Daily Loaf

I watched an original Rembrandt painting sell for $3,000 on Sunday afternoon. Four years ago, it sold at auction for $23 million. I’ll let that sink in for a minute.

You might wonder where I saw this, and the many other similar proceedings I had the privilege of witnessing yesterday. I happened to attend an art and furnishings auction, held at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club in downtown St. Petersburg, and hosted by South Atlantic Auctions, of Eustis, an affiliate of Mid-Atlantic Auctions, based in Delaware. The viewing opened at 1 p.m. in the Palms Ballroom and ended at 4 p.m.

The auction featured a number of signed lithographs, a few unknown originals and a few known. Artists Dali, Cezanne, Miro, Renoir, Peter Max, Norman Rockwell, Remington, Erte and several others, not to mention several hand crafted, heirloom furniture pieces and innumerable fine Persian, Agora, and Azerbaijan rugs, some of them hundreds of years old. Read the rest of this entry »

It may have been the day after Halloween, but thousands of people had plenty good reason to play dress-up this past Sunday afternoon at the St. Pete Times Forum. One didn’t have to look far to find a Yoda or Princess Leia milling about the concourses. Many congregated toward a makeshift exhibit of original Star Wars props and artifacts, including a Darth Vader costume, blasters and helmets. Nearby, children and adults alike sidled up next to Stormtroopers for photo ops. It was all a prelude to the main event inside the arena, “Star Wars: In Concert.”

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If you’re already worn out on Halloween, check out our picks for non-ghoul-related weekend events. (But if you’re still looking for something to do for Halloween, check out our comprehensive listings here)

At Star Wars: In Concert, you can hear all six of John Williams’ epic soundtracks played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, narrated live by Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in all six films. Specially edited footage, projected on a three-story tall, high-def LED superscreen, adds to the spectacle. A collection of costumes, props, artifacts, production artwork and behind-the-scenes videos from the Lucasfilm Archives — many that have never before left Skywalker Ranch — accompany the tour. Visit StarWarsInConcert.com for more info. Sun., Nov. 1, 4 p.m., St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, $32. 25-$72. 25, stpetetimesforum.com.

See director Bruce McDonald’s Pontypool, the latest installment in the International Cinema Series, if you like weird Canadians and French subtitles. Shock jock Grant Mazzy discovers a strange phenomena during his daily broadcast, and begins to suspect that his own words may be causing the virus infestation causing Pontypool’s townspeople to become eerily violent. Visit eckerd.edu/ic for more info. Fri., Oct. 30, 7 p.m., Eckerd College Miller Auditorium. St. Petersburg, free.

After the break: Pig Roast Gone Sassy, In the Heights, Stride for Strays, Tampa Bay Steel Orchestra and more Read the rest of this entry »

The Florida Institute for Community Studies is well-known for the excellent services it provides to Latino and immigrant populations, its lively center in Town N’ Country a hive of creativity and youthful energy. Case in point: today’s FICS Multicultural Food and Art Show. Adult artists Joanne Osborn, Vivian Fisk, Guillermo Portieles, Aldo Gamez and Tamara Nemirovsky will show work along with 25 of the center’s youth artists, with half of the art sale proceeds to go to the artists and half to the center’s summer programs. DJ Teknique handles the sounds, Rafael “El Shakiro” sings, and the center’s Capoeira students and breakdancers perform. But the biggest draw might be the food: an international array of dishes from Peru, Colombia, Mexico and more, all provided by center parents, plus offerings from Maggiano’s and Chili’s. And all this for just five bucks! A good chance to party and do some Mother’s Day shopping, all at the same time. (Pictured at left: A still from one of Tamara Nemirovsky’s stop-animation video pieces about Argentina.) Fri. May 8, 4-8 p.m., 6704 Hanley Rd., Tampa, 813-249-8100, ficsinc.org, $5. –David Warner

The Florida Orchestra’s Free Pops in the Park concert series continues this weekend, with attendees encouraged to bring canned food donations for Tampa Bay Harvest’s food bank services. Guest conductor Stuart Chafetz leads a program of symphonic and pop hits, including Dvorak’s Carnival Overture, the Bacchanale from Saint-Saen’s Samson and Dalila, Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien, John Williams’ Liberty Fanfare, and selections from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s My Fair Lady. Fri., May 8, 7:30 p.m., Lowry Park, 7525 N. Boulevard, Tampa; and a Mother’s Day “Symphony of Life,” Sun., May 10, 7:30 p.m., Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, 105 N. Bayshore Drive, Safety Harbor. –LP Read the rest of this entry »