PYT girls (scream) bask in debut (scream) of first CD

Tampa columnist HOOPER E-mail: Click here Archive

By ERNEST HOOPER

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 8, 2001

The cheers from the center of the mall echoed all the way through the department store and into the parking lot.

Two-thirds of the nearly 200 people gathered at University Square to hear PYT celebrate the debut of its first CD were under 16 and screamed about every 30 seconds. The other third were casual observers who couldn't help but feel a little civic pride about Tampa's teen pop quartet.

In the middle of it all were the proud parents who saw the debut as a chance to soak in the success after shepherding the girls through years of hard work.

"When you're living it every day, some of this loses its luster," said Lisa Niven, mother of Ashley Niven.

Combining school work with a demanding schedule -- the girls perform five of the next six nights before going on tour with 98 Degrees -- can diminish some luster.

On Tuesday, however, the parents beamed, and Mrs. Niven fought back tears as the girls danced and sang amid the screams.

Black Republicans.

Oxymoron? Description from a book about 19th century American history?

Nope, the Tampa Bay Black Republicans Club does indeed exist, and it is not just four card-playing husbands who wanted their wives to think they were meeting for serious reasons.

At a recent mixer, an impressive number of people gathered to hear speeches from state Rep. Sandy Murman and Matthew Carter II, deputy secretary for the state's Department of Management Services.

Club president Eric Brown argues the Republicans best represent a lot of the core values instilled in him by his parents. Of course, his parents are Democrats.

"I felt like I had no option but to be a Republican, but my parents didn't see it that way," Brown said.

If nothing else, Brown said, blacks should at least be more judicious instead of seemingly voting en masse for Democrats without requiring them to legitimately court their support.

For longtime black Democrats, should this at least be food for thought?

Playboy magazine has named Bern's as one of the top 12 independent steak restaurants in the nation.

Is it me, or were you struck by the fact that U.S. Olympic site team chairman Charles Moore said he wishes Disney World was 15 minutes from Tampa instead of an hour? While you can't move Tampa, you could move this Olympic bid to downtown Orlando, which is a lot closer to Disney.

Orlando/Disney has more than 100,000 hotel rooms, more of an international reputation and a larger convention center. Tampa still could be a big part of the effort, but Orlando should be the horse leading this cart.

We've called it South Howard, Hyde Park, South Tampa and SoHo, but the South Howard Merchants Association now has a series of billboards around town billing itself as a single destination: the SoHo District.

Tom McHale, co-owner of McHale's Chop House and the adjacent Puluzzi's Italian Fusion, said the merchants are galvanizing because of increasing competition from entertainment districts. The association also is spearheading improvements to the area such as increased lighting and sidewalks.

For non-New Yorkers, SoHo may become the preferred lexicon.

By the way, McHale explained why Tuscan Oven has changed its name to Puluzzi's. New partner Paul Puluzzi has teamed with McHale to develop a new concept and menu involving what McHale described as Italian fusion. Think Italian quesadillas.

The restaurant also is offering half servings of pasta dishes.

Just wondering: how come KFC never gives you any napkins? Yeah, it may be finger-lickin' good, but that doesn't mean I actually want to lick my fingers.

- Ernest Hooper can be reached at (813) 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com.

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