Daily Loaf

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 »

The Ca d'Zan Mansion at the Ringling.

Lennie Bennett in the St. Pete Times today reports that the trustees of FSU are “floating” the idea of closing the Ringling Museum complex in Sarasota as a way of dealing with the huge budget cuts called for by the state. There’s the possibility that this is all a ploy to show off just how dire such cuts would be, and that there’s no real intention on the university’s part to close the museum. But to even consider it? Do these people not read the papers? The furor that resulted when Brandeis University announced plans to cut its Rose Art Museum may have permanently damaged the school’s reputation, and the Ringling is arguably a much bigger prize — not only an art museum, but a tourist destination rich in historic architecture (including the Ca d’Zan mansion and the recently restored Asolo Theater) and one display, the miniature circus, that is like nothing else in the world. I can’t imagine anyone at FSU, Tallahassee or Sarasota allowing this to happen — and if this is all a ploy to get publicity, look, it’s working! — but the fact that such an idea is even being considered reaches a new low in cultural dunderheadedness.

This American Life — Live! Four Tampa movie theaters host a hi-def simulcast of this two-hour stage adaptation of the hit Chicago Public Radio show, broadcast live from NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. Ira Glass, along with several of his This American Life co-contributors (Starlee Kine, Mike Birbiglia, David Rakoff, Dave Hill and CL’s “Savage Love” columnist Dan Savage), tell stories related to the theme, “Return to the Scene of the Crime.” The program also includes a cartoon by Chris Ware, visuals by Arthur Jones and a special musical performance by Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon. 8 p.m. Regency 20, 2496 W. Brandon Blvd., Brandon; Woodland Square 20, 3128 Tampa Road, Oldsmar; Citrus Stadium Park Mall 20, 7999 Citrus Park Town Center Mall, Tampa;  Grove 16 Cinemas, 6333 Wesley Grove Blvd., Wesley Chapel. $20, fathomevents.com. Read the rest of this entry »

Happy Earth Day to you, Happy Earth Day to you…. The ED celebrations have been going on for a while now and will continue for many days hence, but listed below are some of the events scheduled for today’s observance (plus some of today’s non-green-themed happenings). For more coverage of green events, visit CL’s new Green Community site.

Eco Fest and Trashy Fashion Show. Largo’s “reduce, reuse, recycle” Earth Day party opens with a green expo and spotlight on “green” designers of all ages. Official participants use a minimum of 75 percent recycled materials, and show off their wearable “green” designs during the runway show that follows. (Above: A fanciful Publix frock from last year’s show.) Wed., April 22, Expo 5 p.m., Fashion Show 7 p.m., Largo Cultural Center, Largo, $7, 727-587-6793. Read the rest of this entry »

Kalup Linzy in a scene from his work "Keys to Our Hearts." (Kalup Linzy/Taxter & Spengemann)

Fucking with gender, race and even All My Children, video/performance artist (and USF grad) Kalup Linzy gets a rave today from the NY Times’ Karen Rosenberg for his solo show at the Studio Museum in Harlem.

“Beneath all the clichés, costumes and sass,” says Rosenberg, “Mr. Linzy connects with his audience in a deeply satisfying way… Mr. Linzy’s displacements of voice and gender come from the world of drag, but  because they infiltrate other spheres — mainstream television, the art-star system — they become less about a man dressing as a woman and more about the everyday role-playing and ventriloquism enabled by digital culture.” Read the entire review here.

Born in Stuckey, Florida, the 31-year-old Linzy has been a rising star since getting his MFA from USF in Studio Art in 2003. Now based in Brooklyn, he’s due to pay a return visit to the Bay area later this spring in connection with two fundraisers: the Tampa Museum of Art’s ever-fabulous Pride and Passion and the launch event for a new independent art space in Tampa — stay tuned for details.

Grace Kelly and James Stewart in Hitchcock's "Rear Window."

It’s a great weekend to be in Tampa Bay: David Sedaris, a Hitchcock festival, Record Day deals, a raft of pre-Green Day events. And there’s a veritable explosion of art. Check out Megan Voeller’s Artsqueeze weekend roundup for details; among the highlights are the ARTpool anniversary party and an opening reception at St. Pete’s Interior Motives gallery for Linda Newcomb, an artist exiled from New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina who has, luckily for us, landed in St. Pete. And there’s also (see below) the 34th edition of one of the region’s biggest outdoor art shows, Mainsail in Vinoy Park.

An Evening with David Sedaris. He may talk pretty some day, but we hope not. The blessedly acerbic, occasionally misanthropic and almost always hilarious American humorist comes to town, no doubt with material from his latest book, When You Are Engulfed In Flames, but with dips (we hope) into his past musings on family dysfunction and homicidal elves. 8 p.m. Sat., April 18, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa, 813-229-7827, tbpac.org. Read the rest of this entry »

Never say Neverland: Michael Jackson has decided he doesn’t want to auction off all his junk precious memorabilia after all. Or maybe he never wanted to get rid of it in the first place? In any case, a dispute between the erstwhile King of Pop and the auctioneers has saved those jewel-encrusted gloves, MTV Moonmen and Sgt. Pepper-esque jackets from the cruelty of the gavel. That’s a relief, huh? AP’s report after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

No. 1 Ladies Watch Party. Join the ladies at the YWCA to watch HBO’s much-praised new series, The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, based on Alexander McCall Smith’s best-selling book. It features the bountifully talented Jill Scott in the lead role and an all-African-American cast filmed on location in Africa. In honor of the event, HBO and the YWCA are giving away five trips to Botswana to inspirational women — visit ywca.org for more info, or call 727-896-4629, ext. 10 to reserve a seat. Thurs., April 16, 4-6 p.m., YWCA, St. Petersburg, free admission.

Cokie Roberts Luncheon A celebration of the updated, 10-year anniversary of Roberts’ story of women’s progress, We Are Our Mothers’ Daughters. Roberts, an Emmy-winning journalist and best-selling author, is a political commentator for ABC News and a senior news analyst for NPR. Visit tampachamber.com for tickets and info. 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m., Thurs., April 16, Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, $50, 813-274-8511.

Beer Wars Live. A single-night screening event featuring the premiere of the documentary, Beer Wars, about the billion-dollar brewing business and the challenges small indie brewers face when up against corporate brewery giants. A live, post-film simulcast panel discussion with independent brewers and beer industry experts follows. Thurs., April 16, 8 p.m., Regency 20, 2496 W. Brandon Blvd., Brandon; Woodland Square 20, 3128 Tampa Road, Oldsmar; Grove 16 Cinemas, 6333 Wesley Grove Blvd., Wesley Chapel; Citrus Stadium Park Mall 20, 7999 Citrus Park Town Center Mall, Tampa. $15.

Discussion with Frontline Executive Producer David Fanning The founder of the award-winning Frontline series gives a talk on the program’s behind-the-scenes machinations and the challenges of in-depth reporting in today’s fast-moving socieity. Thurs. Apr. 16, 7 p.m. reception, 8 p.m. talk, The Poynter Institute, 801 Third St. S., St. Petersburg, $50 VIP/$35 discussion only. Call 813-254-9338×2241 or visit wedu.org for information.

Altar Boyz. You may think that the era of the boy band is over, but you haven’t met the Altar Boyz. Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham (the not-quite-sure Jewish member) have been working the bingo halls of Ohio to great success. But when destiny brings them to New York, will they take a forbidden bite out of the Big Apple? This irreverent musical, with numbers like “Girl You Make Me Wanna Wait” and “Jesus Called Me on My Cell Phone,” is this year’s American Stage Theater in the Park offering at Demens Landing Park. April 15-May 10, 8 p.m., Weds.-Sun. (talkback dates TBA), Demens Landing Park, corner of First Ave. N. and Bayshore Boulevard S.E., St. Petersburg, $11-$16 lawn/$21-$27 reserved seating, with special “pay what you can” nights April 15-16, 727-823-7529, americanstage.org. (Franki Weddington)

Immigration: Facts and Fears. The 2008-09 season of the 620 Round Table on Social Justice concludes with a discussion about immigration. The goal: to sort out the “facts and fears” about a contentious issue that too often generates lots of heat but little light. Participants include Stacie Blake, executive director for Community Tampa Bay; Juan Pablo Chavez, membership organizer for the Florida Immigrant Coalition; Arturo R. Rios, Esq., immigration law and trial advocacy. Moderated by Bill Felice, Eckerd College Professor of Political Science. Wednesday, April 15, 6-9 p.m. The Studio@620, 620 First Ave S., St. Petersburg.

It’s April 15. Need we say more?

The pirate-hostage crisis came to a close off the coast of Somalia today, the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips ending an international crisis that has thrown new light on the increasing threat of high-seas piracy. Look for Phillips to have a blast of talk-show, magazine-cover fame not seen since the days of “Sully” Sullenberger. CBS News/AP reported as follows:

The U.S. Navy has rescued the American sea captain held by Somali pirates following what appeared to be a swift firefight off the coast of Somalia Sunday.

Shots were fired, reports CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier, but hostage Richard Phillips is safe and has been transported to the USS Bainbridge, unharmed and in good condition.

An official said three of the four pirates holding Phillips were killed and one was injured.

A senior U.S. intelligence official said a pirate who had been involved in negotiations to free Capt. Phillips but who was not on the lifeboat was in custody.

A government official and others in Somalia with knowledge of the situation had reported hours earlier that negotiations for Phillips’ release had broken down.

LAST CHANCES:
Final performances of The Lieutenant of Inishmore at Jobsite (4 p.m., TBPAC) and Legally Blonde The Musical (3 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall).
Closing day for It’s a Dog’s Life: Photographs by William Wegman from the Polaroid Collection at Leepa-Ratner and Albrecht Dürer: Art in Transition at the Museum of Fine Arts.

Spring Plant Festival This year’s theme is “Change Is a Beautiful Thing,” and focuses on replanting local yards. Vendors include local plant clubs and societies and commercial growers. The variety of plants for sale include: crotons, African violets, orchids, bromeliads, cactus and succulents, bamboo, bonsai, bougainvillea, camellias, tropical fruit trees, palms, carnivorous plants, gesneriads and more. There is also a bee workshop with beekeeper Gary Van Cleef, a kid’s activity center, and an Easter egg hunt on Sunday. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sun., April 12, USF Botanical Gardens, Tampa, $5 general, free for garden members and children under 12, 813-974-2329.

Lovers and Friends Party. Meet and party with the cast of this web-based show about six lesbians in a modern urban environment. Visit loversnfriendsshow.com for more info. 9 p.m. Sun., April 12, The Social Club, Ybor City, $5 or free before 10 p.m., 813-317-3061.

The Bradshaw Mansion is on the Historic Roser Park Home Tour.

When one door closes, another door opens, the saying goes — not an inappropriate sentiment for Easter weekend. It’s especially apt this year — because, as it happens, a number of art exhibitions and stage productions have their final shows this weekend. And speaking of doors, you can see what’s behind the ones in Historic Roser Park during Saturday’s house tour.

FRIDAY APRIL 10
Pompous Circumstance. A USF Senior Thesis BFA exhibition featuring 11 graduating artists. A reception with food, a donation bar and live music begins at 7 p.m. On display through May 1, West Tampa Center for the Arts, 1906 Armenia Ave., Tampa.

Global Lens Film Series: Getting Home. In Zhang Yang’s poignant dramedy, a middle-aged construction worker tries to fulfill a friend’s last wish. 8 p.m., The Studio@620, St. Petersburg, $8 general/$5 students and seniors, 727-895-6620, studioat620.org.

SATURDAY APRIL 11
Historic Roser Park Home Tour. For the seventh annual tour of homes in this lush, hilly St. Pete neighborhood, seven unique properties are featured, including the historic Bradshaw Mansion and the Ronald McDonald House. Sat., April 11, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., starts from the Ronald McDonald House, 702 Eighth Ave. S., St. Petersburg, $10 in advance/$12 day of event, roserpark.net.

400 Years of the Telescope:  A Journey of Science, Technology and Thought Get a sneak peek at a new film airing next week on WEDU, a cosmic journey through four centuries of astral discoveries. View Saturn and other starry wonders through powerful telescopes, followed by a special planetarium showing of Two Small Pieces of Glass. 400years.org, 6-11 p.m., The Museum of Science and Industry, 4801 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, 813-254-9338 ext. 3013, and The Science Center of Pinellas County, 7701 22nd Ave. N., St. Petersburg, 727-384-0027 ext. 226, $8 adults, $4 kids (free under 4).

