FLORIDA FEATURE ARTICLES : MIAMI

Where the Stars Don't Only Come Out at Night
Miami celebrities

Great locations, perfect weather, magical light, professional crews and state-of-the-art production facilities lure filmmakers, commercial photographers, television crews, fashion designers, and musicians to Greater Miami in droves. Other vital ingredients – world-class accommodation, top-notch restaurants, a culturally diverse population and a vibrant nightlife – are part of the mix that makes Miami one of the world's most desirable locations for production.

Celebrities come to Miami to work and stay to play, upping the glamour quotient around hotel pools, in restaurants and on the dance floor at nightclubs. J Lo, Oprah, Tobey Maguire, Mickey Rourke, Cher, Leonardo DiCaprio, Enrique Iglesias, Mick Jagger, Rosie O'Donnell, Tyra Banks, Andy Garcia, Diane Von Furstenberg and Denzel Washington have all lingered awhile in Miami. The list of top models, film and television stars, and musical entertainers goes on – anyone who's anyone eventually succumbs to the city's significant charms. Many luminaries buy homes; others open trendy restaurants or participate in high-profile community events. The celebrity presence fuels Miami's mystique, bestowing a status that is shared in the US only with entertainment industry powerhouses New York and Los Angeles.




Film, television, commercial and still photo productions have been continually on the rise in Miami since the city was made famous worldwide by Miami Vice’s Crockett and Tubbs during the 1980s. Film hits include Miami Vice: The Movie, starring Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell and Li Gong, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Bad Boys II, Out of Time, Stuck on You and of course who can forget What About Mary.

Some of television’s hottest shows also use Miami as a backdrop. In addition to the red-hot CSI Miami, Miami Ink, and South Beach, Nip/Tuck, which is shot on location in Miami, continues to get high ratings.

In addition to location filming, Miami-Dade has been the venue of choice for some of the industry’s most renowned entertainment events. MTV's Video Music Awards have lit up Miami for the last two years in a row, while the Latin GRAMMYS, the American Black Film Festival, the Clio Awards, MTV’s Latin Music Awards and the Billboard Latin Music Awards have all been staged in Miami.

Miami is uniquely positioned at the geographic and cultural crossroads of the Latin American music industry – a fact signified by the year-round presence of the business's heaviest hitters. International superstar Gloria Estefan and multiple Grammy award- winning producer husband Emilio are pillars of the community, while Sony, EMI, WEA and Polygram all have their Latin American offices in Greater Miami. Latin superstars Ricky Martin, J Lo, Julio and Enrique Iglesias, Shakira and Jon Secada are among the many entertainers with homes in Miami, while Thalia and Marc Anthony have all spent time here making music and enjoying la vida loca.

Miami has long been a recording haven for musicians in all genres. Aerosmith, the Allman Brothers, Lenny Kravitz, Celine Dion, Dr. Dre, Eric Clapton, the Bee Gees, David Bowie, Prince, U2, David Byrne, the Eagles, The Rolling Stones, Luther Campbell, Aretha Franklin and countless other artists have all cut records or laid down tracks in Miami.

The term star gazing takes on a new meaning in Greater Miami as the steady influx of celebrities – Jack Nicholson, Will Smith, Al Pacino, Harrison Ford, Lenny Kravitz, Sigourney Weaver, Tim Allen, Rene Russo, Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, and Kristin Scott Thomas, to name a few – ups the excitement ante all over town. Whether it’s Janet Jackson discreetly partaking in the pleasures of The Mandarin Oriental, Miami Spa, Oprah Winfrey enjoying a meal at one of Coral Gables' acclaimed restaurants, Cindy Crawford attending the Roberto Cavalli fashion show at Bal Harbour Shops or Tyra Banks shopping for cosmetics at Brownes & Co on Lincoln Road, celebrity spottings are a de rigueur fact of glamorous life in Miami.

But it's after dark and beyond the velvet ropes that the best opportunities for rubbing elbows with the rich and famous take place. At live music venues featuring great Latin Jazz, on the dance floors of hipper-than-thou clubs, tablehopping in the lounges of chic restaurants that magically transform themselves into nightclubs as the evening progresses, the scene sizzles with possibility. Staying current is a challenge as, even more fabulous concepts open every week.

After the final cut and the last call, the biggest star is Miami itself. Bold, beautiful, literally bursting with multicultural flavor on the big screen and on the world stage, Greater Miami shines on.





Photo: Visit Florida









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