Dope Island: The Fiend climbs aboard the Seymour Avenue bandwagon

You probably didn't hear it in the news during the Seymour Avenue sensation, AKA the "Miracle in Cleveland" in early May that brought world media attention to this area - but there was another story in the news: during the Cannes International Film Festival, top-selling prostitutes can bring in an incredible $40,000 per night.

So, back to tawdry northern-Ohio events that folks can't stop talking about: there is the very real prospect of at least one, maybe more films (weren't there THREE separate "Long Island Lolita" true-crime TV movies?) based on the decades-long sexual captivity of Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry and Michelle Knight. Already, Clevelanders are banking on the income brought in by out-of-town, big-time, big-money Hollywood union filmmakers landing here from NY/LA and wringing High Drama and craft services from the grueling ordeals these women endured. And the features that result...will almost certainly be exploited on the international arena, peddled at Cannes, a place where the flesh of prime-cut sex workers fetches $40,000 per night at the height of the annual silver-screen market-expo. A little irony there, n'est-ce pas?

The Central Park Five (March 24th at the Cleveland Museum of Art)

THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE screens Sunday March 24th at 1:30 pm at the Cleveland Museum of Art Morley Lecture Hall.]

Review by Charles Cassady, Jr.

The Steubenville rape case has dominated headlines and airwaves not just here in flyover-land, but internationally. It's got all the elements that set both the mainstream and the trash media (same thing, oftentimes) salivating: sex, race, youth, female victimization, drugs/alcohol, outrageous violation of public morality - and football. But imagine - just imagine for a moment - that all the accused teenagers were completely innocent. Railroaded in an official frame job.

I'm not saying that's what happened in poor Steubenville. I'm just telling you that something of that magnitude - actually, much bigger - did indeed happen, in front of a revenge-thirsty worldwide audience. Most of whom probably still don't know that a travesty of justice occurred.