The Story Matters
Calendar: p. 14 Flamingo Pool, Glam Dolls, Thievery Incorporated, Salsa, Chocolate, Carnivale and Butterflies as Art
Vol. XXIV No.41
October 8, 2009
Visit us at miamisunpost.com
411 p. 18
Art p. 12
BALANCED DEBATE? Comedy p. 15 M AY H E M P. 4
Mayoral Race Comes to Life, as Mattie Bower and Linda Rivero Levy are Grilled at the Breakfast Club Page 10
P R O F I L E P. 6
H I S T O R Y P. 8
A R T P. 1 2
4 1 1 P. 1 8
B O U N D P. 2 0
P O TAT I O N P. 2 2
F O O D P. 2 4
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Kim Stark kim@miamisunpost.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Marguerite Gil Helen Hill
PRESIDENT and CO-PUBLISHER Jeannette Stark jeannette@miamisunpost.com CO-PUBLISHER Kim Stark kim@miamisunpost.com
John Hood Paula Pelligrino Mary Jo Almeida-Shore
ACCOUNTING Sandie Friedman
Susan Richard Michael Sasser
SENIOR SALES DIRECTOR Stuart Tamsit
COPY EDITOR Mary Louise English
SALES DIRECTOR Jamie Nunez
CALENDAR EDITOR Jake Orsinni calendar@miamisunpost.com CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jeffrey Delannoy Eitan Moshe Klein
PUBLISHER EMERITUS Felix Stark (1929-1995) MAILING ADDRESS P.O. Box 191870, Miami Beach, FL 33119
Mary Jo Almeida-Shore Marguerite Gil
SOUTH FLORIDA’S BEST IRISH PUB
MAIN LINE 305.538.9797 MAIN FAX 305.538.9774
WEB SITE miamisunpost.com PRODUCTION Blue Studio
HAPPY HOUR MONDAY - FRIDAY 4-7PM AUTHENTIC IRISH FOOD IMPORTED BEERS ON TAP EXTENSIVE WINE LIST LIVE BANDS, BILLIARDS, RUGBY, SOCCER, FOOTBALL & UFC OPEN 8AM TO 5AM
www.waxys.com
1248 WASHINGTON AVE, MIAMI BEACH, FL 305.534.7824 Page 2 • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com
FOR ADVERTISING & RATE INFO: Please call 305.538.9797 or email kim@miamisunpost.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS First class mailing subscriptions are available at $150 per year. Call 305.538.9797. Copyright: The entire contents of SunPost are copyright 2008 by Caxton Newspapers Inc. No portion may be reproduced in whole or part by any means including electronic media without the express written consent of the publisher.
Covering Miami Beach, North Bay Village, Surfside, Bay Harbor Islands, Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles Beach, North Miami, North Miami Beach and Aventura, Coconut Grove, Brickell Avenue, Downtown, Design District, Wynwood, Upper Eastside, and Miami Shores.
www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • October 8, 2009 • Page 3
Tropical Mayhem BITS AND PIECES OF MIAMI LIFE
Shoes for a Cause The Marvelous Wonderettes Now Playing at the Miracle Theatre By Marguerite Gil megs@gate.net (Sung to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”) [Chorus] Take me back to the Sixties, Take me out to the prom, Crinoline skirts and white bobby sox, Saddle shoes and new hits that just rock, And its fight, fight, fight with the parents, If they don’t dig, they’re just square, For its hop, hop, hop to the tune, Of “I Love Big Hair.” [Chorus Again] We don’t care for Bing Crosby, We don’t like Fred Astaire, Give us Big Bopper and Sandra Dee, Bobby Darin and El-vis-Pres-ley, And its fight, fight, fight with the parents, If they don’t dig, it’s not hip, For its Tab, Fats and Brenda Lee Or we’ll call it splits!!! Fortunately for the Marvelous Wonderettes, they make it through the ‘50s and ‘60s, a little older, a little wiser and relatively unscathed. Four girls, Betty Jean, Cindy Lou, Missy and Suzy, get to live and sing about their hopes and dreams over a 10-year period in this nostalgic, fun, new, hit musical comedy at the Actors’ Playhouse in the Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables. Prices and schedules: 305444-9293 or visit www.actorsplayhouse.org
“Why pay money to have your family tree traced; go into politics and your opponents will do it for you.” ~ Author Unknown
Doggie Ween Halloween is my pooch Ulysees’ favorite Holiday. Every year we dress alike.This year we are both naughty devils. I’m a touch more demonic, because as you can see, Ulysees, just doesn’t have the face for it. Check out Rickys online Halloween shop an online halloween one-stop shop that can dress your entire family, even the dog. Thousands of costumes to choose from and surprisingly great prices. rickyshalloween.com
Page 4 • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com
Soles 4 Souls, a charity deicated to giving shoes to needy people around the world, is hosting an event to get more shoe donations during Fashion week. Bring a pair of shoes and enter to win a pair from Shoes of Imagination, a custom painted shoe designer. Cocktails, a fashion show, theater and nibbles are all part of the fun on October 17th at 10pm. $10 donation. At the Newport Beachside Resort, 16701 Collins Ave., Miami Beach. 786-487-0049 for info.
KIDS POSTER CONTEST Show some pride in our fair city and encourage your youngster to enter the city of Miami Beach poster contest. Posters must be about city issues like recycling, water conservation, recreation, fire or police services. The winning posters will be displayed at City Hall during City Government Week. Winners will also be recognized at the December commission meeting. For rules and regs visit the city wesite miamibeachfl.gov or call 305-673-7000 ext. 6923.
www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • October 8, 2009 • Page 5
PHOTO: MARC TOUSIGNANT
PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY YOU SHOULD KNOW
Omar Gonzalez Trendsetter By Paula Pellegrino Miami will never be the same if Omar Gonzalez decides to quit his night job. Yes, the 2008 winner of the Latino Press Award for Best Club Promoter is about to become a graduate of Florida International University with a degree in International Business Marketing. So, if he does choose to turn his professional attention to more “daylight-style” pursuits, he will be able to look back over the last several years and feel real pride. O.G. is responsible for the organization and preservation of one of the most diverse and highly popular ongoing events in the area. Its name is Click Sundays and it is currently being staged at the Heathrow Lounge, located at 681 Washington Avenue on South Beach. Harkening back to the glory days of drag, which haven’t really been the same since some time before the Great Recession, Click entices all party people, no matter their persuasion, to come and be entertained, possibly enthralled, by the cast of costumed characters, local color and celebrities who gather on weekends to rejoice in life, each other, and naturally, themselves. With premiere guest DJs setting the mood, electricity abounds, spirits flow and memories are made. Another happening that O.G. is so well-known for may possibly top Click Sundays in the cultural relevance department. Yes, the venue is still a nightclub and cocktails are still served, but this affair has a special twist; one which all the hungry artists and fame-seeking performers in the area just love to death. Starting around 8pm every Tuesday at Halo Lounge, 1625 Michigan Avenue, Miami Beach, is the party called Art of Life. Originally created Page 6 • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com
as an Art Basel affair, it blossomed from that to a monthly and then to a weekly gathering due to fantastic feedback from attendees. Each week is a different theme and local creative types come to showcase their specialties in real time; whether it is painting, photography, music, dance or some other media no one has seen before, risqué is okay and, this being South Beach, cutting-edge is appreciated, if not completely understood. As a first-year student of Kabbalah, O.G.’s latest endeavor is more spiritual than social, but not without his trademark Miami flair. Currently, he is working with the Kabbalah Center in North Miami Beach to expand their teachings into greater Miami and South Beach. Together, they are organizing a series of six classes concerning the mystical aspects of Judaism. O. G. is happy to announce that his friend, Eugene Rodriguez, owner of the Ice Palace Production Studio, has donated the venue at 1400 North Miami Avenue to house the project. With so much going on, it is amazing that O.G. has time for anything else. But with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, whose board he is a member of, planning their annual Red Carpet Gala in South Florida this upcoming November, O.G. is working determinedly to make his home turf shine brightly as a stronghold for tolerance, equality and rocking good times. Try and keep up with O.G. via his website, www.oagproductions.com.
