Arts & Entertainment: Daily Loaf, Creative Loafing Tampa

WMNF's Talking Animals celebrates a decade on the air

Julie Garisto — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:03:44 -0400

For the past 10 years, DJ Duncan Strauss has driven a long commute (all the way from Jupiter!) to work tirelessly and for free, championing the rights of animals and the tunes that they inspire on his beloved 88.5-FM radio show Talking Animals, which celebrates its decade anniversary this week.

Throughout the years, the show has had celeb pet lovers like Jane Goodall, Alec Baldwin, Temple Grandin, Jean-Michel Cousteau (son of ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau), Bob Barker, Janeane Garofalo and even Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.

Salute Strass and tune into a broadcast of popular local artists, like Rebekah Pulley, Ronny Elliott, Judy Tampa, Harry Hayward, Anne Van Atta, and some other notable locals.

It's also the first Talking Animals in June not preempted by the station's fund drive. Hey, another reason to tune in.

What are your favorite animal-themed tunes, tune into Strauss' show and let him know!

The 10th Anniversary Talking Animals Show aired live 9 a.m. Wed., June 19. If you missed it, listen on the station's archive at wmnf.org.

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Stuffing the beach bag for a summer full of reading

William McKeen — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 17:44:00 -0400

Time to load up the beach bag for summer reading. Here’s what I have so far:

Springsteen on Springsteen by Jeff Burger (Chicago Review Press, $27.95). Think you have enough Springsteen books? Think again, Bubba. Until the boss writes an autobiography, this is the next-closest thing: a collection of interviews, speeches and the occasional letter to the editor by Bruce. A highlight: his beautiful speech inducting Bob Dylan into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. It’s a superb collection.

That’s Not Funny, That’s Sick by Ellin Stein (W.W. Norton, $27.95). This is a terrific narrative of the comic revolution at the dawn of the 1970s. The book focuses on the epicenter of this comedy, National Lampoon, and its stars, Doug Kenney, Michael O’Donoghue and P.J. O’Rouke. The Lampoon was wickedly funny then and this well-crafted saga ought to help you appreciate the breakthroughs. One complaint: no illustrations. What’s up with that?

Lee Marvin Point Blank by Dwayne Epstein (Schaffner Press, @27.95). It’s time to revisit this movie tough guy, who’s been gone now for a quarter century. Epstein covers Marvin’s early life, his war record, and his steady rise from tough-guy and heavy roles to brutal leading man. Seems that Marvin excelled in every role he attempted, even as a singer in “Paint Your Wagon.”

The Twitter History of the World by Kelvin MacKenzie and Chas Newkey-Burden (John Blake, $9.95). On second thought, don’t take up space in the beach bag with this book. It’s basically a couple of viral jokes and memes you’ve already seen on Facebook and Twitter, only not done as well.

Questions to Which the Answer is “No!” by John Rentoul (Elliott and Thompson, $19.95). At first, we’re hoping this is like those “two-minute mystery” books they used to sell us when we were kids. So we’re envisioning this as a collection of two-minute episodes of “Mythbusters.” Instead, it’s something pulled together from the blog of an English journalist, and, honestly, not that interesting. Toss it out of the bag.

The Best Film You’ve Never Seen by Robert K. Elder (Chicago Review Press, $16.95). Good idea: ask a lot of great young directors about their favorite semi-obscure films. This will be the book that launched a thousand Netflix queues. Nice to see young directors appreciating something strange, such as The Swimmer, and to see that the grave and immaculate Man for All Seasons has informed the work of Kevin Smith.

Full Upright and Locked Position by Mark Gerchick (W.W. Norton, $24.95). Work on your tan locally. You don’t want to read this excellent book on a beach in Rio with the thought of a return-flight hanging over your head. Gerchick looks at every aspect of plane travel, from safety to security to comfort. What he finds ain’t pretty.

Love Him Madly by Judy Huddleston (Chicago Review Press, $16.95). This is a well-written memoir of life as Jim Morrison’s girlfriend during the peak of The Doors’ fame. Huddleston became a writing teacher, published in a variety of literary journals, which makes this a more compelling read than most such memoirs.

A former faculty member at the University of Florida, McKeen now chairs the journalism department at Boston University. He is the author most recently of Mile Marker Zero, Outlaw Journalist and Homegrown in Florida.

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Roads less taken: Glimpses of downtown St Pete's alley art

Chip Weiner — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:20:00 -0400

Artist Bill "Woo" Correira died last year. This mural was started around midnight on the night of his death by his friends according to one passerby. It is painted on the side of the Sleepworks store on Sixth Street.

Have you seen the murals behind the shops and galleries of Central Avenue in St. Petersburg? They stand out amidst the old mattresses, broken beer bottles, and ugly dumpsters that traditionally go with back alleys. They are nice, bright, big public works of art created by different artists behind several businesses. According to some of the residents I spoke with, murals are popping up all over the city. These are between Central Avenue and First Avenue North, in the 600 block district.

Mural behind the State Theater at 687 Central Ave.

I envy St. Petersburg. They have got some of the coolest art districts in the area and residents enthusiastic about art. Central Avenue is one, the Warehouse District is another, not to mention Beach Drive with its more formal Museum of Fine Arts and Dale Chihuly Exhibit among others. But, alas, I am a Tampa resident.

Don't get me wrong, we have good stuff like the Tampa Museum of Art and The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts.There are some other smatterings. Seminole Heights has places like The Tempus Project and Susan Gott's Pheonix Project. There are some great murals along Florida Ave. and the north end of Franklin street.

But it's not the same. The last three pieces of public art that I heard any noise about were the busts of people along Riverwalk who helped put Tampa on the map, the "Exploding Chicken" that has been re-erected in the Channelside District, and the new work produced under the artistic direction of muralist Michael Parker on Adamo Drive in Ybor City. Much of Tampa's art scene is too formal or too spread out. And, one may wonder if the majority of Tampa residents even care.

Mural behind The Trunk Stylists shop at 651 Central Ave., St Petersburg.

Mural behind 1 of 1 Customs, 659 Central Ave.

As I walked down the alley in the early morning light shooting these photographs, people going to work and people driving by stopped to explain what the murals were, where there were more, and what some of them meant. They had a personal investment in telling even a stranger about the art in their neighborhood. Tampa needs more of that. Not only the provision of space for such works, but a core of enthusiasm from the people around it.

This mural of painter Frida Kahlo is behind Art Explored 627 - 631 Central Ave.

I get it. Street art isn't for everyone. It's bright, bold, and some of it takes on that graffiti look. It's urban art. It’s still enviable. It's so not-stodgy or formal. It's public, and to enjoy it one doesn't need to buy a ticket or have a membership. And it's recyclable. It can be painted over and something new can go up.
For the longest time there was an alley in Ybor City next to what is now The Relevant Church which was filled with colorful graffiti. On any given Saturday morning one might find find several photographers there with models, brides and grooms, rap artists, or just people interested in the art form. It's gone now. Most Ybor street art disappeared from the historic district before the Republican National Convention in 2012, and the last vestige of it in that alley got painted over in the last several months.

I am not endorsing a free-for-all defacing anyone's property. I am talking about creating a place where artists can go and express themselves inside and out in Tampa, be recognized, sell things if they want to, and create a community around art. A place where the public can go and appreciate the arts for arts sake. Not one or two stores or three or four sculptures. You know, a district, where if a little graffiti pops up, an acoustic jam breaks out, or a newbie wants to get in to the business they are welcomed enthusiastically.

