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Sep 10-16, 2008

Sep 10-16, 2008 / Vol. 21 / No. 26

Best of the Bay Awards Show tonight at Tampa Theatre

We're all giddy over here at Creative Loafing Headquarters, prepping for our Best of the Bay Awards Show: The Loafies, which takes place tonight at Tampa Theatre. The festivities kick off with a red carpet shindig at 7 p.m. The awards presentation starts at 8 p.m. The Best of the Bay issue — which includes…

by Wade Tatangelo

Zagat’s Relevance

Although it's barely read in these parts, the Zagat restaurant guides have been culinary bibles for a decade or more in big urban areas. Maybe not so much anymore? With so many online rating and review sites around, from old-guard joints like CitySearch to fast-growing big boy Yelp, the venerable restaurant guide might be losing its luster. One clear sign of that was…

by Brian Ries

Mickey Mouse declared “One of Satan’s Soldiers”

I've asserted for years that Disney's corrupt rat should perish, but in a "this can't possibly be true" story out of the UK, a Saudi Arabian cleric, Sheikh Muhammad Munajid, proclaimed the lowly mouse impure. Therefore, all must die… especially the animated ones. Read the story.

by Taylor Eason

Comedy Night Thursday

This is the headliner at the Hillsborough County Education Foundation Comedy Night on Thursday (9/18) at Tampa Theatre… great comedian, great cause. More info.  Brian Bradley

by Taylor Eason

Five Things to Do Today

1. St. Pete-by-way-of-Chicago blues artist Walker Smith (pictured) brings his band to Skipper’s Smokehouse.  2. Creative Loafing’s kicks off the Loafie Awards at Tampa Theatre with red carpet festivities beginning at 7 p.m.; the show starts at 8 p.m. 3. The Education Channel presents theatrical screenings of selections from its Independents’ Film Festival beginning tonight at…

by Wade Tatangelo

The Short List — Tues., Sept. 16

At today's opening bell, the stock market sits below where it was right before Bush took office in 2001. Lehman Bros. failed yesterday. Today it could be AIG or WaMu. The dollar is in the shitter. Wages are down. Chances are, you or someone you know lacks health insurance. Mortgages are getting tougher to come…

by Joe Bardi

One more reason to laugh at Sammy Hagar

Remember that obnoxious 1990s Van Halen hit "Right Now"? You know, the one with the annoying hook and horrible lyrics? The one with the equally grating video (see below)? Yeah, well, presidential hopeful John McCain's team (I doubt McCain would know Eddie Van Halen from Eddie Haskell) used the song at a rally in Ohio.…

by Wade Tatangelo

Mayor Baker to Pinellas County: Take your recycling and shove it

OK, so maybe St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker wasn't so blunt in his rebuff of Pinellas County's offer to bring curbside recycling to city residents. But he might as well have been. At last week's Pinellas County Commission worksession, Mike Connors, the city's internal services administrator, told commissioners that the city of St. Pete would…

by Alex Pickett

Food Porn = Porn Porn

From Giada's everpresent scoop-necked cleavage to the Food Network's new camera aesthetic that relies on unceasing close-ups of action shots, it's been clear to me for the past couple of years that TV food is shockingly similar to porn. Stylistically, I mean. Unless you have an odd knife-and-cucumber fetish. Whatever. I'm so ahead of the…

by Brian Ries

New Online Guide to Locally-Owned Businesses

You've heard it from us before: shop local. From the Tampa Independent Business Alliance to my own search for some locally-bought toilet paper, Creative Loafing has championed the cause of buying from your mom-and-pops and avoiding Walmart at all costs. Now, you have another website to help you shop responsibly: Localshops1.com. (Not sure what the…

by Alex Pickett

Pet alert: Keep dogs away from your gum

I normally hate chain emails. But I feel compelled to share the latest one I received. No, you won't get Bill Gate's million dollars or a chance to view Britney Spears naked, but it might save your dog's life.

by Alex Pickett

Ad Hoc thoughts on the weekend in Tampa Bay sports

• David Price, the highly touted Rays rookie pitcher, made his Major League debut yesterday against the Yankees. He pitched as advertised, and Rays fans can only anticipate an already strong staff getting even better. Price gave up one run in 5-1/2 innings — a homerun to Derek Jeter, and there’s not much shame in…

by Eric Snider

The Short List — Mon., Sept. 15

Hurricane Ike leaves thousands of morons who decided to stay behind in need of rescue after the storm devastated the Texas coast over the weekend. The weekend that humbled Lehman Bros. and Merrill Lynch. The Money Race: Obama raises $66 million in August. McCain takes in $47 million. A.G. Bill McCollum to end new Seminole…

by Joe Bardi

Five Things to Do Today

1. Singer-songwriter Tracy Grammar (pictured) brings her folky tunes to Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. 7:30 p.m., Jaeb Theater-TBPAC, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, downtown Tampa, $25.50.2. The Big Draw – a series of art events, workshops and seminars offered in Ruskin by a who’s who of area artists – kicks off with the inauguration of…

