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Stoner metallers Torche to slide into the Henao Center in Orlando in August
Floridian stoner metal overlords Torche are set to make a long-awaited live return to Orlando — where the band have tread the boards many times over the past few years — this summer and they’re going to play a very different venue than they have in the past. A gallery space, in fact! The band just…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘The Soundtrack of My Life’
Elias Faingersh, the Swedish trombonist who starred in last year’s Solo From the Pit, was on a plane that had a catastrophic engine failure over the middle of the Atlantic on his flight to Florida, which forced him to spend the night in sub-Arctic Canada and miss his preview performance. So, if for no other…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘Ingenue: Deanna Durbin, Judy Garland and the Golden Age of Hollywood’
Half a century after her death, everyone still knows Judy Garland’s name, but who remembers Deanna Durbin, her even-more-popular childhood rival? Writer/performer Melanie Gall wants to bring Durbin – who was a world-wide sensation during the Great Depression and World War II before disappearing into blissful obscurity – back into the public consciousness, and her marvelous…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘Static’
A young man takes his elderly father, a “kind liar” with alcohol-induced dementia, on a long-delayed road trip to New Orleans in Static, an original musical monologue about learning to see our loved ones clearly. New York-based playwright Connor Kelly O’Brien plays the fictional role of Matthew Riley, a son struggling to reconcile his own…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘The Origins of My Magic’
Some people dismiss magic tricks as nothing but dime-store gimmickry, while others equate it with an excuse to lie for profit. But for Cody Clark, illusions are a way to express his honest self without being mocked for it. Clark is open with his audiences about his autism, but there’s much more to this up-and-coming…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘The Complete History of Drag in a Few Mo-mo’
History books are full of the deeds of kings, but the accomplishments of queens have been systematically erased, so Los Angeles-based writer/performer David LeBarron is providing a much-needed corrective with his fabulously fierce Complete History of Drag in A Few Mo-mo. Towering over the stage in dapper tie and suspenders, he begins by apologizing for…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘My Left Tit’
The first strike against My Left Tit is that it stars a man, speaking in the voice of a woman about the sensitive personal issue of breast cancer. The second strike is that its creator, who is best known for silent ensemble comedies, is doing a dramatic speaking solo show for his first time ever.…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘Eusha’
Move over, Nurse Ratched and Annie Wilkes, there’s a new new Nightingale here to haunt our nightmares. In this first-person thriller, you’ve just awoken after a terrible car accident with your jaw wired shut, but don’t weep or worry: Eusha — played by playwright/performer Elisa Benzer — is here to watch over you. She appears…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘Coconuts, Coral, and Cow Shit’
Sara Kunz starts her one-woman show standing on a precipice, staring into her own extinction, and ends it wiping crap off her clothes. That’s a pretty apt shorthand for the autobiographical odyssey she takes audiences on in Coconuts, Coral, and Cow Shit, climbing from the depths of depression to peaks of comedy, and then back…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘Goodbye’
Playwright John Mark Jernigan, who created the 2018 hit Hello, is back to say Goodbye, this time with Chris Crawford — the star of his last award-winning show — in the director’s seat. The new play (which is completely unrelated to the earlier one, despite the bookend title) revolves around T. Robert Pigott as Felix,…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘The Great & Powerful Tim: Clue Dunnit?’
