GORELANDO: Reflecting on Spooky Empire’s May-Hem 2013
Horror cons…They’re not just for the creeps. There are a few things you should know about the Orlando horror community: One, it’s not as much of a niche market as you might expect. Two, it’s filled to the brim with arguably the largest collection of artists in the history of our city. I know right?…
Gay Days Orlando: pool parties, visits to Disney and more!
Tuesday, May 28-Sunday, June 2 – Gay Days Orlando through June 2 host hotel: Doubletree Resort Orlando, 10100 International Drive 407-896-8431 gaydays.com various prices, visit website for details You could (and should) absolutely consider Gay Days an all-out extravaganza: Between the pool parties and group visits to the Disney parks (May 30: Animal Kingdom; May…
For Reels Sunday Roundup — May 26th, 2013
The easiest thing is to just stick with Cannes this week and pretend the whole Arrested Development thing isn’t happening. The Un Certain Regard prizes were announced yesterday, and the main competitions prizes are being announced as I type this and will be edited in as they’re announced by El Presidente Senor Speilbergo and his gang…
Fringe wrap-up: Schneider’s list
While we wait just a few short hours until the winners are announced in the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival’s first-ever official critics’ awards, Orlando Weekly has asked me to post a list of the top five shows I’ve seen. It makes for a harsh sample, since the work I was privileged to witness was…
Kiwi Camera Service hosts camera swap and sale
Sunday, May 26 – Kiwi Camera Swap and Sale 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Kiwi Camera Service, 1880B Kentucky Ave., Winter Park 407-539-2731 kiwicameraservice.com free When you’re a professional photographer or a true enthusiast, you know the best way to get new equipment isn’t necessarily to order it brand-new. There’s always someone, somewhere, who has a lens…
Chris Wollard & the Ship Thieves play Will’s Pub tonight
Saturday, May 25 – Chris Wollard & the Ship Thieves with the New Lows, Have Gun Will Travel, the Future Now 8 p.m. Will’s Pub 1042 N. Mills Ave. willspub.org $8-$10 Songs like Chris Wollard and the Ship Thieves’ “Reason in My Rhyme” from their self-titled debut LP remind us why side projects and solo…
RIP Celebrity Mascot Games
Fin of the Vancouver Canucks For nearly two decades, Central Floridians have annually anticipated the arrival of their favorite furry and felted friends. The Celebrity Mascot Games, a summer fixture in Orlando, has graced us with its once yearly showing of athleticism and sportsmanship between those we usually expect to see on the sidelines. From…
Who’s Zimmerman Who?: The strange case of post-mortem character assasination in the Trayvon Martin trial
As loathe as we are to jump into the hornet’s nest of stereotypes and slurs effectively being summoned from the public by the twisted hive minds of George Zimmerman’s auspicious defense team (we’re not buying it, Mark O’Mara), we can’t exactly stay silent either. From what we can gather, we’re supposed to now believe that…
A response to the guest column in today’s Sentinel: Pit bull bans not the answer
One of my dogs, Doc. Photo by Melissa McDaniel, melissashouse.com About a month ago, there was a loose dog running around behind the Orlando Weekly offices. Every day for an hour or two, this dog would be skulking up and down Woodward Street, sniffing around and barking at anyone who wandered by. As the days…
Blue Man Group makes noise at Orlando Science Center
Blue Man Group – Making Waves exhibit In conjunction with Orlando Science Center’s current Blue Man Group – Making Waves exhibit, the painted guys from the highly acclaimed live show at Universal Orlando will make an appearance at the Center from noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 2. They are known for their neon-hued,…
Seven 2013 releases that are way better than the new Vampire Weekend
