In celebration of Disney World’s birthday, watch this amazing 60 Minutes segment about ‘Florida Before Disney’
On June 18, 1972, 60 Minutes lead reporter Mike Wallace wondered what changes would occur in Orange County once Disney moved into the neighborhood. At 11 minutes long, this brief but fantastic 60 Minutes clip gives us a nice glimpse of what life was like in Orange County before the “Disney Boom.” More important, the…
Motion City Soundtrack remembers ‘Commit This to Memory’ at the Beacham on Friday
It used to make us feel old when we’d see news items about albums we loved when we were younger hitting the 10-, 15- or 20-year anniversary marks. But lately, we look forward to them because it means that we’ll probably see a reunion or at least a new tour where those albums are played…
Live Lewd Girls find a new home at Copper Rocket Pub
Women talking dirty! Throughout history, a suggestive whisper from a lady has been sufficient motivation for all sorts of undertakings, from mayhem to madness to heroic endeavors. The wise women of Live Lewd Girls understand the power they wield, and have chosen to use it for good – the self-defined “bunch of kinky do-gooders doing…
Good Graeff swing through Will’s Pub just in time to release their new EP
Sarasota twin sisters Brooke and Brit Graeff have been one of our favorite Floridian pop acts for a couple of years now. Our music columnist even picked them to play his curated Florida Music Festival stage waaaaaaaay back in April 2014. Their brand of feel-good cello-heavy indie pop has pricked up ears across the country…
There was a fist fight in the Baldwin Park Publix last night
Yes, you read that headline correctly, there was a straight up brawl at the Baldwin Park Publix yesterday. Two men squaring off, blow for blow, in arguably one of the nicest neighborhoods in Orlando. We reached out to the Orlando Police Department and we’re still waiting on details. Since it would be irresponsible to speculate…
This photo perfectly sums up summer in Florida
It’s that time of year again. One minute it’s calm, sunny and beautiful and the next minute Zeus decides to open a violent portal of watery destruction hellbent on crushing mankind with gale force winds and punishing rain designed to smite the god Hera. But yeah, we think this picture sums all of that up…
Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a $100 coupon to Publix, company confirms it’s a fake
In what’s probably the saddest news of today, Publix has confirmed that the world’s most amazing coupon is, tragically, a hoax. The grocery chain confirmed on its Facebook page that there has been a fraudulent Publix coupon circulating the web advertising $100 off a purchase of $120 or more. “This is not supported by Publix…
Police video shows a bunch of shirtless guys stealing guns from the Central Florida Fairgrounds before a gun show **UPDATED**
Here’s some disturbing video of a bunch of people breaking into the Central Florida Fairgrounds to steal some guns before a gun show that took place there July 4 weekend. According to police, at 2:45 a.m. on July 4, about half a dozen shirtless men broke into a room where the guns were stored. They…
Tako Cheena will be opening a new location soon
The Mills 50 Asian/Mexican joint Tako Cheena will be opening a second location, right up the street. Literally. Tako Cheena’s current location (932 N. Mills Ave.), will become “Tako Cheena Express,” which will be geared toward the late-night crowd and will feature a service window for takeout and pickup, according to Bungalower. The site also claims that…
![Orlando police officer gets run over at traffic stop, suspects still at large [video]](https://i0.wp.com/www.orlandoweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/screen_shot_2015-07-14_at_1.08.58_pm.png?resize=400%2C300&ssl=1)
Orlando police officer gets run over at traffic stop, suspects still at large [video]
An Orlando Police Department officer was run over by a car while attempting to conduct a traffic stop early Monday morning, June 13th. The incident occurred after Officer William Anderson stopped a silver four-door vehicle on Kirkman Road and Vineland Avenue, according to Orlando Police. As Anderson approached the vehicle, the right side door opened…
A Florida woman beat up her husband for not taking down his Confederate flag
Margaret “Peggy” Rae Carpenter was arrested Saturday afternoon, June 11th, after beating her husband because he wouldn’t remove his Confederate flag from the front lawn. According to the Tampa Bay Times, when the Safety Harbor resident asked her husband, Larry, to take down the flag, he raised his arm to keep her away. Carpenter then struck…
