If you’re one of those jaded Miamians who likes to criticize the city as consisting of little more than aspiring hipsters and shiny new overpriced condo buildings, then it’s obvious that you haven’t yet been down to Cauley Square. From U.S. 1 it is indicated by little more than a…
When a new nightspot gets written up in the New York Times, it can make or break the club’s cool factor. The bright spotlight of the Gray Lady’s cultural coverage is working well for Gemma Lounge. When Alex Quesada featured it in his Miami Beach travel story on February 11,…
Trinidad’s carnival is an extremely visual celebration — everywhere you look, scantily clad women are drenched in glitter and sweat, while grown men are wearing bright feathered headdresses. But what propels the unflagging festivity ever forward is the music. Soca music’s speeded-up, syncopated beats require a minute of adjustment for…
So around this time last year, we wrote an article about the annual Bob Marley Movement Caribbean Fest that was heartfelt, but apparently aroused the displeasure of the event’s organizers. Could it be that the awkward interview struck a chord? Possibly so — this year’s event lineup is ten times…
In America, youngsters grow up on the heavy beats of hip-hop, and the music culturally influences fashion and dance. In India, the big sound is bhangra, and the infectious rhythms and lively dancing have a rabid following worldwide. Bhangra beats have emerged from the Punjab region to become the soundtrack…
During festival season, Miami hosts celebrations for all kinds of delicious edibles. From Andalusian cuisine to white zinfandel wine, they all get a moment in the sun. So it’s kind of surprising that our city has never before hosted a fete for everyone’s favorite plant-derived sweet treat. Fairchild Tropical Botanic…
Back in the Twenties, when the Harlem Globetrotters were based in Chicago, the tall, strapping members of the stunt basketball team were seen as heroes. In the era before the civil rights movement, the all-black ballers demonstrated their skills before a vast variety of audiences and helped to change prejudiced…
Neil LaBute has a reputation for deliberate misogyny. His edgy dramas like In the Company of Men and Your Friends and Neighbors didn’t win him any friends among his fellow worshipers in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. After courting controversy with Bash: Latter-Day Plays, LaBute got the…
Raise your hand if you remember watching Savion Glover grow up on Sesame Street. Congratulations! You’re rapidly approaching 30. The always-talented tap dancer starred on the seminal children’s television program for five seasons, honing his footwork alongside the likes of Gina, Grover, and Telly Monster back in the early Nineties…
Most of today’s radio hip-hop is like a value meal from KFC – deep-fried, controversial, and ultimately unhealthy. Tired of watching the community gorge itself on garbage, activist and event organizer Tony Muhammed is offering a nutritious and appetizing alternative. This year’s two-day Organic Hip-Hop Conference is themed “Music, Culture,…
Shhh. Don’t let the Academy know, but the usual credo of nominating art-house snooze fests seems to have been abandoned for this year’s Oscars. Many of the contenders are actually fun-to-watch films made by unlikely Tinseltown heroes. Scorsese’s The Departed is leading the pack, and Miami Beach Cinematheque founder Dana…
It’s been a few months now that Movies by the Bay has been entertaining local audiences at the Bayfront Park Amphitheater, and finally, Miamians get it. Duh, Movies by the Bay isn’t a one-time event – it takes place every day! And with its stunning outdoor venue, it provides a…
On a purely surface level, haters might try to take umbrage with the Shelley Novak Awards. The annual South Beach drag queen awards ceremony gives accolades to cross-dressers in such categories as Best Latin Drag and Most Glamorous, all presented by a stocky dude with an irrepressible Bostonian accent who…
Duffy’s Tavern is the perfect place to make a sudsy pit stop after work, scarf a juicy burger on a lazy Sunday afternoon, or get pleasantly trashed to Metallica or your Irish jig of choice (there’s a reason we gave them Best Jukebox in last year’s Best of Miami issue)…
First Port Royal was known as “the wickedest city on earth,” a mecca for pirates, privateers, and prostitutes who enjoyed the spoils of this thriving coastal town in Jamaica. After the earthquake of 1692 caused two thirds of Port Royal to crash into the Caribbean Sea, they called it “the…
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has never been a barometer for the popularity of films in America. The apparently whimsical vicissitudes of Oscar have become something of a joke among Hollywood artists, who always claim that it’s an honor just to be nominated even if they really…
If you’re wandering along Miracle Mile today and happen to hear booming drums and cymbals in the distance, don’t be afraid. In an effort to bring a splash of color and culture to the “City Beautiful,” Coral Gables is hosting a Chinese New Year celebration at Merrick Park, across from…
What has eight legs and is smarter than your average reality television star? If you guessed the octopus, the most popular of the cephalopods, you get the prize. The tentacled undersea creature has long held the fascination of scientists, and for Dr. Roger Hanlon, the attraction began in his late…
There are many reasons to head north to the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) this week, ranging from a rare screening of George Harrison’s fantastic Concert for Bangladesh (timed to commemorate the late Beatle’s birthday), to Sundance favorites like Old Joy. This year, as part of the Black History…
Eighty-eight percent of the nation’s cut flowers come in through Miami International Airport. Baby’s breath from Ecuador, roses from Colombia, asters from Costa Rican, and orchids from Thailand will all be deposited, inspected, and – if need be — fumigated in a warehouse right off of our airport’s busy tarmac…
Close your eyes and imagine what Dinner in Paradise might taste like. The feast would likely include the freshest vegetables, the most succulent meats, and a heaping helping of manna for dessert. There won’t be any miraculous flakes from the sky served tonight at Paradise Farms, but host Michael Schwartz…
Chocolate and wine are essential for the romantic’s favorite day of the year, and if we may, we suggest a third addition to that list: curiously strong mints. If you want your evening to conclude with a goodnight kiss and then some, bypass the typical menthol candy and chewing gum…
