Thursday 1.10
Yeehaw Ha Ha Originally a country songwriter, comedian Tim Wilson has appeared on the Tonight Show and Grace Under Fire and opened for Clint Black, Ricky Van Shelton and Reba McEntire. A sort of Merle Haggard of comedy, he rants about everyday frustrations of the working man. His albums include It's a Sorry World and Hillbilly Homeboy. He performs at Side Splitters through Jan. 13, with show times at 8:30 p.m. weekdays, 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission costs $8-$14 (depending on the night). Side Splitters is at 12938 N. Dale Mabry, Tampa (813-960-1197).
Jay of All Trades There's no one title that adequately fits Jay Mohr. He's acted in movies like Jerry Maguire (as a rival sports agent opposite Tom Cruise), pontificated on sports on The Jim Rome Show, logged TV time on Fox's NFL This Morning and he sells out theaters, clubs and colleges as a stand-up regular. Mohr performs at The Improv through Jan. 13, with show times at 7 and 9 p.m. Thursday, at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 7 p.m. Sunday. Advance tickets cost $24-$27 depending on the night ($2 more at the door). The Improv is at Centro Ybor, 1600 E. Eighth Ave., Ybor City (813-864-4000).
Friday 1.11
Hotels, Wolves & Dolls The Arts Center hosts three new exhibits — American Road Paintings by Bryce Hammond, The Iron Wolf: Lithuanian Artists in America and The Doll Show — opening with a reception from 5 to 9 p.m. and running through Feb. 22. Hammond, born and raised on the East Coast of Florida creates paintings and mixed-media works. His favorite images are of old roadside motels, built before the major expressways were completed. He's studied at Furman University and the New York Studio School. The Iron Wolf is a juried exhibit featuring works in varied media from artists of Lithuanian descent. The works total 28, selected from 130 entries. The Doll Show shows off the modern creations of 13 contemporary Florida dollmakers. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The Arts Center is at 719 Central Ave., St. Pete (727-822-7872).
Equestrian Aristocracy Developed exclusively by the Hapsburg monarchy in the late 1500s, the Lipizzan is a true horse of royalty. The World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions, a family attraction created in 1970, performs at 7:30 p.m. at the Ice Palace. The choreographed show places emphasis on the historical background and foundation of the Lipizzaner breed, from its use as a horse of war to a horse of nobility to a living form of equestrian art. The show emulates the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria, and includes a segment of leaps and maneuvers once used by riders in saddle to defend themselves on the battlefield. The show wraps up with the conventional Grand Quadrille, featuring six to eight Lipizzaner Stallions with their riders performing a complex, equine ballet. Tickets cost $17.50, $19.50 and $24.50. The Ice Palace is at 401 Channelside Drive, downtown Tampa (813-223-1000).
Befriend a Book Today Book lovers looking to pick up an armload (or boxful) to stock their personal libraries can find hundreds of books and everything under the Dewey Decimal sun at low prices at the Friends of the Library Book Sale from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Seminole Heights Branch Library. The sale is co-sponsored by the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association. Seminole Heights Branch Library is at 4711 Central Ave., Tampa (813-273-3669).
Saturday 1.12
Ole-Timey Steppin' Get out your dancing shoes and join in the whimsy of a Contra dance, hosted by the Tampa Friends of Old-Time Dance. What is a Contra dance, you say? Contras have roots in traditional American dancing (like the Virginia Reel), with strong British Isles and French-Canadian influences. A caller, working with a group of live musicians, guides new and experienced dancers alike through a variety of moves, teaching each dance before it is actually done to the music. The patterns are similar to those of old-time square dancing, yet have nothing whatsoever to do with country line dancing. Zilch. And every 30 seconds or so, according to the dance, a different person of the opposite sex is thrust into your arms, and there's nothing wrong with that. Admission costs $6. The dance takes place from 7:30 to 11 p.m. at the Gulfport Casino, 5500 Shore Blvd., Gulfport. Call 813-852-9150.
Emissions Check Begun in 1996 as a collaboration between the Tampa Bay Composers' Forum and the Salvador Dali Museum, the Emit series of new and experimental music features free jazz, interactive electronics, improvisation and interdisciplinary art forms that incorporate sound. The fourth annual Emit Avant-A-Thon takes place at 9 p.m. at Central Stage, and includes Loud Zoo, SHIM, Trace Element, DJ Dub Gabriel and Neshilo?. Loud Zoo specializes in found sound and ethnic mixes. Ecto-jazz act SHIM (a Planet favorite) have performed at WMNF's Tropical Heat Wave and the Clearwater Jazz Holiday. Trace Element play dark electro-trance, incorporating synthesizers, theremins, percussion, live mixing and visuals. Producer/DJ Dub Gabriel, an innovator of ethnic beats, combines the urban rhythm of New York with infusions from India, Africa and the Middle East. Neshilo? is a collective of art students who break rules with their performances and sonic mayhem. Admission is $5 at the door. Central Stage is at 1919 Central Ave., downtown St. Petersburg (727-430-8080).
Sunday 1.13
Bullwhip Equals Blockbuster The modern action/adventure movie came into its own in the '80s, guided by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, as special effects caught up with the imagination of early cliffhanger matinees. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) is the masterpiece of its day. It grips you from the opening sequence, in which a rumpled and ruggedly handsome Harrison Ford — flight jacket, fedora, bullwhip and all — is chased from a South American cave by a thundering boulder. The film, which cost $23-million, has made more than $200-million and received four Oscars. See this classic on the big screen at 3 p.m. at the Tampa Theatre. Matinee admission costs $5. The Tampa Theatre is at 711 Franklin St., downtown Tampa (813-274-8286).
Monday 1.14
Portraits of Resistance The HCC-Dale Mabry Gallery is showcasing an art exhibit by Joseph Weinzettle titled The Transatlantic Struggle: West Africans, The Slave Trade and Slave Resistance. The series of paintings depict reconstructions of slaves' struggles for freedom in the 18th and 19th centuries, based on historical and ethnographic research. The exhibit runs through Feb. 28. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The HCC-Dale Mabry Gallery is in the Social Science Building at 4001 Tampa Bay Blvd., Tampa (813-253-7560).
Tuesday 1.15
Get Ready to Swoon Romantic balladeer Brian McKnight, touring in support of his sixth album, Superhero, performs at 7:30 p.m. at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. He's recognized for his dual gifts as a singer and pianist, and for such sentimental hits as One Last Cry. Tickets cost $27.75 and $37.75. TBPAC is at 1010 N. MacInnes Place, downtown Tampa (813-229-7827).
Wednesday 1.16
One Out of Three Recognized and acclaimed for his numerous opera roles throughout the world, Jose Carreras performs from his repertoire of more than 60 operas at 8 p.m. at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. As part of The Three Tenors, Carreras (along with Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti) has dazzled audiences worldwide, creating an unprecedented impact in the world of opera. Tickets cost $45-$150. TBPAC is at 1010 N. MacInnes Place, downtown Tampa (813-229-7827).
This article appears in Jan 9-15, 2002.