Cover Story
Get it: Free food this week at Flame Broiler and Haagen-Dazs
If you value your time less than your money, you can come out on top this week with not one but two chances to get free food. First up, on Thursday (Dec. 3), free rice bowls for the first 100 people in line at Flame Broiler, plus the very first person in line wins free Flame Broiler…
Orlando group’s Planned Parenthood protest postponed following Colorado shooting
The Florida Family Policy Council, an Orlando pro-life organization, has chosen to suspend its Dec. 7 rally against Planned Parenthood at the State Capitol Complex in Tallahassee in the wake of the shooting in Colorado that resulted in three dead and nine wounded. The president of the Florida Family Policy Council, John Stemberger, said in…
Charitable gifting: Florida Mall’s new Box Lunch store gives a meal for every $10 you spend
If you find yourself teetering toward giving charitable gifts in your loved ones’ names rather than contributing to the annual consumer-confidence number, there’s a new store in the Florida Mall that’s here to help settle the dilemma. Box Lunch, a haven of geekery gifting akin to Gods & Monsters and ThinkGeek, has partnered with Feeding…
Tool and Primus coming to Orlando this January, tickets go on sale Friday
Get your stinkfists ready, Grammy-award winning prog-metal band Tool will descend upon Orlando this January. The legendary act, lead by singer Maynard Keenan, will be joined by Les Claypool’s experimental rock group Primus, as well as industrial newcomer 3TEETH at CFE arena on January 28th at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will go on sale through Ticketmaster on…
UCF finds coach willing to take a shot at resurrecting terrible football program
University of Central Florida announced Tuesday that they’ve found a coach willing to resurrect their 0-12 football team from the grave. UCF has hired 40-year-old Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost. “Scott is a winner and innovator who has directed one of college football’s most exciting offenses at the University of Oregon,” UCF athletic director Danny White…
Instead of getting a job, an Ormond Beach man attempted to electrocute his dad over the will
Authorities are saying a jobless Ormond Beach man attempted to electrocute his dad after finding out he was the sole beneficiary of the family will. 81-year-old John Knudsen told police that his 44-year-old son, also named John Knudsen, tried to kill him Thanksgiving morning. From the Daytona Beach News-Journal: The father and son got into a…
Two I-4 exits will close for good starting tonight, let the rage begin
Two more exits on I-4 will permanently close tonight, making the massive I-4 Ultimate project just slightly more annoying. At 10 p.m., the Florida Department of Transportation will close westbound exits 81B and 81C on either side of Kaley Avenue, detouring traffic to Exit 81A to Michigan Street. However, Kaley Avenue’s eastbound exit will still…
Theater review: “The Secret Garden” at Mad Cow Theatre
After several months of horticultural neglect, I spent Saturday morning attempting some agricultural first aid on my home’s overgrown flower beds. I carefully cut back a withered but once-bountiful rosemary bush, hunting for signs of life among the blackened branches, but by the time I’d trimmed it down to the stump there was barely a…
One of Orlando’s best metal bands, 5 Billion Dead returns to blast faces at Haven Lounge
Back in 2004, this paper celebrated the release of the debut CD by local metallians 5 Billion Dead, and though it was an unusual CD (with a few songs and a couple of videos), it marked the end of what seemed like an interminable wait for studio material from a band that had been tearing…
Orlando’s Niko Is and Talib Kweli attacked in Copenhagen by “bigots”
With all the shit going on in the world, it’s like two huge, sad steps back for race relations right now. And just recently, it hit real close to home when local MC Niko Is and honorary local Talib Kweli encountered violent intolerance while on tour in Copenhagen. As reported on Okayplayer, Kweli detailed a physical…
Morse Museum decorates Central Park with Tiffany glass windows for annual Christmas in the Park concert
If you’ve been to visit the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, you know that the collection of Tiffany leaded-glass windows it houses is spectacular. Once a year the museum takes nine of these precious windows, illuminates them and puts them on display outdoors in Central Park for the world to view while the…
Silver Apples bring bizarre dance grooves to Will’s Pub Wednesday night
The alien electronic pop of Silver Apples builds sensationally with disruptive rhythms that baffle your toes, which hysterically tap like founding member Simeon is some bizarre minstrel hypnotist with his legendary homemade synth. Although the band’s output is limited – two sleeper favorites from the late ’60s, Silver Apples and Contact, plus comeback releases in…
Solve holiday problems for booze at Lil Indies’ Drunken Problem Solving
