Books
THE WOODEN SEA by Jonathan Carroll/ $23.95/Tor Books Something is definitely rotten in the town of Crane's View. It could be the dead dog in chief of police Frannie McCabe's old Ford, or maybe the cop's just lost in a dream where the scent of his own broccoli-induced passings are being registered and incorporated into…
The Top 10 Censored Stories
Media watchdog group Project Censored reports what was going on while the mainstream media were reporting on game shows and pop stars.
Music Menu
Eric Johnson & Alien Love Child w/The Derek Trucks Band Two guitar heroes — one Austin-based and baby-faced, one Floridian and barely out of his teens — bring their bands to Ybor. Doors are at 9 p.m. and tickets are $15 in advance, $19 at the door. (May 3, Frankie's Patio) Heritage O.P. NYC percussion…
The Children’s Hour
The young girl and boy we see breaking up at the outset of George Washington might almost be brother and sister. Granted the kids are only 12 and 13, but there's none of the gamesmanship or the hard, aggressive sexuality we associate even with kids of that age these days. There's only a sense of…
Freebie of the Week
We'd like to congratulate Old Hyde Park Village for expanding its arty image, welcoming two new arts venues within as many months. First, after 25 years in the television broadcasting business, USF alumn Marc Grossman has switched from show biz to the art biz, opening the Grossman Gallery on HP's Swann Avenue (look for a…
Letters to the Editor
Choose Life Re: "A Question of Values," letter to the editor from James White (April 26-May 2) I'd like to correct Mr. White's last line, where in the course of lauding high-speed police chases he says, "Doesn't get much simpler than that." The word he's looking for is "simplistic," as in thinking limited only to…
Soundboard
<font Thursday, May 3 Events Club More Nine Days w/Soulsystem/Friction Farm Frankie's Patio Eric Johnson & Alien Love Child w/ The Derek Trucks Band Mahaffey Theater Florida Orchestra Coffee Concert Series New Place Heritage O.P. Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center Tampa Bay Symphony: Young Artists' Composition Winner Bars/Small Stages AJ's Ale House Bobby Friss Band…
Planet Picks
Thursday 5.3 Shiver Me Timbers Why argue with your kids over which Disney flick to watch when you can view three-in-one at Jungle Adventures on Ice? This 7:30 p.m. program at the Ice Palace stars all of your kids' favorite characters from The Jungle Book, Tarzan and The Lion King swingin' and dancin' around a…
Spins
Calexico Even My Sure Things Fall Through I'll admit it: There are some holes in my musical education. I won't enumerate them here (boss says these reviews are supposed to stay under 150 words) but suffice it to say that one thing I do know about is etymology. Language. Like, I know what a "chorus…
The List
Visual Arts Openings The 9 Gallery, 902 N. Rome Ave., Tampa (813-258-1694). This brand-spanking new gallery presents Public Hair's Posters & Propaganda, beginning with a reception from 9 p.m. to midnight Friday, May 4, and continuing through May 31. Public Hair, performance artist, jazz singer, comedian and winner of the Planet's new Fucked-Up Moniker award,…
CULINARY EVENTS
FOOD Kids Can Cook For Mother's Day This class teaches kids 8-14 years old how to cook great breakfast foods, like orange smoothies, strawberry-stuffed French toast, eggs Benedict and more. $30. 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at Home Gourmet, 471 Main St., Dunedin. 727-736-6400 www.homegourmet.cc. Kids Make Mom A Bouquet Chef Debbie teaches kids…
Viva La Fiesta Falsa
May is a month of celebrations, so let's start with "Cinco de Mayo," Spanish for "the sink is full of mayonnaise." OK, not really. I made that up, which is only fitting, because the idea that May 5 is a big holiday celebrated throughout Mexico is also made up. This yarn was spun by some…
Dining Guide
HILLSBOROUGH Tampa Carrollwood/Northwest Tampa Kaisen Sushi, 12785 N. Dale Mabry, in Mission Bell Square (813-969-3848). This friendly, casual and tiny cafe offers exceptionally fresh, artfully prepared, delicious and value priced sushi. What more can you ask for? A must-try is the calamari, thick slices of succulent grilled squid served in a dark, smoky sauce. Sweet…
Web Site of the Week
Creepy Siteshttp://www.creepysites.com If you want to be a little bit freaked out, Creepysites.com is your Internet one-stop shopping point. Click right up and cruise the bargain basement of odd content from mindsets best described as "slightly disconcerting." OK, maybe "downright wiggy" is a better colloquialism. Not deranged, hacked-up-body-pieces kinda creepy (well, you can get that…
Tampa Bay’s Most Censored
1. The St. Petersburg Times' selective coverage of Mayor Rick Baker The race for mayor of St. Petersburg, as a bothersome formality, concluded on March 27, when Rick Baker scored a 57-43 percent drubbing of Kathleen Ford. Actually, the only real vote that counted — that of the St. Petersburg Times — was cast in…
Public Life
Neighborhood Clean-up — Saturday, May 5; 8 a.m.; N.E.A.T. (Neighborhood Environmental Action Team) is holding a cleanup of the University Square, North Tampa and part of the Blue Sink area. Volunteers are requested to meet at Copeland Park, located at 11001 N. 15th St. Call 813-931-2140. Water Wise Workshops — Tuesday, May 8; 10 a.m.-noon;…
Outtakes
15 Minutes (R) Robert De Niro and Ed Burns play the pistol-packing good guys on the trail of a pair of mad-dog killers with a mania for videotaping their crimes. Tough, exciting and just off-kilter enough to keep us guessing, 15 Minutes is a thriller that transcends the buddy movie genre and even says a…
Play-ing with Picasso
On March 19, 1944, a very unusual play was given a staged reading in Nazi-occupied Paris. Desire Caught by the Tail, a surrealist farce featuring a nearly incomprehensible plot, bizarre juxtapositions, a slew of non sequiturs and puzzling characters named "Thin Anxiety," "The Onion," and "Big Foot," was directed by Albert Camus, and featured, among…
Herald of Doom
I'm going tell you an incredible story that suggests one of Florida's most revered political icons, Janet Reno, should be hauled in front of a grand jury and asked whether, as Dade County state attorney in the early 1990s and later as U.S. attorney general, she betrayed her offices and used her power corruptly to…
Going Tribal
OK, so there's this local outfit, see? Irritable Tribe of Poets. And judging by how quickly they returned my calls, and how patiently they answered my questions, they're not really that irritable at all. They're not technically a tribe, either; they don't share a common ancestry, not even in terms of their music and their…
