Cover Story
At 80 years old, Rita Lucey defies centuries of doctrine and dogma by becoming a Catholic priest
Rebel is not a word that leaps to mind when you first meet Rita Lucey. Nor do the words radical or revolutionary or agitator. Not even troublemaker. In fact, when she comes to the door of her Belle Isle home to welcome a reporter in to talk, the words that do come to mind to…
30 free concerts this week in Orlando (2/4-2/10)
You can dance (if you want to) at any of these awesome free shows this week, including the latest installment of Beth McKee’s Songwriting Series, an early Valentine’s Day show in Winter Park’s Central Park, the Holcomb Brothers infusing even more ambiance into the Imperial for Acoustic Soundcheck and a special birthday show for Uncle…
Still sick: New study confirms that Floridians need sick leave, or else
image via fmla insights Perhaps you haven’t been paying attention to the issue of the decade – probably because you’re too busy working more than one job, coughing, and going home to pretend it’s all OK around 2 a.m. – but, just in case you were wondering, some recent polling basically confirms what we all…
This Little Underground: Mark Kozelek not a dick… to Orlando anyway.
While the fallout from his well-publicized and excruciatingly analyzed beef with the War on Drugs is still warm, iconoclastic indie-rock star Mark Kozelek returned to town (Jan. 31, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater). I was hoping I might be able to resist the urge to write a look-at-this-fucking-dick…
JEB PUSH: More fun in the middle ground with the Republicans’ favorite candidate
image via Broward -Palm Beach NewTimes Though our favorite story to pop up in the past few days regarding presidential front-running charter-education magnate (who just so happens to be a star of Dynasty: the Nepotism Edition) is this one in which a couple of SELF-IDENTIFIED BEARS from Oregon have squatted on the JebBushForPresident.com domain in…
Shots fired, shots returned! Craft beer hits back at Budweiser’s attempted takedown
Craft brewers and anyone who loves their work have been hopping mad since Sunday, when Budweiser aired this Super Bowl ad: Dubbed by Anheuser Busch “Brewed the Hard Way,” the spot comes off more like “Shut Up, Weirdos” in its disdain for craft brewing. The words “Proudly a Macro Beer” are superimposed over towering steel…
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to discuss opening recreational bear-hunting season
Ongoing encounters between Florida black bears and humans is creating tension – not just between people and bears, but also between the South Florida Wildlands Association (SFWA) a nonprofit organization committed to defending Florida’s native ecosystems, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) a state-run commission focused on balancing Florida’s species needs with…
Don’t miss Blowfly: Full Ralphfest 4 schedule posted with set times
Ralphfest 4 is fast approaching and for the first time in the festival’s history, as festival organizer Jeff Sweat points out, there are no doubts, unresolved suspicions or otherwise somber tones that came with the emotionally exhausting trial and frustrating search for Ralph Ameduri’s killer, who was convicted shortly before last year’s event. This year…
Heart, American Authors, Kelly Clarkson and more fill out Universal’s Mardi Gras line-up
Mardi Gras season is upon us as we approach Spring 2015. However, not all of us can make it out to New Orleans for the grand celebration. Lucky for us in Orlando, Universal Studios always has us covered with a taste of the Big Easy right in our backyard! On select 16 nights between Feb.…
Dr. Phillips Center launches “curiosity tours”
Maybe you’ve heard a lot about the new Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, but you missed the public grand opening? Maybe you’re planning to attend a show soon, but nothing has grabbed your fancy yet (though, with a wildly varied slate like this, that’s hard to imagine)? Or maybe you just want to…
‘Potted Potter’ condenses all of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books into 70 minutes
In the tradition of two-man parody shows like The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) comes Potted Potter, a madcap condensed romp through all seven of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels. Utilizing a Room of Requirement’s-worth of wigs, props and puppets, Dan Clarkson and Jeff Turner, the two actors (and writers of the show) act…