Even the old trees have become sculpture-esque as they have been allowed to stay attached to the walls behind the Crislip Arcade, 645 Central Ave.

Art among the dumpsters and mattresses in the Central Art District alley.

Seminole Heights, Ybor City, any warehouse district will work. Come on Tampa. St Petersburg is kicking our art butt. They have taken blight and made it beautiful.

If you've not seen these pieces you owe it to yourself to take a tour. They really are brilliant but easy to miss.

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Tiki dreams, lipstick and leis: A look back at Hukilau

Carol Cortright — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:08:00 -0400

Hi. My name is Carol and I am a Tikiphile. Until recently, I didn’t know there was a name for this tropical obsession, let alone an entire technicolor subculture devoted to all things Tiki, inspired by the American pop culture phenomenon that lasted from the 1930s through the late 1960s.

Some Tikiphiles were born when, as kids, we were enthralled with the exotic adventures of Gilligan’s Island and the mysterious and few tiki-themed restaurants and roadside attractions that remained during our 1970s childhood. We escaped from Disney’s Magic Kingdom and snuck off to the Polynesian Resort as soon as the grownups turned us loose. Every car trip to the beach was a trans-Pacific flight to Hawaii. Eventually, our island dreams faded into the background as adulthood attempted to clamp down on our existence.

But then the tropical jungles in our imaginations started creeping back as jungles do and we found out about a Fort Lauderdale event called The Hukilau (June 6-9), which bills itself as “the most authentic Tiki experience in the world.” We knew we had to go. Since we just opened a funky little vintage boutique that carries 1950s pin-ups, Tiki Gardens T-shirts and a bunch of other cool stuff, we decided to make it a working vacation and we set up shop in The Hukilau’s Tiki Treasures Bazaar.

Minding a booth in the Bazaar is the best place to watch the Polynesian Pop parade of weekend islanders. All activities, including symposiums (“The Wild West Indies” with Beachbum Berry! Cocktails included!) and special appearances (legendary pinup photographer Bunny Yeager!), were contained within the Yankee Clipper Hotel, a 1950s modern masterpiece now known as the Sheraton Beach Hotel. And with this particular weekend’s monsoon, we enjoyed the added bonus of last-minute band relocations out of the elements and into the dry, cozy Yankee Clipper ballrooms containing the Bazaar.

—The Sights: Pure escapism, surrounding oneself in an environment that evokes the lush tropical mystique of a South Seas Island, carved wooden totems, lots of bamboo and a pantheon of tiki mugs for imbibing rum-laced elixirs.

—The Sounds: Sometimes, it's multilayered Exotica (Sweden’s Ixtahuele!), a smooth aural tapestry of cool jazz and hot jungle beats incorporating all manner of mysterious percussion instruments and other times, it's grinding surf guitar buoyed by primal drumming (the Intoxicators!).

—The Sips: Rum. Anything with rum. The molasses overtones, the juicy fruit brightness...Striving to reach the level of original Tiki mixologist Don the Beachcomber’s 1930s “rum rhapsodies.”

—The Threads: This is the best-dressed crowd I’ve ever laid eyes on. All the hottest midcentury looks wrapped up in one gloriously happy riot of color. Bold and cheery mod-tropical prints and blazing red lips on the gals, flowers in their hair, of course — and on the fellas, a botanical wonderland of vintage Hawaiian shirts (and some awe-inspiring handlebar mustaches!).

—The Jewel in the Crown: Multiple pilgrimages to that Pinnacle of Polynesian Pop Palaces, Ft. Lauderdale’s venerable Mai Kai, built in 1956. I still marvel that a place like this can exist and thrive in the 21st century. Words can’t do it justice. Check it out for yourself some time! MaiKai.com

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Inside the photo booth: Art gallery owner Mindy Solomon

Kevin Tighe — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:42:00 -0400

Tampa Bay native Mindy Solomon is the owner and director of the Mindy Solomon Gallery.

The Mindy Solomon Gallery is an international showcase for contemporary art presenting sculpture, drawings, paintings, and photography. The gallery is located near the Dali Museum in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg.

Kevin Tighe is a professional photographer residing in Dunedin. His images have appeared in numerous local and national media including Rolling Stone, NBC, USA Today and The Tampa Bay Times. He is available for portraits and private events.

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Mayor Buckhorn engages in a touching display at the Florida Aquarium

Nicole Abbett — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:15:00 -0400

The new Stingray Beach at the Florida Aquarium held its official grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday night, recognizing the completion of the first phase of the Rising Tides Capital Campaign.

Mayor Bob Buckhorn joined Florida Aquarium President and CEO Thom Stork, The Echevarrias, and DeSoto Elementary School Principal Michele Keltner for this celebratory occasion.

Located upstairs in the Bays and Beaches Gallery, Stingray Beach made its debut Memorial Day Weekend, allowing visitors to get close to multiple species of sharks and stingrays as well as a variety of shore birds who were rescued from the wild. Downstairs, the old stingray pool is being transformed into a horseshoe crab exhibit, to be debuted later this year.

The giant pool that houses the stingrays is over two times the size of the previous one. It includes 10 different species of stingrays and sharks — the white spotted bamboo, the brown banded bamboo, the coral catshark, the epaulette shark, the cownose ray, the southern ray, the blue-spotted ray, the southern guitarfish, the atlantic guitarfish and the clearnose skate. Touching the fishes silky skin has never been easier.

The expansion costs total $15 million; $10 million of which have been raised thus far. “As we dedicate and commission and cut this ribbon tonight I want to thank two people, Mike and Laurie Echevarria," said York. "It was their funding that helped us build this. Mike is a chairman of the board and a dear friend … all of this is just one more commitment of the Aquarium to Channelside and to downtown Tampa. For 18 years we’ve been growing. We’ve been the cornerstone of everything that developed in Channelside and we’re so proud of that.”

Mike Tippy and Scott McKeown of Culter Associates worked around the clock to bring this phase of the project and the new Channelside Conference Room to fruition. On the third floor of the Aquarium, directly above Stingray Beach, a 71-foot-by-32-foot meeting room was also added on and boasts spectacular views through floor to ceiling glass windows of the outside play area at the Aquarium, the Port and Channelside Drive. On the exterior, you will find overlapped stainless steel pieces that resemble fish scales. Depending on where you stand or what time of the day it is, the hues shift. Funding was provided by Jeff and Penny Vinik and the finishing touches are being executed now.

Carol and Barney Barnett delivered the funding for the new education center. The Aquarium currently has two classrooms and will soon have five. Future expansion plans also include a ballroom that will hold 600 guests.

Do the stingray shuffle and head over to the Florida Aquarium to check out the new digs.

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"Let's stop talking and do some walking": the Prancercise revolution (with video)

Julie Garisto — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 14:33:00 -0400

This past winter did a number on my health, and I'm still dealing with the aftermath of the Bronchitis 2012-13 tour of my upper respiratory system — even today.

So, since I fell off my semi-religious routine of aerobics and outdoor exercise, I'm now 20 pounds mas, wondering what I've missed on the fitness frontier.

Sure, there's been a lot of god awful miserableness a la Insanity and CrossFit — boot-camp-style workouts that torture and bully you into shape with extreme calisthenics and PTSD. Not for me, thanks. I do not feel a masochistic urge for optional abuse, nor to partake of an activity that would plague me with flashbacks of screaming camo-short-shorts-clad SoHo women in headsets.

