Accent On Tampa Bay #164C Apr/May, 2011 by Accent On Tampa Bay Magazine

ccent A On Tampa Bay Publisher Albert F. Martino, Jr. Senior Editor Melissa Wolcott Sales Barbara McGovern Vicki Kolb Senior Sports Editor Peter Martino Contributors Sylvie Damien Nancy Evans Marty Peters Deborah Quigley Roland Stone Photographers Melissa Wolcott Proofreader Charlie deCatta Cover Photo Credits: “Little Dancer” by Melissa Wolcott, “Hair” courtesy of Straz Center, Disney on Ice courtesy of Feld Entertainment PUBLISHED BY

P.O. Box 20044 St. Petersburg, FL 33742 (727) 577-5500 e-mail - AccentMagazine@aol.com

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MAYOR’S NIGHT OUT / BREAKFAST ENCORE IN 2011 - Various Dates St. Petersburg residents are once again invited to participate to ask questions and get problems solved one-on-one with Mayor Bill Foster and employees from city departments outside of normal City Hall hours. Mayor’s Night Out gives residents an opportunity to ask questions, share concerns or resolve problems by speaking directly with Mayor Foster or department staff from Sanitation, Codes Compliance, Housing, Billing and Collections, or the Police and Fire departments, among others, on the second Thursday monthly. ‘Mayor’s Night Out’ is held on the second Thursday monthly. Following a summer break, Mayor’s Night Out will return for dates in August through November, dates and locations to be announced later. Another opportunity to catch Mayor Foster outside of City Hall is Breakfast With the Mayor, held on the fourth Wednesday monthly at different locally-owned St. Petersburg restaurants. Breakfast With the Mayor is scheduled for April 27, May 25, June 22, July 27, August 24, September 28, October 26, November 23, and December 28. Guests are encouraged to support the host restaurant by purchasing breakfast. Other Breakfast locations will be posted at www.stpete.org/BreakfastWithMayor closer to each scheduled date. For more information on dates and locations of ‘Mayor’s Night Out’ or ‘Breakfast With the Mayor,’ visit www.stpete.org/MayorsNightOut or www.stpete.org/BreakfastWithMayor.

DUNEDIN LIFE & LIGHT LANTERN PARADE & FESTIVAL - April 23 – 24 Symbolically held Earth Day weekend, the Life & Light Lantern Festival & Parade is a community celebration of all life. The festival will include free Paper Lantern Making Workshops held all day Saturday and Sunday in downtown Dunedin’s Pioneer Park. The workshops will be surrounded by Live Music and Entertainment along with free Gardening and Sustainability demonstrations. Workshop participants get to keep and take their lanterns home. This is a family friendly event, geared towards kids. On Sunday at 8 pm Join the LIFE & LIGHT LANTERN PARADE! Event attendees, organizers and the Krewe of the Grateful Gluttons will take the Life & Light Lantern Parade celebration to the streets and parade their newly made, glowing paper lanterns through downtown Dunedin. Paper Lantern Workshops will be taught by professional lantern makers. Fundraiser Raffle, Donations and Profits from ALL Meals, Drinks and Merchandise sales at Casa Tina’s Mexican Restaurant, Cabana Café & Gifts and Pan y Vino Brick Oven Pizza, on both days will be donated to fund the Planting Seeds workshop series and the One Percent Food Project. Planting Seeds is a free Organic Gardening Workshop series offered to the general public. The workshops provide free ongoing education to local residents with topics including Florida Vegetable Gardening and other Sustainable Living practices. Scheduled workshops can be found at www.dunedinharvest.com.

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58TH ANNUAL FUN ‘N SUN FESTIVAL April 29 - May 8 This annual festival features a variety of events for all to enjoy. FEATURED EVENTS INCLUDE: Friday, April 29 BLAST FRIDAY - 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Downtown Clearwater’s Blast Friday street party will kick off this year’s Fun ‘n Sun Festival. The event will include kid-friendly games, more than 60 exhibitors, food and drinks and live entertainment. Cleveland Street, between Osceola and Fort Harrison avenues, Downtown Clearwater. www.blastfriday.com Saturday, April 30: 8TH ANNUAL POLICE CHARITY SOFTBALL GAME The charity softball game is at 4 p.m. with the Clearwater Threshers playing the Tampa Yankees at 6:30pm. Following the games will be a fireworks show. Tickets are just $17 and include all you can eat and drink from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Bright House Networks Field, 601 N. Old Coachman Rd.; www.threshersbaseball.com, 586-7433. 16TH ANNUAL SMOOTH JAZZ FEST Kick back and relax with the smooth jazz sounds. Presented by WSJT 94.1 HD2 and the City of Clearwater. The event will feature vendors, food and drink concessions and a kids play area. Artist Line-Up: THE RIPPINGTONS, TIZER featuring KAREN BRIGGS, NYEE MOSES, JACKIEM JOYNER. Coachman Park, 301 Drew St.; www.smooth987hd2.com, 562-4700; Gates open at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 30 - Sunday, May 1 DISC GOLF TOURNAMENT The Tampa Bay Disc Sports Club presents A Fabulous Florida Tour Event with its 2011 Fun ‘n Sun Tournament. The event will start at 8 a.m. on Saturday, with lunch provided and 10 a.m. on Sunday. Cost is $60, plus $10 for non-PDGA members. N.E. Coachman Park, 1120 Old Coachman Rd.; www.pdga.com, 692-0443. Sunday, May 1 QFEST PRESENTED BY Q105 Bring your lawn chair or a blanket for a day of great music. The event will feature vendors, food and drink concessions and a kids play area. Artist Line-Up: KANSAS, LITTLE RIVER BAND, SONS OF THE GROOVE, GREG WEST. Coachman Park, 301 Drew St.; www.myq105.com, 562-4700, Gates open at 1:30 p.m. KANSAS

Friday, May 6 – Saturday, May 7 KNOLOGY CLEARWATER SEA-BLUES FESTIVAL The 5th Annual Knology Clearwater Sea-Blues Festival. In the past, this event has taken place in February. The Clearwater Sea-Blues Festival has moved to May 6 and 7 as a featured concert event during the Fun ‘n Sun Festival. Artist Line-Up: Friday, May 6 - JIMMY HALL & WET WILLIE, THE DANA FUCHS BAND, JOSH LAMKIN & AUTOMATIC HEAT. Saturday, May 7 - TAJ MAHAL, SHEMEKIA COPELAND, TRAMPLED UNDER FOOT, HARPER & THE MIDWEST KIND, STEVE ARVEY HORN BAND. For more information, visit www.clearwaterseablues.com. Coachman Park, 301 Drew St.; 562-4700; May 6: Gates open at 4:30 p.m.; May 7: Gates open at 12:30 p.m. TAJ MAHA Sunday, May 8 L FUN ‘N SUN TOYOTA COUNTRY CONCERT Bring your lawn chair or a blanket for a day of great country music. Presented by WQYK and the City of Clearwater. The event will feature vendors, food and drink concessions and a kids play area. Artist Line-Up: RODNEY ATKINS, CRAIG CAMPBELL, JANEDEAR GIRLS, FRANKIE BALLARD, KIP MOORE. Coachman Park, 301 Drew St.; www.wqyk.com, 562-4700. Gates open at 12:30 p.m. www.myclearwater.com/events. Visit www.myclearwater.com/funnsun or the complete schedule of events and details.

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DINE IN THE DARK TO FIGHT BLINDNESS - April 27 The Foundation Fighting Blindness (www.FightBlindness.org), a national nonprofit that drives blindness research, will honor the late Edie Loebenberg, co-founder of the Florida Holocaust Museum, and Ronald L. Vaughn, Ph.D., president of The University of Tampa, with Visionary Awards at the Tampa/St. Petersburg Dining in the Dark. The event will take place April 27 at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club in St. Petersburg. Legendary sports personality and Tampa Bay Rays Senior Advisor Dick Crippen will emcee event. Dining in the Dark will benefit the Foundation Fighting Blindness, whose urgent mission is to drive the research that will lead to preventions, treatments and cures for the more than 10 million Americans affected with retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, Usher syndrome and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases. Co-chairing the event are Foundation Fighting Blindness National Trustees Patricia M. CampbellStichweh and Dr. Kamal N. Majeed, who both have family members affected with retinal degenerations. Dining in the Dark is a distinctive sensory awareness experience in which guests participate in an unforgettable dining adventure, in complete darkness. For about 30 minutes, attendees will don special lightblocking blindfolds and enjoy their entrée using only their senses of smell, sound and touch, to get a glimpse into the lives of the blind. For more information, visit www.FightBlindness.org or 954-308-5555.

TASTE THE BEST OF TAMPA BAY - April 30 Hosted by The Producers volunteer group as a benefit for the Straz Center, enjoy live entertainment and sample food and drinks from the Tampa Bay area’s best restaurants and caterers, while strolling along the Hillsborough River. Straz Riverwalk, Sat. 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.strazcenter.org/

THE ST. PETERSBURG SCIENCE FESTIVAL April 30 It’s all fun. It’s all about learning at the inaugural St. Petersburg Science Festival. This free, family event is held in conjunction with MarineQuest 2011, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Fish and Wildlife Institute’s 17th annual open house. The events kicks off with a performance by the 40-member Progressive Baptist Missionary Community Church Drumline and Color Guard at 10am from Sixth Avenue S. More than two-dozen science-related organizations and businesses featured at the science festival pavilion and adjacent tents will offer visitors the opportunity to explore the wonders of hands-on science, technology, engineering and math. From 10am-4pm, Saturday, April 30, University of South Florida (USF) St. Petersburg, Bayboro Waterfront. For more information, visit www.stpetescifest.org

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TAMPA BAY DRAGON BOATS AND ASIA FEST TEAM UP - April 30 The Tampa Bay Dragon Boat Institute has teamed up with the Asian-American Coalition of Florida to host the 28th annual Asia Fest event in conjunction with the 8th Annual Tampa Bay International Dragon Boat Races. Both events are open to the public and will be held on Saturday, April 30 in downtown Tampa. Asia Fest will be held in Cotanchobee Park, adjacent to the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina and the location of the athlete’s village for Tampa Bay Dragon Boat Races. Additionally, the International Beer Festival, which is annually held in conjunction with the dragon boat races, will also be held in Cotanchobee Park. The annual Tampa Bay Dragon Boat Races kick off at 8:30 a.m. with the Opening Ceremonies on the Marriott Waterside patio and the first race at 9 a.m., with a heat running every 10 minutes. Each team will race three times throughout the day, being seeded into a division, and then getting the chance to become a Division Champion. Asia Fest’s entertainment and vendors will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additional food vendors will be available until 7 p.m. and the International Beer Festival will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., along with a post-racing band playing until 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.tampabaydragonboats.com. Asia Fest presents a colorful, festive celebration that features cultural entertainment and Asian ethnic food. Along with exciting cultural performances, the event will also crown its 3rd Annual Miss Asia Fest winner. For additional information about Asia Fest, visit www.asiafest-tampabay.com.

HELP FOR NEEDY TEEN GIRLS AROUND THE BAY FOR PROM SEASON April 30, May 7 During these hard economic times there is help for struggling families and their high school girls for prom. Two non-profit organizations have come together to provide prom dresses, shoes, purses, and accessories to in-need, low-income high school girls in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties. Founded in 2003, Belle of the Ball Project has given away thousands of dresses in it’s 8 year history. Joined in 2008 by Hillsborough’s Dream a Dress, they can now offer dresses to teens in the entire Bay area from their store with over 1,500 dresses to choose from. Their mission is to make sure that no high school girl be denied the opportunity to attend her high school dance because of financial difficulties. Dates of distributions: Saturdays, April 30, and May 7. Location: 11201 Park Blvd. N., Seminole, FL, Seminole Mall, next to Ross Department Store, 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. For more information: www.belleoftheballproject.com

LIVE ARTS ON THE 600 BLOCK! - Every Third Saturday Of The Month Hosted by the diverse and creative venues on the Block, LIVE Arts on the 600 Block! is a multi-arts sidewalk fest featuring artists and artisans. Stop by the block every third Saturday of the month, to listen to live music, enjoy the shops, and watch artists of all kinds at work. In addition, many of the shops and galleries will be showcasing their offerings with enticing specials throughout the day. 10am-6pm. For more information visit www.sixhundredblock.com

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ODYSSEY’S SHIPWRECK! Thru July 30 Odyssey Marine Exploration is featuring the work of artist and illustrator Don Maitz in the company’s multi-media travelling exhibit SHIPWRECK! Pirates & Treasure currently on display in Sarasota, FL at G.WIZ – The Science Center. SHIPWRECK! is filled with interactive games and challenges that allow visitors to experience the thrill of exploring the high seas and learning about some of the world’s greatest maritime stories. Featuring a wide-variety of over 500 authentic shipwreck artifacts recovered by Odyssey in the Atlantic Ocean, English Channel and Mediterranean Sea, the exhibit takes visitors on a voyage through seafaring history. SHIPWRECK! features 10 pirate-themed oil painting reproductions by Maitz. Widely known as the creator of the Captain Morgan Spiced Rum pirate, Maitz’s work is highlighted in SHIPWRECK!’s “World of Pirates” where visitors are immersed in pirate lore, legend and facts. Pirates of the Caribbean are joined by Barbary Pirate Corsairs, Privateers, and Buccaneers in this interactive gallery. Explore Odyssey’s shipwreck artifacts in a new virtual museum: www.odysseysvirtualmuseum.com

TAMPA’S SWEETWATER PADDLE FOR THE CURE RACE - May 7 Kayakers and Standup Paddleboard enthusiasts get ready for the 3rd Annual Sweetwater Paddle for the Cure. The event takes place at the Downtown Riverfront Park in Tampa with two race options: a 5-mile race (beginning at 8:30 a.m.) and a 2-mile family fun paddle (beginning at 10:30 a.m.). Both races launch from Riverfront Park at 1001 North Blvd and show case the beauty of downtown Tampa from the water. All proceeds benefit the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation to fund and develop new treatments for multiple myeloma. There are separate categories for racing kayaks, sea kayaks, recreational boats, sit-on-tops and standup paddleboards. Trophies will be awarded to the top three finishers in each class. Kayak and paddleboard rentals are available but limited so those interested should reserve theirs now. For more information, visit BeatCancerWithAPaddle.org.

BIKE MS: THE CITRUS TOUR 2011 - May 14-15 The Citrus Tour 2011 rolls out on Sat., May 14 and Sun., May 15. Last year, more than 1,500 cyclists peddled their way throughout Central Florida to raise more than $920,000 for MS research as well as for comprehensive programs and services for people living with MS. Similar to last year’s highly successful ride, the event starts at the scenic and historic Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Fla. and finishes day one of the ride with a celebration at The Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando. On day two, riders reverse the route. Teams of all sizes are invited to participate in various routes including a 50, 75 or 100-mile route on Saturday, with the option of a 75 or 100 mile return route on Sunday. While there is no registration fee to participate in Walk MS 2011, registration is required and a $20 minimum pledge is requested. To receive a Walk MS 2011 t-shirt, the minimum fundraising amount is $125. Additional prizes are available based on funds raised. Registration for Bike MS starts at a $35 fee per participant (with fee increases leading up to the event date) and requires a fundraising minimum of $250 per individual biker. For more information, visit www.midfloridaMSwalks.org

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INAUGURAL WALK FOR NOW - May 15

TAMPA LUPUS

The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) will hold its inaugural Tampa Walk for Lupus Now during Lupus Awareness Month on Sunday, May 15, at the Lowry Park Zoo at 6:00 p.m. The Walk for Lupus Now is an opportunity for the lupus community to come together to raise funds for lupus research and education programs, while raising awareness of the disease in their local communities. A twilight Walk holds special significance for people living with lupus, many who experience sensitivity to sunlight, which can cause an individual’s lupus to flare or worsen. It is important that people with lupus avoid being out in the sunlight during the afternoon hours when the sun is at its peak, use plenty of sun screen, and wear sunprotective clothing. LFA President and CEO, Sandra Raymond, will be in attendance at the Walk kick-off party to be held on Monday, March 14, 2011, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott-Westshore. Ms. Raymond and a physician will provide information about the Walk, as well as answer questions about lupus and the LFA programs and services. To RSVP for the kick-off party call 202-689-5516. For more information, visit WalkForLupusNow.org

he toys are back in town. Disney On Ice presents Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3. The summer hit movie, Toy Story 3, and memorable moments from Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are hitting the ice in this sensational live production coming to the St. Pete Times Forum, May 19-22. Catch all the heroic action when Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie and the Toy Story gang escape from the rambunctious tots of Sunnyside Daycare and race for home in their most daring adventure ever. A few new faces join the fun including Barbie’s groovy bachelor Ken and Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear. It’s the biggest Toy Story experience on ice, jam-packed with fast-paced adventure such as Buzz’s galactic battle with Emperor Zurg and a hoe-down at Woody’s Roundup. Rediscover the humor, friendship and charm of Toy Story when Disney On Ice presents Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3 takes family fun to infinity and beyond. For more information, visit disney.go.com/disneyonice/

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TASTE OF PINELLAS 2011 May 20-22 A Taste of Pinellas is an annual food and music festival for the whole family, held at Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg Florida. The event features tastes from top local restaurants, live music from national acts, a Kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Zone for children and much more. Entertainment scheduled is: May 20 - Chris Isaak, Josh Turner, Amanda Drake & the Barn Burners. May 21 - Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, The Black Honkeys, Motel Funk, and Rocky Ruckman Band. May 22 - Third Eye Blind, Colbie Caillat, Allison Iraheta, and Adam 812. Proceeds from A Taste of Pinellas go to the All Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital Telethon. For more information, visit www.allkids.org/ ATOP_homepage.cfm?id=856

EVERY SATURDAY MORNING IN DOWNTOWN ST. PETRSBURG - Thru May 28 Bands on the Sand takes place on the beach behind the Bilmar Beach Resort, 104th & Gulf Boulevard, Treasure Island, from 12 noon10 pm. Music starts at noon. Headliner is Cope at 8pm, with Steve Arvey Horn Band at 6pm, Rebekah Pulley and the Reluctant Prophets at 4pm, Rebel Pride Band at 2pm, and Sunza Beaches at Noon. Shoeless Soul plays the side stage at 1:30, 3:30, 5:30 and 7:30pm. There will be plenty of beer, food and arts and crafts vendors, plus fireworks at 10:00 pm. Parking on the beach is at 112th Avenue and Gulf Boulevard. For more information, call 727-547-4575, or visit www.mytreasureisland.org

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D A V ID A . S T R A Z , J R . CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS SHOWS

GIUSEPPE VERDI’S LA TRAVIATA - April 29-May 1

One of the most popular and tragic operas of all time, La Traviata tells the story of Violetta, a courtesan in Paris who has recently overcome a severe illness. Alfredo has loved Violetta from afar, and when their romance becomes real, Alfredo’s father must end such an inappropriate relationship for the sake of his family’s reputation. Love overcomes, but not before Violetta succumbs to her illness. Verdi’s three-act grand opera is the third most popular and produced opera according to Opera America. Only La Bohème and Madama Butterfly are produced more frequently. Opera Tampa favorite Elizabeth de Trejo (Romeo and Juliet, Lucia di Lammermoor) returns as the tragic heroine Violetta.

SHREK THE MUSICAL - May 3-8 SHREK THE MUSICAL, based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks film that started it all, brings the hilarious story of everyone’s favorite ogre to life on stage in Tampa! In a faraway kingdom turned upside down, things get ugly when an unseemly ogre – not a handsome prince – shows up to rescue a feisty princess. Throw in a donkey who won’t shut up, a bad guy with a SHORT temper, a cookie with an attitude and more than a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you’ve got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there’s one on hand … and his name is Shrek. SHREK THE MUSICAL’S Tampa engagement features a terrific score of 19 all-new songs, big laughs, great dancing and breathtaking scenery, USA Today proclaims SHREK THE MUSICAL, “Altogether irresistible. A big fat hit!” SHREK THE MUSICAL is part romance, part twisted fairy tale and all irreverent fun for everyone. HAIR - May 24-29 The Public Theater’s new Tony-winning production of HAIR is the most Electric Celebration on Broadway. This exuberant musical about a group of young Americans searching for peace and love in a turbulent time has struck a resonant chord with audiences young and old. The HAIR Tampa engagement features an extraordinary cast and dozens of unforgettable songs, including “Aquarius,” “Let

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the Sun Shine In,” “Good Morning, Starshine” and “Easy To Be Hard.” Its relevance is undeniable. Its energy is unbridled. Its truth is unwavering.

