The newest performing arts center on the block in South Florida, The Carnival Center in Miami, is about to enter its second year of operation. Running that facility is no easy task with all the politics involved. I feel for the leader Michael Hardy and his staff as they prepare for Year Two.

It's a brutal market down here for the entertainment dollar, I've said that many time before. Much more so than in many places in the U.S. Many theaters have large metropolitan markets all to themselves. They are the top dog. The Carnival Center, like the Coral Springs Center for the Arts and Broward Center and many others, are in a different situation. We are all chasing the same bone. Greater risk...less reward.

When a theater takes it upon themselves to promote a show, and inherit the great risk involved in doing so, the man or woman who makes that decision lives on edge until the show is over. Did it win? Did it lose? How much? Do I still have a job?

The Carnival Center took some risks during Year One to feel out the market as they opened, and have decided to scale back promoting their own shows during the upcoming season, according to the Miami Herald. For more information on the Carnival Center, check out this link below.

http://www.miamiherald.com/519/story/250459.html

Two Grammy winners are set to join the cast of "The Color Purple" in New York in January. Read all about it here...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070926/ap_en_ot/theater_color_purple

For those of you who like to go to New York City to catch a Broadway show in the fall, better avoid early October. It appears a showdown is approaching between stagehands and the American League of Theatres and Producers that may result in a strike after the end of September. The parties have been negotiating for a while, but no new deal is in place. For more news on this situation, check out the latest story in Variety.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117972459.html?categoryid=15&cs=1

Long ago, South Florida, specifically the Coconut Grove Playhouse, occasionally served as a pre-Broadway home for shows. These days, the competition is fierce among major U.S. cities for pre-Broadway tryouts as this story in Variety details in-depth.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117972230.html?categoryid=2699&cs=1

Well, this is it, the final two contestants in NBC's Last Comic Standing have ripped off a couple of fine sets and America will crown either Lavell Crawford or Jon Reep the winner tonight at 9:00 p.m.

The top five comics from this hit tv show are coming to the Coral Springs Center for the Arts on October 20th at 8:00 p.m. Both Lavell and Reep will be here so we're pretty lucky. Both are fine comics. It's not often one can see five very funny comedians in one show, so check them out at this website and on Saturday, October 20th at our place.

UPDATE: Jon Reep won The Last Comic Standing on Wednesday edging out Lavell Crawford.

http://www.nbc.com/Last_Comic_Standing/

For those of you interested in reading about the inner workings of the concert business, check out this recent article in Encore magazine detailing the latest news on mega-promoter Live Nation.

With recent acquisitions like the House of Blues chain and aggressively pushing the Fillmore concert brand name across the U.S., including local venue the former Jackie Gleason Theater, Live Nation's moves have caught everyone's attention.

The company's website is now the most popular entertainment site on the Internet according to Nielsen, recording more than 60 million hits last year.



http://encore.celebrityaccess.com/index.php?encoreId=95&articleId=23101

You know times are tough when a 79-year old grandma walks into a bank in Texas and tries to rob it with a toy gun.

Down here in South Florida, property taxes and insurance along with skyrocketing mortgage payments have residents feeling squeezed more than ever before.

Theaters and entertainment establishments like the Coral Springs Center for the Arts are feeling the pinch too. One of of our biggest problems that is here to stay is the ever growing expansion of casino gambling in our own backyard.

Just ask the folks at some of the smaller theaters in Broward County, down at the Fort Lauderdale Riverfront, and the downtown restaurant and bar owners who used to thrive before the Hard Rock Casino opened in Hollywood, FL.

With recent news that the Coconut Creek Seminole Casino is also gearing up for massive expansion, including a 2,500-seat theater, one has to wonder how much more erosion will take place within the current entertainment industry in Broward County. There's a lot of disposable income down here, despite the current mortgage and property tax crisis, but casinos, especially large, sprawling entertainment complexes like the one in Hollywood (and the one planned for Coconut Creek) spell deep trouble for those who make a living entertaining people.

They are the 800-pound gorilla in the room...and they are here to stay.

Jon Stewart will host the Oscars again next year for the second time. Tough gig. Steve Martin, Billy Crystal, and many others have hosted the Oscars throughout the years. Billy is a tough act to follow. He's my favorite.

A couple of years ago, the agent for Jon Stewart was shopping him around to do a standup gig at our theater. Price for one show back then was $50,000. We were willing to pay that, but he hates to fly so we couldn't get him down in time by car with all his other activities scheduled.

I'm not a big fan of him personally, too political for me, but he sells tickets. I have to believe his price tag now for one-night standup gigs is over $100,000 easy. For all the news on this announcement, check out the link to Variety below.

http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_article/VR1117971858.html?nav=news&categoryid=1985&cs=1

So, just how many theaters can survive in South Florida without going bankrupt?

Another major player on the entertainment scene makes its debut this fall with the grand opening of The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater (that's quite a mouthful!)

Operated by the largest concert promoter in the United States, Live Nation, the old Jackie Gleason Theater has undergone a renovation and renaming so its not really a new theater.

Over the past 10 years, while managed by SMG (the largest private facility management company in the U.S.), activity at the historic venue had slowed down considerably. SMG manages theaters, arenas, stadiums and convention centers around the globe but does not promote concerts or take risk. They were essentially landlords. When Live Nation's Broadway Across America tour announced it would leave the Jackie Gleason Theater and move to the new Carnival Center, the handwriting was on the wall for that venue.

Now, Live Nation will take over the venue after cutting a deal with the City of Miami Beach. They will attempt to reinvigorate that theater by presenting and taking risk on a wide variety of concerts kicking off in October with local favorite Ricky Martin. Other acts on the schedule thus far include Kid Rock, Sarah Silverman, Widespread Panic and Lewis Black among others. They have a tremendous amount of clout and buying power with agents so expect the first year to be very active as they test the market.

