Orlando comedians court Maria Bamford
via Last week, we told you about the inaugural Orlando Indie Comedy Festival, currently in the works for the end of September. Today, we received some more details, including who the volunteers planning the fest want to bring onboard as the headliner: Maria Bamford. If you’re unfamiliar with Maria Bamford’s quirky charm, forthright honesty and…
Historic center announces crowd-sourced exhibition
via Attention all Orlando history buffs: This summer, you have the chance to partake in a crowd-sourced exhibit at the Orange County Regional History Center. The museum is accepting nominations for their Historic Icons Project, which will document iconic moments during 1965 to 1985 from an Orlando resident’s point of view. The arrival of Disney…
YOUR DAILY WEEKLY READER: science silence, gun nuts, Bondi’s blonding
CLAIMING IGNORANCE IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN LEARNING SCIENCE: Some leading conservatives have a new talking point on climate science: They’re not qualified to talk about it. House Speaker John Boehner became the latest top Republican to try that tack Thursday, seeking to deflect an issue that has given Democrats an opening to brand the…
Dramatic video surfaces of train hitting watermelon truck
A common fate for good watermelons The Orlando Sentinel has obtained dramatic smartphone footage from 15 year-old Sumter County resident Austin Broderick of last Wednesday’s train-on-watermelon truck collision just outside the Villages. Austin and his father Dean, 46, were just two miles from home when they realized they were about to bear witness to the…
AMC’s new computer drama Halt and Catch Fire does just that
The history of computers on the big or small screen bears little resemblance to the reality of computers. A few films like The Social Network, Underground and The Pirates of Silicon Valley aside, too many directors go for the cheap way out and try to dramatize computing beyond all concepts of reality. The worst offenders,…
This Little Underground: Matthew Fowler & Austin Miller @ The Social
This Little Underground is Orlando Weekly’s music column providing perspective, live reviews and news on the city’s music scene. Read the latest column here. (Matthew Fowler at the Social / photo by James Dechert) Besides playing, Steven Foxbury, whose Thursday show at Will’s Pub I just reviewed here, also happens to own a recording studio…
This Little Underground: Freestyle Fest @ House of Blues
This Little Underground is Orlando Weekly’s music column providing perspective, live reviews and news on the city’s music scene. Read the latest column here. (TKA still looks good, but not quite this good.) No story of Florida music is complete without a chapter on freestyle. Although undersung by all but the devout, the Latin-dominated…
Theater Review: True West presented by Dark Side of Saturn
True West presented by Dark Side of Saturn at Orlando Shakes As any parent who has ever threatened to “turn this car around right now” knows, siblings stuck in close quarters can swiftly slide into savage violence. But unless your last name is Corleone or Knowles, you’ve probably never experienced fraternal fighting like the battling…
This Little Underground: Steven Foxbury @ Will’s Pub (plus video!)
This Little Underground is Orlando Weekly’s music column providing perspective, live reviews and news on the city’s music scene. Read the latest column here. (Steven Foxbury at Will’s Pub / photo by Ashley Belanger) Steven Foxbury has lived in Pittsburgh for practically a decade. I don’t know his clout up there but I don’t…
5 hurricane survival tips to get you through Florida’s windy season
via Hurricane season officially begins Sunday, June 1 and, more importantly, the hurricane supply sales tax holiday starts this Saturday. Included in the tax break are standard hurricane supplies like flashlights, batteries, coolers and generators. (For a complete list of tax-exempt items, including the rules and regulations of the week-long sales tax holiday, click here.)…
Thank you, Internet: Reese’s Cup Oreos and Aladdin without pants
You know, short weeks sometimes seem longer than regular weeks, amirite? Well, Friday’s finally here and we’re down to the last few hours. Looking to spend the rest of your work week falling down an Internet rabbit hole? These links should help you get started: via 1. Oreos are the mecca of the store-bought comfort…
Theater Review: Davis Gaines Double Standards at The Abbey
Davis Gaines performs Double Standards at The Abbey through June 1 Thanks to the recently finished Fringe Festival, I’ve seen more than my fair share of out-there cabarets in recent weeks, featuring everything from tap-dancing to drunken improv. Davis Gaines, Orlando ex-pat and long-running star of Broadway’s Phantom of the Opera, arrives at The Abbey this…