I can think of a gazillion things I’d rather do than insult Vampire Weekend’s new record, so if you were hoping for a true album review I’m sorry to disappoint you. Instead, I’m going to cut to the quick and prevent you from a dated, soul-torturing listen by sharing some of the recent releases from…
Malick Sidibe photography exhibit opens at Cornell Fine Arts Museum
‘The Two of Us on a Motorcycle’ Saturday, May 25 – Studio Malick through Dec. 8 Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Rollins College 1000 Holt Ave., Winter Park 407-646-2526 rollins.edu/cfam free The 1960s were a jubilant time in Mali. Newly gained independence from the French and the exuberance of the rising global youth culture joined into…
Indie-psych band the Features tonight at the Social
Friday, May 24 – The Features with Heyrocco 8 p.m. The Social 54 N. Orange Ave. 407-246-1419 thesocial.org $10-$12 Continually indefinable indie-psych dwellers the Features teased the world by releasing a self-titled LP this year, leading some of us to wonder if they were now ready to explain just who they are and what their…
Reasons we’re excited about the new Simpsons attraction at Universal Orlando
Today, Universal Orlando announced that it would be opening a new and improved Simpsons attraction based on the fictional town of Springfield, which the Simpsons call home. Universal says they’ve reconstructed the streets of downtown Springfield, complete with a Jebediah statue, and visitors will be able to get a “Krusty-certified meat sandwich” at Krusty Burger,…
Harold Lloyd: The Other, Other Guy (TCM Marathon Tonight)
Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd. Or, if you prefer: Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd. The order changes depending on the person you ask. Some prefer the graceful stunts of Chaplin’s sweet-natured Tramp, a self-sacrificing vagabond who buys his way into your heart with a squint of doe eyes. Some prefer the stone-faced earnestness…
TODAY show tapes live at Universal Orlando
As part of the TODAY show’s Great American Adventure series, Al Roker, Natalie Morales and Willie Geist stopped by Universal Orlando this morning for a live taping of the show. And from what we hear, a large crowd of Central Floridians warmly welcomed the gang. It’s a kick off of sorts to the summer season,…
Tattoo fest, zombie walk and more at Spooky Empire’s May-Hem
Friday-Sunday, May 24-26 – Spooky Empire’s May-Hem various times through Sunday, May 26 Rosen Centre Hotel 9840 International Drive 888-690-4695 spookyempire.com $30-$70 Calling all creeps: Your midyear fright fest is back and bigger than ever. If you’re looking for a prime example of how passionately robust Orlando’s horror community is, you can find them all…
More details on FBI shooting of Ibragim Todashev
Ibragim Todashev, an Orlando resident of Chechen descent, was shot and killed early Wednesday morning by an FBI agent who considered him to be an “imminent threat.” The FBI Boston Division says that Todashev was being interviewed by the “FBI agent along with two Massachusetts State Police troopers and other law enforcement personnel, in connection…
Orlando Philharmonic is buying the Plaza Live
The Plaza Live is not just beloved in Orlando for its quality sound and capable booking, it’s revered. So, I was legitimately sad when I first heard rumblings that the Philharmonic might buy the venue to use as a practice space, which, admittedly, is an equally noble use of the space, but it’s just -…
Album Review: Daft Punk’s ‘Random Access Memories’
Daft Punk ascends to new heights of what-the-fuck on arguably the year’s most anticipated release.
Urban ReThink hosts screening of Miss Representation documentary
Wednesday, May 22 – Miss Representation 6-8:30 p.m. Urban ReThink 625 E. Central Blvd. 407-704-6895 womeninfilmfl.org $10 If you’ve seen the trailer for Miss Representation, there are a few facts – like the disparity between the amount of women in Congress as compared to the number of women in the U.S. overall – that may…
In Your Queue
Revisiting some old Cannes film fest winners
Happytown: Is the manufacturing sales tax cut constitutional?
