Daily Loaf

At least eight people have been shot in a downtown office highrise in Orlando, FL, according to TV news reports. Here’s an excerpt from a report by WESH 2 in Orlando:

Firefighters were called to Gateway Center at 1000 Legion Place around 11:30 a.m. The building is near Lake Ivanhoe.

All patients have been taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center. At least four of the eight patients are serious trauma cases. Due to the incident, the emergency room has been closed to patients. The ER is on status X.

Dispatchers with the Orlando Fire Department said a shooting with multiple victims was reported on the eighth floor.WESH 2 reporter Gail Paschall-Brown, who is at the scene on the ground, said that 15 employees came out of the building very distraught. Paschall-Brown spoke with one who said that a former employee came into the office who hadn’t worked at the company in over a year.

According to a report filed at 12:50 p.m. by ABC Action News outlet WFTV, two of the shooting victims are dead and four are “trauma red.”

According to reports from the AP and TV news, seven people have been killed and 20 wounded in shootings at the Fort Hood military base in Fort Hood, TX.

From the New York Times/AP report:

An Army spokesman at the Pentagon says the shootings began about 1:30 p.m. Thursday at a personnel and medical processing center at Fort Hood.

The spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Banks, says two shooters were apparently involved. There is no word yet on who they were, nor on identities of the dead.

Banks says the second incident took place at a theater on the sprawling base.

Updates to follow.

UPDATE from ABC News:

12 reported dead, 31 wounded in shootings on the base. Authorities say the shooter, who was killed, was an Army major, Malik Nadal Hasan. Two other soldiers were also involved and have been apprehended.

UPDATE from CNN 6:50 p.m.

Major Hasan was a psychiatrist.

UPDATE and CORRECTION

Contrary to reports on the day of the shooting, Major Hasan survived. Kimberly Munley, a sergeant in the civilian police department at Fort Hood, is being acclaimed as a hero for taking down the alleged assailant in four shots, ending the rampage. Hasan was in a coma as of Friday Nov. 6; Sgt. Munley was in stable condition with shots to the leg and wrist.

Thousands voted, but only one of our College Guide contestants could win it all: Amanda Abadi of the University of Tampa.

Her inventive video — which we refer to informally as “Crocodile Dundee Meets UT” — drew 6,694 votes in our College Guides 2009 contest. (Watch the video after the jump.) Readers were asked to choose their favorite entry from a collection of videos, photos and essays created by seven students as portraits of their respective schools.

Amanda is a second-year MBA student at UT, which she also attended as an undergrad; all that experience must have helped, because her video takes in just about every corner of campus life. Read the rest of this entry »

Steve Kornell with Democratic Committeewoman Linda Lucas at Shackleton's.

It was a mixed bag for gay voters last night. The vote to preserve marriage equality came up short in Maine, but great strides were made in local elections — including St. Petersburg’s City Council race.

Steve Kornell, one of the most impressive candidates in any local race this season, won his St. Pete council seat by a surprisingly large margin — 59.46% to 40.54% — over his opponent, Angela Rouson. He is the first openly gay person in the history of the city to be elected to public office. Like Kevin Beckner, the first openly gay Hillsborough County Commissioner, Kornell brought qualities to his candidacy that transcended issues of sexual orientation: strong community involvement, great campaign preparation, specific ideas and a sharp mind. His election, like Beckner’s, is a heartening sign of progress — even though St. Pete voters elected a new mayor who, like Rick Baker, refuses to march in gay pride parades. (Bill Foster was making sympathetic noises about domestic partnership benefits toward the end of his campaign, though, so there may be some hope there.)

Kornell was not the only LGBT candidate making history last night. Read the rest of this entry »

For real-time results in the vote on gay marriage in Maine, head to ProtectMaineEquality.org. If voters reject the amendment to repeal the state’s marriage equality law, it will mark the first time that the right to gay marriage is established by voters, not their elected representatives.

But the race is very close, as you’ll see from the website. A short while ago, with 22% of precincts reporting, the Bangor Daily News had the vote at 51% against the repeal to 49% in favor.

UPDATE 10:38PM

Portland numbers announced: A huge NO vote.

Commenters on site are thinking this will win it for No on 1, but most reports are showing the overall state tally at 50-50, and there are lots of votes still to be counted.

UPDATE Midnight

The tables have turned. MSNBC reports that with 69% of the votes counted, the tally has shifted to 52% Yes and 48% No.

To recap, a Yes vote is a vote to repeal marriage equality in Maine. There’s talk of a recount.

UPDATE: The morning after

It was a close battle, but Maine voters voted YES to reject the legalization of gay marriage.

The fabulously rich Democratic incumbent Governor Jon Corzine has been upset by the cheerfully overweight Republican challenger Chris Christie in New Jersey, MSNBC has reported. Maybe the Virginia election wasn’t a referendum on Obama, but New Jersey certainly could be viewed as such.

It’s a little early, however, (Howard Fineman, we’re talking to you) to see Corzine’s defeat as a rebuke of rich guys. Though Fineman was exulting at the closer-than-expected race for mayor in New York City, zillionaire incumbent Michael Bloomberg has been declared the victor in NYC, according to the New York Times.

Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Atty General all go to the Republicans in Virginia, with Bob McDonnell thoroughly trouncing Democratic opponent Creigh Deeds for the top spot — a defeat that’s no surprise to anyone. Interestingly enough, RNC chair Michael Steele on CNN comes off as idiotic in victory as he usually does in defeat, as he tries to backpedal in support of Conservative Party Congressional candidate Doug Hoffman in New York, the only Republican-esque candidate left standing after the GOP’s choice, Dede Scozzfava, dropped out.

Election Night, 7:45 p.m.: With almost all precincts reporting, Bill Foster is maintaining a 6 percent lead over Kathleen Ford in the race to succeed Rick Baker as mayor of St. Petersburg. In the race for City Council, Steve Kornell, Leslie Curran, Jeff Danner and Karl Nurse look like sure winners; Jim Kennedy’s race with Steve Corsetti is a little bit closer but Kennedy’s chances look good.

Updates to come.

It’s 8:04, and the race for mayor is already over. Kathleen Ford is giving her concession speech. “We are going to continue to keep an eye on our government to make sure it’s open, accessible… and affordable,” she promised. Later, according to Bay News 9, she said her biggest problem was “the media.”

“Read into that what you will,” said anchor Al Ruechel.

CL’s Mitch Perry spoke briefly with Ford at around 8:30; she appeared to be working hard to maintain a cheerful countenance. When asked her thoughts, she said, “I’m really pleased with myself. I’m excited. We made a difference in this race.”  Asked if she thought the St. Pete Times editorial page had been too harsh on her, and  whether she cared about that, she answered, “Not much.” As to whether the newspaper’s treatment had any impact on the election, she answered,  “Who knows?”

At Ferg’s on Central Avenue, Bill Foster was magnanimous in victory. Asked his thoughts on his opponent, he told Perry, “I’m crazy about her. She’s a friend. She ran a great race. She’s got some great ideas — great passion. I need her.”

Foster said he was excited, but also seemed exhausted. “This process beats you to death,” he said. “But when you survive it you know you’ve earned it.” He also acknowledged the 47 percent of the public who did not vote for him. He said, “It’s time to gain their trust. And I’ll earn it. We’ll come together.”

He won plaudits tonight not only for his victory but for his slimmer appearance. CL overheard him telling a supporter that he had lost 25 pounds during the campaign.

Guavaween was by all reports kind of a bust this year — the dip in attendance due in part to the ban on motorized floats and the according lack of krewes, but also to a higher ticket price and unfortunate timing (lots of competition from Saturday night Halloween parties).

One thing’s for sure: Walling off the district on a Saturday night and turning it into Night of the Living Dead, Ybor Edition, didn’t sit well with merchants. After the jump, see one merchant’s mordantly funny video record of the not-so-lively doings on Seventh Avenue and environs. Read the rest of this entry »

Jamaican dancehall singer Buju Banton, whose notorious song “Boom Bye Bye” advocates gay-bashing and murder, was originally supposed to play The Ritz Ybor and Jannus Landing this weekend. Those gigs are no more — cancelled like so many of the gigs on Banton’s U.S. tour. But now we hear the show is back on — at the Cuban Club in Ybor on Oct. 30. Here’s the promoters’ defiant announcement:

This is the show Gay Activists have tried to shut down. Originally scheduled for The Ritz Ybor then forced to move to Jannus Landing – Now CONFIRMED for The Cuban Club – The Buju Banton Freedom Tour! is an event for All Peoples of All Colors and Choices to embrace the Music from Jamaica BACK now in Ybor City where it should never have been made to leave!

Equality Florida had been calling for a letter-writing campaign to protest Buju Banton shows in Jacksonville, Miami and St. Pete, receiving what the organization calls “an unprecedented flood of hate mail and threats” as a result. Now that the St. Pete gig has been moved back to Ybor, expect a call to action there as well. Read the rest of this entry »

Home of CL's new offices in Ybor Square, a former cigar factory. Photo by Joran Oppelt.

Oct. 27: Our second day in CL’s new offices in Ybor Square — but first day I got to do what I’d been dreaming of: actually get out of the office and just WALK AROUND.

That may not sound like much, but after five (!) years cooped up in a former fruit warehouse where you had to get in your car to do anything outside the office, this was, literally, a dream.

And I’ll try to keep the Philly references to a minimum, but having come here from a town where I could walk out my office door into a plethora of pedestrian-friendly possibilities for lunch, for shopping, for people-watching — hell, for merely walking — and after working there in a building with brick and history and character — it is a revelation and a relief to find myself in similar quarters, with history and walkability and multiple alternatives for lunch, etcetera, and to find it in, of all places, Tampa. Read the rest of this entry »

The 20th annual Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival concludes today, and if the lines outside the films and the comments from Executive Director Chuck Henson are any indication, this was one of the most successful seasons ever, with large increases in single ticket sales offsetting the drop in corporate sponsorship. The fest certainly felt like a success; last night was a case in point, with long lines and big laughs for the screening of Eating Out 3, and a crowded, convivial men’s party at Czar.

