Happy Birthday, Oscar! Celebrate with Pawlicious Poochies and Strands of Sunshine
Robert Phelps paints live, proceeds to pet rescue and puppies (!) this Saturday.
Some show! A look back at the Some Sort of Show Theater Awards
A look back at the winners and jokesters that made a less ceremonious ceremony so entertaining.
Weekend Platter: Brews & Bites, Summer of Rum and more
From food trucks to drinking in your undies, here’s a roundup of CL’s favorite weekend events.
Shots Fired: The Get Up Kids, Braid, The Weaks at Orpheum 8/10/15
A look at punk rock nostalgia on a Monday night
Trop or Not? St. Pete Council Dist. 7 candidates’ takes on the Rays saga
This week, we profiled the five candidates running for St. Pete's District 7 City Council seat. The was plenty of ground to cover. One thing we thought we'd give special attention to was each candidate's stance on an ongoing controversy. Some local media regard the Tampa Bay Rays' stadium drama as the determining factor in…
Fighting for Midtown: Five people hope to represent St. Pete’s poorest district. Only one will.
Wedged between Gulfport, downtown St. Pete and Pinellas Point, with a northern boundary that zags from Fifth Avenue North to Central, District 7 comprises predominantly African-American neighborhoods, some rich in history. It’s an area troubled by crime, poverty and failing schools, but also empowered by hope, as local leaders seek to redevelop areas like the…
Her reign is true: Alison Burns
The award-winning local actor and performer is home after a fairy-tale run Off-Broadway.
LBC’s suburban shake-up, plans for the future
A look at LBC in Palm Harbor and what’s up next for the gastropub concept.
Got fetish? FetCon comes to St. Pete
The Burg will rock the annual celebration of alt-sexuality this weekend.
Times teases investigative report on Pinellas with slick but depressing graphics
If you know anybody who works at a failing school (or work at one yourself), you're probably well aware of the hopelessness those facilities tend to generate. Teachers are overworked, students are often less-than-motivated, resources are scarce and over-reliance on standardized testing puts undue pressure on faculty members, who are "held accountable" if students don't…
Muvico Sundial won’t show Straight Outta Compton
We wish the reason for withholding the film wasn’t so glaringly obvious (and misguided).
Way Back Wednesday: N.W.A.
A look at artists and groups that came up pre-’00s, with lots of video included.
Five Courses: Tasty Roots’ healthy on-the-go fare & more
Two new organic concepts, Tasty Roots and Niryasa, opened to the area, among other foodie news.
Do This tonight: Kevin Smith & 2015 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour
Two big cineaste events, one on screen and another in person.
Restaurant review: No-frills splendor at Urban Comfort
Urban Comfort in downtown St. Pete provides memorable, soul-warming tastes.
Sweet! Glenn Beck says St. Pete makes list of “cities to avoid like the plague”
Good news, everyone. On his radio show Tuesday, Glenn Beck said St. Pete is among the 15 American cities everyone (i.e. the oafs that take him seriously) should stay away from. "These are the cities that you do not want to live anywhere around as things get worse and worse," Beck said. His statements were…
Marvelous! Comedy legend Mel Brooks to headline Tampa’s Straz Center!
The event includes a screening of Blazing Saddles and intimate talk with the affable director, performer and writer.
Sh*t happened 8/12/15: Tampa’s food scene soars, Perry goes broke, beer truck goes crash
"I've heard there's nothing you can't make look good," said the client. "That's right, sir," replied the agent. "Why don't you tell me what you want spun?" "Tuesday," said the client. "Sorry," said the agent, chuckling as he rose from his chair. "Anything but Tuesday." Travel + Leisure Magazine called Tampa's food scene one of…
Downtown Tabby: Tampa Bay’s first cat cafe has plans for St. Pete
Locals could pal around with adoptable cats while eating and drinking.
