Cavs Fan Guide: Where to Watch, Eat and Drink Pregame

Photo courtesy Barley House Cleveland

Barley House Cleveland: Score four-bottle Bud Light and Budweiser buckets for $14 during games. Plus, the spot's $5 pizza specials every Thursday make tonight's game a tasty throwdown. 1261 W. Sixth St., Cleveland, 216-623-1700, barleyhousecleveland.com

Clevelander Bar & Grill: Celebrate with the $4 Kevin Love-inspired “Droppin’ Dimes” shot, made with Three Olives Cherry vodka. If you’d rather watch the Cavs make shots than drink them, the Clevelander will have $4 domestic 16-ounce cans, $3.25 short and $4.75 tall domestic drafts available for game time as well. 834 Huron Road E, Cleveland, 216-771-3723, clevelanderbar.com

Eat’n Park: Fans decked out in their best Cavs gear will score a free Smiley Cookie with their meal at Cleveland-area Eat’n Park locations, including Austintown, Boardman, Chapel Hill, Medina, Mentor, Parma, Warren and Willoughby locations. Various locations, eatnpark.com

Flat Iron Cafe: Need a lift to the game? The Flat Iron’s Cafe Valet will shuttle you and your friends for free. Plus, fans can score daily specials, which rotate every game, such as 50 cent wings during Game 3 June 8. 1114 Center St., Cleveland, 216-696-6968, flatironcafe.com

Free Cavs Fan Fests and Watch Parties: Need a pregame Cavs fan makeover or a Scream Team pump-up? Head over to these free fests outside The Q. Fans of all ages will enjoy games, live music by Northeast Ohio bands, food trucks, performances by the Cavalier Girls and giveaways for home games June 8 and 10. For away games June 2 and 5, snag a ticket to a watch party inside the arena for all of the entertainment from an actual game expect the players and the game shown on the humongotron. If it goes to more than four games, expect Fan Fests for future Finals home games and more Watch Parties for road games. Fan Fests, Outside of The Q, East Sixth Street and Gateway Plaza; Watch Parties, The Q, 1 Center Court, Cleveland,  nba.com/cavaliers/playoffs/guide

Hodge’s: One of downtown’s largest patios will play host to Cavs fans eager to catch both home and away games on the two 70-inch TVs installed specially for the NBA Finals. During the games, basketball fans can sip on $3 Coors and Great Lakes Brewing Co. Dortmunder Gold on draft. 668 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-771-4000, thedriftwoodgroup.com/restaurants/hodges

The Ritz-Carlton Cleveland: Both local and overnight basketball fans can celebrate the Cavs NBA Finals appearance at the Ritz-Carlton Cleveland. Viewing parties in the Lobby Lounge will take place every game of the Finals and the special $16 All In cocktail, made with tequila, triple sec and prickly pear liqueur and garnished with a gold sugar rim and gold dust sprinkle, will be available. Guests of the hotel’s Club Level will also receive special basketball-inspired treats. 1515 W. Third St., Cleveland, 216-623-1300, ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/cleveland 

All In cocktail

Winking Lizard: If seeing the King slam-dunk on just one screen isn’t enough, then head over to the Winking Lizard's Gateway location — just under a five-minute walk from The Q — to watch the game broadcasted on about 50 TV screens throughout the restaurant. 811 Huron Road, Cleveland, 216-589-0313, winkinglizard.com/locations/gateway

Yours Truly Restaurant: If — and when — the Cavs win the NBA championship, Yours Truly's Rockside location will serve free food the following day. There is also a Yours Truly six-item special features menu as long as the Cavs are in the NBA Finals that include bites such as the Triple Threat Notso Fries, 3 Point Swish Sliders and Brew Kettle's All For One session IPA beer. 8111 Rockside Road, Valley View, 216-524-8111, ytr.com

Our Favorite NBA Playoffs Social Media Moments — So Far

How did we ever follow sports before social media? From diligently studying LeBron James’ occasional cryptic tweets and who he follows — or doesn't follow — to the Twitter spats between fans and ESPN troublemakers such as Stephen A. Smith or Skip Bayless, we can't get enough. Ahead of June 2's first game of the NBA Finals rematch between the Cavs and the Golden State Warriors, we take a look back at some of our favorite social media moments.

