Look what you Dunn: CNN creates the expert killer
So this is what we’ve been reduced to: getting our color commentary from guys who hate the coloreds. This morning, CNN aired its exclusive interview with George Zimmerman. The timing was intentionally, even provocatively unfortunate, the sit-down coming less than 48 hours after a Florida jury had found Michael Dunn guilty merely of being a lousy…
Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission rescue northern Harbor Seal in South Florida
Over the weekend, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission got a call from the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office about this little guy, who was totally out of his element in South Florida: He’s a harbor seal, and usually, they don’t make it this far down south. Their habitat ranges from the northern Arctic through…
Help Robert Irvine possible-ize an Italian joint in Orange City
Never mind the whisk, here’s Robert Irvine. Buff British reality show chef Robert Irvine is bringing Restaurant: Impossible to sleepy Orange City this week, hoping to flip Bumbino’s Italian on Enterprise Road into something that won’t make him gnash his teeth and exclaim, “Cor, blimey! Bollocks!” Irvine is looking for local volunteers to help with…
Discarding the notion of traditional influences in music
via Our brains light up when we surprise them. At least, that’s what UCF professor of neuroscience Dr. Kiminobu Sugaya told me last year, when we were discussing his popular course Music and the Brain. (His course investigates the way that the brain responds to music – everything from the impulse to nod your head…
Hang out with Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings at Park Ave CDs
via Park Ave CDs, you have outdone yourself with this one. Tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 18, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings perform at the Beacham with Valerie June at 8 p.m., but before they rattle the halls there, they’re gonna shake the vinyl racks at Park Ave CDs. Starting at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow, stop by…
YOUR DAILY WEEKLY READER: more race wars, class wars, party wars and lying by omission
POWERFUL WORDS REVERBERATING FROM THE JORDAN DAVIS SHOCK-VERDICT: “Spare us the invocations of “black-on-black crime.” I will not respect the lie. I would rather be thought insane. The most mendacious phrase in the American language is “black-on-black crime,” which is uttered as though the same hands that drew red lines around the ghettoes of Chicago are not…
VIDEO: Nobunny performs ‘I Am a Girlfriend’ at Will’s Pub
Watch Nobunny perform “I Am a Girlfriend” to what’s seemingly a sea of dudes, on Valentine’s Day. This is how you fall in love, people. Related: Nobunny performs his brash love songs on Valentine’s Day
One last push to prep for the Oscars
As of today, we’re two weeks away from the big night and I’ll bet you have a lot of catching up to do. Hell, I have a lot of catching up to do too. There are so many films it’s easy to feel lost in the middle of space like Sandra Bullock in Gravity, but we’ve…
Super non-romantic places to have non-loving sex this Valentine’s Day
With all this talk of love and twitterpatedness, some of our single friends could start to feel a little lonely … and turn to online hookups to feel temporarily loved. So we thought we’d take a little peek behind the bushes and find out the weird, gross and slightly disturbing places people are hooking up…
Noor Iranian Film Festival comes to Florida
via Park Ave CDs, you have outdone yourself with this one. Tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 18, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings perform at the Beacham with Valerie June at 8 p.m., but before they rattle the halls there, they’re gonna shake the vinyl racks at Park Ave CDs. Starting at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow, stop by…
Five for Friday: Valentine’s Day is cancelled!
