CULINARY EVENTS
Free Cooking Class The chefs of La Maison Gourmet will demonstrate the preparation of plank-roasted shrimp with two sauces, truffle breaded chicken breast, grilled marinated mushrooms and fresh berries with whiskey-whipped cream and shortbread. Free with a $10 deposit applied toward any purchase. 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7, at La Maison Gourmet, formerly Home Gourmet,…
See How They Run
The first season of VH-1's competition/ reality series Bands on the Run is history; Flickerstick, that loveable, drunken crew of artists and pussy-hounds, won, by the way — just in case you didn't know. But you did know, didn't you? Because you saw every episode you could. You tuned in for a laugh, and you…
Outtakes
A.I. (PG-13) A film directed by Steven Spielberg based on a long-gestating idea by Stanley Kubrick, A.I. is an odd and intriguing hybrid of a movie, combining elements that smack of both filmmakers but not really fully in either's camp. The story tells us of a little robot boy (Haley Joel Osment) who has troubles…
Short Shrift
Imagination is in short supply at Stage-works Briefs 2001, currently playing at the Hillsborough Community College Performing Arts Hall in Ybor City. With only one major exception, the short plays in this year's festival (which I saw in a dress rehearsal) are dull, lacking in ideas, cliched and — even at 10 to 15 minutes…
Planet Picks
Thursday 8.2 Cinema Surreal The Salvador Dali Museum screens Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a film translation of Hunter S. Thompson's classic novel, an over-the-top tale of a desperate, psychotropic journey to find the American dream. Johnny Depp stars as Raoul Duke, Thompson's alter ego, and Benicio del Toro is brilliant as…
Parting Shots I
While I await the team to arrive with the rail, tar and feathers to speed me on my way out of Tampa and on to Atlanta, I have two more chances to amuse or infuriate you with thunderous outrage. Next week, I'll say a final lugubrious fare-thee-well to my most and least favorite people here.…
Letters to the Editor
The Safety Dance Re: "Face Lift" by Rochelle Renford (July 19-25) We liberals need to stop pulling out these "right to privacy' arguments every time someone comes up with some new and innovative way to diminish our civil rights just a tiny bit more in the name of increased safety, law 'n' order, and getting…
Book Review
Empire Falls
Spins
Iggy Pop Beat 'em Up This new full-length from the leathery punk pater finds him looking simultaneously forward and backward, to combine the seminal bluesy thrash of the Stooges with an extremely current and fairly metallic sound. In the hands of anyone but Iggy (or possibly Appetite For Destruction-era Gn'R), this material might come off…
New Kid on the Block
Every now and then a new gallery bursts onto the local scene, but rarely, if ever, does one step directly into the shoes of another. And appearing now, Gallery Enormous, its catchy name as illogical as the circumstances preceding its recent birthing on St. Pete's Central Avenue art strip. What's remarkable is that Fusion, Enormous'…
DVD Picks
Five Dolls for an August Moon and I Vampiri The resurrection of the late, great Italian filmmaker Mario Bava continues unabated with these latest installments in Image Entertainment's groundbreaking Mario Bava Collection. I Vampiri (The Vampires) is where it all started for Bava, and for Italian horror films in general. The 1956 movie is a…
Soundboard
<font Thursday, Aug. 2 Bars/Small Stages AJ's Ale House Deep Elum Alley Cat's Cafe Diane Bahama Mama's Bobby Sibayan Beach Place (Whitey's) Saturn 5 Bourbon Street 97X Night w/Barely Pink/Indica/Hammerslug Brass Mug Very Metal/Table Tops/Reckless Deerhunters Cadillac Jack's Ozona Carlie's Kingpin Centro Ybor Plaza Channel Z Club Hedo Gemini/Passthamic/Ryan McGary/Cory K Daiquiri Deck Retroactive Famous…
Fairly Unbalanced
I challenge anybody to show me an example of bias in Fox News Channel. —Rupert Murdoch, Salon, March 1, 2001 Years ago, Republican Party chairman Rich Bond explained that conservatives' frequent denunciations of "liberal bias" in the media were part of "a strategy" (Washington Post, Aug. 20, 1992). Comparing journalists to referees in a sports…
Web Site of the Week
Personality Disorders Testhttp://www.4degreez.com/misc/personality_disorder_test.mv One of the things I hear all the time is "What the hell is the matter with you?" Normally I don't have an answer because I'm sure the list would be very long and complex. And really, who am I to say without the benefit of professional psychiatric help? This question does…
Music Menu
Barely Pink/The Beauvilles/Leroy Driver Yes, I'm quite aware that I blurbed Barely Pink just recently, thank you. Get over it. The real news here is a reinvigorated effort on the part of Frankie's to offer locals another outlet. Like so many other Ybor venues, they've repeatedly taken a stab at it, off and on, over…
Dining Guide
HILLSBOROUGH Tampa Carrollwood/ Northwest Tampa Kaisen Sushi, 12785 N. Dale Mabry, in Mission Bell Square (813-969-3848). This friendly, casual and tiny cafe offers exceptionally fresh, artfully prepared, delicious and value priced sushi. What more can you ask for? A must-try is the calamari, thick slices of succulent grilled squid served in a dark, smoky sauce.…
Chamber-Made Trouble
The Greater Tampa Chamber of Com-merce closed 1999 with $2-million in net assets. Within a year, those assets vanished from the books. Who was in charge during the intervening 12 months? Who was responsible for this startling dissipation at what is supposed to be a local catalyst for high-wage jobs? The obvious culprit is Jay…
The List
Visual Arts Openings Adrian Howard Galleries, at the Suncoast Resort Hotel, 3000 34th St. S., St. Petersburg (727-865-6906). As Seen Through an August Moon is an exhibit of a variety of media by artists Andreij Kroslak, Michael Harris, Packard de la Vega, Steven James, Alexander DeLorka, Mark Bebermeyer, Vesna Anderson and Robin Gary Wood. The…
Her Royal Blandness
My favorite crackpot theory of the week concerns Gina Wendkos, the screenwriter of Disney's new The Princess Diaries. If Wendkos' name rings any sort of bell, it's most likely because she's also the culprit responsible for penning that grueling punishment known as Coyote Ugly. On an even more obscure note, though, you might find it…
Will Write For Food
My hungry, poverty-stricken butt was in the midst of starvation when I happened upon your ad for a food critic. Hey, free food and I don't even have to hold up a sign on the expressway. How hard can it be? I live in South Tampa, the Eden of fancy-schmancy restaurants. All I have to…
Freebie of the Week
The Community Arts Ensemble presents its latest musical production, Rebecca's Gamebox, written and directed by Fred Johnson, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's vice president of education and humanities. Rebecca's Gamebox tells the story of a young girl who goes on vacation with her family to a magical island and discovers an appreciation for the simple…
You Said It!
Today I'll give you a real treat — a peek inside my mailbag. Your calls and letters are interesting, amusing, informative and sometimes downright hysterical. Take this anonymous voice mail from a woman who wants to bawl me out for "the great review you gave that new Italian place at West Shore Plaza. I only…
Public Life
Public Comment Forum Thursday, Aug. 2 6:30-8 p.m. Hillsborough County Public Works holds an open meeting on plans for community flood control and drainage in the USF Tampa area. The public is invited to come and voice their questions and concerns regarding these upcoming projects. The meeting is held at the University Area Community Center…
