Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

The Vitale brothers are holding the grand opening of their new gallery on Saturday. Expect free food, drinks, and admission to a night of fashion, music, and artistic display.

I promised not to reveal any spoilers, but I can say this: the new St. Pete location is going to highlight a melding of high-brow and commercial art that should appeal to connoisseurs and 20-somethings looking for a hip place to party. The gallery space has a flexibility that lends itself to a variety of shows and performances, while the Vitale brothers’ attention to detail has assured a quality experience. The brothers are also offering up wall space to local artists and are willing to negotiate on the price.

With a business that dates back 15 years, the Vitales, John, Paul, and Joey, have become a staple of the local art scene. With their St. Pete office combining local commercial art and printing capabilities as well as studio and gallery space for artists, they hope to make the purchasing of art accessible to everyone.

The opening, entitled Family Business, will include art by Frank Strunk, music by Lounge Cat and DJ Mega, fashion by Blackbird & Raven and JJ, and much more. Wine, beer, and food is free. There is also going to be an area set up to buy prints and other Vitale merchandise.

The show is being held at 2740 25th Street North in St. Pete. It starts at 8 p.m. and ends at midnight. Check the website to find out more about the event or their gallery: vitalestudio.com.

From the Polk County BOCC webpage:

Polk County is strategically located in the center of the Florida peninsula, about equal distance from the east and west coast and half way between the Georgia-Florida border and the Southern tip of the peninsula. Polk lies on the Interstate-4 corridor, 25 miles east of Tampa and 35 miles southwest of Orlando. As the geographic center of Florida, it is estimated that more than 7.5 million people reside within a 100 mile radius of Polk County. This is one of the largest concentrations of population in the southeast.

According to the Tampa Bay Partnership, Polk County is part of the Tampa Bay area on the West Coast of Florida. Ok, cool. Go Tampa Bay!!

But according to myRegion.org, Polk is part of the Central Florida region, which extends all the way past Disney World to the Space Coast and Daytona Beach. Oh, Ok. Go Tourism!!

Strategically located indeed. Well which is it? Can it really be part of both? Perhaps the county should be a region all to itself. According to Tribune reporter Billy Townsend, it seems that many of you on this end of the I-4 corridor act as if Polk County is your crazy uncle:

It’s the county of oranges, phosphate mountains and trailer parks. It’s where they spread hepatitis through meth use, once elected a white supremacist sheriff, and often find themselves in perp walks on Orlando or Tampa Bay TV.

Never mind that Polk ranks ninth in population among Florida’s 67 counties, or that rapid growth and commercial investment have made it ground zero for debates over the future of shipping, the I-4 corridor and higher education priorities.

It’s still just the place you drive through quickly on the way to Disney World, right?

I don’t know. There seem to be some great people over there. And they seem to have a decent number o’ bloggers (plus look at the sidebar).

When people ask you about Polk County, what do you tell them? That is, uh, does anyone ever ask you about Polk County? Which side of the state does that place belong? Suburb of Orlando? Suburb of Tampa? Do you visit that area? Is that area the least bit interesting or important to you?

cross-posted from www.ninebullets.net

There is no excuse for staying in the house this weekend, people. There is just too damn much going on in our fine city and the weather is, all things considered, gonna be pretty mild. So, let’s get down to the haps…

Thursday Night

Some of the people involved with Reax have started booking shows on Thursday nights at Push Ultra Lounge in Downtown St. Pete. This Thursday night Summerbirds in the Cellar are gracing us with their presence. I’ve written about both of their cds here and here. Doors are at 8:00 and the cover is 6 dollars for singles and 10 dollars for couples. I’ve seen these guys live once before and it was tremendous.

Summerbirds in the Cellar - Wicked World (Move Softly)

Friday Night

It’s the return of one of the best shows I saw last year and the Florigasm will be returning sans the oppressive summer heat. Nervous Turkey will be pulling the opening duties for JJ Grey and Mofro once again @ Skipper’s Smokehouse in a two night stand. I listed this one on Friday night because that is the night I plan to go but they will be performing both Friday and Saturday nights. This will be as much event as it is a show and you should try everything in your power to see these guys one or both of the nights.

Nervous Turkey - Strang
JJ Grey and Mofro - Florida

Saturday Night

ninebullets.net faves Lucero are making their triumphant return to Saint Petersburg. Oh yeah, all the cool kids will be at The State Theater. There are shows where you just know that heavy heavy intoxication will accompany to and through the show. This is one such occasion. I have cleared my Sunday schedule. Everything is set to tear sh*t up on a Saturday night. Come and join us. These two songs should set the scene:

Lucero - Old Sad Songs
Lucero - I’ll Just Fall

Sunday Night

detox.

