Gamma Testing Video Game Podcast Episode 15: Prototype
The GammaTesting.com guys dive deep into this '90's-era, comic-inspired, morally-devoid, open-world, super-dude action game and revel in the freedom of movement and wide range of epic combat options. Of course, no amount of car-throwing, copter-jacking or disease-tendrilizing can overcome brutal and blatantly manipulative boss fights, like the final one in Prototype. Still, epic is good.…
Gamma Testing Video Game Podcast Ep 14: Ghostbusters
Can a game succeed solely because of pop-culture fandom? Thankfully, Ghostbusters manages to capture enough ghost-wranglin' gameplay that we don't have to answer that question. We love the plot, find some fault with the repetitive — occasionally brutal — gameplay, and appreciate the light hand with Ghostbusters 2 fan service. So, does bustin' make the…
10 tips to instantly improve your cooking
You like to cook at home but you're missing a little something to put you over the edge. You watch the Food Network, read cookbooks in bed, and wish that you had that little extra knowledge to make your cuisine a personal work of art. You admire chefs, and study your plate every time you…
Gamma Testing Video Game Podcast Ep 13 – Red Faction: Guerrilla
This week, GammaTesting.com fails to forget to smash the state with Red Faction: Guerrilla. We love the entirely destructible environments, open world environment and varied gameplay. Almost as much as we love bashin' stuff with our mining hammer. And, for the first time in a while, we actually felt like we were doing some good…
Radar: Gulfport Horror Film Festival
Welcome to Radar, where we run down the up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Today’s edition is a creepy, campy weekend's worth of vintage horror flicks: Sharks, skulls, and ghosts, oh my! It’s a weekend of terror and suspense at the Gulfport Horror Film Festival, a fundraiser for the Gulfport Arts Center, which…
Going Green Film Festival now accepting film submissions via the internet
Are you an aspiring filmmaker looking to reduce your carbon footprint but you don't know how to get started? Then the First and foremost, What is 'green filmmaking'? According to the festival website, "green filmmaking is a way of producing your film that uses alternative materials, as well as environmentally friendly practices in the production…
Gamma Testing Video Game Podcast Ep 12 – inFAMOUS
Brian's busy, so Rick and Matt run down inFAMOUS without the help of his dulcet tones. Still, their take on this open-world-third-person-super-dude-sim-with-lightning Playstation 3 exclusive barely suffers without him. Surprisingly. The Hermanos Dakanos love the inFAMOUS gameplay so much, the dozens of minor annoyances are barely noticeable. Although they do wonder at main character Cole's…
Radar: Everybody Dance!
Welcome to Radar, where we run down the up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Today’s edition is a fundraising dance party at St. Pete's trendy new art spot, Nova 535. This weekend, Nova 535 art lounge hosts the life of Dr. John Barnett and raise funds for CLIP, the Tampa International Gay and…
Chef Tips: More on the art of food plating
My recent post "food plating: choose your support" has drawn quite a lot of interest. Today we hear from one reader. She made the following comment: "Submitted on 2009/07/27 at 11:18am I found this post to be particularly interesting. The stark difference in the pictures really stressed the importance of a good support. Are there…
Stop uncontrollable junk mail and wasteful telephone directories
Do you receive way too much junk mail? Here are some tips to lighten your junk mail load: The issue Every year, each of us receives almost 560 pieces of junk mail, accounting for 43% of all delivered mail! Every year, the US EPA estimates 44% of junk mail isn’t even opened, creating four tons…
What’s love got to do with it?
I don't care if it's them wanting to love me, or not wanting me to love them, it freaks me out. It's too bad this word scares me so much because there are men out there who want to tell me they love me. I don't want to hear it. Maybe it's because 5 months…
Pecha Kucha Night Vol. 3 this Saturday in Ybor (video)
This Saturday, August 1 join e-tba (Emerging Tampa Bay Architects) for the third installment of Pecha Kucha. For those not familiar with the event, designers, activists, artists, advocates and generally creative people are given 20 slides shown for 20 seconds a piece to present an idea, theme, cause, or project. Pecha Kucha originated in Japan…
Do It Today: Summer Cooking at DatzEDU, Barber of Seville, Lykke Li on Last Call
Nearly every week, Datz Deli — an increasingly-popular post-work spot for a glass of vino or brew and a foodie-approved sandwich — offers an intriguing cooking or wine class. This week's topic is DatzEDU: Va Va Vinegar, and attendees learn how to make this humble condiment the star of summer cooking with a few simple…
Radar: “Wild Party” at Morean Arts Center August 8
Welcome to Radar, where we run down the up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Today’s edition is an arty fashion party in celebration of the Morean Arts Center's current exhibit: Let loose your inner style beast at Saturday’s Wild Party, a fashion, makeup and hair-design extravaganza held in conjunction with Wild Spirits, the…
New vinyl and CD releases out Tuesday, July 28
Vinyl: 10 Ft. Ganja Plant – Bush Rock The band’s first studio recording in five years, Bush Rock includes vocals by Kyle McDonald of Slightly Stoopid. A well-rounded reggae/dub excursion that features both heavy dub tracks and silky sweet songs. Deceh – Deceh Deceh is a fine drone quartet utilizing traditional ethnic drone instruments as…
