Universal Orlando announces 2014 Halloween Horror Nights dates
Universal Orlando announces 2014 Halloween Horror Nights dates (image courtesy Universal) It’s official, fright-fans: the nation’s #1 haunted theme park event returns to town this fall, as Universal Orlando has announced Halloween Horror Nights dates for the event’s 24th annual edition. Halloween Horror Nights 24 will begin on September 19, and run through November 1,…
How to survive being on a diet at Walt Disney World
Being on a diet when you visit Disney is a drag, but it’s not that bad via Before we begin, let’s make one thing clear: If you’re dieting or just trying to eat healthy in general, just say no to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. It’s cruel and unusual punishment, and you will…
I was grossed out by Google Glass until I saw this video
I finally get it. In the same way that tech nerds are so annoyingly evangelical about how Google Glass will CHANGE EVERYTHING, after watching Google’s video of Roy Choi (“culture clasher, food philosopher, straight motherf*cking g, and Glass Explorer”), I now see the exciting possibilities Google Glass brings to food-related activities. Imagine a series of famous chef’s-eye views!…
30 years of raiding Barry Manilow’s wardrobe
Saturday…March 24, 1984. Shermer High School, Shermer, Illinois 60062. Dear Mr. Vernon…we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was that we did wrong. What we did was wrong. But we think you’re crazy to make us write this essay telling you who we think we…
Welcome home, drink beer: Foreign Policy mag breaks down the tensions behind that Winter Park Budweiser Super Bowl ad
via foreignpolicy.com Even though we were all a little excited for our little northern burg of Winter Park – along with a soldier returning home from Afghanistan, 1st Lieutenant Chuck Nadd – featured in the prime emotional real estate of this year’s Super Bowl advertising blitz, we were also a little suspicious at the fact…
Local artist illustrates cover for Black Sabbath Record Store Day UK release
Earlier this year, I highlighted four great illustrated show posters, and that was how I first encountered the work of local artist Brandon Geurts, but now his work – dark pieces that illustrate demons and female figures with a dramatic delicacy – has caught the eye of heavy rockers Black Sabbath. Black Sabbath will do…
!! The Social books Questlove for May
via **UPDATE** Tickets on sale now here. Anyone who was simultaneously stoked but inwardly groaning (theme park shows, ugh) to see the Roots were booked at Universal as part of their Mardi Gras concert series, you may have an alternative option on May 17 to skip the theme park and instead attend a Questlove DJ…
Local phone fixers offer discounts for Ramones fans
Hey! Ho! Cell Bros! There is nothing more devastating than cracking the screen on your smartphone, especially when it’s “valued” at $700. I learned this the hard way, and that’s why my iPhone is dorked up inside an Otter Box for the time being. For those who are nervous about the expense and risk of…
YOUR DAILY WEEKLY READER: society’s end, Scott’s ethnic problem and bent nail clippers
via Tampa Bay Times KOCH-HEADS AND THE SOCIAL CONTRACT, OR HOW THE ACA SHOWS WHETHER WE CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER ANYMORE: “The ACA is worthy of defense on its merits because it begins solving problems that Americans have always wanted solved. These include outlawing discrimination against those with preexisting conditions and doing away with the…
Repentant thief returns Hulk Hogan’s shoe
Call off the witch hunt: the Michigan woman who last week absconded from Hulk Hogan’s Beach Shop in Clearwater with one of the wrestler’s autographed shoes has returned said footwear, calling her brazen daylight theft of the display item a “stupid thing.” And a nation of weary Hulkamaniacs lets out a sigh of relief. We…
March 23 is National Chip and Dip Day! We have a quibble with that date.
Most of us are already accustomed to the idea of eating chips and dip; perhaps we even yawn at the perennial wedding gift. Not so Mad Men’s Pete Campbell: But March 23 is that weird ceramic implement’s day to shine, because today is National Chip and Dip Day, huzzah! I dunno, though, the choice of…
Pay to belay: Could creative bribery make Nugent go away?
