By Thom Smith
No big football game at West Boca High … no free golf at Osprey Point … yet traffic on Glades Road west of 441, on Sunday evening, March 13, was at a virtual standstill a mile from the entrance to South County Regional Park.
The attraction: a rally for America’s newest political phenomenon — Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump. A few protesters were escorted away, because the amphitheater, although in a public park, had been rented by Trump. He could exclude whom he chose.
In contrast to the art of the deal out west, a crowd back east at the Mizner Park Amphitheater on March 6 soaked up the art of music, courtesy of the 10th annual Festival of the Arts Boca — a FAB fortnight of stunning entertainment and critical thought from A to Z.
Sunday’s A-plus show featured Herb Alpert, who turned 81 March 31, and wife Lani Hall, her voice still magical at 70. With teenage zeal, they raced through hit after hit, new compositions and a stunning encore tribute to Brazilian genius Antonio Carlos Jobim.
The high grades continued March 11 with another A-show. Joey Alexander, 12-year-old piano prodigy from Bali, made his first appearance ever with a full orchestra, mixing his own compositions with those of Thelonious Monk.
For much of the show, music director Constantine Kitsopoulos stood, arms folded, and nodded in amazement. Chairman and producer Charlie Siemon couldn’t contain a broad smile when asked how the festival landed Alexander: A year ago co-producer Wendy Larsen saw a video of Alexander and immediately made contact through Lincoln Center. “His father is his manager,” Siemon said. “Joey was just settling in, but he said yes. I still can’t believe what we got him for. Today we couldn’t afford him.” FAB’s program, of course, intersperses music and intellect, which takes us to Z, as in Fareed Zakaria. The globe and the United States may be in turmoil, the CNN host, journalist, author and economist conceded, but times are not as bad as many claim.
Addressing early on Marco Rubio’s surprising debate reference to Trump’s “small hands” and Trump’s retort that Rubio was “not factually accurate,” Zakaria observed: “It doesn’t really measure up to ‘Ask not what your country can do for you …’ ”
Educated at Harvard and Yale, Zakaria was born in India, where I Love Lucy reruns and the opening credits to Dallas shaped his first impressions of the United States as a land of tomorrow, the shining city on the hill. Despite what Trump and others claim, he still considers it the best nation on Earth.
But he cautions that many problems created by centuries of failed policies and mistakes will not be solved overnight. Radical Islam, for example, was spawned by Western meddling after World War I, oil production and despotic regimes. Protest, driven from the streets, coalesced into the one place the government couldn’t interfere — the mosque.
As the Husseins and Gadhafis were toppled, the nations had no supporting civil structure and ultimately no country. The radicals filled the vacuum. But now ISIS must contend with opposition from all directions — the United States, Lebanon, Turkey, the Kurds, Russia and Iran. Its ability to spread terror is limited.
Problems exist, Zakaria said, but Americans have to be realistic: Fears must be reasonable. Since 9/11, 45 people have been killed in this country by Islamic terrorists; 150,000 have died from gunshots.
The United States remains the strongest nation on Earth economically, growing twice as fast as Europe and four times faster than Japan. It has recovered from the worldwide recession faster than any other nation. It is the world’s largest producer of oil. For three years, net immigration from Mexico has been zero.
“The living, breathing reality of America remains that it is an extraordinary place where people can be themselves and live out their dreams. But it’s hard work,” Zakaria said.
Leave it to Bill O’Reilly. Taking a break in Delray Beach, the Fox News TV host spent at least part of St. Patrick’s Day… in an English pub.
“I think he had fish ’n’ chips,” Blue Anchor owner Lee Harrison said.
Shamrocks and pigs aside, England is loaded with similarly named pubs, Harrison explained, particularly in port cities where the blue anchor symbolizes good luck.
Perhaps O’Reilly was looking for some luck, given the turmoil in his “No Spin Zone” in recent weeks. Fellow conservative Charles Krauthammer even rebuked Battling Bill on-air for using “weaselly words” to condemn Donald Trump’s incendiary rhetoric at campaign rallies.
Before becoming a pub owner, Harrison was in the news business. In 1973, he was writing for the Hemel Hempstead Evening Post-Echo (that’s a mouthful) just outside of London, when National Enquirer publisher Generoso Pope offered an outrageous salary. Harrison and dozens of fellow Brits moved to Lantana.
Harrison later became editor of The National Examiner, but as often happens in the tabloids, he was fired. Done with ink, he and a partner latched onto the Blue Anchor, then a London pub about to give way to a parking lot. In 1996 they salvaged its oak doors, paneling and stained glass and had them shipped to and re-erected in Delray Beach.
Harrison isn’t the only Enquirer staffer to pursue new paths. At least two now hold public office.
Steve Coz, who served as editor at The Enquirer, formed Coz Media in 2005, became editorial director at Newsmax, then took over media affairs and communications for Uta Pippig and Take The Magic Step fitness programs. In his first run for public office, the Harvard-educated Coz, 58, unseated veteran Ocean Ridge Town Commissioner Lynn Allison.
Incidentally, Coz loves paddleboards, but they don’t work too well on land, so he may head to commission meetings on his bike.
Malcolm Balfour was just re-elected to the Lantana Town Council. He first came to the States on a track scholarship to Mississippi State, where he took a controversial stand against segregation. He returned to his native South Africa, where he reported on civil unrest, then joined The Enquirer and covered such juicy subjects as the Kennedys and the Pulitzers. Malcolm stayed on seven years before returning to freelancing in print and TV.
