Premier polygraphs & panties: Owner forces staff to take lie-detector test
via Here’s a scenario for you: you own an adult superstore and over $6000 worth of leather and lace and lingerie goes missing. What do you do? Well, in the case of Tony Panzino, owner of Premier Couples Superstore, you force every single one of your employees to take a polygraph test. And if they…
National Pancake Day: Where to get your Orlando fix
via March 4 is National Pancake Day. You could celebrate at a multinational chain restaurant: wait in line with hundreds and hundreds of other people to get your free stack from IHOP – or you can celebrate like a local and hit up one of these places for a stack. Trust me, you’ll be glad you…
Four Orlando restaurants close their doors
via It’s always sad to see a local independently-owned restaurant close. Within the past week, three local restaurants has succumbed to this depressing fate. Try not to cry too hard, though. We’re sure something new and (hopefully!) delicious will sprout up in their place. Opening in August of 2012, Peruvian restaurant, Lima 41 had mixed reviews online,…
Latest update on Florida’s gay marriage lawsuit. IT’S STILL ON.
via Huffington Post So, it was just a week or so ago that we were telling you how Florida Family Policy Council nutjob John Stemberger and his boyfriend (er, partner in crime) Mat Staver of the Liberty Counsel (WHICH IS NOW A HATE GROUP, NATCH) were – cough – inserting themselves into Florida’s legal volley…
Happy 169th birthday, Florida!
Today is Florida’s birthday! Purchased from Spain and admitted to the Union on March 3, 1845, we snuck in right after Michigan but before Texas (YOU HEAR THAT, TEXAS? WE’RE OLDER, SO WE GET DIBS ON THE NINTENDO). That’s 169 glorious years of oranges, shark attacks, and enough humidity to stun a yak. Sure, we…
Man booted from Universal Studios for anti-government (and haircutting) activities
Wisconsin resident Aaron R. Lucano was “indefinitely trespassed” from Universal Studios Saturday evening following a bizarre incident wherein Lucano parked his van in the theme park’s King Kong parking lot and began writing anti-government slogans on the vehicle in white marker. Universal security engaged Lucano but could not stop him from scrawling – or, inexplicably,…
8 great places to get your geek on in Orlando
You always hear that Orlando has something for everyone. There’s tons of outdoorsy stuff to do, it’s a huge hub for sports fans, college and pro, there’s Universal Orlando and Disney World for tourists and families and there are tons of diversions for the partying set. Where does that leave the indoorsy types, those who…
YOUR DAILY WEEKLY READER: Cold War, cold water and cold cocked
via The Blaze THE COLD WAR IS BACK, BACK, BACK: “Unknown armed men from Kiev have tried to seize the Crimean Interior Ministry overnight, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It’s as Crimea’s PM urges Russia to help cope with the crisis, ensuring “peace and calm” in the region. ‘Thanks to the decisive action…
Dead Milkmen show moved to Tampa due to venue trouble
I hate being the bearer of bad news after declaring loudly that Dead Milkmen ARE playing Orlando, but I’ve finally heard confirmation from the show’s organizer, and it’s not what any of us wanted to hear. I’m afraid (after what I’d call admirable persistence to figure out an Orlando-based solution) he wound up having to…
Mixer 2014
Welcome to Mixer, a celebration of Orlando’s cocktail culture. Mixology, if you care to call it that (and most of us don’t), has gained a strong foothold here in Orlando in the past couple of years. It used to be that you’d go into a bar and ask for a Jack-and-coke or a vodka tonic;…
Bryan Ahlstrand
The Rusty Spoon
Jerid Johnston
Luma on Park
Christina Eglin
Prato Winter Park
Michael Studley
DTA
Remix: The Monkey Gland
We promise: This Jazz Age cocktail tastes better than it sounds
Tristyn Cook
The Hen House: The World’s Smallest Bardello
Heather Dawkins & Lindsay Santone
Church Street Tavern
Remix: The Boulevardier
Our Remix of the 1920s cocktail is a spicy kick in the head
Rene Nguyen
Hanson’s Shoe Repair
Alejandro Munoz
Kasa modern tapas and raw bar
Remix: The Bees’ Knees
We remix the honey-tinged Prohibition-era classic by adding beer
OW Oscarama — Llywen Davis is missing: Best Picture
We’re about 2 hours away from the start of the show now and I’m sure you’re all sick of Oscar talk already, so I’ll make this last post as painless as possible and then we can all move on to building our bomb shelters and wait out this Crimea nightmare. Simple is better when you’re…
OW Oscarama — When life hands you a Lemmons, give it an extra half hour — Best Actor/Actress
Sometimes I wish they’d split these categories up into Drama and Comedy like the Golden Globes does. There are so many good roles, but it’s really rare for this to go to a comedic one. Amy Adams is the lone nominee without a previous Oscar to her name, but she’ll probably have to wait a…
