Best bets for this weekend

By tbt* staff report
Published August 17, 2007

Wattstax is no mere concert film about the 1972 show. It's a Golden Globe-winning documentary on the black power movement that features Little Milton, Isaac Hayes and a young Richard Pryor. See it Friday at two WMNF-hosted showings at the Beach Theatre, 315 Corey Ave., St. Pete Beach, at 7 and 9:30 p.m. A DJ will spin R&B tunes before and after the shows. Tickets are $7. Call 727 360-6697, beachtheatre.com.

Wheels up before school starts! Skatepark of Tampa is hosting a free demo from skateboard kings Innes starting at 6 p.m. Friday, plus a free Back to School Bash on Saturday with skateboard contests for all ages, starting with 8 and under at 10:30 a.m. Free barbecue, too. It's at 4215 E Columbus Drive in Tampa, (813) 621-6793.

The Tampa Comic Book Convention promises a geektastic Sunday at the Doubletree Hotel, where there will be visits by Hulk artist Herb Trimpe and Ghost Rider's Gary Friedrich. There will also be books for sale, a costume contest and film festival. It runs 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at 4500 W Cypress St., Tampa. $5; 12 and younger free. (727) 522-9032.

There are lots of deals and giveaways at the Tampa Bay Devil Rays games against the Cleveland Indians Friday through Sunday. Pick up a Rocco Baldelli figurine Saturday and get ready for school with a Rays alarm clock, being given out to kids on Sunday, which is also Family Fun Day. That means $15 gets you an outfield ticket, a hot dog, a soft drink and a snack. Tickets start at $8. Toll-free (888) 326-7297; www.devilrays.com.

Sure it's been out for a while, but starting Friday, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix begins a limited engagement at the IMAX dome theater at MOSI. Take in the awesomeness of Grawp, Hagrid's giant half-brother, on a 10,000-square-foot screen. See www.mosi.org for the daily schedule.

If only history teachers could tell the story of the civil rights movement with music and dramatic readings like Passages of Martin Luther King does this weekend in St. Petersburg's Studio@620 Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday at the gallery, 620 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg. $10-$20. (727) 895-6620 ; www.thestudioat620.com. It will be performed by a quintet that includes Kenneth D. Alston, a member of Three Mo' Tenors. Passages of King's speeches will be read along with songs such as Ain't Going To Let Nobody Turn Me Around.

Young art lovers can play at museums as party sites this weekend.

- Les Fauves, the Gulf Coast Museum of Art young professionals group, has its monthly art party Saturday night, with a caricature artist, scavenger hunt, a hands-on art project and live music. A fondue station and cocktails provide sustenance from 7 to 10 p.m. It's free, but you should reserve a space at (727) 518-6833 ext. 207. The museum is at 12211 Walsingham Road, Largo; gulfcoastmuseum.org.

- The Tampa Museum of Art holds its monthly Art After Dark After after-hours Friday night. It will be all about the little people, as in emerging artists and puppets, including Tampa artist Zach Dorn's puppet verse, puppet shorts and puppet films. There will be hors d'oeuvres and libations, so what the heck. It's 8 p.m. to midnight; $10 for non-members. Tampa Museum of Art, 600 N Ashley Drive, Tampa. (813) 274-8130.

Florida's pirates never stopped, they just smuggled new stuff, according to journalist and author Stan Zimmerman, who wrote A History of Smuggling in Florida: Rumrunners and Cocaine Cowboys. Instead of contraband, you can get a book signed at 7 p.m. Friday at Heritage Village, 11909 125th St. N, Largo.

Pull up a chair to the Third Friday Music Series in Safety Harbor, with music by the Wildlife Refugees. Or lace up for the Skate Jam at 6-9 p.m. in the parking lot of Safety Harbor Resort and Spa. Craft and food vendors benefit the Ian Tilmann Foundation to prevent sports-related brain injuries. It's on Main Street, from Bayshore Boulevard to Sixth Avenue, in downtown Safety Harbor.

Golden Door, with an original mix of magical and provocative visuals, turns the classic tale of coming to America into a wondrous and soulful experience. The film is 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday at the Tampa Theatre, Tampa; $6.50-$8.50. (813) 274-8982.

[Last modified August 16, 2007, 16:15:38]