Cute baby animals, Earth Day edition
Did you celebrate Earth Day by being extra green? Did you remember to take out your recycling and did you buy a rain barrel at the Earth Day celebration this past weekend, and maybe plant a vegetable garden in your yard? Good, you made this baby zebra happy. He’s so happy he’s prancing for you.…
Magical Gentrification: New DeVos plan to entertainingly reinvent blighted downtown area revealed (but not really)
This morning at City Hall, Orlando Magic chief executive officer Alex Martins greased back his hair (again) to reveal just what has been going on in the heads of the Magic brass – and, specifically, its ownership, Amway God Rich DeVos – with regard to the long ballyhooed Amway Arena-adjacent entertainment complex it’s been studying.…
Scoring the emotional aftermath of a breakup
The shock of a breakup doesn’t just shake up your ego, it can demolish it directly upon impact. That heartache era is a confounding time where it becomes nearly impossible to trust yourself, and it becomes challenging to trust your friends. So in your starkest moments of unfettered neediness, you might begin to soundtrack your…
Del the Funky Homosapien might be cooler than Ice Cube
Monday, April 22 – Del the Funky Homosapien with Bukue One, J. Wise, Suspect 8 p.m. The Social 54 N. Orange Ave. 407-246-1419 thesocial.org $15-$20 Who’s cooler than Ice Cube? You could make a case for his cousin, Del the Funky Homosapien, whose raps have a different brand of humor that relies on the old-school…
Sunday Film News Roundup — April 21st, 2013
The Onion absolutely nailed it with their headline the other day, “Jesus, This Week”. To ignore everything else that happened this week, lets take a look at the the 2013 Festival de Cannes, which announce the main competition and Un Certain Regard lineups (and special screenings) this week. It looks like a great lineup, featuring…
NYT: Koch Bros. definitely eyeing Tribune newspapers
Image via Don’t Let the Koch Bros. buy Tribune petition: http://eslkevin.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/dont-let-the-koch-brothers-buy-the-tribune-company/ In March, we reported in Happytown that there was some speculation that the Koch Bros., the conservative, wealthy duo from Koch Family Industries who use their money to throw their weight behind such dubious causes as ALEC and Americans for Prosperity, were rumored…
Monday “Frost/Nixon” talkback with OW’s Schneider
Frost/Nixon co-director John DiDonna has just announced that a special talkback session will follow the Monday, April 22, performance of the show at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center. The guest will be Orlando Weekly’s very own me, discussing the perils and pitfalls of historical fiction. If you read my review of the play, you know I have…
Soul of Da City presents Smashington Music and Art Festival
Saturday, April 20 – Smashington Music and Art Festival 1 p.m.-1 a.m. Castle Knights Event Center 4910 Edgewater Drive soulofdacity.com $10-$15 Fun fact: If you were to put Orlando’s biggest and baddest names in local music in a room together, your head would explode. OK, so it’s not a fun fact, but it’s an interesting…
Ken Burns’ “Central Park Five” on PBS (Updated: Free Stream)
Ken Burns’ controversial documentary about the Central Park Jogger case — wherein five juveniles (four black, 1 Hispanic) were arrested and imprisoned for the rape of Trisha Meili in 1989 — airs on PBS for the first time tonight. The film caused even more controversy last year in the weeks before its theatrical release when…
TGIF: Famous Fridays
It’s Friday at 4:15, and Billy Manes and I are the ONLY ONES left here in the Bloggytown offices. So, while Billy is finishing up this week’s installment of Happytown, I am killing time. And since you probably are, too, I’ll share with you my afternoon research. Topic: How many famous people or characters are…
Waiting for Superman: Truth, just us, and the American way
You know the unemployment crisis is ongoing when we can’t even be sure there’s a job for Superman. The big guy turned 75 this week, just two days after the world saw the final trailer for his upcoming, make-or-break cinematic reboot, Man of Steel. And it isn’t only Time Warner that’s wondering if that world still…
Score used treasures at the Knights Plaza Garage Sale
Saturday, April 20 – Knights Plaza Garage Sale 9 a.m.-3 p.m. UCF Arena Building 50, N. Gemini Blvd. 407-882-8600 knightsplaza.com/garage-sale free-$10 We know a (probably not-so) secret when it comes to garage sale shopping: One of the best places to score used treasures is move-out day on a college campus. We’ve scoured the end-of-semester piles…
Eco-friendly workshops, live music and more at Central Florida Earth Day
photo by Anna McCambridge-Thomas Saturday, April 20 – 8th Annual Central Florida Earth Day 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Lake Eola Park 195 N. Rosalind Ave. 321-331-1859 cfearthday.org free Did you know that Orlando hosts the longest-running Earth Day celebration in Central Florida? It’s eight years old, and this year’s fest, set in picturesque Lake Eola Park,…
Jessica Earley presents experimental performance at the Venue
photo by Jorgen Nicholas Trygved Friday, April 19 – HYPER-Bolic 7 p.m. The Venue 511 Virginia Drive 407-412-6895 thevenueorlando.com $5 The most confounding part of a breakup is that you have all of these feelings but the person you’re closest to, the one you’re used to confiding in, is the one who’s gone. So what…
Weird new WWE incubator will change the world 100 wrestlers at a time, says Rick Scott. WOOF!
