Memorial for Alan Jordan
If you pick up our paper (or read it online) with any regularity, you know what an important voice senior writer Billy Manes has been at Orlando Weekly. He leads the charge each week in Happytown, he covers city business in Councilwatch and state politics and progressive causes in detailed cover stories, blog posts and…
Alley Cat Allies protests Loews Portofino Bay
In January, we covered a dispute between the defenders of a feral cat colony and the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel and Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando. The hotel, which once participated in a Trap-Neuter-Release program (TNR) with a colony of feral cats living on its grounds, began trapping and removing once-welcome cats from…
Photo Gallery: Orlando IMAX 3-D premiere of Marvel’s THE AVENGERS
I’ve enjoyed some welcome perks over the years, thanks to my association with Orlando Weekly, but this weekend I got the best bonus ever. On the morning of Saturday April 14, I had the honor of representing OW as emcee of the Orlando IMAX 3-D premiere of Marvel’s The Avengers. In case you’ve been living…
Selection Reminder: Loma Prieta tonight at Will’s Pub!
Monday, April 16 – Loma Prieta with Abuse, Arc and Panther, the Caution Children, Knife Hits 9 p.m. Will’s Pub 1042 N. Mills Ave. 407-898-5070 willspub.org $7 The Steve Zissou impersonation world has found its new mustard-topped hero. I’m referring to one-half of the Orlando paramount promotions pair: Norse Korea. Captain Brad, and co-captain Kyle,…
Sunday Film News Roundup — April 15th, 2012
So, unless you’ve been living under a rock this week you probably already know that the Florida Film Festival is underway. It is, I believe, the biggest edition of the festival yet, and the handful of films I’ve seen while we were going through our reviews were all good. My picks for can’t-miss of the…
‘Showgirls’ scribe: Working with Gibson the real development hell
As Jon Stewart goes, so goes the nation. And when he says the media feeding frenzy over the George Zimmerman trial has begun, it truly has begun. [youtube X8xcJMwVLlU] Central Florida can now sleep soundly in its collective bed, knowing that the coming months will once again thrust us into the national spotlight 24/7 as…
Selection Reminder: Hunx and His Punx tonight at Will’s Pub!
Saturday, April 14 – Hunx and His Punx with Natural Child, Girls on the Beach 8 p.m. Will’s Pub 1042 N. Mills Ave. 407-898-5070 willspub.org $10 If filmmaker John Waters invented a rock band, it would be Hunx and His Punx, a garage rock meets ’60s girl group fronted by the in-your-face, flamboyantly gay Seth…
Selection Reminder: The Festival of Light and Sound!
Saturday, April 14 – The Festival of Light and Sound 6:30 p.m. the Plaza Live 425 N. Bumby Ave. 407-228-1220 plazaliveorlando.com $10-$12 While it often seems like a never-ending pursuit, documentary film Happy, a collaborative effort of Oscar-winning director Roko Belic (Genghis Blues) and producer Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Liar Liar), traversed the…
Selection Reminder: Second Saturday: 15 Views of Orlando!
Saturday, April 14 – Second Saturday: 15 Views of Orlando 2-5 p.m. Orlando Public Library 101 E. Central Blvd. 407-835-7323 burrowpress.com free It could be said that we write about Burrow Press a lot. (OK, it has been said.) But we continue to be knocked out by its execution of a relatively simple idea: to…
Selection Reminder: BarCamp Orlando tomorrow!
Saturday, April 14 – BarCamp Orlando 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Plaza Cinema Café 155 S. Orange Ave. 10th and 20th floors free The first rule of BarCamp is that everybody participates in BarCamp. And really, it seems, that is the only rule. At a BarCamp, everyone who signs up is expected to do a short presentation…
Selection Reminder: Drive-By Truckers and Centro-Matic tonight at the Beacham!
Friday, April 13 – Drive-By Truckers and Centro-Matic 7 p.m. the Beacham 46 N. Orange Ave. 407-246-1419 thebeacham.com $20-$25 By simultaneously embodying and dismantling long-held notions of the American South, alternative Southern-rock kings Drive-By Truckers have become unlikely legends. And they did it with scale, songmanship and ambition. Though perhaps not in profile, progressive Texas…
Selection Reminder: Andrew Spear at Culture & Cocktails!