Hundred Waters on major Super Bowl ad… seriously
Did you catch that? Super Bowl commercials have become awaited features unto themselves – a silly idea when you think about it, but whatever. Still, it’s possible you didn’t catch that it was the ethereal music of Gainesville indie stars Hundred Waters (“Show Me Love”) on that Coca-Cola ad about bullying. But sure as shit, it…
Orlando Wetlands Park: Underneath the scenic vistas lies a water-cleansing powerhouse
When you flush your toilet or turn your tap, be sure to thank the Orlando Wetlands Park. The 1,650-acre property in Christmas in east Orange County used to be a cattle pasture. Then the city of Orlando purchased the land for $5.1 million in 1986 to help treat water on a larger scale in response…
This Little Underground: Antibalas & Zap Mama at House of Blues
Even more than its pedigree, the core virtue of Brooklyn’s Antibalas is that they’re a true multi-culti band that’s managed to escape the dilution of fusion. Instead of the well-intentioned but often arbitrary Frankenstein impulses of worldbeat, Antibalas’ progressive Afrobeat infuses Latin and American sounds with precision and depth. It’s not just a loose and…
Hammered Lamb hosts Puppy Bowl stars at their watch party
The best thing that ever happened to Super Bowl Sunday was not the Budweiser horses (nor the frogs, for that matter) – it was the puppies. In 2005, Animal Planet created an homage to the biggest football event of the year, and since then the Puppy Bowl has taken on a life of its own, with penguin cheerleaders,…
When and where to celebrate the Lunar New Year in Orlando
It’s the Year of the Goat, and we’re ready to party. Fortunately, Orlando’s strong and vibrant Asian community means there are many choice events at which to get your Tet on in 2015. We’ve listed the biggies below, but for more on the holiday, we turned to local food blogger Ricky Ly. A few tips he passed on…
Letters to a Satanist: Do you have a comment on the “not guilty” plea entered by the woman who tried to destroy your holiday display?
This week the woman who attempted to destroy your holiday display entered a plea of ‘Not Guilty’. Do you have a comment? This past holiday season, as many readers are already aware, The Satanic Temple (TST) won the right (denied to us the year previous) to place a holiday display in the Florida Capitol Rotunda,…
Second annual Celebration of Harry Potter happens at Universal Orlando this weekend
Calling all Harry Potter fanatics: This weekend is Universal Orlando’s second annual A Celebration of Harry Potter. The event takes place over the span of the next three days, so prepare for a massive butterbeer hangover on Monday. Fans will have the opportunity to indulge in Q&A sessions with castmembers from the Harry Potter movies,…
How to spend a (mostly) free day at the Walt Disney World Resort
Disney World is ridiculously expensive. We all know this. And there are a lot of different guides out there that supposedly tell you how to get “free” stuff at Disney, but most of them involve paying park admission, which definitely isn’t free. This itinerary aims to help you enjoy the “magic” of Disney World without…
Homeless Jesus sleeping on a bench statue to be installed where homeless aren’t allowed to sleep on benches
Bungalower (and others) are reporting this week that a statue of a homeless Jesus sleeping on a park bench is being installed in downtown Orlando at the corner of East Jackson Street and Rosalind Avenue. The First Presbyterian Church of Orlando is installing the sculpture near the place where they feed homeless people. We can’t help…
14 Orlando concerts to rock your Valentine’s Day
While a fancy dinner in a crowded restaurant sounds cool and all (like, any of these places will do), Valentine’s Day might be a little more memorable if you kicked it up a notch and spent the night dancing or canoodling to live music. Orlando has a lot to offer, from Harry Connick, Jr. crooning…
Infographic: The 411 on I4 construction
Orlando advertising agency Appleton Creative sent us this graphic yesterday, laying out the details of the construction work that’s going to snarl I-4 for the next six years. Check it out below: ata
Renninger’s hosts the Battle of Townsend’s Plantation Civil War Festival
Sorry to break your hearts, Civil War history buffs, but there was never such a thing as the Battle of Townsend’s Plantation. The annual Civil War “re-enactment” is named after organizer Clay Townsend’s former family restaurant, where the festival used to take place. The closest the war actually came to Central Florida was the Union…