PRIVATE
Tutoring in SPANISH Babies to Teens GAMES READING SONGS DRAWING VISUAL AIDS
Daily + Weekends In Your Home
786.768.3125 PAULA QUINCENO REFERENCES AVAILABLE
privatespanishlessonforkids@hotmail.com
www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • Page 7
A Special Moment in Time COLUMN
In the Beginning... By Seth H. Bramson mrfec@yahoo.com
There are, of course, records of habitation in what is now called Miami-Dade County beginning more than 2,000 years ago. Former county archaeologist and now archaeological consultant Dr. Robert Carr, in a dig at what is now the Deering Estate on Old Cutler Road, found evidence not only of human habitation but of mastodons, giant sloths and saber-toothed tigers roaming what was then a savanna well before the beginning of recorded history in North America. But fast forward a few thousand years and with the coming and fading of one Indian tribe after another — Caribee, Arawak, Timucuan, Calusa, Tequesta and, finally, Seminole and Miccosukee — the immediately prefamiliar landscape began to take shape. As the Indian wars of the early and mid-19th century ground on, Fort Dallas, on the banks of the Miami River, would open for the duration of each of the three wars, then close when each had concluded, all three without a peace treaty of any kind; hence what the reader may have heard to the effect that the Seminoles are the only Indian tribe without a formal peace treaty with the U. S. government is factual. Families with names such as English, Hunt, Gleason (not Jackie!), Sturtevant, Brickell and others graced the banks of the aforementioned Miami as early as the 1870s, several of them showing up in the 1878 Dade County Revenue (tax) Collector's book for that year, that book the oldest known marked piece of Dade County memorabilia in existence other than the one extant Fort Dallas 1836 postmark. But attempts at — or the beginnings of — settlement were actually occurring simultaneously on both sides of Biscayne Bay. In 1870, Henry (the father) and Charles (the son) Lum (no relation to the later Lums of steamed-in-beerwith-sherry-wine-sauerkraut bar fame) sailboated northeast from Key West, propelled by the currents of the Gulf Stream. Passing the Key Biscayne Lighthouse, they eventually reached a fairly large mangrove-laden sandbar/island, and, fascinated by its appearance, heaved to and went ashore. The island, while covered with large amounts of flora and containing less-than-hospitable species of fauna (including rats, snakes, possums, skunks and other four-legged critters and denizens), actually charmed them. Departing from that unnamed place, they resolved to determine its ownership and, if possible, arrange to purchase it. Returning to New Jersey (all of the first group of founders of what would, someday, be called Miami Beach, were from the Garden State), the Lums ascertained that the property was owned by the State of Florida's Internal Improvement Fund, otherwise known as IIF, the job of which was to sell Florida land so that it could be used for development purposes concurrent with the draining of the Everglades. Following the Civil War, then-Governor Bloxham concluded a deal with well-known industrialist Hamilton Disston, of Philadelphia. It was that deal, which involved Disston purchasing 4 million acres of Florida land for $1 million, that saved the state from bankruptcy in those dark, post-war days. While Disston's money and intentions were good, his plans were not and he eventually returned to "Philly" with little to show for his investment other than the deed. However, while the state was not "flush," it was debt-free (or very close thereto) and the concept and idea of selling the state's lands for a minimal sum remained in effect, a fact the Lums would avail themselves of. Shortly after returning to New Jersey, Henry and Charles purchased the mangrove island sandbar they had happened upon from the State of Florida for the princely sum of —ready?!! — 35 CENTS per acre. Pleased with their purchase, taxes minimal or nil, they simply held on to the land for 12 years. In 1882 the Lums, finally deciding it was time to turn a profit, interested two other Jerseyites in their holdings and Elnathan Field and Ezra Osborn came down for a "looksee." Apparently they liked what they saw, for shortly after visiting the property, Field and Osborn made a deal with the Lums that made them all happy. Remember, the Lums had paid 35 cents an acre. Twelve years later, to their sheer and pure joy, they more than doubled their money, selling the island to Field and Osborn for — ready again?!! — 75 cents an acre! It was from that sale that the development — but not as a town or city — would begin. And we'll relate more of the story next issue. Seth Bramson is the author of both Miami Beach in Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series and the highly acclaimed Sunshine, Stone Crabs and Cheesecake: The Story of Miami Beach, published in September of this year by The History Press of Charleston.
Page 8 • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com
www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • Page 9
BALANCED DEBATE?
Mayoral Race Comes to Life, as Mattie Bower and Linda Rivero Levy are Grilled at the Breakfast Club Written by Mary Louise English
JULIETTE L
With Miami Beach elections less than a month away, two of the city’s mayoral candidates took part in a spirited exchange with residents and each other at the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club meeting at David’s Café. Incumbent Mayor Matti Herrera Bower and challenger Linda Rivero Levy spent about an hour and a half fielding questions from residents and listening to their concerns in a lead-up to the Nov. 3 election. The giveand-take covered a wide variety of topics; here’s some of what the candidates shared: BACKGROUND & QUALIFICATIONS: LINDA RIVERO LEVY: I grew up here and have been living here for 28 years and have been an active community member. I have five children and have been married for 20 years, during which I worked with the PTAs of North Beach Elementary School (where I served as president) and the high school. The reason I am here is I want to be your mayor. Our commission has not been working together; there has been a whole drama on the commission and it seems our mayor cannot hold a quorum. Our taxes are going up and we’re not happy about that. I’m here to provide leadership and bring people together to make Miami Beach a city we are all proud of. I have worked very hard for our city and want to continue to make it competitive, and I’m here to do that. MATTI HERRERA BOWER: I have lived in this community and enjoyed the pleasure of Miami Beach for over 32 years. I was active in the community before being elected commissioner and then mayor. I have worked very hard to achieve goals for the issues I love best. I’ll tell you a few: affordable housing (in my first two elections the worst they could say about me was I was for affordable housing); preservation, in which I started very early with Barbara Capitman and Leonard Horowitz; and education — I also was a PTA person. As a commissioner I worked hard for your interests. As mayor I have expanded into the tourism arena and have worked with the convention bureau to see what our convention center needs. Our lifeblood is tourism; we need to bring income through tourism so I am focusing on that, though I will continue to focus on your interests. And affordable housing, preservation and education are still high on my agenda. ON WATER WARS AND THE PUMPING STATION BELOW FIFTH STREET: BOWER: I’ve represented all of you on the water and sewer rate. I voted for that previously because the payment is a pass-through. The city told me next year we’re going to do something with that. I think what it achieves is if you use less water, you’ll lower your bill. And we’ll use less water. One of the reasons we have to raise the rates is the administrative costs of running water to your houses, reading the rates and so on stay the same, but people are using less water. So we have to charge more to cover our fixed costs LEVY: Water is a big issue in Miami Beach. Do you know that we buy our water from Dade County? And their rates are part of the rates going to our city. But the less water you consume, you have to pay more — what’s wrong with that picture? We try to save energy and water and yet they are charging us more. They are planning to increase the rate next year again. Where are the rates going? Not to fix the infrastructure. With the rates that we pay we still don’t have clean water.
LEWIS PERFORMS LIVE AT THE CULTURE ROOM THIS WEEKEND
Our system is too old; we need some kind of update on the meters. To check the meters someone has to knock on the door, ask to check the meter. And if you’re not home you never get your meter checked. We need technology to bring us up to date. ON $55 MILLION FOR THE CONVENTION CENTER AND HOW IT WILL BE USED – BALLROOM, HOTEL, FOOD COURT? BOWER: This is a long-time issue. I’ve been in here 10 years and there’s been debate among the commissioners as to how convention center money should be used. What is it that attracts people here? Yes, we have the $55 million but I believe our convention center is going to need more. So I sat down with the convention bureau and said, what is it that our convention center needs to make it competitive in the nation? Because here on Miami Beach we want to be the leader of what we need. It’s not easy to work with the county; there are many opinions of where the convention center should be. But I’ve been working with them and have been very successful with the mayor and two chairpersons, Bruno Barreiro & Dennis Moss, and others because they realize Dade County needs to do something. That’s one of the issues I spend time with and we’re moving forward. But there are differences of opinion. We’re looking to see if we can handle a hotel there. There’s been a study and we’re waiting for the results to come back; I believe there’s a draft. So we need to build consensus but consensus is not built in a day. At the end of the day we’re going to have something good there. We need a restaurant, I don’t think a food court. We’ve never taken advantage of the roof of the convention center and I think we could do something there. LEVY: I think $50 million is a lot of money for a restaurant. The convention center is a source of business for our hotels and brings people to the city, but only 10 percent of tourism is business travel. And we need that money to fix our city. Our convention center is doing very well — not compared to Orlando’s, but this is a small convention center. If you build a restaurant or a hotel it will take a lot of business from the businesses that are struggling now. So think about it — we pay the taxes and pay the bonds and we need to watch where our dollars go. This is another problem with the administration: With $55 million on hand, they don’t know what to do with that money. It could go to a lot of infrastructure improvements in our city. ON GRAFFITI AND THE DIRTINESS OF THE CITY: BOWER: One of the most important aspects of any city that attracts tourism is cleanliness and how to keep a city clean. We want your input as to how we can do it better. One of the biggest issues about Miami Beach is always cleanliness, that’s true. We have a program that was implemented a couple of years ago to see what it is that makes the city seem “not clean.” We found when people mention the streets, that includes the alleys, which are very bad. So we have implemented a Beach program that includes cleaning up the alleys and working with area businesses. We have a secret shopper; we take pictures now and grade how we’re doing. So you might see garbage early in the morning in places where tourists and nightclubs are, but Miami Beach has improved greatly.
