Korean chain bb.q Chicken plans to open 15 stores in Orlando area
The Korean chain bb.q Chicken is getting ready to open its first store in Orlando at 1246 E. Colonial Drive. According to a report from the Orlando Business Journal, that store is just the beginning of a massive expansion into Central Florida. Chain representatives said that the new store in the Mills 50 neighborhood will…
After 136 years, a Utah politician wants to fix one of the biggest issues in cruising
The pandemic has caused plenty of lasting changes, but it now looks like it may also undo a law that has impacted passenger transit for nearly a century and a half. The Passenger Vessel Service Act (PVSC) was enacted in 1886 by President Grover Cleveland to protect domestic companies from foreign competition. It blocks foreign…
Your favorite hunky vampire saxophonist from the 1980s, Tim Cappello, is coming to play Orlando
Tim Cappello, the man who dutifully greased up and made sax solos downright apocalyptic in ’80s classics like Lost Boys, Miami Vice and as a backing musician for Tina Turner, is heading to Orlando in September. Cappello was originally due to play the City Beautiful last year, but his tour got derailed along with, well,…
J. Cole to headline Orlando in September as part of ‘The Off Season’ tour
Grammy-winning rapper and singer J. Cole this week announced his upcoming “The Off Season Tour” set to traverse North America starting in September. And the tour includes an Orlando stop very early in the game. Named after Cole’s newest, Billboard chart-topping album The Off Season, the 17-date tour will kick off in Florida on Step.…
NBCUniversal CEO shares a ton of new details on Epic Universe theme park in unexpectedly frank interview
Just hours before Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek was scheduled to speak, NBCUniversal’s CEO Jeff Shell made plenty of news with his candid openness during an interview at Credit Suisse’s 23rd Annual Communications Conference. The forty-six-minute-long discussion touched on nearly every facet of NBCUniversal’s post-pandemic recovery, but Shell was especially forthcoming with details regarding the company’s…
Royal Caribbean plans to keep unvaccinated guests away by making cruises expensive and uncomfortable for them
UPDATED 6-28-21: Cruise line and timeline clarifications. Even as New York and California lean on technology to ensure everyone remains safe, politicians in Florida have done the exact opposite by banning private businesses from requiring guests to provide proof they’re vaccinated. The ban has thrown an unexpected speed bump in the already chaotic restart to…
A new audio upgrade to the Wheel at Icon Park will help riders know what they’re looking at
The Wheel at Icon Park already provides one of the most unique experiences in Central Florida, but recent upgrades make rides even more memorable. Despite its popularity, one constant complaint with the impressive ride and its expansive vistas experience was difficulty in identifying local landmarks. Interactive touch-screen tablets onboard allowed guests to zoom in on…
Waterparks are coming to Orlando’s Park Ave CDs for exclusive in-store
OK, yes, pup-punk heatseekers Waterparks are coming to the House of Blues in Disney Springs in November. But, if you simply can’t wait for some face time with the band, Park Ave CDs is hosting an exclusive meet-and-greet and in-store performance with the band next goddamn week. The trio are heading to the Audubon Park…
Legal Public Notices 6/23 issue
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION. IN RE: ESTATE OF JOE P. NOVOTNY, Deceased. File No. 2021 CP 001694, Division: Circuit Court NOTICE TO CREDITORS The administration of the Estate of JOE P. NOVOTNY, deceased (“Decedent”), whose date of death was March 25, 2021, is pending in…
Orange County Commission votes to ban retail sale of puppies, kittens and rabbits
Following a heated meeting that saw over 50 people offering public comments, the Orange County Commission voted to ban stores that sell puppies, kittens and rabbits. The meeting room was evenly split between pro-pet store speakers (largely the employees of local stores like Petland and Breeder’s Pick) and those who believed the practice of selling…
Synth-pop stars Erasure return to Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center in 2022
It’s been a long time — what is time in 2021 though — but U.K. synth-pop superstars Erasure have announced an Orlando return date next year … in the ornate settings of the Dr. Philips Center once again. The still-unlikely pop star duo Erasure — Andy Bell and Vince Clarke [also a founding member of Depeche Mode, wildly] — are…
Medical marijuana dispensary planned for just outside Winter Park
Winter Park does not allow medical marijuana dispensaries within city limits. That hasn’t stopped one dispensary from opening as close as they can to the town without getting their eyes red. Trulieve Cannabis Corp. from Quincy, Massachusetts is opening a new location just outside the city at 6840 Aloma Avenue. [content-2] According to the Orlando…
