Follow your stomach to these new(er) kids on the block
A guide to the food and drink joints that’ve made their premieres since the beginning of the year.
Did someone say sh*tting robot?
We members of the media often get told that if we're not getting called ugly names, we're not doing it right. Strangers call us names all the time, often anonymously via internet comments because they're sad trolls. This reporter was recently called a "tool" by someone angered by her coverage of the St. Pete Pier…
No Sex Please, We’re Floridians: Bradenton Sex-On-The-Beach Couple Won’t Get 15 Years
On Friday, the Miami Herald reported that State Attorney Ed Brodsky won’t seek maximum sentences for Elissa Alvarez and Jose Caballero, who were convicted on Monday of public lewdness for (no-longer-allegedly) having sex on a public beach in Bradenton, within sight of several families. The two could have faced 15 years in prison, along with…
J.B. Ball’s humor makes him tonight’s headliner
MVP: J.B. Ball has won more than his share of stand-up comedy contests, and he shows why with a headlining set at Side Splitters tonight. J.B. Ball isn't just formidable competition in stand-up comedy contests. More often than not, he's the last man standing. He won the March Madness competition at Side Splitters, which pitted…
Big changes announced at Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
Margaret Murray’s leaving for the Museum of Fine Arts — and TIGLFF’s headed to St. Pete, too.
Sh*t happened 5/14/15: Alan Grayson is kind of a tool
It's Thursday. Hey, ho, let's go: If you're not yet mortified to be a resident of such a jacked-up state, rest easy knowing that Alan Grayson, Democrat, noted knob and our esteemed representative for Florida's 9th congressional district — and one of the guys eyeing Rubio's Senate seat — called Tampa Bay Times politics editor…
USF St. Pete Brewing Arts Program offers knowledge on tap
3 Daughters and USFSP plan to launch the state’s first Brewing Arts Program in fall.
US Labor Secretary touts paid leave (what John Oliver talked about the other night) in St. Pete
As part of a national tour to promote the idea of paid family leave, U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez spoke on the steps of St. Petersburg's City Hall about why allowing workers to, you know, take care of their children when they need to, is a good thing for everyone. He was joined by…
Enjoy summer-like temps at these splashy bashes
Beat the heat at some fun pool parties in the coming week.
Pride & Passion brings the Forbidden City to TMA
The Tampa Museum of Art will take you back to the days when Yanks called Beijing Peking.
Bay area chefs cook up contributions in Tampa
On May 21, a night of gourmet cuisine from local chefs will support Feeding America Tampa Bay.
Michael Tomor and the TMA of tomorrow
The engaged, engaging new leader of the Tampa Museum of Art chats with CL.
Poet’s notebook: Aisle see you at the grocery
My supermarket is bigger than your supermarket That’s what America’s all about Nowhere am I happier nowhere am I more myself… You can take America’s pulse in our supermarkets. Upbeat, fearful, hopeful: These emotions float in the aisles, along with aromas from oranges, coffee, and Stilton cheese. A while back, around Christmas time, we were…
Worth the drive: Orlando’s Fringe Festival
The festival prides itself on being un-juried and uncensored.
Lightning advance to Eastern Conference Finals for first time in 4 years
The Lightning have now eliminated two great teams in the playoffs at home and are now headed to the Eastern Conference Finals. This will be the third time in franchise history and first time since 2011. They will either face the Washington Capitals or the New York Rangers, depending on who wins Game 7 of…
Times calls Gov. Scott a socialist
If you're looking for Governor Rick Scott, you can probably find him in the Burn Ward today. That's because the Tampa Bay Times zinged him so hard in an editorial entitled "Rick Scott, Florida's Socialist Governor." Not a nice thing to say, given that Governor Scott hate, hate, hates socialism. In fact, the Affordable Care…
Theater Review: Ain’t Misbehavin’
The timeless music of Fats Waller makes for a joyous night at Stageworks.
Restaurant review: Cultural collision at Global A’Fare
South Tampa’s Global A’Fare blends world cuisine all-stars for flavorsome creations.
SCENE BREAKER: Drinking problems, a better Moon Pie and crazy ain’t nuthin’ but a family thing
Betrayal, Annapurna, Ain’t Misbehavin’ and In the Heights are still on the boards.
