the 941

COVER STORY

— The Sarasota Film Society’s 20th Cine-World kicks off this Friday. Tim Sukits profiles three films you need to see.

NEWS & VIEWS

— Best of the Suncoast 2009 fallout: We compile all the best comments you posted on our website (and a couple corrections, too).

— As the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Federation celebrates its 50th birthday, some of the organization’s most influential figures reflect on Sarasota’s Jewish history.

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Creative Loafing Half-Hour Variety Hour: Episode #33 (Part 1)

Creative Loafing Half-Hour Variety Hour: Episode #33 (Part 2)

After the total madness that dominated last week’s game show-themed Creative Loafing Half-Hour Variety Hour, things return to a bit of normalcy this week, with one big exception: WSRQ 1220 AM master board operator Steve Huggins sits in with Brian and I on the mic! (Tim went AWOL.)

We chat about our killer Best of the Suncoast party last Friday night, and tell you all about what to expect in this week’s issue: our compilation of Tom Fairchild’s “Driven Mad” pieces, Brian’s three-pronged St. Armands food roundup and our terrific rundown on all the finest in Halloween entertainment this weekend.

Listen up!

Bookmark to:

Just in case you somehow haven’t heard, we here at CL are very excited to bring you the official Creative Loafing Best of the Suncoast Party this Friday at Rustic Grill. The entire staff has been working for months planning and preparing this week’s mega-issue and it’s time to kick back and celebrate our hard work as well as this year’s critics’ and readers’ picks with all of our favorite people — that’s right, you, dear readers.

We can’t wait for the fabulous fête, which we’ve organized around a Woodstock theme, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the iconic music festival. Dress is “boho chic” — i.e. a 2009 take on the free-spirit vibe. I’m thinking boots, paisley, shawls and headbands for the ladies, topped with loose and lustrous locks (don’t worry, we’ll provide the daisies). Guys, pull out your Zeppelin tees, throw on a pendant, or get really funky with anything fringed or suede and you’re ready to rock. (more…)

Bookmark to:

Creative Loafing Half-Hour Variety Hour: Episode #32 (Part 1)

Creative Loafing Half-Hour Variety Hour: Episode #32 (Part 2)

In celebration of this week’s ginormous Best of the Suncoast 2009 mega-issue, we switch up our format on the Creative Loafing Half-Hour Variety Hour, turning our half-hour of banter in an exciting and life-changing Best of the Suncoast-themed game show.

Brian, Tim and I each take turns quizzing each other on who the big winners are in this year’s issue. In part one, Brian quizzes Tim and I about winners in the Food & Drink category, and then I quiz Brian and Tim about winners in People & Politics. In part two, Tim takes over, and quizzes Brian and I about Arts & Entertainment winners, before I retake control to quiz Brian and Tim about who triumphed in Goods & Services.

The prize? International acclaim, and a free pass to this Friday’s big Best of the Suncoast Party.

Many props to board operator Steve Huggins for killing it with the sound FX this week.

Bookmark to:

Whew. We are exhausted. Why? Because we have spent months — literally — preparing this week’s content: the Best of the Suncoast 2009.

Longtime Creative Loafing readers know what to expect. We’ve compiled a massive list of blurbs describing all the things we want to celebrate about life here on the Suncoast, broken down into four main categories:

People & Politics

Food & Drink

Arts & Entertainment

Goods & Services

But that’s not all! We also threw open the doors on our website to allow you — yes, you — the chance to make your voice heard. We created more than 100 categories in which you could cast a vote for your favorites, and the ballots came flooding in. We received more than 7,000 votes this year, far and away the most we’ve ever seen. Local artists took to Facebook in a bid to advertise themselves for a big win; local restaurants blasted out emails to their clients to beg them for support; and at least one bar (cough, cough, Southside Village Pub) set up some kind of auto-vote software that crashed our voting system and earned our eternal ire. But, overall, everybody pretty much played by the rules, and I think we ended up with some of the best results we’ve ever seen out of our readers. You can see the winners in each category by following the links above.

