HBO’s celebrated crime drama The Wire about life in Baltimore, MD is returning Sunday the 13th for its fifth and final season starting at 9pm.  For those of you who are not familiar with the show it focuses it’s seasons on a different aspect of the crime community from importing drugs to problems with the public school system.   

The first season of “The Wire” (2002) concentrated on the often-futile efforts of police to infiltrate a West Baltimore drug ring headed by Avon Barksdale and his lieutenant, Stringer Bell. In Seasons Two and Three, as the Barksdale investigation escalated, new storylines involving pressures on the working class and the city's political leadership were introduced. Season Four focused on the stories of several young boys in the public school system, struggling with problems at home and the lure of the corner - set against the rise of a new drug empire in West Baltimore and a new Mayor in City Hall. 

The fifth and final season of 'The Wire' will center on the media's role in addressing (or failing to address) the fundamental political, economic and social realities depicted over the course of the series while also resolving storylines of the numerous characters woven throughout the narrative arc of the show.   

The Wire can be found every Sunday at 9pm on HBO and for a complete understanding of this show and showtimes, go to www.hbo.com/thewire. 

Our favorite Jackson is back and will be having her next album out February 26^th.  The cover shot for her latest single Feedback is HOT and there is a lot of concern over how much PhotoShopping has been done—who cares…it’s fierce!  With a fettish-esque theme to cover picture and outfits within the video, it makes me wonder what the rest of the album Discipline will be like. 

At Sterling Place, you can get cufflinks that let you subtly communicate your orientation and availability all with the turn of a knob.  While at work you might have to portray one orientation yet at night is another story!  You can select your orientation by turning the knob on one link which includes: straight, bisexual, gay, transsexual, swinger, curious and then select your availability on the other which includes:  single, married, desperate, divorced, available, and adulterous.  They are Sterling Silver and come from the London design house Tateossian and are 1” wide and only cost $175.  For more information go to Sterling Place

Feeling like you want to go out after a Sunday afternoon at the beach? Tired of errands and housework that have eaten away at your weekend? Are you looking for a relaxing and mellow way to end your weekend? Then come to the Naked Grape Wine Bar! After several requests for a late afternoon/early hours The Naked Grape Wine Bar will be open from 2pm until 8pm kicking off Sunday, January 13, 2008, Come in and relax with your favorite and a cheese plate. Meet up with friends to chat before the start of another hectic work week and sit back, relax, and enjoy some of your favorite wines and beers as you ease out of your weekend. 

While you’re there, why not check out a Rocca Syrah 2003, which has big jammy aromas with lots of cherry and wild plum and notes of sweet smoke intermingling with baked spices and a hint of early wild sage. The entry is bright with juicy fruit flavors and acidity while the fresh cherry character continues to swell as the vanilla and spice notes drift in the background alongside raspberry and cherry jam. This is an ideal pairing with meats and cheeses.  For only $47.99, you can check out this unique vineyard which quite possibly may be the only retail establishment around that sells it besides a handful of restaurants. 

On Saturday, January 12^th, the Design District of Miami will be hosting their Art & Design Walk beginning at 7pm.  There are a lot of galleries and businesses to stop in and check out and one gallery in particular, The Art Fusion Gallery will be having a show entitled “Embracing the World.”  For more information about the gallery, go to www.artfusiongallery.com.  Among the Art Walk, there will be live music, complimentary wine and refreshments and best part is—it’s free!  For more information about the Art & Design Night and a schedule of future events, go to www.miamidesigndistrict.net. 

Ok, you do realize, like planning your perfect vacation, you need to do this months in advance.  Well, let me just remind you, Spring and Summer will be creeping up faster than you think and with Tax Season and Income Tax money coming in, why not invest it in your backyard?   