City council adopts updated picket ordinance
Orlando City Commissioners adopted an updated version of the picket ordinance Monday afternoon that still has some residents and activists concerned. The ordinance, which passed 6-1 with Commissioner Patty Sheehan dissenting, says it is “unlawful for people to picket before or about the residence or dwelling of any person…This section shall not apply to a…
Michael Jackson’s Captain EO returns to Disney’s Future World
The Captain EO 3D movie in Disney’s Future World has returned for its second encore presentation. The famous Francis Ford Coppola-directed sci-fi movie starring Anjelica Huston and Michael Jackson first debuted in Disney parks in 1986. At Epcot, its original run lasted from 1986 until 1994 when it was replaced by Honey, I Shrunk the…
Advocates want new provisions to help gay and transgender kids in foster care
As the state Department of Children and Families considers a new rule governing group homes for foster kids, advocates are pushing to include provisions requiring better treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youths who live in such facilities. The agency is updating its rules for group homes for the first time in almost 30…
Saying goodbye to DIY venue the Space
This is old news by now for clued-in community members, but the DIY venue known as the Space (with the necessary addendum “located above Anthony’s Pizza”) officially ceased operating as a venue over Fourth of July weekend. Now’s a good time to delicately recall the vital service the venue played (while functioning in its ever-quirky…
Family band Rock n’ Roll Hi Fives perform free in-store Thursday at Park Ave CDs
Rock & roll has a decent history of relatives like siblings or spouses playing together. For a million obvious reasons (and probably a billion less obvious ones), however, that list slows to a drip when you talk about about bands made up of nuclear families. But the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players showed us in the early…
Disease-riddled, Giant African land snails are invading from South Florida
It might be time to salt the earth. Researchers are claiming Giant African land snails are spreading from South Florida and are carrying way more dangerous parasites then previously thought. A recent U.S. Geological Survey published in Journal of Wildlife Diseases, says previous research on Giant African land snails grossly underestimated how many of them…
Thousands attend Ocala rally supporting Confederate flag, shots fired
On today’s news menu, fresh from the kitchen, we have a hot plate of Confederate flag reports with a slight dash of revisionism. Thousands of people attended a rally this weekend in Ocala to support flying the Confederate flag at Marion County’s government complex. The Ocala Star-Banner reported that “an estimated 2,000 vehicles, mostly motorcycles…
Restaurant rethink: Cityfish closed, two new restaurants to spring up on Central
Cityfish, the Thornton Park seafood restaurant which underwent a re-do in 2014 by chef Greg Richie, has served its last bowl of gumbo. Richie shared the restaurant’s official statement: “Cityfish Restaurant has closed as of July 13, 2015. We appreciate your support over the years and we enjoyed serving you. The space is being renovated…
New Amy Winehouse doc in Orlando theaters now, plus watch local Amy Winehouse tribute video now
It’s been a stellar year for music docs, especially for those bewitched by “27 Club” members like Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse, both of whom have docs out now that are stirring serious music fans to resume conversations you’d expect to be stale by now. But it’s not, and the compelling new footage in Montage…
WikiLeaks: Orlando’s MBI desired spyware technology from hacked Italian company
Leaked emails show Orlando’s Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation negotiating for months with an Italian surveillance company for spyware software that hacks into technological devices. The software, developed by Hacking Team, “can monitor conversations and emails, and even turn phones and laptops into surveillance devices by remotely activating cameras and microphones,” according to the Florida Center…
Haunting new exhibit at Kennedy Space Center remembers Challenger and Columbia tragedies
