Getting intimate with sex surrogate Cheryl Cohen Greene
I'm contacting the most famous surrogate partner in the world: Cheryl Cohen Greene. At nearly 70 years old, she has had sex with more than 900 partners and she shows no sign of slowing down. If she isn't intimidating enough, Cohen is portrayed by Helen Hunt in The Sessions, a new film that chronicles how…
Newt & Callista Gingrich coming to Carrollwood this Saturday
The recently completed presidential campaign saw a lot of ups and downs over the past year and a half. Remember when Newt Gingrich blew off his staff and left for a two-week European vacation in the summer of 2011 with wife Callista, just as the campaign was beginning? The former House Speaker's campaign staff resigned…
Mitch Perry Report 11.20.12 – Thanks for the memories, Allen West
Two weeks after battling with St. Lucie County election officials, South Florida GOP Congressman Allen West faced the music this morning and announced that he was conceding his race against Democrat Patrick Murphy. His announcement comes after a recount of early votes showed Murphy gaining more votes, and it was apparent that count was not…
Governor Scott expands investigation into Citizens Property Insurance
Days after Toulouse Olorunnipa with the Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald reported that "the corporate watchdogs who were recently fired from Citizens Property Insurance Corp. had uncovered evidence of favoritism, improper compensation and poorly handled investigations at the highest levels of the state-run company," Governor Rick Scott today announced that he was calling on Chief Inspector…
Born to bottle
Denis Malbec knows his Capture wines.
Wine pairings for Thanksgiving
Villa Maria Estate Villa Maria Estate Cellar Selection Dry Riesling Take the “func” out of the dysfunctional holiday this year by leaving all the work to somebody else. Allowing you plenty of stress-free time to sit back and enjoy the company, the food and the wine. There are several places to turn to for that…
This week in food and drink
RANDOM HOUSE The new book from Allison Vines-Rushing and Slade Rushing on new traditions in old southern cooking. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. There is quite a bit happening in our town this Thanksgiving week. Help others this Thanksgiving in the kitchen or with canned donations, check out a book signing from a James…
Spokesman for Chamber report on financing for possible new Rays stadium says “Time is not on our side”
Making the case: Chuck Sykes presents the findings of the Caucus A new report released today by members of both the Greater Tampa and St. Petersburg Area Chambers of Commerce said that a new $500 million baseball stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays could be built without imposing new taxes on local residents — but…
Congressional Democrats introduce two new bills to address electoral reform
Almost 10 years ago, in the aftermath of the 2000 election debacle in Florida, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act. The bill helped states modernize their voting systems, and mandated the use of "provisional ballots," which was established to make sure that every voter whose eligibility was in question at the polls could still…
Mitch Perry Report 11.19.12 – Buccaneer fever building?
I've grown up my whole life as a huge football fan, but over the past five years I've found the college game to be far superior in terms of drama and excitement vs. the more corporate NFL. The college football season had another great one, with last Saturday night an absolute sensation, with two of…
Life of Pi goes adrift
Impressive visuals are undermined by a meandering story.
Tampa Bay area African-American news anchors talk about their jobs in the age of Obama
WFLA's Josh Thomas, Bay News 9's Erica Riggins & WTSP's Reginald Roundtree "I have never seen so much decisiveness and disrespect for the office of the president of the United States in my life, and it made me angry, not only as an American, but as an African-American." That was WTSP-Channel 10 lead anchorman Reginald…
Memo to John McCain: Looks like there won’t be any “Watergate-style” hearings on Benghazi
Susan Rice There were a slew of (mostly) older white men on Sunday morning television talking about Benghazi, Susan Rice, David Petraeus and all other things associated with the attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi on September 11 — attacks which led to the deaths of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, and…
Sunday morning provides one more opportunity for Republicans to bash Mitt Romney
It was bad enough for some Republicans that Mitt Romney couldn't close the deal against a wounded incumbent in the presidential election. But his not so private remarks to friends and fundraisers this past week that he lost in strong part because Obama gave out "gifts" to blacks, Latinos and young voters has given a…
Concert review: Darwin Deez wakes up a Monday at Crowbar
Monday night did not suck this week for all who attended the Darwin Deez show at Crowbar in Ybor City. [Review by Nastasya; photos by Christian] The “X”-marked hands of most of the attendees began flailing with quirky ecstasy as Darwin Deez and his signature Hasidic-meets-“Soul Glo” hairstyle — which has its own Facebook page,…
Want a fun trivia night? Trixie’s got the answer
History nerds, film buffs, pop culture junkies, LGBTers and friends: Round up a gang of smarty-pants and head over to St. Pete’s super-quaint Queens Head pub for its weekly trivia contest hosted by the one and only Trixie the Trivial Tranny. From her Southern-drawled, “Hey, y’all!” to her saucily mispronounced words, Trixie — who’s rather…
Got an Ybor story? Enter CL’s Fiction Contest
The theme of this year's Creative Loafing Fiction Contest stays close to home: Ybor City. We're accepting submissions from now through Dec. 12 at cltampa.com/YborFiction. Entrants can incorporate Ybor in any way and in any era: as setting, as idea, as part of a character's biography, whatever works. You can base your story in Ybor's…
Mitch Perry, Arielle Stevenson win Griot Drum awards
Last night, during a banquet at the Nielsen headquarters in Oldsmar, the Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists (TBABJ) gave out its annual Griot Drum awards in recognition of outstanding media coverage of people of color, particularly African-Americans. Creative Loafing writers took home two awards in the under-100,000-circulation print division. Mitch Perry won 1st place…
Spartacus MMXII: a lust for flesh and blood
Marcus London steps into the arena with mainstream gladiator films in his x-rated Spartacus MMXII
Election aftermath
Same-sex couples had much to celebrate on Nov. 7.