Nancy Cervenka: Intersect. Cinematographer-turned-sculptor Cervenka uses long strands of movie film to create dramatic coiled forms in this solo show at C. Emerson Fine Arts. April 11-May 30, with an opening reception and artist’s talk 7-10 p.m. April 11, 909 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, 727-898-6068, c-emersonfinearts.com. (Megan Voeller)

Last chance to see two classics: Final performances of Gilgamesh (3 p.m. at USF) and Lysistrata (3 & 8 p.m. at American Stage). Read the rest of this entry »

It’s not as buzzworthy as her wardrobe malfunction in Tampa, but ya gotta hand it to our gal Brit — she knows how to go viral. And who knew she was going to turn into an anti-weed crusader? And “rock with your cocks out?” What does that even mean? Check the video from the close of her concert in Vancouver above — read about it here.

Detail, Steve Smith's Pacific Coast Rain Forest stamp

Last Chance: Sideshow with Postage Due. Lori Ballard’s mixed-media circus sideshow banners are hugely compelling and Steve Smith’s “anti-stamp” prints are both witty and artful — all in all, a small show that packs a big visual wallop, and today’s your last day to see it. 10 a.m.-4 p.m., HCC-Ybor Art Gallery Ybor Performing Arts Building, Palm Ave and 15th Street, Ybor City, free admission, 813-253-7674.

Boogie Woogie/Blues Piano Stomp with Bob Seeley, Liz Pennock & Dr. Blues. If you’ve never experienced a boogie woogie master doing business at an acoustic piano, let’s just say it’s something to behold. The adrenalized blues style is more or less a lost art, but a few folks hang in there to keep it alive, among them Detroit-based Bob Seeley, who’s 80 but has the chops of a kid. 7:30 p.m., Side Door Room at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg, $12; $15 at the door. (Eric Snider)

Jobsite Pay-What-You-Can Night. We featured Jobsite Theater’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore on our cover last week, so you know we think it’s good (”bloody good,” to be exact). Tonight you can see for yourself — and name your own ticket price. 8 p.m., Shimberg Playhouse, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Pick up tickets at the TBPAC Ticket Office window or over the phone (813-229-7827).

Greening Downtown St. Petersburg. The Downtown Neighborhood Association hosts a public meeting regarding eco-friendly architecture, a garden space planned for downtown St. Pete, and the city’s budget scenario for the coming year. The presenters are architect and green roof projects designer Ted W.Mallin of Envision Architects and landscape designer Philip H. Graham, Jr., who offer info about green roofs and their advantages; Sheree Graves, chair of St. Peter’s Episcopal Cathedral board, who talks about the church’s plans to build a Florida-friendly landscaped memorial garden behind the facade of the historic First Baptist Church across from Williams Park; and City Council member Karl Nurse gives a presentation on the city’s budget and other major issues the City Council has addressed or is considering. Q&A’s follow each session. Visit stpetedna.org for more info. 7 p.m., Sunshine Center, 330 Fifth St. N., St. Petersburg, 727-893-7102, free admission. (Leilani Polk)

Sometimes the headlines can make your LGBT head spin. Take the front page of today’s New York Times print edition, where there were two major stories about gay issues, both above the fold. The good news: the Vermont state legislature’s override of Gov. Jim Douglas’ gay marriage veto. The bad: Openly gay Iraqis are being murdered with the tacit and sometimes overt approval of police and families.

Locally, there was good news for Susan Stanton. Fired in 2007 from her position as Largo City Manager after announcing, as Steve Stanton, that she would be undergoing a change of gender, she has finally found another city manager position after two years of searching all over the country — and she found it in Florida, no less. And meanwhile, here at Creative Loafing, Eric Snider’s Devil’s Advocate feature right here on The Daily Loaf is treating us to the enlightened views of evangelist Bill “I don’t hate gays, they just disgust me” [my paraphrase] Keller, and even better (or worse), the comments of his supporters.

On SiriusOutQ, the LGBT satellite radio station I only recently discovered and can now not live without, the news roundups each hour offer the same head-spinning mix. One day you hear the news that national “pro-family” groups plan to combat the Day of Silence — the anti-bullying initiative famously criticized by Brian Blair — by keeping kids home that day if their school is observing it. And then you hear that, for the first time, gay and lesbian parents are being invited to the White House Easter Egg roll.

It’s a contradictory, confusing, exhilarating time to be gay. We’re welcomed, we’re condemned, we’re cheered, we’re murdered. The progress we have made cannot be denied, but the reminders are there every day that the haters refuse to be denied either.  Stay vigilant.

Gilgamesh Teaser from Sarah Wilson on Vimeo.

Gilgamesh. How do you stage a 4,000-year-old Mesopotamian epic in a way that resonates for a 2009 audience? With dance, puppets, ingenious set design and a director who knows her way around ancient text, that’s how. Izumi Ashizawa, a visiting professor at USF’s School of Theatre and Dance, is internationally known for her innovative explorations of Persian and Greek myth, and for Gilgamesh she brings to life one of the earliest works of world literature, the story of “a hero king who spurned a goddess, battled monsters, and found the secret of immortality.” Fusing elements of  Japanese Noh theatre and Bunraku puppetry with the rigorous physicality of Suzuki actor training and “a primordial puzzle box of a set” (created in collaboration with USF theater and art professors), Ashizawa’s production sounds bold, ambitious — and definitely worth seeing. And it’s only got four more performances left. April 8-10: 8 p.m. Wed.-Fri.; 3.p.m. Sat., USF-Tampa College of the Arts Theatre II, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, $8-$15, 813-974-2323, theatreanddance.arts.usf.edu.

Pratima: Reflection. Nrityagram Dance Ensemble of India stages this program of classical dance that brings the culture and history of India to the stage and incorporates elements of theater, music, mythology, sculpture and poetry. Wed., April 8, 8 p.m., Ferguson Hall, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center 813-229-7827.

Share the Hair. One event brings together two great causes today at the Mark Alan Salon in Citrus Park. The salon will provide a complimentary cut and style to those who wish to donate a 10-inch length of hair to Locks of Love, which provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the US and Canada under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. At the same time, money is being raised for the Eager Beavers, a local group raising money in the fight against breast cancer, with complimentary haircuts and styles offered to anyone who donates to either charity. Hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served. For more information, contact Dianna Gilley at 813-886-4446 or email Dianna@floridawestinsurance.com. Mark Alan Salon, 8627 Citrus Park Drive, Tampa,  813-792-5400.

Urban Exploration from Thomas Pregiato on Vimeo.

I left for a week’s vacation right after Creative Loafing’s spectacular Mar. 28 party, Sensory Overload 4.0. But I didn’t want to let too much time pass without congratulating the winners of the two $1,000 scholarships we presented to student artists. A panel of arts professionals chose one scholarship recipient: Thomas Pregiato of Ringling College of Art and Design, whose video (above) translated the theme of “urban exploration” into a compelling interplay between images of a restless sleeper and rapidfire glimpses of a Sarasota dreamscape.

Dan Robinson's winning billboard

The other winner was selected online by readers, who submitted close to 5,000 votes via The Daily Loaf and a live Twitter feed the night of the event. The winner of the popular vote was Dan Robinson of the International Academy of Design and Technology; his witty concept for a billboard (right) sends a mixed message about heaven and music.

The judges who selected Pregiato as best in show were Amanda Cooper, curator of exhibitions at the Arts Center in St. Petersburg; Chance Chanthalansy, post-production director at Pyper Paul + Kenney; and David Meek of Philip Gary Design, aka Illuminations 33701 (who did magical things with light and sound the night of the event). The judges also cited winners in individual categories, recognizing high achievement in a competitive field. They were: Read the rest of this entry »

"We had everything," Steven S. Gregory's photo of Pickford's Sundries.

Michelle DiMicco at the door of Custom Creations.

Pickford’s Sundries, the drugstore/diner in the squat pink stucco building on Hillsborough Avenue, closed more than a decade ago. But its mystique has never died. A local bluegrass band named themselves after it. Tampa’s 2006 Photographer Laureate, Steven S. Gregory, shot photos of it. And the building’s owner, Marie Lesiak Haley, never lost her dream of seeing new life in the spot where, 60 years ago, her father opened a business named after silent film star Mary Pickford.
“He admired her because she was an independent woman,” remembers Haley.
Now she has found a latter-day independent woman to rent the space. Baker and cake decorator Michelle DiMicco opened Custom Creations Café & Bakery earlier this month and will officially greet the public with a grand opening on April 1. Read the rest of this entry »

Miro Dance Theatre: Self-Portrait. Miro Dance Theatre’s core is a talented team from Philadelphia: the wonderfully idiosyncratic dancer/choreographer Amanda Miller, an alum of Pennsylvania Ballet, and the award-winning  videographer Tobin Rothlein, whose work with groups like Rennie Harris PureMovement has opened up new possibilities for the marriage of dance and video. Self-Portrait sounds fascinating: Inspired by the diaries of artist Frida Kahlo (and commissioned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art as part of a Kahlo retrospective), the 30-minute piece combines dance, live animation, elaborate set design and video to explore notions of shifting identity and self-expression, with Miller’s body used as canvas for Rothlein’s projections. Miro will also be doing workshops this weekend as part of their Dance Ybor residency at HCC; take one if you can. Self-Portrait: Friday-Saturday, March 27-28, 7:30 pm, HCC Mainstage Theatre, Palm Ave. and 14th St., Ybor City, $10 at the door or in advance at artstix@hccfl.edu (free to HCC faculty, staff and students (with ID). Modern dance workshops with Amanda Miller: Fri.-Sat., March 27-28, noon. Technology for Dance workshop with company designers: Sun. March 29, noon.  All  workshops will be in the HCC Dance Studio, 1505 E. Palm Ave., 2nd floor. infoarts@hccfl.edu or 253-7695.

Charity Clothing Swap and Trashy Fashion Show. Buffalo Gal Vintage invites “men, women and buckaroos” to bring a bag of clothing (or more) to trade — or if you don’t have clothes to swap, bring $5 and buy a bag. (Caveat from Buffalo Gal: “Please, no undergarments! “) Leftover clothing and all money raised will go to CASA (Community Action Stops Abuse) to fight domestic violence against women and children. Free hot dogs from Dairy Inn. Sat. March 28, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. 10 a.m.-noon: Clothing drop-off. Noon: Trashy Fashion Show (all garments/accessories designed with at least 75% recycled materials). 1-3:30 p.m.: Shop and take away clothing in the same bag you brought. Buffalo Gal Vintage, 1219 MLK Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg, 727-290-8468, www.buffalogalvintage.com.

Sensory Overload 4.0. Creative Loafing’s fourth annual multi-media art party. We’re full-on embracing the digital age with a wide range of electro artists and bringing the party to the Honey Pot in Ybor. For music, we’ve got two Brooklyn-based-DJ/producers, Eliot Lipp and Michna (to find out more about them, see our Upcoming Concerts page), and Tampa’s own Soft Rock Renegades. For visuals, there’s works by professional artists, like Santiago Echeverry, whose interactive interface, “World,” culls from a database of more than 1,900 cell-phone videos shot by Echeverry on three continents; architect Giancarlo Giusti, who offers his 3D vision of the sustainable redevelopment of the I-275 corridor via “Occupiable Highways’; and Deon Blackwell, who presents modified video games like Wii controllers reprogrammed to make music and an altered arcade console. The digital entries selected for SO 4.0’s juried student art competition will be displayed on video screens, with two awards: a $1,000 prize for the work voted on by viewers, both in advance at the SO 4.0 site and during the event via Twitter; and the $1,000 jury winner selected by Arts Center curator Amanda Cooper and Chanse Chanthalansy, post-production director at Pyper Paul + Kenney. Live digital art-making demos, a fashion and photo show with projections on the models’ bodies, and a raffle for a flat screen TV are among the many other sensational amusements at SO 4.0, with proceeds from the drawing and all drink sales to benefit CLIP, the Bay area’s gay and lesbian film festival. Sat., March 28, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., The Honey Pot, 1507 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City, Tampa, $10. (Leilani Polk)

Lori Ballard and her circus banners.

Sideshow with Postage Due. Held in conjunction with the seventh annual Ybor Festival of the Moving Image, Sideshow with Postage Due is a two-person show featuring mixed-media circus banners by Tampa artist Lori Ballard and postal art by Gulfport graphic designer Steve Smith. Ballard’s surreal, black-and-white photographic images are inspired by childhood memories of the circus as well as by her recent gig as the Florida State Fair’s official photographer. Smith’s tongue-in-cheek “anti-stamp” prints combine fine art techniques, computer graphics technology and an antique pinhole perforator. On display March 26-April 9, with an opening reception on the opening night of the filmfest, from 6 to 9 p.m. Wed., April 1. Regular hours 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon. and Wed.-Fri., noon-7 p.m. Tues., HCC-Ybor Art Gallery Ybor Performing Arts Building, Palm Ave and 15th Street, Ybor City, free admission, 813-253-7674. (Leilani Polk)

Sustainable Living This monthly class explores sustainable alternatives like organic gardening, alternative transportation and local living economies. Registration is required; sign up in the Whole Foods lobby or by contacting sherell.white@wholefoods.com. Thurs., March 26, 6:30 p.m., Whole Foods, Tampa, $5 voluntary donation to Sweetwater Organic Farm.

