The Specktator

Around Town events: May 10 through 16

kaspeckman — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:08:51 +0000

In case you missed my ramblings on First Coast Connect this morning (or you can’t pull yourself away from watching the unintentionally hilarious 2010 FSCJ convocation video on an endless loop), here’s what’s coming up this week Around Town:

Thursday, May 10
Fashion on the Fairway
6-9 PM, Sawgrass Marriott lobby bar

Thursday, May 10
Lady Antebellum
7 PM, Veterans Memorial Arena

Friday, May 11
Art of Fighting
7 PM, Veterans Memorial Arena

Saturday, May 12
Jax Cash Mob
1 PM, MOJO #4

Saturday, May 12
Dine on the Wild Side
7 PM, St. Augustine Alligator Farm

Saturday, May 12–Sunday, May 13
Funk Fest
Metro Park

Sunday, May 13
Mama’s Day Steel Magnolias Brunch
11 AM, Sun-ray Cinema

Saturday, May 13–Friday, June 8
Amelia Island Chamber Fest
times and locations vary by event

Wednesday, May 16
WILCO
7 PM, St. Augustine Amphitheatre

Just announced: Joyce DeWitt will star in Sam Bobrick’s romantic comedy, Remember Me at Alhambra Theatre & Dining, September 5–October 7.

Go “Around Town” with Kerry “The Specktator” Speckman on First Coast Connect on 89.9 FM every Thursday around 9:45 AM.

Krispy Kreme race sounds pretty sweet

kaspeckman — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:16:06 +0000

If you think Run for the Pies is a strange combination, just wait until you hear about the Jax Krispy Kreme 3-Mile Challenge taking place June 1, 2012.

Sponsored by Personal Running Solutions and AlterG Jax, this inaugural race dares participants to run one mile, then devour four Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Runners can compete as individuals, meaning they have to run a total of three miles and eat a dozen doughnuts, or as part of a three-person team, where each member runs one mile and eats four doughnuts.

For those of you who think that running with a belly full of sugary, fried cakes is contrary to the whole purpose of exercising in the first place, it may interest you to know that you can actually burn off the calories from the doughnuts provided if you run each mile in 10 minutes—at 22.5 miles per hour.

Registration is now open: $20 for individuals, $40 for teams of three in advance; $35 and $60 the day of. Please note the race is BYOBB (Bring Your Own Barf Bag).

Nice to meat you!

kaspeckman — Mon, 07 May 2012 05:18:49 +0000

I suppose the nearly 60 teams that competed in the Jacksonville Backyard BBQ Championships were thrilled with the opportunity of winning the title of Grand Champion and all of the rights and privileges thereto appertaining. As a celebrity stalker, however, I was excited for the chance to mix and mingle with local politicians, TV personalities, pro athletes and chefs, not to mention, shovel delicious barbecued meats down my gullet.

Since it was a blind tasting, I can’t really give you my opinion of the winners in each discipline seeing as that I don’t know whose food was whose. But I can tell you the who’s who of barbecue judges…

This year’s judges included State Attorney Angela Corey, Duval County Tax Collector Michael Corrigan, The Morning Show anchor and consumer reporter Nikki Kimbleton and meteorologist Rebecca Barry of WJXT Channel 4, Steve Sutton of 99.9 Gator Country, the very tardy First Coast News reporter Ken Amaro (and “I’m Telling Ken” it’s not polite to show up an hour late for an event you are asked to participate in), former PGA player and TV broadcaster Steve Melnyk, and Jaguars players DE Aaron Morgan, OT Daniel Baldridge (I’ll save you the Google search: He’s 6’8″) and DT D’Anthony Smith.

Given Corey‘s recent attention in the national spotlight, I wasn’t expecting her to participate as advertised, but there she was chowing down on chicken, pork and ribs with some of the Jags players (which is more than we can say for Sheriff John Rutherford and Basketball Hall of Famer Artis Gilmore, who chickened out—literally). Corey may be “one of Florida’s toughest prosecutors” (according to the New York Daily News), but she couldn’t have been any nicer to this celebrity stalker.

The event was hosted and organized by Jaguars radio host and face behind Cole Pepper’s Blackjack BBQ sauce Cole Pepper, a celeb in his own right, to benefit the Daniel Kids Foundation.

Special note to Cole: I had great time! Your team was fabulous, and the food was amazing. Feel free to invite me to any other carnivorous judging events in the future.

