Cover Story
Scenes from the last great tobacco war being waged in a courtroom in Orlando
Kenny Byrd is pissed. For almost three years, the Nashville-based attorney has been hip-deep in cigarette litigation. He’s representing a seriously ill plaintiff who measures time by each labored breath, and he’s facing adversaries with virtually unlimited resources and every incentive in the world to stall. He’s gotten this far, 700 miles from home in…
Things get spicy at the Orlando Chili Cook-Off
The Chili Appreciation Society International, which is a real thing, sanctions this annual Orlando paean to America’s favorite meat stew. It works like this: 80 or so cooks cook up big vats of chili on site to enter in up to five different judging competitions (yes, one of those categories is veggie). Cooks can win…
Break a world record with Orlando City Soccer before you help #FillTheBowl
For Orlando soccer fans, what feels like a long excursion is finally coming to an end. Land ho! as we look upon the Citrus Bowl this Sunday for Orlando City’s first major league inaugural match against New York City Football Club. As the team intends to #FillTheBowl this weekend, one event is literally going into…
Careless Juja mixes puppets and video game music to tell the story of the Boar Knight
Attention, gamers: Careless Juja, the Internet-based video game recording project, is set to release its first concept album, Legend of the Boar Knight. Consisting mostly of music from classic RPGs and fantasy-based games (Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, Kid Icarus etc.), the album is tied together with storytelling interstitials that tell the story of Nathaniel, the…
Corners box you in with thick synths and thumping rhythms
It’s impossible not to mention Joy Division when listening to Corners’ stuck-in-the-’70s post punk sound, and the L.A. band will instantly tire of the comparison (if they haven’t already), but with those thick synths and thumping rhythms, Ian Curtis fans are sure to lose control on first listen to Maxed Out on Distractions. Released last…
Let your flash fiction freak flag fly Tuesday at There Will Be Madness
Ditch your plans of catching up with an old friend or that last-minute oil change – There Will Be Madness is back with a bang. This flash fiction slam consists of three rounds in which eight writers meet head-to-head, belting out their stories in hopes of winning a copy of Sam Slaughter’s When You Cross…
Save the Space Jam at Uncle Lou’s is a slam dunk
Here it is, quick and easy: The Space is a DIY venue, and promoters and artists aren’t ready to lose it as an option in popular Mills 50 just because money can get tight. So occasionally, you’ll see fundraisers like this week’s Save the Space Jam, where all the show money goes directly toward keeping…
See the world’s only cat band at the Famous Cat Circus
Stop everything that you think is important, take a good look at yourself in that sad mirror you call a vanity and get your priorities in order, pretty cat lady (or man). The Amazing Acro-Cats are about to take up a week and a half of your attention at the Venue, and you must be…
Bowie-loving Bilbao rockers Capsula freak out in a moonage daydream at Will’s
Bilbao-by-way-of-Buenos Aires garage rock band Capsula have something of an obsession with the proto punk and glam of the late ’60s and early ’70s. They tend to dress like the Velvet Underground and even released a cover of that band’s “Run Run Run” in 2007. They named themselves after a line in David Bowie’s “Space…
Culture Pop brings the Pauses and ‘the Ansel Adams of the Everglades’ to Maitland Friday
OK, we admit it: We’ve picked the Maitland Art Center’s Friday-night art party as a Selection many times. But this month they’ve truly outdone themselves, continuing the museum’s general upward trend (the National Historic Landmark status, the prestigious Dalí exhibit, the fresh remodel of the Germaine Marvel Building). This party marks the opening of a…
Senate passes bill requiring dog tracks to report injuries to racing greyhounds
The Florida Senate unanimously passed a bill that would make it mandatory for the owners of dog-racing tracks, greyhound-breeding kennels and veterinarians to report any injuries to racing greyhounds to the state Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering within seven days. Of the 11 states in which greyhound racing is still legal, Florida is only one of…
Awake the State: Progressives come together to announce their agenda for the new session
This afternoon, as the latest legislative session in Tallahassee was greeted with THE MOST TERRIBLE “STATE OF THE STATE” ever, local progressive groups gathered together outside incoming Senate President Andy Gardiner’s office to make it clear that they aren’t so happy with the race to the bottom that Florida is currently engaged in. The star…
Walt Disney World’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride to close May 11 through Sept. 25, 2015