RAIN: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES - June 2 Experience what beatlemania was all about. From Ed Sullivan to abbey road – RAIN looks and sounds just like the Beatles. RAIN’s Tampa engagement covers the Fab Four from the earliest beginnings through the psychedelic late ’60s and their long-haired hippie, hard-rocking rooftop days. For more information on shows and to purchase tickets, visit www.strazcenter.org

Florida’s Most Exciting Theatrical & Dining Experience! Up Coming

Mon.-Thur. 9am-7pm Fri.-Sat. 9am-8pm Sun. 10am-3pm Now thru Apr 24

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Dinner & Show-$48.00 + Tax • Show Only-$36.95+Tax

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WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? thru Apr 23

“A scorching, scalding, revealing and completely engrossing drama.” — Women’s Daily One of the landmark plays of the twentieth century, Edward Albee’s masterpiece tells the story of George and Martha, an aging history professor and his razor-tongued wife who have returned home from another tedious faculty event at a small New England college. But the night is far from over. Martha has invited a young professor and his mousey wife for late-night cocktails and parlor conversation. Pleasantries dissolve as the liquor flows, and the party devolves into an escalating war of words between George and Martha. The unsuspecting guests are soon drawn into the volcanic battle, exposing secrets within their own marriage. By dawn, no one remains unscathed. Winner of the 1963 Tony Award and New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for “Best Play”. Mature subject matter and language.

JOHNNY SCHICCHI - April 30 - May 8

A wealthy old man dies and his relatives gather for the reading of the will, only to discover he has left everything to the church. Aghast, the family members scheme to restore some of the lost wealth to their own pockets. But what can be done? Enter the one man clever and cunning enough to help the greedy relatives regain their inheritance: the ever-resourceful Johnny Schicchi. Pucciniís sparkling music is the ideal counterpoint for the hilarious events as everyone jockeys for a share facebook.com/americanstage of the estate. Mark Sforzini will lead the fabulous cast and small orchestra in his own transcription of the musical score. American Stage is at the Raymond James Theatre, 163 3rd Street North, St. Petersburg (727) 823-PLAY (7529); www.americanstage.org

FORTY-SECOND STREET - thru April 24

Forty-Second Street is a classic musical set in 1933 that celebrates the stuff that dreams are made of. It focuses on aspiring chorus girl Peggy Sawyer, and takes us along her journey to stardom in the new Julian Marsh show Pretty Lady. Filled with backstage drama, demanding divas, and some of the best dances ever created for the stage Forty-Second Street is Broadway at its best. Through a series of misadventures Peggy has to go on for the star of the show. Peggy has exactly 36 hours to learn 25 pages, 6 songs and 10 dance numbers. As Julian says, by the next evening, he’ll have either a live leading lady or a dead chorus girl! Musical hits include “You’re Getting to Be a Habit with Me,” “Dames,” “I Know Now,” “We’re In the Money,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” “Shuffle Off to Buffalo” and “Forty-Second Street.”

SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY: A 1940s REVUE - April 29th - June 5th From the team who brought you The Frosty Follies and This Magic Moment comes Sentimental Journey, a fantastic ride into the past-to wartime America of the 1940s. It’s an affectionate lampoon of the big band, brassy and exuberant America of World War II. Filled with classic 1940s songs, handsome soldiers, beautiful nurses and exciting partner dancing that evokes the lindy hop and the jitter bug of days gone by, this toe-tapping, finger snapping, high-stepping musical is one that you don’t want to miss. Show Palace, www.showpalace.net

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Star of the hit CBS sitcom Mike & Molly! Billy Gardell took the long road to Hollywood, stopping at every small town honky-tonk, military base, and comedy club along the way from his hometown of Pittsburgh. Anywhere he could find a live audience. Billy started early in stand up and got good fast; headlining some clubs before he was legal at the door. But that didn’t stop him from being as big a hit at the bar as he was on stage. His acting rose with regular guest

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appearances on hit prime time shows like “My Name is Earl” (NBC), “The Practice” (ABC), “Yes Dear” (CBS), “Monk” (USA), “Judging Amy” (CBS), and “Gary the Rat” (Spike), as well as a co-starring role in the FX series “Lucky.” He made his major film debut alongside Anthony Quinn and Sylvester Stallone in “Avenging Angelo” and had a memorable scene with Billy Bob Thornton in the Cohen Brother’s “Bad Santa,” before the opportunity for his smash hit Mike & Molly! came along. Billy will perform at Side Splitters on May 12. For more information, visit www.sidesplitterscomedy.com

John Conlon directs an outrageous cast of characters presenting the audience with a hilariously sweet look at Opal the loveable hoarder at the center of this quirky comedy. Opal lives in a tumbledown mansion at the edge of the municipal dump. Very convenient if you’re friendly, ever optimistic Opal who loves to carry anything and everything home in her little red wagon. And of course everyone is welcome, even seedy Gloria, Bradford and Solomon, three purveyors of bogus perfume on the lam from the authorities. The fun ensues as Opal’s none too nice visitors think the answer to their problem is a fat insurance policy with the beneficiaries’ being Gloria, Bradford and Solomon. But when you seem to lead a “charmed” life the funniest things occur even when your “friends” have murder on their minds. Don’t miss this slice of fun at St. Petersburg Little Theatre it’s infectiously cheerful. For more information, visit www.splt.org. 4025 31st Street South, St. Petersburg FL 33712; 727-866-1973.

The Largo Cultural Center will be celebrating Earth Day by bringing for the first time to Largo, The Big Green Eco Magic Show Starring Steve Trash on Saturday, April 23 at 8pm. The Eco Magic Show is a large scale, rockin’ music, green themed stage show with terrific stage illusions perfect for audiences of all ages. Each illusion cleverly illustrates an ecological lesson with humor and fun. The Steve Trash Show was named the Best Environmental Education Program in 2011. Steve is also a founding board member of Keep The Shoals Beautiful and is a lifetime member of the Alabama Association for Environmental Education. He actually lives in a green home in the tiny hamlet of Frog Pond, Alabama. For more information, visit LargoArts.com, (727)587-6793.

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MURDER BALLAD - April 21 - May 1 MURDER BALLAD tells the story of men and women in Knoxville, TN, one year after the end of the Civil War, as they struggle to accept the tragedies they experienced during the war, and embrace love and life. Eastern TN, like most of Appalachia, was split during the war, friend fighting friend and brother fighting brother, causing pain and hostility that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t end with the war. Based on the stories in traditional American murder ballads, the play is a tense, spooky, heartbreaking and hopeful look at how war affects community. Directed by Selena Ambush. For more information, visit www.studio620.org

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A captivating drama of hope. Based on Ernest J. Gaines’ award-winning 1992 book, this play is an elegant but harsh illumination of the search for grace and dignity before an innocent black man is put to death for a crime he did not commit. A wrenching drama that engrosses and enrages, it shows how courageous one man can be in the face of prejudice and recapture his humanity. The Stageworks production includes Gloria Bailey, Chip Carter, Slake Counts, Joshua Goff, Tia Jemison B. Dexter Lewis, Ron Bobb-Semple (Member of AEA). Director; Anna Brennen, Set Designer; RT Williams. “The story’s wrenching power lies not in its outrage but in the almost inexplicable grace the characters must muster as their only resistance to being treated like lesser beings.” — The New Yorker Performances continue through April 24, at the Shimberg Playhouse, Straz Center. For more information, visit www.stageworkstheatre.org

This hit rock musical, based loosely on Puccini’s La Bohème, changed the face of theatre forever. The emotionally stirring story follows a year (that’s 525,600 minutes for the uninitiated) in the lives of a community of young artists, all struggling to live and celebrate life in New York’s East Village. Don’t miss the chance to experience why there’s truly “No Day But Today.” Winner of the 1996 Pulitzer Prize. Contains mature language and themes. No alcohol or pets are allowed to be brought into the park (by city ordinance). Food and beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are sold at the event. American Stage in the Park is performed outdoors at Demens Landing Park, located on the corner of 1st Avenue South and Bayshore Boulevard SE in downtown St. Petersburg, FL. The box office is located at 163 3rd Street North in the heart of down-

town St. Petersburg. American Stage Theatre Company is located at the Raymond James Theatre, 163 3rd Street North in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. (727) 823-7529; or visit www.americanstage.org/rent.php

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www.FLORIDAORCHESTRA.ORG

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S T R E C N O C T O H ST. PETE TIMES FORUM Katy Perry is coming to the St. Pete Times Forum for one night only on Friday, June 10. Teenage Dream was released in August 2010 and has since sold five million copies worldwide. The album’s first single, “California Gurls” was the biggest selling song of 2010 according to Soundscan. After “California Gurls” spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Katy scored two follow-up No. 1’s, with “Teenage Dream” and her current single “Firework,” making her the first female artist in 11 years to score three Billboard No. 1 singles from the same album. Katy launched the album’s fourth single “E.T.” in early March. She is planning on interacting with fans through social media networks throughout the “California Dreams” tour. Using Facebook Places/Deals, fans will be able to check in to the venues each night to receive special treats. Fans will also be able to submit their own photos of the show via Twitter, which will be incorporated into the live show and also live on katyperry.com.

Keith Urban and band, along with special guest Jake Owen, will bring the “Get Closer 2011 World Tour” to the St. Pete Times Forum on Saturday, June 18 at 7:30 p.m. The tour comes in support of Urban’s sixth studio CD Get Closer, which was released in October 2010. Critics have called Urban’s shows “one of the best reasons in the world to attend a live concert.” They’ve said that fans would be “hard-pressed to find a better country - or rock - show anywhere.” Urban’s catalogue of hits; “Better Life,” “Somebody Like You,” “Days Go By,” “You’ll Think Of Me,” “Sweet Thing” and his latest, “Without You,” combined Keith Urban with an all new production will give his fans a unique concert experience that has earned Urban a reputation as one of music’s best live performers. Owen, who will perform on the U.S. leg of the tour, is a perfect fit with his charismatic stage show and a string of top hits to his credit, including such favorites as “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You” and “Eight Second Ride.” Get Closer follows two previous consecutive Billboard country and pop No. 1 albums, as well as five previous CD’s, all of which have been certified platinum or multi-platinum. His last effort, 2009’s Defying Gravity, produced five Top 5 hits, including charttoppers “Sweet Thing” and “Only You Can Love Me This Way,” bringing his total of No. 1 songs to eleven. For more information, please visit www.sptimesforum.com

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HOT CONCERTS

THE FLORIDA ORCHESTRA

ack a picnic basket to join The Florida Orchestra and guest conductor Joseph Mechavich for a free Pops in the Park Concert of familiar symphonic favorites along with highlights from The Sound of Music, West Side Story, Porgy & Bess and Star Wars Symphonic Suite, all at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa on Friday, May 6, at 7:30 p.m. The next Masterworks promises to take concertgoers on a sonic adventure through diverse musical worlds. The evening opens with John Adams’ Doctor Atomic Symphony with its pervasive sense of fear about the massively destructive forces of the atomic bomb. However, as if to reassure the audience that good, beauty and hope will prevail, this is followed by Anton Bruckner’s glorious cathedral of sound brimming with luscious melodies and triumphant symphonic exultations in his Symphony No. 4, “Romantic.” Stefan Sanderling conducts these concerts on May 13, 14 and 15 in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. At the next morning Coffee Concert, Alastair Willis conducts the orchestra in a program of spirited highlights from Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, Verdi’s La Forza del Destino, Bernstein’s West Side Story and more. Attendees enjoy complimentary coffee and Krispy Kreme doughnuts prior to this concert, which is Thursday, May 19, at 11 a.m. at the Progress Energy Center for the Arts, Mahaffey Theater, in St. Petersburg. The final Raymond James Pops concert of the season salutes the decade that brought us MTV, big hair and Michael Jackson’s sequin glove in this celebration of the best-loved pop and rock artists of the 1980s. Dubbed “Totally Awesome 80s, the orchestra will play “like, totally rad” music by Madonna, Guns N’ Roses, Phil Collins, Prince, Chicago, Cyndi Lauper, Elton John, Bon Jovi and more. Sarah Hicks conducts these concerts on May 20, 21 and 22 in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Acclaimed by The New York Times as “a brilliant violinist,” Augustin Hadelich is the soloist in Brahms’ Violin Concerto for the final Masterworks concert of the season,

which also includes Berlioz’ Béatrice et Bénédict: Overture, Barber’s symphonic prayer Adagio for Strings and Stravinsky’s lyrical Pulcinella: Suite. Music Director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Larry Rachleff conducts these concerts on May 27 and 28 in Tampa and St. Petersburg. The Florida Orchestra regularly performs at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Progress Energy Center for the Arts - Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, and Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. For tickets or concert information on the current season as well as on the upcoming 2011/2012 season, visit www.floridaorchestra.org or call 727.892.3337 or 1.800.662.7286, Mon-Fri, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or Sat and Sun, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For tickets or information, visit www.floridaorchestra.org or call 1.800.662.7286.

TROPICANA FIELD RAYS CONCERTS REO SPEEDWAGON - 4/30 - 1:10 PM vs. Angels. The rock band REO Speedwagon was formed in 1967 and has continued to create music for over 40 years. Hi Infidelity is the group’s most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US. With timeless hits like, “Ridin’ The Storm Out,” “Roll With The Changes,” “Keep On Loving You,” “Take It On the Run,” and “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” their live show is packed with classic hits. Over the course of their career, the band has sold more than forty million records and has charted thirteen Top 40 hits. DARIUS RUCKER - 5/14 - 4:10 PM vs Baltimore Orioles. Darius Rucker first became famous as the lead singer for Hootie and the Blowfish, performing such hits as “Let Her Cry”, “Hold My Hand” and “Only Wanna Be With You.” In 2008, Rucker burst onto the country music scene with his chart topping album Learn to Live. The album led him to the podium with a CMA for Best New Artist in 2009. The Charleston, SC native recently released an album that paid homage to his hometown and southern roots. For more information visit mlb.mlb.com/tb/ticketing/summer_concerts.jsp

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6th ANNUAL STRINGBREAK MUSIC FESTIVAL - April 29-May 1 The 6th Annual Stringbreak Music Festival takes place at the Sertoma Youth Ranch in Brooksville. It features Alternative Country, Americana, Rockabilly, Cajun, Bluegrass, Roots Rock and more. Over 25 National touring bands on 4 stages to include Paul

Rockin’ Acoustic Circus

Paul Thorn

Thorn, Rockin’ Acoustic Circus, The Greencards, Bearfoot, The Chapmans, Searson, and many more. Youth Programs, Good Camping, Arts, Crafts are all available. Music starts at 1 PM Friday, continues daily from 10 am till midnight. Attendees will be entertained by dancing, craft exhibitors, music jams,

The Greencards

camping, great food and festive drink. The youth will enjoy full programmed activities and kids stuff on a dedicated stage. Music Workshops conducted by the pros. Bring lawn chairs, and no coolers. 85 Myers Road, Brooksville, FL 34602. Exit 293 off 75, east 2 miles on CR 41, N. on Clay Hill then 2 miles to Sertoma Ranch 863-984-8445 or www. riverhawkmusic.com

ACADEMYOFROCK.NET

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MUSIC TRAX

OFF THE BEATEN PATH . . .

POP

JAZZ

A LIFELIKE STORY is a young New Jersey based pop/rock trio consisting of Bryan Welsh on vocals and guitar, Garrett Hoffman on bass and vocals and Chris Mueller on drums. Their songwriting is a collaborative effort, and is ever-evolving as the band’s music expands. Their music can’t be pigeonholed at the moment, with the band being influenced by acts such as 30 Seconds To Mars, Panic At The Disco, and The Killers. Their catchy single “State//Lines” video from their EP NEVER HAVE I EVER can be seen on their website. Watch for these boys to rise up the ranks. www.myspace.com/alifelikestory

Legendary guitar virtuoso and world music pioneer AL DI MEOLA’s latest outing PURSUIT OF RADICAL RHAPSODY was years in the making. It showcases his mastery of complex rhythmic syncopation combined with provocative lyrical melodies and sophisticated harmony. By turns tender and spirited, the album features soulful Di Meola compositions. Working with World Sinfonia, he has created a collection of 15 entrancing tracks that highlight his unparalleled technique on both acoustic and electric guitar. www.aldimeola.com

Welsh alt-pop duo PAPER AEROPLANES’ debut effort, THE DAY WE RAN INTO THE SEA is a mixture of folk and acoustic elements laced the electric guitars and Celtic undertones (contributed to by producer Jon Reynolds, who’s worked with the likes of Sinead O’Connor). The album also features sonic contributions from Head (PJ Harvey), John Reynolds (Sinead O’Conner, Belinda Carlisle) and Matt Prime (Will Young, Kelly Clarkson, Natalie Imbruglia). Each song has a commercial pop sensibility topped off with poignant lyrics and vocalist Sarah Howells’ haunting ‘one of a kind’ voice. The CD is a musical memoir that details the raw, universal feelings and experiences we all go through when dealing with break ups and shake ups, love and loss. www.okgoodrecords.com On KICKING IT WITH THE TWITS, the pioneering cowpunk band, HICKOIDS, show another side that’s just as important to their style as the C&W they delightfully twist and debauch. This eight-song mini-album takes songs by original British invaders The Rolling Stones and The Who, glam era stars like Slade, Brian Eno and Mott The Hoople as well as cult heroes The Move along with punk originators The Damned and the inimitable Sir Elton and dress them up in Hickoids drag to create a simmering, slamming slab of transatlantic rocking. www.hickoids.com

The quartet that LESLIE PINTCHIK has assembled for her third CD WE’RE HERE TO LISTEN (with Scott Hardy on bass, Mark Dodge on drums and percussionist Satoshi Takeishi) is one that really knows how to listen, both to each other and to the evolving narrative of the music they create together as an ensemble. The longevity of this quartet (12 years) and the deep musicianship of all four of its members allow the full range of Pintchik’s rather unusual voice as composer, arranger and pianist to emerge. The playlist includes a mix of seven strong originals, and three very intriguing arrangements of well known tunes. www.lesliepintchik.com With his new album, EZRA WEISS reaffirms his status as one of the premier young jazz pianists and composers of today. THE SHIRLEY HORN SUITE finds him heightening his sense of elevation and refinement in a trio format with up-and-coming string bassist Corcoran Holt and veteran drummer Steve Williams. The special guest vocalist is Shirley Nanette, a Pacific Northwest jazz legend. Weiss gives us his affectionate appreciation of Shirley Horn, an unforgettable pianist and singer whose way with beautiful melodies, harmonic coloration, and rhythm alterations made her the toast of the jazz world in the 1980s and ’90. Weiss’ Suite is a thing of beauty. Confident and relaxed, Weiss and his colleagues make the most of touch, space, dynamics, and phrasing. www.ezraweiss.com Music Trax continues on following page

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Accent Spotlights . . .

n up-and-coming Tampa band getting lots of buzz is NOT TONIGHT JOSEPHINE, with a new fulllength release, All On The Horizon, recently hitting the stores. All On The Horizon is the band’s follow up to their 2009 EP, This Orphan Heart. The band teamed up with producer Brett Hestla (Creed, Dark New Day, Framing Hanley) in the studio for All On The Horizon. The new record, which builds upon This Orphan Heart’s pop-informed modern rock with more mature songwriting and a slightly darker bend, was recorded over the summer of 2010. Their single, a cover of Ace of Base’s popular tune ‘All That She Wants’, hit radio airwaves and iTunes in late March. Last year the band was selected for a main stage performance at the Florida Music Festival in April, shot a series of webisodes for Busch Gardens’ Howl-O-Scream festival, and nailed down a slot on WSUN 97X’s annual Next Big Thing concert in Tampa in December. NOT TONIGHT JOSEPHINE has performed with acts such as Anberlin, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Sick Puppies, Framing Hanley, A Day to Remember, Drowning Pool and American Bang and has been a part of events such as the XFC9 Fights in Tampa and NASCAR’s Ford Championship Weekend in Miami. With David Easlick up front on vocals, Evan Foley handling bass and backup vocals, guitars from Jake Moore and Adam Aungst, and Randy Ayers on drums, the Florida natives first came together in January of 2009. Having already amassed years of collective collaboration amongst four of the five members in previous bands around Central Florida’s rock and metal scene they took it upon themselves to saturate the state with their unique brand of melodic modern rock; spending the early part of the year playing any and every venue in the Tampa Bay area and many more throughout the state. Throughout 2010 the band quickly raised their status within rock’s up-and-coming scene. The band began writing what would become the debut full-length album that will be their introduction to the greater rock public. After returning to work with Brett Hestla in the studio during the summer and fall of 2010 the band is greatly anticipating their fans old and new hearing what they created this time around. All On The Horizon is a major step forward. The first single, “Carousel,” released last fall and it’s “Dexter”-inspired video has been leaving fans bloodthirsty for more music ever since. For more information on NOT TONIGHT JOSEPHINE, visit www.myspace.com/nottonightrock and www.facebook.com/nottonightjosephine.