Orlando’s Frontyard Festival to continue through December
It’s official! The Dr. Phillips Center’s outdoors Frontyard Festival now has the funding to continue through mid-December of this year. Back in April, we reported that Festival organizers had requested additional funding from Orange County to continue the Festival past its initial goal of hosting six months of original programming (the FF launched in December…
Walt Disney World shares details of 50th anniversary celebration including new fireworks shows
Disney just shared further details of their much anticipated 50th anniversary celebration. The 18-month-long birthday bash will kick off with a new fireworks show, include daytime kite displays and bring a bit of adornment to the areas outside Cinderella’s Castle. The biggest news is the reveal of “Disney Enchantment,” a night-time fireworks show that will…
Long-awaited Epcot show ‘Harmonious’ will debut on October 1
After all the waiting and anticipation for the new live entertainment event at Walt Disney World Resort. “Harmonious” has finally a set day to be showcased. Today Jeff Vahle, president of Walt Disney World Resort, announced on an Instagram post that to celebrate the 50th anniversary, EPCOT will be debuting “Harmonius” nighttime spectacular on October…
Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar is reopening in July
For all the Orlandoans who have missed dancing the night away, a bit of good news. Cuba Libre announced on Monday that they are reopening their restaurant on Pointe Orlando on July 2. Their late night offerings will return on July 9. [content-2] According to a press release, the restaurant has worked during the pandemic…
Reggaeton superstar Farruko announces date with Orlando’s Amway Center in December
Raggaeton breakout star Farruko this week announced his “LA 167” Tour set to hit arenas around the country starting this autumn. And that includes a date with Orlando in December. Farruko rolls into the Amway Center on Friday, Dec. 4, as part of the 12-city North American run. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 25 at…
Orlando’s Greenery Creamery, junk food YouTubers made an ice cream hot dog
They were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should. The Greenery Creamery teamed up with YouTubers Hellthy Junk Food to create a hotdog entirely out of ice cream. Luckily, the cream itself isn’t hot-dog-flavored (never thought we’d have to say those words outside of an interview…
ZZ Top will play Orlando’s Hard Rock Live in November
Legendary blues-rock trio ZZ Top are bringing their impressive beards and oversized bag of hits — “Legs,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Gimme All Your Lovin'”— on the road for “A Celebration With ZZ Top” later this year. Florida somehow forms the spine of the tour, with a whopping so you’ll have plenty of chances to see the Top if you feel…
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ net worth increased 20% during pandemic year
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ net worth grew nearly 20 percent in his second year as the state’s top executive. With his only listed income a taxpayer-funded salary of $134,181, DeSantis reported a net worth of $348,832 as of Dec. 31, 2020, up from $291,449 at the end of 2019, according to a financial disclosure posted Monday…
Harlem Globetrotters to play in Orlando in July
The Harlem Globetrotters are me embarking on a massive 150-date tour, and fans can only thing of one thing: maybe this is the Washington Generals year. The Globetrotters reimagined “Spread Game” show will incorporate meet-and-greets and further fan interaction into the spectacle. If the Generals captain can’t dunk over a 9-year-old in Topeka, they deserve…
Nurses picket Osceola Regional Hospital to demand better work conditions
Registered nurses gathered outside of the Osceola Regional Medical Center on Monday to demand proper staffing and voice patient safety concerns. The demonstrations at the ORMC was part of a national picket organized by National Nurses United, the largest union of registered nurses. The organization said RNs have experienced consistent problems that go from administrator…
Hall & Oates, Squeeze to play Tampa in September
Two pop bands that even the most curmudgeonly record-store geek loves are coming to Central Florida this fall. Squeeze (“Tempted,” “Pulling Mussels”) and Hall & Oates (come on) will be in the middle of U.S. tours when they pull through Tampa for a date at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheater on September 20. The Tampa…
SeaWorld Orlando’s Howl-O-Scream wants you to be part of their Scare Squad
The news that Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream event is coming to Orlando via sister theme park SeaWorld made our spooky season. Sure, it may lack some of the finesse of Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, but it more than makes up for it in b-movie-style thrills and pure joie de fright, But what’s a spooky theme park without…
