Orlando outsider musician Ray Brazen releases collection of 1990s instrumental demos
The quarantine has a lot of us going through old possessions, photos, letters, yearbooks … and local outsider musician Ray Brazen is no exception. Brazen is a dedicated archivist, and luckily for us he recently unearthed a clutch of his instrumental demos from the early 1990s. Brazen ripped them to digital – also pausing to dub a…
Central Florida hospitality workers stage automobile caravans to raise awareness of crisis
This story has been updated to reflect both caravans have been organized by Unite Here Local 737. Turns out it’s not just entitled man-children (and the woman who love them) staging automobile protests, these protests can be used for good ends too. Just over a week ago, Central Florida-area hospitality workers undertook an automobile “prayer…
Orlando music icon Eugene Snowden unveils new music video ‘I’ll Do It’
Orlando music guiding-light Eugene Snowden is almost ready to unveil his long-awaited new album, but to tide us over in the meantime, today he’s dropping the lead single, “I’ll Do It,” and an accompanying music video filmed at Snowden’s Mills 50 stomping grounds, Lil Indies. Though the timing might be less than ideal from a…
It has come to my attention that I am way smarter than Dr. Anthony Fauci
If you’ve read the comments section of any respected website over the past year, certainly you’re aware of my expertise ranging from, but not limited to: The Constitution. Venezuela. Libtards. The Founding Fathers. Regulating the uterus. Martial arts. Jesus. World of Warcraft. Babes. And how the ’97 Olmsted Falls Bulldogs would have totally won state…
Three Winter Park restaurants host Thursday pop-up food bazaar to benefit Maitland’s Enzian theater
Maitland’s Enzian theater, with its doors closed since mid-March, has been especially hard-hit by the pandemic shutdown – but they’re not backing down from their creative fight for survival. Last week, the indie film house released four theatrical films for on-demand streaming, and now a trio of nearby Winter Park restaurants are stepping forward to fundraise…
Donald’s death cult: Getting people killed to own the libs
Informed Dissent
Legal Public Notices 4/29 issue
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE EIGHTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR SEMINOLE COUNTY, JUVENILE DIVISION SATE OF FLORIDA Case No. P18-DP-20 IN THE INTEREST OF: D.A.T., a female child, D.A.T., a female child SUMMONS AND NOTICE OF ADVISORY HEARING FOR TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS, STATE OF FLORIDA To: Darrell Darodney…
Recreational marijuana supporters fire back challenge to new Florida law
With a hearing next week in the Florida Supreme Court, backers of a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow people to use recreational marijuana are disputing arguments by the state Senate that a new law should help block the ballot initiative. Attorneys for the political committee Make It Legal Florida filed a 28-page brief Monday…
Ways to get free food near Kissimmee if you missed out on Tuesday’s produce giveaway
The city of Kissimmee on Tuesday hosted a free produce giveaway by drive-thru pickup line. The event was essentially over before it began, according to attendees on social media, when the maximum number of cars queued up long ahead of the 10:30 start time. “There was over 1,000 cars when I went past at 9 a.m. to…
Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center receives autism center certification in recognition of innovative events and programming
In a refreshing bit of good news, the Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts has received official Certified Autism Center certification, making it one of only two performing arts centers in the country to receive this. The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) organization recognized the Dr. Phil for its history…
Chef John Tesar of Orlando’s Knife & Spoon is selling some of the finest steaks you will ever taste
Celebrity chefs might be in a slightly better position to ride out the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean they’re not struggling to survive. John Tesar, Top Chef contestant and four-time James Beard Award semifinalist for “Best Chef: Southwest,” runs one of the most lauded steakhouses in the country, if not the planet. But as his Dallas…
Cost of closing Florida’s schools approaching $1 billion, says new report
Florida’s economy could take an estimated $859 million hit as a result of school campuses being closed for six weeks during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report released Monday by the Florida Council of 100 business group. Gov. Ron DeSantis last week said all students should continue distance learning for the rest of the…
DeSantis ‘not going to cry over spilled milk’ on unemployment, wants to ‘get the checks out’
