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Nov 14-20, 2007

Nov 14-20, 2007 / Vol. 20 / No. 35

Jay-Z: reviewed

American Gangster JAY-Z Roc-A-Fella One of hip-hop’s most consistently brilliant artists, Jay-Z disappointed with last year’s Kingdom Come. The freestyle virtuoso sounded spent on the CD, which was released on the heels of his famously brief and busy retirement. Expensive beats from producers like Dr. Dre and Just Blaze banged, and Jigga Man’s artful phrasing…

by Wade Tatangelo

Is This Where You Eat?

According to the fine folks at Where The Locals Eat, Tampa/St. Petersburg qualifies as one of the Top 50 cities in the US! WTLE's new book tries to nail the best 100 restaurants in each of their top 50 cities and, as vague survey lists go, it does a fairly good job. The big guys…

by Brian Ries

Giving You The Bird

Sarasota's Creative Loafing has a weekly podcast (subscribe now, yo) and this week I was rhapsodic about cooking a tasty turkey. You can find the podcast and recipe at the941, Sarasota CL's blog. There' s nothing new for the experienced Thanksgiving chef, but new turkey wranglers might pick up a tip or two.

by Brian Ries

Hannah Montana cont’d: a critical divide

I've disagreed with Tampa Tribune music critic Curtis Ross in the past, but watching him recently mock the misguided parents who worshiped at the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus statue made me applaud him — and laugh out loud. Extra points to whoever decided to close the program with a snippet of the Frank Zappa classic "Montana."…

by Wade Tatangelo

Visiting Lakeland’s Hollis Gardens Park

I took a trip to Lakeland this week to visit the famed Hollis Gardens Park. I was quite disappointed. Not by the park itself; on the contrary, Hollis Gardens is a botanical paradise, with all sorts of exotic plants laid out in a Zen-like pattern. Overlooking Lake Mirror, you are almost guaranteed to get a…

by Alex Pickett

Mapping Free Fruit

This week, I’ve been seeking out public fruit. My search was inspired by Fallen Fruit, a Los Angeles-based collaborative project of three artists who decry our “barren" cities and “frivolous and ugly landscaping.” These fruit activists contend that people should plant trees and shrubs that yield produce. “We ask all of you to petition your…

by Alex Pickett

No Need to Arrest the Homeless; Just Drown Them

WET BLANKET: One homeless man covers his head after sprinklers drench both sidewalks around City Hall. Most left after this first water assault. After they came on again, the rest moved. In my travels last night, I happened to pass by St. Petersburg’s City Hall while visiting some friends in the downtown area. What I…

by Alex Pickett

Bank of America Protest in St. Pete

If you happen to step into the Bank of America offices in downtown St. Pete today, look up. Three activists from two local environmental groups — Earth First! and Rising Tide — unleashed a balloon-propelled banner earlier today attacking the bank for funding new coal plants and investing in mining companies that use environmentally destructive…

by Alex Pickett

Hannah Montana: Just say no!

I planned on passing on the whole Hannah Montana brouhaha. But after seeing today's New York Times headline: "Some People Will Do Anything for a Ticket" [p. B5 of the Weekend Arts section], I decided it was time to offer my two cents. Dear parents of Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus fans unable to procure tickets: Here's…

by Wade Tatangelo

The Capitol Steps and remembering transgendered victims

crossposted from PoHo:  No, they're not in the same event. Just passing along two things for your calendars: The good public-minded folks at the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club are bringing political skit group Capitol Steps to town. The info: People from Washington who actually mean to be funny! Capitol Steps Political Satire at its Finest…

by Wayne Garcia

The Toboggan

The man sits upon the bed with his legs out in front. The woman then slides in between his outstretched legs and scoots in far enough to allow penetration. She can wrap her legs around his neck for deeper thrusts. The woman can either lie on her back or sit upright, it all depends on…