Kennedy Space Center has plenty of great exhibits celebrating the joys and wonder of space travel but a new exhibit showcases some of the more difficult times of the shuttle era. “Forever Remembered” is a nearly 2,000 sq ft exhibit focused on the two major shuttle disasters Challenge STS-51L and Columbia STS-107. The new…
Disney World now lets you pretend to be a low-wage kitchen staffer for only $175
Disney World’s latest experience means you’ll be cooking your own food while forking over $175 to do so. The new Disney Family Culinary Adventure allows guests 9 and older to enter a catering kitchen at the Contemporary Resort and help prepare a 5 course meal. The experience is designed for 30 guests at a time…
This Little Underground: E-Turn & SPS, Swamburger & Rubox (The Social)
When you’re as individually talented as both MC E-Turn and DJ SPS are, it would be easy to be a prima donna. E-Turn’s rapping is so dazzling and gripping that she could electrify as just a track act – I’ve seen her do it. Likewise, as a decorated battle champ who can ignite a room…
Sons of Confederate Veterans says it will go to court to have its soldiers included in Florida Veterans Hall of Fame
Here’s a story about Confederate issues that predates some of the recent controversies surrounding the flying of Confederate flags in public places around the United States. According to the News Service of Florida, in February the Department of Veterans Affairs told Gov. Rick Scott and his cabinet that it did not recommend that the state…
7-Eleven is giving away free Slurpees Saturday, because it’s 7/11
It’s not a coincidence that 7-Eleven Day is this Saturday, July 11. Get it? So, to celebrate this huge calendar event, the junk food store chain will again, like every year, be giving away free Slurpees. In the past, 7-Eleven used to give away 7.11 ounce Slurpees, but this they’re stepping up the serving size…
Transgender woman sues Starwood Hotels in discrimination suit
A transgender woman is filing a lawsuit against Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide after she says an Orlando hotel discriminated her while she was an employee. Gina Versace, who is being represented by Morgan & Morgan, said Friday that she was fired from a Starwood hotel in 2013 in retaliation for her complaints, WFTV reports.…
Florida ag commissioner says citrus production has fallen to a “new low”
Orange production, Florida’s signature crop, has fallen to a “new low,” Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said Friday. The final report of the growing season by the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture put Florida orange production for the 2014-15 season at 96.7 million boxes, a drop of 4 percent from last…
Florida Supreme Court rejects gerrymandered congressional districts
The Florida Supreme Court canned the Republican-led Legislature’s precious congressional districts maps Thursday and ordered a redrawing of the map in the next 100 days. The court ruled 5-2 that the congressional maps were gerrymandered with an “unconstitutional intent to favor the Republican Party and incumbents,” according to Reuters. The court also said it distrusted…
KFC wants to replace all bread with meat, introduces new fried chicken pizza
This week, the food scientists at KFC have unveiled a new line of pizzas, where instead of pizza dough it’s just slab of fried chicken with some toppings on it. KFC has a long history of replacing bread with meat and then stuffing various shit into it in the name of PR, and this new…
A Florida fisherman was knocked off his kayak by a shark, still reels it in
Things didn’t exactly go as planned for Florida fisherman Ben Chancey when he hooked a massive bull shark last weekend. While fishing off the coast of Stuart, Florida, Chancey was pulled around by the apex predator until it eventually decided to take the fight back to his kayak. As you can see in the video below,…
New exhibit allows Orlando tweens to fulfill dreams of snapping selfies with One Direction
One Direction kicked off their tour of the United States without Zayn on July 9th, but if you’re a true 1D fan you can still see (and touch) the ‘Fab Five’ right here in Orlando. Madame Tussauds Orlando is hosting a special traveling exhibit featuring wax figures of the original five members of One Direction.…
Winter Garden firefighters save dog and bird from burning duplex
On July 1st, firefighters entered a burning duplex in Winter Garden and rescued a dog and a bird thanks to pet-specific breathing masks. According to the West Orange Times & Observer, the firefighters were able to save the bird still in its cage and a white chihuahua, who was hiding underneath a couch. After trying to put…