Democratic lawmakers Monday continued to press Gov. Ron DeSantis to boost unemployment benefits for Floridians left jobless by the coronavirus pandemic Meanwhile, DeSantis, reiterating his own criticism of the backlogged CONNECT online unemployment system, said he is focused on getting payments to people who are out of work. “I think it is something that should…
Orlando horror-drag family Black Haüs resumes their weekly Creature Feature night online
You can’t keep good queens down (especially when they’re undead)! It does our cold hearts good to see that Orlando Weekly cover ghouls and horror-drag family Black Haüs have regrouped and relaunched their weekly Creature Feature drag night online. The Black Haüs collective infuse their performances with a healthy dose of performance art, monstrous makeup and outfits…
Orlando state representatives Anna Eskamani and Amy Mercado draw election opponents
As they run for another term in the Florida House, two Orlando Democrats have drawn new election opponents. Republican Kevin Miles Morenski opened a campaign account Friday to try to unseat Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, in Orange County’s House District 47, according to the state Division of Elections website. Orlando Republican Jeremy Sisson also opened…
Residents of The Villages, Florida’s largest retirement community, can soon get their medications delivered by drone
A new drone delivery service from CVS and UPS is coming to The Villages, Florida’s largest retirement community. The company is rolling out medication drone delivery to residents starting May 4, said The Verge. The service recently got permission from the Federal Aviation Administration and will be using Matternet’s M2 Drones. The first flights will…
Woman arrested for breaking goose eggs in Lake Eola Park
Orlando police announced Monday the arrest of a woman named Gayle Wessel, who is accused of intentionally breaking goose eggs over the weekend at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando. The arrest took place just past 6:30 on Sunday evening, after eyewitnesses told a city of Orlando park ranger they saw “a white female (Wessel)…
The Enzian presents live online Q+A event about ‘Other Music’ documentary with Park Ave. CDs’ Sandy Bitman
Maitland cinema Enzian Theater is capping off its video-on-demand run of the Other Music documentary – about the singular NYC record store – with a special, local-centric event. On Tuesday night, April 28, Enzian will present a Zoom video chat about the film between Park Ave. CDs owner Sandy Bitman and Enzian’s Matthew Curtis, moderated by…
Orlando musician Matthew Bertram releases hypnotic new instrumental album ‘Rainy Day’
Local experimental musician and composer Matthew Bertram is one of the more prolific artists in the city, with four under-the-radar cassettes and CDs to his name over the last 12 months. Venerable local imprint Illuminated Paths just released his newest album, Rainy Day, and it’s a burst of restless creativity recorded mostly over the last few…
DeSantis expected to announce new plans for elective surgeries this week
As Gov. Ron DeSantis prepares to release plans for reviving the state’s economy, it appears increasingly clear that allowing hospitals and doctors to resume providing elective medical procedures will be part of the strategy. DeSantis made appearances this weekend with doctors at Cleveland Clinic in Broward County and Orlando Health and focused, in part, on…
Leslye Gale’s O-Town Lowdown on Magic 107.7 for Monday, April 27, 2020
Every morning on Magic 107.7 FM, Leslye Gale discusses the most interesting Orlando Weekly stories of the day on “Chad & Leslye.” Check out Leslye’s picks today. COVID-19 Will Change How We Approach Hurricane Season As COVID season melts into hurricane season, what will change as far as the state’s ability to respond quickly during…
Florida nursing homes, many out of compliance with generator law, push for protections from liability
Florida nursing homes are pushing to be protected from liability for harm to residents during the COVID-19 public health emergency. But the industry’s failure to fully comply with a 2018 law requiring nursing homes to have backup electric generators could impede those efforts. Incoming Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, suggested Friday that compliance with the…
Florida Republican lawmakers say it’s too soon to set dates for COVID-19 special session
Weekly Florida political roundup
COVID-19 could affect Florida’s hurricane response plans
Florida officials are considering adjusting the state’s hurricane-response plans to prepare for the possibility of an early storm season intersecting with the COVID-19 pandemic, Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz said Friday. If storms threaten Florida in June or July, the state might need to rethink the use of mass shelters, shuttles to evacuate…
Florida Sen. Rick Scott says unemployed people make too much money, won’t ‘go back to work’
