Leisure Industries

Marlins Prez David Samson Was Grilled on Real Sports: "Fans Should Be Disappointed"

HBO's Real Sports was nothing short of cathartic for frustrated Miami Marlins fans last night. Bryant Gumbel sat down with Marlins president David Samson and grilled him harder than a row of chickens at Pollo Tropical.See also:- Six lies about the Marlins stadium- Lifelong Marlins Fans Tossed From H ... More >>

Dream South Beach Owner, Vikram Chatwal, Arrested For Drug Possession

Hotelier Vikram Chatwal was arrested and charged with eight counts of possession of various substances, including cocaine and marijuana, earlier this week at a checkpoint at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Chatwal was flagged by behavior detection officers and was searched on April ... More >>

Asia de Cuba Closes at Mondrian, Planning Another Miami Locale

In Miami, restaurants come and go quicker than the hopes of Marlins fans. Recently, the Mondrian Hotel's Asia de Cuba shut its doors after buying out of a partnership with Morgans Hotel Group. The London and Los Angeles branches of the swanky Latin/Asian chain remain open, but Miami's outpost is no ... More >>

Miami Dolphins Would Allow County to Back Out of Stadium Deal If They're Not Awarded a Super Bowl

The Miami Dolphins are so confident the NFL is going to hand them a Super Bowl in May they've announced today that they'd let the county back out of any stadium renovation deal if Miami isn't picked as a host.

Dolphins Stadium Upgrade Bill Passes First State Senate Committee Unanimously

The Miami Dolphins won their first legislative battle in a war to secure taxpayer money to cover half of the planned $400 million upgrades to Sun Life Stadium this morning as the bill passed its first Senate committee unanimously. 

Raleigh Hotel Sold for $55 Million, Huge Expansion Planned

South Beach's famous Raleigh Hotel has been sold for $55 million, and the new owners are already quite familiar with the area's hospitality industry. They own some of the Raleigh's rivals. Sam Nazarian, who just opened the SLS Hotel on the same block, and David Edelstein, owner of the W South Beach, ... More >>

Easy-Bake Oven: Hasbro to Release Gender-Neutral Version

In news that's bound to make the budding Mario Batalis of the world giddy with anticipation, Hasbro announced yesterday that they're planning to release a gender neutral version of their Easy-Bake Oven. The changes to the classic toy were prompted by 13-year-old McKenna Pope's Change.org petition. ... More >>

Submit Your Photos of Miami! Upcoming b2 Hotel Downtown Launches Contest

Back in June, Short Order told you about the new progressive B Hotel brand's plans to open two new hotels in Miami in 2013. The first will carry the b2 moniker, offering what B Hotel calls "value full-service" access to amenities, but at a more affordable price. In an attempt to draw from the commun ... More >>

Carnival Cruises Apologizes, Reverses Drag Ban on Drag Queen Cruise

Facing a growing backlash after telling passengers who were set to sail on a themed cruise featuring cast members from RuPaul's Drag Race that they themselves could not wear drag, Carnival Cruise Lines has now relented and dropped the drag ban.

California's New Condom Law Could Send Porn Jobs to Miami

California's New Condom Law Could Move Porn Jobs From L.A. to Miami

Miami's economy might soon get a deep injection of revenue from an unlikely source: the adult-film industry. Because amid all the hoopla of last week's presidential election, a new law passed in California that might shift hundreds of porn jobs to the Sunshine State. Last Tuesday, Los Angeles reside ... More >>

Beat the Cheeseheads

Delano Hotels Opening in Moscow and Las Vegas

One day, all the big cities and luxury destinations of the world will have all the same hotels, outposts of the same five-star restaurants, and versions of the same clubs and boutiques. In fact, they practically do now. It's like a McDonald's and Starbucks for the high-end jet set.The Delano, now ma ... More >>

Sarah Palin's Porn Doppelganger Will Be in Tampa for Republican National Convention

All of Tampa is preparing for the Republican National Convention in late August, but no industry seems as excited for the conservative conference as the Tampa Bay area's strip clubs. Several titty bars are undergoing renovations and trying to outdo themselves to lure GOP fat cats' fat wallets, but o ... More >>

Delano Hotel Reportedly For Sale

Recently, Morgans Hotel Group finished a $10.8 million renovation of South Beach's Delano hotel and announced that it would be expanding the brand by opening a sister hotel in Marrakesh, Morocco. So reports that the company is putting the original Delano on the market are somewhat surprising.