Jon Bello almost puts the ‘win’ in ‘wings’

kaspeckman — Sun, 06 May 2012 05:27:17 +0000

Professional gurgitator Jon Bello looks to carry on the tradition of his mentor, the recently retired Hall “Hoover” Hunt, by repping Jacksonville in the world of competitive eating. Currently ranked #39 in the world by Major League Eating, Bello ate 125 wings in 10 minutes to take second place in the Hooters World Wing-Eating Championship held tonight at the Jacksonville Landing. Making the victory even sweeter was the fact that Bello bested #3-ranked Tim “Eater X” Janus by one wing.

Adrian Morgan (#7) of Baton Rouge, La. won first place and set a new world record by eating 151 wings (are you clucking kidding me?).

“I’m shocked,” Bello told me right after the event. So, too, was Eater X, who made a hasty retreat back to his hotel room … I wonder if his face paint is tear-proof.

STALKER ALERT: A pack of Jags and maybe a ‘stache

kaspeckman — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:01:39 +0000

It’s NFL draft day. As a celebrity stalker, I couldn’t care less about the actual draft and who goes where. What I do care about, however, is where the actual Jaguars players (who are, at the very, least J-list celebs) are going to be. Fifteen players, including Blaine Gabbert and his hair, are scheduled be at the Markets at Town Center (between Whiskey River, Blackfinn and SUITE) tonight.

The party gets started at 6:30 PM and features appearances by the brand new members of the ROAR, a performance by the totally awesome D-line, DJ Chill Will spinning the tunes, prizes and autograph sessions with players.

According to a very reliable source (who is not Jaxson de Ville, for the record), here’s where the players will be in case you want to line up early…

Tent 1
• Blaine Gabbert
• Will Rackley
• Rashad Jennings (I dare someone to ask him how he, as a professional athlete, felt about losing at dodgeball to a ragtag magazine staff … Jax Magma rules!)
• Cecil Shorts

Tent 2
• Jeremy Mincey (trivia: Mr. Mince and future Grammy winner J. Dash are BFFs)
• D’Anthony Smith
• Tyson Alualu
• Derek Cox (I had the pleasure of meeting him at Guns ‘N Hoses a couple of weeks ago and he was a delightful young man … even if he was sitting in no-show former NBA star Otis Smith’s seat and didn’t even know who he was. Tsk-tsk.)
• Laurent Robinson

Inside Whiskey River
• Jammie Cirlew
• Kevin Rutland
• Corvey Irvin

Former players including Mike Hollis, Damon Jones and Don Davey are also scheduled to appear. And I hear the mustachioed one himself, Shad Khan, may even made a brief appearance before heading to the war room.

If all that hoopla is too much for you, head on over to Pele’s Woodfire in Riverside for a more civilized draft party with Paul “Poz” Posluszny. I would be curious to see which is bigger in diameter: his neck or one of Pele’s meatballs. Feel free to let me know.

And in case you are wondering, Maurice Jones-Drew won’t be anywhere near Jax tonight, as he’s still at his home in California. I know there is talk of a contract dispute, but give the guy a break: He just got married!

Anyone who does go to either draft day even, feel free to share your photos with me at info@thespeckator.com or via Twitter @TheSpecktator. I will be otherwise engaged at a rehearsal dinner, pardon the pun.

Around Town: April 26

kaspeckman — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:21:07 +0000

In case you missed my ramblings on First Coast Connect this morning (or you’re are so hyped about the NFL draft you weren’t paying attention), here’s what’s coming up this week Around Town:

Thursday, April 26
Author Tim O’Brien
7 PM, Main Library

Thursday, April 26
Jaguars Host the NFL Draft Party
6:30 PM, Markets at St. Johns Town Center

Thursday, April 26
Paul Poslusny hosts NFL Draft Party
7 PM, Pele’s Woodfire

Thursday, April 26
Dining Out for Life
check website for participating restaurants

Thursday, April 26–Satuday, April 28
Kevin Pollack
times vary, Comedy Zone

Friday, April 27
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
7 PM, Florida Theatre

Friday, April 27–Sunday, April 29
Rhythm & Ribs Festival
Francis Field, St. Augustine

Saturday, April 28
Taste of St. Augustine
noon–8 PM, St. Augustine Amphitheatre

Saturday, April 28
ExZOOberation
6:30 PM, Jacksonville Zoo

Saturday, April 28
Mad Cowford’s Comedy for Critters
7 PM, Hotel Indigo

Sunday, April 29
Welcome to Rockville
11 AM, Metropolitan Park

Sunday, April 29
Bill Cosby
2 PM, Times-Union Center

Also, the Ms. Senior Jacksonville Pageant is still accepting contestants 60 years young and up. The event takes place June 9.

