The media is responsible for all of society's ills. The media is slanted. The media lies and perpetuates false attitudes that most Americans don't share. The media is the original Axis of Evil. The media is made up of pot-smoking, cross-dressing, leftist, pinko Commies. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Sound familiar? You've probably been talking with someone who's read a book by Bernard Goldberg, the flamboyant former network news correspondent and cultural commentator who takes pleasure in portraying the mainstream press as a bunch of elitist snobs with a leftist agenda. Kvetch, kvetch, kvetch! And Ronald Reagan is an alien. Tonight Goldberg talks about his new book, Arrogance: Rescuing America from the Media Elite, in a special Books & Books lecture. We lift our collective elitists' noses and raise our pompous asses. The lecture starts at 8:00 at Temple Judea, 5500 Granada Blvd., Coral Gables. Admission is free. Call 305-442-4408. (JCR)
Friday 1/30
Tap tap tap, stompety stomp stomp. Where is all that noise coming from? Beanpole girls with curly strawberry locks stand in rigid formation; hunky white boys in tight pants and billowy shirts join them in line with backs straight, arms strapped to their side, eyes looking forward. Below their waists, however, their legs are a battalion of stomps, marches, kicks, and more kicks. The original show that brought Irish dancing out of the woods, Lord of the Dance, is back, under the direction of fiery-footed stomp-ador Michael Flatley. The foot follies tell the story of the duel between Don Dorch the Dark Lord and our hero, the Lord of the Dance. With more than 40 dancers, the production is a leg-lover's paradise. Look for big-budget lighting and pyrotechnics to hold your attention when all the footwork gets annoying. The show starts at 8:00 tonight at the Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts, 1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. It runs through Sunday, February 1. Tickets range from $35 to $60. Call 305-673-7300. (JCR)
Saturday 1/31
Thought you'd never see ticket scalpers trying to make big bucks outside the Lincoln Theatre during a New World Symphony concert? Think again. Renowned conductor Michael Tilson Thomas is back and when he's around, shows sell out big time. This time MTT will lead the orchestra in the music of two of his faves: Gustav Mahler and Leonard Bernstein. They'll perform Mahler's Symphony No. 5 and Bernstein's Suite from A Quiet Place. The program is called All Roads Lead to Rome, and what do Mahler, a Czech, and Bernstein, an American, have to do with Italy? Nothing at all. The works are just a little preview of what the NWS will play when it descends on the Eternal City's National Academy of Saint Cecilia for a week-long educational and concert residency next month. The baton goes up at 8:00 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre, 541 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. Tickets range from $30 to $70. Call 305-673-3330. (NK)
Sunday 2/1
The local nonprofit organization Community Arts and Culture does much to showcase artists from all the diverse ethnicities that live in the subtropics. From Yoruba drummers to Brazilian samba schools, CAC keeps a finger on the multihued mix that is life in Miami. The organization is hosting a fundraising event to benefit two of its annual happenings: the Afro Roots World Music Festival, a string of concerts throughout February that focus on African hybrids from Cuba to India, and the Women and Culture Festival, a celebration of women artists of all mediums throughout the month of March. Tonight Unidos da Florida Samba School, Roberto Poveda y Son Electrico, and Suenalo Sound System are joined by dancers Hanan, Shirley Julien, and Katia Dos Santos to raise money for both festivals. The event starts at 5:00 p.m. at One Ninety Restaurant, 190 NE 46th St. Admission is $20 and includes a buffet and drink. Call 786-218-6854. (JCR)
Monday 2/2
Cancel your visit to Spain. We have a much cheaper alternative for you. Sip some sangria, nibble on some manchego cheese and shrimp in garlic sauce, and then check out the performance of the Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company presented by the International Artists Series at the Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts (1700 Washington Ave., Miami Beach) this evening at 8:00. Peña, an acclaimed flamenco guitarist from Cordoba, Spain, brings along a cast of musicians and dancers to click their castanets, stomp the floor, assume those inimitable poses, and bellow in that passionate way that only the Spanish can. Tickets range from $33 to $64. Call 305-673-7300. (NK)
Tuesday 2/3
Most stressed-out Westerners can't remember their dreams or don't dream at all. For Australian Aborigines, the concept of dreaming has nothing to do with what you've pondered all day and relived in different ways while asleep. Dreamtime for them embodies the past and the present and is continuously full of creativity. Contemporary Aboriginal works are often dubbed "dreamings." Get a glimpse of recent pieces by Australian Aboriginal artists during a reception from 6:30 to 8:30 this evening only when "The Art of Dreaming: A Journey Across Contemporary Aboriginal Art" goes on display at Bettcher Gallery, 5582 NE Fourth Ct. Admission is free. Call 305-758-7556. (NK)
Wednesday 2/4
Miami is a sunny paradise surrounded by water. The deep Atlantic, the Caribbean, Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay: These aquatic bodies are marvels that hold endless mysteries and secrets. Larry Madin, senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, could just enlighten you about the life of some of the smallest inhabitants of the wide, wild waters. He will discuss the biology of gelatinous zooplankton (yum) in his lecture, Inner Space Aliens: Life in Deep Ocean Waters. Of course you may have heard similar deep-sea tales by infamous Miami slimes Pat Tornillo and José Canseco. Madin's talk will be different. The program known as the Sea Secrets Lecture Series begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, 4600 Rickenbacker Cswy., Virginia Key. Admission is free. Call 305-361-4061. (JCR)
