Why Girls is one of the best shows on TV
Girls Finale Every week I hear the same thing from a variety of people after an episode of Girls: “I’m not sure I like this show, but I keep watching.” That’s the beauty and brilliance of Lena Dunham’s creation. It makes you feel uncomfortable yet totally unable to look away, like Marnie in Booth Jonathan’s…
Activists fighting for marriage equality come out in Tampa
Shanna Gillette This week, same-sex marriage faces its biggest test yet — it's being debated in the U.S. Supreme Court. On Tuesday, the issue was the constitutionality of California's voter-approved Proposition 8, which restricted marriage to heterosexual couples. Today, the issue is DOMA, the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act that defines marriage as between…
Mitch Perry Report 3.27.13 – Is the Hillsborough County School District willing to spend $4 million for armed officers?
Back in January the Hillsborough County School board rejected Superintendent MaryEllen Elia's bid to upgrade every school in the district with an armed officer, citing the hefty financial costs. But how much longer can they resist the pressure to beef up security? While it seems impossible to pass any laws affecting guns in this country…
Buckhorn inspires the crowd during his State of the City address
Chip Weiner Last year, the audience for Bob Buckhorn's State of the City address melted under a withering sun in Curtis Hixon Park. This year, in uncharacteristically chilly late-March weather, more than 600 people heard the mayor inside the distressed 1929 historic Kress building, a symbol of the potential for redevelopment in downtown. The site…
Ray LaHood to visit Tampa for Safety Bike Summit
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood We're not certain about all the details yet, but CL has learned that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will visit Tampa on April 11 for a Safety Bike Summit that will take place at the Tampa Convention Center. The summit will highlight the city's upcoming bike sharing program, which Tampa officials announced…
Come hither, homies! RenFest parody takes Macklemore back five centuries
“This mead is hella dope.”
Advocates for The Lens make their case at Tiger Bay Club forum
Anthony Sullivan addresses the Tiger Bay Club crowd, while Lisa Wannemacher (far left) and Anne Drake McMullen watch There has been a lot of intensity in St. Petersburg between supporters and opponents of The Lens design for the St. Pete Pier, and there was some concern about how that might play out at today's Suncoast…
New Music Tuesday! (March 26): Lil Wayne, Wavves, Depeche Mode, The Strokes & more
Releases out this week; audio & video included.
Meet Jon Cooper: Tampa Bay Lightning’s new head coach
The Canadian coach arrives with accolades and hopeful anticipation.
U-haul apocalypse
Like many, my girlfriend keeps her grocery list fastened to her refrigerator door with a magnet. She updates it regularly, as she runs out of items — almond milk, orange juice, fruits and veggies. But written below her weekly shopping list, on the same sheet of paper, is a separate list, a special one. It…
India Summer: a MILF for every season
The porn star on why she wanted to be “murdered,” how swinging led to porn, and how she took her gal-pal’s anal virginity on film.
Mitch Perry Report 3.26.13: Housing money for needy Floridians goes elsewhere
Plus: JP Morgan Chase, Daniel Ruth and more …
Chili cheese dogs go vegan
Turn a splurge food into a delicious and sensible dinner.
Pairings with your Peeps
Wine isn’t just for bread and cheese; try it with these Easter basket goodies.
ICYMI: Today on cltampa.com …
Happy Monday everyone. It's been a busy day here at Creative Loafing. Here's a rundown of today's top stories at cltampa.com and on Daily Loaf … Always be ranting: CL Contributor Kent Roberts chats with Dennis Miller, the comedian/talking head unloading in advance of his appearance at St. Pete's Mahaffey Theater this Sat., March…
JPMorgan Chase to hold annual shareholder meeting in Tampa for the second year in a row
A protester at last year's JPMorgan Chase shareholder meeting in Tampa Last spring, the global financial services firm JPMorgan Chase & Co. held its annual shareholder meeting in Tampa. Angry investors were able to get in CEO and Chairman Jamie Dimon's face to ask what he was doing when he let his traders lose more…
Daniel Ruth to return to the Tampa Bay area radio
Years ago, part of my regular Saturday morning routine was to make sure I was in earshot of Daniel Ruth's radio talk-show program that aired on 970 WFLA-AM in Tampa. The acerbic and longtime Tampa Bay area newspaper columnist was an intelligent, witty and sane presence on the radio, and after the departure of Mark…
Kathy Castor says economic sanctions on Cuba no longer make sense
Kathy Castor This weekend, some of the leading U.S. advocates who support an end to the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba were in Tampa for a conference on brokering better relations with with Castro-led government. Many in attendance said they were blown away by Tampa Democrat Kathy Castor's speech on Friday night, when she said…
Mitch Perry Report 3.25.13 – Florida is the basketball capital of America (for this week at least)
Three of the remaining team's in the NCAA's "Sweet 16" college basketball tournament hail from the Sunshine State: Florida, Miami and yes, Florida Gulf Coast University, who easily defeated San Diego State last night and is just two games away from making it to the elite Final Four. All three teams were victorious in the…
Nice Guy finishes last
The Lightning fire coach Guy Boucher.
