Head North for a Laugh

Some only head to Broward for the drugs, some for the Cracker Barrel, and tonight a trip up 95 could have similar side effects (euphoria, giddy laughter, intestinal agitation, etc) -- minus the shrinking balls and covert racism. At 8 p.m., Cedric "The Entertainer" headlines the annual comedy portion of the festival formerly known as Zo's Summer Groove (now The Summer Groove hosted by Zo and D. Wade). Gary Owens and Marvin Dixon will join Ced on stage and NBA glitterati like King James and Carmello Anthony are expected to attend and sit front row, obstructing the view of anyone lucky enough to sit behind them.

Adding to the funny quotient, at 9:45, comedian Jamie Kennedy will open the new Wet Willie's at the Seminole's Improv Comedy Club with a ceremonial guitar smash. We're guessing that it won't break upon impact, causing Jamie to (hopefully) humorously continue hitting the ground, making the craving for a Call a Cab even more intense. Now that's how you sell product. Purchase tickets for Jamie's Improv shows tonight and tomorrow here.  

Art & Design Market and Lounge Debuts Tomorrow

moneychangers.jpg
Wikicommons
Christ, after reading too much Eric Hobsbwam
I never liked the Biblical story of Jesus overturning the moneychangers tables. Why punish small business owners for setting up shop where they know there'll be optimal foot traffic?

A bunch of Miami businesses you know and love are taking a similar approach this Saturday for the (hopefully) inaugural Art & Design Market and Lounge of Wynwood.

Piggy-backing on the popularity of the Second Saturday Wynwood art walk, the market is opening up shop inside the Wynwood Social Club at the corner of NW 2nd Ave and 25th Street (right across from Joey's) beginning at 1p.m. The participating vendors are: Cloak Inc, KREL Wear, Sweat Records, imoderni, Designed by Diana, Gi and Pindo, Green Veranda, Bella Skin Inc, Mod Rob for Urban Garden, Gabriel & Anat Vanessa Ichak Design Studio, the Tricia Fix Collection, Art from Gianfranco & Guliano Cavallo and Oyla Melinkova, and Be Feathers and Art Simona.

Entrance is free until 5 p.m., when the market begins to incorporate the lounge element, which means live music from Fabian Hernandez and Fenevia and DJ Ben Shaul, plus a complimentary bar sponsored by Grolsch and Hptoniq.

Need another reason? A portion of the proceeds will go to Fonkoze, a microfinance organization in Haiti.

So what's it going to be, Jesus? Your compassion or your filthy Marxist principles?

ArtCenter/South Florida Looking for Artists

ArtCenter.JPG
http://miamiphotograph.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html
ArtCenter/South Florida, that trusty cultural oasis on Lincoln Road, is looking for more artists. The 25-year-old nonprofit sent out a news release this week advertising its short-term residency program, which is different from its three-year, juried residency program.

"The short-term residency program is great for artists looking to try out the ArtCenter without the commitment of three years," Director of Exhibitions Jackie Arnette says.

Admission to the three- to six-month studio residency is on a rolling basis, so there's no deadline to worry about -- whenever you feel like getting out of your mom's basement, send in the application.

Besides the publicly accessible studio space in an area of high-volume walking traffic, resident benefits include free use of print and dark rooms, exhibition opportunities, access to art patrons, and one-on-one studio visits with critics, curators, and gallerists.

ArtCenter has 47 workspaces, ranging in size from 167 to 572 square feet. The rents range from $250 to $700, depending on size and placement.

Visit them online or email Jackie Arnette.

Christian Lacroix Has Harsh Words for His Brand's Miami-based Owners

lacroisdie-1.jpg
via Style.com
The final look from Christian Lacroix's latest an possibly last Couture show
The economy makes the idea of haute couture seem silly. Who can afford custom-made dresses that carry a price tag rivaling most luxury cars? 

