Seize the day

By KATHLEEN LANG

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 26, 2000

Steely Dan, that mellow '70s staple, performs at 7:30 tonight at the Ice Palace, 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa. Tickets are $35 to $75. Call the Ice Palace at (813) 223-1000 or Ticketmaster at (727) 898-2100 or (813) 287-8844.

Give your taste buds a thrill when Blackstone's Tapas Cafe holds its weekly wine tasting from 6 to 8 p.m. today at 301 Gulf Blvd., Indian Rocks Beach. Six to eight wines will be offered as well as appetizers. Free. Call (727) 517-7778. Or check out Pepe's Fine Dining and Tapas for its weekly wine tasting from 6 to 8 p.m. today at 3665 Ulmerton Road, Clearwater, where four wines will be paired with appetizers. Free. No RSVP required. Call (727) 573-3363.

Old Hyde Park Village Concert Series continues this evening with Bleeding Hearts performing from 6 to 9 p.m. in the village at S Dakota Avenue and Swann Avenue in Tampa. Free. Call (813) 251-3500.

Join vegetarian chef Debby DeGraaf and learn how to whip up quick and easy Mexican dishes from 7 to 8 p.m. today and 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday at Nature's Harvest Market, 1021 N MacDill Ave., Tampa. Free. Call (813) 873-7428.

Things to view...

Tune in to VH1 tonight for some "paradise by the dashboard light" as a new made-for-cable movie profiles '70s overnight sensation Mr. Loaf, as the New York Times called him, who fell victim to personal demons but staged a comeback with his acting and music. Meat Loaf: To Hell and Back, stars W. Earl Brown as Meat Loaf. 9 p.m.

Hear country star Jo Dee Messina croon and join in a chat with her tonight when Country Music Television presents a live concert on CMT All Access: Jo Dee Messina. After the performance, CMT will air a repeat of the concert and a live chat with Messina from CMT's Web site www.country.com. Begins at 9 p.m.

-- Compiled by Times staff writer Kathleen Lang. She can be reached at lang@sptimes.com. For a complete roundup of activities around the Tampa Bay area, log on to the Web at http://www.tampabay.com.