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg joins the chamber ensemble for a program that includes Haydn’s Symphony No. 6, “Le Matin”, Piazzolla’s “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires for Violin & Orchestra,” Melinda Wagner’s New Brandenburg Concerto (an Orpheus commission) and Brahms’ Variations on a Theme by Haydn. Thurs., March 26, 8 p.m. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $35-$40, 727-791-7400.

Jesse Cook

Jesse Cook. The Toronto acoustic guitarist performs in a genre known as nuevo flamenco, in which he takes the centuries-old Spanish music tradition and updates it with undulating beats and synth backing. 8 p.m., Wed., March 25, Ferguson Hall, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, tbpac.orgGiselle. Moiseev Russian Classical Ballet and Orchestra, formerly known as the Russian National Ballet Theatre and Orchestra, presents the famous ballet ghost story. The company was created by Vladimir Moiseev, grandson of the famous Russian folk dance choreographer Igor Moiseyev. Wed., March 25, 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $35-$49 ($10 students with valid I.D.), 727-791-7400.Henri Cole. The University of Tampa’s student literary magazine, QUILT, and Writers at the University welcome award-winning poet Henri Cole for a reading in the Grand Salon. The Boston-based Cole, whose work frequently appears in The New Yorker, is the author of six collections of poetry, most recently Blackbird and Wolf. 8 p.m., Wednesday, March 25, off the lobby of Plant Hall, University of Tampa. Refreshments will be served. Parking is available in the Plant Hall parking lot, off of Kennedy Boulevard and next to the UT entrance.  For further information please contact Wing Barfoot (wbarfoot@ut.edu) or Audrey Colombe (acolombe@ut.edu or 257-3116).

When actors play real-life, well-known people, they either set themselves up for Oscars (Sean Penn as Harvey Milk) or ridicule (Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes). Consider these two casting coups: Anne Hathaway as Judy Garland in the Weinsteins’ Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland and Julianne Moore as Hillary Clinton in Special Relationship (by Peter Morgan of The Queen and Frost/Nixon fame), with Dennis Quaid as Bill. Hathaway’s Oscars duet with Hugh Jackman showed she could sing, and she did some Garland-worthy scenery-chewing in Rachel Getting Married, but Moore seems a little too ethereal to play a tough customer like Hillary. (Quaid, however, can do devilish charm in his sleep, so his Bill should be fun even if it means he probably can’t show off his abs like he does in every movie he’s ever done.) Anyone want to bet on who’s going to rock and who’s going to flop?

The Creative Loafing Green Issue is Apr. 15.

In last year’s issue, “100 Ways To Go Green Right Now,” we showed you how to take action.

This year we’re naming names: “The Green 100: The 100 People, Places and Businesses Leading the Way Toward a Greener Tampa Bay.”

We’ve already begun our list, of course. But who do you think should be included on our green honor roll?  Do you admire the earth-friendly attitude of a community leader or a local businessperson? Is your local government making strides in sustainability? How about your neighborhood association? Your favorite nonprofit? Or maybe even your next-door neighbor?

No matter how someone’s making a difference — as a recycling champ, solar pioneer or savvy conservationist; as a prudent developer, forward-thinking merchant, community gardener or city planner — we want to recognize the standard-bearers who are making change happen. Who knows? Maybe you belong on the list yourself.

Got a nomination? Please explain who and why in a comment below, or email me at david.warner@creativeloafing.com, with the subject line “Green 100 nomination.” And be sure to watch for the issue on April 15 to see who makes the list.

"Fences" at American Stage.

American Stage has announced its 2009-2010 season — the first in its new home — and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center has named the shows in its 2009-10 Broadway Series. The verdict? A mixed bag.

There’s lots to be excited about. At TBPAC, I’m happy to see they’ve taken another Spring Awakening-type risk: scheduling a show that got great acclaim on Broadway but might just be too obscure a title to ring a bell for the Tampa audience. This year, Luis-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning musical In the Heights takes up that slot — and while there has been some grumbling among Broadway curmudgeons that the show is just the same-old, same-old dressed up in a Latino package, I’m looking forward to the fresh energy it represents. On the other end of the spectrum is the 100 percent sure bet (and you’d better get your tickets now): the adoringly reviewed revival of South Pacific, another big Tony winner in 2008. The rest of the season is mostly full-on family fare: Godspell, Little House on the Prairie, Mary Poppins (seen it — meh), Cirque Dreams Illumination — and the wild card: Frank Wildhorn’s musical adaptation (with contemporary touches) of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. If it works, the show could move from the Broadway series to Broadway itself.

At American Stage, I’m happy to see the continuation of the August Wilson cycle with perhaps his most famous play, the Pulitzer and Tony-winning Fences (in which James Earl Jones gave a volcanic performance on Broadway). And it’s fun to see Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit on the schedule, Read the rest of this entry »

Though many area cultural institutions are closed on Mondays, doors are open at three of the area’s more distinctive museums.
The Museum of Science and Industry is all heart; not only can you marvel (or cringe) at Body Worlds: The Story of the Heart, you can see the film Van Gogh: Brush With Genius and “dive into the heart of Van Gogh’s paintings in IMAX!” Body Worlds, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; other exhibit galleries, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Van Gogh, 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 6:45 p.m. MOSI, 4801 E. Fowler Ave, Tampa, 813-987-6000. Combo ticket for MOSI/IMAX/Body Worlds/Saunders Planetarium: Adults (13-59) $25.95; Senior (60+) $22.45; Children (2-12) $19.95, with discounts for members and separate pricing for evening-only Body Worlds admission.
The Tampa Bay History Center (pictured above) is the area’s newest museum, and it has already won kudos for its interactive exhibitions on subjects like European exploration and the cigar industry, and for its glimmering $52-million, 60,000-square-foot new home by the water. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 801 Old Water St. (formerly St. Pete Times Forum Drive), Tampa, 813-228-0097. Adults $12; Senior (65+), Students w. ID $10; Children 4-12 $7; Children under 3 free.
The Salvador Dali Museum will also have a new building come next year, but its current home is still a pleasant spot to while away a Monday. The current show, visualKultur.cat, is devoted to books “in strikingly unusual form,” says CL Art Critic Megan Voeller — “from surreal contributions by 20th century masters… to contemporary examples like Ramon Prat’s On Barcelona (2005), a volume of color pictures that even includes a pop-out camera.” Through June 14, 1000 Third St. South, St. Petersburg, $15 adults/$13.50 seniors/$10 students, 727-823-3767.

Spring Training: Yanks vs. Phils. Just a few days left of spring training fun, and today there’s a doozie: The New York “Lo How the Mighty Have Fallen!” Yankees cross the bay to play the Philadelphia “We Won the Frickin’ World Championship!” Phillies (though at 8 wins and 12 losses so far this spring, the mighty Phils seem to have fallen a bit themselves). 1:05 p.m., Bright House Networks Field, 601 Old Coachman Road, Clearwater. Call 727-467-4457 for tickets or buy them here.

Toward the end of her 7 p.m. show at Ruth Eckerd Saturday night, Kathy Griffin told a long, funny and rather mind-boggling anecdote about spending her birthday with Cher — freakin’ Cher! — at the star’s mega-mansion in Malibu. How did D-lister Kathy Griffin wind up chatting for five hours over birthday cake in freakin’ Cher’s football-field-sized bedroom suite? Because Rosie O’Donnell introduced them, and Cher told Rosie she thought Griffin was “a smart, funny chick” who it’d be fun to hang out with.
Which kind of sums up the increasingly paradoxical nature of Kathy Griffin’s D-list persona: She does seem like a smart, funny chick who it would be fun to hang out with — but now she hangs out with Rosie and freakin’ Cher! “Do you know who I spent yesterday with?” she asks us. “Gloria Estefan at her fuckin’ compound.” OK, Griffin was visiting her for an episode of D-List — but she was still spending the day with Glorida fuckin’ Estefan. And at this point Griffin is arguably hotter than either Cher or Gloria.
Does this mean her attitude toward celebrities is any less jaundiced, her barbs any less barbed? Well, maybe when it comes to the goddesses — Cher, Oprah, Rosie — but Paula Abdul? Nancy Grace? Michael Jackson? Octo-mom Nadya Suleman? She killed. Two biggest laugh/gasps of the evening: respective jokes about the surgical enhancements of Jackson and Suleman. If Jackson’s nose falls off during a show, she wondered, would he hold his mic up to the hole like Stephen Hawking? And regarding octo-mom’s Angelina Jolie-esque mouth: “She’s trying to convince us on TV that she hasn’t had those lips done? Sorry, but it looks like she has a freshly fucked pussy on her face.” Read the rest of this entry »

Louis C.K. Louis CK, one of the most daring and hilarious comedians on the scene, went famously viral with his  “Everything’s Amazing and Nobody’s Happy” routine on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Red-haired and paunchy, Louis pushes taste boundaries without being a complete shock act, and for those who’ve seen his riotous standup specials on cable, you’ll be glad to know (or should be) that he’ll be performing all new material at TBPAC. Thurs., March 19, 8 p.m., Carol Morsani Hall, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa, $32.50. (Eric Snider)

Michele Balan. Short, blonde, brash, Jewish and a Noo Yawker all the way, Balan is the out lesbian comedian with the cigarette-smoker rasp who won fame by making fun of all those traits as a finalist on Last Comic Standing. 8:30 p.m. Thurs.; 8 and 10 p.m. Fri.; 6, 8 and 10 p.m. Sat., March 19-21. Side Splitters Comedy Club, Tampa, $8-$16.50, 813-960-1197.

Open Wall Night Tampa Bay Creative Network presents this fundraiser for Ready for Life, a community organization that helps foster youth who are leaving state care. Any and all local artists are invited to display one or two pieces of work for this one-night event, which also features live music. Visit studio620.org for more info. 6-9 p.m., Thu., March 19,  The Studio@620, St. Petersburg, free, 727-895-6620.

NCAA Opening Round The Madness officially begins with four games televised on CBS.
12:30 p.m.: Butler vs. Louisiana State
2:40 p.m.: Radford vs. North Carolina
7:30 p.m.: Michigan vs. Clemson (CBS Sports‘ Greg Anthony says this is “the most compelling… in the first round,” and picks Clemson)
9:30 p.m.: Binghamton vs. Duke
Watch it on TV or, if you’re in the office, install the NCAA’s March Madness On Demand player and watch all the games online for free while pretending to work.

Do we really need to tell you anymore? Isn’t the headline enough? No? Here’s more: Kenley Collins — hands down The Most Annoying Project Runway Contestant Ever (and that’s quite a distinction considering the competition) — not only threw a cat at her hapless, luckless, apparently taste-free fiance. She also threw a laptop at him. And hit him with a door. And three apples. Three, count ‘em, three. (Macintosh? Delicious? We need details!)

Or so say the cops, and the New York Post. Here’s the whole story:

“Project Runway” finalist Kenley Collins was arrested today after assaulting her fiance with their cat, authorities said today.

After throwing the feline, a laptop computer, and three apples at Zak Penley, Collins, 26, was charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon (of meow destruction).

“It was a miscommunication,” Collins told The Post after getting released without bail from Brooklyn Supreme Court yesterday morning. Read the rest of this entry »

The New Blue. Lots of colleges have a cappella singing groups, but few have the longevity of Yale’s Whiffenpoofs, the men’s group founded in 1909. So it’s kind of a surprise to learn that the women’s a cappella group at Yale has only been around since 1969 — but that’s because  Yale only started admitting women in 1969. The aptly named, award-winning New Blue is now the university’s oldest women’s organization of any kind, and its 13 current members (including Plant HS alum Juliet Buesing) will  be making a rare area appearance in Tampa tonight, singing a wide repertoire from pop to folk to gospel to choral music. Wed., March 18, 7 p.m., Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church Sanctuary, 3501 W San Jose, on Himes across from Plant High School, Tampa. Admission free.

The St. Patrick’s Day Hangover Show with Mike McCarthy. Wed., March 18, 8 p.m., The Tampa Improv, Ybor City, $8, 813-864-4000. tampaimprov.com.

FIRST LOOK:
The Lieutenant of Inishmore As the director himself has told you, Jobsite’s production of this Martin McDonagh black comedy is full of bloody, noisy special FX. Get an early glimpse of the mayhem tonight and save money, too, at the $10 preview. (Opening night is tomorrow.) Critics have called previous productions of Inishmore “appallingly entertaining” (New York Times) and “blisteringly funny” (CurtainUp), and it won the Tony for Best Play in 2006, so $10 sounds like a bloody bargain. Preview, March 18, 8 p.m., $10. Run continues March 19-April 12, 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., 4 p.m. Sun., Shimberg Playhouse-Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, downtown Tampa. $24.50, 813-229- 7827, tbpac.org.

