Jerry Curl

Madonna has given Yahoo! Music an exclusive video from her Ultra Music Fest surprise appearance in Miami. The pop queen came out on stage last week before Swedish DJ Avicii's set to do a little call and response with the astonished audience. Avicii kicked off the set with his remix of Madonna's single "Girl Gone Wild". Along with her surprise appearances, Madonna has been taking over the internet. Just a week into signing up for an official Twitter account for the first time ever, the pop queen has already held two Twitter chats with fans, plus celebrity friends and well-wishers. Last night's chat that Madge did from the floor of her living room included names like Anderson Cooper, Britney Spears, Katy Perry and a particularly long chat with former neighbor Lionel Richie ("the other ritchie in [her] life..."). Highlights from the Twitter chat can be read here .

Rosie O'Donnell's relationship with her house on Star Island lasted longer than her show on Oprah's TV network, but it, too, has come to an end. Just days after The Rosie Show was cancelled , the outspoken actress listed her 12-bedroom mansion in one of Miami Beach's most exclusive enclaves for $19.5 million, an almost 300 percent markup from the $6.75 million she paid for the place in 1999. There's no word on why O'Donnell's bailing on Star Island, but perhaps once one is reportedly turned away from neighbor Diddy's New Year's Eve party , there's just no going back to homeowner's association meetings. But whatever the reason, there'll likely be a very wealthy buyer happy to have it. According to real estate agent Kevin Tomlinson, Rosie's 1923 Spanish-style waterfront estate boasts a whopping 11,104 square feet on more than an acre of land, two separate private guesthouses, a pool, and, perhaps most impressively, 203 feet of Biscayne...

In local celeb news: Longtime South Florida radio personality DJ Laz has left his popular morning show on Power 96. Details were scant on the breakup between the urban Top 40 station and Lazaro Mendez, a Power 96 fixture since the mid 80s, but a person at the radio station confirmed this morning that Laz had left the station. Last night said on his Twitter page : "Rumors are true, I am no longer with Power 96... I wish them all the best. And to my coworkers and friends, thank you for everything." Power 96 program director Jill Strada was leading a meeting of the radio station’s senior staff thisy morning as a substitute DJ handled Laz’s usual 6 to 10 a.m. shift. Laz was last heard in an advertising spot pushing a slip-and-fall attorney. The final song of the shift was Kanye West’s “Heartless.” Laz was quiet on Twitter this morning, but his fans were not. Typical was the shout-out from RalphyV18: “@therealdjlaz It's sad to see you leave homie. you were the voice of miami. ...

--> The only reason this is being posted is because of the locale. That's South Beach!

KeysNet reports : The corals of the Florida Keys which took centuries to grow died within days during the frigid January 2010 cold snap, says a newly published scientific study. "Some monumental corals that were 200 or 300 years old perished in a span of five days," said Rob Ruzicka, a co-author with Michael Colella of the patch-reef study published in the February edition of Coral Reefs, the journal of the International Society for Reef Studies . Colella and Ruzicka work for the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and have been involved with the 17-year history of the institute's Coral Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project. The published cold-water study focuses on patch reefs, generally found in depths of 12 to 20 feet in Hawk Channel, inside the main Florida Keys coral reef, that did not suffer damage as severe. Some of the patch reefs lost from half to two-thirds of their coral cover as a result of the cold-w...

HuffPo Miami reports : An 65-year-old woman is facing charges in the case of eight emaciated animals found Sunday in Southwest Miami-Dade. Migdalia Ameller, 65, was arrested Wednesday on charges of animal cruelty, confinement of animals and disposal of bodies of dead animals. Six horses, one cow and one emu were seized by Miami-Dade Police and the South Florida SPCA on Sunday when Ameller was not home, according to a police report. According to the police report, the starving animals were discovered among the rotting bodies of others who were already dead. "There was a decaying cow which was covered by a blue tarp along with a deceased horse which was located in a pen. The horses were all emaciated with rib bones, spinal column, hip bones all showing... These animals have been diprived (sic) proper grain, hay to sustain body condition. The horses coats (fur) was falling out in chunks from lack of nutrition." Because she cares for an elderly mother, Ameller was allowed to lea...