You might recall last year that a tourist decided to not listen to the rules at Walt Disney World and got their fingers chopped off while on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at the Magic Kingdom. It now looks like Disney is making sure that doesn’t happen ever again: The iconic boat ride will close…
Beach Slang hit Will’s Pub tonight for a not-so-secret secret show
Beach Slang, the Philly band opening up for Cursive at the Social tomorrow, has just announced that they’re playing a not-so-secret show at Will’s Pub tonight. Though they only have two EPs under their belt, they’ve been getting plenty of coverage from taste-making music sites like Pitchfork and Brooklyn Vegan and recently signed with Polyvinyl…
This Little Underground: The Bunny The Bear, I Arrhythmist, Kyle Colby at Backbooth
First and foremost, I am motivated by music. But if I wasn’t attracted to spectacle, I’d just sit at home and listen to records. Sometimes, that curiosity temporarily can suspend my insistence on quality, even if it is just for the sake of pure show. Which brings me this week to The Bunny The Bear…
Family of Ibragim Todashev files suit against the FBI
This morning MSNBC and the Daily Beast are both reporting that the family of Ibragim Todashev, the 27-year-old Chechen-American who was shot to death by FBI agents in 2013 during questioning in his apartment in Orlando, is filing a wrongful death suit against the FBI. According to the Daily Beast, Hassan Shibly of the Council…
C-Crap: Some of the more absurd blips we’ve been hearing from the “values voters” circle jerk this year
Image via Associated Press While most of us were busy working (or moving our offices), the sad fraternity of base-chasing conservatives that make up the Republican Party primary contenders for 2016 were doing their best 700 Club imitations for Foxfart Sean Hannity at the Conservative Political Action Conference today. It hasn’t been pretty. We watched…
The new story trailer for ‘Mortal Kombat X’ is wicked fun!
It looks like the folks at Neatherrealm Studios have been hard at work on the next Mortal Kombat game, and it’s lookin’ pretty sweet! Mortal Kombat X is hoping to change up the game on the old roster of fighters, replacing many old favorites with brand-new blood to kick ass and take names. The newest…
Orlando Weekly is moving to downtown Orlando next week
Get ready, downtown Orlando, we’re coming back. Monday, March 2, will be our first day in our new office building at 16 W. Pine St., also known as the historic Tinker Building. Our parent company, Euclid Media, purchased the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, last year. Chicago Cubs shortstop Joe…
Leprosy on the rise in Florida, don’t kiss any armadillos
So this is a real thing in the news this week: Leprosy is on the rise in Florida, and three new cases were diagnosed in Volusia County over the past five months. Officials say it’s probably linked to armadillos. These adorable little armored mammals are soooooo kissable (see above), but they also happen to carry…
Former state representative and county commissioner Linda Stewart eyeing state Senate seat!
So, we have a thing for former commish and rep Linda Stewart, largely because she holds nothing back and talks like she’s screaming with southern joy all the time. Today, she phoned us up to let us know that she is actively considering running again for public office, this time to replace Beefy King state…
‘The Order: 1886’ is like a playable movie – but we don’t play games to watch movies
There’s one thing undeniable about The Order 1886 — it’s beautiful. Whether you’re traversing grungy year old London streets or looking out at a smoky skyline, the art direction for this game is unparalleled (for now). I wish I could say the same about the gameplay, which basically steals from every other duck-and-cover shooter to…
Gov. Rick Scott tries to woo Wawa by offering to name Florida town after convenience store chain
There will be more Wawas in Florida – just don’t expect to find one in a Wawa, Florida. Gov. Rick Scott went to Philadelphia this week with a team of economic-development and education leaders. And so far, all the Sunshine State has got is a reaffirmation that Wawa Inc. will continue to open hoagie-making convenience…
From the Walt Disney World rumor mill: a Jungle Cruise-themed restaurant could be opening in Adventureland
Empty since 1994, except for when it was used for the occasional meet-and-greet or as a trick-or-treating stand, the Adventureland Verandah looks to be finally reopening as a restaurant. Anyone who visited Magic Kingdom prior to 1994 will recall the popular counter-service restaurant with its Asian and tropics-inspired menu and relaxing, hypnotic music. Rumors of…
Sidewalk Talk: SunRail to offer free service to Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival!
