CIFF Movie Guide, Prison Drug Profits, Megan Stalter Roots: CLE Daily

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💭 One Thing To Know: NCAA women's bowling championship kicks off tomorrow at Yorktown Lanes in Parma Heights.

🏀 One Reason To Be Excited: The Cleveland Cavaliers have clinched a top four seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

📖 Local Book to Start Reading: Arsenio: A Memoir by Cleveland native Arsenio Hall.

ICYMI: Tune in to our Cleveland Current playlist for a new mix of Northeast Ohio-made music every month.

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Today's Trivia

What labor union, headquartered in the Cleveland area to this day, bills itself as the oldest union in the Western Hemisphere?

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Michelin Guide to come to Cleveland in 2027 as part of new Great Lakes Edition.

News | By Christina Rufo

Cleveland will be included in the Michelin Guide’s newest United States expansion, a multi-city American Great Lakes edition set to debut in 2027.

Coverage Area: The guide will also cover Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Pittsburgh.

• This also marks the first time the global restaurant rating system has formally evaluated restaurants across the broader Great Lakes region.

Not The Only Star: Fidelity Hotel, a fully independent hotel in Downtown Cleveland under Texas-based New Waterloo management, is the first and only property in Ohio to be awarded a prestigious Michelin Key, the hotel equivalent of a Michelin Star.

David Gilbert, President & CEO of Destination Cleveland: “Cleveland’s nationally recognized culinary scene is a hallmark of our visitor experience, and our chefs have earned the attention of the Michelin Guide. This is an exciting opportunity that showcases the quality, creativity and authenticity of our culinary community — it’s time for the world to know about our vibrant food scene.”

Read more on the Michelin Guide coming to the Great Lakes region.

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5 movies with Cleveland connections to see at the Cleveland International Film Festival.

Things To Do | By Annie Nickoloff

Buddy (April 10, 9:45 p.m. at Allen Theatre): Earning hype at its Sundance Film Festival 2026 premiere, this shot-in-Cleveland horror movie — starring Cristin Milioti, Topher Grace and Keegan-Michael Key — centers around a murderous children’s TV show unicorn character. It promises to be a strange trip.

Magan’s Fare (Shown in Shorts Program 15; April 15, 7:40 p.m. at Cedar Lee Theatre and April 16, 4:15 p.m. at Allen Theatre): Willoughby filmmakers Dana White and Chris Knoblock made this narrative short about a ride-share driver who tries to help a woman from a nursing home, in a powerful exploration of end-of-life care.

The Platform (Shown in Local Heroes Shorts Program 2; April 15, 7:20 p.m. at Ohio Theatre): Ta’u Pupu'a, a former football player for the Cleveland Browns, pivoted to a new career in opera following career-ending injuries. This nine-minute short offers a glimpse at the artist’s new life.

Slowburn Shoot (April 13, 4:50 p.m. at Ohio Theatre): Absolute Intense Wrestling has hosted scores of athletes for 20 years in Cleveland. This feature-length documentary tells the organization’s story through both founder John Thorne and major athletes’ perspectives.

Welcome To Dollar Country (Shown in Local Heroes Shorts Program 1; April 14, 7:25 p.m. at Ohio Theatre): DJ and podcast host “Frank The Drifter” is known in Northeast Ohio for his popular “Dollar Country” show — now the focus of this 23-minute film about his search for the most obscure country 45s he finds in area yard sales and thrift stores.

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Talk of the Town

Former police chief of East Cleveland has pleaded not guilty to all 31 charges that he faces. Kenneth Lundy faces charges of bribery, perjury, assault and more stemming from his time as a police officer. Lundy is expected to be back in court in late August.

On May 7, Cleveland Heights is set to host its third annual lawnmower exchange program, where residents can trade in their gas-powered mowers for electric ones. The city will also replace gas leaf blowers with electric ones. Supplies for the exchange program are limited.

Literary Cleveland is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this summer with their annual "A Lit Summer Night" fundraiser on June 4. The event features Dan Chaon, Sonia Feldman, Kisha Nicole Foster and Thirty Umrigar.

In seven months, Cory Sutphin made $100,000 smugling drugs into Ohio prisons. But now Sutphin is serving a five-year prison sentence after he and two others faced 116 felony counts, reports USA TODAY Network Ohio.

CIFF executive director Hermione Malone is being accused of alleged verbal and emotional abuse by Shakira Refos, CIFF’s head of public programs, reports Ideastream. The alleged abuse has led to California-based Re-Present Media pulling out of the event. Cleveland Magazine sat down with Malone and festival founder Jon Forman before the allegations surfaced to discuss CIFF's past, present, and future in Cleveland.

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Megan Stalter brings Cleveland roots to big Hollywood moments.

Arts & Culture | By Annie Nickoloff

Megan Stalter’s late-night interviews and red carpet moments are all parts of the bit.

• Highlight Reel: At the Las Culturistas Awards in 2025, she wore a corset made of Diet Coke cartons in a joking attempt to get a brand deal. She appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert wearing a ridiculously long blond wig and a tank top that read “Meg Stalter: Prettiest Girl in America.”

• Red Carpet Moment: In January, she and fellow Hacks castmate Paul W. Downs went viral for their Critics Choice Awards outfits: near-perfect dupes of the orange ensembles Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner wore to the Marty Supreme world premiere.

Megan Stalter: “I love making fun of the industry. It’s really fun to make fun of things that you’re a part of.”

Read more about Megan Stalter on Hacks.

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Yesterday's Trivia Answer

This Rhode Island native trained in Germany and ran all-girls schools in New York and New Jersey before coming to Ohio to run an all-girls school that at the time was Downtown. Anne Hathaway Brown

Check back tomorrow for the answer to today's question.

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Hacks is one of the funniest shows on TV today, and Megan Stalter is a big reason why. Her character Kayla regularly steals scenes, poking fun at the showbiz industry at large. While the final season begins tonight, I'm not too sad about it. The series will likely end on a high note, and then, who knows what's next for Stalter? It'll be exciting to see her bring her unique style of comedy to future roles.

In other cinema news, the Cleveland International Film Festival begins tonight. I'm hoping to see some of the Northeast Ohio films that are in the schedule, especially the ridiculous-looking Buddy horror movie. Happy movie watching! - Annie Nickoloff, Senior Editor