Acropolis Now

Comments (0) Thursday, Aug 12 2004

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Friends executive director Rick Lewis explains: "We will not be having Bob Edwards after all.... We're talking to some other people. I'm sure it will be someone very interesting. Perhaps we'll have [Edwards] back in his new role one of these days." The Bitch, who delights in antagonizing WLRN-FM (91.3), hereby notes that Mr. Lewis was extremely prompt and gracious in answering her questions, and also that he has a good radio voice himself.

Meanwhile the voice of traffic-jam tabulator Marisa Martin has disappeared from the station's prime morning air space. This is on account of "personnel reorganization at Smart Route Systems" (the Traffic 511 company), according to WLRN's special projects manager, Adrienne Kennedy.

Maseo was Rockin' Spelling counts at Mansion ... but not for much

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RansomA real celebrity -- the artist Anastasia the Great, who compares her talents to those of Leonardo and Giotto and has had commissions from such modern Medicis as Warren Henry Jaguar of Florida -- was on hand for the opening of Sofi Lounge in Miami Beach (which as you might guess is south of Fifth). The Bitch thought she'd surreptitiously snapped Anastasia with the photophone, but as Tony "Mr. Nightlife" Miros gently pointed out: "Um, that's a picture of a dog."

Sofi is owned by the also-gentle Lou Olano, who had the good sense to install enormous flat-screen televisions tuned to MTV over the long soda-fountain-style bar, and also to paint the walls of the place orange, which is the best color, so this place should do pretty well.

Maseo Was Rockin'Spelling counts at Mansion ... but not for much.

Evolution in ActionMiami's summertime gallery world means a few sluggish studio hops propelled by the brisk promise of Art Basel in December. But the business of art isn't pretty. Scene-making Rocket Projects recently cut ties with fifteen affiliated artists, and has generated rumors of ageism in doing so. Of the dozen-plus creatives released, only David Rohn was represented full time, says 28-year-old Nina Arias, co-owner of the Wynwood District space. "The rest were artists that we showed," she adds.

Rohn, whose conceptual paintings, sculptures, and installations are complemented with live performances, was told recently that the show he had been planning on opening in the fall is canceled and that he should pick up his work at the gallery. No sweat, says Rohn, who is in his fifties; after a year with Rocket Projects he realized he did not fit in. Digital visualist Dimitry Said Chamy found out he'd been dismissed when his profile was deleted from the Rocket Projects Website.

Arias and her partner, Nick Cindric,42, maintain the reason for the downsizing was to concentrate on the works of the eleven artists they continue to represent. With the exception of New Times contributor Michelle Weinberg, each of the artists now represented was born between 1971 and 1979. "Age has nothing to do with it," says Cindric. "The whole point was to focus on the artists that we do represent and to galvanize the aesthetic of the gallery."