Thursday, April 28
The late, great Mel Blanc famously earned the sobriquet "The Man of a Thousand Voices" for his contributions to the Golden Age of American cartoons. It's fair to say Frank Caliendo is on his way to earning the same title for our present century. Caliendo has been funneling his extraordinary penchant for celebrity impersonations into his standup act since the early 2000s, with a flawless roster of targets ranging from George W. Bush and Barack Obama to John Madden, Charles Barkley, Jerry Seinfeld, and Morgan Freeman. But it isn't just the dead-on tones and cadences of the voices — it's also the facial contortions, mannerisms, and dramatic pauses, which is why hearing Caliendo on a podcast provides only half the experience. Never one to ignore the biggest elephant in any room, Caliendo has been incorporating Donald Trump into his live act as well his hilarious series of web videos called #IfTrumpWere, in which the malleable comedian slaps on an orange toupee and envisions the GOP frontrunner in professions ranging from basketball coach to tarot reader to (God help us) kindergarten teacher. Caliendo may not have eclipsed 1,000 voices yet — give him time; he's only 42 — but this one alone is enough to make comedy great again.
See him at 8 p.m. Thursday at Parker Playhouse, located at 707 NE Eighth St., in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $37.50 to $47.50. Call 954-462-0222, or visit parkerplayhouse.com.
Friday, April 29
Recognized as one of South Florida's most anticipated wine and culinary events of the year, the 21st-annual Las Olas Wine and Food Festival returns to Fort Lauderdale's downtown area on Friday. All evening on Las Olas Boulevard (between SE Sixth Avenue and SE 11th Avenue), the annual foodie affair will wend its way through five downtown blocks, offering festivalgoers unlimited samples of food, wine, and live entertainment. The open-air, outdoor street festival will feature a number of sips and samples — everything from nationally recognized wineries to dozens of the area's top restaurants — in what amounts to more than 50 of South Florida's finest restaurants and more than 45 wine tables. Hosted by the American Lung Association (ALA), this year's presenting sponsors include Breakthru Beverage, New Amsterdam Vodka, Woodford Reserve, and William Hill Winery, and each will be on-hand during the festival's opening VIP pavilion party. New to this year's festival, the ALA has partnered with the team at CI Management — creators of the South Beach Seafood Festival and producers of South of Spice — to create unique culinary and mixology demonstrations, cooking competitions, and even a make-your-own cocktail experience.
The 2016 LOWFF will take place from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday. Tickets can be purchased online. General admission costs $100 per person and includes entrance to the festival as well as unlimited food and beverage sampling. VIP admission costs $150 per person and includes entrance at 6:30 p.m. into the VIP Pavilion, which will feature the festival's only full open bar available until event closing. Call 305-255-3500, or visit lasolaswff.com.
Somewhere along the way between the rise of personal karaoke machines and the abundance of prime-time TV talent shows where every contestant is an undiscovered songbird, we've lost touch with the age-old, ridiculously fun art of the lip sync. With spot-on delivery, perfect mouth movement, and head toss when necessary, lip-syncing requires a certain untapped talent, requiring no action from the vocal department. If given a hairbrush, a radio, and a full-length mirror were the makings of hours of fun for you at any time in your life, Leadership Broward is offering the chance to revisit this time for a good cause with its Lip Sync Battle at ArtServe (1350 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale) from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday. You can perform solo or as part of a team for the battle, in which the winner takes all in a $500 award to the charity of his or her choice. Leadership Broward Foundation Inc. has a rich history in community service and leadership development in the county. The foundation's own Matt Korshoff will be the resident DJ for the evening, and food will be provided by the ARC of Broward.
Tickets for the night cost $25 per person and include hors d'oeuvres and soft drinks. A cash bar will also be available. Visit leadershipbroward.org, or call 954-767-866.
Food paired with booze is one of the greatest pleasures of being an adult. It's the ideal excuse for getting drunk with class — no college-like Frank the Tank antics included. Here's another chance: Foxy Brown and Barrel of Monks Brewery are teaming up for a five-course beer dinner at Top Hat Deli.
It starts with chorizo tostones with pico de gallo, cilantro, and lime aioli matched with Abbey
The cost to attend is $65. The dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Top Hat Deli is located at 415 NE Third St., Fort Lauderdale. Call 754-200-4236, or visit myfoxybrown.com.