Delightful was what I was after, and I'm just prancing with glee that I found it in the form of Prancercise, a free-spirited walking/dancing routine you can engage in outdoors, conceived by fitness guru

Joanna Rohrback.

"It's about self-expression, and liberating yourself from the fitness chains," says Rohrback, who looks like Rosanna Arquette's long lost biological mom."

I don't know precisely what hooked me — her smooth moves, the smooth jazz to mock-AC/DC/piano honky tonk rock studio soundtrack or the look of vaguely joyful abandon on Rohrback's face, but her Prancercise definitely has me intrigued.

Wanna join me? Grab your ankle weights, put on your tightest leggings and meet me on Bayshore!

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Last day for the Sandstorm and RIP to theme park favorites

Julie Garisto — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 12:01:00 -0400

Nowadays young people require more technology and less imagination to get excited, and we have to accept that the sentimental, low-frills favorites of our childhood — like the swirly orbiter ride Sandstorm, at Busch Gardens Tampa — eventually bite the dust.

Located in the Timbuktu area of the park, the Sandstorm opened in December 1979. Following the Sandstorm’s departure, Busch Gardens Tampa will announce future plans for Timbuktu, a park spokesperson says.

Robert Niles of the Theme Park Insider described the Sandstorm as as "an attraction that has a rotating base with six arms attached to it, with three cars attached to the end of each arm. Each car can seat two people, making for a total of 36 passengers per ride. When the ride starts the base rises and stars to rotate. As the base rotates, each arm rotates its set of three cars at the same time. Also as the base is rising, the arms fan outwards so as the cars are spinning they are angled, so the riders are turning and going up and down, all at the same time. The ride itself lasts for about 2-3 minutes."

It wasn't much different than the spinning contraptions we ride at carnivals, but the ride is at so many carnivals 'cause it's breezy, dizzy fun.

While we're at it, let's pay tribute to some other recreation/theme park favorites of the past — bygone treasures that made up in charm what they lacked in bells and whistles:

Eastern Airlines' If You Could Fly at Walt Disney World's Tomorrowland — with the easy-listening-stuck-in-your-head-all-day-theme-song "If You Had Wings" playing during a super low-tech simulation travel adventure ride. It was groovy with a Mad Men, Jetsons, '60s-futuristic aesthetic.

Aquatarium in St. Pete Beach (I was blissfully oblivious to dolphin-training conditions as a child.)

Tiki Gardens, a tropical garden park with cute spider monkeys, in Indian Shores.

Waterslide World, in the Pinellas Park/Largo area. It pre-dated Adventure Island by a few years, and its faux-stone plaster was kind of bumpy (hence the rubber sliding mats).

Kapok Tree, Clearwater, home of the city's oldest largest oak tree. The building was converted into a music store — Guitar Center, right? [No, Sam Ash; thanks, Jason Atheney.] It was on McMullen-Booth Road, near Ruth Eckerd Hall. Went there for my junior prom.
And, of course, that erstwhile inverted-pyramid attraction known as the Pier. It was never that exciting, but it had special events, a lovely view and was somewhere to take out-of-town visitors.

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Believe the hype! Straz dazzles with season preview

Julie Garisto — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 15:09:00 -0400

A large crowd filled the Straz Center's Ferguson Hall Thursday night for select live numbers and a video preview of next year's Broadway musicals — in addition to plays by Jobsite Theater and limited-engagement events — hosted by cheeky and charming Broadway celeb/guru Seth Rudetsky, who'll be headlining in his own event at the Straz, Seth Rudetsky’s My Big Fat Broadway Show, Nov. 9-10.

Rudetsky joked and mimicked and pointed out on-stage bloopers with humorous freeze frames throughout the night, providing bonus flair and preventing the event from degenerating into a canned infomercial. The crowd guffawed at Rudetsky's narration of a video montage capturing the many times thirsty Andrew Scott Rannells licked his lips during his performances in The Book of Mormon.

Speaking of the hotly anticipated, nine-time Tony-winning musical, which ushers in the 2013-14 Bank of America Best of Broadway Tampa Bay Series, Nov. 12-24, a Straz-created video promo began the Broadway video presentations of the two suited principals riding in on bikes with backpacks into the entrance of the Straz. Upon their supposed arrival, Rudetsky made the first doorbell-rung entrance (of many to follow), through a faux front door, dressed in the play's iconic black-and-white suit. The Book of Mormon, by the creators of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, is a comedic missionary adventure that The New York Times praises as “the best musical of this century.”

I myself am especially excited about Once (Feb. 11-16) — having seen the musical's motion-picture inspiration, and been rendered a speechless puddle by its stars, Swell Season's Glen Hansard and musician/vocalist Markéta Irglová, in concert. The 2012 Tony Award-winning Best Musical takes place in a bar/cafe that will be open for business to real-life patrons in the audience, providing a uniquely interactive experience.

The rest of the Broadway season is just about as impressive, most notably the 2012 Tony Award-winning Best Revival of a Musical The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (Jan. 14-19), and the new musical stage version of Ghost (April 22-27) looks to be a visual spectacle with powerful ballads. Plus, there's the new Broadway revival of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita! (March 18-23) and Queen and Ben Elton’s We Will Rock You (May 13-18). Perennial faves return for limited engagements — the Tony winner/Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons bio-revue Jersey Boys (April 8-13) and Stomp (May 1-3).

One of the more surprising and unusual moments of the media preview belonged to a cute, alarmingly lifelike herbivore from Erth’s Dinosaur Petting Zoo (Feb. 28-March 2). Spencer Meyers performed a highly rocking rendition of "Great Balls of Fire" from Return to the Forbidden Planet (June 10-July 6), a cult classic set to the hits of The Animals, The Byrds, The Beach Boys and more, co-presented by Straz and Jobsite Theater.

Straz's preview also showcased regional theater stars Michelle Knight (Jersey Boys national tour) and Lulu Picart (American Stage's Rocky Horror and freeFall's The Man of La Mancha), who performed a number from the new, original musical comedy Disenchanted! (Jan. 28-April 13) — part of the 2013-2014 Bank of America Best of Broadway Tampa Bay Series. The play spoofs fairy-tale heroines Snow White, Cinderella and other heroines unhappy about how they've been exploited by films and theme parks.

The Nat Geo Live! series returns, bringing us more world-class writers, photographers, filmmakers, scientists, explorers and adventurers from the National Geographic media empire: Diving Pristine Seas with Enric Sala, marine ecologist (Oct. 8), Grizzlies, Piranhas and Man-eating Pigs with Joel Sartore, photographer and National Geographic fellow (Jan. 14) and The Search for Life Beyond Earth with Kevin Hand, planetary scientist/astrobiologist (April 1).

Alton Brown, the Iron Chef host and TV personality, hosts an evening of stand-up comedy, talk show antics, multimedia lecture, live music and food experimentation in Alton Brown Live! The Edible Inevitable Tour (March 1, 8 p.m.). The celeb will spray it and say it — we hear ponchos will be provided to patrons in the front rows. Billed as "a must-see extravaganza."

