May 11-17, 2022
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Cover Story
Get involved: Here’s a list of local organizations supporting abortion access
If anything is going to change, it’s going to take work. Here’s a list of local and national organizations where you can donate or volunteer, as well as mental health resources for abortion seekers. Access Reproductive Care — Southeast arc-southeast.org Supporting abortion seekers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee with access to…
Florida Music Conference is aiming to highlight the best in Orlando’s sounds this summer
The Florida Music Festival had an unmatched 18-year run as Orlando’s flagship music festival and conference. Then after its 2018 edition, the major event just up and French-exited. But now, just as unexpectedly, it’s coming back. Sort of. Although the same FMF minds are behind it, the event will actually debut as the Florida Music…
Orlando punk band Call in Dead hit hard with timely new single ‘Patriarchy’
Florida and stupid headlines are famous bedmates. Recently, the culture wars have given the ding-dong state enough spotlight to go full monty with the ugly American bit. In the führer — oops, furor — over official idiocy like “Don’t Say Gay,” many of us are absolutely apoplectic right now. Orlando punk band Call in Dead…
Orlando concert picks this week: Laney Jones, Gasoline Heart, Dion Pride
This week, some notable Orlando expats make big homecomings. Laney Jones: Although now Nashville-based, Laney is truly an O-grown product, going from young folk revivalist to budding indie-pop starlet here on these streets. Now, her horizon’s about to widen even more with Stories Up High, her first new album in six years. To properly celebrate,…
Legal Public Notices 5/18/2022
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE NINTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR ORANGE COUNTY STATE OF FLORIDA. JUVENILE DIVISION: 03/TYNAN CASE NO: DP19-15, IN THE INTEREST OF Minor Children: S. J. DOB: 02/21/2007, G. P. DOB: 08/17/2010, J. R. DOB: 04/29/2016. SUMMONS AND NOTICE OF ADVISORY HEARING FOR TERMINATION OF…
Orlando Fringe 2022 review: ‘Bugged Lady’
The most fascinating and frightening introductory biology class you’ll ever attend.
Orlando Fringe 2022 review: ‘Miss Gulch Returns’
A musical vivisection of the stereotyped shrew from ‘The Wizard of Oz.’
Orlando Fringe 2022 review: ‘You-Haul-It’
Powerful performances and a pitch-black outlook on love.
Mooby’s, the fictional fast-food restaurant from the Jay and Silent Bob franchise, pays a return visit to Orlando
Snoochie boochies, y’all! The Cock Smoker is making its prodigious return to Orlando, so open wide ‘cuz this sandwich (yes, it’s a sandwich, what did you think it was?) is a mouthful. Kevin Smith, the man behind the Jay and Silent Bob franchise, will bring his fictional fast-food joint, Mooby’s, to life when it takes…
Florida family finds 550-lb alligator swimming in their pool
A Florida family woke up to find a massive native cooling off in their pool. According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), deputies and officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation (FWC) arrived at a Punta Gorda home to find that a large alligator had broken through the lanai. “Always check your pool…
Orlando Fringe 2022 review: ‘Wanzie With a Z, Part 2: The Rave Years’
A rocking hour of rolling reminiscences in which none of the names of local celebrities have been changed to protect the guilty.
Orlando Fringe 2022 review: ‘Boys Will Be Boys’
A queer cabaret of campy ’mo-tunes set in the basement of American Legion Post No. 69.
Orlando Fringe 2022 review: ‘Undetectable’
Explores issues of trust and intimacy in the age of Grindr and OnlyFans with honesty and humor.
Brit rockers Bring Me the Horizon announce arena show in Orlando this fall
U.K. rockers Bring Me the Horizon have announced a fall North American tour with a mere one Florida show. And it’s set for an arena here in Orlando. The band are kicking off their own British Invasion on Sept. 22 at Louisville’s Louder Than Life festival and Orlando figures in early on Sept. 30. The…
Large alligator removed from in front of St. Cloud elementary school
While we’re not the biggest fans of police at schools, we’ll make an exception when a primordial beast shows up. A school resource officer in St. Cloud was tasked with removing an unruly visitor on Monday, a large gator whose warm spot to laze about just happened to be in front of the doors to…
Orlando Fringe 2022 Review: ‘Preacher’s Kid’
Uplifting show dares to ask the gently radical question, “What is Christianity beyond forgiveness?”