There are a few films left to see, culminating with the splashy Big Gay Musical (right) at 7, reviewed below by Ryan Jent. And if you missed Prodigal Sons or Fig Trees, both of which screened earlier today, read the reviews below and decide whether you need to add them to your Netflix queue; for my money, Sons was one of the most powerful films in the fest, so be sure to check it out if you missed today’s screening. Read the rest of this entry »

Rupert Everett in "St. Trinian's"

Wednesday night, Oct. 14,  at the Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival:

Chica Busca Chica (Girl Looks for Girl): It’s like The L Word with subtitles. There’s the “I’m straight, but I’m into that one girl” lesbian; the “I just met you but I’m already in love with you and want you to move in with me” lesbian; the “I think I may be a lesbian so I’m just gonna dive into pussy head first” lesbian; and a few others thrown in for good measure. Sonia Sebastian’s film is funny without being slapstick; dramatic without being Telemundo; and other than a few shots of one particular character looking upsettingly anorexic, it’s pretty damn good. Wed. Oct. 14, 7 p.m., Tampa Theatre. —Courtney Bishop

Her Name Was Steven: If you think you know all about Susan née Steven Stanton, the Largo City Manager fired in 2007 after announcing that he was changing gender, think again. This CNN documentary not only recounts the now-familiar saga of his termination by the City Commission, it provides invaluable insight into Stanton’s life before and after that turning point. “It’s a little more complicated than I initially envisioned,” Stanton says early in the transition in what turns out to be a massive understatement. Read the rest of this entry »

In Tampa today, the Hillsborough County Commission has voted to reject a rezoning request today that would have allowed for Catholic Charities to get closer to building a tent city in the County.

The organizers said they would build housing for up to 250 homeless people, for up to 90 days at a time.

Interestingly enough, the Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County is against the proposal.  The head of the Coalition, Rayme Nuckles told Fox 13 last week that:

“The tents are not an effective way to meet the needs of the homeless,” said Rayme Nuckles, CEO of the Homeless Coalition, who has also been critical of Catholic Charities.

Here’s what Nuckles says on a home video shot at a meeting of the Stop Tent City group October 2nd:

“We said, ‘let’s do this the right way, because you screwed it up in Pinellas County.’” There were hoots and applause, music to Tent City’s detractors, who’ve pledged to campaign against any county commissioner who votes for the tents.

But again, on a 4-3 vote, Commissioners Higgenbotham, White, Sharpe and Hagen voted to deny the rezoning.

“Do you think it’s possible to love someone without being afraid of losing them? But at the same time is it possible to be alive in this world without loving anyone at all?”

Those questions are at the heart of the gentle, bittersweet Love of Siam, Thailand’s 2008 submission to the Academy Awards. They’re spoken by Mew to his best friend Tong, childhood pals who have rediscovered each other as teenagers, both having suffered wrenching losses: Mew of his beloved grandmother and Tong of his older sister, whose disappearance years before still haunts his parents. Mew has somewhat inexplicably become the lead singer in a boy band (Did Lou Pearlman move to Bangkok?), but when he reconnects with Tong his love songs take on a whole new dimension. Read the rest of this entry »

A maddening, heartbreaking, ultimately satisfying documentary about the fight to depose Rene Portland, the celebrated women’s basketball coach at Penn State who wielded her “no lesbians” rule with brutal force. For almost 30 years Portland threatened students, threw them off the team, made insinuations about other universities’ programs, all with impunity — until a courageous former student took her to court with the help of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (and Tampa attorney Karen Doering). Read the rest of this entry »

The award, announced this morning, recognized the president “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” Media reports suggested the award was the Nobel committee’s investment in the future rather than a recognition of any actual, um, Peace.

After all, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are still being fought, the peace process in the Mideast is still a work in progress, North Korea remains a nuclear threat. According to the New York Times, which called the award ” a stunning surprise,” reporters in Oslo challenged the committee’s chairman, Thorbjorn Jagland, to explain: Read the rest of this entry »

"Drool" is one of the films showing at TIGLFF this year.

The Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival is 20 years old and still going strong. The festival runs Oct. 8-18 at Tampa Theatre and Muvico Baywalk (and at party spots like Czar and Honey Pot), and this week you can read all about it at cltampa.com: interviews with people behind the scenes, like Programming Director Margaret Murray and Executive Director Chuck Henson ; a history of the fest from one of its major players, Jim Harper; and lots of movie reviews.

Which flicks are must-sees and which ones are must-nots? How’d the festival reach this big two-decade milestone? And how do Henson and Murray keep the crowds coming in the age of Bravo, Logo and Netflix?

Go to cltampa.com/tiglff to find out. And stay tuned to the Daily Loaf as we post individual reviews throughout the week.

Managing to be both implausible and predictable, this slapdash little coming-out movie is diverting nevertheless, boosted by funny characterizations, cute boys and pop-cult knowingness.

Big Queer On Campus Olaf “Gunn” Gunnunderson somehow remains closeted to his family, a fact that comes as a surprise to his boyfriend Nathan when he shows up unexpectedly at Gunn’s Midwestern home during Christmas break. Read the rest of this entry »

Outdoor movie screenings are a popular Tampa Bay pasttime, but until recently your choices were pretty much limited to family fare in public parks or the time-warped charms of Fun-Lan Drive-In. But this summer The Studio@620 and Push Ultra Lounge came up with an inspired new variation, the Sunset Film Festival: sophisticated programming  of can’t-miss classics (Hitchcock, Hepburn, Billy Wilder) screened on the roof of an ultra-hip urban boite. Alfresco filmgoing without cars and screaming kids? Pass me a martini and some popcorn, please.

About Best of the Bay 2009: The winners of this year’s Best of the Bay Awards were revealed Sept. 15 at The Loafies, Creative Loafing’s BOTB awards party. Find the complete list in the BOTB 2009 issue, just released today.

Special Report by Mike Wells for Creative Loafing
Tampa native Jane Castor humbly accepted an appointment today from Mayor Pam Iorio to become the city’s next police chief.
The 6-foot, lanky mother of two will be the first woman to command the Tampa Police Department when she is sworn in on Oct. 1. She also is set to become the state’s first openly lesbian police chief.
Though her appointment is historically significant to Tampa’s LGBT community, Castor treated it as a non-issue when questioned.
The 49-year-old never dodged LGBT-related questions, but said she’d rather focus on what she plans to do as chief. Read the rest of this entry »

Isn’t it nice when the readers and critics agree?

Last night, Julie Rowe (right) won the Best Local Actress award in Creative Loafing’s 2009 Readers’ Poll (repeating her win from last year).  She also won the Best Actress award from theater critic Mark E. Leib. Bittersweet, perhaps, since she’s just begun a new job in Jupiter, FL, which means we won’t be seeing her as much around here, but much deserved. If you missed our recent interview with Julie, catch our ArtsSpeak podcast.

Other acting winners: Read the rest of this entry »

She's still the one

It’s safe to say the CL offices have never been as crowded as they were last night, when 400-plus folks squeezed into our cube farm for the Best of the Bay Awards Party, aka The Loafies. We’ll be reporting on the various awards throughout the coming week online (and in our Best of the Bay issue, which hits the streets today), but here are the winners in 14 Readers’ Poll races that went right down to the wire. These particular results will not appear in CL’s print edition until next week, so read on to get the scoop: Read the rest of this entry »

Brian Blair is one of this year's nominees for Worst Local Politician.

You can only find out by reading Best of the Bay when it’s published Sept. 16 — or by attending tonight’s Best of the Bay Awards Party, aka The Loafies.

It’s a tough category to predict because, well, there were so many deserving candidates. Readers named a whole slew of ‘em. Among those nominated: “All Democrats,” “Any Republican,” “anyone against gay pride,” “anyone in the County Commission’s office,” “anyone who has focused on regulating strip clubs as their career,” “crazy WANDA,” “the Florida legislature,” and (this may be the most cynical response of all), “The Honest One.” Read the rest of this entry »

Stick Martin Show, shown arriving at the 2008 Loafies, are nominees again this year.

On September 16,  Creative Loafing releases The Best of the Bay , the annual blockbuster issue in which CL  readers, writers and editors celebrate the highs (and the lows) of life in Tampa Bay.

But if you can’t wait till Wednesday, you can get a sneak peek of the results tonight at the Best of the Bay Awards party, aka The Loafies. The results in selected Readers’ Poll races will be announced for the first time during the party (and won’t be announced in CL’s print edition until next week),  so if you attend you’ll really be the first on your block to know the whole story of Best of the Bay 2009.

Here are the finalists in the Readers’ Poll categories for which awards are being presented tonight: Read the rest of this entry »

As if to provide a visual demonstration of “comforting continuity” — the dubious benefit afforded to St. Pete voters by mayoral candidate Bill Foster, according to the St. Petersburg Times‘ endorsement — Foster assembled 19 past and present community leaders on City Hall steps yesterday to herald their support of his candidacy.

And, in comfortingly continuous fashion, the Times’ report on the  gathering echoed Foster’s own campaign lingo: Read the rest of this entry »

Lies, lies, lies. Lots of them flying around lately, or — more to the point — lots of accusations of lying.

One of the strongest moments in Obama’s  joint speech before Congress last night was his in-your-face denunciation of “death panel” propaganda:

Some of people’s concerns have grown out of bogus claims spread by those whose only agenda is to kill reform at any cost.  The best example is the claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens.  Such a charge would be laughable if it weren’t so cynical and irresponsible.  It is a lie, plain and simple.