What does this mean for the Coral Springs Center for the Arts? Not much in the whole scheme of things. However, Live Nation did block us from booking Lewis Black this December, preferring to use an exclusivity clause that is typical for promoters and agents in bigger markets close together like Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

It will be interesting to see if the Miami Beach area will respond in a big way to this new concert facility makeover. As the Carnival Center found out this past season, it's an ultra competitive market down here for the entertainment dollar.

The Fillmore brand concept that Live Nation is launching down here is also one they are using in other markets in the country. Very similar to the Hard Rock concert concept, but targeting venues with a lot more seats that have languished in major markets.

They are going to need Broward and Palm Beach concert fans to make this concept work and I have my doubts whether people are going to drive all the way down there when there is plenty of entertainment options available up here. It's a great concept by Live Nation, but in the wrong place. Parking is going to be brutal. The first year will be interesting to watch unfold.

Today marks the launch of a brand new website in South Florida http://www.metromix.com that is backed by the Tribune Co., the powerful media conglomerate that also owns the Sun-Sentinel.

What is metromix.com? It's billed as "your one-stop local entertainment guide on where to go and what to do in South Florida, from the hottest restaurants and bars, to the latest in events, music, movies, style and TV."

Previously launched in major markets such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Orlando, the website has carved out a strong niche with the coveted 18-35 year olds that advertisers crave. In these major U.S. cities, it has become The website of choice for people who like to go out. Web traffic sometimes reaches 1 million hits a month. The reviews by the public on bars, restaurants, clubs, movies, etc. is a big draw. Thousands of people in these markets take the time to pen a review and reading them is very entertaining and informative.

There are lots of websites out there that are doing similar things as metromix.com, but with the Tribune Co.'s advertising muscle behind it, it won't be long before this website is bookmarked by tens of thousands of people in South Florida.

When people are getting ready to go out for the weekend, this will be the website of choice to find out everything they need to know. It's truly got everything. Maps, reviews, phone numbers, descriptions, etc. Check it out.

One of the greatest opera stars of our time, Luciano Pavarotti, died today in Modena, Italy.

A crossover star who hit it big with pop music fans as well as die-hard opera lovers, Pavarotti was instantly recognizable, with his trademark beard and big, bold belly. He was a true superstar and worldwide icon in a way most other opera stars could never dream or duplicate.

Pavarotti will be very hard to replace on the opera front. Ironically, at the same time we mourn this great loss, a new opera star in Britain, who idolized Pavarotti, is emerging from the most unlikely of places.

Paul Potts, a portly, cell phone salesman who has never performed in concert, dazzled even the acid-tongued, music critic Simon Cowell when he competed in the the smash TV hit "Britain's Got Talent" this summer.

Cowell is the producer of this show as well as the U.S. version, "America's Got Talent", which just concluded on TV here last month with host Jerry Springer.

If you've never heard of Potts, and chances are you haven't, click on the YouTube link down below. If you are a true opera fan, it will blow you away. And maybe cheer you up on this sad day. All is not lost yet for opera fans. Potts appears destined for stardom.

And how did Potts get his start singing opera?

At the age of 28 he entered a karaoke contest dressed up as his hero, Pavarotti.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDB9zwlXrB8&mode=related&search

One of the greatest storytellers in the entertainment business, comedian Bobby Collins, rang me up yesterday to chat for a while. He was just back from a week in Vegas doing shows at the Tropicana "seemed like a year" said the funnyman, and was hoping to get back down to South Florida for a tour run in January.

Bobby normally does the comedy club circuit down here, but is looking to step up to a larger hall and told me he had heard a lot of great things about our theater and crowds. He recently left ICM, one of the largest talent agencies in the world, and is now representing himself.

Bobby is working on a bunch of new projects (including a few reality show possibilities). He revealed to me that he actually turned down Deal or No Deal before Howie Mandel got the gig. Ouch!

Bobby's old friend (and ours) Richard Jeni, a mainstay at our theater for many years before his tragic suicide in 2006, had done well here financially (grossing $40K regularly for one performance). So, Bobby was looking to fill that void. We cut a deal, and he will make his debut here on Saturday, January 12, 2008, for one rocking show. I'm looking forward to seeing him live for the first time at our venue...tickets will go on sale later this month. Check back for more details and go to www.bobbycollins.com for the latest news on him.

The next big Broadway musical from the multi-talented icon Mel Brooks is in tryouts now at the Paramount Theater in Seattle.

Young Frankenstein is a collaboration between Brooks, co-author Thomas Meehan and director-choreographer Susan Stroman, the same team that brought The Producers to life and garnered 12 Tony Awards back in 2001.

The reviews have been lukewarm thus far as the powerhouse team seeks to refine the show in Seattle. Regardless, the show is being eagerly anticipated by presenters around the country starving for hit shows down the road to anchor their Broadway Series lineups.


http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117934491.html?categoryid=33&cs=1&query=%22young+frankenstein%22

Taylor Hicks, 2006 American Idol winner, has a new book out entitled Heart Full of Soul, and the gray-haired leader of Soul Patrol gives some major props to Coral Springs on page 240 in his memoir.

Taylor Hicks played the Coral Springs Center for the Arts this past February in what turned out to be the biggest concert of the season at our venue. It was quite a coup to land this superstar, and with the help of mega promoter Fantasma Productions, our partner on the date, the show sold out in record fashion.

Check it out at your local bookstore and for the latest news on Taylor check out his web site at www.taylorhicks.com