It is hard for us sometimes as residents to live with the problems of tourism, but that’s what Miami Beach is, and will be. But we welcome you to participate. I don’t think there’s another city in the country, maybe in the world, that invites citizen participation as much as we do.
cities. So the commissioners sat down in those budget hearings we have that are open to the public and went through all of this. We voted to implement slowly moving the salaries to the average, starting with this budget that begins in October. But you can’t decide in September and say to people in October, we’re cutting your LEVY: This is an emotional issue for me. As the salary. So we are implementing the changes in April to mother of five children, I take them to the beach early give people time to adapt, and we are doing it on a quarand garbage is flooding our beaches. It’s only picked up terly basis so it won’t hit all at once. once a day and that’s not acceptable to me. It’s harming At the city, when the going is good everybody beneour natural resources. And it’s not the residents who are fits, and when it’s bad everybody has to pitch in. Union throwing garbage on the beach, it’s that we welcome jobs have to go through negotiation; for those who are 150,000 people to our city every weekend. unclassified we are going to implement as soon as we And recycling — what a joke. Everything goes into hear from the union. What we want to make sure is that the dumpsters after we recycle. It’s another waste of tax we don’t do it for some and not for others. What’s bad dollars. And how come tourists have to carry their recyfor morale is that the people who are going to get hurt clables around and there’s nowhere to put them? People are the ones who have worked the longest for the city, have been talking about it for years but no one’s doing and that is really very sad. anything about it. Pensions are a separate issue. The ones that are paula@miamisunpost.com union have to go through negotiation; the ones that ON GROWING ANTI-BUSINESS SENaren’t are easier to make changes. We are going to look TIMENT IN MIAMI BEACH AND at all those and try to figure how we can stop the growth WHAT CAN BE DONE TO SUPPORT of costs. BUSINESSES: We have cut positions. In the Building Department LEVY: Our city has been abandoned by business. we lost 3 or 4 positions. And by attrition in the last three We have to modify the laws to help small businesses that years we have cut 80 positions and $50 million. But we are trying to compete with big companies. They are are lucky to have the caliber of people we do to keep scared and are being chased away. Our administration the city running. has done nothing to promote small businesses. I think a new vision is needed to bring small businesses back to LEVY: It’s like nobody supervises employees. There are people playing dominoes at 11 a.m. And if we don’t the city and we need to modify the law. cut those pensions, we are going to be in major trouble, maybe even bankruptcy. I ask the unions to help us with BOWER: This is a really important issue, one the community as a whole is always struggling with. On one this because we cannot afford these salaries and penhand there are the residents, who don’t want all the agsions anymore. gravation that comes with tourists. On the other hand, businesses need them. The problems are mostly in South IN CLOSING: Beach; Mid-Beach doesn’t have as much tourism. In LEVY: You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to be mayor of this city. You don’t. You have to put your mind North Beach they’re struggling and are trying to avoid into leadership, know how to control your quorum and the problems, like parking, of South Beach. work with your commissioners. The mayor’s job is to So we pass a noise ordinance. It gets abused by one put minds together. There are people throughout the city bad apple and everybody suffers. We can’t have no noise; structure to give expert advice, ideas and plans for every we need the businesses. Residents are coming to untopic raised today. The key is leadership and our comderstand the economic impact of having businesses mission functioning as a unit, not pitting one commishere. And we don’t have anything against the businesses sioner against another. Our commission meetings are a — it’s just sometimes the balance is hard to find. We’ll joke. How can they be an effective commission when continue to work on that issue. they never function as a unit? I want to comment about salaries. The plan is not ON OVERPAYMENT OF CITY STAFF: to fire people; the plan is to get rid of services we don’t BOWER: Running a city is not like running anything else. We have to balance the interests of the resineed. When you need a permit, you go to one office, then dents, the businesses and all the visitors who come here you go to another office and another and after a year you every day. And our employees are always thinking about might get your permit. If you have a big project it could how to make this city run better. So I want to stand up take five years to get your permits. for our employees and the Police Department and the Fire Department, even though I don’t agree with them a BOWER: We are very lucky to have a group of commissioners who are very bright. Ultimately everyone lot of the time. The morale of the employees is very imwho is elected brings their own ideas, and that’s what portant to the city. They must feel what they are doing is this city is about — new ideas, different ways of workimportant; they are devastated when they think residents ing things out. I am a very good leader for you and have feel they are not doing anything. implemented many programs for you. I was a leader for Having said all that, I think it was three years ago a long time, 30 years — that’s why you all know my that we decided, because we hear this all the time, to look name. I have a track record and have fought for the isat the different jobs that people do and compare what sues of affordable housing, preservation and education. they are paid to other cities in the same categories. We got A leader is also about letting other people lead the report back and it’s available if anybody wants it. sometimes and work things out. When I need to control We found out that we have about 200 people who the meeting I control it; when not, I let them work it out. are paid less than the minimum wages paid for the same And you know I will always welcome and listen to your jobs in other cities. And we found that we have some ideas. people who are paid more than the same job in other
Art COLUMN
Carnivale of Souls An Exhibition of Works Inspired by Culture By Kim Steiner Blurring the distinction between the real and surreal, the new exhibit Carnivale of Souls, at Artformz Alternative is striking and mysterious. The show features the work of two Latin artists, Rai Escale and Gisela Savdie, who, through their art explore the layers of existence. Ria Escale’s pieces are an exploration of the layers of existence. He searches for a distinct image usually lying hidden under other images, creating mysterious compositions of bits and pieces blended into a surreal whole. While, Gisela Savdie’s intrepid photography boldly captures the face and the persona that’s hidden behind the mask of Carnival. Are they confronting that inner soul? Are they dissecting reality through layers of shadows? The bold works of these two artists raise questions and inspire wonder. Carnival of Souls is an exhibition that deals with that other reality, the one that strives to capture the inner shadows, shadows that seem to appear and disappear behind the lens, covering the facade with laugh or cry, with sparkles or dust, with happiness or sorrow, with the sinister and dark as well as the joyous and gay, with the taste of comedy and tragedy of life. Rai Escale is a visual artist residing and working in Barcelona, Spain. He graduated from the Fine Arts School of Barcelona. He has exhibited widely in Europe and recently completed an invitation to the Fountainhead Residency here in Miami. Gisela Savdie, originally from Colombia, now resides and works in Miami. She graduated from the International University of Art and Design in Miami, and holds a Master of Arts from Barry University. She has exhibited her photographs internationally with ARS Antiqua Gallery in Colombia, and with NES Gallery in Buenos Aires, and Shanghai. Artformz Alternative is located at 171 NW 23rd Street, Wynwood Art District, Miami. The opening reception is Saturday, October 10, from 7-10pm. The show runs through November 7. For Details: 305 572-0040 or artformz.net.
Far Above: Gisela Savdie, Negritas Puloy. Above: Rai Escale, Beach Party. Left: Rai Escale, Square Black.