Orlando Fringe 2022 Review: ‘The Untold Story of Hansel and Gretel’
Exactly the kind of silly, sloppy, and seriously Fringey spoof you can count on once a year.
Orlando Fringe 2022 Review: ‘Who! The Dickens?’
Pop-culture nerds will find plenty of inside jokes to chuckle at.
Gorillaz to play Orlando’s Amway Center on first North American tour since 2018
The very real fake band Gorillaz will bring their genre-bending pop and eye-popping spectacle to Orlando this fall. The cartoon group headed up by Blur’s Damon Albarn will perform in the ink at the Amway Center on October 21. The North American leg of their world tour is the band’s first trek to this side…
Orlando Fringe 2022 Review: ‘Raquel’
You don’t need to be fluent in Spanish to be hooked by the emotional arc in this chilling one-woman tale.
Judge lifts stay on injunction against Florida’s new congressional maps
After issuing a temporary injunction last week against a congressional redistricting plan pushed through the Legislature by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Leon County circuit judge Monday ordered that the ruling remain in effect while the state pursues an appeal. The state on Friday appealed Judge Layne Smith’s temporary-injunction ruling to the 1st District Court of…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs law barring protests outside of homes
Gov. Ron DeSantis pointed Monday to abortion-rights protests outside the houses of U.S. Supreme Court justices as he announced signing a measure intended to prevent picketing and protests outside people’s homes. The bill (HB 1571), which was approved by state lawmakers in March and takes effect Oct. 1, will make it illegal to protest outside…
Orlando Fringe 2022 Review: ‘Down The Rabbit Hole’
Every Orlando Fringe features a campy mess that becomes an inexplicable hit.
Orlando Fringe 2022 Review: ‘Carmilla: An American Gothic’
A worthy message about misunderstood monsters from a pair of charismatic lead actresses.
Comedian Bill Burr announces a ‘Slight Return’ to Orlando this fall
Comedian, podcaster and unlikely Mandalorian cast member Bill Burr has announced a second leg of his ‘Slight Return’ stand-up tour. And the 25-city trek will include an Orlando show. The tour sees Burr headlining arenas and amphitheaters around the country, starting early September in Tulsa. Florida folks, you’ve got only three chances to see the…
Michelin Guide reveals which Florida restaurants get stars June 9 at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando
Now that Florida’s taxpayer-funded tourism bureaus have coughed up more than $1 million to bring Michelin Guide inspectors to the Sunshine State, we’ll find out which restaurants receive stars, Bib Gourmands and green stars Thursday, June 9, at 6:30 p.m. at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes. Since Michelin announced they were coming to Orlando, folks…
Carrie Underwood will play Tampa on her ‘Denim & Rhinestones’ tour next year
Carrie Underwood has a new album coming out next month, and she’s made plans to bring it to Tampa next year. Tickets to see Carrie Underwood play Tampa’s Amalie Arena on Feb. 4 go on sale to the public on Friday, May 10 at 10 a.m. and start at $34.75. Jimmie Allen will open the show,…
Emo legends Sunny Day Real Estate to play Orlando on first tour in over a decade
A lot of former sad boys and girls (but let’s be real, mostly boys) woke up to some great news this morning. Emo titans Sunny Day Real Estate were reuniting for their first tour in 12 years. Their Orlando date comes on September 22 at the House of Blues. The new shows are the band’s…
Matt Gaetz’s support of racist ‘Great Replacement’ theory resurfaces following Buffalo shooting
Matt Gaetz’s support of the racist “Great Replacement” theory resurfaced after a white supremacist adherent of the idea went on a racially motivated shooting spree in Buffalo over the weekend. The Florida rep. supported the theory last year, after Fox News host Tucker Carlson landed in hot water for sharing the idea on his show.…
Orlando Magic’s Jonathan Isaac explains refusal of COVID-19 vaccine at right-wing conspiracy conference
Jonathan Isaac hasn’t seen the court since suffering an ACL injury in 2020, but that hasn’t stopped the Orlando Magic star from making headlines. Isaac appeared at a right-wing conspiracy conference over the weekend to tout his negative views of the COVID-19 vaccine and athletes’ protest of police brutality. Isaac is one of the few…