by Eric J. Leech

Top 10: Dog songs

Here's a Top 10 in honor of my current Bar Tab column "Dog Days." 1. "Hound Dog," Elvis Presley 2. "Atomic Dog," George Clinton 3. "Black Dog," Led Zeppelin 4. "Walking the Dog," Rufus Thomas 5. "Even a Dog Can Shake Hands," Warren Zevon 6. "Old Dog Blue," Jim Jackson (from Anthology of American Folk…

by Wade Tatangelo

Band of Horses, BélO, Bar Tab and more

Here's what I have running in the new issue of Creative Loafing: tbt* misfires (the sorta new and improved print edition version) Dog day afternoon (Bar Tab) Interview with Haitian reggae/pop star BélO (music feature) Paul Oakenfold in the house (music picks) Tito, Robots, Brer (music week) Band of Horses kinda blow (Spins) Reinventing The…

by Wade Tatangelo

Bienvenu, Beaujolais Nouveau!

Yep, it's time for that tasty bubble-gum soda of the wine world. Just about every wine shop will be pouring samples of this year's freshest Beaujolais Nouveau, especially on release day Thursday; check your local joint for details. VINTAGE WINE CELLARS HOLIDAY HEAVYWEIGHTS SEMINAR Vintage will be pouring10 different big wines for the holidays, including…

by CL Staff

Rush to Judgment

"They're celebrating Veterans Day tomorrow at the Bay Haven Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, and in [a] fourth grade class, that class, in honoring America's veterans, is spending time honoring this nation's conscientious objectors. … So we went to the website, and on November 15th, the Bay Haven Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, has scheduled…

by CL Staff

Sacred Visuals

In Sacred India, Sacred Tibet, the Museum of Fine Arts explores the varying paths of Hinduism and Buddhism — spawned from the ancient practices of the civilizations that occupied India more than 4,000 years ago — via the religious visual arts that came from both. The works on display are drawn from MFA's personal collection…

by Leilani Polk

Don Wallace: “Tampa is a really small town”

Who? One of Tampa's biggest philanthropists and ardent urban redevelopers, Don Wallace doesn't fit the mold: he's a soft-spoken country boy who made his fortune in selling recreational vehicles. The Lazy Days RV Supercenter on I-4, which he sold years ago, stands as testimony to his business acumen; his palatial mansion on Bayshore Boulevard is…

by Wayne Garcia

Notes from inside

While in solitary confinement at Lake Butler Correctional, Paey wrote the sweat-stained letter at right to Eric Snider. Here is an excerpt: "Dear Eric, I'm now in a confinement cell (exile) in Lake Butler, Fla. If Fla. has a Siberia, this is it. But instead of freezing you cook in the heat. It's especially hard…

by CL Staff

Weekly Planner

CL's must-do list for the week of Thurs., Nov. 15-Wed., Nov. 21 15This week's Dalí & Beyond Film Series selection is Fable of the Beautiful Pigeon Fancier, a film based on the book by Gabriel Garcia Márquez about a wealthy factory owner who falls in love with a married pigeon breeder. 6 p.m., Salvador Dalí…

by Leilani Polk

Short reviews

RECENT RELEASES 30 DAYS OF NIGHT (R) The premise is delicious — vampires descend on an isolated Alaskan community shrouded in bloodsucker-friendly, month-long darkness — but the suspense builds too quickly, and the all-important atmosphere of 30 Days of Night too often devolves into mayhem. Josh Hartnett and Melissa George are the disposable human leads,…

by CL Staff

Toro!

Researchers at Wake Forest University have determined that mixing energy drinks and alcohol isn't actually as good for you as many teenagers think, despite that extra taurine. The study found that college students who drink Red Bull and vodka consume 36 percent more alcohol in the average night than people who prefer less energetic cocktails.…

by Brian Ries

Trees Glorious Trees

Now a 23-year tradition, the Festival of Trees features more than 100 trees that have been festively festooned by local artists, businesses and anyone else in the community with an eye for ornamentation and a commitment to raising funds for the Upper Pinellas Association for Retarded Citizens (UPARC). The funds raised from the sale of…

by Leilani Polk

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