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MUSIC TRAX... Violinist and fiddler Joe Kessler has been playing Irish music, klezmer, jazz, rock, gypsy music, and bluegrass for decades. His light-fingered, exuberant approach to music has made him the kind of musician bandleaders love. OY YEAH! is his debut as a bandleader and the CD is a musical tour of the old Ottoman Empire — the Mediterranean and the Balkans — through the lens of the nine-piece KLEZWOODS band. From a mixed bag of influences comes this beautifully executed, relaxed, entertaining, and joyful album. www.myspace.com/klezwoods1 Guitarist Chuck Loeb makes his compelling debut with the quartet FOURPLAY on LET’S TOUCH THE SKY, the band’s new recording. Loeb completes the four-man crew that also includes the band’s founding members: keyboardist Bob James, bassist/vocalist Nathan East and drummer/ percussionist Harvey Mason. Let’s Touch The Sky also includes stirring performances by guest vocalists Anita Baker and Ruben Studdard. For two decades, Fourplay has enjoyed success by grafting elements of R& B, pop and a variety of other sounds to their jazz foundations. The new Fourplay lineup creates an opportunity to bring an even newer level of energy and inspiration into a band that is already known for taking chances and pushing the limits of contemporary jazz. www.headsup.com Bassist, producer, composer, and all-around musician MARCUS MILLER has been a creator and an interpreter, a master and a mentor in the art form of music - from his teen years to the present. He continues this legacy with A NIGHT IN MONTE-CARLO, a live audio document of an amazing concert he was commissioned to perform in Monaco - a performance of music of his choice, much of it from his pen, featuring his arrangements for symphony orchestra. It features Marcus leading both his quartet and the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, with special guests: trumpeter Roy Hargrove as well as singer, songwriter and guitarist Raul Midón. www.marcusmiller.com RAY ANDERSON and MARTY ERLICH QUARTET’s HEAR YOU SAY: LIVE IN WILLISAU showcases the band’s joyous and innovative music, with an unmistakable relation to New Orleans. Bebop phrases appear here, Klezmer melodies there, it’s funky at times and everything

is steeped in blues. Ray Anderson excels on trombone, and Marty Ehrlich plays sax, flute and clarinet with brilliance. The quartet is rounded out by Brad Jones on bass, and Matt Wilson on drums. www.challenge.nl/ On the heels of his successful Noir Blue, reedman KEN PEPLOWSKI brings us IN SEARCH OF..., a hauntingly beautiful CD featuring creative music from only two different recording sessions, the majority of the tunes making it on the first take. The two session tied together show the spontaneity of the talented players involved. Peplowski has collaborated in the past with noted — and varied — artists such as Leon Redbone, Peggy Lee, Madonna, Woody Allen and Mel Torme. www.caprirecords.com On BEFORE THE RAIN, tenor saxophonist-composer NOAH PREMINGER creates a sense of musical adventure and exploration, plus great lyricism, compositional depth, and group interplay. Working with pianist Frank Kimbrough, bassist John Hebert, and drummer Matt Wilson, Preminger opts for an album of mostly balladtempo performances that give everyone in the band the opportunity to delve into some highly nuanced solo and ensemble playing. www.noahpreminger.com NORDIC CONNECT has a new CD out, SPIRALS, which contains a new set of original music. Established trumpet soloist and composer, Ingrid Jensen along with her sister Christine Jensen, alto and soprano saxophonist, and pianist/composer Maggi Olin again join forces with drummer Jon Wikan and bassist Mattias Welin. Together they explore a wide spectrum of sounds that shares their love of Scandinavian melancholy and American jazz. www.ingridjensen.com AFFINITY TRIO is a new, creative jazz trio that offers a highly personal effort full of unexpected musical surprises. Their self-titled recording features the talents of saxophonist/clarinetist Don Aliqupo, bassist Jonathan Wires, and drummer

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Tom Giampietro. The CD is a collaboration of jazz veterans with special guest Jeff Coffin, and showcases the compositions, musical explorations and modern creative energies of these master jazz artists. www.donaliquo.com

COUNTRY The incomparable KENNY ROGERS has released his second album through the Cracker Barrel Old Country Store exclusive music program with THE LOVE OF GOD. Rogers’ long list of smash country and pop hits includes an impressive 24 #1’s. He is the voice of such timeless classics as “The Gambler,” “Lucille,” “Coward Of The County,” “Lady,” “Through The Years,” “She Believes in Me,” “Islands in the Stream,” and “We’ve Got Tonight.” Very few artists have enjoyed successful careers in such a variety of genres as Rogers – jazz, folk, rock, country and pop. The Love Of God is an inspirational collection of classic songs that Rogers remembers from his childhood along with new recordings of contemporary songs. cbmusic.crackerbarrel.com

ROCK FANTAZZMO I: ENTER THE FANTAZZ is a carnival ride of musical fun from the group led by guitarist/vocalist Sergio Bedolla. The band’s 70’sesque sound ranges in style from rock, pop and R&B to jazz, funk and hip-hop. FANTAZZMO courageously explores every angle of songwriting and instrumental ability. Bedolla embraces psychedelic rock and funk in a unique way, with lyrics about lust and love. Climb aboard this musical rollercoaster of fun. www.myspace.com/fantazzmo THE GREEN VIEW is an original rock and roll band full of old soul and new songs. Their EP, ASSIMILATION, is a revitalization of true American rock and roll music. Their lyrics are poetic and heartfelt; their music is powerful and dynamic. The songs not only make you move, but make you think. Whether they’re ballads on the plight of nursing home Kentuckians, cries of social change and spiritual awareness, or classic rock and roll anthems, this self-produced first album gives just a little taste of this band’s potential. It has both male and female lead singers and an eclectic mixture of songs crossing genres. www.reverbnation.com/thegreenview

LINWOOD is a Mississippi Delta based rock band with with guitarists Bo Lindsey and Scott Coopwood, and musical support from Barry Bays (bass), and Rick Shelton (drums). Their music is raw, honest, and powerful, and music trends are not important to them. “We write what’s in hearts and what we really feel, “ says Lindsey. “Our songs are timeless and we hope that if you listen to them now, a year from now, or ten years from now, that they will still be relevant”. Listen for yourself on their CD JUST SECONDS BEFORE. www.waxsawrecords.com

metal/punk New Jersey/New York’s ILL NIÑO‘s release, DEAD NEW WORLD, showcases their Latin roots which run bloody and deep. Their original and refreshing sound covers the gamut of musical influences, including melodic vocals, bilingual lyrics, flamenco guitars, tribal drums, Latin percussion, and salsa-infused bass lines, all while providing a pummeling dose of modern hard rock and metal. Ill Niño formed in late 1999 and became the epitome of Latin metal in 2001 with their monster debut album, Revolution, Revolucion. www.victoryrecords.com SADPLANT is a punk band from Connecticut with seven full length self-released CDs under their belt. Their music is influenced by bands such as Motorhead, The Ramones, and The Misfits. The trio creates blistering frenetic music, with firery and furious guitar work accompanied by unforgiving drums. The band consists of Benny Social on guitar, Amy Wappel on bass, and Gabe Fonseca on drums. Their album, THE END OF FUN is well paced, and definitely intense. www.ourstage.com/epk/sadplant

NEW AGE Irish musician JOSH JOHNSTON likes to play piano at night in the dark. Much of the material on his new solo piano album, THE SHAPE OF THINGS, was either recorded with the lights out, or experimented with earlier sans lighting. The album was recorded in one day on a Steinway continued on next page

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take the listener on a reflective and gentle voyage that culminates in a place of deep relaxation and contemplation. www.robertlinton.com

MUSIC TRAX... grand piano in the sanctuary of St. Peter’s Church of Ireland in the country town of Drogheda. Although the CD resembles a live recording, there was no audience except his recording engineer Brian Masterson. During the tenhour session, Johnston played each tune once or twice, and later there was no overdubbing, editing or combining of takes. As evening came on, he had the lights turned off for the last half of the session. Every melody on The Shape of Things was composed in advance, but during the recording session Johnston improvised on each tune. This solo piano will have appeal with the new age and neo-classical music fans. www.joshjohnston.com MIHO: JOURNEY TO THE MOUNTAIN was recorded in Japan’s Miho Museum (designed by I.M. Pei) by the PAUL WINTER CONSORT. Intertwining with taiko drums, bansuri flute, sarangi fiddle and Paul Winter’s clear sax are the birdcalls, waterfalls, and bells of the Miho. All serve to form a shifting, meditative image of paradise found and reflected in the glass and steel of a great architect, in the warp and clay of ancient artisans. Winter refers to his work as “Earth Music”, celebrating the cultures and creatures of the whole earth. wwwpaulwinter.com Take a journey into the healing sounds of GAIA with MICHAEL BRANT DEMARIA, Pd.D. This album is based on his 25 years of research into the world of sound healing. Ideal for massage, yoga, meditation or anytime the world has become too much and you need to flow again. The Gaia Hypothesis is earth as a living being, with all cultures interconnected and related. Gaia takes the listener on a sonic world tour into the soul of our planet. Native American flutes are used in non-traditional ways, and DeMaria’s mix of piano, keyboards, synthesizers, and world percussion fill out the musical experience. www.michaeldemaria.com If you’re searching for peace and tranquility, you can find it on ROBERT LINTON’s release, THROUGHOUT THE AUTUMN LIGHT. Playing finger-style nylon-string guitar, Robert is accompanied by guest artists Jeff Oster on Flugelhorn, Jeff Pearce on EBow Guitar, Stephen Katz on Cello, Tracy Silverman on Violin, and Jill Haley on English Horn. Robert’s lush guitar is still the forefront of the ensemble. Together they

WORLD JIENAT’s release, MIRA, was recorded on a Finnish island in an old parish hall, putting age-old sounds in a cutting-edge frame. Drawing on everything from Sámi (Laplander) joiking (a form of chantlike singing from an indigenous people in Scandinavia) and Finnish-style musical saw to Afro-Uruguayan rhythms and Argentine vendors’ cries, the band’s influences are obvious: West Africa, Sámi culture, Bahia. Norwegian multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer Andreas Fliflet is behind Jienat. Mira conveys Fliflet’s wry love for his Arctic home, for its crazy weather, white nights, rusty Russian trawlers, and herds of errant reindeer. Fliflet muses, “While the recording technique is cutting edge, there is really nothing essential in the music that could not have been done 5,000 years ago—or 5,000 years from now.” Mira includes an audio-only Blu-Ray disc as well as a standard CD/high-def SACD. www.jienat.com. Piano-based folk singer SARA BANLEIGH’s album THE FOLK presents Sara’s riveting arrangements of traditional folk tunes, offering a rare and fascinating take on this age-old music. The album offers her interpretation of 5 traditional English, Scottish, and Irish folk songs, each of them several hundred years old. With intricate piano orchestration, compelling vocals, and a handful of other acoustic instruments, the EP offers a fresh and spellbinding journey through this ancient genre of music. www.sarabanleigh.com The maiden voyage of the “Cubist” band—an octet of artists playing music that grew in JERRY LEAKE’s studio CD— took place at Ryles Jazz Club to a sold out house. With a line-up of great international and local talent the music and energy was at its highest level. Now in his 30th year of a successful career in percussion, he is living the dream of realizing his music in the hands of some of the greatest musicians and improvisers of our time on JERRY LEAKE & CUBIST LIVE, his new world/rock fusion CD. African sounds flow into American jazz seamlessly. www.rhombuspublishing.com

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Tasty Food and Drinks! Hard Rock Cafe Tampa Story and Photos by Melissa Wolcott Martino

Where Advanced Technology and Dining Meet

ou would think the great food at the new Hard Rock Cafe Tampa would be enough, but we are witnessing a whole new dimension in dining, with state-of-the-art digital entertainment at everyone’s fingertips — literally. Stepping into the restaurant located inside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel/ Casino, you are presented with music’s past from the 50’s up to today, via amazing multimedia technology. A huge digital wall has moving musical icons that you touch and data and photos about the item come up — over 1,500 are available for exploration. Tables have digital setups as well for presenting information and — very cool — you can punch in a selection to vote on the next music video to be played throughout the cafe. At the entrance and on the

walls of the restaurant are the articles of clothing, personal items, and instruments worn and used by your favorite rock personalities from the massive rock n’ roll memorabilia collection that the Hard Rock is famous for. There are 20 table-top slots at the main bar, and a Hard Rock Girl blackjack pit lest you get restless for a bit of gambling while dining. The stage at the Hard Rock Cafe hosts high-profile entertainment from the music and comedy world, and the best local bands play there Thursdays through Saturdays 10 p.m. until 1 a.m., followed by resident DJ, Chris Craze from 1 a.m. until 4 a.m., so you can look forward to nonstop entertainment, be it digital or live! However, as fun as the cafe is, it is still a restaurant, and the food is very tasty. There is an open display kitchen with a “burger butcher shop”. The varied menu boasts wonderful 10-ounce Certified Angus Beef Legendary Burgers, including the locally inspired 1880 Ybor City Burger. They use the Hickory wood chips to slowly cook ribs, chicken and pork. They also serve up their signature Fried Eggplant Stack: eggplant, fresh mozzarella cheese, marinated tomato, arugula salad, stacked and topped with

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balsamic drizzle. The drink menu includes the Tampa house specialty Hurricanes, classics with a twist, signature favorites, “Alternative Rock” (alcohol free) beverages and more. This is the first Hard Rock Cafe in the Tampa area, and as new ideas and technology come up, it will be a beta tester model for all 134 Hard Rock Cafes around the world. So check out this techno/ nostalgia marvel and enjoy some really good food.

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Dining Guide on the Web with

MenuVue and

VideoVue! AccentOnTampaBay.com

The Hard Rock Cafe is located at 5223 North Orient Road, Tampa, FL 33610, in the northwest corner of the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa’s casino complex. For more information, visit www.hardrockhotelcasinotampa.com.

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CHAMBORD New Taste Experience

hambord, the world-renowned black raspberry liqueur, introduces a groundbreaking new taste experience in Chambord Flavored Vodka. The exquisite taste of Chambord Flavored Vodka is the result of fine ingredients and a delicate process that forms a perfect balance of premium quality French vodka and extraordinary black raspberry flavor. Chambord Flavored Vodka delivers the floral aromatics of the hibiscus flower with notes of vanilla, white chocolate and the distinctive flavor of the original Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur, delivering a unique and satisfying taste experience when enjoyed straight or in a wide variety of cocktails. Here is a delightful vodka cocktail sure to impress your guests:

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1 1/2 oz CHAMBORD Flavored Vodka 1/2 oz Lemon Juice 1/2 oz Agave Syrup 5 Blueberries 3-4 Blackberries Muddle berries and add remaining ingredients. Shake and strain over crushed ice into a tall glass. Garnish with raspberries and a metal bar straw. For more cocktail recipes and information on Chambord, visit www.chambordonline.com

ver wanted to know the recipes behind the great dishes served on cruise ships? Now you can have access to them. Just go to the new website www.cruiserecipes.net The site has favorite recipes from cruise ships all over the world and from destinations where they go, plus news of upcoming wine cruises and culinary cruises, and cooking and wine videos. You can also book a culinary or wine cruise or charter a ship for a customized wine/ cooking cruise. Recipes have all been converted by the chefs to family-sized servings. The site is edited by best-selling author Shirley Linde, of St. Petersburg, Florida. Linde is also editor of information websites www.smallshipcruises.com and www.medicalinformationcenter.org and has written some 30 books. The recipes come from all sizes of ships all over the world from barges to oceanliners. The new site evolved from SmallShipCruises.com, says Linde. That site gets some million page visits per year, she said, and many visitors have wanted to know about cruiseline food.

Clearwater Beach Restaurant Week May 8 – 14

n Friday, May 6 from 5 to 8 p.m., the Clearwater Beach Restaurant Week Kick-Off Party will provide a sneak peek of Restaurant Week’s offerings, including samplings from Clearwater’s most sought-after restaurants. For only $10 per person, kick-off party attendees will enjoy wine tastings, live music and plenty of prizes, including a trip for two to San Diego Restaurant Week. The kick-off party as well as the official restaurant week, May 8 – 14, will take place on the recently completed, multi-million-dollar beach walk, adjacent to the Hyatt resort. In addition to sampling dishes from the best local restaurants, attendees will enjoy live musical performances, enter for the chance to win great prizes and vote for best appetizer, best entree, best dessert, best overall experience and most enthusiastic chef. Event proceeds will benefit the Clearwater Beach Chamber, and a portion of restaurant participant proceeds will be donated to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Throughout the week of festivities, Hyatt Regency SHOR American Grill diners will be able to enjoy a three-course, pre-fix menu of regionally inspired, fresh seafood and American cuisine. For more information on Clearwater Beach Restaurant Week, visit www.clearwaterbeachrestaurantweek.com.

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Photo courtesy of Nestle

Great Cruise Ship Recipes

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Chef Ernesto Zendejas

A True Taste Of Mexico Story and photos* by Melissa Wolcott Martino

a Hacienda de San Angel, located at the Mexico Pavilion at Epcot, is the newest addition to the wonderful international restaurants that can be found throughout Epcot. If you enjoy authentic Mexican cuisine, or, if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never actually tasted it (sorry, Taco Bell) you must visit this restaurant on your next trip to Epcot. -

Addictive appetizer, Chiles Toreados y Chorizitos

Entrance to the inviting Hacienda

The La Hacienda Parrillada

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he 250 seat restaurant is designed with the feel of an old world hacienda, replete with original and attractive Mexican artwork. It is located right on the World Showcase Lagoon, and with it’s floor-to-ceiling windows, it is the perfect spot for watching the “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” fireworks show. But that is just the icing. The food is the star of this show, created with the expertise of Chef Ernesto Zendejas. Actually, I should say food and drink, since you will find the most tantalizing Tequila concoctions to be found anywhere. Humberto was our “Tequilier” for the evening, and delighted us with some amazing tequila flights — each choice was a standout. And we especially enjoyed a very refreshing “Rosita” Margarita, which is made with El Mayor premium silver Tequila, orange liqueur, fresh lime juice, rose infusions, and served on the rocks with a hibiscus Himalayan salt rim. La Hacienda’s mixologist has a whole line of varied margaritas in store for patrons. The Chiles Toreados y Chorizitos — Roasted sweet peppers with lime and sea salt, served with mini pork sausages — is totally addictive and a must choice for an appetizer. Not only is the Hacienda’s food very tasty, it is also gorgeous. When the waiters brought out our platters, a collective “aaah” was heard around the table. I am not a fan of very hot spicy food, so I was a bit trepidatious in my approach, but was delighted to find everything was prepared with just the right amount of kick. I must suggest ordering a Parrillada (a mixed grill) for 2 people. The restaurant offers two choices, the “La Hacienda” and “Del Mar”. Both are excellent. The La Hacienda is a wonderful mix of flavors, with flank steak, chicken al pastor, chorizo and vegetables, and is served with beans and fresh salsas. Del Mar has mahi-mahi, shrimp (cooked perfectly), scallops (best ever!) and vegetables, also served with beans and fresh salsas. If you still have room, there are several delicious entrees to choose from as well. There are several delectable sounding desserts on the menu, but we chose the Empanada de Manzana, which is a puff pastry filled with sauteed caramel apples, served with dulce de leche ice cream and caramel sauce. Heavenly.

nder the same roof is La Cantina, which is a quick-service restaurant offering the chef’s interpretations of the traditional flavors of the Mexican taquerias and food vendors. La Cantina serves authentic chicken and beef tacos on fresh handmade corn tortillas, nachos, cheese empanadas, guacamole and chips, warm churros and Mexican popsicles. Olé!

