Multicolored rock formation stage display at Peacock Room
Last weekend’s Cardboard Art Festival reminded us all of how fantastic simple materials can be with the right manipulation, but if there was anyone in town who already knew the potential of recycled materials, it’s the kind folks at Shine Shed, who dazzled us last year on a number of occasions with impressive stage displays.…
Cute video of animals playing dead
We’re getting ready for our Puppy Love issue (coming out on Feb. 6), and while we were doing some “research” on YouTube, we found this adorable video of animals playing dead. Our fave is the hamster. He’s a better actor than Hugh Grant.
Sunday Film News Roundup — January 27th, 2013
It’s really hard to not go on a rant about the news that JJ Abrams is directing the new Star Wars. The news is too old by this point to feel like anything but nerd rage. It’s not the cross-pollination with Star Trek I mind as much as the fact that JJ Abrams just isn’t a…
Paul Baribeau’s folky punk makes us wish we were in a relationship with him
Sunday, Jan. 27 – Paul Baribeau 9 p.m. Stardust Video & Coffee 1842 E. Winter Park Road 407-623-3393 stardustie.com $8 With the rampant oversharing that happens on social media, it’s rare that much of actual interest occurs in our various feeds, and yet we continue to keep on reading, refreshing and refreshing, waiting for anything…
Orlando resident Bari Musawwir drives to forefront of Monster Jam
Saturday, Jan. 26 – Monster Jam 7 p.m. Florida Citrus Bowl 1610 W. Church St. 407-440-5700 monsterjam.com $15-$45 Did you hear that? Big trucks. Small cars. The shattering roar of an engine. That’s right, Monster Jam is back at the Florida Citrus Bowl, and for the first time ever, an Orlando resident drives to the…
Florida Opera Theatre performs Menotti’s short comic opera The Telephone
Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 26-27 – The Telephone 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday 2 p.m. Sunday Germaine Marvel Building 210 W. Packwood Ave., Maitland 407-718-4365 floperatheatre.org $30 Just when you thought land lines were utterly irrelevant, here’s a delightful program that might change your mind. Yes, we all have mobile phones now, and they’ve taken a…
VOD: The Taste of Money – Im Sang-soo (3 Stars)
After the unprecedented crossover success of Psy’s hit single Gangnam Style — about the horse-dancing absurdities of the rich in South Korea — Im Sang-soo’s follow-up to 2010’s The Housemaid would seem to be coming along at the right time. Set in the same luxuriously moneyed world as The Housemaid, The Taste of Money is a more…
Engagement Ring Used as a Deadly Weapon
CBS affiliate WKMG reports that a 29-year-old man, Faron Thompson, was arrested in Orlando on suspicion of trying to force his fiancee to swallow her diamond engagement ring because she no longer wanted to live with him. Thompson was arrested Sunday on charges of battery via strangulation and child neglect, according to the station. The…
History Center opens A Year in the Life: Backstage to Onstage at Universal Orlando Resort exhibit
Saturday, Jan. 26 – A Year in the Life: Backstage to Onstage at Universal Orlando Resort through Jan. 26, 2014 Orange County Regional History Center 65 E. Central Blvd. 407-836-8500 thehistorycenter.org $9 If you’ve visited Universal Orlando’s theme parks during one of their annual special events, it might be easy to imagine that the extravagant…
A Secretary is not a toy: Hillary’s reality show
Personally, I’ve never seen so many men so eager to believe a woman was faking it. The “was she or wasn’t she?” second-guessing of Hillary Clinton’s Benghazi testimony speaks volumes about the way in which we’ve come to view all politics as performance. More disturbingly, though, it lays bare the extent to which we expect…
Hip-hop collective Shabazz Palaces perform at the Social
Friday, Jan. 25 – Shabazz Palaces with the Helio Sequence 9 p.m. The Social 54 N. Orange Ave. 407-246-1419 thesocial.org $13-$15 It’s not a stretch to suggest that mainstream hip-hop has run out of new ideas. But scratch beneath the gold-plated surface and you can still find pockets of innovation. Artists like Shabazz Palaces and…
Program your DVRs to see some locals on Jimmy Fallon!