Once you’re done flipping through this year’s content-arama, comment below your favorite/least favorite picks, and let us know what you think about all our choices.

And don’t forget to purchase a ticket to our Woodstock-themed Best of the Suncoast Party, which goes down 8 p.m.-1 a.m. this Friday at Rustic Grill (1525 Fourth St., Sarasota). Come out, raise a glass with us, and take the opportunity to harangue and/or praise us in person. We sincerely hope to see you there.

All right, now it’s time for a nap. We deserve it. Trust me.

Bookmark to:

BEST MEN’S CLOTHING STORE
Stitch Boutique
1636 Main St., Sarasota, 366-7268 or stitchboutique.com

BEST WOMEN’S CLOTHING STORE
Lotus
1451 Main St., Sarasota, 906-7080 or lotussarasota.com

BEST THRIFT STORE
The Cubby Hole
2031 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota, 953-6200

BEST SHOE STORE
T. Georgiano’s
1409B First St., Sarasota, 870-3727 or tgeorgianos.com

(more…)

Bookmark to:

BEST SILENCE-BREAKING
Keith Stansell

For more than five years, the Colombian guerrilla organization FARC held Lakewood Ranch’s Keith Stansell hostage deep in the South American jungle. The Colombian military freed Stansell and 14 of his fellow hostages on July 2, 2008, allowing Stansell to return home to his family. But it took him till this year to tell his story in full, in the memoir he co-authored with three others — Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle. Stansell didn’t speak much to the media, either, making just one appearance on CNN. “I noticed that many hostages once they are released seem to talk endlessly,” he told the Bradenton Herald. “I didn’t want to do that. I thought it was better to assemble my thoughts and feelings.” We certainly respect Stansell’s patience, and it makes the revelation of all he went through all the more powerful.

Bookmark to:

BEST COSTUME DESIGNERS
David Zinn and Jacob Cliner

It’s long been noted that the first part of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale is written like a tragedy, and that the second part has the unmistakable shape of a comedy. But who would have guessed that one could make this distinction by dressing the inhabitants of “Sicily” in modern tuxedos and evening gowns, and the denizens of “Bohemia” in hippie togs from the late ’60s? The resulting spectacle was delightful, especially when the actors speaking Shakespeare’s pentameter resembled Jimi Hendrix and Grace Slick, and the spies on certain young lovers were decked out like refugees from the Allman Brothers. Winter’s Tale was a success for several good reasons, but one of the best was Zinn and Cliner’s costuming. Groovy, man.

Bookmark to:

BEST ALL-IN-ONE STREET CORNER
Main Street and 301

As with most cities, downtown parking is at a premium in Sarasota. A one-stop shopping spot with a substantial parking garage? Unheard of! But it does exist, at the corner of Main Street and 301. Imagine a typical day: The morning starts with elbowing through courthouse patrons and police officers at Buddha Belly for coffee and donuts, and the night ends with movies at Hollywood 20 and drinks at Evie’s. In between, get fit at the Y or Evolution and grab a smoothie from Elite or Tropical Smoothie. Then, shopping for surf and skate gear at V-Town or a new look from the color bar at Hair By Hoch. All this can build a city-sized appetite and our corner does not disappoint with pizza from Bravo or diner-style sandwiches at The Main Bar to gourmet Italian at Mediaterraneo or everyman favorite Applebee’s. Top it off with a double-scoop from Cold Stone and call it a day.

Bookmark to:

BEST NEW RESTAURANT
MoZaic
1377 Main St., Sarasota, 951-6272 or mozaicsarasota.com

BEST RESTAURANT
Word of Mouth
6604 Gateway Ave., Sarasota, 925-2400 or wordofmouthsrq.com; 3981 Cattleman Road, 377-0239; 711 S. Osprey Ave., 365-1800

BEST CHEF
Rick Monroe, Sun Garden Café
210 Avenida Madera, Sarasota, 346-7170 or siestasungarden.com

BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
Buddha Belly Donuts
1990 Main St., Ste. 112, Sarasota, 952-0700

(more…)

Bookmark to: