ESPN Documentary The U Premieres at Lyric Theater in Overtown

Click here to view photos from this event.Last night, Rakontur debuted an extended version of its upcoming ESPN documentary The U inside Overtown’s historic Lyric Theater. Among the local celebrities in attendance were former University of Miami football players Melvin Bratton, brothers Brian and Bennie Blades, Kelvin Harris, and Randall Hill,…

Top Local Stories of the Decade

It’s just about 2010. Here are my choices. What do you think?1. After being snatched by federal authorities, Elian Gonzalez is sent home to his father in Cuba on June 28, 2000.2. Art Basel Miami Beach starts in 2002, an offshoot of the Swiss affair, it changes Miami’s cultural life…

Letters from the Issue of December 10, 2009

Rothstein for Governor! Spence-Jones for lieutenant: In response to “Sheeee’s Back” (Gus Garcia-Roberts, December 3): Michelle Spence-Jones is demonstrating how little she cares about her constituents by running for office again. If she had one ounce of concern, she would not run until her corruption case is resolved. The burden…

Heat Ladies Set to Embarrass Selves on VH1’s Basektball Wives

Real Housewives of the NBA probably couldn’t be used for legal reasons, but reality TV’s love affair with ladies who lunch (and then throw it at each other) continues with VH1’s upcoming Basketball Wives.Although the show might not sate our need for a Miami version of Bravo’s weave-snatchin’, table-throwin’, all-around addictin’…

Wish You Were There: Art Basel Week Music on YouTube

Last week was, of course, utter art, music, and media ridiculousness — so of course, it’s captured all over the social web. Missed out on a show? Don’t feel bad, practically all of the week’s musical events are on YouTube! Reading reviews of both OK Go’s electrified performance at Design…

Moving Units: Top Five Albums at Local Independent Music Stores

Moving Units is a weekly column on Crossfade tracking the best-selling albums at South Florida independent record stores. Top Five Albums for the Week of November 30 – December 5 Sweat Records, Miami Echo Party, Edan Blakroc, Blakroc Them Crooked Vultures, Them Crooked Vultures Daptone Gold, Various Logos, Atlas Sound Radio-Active…

Three Florida Telecom Execs Charged With Bribing Haitian Government

In 2001, a start-up phone company set up shop in a Miramar office park, looking to corner the market on international calls from Little Haiti to Port-au-Prince.​It was a great business plan in Miami. Unfortunately, according to the feds, the company’s execs decided there was only one way to make…

Of Luna and Lunatics

My post last week about Luna PIzza’s opening party and the entertainment provided by students from The Miami Charter School generated quite a strong reaction. I think crazy strong. Here is, in its entirety (I’ve added CAPS to a few words I think might have been missed the first time…

Rev. Gaston Smith Scores Victory Over Richard Scruggs

Late Friday, at 9:05 p.m., Miami-Dade Judge Beatrice Butchko dealt a serious blow to state prosecutors’ case against a popular pastor in Miami’s black community.Butchko ruled Assistant State Attorney Richard Scruggs cannot use digital recordings of two interviews with Rev. Gaston Smith. They were made months before the clergyman was indicted for…

Public Corruption Prosecutor Richard Scruggs Takes The Stand

Richard Scruggs is usually the guy asking people tough questions and getting witnesses to spill the beans. But today Miami-Dade’s veteran public corruption prosecutor was on the receiving end of an intense grilling. And he was not enjoying himself.It went down inside the courtroom of Judge Beatrice Butchko in the…

Daily Candy No Longer Sweet in Miami

Daily Candy, the popular listings and shopping website, is cutting its editor in Miami and six other cities. Its daily emailed suggestions of things to do will reduce in frequency to twice a week….and its editor, Brooke Siegel, will be “splitting her time between Miami and New York,” according to…

Flyer of the Week: Panic Bomber at White Room December 12

In a digitally distorted blaze of electro-house glitch, local party starter Panic Bomber, a.k.a. Richard Haig, has spent the last year going supernova. First came his six-track EP effort, Calling in Threats, a December 2008 release loaded with crunchy club killers like “Miami Stunnaz” and “Disillusionment.” (Cop it at PanicBomber.com…

Top Five Movie Food Fights of All Time

Sometimes when we’re feeling low we head down to the mall, hide behind a plastic bush, and throw pieces of food-court meatballs, ranch soaked lettuce, and mustard fries at people until a food fight erupts. Then we run up the stairs, film it, and post the results online. For legal…

$46 Million More For Miami International Airport Boondoogle

Already more than $2 billion over budget and more than three years behind schedule, Miami International Airport’s north terminal is about to suck more money from Miami-Dade County.This Friday, aviation department bureaucrats will ask the county commission’s airport and seaport committee to sign off on adding $46 million to a…

Red The Steakhouse Is Run By Dummies

The email read: “You’re invited to Red, the Steakhouse Cocktail Party sponsored byMiamiARTzine.com.”It was an Art Basel-related promotional affair, and I foolishly assumed there would be cocktails, maybe somebody from MiamiARTzine, and an art exhibition. Instead, a bevy of befuddled and incredibly unsympathetic hostesses, and a clueless manager, stood at…

Moving Units: Top Five Albums at Local Independent Music Stores

Moving Units is a weekly column on Crossfade tracking the best-selling albums at South Florida independent record stores. Top Five Albums for the Week of November 23 – 29 Sweat Records, Miami 1. Them Crooked Vultures, Them Crooked Vultures 2. Swords, Morrissey 3. Warp20 Series, Various Artists 4. Through the…

Free Pizza, New Blue Collar Food Blog

Free Pizza With BaselLuna Corner Pizza (6815 Biscayne Blvd.) is throwing a grand opening bash this coming Saturday, December 5th, from noon to 6:00 p.m., right smack dab in the middle of the Taste of MiMo festival, right smack dab in the middle of Art Basel. Free tastings of gourmet…