2010.11.11 by SunPost Media LLC

The Story Matters

Calendar p.14 We dig Kooza, the newest show from Cirque du Soleil so much, we running it twice!

Vol. XXV No. 43

November 11, 2010

Visit us at sunpostweekly.com

BOOK FA I R John Hood’s Biased Guide to This Year’s Fun SEE PAGE 10 MAYHEM P.4

PROFILE P. 6

POLITICS P. 8

NEWS P. 8

CALENDAR P.14

CINEMA P. 18

DANCE P. 19

411 P.20

GO! P. 22

FASHION P.24

SEX P. 26

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Kim Stark kim@sunpostweekly.com SOCIETY EDITOR Jeannette Stark jeannette@sunpostweekly.com COPY EDITOR Mary Louise English

PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER Kim Stark kim@sunpostweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Stuart Davidson stuart@sunpostweekly.com ACCOUNTING Sandie Friedman

CALENDAR EDITOR Jake Orsinni calendar@sunpostweekly.com

SALES DIRECTORS Jeannette Stark Manny Duran

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jeffrey Bradley Charles Branham-Bailey Stuart Davidson Marguerite Gil Jennifer Fragoso John Hood Dr. Sonjia Kenya Joshua Malina Ruben Rosario Mary Jo Almeida-Shore Michael Sasser Kim Steiner

Gustavo Abdelnour FOUNDER Jeannette Stark PUBLISHER EMERITUS Felix Stark (1929-1995) WEB SITE sunpostweekly.com PRODUCTION Blue Studio

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Stuart Davidson Jennifer Fragoso Marguerite Gil Ines Hegedus-Garcia Jipsy Mary Jo Almeida-Shore Mitchell Zachs

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FOR ADVERTISING & RATE INFO: Please call 305.482.1785 or email kim@sunpostweekly.com SUBSCRIPTIONS First class mailing subscriptions are available at $150 per year. Call 305.538.9797. Copyright: The entire contents of SunPost are copyright 2010 by SunPost Media 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.

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Tropical Mayhem BITS AND PIECES OF MIAMI LIFE

Miami through my iphone

THE MAGIC OF MIAMI by Ines Hegedus-Garcia - miamism.com - ines@miamism.com How can anyone ever get tired of this? Just open your eyes and look at what surrounds us - and when all else fails, catch a sunrise or sunset like this one. The ever changing Miami Skyline will take your breath away every time. This photo was taken from a friend’s boat, on our way to the Miami River for dinner. It’s one of those photos you can’t get enough of.

Painting the Showroom Vibrant Poltrona Frau is one of those trendsetting showrooms that is located in Miami’s bustling Design District. Furniture elitists and wealthy collectors undersstand quality and know they can easily find unique furnishings at this exclusive space. Founded in Torino, Italy in 1912 by Renzo Frau, this company started out by creating fine leather armchairs and sofas. Today they offer clients a variety of beds, tables, chairs and desks and also create special furnishings for special events. Some of their wares are included in theatres, cruise ships, hotels, museums and auditoriums. Luxury cars such as Ferrari, Maserati, Bugatti, BMW, Mercedes and Lexus use Frau’s high quality leathers for their interiors.Recently the Frau Showroom welcomed guests to a “painting event” by artist Sampaolo.Using fresh colorful acrylics thrown on the large-scale, blank canvas is the kind of event that screams droplets of paints on expensive sample furniture, or on friendly on-lookers, and definitely on the floor, but I must admit, I didn’t see any of that. What I did experience is a contemporary painter who succeeded in creating an impressive, huge work of art in a few hours

without soiling the accessories, the visitors or himself. Bravisimo! Italian-born artist Andrea Sampaolo began his artistic career as a painter, but quickly expanded his media approach to include visual installations and performance, as well as design and communications investigation. His work embraces and responds to the dynamic nature of the environment and incorporates elements of the fine arts, fashion, design, animation and musical sensations. The show is entitled “I am American; so I am Contemporary” and features notions of Pop Art, Action Painting and American graffiti. Thirty-two pieces of his art will hang in the luxury showroom until the end of November, 2010. Poltrona Frau Miami is located at 10 NE 39th Street, Miami. -

Marguerite Gil

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SOHO ARTS PAVILLION Catch the grand opening of the Soho Arts Pavilion & Lounge (SAPAL), this Saturday, November 13th in conjunction with the 2nd Saturdays Art Walk. The opening party will feature artwork from 10 in conjunction with their much-anticipated Florida Artist Showcase. 7pm. And, later that same evening, Florida International Magazine’s celebrates thelaunch of its November Art + Design issue. 9:30pm. The Pavillion’s purpose is to support non-profit art organizations as well as the under-served emerging artistic talent in the local community, by creating a sophisticated, yet casual, gathering space with bar and chic lounge seating, to encourage networking and to showcase these talents. SAPAL will partner with South Florida’s diverse cultural organizations and artists to feature exhibitions, performances and symposiums in ways that will educate, inspire and give back to all who participate. Five percent of proceeds from all events held at SAPAL will go directly back to these nonprofit organizations. 2151 NW 1st Court in the Wynwood Arts District. For info: sohostudiosmiami.com.

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PHOTO: MAGICALPHOTOS.COM / MITCHELL ZACHS

PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY YOU SHOULD KNOW

Cindy Hill Organics for Everyone Compiled By Kim Steiner Who are you? I am a communitarian. I am someone who wants to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. I am a 25 year veteran of the food and beverage industry. My claim to fame was the opening logistics manager for the South Beach Brasserie, owned by actor Michael Caine back in the late 1990’s. I am a wife, a mother, a Girl Scout leader, a PTSA President and a great cook. What do you do in real life? I am the owner of a boutique business specializing in sales and education of essential oils and aromatherapy.

dren eat but they just don’t know how to do it. I began to connect with local growers, ranchers and farmers in the Southeast to bring the “farm to the beach” to provide children and their families fresh, local and wholesome foods.

facility to hold children’s ccoking workshops and they allow us to use their refrigeration and grounds as a “pick up” point. I am greatly appreciative of their support.

Do you grow yourself or are you affiliated with local farms? I have aligned myself with “ladies and gentlemen of the fields” that have researched the best farmers, ranchers and artisans in the area. I also have three local community gardens growing on Miami Beach.

What do you do now, that you did not do 5 years ago? It’s funny you ask this question. In 2006 I sent out an email to everyone I knew stating that I was retiring from the restaurant and catering industry and reinventing myself for the next phase of my life. I didn’t quite know what that was on that given day, but it has manifested to this.

What do you like most about what you do? What I like most is that all of my endeavors revolve around a non-toxic, healthy lifestyle.

Why should we care? Because this is the first generation of children that might have a shorter lifespan than their parents. I think we should care about our kids.

What is Once Upon A Carrot? Once Upon a Carrot is a community based organization dedicated to fighting the childhood obesity crisis through gardening, cooking and hands-on demonstrations.

What kind of response have you had? I have just begun my second season and each month brings more and more happy customers, mainly by word of mouth.

Why Organic Groceries? What I came to realize while teaching the children how to cook, is that many of their parents care about how and what their chil-

Tell us about your affiliation with Miami Beach Botanical Garden? MBBG has been a wonderful support organization. They allow me to use their

If you had to move to a deserted island what 2 items would you take? I would take some vegetable seeds and my cast iron WOK. What are your guilty pleasures? Spending too much money on spa treatments and I can’t resist a nice cold Coca-Cola. One luxury that you cannot live without? Eating-out.

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Three Words to describe you? Advocate, feisty, energetic. That’s who I am.

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Can He Say That? COLUMN

The Voters Be Damned By Charles Branham-Bailey sobefla@gmail.com The best argument against democracy, the great and venerable Churchill once pronounced, is a fiveminute conversation with the average voter. Put another way, by contemporary journalist Art Spander: “The great thing about democracy is that it gives every voter a chance to do something stupid.” Bingo. Millions of Floridians and other Americans dutifully traipsed into their polling places last week and from out of those tabulating machines spit a whole hell of a lot of stupidity. Applied to last week’s voters, Mr. Churchill’s comment is about four-and-a-half minutes too generous. Yes, the Voters Have Spoken – and what they said, in a nutshell, was, “Heil, the Reich-wing!” Do excuse me if I feel the urge – and I will – to purge and vent my anger at you dumbfucks intermittently throughout this week’s column. And it’s not solely the dumbfucks who voted to yank America backward with whom I’m pissed off, but also with those of you who didn’t even bother to turn out to vote to keep America progressing forward. Especially you. All of you who turned out by the droves two Novembers ago and voted for change, but didn’t report to your precincts this time around to reinforce that change. Yes, I’m addressing you dumbfucks. All of you Obama supporters (well, supporters then, deserters now) who sat on your idle haunches: His reverberating 2008 campaign theme had to do with believing in something. Remember what it was? Put down your bongs, your Wii’s, your I-Pods and IPads, or whatever’s occupying your time right now and try to recall. (Hint: I mentioned it in the previous paragraph.) But apparently, you modified that theme with a quirky 2010 update: Change we can (kinda-sorta) believe in. Certainly not fervently enough to warrant dragging your apathetic asses down to the same voting precincts you were so revved up to go and vote at two years ago, and voting this time for candidates that would preserve and propel the change you wanted then, huh? (VENTING BREAK: You indolent morons!) And the thought has recurred to me often in the last week: Boy, the right to vote sure is wasted on us Americans. Just when one thought a rich-as-Croesus, Fifth Amendment-pleading, honesty-evading, Medicaredefrauding, editorial board-dodging, political neophyte from Illinois could become governor of Florida despite never winning even one major newspaper endorsement, 2.6 million of you evidently ranked character or the lack thereof as not particularly important in the consideration of who your next guv would be.