Postcard takes 67 years to reach Daytona Beach from Ireland
Scenes of Irish life circa 1947 as depicted on the mailing. Photo via Peabody Auditorium. Note to snail mailers: when sending out your materials please make sure the address you’re mailing exists. That’s what seems to have hampered the delightful postcard a party known as the Beards sent their pal Dolores Callahan c/o Daytona Beach’s Peabody…
Film Review: Ida – Pawel Pawlikowski (opens today at Enzian)
Ida ???? (out of 5 stars) If there have been institutions more maligned in film than the Church and the iron curtain, they can’t have been by much. It’s one of the few things that religion and communism have in common in this world, and it ends up making for a sublime road movie in…
Disneyland Paris opening Ratatouille land in July
Concept art from new Ratatouille restaurant at Disneyland Paris (image courtesy Disney) Are you considering a romantic vacation to Paris, but can’t stand the thought of being away from Disney rodents? Disneyland Paris will solve your dilema on July 10, when a new Ratatouille land opens at the Walt Disney Studios theme park. The new Parisian-themed area will…
Vote for the Red Bull BC One B-boy you want immortalized in new Andrew Spear mural
New mural alert! Local hero Andrew Spear finishes his second of three Red Bull Wings to Walls murals Tuesday, June 3, when he paints in the local B-boy YOU vote for. The Red Bull BC One promo folks tell us, “As part of the Wings to Walls art in public places initiative partnership by the…
Another Fringe holdover run: Tim Mooney’s epic ‘Shakespeare’s Histories’
photo by Tisse Mallon from Fringe 2014 Great news: Following sold-out shows at this year’s Orlando Fringe, Tim Mooney brings Shakespeare’s Histories: Ten Epic Plays at a Breakneck Pace back to Orlando with three more shows at Breakthrough Theatre of Winter Park. This was one of our favorite Fringe 2014 shows — you can check out…
YOUR DAILY WEEKLY READER: magical maps, no Nelson, Bush falls off the right
via Politico NOW THINGS ARE JUST GETTING WACKY IN THE REDISTRICTING TRIAL. INVISIBLE MAPS!!!!: “The trial over Florida’s redrawn congressional districts took a dramatic turn Thursday when the judge closed the courtroom to the public and a private citizen — whom legislators had commended for having drawn portions of the final congressional map — testified…
New Diagon Alley video from Universal and exclusive WWOHP content on Comcast
via Last week, Universal Orlando placed the fire-breathing dragon atop Gringotts. This week, they followed that up with a video that gives us a street-level view of Diagon Alley, including a peek at the new storefronts and some behind-the-scenes insight into the creation of the new area. You know what the best part is, though?…
Winter Park High School’s yearbook is a grammatical train wreck
Image via Randy Noles It seems that 2014 has already proven disastrous when it comes to high schoolers and their yearbooks. Not only has a Utah high school altered female students’ pictures without their permission, but Orlando’s own Winter Park High School has now created a yearbook so shockingly awful that the school’s principal has…
“Escape From Baldwin Park” escapes Fringe, pops up at Theatre Downtown
Wait, which one is Patty Sheehan? We can’t tell anymore. One of the sad moments of Fringe 2014 was the fact that we weren’t able to review Escape From Baldwin Park – since its author, Steve Schneider, was an Orlando Weekly contributor or full-time staffer for about 19 years, it was nigh-on impossible to find…
Merchandise to release new album ‘After the End’ in August
via Tampa’s DIY punksters Merchandise were destined to reach beyond the Sunshine State. In fact, having experienced Merchandise in both a dingy Brooklyn basement and a Floridian biker bar, we can confirm that their shoegaze aesthetic appears much more comfortable with a dim Northern atmosphere backdrop. However, this newfound familiarity hasn’t placed the band within…
Police Beat: Security guard shoots Orlando woman who disrespects his “authority”
Cooler heads did not prevail last night when a security guard shot a woman near Mercy Drive, proving to everyone why some assholes aren’t responsible enough to be actual police officers. It started as many such incidents do, with a public argument between two friends. Aimee Guillory was having a heated verbal spar with her…
Gainesville band Dikembe featured on Vice (with high praise for Pearl Jam)
via Here in Orlando, we recognize Gainesville band Dikembe cuz they’re BFFs with local dudes You Blew It! and nearly always end up on the same bill. It’s no surprise then that both of these bands are on the rise simultaneously, with You Blew It! in recurring posts on Pitchfork and now Dikembe with a…