Obama’s remarks were clearly targeted at Sarah Palin, who was making “bogus claims” about death panels as recently as Tuesday morning.

But Palin’s former running mate John McCain tsk-tsked. Read the rest of this entry »

The White House has released a transcript of the controversial speech President Obama is slated to make Sept. 8 today at a high school in Virginia. To save the pundits the trouble of analyzing the text point by point, we’ve gone ahead and inserted some useful opposition talking points. (Read aloud with air of barely controlled panic and angry incredulity, à la Glenn Beck.)

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event
Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

…no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning…
He’s pretending this is a speech about helping kids stay in school, but HE’S ENCOURAGING THEM TO BE TRUANTS!

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia…
INDONESIA=Islam=secret Muslim anti-American agenda

…for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school.
His mother REFUSED to have him study with Americans Read the rest of this entry »

There goes the season.

Unless someone on the Rays is planning a quick trip to Lourdes, there’s no saving the team’s playoff chances in the wake of 1B Carlos Peña’s injury during the first game of a Yankees doubleheader today.

Hit in the hand while swinging at a pitch, he fractured his left index and middle fingers and is out for the season. It’s not just the fact that he’s been hitting so well lately that makes the loss of Peña so heartbreaking; it’s the damage it does to Peña’s — and by extension the team’s — spirit.

As Peña told MLB.com, he was “crushed” when he heard his season was finished. Read the rest of this entry »

It’d be laughable if it weren’t so dangerous.

Flame-throwing and name-calling are all fine if they come from the right, but let a Democrat — or worse, a black Democrat — or still worse. a black Democrat with a green agenda working  in the Obama administration  — let that guy call Republicans names, and WHOA! He has got to be STOPPED.

And worse yet, let that black Democrat be the founder of  a group that led a succesful advertiser boycott against the crazy-like-a-Fox right-wing media opportunist Glenn Beck, a guy who gleefully throws around absurd accusations like calling Obama a racist — and well, that black Democrat not only has to be stopped, he has to be publicly tarred and feathered. Read the rest of this entry »

Polls have been closed for just under an hour, but the results are already looking pretty conclusive. The top vote-getters in the mayoral race are Bill Foster at 26.97%, Kathleen Ford at 25.87%, Deveron Gibbons at 19.51% and Scott Wagman at 15.03%. With 92 percent of precincts reporting, it looks like Ford and Foster will hold on to the two top spots; if this election is any indication, the general is going to be close.

In City Council races, the three top vote-getters are Karl Nurse in District 6, Leslie Curran in District 4 and Steve Kornell in District 5.

UPDATE 8:45 PM: With 95% of precincts reporting, it’s still Foster and Ford, at 27.05% and 25.72% respectively.

UPDATE 9 p.m.: Bill Foster and Kathleen Ford have declared victory. See you in November.

Today’s the day St. Petersburg voters put their long, looooooong primary out of its misery. Once all the votes are counted, we’ll have narrowed ten mayoral candidates down to two, with the final outcome to be determined by the general election November 3 — unless one of the ten gets more than 50 percent of the vote, in which case we’ll have a winner (highly unlikely). We’ll also have a clearer picture of who the final contenders (or winners) will be in three City Council districts, and a yes or no on a City Charter amendment deeming that the Pinellas County Canvassing Board canvass all St. Pete elections instead of the city (which could be a money-saver for St. Pete).

After the break, a full list of candidates. To find your polling place, go to the Pinellas Supervisor of Elections site. And here’s a link to past Creative Loafing coverage of top contenders in the mayoral campaign.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

IMPORTANT: If you received a mail-in ballot but have decided to vote today instead, BRING THE MAIL-IN BALLOT WITH YOU to the polling place so the elections officials know you aren’t trying to vote twice. Otherwise your vote today will be treated as provisional — counted only after its validity is confirmed, which likely won’t happen till after all other votes have been tallied. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Jim Harper
Jim Harper is the former editor of Creative Loafing/Weekly Planet. He wrote this post after watching the video of the Ted Kennedy funeral on Sat. Aug. 29.

We’re accustomed, I suppose, to people of all political stripes offering up their religious faith as justification for their most cherished political values. But it was moving, nonetheless, to hear Teddy’s parish priest cite so many parts of the Christian Gospel, especially those parts about remembering that the world is larger than our own concerns and that our highest calling is to serve the poor, the lonely, the hungry, the sick and dispossessed. It was not hard for the priest to make specific connections to Senator Kennedy’s career. Read the rest of this entry »

The pundits are blabbing now on CNN about whether liberals will be “disappointed” that Obama didn’t take on healthcare or other issues in his speech at the Ted Kennedy funeral. No doubt the right has found many ways to condemn not only the speech but the entire funeral by now. Let them all blather: This was a fine, deserved tribute to a flawed but ultimately admirable man. Read the rest of this entry »

The candidates at the August 19 forum at The Palladium.

The poll released earlier this week by the St. Pete Times found four candidates leading the pack of 10 contending for mayor of St. Petersburg. As we enter the final hours before the Sept. 1 primary, which will narrow the field to two, here are links to CL stories which reference the top four: Read the rest of this entry »

With today’s announcement that the L.A. County coroner has ruled Michael Jackson’s death a homicide, the never-ending story has officially turned into a murder mystery. Any minute now some old Hollywood detective (Columbo? Jessica Fletcher?) will come shambling onto the scene, gather all the celebrity suspects in a fancy living room and spring a surprise revelation:  “LaToya, it was you!”

Or not. There don’t look to be any surprise culprits lurking here because the prime suspect looks awfully, well, suspicious.

Video after the break. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s fitting that one of the most high-profile events of the fall arts season is a musical adaptation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, because lately it’s seemed we’ve all been headed down the rabbit hole. The No-Bama crowd calls for the truth about healthcare, but traffics in outright lies. The president says the so-called public option is a key aspect of his plan, then says it isn’t, then says it is. The St. Petersburg Times wins a Pulitzer for PolitiFact, then backs a mayoral candidate, Bill Foster, who believes in such “facts” as this statement: “None of Darwin’s theories can be replicated or proven in a laboratory…”
So what’s all this got to do with the fall arts season? Easy. If you’re starved for the truth, start listening to artists. Read the rest of this entry »

The campaign for Best Local Blog in the Creative Loafing Readers’ Poll is getting serious; note the campaign photo at right.

Not everyone’s a fan. One jaded voter responded to the question this way:  “There’s no such thing.” We also got “no,” “none” and “I hate blogs” (which may be the name of a blog, I’m not sure).

But the 100-plus blogs nominated so far in the category suggest plenty of our readers would disagree.

The leaders at the moment? Here they are in no particular order (as the host says on I can’t remember which reality show): Read the rest of this entry »

We’re 2,000-plus votes and counting in this year’s Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll — deadline Aug. 31 — and there are no hotter races underway than the ones for Best Neighborhood/Hillsborough and Best Neighborhood/Pinellas.

After the jump: Find out if your ‘hood is among the front-runners. Read the rest of this entry »

Julie Rowe is one of the Bay area’s most talented (and acclaimed) actors, and now she has a new gig: She’s going to be director of education at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, an Equity house (known once upon a time as the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre) in Jupiter, FL.

The news was cause for some alarm in local theater circles. No more performances by Julie like her most recent tour de force? But, as she tells CL theater critic Mark Leib in her interview for an ArtsSpeak podcast, she’s not “leaving” exactly — she’s just “expanding.” Podcast after the break. Read the rest of this entry »

An attack on a Louvre masterpiece is, of course, nothing to be laughed at, but you can’t miss the droll undercurrent in this report today from telegraph.co.uk about a Russian tourist who employed a unique if handy weapon in her assault on the Mona Lisa:

Screams erupted from the 40-odd tourists jostling for position around Leonardo da Vinci’s enigmatic painted lady when the empty terracotta mug flew over their heads and smashed into the portrait.
The Russian woman is thought to have bought it minutes earlier at the museum gift shop.

Another instance of museums ruined by commerce! Read the rest of this entry »

Of course it’s not: it’s merely another example of Griffin, I mean Griffin-Johnston, brilliantly manipulating the media and the notion of stardom. She’s now not only mocking other celebrities, she is a celebrity, or maybe a meta-celebrity: a star who’s a star for being aware that stardom is a crock and yet craving it anyway, and milking every meta-minute of it.

And then there’s Levi — a media creation if there ever was one — and he’s handling it all with aplomb. Or dumb luck. Maybe not so dumb. In response to Kathy’s suggestion that he move in with the Palins: “I’m not really lookin’ forward to bein’ around that family anymore.”

After the break: Video of Kathy “interviewing” Levi on Larry King about their “love igloo,” his “big strong man arms” and the still-unanswered question of whether or not Levi can read. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s interesting what people say when a famous person dies. Knee-jerk reactions, non sequiturs, unexpected memories. And it’s all there in the comments sections online.

The following comment appeared on the New York Times‘ ArtsBeat blog upon the death of director John Hughes today, and wins some kind of prize for combining heartfelt eulogy with out-of-left-field slam:

he was a great light, with an artisic vision that is unmatched. his way of seeing this has influenced not only how a generation of americans saw itself and society, but also continues to inspire film makers today.

plus, he never denounced any of his collegues as communists in a bitter moment of vengence, like some directors who died this week. Read the rest of this entry »

With just one word — “Butter!” — she’s got you.

Meryl Streep slathers so much salacious joie de vivre onto that one line reading early in Julie & Julia that we know we’re in for a glorious ride.

If only.

Because, unfortunately, this movie is not just about Julia Child, godmother of French cooking in America, TV legend (via PBS and Dan Aykroyd) and all-around great dame. It’s about Julia and Julie: Julie Powell, office drone, who in 2003 embarked on the seemingly quixotic task of cooking every recipe in Child’s classic cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and writing a blog about it.