Panama pizza chain Athen’s Pizza will open in former Midici space in Maitland
When Midici at the Maitland City Centre shut its wood-fired ovens down for good last year, it left a pie-sized hole in Maitland’s pizza offerings. But come this winter, pizza will once again be fired up when Athen’s Pizza, a chain out of Panama, moves into the 3,000 square-foot space at 171 S. Orlando Ave. While…
Florida voting rights groups hope to rush redistricting case to state Supreme Court
Pointing to “urgency” as the 2022 elections near, attorneys for voting-rights groups requested Friday that a battle over a new congressional redistricting plan be put on a fast track to the Florida Supreme Court. The attorneys filed a court document seeking to essentially bypass the 1st District Court of Appeal, a procedural move known as…
Gas prices hit another record high
Florida gasoline prices reached another all-time high Friday, climbing to an average of $4.47 a gallon for regular unleaded, according to the AAA auto club. The average price jumped 7 cents a gallon from Thursday and was 28 cents higher than a week ago. The average price in Florida also topped the national average of…
Kendrick Lamar’s only non-festival Florida stop on ‘Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers’ tour is in Tampa
At this very moment, hip-hop fans across the world are probably listening to two albums released today: Kendrick Lamar’s double-LP, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers and Finally, New by Tampa Bay’s own They Hate Change. Local fans already got a chance to see Change this week, but Lamar—who won a Pulitzer for his last studio album, DAMN.—also has…
Adopt calm, gentle, senior Marnie … she’s the perfect couch companion dog for your TV binges
Meet Marnie! We at OCAS are all very excited about the new season of Stranger Things! So for our May promotion, in honor of our favorite character, all adoptions for all animals will be $11. As always, the adoption fee will include rabies vaccination, spay/neuter surgery and a microchip. Now is the time to find…
Savage Love: ‘My bisexual wife and I have an open relationship, but now I’m feeling left out’
Dear Dan: Straight guy here in a one-sided open relationship. My wife and I opened our relationship just for her and to female partners only, so she could explore her bisexual side. I’m super proud of her for coming out and wanted her to feel fulfilled. When we agreed to this, I was naive and…
Doshi, a chef-driven, modern Korean restaurant, will open in Winter Park this summer
A 2,200-square-foot space that once housed Cafe Rio Mexican Grill in the Whole Foods Plaza in Winter Park is about to get a significant upgrade. The trio behind virtual outfit Doshibox Korean Kitchen — Gene Kim, Michael Gillette and Ray Gillette — will vacate their post inside Collab Kitchens to open a modern Korean restaurant…
Bill barring protest outside homes in Florida heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk
A measure intended to prevent picketing and protests outside people’s homes was among eight bills forwarded to Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday. Meanwhile, DeSantis signed 13 bills, including a measure that will more broadly cloak information about people and businesses involved with state executions and the drugs used for lethal injection. The protest bill (HB…
Florida Gov. DeSantis signs law expanding minors’ ability to have records expunged
After the measure received unanimous approval in the House and Senate, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday signed a bill that will expand minors’ ability to have arrest records expunged if they have completed diversion programs. Under current law, minors who have completed diversion programs can be granted records expunctions for misdemeanor offenses. The bill (HB…
New Kona Ice truck to sling shaved ice around Orlando’s Vista Park
The mobile shaved-ice franchise Kona Ice is rolling into Vista Park in Orlando, just in time for the summer. With an eye towards our oncoming forever heat wave, the company is deploying their patented “Kona Entertainment Vehicle” around the the City Beautiful dispensing what iced treats. The KEV joins over 1.000 other similar trucks around…