Florida Sen. Rick Scott wrote an op-ed for Fox News that decried the federal government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, implying that the country’s millions of laid off workers would rather collect benefits than go back to work. “Don’t incentivize workers to stay on government-run, taxpayer-funded programs when this crisis has ended and we need…
Winter Park Biscuit Co. opening inside East End Market this summer
Even amid a pandemic, there are passionate chefs and restaurateurs looking ahead and planning their restaurant openings. The latest are chef and cookbook author Mary Westfall (née Mattern) and A Day to Remember guitarist Neil Westfall, the power vegan couple behind pop-up outfit Winter Park Biscuit Co. If you recall, the pair intended on opening Heirloom…
Enzian On Demand offers up a world of challenging cinema in the comfort of your home
Maitland’s Enzian Theater’s “Enzian On Demand” streaming service is offering a slate of four new films starting today, running the gamut from a poignant documentary about small-town Florida teens to French psychological horror: Straight Up, The Perfect Nanny, Pahokee, and The Etruscan Smile. “Enzian On Demand” is a partnership between the local art-house theater institution…
Tasty Chomps’ Ricky Ly joined the Orlando Weekly Press Club because ‘Orlando Weekly provides power to the people’
What would Orlando be without the pages of Orlando Weekly? Whether it’s the piercing observations and commentary of the late, iconic Billy Manes in “Happytown” as he sat in on City of Orlando Council meetings, or Faiyaz Kara’s quirky gastronomic adventures into Orlando’s far-flung restaurants and mom-and-pop shops, or the annual “Best of Orlando” that…
‘True History of the Kelly Gang’ recasts the infamous rogue as a gender-bending insurgent
It all began with the Kelly Gang in 1906. The cinema had been launched 11 years earlier when the Lumière Brothers debuted their Cinématographe in Paris, but it was Australian director Charles Tait who created the first feature-length film, The Story of the Kelly Gang. In 1906, there was no distinction between a short and…
Florida might not be able to safely reopen until mid-June, says data
We might have to stick this pandemic out a little longer. According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, “relaxing social distancing may be possible with containment strategies that include testing, contact tracing, isolation, and limiting gathering size,” but not until after June 14. That is when, according to their current model, Florida would…
Florida’s unemployment website is out of service until Monday
For weeks, it’s been widely publicized as a giant pain to use, but now Florida’s unemployment claims website is officially inoperable. The website says that it’s currently processing payment, so it won’t be available again until 8 a.m. on Monday. There have already been a total of 1,818,594 unemployment claims since March 15, according to…
Great Greek gives free lunch Monday to medical staff, anyone out of work in Clermont or Winter Garden
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill in Winter Garden is giving away a free gyro and small salad to medical workers, first responders and anyone out of work or furloughed – as long as you are a resident of Clermont or Winter Garden. The offer is for two hours on Monday, April 27, from 2 to 4 p.m. at…
Orlando metal stars Trivium release new album ‘What the Dead Men Say’ today
Orlando’s own Trivium have dropped their long awaited ninth album today, What the Dead Men Say, via Roadrunner Records. And though this must be the worst time for a band of Trivium’s stature to release a new album, with no possibility of a tour or promotional appearances, and much of the record-buying public having to…
Orlando Shakes partners with Orange County schools to introduce fourth graders to Shakespeare
As William Shakespeare wrote in The Tempest, “misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows,” and – boom – this week brings news of an innovative partnership between Orange County Public Schools and Orlando Shakes to alleviate the occasional miseries of online learning for area fourth graders. The Orlando Shakes theater company, in tandem with UCF, is…
Clearwater woman is selling Trump voodoo dolls to benefit local food bank
A few years ago, the sisterhood at Renee Feinman’s synagogue donated handmade teddy bears to All Children’s Hospital. The 61-year-old, along with six women from her synagogue, most recently organized a mask-making event for All Children’s, which ended up sending 100 masks to the facility’s non-clinical personnel and family members visiting. As Feinman finished that…
‘The time to open is now,’ says state rep, one day after Florida’s second-highest death toll