Consumer Culture

Hugo Chavez Plans His Own Disney World: A Libertador Theme Park

Do you love Disney World, but wish Mickey and Minnie were a little heavier on the socialism? Why can't Space Mountain also educate kids about the glories of Simon Bolivar's revolution? Don't worry: Hugo Chavez is on the case.The Venezuelan president announced plans this week to turn the site of a ke ... More >>

Geoffrey Zakarian To Create Restaurants Onboard NCL's Breakaway

Chef Geoffrey Zakarian's Tudor House was named Best Hotel Restaurant in New Times' 2012 Best of Miami. Read our interview with Geoffrey Zakarian.When Geoffrey Zakarian announced the closing of Tudor House, he left us with a hint that new projects were on the horizon...and out to sea.Miami-based Norw ... More >>

Tampa Strip Clubs Prepare for Horny Conservatives During Republican National Convention

In late August, hundreds of thousands of Republican heavyweights will descend on Tampa to officially crown Mitt Romney their presidential nominee and celebrate their policies, which include abstinence-only education, limiting women's reproductive health choices, and an aversion to birth control and ... More >>

Local Activists Host "Carnaval to Unmask Carnival" Cruise Lines (Updated)

​South Florida activist group 1Miami is hosting a gathering this weekend in Hialeah and Little Haiti to bring Carnival Cruise Lines to the public's attention. They say Carnival is figuratively "sinking Miami." While most associate the cruise line with family memories, bad sunburns, and tanning oil ... More >>

South Beach is Now America's Top Spring Break Destination

​Ugh, get ready for the arrival of a bunch of drunk, unruly college students (and not the FIU and UM variety we're already used to dealing with) in a few weeks, because according to a top travel agency, South Beach has now become the third most popular Spring Break location for college students. W ... More >>

Mickey Mouse vs. Micky Arison: Disney Bringing Cruises to Port of Miami

​Micky Arison's Carnival Cruise Lines has another Mickey with a cruise empire about to encroach on its turf. Mickey Mouse that is. Disney Cruise Line has announced that beginning later this year, it will be sail ships out of the Port of Miami for the first time.

Greater Miami Chamber Of Commerce Endorses Destination Casino Resorts

​Yesterday, Miami's largest business organization put its support behind destination casino resorts, which should please its new landlord. The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce passed a resolution to back the proposed state casino bill that might allow Malaysian-based Genting to turn the site of t ... More >>

Ships Ahoy! Celebrity Cruises Culinary Boat Rides to Set Sail

The Millennium's Grand Buffet​Foodies, rejoice! Miami-based Celebrity Cruises is rolling out a series of culinary-inspired boat rides set to begin in March.Celebrity Cruises' lifestyle cookbook, Excite the Senses, was the inspiration for the new food-and-wine-themed luxury cruise series aptly name ... More >>

Miami Marlins fire Manatees plus-size male dance troupe

Sorry Heat Fans: NBA Season on Verge of Cancellation, Big Three's Contracts Could Become Void

​Will we have to wait until 2013 to see if LeBron James can make good on his promise of bringing back the NBA Championship to Miami? It's looking more and more like that may be the case.Today, the NBA Players Union have rejected NBA Commissioner David Stern's latest offering and have made plans to ... More >>

