Raise a glass
Downtown wine bar injects a little fun into wining
Bloodless coup
‘Be veg. Go green. Save the planet.â?� These words appear everywhere you turn at the Loving Hut, the tiny temple of veganism that recently materialized on Colonial Drive. The smiling Hut-dwellers have transformed the dark, cave-like spot that formerly housed Tay Do into a serene space lined with mirrors and flat-screen TVs and filled to…
Vulcan-ized
Abrams owns ‘Trek’ lock, Spock and barrel
Imitation of life
A shrill, dysfunction-by-numbers family drama
Live Active Culture
If you want a front-row seat to the Great Recession’s impact on the arts industry, check out the discounts on the Great White Way. Big-budget movie musicals like Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Shrek, the Musical have been offering buy one—get one deals and lottery rush ticket promotions. Many titles show up at the TKTS…
Happytown
Just when we thought the Florida Legislature couldn’t get any dumber … actually, we’ve never thought that. This legislative session has been a cornucopia of Republican idiocy, helmed by a rudderless right-wing rabble in the state House and Senate and a governor too busy (thinking about) running for the U.S. Senate to govern. If Fox…
Police Beat
April 23 (2009-190950) 11:58 a.m.: So walking down Parramore Avenue with a crack pipe and some hard in plain sight in the middle of the day isn’t a hot idea? (2009-191316) 4:10 p.m.: Another Parramore crack bust. Shocking, I know. I thought building Rich DeVos’ Golden Pleasure Dome™ was going to fix this nasty crime…
Lesson in postmodern history
Robin Van Arsdol Through May 15 at Guinevere’s Café 39 S. Magnolia Ave. 407-803-6670 www.galleryatavalonisland.com Guinevere’s Private Café in downtown Orlando is currently featuring a solo exhibition of work by Orlando artist Robin Van Arsdol. This work from the 1970s is from his formative years, experimenting with various media and themes. The show coincides with…
Another writerâ??s residence
Kimberly Elkins Farewell Reading; 8 p.m. Saturday; Kerouac House, 1418 Clouser Ave.; www.kerouacproject.org;free One can imagine there’s a lot to be gained for a writer who lands a three-month stint in Jack Kerouac’s old College Park abode. Writers who compete for the seasonal residencies offered by the Kerouac Project of Orlando are probably hoping to…
One for the road
Their native Tampa’s already hip to them, but Orlando needs to know Will Quinlan and the Diviners, because they are one of Florida’s most complete and distinctive Americana voices. To alt-country fans, the Diviners’ sound will immediately feel tailor-made. It’s bent with the right amount of twang, filigreed with pedal steel and mandolin and fueled…
Lived in bars
Will Quinlan and the Diviners with Matt Butcher and the Revolvers, the Legendary JC’s 8 p.m. Saturday, May 9 The Plaza Theatre, 407-228-1220 all ages $10-$12 $10-$12 Tampa is a city that revels in its culture of debris. From its colonial origins as an enter-if-you-dare hideout for slaves to its modern-day incarnation as the I-4…
Art: Rhodehamel reigns
Rhodehamel reigns a.thunderstorm May 1-4 at the Orange Studio 1121 N. Mills Ave.; 407-898-7234 www.dougrhodehamel.com Doug Rhodehamel’s a.thunderstorm installation was shown at the Orange Studio. Like most Rhodehamel happenings, it was a short-lived affair; the show opened May 1 and closed May 4. Rhodehamel’s conceptual art approach has been fine-tuned through many installations, and this…
Art: Urban Romance
Urban romance Bryce Hammond … all new works Through June 11 at Millenia Fine Art 555 S. Lake Destiny Drive 407-304-8100 www.milleniafineart.com Bryce Hammond’s solo exhibition at Millenia Gallery opened May 1, featuring new works by the New Smyrna Beach artist. Hammond is an urban romantic painter, creating shimmering, colorful, crisp perspective paintings that elevate…
Video Game: Jackman loses his voice
Jackman loses his voice X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Raven Software) www.uncaged.com Hugh Jackman has earned major props for his Oscar-hosting acumen and his onscreen portrayal of Marvel Comics’ most-overexposed mutant. Last week’s release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine gives us the perfect opportunity to revisit the real measure of Jackman’s talent: His video-game voice-acting. Jackman’s movie characters…
Pulling Strings
It was late April 2008, during a typical day on the floor of the Florida House of Representatives in Tallahassee. Amid the contentious battles over unprecedented budget cuts, the Republicans had already done a good job of quietly inserting their social agenda into the legislative mix — abortion, for instance, ending up in a transportation…
Ourlando versus Orlando
“As soon as I opened Dandelion I said, ‘This is awesome, but there’s something missing,’?” says Dandelion Communitea Café owner Julie Norris. “It’s that much larger piece of having a business community. It’s about having cooperation versus competition.” About a year ago, Norris and Emily Rankin, executive director for the local nonprofit Progressive Local Alliance…
Blister
This isn’t the way I imagined it. The skeletal steel rafters that suspend the disbelief of corporate rock’s grand illusion, the lighting trusses and pyrotechnics rigging are rendered meaningless from behind by the overpowering fluorescent glare of workmanlike progress. Walkie-talkies walk and talk in circles of clearly defined intentions, while giant black boxes with things…
Savage Love
My 14-year-old son just came out to me. He has a slightly older boyfriend, and they’re going to the school dance on Saturday night. I am adjusting to a truth I had long suspected. I worry, though, that my son will get hurt. When I asked him if the other students at school would be…
This Little Underground
Fresh out of the oven is Causes 2, the second edition of Waxploitation’s Darfur benefit series. Though 100 percent of its profits will go to the noble likes of Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam America, this compilation album isn’t just some token charity gesture. Rather, it’s a showcase of indie heavyweights bringing…