The truth is that even before the recession, the number of houses that showed haute couture (a term actually protected by the French government) was dwindling as the collections became more about marketing, artistry, and tradition than making money. 

It seems that one of the few remaining couture houses is about to bite the dust, and the designer behind the eponymous line is pointing the finger squarely at the Miami-based family who controls the company that bears his name. 

The Falic Group, owned by three brothers (Simon, Leon and Jerome), and operated out of Miami, specialize in duty free stores. The firm purchased the Christian Lacroix brand from luxury conglomerate LVHM in 2005 with the hopes of turning it into one of the most prestigious brands on the market. 

Apparently they didn't seem to mind that Lacroix, which also produces ready-to-wear lines, accessories and perfumes, has never turned a profit in its 20-year history. The brand filed for bankruptcy protection in May, and unless some last minute financial savior swoops in, its couture presentation this week may be its last. 

Vogue, in an online exclusive, details the designer's struggle with the Falic brothers. 

"Not being from the couture-and-luxury field . . .[The Falics] were not prepared for the long-term investment," said Lacroix to Hamish Bowles. "They thought that in two seasons they would get their money back."

State Drops Charges Against Rev. Alberto Cutie's Romantic Rival

cutiegirlfriend.jpg
A.P. Photo/C.M. Guerrero
Maxi Ratunuman will soon be a free man. The Indonesian ex-lover of Ruhama Canellis, wife of celebrity clergyman Rev. Alberto Cutie, was arrested this past June 6 by the Village of Biscayne Park Police Department.

Ofcr. Raimundo Atesiano and Capt. Antonio Sanchez arrested Ratunuman for trespassing and for not having a valid driver's license. Today, the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office dropped the case.

Spokesman Ed Griffith said the Biscayne Park cops made a "bad" arrest. "Mr. Ratunman recieved mail and had permission from the owner to be at the house he was allegedly trespassing," Griffith explained. "And he had a valid driver's license from Texas."

Griffith added the state attorney's office is also reviewing the case to determine if the officers broke any laws in arresting Ratunuman.

In a lawsuit filed last month against the police men, Canellis, Cutie, and the Biscayne Park Police Department, Ratunuman accused his ex-girlfriend and her new husband of conspiring with Sanchez to have him arrested and deported out of the country. In the complaint, the 44-year-old handyman, who is in the country illegally, claims the newlyweds wanted him "out of the picture." Ratunuman's arrest was detailed in this recent New Times story.

Robin Hellman, Ratunuman's criminal defense attorney, says her client will be released by immigration authorities pending the ouctome of his civil case. During that time, Hellman says, her client will be staying at an undisclosed location.

"He is scared to death of Sanchez," Hellman asserted. "Maxi even wanted to remain in jail he is so in fear of his life."

Lowe Museum Hosts Photography Contest

600px-Leica_digilux_II.jpg
Wikicommons
Here's a nice challenge for local shutterbugs. In celebration of their Arnold Newman exhibits, the Lowe Museum is hosting a photography contest.  The prize is a free membership and the posting of your work on the front page of the museum's website.

All you have to do is take a picture of the outside of the museum and submit it to the Curator of Education, Jodi Sypher, by October 4th.

Rules: The pic has to be a .jpeg file, clearly labeled as your name (e.g. "pscottcunningham.jpg"), accompanied by a description of your inspiration for the shot. And it should include your name, email, address, and phone number.

For more info, click on Jodi's name to email her or see the Lowe's website, specifically the calendar of events
Tags: Lowe Museum

Elizabeth Taylor Vintage Poster Exhibition Opens Tomorrow Night

Elizabeth_Taylor_in_Giant_trailer_2.jpg
Wikicommons
As a kid, Miami Beach freelance writer Kendall Natvig went to his first Elizabeth Taylor movie--Giant--with his father. He's been hooked on the legendary actress ever since. In the last 35 years, he's collected at least one original poster from every E.T. flick (of which there are more than 50), plus multiple foreign versions from the days before digital printing obviated the need for each country to create its own.

