There’s still time to hit up the Festival at Quiet Waters Park Deerfield Beach, Florida!
Category Archives: lifestyle
Interview with Christian Jacobs Yo Gabba Gabba Co-Creator
Interview with Christian Jacobs
by Ben Pawliger
Last month, I had a phoned with Christian Jacobs, co-creator of the hit children’s show Yo Gabba Gabba. Christian spoke with me about his influences for the show, his journey, and the influence the show can hopefully have on children around the globe.
“It’s been crazy,” Mr. Jacobs said when asked about what it is like to raise both his kids and his newest child, Yo Gabba Gabba. The show Yo Gabba Gabba is about a DJ, DJ Lance Rock, who with his group of toy friends, go on adventures that incorporate life lessons such as sharing and eating your vegetables. Colorful characters such as Muno, the red cyclops, and Brobee, the little green monster, play, dance, and sing around, all incorporating a great deal of fun.
Yo Gabba Gabba has turned into an international phenomenon, and a pop-culture icon. “It’s pretty emotional” and “It’s truly special” is how Jacobs described the popularity of his creation. Jacobs stated that the creative characters came from his love of drawing and comical creativity, which can explain the colorfulness and extravagance of his characters. Yo Gabba Gabba is more than just a show for today’s infants, but a culture icon for many counter-cultural teenagers.
This is because of what Christian calls the “Psychedelic Vibe” that the show brings, as well as the songs sung by many popular artists, and the bright, eye-popping colors incorporated within the program. Along with his partner, Jacobs sought out to create a fun television program that can both entertain young children and teach today’s infant population life lessons. With the help of colorful characters, adventures, and catchy tunes, it can be said that Jacobs and Schultz have successfully reached their goal. “I’m really psyched about it..It’s really awesome.”
Yo Gabba Gabba Live plays Ft. Lauderdale on 3/23 and 3/24. For tickets
Nate Moore Foundation Scholarships
Nate Moore Urban Scholarship Program for Graduating Seniors
4 year Scholarships ($2500 a year for 4 years)
Miami Dade or Broward County Schools
Financial need , 2.0 average and commitment to community service.
Check out www.natemoorefoundation.net or 305-770-0995 or email gillanm@natemoorefoundation.net.
GOOD LUCK!!!!
Ringling Bros Barnum and Bailey Circus “Dragons” Now at AAA in MIami
It’s the year of the dragon at the Ringling Bros Barnum and Bailey Circus this year but Zac and Ashley had the experience of a lifetime spending the morning with Alexander Lacey and his “big cats”. Alexander is the trainer of the big cats and it’s a position he inherited from his Mother and Father who also trained big cats.
The big cat show consists of tigers, lionesses,and a regal lion named Mufasa who has a lazy streak. Alexander explained that the big cats are bred carefully and live a much longer life with the circus than they would live in the wild. They are capable of killing an antelope with one paw but are very smart and trainable. They are rewarded for their performance with meat on the end of a stick and respond by roaring or loudly meowing. One of the lionesses lay down and allowed Alexander to scratch her belly.
The Circus will be performing at the American Airlines Arena starting on January 17th and ends up on the 21st. Tickets are available here.
Wheely Speedy
Wheely Speedy
By: Kelsey Janser
Transportation comes in all shapes and sizes, but a seemingly effortless way to glide along the sidewalks in style is via longboard. Longboarding started in 1959 in Hawaii and has appeared to become exponentially popular over time amongst people of all ages. I was fortunate enough to interview Miami event promoter Jonathan Strauss about UltraSkate, a spectacular skating event he and local Miami longboarder Andrew Andras put together that took place on January 7th and 8th at the Miami Speedway.
At the start of the interview, Strauss exclaimed that it was “an awesome day for boarding, barely a cloud in the sky.” He later added that if weather conditions became less perfect, however, “it’s just another challenge the skaters would have to face. This event is taking place rain or shine. The only way we would pause is if a thunderstorm occurred.” The timers of the 24-hour long event would be momentarily paused and the skaters would wait for the storm to pass. For the time being, though, the skies looked clear and rain-free.
When asked about his involvement in longboarding, Strauss declared that he had “always been part of the skating scene” but broke into the longboarding scene within the last few years and ended up creating the International Distance Skateboard Association (IDSA). The IDSA provides the standard regulations for distance competitions and functions, such as UltraSkate.
The overall concept of a longboarding timed distance competition has existed for years, but this is the first time it has really been developed with the whole community in mind. Strauss loves the idea of longboarding because everyone can participate: “We have skaters from all over the world, as well as people of all ages. We have a kid that just turned 7 today and he is going to try and skate 80 miles by the end of the 24-hour time frame.” Strauss and Andras invested roughly a year of planning before everything fell into place. They reached out to the Miami Speedway but felt it was a long shot. “We contacted six or seven other venues, some way out in the everglades, but we weren’t really getting anywhere.” By fate, persistence, and maybe even a dash of luck, Strauss came into contact with a former professor and through him was eventually able to secure a date at the Miami Speedway. They also received several great sponsors, such as Vitaminwater, Red Bull, Muscle Milk, and local BBQ restaurant Shorty’s.
Everything was a success. Strauss and Andras not only received a lot of support and participation from the community, but Andras ended up becoming the new record holder for the furthest distance longboarded in 24 hours. He broke the former record by more than ten miles, and skated a total distance of 261.8 miles.
Whether you are up for breaking a world record, such as the skaters at UltraSkate, or simply wish to cruise along the coast, Strauss encourages people to try longboarding. “Extreme sports are always hard,” comments Strauss, “all we want is to have people skate.” Visit their facebook page http://www.facebook.com/events/340826882677725/ for more information, pictures, and videos of UltraSkate 2013.