Creative Loafing Tampa

Fifth edition of Hands Across the Sand draws line against oil drilling and fracking

Terrence Smith — Sat, 18 May 2013 18:25:00 -0400

At the Bilmar Beach Resort on Treasure Island, hundreds gathered for the fifth edition of Hands Across the Sand, a gathering of those opposed to offshore drilling and and the use of dirty fuels. The event was one of four in the Bay Area.…

Adamo Drive Mural almost ready to be unveiled

Nicole Abbett — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:26:00 -0400

Join Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Tampa community leaders this Tuesday, May 21, to celebrate the newly finished Adamo Drive Mural. The dedication is taking place at 2 p.m. which will include a preliminary session with the artist, Michael Parker, and a reception afterward.…

The Office ends on a high note

Erik Hahmann — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:14:00 -0400

I’ve watched a lot of shows to completion. All of them have one thing in common; I used DVD or Netflix to finish them.…

Harvey Milk Festival set this weekend

Tiffany Razzano — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:16:00 -0400

This weekend, Sarasota once again celebrates the life of the first openly gay politician with the fourth annual Harvey Milk Festival.

The three-day event espouses the late Milk’s ideals by showcasing emerging musicians and artists who support diversity and reject discrimination, while promoting equality for the LGBT community.…

Conservative group rallies in Florida to keep ban on "avowed" gay Boy Scouts

Mitch Perry — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:27:00 -0400

Boy Scout delegates will decide next week if the ban on gay Scouts remains or not. Supporters of the ban held rallies in 40 cities on Friday, including Tampa, urging delegates to "Keep sex and politics out of the Boy Scouts" and vote no on the resolution.…

Renoir paints a beautiful picture

Joe Bardi — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:11:00 -0400

The Tampa Theatre imports a little summer counterprogramming from France. by Joe Bardi French import Renoir, opening this weekend at the Tampa Theatre, is the anti-summer blockbuster. A stately period piece set in the French Riviera, the movie is a slow, quiet look at the relationship between painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Michel Bouquet), his son Jean (Vincent Rottiers) and the actress Andrée Heuschling (Christa Theret).…

Hillsborough County homeless population drops dramatically

Mitch Perry — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:44:00 -0400

The Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County announced today that the number of homeless people in Hillsborough stands at 2,275 — a 47 percent decrease from the 2011 count of 4,681.

You may not be familiar with that 4,681 number, since the Coalition announced in 2011 that there were over 17,000 homeless people in the county, a stunningly high number that seemed to indicate that the problem here was worse here than anywhere else in the nation.…

Mitch Perry Report: TPD being questioned (again) in Al Fox DUI case

Mitch Perry — Fri, 17 May 2013 07:51:00 -0400

Two newspapers are reporting this morning that Al Fox, best known for his passionate advocacy for liberalizing relations with Cuba, was pulled over after driving past the speed limit on Dale Mabry Highway back in February, and then tested for a D.U.I. Reportedly Fox failed a field sobriety examination, though when when he was given a Breathalyzer, his blood-alcohol level tested at 0.000.

Nevertheless he was busted and held overnight in jail, before being released the next day.…

Get out your LGBT weekend calendar

Tiffany Razzano — Fri, 17 May 2013 05:41:00 -0400

If you're still looking to make weekend plans, there are plenty of LGBT events in the Tampa Bay area.

The Tampa Museum of Art, 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza, hosts its eighth annual Pride & Passion event on Saturday, May 18 starting at 8 p.m. The event features cuisine from Timpano Italian Chophouse, complimentary cocktails and beverages, entertainment and gallery admission.…

Tampa goes green

Linda Saul-Sena — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:05:00 -0400

A community comes together to create a pathway connecting Tampa’s greenspaces. by Linda Saul-Sena Imagine walking with friends under shady trees, protected from motorists, en route from the community garden to the neighborhood cafe. Ahh!…

Jon & Jen take a musical trip through the decades

Mark E. Leib — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:04:00 -0400

freeFall Theatre’s latest production is a lovely but superficial tour of American life from the ’50s to the ’90s. by Mark E. Leib John & Jen is a lovely but mostly superficial tour of American life from the ’50s to the ’90s. Nicely performed and sung by Katie Zaffrann and Chris Crawford, it offers intelligent lyrics, pleasant but forgettable music, and a storyline so hurried that there’s never much opportunity to think about the momentous years it references.…

Race headlong fearless

Peter Meinke — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:03:00 -0400

The legacy of Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays. by Peter Meinke You gave us a vision of grace a Greek statue cast in Africa touched to life…

Speculation on gay marriage from the perspective of an unmarriageable lesbian

Alicia Deer — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:21:00 -0400

Gay marriage is now legal in 12 states. Rhode Island, Delaware and Minnesota recently hopped the short fence to land on the right side of history.…

EMILY's List highlights Jessica Ehrlich in her 2014 race against Bill Young

Mitch Perry — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:13:00 -0400

Last night, the D.C.-based group EMILY's List named six Democrats running for Congress next year as "On The List," including Jessica Ehrlich in St. Petersburg and Gwen Graham in Tallahassee. Both will be running against Republican incumbents next year, and this mention can only help them gain recognition as they gear up their campaigns.…

Tampa nears enacting ordinance to reduce car-stereo noise

Mitch Perry — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:28:00 -0400

The City of Tampa is less than a month away from enacting an ordinance designed to crack down on motorists who refuse to turn down the volume on their car stereos, with repeat offenders looking at a possible jail sentence.