Republican state lawmaker Anthony Sabatini has been circulating an op-ed to Florida publications on Thursday, hoping one of them will publish his essay, titled “The time to open is now.” His argument that Florida should “open all business establishments, including all retail and restaurants this weekend” comes one day after Florida reported the second-highest single-day death…
Former Orlando congresswoman released from prison, as coronavirus cases rise in Florida
Former Orlando congresswoman Corrine Brown was released from prison Wednesday, less than halfway through her five-year sentence for fraud, federal corruption, conspiracy and tax evasion. Her attorney successfully argued that she is especially vulnerable to coronavirus. Brown was incarcerated her part in stealing roughly $800,000 from a fake educational charity for needy children, using the funds…
Abigail Disney outraged by $1.5 billion executive bonuses amid massive Orlando layoffs
While theme park closures are furloughing so many Central Florida workers that the state has had to find new ways to enter them all for unemployment benefits, the Walt Disney Company has already awarded $1.5 billion in bonuses to its executives. Abigail Disney isn’t having it. “WHAT THE ACTUAL F***?????” she tweeted on Tuesday, and she…
Backers of open primary elections in Florida question the state’s $5 million price tag
Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment that would revamp Florida’s primary-election system filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging a state position that the measure would cost millions of dollars for counties to carry out. The proposed amendment, which will appear on the November ballot, would allow registered voters to cast ballots in primary elections regardless of…
Jimmy Buffett goes on ‘Cabin Fever’ tour of his concert archives, Dead and Company cancel summer tour
Florida’s favorite son Jimmy Buffett is launching a virtual trawl through his vast video archives to help Parrotheads currently wasting away at home and not Margaritaville. The aptly named Cabin Fever Tour unearths Buffett concerts from years past and broadcasts a different show from a different tour every Wednesday and Saturday night on Buffett’s Margaritaville.tv channel.…
Daytona Beach facility leads Florida’s growing rate of prison coronavirus cases
Corrections officials said Wednesday that 136 inmates and 102 corrections workers have tested positive for COVID-19, an increase of 17 cases from a Tuesday report. The highly contagious novel coronavirus has caused four inmate deaths and has been detected in 56 prisons and four probation offices across the state, according to the Department of Corrections.…
Publix is now buying excess produce and milk from farmers and donating it to local food banks
Due to the coronavirus pandemic’s massive impact on restaurants, schools and other institutions, farmers around the country have been left with tons of produce and milk they can’t sell. Now, Lakeland-based supermarket chain Publix says they’re buying that otherwise wasted food and donating it to local food banks. The company released a press release Wednesday,…
Elton John’s second farewell show at Orlando’s Amway Center is officially postponed
Remember last fall, when Elton John announced a second farewell tour stop at Amway Center? Well, he’s not coming back for the time being. The show — originally set for May 28 in Orlando — is among the remaining “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour stops that’ve been postponed due to concerns surrounding the global coronavirus…
If you find yourself asking ‘What even is time?’ these days, here’s a helpful and stress-relieving gift
Do you find yourself losing track of the days? Here’s a little quarantine gift from illustrator Lauren Waters: a ‘WeekDaze” calendar to color and help you out of the which-day-is-it-again? haze. Download as a PDF below — just fill in, cut along the dotted lines and display. _ Our small but mighty team is working…
Winter Park Health Foundation grants $35,000 to local organizations to support COVID-19 relief
The Winter Park Health Foundation announced on Wednesday it has distributed $35,000 in grants in support of Central Florida COVID-19 relief efforts. The funds are going to four organizations, including Heart of Florida United Way ALICE Recovery Fund for COVID-19, Joe R. Lee Boys & Girls Club of Eatonville, Second Harvest Food Bank and the…
Here’s Se7en Bites chef-owner Trina Gregory-Propst on why you should join the Orlando Weekly Press Club
Last week we launched the Orlando Weekly Press Club to create a community around our readers and strongest supporters at a time that local media across the country has been struggling, and to help underwrite our work in the face of the devastating loss of revenue caused by the coronavirus pandemic. We are eternally grateful…
SeaWorld takes steps to stay afloat with multi-million dollar loan
SeaWorld has been sailing through choppy waters amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the park’s closing and the subsequent furlough of the majority of its workforce followed closely by the resignation of new CEO Sergio D. Rivera. But the theme park giant claims that it has enough funding on hand to make it through 2020, and…