Seminole County School Board to cast final vote on face mask rules
The Seminole County School Board is set to vote on the county-wide face mask requirement policy in public schools on Tuesday. The board will make a final decision on the face-covering measures during its regular, monthly meeting, according to its agenda. Last Thursday, the school board heard comments from parents and the community, a split…
Mike Pence should be heckled everywhere he goes, forever
Mike Pence was heckled at an evangelical conference in Kissimmee last week. While speaking at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference at the Gaylord Palms resort, Pence was briefly shouted over by conservatives yelling “traitor.” Pence gets drowned out by hecklers at the Faith & Freedom Coalition summit, some of whom appear…
VA head announces plans to offer gender-affirming surgeries to transgender veterans at Orlando Pride event
During a Pride event in Orlando over the weekend, the head of the US Department of Veterans Affairs announced that VA hospitals would begin working on a program to provide gender-affirming surgeries to veterans. Secretary Denis McDonough said he was starting a two-year-long process that would equip VA hospitals with the training to provide surgery…
Tampa judge blocks CDC order keeping cruise ships from sailing
Saying the “injury to Florida’s economy grows by the day,” a U.S. district judge Friday issued a preliminary injunction against federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention restrictions that have idled cruise ships in the state during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 124-page ruling by U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday was a major victory for Gov.…
Country scion turned rapper Struggle Jennings to play Orlando’s Will’s Pub in July
Hick-hop troubadour and scion of country royalty Struggle Jennings is, much like his ancestors, hitting the open road to play some music. Will’s Pub is in the man’s sonic crosshairs come July. On Saturday, July 31, Jennings headlines Will’s along with Brianna Harness and Caitlynne Curtis as part of his “Troubadour of Troubled Souls Tour” kicking…
SeaWorld announces nightly summer fireworks
SeaWorld Orlando is getting in on the explosive action. As nearly all of Orlando’s major theme parks restart their fireworks and loosen COVID-19 restrictions, the step-sibling of the Big Three is unveiling a nighttime spectacle that will run from tonight (June 18) through August 8. The nightly Ignite fireworks and fountains show will begin at…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis asks judge to toss lawsuit against state’s anti-protest law
Lawyers for Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody are asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a measure that the Legislature approved to crack down on violent protests. Groups such as the Dream Defenders and the Florida State Conference of the NAACP filed the lawsuit last month, contending…
Immersive B-movie sendup ‘The Little Merman From The Black Lagoon’ returns for a good cause this weekend
In case you missed it during its original run at Stonewall in 2019, a new and improved version of the immersive ’50s B-movie farce The Little Merman From The Black Lagoon is being staged for two nights this weekend. The comical take on creature features follows a group of scientists as they scour the Amazon…
Donald Trump supporter defaces Pride Month intersection in Florida to celebrate former president’s birthday
A Donald Trump supporter is accused of intentionally defacing an intersection painted in rainbow colors to celebrate Pride Month in Delray Beach, Florida. A video posted to Facebook shows the truck of 20-year-old local Alexander Jerich pulling burnouts in his truck to leave long skidmarks over the freshly painted intersection. The corner had been painted…
Matt Gaetz, under investigation for possible sex trafficking, endorses blackface enthusiast Anthony Sabatini for Congress
Congressional Representative Matt Gaetz keeps some highly disreputable company. Beyond palling around with disgraced former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg, the Chipley Republican is good friend’s with Florida Rep. Anthony Sabatini: noted enthusiast for racist costumes and blackface. Gaetz endorsed Sabatini in his run for Congress on Friday, saying that he “battles the RINO…
Florida, other GOP-led states lose Supreme Court case against Obamacare
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a challenge by Florida and 17 other states to the Affordable Care Act, leaving intact the law that has helped more than 2 million Floridians obtain subsidized health insurance this year. The court, in a 7-2 decision, did not opine on the crux of arguments by Florida and…
Florida Supreme Court rejects recreational marijuana ballot amendment over wording (again)
