, 2009

Cheesy and crackers

Too much southern exposure. Plus, a rant — unpamper those kids!
There is no place hotter in the media lately than South Carolina, "The Cracker State," whose logo is still essentially the Confederate flag.

By PHILLIPE AND JORGE | September 16, 2009

Andrew's Bistro

Posh presentations, reasonable prices
It's not hard for a restaurant to aspire to an upscale experience at downscale prices. What's hard is actually accomplishing it.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | September 16, 2009

Both new and old classics

Life on the boards
The Gamm certainly has come a long way in the quarter-century leading up to this its 25th anniversary season. The evolution of its name alone is quite a trip.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | September 16, 2009

Review: Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All by Myself

Tyler Perry's latest is not so bad at all, really
Tyler Perry's latest crackles with electricity, thanks to heaps of boffo acting talent, high-octane musical interludes, and the most easy-to-root-for electrocution scene since Ernest Goes to Jail.

By SHAULA CLARK | September 16, 2009

Review: Jennifer's Body

Diablo Cody's exquisite corpse
You are no doubt approaching Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody's new venture into horror comedy with gritted teeth, expecting the cinematic equivalent of being bludgeoned into a bloody pulp by an adorable novelty hamburger phone spewing snappy quips out of its receiver.

By SHAULA CLARK | September 16, 2009

Whiskey. Beer. Rock 'n' roll!

Girl Haggard and Hank Sinatra Jr. join forces and raise hell
Country-fried rawk quartet Girl Haggard have already achieved the goals founder Aaron Jaehnig drafted up when the bigman bassist and bartender-about-town formed the band with Hendersonville, Tennessee native Mandy Allan back in January.

By CHRIS CONTI | September 15, 2009

For the benefit of vegan awareness and a princess

Off the Couch
Kick off the weekend THURSDAY (the 17th) with a recession-friendly evening with local legend MARK CUTLER & FRIENDS at the Greenwich Hotel (401.884.4200), 21+ and no cover.

By PROVIDENCE PHOENIX STAFF | September 15, 2009

Water, benign and fierce

Sailing photos at Moses Brown, Katrina’s aftermath at Brown
In Onne van der Wal's sailing photos, it seems the weather is always balmy and the golden sun always setting. The Jamestown resident's exhibit at Moses Brown School's Krause Gallery (250 Lloyd Avenue, Providence, through October 2) depicts a world that's forever at its endless summer, can't-get-any-better-than-this peak.

By GREG COOK | September 15, 2009

Berlin calling

A ‘very Trinity’ take on Cabaret
If you ask someone whether they've seen Cabaret , odds are the answer will be yes. Ask Curt Columbus, and the answer is likely to be: Which one? Sitting in the upstairs theater of Trinity Repertory Company, where their production runs through October 11, the artistic director rattled off a chronology as lengthy as a convoluted German sentence.

By BILL RODRIGUEZ | September 15, 2009

'Sleepover? I thought you said rapeover!'

Dr. Lovemonkey answers your questions
Dear Dr. Lovemonkey: My name is Sheila and I'm 17 years old. I met a guy through a dating website. He thinks I'm 18 and I actually will be 18 in five months. We have arranged to meet ...

By DR. LOVEMONKEY | September 15, 2009

Review: The Stone Roses | The Stone Roses (Legacy Edition)

Silvertone/Legacy (2009)
The Stone Roses' 1989 debut LP has been deified by such dubious tastemakers as the NME and Oasis's Noel Gallagher — and the rest of us really like it too.

By ZETH LUNDY | September 15, 2009

Review: Brand New | Daisy

DGC/Interscope (2009)
Defiance and punk used to go hand in hand, like peanut butter and jelly, or S&M leather wear and pogoing.

By LEOR GALIL | September 15, 2009

Gus Gus | 24-7

Kompact (2009)
Letting the music take control is a primary tenet of the dance-floor ethos — but that's only because dance music is by nature submissive. Even at its most sonically rich, dance music remains a utility, and even when it demands your attention, it does so in service to your good times.

By MICHAEL BRODEUR | September 15, 2009

Delay of game

With some big names shelved, 10 releases to watch for this fall
Splinter Cell: Conviction , BioShock 2 , Heavy Rain — these are just some of the eagerly awaited titles that won't be coming to your video-game console this fall.

By MITCH KRPATA | September 15, 2009

Big sleepy

Bored to Death brings a stoner PI to HBO
If television is indeed a reflection of society, then to judge from what's on the screen these days, we're all surrounded by people leading seedy double lives.

By RYAN STEWART | September 16, 2009

Providence Fall Preview Listings 2009

Music, theater, art, festivals and more in the coming months
A page of listings for local music, theater, art, festivals and more this fall.

By PHOENIX STAFF | September 17, 2009

Review: Sorority Row

Inadvertent murder leads to inadvertent camp
You can't fault young actresses (here including Rumer Willis, the daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, and Briana Evigan, who's nearly Moore's double) for jumping into a mindless movie like this one from Stewart Hendler.

By TOM MEEK | September 16, 2009

Review: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Animated fare will leave kids unsatisfied
This bizarre animated adaptation of Judi Barrett's cult-classic children's book by Phil Lord and Chris Miller ladles up much to chew on yet little that's appetizing.

By ALICIA POTTER | September 16, 2009