Two dancers of New York's famed Rockettes with bay area connections — Jeanne Logan Cargill and Deana Brinkley — kicked it onstage to promote their Christmas Spectacular. The following morning they promoted the show running Dec. 12-29 with a show-kick lesson for sports kickers/Tampa Bay Rowdies Jordan Gafa (6), Luke Mulholland (8), Georgi Hristov (10) and Amani Walker (16). The Tampa Bay Rowdies — the reigning North American Soccer League champs for all you who stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the world sport of futbol — are also celebrating having eliminated the three-time champion Seattle Sounders FC 1-0 at the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Third Round.

The Straz's 2013-14 season also includes the Scottish Ballet’s new take on A Streetcar Named Desire (Oct. 13). Tampa is just one of three U.S. cities to
host the production. Dance lovers can also travel east with Aparna Ramaswamy, who performs Sannidi (Sacred Space) (April 30).

Other highlights included a rundown of the 2013-2014 Club Jaeb season with Melissa Ferrick, Red Molly, Gretchen Peters, Amy Speace, Del Barber and Rose Cousins, and a live performance of the "Toreador" arias from Carmen (Fri., March 14, and Sun., March 16), introduced by cheerful Straz prez/Opera Tampa founder Judy Lisi in a bright red satin bolero. Lisi joked later that when presenting at Straz events she liked to wear clothing that can be seen "a mile away."

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St. Petersburg Opera ushers in June — amusingly (with video)

Julie Garisto — Thu, 30 May 2013 16:21:00 -0400

What happens when the richest man in Vienna plans to entertain his guests with both an opera and an Italian burlesque? Well, in the first act of St. Petersburg Opera's Ariadne auf Naxos, things get competitive and tempers flare — a situation all too familiar to arts patrons.

The action revolves around the panic of two pieces that must be performed at the same time, but in the second act, the goodness of artistic human nature prevails with one performance, offering the improvised, combined efforts of the opera and burlesque troupes. The work within a work conveys a touching story about love lost and love found.

Artists can come together, after all, right?

Composer Richard Strauss (1864-1949) leads us to believe so. His amusing opera features three major roles for women — starring Elizabeth Beers Kataria as Ariadne —and we're told that all three deliver some of the most virtuosic singing you will ever hear, along with whimsical ensembles and soaring instrumental interludes that combine for an evening of excitement and energy. It's performed in German with English surtitles. Mark Sforzini conducts. Benjamin Spierman is the stage director.

Also stars Hein Jung (professor of music at the University of Tampa) as Zerbinetta, Adam Russell as Bacchus, Deborah Domanski as the composer, and Karl Hesser as the Major-domo. For more, see video promo below.

Show takes place Friday, May 31 at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, June 2 at 2 p.m. and Tuesday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m., at the Palladium Theater, 253 Fifth Ave. N., St. Petersburg. Tickets are $64.50, 49.50, 34.50 and 21.50, available at stpeteopera.org or 727-823-2040.

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Buzzfeed provides comic relief for teacher-itis

Julie Garisto — Thu, 30 May 2013 14:43:00 -0400

It's almost the end of the school year, and teachers are just as antsy and drained as the students with senioritis et al., and with end-of-semester exams making time virtually stand still, excruciating boredom adds to the dreaded mix.

Time fillers and a hearty guffaw have become a necessity, a situation lamented by my high school teacher pal Louise Rocco, who gleefully shared some sweet relief in the way of a May 29 Buzzfeed post. The feature includes photos and graphics of some special jokes and mini-vindications, savored by teachers of all types — from Yo Mamma insertions in math tests to candid cell phone pics to inventive "quiz shaming," a Lady GaGa-inspired periodic chart, clever grading, alternative homework assignments and gay clowning.

Jessica Misener's "33 Teachers Who Got The Last Laugh" — with the tagline, "BREAKING: Your teachers were funnier than you all along" — is a must read for teachers and anyone who learned from one.

So with that, happy summer vacation, Louise, and the rest of you hard-working, unappreciated, bureaucratically tortured teachers.

Hey, you get a 2.5-month vacation and we don't — so, indeed, the last laugh is on us!

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Picture time! Carousel, a slideshow by the pros

Julie Garisto — Wed, 29 May 2013 13:29:00 -0400

Inspired by the bygone family tradition of gathering around the ol’ slide projector, the Carousel photography series showcases work by prominent, (mostly) local photographers — not your drunk dad commanding you to stay in your chair and shut up while he fumbles through yet another round of vacation snapshots. (Ohhhh, that was just my family — my bad.)

At Carousel No. 2, jazz-master Herb Snitzer (that's his photo of Thelonious Monk at left) plus Matt May, Brian Blanco, Melissa Lyttle (her photo above), Eric Larson and Joe Walles show and tell recent works in 3-to-5-minute blocks.

Based on what we’ve seen from this high-caliber crew, the images will fix your gaze, so there should be no beer-bellied barks by your old papa — unless you’re foolish enough to invite him.

Wed., May 29; doors at 7 p.m., $3 suggested donation; 620 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg; cash bar. facebook.com/Carouselshow.

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UT grad freaks the cluck out of So You Think You Can Dance? judges

Julie Garisto — Tue, 28 May 2013 08:58:16 -0400

"This chick can dance!" exclaim the viral posts about dancer Lea (pronounced "Lee") McGowan, circulating around the web o'spheres' big cyber hen party.

Reality TV fans are squawking about University of Tampa grad Lea McGowan, who auditioned on the reality show in a chicken costume. The multitalented actress, comedian, aerialist, performance artist, dancer and more, is now based in Manhattan, and has posted a slew of offbeat and impressive performance videos of many types online since graduation, so the piece is no wild departure for McGowan if you've followed her past work.

She even has a meme dedicated to her:

CL contacted McGowan for an interview to find out what happened after her chicken-fried debut on primetime TV. Before she gets back to us, here's the video of the promo tease of her performance, if you haven't seen it:

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Make Memorial Day weekend memorably fun

Julie Garisto — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:15:54 -0400

The holiday is meant to honor the dearly departed, soldiers who’ve fallen in the line of duty, but remember to have some fun, too. Local attractions and museums salute military men, women and their families throughout the holiday weekend by offering a fleet of freebies — and there's plenty of free, affordable activities for family outings through Monday afternooon.

Military personnel (active-duty and retirees) get in free at Lowry Park Zoo, where a rare newborn rhino named Jiyu may or may not be ready to be gushed over, and other babies on exhibit include the pygmy hippo calf (6 months), African elephant calf (5 months), and okapi calf (4 months and just starting to venture out).

The Florida Aquarium celebrates the grand opening of Stingray Beach, a new exhibit that sports a boardwalk, touchable species of stingrays and sharks, and local shore birds. The Blue Star Museums Initiative has made it possible for more than 1,800 museums to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families up through Labor Day — local spots include the Ringling Museum and Henry B. Plant at UT.

For other locations, visit nea.gov/national/bluestarmuseums. Or, for classically tacky beachy fun, head to Treasure Island’s Bands on the Sand 5, which entertains kids and grown kids Fri.-Sat., May 25-26, noon-10 p.m. Activities, games, vendors, fireworks and, of course, bands, entertain — acts include Black Honkeys, Cope, Sunset Bridge and Applebutter Express. (More info at mytreasureisland.org.)

For more — fun, solemn or otherwise — click here.

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Tampa Bay Unified Auditions registration ends at 5 p.m. today!

