Reel in the Big Game

After five months of broken bones and shattered dreams, only two NCAA football teams remain, the Florida Gators and the Oklahoma Sooners. No one said winning was easy: with the math and the numbers and the statistics factored into choosing the final two BCS Championship Game contenders, getting there is downright hopeless for most teams. But Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and Florida’s Urban Meyer have made an art of it. Cinema Paradiso, Fort Lauderdale’s premier art house movie theater, is honoring these masters of the gridiron — and cheering on Florida — by airing the championship game on its 30-by-40-foot screen. This ain’t no barroom affair. The combination of stadium seating, a full bar, beers from around the world, coffee and tea, a concessions stand, and a je ne sais quoi that you won’t find at your neighborhood sports bar separates Cinema Paradiso from the predictable game-time destinations.

Find Paradiso at 503 SE 6th St. in Fort Lauderdale. Pre-game coverage starts at 7 p.m. Entry is free and the bar will feature game-themed drink specials. For more information, visit fliff.com or call 954-760-9898.
Thu., Jan. 8, 7 p.m., 2009