Lil' Kev 

Presumably, Richard Jefferson was bored during a flight home from the Cavs' first-round sweep of the Detroit Pistons, so he decided to peruse one of the in-flight magazines to pass the time. That's when he spotted a Tommy Bahama ad featuring a model, who looked shockingly similar to teammate Kevin Love, who recently did some modeling of his own for Banana Republic. Jefferson tore the page out, nicknamed it Lil' Kev and posted it on his Snapchat (which we suggest following). The rest is viral history. The Lil' Kev page has its own Twitter account, a verified Instagram page and appeared on custom-made T-shirt J.R. Smith was seen donning before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

@nba let's go @cavs

A photo posted by Lil Kev (@officiallilkev) on May 19, 2016 at 4:29pm PDT

Animal Kingdom 

Humans aren't the only Cavs fans in town. Instagram user @scherer84's two cats wear their pride with the best of them.

My little Cavs fans watching the game #clevelandcavaliers #cavs #cleveland #clevelandohio #easternconferencefinals #easternconference #conferencefinals #catsofinstagram #cats #catstagram #catgram #kitten #kittensofinstagram #furbaby #furballs #cat #catlover #catlovers #caturday #catslife #catlady

A photo posted by Sarah (@scherer84) on May 19, 2016 at 9:01pm PDT

Rihanna Back at It 

Rihanna’s affection for LeBron James is no secret. She’s still ardently supporting James, evidenced by her Instagram post from late May. While laying out in the sun, catching some rays, the 28-year-old singer emblazoned James’ No. 23 on her stomach with sunscreen and shared it with the caption “mood.” If the Cavs can keep their red-hot 3-point shooting going, the Warriors might want some of Rihanna’s sunscreen so they don’t get burnt. 

mood

A photo posted by badgalriri (@badgalriri) on May 19, 2016 at 8:12pm PDT

Drake’s Take

Not all the social media buzz surrounding the Cavs postseason as been supportive. Canadian rapper Drake took to Instagram to launch shots at the team, specifically Kyrie Irving. It was, of course, while his Toronto Raptors were on top in Games 2 and 3.

2 gave us 2...we'll take it 😂

A photo posted by champagnepapi (@champagnepapi) on May 23, 2016 at 8:20pm PDT

While the team got its revenge on the floor in Games 5 and 6, the fans did too online. DJ Steph Floss, the official DJ for the Cavs and LeBron James, posted a trio of photos on Instagram, two of which directly involved Drake.

Turn that 7 upside down, it's an L now! 😦 @champagnepapi

A photo posted by DJ Steph Floss (@djstephfloss) on May 25, 2016 at 8:07pm PDT

Class with Professor Polk 
Local comedian Mike Polk Jr. took some time to analyze the Cavaliers' scorching-hot 3-point shooting during the postseason, a key reason why they've been so dominant. The mathematical breakdown is actually informative. One lingering question after watching, though, is what professor really wears a white lab coat?

How are @Cavs so successful shooting from outside the arc? Prof. @mikepolkjr teaches 3-pt Shooting 101. #ALLin216 https://t.co/DiW2HFQJIL

— FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) May 18, 2016

Morgan Freeman's Prediction, Sort of 
Frank Caliendo, the renowned voice impersonator and comedian, was in 92.3 The Fan's studio Tuesday, appearing on its afternoon drive show. There seems to be no shortage of impressions he can do, but Morgan Freeman is one of his best. He showed it off on air while offering his thoughts on the fast-approaching Finals. 92.3 on-air personality and former Ohio State University Buckeye Dustin Fox tweeted out a behind-the-scenes look at Caliendo channeling his inner Freeman. It's hilarious, and hopefully, his prediction of the Cavs winning in six is true.

