Arts & Culture

The Panthers are the only South Florida sports team that doesn’t completely suck; they’re just a notch below .500, and are very much alive in the weak Southeast Division. But just think about that for a moment: That means the best assemblage of athletic talent in the lower third of…

Way back in the days of silent film, being a good mime was a ticket to stardom. Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and the Little Tramp himself, Charlie Chaplin, all used their bodies and facial expressions to act out their stories. With the advent of talkies, the art of mime faded…

Pop Art’s power and nature’s outlandish palette collide during Lichtenstein at Fairchild, which features 10 of the iconic artist’s monumental sculptures in a lush tropical setting. Today at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, it’s Poppin’ Tropical Nights, where Roy Lichtenstein’s works, blazing with shocking primary colors, combine with vibrant succulents,…

Shopping for your mother-in-law is more difficult than navigating the Home Depot parking lot on Calle Ocho. The rest of your list is no picnic either. What to get? Jelly of the Month Club membership? The latest creepy Japanese toy? A fruitcake? Someone’s still buying fruitcakes, otherwise they wouldn’t sell…

The Nutcracker isn’t the only story about inanimate objects coming to life. The Steadfast Tin Soldier, which enraptured audiences and drew solid reviews from critics last year, is back. It describes a crippled soldier made out of tin who falls in love with a plastic ballerina. He meets a foe…

Since the NBA’s then-team in New Orleans moved to Salt Lake City in 1979, the Utah Jazz has been the most oxymoronic team in American sports, surpassing even the Seattle Sunlight, the Omaha Mountaineers, and the Los Angeles Decent Human Beings. The identity crisis intensified after John Stockton went the…

Irish films are not that dissimilar from Irish pubs. When you walk into one, you pretty much know what you’re going to get: car bombs, sexy accents, fiddle-and-pipe music, rampant nationalism, pints of Guinness, and likeable underdogs. The difference is that within the first hour at the pub, you’ll find…

It takes a particular kind of stamina to be a singer/songwriter in Miami. Enduring the shifting winds of public favor, steadfastly staying put when it’s suggested you might want to add a DJ with some turntables to the lineup, steering clear of pre-programmed beats and trendy new sounds — none…

When jazz legends such as John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, and Dizzy Gillespie needed a percussionist to spice up their grooves with some hot Latin flavor, they called on Candido “Manos De Fuego” Camero. Born in 1921, Camero rose to fame when he was still a child in the streets of…

They say the suicide rate increases at yuletide, and you believe it as you walk the lonely streets of downtown Miami, kicking an empty soda can. Depression builds as you pass the Salvation Army lady with red cheeks who’s ringing her little bell outside Publix. A man on the dark…

After the presents have been ripped open, the stockings emptied, and the last exclamations of thanks to Jesus and/or Santa for your annual bounty of material blessings have been given, a realization slowly dawns upon you. “Damn,” you think. “I am hungry!” Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa,…

Politicians, celebrities, even your mom is telling you to “go green.” The pressure to be environmentally correct is stress-inducing. So what do you do? You sit back, roll one up, throw some Snoop Dogg in the CD player, and go green the Bob Marley way. But then Mom calls and…

The Historic Redland Tropical Trail reminds us that suburban sprawl hasn’t swallowed up all of South Florida. The members of this group of southern destinations include Coral Castle, the Robert Is Here fruit stand, and Monkey Jungle. There’s also a winery, nurseries, alligator farm, restaurants, and quaint places to shop…

Avoid last-minute holiday shopping stress by prancing and dancing through two local CD release parties. Dive into the tasty libations and tropical gyrations found on The Elastic Bond’s latest psychedelic space odyssey Excursion. Experimental genius Andrés Ponce conducts the electro-programming, with backup by Buffalo on guitar, Claudio Cruz on sax…

You probably recognize young Keke Palmer from her starring role in the critically acclaimed movie Akeelah and the Bee. The young actress held her own with heavyweights Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne, and made audiences of any color identify with the plight of this little girl from Crenshaw who becomes…

If you thought that the palm trees were alive with the sound of music during the festival-heavy summer, let your ears in on a secret that Christmas carolers worldwide have known for years. The holidays are for singin’! And tonight you have two different ways to get your fix. The…

The James L. Knight Center is classy, but old hat. The Carnival Center’s cool and all, but whatevs. You’ve already checked out the revamped Fillmore at the Jackie Gleason, jaded culture vulture that you are. Now you’re looking for the next new big thing to hit town, so you can…

To your delight, the temperature has finally fallen below 70 degrees, and you’re happier than a gold digger at the Delano. Look at you, stripping the mothballs off your wool coat with glee, shining up those knee-high riding boots you copped on sale last year, and fluffing up that fur-lined…

As I made my way through Wynwood with artist Sergio Garcia this past weekend, it seemed clear that Basel fatigue had set in. While trying to get into the Moore Space early Friday to catch the “French Kissin’ in the USA” show, we were stopped by a bunch of brutes…