Rand Paul takes on the prison industrial complex
Boosted by his nearly 13-hour filibuster waged against whether the U.S. government believed it could use drones against its own citizens on American soil, all of a sudden Rand Paul has become a big deal in American politics. Discussions about him being a player in the 2016 presidential sweepstakes are also being taken seriously —…
Activists supporting Medicaid expansion march to Will Weatherford’s office
Members of Organizing for Action outside Will Weatherford's Office Around 50 members of Organizing for Action (OFA) marched half a mile down SR54 Saturday afternoon to House Speaker Will Weatherford’s office in Wesley Chapel with signs reading “Where’s there’s a Will, there’s no Way,” and “Patients over Politics.” They were there to protest Weatherford’s outspoken…
At conference in Tampa, Lawrence Wilkerson blasts Obama for lack of moral courage with Cuba and the Middle East
He now sees the light: Col. Lawrence Wilkerson spoke Saturday at the Cuban Club in Tampa's Ybor City Anyone who has observed Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson's many appearances on cable news throughout the past decade knows that the longtime American diplomat doesn't mince words, and he certainly didn't on Saturday morning in Tampa when discussing what…
Attention to detail
An architectural quiz for sharp-eyed readers.
Gerbils? Again?
Dan revisits a classic column.
The sole of invention
Ivanka Ska’s shoe designs are a product of serendipity and collaboration.
Q&A with director Joe Cecchini
The indie filmmaker talks to CL about filmmaking, GIFF and his short film, “A Trip to the Ocean.”
Stomp and circumstance
Passionate flamenco and a solid cast give voice to the oppressed in freeFall’s Bernarda Alba.
This weekend @ The Movies: Spring Breakers, GIFF, Olympus Has Fallen and more …
Spring is here, and it’s brought with it the best weekend for cinema so far in 2013.
Olympus Has Fallen raises the flag
Gerard Butler kicks ass the American way.
Stoker: style in need of a story
Fantastic visuals underscore narrative shortfalls.
The Croods are a fun family
Dreamworks’ latest offers a wild road trip through an exotic land before time.
Mitch Perry Report 3.22.13: March sadness begins
Here's a quick note for broadcasters, writers and everyone else who gushes about how March Madness is one of the greatest events in all of sports. College basketball teams shot a composite 43 percent this season, on pace to be the worst in 48 years, and averaged just 67.6 points a game, the lowest since…
Feminist, horny pervert — or both?
William Villalongo’s depictions of women make for a heady mix at UT’s STUDIO-f.
Musical moments in the Tampa Bay area
A look at the local scene photographed by CL’s stable of music shutterbugs.
Energy expert speaking at St. Petersburg in the World Conference is bullish on Keystone XL Pipeline
Professor Edward J. Glab speaks next week at the St. Petersburg in the World Conference When the country held the biggest rally about climate change and the dangers of the Keystone XL Pipeline back in February, CL's Arielle Stevenson was there to report it. The pipeline is controversial because there are many who insist that…
Earth Hour 2013 is calling on everyone to turn out the lights this Saturday
For the second straight year, the World Wildlife Fund is promoting "Earth Hour," a call to people from all around the world to turn off their lights for one hour on the same night "to focus on the one thing that unites us all—our planet." The 2013 Earth Hour is scheduled for this Saturday night,…
The 2013 Photo Issue
Who won the Visions photo contest?
Floridians support gun-control measures that Legislature isn’t backing
This spring, Democrats in Tallahassee have proposed no fewer than nine bills that address some form of gun regulation; however, none of them seem to be going anywhere in the GOP-led Legislature. While the Legislature may not be so supportive, the Florida public is, at least according to a new poll published on Thursday morning…
Get out your LGBT weekend planner
If you're still looking to make weekend plans, there are plenty of LGBT events in the Tampa Bay area. If literary is your thing, there are two great open mics on Thursday, March 21 – one on each side of the bay. Head to the L Train Bar, 900 Central Ave, Suite 25B, St. Petersburg,…
Mitch Perry Report 3.21.13 – Can we try the raise the bar just a little around here?