Julie Garisto — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:59:00 -0400

If you're a professional stage actor or aspire to be one, take note. Today is the deadline to register for the Tampa Bay Unified Auditions. The following companies are confirmed as attending the auditions:

American Stage Theatre Company, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, freeFall Theatre, Jobsite Theater, Silver Meteor Gallery, Spanish Lyric Theatre, Stageworks Theatre and Tampa Repertory Theatre. All headshots, resumes and registration forms due at 5 p.m. today. Around 40 slots remain.

The professional theater companies checking out talent are looking to hire both Equity and professional Non-Equity actors for their upcoming productions. To participate you must be at least 16 (exceptions may be made for those who have professional acting credits. Send an e-mail request to be pre-qualified). Email tampaunifiedauditions@gmail.com for minors requests and other details.

The auditions are Sat., June 1, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mainstage Theatre, HCC Ybor Performing Arts Building, Corner of E. Palm Avenue and N. 14th Street in Ybor City.

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Landmark victory: American Journey has arrived

Nicole Abbett — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:43:00 -0400

Despite the sweltering heat, more than 100 people showed up to the dedication of the Adamo Drive Mural, American Journey, joining Mayor Bob Buckhorn and mural artist Michael Parker in a dedication ceremony to celebrate its official unobstructed view, allowing all a glimpse of Ybor City’s rich history.

The day started with an artist meet and greet at the Hoffman Porges Gallery in Ybor City at noon. It was an intimate gathering, with Parker and Dave Scott reminiscing on the thousands of man hours spent creating large-scale illustrations on an old warehouse that manufacturers iron and steel building infrastructure.

They talked at length about what the mural embodies: It's a tribute to Ybor City and its history, past and present. The design incorporates three integrating themes and six individual messages reflecting the experience of the Ybor National Historic Landmark District. The center section depicts historical figures and those who have been cast away.

There are two trains of thought that move from the middle to the left and the middle to the right — builders in Tampa on one side and community activists and creators on the other side. The figures were chosen based on physical development, state of mind, and how and what they contributed.

A dedication followed at 2 p.m. in front of the mural. A reception in the refreshing A/C topped off the day at The Bad Monkey in Ybor.

Scott, owner of The Bad Monkey in Ybor, spearheaded the mural's fundraising efforts. Acquiring all of the resources needed took about two years before work actually started last July. Gathering funding for the mural was no easy task and they started by selling cupcakes at the Saturday Market in Ybor. It soon became a public/private partnership as the city of Tampa offered to donate a third of the funds if they could deliver the rest.

Parker shared that mural's creation process involved art instructor Parker's class at Hillsborough Community College, which centered on the process of public art. It was in that class that he used the mural as an example. His students partook in workshops with community members and open design sessions to help guide them to what the content of the imagery should be.

As a class, they formulated a design through sketches, drawings, and photographs. Once the design was approved the production process started, which included erecting the scaffolding, donated by Safway, followed by sanding and priming the exterior of the warehouse. After that, production began with the first brush strokes on the 12,000-square-foot surface area.

American Journey is the largest outdoor original artwork in all of the state of Florida, located in Ybor on Adamo Drive between 17th and 19th streets. The project has been almost three years in the making — almost two full years of planning followed by just shy of a year of production and painting.

One of the portraits portrays Frank Costantino, whose trade was making all of the headstones in Ybor. He was famous for giving them away to people who couldn’t afford them and would also take people in who needed help. He represented the virtues of pride, family and respect. The students picked people who embodied the same type of outlook on life. Costantino represented pride, skill, and compassion, and was, above all, a humanitarian.

Dr. Frank Adamo, the American hero for which State Road 60 (Adamo Drive) is named after, is also a key figure on the mural. He was born in Ybor City in 1893 to an Italian Immigrant family and worked in the cigar factories before becoming a doctor and joining the U.S. Army. Adamo was thought to be dead as he was in captivity for three years in a Japanese POW camp during World War II and can also credited with the treatment for gangrene.

Many businesses such as Safway, who donated scaffolding and Sherwin Williams who donated all of the paint, the undercoating, the epoxy, and the primer stepped up to help make this a reality. It was through this project that Parker met Kevin Schweikhart, owner of Protective Coating Solutions. Schweikhart let them use his network and did all of the grunt work, donating more of his time than they could have ever imagined. "We couldn’t have done this project without him," Parker said. "He secured the donation from Sherwin Williams and another company called Corrosion Specialties, who not only sandblasted the surface area, but towed one of their machines down here from Atlanta."

Other donors include Empire Paint & Hardware of Ybor City who donated all of the painting materials to prep the surface. Columbia Restaurant, Vykin Corporation, Actsoft Corporation and many others bestowed cash donations.

Erecting the scaffolding was the biggest challenge they faced. Parker thought it would be an easy task and told the guys at Safway he and his volunteers construct it. Once there, it was hard to find capable people to put it up. Scott called on his buddies from the Special Forces Motorcycle Club who got the job done. "When you’re volunteers just aren’t cutting it, call in the Special Forces Motorcycle Club," Parker joked.

"This project has been by far one of my favorite things to do," he added. "It’s the largest scale work that I’ve done; it increased my threshold for painting and I can look at things from a different prospective now. The Ybor community has been the most enthusiastic and receptive to a project like this that I’ve worked with. The feedback I’ve received has been unbelievable and I’m still trying to process it all. It made for an unexpected, exciting, and pleasurable experience. I’m sad that it’s over because it’s been my home for awhile."

The man behind the mural, artist Michael Parker, was born and raised in Melrose, Mass. After receiving his Bachelor in Fine Arts degree from UMASS Dartmouth, Parker moved to St. Petersburg in 2001, where he held a job as a commercial fisherman. He also worked at a prop shop called Wizard Studios where he made foam sculptures, large murals, and stage sets for events like Busch Garden’s Howl-O-Scream. On completing his master’s degree in 2005, he began teaching at both USF and HCC. In 2008 he moved to Montana, where he taught drawing, painting, environmental drawing, figure drawing, and community arts at the University of Montana. Since 2010 he has resided in Ruskin, where his 8,000-square-foot studio is also located. Parker executed three other murals in Sulphur Springs and one in Ruskin before embarking on American Journey.

Supported by community volunteers and art students from Hillsborough Community College Ybor Campus, Parker has made his vision a reality. The mural celebrates acceptance, diversity and many things that are still represented in our community today. Hopefully this will act as a catalyst for more great things to come. The three-year journey, as well as the legend of the mural can be found at yborartproject.com.

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"It's Monsoon season, bitches!" The CL interview with RuPaul's Drag Race winner, Jinkx Monsoon

Brian Frederick — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:48:00 -0400

RuPaul's Drag Race has turned American on to plenty of fishy and glamorous drag queens during it's five seasons, but none have stolen more hearts than campy theater queen, Jinkx Monsoon. Jinkx (performed by Jerick Hoffer) went from this year's underdog, all the way to winner, crowned by RuPaul herself. We had the chance to catch up with her as she prepared to bring her act to Tampa past weekend:

“America's Next Drag Superstar”, Jinkx Monsoon has an incredible ring to it, doesn't it? Congratulations on winning Season 5 of RuPaul's Drag Race! Has it set in yet, really?

This week I was able to celebrate at my home bar Julia's on Broadway in Seattle with all my friends and family! It is finally sinking in now that I've gotten the chance to really celebrate with those who were close to me throughout this entire experience. I'm finally ready to take on the whole wide world.

There has been a lot of catty, sometimes hate-filled discourse among drag fans, usually on the Internet. You've really come out and risen above it all. What is it like to be a role model now, and did you foresee yourself becoming one before this whole incredible ride began?

