Thursday 10.18
The Mohr the Merrier Actor Jay Mohr is a quadruple threat, having worked in film, television, radio and stand-up during his 13-year career. He’s most recently completed three films: Simone, with Al Pacino and Winona Ryder; Pluto Nash, starring Eddie Murphy; and Speaking of Sex, featuring Bill Murray. Mohr is perhaps best known for his appearance in Jerry Maguire, as a rival sports agent, but he’s won over audiences since his days as a regular on Saturday Night Live, with his impressions of Christopher Walken and Sean Penn, among others. Mohr performs at The Improv through Oct. 21. Show times are at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets cost $24-27 depending on the night. All prices are advance purchase and cost $2 more at the door. The Improv is at Centro Ybor, 1600 E. Eighth Ave., Ybor City (813-864-4000).
Jazzed What began 21 years ago on the back of a flatbed truck has become a major stop for top jazz musicians and fans. Clearwater Jazz Holiday, a four-day festival, runs through Oct. 21 at Coachman Park and features a plethora of talented jazz acts, from torch singer Jane Monheit to guitarist John Scofield to Latin jazzers Los Hombres Calientes. Spots on the grass are free while preferred seating costs $15-$25 each day. Coachman Park is at 301 Drew St., Clearwater. Call 727-562-4788. www.clearwaterjazz.com.
Friday 10.19
A Boy Named Shoe The New York Times has called comedian Craig Shoemaker, a sitcom waiting to happen. He’s still waiting, but he’s spending his time wisely, having appeared in more than a hundred TV shows — including HBO’s Comic Relief and guest starring on The Hughleys — as well as writing and producing his own one-man show, Who’s Your Daddy? Shoemaker performs through Oct. 21 at Side Splitters. Show times are 8:30 p.m. weekdays, 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission costs $8-$14 (depending on the night).12938 N. Dale Mabry, Tampa (813-960-1197).
Hotter Than Hot At the fourth annual Florida Fiery Foods & Barbecue Show, lovers of pepper-based treats can taste everything from salad dressings to salsas to Bloody Mary mixes. The show takes place at the Bayfront Center through Oct. 21 and includes exhibits by such sauce crafters as Jamaica Hell Fire, Ruskin Redneck, Cripple Creek Growers and Cracker Cowboy. In addition to the array of foods on display, spice-happy chefs such as Emil Topel and Dave DeWitt, the Pope of Peppers, put on cooking demonstrations. The show is open to trade members 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday; to trade members 9 a.m.-noon and the public noon-6 p.m. Saturday; and to trade members 9 a.m.-noon and the public noon-6 p.m. Sunday. Admission costs $6. The Bayfront Center is at 400 First St. S., St. Petersburg (727-892-5767).
Saturday 10.20
Get Your Roll On Grandmaster torcedor Roberto Ramirez demonstrates cigar rolling and shares reminiscences at 2 p.m. in the Arts & Letters Department of the John F. Germany Public Library. Ramirez, 65, is rated as one of the 10 best torcedors in the world and can roll 150-200 cigars a day. He has made cigars for more than 50 years, first in Cuba, where he was a personal cigar roller for Fidel Castro, and now in Ybor City, wrapping his creations under the Gonzalez y Martinez label. The library is at 900 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa (813-273-3652).
Last but not Least What do Alize, Pleasuredome and the U.S. Army have to do with each other? That’s right, they’re all co-sponsors of Wild 98.7’s Last Damn Show 3. The lineup of southernplaylistic, ghetto fabulous, bubbalicious and bootylicious artists includes Outkast, Ludacris, Trick Daddy, Fabolous, Bubba Sparxxx with Timbaland, Jessica Simpson, Digital Underground, Jagged Edge and Afroman. Tickets cost $19.87 plus service charges. The show takes place at 6 p.m. at Tropicana Field, One Tropicana Drive, St. Petersburg (727-825-3250).
Sunday 10.21
Abracadabra In a preseason contest originally scheduled for Mexico City, the Orlando Magic face the Los Angeles Clippers at 6 p.m. at the Ice Palace. Only six other NBA preseason games have ever been played in the arena, including the Magic’s Oct. 14 game against the Atlanta Hawks. But along with an open scrimmage the Magic held earlier this month at the University of South Florida, this taste of professional basketball may soon have Bay area fans making a beeline to Orlando on I-4. The Magic looks to be one of the best teams in the NBA’s Eastern Conference this season, with returning stars Tracy McGrady and Darrell Armstrong, a healthy Grant Hill, veteran acquisitions Patrick Ewing and Horace Grant — and ’00 Rookie of the Year Mike Miller coming off the bench. Tickets cost $10-$55. The Ice Palace is at 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa (813-301-2500).
Piano Duo Pianists Gloria Bolivar and Leland Peck perform a free concert together at 3 p.m. in Eckerd College’s Roberts Music Center. Selections from the program include works by Copland, Lerner and Mendelssohn. Bolivar, a native of Bogota, Colombia, has taught piano at Eckerd since 1975, and has performed throughout Latin and North America. Peck is an active member of the Music Teachers’ National Association and has run a private studio in St. Petersburg since 1963. The college is located at 4200 54th Ave. S., St. Petersburg (727-867-1166).
Monday 10.22
Cartoonista Syndicated editorial cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz brings a young, fearless Latino sensibility to his social commentary, using wit to capture the country’s cultural and political landscape. Together with author Ilan Stavans, Alcaraz has tackled the need for Latino visibility in the media with a book titled, Latino USA: A Cartoon History (Basic Books, distributed by Harper Collins). It’s a very funny left-wing polemic that’s as entertaining as it is academic. Alcaraz presents a multimedia lecture on his work, featuring some of his favorite cartoons, at 7 p.m. in the Marshall Center Ballroom, USF, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., CTR 294, Tampa (813-974-3547).
Tuesday 10.23
How Black is Your Rhyme? Lloyd’s Cajun Cafe in Ybor hosts Black on Black Rhyme, an intense spoken word event every Tuesday, featuring the We Take No Prisoners Poetry Troupe. Think of the film Slam or Larenz Tate’s character in Love Jones. The show organizers challenge the spoken word artists to battle on weekly topics, men vs. women, for instance. The weekly events run with guest readers followed by an open mic. Sign-up is at 8 p.m., and the show starts at 8:30 p.m. The cover is $5, and Lloyd’s is at 1910 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City (813-242-4364).
Wednesday 10.24
On the Verizon The Verizon Music Festival, which runs through Oct. 27, kicks off with a free concert by Irma Thomas, Buckwheat Zydeco, Ronny Elliott and the Michael Ross Quartet at 7:30 p.m. at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center’s Carol Morsani Hall. Tampa Bay represents the third and final stop in the Verizon Music Festival series, which included New York and Los Angeles, a testament to the Bay’s love for live music and our apparent growth as a market for wireless communications. So come out and be sure to turn off your damn cell phones and enjoy the show. The concert is free and open to the public; however, tickets are required. TBPAC is at 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa (813-229-7827). www.verizon.com/musicfestival.
This article appears in Oct 18-24, 2001.
