Cover Story
The symbolism behind the rainbow flag, touchstone of the LGBTQ community
The late artist Gilbert Baker is sometimes called the “Gay Betsy Ross” for having designed and sewn the first rainbow flag for the 1978 San Francisco Gay Parade, at the request of activist Harvey Milk. The flag was a canny political symbol of equality and pride, yes, but like a lot of political breakthroughs in…
Florida body-painting artist Captain Ron Wolek sets sail for Key West’s Fantasy Fest
Award-winning South Florida makeup artist, Ron Wolek – better known as Captain Ron Wolek – made his way to Key West’s Fantasy Fest this week. Although Wolek resembles a fisherman – with his long hair, beard and captain’s hat – his talents include transforming naked bodies into canvases and turning people into living, breathing works…
A mother and her 3-year-old fell to their deaths from a hot-air balloon ride in China. Could it happen in Orlando?
Earlier this month, a mother and her 3-year-old son died in a horrific hot-air balloon accident in China. The two had boarded the tethered balloon at a pop-up tourist attraction. A few moments later, the anchor rope holding the balloon in place slipped off its moorings, causing the balloon to drift further higher, until it…
YH Seafood Club will bring dim sum and live seafood to Orlando’s Restaurant Row
Yummy House, the iconic restaurant chain out of Tampa specializing in Hong Kong and Cantonese-style fare, is bringing a new concept to Dr. Phillips. YH Seafood Club will move into the old O’Charley’s space in the Phillips Crossing Plaza and offer live seafood, Hong Kong-style dim sum and modern Cantonese cuisine. Owner John Zhao is…
Local band Saeros premiere new music video for ‘Ocean’
Local dream-rockers Saeros dropped new single “Ocean” today and you can get an exclusive first look at the accompanying music video right here at Orlando Weekly. The clip for “Ocean,” directed by Derek Ziegler, is characterized by the band as an “honest proclamation of independence despite internal struggle.” Watch the video for this surging and…
How a Halloween event might be enough to save Orlando’s former Nick Hotel from the curse of the ‘Queen Mary’
The future of one of Orlando’s most recognizable hotels and one of the region’s newest Halloween attractions might hit some rough seas ahead, thanks to a historic ship on the opposite side of the country. The Holiday Inn Suites and Waterpark in Orlando, the world’s largest Holiday Inn resort, is better known as the former…
Iggy Pop’s faves Jacuzzi Boys return to Central Florida this fall
Miami’s Jacuzzi Boys are busy doing things like touring Europe, playing festivals and opening for The Raconteurs (NBD) — but they are fitting Tampa into their schedule on November 15. A longtime fave of Central Florida, the trio brings its garage-rock sound back to Hooch and Hive, their first show in the area since an…
Satanic doo-wop duo Twin Temple dance with the devil in Orlando this week
Being the most wicked band in the world isn’t easy. But for Twin Temple, a self-proclaimed “Satanic doo-wop” duo hailing from the City of Angels, it was never meant to be. “We knew going into this that it’s not gonna be for everybody,” says vocalist Alexandra James of the project formed with her partner, Zachary.…
Legal Public Notices 10/16 issue
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices All related descendants of Dr. James Gibson A.K.A. “Guinea Jim” of Savannah Sound, Eleuthera, Bahamas please contact Richard Love at drjamesgibsonbahamas@gmail.com or (305) 528-6645 (AAN CAN) IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA, CIVIL DIVISION: DIRECT GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY, Plaintiff, v. CEREENA K.…
Orange County among seven targeted with federal funds to combat HIV
More than $490,000 is being doled out to seven Florida counties as part of a national effort to try to eradicate HIV and AIDS in the next 10 years. The funding is made possible as part of the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, which was announced by the Trump administration this year. Money became available…
Harvard psychobiologist warns Florida House members of marijuana dangers
With two looming ballot proposals that would legalize recreational marijuana in Florida, state House leaders are going on offense on the issue. The House Health & Human Services Committee on Tuesday heard an hour-long presentation from Harvard Medical School psychobiologist Bertha Madras, who issued dire warnings about the dangers of marijuana use, particularly for youngsters.…
Photographers spot Giuliani associate Lev Parnas at election-night party for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