Thank you, my fellow Floridians, for bestowing upon my fellow journalists and me an early Christmas present. With Rick Scott in the statehouse for the next four years, there’s likely to be plenty for which to watch him closely. Verrrry closely. Am I too harsh in my expectations? Nah. I figure the odds-makers in Las Vegas will soon be taking bets on just how soon it will take for our Rick to get into trouble for something, anything. Knowing him and his proclivity for trouble, ya just know it’s only a matter of time. Neither was character an evident factor in your choosing Marco Rubio for the U.S. Senate. Never mind his questionable use, or misuse, of a state GOP credit card, you voters decided. You liked him anyway. (VENTING BREAK: You jack-assical idiots!) Just when one thought health care reform was signed, sealed, and about to be delivered in 2014, now chest-thumping GOP leaders like Boehner and McConnell pledge to smother it in its crib. And, of course, the Party of No must quickly transform itself, with its sights on the next election, into the Party of No Second Term for that No-Good Socialist in the White House. Just when one thought pockets of the country were beginning to turn the corner on bigotry against gays (see: Iowa’s legalization of gay marriage), Iowans voted out three state supreme court justices responsible for that 2009 decision and proved – nope – that Midwesterners aren’t quite as sophisticated nor tolerant as they hoodwinked us into believing. The lyric from The Music Man goes, “You really ought to give Iowa a try. (Provided you are contrary.)” Iowans certainly proved their contrariness, as well their intolerance. We gave you a try, Iowa; you disappointed. Now go bury yourselves in your corn silos and let us be. Don’t come out until the 2012 caucuses. No, make that 2052. Just when one thought our president had the winning formula two years ago, one now realizes that his apparent lack of experience for the job – the one thing he successfully overcame reservations about then – is the one thing that seems to explain why he spun out of control and hit the wall this year, failing to convincingly communicate his achievements to the electorate and allowing his opponents to squelch out his message with the loud cacophony of their distortions and fear-mongering. David Corn (The Nation) spun this succinct election post-mortem on last Friday’s Diane Rehm Show: “For the last 18 months, Barack Obama has faced an opposition that has used fear and dem-

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agoguery, that called health care ‘death panels’ – that was an inaccurate and non-factual charge – and they repeated it again and again. “Republican leaders said that the stimulus created NO new jobs, not like, ‘not enough’, but NONE, and again and again they said things that were not so. I think the White House completely dropped the ball in the debate for defining what was happening. They won these tremendous legislative victories: passing the stimulus bill...health care...Wall Street reform, student loans, child health care, and a whole lot of other things, and the Republican view was, ‘we’re going to just block, just say no, not participate, we’re going to get out in the public square and say things that aren’t true’. “I think the president missed an opportunity....” The president misses a lot. And if he can’t correct his inability to craft and sell a message (see: Reagan), grow a pair and stare down the GOP opposition (see: Clinton), and exert presidential leadership boldly (see: both Reagan and Clinton), then perhaps he should stand down in 2012 and allow his party to nominate someone else in his stead. I can think of a certain Pantsuited One – can you? – if she’s willing, for the sake of her party and country, to un-retire that hammer with which she made 18 million cracks in a glass ceiling. Lest everyone rush to declare that last week’s midterm results were a crushing repudiation to the president and his agenda, be reminded that his mandate – 69 million votes-strong – was for a four-year term. A midterm does not, nor should be construed to, cancel out the results of a presidential election only two years before. GOP votes in all the House races nationwide last week totalled only 41 million, compared to 35 million for Democrats. In 2008, the GOP managed 52 million votes to the Democrats’ 64 million. In all, 41 million voters who cast ballots two years ago chose to sit this one out. A sizable chunk. The 2010 vote was not so much an embrace of the GOP as it was a testament to the collective failure of the Democratic base – young people, African-Americans, etc. – to overcome their apathy, get off their lazy asses, and turn out. (VENTING BREAK: You ass-wipes!) For you Republicans and Tea Partiers biting on the chomp to storm D.C. come January and begin, like a herd of buffalo in a china shop, smashing up the progress of the last two years, revoking our society’s advancements, and taking this nation back, back, back, you should heed the words of the man elected to the presidency 50 years ago this past week. John Kennedy spoke them to the Democratic convention that nominated him: “If we open a quarrel between the present and the past, we shall be in danger of losing the future. Today our concern must be with that future. For the world is changing. The old era is ending. The old ways will not do.” I don’t worship voters’ decisions as sacrosanct. Please. There have been all too many examples down through time of the electorate making goddamn stupid mistakes and course corrections, and society having to pay the price afterward. We’re all going to pay a dear price for the nation’s collective stupidity of last week. Progress will be set back for a time; stymied. But the pendulum will swing back – it always does – and we’ll be back on course once more.

News Parking Goes Up By Joshua Malina Contributing Writer South Beach just got a little more expensive for visitors and those doing business around the city’s southernmost region. Last month, the Miami Beach Commission voted to institute increased parking rates and hours of enforcement exclusively in South Beach. Starting October 1st, metered parking rates south of 23rd street increased from $1.25 per hour to $1.50, nabbing the city more than $2 million in anticipated revenue, according to Nannette Rodriguez, Miami Beach public information officer. The changes will also see enforcement times increase by three hours, now from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. instead of the earlier midnight deadline. This increase, offset by the addition of three new parking enforcement employees, will add more than $1 million to the city’s coffers, according to city estimates. The commission passed the agenda item at a budget hearing in September, with only two commissioners, Jonah Wolfson and Michael Gongora, opposing the change. “I just thought it was too much, too soon,” said Gongora. He said that he didn’t want to scare visitors away from Miami Beach. Alternatively, Gongora cited corporate branding opportunities and pension reform as possible revenue sources that don’t require tax/fee increases. The changes will not affect parking rates elsewhere in the city, in city garages, or residents using an iPark device, which will still preserve the $1 per hour parking rate. Already earlier this year, facing budget shortfalls and unable to make substantive budget cuts, Miami Beach raised its property tax rates.

Miami Beach Welcomes America Recycles Day By Joshua Malina Contributing Writer Recycling comes to Miami Beach on Sunday, Nov. 21st as part of this year’s America Recycles Day. Put on by the city’s Environmental Works department, the event is a sort-of expo for recycling and environmental interests, bringing together industry representatives, nonprofit workers, citizens and the city. It will take place at Euclid Circle on Lincoln Road from 10 am to 3 pm. The daylong event will feature workshops on composting, rain barrel construction and recyclable art and jewelry. Attendees will also have an opportunity to get rid of many recyclable materials that would otherwise end up in landfills, including light bulbs, used electronics and inefficient shower heads. The city will also use the event to debut its new single stream recycling program, which includes drop off locations on South and North Beach. “These are 24 hour, seven-days-a-week places to take your recyclables,” said Nannette Rodriguez, Miami Beach public information officer. The program will take advantage of an existing North Beach recycling location that has been used for “Wasteful Weekends,” a monthly program that offers residents bulk trash disposal. The city will use the event to persuade citizens that recycling is beneficial to the community and the environment. “Sustainability is one of Miami Beach’s goals. We would like to be a leader in environmental management,” said Rodriguez. Also on the agenda “Streetwaves,” a program meant to “empower high-risk urban youth through environmental stewardship...swimming and surfing,” according to the City.

Politics

News

COLUMN

The Big Mango Pictures at an Exhibition, LED-style

Club Madonna Seeking Fair Play From Commission Once Again

By Jeffrey Bradley

By Michael W. Sasser & Joshua Malina Contributing Writers

Crowds are not company and faces are but portraits in a gallery. About as much as Iran needs the bomb; about as relevant as Michael Moore. Fort Hood terrorist Nidal Hasan killed 14 Americans one year ago today. America should pause to remember those killed and wounded in our on-going war with fundamentalist Mohammedism and the political correctness that still prevents the Department Of Defense from even using the words ‘radical Islam’— despite the fact the zealot shouted “Allah Akbar!” as he murdered people. We, on the other hand, have no problem calling it an outrage and a disgrace. Care to take a ‘fatwa’ out on us, Prophet (may peace be upon him)? Man, we’ve seen a lot of developers come and go in the 3+ lustrums we’ve spent on Miami Beach. (Does that qualify us to say Miamuh like the old-timers? We’re practically a native.): Thomas Kramer (wanted to build a “gay hotel”), Quik-Buck “Hank” Sopher (wanted to be elected commissioner), David Dermer (wanted to be appointed commissioner), Don Peebles (who the hell knows what he wanted?) , even Henry Flagler, who invented South Florida, was up to his iron horse in development chicanery. (We’re only kidding about David Dermer; hizzoner actually led a fight against development yet presided over the biggest hirise boom the Beach ever witnessed. Oddly enough!) Throw in those hucksters who sold “prime” underwater acreage in the 60s, Al Capone, and that guy from Sham-Wow! and you got more weird characters running around than Catch-22. Where’s Snowden when we need him? Where were we? Yes, developers. The latest exemplar of nuttiness (and citywide gullibility) is Marc Siffin, Mystery Man with the Latest Plan. He’s pining to put up a ten-acre shopping/parking garage complex across from the downtown Performing Arts Center. So what’s the big magilla, you ask? Just this. That garage will be adorned with two monstrous digital billboards some 40-stories high! If this grotesque garishness goes through next day we’ll be bright and early down at City Hall Miami to ask, please, to officially rename the “Magic City” the Big Mango. Kinda catchy… Siffin’s view comprises a revitalized downtown that “delivers a critical piece of the urban landscape”, which language usually finds us heading fast for the hills. But this time, we’re intrigued. Not by those twin towers of kitsch—were they arrived at during a Ten Tackiest Ever contest?—but in the thinking to justify the appalling In a recent New Times article (“Blinded By the Light”), Siffin is held up as a wayward, LED-lined Picasso of dubious provenance. No harm there; most of us that live in The Back of Beyond have more than a rattling bone or two in the closet. But it does seem, somehow, that he’s never quite able to close the deal, that busted promises dog his every footstep, that someone, somewhere, is keeping bad faith. Elsewhere, that’s hardly a problem. But here, where any eccentric rainmaker with a bankroll can quickly command an army of gulls, these things are dangerous. Especially when the first mesmerized by that oily charm and made acolytes are policy-makers and VIPs. So it seems in Miami. Commissioners there couldn’t wait to fall into line and start bending the rules and sign contracts. Whatever happened to we the people? We don’t think this will fly. The background chorus boos louder with every step in the process. Besides, haven’t we been down this road before? Some developer appears out of nowhere selling visions of a revamped landscape, then politicians sign on and money starts churning as ominously as water in the shark tank, with the endgame of hush-money and backroom deals and lobbyists hipdeep in corrumption. And who always gets caught holding the bag? Hint: not the developer.