Florida state Senator Joe Negron is poised to talk about his ersatz Medicaid expansion proposal that he's dubbed "Healthy Florida" later today, and apparently some Democrats in the Legislature already like what they've heard about it. His announcement comes a day after a new poll showed that by a 50-40 percent margin, Floridians want the…
Life’s a beach for Spring Breakers
Harmony Korine’s latest is dark, sexy, stoned out of its mind and terrific.
This Nothing’s really something
Much to praise in Jobsite Theater’s Bard redo, Much Ado About Nothing.
Admission: Denied
The Tina Fey/Paul Rudd “comedy” flunks out of school.
Spring forward with beer
Drop that stout. Spring’s seasonal ales are here.
A Respectful Remembrance: Leonard Cohen brings his massive tower of songs to the Straz Center, Tampa
Complete setlist & photos included.
Always be ranting: a chat with Dennis Miller
The comedian/talking head unloads on CL before his Mahaffey appearance this Saturday.
Warp Speed: MegaCon 2013 Coverage
It's your heart that you might find racing faster than a speeding bullet as you try to keep up, your traveling party a blip in the distance, mixed among rogues and heroes, droids and Doctors. Who but the man made of steel can remain calm when suddenly The Joker steps on your foot in an…
Inside the photo booth: Glass Artist Duncan McClellan
Kevin Tighe Duncan McClellan (click to enlarge)
Florida moving closer to passing fetal personhood law?
On Wednesday, the Senate Health Policy Committee in Tallahassee discussed the Florida Unborn Victims of Violence Act sponsored by Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, which would punish anyone who commits a crime that harms a fetus. Critics call it something else: fetal personhood, to be exact. Today, Democrats on the committee, as well as some members…
Hillsborough County Commissioners again reject domestic partner registry
Al Higginbotham Hillsborough County Commissioners voted 4-3 today to support Commissioner Al Higginbotham's motion to have county staff create an information packet about current Florida programs for designating a health-care surrogate. The motion was the Commissioner's attempt to address the request for a domestic partner registry that came before the commission back in January; the…
Cigar City and WMNF release Tropical Heatwave Wheat Ale
CIGARCITYBREWING.COM Tropical Heatwave Wheat Ale is the first 16-ounce can release from Cigar City. Cigar City Brewing and WMNF Community Radio teamed up to create a special beer for WMNF's annual music festival, Tropical Heatwave. This is the second year CCB and WMNF released a beer for the fest.
6 views of 15 Views of Tampa Bay
Dear Readers, We at CL apologize for the silliness of the following interview. It’s an affront to Tampa Bay readers and their cornpone sensibilities. Ultimately, it’s my fault for assigning the interview to Shawn Alff, a journalist famous for shirking duties and missing deadlines while he wallows carefree and naked on the sticky floors of…
GIFF documentaries: music to your eyes
This year’s slate of docs rocks harder than usual.
The bee’s knees
Hidden in South Tampa, Ciro’s is a mecca for handcrafted cocktails and decadent edibles.
Talking about gender with a six-year-old
When I was six, I called the cops on my mom for putting me in a dress before my first grade Winter Formal. I dialed 9-1-1 from our 1996 landline and hid behind my bed until they came. Now, I’m in no position to know why I do the things that I do today, and…
Inside the photo booth: Organic farmers Pamela and Hank Sindlinger
Kevin Tighe Pamela and Hank Sindlinger with their grandchildren, Stephanie & Steven (click on image to enlarge)
Inside the photo booth: Artist Kerry Vosler
Kevin Tighe Kerry Vosler, Tampa, FL 2.6.13
Inside the photo booth: fashion designer Dali Hernandez
Kevin Tighe Dali Hernandez, Tampa, FL 2.2.13 (click on image to enlarge) Kevin Tighe Dali Hernandez, Tampa, FL 2.2.13 (click on image to enlarge)
Inside the photo booth: Escape Tonight’s Russell Fama
Kevin Tighe Russell Fama, Clearwater, FL 1.20.13 (click on image to enlarge)
Inside the Photo Booth: Okie Tilo
Kevin Tighe Okie Tilo, Ybor City, FL 12/18/12