Theater Review: Betrayal
Evocative performances make Tampa Rep’s latest a worthwhile rendezvous.
Five Courses: Alma closes at John’s Pass & more
Alma ended its short but sweet John’s Pass stint, plus more in Tampa Bay food and drink news.
11 Reasons Why You Should Be Bummed About Missing Big Guava Music Festival
… and a few things you can be glad you skipped
Sh*t happened 5/13/15: Bolts advance, monkey breeding
All right! You made it halfway through the week. Great to see you here. Before we go any further, though, let's speak of hockey victories, ill-advised media mergers and terrifying primate diseases, shall we? The Lightning beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-1, and will be advancing to the Eastern Conference final to play either the New…
Tonight in live music: Jason Isbell, Minus the Bear, Needtobreathe
Concerts this Wed., May 13
Buckhorn says “shame” on Rick Scott; Scott remains shameless
At an event in Tampa today, Tampa Mayor (and possible Democratic contender for governor in 2018) Bob Buckhorn said Governor Rick Scott should feel bad about not supporting Medicaid expansion in Florida, Tampa Bay Times columnist Sue Carlton wrote earlier. "Shame on this governor," Buckhorn said. "Shame on this Legislature. They need to get back to…
Pinellas commission gives preliminary thumbs up to arts funding
Since 2011, Pinellas has been the only county in the state without a cultural affairs division. County commissioners voted to omit Pinellas' robust cultural affairs department at a time when, as Commissioner Ken Welch put it, the county was cutting department funding, even the sheriff's office, by an average of 35 percent. At the same…
Lightning’s Ryan Callahan sidelined after emergency appendectomy
The Lightning’s right wing Ryan Callahan was sidelined Monday evening after being sent to the hospital and undergoing an emergency appendectomy. After the morning skate today, Coach Cooper said that doctors got to it before it was really bad and that the appendix hadn’t ruptured. When asked about Callahan's recovery time, Cooper joked, “How long…
Thoughts on Mad Men‘s “The Milk and Honey Route”
For a penultimate episode this was a strange one, even by Mad Men standards. We didn’t see three big parts of the main cast — Roger, Joan, and Peggy — at all. We did, however, get extended time with Don, Pete, and Betty. Since so much happened in this episode let’s break down what exactly…
New Music Tuesday! (May 12): Steve Aoki, Prefuse 73, Snoop Dogg, The Tallest Man on Earth & more
A curated breakdown of albums out this week; audio streams included.
Concert Review: Bette Midler’s Divine Intervention Tour at the Amalie Arena
The age-defying diva is still killing it.
Sh*t happened 5/12/15: Zimmerman strikes again, wrong-way drivers & Idol‘s last gasp
Monday was a day of endings and beginnings, of final chapters and new hope. Mostly, that is — apparently it's business as usual for a single armed-and-violent Lake Mary, Fla. resident. Florida's candidate for Mr. Second Amendment USA, George Zimmerman, was involved in a road rage incident that left him with minor injuries when the…
Tonight in live music: Speedy Ortiz at Crowbar
The hard-buzzing garage quartet lands in Ybor this Tue., May 12
George Zimmerman injured in “road-rage” shooting
Violent melees involving Orlando-area neighborhood watch guy George Zimmerman (you remember—the guy acquitted in 2012 the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a black teenager) are no longer surprising to us. What surprises us about the latest incident, which happened this afternoon, is that he was the one who got shot in an incident in Lake…
Chris Burden, dead at 69, was not just about those L.A. lampposts
The notorious performance artist kept audiences on edge.
Statewide historic recognition for St. Petersburg African-American Heritage Trail
The local cultural trail gets a nod from the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation.
