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23 free concerts this week in Orlando (12/23-12/29)
[Editor’s note: It’s probably safest to check with clubs for holiday hours on recurring shows this week.] Wednesday, Dec. 23 Eugene Snowden’s Ten Pints of Truth 10 p.m. at Lil Indies, 1036 N. Mills Ave. The Imperial’s Acoustic Soundcheck With Sarah Purser 9 p.m. at the Imperial at Washburn Imports, 1800 N. Orange Ave. Leisure…
Trump feuds with PolitiFact for branding his misstatements ‘2015 Lie of the Year’
Presidential candidate and part-time Florida resident Donald Trump criticized PolitiFact, the fact-checking project run by the Tampa Bay Times, for awarding him its “2015 Lie of the Year” award. PolitiFact says it checked 77 statements Trump made this year, and out of those, 76 percent were “Mostly False, False or Pants on Fire” on its…
Market report: Brussels sprouts on the stalk at Fresh Market, Trader Joe’s
Chances are, you’ve probably only purchased Brussels sprouts already harvested from the stalk they grow on, ready to roast or boil or sauté with bacon and almonds. If you haven’t seen them coming out of the ground, you might not know how they actually grow, but it looks like two grocery stores in town are…
Pho Curry Ford is now Pho and Roll (UPDATED)
Most who’ve eaten there, including our restaurant critic Faiyaz Kara, agree: Pho Curry Ford serves some of the best pho in town (despite being outside the unofficial Pho District, Mills 50). However, it did not go unnoticed by some of us that, if you pronounce “pho” correctly, saying the name of the restaurant … well,…
According to WalletHub, Orlando and Salt Lake City are the two best cities for singles ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Last week, WalletHub (a company which might exist simply to put out statistical surveys that make you go “wait what now?”) informed us that they had put together a list of the Top 10 Best and Worst Cities for Singles. No. 1? Salt Lake City. No. 2? Orlando, the City Beautiful. WalletHub: “To identify the…
Local nonprofit wants to bring mobile shower units to Orlando to give the homeless a place to get clean
Three years ago, Briana Daniel was a recent college grad. She had moved downtown and she couldn’t help but notice the surprising number of homeless people living in and around the city’s center. She wanted to do something to help these people who were sleeping in doorways and parks, but she wasn’t sure what it…
Stupid-easy Christmas candy pretty much anyone can make
The best part about both of these recipes is that the end result looks much harder to make than it actually is. (You could just dip pretzel rods in chocolate and peppermint, but it’s way less impressive.) Go on, jump in, look like a hero at your holiday get-together. And don’t overthink it; it’s just…
Florida gets more crowded as population surpasses 20 million
Forget that elbow room, Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau reported Tuesday that the state’s population surpassed 20 million people for the first time, at exactly 20,271,272 residents, earlier this summer. Florida is the third most populous state after California, with a population of 39.1 million, and Texas, with a population of 27.5 million. Two years…
You can now get a free shotgun with jewelry purchase in DeLand, Florida
A jewelry store in DeLand, Florida, is running a holiday promotion that involves giving away free firearms with the purchase of select jewelry because, as we all know, “Diamonds are forever,” but only if you have a shotgun. According to Fox 35, Jesse Czerok, the owner of Downtown Goldsmith & Engraving and 2nd Amendment Firearms, feels…
Take a break from the holiday crush at the Morse Museum’s Christmas Eve Open House
We look forward to this event every year – step inside the dimly lit lobby of the Morse Museum on Christmas Eve and you’ll forget all about the malls, the shopping, the family drama and your pending holiday credit-card bill. Immerse yourself in the beauty of illuminated Tiffany windows and let the sounds of carols…
Will’s Pub hosts a holiday party full of talented locals like Luscious Lisa and Brown Bag Brass Band
If you’re dreading another holiday party full of ugly sweaters and Bing Crosby, you may want to swing by Will’s Pub for a holiday party that eschews everything but the egg nog. Warm up (assuming it ever gets cold) with mariachi-style punk covers from ¡Controla Esto! – the south-of-the-border version of local ska stars Control…
Watch stranded passengers get rescued from SeaWorld’s Sky Tower right now
Maintenance crews and local authorities are currently working to safely rescue passengers stuck on SeaWorld Orlando’s Sky Tower attraction. According to WESH, who is currently filming a live broadcast of the whole ordeal, passengers have been stuck for over two hours in the 400 ft. observation tower. SeaWorld has stated that everyone is safe, but…
Orlando Magic gives $1.5 million to UCF’s downtown campus
The Orlando Magic pledged to donate $1.5 million toward the University of Central Florida’s downtown campus, the Creative Village project, according to a UCF news release. UCF is trying to raise $20 million in private donations along with $20 million from its own funds before asking the state for another $20 million. Orange County Commissioners…
4 more restaurants open on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day
We already reported on Tapa Toro’s paella parties on Dec. 24 and 25, but there are more places that have made themselves available if you just can’t bring yourself to cook one more holiday meal. Buca di Beppo The family-style Italian restaurant will be open on both days, so bring the whole family for pasta,…
Miami is about to get one of the craziest malls ever conceived