Page 12 • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com
www.goldbuyerflorida.com
THEY WON'T TAKE YOUR GOLD AND JEWELRY BUT WE WILL! We Pay Cash • Free Estimates
TOP $$$ PAID No matter how large or small your transaction, we pay cash
WE BUY OLD, UNWANTED, AND BROKEN JEWELRY SILVER, PLATINUM, DIAMONDS
305.454.0019
NEW location on 163rd Street CALL NOW 305-454-0019
15540 Biscayne Blvd, North Miami Directly across the North Dade Justice Center
www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • Page 13
Calendar WHAT TO DO IN MIAMI THIS WEEK
CANOE RIDES AT CRANDON PARK ON KEY BISCAYNE
Page 14 • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com
OCTOBER 9
SAVE THE DATE:
MUSIC Thievery Corporation
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5:
BILL MAHER LIVE STAND-UP
Catch Grammy Nominated duo, Thievery Corporation when they hit the Fillmore for a one-night-only performance of their jazz-reggae-skabrazilian-Indian-Bossa Nova style beats. 9pm $63. The Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theater, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. For info: 305-673-7300 or livenation.com
Ranked #38 on Comedy Central's list of the Hundred Greatest Stand-ups of All-Time, Bill Maher has proven to be a hilarious voice of reason in our ever dysfunctional world. Best known as the star of Politically Incorrect and Real Time with Bill Maher, Bill Maher also made the thought provoking and outrageous film Religulous, which is one of the highest grossing documentaries ever. So, mark your calendar for Friday December 4 at 8pm. $73. The Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theater, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. For info: 305-6737300 or livenation.com
OCTOBER 9
MUSIC Free Rockin’ Grooves
The Downtown Concert series kicks off with a free sampling of local Miami bands. Starting will be the Afro-Cuban sounds of Suenalo, followed by indie rockers, Fancy Me Yet and ending the concert will be Reggae groovers, Jahfe. Tina Hills Pavilion at Bayfront Park, 301 N. Biscayne Blvd. Miami. Free. Show starts at 5:30pm. For info: dwntwn.com or 305579-6675.
OCTOBER 10
SOCIAL Glam Doll Strut When can you see hundreds of divas, dressed in high, high heels, pink wacky hats, pink beehives, pink feather boas and pink tees? No, not Washington Ave. on a Saturday night on South Beach, but at the first ever Glam Doll Strut on Las Olas in Ft. Lauderdale. They're strutting for a good cause, the University of Miami's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. The half-mile strut in high heels begins 4pm. There will be lots of fun activities for the kids, so make a day of it. The strut culminates with Diva Las Olas, a casino night with cocktails, food and gaming under the stars. $40 to strut. Starts at 11am. Between SE Sixth Avenue and SE 10th Avenue, Las Olas Blvd. For info: glam-a-thon.com.
OCTOBER 10
ART Art & Design Spend a fabulous and fun Saturday night in Wynwood and the Miami Design District reveling in art and fashion and great design. Held the second week of every month, the walks are a chance to explore the talent of some amazing local artists, see some
incredible furniture design, have a cocktail or two, some dinner and revel in the fabulousness of being in Miami. 7-10pm. Free. Wynwood is at Northwest Sixth to Northeast Second avenues and north from Northwest 17th to Northwest 36th streets. The Design District is Northeast 36th Street to the south, Northeast 43rd Street to the north, Northwest First Avenue to the west and Biscayne Boulevard to the east. For info: miamidesigndistrict.net.
OCTOBER 11
MARKET The Best Sunday Morning Rub the sleep from your eyes, throw on your shorts and wander down to Lincoln Road this Sunday for the weekly Lincoln Road Farmers Market. First stop is Starbucks and once the caffeine kicks in, head to the stalls. Slowly choose your tomatoes, feel your carrots and handle your cucumbers. Sip your latte, fondle your veggies, smell the divine scent of fresh baked home-made bread. Also choose from jam and jellies, honey, fresh flowers and plants. Then, head to lunch at Carneval, their beef loin tip salad is divine. 9am to 6pm. Free. Lincoln Road mall, 1200 Lincoln Rd., between Washington and Drexel ave., Miami Beach. For info: 305-531-3442.
OCTOBER 11
FOOD Chocolate Mexican Style Simply drown in chocolate at the Rosa Mexicano's Chocolate Festival. This Mexican restaurant chain pulls out all the stops when it comes to their chocolate dishes. Try the amazing sounding steamed halibut with chocolate diablo sauce or the enchiladas with chicken and Chichilo-chocolate mole. Mmmm...divine. The festival runs through Oct. 25. Rosa Mexicano Mary Brickell Village, 900 S. Miami Ave. Miami. For info: 786-425-1001 or rosamexicano.com.
Above Left: It’s Miami Carnival time. Far Left: Thievery Corporation performs this week. Left: Revelers in pink at the Glam Doll Strut on Las Olas.
www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost •October 8, 2009 • Page 15
Calendar WHAT TO DO IN MIAMI THIS WEEK
OCTOBER 11
FESTIVAL Miami Carnival Its Carnival time. Brazil-style. Head to Bicentennial Park to party among the beautiful. Writhing, sweaty, bodies in teeny tiny sequined costumes and gravity-defying feather head pieces abound. Parades, Caribbean food, dancing, art and crafts and wild crazy fun to be had. 9am to 11pm. $20 cover. Bicentennial Park, 1075 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. For info: 305-358-7550.
OCTOBER 12
OCTOBER 13 WALLET FRIENDLY DATE NIGHT:
SPORT Canoe Adventures Commune with nature by taking a canoe ride deep into the mangroves of Crandon Park. Chat with great blue herons as they wade by, tickle some spotted eagle rays as they swim by and feel teeny tiny as birds soar above you. The fun can be had at Crandon Park with all sorts of back to nature events to participate in. Crandon Park Visitors and Nature Center, 6767 Crandon Blvd., Key Biscayne. For info: 305-361-6767
This sounds fun! Grab a coffee, hang with your buds and play some intense board games. Join the Miami Backgammon Club in Coral Gables. They meet every Tuesday without fail at Starbucks. All skill levels are welcome to participate. Bring your own board, competition provided. Free. 7pm. Starbucks Coffee, 1122 South Dixie Hwy., Coral Gables. For info: 305-298-4419.
OCTOBER 13
ART Butterflies as Art
OCTOBER 12
BOOKS Diary of a Wimpy Kid This might be fun for the kiddo's if they are into books, that is. A release party for Jeff Kinney's latest book featuring Greg Heffley, everyone’s favorite wimpy kid and self-confessed “indoor person,” would love. Copies of Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Dog Days will be available for purchase. Treats served. Free. 6pm. Books & Books-Coral Gables, 265 Aragon Ave. Coral Gable. For info: 305-442-4408 or booksandbooks.com.
SPORT Backgammon Club
Above: Fancy Me Yet perform at the Dwntwn Concert Series.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15: FLAMINGO POOL What better way to start a romantic date than watching the sun set. We propose you take it a step further by watching the sun set in the water. The beach is a fabulous alternative, but so expected. Try something just a little different and try Flamingo Park pool. Cool water, an endless starry sky and peace and quiet. But wait, don't just throw on your speedo and head out, it takes a little planning to pull off the romance. First, splurge on a bottle of champagne. It has to be good champagne, so we suggest a bottle of Perrier Jouet Grand Brut. (Gulf Liquors on Alton has it for about twenty bucks.) Now to the munchies; Grapes, cheese, crackers and cookies, choose the imported variety and end up with the perfect, romantic, finger food. Don't forget soft, fluffy towels, some sweet smelling lotion and your ipod. Pick up your date at 7pm because sunset is at 8:15 and the pool closes at 9pm. What you have is the makings of a glorious night for around $40.00. Oh and, don't forget to clean your apartment, if all goes well, your date will end up there. Admission is free for Beach residents and six dollars for non residents. Pool closes at 9pm. Flamingo Park, 999 11th Street, Miami Beach. 305-673-7760.
