

Previewing Universal’s Volcano Bay: Don’t go there yet (yeah, we went there)
Maybe in a month, but not yet.
Endless Summer Rum aims to bring rum back to the beach
And Tampa Bay is the ideal place to do it.
10 things that make Universal Orlando cooler than we thought
We didn’t expect to have as much as we did. Read on to learn about what we did with Spiderman’s penis, which bus had the most STDs and the best Universal tour guide ever.
Review: 10 festival cliches we saw at Hangout Music Festival
Let’s breakdown 10 festival cliches we saw at Hangout Festival, and the sets we saw them during.
Humane Society applauds passage of anti-shark finning bill in Florida, but urges lawmakers to do more
Among the 16 bills Governor Rick Scott signed into law Tuesday was one upping the penalty for severing a shark's fin before the animal's body is brought to land. At-sea shark finning is a profoundly cruel practice that's already illegal, but still occurring. Shark fin soup, after all, remains a pricey delicacy in some Asian…
Steal this art: Art theft hits home for St. Pete artists
No nylon-stocking masks needed for the thieves — just a screen and an internet connection.
Tonight in live music; Damien Escobar at The Cap, Melanie, Dave Decker and more
Morbid Angel is at Orpheum, too.
Sh*t Happened 5/24/17: Tampa gets Super Bowl LV, church gets ripped off, some pools get diarrhea-inducing surprise
Hello Wednesday! Here's your morning forecast: Mildly irritating, with certain pressures building through the afternoon, culminating this evening in a 70 percent chance of doing something you'll regret. Hey, didja hear? Super Bowl LV will be played in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium in 2021! This is super duper news, because by 2021 you'll probably need…
Hot pursuit: Meet two of the home cooks repping Tampa Bay on MasterChef
Jeff Philbin and Danny Flores are among the Season 8 contestants competing for a white apron.
Raiders of a Lost (Character) Arc in the Temple of Editing
Over a year ago I wrote a post on the “Quagmire of Editing.” In that post I said: “On the bright side, the rewriting is a lot quicker than writing the first draft. Ha ha! Just kidding.” At the time I didn’t realize the gravity of those words, as I took feedback from beta-readers on…
“Repugnant,” “Obscene” and other colorful descriptors for the new Trump budget
While the internet debate rages over whether First Lady Melania Trump batted her husband's hand away not once, but twice, in the past two days as their overseas diplomacy trip ensues, something that actually matters happened here at home. The White House released an outline of President Trump's proposed budget, and critics say it ain't…
Tampa snags 2021 Super Bowl
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn called the news “a testament to our city’s ability to shine on the international stage” in a statement Tuesday.
The chickens have landed: Watch our live chick cam
Watch our silkie chicks hatch in real time.
Interview: LIMBS’ Chris Costanza and Jordan Hunter talk national tour, staying true to fans and hometown love
Tampa post-hardcore outfit is headed on 30-date U.S. run with Hail the Sun
Kahwa Coffee heads west to an old St. Pete Farm Store
The new development will serve as the local roaster’s fourth drive-thru cafe.
British authorities identify suicide bomber who killed 22 people after Ariana Grande concert
ISIS claims responsibility for the attack
Drink More Wine: Bubbling over
Taste your way around the ultimate party wine.
Activists plan protest in Tampa Wednesday in solidarity with rally outside McDonald’s shareholder meeting
As those who do quite well and own lots and lots of stock in McDonald's (and probably many other large, profitable corporations) gather in at the fast food giant's Oak Brook, IL headquarters, Fight for $15 activists in Tampa are planning to protest. The aim is to show solidarity with protesters who will rally up…
Today in rock history, naked kid changes punk forever, KISS ticks off fans, Maxwell and The Who’s Tommy are born
Ella covers The Beatles, too
Sh*t Happened 5/23/17: Humans vs. Nature edition
Welcome to Tuesday, your post-Monday palate cleanser. Enjoy. Residents in the New Port Richey neighborhood of Gulf Harbors are upset about a deal made with the city to split the cost of turning an abandoned local golf course into a park over the discovery that the property is contaminated and would cost more than $4…
Baby chicks!