Up and down Washington Avenue, nightclubs that tickle the fancy of regional alcohol distributors advertisers, peddle their entertainment. One promises “Lap Dance Tuesday,” complete with evocative poster. Another cites its burlesque show. So, to Club Madonna owner and prominent Miami Beach businessman Leroy Griffith, his request being heard by the Miami Beach City Commission at its November 17 meeting seems like a no-brainer. Griffith wants to be permitted to serve alcohol to patrons at his adult club the same way the other nightclubs that define the very character of Washington Avenue, can. The holdup: a very city ordinance disallowing clubs featuring nude entertainment from selling alcohol. For the first time since Griffith began requesting city approval of his plan – dating back to at least 2004 – the business owner, who has operated clubs on South Beach since before “South Beach” meant anything in the tourism industry, is encouraged. “I don’t think there are any commissioners up there with

priate behavior,” unfairly intermingling personal issues with government affairs. Eventually the legal dust settled and Griffith continued to operate his club. But he has not given up his effort and feels it might be time for a reasonable city commission to execute fundamental fairness. Club Madonna is the only fully nude club on South Beach, and part of a minority of strip clubs in Miami that are prohibited from serving alcohol. Currently, Club Madonna patrons are directed around the corner to Jerry’s Deli, where a 2-for-1 discount card can be applied to alcohol purchases. “If the City’s position is that serving alcohol causes so many problems, then fine – make it so no one can serve it,” Griffith said. “We shouldn’t be singled out.” Historically, the argument against Griffith’s request has been that the combination of adult entertainment and alcohol service could lead to crime and disturbances. The club, like many if not most in compact South Beach, is not far from public school grounds.

“I feel bad for [Club Madonna]. Is that one of those old Miami Beach laws from way back when they wouldn’t let Jews and African-Americans go places too?.” – Beach club patron Jose Velasco a personal grudge right now, which has always been a problem,” Griffith said. This issue first appeared before the city commission in 2004, when it passed a first reading, 5 - 2. Only after its second reading — and really, when trouble started — did commissioners change their minds and vote the issue down, 4-3. At that time, Jane Gross, wife of then-sitting commissioner Saul Gross, convinced the commission that lifting the ban would negatively affect the neighborhood. Subsequent to the meeting, Griffith filed a libel lawsuit against Jane Gross, who made unflattering remarks about Griffith’s tax history, and another lawsuit against the city to force them to reconsider the issue at hand. The drama wasn’t left there, however. After attorneys representing the city commission approached Griffith, asking him to drop these lawsuits, and pay the cost of attorney fees for the other side — some $30,000 — Griffith filed an ethics complaint with the state — alleging extortion. The ethics commission supported Griffith’s application, alleging that the commission engaged in “wholly inappro-

The argument, though, has never been supported by actual facts or data. Griffith points out that the club is not open during school hours, making that particular argument particularly weak. According to Griffith, the “disturbance” argument isn’t much stronger. “My attorney has studies that show that adult clubs historically have a lot less problems than other nightclubs,” Griffith said. He also said that his attorney pulled police records that show that very few disturbances related to the club and that the number has even declined in recent years. “The disturbances we do have are often when guests find out that they can’t order a drink and get irate,” Griffith said. The City’s current policy actually pushes Club Madonna guests out on the street, back and forth between bars and the club; or to shops that sell alcohol and back to the club. It’s a specious argument, Griffith says, that somehow having his customers strolling back and forth to the club is

Please see Madonna Page 13

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JOHN WATERS AMONG HIS BOOKS.

COVER STORY

Book Fair John Hood’s Biased Guide to This Year’s Fun Written by John Hood CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ooks, like people, come in all colors, shapes and sizes. Sure, their general make up– binding, page, ink – is pretty much of a form (come to think of it, so are people’s), but what’s inside can be as varied and surprising as people themselves. And like people, there’s generally at least one for everyone (one hopes anyway), be it the shipping fan boy, the steampunk floozy, the bloodstruck, the loved-up, the agenda-plagued, the parlor maid… you name it. But of course not all books are for all people. The difference between what you dig and I dig and what Dick and Jane and Spot digs can be as vast as the proverbial deep blue sea. That’s okay. As they say (somewhat vaguely), it takes all kinds. And while I could undoubtedly make an informed guess as to just what books get you giddy, it’d be positively presumptuous of me to unequivocally think I know what you most like to read. I know what I like though. And I’m not afraid to shout it from the rooftops. So for this year’s Book Fair, I’m gonna give it to you straight from my own personal hitlist. You ready? Where to begin at Book Fair is never an easy decision to make, so let’s begin with a bang bang. Yep, you guessed it. I’m talkin’ crime fiction; the pulpier the better. And this year’s line-up of lout loving storytellers is worthy of a streetfight between

EDWIDGE DANDICAT

PATTI SMITH’S BOOK, JUST KIDS

NORA EPHRON

Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade. First there are the Floridians – Tim Dorsey, James W. Hall, Carl Hiaasen – none of whom ever read a sordid story they didn’t like. Hell, half the time they wrote the sordid story themselves. But even in fiction, each of these wily wordslingers is gunning from one geographical fact – and that, of course, is Florida. Tampa-man Tim Dorsey’s latest romp is entitled Gator A-Go-Go (Morrow), and it brings back his psychotically beloved Serge A. Storms. Miamians James W. Hall and Carl Hiaasen are respectively out behind The Silencer (Minotaur) and Star Island (Knopf), both of which delve into the more social aspects of anti-social behavior, and each laces their badass narratives with running and gunning commentaries on the way we live now. Of course the FLA is not the only sunny place for dynamite writers and their shady people; Cali’s also got a cast that could bask in the one sliver of shadow on even the brightest of days. Among the mightiest two telling the tales are James Ellroy and Walter Mosley. Yeah, I know, we’ve all seen (and dug) L.A. Confidential and Devil in a Blue Dress. But as keen as both of those screen gems were, they represent less than a fraction of each man’s output. Confidential, of course, came amid an onslaught that included The Black Dahlia,The Big Nowhere and White Jazz to make Ellroy’s wild L.A. Quartet, which he kicked off the bandstand and into a gutter

called the Underworld USA Trilogy. And if the threepack of American Tabloid, The Cold Six Thousand and Blood’s a Rover told a stone-cold story of the States, Ellroy’s latest, The Hilliker Curse: My Pursuit of Women (Knopf) tells us just where it all spring from. Mosley’s long been busy making up his own mad cast of deeply driven characters, beginning with Devil’s Easy Rawlins, whose series ran for 11 L.A. summers. In that creation’s considerable wake came Fearless Jones, Socrates Fortlow and, most recently, Leonid McGill, who first started tampering trouble in 2009’s The Long Fall and seconded his emotion in last year’s Known to Evil. But all of the above are either good guys or bad guys (in the eyes of the law anyway), and their life is riddled with crime. With The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray (Riverhead) though, Mosley’s given us a regular guy, and the result is philosophic in proportion. Don’t get me wrong, the inner city streets still steam with splendidly sordid story, the just do so by going deep beneath the pavement. On the poppier side of crime, 2010’s roster also includes a veritable who’s who of bestsellers, three of whom got Florida somewhere in their fiber. Thrillist types will have already taken to James Grippando’s eight volume run starring Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck. And while that series ended in ’08, the settings in which Grippando has written his three subsequent standalones has remained the same. Money to Burn (HarperCollins) might be booked in the Big Bad Apple, but the words hit the page right here in sunny South FLA. Brad Meltzer is another who prefers slinging his words from our sinfully delicious stretch of sand, in his case Aventura. His Heroes for My Son (HarperCollins) isn’t set there, of course (with 52 notables ranging from Dr. Seuss to Mr. Rogers, it’s kinda set everywhere), but it’s a cinch his son calls the place home. Too bad the folks behind Dexter don’t have quite the same respect for place, because if they had

the TV version of Jeff Lindsay’s creation would not just be set in South Florida, it’d be filmed here as well. Alas the cast now does their creeping in L.A. and I for one have cast the show off my favorites list. Of course it’s not Lindsay’s fault (not that I know of anyway). The writer still lives down here, and he has kept his serial killer down here too. So there’s no excuse to not to did Dexter is Delicious (Random House). The other two of the five crime-sided bestsellers are Ridley Pearson and Scott Turow. Pearson’s known to co-write and play with Dave Barry, so he gets a South Florida pass. And besides Idaho lawman Walt Fleming, the star of his In Harm’s Way (Putman), belongs just where Pearson’s placed him. Turow, on the other hand, doesn’t have a grain of South Florida sand in him; he’s got chops though, and quite a track record to boot. With Innocent (Grand Central Publishing) catching up with the cast of his billion-selling Presumed Innocent it’s a bet that record is bound to be broken. Naturally crime isn’t nearly the only subject on the Book Fair agenda. There will be great moments in sound (Patti Smith, Greil Marcus, Alex Ross) and vision (John Waters, Chip Kidd), and equally great moments in history (Ron Chernow, Jonathan Eig, Sebastian Junger, Simon Winchester, T. J. Stiles) and literary fiction (Aimee Bender, Myla Goldberg, Brock Clarke, Michael Cunningham, Dave Eggers, Jonathan Franzen). There will food and drink too, with South Beach Wine and Food Festival head Lee Brian Schrager and his celebrity chef cookbook. And yes, there will be legend. No, I don’t mean George W. Bush, who’s inexplicably opening this year’s Fair. I mean Pat Conroy, Gay Talese, Carlos Fuentes and , any one of whom could be a Fair unto themselves. Miami International Book Fair starts this Sunday, November 14 and runs through November 21. For more details and schedules check out their website at miamibookfair.com