Must-see show: Atmosphere at State Theatre this Saturday
Minneapolis indie hip-hop duo Atmosphere — made up of rap artist Slug (Sean Daley) and DJ/producer Ant (Anthony Davis), pictured (photo credit Dan Monick) — bring a smart and refreshing change to the bloated bravado found in much of modern hip-hop music. Slug raps in a personal style that often draws from his own experiences,…
CL Feature: Black Moth Super Rainbow (the psyche-pop-fizz group plays Crowbar on Friday)
Pennsylvania experimental rock ensemble Black Moth Super Rainbow (pictured, photo by Jae Rumberto) hit retro and modern notes all at once with their day-glo vibrant electro-dance melodies, fizzadelic folk shambles and made-for-space jams. It’s some of the headiest music you’ll find out there right now, but songwriter/frontman/creative conscience Tobacco (real name Tom Fec) doesn’t consider…
From Erin Andrews to Ben Roethlisberger, privacy and the professional athlete
In Lake Tahoe, a casino waitress alleges that a two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback forced himself on her in a hotel room. In another hotel room elsewhere in the country, someone sneaks a video camera through a keyhole to record a female sportscaster as she strolls around her room. In Alabama, a reporter asks a former Heisman…
Beer Review: Avery Ellie’s Brown Ale from Avery Brewing
In the mountain town of Boulder, Colorado, Avery Brewing operates with imaginative commitment to craft beer. The brewery's website proudly asserts, "we brew what we like to drink—with utter disregard for what the market demands— and search out fans with equally eccentric palates." They found me many years ago, and since then I have thoroughly…
Nike improves Amazon deforestation policy, Timberland must act (video)
Following the release of Greenpeace’s report, “Slaughtering the Amazon” and pressure from activists, sneaker-giant Nike agreed to revise its policies to ensure that they stop buying leather from deforested areas in Brazil. Now, it's time for Timberland to act to stop destructive practices in the Amazon. "Nike has set a great precedent for Timberland, Adidas,…
Skin Two, or how I discovered my fetish for fetish bars (NSFW)
The week leading up to Skin Two, eyes lit up whenever I mentioned I had extra tickets to Secret Room’s fetish party and medical fashion show at The Castle. Friends were excited to finally have a chance to show off their fancy lingerie or to just ogle fetishists in fishnets. Of course when Saturday rolled…
First look: Prince of Persia: Sands of Time pictures are here
Today, we get our first look at Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, a new video-game-to-film adaptation starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Don't let the fact its based on a video game fool you, though; the pictures, courtesy of Empire Online, look pretty amazing. Prince of Persia is about an adventurous prince named Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal)…
Jon & Kate – Contributors
We aren't your average twenty-something couple. We're always on a quest for adventure. At any given time you might catch us at a road rally (yes we've competed in the Gumball 3000), traveling the country or trying to pick up an extra lady to help fulfill our threesome fantasy. email: unicornhunters@bigstring.com
Video: Buck 65, “The Rebel”
Normally, I don't do video posts. But sometimes I see one that is just so sweet I have to share it with y'all. Such is the new video for Buck 65's song "The Rebel" off his latest effort, Situation. It was done by animator Benjamin Logsdon and you need to make sure you watch it…
Comic-Con 2009 Wrap Up: Avatar, Tron Legacy and more …
[Ed. Note: Comic-Con was huge news this weekend, and Anthony has sifted through the voluminous online reporting to bring you these highlights of the event. This post was originally released on Sound on Sight. For reviews of the biggest movies of this summer, please check out CL's Movies & Television site.] Avatar James Cameron's 12-years-in-the…
Natural remedies to combat that pesky Swine Flu
Swine flu is back on the front page again. Swine flu revisited demands a more careful reading of the pandemic idea and what it means to a highly susceptible population, most of whom have never seen a virus like this before. So, according to the CDC, more than 40,000 cases have been confirmed in the…
DVD Review: Fast & Furious starring Vin Diesel
With the sequel/reboot Fast & Furious arriving on DVD today, I decided to take a look at what the release brought to the table to see if it's worth buying it, Netflixing it or simply waiting for it to appear in endless reruns on Spike. The film's tagline is: "New Model, Original Parts." Let's have…
Don’t cry for Argentina: Malbec wines are taking over
Forget the tango – malbec is fast becoming the beloved icon of Argentina. I wrote about this humble red grape back in 2006, when it was creeping into the spotlight, but since then its popularity has spread like the macarena at a redneck wedding. And no wonder – malbec is practically perfect. This disrespected French…
Dirty little swinger secrets (NSFW)
The word swinger sounds dirty all by itself. Add a few dirty secrets and swingers become down right pornographic. The swinger lifestyle leads itself to all types of uninhibited behavior. Sometimes this include over indulgence of alcohol or drug use. Personally I do not partake in drug use, but I have been with some that…
