September 21, 2000

Cover Story
Where there's smoke, there's Skipper's
Skipper's turns 20 with a weekend of the kinds of bands that have made the Smokehouse a mainstay on the Tampa music scene.

Film

[Photo: DreamWorks] Patrick Fugit plays Cameron Crowe as a child in Almost Famous.

Rock lives in 'Almost Famous'
Writer-director Cameron Crowe's fond recollections of a time when rock 'n' roll mattered are done with attention to detail.

An unlikely 'chick magnet'
Proudly disheveled and with a prodigious beer gut, Dex, hero of The Tao of Steve, lets us know what women really want and what they fall for.

Serving up bland fare
A thin plot and misguided direction are to blame for this Hollywood attempt at being ethnic.

Meet an astronaut at MOSI
A screening of Mission to Mir and appearance by astronaut Dr. Jay Apt are part of the science museum's big fundraiser.

Family Movie Guide
The Family Movie Guide should be used along with the Motion Picture Association of America rating system for selecting movies suitable for children. Only films rated G, PG or PG-13 are included in this weekly listing, along with occasional R-rated films that may have entertainment or educational value for older children with parental guidance. Films are categorized as "recommended" for family viewing, "recommended with reservations" and "not recommended" for family viewing, with a description of content that led to that categorization. Compiled by St. Petersburg Times film critic Steve Persall.

Persall's Top Five
Recent releases recommended by Times film critic Steve Persall

Also in Theaters
Dying to make the grade

Video
'High Fidelity' is worth a spin
Here is what we thought of this week's new video releases back when they were released on the big screen. Second thoughts include hindsight about the movies, what they'll be like on video and suggestions about who might want to rent them.

Pop
Pop: Ticket Window
On the horizon

Team Pop Trivia
This week's winner: The winner of this week's random drawing for the splendiferousTimes T-shirt is Janet Samancioglu of Port Richey. Samancioglu knew that classically trained singer/pianist Tori Amos as a child attended the prestigious Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore.

Pop: Hot Ticket
Sign up for autographs

Putting Tampa to a tune
Two residents celebrate their city with songs of love: for the bay area, for the Bucs and for romance once found in Ybor City.

Stage
Don't be 'Gunshy'
American Stage chose the dark comedy after a reading left the audience in stitches..

Tale of woe spills forth
A theater critic lets his ego and love of the drink lead him to disaster in this one-man show starring Jack Belt, veteran member of TheatreUSF.

Stage: On the Horizon
Modern dance -- Moving Current presents works by founding choreographers Cynthia Hennessy and Erin Cardinal with guest choreographer David Dorfman. Sept. 29-30, Hillsborough Community College Performing Arts Building, Ybor City. $6 and $12. (813) 237-0216.

Stage: Hot Ticket
Jazz singer Dee Daniels is featured in the Florida Orchestra's season-opening pops program. It has a big band theme, with an emphasis on music of Duke Ellington in arrangements for orchestra by guest conductor Jeff Tyzik. Daniels performs Don't Get Around Much Anymore, I've Got It Bad and That Ain't Good and other songs. Also featured is drummer Dave Mancini. Performances are Friday at Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and Saturday at Mahaffey Theater, both at 8 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Tickets: $20-$38

Art
The whole is greater than its parts
Multiple images capture the imagination at "Synecdoche."

Art: Best bets
Art critic Mary Ann Marger's recommendations for this weekend. Please refer to the Art Calendar for details.

Art: Hot Ticket
Castle of Azraq

Get Away
Land that time forgot
Travel back in time to a 1950s Florida roadside amusement. Dinosaur World is best enjoyed with children.

Belle warms the Beast's icy heart
The Disney treatment keeps this "tale as old as time' popular year after year.

Get Away: On the horizon
American Heart Walks to benefit American Heart Association (Sept. 30) Pasco and Citrus counties, (727) 848-8924 (Oct. 7) Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, (727) 570-8610 and (813) 289-6003. (Oct. 14) Hernando County, (727) 848-8924.

Get Away: Hot Ticket
Lorikeets, leopards and gators . . . oh my!

Dine
Outfits are skimpy, and so is menu
With servers dressed in brief, thigh-high shorts and low-cut tops, it takes a minute to notice the menu is a little light at the new location on Fourth Street in St. Petersburg.

Side dish
Brace yourself for restaurant openings going off like firecrackers: Ybor Centro, BayWalk, Channelside and three new Outback projects.

Cheap Thrill
Bec's

Night Life
The 'Buc Bounce' gets bars hopping
You may have seen it at a local bar: A group of guys dressed as referees go onstage to sing the Bucs' praises. If you're in the audience, you may get drafted, too.