Drs. Marvin Dunn and Paul George working on location

There are probably about a million secret histories hiding in Miami. With so many different cultures and communities coexisting in one place, no two people's versions of the events of the past are likely to match up perfectly. It's beautiful, in a way, but it also means that many of us are missing out on things that are happening right next door.

That's why the new documentary The Black Miami has piqued our interest. Based on Dr. Marvin Dunn's book, Black Miami in the 20th Century, the film describes the history and significance of blacks in South Florida. Regardless of your background, you're sure to be captivated by the stories of The Black Miami, many of which you've likely never heard.
More >>

Some first heard the name Billy Corben in 2001, when he became one of the youngest directors in Sundance history. His next release, Cocaine Cowboys, co-produced with his Rakontur collaborator Alfred Spellman and David Cypkin, would prove to be monumental in its exploration of the cocaine-fueled Miami heydays of the 1980's, and earned him even further notoriety. Lately, he's been the most famous jury foreman in Miami's recent history, and is set to appear in court over tweets and Facebook posts he sent while serving jury duty.

Corben's career has taken him from ESPN to the Tribeca Film Festival and beyond. Cultist caught up with him recently to talk about jury duty, future projects, Miami Beach corruption, and Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, on whom the movie Casino was based.
More >>

Mira que este Britto es un singao!

All the greatest comedic acts of our time have used one recipe for success: an innate sense of showmanship and a keen eye for social commentary. For if not comedians, safe behind the veneer of jokes, who would call Drake an effeminate gorilla? Or even a Puerto Rican tranny?

Both of these popular thoughts remained unvoiced until a certain felt denizen of the 305 took it upon himself to shed some light on the bilingual masses. Pepe Billete is a product of his time -- and his time happens to be our time.

As raunchy as a Richard Pryor and Alvarez Guedez love child, as manic as the entirety of Jim Henson's Muppet Factory, and tempered with the sun-drenched, 90-mile balsero ride of the Mariel boatlift, Pepe Billete is not the voice of the "Ñ" Generation. He's the voice of the vete pa la pinga del coño de su madre generation.

And this weekend, for the first time, you can see him perform live.

More >>

Jacob Katel

Lucille Davis Counts-Sneed, 100 years and going strong

​For many of us, Black History Month is a time to remember the lessons lies we learned in school about America's struggle from slavery to the present day. But Lucille Davis Counts-Sneed needs no textbook. She was born February 2, 1912, in Live Oak, Florida, and celebrated her 100th birthday this Saturday at the historic Greater Bethel A.M.E. Church in Overtown.

"Mama Cille," as she's affectionately known, has been with the church her whole life, and attributes her longevity to the "grace of God."

The centenarian worked as a teacher most of her life in the public schools of Miami-Dade, Jacksonville, and St. Petersburg.
More >>

Jacob Katel

​Well before Skrawberry and Tip Drill were getting "paid more than most doctors" to work the pole, Don Bailey stripped down to his underwear and became the face of quality, affordable flooring in Miami.

Four decades later, the charismatic businessman is still selling carpet -- and wearing the same pair of underwear.

To celebrate 40-years in the business, Bailey recently debuted a brand new ad with an almost-naked senior citizen. The model? Bailey, of course.

We caught up with the Miami flooring king at his Biscayne Boulevard store and talked flooring, women, and conservative backlash. Check out our video.
More >>

flickr via niXerKG

They don't call it the Windy City for nothing.

​We've soured a bit on public art in this city. What with proliferation of Romero Britto and all manner of silly animals being idolized like heathen gods. We blame Chicago for the latter, after all it was the "Cows on Parade" exhibit that started this whole craziness. Well, it looks like the Windy City is up to its old tricks again, and we shudder to think how copycat Miami will react.

An enormous Marilyn Monroe with iconic white dress blowing up from the sewer grate now stands erect in that city and we figure it's just a matter of time before the winds blow the idea southward to Miami. But this time we're ready. Here are six moments in South Florida history that deserve to be immortalized in statue form (and let's pray to avoid Manatee statues in the future).More >>

First God. Then Michael Jackson. from Stretch Ledford on Vimeo.

When veteran photographer, grad student, and university professor Stretch Ledford moved into the Palm Plaza Motel on 14st and NW 1st Avenue, he'd already been producing short video docs in Overtown since 2009. It was when he moved in, though, that he began the process of creating video response kiosks that would show community residents his work at places like People's Barbeque, and the local Wash House, and allow them to record their reactions to them for display on a site he created for the project called Overtowner.com. We spoke to Stretch about his process and want to show you some parts of Overtown life you may not be aware of. Here's what he had to say about the good people he met, how the police made him fear for his life, and fish on Tuesdays.
More >>

Christina Ricci in ABC's Pan Am.

​When ABC airs Pan Am, its new series about the glory days of air travel in the '60s, will it include Miami? After all, the airline began and ended in our city despite living out its heyday at its NYC headquarters. But the Magic City's engagement with aviation doesn't stop there. Three other airlines -- Eastern, National, and Delta -- were also headquartered here. In 1937, Amelia Earhart launched her ill-fated attempt to circumnavigate the globe from the 305. And it was exactly a century ago that the first plane soared over Miami when aviator Howard Gill piloted a biplane furnished by the Wright brothers.

HistoryMiami is marking this notable anniversary with a new exhibit, "Aviation in Miami: The First Hundred Years." So before Christina Ricci wiggles around as a stewardess on the New York-centric Pan Am, see where it all began. We spoke with HistoryMiami's Chief Curator Joanne Hyppolite about the exhibit, which opens this Thursday with a reception and will be on view through July 22, 2012.More >>

cc: jima

​This is the strange but true tale of how I recently spoke with Jackie Gleason, one of the most beloved South Florida entertainers in history. I must admit, it's impossible to exactly explain the logistics, because he's been dead since June 24th, 1987.   

In homage to Mr. Gleason, I have been known to visit his tomb (Gleason is buried in an outdoor mausoleum at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Cemetery in Doral), sometimes at night, after hours, sometimes with a bottle of Jack Daniels, or even Absinthe. So were the circumstances the last time I was out there, drunk and alone, fresh off a fight with my lover. I have transcribed from an iPhone a tape recording that defies all scientific explanation. Subsequently, the recording has accidentally been destroyed (my girlfriend erased it), but the transcription remains.

Jackie Gleason spoke to me from beyond. Here is a copy of the transcription:More >>

The library created a one-off zine of its own for the 'Enter the 90s' exhibition.

​Before the Internet was such a big thing, if you were a creative kid with passion to burn and a knack for stealing photocopies from Office Depot (um, or not), you turned to publishing a zine. These totally do-it-yourself publications were unapologetically tactile. And Subjects spanned anything from handwritten tortured poetry to cleanly typeset tomes that mimicked newsstand fare. The beauty of it all was that there were no rules, and getting a zine usually involved some kind of personal contact, whether by writing a letter or participating in a real-life swap.

It's this spirit that fuels "Enter the Nineties," a new exhibit opening tonight from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the main branch of the Miami-Dade Public Library System. For its annual summer art show, the library created an original zine called Poetry and Power, and invited cultural producers from throughout the city to make their own and swap. More >>