Tomorrow night (Tuesday), in collaboration with the Miami Design Preservation League, Natvig unveils his entire collection in a free exhibition at the Miami Beach City Hall (1100 Washington Ave.) titled, "Elizabeth Taylor: A Legend in Posters."

Natvig's personal favorite is the Polish version of the 20th Century Fox epic Cleopatra, though he's partial to the American Suddenly Last Summer as well.

Check them all out when the exhibition opens with a party between 7 and 9 p.m. It runs through to the end of July during the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.


Honor Student Immigrant to be Deported

lara.png
via SWER
Walter Lara is a good kid. He's never been arrested, graduated from Miami-Dade College with a 4.7 grade point average, and has done 1,000 hours community service. The 23-year-old emigrated from Argentina when he was three years old.

That's why his classmates are outraged that he's scheduled to be deported. Students Working for Equal Rights (SWER) announced today a fast in order to protest his July 6 deportation. They even set up a press conference today at 3 p.m. The news buzzed through the blogosphere.

Well, it's crazy how things can change with a little media attention. Riptide just got off the phone SWER leader Carlos Roa. He had just gotten word from the Department of Homeland Security. The news: Lara received deferred action. Which is to say, he has a shot at staying.

Roa seemed stunned to get such a quick response from DHS. "Now it's imperative the media continue to follow this," he says.

Former Marlins Owner John Henry Is a Raging Egomaniac; Just Look at His Wedding Favors

Marlins fans: You might want to grab a barf bag before you read this one.

Henrybobble.jpg
via SportsbyBrooks.com
Remember John Henry? The guy with the pretentious eyeglasses who bought the Marlins from Wayne Huizenga in 1999 and then waffled around for three mediocre seasons before selling out and heading to Boston?

Well, the 59-year-old rich guy got married yesterday to a pretty lady half his age. The guest list included average joes such as Larry David, Theo Epstein, and Adam Dershowitz. The wedding band was Maroon 5.

And the wedding favors? How about Bobblehead dolls of Henry and his creepily younger wife? Because Henry's 450 closest friends and family really want a grinning, nodding, giant-headed version of him and his trophy wife on their mantle.

Oh, what's that? The Boston Herald reports "many, many of the parting gifts... were left behind"? Hmmm, can't imagine why...
Tags: John Henry

Cuban Mobster Book Havana Nocturne Being Turned into a Film

havana-nocturne-cover.jpg
T. J. English's best-selling book, Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution, went over like a lead balloon in certain corners of El Exilio. The book paints Fulgencio Batista as a corrupt leader all too willing to play ball -- and take kickbacks -- from powerful mobsters, most notably Meyer Lansky. By the time Fidel Castro and his rebels marched into town, the mobsters were practically asking for it. 

The Hollywood Reporter says a movie adaption is in its early stage, with three producers onboard: Eric Eisner, Gil Adler, and Shane McCarthy. 

"We really want to show Havana and Cuba as a character at a time that it's booming," Eisner said. "This is about mobsters who don't only control a few businesses but try to control an entire country, and the tension that results when their plans go awry." 

The movie, Eisner said, will use politics as a backdrop but will be less politically explicit than, say, the Sydney Pollack-Robert Redford collaboration Havana.

The producers also tell THR they might be open to filming in Cuba but aren't sure how hard to push for it. 

Matt Cirulnick has signed on to pen the script. He's best "known" as the creator of the ill-fated Jennifer Lopez-produced series South Beach -- so we're not exactly talking A-list talent. Adler previously worked on Superman Returns, but the rest of his resumé is full of bombs such as Valkyrie, Constantine, and the Starsky & Hutch remake. Eisner has produced Hamlet 2 and, um, Jake's Booty Call. 

The flick doesn't appear to be set up with any particular studio, and no stars are onboard yet. So the project has a long way to go before it hits your local cinema. 


  • Weekly
  • Music
  • Promotions
  • Dining
  • Events