TikTok Twists, Sci-Fi Shocks, and Prost to 100 Years!

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Good morning, Cleveland! This is The 216 Scoop. Brace yourselves – the brutal cold isn’t backing down. But there’s plenty to keep us warm and entertained... The Buckeyes are the biggest thing in sports, aliens and monsters have been sighted on I-90 and everyone’s losing their minds over TiKTok. We’ve got you covered. First time reading? Join over 16,000+ local curious readers.

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In today’s 216 Scoop Edition

• TikTok plot twists: Commie spies! RedNote refugees! MrBeast! Whoa, Bob Dylan!

• USA Today: Three Cleveland museums are among the tops in the country

• Aliens, monsters, freaks: Egads, it’s the 50th anniversary Sci-fi Marathon

• Film about Cleveland woman’s 7-month ordeal trapped in garage hits Lifetime

• Prost! German Central celebrates 100th anniversary with a bash

• Dark-wave dance night at Winchester; Venom Inc. hits No Class

by John Petkovic, Mark Espinosa, Victor Takakura

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IN THE NEWS

TikTok plot twists: Commie spies! RedNote refugees! MrBeast! Whoa, Bob Dylan!

The NFL playoffs are going strong. The first-place Cavs play Saturday. The Buckeyes are coming. Yawn.

The big game around the world, America and Cleveland is… China vs. America: The battle over TikTok.

Creators, influencers and 170 million American users are on one side. Congress is on the other. The Supreme Court is the referee. And, whoa, Donald Trump has stepped onto the field.

The Washington Post has reported that the president-elect could use an executive order to suspend enforcement of a law that would ban of the Chinese social-media platform. It would last 60 to 90 days to find a way to preserve TikTok in the U.S.

TikTok has become a football in a game of intrigue, bizarre twists and farcical turns:

• The Supreme Court heard arguments for and against TikTok, but has not set a date on a ruling;

• Trending: TikTok users joke about being Chinese spies or being spied on by the Chinese Communist Party;

• The RedNote phenomenon: In two days, 700,000 “TikTok refugees” joined the alternative China-based social media app. But wait: Its content is in Mandarin and it allegedly has close ties to the CCP;

• MrBeast wants to buy TikTok: The YouTuber is worth only $500 million; TikTok is estimated to fetch “well north of $100 billion and potentially up to $200 billion”;

• TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to attend President Trump’s inauguration;

• Shares of Meta, parent company of TikTok competitors Facebook and Instagram, have traded wildly as odds of a ban bounce around on the Polymarket betting platform;

• And finally: Bob Dylan has joined TikTok, just before it could go dark.

What does The Bard know that no one else apparently does?

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USA Today: Three Cleveland museums are the tops in the country

USA Today has championed Cleveland’s attractions for the last three years and it’s at it again. It’s nominated three local museums in its popular 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Voting runs until Monday, February 10. 

And now the envelopes, please:

In the Best Science Museum category: The Great Lakes Science Center, which “offers a community where real scientific challenges to encourage curiosity, creativity, and innovation.”

In the Best Pop Culture Museum category: House from A Christmas Story, “a pop culture… where visitors can view rare behind-the-scenes photos and artifacts from the film, such as the family car and Randy’s snowsuit.”

In the Best Music Museum category: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which features “different theaters, seven floors of exhibits, and all kinds of interactive stations, all while learning about some of the most influential rock musicians in history.”

Aliens, monsters, freaks: Egads, it’s the 50th anniversary Sci-fi Marathon this weekend

Those were different times way back when the Case Western Reserve University Film Society showed its first flick…

Back in 1970, the group of movie buffs would host viewing parties – to celebrate cinema, but also give students a chance to kick back in between tests.

It would even show a porno flick so kids could “have a little fun and relaxation” leading into finals week. The tradition came to an abrupt halt in 1999, due to an uproar on campus.

Fifty years ago, the film society launched a series that became a hit in Cleveland and is still going strong: The Science Fiction Marathon. It celebrates its golden anniversary this weekend at Strosaker Auditorium --  2125 Adelbert Road, Cleveland – with 15 films (two Friday, 13 Saturday).

This year’s edition spans the history of sci-fi, from the 1925 silent-era monster movie, “The Lost World,” to last year’s Marvel hit, “Deadpool and Wolverine.”

In between, you get classics and low-rent oddities – films like “It Came from Outer Space,” “One Million B.C.,” “Wall-E,” “Terminator 2,” 2001: A Space Odyssey” and “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.” It’s always a hoot.

