By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

Pitbull’s Fontainebleau Takeover

International recording artist and performer, Pitbull hosted an over-the-top Labor Day Bash at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach for the official launch of Voli light vodka. “Mr. Worldwide” formerly “Mr. 305” (talk about a super-sized status upgrade) produced a weekend long extravaganza designed to put Voli, his new liquor brand billed as the world’s first line of low calorie vodkas on the radar of partygoers from near and far.  The vodka is produced in Cognac, France, so what better place to launch it than at the Fontainebleau, no?  Yes, it seems, as the enormous hotel sold out (!) for the weekend which offered guests access to Pitbull’s invitation only events, offered exclusively to hotel guests and select VIPs, which may or may not have included Lindsay Lohan. 

The weekend also marked the launch of BleauLive, the resort’s new entertainment concept that blends “an immersive music weekend experience complete with guest-artist interaction, a world-class performance and product sponsorships,” according to the Fontainebleau’s publicists. The weekend’s events included a meet-and-greet with Pitbull, poolside giveaways, a performance by Pitbull on Sunday night, and lots and lots of Voli tastings.   During Sunday night’s concert, Pitbull yelled out, “Forget ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.’ In Miami, what happens in Miami never happened.” (Especially after a few gallons of vodka)  Singer Nayer joined Pitbull for the closing song, club anthem, Give Me Everything, during which most people grabbed somebody sexy and told them “Hey!”  BleauLive will be announcing its next event in the coming weeks, which is scheduled to take place over Thanksgiving weekend, bringing back Fontainebleau’s tradition of hosting world-class acts such as members of The Rat Pack and Elvis Presley, back in the hotel’s original heyday.

On Wednesday, W South Beach Hotel & Residences and the Miami International Film Festival hosted the Florida premiere of Julio Jorquera’s, The Last Round, as part of this summer’s Dive-In Film Series. The private screening took place in W South Beach’s Great Room, which was transformed into a softly lit movie-theater style setting.  The event was moved from its original pool-side location due to the ominous weather- for this move, our hair is eternally grateful. We enjoyed specialty cocktails during a Leblon cocktail hour before sitting down to watch the film, which took us on an explosive journey into the lives of an epileptic boxer and the younger man with whom he falls in love. Not exactly what you’d call the next Rocky movie. Director Julio Jorquera was in attendance, as well as W South Beach Hotel & Residences’ General Manager George Cozonis, and Juan Luis Nilo Valledor, Counselor Minister, Consul General of Chile in Miami.

Chat & Chew

Nightlife impresario, TAI Entertainment’s, Alan Roth hosted Chat & Chew: A Food and Spirit Experience at his home last week.  The “Chat” was provided by famed director, Billy Corben, who led a discussion about his newest film, Limelight, and past films such as Cocaine Cowboys, Square Grouper and The U. The “Chew” came courtesy of Kris Wessel of Red Light Little River with pairings by Corzo Tequila.

Franco Pianegonda at Aventura

The only thing shining brighter than the baubles at the Franco Pianegonda cocktail event last Wednesday was the star of the evening, the designer himself, who made a rare in-store appearance at his Aventura Mall boutique location.  Miami’s style-savvy made the trek north to preview the fall 2011 collection, sip cocktails and meet the famed, Italian designer. Guests got to nosh on light bites while perusing the La Maison Franco Pianegonda collections.  Those who made purchases that evening received a gift valued at $150 as well as a personal engraving made by Franco Pianegonda on their piece.  

Happy Birthday Nicola Siervo

WALL Miami lounge co-owner Nicola Siervo celebrated an Ibiza Animal House-themed birthday celebration at the Miami Beach club on Saturday, August 27. For the occasion, Siervo flew in international DJs Iban Mendoza and Neverdogs, who made their U.S. debut at his party. VIP guests were gifted animal masks at the door and encouraged to give in to their wild side as they toasted the birthday boy and danced to Balearic beats into the early hours of the morning.