Arts & Culture

At a Guitar Hero tournament a few months back, one kid complained to me that Expert Mode is “too easy.” Then he demonstrated the game’s secret Hyper Speed mode. My pupils nearly ruptured at the sight of him as he navigated the light-speed stream of colored notes; it looked like…

Wanna know what to do New Year’s Eve? Read on, sucka. You’ll find 160-plus possibilities in Miami-Dade and dozens more in Broward and Palm Beach. So drink hearty, party heartier, and look for additional listings in the Clubs section during the next two weeks. Click here to download a printable…

All things considered, 2007 has been a pretty sweet year for DJ Lance-O. After years of plugging away behind the turntables at practically every reggae venue in South Florida, the dreadlocked DJ made his dream a reality. Island Hoppers, his weekly TV show on the Sun Sports network, finds Mr…

Years ago, while them American cowboys sat around the campfires concocting wild Western tales of cheatin’ and deceivin’, them Cuban folk were rattlin’ out some of their own country music. Sure, theirs had a stronger African influence and was sung in a different kinda tongue, but life out there in…

Fans of makeup-wearing nu-metal rappers Insane Clown Posse (ICP) are known as Juggalos. In ICP’s song, “What Is a Juggalo,” the group describes its typical fan as “A fucking lunatic, somebody with a rope tied to his dick. Then he jumps out a 10-story window, gets butt-naked, then he walks…

All the Miami Dolphins want for Christmas is to get into the win column against the visiting Baltimore Ravens. For a few members of the Ravens, the game will be like an early holiday homecoming: Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Willis McGahee were all collegiate standouts at the University of…

Tonight is the last night to catch the Miami Gay Men’s Chorus in its holiday extravaganza, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, at the Colony Theater. The performance includes renditions of traditional show tunes and contemporary favorites, as well as slightly naughty versions of popular standards. Perhaps they’ll bring…

With a voice like melted butter and songs that defined the “quiet storm” slow-jam genre, Anita Baker ruled the Eighties. From the moment she released Rapture in 1986, Baker became a mainstay on R&B radio. Songs like “Caught Up in the Rapture,” “No One in the World,” and “Sweet Love”…

Christmas in the islands is way different from Yule in northern climes. Much like Miami, there’s no snow, and coconut trees get strung with lights and tinsel. In Trinidad, locals mix condensed milk and rum into a potent Bailey’s-esque beverage called ponche de crème, and pouring out of every boombox,…

There’s a good deal of unhappiness in the South Florida sportscape. With only three weeks of mercy killings left for the Dolphins, all eyes are on the Miami Heat. Are our local basketballers unhappy? Pat Riley is usually unhappy, for one reason or another. This time last year, he was…

The Lowe Art Museum lowers the boom on the frantic citywide December art flurry with a pair of roundhouse combinations delivering stunning Afro-Cuban art and a knockout selection of works from one of America’s oldest art schools. “AfroCuba: Works on Paper, 1968-2003” features more than 60 prints and drawings by…

Sure, riding your rusty 10-speed through Miami can be cool, but try sitting behind the wheel of a tricked-out Mitsubishi floating on a cloud of neon lights, blasting more bass than a Sunday night at Opium. Now that’s a ride that will get the old heart pumping. Unfortunately your Huffy…

Art Basel might be over, but that doesn’t mean the creative minds of native Miamians have all gone to bed. 3 Second Rule and Absinthe Minded Productions are presenting one fantastic night of film, art, and music. The Vacant Lot Showcase begins at Tower Theater (1508 SW Eighth St., Miami)…

Anyone over the age of 25 should remember when Sesame Street was the children’s show to watch. Long before Telly Monster started bitching about every little thing, before everyone realized Mr. Snuffleupagus wasn’t just Big Bird’s imaginary friend, before that awful Elmo destroyed the edginess of the Children’s Television Workshop…

If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas, you’re plum out of luck. However, if you have visions of hayrides and popcorn dancing through your holiday thoughts, then the Christmas Celebration at Continental Park is just what you need. With a fire truck bearing Santa Claus (forget the sleigh — so…

We understand if you’re all art-ed out after Art Basel, but tonight’s event at the Wallflower Gallery is one with a heart, not just beautiful people schmoozing and raping the open bar. You know the Wallflower as a local mecca for creative types who infiltrate the scene with dance, spoken…

December has descended, and dancers all know what that means – time to bust out the rouge and toe shoes for the inevitable performance of The Nutcracker. The holiday favorite is a time-honored ballet tradition, and for many youngsters, it’s an important first memory that often leads straight to ballet…

In many (southern) areas, including Homestead, the Monday-morning drive to work following a Sunday broadcast of stock-car racing takes on added ka-clang, sharpening defensive driving skills and firing pulses. Everybody wants to be Richard Petty. Which is the raison d’être of the Richard Petty Driving Experience. After careful instruction and…

Even though Andy Warhol shuffled off this mortal coil in 1987, his indomitable spirit just couldn’t not be present at this year’s Art Basel. Our annual Olympics of art, the Super Bowl of sculpture, the over-the-top smorgasbord of paintings and pretty people, screams of Warholian excess. Let’s face it –…

Anyone who can maintain a sense of peace while waiting in line at Target this week has obviously reached some sort of spiritual enlightenment. Do we need all of this stuff? Toys? DVDs? Does every baby have to scream at the same time? If it’s all freaking you out, here’s…