By Christmas evening, you’re looking for an unChristmassy event because you’ve done it all and can’t do anymore. Actually, let’s take the time and eye roll as we go through the list: holiday shopping and decorating, the work holiday party, watching Elf on the tube (three times), dressing up as…
The holidays make us stray, splurge, and sin — and why wouldn’t we, with the new year right around the corner? (New Year = fresh start; note there’s one week left.) But, hell, we got a conscience too, so today starting at 5 p.m. and running through Saturday, we offer…
Santa Claus may have no problem crawling through chimneys on Christmas Eve — but that doesn’t mean the rest of us are OK with random smoke inhalation, especially when there’s a fresh plate of sushi on the table. It seems the folks at the Blue Fish in Delray Beach don’t…
As with so many social injustices, South Park brought the plight of Jews on Christmas to the world’s attention when Kyle sang, “It’s hard to be a Jew on Christmas/My friends won’t let me join in any games.” Granted, it’s unclear what constitutes Christmas games these days, other than trampling…
People used to say that Ted Williams was that rare person who’s best in the world at two things: hitting a baseball and flying a plane. Well, Woody Allen is that rare person who, if not the best in the world at all, is a damn fine specimen as a…
“I don’t think of myself as a painter,” Enrique Martínez Celaya said during a recent lecture appearance at the Boca Raton Museum of Art. This was no doubt news to the dozens of people crowded into the museum’s little auditorium. They had come not only to see the artist’s work…
The money is on the screen in Avatar, James Cameron’s mega-3-D, mondo-CGI, more-than-a-quarter-billion-dollar baby, and, like the Hope Diamond waved in front of your nose, the bling is almost blinding. For the first 45 minutes, I’m thinking: Metropolis — and wondering how to amend ballots already cast in polls of…
American high schools are more than just places kids go to have their intellectual curiosity extinguished. They are also, for many sensitive and socially awkward souls, something very like torture chambers. For these youngsters, the hallways are gauntlets. For them, sex is a perilous trial they suspect they’ll never negotiate,…
Let’s be honest here: Did You Hear About the Morgans? is multiplex meringue compared to the meat-and-potatoes cinema at this most award-whoring time of year. Which is fine. Better than fine, frankly, as Hugh Grant yet again proves he’s the most reliable deadpan smartass this or that side of the…
No better time to teach boy and girls 5 to 18 years old commitment, sportsmanship, and leadership than during the holiday season. Sure, you’re planning to drill terms like hard work and dedication into the kids’ minds while the family holiday shops and decorates the Christmas tree, but nothing’s going…
Palm Beach writer James Patterson, who’s authored or co-authored a ton of works including the Women’s Murder Club, Alex Cross, and Daniel X series, will be signing his new book Witch and Wizard at Classic Bookshop Saturday. If you’re into Alex Cross, his most famous series that follows psychologist protagonist/FBI…
New York City’s Aventura is the undisputed king of bachata, the Dominican ballad style that mixes romanticism with gritty realism. So why does the group plan to stop singing bachata? Especially since the bandmates, who formed Aventura in the DR in the mid-’90s, successfully resisted all attempts by label heads…
“Never get married.” You might have heard this advice from a particularly randy friend or co-worker. Or your father. But now it’s the title of a new movie by South Floridians. The independent drama premieres on the big screen at the Colony Theatre this Saturday at 7 and 9:30 p.m…
DJ Baby Anne started her career as the Queen of Bass in, where else, Orlando, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t made a gazillion appearances in South Florida over the last 17 years. A major draw for the underground electronica community, the foxy producer belongs to the break beat generation…
One element of the circus continues to terrorize adults to this day, and that’s coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. Thanks to horror films like Killer Klowns From Outer Space and Stephen King’s It, the “Bozo Syndrome” doesn’t fade; it intensifies. So if smiling-face makeup makes you shiver, you’ll feel relieved…
This is a follow-up letter to — OK, first off, I’ll admit that I was acting pissy in the last letter. But, come on, why can’t I have a true Santa sighting? I asked you last year to fly over BeachPlace on Fort Lauderdale Beach, and you were a no-show…
Sure, it’s got some awards under its belt. And yeah, its plot is based on real-life events. But perhaps Chicago: The Musical’s greatest significance in the age of Octomom and Balloon Boy is reminding us that media-whoring is no new thing. In Chicago, jailbirds Velma and Roxie meet in the…
One of the greatest things about Thanksgiving has always been the leftovers. They’re the gift that keeps on giving. The same can be said for the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and its surplus of short films. The festival may have ended, but there are 23 films left to enjoy…
Alone with his acoustic guitar and harmonica, Big Poppa E is a mesmerizing performer. But the Miami-based bluesman can be equally captivating with a full band providing the colors and textures that allow him to explore his jazzier inclinations. Of course, it helps that Poppa possesses deeply soulful vocals and…
The Miami Heat returns to the American Airlines Arena (601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami) after a West Coast road trip where they endured a crushing Kobe Bryant buzzer beater, a blowout in Denver, and Dwyane Wade dropping 34 on the Kings. Their coming home stand promises to be chock-full o’ subplots…
“It’s sorta like another way to call a cat a kitten.” That’s how Naughty by Nature’s lyrics describe the word pussy in their 1991 hip-hop classic “O.P.P.” That radio-friendly explanation is what allowed the group to squeak by censors, garner platinum status, and inspire even old gray ladies of white…
The dark days of the holiday season are upon us. Yes, I said dark days — with vampire movies at peak popularity and black eyeliner breaking sales records, we’ve got a full-blown gothic movement on our hands, and our Christmas is going to reflect that fact. So forget about the…
