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Diversions

Let us be your love connection

In 14 days you'll be expected to deliver a thoughtful, meaningful show of devotion to your sweetie. Which means you better get started now. Here are some lists of 14 - from sunset spots to slow songs - that might come in handy.

By SEAN DALY, CHRIS SHERMAN and SHARON KENNEDY WYNNE
Published February 1, 2007

Try a walk along the beaches or on the trail bridge off Gandy Boulevard.
	[Times file photo]

Is there anything more romantic, or potentially disastrous, than a lovey-dovey mix CD? You're putting the future of your relationship in the hands of your favorite, entirely suspect musicians. Do you really want to use Lita Ford's Kiss Me Deadly to say you care?

Allow me to help.

Spanning decades and bridging relationships, here's Sean Daly's Can't-Miss Kiss-Kiss Playlist, 14 songs that say I love you, I need you, I wanna see your pajama collection.

- Tell It Like It Is, the Neville Brothers (from The Very Best of the Neville Brothers) Best slow-dance song ever. Period.

- Run to Me, Raul Malo (from You're Only Lonely) Can't type . . . too busy . . . crying . . . and hugging myself.

- I Go Crazy, Flesh for Lulu (from Some Kind of Wonderful) Here's your to-do list: 1) Find Goth hottie, 2) play this song, 3) fall in love, 4) buy more eyeliner.

- Space Age Love Song, A Flock of Seagulls (from Platinum & Gold Collection) Underrated '80s love song, about aliens or otherwise.

- Something, the Beatles (from Abbey Road) Most honest love song ever. Period.

- Make You Feel My Love, Bob Dylan (from Time Out of Mind). Even Dylan-haters dig this unabashed come-on. 

- After the Lovin', Engelbert Humperdinck (from Behind Closed Doors: '70s Swingers) One word: Humperdinck.

- I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By, Mary J. Blige & Method Man (from the I'll Be There for You EP) Tough MC and the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul swoon on rare romantic rap duet.

- The Right Man, Christina Aguilera (from Back to Basics) Xtina uncorks bombastic wedding-night thank-you note.

- Here We Go Again, Ray Charles and Norah Jones (from Genius Loves Company) May-December pairing shouldn't work but does - really, really well.

- Crying, Roy Orbison and K.D. Lang (from King of Hearts) A tutorial in crooning with a big weepy finish.

- Always on Your Side, Sheryl Crow and Sting (from the Always on Your Side single) Originally just a Crow song, now devastating as a duet.

- This Is Us, Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris (from All the Roadrunning) A sweet, rollicking photo-album travelogue of a modern marriage. Bring Kleenex.

- Let's Get It On, Marvin Gaye (from Let's Get It On) My job here is done.

Sean Daly, Times pop music critic

*   *   *

How sweet it is when the price is right - and the bottle is too.

Even with romance in the air, affordable wine is easy to find (except in restaurants).

Most of the wine America drinks costs $14 or less, and in any store, at least half the bottles fall below that price point.

For the occasion, we suggest a bouquet of roses, sparklers and sweetheart dessert wines.

Sparkle plenty

- Blanc de noirs, Mumm Napa. A California pinot noir with a French kiss.

- Brut, Louis Perdrier, France. No Champagne, but the bubbles are from Burgundy.

- Brut, Gloria Ferrer, half bottle. As pretty as it sounds, in English or Spanish.

- Prosecco brut, Mionetto. Sparkling with an Italian accent.

- Risque, Toad Hollow. More fun than fizz, imported from France by the Sonoma toadies.

Sweet endings

- Orange muscat, Quady Essensia 2004, half bottle. Grapes turned to gold you can drink - or pour on dessert.

- Solera 1927 Pedro Ximenez, Alvear, Montilla, half bottle. A Spanish sweetheart, beautiful at any age.

- Tawny port, Benjamin, Australia. A candy store of spice and nuts, a silky "stickie."

- Blueberry wine, Keel & Curley, Plant City. Sweet, sweeter and sweetest and still crisp.

Rosy affairs

- Rose, Menage a Trois, Napa 2004. When merlot met syrah, and gewurztraminer brought the perfume.

- Syrah rose, Hess Collection Small Block Series. Rose with heart that's he-man hearty, too.

- Chateau de Lascaux, Coteaux de Languedoc 2005. Rose is serious in southern France and seriously good, juicy and tart.