.@FrankCaliendo has a message for the @Cavs as Morgan Freeman. #ALLin216 pic.twitter.com/fjcgljmV2V

— Dustin Fox (@DustinFox37) May 31, 2016

Cavs Fan Guide: Gear Up for the 2016 NBA Finals

If you've caught the #ALLin216 fever like us, here is your guide to gear up for cheering on the Cleveland Cavaliers as they return to the West Coast to face off against defending champs the Golden State Warriors when the NBA Finals start June 2. Whether it's a cup of joe or wine-and-gold duds for your pooch, get in the spirit to root on the Cavs with these fun finds. 

Take after Australian guard Matthew Dellavedova and enjoy in a pregame cup of java with his own G’Day Mate! specialty Arabica coffee blend available at Cleveland Coffee Co. ($13.50 per pound). Get even more hyped up by reading our January interview with Delly about what drives his unconventional coffee habit. 816 Huron Road, Cleveland, 216-861-8358

For some Cavs spirit all the way down to the toes, check out some custom-made Cavs socks from League Ready Customs ($15). You'll be sure to catch some attention walking down East Fourth Street with this pair.

                                                     

If getting yourself involved isn’t enough, you can get your pets in the zone too with some Cavaliers jerseys, bandanas and collars from CLE Pets, which we featured in our May issue. Check out these mesh fabric jerseys ranging from $25.99-$27. 5th Street Arcades, 530 Euclid Ave., Suite 23-1, Cleveland, 216-905-6789

photo by Dana Miller

After the Cavaliers set a NBA record of the most 3-pointers in a playoff game against the Atlanta Hawks in May, Tony Madalone, store owner of Fresh Brewed Tees, came up with some designs to show off the Cavs' accomplishment. Check out these two for $26.99 online. Shirts can also be found at the Cavaliers Team Shop at The Q. freshbrewedtees.com, 216-618-1912

Has anyone ever wished that the Cavs released a mixtape? Well, Ilthy has released an #ALLIN Mixtape shirt for $35 available in three different colors, featuring J.R. Smith, LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert. ilthy.com

Get pumped up with Homage's recently released line of licensed Cavaliers shirts from $32-$36 in a variety of designs just in time for the Finals. 235 Main St., Westlake, 440-925-4178

photo by Dana Miller

And, must we not forget about the Cavs’ newest unofficial mascot, Lil' Kev. He’s been on the journey with the team throughout the 2016 playoffs, as forward Richard Jefferson carries a laminated picture of him and documents it on his entertaining behind-the-scenes Snapchat feed. Now, you too, can sport some Lil’ Kev with a shirt from Redbubble for under $30. 

If you were inspired by ESPN's 30 for 30 Believeland film, show everyone all we need to do is believe that our team and city are champions with the help of CLE Clothing Co.'s Believeland shirt ($25) and other similar variations. 342 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-736-8879; 11435 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-465-9595

GV Art & Design said it well: "No one deserves it more," in this Win One For the Land T-shirt ($28). 17411 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, 216-273-7188; 38038 Second St., Willoughby, 440-525-5240

Local Singer Emily Keener Hits a High Note on NBC's 'The Voice'

Local music fans may recognize Emily Keener from open mic nights at the Winchester, the Barking Spider or Brothers Lounge. But now, the 17-year-old Northeast Ohio native has made her way to your living room TV screen as a live show contestant on NBC’s popular singing competition, The Voice, starting April 11. Keener grew up listening to classic rock and her father sing and play the guitar in her Old Brooklyn home. At 11-years-old, Keener taught herself guitar and began to write songs. She released her first album, A Book of New Beginnings, at just 14 years old and released East of the Sun with popular local folk band the Womacks in 2015. Then a friend of a friend presented her with the opportunity to audition for the show and Keener nailed a four-chair turnaround with Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and chose Pharrell Williams as her coach. We caught up with Keener to chat about the show, her musical style and working with the biggest names in the music industry today.

Q: How did it feel getting Blake Shelton, Pharrell, Christina Aguilera and Adam Levine to turn around during your blind audition?

