TOWN 'N COUNTRY - Although he shaved his mustache for the part, Petrus Antonius was seeking more than just a resemblance to famous 20th century artist Pablo Picasso. ...more

February 2, 2008

Susan Toll couldn't believe it. She had been in well over a dozen Gasparilla Pirate Fest parades, as a member of the Krewe of Alegria and the Rough Riders, and had loved Gasparilla ever since she was a child in the 1950s, when the pirates threw blank bullets and candy. But this was something new and pretty cool. ...more

January 24, 2008

A few days ago, I re-watched one of my all-time favorite movies, "Pretty Woman." Though I've seen it umpteen times it still makes me laugh and cry and feel good all over. For me, it is the ultimate chick-flick. But "Pretty Woman" isn't just another love story. Yes, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere are magic together, and the story is laugh-out-loud funny, but there's much more to it than that. This movie has stayed popular for more than a decade because it's a story of how love transforms the people who share it. Vivian, a streetwalker with no future, meets Edward, a lonely, heartless business tycoon. To keep from getting hurt, both of them have closed their hearts to the people around them. When they fall in love, they learn that love is worth it, even if you get hurt. Vivian finds that in being loved, and returning that love, she feels validated as a person. She's suddenly aware that she is worthy of respect, including self-respect. ...more

December 9, 2007

How a writer found her culinary voice at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. ...more

November 13, 2007

•The classic Lerner & Loewe love story 'My Fair Lady' starts Wednesday at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. ...more

September 10, 2007