Working the kinks out
Easing into the BDSM dating scene, what to do if you’re terrible at dominating a sub, how to handle a husband who spends $400 a month on a pro dom
Coffee drinker’s guide to Tampa Bay
“This is – excuse me – a damn fine cup of coffee.”
73% of Floridians agree with Bill O’Reilly – time to raise minimum wage to $10.10 an hour
In addition to showing Charlie Crist rebounding with an eight-point lead over Rick Scott in the governor's race, today's Quinnipiac Poll also shows that by a 73-23 margin (including 53-44 percent among Republicans), Florida voters support raising the state's minimum wage from $7.93 an hour to $10.10. State Senator Dwight Bullard (D-Cutler Bay) and Representative…
2 Trains Running stops Leib in his tracks
Bob Devin Jones directs a virtually flawless production at American Stage.
David Jolly compares Alex Sink’s rhetoric with PolitiFact’s Lie of The year in new ad
The biggest story coming out of President Obama's State of the Union address on Tuesday seems to be how uninspired Americans are about the president as he enters the sixth year of his presidency. In fact, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll published earlier this week, only George W. Bush has began his…
Tempus’ new project
The Tampa Drawers Sketch Gang holds our visual arts critic hostage.
Listen: Cloud Nothings, “I’m Not Part of Me”
Cloud Nothings return with a track off forthcoming LP, Here and Nowhere Else out on April 1.
As Olympics approach, Kriseman co-signs letter calling on Vladimir Putin to repeal anti gay law
Russia's recently passed anti-gay law that allows their government to enforce a ban upon all forms of homosexual "propaganda" has become a major albatross for Russian President Vladimir Putin as he prepares to welcome the world to his country for the beginning of the Sochi Olympics next week. Although there was never any serious talk…
Best of the day: Tampa Bay Brewing Co. debuts Randall beers
Gritty City Food The Randall infuses beer with various flavor profiles. Thursday, Ybor City's Tampa Bay Brewing Company will debut four beers on their recently installed Randall beer infusion system. As Hoppy Trails Beer News describes, "the Randall is an organoleptic hop transducer module, a double-chamber filter that you connect to a tap of your…
Buckhorn says Council needs to take it slow regarding CRA money
At a press conference last August, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan openly speculated about tapping into tax incremental financing in the downtown area to help fund a new baseball stadium if the Tampa Bay Rays were to seriously consider moving across the Bay. Buckhorn said revenues from the area zoned…
West Tampa residents respond to InVision Tampa redevelopment plans
After unveiling it's plans for redevelopment in West Tampa in a press conference earlier in the day, InVision Tampa presented it's plans to the public during a community open house held at Blake High School. The redevelopment will drastically change the neighborhood, with the North Boulevard Homes and Mary McLeod Bethune High Rise Apartments being…
Mitch Perry Report 1.30.14 – New poll says more than half of the state doesn’t want Rick Scott to remain governor
There is no doubt that Charlie Crist is vulnerable to all sorts of attacks regarding his various policy flip-flops on major issues as he runs as a Democrat for governor. In fact, he's been subject to such attacks for months before he declared his candidacy last fall by the Republican Party of Florida. Crist is…
Nan Rich believes Charlie Crist will ultimately debate her
Nan Rich Political strategists say it might be a smart strategy now, but Nan Rich is convinced that while Charlie Crist is blowing off participating in any debates with her right now, he'll ultimately agree to do so as the Democratic primary approaches in August. "It’s kind of stunning to me that a candidate who's…
Pat Gerard’s focus sharpens as she eyes a seat on the Pinellas County Commission
Largo Mayor Pat Gerard Among the many issues on the top of Pat Gerard's agenda as she prepares for a run for Pinellas County Commission later this year is building up the county's affordable housing stock. A 2012 Housing Market study produced for the county's housing finance authority said that, "Without continued population growth and…
InVision Tampa unveils its plan to redevelopment the West Bank of Tampa
A hugely ambitious master plan to transform 140 acres of mostly public land in West Tampa was unveiled Wednesday morning by Mayor Bob Buckhorn and officials involved with the InVision project that originated in 2012. Buckhorn's concept is to transform the west bank of the Hillsborough River into a mixed-use community that will include the…
Medical marijuana receives support amongst USF students
While the initiative for medical marijuana is now officially on the ballot for November, there is still the crucial matter of gaining 60 percent of the vote to become state law. General consensus is that younger voters will be integral in deciding if the constitutional amendment becomes a reality. Mindful of this, Creative Loafing spoke…
Best of the Day: Disenchanted!