Page 12 • Thursday, November 11, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com

News Briefs COLUMN

Bower: Convention Center Ugly By Charles Branham-Bailey sobefla@gmail.com

When enthusiasm for the Miami Beach Convention Center’s current state is draining and support for an overhaul is mounting, one important mover and shaker integral to the facility’s future has pronounced it “ugly”: The mayor herself. At Tuesday night’s “Mayor on the Move” Q-and-A with the public at the Miami Beach Golf Club, Mayor Matti Bower reported that City Manager Jorge Gonzalez and she had recently returned from an official trip to Chicago where their itinerary included a tour of a convention center. The new part of the Windy City’s complex was “beautiful” and “just gorgeous,” Bower extolled, in contrast to its old part – “how ugly, how depressing...[which is] how this [Miami Beach’s] convention center looks like when you walk in.” Gonzalez added that any proposals for a new convention center – likely a five-year construction project – are currently only at the master plan level and that the administration does not foresee construction starting for another two years.

Controversial Curry Appears with Mayor Among the batch of city officials that Mayor Matti Bower brought along with her to her “Mayor on the Move” meet-and-greet with the public Tuesday night was a bit of a head-turning surprise: The controversy-steeped and recently-absolved new city building director. Standing with city officials introducing themselves from the sidelines at the session’s start – including the city attorney and representatives of the police, parks, code enforcement, and planning departments – was Cynthia Curry, just two months on the job and fresh from a September decision by the Miami-Dade state attorney’s office not to prosecute her for doublebilling the county a decade ago for an airport expansion project to which she was a private contractor at the time. Bower told the Miami Herald last month that although the SAO’s memo clearing Curry raised concerns for her, especially given that the city’s building department had been tainted by a 2008 bribery scandal, “If there is nothing wrong, it’s sad to put her through this again. But also we have to make sure because the building department is a place we’ve had trouble and we don’t want anybody thinking anything else is going wrong.” City Manager Jorge Gonzalez told the paper that he was not aware of the state’s investigation of Curry, a former assistant county manager and budget analyst, until after he hired her, but said he had known her for 20 years and that she continued to have his full confidence. Whatever distance city leaders may have wanted to keep from their new building director and her controversial history was not evident Tuesday night, however, as Curry, feet away from the mayor and manager, watched and listened. No audience questions were directed to Curry, however, and she was not called on to speak.

MADONNA FROM PAGE 9 somehow preferable to the same simple bar service in Club Madonna that all other clubs enjoy. Jose Velasco is a regular visitor to South Beach clubs and said they he didn’t know Club Madonna was barred from selling alcohol. “That’s pretty funny on South Beach,” he said. “Considering what goes on, the drinking – and more – right out in the open in most clubs. I feel bad for [Club Madonna]. Is that one of those old Miami Beach laws from back when they wouldn’t let Jews and African-Americans go places too?” Velasco said that one could easily have a drink on Ocean Drive while women bathed topless on the sand a few meters away. “It’s a pretty tight-ass law for a tourist town,” he added. Mayor Matti Bower is the only current member of the city commission who has heard the item before. For the others, this will be their first time considering the issue. Commissioner Michael Gongora, generally considered the friendliest member of the body to South Beach entertainment, said he is unsure how he would vote. “This will be my first time seeing the full presentation,” Gongora told SunPost. “I want to be open-minded and try to do the right thing. I can see [Griffith’s] fairness argument and we have to weigh that against [risk].” Gongora, though, did recognize that Club Madonna doesn’t operate during school hours, which might contribute to what he feels is a misconception that the public might have. “I think there is a misconception that Club Madonna wants to get a liquor license so that it can open as an adult club,” Gongora said. “Some people think that it’s not open and operating, but it has been and it is and it’s been a very viable business.” Gongora said he also had some concerns about Club Madonna patrons strolling back and forth on the streets between stores or drinking establishments and the club. “I’d like to see Washington Avenue cleaned up a lot, including that area,” Gongora said. “Some concessions about [improving the club exterior and grounds] would be nice, and then, inside, consenting adults can do what they want.” Still, Gongora wants to see the entire presentation before making up his mind. “Hey, personally, I ask for people to respect my right to privacy and generally I don’t have a problem with what consenting adults engage in.” Griffith also said that being permitted to serve alcohol would allow him to hire as many as 10-12 additional staff members. He said Club Madonna already employs 70-80 people. According to a letter to the city, Griffith foresees “$600,000...in the first year to the City of Miami Beach in increased taxes, increased employment, and increased tourism.”

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www.sunpostweekly.com • SunPost Weekly • Thursday, November 11, 2010 • Page 13

Calendar WHAT TO DO IN MIAMI THIS WEEK

November 12

PERFORMANCE Kooza

Cirque du Soleil made its first visit to Miami more than 20 years ago. This year, Cirque du Soleil is proud to bring its critically acclaimed new Big Top production Kooza to Miami – The last stop of its North American Tour. Kooza is a return to the origins of Cirque du Soleil that combines two circus traditions - acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful mélange that emphasizes bold slapstick humor. Kooza will run for a limited engagement under the trademark blue-and-yellow Grand Chapiteau (big top) at Bicentennial Park, 1075 Biscayne Blvd; Mimi. For info: CirqueDuSoleil.com KOOZA

Page 14 • Thursday, November 11, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com

THE PIANO MEN

November 13

MUSIC Jazz From the Netherlands The Benjamin Herman Quartet will perform as part of the Tigertail Bold Adventures new season. As part of the New Cool of the jazz scene in the Netherlands Benjamin Herman blows away every cliché while working hard to return jazz to the dance floor, and building bridges between the mainstream, improvisational jazz and the pop scene. 8:30pm. $25. Byron Carlyle Theatre, 500 71st St; Miami Beach. For info: 305-324-4337 or tigertail.org.

November 13 DANCE Next Step

An Invitation to Dance with the contemporary dance company, Next Step will present audience favorites from the repertory: Summer Time, Silenzio, Photograph, The Other Side, Surrender, Woodblock Study and One For My Baby. $26.50. Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 385 NE 188 Street, Aventura. For info: AventuraCenter.org.

November 13 OPERA Turandot

November 12 & 13 PERFORMANCE Replica

Catch a collaborative effort between MOCA and the Arsht with the Miami premiere of Replica featuring Taiwanese dancer CC Chang. Replica explores the overlapping disciplines of choreography and spatial design through the collaborative lens of artist Daniel Arsham, set designer Jonah Bokaer and choreographer Judith Sanchez Ruiz. 8pm. Nov. 12 performance at Adrienne Arsht Center, 1300 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami. Nov 13 at 7pm at MOCA, 770 NE 125th St; North Miami. For info: mocamiami.org and arshtcenter.org.

November 12 COMEDY Culture Clash

Puccini's final opera, Turandot will show at the Arsht starting Saturday and run through Nov. 27. This productions Turandot, Lise Lindstrom, Calaf, Frank Porretta, thrilled Metropolitan Opera audiences this past season, and Miami favorite Elizabeth Caballero returns to sing Liù. 7pm. $23-$229. Ziff Ballet Opera House, 1300 Biscayne Blvd. Miami. For info: arshtcenter.org

November 13 LECTURE Ira Glass

Ira Glass, host and producer of This American Life, takes his story-telling genius on the road with A Night with Ira Glass: Radio Stories and Other Stories. Glass will take audience members behind the scenes of This American Life. He will talk personally about the show, its origins, his influences and the elements that make a good story. Don't miss the Q&A. 6:30pm. $175. Gansevoort Hotel, 2377 Collins Avenue; Miami Beach. For info: kcrw.com

Performing for 2 nights, from Cultura del Lobo Performance Series comes Culture Clash in AmeriCCA: Real People, Real Stories, an ensemble of comedians, playwrights and actors who together create an outrageous brand of “performance collage” using satire, vaudeville, mime, and spoken word to offer a fresh examination of cultures in flux. 8pm. MDC Wolfson Campus, 300 NE 2nd Ave; Miami. For info: mdc.edu.

November 12

MUSIC The Piano Men Catch a performance of The Piano Men starring Jim Witter in a musical journey through the 70s featuring the songs of Billy Joel and Elton John. He will perform hits including My Life, Candle in the Wind, Rocket Man and Just the Way You Are accompanied by rear-screen projection of the newspaper headlines, automobiles, people, events, toys and even the TV shows that shaped a decade. 8 pm. $40-$45. Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 385 NE 188 Street, Aventura. For info: AventuraCenter.org.

November 12 ARTS Gala

The 2010 These Are All Our Children Too Gala & Award Ceremony to Benefit the Youth of Art Studio takes place this Friday. The Gala makes it possible for Art Studio Miami to continue to bring healing arts programs to impoverished youth with a goal of “Halting the Cradle To Prison Pipeline”. CBS News Anchors Marybel Rodriguez and Jawan Strader will host. 6:30pm. $100. Raleigh Hotel, 1775 Collins Ave; Miami Beach. For info: artstudiomiami.org.