Tampa Bay food, wine and beer events
Tuesday, July 28: Put A Cork In It Toasty Tuesday. Relax at this tasting of 10-15 different wines and appetizers while chatting with industry experts and dancing to live music. $15. 7-9 p.m., 28347 Paseo Dr., Tampa (407-654-2188) Tuesday, July 28: Wings Gone Wild Specialty Beer Tasting. Sample craft beers from the Cigar City Brewery,…
Summer in Venice (Italy, that is), with a Fried Zucchini Blossom recipe
Summer is the traditional time to travel, and what could be more fun than traveling with your entire family? OK, I heard that! Traveling with kids can be: exhilarating, anxiety-producing, joyous, excruciating, eye-opening, fearful and downright fun! Recently, my family and I spent a marvelous day in Venice. The other one. The one in Italy.…
Why buying recycled, repurposed products is so important
Buying "green", eco-friendly products is becoming more and more popular in this day and age. But why is it so important? Preserving the Earth’s natural resources is vital to the future of the planet and all of its inhabitants. Buying recycled and repurposed products is a great way to make a positive impact on the environment by cutting…
Radar: Richard III
Welcome to Radar, where we run down the up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Today’s looking-forward event might be the first local show to unite theater buffs with grungy rock hipsters: Richard III, a hybrid theater and rock 'n' roll performance. Often recognized as Shakespeare’s bloodiest play, the Secret Theatre Company puts a…
Do It Today: new exhibits at Polk Museum of Art and the Dalí
Art and Design: Proportion is the third in a series of exhibits designed to demonstrate the use of design principles in the works in PMA's permanent collection, through Aug. 2. In Shelter, the museum presents a selection of works from its permanent collection that express the concept of shelter, which "can be anything from a…
More upcoming concerts: the Decemberists, Chuck Ragan, Tracy Byrd, Ghostland Observatory and many others.
Lots of new concert announcements arrived in my email box over the past three days. I've paired the new with a few that slipped through the cracks for your concert planning convenience. For a complete breakdown of area shows, visit our Upcoming Concerts page. Saturday, Aug. 8 Sons of Bill, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa, $7 in advance/$10…
Kathy Buck – Contributor
Kathy Buck has more than 25 years of theater experience. She has acted, directed and/or designed more than 100 full-length plays and musicals. Mrs. Buck holds a Bachelors of Theater Arts Degree from USF, where she specialized in directing and costume design. Kathy recently completed a Masters of Theater Arts, specializing in production and design…
The costumed women of Comic-Con 2009
Each July in San Diego, Christmas comes early for nerds and movie lovers alike in the form of Comic-Con, the nation's largest comic/movie/game/geek convention. While CL's Kevin Hopp covered the movie news that his this weekend, I'll be covering what many of the comic fans like me truly went to see: the costumed women of…
Restaurant Preview: Wood Fired Pizza Wine Bar near USF
Tucked into a strip mall near USF's main campus, along with a sports bar and tanning salon, you'll find Peter Taylor's passion project: Wood Fired Pizza Wine Bar. From the rich orange and gold colors of the floor to the wood burning oven visible from every seat in the house, everything in the place was…
Dear Diva: Words of wisdom from the Creative Costumer
The Costume Diva has arrived! On her new blog, creative costumer Kathy Buck answers your questions and concerns about the tricky clothing conundrums of local — often low-budget — theater productions. Feel free to test her skills — the Diva has yet to meet an ensemble enigma she can't solve! The first installment of her…
More upcoming concerts: the Decemberists, Chuck Ragan, Tracy Byrd, Ghostland Observatory and many others.
Lots of new concert announcements arrived in my email box over the past three days. I've paired the new with a few that slipped through the cracks for your concert planning convenience. For a complete breakdown of area shows, visit our Upcoming Concerts page. Saturday, Aug. 8 Sons of Bill, Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa, $7 in…
Radar: Edge: The Story of Sylvia Plath
Welcome to Radar, where we run down the up-and-coming arts events to mark your calendar for. Today's edition is a dark performance piece about poet Sylvia Plath's life and death: Method Machine Productions and twenty@620 present Paul Alexander’s homage to Sylvia Plath’s lifework with Edge: The Story of Sylvia Plath. The one-woman show, starring Marcy…
Braised Rabbit: Sustainable and delicious
When I seek out ingredients, I make an effort to find good quality local items. Sometimes that means eggs and greens that travel fewer than 20 miles to get to me in the Florida panhandle. Other times, when something is not available on a truly local level, I try to find it regionally (usually Florida,…
City of Tampa Green Business Designation Program
As of this week, the City of Tampa became one of just a handful of cities nationwide to start a green business designation program. Outside of the West Coast (California and Washington state), Tampa will join major metropolitan areas like Philadelphia and Knoxville in rewarding private businesses that have become or want to become more environmentally-friendly.…
Toshiba making lots of flash memory chips, possibly for Apple: New iPods on the way?
