Spins
Mick Jagger Goddess in the Doorway (Virgin) Paul McCartney Driving Rain (Capitol) Elton John Songs from the West Coast (Universal) Hear that faint little rumble? The dinosaurs are loose again. But don't fret; these are docile beasts that aren't scary at all, although you may want to keep their new albums at a safe distance.…
Public Life
Book Store Volunteer Friends of the Library Hillsborough seek volunteers for their bookstore, Grover's Corners. Volunteers are needed for mornings, evenings and weekends; you choose the days and hours. Grover's Corners is at the John F. Germany Public Library, 900 N. Ashley Drive, downtown Tampa. Call 813-273-3616. Audubon Christmas Bird Count Saturday, Dec. 22 The…
One Strike and They’re Out
Striking a defense contractor in these trying times is either a brave show of labor solidarity or mass occupational suicide. Group Technologies Corp. employed 115 Teamsters with security clearances at the company's Tampa plant before they went on strike Oct. 19 in a dispute over holidays and other issues. Group Technologies makes advanced electronic hardware.…
Planet Picks
Thursday 12.6 Bring on the Spiced Cider A Yule log in the fire, a plate of prime roast, decked halls and wassailing companions dressed in Victorian garb — it can only mean one thing, a madrigal dinner. A Victorian Yule Feast, the 14th annual madrigal dinner, takes place through Dec. 8 in the Marly Room…
Leggio Land
John Leggio is a talent whose motto might be "You ain't seen nothin' yet." Which is not to downplay three years of Leggio's choreography and onstage performances at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. In fact, Leggio, who this year won the Planet's Best of the Bay award for his choreography, has more than proven…
Soundboard
<font Thursday, Dec. 6 Events Orpheum Trans Am/Rye Coalition/Oxes Refuge Deviates/The Line/Nevertheless/Unsung Zeros/Counted Out State Theatre Sick of it All/Shai Hulud/Glasseater Bars/Small Stages AJ's Ale House Bobby Friss Band Alley Cat's Cafe Diane Beach Place (Whitey's) Beggars Opera Billy G'Z (Clw.) Baby Huey Band Carlie's Cheeky Monkey Chase Club Derrick Williams Club America United We…
Messages on the Bottle
We like to feature comments and suggestions passed on from you, our budding wine geek readers. We publish the entries that are relevant to other readers, such as wines you enjoyed, interesting questions, and cool stuff you've encountered. Also, keep that fan mail coming; our egos can never be stroked enough. Chad Whelan wrote, "One…
Website
Divine Interventionshttp://www.divine-interventions.com Does God masturbate? Divine Interventions doesn't give you an answer, but they do provide tools for when you decide to "visit Father Fingers." In case you feel that masturbation is indeed a sin that will lead to eternal torment, then use The Devil. According to my mom, Satan's in your crotch anyway, why…
The Wine List
Organic Overtures More than 20 different organic wines and champagne. Admission is free. Friday, Dec. 7. 4-8 p.m. Nature's Harvest Market, 1021 N. MacDill, Tampa. 813-873-7428. Bubbly Buying Vintage Wine Cellars offers one last chance to sample different champagnes before New Years events. Sample 10 selections from California, Italy, Australia and France. $15. Friday, Dec.…
Culinary Events
Merry Meatless Munchies Holiday appetizers is the topic of Chef Debby DeGraaff's vegetarian cooking class. 7-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 12, and 10-11 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 13. Nature's Harvest Market, 1021 N. MacDill Ave., Tampa. 813-873-7428. Free. Kids in the Kitchen Your children can learn how to make cranberry spice biscotti with white chocolate,…
Shifting Gears
By and large, music critics are a petty, sadistic little bastard-clan. And why shouldn't we be? Musicians get to create art, to distill their perceptions, their emotions, their fancies into an aural essence; we just get to call it something. So call it something we do, naming, classifying, pigeonholing, assigning sub-sub-genres with wild glee and…
Thai Me Up! Thai Me Down!
From its jaw-droppingly tacky opening credit sequence to the blatant heart-tugging of its final scenes, the Thai import Iron Ladies is shallow, manipulative, badly made and almost completely predictable. It's also an awful lot of fun. The second highest grossing movie ever in Thailand, Iron Ladies is the true story of a Thai male volleyball…
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. Our critic dines anonymously and all meals are paid for by Weekly Planet. The dollar sign rating in The Dining Guide is arrived at by…
Letters
Rhonda Civic Re: "Looking for My Mambo in a Mojito" by RhondaK (Nov. 29-Dec. 5) Imagine, if you will, the pleasure I experienced when I realized that it was Thursday and I could obtain my much needed fix for the weekend, the Planet. Then double that pleasure along with a stupid-ass grin that would put…
Outtakes
13 Ghosts (PG-13) 21st century remake of the old William Castle spookfest about a family trapped in the haunted house they've just inherited. Stars F. Murray Abraham, Tony Shalhoub and Shannon Elizabeth. (Not Reviewed) Amazing Journeys (PG) IMAX films are about scale, size — from the unfathomably huge (the oceans, the cosmos themselves) to the…
Lazy Js
One of the most appealing aspects of a stay at the beach is its timeless spell, which lulls visitors away from their ordinary, metronomic schedules and inspires beach bum behavior like ignoring the clock, sleeping until noon and spending hours doing nothing. How about a swim at 6 a.m.? No problem! Beers at noon? All…
Music Menu
Trans Am/Rye Coalition/Oxes After-the-rock innovators Trans Am have been around since long before we had a word for every style under the radar, and they continue to defy category with an ever-evolving exploratory yet organic vibe (see Music column). Jammy, muscular postpunks Rye Coalition are still around, similarly confounding the concept of genre. The new…
The List
the List The List announcements are chosen at the editor's discretion. Send essential information, including time, date, price, location and contact number to: The List, 1310 E. Ninth Ave., Tampa, FL 33605, or fax to 813-248-9999. No calls; information cannot be taken over the phone; e-mail may be sent to: cooper.cruz@weeklyplanet.com. Copy must be received…
Back Behind Bars
While Attorney General John Ashcroft's office views the arrest of Mazen Al-Najjar on Nov. 24 as another victory in the battle against terrorism, Al-Najjar's supporters see it as the latest loss in the battle for the right to due process. In its zeal to deport Al-Najjar, the Department of Justice may be ignoring conclusions of…
Freebie
In Observation of an African-American Holiday
Raw Deal
Had raw fish lately? If not, it's because you've consciously avoided it. The recent explosion of sushi bars, from boutique restaurants to the seafood counter at your local supermarket, has made sashimi (the grade of fish; sushi refers to the rice) the new hot ticket. Recent estimates have it that there are more than 45,000…
Books
The Unwanted Gaze: The Destruction of Privacy in America By Jeffrey Rosen Random House/$25 In an era of Internet, e-mail and instant messaging, the electronic "footprints" we leave behind tell a fairly comprehensive story of where we have been, whom we have spoken to and what was said. At least partially motivated by the publicity…
Wine bag
Readers uncork passions, desires, questions and comments