Disney removes Confederate flag at Epcot
In even more Confederate flag news to saturate your day, Walt Disney World joined other companies who have distanced themselves from the flag and removed a version of it at Epcot Wednesday. Theme Park Insider reports that the happiest place on Earth got a bit happier after removing the flag from the entrance of The…
New nosh: Greek mac ’n cheese at Mediterranean Blue on Thursdays
If your gyro is looking a little lonesome? Be your gyro’s hero (see what we did there?) and pair it up with the new Greek mac & cheese side dish at Mediterranean Blue on Michigan Street at Osceola Avenue, now available on Thursdays. Partaking in the creamy, single-serving elbow macaroni with béchamel sauce and three…
UCF is now dealing with an unofficial, ‘no rules’ party frat called the Gazoni Family
Back in January, the University of Central Florida washed its hands of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, stripping the organization of its charter and affiliation with the school. But like a weird, new rash after a regrettable night of drinking, it seems this frat isn’t going anywhere. According to the Huffington Post, Lambda Chi Alpha,…
Video footage allegedly shows Orlando bike cops punching a man
A video is circulating that appears to show an Orlando police officer repeatedly and excessively punching a 19-year-old who is pinned to the ground. According OPD, the incident happened on July 5th, under a parking overhang at 47 W. Jefferson street in Orlando. The video shows the arresting officer, Michael Napolitano, aggressively detaining Kissimmee residents…
Alan Grayson is in – he’s going to run for Senate seat being vacated by Marco Rubio
Setting up a potentially fierce Democratic primary, Central Florida Congressman Alan Grayson will run in 2016 for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by presidential candidate Marco Rubio. “I’m in,” Grayson told the Orlando television station WESH in advance of an expected formal announcement Thursday. Grayson, known for his outspokenness, is a favorite of many…
Audubon Park surrenders to the French for Bastille Day this Saturday
Some of the best oddball events that take place in this town happen in the Audubon Park Garden District, and the neighborhood’s annual Bastille Day celebration is probably our favorite. Marie Antoinette shows up to sign autographs, you can fence with baguettes at the French street celebration, and you can shop at an indoor French…
Catch ‘Roar,’ one of the most disaster-prone movies ever made, at the Enzian this weekend
Lions are dangerous. This seems like a given. Not so for producer Noel Marshall and his wife, Tippi Hedren. In the 1970’s, they amassed a collection of more than 100 lions and lived with the pack on a ranch outside of L.A., eventually deciding to shoot a movie using their big cat collection. That film,…
Fill some gaps in your comic collection when the Comic Book Connection hits town this weekend
Can we just stop pretending that liking comics is in any way nerdy or uncool? Movies based on comic book characters dominate box office receipts every year. A picture of Jared Leto as the Joker did a better job at breaking the Internet than Kim Kardashian’s champagne-covered ass. There is nothing unpopular about comics –…
Local Puerto Rican groups hold town hall to discuss health care
After White House officials proposed a series of cuts to Puerto Rico’s underfunded health care system, Puerto Ricans living on the island and here were, needless to say, not happy. In response, the Association of Puerto Ricans Living in Florida (Asociación de Puertorriqueños Viviendo en Florida) along with other organizations are having a town hall…
Road rage incident over Confederate flag results in fight on I-4
Welcome to another episode of WTF Florida, where we ask the important questions, like WTF, Florida? In today’s episode, we have two men who feel so passionately about a piece of fabric they were willing to follow another man onto the freeway for it, beat him and threaten to kill him, according to the Orlando…
Longwood couple purchases Minion toy from McDonald’s that seems to be saying, ‘WTF’
As we all know, Minions, from the new Universal movie of the same name, speak a made-up language called “Minionese.” But a Florida couple thinks the McDonald’s Happy Meal toy they purchased for their grandkids is actually saying “What the F*ck?!” Local man and grandfather, Bradley Merted, purchased the Happy Meal from a Longwood McDonald’s…
Disney’s Hollywood Studios removes Bill Cosby statue