OW Oscarama — Lights, camera, hair: Best Director
Since I’ll be talking about all of these films again at length tomorrow between Best Actor/Actress and Best Film, I’m not going to bug you with too much except to say it’s a pretty strong field nominated this year… but it’s one of the categories that seems to have the least suspense to it. It’s…
OW Oscarama: Oscar night menu … because yeah, we need snacks
Sunday night is Oscar night, obviously, and if there’s one thing that’s necessary for a long night of couch-sitting, dress-judging and speech-booing, it’s a steady stream of snacks. Let Salivation Army help you plan your Oscar night menu! The bare-freaking-minimum is popcorn. You just gotta have it at any event commemorating movies. If you are…
OW Oscarama — A little gold microwave: Best Supporting Actor and Actress
We’re getting down to the wire, so we’re gonna bust through Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor in one post. Be warned, it’s two pages, so if you wanna know our predictions for both, you’d best click through to the second page! via Best Supporting Actress, let’s do this! Sally Hawkins has had my…
The average Floridan lasts less than two-and-a-half minutes during sex
via What can you do with less than two-and-a-half minutes? Jumping jacks or burpees, to burn an extra 200 calories Make a delicious sandwich Watch a silly YouTube video Scan the news for something, anything that’s interesting Or, if you’re from Florida, you can have sex. According to a study by the app Spreadsheets, which uses…
Location Matters: The Chuck E. Cheese from ‘Parenthood’
Slapdash Photoshop by author. Location Matters is a series that reflects upon pieces of Orlando immortalized in popular film. Driving by the Chuck E. Cheese on 436 in Altamonte Springs, nothing seems out of place for a Saturday afternoon. The parking lot is packed with cars as small familial hordes move to and from the…
Thank you, Internet: Shark cam, own a piece of Mars
Happy Friday, y’all! It’s Oscar weekend, but I promise you, only one of these links are about the Oscars. The rest are just fun or cool or neat. Beware of the last on though; it may give you allergies. Hopefully, these’ll help you get through the rest of your day: via 1. Two of my…
OW Oscarama — Check the gate and the O2 levels: Best Cinematography
It’s a little strange to see Roger Deakins up for this award, and a Coen Brothers film up for this award, and for it not to be for the same film. But timing is everything when you’re making a movie. Prisoners feels more like a nod to Deakins more than anything having to do with…
Walt Disney World raises prices, but not wages
By now you have surely heard that Walt Disney World has jacked the price (again) for tickets to the Magic Kingdom. A day at the park will now cost you $99, and the Orlando Sentinel’s Beth Kassab has feelings about what that means for locals, which she included in her column posted last night. This…
Affordable Care Act finally trickles down to Gator’s Dockside
This American alligator had no comment on the Affordable Healthcare Act. If Central Florida chain eatery Gator’s Dockside is considered your last respite from the maddening politics of the day, a place where you can eat chicken wings, sip beer, and pump quarters into Mortal Kombat II without once having to consider partisan rhetoric, we’ve…
Opening tomorrow night at OMA: Chie Fueki, ‘You & I’
Chie Fueki: You & I Painter Chie Fueki’s work has moved through many different phases, or, shall we say, preoccupations. In 2002, Fueki’s art was all surfaces – lushly textured, jewel-toned pointillist abstractions. Her 2006 show at Mary Boone Gallery, Lucky, Star, Super, Hero, focused on athletes and sports imagery, overlaid with a more painterly version…
Six stages of being an Orlando music fan
Feel crazy good: Photos from ButterQueen’s cassette release show 1. Self interest You go to shows to get laid. You go to shows to get drunk. You go to shows to hang out with your friends. You go to shows to seek out your tribe, or support your girlfriend or boyfriend or coworker who is…
From the Pages of Orlando Weekly on WMFE: Erin Sullivan on the Azalea Park Little League field
Photo via Instagram user @noahdesigns In case you missed today’s WMFE 90.7 News commentary, you can listen and read the transcript below. When the mural of Puerto Rican baseball legend ???Roberto Clemente? at Azalea Park Little League field was vandalized recently, community leaders and parents were devastated. The mural, which was completely covered up with…
OW Oscarama — Punch art, backup singers and Jeremy Scahill plays himself: Best Documentary
At the time I wrote my Top Five Documentaries of 2013 piece in early December, I still hadn’t seen The Square or Twenty Feet from Stardom. Had I have seen them, it would have changed up my list a little bit. Though I’m still left surprised by the omissions of Blackfish and Stories We Tell, this…