The author paid good allowance money for this. Sorry, Dad! I grew up on Ted Nugent’s music. Wait, strike that: I grew up despite Ted Nugent’s music. And I don’t think even Nugent himself would be less than flattered by that clarification. As a teen, I was down with the whole Nugent schtick. The ridiculously…
Pharmacy and the Table on ‘Emeril’s Florida’ Sunday, March 23
Guess who’s coming to dinner? Just on the tails of news of the Pharmacy’s expansion and re-location of The Table, the restaurants will be making an appearance on Emeril Lagasse’s Cooking Channel show, Emeril’s Florida, Sunday, March 23. Last year, we called the Pharmacy one of our top choices of places to eat and drink equally well in…
Location Matters: the Mud Dogs’ football field from ‘The Waterboy’
Location Matters is a series that reflects upon pieces of Orlando Central Florida immortalized in popular film. I wish I could remember my initial reaction to the circa 1998 news that Adam Sandler would be filming parts of his college football farce The Waterboy in DeLand, Fla. I’m sure I felt disbelief. At the time I was…
The best of MegaCon
MegaCon weekend is always a fun time to find great prices on books you’ve been searching for forever, scope out and get pictures with all of the cosplayers (or cosplay yourself) and stuff yourself with greasy food in a geek-friendly environment. Or, you know, speed date. Whatever floats your boat. It’s also a good time…
The Capen House is on the move again!
Photos of the massive moving day for Capen House Last summer, the new owner of the historic Capen House in Winter Park was planning to demolish the grand home, instead of living in it as is or renovating it. The Friends of Casa Feliz, along with the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens and the Winter…
Will State Attorney Jeff Ashton clear the FBI in Todashev shooting?
via Yesterday, we told you that State Attorney Jeff Ashton’s office had announced that it planned to release the results of its investigation into the 2013 shooting death of Ibragim Todashev on Tuesday. Todashev, a Chechen man, was shot in his Orlando apartment by FBI agents who were questioning him about his relationship to Boston…
‘Grand Budapest Hotel’ is now playing in Orlando
The other day, we posted a blog that stated that Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel was going to open on March 21 in Orlando. We were told by Allied that it would indeed be opening today, but skeptical readers pointed out that the movie was not, in fact, listed on the schedule for any of…
Thank You, Internet: Monster attacks and 100 percent bacon burgers
Happy Friday! I bet you wish it was time to go home or at least get your happy ass to happy hour, right? Well, these links should help you through the last few hours of your week: via 1. In California, there’s a restaurant that serves what it calls the ‘Merica Burger. The patty, instead…
Say “Happy Birthday!” to It’s a Small World by singing an earworm
via Please accept my apology in advance, but you’re about to get an earworm of epic proportions. Disney’s iconic attraction It’s a Small World turns 50 today. To celebrate, they created a new website encouraging people from all over the world to record themselves singing the hard-to-get-out-of-your-head song. For each sing-along video submitted, Disney will…
Super-fun video from the Great Orlando Mixer
89 spiffy shots from The Great Orlando Mixer We had a blast at the Great Orlando Mixer earlier this month. Don’t believe us? We have the video to prove it: In case you missed them, check out our galleries from the event: 95 of the best dressed party-goers at The Great Orlando Mixer 89 Spiffy…
March Madness: local Sandwich Showdown bracket
Sixteen sandwiches enter. Only one will emerge victorious. Local T-shirt designer and sandwich obsessive “Biggie” (the creative mind behind Deli Fresh Threads) has created a sandwich bracket that faces off all your favorite sandwiches, a tasty mirror to the current NCAA March Madness. I dunno, sports are sportsy and all, but I just think sandwiches…
YOUR DAILY WEEKLY READER: Rick Scott’s unattainable awesomeness, the end of national parks