Disgruntled heroines reign in the Tampa premiere of the Orlando Fringe Festival hit musical.
Mitch Perry Report 1.29.14 – The tragic death of a St. Pete political activist
If you care to hear what some local lawmakers and hopeful lawmakers (like David Jolly & Alex) are saying about President Obama's State of the Union address, click here. The big news as far as I'm concerned today is the death of St. Petersburg political activist Paula Witthaus, who according to St. Petersburg Police, was…
Local & state pols react to Obama’s SOTU
In what some political pundits were calling the last, best chance to revive his second term in office, President Obama delivered his 5th State of the Union Address to the nation last night. Here's some reaction from our local and state officials: Bill Nelson – “I’m very frustrated because it’s hard to get anything done…
The Coffee Roasters: Kahwa Coffee in St. Petersburg
Meet the people behind the beans.
The Coffee Roasters: Mazzaro’s Italian Market in St. Petersburg
Meet the people behind the beans.
The Coffee Roasters: Meet the people behind the beans
It’s been called “the best part of wakin’ up.” But for Tampa Bay’s coffee roasters, there’s so much more to coffee than meets the mouth. These folks really know their beans: where they come from, what kind of soil and altitude they’re grown in, and how each kind of bean is harvested. “I compare coffee…
The Laugh Tract — who’s bringing the funny
Jackie Mason heads the list of funny men and women performing this weekend.
Fast Food Workers: Sometimes you gotta take a stand
Kimberly DeFalco Donavin Allicock, 10, takes part in December's Fast Food Workers Protest to support mom, Nijah Pretzer. Dad, Sherwyn, left, supports his wife 100% Sometimes you have to take a stand just because it feels like the right thing to do. For Dunkin’ Donuts’ employee Nijah Pretzer, 33, taking part in the December 5th…
Correction: El Gallo Grande is not owned by Bella Brava (but their chefs are helping with the menu)
Vitale murals fill the interior and exterior of El Gallo Grande.
A weekend of wizards, wands and butterbeer
Universal Studios pulled off a crazy turnout for A Celebration of Harry Potter.
Video: Watch Tampa MC Granata tow a wagon, confuse Davis Island in “Palm Trees”
The Tampa MC is “95-percent” finished with a new LP, too.
Tampa Democratic state Rep. Janet Cruz blasts the latest round of voting purges from Tallahassee
Janet Cruz says she shouldn't need to bring her passport to the polls to vote Undaunted by the failures of the state's last attempt at a voter purge, Secretary of State Kent Detzner is expected to send a revised list of alleged non-citizens to the 67 different supervisors of elections throughout the state. But Democrats…
Ready for Hillary super PAC meets up in St. Petersburg
Craig Smith Speaking during a question-and-answer session at a meeting of the National Automobile Dealers Association on Monday, Hillary Clinton was asked about the chances that she would run for president in 2016. "I'm not thinking about it,"she replied. "I am trying to get other people not to think about it. I will think about…
New Music Tuesday! (January 28): David Crosby, Pontiak, The Gaslight Anthem & more
Releases out this week; audio & video included.