Page 16 • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com
This is something a little different. Head to Biscayne National Park to catch an extraodinary photographic exhibit, Butterflies of Biscayne. The group show incorporates stunning photography as a means of discovering and appreciating these beautiful insects. The show focuses on species found in Biscayne National Park. Through November 15. 9am to 5pm. Free. Dante Fascell Visitor Center, Biscayne National Park 9700 SW 328th St. Homestead. For info: 305-230-7275 or nps.gov/bisc. To contribute events, please email info. and images to events@miamisunpost.com
NEW location on 163rd Street CALL NOW 305-454-0019
THEY WON'T TAKE YOUR DIAMONDS AND JEWELRY BUT WE WILL! WE BUY AND SELL DIAMONDS, LOOSE, AND UNMOUNTED We Pay Cash on the Spot, Free Appraisals No matter how large or small your transaction, we pay cash
305.454.0019
15540 Biscayne Blvd, North Miami Directly across the North Dade Justice Center www.goldbuyerflorida.com
www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • Page 17
The 411
Peter and Kelly Gold
Ken Gorin, Linda Flanagan
COLUMN
Fashion for Good By Mary Jo Almeida-Shore Photography by Mary Jo Almeida-Shore
maryjoshore@aol.com
If the shows at the Tents and Paris, the fashion world’s fabulous versions of Mardi Gras and Carnaval combined, have left you fashionably jet-lagged (even if only in your mind), you’ll be glad to know that we’re heating up the runways right in our own backyard. To boot, at least a few of these fashion fetes and shows are designed to benefit great causes, not just to wear out the strip of that Black Card. Here’s to a stimulus plan that actually works, and is oh, so much fun! One such fashion celebration was last week’s opening of the Carolina Herrera boutique in Bal Harbour, followed by her runway presentation the next day. Making a pit stop in Miami in between her shows in New York and Paris, Herrera showcased her spring 2010 collection last Thursday, Oct. 1, in support of the Guardian Angels, a branch of Jackson Memorial Foundation, which hosted its 11th Annual Guardians of the Children luncheon at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Miami. Herrera, who exudes a regal elegance personified by her designs and boutiques around the world, was on hand to present a full runway fashion show, which was inspired by the intricate forms of woven Japanese baskets. The texture of the fabrics, the prints and the interlacing in the accessories were taken from patterns found in details of the baskets. Following the spectacular fashion show, the designer made a per-
sonal visit to Holtz Children’s Hospital where she met with all of the children, reviewing the sketches of budding designers and fans, as well as autographing teddy bears for the children to enjoy. "It was wonderful to be able to show the spring collection to the Jackson Memorial Foundation’s Guardian Angels to benefit the Holtz Children’s Hospital,” Herrera said. “Children's charities are so important to me. After the show I was taken for a tour of Holtz Children’s Hospital and the amazing medical facilities and I had the opportunity to meet the very impressive doctors and patients they help — the children were incredible. The whole experience was something really special to me.” VIPs who attended this year’s luncheon included Carolina Ferreiro-Diaz, event chair; Cindy Davis Carr, this year’s Guardians of the Children Honoree; Shirley K. Fletcher, honorary chair; and committee members Vivian Adrian, Mari Alarcon-Grimalt, Angela Andrade, Fanny Dascal, Silvia Rios Fortun, Alina Gallart, Fana Holtz, Aslynn Rivera, Marilyn Samlut and Gloria Sesana, along with Chris Riley, Alexia Echavarria, Lisa Pliner, Marlen Pernetti, Loretta Nunez, Rolando Rodriguez, President and CEO of Jackson Memorial Foundation and President and CEO of Jackson Health Systems Dr. Eneida Roldan and Channel 10 anchor Laurie Jennings, who served as emcee.
Page 18 • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com
John Hart, Lee Schrager, KC of the Sunshine Band, Edie Bornstein
The previous night, Herrera celebrated the opening of her most recent boutique at Bal Harbour Shops with a standing-room only crowd. The event, which by all accounts was packed to the hilt, was cohosted by Maria Celeste Arraras and Lourdes Fanjul. More than 300 adoring fans including Emilia and Pepe Fanjul, artist Iran Issa-Khan, socialite Margarita Ziqq and jewelry designer Carole Seikaly packed the intimate 2,000-square-foot boutique (that’s about 6.6 square feet per person, without a stitch or seat in the store), the designer’s fourth free-standing boutique in the United States. Herrera donated 10 percent of the proceeds from boutique sales from Wednesday-Saturday to the Guardian Angels. “I started doing this because I loved fashion,” she says. “But I had no idea what it would become.” This goes to show that you just never know. On June 2, 2008, the Council of Fashion Designers of America honored Herrera with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award. Herrera’s got numerous projects in the works, including new fragrances, a breast cancer awareness campaign and her ongoing work as goodwill ambassador for the United Nations.
SAKS HOSTS THE KEY Saks Fifth Avenue Dadeland (7687 N. Kendall Drive) will host Saks Key to the Cure Oct. 15-18, with a kickoff celebration on Oct. 10 featuring guest shoe designer Giuseppe Zanotti, who will sign pairs of his designs in Saks Dadeland’s shiny, stylish, brand-spanking-new 10022-SHOE salon on the second floor. In honor of the event, Saks has installed a stunning 20-foot sculpture of a shoe (at least stop by to pay homage) at the entrance of the store. There will be champagne, hors d’oeuvres, live entertainment and, of course, shopping. Saks will also offer
a limited-edition Key to the Cure T-shirt designed by Michael Kors, available beginning Oct. 1 and retailing for $40 in Saks stores, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH stores and on saks.com. More than 80 percent of the proceeds from each shirt sold will be donated to local charity partners. Supermodel Heidi Klum is the 2009 Ambassador for Saks Fifth Avenue’s Key to the Cure. In support of this program, Ms. Klum will appear in a national public service announcement wearing the limited-edition Kors T-shirt. No word on whether “Mrs. Seal” will show, but we can hope, can’t we? For more information, contact Cristina Menendez, 305-662-8655, ext. 262 or email Cristina_Menendez@s5a.com to help. A percentage of the sales during Key to the Cure will benefit the new Baptist Health Breast Center.
ELLE OF THE BAL Elle magazine’s Personal Style Awards, scheduled for Oct. 13, will feature an exclusive fashion show organized by Elle editors, honoring top Miami trendsetters. After the show, guests can shop at select Bal Harbour boutiques (9700 Collins Ave.), with a percentage of sales being donated to charities personally selected by the honorees, including Community Partnership for Homeless, Honey Shine and Voices for Children, among others. The event takes place on the second floor of the mall, across from Tiffany, from 6-8 p.m. For more information and to RSVP, go to: elleextra.com/shoppingatozcalendar.
FUNKSHION SEES RED FUNKSHION: Fashion Week Miami Beach celebrates its 13th season this year starting Oct. 14, with an unprecedented lineup of designers. The state-ofthe-art fashion runways will be set up at the Setai Hotel as well as at the Bass Museum of Art. One of the highlights of FUNKSHION, for the sec-
Carolina Herrera, Rodner Figueroa, Margarita Zinqq at the Carolina Herrera Bal Harbour Shops Boutique Opening. Photo by Manny Hernandez
ond year in a row, is the Red Dress Fashion Show, presented in conjunction with the American Heart Association. Across the country, the Red Dress has become the symbol for Go Red for Women, the American Heart Association movement that educates women about heart disease — currently the #1 killer of women — and empowers them to take charge of their heart health. Along with red dresses from designers such as Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors, Nicole Miller, Richie Rich and Badgley Mishka, the show will also feature a red swimwear line by Jantzen. Designers Nicole Miller and, for the second year in a row, Richie Rich will make special appearances. All funds raised as a result of the show will benefit Go Red for Women community programs and fund research in the field of cardiology. FUNKSHION will also present Nicole Miller, the debut runway show for Rio Soul by Luciano Maia, Dallas-based superstar designer Abi Ferrin, Liquid Metal and Adventure Fashions by Eugene Jones. For the full schedule of shows and fashion events, visit www.funkshion.com. As with every season, FUNKSHION supports new and emerging designers with the Emerging Designers Award. The panel of judges for this award is comprised of media elite, trade industry VIPs, designers, celebrities and members of Fashion Group International. Fashion Group International will award the winner this prestigious honor along with the opportunity to showcase his or her designs at Funkshion: Fashion Week Milan in Italy. Fashion Group Emerging Designers Competition will be presented by Nespresso.
Iran Issa-Khan and Carolina Herrera, at the opening of her boutique. Photo by Manny Hernandez.
Komen for the Cure. The collection will include prominent designers such as Adam, Binetti, Giorgio Armani, Guess by Marciano, Lilly Pulitzer, Luca Luca, Nicole Miller, Tadashi, Terexov and Venexiana, to name a few. Miami notables expected to “walk the walk” on the runway include CBS 4’s Lissette Gonzalez, NBC 6’s Roxanne Vargas, Fox 7 Deco Drive’s Shireen Sandoval and singer/songwriter Jamie Jo Harris. Top designers Betsey Johnson, Binetti, Giorgio Armani, Luca Luca, Nanette Lepore, Nicole Miller, Pamela Roland, Terexov, Tadashi, as well as emerging talent Abi Ferrin, Ina Solanti, Karen Zambos, Kurru Kurru have generously donated dresses to showcase throughout the three-city tour of New York, Miami Beach and Los Angeles, where the dresses will be auctioned off at the culmination of the tour on Oct. 30. In further support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a special presentation of Ford Warriors in Pink, Warrior Wear and Gear will also be included in the show. All proceeds from the Pink Dress Collection, Ford Warriors in Pink and sponsor Clarisonic will go to the three aforementioned city affiliates of Susan G. Komen for the Cure to raise awareness for breast cancer through research, education, screening and treatment.
