may 6
It's not over yet. The (Anti) Film Festival wraps at 8:00 tonight at the Alliance Cinema (927 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach) with an animation segment cosponsored by Imagine That Productions. Entries have been submitted from all over the world and reportedly the first-prize winner will be the animation creator and director of a video for the newest artist on Number One Records, partially owned by KC of KC and the Sunshine Band. Admission is eight dollars. Call 305-534-7171.
friday
may 7
Mom always told you to wait three hours after eating before going into the pool. Well, it's a good thing the South Beach Dive and Seafood Festival continues through Sunday. That way you can spend plenty of time feasting on munchies such as grilled lobster and coconut shrimp and diving or snorkeling in the Atlantic to explore the artificial reef that recently was established 100 yards east of Penrod's (1 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach). In case none of the aforementioned interest you, other activities abound at the event, including the beach's biggest cleanup to date (Saturday at 9:00 a.m.); an underwater treasure hunt (Saturday at 1:00 p.m.); music provided by the appropriately named band Clambake 2000; and an underwater photo contest (Saturday at 8:00 a.m.). There's also a film festival featuring Clambake, starring Elvis Presley, and Jacques Cousteau's Destroyer at Peace (Friday at 9:00 p.m.), plus underwater flicks by filmmaker Stan Waterman and a marathon of Sea Hunt episodes (Saturday at 9:00 p.m.). The fest takes place in and around Penrod's from 5:00 to 11:00 tonight, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. tomorrow, and 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Call 305-672-1912.
Drag queens, ready your wigs and gowns. It's been a long time since you've been able to lip-synch to a new Diana Ross song. Now's your chance. The singer recently released a new album, Every Day Is a New Day, and to celebrate Spec's Music and a host of other sponsors are throwing a Diana Ross Look-alike Contest at 8:00 p.m. at the Clevelander (1020 Ocean Dr., Miami Beach). No singing (or lip-synching) is required. Just don your best diva gear and strike a pose. Motown president Kedar Massenburg and Deco Drive's Belkys Nerey will be the judges. First-place winner gets cash, and other prizes will be awarded to the impersonators who fall a bit short of the true Diana look. Admission is free. Call 954-858-0072 to register.
saturday
may 8
Step gingerly around the Rubell Family Collection (95 NW 29th St.) this afternoon. Ending a Florida tour organized by the South Florida Composers' Alliance, the Glass Orchestra returns to Miami to close out the Subtropics '99 New Music Festival with their fragile and mesmerizing music. They'll be joined by Subtropics Ensemble members Lisa LaCross and Luis Gomez-Imbert and will perform U.S. premieres of new works by Florida composers including Orlando Jacinto Garcia, Drew Krause, Fred Glesser, Jeff Herriott, and David Manson. The glass squeaks at 5:00 p.m. Tickets cost $15 and $20. Call 305-758-6676.
Swing dancing may be hot these days, but the tango is even hotter. That's always been the case for the provocative dance created in the barrios of Argentina. The province of pimps, prostitutes, and gigolos, the tango took on cachet in the Twenties and Thirties when it became all the rage in the cafes of London and Paris. Lately countless popular stage reviews have kept the sultry tango in the public eye. Add Sensual Tango Review to the list. At 8:00 tonight at Miami-Dade County Auditorium (2901 W. Flagler St.) sixteen dancers will slither and glide around the stage to the tunes of Astor Piazzolla, Carlos Gardel, Mariano Mores, and others, performed by twelve musicians under the direction of conductor Miguel Arrabal. Tickets range from $15 to $35. Call 305-547-5414.
sunday
may 9
It's Mother's Day and you want to bring something different to the woman who brought you into the world. Forget the fragrant flowers or the fattening brunch. Get Mom some tunes. Don't buy her CDs. Give her the live stuff by taking her to a reggae concert. Okay so maybe it's not quite that trip to the islands she was expecting, but Bringing Back the Vibes will keep her swaying all night to Caribbean rhythms. Local radio-show host Clint O'Neil will be the master of ceremonies at this reggae megashow, which features stars such as Gregory Isaacs, Mykal Rose, Joanna Marie, Drums 'n' Unity, Lloyd Parks and the We the People Band, and Dennis Brown. Showtime is 9:00 p.m. at the Cameo Theatre, 1445 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. Tickets cost $27. Call 305-532-0922.
monday
may 10
Books & Books gives us twice the crime tonight when they sponsor an appearance by authors Robert Ferrigno and Carl Hiaasen. Ferrigno, who wrote the best-selling The Horse Latitudes, reads from his recently released thriller Heartbreaker. It tells the tale of a former undercover cop who flees Miami to southern California on the run from a nefarious drug kingpin. Hiaasen, know for his witty columns in the Miami Herald, gives a sneak preview of his novel in progress, Sick Puppy, which is scheduled to be published next spring. The show gets on the road at 8:00 p.m. at Temple Judea (5500 Granada Blvd., Coral Gables). Admission is free but requires tickets, which can be obtained at both Books & Books locations (296 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables or 933 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach). Call 305-442-4408 or 532-3222 for details.
tuesday
may 11
Imagine South Beach without its current flash. No tourists, no models, no club kids. Throughout most of the Seventies to the mid-Eighties, South Beach was just such a place. More often than not the people who were hanging out on the porch under the neon lights of a rundown Art Deco hotel were elderly transplants from northern states. They came south to live out their golden years in carefree comfort. That is until crime increased and until TV shows like Miami Vice glamorized the area, giving developers ideas about its potential. Photographer Gary Monroe documented the daily lives of Miami Beach's seniors from 1977 to 1986, capturing images of them dancing, socializing, performing religious rituals, and more. Seventy-five of his photographs go on display today in the exhibition Barely a Minyan: The Last Elderly Jews of South Beach at the Sanford L. Ziff Jewish Museum (301 Washington Ave., Miami Beach). The word minyan refers to the minimum of ten men (a minyan) required for a religious service to take place. Admission is five dollars. Call 305-672-5044.
wednesday
may 12
To complement its exhibition of clothing by the late Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace, the Museum of Contemporary Art (770 NE 125th St., North Miami) brings in members of the Florida Grand Opera's Young Artist Studio to sing up a storm at 7:00 this evening for the Music at MoCA series. On the bill: selections from Italian operas, of course, including Puccini's La Boheme, Rossini's The Barber of Seville, and Donizetti's The Elixir of Love. Admission is ten dollars; Opera and MoCA members and North Miami residents get in free. Space is limited, so call 305-893-6211 for reservations.
