Don’t hate him because he’s beautiful ... Handsome, cheeky Nerdist honcho Chris Hardwick, host of AMC’s live after-show Talking Dead and the Comedy Central game show @Midnight (both shows up for Emmy Awards), brings hilariously embarrassing admissions (like using the death of his father to curry butt sex favors) Saturday night. Chris Hardwick: The Funcomfortable Tour stops at the Straz’s Ferguson Hall at 8 p.m. Read Laugh Tract for more laughs from visiting comedians Sinbad, David Coulier and the Underground Comedy Festival.
Lowry Park $15 Days: Florida residents can get into Tampa Bay’s acclaimed zoo for $15 admission, presented by Walmart. Saturday's a good day to visit because it's World Lion Day. Do it for Cecil! The special August savings offer is valid for daytime Zoo admission only. lowryparkzoo.com.
Portrait de Brew: Party at Ybor’s latest, greatest art space Saturday night. Works by Whitney Holbourn, Carlos Pons and others; tunes by Sun Signs, Mountain Holler and more. Plus, Commune + Co., Late Start Brewery and Flavor Deluxx. MF Arts, Ybor. 6 p.m. $5. facebook.com/mfartsybor.
The bitch is back! Kari Goetz reprises a doggone delight in the title role of Stageworks’ Sylvia. The story follows well-meaning hubby Greg (Harold Oehler) who brings home a stray dog from the park. Wife Kate (Elizabeth Fendrick) objects. Complications ensue. Ricky Cona co-stars, with Spencer Meyers and Roxxi Jaxx joining as understudies. Runs Aug. 6-30 at Stageworks Theatre, 1120 E. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, $30 general admission, stageworkstheatre.org. Sponsored by Air Animal.
Gecko Pub Crawl: Drink and walk, people, drink and walk. "Crawl" your way through Gulfport's entertainment district, stopping (in no particular order) at Little Tommie’s Tiki, Mangia Gourmet, Neptune Grille, O’Maddy’s, Peninsula Inn and Salty’s (one drink of the establishment's choosing included in the ticket price). At each location, collect a playing card as part of the town-wide, night-long five card stud stud game. Crawlers can buy another card when they check in at O'Maddy's at the end of the night (by 9:30 p.m.) and the best hand, worst hand, and random grand prize winner will get prizes that include a two-night stay at various beach hotels and a sunset cruise. The crawl ends with a street party at O'Maddy's, who will donate a portion of the proceeds to Gulfport’s Michael J. Yakes Foundation, an organization focused on assisting Gulfport's less fortunate elderly and young. Takes place along Beach and Shore boulevards South in Gulfport, Aug. 8, 4-9 p.m. Remaining tickets can be purchased at the Beach Bazaar or at aforementioned participating locations. More info at geckofest.com. More GeckoFest info at geckofest.com.
Dress Up fun: Balance Tampa Bay is hosting a masquerade ball Saturday night in downtown Tampa. The hard-working, fun-loving social/humanitarian group says it will be offering live entertainment, "unparalleled ambiance and a world class DJ." Proceeds go to ASAP/Empath Health. Masks and costumes are encouraged but not required. The event takes place at the District 3 venue, which features elegant chandeliers, classic mirror balls, impressive sound and lights — and lasers, too. Tickets are $40 in advance, $50 at the door 21 and older only admitted. Click here to to purchase tickets District 3 is at 802 E. Whiting St., Tampa. For updates, visit btbmasqueradeball.com. (And I'm so stoked to get to type this:) Any questions, call Biff at 305-923-1803.
See movies made locally in just two days: Billed as a wild and sleepless weekend during which teams of filmmakers and would-be filmmakers create a movie four to seven minutes long, The 48-Hour Film Project enlists teams, which usually consist of anywhere from seven to 20 members, to write, cast, shoot, score and edit a movie. The films they make will be shown at the Premiere Screening Sunday at the HCC Theatre Arts Building Main Stage Theatre and eligible for the Audience Award, which is determined by ballot. Group A will be shown at 3 p.m. and Group B at 5 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at 48hourfilm.com/tampa-fl.
Artsy walkabout: Offering trolley rides and a wide assortment of new shows, including the Files & Film Winners Showcase and Surface Tension: new work by Nathan Beard and Nin McQuillen, The Second Saturday St. Petersburg Art Walk is a big deal tonight with Cory Allen Contemporary Art's shock art show of summer — it will transform its gallery, The Showroom, into a pop-up Church of Scientology, unveiling a nude shroud of Tom Cruise as a tribute to the actor’s 25th anniversary with the church (pictured: just half of the work; you'll have to go in person to see Tom's backside!). Commissioned curator and artist Daniel Edwards assisted CACA with exhibition arrangements, and will open to the public during the second Saturday event tonight. In the Warehouse Arts District, see Soft Water Studio's Tranzlucid show. Click here for more info on tonight's Second Saturday Art Walk.
Stay cool in the pool: This Sunday is the final day of the Guy Harvey Outpost Family SunDays Pool Parties. Expect fun games and super-silly contests with live acoustic or reggae music, planned family activities, including a Spikeball tournament, belly flop and cannon ball competitions and more. Prize giveaways and more. Parking is $10 per car based on availability. Free admission. Noon-6:30 p.m. Guy Harvey Outpost, 6000 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach. FunintheSunDays.com.
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Summer Classic Movie Series: The Tampa Theater's beloved throwback this is West Side Story (1961). Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer and Rita Moreno star in the colorful, sultry urban Romeo and Juliet tale, set in New York's Upper West Side in the 1950s. A landmark score by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim help round out one of the most popular musicals of all time, which earned 10 Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. 3 p.m. on Sunday. $10. tampatheatre.org.
Check out Leilani's Tonight in Live Music for some choice music shows, including La Lucha, Flatland shows and more Ybor.
