NASCAR Sports Grille at Universal Orlando’s CityWalk to close Nov. 1
Image via Universal NASCAR Sports Grille has begun its final victory lap after 15 years of tastes and tire changes. Part of the original CityWalk rollout in 1991 1999, the restaurant will pass the checkered flag on Nov. 1 as it makes way for up-and-coming attractions to the complex. The racing-themed restaurant specializing in American-style…
This Little Underground: Broncho and Low Litas at Will’s Pub
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. Broncho at Will’s Pub (photo by Ashley Belanger) There are many good bands that go overlooked. It’s always been that way and it’s always gonna be, and it’s a frustration that…
This Little Underground: Tennis & Pure Bathing Culture @ 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. Tennis at the Social (photo by James Dechert) Denver’s Tennis jumped onto the scene as one of the sharpest bands of the great Indie-Pop Oldies Revival Rush of 2011. Though those…
Mooncasts present local music in bad-ass podcast form
Moonmen From Mars rock for a lot of reasons – merging concept, levity and punk rock – and the latest reason we love the local space cases is their Mooncast From Mars podcast that highlights great Florida music in approximately 45-minute spurts. Four episodes deep so far, featured artists on the most recent episode include DieAlps!…
Worth the Drive, part 2: III Points festival in Miami
**UPDATE** We added a ton of info about satellite events, including a Questlove DJ night, so you’re gonna wanna scroll down. Worth the Drive, part 1: Plan B Block Party in Ybor Image via III Points on Facebook Next installment in our series of tempting out-of-town music festivals is a big one: III Points festival…
Worth the Drive, part 1: Plan B Block Party in Ybor
Image via Plan B Block Party on Facebook There are a number of awesome music festivals right around the corner this fall, and I want to make sure nobody in Orlando misses out just cuz so much distracting, exciting stuff is happening here locally. So I’m putting together a series called Worth the Drive to…
Free coffee today for National Coffee Day
Image via Krispy Kreme In case you missed the memo in your Monday morning slump, today is National Coffee Day. To celebrate this eye-opening holiday, Krispy Kreme is offering a free 12-ounce coffee to everyone who walks through the door. If plain old hot coffee’s not your thing, you can use the free deal on a latte,…
Pro-medical marijuana fundraiser on Saturday
Image via Medical Marijuana Solutions of Florida Saturday, Sept. 27, Medical Marijuana Solutions is sponsoring a fundraiser in support of United for Care, the pro-medical marijuana organization chaired by John Morgan. Event organizers hope to further educate the community about the importance of medical marijuana to patients across the state of Florida. At the fundraiser,…
Barktoberfest and Shampooch are tomorrow (Sept. 27)
Tomorrow Orange County Animal Services hosts Barktoberfest at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can browse vendors, visit with dogs available for adoption from a bunch of rescues all over town, gorge yourself on food-truck fare and just hang out with fellow animal lovers. Right down the street…
Letters to a Satanist: why do you call yourselves Satanists?
Illustration by Lee DeVito Recently, Metro Times, our sister paper in Detroit, unveiled a new column called Letters to Satan. Readers are invited to submit questions about Satanism to be answered by Doug Mesner, a spokesman for the Satanic Temple. Since the Satanic Temple has been so active in Florida in the past couple of…
Jimmy John’s security breach hits 3 stores in Orlando
Image via Google After learning of a possible breach in security involving credit and debit card information on July, 30 Jimmy John’s immediately hired forensic experts to help with the investigation. Although the investigation is ongoing, it’s reported approximately 216 stores have been affected. Cards impacted by this event appear to be those swiped at…
Thank you, Internet: Next level Caramel Apple Oreos and a Nancy Drew Board Game
We’re in the home stretch to a very full weekend: Artlando, Oktoberfests, Beertoberfests, Barktoberfests … and that’s just the fests! We know you’re itching to get out of the office and hopefully these links will help your time move just a bit faster: Image via Dude Foods 1. This one’s almost a foodie version of…
Court reprimands Orange County Sheriff’s Department for 2010 barbershop raids
In 2011, Orlando Weekly profiled Strictly Skillz as part of the Highway 50 Revisited package about living and working on Colonial Drive. Back in 2010, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office embarked on a series of bizarre, over-the-top raids on barbershops in Orlando. With the assistance of the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the…