If you haven’t made it to Lil Indies’ Drunken Problem Solving nights, you’re missing out on some hilarious conversation. The game plays less like a trivia night and more like a guided conversation with your friends. Host Trevor Fraser posits a hypothetical situation to the teams who sign up and asks them what kinds of…
One of the world’s top attraction designers to open development center in Orlando
Central Florida’s tourism industry just grabbed another major win last week when Canadian-based attraction design company Dynamic Attractions announced a new Attractions Development Center for Orlando. Dynamic Attractions is best known locally for their work on the original Harry Potter attraction and for Spider-Man at Islands of Adventure, but the company has worked on numerous other high-profile…
You’ll soon be able to play mini golf at the Holy Land Experience, as the good Lord intended
The Holy Land Experience, the 16 acre non-profit Biblically-themed attraction operated by the Trinity Broadcast Network, recently announced a new 9-hole miniature golf course attraction. The course will be located near the rock climbing walls that are visible from the I-4/Conroy Road exit ramps in the Smile of a Child area. Smile of a Child…
Orange County Commission expected to vote on Skyplex tomorrow
Orange County Commissioners will decide Tuesday whether they want to listen to Universal Orlando arguments against developer Joshua Wallack’s Skyplex project, or give International Drive the tallest roller coaster in the world. Before Thanksgiving, we wrote about how Universal and Skyplex, the $460 million planned development that would include the world’s tallest roller coaster, have…
Florida ‘Muslim-free’ gun shop owner wins religious discrimination case
Last Friday, a federal judge tossed out a religious discrimination lawsuit against Andy Hallinan, a living caricature of angry white men and owner of Florida Gun Supply, which, since last June, has been a self-proclaimed “Muslim-free zone.” Despite demands for an injunction from CAIR Florida (the Council on American-Islamic Relations), who pointed out back in July…
Great Wolf Resort’s largest indoor water park is coming to Orlando
Great Wolf Resorts, the world’s largest operator of indoor water parks, has announced a new 800 room resort across I-4 from Disney Springs. Details of the new 50 acre resort haven’t been released, but most Great Wolf Lodges feature similar amenities. The central focus of the resorts is the large indoor water parks designed for…
Turkey congee is the leftovers recipe you’ve been waiting for
Your Thanksgiving leftovers, if you’ve kept them nice and cool since Thursday evening, should be good for a few more days. So, if you’re tired of turkey tetrazzini (does anyone really know what that is?) or turkey noodle soup or turkey omelets or turkey salad wraps, here’s something new: congee. Congee is a creamy, starchy…
#BernACopy: Orlando band Living Decent joins Beach Slang and more on comp that benefits Bernie Sanders’ campaign
Although the name of the compilation oddly implies you should steal it and pass it around like CD burners were still relevant, Running Around Records put together a neat little comp featuring 34 rad bands for only $3, with all proceeds benefiting Bernie Sanders’ campaign. They accepted submissions from bands from all over and chose…
Get dazzled by the sparkling displays at Festival of Lights
Make some popcorn, brew a batch of hot cocoa, grab the fam, throw ’em in a car and experience Santa’s drive thru one bright, colorful house at a time. Cypress Grove’s Festival of Lights kicks the holiday season off with a driving tour one of the most jolly Christmas light displays in Orlando. Catch this…
The return of Sweater Fest, plus 9 more awesome holiday concerts in Orlando
Feeling festive? Plenty of ways to make merry for music lovers next month, but we scanned the calendar to pick out the best events we thought you should definitely have on your radar. We were stoked to see the massively popular Sweater Fest is back, taking over the Milk District backlot with a slew of…
30 Years Later: Cocteau Twins – ‘Tiny Dynamine’ and ‘Echoes in a Shallow Bay’ EPs
Between June 1982 and November 1986, Cocteau Twins were an incredibly prolific group. In that span of just over four years, the group released five albums and an additional eight EPs filled with non-LP material. Such prodigious output would be impressive from a band that was stylistically spinning its wheels, but what makes the Cocteau…
Jingle Bell Rock with the Orlando Philharmonic in Central Park
Rachel McAdams probably won’t be dancing on stage in a suggestive Santa costume, but that can’t stop the Orlando Philharmonic from dancing and prancing in Central Park. A Musical Holiday features Marina Jurica as vocal soloist and Yaniv Segal as conductorall perfomring the classic holiday tunes that we’ve come to know and love. Bring the lawn…
Market report: Hachiya persimmons at Publix
I never really got the hang of persimmons until I found myself in conversation with one of the growers at the Winter Park Farmers Market last year. He had some persimmons, both Fuyu (the more squat variety) and Hachiya (the more oblong variety). We started talking about how to use them, some ripening tips, and…
AAHZ respects the breaks that made Orlando global, overdue propers for DJ Stylus (The Beacham)