Super Bowl Sports Binge: Breaking down the big game
The hype! The ads! The frostbite! Oh, and there’s a game, too …
Gasparilla 2014 – Not much misbehavin’
Kimberly DeFalco Sesail, mascot of the Crewe of Bobbi C. Davis at Gasparilla Pirate Fest It was a polite crowd — relatively speaking. Gasparilla 2014 proved to be much tamer than parades of shenanigans past. With heightened security including surveillance cameras scanning the crowd, the annual Seminole Hard Rock Gasparilla Pirate Fest Saturday yielded far…
Dance It Out: Top 10 songs about dancing that make you want get down
Plenty of songs have the sort of bumpin' rhythms that make you wanna bust a move, but what about those tracks that aren't only about dancing, but that actually make you want to get up and get down? Find out about some of our favorites after the jump, in no particular order; Spotify playlist included…
Mitch Perry Report 1.28.14 – Let the Reefer Madness campaign begin
There were several major stories to break out yesterday in Florida, but none bigger than the announcement that the Florida Supreme Court has approved the language in the constitutional amendment supporting medical marijuana, meaning Floridians will have their opportunity to vote up or down on the issue this November. Although supporters cite one of the…
The Coffee Roasters: Buddy Brew in Tampa
Meet the people behind the beans
Sundance Interview with Noaz Deshe, director of White Shadow
Berlin-based Israeli filmmaker Noaz Deshe was planning a trip to teach film in Tanzania. When he read about the illicit trade in human albino meat and entrails, that according to local witch doctors can have curative effects, he knew this was a story he had to tell. He enlisted locals as crew and assistants and…
The Afghan Whigs to release first album in 16 years
A beloved ’90s alternative act has a new record coming in April
Medical marijuana ballot language okayed by Florida State Supreme Court
Creative Commons Floridians will get to vote on medical marijuana legalization this November. The Florida State Supreme Court has approved language for the medical marijuana legalization amendment to be placed on November's ballot. United for Care, the campaign behind the citizen-petition-led amendment, announced Friday that the Supervisor of Elections had verified 710,000 signatures (of the…
David McKalip touts new poll on Greenlight Pinellas, but were the questions misleading?
David McKalip (UPDATE)A new poll published on Monday finds large opposition to raising the sales tax in Pinellas to improve the county's transportation system, but critics say the questions asked prevented an accurate measurement of public sentiment. Former St. Pete City Council candidate and neurosurgeon Dr. David McKalip hired St. Pete Polls to conduct the…
Do This: Off-the-radar plays, Richard Thompson
La'kesha O'Neal Catch an “ethnodrama” by Charles Vanover at the Studio@620, directed by venue poobah Bob Devin Jones. They’re Only Going to Steal Your Cars is a unique one-woman, verbatim play presented via brief dialogue voiced by the play’s narrator, an accomplished African-American teacher in the Chicago public schools. La’Kesha O’Neal (pictured) stars and has…
At St. Pete Beach appearance, Alex Sink calls David Jolly “too extreme” for Pinellas Republicans
Sink goes on the offensive in the race for C.W. Bill Young’s vacant House seat.
Tampa Bay’s Brass Tap joins the growler movement
Brass Tap All six Brass Tap locations locally began filling growlers Friday. After years of growler sales in Florida restricted to craft breweries, the flood gates seem to be opening. First, ABC Fine Wine and Spirits began filling and selling growlers, including at its West Kennedy Boulevard store in Tampa. And now it’s Brass Tap’s…
GOP Florida Congressman Trey Radel to leave Congress after drug arrest
Trey Radel, the first Congressman ever arrested for possessing cocaine while in office, is resigning from Southwest Florida congressional seat today. I can confirm he is resigning today," Greg Dolan, Radel's spokesman, said in an email to the Naples Daily News on Monday morning. The 37-year-old freshman Republican was busted in November from buying cocaine…
Mitch Perry Report 1.27.14 – Please tip your waiters tonight
A happy (if dank) Monday to you all today. The big national political news this week is President Obama's annual State of the State Address, which, let's face it, never lives up to the hype. I mean, everyone covers these annual speeches and there will be more Republicans than ever holding their own official reactions…
Album review: Warpaint, Warpaint
I've spent some quality time getting to know the ladies of Warpaint this week, yet even with undivided musical focus, the LA quartet still seems more like the gauzy photo on the cover of their new self-titled sophomore album than real flesh and bone. Its subtleties demanded obsessive listening, the initial instinct of wanting to…
A nearly perfect Saturday for Gasparilla Pirate Fest
Crowds were thick and hungry for beads all along Bayshore Boulevard.
Hangin’ with Best Friends
The art show enjoyed a good turnout even though it was Tampa’s drunkest holiday.
Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Mama Joyce Jones speaks her mind
The “real story” behind the mouth matriarch’s actions.
Bill Clinton’s liaison with Monica Lewinsky breaks out in Rand Paul interview on Meet The Press
Of all the national Republicans who have won high office in recent years fueled by the Tea Party insurgence, none are more interesting than Rand Paul. The freshman Senator from Kentucky was the subject of deeply researched story on the front-page of Sunday's New York Times as he tries to navigate his roots in the…
Will Weatherford wants to give in-state tuition to immigrants,but will his GOP colleagues follow?