Everybody’s reporting on it today: Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios has removed the statue of Bill Cosby from its Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame Plaza. The bronze bust was removed Tuesday night, according to the AP, presumably in response to the revelation that Cosby said in a 2005 deposition that he…
Watch this Gainesville Wendy’s get severely punished with lightning
This might be a cue for everyone to lay off the Frostys and old-fashioned square hamburger patties, at least for a while. Last Sunday, July 5, Gainesville resident Hollin Hoffman was shooting a Snapchat of the rain when nature decided to flex its mighty power on this poor Wendy’s franchise. Hollin wrote on his…
Jacksonville man shreds National Anthem so hard, cops are forced to arrest him
On July 4th, Jacksonville resident Lane Pittman, reached the pinnacle of rock by jamming the National Anthem so hard the cops were forced to arrest him. Technically, he was arrested for breach of peace, which is a misdemeanor. But nonetheless, Pittman’s rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” drew a crowd of nearly 200 people to the…
This Little Underground: Illuminated Paths tour wraps with Film Speak and Trotsky’s Water Cooler (Will’s Pub)
The first label showcase tour for pioneering area music label Illuminated Paths just wrapped with a finale event (July 5, Will’s Pub). A much more elaborate production than the tour kickoff (June 21, Uncle Lou’s), this homecoming show reconfigured and outfitted the rock club with rows of chairs and a giant video screen in front…
Zach Sherwin of Epic Rap Battles of History drops in to Spacebar for two special engagements this week
Spacebar continues its run of bringing top-notch comics into the Milk District for intimate shows this week as Zach Sherwin pops in for two special sets. Sherwin headlines this week’s edition of Spacebar’s Wednesday showcase tonight, July 8, at 9:30 p.m., then comes back at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 9, for a special early show.…
Lulu Eightball (7/8/15)
Related Stories
This Modern World (7/8/15)
Related Stories
After Supreme Court ruling on controversial drug midazolam, officials are already petitioning to resume executions in Florida
The drab curtains rose slowly over the unfolding scene, where behind thick glass, Darius Kimbrough was already strapped to a gurney with IV needles stuck into his arms. His face was peeking out from underneath a white sheet. After spending 19 years on Florida’s death row, Kimbrough still had the same boyish face he had…
6 of Florida’s most notorious botched executions in modern history
Florida has had its share of botched executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. Prisoners were executed by the state using the electric chair until 2000, when the Florida Legislature gave inmates the option of a lethal injection, which included the sedative pentobarbital, a paralyzing drug called vecuronium bromide and potassium chloride, the…
Gov. Rick Scott’s execution record is on track to be Florida’s highest since 1976
If the state executes Jerry Correll, Gov. Rick Scott will have executed the most inmates of any Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstituted in this state in 1976. A quick profile from the Florida Department of Corrections website shows that currently, about 38 percent of all the people on death row are black,…
El Patron’s Tex-Mex ups the ante and borders on gourmet
Things got off to an odd start at El Patron. There were more than a few empty booths and tables inside the sizable tourist-sector restaurant, but the wait, we were told, was going to be 25 minutes. “The kitchen’s backed up and a couple of servers called in sick,” said the harried hostess, who, we…
The effortless pop of Neon Trees bounces back after a live breakdown and therapy breakthrough
Neon Trees were still riding high on the success of their second album, Picture Show, and the hit single “Everybody Talks” (which propelled the band to the forefront of the mainstream pop world), when touring behind the album came to an abrupt and premature halt. After a particularly frustrating show in Las Vegas in 2012,…
This Little Underground: Meatwound is Florida’s next heavy threat
These are the columns I like to write: lots of fresh meat this week and all of it native. But first, a little beef. The Beat I know there are fellow music seekers out there. Certainly not enough of you, but there are more than I’m seeing – or so I keep telling myself in…
The return of Pom, Cask & Larder has growlers, new restaurant openings and more