![It’s on again: Organize Now is suing Orange County over potentially illegal Dropbox usage. HOTBOXGATE! [DOCS ENCLOSED]](https://i0.wp.com/www.orlandoweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/teresa-jacobs-for-webjpg.webp?resize=600%2C450&ssl=1)
It’s on again: Organize Now is suing Orange County over potentially illegal Dropbox usage. HOTBOXGATE! [DOCS ENCLOSED]
via WFTV OH, HEY! A few weeks ago, we told you about suspicions that the county might be up to its old tricks with regard to NOT doing its public business in the sunshine – you know, keep it in the clouds and make it rain, Dropbox! Well, today comes the news that Organize Now…
Lady Raven’s Cotillion cancelled
Image via Steven Miller Pix We’re sad to announce that, due to the threat of rain, this weekend’s Lady Raven’s Cotillion has been cancelled. We were looking forward to the second year of the Audubon Park Garden District’s pop-up cabaret fundraiser, featuring performances by John DiDonna’a entertainment group, Phantasmagoria (you can still catch them at…
Orlando Uber driver (and creeper) arrested for battery
mugshot courtesy Orlando Police Department We’re not sure how we are only hearing about this now, but today the Orlando Police Department sent out a notice letting us know that on Sept. 19 at 10 p.m., a driver for Uber was arrested for creeping on a woman and touching her in a wildly inappropriate way.…
Weezer coming in December for The Big Orlando
Image via KROQ Everyone’s been asking me what the deal is with The Big Orlando, a one-day music fest that radio station X107.3 is putting together for early December, featuring Weezer, Fall Out Boy, Dirty Heads, Young the Giant, J. Roddy, Bear Hands and many more at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Tickets are on sale…
MAP: Which food does Florida Tweet about the most?
Image via University of Arizona University of Arizona researchers fell deep into a hashtag researching rabbit hole to find out which food each state talked about most on Twitter. We gotta say, we’re kind of surprised by the results in Florida. We are, apparently, part of the grits belt of the South. Yup, here in…
Disney characters all dressed up for Halloween
Now that it’s officially fall, it’s not too weird to start thinking about your Halloween costume. Orlando Zombie Ball is coming up soon, after all. Here’s something you can use for inspiration: Tinkerbell really, really wants to Kill Bill. Image via Isaiah Stephens Artist Isaiah Stephens has taken some of our favorite Disney characters and…
Florida’s water war with Georgia could be delayed
By MARGIE MENZEL THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA A year after Florida filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court in a long-running battle with Georgia over water consumption, the U.S. solicitor general has advised the high court to delay taking the case. The lawsuit, filed at Gov. Rick Scott’s behest last year, was Florida’s…
Two awesome Halloween block parties attract spirited showgoers
Thornton Park and Mills 50 are so close that you don’t even really have to choose if you’re looking to maximize your Halloween – which lands on a Friday this year, help us all – and don’t want to go downtown to do it. Both neighborhoods, which feature preferred haunts any day of the year…
Gimme Shelter: Adopt these dogs from Orange County Animal Services
Check out these two cuties! Aishaia is six months old, and Gisella is eight months old. They were found running loose at an apartment complex in Orlando. A security guard found them and tried to locate their owners but had no luck, so they ended up in the shelter. We’d love to see these two…
Cheap Trick kicks off Silver Springs fall concert schedule
Thornton Park and Mills 50 are so close that you don’t even really have to choose if you’re looking to maximize your Halloween – which lands on a Friday this year, help us all – and don’t want to go downtown to do it. Both neighborhoods, which feature preferred haunts any day of the year…
Woman sues Disney for $250 million over storyline for ‘Frozen’
According to TMZ, a Peruvian author named Isabella Tanikumi says Disney didn’t base its hit movie Frozen on the Hans Christian Anderson story “The Snow Queen,” as it claims – rather, she says, the story was based on her own personal tale of woe detailed in her 2010 book Yearnings of the Heart. The book’s…
When tracking becomes stalking: Rick Scott and the RPOF cross the line at a Charlie Crist fundraiser