Pizza party hard with Andrew W.K. at Park Ave CDs
You may have heard that Andrew W.K.’s show has been moved from the Beacham to the Social on Jan. 30, ensuring that the maximum amount of party will be up in your grill if you’ve managed to snag tickets to the show. But now we’re hearing that you can even get free dinner with the…
Worth the Drive: Parquet Courts in Gainesville
One of the most exciting current bands of the past three years, Parquet Courts hasn’t made it to Florida yet, but they’re changing that tomorrow when they play the Wooly in Gainesville with a rare opening set from rad Tampa band Merchandise, to boot. (RSVP!) So if they snared you with their cover of “These…
Disney balks at request to use Frozen princesses for global-warming education campaign
Over the decades, Disney characters have promoted all sorts of causes – war bonds, national wildlife week, a campaign for cleaner oceans. But when Admiral Robert Papp, U.S. special envoy to the Arctic, approached Disney execs recently asking to use the characters from Disney hit Frozen to do a PSA about climate change and its…
House Speaker: ‘No plans’ to expand Medicaid coverage
Florida House Speaker Steve Crisafulli on Wednesday said his chamber has “no plans” to expand Medicaid coverage to an additional 800,000 residents during the upcoming legislative session. “We do not plan to do anything on Medicaid expansion,” Crisafulli told reporters and editors at the annual Associated Press Legislative Planning Day at the Capitol. “I am…
First of many Lunar New Year celebrations comes to the Central Florida Fairgrounds
Happy Year of the Sheep! Or Year of the Goat! None of the Lunar New Year guides we consulted seem to agree which is 2015’s spirit animal, but no matter – in Orlando, you can consider it the Year of the Stomach. Though the actual date of the 2015 lunar New Year is Feb. 19,…
Pam Bondi throws Gov. Rick Scott’s staff under the bus for FDLE firing/resignation debacle
There goes Attorney General Pam Bondi, running her mouth again. Today, she told a group of reporters gathered at the Capitol that neither Gov. Rick Scott nor his cabinet are to blame for the abrupt and unseemly way in which FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey was kicked to the curb and replaced last month by Rick…
‘Newsies’: Film flop turned hit musical zooms onto Dr. Phillips Center stage
Fresh from Broadway, the first national tour of Disney’s Newsies came leaping and spinning into Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday night, Jan. 27, to a rapturous audience response. I was never a rabid fan of the 1992 film flop turned cult favorite, and I’d only just gotten the show’s earworm…
32 free concerts in Orlando this week (1/28-2/3)
If you’re feeling a little low on cash flow since rent’s due or end-of-the-month bills are crowding your countertop, that doesn’t mean you can’t catch a show this week. Between an incredible Orlando Rocks! showcase at House of Blues featuring rad locals like the Groove Orient and Laney Jones, Talk Yo Shit! creeping up directly…
Andrew W.K. brings a packed party to the Social
Andrew W.K. has had one of the most unpredictable careers of the past 15 years. Though he came to prominence singing so-dumb-they’re-smart anthems like “Party Til You Puke” and “Party Hard,” Andrew Wilkes-Krier has gone on to host TV shows, go on tour as a motivational speaker and have a successful – and surprisingly well…
Maze featuring Frankie Beverly headlines Zora! Fest this weekend
The Zora! Festival honoring the local heritage of Their Eyes Were Watching God author Zora Neale Hurston (and, really, the strength of the Eatonville community) is always one of the year’s most anticipated celebrations, and not only because Hurston, long a local symbol of overcoming oppression, was instrumental in the vaunted Harlem Renaissance. It’s genuinely…
Reel Big Fish hope to “Sell Out” House of Blues
Did someone drop a horn section? Better put on your 2-tone shoes and pickitup-pickitup-pickitup, because Reel Big Fish is back. These guys have been putting out albums since ’92 and released their seventh, Candy Coated Fury, in 2012. Filled with silly, hateful and ridiculous love songs, “Sell Out” really isn’t the case. Their new stuff is…
Body//Talk invents an exclusive, live-streamed party with the Body//Room
