Category: Tampa Bay

Even those who agree with Hillsborough Commissioner Ronda Storms’ (grand) stand on public access TV — and it’s a lot more than south county conservatives — should be able to admit this: she is counterproductive to the cause. Once State Attorney Mark Ober had made the call that what was sophomoric, tasteless and sexually explicit fell short of obscenity, the county’s gaped crusader should have dismounted her soapbox, shut up and concentrated on growth and infrastructure issues.

Instead, she became the issue. Whatever the voyeurship of the “White Chocolate” and “Saheeb’s Dream” shows is, it would arguably be a fraction of that were it not for all the publicity generated by Storms.

Ironically, the ostensible courage of her high-profile convictions isn’t enough to prompt her participation in the upcoming candidate forum put on by the League of Women Voters. That’s because it will be held at the public access TV station. It’s not a “neutral venue,” explains Storms.

Her constituents, none of whom are forced to watch sleazy, brain-dead TV, shouldn’t forget that the best opportunity to size up the candidates was snubbed by Storms. They should expect better from an incumbent, especially such an outspoken one.

The movie line, two and three abreast, wound down the street and snaked around the corner.

In all, nearly 1,000 film fans — anxious, yet well-mannered — had been queuing up.

But not for a “Star Wars'” prequel sequel. And not for anything starring Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Will Smith, Adam Sandler or one of the Rocks, Chris or The.

Nor were they awaiting a toilet-humored, teen-age sex farce or another vehicle for violence. Nor an exercise in special effects and chase scenes masquerading as a feature-length movie.

And, no, they hadn’t come to see something indecipherable, gimmicky and pretentious in the guise of “edgy.”

But for “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” where the only thing gratuitous was the romance.

As in an ending that reminds you why folks still cry at weddings. As in “Moon River” by Henry Mancini. As in Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly. As in classy and feminine. Remember that combination?

The street was Franklin, and the corner was its intersection with Polk. What a delight to have been part of a nearly filled Tampa Theatre for this weekend matinee, one of 13 in its Sunday Classic Movie Series.

Movies as they used to make them; theaters as they used to build them; crowds as they used to attract them. And entertain them. An older demographic, skewed toward females. But a lot of couples. Not a backward-baseball-capped, 15-year-old boy in sight.

Exact attendance was 955 — compared to an average of 468 for other Classic Series’ Sundays. For all Tampa Theater screenings, the average is about 100.

John Bell, director of Tampa Theatre, couldn’t have been happier with the response to “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” had he been playing the Mighty Wurlitzer himself.

“It was gratifying — for me and all staff members — to have that kind of turnout,” gushes Bell. “That’s what it’s all about.”

The bottom line, says Bell of the classic series, now in its ninth year, “is getting people in this place. That they may take away a memory that is lasting and positive. But do it in a way that generates resources that lets us do what we do.”

The “take,” including concessions, from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was about $6,000, estimates Bell. Box office gross from the $5 tickets was approximately $3,700. (Some of the 955 patrons were card-carrying, annual Tampa Theatre members who didn’t have to pay — or, yes, wait in line.)

“This is not a profit operation,” points out Bell. “We pay our bills. But that’s not our mission. It’s about getting people into this place. It’s about creating lasting memories filled with beauty, color and light. There’s something special about watching a film here. It’s like a time warp. We do it because, well, because it’s fun.”

But there are frustrations. Putting together such a series is not merely a matter of asking for input and ordering up a classic. Lack of quality 35-millimeter film prints is a serious issue. In fact, it’s the reason why movies such as “Patton” and “Flight of the Phoenix” aren’t included in this summer’s series.

In a lot of cases, explains Bell, studios are unwilling to incur the expense of striking a new film print from a negative (and more if it has to be restored) when little more than negligible profits likely loom on distribution.

“It’s an issue for our nation’s film heritage,” says Bell. “Studios are just not taking care of their inventory of prints.”

But a lot of what they do take care of is targeted by Bell. That includes: “A Night At The Opera” (July 21), “The Gang’s All Here” (July 28), “The Greatest Show on Earth” (Aug. 4), “Sweet Smell of Success” (Aug. 11), “Gone With The Wind” (Aug. 18) and the original, silent version of “Peter Pan” (Aug. 25).

Pasco-Pinellas Circuit Judge Charles Cope pretty much skated from a hearing in front of the Judicial Qualifications Commission last week. The case stems from some boozy escapades while Cope attended a judicial conference in California this spring. The state hearing panel threw out most of the administrative charges — leaving only public intoxication and, uh, “inappropriate conduct of an intimate nature.” The determination on those isn’t expected to be made public for several months.

Cope’s attorney predicted the judge would be reprimanded but allowed to remain on the bench. No predictions, however, were proffered by Mrs. Cope, the ultimate judge.

USF President Judy Genshaft has said she would announce her decision about what to do with Sami-Al-Arian by August. She obviously wants to fire the suspended (with pay) Palestinian professor suspected of having terrorist ties.

The university, however, is paying for its bungled approach. It’s still using the regrettable ruse of breach of contract (saying Al-Arian should only speak for himself and the guys at the mosque — not USF) and campus safety as the rationale. It should have had the candor and guts to say that sponsoring, hiring and helping to fundraise for terrorists is a fire-able offense, among other transgressions.

