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The ultimate Orlando St. Patrick’s Day party guide
Drink, drink and be merry
House of Blues to hold Local Brews Local Grooves fest this Saturday
Hosted by the Jake & Elwood Blues Revue, Local Brews Local Grooves is a craft beer and music festival that will feature 10 craft breweries with more than 20 craft beers on tap this Saturday, March 26. Beer from several Florida breweries — including Brew Hub, Cigar City and Red Cypress, among others — will…
Thousands of fish are dying at Indian River Lagoon
Brevard County residents say the air smells putrid around Indian River Lagoon after thousands of fish are turning up dead in the water and along the shore, Florida Today reports. State officials don’t know for sure why so many fish are dying, but suspect brown tide algae blooms are the culprit. While nontoxic, the blooms…
Get a whole mess of down-home wisdom from Paul Strickland and Stewart Huff at Fringe Year Round
As part of their mission to bring Fringe’s most popular shows back for patrons who may have missed them the first time around, Orlando Fringe presents six shows by two award-winners from last year’s festival. Paul Strickland and Stewart Huff each present three shows, making up a sort of Redneck Weekend of inventively staged storytelling.…
Bring your peanuts and Cracker Jack to see the Baseball Project at House of Blues
As spring training games start wrapping up in the Grapefruit League, the diehard baseball fans in the Baseball Project head down to Florida for a mini-tour. The supergroup, comprising Peter Buck and Mike Mills of R.E.M., Scott McCaughey of the Minus 5, Steve Wynn of the Dream Syndicate and Linda Pitmon of Zuzu’s Petals, wears…
Advocates plan lawsuit against Florida Power & Light over Biscayne Bay contamination
Conservation groups plan to sue Florida Power & Light after the discovery of a radioactive isotope in Biscayne Bay linked to a nuclear power plant in southeast Miami-Dade County. The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and Tropical Audubon Society on Tuesday issued a 60-day notice of a pending federal lawsuit against the Juno Beach-based power…
‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’ is wholesome, sentimental family fare
Now might be a good time to replenish your Windex supply, because 14 years after My Big Fat Greek Wedding became the highest-grossing film ever to never hit No. 1 at the box office, writer-star Nia Vardalos and the original cast have reunited for a comfortably charming sequel. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 picks…
SXSW 2016: We saw more than 100 bands in 5 days and lived to tell
The best SXSW experiences always come about randomly, and this year kicked off for me with that kind of spontaneity when I received an invite to Tracy Morgan’s Funny or Die-sponsored secret show last Monday at the Scoot Inn. Technically part of the SXSW Interactive conference, the guest list-only crowd was gently hip and glued…
Total Punk’s ‘Total Fuck Off III’ Fest tickets available today!
Local record label/malcontents Total Punk announced today that tickets are available for the third and last “Total Fuck Off” fest. A mere $31.50 will get you in to two days’ (June 3-4) worth of punk and mutant rock shows at Uncle Lou’s and Will’s Pub featuring the likes of Timmy’s Organism, Sick Thoughts, Gino & The…
Play Guac Hunter, get free guacamole from Chipotle
Are you smarter than a fifth-grader? Or whatever the intended age is for Highlights for Children? Because if you’re willing to play three rounds of a “spot the differences” photo game like the ones you used to play in Highlights while waiting for the pediatrician, you can score free guacamole from Chipotle. As part of…
Atlas V rocket will carry UCF experiment to International Space Station tonight
Tonight, NASA will be breaching the final frontier once again with the launch of an Atlas V rocket on a resupply mission to the International Space Station. At approximately 11:05 p.m., the United Launch Alliance will send a 188-foot-long rocket carrying Orbital ATK’s Cygnus spacecraft, which will be loaded with four tons of cargo for…
Orlando International Airport increases security after Brussels attack
The Orlando International Airport has increased security measures Tuesday after a terrorist attack in Brussels. A little before 8 a.m., two bombs went off in the departure terminal of Brussels Airport, according to the New York Times. A third bomb then tore through a subway terminal near the headquarters of the European Union an hour…
I-Drive megamall iSquare gets pre-ground breaking approval
International Drive’s so-called “megamall” got its second hearing before the City of Orlando City Council last week. The hearing is just the latest step in the process to get the iSquare project approved. A larger version of the iSquare hotel-mall project was initially approved by the city in 2014. Since then, the project has changed…
Trump Foundation says $25K contribution to Attorney General Pam Bondi was a mistake