Florida theme parks and sports teams weigh options for dealing with crowds again
Expect “virtual” or expanded FastPass-style lines, staggered seating on rides, online food ordering and limited crowds when Florida’s major theme parks eventually reopen after being shuttered during the coronavirus pandemic. No timelines have been set to reopen the state’s economically critical theme parks, their accompanying resorts and TV production studios. However, Universal Orlando Resort CEO…
Sarasota County beaches will reopen next week, with some restrictions
The beaches in Sarasota County, which includes Siesta Key and Venice, will reopen next week for exercise and fresh air. In a unanimous vote, Sarasota County Commissioners decided Wednesday to reopen the beaches on April 27. But, for now, public parking won’t be available. “This has to do with mental health. People are getting cooped…
‘Reopen Florida’ group is a hotbed for coronavirus protest events, which Facebook says are banned
Facebook confirmed on Monday that it was banning some events that promote and encourage people to organize in-person protests of their state’s lockdown orders during the coronavirus pandemic — but there’s still an active group in Florida pushing for these same protests across the state. As of now, the Facebook group Reopen Florida! has over…
DeSantis wants Florida hospitals to restart regular procedures ‘pretty quickly’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signaled on Tuesday that he might be ready to follow federal guidelines that call for letting doctors and hospitals again provide procedures that have been halted during the COVID-19 crisis. DeSantis told reporters in Tallahassee that he wanted to move quickly to help bolster hospitals, which have been losing money during…
Leslye Gale’s O-Town Lowdown on Magic 107.7 for Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Every morning on Magic 107.7 FM, Leslye Gale discusses the most interesting Orlando Weekly stories of the day on “Chad & Leslye.” Check out Leslye’s picks today. Halloween Horror Nights Is Still On! Sort Of It’s going to look a little different, but Universal Orlando says it has no plans to cancel Halloween Horror Nights. -…
Windermere grilled-cheese restaurant says ‘we are over this,’ plans to reopen dining room
As Florida continues to struggle with rising coronavirus cases and the business closures due to the pandemic, one Windermere restaurant said in a Facebook post that they plan to reopen their dining room on Friday, May 1. “33 & Melt will be reopening for dine in guests May 1,” wrote the restaurant. “Not sure about…
Savage Love: ‘Seeing my wife naked sends me into an anxiety attack’
I was raised in a religious home and didn’t lose my virginity until the embarrassing age of 26. I was told by the church to save it for marriage and I was a virgin until I met the woman who would become my wife at a party. I said to hell with it, we had…
Use this time to ‘create, create and create some more,’ says Central Florida singer-songwriter Thomas Wynn
Finishing off 2019 and heading into 2020, Orlando Americana maestro Thomas Wynn was in the midst of one of the busiest and most rewarding periods of his musical life. Besides the usual abundance of local shows, Wynn and his band the Believers were still riding high off their newest album, Wade Waist Deep, and had…
On small screens this week: New movies from Chris Hemsworth, Mindy Kaling, Hugh Jackman and a buncha Vikings
Premieres Wednesday: Absurd Planet — A recurring feature on Wired becomes a documentary series about wacky animal behavior. Silly voices and narration from Mother Nature herself make this a must-see if you’ve been searching for that sweet spot between NOVA and Jerry Lewis. (Netflix) Circus of Books — Documentary filmmaker Rachel Mason pays tribute to…
Central Florida fanboys and fangirls are fighting to keep the con spirit alive online
Since the very first regular installment of this column over a dozen years ago, I’ve been covering the growth of pop culture conventions, which have evolved from geeky grass-roots gatherings into a ginormous industry. Right now, the con scene is in a coronavirus-induced coma, but some Central Floridian fanboys and fangirls are fighting to keep…
This week’s horoscopes: ‘The history of my stupidity would fill many volumes’
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Renowned Taurus composer Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) completed his first symphony when he was 43 years old – even though he’d started work on it at age 22. Why did it take him so long? One factor was his reverence for Ludwig van Beethoven, the composer who had such a huge impact…
This week’s top Orlando takeout came from Singh’s Roti Shop and the Ravenous Pig
The Dining In Diaries