The Laugh Tract — Who’s Bringing the Funny
Heeere's Fluffy! Gabriel Iglesias plays the Sun Dome Friday night. Do you like animated, energetic comedians? Low-key, clever writers? Comedy hypnotists? Musician/comedians? How about a parody show? Maybe someone famous, or a local talent? Whatever you want to see, something should appeal to you this weekend. The great thing about having so many venues is…
Sh*t happened 5/11/15: Shark Tank, drownings, near-drownings, a guy who thinks he’s Captain Kirk’s kid
Moms! Perfect weather! Big Guava Fest! Uneven local professional sports team performances! Nah, we're not gonna talk about any of that, thanks. FRIDAY, MAY 8: The doctor and founder of Tampa company SynDaver, which makes synthetic cadavers, body parts and tissue for medical training applications, appeared on ABC's give-me-money reality show Shark Tank. How did…
Tonight in live music: FIDLAR with METZ, Bette Midler, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion
Concerts happening this Mon., May 11
The REAL Florida Man
Generally when we see the words “Florida Man” in the headlines, they’re followed by fantastically absurd sentences like “Tries to Convince Woman to Buy, Cook, Eat Iguanas Duct-Taped to His Bike,” or, “Eats Homeless Man’s Face Off.” These types of headlines have pegged Florida Man as batshit-bananas. In all fairness, because Florida Men are always…
This Sunday in live music: Appleseed Collective, Shy Girls, Order of the Owl, Dan McMillion
Concerts this Sun., May 10
CL at Big Guava: Live Tweets, Streams, and Photos from the two-day festival
We’re on the ground (and on our phones) at Big Guava Music festival
This Saturday in live music: Steel Panther, Five Eight, Mat Kearney & more
Concerts happening this Sat., May 9.
Police Chief Castor gets friendly sendoff
In case you were curious, now-former Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor and Tampa area Congresswoman Kathy Castor are of no relation. “We get asked that all the time," the Congresswoman said at Chief Castor's retirement party Friday afternoon at the Tampa Convention Center, and it's no wonder: Both graduated from Chamberlain High School and both…
Do This: The Weekend Top 10
Mother’s Day, Big Guava, an Indian parade on the beach and more.
News Service of Florida files suit against SaintPetersBlog
If you do the news, you never want to be in the news. But two of our favorite news sources are both in the news at the moment, and appear to be having a news fight. One is the News Service of Florida, an outlet that offers content on a subscription basis, and allows media outlets…
Last call: Local distillery, ad agency bid Mad Men farewell with billboard
St. Petersburg Distillery recipes will be highlighted in Dunn&Co.’s collaborative Mad Men goodbye.
Weekend Tune-Up: Tunes for your weekend by My Morning Jacket, Van Hunt, Best Coast & more
A playlist of 15 tunes to launch you into the weekend, Spotify playlist included.
The Hip Hop ABCs: The winner of Letter K; vote on Letter L
The alphabetical rap battles continue
Sh*t happened 5/8/15: Pier Park decision, parents giving kids drugs, 3 DUIs in 6 days
Clearly, Thursdays are not for everyone. After even more public debate, opinionizing and surliness, the St. Petersburg City Council agreed to move forward with the Pier Park concept — the one advocated by the selection committee rather than the populist choice, Destination St. Pete Pier. Expect a flurry of injunctions, petitions and lawsuits from red-blooded…
New study determines which drugs are the most popular at different music festivals
Drugs and music festivals. Who knew?
Tonight in live music: Tauk, Betty Fox Band CD Release Party, Jimmie Fadden & more
Concerts this Fri., May 8.
Negotiations for (and probably petitions against) Pier Park to begin
It wouldn't be a meeting about the Pier if it weren't obscenely long and drawn out, now, would it? After hours of dramatic, sometimes teary-eyed public comment, a good grilling of the Pier Park's design team and an, um, spirited debate among certain council members, the St. Pete City Council Thursday afternoon agreed to move…
Close-up and personal — distinctive portrait shows in St. Pete and Ybor
Two art shows give us a different type of close-up than we’re used to from Bryn Alan and phone-posing real estate professionals. Local painters Robert Phelps and Ron Satlof put their own spin on human and animal portraits at the Studio@620 Friday night. You might recall Phelps’ colorfully vivid dogs at ARTicles Gallery or his…
Big Guava Music Festival returns to the Florida State Fairgrounds with all types of alternative sounds
CL presents a shortlist of must-sees performing at the second annual event
Tonight in live music: Rock the Park with Coyotes & others, ZZ Top with Jeff Beck, David Dondero, Cosmic Gate
Concerts happening this Thurs., May 7
