My daughter tells me a recent interview with John Waters has become something of an Internet sensation among teenage girls. The interview was posted on Rookie, a site geared towards teen girls, and she’s had friends in Vancouver, Hawaii, and Minnesota raving about it. Reading the piece, it’s easy to understand why, as Waters comes across as everyone’s favorite uncle. He’s understanding, worldly, and permissive, with a mischievous streak tempered by gentlemanliness. I’m, once again, astounded by his capacity for connecting with an audience.

Check out these comments: “the advice he gives is so wise,” “he’s got a pretty awesome perspective on life,” “I want to marry him, but I’m a girl so it probably wouldn’t work out,” “this man is quite literally a genius,” “I just love everything he stands for,” and “if only our parents were more like him.”

Waters says his favorite comment was quite succinct: “...

Tonight at 8 p.m., Fox airs the episode of Kitchen Nightmares we've been waiting for, where notorious hothead Gordon Ramsay takes on Honmaster General Denise Whiting and aims to save her and her restaurant, Cafe Hon, from the torrent of bad press over her trademarking of the word "Hon."

For those who just can't wait, the entire episode popped up on YouTube and is below... Watch and let us know what you think! 

SPOILER ALERT: I'll offer some thoughts on the episode below...

The episode gets off on a TERRIBLE foot—at least with locals—with this opening line: "Hampden, Maryland: a proud community located just outside of Baltimore." Of course, I don't need to tell you, dear Baltimore readers, that Hampden is a neighborhood well within the city of Baltimore."

From there, the show follows a very typical reality show script. The first half is disaster after disaster, set to dramatic music, and Whiting comes off as slightly less likable than the proprietor of Cafe Nazi.

In...

Beverly McIver, the acclaimed painter who's represented locally by Grimaldis Gallery, lights up Raising Renee, the moving documentary that premiered on HBO last night. McIver has exhibited her work in solo shows at Grimaldis in 2003 and 2007 and lectured at the BMA and the Reginald Lewis Museum, and she's well-known in art circles for her narrative paintings that explore notions of race, relationships, and family. In fact, McIver's family members—including her mother, father, and sisters—have been her subjects for years. Raising Renee, the documentary, brings those paintings to life in startlingly beautiful ways by providing an intimate and unflinching portrait of McIver's family, especially the complex relationship between Beverly and her sister, Renee, who is developmentally and intellectually...

Obviously, a lot of the news today is about the same-sex marriage bill (or, more specifically, its 200 amendments) being debated right now in the Maryland House of Delegates. If approved in the House, the bill would move to the state Senate, which approved a similar bill last year and is generally seen as receptive to same-sex marriage legislation. 

Justin Snow, an investigative reporting intern with Maryland Reporter, is following the developments closely and providing regular updates on his Twitter feed. He's also a frequent contributor to Baltimore and wrote an in-depth analysis in our January issue of last year's failed attempt to pass gay-marriage legislation, which is available to read here. 

I've been following along via Twitter and other media platforms, and a lot of the usual arguments are being made by supporters and detractors of the bill. Proponents are framing the issue as a civil-rights issue, while opponents—many of whom object on religious grounds—are wary of change. Nothing very new there. But then there's this from today's...