The year is 1926, and we’ve gathered in the illustrious Purple Theatre to be amazed and astounded by the latest illusions from The Great and Powerful Slim. Alas, the prestigious prestidigitator is felled in the middle of his first trick, and it falls to his faithful butler Tim to solve his mentor’s murder by performing…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘Church of Saint Bearer’
With its compact cast and claustrophobic indoor setting, George Romero’s seminal Night of the Living Dead has always seemed tailor-made for a stage adaptation. Now, a couple years after the zombie pop-culture craze peaked, playwright Irene L. Pynn has grafted that iconic film’s basic concept onto a reality-bending examination of religious faith in the uneven…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘How to Eat a Bear’
According to the old adage, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. Apparently the same cannot be said for bears, because the first-time Fringe writing/directing/producing team of Luke Balagia and Mack Stine prove with How to Eat a Bear how delicious biting off more than you can chew can…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘Super Variety Match Bonus Round’
Mags and Erns Eagleton (Elizabeth Murf and Rod Cathey) are a pair of middle-aged homebodies in the middle of Texas, whose lives have revolved around game show reruns ever since the passing of their wounded warrior son. One weekend, Rod opens their modest home to Chrz (Douglas Warren Jensen), a genderfluid pre-med dropout attending a…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘Black Wood’
The year is 1967, and Black Wood is the biggest daytime drama (don’t call it a soap opera!) on network television. Sure, the pastry-loving vampiric protagonist (J.D. Sutton) can’t seem to remember any of his dialogue, and the director (Holland Hayes) is constantly battling with the censorious suits in Standards & Practices over the show’s…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘The Hammered Dog’
How’s this for a meet-cute: Sandra (Sarah Lockard) bumps into Ted (Steven Johnson) in a dance club, spilling beer on his paisley shirt, and is so embarrassed that she attempts suicide in the alley outside. Ted saves her life, then immediately moves into her apartment and starts manipulating her for money. Todd Allen-Long shows up…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘The War: An Immersive Audio Drama’
Time travel no longer requires a DeLorean, or even a Tardis. Thanks to Phoenix Tears Productions, the Orlando company behind last year’s Stardust After Dark, all you need to go back to the future is a pair of wireless headphones, an active imagination, and a bit of patience. The War: An Immersive Audio Drama begins…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘Black Cow Jumps’
An experimental melange of improvisational dialogue, personal monologues, and in-your-face audience interaction, Black Cow Jumps defies easy categorization, much less conventional reviewing. Creator Banks Helfrich and a quartet of fellow performers planted among the audience craft an entirely new experience at every performance, launching into each show with little more than an outline of subjects…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘Hypnotic Hyjinx: A Comedy Hypnosis Show’
Illusionist Spencer Hojdila has returned to the Orlando Fringe, this time accompanied by fellow performer Daniel Cyral, for a mesmerizing evening of Hypnotic Hijinx. Don’t go in expecting anything in the way of framing story or production values; instead, this is simply a straightforward stage hypnotism act, exactly as you might see in a Vegas…
Melvins and Redd Kross rumble and roar into Orlando this fall
Hard-touring sludge godfathers Melvins and glam-punk bratfathers Redd Kross are teaming up for a formidable co-headlining tour this summer/fall and they’ll be hitting Melvins’ favored haunt, the Social, in late October. The two bands will be swapping members back and forth on tour: Krosser and bassist Steve McDonald will be playing in Melvins, and fearsome…
Tourism board will cut staff by one-third, shift focus from TV to the web
Florida’s tourism-marketing arm is looking to make staff cuts and put more of an emphasis on digital media instead of television, as it responds to a 34 percent reduction in state funding. The Visit Florida Board of Directors will be asked Wednesday to approve several changes to address the Legislature’s decision to reduce state funding…
12 free concerts happening in Orlando this week
Wednesday, May 15: The Daniel Heitz Band 10:30 p.m. at Tanqueray’s, 100 S. Orange Ave. Eugene Snowden’s Ten Pints of Truth 10 p.m. at Lil Indies, 1036 N. Mills Ave. Thursday, May 16:Leisure Chief 10:30 p.m. at Tanqueray’s, 100 S. Orange Ave. Saturday, May 18: Artefacto 2:30 pm at Timucua White House, 2000 S. Summerlin…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘The Butler Did It’
One dark and stormy winter night (or was it fall?) way back in the 1930s (or was it the 1940s?), mob boss Big Bill Bourbon was whacked while inside his own home, surrounded by suspicious characters. The murderer could have been his voluptuous rival Ruby Redstone (Lilly Linheart), his twitchy client Little Larry (Justin Duncan),…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘Field Guide to Not Being an Asshole’