Tequilier, Humberto mixes some interesting Tequila flights.

“Rosita” margarita

Guests can reserve seating through Disney’s main reservation line at 407-929-3463. www.disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/ For more photos on this story, please click on www.ampubs.smugmug.com/ACCENT-ON-TAMPA-BAY-MAGAZINE/ORLANDO-AREA www.AccentOnTampaBay.com

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Story by Melissa Wolcott and Al Martino Photos by Melissa unless otherwise noted Disneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s private island, Castaway Cay David Roark, photographer www.AccentOnTampaBay.com

The Dream atrium lobby

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a Wonderful Dream!

ave come a long way, baby. Every new one that rolls out brings ew to the table. Some try to be “one size fits all”. Some are ome are not. Some are tailored to appeal to a certain crowd or isney’s newest cruise ship, the 2,700 passenger Disney Dream crowd, but they have actually succeeded in creating a wonderful all ages — with or without children. med folks may have is that a Disney ship will be too “cartoony”. wrong. The Dream, which, like it’s sister ships, The Magic and rgeous throwback to the classic lines of the early 20th century with absolute state-of-the-art technology. Decor is a lovely eco with a little Art Nouveau thrown in, with quiet colors, and deliers in various public areas. are attractively decorated in a nautical theme, and the bedding able, but one of the most appealing innovations is the split One side has a sink and toilet, the other side has a sink and

children of all ages, Disney characters can be found all around be thrilled to encounter one of their favorite princesses; and encountering Goofy or Donald; but If you’re just not into seeing are plenty of places they don’t frequent. Instead of creating just an “adult” section, Disney has segmented the age groups to ular interests. Something you rarely - if ever - see, is a nursery months to 3 years that is available for parents to leave their f skilled caretakers while they enjoy a quiet dinner or movie—or hours. A youth area is themed to “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc.,” d more. A forgotten group on most cruise ships is the tween/ am they have their own clubs with hi-tech entertainment. restaurants are all quite elegant, and based on different classic ies. The food is some of the best we have ever had on a cruise e of Disney’s finest restaurants were consulted for the menus.

Dream Pool area with AquaDuck encircling the area.

Royal Palace Restaurant inspired by favorite Disney classics.

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Animator’s Palate Restaurant with Crush the turtle entertaining guests. Jimmy DeFlippo, photographer

Remy French Restaurant for fine dining

What a Wonderful One of the Broadway-style stage shows Gene Duncan, photographer

isney has gone out of its way to please adults w perhaps only for a few hours) and created exclus that are quite varied, so there is definitely somethi is a nighttime entertainment area with five uniq cocktail lounge; Skyline is an intimate “sky bar” with chan skylines; Evolution is a hip night club; District Lounge is a pub. Senses Spa & Salon has private and couples treatm quiet cove pool. Adult-only dining is featured at two spec Northern Italian cuisine, and the French-inspired Remy restaurants is truly fine dining, with an additional charge and There is an adult’s only section on Disney’s private isl set-up for families is terrific, with water play areas, water areas just for kids and teens, and tasty island cuisine serv The one thing lacking on Disney’s cruise ships that most oth is so much top-notch entertainment, Broadway-style show not missed on Disney ships. A lot of the stops the ship passengers can go to.

Adult District area Preston Mack, photographer

Oceanview stateroom with verandah Matt Stroshane, photographer

Interior stateroom with HD porthole Matt Stroshane, photographer

Palo’s rich decor

Palo’s Northern Italian cuisine.

Dream!

without children (albeit some sive spaces and experiences ing for everyone. The District que venues. Pink is a chic nging views of different city a piano lounge; and 687 is a ment rooms, spa villas and a cialty restaurants: Palo with y. Again, the food in these d reservations a must. land, Castaway Cay, but the r sports, animal interactions, ved by an enthusiastic staff. hers have is a casino. There ws and first run movies, It is ps make have land casinos

Teen club, Vibe Diana Zalucky, photographer

Oceaneer Club - Andy’s Room

Captain Jack Sparrow makes an appearance at nighttime entertainment at the pool.

Enchanted Garden Restaurant

Service with a smile at the Enchanted Garden Restaurant

What a Wonderful Dream!

he technology aboard ship is astonishing. Framed pictures on the wall come alive when you walk up to them. In the Animator’s Palate Restaurant, Crush, the turtle from “Finding Nemo” comes alive on screens throughout the restaurant and talks to the children. In the kids’ play areas are plenty of immersive gaming experiences. Perhaps the cleverest innovation of all is the “Magic porthole” in the inside cabins. Some travelers find inside cabins to be a bit claustrophobic, since you can’t tell if it’s day or night. Disney’s “Imagineers” have solved the problem by installing a porthole that is actually an HD TV which transmits real time video of what’s happening outside the ship, plus the added feature of an occasional Disney character floating by in a hot air balloon or little boat. Dream’s inside cabins are outselling outside ones, which is rarely the case on cruise ships. Another of the many “firsts” on board the ship is the AquaDuck water coaster. This is a high-speed flume ride with twists and turns that is 765 feet long and wraps around the pool area — very cool! Speaking of the pool, there are actually three of them, one for children, one for families, and one for adults only. There is also a sports deck with a miniature golf course, and different sports courts. We went on the two-night inaugural, and it just whetted our appetites for another “Dreamy” cruise. The Dream’s current itinerary consists of three, four, and five night Bahamian cruises leaving out of Cape Canaveral with stops at Nassau and Castaway Cay. Disney offers package deals which include the cruise plus nights at DisneyWorld. For more information, visit www.disneycruise.com.

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The Dream’s flume ride, AquaDuck Todd Anderson, photographer

The couples room in the Senses Spa & Salon

Castaway Cay, Disneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s private island

Castaway Cay with the beautiful Disney Dream docked in the background

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Shopping on Castaway Cay

What’s Happening in the World... 18TH ANNUAL EPCOT INTERNATIONAL FLOWER & GARDEN FESTIVAL thru May 15 Thirty million blooms, half a million plants, dozens of Disney character topiaries and 1,000 butterflies add up to a won- Peter Noone derful world of theme park color at the 18th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival at Walt Disney World Resort. Dozens of Disney character topiaries represent the largest collection of Disney character topiary in the world, while 1,000 native butterflies represent up to 10 species at the larger-than-ever Bambi Butterfly House. Hands-on gardening demonstrations and seminars are being presented, and the Flower Power concert series continues with Paul

Revere & The Raiders - April 29-30, May 1; Davy Jones - May 6-8; Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone - May 13-15. DISNEY’S FASTPASS TO BE AVAILABLE FOR MEET-ANDGREET - When meetand-greets with Mickey move into a permanent new location in Town Square later this spring, Magic Kingdom guests will be able obtain a Disney’s FASTPASS ticket specifying a onehour window when they can return to see the popular character for hugs, photos and autographs -- without waiting in the standby queue. It will mark the first time the complimentary, computerized service has been available for a character meet-and-greet at any Disney Park.

WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT recently debuted a new interactive show, “Disney Junior-Live on Stage” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Celebrating the premiere of Disney Channel’s new brand, Disney Junior, the show features characters from “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “Handy Manny” and “Little Einsteins.” The new production also introduces elements of “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” based on Disney Junior’s newest series. AN AFRICAN TREK … IN FLORIDA (beginning January 2011) – A ravine of menacing-looking crocs, pools of hippos, bushwalks along untracked terrain and other thrills await guests on Wild Africa Trek, a unique wildlife experience into the deepest, mostremote reaches of Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort. The three-hour, expert-led adventure will immerse small groups in an “upclose-and-personal” experience with African wildlife species that make their home in Pangani Forest as well as other areas of the park’s Harambe Wildlife Reserve. 407-939-8687. For more information call 407/8244321 or visit disneyworld.com.

Disney Cruise Line Unveils New Itineraries and Ports for 2012 Disney Cruise Line will set sail from three new ports in 2012 – New York, Seattle and Galveston, Texas – making the Disney family cruise vacation more accessible to guests around the country. Additionally, the cruise line will offer more choices than ever before with several new itineraries planned. Beginning May 25, 2012, the Disney Magic will sail a total of 20 cruises from New York – including eight-night cruises to the Bahamas and five-night cruises up the New England coast to Canada plus two-night cruises that will give a sampling of the Disney Cruise Line experience over a weekend. Beginning Sept. 22, 2012, the Disney Magic will sail 12 seven-night cruises from the Port of Galveston to the Western Caribbean. Ports of call include Grand Cayman and Mexico’s Costa Maya and Cozumel. Beginning May 28, 2012, the Disney Wonder will sail a total of 14 seven-night cruises from the Port of Seattle to Tracy Arm, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan, Alaska, as well as Victoria, British Columbia. The Disney Wonder is scheduled to continue sailing seven-night Mexican Riviera cruises from the Port of Los Angeles for the majority of the year – throughout winter, spring and fall. The Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream will continue to sail a variety of Caribbean and Bahamian itineraries departing from Port Canaveral. The Disney Fantasy will depart on her maiden voyage March 31, 2012, and will sail out of Port Canaveral on seven-night Caribbean itineraries – alternating eastern (St. Maarten and St. Thomas) and western (Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, Cozumel). Special Eastern Caribbean sailings in November and December 2012 stop at St. Thomas and San Juan, Puerto Rico. All Disney Fantasy itineraries include a stop at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. To learn more about Disney Cruise Line or to book a vacation, guests can visit disneycruise.com, call Disney Cruise Line at 888/DCL-2500 or contact their travel agent.

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MORSE MUSEUM of American Art New Expansion Recalls Grandeur of Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Personal Estate

he Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, home to the most comprehensive collection of Louis Comfort Tiffany materials in the world, has a new 12,000-square-foot wing. The addition provides for the first time long-term public access to the recently restored Daffodil Terrace from Tiffany’s celebrated Long Island home, Laurelton Hall and approximately 250 art and architectural objects from or related to the long-lost estate. Highlights include prize-winning leaded-glass windows and iconic Tiffany lamps, as well as art glass and custom furnishings. The new Laurelton Hall galleries provides 6,000 square feet of additional public exhibition space. Laurelton Hall, every room and architectural detail designed and controlled by Tiffany, was destroyed by fire in 1957. The 11 new galleries at the Morse showcase surviving components of Laurelton Hall’s dining room, living room and reception hall-also known as the Fountain Courtas well as other rooms, creating a uniquely immersive experience. “Laurelton Hall was Tiffany’s masterpiece, and it housed a self-curated collection of Tiffany Studios’ production,” said Curator and Collection Manager Jennifer Perry Thalheimer. “The objects he put in his home and the way he arranged them reflected his perpetual quest for beauty.” Photographs of interiors from the much-published estate aided the museum’s efforts to suggest the true experience of Laurelton Hall. The Daffodil Terrace, installed in a new glass-enclosed gallery, serves as a focal point for the new wing. The 18-by-32foot outdoor room exemplifies Tiffany’s unique and dramatic style. Supported by eight 11-foot marble columns topped with bouquets of glass daffodils, the terrace’s coffered ceiling is composed of hundreds of stenciled wood elements and molded tiles in three bays. The central bay features a skylight covered by six large panels of iridescent-glass tiles in a pear-tree motif. The terrace was pieced together from more than 600 distinct parts and fragments. The conservation team was able to reconstruct the terrace using old black-and-white photographs, historical descriptions and computer technology. Highlights from the dining-room installation include: a 13.5foot-high, mosaic-decorated marble mantelpiece that is one of Tiffany’s most forward-looking designs; a 25-foot-long Oriental rug; a domed leaded-glass chandelier 6.5 feet in diameter; and a suite of six leaded-glass wisteria transoms. From the art gallery Tiffany built on the estate, the Morse is showing the pair of intricately carved Indian teak doors and halfmoon-shaped glass mosaic that graced the entryway. The centerpiece of the mosaic is a peacock-feather-motif window in leaded glass. The Morse Museum is located at 445 North Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789; 407-645-5311; www.morsemuseum.org

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ORLANDO HAPPENINGS THE CHARLES HOSMER MORSE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART EASTER WEEKEND OPEN HOUSE April 22–24. Visitors can tour The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, which houses the largest collection of Tiffany glass in the world for free. 407-645-5311; www.morsemuseum.org 47TH ANNUAL RON JON SURF SHOP EASTER SURFING COMPETITION - April 22–24. Enjoy the sun, surf and sand along beautiful Cocoa Beach, just one hour east of Orlando, as you watch championship surfers from

Years of Tradition and Memories” showcases elements from White House residency, such as souvenirs, clothing, letters, menus, photographs and interviews with past employees. www.thehistorycenter.org; 4407-836-8500 WHITE HOUSE EGG ROLL IN HERITAGE SQUARE April 23.The Working White House: 200 Years of Tradition and Memories exhibition, the History Center invites families with children ages 12 and under for an egg roll in the park and an egg hunt in the museum, plus other fun activities for everyone including a visit from the Easter Bunny. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Included in general admission; up to 4 children free with paid adult admission. www.thehistorycenter.org; 4407-836-8500 9TH ANNUAL CHILDREN’S ART FESTIVAL - April 30 . Held at the Maitland Art Center from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., the event exposes kids and families to the visual and performing arts. Presented in a fun and relaxed atmosphere, activities include hands-on art, open studio demonstrations, interactive puppet theater, children’s art exhibits, scavenger hunts and face painting. www.maitlandartcenter.org 407-539-2181 CONCERT UNDER THE STARS - April 30. Bring your family and a picnic to Bok Tower Gardens and spend an enchanted moonlit evening on the Great Lawn while enjoying a performance by the Imperial Symphony Orchestra and the Singing Tower carillon. www.boktowergardens.org 863-676-1408

ages 12-80 from around the world compete in this annual surfing competition. An Easter egg hunt and food court, as well as surf clinics and demonstrations, are part of the fun. www.eastersurffest.com 321-799-8888 ALBIN POLASEK MUSEUM & SCULPTURE GARDENS 3RD ANNUAL “WINTER PARK PAINT OUT” - April 2330. The week-long event features 28 of Florida’s finest “plein air” artists painting throughout Winter Park, capturing local landscapes and landmarks. The museum will showcase completed works and offer painting demonstrations. www.winterparkpaintout.org; 407-647-6294

SEAWORLD ORLANDO WILL DEBUT “ONE OCEAN,” an all-new killer whale show, at the end of April. This show, replacing “Believe,” will feature simultaneous whale performances, including high-energy leaps and interactive stunts. Discovery Cove announced the addition of a new attraction, The Grand Reef, opening in June 2011. SeaVenture, an underwater walking tour, was also announced where guests in dive helmets will experience one-on-one interactions with unique animals as schools of fish and rays swim by. www.seaworld.com

85TH ANNUAL EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE - April 24. Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales offers Easter morning worshippers free admission from 6 a.m. – 8 a.m. to greet the dawn of this special day while listening to a 60-bell carillon Lake Wales Chorale. An Easter buffet will be served in the Blue Palmetto Café for an additional fee. Free. www.boktowergardens.org 863-676-1408 ORANGE COUNTY REGIONAL HISTORY CENTER: SPECIAL WHITE HOUSE EXHIBIT from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) through May 29. “The Working White House: 200

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U.S. ASTRONAUT HALL OF FAME ASTRONAUT INDUCTION - May 7. Guests can share in a historical American event as space heroes gather to honor their own during the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame’s 2011 Induction Ceremony at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Past inductees include Jim Lovell, John Glenn, Gene Cernan, John Young, Sally Ride and Norm Thagard. Admission: Included in regular admission. www.kennedyspacecenter.com 321-452-2121 Kennedy Space Center announced that it will transform NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex into a place where visitors can engage with the people and machines of space exploration. The marquee element of the renovation is a $100 million exhibit displaying one of three remaining flown space shuttle orbiters. The transformation is estimated to take 10 years and will include 10 interactive-themed areas, plus new and enhanced visitor amenities. www.kennedyspacecenter.com; 866-737-5235.

3RD ANNUAL PLAYGROUND ARTS & MUSIC FESTIVAL - May 1 . Held at Lake Eola from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., the event features live music, kids’ yoga sessions, creative performances, storytelling, art center, fire dancers, talent searches, karaoke, puppet shows and more. The festival brings out more than 12,000 locals each year. Admission: Free. www.playground-magazine.com 407-221-4932

ning and lunchtime www.orlandocabaret.com 407-297-8788

9TH ANNUAL CABARET - continuing thru May 15. Life is indeed a cabaret, at least for a few weeks during Mad Cow Theatre’s celebration of musical theatre. Cabaret artists and acts are featured in more than 40 eveperformances.

ALBIN POLASEK MUSEUM & SCULPTURE GARDENS PRESENTS “TWO GENERATIONS: Two Visions,” a father and son exhibition, May 17 – July 10. The exhibition will feature Arthur Jones’ wood scultures and Samuel Jones’ paintings as well as mixed media works. www.polasek.org; 407-647-6294

largest percentage of troops to fight, but also contributed commodities to soldiers and their families throughout the South. Learn how Florida overcame adversity to ship salt and beef and see an actual doll that helped smuggle medicine and supplies to the South during a Union blockade. View items from the sunken Maple Leaf steamship, photographs, weapons, and other rare artifacts. Hear music, listen to letters exchanged between a soldier and his wife during the war, and let children try on uniforms and other clothing. 407-836-8500; www.thehistorycenter.org. FUN SPOT ACTION PARK, located off International Drive, announced its plans for an expansion. The 13-year-old, 5acre park purchased an adjacent 10 acres to triple its size. The expanded park will include more tracks, rides and a smaller version of the SkyCoaster thrill ride located at the Kissimmee park location, Fun Spot USA. The Kissimmee location is also expanding its park with a new Soaring Eagle Ride, birthday/meeting room and its first rollercoaster, a Wild Mouse ride, opening in March. www.FunSpotAttractions.com; 407-363-3867.

20TH ANNUAL ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL FRINGE FESTIVAL - May 19 – 30. The Orlando International Fringe Festival is a 12-day celebration of theater, art and music. Fringe encompasses hundreds of shows, the Visual Fringe, outdoor concerts and “The Kids Fringe Tour.” Events are held at various venues in and around downtown Orlando. True to Fringe roots, all acts remain uncensored, exposing patrons to performances from mild to wild. www.orlandofringe.org 407-648-0077 FLORIDA IN THE CIVIL WAR thru June 12. History Center 10th Anniversary Exhibit. Florida in the Civil War acknowledges the state’s often overlooked, important role in the “War between the Sates.” The state not only sent the

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www.Arabian-Nights.com

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San Francisco has lots of Personality

by Barbara McGovern

ersonality Hotels is not just another hotel chain, they are a privately-owned group of boutique hotels in San Francisco. President & CEO, Yvonne lembi-Detert, started the hotels in 1982 with the idea of creating a unique collection of hotels in great locations. That she has succeeded in doing just that is testament to her vision and style. All the hotels are located in the iconic Union Square section of San Francisco, and each hotel has its own personality. was established in 1982 and has recently undergone a $5million dollar renovation. It was built in 1913 for the Pan Pacific Expo. The challenge with the renovations was to preserve the historic elements of the original and integrate them into the current S.F. look. This was done with great success by using color, sleek furniture, exposed brick and luxurious bedding. Couple this with its location in the center of Union Square and you have an outstanding hotel to make your visit to S.F. all that you expect. Visit

for more details.