Friday, April 13 – Culture & Cocktails 6-9 p.m. Germaine Marvel Building Maitland Art & History Museums 210 W. Packwood Ave., Maitland 407-539-2181 artandhistory.org $5 It used to be that graffiti and street art were a thing of the underground. Something the kids did to damn the man and get their voices heard. The street-art…
FFF Straggler Reviews: I Wish – Hirokazu Koreeda (4 stars)
Train A leaves the station traveling south at 220km/s. Train B leaves the station traveling north, also at 220km/s. When they meet in the middle, a miracle will happen. Only in a Japanese film could a math problem loathed around the world become the plot to hang a children’s adventure film on, but that’s exactly what Hirokazu…
“A Statement from Frances Cobain”
Of all the generally pointless crap that finds its way into my inbox, getting stuff like this makes up for it. A STATEMENT FROM FRANCES COBAIN: While I’m generally silent on the affairs of my biological mother, her recent tirade has taken a gross turn. I have never been approached by Dave Grohl in more…
FFF 2012 straggler reviews: An Affair of the Heart (2 stars)
It took about an hour into An Affair of the Heart (12 p.m. Saturday, April 14 at Regal Winter Park; 9:30 p.m. Thursday, April 19 at Enzian Theater), DeLand director Sylvia Caminer’s documentary/EPK on Rick Springfield and the surprisingly huge gaggle of devoted, middle-aged human-resources reps who follow him on land, sea and air, before…
Opening in Orlando — April 13th, 2012
Blue Like Jazz — This adaptation of campus minister Donald Miller’s soul-searching autobiography was dead in the water until fans on KickStarter contributed more than $300,000 to get it completed. Hey, why do you think they call ’em “angels”? (PG-13) [youtube GOglQgyxYkI] Bully — Reviewed this week. (PG-13) The Cabin in the Woods — Reviewed…
Selection Reminder: Kevin James heads to Hard Rock Live tomorrow!
Friday, April 13 – Kevin James 7 p.m. Hard Rock Live 6050 Universal Blvd. 407-351-5483 hardrock.com $53-$73
FFF 2012 straggler reviews: Where Do We Go Now? (3 stars)
Co-written, directed by and starring the stunning Nadine Labaki, Where Do We Go Now? (5 p.m. Sunday, April 22 at Regal Winter Park) taps into so many zeitgeist-y, late-night high-deas of how to fix the world – drugs, sex and soap operas? – and zigs and zags in tone so frantically, that part of its…
On Sale This Week: Tab Benoit!
On Sale: Friday, April 13 Tab Benoit 7 p.m. Saturday, July 7 the Plaza Live plazaliveorlando.com 407-228-1220 $20 Down the road: The Gipsy Kings, April 19 at Hard Rock Live Blackbird Blackbird, April 20 at Will’s Pub Mac Miller, April 20 at UCF Arena The Maine, April 21 at House of Blues Melvins, April 23…
Local hero
Winter Park gets a visit from “eat local” guru Joel Salatin
Happytown
We’re sick of firestorms. Yes, this month’smunicipal elections were a muted exercise in well-dressed hand-sitting that resulted in the sort of status quo “mandate”that only a 16 percent turnout can produce (not exactly a firestorm, then, unless you count the baby-daddy nonsense coming from Commissioner Sam Ings’ camp), but before that we had all of…
Saffran – review
Icelandic chain specializing in wholesome world cuisine will drag you to health
Restraint play
Local metal band Demons bring an outsider’s perspective to a malleable genre
The Bar Tab
Redlight Redlight Beer Parlour is moving! No longer will patrons be confined to the fractal parking metrics of the bar’s current digs on Bennett Road – the owners are renovating a bigger two-story space on Corrine Drive in Audubon Park. They’ll be taking over the space with the cool, vintage Carrier Air Conditioning-Heating signage out…
Hamlet
In the Wings’ ambitious staging of the Shakespeare tragedy sadly misses the mark
2012 Florida Film Festival
The 2012 Florida Film Festival’s brightest star is Central Florida itself. Are we ready for our close-up?