Carolina Herrera, Lourdes Fanjul and Maria Celeste Arraras. Photo by Manny Hernandez.
into a frenzy. On Sunday at Land Shark Stadium, Fins' part owners Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony attended a pregame breast cancer awareness benefit in the Ocean Drive club. Fresh from their partying adventures at LIV the night before: Lauren Conrad and Lo Bosworth. Latin singing sensation Tito Puente Jr. performed at the grand opening of the newly revamped Airport Marriott on Monday. A celeb-fest is expected at this Sunday’s private Dolphins-Jets pre-game party at Viceroy Club 50. Five-time Grammy winner Marc Anthony, Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter Emilo Estefan, renowned developer Jorge Perez of The Related Group, ESPN Deportes General Manager Lino Garcia, Grammy Award winner Nelly Furtado, CSI Miami actress Eva LaRue, Venezuelan actress Gabriela Espino, and NFL players Duane Starks, Najeh Davenport, Nat Moore, Jerome McDougle and Stockar McDougle are scheduled to attend. The event is private, but you can always attempt to crash the party via parachute or helicopter drop-off on the outside terrace of Club 50. Everyone will probably be too star-struck to notice. SEE MORE 411 PICS ON PAGES 26
DOUBLE-SHOT SATURDAY
Carolina Herrera at her new Bal Harbour Shops Boutique Opening. Photo by Manny Hernandez.
Pharell held a private concert at WET at W South Beach on Saturday night, after a full day of private IZOD events including a fashion show and performance from N.E.R.D. Later that night, The Killers performed an impromptu set at The Florida Room.
CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS: FASHION ROCKS A spinoff of FUNKSHION is Rock Fashion Week, which is being presented this year in conjunction with Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. and Elle Magazine at the Eden Roc Hotel. The four-day fashion and entertainment event, Oct. 14-17, will showcase several of the fashion industry’s most celebrated labels, including shows by KRELwear, Russell Simmons ARGYLECULTURE, Birgit C. Muller Couture, Ella Bella, Lorie Lester, Ra Mona La Rue by Arianne, Bullets 4 Peace, Biatta Intimates, Billion Dollar Britches and more. This year, Rock Fashion Week proudly presents The Pink Dress Collection to benefit Susan G.
Last week, KC from KC and the Sunshine Band joined fellow Friends of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival including Lee Schrager, The Collection’s Ken Gorin, and Edie Bornstein at Mr. Chow at the W South Beach for the eatery’s famous noodle show performed in the private dining room. Lars Ulrich of Metallica was spotted at Rokbar on Saturday night. He was with a ton of girls and was seen drinking shots of anything he could find. At LIV over the weekend it was “Girls’ Night Out,” with dual birthday celebrations for Katrina Bowden from NBC’s 30 Rock and Lo Bosworth from MTV’s The Hills. Lauren Conrad was in town to celebrate her friend Lo’s birthday and female DJs Blondish worked the crowd
Carolina Herrera with her staff at her new Bal Harbour Shops Boutique Opening. Photo by Manny Hernandez.
www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • October 8, 2009 • Page 19
Bound COLUMN
Gone with Oz The Life of hollywood’s Unsung Heavyweight By John Hood
Japanese and Thai Specialties! "Enjoy Exotic Dishes of the Orient" THE FRESHEST INGREDIENTS: Sushi, Yakitori, Sashimi, Teriyaki, Tempura, Pad Thai, Curry Lunch/Dinner/Drinks Open 7 Days
2775 NE 187th St., Aventura, FL 33180 305-932-8080
FREELANCE WRITERS NEEDED FOR THE SUNPOST SUBMIT YOUR RESUME AND 3 WRITING SAMPLES TO: kim@miamisunpost.com
Kendall 11768 N. Kendall Drive I 305-275-9003
Page 20 • Thursday, October 8 , 2009 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com
Poor Victor Fleming. Sixty years passed after the director’s death before somebody saw fit to step up and write about his life. Hell, it even took me nine months to get with the biography. And it seems as in death so he had it in life; his name too often left on the cutting room floor while contemporaries such as Howard Hawks and John Ford became lionized. Even George Cukor now boasts a more enduring legend, and Fleming replaced him at the helm twice — in The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind. Yes, you read that correctly. Fleming was called in to direct two of the most cherished movies in moviedom. And in Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master (Pantheon $40), film critic Michael Sragow tells us all about how he’d end up directing the bulk of both. But replacing Cukor (and others) twice in two milestone movies only happens to be a small part of Fleming’s loomable legacy. And Sragow’s gone expertly out of his way to ensure that we learn the who, the what, the when, the wherefore and the why of it all. Fleming was born in a tent outside of Pasadena to a couple of pioneer types who’d fled Missouri “the day after a tornado ripped through their county.” The last rail of track had been laid just the year before, and the Flemings were among the first wave to lay some claim to what was then “one of the sparser, dustier outposts of Southern California’s Citrus Belt.” Fleming was good with his hands, and his mechanical aptitude led him into allegiance with directors Allen Dwan and D.W. Griffith, and he’d eventually serve as cinematographer to both. Fleming directed his first film in 1919, the Douglas Fairbanks vehicle When the Clouds Roll By. And it would be nothing but lights, camera, action and adventure for the next 30 years. Fleming next connected with Clara Bow, whom he directed in (and dated throughout) Mantrap (1926), a full year before she became Hollywood’s “It Girl.” In ’29 Fleming found Gary Cooper and in The Virginian made of him the stoic individualist he’d come to personify the rest of his life. From there he’d bask Clark Gable in Red Dust (1932), make Jean Harlow a bona fide Bombshell (1933), turn Spencer Tracy into Captains Courageous (1937), and grab Myrna Loy so he and Gable could fly back for Test Pilot (1938).
Then in ’39 MGM had Fleming come in to salvage The Wizard of Oz and David O. Selznick did likewise for Gone with the Wind; the rest, as they say, made Hollywood history. Surprisingly, given the scope of the two motion pictures, much of that history remained untold. Until now, that is, with Sragow’s comprehensive chronicle. It is said that Fleming “was Rhett Butler.” That Gable based much of what he played on the way Fleming behaved in real life. It’s also said that Fairbanks and Tracy and Cooper also either based much of what they played on the director, or at least on what the director ordered. According to Sragow, “Fleming didn’t just serve Hollywood royals: he put them on their thrones.” But “what gave Fleming special sway in Hollywood was that he was an Old-Time Wild Man who could also be elegant, intelligent and at ease indoors.” In other words, he was the proverbial man’s man, when men were made of stronger, sterner stuff, and life was lived as if every day was meant to be legendary. Perhaps that’s why Fleming’s name hasn’t rung quite so many bells; the man was more concerned with living the legend rather than merely leaving one behind. But in the end, if the work is worthy enough, legend must out. And at long last the man’s man has a book worthy of his work.
Food COLUMN
Pacific Time...About Last Night By Marguerite Gil (megs@famae.org)
Chef Jonathan Eismann, along with Michelle Leshem & Sean Drake, have come up with an interesting concept. About Last Night is a weekly Tuesday social networking event that encourages Tweeting and status updates. Their first gathering of Miami’s hipsters was definitely a success. Indoors at Pacific Time in the Design District, guests enjoyed lychee martinis, cosmos & Monk in the Trunk draft beers. Outside in the patio area, the stars were sparkling against an indigo sky and Chef Brian Bell’s small plates were waiting to be sampled. Small plates are $12 each and include Gnudi, sheep’s milk ricotta, Parmigiano grand cru, organic spinach and a speckling of brown butter. The Tuna Tataki is enhanced with soy-grilled, tomato-fennel kimchee and sticky rice. On the spicier side, check out the Kona Crudo, which includes Hawaiian kona, pink grapefruit, ponzu and jalapeno. There are 17 plates to choose from. And then there is, of course, the regular menu created by the award-winning chef. Parking is a breeze, the place is trendy and fun and the staff just wants to pamper diners. Pacific Time is located at 35 N.E. 40th St., Miami. Details 305-722-7369 or pacifictimemiami.com
Art Fusions Gallery in the Design District
Art News Opera Gallery: A French-Based Art Space in Bal Harbour By Marguerite Gil (megs@famae.org)
Happy bartender at Pacific Time's new sipping, tasting and social networking concept 'About Last Night' every Tuesday evening.