via Broward Palm Beach New Times Anybody wort their alcohol sweats in politics is familiar with art of tracking. Basically, you send folks to carry a flip-cam or an iPhone to the outside of a public political event and try to corner its principals (and principles!) by asking questions. It’s nobody’s proudest moment (trust us;…
Funny ha-ha: The inaugural Orlando Indie Comedy Fest is finally here
Orlando Indie Comedy Fest Comedy is a funny thing. While you used to have to go to New York or L.A. to find quality stand-up – or wait for touring comics to hit your city at high price points – local DIY comedy scenes have started sprouting up across the country. While the American comedy…
Habana Ahora (Havana Now) opens at Orange Studio Friday
Photographs by Stephen Allen It’s still not easy for an American to (legally) experience Cuba — the travel ban has been relaxed somewhat, but tourists still need to book with a U.S. State Department-licensed travel organization, which will schedule up the trip with group activities that prevent lazy wandering and individual exploration. So we count…
Roommates wanted for Mike Busey’s Sausage Castle
While doing some research on juggalos today (yes, really), we discovered that Gary Busey’s nephew, Mike Busey, owns a home in the Orlando area. Not just any home, either – he owns the Sausage Castle in St. Cloud. It’s his home, apparently, but by the looks of things, it’s also a theme park of sorts geared…
Insiders say prison gangs and crooked guards corrupting state’s prisons
By DARA KAM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Mike Crews has made a public show of his attempts to purge the agency of abusive prison guards in the wake of news reports about inmates’ horrific deaths at the hands of corrections workers. But a major bust at a North Florida…
Florida could be making $183,408,640 in marijuana tax
Image via Nerd Wallet As you already know, marijuana is on the ballot in our Nov. 4 election. If amendment 2 passes, this will open up a whole slew of pot-based businesses. And with new business comes new taxes. But did you ever stop to think about just how much tax the legalization of marijuana…
Court rules in favor of Planned Parenthood’s new office in Kissimmee
We’ll go deeper into this later, but BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN HUMAN RIGHTS ESTABLISHED BY THE U.S. SUPREME COURT, WEDGING ASSHOLES – it’s probably worth noting that that Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando has presently won its battle against the man (literally) to keep its new Kissimmee location open, and with full services. Lest you…
11 free things to do in the Orlando area this weekend (Sept. 26-28)
28 fun things to do in Orlando this week (9/24 – 9/30) Want to go out on the town without watching your bank account go down? Check out these free events and fill your social calendar without emptying your pockets: Orlando Critical Mass Big wheels keep on turning as these cyclists take to the street.…
MAP: Guess which brand Floridians Google the most
Image via Direct Capital Direct Capital, a financial services company, dove deep into Google Trends to find out which brand each state Googled the most and, well, Florida, yours is kind of unsurprising. In Florida, the most Googled brand is Disney. This is no big shocker asDisney is one of the largest employers in the state. We…
League of Women Voters of Florida announces positions on 2014 ballot amendments
Creative Commons Dean Terry 2014 In a conference call this morning, the League of Women Voters of Florida announced its position on three amendments that will be on the 2014 ballot. Amendment 1, called the Florida Water and Land Conservation Initiative, would set aside 33 percent of all revenue from the state’s documentary stamp tax…
VIDEO: Orlando indie-folk songwriter Henry Toland on Off the Avenue
Henry Toland is the latest DeLand songwriter to catch our ears, with his soothing lilt that’s as endearing as Jens Lekman’s with a subtle twang. He got his start as a mandolin player in a Virginia hotel band, but he’s been performing as a solo act for the past three years and has also performed…
‘The Skeleton Twins’ is a dramatic coming-out for sketch-comedy stars
The chemistry between Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig covers up the movie’s shortcomings
Picks this week: Citizen, Midaz the Beast and more
Great live music rattles every night in Orlando
Fall Guide 2014: Film
Our picks for the best film events you won’t want to miss, Sept. 24-Nov. 18
Backbooth backlash
More on the fireworks stunt that caused the cancellation of the Stitches show
Opening in Orlando: ‘The Boxtrolls,’ ‘The Equalizer’ and ‘The Song’
Movies opening in Orlando theaters this week
Savage Love
I’m a 28-year-old pan-curious married guy from the Midwest about to move to San Francisco. I’ve been with my wife for 10 years (married four), and we’ve started to explore being monogamish. I am also re-exploring my bi attractions. I’ve been thinking a lot about the opportunities for reinvention that our cross-country move might provide.…