Film about Cleveland woman’s harrowing seven-month ordeal trapped in garage hits Lifetime

Laura Cowan’s life is more than a harrowing story of torture and suffering. It’s an ode to survival and resilience – and it’s coming to television.

At 8 p.m. Saturday, “The Girl in the Garage: The Laura Cowan Story” will premiere on the Lifetime network. It tells the story of the Clevelander, who spent seven months locked in a garage with her children.

They were without heat, running water, a bathroom. The door was nailed shut by her husband, who would show up with minimal food and would proceed to abuse her.

One day he took her to the post office to pick up a package. She managed to pass a note to a clerk. Two days later, she was set free and her husband was arrested for imprisoning her and two other women that were held captive in the house.

She went on become an advocate for domestic abuse victims and founded the Laura Cowan Foundation.

THE 216 DIGEST

Prost! German Central celebrates 100th anniversary with a bash

Germans started arriving in Cleveland in the 1840s and were the largest ethnic group in the city until the 1890s.  They first settled in Parma, which remains the hub of the community thanks to German Central, 7863 York Road, Parma. What started as a sprawling farm became incorporated as a recreation area, music hall and sports club in 1925. Prost!  At 7 p.m. Saturday, it’s German Central’s 100^th Anniversary Bash. Roll out music by Gemütlichkeit Cleveländer Musikanten and traditional German food, music and dancing. For more info, go here.

Let’s go dancing in the dark

The world might seem like a dark, bleak place… but you want it even darker?  Lucky you: At 9 p.m. Saturday, the Winchester 12112 Madison Avenue, Lakewood, will host Dark Wave Dance Cave. DJs Matthew Darkstar and Mimi Dromette will spin a wide range of deliciously dark, danceable tracks… Yes, dark wave, but also synth-pop, Goth, post-punk and new wave. For info, go here.

Venom Inc. invades No Class

The metal mayhem will hit hard and heavy when Venom Inc. hits No Fun, 11213 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland. Led by singer and bassist Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan, the Venom spin-off will roll out classic and new tracks. Also on the bill: Destructor and Salem’s Childe. For tickets and info, go here.

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NOTES ON A COCKTAIL NAPKIN!

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Wait, the Cavs have how many all-stars?

So far, the Cavs have one all-star – Donovan Mitchell, who’s in second place behind LaMello Ball in the Eastern Conference guard voting, as of Thursday.

If things hold up, he would start in the NBA All-Star Game, Feb. 16, in San Francisco.

Darius Garland is eighth among guards. Evan Mobley is sixth in the frontcourt category.

You know what that means: You’ll have to vote to move them and Jarrett Allen up. Go here. Voting ends Jan. 20.

VINTAGE CLEVELAND

John Johnson was the first Cleveland Cavalier to make it to the NBA All-Star Game, in 1971. The small forward was Cavs’ first-round pick in 1970, the team’s inaugural season. He averaged 16.6 points a game in the regular season. He played two minutes as an all-star and didn’t score.

And don’t forget! Tag @LiveMusicInCleveland or @The216Scoop to get your photos in the Scoop!

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WEATHER

Friday

36°F 🌡️ 34°F | 🌧️ | 78% | 💨 SW 14 mph (12 knots)

Saturday

39°F 🌡️ 22°F | ❄️ | 35% | 💨 W 15 mph (13 knots)

Sunday

24°F 🌡️ 8°F | ❄️ | 31% | 💨 NW 12 mph (10 knots)

LIVE MUSIC IN THE 216

Friday - 01/17

Beachland Tavern | Bessemer Saints + The Velvematics + Others | 7 PM
HI and DRY Bowling & Beer | Chloe & The Steel Strings | 8 PM
The Winchester | Midnight Syndicate | 7:30 PM

Saturday - 01/18

The Agora | Clown Core | 7 PM
Grog Shop | Holy Roller Baby + Cloud Light | 8 PM
Beachland Ballroom | The Floorwalkers | 7 PM

Sunday - 01/19

Connor Palace | Disney’s Frozen | 1 PM
Severance Hall | Cleveland Orchestra | 7:30 PM
The Winchester | Y2Karaoke | 9 PM

For tickets and more information visit: livemusicincleveland.com

The 216 Sports Arena

Upcoming Games

Cavaliers

Away vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 7 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 18

Cleveland Monsters

Away vs. Grand Rapids Griffins, 7 p.m., Friday, Jan. 17

Cleveland Charge

Home vs. Motor City Cruise, 2 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 19

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