Nora Ephron’s screenplay is, as the tagline announces, “based on two true stories”: Child’s autobiographical saga of her own introduction to French cuisine, My Life in France, and Powell’s best-selling book (based on her Salon blog), Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen. And while the real Julie Powell seems, from her writing, to be as gutsy and iconoclastic as the woman who inspired her, Amy Adams’ performance in the role is all twinkle and pout — and pretty soon just a distraction from what we really want to see: more Meryl.

After the break: More on Julie & Julia, plus video of Meryl Streep, Dan Aykroyd and Julia Child as… Julia Child.

Read the rest of this entry »

Somehow it’s appropriate that Paula Abdul should abdicate her judge’s throne on American Idol via Twitter. She’s made twittering (lower case) a way of life, playing the twit to Simon’s twat for years now. But was her resignation for real? The online reactions to her Twitter (TwitQuit? Quitter?) announcement last night range from surprised (HuffPo) to stricken (Ryan Seacrest’s tweet quoted on EOnline) to downright skeptical (Newsday’s TV Zone).

Read excerpts after the jump. Best line (from E): “…without Abdul, how are any of the contestants going to know where their magic is?” Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that time of year again — time to enter Creative Loafing’s virtual ballot box and vote in our annual Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll. Go to cltampa.com/botbballot and you’ll find 150 categories to vote on, from Best New Restaurant to Best Local Tweeter, from Worst Waste of Tax Dollars to Best Local Actress. You’ve got lots of time to vote: The polls close Aug. 31, with results announced in our Best of the Bay Issue on September 16 (and revealed the night before during The Loafies).

And keep your eyes on the Daily Loaf: Starting tomorrow, we’ll be previewing the BOTB choices of our writers and editors with posts labeled Best of the Bay of the Day. Watch for each day’s post and find out whether your favorites have already made this year’s list.

VOTE NOW!

Things are looking up for Loren Cass, the St. Pete-made indie movie previously covered in CL by Alex Pickett and Scott Harrell, and nominated last year by NYC’s IFP Gotham Awards as Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You. In today’s New York Times, critic Nathan Lee flat-out raves about the film, which opens today in Manhattan in a single theater. “This sharp, gutsy indie is one of the year’s great discoveries,” says Lee, who goes on to say that writer/director/co-star Chris Fuller is headed for a career of “singular, exquisite promise.”

Which is not to say that the film or the review, headlined “Down and Out (and Disaffected) in St. Petersburg,” are likely to be used as lures for local tourism. (Video after the break) Read the rest of this entry »

In the latest edition of ArtsSpeak, CL’s arts and culture podcast, Daily Loaf book blogger William McKeen interviews Adrian Colesberry (right), standup comic and former biomedical engineer, on his very funny new book, How to Make Love to Adrian Colesberry. Turns out the first rule of How to Interview Adrian Colesberry is: try not to mention the name “Adrian Colesberry.” But Bill — University of Florida journalism prof and author of Outlaw Journalist, which Greg Palast calls the Great Red Shark of Hunter S. Thompson biographies — still gets great info from Mr. Colesberry, including the reactions to the book from the women in his life — his current wife said it made her both angry and horny — and the chapter that should make Adrian’s momma proudest, “Adrian and your asshole.”

After the jump, listen to the podcast and view Colesberry’s must-see YouTube promos. Read the rest of this entry »

From the book: George meets George in an unaired "Seinfeld" episode.

In the second half of Scott Farrell’s interview with Peter Golenbock, author of George: The Poor Little Rich Boy Who Built the Yankee Empire, we hear about George the good Samaritan; George’s vendetta against Dave Winfield; the Seinfeld calzone episode; and why the Yankees did better during Steinbrenner’s two suspensions. Moderated by CL Editor David Warner. Download after the break. Read the rest of this entry »

I distributed the following memo to the Tampa Creative Loafing staff this afternoon.

In the face of declining print revenues and an according shift of resources to web-first production, Creative Loafing is restructuring its editorial staff. Unfortunately, these adjustments have made it necessary to eliminate the position of senior editor held by CL veteran Eric Snider.
There is no question that CL will be a different place without Eric. He has made a major contribution to the company as a writer and editor, and his style, his street smarts, his charismatic presence and journalistic expertise have added immeasurably to CL in print, online, and in our day-to-day lives.
We will miss having Eric as part of the staff, both as a journalist and a friend. He will continue at CL full-time through the end of this week; after that, we hope to continue working with him on individual projects.
Sharry Smith, Publisher
David Warner, Editor

Nothing much else to say except that the recession sucks, that this was an extremely painful decision, and that it brings to four the number of layoffs we have had to make this year from an already small edit staff. And yet, in spite of everything, I’m still optimistic about the future of this company.

But Eric will be missed.

If Sacha Baron Cohen’s films intentionally court controversy, he’s getting what he asked for with Brüno. Some critics, like CL’s Joe Bardi, admire Cohen’s risk-taking comic performance as a flamboyantly gay Austrian. But the head of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) says the satire is likely to miss the mark: “Some people in the gay community will be as troubled as GLAAD is that the movie doesn’t decrease homophobia, but decreases the public’s comfort with gay people.” Read Bardi’s review and the GLAAD story and check out other critics’ reactions at Rotten Tomatoes. And after the break check out a clip from Current TV’s That’s So Gay (pictured above) that mocks the movie and the controversy, declaring “Bruno is the gay version of Malcolm X!” Read the rest of this entry »

For USF men, the new mantra seems to be “Take it off. Take it all off.” According to a New York Times article about the rise in heterosexual manscaping, a University of South Florida grad student has done two (yes, two) studies that show a high percentage of male USF students prefer to go smooth like Brüno. Read the rest of this entry »

Peter Golenbock’s biography of George Steinbrenner, George: The Poor Little Rich Boy Who Built the Yankee Empire, is one hell of a yarn. And no one tells a baseball story better than Golenbock, a St. Pete resident and the author of such classics as The Bronx Zoo and Balls. Listen to part one of Scott Farrell’s interview with Golenbock as he shares stories of Steinbrenner’s early years before becoming Yankee tyrant and Tampa benefactor.

Download part 1 of the interview here.

As someone who happily slaps Simpsons stamps on the few bills I still pay by mail, it made me proud to read that Roberta Smith, the formidable NY Times art critic, likes them, too. “Really,” she asks, “are these not among the best American stamps ever?” Then, in true NYT art-critic fashion, she talks about “palette” and “tonal distinctions” and drops art-history names like crazy:

The Simpson palette has always seemed as radical and subversive as the show’s social commentary. It’s similar in artifice to the innovative color of artists like Andy Warhol, Bruce Nauman and Matthew Barney… Like Richard Serra sculptures, only smaller and a whole lot cheaper, the stamps prove the adage that scale has nothing to do with size…

Here’s something else that feels subversive about Simpsons stamps: Read the rest of this entry »

If you love a good celebrity death, you’ve been in heaven the last several days. And if you’re a connoisseur of a good celebrity obit, you need to be reading obit-mag.com.

Obit is a brilliantly edited online magazine that makes for great reading anytime, with all kinds of features that lend themselves to discussion over the watercooler, or your workplace equivalent thereof:  Died on the Same Day (today’s deaths: Jim Morrison and tennis player Pancho Gonzalez); Best Sendoffs (including Top 10 Stupid Death Tricks); and Ask Judy (a Q&A on dying well by Vanity Fair contributing editor Judy Bachrach). And it doesn’t confine itself to the deaths of individuals; there have been essays on the end of a terrorist organization, the demise of journalism, even the death of silence, as well as “the photography, the art, the prose of death” (in the words of founder J. Robert Hillier). Death: It’s a big subject, and Obit means to cover all its facets.

But the mag is most useful as a highly readable digest of obituaries past and present, and since lately there have been a whole lot of obituaries to digest, Michael Schaffer’s “The Grim Reader: This Week in Death” is a must-read. Read the rest of this entry »

Nah. That’s just what one Shakespearean wag mused about in regards to the (mostly) critically acclaimed production of Hamlet that’s headed to Broadway from London this fall:

Rosalind emailed me this morning, wondering if I wanted to go to London to see Jude Law in Hamlet.
That reminded me of feature we long ago joked about adding to shakespeare.com: Naked Shakespeare with Nude Jude Law.These would be brief productions of crucial scenes from Shakespeare’s plays performed with utmost seriousness – except that at a certain point you’d see that one of the actors was totally naked. And that actor would be a nude Jude Law.

The blogger goes on to dream of Kate Winslet getting “her kit off” and joining Jude in the nude, so he’s clearly an equal-opportunity voyeur. Read the rest of this entry »

As Joe Bardi pointed out last week: The critics really, really hated Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Even Peter Travers hated it — the same Peter Travers whose effusively positive blurbage from Rolling Stone is a staple of movie ads. The avuncular Roger Ebert didn’t pull any punches, either: “A horrible experience of unbearable length,” he called it. And Joe himself begged viewers not to subject themselves to ROTF.

But subject themselves they did, in box office record-breaking numbers. In a story in today’s Washington Post, Dan Zak acknowledges that summer blockbusters have always survived in spite of critics, but observes “there’s something astounding about the gap between Transformers‘ voluminous receipts and excoriating reviews.” Read the rest of this entry »

John LaCapria and Ben Guthery!

Close to 150 couples, groups, longtime companions, new friends, singles, marrieds, domestic partners, civil unionists, gays, straights and gays-’n-straights struck a pose at our Big Gay Wedding Photo Booth during St. Pete Pride last weekend. Out of these photos, CL chose one at random to win our prize: a Big Gay Honeymoon Getaway Package at TradeWinds Sandpiper Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach. So congrats, John and Ben: your number came up. You not only get a 3-day/2-night stay with welcome cocktails, dinner for two and a surprise gift (trust us, you’ll like it), you get this great shot by Samantha Goresh of the two of you looking resplendent in white!