While here in Orlando we’ve been focused on the so-called “megamall” coming to the corner of I-Drive and Kirkman down in Miami a true megamall is being planned. The American Dream Miami is currently going through the approval process now. The new mall from the retail and real estate group Triple Five will be located…
Florida mail carrier who landed gyrocopter on Capitol lawn wants Congress seat
Landing a one-man gyrocopter on the U.S. Capitol lawn as a political protest and being arrested for it is apparently not enough excitement for Doug Hughes this year. Now, the Ruskin mail carrier wants a spot in Congress. The Associated Press reports Hughes is a Democrat and plans to run against a South Florida Democrat…
New Harry Potter films could mean even more Potter presence in Universal Studios
Warner Brothers released the first trailer of the much anticipated Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film recently. While the new trailer gives little detail on the new trilogy coming out of the Potter Universe we did get confirmation that the new film will take place in 1920s New York City. The new movie…
Some local idiots painted federally protected gopher tortoises
Two federally protected and threatened gopher tortoises were founded covered in paint this week in the East Orlando area. Officials from the Back to Nature Refuge & Education Center are saying on Wednesday, Dec. 16, two different incidents occurred involving someone painting gopher tortoises, one from Blanchard Park and the other from Pine Hills. The two…
Floridians for Solar Choice may have to postpone solar initiative until 2018
Today, in a press release posted to its website, Floridians for Solar Choice announced that it may have to postpone its effort to get a solar-energy initiative on the ballot for 2016. The problem, according to the organization, is that it may not have enough time to gather the signatures it needs by the Feb.…
This Tampa family’s Christmas card is ruining everyone’s Christmas
On Dec. 16, Rachel Yoshida, a 19-year-old from Tampa, Florida, uploaded her family’s annual Christmas card to Reddit and uh … just take a look at what’s going on here. The post has already racked up more than 2 million views and it’s pretty easy to see why. It’s creepy. However, let’s break it down…
New metal detectors, security measures added to Disney, SeaWorld and Universal
After a few days of rumblings, every major theme park in Orlando unveiled new security measures on Thursday, December 17. All U.S. Disney parks and all NBC Universal parks unveiled metal detectors at the front gates. SeaWorld Orlando has also unveiled metal detectors wands. However, as of Thursday afternoon there were no reports of wands…
Sweater Fest drapes the Milk District in itchy, funky holiday cheer on Saturday
The usually scarcely populated and grimy back lot of the Spacebar and Sandwich Bar in the Milk District is about to get a lot more warm and fuzzy. You know that holiday sweater you swore you would never wear after 2012? It’s time to dust it off for Saturday’s Sweater Fest. Besides the multiple circles…
Notes from the Moonstone Music Festival media announcement
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND Another big new music festival hopeful is afoot in Orlando. This latest one is the Moonstone Music Festival. Before this week’s media announcement event at the Orlando Eye (Dec. 15), I knew as much about it as you did: nothing. So as I walk up on the scene, I’m taking in as…
FAU is trying to fire professor who says Sandy Hook was a hoax
Florida Atlantic University is currently in the process of trying to get rid of James Tracy, a communications professor and conspiracy theorist who says the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting where 20 children were killed is a hoax. Tracy, who teaches three classes, including COM 4930: Culture of Conspiracy, isn’t new to this theory. For…
Florida Supreme Court: If medical marijuana petition gets enough signatures, it can go on 2016 ballot
Today, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the ballot language submitted by United for Car, the John Morgan-backed medical marijuana initiative in Florida, is unambiguous, in line with statutory regulations regarding ballot initiatives and “accurately represents” the proposed amendment. In other words, as long as the organization gathers enough signatures from the public, medical marijuana…
Tapa Toro hosts all-you-can-eat paella parties on Dec. 24 and 25
If the photo above makes you go “YESSSSS!” you might be interested in spending Christmas Eve or Christmas Day with Tapa Toro at I-Drive 360. The surrealist Spanish restaurant helmed by LCB Orlando alum Wendy Lopez is hosting two crazy all-you-can-eat paella parties, featuring both their meat-lovers’ paella (chicken and chorizo) and their seafood paella…
Le Cordon Bleu’s Orlando campus is closing
Le Cordon Bleu announced it is closing all 16 of its cooking schools in the U.S. Wednesday, including the campus in Orlando, and indicated new federal regulations are impacting career colleges. Le Cordon Bleu’s parent company Career Education Corp. said in a press release that it was trying to sell the schools, but after they…
Report finds Florida clings to death penalty despite nationwide decline
Although Florida only executed two people this year (down from eight in 2014), the nonprofit research organization Death Penalty Information Center found the state to have “outlier practices” when it comes to administering the death penalty. The year-end report by DPIC found the death penalty “declined by virtually every measure in 2015,” according to its website.…
Hot rapper Travis Scott brings his ‘Rodeo’ to Venue 578 Friday
Nobody can touch Travis Scott’s style in the hip-hop or pop world, and his 2015 debut, Rodeo, could not have been more hotly anticipated or more righteously received. Since he joined Kanye West’s GOOD Music, his fans have hungered for more than the mixtapes and bold production that allowed Scott’s reputation to explode (notably on…