Reuters photographer and longtime Orlando Weekly contributor Joey Roulette posted a video to his Twitter account Monday night, identifying a familiar face at the 2018 election-night victory party for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Ukrainian businessman Lev Parnas, one of two Giuliani associates arrested last week and charged for scheming to funnel foreign money into various US…
Will’s A Faire returns for a fall market in the parking lot of Will’s Pub
The quarterly parking lot market Will’s A Faire returns this weekend. Shop through a curated selection of vendors for handmade, vintage and retro goods while enjoying live music, DJs, food trucks and probably a White Claw or two. 1-8:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20; Will’s Pub, 1042 N. Mills Ave.; free; willspub.org. Get our top picks…
The Nook on Robinson brings drinking and video games out of the living room this weekend
Sure, you could stay home to drink and play video games like a loser. Or you could do it at a bar and have it be magically socially acceptable. The Nook sets up three fun multiplayer games – a Dance Dance Revolution-type rhythm game, an eight-player Super Smash Bros. arena on a giant projector, and…
Comedian Greg Barris returns to town for a show at Dirty Laundry
L.A.-based comedian Greg Barris has deep ties to Central Florida, and his semi-annual shows at and around the Will’s Pub complex feel more like parties than performances. Some of that’s because Barris sometimes shares photos of his travels from the year, and he enlists members of local bands like the Pauses and Watch Me Disappear…
CityArts celebrates Día de los Muertos with its annual block party this week
CityArts celebrates the 10th year of its annual pre-Halloween Día de los Muertos Monster Party at its new location this week. Along with taking in a new exhibit of themed art, art lovers can visit the outdoor block party with live performances, vendors, food and drink, and more. 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17; CityArts, 39…
Country chameleon Alison Krauss returns to the Dr. Phillips Center this week
Few artists have commanded the respect of both country classicists and modernists as much as Alison Krauss. The singer-songwriter has worked with damn near everyone from Dolly Parton to Robert Plant, and has worked in genres from blues to bluegrass to countrypolitan. This stop at the Dr. Phil sees her fresh off of a summer…
Dark Chicago duo Grün Wasser bring synthy dance grooves to Stonewall
Chicago dark-synth duo Grün Wasser have been on the come-up since their debut show in the City Beautiful last year at the Falcon. Since then, they’ve put in some relentless roadwork around the country playing with the heavy likes of Hide and Street Sects, did the rounds at this year’s SXSW in Austin, and earlier…
Redd Kross and Melvins show the kids how its done at the Social
Hard-touring sludge godfathers Melvins (also the unwilling and unwitting grandfathers of grunge) and glam-punk bratfathers Redd Kross (who scandalized the early L.A. punk scene by wearing bellbottoms and long hair) are two of the more uncompromising godheads of the alternative-music pantheon, with a healthy disdain for nostalgia and resting on laurels. The twosome are on…
‘Bride of Re-Animator’ gets the midnight movie treatment at Enzian
While the original 1985 Re-Animator will forever be known as the horror movie in which a disembodied head goes down on scream queen Barbara Crampton, the 1990 sequel, Bride of Re-Animator, somehow has less of a good reputation. Though the film reunites actors Jeffrey Combs and Bruce Abbott as the corpse-reanimating odd couple of Drs.…
Coheed & Cambria headline a prog wonderland of a bill at House of Blues
Prog-rock concept band Coheed and Cambria returns to Central Florida this week after two high-profile tours with Maps & Atlases and Mastodon this year. No big names join them on this stop, though. Instead, fans get a look at the current state of prog from newer bands Astronoid – who successfully take My Bloody Valentine-style…
Rising comedy star Nate Bargatze makes a stop at Hard Rock Live this week
In a time when high-profile comedians seem to be more interested in complaining about their right to say shitty things about people than actually being funny, Nate Bargatze is something of a relief. The Tennessee native has leveraged his laid-back, personal storytelling style of comedy into critical success, earning him accolades from peers as disparate…
Orlando Film Festival returns to downtown for more than a week of screenings and parties