Throwing madly imaginative dance parties is the singular focus of Body//Talk, and to achieve the incomparable vibe they’re wildly adored for, the party planners like to think in terms of the total package. For this month’s party, they’ve created the Body//Room, an ambitious night patterned after the exclusive, invite-only parties most folks only see on…
Even diehard Depp fans may find it hard to fall in love with ‘Mortdecai’
A noted art restorer has been murdered in her studio, a legendary Goya masterpiece is missing, and a hirsute terrorist is about to use Nazi loot to unleash a wave of homicidal violence. Who ya gonna call? Well, since Inspector Clouseau and Mr. Bean appear to be on sabbatical, England’s MI5 turns to Charlie Mortdecai…
Contrivances almost sink underwater drama ‘Black Sea’
Jude Law in a submarine with some gold. If that sounds like a guess in the game of Clue, you’re not far off, as the drama-thriller Black Sea, like the whodunit board game, is imbued with claustrophobia and two-dimensional characters, and seems disappointingly predictable for most of its duration. But thanks to some competent direction…
Mark Kozelek proves even a minor Internet firestorm can’t overshadow the cathartic power of his songs
Twenty-four hours before this story was due, I had a deliciously sarcastic lead written about the improbability of a sad-sack 48-year-old singer-songwriter seizing the pop-culture zeitgeist in 2014 with an album of stark folk recitations and a protracted Internet pissing match. Then a childhood friend of mine died a sudden, senseless death, so I scrapped…
Picks This Week: Monophonics, Talk Yo Shit! and more
Monophonics California psych-soul outfit Monophonics brandish stylish but impactful songs that help them regularly stack up to funk giants like Galactic, who also happen to be this epic show’s headliner. 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, at Plaza Live, $22-$35 Downfall of Gaia Post-black metal band Downfall of Gaia graciously doomed the world by dropping Aeon…
Music updates from around town: Sabals, Uncle Tony’s Donut Shoppe, Sandwich Bar
Rising local indie force Sabals formed just last spring, but in less than a year, their rousing folk and driving hooks on initial tracks like “Blistering” have turned heads at venues like the Social as well as on trend-sniffing music blogs. They’re due to release their debut EP, Premonitions, in February on Eye Four Records,…
This Little Underground: Shovels & Rope is Americana’s White Stripes
This week’s column wasn’t intended to be a female edition. But the ladies ruled the shows I saw, so this one’s for you, sisters. The Beat Even if Swimmin’ Time, the latest album by South Carolina’s Shovels & Rope (Jan. 21, the Social), tries to even things out between the considerable forces of music and…
This Modern World (1/28/15)
Related Stories
Tobi Kahn’s art seeks to heal the broken world
Tobi Kahn’s Reverie presents paintings, works on paper and sculptures by the NYC-based artist, whose observant Judaism is integral to his art practice. In a contemporary art world that is defiantly secular, Kahn’s work is easily mistaken for a purely aesthetic exploration. Though I do not share Kahn’s spiritual yearnings, the experience of viewing his…
Savage Love (1/28/15)
I have a dildo that I loooooove, and I was wondering if it’s safe for me to use it in both my ass and my cunt. I would clean it in between uses/orifices, of course, and it has a flared base, so it’s safe for anal play. Can I do this or do I need…
Free Will Astrology: Super Bowl Star Sign Edition
If you’ve got money on Sunday’s big game, maybe you should pay attention to the stars. We take a look at the horoscopes of some of the players in this year’s Super Bowl in this week’s Free Will Astrology. Go Sportsball! Related Stories
In Peter Schreyer’s Switzerland, modernity creeps in between the chalets and placid cows
Stop. Take a deep breath as you walk into the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at the east end of newly narrowed Holt Avenue. In the first gallery on the right, take some time to look, really look, at the silver gelatin prints in which Winter Park documentary photographer and Crealdé School of Art executive director…
Orlando in January: too much art to handle
It feels like I’ve written more about Theatre Downtown in the past few months since its closing was announced than I did in the previous five years, but this column marks the really-for-real end of an era. Following what seemed like more final farewells than Cher and Return of the King combined, the Theatre Downtown…
