Archive for the ‘Herald’ Category
The other night, The Real Housewives of New York City's Jill Zarin showed up at Caffe Abbracci in Coral Gables with an entourage of 10. The night before, actual (albeit ubiquitous, almost played out) celebrity with real talent LeBron James was there, quietly, with no entourage, no pomp, no circumstance, just having dinner almost like a normal person would. Hear that, Jill?
Then came E! reality show enigma Kendra Wilkinson, in town with a friend and assistant (because no reality show specimen is legit without an assistant to take care of important biz like texting and arranging where and when to pick up free crap). Wilkinson, who is 25 years old and has a ghost written memoir out already–eat it, Justin Bieber, was reportedly "sent" down here by her baller hubby Hank Baskett so she could "unwind" before the rigorous filming of the new season of her PBS after school special E! show.
And unwind she did, first at LIV Sunday night, where those who cared enough to recognize her amidst a sea of LIV's usual crowd of nuclear scientists and brain surgeons told us she was "raging." On Monday, Wilkinson had dinner at STK and then partied at Mokai with—wait for it—the equally stellar Kevin Federline and beleaguered music producer Scott Storch. Snooki? Forget about it. She's too A-list to join the mix. Even the Kardashians have packed up and left, trading Miami for NYC. Ah, Miami. The reality show cesspool formerly known as Heaven's Waiting Room has now become D-List heaven. Or hell, depending on how you look at it. As for us? We consider it celebrity Ambien. Thanks to Kathy Griffin, the D-List is the new A-List. As for some of these folks, well, they belong on the Zzzzzzzz-List.
It was a busy weekend having nothing to do with Lindsay Lohan's release from jail or Chelsea Clinton's nuptials. Between Rihanna in town and T.I. marrying his girlfriend, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle at the Miami Beach courthouse and then on Star Island, it was almost A-list. We emphasize almost because the not quite a singer named Ke$ha, whom we prefer to call Ke¢ha, was here, too, opening for Rihanna at her Saturday AAA night show. Before heading to Cameo late Saturday night, where Rihanna, Nelly, Ashanti, Usher, Jermaine Dupri and T.I. were hanging out (because Cameo's exactly where you'd choose to go directly after getting hitched), Ke¢ha was spotted at the Robert Plant show at Bayfront, where we hope she sent her song "Tik Tok" on its own Stairway to Heaven. Meanwhile, over at Club Play Friday, ex basketball wife Shaunie O'Neal was seen with 23-year-old model boyfriend model Marlon Yates. According to our source, Yates "Followed her around like a young puppy." Of course he did. After her first marriage to an alleged philanderer didn't work out, the ex Mrs. Shaq obivously hired herself the best dog whisperer money could buy. And speaking of philandering, our inbox was full this morning after a deep throat with a deep seated vendetta sent us countless emails between a certain ex NBA player and a certain Miami philanthropist. Apparently said NBA has-been, a married man, did what lots of wealthy athletes do: he cheated on his wife. And with words like the following, if we were his wife, we'd let the other woman have him: "I wanted to take your clothes off right there and LICK YOU…. I was fine. I came right home and took a cold shower and went to bed. And I didn't think about no one on the trip. I couldn't call you from Michigan because I was with the family. So what are we going to do about us?" As for the "us," well, as far as we know, that's done already. And as for why we're keeping this anonymous, let's just say we have Spam written by more famous people than this email. We just hope the wife in this case gets hold of that same dog whisperer Shaunie O'Neal used.
Like a car accident on I-95, you know you can't help but look, if but for a quick second. Same goes for the trainwreck/90 car pile up called Jersey Shore, whose second season, partly filmed right here in Miami, will debut on MTV tomorrow night. However, like the Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, watching too much Jersey Shore will most likely induce severe nausea. It seems like just yesterday that places like Mynt and pretty much everywhere else not located on Ocean Drive were so aghast, they basically said they'd sooner let a serial killer into their fine establishments than the cast of that show. And wisely so. According to People magazine, the "producers made Miami look as ugly as Seaside Heights, NJ." And that's not even including J-Woww's wardrobe or lack thereof. But if you're gonna watch, you may as well do so at the Catalina, the sister property of the hotel (the Metropole) that probably needed a Hazmat team to sterilize the place after the giddy gang o' guidos packed up their spray tan, Valtrex bottles and Aqua Net and left. And even though the Metropole wisely decided to 86 plans to charge thousands a night for the Snooki Slept Here suite, it doesn't mean they can't celebrate. Which they will tomorrow night at Maxine's Bistro and Bar at the Catalina at 9 p.m. with much food, drink and fanfare–for instance, go dressed as a Jersey Shore cast member and get a free Jersey Shore Situation cocktail. That's almost as good as dressing like a cow for a free sandwich at Chik-Fil-A, though we think we'd rather do that and pay for our cocktail rather than dress like a burnt, overinflated, puffy, pumpkin.