CL makes chickens now.
Into the magma: Live tweeting Universal Orlando’s Volcano Bay
Follow along, will ya?
Alien: Covenant is vicious, mean-spirited — and surprisingly good
Imperfect organism.
Tijuana Flats introduces first major menu update in the last five years
“Make your taste buds twerk,” reads a news release about the Tex-Mex chain’s Flat Outrageous items.
Celebrating a big one: 100 Years/100 Artists at the Morean
They’re not old, they’re well-seasoned — and looking better than ever.
City Wilds: Spiderwort, the Pocahontas flower
Love, death and the exquisite history of the flower we mow over.
Theater Review: Jobsite’s Gloucester Blue sets ’40s Noir in the 21st century
It’s gripping, alright, but isn’t it 70 years late?
One more chance tonight to see Collected Stories with Roxanne Fay & Maggie Mularz
It’s like “All About Eve,” but in academia.
Weekly Tune-Up: Tunes for your week by The National, Babeheaven, Nick Murphy and more
Tune up your hump day with a brand new playlist with new songs from The National, Babeheaven, and Nick Murphy featuring Kaytranada.
Today in live music; Tosin Abasi guitar clinic, For The Fallen Dreams
Animals As Leaders leader leads South Tampa demo
Sh*t Happened 5/22/17: Spice bust, pool death, circus done
Happy Monday! See how we just pretended such a thing was possible? FRIDAY, MAY 19: Tampa cops arrested dozens of people and seized hundreds of pounds of spice. Apparently morons are still smoking spice. Somebody donated 111 grams of pot packaged for sale to a Minnesota thrift store along with their pants. Dude, enough with…
Today in rock history; Morrissey born, Bowie’s Tin Machine debuts, Fats Domino banned and more
Hall and Oates start “the streak,” too.
Well, the internet seems to think Buckhorn’s joke about machine-gunning the press crossed a line
Was it the timing, the sexism or the Trumpian implication that members of the media deserve to be shot?
Tonight in live music, Muse, Del the Funky Homosapien, Gabe Echazabal at Blue Sunday and more
Laidback Luke on the beach, too.
Q&A: Orlando songwriter Austin Miller shares tour photos, talks new music and Bay area love
He plays Ybor City on May 20.
Marco Rubio headlined a Republican dinner in St. Pete — and, yes, there were hundreds of protesters waiting outside
Armed with signs bearing messages like “Hey Marco, Town Hall Now!,” “No Show Rubio!” and “Where is Marco? Follow the $$,” protesters gathered outside Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Friday afternoon to protest Sen. Marco Rubio’s refusal to hold town halls. The Republican U.S. Senator and 2016 presidential aspirant was at the hotel to attend the…
Miami Beach Mayor (and possible candidate for gov) in Tampa: “I’m probably a radical centrist”
If he runs for governor, said the Democrat, it might not be as a Democrat.
The Lovers: A squirmy, awkward look at marital fatigue.
How can we say so much without words?
Adventures in Weekending: 10 things to do in Clearwater this weekend
Your guide to weekend fun, on and off the sand.
Holy Cabooses! Tampa’s Taylor Trensch sings along with Bette on new Hello, Dolly! cast album
The locally trained actor has a key role in the biggest Broadway hit since Hamilton.
Weekend Platter: Bands & Beer on the Bay, Burger Showdown and more
Five ways to eat (and drink) your heart out this weekend.
The Arts Council of Hillsborough County wants you
Take the Survey to Create Arts Council 2.0 and you could help set a course for the future of local arts and culture.
Five Courses: More Oldsmar openings, plus other food and drink news
Oldsmar is popping lately.
Today in Rock History; Elton John and Madonna go no. 1, Peter Townshend is born and more
Another Peter (Gabriel) released his fifth solo LP, too.