The Tampa City Council, upon its first reading, approved a proposed ordinance that will outlaw car noise that can be heard from 50 feet away or more.…

Tampa cyclists ride for safer streets

Chrystal Tacker — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:44:00 -0400

Cyclists gathered at Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa sporting Wednesday night wearing reflective gear, helmets, and lights. These bicyclists decided to join the ride throughout downtown in an effort to raise awareness for bicycle and pedestrian safety on the roadways.…

Mitch Perry Report: Tribune urges Rick Scott to veto study of HART/PSTA merger

Mitch Perry — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:20:00 -0400

The Tampa Tribune's editorial page today is coming out forcefully in advocating that Governor Rick Scott veto the $200,000 added into the state budget by Clearwater area GOP state Senator Jack Latvala for a new "desk study" evaluating the prospects of a merger between HART & PSTA, the two respective transit agencies for Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties.

The paper notes the $100,000 study conducted by the agencies last year (that one paid by the agencies - this one would be paid for by Tallahassee, or you could say, taxpayers).…

Seminole Heights residents speak up on potential dog park

Terrence Smith — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:17:00 -0400

The city of Tampa's Parks and Recreation Department sought the locals opinion about a potential dog park added to Henry and Ola Park Wednesday night at the Seminole Garden Center.

Karen Cashon and Heather Wolf-Erickson presented a concept for the park, which would be a fenced-in area in an undeveloped part of Henry and Ola Park.…

Florida Dems search for a gubernatorial candidate

Mitch Perry — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:05:00 -0400

The speculation runs rampant as Democrats ponder who will run against Rick Scott. by Mitch Perry After nearly 90 minutes of not so scintillating rhetoric from various local Democrats, former Republican Governor Charlie Crist took to the stage at the Tampa Convention Center last Saturday night, the keynote speaker for the Hillsborough County Democratic Party’s Kennedy King Dinner. It was the biggest Democratic Party event for Crist since he switched from independent last December.…

Patrick Wilson rocks out

Julian Hernandez — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:04:00 -0400

Actor/singer Patrick Wilson talks about making music for charity with his brothers in The Wilson Van. by Julian Hernandez Editor’s Note: Julian Hernandez won the “Interview Your Favorite Band” item in CL’s 2012 Holiday Auction, and when The Wilson Van confirmed a gig in downtown St. Pete, it proved to be a perfect fit: The winner of an auction to benefit The Children’s Home uses his win to interview a St. Pete-bred actor playing with his family band to benefit the Gold Shield Foundation. You likely recognize Patrick Wilson’s face from films like Hard Candy, Insidious, and The Watchmen, and most memorably from a recent steamy guest spot on HBO’s Girls.…

A week of Skipperdome CD release shows: Joel Tatangelo, Geoff Abraham, Applebutter Express

Leilani Polk — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:02:00 -0400

by Leilani Polk This week, the Skipperdome presents album release parties featuring three noteworthy local acts on three separate nights. Opening the fresh material festivities is Joel Tatangelo Band, its namesake guitarist renowned for slide guitar chops that have only grown more polished over the seven years he’s been active in the scene.…

This week in Tampa Bay area live music: Bad Veins, Ghostface Killah featuring Adrian Younge & more

Leilani Polk — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:01:00 -0400

Concerts, May 16-22. by Leilani Polk and Andrew Silverstein THURSDAY, MAY 16Nappy Roots w/J-Killz/Pat Ferg/Luke The funky Kentucky foursome returns to town with their signature feel-good flavor. Rising to prominence in the early ’00s, Nappy Roots were key players in putting Southern hip-hop on the map with singles “Awnaw,” “Po’ Folks,” and “Roun’ The Globe.” They’ve never quite maintained the platinum-selling status garnered by their full-length debut Watermelon, Chicken, & Gritz, but they have maintained a regular touring presence and hit St. Pete often, this time supporting their latest album/mixtape, Nappy Roots Presents Sh!ts Beautiful.…

It’s R Bar

Tom Scherberger — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Welcome to Treasure Island’s newest brewpub. by Tom Scherberger It’s 10 to 6 on a Thursday night at Tampa Bay’s newest brewpub and the bar is already thick with diners, mostly older, white-haired regulars tucking into the all-you-can-eat special. Tonight it’s snow crabs, tomorrow catfish.…

See you in Canton, Ronde

Bill Freitas — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

The Bucs and their fans owe plenty to Ronde Barber. by Bill Freitas 1997: The first year Tampa Bay traded the creamsicled Bucco Bruce in exchange for pewter pants. Bill Clinton began his second term, The Spice Girls movie and Home Alone 3 were raking in hundreds at the box office, “I’m Too Sexy” blared from my car stereo with the windows down to the confused horror of fellow motorists, and Nike realized there is such a thing as bad advertising when they discovered members of Heaven’s Gate sporting their footwear for the misguided suicidal trip to Haley’s Comet.…

A look back at the 32nd annual Tropical Heatwave, Ybor City

Tyler Killette — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Photos included; CL-produced video forthcoming. by Tyler Killette and Tracy May Editor's Note: I sent CL intern/USF Crow’s Nest News Editor Tyler Killette to cover this year’s Tropical Heatwave. I was looking for a fresh perspective on an old classic and she definitely delivered.…