Bloomsday comes to Orlando
What would James Joyce do on Bloomsday? Probably go to Drunken Odyssey’s “Bloomsday Reading” For those of us fortunate enough to live in sunny Orlando, we also find ourselves equally unfortunate enough to not live in cloud-covered Dublin, especially on Bloomsday, an annual celebration of beloved Irish writer James Joyce and his celebrated epic, Ulysses.…
For Reels Sunday Roundup — June 9th, 2013
With choices of the Google film (aka The Internship) or the Michael Bay-produced horror film The Purge (read Steve Schneider for more on this) the only mainstream choices of new films to see in theaters this weekend, the best new movie ended up being the documentary Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer. As good as that sounds, however, it…
Rockin’ roller derby: Arkham Assailants vs. Serial Thrillers at Semoran Skateway
Sunday, June 9 – Arkham Assailants vs. Serial Thrillers 4;30 p.m. Semoran Skateway 2670 Cassel Creek Blvd., Casselberry orlandoderbygirls.com $10-$13 It’s the rematch we’ve all been waiting for – and by “all,” we mean all of you Orlando roller derby enthusiasts. This weekend the Arkham Assailants and the Serial Thrillers go head-to-head once again to…
Riot, you’ll like it: Embracing “The Purge”
Like all Americans, I had a choice this weekend as to how I was going to exorcise my lingering socioeconomic malaise. And like most Americans, I opted for “slaughter of the innocent” over “creative retraining.” At this point, it looks as if the weekend box office will be won by The Purge, the “speculative thriller” in…
Splish and splash at the Wildtones’ ’50s pool party
photo by Loren Kahle Saturday, June 8 – Wet ‘n’ Wild With the Wildtones with Keith Jones and the Makeshifts, Hot Hands noon Travelodge 409 N. Magnolia Ave. 407-423-1671 free We can think of no better way to kick off the first week of June, the white flag signal it’s time to surrender to the…
Universal Orlando celebrates National Donut Day with donuts the size of your face
Universal Orlando doesn’t play. Today was National Donut Day, and while Winn Dixie was giving away free donut holes to customers, 100 people who showed up at Universal got gigantic face-sized donuts based on the Lard Lad donut shop in the Simpsons. These are, apparently, real things that you can order and eat at Universal’s…
‘Violet and Daisy’
Geoffrey Fletcher’s directorial debut is a whole different kind of precious
Hot Hands, Exitbags and other bands play Orlando Zine Fest
Saturday, June 8 – Orlando Zine Fest 3 p.m. Uncle Lou’s Entertainment Hall 1016 N. Mills Ave. 407-898-0009 call for price Pre-Internet, a do-it-yourself magazine collaged together out of bits of typed paper and clip art on a Kinko’s copier was the only way to promulgate one’s unique viewpoint on punk rock, health food, Kierkegaard…
Short Film Friday — Stay Safe from the Weather with A New Sugar Man b/w Girls & Dolls
The Pirate of Love (English & Iclandic w/ English Subtitles) Dir: Sara Gunnarsdóttir Runtime: 10m KarolinaFund page The fuzzy origins of a self-recorded CD by a Canadian man known only as Daniel C. is traced through hearsay and rumor in this 10 minute, partially animated documentary short. The film gives us a short ride through the…
Sing along with two-man band the Front Bottoms at Will’s Pub
photo by Mark Jaworski Friday, June 7 – The Front Bottoms with Weatherbox, Jr. Meowzer 8 p.m. Will’s Pub 1042 N. Mills Ave. willspub.org $10-$12 Staking out a position that’s roughly somewhere between “nerdy” and “goofy,” the two-man band known as the Front Bottoms sound like the kind of indie rock that a sitcom on…
These boobs were made for shooting?: OPD responds to WFTV story about fired breast cancer survivor
We find ourselves enjoying the seeming snippiness of the Orlando Police Department’s public-information office of late. Surely, if you’ve turned on the television for “news” at any time during the day, you’ve come across some hyperbolic hyperventilating over something the Fuzz or some freak done wrong – especially if WFTV News 9 anchor Kathy…
Virginia band Inter Arma brews up doom and sludge at Will’s Pub
Thursday, June 6 – Inter Arma with Bog Prophet, Set & Setting, Hollow Leg 9 p.m. Will’s Pub 1042 N. Mills Ave. willspub.org $6 The latest, megastacked masterstroke of local heavy-music syndicate Orlandooom is a five-star roster headlined by rocketing Virginia band Inter Arma, whose palette goes light-years beyond typical headbanging. It’s a dense, voracious…
RAW: Natural Born Artists host Kaleidoscope art party
photo by Seth Kubersky Thursday, June 6 – RAW Presents Kaleidoscope 8 p.m. The Abbey 100 S. Eola Drive 407-704-6261 rawartists.org/orlando $10-$15 Take a look through the Kaleidoscope and enjoy an “artistic circus of creativity,” as RAW: Natural Born Artists, an independent arts organization “for artists, by artists,” gives local artists the chance to showcase…
Call it destiny: Dunkin Donuts reinvents the breakfast sandwich
Dunkin Donuts’ new Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich will make its national debut Friday June 7. America’s two biggest exports are innovation and obesity, and miraculously enough, Dunkin Donuts has found a way to combine both into one quintessentially American breakfast sandwich. Fasten your belt buckles, people, because this is Manifest Destiny like you’ve never seen…
Food Truck fans start new Facebook page
via facebook.com/FoodTrucksForFairness Food Trucks and their fans in Orlando have started a new Facebook page to keep people informed about the new rules and regulations the city recently passed regarding “mobile food vending.” As we reported in Happytown this week, the new food truck temporary use permit is in effect now, and trucks will have…
Get cash for your oddities at Ripley’s Bizarre Buying Bazaar
Friday-Saturday, June 7-8 – Bizarre Buying Bazaar 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday-Saturday Ripley’s Believe It or Not! 8201 International Drive 407-345-0501 ripleys.com free, RSVP to johnson@ripleys.com Things are about to get weird: Where else can you find – all in one room – a painted whale eardrum, a two-headed bird and a portrait of Liz Taylor…
10 things you probably didn't know about the Postal Service
The Postal Service comes to Hard Rock Live, touring on the reissue of their indie classic ‘Give Up’
Anatomy of a Paella
Few dishes garner more awe than a fully loaded paella. Dotted with vegetables and overflowing with meat and/or mariscos, it’s a blue-collar street food staple in Spain that’s turned into upscale family-style fare at restaurants like Mi Tomatina in Winter Park or La Casa de las Paellas in East Orlando. Most likely, you’ll be faced…
This Little Underground
Our live music columnist recommends the first Off the Avenue compilation and talks Two Piece Mini Fest
Rocks and roll: craft cocktails
The dish: Even with our surfeit of digital gadgets in the age of “right now,” there’s a longing for a bygone era when life, love and booze were a little more leisurely. The “slow drink” movement has transformed the squirt gun-and-speed rail rum-and-Coke into the pickled-Rainier-cherry, cardamom-infused-rum and Coke smash. “There’s a longing to reconnect…
Album review: Charli XCX's 'True Romance'
Daring experimental pop release is intensely personal and defiantly current
Council watch
Billy Manes pays attention to city government so you don’t have to
Living la dolce vita: a glossary of Italian sweets
Can you distinguish Parm-Regg from Romano with your eyes closed? Call it from the door whether you’ll be served a hearty Roman-style pie or a delicate margherita? Well, after all the pasta has been twirled, it’s time to consider a sweet ending to seal the deal on your impending carb coma. Here’s a guide to…
Boogie Shoes
Marcie Schwalm’s Fringe holdover finds a turning point of awareness
Savage Love
I love my husband of 20 years, but our sexual differences are putting a strain on our marriage. Ten years ago, he asked me to talk dirty to him about having sex with other men. It has progressed to him wanting to be a cuckold. I only want to be with him, but he presses…
Finders, eaters: pop-up restaurants and supper clubs
The dish: Looking for the ultimate in foodie bragging rights? Eat a meal at a fleeting pop-up restaurant or score an elite invite to a supper club. Pop-up restaurants are a-few-nights-only events in borrowed space where a chef can show his or her stuff to adoring fans. Tony Adams’ pop-up, Kennebec, took over Thornton Park…
Happytown: New pension fund law could cost local governments
Counties could have to cough up $264 million to help stabilize deficit in Florida Retirement System Pension Fund
A pint and a plate
Yes, we know it’s crazy to separate hot wings and cold beer from each other – they’re simply meant for each other, like chips and salsa or peanut butter and jelly. But if you’re ready for the next step in beer and food pairing, here a guide: Lagers: Light-bodied brews, such as traditional pilsners and…
An Interview With Mark Baratelli
If you’ve ever munched, licked or slurped a tasty treat from one of Orlando’s copious food trucks, you might owe your stuffed, jubilant stomach to Mark Baratelli’s vision. Baratelli doesn’t run one of the rolling kitchens, but the civic sparkplug and arts advocate did mastermind TheDailyCity.com Food Truck Bazaar in 2011, a food truck caravan…
Will there be an independent investigation of Ibragim Todashev shooting?
Family and friends of man shot by FBI say there should be
Happytown: Orlando approves new rules & regs for food trucks
Pilot program places new restrictions on previously unregulated food-truck activity
Remix: a fresh take on the gin and tonic
Summer calls for tall, refreshing cocktails, and none fits the bill so perfectly as a gin & tonic. Between the crisp, astringent aromatics of gin and the anti-malarial and muscle-relaxing properties of quinine (the bitter flavoring agent of fizzy tonic water), this is a drink engineered to soothe the fevered brow of an overheated drinker.…
Nar Mediterranean Grill
Fresh Turkish fare near UCF offers late-night sweet and savory satisfaction
This is your brain on music
UCF instructors explore the intersection of music and neuroscience
Go fish!
With all this coastline, it’s no wonder we have so many places serving seafood around town. Legit old standbys still rule, like the wood-paneled fried fish temple that is Boston’s Fish House and High Tide Harry’s, which is in new digs, but sporting the same menu and the same low-key vibe as the former location.…
Drinking, Nightlife and Parties
Where to drink and party in Orlando this week
Opening in Orlando this week
What’s playing in local theaters this week
Trend alert: Fancified fast food
Oh, the power of the word “artisan.” Just about every celeb chef in the country has his or her own burger joint now, championed by Fleur de Lys frontman Hubert Keller and copied by Emeril Lagasse, Gordon Ramsay and Bobby Flay, among others. Even in the midst of all the latest diet fads (raw, keto,…
"Mysterious Muses" and "Southern Folk Masters"
Mennello Museum’s twin folk-art exhibitions connect to your soul with a punch of reality
Mead: It’s not just for Vikings
Next time you ponder ordering a glass of mead, ditch the iron goblets and longships dancing in your head; this fermented honey concoction doesn’t just belong to the Norsemen. Take a gander below the equator and down the menu of Orlando’s Nile Ethiopian Restaurant to discover Ethiopian meads, called tej. These honey wines are seasoned…
Entrail mix: nose-to-tail eating
The dish: You might think that offal is the final frontier, but in reality, it was the beginning of “dining out.” Whole-animal cookery has been around since man’s first fleshy bite, but with modern tastes and conveniences, organ meats and “fifth cuts” (the toughest, least expensive cuts) fell out of favor. Luckily, they’re back, and…
Live Active Cultures
Orlando’s attractions have steadily improved their edible offerings
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19) The longest natural arch in the world is the Fairy Bridge in Guangxi Province, China. Made of limestone, this 400-foot-wide span crosses over the Buliu River. No one outside of China knew about it until 2009, when an American explorer spied it on Google Earth. Let’s make the Fairy Bridge your…
Where sides go over the top
Channel your inner Don Draper at a dimly-lit steakhouse filled with suit-wearing servers, floor-to-ceiling wine storage and lush leather banquettes (sit on a cow and eat one, too!). Though its origins verge on old-fashioned, the steakhouse still remains the place to schmooze clients or wow a date, though without all the pesky sexism. With perfectly…
Trend alert: spotlight on Peruvian food
You’ve conquered the bandeja paisa at Oh, Que Bueno; you’ve burned the roof of your mouth on the Mexican molcajetes at Rocco’s Tacos and Tequila; you’ve even dared to finish off a triple at Junior Colombian Burger. But have you scaled the mountain of rice and seafood known as arroz chaufa de mariscos? Peruvian cuisine…
In Your Queue
Biographical sketches of seminal skaters
Rising Walt Disney World ticket prices, 1971-2013
This week, Walt Disney World announced that the price of a ticket to the Magic Kingdom had risen to $95 – a pretty steep jump, considering the cost of visiting the Magic Kingdom was roughly half that just a decade ago. We put together the chart below to show the rising cost of a single…
They’ve Done It: The Wizard of Oz 75th Anniversary… in IMAX 3D
So it shouldn’t have been a surprise, but when I got an e-mail earlier about the 75th anniversary release of The Wizard of Oz, I was expecting there to be a celebratory limited theatrical release. I wasn’t expecting that release to be in IMAX 3D. Post-process 3D is about the worst thing I’ve ever seen…
Orlando “jumping bean” wows SYTYCD judges, heads to Vegas for semifinals
Reality-TV junkies and local artsy-fartsies unite! We all now have a reason to tune in on Tuesday nights to see three-year veteran of the Orlando Ballet Sebastian Serra compete for a spot on the national dancing competition show So You Think You Can Dance (8 p.m., Fox). Serra impressed the judges in the audition portion of the show, which aired on May 21, and…
On sale this week: I Wayne at the Social
On sale: Friday, June 7 I Wayne with Droop Lion, Mixed Culture, Naciamaj, Weedamiah The Social 54 N. Orange Ave. 407-246-1419 thesocial.org $25-$35 Down the road: Say Anything, June 12 at House of Blues The New Lows Summer Tour Kickoff, June 13 at Will’s Pub Dragonette, June 15 at The Social Gavin…
Matt Guokas highlight reels – Saying goodbye to the Magic commentator
As likely everyone has heard by now (unless you’re one of those NBA fans who only pays attention when your team is winning, in which case, back to bed with you!), the Orlando Magic decided against renewing their contract with Matt Guokas, former Magic coach and most recently former Magic commentator, in what many sports…