Barbara Shapiro is the real deal
A novel about a talented painter who turns to art forgery brings new life to Shapiro’s career.
Mitch Perry Report 11.16.12 – Mitt’s true colors revealed?
Although Mitt Romney truly became a national figure when he helmed the 2002 Winter Olympic games in Salt Lake City, the country didn't really start paying a whole lot of attention to his political views until he declared his candidacy to become the Republican nominee for president back in 2007. The first reviews weren't very…
Castor and Nelson hail BP settlement that will bring billions of dollars to Gulf states
Oil giant BP has agreed to pay the largest criminal penalty in U.S. history over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. According to Florida Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, half of the record-breaking $4.5 billion criminal settlement will head directly to Gulf Coast states impacted by the spill. As part of the settlement, BP…
The SMART Ride of their lives
Leah Payne and the Erase Hate Tampa Bay team ride to raise funds for HIV/AIDS organizations this weekend. Hundreds of cyclists descend upon Miami this weekend, Friday, Nov. 16 and Saturday, Nov. 17. They'll be riding their bikes from Miami to Key West with one goal in mind: to raise money for Florida-based HIV/AIDS organizations.…
Does the bid to have Florida reclassify marijuana from a Schedule l drug stand a chance?
In addition to Colorado and Washington state's groundbreaking votes to legalize marijuana, Massachusetts became the 18th state in the union to approve the use of medicinal marijuana, and Arkansas denied the Razorback state from becoming the first in the South to join that group. Meanwhile, back in the Sunshine State, activists with the Florida Cannabis…
College Hunks: Ybor’s newest movers and … shakers?
Ybor was founded by cigar manufacturers in the 1880s. Now our beloved cigar city is under jurisdiction of a new and powerful force: College Hunks.
4th Annual CL Online Holiday Auction is live: Bid now!
We've raised $50,000 for The Children's Home in the first three years of the Creative Loafing Online Holiday Auction, and this year should be the best ever. We've got 84 alluring items up for bid in four categories: Big Deals (like a pair of round-trip tickets on Edelweiss Air from Tampa to Switzerland); Food &…
Lincoln Logues
Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day Lewis bring American history to life.
A Late Quartet hits a sour note
Sophisticated sounds can’t redeem this film’s soapy operatics.
It’s Alison Burns’ Party
The actor/director/playwright can do it all — including a brand new holiday cabaret for Stageworks.
Yoder’s pie, oh my!
Nothing’s better than a pie from Yoder’s in Sarasota.
Sinful sides
Indulge in this creamy kale and butternut gratin on Thanksgiving Day.
Chris Mitchell will run again for Hillsborough County Democratic Party chairman
Hillsborough County was one of a handful of the most contested areas in the country during the presidential election. As is now commonly known, the region voted in sync with the country in choosing the next president, which has been the case every time save one (in 1992) since 1960. What hasn't been discussed much…
Mitch Perry Report 11.15.12 – The last anti-fluoride vote flips in Pinellas County
And now there are none. Last week Pinellas County voters ousted two incumbent Republicans – Nancy Bostock and Neil Brickfield – whose votes to remove fluoride from the drinking water supply last year fueled a tremendous backlash that resulted in their losses at the ballot box. Days later, the third of the four anti-fluoride commissioners,…
The complete Turducken recipe
A Thanksgiving recipe not for the faint of heart.
Live and Local Spotlight: RedFeather CD Release Show
Singer-singwriter Mark Etherington – MVP-award winner in this year's Best of the Bay issue – plays acoustic guitar and percussion and delivers his musings in a haunting hollering howl as the frontman of RedFeather, the roots-psych-folk rock outfit that also encompasses sweetly-harmonizing bandmate Jacqlyn Titus (keys, vocals, percs), bassist Doug Gialluca and drummer T.C Smith.…
British youth learn about American elections first-hand
During elections it’s not uncommon to see young people out canvassing for candidates and working for campaigns, though not many of them are British. The students from Act Inspired U.S, an organization founded to encourage disadvantaged English youth to become active in their communities, spent the last week of the American election campaigning for both…
The Amazon Trail: Happy dance
Okay, so there are still a few conservatives who stare mutely at my Bo Obama button, mouths open, like they still can't believe they lost to us commie, hippie, queer, vile and disgusting President Obama supporters. But that's what watching FOX TV can do to people. The station is a teleprompter for viewers, scrolling non-stop…
Mitt Romney rallies in Tampa, talking Hurricane Sandy and the economy
Kevin Tighe Murderer's Row? Mit Romney, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio & Connie Mack IV in Tampa on Halloween With just six days remaining in the Presidential race, Mitt Romney continued his push to win Florida at a campaign stop at Landmark Aviation today near Tampa International Airport. Flanked by former Governor Jeb Bush, Senator Marco…
Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan stops in Oldsmar, warns of “Sugar-high economics”
Chip Weiner Paul Ryan believes that President Obama has a lot of ideas, just not good ones. The GOP vice presidential nominee stopped in Oldsmar Saturday to rally support for the GOP presidential ticket. The Wisconsin congressman took the policies of President Obama to task over a variety of issues, most notably on the economy.…