Royal Caribbean doesn't care about employees raped at sea, a lawyer says

Bill Would Allow Three New Mega-Casinos in South Florida

Genting's Resorts World Miami may have the most concrete and eye popping plans, but if the Florida legislature approves resort-style casinos don't expect it to be the only mega gambling venue to pop up in our community. Two South Florida Republicans are preparing to unveil their gambling b ... More >>

Three Miami mayors block Genting casino

Genting casino will kill Miami and Miami Beach

Genting Casino Will Kill Miami and Miami Beach

Luther "Luke" Campbell, the man whose booty-shaking madness made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Campbell explains why the Genting Group, the Malaysian gambling company that bought the Miami Herald and Omni properties, ... More >>

Fishy Swan Song

Miami Marlins to Host 2012 MLB Season Opener at New Stadium

​This year's Major League Baseball season isn't over, but for the Florida Marlins, it pretty much is.In fact, the Florida Marlins are technically pretty much over. Next year, they'll be in that new stadium with a new name, and the MLB has announced that the team will play the very first game of th ... More >>

Porn Industry Gets Back to Work as Miami Performer Retests Negative for HIV

​Last week, the porn industry voluntarily ceased production after a Miami-based male performer for the MoFos.com web network tested positive for HIV. It turns out that the initial test appears to have been a false positive, and the performer has since retested as negative. Now, the industry is bac ... More >>

HIV Porn Scandal: Brazzers' Parent Company Responds

​The American porn industry has voluntarily shut itself down after a male performer working in Florida tested positive for HIV. Yesterday, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which fights for the use of condoms in adult movies, issued a press release claiming the performer worked for Brazzers.com ... More >>

Raleigh Hotel to Undergo $20-Million Makeover

​The Raleigh Hotel already has an air of unfussy chic that's unique in South Beach, but in this town everyone needs an occasional nip and tuck to stay looking good. Signaling yet another financial move to indicate tourism is back in business after a recession-blamed bump, the hotel has secured a $ ... More >>

Marlins Close Upper Deck For Remainder of Season

No word yet whether the new stadium will have a late-construction redesign that includes a field but no seats.​Well, you've finally done it Florida. You've beaten the Marlins into submission. The team with the worst attendance in the major leagues has given up: They have closed the upper deck of i ... 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 >>

Carnival cruise ships have sewage problems, say passengers

Six lies about the Marlins stadium

Brunch It

Mayor Luther Campbell would tax strippers for the public good

Movie Theaters Lie: Large Popcorn Equals Three Big Macs

via Flickr CA_JimNot so cute and innocent once you know him inside and out. ​I long ago stopped eating the offerings at movie theater concession stands. So long ago that I can't remember when I started loading up at Walgreen's and sneaking in healthier, fresher, and better-priced snacks. The reaso ... More >>

Non-Shocker: Porn Being Filmed in Semi-Public All Over Miami-Dade

Captain Stabbin himself, apparently. ​This morning, readers of The Miami Herald awoke to learn what any guy with an internet connection has known for years: sometimes people make porno movies in semi-public spots in South Florida. Though, this specific porn was shot on Monument Island near the Fla ... More >>

Booty Booty Booty Booty Booty Everywher

Jesse Marco and Random Mondays at Mokai, January 17

DJ-producer Jesse Marco.​Jesse Marco Ransom Mondays Monday, January 17, 2011 Mokai Better than: Another trip to the airport. Ransom Mondays at Mokai are supposed to be "industry" parties. That refers to the hospitality industry: bartenders, concierges, waiters, etc. It would seem, though, that t ... More >>

Dark Horse

Derrick Burts, Model at Center of HIV Porn Scare, Says He Was Infected During Gay Shoot in Florida

​Twenty-four-year-old Derrick Burts has revealed himself as "patient Zeta" -- the porn actor who tested positive for HIV and set of a scare earlier this year in California's adult entertainment industry. Burts, who was only active in porn for a few months, occupied an interesting place in the ind ... More >>