Well, the solution to not only build equity in your home and satisfy your Oasis Needs, is simple—Safari.  Based out of Fort Lauderdale just North of Oakland on US1, you can basically build your own jungle or Tiki Hut!  With wood and bamboo for any construction as well as thatching to top any cabana or outside bar they also have a complete line of flatware, candles, and furniture to make you never want to go to work ever again. For more information use this link: Safari Outdoor Living  

Tampa Bay 

As with the new format of my column, I will now be featuring a city and some of the highlights of it each week.  I chose Tampa Bay, since I know some people there that could use a little boost in doing things outside of just work.  Right now, at The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center they are producing The Drowsy Chaperone from Jan 15^th-20^th and can be purchased at www.tbpac.org or you can check out A Tale of Two Cities at the Asolo Repertory Theatre at 5555 N. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota.  Tickets are between $18-$56 and can be purchased at www.asolo.org.   If musical theatre is not for you, bring your Depends and be sure to wear your AZZMASTAH shirt because Margaret Cho will be at The Improv at Centro Ybor at 1600 E Eighth Ave in Ybor City.  Tickets are $30 and be sure to check out www.tampaimprov.com for tickets and upcoming events.   

For dinner, I suggest going to 717 South which is on Howard Avenue in Tampa, solely on the fact that it is a half Italian/half Asian and with a sprinkle of Tampa flavoring.  This homey restaurant has burgers, duck salad, Thai beef, bread bowls, lasagna, pizza, and espresso-seared steak all with a warm neighborhood vibe.  Afterwards, as a Night Cap, you can always stroll into The City Side Lounge which is more than just a neighborhood gay bar! They have a beautifully decorated lounge that has good sized outdoor patio, pool tables, and a dance floor.  With three bars to choose from and a VJ spinning current Top 40 hits and classic Gay anthems… what could be better? Well here are a few more ideas. If City Side doesn't float your boat, G-Bar in Ybor City has the biggest dance floor in the area. There's also Metropolis, another great neighborhood bar that also has a good sized dance floor with DJ, Flirt with drag shows and for you guys that like to rough it up, check out 2606 and 7@14, Levi-Leather bars.

Also, don’t forget the best Day Activity to do in Tampa—Bush Gardens!  Located at 3000 E. Busch Blvd (McKinley Dr and N 40^th St), it opens at 10am and closes promptly at 6pm.  Tickets:  for a single day ticket it’s $56 adults and $46 children 3-9 and parking is $7 for cars and $11 for anything bigger.  For more information go to www.buschgardens.com. 

ArtsUnited, a nonprofit gay and lesbian arts organization, is accepting applications for visual and performing artists as well as published authors for its annual arts festival ArtExplosion 2008.  The visual art exhibit will be on display at ArtServe, 1350 East Sunrise Blvd, Fort Lauderdale from February 11^th through 29^th. The Artists' Reception will be on Saturday, February 16^th from 6 to 9 PM. 

This is a mixed media, juried exhibit, and artists need not be a member of ArtsUnited to participate. During the opening reception, published authors are invited to present and sell their books. In addition, performance artists will entertain the guests throughout the evening. Applications for visual and performance artists and authors are available at ArtServe and Stonewall Library and Archives, 1717 N. Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, or online at www.artsunitedonline.org.

Fort Lauderdale’s very unique venue for hit intimate venue productions has gone through a complete overhaul after 6 years and is about to open again for the 2008 season.  I have had the privilege of viewing and reporting on many of their previous productions, such as The Mystery of Irma Vep, Mass Appeal (I sat next to the main character), Julie Johnson, Unidentified Human Remains, Sister Mary Ignatious Explains It All, The Actors Nightmare, The Modus Operandi of Male Intimacy, as well as the unfortunate short-lived hit Two Boys in Bed on a Cold Winters Night.   

For a complete listing of the events that will be taking place and get on their mailing list for sneak peaks and First Available tickets, go to www.soltheatre.com or you could always call them at 954-801-9207. 

Fill Our Mouths, January 10th through February 10th  

Fill Out Mouths is a play by Lauren Feldman that tell the story of two young women who meet on the streets of Paris.  The twist—one is hard of hearing.  Their relationship grows and starts to change everything they thought they knew about themselves, their language, loved ones, and the world around them.  Using spoken English and American Sign Language Fill Our Mouths is a story of love and choice, deafness and hearing, the trials of communication, and the search for self when caught between two worlds.   