So USF is in a bind.

Al-Arrogant has become an academic-freedom cause celebre among the elbow-patch-and-pipe set for whom terrorism is just another real world abstraction. In fact, USF now faces academic terrorism in the form of censure by the American Association of University Professors. Fallout from the AAUP’s dirty bombast could be harmful. The Scarlet C is especially threatening to a relatively young university such as USF, which is in the midst of rapid growth and ratcheting reputation. It can severely impact faculty hiring and retention. It likely already has.

USF has been told, in effect, by the AAUP that if it fires Al-Arian, it will be censured. (West) Bank on it. But all it has to do to avoid such a consequence is reinstate him. It’s that simple. Extortion isn’t very complicated.

What war on terrorism? This is an attack on tenure.

For too long there’s been a lot not to like about the building that is Tampa’s art museum. Too small, too inaccessible, too unattractive.

By the end of 2004, however, that will change with the scheduled completion of the $52-million, Rafael Vinoly-designed Tampa Museum of Art.

You’ve already heard about the makeover it means for downtown. I don’t doubt its impact and synergistic potential. Nor its egalitarian appeal as an urban-space retreat for visitors, art patrons and lunch-hour amblers and local passers-by.

I’m just wondering about the most recognized feature, the one that would share skyline billing with the University of Tampa minarets. That would be the “urban canopy” or elevated loggia of interlocking girding 100 feet above the museum — and extending north and south as well as out over half of Ashley Drive.

At night it will reflect light and should be spectacular as the gateway to downtown. It will probably merit the “wow” label mandated by Mayor Dick Greco.

By the light of day, however, I’m still envisioning the mother of all municipal carports.

By the shadows of day, however, temperatures should be lowered by 10-15 degrees. The one-word, daylight label may not be “wow.” But it may be even better. It will be “thanks.”

In the post-9/11 world, America’s flight schools will never be the same. They’re obviously much more mindful of who’s taking lessons — and why. As is the F.B.I., which swears it’s no longer memo-challenged.

Now the Bureau is looking at dive shops, including several in the Tampa Bay area. Presumably memos noting Middle Eastern students showing no interest in surfacing will not go unaddressed.

The Diocese of St. Petersburg seems mad as, well, hell — and it’s not going to take it any more. Bad publicity that is.

That’s what accusations of sexual abuse, financial improprieties and victim payoffs have wrought these past tumultuous months. It’s beyond the point of frustrated parishioners and church leaders writing letters to the editor and turning off their TV sets. It’s apparently beyond pulpit power, letters to the laity, a church newspaper and “Spirit FM” Catholic radio.

It’s time to bring in a crisis management expert — someone with a spin doctorate.

Enter Bob Carter, a St. Petersburg public relations expert. His credentials include helping advise the Devil Rays on image-building. Carter has been retained by diocesan general counsel Joseph DiVito, who treats the subject of Carter’s fee as if it had been negotiated in confession. He won’t discuss it or even if the money comes from, say, Catholics. DiVito said it wasn’t a “dollar-for-dollar wash-through.”

Oh.

Presumably Carter didn’t advise DiVito on that response. Perhaps he will have more success suggesting the Rays unload Wilson Alvarez, Greg Vaughn, Vince Naimoli, Chuck LaMar and Tropicana Field.

Anyhow, here’s a suggestion. For free.

Return to basics. Don’t be cute, evasive, arrogant and loopholier than thou. Tell the truth. Directly. About who did what to whom and what, if anything, happened as a result. About the exact dollar value and nature of no-bid construction contracts. About why the diocese would pay $100,000 to a former spokesman who looked good in a Speedo bathing suit and said he had been sexually harassed by Bishop Robert Lynch.

Remember the 8th Commandment? Not bearing false witness; telling the truth. It still applies.

Not only does Hyde Park United Methodist Church on West Platt Street have a sense of parishioner priority and community commitment, it also has a sense of irony — and humor. The church recently purchased the nearby Magnolia Tavern and Sports Bar. When renovated, it’s likely to be used for Sunday School classes, Boy Scout meetings and — Alcoholics Anonymous gatherings.

A large banner on the side of the erstwhile gin mill says it all: “Now Under New Ownership.”

Now that the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test determines whether a high school student can graduate, we have the issue of seniors-to-be who have yet to pass it. A lot of them. For example, a quarter of the class of 2003 at Wharton High School is yet to pass.

Moreover, some of them are Bright Futures scholars.

There’s a lot not to like about the FCATs and no lack of understandable backlash. But when Bright Futures “scholars” can’t pass the 10th grade reading-and-math FCAT, the fault may not be the FCAT’s.

This much seems certain by now. There’s nothing worth watching on public access TV. If it’s not vacuous, it’s vulgar. But no one, of course, has to watch. What you can’t escape, however, is the public controversy over the “White Chocolate” pubic access show. Besides cultural flotsam, it also promotes political opportunism and constitutional con artists.

But amid the dissonant dialogue there emerged a voice of reason and candor. It belonged to Louise Thompson, president of the board of directors of Speak Up Tampa Bay, the non-profit group that manages the Tampa Bay Community Network.

“Public access is only a reflection of this community,” she opined. Ouch.