For the second time in two months, the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at allowing people to use recreational marijuana. Justices, in a 5-2 decision, said a proposal by the political committee Sensible Florida included ballot wording that would mislead voters. By the same margin, the court in April…
Ivanhoe Village’s The Pinery to open on Monday
Ivanhoe Village’s newest restaurant, The Pinery, will open its doors on Monday, June 21. The Pinery is part of the neighborhood’s ongoing modernization. The new restaurant sits in the ground floor of a luxe high-rise built on the edge of Lake Ivanhoe. But the team behind it are hoping to offset their status as markers…
Halloween Horror Nights is bringing back its signature villain to celebrate its 30th anniversary
Halloween Horror Nights is turning 30, and it’s made them a bit reflective. Well, as reflective as a grisly park full of untold horrors can be. Universal just shared that this year’s iteration of the beloved haunted theme park would bring back Jack the Clown, their signature villain. Jack will have his own haunted house…
Investigate all things Skunk Ape at the Great Florida Bigfoot Conference this summer in Lakeland
Cryptozoologists, investigators and mythbusters alike are heading south for the summer to the Great Florida Bigfoot Conference, going down in Lakeland in July. (Surely a Bigfoot-friendly city if there ever was one.) The focus will be on all things Bigfoot and (of more pressing importance locally) Skunk Ape at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland…
Central Florida’s Girl Scouts are sitting on 214,000 unsold cookies (not literally)
The local Girl Scouts of Citrus have an astronomical amount of cookies on hand. Even though the number of cookies unsold has dwindled since we last checked, the group is still sitting on 214,000 boxes. Now that the season of cookie sales has been extended, they have a couple of new ways to offload these…
Valencia College adjuncts vote to form a union after years-long push
After five years of organizing at Florida’s second-largest state college, adjunct faculty at Valencia College have successfully formed a union. The election held by Florida’s Public Employees Relation Commission closed on Wednesday and a vote count confirmed the faculty wished to unionize. With this, adjunct professors at Valencia join more than 10,000 adjunct faculty in…
Maitland’s Enzian Theater screens Devo concert film next week
In the arc of Devo’s long music career, they’ve been perceived by the general public as new-wave agitators, then quirky guys in red hats on MTV, and then (sadly?) soothsayers of civilization’s slow decline. (De-evolution, if you will.) Next week, Matiland’s Enzian Theater will screen the concert film Devo: Hardcore Live, wherein the band revisit…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sending law enforcement officers to the US-Mexico border
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that Florida law-enforcement officers will go to Texas and Arizona to help with border control, as Florida continues to challenge the Biden administration in federal court about immigration enforcement. DeSantis’ announcement during a news conference in Pensacola came after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey sent a…
Scalloping season in Florida begins on July 1
One of Florida’s most popular pastimes is coming back this summer. Scalloping, sometimes described a mix of fishing, snorkling, and treasure hunting, will be running from July 1 through September 24 in Crystal River and Homosassa in Citrus County. Along with manatee and fishing season, scalloping is an opportunity to dive into Florida waters while exploring…
Synth-pop pioneers OMD to kick off 2022 U.S. tour in Orlando
British synth-pop innovators Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are returning to these shores next year for a 40th anniversary North American tour. Yes, they will be returning to play Orlando, but they must have really had a good time when they played here in 2018, because the City Beautiful will be the first date on the…
ZooTampa’s Stingray Bay will not reopen after 12 stingrays died of gas bubble disease
Gas bubble disease was the cause of death for the 12 stingrays who mysteriously died at ZooTampa late last month. After initially thinking the investigation would take up to eight weeks, Dr. Larry Killmar, Chief Zoological Officer at ZooTampa, told WFTS that investigators who looked at lab and pathology tests concluded that “a supersaturation event…
Royal Caribbean delays first cruise from Florida after crewmembers test positive for coronavirus
The first voyage of the Royal Caribbean ship Odyssey of the Seas has been postponed after several crew members tested positive for coronavirus. The cruise company’s CEO Michael Bayley posted news of the delay to Facebook, saying that they were pushing back their first cruise from the state in over a year “out of an…
An Orlando gamer recreated Tanqueray’s in ‘The Sims’ (cigarette smoke not included)