If you passed on the hit Field Guide to the Gays series because you aren’t gay, and skipped Slut Like Me because you don’t have sex, Logan Donahoo finally has a show just for you. Grab your complimentary coffee and Krispy Kreme, because everyone is welcome at this meeting of Assholes Anonymous; according to Donahoo’s…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘Leviticus’
Levi Nolan is an effervescent, empathetic 17-year-old whose two greatest loves in life are God and her girlfriend Elsie. As a precocious lesbian who came out of the closet in seventh grade, Levi has always felt accepted by her liberal Christian denomination. But when she tries to become a youth leader ministering to middle-schoolers, her…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘Tadpoles: A Cummin’ of Age Story’
Welcome to the Pro-State, where spermatozoa kill time dining at BJs or working at the Siemens power plant while awaiting the next orgasmic earthquake, in hopes that it might propel them across the Golden Bridge and past the evil IUD monster into a new existence. Steve, the new gamete in town, is shown the ropes…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘A Showgirls Musical’
Johnnie Maier and Eddie Gomez, the producing pair behind the hit Fringe musicals S#IT and ThanksKilling, have gone diving in the discount DVD bin again, and this year they’ve dug up a doozy: A Showgirls Musical, based on the infamously awful 1995 Paul Verhoeven film. Fringe favorite Jillian Gizzi lights up the stage as Elizabeth…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘Lot o’ Shakespeare’
Your typical actor probably has a Shakespearean monologue or two in their back pocket, just in case an unexpected audition opportunity pops up. Tim Mooney is far from your average actor: he’s not only memorized a soliloquy from every single play ascribed to Shakespeare, but a half-dozen of his sonnets as well. And in Lot…
Fringe 2019 Review: ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’
As a rule, we rarely review high school theater, but the Trinity Prep Players’ production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is worth making an exception for. Mark Haddon’s award-winning mystery novel about Christopher Boone, a British teen on the autism spectrum who investigates a pet murder, was made into a…
Beer ‘Merica caps off American Craft Beer Week with a patriotic celebration at Gaston Edwards Park
Our annual capstone to American Craft Beer Week returns to Ivanhoe Village’s Gaston Edwards Park this weekend. Try samples of more than 100 craft beers from various breweries and enjoy the giant game zone, a silent disco, live wrestling, and the super competitive costume contest. Food is available from Mission Taco Inc., Orlando Meats, German…
TV Girl opening act Yohuna hits Soundbar in the middle of a creative evolution
For TV Girl’s upcoming return to the City Beautiful, they’re bringing along Johanne Swanson’s Yohuna as touring support, and the addition of Yohuna’s shoegazey indie hymns has us over the moon. Their upcoming sophomore album Mirroring, a sequel to 2016’s Patientness, shows a band in the midst of a gorgeous creative evolution – even more…
Florida wants to deputize state prison guards as ICE agents
The head of Florida’s prison system last month told a top federal immigration official he would like to launch a pilot program that would deputize state correctional officers as immigration agents in an effort to “identify and process criminal aliens.” If approved, Florida would become the fourth state to launch such a program at a…
Trump is now proposing $200 million for restoration work in the Florida Everglades
After proposing a mere $63 million for ongoing Everglades projects in his original budget proposal, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that his administration will ante up the amount to $200 million. That was the amount originally requested by the Florida congressional delegation in April, when Democratic U.S. Reps. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Alcee Hastings and Republican…
Documentary on the South’s first racially integrated Little League game in Orlando is on Netflix
A locally made documentary about the first racially integrated Little League game played in the South in the summer of 1955 in Orlando is currently streaming on Netflix. Long Time Coming: A 1955 Baseball Story, made by local film company Strong Films, follows the surviving members of the all-black Pensacola Jaycees. The film tells the story…
Florida could create a statewide registry for pimps and johns
Gov. Ron DeSantis could soon sign legislation that creates a statewide registry for pimps and johns in an effort to crack down on human trafficking. But Florida officials are not stopping there. With their eyes on the Super Bowl and WrestleMania, both of which the state will host in 2020, officials are looking for new…
Reggaeton star J Balvin is headed to Orlando this September
Colombian reggaeton sensation J Balvin has announced the dates for his hotly anticipated Arcoíris North American tour, and continuing the City Beautiful’s streak as a live reggaeton hotspot, there will be an arena date at the end of the summer! J Balvin is on a hot streak live, having just wowed crowds at this year’s Coachella…
Stop everything – Publix is now delivering Pub subs to your door
It is official, you can now have a Publix sub delivered to your door. Publix’s Instacart service is the first to offer this glorious item as a delivery, and we’re thrilled. The best part? Your first delivery is free. You can order all of your groceries to be a total agoraphobic, and seal the deal…