A: I was freaking out on the inside. I walked into it not even expecting one chair. I just wasn’t sure how to handle it in that moment. You kind of view them as figments of your imagination, they’re so untouchable that you can’t even fathom being a few feet in front of them, having them truly appreciate what you’re doing. There are no words to explain how that kind of approval feels.

Q: Why did you pick Pharrell, and how is he as a coach?

A: I love his mind and the way it works. He just has this deep understanding of music and an amazing ear that allows him to look deeper into an artist. He always makes sure every person feels like they matter; that’s the type of person I want to be working with. My favorite moment with him was after knockouts. He told me he wants me to stay true to myself no matter what anybody says [or] what happens in my life; he wants me to continue down the route I’m going down as a musician and person. That told me I have what it takes to keep going. I think I have a lot more to give.

Q: How do you differ from the other contestants?

A: Everybody on the show is so incredibly talented. The first few times I was coming into contact with these contestants I was extremely intimidated. I’m one of the youngest people left in this competition, so [they] have a lot of years and more experience on me. I spend a lot of time by myself practicing [and] I think I’ve gained a lot more confidence.

Q: How was it working with guest adviser Miley Cyrus?

A: Her knowledge [and] her talent is so intense and in your face. She is unapologetic, confident and fun. She knew all about Joni Mitchell too, [and] thought it’d be a great idea to start off with just me and the guitar making it more meaningful, softer and intimate. That small touch did so much for the performance and really made it. She was digging who I was as an artist. It was really cool to have that affirmation from her.

Catch Keener on The Voice during live shows Monday and Tuesday at 8p.m.

CIFF: 'Love Is All You Need?' Flips Our World To Confront Prejudice

Jacob Rodier and Kyla Kenedy in Love Is All You Need?
Photo courtesy of Genius Pictures

The 40th Cleveland International Film Festival closed this weekend with a record-breaking 102,255 attendees and 500-plus film screenings throughout the region. This weekend, filmgoers saw Love is All You Need?, a follow-up to the acclaimed short that has been translated into 15 languages. 

Love Is All You Need? shocks and convicts its viewers by telling a classic love story in an upside-down world where same-sex couples are the norm and heterosexual couples are bullied. Gender roles are also flopped, so the townspeople watch women play football as boys hustle them water from the sidelines and the sinister minister is a woman (Joy’s Elisabeth Rohm). The film follows the picture-perfect football player, Jude (Step Up’s Briana Evigan) as she falls for the forbidden Ryan, a reporter (Pretty Little Liars’ Tyler Blackburn). The discovery of their love is met with brutal attacks, so difficult to watch that a few people even walked out of the movie. This emotional intensity is coupled with the storyline of a young girl, Emily (The Walking Dead’s Kyla Kenedy), who is bullied ruthlessly and called a ‘Ro,’ slander for a heterosexual, for merely befriending a boy.

What’s most chilling about the hateful texts, merciless beatings and public embarrassment portrayed in this film is that it’s all based on real events. Except the hate in reality was directed toward LGBT people like Matthew Shephard, a gay college student tortured and left to die, and Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide after a college roommate used a webcam to tape Clementi with a man.

Flipping the sexuality norm, makes seeing each one of these ruthless acts even more wicked because the heterosexual audience is now watching themselves get name-called, judged in the hallways and dragged down for being who they are. The film is masterfully effective in allowing everyone to understand the struggles that the LGBT community still faces, and seeing that suppressing someone’s ability to love another person is inhumane and can cause someone to break down to the point of no return.

Director K. Rocco Shields plans to introduce the full-length film into schools as part of anti-bullying education. Since the short was introduced in 2013, a teacher’s contract was not renewed in Florida and a Kansas teacher was asked to resign but eventually got reinstated after showing the film.

The pushback shows that now more than ever, this message that love is universal and essential to our well-being, no matter who you are or who you love, is critical.