The coronavirus pandemic made us nostalgic for all sorts of things we never thought we’d miss. Some people found they pined to be in a workplace; full-grown adults lost their minds over going back to Disney, and many, many people ached for their local watering holes. While the bars are back open, we don’t blame…
MegaCon Orlando adds Doctor Who’s Christopher Eccleston to this summer’s comeback event
MegaCon, the long-running pop-culture fandom blowout in Orlando, is back this summer after nixing in-person events during 2020. And they’ve just announced a big name for the both sci-fi fans and anglophiles (would love for someone to mock up that Venn diagram): Christopher Eccleston of Doctor Who fame. Ecclestone played the fan-favorite Ninth Doctor on the…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is not concerned about new coronavirus variants
As the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday labeled the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus a “variant of concern,” Gov. Ron DeSantis downplayed the potential impact it could have on the state. DeSantis avoided directly answering a reporter’s question about whether the state needs to do more to prepare for the…
Orlando concert picks this week: Rainbow Park, Elizabeth Ward, Tchami and more
Rainbow Park, The Blumes, Fools’ Gold: So you gettin’ down on that nu-indie-tonic-death-wave-trap-core or what? Well, this latest Montgomery Drive showcase eschews all those niche sensibilities and just delivers three straight shots of melodic guitar rock. Between Orlando band the Blumes and Daytona acts Rainbow Park and Fools’ Gold, expect a buoyant blend of alt-rock…
Things to do in Orlando, June 16-22: Taking Back Sunday, ‘The Little Merman,’ T.K. Kirkland and more
Our selections of the best stuff to do this week includes a live monster-movie sendup, a classic emo triple bill, and a skin-crawling lecture about the bacterial tenants of your favorite works of art. Thursday, June 17DisruptorsRedefine boldly promises “a new model of collecting for those seeking bold new styles” and promises to “raise an…
Kombu Sushi Ramen serves popular tastes in a somewhat neglected sector of Winter Park
On this less glamorous, half-forgotten strip of Winter Park, Kombu Sushi Ramen maintains a fittingly low profile. The restaurant sits in a small-boned, blue-and-white building, one that’s seen its fair share of turnover. It’s housed everything from Donatello’s Trattoria and Alfonzo’s Fine Italian to New Orleans Cajun Seafood and, most recently, Bigbelly’s Hawaiian Grindz. But…
Legal Public Notices 06/16 issue
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices AUCTION Extra Space Storage Ð Store 8138 1001 Lee Rd. Orlando FL. 32810 Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at the location indicated: June 25, 2021 @ 12:00 PM Blake Miller – Christmas decorations, Reginal Welch Ð…
Jam Hot Chicken finds a permanent Winter Park roost, PDQ and 4Rivers team up for a sammy and more foodie news
OPENINGS: Local pop-up outfit Jam Hot Chicken will open this summer in Hannibal Square in the space that previously housed Turkish breakfast joint Park Cafe & Bakery, Extract Juice Bar and, most recently, Sausage Shack … Look for yet another concept by Pig Floyd’s owner Thomas Ward. Peggy Floyd’s Luncheonette will offer breakfast, brunch and…
Celebrate Black liberation with Juneteenth parties and events all over town
This week Congress overwhelmingly passed a bill to make Juneteenth, a day marking the end of slavery in the United States, a federal holiday. It’s the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr Day was established in 1983. Friday, June 18: Black Friday Orlando: Juneteenth 2021 Citywide scavenger hunt centered on Orlando’s Black-owned…
‘Black Summer,’ ‘iCarly,’ ‘Penguin Town’ and more streaming debuts this week
Premieres Wednesday: Penguin Town — Remember March of the Penguins? Here’s an eight-episode series that shows a bunch of the tuxedoed little scamps descending upon an African resort to pair up and party. I’m hoping the show’s a big enough hit to justify a second season, so we can see them all sent to Key…
Cute, energetic Pebbles is 8 years old and ready to adopt from Orange County Animal Services
Meet Pebbles (A465678)! Pebbles is 8 years old. She has been returned from adoption several times for being overprotective of family members. She can be territorial with other animals, and plays rough with other dogs. Pebbles, as you may have gathered, is in need of an experienced handler. She is extremely sweet with people but…
New Orlando releases: songs(!) from Jonas Van den Bossche, electronica from jankyswans and more
You’d be forgiven if you didn’t know that experimental Orlando musician Jonas Van den Bossche could play it straight. I didn’t. He’s a well-known figure in the city’s outermost avant-garde circles, usually in the society of noise and free-jazz freaks. But popular music? Come on. As it turns out, though, he can and will do…