Just weeks after a similar incident in the area, nine emaciated animals have been found abandoned in Southwest Miami. The South Florida Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) went to two scenes Sunday with the Miami-Dade Police Department. At 14041 SW 197th Avenue, volunteers found an injured horse considered to be in “extremely critical condition,” according to Jeanette Jordan, president of the South Florida SPCA. At 15100 SW 205 Avenue investigators discovered five horses, two cows and an emu, according to a release from the SPCA. A horse and cow carcass were also found at the second location. “The one horse we picked up stray is injured and in extremely critical condition. We're just going to be taking it day to day with him,” Jordan told HuffPost Miami . “We’re not sure he’s going to make it.” The animals were found blocks away from another incident of animal abandonment that made headlines . Jordan says that 26 horses have come to the SFSPCA rescue ranch this ...

Madonna did a Facebook interview with Jimmy Fallon over the weekend in which she listed her priorities as President and instructed Fallon on how to dance. In related news: Madge was in Miami for Ultra this weekend. This too was not short on controversy as Deadmau5 ripped Madonna for referencing "Molly", the street name for Ecstasy. "Very classy there madonna. "HUR DUR HAS ANYONE SEEN MOLLY???" such a great message for the young music lovers at ultra," he posted on Facebook early this morning. "quite the f'n philanthropist. but hey, at least yer HIP AND TRENDY! fucking cant smack my head hard enough right now." (Via Towleroad )

--> Trayvon Martin, 17, was “an A and B student who majored in cheerfulness,” according to his English teacher. Trayvon loved building models and taking things apart, his favorite subject was math, and he dreamed of becoming a pilot and an engineer. Instead, he was gunned down by a self-appointed neighborhood watch captain vigilante who profiled him, followed him, and shot him in the chest. --> The Sanford City Commission voted 3-2 that it had no confidence in Police Chief Bill Lee Jr. over his handling of the Trayvon Martin shooting yesterday. The Florida shooting has ignited a furor against the police department of the Orlando suburb of 53,500 people, prompting rallies and a protest in Gov. Rick Scott's office on Tuesday. The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said it is sending its community relations service this week to Sanford to "address tension in the community." Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy --> ...

The AP reports : The growing national attention — and outcry — over the case of an unarmed black teen in Florida who was fatally shot by a neighborhood watch captain has culminated with the federal government's announcement that it will launch an investigation. The announcement late yesterday by the Justice Department followed a day of protests calling for the arrest of George Zimmerman, 28, who claims he shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin (pictured) last month in self-defense during a confrontation in a gated community in Sanford, Fla. Police have described Zimmerman as white; his family says he is Hispanic and not racist. Zimmerman spotted Martin as he was patrolling his neighborhood on a rainy evening last month and called 911 to report a suspicious person. Against the advice of the 911 dispatcher, Zimmerman then followed Martin, who was walking home from a convenience store with a bag of Skittles in his pocket. "The department will conduct a thorough and independent review of...

Chaz Bono will be this year's grand marshal at the Miami Beach Gay Pride parade. Other performers that day: Kristine W, Wynter Gordon, Jessica Sutta from the Pussy Cat Dolls, JoJo, Frenchie Davis and Inaya Day. Miami Beach Gay Pride takes place Sunday, April 15, from noon to 7 p.m., along Ocean Drive. “This year’s line-up of entertainers certainly has something for everyone,” said Babak Movahedi, president of the Pride Board of Directors. “From dance to pop and from Broadway to gospel, the Miami Beach Gay Pride Festival will be a musical sensation.” (Via Steve Rothaus )

::faints::

The Miami Herald [tries] to report: The new reality at the 11 Florida public universities is pay more, get less. In the past six years, tuition prices have increased steadily. This year, an additional 15% increase is likely, and a bill making its way through the Legislature could allow certain top universities to charge even more in years to come — so-called market-rate tuition. State leaders justify the increases by pointing out how cheap Florida’s higher education is compared to other states. At an average of $184.36 per credit hour, Florida ranks 45th out of 50 states in tuition costs. But behind that argument is a fundamental problem: While prices at universities have gone up, state support has dwindled. The extra tuition money is not filling the gap. That means students are paying more than ever and getting larger classes, fewer professors and fewer course offerings. And it’s not just Florida. All across the country, university systems are moving away from being state-supported a...

Let's face it: Miami is pretty much the last place anyone expects to see a random act of kindness, much less one of culture that doesn't involve a covert sex act in a public bus or a parking lot off Biscayne. But passengers at Miami International Airport were treated to quite a surprise and highbrow burst of the arts last Wednesday when several among them began singing . Members of the Florida Grand Opera emerged from coffee shops and ticketing lines to perform two-minute operatic selections at six different airport gates, foregoing ball gowns and bow ties to take center gate in casual clothes and a lot less makeup. The six performances were all part of the Knight Foundation 's Random Acts of Culture series, classical versions of flash mobs and videobombs. More at the Huffington Post Miami .