South Florida (11-15) : beat Syracuse, lost to UConn

There are your typical losses, and there are your punch to the gut losses. The last second overtime loss to UConn would qualify as the latter. Although in the long run USF may have turned the corner considering they beat the Orange earlier in the week and were one second away from beating the 17th ranked team in the country.

UP NEXT: @ Cincy (Wed, 7:00)

Florida (19-7) : lost to LSU, Vandy

Joe Lunardi of ESPN brought up an interesting point Saturday after the Gators lost: Florida may have one of the top 34 most talented teams in the league but the way they are headed the Gators may not have one of the 34 best resumes. The past two years Florida may have been able to get away with playing a light out-of-conference schedule (not that they necessarily did) but this season it will cost them. Stewart Mandel has Florida outside of the bubble and Lunardi has Florida as one of his first four teams out.

UP NEXT: South Carolina (Wed, 8:00)

Miami (17-7) : beat Georgia Tech

The Canes are 4-6 in the ACC but with the 36th best RPI still have a legit shot of getting into the NCAA Tournament. Miami is also one of the first four teams out on Lunardi’s bracketology. Fortunately, the Canes have a favorable schedule ahead of them and get Duke at home this week.

UP NEXT: Duke (Wed, 9:00), Maryland (Sat, 2:00)

Florida State (14-12) : lost to Wake Forest, Maryland

Can someone explain to me why the NCAA thinks it’s cool for some white dude to dress up like a Seminole, ride a horse out to midfield and throw a flaming spear into the ground BUT it’s not cool for my alma mater William and Mary to have a symbol which includes two feathers on an Indian headband? The NCAA is without a doubt one of the most hypocritical institutions in the country.

UP NEXT: Clemson (Tues, 7:00), Boston College (Sat, 12:00)

MID-MAJOR OF THE WEEK
Florida A&M (9-16) : Beat Morgan State, lost to Coppin State (neither of which are states I’ve ever heard of)
Still looking for a more creative name for this spot, something along the lines of”Dark Horse Spotlight.” But hopefully something better than that. The Rattlers are having a down year after winning the MEAC and earning a tournament berth last season. My theory is that there suckiness can be attributed to the school’s inability to run a proper game blog.

UP NEXT: Maryland Eastern Shore (Sat, 4:00)

Chef Robert Irvine was set to open, not one, but two restaurants in St Pete this Spring, Oooze and Schmooze. I think plans are on hold.

I almost spit my coffee out this morning from laughing while reading Ben Montgomery’s story about Robert Irvine’s tendency to enhance his reputation with a generous helping of BS. You just can’t make this stuff up!

“Irvine’s relationships have soured like month-old milk. His Web site consultant claims he owes her thousands. His restaurant designer has backed out. His interior decorator is suing him. ..Another woman, St. Petersburg socialite Wendy LaTorre, says Irvine owes her more than $100,000 for marketing and promotions and for helping him find property.”

Um, does this reek of a torrid love affair or what?

Apparently, Chef Robert Irvine of Food Network fame, is not a Knight, has never cooked at the White House, never attended the University of Leeds, did not make Princess Diana’s wedding cake, is not friends with Prince Charles, and is not as wealthy as he led us to believe.

Damnnnnnnnnnnnn! Humiliation does not even tip on what must be zipping through Irvine’s head right now. I’d be a little more concerned about whether or not Scripps (owner of Food Network) will be canceling my show. Scripps is notorious for demanding their talent be honest and respectful citizens of society at all times. They canned a guy in last season’s Food Network Star for stretching the truth about his departure from the military, a white lie at best.

Times writer, Laura Reiley, posted the official comment from Food Network spokesperson Lisa Del Colle:

“It’s unfortunate if Robert embellished the extent of his culinary experiences. We are investigating the matter and taking the necessary steps to ensure the accuracy of all representations of Robert on Food Network and foodnetwork.com.”

Tudor3522 posted this on Chowhound:

“I had the unfortunate experience of working for “Chef” Irvine…He is, beyond a doubt, the most insecure man I’ve ever met…Other tales of … redoing the plates of Tom Keller, Charlie Trotter, and Eric Rippert at a James Beard event in NYC before they left the kitchen are just too bizarre. Tom Keller would break his arm if he touched his plate!”

Um, Thomas Keller is like the best chef in the WORLD. I’m not kidding, he and Adria Ferran are considered the best chefs in the world. (We root for Keller because he is American, not to mention God.)

Whether or not this story has been fabricated is yet to be seen. It’s pretty obvious the guy has told some tall tales. Does he deserve to lose all credibility, not to mention his career? I guess we will see.

Word to the wise, Irvine: Never, never, never piss off a St Petersburg socialite.