Blackalicious brings soulful hip hop intellect to State Theater tonight
The California-bred alt hip hop due are joined by New Breed Brass Band
Reddit “pizza hero” a bust, but it was a good yarn
It's a classic tale of too-good-to-be-true, but it's also a demonstration of how far perseverance can take you. Last week, when a biblical deluge flooded the streets of South Tampa, a man was photographed climbing out of a stalled car on Bayshore Boulevard clutching a pizza delivery bag. After the photo got posted on popular…
Anti-discrimination bill proposed at state level includes LGBT
You can now marry whomever you want wherever you are in the country. But in Florida, you can still get fired from your job for your sexual orientation or gender identity; there's no law that prevents it. Two lawmakers, a Republican and a Democrat, hope to change that with the Florida Competitive Workforce Act. Such…
After heavy flooding, it’s street sludge or bay sludge in Tampa Bay area
Infrastructure is a most unsexy word — until human waste flows into the picture, at which point it gets both more popular and more, uh, visceral. Perhaps that's why those who designed the facilities that handle our storm- and wastewater weren't thinking about a scenario in which the region would weather three straight weeks of…
Chicken Salad Chick opens to Tampa in four weeks
Tampa’s first Southern-inspired Chicken Salad Chick location has a Sept. 1 opening planned.
New Tunes Day: Joanna Newsom, of Montreal, Darkstar & more
A look at some new singles and videos, plus a peek at albums coming out this Fri., Aug. 14
The Arcade Fire premieres The Reflektor Tapes, releases a new trailer
The Canadian art rock ensemble presents their first concert doc at TIFF, with U.S. screenings to follow (trailer included)
Shots fired: Wrecking Ball ATL 2015 at Masquerade Atlanta, 8/8 & 8/9
God knows how many punk acts — including Descendents, Judge, The Lawrence Arms, Glassjaw, Cave In, Thrice and many more — made memorable mayhem at Masquerade Atlanta.
Sh*t happened 8/11/15: Shipt, PSTA, Red Rose Inn resurrection
Congratulations on surviving another Monday. Let's celebrate by thumbing our noses at it one last time: App-powered delivery service Shipt, which recently began ferrying Publix groceries in the Bay area, is having trouble keeping up with demand. How is it possible, in this day and age, to underestimate America's laziness, exactly? Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority…
Tonight in live music: Steely Dan with Elvis Costello, The Velvet Teen & more
A look at four shows happening this Tue., Aug. 11.
Bacon-themed brunch set for Coppertail next month
On Sept. 5, LOKO Cuisine and Coppertail Brewing will produce the self-serve Bacon Day Brunch.
Uber seems likely to stick around in St. Pete, unlike other, less cool areas
The ride share service Uber, or as we like to call it, conversation roulette, has had tough times recently as it tries to fend off attempts to shut it down. Taxi cab drivers, who obviously see a loss in revenue from the app-based service, are trying to block it from operating in Hillsborough County and…
Comedy Review: Points man Chris Hardwick doesn’t disappoint
His show at the Straz Saturday night offered more charm and amusing admissions.
Fucks: To give, or not to give?
The current measure of cool is to give absolutely no fucks. We can see it all over social media via memes and posts on Tumblr, Facebook and Twitter. It seems like no one has a fuck to spare anymore. It’s hard to blame folks for checking out when asshats like Donald Trump are screaming from…
Quini app leads interactive wine tasting with visual reviews, more
Public browsing was unlocked for the Quini wine app, available on mobile devices and computers.
The Laugh Tract — Who’s Bringing the Funny
Thursday night weirdness: Yankovic is at Ruth Eckerd Hall. August is about to get weird. "Weird" as in Weird Al Yankovic is the biggest name in town this weekend, bringing decades of funny songs which now serve as pop culture history lessons. His musical comedy is the gold standard of song parodies, and fans will…
Tampa writer, L.A. transplant brings national exposure to Datz (with video)
Datz’s Andy King was featured on a syndicated podcast, giving the rundown on his Cheesy Todd.