LAST CHANCE:
Convergence … A Journey Continues A group show featuring works by Larissa Makeeva, Fauzie As’Ad, Basil Watson, Guillermo Portieles, Carlos Camargo Vilardy, Graham Davis and Julie Steiner. Extended through March 18, Orange Park Gallery International, downtown Tampa, free admission.

Jason Vaughan Evans and Chris Holcom in Jobsite's production.

Jobsite Theater’s hit production of the Steve Martin comedy Picasso at the Lapin Agile raised nary a disapproving eyebrow in Tampa Bay. So it was something of a shock to hear that the play has caused enough of a scandal at an Oregon high school that Steve Martin himself had to step in.  I guess we should be glad Ronda Storms never got ahold of the script.

Here’s the text of Martin’s letter to the La Grande Observer:

To the citizens of La Grande:It has come to my attention that there is a controversy regarding my play, “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” which was to be produced at your local high school.

First let me compliment Mr. Kevin Cahill, the teacher who selected the play, on his excellent taste! The play has been performed, without incident, all over the world by professional and amateur companies, including many high schools.

Because I don’t know the standards of your community or the life experience of your students, it is impossible for me to address whether my play is appropriate to be performed on campus, although in the limited web exchanges I have read, the students, and the eloquent Mr. Cahill, seem to understand the play and can discern that the questionable behavior sometimes evident in the play is not endorsed.

I have heard that some in your community have characterized the play as “people drinking in bars, and treating women as sex objects.” With apologies to William Shakespeare, this is like calling Hamlet a play about a castle.

Read the rest of this entry »

Boston Pops. It’s a convergence of matinee idols at Ruth Eckerd tonight. Keith Lockhart is the heartthrob who conducts the Boston Pops Orchestra. His guest stars, Marin Mazzie and Jason Daniely (pictured), are a glamorous married couple with two of the best voices on Broadway, their combined credits ranging from Spamalot and Kiss Me, Kate to Curtains and The Full Monty. They’re also a recording and cabaret duo (they play Michael Feinstein’s club in NYC beginning Mar. 24), and for this gig they help the Pops salute Oscar- and Tony-winning music from the Golden Age of Hollywood and the classics of the Great White Way to the present. Mon., March 16, 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $60-$125, 727-791-7400.

Spring training. It’s a good day to check out the champs, present and former. The Red Sox are in Dunedin playing the Blue Jays; the Phillies come to Tampa to play the Yankees; and the Rays host the Pirates in Bradenton. Get your spring training info at mlb.com.

David Brenner w/Joe Bronzi. David Brenner once sat atop the mountain of stand-up comedy, or at least on the seat next to the mountain, a topical comedian with a sharp delivery who still holds the record for the most Tonight Show with Johnny Carson appearances: 158. A frequent guest on Howard Stern’s show on Sirius, he revealed last month that he’s been lying about his age for a half-century. Here’s a chance to catch a comedy giant who also happens to be engaged to figure skater Tai Babilonia. Joe Bronzi opens the show. Mon., March 16, 8 p.m. (doors at 6, dinner at 6:30), Show Palace Dinner Theatre (in collaboration with Ruth Eckerd Hall), 16128 U.S, 19, Hudson, $59 (includes buffet meal), 888-655-7479, showpalace.net. (Wayne Garcia)

Spencer Duhm, the UF student from Lakeland who was bumped last night from Survivor, says on the TV show’s website that the only thing that he wouldn’t do for a million dollars is “Snakes. I just don’t do snakes.” Apparently, he also doesn’t do coming out; though billed as “openly gay,” he was anything but open in last night’s episode, skipping an opportunity to respond to direct questions about who he was dating, later explaining that he didn’t think it was a good idea strategically to come out, especially with a good ol’ Southern boy like tribe-mate JT around. As it turned out, JT voted him out because Spencer, a member of UF’s crew team, did poorly in an athletic challenge. We don’t know what editing left out, but up to that point Spencer had seemed kind of reserved, and peripheral to the main action; if he’d been open about his life, maybe he would have been able to forge stronger alliances.

In any case, his whole approach seemed kind of wussy, not to mention politically backward, especially given all the contestants on this and other reality shows who have been very open about their sexuality and managed to do very well. Maybe Spencer gets this attitude from his mother.

Is it ironic or merely logical that the most cogent questions about the current financial crisis are being asked by a fake-news host on a network devoted to comedy? Jon Stewart eviscerated Mad Money-man Jim Cramer on The Daily Show last night using Cramer’s own background against him: He showed clips of Cramer from 2006 in his hedge-fund manager days explaining how to game the system. Stewart points out that Cramer not only should have known when he saw the same cons being run by Bear Stearns and their ilk, he did know — but didn’t bother to tell viewers.

Read analyses by Huffington Post/AP and Village Voice. Here’s an excerpt from the interview; the entire show can be seen at comedycentral.com.

Does anyone not agree that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is an incredibly stupid, destructive, counter-productive policy? (Thanks for nothing, Bill Clinton.) An indication of its hypocrisy: Discharges under the policy have steadily decreased as America’s need for cannon fodder has increased.

But that doesn’t mean such discharges have stopped. Today brought a fresh reminder that the Army is still throwing out career soldiers for the crime of being honest about their lives.

From the Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON — The Army fired 11 soldiers in January for violating the military’s policy that gay service members must keep their sexuality hidden, according to a Virginia congressman.

Democratic Rep. Jim Moran said he has requested monthly updates from the Pentagon on the impact of the policy until it is repealed. In a statement released on Thursday, Moran said the discharged soldiers included an intelligence collector, a military police officer, four infantry personnel, a health care specialist, a motor-transport operator and a water-treatment specialist.

“How many more good soldiers are we willing to lose due to a bad policy that makes us less safe and secure?” asked Moran, a member of the House panel that oversees military spending.

Likewise, Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill support repealing the ban but have not promised to press the issue immediately.

After the jump, the history of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and the prospects for change under the Obama administration: Read the rest of this entry »

March 10: Cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov and astronaut Mike Fincke work on the exterior of the International Space Station during a spacewalk (NASA photo).

Crew members climb into a Soyuz TMA-13 escape capsule, of course. A chunk of errant space junk almost clipped the International Space Station today, sending two astronauts and one cosmonaut into the escape capsule just in case. Fox News has the report:

That was a close call.

The two astronauts and one cosmonaut aboard the International Space Station had to duck for cover Thursday as space debris passed perilously close to the orbiting platform.

Crew members Sandra Magnus, Michael Fincke and Yury Lonchakov were ordered into one of the Soyuz TMA-13 escape capsules at 12:35 p.m. EDT.

In case the space station were to be hit, the astronauts could have undocked and headed back to Earth.

The window of danger passed at 12:45 p.m., and left the capsule and reentered the space station.

NASA said the offending object was most likely an old motor from the space station itself.

The debris was was about one-third of an inch in width, said NASA spokesman Josh Byerly.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Nobody Don’t Like Yogi. As Yogi Berra prepares to revisit Yankee Stadium for Old Timers Day in 1999, he asks himself why he is breaking his vow never to step foot in the stadium again. Has his rocky relationship with volatile owner George Steinbrenner been overcome by his dedication to baseball fans? C. David Frankel plays Yogi in this one-man show. March 12-22, 7 p.m., Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sat., 3 and 7 p.m. Sun., Gorilla Theatre, Tampa, $20-$25 ($10 student rush tickets available 30 minutes before showtime), 813-879-2914.

Holland America Line Coffee Concert: Romantic Rhapsodies. Conductor Alastair Willis joins The Florida Orchestra for a program that includes Mendelssohn’s Marchen von der schonen Melusine, Elgar’s Sospiri, the first movement of Grieg’s Concerto for Piano with 2008 TFO Young Artist Competition winner, pianist Aza Torshkoeva, Glinka’s Russlan and Ludmilla, Finzi’s Romance, and Khachaturian’s Adagio from Spartacus. Thurs., March 12, 11 a.m., Progress Energy Center for the Arts – Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg, $24-$40, 727-892-5767.

Contemporary Chinese Photography / My Florida Home: Recent Works by Benjamin Dimmitt. Now that the Super Bowl has passed, the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts moves from football photos to modern China and the wilder side of Florida. Contemporary Chinese Photography is culled from area collections and various international dealers and includes panoramas by Ma Liuming, Zhang Huan, Rong Rong and others. The centerpiece is a series of works by photo maker/architect Chen Jiagang, whose digitally blended photographic works investigate the downfall of China’s big cities, and the disparities between time-honored traditions and 21st-century ideals. Also on display is My Florida Home: Recent Works by Benjamin Dimmitt, an exhibit of large-scale black-and-white images of Florida’s tropical wildernesses by a Gulf Coast native-turned-New Yorker who currently teaches at NYC’s International Center of Photography. Dimmit gives a gallery talk 10:30 a.m. Sat., March 14.  Both exhibits are featured through May 9, FMOPA, downtown Tampa, $4 suggested donation, 813-221-2222. (Leilani Polk)

Including Obama, it seems. Making sure to decry the evil of “earmarks” — even though they amount to only a tiny percentage of the total spending in the $410 billion omnibus bill — the president signed the bill away from the cameras, apparently quaking with shame. Or at least that’s the way it’s being portrayed. Read ABC’s account here.

In what is probably a wise move on his part, accused Rihanna-beater Chris Brown has opted to take himself out of the running for the Kids’ Choice Awards. Since the festivities at the KCAs often involve dumping large amounts of greenish slime onto participants, Brown probably figured he’d be a prime target.

Anyway, it’d be redundant: He’s pretty much estabilshed himself as grade-A slime already. Read the whole story of his decision here.

Simon Cowell teased it last night: During tonight’s show an announcement will be made about a “surprise change to the rules that could alter the face of the competition.”

Alter the face of the competition? You mean forbid Paula from wearing sparkly eye makeup?

Apparently not. The change is procedural, not cosmetic: Once during the season, the judges will get the chance to veto the audience’s elimination vote.

May they use their awesome new power wisely.

Randy Wayne White The Florida favorite returns to discuss and sign his latest mystery, Dead Silence. White introduces another crowd-pleaser with the return of Doc Ford, who follows a trail of intrigue from Manhattan back to the Sunshine State. Wed., March 11, 7 p.m., Tampa Tribune Auditorium, Tampa.

Lysistrata No sex till the war is over: That’s the wives’ message to their warrior husbands in Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. The Greek comedy has been keeping audiences in stitches since 411 B.C., and its timeless message makes it a worthy choice as the final production in American Stage’s old home before they move to their new address in June. Previews 7:30 p.m. March 11-12, $24. Opens March 13 and continues through April 5: 7:30 p.m. Weds.-Thurs.; 8 p.m.. Fri.; 3 & 8 p.m. Sat.; 3 p.m. Sun; $31-$39 ($10 student rush available 30  minutes prior to curtain). 211 Third St., St. Petersburg, 727-823-7529, americanstage.org.

Poverty and Economic Justice in a Time of Crisis The March roundtable discussion at the Studio@620 will explore the role of law and government programs in addressing or not addressing issues of economic justice and the impact of the economic downturn on our neighbors. Panelists include Stetson law professor James W. Fox, Jr., St. Petersburg City Councilman Jamie Bennett and St. Petersburg Free Clinic Executive Director Jane Egbert. Wed., March 11, 6-9 p.m. (6-7 p.m. buffet reception, 7-9 p.m. discussion), The Studio@620, 620 First Ave S., St. Petersburg. FREE, reservations required. Call 895-6620 or e-mail info@studio620.org.

It’s Not Easy Being Green A conversation with Thom Snelling, the City of Tampa’s  “Green Officer.” Snelling, the city’s deputy director for growth management and development services, is responsible for making sure Tampa makes strides in becoming more environmentally savvy. Tampa Bay Sierra Club General Meeting, Wed. Mar. 11, 7 p.m. (6:30 p.m. social time), Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, 1002 East Palm Ave., Tampa (Ybor City). Gated parking behind building. Free, public invited.

Not exactly a surprise, but it feels good to hear it confirmed: Bernie “I ripped off everybody, even Elie Wiesel” Madoff is reportedly going to plead guilty to 11 charges of fraud, perjury, money laundering and “theft from an employee benefit plan” — yep, you name it, he did it — that will add up to a life sentence. I love the gentlemanly courtroom exchange reported in the New York Times:

Lawyers for the disgraced financier Bernard L. Madoff told a federal judge on Tuesday that Mr. Madoff was expected to plead guilty later this week to charges that will result in a life sentence.
“I gather it is the expectation that he will plead guilty” on Thursday, Judge Chin said, referring to Mr. Madoff.
“That’s a reasonable expectation.” Mr. Madoff ’s lawyer, Ira Lee Sorkin, replied.

Read the entire story here.

