Nuthin’ but a G Thang
G as in Gallagher. OK, credit the Tampa Tribune’s Michael Fechter with a huge scoop, scoring decades-old court files that allowed the state media to explore more deeply Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Gallagher’s long-rumored wild past. You can read Fechter’s story here. Fechter’s story showed a great deal of restraint in terms of the others…
Landmark Albums Pt. 2
We continue our series on life-changing records by the music scribes here at the Planet. This time, Wayne "Poho" Garcia, whose interests go well beyond mere politics, weighs in on his: R.E.M, Radio Free Europe/Sitting Still (original 7-inch single on Hibtone) I was a student at the University of Georgia in the late 1970s. Athens…
Adapted Nightmares
I like Stephen King. Yes, he has a penchant for redundancy, but the dude knows how to tell a story, even if it seldom translates to the big (or small) screen. King has a knack for creating and fleshing out interesting characters who are bombarded with one horrific incident after another amidst particularly sinister settings,…
Summer TV
The summer months were once a time of reruns and truly awful sitcoms. Nowadays, new programming doesn’t stop when June rolls around. I know — I watch far too much television and have been planning for the summer lull, which doesn’t really seem to be happening. Not too bad, anyway. The following is a list…
Why Wesley Clark will never be president
LITTLE ROCK – First, because he's too smart for the job. The former general and one-time presidential candidate spoke this morning to a crowd of alternative weekly journalists here at the AAN conference, fresh from an appearance at YearlyKos in Las Vegas. The man is bright, actually professorially smart, and charismatic. He combines a unique…
Writing Lessons
LITTLE ROCK – Just a short item from the Association of Alternative Newspapers convention: Ted Conover is right on two accounts. But that should not be surprising; after all, his book about spending nearly as year working as a prison guard in Sing Sing, Newjack, won the 2001 National Book Critics Circle Award. He spoke…
Landmark albums
We music critics are (hopefully) smart and clever and analytical; we specialize in breaking down the meaning and importance (or lack thereof) of an album or piece of music. What we don’t do very often is get to the core emotions of what makes certain music put a spell on us. That’s usually because we’re…
Off the menu
Just before last call, Tarpon Springs’ menu barkers lament the end of an era.
Sublime Soul
Duly charmed by Hamilton's '03 album of classic soul, Comin' From Where I'm From, I ventured one Friday night a couple of years ago to see him perform at the now-defunct Ybor City club Twilight. Man, I'm glad I did. Straight away, the vibe was different; this was an honest-to-goodness R&B nightclub show, with well-dressed…
The Big Heat
Global destruction with more Gore than you may be able to handle.
Global Warning
Super hurricanes. Melting ice caps. Drowning polar bears. Vicious alligator attacks. Global warming is blamed for every ill affecting mankind these days, and after this week's An Inconvenient Truth debuts, the average citizen is going to hear a lot more about global warming and its negative affects. For those not content to let the debate…
Happy Together
Lucero and Murder by Death revel in their shared tour.
Chill the Moment
Try out some summer whites.
Camp and Gore Galore
THEATER
Winelist
Got an upcoming or ongoing wine event? Send information to: The Wine List, 810 N. Howard Ave., Tampa, FL 33606, fax 813-739-4801 or e-mail winestuff@weeklyplanet.com. *GOING ORGANIC Tastes reds and whites made the old-fashioned way — with no chemicals. $10; includes souvenir glass and hors d'oeuvres. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Fri., June 9. Uncorked, 2706 Fourth St.…
TIme after Time
A perfect storm of good intentions gone wrong, The Lake House is a love-story-with-a-mystic-hook featuring dubious chemistry between its romantic leads, and a writer-director team (Proof scripter David Auburn and Valentin's Alejandro Agresti) who gussy up conventional melodrama with high-minded, vaguely artsy flourishes. Some will probably be tempted to describe this as a metaphysical romance,…
Pocket guide
An empanada taste test finds a clear winner.
