Side of the Rhode: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not? - May 26, 2023

HOT

Kenan Thompson Gets to Meet Anthony Sionni

Movie star and Saturday Night Live cast member Kenan Thompson has been in Rhode Island filming his new movie “Good Burger 2”.

He has been taking in Rhode Island when he is not on the set.

This week he got to meet GoLocal's freelance photographer Anthony Sionni. Thompson gets to check one off his bucket list!

Sionni is in the foreground and Thompson is in the back.

HOT

From Central High to Cannes: Manny Perez’ Newest Film Introduced in France

In January 2022, GoLocalProv interviewed Central High School graduate Manny Perez about his movie 'La Soga Salvation.'

As GoLocal reported, “Perez directs and stars in the feature film. This is Perez's directing debut and the film was shot in Providence and Pawtucket, but it is not a movie to be confused with HBO's new series the Gilded Age. La Soga Salvation is tough, raw, and action-filled. The movie will also be available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.”

Now, a major film company is pitching Perez' "Vengeance: A La Soga Story" at the preeminent film festival in the world — Cannes. 

“Clay Epstein’s Film Mode Entertainment has started shopping the crime-focused action thriller, now in post-production, to foreign buyers in Cannes, with Perez set to play La Soga, the Dominican Republic’s most dangerous hitman who returns home to fight corruption, only to be targeted by assassins,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

“It’s a pleasure and an honor to be working with Clay and his team at Film Mode Entertainment. It’s been a long journey, carrying this story through, but I am thrilled and excited for its outcome. I know my film is in good hands,” Perez said in a statement.

HOT

One of Rhode Island's Most Brilliant Artists 

Michael Rose has a wonderful profile on one of Rhode Island's most talented artists:

Providence artist Bob Dilworth is renowned for making artworks that are ambitiously scaled and intricately crafted. Active in Rhode Island for more than thirty years, Dilworth is rightly one of the state’s most decorated artists and someone whose career is a testament to his nearly compulsive passion for making. Surfaces throughout his home and studio are covered in the materials used to create his richly layered mixed media artworks. An important creator sharing deeply personal stories, Dilworth is one of the state’s preeminent artists and his work is the subject of a highly anticipated solo exhibition, Backyard, opening at the Newport Art Museum on July 15.

Dilworth originally came to Rhode Island in the early 1970s to study at RISD. After departing for graduate school at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he was not sure he would return, but an opportunity to teach at Brown brought him back. Soon, he had a position as Professor of Art at the University of Rhode Island, where he taught for many years.

Now Emeritus, Dilworth has the time to dedicate his full energies to his own art. The recipient of numerous awards and residencies, Dilworth’s work is in prominent collections like those of the National Gallery of Art for the Corcoran Collection, the RISD Museum, and the Chicago Public Library. He is represented by Cade Tompkins Projects in Providence. READ MORE

HOT

Taste of Italy

There’s a new Italian deli in Rhode Island — with some familiar faces. 

“Taste of Italy Deli & Caffè” opened this month on Atwood Avenue in Johnston — “where Schroeder’s used to be” — and co-owner Mike Giammarco says the business is off to a strong start. 

“We’re very busy, every day,” Giammarco, who is partnered with Mario Mennella and Pasquale Palermo, told GoLocal. 

“We figured we’d take a shot — we’re retired, except for Mario,” said Giammarco. 

And the business scooped up a valuable addition. 

Chef Jennifer Kaya, who had previously owned Sognalo’s in Cranston before it closed during the pandemic, spearheads the execution of the expansive menu. 

HOT

Rhode Island Institution Robert Whitcomb - 10 Years at GoLocal

Robert Whitcomb has had a distinguished career in journalism at the Wall Street Journal, The International Herald, and for decades as the Editorial Page Editor at The Providence Journal.

For the past ten years, Whitcomb has written one of the most important, entertaining and delightful columns in the state. 

The Sunday column on GoLoccal is a must-read. 

NOT

Ron DeSantis' Launch

If you were building a list of all the things not to do to launch your presidential campaign, he checked all the boxes.

NOT

Brown Slashed Sports in 2020 to Become More Competitive — It Hasn’t Worked

In May of 2020, Brown University President Christina Paxson admitted that the University's sports were not competitive and that she was slashing 11 varsity sports to repurpose the dollars to increase the remaining programs' chances of succeeding. 

According to Paxson in her comments in 2020 announcing the cuts,  “In the decade ending in 2018, Brown earned 2.8% of Ivy League titles, the lowest among member schools. The initiative will implement a net reduction in varsity teams from 38 to 29.”

"We envision varsity athletes who, as Brown students, are among the most academically talented in the world, who also compete on teams that are among the most competitive among our peers," Paxson said at the time of the announcement in 2020.

Paxson later reinstated some sports after alumni and student backlash -- and threatened litigation.

In 2020, Brown University slashed sports, faced federal Title IX litigation, had embarrassing emails released, canceled athletic schedules due to the pandemic and saw the departure of the long-time athletic director Jack Hayes.

The outcome has been a measurable failure for men's sports and an increase for women's sports. But the majority of Brown's programs have losing records and consistently finish at or near the bottom of the Ivy League.

More Title IX Litigation

Just after the announcement of the sports cuts, litigation was threatened and filed after the decision to cut eleven sports at Brown and then to reinstate men's track and cross country. Men's track has a significant number of Black students participating.

In a motion filed with the federal district court of Rhode Island, the original legal representatives for Amy Cohen and the other women athletes who brought the original suit against Brown in 1992, say the University violated the terms of their agreement when it announced the elimination of five women’s varsity athletic teams, resulting in non-compliance with the court-ordered requirement that “intercollegiate level participation opportunities for male and female students are provided in numbers substantially proportionate to their respective enrollments.”

According to the ACLU release on the filing, the cuts announced by Brown “will eliminate participation opportunities for twice as many women as for men,” also observing that “throughout the last 22 years of operation of the Joint Agreement, not once have women athletes at Brown ever reached their proportion within the undergraduate enrollment and at all times have remained the ‘underrepresented’ gender.”

READ MORE

NOT

More Cuts, More Cuts, More Cuts

WEEI, the Boston-based sports radio station, continues to slash costs, offices and people.

On Monday morning, John Rooke, a long-time WEEI contributor, announced he is the latest to be cut.

“After a nearly 30-year association with WEEI and weei.com, I've been informed my writing position has been eliminated. I appreciate all Entercom, and now Audacy, Inc. have allowed me to contribute over the years, whether on air or on the web,” wrote Rooke on social media.

Rooke’s announcement comes just days after the New York Stock Exchange announced it was delisting WEEI’s parent company Audacy. 

Rhode Island Exodus

In Rhode Island, WEEI recently closed its offices.

As GoLocal reported in April, WEEI shuttered its Rhode Island operations.

The Boston-based sports radio station has had a presence in Rhode Island for nearly two decades — now, no more.

NOT

Just Like Jorge

On Friday, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley had a press conference with police chief Oscar Perez.

The purpose was a crush some confiscated ATVs.

Mayor Jorge Elorza used to do the same theater.

Let's judge the success of controlling illegal ATVs on there not being any illegal ATVs on the streets harassing the public.

Hopefully, the is Smiley's last ridiculous ATV theater of the absurd.