Will Weatherford Will Weatherford has just one more legislative session to go before his tenure as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives expires, and he's decided to go bold in his call to allow immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children to pay the lower college tuition and fees charged to legal Florida…
For the 1st time, Alex Sink takes on David Jolly for his lobbying efforts in new ad
The Democratic Campaign Congressional Committee has been hammering David Jolly hard for his lobbying history since he got into the contest to succeed the late Bill Young in Pinellas' CD13 seat, but Alex Sink has stood above the fray – until now. In a new ad called "Solutions", Sink herself comments for the first time…
Best of the Day: Best Friends at Workspace Gallery
CORY ROBINSON PUT A BIRD ON IT: One of the window paintings by Cory Robinson featured at Workspace tonight. Pop in on a solo show by an up-and-coming Philadelphia transplant Cory Robinson, who has one of the coolest jobs in the world: He's a display artist at Urban Outfitters. The spirited and amiable artist is…
Do This: Going to and avoiding Gasparilla
The Gasparilla Pirate Fest begins 11 a.m., taking over Bayshore Boulevard, downtown Tampa and its surrounding waterways. From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Jose Gasparilla and the flotilla will make their way up the Seddon Channel to Tampa Convention Center; 10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Gasparilla Invasion Brunch at the Convention Center; 2 p.m.-5:30 p.m.: Gasparilla Parade…
Hillsborough/Tampa homeless group needs volunteers to help with their annual count
Stories about how Hillsborough County has failed to provide adequate housing for the homeless have been a regular staple in the Tampa Bay Times for months now, with the paper's damaging reports leading the County to hand off their responsibilities to Metropolitan Ministries. County Administrator Mike Merrill said on Thursday that the county is also…
Do This: The Normal Heart at freeFall and more
Bryan Leighty freeFall' Theatre Company's The Normal Heart begins its run this weekend with previews tonight and tomorrow afternoon for a discounted admission of $22. Read about it here, and below is the first episode of Leigh Simons' three part documentary series about the anticipated show. Also recommended this evening … Brooklyn Brothers Beat the…
Justin: Make a belieber of us again
Oh, the Biebs has done it again. This time, with a giant smile on his arrest photo. In case you have been living under a media-less rock, Canadian pop sensation Justin Bieber was arrested in Miami early Thursday morning for alleged DUI and resisting arrest after police pulled him over for drag racing a yellow…
The Hold Steady return with new single, “I Hope This Whole Thing Didn’t Frighten You”
Listen to the first tune from the band’s forthcoming full-length.
Aziz Ansari brings his “Modern Romance” to the Mahaffey
PUBLICITY PHOTO Attention stand-up enthusiasts and Parks and Recreation fans, funny guy Aziz Ansari will be headlining The Mahaffey Theater in downtown St. Pete on Sun., March 16. Tickets are $38 for the special engagement went on sale last night at 8 p.m. The comedian/actor — who offers an endless slew of bon mots and…
Seminole Hard Rock Tampa’s kitchen conductor
Chip Weiner BARITONE BILL: Executive Chef Bill Gideon once sang backup vocals for Dizzy Gillespie. Bill Gideon, executive chef at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino, arrives early in the morning and spends close to two hours walking the property checking in with staff. He’s upbeat and down to earth for someone overseeing close to 250…
Mitch Perry Report 1.24.14 – If pot measure is really a “plan” to help Charlie Crist, it ain’t working
Earlier this month the editors at the Tampa Tribune introduced a new look and feel to the daily paper, highlighted by a much more visually striking cover photo that dominates above the fold. Today's edition features in living color a marijuana plant with the headline, "Blowing smoke: Pot measure called 'plan' to help Crist beat…
The Well-Played List, 1-24-2014: The Black Angels, Hospitality, Thundercat & more
This week’s most jammed sounds; audio, video & playlist included.