American Gymkhana makes the days of Raga an all-but-forgotten memory
We have restaurateur Rajesh Bhardwaj – founder of Michelin-starred Junoon in NYC – to thank for expunging the bitter taste left by Raga. At the behest of the owners of that doomed-to-fail curry house, Bhardwaj and his team reconceptualized the restaurant, got rid of the Mariah Carey boudoir scheme, and brought in a capable chef…
Tip Jar: Where to book a reservation to impress your Valentine and more
On the heels of Segafredo Zanetti, Brass Tap has also opened to the masses in Mills Park, with its 60 taps and selection of 150 craft brews from around the globe. Brass Tap’s Windermere locale (at Conroy Windermere and South Apopka roads) is currently under construction. Over near UCF, DeVine Wine & Grill has opened…
Polynesian delights at Thornton Park’s Aku Aku Tiki Bar
Address/phone/web: 431 E. Central Blvd., 407-839-0080 After work or after hours? After hours Beer/wine or liquor too? Cocktails, baby Check all that apply: (X) fancy cocktails ( ) make ’em strong and keep ’em coming ( ) wine list (5 choices or more) ( ) craft beer ( ) beer: the usual suspects (X) wide selection…
Opening in Orlando: ‘Black or White,’ ‘Project Almanac,’ ‘The Loft’
Black or White: If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve realized by now that none of our society’s problems can be solved until Kevin Costner takes a whack at it. So thank goodness that the era of “Hands up don’t shoot,” “I can’t breathe” and “Dr. Huxtable diddled me” is apparently coming to an end, now…
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra kicks off major renovations to Plaza Live
Tonight, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra is holding a celebration to announce that it has already raised $3,492,546 toward its major renovation of the Plaza Live theater, which the Phil purchased in 2013 for $3.4 million. The Plaza Live – which recently hosted alt-country legend Lucinda Williams and folk singer Iris DeMent and will welcome Paul Reiser,…
Senate bill targets troubled prison system
With Florida’s corrections system under scrutiny because of inmate deaths and alleged misconduct, a Senate committee next week will take up a wide-ranging bill aimed at improving prison safety and addressing issues such as the use of force by guards. The 29-page bill is slated to go Monday to the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, which…
Irate animal lovers want GoDaddy to ditch tasteless SuperBowl commercial
Today, the world got a sneak peek at GoDaddy’s SuperBowl commercial, which appeared on YouTube. GoDaddy, which is best known for its mediocre-at-best web-hosting services, has also made a name for itself for creating viral ads for SuperBowl Sunday. Last year its commercial featured a woman who quit her job on live TV. This year…
Danny Feedback’s The Crack Rock Opera wrangles the freak fest for CD release
DANNY FEEDBACK’S THE CRACK ROCK OPERA with Luscious Lisa, Room Full of Strangers, the Welzeins, Twigs 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31 | Will’s Pub, 1042 N. Mills Ave. | willspub.org | $8 Whatever you do, don’t get between Officer Edolph Travoli and his nightstick this week. The raunchy musical known as Danny Feedback’s The Crack…
Orange County Commission packs the Charter Review Committee with Textgate cronies
Quote of the Week: “Putting Fred Brummer on the Charter Review Commission is like handing your car keys to an auto thief. He led the commissioners who broke the county charter to defeat earned sick time, and, according to the state attorney’s Textgate investigation, he then broke the open records law to try and cover…
Gov. Rick Scott promises to work with possible FDLE investigation, somehow we doubt it
We’re not going to read too deeply into the political machinations behind the biggest scandal to befall Gov. Rick Scott since, well, he stole all of your Medicare money. Because even if Scott’s cabinet – starring Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam (with a cameo by a confused Attorney General Pam Bondi)…
Matsusaka beef, considered the finest beef in Japan, made its North American debut right here in Orlando
When it comes to Japanese beef, we’ve all heard of Kobe, but what of its main rival, Matsusaka beef? On Jan. 22, 2015, a Japanese delegation from Mie Prefecture (of which Matsusaka is a main city) introduced their superlative brand of beef to the United States for the very first time, and it happened right…