Outtakes
NEW RELEASES THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT (PG-13) If the sequel is typically worse than the original, what hope is there for the third film in a series? In the case of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, none. Though set in a new location, the plot is as predictable as you'd…
Still Standing
Artists in Channelside and Ybor City are making their mark in nontraditional ways.
Summer of Plenty
What’s behind this summer’s concert bounty?
The Green Way
SPECIAL EVENTS
Down on the County Farm
In Manatee, community farming gets a boost from local government.
How Does The Wine Taste?
A trip into local wine country.
The Blotter
BAD EDUCATION: This one's a real "He Said-They Said." Police responded to Cahoon Elementary School after receiving reports of possible child abuse. On scene, the cops interviewed the victim, who stated that his abuser (the report is never clear, but the supposed aggressor seems to have been a teacher) "grabbed him by his throat and…
Memorial Smackdown
SPORTS/FUNDRAISER
Live from Western Africa
MUSIC
Backspin
Remain in Light TALKING HEADS Sire With Remain in Light, Talking Heads established themselves as the most musically ambitious of the bands that emerged from the CBGB punk scene. Influenced by Fela and other African acts, as well as Jamaican dub and world-music in general, the Heads adopt a groove-first aesthetic, driven by funky, syncopated…
Liberal Libations
For Brandon Democrats, it’s a beer and a shot — of political discussion.
Going Postal
MORE MUST-DOS Two weeks ago, we ran a cover story, "The Must-Do List," which detailed the top 100 things that everyone should do to consider themselves a true Tampa Bay resident. The list included everything from the inevitable to the absurd. Here a few ideas that readers thought we should add. Catch a show from…
Home cooking
Recipes made from fresh ingredients you can pick up close to home.
SoundMenu
THURSDAY, JUNE 15 MORNINGWOOD w/BIG CITY ROCK Coed NYC act Morningwood brought its sexy, bass-driven dance-rock to town a couple of months back supporting The Sounds. Since then, Morningwood's buzz has gotten pretty damn noisy, and the band has adopted a suspiciously Donnas-esque visual presence and a hip high profile. Don't write 'em off as…
Farm Facts
Brian Ries' Stops Hunsader Farm 5500 C.R. 675 E., Bradenton 941-322-1198 Sweetwater Organic Community Farm6942 West Comanche Ave., Tampa813-887-4066, www.sweetwater-organic.orgStill accepting memberships for next season. Worden Farm 34900 Bermont Road, Punta Gorda941-637-4874, office@wordenfarm.com,www.wordenfarm.comStill accepting memberships for next season. Parke Family Hydro Farms3715 Tanner Road, Dover813-719-2904Farm stand open Tue.-Sat., 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Nachman's Native Seafood17811 Gulf…
Out of time
Preserving pieces of culture for future generations.
Here, There, Everywhere
How SYSCO got to be the company that distributes food to everybody.
The Undercard
The top eight Tampa Bay campaigns you must keep an eye on.
Spins
Rather Ripped SONIC YOUTH Geffen Every new Sonic Youth full-length undoubtedly sets off yet another round of "How does it compare to Daydream Nation?" debates. The exercise is useless for at least two reasons: One, few bands have ever recorded an anthem like "Teen Age Riot," let alone matched it later. Second, the Youth we…
Eat my florida
Is it better to eat local? Is it even possible?
Bada-Boom, Bada-Bing
COMEDY
Upcoming Releases
The following releases will be in stores Tues., June 20: Agent Sparks, Red Rover (Immortal [Red]) Ian Anderson, Ian Anderson Collection (Fuel 2000) Canned Heat, Vintage (Fabulous) The Clarks, Still Live (High Wire Music) Cute Is What We Aim For, Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch (Fueled by Ramen) Herb Diamante, May I…
Valentine’s Day
Bridget Bean is phenomenal as Shirley Valentine.