A little more than a week after Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi endorsed Republican candidate Donald Trump before the state’s primaries, things are looking a little turbulent for this friendship. The Washington Post reports that Trump’s aides say his charitable foundation, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, made a mistake when it gave $25,000 to a…
New upgrade allows dolls at Disney’s Small World to know your name
When the MyMagic+ was first announced a major selling point of the new technology was the on-ride personalization that it would allow for. By scanning guests MagicBands, which feature a small RFID chip in them, Disney can track guest movement throughout the park, including on the rides. In the 3 years since the program was…
Bob Saget shows his raunchy side to a full house at CFE Arena
Danny Tanner is the dad we all wish could navigate us through puberty, but if you were to ask actor-comedian Bob Saget how he feels about it, well, those would be “the dirtiest words you can say to me.” Saget has since come to grips with his role as the picture-perfect TV dad with this…
Participate in a ritual cult experience at a screening of ‘Native Vision’ at Timucua
When Jordan Thomas Mitchell found himself living in Beijing for six years producing high-concept work centered on fictionalized music and performance – think Ziggy Stardust but less glam – he eventually decided to push those performances to the next level by turning one of those projects into a film. Native Vision, the result of that…
Florida jury awards Hulk Hogan $140.1 million in sex-tape lawsuit against Gawker
A Pinellas County jury awarded Hulk Hogan $25.1 million in punitive damages Monday, days after the same jury awarded the former wrestler $115 million in his invasion of privacy lawsuit against Gawker Media. Gawker must pay an additional $15 million, while Gawker Media founder Nick Denton and former Gawker editor A.J. Daulerio will respectively pay $10 million…
Two local Golden Corrals were cited for roaches and unsanitary conditions, which doesn’t sound that bad for Golden Corral
Two Orlando Golden Corrals were recently cited for things like roaches and filthy conditions, which doesn’t even sound that bad considering the fact we’re talking about Golden Corral. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Golden Corral at 11731 E. Colonial Drive was closed on March 9 after health inspectors found “8 live roaches in the…
Matt Gaetz runs for U.S. Congress, blasts ‘illegal immigrants’ and ‘Muslim terrorists’
Tying himself to Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump’s coattails, state Rep. Matt Gaetz announced his candidacy Monday for an open Panhandle congressional seat with an announcement blasting illegal immigrants, Muslim terrorists and the national debt. Gaetz, a Fort Walton Beach Republican elected to the state House in 2010, had been in a heated contest for…
Federal judge finds Florida county’s ‘prison gerrymandering’ is unconstitutional
A federal judge ruled Monday that Jefferson County must redraw its commission and school board district maps after the district boundaries were found unconstitutional due to “prison gerrymandering.” Prison gerrymandering, much like regular gerrymandering, is still about manipulating district boundaries for political advantage. This particular practice happens when “states and local governments count incarcerated persons…
Animal Collective announces Beacham show; tickets on sale this week
Psychedelic indie pop group Animal Collective today announced a show at the Beacham on Armistice Day, Nov. 11. Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 25, for $27-$30. The group, comprised of Panda Bear (Noah Lennox), Avey Tare (David Portner) and Geologist (Brian Weitz), released their 10th album, Painting With, just last month. Check out the…
President Obama arrives in Cuba for historic visit
President Barack Obama and his family arrived in Cuba Sunday, making him the first sitting U.S. president in nearly 90 years to visit the island nation. President Obama arrives in Cuba with family, becoming first sitting U.S. pres to visit country in nearly 90 yearshttps://t.co/u8nepaVPPs — NBC News (@NBCNews) March 20, 2016 Before he stepped…
Tancred’s Jess Abbott is set to join the ranks of indie rock’s leading ladies at the Social
There’s already enough epic emotion and post-rock atmosphere between St. Louis’ Foxing and Atlanta’s O’Brother to be worth the outing. But special attention should be paid to opener Tancred, a vehicle for musician Jess Abbott that’s on the rise for good reason. She’s long had the melodic chops of a bona fide indie queen, but…
Harp & Celt makes list of 25 most authentic Irish pubs in America
Wherever you partied last night (or this morning, as it were) for St. Patrick’s Day, there was almost certainly Guinness — the authentic Irish black. And, while we weren’t there, we’re guessing the Harp & Celt on Magnolia Avenue downtown was one of the hottest — and most Irish — tickets in town. And no…