Culture News Sleepless Night is the Ultimate Cultural All-Nighter
The internationally renowned Opera Gallery provides a perfect showcase for the works of great masters such as Picasso, Bernard Buffet, William De Kooning, Roy Lichtenstein, Gauguin, Miro, Braque, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali and many more. Works by contemporary artists such as Romero Britto, JeanMichel Basquiat and Blek Le Rat are also on view. The gallery offers art lovers a large collection of fine paintings and sculptures from around the world. It also supports young emerging artists from the South Florida area. Located in the prestigious Bal Harbour Shops, the gallery is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Opera Gallery, 9700 Collins Ave., Suite #218, Bal Har-
Art Fusion Galleries Welcomes Visitors for Second Saturday
By Kim Steiner For those of you who enjoyed Sleepless Night, (the all-night cultural extravanganza), and have been waiitng with baited breath for its return. Wait no more, because on November 7 the free, 13-hour cultural mayhem begins again. Musical marionettes, a pajama run, helium-balloon acrobats, a flash mob, acrobatics, film, comedy, dance, street spectacles and that’s only the half of it. There is also virtual reality live animation performances, digital nightscape graffiti and interactive three-screen manipulated films. More than 130 events in more than 100 locations spread throughout four zones, from Ocean Drive to Normandy Fountain. The fun starts at 6pm and comes to a close at 7am the next morning. Check out sleeplessnight.org for more information.
By Marguerite Gil (megs@famae.org) bour. Details, 305-868-3337 or visit operagallery.com. Above: Nude 4, by photographer, Fred Aufray at Opera Gallery. Far Left: The Dream Engine Heliosphere, will be at Sleepless Night.
Always the highlight of the Design District’s Second Saturday Gallery Walk, Art Fusion Galleries features creations by dozens of artists in a fun environment. Co-owner William Braemer brings a kaleidoscope of original works produced by emerging and mid-career artists to his extensive, vibrant art space. During the ongoing monthly gallery walk, guests can appreciate hundreds of innovative artworks inside, then stroll to the sidewalk area and enjoy live music, beverages and hors d’oeuvres outside. Join the happy art crowds for a charming evening of browsing, mingling and viewing the latest in visual arts. Art Fusion Galleries, 1 N.E. 40th St., Miami. For information, 305-5735730 or go to artfusiongallery.com.
www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • October 8, 2009 • Page 21
Potation COLUMN
Chateau Musar Everything Lebanese Wines Have to Offer By Ewan Lacey I vaguely remember reading an article in GQ dur-
end of the second year, according to taste and so the
ing the early nineties and they’d themed a fashion
proportions are different every vintage. Finally, in an
shoot around Global Warming – ‘How Your Wardrobe
age when wine makers in Bordeaux are so keen to
Will Have to Change,’ or something like that. I thought
sell their wine, that they sell before it’s even been bot-
that was frivolous. Now I’m writing about Lebanese
tled; in Musar, they refuse to sell their wine until it’s
wines at a time when the Middle East is in turmoil. I’m
ready to approach and has passed it’s sixth birthday.
unable and unqualified to comment on the troubles
I recently tasted vintages of Chateau Musar stretching
there; but I can write about the wines which I tasted
back over more than 40 years: here are my notes
recently. When asked what my favorite wine is, my stan-
CHATEAU MUSAR REDS
dard answer is "it depends" but when I’m pushed to
1999 Current vintage: Intense and ruby red wine.
say something, I answer "Chateau Musar". I like it be-
The blackcurrant flavours matched with excellent tan-
cause in an age of homogeneity and uniformity; Musar
nin and acidity balance with hints of leather and cher-
stands out. There’s often a marked variation from one
ries coupled with tremendous richness.
bottle to the next – even within the same vintage – on
1993: Rich and bright colour. Wonderful hint of
the nose the wine can be quite volatile; although that
cedar, accompanies brambles and berries on the
blows off after a while, in short it’s not like any other
nose. The fruit carries through on to the palate and is
wine. I don’t just like it because it’s different, though.
supported by a slight taste of lead pencil shavings;
white wine. Blackcurrant fruit with a delicious hint of
ature – about 15 degrees. If you like Hunter Valley
I like it because it’s good.
structure very similar to a decent claret, developing a
caramel to round off the wine.
Semillon or Madeira I think you might like these
slight garnet edge.
1967: Very fine and delicate, mature appearance,
1999 current vintage. Pale old-gold colour.
by a composer friend. He’s a friend of the Hochar fam-
1989: The colour is starting to clear, but the wine
slightly oxidised with a lemony acidity. Delicious in the
Semolina pudding on the nose, hint of bees wax.
ily who make the wine in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. We
is not yet transparent – still good and dense. Hint of
same way that very old champagne is. Not to every-
Fleshy with flavours of soft fruit – pears and peaches.
used to drink bottles of the stuff on sunlit winter af-
cherry cough sweets on the nose. Red fruits and a hint
one’s taste. This is called the Gout Anglais – in refer-
1991: Hint of ginger and even cinnamon; Very
ternoons in Notting Hill in London, discussing life’s
of coffee, full body and mid-weighted texture; good
ence to the fact that we in this country have had a
rich, the spiciness along with the quince-like acidity
finer points in the midst of very glamorous people
acidity and ‘grip’.
reputation for liking wines which are ‘dead.’
brings about a slightly antiseptic taste (TCP.) It’s fa-
It’s very good. I was first introduced to the wine
1988: Good and bright. Candied sweets and
1966: Pale orange/brown colour, again good
Whilst many people are surprised to hear about
Brandy Balls on the nose – cinnamon. Slightly sharp
acidity and grip. The fruit has mellowed and notes of
Lebanese wine-making, it’s been going on there for
acidity, balanced by sweetness – think poached
oak flavours preponderate – as in old malts and co-
thousands of years: since the time of the Phoenicians
rhubarb and Demerara sugar. Will last for another ten
gnac.
– the founding fathers of the wine trade. The climate
years.
chattering and drinking cocktails.
miliar, though and more attractive than that description sounds. 1990: Platinum or pale straw in colour with lemon rind, white peach aromas. This interplay of bit-
1959: the best wine by a mile. Pale tawny colour.
terness and sweetness reminds me of a very good
in most of the country isn’t ideal for wine; but the
1979: Brick red in colour. Disappointing; par-
Nutmeg, cinnamon and sandal wood aromas on the
Hunter Valley Semillon. That ‘waxiness’ is supported
Bekaa valley is at altitude – this ensures that whilst it’s
tially oxidised, and as a result fairly tart – like orange
nose. Round in the glass with a tremendous body, es-
by a plush sweetness in the fruit. Ready to drink, but
hot, it’s never too hot; the landscape is very much like
juice.
pecially for a wine of this age. Thick and sweet like
will keep.
that of northern California; arid scrub land flecked with green. Chateau Musar itself is something of a cross-be-
1978: slight cork-taint, but in a subtle and perni-
liquorice, notes of toffee and oak. There’s something
1975: Full yellow/gold with notes of malt whisky
cious way, it’s strangled the fruit without being obvious
reminiscent of Pedro Ximenez, even though the wine
and oak on the nose. Soft like molten candy; exquisite
on the nose. Faulty bottle.
isn’t sweet; it’s powerful, old, full-bodied and ethereal.
and poised in the mouth. A touch maderised; I love
tween; although I’m never sure what it’s a cross be-
1972: Beautiful tawny colour; picked a year be-
tween. Sometimes I’m reminded of Claret; sometimes
fore the Yom Kipour War and the Oil crisis. On the
of the Rhone; sometimes of a South African wine; and
nose, this smells exactly like a pink lilly; in the mouth,
it. Will probably last for ages, but why wait?