It’s looking like we’re going to need to look into the legal processes involved in adoption, because Matt Pond has put together a hell of an Orlando backing band (formed from current and past members of the Pauses, Saskatchewan and Great Deceivers), and we’re pretty much at the point where we’re ready to claim him…
Paddy Murphy’s in Baldwin Park to close its doors on Feb. 1
We just received word that Irish pub and restaurant Paddy Murphy’s in Baldwin Park will be closing as of Feb. 1. Here’s a message released on Facebook from the bar owners and a rundown on bar happenings and drink specials going on this weekend: To all our dear friends and awesome patrons…Paddy Murphy’s in Baldwin…
Zora! Festival returns with educational workshops, community roundtables and more
Jan. 26-Feb. 3 – Zora! Festival various events and locations; visit website for schedule and details 407-647-3307 zorafestival.org free, donations accepted Take a walk back through Central Florida history and explore the rich culture of local town Eatonville and one of its most famous residents, author Zora Neale Hurston (Their Eyes Were Watching God), during…
The Rolling Stones at 50: The Stones on Film (Part 5 of 5)
Crossfire Hurricane – Brett Morgan (2012) Another cross-project of the BBC and HBO, Crossfire Hurricane is essentially the Forty Licks of Rolling Stones documentaries. Every film I’ve spoken about thus far — and plenty I couldn’t get to — are spliced, cut up, borrowed from and sampled by Brett Morgan to create this greatest hits…
Gainesville’s Hundred Waters tonight at the Social
Thursday, Jan. 24 – Hundred Waters with Freelance Whales, Il Abinico 7 p.m. The Social 54 N. Orange Ave. 407-246-1419 thesocial.org $15 Listening to Hundred Waters is like being lovingly plucked from your ordinary life by the nape of your neck and dropped into a pastel meadow full of kittens, and now you’re a kitten,…
An ‘F’ for effort: Gov. Rick Scott brags about himself, buys teachers off (full speech included)
So, right now, while we’re sucking all of the antioxidants out of our soothing green tea, children in Ocoee are probably shrieking at the awkward countenance of Gov. Rick Scott and his crazy arms. Scott’s in town at Ocoee Middle School to make an announcement – a VERY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT WHICH EVERYBODY KNOWS –…
Chowder & Beer Festival tonight at Winter Park Farmers Market
Wednesday, Jan. 23 – Winter Park Chowder & Beer Festival 5:30-8:30 p.m. Winter Park Farmers Market 200 W. New England Ave., Winter Park 321-396-7790 winterparkannual.com $20-$25 It finally (sort of) feels like winter, and tonight’s Chowder & Beer Festival at the Winter Park Farmers Market should help warm you up a bit. No matter what…
Good evening, Gov’na
Earnest Deland folk dudes Roadkill Ghost Choir may have only just released their first EP last year, Quiet Light EP, but they are kind of killing it both on the local and the national level. The year has barely even started humming, and the soulful crooners are already booked to play the Governors Ball this…
Art at the Casa Parlor Series lecture features Peter Schreyer
Wednesday, Jan. 23 – Peter Schreyer: Three Decades of Documenting Florida 5:30 p.m. Casa Feliz 656 N. Park Ave., Winter Park 407-628-8196 casafeliz.us free (but limited to 50 guests, so call to reserve a seat) Familiarity, they say, breeds contempt. That’s why it’s those who come from outside a community who often appreciate it the…
Photo Gallery: New French Bakery at Epcot
In this week’s edition of Live Active Cultures, I take a magnifying glass to the darker aspects of Disney’s new MyMagic+ program, which promises the “cruisification” for the theme park experience. On the brighter side, some of Mickey’s money has been spent lately on things that actually impact WDW guests in a positive way. Case…
Live Active Cultures
The similarities between Orlando’s themed resorts and the cruise industry grow ever closer
Atlas House
Uzbekistan’s cultural crossroads is reflected in Atlas House’s diverse offerings
Happytown: Gov. Scott's about face on voting fiasco