New iPods hitorically debut in the fall, around September. This report that says Toshiba will “ramp up” production of flash memory chips during the month of August. Word on the street is that Toshiba is doing so to meet a big order from Apple. So, new iPods could be on the way. Why such speculation?
Free showing of Food, Inc. this Thursday, courtesy of Chipotle
Want to see new conscious-eating movie Food, Inc. but strapped for cash from your big backyard garden summer renovation? Chipotle's got your back. At 7:30 p.m. this Thursday, July 30, at Tampa Theater, Chipotle Mexican Grill is sponsoring
Dreaming of a global crisis
"Dream Momma, Last weekend I had a dream (nightmare) that I was trying to outrun a sinkhole with the family in the car. We made it to a shopping mall and ran inside just in time to see the parking lot and everything that lay beyond it swallowed up. It freaked me out and the…
Why I don’t fish (a New York boy in Florida)
Fishing is a sport. Like golf, it is also a popular, leisure activity here in the Sunshine State. I have a good number of friends who over the years, have consistently invited me to go fishing with them, although I've never really gotten into it for reasons about to be discussed. I respect fishing and…
Gamma Testing Video Game Podcast Ep 11: Bionic Commando
This week we take a look at the re-do of 1980s cult classic Bionic Commando. Turns out that fun gameplay trumps terrible story and unlikeable characters, yet again. Even if that gameplay has a steep learning curve. Still, once you get it down, swinging on your extendable bionic appendage is damn fun — especially if…
Theater Review: Doubt dazzles at American Stage
What a gift John Patrick Shanley gave to middle-aged-and-over actresses when he brought Doubt to the stage. The role of Sister Aloysius is the sort performers dream about: dominating, unpredictable, withering, unwittingly comic, getting by not on glamour but on ugly old self-righteousness, mean-spirited certainty and unflappable overconfidence. Sister Aloysius is a Dirty Harry of…
Provocative piercings, up close and personal (NSFW Pics)
People never cease to amaze me when pushing their bodies' artistic boundaries. I thought I was daring when I got my nose pierced. I was in Amsterdam at the time, high on mushrooms, and I thought that a piece of metal in my nose was just what I needed. I'm usually too much of a…
Video interview with Spike from Terrapin Beer Company
Here's a video interview with Brian "Spike" Buckowski, founder and brewmaster of Terrapin Beer Company, from my trip to visit the brewery recently. We chatted about the new year-round Hopsecutioner IPA, Side Project Volume 7 — Maggie's Farmhouse Ale, and the second release of Side Project Volume 3— Gamma Ray Wheatwine. Clip also features comical…
The Earth Charter: How ethics can change the world (video)
Sustainability is the ability to meet present day needs without jeopardizing the future's ability to provide for their needs as well. In order to have a sustainable system such as this it must be created equally in a democratic way. If sustainability is built only for the extremely rich the poor and middle class will…
Late night music, July 27-August 1: DMB, Regina Spektor, the Fray and more (with video)
A weekly bulletin on musical guests playing late night TV; set your TIVOs or DVRs if you’ve got an early bedtime. The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS Monday, July 27: Dave Matthews Band Tuesday, July 28: Silversun Pickups Wednesday, July 29: Elbow (The British alt rockers are currently on tour with Coldplay.) Thursday, July…
Do It Today: North by Northwest, color mixing for painters
The Studio@620 and Push Ultra Lounge team up to present the Summer Sunset Movie Festival, a free movie screening in celebration of the picturesque Florida sunset at 8:30 every Monday through August 31. The July 27 selection is the Alfred Hitchcock-directed North by Northwest, a thriller that evokes "oohs and aahs" both with exciting action…
The Green Community: Week in Review
What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week: Living with the land: Florida's first Earthship (video) – Eric Stewart gives a firsthand look at Florida's first Earthship in Manatee County, and gets his hands dirty while helping out. Not getting a million-dollar…
Concert review: Nightmare of You at Crowbar
Looking over my notes from Thursday night's show, I'm inclined to call Nightmare of You unique. Words like "nuts," "dub" and "sultry" jump off the page, infiltrating my consciousness and recreating the music of this NYC band. The four-piece put on an incredible show. After a little bit of gambling with members of other bands…
First Impressions: A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
Trailerpark released a teaser poster on Myspace featuring new Freddy Krueger, Jackie Earle Haley of Watchmen, for the reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street coming in 2010. There isn’t much to look at since Freddy Krueger is lurking in the shadows, much like a resident boogyman is supposed to. Freddy is different than superhuman thugs…
Make an impact on your health and the environment by reducing your beef consumption (video)
Reducing your beef (or all meat, for that matter) consumption could make quite an impact on not only your health, but also on the environment. Beef contains high levels of cholesterol and saturated fat, as well as chemicals and growth hormones. Many scientific studies have linked the consumption of red meat to heart disease, stroke, and breast…
Concert announcement: Jamie Foxx at TBPAC
Jamie Foxx has come a long way since his In Living Colour sketch comedy days. That job led to some serious acting gigs, then to an Academy Award-winning performance of Ray Charles in the 2004 biopic, Ray, then to a lucrative music career. Foxx had always played music (he began taking piano lessons at age…
Kevin Hopp – Contributor