Active in programs to save town parks for boaters and fishermen and a longtime member of the Lantana Nature Preserve, he was elected to the Town Council in 2013 and currently serves as vice mayor.
The hot spring continues in Boca with the 14th annual Boca Bacchanal Wine and Food Fest. On April 8 at the amphitheater at Mizner Park, guests will sample dishes from 30 area restaurants, fine wines and craft beers. Action moves April 9 to local homes for dinners pairing top international chefs and vintners. Tickets for the Bacchanalia ($125), vintner dinners ($325) and the new pre-party for Bacchanalia ticket holders ($50) are available at bocabacchanal.com. Proceeds benefit the Boca Raton Historical Society & Museum.
A week later, the popular Taste of the Nation returns to the Kravis Center for the sixth year. More than 50 restaurants, vintners, brewers and purveyors will join co-chairs and top chefs Lindsay Autry, Zach Bell, Clay Conley and Tim Lipman. Proceeds go to local programs that fight childhood hunger. Tickets: VIP with early admission (6 p.m.) and special perks, $200; general admission (7 p.m.) $125. (ce.nokidhungry.org/palmbeach)
Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday. Hello, Juniors.
As many restaurants seem to fail as succeed in Mizner Park, but two properties from up the coast are taking a shot. Brooklyn legend Juniors was looking for another borough where it could hawk its $50 cheesecake, and the empty Ruby Tuesday fits the bill. Third-generation owner Alan Rosen hopes to open by September.
Also, Jazziz will give way to Zorba. Two Baltimore restaurateurs, Alexander Smith and George Aligeorgas, are bringing their popular Ouzo Bay concept to Mizner with seating for 325, a patio, “chic bar atmosphere,” and one unique Jazziz holdover — the 30-seat cigar room. Matthew Oetting, previously at The Continental Miami Beach before heading to New York, will run the kitchen. They are hoping for a late summer opening.
The new Hyatt Place, rising at the southeast corner of Federal Highway and Palmetto Park Road, has landed a restaurant client. The name is new but the operators are area vets. Louie Bossi’s Ristorante Bar Pizzeria (named for the chef) is the latest offering from Big Time Restaurant Group. The prototype Louie’s opened last summer on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. Special touch: a bocce court.
Nick Lioce lived large and had a big heart, but in the end, it was his heart that gave out. He died March 10 from heart surgery complications. He was 65. A respected lawyer and accountant, Nick was best known outside legal circles as a rock ’n’ roller, leading one of the most popular and most cleverly named groups anywhere — Nick-O-Rockwa and the Contra Band.
A graduate of Riviera Beach High School, Lioce earned accounting and law degrees at Florida State, then returned home to open his practice and practice his music.
He took inspiration for the band’s name from the Iran-Contra crisis of the early ’80s. Lioce handled lead vocals on a huge catalog of rock and R&B hits as the band played just about every local live music venue in the county plus private parties and fundraisers.
Lynn University’s music program continues to grow, and Dean Jon Robertson wants to show off his students to the public with seven concerts in April and May. Two master classes featuring outstanding international performers will be free.
Avery Fisher Prize-winner Elmar Oliveira opens the series with a violin master class at 7 p.m. Friday, April 8 in the Amarnick-Goldstein Concert Hall. Saturday night, same time, same station, flutist Nestor Torres will follow suit. For ticket information for all performances, go to lynn.edu/events.
The 21st annual Palm Beach International Film Festival opens a nine-day run April 6 with Money. That’s the movie’s title.
The festival, however, may save a little by staging opening night festivities at The Palm Beaches Theatre in Manalapan. It happens to be owned by the festival’s new president and CEO, Jeff Davis. As with previous incarnations, this festival won’t present many big stars, onscreen or in person. Very little information about personal appearances has been released, but chances are slim that the likes of Christian Slater and Ed Harris (The Adderall Diaries), David Arquette (Evan’s Crime) or Eric Roberts, Sean Young or Armand Assante (Leaves of the Tree) will show for their screenings.
Odds are better for Money’s Spanish-born director, Martin Rosete, since his film is the festival opener. The closing night film at Cinemark Palace in Boca offers a huge hook: Silver Skies stars somewhat-local hero George Hamilton, as well as Valerie Perrine, Alex Rocco, Mariette Hartley, Barbara Bain and Howard Hesseman as condo residents whose homes are sold out from under them.
Features include entries from Holland, Bulgaria, South Korea and Iran, and the festival offers loads of shorts, student films and several promising documentaries.
In addition to The Palm Beaches Theatre and Cinemark Palace, films will be shown at Muvico Parisian and G-Star School of the Arts in West Palm Beach. (pbifilmfest.org)
Luck on the links… Leave it to two lucky Irish men to beat the odds. Palm Beach Kennel Club owner Patrick Rooney Sr. and his buddy Dan Boyle both scored holes-in-one on March 19, two days after St. Patrick’s Day. The men, part of a foursome, hit their lucky shots on the 135-yard fourth hole at Trump National in Jupiter.
Boyle, of Philadelphia, played first, hitting an 8-iron that appeared to be on a good line, but a large bunker obstructed the hole.
“I saw the ball roll right off the hole and then it disappeared,” the salesman said.
Rooney, of Palm Beach Gardens, used a 6-iron to hit his shot on the same line as Boyle’s.
The hole-in-one was Boyle’s first, but Rooney had scored four previously.
The odds of two amateurs scoring a hole-in-one in the same foursome are 1 in 26 million, according to The National Hole In One Association.
Call it the luck of the Irish.
Contact Thom Smith at thomsmith@ymail.com.
Comments