Chick-fil-A quietly released a new menu item this week
Chick-fil-A recently shook things up with its menu, and Orlandoans were one of the first markets to test out the new grub. The salad was tested in both Orlando and Houston before it went nationwide earlier this week. Chick-fil-A’s Spicy Southwest salad is a mountain of romaine lettuce topped with spicy chicken, Monterey jack and cheddar cheeses,…
Gov. Rick Scott signs budget, vetoes $256 million in line-items
Gov. Rick Scott signed an $82.3 billion budget for the next fiscal year, vetoing $256.1 million in line-items Thursday night. The largest budget in state history increased student spending on public schools by 1 percent, including $713.5 million for education construction projects, according to The News Service of Florida. The budget also includes $151 million…
Scientists petition to classify Florida black bears as endangered species
Scientists have come together to talk about Florida’s elephant in the room, or bear rather. A recent petition has been drafted up by a group of scientists asking for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to push the black bear population onto the endangered species list, says the New Times Broward-Palm Beach. The environmental plea…
Lakeland students watch as 10-foot gator is trapped on campus
A 10-foot gator was safely trapped after wandering through campus at a Lakeland school, Thursday afternoon. According to Patch, the massive reptile was presumably on its way to a nearby lake, but instead decided to take a stroll through the campus of Geneva Classical Academy at approximately 2 p.m., on March 17. A video posted to…
Planned Parenthood gives 12,000 petitions opposing abortion bill to Rick Scott
Planned Parenthood supporters handed more than 12,000 petitions to Gov. Rick Scott’s office asking him to veto a controversial abortion bill that increases restrictions on clinics. Scott has a little more than a week to sign HB 1411, a bill similar to a Texas law currently being challenged by the U.S. Supreme Court. The bill…
Cyberfraud causes Moonstone Music Festival to postpone
The inaugural Moonstone Music Festival, originally scheduled for April 30-May 1 at the Central Florida Fairgrounds, issued a statement this week that they’ll be postponing to Sept. 24-25. According to festival organizers, the postponement is due to “a major cyber fraud crime.” Many of the acts scheduled for the festival, such as the Flaming Lips,…
New noms: Pincho Factory, Croissant Gourmet, Piazza Italia
Go out this weekend and carb it up! Here are three new ways to put yourself in a delicious bread coma. Remember when we told you like almost exactly a year ago that Croissant Gourmet would open in the old Ace Hardware space on Edgewater Drive in College Park? Well, Croissant Gourmet opens March 21…
Will’s A Faire combines shopping, music and drinking for a one-stop Sunday Funday
With the success of Southern Fried Sunday’s 10th Anniversary Show a done deal, the organizers of SFS are teaming up with the taste-makers of the Lovely Boutique Market to throw another big shindig this Sunday at beloved Mills 50 watering hole Will’s Pub. At Will’s A Faire, you’ve got the likes of Zap Dragon &…
XXYYXX returns to town to show off new tricks at the Social
This is a homecoming show for internationally known DJ and producer XXYYXX, né Marcel Everett. The 20-year-old Central Florida native got his start locally with the now-dormant Relief in Abstract label, and his blend of brooding synths, chopped-and-screwed vocals and head-nodding beats found viral success thanks to the Internet. The young Everett got to tour…
Sarasota Film Festival reveals films, celebrities
The Sarasota Film Festival revealed its lineup of movies and special events yesterday, including a celebrity list that includes Olympia Dukakis, Rosie Perez, Matthew Modine, George Hamilton, Robert Mrazek, Treat Williams and the previously announced Sophia Loren. The festivities get underway Thursday, March 31, at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, with “An Evening with…
Trevor Saint performs ‘New Music for a Re-imagined Instrument’ at UCF
It’s a shame, but Trevor Saint is unlikely to perform Matthew Burtner’s “Syntax of Snow,” a piece written for glockenspiel and amplified snow, while here in Orlando – the logistics of obtaining snow, to say nothing of the rapidly melting dynamics, would be a challenge. The world’s only performer of solo glockenspiel recitals may, however,…
Thad Anderson debuts Sunrail-inspired music work “Northbound” at In-Between Series
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND When leading local avant-garde musician and UCF music professor Thad Anderson launched the proud and consistently groundbreaking In-Between Series at the Gallery at Avalon Island just over a year ago, it was with a corps of drummers and a rhythmic concept. His latest performance (Mar. 14), by contrast, was a solo one,…