THE COUNTRY’S MOST UNAPPROACHABLE GOVERNOR ACTUALLY ALMOST RUNS SOMEBODY OVER. ALSO, PRISONERS ARE THE NEW COKE: The frustration of North Hill residents only grew as they watched the tail lights of the governor’s SUV speed away. Folks from the neighborhood came to the Fish House in force Thursday morning hoping to catch the attention of…
Gorelando: ‘The Blair Witch Project’ re-haunts the Enzian
“How do you feel about East?” The haunt that spawned a generation comes back for one last hurrah The Blair witch Project was one of those films that, by all means, shouldn’t have made it. Not that I didn’t want it to be the towering success that it was, but all odds were against it:…
State Attorney Jeff Ashton to release report on Ibragim Todashev shooting on Tuesday
via State Attorney Jeff Ashton said in a press release today that he plans to release the results of his investigation of the FBI shooting of Ibragim Todashev on Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. Todashev, a 27-year-old Chechen-American, was shot in May 2013 by FBI agents who were questioning him at his Orlando apartment about…
Orlando woman slut shamed for her wedding dress
via Shopping for your wedding dress is supposed to be one of the happiest experiences of a woman’s life. For Orlando woman, Nina Talley, the problems began once she found the dress of her dreams. After trying on over 30 dresses, with a few almost-perfects, she finally found THE DRESS. However, at $10,000, THE DRESS…
Phelps died on the first day of spring and bless Mr. Rogers
syn·chro·nic·i·ty noun :the simultaneous occurrence of causally unrelated events and the belief that the simultaneity has meaning beyond mere coincidence Today is a day to meditate on coincidence y’all. It’s officially the First Day of Spring AND the International Day of Happiness. That’s not a stretch if you’re someone who grew up with long…
New jazz pop-up show series kicks off at East End Market
via Hoping to co-opt the the vibrant musical atmospheres easily encountered in New Orleans, where street buskers are everywhere, local show producer Joseph Hayes has launched a new series: Jazz on Edge Unplugged. The first pop-up performance features Nicole Omat 6 p.m. Friday, March 21 at East End Market. (RSVP) There will be eight shows…
Video explains the Space’s curious Caress of Progress
Last week, I gave you guys a heads up about an unusual event that cropped up on that kaleidoscopic calendar at the Space, the Caress of Progress (9 p.m. and midnight Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29). I tried my best to describe the event, but there’s so much mystery surrounding it, I can…
Donate a sweater in honor of Mr. Rogers
via If Mr. Rogers were still alive, today, March 20, he would have turned 86 years old. In celebration of his birthday, Rollins College is holding a sweater drive. An alumni of Rollins College, Fred Rogers is most well-known for his PBS show Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, where, at the beginning of each episode, he would hang up…
Heavyset woman heists Hulk Hogan’s $5,500 shoe
The alleged footwear thief. Police in Clearwater are seeking information regarding a heavyset white female in her 50s who is believed to have committed what should be referred to as a Pinellas Screwjob. Last Sunday the woman and three friends entered Hulk Hogan’s Beach Shop on Mandalay Avenue at 5:16 p.m. under the guise of spring…
Republican savior John Ellis “JEB!” Bush to speak at Rollins tonight, is totally running for prez
Everybody grab your school vouchers and weird “choice” signs and pricey family trees, because Jeb Bush is slated to speak, at the behest of the Winter Park Institute, at Rollins tonight! And it all sounds very serious and daunting, because, well LIFE IS HARD RIGHT NOW, or something. Here, look at the promotional handbill! TIMES…
Meat news: drive-thru meat market, CSA butcher box and Orlando inventor creates kebab tool
Local meat purveyor Cuts and Craft offers a monthly Butcher’s Box. Carnivores! Paleo people! Occasional vegan cheaters! Gather ’round and listen up. Sign up now for Cuts & Craft’s Butcher’s Box, “a monthly offering of Southern-sourced, responsibly raised meats.” Husband-and-wife team Rhys and Alexia Gawlak are using the CSA (community-supported agriculture) business model, in which farmers…