Monica Merryman, Barbara Eaker and Jim Wicker in A Body of Water.

There’s every kind of reason to stay home and hunker down nowadays — the general lack of money, for one thing. But this past weekend, at three very different arts events, it was extremely heartening to see big crowds of culture vultures out and about and applauding like crazy.

On Friday night at  Channelside Cinemas, the lobbies were abuzz outside the venues for the closing night of the  Gasparilla International Film Festival, with big lines for the Guzzo brothers’ Ghost of Ybor, the Joe Redner documentary Strip Club King and the race-car doc Truth in 24. My partner and I went to the latter to see it on the big screen (I’d already seen it on DVD). Though the pre-screening festivities felt uncomfortably commercial, what with handouts of Audi merchandise, spiels from local Audi dealers and multiple Audi ads on screen before the movie started, Truth still rocked — with one of the most heart-stopping shots of a near-miss car accident I’ve ever seen.

On Saturday night at Gorilla Theatre, cushions and extra seating had to be brought in to accommodate the capacity crowd for A Body of Water, Lee Blessing’s enigmatic play about a middle-aged couple who wake up in a New England country house with no idea who they are. The playwright keeps screwing with the characters and the audience, maybe having just a little bit too much fun playing God. But Larry and I left thinking that the play, written in 2005, has gained in relevance now that a lot of us are waking up with the feeling that none of the old reliables (homes, savings, jobs) can be counted upon. (And any play with a juicy role for the splendid Monica Merryman is a must-see in my book.)

On Sunday night at Ruth Eckerd it was easy to banish the clouds of uncertainty from our brains. We were part of the near sellout crowd that attended a glorious performance of a glorious piece of music: The Florida Orchestra and the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay doing Verdi’s Requiem. Stefan Sanderling conducted the huge assembled forces with equal parts precision and soul, and four extraordinary soloists — Indra Thomas, Gigi Mitchell-Valasco, Jeffrey Springer and Dean Elzinga — made Verdi’s passionate melodies soar.

It was the kind of night, and the kind of weekend, that made you glad to be living in Tampa Bay — and not just because of the weather.

Gallagher The watermelon-smashing, fart-joking, self-styled smartest man in the world descends on Seminole Hard Rock Casino tonight. His routine may be showing its age (there are tired bits about Bill-and-Hillary and the difficulties of map-folding on his site) but if you’re a Gallagher fan you’re going to be there with raincoats on. Watch out for flying fruit chunks. Mon., March 9, Floyd’s, Seminole Hard Rock Casino & Hotel,  Tampa, $20, 813-235-6937.

Centre For Women’s Golf Classic The Seminole Tribe of Florida presents this annual event, which features a four-person team scramble and a shotgun start along with an awards dinner, a silent auction and prizes for high scores. Featured events include putting, hole-in-one, longest drive and closest-to-the-pin contests. Proceeds benefit the Centre for Women, which provides more than 4,000 people and families with substance abuse treatment, family counseling and employment services. Mon., March 9, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. , Hunter’s Green Country Club, Tampa, $175, 813-973-1000.

Today’s New York Times Arts & Leisure section is all over Dwayne Johnson, the artist formerly known as The Rock, with a big front-page photo and an analysis of his somewhat mystifying stardom.

But forget The Game Plan and The Scorpion King. Johnson’s finest on-screen moment to date is his impersonation of the Prez from last night’s Saturday Night Live:

The Tampa Tribune’s Martin Fennelly thinks he should, and he says so in a front-page story today with the headline, “Bobby, It’s Time To Do The Right Thing.”

The reason, of course, is that FSU’s athletics department, which Bowden’s football teams have covered with glory, is now covered in, well, shit. Because a bunch of athletes allegedly cheated on, among other things, online music quizzes. They had to cheat on online music quizzes? Sheesh.

Here’s Fennelly’s opening salvo:

It’s time.
It’s time for Bobby Bowden, who is Florida State athletics, to do a far, far better thing, which is saying something given all he has given FSU, college football and plain folk everywhere.
It’s time to go.
I take no pleasure in saying that. None.
But the other shoe has dropped. The NCAA shoe. And it’s steel-toed.

Fennelly goes on like that, pretty steel-toed himself. (I like that about Martin Fennelly.)

What do you think? And why should we care?

Britney Spears w/The Pussycat Dolls Over the past few years, Britney Spears has been through the media gauntlet. But the superstar songstress picked up the pieces, clocked some hours in the dance studio and got in svelte shape, hit the studio with the right producers, and got her pop groove back.  Sun. Mar., 8, 8 p.m., St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa.

Jessica Simpson The Strawberry Fest’s concert closer features the country-music-friendly curves of Simpson, who makes up for her limited singing ability with  sun-kissed girl-next-door sexiness. Sun. Mar. 8, 7:30 p.m., Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds, Plant City.

Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts More than 300 artists and crafters take part in the 39th annual fest, displaying paintings, ceramics, fiber, jewelry and more along Franklin Street and throughout Lykes Gaslight Square Park. March 7-8, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun., Lykes Gaslight Square Park, downtown Tampa, free admission, gasparilla-arts.com.

GASP!Arilla. If you’re looking for the after-dark, floral-free alternative to the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts, Café Hey presents GASP!Arilla. The single-day art party features live music by Acho Brother, Bay Area Klezmer Konnection and DJ Fuego, and work by up-and-coming artists. Sat., March 7, 8 p.m., Cafe Hey, Tampa, free admission, myspace.com/cafehey. (Leilani Polk)

Verdi Requiem The Florida Orchestra and the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay present a Progress Energy Masterworks concert of Verdi’s powerful operatic work. More than 200 musicians and singers perform. Sat., March 7, 8 p.m., Progress Energy Center for the Arts – Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg, and Sun., March 8, 7:30 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $19-$65.

After the jump: Whitest Kids, Pen Is Mightier, Abilities, Emerge, Urban Dare and more. Read the rest of this entry »

Senate Republicans blocked passage of the $410 billion ominibus spending bill last night. This is not to be confused with Obama’s $787 stimulus package, which has already passed; the omnibus bill represents the balance of the federal budget for this fiscal year, and includes nine spending measures that Congressional Democrats and President Bush could not resolve during his administration. Not even President Obama likes the earmark-heavy bill, explains the Washington Post, though he is expected to sign it. And it’s not just Republicans who have objections. Senators Evan Bayh and Russ Feingold voted no because of concerns about earmarks (8,750 of ‘em, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense). And NJ Democratic Senator Robert Menendez objected to the bill’s relaxation of Cuba travel restrictions. The bill goes back to the drawing board now, with passage expected next week after Republicans are allowed to add amendments, said the New York Times.

Which comeback is scarier? Michael Jackson’s 10-concert please-help-me-pay-my-legal-bills blitz in London this summer — or shrieking nutcase Tatiana del Toro’s return to American Idol tonight?

Jackson’s announcement — which HuffPo memorably headlined “Wacko Jacko Backo” — somehow drew “more than 1500 screaming fans,” according to USA Today. Take a look at his face and you’ll start screaming, too.

As for Tats del Toro, she is rightfully being touted as The Most Annoying Idol Contestant Ever, so naturally the judges selected her to come back tonight and try for one of the three Wild Card spots. And she’s got scary pictures, too, albeit scary pictures of herself semi-naked.

Chris Brown’s been sounding all contrite and abashed lately, but when you read the charges being filed today re his alleged assault of girlfriend Rihanna, his pleas sound just a wee bit hollow. And what’s up with the ear-biting? Besides being way too Mike Tyson, it just sounds, well, awkward. He bit her ear? While he was driving? How’s that work?

Here are the charges,courtesy HuffPo. He’s scheduled to be arraigned at 330 p.m. this afternoon.

According to a detective’s affidavit, Brown and Rihanna got into a fight early Feb. 8 after the “Umbrella” singer checked her boyfriend’s cell phone and found a text message from another woman.

Brown pulled his car over and tried to push Rihanna out, but she was still wearing her seatbelt, Los Angeles police Detective De Shon Andrews wrote. He said Brown pushed Rihanna’s head against the window, punched her with his right hand, and then continued driving while hitting her, the affidavit states. He also bit his girlfriend on the ear, the affidavit states.

The affidavit was filed as part of a search warrant request for the phone records of Brown, Rihanna and her assistant.

Brown allegedly threatened to kill Rihanna after she pretended to leave a phone message with her assistant, telling her to have the police waiting at her house.

Big news out of Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center this morning: As the first initiative of its Broadway Genesis Project, TBPAC is producing a new musical by Frank Wildhorn (The Civil War, Jekyll & Hyde) with hopes of taking it to Broadway. Wonderland: Alice’s New Musical Adventure is an adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland “set in present-day Manhattan and a timeless Wonderland” in which an author named Alice Corwinkle travels “through the Looking-Glass from New York City to a strange-yet-familiar place where she must reclaim her daughter, defeat the Queen of Hearts and learn to follow her heart.” Wildhorn (pictured) is writing the music, with lyrics by Jack Murphy and book by Phoebe Hwang; the show has its world premiere at TBPAC in December.

Getting a show ready for Broadway is no easy task, but TBPAC President Judith Lisi says in a release that it’s “the next logical step in TBPAC’s artistic development.” With Wildhorn, the center has a proven commodity of sorts, a Tony-nominated composer with a strong fan base who once had three shows running simultaneously on Broadway. But as John Fleming noted in his story in today’s St. Pete Times, Wildhorn’s Broadway reviews have been “lukewarm at best.”

That’s putting it mildly. Read the rest of this entry »

YouTube has reached an historic milestone, according to TV Week:

For the first time, YouTube has surpassed 100 million U.S. monthly viewers, according to new comScore information.

The Web video giant logged 100.9 million U.S. viewers during the month of January. Viewers averaged 62.6 clips each, bringing the site’s total to 6.3 billion video streams for the month among U.S. Internet users.

One reason? Videos like this:

Truth in 24 at Gasparilla International Film Festival Truth in 24 is a thrillingly inside look at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the fabled sports-car endurance race in Le Mans, France. The focus is on the Audi Sport team, with so many caressing shots of Audi’s logo and its vehicles that the film sometimes feels like a feature-length ad. But the multi-accented cast of drivers and technicians, the suspense of the race narrative and the abundance of “oh my god” racing footage add up to a terrific ride (and a nice warmup for those of you who can’t wait for St. Pete’s Grand Prix). Audi’s R10 Race Car makes a personal appearance at both showings of the film. Thurs., Mar. 5, 8 p.m., Beach Theatre, St. Pete Beach; Fri. Mar. 6, 9 p.m., Channelside 6, Tampa, gasparillafilmfestival.com.Billy Joel & Elton John These venerable superstars, singers and piano men, have plenty in common: a knack for writing and performing a wide range of material that falls within the general realm of mainstream pop, an overall likeability, recognizable but unspectacular singing voices, and solid but unspectacular piano skills. Both experienced their artistic pinnacles in the 1970s, but have maintained their status as beloved musical figures. They’ll perform separate sets and together at two pianos. Mar. 5, 7:30 p.m., St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, stpetetimesforum.com.

Jon Stewart and Rachel Maddow aside, Democrats aren’t always known for their sense of humor. But the Dems are taking full advantage of the Republicans’ latest wave of Rush-worship.

Echoing RNC Chair Michael Steele’s toadying apology to His Rushness, the Dems have created a web page — “the Secret Republican Apology Machine” — where you can mad-lib your own apology to Limbaugh. The New York Daily News quotes from a statement by Jennifer Crider, communications director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, whose site houses the page, imsorryrush.com:

“If you’re one of the growing number of Republicans who need a quick and easy way to apologize to Rush Limbaugh after you cross him, look no further than ImSorryRush.com… Even if you’re not a Republican, this new site gives you the opportunity to apologize to Leader Rush just like the elected Republicans did.”

What is it about Tampa Bay lately? Morrissey cancelled his Jannus gig due to undisclosed illness, then Loudon Wainright III bowed out of his Palladium date because of flu, and now comedian Robin Williams is calling out sick for his scheduled performance on Saturday at the USF Sundome and three other FL dates, citing “shortness of breath.”

According to the NY Times, the canceled shows will be rescheduled, and tickets for those performances will be honored when the new dates are announced. The tour, Weapons of Self-Destruction, will resume in Jacksonville on Mar. 11.

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During a conference call this morning, Creative Loafing President Ben Eason and COO Kirk MacDonald told managers at the six papers in the CL chain (CL Tampa, Sarasota, Atlanta and Charlotte, the Chicago Reader and the Washington City Paper) that their salaries are going to be cut in the range of 5%-15%, effective the first payroll period in April. Eason and MacDonald will take the biggest cuts. City Paper Editor Eric Wemple expressed gratitude during the call that the company had decided to go this route instead of laying off any more staff. (Here’s his post, live-blogged during the call.) In Tampa, in addition to the salary reductions at the corporate level, the paper’s publisher, ad director and editor — that’s me — will be taking cuts.

