Every New Year’s Eve, celebrities flock to Miami to celebrate the beginning of a new year South Beach style. On Dec. 31, rapper Rick Ross will rock Cameo, 1445 Washington Ave., in Miami Beach. In addition to various open bars running until midnight, there will be a complimentary midnight toast. But no Ross soirée would be complete without VIP seating. The rapper has a  $100,000 table available which offers a package of 50 bottles of Moet & Chandon Nectar Rose Champagne and an evening at his personal recording studio. General Admission tickets to the Hennessy Presents Rick Ross’s New Years Eve start at $150.  Women can snag a general admission ticket for $100. Visit Opium.wantickets.com for details.

Then at Karu & Y, 71 N.W. 14th St., in Miami, Hennessy is putting on another New Year’s Eve Bash with singer Ryan Leslie, BET’s Rocsi Diaz and Terrell Owens. DJs Stevie J and Top Feelin will spin while Supa Dups, Jazzy T and Niko Star perform reggae tunes. General Admission is $40; VIP is $60 and includes an open bar 10 p.m.-midnight. Click here for details.

Other celebrities hosting New Year’s Eve parties in Miami include: Ludacris and DJ Irie at Vice Lounge, Sebastian Ingrosso and Busta Rhymes at Liv, The Spam All-Stars at The Catalina and more. Click here for access to all the parties.

I’d like to personally wish all our readers a safe, happy and healthy new year!

xoxo

-Joanie “Glamazon” Cox

(photo by Danny Vega)

DJ Irie is the Official DJ of the Miami Heat, but he’s also one of the most sought after DJs in the world now spinning parties for Hollywood A-listers and at Miami hotspots such as Louis and Liv. But the big-hearted DJ also has a passion for giving back to the local youth in his community. Irie teamed up with Ludus CEO Hamed Wardak to host a holiday party Dec. 15 to support the Irie Foundation, which raises money to get Miami kids the resources they need to study and stay in school. The party was held at a private home in Miami Beach, which was transformed into a winter wonderland complete with multiple Christmas trees, sexy South Beach elves and even faux snow fluttering through the air. Guests sipped Stoli Vodka cocktails served with dry ice from Premier Beverage, snacked on sushi and kicked back poolside where models did yoga poses in stretchy outfits by Ludus athletics. And of course, a few of Irie’s famous friends came out to support the event including, Alonzo and Tracey Mourning, Miami Dolphin Reggie Bush and Miami Heat owners Micky and Madeleine Arison.

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Kelly Osbourne was in Miami Nov. 4 for the “Lucky Stars” casting call for Material Girl, the ultra-chic clothing line Madonna and her daughter Lourdes design for Macy’s. But the next night, Osbourne was unfortunately seeing stars when a ballroom dance at Liv landed her at Mercy Hospital with a concussion and multiple stitches in her head. On Nov. 8, Sharon Osbourne said on her show “The Talk” that Kelly was dancing with a guy and as he dipped her down, she hit her head on an amplifier. “It split her head open. They cleaned it up. She thought she was fine, went back to her hotel and fainted twice,” Osbourne’s mom explained. “She’s fine. She just has a very sore head.”

I’m so relieved the down-to-earth starlet is OK. The day before my interview with Osbourne, my bedroom was looking like a fashion emergency room with 20 outfits strewn all over my bed. I had to be in Miami for a marathon day of interviews from 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and I wanted to wear something the “E! Fashion Police” host wouldn’t deem a fashion felony. I decided to wear Ralph Lauren Jeans, a black INC sweater, a leopard fedora I bought on sale at Hot Topic and a beige Missoni for Target scarf I recently snagged off a clearance rack after someone foolishly returned it. I was feeling extremely awkward in my leopard fedora, especially after someone in the Dadeland Mall parking lot made fun of me for having it on. But Osbourne complimented me on it and that was a major confidence boost. [Note to self: leopard hats are great ice breakers].