by Leilani Polk

Elvis Presley endorses Obama, GOP outraged

OK, I lied. The King has not returned from the grave to endorse the senator from Illinois. But it seems every other artist selling records has pledged support for Barack Obama. The list is varied and impressive. We're talking everyone from bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley (and McCain thought he had the 80-year-old vote wrapped up)…

by Wade Tatangelo

Week 2 NFL Picks

Many of us at CL share an unhealthy obsession avid interest in one of America's most myopic beloved pastimes: Betting on football.  So, we've decided to put our heads together and offer you some bizarre observations expert analysis on this week's NFL matchups (just in case anyone out there needs a little help pissing away…

by Brandon Hallifield

Jenny Lewis drops Acid Tongue

On her 2006 solo debut Rabbit Fur Coat, Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis  glided through an Appalachian dream world and convinced us to follow. On her new disc, Acid Tongue, the singer/songwriter periodically stomps her boots while exploring similar terrain. The journey just got a lot more interesting. Acid Tongue includes plenty of quirky meditations…

by Wade Tatangelo

Swimming “Under the Sea” at Tampa Theatre

Last night, a small group of us from Creative Loafing (well, three, and an honorary member) attended Tampa Theatre’s Sing-a-Long Little Mermaid. While staff writer Alex Pickett and I were enthused about the event, our excitement was exceeded by that of our female companions, Editorial Assistant Franki Weddington and WMNF contributor Emily Reddy, both of…

by Anthony Salveggi

No shortage of Jackasses in town.

A follow up on my post about the one horse town with no shortage of Jackasses, the verdict is in and the long ears win. Or at least it seems that way. The Hickman City Council voted 4-2 NOT to adopt a new ordinance that would have grandfathered in old Peter Rabbit, 32, allowing him…

by Kelly Cornelius

The Beauvilles CD-release show makes people jump

The Beauvilles debuted their new album, Whispering Sin, Thursday night with a show at Crowbar. Tampa's Lush Progress, Lakeland's Mousefire and DJn8 warmed up a very healthy weeknight crowd. A pack of wild youths, including CL streetteamers Emma Salz and Kelly Brophy, Kelvin Ma, the Beauvilles'  Chris Tolan, Joran Oppelt and an unknown dude, jumped…

by Stephen Hammill

Sonic Youth sign to Matador

Sonic Youth, having fulfilled their contract to Universal/DGC, have made the jump back to the indies. Via the Matablog, Matador Records confirmed the signing this past Tuesday. The new LP, to be released in 2009, will be the 28-year-old band's 30th release (not counting singles, compilations and fan-club-only items). Sonic Youth made the jump from…

by Gabe Loewenberg

Bar Tab: Shooting the breeze at Woody’s Waterfront

In my current Bar Tab column, my father and I are confronted by a self-proclaimed "Florida cracker" named Steve. We were at Woody's Waterfront on St. Pete Beach. Here's a snippet: I returned from the restroom to find Pops being chatted up by a red-faced fellow who looked and sounded like he'd been guzzling beer…

by Wade Tatangelo

The Winners:

The results of the record-breaking Readers’ Poll vote have been revealed and here they are in red, white and blue. Some of the votes were as close as Bush/ Gore, if more verifiable. For instance, The Table & Mesa Lounge just squeaked by Bungalow Bistro for Best New Restaurant, and a tight three-way race for…

by CL Staff

Best of the Bay 2008: The choice is clear

With all the smears and e-mail rumors, it’s gotten so that no one except maybe George Washington back from the grave could survive a fight for the White House with grace and reputation intact. (Nah, not even him: They’d dredge up the cherry-tree thing.) But have hope. There’s one election where the choices are still…

by CL Staff

Amazon to Sell Wine Online

In a nod to the increasing popularity of wine outside of the snobbery set, internet retail giant Amazon.com announced they will begin selling wine as early as October. Napa Valley Vintners, the non-profit marketing arm of this region, has even started workshops to teach wineries (typically stuck in the nineteenth century) how this internet thingie…

by Taylor Eason

Update – DeSanto and The Kitchen

Yesterday, Laura Reiley over at the Times reported in her blog that things weren't looking good for downtown St. Pete's DeSanto or The Kitchen. DeSanto had posted a sign saying it was closed for the month of September and The Kitchen had been lights out and not returning calls for a couple of weeks. With…

by Brian Ries

The Short List — Fri., Sept. 12

The Other White Meat sits down (and walks) with Charlie Gibson for a rigorously scripted interview. This clip is fun because Palin gets visibly ticked when Gibson brings up "The Bush Doctrine," something she has clearly heard of, but has no idea what it is. McCain gets hammered by a reporter during a local TV…

by Joe Bardi

Five Things to Do This Weekend

1. Sunscreen Film Fest stages a screening event at Nova 535 Art Lounge. The featured selections are 15 Florida-produced short films competing for the title of “Best Florida-Made Film,” with the best to be determined by the audience. 8 and 10:15 p.m. Sat., Sept. 13, 535 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg,…