CIFF: 'Hooligan Sparrow' exposes corruption in China

Activist Hooligan Sparrow protests sex crimes in China.
Photo courtesy Hooligan Sparrow

Ye Haiyan aka Hooligan Sparrow posted pictures of herself online offering free sex to migrant workers as a way to get into a brothel and expose the injustices she witnessed. This fearless activist is the centerpiece of a jarring film by the same name that follows Sparrow as she fights for justice for six students sold to an elementary school principal and raped as part of a government favor. In China, a man who rapes a young girl can get a life sentence, but if money was exchanged, the sentence is more lenient. 

Sparrow and her band of activists are constantly blocked by the Chinese government — getting arrested, evicted from her apartment and having her things dumped roadside. As more roadblocks pop up, another dark presence emerges. Plain-clothed government officials appear in several of young filmmaker Nanfu Wang’s footage, leading her to realize every shot she captures is being monitored. She hides audio recorders and even wears glasses with a micro-camera to record whatever she can when filming in public is too dangerous. The tension boils over when spies threaten to beat up Wang, take away her camera and even murder her.

The confrontations make the viewer appreciate the courage of the young filmmaker to keep rolling even when threats loom and expose the oppression for all to see. Although the circumstances also mean viewers are watching overlong shots of the ground, shaky camera work during struggles and first-person explanations from the filmmaker as to how the footage was obtained. These extraneous elements could have been edited out for a smoother final cut.

Despite the constant pushback these brave women are met with, their determination to keep challenging the system is commendable. Some activists may still be jailed, but the group has one protest the Chinese government can’t stop: a lasting document of the atrocities in this daring film.

The Cleveland International Film Festival runs through April 10. For a complete listing of films, visit clevelandfilm.org.

CIFF: "Gasland" Director Josh Fox's New Film Takes on the World

Josh Fox's How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can't Change shows April 4 at 7:10 p.m. Photo courtesy of film

Director Josh Fox's thought-provoking 2010 film Gasland appeared just as energy companies were making hydraulic fracturing a household phrase in the United States. It was a damning indictment of the process and was nominated for an Academy Award. Gasland 2 followed in 2014, looking even further into the industry and its potentially devastating long-term effects.

How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can't Change is different than those films and also a logical progression from them. It seems borne of Fox's realization that despite the notoriety Gasland achieved, hydraulic fracturing has only increased across the globe. He arrives at the conclusion that one man can do little to stop the march of huge corporations, rampant consumption and the consequences they bring. At one point he asks, "Can a person stop a wave?" and it's clear the question weighs heavy on his mind. 

Fox's film starts at his family's home in New York state, where predatory beetles are wiping out a beloved hemlock tree. It then moves on to the devastation brought by Hurricane Sandy. It's explained that both are due to global warming, and Fox skillfully lays out his frightening argument that although the Earth will survive, the living things that call it home will forever be changed. Temperatures will rise. Animal species will die off. Coastal communities will ultimately be underwater. There is nothing we can do to stop it, he asserts. It's too late. 

It's all enough to make you want to watch some cat videos on YouTube, and Fox playfully obliges with a few quick clips after laying out his dire diagnosis. But the problem gnaws at him. Despite his success as a journalist and an activist, Fox feels hopeless. He wants to give up. 

But that's when How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can't Change switches gears. It's that moment of hopelessness that prompts Fox to set out to find those who are fighting back in the face of such long odds. He finds hope in a smog-filled Beijing where the city's 20 million residents can't open their windows and many check the day's particulate-matter report on their smartphones like it's the weather. He travels into the Amazon rain forest with those who are cleaning up oil spills by hand — one bucket at a time. 

In one of the film's most poignant segments, the filmmaker joins protesters who are trying to block an Australian coal freighter the size of the Empire State Building. Leading the charge are representatives of small Pacific islands that are slowly being swallowed by rising waters caused by global warming. They paddle out to meet the freighter in hand-carved, traditional wooden boats. 

In each of these stories, the message is clear: Our humanity is most apparent when we stand together. It's not that the people Fox encounters around the world have no choice but to fight back in the face of long odds, it's that they are confidently making one to do so. 

How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate Can't Change will show again April 4 at 7:10 p.m. For more information and a full schedule of Cleveland International Film Festival films, visit clevelandfilm.org.