MacDonald explained the cuts as a reaction to declining ad revenues. In this climate, he said, “the cost structure at all media companies, including ours, is too high.” Creative Loafing filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last October, and is in the midst of reorganization; Eason expressed confidence that the company will emerge from bankruptcy by late summer.

Meanwhile, Tampa’s paper has something to celebrate. Preliminary financials for the month of February show the paper breaking even after a stretch of losses, and traffic to the paper’s website has markedly increased since a redesign was introduced in mid-January.

So, with good bad news and good good news at hand, CL Tampa is throwing a party. We’ll be formally launching the new site tonight at an Open House at the CL offices from 6-8 p.m. Meet the CL staff, talk with our new team of bloggers and have a drink on us.

Tampa Bay Jewish Film Festival Opening Night With the Mideast conflict appearing more intractable than ever, the 13th annual Tampa Bay Jewish Film Festival is offering a welcome respite: laughter. The festival’s opening night celebration is themed “The Funny Business About Religion,” and it features stand-up routines by a rabbi and a Muslim followed by the local premiere of Heaven Is Not There, aka Circumcise Me, a documentary about comic Yisrael Campbell (pictured), who converted from Catholicism to Judaism not once but three times. The fest continues through Sun., March 15 at venues around the Bay Area including the Tampa Theatre, Baywalk Muvico in St. Petersburg, and the USF Health Sciences Auditorium. More info at www.jewishtampa.com or the Golda Meir/Kent Jewish Center website at www.gmkjc.org.

Hook’s Kids College Fundraiser A party in honor of the late, much-beloved restaurateur Hook Atsavinh, owner of Hook’s Sushi Bar and Thai Food in St. Pete, who died in January at the age of 44. Proceeds will go toward a college fund for Hook’s children, Lauren, 4 and Jackson, 4 months. 6 p.m.-Midnight, Nova 535 Art Lounge, 535 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg, 727-821-6682 or nova535.com.

Reflections on Women and War A lecture by Israeli author Gail Hareven compares her experiences as an officer in the Israel Defense Forces with the experiences of her mother, who was also a writer and served as a paramedic in the Israeli War of Independence in 1948. Presented by the University of Tampa’s Office of International Programs, the Department of English and Writing and the Women’s Studies Program. 10 a.m., Reeves Theater, University of Tampa. For more information, contact Brooke Pawlak at (813) 257-3501 or bpawlak@ut.edu.

The revelations of what the Bush administration was considering in the wake of 9/11 have been chilling, and nowhere is the scope of these measures summed up better than in the opening paragraph of Michael Isikoff’s current story in Newsweek:

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the Justice Department secretly gave the green light for the U.S. military to attack apartment buildings and office complexes inside the United States, deploy high-tech surveillance against U.S. citizens and potentially suspend First Amendment freedom-of-the-press rights in order to combat the terror threat, according to a memo released Monday.

Read the whole story here.

Something odd happened in Reality TV-Land last night: reality. Or at least it sure looked like reality, or what passes for it on ABC’s weepfest The Bachelor. Hunky Jason Mesnick (pictured) permanently forsook his nice-guy status by reneging on Melissa, his first choice to be Mrs. Mesnick, in favor of Molly, his #2 — and doing it all after he’d just been seen proposing to Melissa on national TV. Was he put up to it? Did he know all along that he was going to dump #1? The unaccountably obsessed rumor-monger Reality Steve swears it was all a plot (ABC knew Mesnick wanted Molly more, but convinced him to string Melissa along and then announce his real preference), but Melissa’s anger and Molly’s shock looked real.

Whatever happened behind the scenes, the online comments in response to host Chris Harrison’s blog on EW.com make for glorious reading. Jason and ABC get all kinds of opprobrium heaped on them, Melissa is accorded martyr status, and fans make classically WTF statements like this one:

“…we don’t want to see a lovely woman humiliated on television”

We don’t? Isn’t that the whole reason people watch this show?

More comments from Harrison’s EW.com blog after the jump: Read the rest of this entry »

Holy Culture Clash! Ybor City was festival central this past weekend, with Fiesta Day, Flan Fest and Southern Exposure vying for crowds from one end of Ybor to the other. Southern Exposure was the newest of the celebrations, a GaYbor carnival complete with midway, ferris wheel and a visitation from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the international sisterhood of white-faced fabulosity. Drag nuns from all over the country were in town to celebrate the Tampa Bay chapter’s official graduation from Mission to Order status; Tampa’s members, like their counterparts all over the world, raise funds for AIDS and gay-related causes while making saintly spectacles of themselves (and assuming hilarious names like Sister Ida Slapter).

On Saturday Creative Loafing talked with visiting and local members of the Sisterhood, and with Tom Keating, head of the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce.

Lauren Graham with Craig Bierko in Guys and Dolls/NY Times photo by Sara Krulwich

Lauren Graham and Oliver Platt won critical raves for their roles in TV cult hits Gilmore Girls and Huff, but the New York Times‘ Ben Brantley says they’re not exactly lighting up Broadway in the new revival of Guys and Dolls. Gilmore and Platt are the latest TV stars to get bashed by the Times this season; Charles Isherwood eviscerated  “a staggeringly miscast” Lili Taylor (Six Feet Under) and an “ill-used” Jena Malone (The Office) for their performances her performance in a revival of Eugene O’Neill’s Mourning Becomes Electra (see the review’s truly scathing opening paragraph after the jump), and Mary Louise Parker (Weeds), usually a B’way darling, got slammed for her Hedda Gabler.

But the big names keep on coming: Read the rest of this entry »

Jimmy Fallon hosts his first Late Night tonight at 12:37 a.m. on NBC. Hopes are high, but Jimmy’s scared. At least that’s how it looks from the webisode he did with Lorne Michaels, an odd little interview that’s either a parody in search of a punchline or a sincere ‘Jimmy pays homage to his mentor’ clip. In other words, not funny. latenightwithjimmyfallon.com

Department of Women’s Studies Spring ‘09 Lecture Series Some of the country’s leading feminist scholars are featured in this USF series, which kicks off with Visiting Women Studies Professor Dr. Nagwa Dajani. She presents “Gender Medicine and a Feminist’s Approach to Science” (Mon. Mar. 2, 2 p.m., Marshall Student Center Room 2709, free). Coming up in future programs: a discussion of sexuality and sensation in Bollywood and a feminist economic analysis of women’s studies.

Parade Day at the Florida Strawberry Festival. The strawberry fest takes over downtown Plant City with the Grand Feature Parade, which begins at 1 and passes by the festival grounds at 2. Monday is also one of the fest’s Ride-a-Thon days: You can ride most mechanical rides with purchase of one $17 wristband. Also on the docket: poultry and rabbit shows all day, a lamb jumping contest at 5 p.m. and country crooner Randy Travis at 7:30 p.m. flstrawberryfestival.com

Southern Exposure “The nation’s first all-gay carnival weekend event” comes to GaYbor complete with 68-foot-tall Ferris wheel, carnival midway and Ms. RuPaul, who will be performing Saturday and Sunday nights at L’Olivier’s. Feb. 27-March 1, Southern Exposure, 2 p.m.-2 a.m. Sat., noon-9:30 p.m. Sun., Czar parking lot, Seventh Avenue and 14th Street, free admission; RuPaul at L’Olivier’s, Fri.-Sat., various ticket packages available (some including dinner), L’Olivier’s Restaurant and Cabaret, Seventh Avenue and 16th Street, 813-247-5307, loliviercabaret.com.

Fiesta Day and Flan Fest Ybor City celebrate “its magnificent ethnic heritage and culture” with an International Parade of Flags, Children’s Fiesta, Black Bean Blowout (insert flatulence joke here) and the Flan Fest (including flan bake-off, an eating contest and plenty of the decadent dessert for purchase). Sat., Feb. 28, Fiesta Day, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., throughout Ybor City and encompassing Flan Fest, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., with celebrity judging to commence at noon and a flan-eating contest beginning at 2 p.m., at Ybor City Saturday Market, Centennial Park, between 18th and 19th streets and Eighth Avenue, Ybor City, 813-248-0721, cc-events.org/fiestaday.

To Life, To Courage and Compassion Dinner The leading career scorer in NBA history, basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has always been a man with more on his mind than jockish concerns. The 7-foot-2 former center, now 61, has a history of social activism, which is likely why the Florida Holocaust Museum invited him to speak at its annual fundraising dinner and USF-St. Pete snagged him for a lecture. To Life Dinner, Sat., Feb. 28, 6:30 p.m., A La Carte Event Pavilion, 4050 Dana Shores Drive, Tampa, $225 per person, 727-820-0100 ext. 251; and Legacy of African-American Achievement, Sun., March 1, 1 p.m., USF St. Petersburg Campus Activities Center, Sixth Avenue S. and Second Street S., St. Petersburg, free admission.

CONTINUING THIS WEEKEND
Gasparilla International Film Festival
Ten days of movies, workshops and parties. Go to gasparillafilmfestival.com for more information; read CL’s feature here. Feb. 26-Mar. 7, Channelside Cinemas, Tampa Theatre, Beach Theatre, Studio@620.

Nude Nite. A huge multi-media nude art show from Orlando Feb. 26-28, 6 p.m.-midnight Thurs.-Sat., Ybor City Warehouse, 1925 E. Second. Ave., Ybor City, $20 (21 and up, cash only).

Bay Area Renaissance Festival Kings and castles and new acts like Acrobellum, an acrobatic balancing troupe that stack themselves into gravity-defying shapes. Feb. 21-April 5, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat.-Sun., MOSI Fields, 4801 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, $16.95 adults, $13.95 seniors/$8.95 children 5-12 (free ages 4 and under), 813-987-6300, renaissancefest.com.

Strawberry Festival Plant City celebrates its bumper crop with midway fun and an all-star country music lineup. Feb. 26-March 8, gates open at 10 a.m. daily, Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds, 2202 W. Reynolds St., Plant City, regular advance admission is $8 adults and $4 children (free for ages 5 and under); concerts range from $10 to $45 a ticket depending on the act. For more info, read CL’s coverage or visit flstrawberryfestival.com.

After the jump: Catch these art shows before they close. Read the rest of this entry »

Kate Beckinsale in Nothing But the Truth

Gasparilla International Film Festival Ten days of films, workshops and parties kick off tonight at Tampa Theatre with a screening of Rod Lurie’s Nothing But the Truth, starring Kate Beckinsale in a much-buzzed-about take on the Valerie Plame/Judith Miller case. Tonight’s festivities also include a lifetime achievement award to Terry Moore, the Oscar-nominated actress, Playboy model, pilot and ex-wife of Howard Hughes (to name a few of her lifetime achievements) who’s still going strong at 80. Tribute to Terry Moore and screening of Nothing But the Truth, 7:30 p.m., Tampa Theatre, $10. Free after-party at Spain Restaurant, gasparillafilmfestival.com

Jerry Seinfeld. Hard to believe it’s been almost 11 years since Seinfeld went off the air, though you wouldn’t know it by scanning the TV dial. Jerry has kept himself busy making babies, tending to his massive car collection and getting back to his stand-up roots. Expect mostly new material in his four-show stint at the Mahaffey, though a sprinkling of the classic stuff is sure to appear as well. 7 and 9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat., Feb. 26-27, Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg, $47-$77, (727) 892-5767 or Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000. Best ticket availability is tonight’s 9:30 performance. A very limited number of single tickets remain for the other three shows.

Nude Nite. More than 100 works of film/video, metal, glass, sculpture, paintings, photography and more by local and national artists that celebrate the body in all its various shapes and sizes. Among the highlights are “Body Text Project,” a photo installation by California artist Darren Saravis in which text is projected onto bare human canvases; “Naked Sushi,” an exhibit/tasting experience held each night from 6 to 8 p.m.; and a “Lucid Labyrinth” featuring now-legal absinthe served by painted green fairies. Other enticements include body painting vignettes, strolling performers, living sculptures, and burlesque and modern dance performances. Proceeds from beverage and art sales benefit The Artery, an organization that promotes the breast cancer education through art. Feb. 26-28, 6 p.m.-midnight Thurs.-Sat., Ybor City Warehouse, 1925 E. Second. Ave., Ybor City, $20 (21 and up, cash only).

NFL History From Getty Images Closing Night A fundraiser for the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts highlights its exhibit of 32 iconic photos spotlighting great moments in National Football League history. Paul Wilborn and Blue Roses perform, with wine and hors d‘oeuvres by All Events Catering. Proceeds benefit the educational and cultural programs of FMOPA. Florida Museum Of Photographic Arts, 6-8:30 p.m., $10 museum members/$15 general.