I was born and raised in St. Petersburg, which means I have a low tolerance for the cold. I have been addicted to movies since I was three and saw Star Wars the first time. After that, my sister and I would play a game of movie trivia daily to test our knowledge of movie…
New eco-friendly paint: Liven up a room without the toxic fumes
Are you moving into a new apartment this fall and contemplating a new shade for your bedroom wall? Are you looking for a fun summer color to rev up your dining room? Why not try the new Freshair Choice paints, a new green line of paint that contains no VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in the…
Tom Chang – Contributor
Tom Chang was born in Galveston, TX. He moved to Tampa, FL in 1986 where he graduated from USF in 2004 with a Bachelors Degree in Mass Communications. Tom's interests include a little bit of everything from entertainment to sports. He came into writing and journalism because of the creativity and attention to detail of…
Spirits Review: Jim Beam Red Stag is a sign of the flavored times
I wasn't surprised when the flavored vodka market exploded in the 1990s. It seemed appropriate that a spirit desired primarily for its "clean" — or nonexistent — flavor would try to reposition itself as something a little more useful. Over a decade later vodka producers and neighborhood mixologists are still having a ball devising ways…
Photo review: Reel Big Fish and the English Beat at The Ritz Ybor
A series of shots from the Wednesday, July 22 show featuring Reel Big Fish, the English Beat and The Supervillains at The Ritz Theater in Ybor City. Reel Big Fish (More pics after the jump)
Kevin’s Korner: Comic-Con preview, Alice in Wonderland and Iron Man 2 armor
Welcome back to another installment of Kevin's Korner. Thank you for all the support I received last week, and I look forward to bringing you the news every week! Since Comic-Con is this weekend, we have much to do and less time to do it in, so lets get going.
Restaurant Preview: North Tampa’s Taqueria Monterrey
Excited by Chef Rene Valenzuela's expansion of his empire, and because I 've been a taco zealot since CL's Tournament of Tacos in March, I ran right to Taqueria Monterrey on the first day open. Taqueria Monterrey Day 1: An artist is still painting signs on the walls. He asks me to verify his spelling…
St. Petersburg-made movie Loren Cass gets NY Times rave review
Things are looking up for Loren Cass, the St. Pete-made indie movie previously covered in CL by Alex Pickett and Scott Harrell, and nominated last year by NYC's IFP Gotham Awards as Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You. In today's New York Times, critic Nathan Lee flat-out raves about the film, which…
Recipe: Spanish Seafood Paella with Jasmine rice
When I find fresh seafood, the first word that comes to my mind is paella. This dish brings back childhood memories, and after all these years it's still one of those foods that I find exciting to cook and delicious to eat. Paella is a baked (or charcoal-simmered) rice dish typical of Spain. The basic…
Oil drilling in Florida means goodbye to our beaches and tourism
I just participated in a panel discussion on offshore drilling of our Florida beaches, sponsored by the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce. Also joining me were Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch, Senator Nelson’s staff Shahra Anderson, and the Ocean Conservancy’s TJ Marshall, acting as lobbyists for the oil industry from the Southern Strategies Group -…
Creative Loafing welcomes new contributors at its open house (video)
We (CL) opened up our doors Wednesday night for about 50 potential new contributors. There was wine, beer, pizza and a micro-symposium on 21st-century community journalism. We got a chance to recruit some new voices and our guests got to feel out our site editors. Look for their contributions in the coming days. One of…
Do It This Weekend: S’Real Friday, Future of Music, Oddlie, Snow White and more
An arty twist to the beginning of the weekend, S'Real Fridays include a variety of jazz in the cafe, screenings of unusual silent films, complimentary hors d'oeuvres and, of course, access to the country's largest collection of Salvador Dalí works. Every Friday through Aug. 28 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Salvador Dalí Museum, 1000 Third…
Conor Oberst shuts his Bright Eyes and reveals a new project, Monsters of Folk
Conor Oberst, the young man who began his career writing about breaking up with actress girlfriends and late-night boozing via his alias Bright Eyes, recently told Rolling Stone that he was ready to put that part of his life to rest. It's true indie citizens. After one more album, which Oberst plans to record early…
Top Chef Masters Podcast, Episode 6: “Trick in a Box” — Gail Simmons’ massive boobs, Art Smith’s honeybear act
In this episode, the master chefs had to shop only from one specific aisle in the grocery store for their Quickfire Challenge. I'm sorry, let me correct myself – from Whole Foods Market, having traveled there in their Lexus, and bringing along their handy Gladware storage containers to store the food which would be cooked in/on GE appliances. Oh,…
Renewable portfolio standard is needed for renewable energy in Florida
Florida, in light orange-yellow on the Dept of Energy map, above, joins some other states without renewable portfolio standards to require renewable energy production. We are long overdue for a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) in this state (a regulation that requires the increased production of energy from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, biomass,…
Beef Week: Grilled flank steak recipe
When I began eating red meat again after a 10-year hiatus, the satisfaction was immediate. I ordered a dry-aged, grilled filet topped with seared foie gras and a cabernet-truffle sauce at Harris’ Steakhouse in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights. All I remember from that epic first bite is taking in the rush of rich flavor, leaning…
Claiborne and The Woodwork play “flavor tripping” party at Adrenalina this Saturday.