After spending time in St. Pete helping to open an outpost of Pom Pom’s Teahouse and Sandwicheria, Pom Moongauklang is back in Orlando with plans to open a commissary-slash-cooking school near the original Pom Pom’s. Could the secrets of the Fu Man Chu be yours? “As soon as the city approves the plans, I would…
Opening in Orlando: The Gallows, Minions and Self/Less
The Gallows And here’s the latest entry in the genre of Horror Flicks That Scare Audiences Silly As Long As They’re Being Observed Through Night-Vision Glasses. I mean, what better arbiter is there of a flick’s fear quotient than an ad that shows a bunch of teenagers leaping for the ceiling while bathed in a…
Picks This Week: O-Town Meltdown, Swimm, BJ Barham and more
Swimm The former Florida duo, who relocated to Los Angeles, returns with new music, including the chugging indie-psych nugget “Beverly Hells,” obviously inspired by their new surroundings. 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, at the Social, $10 Between the Buried and Me The crushing weight of the hype behind Between the Buried and Me’s seventh album,…
The Flick at Dr. Philips, David Lee, National Dance Day and more
Gen Y Productions concludes their run of The Flick July 12, and $15 student and industry rush tickets are on offer for the remaining performances. I had some issues with the pacing of Annie Baker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning script, but the acting and direction were so strong that I’m still thinking about the show weeks later.…
Celery City Craft is one of the many cool hole-in-the-wall bars in Sanford
Celery City Craft Address/phone/web: 114 S. Palmetto Ave., Sanford, 407-915-5541; celerycitycraft.com After work or after hours? Both Beer/wine or liquor too? Beer/wine Check all that apply: ☐ fancy cocktails ☐ make ’em strong and keep ’em coming ☒ wine list (5 choices or more) ☒ craft beer ☐ beer: the usual suspects ☒ wide selection…
Miss Simone, goddam! – new Nina Simone doc is universally touching
Director Liz Garbus’ amazing glimpses of Nina Simone in her new Netflix documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone?, add up to a breathless and wheezing hard stare at one of the world’s most enigmatic talents. Garbus would’ve had to try to fail, of course, considering there’s enough emotion in just a GIF of Miss Simone that even…
The outsider art of the Coalition Ingénu expresses visions from deep within
Mount Dora’s quaint Victorian aura has not escaped the touch of modernity, as the city undergoes a full-blown streetscape renovation. As if the I-4 Ultimate Project were some kind of contagious disease, Mount Dora too is afflicted with torn-up sidewalks, barricades and detour signs run amok, bringing us a newer, smoother antique and gallery hideaway…
Disney’s Hollywood Studios park is limping into the ICU; what’s taking Mickey so long with the overhaul?
Longtime Live Active Cultures readers may have noticed that when it comes to attractions, I’m a bit of a necrophiliac. One of the first articles I ever wrote for Orlando Weekly was about the death of I-Drive’s Skull Kingdom, and in the years since I’ve covered everything from stillborn seasonal events to zombie shopping malls.…
Amy Winehouse biopic paints a sympathetic portrait of the tragic singer’s short life
4 stars When they asked Amy Winehouse to go to rehab, she famously replied, “No, no, no.” We all know how that refusal tragically ended, and we’ve all heard the jokes about it. In Asif Kapadia’s heartbreaking new documentary, Amy, it’s revealed that the talented singer-songwriter really did try. But in 2011, at the age…
Free Will Astrology (7/8/15)
ARIES (March 21-April 1) How can you fulfill your potential as an Aries? What strategies will help you become the best Aries you can possibly be? Now is an excellent time to meditate on these riddles. One of my Aries readers, Mickki Langston, has some stellar tips to inspire you: 1) One of your greatest…
Gimme Shelter (7/8/15)
Need a workout buddy? Peter (Animal ID A323800) is an energetic 4-year-old boy who loves to run. He was recently found as a stray, and when he first came into the shelter he was very nervous. With time he has relaxed, and his friendly, loving personality now shines through. Peter gets along with other dogs…
Savage Love (7/8/15)
I entered into a civil union with another woman in Vermont in 2000. My ex and I were together until 2003, when we decided to go our separate ways. It is now 2015, and my new partner (who is male) and I are expecting a baby and talking about getting married. We live in Texas.…