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND It practically doesn’t get any more seminal in Orlando dance culture history than the AAHZ nights. Although the AAHZ reunions have always rekindled the primary fire, there probably hasn’t been an edition as truly local in terms of music as the latest one, “These Are the Breaks” (Nov. 25, The Beacham). The…
Shop local and avoid the Black Friday mayhem at Small Business Saturday
If there’s one thing that puts small local business way over conglomerate chains this Black Friday, it’s that you don’t have to wait an hour in line to buy your stuff. This Saturday, head out to the many small businesses in Orlando and splurge on all the special deals these locally-owned stores are offering. Small…
Mother Jones says Rubio hired convicted felon from Orlando to help Florida campaign
Today, Mother Jones published a story about how the Rubio campaign hired the West Orange Tea Party’s Clyde Fabretti as one of its Orange County leaders. According to the story, in 1997 Fabretti was convicted of a felony charge of “conspiracy to commit income tax evasion, bank fraud, mail fraud, and failing to file tax…
The Grand Collab celebrates its first birthday with Indigo Blak, the Welzeins and more Sunday night
One of Orlando’s most bumping local showcases, the Grand Collab celebrates its first anniversary with a party that’s as bright as the smart event’s reputation over its brief history. Sniffing out artists without care to genre can skew a little messy and distracting live, like a grown-up show & tell with too much community Kool-Aid,…
Take in a little holiday culture at a free performance of Handel’s ‘Messiah’ at the Bob Carr
It’s firmly established as a Christmas favorite these days, but George Frideric Handel’s Messiah, his best-known work, was written in 1741 as an Easter offering. Regardless of which holiday it celebrates or your own religious beliefs, anyone can appreciate the rousing “Hallelujah” chorus – it’s one of those ubiquitous tunes that everyone can hum, even…
Bid farewell to writer-in-residence JC Sevcik at the Kerouac House Saturday
In our most recent Halloween issue, we broke the usual OW template and ran a series of flash-fiction stories submitted to us by writers who took part in There Will Be Words’ Halloween reading. One of the writers who submitted a story, JC Sevcik, is currently the writer in residence at the Kerouac House in College…
Gwar still set to spray down fans at Venue 578 sans Vulvatron
Like Superboy’s pet monkey Beppo (who was specifically written out of Superman’s universe to block out the chimp chump move), eventually the femme force of Vulvatron will be a blurry hangover memory to serious Gwar fans who weren’t ready for the boozy wonder woman. Whether you side with Kim Dylla – who is pissed they…
10 reasons Latinos do Thanksgiving better than anyone
While the rest of America prepares to stuff its face with turkey and pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving, Latino households bring their own own approach to the traditional holiday meal. We season things differently, make things spicier and sometimes just nudge classic dishes off the table (I’m looking at you, cranberry sauce). Some Latinos don’t like…
Alan Grayson wants to call your Republican uncle this Thanksgiving
Fighting over the table with distant relatives about whether Obamacare is a sign of the pending apocalypse is a time-honored Thanksgiving tradition. Sometimes you’re winning, and other times you maybe thinking, “I wish U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson was here to help me stymie this conservative current.” For all those Democrats with Republican relatives out there,…
UPDATE: Emeril Lagasse’s appearance at Dr. Phillips Center moved to April 21, 2016
We received word this morning that Emeril’s appearance at the Dr. Phillips Center, originally scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 1, has been moved to April 21, 2016. So you’ll have to wait a few months to hear Emeril say “BAM!” and talk cooking with John Rivers. Here’s our preview of what could have been. Internationally known…
Thirst trap: Three cocktails to serve at your holiday party
Now that you have three fantastic menu cheat sheets for your upcoming holiday parties, let us recommend a few complementary adult beverages. To accompany the Southern menu, we recommend our Remix twist on the Bramble, the Bourbon Bramble. Bourbon Bramble: 1 1/2 ounces bourbon 1 ounce Pimm’s Blackberry & Elderflower 1/4 ounce Luxardo Maraschino 1/2…
Lulu Eightball (11/25/15)
Related Stories
Sidebar is the perfect watering hole for a post-work bitch session
Side Bar 118 S. Orange Ave., 407-649-0000; orlandosidebar.com After work or after hours? The after-work happy hour is where it’s at, but expect the bar-hopping crowd to show up late. Beer/wine or liquor too? All of the above Check all that apply: ☐ fancy cocktails ☒ make ’em strong and keep ’em coming ☐ wine…
This Modern World (11/25/15)
Related Stories
A “brewstillery” is coming to North Orange Avenue, 11 new restaurant openings and more in local foodie news