November 12 FESTIVAL Ramble

Experience a blend of old and new with art, antiques, rare books, a farmers market and the largest plant sale in South Florida during Fairchild's garden party, the 70th Annual Ramble. 9:30am. $25. Through Nov. 14. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Rd; Miami. For info: fairchildgarden.org.

SAVE THE DATE: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2010

BAYSIDE ROCKS BEING HAILED AS “THE WOODSTOCK OF REGGAE” FOR ITS NOD TO THE NOSTALGIC ERA OF THE BOB MARLEY MOVEMENT, THE BAYSIDE ROCKS FESTIVAL IS A ONCE-INA-LIFETIME EXPERIENCE FOR MIAMI MUSIC LOVERS. REGGAE ICONS BUNNY WAILER, STEEL PULSE, TOOTS & MAYTALS, MIDNITE AND CULTURA PROFETICA WILL ALL PLAY LIVE. OVER 15,000 ARE EXPECTED TO ATTEND THIS ALL DAY EXPERIENCE THAT WILL BE A THROWBACK TO THE MUSICAL ENERGY AND COMMUNITY SPIRIT OF WOODSTOCK. ALSO SLATED TO PERFORM ARE URIEL HAMILTON, MIXED CULTURE, BOOTLEG, MARCIA GRIFFITHS, KULCHA SHOK MUZIC AND BIG LIFE SOUND. A PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS GO TO VOICES UNITED A MIAMI-BASED NON-PROFIT YOUTH ORGANIZATION, DEVOTED TO PROMOTING CULTURAL DIVERSITY THROUGH THE PERFORMING ARTS. 3PM. $35. VIP $55. BAYFRONT PARK, 301 BISCAYNE BLVD; MIAMI. FOR INFO: BAYSIDEROCKSFESTIVAL.COM. www.sunpostweekly.com • SunPost Weekly • Thursday, November 11, 2010 • Page 15

Calendar WHAT TO DO IN MIAMI THIS WEEK

FELIPE LAMOGLIA

November 12 & 13 PERFORMANCE Replica

November 12

the largest plant sale in South Florida during Fairchild's garden party, the 70th Annual Ramble. 9:30am. $25. Through Nov. 14. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Rd; Miami. For info: fairchildgarden.org.

November 13

COMEDY Culture Clash

November 13

DANCE NextLEFT: Step ABOVE NEXT STEP DANCE COM-

PANY. MIDDLE: IRA GLASS. LEFT:dance comAn Invitation to Dance with the BELOW contemporary BENJAMIN HERMAN. BELOW: FROM THE pany, Next Step will present audience favorites from the MOVIE, THE PEACE TREE.

repertory: Summer Time, Silenzio, Photograph, The Other Side, Surrender, Woodblock Study and One For

November 12

November 12 ARTS Gala

November 12 FESTIVAL Ramble

Experience a blend of old and new with art, antiques, rare books, a farmers market and

Page 16 • Thursday, November 11, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com

My Baby. $26.50. Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 385 NE 188

FOR KIDS

Sunday, November 14

Kidflex Festival

CATCH THE KIDFLIX FESTIVAL WITH YOUR LITTLE ONE THROUGH DECEMBER. KIDFLIX IS THE ONLY FILM, TV AND NEW MEDIA FESTIVAL IN MIAMI JUST FOR KIDS AGES THREE TO 13. SHOWING THIS SUNDAY IS THE PEACE TREE AND KIDFLIX MIX, WHICH CELEBRATES THE RICH DIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA’S WINTER HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS WITH TWO FAMILY FILMS. THE MULTIPLE AWARD-WINNING FILM THE PEACE TREE, FOR AGES SIX AND UP AND KIDFLIX MIX, A FESTIVE COLLECTION OF SHORT FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD FOR AGES THREE AND UP. BETWEEN FILMS, GET THE KIDS TO BE CREATIVE MAKING HOLIDAY CARDS, DECORATIONS, AND ORNAMENTS TO TAKE HOME ORTO HANG ON THE MIAMI PEACE TREE. 1PM. BYRON CARLYLE THEATER, 500 71 ST; MIAMI BEACH. FOR INFO: 305.573.6477

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www.sunpostweekly.com • SunPost Weekly • Thursday, November 11, 2010 • Page 17

Cinema REVIEW

Deja Vu All Over Again By Ruben Rosario (ruben@sunpostweekly.com)

He survived the Nazis in the 1930s. He went to Harvard in the early fifties. And in 2000 he won the Nobel Prize for his game-changing research on how the brain stores memories. But what makes neuroscientist Eric Kandel such a ready-made documentary subject is that peculiar, scratchy laugh, one you hear often during the course of German filmmaker Petra Seeger’s In Search of Memory. The film, one of three new releases I’m reviewing this week, explores the Viennese scientist’s brilliant career and exalts his disarmingly sunny view of life...and it all adds up to a respectable, thoroughly pedestrian portrait. It’s a real shame, because Kandel is such a trip, an adorably eccentric mensch always decked out in a dress shirt and his trademark bow tie. (He looks uncannily like David Kelly, the actor who played Grandpa Joe in Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.) When we first see him, he’s picking apart a model of the human brain as if he were handling a piece of chicken. “Memory is the glue that binds our mental life together,” he declares. Seeger juxtaposes Kandel’s teachings on the molecular mechanisms of memory with his trips to Europe to revisit the places where he lived as a child. Needless to say, she’s a lot more successful with the latter aspect. Part of the problem is that she focuses too much on Kandel’s research during

the film’s first half, and when she does, she doesn’t make the science come alive the way a filmmaker like, say, Errol Morris would have. Another misfire is Seeger’s decision to insert cheesy reenactments of Kandel‘s family life in Vienna at the time Hitler’s forces arrive. It’s clear the director wants to establish a parallel between Kandel’s traumatic childhood as a Jew in Nazi-occupied Austria and his life’s work to shed some light on how short-term memories become long-term memories, but In Search of Memory can’t quite shake the feel of a History Channel production. The film finally finds its footing halfway through, when we see Kandel walking the streets of his old Brooklyn neighborhood in search of old-time residents who remember his father’s dry goods store. Seeger should have used more of that vérité footage, because it allows Kandel’s irrepressible charm to seep through in a way the rest of her slapdash piece of idol worship fails to do. Tony Scott seems to have a similar love affair with Denzel Washington. The actor-filmmaker duo have collaborated on five projects, with increasingly diminishing returns. You can understand, then, that it comes as a shock to me how much I enjoyed Unstoppable, the fact-based runaway-train thriller that marks Scott’s best film since Crimson Tide, the first time he worked with Washington. The Training Day star plays Frank, a seasoned

IN SEARCH OF MEMORY

Page 18 • Thursday, November 11, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com

MORNING GLORY

veteran of Southern Pennsylvania’s rail system, who turns into an unlikely hero when he and Will, his work partner (Chris Pine, James T. Kirk in J.J. Abrams’s Star Trek reboot), race against the clock to stop an unmanned half-mile-long freight train filled with combustible liquids and poisonous gas from wreaking havoc on heavily populated areas. Unstoppable‘s premise has a built-in kinetic kick, one that will remind viewers of Jan de Bont’s Speed, as well as the Jon Voight/Eric Roberts 1985 thriller Runaway Train, but what I appreciated about Scott’s approach is that he is in no hurry to lay out the film’s logistics, so by the time the mayhem begins, we have Pennsylvania’s railways mapped out in our minds. Sure, the Top Gun auteur takes too long to get to the good stuff, but once he gets there, he feeds our schadenfreude by having things go wrong at just about every step of the way. My only quibble is the filmmakers’ insistence in maintaining a low body count. When we have such a fearsome, metallic antagonist to contend with, why not make it even more destructive? Kudos also go out to Rosario Dawson, who plays the control-center manager who fights corporate bureaucracy to assist Frank and Will on their quest to tame that hurtling projectile. Ultimately, what makes Unstoppable more effective than it has any business being is Scott’s decision to rein in his customary stylistic tics. The film is, for the most part, devoid of the flashy, jump-cut edits and moody, look-at-me camerawork that have marred so many of his recent efforts (Domino, in particular, was an eyesore of a movie). We’ve all seen this story told numerous times before (Runaway Train, for instance, covers the same territory with far more brio), but I like this back-to-basics Tony Scott. Stop showing off, sir, and your filmography might, ahem, get back on track. Fellow Brit director Roger Michell is not a household name, but if there’s anything I wish for

this week, is that Morning Glory, his winning, refreshingly old-school romantic comedy, will change all that. The Notting Hill director is clearly smitten with his heroine, and why wouldn’t he be? Becky Ford (Rachel McAdams) doesn’t have a glowing résumé, but she makes up for that in work ethic and All-American gumption. The New Jersey-based longtime morning show producer goes into her supervisor’s office fully expecting to get a promotion...only to discover she has been downsized. One of the pleasures of Michell’s film is the pleasure it takes in stacking the odds high against its leading lady, and then watching her grab life by the horns. Becky continues to aim high, and after flubbing an interview with a New York City TV executive (a deliciously blasé Jeff Golblum), she still gets a shot at taking the reins of that channel’s morning program, which is languishing at the bottom of the ratings heap. Her masterstroke? Fire the sexual perv who is co-hosting the show with Diane Sawyer wannabe Colleen Peck (Diane Keaton, channeling her inner diva) and attempt to bring legendary anchorman Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) out of retirement. Working from a screenplay by Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada, 27 Dresses), Michell makes the volatile producer-newsman relationship that ensues between Becky and Mike into an addictively watchable battle of wills. Ford, who has been making one dud after the other in recent years, hasn’t been this good in decades. And McAdams finally gets the star vehicle she so richly deserves. But make no mistake, the real star here is Michell. In his capable hands, Morning Glory doesn’t just shine. It sparkles. Morning Glory and Unstoppable are currently out in wide release. In Search of Memory plays this weekend only at the University of Miami’s Bill Cosford Cinema. For more information go to cosfordcinema.com.