Osbourne, who told me the novelty of staying in new hotels never wears off on her, has been on a tour visiting cities such as Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York in search of the next “Material Girl.” The winner will be featured in an ad campaign and score $5,000. But Osbourne insists this isn’t a model search. “We don’t want a model. If anyone comes up to us and says they’re modeling or hands us a modeling card, they’re automatically out because that’s not what we’re looking for,” Osbourne says. “We’re looking for a normal girl that has something to say, that is fearless and not afraid to take risks with fashion–a true all-around material girl. So it doesn’t matter what size you are, it doesn’t matter how tall you are. It’s what you have inside that you can project and show off.”

Osbourne, who replaced Taylor Momsen as the face of Material Girl in January, admits she was a bit shocked when she was chosen to represent the line. “Just being the face of Material Girl has been incredible. It’s such an honor they asked somebody like me to do it. I’m not a model. I’m barely a model citizen,” Osbourne laughs. “I was terrified on my first photo shoot. I had no idea how to stand or move. It took a good hour for me to get comfortable and I learned how to pose properly for the camera.”

It’s that genuineness about Osbourne that made her an ideal candidate to ease the nerves of the dozens of young Miami women who came out for the event. Material Girl-hopefuls stood on a box before Osbourne and two other judges which included Joshua McKinley from “Project Runway” and New York-based DJ Jesse Marco. Osbourne asked the contestants questions such as “Who is your style icon?” and “Why do you want to be the next Material Girl?”

While Osbourne has listed Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn as her style icons, she’s hoping the Material Girl collection inspires young women to experiment with fashion. “Everything in the line is affordable. They try to keep it under $40 and that’s great because with the state of the economy and everything, it’s allowing young girls to have high fashion,” Osbourne says. “ I love all their skirts in the line because they’re elastic waists and there’s this one cropped knitwear sweatshirt with a pocket I love. It hits me just where my waistband is so it’s perfect. I wear it almost every day.”

One of Osbourne’s favorite aspects of the line however, is getting to meet the real people who really wear it. “The overall experience as has been amazing, getting to do these appearances at Macy’s where mothers and daughters get to ask me whatever they want to about style, weight loss, bullying or anything like that,” Osbourne says. “It’s become almost like motivational speaking with Material Girl. There’s been times where mothers were crying. It’s been an amazing ride. It really has.”

Thrashin’ Show

The 17^th Annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball Nov. 5 in Miami had a heavy dose of rock royalty this year with a performance by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Jett later made her way to a VIP area next to the runway where she sat next to Forge owner Shareef Malnik and “Burn Notice” actress Gabrielle Anwar to watch a fashion show by Miami brothers Fabrice and Patrick Tardieu of Bogosse. Then the runway was overtaken Andrew Charles, a new collection of python-printed skinny jeans, paisley peasant blouses and bell bottom jeans. Designed by Andy Hilfiger, Hilfiger partnered with his brother Tommy Hilfiger and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler on the line that’s sold exclusively at select Macy’s. With pieces available for men and women, the collection is billed as “Fashion With Rock ’N’ Roll Swagger.”  That’s just what Hilfiger delivered. At the end of his fashion show show, he bounced around the catwalk wailing on his Gibson SG guitar.

Backstage, Hilfiger filled me on his fashion line.  Tyler is the brand ambassador for the line while his daughter Chelsea is the female face of the brand. “I’ve always been into rock ’n’ roll,” Hilfiger says. “Really, how my brothers and I got into fashion–we used to look at album covers like Rubber Soul, High Tide and Green Grass by The Stones, Van Halen and early Aerosmith.”

Hilfiger’s rock roots inspired him to launch Andrew Charles. “Rock stars always want to look good on stage. It’s really hard to find products for that at a mass level. So we came up with this idea to do a rock ’n’ roll line that was not too crazy with zippers and pins all over,” Hilfiger explains. “But we went for the whole back leather look. We came up with this brand, Andrew Charles, which is my middle name.”