Great-grandmother arrested for carrying CBD oil at Disney World plans to sue
Attorneys for a great-grandmother with arthritis who was arrested for carrying CBD oil at Disney World last month say she intends to file a lawsuit. Hester Jordan Burkhalter, 69, was arrested at the theme park in April, when an off-duty Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputy found the cannabis-based product in her purse at a checkpoint,…
Burn Florida to the ground
You took it too far this time, Florida. It’s one thing for lovebugs to smash relentlessly onto our car windshields during their harmless mating season. Floridians are used to that. We don’t even complain anymore when we accidentally inhale a horny couple. But this video posted by Dana Hayes Erickson shows an egregious attack. The Sarasota…
Gov. Ron DeSantis can’t name the two Florida counties hacked by Russians
Speaking at a news conference Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that not one, but two counties were hacked by Russians during the 2016 general election. After meeting with FBI officials earlier this month, DeSantis confirmed assertions made in the Mueller report, and stated that two counties in Florida were hacked by the Russian intelligence…
WMFE hosts a Tiny Desk local music showcase at the Abbey this week
An essential watch/listen for music-loving NPR aficionados has to be the quirky-yet-crucial Tiny Desk sessions. Everyone from Wu Tang Clan to Weezer has thrown down in the cramped environs of host Bob Boilen’s, well, desk. Competition is so fierce to play the aforementioned Desk that every year there is a nationwide contest to score a…
Florida just keeps adding hepatitis A cases
Florida reported 92 hepatitis A cases last week, bringing the total to 1,129 cases this year as an outbreak continues to grow, according to numbers posted Monday on the state Department of Health website. The total is more than double the 548 cases reported in all of 2018. In the four previous years, the highest…
Florida’s top financial regulator faces sexual harassment investigation
Ronald Rubin, recently hired as the state’s top financial regulator by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet, has been placed on administrative leave amid an investigation into alleged inappropriate behavior toward an employee. State Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, a member of the Cabinet, announced the move late Friday and released a sexual-harassment complaint.…
ICE’s new program makes it easier for Florida deputies to detain undocumented immigrants
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced last week the launch of a constitutionally shaky collaborative program intended to expand local law enforcement’s role in enforcing immigration policy. The new Warrant Service Officer program will train and certify deputies to make arrests on behalf of ICE in jails and keep undocumented immigrant inmates in custody for up…
Soto calls for federal review of plan to dump 650 million pounds of coal ash in Osceola
U.S. Rep. Darren Soto has called for a federal review of the plan to import 650 million pounds of coal ash from Puerto Rico to dump at an Osceola County landfill. “I oppose the importation of coal ash into Osceola County and encourage the county commission to reverse course on its decision,” Soto, D-Kissimmee, said…
The Central Florida Zoo wants your exotic pets
The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens wants your exotic pets, whether you own them legally or not. The zoo’s “Pet Amnesty Day” allows Central Florida residents to surrender their legal or illegal exotic pets without cost or penalty on June 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the entrance. The free event helps…
Logic brings his ‘Dangerous Mind’ to Orlando in October
Californian rapper/producer Logic last week dropped his newest album, Confessions or a Dangerous Mind, and today announced an extensive North American tour of the same name set to kick off in October. Fans is Florida have only two chances to catch this rising star, and one of those is in Orlando. In decidedly more surreal…
Central Florida Democrats want to know why I-4 construction is 9 months behind schedule
Central Florida Democrats want a briefing from Florida transportation officials regarding why construction on the I-4 Ultimate Project is nine months behind schedule. U.S. Reps. Darren Soto, Val Demings and Stephanie Murphy sent a letter Friday to the Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Kevin J. Thibault expressing concern that the project to reconstruct and widen 21 miles…
Anna Eskamani will hold a town hall this week on Central Florida’s affordable housing crisis
State Rep. Anna Eskamani will host a town hall on Wednesday at One Blue Real Estate to discuss Central Florida’s affordable housing crisis. “Our community is facing a crisis that only compounds each day, placing our state economy and local families at risk,” Eskamani, D-Orlando, said. “It is on us to design, implement, and adapt solutions that…
Florida man apologizes for leaving a raccoon to die 20 miles offshore
Another Florida man is in trouble for putting an innocent creature in danger. This time, it’s a Clearwater lawyer Thomas Cope. A recent video posted to social media by Thomas Cope, shows a man (presumably Cope), shooing a raccoon off of his boat — 20 miles offshore. Now, the lawyer is under investigation by the…
Universal Orlando offers Florida residents 2 days free with purchase of 2-day ticket