In regard to the sheer number of films screened, the Orlando Film Festival is the biggest film fest in town. Taking over downtown’s Cobb Plaza theater for more than a week, the festival offers more than 200 shorts and features, along with panels and workshops covering all aspects of filmmaking. The celebration doesn’t stop after…
Orlando Beer Festival T-shirts to receive the Swan City treatment
You already know all about one of Orlando Weekly’s most popular events, Orlando Beer Fest, which takes over Festival Park (and our pages) for a crafty good time each fall. But this year, we’ve upped our already-great swag game with limited edition OBF T-shirts designed by Swan City, whose oh-so-Orlando designs you’ve seen everywhere in…
‘Last Podcast on the Left’ brings its grim and ghostly live show to Orlando
Live recordings of popular podcasts are filling up rock venues just as quickly as your favorite bands lately, and “Last Podcast on the Left”’s Back in the Habit Tour is no exception. “Last Podcast” tackles grim and ghostly subject matter both real-world and fantasy – serial killers, UFOs, supernatural phenomena, etc. – and the scares on…
Florida will lose claim to ‘world’s largest cruise ship,’ but that’s OK because giant ships are the worst
Florida reigns supreme as the king of the cruise industry, with a third of all cruise passengers in the world embarking from the state. But a recent move by Florida-based Royal Caribbean points to an increasing competitor to Florida’s dominance in the industry. Royal Caribbean’s four Oasis-class ships have each held the title of “world’s…
Downtown Orlando landmark LaBelle Furs celebrates 100-year anniversary with renovations
On the way into work this morning, we spotted the iconic La Belle Furs sign in the process of bring cleaned, repaired or – dare we suggest – removed. Shoppers, PETA activists, and fur aficionados have long known the sign, which has been an Orange Avenue landmark since 1957. In February of 2018, owner Art…
Winter Park’s Jillycakes moving to Icon Park food hall on International Drive
If your Trader Joe’s shopping excursion included a cupcake stop at Jillycakes just a few doors down, then I’ve got some good news for you. Your sugar intake is about to dramatically decrease! That’s because the noted cupcakerie will move out of Winter Park’s Lakeside Shopping Center and into the Wheelhouse Market food hall at…
Orlando Film Festival nabs Taika Waititi’s ‘Jojo Rabbit’ for its Florida premiere
New Zealand director Taika Waititi’s next film, Jojo Rabbit – a satire set in the Third Reich in which a young member of the Hitler Youth whose imaginary friend is Hitler discovers that his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their walls – gets a limited release this Friday. But the Orlando market won’t…
Radolescents featuring Rikk Agnew to start 2020 right in Orlando
Reconfigured West Coast punk heroes Radolescents have announced a round of tour dates in December and stretching into January, oh yes, there is a date in the City Beautiful to kick off the new year. Radolescents are a band consisting of members pulled from throughout influential Calif punks Adolescents’ long career arc – this incarnation…
Melrose in the Mix rolls out a schedule loaded with essential local music acts
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND Melrose in the Mix I’ve given detailed looks into at least a couple hot sessions of the excellent Melrose in the Mix live recording series that happens on the reg inside downtown’s Orlando Public Library, like here when it featured local Americana royalty Terri Binion and most recently here when the it…
Universal Orlando officially announces details on new Jason Bourne stunt show
A few days after prematurely “leaking” the info to the Annual Passholder website, Universal Orlando has now confirmed that a new Jason Bourne-themed stunt show is coming in spring of 2020. Based on the popular Matt Damon-anchored Universal Pictures franchise, “The Bourne Stuntacular” will “blur the lines between stage and cinema” says the theme park…
Finally tackling climate change, Florida lawmakers say younger Republicans ‘aren’t so much in denial’
Florida lawmakers Monday dug into issues involving climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, phrases mostly kept under wraps by state Republican leaders before last year’s elections. Julia Nesheiwat, DeSantis’ chief resilience officer Senate Infrastructure and Security Chairman Tom Lee, a Thonotosassa Republican and former Senate president, said the shift in the GOP is in part…
As more powerful hurricanes strike all over Florida, legislators consider building improvements