Music COLUMN

Lucero By Alan Sculley For years, Lucero has been considered by some to be an alt-country band. Even the group’s listing for the “All Music Guide” hangs that label on the band and lists influences from several standard bearers of the genre – Uncle Tupelo, Johnny Cash and the Flying Burrito Brothers. But ask Lucero frontman Ben Nichols about the label, and it’s obvious he always saw his band in a different light. “When we started we got lumped in with the altcountry stuff,” Nichols said in an early October phone interview. “And for sure there’s a Southern accent to what we do, and I think that’s the main reason. And we’re not offended by being included with that genre, but I think from the very beginning there was always something else in there. We say punk rock, which (guitarist) Brian (Venable) and I definitely were fans of before the band, but we’re also huge indy rock fans. At least in my brain, there’s just as much Archers Of Loaf in there as Johnny Cash or Ryan Adams or whatever.” The talk of stylistic labels is timely these days because “1372 Overton Park,” the seventh and newest CD from Lucero since the band formed in 1998 shows that the group is not going to be limited to a genre and isn’t afraid to steer its music in new directions. The Memphis-based band decided to explore the music that most defines its hometown, bringing a strong dose of classic soul into its rocking sound. One way the band did this was by adding horns, which were arranged by Jim Spake, one of the leading figures on the Memphis music scene, and a musician who has worked with Al Green, Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis and a host of other notable artists. But to Nichols the soul influence goes deeper than the use of horns. The B-3 organ work of Steff also gives several songs a soulful accent. And Nichols also credits producer Ted Hutt for helping to bring out some of the more subtle soul elements on “1372 Overton Park” by pushing the band to add bridges and other song structure

elements that enhanced the soulful feel of some songs. The presence of a proactive producer like Hutt was something new for Lucero as well. While the band has worked with producers before – notably the late Jim Dickinson on the 2005 CD, “Nobody’s Darlings” — the band gave Hutt (who’s known for his work with the Gaslight Anthem) plenty of latitude to offer his expertise. “He was always very opinionated, and it was a new experience for us,” he said. “Everybody had to give up a little bit of control and have a little bit of faith in kind of going with Ted’s direction. That was a new thing for us that me and guys had to get used to. Everybody is really happy in the end with the results.” Nichols and his bandmates, Venable, drummer Roy Berry and bassist John C. Stubblefield, have plenty of reason to be happy with “1372 Overton Park,” which is named after the address of a house that until this album had served as headquarters for the band, as well as the residence for all four group members at various points over the years. But for all of the talk about Memphis soul, “1372 Overton Park” is still primarily a rock and roll album in the gritty tradition of past Lucero albums, as songs like “Sounds Of The City,” “What Are You Willing To Lose” and “Smoke” set the tone for the album – along with Nichols’ gravelly vocals. The horns, though, are a major presence, adding a layer of soul to the many more rock-oriented songs and deepening the soulful feel of songs like “The Devil And Maggie Chascarrillo,” “Goodbye Again” and “Sixes And Sevens,” a strutting track that is steeped in soul from top to bottom. “It’s territory that we hadn’t gone into before,” Nichols said of “Sixes And Sevens.” “But you’ve got that crazy B-3 sound on there. Then combined with the horns, it’s a rock a roll song definitely rooted in kind of jump R&B in a way, at least as close we’re going to get to it.” Lucero is able to recreate the soulful tones of “1372 Overton Park” in its live show. The group has a pair of horn players for its current tour with Social Distortion and Frank Turner. Also on board are Steff and pedal steel player Todd Beene. “We’ll have a full eight-piece band, including the horns,” Nichols said. “So there will be a lot of stuff off of the new record (in the set), but then I have a feeling there are different folks that are Social Distortion fans that might already happen to be Lucero fans, so I think we’ll have to do some older stuff as well just to keep everybody happy.” Lucero, Nov. 13, at the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theatre, Miami Beach. Tickets $42; 786-768-3690; livenation.com

Dance COLUMN

A Tour Through the Belly Dancing World By Tiffany Hanan Madera Artburstmiami.com Fifteen years ago, I cut out an advertisement from the newspaper for a belly dance class in South Beach. I kept it in my wallet for months, pondering the possibilities, and savoring the angst, exhilaration, and fear. Finally I took the eight-week beginner course and after maneuvering around the dance floor, I knew I was home. By the second class, I made a promise to myself that at the end of the course, the director of the Mideastern Dance Exchange, Tamalyn Dallal, would invite me to join her professional company. She did. Once in the company I met Virginia Mendez, one of the senior dancers in the company. She worked in fashion and had a rock band called Agony in the Garden. She was petite, with sharp features and fancy moves. She triumphed with swords, floor work, and dynamic choreographies. Her creative voice was distinct, navigating extremes of fluidity and edginess. Around the year 2000, she left the troupe at Mideastern and started her own company, the Coalition of Middle Eastern Dance, or COME Dance. Last week she celebrated her 10-year anniversary by producing the largest belly-dance event to ever hit Miami. Mendez’s “Rakstar” event was a four-day immersion in belly-dance glamour. Legendary artists Jillina from California; Yousry Sharif from Cairo and New York City; Asmahan from Egypt and Argentina; and Amir Thaleb from Argentina all taught and performed alongside Mendez. The weekend included a full-scale theatrical production called “ONE,” a contest of amateur and professional level belly dancers, a fashion show, and a gala show of invited artists. The “ONE” show at the Colony Theater on Lincoln Road was inspired by Mendez’s international dance experiences. She wanted to capture the unity of people, to inspire audiences to “think outside of the box,” to highlight our similarities, influences, and humanity. She accomplished this by incorporating modern dance, aerial silk, flamenco, and Hindu and

African dance. One of my favorite moments was the film montage she created, a backdrop to the modern dance finale incorporating provocative images of peace, strife, and possibility. The gala show at the Colony Theater (which I was part of) included a wide variety of styles and points of view. Amir Thaleb demonstrated his technical prowess with a tango/oriental fusion. His classical training was highlighted by his signature turns and spins. Jillina offered up her signature precision and excited audiences with stage tricks, including dancing on a dumbek and spinning two canes. The most interesting and dynamic performance of the evening, however, came from local dancer and former troupe mate Samay, who danced a classic Arabic hit with authenticity and feeling — serving as a reminder of what the dance is meant to signify, the roots of earth, home, and solo improvisational mastery and communication. The “belly dance” as we understand it in the West is a collection of movements that spans many countries, bodies of water, and histories. While many of the movements are centered in the belly, the vocabulary works mostly through the hips, with the energy and weight centered evenly over the pelvis. Its origins are varied, from childbirth rituals, goddess worship, and women’s rites of passage. This Saturday the Wertheim Performing arts center at FIU will host “GEMS” — a theatrical show inspired by the 1920s, an era of prolific milestones for women (and in which I will also take part). “GEMS” is the brainchild of dancer and producer Adriana Echeverri, owner of Belly2Abs dance studio in Coconut Grove. It’s the fifth anniversary of this show, which had previous incarnations in Curacao and Ireland. For the second year in Miami, the performance is in collaboration with Florida International University’s Women’s Center, benefiting them and other charities. The studio has an in house dance company, RAKS, that will perform, alongside international dancers Montserrat from Argentina and Siham from St. Lucia. Also included are dancers and instructors Jigna from India, Francesca from Peru, and others. The show will take the audience on a journey through color and era, highlighting how women of all colors, shapes, ages, and backgrounds who are all, well, gems. “GEMS” at 8 p.m., Nov. 13, at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center Concert Hall at FIU; tickets $25; 786-768-3690; www.gemsmiamishows.com.

www.sunpostweekly.com • SunPost Weekly • Thursday, November 11, 2010 • Page 19

The 411

Manny Hernandez, Al Malnik, Seth Browarnik

Al & Nancy Malnik, Gabrielle Anwar & Shareef Malnik

COLUMN

Intercontinental Miami Make a Wish Ball By Mary Jo Almeida-Shore maryjoshore@aol.com Photos: Seth Browarnik-Worldredeye.com Photos: Manny Hernandez J.R. & Loren Ridinger

vent of the season- which gets bigger and better each year ine hundred thousand dollars were raised to grant wishes to children

Ines Rivero and friend

T E R T

wenty Taiko drummers perched on a platform were mesmerizing ndless seafood, steaks, sushi, delicious Asian fare and cocktails ibbon Dancer, Samurai Swordsmen, Friendship Gates, Ice Sculptures hanks to the committee: Norm Wedderburn, Shareef Malnik, Robert Hill anging from the ceiling- 1, 000 orange lanterns and 350 purple parasols

veryone danced along with the Jersey Boys, sounds by DJs- Irie and Dert

Nicole Miller, Romero Britto

Page 20 • Thursday, November 11, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com

ragon (42 feet long) dramatically paraded guests into the ballroom

R A

eady to Live- by Duane McLaughlin and children’s choir was inspiring uction- hosted by talented and dynamic Paula Abdul raised $160, 000 orgeous Geishas greeted guests, posed and performed range blossom Tree of Life made of silk and 7,000 crystals was the bar icole Miller fashion show and after party kept us dancing into the morning.

