Thanks for the Insult
Miami's Pilates professionals will appreciate an apology: I commend assistant calendar editor Juan Carlos Rodriguez on his article about Pilates and the Hub center ("Clearing Mind, Fixing Body," January 22). The Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) is the international, not-for-profit professional association for the Pilates method. We have approximately 1600 members worldwide. Our organization is an advocacy group for the safety and efficacy of the Pilates method of exercise and, interestingly enough, is based here in Miami. The PMA is in the process of creating a national certification exam for the Pilates method.
We are particularly concerned about Mr. Rodriguez's erroneous statement that "in Miami there are few (if any) instructors who have as deep a knowledge of Pilates's work as Arthur Curtis." Through this blanket statement he has insulted our entire professional membership base in the Miami area, which numbers 21 businesses and individuals. Some of these businesses and/or individuals have been advertisers in New Times. Our organization members have professional Pilates training, subscribe to professional business practices, and maintain their memberships in good standing by attending regular continuing-education training.
On behalf of the constituency of our organization and especially those in the Miami area, we would appreciate a correction to this misleading statement. Perhaps he will consider the PMA as an information resource in the future.
Kevin A. Bowen, president/CEO
Pilates Method Alliance
Miami
So don't believe those nasty detractors: In response to Humberto Guida's article "Paparazzi Propaganda" (January 15), I think the anonymous "allegations" against photographer Seth Browarnik are false and ridiculous. I was the senior executive vice president of worldwide media and entertainment for Billboardlive. During the time we were in operation, Seth was our in-house photographer. He also worked with many additional photographers who covered the many celebrity-attended events at our venue.
Seth showed the highest professionalism in his work and was extremely friendly and accommodating to any outside photographers who came to Billboardlive. In fact his openness to working with others was key to his success at the venue.
Seth took the best pictures and is the most talented celebrity photographer on the Beach. The motives behind those who are attacking his credibility should be ignored. His work and his integrity speak for themselves.
Peter T. Cohen
Miami Beach
Seth? He's a Model
of Propriety
And anyway, we'd never stoop to the level of paparazzi: Ego Trip magazine has never paid Michael Storms for photographs and no longer has any association with him. This decision was made weeks before the publication of Humberto Guida's article "Paparazzi Propaganda." As well, Ego Trip magazine does not focus on celebrity paparazzi. We also would never tolerate the kind of behavior and the invasions of privacy detailed in the article. Ego Trip is by no means a tabloid and finds that kind of behavior offensive.
Personally I find Seth Browarnik's etiquette in dealing with celebrities an excellent model that should be followed by others. On many occasions I've seen Seth in action, and he has always handled himself in an exemplary fashion. Miami nightlife is about having fun and letting your hair down, not being accosted by obnoxious photographers.
David Bick, managing director
Greenerside Media/Ego Trip magazine
Miami Beach
He's No Saint
And don't call us paparazzi! I agree with whoever sent out the anonymous e-mails about Seth Browarnik. There is in this country something called freedom of the press. Before Seth ever existed we covered Miami nightlife and were given access to clubs and other venues. Our images are published in People, Us, In Touch, and other publications worldwide, which gives the clubs great publicity. Ever since Seth (the gentleman) came on the scene, our photographers are pushed around and not treated fairly.
It works just like everything else in this town -- it's not what you know but who you know. We are not "jealous paparazzi" but professional photojournalists who want a fair chance to report the scene in Miami without some little upstart dictating what images are okay to publish.
Believe me, we will get the picture one way or another.
Carole Moore
Miami Beach
Free weekly to subsidize young staffer's deflowering: I swear that if you guys at New Times would pool your money to get Humberto Guida a hooker, his column "BuzzIn" wouldn't be such an ass-kiss or pickup spot. You get the sense that our guy truly has never before seen a vagina, short skirts, or breasts. Insert Don Pardo announcer voice: "In this week's episode of 'The Nefarious Travels of Humberto the Monk Who Has Yet to Get Laid' we pick up where we left off last week -- and the countless weeks before...." It reads like R. Kelly's journals from a worldwide tour of middle school playgrounds. Get the guy some women already! He can't really be that impressed by these club chicks.
From "Snow Bunnies" (January 15): "That's because [the VIPs] are intelligent, thoughtful, and well-endowed (only one has a cup size smaller than C, but she's the most adorable blonde)." Blah!
More: "I'd like to take this opportunity to print my true feelings about one VIP in particular...." Why, Humberto? In hopes she'll read it and her friends will convince her to part like the Red Sea?
Still more: "There are at least 100 hearts she's broken, including mine." Insert photo of women gathered at Houston's on Miracle Mile reading the column and telling the VIP about Humberto's desire and just how sweet he is -- and that he's smart too. Argh and more blah!
Somewhere in the budget there has to be hooker money. Or maybe Humberto can slide over to Gold Rush and wow the skirts with being a scribe. He's funny and great when writing about things like Parrot Jungle, but for some reason it all goes belly up when he gets around all the "women who put the 'tit' in titillating." (You gotta be kidding me.)
On one hand there is this image of an intelligent writer who actually writes instead of inserts schoolboy one-liners, but after a few whirls around the Lala land of silicone and Stoli, it seems our guy just goes limp.
Lee Williams
Brooklyn, New York
Owing to a reporting error in "No Way Joe" by Francisco Alvarado (January 22), North Miami resident Kevin Burns was misidentified as David Burns.
Several errors were made in Leah Gliniewicz's article "After Shock" (January 8). An editing error led to Inversus Records being incorrectly described as "less than profitable." Inversus CEO Sandy Fox was incorrectly identified as DJ Hardware in the photograph that accompanied the story. A miscommunication between Fox and the reporter resulted in Inversus's upcoming CD release by Jerry Bonham, Version One, to be mistakenly identified as Vers One. And finally, owing to a reporting error by Gliniewicz, DJ Hardware should not have been credited with a distribution account for Hamachi, a record label owned by Fox.
New Times regrets the errors.
