Hilton Hotels Corporation

Miami Rum Renaissance Festival: Ten Rums You Probably Haven't Tried Yet

This year's Miami Rum Renaissance Festival was bigger than ever. In its new home at the Miami Airport Convention Center at the Doubletree by Hilton, there was ample room for rum exhibitors, seminars, and even on outdoor cigar lounge where attendees could enjoy a spirited smoke. Tasting our way thr ... More >>

Miami's Five Best Eats and Drinks this Weekend

If you think eating and drinking all week is irresponsible behavior, think again. While we all might be broke, underfed, and over-stressed, taking part in any kind of food-centric events helps us come back down to earth. Hanging out with friends, sipping a fine wine, drinking a good craft, and nos ... More >>

Miami Rum Renaissance Festival Moves Off Beach, Expands

Miami Rum Renaissance Festival director Robert Burr is what you might call "rum obsessed." The author of Examiner.com's national rum page has about 900 bottles of rum in his private collection, hosts rum cruises on which fans can tour various distilleries at exotic ports of call, and is hosting ... More >>

Miami New Year's Eve Dinners: 1500 Degrees to Acqualina to the Betsy UPDATED

With the new year fast approaching (or the end of the world, if that's how you see it), time is working against us to start making New Year's Eve plans. Because Miami is an NYE party destination, locals have to make particularly savvy arrangements to ensure a successful evening. No one likes to ... More >>

Balloon Boy 2012: Three Years After the Hoax, Falcon Heene Fronts a Rock Band

Miami's Romney Supporters Chugging $10 Drinks, Confident Mitt Will Pull Off Florida UPDATED

Inside a packed conference room at the Doubletree by Hilton near the airport, Ben Powell, chairman of Miami-Dade Republican Party, leaned into his mic and bellowed, "Are y'all ready for victory?" The crowd of about 200 Romney supporters let out a boisterous cheer.Even as returns are showing Obama cl ... More >>

Does the Looming '90s Revival Presage a Nirvana-Style Breakthrough?

Danell Leyva, Miami's Olympic Prodigy, Goes for Gold

Brian J. Weiss, South Florida Scammer, Killed In NYC As Police Investigate Mob Ties

Last Thursday, a 31-year-old named Brian J. Weiss was holding a meeting in a Hilton hotel near Kennedy International Airport when a man pulled out a .380 Baretta and shot him five times in the head. That man, Gary Zalevsky, then killed himself as four others in the room dove for cover. The brut ... More >>

Did Michael Jackson Get Whitney Houston Hooked on Drugs? Meet the Other Suspects

Bobby Brown wants the world to know that he "wasn't the one [who] got Whitney on drugs." Recently, Brown sat down with NBC's Matt Lauer for a candid interview which is set to air on tomorrow's Today Show. It will be the 43-year-old singer's first sit-down since ex-wife Whitney Houston was found de ... More >>

Mr. Panama 2004 Arrested For Cocaine Smuggling at MIA

​Harry Agustin Duncan Maslivar, the winner of the male beauty pageant title of Mr. Panama 2004, looks pretty good in black and white stripped swim trunks. He probably won't looks quite as good in black and white stripped prison garb though. That's what he's facing after being popped for trying to ... More >>

The Catalina Hotel Staffers Set for Reality Show on The CW

​The Jersey Shore d-bags are safely ensconced back in Jersey, and not a single Kardashian has bothered to take us recently, but that doesn't mean the reality TV epidemic is done with South Beach yet. The CW has announced that they'll air The Catalina this summer, which, as the name suggests, follo ... More >>

The Super Bowl prostitution hoax

Indianapolis mobilizes for an epic battle with an urban legend.

Drunk Miami Republicans Rally For Santorum and Rick Scott

Jacob KatelRick Santorum vs Victor Gonzalez​Alcohol impairs your judgment? Screw it, we'll have a shot of whiskey, a beer, and a Latin Builders Association membership application.Starting early Friday morning in downtown Miami, the LBA invited guests to drink their way to Decision 2012, offering 2 ... More >>

Rick Santorum "Visibly Exhausted," Losing Badly, Leaving Florida Saturday

photo by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons​At last, an explanation for why Rick Santorum has been acting so unhinged in the Sunshine State, from inviting an ex-Yahweh ben Yahweh member to open his campaign rally last weekend to making truly bizarre proclamations about rape: Turns out he's really ... More >>

Republican Candidates Eats: Romney Removes Chicken Skin, Perry Calls BBQ Roadkill

​​Today the voters of New Hampshire will trudge through miserable weather and vote for their preferred Republican candidate in the presidential primary. You are probably familiar with all of the folks running by now: Newty, Mittens, Sneezy, Grumpy, etc. If they look a bit pale and green around t ... More >>

Director David O. Russell Accused of Groping Transgender Niece in Florida Gym

​David O. Russell, the Oscar-nominated director behind films such as The Fighter and I ♥ Huckabees and who is said to be connected to a possible Cocaine Cowboys movie, is being investigated by the Broward County Sheriff's Office after allegedly groping the breasts of his transgendered ... More >>

15-Year-Old Pavert Cutino Charged With Attempted Murder After Dragging Miami Springs Cop

photo by Theo KarantsalisOfficer Jeff Collins​A traffic stop in Miami Springs turned into a nightmare for a veteran traffic cop yesterday. A teenage driver dragged the officer for more than a block before letting him slam into the asphalt.Pavert Cutino, the 15-year-old driver, now faces attempted ... More >>

Steal This Continental Breakfast: The Urban Forager's Guide, Vol. 1

​Times are tough, so many people are searching for hotels with free continental breakfasts. Problem is, some of those eating aren't guests, says Hampton Inn, says manager front desk clerk Alfonso Tobenas. That's right. Folks walk into tourist hotels and pose as guests to gain access to mornin ... More >>