Tara Solomon and Nick D’Annunzio

The Jersey Boys Perform

Paula Abdul

Shareef Malnik with Gabrielle Anwar

Ken Gorin, Cohen

Michael Capponi and friend

James Ferraro, Al & Nancy Malnik

Shareef, Norm Wedderburn and Robert Hill, The 3 Amigos

Michael Yo

Ines Rivero, Katrina Campis

John Turchin, Romero Britto

Taiko Drummers

James Ferraro, Al & Nancy Malnik with party goers

www.sunpostweekly.com • SunPost Weekly • Thursday, November 11, 2010 • Page 21

411 Make A Wish Ball Photos: Mary Jo Shore

Maryanne Salvat, Tara Solomon, Mary Jo Shore, Maria Jose Almeida

Paula Abdul and Rene Ruiz

The Girls of Tara Ink

The girls of the Make a Wish Nightclub

Christian Alexander and Nicole Miller

Lauren Foster, Friend and Merle & Danny Weiss

Page 22 • Thursday, November 11, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com

Newly engaged Rebecca Brock and Buzzy Sklar

GO!

SEEN:

UPCOMING SOCIAL EVENTS

The Fun is Just Beginning By Mary Jo Almeida Shore and Maryanne Salvat maryanne@sunpostweekly.com

LORIE LESTER STUDIO + BOUTIQUE GRAND OPENING On Thursday, November 11, from 7 to 9 p.m., contemporary sportswear designer Lorie Lester will host the grand opening of her Studio + Boutique along with Ginger Harris, Jennifer Halegua and Nathalie Pozo. Guests are invited to enjoy bites and complimentary cocktails by Solerno Liqeuer, sweet treats by 2 Girls and a Cupcake and 30 percent off select items throughout the store. The indoor/outdoor affair will feature beats by DJ Keen One so guests can mingle and peruse Lorie Lester’s collection of colorful dresses and tops. The all-in-one boutique also features a studio and cutting room, where Lorie designs and makes all alterations in-house and hard-to-find accessories, handbags and eyewear from a unique mix of up-and-coming brands including Mike Street Wear Brand, Formal Street Wear Brand, Beautiful People Handbags, Gorjana Jewelry and Ankora Jewelry. For more information or to RSVP, visit lorielester@taraink.com or call 305.864.3434 ext. 122. Lorie Lester Studio + Boutique is located at 6301 Biscayne Boulevard, suite 103.

SECONDHAND SERENADE AT WHISKEY BLUE On Thursday, November 11 at 7 p.m., W Fort Lauderdale and Whiskey Blue invite guests for an exclusive live performance by recording artist Secondhand Serenade. John Vesely, the man behind Secondhand Serenade, will perform an intimate acoustic guitar set including “Fall for You” and “Your Call” in a rare, unplugged performance andt treat guests to songs from this third album, Here Me Now, released earlier this year. Admission to the performance is free, RSVP is highly recommended due to limited seating. For more information visit Wfortlauderdale.events@whotels.com.

THE WOLFSONIAN QUINCES The Wolfsonian museum will celebrate its 15th birthday with a Miami-style quinceañera at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach (4441 Collins Avenue), on Friday November 12 at 8 p.m. The party is being hosted by The Wolfsonian Visionaries, a new group of members who are passionate about design and interested in working with the museum to develop innovative events, strengthen community ties and raise funds to support museum exhibitions and activities. The evening will include a silent auction as well as music by Miami’s own Grammy-nominated Latin jazz band, Conjunto Progreso, led by Johnny Aguiló, and DJ-about-town Jody McDonald. No word on whether anyone will be brought in on a chariot, or pop out of a giant clam shell, as in the Quinces we attended in our youth, but this sure sounds like a unique twist on the typical gala experience. Tickets for the Wolfsonian Quince cost $250 per person or $2,500 for a table for 10. For more information, call 305.535.2631 or e-mail ian@thewolf.fiu.edu.

Renowned designers and leaders in the footwear and accessories industry, Donald J Pliner and wife Lisa Pliner in Coral Gables, will showcase their Fall Footwear Collection at a reception to benefit the Children’s Home Society of Florida. Continuing to impress men and women with their innovative designs, high style and unprecedented comfort, Donald and Lisa offer trends for a fashionable season and give back to the Florida community. Miami Beach estate of Miami philanthropists Norma and Luis Quintero. Net proceeds from the event will benefit The Gloria Estefan Foundation and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Additionally, during the event, 10 Miami philanthropists will receive the prestigious Starfish Award, an annual award that recognizes exemplary women who contribute to local, national and international communities. Tickets to this stellar event are priced from $500 per individual ticket to $10, 000 for a front row VIP table for 10 that includes 10 VIP invites to Vernissage during Art Basel and inclusion in media correspondence and invitations. For tickets and more information, contact Lori Sundermier at gefoundation@estefan.com or call 305-695-7015.

URBAN IMPRESSIONISM: MIGUEL PAREDES On Saturday, November 13, from 7 to 11 p.m., Paredes Fine Arts Studio will be open to the public offering guests a chance to view never-before-seen art work while enjoying live music and complimentary cocktails by Alambiqu Mixology, Grey Goose, Plymouth Gin, Beefeater Gin, Appleton Estates Rum and Ice Tropez. Paredes will present guests with a sneak preview of several signature pieces that will be showcased during his Art Basel exhibits including pieces from his popular Los Ninos, Boroughs and Pulgha & Birds series, a sculpture version of his painting, In the Name of America, that has never been shown in Miami and a first look at his new series, Elements of an Artist.

SHOP TO STOP MS The University of Miami MS Center for Excellence and the National MS Society, South Florida Chapter, in association with Miami magazine will host the second annual Shop to Stop MS on Wednesday, November 17, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Saks Fifth Avenue, Dadeland. Local tastemakers and MS activists will be invited to enjoy 15% off purchases throughout the store while sipping fine wine, sampling cookies, confections and hors d’oeuvres by caterer Fare to Remember. Tickets to the event cost $50 in advance and $60 at the door; in addition, guests will receive a $25 Saks gift card to use anytime. 5% of the event sales will benefit the National MS Society, South Florida Chapter and the University of Miami MS Center for Excellence. Guests will also have the opportunity to buy raffle tickets at the door for a chance to win a bevy of prizes and gifts from the likes of Estee Lauder, Bulgari and even a pair of tickets to a Miami Dolphins home game. For more information and to purchase tickets call 305 243.1388.

SUGARCANE LAUNCHES WEEKEND BRUNCH Sugarcane Raw Bar and Grill invites patrons to enjoy weekend brunch starting at 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. True to the tapas-style theme, the new selection brunch dishes were created with sharing in mind. Thoughtfully prepared by Executive Chef Timon Balloo, ingredients are seasonal-sourced with farm-to-table-style preparations when available. Chef Balloo will be changing the menu regularly to reflect the season’s finest ingredients. Brunch goes until 5 p.m. For more information, visit sugarcanerawbargrill.com.

GLORIA ESTEFAN AND ROBERTO CAVALLI TEAM UP On Friday, November 19, fashion designer, Roberto Cavalli and Gloria Estefan will present an evening under the stars for Miami’s top philanthropists, socialites and celebrities. The event starts off with a cocktail party, followed by dinner and a Roberto Cavalli 2011 spring collection runway show at Villa Vecchia, (4821 Pine Tree Drive) the www.sunpostweekly.com • SunPost Weekly • Thursday, November 11, 2010 • Page 21

Style JEWELRY

‘Tis the Season By Jennifer Fragoso

The word “season” in Miami really means black tie balls and galas galore. Besides the gowns and cocktail attire you know you are going to inevitably going to get you might as well stock up on products that will help you look and feel your best from Art Basel all the way to The Food and Wine Festival. Orlane Paris Absolute Radiance Light Box With the contents of this box you are a mere seven minutes away from photo perfect skin. This regimen contains three different products that will make your skin radiant. Dazzling Eyes Ritual – has an Energizing Complex and Phyto-theraputic Complex that combine to tone, hydrate and soothe the skin around the eyes. Shimmering Skin Masque – A Vegetal Active Ingredient literally brings the skin’s vitality to the surface. Exactly where you want it to be during any party. While apricot kernel oil provides moisture and gives softness to your skin. Evanescent Cream – has a Flash 3D active ingredient that “plumps up wrinkles just like magic.” Now that sounds like something every woman wants in her bag of tricks. Orlane Paris is available at Bloomingdale’s Now that you are primed and ready for your close up you may need a quick touch up and this product is perfect if you are on the go. MODELCO Lip Lights Lip Gloss is super shiny lip-gloss that lights up for easy undercover application. Forget about trying to conquer those long lines in the lavatories ladies. The mirror you seek isn’t on any wall it’s been built on the side of your new favorite lip-gloss. With creamy blends in fantastic colors MODELCO has the perfect shade for you. Available at sephora.com Every good party has to come to an end sometime but what happens when you are simply too exhausted to care about taking off your make-up? With Eau Desmaquillante Express by your bed you won’t need to exert much effort at all. This 3 in 1 product cleanses and tones your face using tea extracts without having to spend any more time on your feet at the bathroom sink. All you need are a couple of cotton face pads and Eau Desmaquillante Express on your nightstand and you’re ready for bed. Miami’s nightlife and party scene never stops and with these products at your disposal neither do you. You can go from gala’s to game nights all winter long without looking like you missed one wink of beauty sleep. Have fun!

