Official uVu Blog

Share a Cup of Kotb

She has traveled the globe as an international correspondent, warmed the hearts of viewers with her breast cancer battle and told her life story in a New York Times bestseller.

Hoda Kotb (part 1) Forum Club of the Palm Beaches

Hoda Kotb (part 2) Forum Club of the Palm Beaches

Meet NBC's Hoda Kotb.  You can catch her daily "dishing the dish" with Kathie Lee Gifford as part of the extended "Today" show.  After all, girls DO just want to have fun, cocktails in hand, while they take a look at the lighter side of life.  But don't be fooled. There's a lot more behind the woman who has covered everything from war-torn Burma to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.


Kotb, who has been with NBC since 1998, is the author of Hoda:  How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee.

She has covered a wide variety of domestic and international stories for NBC as well as numerous human-interest stories and features.  She co-anchored an MSNBC special on race, “Shades of Hope … Shadows of Hate” which was reported from Birmingham, Alabama at the former site of a Klan bombing. In Burma, Kotb was led by rebel soldiers to report the story on 12-year-old twin warriors who were said to have mystical powers.

The Mother of all Theatre

For discretions sake we will refer to the latet production at GableStage as "The Mother (blank) with The Hat," but for what it is worth the title is tame compared to the actual production which sizzles with the poetic if somewhat shocking script and a dynamic young cast (some of whom come directly from the New World School of The Arts).

This limited run is not be missed, and in this short clip you can meet the cast.

 

 

Also recently opened "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity" at the Caldwell Theatre Company, see some video from that production on uVu.

The Love of Three Oranges

The PlayGround Theatre is a repertory company dedicated to the production and presentation of classical and contemporary works that entertain, educate, and delight audiences of all ages. Thier magical and intelligent productions foster intellectual, emotional, and social development while reflecting the cultural diversity of South Florida.

Stephaine Ansin, the Founder and Artistic Director talks about the current production, "The Love of Three Oranges" which opened this week and offers  performances for Miami Dade students.

The PlayGround Theatre is a repertory company dedicated to the production and presentation of classical and contemporary works that entertain, educate, and delight audiences of all ages. Thier magical and intelligent productions foster intellectual, emotional, and social development while reflecting the cultural diversity of South Florida. Stephaine Ansin, the Founder and Artistic Director talks about the current production, "The Love of Three Oranges" which opened this week and offers performances for Miami Dade students. More information on the Playground Theatre can be found at http://www.theplaygroundtheatre.com/

 

More information on the Playground Theatre can be found at http://www.theplaygroundtheatre.com/

King of Halloween?

Okay, it is almost Halloween and time to roll out one of our favorite "guilty pleasures."  Key West icon and legendary resident, Robert The Haunted doll has been the most watched uVu video since we launched the site. 

 

The editor for this story still refers to Robert, with respect, as his little buddy, although he generally looks over his shoulder first.

With the slew of campaign ads on TV, this is still likely to be the most frightening video you see over the next two weeks.  At least Robert is running any negative ads about his opponent for official statewide legend, the Skunk Ape.

Not Just Mad Men

The Miami International University of Art and Design presented a panel discussion on the Golden Age of Advertising as part of a exhibit loaned from the Hartman Center for Sales at Duke University Libraries, Not Just Mad Men.

The panel  featured Bruce Turkel from Turkel Advertising, Barry Zaid formerly of Push Pin, Arthur Rockower , MIU instructor, Marie Fernandez-Leon from Imagery Creative Communications, and Jason Inasi from The Factory Interactive.

The event took place on August 25th, 2010.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

The Hukilau 2010

uVu had a chance to spend some time this weekend soaking up Tiki culture under the tutelage of King Kukulele (kingkukulele@hotmail.com), ukulele player and MC for the evenings festivities.

In addition to vendor stalls offering everything from sarongs to hand carved tikis, the evening featured some great entertainment from bands like Walk The Plank (and their Guitar Slide player who was married on the beach just a few hours earlier).  Also on hand was Elena Brandhofer and her hula hoop, courtesy of Centrifugal Force Hoop Dancers (cenforce@gmail.com).

In this clip, King Kukulele laments the demise of great Tiki Palaces, like the Mai Kai, which remains one of the last great shrines to Tiki Culture.

Stephanie Norman - 15 Years of Summer Shorts

Stephanie Norman has been collaborating with the nation’s finest established and emerging artists as an actor, director and producer for the past 18 years. As a cofounder of City Theatre, she worked with colleagues to conceive the completely unique Summer Shorts Festival, one of the nation’s premier forums for developing new work. She has performed in the ’96 and ’97 Rep Companies, directed twelve Festival Mainstage productions and works year-round with City Theatre’s staff and board to design groundbreaking outreach programs, foster a wealth of institutional support and craft a seamless signature event lauded by artists and audiences alike. Signature Shorts features South Florida's finest talent in a brand-new mix of hilarious comedies and heartfelt dramas in one fast and furious program. A "short" is a one-act play running 5-20 minutes. The 15th seaon of Summer Shorts runs at the Arsht Center beginning June 3rd and at NOVA Southeastern's University School Theatre in early July.

The Krewe of Boo Parade

Halloween came a little early in New Orleans, but the unusual is tradition in the town that defined Mardi Gras.  The parade wound its way through the French Quarter and then up and down Canal Street, finishing at the riverfront warehouse of Mardi Gras World.  More than just a whimsical evening of fun however, the parade raised much needed funds for the cities first responders, police, fire and EMS.

Although the beads and cups and stuffed toys were flying, I didn't hear anyone shout "throw me something Monster"

Here is a little info about the parade and the cause it represented:

The Krewe of Boo, New Orleans’ Official Halloween Parade!

Created by New Orleans’ own Blaine Kern Sr., The mastermind producing Mardi Gras for over 60 years, the Krewe of Boo is unlike any other parade in the world. Not only is the Krewe of Boo the official Halloween Parade in New Orleans, it is the first parade with a charitable cause! Mr. Kern’s vision for this unique event was to give back to New Orleans First Responders the best way he knows how…by throwing a party! Every dollar generated by the Krewe of Boo benefits the Greater New Orleans First Responders Fund.

A Symphony of Science

We are all connected - 

Cinema a la Mode, Whole Foods Market, Garlic and Vampires

The fourth Cinema a la Mode was held at Cinema Paradiso and this time there was a special guest chef.  The Whole Foods Market in Fort Lauderdale sent along Chef Lynn and a ton of garlic.  The movie, of course, was Fearless Vampire Slayers.  Chef Lynn did some cooking and had the audience eating out of her hands.

Whole Foods Market is an official sponsor of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, which kicks off later this month at Cinema Paradiso.