The St. Pete Times says that credit card customers need a bill of rights. Hogwash. All you need is a pair of scissors. Or a blender.

There’s some fun stuff going on at the Dali Museum:

The Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg presents Dalí and Film, the first exhibition examining the profound relationship between the paintings and films of Salvador Dalí (1904-1989). Premiering on February 8 and running to June 1, 2008, the exhibition reveals how Dalí combined his skills in painting with the new and exciting possibilities of the moving image to define a new art.

Featuring over one hundred works from collections from all over Europe and America, together with films, photographs, film scripts, and drawings, Dalí and Film opened at the Tate Modern in London and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and will be displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 2008. For the exhibit at the Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, a number of important works drawn from the Dalí Museum’s own extensive collection have been added, including The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory (1952-54) and The Ghost of Vermeer of Delft Which Can Be Used as a Table (1934).

Dalí and Film is curated by Tate curators Helen Sainsbury and Matthew Gale (editor of Dalí and Film); Dawn Ades, Dalí scholar and curator of Salvador Dalí:Centenary Exhibition; Montse Aguer, Director, Centre d’Estudis Dalinians, Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation; and Félix Fanès, curator of Dalí and Mass Culture. The exhibition in St. Petersburg is curated by William Jeffett, Curator of Special Exhibitions, Salvador Dalí Museum.

The St. Petersburg presentation is made possible by Progress Energy, a museum sponsor since 2002, whose continued support for arts provides a benchmark for corporate engagement in the community. Presenting sponsors for the St. Petersburg exhibition include Ovation by JMC Communities and M and I Wealth Management with additional support from the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club and Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater.

The Studio at 620 has joined the fun. They’re offering a free lecture series “focusing on Salvador Dali’s work in relation to film as well as an exploration into various historical strands of surrealist and experimental film.” Here’s the lecture schedule according to the Studio’s website:

• March 4 at 7:30 p.m. — Surrealist Shenanigans and Freudian Follies:Salvador Dali and the Marx Brothers presented by Peter Tush
• March 18 at 7:30 p.m. — The Eyes Have It:Dali and Hollywood presented by Sara Cochran
• March 25 at 7:30 p.m. — Avante-Garde:Personal Filmmakers presented by David Audet and Charles Peirson Lyman, Jr.
• April 1 at 7:30 p.m. — The Experimental is Now the Conventional:The Legacy of the Surrealists in Hollywood and Beyond presented by Lance Goldenberg
• April 8 at 7:30 p.m. — How To Think About Movies That Don’t Make Sense presented by Nathan Andersen
• April 15 at 7:30 p.m. — The Prodigious Story of the Lacemaker and the Rhinoceros presented by Elliott King
• April 22 at 7:30 p.m. — Dali’s Babaouo and the Nature of Surrealist Filmmaking presented by William Jeffett
• April 29 at 7:30 p.m. — Making 1965 BBC Film Dali in New York presented by Jack Bond

The Dali Museum is also offering a lecture series (Steve Persall is the guest speaker on March 12), but the details aren’t posted on their online calendar yet.

Hooray for Daliwood…

(cross-posted at www.tampafilmfan.com)

Every month, JimSam Inc. Publishing features authors at an open house sponsored by Wahoo Mortgage of St. Pete. This month’s event will celebrate Tampa Bay area Female Filmmakers.

“Ten at the Top in Tampa Bay” producer Renee Warmack will be the special guest. This film will be screened at the Gasparilla Film Festival during a special event celebrating local women. “Ten at the Top in Tampa Bay” captures an unprecedented time in the city of Tampa/Hillsborough County area - where 10 extraordinary women led governmental institutions, in positions traditionally held by men. The women who agreed to be filmed were asked to share the paths they traveled, the risks they took, the decisions they made, and who helped them along the way as they climbed their respective ladders of success. A cornerstone to this film is that it serves as a mentoring tool for young girls who may not realize that they too can reach such high levels of public service.

Renee Warmack is a native of Tampa who holds a masters degree from USF in Public Administration. Due to the success of the film, she formed Renee Warmack Productions, Inc. Renee is also a member of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA); a Tampa Theatre member and member of the League of Women Voters.

The event will be held on Friday, Februrary 22 from 5pm to 8pm at Wahoo Mortgage at 2433 Central Avenue in St. Pete. This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be provided.

For more information contact Mona Burrows at Wahoo Mortgage: 727.522.0039, http://www.wahoomortgage.com/ or Renee Warmack at Renee Warmack, M.P.A.: 813-610-3132, tenatthetop@yahoo.com http://www.tenatthetop.com/

Cross posted at Ridiculously inconsistent trickle of consciousness