Books
The Biker Code: Wisdom for the Ride by Stuart Miller & Geoffrey Moss Simon & Schuster/$12.95 I like bikers. No, really. While they may be looked upon with scorn by some of the more tight-assed members of society, bikers are among some of the most decent, down-to-earth people I have ever met. That's why I…
Best Authenic Cheesesteak in Town
One day in 1932, Pat Oliveri decided he didn't want a hotdog or a ham sandwich for lunch. Nor did he want tuna, roast beef or egg salad. The owner of a little hotdog stand in the Italian neighborhood of South Philadelphia, Oliveri had become bored with the staples of his trade, and on that…
Letters
Response to music critic Scott Harrell's cover story "ePlay" and kudos for his great local music coverage. e-Games People Play Re: "ePlay" by Scott Harrell (May 8-14) Thanks for the great article about independent musicians using the Internet to promote their music. Scott Harrell's information was dead-on accurate while still remaining understandable to the not-so-computer-savvy…
Where Sushi Meets Adventure
No doubt about it, Centro Ybor has changed the face of Ybor, and to my mind, for the better. There's a new sense of vibrancy and safety as families, working couples and grandparents are attracted to streets where once only the pierced and peculiar roamed. By introducing movies, games and family-friendly dining to the area,…
Mel’s Hot Dogs
The Vienna beef that owner Mel Lohn buys is skin-popping good. In our opinion, these are the best in town. Have it all the way!
So Long, Folks
The three years I spent outside journalism writing a book taught me that bad news didn't bother me so much if I didn't read or watch it. I feel pretty helpless when Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris can walk into a congressional seat (as she will), Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacey Easterling can swipe my…
Outtakes
Short reviews of films showing throughout the Tampa Bay area. ****************************************************** A Beautiful Mind (PG-13) A Russell Crowe is the main reason to see this atypically twisty Ron Howard production, the Academy Award winner for Best Picture, about an emotionally fragile genius whose life spins out of control in all sorts of unexpected ways. About…
Less Than Fake
At first listen, the infectious, ballsy and finely honed tuneage plied by Kansas power-pop trio Ultimate Fakebook doesn't really seem to fit into any of the hipper genre-cubbies currently handy. UFB is too "rock" for punk, too "rock" for indie-rock, too "rock" for emo and way too good for most commercial radio. Their particular style,…
Parallel Lives: Actor Steven Clark Pachosa
Steven Clark Pachosa knows what it's like to give your all for art. The 56-year old actor, one of the principal players in Side Man at the Gorilla Theatre, made a decision 22 years ago: "I said, that's it, I'm an artist. … I don't want to be a businessperson, I don't want to be…
Sleepless in Alaska
Unlike Memento, the movie that famously unfolded in reverse and put director Christopher Nolan on the map, the filmmaker's new project propels its story forward in a relentlessly linear manner. Insomnia has a structure that could even be called conventional, with a beginning, a middle and an end that appear in precisely that order. What…
Web Site of the Week
h2g2: http://www.h2g2.com
Airport Insecurity
Ruth Varn doesn't look intimidating. The 75-year-old stands just over 5 feet tall and not even her bulky file folders would put her over 100 pounds. Her right leg is broken, and she hobbles around slowly with the aid of a walker. She looks at you with the sweet eyes of Grandma on Christmas Day…
Diving in Down Under
A long time ago, jolly ol' England shipped off their convicted felons to a large South Pacific island called Australia. Left to their own devices — and with a little help from the Brits — they began making wine and got pretty damn good at it. Centuries later, their per capita consumption doubles that of…
Let There Be Light
Installation, that persistent art-world darling, has remained distant from the tradition-oriented Museum of Fine Arts in St. Pete. With Mystic Chords: Illuminated Photographs by Connie Sullivan, the museum has inched a little closer toward displaying artwork that encompasses an extended space. Consisting of two related series — all photo-based wall-hung light boxes, accompanied by wall…
Music and Food to Feeds Your Soul
I remember rather well my first visit to a Taco Bell: I was astonished that the taco shells could so closely resemble cardboard and still be considered food. Since then, I have quite determinedly avoided mainstream corporate "Mexican" cuisine, and it is with pleasure that I divulge a few of my favorite alternatives — more…
Spins
Reviews of new releases by The Breeders, Ultimate Fakebook, Lauryn Hill and The Hackensack Boys. ********************************************************* The Breeders Title TK The Deal sisters and Co. are back after nine years, with their first release since the college-chart smash Last Splash. In the interim, Kelley Deal has undergone rehab for heroin addiction and traded her hypothermic…
Taking a Stanza: Poet Campbell McGrath
These days, being a Floridian can be difficult. With no less than The New York Times Magazine anointing our homeland with fashion plaudits, longtime residents must be wondering what happened to our old, weird national joke, and do we want it back? It may be that we can have it both ways, if Campbell McGrath…
A Day of Remembrance
What do you suppose will satisfy the soul, except to walk free and own no superior. —Walt Whitman Memorial Day takes on a renewed significance after the latest date to live in infamy: Sept. 11, 2001. For some, it may be little more than the unofficial start of summer, a beach day, a day for…
Harnessing Hep C
Activists want the government to increase treatment funding and the public to get better informed about the risks.
DVD Pick: The Others
The Others (PG-13) There are so many classic ghost stories and vintage fright films that work their way through the fabric of The Others that it's almost impossible to list them all. Impossible and unnecessary, since the movie stands just fine on its own — a moody and elegantly menacing spook story of the sort…