The James Beard Foundation’s “Celebrity Chef Tour” Dec. 5 at the Four Seasons Resort promises to be the culinary event of the year. Chefs at the $235-per-plate dinner (includes wine, tip and tax) include Norman Van Aken, Edward Lee, Tony Mantuano and Gerard Craft, alongside host chefs Tim Dacey, Fabrizio Schenardi and Rabii Saber. Master sommelier James…
Music updates around town: Roadkill Ghost Choir, Derry Down Project
Although Roadkill Ghost Choir moved to Athens, Georgia, following the favorable response to their debut, In Tongues (and the major festivals, up-ticked touring and national TV appearance that went with it), their ties to their hometown, DeLand, remain strong. They return to their family-owned North Avenue Studios this year to record their much-anticipated follow-up. We…
Picks This Week: the Supervillains, Gag, Reggie Williams and more
AAHZDon’t tell the kids, but electronic dance music is nothing new, especially here in Central Florida. Back in the ’90s, kids around here were trading in their guitars for turntables with such frequency that in 1997, Rolling Stone featured an article declaring Orlando the latest in a long line of “next Seattles” due to its…
Instead of imposing a narrative upon nature, Dawn Roe and Bruce Marsh let nature participate
At the Art & History Museums in Maitland, some soul still shines while the rest of this suburban community lingers in a post-apocalyptic twilight of dead grocery stores, dilapidated Quonset huts masquerading as an urban nexus, and grotesque carbuncles of neo-traditional architecture. Inside the Research Studio (as the Maitland Art Center was originally christened) this…
Zombies, zip lines and virtual reality score big at this year’s IAAPA expo
Mid-November is IAAPA time, as the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions brings their enormous annual expo of theme park products to the Orange County Convention Center. The 2015 event, the second-largest IAAPA ever, seemed slightly less frenetic than some past years, but there was still plenty of free food to sample (I rediscovered…
Brooklyn does a remarkable job capturing the impossibly bittersweet experience of immigration
In 2011, I moved from New York to London. I can make free video-phone calls to my friends and family, and I can be home in a few hours. Planes go back and forth between the two cities with the regularity of a bus schedule (if, alas, for quite a bit more than bus fare).…
Trumbo, a story about the blacklisted Hollywood director Dalton Trumbo, cuts deep
For a prestige drama about one of the more shameful periods in American history, Trumbo is surprisingly funny. It feels good to laugh at the idiocy surrounding the Hollywood blacklist of the 1950s, if only so that you don’t have to think too much about how widespread support was for the actions of the House un-American Activities…
Opening in Orlando: Creed, The Good Dinosaur, and Victor Frankenstein
Creed Did you know that Scott Stapp’s Facebook profile pic is a Sticky Fingers-esque portrait of his own crotch? I point this out for two reasons: One, because it’s always a good time to take a shot at the Stappster; and Two, because I thought it would be fun to scare you into thinking that…
This Little Underground: Elizabeth A. Baker on the toy piano frontier
Shit’s been pretty dark lately in both music and the world in general. But be thankful and be good to each other. The sun will shine again. The Beat A “Toy Piano Project” sounds like something perhaps involving Fisher-Price and local circuit-bender Dr. Moonstien, particularly when I mention that a Speak & Spell was employed.…
Savage Love (11/25/15)
A couple of months ago, I got candida (a fungal infection) under my foreskin. I went to the doctor, picked up some cream, and used it as directed. The infection went away for about a week and then returned. I got this idea that maybe the cream didn’t work the first time because it’s so…
Free Will Astrology (11/25/15)
ARIES (March 21-April 19) “We are torn between nostalgia for the familiar and an urge for the foreign and strange,” wrote novelist Carson McCullers. “As often as not, we are homesick most for the places we have never known.” I’m guessing that these days you’re feeling that kind of homesickness. The people and places that…
Gimme Shelter (11/25/15)
This pretty white kitty is Snowball (A335809). She might not be able to help you build a snowman, but she’ll steal your heart the second you meet her. This 6-month-old little ball of fluff cannot stop purring once you pet her. Snowball is a happy cat who’s friendly toward other cats and dogs. She gets…
Orlando residents battle developers over industrial project that could impact wetland property
In between West New Hampshire Street and WD Judge Drive in West Orlando, Marchelle Robinson and her neighbors have what she calls “a little piece of heaven.” Away from the traffic and skyscrapers of downtown, this primarily African-American neighborhood close to the city’s boundary is also home to about 36 acres of wetlands that are…
Selections: Our picks of the week’s best events, Nov. 25-Dec. 1
Wednesday, Nov. 25 A Leg Up for Jenn EVENTS Bartenders are tough cookies. They have to be to thrive in a workplace where the better you do your job, the louder and ruder the clientele get. So when Jennifer Harton, one of Lil Indies’ star bartenders, ended up snapping her ankle into pieces several weeks…