Universal Orlando is offering Florida residents two days free with the purchase of a two-day ticket. A promo code from specially marked cans of Coca-Cola or Coke Zero is required to get the offer, which gives residents four days for $179.99, plus tax, according to a press release. Florida residents can upgrade their ticket to…
Orlando attorney John Morgan funnels more money into ballot measure raising Florida’s minimum wage
With the proposal awaiting a review by the Florida Supreme Court, prominent Orlando attorney John Morgan last month continued funneling money to a ballot measure that would increase the minimum wage. The Morgan Firm PA contributed $474,371 in April to the political committee Florida For A Fair Wage, which is chaired by Morgan, according to…
Federal judge orders 32 Florida counties to provide Spanish-language ballots
A federal judge Friday required 32 counties to provide Spanish-language ballots and other assistance to Spanish-speaking voters in Florida’s March 2020 presidential primary election. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a preliminary injunction that follows a similar ruling in September. In the earlier ruling, Walker required the 32 counties to provide Spanish-language sample ballots…
New lunch joint with very cool name opens at SkyHouse condos in downtown Orlando
Great news: Anyone doomed to spend the day at the downtown courthouse in Orlando will soon have a new nearby option for lunch. Eatery “Bite – Be Inspired To Eat” celebrates their friends and family opening 5-7 p.m. Monday, May 13, in the old Your Pie space on the ground floor of the SkyHouse condo…
Das EFX will headline an Old School House Party in Orlando this month
Nineties hip-hop innovators Das EFX, still going strong for nearly three decades, are on their way to the City Beautiful in just a few days to celebrate the 27th anniversary of the their classic debut album Dead Serious and headline an Old School hip-hop party. Also reason for celebration, the show will double as a…
The ‘I Eat Ass’ guy from Florida now has a GoFundMe account
Last week, Florida officials dropped all charges against Lake City resident Dillon Shane Webb, who claimed his rights were violated when he was arrested for sporting an “I EAT ASS” sticker on the back of his truck. Now, the 23-year-old needs the public’s help to cover his legal costs. A new GoFundMe account was setup…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoes bill that bans cities from banning plastic straws
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill Friday aimed at prohibiting local governments from banning single-use plastic straws for five years. In a letter, DeSantis says that while HB 771 originally addressed issues of contaminated recyclable materials, a moratorium was added on banning local regulation of plastic straws until 2024. The bill also required the state…
Orlando Meats to open pizza concept inside Orange County Brewers downtown
The geniuses over at Orlando Meats are getting into the pizza game. Eliot Hillis, culinary director and co-owner of Orlando Meats with Edgar Massoni, says they’ll open a pizza concept called Recess inside Orange County Brewers next week. Recess will take over the space that was recently vacated by Pizza Bruno. Hillis says Recess’s pies…
Nearly a third of teachers in metro Orlando struggle to afford housing, study says
Almost an entire third of teachers in metro Orlando who are the primary wage earners in their households are “cost burdened,” a new study says. Nearly 27 percent of teachers in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford area spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing or rent, rather than food, transportation, health care and other necessities,…
Orange County is a potential hotspot for a measles outbreak, study says
Orange County is among four Florida counties that are most susceptible to a measles outbreak, according to researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and John Hopkins University. The study was published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases. Overall, Cook County in Illinois, which includes Chicago, was ranked No. 1 on the list.…
Video shows deputy struggled to justify arrest of Florida man with ‘I Eat Ass’ sticker on truck
Yesterday, Florida officials tossed charges against a Florida man who claimed his rights were violated when he was arrested last week for sporting an “I EAT ASS” sticker on the back of his truck. Now, newly released dash cam footage shows the sheriff’s deputy that pulled him over struggling to justify the arrest. Last Sunday,…
Mexican musical sensations Banda MS announce September show in Orlando
Mexican stars Banda MS, known for their chart-topping hybrid of ranchera music with modern pop moves, have announced the dates for their “Con Todas Las Fuerzas Tour” and there will be an arena date in the City Beautiful as part of their travels. The group, led by brothers Sergio and Alberto Lizárraga, have been going strong…
A record 75 million people visited Orlando in 2018
A record 75 million people visited Orlando in 2018, making it the most-visited destination in the U.S. Tourism officials with Visit Orlando say that’s a 4.2 percent increase over the number of visitors in 2017. “It was another record-breaking year for Orlando with both domestic and international visitation,” said Visit Orlando President and CEO George…
Get your hot, fresh Best of Orlando Readers Poll media assets here!