The boutique industry’s hottest lady right now is the . This is the perfect hotel for the traveling executive who needs a quiet spot to conduct business in S.F. but still be in the thick of things. The property has four interest lounges which are open 24 hours a day and offer complementary use of a computer. They are a great place to check email, meet with friend or just chill. Each one is different, and each one was created by a different designer to further the innovative expression of the hotel. The Diva has a unique suite, “The Suite ESC”. There you will find everything you need to conduct your business in your home away from home. From a printer, copy and fax machines and a desk filled with office supplies to a microwave, coffee maker and a fridge stocked with bottle water and snacks, you will be good to go. The additional amenities in the guest rooms make it the perfect place to hang your hat. For the executives traveling with their families, the Hotel Diva has a wonderful suite, called the “Little Diva Suite. This is a great idea, as Mom and Dad have their space and the kids have their own space too. Games, dress up clothes, art supplies and special treats along with an i-pod and TV are there for the kids to use. They even have their own check-in desk. The kids may never want to leave! Check the web at and see all this hotel has to offer. is one of the jewels of Personality Hotels. The hotel, located in historic Union Square, has undergone a $2 million dollar restoration; its Moorish/Gothic style has been enhanced by the careful attention to detail evident in every nook and cranny. This is truly a work of art. Visit the Royal Suite that was inspired by the great homes and Europe. It features and elegant master bedroom, a formal dining room, a large living room, as well as two fireplaces, a whirlpool bath and a grand view of Union Square. Zebra rugs, crystal chandeliers, antique gold mirrors and sleek glass round out the look. If is a bit much for you try one of the other 92 guest rooms, all done with the same care and attention to detail as the Royal Suite. All guest rooms feature flat screen TVs, beautiful bathrooms with great big thick towels and fabulous beds with to-die-for bedding. With complementary tea and coffee, afternoon tea and sherry, you have the perfect spot to enjoy your visit to San Francisco. Add in hi-speed internet, complementary business and fitness centers, valet parking and what more can you ask for? How about a wonderful staff, a beautiful building, great rates and the cable car stop on the corner. Check . I can personally recommend any one of the Personality Hotels. They each have their own charm and personality (no pun intended). www.AccentOnTampaBay.com www.AccentOnTampaBay.com

photo courtesy of San Antonio CVB

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n 1836, after a 13-day siege at their Mission, and when all hope was gone, over 200 brave Texans and volunteers decided they’d rather die fighting to protect Texas than surrender to Santa Anna’s Mexican army of about 1,500. This, of course, was the tragic fate of the Alamo Mission in San Antonio. A month later, with the battle cry, “Remember the Alamo,” the Mexican army was defeated at the Battle of San Jacinto, winning independence for Texas. The Alamo’s pivotal battle in the Texas revolution spawned many books and movies glorifying the heroic efforts of Davy Crockett, James Bowie, William B. Travis and the struggle for freedom against all odds. One hundred and seventy five years later, the Alamo is still a revered shrine, and the #1 most visited place in Texas.

The Alamo may be crowded with visitors, but they seem to enter the shrine with a sense of reverence and respect for its extraordinary history. I felt it most deeply at night when few people were around. Built in 1724, the Alamo was miles from the next mission—and that’s about all the civilization there was at the time. Now, it is in the heart of town, as are a lot of San Antonio’s attractions, making them either walkable to each other, or easily accessed by a river taxi. And there certainly are a lot of very interesting and varied attractions to be seen in San Antonio.

The Alamo in the 1830s

Monument for the Alamo fallen.

Photos by Melissa Wolcott Martino unless otherwise credited

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photo courtesy of San Antonio CVB

San Fernando Cathedral, where Crockett, Travis and Bowie are interred www.AccentOnTampaBay.com

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exas’ second most visited place is also in San Antonio, and it is their magnificent River Walk. I had heard of River Walk, but had no idea what it was actually like. I certainly didn’t picture the beautiful 2-mile winding San Antonio River with a lot of vegetation and gorgeous old Montezuma Cypress trees growing along the edge with their canopies meeting over the middle of the river. Charming restaurants, musicians and fun bars make the river come alive at night. During the day visitors can peruse galleries, shops and restaurants for a wholly different experience. Walking is very enjoyable, but if you prefer, you can take a river taxi, provided by Rio San Antonio. With different ticket options you can get on and off at your leisure all day long, or you can opt for the narrated river tour which points out all the history and hot spots along the way. There is even a romantic evening dinner cruise available. We chose the 40-minute afternoon narrated tour, which was very informatively handled by our pilot Bob Pollard. We learned that River Walk was originally formed in 1924 as a flood control. It is only 3 1/2 feet deep, so if anyone imbibes too much at any of the lively bars and falls in, they most likely won’t drown! There are even some fish in the river, and we saw many ducks and birds along the way. We floated past some historical landmarks and structures such as: the 1860 Guenther House; the Hilton Palacio de Rio Hotel (which was built with pre-fab and furnished room modules for the 1968 San Antonio World’s Fair); La Villita (a 1700’s village which now houses shops and boutiques); and the 1883 Pearl Brewing Company which began life as a brewery and is now a 22-acre complex housing retail, restaurants, and the Culinary Institute of America (featuring Latin cuisine). Bob also pointed out Cafe Ole, which serves the largest margaritas on the river — a whopping 60 ounces! Every January as a regular maintenance, the walled part of the river is drained. During this “dry” spell, San Antonians make a party out of it with a 10-day Mud Festival. Rio San Antonio has a separate route that will take people to several different museums located along the river. The river will soon to be extended to become 13 miles long, and will provide visitors the ability to see even more of the city’s offerings.

River Walk sparkles at night.

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San Antonio San tonio San Antonio n Antonio San An R San Antonio San tonio San Antonio n Antonio San A io San Antonio S Antonio San Ant San Antonio San The Spanish Governor’s Palace

iver Walk is below street level, and there are a lot of step-up (and elevator) points that take you up to the street to do more sightseeing and shopping. We tend to zero in on the historical places of interest, so we walked to the 1722 Spanish Governor’s Palace on Military Plaza. Originally the home of the Captain of the Presidio, the property expanded through the years with additions and had a variety of uses. It was a home until the late 1860s, when it when through a gamut of businesses — pawn shop, produce store, saloon, even a tire shop. In 1915, preservationists began the effort to purchase and restore it for future generations to get an interpretation of the occupant’s home life during the building’s 260 years. Nearby is the fascinating 129-year-old Buckhorn Saloon/Texas Ranger Museum with the history of the wild west in all it’s glory and infamy. The saloon is reputedly where Teddy Roosevelt recruited Rough Riders, and Pancho Villa planned the Mexican Revolution. Many of the original furnishings can still be found there, including the bar which was hand-crafted of marble and cherry wood. They serve lunch and locally brewed beers. The Buckhorn museum is a taxidermists dream, with over 520 species of wildlife from all over the world (plus some oddities). We found the Texas Rangers exhibit to be the most interesting, with artifacts including revolvers, automatic handguns, sawed off shotguns, photos and much more memorabilia. One room houses the Bonnie & Clyde exhibit with photos, artifacts, and their bullet-riddled ‘34 Ford. There is even an indoor walk-through western town with a saloon, jail, blacksmith shop and telegraph office. While Teddy was apparently recruiting Rough Riders at the Buckhorn, he was staying at the Menger Hotel, which is still in operation today. Built in 1859 (only 23 years after the fall of the Alamo), it is the oldest hotel in the state, and a stone’s throw from the Alamo. It has never closed, and has never been anything but a fine hotel. In addition to Teddy, the hotel guest book boasts such luminaries as Babe Ruth, Mae West, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and Sarah Bernhardt, to name a few. Hmmm, the Menger also claims that Teddy recruited Rough Riders in their bar. Apparently he was either heavily into drinking or recruiting.

The Buckhorn Saloon

Bonnie and Clyde’s car in the Texas Ranger Museum

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n Antonio San An San Antonio Sa ntonio San Antnio W n Antonio San An San Antonio Sa Antonio San Anton San Antonio San tonio San Antonio n Antonio San An The Alamo Trolley

alking and the river taxi are ways to sightsee, bbbbut there is also the Alamo Trolley (located right next to—you guessed it—The Alamo.) Hop on hop off all day for one price, and get the 2nd day free. The trolley stops at: Hemisphere Park, site of the 1968 World’s Fair; The Institute of Texan Cultures, with 27 ethnic groups that settled in the state; Mission San Jose, a 1720 completely restored mission—one of the finest in the USA; The 1716 Mission Concepcion (unrestored); Market Square, where you will find arts, crafts, food, and a Latino museum; The 1731 beautiful San Fernando Cathedral, one of the oldest Catholic churches in the southwest, and where the three Alamo heroes—Crockett, Travis and Bowie—are interred; The Spanish Governor’s Palace; La Villita; River Walk; The IMAX RiverCenter Theatre where you can see current movies plus relive the Battle of the Alamo on a six-story screen; and finally the Alamo Visitor Center where the tour begins and ends. A relatively new icon for San Antonio is the large red sculpture downtown entitled “Torch Of Friendship”, a gift from Mexico bestowed eight years ago.

“Torch Of Freedom”

Mission San Jose

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A San Antonio San tonio San Antonio n Antonio San An San Antonio San tonio San Antonio n Antonio San A io San Antonio S Antonio San Ant San Antonio San fter full days of walking and sightseeing it is so comforting to return to a hotel that feels like home, and we certainly lucked out with our choice of the luxurious 5-year-old Hotel Contessa. It is perfectly situated on River Walk, right in front of “Marriage Island” (named for the majestic Montezuma Cypress’ tree roots that form the tiny island’s heart shape). About one hundred marriages are performed there yearly. When you turn left out of the hotel’s back (River Walk) door, you enjoy the bustle of the restaurants and shops. When you turn right, you walk along the quiet side of the river — best of both worlds. Inside, an open atrium leads you up 12 stories in this 265-suite hotel with a modern Mediterranean theme. Guest suites are warmly decorated to reflect the San Antonio of today, and the bedding is extremely comfortable. Our sunny bedroom overlooked the river and the cypress trees. The living room area was well appointed with a sofa and several chairs. Thirty-seven inch flat LCD TVs were located in the living room and the bedroom. Wireless internet access and a very attractive desk set-up in the bedroom made getting some computer work done much more pleasant. A spa, outdoor heated pool, and fitness center are located on the top of the hotel, with panoramic views of the city. The Hotel Contessa also happens to have one of the best restaurants on River Walk with Las Ramblas, helmed by popular Executive Chef Brian West, who actually used to be a stand-up comic! I don’t know about his humor, be there’s nothing funny about his cooking. He specializes in tasty Spanish/Mediterranean cuisine and tapas. In Las Ramblas, you can dine inside or out right on the river for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The hotel’s open airy lobby also houses the Cork Bar, with specialty mojitos, martinis, and margaritas. For all you pet lovers who hate to leave your best friend at home, the Hotel Contessa is pet friendly! For an extra daily fee, you can bring Fido or Fifi along.

Hotel Contessa Lobby

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River Center

Festivals in San Antonio.

In our travels we find some destinations only really require a onetime visit. San Antonio is not one of them. We feel we only scratched the surface on our 3-night visit, and look forward to another soon. What other bars did Teddy Roosevelt frequent??

If You Go ...

photo courtesy of Hotel Contessa.

an Antonio has a lot of fun festivals going on all year long, but since this is the 175th anniversary year of the Alamo, they are doing it up big. Fiesta San Antonio is an 11-day celebration taking place April 7-17, which includes carnivals, sports, fireworks, entertainment, ethnic food, art exhibits and parades along River Walk and the streets. Another event takes place every first Saturday of the month with living history demonstrations from 10 a.m. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4 p.m., including period cooking, cornhusk doll-making and weapon displays. Visit the San Antonio CVB website for all the events taking place throughout the year.

Chef Brian West and Las Ramblas Restaurant

San Antonio CVB - www.visitsanantonio.com The Alamo - www.thealamo.org Alamo Trolley - www.thealamotrolley.com The Buckhorn Saloon/Texas Ranger Museum - www.buckhornmuseum.com Hotel Contessa www.thehotelcontessa.com Hotel Menger - www.mengerhotel.com/ IMAX RiverCenter Theater www.imax-sa.com La Villita - www.lavillita.com Rio San Antonio www.riosanantonio.com River Walk www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com San Fernando Cathedral www.sfcathedral.org Spanish Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Palace www.sanantonio.gov

For a lot more of our photos of San Antonio, please visit ampubs.smugmug.com/ACCENT-ON-TAMPA-BAY-MAGAZINE and follow categories to San Antonio

photo courtesy of San Antonio CVB

n Antonio San An San Antonio Sa ntonio San Antnio S n Antonio San An San Antonio Sa Antonio San Anton San Antonio San tonio San Antonio n Antonio San An

ART LINES Frank Big Bear, Jr., a pastel by Viola Frey from her Fighting Men Series, and Jose Bedia’s richly symbolic mixed media on paper add some darker reflections on the human spirit. Some of the most captivating works use photography as a point of departure: Vietnamese artist Dinh Q. Le mounts color prints onto strips of linen that he then weaves into contrasting images of war and domesticity. Vik Muniz creates a “painting” with chocolate syrup and photographs the result. Many of the artists use mixed media to suggest the complexity of modern life.. The Museum of Fine Arts is located at 255 Beach Dr. N.E., St. Petersburg. Call 727-896-2667, for more information. www.fine-arts.org

THE HUMAN TOUCH: Contemporary Art from the RBC Wealth Management Collection thru Sept. 4 This exhibit features forty-six large-scale paintings, prints, works on paper, and photographs that give insight into the human psyche, while helping us to understand the human condition. The exhibition includes sculptures by the South African artist Claudette Schreuders, Spanish artist Susy Gomez, and John Ahearn from New York City, as well as prints by such famous artists as Jim Dine, Elizabeth Peyton, Roy Lichtenstein, John Baldessari, and Chuck Close. A colorful drawing by Native American

ODYSSEY’S SHIPWRECK! Exhibit Features Artist Don Maitz Odyssey Marine Exploration features the work of world-renown artist and illustrator Don Maitz in the company’s multi-media travelling exhibit SHIPWRECK! Pirates & Treasure currently on display in Sarasota, FL at G.WIZ – The Science Center. SHIPWRECK! features 10 pirate-themed oil painting reproductions by Maitz, who is based in Sarasota, FL. Widely known as the creator of the Captain Morgan Spiced Rum pirate, Maitz’s work and SHIPWRECK! will be on display for a limited time at G.WIZ. Maitz’s work is highlighted in SHIPWRECK!’s “World of Pirates” where visitors are immersed in pirate lore, legend and facts. Pirates of the Caribbean are joined by Barbary Pirate Corsairs, Privateers, and Buccaneers in this interactive gallery complemented by Maitz’s paintings that vividly bring to life the thrilling exploits of pirates in their quest to plunder treasure and rule the world’s oceans. Maitz’s art has been reproduced internationally and featured in National Geographic Magazine, the History Channel, and Dateline NBC. His art has also adorned the covers of books written by Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, and Issac Asimov. For more information about the artist, visit www.paravia.com/DonMaitz. For information about Odyssey’s SHIPWRECK! Pirates & Treasure exhibit, www.shipwreck.net/index.php

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egas: Form, Movement, and the Antique includes 47 works by the French Impressionist master Edgar Degas (1834-1917) currently on view at the Tampa Museum of Art. The museum complements the exhibition of works by Degas with selections from its collections of antiquities and historical photographs. Together, the works in the exhibition examine how Degas drew inspiration from the contemporary and ancient worlds. The museum welcomed loans from over 30 different lenders. A key work in the exhibition is Edgar Degas’s Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen, cast in bronze by Albino Palazzolo at the Hébrard Foundry and on loan from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. This exhibition is the first time in the history of the region that a museum has hosted an exhibition dedicated solely to the work of this important figure in the history of Impressionism and modernism. Degas: Form, Movement and the Antique brings together sculptures with a selection of paintings and drawings to explore his interest in form and movement. Edgar Degas (1834-1917) himself spoke on more than one occasion of the connection between his dancers and “the movement and balance of rhythmic dance” found in the art of ancient Greece; often his bathers also demonstrate the influence of antique statuary with which he was familiar from the collections of the Louvre. In Degas: Form, Movement and the Antique, a selection of Greek and Roman works and late 19th century photographs of antiquities from the Tampa Museum of Art’s outstanding collection complements the display of works by Degas. The Tampa Museum of Art is located at 120 Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa (813)274-8130. www.tampamuseum.org www.AccentOnTampaBay.com www.AccentOnTampaBay.com

n a daily basis, my staff answers numerous emails and phone calls asking, Can you provide me with a list of values for antiques? And, I hear the same thing at more than one hundred public appraisal events nationwide every year, too. So I thought I would start this column off with a list from some of my research on the market values of art and antiques. When I researched various items from various sources, I came up with the following list:

Blue White canister set worth $800.

Royal Doulton Top o’ the Hill figurine - ($150) Keith Haring lithograph - ($1) Partridge Family lunchbox - ($50) Jiminy Cricket animation cel - ($25) Tiger Maple dresser - ($150) Blue white ceramic canister set - ($199) At this point, many of you have put down this column to go searching through your attics for similar objects because now you know the values. Other readers want a price guide so they went to the local bookstore to purchase a published price guide book. These people often tell me saying that they just spent $39.99 on a price guide and their piece isn’t in the book. Don’t complain to me. Others say they can’t afford an appraisal. For usually around $10 you can bring that item to one of my antique appraisal events across the country I’ll appraise it for you AND I will provide you with much more information than you will get out of those price guides. Can you afford $10 to get accurate information and the truth? Plus, I’ll make you laugh because people do that at my events, too. I know that those boring price guide books don’t make you laugh! Now, ask yourself what the list above really tells you about the market for antiques. It doesn’t tell you much. Research is more than just finding information, it is also being able to verify, analyze, and use that information. The list above is prepared from various sources where people are selling items too cheaply. Now for the good part The list below shows you the asking price that I found in an online auction or classified ad web-

site or other source in parentheses and then there is a second number next to the first one. The second number is the appraised value based on an actual sales record of each piece. The list below shows you that many people are selling valuable items for a price well below market value. This means if you used the asking price to evaluate how much your antique is worth, you’d be losing your shirt even after you have done research. For example, item number 1 on the price list is a Royal Doulton Top O’ the Hill figurine is priced at $150, but most of them sell for $750. Look at the other items for comparison. Royal Doulton Top o’ the Hill figurine - ($150) $750 Keith Haring lithograph - ($1) $1,500-$2,000 Partridge Family lunchbox - ($50) $200 Jiminy Cricket animation cel - ($25) $5,000 Tiger Maple dresser - ($150) $1,250 Blue white ceramic canister set - ($199) $800 Do you see how much money people are losing? Also, I found somebody online giving away a vintage stove for FREE which was valued at $1,500. Would you give away something worth $1,500 for FREE. Some of these items are pieces that were donated to Goodwill and now Goodwill is selling them online. Of course, you thrift shop shoppers are not surprised by that bit of information. Appraisal research is much more than finding a list with numbers next to each item. You must be able to correctly identify your piece. Then, you must be able to analyze the research and understand how the numbers actually reflect the market. If you self-evaluate your pieces based only on

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prices or faulty research information, you may lose a bundle of money. Celebrity Ph.D. antiques appraiser, author, and award-winning TV personality, Dr. Lori presents antique appraisal events nationwide and antiques themed cruises. As seen

on NBC’s The Tonight Show and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, watch Dr. Lori on the national TV morning show, Daytime on WFLA 8. Visit http://www.DrLoriV.com, http://www.Facebook.com/DoctorLori, or call (888) 4311010.