The Awesome 80’s Prom Ever wonder why your prom wasn’t as cool as the one in Pretty in Pink? The Awesome 80’s Prom, which is made up of characters inspired by “classic” ’80s movies, is an interactive off-Broadway musical that transports audiences back to the decade of big hair and legwarmers. Wear your parachute pants. Feb. 26-March 1, 8 p.m. Thurs.-Fri., 5 and 8 p.m. Sat., 3 p.m. Sun., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $35, 727-791-7400.

Bobby and the Chimps James Phillips’ new play about love, faith and politics in America explores arguments about evolution and God against a backdrop of a present-day Bethlehem, Penn. school board election. 8 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., Feb. 26-28, and March 4-7, 3 p.m. March 1 and 8, USF College of Visual and Performing Arts Theatre II, Tampa. www.arts.usf.edu

Photo by Novajade

The multimedia extravaganza Peace Piece/ Take A Walk in My Shoes premiered last night at USF, and it was a kick. I’d spoken with two of its creators, Marisa Alma Nick and Tera “DJ Nova Jade” Greene, during a recent episode of ArtsSpeak and was impressed by their enthusiasm and ambition (40-plus performers, a documentary, national tours!). But I’d also worried a bit that its broad goals (fostering world peace, fighting for arts education) might yield a production that was just a little too earnest, a little too after-school special.

Nah. The show wasn’t perfect — it started a half hour late, there were some technical glitches, some of the text was more one-dimensionally hectoring than it needed to be — but there was also real visual imagination in evidence, too, and a fizzy, insouciant sense of playfulness that was, simply, a lot of fun.

Progressing through a series of danced and scripted vignettes, the action centers on a Mailman (Phillip Gulley), who seems to be both a conduit of prejudice and a harbinger of death, and on two sisters named Empathy (Nick) and Plane Jane (Carla Marie Rivera), who are torn apart. You can probably predict the message just from the  names: When we lose the power of Empathy, civilization is in danger of self-destructing.

But on the way to that rather obvious point (made in a brothel-ish nightmare involving lots of red and black and dominatrix gear), there are some delightful moments. Some I loved: Read the rest of this entry »

Kathleen Edwards

Kathleen Edwards A Canadian singer/songwriter with an alt-country bent, a plaintive, lilting voice and a knack for compelling narrative (”Six O’Clock News,” “Alicia Ross”) and hard-edged love songs (”Asking for Flowers” ), Edwards was scheduled to share this bill with Loudon Wainwright III. He switched to Mar. 2, leaving Edwards to hold the stage on her own — something she’s more than capable of doing. The Palladium, 253 5th Avenue North, St. Petersburg, 7:30 p.m., Stavros Great Room. Opening act: Will Quinlan. General admission $15. Those with Loudon Wainwright III tickets can attend this concert for free.

Preserving the Vinoy Join St.Petersburg Preservation, Inc. for a forum featuring four speakers whose expertise helped support the bid to restore the Vinoy to its 1920s splendor. Photos of the Vinoy before, during and after restoration, will also be on display. 7 p.m., Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club, St. Petersburg, free, 727-894-1000

Giselle Russian National Ballet Theatre presents the classic ballet about a heartbroken young girl returned from the dead to save the worthless life of her deceitful lover. 7:30 p.m., Carol Morsani Hall-Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa, $19.50-$49.50, 813-229-7827.

Stargazing for Beginners An introduction to constellations, stars and planets. Binoculars and telescopes are available. 7-8:30 p.m., Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center, 3940  Keystone Rd. Tarpon Springs, 727-453-6800.

If Mickey Rourke wins Best Actor tonight, and if his acceptance speech is even half as funny (or a sixteenth as profane) as his Independent Spirit Awards speech yesterday, then we’ll have an Oscar moment to cherish right up there with the Jack Palance one-armed pushup. I’m rooting for Sean Penn myself, but I’d be happy to see Rourke win just to see what he will say.

The Wrestler also won Spirit awards (the indie-film Oscars) for best picture and best cinematography, and Oscar nominees Melissa Leo and Penelope Cruz won Spirits for best actress and best supporting actress — which may augur well for them tonight. (There’s buzz about a Leo upset.)

The NY Times' David "Carpetbagger" Carr does his man-on-the-street thing.

If you haven’t already done so, check out our Oscar contest blog, our live-blog headquarters and our posts  about a might-have-been-an-Oscar-winning film in this year’s Gasparilla International Film Festival.

And for your further Oscar edification, here are some stories (and predictions) worth checking out before the show:

On EW.com, Dave Karger’s provocative speculations about the ten biggest possible upsets — good fodder for your last-minute Oscar-pool votes

In the NY Times: A.O. Scott’s grouchy assessment of the awards’ irrelevance — and, on the other hand, David Carr’s view that, In Times Like These, “there’s nothing quite like gathering around something warm and sparkly when the darkness seems to be intruding at every turn.” (And you’ve got to check out his inimitable Oscar vlog, The Carpetbagger and his awards predictions delivered on location in Times Square, where he  tries valiantly to find anyone else who’s interested in the subject.)

In the Tampa Tribune, Jeff Houck’s clever suggestions for Oscar-nominee food pairings for your awards-party buffet: Samosas for Slumdog, the Piledriver for The Wrestler, and Baby Ruth Brownies for Hellboy II: The Golden Army. (Yes, believe it or not, Hellboy II: The Golden Army is an Oscar nominee for Best Makeup, and if you know Hellboy, you’ll know why the Baby Ruths.)

On VF.com, Annie Leibovitz’s gorgeous photos of award-winning actor/director teams, including a haunting shot of Heath Ledger and Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan. See two shots after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s St. Petersburg Times has a story from the Washington Post by Ann Hornaday about Oscar “orphans” — good films that got caught up in money problems or other unfortunate circumstances that prevented them from being released in time for Oscar consideration. Tops on her list of movies left in Oscar limbo is this year’s Gasparilla International Film Festival opening night film: Rod Lurie’s Nothing But the Truth, starring Kate Beckinsale in a story that echoes the Judith Miller/Valerie Plame case. So, even though Hornaday’s piece says the films she’s writing about “will not be playing at a theater near you,” in Tampa Bay (for a change) that’s not exactly the case. (The Rod Lurie-produced What Doesn’t Kill You, another “limbo” film she mentions, is also scheduled to be shown at GIFF).

John Rosser wrote previously for The Daily Loaf about how GIFF snagged Truth for opening night. See his blog post here.

A still from a vintage Temptations video; watch it at TampaCalling.com

The Temptations, w. The Four Tops Two of Motown’s signature acts during the label’s 1960s heyday, The Temptations and the Four Tops have scores of hits between them. Members have changed considerably over the years — especially with The Tempts — but the spirit of the music (and that goofy choreography) still holds. 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater (Eric Snider)

University of Tampa Spring Dance Concert This concert of ballet, modern, jazz, hip-hop and tap dance features choreography by UT dance faculty (Susan Taylor Lennon, Phyllis Gaines, Linda Lopez and Richard Ploch) and alumni (Aleah King and Ericka Womack-Brown) as well as guests like Detroit Dance Collective founding director Paula Kramer, former Tampa Ballet and Chicago Lyric Opera dancer Bill Philin Ploplis, and NY-based choreographer Fadi Tavoukdjian. Feb. 19-21, 8 p.m. Thurs.-Fri., 2 and 8 p.m. Sat., David Falk Theater, Tampa, free admission.

Closing today:
Japan World Heritage Sites Photography Exhibition Forests, deserts, lakes, mountains, buildings, monuments, complexes and cities around the world have been classified as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. These 878 sites receive conservation status based on their importance to the common heritage of humanity. An international touring exhibit that looks at Japan World Heritage Sites is closing its stint today at USF, its first stop in the U.S. Acclaimed photographer Kazuyoshi Miyoshi presents 30 photo panels from a collection of 60 featuring Japan’s own important sites, including Kasuga-taisha Shrine in Nara and Tenryu-ji Temple in Kyoto. USF College of Business, BSN 3403, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, free admission. (Leilani Polk)

The first thing the audience sees in the stage production of Frost/Nixon is a gigantic screen, crackling with static. Peter Morgan’s play (the basis for the Oscar-nominated film) is nominally about the famous 1977 TV interviews between British talk-show personality David Frost and former president Richard Nixon, and the negotiations that led up to them. But it’s also about the seductiveness of power, and how television can both grant and undermine that power. So it’s nice to report that while the screen dominates the set of Frost/Nixon, it doesn’t steal our attention. During the interview segments the actors are shown simultaneously in closeup, Jumbotron-style. But even though those huge faces are compelling, the stage is where the action is, thanks to the precise direction of Michael Grandage and the enthralling interplay between Stacy Keach and Alan Cox as Nixon and Frost. Read the rest of this entry »

Two stellar dance companies raise the barre for fans in Tampa Bay today.

Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company presents Another Evening: Serenade/The Proposition at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Jones is a recognized leader (and MacArthur Foundation “genius” grantee) in the creation of dance that addresses, through movement and text, complex social issues. Serenade/The Proposition is no exception; it explores the legacy of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency “as a rumination on the nature of history,” using historic text (including Lincoln’s own words), video, a pastiche of contemporary and folk music and, of course, dance. Wed., Feb. 18, 8 p.m. Ferguson Hall-TBPAC, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa, $29.50-$49.50, 813-229-7827, tbpac.org.

Another Wednesday night dance program is presented by Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble at Ruth Eckerd Hall. The longstanding Denver company offers works inspired by the African-American experience and rooted in black dance traditions; the current show includes Alvin Ailey’s Escapades and a National Endowment for the Arts grant-sponsored staging of Ragtime by the pioneering black dancer/choreographer Katherine Dunham. (Pictured at left: Marisa Mack and Chivas Merchant-Buckman of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, photo by Michelle Knudsen.) Wed., Feb. 18, 8 p.m. 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater, $25-$40, 727-791-7400, rutheckerdhall.com.

Frost/Nixon: With timing that could either be viewed as fortuitous or unfortunate, Tampa gets to see Frost/Nixon the play just a few days before we see whether Frost/Nixon the movie (based on the play) wins any Oscars. How will the Richard Nixon of Best Actor nominee Frank Langella compare with that of Stacy Keach, who’s playing Nixon in the national tour? One reviewer said that Langella’s Nixon is more reptilian, Keach’s more gutter. Both actors have a powerful stage presence — it might be a draw. Peter Morgan’s script looks at how British TV interviewer David Frost extracted an implied admission of guilt from the former president for his role in the Watergate scandal. Feb. 17-22. 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Fri.; 2 & 8 p.m. Sat.; 2 & 7:30 p.m. Sun. Carol Morsani Hall, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa, $35.50-$57.50, 813-229-7827, tbpac.org.

Also on Tuesday:

John Davidson. Wow. John Davidson. My mother used to have a crush on John Davidson. She’s very old. I guess John Davidson must be, too, but he still looks kind of cute in a silver-fox kind of way. If you’re the kind of person who likes dimply crooners, or your mother is, this is the concert for you. (And it’s in the afternoon, so she won’t have to stay up too late.) Feb. 17, 1 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, $16-$20, rutheckerdhall.com. Pre-show lunch with John Davidson at 11 a.m., call 727-791-7400 for tickets.

It’s no wonder Lily Tomlin can embody bratty, precocious Edith Ann with such ease: She was that kid. And even though she’s now pushing 70, she still is.

Among the many charms of the one-woman show she brought to Tampa Saturday night were her reminiscences of childhood in Detroit. She talked about being free to roam from apartment to apartment in the housing project where she grew up, making the other tenants her audience, tapping into their personae to create her repertoire of characters. It’s easy to see the younger Lily in the performer we see now because she still holds onto that eagerness to please, combined with an ever-alert intelligence that’s always aware of the ironies of being a performer, or, for that matter, of being a human being.

It helps that she looks and moves like someone years younger. Lithe and graceful but also a little gawky, she’s like a Jules Feiffer cartoon dancer come to life, crossing the stage in bursts of energy only to hold the center with sudden stillness when it’s time to deliver a punch line.

And the punch lines are plentiful. Read the rest of this entry »

A dance image from the NEA site, no doubt the kind of thing Senators regard as "wasteful" and "non-stimulative."

If so, it would be a good omen for the art world.
Dreams that the Obamas would usher in a new era of cultural savvy in Washington took a beating last week when the Senate voted against including funding for the arts in the economic stimulus bill, calling theaters and museums “wasteful” and “non-stimulative.” The fact that the thumbs-down vote was 73-24 and included a number of prominent Democrats, including Dianne Feinstein and Charles Schumer, added insult to injury.
The House version of the bill that was approved earlier today retained $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, and the prognosis for Senate approval is good; the vote is taking place as I write, so we’ll see. But the message from last week’s vote was harsh — and if the Obamas send a sign that their support for the arts is solid, that could help salve the wounds.