Hilfiger recalls his brother Tommy picking him up in the ‘70s and driving him to New York City with their brother Billy to hit rock clubs such as CBGB’s. “We were 15 or 16. We hung out with Joey Ramone and the Deadboys. We were really into the same thing and we’ve never really changed. I played in a band with Ricky Byrd, the original guitarist for Joan Jett and The Black hearts,” Hilfiger says. “I was in several bands with my brother Billy. Billy died of brain cancer the same week of 9/11. He was the real rock ’n’ roll guy in the family. I played bass in his band and Tommy was our manager.” Hilfiger reminisces about the days his brother Tommy used to book his band in upstate New York. “’ I was in high school and Billy was maybe 21 or 22. Tommy used to book us at all the clubs and we’d pack them. Then we did a record in 1979. It was on the radio all over upstate New York and in Pennsylvania,” Hilfiger says. “I just wrote two new songs and I’m releasing a single in the near future on Andyhilfiger.com and we’ll use the music for the Andrew Charles line as well.” Whether you want to look preppy or punk, the Hilfiger brothers seem to have opposite ends of the fashion spectrum covered.

The middle of H&M looked war torn. I was however excited to see Sex And The City stylist Danny Santiago shopping for pieces behind the barricade.

But on the down side, as more and more Versace For H&M disappeared from the store’s shelves, women were getting really, really bitchy. A few more accessories were placed on a table in the middle of the Versace section and the women actually jumped on each other in a designer dogpile. Security guards were trying to break it up. And they warned shoppers “If you have any of these Versace items, hold them tightly. People are trying to take them.”

After I had finally scored my coveted size 10 silver stilettos, an obviously jealous empty-handed shopper came over to me and said “Can I see those?” I handed one shoe over (keeping the other as collateral so that she wouldn’t run off with my golden prize) and she snottily said “I wouldn’t be caught dead in these. Here you go.” And I simply smiled at her and replied “Honey, you can’t handle walking in my shoes.” For more on my H&M adventure, stayed tuned for the next Glamazon fashion column in City Link magazine.

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This is how the conversation went:

Me: “Are you coming or going with that stuff because there’s not one piece of Missoni to be found?”

Woman with cart: “We’re returning.”

Me: “[Gasp!] The mother load!”

Man with cart: “I guess you could say that.”

In that very moment, I forgot about my granny’s melting pumpkin ice cream. I didn’t care that it was 8 p.m. and “Dancing With The Stars,” (my favorite competitive show) was on. My brain was overcome with zig-zags. In fact, I was dizzy over it.

I bolted over to the return line and began stalking them. I was transfixed with every item that came out of their carts. It was all…there! She had Missoni for Target bedding, wall art, 10 pairs of rain boots, two knit dresses, two cardigans, gloves, lingerie, THREE suitcases, a carry-on travel bag, a laptop bag…it literally went on and on. It went on for thousands and thousands of dollars and I was so stoked when this benevolent woman pulled this sweater out of her cart! There it was…the chevron print cardigan I was so desperately trying to purchase from my iPhone in the hospital…in my size! I was able to score that and the coveted travel bag in black and white. I asked the woman if she had bought the stuff to sell on eBay and she said it was all an accident on Target.com. Her assistant placed an order for her and then the site said it was cancelled, so they placed the order again and again and ended up with way too much. If you really want to find Target for Missoni items now, check the return line at your local Target. So many shoppers over bought and had to return, so there’s a good chance you just might find your dream item when and where you’d least expect it. In another recent trip to Target, I was also able to find a fabulous floppy hat. But during that trip to Target, I did come across an eBay hoarder in the return line and from the look of exhaustion and annoyance on her face, it looked like she had learned her lesson in hoarding. Oh karma…you really are a chameleon in all those zig-zags.

What is your advice to women regarding getting checked for breast cancer?

“For me, the best advice is to focus on the positive. If I was having chemo, I’d think about a really great pair of shoes. It’s all about the Law of Distraction. Give yourself a reason to go forward.”

Where do you draw your cartoons for The New Yorker and Glamour?