Are you in it to win it? If you want to win in Orlando Weekly’s Best of Orlando Readers Poll, well, you gotta ask for the votes. Luckily, we make it easy for you. Whether you’re a local business campaigning hard to crush your enemies! or a local author who’d like to [shyly and gently…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis could sign bill combating anti-Semitism during Israel trip
Gov. Ron DeSantis indicated Thursday that he plans to sign a bill to combat anti-Semitism while on a trip to Israel this month. DeSantis referred to the issue during an appearance in Miami Gardens, saying “we have an anti-Semitism bill, which is one of the strongest in the nation, that I’ll sign into law, actually…
Nearly 43K people have signed the petition for an assault weapons ban in Florida
A political committee seeking to ban possession of assault-style weapons in Florida has submitted nearly 43,000 valid petition signatures to the state as it tries to get the issue on the November 2020 ballot. As of mid-day Thursday, the committee Ban Assault Weapons Now had submitted 42,941 petition signatures, according to the Florida Division of…
Food hall and brewery coming to south Orlando this fall
Kevin O’Donnell, co-owner of the Local Butcher and Market and The Porch in Winter Park, is poised to bring a food hall to Edgewood this fall. O’Donnell will open Gatlin Hall at the redeveloped Fort Gatlin Shopping Center on the corner of South Orange Avenue and Gatlin Avenue this November. Like the Local Butcher and…
Phat-N-Jazzy returns to its all-vinyl roots for the 25th anniversary at Iron Cow
Few dance parties are as storied, significant and beloved in local music history as Phat-N-Jazzy. By the mid-1990s, Orlando was riding an international high with a famous electronic dance scene that started subterranean but went massive, with all the diminishing returns that entails. From that underground sprang PNJ like a dope, fresh breeze, giving the…
Humorist David Sedaris sits down to talk with WMFE at the Orange County Convention Center
David Sedaris hit the public consciousness on National Public Radio with Santaland Diaries, an account of his work as a department store elf – and 10 books later, that’s probably still his best-known work. But missing out on Sedaris’ autobiographical, semi-autobiographical and/or completely imagined fictions is a big mistake. In interviews, Sedaris presents as the…
Jamaican and English bar restaurant Jam-Eng is now open in downtown Orlando
Jam-Eng, a Jamaican and English bar restaurant, is now open in downtown Orlando. Pronounced “jamming,” the Caribbean eatery opened last month at 65 N. Orange Ave., at the corner of Orange Avenue and Washington Street. The “jazzy island restaurant” offers Jamaican classics like oxtail stew, ackee and saltfish with coco bread, jerk chicken and escoveitch fish. The…
Charges dropped against Florida man arrested for ‘I Eat Ass’ sticker on his truck
Charges have been dropped against a Florida man who claimed his rights were violated after he was arrested last week for sporting an “I Eat Ass” sticker on his truck. In a May 9 letter to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Assistant State Attorney John Foster Durrett stated that all charges against 23-year-old Dillon Shane…
Norman’s at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando closing this summer
The Ritz-Carlton Orlando announced that Norman’s, the resort’s flagship restaurant, would close this summer. “Norman’s was and will remain an incredible chapter in the story of our business,” read a statement released by the resort, “and we are proud of what the team has accomplished since our relationship began in 2003.” That team, comprised of…
Gloria and Emilio Estefan are opening a restaurant at Margaritaville and closing Bongos at Disney Springs
Grammy Award-winning musicians Gloria and Emilio Estefan are opening a second Estefan Kitchen this fall at Kissimmee’s Margaritaville Resort Orlando and closing Bongos Cuban Café at Disney Springs. The Cuban American power couple already has an Estefan Kitchen open in Miami, where they serve Cuban dishes with a modern twist like vaca frita hash, chicken croqueta…
FBI will meet with Florida congressional members next week on Russian hacking
The Florida congressional delegation will be included next week in a classified briefing with the FBI on suspected Russian hacking during the 2016 election, Politico reported Wednesday. The meeting between U.S. House members and the FBI is scheduled for May 16. Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott – who berated his 2018 opponent, former Democratic U.S.…
Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience returns to Florida this fall
No spoilers here! You already know the unmistakable themes from HBO’s Game of Thrones and there’s even a good chance that you saw the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience in person on the previous two tours. But if not, once you pick yourself up off the floor after finishing Season 8, you’ll get another…
Deep Purple say a ‘Long Goodbye’ to Orlando in September
Heavy rock icons Deep Purple are returning to the U.S. for another victory lap on their swansong Long Goodbye tour, and don’t worry Orlando fans, the band isn’t ghosting you, you’ll get a chance to say farewell in person. The Rock Hall-inducted British proto-metal band – currently comprised of Ian Gillan, Steve Morse, Roger Glover,…