Has Kim Zolciak found her new sugar daddy on Star Island? The Real Housewives of Atlanta character is no stranger to Miami men–or women, having allegedly hooked up with DJ Tracy Young several months ago. And while that opportunity relationship didn't quite work out, Zolciak was reportedly on and off with her original benefactor, married Atlanta real estate mogul, Lee Najar. Until now, perhaps. In town with some of her fellow castmates for the Mercedes Benz FashionWeek Swim shows (why, we have no idea and as far as we know there was no She by Sheree show scheduled), Zolciak spent some QT with perennial Miami Beach party man, Thomas Kramer, who feted the Atlanta housewives at his Star Island sprawl, a Chuck. E. Cheese of sorts for the rich and horny. The bon vivant, who's also been trying to get into reality TV, would actually make an exceptional addition to Bravo's Hotlanta Housewives franchise as well as to Zolciak's bottom line, so don't be surprised if we see Zolciak flipping her wig over him in the coming weeks. On Bravo or otherwise.
Photos: Facebook
In an open casting call that sounds like an ad for a Pimps 'n' Hos party, the folks responsible for such mind numbing television as The Real World and Keeping Up With the Kardashians is looking for men and women to try out for the next installments of brain teasers Bad Girls Club and its testosterone-charged spawn, Love Games. Women and men 21 and over who missed the Jerry Springer Show bandwagon are encouraged to show up, photo and ID in town, at Finnegan's Way, 1334 Ocean Drive, on Friday, July 23 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For those unfamiliar with the Oxygen Network's "highest rated original series ever," Bad Girls Club, you must be in Mensa. As for Love Games, that one features former "Bad Girls Club stars vying for the man of their dreams." It's dating for the E-Harmony rejects! You've tried MySpace, you've even tried writing to some incarcerated criminals, so what do you have to lose?
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Not since Pope John Paul II visited Miami back in 1987 has the arrival of anyone–not Madonna, not Lady Gaga, not Shaquille O'Neal, not Queen Elizabeth II, not even President Obama– sparked such enormous hype, excitement and delusional thinking unbridled optimism, but lo and behold, the basketball player who refers to himself as King James has been crowned as this city's official savior. And if LeBron James can sell those empty condos on Biscayne Boulevard, heck, if he can dig this city out of its real estate slump, which some people are saying he can, then even us non sports fans may sign up as his loyal disciples. In the meantime, it's way too premature to predict that the arrival of the messiah by way of Cleveland can do anything but play a fantastic game of basketball.
And, perhaps, party like royalty. After all, James keeps referring to the fact that he will be playing in South Beach. And while we have no doubt about that, technically, he is playing for the Miami Heat. Us locals weren't the only ones taking note of that not so Freudian slip. Oddsmaker Steve Ricci of SBR Forum also perked up when he heard that and told us exclusively that "He referred to playing in South Beach, not Miami. That tells us he plans on taking advantage of nightlife perks. And when you're a celebrity at night in South Beach, all bets are off. He's a long way from Cleveland. That said, we're still favoring the NO side on both entertainment prop odds—for now." As for the questions those odds are based on?
1. Will a woman claim to have had an affair with LeBron James (whose longtime girlfriend Savannah Brinson is the mother of James's two children) during the 2010-2011 NBA season?
Yes +150 (or 3 to 2)
No -175 (or 4 to 7)
2. Will LeBron James be detained by police in South Beach/Miami during the 2010-2011 NBA season?
Yes +175 (or 7 to 4)
No -200 (or 1 to 2)
What do you think?
