Minnesotan Ward Sutton has won the Herblock Award, named for the dean of American editorial cartoonists. For those who practice the craft, it's the next best thing to snagging a Pulitzer. Sutton has worked for the Boston Globe since 2008, but his cartoons have also appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Onion, the Village Voice and Rolling Stone, and he's created posters for entertainers ranging from Pearl Jam to John Leguizamo. Sutton, who grew up in the Twin Cities, got his first big break contributing to the Edina Sun community newspaper while in middle school. His first politically oriented strip, "Ward's Cleaver," was a weekly feature in the now defunct Twin Cities Reader. "Ward Sutton's satire doesn't just bite — it maims," Stephen Colbert once said. "He's the perfect cartoonist for our discordant times." Sutton, who currently lives in Fort Collins, Colo., will receive a $15,000 prize and a sterling silver Tiffany trophy.
NEAL JUSTIN
South Side story
José James always gets chatty when he comes home to perform in Minneapolis. Tuesday at the Dakota Jazz Club, James joked that he was practically reciting his entire Wikipedia page because he talked so much about his past. He said he moved to New York in 1999 because there were too many good jazz singers in the Twin Cities (he named Debbie Duncan, Connie Evingson, Dennis Spears and the Petersons, among others). After a clubgoer asked where James went to high school, the singer explained that he starred in the musical "Cinderella" at South High in Minneapolis. Then he added: "I turned down [a part] in 'West Side Story,' not knowing who was in it. Josh Hartnett. I [messed up] my acting career."
JON BREAM
Who's the Watchman?
There's always an element of surprise in the theater but that goes double for Children's Theatre Company's production of "Corduroy." Just a week into its run, three different actors have played one of the leading roles. CTC company member Reed Sigmund — best known as the title character in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" — was expected to play the Night Watchman, who searches for the title character, a teddy bear come to life in a department store. But Sigmund injured his hand during "a routine move in rehearsal" so his understudy, Dwight Leslie, took his place for the first weekend. Busy Leslie has another gig at CTC, though: he's the Scarecrow in "The Wiz." So CTC booked actor/choreographer Brian Sostek to play the Watchman until Sigmund heals up — which could be as early as this weekend.
CHRIS HEWITT
How he met Cloud Cult
Don't be surprised if the soundtrack for NBC's new drama "Rise" includes tunes from local band Cloud Cult. Series star Josh Radnor is such a fan of the band that he appeared in its 2016 one-hour video, "The Seeker." Best known for playing the lead in "How I Met Your Mother," Radner befriended the musicians after praising them in a 2012 Entertainment Weekly interview. He's not surprised the group hasn't become a household name. "They have a very rabid following, but I think they worry about staying pure," said Radnor, who is making some music of his own these days. He's joined indie artist Ben Lee to write songs, and their duo Radnor & Lee performed in Brazil recently.
N.J.