Sh*t happened 8/10/15: Corruption, carbon monoxide, Ferguson
Politicians bending the rules — it never goes out of style. You know what should go out of style? People getting hurt during peaceful protests. FRIDAY, AUG. 7: A Largo city supervisor has been arrested and accused of using one of the municipality's credit cards to buy more than $11K in tools and other products,…
This Sunday in live music: Jill Scott, Colbie Caillat
A look at a few live music highlights on this Sun., Aug. 9, along with a breakdown of other things happening today.
Gulfport Residents Ask Gulfport to Sue St. Petersburg Over Raw Sewage
Some Gulfport residents want the city to sue St. Petersburg. Others want Gulfport to stand up for itself some other way, they told Gulfport councilwoman Yolanda Roman. Although everyone had different solutions, the group meeting with her, Gulfport Public Works Director Don Sopak and Gulfport City Manager Jim O'Reilly Friday morning had one message: They're mad…
BUILT woodshop destroyed in floods, community begins #REBUILT recovery efforts
The nearly two weeks of steady rain has taken its toll on one of Tampa Bay’s most promising, homegrown, up-and-coming team of creators. “It’s been an amazing four months with great work leaving the shop every day,” Andrew Watson said in a video as he described the weeks after he moved the shop out of…
Rebirth in Ybor: Cephas’ Hot Shop is back in business
Beloved neighborhood spot Cephas’ Hot Shop has reopened for the first time in nine years.
This Saturday in live music: Flat Land, The Duppies & The Snails, and more
Concerts happening this Sat., Aug 8.
Do This: The Weekend Top 10
Chris Hardwick, Sylvia, Portrait de Brew at MF Arts, Gecko Pub Crawl … and nude Tom Cruise at Second Saturday Art Walk?
Give your favorite food, drink spots some BOTB love
Voting for CL’s 25th annual Best of the Bay awards runs through Tuesday, Sept. 8.
On the menu: Summer brunch with Pinellas community gardens
Next week, Clearwater and Dunedin community gardens will host a fundraiser brunch in Clearwater.
Movie Review: Fantastic Four is, yes, anything but
A half-star is generous, our reviewer says.
Performance review: Cirque du Soleil’s Varekai
The Canadian troupe brings us a show of mythological proportion — with a few too many lulls in the action.
Patton Oswalt, who comes to the Straz later this month, had the best GOP debate Tweets
Last night's Fox News/Facebook GOP debate pretty much made fun of itself, if you couldn't tell by our liveblogging of the event. The hilarity and preposterousness was so rapid-fire that it was hard to catch everything, especially as we tried to fact-check and keep our coverage of the professional wrestling-esque face-off entertaining. Luckily, much of…
The Hip Hop ABCs: The winner of Letter U; vote on Letter V
The alphabetical rap battles draw ever nearer to an end.
#BOTB25: Best of the Bay 2015 voting has begun!
Find all the Readers’ Poll nominees at cltampa.com/BOTB2015.
RJD2 leads the initial lineup announcement for the third annual Plan B Block Party
The Ybor City fest brings Florida heavy-hitters and a few national highlights to multiple venues in September
Weekend Tune-Up: Tunes for your weekend by Mac Demarco, Ryan Adams, Kool Keith & more
A playlist of 15 tunes to launch you into the weekend, Spotify playlist included.
New owner upgrades marina at Cortez Seafood Shack
Manatee County’s landmark Seafood Shack is completing a revamp of its marina facilities.