Ahead of Citrus Brawl in Kissimmee, Impact Wrestling debuts Pride-themed shirt and partnership with CFSL
Impact Wrestling unveiled a new Pride-themed shirt on Wednesday at the LGBT+ Center Orlando. And it will be available for purchase just in time for this weekend’s Citrus Brawl event in Kissimmee. To mark Pride month in June, Impact debuted this rainbow-themed t-shirt as part of a partnership with the Central Florida Softball League and North American…
This year’s Best of Orlando® Readers Poll has double the number of categories
Whoever said good things come in small packages was making excuses. This year’s Best of Orlando® Readers Poll is bigger and better than ever! We have massively expanded the contest, going from six sections with 178 different categories, to 10 sections with more than 350. We want to know your opinions on the best Orlando has…
Lincoln Project calls Ron DeSantis, Matt Gaetz ‘crazy’ and ‘dangerous’ in Apple-aping ad
In a further sign that we all died around 2016 and will be forced to live in its immediate wake forever, The Lincoln Project has released a new ad. The “Never Trump” Republican coalition that successfully convinced party leaders to focus on winning the three of four moderate Republicans left over the traditional party base…
Sabrina Claudio brings ‘Based on a Feeling’ comeback tour to Orlando this summer
Miami R&B singer Sabrina Claudio is back, with a new album Based on a Feeling, and an accompanying summer world tour that includes an Orlando stoop. Based on a Feeling is Claudio’s first long-form musical statement since her 2020 Christmas (!) album Christmas Blues, when the singer took a brief creative hiatus. The tour kicks off…
Men cause 100% of unwanted pregnancies. Period.
Don’t believe me? Let me walk you through it.
Gas prices hit record high in Florida
Gas prices hit a record high in Florida (and across the US) on Thursday, according to a report from AAA. The automotive support club reported that gas hit a national average of $4.41 and Florida gas prices hit $4.39. Both of those are record highs. The average in Florida jumped by seven cents a gallon…
The SCOTUS draft opinion reversing Roe quotes a witch trial judge with odious ideas on rape
Draft Overturning Roe v. Wade Quotes Infamous Witch Trial Judge With Long-Discredited Ideas on Rape by Ken Armstrong When U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, in a draft opinion obtained and published this week by Politico, detailed his justifications for overturning Roe v. Wade, he invoked a surprising name given the case’s subject. In writing…
Florida redistricting map supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis blocked by judge
Finding a congressional redistricting map pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis likely unconstitutional, a circuit judge Wednesday granted a temporary injunction because of changes to a North Florida congressional district where voting-rights groups say the ability of Black voters to elect a candidate of their choice would be eliminated. The secretary of state’s office is expected…
We’ll see you space cowboys at the ‘Cowboy Bebop’ jazz show on May 22
Cowboy Bebop only ran for one season, but it had an outsized influence on what nerds think is cool. The jazz-inflected tale of a group of bounty hunters scraping together a living in a grim far-future where capitalism has left the confines of Earth to ravage the rest of the galaxy avoided being a total…
Orlando chef Josh Oakley leaving The Monroe
Josh Oakley has been a fixture in this city’s dining scene, having put in his time at such venerable restaurants as the Rusty Spoon, Ravenous Pig and Cask & Larder, then making a name for himself at the Smiling Bison and 1921 Mount Dora. But after a year and a half of helming the kitchen…
Orlando area makes Airbnb’s top 10 U.S. trending searches in first quarter of 2022
Here they come again
Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against Florida’s dissolution of Disney’s Reedy Creek district
A federal judge has tossed the first challenge to Florida’s law dissolving Disney’s Reedy Creek special district. The lawsuit filed on behalf of residents of Orange and Osceola counties argued that the dissolution would result in increased taxation for residents forced to bear maintenance costs formerly handled by the Walt Disney World theme park. The…