SeaWorld Orlando is giving away free beer again this summer
SeaWorld Orlando will be giving away free beer to park guests again this summer. From May 25 to Sept. 2, attendees who are 21 years old and up can pick up a free domestic beer per day at Mama’s Pretzel Kitchen Patio Bar from 10:30 a.m. to one hour before the park closes. SeaWorld Orlando pass…
Florida will now allow classroom teachers to carry guns
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed legislation that expands the controversial school “guardian” program to allow armed classroom teachers. DeSantis’ office announced the signing shortly after 6 p.m. without ceremony or comments about the bill, which was widely backed by House and Senate Republicans and heavily opposed by gun-control activists, Democrats and some students who…
Trump laughs at suggestion to shoot migrants at the border during Florida rally
President Donald Trump thought it was absolutely hilarious when a supporter at a Florida campaign rally suggested shooting migrants as they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. During the Panama City Beach rally Wednesday night, Trump was bemoaning that “15,000 people marching up” to the border but there are only “two or three border security people that…
Greta Van Fleet brings their big ’70s sound to the Orlando Amphitheater this weekend
Formed by three brothers – Josh, Jake and Sam Kiszka – and drummer Danny Wagner, Greta Van Fleet don’t have any Gretas in their ranks. But you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s a Jimmy Page or Robert Plant on the roster; the young band is frequently compared to classic rock gods Led Zeppelin – for…
Former Disney Channel stars Aly & AJ follow their own muse to the Beacham
Aly & AJ Michalka came of creative age deeply tied into the Mouse’s media empire both musically and in acting roles, but as with Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus, the sisters realized that following their own muse would be so much more satisfying (and lucrative) than continuing as cogs in the Disney Channel machine. So…
Hip-hop record-holder Murs hits Soundbar with Locksmith
Murs cemented his place in hip-hop history in 2016 when he broke the Guinness World Record for longest nonstop rap, improvising a rhyme that sprawled on for over 24 continuous hours. But that’s just another chapter in the busy career of this LA rap firebrand – a career that takes in everything from the peerless…
Winter Park statue of WWII Tuskegee Airman vandalized with ‘8-inch hole in the gut’
A life-size commemorative statue of local hero and World War II Tuskegee Airman Chief Master Sergeant Richard Hall Jr. was vandalized in West Winter Park over the weekend. Winter Park Police received a call on Monday morning reporting the statue, which stands on the front porch of the Heritage Center, had sustained “an 8-inch hole…
Every 2019 Mother’s Day brunch, discount and event happening in Orlando this weekend (that we know of)
Here you’ll find a few Orlando-centric ideas to make mom happy this Mother’s Day. April Fresh’s Comedy Brunch Mother’s Day Edition Get mom tipsy with drag queens. Sunday, noon-2:30 pm; Parliament House, 410 N. Orange Blossom Trail; $20; 407-425-7571; parliamenthouse.com. Buy A Bol, Get One For Mom Treat your mom to a delicious, free “bol”…
Roy Blair brings his Cat Heaven USA Tour to Orlando ahead of Lollapalooza
Roy Blair is on the 2019 Lollapalooza lineup but also giving fans chances to see him up-close on a tour of small clubs like the Social – the downtown club is where followers who came to know him as a backup singer for Brockhampton’s Kevin Abstract can sing along to tunes from Blair’s latest album…
Juul sued by Florida parents whose vaping teenager developed seizures
A Sarasota teen’s addiction to e-cigarettes has triggered seizures, a new lawsuit says. The 15-year-old’s parents, Jared and Erin NesSmith, are suing Juul and two major tobacco companies, claiming that Juul purposely targets teens. The family says that their daughter Ashlyn began vaping after friends at school introduced her to the product, which quickly turned into the…
Florida’s prison system is ‘widely overusing’ solitary confinement to punish inmates, lawsuit says
Florida is an “outlier” in prison systems across the nation when it comes to the use of solitary confinement, according to a 90-page federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that alleges the state Department of Corrections is violating the constitutional rights of inmates. Attorneys with the Southern Poverty Law Center named the state agency and Secretary Mark…
ACLU of Florida calls 2019 Legislature the ‘most harmful and devastating session in a decade’
The 2019 Florida legislative session amounted to a big bowl of suck – the most suck in a decade for civil rights and liberties in the Sunshine State – according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida. It sucked when state lawmakers adopted and passed anti-civil liberties bills that are almost surely geared toward tearing families…
Florida Bar furthers investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz over Cohen tweet
After attempting to publicly blackmail Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen on Twitter last February, it now appears that Florida congressman Matt Gaetz may actually lose his license to practice law. The Florida Bar decided to proceed with an investigation into Gaetz, who is licensed to practice law in the state of Florida, and whether…