Will LeBron James Stay In Control On "South Beach"?online surveys
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Courtney Love, in town for the Hole show at the Fillmore, shattered all previous images of her as a hard partying, post punk relic of the grunge rock movement by heading not to Club Deuce or some raucous South Beach night spot, but to Michael's Genuine Food & Drink last night for a late night dinner with the band. We knew she had a sharp tongue, but a sophisticated palate? Recently blaming her latest dramatic weight loss on Gwyneth Paltrow's macrobiotic cook, Love was on a mission to fatten up last night and, well, mission accomplished. Arriving with the band at 11:30 p.m., Love and co., whose late arrival from The Raleigh forced the kitchen to gladly stay open later, requested an outside table. According to our spy, "You can tell she is a total foodie, explaining to her band some of the dishes and specifically saying she was excited to taste pastry chef Hedy Goldsmith's famous popcorn ice cream." A foodie, huh? Not quite the adjective we'd use to describe her, but you learn something every day. Next week, we may find out that Kim Kardashian is a Rhodes Scholar. In addition to the ice cream, Love scarfed oysters, duck rillette and a BLT salad. A far cry from blow and black tar, huh? But was she sober? "Actually," says our spy. "She was. Well at first." Now that's more like it.
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Poor South Beach, suffering from that not so fresh feeling after the inexplicably popular MTV virus known as Jersey Shore polluted our beloved beach town. And just when you thought we got rid of it, that virus is about to infect the airwaves when it relapses debuts on Thursday, July 29 at 10 p.m. on that channel that used to play music videos. We’re itching from the trailer already. In a way, it’s sort of like watching the JonBenet Ramsey story on Lifetime that show Toddlers and Tiaras in which innocent children are tarted up and pimped out for publicity. You can’ t help but cringe, and you can’t help but watch, either. At your own risk, of course.
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Miami based celebrity divorce attorney Raymond Rafool brought closure for Martina
Navratilova's ex girlfriend Tony Layton, who filed a suit against the tennis
legend for compensation and property shared during their 8-year relationship.
After a year-long battle, the pair, who held an unofficial marriage ceremony in
2000 atop Mount Washington, New Hampshire, finally reached a confidential
financial settlement over what was rumored to include: the former couple's
businesses, trusts, assets, income, homes, cars, a boat, a jet ski and gifts
such as jewelry, pets and even guns that Navratilova was allegedly withholding
from Layton. "We are pleased that all of the disputes between the parties have
been resolved. The terms of the settlement are confidential," says Rafool, who represented Linda Bollea in her divorce against Hulk Hogan and Christy Rice against former Miami Heat player Glenn.
Reports are that the settlement was $3 million. Meanwhile, some speculate that
Navratilova's decision to move the couple to the Sarasota area in Florida may
have been a calculated move considering Florida doesn't recognize gay marriage.
"There is the thought that the wealthy and celebrity gay and lesbian community
may not want similar marriage and divorce legislation because it could grant
their same sex partners more legal rights," Rafool added. Hmmm, interesting. They don't call Navratilova a player for nothing, you know.
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Not since Britney Spears went batty in the trophy room at SET has Miami been so excited about a seasoned pop star sighting at a local club (cool your jets Gaga fans.We remember Score. But we said seasoned). But that's how it went down Friday night when Christina Aguilera was seen partying with a bunch of girls including reality show something or other Kim Kardashian, in town for the bachelorette party of their friend/stylist Simone Harouche. Perhaps it was the two together that was such a big deal, or perhaps it was because Kardashian and Aguilera have been seen together quite a bit lately. But what really had eyebrows raised wasn't the fact that Aguilera requested an off duty Cedric Gervais to spin an exclusive set of her hits at LIV Friday night, or the fact that two of her dancers broke out into routines that must have been reserved for her recently canceled concert tour, but, rather, the whole regurgitated trend of famous women pretending to professing their love of other women in a desperate attempt for publicity. Apparently on the heels of her canceled show, X-Tina admitted to being attracted to women in the July issue of Company magazine. True or not, it's hardly shocking and hardly news, considering we witnessed the pop star and another reality specimen, Paris Hilton, thisclose to sucking face many moons ago in the Raleigh penthouse for an MTV VMAs after party. Aguilera, meantime, is a wife and a mom, not that there's anything wrong with that. Maybe she should have just clarified that she has a thing for reality show women?
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