Florida governor backs away from bill that made voting such a headache for voters in 2102
Nosh Pit: Artichoke Red’s Dillos
Snack lovers still moping over the Hostess bankruptcy can breathe easy. Artichoke Red, which recently moved into a bigger space on Edgewater, now stocks gluten-free, vegan snack cakes known as Dillos that imitate those childhood treats. (These may not last through the zombie apocalypse, but they also won’t do anything too scary to your body.)…
Opening this week
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, Movie 43, Parker
Maakies
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Brokeass Gourmet: sweet potato-andouille hash
A fast, flavorful, high-protein breakfast with just enough of a kick
Local punk band Wet Nurse performs for Rock 'n' Roe
The benefit concert also includes speakers who will discuss the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
Happytown: Satanic Temple to rally in Florida
Followers of Satan want to thank Gov. Rick Scott for supporting bill that would allow prayers – even Satanic ones – in schools
In a trance with Robb Blak
An interview with Lost in Trancelation’s resident DJ
‘Holy Motors’
Leos Carax’s latest film is one long, strange trip
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19) The German government sponsored a scientific study of dowsing, which is a form of magical divination used to locate underground sources of water. After 10 years, the chief researcher testified, "It absolutely works, beyond all doubt. But we have no idea why or how." An assertion like that might also apply…
Happytown: Activists demand answers in texting scandal
Petitions call for criminal investigation of actions of Orange County commissioners
Drinking, Nightlife and Parties
Where to drink and party in Orlando this week
Cardboard Art Festival is a celebration of creative reuse
Local artists build a carnival of corrugated delights
Savage Love
A friend of mine on the opposite coast is a cross-dresser considering transitioning. He came out to a female friend he had known for a long time but hadn’t seen in a while, and she told her that she wanted her to come to her house fully dressed for some hot sex to "explore her…
This Little Underground
Our live music columnist covers Hot Water Music, the Growlers and Purity Ring
Tip Jar
This week’s roundup: fake mangoes, chocolate attractions, I-Drive revival, pop-up dining and a pizza oven in Ivanhoe Village
Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum tours again after 14 years
The famously reclusive songwriter comes to the Beacham
UCF Baseball hosts Fan Fest on Jan. 26
Saturday, Jan. 26 – UCF Baseball Fan Fest 6 p.m. (following the men’s basketball game) The Venue at UCF 20 N. Gemini Blvd. 407-823-1000 ucfathletics.com free Baseball season is only around the corner, and on Saturday evening, UCF will be hosting its annual Baseball Fan Fest right after the men’s basketball game against SMU. Fans…
One of Sundance’s most provocative films was secretly filmed at … Disneyworld
One of the most-buzzed-about films showing at Sundance this week was filmed surreptitiously at Disneyworld in Orlando and Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. The movie, called Escape From Tomorrow, is about a horndog dad who takes his family on vacation to the Magic Kingdom. From what we’re reading on Rotten Tomatoes and various indie film blogs,…
Michelle Obama inauguration GIF
Michelle Obama was our favorite part of yesterday’s inaugural ceremonies. Partly because she always looks awesome (see the fantastic coat she wore to the inauguration here), but mostly because of this GIF of her rolling her eyes at House Speaker John Boehner, which has made the rounds on the interwebs yesterday. Shout out to blogger…
On sale this week: Chuck Ragan, Rocky Votolato at the Social
On sale: Thursday, Jan. 24 Chuck Ragan, Rocky Votolato with Jenny Owens Young 8 p.m. Friday, March 22 The Social 54 N. Orange Ave. 407-246-1419 thesocial.org $20 Down the road: Robin Williams, Jan. 30 at Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre G. Love & Special Sauce, Jan. 30 at The Plaza Live Infected Mushroom,…