Rooftop wooden decks may offer the perfect getaway space for homeowners, but they need to be built to better withstand hurricanes, members of a Senate panel were told Monday. Thomas Campbell, executive director of the Florida Building Commission, gave members of the Senate Community Affairs Committee a quick summary of tentative changes approved by the…
As Florida lawmakers look to change state gambling laws, they’ll have to deal with an amendment passed by voters
After the loss of roughly $350 million a year in payments from the Seminole Tribe of Florida, House and Senate leaders are rethinking the state’s approach to gambling, one of the Legislature’s most-complicated and elusive issues. The shift in direction could be good news for the state’s pari-mutuel operators. “What we need to start doing…
Florida lawmakers debate statewide ban on banning chemical sunscreens
With the sponsor pointing to concerns about skin cancer, a Senate committee Monday advanced a bill that would prevent local governments from banning over-the-counter sales of sunscreen. The Senate Community Affairs Committee voted 3-1 to approve the measure, which stems, at least in part, from a decision by Key West to ban certain types of…
As Disney World’s Skyliner reopens today, the company keeps the cause of the failure under wraps
Disney’s brand new Skyliner gondola ride reopened this morning, after the system broke down on Oct. 5 and trapped dozens of guests in the air for hours. The Disney Parks Blog posted the news early this morning, saying the system is now operational from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. The Disney Skyliner connects Epcot and…
Universal Orlando tries to remove its accidental, early release of a new Jason Bourne stunt show from the Internet
As is typical with Universal Studios, long before a Jason Bourne-themed attraction was ever confirmed by the resort, rumors and leaks already indicated the new stunt show was heading to the park. It was more was more than two years ago, when the “Terminator 2: 3-D” attraction closed, that the first hints of a Jason Bourne show…
Country legend Lucinda Williams to play Orlando early next year
Country legend Lucinda Williams has announced a short run of Florida tour dates to ride out the winter and kick off 2020 right, and lucky for us, the City Beautiful is one of Williams’ destinations. Williams is wrapping up the last dates of her 20th anniversary tour celebrating her influential album Car Wheels on a…
Orlando Pride parade marcher wins the day with wicked Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure sign
Saturday’s Orlando Pride parade featured a hidden gem, when one theme park fan (or dare we say, employee) altered the back of their sign to say “Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure – LINE STARTS HERE,” a reference to notoriously long lines at the popular new attraction. Playwright and theme-park producer Andy Haynes noticed, and tweeted Saturday, asking about…
New Florida band Jeremy + the Clones bring heat and pedigree to the Nook
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND Jeremy & the Clones, FayRoy and Dearest, The Nook, Oct. 10 And the train of discovery for good Florida bands keeps rolling through town. So who are Jeremy & the Clones? I had no idea, really. All I heard beforehand was that they were comprised of members of Plastic Pinks and Sonic…
Orlando being pitched as Florida’s top city for buying rental property, and that’s bad news for renters
As rental rates in Orlando soar, a new report from landlord-software TurboTenant is touting Orlando as the No. 1 place in Florida to buy profitable rental property. The report says Orlando is followed by Jacksonville, Tampa and St. Petersburg as the most lucrative area in which to snag real estate and hike up monthly rental fees.…
Florida’s Okeechobee fest announces 2020 lineup with Rüfüs du Sol, Bassnectar, Vampire Weekend and more
A somewhat credible leak of the Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival lineup happened over the weekend, but promoter Insomniac just made it official. On Monday morning, Insomniac — which bought a controlling share of Okeechobee after previous owners put the kibosh on the 2019 party — revealed the lineup for Okeechobee 2020 (set to take…
Band of the Week: Curtains
Welcome to Orlando Weekly’s “Band of the Week.” Every week, we highlight one of our favorite local bands. This week, we’re pleased to bring you Curtains. Curtains are playing Whiskey Lou’s with Sick Dogs and Grave Return on Saturday, Oct. 19. Just the facts: When did the band form?About two years ago. Who’s in the…
Florida Democrats focus on voter registration as most critical need for 2020