Happy Birthday, Toasted! Get your free sandwich coupon today
Today is Toasted’s birthday and in celebration of that, lunch is on them! To claim your free sandwich, just show them this Facebook post when you order today’s lunch and they’ll give you a free sandwich the next time you visit. The only question left to answer will be if you want the Truffle Melt or the…
YOUR DAILY WEEKLY READER: Yesterday was the second gayest day ever
PUTTING ASIDE ALL OF THE LIKELY CORRECT CONSPIRACY THEORIES – THAT JAN BREWER IS HOPING TO BE RE-ELECTED, THAT SHE MIGHT HAVE LOST THE SUPERBOWL, THAT SHE ALMOST BROUGHT BACK JIM CROW – IT’S A GOOD THING SB 1062 DIDN’T HAPPEN IN ARIZONA. THAT’S THE ONLY GOOD THING ABOUT THE NEWS, REALLY: “Brewer’s veto drew…
Rick Ross found to be Florida’s most distinctive artist
via Yesterday, Digital Music News posted this handy map that identifies “the Most Distinctive Bands In America.” Their findings are based on Spotify data and other data services he used to compare tastes between different regions. (It’s explained fully here.) And so I just couldn’t wait to find out what you all have been scrobbling,…
19 questions with an Orlando resident: Leah Sandler
Photo by: Steve Gula Welcome to 19 Questions, a feature where we ask longtime Orlando residents 19 questions that are mostly related to living in the City Beautiful. Leah Sandler is a docent at Winter Park’s Cornell Fine Arts Museum and is our first entirely native subject. She is not related to Adam Sandler, Barry…
TCM’s 20th anniversary brings Casablanca to Regal Winter Park Village on March 4
Want to see one of the most classic and quotable love stories of all time on the big screen? Well you better hurry up. Orlando was named as one of the participating cities for TCM’s 20 screenings around the country to celebrate their 20th anniversary. The film is Casablanca, the story of Rick Blaine, who…
What’s up with that bench?
Dude, what’s up with that bench? The folks at The Center painted it that fun purple to dress it up for Andrew Spear’s mural pictured above… but it seems to have had a bad week and just fallen apart. Will Lynx replace it? Mills 50 Main Street District? And can someone wash that wall? That…
New tastes around town: Marlow’s Tavern, Chuy’s, Another Broken Egg, and Noodles & Co.
Through March 31, Marlow’s Tavern offers a NOLA-inspired Bayou ’n’ Bourbon menu including such dishes as deconstructed jambalaya, fiery spice lump crab cake and shrimp po’boy (pictured). The bar menu is even more ambitious, offering a Ramos Gin Fizz (gin, house-made sour mix, light cream and orange flower water “shaken 50 times”) among the Abitas…
YOUR DAILY WEEKLY READER: booze over weed, valueless teachers, fracking the Everglades, and Stemberger’s tantrum
via zimbio.com WHICH MASTER ARE YOU SERVING? THE FLORIDA RETAIL FEDERATION OR THE AILING PEOPLE OF YOUR STATE, LEGISLATURE? “The head of the drive to legalize medical pot in Florida is blasting lawmakers for proposing to expand the “sale of hard liquor to grocery stores” while opposing marijuana as medicine. Ben Pollara, campaign manager for…
Video: War Horse cast Q&A with Joey the Horse at Bob Carr
The Tony- and Oliver-Awards winning play War Horse charged into Orlando's Bob Carr last night, and to say I had high expectations would be an understatement, considering that the show's equine star made my 2013 best-of list simply for his brief surpise appearance at FTA/Broadway Across America's season announcement party. Luckily, this touring company doesn't…
Taiwanese cuisine reaches new heights at Taipei 101
Tiny UCF-area restaurant lets natural flavors shine through
Solid debut from Fat Possum’s Solids
Album review: Solids’ ‘Blame Confusion’
Reader comments on League of the South’s ‘Secede’ billboard
Some of you think the league’s suggestion that Florida secede from the United States isn’t such a bad idea
Drinking, Nightlife and Parties
Where to drink and party in Orlando this week
Opening in Orlando: ‘Stalingrad’ and ‘Non-Stop’
Movies playing on screens in town this week
Vietnam Cuisine’s banh cuon is our latest favorite taste
Nosh Pit: Our favorite tastes around town
‘Pompeii’ is a disaster
Campy film’s failure isn’t a big surprise
Florida Theatrical’s Ron Legler runs for Baltimore and away from DPAC
Truce last year still leaves no room at the table for longtime arts advocate
‘Son of God’ preaches to the choir
Movie about life of Christ may move devout Christians but it will probably bore nonbelievers
Savage Love
I’m 21 and still a virgin. I also have depression. I’m not bad-looking. I work out and generally keep people laughing. Most of my friends have girlfriends, so I don’t understand why I haven’t had a girlfriend since I was 10. I feel myself becoming increasingly violent, to the extent that I have tried to…