Bill passed with less than 2/3 required supermajority
Rusteak Restaurant & Wine Bar
Ocoee gastropub has a lot going for it
Savage Love
Twenty-one-year-old female here. When we were both 14, my first boyfriend took advantage of me. I wanted to explore my sexuality a little, but things went further than I wanted. One day, we were kissing with him on top of me. We were both fully clothed, and he started rubbing up against me. I didn’t…
‘At Any Price’
Dennis Quaid’s quirky turn breathes life into undercooked drama
The Survivors Project
Excerpts from ebook that gives sexual-abuse survivors a chance to tell their stories
Fringe Fest 2013 reviews
Our top seven picks
Opening in Orlando this week
‘Epic,’ ‘Fast and Furious 6’ and ‘The Hangover Part III’
Album reviews: Graveola, Melvins, King Tuff
A throwback sound, a cover album and a reissue, we review them all for your consideration
Council watch
Billy Manes pays attention to city government so you don’t have to
This Little Underground
Our live music columnist talks about a new record club and reviews Tera Melos and Blood Ceremony.
Drinking, Nightlife and Parties
Where to drink and party in Orlando this week
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19) “I’m still learning,” said Michelangelo when he was 87 years old. For now, he’s your patron saint. With his unflagging curiosity as your inspiration, maybe your hunger for new teachings will bloom. You will register the fact that you don’t already know everything there is to know … you have not…
Feedback
Music updates from around town: Sportstown, East-West Records, double dose of Lil’ Indies
Happytown: Florida Action Watch holds Koch Bros. Protest
Highlight: Tea Party blogger calls Sentinel’s Scott Maxwell “rude, radical and unprofessional”
Tip Jar: local food news
This week: HUE closes, Vespr Craft Coffee opens, and look forward to Scotland at this year’s Epcot Food and Wine Festival
Live Active Cultures
“Naruto” star Maile Flanagan on anime, fan conventions, being a military brat and thanking her wife at the Emmys
Feedback playlist: Passable jukebox songs to play at Sportstown
Jukeboxes, in their nostalgic glory, are being totally edged out of bars in favor of a TouchTunes offering that alleviates the formers’ limitations regarding song selection, with a fairly broad digital music library to search, rather than flipping through hefty pages full of pre-determined, somewhat tired CDs. Sportstown has had TouchTunes for more than two…
Fringe Review: Ain’t True and Uncle False
Like any quirky Southern story, Ain’t True and Uncle False starts out as something of a ramble. And it might take a little bit for your brain to disconnect from logic, embrace the story and run with it. But like any piece of folk art, it’s the combination of fairytale, twisted take on reality and…
Fringe Review: Children in the Dark
“Welcome to Bob’s brain,” invites Children in the Dark’s six-person cast, who present a unique, surreal examination of the mind – and life – of a man just prior to his death. Unfortunately, despite a refreshingly bizarre concept and impressively eerie technical direction, Bob’s brain clearly has a headache, and so do we once this…
A quick primer before you watch the NBA Draft Lottery
While we were all buying Powerball tickets and hoping to race a lucky fool in Zephyrhills, Fla., to that cool $590 mil., the Orlando Magic as a franchise was probably doubly busy crossing fingers and clutching rabbit’s feet, hoping to win the NBA Draft Lottery, which begins at 8:30 p.m. EST and airs on ESPN.…
Fringe Review: Teaching Shakespeare
“All’s well that ends well,” wrote the Bard. And, certainly, Keir Cutler’s one-act dramedy, Teaching Shakespeare, not only finishes with a flourish but also starts strongly and does just about everything in between on its way to becoming perhaps the best one-man show at this year’s Fringe. Described in the festival program as a parody…
Fringe Review: Ses-qui-cen-ten-ni-al – The Civil War Remembered
You don’t have to be a Civil War enthusiast to appreciate this historically influenced monologue by Storyteller “Country Joe” Rosier. That’s because from the moment Rosier’s character, which that night happened to be General Robert E. Lee, (He also plays General Ulysses S. Grant in other Fringe performance dates.) slowly strolls into the chapel at…
On sale this week: The Molly Ringwalds at House of Blues
On sale: Friday, May 24 The Molly Ringwalds 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3 House of Blues Downtown Disney West Side Lake Buena Vista 407-934-2583 hob.com $15-$17 Down the road: The Pauses, May 30 at The Peacock Room The Tenderloins, May 31 at Hard Rock Live Killswitch Engage, June 3 at House of Blues…