This stars local legend Kim Ehly as well as Caroline Edelen, Lela Elam, Brandon Morris, and Katherine Michelle Tanner.  The New Theatre is located at 4120 Laguna Street in Coral Gables and can be contacted at www.new-theatre.org or by phone at 305-443-5909. 

Rebelling Against the Ordinary:  Argentina’s Diana Szeinblum Company Premiere of Alaska  February 15th & 16th  

Starting Saturday, February 15^th at the Byron Carlyle Theater in Miami Beach will be Argentina’s Diana Szeinblum’s Company premiere of Alaska.  Szeinblum’s piece uses the idea of the state of Alaska represents the way in which individuals in modern society are often isolated from one another. In the piece, two women and two men come together and fall apart in angular pairings and ménages simultaneously pan-erotic, veering towards violent and coolly held-back. Clothes are pulled off and put back on again (the evening contains brief nudity) as bodies rebel against the ordinariness and underlying loneliness of everyday life. At one point one of the dark, handsome male dancers, dressed in a business suit, sits alone on stage, a sign hung around his neck: estoy desesperado….I am desperate.

Tickets are $25 for general admission, $20 for seniors over 65 and students with a valid I.D., or $50 for VIP tickets with priority entrance and seating. Tickets may be purchased through Tigertail online at www.tigertail.org or by phone at 305-545-8546, through TicketMaster at their outlets or by phone at 305-358-5885 or 954-523-3309, and in-person at the Byron Carlyle Box Office at 500 71st Street.  Group sale discounted tickets and Patron level support memberships are available by calling Tigertail at 305-324-4337. 

Becoming A Man in 127 Easy Steps, January 25^th & 26^th  

The Carnival Center and Tigertail Productions are proud to produce Scott Turner Schofeild in Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps.  In this turnabout show, transgender perfomer Scott Turner will fill the evening with comedy, contradictions, aerial acrobatics, and multimedia storytelling.  Named Young Trans Hero of 2006 by The Advocate, he will give us a performance that is not only biographical but teaches us about the assumptions about gender, sex, and identity.  This performance is part of his weeklong Tigertail SpeakOut residency in Miami for GLBT youth.  For tickets or more information go www.carnivalcenter.org. 

Do You Wanna be “Popular?”, Opening March 12^th 

On Wednesday, March 12^th will be the opening of the now infamous Wicked:  The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz.  With songs like Popular, Defying Gravity, and Meet the Wizard you will be singing, crying, and be Green.  It will be at The Broward Center for the Performing Arts and tickets are available online at www.browardcenter.org or by phone at 954-523-3309. 

Miami City Ballet presents Program II, January 11^th through 13^th

The Miami City Ballet is proud to announce their latest show titled Program II which will feature La Valse, Nine Sinatra Songs, and Aurora’s Wedding.  The best part of is the spectactular finale of the classic Sleeping Beauty which has never before been seen in Miami.  Come see the beautiful Princess Aurora and her handsome Prince Desire during their lavish wedding-day celebration.  This all takes place at the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts Ziff Ballet Opera House and tickets can be purchased at www.carnivalcenter.org. 

Matchbox Twenty, Friday, January 25^th 

On Friday, January 25^th the legendary Matchbox Twenty will take the Hard Rock Live stage as part of their Exile in America Tour with Special Guests Alanis Morisette and Mutemath.  Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 954-52-3309.

Kathy Griffin, Wednesday, January 16^th

On Wednesday, January 16^th, the one and only Red Head Celebrity Death Wish—Kathy Griffin will be part of the South Beach Comedy Festival and will be at The Fillmore at the Jackie Gleason Theatre.  For tickets, continuous updates, and info go to www.southbeachcomdyfestival.com. 

Also on the 16^th, the amazing Foo Fighters will be at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise.  Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com, www.livenation.com, or www.foofighters.com or by phone at 954-523-3309.  Arriving on April 18^th is Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will also be at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise as well.  

Gold Coast Opera’s Tosca 

The Gold Coast Opera will be performing Puccini’s Tosca on January 22^nd at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts and January 24^th at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.  Tosca is one of Puccini’s sizzling dramas of love, death defying loyalty, and villainous deceit that also have spectacular melodies and beautiful and impassioned arias.  For more information go to www.sunsetet.com.