Real Housewives of Miami, Karent Sierra, Lea Black, and Joanna Krupa

By:  Mary Jo Almeida-Shore

If there’s ever a good time to be on the “Black list” it’s for the highly anticipated, annual bash known as The Black Gala, hosted by power-couple Lea and Roy Black.  And if you are “blacklisted” because you are, in fact, “under suspicion, disfavor, censure…” as per the dictionary definition – famed attorney, Roy Black is definitely ONE person with whom you should spend an evening.  In our book, being on the Blacks’ list means that you are one of the lucky few (hundred) invited to participate in an unforgettable night of performances, dancing, gourmet food and bidding on one-of-a-kind auction items.

In its 18^th year, the Black Gala, which was held at the Fontainebleau Hotel took place right smack in the middle of the Winter Music Conference and rivaled many of the musical performances and Madonna’s surprise appearance at Ultra-which occurred simultaneously. After all, the Blacks had a QUEEN! attend and perform at their gala. So what if it was Queen Latifah, rather than an actual queen? Can you think of any queen with such fabulous style, matched only by her incredible pipes?  The Blacks’ guests were also treated to an unforgettable concert by Tony Bennett– whose legendary voice was accompanied by a full-piece orchestra- the presence of which caused a last-minute rearrangement of the tables and dance floor.  No one seemed to mind- as the crowd was blown away by Bennett’s moving performance, which ended with a live rendition of “Who Can I Turn To?” a duet by Bennett and Latifah, which had only been performed live once before. Read the rest of this entry »

Sofia Vergara made a pit stop at the Adrienne Arsht center on Monday to promote the upcoming Miami engagement of the Tony award-winning Broadway smash-hit musical, Chicago, in which she will “razzle dazzle” audiences from May 26-31. The sultry Colombian model/actress/TV personality, who has graced over 100 magazine covers, and was once tied to controversial South Beach club impresario, Chris Paciello, will play the role of Mama Morton in the musical, (Queen Latifah’s role in the movie). Yes, you read correctly. Being that Vergara, dubbed “Sofia Viagra” is a dead ringer for Catherine Zeta Jones, we think she should have been cast as the lead, but the producers thought otherwise. About the role, Vergara mused that she had to bring a Latin side to Mama Morton, being that she “cannot escape her Spanish accent.” Vergara graciously posed for photographs and gave multiple interviews, during which she discussed her involvement with the musical, explaining that she had always wanted to be on stage, acting and singing and that instead of starting small, she thought, “Broadway, why not? What’s the worst that could happen? They think I’m terrible?” It was her 17 year old son, Manolo, who urged her to audition and who was the first, of many men, to give her flowers on opening night. When asked her advice for Miami women, Vergara joked, “Get lots of plastic surgery,” but then added, “Drink lots of water and moisturize.” In just about every interview, Vergara explained how much she loves being in Miami and that she feels right at home here.