See all of Samantha and Denis Baldwin’s photos of happy couples on the Creative Loafing Gay Pride 2009 Flickr page. And thanks to all who came out to St. Pete Pride and the CL booth to celebrate diversity!

As The Daily Loaf reported yesterday, WFLA/NewsChannel 8 broadcast the American Family Association’s anti-gay infomercial Speechless last night in the middle of St. Pete Pride weekend on the eve of the 40th anniversary of Stonewall. TBO.com reports that the broadcast drew “a flood” of emails and phone calls starting in the afternoon during Pride and continuing into the evening. Read the complete story from TBO after the break; note that the GM Mike Pumo saw no “red flags” in the program’s content during the vetting procedure. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the many happy couples who posed for CL's Gay Wedding Photo Booth.

St. Pete Pride was big and beautiful, with an estimated attendance of 80,000 and weather that cooperated quite nicely, including some welcome (and brief) showers. In keeping with the cover story of this year’s Gay Issue (which even the St. Pete Times noticed — check what the marcher is holding in this photo), CL went all out in support of same-sex wedded bliss.

As CL’s unofficial gay married couple (don’t tell our respective husbands), ad director James Howard and I practiced our beauty-queen waves from atop the CL float (aka truck), James with a wedding bouquet and me with a baseball-cap bridal veil. We stood beneath a beauteous white gay-zebo designed and constructed by Elke Lockert and her team of creative geniuses.

Our Pride booth had a wedding-reception feel, too, complete with free photos for couples (gay and otherwise) by Denis Baldwin and Samantha Goresh, and the chance to compete for a honeymoon escape at TradeWinds Resort in Treasure Island.

Stay tuned to found out who won; meanwhile, check out our couples photo gallery.

Both Equality Florida and St. Pete Pride are asking supporters to call WFLA/NewsChannel 8 and protest the airing at 7 p.m. tonight of the hour-long anti-gay infomercial Speechless: Silencing the Christians. Sponsored by the American Family Association, it trots out AFA’s usual lies about “special rights” and “the radical homosexual activist agenda,” and has already been condemned by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which supported previous efforts to postpone or prevent airing of the show in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Columbus, Ohio.  I contacted WFLA-TV for comment this afternoon about the questionable timing of airing such a program the day of St. Pete Pride, but I was told that the only people who could address the issue were in the programming department and were not available over the weekend.

Read an excerpt from the Equality Florida alert after the break. Read the rest of this entry »

Say you’re a gay or lesbian couple looking to get hitched — legally.

You can’t do it in Florida, of course. Or in the 28 other states where citizens — influenced by religious belief, right-wing propaganda, homophobia, ignorance or all of the above — have opted for a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.

But increasing numbers of voters and legislators have taken a more enlightened route. Apparently struck by the fact that Massachusetts has not fallen into the Atlantic Ocean, four other New England states — and Iowa! — have made gay marriage legal. So, as we enter St. Pete Pride weekend and the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, the Daily Loaf is posting info on how to get married and where, starting today with these six states. We’ll also be providing details on the seven countries that allow gay marriage, including Canada, and the states where the potential for gay marriage looks hopeful. Want to find all this info in one place, and lots more about being gay in Tampa Bay (including how to win a big gay honeymooon)? Check out the Creative Loafing Gay Issue 2009. Read the rest of this entry »

David Jenkins

The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center laid off 20 of its 140 full-time employees today, said TBPAC Vice President of Marketing Michael Kilgore. The layoffs occurred “in various departments at various levels,” he said, emphasizing that the cuts were a business decision and not related to performance. The Center has experienced declines in ticket revenues, donations (particularly at the corporate level) and endowment, and the changes were necessary both “for the budget now, and the budget going forward.”

Kilgore said the Center did not make a public announcement naming the individuals released, preferring “to let them tell people they wanted to tell.”  But CL confirmed that one of the people affected was Senior Marketing Manager David Jenkins, better known to most Tampanians as the artistic director of Jobsite Theater (and occasional CL blogger). The Jobsite relationship with TBPAC will not change, Jenkins said in an email. Read the rest of this entry »

The tributes are pouring in for Farrah Fawcett. Friends and celebrities are remembering her wit, her warmth, her talent.

And her hair.

The award for awkward juxtaposition goes to this pair of quotes from people.com:

Fawcett’s former husband, Lee Majors, says, “She fought a tremendous battle against a terrible disease. She was an angel on earth and now an angel forever.”

Hairstylist Jose Eber, who created Fawcett’s famous blonde mane, says, “She was blessed with the most amazing hair anybody could have.”

“Her hair had its own personality,” he says. “In my business, doing hair for so long now, very rarely do you see a person who has hair with such perfection. And it was all natural.”

Thanks, Jose, for reminding us of what’s important.

Outings & Adventures' Robert Geller with Vienna.

It’s Pride Week, and that means a lot of gay folks will be out at the bars. Modern gay history arguably began 40 years ago at a bar (NYC’s Stonewall Inn), and for a long time a tavern was the only public place where gay men and lesbians could meet discreetly and in relative safety.

But with so many of us living openly, a bar is no longer the only option for socializing (especially since the Internet has taken over in the hook-up department). That’s where Robert Geller comes in. Geller is profiled in Creative Loafing’s Gay Issue this week: An ebullient entrepreneur who first made his mark in the Tampa Bay area with Bourbon Street Boxers, a boxer-shorts boutique, he’s now running Outings & Adventures. It’s a smartly designed service for gay men that could be described as everything but the bars. Read the rest of this entry »

Creative Loafing’s Gay Issue hits the streets on Wednesday just in time for St. Pete Pride. During Pride Week, we’ll be updating last year’s Za-Gay Guide with news about bars, clubs and restaurants that are newly opened or recently renamed.

First up: The Queenshead Eurobar, opening today in St. Pete’s Grand Central District. It’s an updated version of a British pub, with good food and a gay sensibility — and be sure to check out what they’ve got on the walls of the men’s room. More video after the break. Read the rest of this entry »

Actors from the Represented Theater Company, one of the groups competing for the award.

Intriguing story from the Philadelphia Inquirer: A small theater company called Hotel Obligado decided it was time to close down, but found itself with a $5,000 surplus. As a non-profit, Obligado was, um, obligated to give the money away, and they came up with a smart idea (with the help of the Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia): Use it to begin funding an award, at $1,000 a year, for other small theaters.

It’s an idea that could work in Tampa Bay (preferably without the small-theater-having-to-close part). Note also the connection made by the reporter (Inky vet Howard Shapiro) between Philly’s support of new work and the thriving state of the city’s theater scene. It reminded me of recent posts by CL’s theater critic Mark Leib on the support of new plays (or lack thereof) in the Tampa area.

We’ve got a long way to go, but as a former Philadelphian I know how far that city’s theater community has come, and one key factor was the amount of collaboration fostered by organizations like the Theatre Alliance and open-hearted troupes like Hotel Obligado.

Tampa Bay Theater Alliance, anyone?

Here’s a cryptic dispatch from the Times‘ ArtsBeat blog:

As dedicated readers of The New York Times already know, the newspaper and its Culture report are traditionally produced each day from a 52-story building between 40th and 41st Streets in Manhattan, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano. On Wednesday, the Culture department is trying something slightly different: We’re working from an office in New Hyde Park on Long Island, designed by the architect I.M. Functional, and located just next door to the ambulatory surgery ward of a major North Shore hospital.

Why we are doing this, we cannot entirely say. It may be for emergency preparedness purposes. It may be someone’s idea of a field trip. It may be to entertain the unseen viewers of a hidden-camera reality show that we don’t realize we’re a part of.

The post goes on to say that the dislocation is temporary. Let’s hope no arts staffers (like classical music editor James Oestreich, pictured) get lost in the shuffle.

Calatrava's vision for a Port Authority transit hub in NYC.

Renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava — the man behind perhaps the most controversial yet-to-be-built building in America — has been commissioned to design the first building on the new Lakeland campus of USF Polytechnic.  With Lakeland’s Florida Southern College already renowned for its unique collection of Frank Lloyd Wrights, the city stands to burnish its unlikely rep as a trove of internationally significant architecture.

Calatrava can only hope that the USF job doesn’t create the headaches he’s encountered in realizing a new NY/NJ Port Authority transportation hub at Ground Zero. His vision won admiration at first for its dramatically wingéd roofline, but has since become mired in the politics of rebuilding the World Trade Center. When the architect unveiled his revised design for the structure earlier this spring,  NY Times architecture critic Nicolai Ourousoff characterized it as a “heart-wrenching” failure, “a monument to the creative ego that celebrates Mr. Calatrava’s engineering prowess but little else.”

USF Poly is hardly as much of a political minefield as post-9/11 New York. But that doesn’t mean the design process is going to be clear sailing for Calatrava’s firm. Funding for the new campus has already raised questions, and we can never understimate the fuck-up potential for any project involving higher education and the Florida legislature. Let’s hope that the end result means architecture fans have yet another reason to make a pilgrimage to Lakeland.

Finally! After much mystery, the much-adored AMC series Mad Men has announced the date of its third-season premiere: Sunday August 16 at 10 p.m. Was the delay in setting a premiere date something to do with this controversy, which may wreak havoc with your DVR? Or was it manufactured to work up anticipation among fans? Whatever. I’m a fan, and I can’t wait. But please, do not tell me what happened in the final episode of the second season. I didn’t DVR it, the show disappeared from HD On Demand before I could catch it, and I have succesfully skipped over all mentions of the finale in print and online. (Though I think I heard there was a divorce. Or was it a baby?) For diehards like myself, AMC will run the obligatory pre-premiere marathon recap of the previous season starting at 7 a.m. (!) Sunday Aug. 9 Monday Aug. 10. (Thanks to the St. Pete Times’ Eric Deggans for alerting me to my error. No thanks to AMC’s publicist for the confusing, that is to say wrong, information in her press release.)