- Salento rose, Canaletto, Puglia, 2004. Pink and Italian with scenic views.

Chris Sherman, Times staff writer

*   *   * 

Now is the time to make plans for a special day or evening. Hint: make dinner reservations today. These 14 events take place on Valentine's Day. (If you see something you like, buy the tickets now. Nothing spoils the mood like a soldout show.)

- Valentine's Blues Bash with Shirley Brown, Marvin Sease, Theodis Ealey, Latimore, Bobby Rush, Mel Waiters, Bobby Blue Band and Sir Charles Jones, 8 p.m., St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa. $44.25-$51.25.

- Urban Cowboy, the Musical, national tour, 2 and 7:30 p.m., Largo Cultural Center. $15-$32.

- Celtic Woman, 7:30 p.m., Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, Tampa. $38.50-$68.

- Joe Bonamassa, 8 p.m., Ferguson Hall, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. $17.50-$25.50.

- Huey Lewis and the News, 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater. $42.50-$75.

- Florida State Fair, Tampa. Special events that day include a headline concert by Cornell Gunter's Coasters, 2 and 6 p.m.; bull riding and barrel racing, 2 and 7 p.m.; square dancing, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $6 adults, $4 ages 6-11 advance; $10 and $5 at the gate. Special $6 admission for those 55 and older.

- Comic Basile, 8 p.m., Improv, Tampa. $12 show, $50 per couple for the show and a 7 p.m. dinner.

- Comic Carl LaBove, 8:30 p.m., Side Splitters Comedy Club, Tampa. $8-$12, plus a limited number of couples packages with extras, $35 per couple. Reservations required.

- "Wild at Heart" (for adults only), a look at the mating habits of animals, with romantic refreshments and dinner for the humans. 6 p.m., Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa. $50 per person (reservations required). Call (813) 935-8552, ext. 239.

- University of South Florida's men's basketball team vs. Syracuse University, 7 p.m. USF Sun Dome, Tampa. $15-$25.

- Music and Lyrics, starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore, and Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls open in area movie theaters.

- "Hearts And Flowers: Victorian Valentines," exhibit at Henry B. Plant Museum, Tampa. Also on view: "Gasparilla: Crowns & Tiaras." Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $5 adults, $2 children.

- Victor, Victoria, Show Palace Dinner Theater, Hudson. 1:15 and 8 p.m. Doors open two hours before show for buffet. $42.50 dinner and show, $29.95 show.

Times staff writer

*   *   *

Red roses, the symbol of love, are the traditional (and expensive) Valentine's Day bouquet. Here are 14 alternatives, with the meaning each conveys to the recipient, as defined by Teleflora:

Ambrosia: "Your love is reciprocated."

PINK CAMELLIA: "Longing for you"

RED CARNATION: Admiration

WHITE CARNATION: Pure love

DAFFODIL: "You're the only one."

DAISY: Loyal love

FORGET-ME-NOT: True love

GARDENIA: Secret love

GLOXINIA: Love at first sight

JONQUIL: "Love me."

ORANGE BLOSSOM: Eternal love

PEONY: Happy marriage

TULIP: A declaration of love

Times staff writer

*   *   *

What's more romantic than a beautiful sunset? The Tampa Bay area is full of possibilities. And sunsets are free.

- The Castaway, 7720 Courtney Campbell Parkway, Tampa. Great seafood and a 180-degree-plus view of Tampa Bay.

- The Gandy Bridge. Try a walk along the beaches or on the trail bridge off Gandy Boulevard. A full rainbowlike panorama is visible when you're driving over the top of the westbound lanes.

- The Hurricane, 809 Gulf Way, St. Pete Beach. You can see for miles from the tables on the roof.

- Pier 60, Clearwater Beach. This family-friendly landmark is surrounded by shops, attractions and plenty of cushy white sand.

- Sunset Beach, Treasure Island. Park by Caddy's Waterfront (9000 W Gulf Blvd.) to reach a wide swath of sand far enough off the beaten path to give out-of-towners a locals' view of the gulf.

- Sunshine Skyway bridge. Pack a picnic basket and a fishing pole. You'll find picnic tables, a tackle shop and an up-close view of the world's longest cable-stayed concrete bridge - rated No. 3 on the Travel Channel's list of top 10 bridges in the world.