Image via SunRail Riders Riding the Rails blog. Between all the bike-sharing and car-sharing and everybody-moving and foot-traffic situations populating the Central Florida urban planning landscape right now, it’s nice to see that the ever-popular Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival will be alleviating infrastructural congestion this year – with the help of sponsors – for…
‘Drake’s Homecoming’ movie comes to Orlando theaters for one night only
If you’re reading this, it’s too late and you already missed out … I kid. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19, Orlando fans can see Drake’s Homecoming: The Lost Footage at five local theaters: AMC Universal Cineplex 20 with IMAX (6000 Universal Blvd., Ste. 740) Cinemark Orlando Festival Bay (5150 International Drive) Regal Waterford Lakes…
Arrgh, ye mateys: Trader Joe’s Orlando is hiring
How do you look in a Hawaiian shirt? Trader Joe’s, the West Coast-based discount specialty retailer, begins hiring for their Dr. Phillips location next week, with a planned store opening April 10. Trader Joe’s stores typically carry between 50-100 employees, organized in a mildly hokey nautical theme – employees use a system of ship’s bells…
Zimmern comes to Orlando, eats no bugs, has great time
It’s no secret, Orlando’s been getting a lot of love lately. Everyone from the New York Times to USA Today to Alton Brown has sung our little town’s praises in the past year or so, so this roundup in Food & Wine magazine should come as no surprise. Consider it Internet-official: You have eternal bragging…
Huge extreme sports park planned for Kissimmee could bring snow skiing to Florida
For the most part, living in Florida means forgoing certain sports, like snow skiing or snowboarding, but a new action sports resort that was recently announced for Kissimmee is here to help with that. The Xero Gravity Action Sports and Entertainment Resort is planned for a 75-acre site behind a Target store near the intersection…
Two senior pit bulls surrendered to shelter due to divorce need homes ASAP
We know, we know: The Puppy Love issue is over. But will you look at these two old man dogs who were recently surrendered together? They’re at Orange County Animal Services, and they were surrendered due to divorce. One is named Clay, the other is named Luke. They are 8 and 9 years old, both…
This Little Underground: The Grey 8s and Heavy Drag at the Grand Collab
Though still young in its run, multi-genre showcase series the Grand Collab is already becoming a good source for bright Florida talent discovery. At the November debut, West Palm Beach’s Hypoluxo gave me the surprise jolt of the night. This time (Feb. 22, Will’s Pub), it was, hands down, the Heavy Drag gang from Miami.…
Waking up from a nightmare: Sen. Bill Nelson calls for federal inquiry into Dozier boys’ school deaths
Image via ABC News Following some frankly nauseating and exhaustive reporting from the Tampa Bay Times about how kids at the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna were – after their families abandoned them – left for dead, Sen. Bill Nelson today called for a federal investigation into the deaths and the facility. In a…
21 free concerts in Orlando this week (2/25-3/3)
P.S.A.: The incomparable Betty Wright is playing a free concert this week at Blues B-Q downtown with local soulful dazzlers, the Gerry Williams Band. It’s a pretty cool week in free shows, with lots of intimate shows booked at Lil Indies, including Orlando’s Oak Hill Drifters’ Tom Cooper playing a solo set, folk artist Alice…
William Crutchfield’s art pokes fun at our obsession with science and technology
With an impressive suite of exhibitions kicking off the new year, the Museum of Art – DeLand has carved a space firmly in the center of the conversation about art, architecture, science and color. In its main facility across the street from venerable Stetson University, the drawings and sculptures of William Crutchfield show a serious…
Cut a rug with your favorite theatrical cut-ups at Dancing With the Fringe Stars
While we are all bedazzling our cooter-cutters for this year’s iteration of the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, the festival itself is actually alive and kicking already – like, literally kicking. Borrowing rather obviously from the ABC series that allows Jennifer Grey’s new nose and Donny Osmond’s Branson ambitions to be paraded out before us…
Enjoy some sweet, smoky BBQ with your sweet, smoky soul at Blues B-Q
The only thing missing from your life is the blues and some extra-saucy BBQ. Get both this afternoon as Betty Wright puts on a performance that you won’t want to miss. Best known for her 1972 hit, “Clean Up Woman,” Wright’s still full of soul and knows how to carry a crowd. She staged a…