There’s been discussion amongst the Mad Men faithful at CL of having an ongoing podcast à la our popular Lost-cast. Let me know if you’d listen. Who knows? Maybe I can get everyone riled up again with a controversial statement.

Neil Patrick Harris performs the “11 o’clock number” at the Tonys.

If there were a Tony Award for critics’ best post-mortem sentence, this one would be a candidate:

With producers coming out of the woodwork like dinner-jacketed head lice, ebullient hippies celebrated in the aisles, staring down the camera lens and cavorting with the likes of Edie Falco.

That from the Chicago-based Theater Loop blog by Chris Jones, who accurately characterized last night’s show as “uncommonly energetic.” The above passage describes the antics of the Hair entourage after their win for best revival; in fact, every time the folks from Hair hit the stage, the exuberance level went up several notches.

But the best moment of the night, no question, was host Neil Patrick Harris’ closing number. Written right up to the final minute by the Hairspray team, Marc Shaiman and Scott Witman, the lyrics name-checked losers and winners with high style and lowdown wit. The New York Times has the story of how the songwriters managed to be so timely so fast; read the lyrics (set to the tune of “Tonight, Tonight”) after the break. Read the rest of this entry »

For more news and reviews of the summer’s biggest movies, go to the CL Movies & Television site.

Gotta say it right off the bat — I looooooved this movie.
But then I’m a theater geek from way back, and Every Little Step is crack for theater geeks: a documentary about the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1975 musical A Chorus Line and the casting of its 2006 Broadway revival.
But will the theater-phobic love it, too?
I’d say yes. Because this movie is not just relevant to Broadway babies; it’s hot-wired into the American zeitgeist.
Read the rest of this entry »

Crossposted from Political Whore blog

Because Creative Loafing Political Editor Wayne Garcia would be far too modest to tell you himself, I’m reporting that “The Political Whore” won first place in the category of Blog-Affiliated last night in the Sunshine State Awards, the Florida-wide prizes given out by the Society of Professional Journalists/ South Florida. New Times Broward Palm Beach’s “The Juice” and the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel’s “Broward Politics” came in second and third, respectively.

And Wayne wasn’t alone in bringing back first-place honors for the Loaf. Food Editor Brian Ries won the top spot in Food/Beverage Writing for “Anywhere But Here,” his story on the lack of healthy food options for Florida families on public assistance. The Miami Herald and MIAMI Modern Luxury took second and third places.

Brian also took a third place in Criticism for his review of MJ’s tapas menu when it was under the direction of Domenica Macchia. And CL’s theater critic, Mark E. Leib, took second place in the same category for his review of the innovative American Stage production of Hamlet. The Naples Daily News‘ Harriet Howard Heithaus took the first-place spot.

Finally, the entire staff of Creative Loafing won kudos for our website, cltampa.com, placing third in the News Web Site category. I like the judges’ citation: This is not your typical news site. cltampa.com represents a new way of presenting news and information to its reader/user. Through a simple design, Creative Loafing offers a wide collection of headlines from just as many distinct sources. (Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers and the Orlando Sentinel took first and second in this category, respectively.)

More judges’ comments follow after the break. Read the rest of this entry »

So how does it happen that the director, star and co-writer of the 2004 hit film Sideways are all converging on St. Petersburg this weekend? They just needed a little sun? They heard about the wine list at the Vinoy and had to try it? Not exactly. Alexander Payne, Virginia Madsen and Jim Taylor are here to help The Studio@620 celebrate its fifth anniversary with a screening of the film at the Vinoy tonight and a discussion tomorrow at the Studio. The connection? Studio Co-Artistic Director Bob Devin Jones explained via email: Read the rest of this entry »

Creative Loafing’s Summer Guide talked to all kinds of people about their summer vacation plans, but blogger Sally Bosco was the only one whose plans included vampires. At least, the only one who admitted it. Video after the break. Read the rest of this entry »

So you think you’ve got a lot of luggage to cart around this summer vacation? Imagine the burden of the Cirque du Soleil crew, who bring the wondrous Saltimbanco to the St. Pete Times Forum June 25-July 5. I spoke with Adam Miller, the show’s artistic director, during the company’s earlier visit to the Tampa Bay area this spring at the Lakeland Center. He doesn’t have to do any of the lugging around of stuff himself — he has people for that — but he did have some interesting things to say about Saltimbanco’s “urban” theme and how he explores a city when he’s touring with a show. Video after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Paula, I feel your pain.

The “nice” American Idol judge (AKA the “nutso” American Idol judge) gets lots of flak for being overly kind to even the most unlistenable contestants. But as one of three judges last night for GaYbor Karaoke Idol II, the entertaining weekly competition at Streetcar Charlie’s in Ybor, I now realize how tough it is to tell someone to his/her face that singing might not be the best career choice if you can’t carry a tune for shit.

Actually, it wasn’t that much of a problem that we were unable to tap our inner Simon Cowells (even though I know that my fellow judges, Albert the Realtor and Tara the International Woman of Mystery, definitely have some Simon in ‘em). The five contestants all showed merit, and a few were just downright good — particularly the winner, Yarrick Conners, whose awesome range and rhythmic precision suggest he should get himself to an AI audition as soon as possible (plus, he kind of looks like Taye Diggs). Read the rest of this entry »

Jack Holloway in Hat Trick's 2006 production of "Private Eyes" (Bob Gonzalez photo).

Local arts centers are crowing about two major wins for their people. Jack Holloway, an actor with Ruth Eckerd Hall’s Eckerd Theater Company, took first place (and $10,000) in a drama competition earlier this month sponsored by the National Society of Arts and Letters (NSAL). And Michael Kilgore, vice president of marketing and customer experiences at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, has been cited for outstanding achievement in road marketing by The Broadway League, the national trade association for the Broadway industry. Bonus: Jack and Michael are among the nicest, most personable guys in the Tampa Bay arts community.

Creative Loafing readers are already familiar with Jack. His work with Hat Trick, Stageworks and Jobsite, among other companies, has regularly garnered critical raves; we cited him as a Young Artist to Watch a few years back, and theater critic Mark Leib named him Best of the Bay in 2005. Now he can lay claim to being best in the country. Read the rest of this entry »

CL interns Diana Ruiz and Hannah Walk, both seniors at Tampa Prep, are pondering two quite different paths this summer. We asked them to talk about their plans for our special Summer Guide issue. Video after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

You’d think so from the way the judges have been fawning over him; in fact, Simon Cowell says a Lambert win is already in the bag. And according to some critics, the St. Petersburg Times‘ Eric Deggans among them, American Idol needs Lambert to win to retain some measure of cred.

I agree with Deggans that it’d be cool if America made a “semi-kinda-sorta-openly gay man” its Idol, even if, as the New York Times‘ Stephen Holden suggests, the whole sexuality angle has been “overhyped.” But if Lambert doesn‘t win, I’d hate to see the blame fixed on the is-he/isn’t-he question. Because the potential problem with Lambert isn’t that he’s so out-of-the-box — it’s just the opposite. His performances have become predictable. Read the rest of this entry »

There are plenty more commencement speakers to come this graduation season, ready to send college students over metaphoric thresholds into the uncertain future. But it seems unlikely that any of the speakers will be as casually eloquent and, well, cool as R&B star John Legend, speaking at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania. (Video after the jump).

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s an art. Yes, it is so. Watch this video (after the jump) and pick up the fine points. (PS: Take note of the safety measures.) Read the rest of this entry »

Romeo + Juliet. Bob Devin Jones, fearless leader of The Studio@620, takes on William Shakespeare’s most famous love story with a multi-cultural, multi-talented cast. Among the familiar names on board are Julie Rowe as the nurse, Bonnie Agan and Jorge Acosta as Lord and Lady Capulet and Sharon Scott as the chorus, with T. Scott Wooten and Brandii (right) taking the title roles. Preview, Thurs. May 14, 7:30 p.m., $10. Opening night Friday May 15, 7:30 pm. Additional performances May 16, 22-23, 7:30 pm. Sunday Matinee May 24, 3:00 pm, $20 general admission/$15 students and seniors. The Studio@620, 620 1st Avenue South, St. Petersburg, 727-895-6620, www.studio620.org.

Webb’s City. The popular musical about renowned St. Petersburg entrepreneur Doc Webb, commissioned for the millennial celebrations in 2000, returns to the stage in a special concert version at The Palladium. Local playwright Bill Leavengood and musician Lee Ahlin tell the story of the bigger-than-life businessman, following him as he creates an empire during the economic downturn of the Great Depression, only to see the booms and busts of the market parallel the ups and downs of his own tumultuous life. May 14-17, 7:30 p.m., Thurs.-Sat., 1 p.m., Sun., Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg, $16.50-$26.50, 727-822-3590, mypalladium.org. Read the rest of this entry »

St. Pete’s about to get what Tampa has had for years — a poet laureate — and we’re happy to report he’s one of us. Peter Meinke writes the “Poet’s Notebook” column for Creative Loafing, and in a proclamation today from St. Petersburg City Council, he will be named the city’s first poet-in-chief.

The title of “poet laureate” is derived from the Latin word for “laurel,” as in laurel wreath, the traditional emblem of victory. The distinction has been awarded to poets since the 17th century in England, where there was much ado recently about the fact that a woman had finally been named to the position. The U.S. selected its first PL in 1986, Tampa gave James Tokley the title in 1996, and now, finally, there’s St. Pete, whose selection of a poet laureate was spearheaded by a Poynter Institute-based group called City of Writers that aims to enrich the town’s literary culture.