If Florida Democrats could sum up the state party’s early 2020 strategy in three words, they would be registration, registration, registration. During the party’s convention this weekend in Orlando, leaders stressed they have fixed past errors in their voter-registration strategy and are busy building a more Democratic-friendly electorate more than a year from Election Day.…
Glimpse the future and get inspired at Maker Faire Orlando
Does science news make you less than excited about the future? Maker Faire Orlando might give you something to look forward to. The eighth-annual gizmodic gathering will showcase some of Orlando’s best tech enthusiasts, crafters, scientists and tinkerers. The celebration of do-it-yourself science hits the Central Florida Fairgrounds Nov. 9 and 10. This isn’t your…
New public street art installation coming to fancy SoDo apartment complex
Upscale apartment community NOVEL Lucerne is partnering with renowned installation artist and sculptor, Deedee Morrison, to install “Bloom,” a 3D, LED-lighted wall sculpture. The sculpture, which “comes alive at night,” is said to be inspired by Florida’s flora and rich, natural beauty. The mural features laser-cut steel flowers and choreographed lighting, according to a press…
Former Fox News host Shepard Smith once worked for Channel 6, and covered GG Allin pooping on a stage
Back in November of 1991, the now deceased legendary punk rocker GG Allin was arrested in Orlando for pooping on stage at the Space Fish Cafe, and a very green former Fox News host Shepard Smith covered it as a local correspondent. In a clip recently posted to Reddit, a young Smith reports for the…
‘American Pickers’ is coming to Florida, and they want to see your junk
The scavengers of reality television are coming to Florida. The History Channel’s hit junk show “American Pickers” is bringing their team back to Florida this December. The show is looking for “interesting characters with interesting items.” This isn’t their first time they’ll be in the garages and sheds of The Sunshine State. Their most recent…
Mills Gallery to feature later ‘shotgun paintings’ of writer and counterculture icon William Burroughs
Writer, artist, performer and cut-up pioneer William Burroughs’ shadow still looms large over our popular culture, even decades after the 1959 publication of Naked Lunch and years after the great man’s passing in 1997. More than his Beat Generation peers, his work still reads fresh and future-leaning. And during his long career, he collaborated with…
New brewery and restaurant to take over former Panera location at Lake Eola Park
Great news for beer lovers and fans of the Thornton Park neighborhood: DeLand’s popular Persimmon Hollow Brewing Company just announced they will take over the ground floor restaurant space of the Eo Inn. Persimmon Hollow will turn what used to be a Panera into a brewery and restaurant with 1,100 square feet of patio space overlooking Lake…
Metallica confirmed as headliners for next year’s Welcome to Rockville fest in Daytona
The Welcome to Rockville festival, freshly relocated to Daytona from Jacksonville, has just announced their 2020 headliner and it’s one of the biggest names in metal. Metallica is confirmed to play two headlining sets on the Friday and Sunday nights of Rockville, happening next spring in nearby Daytona. Welcome to Rockville 2020 happens May 8-10, 2020…
Orlando pastor jailed on child sex-abuse charges hired attorney who had relationship with alleged victim
Last week we told you about Rev. Bryan Fulwider’s arrest for alleged sexual abuse of a child, who reported sexual battery by the pastor between 2005 and 2010. Now, it has been revealed Fulwider’s attorney had a past romantic relationship with Fulwider’s alleged victim. According to the Orlando Sentinel, court documents reveal the victim’s lawyer,…
Second Bunny Cafe planned for the Nook with Orlando Rabbit Care & Adoptions
The Nook on Robinson will be partnering with Orlando Rabbit Care & Adoptions and Framework Coffee to host the second Orlando pop-up bunny café on Saturday, Nov. 9 from 12 to 4 p.m. You can meet and pet your new furry friends, while learning what it takes to give them loving and healthy indoor homes.…
Republican Party of Florida is raking in a million dollars a month for 2020 election
Preparing for the 2020 election year, the Republican Party of Florida raised $2.8 million from July 1 through Sept. 30, a new finance report shows. The third-quarter haul brought to nearly $9.8 million the amount raised by the party this year. Contributions during the quarter included: $100,000 from the auto-industry firm JM Family Enterprises, Inc.…
Orlando Sentinel columnist David Whitley makes terrible argument for using white power symbol