Banana Republican Joins Miami Bloggers To Talk Politics

Alex Izaguirre​Want to know what it takes to cover the grimiest political landscape in America? Then join us at the Brickell Hampton Inn tomorrow morning. Banana Republican will be answering questions about Miami politics alongside bloggers Al Crespo (The Crespogram Report), Elaine de Valle (Polit ... More >>

Free Cookies at Cocowalk: Check out the DoubleTree Cookie CAREavan

Courtesy DoubleTree by Hilton​Move over Ben & Jerry's: there's a new dessert truck tour in town (if only for a day).The Hilton's DoubleTree Hotel is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its signature chocolate chip cookie by going on the road with the DoubleTree by Hilton Cookie CAREavan.  ... More >>

Marriott Reopens, New Best Place for Sunset Cocktails

​​Lesley ElliottThe new and improved Catch Grill Bar.​The Marriott on Biscayne Bay held a preview of its $31 million renovation last night. Although Catch (the on-site restaurant) has been open for several months, the 28-year-old hotel has finally completed renovation on the remainder of the ... More >>

Five South Florida bands play SXSW

Cougar Town

Kyree Wallace Arrested In Shooting At The Grand In Pot Deal Gone Sour

courtesy Hilton Hotels​One of Miami's classic condo towers, The Grand at 17th and Bayshore Drive, was rocked by a shooting on its 28th floor on Wednesday that left two men riddled with bullets. Now police have released their report: the violence started when a man tried to turn a pot deal into a r ... More >>

Top Chef Season 7: To Singapore, With Love, Episode 13

Photo by David Giesbrecht/BravoThe final four Top Chef contestants.​So what do you get when you put a bunch of American chefs in Singapore? Confusion, apparently. Engrish, I can't readz!!! Everyone's favorite cocky bastard Angelo came in with guns ablazin' only to be cut down to size before the ep ... More >>

"Miss Cougar Miami" to Be Crowned at Cougar Convention in December

Sex and the City's original cougar couple.​Despite the fact it's devolved into some weird parody of itself, the cougar movement continues unabated in its quest to break down the last great straight-relationship taboo: the older woman and the younger man. They already have sitcoms, movies, books, a ... More >>

Fontainebleau Heir's Wife Charged in Connection With His Murder

via Bennovackjr.com​The bizarre saga of Ben Novack Jr. -- the amputee-porn-lovin' Fontainebleau heir found murdered in a New York hotel room last summer -- is finally closer to a conclusion. His wife, Narcy Novack, and three other accomplices were indicted in New York today an ... More >>

Top Chef Season 7: Andrea Finally Gets Some Airtime, Episode 4 Recap

Photo by David Giesbrecht/BravoTeam Kelly and Andrea!​Last week, we complained that local chef Andrea Curto-Randazzo was getting little airtime on this season's Top Chef, which can be a good thing or a bad thing. Good because it probably means she isn't going home anytime soon (the show is notorio ... More >>

The E-Spot: a Chill Fort Lauderdale Hotel Bar

​You've got to love Fort Lauderdale: where stilletoed women drink directly from the beer tap, where "happy hours" last eight-hours, and where the geriatrics can put 'em away with the best of them. During a single outing, I can rest my happy bar-hopping self at a classy hotel bar, then walk across ... More >>

Top Chef 7 Miami Casting, In Pictures

Jacob KatelProspective Top Chef contestants shoot the shit while they wait their turn to see the casting director.​Top Chef 7 is officially on its way to your signal box, and Magical Elves, the production company behind the hit Bravo series, was in Miami on Sunday looking for talent. Prospective c ... More >>

New Conrad Miami Executive Chef Jonathan McCann Holds "Taste Above All Else" for Re-Launch of Atrio Restaurant & Wine Bar

Conrad MiamiNew logo, new menu and concept​Conrad Miami is no longer chefless. Executive Chef Jonathan McCann fills the four month void at its signature restaurant Atrio, since Michael Gilligan exited in the spring to join the W Hotel South Beach. McCann now oversees the Brickell luxury hotel's in ... More >>

All for the Monet

The trail of a $6 million art heist in France ends in suburban South Florida.

Grandmasters in Guayaberas

Little Havana's chess connection vies for the national crown

Nixon Rewound

As Florida's GOP delegates head for New York, it's time to recall Miami Beach, 1972

Yen or Pesos

Slugging for salaries

Rhinestone Crusader

Dead Elvis at Sunrise promises morning in America

Letters to the Editor

From the issue of December 14, 2000

His Sister's Keeper

Is Darrin McGillis a noble crusader for his late sister's kids, or a courtroom junkie who thrives on drama? Both, actually.

Swamp and Circumstance

Planners hope the Natural System Model can help restore the Everglades. But will it survive politics?

The Last Temptation of George Petrie

He was supposed to turn up dead. His friend, attorney Robert Roth, was supposed to wrap up his affairs. Now they've ended up mortal enemies.

Simply Amazing

Exile Blues

As a lead singer for Los Van Van, Israel Kantor was a star in his native country. But Miami isn't Cuba.

Eyewitnesses to History

Marion and Orlando de Cardenas aided Fidel Castro when the Cuban revolution was still a daydream, not a bad dream

King of Clubs

Club Tropigala's heritage dates back to nineteenth-century Cuba, but when the curtain rises, this could only be Miami

Crime & Nourishment

In Miami breaking bread has become an intricate part of breaking the law

In Havana, On Drugs

As faith in the revolution sinks to new lows, kids in Cuba are getting high

Gorilla Warfare

Vilified by animal protectionists, indicted for smuggling, praised by the feds. Matthew Block surprised everyone. Maybe even himself.

Program Notes

Basil Wainwright