So what’s a poet laureate do? Well, that’s sort of up to the titleholder himself, says Meinke, who expects that readings will be part of the (non-paying) job. But he’s taking it all with a grain of salt. Read the rest of this entry »

Lost Season Finale. The penultimate season of J.J. Abrams’ time-travelogue series has proven to be nothing if not debatable. Entertainment Weekly’s Jeff Jensen thinks it’s been “a pretty freakin’ fun and altogether fulfilling year.” But the Tampa Tribune’s Walt Belcher dismisses the season as “tiresome,” and the New York Times‘ Ginia Bellafante says the show has become “mind-bendingly nonsensical” and “dispiriting.” (Whether you agree with her or not, her assessment is pretty funny — I especially like the reference to “a bungalow compound where the survivors are forced to wear orange jumpsuits and deal with people trying to look like Allen Ginsberg.”) Then there’s the intrepid band of superfans and skeptics who meet each week to discuss the series on Creative Loafing’s Lost podcast; you’ll have to wait till tomorrow to find out what we thought of the finale, but you can catch up on our previous bouts of brilliant theorizing and tangent-following here. Tonight’s shamelessly drawn-out three-hour farewell begins with yet another recap show at 8, followed by the two-hour season-concluding episode at 9.  ABC (WFTS-TV), Wed. May 13, 8-11 p.m

Children’s Book Week (May 11-17), a national celebration since 1919 now administered by the Children’s Book Council, kicks off in Tampa Bay with a number of bookish events, including:

Spaghetti Dinner at the Library Inspire a love of learning and celebrate Children’s Book Week with Mayor Rick Baker at the 11th annual event. Mayor Baker reads a special story in the community room before inviting everyone to a free spaghetti dinner. Each child in attendance also receives a free book. 6 p.m. Mon., May 11, Johnson Branch Library, 1059 18th Ave. S., St. Petersburg. Call library at 727-893-7113 to confirm there’s still space; reservations closed officially on Saturday.

Todd Parr at Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library. Bestselling children’s book author Todd Parr comes to town to read from his books and talk about what it’s like to be a children’s author. Parr’s 25 books include The I Love You Book, It’s Okay to Be Different and the beloved Otto series. His characters also inspired the award-winning television show ToddWorld. Books will be available for purchase for Todd to autograph after each program. Meet Todd at Bloomingdale (10:15 a.m.), Keel (1:30 p.m.) and New Tampa (4 p.m.) libraries today.

Educator’s Evening Learn about great book ideas for recommended reading and classroom curriculum additions, along with giveaways, door prizes and  discounts. In order to best serve the needs of the audience, please call in advance with the grade level you teach. 6 p.m. Mon., May 11, Inkwood Books, Tampa, free, 813-253-2638, inkwoodbooks.com.

For today’s non-book events, read on: Read the rest of this entry »

If you are among the few remaining humans who still use postage stamps, then this is a no-brainer (d’oh!). I mean, why wouldn‘t you want stamps commemorating America’s First Family? No, not the Obamas, whose turn will undoubtedly come, but Homer, Marge, Maggie, Bart and Lisa.

The U.S. Postal Service officially released the new stamp designs on Thursday (though voting on America’s favorite Simpson stamp has been going on since April 9). The Simpson family’s godfather was understandably touched by the attention, reported the New York Times via Reuters: Read the rest of this entry »

“Likely to be the movie of the summer.” “A hard act to follow.” “A satisfying summer blockbuster.”

And that’s just the Tampa Bay critics (the Tribune’s Kevin Walker, the Times’ Steve Persall, and CL’s own Joe Bardi, respectively). Star Trek’s status as this summer’s movie to beat has been confirmed with surprising unanimity across the board, from the big guns to the blogosphere (with a whopping 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, certifying Trek as the best-reviewed movie to date in 2009). And this time the critics are likely to be right. Star Trek fires on all cylinders with  good acting, witty script, characters you actually care about (and $7 million in box office on Thursday alone), while from the looks of previews the rest of the season is going to be one long CGI explosion of little interest whatsoever.

Read on for links to Star Trek reviews. Note: Not everyone was enchanted. The Chicago Sun-Times‘ Roger Ebert and The New Yorker’s Anthony Lane were distinctly underwhelmed. (Funniest, if meanest line: Lane says that these days Leonard Nimoy “makes Bela Lugosi look like Zac Ephron”). Read the rest of this entry »

Martha Plimpton and Brian O'Byrne in the Broadway production of "Shining City." (NYTimes photo)

Shining City. Stageworks Theatre brings Conor McPherson’s Tony-nominated drama Shining City to Tampa. This modern “ghost story” is an intimate portrayal of the fight against inner demons that follows a guilt-ridden husband who is haunted by the ghost of his wife, and a former priest who has lost his calling. May 7-24, 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., 4 p.m. Sun., Shimberg Playhouse at TBPAC, Tampa, $24.50 general, 813-229-7827.

Goddesses in the Garden Enjoy lunch by Pepin, a wine tasting, palm reading, spa services, a silent auction and a fashion show — and put a tiara on top, because the Sunken Gardens folks are providing crowns to make mom queen for a day. Proceeds from this day of decadence benefit Blossom Montessori School for the Deaf in Clearwater. 11 a.m. Thurs., May 7, Sunken Gardens, St. Petersburg, $65, 727-551-3100.

Tom Lowe The journalist and author reads from and signs his thrilling debut crime novel, A False Dawn, which takes readers on a chilling jaunt across Florida. 7 p.m., Thurs., May 7, Inkwood Books, Tampa, 813-253-2638.

Go Red for Women Luncheon This American Heart Association-sponsored event features three women who receive a Go Red makeover and the first female winner of NBC’s The Biggest Loser, Ali Vincent (above), as the keynote speaker.  11 a.m. Wed., May 6, A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, $125, 813-831-5190.

Tale of Two Cities: Tampa and St. Petersburg. It’s the Battle of the Bay, as Mayors Iorio and Baker face off at Centro Asturiano in Ybor to discuss the history, culture and characters of Cigar City and Sunshine City. It’s an opportunity for residents to compare the history smarts of their top public officials, and a chance for the mayors to one-up each other on their towns’ relative merits. Wed., May 6, 7-8:30 p.m. Centro Asturiano, 1913 N. Nebraska Ave, Tampa, 727-873-2006. Sponsored by Florida Humanities Council. Free admission.

Lifetime of Laughter Comedy Benefit. A comedy show to raise funds for diabetes research features Mark Eddie, who combines stand-up with guitar, and Ybor’s own Roy Johnson, winner of the 2006 Maxim/Bud Light Real Man of Comedy competition in Atlantic City. Wed., May 6, 8 p.m., The Tampa Improv, Ybor City, $20.

A little furniture store from Sweden opens today. If you aren’t already in line by the time you read this, maybe you’d better wait for the crowds to thin out before you visit. Think July. Read the rest of this entry »

Nominations were announced this morning for the 63rd annual Tonys, Broadway’s biggest awards, and the news of who got nominated may get outshone by the story of who didn’t.

Billy Elliot, The Musical racked up the biggest tally, at 15, including an unusual joint nomination for the three young actors who alternate in the title role of the kid who’s just gotta dance. But some much-praised revivals were shut out — like The Seagull, in which Kristin Scott Thomas gave an incandescent performance, and Desire Under the Elms, which left New York Times critic Charles Isherwood drooling over the sexual tension between Carla Gugino and Pablo Schreiber, pictured at right. (”Rarely has sexual passion been depicted with such tense, animalistic ferocity on a Broadway stage,” said Isherwood.) And some not-so-well-reviewed shows, like Shrek the Musical and Dolly Parton’s adaptation of 9 to 5, did surprisingly well.

The Times’ Patrick Healy posted a live blog on the nominations this morning — lots of good observations and comments, among them that this was such a good year for play revivals there were bound to be some Tony omissions. See excerpts after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Dunedin Fine Arts Center Spring/Summer Exhibitions: Craft-ed!, Charles Parkhill and Kim Michelle Coakley. Take Monday off and head to the Dunedin Fine Art Center for what CL art critic Megan Voeller calls three of the best shows of the season. Here are her comments: “For starters, there’s Kim Michelle Coakley’s explosion of (literally) off-the-wall paintings, in which strokes of vibrant color fuse with tendrils of paper and even lace to suggest a Dr. Seussian view of nature. [That's one of her paintings at right.] Then craft-ed!, a group show featuring emerging artists from the Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts in Tennessee, celebrates fresh talent in the realms of clay, fiber arts, mixed media assemblage and more. (For craft nirvana look no further than Damon McIntyre’s darkly humorous wood sculptures of a guillotine and an electric chair, or Kim Eichler-Messmer’s screen-printed quilts.) As if that weren’t enough, Sanford-based sculptor Charles Parkhill wows with an elegant solo exhibition of found wood sculptures in spare, poetic forms.” Through May 22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat., 1-4 p.m. Sun., Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, free admission, 727-298-3322, dfac.org.

Community Town Meeting on the Arts The Arts Council of Hillsborough County Artist Advisory Committee hosts this forum focusing on the cultural needs and concerns of the area. Small sessions tailored to individual disciplines may also be hosted, depending on audience feedback. All interested citizens are encouraged to attend. Call 813-276-8250 for more info. Mon., May 4, 6:30-8 p.m., Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa, 813-269-1310.

Carrie Sue Ayvar’s “Stories of Florida.” The acclaimed storyteller flows seamlessly between Spanish and English as she weaves tales connecting Florida’s people, languages and cultures. Visit hcplc.org for more info. 7 p.m. Mon., May 4, Lutz Branch Library, Lutz, free, 813-264-3800.