I never set out to become such a role model, but now that I have this opportunity I really enjoy spreading my message of positive thinking and positive energy. My Mantras and personal statements were more my personal inspiration to keep myself energized throughout the competition and less my aspirations to become a role model to the youth but now that I've been given that opportunity I definitely want to use this exposure as a platform for social change!

And along those lines, how can Jinkx Monsoon impact the drag community, and even the LBGT community as a whole, during your reign?

I think Jinkx Monsoon stands up for all of us who challenge the American standards of gender beauty and self-identity. I think she is a role model in the fact that she marches to the beat of her own drum and does things her own way in spite of the way that everyone else would like her to do things. I plan on speaking out on equal rights issues and the gay rights movement and progressing our social consciousness forward to make this world a more accepting and inhabitable place for all of the different people who live here. Jinkx Monsoon the character definitely isn't a paragon of social etiquette, but Jerick Hoffer the performer wants to use this as an opportunity to spread a positive message.

You had quite a bit of opening up, on the show about your relationship with your mother and your upbringing.

I had a lot of mixed emotions about opening up about my family, but ultimately I decided to share certain parts of my story because they are huge turning point and what made me the kind of drag queen artist and human being I am today. I think that you can learn just as much from the tragic moments in your life, if not more, as you can from the successful moments in your life. My mother and I have resolved these issues years ago, but due to the episodes airing we've been able to reflect and really grow from this experience as a family. Drag race more or less brought my family back together in a time when we were kind of disparate and my personal recent success has motivated my brothers to really go for their life dreams and I fully support them and all the things that they do to accomplish their goals in life. When people ask me if I set out to be a role model to the youth of America, I respond that I just set out to be a role model to my younger brothers and if other people can take positive messages from that, I'm happy to provide.

My absolute favorite Jinkx episode was when you gave American veteran Dave a makeover on the soldier challenge. Girl! You made us all tear up. What did you get from that challenge?

It was really easy to be compassionate and caring with Dave because Dave is a compassionate caring person himself. I learned so much from him about the history of the gay rights movement. I learned a lot from him about what veterans actually went through before they were able to be out in the military. Dave has risen above so much adversity in his life and he really lit a fire under me to rise above all my challenges and Drag Race. He believed in me every moment of our time together and it fueled me to keep my head in the game. I have stayed in touch with him since the filming of Drag Race and I feel lucky that I got to take home the crown not just for me, but for Dave and for all the people like Dave who lay down the brickwork for the gay rights movement to be where it's at today.

You're such a talented and gifted performer and actor. How different is drag from acting? Is drag just a deeper form of method acting, in your opinion?

Drag is acting. If you're doing your job right you've created a character and a persona that is unique from your own. I think of drag less like stage acting and more like commedia dell'arte. You create a form to live in, a persona that has life and history of its own and you portray it for your audiences whether you're on stage or just walking around. If you're in costume and you are in drag, you're in character and that's the way I see it.

You describe yourself, Jerrick, as “kind of a goof, and a little bit of a dork,” and Jinkx is “the life of the party”. Where does the light switch flip for that transformation?

For me the transformation isn't complete until every element is in place. It's not enough just to have the make up, the costume, the shoes, the wig on one at a time. They all have to be in place together for me to feel like Jinkx has come to life. The persona of Jinkx has evolved throughout the years, but when I look into the mirror and i see Jinkx looking back at me, that's when I fully snap into character and the rest is kind of out of my hands. It's all improv, it's all on the spot decision-making as my character. Jerick is definitely a dork, but Jinkx is the life of the party because Jinkx insists on being the life of the party. That's just who she is, she wants all eyes on her at all times.

Drag Race winner, Broadway bound, touring the globe — what else should the world expect from Jinkxalicous?

When you come to one of my shows, come with an open mind and be ready to experience whatever might happen that night. I take my job as a performer extremely seriously, and I spend all day trying to concoct the perfect show for that specific audience. I never know what I'm going to do until that day because I really want the inspiration to hit me, but what you can be assured is it will be a top-notch performance from a passionate performer.

If Little Edie (Grey Gardens) and Jinkx's namesake Eddie Monsoon (Absolutely Fabulous) came backstage after one of your drag shows, what do you think their reactions would be?

I hope that little Edie would feel honored by my tribute to her and I hope Edina Monsoon would try to hire me to be her body double for special appearances. Basically I hope they would save my homage to them as a portrayal of my absolute love for who they are and not take any offense to any of it. Or if they did take offense to it I hope that we could laugh our way through it without a lawsuit. Ha ha!

Jinkx Monsoon rocked Hamburger Mary's this past weekend, but be sure to check out the other Drag Race finalists planning on gracing Tampa with their glory:

Hamburger Mary's Bar and Grille Tampa, 1600 E. Seventh Ave., Second Floor; May 24th: Alaska Thunderf**k, 8:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m., May 25th: Alyssa Edwards, 8 p.m., 10:30 p.m., May 26th: Alyssa Edwards, Roxxxy Andrews and Coco Montrese 8:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m., No cover, $10 food and drink minimum, reservations strongly advised; call 813-241-6279 to RSVP.

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Adamo Drive Mural ready to be unveiled

Nicole Abbett — Mon, 20 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 mural, painted on an old warehouse that manufacturers iron and steel building infrastructure, is a tribute to Ybor City and its history, past and present. Local artist Michael Parker taught a class at Hillsborough Community College that centered on the process of public art. It was in that class that he used the mural as an example. His students took part in workshops with community members and open design sessions to help guide them to what the content of the imagery should be. As a class, they formulated a design through sketches, drawings and photographs. Once the design was approved the production process started, which included erecting the scaffolding, donated by Safway, followed by sanding and priming the exterior of the warehouse. After that, production began with the first brush strokes on the 12,000-square-foot surface area.

Supported by community volunteers and art students from Hillsborough Community College Ybor Campus, Parker has made his vision a reality with a design that incorporates three integrating themes and six individual messages relevant to the Ybor National Historic Landmark District.

The Adamo Drive Mural is the largest outdoor original artwork in all of the state of Florida and is located in Ybor City between 17th and 19th streets.

Come find out who and what has shaped Ybor over the years.

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Middle fingers fly as American Idiot invades the Straz Center

Brian Frederick — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:27:00 -0400

Between the head-banging, strobe lighting and angst-filled lyrics, American Idiot might be better suited to an arena rock setting than the musical theater. But punk rockers are wont to rock where punk rockers choose, especially if the setting is less than appropriate. That's not to say that the Green Day rock opera, which played this weekend at the Straz, isn't a great show, because it truly is. Just be prepared to have your face kicked in a (theatrically) punk rock way.

A kinetic, frenzied affair, American Idiot, based on Green Day's multi-platinum fist-pumper of an album, leaves both its performers and audience gasping for air. Rage has a way of pushing everyone to the edge, it seems. The story, expanded from the concept album, focuses on the lives of three discontented young men, each with enough indignation to power the set's multiple video monitors, with some to spare. Johnny (Brandon Kalm), Will (Casey O'Farrell), and Tunny (Thomas Hettrick) are all looking for a way out. Out of their hopeless suburban town, out of the rules that shackle and bind them, and out of the eye of the authority that hovers like a hand grenade. With a handful of bus tickets, the boys think they find their way out, just as Will is chained tighter to settle in suburbia by a girlfriend with a baby bump. Johnny and Tunny run off to the city together, but are quickly separated and swallowed up by drugs and an American war, respectively.