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by Barbara McGovern

Photos courtesy of Gettysburg CVB he start of the five year commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, will begin in April. Fifty thousand people either died or were wounded in only three days on a Pennsylvania field in the most famous battle of the Civil War. It is almost impossible to believe that so much heartache happened in this bucolic area filled with gentle hills and scenic farms. If only the fields and trees could talk. As you stroll the pathways and view the many memorials, it feels like you are in a church â&#x20AC;&#x201D; you want to whisper and shush the children. This was the only major battle on Union soil. Even though many other battles left desolation across the country, so many died here that President Lincoln came to Gettysburg to remember the slain. The speech that he gave was only two minutes long, but is one of the most remembered speeches in history. Anyone with an interest in history should plan to be here for the anniversary. Gettysburg is located only 2 hours from Washington and Philadelphia and about 4 hours from N.Y. There will be so much to experience in the area that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safe to say that at least a week would be

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needed to see everything. I’m not sure that’s even enough time. The first thing I would do is to visit the Museum and Visitor Center at Gettysburg National Military Park, where you get to see the world’s largest Civil War collection. The Cyclorama has recently been restored and enhanced. The painting will surround you with the fury of the war. The “voices theater” will let you hear the words of those who were at Gettysburg. You get a unique perceptive on one of the most important events in our Nation’s history. Gettysburg is a great area for a family visit, as there is something here for everyone and everything is real. The town is very pretty, with fascinating things to see and do. Have you ever met President

The entire area is full of charming little towns and villages with historic buildings, churches and old time taverns, covered bridges and antique shops. There are beautiful hotels and quaint bed and breakfast all around the area. When it’s time to eat — trust me; you will very be well fed, with everything from historic taverns from the 1700’s that serve gourmet meals to casual fast food places that are perfect for a quick bite. All and all, this is perfect place to vacation. From skiing to savoring history, you can do it all in Gettysburg anytime of the year. The 150th Anniversary is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our nation’s past. For more information contact www.gettysburg.travel or call 717-334-6272, or toll free 1-800-337- 5015.

Lincoln? Go over to the David Wills House and have a picture taken with him. Have you ever seen a real ghost? Be very careful, this town is loaded with ghosts. At the Farnsworth House, go down into the cellar (if you dare) and you will be in the spirit world. Are you still feeling brave? Then go up to the attic. You never know you’ll meet up there. There may be long dead (or are they dead?) Confederate sharpshooters roaming about. Next plan to visit the Eisenhower National Historic site, the home of President and Mrs. Eisenhower. Enough history for now? How about a game or two of golf? Some shopping in one of the historic buildings or at an Outlet Mall? There are farmers markets and a unique lavender farm that has a lavender festival in June.

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GAMING SCENE LAS VEGAS BELLAGIO GALLERY PRESENTS ‘A SENSE OF PLACE: LANDSCAPES FROM MONET TO HOCKNEY’ thru Jan, 2012. Through a juxtaposition of images, “A Sense of Place” will present more than 30 artworks ranging from paintings, photographs and a video installation that contrast and compare both approach and expressionism in art. The exhibit will showcase landscapes by artists including Claude Monet, Marc Chagall, Helen Frankenthaler, David Hockney, Sylvia Plimack Mangold, Robert Rauschenberg, Christo, Vik Muniz and many others. From Monet’s impressionistic haystacks painted in 1885 to Muniz’s carefully rendered pigment prints created in 2006, precise representational paintings will be placed alongside austere abstract works in order to reveal how landscape has been portrayed by artists throughout history. www.bellagio.com/bgfa.

Ryan Ahern

create a one-night-only menu, but also to educate Las Vegans on all that is available while feasting on an organic dinner. Like all Project Dinner Table events, a percentage of the proceeds go to charity. To date, Project Dinner Table has raised more than $20,000 for nine local charities. www.projectdinnertable.com RAVELLA HOTEL & RESORT NOW OPEN - Dolce Hotels & Resorts new property is located on the site of the former Ritz-Carlton at Lake Las Vegas. Guests of the former Ritz also will enjoy a much more contemporary experience, including a redesigned lobby envisioned to be a highenergy, social gathering spot at Ravella. New dining and spa concepts complement offerings at The Village Lake Las Vegas, for which Ravella guests will have privileged access. www.ravellavegas.com

FIFTH ANNUAL VEGAS UNCORK’D BY BON APPÉTIT May 5-8. The four-day extravaganza held each Mother’s Day weekend draws the world’s culinary superstars while celebrating Las Vegas as a global culinary destination with truly international appeal. The roster of events includes returning favorites such as Masters’ Series Dinners by Bradley Ogden and Guy Savoy and the Garden of the Gods Grand Tasting at Caesars Palace; Better by the Bay featuring Chefs Alain Ducasse, Charlie Palmer and Rick Moonen at Mandalay Bay Beach; Wine Immersion at Bellagio; and the Celebrity Chef Blackjack Tournament at Wynn | Encore. Several new events have also been added this year. www.vegasuncorked.com.

THE STRATOSPHERE CASINO, HOTEL & TOWER $20 MILLION RE-IMAGINING of the iconic Las Vegas property. At the centerpiece of the renovations is the remodeling of 909 guestrooms, located on floors featuring upgraded elevator lobbies. Each room has a flat screen TV, and an elegantly updated bathroom with granite countertops, new tile and tub. New VIP lounge, hotel lobby, and the newly carpeted casino floor. www.stratospherehotel.com

PROJECT DINNER TABLE - May 14, June 25, Sept. 10, Oct. 15 and Nov. 13. Every dinner is hosted in a unique location. The signature long, white table is the centerpiece of every dinner seating approximately 130 people. Local chefs work with local growers and purveyors to not only

DEFENDING THE CAVEMAN AT HARRAH’S - The Broadway smash hit about the differences between the sexes, has announced its new home at The Improv at Harrah’s. Comedian Kevin Burke stars. www.harrahslasvegas.com

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PIANO! LAS VEGAS AT MIRCALE MILE, PLANET HOLLYWOOD - International recording artist and World Champion Pianist Ryan Ahern brings his high-energy show to Planet Hollywood. Ahern, with his mesmerizing hand speed and unique song arrangements, captivates audi-

Ryan Ahern

ences through his exciting and diverse piano stylings that feature every genre from rock to Broadway. www.miraclemileshopslv.com COMEDIENNE RITA RUDNER AT THE VENETIAN - Rita has been entertaining audiences for almost a decade with her trademark clever observations, sharp timing and softspoken humor. www.venetian.com

BILOXI What’s Happening at the Beau Rivage Located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the is a beautiful resort destination — very convenient for Tampa Bay area folks looking for either an exciting time, or a relaxing time, or both - the Beau has it all. With a partnership with Vision Airlines, the resort has an exclusive package that includes a round trip non-stop jet flight, ground transfers, and two nights in a luxurious guestroom — starting at only $199 per person (double occupancy). The flight takes only an hour and fifteen minutes and leaves from the St. P e t e r s b u r g Clearwater Airport. Right now the flights are once a day, and leave (and return) on Mondays, Thursdays, Fallen Oak and Saturdays. Golfers will definitely want to experience Fallen Oak, Beau Rivage’s Tom Fazio-designed golf course, with it’s dramatic elevation changes (unique for a Gulf Coast course) and beautiful

Rita Rudner

magnolia trees, ponds, streams and wetlands. GOLF Magazine rated it one of the “Top 100 Courses You Can Play.” A visit to the Beau’s spa and salon will show Epicurean treatments unique to the Gulf Coast, and a perfect place for a Girlfriend Getaway with their special “Pamper Parties.” The dining opportunities at the Beau are wonderfully varied - from the simple Snacks Deli to the exceptional BR Prime (the Beau’s signature steak and seafood restaurant), and every thing in between. Guests have eleven restaurants to choose from, as well as several bars. For entertainment, guests can look forward to seeing the likes of

and in the next few months. Call 888-566-7469, or visit www.beaurivage.com for act dates and times. Reservations for the air-inclusive travel packages may be made by calling 877-462-2328. Visit www.beaurivage.com for more information on the resort.

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Tarpon Springs Events GREEK COOKING CLASSES - April 30; May 7, 14, 21 Several excellent community cooks will offer classes in the delicious regional cuisine of the Dodecanese Islands-the area from which most of Tarpon Springsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Greek residents came. Saturdays, 12-2pm April 30: Maria Pantelis-Cooking with Filo: bakalava & pites (kolokithopita, tiropita). May 7: Katerina Zaronias & Nikki Sisois-Stuffed grape leaves (fila) and cabbage. May 14: Maria Pantelis-Dishes for Religious Occasions: Prosforo & Kolliva. Representing the body of Christ, prosforo is offered to the altar for Holy Communion. Kolliva is a memorial dish for the souls of the deceased. May 21: Nick Koulianos-Keftedes (Greek meatballs) & pickled octopus. Register in advance at www.tarponarts.org for cooking classes. Or call 727-942-5605. Space is limited. Safford House, 23 Parkin Court, Tarpon Springs. 727- 937-1130. $10 supplies fee per class. NIGHT IN THE ISLANDS - May 7 On Saturday, May 7, from 6:00 to 11:00 pm, the City of Tarpon Springs

Ellada

will present Night in the Islands, a free event on the Sponge Docks. Enjoy Greek music, dancing, and dining!

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The event features live music by Ellada, an exciting Greek band composed of three of the most accomplished Greek musicians in the state. Ellada will perform nisiotika, the lively traditional music of the Greek islands, as well as old and new Greek favorites. Ellada includes George Soffos, bouzouki; Dino Theofilos, keyboard; and Elias Poulos, vocals. Prior to the main event, there will be live Greek music by the Bouzouki Boys between 4 and 6 pm on Dodecanese Blvd. at Riverwalk, west of Hope Street. Night in the Islands also will be offered Saturdays, June 4, July 9, August 6, September 10, October 1, and November 5, 2011. The festival is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Dodecanese Blvd between Hope and Athens St., Tarpon Springs. Tarpon Springs Cultural Center, 101 South Pinellas Avenue, Tarpon Springs FL 34689. For more information, 727-942-5605, www.tarponarts.org

Visit Historic Tarpon Springs

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Auto. Home. Business amd Life 24 Hour Service

Peter G. Gillis Agency, Inc Owner

JDAVID.PHOTOREFLECT.COM

Allstate Insurance Company 536 Tarpon Ave. Ste. 1B Tarpon Springs. FL 34689 Phone 727-942-7400 Toll Free 888-942-7400 Email petergillis@allstate.com

Great Food

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Family Fun

Lookin’ Good . . . Ladies... Hate Pumping Gas?

f you were driving in the 1960s, you may nostalgically remember when you could pull up to a gas station and someone would come out and fill your tank, check your oil, wash off your windshield, all while you sat prettily in the driver’s seat. That all went away in the 80s (except for those lucky gals who live in NJ), and now we are left to schlep it ourselves, all while getting nasty gas, grease, grime and germs on our hands — especially annoying when you’re all dressed up. Pump Gloves to the rescue! There is a new line of stylish and protective gloves to keep a woman’s hands safe from the “Gunk at the Gas Pump.” With less mess at the pump we can feel confident and clean on our way to work, school, or to pick up the kids. Keep them handily (no pun intended) in the glove compartment. Each pair comes with a vinyl carrying case for storing when not in use. They are made from nylon spandex for a formed fit, and are completely machine washable. One size fits all, and as an added perk, they can also be used exclusively as driving gloves which offer UV protection from the sun’s harsh rays. For more information, visit www.pumpgloves.com

Bubalina Body Sugar Scrub

ubalina Beauty has created wonderfully scented organic body sugar scrubs, butters, shower gels, lotions and massage oils all wrapped in fun creative packaging. There are 20 delicious scents to choose from, such as Cocoa Lime Verbean, Cool Cucumber Melon, Cranberry Brown Sugar, and Chocolat to name a few. For example, the Grapefruit Body Sugar Scrub contains ingredients such as Organic Sugar, Sweet Pink Grapefruit Essential Oil and Sea Kelp Extract (which is known to be a wonderful detoxifier to help reduce cellulite.) Bubalina’s almost edible Body Sugar Scrub with natural extracts, exfoliates gently and leaves skin exceptionally clean. Top it off with Bubalina’s Grapefruit Bath and Shower Gel for the complete “aaah” experience. All of the Bubalina products are gluten free, made without parabens, and contain certified organic ingredients. You will find Bubalina products in a lot of high-end salons. For more information, visit www.bubalinabeauty.com

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LUSH Says LOVE!

alentine’s Day may have come and gone, but LUSH products say love all year long! Here are a few products to put you in a lovely mood. Throw cute Frog Prince Bath Bomb in the tub and a Prince Charming sticker emerges. Bathe in a luscious blend of jasmine, sandalwood, rose and neroli. The Ex Factor Bath Bomb dissolves in the warm tub water in a swirl of ylang ylang and vanilla to reveal a small pink candy heart. The mix of essential oils will leave you feeling happy and relaxed. It’s Raining Men Shower Gel is a honey and tropical flower blend that will leave your skin soft and scented like creme brulee. Lush’s products are wrapped by hand with recyclable and reusable paper and biodegradable fill for the holidays and always. For more information, visit www.lushusa.com

Brilliant New Fragrances from Coty

oty Inc and Celine Dion unveiled a new fragrance, Pure Brilliance around the holidays. Pure Brilliance is targeted to the woman with an unparalleled passion for life. The fragrance marks an exciting new entry for the singer and Coty, Inc whose past collaborations have produced many of the top selling scents across the globe totaling over $850M in retail sales. “Celine Dion is a best selling and award-winning international music icon with a voice and spirit that touch women in a profound way,” says Steve Mormoris, Coty Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at Coty Beauty. “She is brilliance incarnate which is why we created this scent.” Pure Brilliance is an exhilarating fruity floral that opens with a sparkling combination of pear, apple, green leaves and freesia. The scent’s heart captures the artist’s feminine charm with notes of honeysuckle, muguet and daylily while the base notes play to her elegance and sophistication. From start to finish, Pure Brilliance’s every note reflects a part of the singer’s talents and personality: Bright, effervescent, sensual and alive. www.celinedionbeauty.com

Now, for the man in your life it’s Coty’s Pure Nautica. This heroic yet relaxed, classic yet modern fragrance offers a woodsy, aquatic scent. Top notes of brisk Sea Spray Accord and sparkling Mandarin and Bergamot capture the energy of setting sail. Dewy Lotus Flower and intriguing Saffron envelop the heart of Ambergris, with unmistakable sensual warmth. Anchoring the fragrance are layers of clean sunbleached Driftwood and textural Suede, wrapped in a touch of Patchouli for an intense and sexy masculine essence. www.nautica.com

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DVD Views JOHN WAYNE BIGGER THAN LIFE I

owa-born Marion Robert Morrison (19071979) was better known by his stage name, John Wayne. The 6´4” actor, director and producer epitomized rugged masculinity and has become an enduring American icon, famous for his distinctive voice and swaggering walk in such films as “Rooster Cogburn,” “The Quiet Man,” “Flying Leathernecks” and “Hellfighters.” This special collector´s set includes the western comedy “McLintock!” (1963), in which Wayne plays cattle baron George Washington McLintock who fights his wife, daughter and political land-grabbers, finally “taming” them all. Co-starring Maureen O´Hara (“Miracle on 34th Street,” “Only the Lonely” and four other films with Wayne), Stefanie Powers (TV´s “Hart to Hart,” “Hollywood Wives”), Yvonne De Carlo (“The Ten Commandments,” TV´s “The Munsters”), Jerry Van Dyke (TV´s “Coach,” “Yes, Dear,” “The Judy Garland Show”) and Wayne´s son, Patrick. Also featured are three engrossing documentaries: “Bigger Than Life” (1990), covering the legend´s life and films; “The American West of John Ford” (1971), highlighting the career and western films of acclaimed director John Ford, including interviews with Wayne and other colleagues; and “No Substitute for Victory” (1970), hosted by Wayne, about the communist threat and its zenith in Vietnam. Also includes rare TV appearances by Wayne on Art Linkletter´s “People Are Funny” (1958); “The Colgate Comedy Hour” (October 11, 1953); “Wide Wide World” (1958) in a segment called “The Western”; and “The Lucy Show” (1966), in which Wayne plays himself as Lucy (Lucille Ball) is sent to deliver some papers pertaining to the financing of one of his latest productions. “John Wayne: Bigger Than Life” is presented in full frame with an aspect ratio of 4x3 and original mono sound. www.synergyent.com.

NEW DVD RELEASES COMEDY

Academy Award Nominees Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway co-star in “the smartest, sexiest and downright best screen-melting romance of the year” (Parade). Hathaway delivers an unforgettable performance as the free-spirited Maggie, who meets her match in a charming Viagra salesman named Jamie (Gyllenhaal). Maggie and Jamie leap into a no-strings-attached affair, but no matter how hard they try to keep things “casual,” they can’t help falling under the influence of the ultimate drug...love.

AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER Blu-Ray www.foxconnect.com In this poignant and humorous love story nominated for four Academy Awards, Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr meet on an ocean liner and fall deeply in love. Though each is engaged to someone else, they agree to meet six months later at the Empire State Building if they still feel the same way about each other. But a tragic accident prevents their rendezvous and the lover’s future takes an emotional and uncertain turn. The 1957 film has been carefully restored with a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer, and looks great on Blu-ray. The DVD comes packaged with a 24 page book.

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STONE www.anchorbayent.com Robert De Niro and Edward Norton deliver powerful performances as a seasoned corrections official and a scheming inmate whose lives become dangerously intertwined in this “gritty and engrossing thriller” (Steve O’Brien, WCBS-FM). Jack Mabry (De Niro), a parole officer days away from retirement, is asked to review the case of Gerald “Stone” Creeson (Norton), in prison for arson. Now eligible for early release, Stone needs to convince Jack he has reformed, but his attempts to influence the older man’s decision with his wife Lucetta (Milla Jovovich) have profound and unexpected effects on them both. This tale of passion, betrayal and corruption skillfully weaves together the parallel journeys of two men grappling with dark impulses, as the line between lawman and lawbreaker becomes precariously thin. 127 HOURS www.foxconnect.com From Academy Award-winning director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) comes the powerfully uplifting true story of one man’s struggle to survive against mountainous odds. Aron Ralston (James Franco) has a passion for all things outdoors. But when a falling boulder traps him in a remote Utah canyon, a thrill-seeker’s adventure becomes the challenge of a lifetime. Over the next five days, Ralston embarks on a remarkable personal journey in which he relies on the memories of family and friends — as well as his own courage and ingenuity — to turn adversity into triumph.