by Leilani Polk

The Beauvilles, Gil Mantera, Yip-Yip and more

It's Thursday. Time to start planning for the weekend, which officially kicks off tonight with the Beauvilles' CD release bash at Crowbar. Read the interview I did with Shawn Kyle Beauville. Gil Mantera's Party Dream (pictured) play Crowbar on Friday. Read my esteemed colleague Leilani Polk's story about them here. (Photo by Phil Bardi.) WMNF…

by Wade Tatangelo

From the Streets: I’m giving up drinking… maybe

My Friday kicked off at a scholarship ceremony. Not that anyone would ever give me a scholarship, it’s just that I knew there would be food and my favorite kind of beer — free. It’s not that I’m cheap. It’s that I’m poor. The problem is that free beer inevitably leads to a field trip…

by Shawn Alff

Burger King & Seth Macfarlane = Comedy Bronze

Yesterday was the debut of Seth Macfarlane's new web-only shorts for Burger King. There are two up now, and both are exactly what you get from those little off-shoot bits on Family Guy, pop culture references with a mild gag. Hah. At least there's very little of that bloated-head BK mascot guy.\\\<\/param\>\\<\/param\>\\<\/param\>\\<\/embed\>\<\/object\>

by Brian Ries

Five Things To Do Today

1. Traveling songstress Izzy Cox (pictured below) brings her voodoobilly jazz to The Garage. She’s joined by the Bay area’s own Blind Buddy Moody. 9:30 p.m., 662 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, $6. 2. Tonight, CL Best of the Bay contender Nova 535 Art Lounge opens The Edge of Invisible, an alternative drawing and illustration exhibition.…

by Leilani Polk

The Short List — Thurs., Sept. 11

And now for something completely different. Nature includes many oddities, but few as counterproductive (evolutionarily speaking) as this: Fainting goats. In memorial … Obama goes on Letterman, clarifies that "the failed policies of John McCain" are actually the pig. Sex with underlings, bribes, buying coke at the office — is the Interior Department hiring? Ike…

by Joe Bardi

MySpace store ready to launch

Just when you thought it was safe to close your account and concentrate on stalking your "friends" via Facebook, MySpace announces it'll be launching a music store later this month. From NME.com: As previously reported on NME.COM, MySpace Music users will be able to download and stream millions of songs, including new music and back…

by Wade Tatangelo

Apocalypse Party

Who would've thought the end of the world would coincide with Bill O'Reilly's birthday? This morning, scientists in Europe flipped the switch on a doomsday device technological marvel called the Large Hadron Collider. Basically, they're going to smash protons together for shits and giggles. No one's really sure what will happen. And here I used…

by Brandon Hallifield

Riddle of Steel retires

St. Louis indie hard rock trio Riddle of Steel have called it quits. The band played Tampa often, its latest gig taking place May 9 at New World Brewery. Jack Spatafora, of Aestheticized Presents, sounded genuinely distraught when he mentioned the trio's demise last Saturday at the State. Turns out Riddle of Steel made the…

by Wade Tatangelo

“You got the lube?”

As I recently discussed with a friend, there seems to be a portion of the population that chooses not to discuss taboo topics; they opt to be polite and keep private matters behind closed doors.  Then there are the people who embrace it. The majority of my friends are the latter. This is why my…

by Single White Female

Reel projections — September 10

The new trailer for the latest Bond, Quantum of Solace, is up. By all indications, this is shaping up to be even grimmer than 2006's Casino Royale. Get over it, Trekkers: Shatner’s not in the new Star Trek and here’s why. Holy Bat-hype! Depp as the Riddler, Philip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin? Sounds like…

by Anthony Salveggi

The Short List — Wed., Sept. 10

Here's the famed "But you can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig" Obama clip from yesterday. Republicans are freaking out, saying Barack called Sarah Palin a pig. Watch the video and decide for yourself. Then decide how Orwellian you think the name of McCain's "Truth Squad" is. It's a tie. Dead or…

by Joe Bardi

Five Things to Do Today

1. In honor of the opening of their new exhibit at HCC-Ybor Art Gallery, Just Suppose, husband and wife photographic artists Jerry Uelsmann and Maggie Taylor present a lecture on their methods and techniques in the HCC-Ybor Main Stage Theater; an opening reception for the exhibit follows at the gallery. 6 p.m., Performing Arts Building,…

by Leilani Polk

STP-O.D.

"Inclement Weather = raining heroin and coke."—"nyc333," in response to blabbermouth.net's Aug. 23 report, "STONE TEMPLE PILOTS: Tampa Show Cancelled Due To 'Inclement Weather'" "Boo hoo all you Tampa crybabies. Shoulda driven to the ATL for the sick show."—"billybob2008," in a Blabbermouth post, "ATLANTA Show the next night after Tampa was freakin killer" "We all…

by CL Staff

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