Spicy Monkey
Restaurateurs Eddie Nickell and Nick Olivieri, the creative minds behind Funky Monkey Wine Company and Bananas Diner, are quietly developing yet another unique venture for downtown Orlando. The latest enterprise, called The Prickly Pear (not “Pair”), will feature southwestern fare. Nickell was cagy about further details, but offered this tasty ease: “We are in negotiations with several locations. We are not yet announcing what is coming, but more is coming.” Nickell and Olivieri are currently prepping for the grand-opening of The Funky Monkey Vault, a wine and retail shop located in the Mills-50 District. And just last month, Nickell was appointed as the first openly gay president of the Central Florida chapter of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA).
Wobbling Wanzie
Thunderous thespian Michael Wanzie is being forced to take an unplanned intermission. His latest production, Christopher Durang's Laughing Wild was pushed back after Wanzie took a backward tumble onto concrete while moving set pieces out of the Footlight Theatre. The accident resulted in a broken wrist, back pain and severe Oxycotin-induced loopiness. Laughing Wild will now open for a limited three-show engagement at The Footlight Theatre on Wednesday evening March 16 at 8 PM. Additional performance dates are Sunday March 20 at 6PM and Monday March 28 at 8PM.
You Look Familiar
Center director Randy Stevens did a double-take when he saw a photo posted on Facebook pulled from mugshotsusa.com. That's because it was the same guy who jumped on stage at Diva Invasion last year with a large fake $50,000 check for the Zebra Coalition, boldly promising another million for the umbrella organization for LGBT youth support groups. According to Stevens, the 23-year-old con man also had $2,000 worth of t-shirts delivered to The Center”and then stuck them with the bill. The Pinellas County arrest was for DUI and assaulting an arresting officer. Classy guy.
Ellen's Back
Ellen DeGeneres is bringing her show back to Universal Orlando. She'll tape two shows on the oh-so-accessible lagoon stage at Universal CityWalk on Sunday, April 3. Expect big crowds and high energy. “We're heading back to Universal Orlando,” DeGeneres said on her show last week. “I have a great time there. I meet people, ride the rides and I get an amazing tan”from my knees to my shoes.” It's Ellen's fifth trip to the resort.
