Opinion & Commentary

Ricky Martin, Crossfade’s favorite author, recently performed in front of about 200 people at a special mini-concert for an upcoming MTV Tr3s series called Studio Tr3s. We were lucky enough to be at the studio for the production, and saw firsthand how a bicultural, bilingual variety show comes to life…

Shortly after we survived the scourge of Jersey Shore’s second season and the crew headed back home to Seaside Heights for their next string of drunken antics and silly fights, rumors started popping up that it was only a matter of time before they returned to Miami for season four…

Twelve days ago, we reported how Miami-Dade County Commissioner Natacha Seijas offered Jean Monestime $750,000 in general obligation bond funds set aside for affordable housing in her district so her new colleague could use the money for his more needy constituents. The wicked witch of the northwest did so only…

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke educates readers on hip-hoponomics.This month, Oprah Winfrey launched her own network — OWN — and she’s pushing…

It is neither unusual nor unseemly for chefs to provide their names and consulting expertise to restaurants when they ultimately won’t play an integral role. Nobody, for instance, really expects to see Wolfgang Puck twirling pizza dough in the kitchen of one of his 50 Wolfgang Puck Express restaurants. But…

In 1993, long before Julio Robaina dreamed about creating a more ethical and accountable county government, state business regulators sanctioned the Hialeah mayor for dishonest dealings with a property owner for whom he was working. Robaina agreed to pay a $2,000 fine, but he didn’t admit or deny the allegations,…

Every Friday, Riptide brings you the most eye-catching mugshots taken in Miami-Dade County in the week previous. We then comment on bizarre sartorial choices and weird neck tattoos from the cloistered safety of our home office. This is the italicized intro to that series…

Daniel Goodson should be considered a hero. Despite the fact he is a criminal sitting in Pennsylvania jail, he’s bravely attempted to hold the Kardashian sisters accountable for the surely more grievous crimes they’ve committed against America with their Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami show. Sadly, Goodson has lost a…

In the past, Miami rapper Garcia’s image has often been playfully and shamefully lascivious. (It’s no secret he boasts some adult-industry alliances.) But after he took some time outside of the music industry last year, he seems to have come back much more serious and introspective — even melancholy. Check,…

​Today, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Natacha Seijas will wave her nefarious wand to help a longtime county vendor hold on to a multimillion dollar contract to feed the handicapped and the elderly for at least another month. The county commission is set to vote on the extension with Esteban Bencomo’s Construction…

Fallen Star Presumed innocent: I despise the sensationalism in your article about the death of astronomer Jack Horkheimer and the molestation case against him (“Death of a Stargazer,” Michael E. Miller, January 13). It’s a shame there are so many people who believe in repressed memories, a huge lie that…

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke calls for a federal crackdown on the Tea Party and its leadership. People, don’t give Sarah Palin…

In recent weeks hundreds, or perhaps thousands of people have been tweeting about and lining up at food truck courts to grab a dinner comprised of varied street foods. How will the success of these mobile food courts affect Miami’s brick-and-mortar establishments?As far as fine dining restaurants go, it won’t:…

​Ignore the one-word, menacing-sounding name and the Georgia provenance, because Witches, performing this Sunday at Sweat Records, are not a doom or stoner-metal band. Those kinds of bands are generally associated with Savannah, anyways, and this trio originates from the sleepy, Southern gothic bohemia of Athens. Witches is, in fact,…

Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke calls for a federal crackdown on the Tea Party and its leadership.People, don’t give Sarah Palin and…

Drug Czars S/T EP (Destroy Records) myspace.com/drugczars For those who came of age on this scene during the ’90s, the Drug Czars were a happy medium between South Florida’s excellent punk rock past and the then-current state of affairs. The band represented the lore of the ’70s and ’80s with…

1. BathroomsOrganizers should rent a Port-O-San, or some sort of portable restroom. Most of the truck roundups take place in out-of-the-way locales. When you gotta go, you gotta go, and right now that means you gotta go away from the event altogether. Not smart…

When WikiLeaks began strategically dumping more than 250,000 secret U.S. Embassy cables, former American diplomat James Cason wasn’t particularly worried that the leaked documents would cause long-term irreparable harm to his country’s national interests. “”Generally everything that has been released so far would have been eventually released 20 years down…

Miami hip-hop, like the city itself, is known for audacious bombast. If Rick Ross doesn’t proverbially have his gun up in your face, it’s only because Trina is busy popping her booty at it. Most Miami MCs won’t cop to still having a dream. They want you to know they’re living it. Enter…

​Last Thursday, when Miami-Dade County commissioners voted 10-3 to have Natacha Seijas face a recall vote on the same day as Mayor Carlos Alvarez, the wicked witch of the northwest immediately issued a subtle fatwa of retaliation against her colleagues who ignored her pleas to put her on a different…