Tonight in live music; Sheer Mag at the Legion, Bit Brigade, Swampuss, Memorycode and more
Sheer Mag as show of the summer?
Sh*t Happened 5/19/17: Port Richey couple brings more attention to embarrassing story, pier impact report questionable
Time to wave bye-bye to this week like a kid in a carseat who doesn't even know where she's going, she just knows she's leaving whatever the hell that was behind. A couple in Port Richey trying to get pregnant via artificial insemination is upset that the Pasco County Sheriff's Office felt the need to…
Gourmet mini burgers are making their way to Tampa Bay
Israeli-based Burgerim expands its fast-casual empire to Tampa and Clearwater Beach.
Sake could soon be regulated, treated like wine in Florida
Currently, the Sunshine State classifies the popular sushi accompaniment as a liquor.
Tonight in live music; International Jazz Composers Symposium, Lewis Del Mar, Face to Face and more
Tuna and the Rock Cats are still in town, too.
Hands Across the Sand is this weekend, and it hasn’t been this on-point since Deepwater Horizon
When thousands of people stood and held hands on shorelines across the country, including on Treasure Island, in June of 2010, there was still oil coursing out of a huge hole in the bottom of the floor of the Gulf of Mexico. Floridians and residents in other gulf coast states had for weeks been looking…
Sh*t Happened 5/18/17: Hillsborough anti-puppy mill ordinance, courthouse scare, RIP Chris Cornell
Good morning! Did our commander-in-chief really say that no politician has ever been treated as poorly as he has? Huh. One suspects those hundreds of politicians around the world who have been imprisoned or had their brains blown through the backs of their heads might disagree. Hillsborough County commissioners passed an anti-puppy mill ordinance that…
The natural baby boom: Why some pregnant women are dodging the hospital and saying no to drugs
“Women are doing their research, they’re finding out it’s safer for a low-risk woman to birth outside of the hospital.”
A Quiet Passion: A lyrical and transcendent film about Emily Dickinson
Sublime poet, sublime poetry, sublime film.
Martin Paterson makes impact in Rowdies’ 2017 Open Cup debut
There was no player on the field Tuesday night more determined to score than Martin Paterson. “Back home in England, people have written me off,” the 30-year-old striker from Tunstall, in Stoke-on-Trent, said. “Time and time again, they’ve said I’m done. We’ll see about that this year. We’ll see.” Paterson scored his second goal of…
The Handmaid’s Tale and why evangelical extremism scares the sh*t out of me
Episode 6 gives some insight to how we could go from The United States of America — to Gilead — with terrifying realism. *Spoilers*
This is our concern, dude: Florida Constitutional Review Commission meets in Tampa Wednesday night
And believe it or not, most of the people involved might like to subvert the will of Florida’s voters.
Flotation Therapy: A sensory deprivation experience
Because going to the beach is so last summer.
Gulf Coast Girls Are Hip: Babefest founder Angela Page on why she’s bringing the noise north to St. Pete
The arts & activism party happens on May 20 on downtown St. Pete’s 600 Block
Connecting IRL: Facebook-grown network of chefs opens local get-together to the public
Chef’s Life Throwdown III plans to bring demos, a food fight and other cheffy delights to St. Pete.
Post-TiFf Interview: Fringe veteran Nancy Kenny talks roller derby, the Tampa fest, and life on the road
She rolled straight from Tampa’s Fringefest to Orlando’s — and she liked us, she really liked us!
A love story for the Gulf
Author Jack E. Davis goes kayaking on his beloved Gulf of Mexico.
Hedgehog graduates from Eckerd College
Along with turtles, dogs and cats — and a gecko.
Tampa International Fringe Festival: We needed this
Local artists shone brightly in a festival that boded well for the future.
On the Sauce: Toasted Coconut Painkiller
A Painkiller and the beach does seem to cure what ails you — even if it’s only temporary.