It’s Friday. It’s Valentine’s Day. You have some time to kill before you go on a hot date or before you go home and binge-watch House of Cards. Here are some links to get you through the last leg of your day: via 1. In a million years, I bet you can’t guess who is…
The people’s valentine: John Morgan deadpans “My Girl” and other love songs
Oh, thank you, Mix 105.1, because this is richer than even Russell Stover could’ve made your day: John Morgan reads lyrics to the Temptation’s “My Girl,” Pitbull’s “Timber,” Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful to Me,” Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” and Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are.” Listen now here. I know I’m all…
YOUR DAILY WEEKLY READER: on love, litigation, life and luck
image via etsy WITH A KNITTING NEEDLE! JO-ANN DOESN’T PLAY WHEN IT COMES TO ADVERTISING AND CIRCULATION, FOLKS: “Jo-Ann Stores has filed a lawsuit against the owner of the Tampa Tribune that alleges the newspaper fraudulently inflated its circulation figures. In its 10-page complaint filed Tuesday in Hillsborough Circuit Court, Jo-Ann accused the Tribune of…
No valentine? No problem
To channel the six year old boy in me, love is gross. And yucky. And stupid. And I don’t understand why anyone does it or even wants to do it. Especially why they want to do it. Ew. Germs. Everywhere. Looking through the top results for anti-Valentine’s Day lists on Google, most of them seemed to…
14-screen multiplex coming to Mount Dora
The latest Hollywood faves, soon in Mount Dora. How many times have you found yourself on the antique trail out in lovely and bucolic Mount Dora, bemoaning the fact you can’t top your day off by taking in a movie at a nearby theater with “earth-shaking” sound complimented by assorted upscale amenities? Well, bemoan no…
Marion County official interrupts school board meeting with conspiracy rant
Angie Boynton during the top of her Tuesday night missive. From the “Oh Sheesh If This Is Real, Oh Sheesh If It Isn’t” Department: “I got your message and I do believe that God is greater than any concern you sent to me,” Marion County School Board Vice Chair Angie Boynton said Tuesday night during…
Stumped this weekend? Go on a Valentine’s scavenger hunt
Being creative for Valentine’s Day is hard, y’all. This year, it falls on a Friday, which basically forces you to be creative and romantic for an entire weekend, lest you hurt your lovah’s feelings. Well, we don’t want that, so we’re sending you on a silly and romantic(ish) scavenger hunt around Orlando. Let us know…
Whole Foods opening a second store in Winter Park
via Whole Foods announced that they will be opening a second location in Winter Park. With more than 40,000 square feet, the new store will be nearly double the size of the chain’s Aloma Avenue location. The current Whole Foods Market location will remain open and the new one will go up at the corner…
Today in Orlando B-list celeb history: Delta Burke
On this date in the history of Delta Burke (Colonial High Class of ’74), “The Naked Truth” episode of “Designing Women” aired in 1989. Fans will naturally remember this classic entry where the ladies unwittingly take on an interior design contract with a nudist colony. In the b-story, Suzanne and Julia’s nieces visit, offering a…
Roberto Clemente mural at Azalea Park Elementary School vandalized
This mural of Puerto Rican baseball legend Roberto Clemente used to be painted on a wall near the concession stand at the baseball field at Azalea Park Elementary school: Photo via Instagram user @noahdesigns Today, according to WFTV, it now looks like this: Photo via WFTV.com Orlando Police say that Principal Kelly Maldonado called police…
Free dental from a truck!
UPD ATE- ALL SPOTS FULL TODAY We know they don’t have burgers like Apopkan dentist, John Gammichia guy – click HERE to see that story – but if you’re one of the 100 million Americans didn’t go to the dentist last year, you should probably take advantage of this. Also, stop kissing strangers. Aspen Dental…
Winter With the Writers: Justin Cronin reading and master class tonight!
Here’s your weekly reminder for Rollins College’s fabulous Winter With the Writers literary festival, which brings a different star author to Orlando each Thursday in February. I gave you the overview last week (here), but in case you forgot, today offers a master class and a reading/onstage interview with Justin Cronin, author of a massively…
YOUR DAILY WEEKLY READER: Cruz controlled, gays turned away and Beckham bent
via underwearexpert.com HA, HA, EVERYBODY POINT AND LAUGH AT TED CRUZ WHILE THE REST OF THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP DOES THE SAME: “Sen. Ted Cruz gambled and lost Wednesday in a bid to persuade his Republican colleagues to take another stand on the nation’s rising debt, reopening old wounds that could make him a permanent pariah…
Undercover sex sting with totally creepy name nabs three Disney employees
via CNN is reporting that a Lake County sex sting, dubbed “Operation Be Mine” (you know, in honor of Valentine’s Day), resulted in the arrests of 22 men – three of whom worked at Walt Disney World – who were hoping to have sex with children. These arrests came after a week-long investigation, where detectives visited…