Task Force issues report on Tampa’s DUI unit
A new task force report released today on the Tampa Police Department's DUI department suggested some minor improvements, such as updating incident reforms and expanding the use of video recordings, but it's overall review concludes that TPD's policies and practices in DUI cases are "generally appropriate." "We found no evidence of inappropriate targeted or selective…
Sundance 2014: Wild, Weird, Wacky and Wonderful
Paul Eeenhorn and Earl Lynn Nelson in Land Ho! Sundance is nearly finished. It’s Thursday morning, there are three days left, and while it isn’t quite winding down, it is starting to settle in. The tourists on Main Street, hoping for a glimpse of celebrity, have dwindled. Now it’s mostly locals, film crews, and film…
Do This: Amendment to the Amendment/(under)stand your ground, Teenage Wasteland
Fearless writers read their journals aloud, and USF presents an intriguing statement on the right to bear arms.
Florida Democrats slam Scott for continued woes of the state’s unemployment website
The attacks come a day after a new poll shows Scott gaining on Charlie Crist.
From truth to sleuth: Reviews of An Iliad and The Hound of the Baskervilles
Gorilla amazes, Jobsite mildly entertains with their latest offerings.
The Hip Hop ABC’s: Letter B
A weekly series spotlighting the best artists in hip hop, one letter of the alphabet at a time.
High on Style: Fashionable coffeetable books
The Shop at Oxford Exchange features some great reads.
Pop goes the Dalí Museum
St. Petersburg’s world-famous museum shifts the spotlight to Andy Warhol.
The Year of the Woman
The new head of the Fed is the latest encouraging sign that women are taking charge.
Tampa Police made 281 arrests for panhandling since new ordinance went into effect
TPD Officer Dan McDonald called the results “encouraging.”
Clearwater’s historic Capitol Theatre gets an epic makeover
The downtown venue gets modern updates while maintaining its charm (photos).
Album review: Jun, The Heart and Home, The Body and Throne
From feeling unconditional love without the need to put a wedding ring on it (“We can just enjoy the joy we bring, and I’ll be in your life for life”), to treating each other like allies instead of opponents and what it means to be a good human beings (“We are all tired and we…
Mitch Perry Report 1.23.14 – Failing to expand Medicaid to cost Florida businesses big-time
Florida Republican leaders have made it darn clear over the past year that they have no desire to expand Medicaid coverage in the Sunshine State, so don't expect any late conversions or concerns following a new report that says that not doing so could cost Florida businesses as much as $253 million a year in…
This week in Tampa Bay area live music: Talib Kweli, Amon Amarth, Willie Nelson & more
Concerts, Jan. 23-29.
Best of the Day: Robyn Hitchcock vs. Turbo Fruits
Video for both included.
Environmentalists in Tampa issue clean water declaration
The Sierra Club's Frank Jackalone (right) was one of a host of groups calling on state lawmakers to clean up Florida's waterways. Citing the record number of manatees that died in Florida waters in 2013, environmental activists called for elected officials to sign a clean water declaration in 16 cities on Wednesday, a vow to…
Bob Buckhorn declares beginning of the “renaissance of Sulphur Springs”
Mayor Bob Buckhorn, City Councilman Frank Reddick and others kicked off new construction in Sulpher Springs Nearly a year ago, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn announced the "Nehemiah Project," where 51 homes in the economically challenged district of Sulpher Springs would be demolished throughout the year as part of an effort to rebuild the neighborhood. Buckhorn…
Anti-rail critics in Pinellas County get inspiration from Atlanta Tea Party star
Debbie Dooley addresses the No Tax for Tracks gathering in Largo Tuesday night Most of the Pinellas/St. Petersburg political and business establishment favor Greenlight Pinellas, the ballot measure calling for an increase in the county's sales tax that will go before Pinellas County voters this fall. Funding from the initiative would go towards expanding bus…
Battle intensifies over plan to raise minimum wage in Florida
There’s plenty of talk about $10.10 an hour, but not everyone’s on board.
David Jolly up by 5 points over Alex Sink in internal Jolly poll
When St. Pete Polls published a survey last week showing Alex Sink trailing David Jolly in the CD13 special election, some angry Tampa Bay Democrats went about bashing the methodology of the survey, suggesting that too many Republicans were called in it, skewing the results. Who knows what they'll be saying today, after the Jolly…
Neon Nights (NSFW)
POV scenes of an alley blowjob, new love, partying with porn stars, and the 2013 NightMoves Awards.
