A few things learned from the memoirs of Marines who served in Gulf War I: They’re more terrified of being killed by friendly fire than enemy artillery; they’re bored brainless most of the time; they harbor fantasies of being shot, but never somewhere too painful or where it might inflict…
Unseen hands have been leaving their mark throughout the concrete jungle of South Florida. Stencils have materialized on buildings and sidewalks, advertising a certain “what we do here is secret” mentality, but also addressing the current political mess of the country. Darin Bischof, owner of Parlor del Suvito, hopes to…
Thursday, April 10 While Fort Lauderdale has been called the New Age Capital of America by some, perhaps things have gone a bit too far. Gryffin’s Loft (5957 S. University Dr., Davie) presents Dolphin Magic from 7 to 8:30 p.m. today for all those people who consider tarot cards and…
[Editor’s note: The author is the founder and president of the James Randi Educational Foundation, and one of the world’s premier skeptical investigators of paranormal claims.] An instruction given to potential attendees at the New Life Expo in Fort Lauderdale is, “Please wear loose, comfortable clothing.” I assume that you…
SAT 4/12 In the realm of contemporary Japanese art, Americans are more than familiar with such mainstream anime staples as Pokémon and Hello Kitty. Most, however, have never seen the life-sized anime sculptures of Takashi Murakami or stood in awe of Momoyo Torimitsu’s 16-foot balloon bunnies. But an upcoming exhibit…
SAT 4/12 Walking through Napa Valley vineyards, a grape grower once asserted, “We are simply gardeners; stewards of the land.” The connection between plant and man is equally intense at Palm Beach County’s Unbelievable Acres (corner of Jog and Alexander roads, West Palm Beach). Florida’s fertile history seems to envelop…
SAT 4/12 Why is it so many children and even adults have an unnatural fear of puppets? Well, the glassy, thousand-yard stare and clappity-clap of Howdy Doody or Mortimer Snerd’s wooden mouths aren’t exactly soothing. There’s something unnerving about a dressed-up hunk of wood teaching kids about the ecosystem of…
FRI 4/11 Perhaps Kermit is the highest paid amphibian in show biz, but he has nothing over sculptor Tim Cotterill’s bronze frog pieces, which sell to the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer, Whoopi Goldberg, and David Hasselhoff at up to $8,000 a pop. The smallest frog fits in the palm of…
SUN 4/13 From the culture that brought you the Matzoh Ball comes “Cousin Richie,” who was awarded his nickname on his first cousin Howard Stern’s radio show, where he advertised his Bread of Life health food store with the line, “Don’t panic, go organic.” Richie Gerber now fronts A Few…
Vin Diesel tried to be James Bond in XXX, now he’s trying to be Dirty Harry in A Man Apart. One might assume that he chose this role in order to stretch his acting muscles, or his tear ducts — there’s a whole lot of boo-hooing about the slain spouse…
While admitting to being neither a giddy young girl nor a particularly stupid adult, this critic shall review What a Girl Wants as objectively as possible. Accidental love-child Daphne Rey-nolds (Amanda Bynes) has spent her 17 years thus far as a native New Yorker holed up in Chinatown with her…
Ever heard of someone by the name of Ida B. Wells? She is the largely unknown but fascinating subject of Constant Star, a beautifully produced study of determination and courage, now playing at the Florida Stage in Manalapan. Wells was an American original. Born a black slave in the Civil…
After assuring the desk attendant and the first of three omnipresent security guards that I was equipped only with pencils, not the dreaded ink pens, I made my way into what turned out to be one of the most daring exhibitions I’ve ever seen at the Museum of Contemporary Art…
Maybe all you want out of your pop music is a few minutes of escape, a radio-friendly respite from the heavy humdrum of your workaday existence. Maybe you likes to hang with 50 Cent, who survived a few gunshots (and doesn’t let you forget it) to party another day; or…
What’s New York City’s longest-running show? Most people would guess Cats (18 years) or Les Miserables (16). Hardly anybody would mention Chicago City Limits. Chicago? Yep, the comedy troupe has been performing, week in and week out, at its theater in New York for 22 years. Now, that’s longevity (though…
Thursday, April 3 The art world loves an art lover. The image of the starving artist, that tortured soul eating dog food in some apartment the size of a closet, did not appear in the collective unconscious without reason. There are many of these poor chaps in the world. So,…
SAT 4/05 In Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones, it took more than the Force to convert Yoda from a manually operated puppet into a digitally enhanced green fighting machine. Now you can learn firsthand how technical wizardry morphed Yoda and friends into the 21st Century at…
SUN 4/06 Another grim end to another grim season of a sport Florida was not meant to tolerate. An ice cube has a minute or two in South Florida, even in the dead of our 70-degree winter. What amount of hubris made us think an ice hockey team would not…
SAT 4/05 Breakfast with the Wabbit Kids don’t have to wait until Easter morning to get up close and personal with the Easter Bunny. Everybody’s long-eared pal is going to be hanging out, live and in person, at the zoo. Don’t worry — they haven’t put him in a cage…
FRI 4/04 In times of war, recession, and economic distress, aggressive music like punk tends to flourish. It stirs up a certain untapped fervor in people. We’re bombing innocent people — let’s yell and scream! We’re unemployed — let’s dance! We’re broke — let’s start a band! The youth of…
It’s hard to believe they were originally going to release Basic before bombs started falling over Baghdad; if it isn’t the worst movie of 2003 so far, it’s only because Boat Trip hasn’t screened yet. Now, in the shadow of smoke rising from the rubble in Iraq, it’s even more…
The prospect of a new Chris Rock movie, especially for those who enjoy his standup, can be a scary thing. We want to like him. A movie anywhere near as funny as his HBO series and specials would be a wondrous thing to see. But every time we get our…