Saturday, April 30
Do you have a thing for sharks? And do you like watching Dancing With the Stars? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then the Pompano Dive Center has something for you that's not the usual rigmarole. This one involves catching and tagging sharks for research. Consider it dancing with the sharks. Participants will get a truly hands-on experience with collecting data in the name of science. They'll get down and dirty with learning how to prep the rigging, reel in the sharks, and even tag sharks. You'll even get to extract a tissue sample for data collection purposes. It's going to be an all-day experience. If this is for you, arrive no later than 7:30 a.m. Saturday at the Pompano Dive Center, located at 101 N. Riverside Drive in Pompano Beach. Total cost, with tax, is $185.50, which will be used to benefit the Nova Southeastern University's Guy Harvey Research Institute. The boat departs at 8 a.m. and returns around 5:30 p.m. A full lunch, snacks, and drinks will be provided. You might want to wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty.
To reserve a spot, call 954-788-0208; a deposit is required. Canceling your trip within seven days will forfeit your deposit, but all is not lost. The money will be donated to NSU. Visit cnso.nova.edu/ghri/research.
This weekend, teams from all over Florida will battle one another in a competition of strength, endurance, and power. The strong will be separated from the weak as personal limits will be tested and pushed. No, this isn't playoffs for sports but instead a BBQ competition, which is just as important. Taking place on Saturday, the inaugural Downtown BBQ Throwdown will have cash prizes in five categories, which are ribs, chicken, brisket, butt, and overall. Sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, competitors will contend for the Grand Champion title as well as the chance to participate in the 29th-annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue. Aside from tons of BBQ, attendees will enjoy live music, beer from Funky Buddha Brewery, and no admission charge. That's right — this event is free. As for music, the lineup includes Soulshine and Friends featuring Kat Riggins, Insites, Stall 4, K4C (Knights for Christ), and Victoria. This live entertainment will start at 10:30 a.m.
The Downtown BBQ Throwdown will take place at St. Gregory's Episcopal Church, located at 100 NE Mizner Blvd. in Boca Raton, across from Mizner Park.The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit stgregorysepiscopal.org.
Sunday, May 1
Frank Caliendo isn't the only comedian specializing in celebrity impressions who is gracing a South Florida stage this week. Aries Spears can track his interest in imitating and satirizing others back to his childhood in Manhattan, where, at the age of 6, he would impersonate family members during holiday gatherings. It's a gift he continued to hone across eight seasons of MADtv, where he became the de facto voice of just about any black public figure, from Al Roker to
Check out this comedy-club road warrior at 8 p.m. Thursday, 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, and 7 p.m. Sunday at the Fort Lauderdale Improv, located at 5700 Seminole Way, Hollywood. Tickets cost $22. Call 954-981-5653, or visit improvftl.com.
Monday, May 2
Broward Navy Days Inc. (BND) hosts the 26th-annual Humana Fleet Week at Port Everglades (1850 Eller Drive, Fort Lauderdale) with hundreds of sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen coming to shore from six visiting boats, ready to take on a weeks-long celebration of their dedication and service in the armed forces. Fleet Week is as much a respite of their military duties as it is an opportunity for civilians to interact with armed personnel in a series of "recreational activities, professional demonstrations, and community service projects" across South Florida. The festivities kick off in grand fashion with an "All Hands on Deck" welcoming party at the Seminole Hard Rock (1 Seminole Way, Hollywood) and proceeds with numerous events honoring veterans and active-duty personnel, Red Cross blood drives, and a special Legion of Honor ceremony hosted by the consul-general of France highlighting our shared military history.
Aside from touring ships and getting a closer look at America's naval powerhouse, civvies will be treated to the high-stakes competition of "Galley Wars" — a culinary competition with celebrity judges as well as numerous concerts by the Navy Band Southeast. Some of the ships scheduled for participation include the USS Bataan, two destroyers, a sub, and
Fleet Week runs from Monday, May 2, to Monday, May 9. Many events are free and open to the public. For a complete lineup of events, visit browardnavydaysinc.org.
Ever heard the term limey? It's thought to have originated as a derogatory reference to British sailors when captains began adding a daily ration of lime (or lemon) juice to their daily ration of rum. The purpose of this was to prevent scurvy, a condition caused by the lack of vitamin C. Land dwellers with ready access to citrus don't usually have to worry about such a deficiency. But that doesn't do you any good when you're, you know, surrounded
Come to the brewery located at 2600 E. Atlantic Blvd. in Pompano Beach on Monday and enjoy a few cold brews, like 26 Degree's Grapefruit IPA1A and Lemon Drop hefeweizen. There's no cover charge; just bring some money for the brews. Drop the brewery a line at 954-532-6964, or visit 26degreebrewing.com.