Though the focus is most certainly masculine, it's really the ladies of American Idiot (including Clearwater's own Jenna Rubaii), who steal the show, stomping their boots and belting their lyrics out as they do it. It's really “Whatshername” (Alyssa DiPalma) who ironically demands that the audience remember her, with a performance that is sure to haunt both Johnny, and the exasperated crowd for sometime.

And they all rage on.

American Idiot borrows much of the behind-the-scenes creative team (including director Michael Mayer and scenic designer Christine Jones) from the equally audacious, Spring Awakening, and it shows. The stark set remains static for much of the show, save for a couch, industrial stairs and a bed or two, swinging in or out as needed. The amalgamation of bombastic music and bold characters make up the rest, and though the mostly sung-through show is light on dialogue, the trio of tales are all easy to follow.

American Idiot is a one-act fury of a show that will leave you wondering how the amazing cast pulls off the singing, screaming, kicking, and endless dancing. As the characters challenge any and all authority, the show itself challenges its performers and audience in a break-neck, balls to the wall, middle finger-flipped fracas.

And the breathlessness couldn't be more worth it.

Fans of Green Day, of pop-like punk rock, or anyone who thinks their bosses don't give them any respect are bound to love American Idiot. But as mentioned, a typical musical theater crowd might leave a little shell-shocked.

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Pooch Olympics: Photos from the Incredible Dog Challenge

Chip Weiner — Sun, 05 May 2013 12:41:00 -0400

Baxter, a Belgian Malinois, jumps in a distance challenge and is about to sink his teeth into the prize. He was "diving" in one of two events requiring dogs to leap as far as they could from a 40-foot dock into a 19,000-gallon pool. The baton Baxter is about to chomp on was suspended from an apparatus over the pool. He is owned by Tony Lambert.

Dogs of all shapes, sizes, and breeds journeyed with their owners to Spa Beach at the Pier in St. Petersburg Saturday. The Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge took over the park as hundreds of people and their furry canine companions attended what was billed as an Olympic-style competition. Events included an agility course for both large and small dogs, weave pole racing, Jack Russell Terrier racing, and two separate diving events.

The arena was surrounded by grandstands and tents for participants. Cloudy weather prevailed but rain only once interrupted the competition.

Legend, owned by Annette Martinez, competes in the agility course. The timed event was made up of jumps, hoops, tunnels, and other obstacles

Some of the intense expressions on the competitors' faces (both dogs and trainers) were priceless.

The Jack Russell Terrier race involved six dogs chasing a "rabbit" (fake furry thing) across the field. The first one through the hole at the end of the course won.

Performances like this one make it look like an Olympic event: Look at that form! Owner Tony Lambert throws the baton for Baxter, who won the distance challenge. Baxter is a world champion in Dogdocks events and has appeared on Letterman, FOX, and NBC Sports.

The afternoon wasn't just for competitors. Many dogs and owners came to watch the show. Donna Painter brought her two rescues, Dunkin, 9, and Alvin, 5.

Sutton, a Dalmatian rescue, made friends all afternoon as he hoped for a new family. Three different rescue organizations hosted booths at the event.

Locals were invited to try out for the dog diving and freestyle frisbee events. While 6-year-old Kira did not qualify, she and Risky, 7, were invited to give an exhibition demonstration. They both performed like future champions.

Tasha, a 2-year-old Siberian Husky, watched as her canine cousins competed.

Moxie and owner Andrea won the freestyle flying disc competition.

The winners of Saturday's competition move on to compete in the nationals this October in St. Louis.

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Deadline today for the Sandhill Writers Retreat

Kent Roberts — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:46:42 -0400

Have you a pen? Have you a notebook? Is your finger itching to write a novel, enhance your blog, or conduct investigative journalism on your neighbors (not cool, by the way)?

The first-ever Sandhill Writers Retreat will kick off with workshops headed by local faculty on fiction (Philip F. Deaver, Rollins), nonfiction (Ira Sukrungruang, USF-Tampa), and poetry (Erica Dawson, UT). Books will be signed, and published works will be read by their authors.

The day will end with a mixer and open reading by attendees. The Sandhill Writers Retreat will be held at Saint Leo University on Sat., May 4, from noon to 6:30 p.m. However, you must pre-register to attend this event by April 30. State Road 52, Saint Leo. $95 and $85 teachers/students/seniors, with free admission for active military and veterans. 352-588-8282. saintleo.edu.

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Mad Men-inspired dance party benefits Creative Care Arts Program

Erik Hahmann — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:32:00 -0400

I don’t know what type of ad campaign Don Draper would have devised for the St. Petersburg Pier. Hell, no one does, he’s a fictional character. However, I do know that whoever he pitched the idea to would have fallen in love with it, like so many area residents did over the years. The iconic inverted pyramid is set to close May 31, and while sad, you can at least help it go out in style.

The Creative Care Arts Program is hosting a Mad Men-style dance and ’60s dress-up party benefit in The Pier’s third floor on Saturday, May 4. The party will include hors d’oeuvres, an auction of ’60s memorabilia, live music, a fashion show, prizes for the best dressed and best dancers, and most deliciously, ’60s era cocktails. So grab your favorite gal, order an Old Fashioned, and help a good cause. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased by calling 727-510-6017. Click here for Facebook invitation.

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A night spent with Jillian Michaels

Mina Abgoon — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 18:20:51 -0400

Those who have seen Jillian Michaels as a personal trainer in The Biggest Loser would agree with me on one thing — she’s a bit intimidating.

Michaels is known for coupling intense workout routines with a strict, harsh demeanor to produce astonishing results in weight loss for clients.

So when I attended her April 18 stop at Ruth Eckerd Hall for the “Maximize Your Life Tour," I was prepared for unamused facial expressions and a stern attitude — instead, Michaels demonstrated a side of herself that most audience members hadn't met; a lighthearted, jocular character.

The motivational lecture is intended to drive viewers into harnessing their potential and kick-starting their life goals. Most importantly, it aims to encourage viewers to take their fitness more seriously and maintain a healthy weight.

I laughed out loud quite a few times during the show — something I never expected to do. Michaels would often single out audience members who would cheer during inappropriate times of the show, and then she would pretend to furiously walk away. She often laughed hysterically at her own ridiculous behavior. To my surprise, she didn’t come off as fake and it didn’t seem like she was trying to be a comedian. She came across as a genuinely friendly and humorous person.

It was actually a breath of fresh air. I’ll be honest — I never really had an opinion of Michaels until watching her live. During the show, I developed some respect for her.

It’s easy to write Michaels off and say, “Oh she’s probably been fit her whole life and doesn’t understand the struggles overweight people go through.” But Michaels revealed a side of herself that I was astonished to hear about.

After enduring her parents’ traumatizing divorce as a child, she began turning to food for comfort. Eventually, she stood as a 5-foot-2-inch eighth grader weighing 175 pounds.

But look at her now; she’s a personal trainer having appeared in numerous reality shows, a talk show host and an entrepreneur. Michaels has released well over a dozen workout DVDs and has even launched a video game for the Wii.

Michaels opened up the show by examining the ingredients of several products, pointing out examples of misleading information. She used one of her own personal experiences here — she once purchased a bottle of spray butter from a brand (which she refused to name) because the label said “zero calories.” She proceeded to drench everything with this spray until she eventually decided to look at the label a little more closely.

