Knock knock ✊

Anyone home?

Neighborhood news delivery service here to say, so much has rocked the arts and entertainment world since we last spoke two weeks ago.

Tina Turner died. Orlando Fringe came and went. Fans braved Daytona Beach’s Welcome to Rockville amid stormy weather.

ClickO writer Sam here with you again to decompress and revel in all of it.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t start off by saying the industry was punctured by a huge loss following Tina Turner’s death. I felt it especially in the most unexpected of places — my weekly Pilates class.

There are quite a few older people in that class with me, and I overheard some of them talking about seeing Tina Turner in concert. So it got me thinking. Do any of you have any Tina Turner stories? I’d love to hear them.

But getting back to local news, did any of you all hit the Orlando Fringe?! If so, send any pictures/videos you took to our PinIt! page. I know I’d enjoy reliving it all again.

For me, it was such a fun time seeing out-of-state friends in town for the festival, watching creative and inspiring local theater, and of course, hitting up the Beer Tent and food trucks on the lawn.

I didn’t get to see as much as I wanted to (there were thousands of ticketed performances), but of the shows I did catch, I wanted to give a special shoutout to the cast and crew of “Ain’t Done Bad,” “Your Mom’s in my Top 8 : A Pop-Punk Celebration,” and “Designated Debaters” (featuring dear friends 💖) for being absolute standouts! These are all shows to look out for should they be resurrected in the coming years (here’s hoping)!

But that’s in the past. Gaze into my crystal ball and see what’s in local entertainment’s future. 🔮

Let’s go to the movies 🍿

Summer is here and what better way to escape the heat than in a nice, cool theater? That’s where Regal comes in.

It’s offering $2 tickets for family-friendly movies at multiple locations. The 2023 Summer Movie Express runs through Sept. 6 and gives families the opportunity to watch two showings of cheaper movies a week.

Want to see what flicks are featured? Click here.

Closer Look Q&A: See the Stars ✨

AANHPI Heritage Month may be over, but that’s no reason to stop celebrating the incredible talent within the community when we see it.

My colleague Carolina Cardona sat down with Miho Inaba, the STAR of the Cirque du Soleil show at Disney Springs. She chatted about how she hoped her story, and the “Drawn to Life” show, serves as inspiration for other multicultural children, like she was growing up.

Read more about how you can get tickets to see her and the rest of the acrobatic cast here.

More Music, Movies and Mayhem Near You 🎶📽️🤯

🎹 Three Latin legends. One Orlando stage. Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin and Pitbull are bringing their “Trilogy Tour” to the Amway Center. And registration for presale tickets is already open. Find all the information you need here.

🎸 Talk about a “perfect” day at school. Grammy Award-winning artist Ed Sheeran recently dropped in on students at a Florida high school during their band practice. Check out a video of his heartwarming surprise appearance here.

🎭 This Florida drama teacher has just been recognized for changing young lives. Jason Zembuch-Young, artistic director of the public South Plantation High School, received a special Tony Award for closing the gap between the deaf and hearing worlds in his productions. Read all about it here.

🎙️ She’s La-Belle of the ball. OK, that was bad, but this legendary singer is most certainly not. She’s actually one of the greatest. Patti LaBelle is gracing the Melbourne stage with her presence later this year and tickets go on sale TODAY. Want one? Click here.

End Credits 🎬

Thanks for sticking around to hear about the latest arts endeavors bringing Central Florida to life!

If you have anything you would like to hear more about or if you’re an artist or know an artist that has an upcoming project you want to see shimmer in the spotlight, please email me, Sam Dunne, at sdunne@wkmg.com.

Don’t worry, I don’t bite. Only sing and dance.