Watch this Florida bicyclist encounter an alligator, or crocodile, or whatever
There are plenty of reasons why Florida is statistically the deadliest state to ride a bike, and so it doesn’t help that our bike paths are littered with logs, or alligators, or crocodiles … or whatever. “Sick and tired of people putting these logs across the pa– oh that’s a crocodile, or alligator … whatever,”…
This is what the Jeb Bush watch party looked like in Miami
Jeb Bush supporters held a watch party in Miami last night for the Republican presidential debates, and, apparently, it was a terribly depressing affair. The photo was posted on Twitter at 8 p.m. last night by Washington Post’s Matea Gold. As you can clearly see the room is about 3% full, which is exactly what…
6 IKEA swaps to add some Sweden to your holiday spread
Next to the eggnog, the turkey, the ham, the mac & cheese, the green bean casserole and all the other trimmings that go along with your typical holiday buffet table, IKEA is making it pretty dang tempting to include some Swedish classics to that lineup. Or, if you’re really looking to shake things up (and…
Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The movie event of the decade is here, and, no, it does not live up to the hype. Though it’s an enjoyable, thrilling adventure and worlds better than The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, it exists in a cinematic galaxy far, far away from the original trilogy. If you don’t know the basic…
Picks This Week: AC Slater, Jimi Hendrix Tribute and more
Festival of Light: An Intimate Evening With Matisyahu “There are some people who get it and there are some people that don’t, and that’s what it is,” Matisyahu says in a phone interview. “I have no control over who understands my life and who doesn’t understand it and who understands my music and who doesn’t.…
Opening in Orlando: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, The Assassin and Hitchcock/Truffaut
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip Hey, somebody’s not going to be able to get into Star Wars, right? And just maybe that somebody is going to be a dad with one or more kids aged 10 or under – kids who won’t take turning around and going home for an answer. And just…
This Little Underground: Punk on the Patio debuts in January
Although indie booking giant Foundation Presents is as defining a force as it gets in this city’s music scene, it’s not on the local front. But Marshal Rones, one of the group’s newer and most enterprising staff members, has been changing that. This summer, he initiated free Monday shows at Olde 64. In the new…
Savage Love (12/16/15)
I’m a straight 26-year-old man in a happy, monogamous relationship with my fiancée. I was always vanilla, but she enjoys rougher sex and light bondage. We’ve incorporated some of this into our sex lives, and we are both happy with how fun it is. She has expressed interest in a rape fantasy. Both of us…
Free Will Astrology (12/16/15)
ARIES (March 21-April 19) The Neanderthals were a different human species that co-existed with our ancestors, homo sapiens, for at least 5,000 years. But they eventually died out while our people thrived. Why? One reason, says science writer Marcus Chown, is that we alone invented sewing needles. Our newborn babies had well-made clothes to keep…
Gimme Shelter (12/16/15)
Looking for a friend who will give you unconditional love? Meet Chloe (A337304), a sweet 1-year-old dog who was recently found as a stray near Apopka Boulevard. Chloe is a little shy at first, but once she spends some time with you, her loving personality shines through. Chloe has tested positive for heartworm disease, but…
At the state level, 2015 was all about bear hunting and witch hunting
The year in state news
Selections: Our picks of the week’s best events, Dec. 16-22
Wednesday, 16 Camp Movie Night: The Star Wars Holiday Special FILM It’s almost here. Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in theaters this Friday, Dec. 18, and is set to become the biggest movie release of all goddamn time. But are your expectations set too high? Are you ensuring that you endure prequel-level disappointment by…
Spend your vacation days reading the best books that came out in 2015
Top 21 page-turners
Lulu Eightball (12/16/15)
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Our fave five restaurants that opened this year … plus two more
Top tables 2015
This Modern World (12/16/15)
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Thirsty Topher finally opens on Virginia, Bosphorous coming to Lake Nona and more in local foodie news
The Thirsty Topher has finally opened in their new location on Virginia Drive. One note: They are instituting a cash-only policy, though there is an ATM housed inside the bar. Customers using the ATM will be refunded the service fee. Thanks to a $25,000 Minority/Women Entrepreneur Business Assistance grant from the city, Nikki’s Place, which…
18 albums from 2015 we deem essential listening
Like a record, baby
Our top 10 books of 2015
Banner year for readers and writers; bad year for bedside tables
Central Florida’s art scene catches fire: a look back at 2015
Only time will tell, but 2015 could be the year Orlando finally fired Sisyphus as its role model. Since forever, it seems, Orlando’s art scene seems to get some mojo and make some noise, only for it to dissipate and vanish, the boulder rolling back downhill. Then we start rolling it uphill again. There was…
Eight nights of joy: Live Active Cultures picks eight greats from 2015
‘Tis the season to eat latkes, spin the dreidel and reminisce about highlights from the last year. As I type these words, Jews around the world are lighting candles for the eighth and final night of Hanukkah, so I’m using this week’s column to look back at eight of my favorite moments from covering Orlando’s…
The 20 best concerts we saw in Orlando in 2015
Golden tickets