Sh*t happened 8/7/15: GOP debate, Jon Stewart says goodbye, more
One of our civilization's highest priestesses once asked, "Where have all the good men gone, and where are all the gods/where's the streetwise Hercules to fight the rising odds?" Well, there was only one hero around yesterday, and now he's gone. So, the big live debate among the top 10 Republican presidential candidates happened last…
Tonight in live music: Brick + Mortar, Jorma Kaukonen, Chris Staples & more
A look at concerts happening this Fri., Aug. 7, plus a peek at what’s coming up this weekend…
Liveblogging the 1950s: The GOP debate
11:03 Trump: Japan and China are beating us. "We can't do anything right." "We have to end Obamacare and we have to make out country great again." 11:01 Lapel pin count: Marco, check; Chris Wallace, nope; Megyn, no lapels; Ben Carson, check; Huck, nope. — DW 11:00 Ben is the only person on stage to separate…
Bucs use cooking, mansplaining to target women for RED
A “women’s movement” launched by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Thursday is sparking controversy.
Dwight Dudley applauds preliminary Congressional maps, thinks Crist has a good shot in CD13
Tentatively revised Congressional district maps, the latest development in Florida's little redistricting romp, have set off a chain reaction among Florida politicos who are either, for reasons we can't fathom, thinking about running for Congress or would like to keep their butts planted in the once-esteemed chamber. Northern Florida Democratic U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, whose…
The Intern Issue: Head south (Korea, that is) for interesting post-graduate employment
For young people eager to expand beyond the confines of their home country and travel the world, teaching abroad is becoming the go-to job, and one of the most popular destinations is South Korea. Why South Korea? One reason is the increased awareness of Asian pop culture. This is especially true for those who have…
#JonVoyage! A CL salute to the Daily Show host on his final night
The comedian who redefined political humor hosts his final one-hour-long episode, airing at 11 p.m. tonight.
Berning up: Bernie Sanders appeals to Tampa Bay progressives, young ones in particular. But how far can he go?
It was a muggy Wednesday evening in St. Pete’s Warehouse Arts District. Cars rolled into a vacant lot bordered by a junkyard, dog and all, and other industrial scenery. Bumper stickers touted WMNF, Sierra Club and Bernie Sanders, the man of the hour. Activists had rented the Venture Compound, the experimental music venue, to serve…
The Intern Issue: Smart moves — Five cities that won’t bust a new grad’s budget.
As the summer draws to a close, many college students will be getting ready to enter the workforce, and nearly 50 percent of Florida’s graduates will move away to look for jobs in other states. Unfortunately, many of them will return home in dire financial straits within a year. It’s all fun and games to…
The Intern Issue: Want to get around without a car? Check out HART and TBARTA’s student transit deals
One of the most accurate clichés out there is that of the poor student. With school fees, tuition, food, gas prices, and the dreaded textbook costs, there isn’t a lot of room left for transportation. Luckily, the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) system and the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA) offer some wallet-friendly…
Sony Pictures Classics thinks Miles Davis was a singer
The company called Miles a vocalist in a press release touting the Don Cheadle-directed Miles Ahead.
GOP debate night drinking games, ranked by your liver
Break out the sublingual B-12, Tylenol and about a gallon of water, for tonight, as they say, is the night. Millions of Americans on either side of the political spectrum will be tuning into the Fox News/Facebook GOP presidential candidate debate. With comically right-wing billionaire Donald Trump leading the polls among Republicans, many expect other…
The inaugural Vibes of the Bay spotlights local music, food, drink and businesses
The day-long fest features performances by Oxford Noland, Luxury Mane and Zulu Wave, among others
Sh*t happened 8/6/15: Crime-y crime crime
Hey, the weather's still good, the weekend approaches — let's just get right into it: A rookie Pasco County Deputy was arrested in Broward County by authorities who claim he went there to meet an underage boy for sex, proving there might still be abusers dumb enough to be tricked into crossing county lines with…
Tonight in live music: Whitesnake, Rock the Park with Funny Bunny & more
A look at a few concerts happening this Thurs., Aug. 6.
Twenty years with The Get Up Kids
The Midwestern emo-rock darlings bring their 20th anniversary tour to Orpheum tonight
The Intern Issue: Touring with Tampa-by-way-of-Lakeland band Poster
Poster talks about the joys and misadventures of their first big road jaunt.
The Intern Issue: Wanderlust
CL’s interns take it to the road — and take over this issue.