CHATEAU MUSAR WHITES
1969: Deep burnished gold colour. Delicious
I also tasted the whites. Made from obeideh and
aroma of poached pear; rich, ripe fruit and honey-
merwah two grape varieties indigenous to Mount
comb on the palate. The wine lingers for a moment
cabernet sauvignon, carignan and cinsault the wine is
1970: The colour is beginning to drop out of the
Lebanon; it’s not just the grapes that stand out, unlike
and then is gone – ethereal and delicious. Drink now.
racked in wooden barrels and isn’t blended until the
wine and the acidity is very fresh, almost like an old
most whites, these should be drunk at cellar temper-
other things at other times. The grapes used are:
lovely round berry fruit married well with wood.
Page 22 • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com
Providing Badly Needed Relief for Miami-area Small Business Financial and government leaders all agree that small business is the lifeblood of the American economy, providing more than half of all private sector jobs and nowhere is that more true than in Miami Dade. Yet while local contractors in the building trades, small retailers, restaurants and professionals of all kinds are being squeezed like never before in our crippled economy, most of the U.S. government relief is flowing to the giants of corporate America. With Miami-Dade s small businesses struggling to control their expenses while they wait out the return of better times, Atlantic Broadband is launching a very timely new package of communications services that will save them serious money to help them weather the economic storm. Atlantic Broadband s new business-class services provide all the features necessary for the vast majority of offices and small companies, beginning at $79.95 a month for a package of unlimited local and long-distance phone service and broadband-speed Internet. The phone company competition, whose services aimed at small business have suffered from benign neglect for years, charges nearly that much for just one-line business phone service, not including long distance or Internet. Hundreds of dollars more in yearly savings over the competition area available on more full-featured Atlantic Broadband phone/Internet packages.
For the first time, we are offering an extremely cost-effective alternative for small businesses such as doctors and dentists offices; law, accounting and insurance firms; restaurants; small retailers; building, plumbing and electrical contractors; and local nonprofit organizations, said Mary Hughes, Atlantic Broadband Director of Commercial Development.
And, Atlantic Broadband makes choosing and configuring a business plan simple a huge advantage over the complex service options and complicated bills of the phone company, Hughes said. Among the features of Atlantic Broadband Business Service: • Support for up to eight phone lines. • 20 business-focused advanced features at no extra cost, including receptionistfriendly call hold, transfer, line hunt and userdefined extension dialing; as well as optional voice mail.
• Direct connection to existing standards-compatible phones, faxes and credit card machines; plus hassle-free switchovers that retain existing phone numbers. • Next-generation tools, including an Online Phone Manager that delivers unprecedented on-premises and remote control of the system, including voice mail settings and viewing, and instant re-routing/forwarding. • Attractive upgrade/replacement programs for outmoded T1 lines; as well as inflexible, failure-prone proprietary phone systems. • of calls in the event of electricity outages. • The business-class reliability born of delivering 70 million calls just last month alone, plus 24/7 technical support and personalized service through dedicated account executives. • High-speed broadband Internet service at 3 or 8 megabits per second, with faster speeds to come; plus money-saving phone/Internet service packages. • Only a one-year commitment, versus the three-year contract required to get the phone company s best rates. Single-line, one-year phone/Internet discount packages, including unlimited local and long-distance calling including Canada and Puerto Rico , plus a free voice mail box and phone modem, start at $79.95 with basic 3 Mb Internet service, and $94.95 with basic 8 Mb Internet Service. Additional business lines, up to a total of eight, are $44.95 per month, little more than half the competition s price. Atlantic Broadband also offers an even less expensive business phone plan, which includes unlimited local calling plus long distance at flat rate of 5 cents per minute. Discount package savings are open to both existing and new business customers. More information is available by calling 305861-8069 x3903. Atlantic Broadband serves 98,000 customers in Miami Beach, Aventura, Bal Harbour Islands, Golden Beach, North Bay Village, Sunny Isles Beach, Surfside, South Miami, Pinecrest, and unincorporated portions of Miami Dade County.
www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • October 8, 2009 • Page 23
Art Profile COLUMN
Girl from Cali By Marguerite Gil (megs@famae.org) Photos: M. Gil
Cecilia Moreno-Yaghoubi creates “assemblages” that reflect her collecting ability. Flea markets, thrift shops and attics are her shopping mall. Yaghoubi pieces together discarded materials, antiques and random found objects and then creates small as well as large-scale installations with the discards. Signature works by this artist incorporate dolls that depict religious, political and gender issues. In her latest artistic endeavor, Yaghoubi introduces “retained/ imprisoned” female forms that question women’s roles in society. Whether on canvas or in doll form, her women always seem to be held back by some invisible force. Yaghoubi stated, “My friends were my dolls when I was a child. They were important for me. I never threw any of my dolls away because they were such a part of me.” Yaghoubi left her native Columbia at a young age and eventually went to study at New York’s Art Students League, the National Academy of Fine Arts, the Silvermine Arts Center, Westchester Community College and Pace University. Her initial paintings were about landscapes, but as she developed social consciousness in everyday life, she became dissatisfied with representational art and searched for objects and feelings that appeased her ongoing questions about social unrest. “I want to use my voice to highlight important issues for people who cannot express their own views,” she said. After some probing, Yaghoubi admitted she had plenty of dolls as a child and was always strangely fascinated by them. “I use them to make statements about the world, especially matters of oppression against women. I try to address issues about the plight of women in rigid Middle East societies or similarly, the situation of women in Western countries, who live under a cultural burden which drives them toward plastic surgeon’s knives. I’ve always been drawn to objects tossed aside by others. Dolls evoke memories of the past, and lead to thoughts of deeper metaphysical issues.” The solo exhibition is on view at the Consulate of Colombia, 280 Aragon Ave. in Coral Gables, through October 30. Expect to see a provocative show with dolls both eerie and revealing, as well as mixed-media paintings and constructions that pay homage to her personal journey as a Colombian woman “remade” in America. The show, called Girl from Cali, is free and open to the public during office hours only.
(l-r) Columbian artists Alicia H. Torres with exhibiting artist Cecilia Moreno-Yaghoubi at her Opening Night Reception.
Page 24 • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com
Cecilia Moreno-Yaghoubi's works on view at the Consulate of Columbia in Coral Gables.
$3.00 OFF HAND CAR WASH Not combined with other offer
$15.00 OFF HAND CAR WAX Not combined with other offer
$15.00 OFF A FULL CAR WINDOW TINTING
Not combined with other offer
$25.00 OFF FULL DETAIL Not combined with other offer
MVR #25108466
www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • Page 25
411
Vivan Adrian, Carolina Ferreiro-Diaz, Aslynn Rivera, Mari Alarcon Grimalt, Silvia Fortun, Cindy Davis Carr, Fana Holtz, Alina Gallart, Gloria Sesana, Angela Andrade, and Marilyn Samlut
Carolina Ferreiro-Diaz, Carolina Herrera, Fana Holtz and Aslynn Rivera
Jackson Memorial Foundation Guardian Angels 11th Annual Luncheon featuring Carolina Herrera Spring 2010 Fashion Show Ana Maria Canseco. Photo by John Parra
Carolina Herrera spring 2010 runway show at Hotel Intercontinental to benefit the Golden Angels. Photos By: Mary Jo Almeida-Shore
Page 26 • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • The SunPost • www.miamisunpost.com
GERMAN HANDYMAN ALL HOME REPAIRS & RENOVATIONS DOORS & WINDOWS ROOF REPAIRS CARPENTRY FLOORING DRYWALL TILING
CALL HEIKO 786-487-6152 LICENSED
& INSURED
HANDYMAN John Serving Greater Miami and Miami Beach for over 15 years Roof Maintenance Repairs SAVE $$$ RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL Custom Kitchen, Bathroom, Windows, Doors, Interior & Exterior Custom Painting, Rough & Finish Carpentry Floor, Wall & Stucco Restoration
30 Years Experience
CALL (305) 987-7614
Senora Rose SOULMATE, LOVE, TAROT CARD READING GOOD LUCK IN FINANCE
One Free Question Satisfaction Guaranteed
954.961.5940 1901 N. 66th Ave, Hollywood FL. 33024
For advertising:
305.538.9797 www.miamisunpost.com • The SunPost • Thursday, October 8, 2009 • Page 27
Toss the Walker & Get in the Water! Increase Your Mobility, Strength & Quality of Life. THE EVOLUTION OF FITNESS
POST REHAB THERAPY, OVERWEIGHT, INCREASE STRENGTH AND SPEED, FLEXIBILITY AND CARDIO ENDURANCE. AQUAFIT CAN HELP!
786.220.1799
aquafitmiami.com