The “extreme store” (and my place of employment) is at it again! This Saturday, July 25, Adrenalina hosts what is known as a “flavor tripping” party in its International Plaza store. Adrenalina has invited indie favorites Claiborne to play an acoustic set at the event, which should be met by no protests from fans since…
Where great beer is born: A tour of Terrapin Beer Company in pictures
Terrapin Beer brews its magical potions in the hip college town of Athens, Georgia. The brewery's legacy began with a kickass Rye Pale Ale and, a mere six months after its commercial debut in 2002, that sole effort won a gold medal in the American Pale Ale category at the Great American Beer Festival. In…
Video of LeBron James getting dunked on by an amateur surfaces
After weeks of hearing about it, the world finally gets its first look at video of amateur B-baller Jordan Crawford throwing down the rock in King James' face. Will LeBron ever be able to appear in public again? In a word: yes. First off, the TMZ video makes the original NASA moon landing tapes look…
Mode Maven’s tips for scoring big discounts on high-end cosmetics
Really, how awesome does it feel to slide your hand down the sleeve of a top you've fallen in love with, grab the sales tag, and see a crimson strike – through of the suggested retail price? It's half off (with an additional 20 percent off, today only!) and the top you love just turned…
Should a town manager lose his job due to his porn star wife?
Should a civic employee lose his/her job because they married an adult star? That is the question behind the firing of Scott Janke, former town manager for Fort Myers Beach. The town council removed him from office with a vote of 5-0 after finding out that he is married to Jazella Moore. Kiker acknowledged that…
Photo Review: Pedals on our Pirate Ships, The Wild, Regular Size People Fight
Pedals on our Pirate Ships finally sailed into Tampa on July 21, 2009! Which explains how I found myself out late on a Tuesday work night at Transitions Art Gallery to see Pedals on our Pirate Ships (Richmond), The Wild (Atlanta) and Regular Size People Fight (Tampa). Pedals on our Pirate Ships My friend Jeff…
Shop local at Etsy: Artists from Tampa and Sarasota online
Etsy is like eBay for artists: a highly interactive, visually appealing online market. Artisans, "vintage" collectors, designers, stay-at-home moms — all kinds of buyers (and sellers) frequent the site. Etsy's a great place to buy one-of-a-kind items and gifts for those "hard-to-shop-fors." Shoppers can place requests on the "Alchemy" list, or search for items by…
Beef Week: Praise Maillard, king of crust
When you think about a benefactor to humanity, you probably think Mother Teresa, Gandhi, MLK, Nelson Mandela or the Dalai Lama. I’ll personally go with Louis Camille Maillard. Maillard is the early 19th-century chemist who brought us the Maillard reaction, which is one of the first things you learn at chef school. Maillard is the…
Beef Week: Rum and orange juice-infused skirt steak with pineapple salsa
(Ed. note: Make it to the end for the recipe. It'll pay off.) Like most people, I love a challenge. I especially like them when they're related to food. That's why I had so much fun when I was asked to cater a party for about 100 people. OK, I can handle that. It's in…
Do It Today: Think+Drink Cinema, Ghosts of Ybor and Oddlie at Studio@620
The Series prior to each movie explores the history and icons of the music that have shaped America, featuring a live performance by a new local musician each week. The July 23 film is The Power of Song, archival footage of the pioneering folk singer and political activist Pete Seeger, featuring interviews with Bob Dylan,…
Concert announcement: Leonard Cohen at the St. Pete Times Forum
Exciting news folks. Due to an apparent overwhelming demand, Leonard Cohen (pictured, photo credit: Lorca Cohen) brings his world tour back to North America and adds some dates, including a surprising two-date Florida leg that features the artist at the BankAtlantic Center in Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday, October 17, and the St. Pete Times Forum…
This weekend’s best bets in Tampa Bay area music, July 23-26.