“I’m at my drawing board every day at home in New York and I’m constantly getting inspiration from everywhere.”

What was your favorite part or most rewarding part of publishing Cancer Vixen?

“Being authentic and not being a victim. It was important for me to get things off my chest. Hearing others tell me I was an inspiration is so rewarding.”

What is your advice to women regarding getting checked for breast cancer?

“Early detection is the number one thing I recommend. Be conscious about your body. If you’ve had cancer, get checked at least twice a year. I think the over 40 thing is a myth when it comes to mammograms. Women are getting cancer at an earlier age. I look forward to a day when cancer isn’t around.”

Do you still have the pair of rainbow pumps you famously wore to chemotherapy?

“Yes, they’re Giuseppe Zanotti. He’s my favorite. I love heels. The higher the better. I’m always going to obsess about shoes. My mom [Violetta Acocella] designed shoes for Jackie Kennedy. The first thing I ever drew was a shoe.”

What fashion tips do you have for women battling cancer and undergoing chemotherapy?

“Wear whatever makes you feel powerful. Be a fashion victor!”

For more on Marchetto, visit Marisamarchetto.com.

Photo By Bristolfoto

“We pitched it to Sundance. It’s the story of a girl who is discovering she’s got nothing to do with her life anymore because of this traumatic event that took place. So she spends the movie in that situation trying to come into contact with something that resembles who she really is again,” Parrack said. “I wrote it and we shot it without a crew. My wife is the lead. She gives a performance that’s so unexpected and it’s something you really don’t see. There’s a lot of good work out there and there’s a lot of bored, apathetic, terrible work out there. This is not either. If you see the movie, it’s gonna hit you, effect you and you’re gonna be better off for having seen it.”

Both actors also mentioned how much fun they have on the set of “True Blood” and that the cast and crew love to hang out in their down time. Sounds like a bloody good time! Thanks for bringing the magic of Bon Temps a little further south for a night.

For the latest in South Florida style, follow me at Twitter.com/Joaniecox

Port Everglades Oct. 16 was packed with hundreds of tourists eager to board Royal Caribbean’s $1.5 billion ship, Allure of The Seas, but in the midst of all the chaos, actress Salma Hayek was making her way up the port’s escalator for the Puss In Boots 3-D South Florida premiere. Surrounded by her entourage and two Broward County Sheriffs, Hayek was chatting on her cell phone as she walked onto the boat.

The red carpet arrivals, which were set up on the top deck of the spectacular ship, were delayed due to rain and wind. Eventually, media members took their places on the red carpet anyway despite the drizzling. The ship had to set sail by 5 p.m. and everyone not sailing had to be off by 4 p.m., so the show went on.

A dramatic tango dance duo strutted down the carpet as well as a costumed couple dressed as the furry and fabulous leads in Puss In Boots. “At times it’s hard to tell Antonio and Salma apart from their characters in the film,” Director Chris Miller said on the red carpet. “It’s a story that shows it’s really never too late to do the right thing.” Miller also mentioned he “fell in love with the Puss In Boots character in Shrek and really wanted to make this film.”

Hayek, who was looking lovely in an Yves Saint Laurent necklace and cream-colored blouse and dark blue jeans, walked the red carpet with co-star Antonio Banderas, who also lent his captivating voice to the film. “The movie has a lot of adventure and it’s just a very nice film,” Hayek said. The good-sported stars kept smiling for photographers and giving interviews to reporters despite the wind and rain.

Puss In Boots, which hits theaters Oct. 28, is essentially the prequel to the character’s appearance in Shrek 2. Half-outlaw, part-scrapper but all Lothario, Puss In Boots teams up with witty Kitty Softpaws and a legendary nursery rhyme sidekick to save the day. DreamWorks’ CEO and co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg also walked the red carpet that day to share his thoughts on the film, which additionally features the voices of  Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris. “There’s a heavy Spanish influence in the film,” Katzenberg added. “Antonio really makes a purrrfect movie for kids.” For more on the PG-rated film, check out Pussinbootsthemovie.com.