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Some people misunderstand the do-it-now fervor of the Aries tribe, thinking it must inevitably lead to carelessness. Please prove them wrong in the coming weeks. Launch into the interesting new possibilities with all your exuberance unfurled. Refuse to allow the natural energy to get hemmed in by theories and concepts. But…
Savage Love
I’m getting married in a few months, and I wouldn’t be so blissfully in love if it weren’t for your advice
Live Active Cultures
Forever Florida’s new EcoPark uses thrill-generated tourism dollars to preserve wild Florida
Truth and consequences
Van Halen gives good nostalgia. Isn’t that enough?
This Little Underground
Bao Le-Huu takes on RadioShaq, Mirabeau, We were Promised Jetpacks, New Roman Times and more.
Council Watch
Billy Manes paying attention to local government so you don’t have to
Rough draught
Bars for film buffs
The Cabin in the Woods
Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard’s twisty take on slasher flicks re-energizes and re-invents a stale genre
The Are We Sunk? Index
How quickly is Florida sinking into the ocean this week?
Feminine divine
Solillaquists of Sound’s Alexandrah Sarton takes front and center
Bully
Contemplative and controversial, Bully finally arrives. It merits a field trip
The Raid: Redemption
The Raid: Redemption 5 Stars (R) The set-up is simple: A van full of cops is going to raid a building full of criminals, quickly and quietly, hoping to take down the kingpin upstairs, once and for all. The Raid: Redemption is all business like that. The first shot of the film gives us a…
FFF Film and Food Celebration
What was in former years a feast of culinary content and events has slimmed down this year into a svelte menu of just two food-focused feature films and three culinary events. (I guess everybody wants to take that belt in a notch.) But as the saying goes, quality is more important than quantity, and this…
Maakies
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George Zimmerman charged with 2nd degree murder in Trayvon Martin shooting
About half an hour ago, special prosecutor Angela Corey announced that she is charging George Zimmerman with 2nd degree murder in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Right now, Martin family attorney Benjamin Crump is on TV saying that he hopes people will follow the example of Trayvon’s parents in “being peaceful.” “Trayvon’s legacy cannot be…
Taste of Winter Park set to showcase local eateries
Wednesday, April 18 – 27th Annual Taste of Winter Park 5-8 p.m. Winter Park Farmers’ Market 200 W. New England Ave. 407-644-8281 $40-$45 With so many delectable dining choices in the Winter Park area, it’s sometimes difficult to choose where to go for dinner. And if you’re like us, the must-try restaurant list is ever…
George Zimmerman’s MIA, lawyers quit case
At a press conference about an hour ago, we learned: Nobody knows where George Zimmerman is right now. His lawyers, or “legal advisors,” have withdrawn from the case. See video here. Zimmerman talked to Sean Hannity off the record, but nobody knows what they talked about. Though he’s currently MIA, he did post to his…
Selection Reminder: Nautique Wake Games kick off tomorrow!
Wednesday-Saturday, April 11-14 – Nautique Wake Games various times through April 14 Orlando Watersports Complex 8615 Florida Rock Road kingofwake.com $7-$13 Coastal cities in Florida can keep their big waves for surfing, because here in Orlando, we have (what seems like) hundreds of lakes, which easily lends to a massive wakeboarding culture. Orlando continues to…
Wes Anderson’s Instagram Moment
Yesterday, the joke of the day on Twitter (by comedian Rob Delaney as far as I can tell) was that The Social Network 2 would be about Facebook buying Instagram — the fake vintage photo app — and Wes Anderson would direct it. It was a good a joke, of course, even if it’s just a continuation…
New website for George Zimmerman
A new website has gone live that is reportedly tied to George Zimmerman. Called The Real George Zimmerman, the site contains a statement allegedly from Zimmerman himself: As a result of the incident and subsequent media coverage, I have been forced to leave my home, my school, my employer, my family and ultimately, my entire…