After realizing that some of the ingredients undoubtedly contained calories, she called the company and made an alarming discovery — the entire bottle actually contained a total of 1,200 calories. However, each serving (each spray) contained less than one calorie, so the company was able to legally round down to zero.

Michaels provided a variety of useful tips, but one point she stressed more than others is to stay away from pesticides as much as possible. She also emphasized the difference between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids — something I never consider on a day to day basis. Omega-3 is usually found in abundance in fish, and is generally considered as a much healthier alternative to omega-6.

I was also intrigued when Michaels invalidated certain health facts I thought I knew — eating many small meals a day does not increase your metabolism and help you lose weight, she insisted. Eat breakfast, lunch, a snack and then dinner — but keep the calorie content low. Always try to burn more calories than you consume.

Although certain parts of Michaels’ lecture seemed a bit too optimistic for reality, the message resonated with me and certainly others in the audience.

I originally thought the show might not appeal to me since I’m already on the thinner side and not trying to lose weight. However, the way Michaels tied health in with an ultimately improved lifestyle captured my interest.

We need to learn to be present, she said. We’re always too busy carrying baggage from the past and looking into the future to observe our current states of mind.

Her messages were aimed toward not only those trying to lose weight, but those simply interested in living a happy life. Some of us get so caught up in doing what we’re “supposed to do,” that we forget about what we truly want.

Michaels’ advice was simple: If your job makes you unhappy, walk out the door. If starting a seemingly foolish business — her example was a dog-sitting business—is your dream, then stop putting it off. Take steps to start improving your life today. If someone doesn’t support you in your quest for happiness, don’t let them in on your plans.

I found a slight flaw in the message she was conveying, however. I couldn’t help but feel that Michaels was making it all sound a bit too simple. Although I get where she was going with the lecture and I agree with most of her philosophy, she didn’t seem to be taking something into account; many viewers in her audience could face dire consequences from abandoning some of their responsibilities.

I eventually shrugged this realization off and continued to enjoy the show because I understood Michaels’ intention. To motivate certain people to do even a little, you have to make them feel like they need to do a great deal.

To learn about some of Michaels’ fitness and meal plans, or see the results of some of her clients, visit jillianmichaels.com — you can even join her program and get the exclusive app with exercise videos, recipes, a calorie counter and more.

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Inside the photo booth: The freeFall Theatre's Jim Sorensen

Kevin Tighe — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:19:00 -0400

Jim Sorensen is an accomplished actor as well as the managing director at The freeFall Theatre in St. Petersburg. Jim's recent roles have included "Cliff" in The freeFall Theatre production of Cabaret, "Brad" in The American Stage production of The Rocky Horror Show and Charles Thomson in the Asolo Repertory Theatre production of 1776

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CL's Big Damn Birthday Party: Pics from the bash

Chip Weiner — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 06:28:00 -0400

How many 25-year-olds would love a five-day birthday party featuring more than 35 bands, 15 locations, great food and drinks, and tons of friends and family?

That's how Creative Loafing celebrated its 25th year.

Starting last Wednesday, events throughout the Bay area celebrated the history of the paper and its local connections to the arts, politics, architecture, music and lots more. It was attended by current and former staff members, hundreds of friends made over the years, artists, art critics and aficionados, politicians, pundits and partiers.

Even Mayor Buckhorn showed up for the party to wish Creative Loafing a happy birthday and to proclaim April 20 as Creative Loafing Tampa Day. Here the mayor reads the proclamation that was accepted by editor-in-chief David Warner.

Dynasty sings on the main stage at the Ritz Theater in Ybor City on Saturday night for the big birthday bash.

The party began last Wednesday at an event called A Visual History of Creative Loafing at the CL space, put together by CL Creative Director Todd Bates and Tempus Projects Director Tracy Midulla Reller, exhibiting the newspaper's diverse and distinctive covers over the last 25 years.

Sometimes known as Creative Loafing and at other times Weekly Planet, all of the issues from the last quarter-century were available for perusal.

The party continued on Thursday with several events including Scholars and Stories (Smithsonian exhibit), Center for Gulf Coast Folklife Gallery in Tarpon Springs, Merl Reagle: The Art of the Crossword at Studio 620 in St Pete, and a Foodie Tour in St. Petersburg led by Creative Loafing food and drink editor Arielle Stevenson. News of the Weird: Live, a comedy show based on Chuck Shepherd's nationally syndicated column, wrapped up the night in the CL space.

Friday brought more fun with Straw Into Gold: The Alchemy of Architecture, a discussion moderated by Linda Saul-Sena on the meaning of community and how to build a better city at the Studio@620 and Warehouse Arts District Guided Trolley Tour led by CL's Visual Art Critic Megan Voeller. Participants hopped on a trolley and visited 10 different galleries in the warehouse art district.

Duncan McClellan discusses the glass work exhibited in his gallery as part of the trolley tour.

Several studios along the way sponsored entertainment and refreshments. This shot was taken inside of Zen Glass Studios.

Friday's tour wrapped up at Duncan McClellan's hot shop where Jacob Stout demonstrated glassblowing. Stout has been working with glass for 15 years.

Dan Painter stands in the door of his studio, Dan's Place. It wasn't on the trolley tour but it was part of the art district Block Party, which featured eight different musical acts at three venues. Painter has been in the district for more than 10 years and plans to expand his place into something he calls Tiny Town, a miniature city including a drive-in theater.

Saturday brought two more events including The View from the River , a floating architecture tour with Linda Saul-Sena. Saturday night's big show at the Ritz Ybor featured 20 bands and DJs, live radio theater, political and art panel discussions, a mayoral proclamation and a huge birthday cake.

The Ritz Theater was party central for CL's wrap up birthday bash

It's official. April 20, 2013, is Creative Loafing Tampa Day as proclaimed by Tampa Mayor Buckhorn and presented to CL's editor-in-chief, David Warner.

Juliet Simms ,vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter for Automatic Loveletter and runner-up on the second season of the reality show The Voice, performs on the main stage of the Ritz Theater.

Mary Mulhern, Wayne Garcia (a.k.a. The Political Whore), and former CL Senior Editor John Sugg turned the party political in a panel discussion moderated by CL News Editor Mitch Perry

Scott Harrell, Theo Wujcik, Mindy Solomon, Paul Wilborn and moderator David Warner discuss Changing Scenes: Arts Then and Now in Ybor and St. Pete.

George Medeiros and Scott Durfee, creators of Spathose Wearable Sculpture, pose with model Amanda Faulk.

James Howard, CL publisher, and Scott Stovern of Sweet Tweets Cakery cut the big-ass CL birthday cake.

Pump up the jam. Partiers dance in the VIP room with Soft Rock Renegades spinning tunes.

Joe D'Acunto, Mark Bustin and John Kennedy hang out in the hallway of the Ritz Theater between shows.

Ray Vega of the Dead Popes

Death Starsky performed in the front room.

Paul Wilborn and the Radio Theater Project performed Noel Berlin, Cabaret Detective: The Creative Loafing Murders on stage.

The Gita (reunion), fronted by CL's own Joran Oppelt, with Infinite Skillz performed on the main stage.

Life was good in the VIP room. Food and drinks were available all night along with four different DJs.

Win Win Winter reunited and posed outside the Ritz after the big finale of the bash.

Want more pictures? See the slideshow here

What a great party. CL should turn 25 every year!

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