The Miami Herald [tries] to report: Eleven horses were found starving in a Southwest Miami-Dade field on Sunday. An injured dog and the skeletons of about six horses that probably died of thirst were also found with the horses. Ten of the horses got a new chance at life when rescuers saved them and transported them to a Hialeah-area ranch. The 11th, a racehorse, was identified as Moon’s Treasure by a lip tattoo, and transferred yesterday to a thoroughbred rehab and adoption center. The dog is recuperating at Miami-Dade Animal Services. Authorities were tipped off by an anonymous email, directing them to the property at SW 205th Avenue near 148th Street. The area is known as a horse dumping ground where illegal slaughter farms flourish. Miami-Dade property appraiser records show that Sandra Bermudez and Cesar I. Bedoya own the land. They could not be reached yesterday. These horses bring to the number of abused and neglected horses to 72 at the Hialeah ranch rented by the non-profit So...

The Miami New Times provides this gem: The auteurs behind Miami porn company Bang Bros -- who made their name filming men in vans purportedly picked up "innocent" women from sidewalks, and then sweet-talking them into filmed fornication on the road -- seem to have turned to public transit for their newest series. A reader recently sent the Times a link to the web series called "Project City Bus," which will either horrify or titillate you. And Miami-Dade Transit is less than thrilled to see their bus routes in such scandalous settings. Here's the common plot of the films therein, which they've gleaned courtesy of a 2-day trial for $4.95. Man rides bus. Other man films and narrates. Bus picks up hot dude at bus stop. Hot dude helps himself to some bills from narrator's wallet. Man rides man. So are these man-on-man encounters actually happening on Miami buses? To find out, the intrepid folks at the Times studied the videos for more clues.

[ Editor's note ] Gird your loins, kids. Winter Party is back. WPF is one of the world's biggest and best-loved celebrations for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in one of the world's hottest destinations. Over 10,000 guests from around the world attend our annual six-day extravaganza featuring the most spectacular venues, the most unforgettable parties and receptions and the best international DJ talent. Launched in 1994 as a one-time charity dance event on the sands of beautiful South Beach, Winter Party Festival has evolved into a week-long series of events benefiting the LGBT community nationally and locally. A portion of the net proceeds of WPF support the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's efforts to take action, build power and create change for LGBT people. The majority of the proceeds are donated to local service organizations through a grant-making process administered by The Miami Foundation. A calender of all the weekend's...

Wilton Manors is a gayborhood of some 12,000 people in Broward County, FL, just to the north of Fort Lauderdale. It's arguably the gayest gayborhood in America. And yet, according to the Sun Sentinel , Wilton Manors' citizens are committing suicide at a greater rate than citizens of any of the other 31 municipalities in Broward, and at three times the rate of American citizens in general. 0.47 of Wilton Manors residents are killing themselves per year. From the Sentinel : Over the past four years, this city of under 12,000 people has had five more suicides than [the nearby city of] Weston, which has about 65,000 people, and only one fewer suicide than [nearby] Miramar, which has 122,000 people, according to figures from the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office. Among last year's suicides, O'Connell said a 40-year-old gay man hanged himself in October after breaking up with his partner; a 44-year-old man with a history of mental illness shot himself in August; an...

A controversial abortion bill sponsored by Sen. Anitere Flores (R-Miami) passed the Senate Health Regulation Committee 5-2 yesterday. The bill, SB 290, has two stops left before the floor requires much more state regulation of abortions and abortion clinics.

Under a proposal that sailed through a Florida Senate committee last week and heads to the House today, top-tier research universities that meet certain criteria would be allowed to charge what lawmakers are calling “market-rate” tuition. The benchmarks include having an average GPA of 3.8 among incoming freshmen, having more than 100 patents, having six or more faculty members in a national academy and being a member of the Association of American Universities — an elite club of which UF is the only Florida member. As such, UF is also the only Florida school that would be eligible for this new tuition freedom. UF President Bernie Machen said he had not decided whether to start charging more money, provided that the proposal is approved. Florida State University needs to become part of the AAU, increase its number of patents and create a university hospital before it could be eligible, said FSU President Eric Barron. Other universities would have even larger hurdles.