Tip Jar: Local celeb chefs have a busy month ahead
James Beard Award nominations, Ronald McDonald House charity dinner, Books & Cooks to benefit Winter Park Public Library and more
Democrats declare class warfare on Gov. Rick Scott
As session begins, the minority party calls foul on budget surplus
‘Hay Fever’ at Theatre Downtown
Cast can’t capture Noel Coward’s comedic magic
Council Watch
Florida Citrus Bowl cuts a deal (minus a stadium); traffic discounts for new traffic hub, Crescent Central Station
Old Town Haunted History walking tour
Paranormal Paparazzi Michael Gavin and Legends Dark Amusements co-owner Dan Carro pursue a longtime passion
Phantogram continues their sleek seduction on ‘Voices’
Album review: Phantogram’s ‘Voices’
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19) The battles you’ve been waging these last 10 months have been worthy of you. They’ve tested your mettle and grown your courage. But I suspect that your relationship with these battles is due for a shift. In the future they may not serve you as well as they have up until…
This Little Underground: Case Work, Orlando’s next indie contender
Sharon Jones, Valerie June, the Holcomb Brothers, Jackson Rodgers, Moonmen as the Stooges, American Party Machine as KISS
The city’s Buy Local Orlando program runs off into the sunset
Dubious promotion of “local” businesses ends as Main Street neighborhoods rise
‘Big Bad Wax’ at Mount Dora Center for the Arts
Powerful exhibit of encaustic works does Mount Dora proud
Singer Jesca Hoop discusses her complicated relationship with social media
Hoop and Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam collaborate on songs and tour together
Azalea Park’s defaced Roberto Clemente mural continues to inspire controversy
Promises of replacing baseball-park painting aren’t enough for some
The Tontons’ latest album is a charming pleasure
Album review: The Tontons’ ‘Make Out King and Other Stories of Love’
Lawsuit accuses Arnold Palmer Hospital of boy’s death
Seven years after Spencer Beckstead died in hospital’s care, his father is still seeking justice
Fake anti-gay groups – along with real anti-gay troops, Stemberger and Staver – pile on in Florida gay marriage case (legal docs inside)
As expected, today Family Florida Policy Council jerkwad John Stemberger and his Liberty Counsel buddy Mat Staver took a leap into the fray of the gay marriage legal challenge filed in Florida last month. BECAUSE THEY LIKE YOU. Anyway, we’re not buying any of the bullshit they’re flinging, especially with the milking of the minority…
Call to artists for upcoming art on the green 2014 exhibition
The City of Winter Park and the Winter Park Public Art Advisory Board have announced a call to artists for the upcoming Art on the Green 2014 exhibition. It’s essentially an installation of sculptures in Winter Park’s Central Park that lasts from September to March of next year. The entries will be judged and curated…
OW Oscarama — The boy I’m dating, Ron, he’s an OS: Best Original Screenplay
It’s been a while since all five nominated scripts were of this high a quality. I loved each and every one of these films, though I feel like American Hustle won’t age very gracefully. It’s the only film on the list that I feel like I don’t need to see again. Once was enough. But that’s…
Own your own Florida Key for a paltry $110 mil
Glorious Pumpkin Key awaits you. Sure, you could shimmy on down to the Florida Keys and pay a few hundreds bucks for a hotel like all the other lame-o tourists, or you could stop pussyfooting around and just buy your own private Key so you never again have to worry about bumping into a gaggle…
47 Ronans: Your ass, NBC’s new faces
So Alec Baldwin is retiring from public life. But don’t worry: By Baldwin’s standards, that just means he’ll be cutting back to hitting people every other week. Meanwhile, his old employer, NBC-Universal, anointed three new on-air hosts yesterday. Will any of them have staying power? Or, like Baldwin before them, will they all be (in…
YOUR DAILY WEEKLY READER: on gay backlashes, Supreme smackdowns and crumbling schools
via coventrytelegraph.net ALL THAT POSITIVE GAY MOMENTUM WAS BOUND TO BRING A BACKLASH. NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED: “But Nadine Smith’s State of the State address brought a necessarily sobering tone to an otherwise joyous occasion. She began by noting the most newsworthy events of the past year, including the news that Equality Florida, along…
OW Oscarama — He said “Hello, I’m the captain now”: Best Adapted Screenplay
Argo had the unstoppable momentum in a lot of categories last year, Best Adapted Screenplay especially. This year, there isn’t a single film with an unstoppable momentum outside of animation. The guild awards split up a lot of the winning films and that makes this anyone’s to win really. It seems silly to me that…
