Orlando, Florida - in Popular Culture

In Popular Culture

Portions of the 1959 novel Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank take place in Orlando including McCoy Air Force Base (now Orlando International Airport). Orlando was later revealed to have been destroyed in two nuclear bomb blasts, one downtown and one at the air base. The main town in the series, Fort Repose, was based on nearby Mount Dora.

The low-budget films Ernest Saves Christmas, Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, and Never Back Down take place in and were filmed entirely in Orlando. Other major motion pictures filmed in Orlando include Passenger 57, D.A.R.Y.L., Jaws 3, My Girl, Parenthood, Problem Child 2, Lethal Weapon 3, Dead Presidents, The Waterboy, Olive Juice, and Monster.

Scenes were also filmed for the Transformers: Dark of the Moon sequel at the Orlando International Airport in early October 2010.

Exterior shots of Orlando's Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium were used in the television series Coach. In the show, the Citrus Bowl was the home stadium of the fictional Orlando Breakers franchise during the series' final two seasons (1995–1997).

Orlando is home to numerous recording studios and producers, and as a result, contributed heavily to the Boy Band craze of the mid-1990s. The groups Backstreet Boys, NSync, and O-Town all started in Orlando before becoming nationwide successes. The alternative group Matchbox Twenty is from Orlando, as is the Christian hip-hop act Group 1 Crew. The city is home to Florida Breaks, with prominent DJs DJ Icey and DJ Baby Anne hailing from Orlando. They still spin at Orlando clubs. Orlando also has a prominent metal scene, spawning bands such as Death.

The songs "Orlando" by The Ugly Americans, "Welcome to Orlando" by Kilowatthours, and "Orlando" by Smilez & Southstar are based on the city. Orlando is also mentioned in Wyclef Jean's "Thug Angels" and "Perfect Gentleman", "Area Codes" by Ludacris, "I Am Not Locked Down" by TReal, "Whoot! There It Is!" by 95 South, and many songs from DJ Magic Mike.

In the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, Elder Price's dream mission location is Orlando. He treats Orlando as a sort of paradise, and dreams of escaping there.

The Chevrolet Orlando is named after the city. In the novel Paper Towns by Jon Green, the setting is in Orlando Florida, and many references are made to the city of Orlando and how it is a paper town.