12 Craigslist ads that prove that Disney is the horniest place on earth (sort of NSFW)
via Theme parks aren’t just for kids, you know. Once the children have exhausted themselves on the rides, it’s time for the mommies and daddies to have some fun. The following are real ads posted to Craigslist recently by people who are either visiting the parks or looking to hook up in or around them.…
Wet ‘n’ Wild adding Aqua Drag Racer slides for Summer 2014
Hold onto your bathing suits, water park fans; a groundbreaking new thrill slide is breaking ground at Wet 'n' Wild on International Drive. The park boasts that Aqua Drag Racer will be “Florida’s tallest and fastest water-based racing attraction of its kind,” and will feature four intertwined six-story-high slides. Riders will reach speeds of 15…
Fern Creek Elementary School is AWESOME! Fern Creek Elementary School is about to be closed
Perhaps you’ve heard rumblings about the imminent closure of beloved local elementary school Fern Creek Elementary recently. We have, too! Which is weird, because it was only recently that we found ourselves at a “listening tour” there shaking hands with Gov. Rick Scott (because, you know, poor kids); also, it wasn’t too long ago that…
John Rivers’ latest venture, the Coop, will do for fried chicken what 4Rivers did for brisket
Today we got a preview of what to expect from John Rivers’ latest venture, The Coop, and we’re pretty sure that the Coop is going to do for fried chicken what 4Rivers Smokehouse has done for brisket. In other words, expect to be standing in line when The Coop opens up at the corner of Morse…
Valentine’s Day sweets: Se7en Bites, P Is for Pie, B Cupcakes and the Soda Fountain
Confectioners are sometimes a forgotten segment of our city’s thriving artisanal food scene, yet it seems that with every passing week, new sweet shops materialize faster than crevices in your dentin. Salted caramel has become about as popular an ingredient as bacon, and, indeed, many of these savvy sugarmongers seduce us with both – the…
Bike share hits Winter Park
With a little help from Healthy Central Florida, Winter Park is now one of the first municipalities in Central Florida to have a public library with a free bike share program. This marks a growing trend for public libraries to be providing services beyond book lending, as they branch out and dabble more in the…
Our sales rep’s cat is now Internet famous
Do you recognize this majestic kitten? He turned up yesterday in BuzzFeed’s 21 Animals Who Totally Believe in You listicle. And he totally belongs to one of our sales representatives, Dave Freedman, who put the photo up on Reddit’s r/awww subReddit, went to bed, then woke up to find that his kitten was an Internet…
Pro-choice activists: Florida is the No. 1 anti-woman destination
via Take a ride on any of Florida’s highways and you’re bound encounter this billboard, or a similar one (the new billboards have taken a decidedly less 1980s approach, showing a sweet blonde pregnant, or “pregnant,” model instead of the above Zena-Warrior-Princess-with-scary-contour-blush). While not funded by state government, the billboards still provide insight into the…
Finally, a cheeseburger that celebrates the Orlando Magic
Your move, Phoenix Suns.Allow us to introduce you to STUFF’s Magic Burger, the latest menu item at Orlando’s Planet Hollywood and the first cheeseburger (as far as we know) to salute the legacy of our city’s NBA franchise. STUFF is of course the Orlando Magic dragony mascot, and it was his “monumental appetite” that helped…
A treasure trove of fantastic Florida photos from the 1970s
Slate recently posted a magical slideshow that you need to see. In 1972, photographer Bill Yates spent seven months taking pictures at the Sweetheart Roller Skating Rink in Tampa; as Jordan Teicher relates on Slate’s Behold photoblog, “He mostly forgot about the work up until recently, when he unearthed about 800 negatives from his archives and scanned…
YOUR DAILY WEEKLY READER: growlers, growers, gripers and gropers
via laughinsquid.com DID THE BIG BEER LOBBY JUST JOIN GROWLR? OH, WAIT, THEY’RE PROBABLY GOING TO FIND A WAY TO CREATE FAKE CRAFT BEER: “After a buzz-kill for beer-growler fans last year, a House committee Tuesday advanced legislation to end Florida’s Prohibition-era ban on larger beer ‘growlers’ and beer tastings. The House Business and Professional…
Republicans make white noise at Crist book-signing
It was supposed to be a non-political event, just an innocent book-signing — at least that’s the way Barnes & Noble hoped it would go — but that’s like trying to take the drugs out of an outdoor music festival. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist showed up at the Barnes & Noble on East Colonial…
15 things I learned from my dog
When my dog Parker died, he left the world a better place than he found it
Truckfighters create brisk and moving stoner rock
Album review: Truckfighters’ ‘Universe’
‘Angel Guts’ gets us excited about Xiu Xiu again
Album review: Xiu Xiu’s ‘Angel Guts: Red Classroom’
This Little Underground: How Lorna Lambey owned Ralphfest
Ralphfest highlights, Skinny Puppy
Tinariwen’s ‘Emaar’ is rich, modern blues with chanting soul
Album review: Tinariwen’s ‘Emaar’
Should shelters stop labeling dogs by breed?