A quick breakdown of this weekend's most worthy concerts beginning with Thursday, 'cause that's when the weekend really starts, right? For a more comprehensive schedule of concerts, check out our Upcoming Events page. Thursday, July 23 Nightmare Of You (pictured) w/Plushgun/Brian Bonz/Aushua In Nightmare of You’s single, “I Think I’m Getting Older,” frontman Brandon Reilly…
Futurama to return without original voices. Will you watch? (Poll)
Last month, it was reported Futurama was coming back to cable TV after a six-year hiatus. The return was said to be due to stellar DVD sales, and Comedy Central planned to bring everyone back for an all-new 13-episode season. Obviously, 'Rama-heads were jumping up and down in excitement, and as a huge fan of the…
CL Interview: Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello (audio + video)
Google “gypsy punk” and most of the dozen or so results relate back to Gogol Bordello. Search the band specifically and you’ll find more than a million pages that mention it. While Gogol’s Ukraine-born visionary/composer Eugene Hütz isn’t interested in taking credit for spearheading a whole new movement in American music, his band’s influence is…
Movie review: Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler in The Ugly Truth
To read more about the summer's biggest releases, check out CL's Movies & Television site. I’ll say this for The Ugly Truth’s poster: With lead actress Katherine Heigl holding a heart in her hand while another rests over Gerard Butler’s nether region, it’s a fine example of truth in advertising. Though the film has its…
Snipped or unsnipped: the circumcision debate
In a recent study of 445 Ugandan women whose sexual partners were recently circumcised, 40% reported improvements in their sex lives, 57% claimed no change, and 3% said their sex lives suffered. The reasons these women gave for how sex improved may surprise you: better hygiene, it took longer for men to climax, and their…
Everything you ever wanted to know about Earthships (video)
As you've seen from a post earlier this week in the Green Community, Florida is getting its first Earthship. But what exactly goes into making an Earthship and what makes it so energy efficient and eco-friendly? Not only do Earthships utilize solar and wind energy (for heating, cooling, and electricity), they are made completely of…
Icelandic Skyr Yogurt — Satisfying Power Food
I get tired of seeing people caught up in these diet fads that amount to unrealistic starvation and improper nutrition and an absence of physical activity. Unless you seriously get into modern pharmaceuticals (another post) you just can`t sit around and lose weight on diet alone. Not healthfully, at least. It is important to make…
Psychotic Pulp: Rock ‘n’ Roll as Literature, Vol. 1
Screeching guitars over a rapid backbeat pierce 50 ears trying to hear 25 stilted conversations. A foot-long needle shoots directly through the beckoning orifices, winds around the ear canals and connects directly with the center of each half of the brain. A throbbing begins at the base of the skull as imaginary brain fluid leaks out of each ear. Each face…
Beef Week: Steak cooking tips, plus a recipe for compound butter
Filet was on sale today for $13.99 a pound! I usually buy ribeyes, but this was too good of a deal to pass up. Before I slapped it in a pan, though, I had to review my rules for cooking the perfect steak 1) Start off with a super hot cooking surface. I get my…
Game review: Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood – six-gun style shoot ’em up
It's been a long time since I had a game experience more mixed than Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood. There's lots to like, some things to hate, a fair amount that's on the border, and even something I hated and then came to like. Playing this game was like riding an emotional roller coaster…
Dethklok to release The Dethalbum II in September.
On paper, Dethklok should be unbearably lame. Fake bands from cartoons bring to mind tripe like Jem or Josie & The Pussycats. But somehow, Metalocalypse creator Brendon Small got it right. Dethklok is more than just a "brutal" caricature. Judging by how Small crams in references to obscure bands and invites big names from the metal underground such as George "Corpsegrinder"…
Seth Rogen calls Entourage creator Doug Ellin a “moron” after the show calls him “ugly”
Hollywood Bro Fight! On a new episode of Entourage this weekend, the characters made references to Seth Rogen's “ugliness" as being "oddly fascinating” in debating whether Rogen could get with a woman like Katherine Heigl in real life. Seth is pissed and is striking back: “Yeah, I actually ran into Kevin Dillon in a Starbucks,…
Beef Week: The Great Supermarket Steak Tasting
Choice. Angus. Natural. Organic. Humanely raised. Grass-fed. Prime. Wagyu. Kobe. These days, there are more marketing terms associated with beef than ever before, all of which attempt to separate you from your food budget with promises of better quality or better moral character. And it's important to know what those terms mean, especially if you're…
ArtsSpeak: How to Make Love to Adrian Colesberry
In the latest edition of ArtsSpeak, CL's arts and culture podcast, Daily Loaf book blogger William McKeen interviews Adrian Colesberry (right), standup comic and former biomedical engineer, on his very funny new book, How to Make Love to Adrian Colesberry. Turns out the first rule of How to Interview Adrian Colesberry is: try not to…
Kama Sutra: the couch
Getting into position: The woman draws her knees up while the man positions himself over her. Trapping her thighs in what is described as a “tight knot,” he saddles her and rides her buttocks all the way to orgasmville! On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate position? 8 Did you have…
Will questions left by In Defense of Food be answered by Food, Inc.?
For the past year, I have read and re-read Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma, which is basically about where out foods comes from and how it gets to our tables. Having grown up in my parent's grocery store – slicing lunchmeat for our customers standing next to my father's butcher block – I have had an intimate…
If I had super strength, could I squeeze coal into a diamond?
Superman is able to use his super strength to squeeze coal into diamonds. Theoretically, if someone had unlimited strength in real life, would it be possible to do this? —marcusbrute You realize, Marcus, we're talking about what (a) a fictional character of virtually unlimited powers (barring kryptonite-related issues) could, (b) if real, be (c) theoretically…
Savage Love: The politics of gay rights
When to support a candidate who doesn’t support you.