Lakeland woman fights to keep Rambo, her 6-foot-long pet alligator
Mary Thorn cradles and kisses her pet alligator Rambo like a baby, dresses him in costumes and lets him ride on a motorcycle. The two have developed a bond over 11 years of performing together, but a state agency may force the Lakeland woman to give up her gator. “I don’t know how I’d react…
4 spots to score a poke bowl, Orlando’s hottest food trend
It’s all over the lists of “2016’s Hottest Food Trends,” and poke (pronounced poh-kay) is making its way into menus in Orlando. Here are four places to get the Hawaiian chopped, marinated raw-fish delight in town: 1. Winter Park Village Publix — It’s at the sushi counter and labeled “chirashi,” but it’s closer to a…
Advocates will tour St. Johns River to raise awareness about water usage, pollution
St. Johns Riverkeeper Lisa Rinaman and other river advocates are fighting against the impact of increased water usage from the Central Florida area (and numerous pollution problems) have on the St. Johns River, and now they’re taking their advocacy on tour. From March 22 to April 3, Rinaman and a team of advocates will travel the…
SeaWorld’s decision to end orca breeding is motivated by money more than morality
Early this morning, SeaWorld announced an immediate end to the orca breeding programs at all of their parks, declaring that the corporation’s current generation of killer whales would be its last. SeaWorld’s existing population of 29 orcas across three theme parks will be allowed to live out their lives in their current environments, but will…
Little Marco, happy at last? Speculation on Rubio’s next move
The end of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s bid for the presidency, cut off by a crushing loss Tuesday in the Florida GOP primary, raises intriguing questions about what the one-time rising star in the Republican Party might do next. For essentially the first time since he won a city commission seat in 1998, Rubio will…
New Disney character-inspired food kiosks coming to Disney Springs
There will soon be two new additions to the dining options at Disney Springs. According to Disney-themed blog Inside the Magic, two new food kiosks have popped up in the Marketplace section of Disney Springs, both of them inspired by iconic Disney characters. B.B. Wolf’s Sausage Co., based off the nemesis from the classic Disney…
SeaWorld puts an end to orca breeding program
It’s the end of an era for SeaWorld. SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. announced Thursday, March 17, that it will no longer breed orcas. “SeaWorld’s commitment to end breeding of orcas is a long-held goal of many animal advocacy organizations,” says Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Human Society of the United States in a press…
Celebrate this city’s diversity at Downtown Credo’s Orlando Together Parade
This is the second time that the pay-what-you-will coffee biz Downtown Credo hosts a community parade-cum-bike rally through the Parramore neighborhood. This year’s parade includes a float-building design-hack challenge in which chosen teams will have two hours to build a float that honors the five pillars of what Credo believes brings Orlando together: art, education,…
See sound without the use of psychedelics at Cymecha this Saturday
The phrase “speed of sound” probably unleashes cringeworthy memories related to the hellish, somehow Grammy-nominated single from Coldplay, but in the decade since its release, the art world has recovered. Orlando-based visual artist Synthestruct is taking a much more pleasing approach to the auditory realm by showcasing artwork built around cymatics, a creative visual study…
Lobbyists call Senate prez Andy Gardiner a “caucus of one” as gambling bill fails
With time running out in the legislative session and a gambling deal all but dead in the Senate, industry lobbyists and the Seminole Tribe scrambled to put together a new deal that included major concessions from the tribe regarding slot machines. Although the talks never resulted in a piece of legislation, or even a draft…
Rick Scott endorses Donald Trump after Florida primary
Gov. Rick Scott chose not to endorse anyone before Florida’s primaries on Tuesday, but made it pretty clear in a fawning letter in USA Today and two awkward appearances on MSNBC and CNN that he likes The Donald. But after Trump won Florida’s Republican primary by a landslide and crushed U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s presidential dreams,…
Despite bedroom recordings, Domino Records band Porches a remarkably cogent live act (Backbooth)
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND Chiefly through Porches, a project that’s kicked up some good hype from tastemaker radars, New York musician Aaron Maine is making a name as a modern and stylistically open-ended singer-songwriter-producer. Impressive though all that is, however, little of it guarantees it’ll be much in the way of live performance, especially for a…
Legoland turns five, adds five new projects