Page 24 • Thursday, November 11, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com

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www.sunpostweekly.com • SunPost Weekly • Thursday, November 11, 2010 • Page 25

Sex COLUMN

Birthday Sex By Dr. Sonjia Kenya

Sonjia@drsonjia.com Did you get lucky the last time you got older? If so, was it good? Did you feel happy before, during, and after? Were you celebrating the beginning of a new age with someone who made you feel special? Was it someone you looked forward to growing older with and made you feel good about a future together? Let’s face it. If you had sex on your birthday under any other circumstances, nothing great came from it. For most, birthday sex with a stranger or someone you don’t (or no longer) love causes thoughts of insecurity about the future; by far the worst gift to receive on your personal holiday. Realizing that you just had sex with someone you don’t want will leave you disappointed. You’ll start the new year chastising yourself about habits that must change. If that’s the only option, it’s much better to skip the sex or simply celebrate with some solo stimulation. It’s well known that everybody likes to feel sexy on their birthday, which makes us vulnerable to desperate attempts for affection. Birthdays are a reflective time when we ask ourselves scary questions and seek reassurance from others: Do I still look good? How do I stack up to my peers? Have I accomplished my goals? What needs to be done to improve life next year? When you celebrate this time with someone you’re in love with and with whom you plan to continue growing, it is less scary. Rather than taking stock of yourself in terms of individual accomplishments, it becomes a time to plan future goals together and determine how each person’s dreams can be achieved within the context of the relationship. If one decides to farm wild flowers in Costa Rica, how will the other also work and participate in the journey? Birthdays in love can be an unmatched time of excitement about the future together. Perhaps this is why birthdays among single folks almost always involve plans for snagging a mate before the next year rolls around. While planning a life together sounds pretty good, birthday sex can also be an amazing part of celebrating your special day. And although Jeremih’s song, Birthday Sex explicitly states that he “ don’t need no candles and cake, (he)just need your body to make you birthday sex, “ Miamians thought about the occasion a little differently. Therapygirl, a 40 something year old love coach in Brickell said, “Birthday sex means whatever he wants, however he wants it. He doesn’t have to reciprocate anything. It’s all about fulfilling his fantasies. And of course, taking him out to a really nice restaurant and giving him meaningful gifts to make him feel special. “ This was pretty much the sentiment among dinner with friends at Tony Chan’s Water Club, the hidden downtown gem

that serves real authentic Chinese food (so rare in Miami!). One of my best friends who was visiting from New York said, “My man surprised me and flew from San Francisco to be with me on my birthday.” A doctor recalled his ex-girlfriend’s thirty-fifth birthday. “ I took her to the most romantic hotel in Jamaica to celebrate.” A wall street guy from New York tried to top him. “On her thirty-fifth birthday, I asked her to marry me and then surprised her with a trip to Miami.” Hello, is anybody talking about sex yet? Apparently not. According to my completely biased and nonrandom sample at Tony Chan’s, birthday sex isn’t really about sex. It’s more about showing your mate they are special and making them feel desired as they age. Turns out that birthday sex may simply be another way to say: I want to be with you and will go all out to make you feel special. I will do whatever it takes, including, but not limited to, fulfilling your sexual desires. And no one took this oath more seriously than Charler Muller, who gave her husband sex everyday for a year on his 40th birthday. As chronicled in her book 365 Nights, Charla thought long and hard before coming up with a unique gift idea that would make her husband feel special and remember his fortieth birthday forever. Although her friends balked at the idea, she persisted in giving her man the gift of sex at least 28 days per month for an entire year. The couple had a strong marriage before her husband’s birthday but their sex life had diminished over the years. Turning forty is a milestone that makes people reflect on fulfillment in life. Rather than pretend her husband wanted a future of scarce sex, Charla found a way to show him how much she wanted to build a fulfilling future together. I tried to do the same for Lawman’s birthday. Last month, I treated Lawman to an awesome trip to Jamaica, during which, our wedding was planned. I thought this was an extra special way to show him how much I wanted to spend our future together. I mean, what guy doesn’t enjoy thinking about menu options, bands, and seating charts as he gets another year older? He’d already bought the ring and popped the question, so I figured the least I could do was take him on a trip to plan the shindig. Quite a spectacular birthday gift, right? Well, not so quick. Turns out, there was some room for improvement. After Lawman’s actual birthday passed, I learned the birthday sex he received may have fallen short of expectations. He smiled shyly before admitting, “the trip was great. But I thought you were going to put on a costume and get into one of your characters for me.” Oooops. You’ve got to admire Lawman’s honesty and I’ve got to give him a belated birthday gift that blow his mind. Reader, my time for redemption has come. Lawman just surprised me with a trip to New York where I’ll celebrate my birthday with some of my best friends. His gift required him to close his practice for a week and secretly clear my schedule. Rather than feeling older, this gift makes me feel great about stepping into the next year, when I’ll become Lawman’s wife and begin to fulfill so many dreams with him by my side. I am so grateful for all he’s done and Lawman doesn’t need to do any special sexual favors on my birthday. Besides, he probably won’t even have time. He’ll be too busy receiving that belated birthday gift from one of my characters.

Page 26 • Thursday, November 11, 2010 • SunPost Weekly • www.sunpostweekly.com

Health COLUMN

Fountain of Youth Discovered Health News You Can Use By Jeffrey Bradley (crazykidjoey@gmail.com) “Ponce de Leon looked for it deep in the Everglades but got lost, which happens when you look in the wrong place for the wrong thing. Today we know these secrets of eternal youth by another name. Exercise. The drive to stay young has put some people into weird situations. Everyone today wants a pill or a fad or a Diet to make them leaner. That won’t be happening, but there are life-extending and youth-regenerating powers that’ll keep you fit, trim and filled with energy into your 50s, 60s, even 70s and 80s! And it’s no elixir costing a fortune in gold. Most people experience an accelerating loss of muscle strength and lean muscle mass every decade over 50. Put another way, every year past 30 your metabolism slows down 1%. That means by 50, your metabolism is operating at only 80% capacity of age 30. I don’t know about you, but I find the loss of anything 20% scary. It means the metabolic machinery I depend on to burn fat and build muscle is eroding, and will be down 40% by age 70. As metabolic machinery winds down, energy output dwindles and you start laboring going uphill. Even a little hill. Next thing you know you’re in the doctor’s office for an overhaul, er, checkup. Which means pills, probes, procedures, and advice you have no intention of following… Suddenly, man, you’re old. Tapping Your Inner Fountain of Youth It’s worse if you start acting like it. Age can mean slowing down, gaining weight, sore muscles, cracking joints, you name it. What lies back of this is disuse. Disuse, as in a lack of doing. That little twinge in your lower back will steadily morph into, you know, “a problem.” And that glitchy knee? That’s your next issue. This stuff never happens when you’re young; it kicks in with an awareness of limitation, the belief that less exercise is better. Let’s say it together: Wrong! I’ve probably fixed more bad backs and bum knees than the medical staff down at County General using simple strength-training techniques and proper form. Point is, you feel the effects of aging quickest when you neglect your body. Have you ever noticed how carefree children play? Caution only creeps in later to slow you down. But who says you have to pay that price? The Answer is Exercise Fight it, and regain your vitality. Exercise! Studies show that most people recoup at least 1/3 of their lean muscle after exercising only a few months. Research time and again proves that seniors who exercise regularly statistically live longer than those who do not. But what if you’re not 50 yet, or even 40? Why not let the old folks just complain over their Bingo? You’re young, after all. Hold on there, sonny. Making exercise part of your daily routine now will arm you against “fogeyism,” a dread condition causing the sufferer to buckle under the onslaught of ageing and makes them creaky and cranky. Dodge that fate. Exercise early and often. You’ll not only lose weight, gain strength and lean muscle, but accrue other good benefits: Deeper sleep cycles, Thicker bone density, Longer life expectancy, Strengthened cardiovascular health, More deeply satisfying sexual relations , Decreased risk of life-threatening diabetes, insulin resistance, heart disease , Enhanced muscle strength, Lower blood pressure, Improved psychological health, Increased mobility and flexibility and Richer quality of life Regular exercise helps keep you younger even as you age. That ‘s physically and mentally younger, too. Harnessing Your Secret Power Participating in physical fitness will make you feel vibrant and virile. In fact, regular exercise and good nutrition are vital to enhancing health, longevity and quality of life. Coupled with a proper cardiovascular routine, benefits are often dramatic. Making that decision, though, is key; you have to want to. Now, if you’ve got a bad back try these 6 easy steps: Disclaimer: Do not, repeat, do NOT attempt the following if you are under a doctor’s care, suspect serious underlying damage, or have an hereditary predisposition for back problems! EXERCISE YOUR COMMON SENSE AS WELL AS YOUR BODY! Savvy? Lie prone (face down) on the floor. Use a mat or rug for comfort. Tighten your abdominals, and keep them contracted throughout. Maintain a Sphinx position (rest on your elbows with arms extended). Slowly lower your forehead until it touches the floor. Feel the stretch in your lower back. Slowly raise your chin. Easy! Try looking at the ceiling. Feel your lower back muscles contract in a “crunch.” Hold for a 2-count. Never attempt to push yourself higher by using your arms! You want to crunch your lower back, not over-hyperextend it. Repeat steps 3 & 4 in a slow and controlled fashion for 5-10 repetitions. Assume a supine (face up) position. Stretch your lower back by drawing your knees up toward your chin. Hug them, and hold for a count of 10. Relax. Stay focused, and repeat this every other day for 2 weeks. I guarantee that you and your lower back will soon become friends. You’ll even start to trust it with the important things like running around, carrying groceries—even lifting weights!

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We're looking for a team oriented self starter to develop new customers for our print and online edition. This is not an entry level job, were looking for someone wanting to earn big commissions selling an enormous number of leads and servicing customers that have been with our publication for years. You will be responsible to visit clients and work with our in-house art department to create ads for your clients.

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HIRING PERSONAL TRAINERS AquaFit is seeking Personal Trainers to work in the South Florida market for both one-on-one and group training. Be a part of the most innovative water-based system to hit the fitness industry. We are looking for motivated, positive trainers who enjoy working with people. Full and Part time positions available. Certification is preferred but not required since we provide Aquatic Training & Certification

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www.sunpostweekly.com • SunPost Weekly • Thursday, November 18, 2010 • Page 27

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