Seminole County School Board opts out of censoring yearbook over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ protest
The Seminole County School Board reversed course on their decision to censor Lyman High School’s photos of a protest against Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The board voted unanimously on Tuesday not to go ahead with plans to censor the pages in question with full-page stickers, following widespread scrutiny of the move by teachers, students…
Beer ‘Merica returns to Ivanhoe Village this weekend after two-year hiatus
“I can’t believe it’s been three whole years,” says Graham Jarrett, who launched Beer ’Merica as a consumer beer festival for the public with partners City Beverages in 2016. Canceled in 2020 and 2021, the event will happen this Saturday for the first time since 2019. What makes this festival so special, in addition to…
Orlando reproductive rights leaders speak out on the possible end of Roe v. Wade
State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, D-Orlando “It doesn’t stop with dismantling abortion rights.” OW: What was your immediate reaction when you saw the news about the leak? AVE: This is really bad and will be devastating to our collective rights, but is also what I expected to happen based on how conservative the U.S. Supreme…
New on Netflix this week: ‘The Kids in the Hall’ are back! Plus ‘The Getaway King,’ ‘Bling Empire’ Season 2 and more
Premieres Wednesday: 42 Days of Darkness — The first Netflix series produced in Chile is based on the true story of Viviana Haeger, a woman who was considered missing for over a month before she was found murdered in her home. This version of the story adds a sister who crusades for justice to be…
How Orlando’s Michael Donaldson left global DJing behind to reconnect with music (and life)
Q-Burns’ abstract journey
Things to do in Orlando, May 11-17: John Mulaney, Wanda Sykes, Impact Wrestling, Gatorpalooza and more
Our selections of the best stuff to do and see this week. Thursday, May 12 John Mulaney Comedian Mulaney headlines the Addition Financial Arena as part of his “From Scratch” stand-up tour. Mulaney reportedly gets pretty personal during these shows, talking openly about his time in rehab for cocaine and alcohol abuse and his divorce…
Las Vegas’ Area15, a collection of immersive interactive experiences, is opening soon in Orlando
The tourism industries of Las Vegas and Orlando have long been intertwined, with attractions at one destination frequently influencing or inspiring those in the other, from the Hilton’s much-missed Star Trek Experience (the spiritual ancestor of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance) to the Strip’s fantastic new Flyover flight simulator by the creator of Disney’s…
Contemporary classical band Answers are an all-star cast of young Orlando mavericks
The term “contemporary classical” — both words, together — is the very essence of what Orlando band Answers are doing. The players — Thad Anderson (vibrakit, electronics), Chris Belt (electric guitar, electronics), Brandon Kyle Miller (electric bass, electronics), Caitlin Pequignot (violin, electronics) and Béatriz Ramirez (oboe, English horn) — are an all-star cast of young…
Orlando concert picks this week: Gogol Bordello, Wu-Tang Killarmy, Afghan Whigs, North Mississippi Allstars
If you go out, be safe, be cool. Wu-Tang Killarmy: Of the vast Wu-Tang universe, Killarmy is one of the brightest constellations. Besides packing actual pedigree from RZA’s younger brother (9th Prince), this seasoned rap crew deals in the same dark dope that Wu heads live for. The stacked marquee will also feature West Coast…
Detroit-style pizza house SoDough Square opens, Vegan Hot Dog Cart moves indoors and other Orlando food news
Orlando restaurant openings, closings and moves
Taglish, Four Flamingos to host special dinners this week
Orlando food events coming up
Ron DeSantis won’t say whether Florida will further restrict abortion after Supreme Court ruling
Gov. Ron DeSantis was noncommittal Wednesday about whether he will ask lawmakers to further restrict abortion in Florida, as the nation awaits a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion-rights decision. A leaked draft opinion published Monday by Politico would rescind Roe v. Wade, leaving abortion decisions to states.…