Marc With a C releases double album recorded live at Sleeping Moon Cafe
Artwork by Katharine Miller You can catch local songwriter Marc With a C performing live at the Geek Easy’s open mic night pretty frequently, but for those who wish to put his quirky pop distillation of brash geekery and shy-guy wisdom (and who wholeheartedly agree with his disdain for Glee) on repeat, his latest release…
Train collides with watermelon truck, creates delicious nightmare
Oh, the humanity! Photo via the Florida Highway Patrol. Like something out of Keystone Cops: truck driver Vincent Vuong Tran found his semi (full of watermelons) stalling on railroad tracks near the Villages last night, and despite valiant efforts, Tran failed to remove his cargo from the path of a barreling CSX train. The 130-car choo…
John Canemaker’s “The Lost Notebook” documents Disney at its best moment
10 historic images from The Lost Notebook: Herman Schultheis & the Secrets of Walt Disney’s Movie Magic If you’ve never heard of Herman Schultheis, you’re not alone. Ironically a relentless self-promoter who may have suffered from a persecution complex, Schultheis was a minor employee at the Disney Animation Studios from 1937 until 1941, during the…
Bite30 restaurants: All of our critics’ reviews in one place
Here is a list of restaurants participating in Bite30 so far, with links to Orlando Weekly’s reviews (those not reviewed are noted). Click on linked names to get some idea of what we thought when we visited (which, in a few cases, was a while ago! Just sayin’). You, of course, are going to form your…
Orlando comedy boom: An interview with Tom Feeney
Orlando’s local standup comedy scene is booming right now. Local comics have honed their skills at open mic nights at places like Austin’s Coffee, the Other Bar and Drunken Monkey and are now doing well-worth-your-time showcases at places like Spacebar, Bull and Bush and Will’s Pub. Orlando Weekly has had a bit of a blind spot…
Orange County Animal Services wants help emptying the shelter
Photo courtesy Orange County Animal Services Yesterday the news broke that Apopka police raided a dog fight in progress at a home on 7th Street in Apopka. As of today, Orange County Animal Services has taken in 34 dogs from the raid, which are receiving medical care for wounds and other health problems. According to…
FROM THE PAGES OF ORLANDO WEEKLY ON WMFE: Billy Manes talks shop about the county mayoral race shakeup
So, as you’ve likely already read in this week’s Happytown, we’ve been perplexed by the news that Val Demings dropped out of the Orange County mayoral race, basically clearing the path for another Teresa Jacobs administration while simultaneously wounding the Democratic Party. Here’s our take, with actual talking, as aired on WMFE 90.7 FM this…
YOUR DAILY WEEKLY READER: X and why?, gun apathy, Knowles in the wall
THERE IS APPARENTLY NOBODY WORSE IN THE WORLD THAN EXENE CERVENKA. BURNING ALL MY X RECORDS NOW: “Exene Cervenka, singer for 80?s punk icons X, just upset a whole mess of people this afternoon (May 28) with a series of tweets aimed at exposing last week’s Santa Barbara shooting as a hoax. The 58-year-old frontwoman…
Short documentary about Orlando’s Mr. Gold released on Vimeo
Photo via Bartlett image. Remember Mr. Gold? Here’s a reminder: Mr. Gold, aka Jose Melendez, spins signs in his signature gold suit, hat and mask for Diamond Exchange, a business on the corner of Maguire Boulevard and East Colonial Drive. He caught our attention in 2012 when we were planning our annual Best of…
Orlando boy Francis Biondi competes for the title of MasterChef
via Francis Biondi, a 25-year-old server who hails from Orlando, made it through the first round of televised cuts on MasterChef’s fifth-season premier on Monday night. Biondi, who has no professional culinary training (and looks more than a little bit like Ralph Macchio in his Karate Kid days), secured an apron with his signature dish: Crusted Halibut Cheeks…
Floridians Google some strange shit
via Someone has has been looking into our Internet search history, Floridians … and it’s kinda weird. Earlier this week, Estately took to Google Trends to find out “which words, terms, and questions each state was searching for more than any other.” The aim of the research wasn’t to discover the most Googled term in…
Edward Snowden leaks new intelligence to NBC Nightly News
via The infamous NSA whistleblower currently seeking political asylum in Russia, Edward Snowden, is leaking new intelligence to NBC Nightly News anchor, Brian Williams. The one-hour interview, Snowden’s first with a U.S. television network, will air at 10 p.m. on Wednesday. In an excerpt that aired Tuesday night, the document leaker says he trained as…
Apopka dog-fighting bust … what about the dogs?