So, a bodyslam from across the ropes for our economy, then! We sent our intern Shelby England – ON HIS LAST DAY, SIGH – to cover Gov. Rick Scott’s appearance in at the Full Sail-adjacent new WWE violence complex, and this is what he brought back. You might know by now that Gov. Scott has…
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone stops by Rollins College
photo by Michael Segal Thursday, April 18 – An Evening With Oliver Stone 7:30 p.m. Alfond Sports Center, Rollins College 1000 Holt Ave., Winter Park 407-691-1995 rollins.edu/wpi free Academy Award-winning director and filmmaker Oliver Stone stops by Rollins College this week for a discussion with students and the surrounding community. You might know Stone for…
Is the Enzian hoping to expand its theater?
The Enzian Theater could be seeking to almost triple its current size by adding two screens and two lobbies to its existing building, according to the City of Maitland and other sources with knowledge of the plans. The independent art cinema currently has just one screen, in addition to an outdoor bar and restaurant. In…
Win two tickets to see Anthony Bourdain April 26 at Hard Rock!
Chef/writer/TV puppet/Paula Deen hater/Ramones tubthumper/silver fox Anthony Bourdain is coming to Orlando to give us all a piece of his mind… and we can’t wait. His “Guts and Glory: An Evening With Anthony Bourdain” tour is stopping at Hard Rock Live in Orlando Friday, April 26, and we have a pair of tickets for you! Keep…
Theatre Review: Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Did you ever wonder what might happen if you handed the folks who produce the female impersonator revues at the Footlights Theater a ginormous bag of money and told them to go crazy? The answer, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, can be found at the Bob Carr, where the blinged-out lavender caravan known as Priscilla…
Nearly 50 local eateries dish it out at Taste of Winter Park
Wednesday, April 17 – Taste of Winter Park 5-8 p.m. Winter Park Farmers Market 200 W. New England Ave., Winter Park 407-644-8281 winterpark.org $40-$45 Why choose only one meal from only one of the many lauded Winter Park restaurants, when you can nibble your way through bite-sized samples from a multitude of them? At the…
Fabled NFL announcer Pat Summerall dead at 82
Known as the voice of the National Football League, legendary sports broadcaster Pat Summerall died yesterday in Dallas at the age of 82. He was a Lake City, Fla. native and spent 21 seasons as an NFL commentator alongside John Madden. “With a nod to the past and a look to the future.” You will…
Cash for stolen gold
Do Florida’s pawnbroking laws further victimize victims of crime?
Opening in Orlando
Movies opening this week: The ABCs of Death, Lore, Oblivion, Starbuck
This Little Underground
Our live music columnist discusses Buildings, El Ten Eleven and Lauris Vidal
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19) The writer Oliver Burkeman has some advice that would be helpful for you to hear right now: “When you assume your current preferences won’t alter, you’ll make bad decisions: embarking on a career or marriage, say, not with a view to its durability, but solely based on how it makes you…
Local band the Attack ambitiously celebrates Record Store Day
The Attack goes on a six-city, single-day tour to promote their Record Store Day release
Obstinance-only medication
State goes to ridiculous measures in efforts to thwart expansion of Medicaid
Album Reviews
Reviews of albums by Rob Zombie, Ghostface Killah , and Kid Cudi
Not your father’s Dick
Empty Spaces’ gripping Frost/Nixon is better as drama than history
Record Store Day Release Review: Sub Pop 1000
Sub Pop’s 25th anniversary release explores the dark corners of the global music scene
The Place Beyond the Pines
Ryan Gosling stars in this lyrical ode to father-son relationships and tortured male identity
Soapboxer
What’s a few million dollars between friends
Lupe Fiasco and Sky Gellatly headline FMF as the Soundclash
The charitable motivation for their 2012 EP resonates with FMF ethos
Drinking, Nightlife and Parties
Where to drink and party in Orlando this week
Alan Grayson does a Reddit.com Ask Me Anything
Congressman talks about Social Security cuts, refuses to post photo of himself with a cat
In Your Queue
A selection of baseball movies that aren’t insufferably sentimental
Could this be the future of farming?
Green Sky Growers shows the way with a self-contained aquaponics system on a Winter Garden rooftop
Savage Love
I am uncircumcised, and the opening at the end of my foreskin is not large enough for the head of my penis to pass through. This means my foreskin doesn’t pull back when I get an erection. The Internet says this is a condition called “phimosis,” and a lot of medical websites recommend circumcision. I’m…
Iza Tapas Bar
Cozy Thornton Park tapas bar comes up big on flavor and portions
On sale this week: FLO RIDA at Hard Rock Live
On sale now! FLO RIDA 7 p.m. Thursday, May 16 Hard Rock Live 6050 Universal Blvd. 407-351-5483 hardrock.com $35-$55 Down the road: Gwar, April 24 at The Beacham Mercer and Johnson, April 25 at Will’s Pub Sound Tribe Sector 9, April 25 at The Beacham Anthony Bourdain, April 26 at Hard Rock Live Alice…
Electronic duo Crystal Castles bring their notable live show to the Beacham
Tuesday, April 16 – Crystal Castles with Doldrums 8 p.m. The Beacham 46 N. Orange Ave. 407-246-1419 thesocial.org sold out Crystal Castles have an established reputation for their live show, and the unanimous verdict seems to be best expressed by the profuse use of endless exclamation marks. The duo, known for nostalgic reference points like…