Roll up a new role at Acme Comics with D Adventuring Party
Roll for initiative! Tabletop games are arguably more popular today than they have been in years, with Cards Against Humanity stimulating conversation at parties and Settlers of Catan getting name-checked by the Green Bay Packers. Now Acme Comics in Longwood is devoting an entire afternoon to the king granddaddy 20th-level wizard of tabletop games, Dungeons…
Cursive encourages a good crowd sing-along with Beach Slang at the Social
Omaha post-rock heroes Cursive come to town often, with frontman Tim Kasher careening through hits from releases during Saddle Creek’s heyday like Domestica and The Ugly Organ. And while this music basically caters to nostalgic hearts with proper poetic angst to ensure a good crowd sing-along, it’s their tour companions, Beach Slang, who have our…
No time for sleep! Reviews of four fun events in just 48 hours
Last weekend, I capped off my 18- day sojourn in the Pacific time zone by attending both rope-drop at Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom’s finale fireworks on the same operating day. And instead of sleeping off my jet lag like any sensible person, I followed up by attending four major arts events in the first 48…
House of the Rising Sun: Rob Breszny’s Free Will Astrology for the week of Feb. 26-March 4
This week, Rob Breszny tells us how long it took the Animals to record their most famous tune, what the actual term is for that thing that ballerinas do when they go all spinny, and what the declining values of the Z tile in Scrabble across languages has to do with your life. Find out…
Savage Love (2/25/15)
I have been reading your column for years, Dan, and now I’m writing you for the first time to ask for a favor. I met this dude online in December and I felt like we had a good connection. He “dumped” me, though, because he was busy and was going through career shit and lived…
Op Art pioneer Richard Anuszkiewicz’s dancing colors are like Red Bull for your retinas
Almost singlehandedly, Richard Anuszkiewicz swept away the Abstract Expressionists like yesterday’s burger wrappers and laid the table for Color Field artists. His highly disciplined approach made him a founder of the movement called Op Art, named for its optical effects of intense color, and it resonates with special meaning in today’s digital world. The Museum…
This Little Underground: At Ralphfest 4, locals can’t be outshined
Ralphfest has grown since its inception four years ago. But this year, it could perhaps finally, fully spread its wings. At last free of the specter of justice suspended, the local memorial music festival could and did focus purely on celebration and legacy. Besides its size, just as notable about Ralphfest 4 (Feb. 20-22) was…
Gimme Shelter (2/25/15)
This cute little guy is Tigger (Animal ID A311955). He’s an 8-year-old, 12-pound dog who was found as a stray. He was brought to the shelter on Saturday after a citizen found him running outside near the intersection of Vine Street and Story Road. Tigger was microchipped, but attempts to reach his family were unsuccessful…
Lulu Eightball (2/25/15)
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Tip Jar: 5 local chefs nominated for James Beard awards, plus 8 openings in our weekly food roundup
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The federal Securities and Exchange Commission starts investigating the Central Florida Expressway Authority
Quote of the Week: “I am, as always, happy to share with appropriate regulators the steps we take to ensure compliance with local, state and federal regulations of my profession.” – Former state legislator Chris Dorworth in an email to the Orlando Sentinel While most of us are counting our coins and lost hours awaiting…
Could petitions have any influence on the Bailey-gate situation?
You might have noticed that this particular publication has been harping on the Bailey-gate situation playing out before us in Tallahassee. Maybe it shouldn’t seem like such a big deal, but when former Florida Department of Law Enforcement commissioner Gerald Bailey, a well-respected employee of the state, was kicked aside for a yes-person who also…
This Modern World (2/25/15)
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You Blew It! returns home after their first headlining tour on new EP ‘Pioneer of Nothing’
When the average person activates the app TimeHop on Facebook, it’s to randomly revisit a prior status that otherwise would be permanently forgotten. It gives a jolt of humdrum nostalgia through imposed serendipity. Small moments re-gifted, it’s basically the written version of a #throwbackthursday selfie. But when You Blew It! frontman Tanner Jones takes the…