This morning, the Orlando Sentinel’s veteran columnist and resident dog whistler, David Whitley, laid out an astonishing argument on why people should continue to use a hand gesture that has been co-opted by white supremacists. Whitley is not immune to horrible takes. After all, this is the author behind thinkpieces like “My day wearing a…
Garth Brooks to play exclusive “Dive Bar” show in Sanford this month
Country superstar Garth Brooks has been getting back to his club-gig roots with a series of exclusive and intimate “Dive Bar” shows around the country, and the next one will be in Sanford! This is not a ticketed show, so the only way you can get in is through an ongoing contest set up by…
The Abbey puts a bow on Pride Weekend with a sing along screening of ‘Hedwig & the Angry Inch’
Put on some makeup and turn up the 8-track, pull the wig down from the shelf. The Abbey’s sing-along series brings John Cameron Mitchell’s masterpiece, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, to town on Monday. The film version of the Broadway sensation has too many musical moments to recount here, and you’ll get to sing along…
Elixir’s Sundae Service series brings in UK DJ Denney
U.K. house sensation Denney slides into downtown’s Elixir for an end-of-the-weekend rager on Sunday. The DJ-producer has experienced a meteoric rise over the past few years, climbing to the top of the Beatport charts with EPs, singles and remixes like “Low Frequency” and “Ultraviolet.” RSVP online for free entry before 9 p.m. 7 p.m. Sunday,…
Even though Spooky Empire moved to Tampa, Moshi Moshi Productions is still throwing an after party at Pointe Orlando
Horror fans may still be disappointed that Spooky Empire has moved its big fall outing to Tampa, but Moshi Moshi Productions – one of the best convention party planners in the country – is keeping it local. Captured, the official Spooky Empire opening-night party, takes place at B.B. King’s Blues Club at Pointe Orlando, a…
Orlando native Wayne Brady gives a homecoming performance at the Dr. Phillips Center this weekend
The most successful product of SAK Comedy Lab’s improv comedy troupe returns to Orlando for a homecoming date on his current tour. Brady is best known as a regular on both the UK and US versions of improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, but his résumé includes everything from talk-show host to soap opera…
Get fueled up for Come Out With Pride at Big Gay Brunch
There’s no better way to demonstrate love, unity and equality than with [checks notes] brunch and a parade, right? So before Orlando’s fabulous, annual Come Out With Pride parade, come eat, drink and make merry with Orlando Weekly at our big ol’ gay brunch. Big Gay Brunch benefits Pride Gives Back, an initiative that, as its…
Winter Park Autumn Art Festival takes advantage of slightly cooler temperatures
As of press time, this weekend’s forecast calls for marginally cooler temperatures (upper 80s instead of low 90s) after several days of gloom and rain. In other words, it’s the closest to fall we’re going to get for a while. Take advantage of the slight reprieve with a walk around Winter Park’s Central Park during…
Fantasm horror convention tries to fill the hole left by Spooky Empire
Filling the hankering to commune with likeminded Halloween fiends and various and sundry horror/sci-fi film celebs left by Spooky Empire’s move to Tampa this fall, new local horror con Fantasm has a pretty ghastly (we mean that in a good way) roster for a rookie event. Boasting a partial cast reunion of pulpy cult horror…
Lyft to donate $1 to Come Out With Pride for every ride taken to or from Pride
Lyft has announced a partnership with Orlando’s Come Out With Pride this weekend to celebrate the local LGBTQ community through Pride donations, specially designated pickup locations, and an interactive experience to celebrate non-binary gender identification. The popular ride-hailing service and Uber competitor will donate $1 to Come Out With Pride for every ride taken to…
Snap! Space kicks off City Unseen 2.0, an augmented reality art tour of Orlando
We all wish Iron Man’s high-tech digital projection tools existed, but that fantasy is closer to reality than you might know. Emerging technology continues to impress us by revealing things we always wanted experience. Lucky for us, Orlando has been sprinkled with a handful of augmented reality art installations that will take you into an…
Rising Latin pop superstar Maluma takes over Amway Center
Pop-reggaeton crossover star and Latin Grammy nominee Maluma is steering his big-time North American tour in support of new album 11:11 straight into the City Beautiful, and the night promises to be electric. In a sure sign of Maluma’s rapid rise to the top of the pop firmament, no less than Madonna tapped him to…