Letters to the editor and comments from our readers
Nobunny performs his brashly pursuant love songs on Valentine’s Day
Printable valentine cards featuring Nobunny lyrics
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19) In her TED talk, science writer Mary Roach made it clear that human beings don’t need genital stimulation to experience orgasms. She spoke of a woman who routinely reaches ecstatic climax by having her eyebrows caressed, and another woman who reaches the big O simply by brushing her teeth. Then there’s…
Savage Love
I am an 18-year-old pansexual girl in a relationship with a guy. We get along great, our friends like us together, yada yada yada. He wants to do the waiting until marriage thing for sex. I’m cool with that, less pressure in the relationship. He wants to do this for religious reasons, which I mostly…
Drinking, Nightlife and Parties
Where to drink and party in Orlando this week
Orlando pet-lover’s resource directory
Pet supply stores, dog walkers, doggie daycares, veterinarians and more
‘I Live in Orlando, but Sometimes I Dream of Other Places’
Gallery at Avalon Island group show allows local artists to step out on the place they call home
Doggie DNA tests are all the rage
Is all the info you need about your butt-sniffing couch hog’s heritage but one cheek swab away?
Privatizing Public Education
House Speaker Will Weatherford Vows to Extend Student Voucher Program via Expanding Sales Tax Breaks for Businesses
Live Active Cultures: Emotions Dance, ‘Untold Stories’
The local dance troupe’s choreographer, Larissa Humiston, finds inspration in the darker corners
Puppy Love
Our second annual issue dedicated to the love we have for our pets
Opening in Orlando: ‘About Last Night,’ ‘Endless Love,’ ‘RoboCop,’ ‘Winter’s Tale’
Movies playing on screens around town this week
‘Lost Cat’
A zero-shame accounting of an obsessive and life-redeeming love
How Netflix survived – and gave life to Breaking Bad and House of Cards
A Netflix exec on the new TV ball game
Council Watch
More Abstract Urban Planning for Downtown, Plus A “Solar Array” For The See Art Spectacle
Four local sweet shops show us how to live la dolce vita
We sample Se7en Bites, P Is for Pie, B Cupcakes and the Soda Fountain
More Vote-blocking From the Governor’s Office
State Blocks University of Florida Student Union from Being an Early-voting Location
Toro y Moi freezes out chillwave as a genre
Chaz Bundick’s project set the bar for chillwave, but now he’s bored by it
2014 brings city-wide celebration of Charles Dickens
Orlando Shakes’ massive production of ‘Nicholas Nickleby’ plays the starring role
Tip Jar: Downtown Food & Wine Fest goes big-time in its sixth year
Also, potential Shake Shack opening, fancy post-Valentine’s Day dinners and seven new restaurants to try now
Readers tell us what they learned from living with pets
We asked you on Facebook to tell us about the life lessons your pets have taught you. Here’s what you said.
Oh, Orlando Craigslist: Girl poses pantless with Ibanez she’s selling
via I follow a lot of Orlando musicians online, and frequently they post links to Orlando Craigslist, which can be a treasure trove for musicians, especially, because people occasionally aren’t as aware of the value of their equipment as some local bands are. Anyway, today’s ad was just too ridiculous not to share. I guess…
Be a Judge at the Downtown Food & Wine Fest
Enter to Win a coveted spot on the judges panel at the Downtown Food and Wine Festival this Febuary 22nd and 23rd at Lake Eola! Each year of the Fest, they have judges tasting some of the restaurants best offerings and voting on them. This years Golden Fork Awards categories are: Foodie Award…
Kelly Rowland, The Roots complete Universal’s Mardi Gras 2014 concert lineup
Universal Orlando quietly updated their Mardi Gras 2014 concert lineup web page today, filling in the final two blanks on their performance schedule with Kelly Rowland and The Roots. Kelly Rowland, a former member of Destiny's Child and current solo artist, performs on March 28. The Roots, an experimental hip-hop collective turned Jimmy Fallon backup…
Time lapse video of the Citrus Bowl renovation
via Maybe you drive by the creepy shell of a stadium every day on the way to work and wonder how the renovations are progressing. This video will give you an idea of what’s going on, from the aftermath of Monster Jam to the rolling up of the astroturf. Citrus Bowl Renovations – January 24…
19 questions with an Orlando resident: Dave Scott Schwartzman
Welcome to 19 Questions, a feature where we ask longtime Orlando residents 19 questions that are mostly related to living in the City Beautiful. Today’s subject: Dave Scott Schwartzman. Dave has resided in Orlando since 1993 and is known around town for his musical ventures (he’s a founding member of hardcore punk legends Adrenalin O.D.…
YOUR DAILY WEEKLY READER: to the left, past the weeds, in that far away water
image via Tampa Bay Times HERE’S HOPING THIS ISN’T LIKE THAT MONTH WHEN EVERYONE SAID THEY MIGHT BE A LESBIAN, OR AT LEAST BISEXUAL: Former state Rep. Ana Rivas Logan is leaving the Republican Party, she announced Monday. She plans to register as a Democrat, she said. ‘The GOP of today is not the party I…