YOUR DAILY WEEKLY READER: pesticides are dumb, Bill Nelson is smart, Mark Penn should go away
via NY Daily News PESTICIDES ARE MAKING YOUR PERFECT BABY LOSE ITS MIND. ALSO, NO EATING MERCURY, KIDS: “Forty-one million IQ points. That’s what Dr. David Bellinger determined Americans have collectively forfeited as a result of exposure to lead, mercury, and organophosphate pesticides. In a 2012 paper published by the National Institutes of Health, Bellinger,…
Interview: Color Guard director Dean Broadbent on WGI Southeastern Championships in Orlando
Shine up your sabers, unfurl your flags, and sling your (non-firing) rifles, because the Winter Guard International (WGI) Southeastern Color Guard Championships are being held this weekend in Orlando. Last week, I spoke extensively with Dean Broadbent, director of color guards for Flanagan High School in Pembrook Pines FL, about the past, present, and future…
Smiling Bison now open for lunch (photos)
The Smiling Bison is now open for lunch from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. We stopped by today on their second day of serving lunch to see how it was. It was good. Really good. Our review back in September of last year (“Where the gastronomes roam”) was pretty much glowing, so it was…
One of the Highwaymen, Robert Butler, passes away
via It’s a sad day for Florida art. Robert Butler, one of the 26 artists known as the Florida Highwaymen passed away this morning, as a result of complications related to his thirty-year battle with diabetes. According to his wife of 50 years, Butler spent the past week in a hospital and was recently moved…
Watch Fortune Howl’s animated music video for “Interzone Export” now
Local Relief in Abstract band Fortune Howl stirred us up with last year’s release Earthbound (our reviewer called it genius), and last week, they released a music video for the track “Interzone Export” that adds warm visuals to their soundscaping. Our reviewer described the music as “dreamy swimming” at times, which is mildly funny considering…
19 questions with an Orlando resident: Frank Jones
Photo by Liza Rudd. Welcome to 19 Questions, a feature where we ask longtime Orlando residents 19 questions that are mostly related to living in the City Beautiful. Originally hailing from Missouri, Frank Jones has lived in Orlando proper since 2000 but bopped around Volusia/Brevard Counties a bit before that. Frank currently works at Electronic…
President Obama visits Valencia College Thursday, March 20
via OK, as far as we know President Obama won’t be going to Disney World tomorrow, but he will be visiting the West Campus of Valencia College Thursday to speak about economic issues. In particular, he’s hoping to hear from Valencia College students who attend school while still working, as well as women who have…
File under LOVE!!: Turn your Sun Araw ticket into a pyramid
via Moon Jelly People keep asking me what upcoming show I’m most looking forward to, and I probably sound like a broken record by now, but it’s definitely, definitely Sun Araw’s two-night drop-in on April 4 (full band set at Will’s Pub) and April 6 (free solo show at Timucua White House). Compounding my excitement…
Twin sisters create ghostly vocal melodies as the Casket Girls
Make no mistake about their haunted sonic intentions
Orlando doesn’t suck, but the orange bikes do
A closer look at viral-marketing campaigns in Orlando
Drinking, Nightlife and Parties
Where to drink and party in Orlando this week
The best and worst of Orlando City Councilwoman Daisy Lynum
As Lynum prepares to retire, we look at the highlights and lowlights of her 16-year tenure
‘Ghosts of Brutality’ at Cornell Fine Arts Museum
John Hitchcock’s installation of war machines and death’s-head totems will jar your eyeballs
The Men return to form on ‘Tomorrow’s Hits’
Album review: The Men’s ‘Tomorrow’s Hits’
‘33 Variations’ at Garden Theatre
A play about transformation in a theater on the edge of transformation in a town that’s been transformed
Farewell Lil Indies, hello Daughters & Co.