“Oh. My. God.” Those were the first words out of the TV interviewer’s mouth when she caught up with jockey Calvin Borel after he came from way behind to ride Mine That Bird to a startling Kentucky Derby win. It was Borel’s second Derby victory, but even he seemed kind of amazed at the outcome, crying, cackling and shrieking all the way to the winner’s circle. Especially sweet: The $9,500 horse, a 50-1 shot, beat out stables from the likes of a sheik of Dubai.

Read an excerpt from the NY Times’ live blog below. Read the rest of this entry »

“It’s awesome,” said the girl into her cellphone during intermission for Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco, which opened last night at the Lakeland Center.

For once, that adjective didn’t sound cliched. “Amazing” wouldn’t have, either. When it comes to this show, superlatives that ordinarily seem like lazy word choices turn out to be the only logical reaction.

I mean, what else can you say about people who bend themselves into human parentheses in mid-air? About creatures who are part lizard, part human, part bird, who can clamber up poles, hurtle through space, slither across the stage and do all kinds of other things you didn’t know humans could actually do? About mimes who are genuinely funny, even (or especially) when they’re doing potty jokes? (Man-under-water is a fairly standard mime trope, but man-under-water-because-the-toilet’s-overflowing? Not so much.)

For an interview with one of Saltimbanco’s amazing humans — Olivier Renaud, the human “engine” who powers the Russian Swing — listen to my ArtsSpeak interview. For more on the show, read on. Read the rest of this entry »

An IADT fashion shoot. Photo by Andrea Leighton.

Imagine ‘09. The International Academy of Design and Technology presents Imagine ’09, the school’s 24th annual fashion show featuring designs by more than 65 of IADT’s talented fashion design students. The opening scene, “By the Sea,” features an array of aquatic-inspired attire, followed by enough bridal, swimwear, evening, cocktail and prêt-a-porter to quench any fashionista’s thirst for style. Thurs., April 30, 7 p.m., A La Carte Event Pavilion, Tampa, $20, 813-889-3450, academy.edu. (Franki Weddington)

Dining Out for Life. An international event to raise funds for HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness, Dining Out for Life invites you to dine out with friends and family today and donate to a worthy cause at the same time. Participating restaurants in Tampa Bay include Streetcar Charlie’s, Casa Tina, Pia’s Trattoria, Pan y Vino, Pacific Wave, The Table and more; eat at any of these establishments and 25 percent of proceeds from your food bill will be donated to the AIDS Service Association of Pinellas (ASAP).  Thurs., April 30. Click here for a full list of Tampa Bay restaurants participating in Dining Out for Life.

An Evening with Abraham Lincoln and Friends. Hillsborough County Bar Association presents a 90-minute program with guest speaker John Belohlavek, a USF history professor and Lincoln expert. Interspersed with his talk are scenes performed from the Robert Sherwood play, Abe Lincoln In Illinois, memorable segments from the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Mrs. Lincoln’s heartfelt monologue and other period pieces and surprises. Thurs., April 30, 5:30 p.m., Chester H. Ferguson Law Center, Tampa, $25.

Michael Davis and Sesame Street. The former managing editor of the Clearwater Sun,  Davis appears for a discussion and signing about his new nonfiction chronicle, Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street. The NYT bestseller traces the program’s five decades of history and looks at its lasting influence on American culture. Thurs., April 30, 7 p.m., Inkwood Books, Tampa, 813-253-2638, inkwoodbooks.com.

Cirque du Soleil: Saltimbanco The touring company’s signature show visits Florida for the first time in this fantasy-filled evening of agility and acrobatics. See a stunning amalgamation of theater, dance and gymnastics combine with unique music, costumes, lighting and makeup that has enthralled more than 10 million people all over the world. Following its run at the Lakeland Center, Saltimbanco returns to the Bay area for a run at the St. Pete Times Forum in June.  Lakeland Center, Lakeland, April 29-May 3: 7:30 p.m., Weds.-Thurs.; 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 1 and 5 p.m. Sun. $40-$110 adults, $32-$88 children 12 and younger, 863-834-8111.

Fourth Annual Sunscreen Film Festival. Yesterday Was a Lie, a haunting mixture of science fiction and film noir; Behind the Wheel, a doc about a cross-country expedition following the lives of a group of artists in search of answers, and an “Around the World” shorts program featuring 30-minute tales from around the world — these are just a few of the more than 50 dramas, comedies, documentaries and student productions that will be screened at the fourth annual Sunscreen Film Festival. In addition to the films, which will be screened over the course of five days, the fest features acting workshops headed by prominent casting directors and parties for moviemakers and movie lovers alike. Rub elbows with stars like Patrick Wilson, Michael Rooker, Bill Cobbs and Jeffrey (Burn Notice) Donovan, meet various filmmakers and fest crew, and find which films were considered award-worthy at the Saturday night awards ceremony and VIP after party. April 29-May 3 (showtimes vary), Muvico 20 Theaters at Baywalk, 151 Second Ave N., St Petersburg, $35 single-day pass/$125 entire weekend/$175 VIP. (Michelle Stark)

University of Tampa Spring Dance Happening. More than 80 students participate in a program of upbeat dance with styles ranging from hip-hop, modern, tap and ballet to lyrical and jazz. New choreography by UT students and alumni is featured as is the UT Dance Team, with live music to accompany one of the pieces. April 29-May 2, 8 p.m. Wed.-Sat., Edison Building, University of Tampa, 214 N. Boulevard, Tampa, free admission.

When Fred Ebb penned the lyric “In fifty years or so, it’s gonna change, ya know” for the 1975 Kander & Ebb musical Chicago, the ironic intent was clear. Sung by a pair of beautiful murderesses famous for being famous, the message seemed to be: Sure, we’ve set this so-called “musical vaudeville” in the late 1920s, but you know and we know that “in 50 years or so” — say, in 1975 —America’s obsession with celebrity and sensational gossip will only get more intense.

That message seemed more prescient than ever in 1996 when the musical was revived. Director Walter Bobbie further blurred the lines between past and present by removing the Roaring 20s period trappings, stripping down the set and costumes to basic black (with lots of see-through and spandex), downplaying the overt links to vaudeville archetypes and pushing the undercurrent of sex and violence to the forefront.

And audiences loved it. Chicago finally got the attention it deserved, going on to become Broadway’s longest-running revival, winning eight Tonys and generating an Oscar-winning movie adaptation and multiple tours. Judging by the version that came to the Mahaffey Friday (and closes tonight), Chicago has lost none of its razzle-dazzle, its relevance or its sex appeal. Read the rest of this entry »

Comedy writer Andrea Walker didn’t want to go to her high school reunion. So she sent a stripper instead — with hidden cameras and mics. See it on CNN before Andrea turns it into a screenplay deal.

Mike Daisey (right) has struck a nerve in regional theaters across the country with his monologue How Theater Failed America, now playing at Joe’s Pub in Manhattan. Depending on your perspective, Failed is either: 1) a necessary corrective to an increasingly corporate theater system that fails to support individual artists; or 2) a self-centered diatribe that ignores the realities of running a professional not-for-profit theater company.

Todd Olson, the producing artistic director of American Stage in St. Petersburg, lands decidedly in the latter camp, and he told Daisey so — in an email Daisey reproduced, and responded to, on his blog.

One theater blogger summed up the exchange this way: “Mike Daisey has been challenged to a cage match by Todd Olson, AD of the American Stage Theatre Company in Tampa FL [sic]. Olson says: balance my budget, wretched actor miscreant; Daisey says: bring it.”

Well, yesterday came round two. Olson wrote back and Daisey printed that email, too, responding to it point by point.

The theatrical blogosphere is abuzz. Read the rest of this entry »

"That's Weird," by Bluelucy at ARTPool.

FRIDAY
Fever Fakers. Opening night for an exhibition of five artists from Young Blood Gallery in Atlanta — notable, says CL art critic Megan Voeller, for fine examples of figurative drawing and painting. April 24-May 22, with opening reception 7-10 p.m. Fri., April 24 at [5]art, #210, West Tampa Center for the Arts, Tampa, 813-340-9056, five-art.com.

International Cinema Series. This week’s selection is My Winnipeg from wildly imaginative Canadian director Guy Maddin, who reinvents his own childhood in via a “docu-fantasia” fusing history with surrealist images and metaphorical myths. Fri., April 24, 7 p.m., Miller Auditorium, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, free.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY
Chicago. You may have seen the movie, but you haven’t fully experienced the down-and-dirty razzle-dazzle of this classic Kander & Ebb musical about murder and showbiz in the Roaring 20s until you’ve seen it on stage. Apr. 24-26, Progress Energy Center for the Arts/Mahaffey Theater. Fri. at 8 p.m.; Sat. at 2 & 8 p.m.; Sun. at 2 & 7:30 p.m. 800-982-2787 or BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com.

SATURDAY
Super Saiko! The latest show from Bluelucy (Chad Mize and Phillip Clark) includes work (like “That’s Weird,” above right) inspired by Japanese pop culture and by music — “from Of Montreal to Animal Collective, Kanye West to TV on the Radio,” says Mize. April 25-May 7, with opening reception 7 p.m. to midnight, Sat., April 25 ($10 cover) at ARTPool, 919 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg, 727-324-3878, artpoolrules.com.

Tampa Does Dallas. What’s not to like about hot chicks on roller skates? This weekend, the badass babes of the Tampa Tantrums meet the Dallas Devils in a roller derby bonanza. This may prove to be the dirtiest day Dallas has seen since Debbie left. Sat., April 25, 8:30 p.m., Skateplex, Temple Terrace, $10 in advance/$12 at the door, 813-989-2122, tampabayderbydarlins.com. (Franki Weddington) Read the rest of this entry »