Miami News Blog

Lincoln Diaz-Balart

Best Political Comeback
The Diaz-Balart brothers

It was right there in black-and-white, on the cover of your Miami New Times: "End of the Diaz-Balart Dynasty." Just weeks before election night, scores of polls showed both Mario and Lincoln -- Cuban-American icons and Miami's reps in Washington for years -- trailing their Democratic challengers. Obama-mentum was sweeping the country, ripping Red State seats out from under longtime untouchables. Young Cuban-Americans, everyone said, were ready for a change and didn't feel tied to the Republican Party the way their parents did.

Then November 4 rolled around. Like Castro-hating, earmark-eating zombies, the Diaz-Balarts rose from the political graveyard and dominated the polls. Lincoln won 58-42 over former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez. Mario smacked down wonder boy Joe Garcia by four points. And the dynasty, for another two years, lives on.

Full list of winners June 10 via bestof.miaminewtimes.com, June 11 on newsstands.

(New Times Best of Miami issue hits the streets this week. With this post, Riptide 2.0 provides an appetizer. The main course/entire issue will appear on the website Tuesday afternoon.)

Best Boy Made Good
Mickey Rourke

Mickey Rourke's redemption has been the stuff Hollywood makes movies about. Only an independent filmmaker made it and it starred Rourke himself. Rourke's portrayal of washed-up wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson earned him a Golden Globe, a British Academy Award, and an Oscar nomination and has put him back on the A-list map with more roles in future big-budget releases. It's a far cry from the cautionary tale he had become.

A student of the Actor's Studio, Rourke was loved by critics for his rugged and raw portrayals when he burst onto the scene in 1981. Other actors, such as Sean Penn, would visit his sets just to watch him work. But then the personal demons took over. Drug abuse, bizarre career choices, and his decision to become a professional boxer derailed him. One moment he's being called the best actor since Marlon Brando, the next he's getting his cheekbone and nose obliterated in boxing rings and being arrested in South Beach for driving a scooter under the influence.

Mirroring Rourke more than any character he will ever play is The Wrestler's Randy the Ram, a once bright star who faded into obscurity, while abusing drugs and suffering irreparable harm to his body. It was the right role at the right time. It's almost as if Rourke's life had been one long Method-acting prep for that role. And now, thanks to that film, Mickey Rourke is back.

Full list of winners June 10 via bestof.miaminewtimes.com, June 11 on newsstands.

Carlos Ramos/Miami Fever

Best Street Photographer
Carlos Ramos (AKA Miami Fever)
miami-fever.com
iaminmiami.com

With the advent of the now ubiquitous camera phone and cheap broadband, almost anyone can become a famous photographer overnight. Well, not quite anyone. There's still this little thing called talent that isn't quite universally available yet. But Carlos Ramos definitely has it. Ramos is the shutterbug known to his many fans as Miami Fever. Day after day for the past several years, he's uploaded thousands of images that seemingly capture the city's very soul -- freezing the most intimate moments in a maelstrom called Miami. Not only does Ramos give the snootiest art snobs rich images to revel in, but also many of his photographs cater to the more pedestrian loves of beautiful women and expensive cars, meaning there is something for everyone to like. If Ramos continues to follow his current trajectory, he has the potential of becoming a photographic superstar on the level of Henri Cartier-Bresson or Garry Winogrand. Yes, he's that good.

Full list of winners June 10 via bestof.miaminewtimes.com, June 11 on newsstands.

New Times Best of Miami issue hits the streets this week. With this post, Riptide 2.0 provides an appetizer. The main course/entire issue will appear on the website Tuesday afternoon.

Best Politician
Michelle Spence-Jones

She was elected in 2005, and not a moment has passed without controversy for Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones. Her former political opponent, Richard Dunn, sued her in Miami-Dade Circuit Court the second she took office, claiming she bought votes, and two years later, commission colleague Marc Sarnoff accused her of public corruption. Yet, in spite of the troubles dogging her short political career, Spence-Jones has not only survived Miami's cutthroat politics but also successfully leveraged her position to help the people who matter to her -- the predominantly black residents living in Overtown, Liberty City, Allapattah, and other low-income neighborhoods in her district. Under her watch, the Overtown/Park West Community Redevelopment Agency has finally begun to make inroads into revitalizing the long-neglected historically black community. She made sure the agency spent millions of dollars fixing up storefronts and streets along NW Third Avenue in Overtown, including a $752,903 renovation of Jackson Soul Food Restaurant. Yet Spence-Jones didn't really flex her political muscle until it came time for her to vote for the controversial Marlins stadium deal. Fresh from maternity leave, Spence-Jones channeled late great black leaders M. Athalie Range and Arthur Teele Jr., leveraging her vote to make sure her constituents were taken care of. If the Overtown CRA didn't get $500 million it was promised from the city and the county, she would vote against the stadium. An avalanche of criticism descended on Spence-Jones. But she held her ground. Her gambit paid off. She got the $500 million for Overtown. Florida International University political science professor Marvin Dunn sums up the commissioner: "I have nothing but praise for the stand that Spence-Jones has taken: Show us the money. Nothing wrong with that. Bringing home the proverbial bacon is what we expect our politicians to do."

Full list of winners June 10 via bestof.miaminewtimes.com, June 11 on newsstands.

If you haven't done so yet, remember: today is the last day you can vote for Best of Miami Readers' Poll. This is your only chance to give a Best of Miami award to who you think truly deserves it. So vote now!

For the most part, we've made our choices for this year's Best of Miami. Who won? Ha! You'll have to wait until June 11 to find out, but in the meantime, our Readers' Poll is open and awaiting your picks.

Can't say we remember the last time readers and the editorial staff agreed on a choice. For instance, last year our pick for Best Local Politician was Joe Garcia, for being "simply good at what he does." Our readers, on the other hand, disagreed and chose City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz. Naturally, we assume the majority of these votes were submitted by Diaz's aides.

So take your time and cast your ballot in what is perhaps the second-most important election (yeah, texting your vote for an American Idol winner comes first).