By: Dr. Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

Much like the scene in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy sets foot inside the Technicolor Land of Oz, revelers were amazed upon entering last Thursday evening’s magical 20^th Annual InterContinental® Miami Make-A-Wish Ball kick-off celebration at the InterContinental Miami. We were transported into a whimsical world created by Deco Productions, that transformed the Hotel’s Chopin Ballroom from top-to-bottom into an Oz-themed fantasy, complete with oversized wheel barrels, cool bars with all sorts of potions and elixers, a Fred Flintstone-esque prime rib station, a Tin Man trapped in a block of ice, and, of course, Red designer shoes – in tribute to Dorothy’s ruby slippers The outlandish décor and palpable excitement provided a glimpse of what’s to come at the highly anticipated “Oz-reimagined” 20th anniversary gala taking place on Saturday, November 1, at the InterContinental Miami. Although guests will have to wait for the gala for a special onstage performance by the legendary Diana Ross, there was no shortage of entertainment at the kick-off party. Just as we were delighting in exquisite cuisine prepared by Executive Sous Chef Jhonnatan Contreras, we spied a commotion towards the front of the ballroom, accompanied by Katie Perry’s, “Dark Horse.” Read the rest of this entry »

Christina Getty-Maercks, George Lindemann, and Criselda Breene

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore 

A Night at the Museum

Despite the fact that we are huge art buffs, and have delighted in the works of the Masters at museums throughout the world, we couldn’t recall a time when we had actually had fun in an art museum (with the exception of the Ufizzi Gallery in Florence where we had our way with Michelangelo’s slaves and David in our early twenties).  This changed on Thursday, April 26 at the Bass Museum of Art’s annual fundraiser “A Night at the Museum,” for which the museum should have been renamed the “BLAST” museum; as many of Miami’s chicest and most artsy socialites gathered after hours to socialize, chat, nosh, dance and enjoy the fantastic exhibits, which became more and more interesting with every cocktail. Read the rest of this entry »

Thursday, May 21, Norma A. Quintero, Julie Todaro, Karen Gottlieb, Nicole Lozano, Beth Tasca, and Marilyn Wagner hosted an exclusive luncheon and fashion show at Villa Vecchia to benefit Young Patronesses of the Opera.  After lunch, guests were treated to a runway presentation of the Luca Luca fall 2009 collection, wherein 1930’s styled, red-lipped, gorgeous models graced the catwalk. Raul Melgoza, Luca Luca’s new creative director made his first Florida appearance.  Many of the attendees then placed personal orders in which a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Young Patronesses of the Opera charity.