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Indie rock trio to perform
Roger Houdaille and his band mates will be adding a new beat to the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale's cultural scene. The trio, who make up Ex Norwegian, will be bringing their brand of power pop (with classic and indie rock) to the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale. It's a first for both the Miami-based group and the museum.
Ex Norwegian is a hot newcomer to Third Thursdays, a concert series that combines a rotating array of local entertainment with admission into exhibition areas. The band's appearance Thursday marks the debut of indie rock at the free monthly program, said Roberto Santiago, the museum's director of communications and strategic marketing.
The timing couldn't be better. Ex Norwegian's performance coincides with the approaching school year. Organizers are anticipating the band will attract plenty of students, adding yet another demographic to their goal of introducing the community at large to the museum.
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Defiance (R) *** | A riveting portrayal of true heroes of WWII
The amazing real story behind Defiance is another example of truth's being stranger, and often more intriguing, than fiction. Based on a nonfiction book by Holocaust survivor Nechama Tec, the film tells the story of the Bielskis, three Jewish brothers who escaped the Nazis during World War II by hiding in the forest.
Led by the oldest, Tuvia, the Bielskis created a refuge in that freezing, inhospitable place for other Jews fleeing certain death. Their group, which eventually numbered 1,200, included large numbers of women, the elderly, even infants.
With a background this riveting, Defiance should pack a bigger emotional punch than it does. Directed by Edward Zwick ( Blood Diamond , The Last Samurai ), the film isn't much of a character study; too many of its secondary characters are stereotypes, and it never fully engages our emotions the way Schindler's List or The Pianist did.
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Slinging a guitar not your style? Try 'DJ Hero'
I was never much one for "Guitar Hero." Playing "Smoke on the Water" 50 times while holding a pint-sized plastic guitar just never really got the blood flowing. I've been waiting for something better, and now it's here.
Activision's new "DJ Hero" has solved my music video game plight. It's got better music, better action and is frankly just a lot less goofy feeling than "Guitar Hero."
"DJ Hero" ($120; Xbox360, PS3, Wii; Rated "T" for teen) consists of the game disc and a wireless turntable and mixer controller. The mixer can be attached to either side of the turntable, so lefties and righties can scratch and fade as they choose.
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Forge owner lists residence, renovates restaurant
S hareef Malnik , who last month announced a shutdown of his venerable restaurant The Forge -- perfect time for a major renovation, he explains -- is trying to sell his South Beach residence. He's asking $10.9 million.
The four-bedroom house, at 222 Ocean Dr., has a rooftop pool, fancy four-oven kitchen -- and a three-car garage with AC and a granite floor on which he parks his black '08 Ferrari.
He bought the property in '95 for a cool $1 million.
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NFL needn't be in any rush for Limbaugh
Y ou thought talk-radio agitator Rush Limbaugh bombed in his brief stint as an NFL studio analyst for ESPN? That was Emmy-winning caliber compared with his more recent work as a prospective team owner.
I'm not sure which is more embarrassing for the group led by St. Louis Blues chairman Dave Checketts trying to buy the St. Louis Rams: That it had to drop Limbaugh this week from its list of limited partners after a backlash. Or that it obliviously included him in the first place.
You think Checketts considered at all how Limbaugh's well-earned reputation for divisiveness and veiled racial bigotry might go over in a league whose share of black players is 65 percent? I wonder if ol' Dave was listening when Limbaugh said the NFL ``too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips.''
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