- Gulfport pier, 5500 Shore Blvd. Watch dolphins play in Boca Ciega Bay and then walk around this quaint artsy town just southwest of St. Petersburg.

- Bayport Park, 4140 Cortez Blvd., Spring Hill. Where the Weeki Wachee River meets the Gulf of Mexico you'll find a great place to paddle out at sunset.

- Pine Island at Alfred McKethen Park, 10800 Pine Island Drive, Spring Hill. This popular sandy shore has an observation point for sunset viewing.

- Frenchy's Rockaway Grill, 7 Rockaway St., Clearwater. The best place to go for sunset views and she-crab soup.

- Sam's Beach Bar, 6325 Clark St., Hudson Beach. A favorite Pasco County dive - and we mean that in a good way - with a deck out back that has the best views of boats and the Gulf of Mexico. Decent appetizers, too.

- Robert K. Rees Beach, on Green Key west of New Port Richey. Take a relaxing stroll along the boardwalk. (There is a picnic area as well.)

- The View, Tampa. If you can't decide between city scape or waterfront viewing, this revolving rooftop restaurant atop the Tampa Airport Marriott provides 360 degrees of changing scenery.

Sharon Kennedy Wynne, Times staff writer

*   *   *

Share one of these gems each day over breakfast or in a note in the briefcase or lunch box.

- The earliest records of Valentine's Day in English tell that birds chose their partners on that day. Geoffrey Chaucer, an English poet of the 1300s, wrote in The Parliament of Fowls, "For this was on St. Valentine's Day/When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate."

- The oldest American valentine is a handmade card from the early 1700s. It has a handwritten verse in German.

- Teachers get the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives and then sweethearts.

- The longest engagement on record was Octavio Guillen and Adriana Martinez. They got engaged in Mexico in 1902, when both were 15, and married - at - last in 1969 at age 82.

- The youngest couple ever to marry were an 11-month-old boy and a 3-month-old girl, in Bangladesh in 1986. The marriage was arranged to settle a 20-year feud over a disputed piece of farmland.

- Perhaps the most fantastic monument to love is the Taj Mahal in India. Indian ruler Shah Jahan built it in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1629. The tomb, at Agra in northern India, was built between about 1630 and 1650 by more than 20,000 workers.

- The longest recorded kiss took place between Louisa Almedovar and Rich Langley on Dec. 5, 2001, in the New York studios of television host Ricki Lake. The kiss lasted 30 hours, 59 minutes and 27 seconds.

- Long ago, an English maiden ate a hard-boiled egg and pinned five bay leaves to her pillow before going to sleep on Valentine's eve. It was believed this would make her dream of her future husband.

- The oldest surviving love poem was written on a clay tablet during the time of the Sumerians, inventors of writing, around 3500 B.C. It is thought that the poem was by the bride of the Sumerian king Shu-Sin, who ruled between 2037 and 2029 B.C. It begins:

Bridegroom, dear to my heart,

Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet,

Lion, dear to my heart,

Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet.

- Lauren Lubeck Blair and David E. Hough Blair of Tennessee married each other for the 83rd time on Aug. 16, 2004, at the Lighthouse Lounge at the Boardwalk Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The couple first tied the knot in 1984 and have renewed their vows in locations all over the United States, the United Kingdom and the Dutch Antilles.

- The most popular wedding days in Las Vegas are Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve. A wedding occurs in Vegas every 5 minutes, 17 seconds.

- The greatest number of couples to have kissed in the same location at the same time is 5,875 at the Elisabeth Bridge in Budapest on June 25, 2005.

- Wearing a wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand may date to Egypt almost 5,000 years ago. The diamond engagement ring apparently goes back to 16th century Venice.

Times researchers Cathy Wos and Mary Mellstrom contributed to this report.

Sources: Guinness Book of World Records, CNN.com, World Book Encyclopedia, Panati's Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, The Folklore of World Holidays

*   *   *

- Make You Feel My Love, Bob Dylan (from Time Out of Mind) Even Dylan haters dig this unabashed come-on.

- Jest Pink, nonvintage. Jest that, flirty and very Rhone-antic.

- A one-minute kiss can burn up to 26 calories. - A Hershey's Kiss contains 26 calories.

[Last modified February 1, 2007, 11:52:48]