Couchsurfing: ‘The Unbelievers’
New-to-Netflix documentary pits scientific discovery against belief systems to the tune of Radiohead
This Little Underground: DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist play Afrika Bambaataa
In hip-hop terms, storms seldom come as perfect as this
Fall Guide 2014: Visual Art
Art openings and events you won’t want to miss, Sept. 24-Nov. 18
Fall Guide 2014: Events
Our picks for some of the best events to hit this season, from now until Nov. 18
Fall Guide 2014: Performing Arts
Our picks in theater, comedy, dance, literary events and classical music Sept. 24-Nov. 18
The frightening manifesto that keeps Belle and Sebastian alive
Belle and Sebastian look backward, even as they hope to surge forward
Fall Guide 2014: Music
Our picks for the best in music coming to Orlando, Sept. 24-Nov. 18
Fall Guide 2014: Civics
Community, activism and political events you won’t want to miss, Sept. 24-Nov. 18
I can’t believe I’m voting for Charlie Crist
Gov. Charlie Crist part two? We can get through this together
Drinking, Nightlife and Parties
Where to drink and party in Orlando this week
Greg Richie’s Soco opens in Thornton Park
Plus Florida Local Food Summit, National Coffee Day and five more restaurant openings
Elliot’s Public House is raising the caliber of food, not their noses
New resto in the former Brian’s Restaurant spot looks posh, but casual food still reigns
Charlie Crist on (high) speed
Democratic hopeful promises to revisit federal funding for Tampa-Orlando rail line
Rick Scott’s attempts to connect Charlie Crist with convicted Republican operative backfire
Scott says Crist took money and lied about it
Casual hang Sportstown is a linchpin of the Milk District
Bar Exam: The what, where and why of Orlando drinking
Fundamentals are sound, but Shakes’ ‘Les Miz’ is a mixed bag
It’s the first time I’ve come away from this show with completely dry eyes
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19) The wealthy 1 percent of the population has been getting progressively wealthier. Meanwhile, the poor are becoming steadily poorer. I’m worried there is a metaphorically similar trend in your life. Am I right? If so, please do all you can to reverse it. Borrow energy from the rich and abundant parts…
UCF President John Hitt says new downtown campus will be a “game changer”
Architectural rendering of what Creative Village could look like someday. Today UCF President John Hitt finally confirmed what has been in the works for months: UCF will be expanding into downtown Orlando. The school, which has been focused intently on building its own university-centric community on the east side of town, is planning to bring…
Do you #BelieveInEpcot? Or are you ready for the princesses to invade?
28 unforgettable shots of Disney in the early ’90s Over the weekend, Disney fans furthered their outrage over the confirmation of a Frozen ride replacing the Maelstrom at Epcot’s Norway Pavilion. More than just being upset that Disney princesses were infiltrating what was considered the most adult of the Disney World theme parks, Epcot fans were…
This Little Underground: High on Fire, Moat Cobra, Dzoavits, Gut Ruckus @ Will’s
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. High on Fire at Will’s Pub (photo by Ashley Belanger) It’s been a good while since the almighty High on Fire has played Orlando, and the overflowing attendance at this recent…
MAP: The most famous book set in Florida
Image via Business Insider The folks over at Business Insider, the recently reinvigorated business magazine, just released a list of the most famous books set in each state. Some of them are not so surprising: James Michener’s Hawaii in Hawaii and Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind in Georgia, for example. (If GWTW is one of your faves, don’t forget to check out Gone…
Man your own Jackhammer! Coheed and Cambria perform to sold-out crowd at House of Blues
There’s no way you were at Coheed and Cambria’s sold out show at House of Blues in Orlando Friday night and didn’t bump into at least one person by accident, likely a really sweaty one. I’ve been to quite a few nostalgia evoking shows lately – Taking Back Sunday, Say Anything, Andrew McMahon (Something Corporate)…
Help end childhood hunger with Dine Out for No Kid Hungry
via No Kid Hungry Let’s do some eating math. If you follow the breakfast-lunch-dinner lineup, you should be eating three meals a day, right? Multiply that by the 30 days in September and you’re eating 90 meals this month (to be fair, you’ve already eaten most of them). As we reported in this week’s Tip…