Look at these cute spotted eagle ray pups that were born at Discovery Cove
Two spotted eagle ray pups were born at SeaWorld Orlando’s Discovery Cove park, and they’re pretty cute. Spotted eagle rays are “near threatened with extinction” because worldwide populations of the species are declining, according to Oceana. Each spotted eagle ray has its own unique pattern, similar to fingerprints. The new pups at Discovery Cove were born on…
A great-grandmother with arthritis was arrested at Disney World for carrying CBD oil
Turns out you can’t bring CBD oil to Disney World despite it being sold on store shelves across Florida. Hester Jordan Burkhalter, a 69-year-old great-grandmother with arthritis, learned that the hard way after she was arrested at the Orlando theme park last month when an off-duty Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputy found the cannabis-based product…
Lucy Dacus’ Orlando debut alongside Mothers showcases indie rock’s rising class
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND Lucy Dacus and Mothers, The Social, May 6 Even though Lucy Dacus is a rising indie star in her early twenties, nearly everything about her art belies her youth. Forever in a state of cool repose, her voice is a thing of patient velvet. And in pacing and perspective, her measured songs…
Bob Saget goes way beyond dad jokes at the Plaza Live
Though he’s most famous for playing the wholesome dad on the long-running ABC sitcom Full House, along with its Netflix sequel, Fuller House, Bob Saget’s stand-up work is anything but family-friendly. He was already known for working blue before becoming the ’90s version of Ward Cleaver, but his popular image pushed him even farther into…
DeSantis will sign a controversial plan to make former Florida felons pay fees before restoring voting rights
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday he will sign a controversial measure that would require repayment of financial obligations before felons’ voting rights are restored. “I’ll sign it,” DeSantis said while at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science to discuss environmental issues from the legislative session that ended Saturday. “The (constitutional)…
Two Central Florida arts institutions get significant funds, plus more in performing arts news
Two Central Florida arts institutions were recently awarded $10 million each in Tourism Development Tax dollars by the Orange County Board of County Commissioners. The Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida, which is currently located in Maitland, will use the grant to build a new Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity on the…
Dapper post-punk stars Interpol return to maraud Orlando
Return of the thin white dukes
The best concerts coming to Orlando this week
The Joy Formidable Wales-born guitar-destructo trio come to town with local heroes the Pauses for local support. Trio excellence! 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, at the Social, $20-$25 Slingshot Dakota Pennsylvanian duo make maximal hair-whipping rock from minimal elements: keyboard, drums, vocals. 8 p.m. Thursday, May 9, at Will’s Pub, $8-$10 Jon Anderson Anderson, legendary…
Melt Shop plans to open six local spots, Aki Restaurant closes and more in Orlando foodie news
OPENINGS: Grilled cheese and patty melt chain Melt Shop will open six Orlando-area locations in “destination hotspots” … Tamale & Co. has opened a new tamaleria inside the Hourglass Social House in the Hourglass District … The Today Cafe, based on NBC’s Today Show, opens to the public May 16 at Universal Studios. I suppose…
Yom HaShoah is more necessary than ever as religious and ethnic antagonism is now being openly expressed
As a Passover-and-Hanukkah type of agnostic Jew, I ordinarily observe Yom HaShoah – the annual remembrance for victims of the Holocaust – with about as much enthusiasm as I do the Yom Kippur fast, which is to say none whatsoever. But this year, in the wake of the deadly shooting at Chabad of Poway synagogue…
Opening in Orlando: Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, The Hustle and more
Opening this week: The Hustle Hey, remember when Anne Hathaway had that filthy-rich boyfriend who defrauded innocents out of millions? And how she lived high off the spoils of his criminal activity until the feds got too close? Whereupon she dropped him like a hot potato and told the press she was too traumatized to talk…
31 essential Orlando ice cream spots you need to try this summer
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ICYMI: The 2019 Florida legislative session ends in typically distressing and angering fashion, plus other news
Controversial plan to make former Florida felons pay fees before restoring voting rights heads to Gov. DeSantis’ desk: Seemingly yearning for the days of poll taxes, the Florida Senate last Thursday, followed closely by the House the following day – coincidentally the last of the 2019 legislative session – passed SB 7066, a measure that…
Savage Love: ‘Best Wishes’
I’m a 43-year-old straight woman, and I spent the majority of my 30s celibate. At 40, I realized that while I wasn’t interested in dating, I was tired of my vibrator. I also realized that it was time to go forth and fuck with the body I had instead of waiting for the idealized body…
The latest Mills Gallery art exhibition evokes paradise on earth
Heavenly creatures
