october 8
She's a dignified, beautiful old broad and she's hearty too, known for weathering her share of storms. We're not talking about your great-grandma but the city of Charleston, South Carolina. This evening at 7:30 architect Kenneth Treister (creator of Miami Beach's Holocaust Memorial and the Mayfair House hotel) uses slides and music in his presentation "Charleston: Secrets of a Southern Lady," the second of his Archilecture series examining some of the world's most stunning cities. Tour the charming town at the Miami Museum of Science and Space Transit Planetarium, 3280 S. Miami Ave. Admission is free. Call 305-448-7488 to reserve a seat. (NK)
friday
october 9
Entering its fourth week, Festival Miami continues to chug along at the University of Miami. While most of the programs have consisted of classical music, a few nights have offered stellar jazz performances. Tonight at 8:00 marks another one: The university's concert jazz band, led by Whit Sidener, performs with renowned composer-arranger-tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath. In the early days of his career, the now 71-year-old musician played alongside greats like Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, wrote for Chet Baker and Art Blakey, and was even dubbed "Little Bird" because his style was so much like Charlie Parker's. In the mid-Seventies he got together with his brothers Percy and Tootie to form the Heath Brothers, a successful hard-bop band that lasted for seven years. Hear the music at the University of Miami's Gusman Hall, 1314 Miller Dr., Coral Gables. Tickets range from $10 to $20. Call 305-284-4940. (NK)
saturday
october 10
It's national Gay History Month, and organizers of the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival don't want you to forget it. They also want to remind you their fest is coming up next March. That's why over the next two days they're staging Pride on Screen, a two-day showcase featuring short and feature-length films by gay and lesbian filmmakers, a panel discussion titled "Pride and Prejudice: Gays and Lesbians on Screen," question-and-answer sessions with directors, and parties galore! (Okay, just one, a gala at the Albion Hotel.) Pride on Screen headquarters is the Colony Theater, 1040 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. Tickets cost $8, except for the opening film, which ranges from $15 to $20. If you want to go to the bash, you'll have to fork over $50 to $60; admission to the discussion is free. See "Calendar Events," page 36, for specific details or call 305-534-9924. (NK)
sunday
october 11
Those clean-cut, Gap-jeans-wearing youngsters at the New World Symphony know what to do on a Sunday. They don't loll around the house drinking endless cups of coffee and reading the Times. They get down and play music -- chamber music, to be exact. This afternoon at 5:00 the orchestra launches the first concert in its Chamber Series. Soprano Benita Valente and violinist James Buswell join the musicians to perform works by Ginastera, Roussel, Smetana, Turina, and Vaughan Williams. The sweet sounds will emanate from the Lincoln Theatre, 541 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. Tickets cost ten dollars. Call 305-673-3331. (NK)
Pray for sun and you just may hear music playing on the sand from 3:00 to 11:00 p.m. today at the very first Miami Beach International Music Festival. Slated to appear at the extravaganza: Colombian superstars Grupo Niche, sonero Victor Manuelle, merengue ensemble Los Hermanos Rosario, million-sellers Ilegales, Dominican artist Oro Sólido, the Bahamas' number-one party band Visage, Haiti's Sweet Micky, and more. The show takes place at 21st Street and Collins Avenue, Miami Beach. Admission is ten dollars. Call 305-538-2878. (NK)
monday
october 12
Andrew Sullivan, senior editor at the New Republic and contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine, comes back to Miami touting Love Undetectable: Notes on Friendship, Sex, and Survival, yet another book exploring the pleasures and the perils of being homosexual. He reads tonight at 8:00 at Books & Books (296 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables). Admission is free. Call 305-442-4408. (NK)
tuesday
october 13
Every kid with a short attention span who glanced at MTV or tuned in to a rock station in the Eighties and heard the song "I Wanna Rock" knows that the fang-toothed, big-haired, ugly-makeup-wearing Dee Snider and his band Twisted Sister wanted to make lots of noise. Apparently Snider wanted to make movies, too. He just released Dee Snider's StrangeLand, an eerie flick that has Snider coercing people into performing unthinkable acts. Dee's no dummy. He has also, for the first time ever, arranged a tour of soundtrack artists to support the movie. The StrangeLand Tour comes to the Button South (100 Ansin Blvd., Hallandale) at 7:00 p.m. with some of the newest and hardest bands around: Soulfly, Snot, Hed (pe), and dayinthelife. Tickets to this all-ages show cost $16. Call 954-454-3301. (LB)
What could make more sense than a floor lamp shaped like a gigantic light bulb? Named Bulb, this lighting fixture sprang from the ingenious mind of German designer Ingo Maurer, whose whimsical, innovative work has garnered numerous accolades and has been included in the collections of many museums. His latest creations, MaMo Nouchies, are lamps made of curvy plain paper, inspired by his chum, the late designer Isamu Noguchi. Maurer discusses design and other things tonight at 6:00 at the Coral Gables Congregational Church, 3010 De Soto Blvd., Coral Gables. After the presentation the Luminaire showroom (2331 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables), which is sponsoring the lecture, will host a reception for Maurer. Admission is free. Call 305-448-7367. (NK)
Imagine being the daughter of a hyperfeminine celebrity mother who has spent half her career figuring out how to attend televised award shows in outlandish, barely there outfits and having to tell her you are a lesbian. Well, Chastity Bono, daughter of Cher (and Sonny), found herself in just that situation. And the results weren't pretty. But after more than a few therapy sessions, Cher eventually accepted Chastity's sexuality and has supported her daughter's decision to come out to the world and to help others do the same. Bono discusses her new book, Family Outing, tonight at 8:00 at the Miami Beach Community Church, 520 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. Admission is free but tickets must be obtained in advance at Books & Books (927 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach, or 296 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables). Call 305-532-3222. (NK)
wednesday
october 14
If the Old West makes you think of cacti, cowboy hats, saloons, and Miss Kitty, you've definitely watched too many episodes of Gunsmoke. Think romantic sweeping vistas, evocative portraits of gunslingers and Indians, and lots and lots of horses. Starting this evening and running through December 6, the Lowe Art Museum (1301 Stanford Dr., University of Miami, Coral Gables) transforms itself into a miniature O.K. Corral with the exhibition The West in American Art: From the Bill and Dorothy Harmsen Collection. On display will be 60 paintings from the Harmsens' 600-piece collection. (They founded the Jolly Rancher Candy Company, which brought them big bucks.) The works encompass a variety of styles and artists, but all are indicative of the American affection for this vast land and its eccentric inhabitants. Admission is five dollars. Call 305-284-3535 for hours. (