Go “Around Town” with Kerry “The Specktator” Speckman on First Coast Connect on 89.9 FM every Thursday around 9:45 AM.

Around Town events: April 19

kaspeckman — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:40:14 +0000

In case you missed my ramblings on First Coast Connect this morning (or you’re still so excited about Brangelina getting engaged you couldn’t concentrate), here’s what’s coming up this week Around Town:

Thursday, April 19–Sunday, April 22
Sawgrass Fine Festival
times and locations vary by event

Friday, April 20
Bootleggers Ball
7 PM, The Garden Club

Friday, April 20-Sunday, April 22
Southeast U.S. Boat Show
times vary by day, Metropolitan Park

Saturday, April 21–Sunday, April 22
RAP Spring Tour of Homes
Riverside Avondale Historic District

Saturday, April 21
Katie Ride for Life
8 AM, Atlantic Recreation Center, Fernandina Beach

Saturday, April 21
Hands-On for Hope: Family Fest
10 AM-3 PM, Atlantic Coast High School

Saturday, April 21
Jax RollerGirls Doubleheader
6 PM, UNF Arena

Saturday, April 21
Jacksonville Children’s Chorus: Journey of Hope
7:30 PM, Atlantic Coast High School, Performing Arts Center

Saturday, April 21-Sunday, April 22
Flower and Garden Expo
St. Johns County Agricultural Center

Sunday, April 22
Jacksonville Turkish Festival
10 AM-7 PM, FSCJ South Campus

Sunday, April 22
Tour de Farm
noon–5 PM, various locations

Sunday, April 22
Miss Teen Jax 2012
4 PM, Morocco Shrine Center

Also, the Ms. Senior Jacksonville Pageant is still accepting contestants 60 years young and up. The event takes place June 9.

Go “Around Town” with Kerry “The Specktator” Speckman on First Coast Connect on 89.9 FM every Thursday around 9:45 AM.

Around Town events: April 12

kaspeckman — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:40:00 +0000

In case you missed my ramblings on First Coast Connect this morning (or if you’re still so “appalled” by the April cover of Jacksonville Magazine you couldn’t even listen to me) here’s what’s coming up this week Around Town:

Thursday, April 12–Sunday, April 15
The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron?
times vary, Wilson Center for the Arts, FSCJ South Campus

Friday, April 13
Martina McBride
8 PM, St. Augustine Amphitheatre

Friday, April 13-Sunday, April 15
Springing the Blues
Sea Walk Pavilion, Jacksonville Beach

Saturday, April 14
Tim Tebow Celebrity Golf Classic
9 AM, TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course

Saturday, April 14
Ben Folds
8 PM, Times-Union Center

Saturday, April 14
The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron?
10 AM–5 PM, Orange Park City Hall

Saturday, April 14
Guns ‘n Hoses Fight Night
6:30 PM, Times-Union Center

Sunday, April 15
Daughtry
7:30 PM, Times-Union Center

Monday, April 16
Van Halen
8 PM, Times-Union Center

And don’t forget to file your taxes by Tuesday, April 17 at midnight!

Go “Around Town” with Kerry “The Specktator” Speckman on First Coast Connect on 89.9 FM every Thursday around 9:45 AM.

Look-a-locals: Friend at E. Street

kaspeckman — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:37:54 +0000

I ran into my friend Melinda (left) at European Street Cafe in Riverside the other day, and it struck me how much she reminded me of Diane Ladd (middle), better known as Laura Dern’s mother and Belle Dupree on Alice (aka the one after the one after Flo). So I asked her if she ever gets told that she looks like someone famous.

She says she usually gets Lori Ann from Reba, actress Park Overall (right), who those of us over 30 might remember from Empty Nest (you know, the one with Kristy McNichol, Marty from Grease, crazy Burt from Soap and Joe Isuzu).

What say you, Specktator readers? I’ve got money riding on this one…

Most popular topics & articles of the week

kaspeckman — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 04:31:59 +0000

Photo credit: Laura Evans Photography Crappy masking credit: The Specktator

And so the curtain drops on another week of celebrity stalking, local event reporting and gorging myself on local cuisine—all for you, the loyal readers of The Specktator. Realizing you may not have time to read my yet-to-be-award-winning blog every day (particularly since I may skip a couple), I figured I’d save you the time and give you the most requested topics on the site and most popular articles of the week.

I’m selfless like that, you know.

Most requested topics on the site:
1. “J. Dash”
2. “David Garrard”
3. “Tim Tebow girlfriend”
4. “Leanza Cornett”
5. “Shad Khan yacht”