Readers react to news that Will’s Pub offshoot Lil Indies will rebrand as craft cocktail bar
McDonald’s faces class-action lawsuit
Allegations that fast-food giant is unfairly withholding pay from workers spurs Florida lawmakers to streamline wage-theft legislation
Bleeding Rainbow’s ‘Interrupt’ is more imitation than originality
Album review: Bleeding Rainbow’s ‘Interrupt’
’Kesh chef Jerry Helminski musters maximum flavor
Eclectic UCF-area restaurant gives loyal customers what they want
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19) “When you plant seeds in the garden, you don’t dig them up every day to see if they have sprouted yet,” says Buddhist nun Thubten Chodron. “You simply water them and clear away the weeds; you know that the seeds will grow in time.” That’s sound advice for you. You are…
Bar Exam: Eden Bar
The what, where and why of Enzian Theater’s outdoor drinking spot
Pharmacy expands, the Table moves, and Cave Inn BBQ asks for help
Tip Jar: local restaurant news, openings and closings
Savage Love
I am a liberal parent. I raised a daughter who is bi and poly. I always thought that I could accept anything that parenthood might throw at me. I knew that I could embrace my son if he were straight, gay, bi, trans, etc. If there is a controlling consciousness of the universe, it has…
Real Estate discovers beauty in simplicity on ‘Atlas’
Album review: Real Estate’s ‘Atlas’
Opening in Orlando: ‘Bad Words,’ ‘Divergent’ and ‘Muppets Most Wanted’
Movies playing in Orlando theaters this week
Art31 offers a different art event every day in March
Art & History Museums – Maitland makes the public part of the art
Florida Film Festival announces 2014 schedule and events
Paul Sorvino to headline this year’s fest
This Little Underground: New sightlines at Will’s Pub
Gasoline Heart, Mike Dunn, Darsombra, East of the Wall, Cave of Swimmers, Coldside
‘Grand Budapest Hotel’ not grand, but still stylish
Wes Anderson’s latest film is a feast of color and eccentricity
Motown comes to Otown: 2014-2015 Broadway Series Announced
Mayor Dyer and Ron Legler introduce the 2014-2015 FTA Fairwinds Orlando Broadway season at DPAC (photos by Seth Kubersky) Orlando’s high-rolling arts supporters — including His Honor Buddy Dyer in a bow tie — showed up at Church Street Station’s spectacular Cheyene Saloon tonight (March 18) to learn the lineup of Broadway series touring musicals…
North Florida McFlurry skirmish escalates to car fire
It’s a story as old as time: man and woman visit McDonald’s in a 1994 El Dorado. Woman insists man buys her a McFlurry. Man denies this request. Woman, vexed, walks back to 1994 El Dorado, douses vehicle with flammable liquids and sets vehicle ablaze. Woman disappears through nearby parking lot as man and other…
Beware the (apparently delicious) Asian swamp eel
In this week’s Tip Jar, our own Faiyaz Kara reports that a U.S. Geological Survey study finds consumption of Asian swamp eel can cause a parasitic infection known as gnathostomiasis. “Warning to shoppers at our local ethnic markets Scientists found the worms in eels collected from markets in NYC, Atlanta and, yes, Orlando.” Don’t eat…
Mt. Dora pastor pays for his congregation to get inked
via Keep this story in mind the next time you make a flippant remark to a large group of people. Pastor Zack Zehnder, in a sermon encouraging acceptance, told the congregation that if any member wanted to ” go out and get a tattoo of the logo of the cross that we have for this church we…
Cowasaki: A motorcycle made from animal bones
via Got $55,000 to spend on a motorcycle that you can’t even ride? That’s how much the “Cowasaki” pictured above is currently going for. The bone chopper made its debut at Dunn’s Attic Auction House in Ormond Beach as part of 2014 Bike Week. Only nine motorcycles like it exist in the entire world. Each wheel is made…
Giant fish tank ruptures at Downtown Disney
via Last night at the T-Rex restaurant in Downtown Disney, my worst nightmare happened. One of those huge aquariums dotting the restaurant ruptured, spewing fish-water on diners. Now, for normal people, this would just be a weird story to tell friends and family, but for me, just reading this story makes my heart beat faster…