On March 15, Legoland Florida kicked off their fifth birthday celebration by announcing five new additions and expansions to the Winter Haven resort. And since this is Legoland, they did it not with a simple press release, but with a staged media event in the early hours before the park opened to guests. Journalists who…
How to eat and drink this St. Paddy’s Day like a real Irishman
Tuck of the Irish
Txokos is resurrected, Hotto Potto moves, plus more in our weekly food news roundup
Gina Bugayong, the former chef-owner of Fresh in Hannibal Square, is now the executive chef at Txokos Basque Kitchen in East End Market. Under new owners Armando Castellucci and Ricardo Da Silva, Bugayong will introduce new pintxos (croquettes with apricot jam, Buffalo short ribs; and paella is back) as well as chipotle eggs Benedict with…
Artisan’s Table’s house-made pastrami sandwich is one of our favorite new tastes in town
Pastrami is one of those foods that inspires rabid debate – should it be lean or fatty? Sliced thick or thin? Served with cheese or without? Boiled after smoking, steamed, or both, like pastrami mecca Katz’s Delicatessen does it? First, let’s define it. Traditionally pastrami is a tough cut of beef (usually brisket or navel)…
Florida Bar Association’s Family Law Section says it no longer supports alimony-reform bill it helped write
Irreconcilable differences
Opening in Orlando: Hello, My Name Is Doris, Miracles From Heaven and The Little Prince
Hello, My Name Is Doris An older woman (Sally Field) spends her life being ignored, but discovers love (and herself) thanks to a self-help seminar and a handsome stranger. (R) The Little Prince This is a bad week to go near a multiplex if you have an aversion to movies about little kids who tell…
Free Will Astrology (3/16/16)
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Artist Steven Spasuk works exclusively with an unusual medium: soot from candles and torches. He spreads the stuff across a blank canvas, then uses various instruments to sculpt the accidental blobs into definitive forms. I’ve seen the results, and they’re both well-done and intriguing. What would be the metaphorical equivalent, in…
Picks This Week: Joe Satriani, the Kidney Stones, Skinny Lister and more
Bonfires These heart-on-sleeve punks out of Chicago mine early-2000s emo and post-hardcore for chugging rhythms and heartfelt shouts that demand a singalong. 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, at Backbooth, $10 The Kidney Stones The annual St. Patrick’s Day Kidney Stones show at Pipers is an Orlando tradition, particularly for their signature song, “Whiskey, Vomit ‘n…
Gimme Shelter (3/16/16)
This pretty kitty is in need of a loving home. Merrie (Animal ID A049280) is a 10-year-old cat who was surrendered to the shelter because her owner could no longer care for her. She is very sweet and would make a great lap cat. Merrie loves to be petted and held, and she will purr…
Savage Love (3/16/16)
I’m a 27-year-old, feminist, conventionally attractive, straightish, GGG woman. Over time, my tastes have changed, and now I find myself more of a kinkster. A few years ago, my desire for kinkier sex and my willingness to take a chance came together in a mutually beneficial, exciting D/s relationship. I’ll be honest: I wasn’t as…
Three heavyweights of Orlando theater bring challenging fare to the Garden Theatre with The Whale
The Garden Theatre’s new production of Sam Hunter’s award-winning off-Broadway drama The Whale brings together three heavyweights of Orlando theater – director Rob Winn Anderson, producer-actress Beth Marshall and actor Michael Wanzie – to tackle some hefty subjects, which they explored with me in an interview before their March 18 opening. Wanzie, who plays the…
This Little Underground: An open letter to the WWE for American Party Machine
Say what you will about a parody band but, really, you could do much worse than channeling Black Sabbath musically and taking aim at the fast-food industrial complex lyrically. Meet LA’s Mac Sabbath (March 9, the Social), who just made their first swing through Florida. Unlike the parasitic dress-up hackery of all those touring tribute…
Lulu Eightball (3/16/16)
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Selections: Our picks of the week’s best events, Mar. 16-22
Wednesday, 16 Red Bull Wings at Work: Outdoor Workspace EVENTS Ever walked around Orlando and thought to yourself, “You know what this city needs more of? Offices.” Then you’re in luck; today, workers looking for a change of scenery from the drab cubicles and white walls of their office buildings can grab their laptops, throw…
Orlando Weekly editor Erin Sullivan says goodbye
About six years ago, I arrived in Sanford on the AutoTrain with a car packed full of stuff, no place to live and no idea where I was even going to spend that night. I had just moved here from Baltimore to take over as editor in chief of Orlando Weekly. I really had no…
19 of our favorite Irish pubs in Orlando
Plus a few British ones