Orlando Shakes brings out Shakespeare’s Scottish play, Macbeth, for the season of the witch
If there’s any Shakespeare play that goes hand-in-hand with spooky season, it’s Macbeth. Not only because it features a trio of witches spitting sick rhymes, but because it’s straight-up cursed. According to the superstitions of theater folk, ol’ Billy Shakes ticked off a coven of real witches with his unflattering portrayal of the three in…
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer declares Wayne Brady Day this Saturday
Recognizing one of the most famous entertainers to come from our city, Mayor Buddy Dyer declared Saturday, Oct. 12, as Wayne Brady Day in Orlando. That’s also the date Brady will perform a solo show at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, before he begins a Broadway role next week, in Lin Manuel Miranda’s Free Style…
Enzian and Winter Park team up for a screening of horror-comedy classic ‘Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein’ in Central Park
Enzian Theater and the City of Winter Park team up this week for a Halloween treat in Central Park. Abbott and Costello’s 1948 comedy-horror masterpiece, Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, gets screened under the stars for all to see. The movie sees the comedy duo play a pair of North Florida baggage handlers who get…
Posies frontman Ken Stringfellow plays intimate show at Timucua
When power-pop icon Ken Stringfellow came to Orlando for his first ever solo tour through Florida in 2016, it was a special and unbelievably intimate engagement at Lil Indies. So intimate, in fact, that a second performance had to be added that same night to accommodate another shift of fans. Now it looks like the…
You can apparently purchase an F-16 fighter jet in Florida now
Is your ego writing checks your body can’t cash? It’s time to buzz the tower, because right now a fully-operational 1980 F-16 fighter jet is on the market in Florida for a cool $8 million. Posted to Palm Beach-based JetLease, the F-16 was mostly recently flown by the country of Jordan, which is now in…
The Villages, Florida’s largest retirement community, has the nation’s highest rate of working poor
The Villages, a giant Sumter County retirement mecca packed with Trump-loving Baby Boomers, is also a mecca for the highest rate of full-time employees stuck in poverty, says a new study. The term for this is “working poor,” which means despite having a job, you are unable to pay your bills, afford healthcare or other…
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ reelection fundraising slows, following Trump impeachment defense
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ political committee collected $80,500 in September, a fundraising haul that was lower than any other month since January, according to a new finance report filed with the state Division of Elections. The marked decrease may be due to DeSantis’ increasingly vocal support for President Donald J. Trump, who is increasingly isolated by…
Movies playing this week in Orlando, including ‘The Addams Family,’ ‘Gemini Man’ and more
Opening this week: The Addams Family Ever since the classic John Astin TV series, every new adaptation of The Addams Family that’s been announced for stage or screen has carried a sniffing declaration that it’ll be more “faithful” to the source cartoons. And then what do we get? Nathan Lane. Yet I’m still holding out hope…
The White House can’t make Donald Trump look upright, so they’re scrambling to make everyone else appear corrupt, too
To believe that the president of the United States did nothing wrong in asking the government of Ukraine – and now, more openly, China – to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and/or a California company called CrowdStrike, which helped the Democratic National Committee after Russia hacked its servers in 2016, you have to believe…
Cult Classics, Midnight Movies, and other film events in Orlando this week
Alien A 40th-anniversary screening of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi-horror masterpiece about a group of space truckers who come in contact with a dangerous alien species. Sunday, 1 & 4 pm, Tuesday, 7 pm; multiple locations; $12.50; fathomevents.com. Cult Classics: Idle Hands Teen horror-comedy about a slacker whose hand gets possessed by an evil entity and goes…
Cassette Store Day may turn out to be a fad, but Orlando’s cassette labels are here to stay
