Music Menu
Lucky Boys Confusion Fred Astaire, the ubiquitous new single from Chicago's Lucky Boys Confusion, smooshes all those wonderful Warped Tour styles together to come up with something either sweet or cloying, depending on one's perspective. Its amalgam of pop-punk, hip-hop and ska accurately represents about half the debut album, Throwing The Game; the other half…
Outtakes
Angel Eyes (R) Much more and much better than those misleading and terribly trite trailers would indicate. Jennifer Lopez is a convincing presence as the tough but vulnerable Chicago cop who finds herself falling in love with a mysterious stranger who saves her life (Jim Caviezel). J-Lo's enigmatic love interest spends the movie walking around…
Dining Guide
The following is Weekly Planet's reliable guide to restaurants throughout the Bay area. We hope this bite-size reference will serve as a quality source to aid in your dining pleasure. Because of the extensiveness of the listings, we run alternate lists each week. Our critic dines anonymously and all meals are paid for by Weekly…
The List
Visual Arts Openings Artists Unlimited, in the Channel District, 223 N. 12th St., Tampa (813-229-5958). Bernice Steinbaum presents an array of work from artists around the world, opening 6-9 p.m., Friday, June 15. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Plainsmen Gallery,…
Period Peace
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into your local art film venue, along comes the new Merchant-Ivory project — which, I'm sorry to report, is pretty much the same as the old Merchant-Ivory project(s), except more so. The main problem with The Golden Bowl, an impeccably crafted and solidly-performed period piece…
Climb Every Mountain
We've seen the story told in Himalaya before, but we've never seen it told in quite this way. And, frankly, as many times as we might have experienced this particular tale, we've rarely seen it look so damned gorgeous. Himalaya is the story of two men filled with unspoken, grudging admiration for one another, but…
Kornpickin’ on the Bandwagon
It's a Friday night, right around 11. Inside Ybor City's Orpheum, a local post-punk foursome emotes for a respectful throng of 35 or so. Across the street at New World Brewery, a rockabilly trio entertains some imported beer aficionados, all of whom the band knows by name. And up north at the Brass Mug, barflies,…
Freebie of the Week
The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and free laborer. —Major General…
Time Vessels
A broad path cuts like a gash through once pristine land. A year ago, bulldozers carved this "road" to haul valuable logs out of Newnan's Lake near Gainesville. At the same time, a group of archeologists, local high school students and their teachers carefully excavated a cache of ancient Indian canoes. The extended drought had…
Performance Feature
SEX BATTLE: The cast of Lysistrata, from left, are Matt Butler, Chris Holcom, Michael Monroe, Jonathan Harrison, Elizabeth Fendrick, Christen Petit, Roz Potenza, Marie Hyman and Caitlin McDonald. What's surprising about Lysistrata, currently playing at the Shimberg Playhouse of the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, is how long the actors are able to make it…
Case Dismissed
How badly does Richard A. Corbett want to hide the size of the financial hit that taxpayers may be taking on his sweetheart mall lease at Tampa International Airport? Badly enough that he will pay higher property tax than he thinks he and his International Plaza partners should. Corbett has a long-term lease on the…
Ciao, Jimmie
James W. "Jimmie" Donofrio once boasted that if FBI agents "don't know me in this town, they don't know Coca-Cola." Donofrio's popularity among the G-men stemmed from his having the ear of Tampa's longtime Mafia boss, Santo Trafficante Jr. One of the last of Tampa's old-style gangsters, Donofrio died May 17 at age 90. Donofrio…
In Defense of Bureaucracy
Back in the 1980s, when the Hillsborough County Commission boardroom was a high-crime area and corruption was considered a major profit center for officials, the Legislature created the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission. At least part of the mission of the independent commission was to try to thwart some of the graft and bribery. The…
Soundboard
<font Thursday, June 14 Events Jannus Landing Lucky Boys Confusion/TBA Bars/Small Stages AJ's Ale House Emily Alley Cat's Cafe Diane Bahama Mama's Johnny Caster Beach Place (Whitey's) Stormbringer Bourbon Street Lost Dope/DJ Leprechaun Brass Mug Mobius Loop/Hot Sex Band/Socio Groove Cadillac Jack's Ozona Cajun Cafe on the Bayou Laptop Randy Carlie's Bad Neighbor Band Club…
Public Life
Ovarian Cancer Lecture Wednesday, June 20 10 a.m. University Community Hospital offers a lecture on the symptoms, detection and treatment of ovarian cancer. The presentation is free and takes place at Health Source at University Mall on Fowler Avenue. Call 813-615-7300. Senior Stress Workshop Friday, June 22 noon-1 p.m. Sun Coast hospital offers seniors strategies…
Books
Love Lust Desire: Masterpieces of Erotic Photography for Couples Edited by Michelle Olley Thunder's Mouth Press/$29.95 Anyone who's ever eaten paste knows it's hard work making art. Imagine how hard (so to speak) erotic photographers have it, working with people and all: "OK, push your boobs together. No, your boobs. Push them together. That's it.…
Swimming With Sharks
I planned to write about Perch, not shark, but this morning, while kayaking around Shell Island, I watched a 15-foot hammerhead butcher a tarpon mere yards from my tiny boat. I was in water so shallow it exposed half the beast, his freckled, sandy back, flailing tail and towering fin, as he spun and thrashed…
Spins
Hot Water Music A Flight And A Crash On their debut full-length for punk monolith/clearing-house Epitaph, and sixth overall (counting this year's odds n' ends compilation Never Ender), Gainesville's celebrated undergound road warriors manage to both surpass and confound all expectations. In what might be (mis)construed as a reaction to their new label's reputation for…
Web Site of the Week
Chronicles of Georgehttp://chroniclesofgeorge.nanc.com/index.htm The Chronicles of George has a simple, clean, easy to follow design with no gimmicks or do-dads. And they're unnecessary because the humor is completely self-contained to the one and only George, which is a pseudonym for some poor schlep working a computer Help Desk. George is, apparently, a moron and on…
Letters to the Editor
Good Watchdog! Re: "Jihad Journalist Scooped" by John F. Sugg (June 7-13) I admired your straightforward and to-the-point analysis of this witch hunt by a trash journalist. It's the constant vigil of these hate mongers by people like you that gives the society some sanity. Muhammad Malik Via e-mail … … … Too often underrepresented…
Roll Your Own
"Hey, neighbor! Look over there at Mayor Greco's castle. Is he away on vacation?" "How would I know? Maybe he's out to lunch — figuratively." "Oh, it's just that all his lights are off — literally." "Oh wait, I know. He's participating in Roll Your Own Blackout." "Hey, now, this is Hizzoner we're talking about.…
Planet Picks
Thursday 6.14 Offshore Renovations With much fanfare, The Florida Aquarium has officially opened Sea Hunt, one of its largest additions to date. Commanding the huge space previously known as Offshore Gallery, Sea Hunt features more than 200 ocean predators from around the world, including zebra and black tip sharks, wolf eels, butterfly fish and a…
