Bravo TV’s newest docu-drama series, Miami Social, starts tonight at 10 pm EST. Here’s the show description from the website:

Miami is an international cultural melting pot filled with the young, gorgeous and wealthy looking to live the good life. South Americans, East Coasters, native Floridians…everyone comes to Miami for the sun and fun – it’s a city that specializes in people that work hard and play even harder. In Miami Social, Bravo will follow a successful group of friends who are some of the most connected and interesting young professionals in South Beach, as they go from the city’s night life, to the board room, to magazine offices where they lead their intertwined lives.

Let me take a deep breath.

I honestly wish Bravo and the cast of Miami Social all the best in this new series, but I can tell you I am not particularly interested in the series. I don’t care one bit for the image of Miami as “party central home to the beautiful people,” and that’s all I’m seeing here, at least based on the info on the site and the promos on TV. I try my best to highlight the side of Miami that is more than that stereotypical perception, and a show that reduces the city merely to the socialite games of South Beach instinctively bothers me.

I’ll give the first episode a chance to be fair, but it has an uphill battle to gain me as a regular viewer. I mean, who knows, maybe there is more to it and I’ll end up having to eat my words (which I would happily do, so you’d read about it here as well). We’ll see.

Just a quick post from Puerto Rico, copied from the City of Miami website:

Grab the family and check out Grapeland Water Park, 1550 NW 37 Avenue. Luau Night means tropical fun for an affordable price $5 admission per person, the event runs from 8pm – 10pm and will include limbo contests, water games and at 9pm a special hula show that includes a hula lesson, fire dancer and Hawaiian music.

This is a great chance to relax in the park and go on a mini-vacation. For more information call 305-960-2951.

Also check back on July 18th for Jurassic Park, our monthly outdoor movie at Grapeland Water Park, you can dive in and watch the movie while floating in the pool.

You might miss it if you blink or look the other way, but this Wednesday morning, April 8, will be a very special day for Jews all over the world, not only because it is the morning before Passover, but because it will be the time to celebrate one of the rarest mitzvahs (commandments), the blessing of the sun. As Chabad.org explains:

Every 28 years the sun returns to the same position, at the same time of the week, that it occupied at the time of its creation—at the beginning of the fourth day of creation. A special blessing – called Birkat Hachamah, “the sun blessing” – is recited to mark this event.

The last time this happened it was 1981, the next will be in 2037, so this is a pretty big deal. Wednesday morning (up until noon, at th every latest), if you see Jews standing outside, praying towards the morning sun, remember they are blessing the sun and thanking G-d for giving us that magnificent engine of life here on Earth. If you are a Jew, perhaps you could find a local synagogue where to take part of this momentous ocassion; if you are not Jewish, perhaps you can take a moment to reflect on creation as well.

Tonight is the Madonna “Sticky & Sweet Tour” concert at Dolphin Stadium, in Miami. If you’re going, be sure to arrive early so you can get parking and get to your seat without rushing. If you are not going, stay the hell away from the stadium and neighboring areas until tomorrow!

I won’t be going but my wife is, so I’ll see if I can rope her into giving me a report of the concert to share with you here.

On the way back I stopped in at Jimbo’s for a cold brew. Normally Jimbo’s is quite laid back, but yesterday it was jumping! Some DJ’s by the name of Heavy Duty Sounds were spinning a hot mix and everyone, sitting in the easy chairs, on the docks and under the palms was really getting into it. A big difference between Jimbo’s and South Beach Clubland – The choice here is whether to have a $2 or a $3 beer – instead of a $350 bottle of vodka or a $ 500 bottle of champagne. If anyone knows the proper name of this group or their website please let us know in the comment cloud below.

Last Thursday night at Nikki Beach held lots of promise. Things were grooving along with the huge lineup that was being broadcast live on Sirius. However, the venue got too popular and the Miami Beach Fire Department showed up. Seeing a rather crowded situation, they politely asked people to step outside to the beach area, where, unfortunately sporadic rain showers were erupting. Attempts to talk one’s way back in were unsuccessful – the MBFD really does not care who you are or who you know, or what list you are on. They really don’t! Late night got cranking again, but with a smaller crowd.

A propos of nothing, I have to give a brief shout out the Luna Star Cafe.

In a city like ours which doesn’t offer much in the way of clean wel lit places, this cozy eatery/bar/music venue/cafe located just across the street from MOCA on 125th St in North Miami is run, frequented and populated by earnest, folksy people who congregate in a decor that looks a little bit like your amnesiac boozehound of a grandmother had started taking the homey furniture in her apartment and nailed some pieces upside down to the ceiling while adding random things that she had found out in the garage, all the while still not quite loosing the quaint feeling (complete with cats curled up in nooks).

You know how old school they are at the Luna Star:
1. Their hours of operation are “Open in the evenings until the action winds down.”
2. Luna Star’s owner and her customers protested vehemently against the Starbucks that recently opened across the street even though their hours don’t really conflict just on the basis that Starbucks represent the “Evil Empire”.
3. They host their webiste on geocities (remember geocities)
4. Their menu warns, “We do not have sliced citrus for your ice water or iced tea. Besides, you should be drinking beer.”

They have all kinds of shows and acts that come through the Luna Star as well as an extensive beer list and short but tasty food menu but, for my money, the way to experience it at its fullest is to catch the open Mic night which happens the second and fourth saturday night of every month. Many of the regular patrons pic up a guitar, harmonica, piano or whatever happens to be lying around (some have been known to just bang on chairs if necessary) to perform the most heartfelt versions of songs you have ever heard. It is hard to describe the magic of watching people who, irrespective of talent, crack themselves open and lay themselves out to tunes they love. I honestly had never hear Scarborough Fair until I heard the bluesy heartbroken story sung from 8 feet away after 4 or 5 bears. It was enough to make a grown man cry.