HANNAH MONTANA FOREVER: The Ultimate Fan Experience www.DisneyChannelDVD.com It’s the final season of Hannah Montana, the show that redefined television and inspired a generation of young girls. Fans have been part of Miley Stewart’s life for four years and have watched her grow up with her best friends Lilly and Oliver. Now it’s senior year and Miley is at a crossroads. After all these years, does she still have the best of both worlds? Can she continue her alter ego, Hannah Montana, or will she leave it all behind to be an ordinary girl? This 2-disc DVD collection is the series finale, and it includes cast goodbyes, and the exclusive final season alternate ending. Join Miley, Lilly, Oliver, Robby Ray, Jackson, Rico and special guest stars Sheryl Crow, Cody Linley, Dolly Parton and more as they bring the series to a close. SHARPAY’S FABULOUS ADVENTURE (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) www.disney.com/sharpaysfabulousadventure Ashley Tisdale shines in this captivating comedy about an aspiring diva trying to make it big in the Big Apple. After a talent scout spots her performing with her dog Boi at a charity gala, Sharpay Evans (Tisdale) sets off for the bright lights of NYC, convinced instant fame and fortune are in the bag (designer bag, that is). But theatre’s a dog-eat-dog world, as she and Boi discover when they encounter

DVD VIEWS (continued on next page)

TOP RENTALS CRASH THE BLIND SIDE THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON THE BUCKET LIST THE DEPARTED THE HURT LOCKER SHERLOCK HOLMES IRON MAN NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN GRAN TORINO UP IN THE AIR THE PROPOSAL THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE BLOOD DIAMOND THE NOTEBOOK INGLORIOUS BASTERDS AVATAR CASINO ROYALE INSIDE MAN DATE NIGHT CHANGLING TWILIGHT 3:10 TO YUMA THE DARK KNIGHT

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DVD VIEWS (continued) the devious owner of a pampered pooch named “Countess” and a scheming Broadway starlet who will do anything to crush the competition. Fortunately, Sharpay also meets Peyton (Austin Butler), a handsome student filmmaker who finds Sharpay nearly as fascinating as she finds herself. The film sparkles with fun, fashion and fantastic bonus features. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER www.foxconnect.com The third film based on C.S. Lewis’s fantasy books, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader opens three years after the Pevensie children return from battling to restore peace to Narnia in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Return to the magic and wonder of C. S. Lewis’ epic world in this installment of the beloved Chronicles of Narnia fantasy-adventure series. When Lucy and Edmund Pensive, along with their cousin Eustace, are swallowed into a painting and transported back to Narnia, they join King Caspian and a noble mouse named Reepicheep aboard the magnificent ship The Dawn Treader. The courageous voyagers travel to mysterious islands, confront mystical creatures, and reunite with the Great Lion Aslan and a mission that will determine the fate of Narnia itself. SHAUN THE SHEEP: PARTY ANIMALS www.lionsgateshop.com There’s no disguising the fun with Shaun the Sheep and his barnyard buddies in this party-fest of wild wackiness. The farm is once again party central as Shaun, Bitzer, Timmy, and those Naughty Pigs cause all sorts of mayhem, from flying cue balls and pillow fights to nights of disguise and intrigue. Episodes include: Party Animals, Operation Pidsley, Pig Swill Fly, Shaun Goes Potty, Double Trouble, Hair Today Gone Tomorrow, and Pig Trouble. BARNEY: A COUNTING WE WILL GO DVD and Activity Book www.lionsgateshop.com Two, four, six, eight, Barney wants to celebrate. While playing a game of Hide and Seek in the park, Baby Bop realizes that she can’t be the one to count to ten because she doesn’t know how – so Barney and the kids jump right in to help her. A trip to a make-believe market and a magical

parade of numbers help to show her how exciting numbers can be. While having fun, the kids learn an important lesson – you can’t go wrong when you have friends to count on. DVD comes packaged with a 64page coloring and activity book. BAMBI: Diamond Edition Blu-Ray + DVD www.disneybluray.com The wonder, music and majesty of one of Walt Disney’s greatest triumphs comes alive in glorious detail through the magic of Blu-ray high definition. Now Bambi, Walt Disney’s beloved coming-ofage story, will thrill a new generation of fans with its beautiful animation, soaring music and characters who will touch your heart — Bambi, the wide-eyed fawn, his playful pal Thumper, the loveable skunk Flower and wise Friend Owl. Plus, it features an all-new immersive game and special features that reveal the creative process behind the making of this classic.

EVANGELION: 2.2 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE www.funimation.com/evangelion The landmark anime Evangelion evolves, reaching new heights of intensity in EVANGELION: 2.0 YOU CAN (NOT) ADVANCE. In an explosive new story full of brutal action and primal emotion, a group of young pilots maneuver their towering, cyborg Eva Units into combat against a deadly and disturbing enemy. A 14-year-old boy has been entrusted with the heavy burden of mankind’s fate, and is about to enter uncharted territory. In the battle to prevent the apocalyptic Third Impact, Shinji and Rei were forced to carry humanity’s hopes on their shoulders. Now, as the onslaught of the bizarre, monstrous Angels escalates, they find their burden shared by two new Eva pilots: the fiery Asuka and the mysterious Mari. In this thrilling new experience for fans of giant robot action, the young pilots fight desperately to save mankind and struggle to save themselves.

STEP UP 3 (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

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www.stepupmovie.com Step it up to the stratosphere with Step Up 3, the dance movie that really gets your juices flowing. Gravity-defying routines, pulse-pounding music and heated drama take you to another dimension. When a tight-knit group of New York City street dancers are pitted against the best hip hop dancers in the world, it’s a high stakes dance battle that’ll change their lives forever. Tracks are from Flo Rida (Feat. David Guetta), Trey Songz, Wisin y Yandel and Sofia Fresh (Feat. T-Pain). The DVD includes exclusive, dance-filled bonus features.

UFC: Ultimate Submissions www.anchorbayent.com EVERY MAN HAS HIS LIMIT. No matter how tough, there is a pain threshold beyond which no man can pass, the point where determination gives way to submission. In the Octagon, a submission specialist sees an opening and seizes it. He sets a trap, and then springs it. He imposes his will and breaks his opponent’s. If his opponent’s will does not break, his bones will. This actionpacked collection brings you all the best submissions from superstars Georges StPierre, Anderson Silva, BJ Penn, Frank Mir and others who found victory by pushing the ultimate limits of pain. Bonus features include: 20 Full-Length Fights Including: Gracie vs. Shamrock, Hughes vs. Trigg; and Just Won’t Tap: A Look at the Fights that Refuse to Submi.

LOVING LAMPPOSTS: LIVING AUTISTIC www.lovinglamppostsmovie.com As autism has exploded into the public consciousness over the last 20 years, two opposing questions have been asked about the condition fueling the debate: Is it a devastating sickness to be cured or is it a variation of the human brain just a different way to be human? Loving Lampposts: Living Autistic takes a look at two movements: The recovery movement, which views autism

as a tragic epidemic brought on by environmental toxins and the neurodiversity movement, which argues that autism should be accepted and that autistic people should be supported. After his son’s diagnosis, filmmaker Todd Drezner, visits the front lines of the autism wars to learn more about the debate and provide information about a condition that is still difficult to comprehend. This film is a great learning tool. PARTING WAYS: An Unauthorized Story on Life After The BEATLES www.amazon.com John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr ... A quartet of pop music’s most iconic names. Four decades after breaking up, The Beatles continue to top every conceivable list of greatest recording artists of all time. No other pop act has surpassed The Fab Four in terms of innovation or social impact. Their solo performances will forever be judged against what was achieved as part of music history’s most revered group. Parting Ways explores Lennon’s work with Yoko Ono; McCartney’s solo career and decade as front man of Wings; Harrison’s music with The Traveling Wilburys and his work as a film producer; and Starr’s solo albums as wells as pursuit of acting. Despite personal trials and tribulations, each of The Beatles managed to retain their good reputations and legendary status. Bonus features include: ‘Stella,’ a look at McCartney’s fashionista daughter; ‘Yogi,’ exploring the group’s brief collaboration with an Indian transcendentalist; ‘Yoko,’ examining Ono’s relationship with Lennon; and ‘Beatle-Mania,’ a look at fan hysteria. FINAL 24: Dramatizations of 12 Celebrities’ Final Hours www.mvdb2b.com Final 24 is a revealing alternative biography series that unlocks the hidden secrets, psychological flaws and trigger events that led to the tragic deaths of eight global icons. Each episode maps out the final 24 hours of a different celebrity’s life. Weaving in and out is the celebrity’s back-story. Interviews with loved ones and confidantes combine with dramatic re-enactments and archival material illuminate these compelling stories. Celebrities in the series are: Gianni Versace, Keith Moon, Sid Vicious, Hunter S. Thompson, Marvin Gaye, John Kennedy Jr., Anna Nicole Smith, Janis Joplin, David Koresh, John Belushi, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Jim Morrison.

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Cool NEW Stuff

PARKER IM PREMIUM

GO CADDY For People On The Go

eople on the go who like to bring more than just a bottle of water with them now have a tote made especially for them. The Go Caddy is a unisex compact travel tote and water bottle carrier just the right size to hold all your items by your side leaving your hands free for shopping, picture taking or hand holding while you’re on vacation. Carry your own water in places where the local water may be unsafe to drink. It holds a variety of sizes up to 1.5 liter bottle of water or your favorite beverage. A water bottle cooler sleeve is included (a water bottle is not included). The pleated back pouch is roomy enough to hold a cell phone, camera and map. A pleated deep front pocket with flapped closure fits a sail and sign card, charge card, license/ identification, money, etc. An elastic back pouch is roomy enough to hold a cell phone, camera, map and glasses.The comfortable 1” wide adjustable strap can be worn over the shoulder or as a sling style. A 2.5” stylish and durable metal clip to hold keys and an additional “D” ring for the little “extra” you may want to clip on. It also has an additional security-minded hidden interior pocket. This versatile style can also be used for fitness walking, hiking, golf, sporting events, in-line skating, tennis, beach and the pool. It packs flat for traveling. For more information, visit www.thegocaddy.com

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A New Contemporary Statement

he standard bearer in fine pens since 1888, Parker has always been innovative. Their new Parker IM Premium line takes quality and value a step further, instantly making its mark as a new, timeless classic. Striking the perfect balance between smart design and top performance, tradition and modernity, a strong tactile feel and understated elegance, the three finishes write a new chapter in Parker’s history. The Parker IM Premium’s streamlined finishes are tailored to the cone shape of the original model, for putting pen to paper with a personal touch of class, signature reliability and understated stylishness. The materials used make a distinct, clean impression. The finely balanced chiselling work is a feat of technology, with the features positioned so as to ensure a perfect grip and a great writing experience. The three models are resolutely modern and their design is smart yet never extravagant – the unmistakeable sign of confident, infinite stylishness. The Fountain pen includes a twin channelled ink feed and collector system for use with Quink ink cartridges or convertible to ink bottle filling. The roller ball pen has a cap on/cap off system and is fitted with fine black refill. The Ballpoint pen is a push-button and fitted with medium blue refill. They come in the new Premium Parker Gift box. For more information, visit www.parkerpen.com.

FAIRY TRIAD Grow an Enchanted Fairy Wonderland

ids love fairies, and you love plants. Here’s a great project to get your little one interested in growing things. Create a fantastic, fun, fairy wonderland with Fairy Triad. This kit comes with everything needed to get an indoor fairy garden growing and attracting fairies to your home. Lobelia will attract fairies, thyme will enable you to see them, and use evening star to make fairy brews. Learn all about the history and lore of fairies while you create a fairy fantasy with four special fairy plant varieties, multi-colored fairy gravel, fairy dust, a fairy wheel, fairy bells, stakes and decals, and a fairy. Informative instructions included in the kit detail sprouting and growing methods as well as a plethora of information about fairies and fairy gardens. Safe for ages 4 and up. The belief in fairies reaches back into ancient times being traceable both in written and oral tradition. Many think fairies dwell on Earth while others believe they are mythical beings that possess magical powers and sometimes are close to human beings on Earth. Fairies are said to be from an enchanted island off the coast of Ireland known to be a place of youth and beauty. There, time seems to stand still, flowers always bloom, and there is no sickness or war. Hmmm. For more information, visit www.dunecraft.com/products/fairytriad.htm

ampa’s own Debra Weisser invented Hem-Eze in 2008, working out of her home. She had the product patented and trademarked. Debra invented Hem-Eze out of necessity; she needed a convenient, quick, and easy way to put a temporary hem on a pair of pants. In this fast-paced world, sometimes sewing just doesn’t fit in. You don’t have to sew to use this product. Flexibility and versatility, that’s what today’s fashionistas want. Hem-Eze uses a specially formulated double sided strip, and is safe enough to use on delicate fabrics like cotton and silks, while strong enough to withstand heavier and coarser fabrics like denim and corduroy. It places an actual crease in the fabric that yields a professional hemmed look. Hem-Eze has been featured on the Today Show with Bobbie Thomas and on the NBC 15 Morning Show “Hot Trends”. It was also selected by RealSimple.Com magazine as one of their six Problem Solvers. Real Simple.com says, “End the battle between keeping your pants long to wear heels and short to wear with flats. Place Hem-Eze double-sided tape on the inside of each pant bottom. Then, when the occasion calls for stilettos, remove the tape and release the hem.” Their slogan is “Wear High Heels this morning and Sandals tonight… with HemEze.” Visit www.Hem-Eze.com for more information.

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DIAPER BUDS New Vacuum Packed Disposable Diapers Moms, your diaper bag just got a rommier with the introduction of DiaperBuds. Three sisters—all working moms— realized the need for less bulky and more sanitary diapers when traveling or just out shopping. They created a uniquely folded diaper that was then shrinkwrapped to reduce the size — 70% smaller. This packaging also keeps the diapers sanitary while floating around in a diaper bag, where loose ones would have attracted dirt, dust and bacteria. When opened, they “bloom” into a full-size diaper.

DiaperBuds are currently available on Amazon.com, and diapers.com. For more information about DiaperBuds, please visit www.diaperbuds.com

GLAZER CHILDREN’S MUSEUM The 53,000-square foot museum provides a safe and playful environment, where children and adults can learn about themselves, each other, and the world around them through exploration, roleplaying and direct experience. The highlyinteractive museum includes 12 themed galleries and 170 ‘interactivities’ - handson, minds-on exhibits - for children aged birth to ten. A combination of permanent and traveling exhibits, comprehensive year-round programs and special events will provide children, parents, caregivers and teachers a rich and ever-changing environment for playful learning. To learn more about the museum, visit www.GlazerMuseum.org or call 813.443.FUN1(3861).

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May 13, 14 & 15 The 10th Annual John Levique Pirate Days will celebrate a DECADE OF DECADENCE and the discovery of John’s Pass while preparing its residents for hurricane season on May 13, 14 & 15. The event celebrates Leveque’s discovery of the John’s Pass waterway following the Great Gale of 1848 and prepares its residents for hurricane season, while fund-raising for The Florida Fisherman Lost at Sea Memorial Fund. The John’s Pass Village Association will host a variety of events throughout the weekend including a Pirate’s Ball, pirate sea battle and boat parade, a street parade, a family treasure hunt, adults and children’s costume contests, and more. The event will also include various pirate themed merchandise, food and beverage vendors, along with an abundance of performers. Although admission to the event is free, other proceeds will be donated to the Florida Fisherman Lost at Sea Memorial Fund.

www.JohnsPassFestivals.com 13025 Village Blvd., Madiera Beach • 727-397-2415

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unken Gardens is a botanical paradise in the midst of a bustling city. As St. Petersburg’s oldest living museum, this 100 year old garden is home to some of the oldest tropical plants in the region. Unwind as you stroll through meandering paths, lush with exotic plants from around the world. Explore cascading waterfalls, beautiful demonstration gardens, more than 50,000 tropical plants and flowers. Sunken Gardens provides garden tours, horticultural programs, special events, field trips, weddings, private and corporate rentals. If you enjoy Yoga, Pilates, or want to try Hoop Dancing, why not go to Sunken Gardens and exercise in a botanical, tropical paradise. ig Cat Rescue is the world’s largest sanctuary for big cats who have been abused, abandoned, retired from performing acts, or saved from being slaughtered for fur coats. The sanctuary houses tigers, lions, leopards, cougars, bobcats, lynx, ocelots, servals, caracals and others — a total of 16 of the 35 species of wild cat, many of whom are threatened, endangered, or now extinct in the wild. At this home for rare and exotic cats, The narrow mission of Big Cat Rescue is to provide the best permanent home they can for these cats. The broader mission of the sanctuary is to reduce the number of cats that suffer the fate of abandonment and/or abuse and to encourage preservation of habitat and wildlife. People are urged to behave in a way that will support these goals by teaching people about the plight of the cats, both in the wild and in captivity. This is accomplished through guided tours, educational programs for young people, and by maintaining a website that is a great resource for information about exotic cats. Big Cat Rescue has built enclosures in a very natural habitat with foliage and shelter on a 45 acre site, and provides the best nutritional and medical care possible. They have conditioning and enrichment programs to provide for the cats physical and psychological well being. The sanctuary is supported entirely by donation. Big Cat Rescue is located at 12802 Easy Street, Tampa. Call 813-920-4130 for more information, or visit www.BigCatRescue.org.

Monday - Thursday; 10:00am - 11:30am; $45/month or $12/class NEW: Weekend classes $10 Sunken Gardens Members / $15 non-members Saturday: 10am 11:30am / Sunday: Noon - 1:30pm HOOP DANCING - Tuesday 10am - 11am, Wednesday 9am 10am, $80/8 sessions or $15/class

CHUTE CHI GONG Friday, 10am - Noon, $10/class

Sunken Gardens is located at 1825 4th Street N., St. Petersburg; 727-551-3100; www.stpete.org/sunken

A Botanical Experience Awaits You... • Discover the beauty of a 100 year old botanical paradise. • Explore cascading waterfalls, beautiful gardens, more than 50,000 tropical plants and flowers and the walk through butterfly encounter. • Experience a guided tour, special event or workshop. $8 Adults; adults; $6 seniors 55 & up; $4 ages 2 3 to 11 $8 1825 4th St. N., St. Petersburg, FL • 727-551-3100

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www.stpete.org

SeeWinter.com

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PET FASHION SHOW AND 2012 CALENDAR KICK OFF PAWTY - APRIL 30 To benefit the Humane Society of Pinellas, on Saturday, April 30th, 2011, Paw Paws and Westfield Countryside Mall is hosting a Pet Fashion Show that kicks off their 2012 Celebration of Companionship Calendar search for their featured models. The runway will be set for models to strut their stuff hoping to impress our panel of judges scoring on attire, purrsonality and originality. The winner of this show will be guaranteed 1 of the 13 coveted opportunities to be featured in The Humane Society of Pinellas 2012 Celebration of Companionship Calendar, receive a professional photo session with Photography by Rebecca Brittain and a calendar to keep as their own

souvenir. Register for $10 starting at 10am inside Paw Paws with the fashion show at 11am. Please use the south entrance at Ruby Tuesdays. The search for the additional 12 calendar models will take place through a special website being designed to allow the owner to submit a $10 donation, upload and vote for their pet to win at $1/vote. All models that participated in the fashion show will be offered $5 off of the submission fee! Voting will continue through September 19th, 2011. The photo utilized in the calendar will be selected from the professional photo session. The Celebration of Companionship 2012 Calendar will be available for sale the beginning of November for $12. Preorders are available for $10 and a $3 mailing option is offered for your convenience. www.HumanePinellas.org.

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JIM’S HARLEYDAVIDSON GOES HOGS FOR DOGS - April 23 Jim’s Harley-Davidson of St. Petersburg teams up with Get Rescued in Gulfport to bring a pet adoption event like no other. It is apparent in the many celebrity-like motorcycle pets that Harley owners love their animals. “We are creating a venue to facilitate the pet adoption process and market these animals to our customers,” says Jeremy Coad, Marketing Manager at Jim’s HarleyDavidson. “With so many people having financial trouble, pets are one of the first to go. It is unfortunate and it is imperative that we find them a good home.” The event lasts from 10a to 2p and features adoption agencies from all over Pinellas including Huskies, English Springer Spaniels, Pit Bulls and the ever-popular Chihuahuas. “Oh yes, the owner of Jim’s Harley, Jamie Rosenkrans, owns 5 Chihuahuas herself. She is giving any customer who donates pet food a $10 coupon at her store.” This is a pet-friendly event so bring your loved ones along. For more information on this event visit www.jimshd.com.

TUXES & TAILS - May 14 Enjoy a star studded fashion show featuring local celebrities and their pets, adorable adoptables from the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, a silent and live auction, live music, cigar bar along the water in downtown Tampa and complimentary wine and bubbly. Saturday, May 14, from 6-11pm, at the Tampa convention Center, downtown Tampa. Tickets are $125 per person. For more information, visit www.humanesocietytampa.org

HULA DOG YAPPY HOUR AT BRIGHT HOUSE FIELD - May 18

The beach themed dog Yappy Hour starts at 4:30pm at Frenchy’s Tiki Bar, field side at Bright House Field. Get your pooches ready for k9 limbo, a swimsuit contest and to play in the kiddie pools of course. The Threshers take the field at 7pm vs. Charlotte Stone Crabs. 601 Old Coachman, Clearwater. www.HumanePinellas.org. www.AccentOnTampaBay.com

Florida Authors Write... COOL ROAD TRIPS IN SOUTHEAST FLORIDA

e mostly recognize author Kim Cool for her prolific otherworldly ghost hunting books, but this time she’s grounded in this world, with a delightful and informative travel book on Southeast Florida, including Pam Beach, Boca Raton, Miami, South Beach, and more. Her goal is to capture the diversity of each region and to include the biggest attractions as well as the smallest places. The guide is as useful to FL residents as it is for tourists. Kim Cool writes about Florida, its ghost stories and its history. She is the features editor of the Venice Gondolier Sun, and has won journalism awards, and is listed in Who’s Who of American Women, Who’s Who in the South and Southwest, Who’s Who in the World and other reference works. Ms Cool resides in Venice, FL.

