Daily Loaf

Ever since humans first chiseled images on cave walls and sculpted clay figurines, art has celebrated the nude form. In modern times, little has changed; now, we simply appreciate nude art while sipping wine. Unleash your carnal art connoisseur when Nude Nites, the largest event of its kind in the country, returns to Tampa with more than 200 variations of the human body presented in fine art, photography, experimental, 3D, sculpture, wood, metal, mixed media, digital, and performance. The world-class body painter “Baroque-Alive” is on hand illustrating human canvases. At the top of every hour, Miss Polly Wood and The Saigon Pearl sweep the stage with swanky burlesque performances. Featured installations include sexualized illustrations of Read the rest of this entry »

Minne-soo-ta’s claims to fame are eclectic, to say the least: the Mall of America, Al Franken, the pseudo-electronic pop of Owl City, Jesse Ventura, that weird accent and, of course, Garrison Keillor’s The Prairie Home Companion. The public radio standard is one of the few good things that came out of the ’70s (the rest is all packed away in Elton John’s storage unit), and this week you can see it live onstage at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul without braving the frozen tundra that leads to Lake Wobegon. The program is being broadcast live in HD to theaters around the country, and you’re not just getting Keillor, with his trademark low-key wit and multi-voiced radio acting troupe; he’s also joined by the living, breathing music encyclopedia that is Elvis Costello. 8 p.m. Thurs., Feb. 4, live broadcast; 8 p.m. Tues., Feb. 9 encore, Citrus Stadium Park Mall 20, 7999 Citrus Park Town Center Mall, Tampa, $18-$20, visit fathomevents.com for full list of participating theaters.

After the break: An evening with St. Petersburg Opera Maestro Mark Sforzini, art lectures and guided tours of New Weather at the USF Contemporary Art Museum, and meet author Barbara Sorey Read the rest of this entry »

As a child of the late ’70s and early ’80s, I seem to recall that Chinese acrobats were a mainstay of that era’s ubiquitous variety shows and television specials. I was mesmerized by their feats of strength that would test a gymnast’s mettle, their ability to create wondrous human pyramids while balancing glasses, plates and assorted other breakable objects.  One of the finest purveyors of such athleticism, contortion and concentration comes to the Bay area when China’s Golden Dragon Acrobats perform two nights in a row at Ruth Eckerd Hall to stage Cirque D’Or. Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. John’s stage persona (pictured), “The Night Tripper,” is as big and colorful as the Big Easy — he embodies the culture and heritage of his hometown of New Orleans, and his latest project is a tribute to Duke Ellington and Johnny Mercer. Dr. John and the Lower 911 take the stage with “The Sauce Boss” Bill Wharton. Visit mypalladium.org for more info. Thurs., Nov. 5, 8 p.m., Palladium Theater, $45.

This week’s installment in the Dalí and Beyond Film Series of shocking and surreal cinema is  5,000 Fingers of Dr. T, a live-action Dr. Seuss adaptation about Bart, who hates his piano lessons with Dr. Terwilliker and is dragged to a dream world where his piano professor is ruler and the students become his subjects. Visit salvadordalimuseum.org for more info. Thurs., Nov. 5, 6 p.m., Salvador Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, $5 after 5 p.m. Read the rest of this entry »

The Morean Arts Center and The Studio@620 continue to bring current art and issues to the community — this time, with a month’s worth of advance screenings of Art21-Art in the Twenty-First Century, the national TV series with a focus on contemporary art. After the show, the host of WMNF’s “Art in Your Ear,” JoEllen Schilke, moderates a panel discussion on the episode’s themes. Visit art21.org or studio620.org for more info. (Pictured: Art:21 production still of artst Oliver Herring at work) Thursdays through Oct. 23, 7:30-9:30 p.m., The Studio@620,  620 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg, free.

If local craft brew floats your sudsy boat, then the ninth annual OktoBEERfest is your cup of tea. Or, well, beer. The line-up of events include the brewery’s Liter Release and Appreciation night, and a huge party that spills out onto the streets from Dunedin’s tasting room. “Notoriously German food” and live music by Bump accompany the constantly flowing beers. Visit dunedinbrewery.com for more info. Thurs.-Sun., Oct.1-4, Dunedin Brewery, 937 Douglas Ave., Dunedin. Read the rest of this entry »