Cassette Store Day is indeed a thing and the national event is returning to Orlando – Park Ave CDs, to be exact – this Saturday, Oct. 12. It’s like an even more niche Record Store Day, with the requisite exclusives (Dr. Dog, the Pauses, to name a couple) in that equally loved and maligned yet…
Governor’s drug-bust airplane to be retired, Florida’s second-biggest python ever captured, and other news you may have missed last week
State Rep. Anthony Sabatini wants to allow gun owners to openly carry in public without a license: Sabatini, who enjoyed both blackface and brownface in his Eustis High School days, has filed a bill that would make it legal to openly carry guns in public without a license. The “constitutional carry” law, which is already…
Misty-eyed masses lined the World Showcase lagoon to say goodbye to Epcot’s ‘IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth’
Being a theme park fan means learning to live with loss. Books and paintings may last for centuries, but only a handful of attractions make it past their second decade. While Walt Disney World has bid farewell to countless beloved favorites over the years – from Mr. Toad to the Great Movie Ride – the…
An eighties freestyler, a Grammy-nominated songwriter, a piano maestro and more of the best Orlando shows this week
BJ the Chicago Kid Grammy nominee and collaborator with the likes of Freddie Gibbs and Kendrick Lamar steps into the spotlight with this solo show. 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, at the Social, $22.50-$50 Vallam No two sets by Vallam, one of our personal favorite Floridian harsh noise artists, are the same. STILL reeling from their…
A double feature for Fringe hit Disney parodies, Playfest kicks off in November, plus more in Orlando performing arts news
Next week, the hit Disney parks parody The Animatronicans and its Under New Management sequel will return in a first-ever double feature to raise funds for the Orlando Fringe Festival. Jeff Jones’ award-winning sitcom satires will be staged at the Orlando Museum of Art on Oct. 16-27. The revival stars the entire original cast, including…
The best parties, shows, and events happening at Orlando Pride this week
Wednesday, Oct. 9 Business Connect Mix and mingle with other local business leaders at this event hosted by Orlando’s LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce. 6 pm; The Hammered Lamb, 1235 N. Orange Ave.; free; 407-704-3200; comeoutwithpride.com. Gayme Night With Pepe: Truth or Dare Edition One of Orlando’s favorite Fringe performers brings an over-the-top performance and interactive…
Savage Love: Three City Swing
We brought Savage Love Live to the Music Box Theatre in Chicago, the Barrymore Theatre in Madison and the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis over three nights. As is always the case at live shows, the crowd had more questions than I could possibly answer. So in this week’s column, I’m going to tear through some…
Meet 1-year-old Rocky! He’s neutered, microchipped, and very happy to come home with you
Meet Rocky! (A415416) This sweet boy is 1 year old, neutered, microchipped and vaccinated. His former owner says he is house-broken, leash-trained, rides well in cars and knows basic obedience commands. Rocky is friendly with men, women, children and other dogs, and he has become a staff favorite! For the month of October, adoption fees…
This Modern World (10/9/2019)
– This story appeared in the Oct. 9, 2019, print issue of Orlando Weekly. Stay on top of Central Florida news and views with our weekly Headlines newsletter.
Windermere vegan joint Humbl dishes out deeply satisfying fast-food classics
Should a vegan restaurant be judged by a vegan or by a committed carnivore? If it’s not meat, why call it a “burger” and if it’s not dairy, why call it “cheese”? Are vegans insufferable snowflakes, are meat-eaters closed-minded trolls, or are some people just assholes no matter what they eat? These and other unanswerable…
Taking Back Sunday run through 20 years of hits in Orlando this week
This year marks 20 years since Taking Back Sunday formed in Amityville, New York. The two decades have seen several band members leave, and, in 2010, a pair of them (guitarist John Nolan and bassist Shaun Cooper) return. Through it all, the group has continued to release albums and outgrow an original affiliation with the…
South Asian Film Festival offers Orlando hits and misses in its 25th year
The Enzian Theater’s South Asian Film Festival, scheduled for Oct. 12-14, is celebrating its silver anniversary with four features, five shorts and cuisine honoring the culture of the Indian subcontinent. “This year there’s a lot of variety and diversity to the programming, to the types of films we’re playing, to the themes that are covered,…