Apopka police department photo. It has been all over the news this morning that there was a dog-fighting bust in Apopka last night. According to police, 26 people were arrested and more than a dozen dogs were confiscated from vehicles of people who’d allegedly showed up to attend one of four fights scheduled to take…
Superdumb: Why Hornaday was right about Rogen
The first time I saw Superbad, I knew it would one day inspire a horrific multiple murder. Stop him before he kills again. OK, not quite. But I was disturbed greatly by its denouement. The good and upstanding kid who had refused to become a date rapist was rewarded by getting the girl; meanwhile, his…
Jamaican DJ in Florida jail for North Dakota lotto fraud
Deon-ville is a cool name as it is, don’t know why he changed it to Wah Wa Madboss. Photo via Facebook. The party appears to be over for Deon-ville O’Hara, a.k.a. Hamma General, a.k.a. ZJ Wah Wa Madboss, who is currently biding his time in a Broward County jail on charges of conspiracy to commit…
Hard Rock Cafe tangles with famous Beatles venue the Cavern Club
Ob-Law-di, Ob-Law-da
Val Demings’ mysterious disappearing act
Democratic hopeful for Orange County Mayor drops out of the race and leaves the party in a lurch
A guide to summer events in Orlando
Fairs, festivals, films and more
Swans are still lord of their own impossible mountain
Album review: Swans’ ‘To Be Kind’
Gay Days 2014
A guide to the pool parties, theme park outings and more
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19) “When I was young,” wrote French author Albert Camus, “I expected people to give me more than they could – continuous friendship, permanent emotion.” That didn’t work out so well for him. Over and over, he was awash in disappointment. “Now I have learned to expect less of them than they…
Yonatan Gat’s solo project is an improvisational guitarist side trek
Album review: Yonatan Gat’s ‘Iberian Passage’
Savage Love
I’m a 25-year-old straight guy. Last month, I was in the locker room at my gym. It was 4 a.m., and I was the only one around. I was getting ready to leave, when I noticed someone exiting the showers. He kinda caught me looking (he was very well-endowed), and I quickly turned my head,…
Beach reads
All the books we’re looking forward to getting sandy this summer
Four cool Orlando venues perfect for escaping the heat
Stay indoors without missing out on any summer fun
The culture in Tallahassee is slowly improving
We still have WTF moments in the Capitol, like when we see Confederate flags on display, but it’s better now than it used to be
This Little Underground: Moonshine Bandits are an abyss of taste
Hick-hop showcase, Country Gone Wild Tour and Firestone Live
Fourth of July in Orlando
A listing of parades, festivals and fireworks
Drinking, Nightlife and Parties
Where to drink and party in Orlando this week
Summer 2014 movie preview
Movies coming to the big screen this summer
Nikki Lane blends Neko Case grace with some Loretta attitude
Album review: Nikki Lane’s ‘All or Nothin’
Hundred Waters’ sophomore album takes us on a richer journey
Album review: Hundred Waters’ ‘The Moon Rang Like a Bell’
Txokos Basque Kitchen is a paean to Pyrenees cuisine
Chef Henry Salgado’s menu is as inspired as it is exquisite
Readers sound off on the plan to put tolls on I4
Letters to the editor
Spectator sports
Soccer, arena football and more
Four perfectly shady parks in Orlando
Our favorite parks perfect for hiding out from the summer sun
Orlando summer concert calendar
The hottest club shows, concerts and music fests
Police Beat
Four days, four people dead in Orlando
Bite30 makes every day in June a feast
Start banking calories now, because you won’t want to miss a bite
Central Florida beaches, springs and pools
A listing of Orlando’s public pools, plus nearby beaches and springs
What‘s your favorite place to drink outdoors in Orlando?
We tell you about some of our favorite outdoor drinking destinations. Tell us about yours in the comments.
Four cocktails begging to be mixed this summer
Recipes for four refreshing and summery drinks
Central Florida staycations
Simple day trips and overnighters that’ll help you recharge your batteries
On the eve of Spooky Empire’s May-hem, John Carpenter discusses his career
John Carpenter photo via wikipedia John Carpenter is an accomplished composer, screenwriter and director of movies in multiple genres, so does he ever get tired of being associated with only horror? “God, no! Oh, no, no. I love horror,” Carpenter says. “Making horror movies, making science-fiction movies, I got to be John Carpenter. What’s wrong…
Potential lead in case of Elvis the missing goat
Elvis the fainting goat in happier times. Photo by Patrick Borsey. It’s been about three months since Elvis the fainting goat and 14 of his barnyard friends were heisted from the petting zoo outside Groveland’s Red Wing Restaurant. Just as hope was beginning to fade, last week authorities recovered one of the missing potbellied pigs…
YOUR DAILY WEEKLY READER: expressway idiocy, staring at the sun, guns kill people, rich getting richer
CAN WE PLEASE JUST KILL THE EXPRESSWAY AUTHORITY NOW?: “A handful of politicians, lobbyists and government officials plotted to take over Orlando’s Expressway Authority and use the agency’s $300 million budget to their advantage, according to records and testimony released by the State Attorney’s Office. The aim was to put their friends in charge of…