ROCKERS AND ROLLERS: FULL-THROTTLE MEMOIR

SEASONED: A CHEF’S WITH HER CAPTAIN

by Brian Johnson

by Victoria Allman

y night, Brian Johnson sings in the biggest rock ’n’ roll band on the planet. But by day, AC/ DC’s frontman drives balls to the wall. Cars and rock ’n’ roll — they were made for each other. When he was a young boy growing up in a working-class English town, Brian developed what would become a lifelong passion for cars, trolling junkyards and even pretending to drive the family car. From there, he steamed up the windows of his old Mini Cooper as a teenager, spent untold time in hygienically challenged tour buses with helpful signs such as No Shitting Allowed. Shagging Expected, was chauffeured in leather-trimmed limos, and raced cars to a checkered flag. Featuring guest stars Cliff Williams, Malcolm and Angus Young, and many, many others, even Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rockers and Rollers is a tribute to Brian’s obsession with four wheels. By turns surprising, poignant, funny, and maybe a little bit bawdy, these are the stories of a man who drives as hard as he rocks. In 2003 Brian Johnson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with the other members of the band. He lives in Sarasota, FL. www.youritlist.com

JOURNEY

ictoria’s Recipe for Marriage: Take two adventurous newlyweds and place them on a floundering yacht where the wife is the chef, and her boss, the captain, is also her husband. Add two inexperienced crew members, an anorexic diva and her bully of a husband, a CEO who thinks he’s in charge, a drunken first mate, and a randy wife looking for diversion. Stir with a violent storm and a rapidly flooding engine room. Apply pressure and watch the situation simmer to a boil. Sprinkled with over 30-mouthwatering recipes and spiced with tales of adventure, SEAsoned is the hilarious look at a yacht chef’s first year working for her husband while they cruise from the Bahamas to Italy, France, Greece and Spain, trying to stay afloat. Victoria Allman has been following her stomach on yachts for ten years. She was culinary trained at The Stratford Chef School and The Culinary Institute of America. When not cruising the high seas, Victoria makes Fort Lauderdale, Florida, her home base. www.norlightspress.com

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GRAYTON BEACH AFFAIR

eturning to Berlin after being educated but disenchanted with America, Christian Wolfe finds that he and Germany are on a collision course with destiny. Because of his skills in English and knowledge of America, he is coerced by the German military to board a U-boat bound for the Gulf of Mexico to locate and extract a high level German officer imprisoned in a POW camp near the coast. Christian’s mission runs smoothly until he witnesses an unusual and violent act by Maggie Neal, a young woman living in Grayton Beach, against a man who had taken advantage of her and her servant. Suddenly their lives collide, resulting in a death and involvement with the local police. He and Maggie discover they need each other to survive. Sparks fly and they have a brief and passionate affair, leaving each with deep but unsettled feelings for the other. Upon returning to France, Christian relies on his instincts when an opportunity arises to reconsider his future. He joins the French Resistance and when he saves an American flyer who offers him a new start in America after the war is over, he seizes it. Arriving in Atlanta, he is determined to find Maggie, but with their relationship founded on death and deception, could they possibly build a future together? James Harvey spent his childhood years in south Alabama and the Panhandle of Florida where he became fascinated with stories of how German U-boats roamed the Gulf of Mexico during WWII. James now lives in the panhandle of Florida with his wife Marie. When he isn’t writing, he can be found fly fishing the local trout streams and Florida Keys.

FLORIDA IN THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR

lorida began as a Spanish colony, with governing headquarters in Havana, Cuba. It is fitting, then, that the state played such a large role in the Spanish-American War. As a base of training and combat operations, Florida’s involvement was crucial to the war effort. Join trusted historians Joe Knetsch and Nick Wynne as they log a fascinating chapter in Florida’s history — a time when Roosevelt’s Rough Riders prepared for battle at Tampa bases, when battleships departed from south Florida ports to avenge the sunken USS Maine and when a nation looked to the Sunshine State to help unite America around a common cause, even as the nation still struggled to come to terms with the Civil War and Reconstruction. Dr. Nick Wynne retired in 2008 from his post as executive director of the Florida Historical Society. He taught college history at several universities, including the University of South Florida, and has published more than twenty books. He currently resides in Rockledge, Florida. Dr. Joe Knetsch is a well-respected Florida historian. His Fear and Anxiety on the Florida Frontier: The Second Seminole War, was published by the Seminole Wars Foundation. He is a member of the Florida Historical Society, and has written extensively on Florida history.

NON-FICTION

NEW RELEASES HISTORY BOMBS AWAY!: THE WORLD WAR II BOMBING CAMPAIGNS OVER EUROPE by John R. Bruning www.zenith press.com Bombs Away! covers all aerial bombardment of a strategic nature which took place between 1939 and 1945. In addition to American (U.S. Army Air Forces) and British (RAF Bomber Command) strategic aerial campaigns against Germany, this book covers German use of strategic bombing during the Nazi’s conquest of Europe: The Battle of Britain, Operation Barbarossa, and the V 1 and V 2, where the Luftwaffe targeted Warsaw and Rotterdam (known as the Rotterdam Blitz). In addition, the book covers the blitzes against London and the bombing of other British industrial and port cities, such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Southampton, Manchester, Bristol, Belfast, Cardiff, and Coventry bombed during the Battle of Britain. It is covered in detail with authoritative text and hundreds of archival photographs, many rare or never before published. HITLER’S MASTER OF THE DARK ARTS: Himmler’s Black Knights and the Occult Origins of the SS by Bill Yenne www.zenithpress.com Hitler’s Nazi Party, at its evil roots, embraced a bizarre interpretation of ancient European paganism, blending it with fragments of other traditions from sources as diverse as tenth-century Saxon warlords, nineteenthcentury spiritualism, and earlytwentieth-century fringe archeology. Even the swastika, the hated symbol of Nazism, had its roots in ancient symbolism, its first recorded appearance carved into a mammoth tusk twelve thousand years before Hitler came to power. At the heart of the evil was Hitler’s “witch doctor,” Heinrich Himmler, and his stranger-than-fiction cult, the deadly SS. Hitler’s Master of the Dark Arts is the first history of the SS and its leader to focus on the mystical cult aspects of the organization. It follows Himmler’s transformation of the SS from a few hundred members in 1929 to over fifty thousand black-uniformed Aryans by the mid-1930s. Concurrent with its expansion and its eventual independence from the brown shirts of the SA, Himmler infused the Black Knights with a mishmash of occult beliefs and lunatic-fringe theories that were used to justify the Final Solution.

HOLLYWOOD STORIES: SHORT, ENTERTAINING ANECDOTES ABOUT THE STARS AND LEGENDS OF THE MOVIES by Stephen Schochet www.hollywoodstories.com Hollywood Stories contains a treasure trove of colorful vignettes featuring an amazing all-star cast of icons including John Wayne, Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Jack Nicholson, Johnny Depp, Shirley Temple, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Errol Flynn and many others both past and contemporary. A special blend of biography, history and lore Hollywood Stories is full of humorous tales often with unexpected endings. A professional tour guide in Hollywood, Stephen Schochet has researched and told thousands of entertaining anecdotes for over twenty years.

FICTION THE OVARY WARS by Mike Hogan www.peppertreepublishing.com The Ovary Wars involves terrorism at its best, more powerful than a suicide bomber, and more effective than a nuclear bomb. How does a terrorist kill four million people? He stops them from being born. For no apparent reason, pregnancies in the United States become rare, and American births decrease exponentially. Because the United States economy is based on a constantly increasing population, the United States economy is undermined. The country begins an unstoppable spiral into “The Greatest Depression.” Not knowing how or why the infertility blight occurred, the United States President, and the investigating FBI agents, realize the perilous possibilities. Could the nationwide infertility have been caused by a virus, either naturally occurring or purposely spread? Could it have been caused by a secret cult or a radical religious group? Even al-Qaida is a possibility. If so, will there be another attack? BOOK OF NATHAN Curt Weeden and Richard Marek www.oceanviewpub.com The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and Rick Bullock is about to learn just how true that is. Bullock takes the road less traveled when he quits his job as an advertising executive to become director of a homeless shelter. Trading in a six-figure salary for paltry pay and even less respect? Costly. But helping one man get back on his feet? Priceless. When Zeus, a mentally challenged gentle giant and longtime shelter resident, is arrested for murdering evangelist Benjamin Kurios, Bullock wants answers. Convinced Zeus is incapable of such a hor-

rific act, Bullock, along with a colorful cadre of characters, sets off on a journey to keep an innocent man off death row. The trip takes a disturbing detour when the bizarre group stumbles upon a transcript of the Book of Nathan and the discovery attracts the sinister attentions of a Jersey mobster, pro-life and pro-choice groups, and a billionaire used to getting his way.

BIOGRAPHY THE IRON BUTTERFLY: Memoir of a Martial Arts Master by Choon-Ok Harmon (Author), Ana Maria Rodriguez (Contributor) www.pelicanpub.com As a young girl living on the small South Korean island of Koje Do, Choon-Ok Jade Harmon faced a dismal situation. She was the youngest of seven siblings in a large, destitute family that could not afford food, medical care, or coal for the frigid winters. They expected her to follow in the footsteps of a traditional Korean woman, but Harmon wrote her own destiny. Because of her will to survive and succeed, Harmon is now the highest-ranking woman in the Korean martial art system of Kuk Sool Won, with a Ninth-Degree Black Belt. Harmon discovered her path to economic independence and self-fulfillment while watching a martial arts class in the South Korean city of Pusan and decided to dedicate her life to training and teaching Kuk Sool Won, despite the opposition from her family and other martial arts masters. The Iron Butterfly follows Harmon’s journey from a mermaid’s daughter to the female champion of Kuk Sool Won. This compelling memoir illustrates her triumph over often repressive family traditions and language barriers and provides insight into Korean culture and their “women of the sea.” THE ROAD WARRIORS: Danger, Death, and the Rush of Wrestling by Joe Animal Laurinaitis and Andrew William Wright www.medallionpress.com Delivering an inside account of one of wrestling’s most famous fighters, this autobiography offers a rare chance to learn about Joe “Animal” Laurinaitis’ life both inside and outside the ring. Revealing riveting stories about his participation in the 1980s and 1990s superstar wrestling team the Road Warriors, it recounts memorable fights with his partner Mike “Hawk” Hegstrand. He describes how he and Mike rose to become a revolutionary tag team — reinventing themselves with spiky accessories and wearing face paint before it was popular — and chronicles famous rivalries, movement between different wrestling associations, and dealing with Mike’s longtime struggle with drugs and alcohol. He also invites fans into his personal life and discusses his family and newfound Christian faith.

TRAVEL “SECRET” GUIDEBOOKS Various Contributors www.jonglezpublishing.com Local guides by local people. Written by local experts, these Secret guides are intended both for the local inhabitants themselves and the curious traveler. The places included in the guides are unusual and unfamiliar, allowing one to step off the beaten track. There are a dozen guides in the series. One such guidebook is Secret Rome, where you can discover the secrets of St. Mark’s Basilica with not a tourist in sight, crack the mystery of the pillars around the Doge’s Palace, take a trip on the only underground canal in Venice in search of the alchemical sculpture of the winged horse, decode the paintings of the Scuola di San Rocco applying the principles of the Jewish Kabbalah, visit an unknown underground cemetery, sleep in a sublime bedroom concealed within a palazzo, go shopping in Giudecca women’s prison market, and retreat to a wonderful lakeside monastery, away from the crowds. THE COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO THE BEST FAMILY DESTINATIONS by Kyle McCarthy www.idiotsguide.com Are we there yet? Travel writer Kyle McCarthy, in conjunction with FamilyTravelForum.com, takes readers through five U.S. regions, Canada, and Mexico, uncovering the top 150 destinations for family travelers. Whether it’s a week or a weekend, people look forward to getting away and relaxing with the family, exploring parts unknown, maybe watching children experience the ocean of the mountains for the first time. From the lush, green American Northeast to the sunny, warm Southwest; from our northern neighbor Canada south to Mexico — and everywhere in between — this fivestar guide brings you hundreds of the best family-friendly vacation spots throughout North America, all in one handy place. DRIVE I-95: Exit by Exit Info, Maps, History and Trivia 4th Edition by Stan Posner and Sandra Phillips-Posner www.drivei95.com To help those who travel up and down the East coast, Drive I-95 combines colorful easy-to-follow pictorial maps and fun stories, eliminating the trepidation of a road trip down America s busiest highway. Travelers can look ahead exit-by-exit to see which motels and gas stations are coming up, where the radar trap are or where to stop for a good homemade meal. The drive from Boston to Miami or any section inbetween will become more pleasant and less stressful by knowing where to find: 24 hour gas stations (and which ones have a mechanic!) and pharmacies, 800 numbers for

motel chains, camp grounds, golf courses, places that allow pets, shopping malls, supermarkets, internet availability and even which radio stations to tune to.

CHILDREN MARSHALL AND HIS GREEN HIGH-TOPS Camille Blue Amy (Author), Lorena Pugh (Illustrator) www.marshallmouse.com Sweet little Marshall Mouse lives with doting relatives, his parents Mortimer and Mabel and uncles Grant and David. Marshall longs to wear green high-top sneakers, just like humans do. With those special shoes, Marshall believes he will be better at his favorite game of baseball. Uncle Grant warns that mice don’t wear shoes, but then the kindly uncle becomes part of the family plan to make the shoes as a birthday surprise for Marshall. Will the shoes help Marshall improve the game or will his uncle’s words prove true. His mother warns, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

PERFORMING ARTS THE GODFATHER (BFI Film Classics) by Jon Lewis www.us.macmillan.com/palgrave.aspx Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather (1972) marked a transition in American film making, and its success - as a work of art, as a creative property exploited by its studio, Paramount Pictures, as a model for aspiring filmmakers changed Hollywood forever. Jon Lewis’s study of the film looks at the significance of The Godfather in Hollywood’s dramatic box-office turnaround in the 1970s and offers a critical and historical discussion of The Godfather’s place within the crime and gangster film genre. Lewis focuses on the film as a commercial as well as an artistic landmark of American auteur cinema, as a singularly important film in Hollywood studio history and as a brilliant reworked modern genre picture that at once adopts and adapts the gangster film. SCREENWRITING IN THE LAND OF OZ: The Wizard on Writing, Living, and Making It In Hollywood by Krevolin Richard www.adamsmediastore.com Set your sights on a screenwriting career — and you know you’re not in Kansas anymore. With some 100,000 original screenplays vying to be among the 7,000 few made into movies every year, craft is key and competition

is fierce. Enter the Wizard: Awardwinning screenwriter and playwright and acclaimed writing instructor Richard Krevolin, who shows you the way to turn your good ideas into great stories, and your great stories into compelling scripts. With the writer’s gift for storytelling and the professor’s gift for teaching, Krevolin gives you the brains, heart, and courage you need to make it in the Emerald City of Hollywood — one yellow brick at a time.

SPORTS THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF BOXING LISTS by Bert Randolph Sugar and Teddy Atlas www.runningpress.com What were the ten most fantastic knockouts in boxing history? Which pugilist had the greatest jab of all time? What were the sport’s most intense rivalries? Who scored the biggest upsets in the sport’s annals? Which fighters have the best nicknames? These questions and many others are answered in this bold collection of ranked lists from two of boxing’s most popular commentators. Each list has an introductory paragraph followed by a number of ranked entries, with each entry featuring a brief explanation of ranking plus entertaining and enlightening background information. Also included are original lists contributed exclusive to this book by more than 25 top personalities from boxing and beyond, including Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Oscar De La Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, and more.

HEALTH, BODY & MIND PELICANS, COCONUTS & BUTTERFLIES: CONQUERING CANCER WITH A LIFE OF SOUL by Ani Kaspar www.pelicanscoconutsandbutterflies.com Breast cancer touches the hearts and souls of everyone exposed to the disease. Annually billions are spent on medical research and treatments that refuse to respect a basic tenet of the Hippocratic Oath: First Do No Harm. Each year younger and younger women are diagnosed with this deadly disease. Author Ani Kaspar was diagnosed with severe cancer in both breasts, but with fierce spirit and determination she challenged “the norm.” Refusing to believe what conventional medicine preaches about breast cancer, Ani sought her own truth. She investigated alter-

native breast cancer treatment options in the US. Four years and $250,000 later, Ani’s breast cancer is indolent, but for how long? Pelicans, Coconuts & Butterflies takes us on a journey of exploration, devotion, and stubbornness: This is Ani’s intimate story of healing, an extraordinary story of courage, commitment and compassion. Ani advocates a comprehensive mind, body and spirit overhaul that includes intense introspection, total body cleansing and nourishing, and a deeply intimate relationship with yourself, your life and your personal divinity. THE BOOK OF FIVE RINGS by Miyamoto Musashi, translated by Thomas Cleary www.shambhala.com This is an insightful text on the subtle arts of confrontation and victory from Asian culture. Written not only for martial artists but for leaders in all professions, the book analyzes the process of struggle and mastery over conflict that underlies every level of human interaction. The Book of Five Rings was composed in 1643 by the famed duelist and undefeated samurai Miyamoto Musashi. Unlike previous editions of The Book of Five Rings, Thomas Cleary’s is an accessible translation, free of jargon, with an introduction that presents the spiritual background of the warrior tradition. Along with Musashi’s text, Cleary translates another important Japanese classic on leadership and strategy: The Book of Family Traditions on the Art of War by Yagyu Munenori, which highlights the ethical and spiritual insights of Taoism and Zen as they apply to the way of the warrior. SHIFT: 13 Exercises to Make You Who You Want to Be by Takumi Yamazaki www.onepeacebooks.com It’s not that you’re lazy, and its not that you lack motivation. No, you have plenty of motivation, but it always seems to fade away just when you need it. The problem is not that you don’t have motivation, it’s that motivation doesn’t stick around long enough. This book takes knowledge and inspiration from motivation specialists and distills it into something easy to understand. Thirteen exercises and seventeen techniques illustrate points to help you take the steps to keep, bring back, or find the motivation you need to make the shift into who you want to be.

SELF HELP THE ECONOMIC DEPENDENCY TRAP: Breaking Free to Self-Reliance by Calvin Helin, illustrations by Bill Helin www.calvinhelin.com From urban public housing projects to impoverished Native American reservations, middle class suburban

neighborhoods to Wall Street, economic dependency has become a serious pandemic. Economic dependency is the inability to become financially self-reliant, because government programs aren’t just a temporary help – they’re a permanent crutch. Today, economic dependency has become a way of life for millions of Americans. This book offers effective strategies to help erase poverty. It advocates self-reliance, policy reform and cultural awareness. Accountability is required from all; the middle class, the trust fund babies and the underprivileged who see themselves as perpetual victims and have fallen into the entitlement trap. True Blueprints are offered to rescue people from an economical slump and help them improve their life, and re-obtain a sense of self-worth. THE PLAYFUL AND POWERFUL WARRIOR WITHIN YOU!: How to Reclaim Your Personal Power and Live a Fulfilling Life of True Adventure! by GJ Reynolds www.powerfulwarrior.com Reclaim your personal power, and be the playful and powerful Warrior you are. Achieve all of your goals, dreams, and aspirations. Find the love, peace, playfulness, and power inside you to live a meaningful life on purpose, with purpose, and for purpose. This book is a tool with the potential to evoke lasting life changes, with such lessons as: Always come from love; Be authentic and live authentically; Forgive yourself and others; Share your story; Place God first; Find and live your purpose; Live and be in the now; Leave a Warrior legacy; Always come from your best; Surround yourself with the right people. WHAT’S NEXT . . . FOR YOU?: The Gussin Guide to Big Changes, Big Decisions, and Big Fun Robert and Patricia Gussin www.the gussinguide.com Much more than a memoir and anything but a how-to-start-a-business manual, What’s Next For You? is a clear, easy-to-understand guide to reinventing yourself from two people who did it themselves and lived to tell the tale. Through the engaging, first-person, he said/she said narrative, authors Robert and Patricia Gussin deliver an inspirational guide filled with advice on why it’s never too late to reinvent yourself, and why doing what you love (and loving what you do) is always within reach. A tale of switching gears, changing careers, and overcoming “paralysis by analysis,” What’s Next For You? takes the mystery out of that question of how to get from where you are to where you want to be.