The winners, sort of

In keeping with their Obama-inspired “No We Can’t” strategy — that is, flat-out no-compromise obstructionism because it’s the only way they have left to make any political hay — the Republicans unanimously voted against the $787 billion economic stimulus package, despite earlier indications that there might be a few Republican defectors. For those of us who hope that this thing works, we now have an added incentive: If it does work we can rub it in the GOP naysayers’ faces when the party goes down in flames in the 2010 congressional elections.

THIS JUST IN: The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center is offering a slew of ridiculous ticket discounts for your Valentining pleasure, among them $14 tickets to Lily Tomlin on Saturday night and half-price admission to The Love Project, both of which are described below. And the discounts continue into the spring, with great deals on Frost/Nixon, Bill  T. Jones and more.

Kick off Valentine’s Weekend by painting the town, or yourself, red at the MUSE art/music/body art show at ArtPool. Watch artists at work as they paint their masterpieces onto live human canvases; purchase sculpture, paintings and mixed media by the likes of Diana Leavengood, Bradley Ennis (that’s his photograph at left) and many more; sample refreshments from Central Cafe & Organics; enjoy live music and spins by Aleshea Harris, Tripentronic and DJ E-man V; and search for bargains during the one-night-only 50-percent-off vintage clothing sale. Guests are encouraged to wear pink or red — or just paint your body! Fri. Feb. 13, 8 p.m.-12 a.m., ArtPool, 919 1st Avenue North, St. Petersburg, $10.

Also this weekend:
Friday only
SwingTime Valentine’s Ball Group swing dance lesson followed by live music and dancing with the Juke Joint Kings. Fri., Feb. 13, 8 p.m.-1 a.m., Centro Asturiano, 1913 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa, $12, 813-224-9185.

Hairspray The Tony-Award-winning musical (based on the John Waters film) about big-haired Tracy Turnblad singin’ her heart out for the right to dance in ’60s-era Baltimore. Feb. 13, 8 p.m. Ruth Eckerd Hall,1111 N. McMullen Booth Rd., Clearwater, $47-$57, 727-791-7400, rutheckerdhall.com.

Friday-Sunday
An Evening Of Romance and Love Songs Matt Catingub joins The Florida Orchestra on piano, vocals, sax, flute and more for this Valentine’s Day pops concert of songs like “When I Fall In Love and “I Only Have Eyes For You. 8 p.m. Fri., Feb. 13, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa; 8 p.m. Sat., Feb. 14, Progress Energy Center for the Arts – Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg; and 7:30 p.m. Sun., Feb. 15, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, $19-$65.

Valentine’s Day (Saturday) only
An Evening with Lily Tomlin The inimitable comedian brings her multiple personalities to TBPAC. Sat., Feb. 14, 8 p.m., Carol Morsani Hall-Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa, $25.50-$45.40.

Krewe of Sant’Yago Illuminated Knight Parade More than 100 lighted floats launch from Seventh and Nebraska avenues, proceed east on Seventh to 20th Street, north on 20th Street to Palm Avenue and west on Palm Avenue to 15th Street. After-parties include Sant’Yago’s own official “Knight at The Cuban Club” celebration with food, an open bar and live music by Basic Rock Outfit, StormBringer and the Georgia Satellites. Sat., Feb. 14, 7 p.m. parade (Seventh Avenue, free admission general, $26 reserved bleacher seating), 9 p.m.-late party (The Cuban Club, 2010 Avenida Republica de Cuba, Tampa, Ybor City, $39 general/$69 VIP), 813-248-0721, cc-events.org.

Valentine’s Chili Cook-Off and Movie Come share your best pot of vegetarian chili and settle in for a romantic evening with The Princess Bride. RSVP to assocdir@sweetwater-organic.org. Sat., Feb. 14, 6-9 p.m., Sweetwater Organic Farm, Tampa, $5 suggested donation, 813-232-0326. Read the rest of this entry »

“The sky was red,” say one witness in the New York Times report on the crash of commuter flight 3407 out of Newark, NJ.The National Post gathers Twitter records of in-flight audio, a YouTube video of the crash aftermath and detailed information about the flight path and the plane. Forty-four passengers, four crew members and one person on the ground were killed in the crash.

The Times report includes details from a chilling TV interview with a man whose sister was a passenger, held before the deaths were confirmed:

At a command center where officials gathered after the accident, Chris Kausner told CNN that his sister was on the flight. He said she was connecting from Jacksonville, Fla., where she was a law student.

“Right now I’m thinking the worst,” Mr. Kausner said. “And I’m thinking of the fact that my mother has to fly in from Florida and what am I going to tell my two sons.”

When a reporter asked Mr. Kausner how his family was taking the news, he said: “I heard my mother make a sound into the phone that I had never heard before. So, not good.”

UPDATE: Reports this morning up the death toll by one, putting the crew and passenger total at 49 instead of 48. One person on the ground died.

Move over, Cher, Madonna, Farrah Fawcett…. there’s a new loony Letterman guest in town. Joaquin Phoenix, ostensibly making an appearance to hype his new movie with Gwyneth Paltrow, “Two Lovers,” instead carved himself a spot at the top of the list of unforgettably awkward TV talk-show appearances. (Sad thing is, the buzz for this movie is pretty good.)

The St. Valentine’s Massacre of Pretty Paul Parsons at Side Splitters Comedy Club is billed as “12 comics and 1 dirty, perverted, ugly old man.” Parsons ain’t pretty (see photo), but this roast by his fellow comedians should offer ample evidence to back up his status as Tampa’s dirtiest old man. Wed. Feb. 11, 8:30 p.m., Side Splitters Comedy Club, 12938 Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, 813-960-1197.

Bill Walker had never even spent the night outdoors when he set out to hike the entire 1,275-mile Appalachian Trail in one season. Earning the nickname Skywalker because of his height (6-11), the middle-aged businessman also amassed a lifetime’s worth of yarns to tell around the campfire. He’ll spin some tonight at a general meeting of the Tampa Bay Sierra Club. Skywalker: Close Encounters on the Appalachian Trail, Wed. Feb. 11, 6:30 p.m. social time, 7 p.m. meeting. Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, 1002 E. Palm Ave., Tampa (Ybor City), gated parking behind building. Free admission. Public invited.

And here’s a lecture that sounds like just what the doctor ordered: “A Cure for Money Madness” by “wealth advisor” Spencer Sherman (author of a book by the same name), who promises to help us overcome “distorted childhood perceptions of money.” Like the perception that we don’t have much and we’re even gonna lose that? Ask him that and other questions tonight. Wed. Feb. 11, 6 p.m., Miller Auditorium, Eckerd College.

It didn’t take long for the nickname to change, reports CBC Sports. After SI.com revealed Saturday morning that Alex Rodriguez had tested positive for steroids in 2003, the Yankee third baseman was almost immediately re-christened A-Roid by the New York Daily News — and also by the Dallas Morning News, the Seattle Weekly and the Star Telegram. (And another Post columnist threw in a “Roid-riguez” for good measure.) The New York Times ran an interesting piece of analysis of what might have led Rodriguez into this mess, while the blog Out of Left Field discusses why the A-Roid headlines are just going to distract from the bigger issues: the anonymous testing that wasn’t, and what that means for labor-management relations in Major League Baseball, and the “kindergarten view of the world” that leads to the “shocked, shocked I tell you” reactions to the A-Roid revelations.

This morning’s report in the New York Times is full of good news:

Worse-than expected job loss:

The country moved into its second year of uninterrupted job losses last month, with companies shedding another 598,000 jobs — the most since December 1974… Economists had forecast a loss of 540,000 jobs..

Worse than-expected unemployment: 7.6 percent instead of the predicted 7.5

Dire statistics: “The jobless rate is at its highest since September 1992.”

And dire predictions:

Many economists expect that the economy will continue to contract until July at the very least, but at a slowing pace in the second quarter. That would make it the longest recession since the 1930s, outlasting the two record-holders, the mid-1970s and early 1980s downturns. Each of these recessions lasted 16 months. The current recession, which started in December 2007, would reach that milestone in April.

Enjoy.

Last year, Andrea Hildebran told Creative Loafing that she hoped the seeds she helped plant in St. Pete’s Best of the Bay-winning Bartlett Park Community Garden would lead to more than just some beautiful green vegetables. She envisioned similar urban community gardens flourishing all over Tampa Bay.

That movement seems to be taking root. Earlier this week, more than 60 people met to form a permanent network of urban community gardens throughout the city of Tampa in conjunction with Green Florida, the nonprofit that Hildebran and her partners formed in Bartlett Park. Read the rest of this entry »

Charles Wilson was a credit manager at the Trib; according to a federal complaint, it seems Wilson and his wife Lynda may have been improving their own credit. They’ve been charged with paying off mortage and car payments, a golf club membership and private Christian school tuition with more than $1 million in checks intended for Media General fraudently obtained from Media General and its advertisers via the couple’s home-based collection company. Here’s the story from the Times, and here’s the NewsChannel 8 report. (A subsequent report added this piquant detail: Wilson is currently a consultant for Gannett Media.)

Update: This morning’s front-page Tribune story by Elaine Silvestrini clarifies the alleged scheme, and adds another potentially ironic employment detail: Lynda Wilson works “in the pre-suit litigation department of the law firm Morgan & Morgan,” known for its slogan, “For the People.”

He inhaled. On camera. So now USA Swimming has to save face by kicking him out for a while. And Kellogg’s is not renewing his contract. Anyone else think this is bullshit?

Yes, the Dildo Whisperer. She gives candid LGBT sex advice on my new favorite radio show, The Derek and Romaine Show, aka DNR. I stumbled onto DNR while flipping through the channels on XM Satellite Radio, whose recent merger with Sirius has yielded up cool stuff like SiriusOutQ, the radio-station equivalent of TV’s Here! or Logo, only lots raunchier.

Romaine Patterson’s name may be familiar; she’s famous for staging the Angel Action counter-protest when Rev. Fred “God Hates Fags” Phelps showed up to picket her friend Matthew Shepard’s funeral. Now she’s co-hosting DNR, a drive-time show that includes the Dildo Whisperer call-in segment. The sex advice is funny but useful for all orientations, I suspect, and surprisingly frank: I didn’t know they could say “snatch-licking” on the radio. FCC, you didn’t hear it from me.

Michelangelo Signorile, Frank DeCaro and other highly entertaining queers are also on the SiriusOutQ roster. You can find it at XM 98 and Sirius 109.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is undergoing surgery today for what is reported to be early-stage pancreatic cancer. The New York Times reports that the 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is low, due to the difficulties in early detection, but in Ginsburg’s case the cancer was discovered early so her prognosis may be more hopeful.

Obama voters no doubt have been waiting for the president to get an opportunity to appoint a justice. If it’s Ginsburg he has to replace, however, it’s a wash; she is one of the reliably liberal voices on the Court.

Update: NPR court expert Nina Totenberg reported today that if the Obama administration does have to replace Ginsburg, the nominee will undoubtedly be a woman. The short list, she said, is likely to include Harvard Law School Dean and Solicitor General nominee Elena Kagan, U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, among others.

The Bernie Madoff body count keeps on rising. Earlier reports had named Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick as victims of the world’s biggest Ponzi scheme. Now his client list has been made public, revealing more famous patsies, including Hall of Fame pitcher Sandy Koufax and the developer behind the World Trade Center. Read more here.

It’s old news that Barack Obama (and/or his speechwriters) has a way with words. But his remarks today about religion strike me as among his most moving to date. The speech, in its embrace of difference and its vision of faith as uniter rather than divider, signifies a profound paradigm shift from the previous administration.

I liked this passage in particular, clear-eyed but hopeful:

“I’m not naive,” President Obama says. “I don’t expect divisions to disappear overnight, nor do I believe that long-held views and conflicts will suddenly vanish. … But I do believe that if we can talk to one another openly and honestly, and perhaps allow God’s grace to enter that space between us, then perhaps old rifts will start to mend and new partnerships will begin to emerge. In a world that grows smaller by the day, perhaps we can begin to crowd out the destructive forces of zealotry and make room for the healing power of understanding.

“This is my hope. This is my prayer.”

Read more at USA Today’s ‘The Oval’ blog.

Brian Ries recommended some sports-bar alternatives where the crowds wouldn’t be on Game Day, and he was right about the attendance. At the start of a Super Bowl that would turn out to be one of the best ever, Ybor City (hung over from the night before, perhaps) was very quiet. But if nothing much was happening yet in the bars themselves, the denizens of the bars were happy to talk to Creative Loafing’s camera.

Alton Isings of L’Olivier’s Restaurant (and Miami Modern) asks a key question:

More videos after the jump:

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The New York Times‘ Stuart Elliott says the ads ranked with such disappointments as the movie “Australia” and errant airport birds. The Washington Post’s Tom Shales marveled at the expensive-looking production values. For a quick overview, check out Creative Loafing’s live blog of the game.

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“My gold hip replacement!”

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