Texas five-piece band Dignan is unsigned, unencumbered and happy to stay that way
Dignan w/ Look Mexico/XOXO?Alexander and the Grapes, Fri., July 17, 9 p.m., Crowbar, Ybor City, $6 in advance/$8 dos (ages 18 and up). You'd imagine Dignan's music is conceived somewhere cold and snowy grey and stunning in its starkness, a place for thinking meaningful thoughts and contemplating life's everlasting mysteries. Not a Texas town located…
No wine with salad? Lettuce surprises you
The snooty side of food pairings preaches "No Wine with Salad." I fed on this falsehood for years, following the widely-held mantra like an evangelical wino. Then one day, a miraculous salad and vino combo made me rethink my reliance on traditional not-so-wisdom. Not that I was always so cool and contrarian. Before my re-awakening,…
A conversation with Eugene Hütz, maestro of the gypsy punksters Gogol Bordello
Google "gypsy punk" and most of the dozen or so results relate back to Gogol Bordello. While Gogol's Ukraine-born visionary/composer Eugene Hütz isn't interested in taking credit for spearheading a whole new movement in American music, his band's influence is undeniable. Gogol grew out of NYC's underground music scene, just as much a melting pot…
Local play The Doors is a would-be farce on post-9/11 paranoia
The Doors, by local theater artists Jack Holloway and Joe Winskye, is a not very interesting play on a very interesting subject: the American paranoia about terrorists since 9/11. If a play could be judged solely by its theme, this Hat Trick Theatre production would win lots of prizes for timeliness and good sense. But…
New movie Food, Inc. dissects our dysfunctional food system
Among people who care about where their food comes from and how its provenance affects the daily lives of everyone in the world, there are some fundamental givens: the ills of factory-farming animals; the insidious prevalence of corn-based products in almost everything we eat; the consolidation of our food supply under just a few corporate…
Gulfport artist Sheree Rensel’s international art show inspired by social media and Twitter
If you're following St. Petersburg artist Sheree Rensel, aka @wizzlewolf, on Twitter — that's to say, if you've signed up to read her "tweets" or 140-character updates throughout the day — you can pretty much count on receiving a smile-inducing greeting routinely at around 9 a.m. It goes something like this: "Good morning ART Tweople!"…
Are you having an affair and don’t know it?
Swingers are often stereotyped as having lascivious affairs, but depending on what you consider cheating, almost everyone is having some type of affair. For me, an affair isn't necessarily a physical relationship; it can be an emotional connection as well. Depending on who you are, either connection can constitute an affair. By this definition I…
Radar: Circumference of a Squirrel
Welcome to the latest edition of our new blog, Radar, a rundown of upcoming events worthy of marking your calendar for. Today we're previewing a dark comedy from freefall Theatre: The newest installment in American Stage’s After Hours Series is Circumference of a Squirrel — a production that got a rave review from Mark Leib…
CL Interview: Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello (audio + video)
Google “gypsy punk” and most of the dozen or so results relate back to Gogol Bordello. Search the band specifically and you’ll find more than a million pages that mention it. While Gogol’s Ukraine-born visionary/composer Eugene Hütz isn’t interested in taking credit for spearheading a whole new movement in American music, his band’s influence is…
Not getting a million-dollar bonus this year? Think local stimulus
With a helping handout from taxpayers, multinational bankers like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan have given themselves record bonuses – billions of dollars – in 2009. What? You didn't get your record, subsidized bonus in 2009? Despite those giddy Wall Street windfalls and federal stimulus package, the Florida employed rate topped 10.6% in June -…
CL’s Beef Week: It’s what’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner
This week, CL's food blog devoted itself itself to fine art of buying, preparing and enjoying that most red of red meats — beef, and lots of it. From recipes to the scientific reaction that creates a tasty crust on a steak, you never had to ask "where's the," you know. We've stacked this week's…
Late night music, July 20-25: Ginuwine, Demi Lovato, and more (+ video of Grizzly Bear on Letterman)
A weekly bulletin on musical guests playing late night TV; set your TIVOs or DVRs if you’ve got an early bedtime. The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS Monday, July 20: Spinnerette (the alt rock foursome featuring Brody Dalle and Tony Bevilacqua, both formerly of The Distillers; the band just released their self-titled debut in…
The Green Community: Week in Review
What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week: TRA'shion Fashion and Art Show 2009 (photos) – The fabulous trashionistas were out in force for ARTpool's annual TRA'shion Show, and photographer Chip Weiner caught all the recycled green glamour. Letting go of addictions:…
Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander’s sextape
Sunday, May 11, a man calling himself Mr. ZZee, sent a press release claiming that he possesses a hardcore sextape featuring VH1 reality "star" Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander. Haven't heard of "Hoopz"? You will. The buzz generated by this scandal will likely lead to her own reality show, as it did for Kim Kardashian and Ray…
Join the CL community
Interested in being a journalist in the 21st century? Creative Loafing is looking for motivated and passionate advocates of their communities to contribute to CL in the form of blogs, podcasts, print stories, tweets and more. Send an email to stephen.hammill@cln.com with your areas of interest and we'll contact you. Yes, it's that easy.
